Damien is pretty screwed up, huh? Just remember that Damien's intention when he started the fire was not to kill anyone. The fact that Dan and Deb got trapped in the house was purely accidental. Damien is still 100% at fault and he's still sinister for even wanting to set Nathan's house on fire. But, just remember that fact ;). He'll get what's coming to him, I promise you that.

To the reviewer who asked about my mention of rape in my author's note last chapter- it is not something that will be occurring in the future for these characters. It's role in this story is of something that happened in the past. Nathan mentioned that Damien wanted him to take advantage of a girl and that will be expanded on in the future. And before you freak out, no, Nathan did not do anything of that nature. He's done some stupid things, but nothing evil or of that sort. Hopefully that clears up your concern!

Haley's heart was pounding in her chest as she ascended the stairs to the Nathan's apartment complex. It was kind of unsettling that having only been there one other time, she knew exactly how to get there and knew exactly what apartment was his—third floor, fifth door from the right. It was also the only apartment that didn't have a metal plated numbered nailed to the wall next to the front door.

Her stomach was twisting painfully as the nerves threatened to overcome her. She wasn't nervous about seeing Nathan, albeit she probably should have been. Things between them were still…hazy, for lack of a better word. After his declaration at the River Court that he wanted her and he pleaded with her to be patient with him, they shared one more soft kiss before Nathan decided to take her home. When he dropped her off, he kissed her on the cheek, told her sweet dreams, and that was that.

She meant was she said—she wasn't going anywhere, but that didn't mean she didn't want some kind of clarification. What were they now? Friends? Were they dating? But as much as she wanted to know the status of their relationship, those concerns were pushed to the side the moment that Principle Turner told her that her new tutee was none other than Damien West.

And telling Nathan about Damien was exactly why she was nervous. Haley didn't know much about Damien, aside from the fact that he gave her the creeps and there was some torrid history between him and Nathan. She could have kept the fact that she was tutoring him a secret from Nathan, she knew that. Technically, she owed him nothing. But, remembering the look of pure disdain in Nathan's eyes the night of the haunted house when Damien approached them was enough to convince her that keeping her new tutee a secret was the dumbest thing she could ever do.

Not to mention, she had a really bad feeling about this whole thing.

She took a deep breath to compose herself before lifting her fist up to knock lightly on the wooden door. It was a few seconds later that she heard the door unlock and her stomach tightened even further. The door swung open and she released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when she saw Lucas standing there.

"Haley?" She could have sworn she saw a knowing smirk pull at his lips, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared.

"Hey," She smiled shyly at him. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Oh, no, not at all," Lucas quickly denied while opening the door further. "Jake and I were just playing NBA Live. Come on in."

Twisting her hands together in an anxious manner, Haley crossed the threshold. Glancing around, she noticed Jake propped up on the couch and their video game paused on the TV. "Hey, Jake."

"Hey, Haley. It's nice to see you, again," Jake said with a soft smile. She didn't miss the no-so-discreet look that was passed between the two of them.

"You, too."

"So, what can I do for you?" Lucas questioned as he made his way back over to the couch.

"Oh, uh, I was wondering if Nathan was home? I have to talk to him about something," Haley murmured.

Jake nodded. "Yeah, he should be in his room. It's the last door on the right."

Haley muttered a quick "thank you" before taking off down the short hallway towards Nathan's room. Her heartbeat picked up in speed with every step that she took. Reaching the last room on the right, she saw that the door was wide open. Taking another quick breath, Haley walked in only to find that his room completely empty.

She furrowed her eyebrows as she paused in the doorway. There was a small part of her that felt kind of weird for being in Nathan's room when he wasn't around, like she was invading his privacy. But the curious part of her brain kept her feet rooted to the carpet as her eyes swept over his room.

The walls were off-white, almost a light cream color and they were completely bare. She noticed a door shut adjacent to where she was standing, she assumed it was the bathroom. The furthest corner from where Haley was standing was cluttered with various brown moving boxes stacked on top of one another. Glancing over to the closet, she was surprised to see that all of his clothes were neatly placed on hangers and his shoes were in their respective places. His bed was unkempt, the light tan sheets and blankets twisted haphazardly.

