A/N: I know many of you are really not liking Nathan right now. I can understand why since he's a huge jerk, but trust me when I say he won't always be. I do have a direction for this story so hopefully you'll bear with him a bit longer. Keep in mind, he's young, immature and yeah, self-absorbed. LOL. Thanks for reading and a huge thanks to all of you who take time to leave feedback, whether it's good or bad.

By the end of this chapter, it pretty much glosses over a full week. I haven't yet put a song in any chapters, but for this one I did, as it's completely fitting to Peyton's emotions.

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

Nathan walked right past the couch without a word, into the kitchen. He was somewhat calmer than he'd been earlier, but he still wasn't in any mood to offer explanations or deal with schoolwork, or anything for that matter. But he knew he had no choice. He opened the fridge and retrieved a bottled water, sighing when he noticed his father hot on his heels.

"I asked you a question," Dan said. "Why are you an hour and a half late?"

Nathan shrugged his shoulders and grabbed an apple from the fruit basket on the counter. "I forgot," he said indifferently before sinking his teeth into the apple.

It wasn't a wise move to act so cavalier about ignoring his father's orders. Dan angrily knocked the apple from his hand, sending it rolling across the floor to the other side of the room. "Like hell you forgot!" he roared.

"I was eating that," Nathan replied with a deep scowl.

"Where were you?"

"Nowhere."

"Again with the nowhere?" Dan scoffed, remembering that same answer Nathan had given when he hadn't returned home for two days following his suspension.

"I was just hanging out," Nathan told him casually.

"Knowing your tutoring sessions go from 3:30 to 6:00."

Nathan sighed, wishing he could skip over this lecture. He really didn't want to hear it. "Well, maybe I forgot how to tell time, being such a dumbass and all," he said snidely.

Dan's features hardened with anger as his son did all he could to avoid answering the question. He took him by the shirtfront, intent on forcing an answer from him. That's when he noticed the large red 'love mark' on his chest, otherwise covered by material. He should have known, he thought, releasing Nathan abruptly. "How's Peyton?" he asked, as a way to let Nathan know he'd figured it out.

Nathan frowned at him. "I don't know. You'd have to ask your other son," he replied nastily.

"What does that mean?" Dan inquired.

"It means they're hanging out," Nathan responded with disgust.

"After you beat the hell out of him?" Dan asked. He knew the extent of Lucas's injuries from his hospital visit this morning. Nathan hadn't spared any mercy and it had cost a small fortune to clear the debt. "Kid's got balls," he added.

Nathan noticed his dad's last comment was said with something akin to pride and it irritated him. "Yeah," he agreed. "More balls than what can be deemed healthy."

Dan caught the subtle threat in his son's steely voice and pointed his index finger at him. "Don't even think about pulling another stunt like that," he warned sternly. "The quickest way to lose your ticket to the NBA is to have a criminal record. You don't want that so get that temper of yours under control."

Nathan sighed, but nodded in acceptance. "It's hard," he admitted.

"Believe me, I know how hard it is," Dan replied, addressing his own volatile temper. "But you can't let a moment of weakness get in the way of your dream. You have everything to lose here and nothing to gain."

"But you don't get it," Nathan complained. "He's trying to take Peyton away from me."

"Forget the girlfriend drama. You need to focus on basketball."

Nathan rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Why is everything about basketball with you?"

"Because that's where your future is," Dan shot back. "Girls come and go." He sighed deeply upon seeing his son's forlorn expression. "As for the relationship issue, I gave you my two cents," he said. "But," he added, pulling down Nathan's t-shirt to point out the red mark, "you've chosen to ignore my advice. So if you're on the verge of losing the lovely Miss Sawyer, then you've only got yourself to blame." He wasn't surprised when Nathan simply scowled and shoved his hand away. There was really no point going over this again. It was like talking to a brick wall. Impossible.

Nathan opened his mouth to tell his father that he wasn't on the verge of losing Peyton, that she wasn't upset because he cheated. She didn't even know. Hell, it wasn't even the same girl she'd made him throw out of his car, although he was pretty sure he could have turned around and got that same chick and Peyton wouldn't have noticed. She was too busy playing cab driver to Lucas and his girlfriend. However, Dan didn't give him a chance to reply. Instead he pointed at the door leading back to the living room and stated firmly that it was time to start the first tutoring session.

"Where'd you find this guy anyway?" Nathan asked as he moved toward the door. "Nerds 'R Us?"

"Very funny. As I said before, he comes highly recommended."

"Yeah, well he looks like the type I'd stuff in a locker," Nathan remarked as he pushed open the swinging door.

"Actually, you have," Mouth spoke, having heard his last comment from the half open door. Besides that, he'd only caught a word here and there. "A couple of times," he added, now standing from the couch, relieved they'd finally decided to exit the kitchen. He'd been feeling rather awkward just sitting alone in their living room. "You and a few of your Ravens buddies." He didn't mention the most recent time Nathan had kicked him and Jimmy out of their home room class so he could continue his make out session with Peyton for another five minutes.

