A/N: Thanks to everyone who read last chapter, and especially those who took time to review. As always I appreciate the feedback, good or bad. You guys are great.

Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

Nathan shook his head in frustration. All the training they'd done for this game and he was playing like crap. They'd just finished the second quarter and he'd managed to score a measly 8 points so far. So he was double teamed for most of it, but when wasn't he? It didn't help either that one guarding him was Brent Malek – the only player to ever equal him on the court.

Brent was the reason Nathan normally enjoyed playing against Bear Creek and vice versa. It was nice to have that challenge from someone whose skills matched their own, even though whenever they played each other, both of their scoring averages took a severe beating. Nathan wouldn't have minded except that he was now only two points from his dad's overall average, but it would drop back down after this game.

To top that off, Lucas was sitting at 10 points – two points ahead of him. Bastard. He never should have opened his damn mouth and told him what he'd been doing wrong. Of course Lucas wasn't double teamed, but still it irked him that his score was higher.

He remained in the locker room after Whitey's halftime speech, as did Lucas, although he'd gone to the other side so as not to be seen by Nathan. He just wanted to take a breather from the constant hassling from some of the team members.

Nathan didn't hear his dad enter; he'd been in his own little world.

"What the hell is the matter with you tonight?" Dan thundered furiously.

"Nothing," Nathan answered, and then thought of his score again. "I don't know," he corrected.

"I'll tell you what it is," Dan said, apparently already knowing the answer to his own question. "You're not trying."

"What?" Nathan asked. "Yes I am."

"Not hard enough. You're unfocused, your shots are sloppy, to say the least, you keep passing the ball off…"

"They're double teaming me, Dad."

"When aren't they?" Dan pointed out. "You're not even trying to get past your defenders."

"I am trying. That's all I've been doing."

"Oh really? Well, you could have fooled me. Even Lucas is ahead of you."

Nathan shot his dad an angry look. "He also doesn't have Brent Malek guarding him," he quipped back.

"That's a pathetic excuse if I ever heard one," Dan scoffed. "Now you're going to pick it up in the second half, you hear me? We didn't run all those laps for nothing. Go through all that training. You do whatever you got to do – splash cold water on your face, go make up with your little girlfriend – whatever it takes for you to get your head out of your ass and back in the game."

Nathan frowned at his father. "This has nothing to do with Peyton," he said defensively.

"Well, whatever the hell it's got to do with, get over it. And fast. You look like a joke out there tonight."

Nathan looked away, stung by his father's words, but expertly masking the unwanted emotion with anger. "Like you never had a bad night when you were playing."

Lucas peered around the corner just in time to see Dan grab Nathan by the shirtfront and pin him up against the locker. He froze at the sight.

"Lose the attitude before I beat your ass right here and now!" Dan warned in anger, his face just inches from Nathan's. "You hear me?"

"Yeah," Nathan replied icily. "So can everyone in the gym probably."

"Don't be so dramatic," Dan warned as he released his son and stepped back a few inches. "Now quit your pussy footing around and show these people why you're the star of the team, instead of this sorry excuse for a leader they've seen so far. Are we clear?"

Nathan didn't respond, just simply looked down to the floor.

"Nathan!"

"Yes," Nathan spat. "We're clear. I'm sorry. I'll do better in the next half."

"I'm counting on it," Dan replied before walking out.

Nathan plopped down on the bench, elbows to his knees, his head resting in his hands, a picture of utter defeat.

That's when Lucas came forward, making his presence known. "You alright, man?" he asked with genuine concern.

Nathan looked up at him and sneered. "What are you spying on me?"

Luke rolled his eyes. Leave it to Nathan to resort to ridiculous accusations rather than answer the simple question posed to him. "Yeah, I was hoping to get a glimpse of you changing," he said sardonically. "My bad."

"I always figured you were probably gay," Nathan retorted.