But what really caught her eye was the bedside table. Next to the black shaded lamp were two frames pictures. It was like her feet had a mind of their own and before she was even aware of it, she was standing in front of the table. Gently, as if the pictures were made of pure glass, she picked the largest frame up. It was the same picture of Nathan and his parents that Haley had stumbled across while looking at Lucas' first edition books. Just like the first time she'd seen it, her eyes honed in on Nathan's smiling face.

It was then that she realized she would have done anything to see him smile like that again.

Placing the picture back down, she moved on to the next one. This picture was one that she hadn't seen before. There were three boys that looked to be around the age of six or seven. She safely assumed that the dark haired one was Nathan and the other two were Jake and Lucas. They had their arms tossed on each other's shoulders and each other of them were grinning ear to ear. The background was hard to decipher, but it looked to be a gym of some sort. Her eyebrows furrowed when she noticed the little league basketball jerseys adorning their chests.

So, he did play organized basketball at some point in his life?

"Hales?"

Haley jumped at the sound of his voice, the picture almost slipping out of her fingers. Hastily, she put it back down on the table and turned around, an apology already on the tip of her tongue. The words died on her lips when she saw him standing in the doorway to his bathroom with nothing but a dark blue towel tied snugly around his waist. She felt her cheeks heat up, from the fact she was caught snooping through his things or from his lack of clothing, she wasn't sure.

Wiping her now sweaty palms against the rough fabric of her jeans, she forced herself to keep her eyes trained on his face. "I'm sorry. Lucas let me in. When I told him I wanted to talk to you, he told me to just go to your room and that's where I'd find you. I should have left when I saw you weren't in here. I didn't mean to go through your stuff, not that I was—"

"Hales," Nathan said with a chuckle, a tiny smirk on his face. "It's fine, really. I don't mind."

Haley felt her cheeks redden even further at her rambling. "I'm sorry," She mumbled again.

Nathan smiled at her as he shook his head. "Let me just get dressed and then we'll talk, okay?"

Haley nodded as she swallowed hard. She tried to keep her eyes off of his bare chest, but it was like some magnetic field existed between her eyes and his skin. She watched as he walked to his closet to grab a change of clothes before disappearing back into the bathroom. Moments later, he reappeared dressed in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. His hair was still damp and slightly mused.

The first thing that Nathan noticed was how tense Haley seemed. She was chewing on her bottom lip relentlessly and if he wasn't mistaken, she was trembling. His eyebrows furrowed in concern as an uneasy feeling started to stir inside of him.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes," Haley quickly squeaked out. "Well, no, not exactly." She could feel her stomach start to churn again. Nathan seemed like he was in a good mood, something she had yet to genuinely see on him and she was about to ruin it.

Nathan tensed at her obvious discomfort. "Haley, what is it?"

She took a calming breath as she started to pace the length of his bedroom floor. "Principal Turner came to see me about tutoring a new student and well, that new student happened to be Damien West," She rushed out, her words running together.

Nathan's blood ran cold as every single muscle in his body became rigid. "What? How is that even possible?" His voice was low, but icy.

Haley grimaced when she saw Nathan's jaw lock and his fingers curl into tight fists. "He's enrolled in school on a strict credit recovery basis."

"You said no, right?" Nathan asked next. He could feel his body begin to shake at the anger that was coursing through his veins. Only Damien could manage to pull off something like this. It was his goal to make Nathan's life a living hell, after all.

"I don't think I have a choice," Haley mumbled. "Principal Turner already took the liberty of moving my schedule around so it could accommodate him. Plus, he didn't really ask me, he more or less demanded that I tutor him."

Nathan ran a hand through his damp hair, his fingers pulling at the strands. "This cannot be fucking happening," He seethed. He was absolutely seeing red. The thought of Damien coming anywhere near Haley…his blood boiled. Turning away from Haley, he darted over to his closet to grab his shoes. He had to do something. What exactly that something was, he wasn't sure.

