AN: Long chapter full of Naley goodness. YAY!

The Con

Chapter Five: Hitting it Off

Tree Hill High brought back amazing memories for Nathan. He remembered when he was a God in this place. He still was in a way. His picture was put up in the trophy room as the Captain who first brought the State Championship Cup to Tree Hill NC. Oh yeah, he was still a God here.

He smiled and nodded to a few people in greeting as he came in to sit at the rafters. He always had a seat up front waiting for him. Whitey Durham was no longer in charge here, but he still had a lot of say, and if he said that Nathan sat up front, then Nathan sat up front. No argument.

However, as Nathan was going for his regular seat a flash of honey brown hair caught his eye. He paused where he stood and strained his neck over the crowds that had came to watch the High School Basketball team play Bear Creek.

"Hey, move it," an obnoxious teen said from behind Nathan. Nathan turned to look at him and the teen's eyes immediately widened. "Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to… uh…"

Nathan didn't really want to hear it. He made his way up the rafters to wear he had seen that shock of thick hair. Oh yeah, it was her alright. Sandwiched between a 300 pound bald man and a wig-wearing old woman, she didn't look too comfortable. Nathan smirked at the look of unease on her face. She looked vulnerable again, and Nathan was falling for it.

"Hey," he greeted. Haley looked up at him and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Wow, hey, uh… Nathan, right?" she asked, looking apologetic that she didn't remember his name.

Nathan smiled. It would normally piss him off when a girl pretended to forget his name - because they were always pretending, nobody forgot Nathan - but with Haley it just made her seem more… guarded somehow. Like she was trying to defend herself. It made Nathan want to defend her too.

"Yeah, it's Nathan. And you're Haley," Nathan said, ducking down so that his eyes were level with hers. She had the most amazing eyes. Dark chocolate brown, innocent.

"That's right. So uh, what are you doing here?" Haley asked. Nathan still found it amazing that she didn't know every little thing about him.

"I'm here every Friday. I used to play when I was in High School."

"Were you any good?"

Nathan couldn't help but laugh. The part of him that wanted to impress Haley told him to boast and brag away, but the part of him that didn't really view her as a 'piece of meat' made him laugh and say, "I got by. So, what are you doing here?"

"I… love basketball," Haley shrugged. "And when I heard there was a High School game today, I couldn't really pass up the opportunity."

"Really?" Nathan asked. Haley didn't really strike him as a Basketball lover. Still, he wasn't going to complain that she was here. "How do you feel about a better seat up front?" he carried on.

Haley's eyes widened. "It's packed at the front. Can you do that?"

Nathan shrugged, "trust me." He got up to his feet again and held his hand out for Haley to grab. She looked down demurely and took it. Just like before when they had touched, a jolt of electricity seemed to flow through him.

Holding her hand, Nathan lead the way down the rafters and took a seat near the end. Haley sat down beside him.

"You're in for a treat," Nathan told her. "The Ravens are a great team."

"Aren't you slightly biased because you used to play for them?" Haley asked, nudging him playfully. It was only now that he actually took in what she was wearing. A tight fitting powder blue shirt with a cream cardigan over the top and long indigo jeans that fit her legs perfectly. She wasn't dressed how 'the skanks', as Brooke so fondly called them, liked to dress, but Nathan had never felt so attracted to anyone.

"Nah, it's a great team this year. I've got a bet on them winning the State Championships for Tree Hill a second time."

The whistle blew and the game began.

"Oh my God Lucas! I have the best news!"

Luke turned away from the television as his fiancée walked into their apartment, a huge grin on her face and an even bigger folder under her arms.

"What is it?" he asked, turning the volume down.

"Lucas, I hate your father with a passion, I really do, but seriously, I so want to marry him and have his children right now!" She finished this wholly disturbing statement with a little squeal, a skip, and a jump on the sofa.

"Uh, that was wrong on so many levels," Lucas grimaced. "I'm not sure I really want to know, but do you maybe want to elaborate that statement?"