Lucas wondered for a moment if Nathan really thought that or if he was just trying, as usual, to get under his skin, but the thought left him as quickly as it had come. "Seriously, are you okay?" he asked again.

"I'm fine," Nathan snapped at him.

"Is he always like that?" Luke couldn't help but ask.

"Like what?" Nathan challenged.

'Like such an asshole? Like a damn condescending jackass?' Those words were right on the tip on his tongue, but he kept them to himself. "Uh…so….pushy?" he said aloud.

Nathan smirked, getting the distinct impression that Lucas hadn't spoken exactly what he'd been thinking. But still he answered him. "Yeah, pretty much. Especially when it comes to basketball."

Lucas frowned and thought about his mom and Keith, and how supportive they'd been throughout his entire life. Even when he'd wanted to join the team, his mother had supported his decision even though she didn't like it, and at his worst games, when he'd scored close to nothing, they had continued to encourage him and tried their utmost to give him the boost of confidence he needed to go on. It's what parents were supposed to do. And Keith, although not biologically, was his father in every sense of the word. He couldn't imagine either of them pressuring and belittling him the way he'd just witnessed Dan do to Nathan.

"That sucks," Lucas said simply, not knowing what else to say.

Nathan shrugged. "I'm used to it."

"But still…"

"Let it go, Lucas," Nathan warned curtly. "Just leave it alone."

Lucas nodded even though Nathan wasn't looking at him. He opened the door to re-enter the gym and ran smack into Peyton. His heart rate skyrocketed, pounding heavily in his chest at her very nearness. He wondered irrationally if she could hear it. And then he squinted in wonder. Had she been just about to enter the boys' locker room?

"Oh, uh, sorry," Peyton sputtered in surprise.

"No problem," Lucas assured her. No problem at all. "Uh, this is the boys change room."

"Yeah, I know. I wanted to talk to Nathan. I thought he was alone in there."

"He is now," Lucas told her.

"Thanks," Peyton replied as she passed him to enter.

"You're welcome," Lucas muttered after her. For some reason, he'd half expected an apology for her rude behavior yesterday morning, and was quite disappointed that she didn't offer one. But she'd been upset, so he could understand that.

"Hey," Peyton said when she saw Nathan, still sitting as he had been when Lucas had approached him. "This team's really tough, huh?" she continued when he sat up and looked at her.

"You're speaking to me?" he asked surprisingly. "In here?" he added, even more stumped.

She smiled a little. "Yeah. I seen your dad come in and go out," she explained. She figured he'd probably given Nathan a hard time. From the way he'd been sitting when she came in, she knew she was right. "Don't let him get to you, Nate. I know that's easier said than done, but…"

"Peyton, can we talk? After the game?"

"We're talking right now," she countered.

"I mean about us." He hadn't planned to bring this up today, hell he'd figured she'd still be too mad to even look at him, but since she'd initiated the conversation, in the boys' locker room, no less, he thought, why not? He really wanted to be with her tonight.

Peyton shook her head. "There is no us, Nathan. We broke up," she reminded him.

"I know, but…"

"No," she said firmly. "There's no but. We broke up. Period."

"Then what are you doing here?" he asked spitefully. "You come out of pity?"

That was a tough question. She did, indeed, feel sorry for him. How could she not? She hated the way Nathan's dad treated him. Some of the things he said really hurt Nathan a lot. But she knew Nathan would scoff at sympathy so she couldn't show it. "Not pity, Nate. Concern. I was worried about you."

He nodded in understanding. Peyton always worried about him. It made him smile. "I'm fine, Peyton," he said softly. "Nothing my dad says bothers me anymore."

"Nate, it's me. Peyton."

He couldn't help but grin at her comment. "I know who you are."

"Well then why are you trying to pull this whole 'it doesn't bother me' crap? That's bull and you know it."

For a moment he just stared at her, his fingers itching to place a stray golden curl behind her ear. He had to look away from her. "I guess I just didn't want to bother you with it, since we're not together anymore."