Haley instantly recognized this side of Nathan. Hell, she expected this side of Nathan to rear its ugly head. She could physically see him shaking. The same look of disdain and anger he wore on the night of the haunted house was swirling around in his blue eyes. She found herself scared again, but not of him—never of him. She was scared of what he was going to do.

"Nathan," She murmured quietly and cautiously. She reached over to touch his shoulder, but he bolted out of the way before she could.

"Over my dead body will he come anywhere near you," He gritted out, making his way out of his bedroom.

"Nathan!" Haley called after him. "What are you going to do?"

He paused at the fearful tone in her voice. Turning to look at her, his face softened the slightest amount when he saw the trepidation shining back in her eyes. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest as he stalked over to her. Grabbing her face gently with his hands, he kissed her fiercely for a few moments. Pulling away, he caressed her cheeks with the pad of his thumbs.

"I'm gonna take care of this, okay?" He declared. "I'm not gonna let Damien hurt you."

"It's not me I'm worried about," She said hoarsely, still breathless from their previous kiss. "I know you and Damien have…history—"

Nathan shook his head to silence her. "I'll be fine. He's just doing this to fuck with me and I'm not going to let him."

"But, why?" She knew that was the wrong question to ask when his eyes shifted from warm to cold in a matter of seconds.

Nathan dropped his hands from her face, his jaw locking once again. It was one thing to allow himself to feel around her, but it was another to let her to know the darkest parts of his past. The voice—that had been unusually quiet—returned. You don't wanna get too close, Nathan. You'll scare her away.

"It's a long story."

"Nathan—"

"I have to go. We'll talk later."

~x~

Damien's house looked exactly how Nathan remembered it. It towered high above him, standing about three stories high. The white brick stood out against the darkening sky while the black roof blended in. Even in the dim streetlights, the grass looked so green, it almost appeared fake. Above the cream colored garage was a gold pleated sign, the words "The West Estate" sprawled out in perfect calligraphy. Nathan scowled at it.

A million memories came rushing back to him at the sight of this house—none of which were things that he wanted to remember. His chest tightened, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. He vowed to himself that he would never step foot on this property again, yet here he was. It was for a damn good reason, but that didn't stop the anxiety and despair from trying to consume him.

Taking a much needed deep breath, Nathan stuffed his hands in his pockets. He took one last glance at the house before he began walking down a trail on the side of the house. From experience, he knew that this trail let directly to the pool house in the back of the yard. Damien spent majority of his time in his pool house. That's where he held most of his parties, kept must of his drugs, and where most of his "minions" hung around.

In Nathan's opinion, it was quite pathetic for Damien to still be living off his parents when he was almost twenty-two, but then again, everything about Damien was pathetic.

When he reached the front door of the matching whited bricked pool house, he took another calming breath before knocking. His nerve-endings felt like they would spark at any moment. It was seconds later that the door swung open and a giant puff of smoke hit Nathan square in the face. His eyes began to water as he stepped back, a rough cough tearing from his throat.

"Nathan Scott?" A female voice called out. The tone of her voice was a mixture of being surprised and flirtatious.

Nathan looked up and as the smoke cleared, Rachel came into view. He didn't even try to hide the roll of his eyes. It shouldn't have come to a surprise that she was there. When she wasn't trying to sleep with Nathan, she was on Damien's dick. "Rachel," He acknowledged curtly.

Rachel leaned against the doorframe, her thin arms crossing over her chest. It was a not-so-subtle way of pushing her breasts up, the same breasts that were already spilling out of the top of her black dress. "I didn't think we'd ever see you around here again. I was beginning to miss you," She purred, her eyelashes fluttering.

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it," He muttered dryly. "Is Damien here?"

"Yes, but he's a little busy right now," Rachel said with a wink. She opened the door wider. "But, I'll keep you company while you wait."

Nathan shook his head as he brushed passed her. "I'm not in the mood for company right now."