Brooke gave her widest, toothiest grin. "You dad has asked me to organise the Scott Corp. Ball. Me! And when I say organise I mean design, of course, but its practically the same thing! Nobody goes to a ball and says, 'Oh, I really liked the space between the main course and the dancing.' No, they say, 'Wow! That ball was so beautiful. I must ask who the designer is'."

Lucas grinned and put his arms around Brooke. "That's great baby. Not sure if I'd trust Dan, but… Congratulations!"

"I know, right?" Brooke said, a smug little look playing on her face. She snuggled under Lucas's arm and gave a contented sigh. "So I just need to get some more help in the store to free me up some time."

Lucas nodded and tightened his grip around Brooke's shoulders. "Are you sure you're going to have enough time to do everything?"

Brooke laughed. "Oh, I'm pretty sure Dan only asked me so that I could spend less time 'brain-washing' you, but Maria offered to take on the bulk of the catalogue work, and as long as I can get someone else to help out in the store I'm going to be fine. And I can rub Dan's nose in the fact that I can spend all of my spare time with you. I'm going to put an ad in the paper and on the internet now."

She got up to her feet but was stopped by a firm grip around her wrist.

"Didn't you say something about wanting Dan Scott's children? Because there's one right here who could use a little 'wanting'," Lucas said with a smirk. Brooke raised one eyebrow and giggled as Lucas pulled her back into his arms.

"No!" Haley screamed as the ball bounced off the basket. Despite the fact that she had absolutely hated basketball in High School, she found herself enjoying the game quite a bit now. Of course, it could have something to do with the tall, dark and handsome stranger she was currently sat with.

Oh, okay, so he was certainly no stranger. He was Nathan Scott, and he was funny, sweet and way too charming for words. Why the hell was he not matching up with his online persona? Haley wanted him to make a pass at her, make some chauvinistic remark or come out with some corny pick up line - anything to justify what she and Taylor were doing to him and anything to put her off him.

It wasn't working. He was… well, Haley would never call a guy perfect, but he was as damn close to it as she'd ever met. The whole game he'd been making her laugh with anecdotes of his time as a Tree Hill Player. She had laughed so hard as he had gave her an account of one team mate called Tim, who was a few cards short of the full deck as far as she could tell.

"That was a foul!" Nathan yelled, his words getting lost in the complaints of their fellow spectators. Haley giggled at how animated he was, and his mask of anger melted away as he looked at her smiling face. He joined in and laughed with her.

"I always find it so funny when men watch organised sports," Haley confided.

"Oh yeah, why's that?" Nathan asked, leaning into her a little.

Haley could smell his aftershave mingled with soap and laundry detergent. He smelled good. "Because it's the only time I ever see men passionate over something."

"Hey," Nathan jokingly defended. "I'm pretty passionate."

"Please! Give me an example of you being passionate," Haley ordered, raising one eyebrow in the same way one of her old teachers used to whenever they asked a rhetorical question.

Haley saw Nathan struggle with something and she laughed. "See! You can't even think of an example!"

Nathan laughed at Haley. When she smiled she showed off her full teeth. At least, she did when she really smiled. He hadn't even been with her an hour and he could already differentiate between a real smile and a pretend one. The pretend one never reached her eyes.

The truth was, he was all ready to say, 'I'm passionate in bed, baby.' But he couldn't say it. Not to Haley. With any other girl he'd be a smarmy ass, but with Haley he couldn't. It was partly because he thought it would scare her off - she looked so innocent and sweet that he didn't think she'd be able to deal with his full on charming self - and partly because he didn't think it would be appropriate in the current situation. At a basketball game.

"Okay, so tell me what you're passionate about," Nathan challenged. "Maybe women don't get passionate at all!"

Nathan watched as Haley spluttered. "Please! Women are plenty passionate, but I'm not going to tell you what I'm passionate about because its personal, so there." Haley finished this statement by sticking her tongue out.

"Oh, that's real mature," Nathan teased. "And I think you're wimping out because you don't have any passions. At least I have sports and…" he stopped. He was about to say women but again he stopped himself. He didn't want to be that guy with Haley. The playboy.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said, rolling the word out of her mouth. "I'm passionate about literature, and math…"

"Math?" Nathan repeated, incredulous.

