A/N: I wasn't going to update so soon, but this was already written and I have tests tomorrow and the day after (urgh) so I thought I'd post this and then at least I'll have something to look forward to, i.e. reviews hint ;)

Chapter Five

Part B

Peyton idly sipped her coffee, bored now that Haley had left for her lesson and she didn't have anything to do. She thought about going to the art room, but everything was already set up for the next period, and she wouldn't know what to do there either.

The door to the faculty room opened and Peyton looked up to see Jake enter. He immediately spotted Peyton and smiled at her. Nervously, she smiled back. She made a show of concentrating on her coffee cup, but over its rim her eyes watched him walk inside and then towards her.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked.

"No, it's fine. So, how was your class?" she asked as he put his briefcase down and sat on the chair opposite her.

"It was okay. I'm not sure how good I am at it though."

"But, you've been teaching for so long. You must like it to have stayed at it these past few years."

Jake's eyes grew wide at his slight slip, but then just slowly nodded his head. "Well, yeah, I mean…I love making a difference in kids' lives!" he said quickly, despite the fact that he truly preferred his real job and dealing with criminals than some of the misbehaving kids in his class.

"Okay," Peyton rolled her eyes at his sudden enthusiasm.

"So, um, what do you like to when you're not teaching?" Jake asked.

"I draw a lot. I know that may sound a little clichéd, but I just find it really relaxing. Other than that…just typical stuff, I guess. Watching movies; hanging out with Haley."

"You guys are really close, huh."

"Yeah. So, what do you do when you're out of school?"

"Well, I like playing basketball. Me and Na-one of my friends at my old school, we used to play together a lot."

"Do you –" But Peyton never got to finish the question she was about to ask him because a loud voice interrupted her.

"Hello!"

"Oh. Hi Chris," she said, with mock sweetness.

"What are you two up to?" he asked, turning the chair in between them backwards and sitting down on it.

"Well, we were in the middle of a conversation," Jake told Chris, doing his best to remain calm.

"Well I overheard you were talking about school so it couldn't have been that interesting. Unless you like art," he gestured to Jake, "or you like…what was it? History? Now music is an international language." Chris began to drone on about music and its different forms. Peyton looked at Jake apologetically. He gave her a half-smile back and sighed.

"So, Nate it's time for your girlfriend's class," Lucas told his cousin as they made their way to their next lesson.

"What?" Nathan exclaimed, fully aware that their next class was Haley's class. "What are you talking about man? She's not my girlfriend; she's, like, our teacher. And you're the one who said she's your favourite teacher, so, if anything, she's your girlfriend, not mine."

"Jeez. Calm down, Nate. I was just kidding with you since you were flirting with Miss James at the supermarket."

"I wasn't flirting with her!" Nathan said defensively. "I told you she was at the ice cream freezer and we were both picking flavours. I said, like, two lines to her!"

"There's no need to get so touchy. Can't you take a joke?" Lucas asked as they walked into class and saw they were the first to get there, aside from three other students, who included Brooke.

She saw them as soon as they entered, and made sure to flash a smile at Lucas. "Well, hello boys. Lucas."

"H-hi." He choked and started to go to his usual seat when Nathan sort of pushed him in a different direction, forcing Lucas to sit down next to Brooke if he didn't want to look like an idiot.

Nathan sat down on the other side of Lucas and then nudged him. "Looks like your girlfriend's in this class too," he said, but soft enough so Brooke didn't hear. Lucas glared at Nathan. "What's the matter?" Nathan asked. "Can't you take a joke?"

Haley came in soon after them, causing Nathan to shut up and Lucas was so nervous since Brooke was sitting right there and kept grinning at him that he didn't notice Nathan's behaviour. Haley saw Brooke and came up to them, leading Nathan to concentrate on taking his books out of his bag, all the while watching Haley talk to Brooke out of the corner of his eye.

Since Brooke was already on Haley's register she soon went back to her desk at the front. The rest of the students got there by the time the second bell rang so it was time to start the class. Once she had quickly taken register she handed copies of a poem to the people sitting at the front and they passed it down. When he got his poem Nathan turned it overand found itwas called To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell.

"Has anyone read this poem before?" Haley asked the class.

Lucas raised his hand. Typical, Nathan thought.

"Lucas, can you tell the class what the poem is about?"

"Well, To His Coy Mistress deals with a number of themes," Lucas began like an expert – Nathan wouldn't be surprised if he became a teacher one day, "but a main one would be the brevity of time."

"What the hell is that?" one of the jocks asked from the back of the class. Some of his friends laughed.

"Why don't we read the poem first and then discuss it. Any volunteers?" Not surprisingly, there were no raised hands this time. Brooke didn't mind reading, but it was her first day as school and she didn't want to particularly come across as a nerd. Haley had expected that reaction, however, and then said, "Why don't our two new students read? Nathan could you read the first part, and Brooke could you read the second?"

Brooke nodded, but Nathan felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. She wanted him to read a poem? Out loud?

He looked down at the paper before him and started to read. His voice came across as monotonous as he wasn't familiar enough with the subject to know when to change his expressions, but the only people who really noticed that were Lucas, Brooke and, of course, Haley.

As he read Nathan became aware of the fact that Haley was no longer standing at her desk, but was moving; walking up and down between the desks.

What the hell is this thing about? he thought suddenly. Oh, yeah, "the brevity of time." What the hell is that? Brevity…sounds like brief. So, the briefness of time? Well, that kind of makes sense. Well, no it doesn't, but the poem is starting to make sense. As he continued reading, Nathan noticed the sound of Haley's footsteps were getting louder – she was coming up next to him! Just keep reading, Nate. Keep reding – but this thing is so boring! – does that line say he wants two hundred years to adore each of her breasts? This poem is about sex! – Keep reading! he mentally argued with himself. Don't look up. Do not look – whoa, she has a great ass. – What the hell is wrong with you? She's supposed to be your teacher; you can't be staring at her ass! – But it's right there! And –

"Nathan?"

His eyes locked with Haley's as she turned to look at him and all at once two dreadful realizations hit him: not only had he stopped reading, but she had caught him staring at her ass.

"Are you having trouble with that word?"

"The, um, the word?"

Haley took two steps back so she was standing by his table and placed her finger on the word in question, which was in the line he hadn't read. It said 'winged' only there was an apostrophe on the e, so it read 'wingéd'.

"You pronounce the apostrophe so its wing-ed, Haley told him, thinking he had stopped reading that line because of that word, completely oblivious to the fact that he had just been admiring her nether region.

Nathan just nodded and quickly finished off his part, and gladly let Brooke read the rest.