The inside of the pool house was murky, a thick layer of smoke hanging low in the air. It reeked of cigarettes, something acidic, and weed. The lights were dim and some techno song was playing lowly in the background. A few people that Nathan didn't recognize were sprawled out on the dark brown couches. A couple of people were smoking what looked to be a cigar, while another one was snorting cocaine off a CD case.

Being in there made his skin crawl and the hair on his body stand straight up. It was hard to believe that a little over two and half years ago, this is where Nathan felt like he belonged. Now, it was the last place he wanted to be.

"So Damien's protégé returns. Pinch me, Bear. I must be dreaming."

Nathan whipped around and immediately tensed up when he saw Tim Smith and Bear standing there. He flinched when Rachel came to stand next to him, her perfectly manicured nails trailing up and down his arm. Goosebumps, and not the good kind, formed on his skin.

"You're so tense, baby. Just relax, we're all friends here," Rachel murmured, her grip on his arm tightening.

Straightening up, Nathan snatched his arm out of Rachel's grip. He didn't bother to feel bad when she stumbled backwards, almost losing her balance. She narrowed her eyes at him, the familiar pout forming on her lips. He ignored her.

"This isn't a friendly visit and I'm not returning to anything," He gritted out.

"Oh, you say that now," Bear spoke up. "But, they always come back. It starts with a curious visit like this. You tell yourself that you're just here because you want to see what you've missed. And, then, you find yourself back here again. And then again. And then before you know it, your ass becomes a permanent fixture on one of those leather couches over there."

Nathan narrowed his eyes, his fists involuntarily clenching. "I'm not like the usual vagabonds you pick up."

"No, I suppose you're not," Tim said with a chuckle, his lips curving into a sinister smile. "You're worse."

Before Nathan had a chance to retaliate, the door to one of the bedrooms swung open, colliding roughly with the wall. Damien stumbled out, buttoning up the dark green Hawaiian shirt he was wearing. His hair was a mess and there were red marks littering his neck, all in the shape of lips.

"Boys, boys, let's not harass our guest," Damien slurred. Nathan could practically smell the alcohol on his breath from where he was standing. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

Nathan rolled his eyes at Damien's 'polite' act. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

Damien smiled. It wasn't genuine. It was one of those smiles that made your skin crawl and your throat close up in fear. "Then, let's go talk."

Nathan ignored the prodding eyes from the people around them as Damien led Nathan to the back room. The back room was known as Damien's office. No one was allowed back there unless Damien invited you back there, and most of the time getting invited meant you were in trouble. The last time Nathan was back there, Damien had demanded he pay him $15,000. Nathan's blood curled at the memory.

Once inside the office, Damien shut the door and Nathan swallowed thickly when he bolted the door shut. With a hard glare, Nathan watched as Damien walked over to his desk, plopped down in the steel chair, and swung his legs on top of the metal desk. The bare dark green walls seemed even darker in the dull light and the stack of money piled in the corner seemed to be mocking him.

"Are you just going to stand there and waste my time? Because if this is just some mind game that you want to play, I don't have time for it. There's a girl waiting for me in my bed and you know how I don't like to keep them waiting," Damien barked out, smirking.

"What the hell are you trying to pull with this whole tutoring thing?" Nathan quickly rushed out. He didn't waste any more time getting straight to the point. "Is this just another way for you to screw with me?"

Damien laughed. "Not everything I do revolves around you, Nate."

"Right," Nathan scoffed. "So, the fact that you enrolled back in at Tree Hill High right after you meet Haley and after I deny you money once again, and she ends up being your tutor is all just one giant coincidence? I highly fucking doubt it."

Damien shrugged. "Essentially, yes."

"You're full of shit," Nathan barked. The fury was making its way through him at a rapid speed. It took everything in him to not reach over that desk and wipe the smug smile off his face.

Damien rolled his eyes as he swung his legs off the desk. "I think you're being a little hyper sensitive there, Scott. My dad pulled some strings so I could go back to school. The fact that Haley ended up being my tutor was just a…bonus."

Nathan's jaw clenched at the suggestive way Damien was speaking. "You mean, your dad wrote a check."

Damien shrugged while smirking "Basically."

