Thank you for all of the reviews. I know this story seems like it's moving pretty slowly, but it's necessary for the full storyline to come about. There will be Naley interaction coming up...The reasoning behind certain feelings will come about...but DO NOT be fooled! Here's Chapter 2...Hope to have chapter 3 out by next week. Review please!

Chapter 2: Make The Boys Go Crazy

"5-6-7-8," Haley and Brooke called at an after-school practice.

It was a month after Haley and Brooke's decision to become friends, and surprisingly enough it's been working out pretty well. They were spending time outside of school together, and the cheerleading opening routine for the basketball season was being formed. And the principal was right, Haley and Brooke's heads together was amazing.

"Good job girls," Haley called.

"Go get dressed," Brooke finished off smiling. Her first month at Tree Hill wasn't so terrible. Haley and Brooke's truce made their two clicks become one, and it was pretty easy, considering how well everyone was getting along. Well, except a few.

Haley was finished getting ready and waiting at the bench for Lucas to finish changing so they can head to his parent's café, "Karen's." The Roes opened their café before Lucas was born, and as soon as Haley was able to, she landed herself a job there.

"Waiting for me?"

Haley rolled her eyes at the voice she heard, "What do you want?"

"I've made that pretty clear," Nathan said sitting down next to Haley, chuckling when Haley slid further away from him.

"I don't understand why you don't like me, Haley James," he chuckled.

"I don't understand why you don't realize to get the hell away from me," she whined.

As soon as Haley met Nathan, she felt immediate hatred for him. Nathan felt immediate attraction to the girl and didn't understand why Haley hated him.

"You ready Hales," Lucas asked walking over to his friends.

"Yes!" Haley screamed.

"Later," Lucas said bumping fists with Nathan.

Rachel and Haley sat upstairs in Haley's room.

"I don't understand why you can't stand Nathan, he's not that bad," Rachel said.

"Not to bad to look at you mean," Haley said knowingly.

"Ha," Rachel said, "Actually for once…I'm not attracted to bad boy jock."

Haley stared at Rachel, "For all the years I've known you, you'd be trying to get him into bed by now."

"I never said I wasn't trying to get someone….just not Nathan," Rachel admitted.

Haley thought, "Mouth? You like Mouth!?" Haley yelled.

"Shhh! Don't scream, stupid bitch. But yes, I do like Mouth," Rachel told her friend.

"He's so not the type of guy you usually go after," Haley laughed.

"Exactly. He's different. And for that, is why I like him," Rachel said proudly.

Haley laughed, "Aww, Rachel's maturing," Haley said wiping an imaginary tear off her face.

"I'm telling you, she hates me," Nathan told his friends as he sank the ball through the net.

"She doesn't hate you," Lucas told Nathan.

"She takes long to let people in,"

"Shut the hell up Brooke, the two of you are like joined at the hip," Nathan said getting annoyed at his friend who was pretending to be all wise as she sat on the bench at the Rivercourt.

"I'm her cousin, jerk-off," Brooke told Nathan.

"Who hated her and despised her whenever she was mentioned back home in Miami!" Nathan said.

Brooke made a dramatic noise and rolled her eyes.

"Why are you here anyway, Brooke?" Nathan asked after calming down sitting across from her.

Brooke smiled innocently, "No reason."

Nathan studied his friend and realized she was there for a reason, but decided to drop it.

"What is Haley's story, anyway?" Nathan asked as Lucas came over and sat next to Brooke.

Brooke and Lucas shared a look before Brooke spoke, "Why are you so intrigued with her? In Miami you were all do 'em and drop 'em. You've never ever found such an interest in a girl like you are with Haley."

Nathan shrugged, "It's different. I don't know what's going on."

"Do you like her?" Brooke smiled.

"Do you like Lucas?" He challenged.

"Okay, Nathan, why don't you stop being a dimwit and answer the damn question!" Brooke yelled slamming her hands on the bench.

Nathan reciprocated the slamming, "Yes! Okay!" He yelled. "I don't know why she's been nothing but a bitch to me but I like her! Happy?"

"Yes!" Brooke screamed.

Lucas looked in between the two friends, "How the hell are the two of you friends for so many years without killing each other?"

"I don't get it, Haley," Lucas said from his place on Haley's bed as she was on the floor looking through photo albums.

"What's not to get, Lucas? And what does it matter to anyone? Why is everyone obsessing over the fact that Nathan makes me sick?" she said looking up from her place on the floor.

"Because he's been nothing but good to you," Lucas said.

Haley threw her shoe at Lucas, "Shut the hell up."

Lucas sat up, "Hales. I'm your best friend."

Haley whined, looking away from him, "Screw you. Go be Nathan's best friend for all I care. And go screw my cousin while you're at it," Haley said storming out of her room.

Lucas sat up, extremely confused, "What the hell was that all about?"

Haley sat at the beach, staring out into the ocean, when she heard footsteps next to her. She looked up and smiled, "Who called you?"

