The bell rang signaling that her fourth class of the day was over, and Haley gathered up her books and notebooks and put them in her bag. When she walked out of the classroom, Lucas was waiting for her. She gave a tired smile.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he said back. "I missed you this morning. What happened?"

She sighed. "I overslept," she told him as they started walking toward their lockers. "And I'm sorry that I didn't call last night. I went to shoot around for awhile and after I did my homework I called Molly and we talked until midnight, then I went to bed. I didn't want to call you that late," she explained.

"It's OK," he assured her. "I was helping my mom and Peyton get ready for tomorrow nights first all ages night at Tric anyway."

"Oh. How is Peyton?" she asked in what she hoped was a neutral tone of voice.

Lucas shrugged. "She's OK. But she doesn't look very happy," he said concerned.

"She'll be OK," Haley said confidently.

"And how do you know that?" he asked.

Haley shrugged. "The girl's a survivor. I could tell after a single class with her."

"Yeah, well, you have no idea what Nathan Scott can do to a girl," Lucas said dryly.

"Oh, I have some," Haley muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Lucas asked.

"Umm… I'm starving. Did you bring lunch?"

He held up a paper bag.

"Me, too. It's in my locker. Meet me on the quad in ten?" she asked sweetly.

"I'll get us a table," he told her, turning around. She started heading for her locker.

"Haley?"

She turned around. "Yeah?"

Lucas hesitated. "Is everything OK?" he asked.

"Everything's fine," she assured him, feeling guilty for lying to her best friend. She continued on to her locker. She was going to have to tell Lucas about Scott and soon. Before it ate her up inside.

777

"Haley?" she heard her mother yell from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah?" she yelled from her bedroom.

"I'm going to the grocery store. Do you need anything?"

Haley sighed and ran a hand through her hair. It was six o'clock and she'd been doing homework and studying since she'd gotten home from school. Her brain was fried and she could use a break. "If you can wait a minute I'll come with you."

"OK. I'll be in the car."

Haley looked down at her attire—New York Knicks printed pajama bottoms and an orange t-shirt and decided it was good enough. She grabbed a pair of flip flops from her closet and eyed the oversized hooded sweatshirt at the foot of her bed. It had an L.A. Lakers emblem on it and was sure to clash, but she grabbed it anyway and put it on. After quickly throwing her hair up in a haphazardly looking bun, she ran down the stairs and out the front door. Her mother looked her up and down as she climbed into the car and buckled her seatbelt, but didn't say a word. "What, Mom?" Haley asked.

"I didn't say anything!" Lydia James exclaimed.

Haley rolled her eyes. "But you want to."

Her mother sighed. "I just…I just don't understand the logic of flip flops and a hooded sweatshirt. If it's warm enough for flip flops, shouldn't it be warm enough for a T-shirt? And if it's cold enough for a hooded sweatshirt, isn't it cold enough for socks and sneakers?"

Haley laughed. "It's trendy, Mom," she explained.

"Since when do you care about trends?" her mother asked knowingly.

"I don't. But I love comfortable, and that's exactly what this is!"

Her mother laughed. "If that's you're story," she said, turning her attention back to the road.

777

Haley walked up to the cart and threw some Cheez Its and Trail Mix in. "Did you get my Pop Tarts?" she asked checking the contents.

Her mother pulled the box out of the top of the cart and held it up for her daughter to see. Frosted strawberry. Haley grinned. "You're the best, Mom!" she teased.

Lydia laughed. "I like to think so," she teased back. "Oh, that reminds me. Do you need any 'female equipment?'" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Mom!" Haley groaned. "Just say what you mean! Do I need any tampons?" she said in a singsong voice as they rounded the corner. Haley heard a screech as her mother ran into another shopper.

"Peyton!" Haley said, immediately recognizing her. "Are you OK?"

She rubbed her hip. "Yeah, I think I'm OK," Peyton said in a strained voice.

"Oh, Honey, I am so sorry!" Lydia said, touching the young girls arm.

Peyton gave her a reassuring grin. "It's OK," she said.

Lydia nodded.

