It was the last week of the summer holidays before Haley was to set off to Duke. She was with Lucas staring down at the passer bys from his mother's cafe's roof.
"Luke..."
"Hmm," he said trying to balance a basket ball on his finger.
"What if I find no friends?"
"What!?" he said dropping the ball.
"In Duke, what if no-one likes me?"
"Haley James, you're the most interesting yet weirdest person I know...." Haley picked the ball and aimed for his head. "In a good way, I swear," he said ducking.
"But, it's going to be different, I mean its college."
"Hales, I'm sure you'll make lots of new friends and plus I'm coming with you for your first week, coz we start later, so I'll make sure you find a friend."
"Promise," Haley said sticking out her pinky finger.
"Pinky promise," he said locking his finger with hers and grinning.
"So Luke it's our last week in Tree Hill before we become college students let's do something... adventurous." She said smiling dangerously.
"Ohhh, like what? Read a dictionary." He said mockingly.
"I'll show you a dictionary," she said getting him into a headlock and rubbing his hair.
"Children, children, can we stop running around, we can hear you in the cafe jumping around like animals, it's like the roofs going to collapse." Karen said breaking the two up.
"Sorry, Karen, it was Luke I swear he started it." Haley said innocently.
"What...Mom, she's..."
Karen chuckled at the two, "I still can't believe you two are going to college, you act like you're still in kindergarten, now go do something fun, your scaring my customers downstairs," she said shooing them out.
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Lucas and Haley were at the river court trying to come up with a list of things to do in their last week. "What about having a read-a-thon," said Haley trying to aim for the basking but missing shamefully.
Lucas caught the ball "Yeah, because it's not like you've read every book out there already...twice," he threw the ball in the basket without looking and scored "And that is how you do it James."
Haley grabbed the ball and screwed up her face in concentration as she tried to aim for the basket. "Fine, let's go climb a mountain then," She said missing again.
Lucas chuckled at her attempt, "Hales, this is Tree Hill, we have no mountains." He said shooting another basket.
"Well, let's hear your ideas then genius," She said attempting once more but failing.
"I don't know, there's not much to do in Tree Hill, I guess we could just catch a movie," he said shrugging.
"Oooh, look at you Mr. Adventurous, wanting to catch a movie," Haley said sarcastically. "Gawd, were we always this boring? There must be something we can do." She said missing the hoop by a mile, and sending it into the woods. "I'll get it," she said rolling her eyes.
Haley ran after the ball which seemed to disappear into the bushes and trees at the end of the river court, she pushed a couple of twigs and branches aside as she went deeper into the woods , scratching herself a couple of times, "Stupid ball, stupid tree, Ow!" Haley saw something round and orange and outstretched her hand to reach when she heard voices, she turned to her right and noticed a black sports car which looked awfully familiar, "Nathan," she whispered.
She looked up to see Nathan sitting on the car with some curly blonde girl in his lap, kissing each other vigorously. Haley stuck out her tongue in disgust, she squinted to take a closer look at the girl, and her mouth fell wide open. "PEYTON," she said louder than planned, the couple instantly broke away, and searched for the direction of the voice. Haley quickly turned and ran back out the way she came. She leant on her knees to catch her breath and looked up to see Lucas looking down at her confused. "Where's the ball?"
"Erm, I... I... couldn't find it." Haley said forcing the words out.
"Hales, are you OK?"
"Yeah, great, let's go catch that movie? I heard there's this really cool one about a vampire and he has like vampire teeth and he falls for a girl, who's a human and he doesn't kill her because he loves her which is really weird for a vampire...no..."
"Haley, your rambling what happened?"
"Erm, nothing, what made you think something happened, did I say something happened?"
"You didn't need to. Let me go and look for the ball."
"NO!" Haley screamed jumping in front of Lucas "You can't!"
Lucas looked raised an eyebrow "Why?"
"Because....because, there's a really big werewolf in the woods, I saw it!" She said without thinking.
"Haley, werewolf, its broad daylight?"
"Erm, I read about it in the paper it's a new bread, really dangerous!"
"Haley."
"Let's go..."
"But the ball..."
"C'mon, I'll buy you a new one." She said dragging him by his arm.
Haley woke up the next morning pacing her room her up and down "What do I do, what do I do, tell me what do I do!?" She said talking to a Sheryl Crow picture on the wall.