"Yes, math. I was good at it at school thank you very mu…"

"Do you mind?"

Haley was cut off by the sound of a cranky old woman. Both she and Nathan turned to what appeared to be a 'basketball mom', at least if the badge with a players face on was anything to go by. "Some of us are trying to watch the game. Honestly, who has a date at a high school basketball game."

"Sorry," Haley said, looking down at the ground. She faced the front and felt Nathan's shoulders shaking. "Nathan!" she chastised, looking at him as he laughed into his hands.

"I feel like a teenager," he laughed.

Haley tried to keep a straight face but she couldn't. She joined in with him. "We've just been told off!" she muttered in between giggles.

Nathan looked like he was going to say something but a whistle blow. "And that signifies the end of the fourth quarter, and the score stands at Tree Hill Raven's, 48 and Bear Creek Warriors, 37. Tree Hill wins!"

The rafters erupted in applause. As Nathan and Haley looked at each other in confusion.

"It's over?" Haley asked.

"I don't think I've ever been so out of a game before," Nathan shrugged. "I guess time really does fly when you're having fun."

Haley looked down at her shoes but couldn't stop the delighted smile from spreading across her face. She was finding it so hard to believe that he liked her.

"I was thinking, do you want to go for something to drink? A coffee, or something stronger of you want," Nathan offered with that devilish grin that had probably turned many girls knees to jelly in the past.

"I'd love…" Haley was cut off as her cell phone buzzed. She gave an apologetic shrug as she pulled it out of her bag and read the message.

Got the job! Woo!

Hows everything

going with Nate?

Making any prog-

ress yet? Txt bak

Taylor

Haley read the text and felt her heart sank. She couldn't believe that she had allowed herself to forget about the con. It was just, sitting next to Nathan was… well, it was amazing. It made her feel warm and comforted, and fuzzy all over. She let out a deep breath.

"Uh, I can't. Emergency," she said apologetically, raising her phone as if that was proof. Guys loved the chase right? And besides that, Haley felt like she had been brought back down to earth with a bump. She needed to distance herself from Nathan and these pathetic thoughts she was having about him. He was just a mark! She couldn't let personal feelings cloud her judgement.

At the end of the day, it didn't matter how nice and sweet Nathan was. He was rich, and he had money that was going to save her sisters life. That's all Haley could think about right now, and not how sweet a rich arrogant jerk was.

Besides, he was probably just trying to woo her. Get into her pants. No, Haley had to be impervious to this. She had to make him fall in love with her but not fall in love with him. How hard could that be?

"Maybe anoth…"

"Another time, right?" Nathan cut her off. He looked kind of annoyed and Haley realised it looked like she was blowing him off. Time to do some damage repair.

"Yeah. Give me the time and the place via text," she said. "I mean, once I give you my number, of course."

Nathan smirked as he got his on cell phone out of his back pocket. He gave her it and shrugged. "go ahead."

It had been a long night. Haley had been unable to sleep, her mind weighed down with guilt and remorse. A part of her really wanted to back out of the con, get as far away from Tree Hill, NC as was humanly possible. Away from Nathan and her attraction to him.

She couldn't though. Taylor needed the money, and even if she did suggest someone else to con, Haley stubbornness was a force to be reckoned with. She wouldn't show Taylor that she was right.

Besides, she wasn't really falling for Nathan Scott. Not really. She was just a little too attracted to him. That was all.

Seriously though, Haley needed to do a little retail therapy. She had money from their last con and even though the sensible side of her said not to spend it when Taylor obviously needed the money to pay 'them' back, the part of her that felt hard-done by insisted that she spend a little. She was putting herself through hell, she deserved a little something.

And besides, she could always justify it as more research. After all, Brooke Davis Designs was a trendy, super-hip fashion boutique that still had a store in its native Tree Hill. And it was common knowledge that Brooke Davis was engaged to big-shot author Lucas Scott, older brother of Scott Corp. heir Nathan Scott.

