"Haley? Are you OK?" Lucas asked his friend, grabbing her by the elbow to steady her.
She swallowed past the lump in her throat, her eyes still on the young man across the hallway. "Yeah," she said, giving Lucas a half hearted grin. "What did you say your brothers' name is?" she asked in a whisper, willing her feet to move again. It was slow going, as the shock hadn't worn off yet.
"Nathan," he told her.
Nathan Scott, she thought to herself, willing the tears not to come. He hadn't even told her the truth about his name. Haley wondered what else he'd lied to her about. "And he's dating Peyton?" she asked.
Lucas nodded in confirmation.
Haley took a deep breath and tried to reconcile herself to that thought. Her Scott, her summer tryst—who'd been sweet, caring, and romantic, was the jerk that Peyton was dating, and her new best friends jerk of a brother who wouldn't even acknowledge him?
"Is everything OK?" Lucas asked again.
"Yeah," she said, putting a hand on his arm. Shake it off, James. "I'm fine," she said with a certainty that she wasn't feeling.
"OK," Lucas said, not convinced. But he wasn't exactly sure what was wrong, either.
"Ms. James!" they heard from behind them. They both spun around and Mr. Turner was standing just outside of his office.
"Hello, Principal Turner," Haley said.
"How was your first day at Tree Hill High School?" he asked.
Haley smiled weakly. "It was…a day of surprises," she said honestly. "A nice first day," she added.
Principal Turner smiled back at her. "I'm glad it went well for you, Haley."
Well, I wouldn't exactly put it that way. "Thank-you, Principal Turner," she said, turning around and heading for the exit with Lucas right beside her.
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"That was Lucas' girlfriend?" Nathan asked Peyton for the second time. She slammed her locker shut and started walking down the hall. He fell into step beside her, fidgeting with the straps on his backpack.
"Yes, that was Lucas' girlfriend. What's the fascination with her?" Peyton asked.
"She looks familiar," he said defending himself. Of course she does, he thought. He'd spent half his summer hanging out with her and kissing her senseless.
"She just moved here," she told him. "I doubt you know her."
"And you're sure she's Lucas' girlfriend?" he asked again.
Peyton stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. "Yeah, I'm sure she's Lucas' girlfriend. Karen told me she was the other night when they were leaving Tric together."
"And her name's Holly?" he asked. Apparently he wasn't the only one who'd lied about his name.
"Actually, it's Haley," she said.
Or maybe he was.
"I had A & P lab with her this afternoon. Haley James," she clarified. "Let me know if you want me to get her number for you," she spat, stalking away.
"Peyton!" he yelled after her. She kept going without turning around. Nathan sighed in frustration and then headed in the opposite direction towards the gym.
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"Are you sure you don't want to go to the café?" Lucas asked Haley again. They were standing at the end of her driveway.
She shook her head. "You know what? I think I need to de-stress after my first day at a new school," she told him.
"Do you want some help?" he asked.
"Oh, no. I want to de-stress all by myself," she told him with conviction.
"OK," Lucas said. "Call me later."
She smiled softly at her friend. "I will," she promised, turning around and heading for her house.
"So, how was your first day at school?" her mother asked when Haley walked through the front door.
"Oh, you know, shocking, scandalous…the usual," she teased her mom.
Her mother grinned at her. "Want to discuss it over a root beer float?" she asked.
"Can I take a rain check?" Haley asked. "I think I'm just going to head to the Rivercourt for a little bit," she said.
"Sure thing, Honey," her mom said. "Just be home for supper."
Haley nodded and ran up over the stairs and into her bedroom. When she got there, she threw her book bag on the floor and sat down on her bed, her breathing rapidly increasing. She lifted her hands up and ran them through her hair, trying to get control of her emotions. Was he really here? In Tree Hill? Out of all the places on the planet her father could have been transferred to, and he was transferred here. She closed her eyes, groaned, and flopped back on her bed. After a minute, she opened her eyes, and turned her head to the side. She grabbed her trusty friend and confided in him. "Can you believe it, Mr. Waffles? Out of all the people I could have met and made out with this summer, it was Lucas' long time nemesis." She sighed as Mr. Waffles continued to give her a blank stare. "No advice, huh?" she asked. "Yeah, this one might be hopeless," she told him, pulling him to her chest and giving him a crushing hug. Sighing, she put Mr. Waffles back in his spot, then threw her hair up, and changed out of her school clothes. She started to leave her room, but turned around and grabbed Scott's basketball off her bed. Yeah, she was going to use it now. Until the damn thing popped.