"You don't fool me, West. You don't do anything without there being an ulterior motive," Nathan grumbled.

Damien stood up and slammed his hands against the desk. A loud bang ricocheted through the tiny room. "Did you ever think that maybe I wanted to go back and get my degree? That maybe I want to actually do something with my life?"

Nathan laughed humorlessly. "Actually, no. All you've ever done is live off drug money and your parents' money. You've gotten everything that you've ever wanted with a snap of your fingers. There's no way that you suddenly had a change of heart. People don't change, you said so yourself."

"So, you're saying that I was right?"

Nathan ignored him. By this point, all of the anger inside of him was bubbling up and over the surface. "I don't know what the hell you're up to, but you're going to stay away from Haley. You are not going to drag her into whatever game you're trying to play. And you sure as hell aren't going to lay a hand on her or so help me God, I will kill you."

Damien narrowed his eyes. "You're awfully protective of this girl. I thought she meant nothing to you."

Nathan took a step back. He was breathing hard and his chest was heaving. "I don't owe you an explanation."

"I never said you did," Damien snickered. He looked like he was deep in thought for a moment before the smirk reappeared. "You want me to leave Haley alone?"

"I didn't say I wanted you to, I said that you were going to," Nathan declared roughly.

"Fine, I'll leave her alone…under one condition—you come back to us."

Nathan stiffened at that. "I thought that deal was off the table."

Damien shrugged. "It was. But despite the fact that you came in here and threatened me, I'm in a good mood. So, I'm offering you a deal. You should know by now that I never offer deals, so I suggest you consider this carefully. You come back to us, I won't lay even a fingernail on Haley. I'll even forgive your debt."

Nathan remained frozen. Everything inside of him had gone numb. It was like his brain had shut off and all he could do was stare.

Damien smiled. "I'll give you a week to think about it."

~x~

"So, what's our next move with 'Operation Naley'," Brooke asked as she slid into the booth next to Jake. She and Julian were picking up a carry out order from Karen's Café when Brooke spotted them sitting in a booth in a corner. Excusing herself from Julian—who had given her an odd look—she made her way over to them, not really caring if she was interrupting them or not.

"'Naley?'" Lucas asked with a kinked eyebrow. "What the hell does that even mean?'

"That sounds like some kind of sound a horse would make. Neigh-lee," Jake murmured, making a point of stretching out the sounds.

Brooke rolled her eyes as she folded her hands over the table. "Such narrow-minded boys. If you put Nathan's and Haley's names together, it makes 'Naley.'"

"Yeah, I'm still not following," Lucas mumbled, pursing his lips.

Brooke sighed an agitated sigh. "You know how people call celebrity couples like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie—Brangelina? It's kind of like that."

"Makes sense," Jake muttered sarcastically.

Brooke chose to ignore their stupidity. "So, what is our next move in getting those two love birds together?"

"You know, I don't think we need another well thought-out scheme," Lucas responded with a smirk towards Jake.

That piqued Brooke's interest. "Why do you say that?"

"Lucas caught Nathan sneaking back into the apartment really late a couple of nights ago, looking rather…smiley," Jake explained with a twinkle in his eye.

"And the next day, Haley looked extremely tired, like she had been out late. Now, it could have been a coincidence, but I can't think of anyone else he would be sneaking off to see in the middle of the night," Lucas said with a shrug.

"Oh, and not to mention, Haley stopped by the apartment yesterday. I'm almost positive that I caught them kissing. I meant to rib Nathan about it, but he bolted out of the apartment so fast that I didn't get a chance to," Jake continued on, his explanation ending with a small frown.

Brooke's mouth dropped open in shock. "You're kidding?!"

Lucas shook his head. "Negative."

Brooke crossed her arms over chest. "I can't believe Haley didn't tell me that she kissed Nathan! I thought we were friends," She huffed, pouting.

Jake laughed. "Maybe she's not the kiss-and-tell type."

"Still. I'm going to have to get it out of her when we hang out later. It's girl code to tell your friends about potential relationships," Brooke whispered, more to herself than to anyone else.

