A/N: Hi! Thanks again for the reviews. I'm going on holiday tomorrow and I'm coming back on Monday, but I've already started on the next chapter so I should be able to post that next Tuesday. Until then, here's chapter 3 and Jake!

Chapter Three

Jake Jagielski stood in the office of the man who would be his 'pretend' boss for the next few weeks, if not months. He was impatiently waiting for his partner, Nathan, to arrive before meeting the school principal. Their real boss had told them that the Principal knew of their situation, but Jake and Nathan were only meant to keep his updated with information he really needed to know, like if it concerned the safety of other students. Finally, Nathan opened the door the waiting-room just outside the principal's office.

"What took you so long?"

"Uncle Keith got up late and then we got stuck in traffic," Nathan told him as he brushed down his long shorts."

Irritated more by the tie on his suit that was choking him than Nathan's late arrival, Jake knocked on the door to the principal's office.

"Come in," a deep voice boomed from inside.

Jake opened the door and walked inside, followed by Nathan.

"Hello," the old man behind the desk said. "Please sit down, boys."

"Thank you, Mr. Durham," Jake said as they complied.

"Please, call me Whitey," he said.

"Okay, so…Whitey –" Nathan began.

"Not you, Mr. Scott. Since you're supposed to be a student you have to call me Mr. Durham or Principal Durham," Whitey informed him, "Or just Sir."

"Right."

"Mr. Durham-Whitey," Jake started again, "our boss told us that you have been informed of our assignment."

"Yes, I have, Mr. Jagielski. I'm aware – do you mind if I call you Jake?"

"Not at all."

'Well, then, Jake, I am aware of the basics of yours and Nathan's assignment. I hope you boys find this dealer as soon as possible. Not because I want to get rid of you," he added quickly, "You're especially useful, Jake, since we had trouble finding a history teacher this year, but I want this drug dealer out of my school. And I can't help but hope that Keller will be the man. It would solve two of my problems at once," he said mostly to himself, but Jake and Nathan both heard him.

"Keller?" Nathan asked.

"Chris Keller. He's a teacher. And for the life of me, I can't stand him. If I had been principal when he applied for the position I'd never have given him the job."

The bell rang and Nathan looked around uncomfortably. "Er…so…"

"Oh, off to your classes. I wouldn't want to keep you here just to rant about Keller, although Lord knows I could." Whitey handed Nathan his schedule. "I'm sure Lucas will help you find your way around the building, Nathan. You'll get used to it soon. And, Jake, you can wait in the staff room until your first lesson. It's just three doors down the right of my office."

Jake was about to enter the staff room feeling much less nervous than he did when going to the principal's office. He put his hand forward to reach the handle and open the door when it opened in front of him and banged him on the head. The female teacher exiting glanced at him and muttered "Sorry" before going away leaving Jake to nurse both a bruised forehead and ego as he walked inside the room. What a way to start the day.

He walked inside the room and observed the teachers were sitting either in groups or separately on the tables. It struck him how much it resembled entering the cafeteria when he was in high school, and his first day at the station. Some things never changed.

Most of the teachers were leaving, and for a moment he wondered whether it was because he had come in. Then, he realized that they were leaving for homeroom. He walked to the first free table he found and placed his briefcase on the table as he sat down. He had two free periods before his first teaching lesson so he thought he might explore the school building during that time. Before he started, Jake decided to make sure he had everything ready for his first lesson. As he was unlocking his briefcase and taking his papers out

"You new?"

Jake looked up and saw a man about his age with crazy hair standing next to him. "Erm, yeah. Hi. I'm Jake Jagielski." He stuck out his hand and the guy shook it.

"Chris Keller." He sat down next to Jake.

Remembering the name from their conversation with Principal Durham, Jake's ears perked up. It had seemed like Whitey had mentioned him more because of his personal dislike for the man, but technically everyone was under suspicion. "So, have you been here long?" Jake asked to start a conversation.

"Not very."

"Um…what do you teach?"

"Music. You?" Jake was about to answer him, but Chris suddenly started rifling through Jake's papers and found out for himself. "Oh, History. Yeah, Chris Keller never liked History much."

Suddenly, Jake understood why Whitey didn't like him. They hadn't even talked for five minutes yet and the man was so irritating! Not only had he poked his nose in his stuff, hardly knowing him, he referred to himself in the third person!

"Well, it's nice to meet you man, but I gotta run for homeroom."

Jake had never been more relieved. "Sure. See you," he said, hoping that he wouldn't.

