Okay so I'm off school today, but I'm going out of town this weekend for a ski trip so this is this weekend's update. I hope it's fun because I'm still not completely better, but oh well, and thanks "Naley" for the get well wish!

I'm not gonna lie, I'm nervous about next weeks episode. What Nathan said about him and Haley, that things always get bad when secrets are kept, I think was foreshadowing that things are going to get bad between them. Eeek. Though Tim made me happy this week, I didn't realize just how much I missed my Tim Time!

Anyway, please Read and Review! Thank you to everyone that has read and reviewed, I love reading your thoughts about my story.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of the characters and such.

By the way, Nathan is going to be a jerk in this chapter, but he will make up for it soon, I promise.

Bold face is reality with Haley in a coma, Normal is the dream world, and Italics are the thoughts and memories.

The next installment of the story shall now begin in a locker room after practice with a conniving Nathan Scott ….

Awkward situations between friends make everything worthwhile

"I want you to pretend to buy me at the boy toy auction."

"How about I actually buy you and we go back to my place for a little—" Rachel began in a seductive tone.

"Because I'm going to have my mom buy me. You're just gonna run the price up until Brooke Davis runs out of money. My mom will pay you back plus $50."

"Who says Brooke Davis will spend on you?"

"I do." Nathan said with finality in an attempt to end this part of the conversation. "So will you do it?"

"So you want me to be a pawn against you wife—don't even try to deny it Nathan Scott, I'm not an idiot—and at the same time piss off Brooke Davis?"

"Pretty much yeah," Nathan said a little uncomfortable.

Rachel paused as if considering, "You're lucky I don't like Brooke or your wife. You got yourself a deal. Just do me a favor and make yourself look really hot, it will especially stick it to the girl."

"Oh trust me that won't be a problem," Nathan said. He hung up the phone, an evil smirk on his face.

"Are you excited for tonight?" Brooke asked Haley, excitement clearly in her voice.

Haley rolled her eyes she was expecting this. "No. And why are you so excited anyway, you can flirt with Lucas anytime you want?"

"I'm not going to buy Lucas, you are! I'm just excited for the eye candy."

"Brooke, I'm not even going tonight. Besides, after the fight Lucas and I had yesterday I really doubt he wants to spend a whole night with me."

"Tutor-Girl! You're Lucas' best friend, he feels horrible about what he said to you, but you know Broody, apologizing is hard for him. This could be the perfect opportunity for you guys to reconnect."

Haley sighed, she knew Brooke wasn't going to let this go. There was only one thing that Haley would be willing to endure Brooke's non-stop pleading, "Is Nathan going to be there?"

Brooke heard it in Haley's tone, if Nathan participated, she wasn't going. Brooke decided to partially lie to one of her best friends, "I doubt it, but who knows maybe he'll surprise everyone. But tutor-girl, you shouldn't let mean old Nathan Scott affect your decision!"

"That doesn't mean I don't. I just don't think I can deal with seeing all those girls drool over him even though he's fair game."

Brooke stepped in front of Haley and gave her the best begging face she had done in a long time. Haley managed to smile a little, "Fine. I'll go, but I'm leaving when Nathan is up!"

"Yes!" Brooke grinned. Now to put the plan in action.

"Are you participating tonight Jake?" Nathan asked that afternoon in his class with Haley. Once again they had a sub, today she had just let them have a study hall.

"Yeah of course man, it's for charity. Peyton trusts me if she can't afford the hot stuff right here," Jake joked. He didn't even see a point in asking Nathan if he was going to participate, he knew the answer would be no.

"You don't plan on taking advantage of the easy girls? You know all the underclassmen consider this to be their chance to show us how they're the ones right for us." Nathan smirked his famous smirk.

Haley hadn't been paying attention to them until she heard the tone Nathan had right before he smirked. This isn't going to be good.

"Of course I don't. Peyton is the one for me, nobody else," Jake said a little confused.

Nathan rolled his eyes, "Love is overrated, oh well, I plan on getting laid tonight."

Haley's jaw dropped and she looked over to Nathan, her eyes trying to shoot laser beams into Nathan's turned back.

"Nathan, don't—" Jake started, but it was too late.

"The great Nathan Scott reduced to freshmen?" Haley began. Fury was on her face, in her voice, and to Nathan it even seemed to be radiating off of her. He hadn't planned on her getting this mad, he was actually a little scared of Haley now. "Who would've thought the guy who could get anyone would go for the easy girls? The challenge isn't any fun anymore?"

As scared as he was of her, Nathan wasn't going to let Haley win, "There is no challenge for me, ever. Anyone I have ever tried to go after has always given it up. It's all part of the game Hales." Nathan smirked and added, "Besides horny freshmen would be better in bed than nerdy virgins and they're the best challenge to brag about in the locker room."

Without another word Haley stood up and walked to the teacher's desk. For the second day in a row Nathan Scott watched the concerned teacher give a barely-holding-it-together Haley a pass to the restroom.

"Nathan!" Jake shouted, which managed to attract the class' attention. "Will you just give it a rest already? Everyone knows you love Haley, why even try to deny it and insult her like you do?"

Nathan turned to Jake, annoyance on his face, "Will just butt out of it Jake? You have enough problems with your love life, cue Jenny, so why don't you concentrate on them and leave me alone?"

