I've been putting this story on the backburner for a while. I apologize for that. I hope y'all are still interested in reading. If you are, then enjoy this chapter and let me know! :)
BTW- I should have my other two stories updated sometime this week. I've been really busy but I'm not anymore.
Also, if any of you are going to Paris next week to meet the cast I'm so jealous! Lol, I hope you have fun and take a ton of pictures! Who knows, maybe I'll be inspired to write more of "Sweeter than fiction" because lately I've been wishing of the whole Joy and James thing happening and the only way for that to happen is through writing… anyway, enough og my rant: here's the next, long awaited chapter:
"I never thought I'd say this, but it is so good to be back!" Nathan sighed contently, his hand laced with Haley's as they strolled back into Tree Hill High on Monday morning.
Haley smiled excitedly, "You can say that again."
"Hey, I wonder who the new Principal is-" Nathan mused out loud as they signed in at the front desk, making sure they'd arrive early this time.
"Well hello, couple of the year." Jane Mitchell, a fellow co-worker and friend of Nathan and Haley greeted from behind them.
"Jane! Hey, I 've missed you! How've you been?" Haley questioned cheerfully.
"Oh, I'm great, and I'd love to see you both in my new office." She said with a teasing smile playing over her lips.
"What do you mean?" Nathan questioned, his hold on Haley tightened ever so lightly.
"Now that Rimkus is gone, thankfully… I was promoted to take her position!"
"Jane! That's great! You're going to make a great Principal!"
"Thanks Haley. I promise I don't have a problem with you guys, but I was forced to read some rules that the superintendent told me to tell you-" She said with an easy smile.
"Oh, yeah, sure." Haley nodded as she pulled Nathan behind her as they followed Jane into her office.
Nathan pulled out a chair for Haley who happily obliged in sitting down, and seconds later, he sat in the seat beside her.
"Okay, so what's up?" Nathan started, his leg slightly jiggling nervously.
"Well, first of all, congrats on finally being together… I can't believe you never told me!" She laughed as she tucked her long blonde hair behind her ear.
"Yeah, sorry, we tried to keep it as quiet as possible so nothing would happen, which didn't even work…" Haley explained with a slightly nervous laugh.
"That's okay, I completely understand. Like I said, I really don't have a problem with you together, and by now pretty much everyone knows you're together so you don't have to hide it anymore , but you still have to keep the PDA as limited as you can. That doesn't mean you can't have lunch together or be seen together, but just try not to kiss or hold hands or anything of that nature."
With the request, Haley's hand immediately dropped out of Nathan's and blushed softly.
"Okay, we understand. Thank you again, so much." Haley stated rather quickly as she stood up in order to shake Jane's hand with appreciation. She then smoothed out the wrinkles from her dress and looked over at Nathan who was also shaking Jane's hand.
"It's going to be tough, but I think I can do it." He smirked as his eyes fell over Haley, sending a bright blush to her cheeks.
"Also, please try to remain a professional relationship meaning that if you get in a fight outside of work, please refrain from bringing your problems here." Jane commanded firmly.
"Of course!" Haley swore immediately.
"Yes, ma'am." Nathan nodded cordially.
A second later, a shrill bell rang through the speaker, signaling that students were now allowed to enter the building.
"Okay, well I guess it's time for me to get to class." Haley joked as she threw her pocketbook over her shoulder.
"I'll walk you." Nathan offered with a sincere smile, knowing that Haley had to teach a class first period and he didn't.
"Have a good day guys, and welcome back! You know where to find me if you have any questions or concerns." Jane called out, throwing a friendly smile in their direction.
"Thanks again!" Haley beamed, eternally grateful that Rimkus was no longer her boss, and she and Nathan were allowed to date while continuing their jobs.
Nathan wrapped his arm around Haley as she immediately tried shrugging him off.
"Nathan, you know we can't do that! I don't want to take any more chances. We're lucky we got our jobs back." She scolded lightly.
"It's no fair." He pouted. "Students get to make out all the time, all I wanna do is walk my girlfriend to class."
Haley laughed as she playfully pat his bicep. "You can still walk me, just no touching, Fabio."
Nathan groaned, "You're too irresistible not to touch."
A light blush crept upon her cheeks, as they finally arrived in front of her classroom. "You can kiss me later, I promise."