"Oh!" Haley exclaimed. "Where are my manners? Peyton, this is my mother, Lydia James. Mom, this is Peyton. She's in my Anatomy & Physiology class and she works for Karen at Tric," she said.

"It's nice to meet you," Lydia said with a smile.

"You, too," Peyton said.

"Hey, Peyton, I found the ribbed ones, and some whipped…" Nathan Scott trailed off as he rounded the corner and saw Haley standing there with who he assumed was her mother. "Cream," he finished weakly, putting his hands behind his back.

Peyton cleared her throat, blushing furiously. "Nathan, this is Haley. Lucas' girlfriend," she reminded him with raised eyebrows as if she was challenging him.

Haley groaned inwardly as her mother's eyes flew to her face. "You and Lucas are dating?" she asked. "Since when?"

"We're not really…"

"You're not?" Peyton asked quickly. Too quickly, Nathan thought irately, as his eyes narrowed. His gaze returned to Haley and for the first time, he noticed what she was wearing. He couldn't help but grin as he recognized the sweatshirt he'd given her at the end of High Flyers that summer. He had forgotten all about it. Inexplicably, it made him feel better knowing she had something else that had belonged to him. So she hadn't given up her only reminder of him, after all. He watched as she crossed her arms over her chest, uncomfortable under his stare. He quickly looked away, but it didn't matter. He knew she had his sweatshirt. And something else. When he'd given her his sweatshirt, he'd also given her his lucky basketball.

Haley gave him a dirty look, and then turned to her mother. "Mom, this is…" her eyes returned to his face. "I'm sorry, I don't remember your name," she said sweetly.

"Scott," he supplied. "Nathan Scott."

"Right," she said softly. "Nathan."

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. James," he said rearranging the items behind his back and then holding out his hand to shake hers.

It was all Haley could do not to roll her eyes.

"So, wait, you and Lucas aren't dating?" Peyton asked, returning to their earlier subject.

Haley shook her head.

"Honey, I'll be finishing up," Lydia said. "Find me when you're finished. And do you need…"

"Yeah, Mom," she said. "I need tampons."

Nathan cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"And lots of them," Haley shouted to her mother's retreating form. She turned back to Peyton. "Well, it was nice seeing you."

"Wait. Why does Karen think you two are dating?" Peyton asked.

"It's along story, and incredibly dull. I don't want to bore you," Haley said not wanting to tell this story in front of Nathan.

"Oh, no. Bore me," Peyton said.

Nathan gave her a dirty look. "I'll be out in the car," he said angrily, thrusting the condoms and whipped cream at her. He turned back to Haley, fire in his eyes. "It was nice to meet you, Holly," he said, then started to stalk away.

"It's Haley," she called after him. "But you can call me James!"

He never even broke his stride.

"What's your boyfriends' problem?" Haley asked.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "He's just moody," she said.

"Well…lucky you," Haley said sarcastically.

"Yeah, lucky me," Peyton said softly. "I…guess I should go," she said. "It was nice to see you, Haley."

Suddenly, Haley felt sorry for her. Obviously she was dating Nathan, but she seemed incredibly lonely. "Peyton, if you ever want to talk…"

Peyton shook her head. "I'm not good at talking," she said quickly. "And—I've never done well with female friends. Well—with the exception of Brooke. But, thanks anyway. I'll see you Monday in A & P."

"See you Monday," Haley repeated as Peyton quickly walked away.

Haley sighed and went to find her mother.

777

"Well, I know one thing," Lydia James said in the car on the way home.

Haley pulled her eyes away from the window to look at her mother. "What's that?" she asked.

Her mother took her eyes off the road long enough to give her a quick look—a knowing one. "If I was Peyton, I'd be one angry girl."

Haley gave her mother a confused look.

"If my boyfriend looked at other girls the way Nathan was looking at you," she clarified.

"Mom!" Haley exclaimed.

"What?" Lydia said in a stern voice.

"He wasn't looking at me like…"

"Like what?" her mother asked.

Haley sighed. "Like anything," she said softly then turned back to the window. "He wasn't looking at me like anything."