Chapter 2
She didn't recognize him when he nearly hit her with his car, nor had she realized his notorious identity when he had rushed her to the hospital. But there was no mistaking it later, the boy who nearly killed and then saved her was indeed the infamous Nathan Scott.
It wasn't as if she was seeking him out, if anything she was trying to forget about the whole ordeal involving that night. But at a school like Duke, it was hard not to know who he was. He was epitomized as the reigning Devils' heartthrob, a handsome and brooding bad boy that would attract attention to his every move.
No matter what she did, she couldn't get away from him.
She didn't understand why he was so popular amongst the student body. From what she could gather from idle gossip, Nathan Scott was nothing but an overconfident, ignorant, and drunken playboy who had no respect for rules, consequences, or the wellbeing of others.
He seemed like a class-A jerk, and she wanted nothing to do with him. She was glad he'd been drunk that night, he wouldn't have remembered who she was. She had no intention of introducing herself anytime soon. Her goal was to finish the next two years much like she had done the last two. She was to fly under the radar and graduate, never having to look back. She'd already lost too much, she didn't need to risk anything more.
She was working in the little coffee shop off campus when two students walked through the door. They were taking whatever was left of the summer heat to their advantage, each of them dressed in revealing outfits. They sat down at a table in her sections. Sighing first, and then grabbing the pen and pad out of her apron, half hobbling over to the customers.
Haley knew that it would have been better to see a doctor, or at least keep of her feet. But she was stubborn as hell to tough it out. If she stayed home, it would only be another reminder of how
It took a minute for them to realize that she was waiting to take their order. This was a regular occurrence now, she just had to learn to be patient. She couldn't just interrupt their conversation with words anymore. Instead, she made sure her presence was acknowledged after a prolonged stare. It usually made people uncomfortable to a point where they couldn't ignore it.
"I'll have an espresso," one of them ordered as she checked her phone.
"Make that two,"
They barely spared her a second glance before shooing her away. Forcing a smile, she nodded and headed back behind the counter. The day had started out terribly. She'd lost her purse sometime last night, and with it her ID card and house key.
Once she managed to get to her apartment last night, she had to crawl through the window. It might have been a testament to the poor security she lived in, but at least it proved convenient. She took a shower, iced her foot, and headed to sleep. When she awoke that morning, her head was pounding with incomprehensible force.
But she showed up for work anyway. She came from a big family, and being the youngest of all her siblings it wasn't as if there was cash lying around for her tuition. To add to that, her parents weren't too keen on her returning back to school so soon after the incident. They thought it would be better if she took a year absence to recover and maybe rest. But Hayley wouldn't have it, she was determined in her own goals. She maintained herself on an academic scholarship and paid her own way through the rest of it.
She went through the motions of preparing the beverages, working the barista machines and pouring the black liquid into large ceramic mugs. She was so concentrated on placing them on their trays and serving them to the clients that she didn't realize when he entered through the door.
He walked in with a purpose, an air of confidence about him as he strode forward. He spotted her effortlessly, not hesitating for even a second before approaching her.
Hayley placed both cups on the round wooden table. She didn't bother waiting for a 'thank you' from the two girls as they seemed distracted by something else. She took a long breath and turned on her heel to head back to her station. But as she tried to take her first step, she hit something.
It felt like she had run straight into a brick wall, something huge and pure muscle. He was so much taller than her that her face went straight into his chest, the full length of her height barely reaching the edge of his shoulder. She would have fallen backwards from the force of the collision when she felt something wrap around her waist and catch her before she could hit the ground.
She opened her eyes, only to meet a pair of unforgettable blue eyes.
"Hey," his voice was deep, a bit surprised.
"Isn't that Nathan Scott?" the two girls whispered to each other as they watched the interaction between the idolized man on campus and their server.
He set her upright, his motions strong and steady. Once back on her feet, she instinctively pushed his arms away. She stumbled backward, landing on her ankle in a way that further aggravated the wound that was already there. She winced visibly, and he stepped forward again.
"You okay?" he asked, taken aback by how much she repelled his touch. This time he was sure to keep a bit of distance between them. He glanced down at her now evidently swollen foot, a bruise also beginning to turn a dark shade of purplish grey.
She knew she should have worn jeans instead.
Without looking him in the eye, Haley nodded. Inhaling sharply she pretended as if the pain shooting through the bottom portion of her leg had disappeared, and she side stepped him to make her way back to the counter. She would ignore him, and he would go away. At least, that was the plan.
She bent down to retrieve a clean washcloth from the bottom drawer. Her back was facing him now, but she could sense that he was still there. She looked up above her, realizing how difficult it would be to get the bottle of cleaning solution from the top shelf. Doing what she usually did, she took a stool and tried to climb on top of it.
But before she could, he was right there behind her. The heat from his chest was radiating onto her spine, and she froze. "Here, I'll get it," he offered, not waiting for her to respond. Without having so much as to stretch, he got the bottle down for her.
She mouthed a curt 'thank you', not that he would have seen. She tried to pretend like he wasn't there again, spraying the counter and wiping it down.