Nathan leaned his left hand against the classroom door frame and shifted his weight onto his legs as he leaned over to smirk down at Haley.
"Promise?" He whispered gently into her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
Haley bit gently on her lower lip feeling as if she had suddenly reverted back to High School herself.
"Mhmm." She smiled seductively as her eyes met his tantalizing blue ones.
Nathan snuck a peek over his shoulder to make sure no one was looking and smirked as he leaned closer to Haley, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss.
Unable to pull away, Haley gave in and smiled against his perfectly luscious lips. She loved this man more than anything.
Finally snapping back to reality, Haley pulled away and laughed, "Nathan! We can't do this here!"
Nathan chuckled along with her, pressing a quick kiss upon her smooth cheek. "Alright, beautiful. I'll kiss you later."
Haley smiled blissfully as Nathan slowly backed away from her, throwing a wink over his shoulder then disappearing into the crowded hallway. She placed her hands over her rapidly beating heart and walked into her classroom with a dreamy smile as she prepared for her day.
"Hey Mrs. Scott." Sam entered the class room with a smug smile. "I'm so glad you're back. We missed you."
Haley jumped slightly as her back was turned towards Sam and had no idea she had entered the class.
"Sam! Gosh, you scared me!" She laughed nervously, turning around and once again placing her hands over her heart.
Sam smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."
"And it's Miss. James." Haley corrected with slightly narrowed eyes, trying to ignore the way her heart leapt at the thought of one day becoming Mrs. Scott. She'd be lying if she hadn't thought about it. She knew Nathan was the one, but it was still early for marriage. She was perfectly content with where they were now, but she wouldn't deny the fact that she liked the way Mrs. Scott sounds.
"It won't be for long." Sam teased, taking a seat in front of the classroom.
Haley then pretended to ignore Sam's comment as she prepared for the days lesson on Romeo and Juliet. More students began to pile into the classroom, expressing their obvious joy that their teacher was back.
"Nice steamy kiss with Mr. Scott before, Miss. James!" Quentin Fields teased with a playful grin as Haley's head shot up from looking down at the paper she was silently reading and felt her face ignite with a crimson fire set in her cheeks.
"Good morning, Que." She greeted with a friendly smile, ignoring the remarks from her students.
"I'm glad you're back. We've missed you!" He smiled more seriously as he took his appropriate seat in the back of the classroom, a few murmurs of agreement were heard among the throng of students. The bell rang loudly through the confines of the classroom, but before Haley could begin the lesson, her cell phone buzzed quite loudly upon her desk.
"Sorry, guys." She excused with an embarrassed smile.
Planning on ignoring it, Haley picked up the phone and was just about to turn it on silent until she saw the caller ID. Her heart panged with worry. Brooke knew she was at work… she wouldn't be calling unless there was a problem…
"I need to take this. It's my son's babysitter." Haley rushed out fretfully as she quickly answered the call and turned her back to her class who chatted amongst themselves.
"What's wrong? Is Jackson okay?" She asked immediately, fearing the worst.
Brooke sighed into the receiver stressfully, "He's fine, sorry for worrying you."
Haley breathed an apparent sigh of relief, "Then what's up? I have a class now-"
"I know, sorry, I forgot to tell you I have to go to a meeting at three and I can't watch Jackson past that time-"
Haley squeezed her eyes shut and groaned, "Ugh, I have a meeting too…"
"I'm so sorry, I can't get out of it… I have to drive like an hour to get there-" Brooke explained sorrowfully.
"It's okay, I'll pick him up after work and figure something out. Worst comes to worst I'll just bring him along…" Haley thought aloud, stress beginning to fray her nerves.
"I'm sorry." Brooke apologized again.
"It's fine, don't worry. I'll talk to you later." Haley quickly ended the conversation and hung up after Brooke said her goodbyes.
"Tsk, tsk, Miss. James. You know better than to talk on your cell during school..." Haley heard the familiar deep voice from the doorway. "Detention after school." He smirked, making Haley's stomach flutter with excitement.
Her eyes narrowed playfully, "Don't you have a class to teach? Maybe I should give you detention." She laughed jokingly.
Nathan smirked, "Nope, I'm off, so I get to torture you."
