Hello! Its Been Awhile huh? Sorry! IM SWAMPED! LOL... so here's the next chapter... Im not sure what you'll th ink... I dont like it... im not sure what some ppl will think of the ending especially.. dont hate me too much okay? LOL...

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own One Tree Hill... Wish I did... imagine if I did? OH THE NALEY LOVE! AND BRUCAS! GOSH! LOL ...

Chapter Sixteen: Unfamiliar Worlds And Familiar Faces

Standing in a empty dorm room, he looked out his window. With his head hanging low, he felt so lost. He wasn't sure where exactly he was supposed to go from here, all his life he was expecting to be doing this with Haley, and she was far away from him, far away, and he was alone in his dorm. Without her.

"Knock, knock..." Laughed an unfamiliar voice behind him. "I guess you're my roommate!" The guy smiled, stretching out his hand to shake Nathan's. Nathan extended his own hand, trying to be welcoming, but knowing that he must not have looked like the most welcoming person in the world right now. He didn't want to see anyone, or talk to anyone. He wanted to be angry. Because even though he was sad that Haley left, even more he was angry at her. She just left, and he didn't understand, she just gave up. She always did that... gave up. When she was in girl guides, she quit that. She was on the debate team, she quit that. She was on the Mathletes team, and quit that too. And now she just ran away, letting go of everything. And she was mad at him? He didn't do anything, he had barely known a day, and she uses that as a reason to be mad. If you asked him, she was just looking for a reason to be mad, and this was all she could grasp. Nathan felt his anger at Haley overtaking his body as he shook his roommate's hand. Trying to push it out of his mind, he smiled.

"Nathan Scott." He nodded, trying to sound as enthusiastic and welcoming as this guy was.

"Damien Callingham." The guy responded. Nathan could tell her was an athletic guy, his grip was strong and firm as Nathan pulled away nervously. He was a lot like him actually, the dark hair, strong figure, athletic tone. Nathan folded his arms to his chest and turned back to the window, letting out a long sigh as he tried to relax in these new surroundings. "You're new here huh?" Damien asked as he started unzipping his suitcase and pulling out clothes and other random items.

"Yea, Im just starting." Nathan nodded, still dazing out the window as if he had something to find out there, someone he wanted to see.

"Cool." Damien smiled as he leaned down and pulled out another knapsack, unzipping it as Nathan turned and watched him pull a basketball out of it, letting it rest neatly between his arm and his side. Damien noticed Nathan's stare at the ball. "You play?" Damien asked suggestively, tossing the call to Nathan with his eyebrows raised.

Nathan caught the ball and let his fingers slide over it, gripping it tightly. "Since I was born." Nathan smiled.

"You any good?" Damien smirked as he fell backwards onto his bed, like he was relieved to finally be back home. It was obvious he had been going here awhile, just by how he seemed so comfortable here, in this very dorm room, where Nathan noticed a lot of his belongings already sat.

"Yea I guess." Nathan smiled as he followed Damien's lead and fell onto his own bed, still gripping the ball.

"Well, are you going to try out for the team?"

"I don't know, I haven't thought about it." Nathan sighed. The truth was, with al the drama going on in his life lately, he hadn't found time for basketball.

"You should, we're undefeated... oh wait, maybe you shouldn't, I kind of want us to stay that way." Damien teased him, laughing as he did so.

"Alright, Alright!" Nathan laughed too. "We'll see how much you're laughing when I dribble circles around you."

"Yeah, we'll see." Damien laughed.

"Cornflakes or Rice Krispies?" Mark asked in the middle of a lonely hall in a huge grocery store. They had decided to take their first day before they started classes to go shopping for food and other accessories for their dorm room. They weren't sure how long they'd be in a room together, considering it wasn't often a girl and a guy were allowed to share a room.

"Neither." Haley smiled as she screwed up her nose. She turned around and browsed the hall until finally her eyes lit up and she grabbed exactly what she was looking for. Holding up the box she grinned. "Lucky Charms." She tossed the box into the half filled cart as Mark rolled his eyes at her.

"You're such a baby." He laughed and got ready to move along to the next isle.