Yeah, it was just research. Oh, and the jumper in the window was so cute!

Haley was about to walk in when a notice on the door caught her attention. 'Help Wanted.'

Haley read the sign again, biting her lip as she did so. Getting close to Nathan's almost sister-in-law would certainly work in her favour in the long run. Guys always liked girls more if they got on with his family, at least, that was the case in Haley's experience. Of course, there were exceptions.

Still, the notice asking for help was like a shining beacon or something equally as corny and symbolic. It gave her an instant in to Nathan's family without having to wait for an introduction.

She walked in and looked around. The store was pretty big. Set on two levels, the top one was galleried and overlooked the bottom one. Glittery light fitting dangled down from the ceiling casting a soft yellow glow on the racks and racks of expensive looking clothes. The walls were mirrored and right at the back of the store was the counter. A tall blonde girl stood behind it with a welcoming grin on her face.

Haley walked up to her, taking in the beautiful clothes on both sides of her and smiling broadly as she approached the counter.

"Hi, I was wondering about the position open in the shop? Do you have any application for…"

"Hey!"

Haley was cut off mid-sentence by the appearance of a stunning brunette in jeans and a red halter top. She recognised her instantly as Brooke Davis.

"Wow, um, hi," Haley greeted.

"Why don't you step into my office?" Brooke asked. Haley guessed that the place where Brooke had just appeared from was the office, because the now-open red door had 'office' written across it in gold lettering.

"Sure, um… yeah," Haley stuttered. God, she really needed to get a grip of she wanted this job.

"I know! And the whole time me and Lucas were laughing our asses off because Nathan looked absolutely terrified."

Haley laughed along as Brooke regaled her with another amusing anecdote. For some reason, the interview had turned into some kind of social event. Brooke seemed to like Haley for whatever reason, and the two women were chatting like old friends.

She, of course, didn't mention that she knew Nathan.

"He wouldn't let me set him up on a blind date again," Brooke finished, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I'm not surprised!" Haley exclaimed. "The poor guy was probably traumatised for life."

"Well, she was perfectly normal when I met her," Brooke defended, and then started laughing again. "She just morpd into Glenn Close mid-date. God, when she asked how many children he wanted, Nathan's face was just… wow, it was so funny."

"Nah, I don't trust blind dates," Haley said, leaning back on the pink couch that Brooke had against the window in her office. Brooke was sat next to her, clipboard and pen abandoned on the floor as the 'interview' went on.

"Bad experience?" Brooke asked.

Haley shrugged. To be honest, pretty much every guy she had met in the con was practically a blind date. Well, more blind than date, but Taylor had always chose them and Haley normally didn't even know what they looked like until she applied for a job with them.

"Oh yeah, just a few," she laughed, running her hand through her hair.

Brooke suddenly sat up on the couch, her eyes wide with excitement. "Oh! We're celebrating me getting the Scott Ball tonight. You should totally come! You could meet Nathan!"

Haley laughed wearily. "I thought you'd learnt your lesson with blind dates," she said.

"Oh, come on! You're a total babe, Nathan would thank me. And besides, its technically not a blind date if I just happen to invite you along as a friend, is it?"

"Yeah, it is. Where are you going?"

"The Beach Bar in Wilmington. Gotta love the city. Oh, come on Haley! You could take Nathan's mind off the skank he's seeing now."

Haley's curiosity instantly piqued. What skank? "He's seeing someone?"

Brooke waved her hand dismissively. "Not really. Apparently some girl he met at Karen's Café. You can tell he's totally smitten, always has this far away look in his eye when I talk about her. But she sounds like a complete skankoid. He won't even tell us what she's called… What are you smiling like that for?"

Haley wiped the dream smirk off her face. "Um, no reason."

Brooke eyed her suspiciously but didn't say anything. "So, when can you start?"

"What, seriously? But I haven't even got my CV with me or anything," Haley protested.

Brooke shrugged. "It's really rare that I meet someone I hit it off with instantly. CV's just a piece of paper."

Haley couldn't wipe the smile off her face. "Well, I can start whenever you want me too."

"How about tomorrow?"