"Hi..."

He stared down at her in shock. There she was, in front of everyone, slowing her pace until she came to a stop directly in front of his locker.

"Umm..." Julian stuttered. "Hi... Hey... Yo... How's it... Hi, Brooke."

Brooke giggled, shifting her books from one arm to the other. "What are you gonna say next, Baker Boy? Shalom?"

He could have blushed. The most beautiful girl in Tree Hill high was standing there, speaking to him, and she was actually being nice.

"What's up?" Julian closed his locker and moved down the hallway with her by his side. "How'd your chem test go?"

Her smile faltered.

"Actually..." Brooke drew out, handing him a folded piece of paper. "You said you'd help me if I needed it... Right?"

He winced as he saw the big, fat F written across the top of her paper. He handed it back to her and let out a long sigh.

"Let me guess... You want me to tutor you?"

She nodded slowly. It had taken her hours to muster up the courage to ask him for help. It was risky, doing it during school hours, with the constant feeling that she was being watched, but she had no idea where he lived, and she didn't have his cell phone number.

"I know this is probably asking a lot..." Brooke began. "And I know it sounds weird, but I promise, I didn't tell Nathan anything, and if he messes with you, then just come find me, and I'll-"

"I'll do it."

She blinked. "Umm... What?"

"I said." Julian repeated with a laugh. "I'll do it, Brooke. I'll help you. When do you wanna start?"

"Sunday?" Brooke asked, still in shock. "I have the game on Friday, and plans with my friends on Saturday, but would Sunday work for you? My house, say around seven thirty?"

He nodded. "I'll be there."

"B. Davis!"

Arms suddenly grabbed her, pulling her away before she could even thank him. She tried to shoot Julian an apologetic smile as Haley and Peyton dragged her down the hallway.

"You're being watched." Peyton warned her. "What the hell are you trying to do, Brooke? Give Nathan another reason to go after this guy?"

Brooke rolled her eyes, grabbing the blonde's hand and linking her arm through Haley's. "Guys, relax. No one saw that. It's fine."

Little did she know, two of the youngest members on the varsity team had been watching them, one even going as far as to take a picture of her on his phone to send to Nathan, along with the details of Brooke's 'study' date with Julian.

Luke. Come to the locker room. Team meeting. Emergency.

"Nathan?" Lucas called out, dropping his bag. He'd gotten a text from his brother during class to meet in the locker room the second he could slip away. He'd simply asked for a bathroom pass.

"Luke." Nathan replied.

He was leaning up against a locker, his arms crossed. The team was there, backing him up. That was never a good sign.

"What's going on?" He asked, hesitantly taking a seat on a nearby bench. "Is everything alright, Nate?"

Nathan shrugged. "I don't know. Would you define a freak who tripped Peyton, made Haley cry, and hit on Brooke as an 'okay' situation, Luke?"

Lucas knew instantly who his little brother was talking about. He'd spent the entire ride to school badmouthing the new boy, Julian Baker. While he wasn't thrilled with the fact that Peyton had gotten knocked on her ass, and he hated the idea of anyone making a backhanded comment to Haley, he didn't see the point in bothering with the new kid. He already knew that Nathan hated him, so what was the point?

"Look, you guys." Nathan began to pace. "It's not right. This little punk doesn't get to come to our school, and hit on one of our girls. If you ask me, he shouldn't even allowed to walk in the same hallway as us, let alone breathe the same air. And now I find out that he's going over to Brooke's house on Sunday? We gotta do something."

Tim nodded, and Lucas rolled his eyes. He was a good basketball player, but Tim Smith was dumber than a box of rocks. He followed Nathan's every move without question, where as Lucas actually took the time to think some of his brother's actions through.

"So then... What are we going to do?"

The leader chuckled, an idea already forming in his mind. "We're gonna make him suffer. Maybe then, he'll take a hint and get the hell out of Tree Hill. You guys remember our official introduction to the team, right?"

"Nathan." Lucas stood up. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe we should just leave this one alone. I have a bad feeling-"

Nathan rolled his eyes. Where was the big brother he knew and loved, the brother who had always backed him up.

"Lucas." He clapped him on the back. "C'mon, man. We're doing this for the girls. Do you really like the idea of that dork hitting on Brooke?"

"Well... No..." Lucas admitted, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other. In his eyes, no guy was good enough for Brooke Davis. She deserved the world.

A grin began to spread across the younger Scott brother's face. Whenever Lucas was having doubts, all Nathan had to do was mention one of the girls names, and he had him.

"C'mon, Luke." Nathan rested a hand on his shoulder. "I don't want to see Brooke get her heart broken by some dumb ass new kid who doesn't know his place. Are you in, or out, Lucas? Cause I can deal with myself if that's your choice."

He let out a long sigh. There was never a time where he hadn't had Nathan's back, so why should this time be any different?

"I'm in." Lucas replied weakly, sitting back down.

Nathan shot him a satisfied smile. Everything was better when they backed each other up, he'd learned that while growing up with Lucas.

"I got it!" Tim said suddenly. "Seduce the girl he likes! You know, like, get inside her head, steal her away from him, then dump her; crush her heart."

"Tim." Lucas rolled his eyes. "That's the dumbest idea ever. Especially when the girl that he likes is Brooke... Apparently."

"What are you talking about?" He demanded. "It's genius!"

"You wanna hear genius?" Nathan replied. "He can't win Brooke's heart if he doesn't show up at her house to study."

"You're gonna kill him?"

Lucas sighed and closed his eyes, begging for a little intelligence. How could someone be so stupid?

"If Nathan has anything to say about it, he's gonna stand her up." He replied, guessing his brother's plan. It was almost scary how well he knew Nathan.

"You got mad things, yo!" Tim held up his hand for a fist bump.

Nathan studied his old friend for a moment, rubbing at the back of his neck with his hand. "Tim... Just say it's a good plan."

"So, what happens if we haze this guy and he doesn't go away?"

"With what I've got planned, he will." Nathan crossed his arms. His plan was foolproof, nothing could go wrong. Julian Baker would finally realize that he was messing with the wrong people.

And he was messing with the wrong people.