Hey! Thank you so much for all the feedback, and to those of you that have added this story to your alerts or favourites! Here is chapter 2! Enjoy!

September 24th

Fourth period, chemistry. Definitely not Haley's best subject. Luckily for her, Nathan was in that class. Nathan.. That was his name, the poor boy she was about to crush. After some help from some anonymous connections, Haley had gotten her hand son his schedule as well as some basic information on him.

Nathan Scott.

It was pretty weird that she hadn't noticed him earlier. After spending a few days, just studying him from a far, she had decided it was time to approach him and get the plan into business. She had spent the past couple of night, sacrificing her sleep, figuring out how she was going to attack this problem. Step 1, make him talk to her.

As she walked into the classroom, she spotted him in the back. Maybe that was why she had never seen him in that class earlier, he sat alone in the back. He didn't seem to have a regular lab parter. It seemed as though it was only the last, unlucky student who arrived that got to sit next to him. Haley walked with determined steps towards him, and dropped her books on the desk when she arrived. He didn't look up, and it didn't even seem like he realized she was there.

Haley bit her lip nervously before clearing her voice, making his eyes meet hers as he raised his head and looked at her. At first, she saw something close to shock in them. Well, why wouldn't he be surprised? It wasn't everyday she sat next to an unknown geek in class.

"Hi. I'm Haley" She smiled sweetly, holding her hand out for him to shake. He looked confused at her, not responding to her gesture. Haley didn't back down, she stayed in the same position, determined to wait until he had shook her hand. His eyes questioned her before his hand reluctantly lifted up to connect with hers.

"Nathan"

He mumbled his name so low, Haley wasn't sure she would have heard it if she didn't already know it. She could feel little butterflies flying around in her stomach as their hands touched, but the feeling didn't last very long. He carefully shook her hand for a few seconds before he pulled it away and focused his attention down in his book.

"You don't say much do you?" Haley asked him, half way through the class. They were preparing to go through some questions, and the teacher had told them to work together. His eyes came back up to meet hers. Why was she talking to him? Why had she even sat down beside him? It didn't make any sense..

"Why did you sit down here?"

Haley was surprised that those would be the first clear words he spoke to her. They actually came out a little rude in her opinion.

"Excuse me?" Haley frowned.

"You heard me" When she didn't respond to his request, he figured out he could explain it further to her.

"You don't talk to me. You probably didn't even know I existed until you practically ran me over with your fancy car! People like you, don't talk to people like me. So why did you sit down here? I don't think Lucas would appreciate it very much!"

"I don't give a damn about what Lucas thinks! He doesn't control me!" Haley denied, feeling offended that he had the nerve to speak to her in such a way. Who did he think he was?

"Then who does? Your cheerleader best friend?" He suggested.

"What is your problem? I was just trying to make conversation with you!" Haley blew out, tired of his attitude towards her. She hadn't even done anything wrong, and he was verbally attacking her!

"Look," He sighed. "If Lucas sent you to spy on me, to find something else he can make fun of me for, you can just stop it. Okay? I've had enough" He twisted his head back down in his book, ignoring the offended expression that appeared on Haley's face. She stared at him for minutes, expecting him to come with an apology for the way he spoke to her, but it didn't seem to come. She glanced at the clock, noticing that there wasn't more than a minute left until the bell would ring. Deciding to give him a little guilt trip, something that would hopefully make him come back for more, Haley opened her mouth to speak again.

"Listen. Lucas didn't send me to figure out anything. In fact, he doesn't even know I'm here, talking to you. I'm sorry I was trying to be nice to you. Judging by your reaction, people obviously don't do that very often. Don't worry, I won't bother you again"

She finished with gathering her books and walking quickly out of the classroom, but she did notice the look of guilt he got in his eyes. It clearly told her that he realized his mistake. That also meant that if he was anything close to a gentleman, he would find her and apologize. And when he did, step 2 would begin.

He didn't see her for the rest of the day. They had one more class together, but she wasn't in it. Maybe she decided to skip.. She did that a lot. Apparently, she didn't like health class all that much. He figured he should apologize for what he said, but he did have good reason for saying it!

How often did one of Lucas' closest friends talk to him? Close to never.. Actually, never! When she introduced herself, he experienced for the first time that one of Lucas' friends even gave him a second look. There was something about her eyes. They glowed with something, even though they were pretty dark and seemed very lonely. He could have been wrong, very wrong. But how was he supposed to know she wasn't just as bad as Luke? She certainly hadn't shown any interest in him before, and they had been going to the same school for four years now..

