Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill, or Naley, or anything really

Here's another chapter. Hope you guys like. thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far.

Chapter 3: Like a man possessed

Lucas looked at his younger brother with alarmed eyes. They had been at Duke for 2 months now and Nathan's emotional state had not improved. On the basketball court Nathan seemed like his old self, but in every other aspect of his life Nathan had become a walking ghost.

"Hey Nate, i heard about this party tonight we should go check it out" Lucas suggested. Nathan was sitting by the window drinking a beer. He didn't even respond to Lucas. "It could be fun, besides drinking beer here, drinking beer there. What's the difference?"

"The difference is people. And people have a habit of sucking" Nathan simply replied.

"Nathan, we really need to talk about this" Lucas said with an exhausted tone.

"Talk about what" Nathan snapped at him.

"This Nathan. All you do is seat in here and drink, or play basketball. You only do what you have to do to stay on the team. You don't go out. You don't talk to people. Your not living Nathan. And you won't tell me what's going on with you. I'm worried about you, your mother's worried about you... Hell even my mom is worried about you" Lucas ranted.

"Well you don't need to worry about me Lucas, I'm fine!" Nathan yelled as he got up and walked over the their fridge and pulled out another beer.

"Look at yourself Nathan, your not fine!" Lucas yelled back as he fought the urge to rip the beer at of Nathan's hand.

"What do you want me to say Lucas. I'm not an idiot. I know that I'm not living life right now. But honestly, I just can't handle it. I'm not ready to go out again and meet new people and all of the shit" Nathan felt tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "I don't know who to be anymore, I feel so lost. I don't know how to live without her".

"Haley" Lucas whispered.

"Why wasn't I enough for her" Nathan murmured, he was now openly crying but he didn't care.

"I know that it's hard Nate" Lucas said as he walked over to Nathan and enveloped him in a hug.

"It just hurts" Nathan replied in a pained voice. Normally he would never break down in front of Lucas but months of bottling all his feelings in had taken it's toll on him.

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"You could always go talk to her" Peyton said to Lucas. They were sitting in the cafe. Lucas and Haley had seen each other many times over the past two days but the conversations had been limited to 'hi' and 'bye'.

"Who?" Lucas asked knowing fully well who she was talking about.

"Don't play dumb with me Scott".

Lucas looked over at Haley, she was sitting in the corner talking to Brooke. "Wonder what they are talking about".

"Floral arrangements. And stop changing the subject" Peyton said as she throw a chip at him.

"Peyton, I miss Haley I really do. But i don't know what to say to her. Hey Hales how's it going. Have anything else planned to break my brother's heart" Lucas said sarcastically.

"Luke, that's not fair" Peyton said to him.

"You don't understand, you never saw Nathan at his worst" Lucas explained ro her.

"Your right i didn't see Nathan at his worst. But i saw Haley at her worst, and trust me Lucas, she's punished her self more then enough over the years. And it wasn't just Nathan she lost, she lost you as well. It's been killing her all of these years" Peyton told him.

"How is she? I mean how is she really?" Lucas asked.

"You should ask Haley that?" Peyton replied.

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"Hey Nate man!" Skills called out when he saw Nathan standing on the Rivercourt with a basketball in his hands.

"Skills how are you?" Nathan asked as he greeted his old team mate with a 'man hug'.

"What are you doing here?" Skills asked.

"Didn't Lucas tell you I was coming?"

"Yeah man, me and Mouth were going to tag along with him when he picked you up from the airport in 4 hours" Skills told him.

"Yeah, I kind of lied about when my flight got in. I just wanted a little time alone" Nathan explained as he bounced the basketball a few times.

"Well, feel like some company superstar?" Skills asked.

"Yeah man, I was going to go see if I could find my mom. Try the house and the cafe" Nathan told him.

"Cool as dawg, your mom is hot" Skills said with a huge grin.

"Shut up man" Nathan laughed.

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"Hey Lucas, Peyton said you wanted to talk to me" Haley said as she shifted uncomfortable.

"Did she now" Lucas said with a small smile. "How are you Hales?"

"I'm doing okay. I'm really happy for you and Brooke" Haley told him. It had pleased her to hear him call her by her nick name.

"Thanks" Lucas replied, "Are you really doing okay?"

"Honestly I could be doing better. But I could also be doing a lot worse... Lucas can I ask you something?" Haley said with a nervous voice.

"Yeah" Lucas simply replied.

"How is Nathan, I mean I know what they say about him on the news and stuff, but how is his life outside of basketball?" Haley asked as she bit her lower lip anxiously.

"Umm" Lucas wasn't sure how to respond. "Honestly his life is basketball Haley. There's not much else".

"Is he happy?"

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Nathan bounced the basketball as he and Skills walked towards the cafe. Nathan was surprised at how easy coming back to Tree Hill was. He had expected himself to turn into a nervous wreck the moment he got of the plain. But so far he was fine, his walls were still in tact and he hadn't fallen to pieces.

Nathan was suddenly thrown out of his thoughts as they approached Karen's Cafe.

"Nate," Skills said with confusion when Nathan suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Skills followed Nathan's eye line and saw what had caused the sudden body freeze. Nathan was looking straight at Haley.

Nathan saw her standing by a table inside the cafe. She was even more beautiful then the day he left. Nathan felt sick in the stomach, he had expected to see her while he was in town just not this soon. He felt the hurt and anger that he had been feeling deep down over the past 5 years rise to the surface, he felt as though he would explode.

He didn't even realize that he had done it until the ball had left his hands. The ball seemed to be going in slow motion as it sailed through the air before smashing into the window with full force.

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"Is he happy?" Haley asked just before hearing a loud smash. She looked up to see the main window of the cafe half gone and a basketball slowly rolling across the floor. She also saw a very wide eyed Nathan Scott staring back at her.

"...I... I'm Sorry" Nathan said with extreme shock before turning around to get out of there as quick as possible.

"Nathan!" Lucas yelled as he got put of his chair and ran after his brother leaving a group of dumbfounded people behind.

"That was Nathan" Haley said after a few silent moments had passed. Brooke just gave her a look that said 'duh'.

TBC

By the way i'm sorry about not having Skills voucabulary right, i just can't do it lol.

Please review :)