Hi guys! Thanks again for the reviews! I'm so sorry for the really long delay. I suddenly had a bad case of writer's block and you have no idea how many times I had to re-write this, plus it was Holy Week so I didn't have much time to UD, either. Don't worry, I tried to make it as long and as interesting as I could to make up for lost time. Anyway, I hope you like it! Please, please, please review, I beg of you!

-----Sera

Disclaimer: As much as I want to own One Tree Hill, I don't.

"You're late," a very irritated Brooke said bossily as Haley walked into the school gym that afternoon for cheer practice.

"Brooke, chill. She's only been late for three minutes." Peyton said.

"Well, it was a very long three-minute period. Hurry up and get into position." Brooke ordered. Haley sat on the nearest bench to tie her shoelaces.

A red-haired cheerleader approached her. "Well, look who came back from the bitter world of pathetic divorces. Had fun wallowing in self-pity? Or did you have more fun flirting with Chris Keller?"

Haley opened her mouth to retort but Brooke cut her short. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Rachel since you'd flirt with anyone to get a good lay. And when I said 'get into position,' it included you."

Rachel threw her a scathing look but said nothing as she went to stand in between Peyton and a blond girl named Bevin.

Haley smiled gratefully at Brooke. "Thanks, and I'm sorry about being late. It won't happen again."

"Don't worry about it. Get over there," said Brooke, as she turned on the music. "Okay, you guys ready? One . . . two. . ."

After two or three rounds, Brooke turned around to watch them do the routine by themselves. "Haley, it's left foot forward then bend, not the other way around."

Haley blushed slightly. "Right, sorry."

Brooke went to the player to repeat the song. "Haley, the game is tonight. If you don't concentrate, our routine will be messed up. So please, please get it together."

They practiced for a couple more rounds until Brooke called a halt. She checked her watch. "It's an hour and a half to game time. Pack up, the team is coming."

The rest of the squad began to file out. Peyton, who was seated next to Haley, nudged her side. "What?"

"They're here."

"Who is?"

"The basketball team is here."

Haley looked up, and sure enough, half of the Tree Hill Ravens were already inside the gym. Bevin was already flirting with Skills. That meant only one thing . . .

She grabbed Peyton's arm. "Call Brooke and tell her we have to go, now. I really don't want to run into Nathan."

Meanwhile, Brooke saw Lucas and immediately walked to him. "Hey, is it just me, or are you even hotter than usual in your uniform?"

Lucas smiled. "If you need money, you've gone to the wrong person."

"I was playing with you, Luke. Besides, you know half of the squad will agree with me." Brooke teased.

He frowned. "Is that from an innocent bystander's point of view or an I-Really-Need-A-Favor point of view?"

She laughed. "It's from a friend's point of view, nothing more than that," she looked around. She saw Peyton, motioning for her to take off. "I better go and get ready. See you tonight."

Lucas watched her walk away, unable to hide the disappointment on his face. "Yeah, nothing more than that."

"Hey, you ready to go?" Brooke asked Haley, who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there.

"Brooke, do I really I have to be at the game? I don't think I could face him just yet." She asked with desperation.

"Yes, and don't argue with me." The two of them left the gym, having a heated conversation.

"Luke, have you seen Haley?" Nathan asked in an undertone a couple minutes later. He just came from the locker room.

"No, I haven't. Why are you suddenly looking for her?" Lucas asked curiously.

"Nothing, I just thought that she'd be here because the squad is and – never mind. Forget I asked," Nathan stared at the floor. Then he added so quietly that he was sure Lucas didn't hear him, "I just really miss her."

"You excited?" Brooke asked Haley as they walked to the school gym that evening.

Haley began to count off her fingers and said sarcastically, "Let's see, I'm really nervous, I feel like I'm going to throw up, I'm walking to the school gym against my will, oh, and I'm going to see my ex-husband play. Yeah, I'm really excited."

"Will you at least try and look forward to tonight? This game is one of the biggest that the Ravens will have to play." Brooke said.

"It would be better if I was actually cheering Nathan on instead of dreading to see him." Haley said miserably.

Brooke smiled brightly. "Who knows, maybe he doesn't want to see you, either."

"Yeah, that's really comforting, Brooke. Thanks," Haley muttered. They heard the loud voices and cheers of the fans, getting louder with every step they took.

They went inside, the sudden bright light making Haley squint. When her eyes finally focused, she saw every excited face, heard every cheer to egg the Ravens on and she realized how much she missed this. Maybe it wasn't going to be that bad.

Haley joined the rest of the cheerleaders and tried to look as eager and happy as everyone else. She talked to Peyton and Bevin and for a while, everything seemed to be going well. She spotted Karen, Lucas' mom, in the crowd and waved a cheerful hello.

She felt a tap on her shoulder. It was one of her close friends, and the announcer of every game the Ravens had, Marvin. Everyone knew him by the nickname "Mouth" and he was one of the nicest guys Haley ever knew.

"Mouth, it's great to see you again!" Haley cried, hugging him.

He beamed at her. "Likewise. It's like I haven't seen you in ages. How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been better, but I'm coping. Jake's back," Haley said, seeing him in the audience with his daughter, Jenny.

"Yeah, I bet Peyton's happy," Mouth laughed. He saw Coach Whitey motioning for him to get to the table where the announcers sat. "I have to go, Haley. I'm going to announce that the Ravens are coming. See you later."

Haley's mood suddenly deflated.

"You ready to cheer them on, Haley?" Peyton asked from behind her.

"I'm ready to get this over with." She replied, taking a deep breath.

Mouth's voice suddenly filled the entire gymnasium. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Tree Hill Ravens!"

Haley's eyes instantly went in search of Nathan's face. Lucas waved to her and then to Brooke. A couple of the other players ran into the gym, waving at the ecstatic crowd but there was still no sign of him. She was beginning to wonder where he was.

Then she spotted Nathan, standing next to another player. He looked up towards her direction – Haley suddenly feeling hopeful – and looked straight past her. Her heart sank.

She heard Peyton's voice in her ear. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"You have no idea," Haley sighed. "Well, I'm here to cheer. Let's make sure this crowd is on their feet."

Peyton and Brooke simply grinned at her.

The day after a winning game was something that all students looked forward to. Usually, teachers were still thrilled over the outcome of a game and so the entire day was mostly free period. The time was then used to any student's advantage, whether it was to skip school or to go and make out behind a dumpster.

In Haley's case, it was a day for tutoring. She went inside the tutor center, eager to get away from all the talk about last night's turn of events. If she heard "Nathan Scott" one more time, she didn't know what she'd do. She was just glad that she wouldn't hear about it for at least until lunch time.

Miss Spencer was already there, helping a student out. "Good morning, Haley. Great game last night, eh? We beat them by thirty points!"

Haley smiled wearily. "It sure was something."

"Well, you already have a student waiting for you. Why don't you go and get started?" She pointed to a closed door a little to the right of the room.

"Okay, thanks,"

She went inside, not bothering to even look around. She closed the door behind her, flipping through the Math textbook as she spoke. "Hi, I'm Haley James. I'll be your tutor for today. What's your name?"

"Nathan Scott."