"Oh! Excuse me Captain Crunch!" Haley laughed as she pointed to the box Mark had tried to secretly hide in the cart.

"Who put those there?" Mark said sarcastically. "I didn't!" He laughed. Haley laughed and hit him in the arm before reaching to the top shelf for more food.

"So we haven't really got a chance to talk yet." Haley said as she threw random items into the cart and turned the corner to the next isle. It was a Sunday, and the store was empty except for an elderly woman standing in the frozen food section trying to decide between frozen peas, or frozen peas with carrots. "Where are you from?"

Mark grabbed a few cans of milk and through them into the cart. "Charlotte, it's a little while from here, pretty close to-"

"Tree Hill?" Haley smiled in amazement.

"I wasn't going to say that, but yea, there too." Mark said curiously. "You've been there?"

"Lived there..." Haley smiled. Mark's eyes grew with surprise when he heard this. "It's really weird we haven't met around, I usually see a lot of people from Charlotte."

"Yea, I know, and I was in Tree Hill most weekends for tournaments." Mark said casually, as if this would mean nothing. He moved down the isle again, coming to the meat section where all of the open coolers made him shiver.

"Tournaments? What kind of... tournaments?" Haley sighed, knowing what he was going to say.

"Basketball." Mark answered, wondering why her expression had changed to become so disappointed.

"Well than its really strange I didn't see you" Haley said, clearing her throat as she tried her best to push the thoughts of back home out of her mind.

"Why's that?" Mark asked. They were now walking down the last isle, and soon getting ready for the check out where that elderly woman stood slowly putting her items on the counter to be checked in. Every few items she'd stop to read the label and ask weird questions.

"I've never missed a game." Haley smiled, trying to be casual again and not let her life then interfere with her life now.

"Oh, well, would you happen to know the Scott's? Maybe you can introduce me to them sometime, they are amazing players." Mark asked with hope in his voice. He would always watch them play from the sidelines and could never believe how great they were.

"Not a chance!" Haley snapped as she walked up to the counter.

"Something I said?" Mark asked as he ran to her side. Haley didn't want to get on the topic of all the drama she went through with Nathan and Lucas.

"No, just something they did. Can we drop it? Please?" Haley asked as she impatiently waited for the woman to get her things checked in, and she was getting angry when the woman stopped to ask something about what farm the chicken she had was raised on. Apparently it was a big deal if it was the one across town, because those boys were wild and god knows what they fed them.

"Sure, whatever you want." Mark said sweetly as he took her hand and kissed it gently and reassuringly. "Whatever it was, they wont do it again, I promise." Mark smiled.

"It's no big deal, but thanks." Haley smiled.

"Hellooo Gorgeous." A cocky jock smiled as Brooke walked down the hall of her new college. She heard him whistle and walk tightly behind her and all she could do was grasp her suitcase tightly and walk fast towards the administrative office. "Hey! Where are you going?" The guy asked mockingly as Brooke felt him inch closer and closer to her. She couldn't run, because it wasn't that serious and she didn't want to look afraid, but she hated the feeling she had with him this close to her, and she hated this place filled with people she didn't know. She had never felt so alone and afraid in her life. "Come on!" The guy kept saying until suddenly he reached out and grabbed Brooke's arm, making her drop her suitcase and twirl around. "What's the matter sweetheart?" He grinned.

Brooke tried to turn away. "Get your hands off of me!" She snapped.

"Oh come on! Im just having some fun!" He smiled again, pulling her into him.

"Have fun somewhere else!" A voice came from the side, as two familiar hands pushed the male away from Brooke, leaving her breathless. When she saw who it was, she just stared at him. She hadn't really wanted to see him, because just like everyone else back in Tree Hill, she wanted to leave all of them behind, but in this moment she was so happy he was there, happier then she ever thought she'd be, she ever knew she could be.

"Hey, you alright?" Lucas smiled as he tucked a stranded piece of hair behind her ear and cupped her face to look into her eyes. Brooke just smiled as she threw her arms around his neck. "Looks like we're going to the same school!" Lucas laughed as he lifted her up. "Im really hapy to see you too." He whispered into her hair.

OKay...hides away... Review please... be nice lol...

Michelley P.