A/N: I'm back:) Thanks so much for all your great reviews, I have never got so many before for so few chapters! Hope you like this chapter. For you Brooke/Brucas fans: Brooke will be in the next update.

Chapter Four

Peyton Sawyer paid the take-out guy and returned to the kitchen of her apartment with their food. "Food's here, Hales."

"I know," she said coming out of her room.

"How did you know?" Peyton asked as she looked for plates.

"I smelt it," Haley said as if it was obvious.

"That is just weird girl."

"I also heard the doorbell ring."

"Oh. So how was your first day of the year?"

"Pretty good. You?"

"Okay. I got this one weird kid in my sophomore class who wouldn't draw anything other than a dome," Peyton told her.

"That is weird. But, no, I didn't have anything like that. Although…do you remember how I told you that I got us Cookie-dough-fudge-mint-chip 'cause I saw this guy buying it that day?"

"Yeah."

"Well that guy is also one of my students."

"What? When you said 'guy' Hales I didn't think you were staring at some sixteen-year old!"

"Peyton!" Haley exclaimed. "I told you I wasn't staring at him. And he's a senior so he's not sixteen."

"Well the fact that he's your student does make it kind of illegal for you to be having thoughts about him, Hales."

"I wasn't having 'thoughts'," Haley said in air brackets, "I just said he was kind of good-looking."

Peyton gasped. "No, you didn't!"

Haley realized too late that in their conversation she hadn't told Peyton she thought the ice cream guy was cute. "Um, well…"

"I can't believe this. Haley James! He's your student. Oh my God."

"Peyton, stop overreacting. So, he's kind of handsome-"

"Handsome? Ooh, that's a step up from good-looking." Peyton teased.

"Will you listen to me? I'm trying to explain to you that this is not a big deal."

Peyton put her hands on her hips and grinned. She knew perfectly well that it wasn't a big deal; she just loved making fun of Haley. "Or what?"

"Or…" A glint came into Haley's eye as she thought of something. "Or I'll make fun of you about Jake!"

"Wh-what! What do you mean make fun of – there's nothing to make fun of," Peyton said quickly.

"Hmmm. If that's what you say." Haley walked by her and started taking out cutlery.

"Really, Hales. There's nothing there," Peyton repeated.

"Of course there isn't, Pey," Haley said as she started taking the food out of the containers and putting it on plates.

"I mean, we just met him today and you know how weird it was on our first day when no one talked to us. And at least we had each other, Jake didn't know anyone. I was just being friendly. And, I mean, you liked him too," Peyton stammered.

Now grinning even more, Haley replied, "But I didn't like him as much as you did."

"Haley! It's nothing like that."

"You know, it's kind of funny Pey. You say there's nothing, yet you seem to be really agitated about it. Kind of makes me think that there is something there." And with a wink Haley took her plate and walked to the couch.

"Nathan? Nathan, are you there?"

"What?" Nathan replied, suddenly looking up.

Jake studied his partner, who looked somewhat dazed. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah."

"Then you heard everything I just said; about the case?"

"Of course I did," Nathan lied. They were at the Tree Hill Police Station so that they could go over some details of the case, but Nathan's mind kept wondering.

"O-Kay. So, since we're done with that, how was your first day at school?"

"Um, it was okay. Knowing Lucas kind of helped," Nathan said, debating whether or not to mention his literature teacher. He hadn't told Jake about her when they'd 'met' at the supermarket so it might seem weird that he mentioned it out of nowhere. But, he could introduce the subject casually, like it was funny. Which it was, in a way. At least, Lucas had thought it was funny after Nathan had had to explain. Surprisingly, she had recognized him too, but as they hadn't really spoken that day, it hadn't really been a big deal. Nathan was just glad he hadn't flirted with her at that day at the supermarket. "What about you?"

"Yeah, it was alright. The students were okay, although the whole teaching thing will probably take a little getting used to. Didn't like most of the staff much though."

"No?'

"Well, they don't really talk much. I only got to know these two girls; they were nice."

"What do they teach?"

"Uh, Peyton teaches art and Haley teaches literature," Jake said, making sure to stick to his plan of talking about both together so that Nathan wouldn't pick up anything if he accidentally mentioned Peyton more.

"Um…is Haley's surname James?" Nathan asked, keeping his tone light. He'd wanted to ask Lucas if he knew her first name, but couldn't think of a way to ask without it sounding a weird question. His schedule only told him she was H. James.

"Yeah, I think so. She's one of your teachers?"

"Yeah." Nathan nodded.

"She's nice," Jake told him, not worried about talking too much about her. The danger was if he talked too much about Peyton. "I don't like her boyfriend though."

"Boyfriend?" Nathan said immediately. "So…" Nathan quickly recovered, "he's also a teacher?"

"Yeah, he teaches, um, what was it?" Jake paused for a moment. "Music! That's it. You don't have that subject, do you?"

"No."

"Well, I don't know what he's like as a teacher, but he's really annoying!"

"Huh…" Nathan reflected. "Um, what's his name again?" he asked as casually as possible.

"Chris Keller," Jake replied. "You see a teacher walking around with crazy hair and a stupid smirk on his face; that's him." Jake picked up his phone and checked the time and started packing his things away. "We should probably leave about now. We have school tomorrow, after all. Didn't Keith and Deb give you a curfew?" Jake joked.

Nathan forced a smile, even though he wasn't really in the mood. "Nah. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Sort of."

"What, you planning on cutting?"

"No," Jake laughed. "You'll see me, but you can't act like you know me since I'm not teaching you."

"That's true. They should have put me in your class; then I could bug you in all your lessons."

"Well, I'd have a simple solution for that, Nate."

"What?"

"Detention."