"Whatever you say," Lucas said with a chuckle.

"Brooke, you ready to go?" Julian called out from the entrance. He was holding their food in two brown paper bags. His eyes were narrow as he glared at Jake and Lucas.

"Uh, yeah," Brooke answered back. "I'll talk to you guys later."

Sliding back out of the booth, Brooke walked over to where Julian was standing. With one more stiff glare towards Lucas and Jake, Julian exited Karen's Café. "Since when do you talk to Jake Jagielski and Lucas Scott?"

"Jake's an old friend," Brooke responded as she laced her fingers with his.

"An 'old friend,' huh?" Julian spat out.

Brooke giggled at the jealous edge to Julian's voice. "It's not like that."

"Yeah, well judging by the way he was looking at you, I think it is like that."

Brooke sighed, shaking her head. "Look, if you must know, I was just talking to them about Nathan and Haley. They both seem to like each other and we were talking about setting them up, that's all."

Julian's lips pressed into a hard line and he visibly tensed. "I would stop doing that, if I were you."

Brooke's eyebrows furrowed. "What? Why?"

"Nathan Scott isn't a good guy. Nathan is the last person Haley needs to be around."

"You act like you know Nathan," Brooke accused, her voice rising. She couldn't understand the sudden change in Julian's demeanor.

"I know him a lot better than you do," Julian fought back.

Brooke stopped walking as she tore her hand away from his. "What do you have against Nathan? Every time he's mentioned, you get all squirrelly and now, you're being an ass about him."

Julian turned to look at her, his eyes cold. "He's just not a good guy, simple as that. I don't have to explain any further."

Brooke placed her hands on her hips. "I don't believe all of those stupid rumors and you shouldn't either. You know how people like to spread shit for their own amusement."

"They're not just rumors, Brooke!" Julian shouted back before turning his back on her and walking away.

"Julian!"

"Just forget it, Brooke. You believe whatever the hell you want."

~x~

"I was thinking of buying new uniforms for the squad this season," Brooke announced as she flipped through a magazine.

"What's wrong with the ones we have?" Peyton asked, not once looking up from her sketch book.

Brooke shrugged. "They're old and haven't been changed in the last fifteen years. And it shows. Which reminds me, I need to start planning try outs for our open spot, unless Haley decides she wants it."

Haley's head snapped up at the mention of her name. All three of the girls were hanging out in Brooke's room. Haley had been trying to read one of the million magazines Brooke owned, but her head was in a completely different place. She was starting to think that she was turning into one of those pathetic school girls who spent all of their time thinking about their boyfriends. God, she despised those girls. Although, Nathan wasn't her boyfriend…or was he? The jury was still out on that one, apparently.

That didn't stop her from constantly worrying about what he was doing or how he was. She hadn't heard from him since she told him she had to tutor Damien and that was a whole twenty four hours ago. She trusted him, but she was still uneasy about what his version of 'I'll take care of it' meant.

"I already told you, me and physical activity of any kind don't mix," Haley muttered with a shake of her head.

"Oh, come on, I'm sure I could whip you into a cheerleader with only a few short practices," Brooke tried to persuade.

"Not a chance in hell," Haley declared. Just the thought of standing up in front of a crowd in a skimpy cheerleading uniform and dancing/cheering made her stomach queasy. She was never good in front of crowds.

Peyton sat up on her knees and squinted her eyes at Brooke. "Dude, the season doesn't even start for another two months. Why are you already trying to recruit and make changes?"

Brooke shrugged. "There's no harm in preparing early, P. Sawyer."

"You usually only over-throw yourself into cheerleading or student council when you're fighting with your parents or Julian," Peyton said knowingly. "So, which is it?"

Brooke let out a huff of breath as she put her magazine down. "Julian."

"What'd he do?" Haley asked, putting down her own magazine.

Brooke hesitated. She couldn't very well tell Haley about their fight. If she did, not only would she have to tell Haley about their scheme of trying to get her and Nathan together, but she would also have to reminder her yet again of Nathan's reputation. Brooke didn't believe all of the horrible things that were said about Nathan. She feared that telling Haley would cause a riff in her relationship with Nathan and from what Lucas and Jake told her, things had been going well between them.