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"So," she said softly from his open doorway. Nathan's head snapped up and he smiled at her, moving to a sitting position on his bed in one move.
"Hey," he said softly, smiling at her.
She smiled sweetly back at him and tilted her head to the side. "There's…a local band playing tonight."
"Yeah? Where?" he asked, interested in doing anything that involved her.
"At the seaside pavilion," she answered. "And I've got just enough cash to get us in," she told him.
"I think I can afford it," he said, laughing.
She shook her head. "It's on me," she said, walking further into the room.
"On you, huh?" he asked.
"Yeah," she whispered, taking the hand that he held out to her. He gave it a tug and pulled her down onto his lap, loving the sound of her laughter. "So, are we on for tonight?" she asked.
"Oh, we're on," he said, lifting a hand to the nape of her neck and pulling her face down to his. "We're definitely on," he said again, just before his lips met hers.
"Nathan Scott!" he heard a booming voice say, bringing him swiftly back to the present.
He sighed and looked up, into the eyes of an angry Whitey Durham. "Did you learn a damn thing at High Flyers this summer?"
Nathan didn't say anything, just held his tongue. Last year at this time, he would have had some smart remark, but after Whitey's recommendation and the respect that he'd learned to incorporate into his game while he was at High Flyers, Nathan just kept his mouth shut.
"Sprints, now!" Whitey said.
Nathan sighed and headed for the sidelines.
That kiss might have been the last thing they did before leaving for the show that night, but every night in Nathan's dreams, it went a lot further than that.
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Haley's sleep had been restless the night before, and she wasn't in a very good mood when she got to school. She'd overslept that morning—a first for her, and she was the only one in the hallway while getting ready for her first class. Every one else was already there. Great, she thought. I get to walk into a stupid class room already filled with students. She shut her locker, and headed down the hallway, gasping when she felt a hand on her arm. Before she knew what was happening, she was pulled into an empty class room and pushed gently against the wall. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was manhandling her. She swallowed nervously. "Surprised?" he asked.
She could only nod.
"Yeah, me, too," he told her.
Haley's head finally cleared and she finally spoke. "What are you doing in the AP wing, anyway?"
"Looking for you," he said.
She sighed. "What are you doing? You have a girlfriend."
He shrugged. "And you're screwing my brother."
Haley's jaw dropped and she gave him a dirty look. "If I didn't remember what you were like at High Flyers, I'd slap you right now."
"I might like it," he shot back huskily.
She looked him up and down. "You're pathetic!" she spat.
"After all those nights I spent in bed pining for you, I'd have to agree," he said.
"Oh, please. It's hard to pine for someone while you're in bed with someone else."
Nathan shrugged. "It's easier than you'd think. What are you doing with Lucas? You're too good for him."
"Funny—he says the same thing about you."
"What are you doing with him?" Nathan repeated.
"Treating him a hell of a lot better than you ever have!" she retorted.
He dropped her arm as if she'd burnt him, and she saw the wounded look in his eyes at her words. Immediately, she felt contrite as she remembered once again how charming he had been this summer.
"You lied to me about your name," she whispered.
"No, I didn't," he denied, hating the disappointment in her eyes. "My name is Scott. Nathan Scott," he said.
Haley reached up and pulled the chain that was around her neck off. On it was Nathan's High Flyers MVP ring. She looked at it longingly, and then swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Here," she said softly, handing it to Nathan. "This belongs to someone who I only thought existed. And I don't want it anymore." She dropped it into his hand and walked out, leaving him standing there looking at the ring in his hand. She'd given him her only reminder of him. He was stunned at how much that hurt.