He figured he he could apologize in chemistry the following Monday, hoping she would still be there. Maybe there was something worth saving in her.. Something more than what he first had seen. Maybe they could be friends? No, she wouldn't risk that.. But at least she had talked to him, that was the most progress he had made all year...

September 27th

Haley was never early for class, but there was something about this class that wanted her to get there early. Mostly, she was curious to see what Nathan would do today. She knew she had succeeded in making him feel guilty for the things he had said to her. She could see it in his eyes. Although they seemed very closed of, she could still see it in them. They were blue, like Lucas', only much deeper and much more captivating..

She walked quickly into class, feeling like a dork when she saw that she was the first one there. Great, you're so cool, Haley! She thought to herself. She hurried to a seat in the middle of the classroom, wanting to see if Nathan was willing to take a risk as well as speaking to her. Step 2 of the plan was about to get into motion.

Step 2, make him interested

She could feel it when he walked in. No one else had entered yet, and Haley knew he had a million choices when it came to where he would sit. She lifted her eyes to meet his look, and she challenged him with her look. He seemed like he was debating with himself inside his head, wondering if he should sit down next to her or go to his normal seat in the back. Haley's intense look seem to scare him somehow.

Just as other students were heard entering the room, he took a deep breath and walked towards her. He threw his books down next to hers, and sat down in the vacant seat. Haley felt like smiling, but resisted the temptation and continued to stare ahead, letting him make the first move.

"I.." He stammered, getting her attention. "I'm.. ehh, I'm sorry about.. about last week and what.. ehm, what I said"

The way he spoke, how insecure he was. It all made him so adorable to her. It was like there was something reaching out from inside of him, capturing her complete attention and refusing to let her go. Something, intoxicating and dangerous..

"It's okay" She smiled. "I understand why you would think that"

"All right" He smiled slightly himself, showing her the little dimple that was created beside his mouth. It was nothing less that adorable.. He looked so untouched, and she felt a bang of guilt inside, knowing what she had planned for him. But, Haley quickly decided to bury those thoughts and shove them so far back that they wouldn't resurface until she was left to deal with the consequences of her actions.

They still hadn't spoken again half way through the class, so when the teacher asked them to work on solving problems again, Haley decided to use her charm. Hoping to addict him to her.

"Nathan" She whispered, catching his attention. "I don't get this. Can you help me?"

He looked at her curiously before nodding and opening her book on the right page. It amazed Haley how comfortable his voice was. She listened to him explain everything there was to know about their current subject, and when he asked her questions, she was able to answer them perfectly. Every time she understood something new, she would smile the biggest and most genuine smile she owned, and he would return it with one of his own, showing her that dimple she liked so much.

"I get it now, thank you! If only the teachers had been as good at this as you!" Haley laughed as they finished. She could see Nathan's cheeks blush at her compliment, which again made her laugh.

"I'm serious! Have you ever thought about becoming a teacher yourself?"

"Maybe" He shrugged, clearly back in his shell of insecurity.

"Why not? I think you'd be great at it!"

"Thanks" He mumbled as he blushed again. The light pink colour that decorated his face only made him more attractive than he already was, and Haley could feel herself being drawn to him. She knew it was bad, but she couldn't help it. There was something about him. Something more than she first had seen.

October 8th

Nathan and Haley continued to be parters in chemistry, and they had begun talking more and more. Haley could feel him warming up to her, and she felt like it was time to introduce step 3, spend time outside school.

For the fifth time, Nathan was now explaining the subject of the day for her, but Haley didn't understand anything. She had been too busy to think about how best to start step 3 to pay attention to the teacher, and now she was paying for it.

"I really don't get it, Nathan! I think I might be stupid!" She exclaimed after giving the wrong answer to the question for the third time.

"No, Haley, you're not stupid! You just need to learn how to pay attention!" He argued with her. It had been revealed to Nathan over the past days that Haley wasn't anywhere near as bad as he first thought. She was actually pretty nice, and he had started to feel quite comfortable around her. He might even have begun to trust her a bit, and for Nathan, that was a gigantic step to take.

"I'm really having a hard time with school. It's not just chemistry! I can't understand anything in health class either! And that's the easiest subject I have!"