"I'm not really sure," Brooke finally said. "Everything was fine and then all of a sudden he got really snippy with me."

"I swear, boys have periods too," Peyton said with a laugh. "It's the only thing that would explain their random mood swings."

"I would give him a little while to cool down, before talking to him," Haley suggested. "Maybe something is going on at home and he's just fired up about it right now. He probably didn't mean to take it out on you."

Brooke smiled shakily at Haley. "Yeah, you're probably right. Speaking of relationships, what's going on with you and Nathan?" She was clearly desperate to get the conversation off the topic of her.

Haley cursed her ability to easily blush when she felt her cheeks begin to heat up. "Nothing."

"Bullshit!" Brooke exclaimed lightheartedly. "Jake told me that he saw you two kissing yesterday."

Haley was sure her face was as red as the shirt she was wearing.

"You and Jake are sure talking a lot lately," Peyton piped up, an eyebrow cocked suspiciously.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "It is so not like that. And that's not the point right now. Don't change the subject!"

Haley looked down, her eyes focusing on her magazine again. "So, we've kissed a couple of times." She knew she was downplaying it. But these types of things always embarrassed her.

"A couple of times?!" Brooke and Peyton yelled in unison.

"I want details," Brooke demanded. "Don't you dare leave anything out. When did it first happen? What kind of kiss was it? Is he a good kisser? And why the hell didn't you tell us?"

Haley felt overwhelmed by all of the questions Brooke was throwing her way. Luckily for her, her phone dinged and it offered up a momentary distraction. Picking up her phone, her forehead creased when she saw she had a text message from an unsaved number. Opening it, her eyes widened.

Meet me at the River Court. Please.

She already knew exactly who it was.

Standing up, she tossed her magazine to the side. Silently, she thanked God for the much needed interruption. "As much as I would love to give you all of the gory details, I gotta go."

"What?" Peyton gasped. "You can't leave us hanging like that!"

"In this case, I can."

"Haley! I swear to God!"

But, she was already down the stairs and out the door.

~x~

"Hey."

Nathan stopping dribbling the ball at the sound of her voice. His once tense body relaxed as soon as he locked eyes with her. Her blonde hair was pulled back and her face was clear of make-up. The red sweater she was wearing made her brown eyes seem even richer.

"Hey, you got my text."

Haley smiled as she slid her hands into the back pocket of her jeans. Nathan didn't look as angry as he did the day before, but he still seemed a little on edge. "I did. Where'd you get my number?"

"I have my ways," Nathan responded with a coy smile. When she raised her eyebrows, he chuckled. "I asked Jake, who asked Brooke."

"Why didn't you just ask me yourself?" She asked, matching his smile. She stopped walking when she was standing directly in front of him.

Nathan shrugged, shifting the basketball so it was resting against his waist. "Honestly, I don't know."

Haley giggled as she rocked nervously on her heels. "So, about this Damien thing…," She began. She figured that's why he texted her to meet him at the River Court.

Nathan swallowed hard. "I'm taking care of it." Damien's offer was still echoing in the back of his mind. He was torn between what he should do and what he had to do. It wasn't an easy decision to make. If he were being honest, it was probably going to be one of the hardest decisions he'd ever have to make. Which is exactly why he ended up at the River Court. He needed to clear his mind.

Haley sighed as she took a cautious step towards him. She could see the stress lines return to his face, his jaw clenching. "You don't have to do that, Nathan. I can take care of myself."

He dropped the basketball, the bounce of the leather against the concrete was nothing but a hollow sound. "I know that. But, can you honestly tell me that you would be comfortable with spending an hour with him, by yourself, multiple times a week?"

Haley bit her lip as her skin prickled at the picture Nathan had painted. "No, but—"

Almost as if it were natural instinct, Nathan closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her waist, lacing his fingers together at the small of his back. "Then, you're not going to have to."

Haley relaxed at his touch, a conceding sigh leaving her lips. "Okay."