Nathan was growing frustrated with this girl. She must have been the most infuriating individual he'd met at this school. She couldn't even so much as utter a single word to him? Sure he'd nearly mauled her with his car, but he'd come to apologize. Hell, he'd even come to return the crap she left in his car.
But as his anger was starting to boil, he had caught a glimpse of her injury from last night. It looked seriously painful, she was having trouble just walking. He groaned internally. It would have been fine if she'd just let him take her into the hospital last night. He wasn't a fan of the 'fairer sex' to begin with, but girls with adamantly stubborn and unfriendly attitudes made him think even worse.
"Hey, I'm trying to talk to you. Stop for a second, would you?"
He placed his hand over the one she was using to clean the table. He felt her tense and recoil, and he removed his place. Luckily he didn't have to do anything more, as she now stood back with her arms folded. Those soft and innocent looking eyes looking up at him in expectance.
"You left some of your stuff in my car last night," he started loudly.
Hayley looked over his shoulder, spotting the two girls from before staring at their interaction. They couldn't have found her more insignificant before this moment, and now that the great Nathan Scott was in their presence, they were wondering who she was. But she wanted nothing to do with him and that awareness he brought with him.
"Haley," he said, catching her attention immediately.
Her eyes widened, not having anticipated him to call her by her name. She wondered momentarily how he'd even found her, when he pulled out her ID and hairclip from his back pant pocket. He dropped both items unceremoniously next to her hands.
She wanted to ask what became of her belongings from her purse when he beat her to it. "The rest of is in my car,"
She narrowed her gaze, opening her mouth as if she could say something. But again, he cut her off.
"I'll give it to you after we leave. I'm taking you back to the ER,"
She might not have been able to verbally communicate with him, but the incredulity on her face was unmistakable. She almost thought to laugh as she turned away from him. She simply shook her head in a flat out denial.
"I'll pay the medical bill," he stated, thinking it would help convince her.
She still did not concede, now crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes landed on the girls in the background again. They couldn't hear the exact conversation, but Haley imagined that wasn't stopping them from guessing.
She could tell he was growing annoyed, watching him carefully as he clenched his jaw.
The impulses than ran through his mind were twitching to be put in practice. Was she planning on pressing charges on him for the previous evening's escapades? He had enough of a record going in this year, he didn't want to give Coach another reason to bench him this season.
And besides, having suffered his own share of sports injuries, he could tell she was in obvious pain. Only a fool would try to pass it off as anything. He thought about it, grabbing this girl, throwing her over his shoulder, and carrying her into the car. He lowered his line of vision down her figure; she was so small that he could do it without strain.
"Whatever," he muttered exasperated, "Do what you want, but don't blame me for not trying." He looked in her in eye, "By the way, your ankle is sprained,"
She should have been relieved that he was finally leaving, but something in her chest felt like it had cracked after he gave up. She stood back as he stormed out of the shop, pushing through the door roughly and heading out onto the sidewalk.
Once he disappeared, she let out a breath of relief.
She thought it was over, but she was terribly wrong. Something settled strange as the two girls from the background continued to look at her, their narrowed gazes and stifled hushed whispers making her uneasy.
It was only the beginning.
-p-
The locker door violently slammed shut, rattling the other in the same row. His teammates shot him sideways looks, all of them simultaneously curious and afraid of what he was feeling. Practice had been exhausting, and he felt about ready to pass out.
"Where the hell were you last night?"
He closed his eyes, not wanting to be reminded of the girl half his size who unrelentingly defied his request that morning. He shifted so that he was leaning on the locker, looking uninterested as his half brother waited for an answer.
"Nowhere, Luke. Just another beer run,"
"To where, Canada?" Lucas whispered fiercely, purposefully keeping his voice down so that no one would hear. "You were definitely buzzed when you left the party. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"
"Sorry mom." Nathan joked.
Luke held his palm to his forehead, his younger sibling was going to be the death of him. "I'm serious, man. Someone could have gotten hurt," He paused and looked the other boy over, "Are you okay?"
Nathan sat down on the wooden bench, bending over to untie his sneakers and put on his regular shoes. "I'm fine. You should see the other guy," Too bad he wasn't kidding this time.
For the rest of their conversation, Nate simply any questions that would lead to having to explain the implications from last night. They decided to head over to the apartment and pick of Lucas' stuff to move it to Brooke's place. Much to his chagrin, Peyton would be there to help as well.
The two siblings walked to the parked car, and Nathan clicked the keys to open the doors. Lucas was yammering on about the letter Coach had sent Nathan yesterday and how they needed to figure out a solution when suddenly Lucas grew quiet.
Nathan pushed his keys into the ignition and began backing out of his space, he turned his torso to see behind the car, his arm around the shoulder of Luke's seat. When he shifted back to drive, he heard Lucas ask.
"You didn't bring a girl home yesterday, did you?"
"No," Nathan replied flatly, concentrating on driving.
"Alright," Lucas stopped, "So you want to explain this?"
Nathan looked over, cursing to himself as he saw the little leather pouch in Lucas' lap.
End Chapter 2
A/N: There's some definite tension brewing between Nathan and Haley. Hope to continue, please leave a review if you want more!