ALERT: LOL> I DONT THINK YOU'RE GOING TO LIKE THIS CHAPTER! I DONT LOL!... I DONT KNOW WHY.. but I realized that i cut out a scene in the last chapter, then had Nathan say that he told Haley he loved her, so I needed totie that up... but i didn't want to move too fast.. so I did this... not sure how you'll like it but.. anyways... here ya go! lol

Chapter Six: Nothings Quite The Same Now

Lucas's fingers intertwined with Haley's as they walked down the hall in school. Crowds of people stared at Lucas. Lucas Scott, the star of the basketball team, the most popular guy in school, dating Haley James? Haley James, a.k.a. Tutor Girl. Haley inhaled nervously as she noticed the people staring at them. Some girls gave her deadly looks, while other's just stood there with their jaws on the floor. Lucas smiled happily, he wasn't embarrassed, but he was also used to the attention. While Haley, looked around nervously, she definitely wasn't used to it.

Lucas noticed how uncomfortable she was, so he lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing it gently to ease her racing mind, because at that moment, there was no way her mind could think of those other people around them, all it could think about was this guy next to her, the sweetest guy in the world.

From the other end of the hall, Brooke and Nathan stood there by their lockers, watching them walk down the hall. "You Ready?" Nathan breathed as he slid his hand down to meet Brooke's.

Brooke just stared at Lucas, as she felt her fingers intertwine with Nathan's and began to walk down the hall. "Yea..." She lied. Look at her. Brooke thought as she looked at Haley smiling up at Lucas. Look at her , walking down the hall with the one person I want to be with more than anything else in the world. Nathan's hand was numbing in her's as she tried to find some comfort in knowing she was with Nathan now, not Lucas. She watched as Haley and Lucas hugged each other tightly for a split second before beginning to walk again. Wow, she thought again, for that split second, Haley just held my whole world in her arms. And I know that I have her's in my hand.

Lucas has got to be the luckiest guy on the face of the earth. Nathan thought to himself. But Haley's happy, I can see it. She should be happy with me though, not my brother. Brooke's great. But she's not Haley. He sighed before turning his attention back to Brooke, smiling sweetly down at her.

The two couples walked toward each other in the hall, and the crowd seemed to split apart to watch the encounter, letting them pass in the middle. Everyone knew that the Brooke-Nathan pairing was wrong. Nathan wanted Haley, they all knew that. And Brooke has always wanted Lucas, the world knew that. They watched as the couples seemed to slow down in front of each other, then pass one another right by. Haley turned as she got pass Nathan to watch him walk pass her. He didn't turn around, he didn't show any feelings for her what so ever. He didn't even look at her, he just walked away like she didn't exist.

Haley let out a deep breath, shaping her mouth like she would to whistle, but of course not making the noise. She turned her attention to the person standing next to her, and she felt comfort. There was something being with Lucas that made her feel good, feel safe.

"What class do you have now?" Lucas asked Haley as he pulled her into his side.

"English." With Nathan. She thought.

"I'll walk ya!" Lucas smiled as he turned down the hall in the direction of the English class.

"So! Today, I have something for you guys to think about." Mr. Genge said as he stood in front of the class. Haley was sitting two seats up from Nathan, and she could feel his eyes burning through her back. She glanced over at the desk next to her's, and everything came rushing at her at once. Nathan used to sit there next to her, now he won't even sit next to her. The desk was empty. "Your future!" The teacher went on, "Three weeks until graduation!" He said excitedly. A few people in the class made random noises of excitement, while Haley's heart raced.

Graduation. Wow. She always thought she'd graduate with Nathan, go away to college with him in the fall, and figure it out from there. That was the plan. Now it's gone and she had to start over. Would she go to college with Lucas?

"Where are you going? With who? What are you going to do? How do you want to spend the rest of your life?" The teacher threw the questions out at the class.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Nathan whispered to himself.

"Haley, you seem to be a person who knows what they want with their life." The teacher directed at her. Yea right, she thought. "What are you going to do?" Mr. Genge asked.

"I have no idea." Haley sighed as she looked down at her desk painfully. The teacher just looked at her, a little concerned with her sudden change in attitude.

"Sure you do." A voice snapped from behind her. "I mean, im sure you have a plan right?" Nathan spat out, he seemed so angry? Why? Haley put her hands in her pockets where she gripped a thin piece of paper, and then she knew why. She didn't respond, instead she kept her head down. "You'll go away to college, with my brother, more than likely. You'll stay in your room, studying and not socializing. You won't go to any of the great parties, or meet anyone else. And most of all, you'll do what you do best, try to be someone you're not. You'll try to act like you're happy with Lucas, but you're not..." He started to continue when Haley whipped around.

Her eyes and cheeks stung with tears as she shouted. "I am happy with him!"

"Then why are you crying?" Nathan smirked, thinking he'd won.

"Mr. Scott!" The teacher shouted.

"Because of everything! Because you find one piece of happiness in this world and someone is always trying to take it away!" She shouted.

"Or you walk away from it?" He smiled again, his pride shining through.

"No, you walked away from it Nathan. You were too busy being popular. That's why when I go to college, you'll be one of those people I'll be avoiding." She began to whisper coldly.

"You won't have to, because I won't be going anywhere near you!" He shouted. Haley just sat there for a minute, stunned at what they've become. Suddenly, she got up and ran out of the room, after shuffling her books together. She ran down the hall as she held a hand to her mouth to drown out her sobs, and she ran straight into the bathroom, letting to door to the stall slam behind her.

"Mr. Scott? Would you like to explain this to the class?" The teacher said sternly.

"Just calling it like it is!" Nathan said, as he too grab his books and left the room.

In the bathroom, Haley sat in the stall with the door locked, crying her heart out. She just couldn't wrap her head around it, it was only a few weeks ago, they were best friends, then he kept slipping away, piece by piece, her world slipped away. She shoved her hands in her pockets again, where she once more felt the piece of paper in the palm of her hand. She pulled it out and unfolded it, reading it again for the millionth time.

Haley,

Okay, I know this may seem stupid, to be writing this on a note like some pathetic teenage with a pathetic crush. Okay, yea I guess I am the pathetic teenager, but this isn't exactly a pathetic crush. And yes, Im rambling on paper. Okay, Im about to make this the corniest letter ever, but I don't care anymore. Im sorry I've been such a jerk lately, and I've been so distant. Im not embarrassed around you Haley, I swear. I just don't know how to be around you. You've been my best friend since we were in third grade and you pushed me off the swings in the playground. Now, Im not sure if I can be friends with you anymore, because Im afraid that if Im around you fro another second, I may want to be more than that. I think im in love with you, but Im not sure because I don't know how this works. Well, yea, I guess I do know, but... I don't really know what else to say to you, just that I love you, I always have and I always will, Im sorry, I don't know why I felt the need to write you instead of telling you to your face.

Nate

Nathan sat out on the concrete steps in front of the school, re-reading the note Haley responded with.

Hey,

Well, I guess Im just as pathetic as you since Im telling you this back on paper huh? Um, you know why you didn't tell me face to face? Because you are actually embarrassed by me, and you didn't want anyone else to hear what you had to say. And I really hurts for me to say this, but maybe you're right, if you are that embarrassed by me, maybe we can't be friends anymore. Im sorry too. But this isn't the kind of love I want, I want the kind of love where we want to shout it from the rooftops, where we just want everyone to know. The kind where all you want to do is put of banners saying how much you love each other. But you can't even let people know that you know me, let alone love me...

Haley

OKIE DOKEY! THERE IT WAS.. i dont have much to say except I hope you's lke it better than I did loll... review please!