Hey so this is chapter two of Game On Scott and I would like to take this opportunity to just thank you guys! I've gotten some great reviews and it really has motivated me to write. This story is going to be a little slow as I would really like to develop the characters. They're just so different from the TV show and I really enjoy getting to know them and developing them as different people. Oh well, I'll stop rambling now and get to the story :) Enjoy.

Chapter 2: The River Court

Haley loved basketball. She had loved basketball ever since she was a little girl. Her dad was absolutely crazy about basketball and was a huge Duke fan. Haley was extremely close with her dad and would spend every single Friday night watching college basketball with him.

That was until he passed away from a heart attack a few years ago.

Haley jumped and released the ball, already knowing that it would go in. Swish. Haley smiled. She loved the sound that the ball made whenever it went through the net. It was like music to her ears.

There wasn't a girl's basketball team here in Tree Hill. Somehow residents here were still living in the stone ages and were firm believers that women ere meant to cook and clean, not go running around a gym with a ball.

Haley's mother, Lydia, had always hated the fact that Haley loved basketball. For her 6th birthday, she remembered her mother giving her boxes and boxes of Barbie Dolls, toy houses, cooking sets, and another else remotely girly. Haley had hated it. She had once tried to chop off the hair of her Swan Lake Barbie. Of course Lydia saw and interjected at once.

"Girls are meant to have long hair Haley!" Lydia had screeched when she had heard that Haley wanted her Barbie to have short hair, "that's how they remain pretty!"

Though Lydia tried and tried, it never worked.

Her daddy had given her a basketball that same birthday and she had fell immediately in love with it. She had refused to let the ball out of her sight and held it whenever she could. It wasn't until when James James came and talked to her that she had finally agreed to give "ball-y some time off".

Haley walked over to the bench on which she had left her gym bag. It was late but Haley didn't mind. She preferred playing in the dark. The fluorescent lights that shone down on her had always made her feel as if she was in a real gym. It felt as if she was really playing. Not just playing at some measly court but really playing.

A wave of fatigue rushed through her as the adrenaline from the game seeped slowly away. Okay, maybe it was time to go home.

She gathered up her stuff, stuffing her schoolbooks back into her bag and headed towards her car. It had been a good practice today.

Haley had made nearly 85% of her free throws.

Nathan had decided to take the long way home. He needed time to think. The fight between him and Rachel still buzzed around angrily in his brain. Nathan knew he couldn't keep driving. If he kept driving, he was bound to crash and God what a disaster that would be. Dan would be all over him then and that was the last thing Nathan wanted.

Slowly he weaned his car off to one side and turned off the ignition. He leant his head against the steering wheel and closed his eyes.

"Rach, I swear. It was nothing," Nathan huffed, clearly exasperated. Recently the fights between him and Rachel had been getting worse and worse. There wasn't really any screaming anymore. It had evolved from that. It now consisted more of quiet conversations and disappointed tones.

"Then why is your arm swung oh ever so casually around her? And why is she pretty much draped all over you? But most importantly, why did you look so happy?" Rachel replied in an icy tone.

Nathan met Rachel's brown eyes. Never had he ever thought that brown eyes could be described as cold. But that was the only word that came to Nathan's mind when he and Rachel locked eyes. There's nothing there, he thought to himself. There wasn't happiness. Any anger. Any… sadness. It was just a dark abyss of blankness.

Nathan shivered and turned away. He wouldn't ever admit it but Rachel Gatina scared him. Her ruthlessness scared him and he didn't like that. He didn't like having to feel scared about his supposed "girlfriend".

"God Rachel, I promise you, nothing happened, " Nathan said softly with his back still turned towards her.

"I want to believe you Nathan," she whispered. He felt Rachel touch his shoulder slightly. "I really do. It's just that, I don't know if I can."

And with that, Rachel Gatina sighed and walked out of the room.

Nathan opened his eyes and let out a long sigh. He was tired of it all. Tired of all this pretending. He just wanted to be himself. He just wanted someone to understand him and even when they didn't, he just wanted someone to be there for him.

He let his eyes wander across the darkness before letting it settle on the small basketball court by the river. Basketball had always been his escape, the one place where he could truly be him.

Nathan never went there, the court by the river. He knew that Lucas did though. Lucas and him were half-brothers and they had never gotten along. Perhaps it was more because Dan didn't want them to get along rather than them themselves not getting along. Nathan didn't feel anything negative towards Lucas yet he was expected to pretend like he hated the guy. In truth, Nathan thought that Lucas was a great player. He didn't see why Dan wanted him off the team so bad. Sure he was good and sure he was competition to Nathan but that would just have made him a better player.