"Maybe that's because you skip all the time?" Nathan offered, laughing at her childish expression.

"I just feel like giving up!" Haley revealed. She had too many thoughts on her mind to focus on school. Cheerleading took a lot of time, as did quality time with her friends. School just didn't capture her attention anymore.

"Well, I guess I could. You know.. Maybe, help you out? If you'd like?" Nathan's nervous and insecure voice called out to her as she gave him a questioning look.

"What do you mean? Like do my homework for me?"

"No! Like.. Ehm.. Like" He blushed furiously. "I could tutor you" He finished in a low and embarrassed voice. His suggestion caused fireworks to light up inside Haley. She knew this was her chance to get closer to him, to earn his trust and make him open his heart up. This was the key to step 3.

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Yeah, if you need the help"

October 16th

Brooke watched carefully as Haley ate her lunch for the day. Something was different about her. Her eyes seemed brighter than before, like she had found something enjoyable in her life for once. Brooke was fully aware that Haley was a miserable person. She had tried hooking her up with numerous hotties from different sport sections of their school, but nothing seemed to work. It had come to the point where Brooke started to think Haley might be gay, if it wasn't for all the boys she usually screwed at parties. Come to think of it, Haley hadn't done anything with anyone in weeks! Not since she made the stupid bet with Lucas about crushing that loser's heart.

What also struck Brooke as unusual, was Haley's current occupation. She was reading in her chemistry book.. Haley James never did homework! She never cared enough to try.. So what in the world would cause her to read chemistry during lunch period? Something was way off..

"What's so interesting, Hales?" She asked, trying to capture her best friend's attention and drag her away from the stupid collection of paper she was reading. What a waste of trees! Making books was just a waste of nature.. School was created so you could hook up with hot boys and be social with your friends, not to read books.

And Brooke found it hard to understand why people didn't consider her the sharpest tool in the box!

"I'm trying to get ahead with this subject. I finally understand what it's all about and I wanna be prepared for class" Haley mumbled as she continued to bury her head in her notes. Brooke rolled her eyes, not understanding how her best friend had suddenly become so boring! What was she a geek now?

"Excuse me, but who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

The question had Haley pulling quickly out of her concentration. The deep frown was evident on her face, and you could see she didn't exactly approve of her friend's comment.

"What do you mean?"

"When did you turn in to such a bookworm, Hales? You used to be fun.. Now you read.. What happened?" Lucas cut in, being his usual jackass self. He never cared much how his behaviour affected the people around him. So not much had changed in Lucas-land, Haley concluded.

"Ehm, in case you didn't know; It's senior year. Grades actually count now, and I wanna go to college. And to do that, I need better than a D in chemistry!" Haley bit out, irritated at her friends. How she put up with them, she would never understand. The only reason they were really friends was because of their equal money and fame. Plus, their families were tight. They shared interests such as money, money and.. oh gosh, more money! Haley found it more and more despicable as the went by.

"Like your Daddy couldn't just by you into the best college in the country!" Lucas pointed out, hitting Haley where it hurt the most.

"Fuck you, Lucas!" Haley mumbled, hoping he wouldn't hear but at the same time hoping he would. It wasn't that she was afraid of speaking her mind with him, Haley wasn't afraid of doing that with anyone. But she knew how Brooke got when she was a bitch to Lucas, and she didn't feel like starting world war three quite yet.

"So I take it you're reading to impress your quest then?" Sometimes Haley just wished the red-headed bitch would disappear. Of course Rachel had to but into their conversation! Who else?..

"Why would you say that?" Haley challenged her.

"I saw you talk to him in health class yesterday, which is funny because you used to skip that class all the time! Now, you're suddenly there everyday! Just wondering where your sudden involvement came from.."

"Have you nailed him yet then?" Lucas interfered.

"It takes a little more that a month to fall in love, Luke. You would know, wouldn't you? Considering you're the one in a steady relationship!"

"There is no need to be bitch, Hales! He was simply asking you a question!" Brooke accused her, coming to his defence like always. Haley felt a fight coming on. Great! She felt herself sight deeply as she tried her best to calm down.

Walk away, Haley.. Just walk away..

"I'm not hungry anymore.. I'll see you later, Brooke" Haley quickly removed herself from their table as she walked away with determined steps. Her chemistry book caught her attention as she made a u-turn and headed towards the parking lot. She could feel the eyes that were buried in her back as she looked around for his old truck.