Haley placed her hands on her hips and directed a pointed look in his direction, "Mr. Scott-"
"Miss. James." He smirked, emulating her stern tone. "Who was on the phone?"
Haley walked closer to him in order to talk in a quieter voice so that her students wouldn't hear.
"Brooke. She can't watch Jackson later…"
Nathan frowned, "Why not? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, she has a meeting, but so do I, and I don't know who's going to be able to watch him on such short notice…" She explained, running a hand through her hair.
Nathan crossed his arms over his chest, exposing his taut biceps, making Haley have to remind herself they were at work, and had to desperately fight the voice in her head telling her to pounce on him and kiss him feverishly.
"I can watch him." He said easily.
"You have to coach practice-" Haley interjected.
Nathan shrugged, "So? He can hang with me and the team. I think he'd like that. We'd get to spend some time together. It'll be fun…."
"Are you sure?" Haley questioned with a nervous smile. "I don't want him to be a distraction-"
"It'll be fine, baby. Besides, the team can use an extra hand. At this point, I may even need him to play in a game." He joked with a charming grin.
Haley smiled with amusement, "Okay, if you're okay with it. Thank you so much! I owe you-"
Nathan grinned as he placed his hands around her waist, "You owe me a kiss-"
Haley blushed as she felt the gaze of her student's on her and Nathan. "Later." She promised with a seductive smile.
"Okay, you better." Nathan whispered. "I'll call Brooke and tell her to drop Jackson off before she goes to the meeting and I'll keep him with me-"
"Thank you!" Haley gushed appreciatively. "I love you."
"Love you too, have a good day." Nathan said as he reluctantly untangled himself from her arms, causing some of the students to sigh dreamily.
"C'mon, Coach. You should've kissed her man! Y'all are perfect-" Que called out with a enthusiastic grin.
Nathan chuckled softly and swiftly swept down in order to peck a kiss on Haley's soft lips who was clearly taken by surprise.
"Nathan!" She scolded with a blush reddening her cheeks as he continued to grin.
"Que told me to." Nathan retorted.
"Get out of here!" Haley giggled as she playfully swatted him towards the door.
"Alright, see you later, gorgeous." He grinned as he threw a small wink over his shoulder then disappeared back into the hallway.
Haley felt like a lovesick teenager as she stood in front of her class with a beaming smile and rosy blush.
"Oh, my, god! Y'all are actually the most adorable couple, like, ever-!" Haley's student, Justine shrieked excitedly.
Haley laughed, "Thank you. But I'm sorry that he interrupted class, it won't happen again-"
"I think he should come everyday-" Brianna called out. "I want a relationship like yours."
Haley didn't know what to say, so she decided to smile. "Never settle for anything but the best." Before anyone else could say anything, Haley decided to end the topic considering that it was considerably inappropriate to discuss her love life with students.
It was now the beginning of ninth period- the last class of the day- and Nathan was about to start instructing his gym class, but was interrupted when the doors unexpectedly swung open.
A blonde haired Jackson immediately ran over to Nathan with an excited smile. "Nathan!"
Nathan cleared his throat and bent down in order to catch Jackson. "Hey bud. What's up?"
"Aunt Brooke said you were gonna watch me today!" He exclaimed as his eyes twinkled with cheer.
Nathan's eyes glanced up at Brooke and gave her a confused smile. "Hey Brooke, I thought you were coming at the end of the day-"
Brooke twisted her lips to the side of her face, feigning guilt. "Uh, yeah, I kind of have to leave earlier than I thought. I hope it's not a problem-"
Nathan shrugged as he stood up, lifting Jackson in his arms, in the process. "Nah, it's alright. Jackson can help me teach. Right, bud?"
"Right!" The little boy confirmed as he snuggled closer to Nathan.
"Alright, great, thanks, Nate. See ya later!" Brooke called out as she practically ran out of the gym.
Nathan chuckled under his breath, then turned to face back to his class. "Okay guys, this here is Jackson. He's going to be helping me out today, so if any of you do anything you shouldn't, you'll have to hear it from Jackson."
Jackson smiled triumphantly as he waved to Nathan's gym class.
"Coach, I didn't know you had a son!" Brian Hardie called out.
"Oh my gosh! He's adorable!" Lucy gushed as she took in the image of the small boy.
Nathan grinned, "He's not-"
"Mr. Scott!"