"The usual, Lucas, your mom, Rachel….oh but now Brooke was added on to it," Jake said sitting next to his friend.

This was a normal circumstance for the two friends. Whenever Haley had a tantrum, or a break down, she went to the beach, and everyone would freak out calling each other, and Jake was the only one who ever found her.

"Let's see, the last time Lucas and you had a fight was…how many years ago?" Jake asked looking at his friend.

"I don't think we had a fight. Basically, I fought him and he had no idea what was going on," she admitted.

Jake nodded, "I know…he told me everything. What's going on Hales?"

She shrugged, "Everyone is making such a big deal about me not liking Nathan. Who's to care?"

"No one understands why, though," Jake told her calmly.

Haley shrugged her shoulders, tears threatening not to fall from her eyes, "He reminds me of a drunk teenage jock driving home from a party at 4 o'clock in the morning."

Jake looked at his friend confused, "We've all been drunk, Hales…what's the…oh," Jake said closing his eyes in realization of what she was talking about.

The death of Jimmy James was hard for everyone to deal with. Haley, obviously, because that was her father and the two were extremely close. Lucas was like the adopted son the James' never had, as Haley was the daughter to the Roes. Lucas and Haley both didn't know how to deal with the death of Jimmy. As for Jake and Rachel, they'd spent so much time in the happy James' household, it was hard for the two to grasp that Jimmy was gone, and more importantly how to comfort their friend.

Haley nodded tears coming out of her eyes.

"Nathan wasn't the kid, Hales, he was in Miami," Jake whispered putting his arm around his friend.

"I know!" she yelled. "I know," she whispered. "And I feel guilty that I put his face in the image, but I can't help it."

"That's why you're mad at Lucas for getting along with him?" Jake asked.

Haley shook her head, "No…Lucas has the right to be friends with whoever he wants. But…Brooke?" she asked.

Jake laughed, "I thought the two of you were getting along."

"We are. I mean, I just I worry about Luke. I know how Brooke was in Miami, I just hope she changed, especially if she's after Lucas."

Jake laughed, "Look. I know this is weird to think of, but, Hales, your dad just died and I know how you feel as though something was ripped from you. But now your mom's brother and your cousin came to Tree Hill. And as weird as this sounds, the four kids that came with might be here for a reason."

"What, Jakey, fate?" Haley said dramatically.

Jake smiled, "You never know."

"So the project for the semester. You will be given a partner. I will be picking the partner. And, every week, I will be giving you a different topic, or challenge. You and your partner will analyze each other with that project. Hopefully, by the end of the semester, the two partners will learn a little bit about a different type of person, and understand the idea of what exactly is going on in their heads. Maybe the reasons for their actions, etc. Now, boys and girls. Go to two different sides of the room," she paused as the students did just that, "I'm going to flip a coin, girls, you call what you want and whoever gets what is called, picks the name out of the hat. Since this class is small, it will consist of only 10 pairs."

"Girls, heads or tails?" she called.

"HEADS!" they all called.

The coin flipped and everyone waited to hear what landed, "Tails."

The teacher lined the boys on the side of the room and one by one, she made them pick.

"Skills and Bevin," the teacher called announcing the first pick.

"Jake and Brooke,"

"Tim and Teresa,"

"Marvin and Rachel,"

"Chad and Sophia,"

"Lucas and Peyton,"

"Matt and Hope,"

"Ace and Veronica,"

"Nathan and Suzy,"

"And Nathan Scott and Haley,"

Up Next:

Brooke and Lucas talk...really talk.

Haley tries to be nicer to Nathan...

and Nathan does something he never thought he'd do for someone he just met...

All this at a...PARTY!

A/N # 2: Funny thing going on here. I wrote this chapter before last night's episode. I mean I had a feeling what was going on, but the whole "get to know your partner" thing, I wasn't sure of honestly. My "project" is not going to be the same as OTH's project though. But speaking of OTH, wasn't last night one of the best episodes, like...ever? I'm a strict Naley fan-but this is the first episode that even though there was no Naley...I loved it..It was amazing.

Anyway, I know it seems really soon for Nathan to already like Haley and Haley to hate Nathan and admit to why she hates him, but this story has a lot of symbols in it. For example--keep in mind how I keep mentioning Haley's loose curly hair vs. Brooke's straight hair. Also keep in mind Brooke telling Nathan "do 'em and drop 'em" and Haley's insecurity of how Brooke was back in Miami. Also remember, fate...I know it seems weird that this stuff is what is going to be symbolic (especially the hair)...Tree Hill is supposed to bring a lot of changes about to Nathan, Brooke, Peyton and Mouth. Nathan has already lost his old ways while Brooke seems to be, also...

Also...I tried to introduce the type of friendship Brooke and Nathan shared..which is the "let's annoy the hell out of each other but when it comes down to it I'm always here for you." type of friendship.

I hope you liked this chapter...