"I mean I can't tell him, he'll be heartbroken, maybe she was drunk, oh my God maybe Nathan blackmailed her!" She said clicking her fingers and pointing the picture. "Yeah you're right; she did look like she was enjoying it." Haley breathed out in frustration "I know, I'll go to Nathan's house and confront him and threaten him, no kill him, no talk to him, yeah I can do that be civil to Nathan Scott, we can discuss this like adults." She grabbed her jacket "thanks for that," she said smiling at the picture before she left.
Haley stood outside the door and reached for the bell, it looked like a palace compared to her house. Haley took a deep breath, the door swung open and a cocky looking Nathan opened the door whilst biting into an apple and texting on his phone.
"Can I help?" He said without looking up.
"Yes, you can." She said sternly.
Nathan looked up at the sound of this familiar yet unrecognisable voice and his face instantly broke into his usual arrogant grin. "Well, well, well I was wondering how long it would take you to come over, didn't expect it to be this quick."
"What?" Haley said looking at him like he was filth.
"Oh, sorry, please do come in," he said stepping aside and gesturing with his hand.
"You knew."
"Of course, you sound surprised, please come in, I'm home alone." He pulled Haley in and slammed the door behind her as he made his way to the living room, knowing that she'd follow.
"You're sick!" she said following him into his living room.
"It got you to my house, so I can't be that bad, want something to eat..."
"Listen here," she said pulling him towards her and grabbing him by the collar of his blue polo shirt which accentuated the colour of his piercing blue eyes.
"Maybe something to eat?" He said grinning smugly.
"I don't know what your problem is, but leave Lucas out of this; can't you just let us be?"
"Awww, I'm sorry I can't help it if his girlfriends not getting enough from him."
"Stay away from Peyton and Lucas, or I will make your life a living hell, understand." Haley said through gritted teeth.
Nathan pouted and put his hands around Haley's waist, "I think you'll find that I've beaten you to it."
"What do you want from me?" Haley said letting go of his collar.
He licked his lips and pulled her closer, Haley was breathing furiously and struggled to break free "What do you think?" He whispered.
Haley was bubbling with anger she pushed him up against the wall with all her might, "NOW LISTEN SCOTTY BOY, I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR CRAP, YOU ARE GOING TO STAY AWAY FROM ME, AWAY FROM PEYTON AND THE HELL AWAY FROM LUCAS, UNDERSTAND!"
Nathan stared back blankly his lips curled up into his signature grin "You look sexy when you're angry."
"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME? YOU STAY AWAY FROM US...I can't wait to leave this entire crap hole behind and start fresh at Duke." Haley said stepping back throwing her hands up in frustration.
"Duke?" Nathan repeated.
"Yes, somewhere you couldn't even get in your dreams...stop being such as ass and leave us alone, Luke's never done anything to hurt you so why are you out to get him?"
"Who said I'm out to get him?" Nathan said smugly.
"It's obvious isn't it, you can't handle the fact that your half-brother can hold a friendship longer than you can hold a conversation before breaking into physical contact. There is a school full of girls who would probably jump at the sound of your name, God knows why because your the world's most inconsiderate ass, but they do, so why is it that you found Peyton who happens to be Luke's girlfriend to mess with I don't know, Nathan you have a perfect little world here why do you have to bother us...."
"You really think a lot of yourself don't you James." Nathan said looking a little more serious than usual.
"Excuse me?"
"You think that you're the only one with problems, you think that my world is perfect, you think that I have no problems..."
"Duh, take a look around Nathan, you live in a palace, you have a butler, you drive a sports car which my dad's boss couldn't afford, you have a new girl by you side every day, yet it's the people who are close to Lucas that you want to mess with. You have things handed to you on a plate, your dad's the mayor for crying out loud , you get everything you want, you could probably buy your way into the world's top college if you wanted to..." She stopped to catch her breath.
"Get out." Nathan uttered through gritted teeth. Haley looked up into his eyes, she'd never seen him so full of malice, "I said get out." He repeated slowly pointing towards the door.
Haley's was breathing furiously, she turned and stormed out making sure she slammed the door as hard as possible on her way out.
Nathan slumped himself onto his sofa and put his head in his hands which were shaking with fury, "ARGH." he screamed kicking the vase off of the table.
Nathan's butler quickly rushed to the room "Is everything ok sir," said Jeffery standing in the doorway.
"She doesn't understand." Nathan whispered shaking his head.
"I'm sorry sir, I didn't quite get that." Jeffery said stepping inside the room picking up the pieces of the broken vase.
Nathan looked up at him and screamed "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" He ran up to his room slamming his door shut.