Nathan smirked and shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "See?" he said to his father.

"Yes, but my son is going to behave himself from this point on," Dan told Mouth. "Isn't that right?" he now addressed Nathan.

"Yeah," Nathan responded lightly. "Absolutely."

Dan shot him a warning glance, letting him know he meant business. "Ok, you two get cracking. I'm going to start dinner."

Nathan grabbed his backpack and put it over his shoulder. "Let's go," he said to Mouth, heading toward the stairs.

Dan, however, would not have that, and insisted they sit at the dining room table where he could keep an eye on his son to make sure he was neither giving his tutor a hard time, nor slacking off. Mouth had to admit he was grateful for the supervision.

"So, what subject do you want to start with?" Mouth asked once they were seated.

Dan scoffed at the question. "No no no, you're the tutor. Don't let him call the shots."

Mouth looked up at Dan slightly annoyed, but managed to hide it well. This was how he worked. All subjects would be covered eventually, but he liked to give his pupils the leniency of choosing the order. He'd gotten the idea from Haley, who'd said that way the students got some sense of control over their own studies. Having agreed with her line of thought, he'd been following that technique ever since. He didn't appreciate his methods being second-guessed, but he was being paid a pretty penny so he'd have to abide by Dan Scott's rules. "Alright, well, let's start with English. You ok with that?" he asked Nathan.

"He'll have to be ok with it, won't he?" Dan piped in before leaving the room with a couple of steaks he'd taken from the freezer, and heading to the backyard to start the barbecue.

"Would you rather start with something else?" Mouth asked once Dan was out of earshot. "It doesn't have to be English."

"Nah man, it's cool," Nathan replied, throwing his English book and binder on the table. "It doesn't really matter, right?"

"Not to me."

"Me either. It's your call, dude."

"Ok, let's start with all the missed assignments, beginning with the ones that were due the earliest. Sound good?"

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, except I didn't exactly keep track of what was due when."

"That's what this is for," Mouth said, pulling up a record of every single missed assignment for each class.

Nathan took the sheet from Mouth's hand and glossed over the long list. "Shit," he said. "No wonder I'm flunking out."

"That'll do it."

"I'd better hide that from my dad. He'd fucking kill me if he saw it."

Mouth glanced over at Nathan quickly. The guy was actually being somewhat friendly, which was surprising considering how he acted toward him and others not in his clique at school. Of course, he needed his help so that was probably why. Guys like him looked out for themselves and were friendly when it was convenient to them. There was no changing that.

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Tuesday and Wednesday went by with Nathan getting more and more frustrated with the amount of time Peyton was spending with her 'new friends'. She'd even begun taking her lunch with them, as she was doing this very moment. Nathan had tried multiple times to talk to her, but it seemed every time he did, she just got even angrier. Now she was avoiding him altogether, and every time Nathan turned around, she was with him. Today, Thursday noon, she still wasn't speaking to him.

"Ok, what is up with you two?" Brooke asked. She'd been absent the first part of the week and had missed the drama. "And why is she sitting with them?"

"Why don't you ask her?" Nathan answered from his regular spot in the quad.

"I'm asking you."

"She's pissed that Nate beat Lucas up," Tim answered for his friend.

"You didn't," Brooke said, looking at Nathan. "Is that what happened to him?"

Nathan just glared at her, offering no response.

"Nathan, he looks really bad…"

"Brooke don't, ok," Nathan cut her off. "I've already heard all this, and I don't care. I'm glad I did it," he went so far as to say.

"Wow, Nate," Brooke said. "You've got serious anger issues. I mean, I totally get why you hate the guy, but you went too far. She shouldn't have asked him to the concert, but…"

"What?" Nathan asked, clearly surprised.

"Way to go, slut," Rachel said to Brooke.

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew, hence the beating."

"She went with Lucas?"

"Nope, nuh uh," Bevin piped in. "She went with Haley because Lucas was too badly hurt. It was my idea," she added brightly.

Nathan didn't say another word, just rose from the table and stalked away, even though several in the group called out to him.

After school, he went back to the same girl's house that he'd gone to on Monday, looking for that same outlet for his rage. She liked it hard and rough and that's exactly what he needed right now. After the news he'd heard at lunch, he could do with some sexual therapy.

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Peyton sat alone in her room that Friday evening, sketching in her book and deep in thought. All week Nathan had tried talking to her, but she couldn't bring herself to forgive him for his brutal attack against Lucas.

On top of that, she'd heard the rumors that he'd hooked up with someone a few times in the week. Though she didn't put much stock into gossip, she always did believe most rumors were based on a bit of truth, and sadly, knowing Nathan, she couldn't dismiss them.

By the following Monday, she'd finally given in and spoken to him when he'd come over during his supposed morning run. He'd denied all the rumors, sweet-talked his way into her bed and afterward an argument had broken out when he'd brought up the topic of Lucas and the concert.