"Nathan…"

He looked back at her. "Peyton, I know I screwed up. Ok? I know that. And I'm sorry…"

"Nathan stop. I didn't come in here for your apologies. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And to tell you that I know you can turn your game around. I've seen you do it, I can't even count how many times. Just don't do it for your dad. Do it for yourself and for your team."

"Thanks for the pep talk, coach," he nearly snarled. "Like I told my dad, I'll do better in the next half."

"Fine," she said with a sigh. "Sorry for disturbing your sulking time. I just thought you might appreciate a listening ear."

He took a deep breath. Just great, he'd made her mad again. "I do, Peyton. It's just…basketball's not what I want to talk to you about. And not my dad either."

"Well, I'm sorry, Nathan, but it's all I got right now."

He sat back with a loud sigh. He'd known it was too soon to discuss their relationship anyway. Still, with her standing just a few feet in front of him, he'd had to try. The sooner he got back with her, the better. He was already starting to miss her and it hadn't even been two full days. He didn't want to wait out the next few, but he had no choice.

"I'll take it then," he told her. "For now," he added, clearly insinuating that he wouldn't give up so easily the next time.

Peyton gave him a small smile. She already knew he'd be coming around to try to get back with her; he didn't need to remind her. And no matter how much he'd hurt her or how angry she was with him, she couldn't deny the enjoyment she felt whenever he'd show up at her door, wearing remorse like a glove, and set on winning her back. It always made her feel special.

However, her mind was made up. No matter what illusions he'd create about his undying love for her, she was not going to take him back this time. Not in a million years. She would prove Rachel wrong. "Well, we'd better get back out there," she said. "The game's gonna start up again soon."

––––––––––

Nathan stepped onto the court and was quickly approached by Brent Malek, the guy responsible for his record-low score so far. They knocked fists, indicating no hard feelings between them.

"How you doing, man?" Brent asked, since they hadn't been able to really talk during the game.

"Well, thanks to you, my old man just gave me hell for only scoring eight points," Nathan said half-smiling.

Brent shrugged. "Well, mine just gave me hell for letting you make them. So we're even."

They both chuckled. Along with their equal abilities on the court, they also had fathers with the similar pattern of pushing their sons to be number one and no less. They weren't exactly friends, but because their families were so alike and they both experienced the same pressures, the two boys had developed a kinship and a mutual respect for each other.

"Man, I can't wait until we're both at Duke and playing on the same team," Brent said.

"Yeah," Nathan agreed. "We're so gonna win every game," he predicted.

Brent nodded. "And be far, far away, from our assy parents."

Nathan couldn't help but agree with that one too. "So, how long you in town?"

"Just tonight, unfortunately. We head back in the morning," Brent told him. "We should hang out though. Any post-game parties tonight?"

"Sorry, man, not till tomorrow night." He doubted he'd even go to that one since he was still pissed off at Damien about yesterday. "We could hit the clubs though," Nathan suggested.

"Yeah sure, I'll bring my fake ID," Brent shot sarcastically.

Nathan smirked. Sometimes he forgot that not everyone had one. "My parents' beach house then."

"Cool," Brent agreed. "And bring your super model girlfriend."

Nathan rolled his eyes. Brent made no secret of how attractive he found Peyton. Every time they played each other, he'd remark on it, saying if she wasn't a super model, she should be.

"Can't," Nathan told him. "We broke up."

"Really?" Brent asked with raised eyebrows. "So, she's available then?"

"Technically, but don't even go there. We're getting back together soon."

Brent just smirked. "Alright. Can't blame a guy for trying, right?"

"You got your own hot girlfriend. Leave mine alone."

"Actually, we broke up," Brent informed him. "But don't get any ideas either. We'll be back together soon too. Well, unless you'd consider swapping for the night," he added in amusement.