When she saw it, she took the time to study it for a while before walking over to it. The car wasn't all that bad when you really admired it. Actually it was the type of car Haley had always wanted. It looked so experienced and full of life. Ironic, considering the boy who sat inside was anything but.

All right, that was a lie. Haley knew there was so much more to Nathan than what he showed her at first. After a month, she couldn't deny the connection they had! He wasn't all that bad, she preferred him over his ass of a cousin. It made Haley sad to think that he was so alone. Who ate lunch in their car everyday? Lonely people, that's who..

Nathan was anything but prepared for having a girl jump into the passenger seat of his truck. To say it shocked him was more of an understatement. It stunned him completely.

"Haley?" He asked as soon as he found the words, his eyes matching his confused face-expression.

"Sorry" Haley mumbled as she looked down at her her hands which were resting in her lap.

"What are you doing here?" He asked again, still very confused.

"I just had enough.. I needed to escape, saw you and decided to take a shot!" She explained, carefully lifting her head to meet his eyes. They shared a moment of stillness, just looking into each other's eyes before Nathan shook out of it and looked down.

He couldn't let himself be vulnerable around her. If he gave her an in with him, he was sure he'd get hurt. Right? That's what people like her do. They hurt you..

But, Haley was different, right? He was sure she was. Over the last month he had actually come to like her a lot. Haley was carefree and fun. She represented all the things he secretly wanted, but never had the guts to explore.

"Why me?" The question shocked her a little. His insecurities were amazingly hard to overcome. They were her biggest problem when it came to earning Nathan's trust. Clearly, he had experienced a lot of crap over the years, making him close himself off to others.

"I don't know" She honestly replied, but decided to add something when she saw the disappointment in his eyes. "I guess I feel like I don't have to put up an act with you"

Haley knew it was risky to open herself up to him. If she shared personal feelings and thoughts with him, she could easily hurt herself as well, not just him. But what really sucked was that she had started to care about Nathan. He was a great guy!.. If her captain spot on the cheerleading squad hadn't meant so much to her, she would have backed out of the bet after their first encounter.

Haley was a selfish bitch, and she knew it.. But she couldn't keep herself away from Nathan. She wasn't lying when she said she felt free with him. That freedom she had been searching for, she found it with him. Too bad she was gonna have to give it up in a little over two months..

"Then why do you hang out with them? If you can't be yourself around them?"

"I don't even know anymore. I guess we're just friends by association"

Nathan fell silent again. The whole association thing caused him to slip into deep thoughts. It was all so surreal for him, this friendship he had built with Haley. She was the only friend he had and had become an important part of his life. He wanted to get to know her better, to know more about her feelings and problems. He wanted to open himself up to her, but he was terrified it would backfire.

"You wanna do something crazy with me?" Haley suddenly brought him out of his thoughts as he looked sceptically at her.

"Like what?" She could hear the doubt in his voice, but Haley was determined to make him live a little. Like his car! He needed to get out of his shell and break free from his fears, and she was gonna help him do it!

"Skip school with me" The second she reviled her plans, she could see the protests form in his mouth.

"Shhh" Haley quickly added as she brought her finger up to silence his lips, feeling the butterflies spring up in her stomach as her finger touched him. She could see the reaction he felt in his eyes as well. That was good, right? She caused him to feel something when she touched him, that had to be good!

"Just for today, Nate. I need to get away, and you need to loose up a little! You need to live! You've been hiding away in your car for far too long now. Time to do something crazy for once in your life!"

"Haley.." He hesitated.

"Come on, handsome. I promise, you'll have fun!"

It took several seconds before the scepticism in his his eyes went away. He still kept his eyes staring into hers as he twisted his keys and turned the engine on. The smile that spread across Haley's face was indescribable. He had never seen it so big before, and it felt good knowing he brought it on. She couldn't fake that smile, or the emotions he saw in her eyes. He knew they were real.. They had to be..

That's all you get for now, hope you're satisfied. Someone wondered earlier what the whole Freedom thing meant, and to be honest I can't explain it with an action. It's more like; Rachel knows Haley hates her life. She knows that she just wants to get away and be free from the whole popularity thing, the preassure of always being perfect. SO she suggested freedom as in no more preassure from her part and no more expectations.. if that makes sense.. I don't know :P It just made the whole thing a bit deeper..