Nathan suddenly heard Haley's voice ring out through the gym as heads turned to find her standing in the doorway.
"Momma!" Jackson shouted as he jumped out of Nathan's embrace and ran happily towards his mom.
Haley scooped up Jackson and peppered his face with light kisses. "Hi baby! What are you doing here so early?"
Nathan walked closer to Haley and gave her a sympathetic smile. "Brooke had to leave earlier than she thought-"
"I know. I just ran into her in the hall… I came to get Jackson-"
"It's okay, he can stay."
"But Nathan you have to teach, I have a free period, so he can stay in my class until I have the meeting-" Haley explained.
"No! I wanna stay with Nathan!" Jackson whined as he gave Haley his infamous puppy dog face.
"It's fine, Hales, really." Nathan coaxed.
Haley bit softly on her lower lip, "I don't want you to get into trouble-"
"I won't." Nathan swore. "We were just going to play a game of dodgeball."
"Dodgeball!" Jackson repeated.
"Oh, alright." Haley reluctantly agreed when she saw Jackson's pleading smile.
"Yes!" Jackson cheered.
Nathan chuckled, "Alright bud, why don't you go grab some of the dodgeballs in my office?" He directed as he pointed in the direction of his office.
"Okay!" Jackson happily complied.
Nathan smiled then turned towards Haley who looked as if she was about to leave.
"You should stay." Nathan pleaded.
"Oh no, I can't-"
"Why not?" Nathan complained. "You don't have a class-"
"I just don't think-"
Nathan ignored her protests and turned back to the group of gym students huddled in the center of the gym. "Hey guys! Don't you think Miss. James should stay?"
"Nathan!" Haley flushed with embarrassment when the students all nodded, pleading for her to stay.
Nathan smirked when he faced his girlfriend. "See? They want you to stay, so I guess you have to."
Haley smiled as she shook her head, "You are too much, Mr. Scott."
"I know." He grinned as he gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the center of the gym. After explaining the rules of the game, Jackson had arrived with the bag of dodgeballs and smiled enthusiastically.
"Thanks kiddo!" Nathan gave him a quick high five and lifted him back in his arms. "Alright so me and Miss. James will be captains, and I get Jackson on my team!" He declared with a smug smile.
"What?" Haley shrieked. "I didn't think I was playing! I thought I would just watch-"
"Oh no baby, you're playing." Nathan smirked.
"I'm not good at dodgeball-" She protested weakly.
"Better pick good players then." Nathan laughed. "You're going down, James!"
Haley scoffed playfully as she placed her hands on her hips, "In your dreams, Scott!"
"C'mon Jackson, let's beat your mom!" Nathan advised as he began picking players for his team.
When there were no students left to be divided up, Nathan smiled at Haley's team. She had of course picked the unathletic students on her team first because she felt bad if they got picked last. Typical Haley James. Nathan smiled at the gesture.
He didn't hog all of the good athletes though, so he'd say the teams were divided pretty evenly, he just couldn't wait to crush her in dodgeball…
He didn't know how but Haley was the only person left on the other team! His students all jumped in front of her, and she hadn't gotten hit with a ball no matter how many times Nathan tried throwing one at her. He was determined to get her out. He loved her, but, his ego was too big to let her win.
Plus, Jackson really wanted Nathan to get his mom out.
So, it was just Nathan and Jackson versus Haley.
Haley had every single dodgeball on her side of the court and stood there with a taunting smile.
"What are you gonna do, now? Huh?" She snickered as she picked up a ball and threw it vertically in the air for her to catch it again.
Nathan rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're too chicken to throw the ball. C'mon Hales! Show us whatcha' got!"
"Yeah Mom!" Jackson mimicked. "Show us whatcha' got!"
Haley laughed as she walked closer to the line and smiled. "Should I throw it?" She asked her teammates who were sitting on the sidelines cheering her on.
"Yeah! Go Miss. James!"
Nathan taunted her with a devious smirk as he walked closer to the middle of the gym.
"Throw it!"
Haley smiled innocently as she chucked the ball at Nathan, but he ducked out of the way and instead it hit Jackson in the arm.
"Aw man!" He pouted as Haley placed her hand over her mouth.
"I'm sorry buddy! That was meant for Nathan!" She apologized.
