And the Rest is History... or so I'd hoped.

After class Haley took a seat outside on one of the benches.

Senior Year has only started 3 days ago but she was already ready for it to end. She hadn't always been friends with the pretty and the popular. For the first two years of high school she had blended mostly into the crowd and was happy to spend time studying or out with her best friend Lucas Roe. However at the beginning of senior year with some encouragement from his Uncle, Lucas had joined the Tree Hill Ravens basketball team and with that became one of the 'elite' finally dating the beautiful but brash Miss Davis. However Lucas had never left her out and actively encouraged her to carry on spending time with him and his new girlfriend. Haley decided to make an effort and actually under unusual circumstances she hit it off with both Brooke and her best friend Peyton Sawyer.

"And the rest is history so they say... "Haley reflected

It had been Haley's birthday over the summer; she had turned 18 the summer before going back to school making her one of the oldest senior at Tree Hill High. Maybe that's why she did not see the fascination in parties and preferred to stay at home reading or studying. Brooke had spend the first day of senior year talking about her summer in LA, as an aspiring fashion designer she had gotten the chance to work for a top fashion company for 3 months being able to not only study up and coming fashion but was able to gain an insight into the world of business.

As for Peyton she had travelled to see Jake and Jenny in Savannah, Jake had moved there half way through Junior Year in order to protect Jenny from his mother Nikki who had left her at a young age. Although Peyton and Jake kept in touch, it was obvious to the other 2 girls she missed him greatly and she had clearly enjoyed spending the summer with him in more ways than one.

Haley on the other hand had had a quiet summer with Lucas off at high flyers, Mouth visiting family and although she had her cousin Bevin over from Charlotte she was all blissed out with her new boyfriend Skills. She had spent the summer reading and prepping for her senior year. Or that what she told her friends anyway. It was only a white lie. She had indeed spent the first month of the summer doing exactly that.

It happened one Friday night. Cousin Bevin and Skills had appeared on her doorstep one night and wondered if she wanted to come with them to Tric, a recently opened bar in town. They had obviously felt she needed some sympathy vote. The club was having an 'open mic night', and after much persuasion and doubts of being a third wheel she agreed to tag along. Once dating Lucas, Brooke had insisted on providing both him and Haley with 'Fake ID's' widening their options of places to 'hang' or so she put it. Unlike Brooke, Haley wasn't big on the whole make-up and clothes scene but then again Haley was also unaware of her natural beauty. She took her hair out of her clip grabbed her coat and followed the couple to the car. Once in the club she lost Bevin and Skills among the masses. As she had suspected she was very much a third wheel and that's when she met him.

Flashback

"Just a water please", she smiled as she sat on the bar stool and watched to the left of her as some middle aged balding man gave his own rendition of 'I will survive'. Haley sat in her jeans and white camisole as her oversize blue cardigan hung slightly off her left shoulder and continued to watch, wincing each time the man attempted to hit a high note (badly).

"Ouch, could this guy get any worse", a guy commented as he sat on the bar stool to her right.

Haley took a sip of her water and she slightly laughed "I'll be lucky if my ears survive the night" she commented not taking her eyes of the stage. She heard the mystery man chuckle behind her. Pushing a piece of her long golden hair behind her ears she shifted her weight to face the gentleman.

Her brown eyes locked with his blue as she began to blush slightly. He was handsome, gorgeous with his raven coloured hair, jeans and hooded top he seemed to wear so well. It seemed he had also noticed her natural beauty and he smiled softly and extended a hand "Nathan Scott" he stated.

Haley slowly reached out her hand and shook his "Haley, Haley James" she smiled.

End Flashback

"Haley...." Haley sat with her head resting on her hand that was propped up by her elbow. "HALEY!" Brooke screamed at her, snapping her fingers in front of her face before abruptly sitting down next to her in a huff.

"What? Sorry!" Haley shook out of her daze and sat up straight looking at the brunette beside her.

"You should be!" Brookes face quickly turned from a scowl to a smile " Schedule" she held out her hand as Haley rummaged through her bag before placing the piece of paper in hand awaiting. "Hmmm let me see, AP English." She squealed "Mr Scott! You lucky thing! I heard he's also assisting Whitey in coaching the Ravens this year. He is said to be F-I-N-E."

The Blonde looked at her in disbelief as she snatched back the schedule from her overly horny friend. "Dude! I don't care. AP English is AP English despite whose teaching it." Haley got up placing her bag on her shoulder stuffing her schedule into an open pocket. "Either way he's gonna be mad if I'm late."

Brooke looked at Haley in disbelief, her only response a wave as Haley stalked off. "Whoa. What's up with the girly" Brooke heard a voice behind her.

"Your guess is as good as mine ." She shrugged and turned to the girl now sitting next to her, ready to spill more about her eventful summer.

Haley walked to her next class, AP English. Luckily for her she was hardly ever distracted by boys. Sure she had been on dates but boys just never seemed to interest her as much as they did Brooke and Peyton and most of the female population for that matter. She had always seen the boys at Tree Hill as egotistical and immature or boring or just people she wouldn't gel with.

Of course she had friends who were boys. Lucas was her best friend but she hadn't really connected with someone on all levels until Nathan. She still thought of him and it made her smile, however they had both decided due to busy schedules and not wanting to ruin a good thing they would cease contact once the summer was over. She looked at the pink bracelet that lived now on her right wrist, a reminder of him and that summer. She smiled at looked up to see she had reached the class she was aiming for.

She had just walked through the doorway when the teacher looked up from his desk. Haley stood still as his blue eyes locked with brown like the first time they met.

"Nathan"

She said nothing. But her expression spoke volumes to the man looking at her.