Nathan smiled softly as he leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. He knew nothing about relationships and had zero experience, but with Haley, everything seemed to come to him by instinct. He wasn't sure if he could call what they had a 'relationship', but it was something. He was still scared about the way he felt about her, but his fear over what to do with those feelings seemed to be melting away a rapid pace.

He never thought he would see the day.

"Well, don't stop at my account," Haley murmured her head nodding towards the basketball hoop.

"You want to watch me play?"

Haley shrugged, smiling at him. "Why not?" She hadn't seen him play in a few weeks. She was never into sports, but she liked watching Nathan play, even if he claims that he's not actually playing basketball.

"If that's what you want," He chuckled while releasing his grip on her waist.

Haley trotted over to the set of bleachers and hopped up to the third level. Sitting down, she smiled as Nathan walked over to the grass to retrieve the discarded basketball. This reminded her a lot of the time he tried to show her how to shoot a basket. She watched in awe as he fell into the natural rhythm of the game.

He was light on his feet. Every move that he made looked effortless and smooth. When he leapt in the air, she swore she could see wings extending out of his back. It seemed unhuman to be able to jump that high without some kind of aid. Every single time he jumped, he landed upright and softly on his feet.

She suddenly remembered the picture beside his bed of him playing in little league basketball.

"Why don't you play for the Ravens?" Haley found herself wondering out-loud. "And don't you dare say sports don't interest you."

Nathan stopped at her question. He couldn't help but a crack a smile at the way she was pointing her finger at him in a demanding manner. "Do you think I should be playing for the Ravens?"

Haley nodded. "I'm not all that educated in basketball, or sports in general, but even I can see that you're extremely good."

Nathan bounced the ball once before catching it and holding it at his side. "I used to," He revealed.

Haley's eyebrows furrowed. "Really?"

Nathan nodded, sighing heavily. "I made varsity my freshman year."

"Why don't you still play?" Haley asked, surprised. With little knowledge that she had, she did know that making varsity as a freshman rarely ever happened.

"I got kicked off the team right before the first game," Nathan admitted quietly. He looked down, clearly ashamed. He hated talking about this, which was why he never did. But, Haley's wide and trusting eyes had him opening up his soul, once again.

"What happened?"

Nathan sighed. "When I made the team, they did a grade check. My grades weren't up to par with what they wanted and Coach Durham gave me until the first game to bring them up, or I was off the team. Obviously, that didn't happen and I was canned."

"Couldn't you try out again?" She offered up.

"I could," Nathan mumbled. "But, I can't."

"Why not?"

"Basketball was a huge deal to my dad. He loved it and he was practically the best player to ever play at Tree Hill. It was something that Lucas, my dad, and I bonded over. When I got cut from the team, he was furious," Nathan explained. "But, he wasn't furious because I wasn't playing, he was furious because he thought I lied about wanting to play and trashing my grades was my way of getting out of it. About a month before he died, I promised him that I wanted to play and that I was going to get my act together. But he died before I could make that happen. So—"

"You don't play because you feel like you would be betraying him," Haley filled in for him. She could feel a small layer of tears build up in her eyes at the obvious pain in Nathan's voice.

Nathan nodded sadly. His throat felt tight and his hands were shaking. He still wasn't used to being vulnerable and he assumed that he never would be.

Haley pushed herself off of the bleachers and made her way over to him. "I don't think by playing again that you would be betraying him," Haley said honestly as she reached up to caress his cheek. "If anything, I think you would be honoring him. Basketball was something that you guys shared and I think he would want you to play, especially if it was something that you really wanted."

Nathan vigorously shook his head. His heart was pounding in his chest and his throat felt like it was burning. "I don't know if I can, Hales. It…hurts too much. "

"It's okay," She said soothingly. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a comforting hug. "You can do this, Nathan. And I'm always going to be here to help you."

Nathan dropped the basketball and pulled her close, his arms encircling her tightly. The vanilla scent of her perfume surrounded him and he let the warmth of her soothe him. "Thank you, Hales. For everything."