Nathan gave Jackson a quick fist bump before he went to sit on the side lines.
"Good try, bud! Don't worry, I got her!" Nathan called out as he smirked then threw the ball which hit Haley right in the legs.
"Yes!" He clapped as Haley pouted. "Got you!"
"No fair!" Haley called out as she charged at him with a playful smile.
Nathan chuckled as he enveloped her in a warm hug. "Sorry, Hales."
"It's okay. You won fair and square."
"You rock coach!" Some of the boys from Nathan's team shouted as the bell rang signaling the end of the day.
"Good try, Miss. James! We'll get him next time!" The girls comforted their superior.
Haley smiled as she let go of Nathan and picked up Jackson.
"I think Jackson should come to class more, he's adorable!" Another girl gushed as she walked past the couple.
Jackson blushed softly as he smiled at the group of girls walking by him.
Haley smiled and said thank you before getting ready to say goodbye to Nathan. "Okay, well I better go to the meeting. I had fun, boys. Be good, and I'll see you later!"
"Love you." Jackson smiled as he quickly kissed his mom and ran back to Nathan.
"Love you too." Haley gushed.
"Hey what about me?" Nathan pouted as he wrapped his arms around Haley.
"I love you too, Scott. Now let me go before I'm late."
Nathan laughed as he kissed her quickly and let her go. He picked Jackson back up and gave him a high five. "We totally beat her in dodgeball!"
"That was awesome!" Jackson declared. "You're the best!"
"Thanks little man, so are you." Nathan smiled. "So are you ready for basketball practice?"
"Yup! I've been practicing with Mama, but she's not very good-"
Nathan laughed loudly, "I know, but we can help her."
"Mama says I'm an all-star!"
Nathan smirked as he placed Jackson on his shoulders and handed him a miniature basketball. "I'll bet she's right. Try to make the shot!" He encouraged as Nathan stood under the hoop.
With ease, Jackson threw the ball into the air and it swooshed straight through the net.
"Awesome!" Nathan hollered. "Your Mom is right. You're an all-star!"
Just then, the gym doors swung open again, and Que as well as the rest of the team walked in with cheerful grins.
"Hey coach!"
"Hey guys, I have someone very important for you to meet!" Nathan announced as he lifted Jackson off of his shoulder and placed him on the ground where he rested his hand on Jackson's shoulder.
"This is Jackson James, and he's going to be assistant coach today, so you have to listen to him, okay?"
The guys all smiled at Jackson as some of them gave him a few high fives. "Alright, sounds good, Coach Scott." Que grinned.
"Is he Miss. James's son?"
"Yeah, so don't mess around." Nathan said sternly, "Or you'll have to go through her, and she's not someone to mess with." His warning turned into a quick smile.
"Yes sir!" Que nodded. "Alright Coach James, what's on tap for today?"
Jackson pretended to think about it for several seconds and smiled devilishly, "You hafta run one-hundred times!"
"What?" Que gasped, "Dude are you kidding-"
"You heard the boy! Go!" Nathan shouted as the boys began their wind sprints.
They were on number 60, when Jackson called out and decided they could stop.
All out of breath, the team thanked him graciously and chugged their waters as Jackson helped Nathan take out the basketball rack so the team could begin their shooting practice.
Nathan and Jackson demonstrated a few drills and when they were done, the boys decided to have a little fun with Jackson, by showing him how to dance to a rap song.
Nathan was sure Haley would be thrilled about that… not.
The practice finally ended and after a lot of begging from the team, Nathan agreed Jackson would be able to come again soon.
When the team left, it was just Nathan and Jackson who decided to play more basketball before Haley came back.
The boys lost track of time but Haley eventually found her way back to the gym and smiled when she saw her two favorite boys playing basketball. This was the way she wanted it to be forever.
That was the worst chapter I ever wrote… I'm so sorry, lol. I've been working on this for literally like three months writing a paragraph a day because I lost so much inspiration and towards the end I just really needed to finish it even though it sucks.
I was already half way done with it when I took a break and surfed the web and found out something kind of personal which made me hate love again (I go through phases) and today was one of the days I decided to hate every relationship on the planet… anyway, I wanted to finish this chapter but it was hard because of my moodswing so I apologize for it sucking. I just want to finish this story already so I can focus on the other ones. Let me know if any of you are still reading this….