By Wednesday morning, he'd dropped by again and once more they'd fallen into bed. But this time they hadn't argued. However, she still had trouble letting go of their issues, but she'd chosen to keep them to herself to avoid another confrontation.

Now, here it was the following Friday and she was still at a loss over what to do. She spent a lot of her after schools with Lucas and Haley since Nathan's dad kept him pretty busy with his tight schedule. She was really beginning to appreciate the two new people in her life. She couldn't deny she missed Nathan though, even though they were currently on speaking terms and she saw him daily at school.

But neither could she stop herself from seeing him a little differently. She'd always known he could be violent, but to be so viciously brutal was something else. Nathan thought everything was fine between them now, despite the fact that he still grumped whenever he saw her talking to Lucas. He didn't seem to mind her friendship with Haley, though he himself didn't associate with her.

Peyton didn't know how he could think they were fine when they hadn't even discussed, let alone resolved, any of their major issues. They'd brought up the rumors long enough for Nathan to deny them and then they'd dropped it, landing back in the same place they usually did. In bed. She knew her love for him was what caused her to overlook so many things.

So far he'd kept true to his promise and had left Lucas alone, despite the grumbling. She was glad about that. She really wished he'd do something about his temper, but he refused to even address that issue.

To make matters worse, today during lunch they'd been so close to having sex in her car, until he'd breathlessly informed her that he didn't have a condom. She knew he'd had two of them in his wallet on Wednesday and had told him so. He'd turned around and explained to her that he'd given them to Tim who had a date yesterday. True? Who knew?

On top of everything else, she found herself lying to him whenever she spent time with Lucas. She had good reason – her doubt that he'd still keep his promise if he knew. But still, she hated lying to him.

She took a deep breath, wishing she knew where to go from here, how to escape these clouds that fogged her mind and just be happy with the boy she loved.

But she couldn't see that happening any time soon. Finally she decided to listen to the new album she'd purchased yesterday during her music-shopping trip with Haley. She hoped to clear her mind, but far from it.

One song stood out to her, as it seemed to reach deep into her soul, as though the singer understood her current predicament perfectly, like he was in the very same situation, standing in her shoes, and telling her all the answers she'd already known but hadn't wanted to face. From the very first verse, tears sprang to her eyes and she slid down the wall, sitting on the floor. Every word seemed to reach deeper and deeper inside.

Well I don't know how to say this right,
And the words got me choking
I keep hitting this wall,
It's never gonna fall
And we're still broken

She nearly choked on her sobs as each note rang true. This singer could be her.

This mountain we've been trying to climb
It's never-ending
Just can't do nothing, gotta do something
'Cause if we don't open up our eyes,
we're just pretending

She grabbed a tissue. He knew what she was feeling. He had to.

Well there's a time for giving up,
Didn't wanna have to say it
All we're doing is building walls
And now there's too many barriers

She tossed the tissue away and just let the tears fall freely.

Here we are lying here
It's our last final goodnight
Just because it feels so good
No use pretending we're alright

Too many locks, too many crimes
Too many tears, too many lies
Too many barriers
Oh, just too many barriers

Damn this guy. Why was he doing this? She didn't want to.

Now we've been dragging this whole thing out,
But I can't wait any longer
Our love's burning down,
Creeping in the doubt
We're not getting any stronger

Why had she bought this record? How could this singer see right into her heart? It wasn't fair.

I hear you say that we're doing okay
But, baby, I don't think so
Just can't do nothing, gotta do something
'Cause if I don't get into my car,
I won't go very far

She closed her eyes, willing the song, the torture, to end.

Well, there's a time for giving up
Didn't wanna have to say it
All we're doing is building walls
And now there's too many barriers

Here we are, lying here
It's our last final goodnight
Just because it feels so good,
No use pretending we're alright

Too many locks, too many crimes
Too many tears, too many lies
Too many barriers
Too many barriers

Ok, it must be over now. Wrong.

Just too many barriers

That we keep running into
Been trying, but we just can't break through

I know I'm gonna keep wishing I was with you,

But we just gotta stop

She completely broke down with those last lines, knowing what she had to do, no matter how much it hurt.

Here we are, lying here
It's our last final goodnight
Just because it feels so good,
No use pretending we're alright

Too many locks, too many crimes
Too many tears, too many lies
Too many barriers

In your hurry to get somewhere,
And the road's trying to block ya,
block ya
And you feel like you're nowhere,
'Cause the world's trying to stop ya,
stop ya

Using her remote, she put the song on repeat. For nearly two straight hours, it replayed as her entire body shook with the intensity of her emotions. After that, she rose from her spot on the floor, feeling stronger and more sure than she ever had. She didn't want to do it. It was going to hurt like hell. But she had to. She picked up her phone and dialed the familiar number.

"Hey," she said when he picked up. "We need to talk."

A/N: Song Title 'Barriers' by 'David Archuleta'