"No way in hell," Nathan replied. He liked Brent, but no way he was getting anywhere near Peyton. Not that he thought she'd go for it anyway, but that wasn't the point.

–––––

Nathan's game improved slightly in the second half. He managed to score 11 points, giving him a total of 19 in all. Dan was not pleased with the minor improvement whatsoever.

–––––

Lucas stood at the bleachers with Karen, Keith, and his group of friends, watching as Dan spoke to Nathan, his anger clearly displayed on his face. Luke couldn't hear them this time, but he figured it was more of the same he'd heard in the locker room.

"Great game, kiddo," Karen beamed proudly.

He grinned at her, happy with the 22 points he'd made. Finally he'd played like he was capable of.

Still his eyes darted back to Nathan and Dan. Even though Nathan had treated him horribly for weeks now, it bothered him that Dan was criticizing his game, especially since, in Luke's opinion, Nathan had played as he always did – exceptionally well. Yeah, his score was significantly lower than usual tonight, but that was understandable under the circumstances. And they were still undefeated so what was Dan's problem?

"What's wrong, Luke?" Haley asked, noticing the direction of his gaze.

"Nothing," he answered, but once it was only Haley, Keith and his mom standing with him, he told them what had happened in the locker room.

"Well, that doesn't surprise me," Keith said. "He's always been all about basketball."

"But Nathan played an awesome game though," Luke said in Nathan's defense. "With the guy they had guarding him, he couldn't have done any more than what he did."

"That's Dan for you. Never satisfied. Our dad was the same way with him, so you'd think he'd know better."

They started heading toward the exit, but Keith, unable to help himself, stopped walking when they reached Nathan and Dan. The others waited for him a few feet away, wondering what he was doing. He had caught a glimpse of shame in Nathan's eyes and couldn't stand the idea of it being there because Dan didn't think he'd played well enough.

"Good game, kid," Keith said, surprising both father and son by giving Nathan a light punch on the arm.

Nathan glanced at his uncle, once again unsure of how to react in his presence. One thing he did know, however, was that he'd definitely not played a good game. "What game were you watching?" he asked in a condescending tone.

"The one where you had an incredibly talented kid guarding you throughout the whole thing, not to mention being double-teamed for a good part of it, and you still managed to score nineteen points on them. I'd say that was a hell of a game," Keith said.

"According to your standards, sure, that was a great game," Dan scoffed. "Considering your average in high school was what? Ten?"

Keith shook his head. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"What does this have to do with you?"

Nathan rolled his eyes as they continued to argue. "Can I go now?" he asked his father, who was so involved in his quarrel that he didn't even hear him. "Dad!"

"Nathan! What?" Dan replied irritably.

"Can I go?" Nathan repeated in the same tone.

"Yeah, yeah, go," his father answered along with a hand dismissal. "Don't be home late."

Nathan wasted no time leaving, his eyes searching the gym out for Peyton. 'She must be already gone home.'

"Don't ever contradict me in front of my son again," Dan warned his brother. "I know when he's done well and when he hasn't and the last thing he needs is false information from his dead end uncle."

"He's just a kid, Danny. And basketball's just a game."

"He's a kid with a dream and a talent that I'm not gonna let him waste. And basketball's not just a game. It's his future." Damn why didn't anybody understand that? "He's destined for the NBA and I'm gonna make sure he gets there. "So don't go putting these insane ideas in his head that nineteen points is good enough," he finished before storming off.

–––––

Nathan just sat in the car for a while, wishing he could go see Peyton tonight. She could always make him feel better when he got into it with his dad. Either that or they would get into it themselves, but even that would take his mind off his father. But he knew he couldn't. Not yet. Tonight he'd have to settle with getting wasted. He started driving off, wondering if Brent was already waiting at the beach house. Hell, it might be fun. They could swap horror stories about their parents, paste their pictures on the dartboard and throw…well, darts. In a few days he would be with Peyton again.

Just a few more days.