Jake went back to his work as soon as Chris left the table so he didn't notice the two women who walked in. After spending the next five minutes going over his work, Jake decided he had everything prepared and put it away in his briefcase. He got up from his table and went to the coffee machine. When he got there, the women were standing there also. Jake could tell that they had just come in because he was sure he would have noticed them the first time he walked in.

They noticed him about the same time he saw them and both smiled. "First day?" the blonde asked, much more kindly than Chris had approached him.

"Yeah. I'm Jake Jagielski," he told them.

The blonde shook his hand. "Peyton Sawyer."

"Haley James," her friend said. "You're the new history teacher right?"

He nodded. "Yeah." The girls had both got their coffee now, so it was Jake's turn. He stuck his cup underneath the filter and pressed the button, but nothing came out.

"Oh, the machine's kind of temperamental," Haley told him.

"You have to do this." Peyton showed him how to work the machine and in the process her smooth skin brushed against his hand.

"Th-thanks," Jake finally said when his cup was full.

"No problem. Do you wanna join us?" Peyton gestured to the table they were sitting at.

"Sure."

"So how long have you been in Tree Hill for, Jake?" Haley asked as they all sat down together.

"Only a couple of days actually."

"Oh, where did you live before?" Peyton inquired.

"Charleston. I've been teaching there for the past 2 years," he said remembering his cover story. The truth was he'd actually been working in the force there for the past two years, after he had finished at the academy, after he had graduated from university. "Have the two of you been here long?"

"I was born here and lived here practically my whole life. I went to university in New York and came back last year."

"Haley and I met at NYU," Peyton filled in the blanks. "This is our second year at Tree Hill High. Well, teaching I mean. Technically, it's your sixth year here, Hales," Peyton teased.

All three laughed as Jake did a quick calculation of her age. Five years after she finished school meant she was 24 or 25, maybe 26 if she took a year off school. That wasn't that much younger than him. Only three years at most. "So what subjects do you teach?"

"Art. Not that you can actually teach art, it's-"

"Oh God, here she goes again." Haley rolled her eyes.

"It's true," Peyton protested. "You can sort of help people with art, but the word 'teach' I strongly disagree with."

"I teach lit," Haley told him just as the bell rang. "Oh that's the end of homeroom. I have a lesson now. See you at lunch?" she asked Peyton, who nodded. "And maybe you too Jake. It was nice meeting you."

Soon, Haley had left and it was just Peyton and Jake alone in the staff room. Well, old Mr. Hardman was sitting in a corner, but he was asleep as usual so he didn't count.

"So when's your first lesson?"

"In another two periods," Jake replied. "You?"

"The period after this. So, um…" Why was she so nervous? She'd met new teachers before. "Have you met any of the other teachers?"

"Er, just one. Mr. Keller?"

"Ah. I take it from the look on your face you don't like him very much."

"That obvious, huh? Do you know him?"

"Actually, yes. He's Haley's boyfriend."

"Oh." Jake felt particularly glad that he hadn't mentioned him when Haley had been there. "Um…well I guess I don't really know him…"

"It's okay. He gets worse the better you do know him," Peyton informed him.

"So you…"

"Don't like him either? No," Peyton answered. "Unfortunately, for Haley, I have to put up with him. But why don't we talk about something besides Chris Keller."

"I agree."

"Would you like to go on a tour of the school?" Peyton offered.

"I'd love to."

Lucas and Nathan walked out of their homeroom together, having been put in the same class as they had the same surname. "So, what's your first period?" Lucas asked.

Nathan took out his schedule and checked. "Lit."

Lucas looked over and remarked, "Hey we're in the same set for that and another subject as well. But, lit is gonna be great."

"Whoopee."

"I can't believe you don't like literature."

"I don't not like it; I just don't like it as much as you do. I always found it hard."

"It's not hard."

"Maybe not for you, Mr. I read two books a day."

"Well, I can guarantee you that you'll like literature this time. Our teacher is awesome; I had her last year too."

"Is she hot?"

"Nate!"

"What? I don't need any of this stuff, 'cause I've already graduated ages ago. You came for my graduation, Luke. I just have to sit through these lessons, so if she's hot that'll help time go by."

Luke rolled his eyes. "It'd serve you right if our teacher was an old lady, but she's not, and I think she's quite pretty. But, we're here now so you can see for yourself."

Lucas walked inside the room and smiled at the teacher standing in front of the desk. "Hi, Miss James."

"Hi Lucas."

"This is my cousin, Nathan. He's in our class too." Lucas gestured behind him. Nathan stepped forward when he heard his name said, but stopped abruptly when he saw his new teacher. The ice cream girl!