"How about I just tell Lucas what you said to Haley?"

"Real Mature Jagielski, who are you gonna tell next? Your Mommy?"

"Whatever Nathan, but one of these days you're gonna realize, she's the one for you. The day you realize that she's gonna be long gone and you're only going to be left with even more bitterness than what you have now."

Nathan rolled his eyes and opened up his math book to do his homework. As he was working he couldn't get Jake's words out of his heads, maybe he is right, maybe I will only have bitterness and I'll be like…Dan

"I heard you stood up for Haley today." Peyton whispered angrily as they drove to Jake's house after school.

"If you knew the things Nathan was saying to her, I think you would have too."

"She deserves it Jake. She has to realize she can't come back here after what she did and expect everyone to love her like before."

"Damn it Peyton!" Jake shouted. Nathan had managed to get under his skin and now he was taking it on Peyton, he didn't want to, but it was happening, "She realizes that! Haley has been home for weeks and the only people to give her a break are Brooke and Lucas! I think she realizes people aren't going to love her by now! Don't you think we should be trying to convince her to stay right now instead of hurting her?" Jake shook his head angrily, but managed to calm down enough to quietly ask, "Do you even want to imagine how Nathan will be if she leaves again? He's already tried to kill himself once before, what will stop him from trying again?"

Peyton took her eyes off the road and looked at Jake. Her face wore an expression of shock, but in her eyes was hurt, "Red wasn't lying was she? You are having an affair with Haley?!"

"What?! Peyton, how could you even think that? I would never risk what I have with you, for my sake, for your sake, and for Jenny's! I love both of you so much and would never do anything to jeopardize my relationships with you two and you mean so much to Jenny it would break her little heart. I would never break your hearts." Jake reached his arm out and briefly brushed Peyton's cheek, "You shouldn't listen to Red, she's bad news. Her only goal is to hurt as many people as she can, please Peyton you have to trust me."

Peyton nodded, but a small voice in her head kept repeating the words Red had told her in the gym the day Brooke had kicked her off the cheer squad.

An hour after school had gotten out Lucas was walking out of the school and to his car. He had been finishing up his homework in the library before he had to leave to get ready for the Boy Toy auction; practice had been cancelled for the night. He was walking by the girls' bathroom when he heard someone crying. He was going to just write it off as just girl drama when he realized he knew those sobs, he hated hearing them, they could always tear his heart apart.

Lucas slowly walked into the bathroom, his hand over his eyes, "Haley?" He called out once inside.

Nobody responded, but he heard the sobbing suddenly be stifled in the same way a certain friend of his stifled her sobs.

Lucas opened his eyes, "Hales!" He ran towards the obviously sad 17 year old and took her in his arms.

He held her for quite some time and just let her cry some more into him. No words were necessary for the pair, they had been best friends for as long as they could remember after all.

After a little while Lucas leaned his head down so it was next to Haley's ear, "Whatever he said…He didn't mean it Haley. I know you don't believe me, but I swear it's true. Nathan…he's still really hurt and he's scared. You of all people know how hard those emotions are for Nathan, how vulnerable they make him feel so he puts his stupid wall up…Whatever he said, I swear he didn't mean it Haley."

"I don't think so Lucas, I think he really did this time," Haley mumbled into his shirt.

"What did he say to you Haley?"

"It really isn't that big of a deal, but it hurt you know," Lucas had to hold back a smile. Haley was entering her rambling mode, "Honestly, it isn't all that big of a deal. I mean I expected it and all, it just hurt when he said it and in front of the whole class too, not that all of them were paying attention, but still, it would've been different it had been just us—"

Lucas cut her off, a small smile in his voice along with concern, "Haley, what did he say?"

"He told me horny freshmen are better in bed than me," Haley rushed out.

Lucas immediately stiffened. This is awkward, "Um Hales.."

"What? Did he tell you that when I was gone? How much I sucked—okay not like that I meant—"

"Haley stop right there, please, I already have enough scarring images of you two."

"What is it Luke?"

"When you left Nathan got drunk all the time, and when he was drunk he was especially bitter and reminiscent of you. One night I went over to check on him and it was really bad, I'm pretty sure he doesn't even remember this, but he was rambling about your wedding night."

Haley felt her cheeks immediately heat up, she didn't want to know what Nathan told Lucas.

"He talked about how it was a life changing experience and how it was the first time sex actually meant something to him. He finally understood why people made such a big deal out of it."

Haley's cheeks were on fire, she was sure Lucas could feel them through his shirt, but at the same time Haley was relieved that Nathan had been lying in class, that her insecurities since they got married were unreasonable.

"It really was kind've awkward hearing about my little sister like that, but I guess that's the price I pay for being there for my little brother."

"Thanks Luke," Haley said sincerely after a moment.

"For what Hales?"

"Thanks for always putting up with my insecurities, for putting up with Nathan when he really needed someone… Thanks for just being you Lucas."

"And thanks for always being you Hales, it means a lot to everyone."

"So are we good now?" Haley asked quietly.

"When are we ever not good?" Lucas replied.

Haley smiled and pulled away from Lucas. The two best friends walked out of the bathroom and school together arm-in-arm, grateful to have each other close by.