Or…

Maybe it was because Dan didn't believe in Nathan's talent. Maybe he thought that Lucas would outshine him and take over his position as both captain of the Ravens and as shooting guard.

Whatever.

Just then his eyes landed on a figure. He immediately took notice of the slender curves and dark ponytail swishing whenever she threw down a shot. Even though he was far away, he knew that it was a girl. And she looked good.

Better than half of the boys on the team he'll bet.

She never missed a single one.

To be honest, Nathan was impressed. He was tempted to drive over and to see for himself who this mystery girl was. But yet somehow he couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away.

Finally she stopped and walked over to the small park bench. Nathan couldn't quite make out what she was doing but before he knew it she had packed up her things, got into her car and had driven off.

Nathan watched her car drive out of view before starting the ignition and going home himself. It was time he went back to the arrogant, dick-like Nathan Scott.

The rest of the week practically flew by. Nathan spent most of his time in the gym, practicing like crazy for the Oakland City game. It was a big game for the Ravens and Whitey had been driving them like never before. Practice had only started an hour ago and already 4 people have thrown up.

The only good thing about practice was that it gave them the excuse to stare at the gorgeous cheerleaders practicing at the other side of the gym. Nathan couldn't help but stare at Rachel's slender legs. Yeah, Nathan might not have feelings for Rachel but he was a guy and c'mon, what guy wouldn't be attracted to Rachel Gatina?

She was practically a goddess!

Too bad her downfall was that she knew she looked good and she wasn't afraid to flaunt it.

"What 'cha looking at?" the annoying voice of Tim Smith floated into Nathan's ear. Nathan rolled his eyes and turned around to face Tim, plastering a smirk on his face in the process.

"Damn they look good," Nathan murmured, his eyes now trained on Rachel's toned ass.

"Tell me about it," Tim chuckled, "Man, how did you get so lucky, scoring Gatina and all."

Nathan's smirk widened. Sure dating Rachel had many disadvantages but being able to brag about dating the hottest girl in school wasn't one of them.

"I'm Nathan Scott. She's lucky to be dating me Tim," Nathan replied, arrogance laced into every single word. Just then Whitey's whistle interrupted their conversation.

"Now what do you both think you're doing? Checking out cheerleaders? Not at my practice you're not," Whitey hollered.

Nathan and Tim returned to their spots and contained running their drills. It was going to be a long practice.

The week had been a slow week for Haley James. Her usual crew were all out of town touring the country or probably doing something cool like that while she was stuck here, in freaking Tree Hill, going to school.

Haley had promised Lucas that she wouldn't run off without him and that was one of the only reasons why she stayed. If it weren't for Lucas, and of course her mom, she would've been out of her a long time ago.

It was just so painful. How Lydia dealt with it was beyond Haley. She had no idea how Lydia could still stay here at Tree Hill. There were just so many memories and it hurt. It really did.

Haley sighed as she stared out of the window. English had always been a piece of cake for Haley and never once had she paid attention to the old and fail Mrs. Grundings.

"Haley James! Would you care to tell us why Shakespeare had decided to introduce Portia the same way he introduced Antonio in the first act?" Mrs. Grundings asked, a smug smile on her face. She thought that Haley didn't know.

Haley turned around, a lazy grin stuck on her face. "It was to echo the melancholy Antonio felt and talked about in the first act. It also served to act as a bridge between Venice and Belmont. Anything else you would like to know Mrs. Grundings?" Haley retorted. Mrs. Grundings gave her an annoyed look before returning to her lesson.

A piece of paper floated onto her desk. Curious, Haley opened it and found that it was written by no other than Brooke Davis. Brooke had started sitting next to her in class and had desperately tried to befriend Haley. But Haley wasn't interested. She would much rather play with her Barbies than be friends with the real Barbie.

That was really cool James. Mind tutoring me? –

Haley rolled her eyes and scrunched up the note. There was no way she was tutoring Brooke Davis and besides, why couldn't she just ask Lucas? He was just as good at Shakespeare as Haley.

Her eyes casually floated to the door and she felt her body scream at her to dash towards the open exit. A tall, muscular figure then walked past. Haley recognized him.

It was Nathan Scott.

Of course Haley recognized him. He was the school player. Arrogant. Hot. Trouble. Just Haley's type of boy.

But she knew he wasn't really like that. He was sensitive and deep down, very different from what he appeared to be. And Haley loathed that. She loathed how he hid himself from the world. It was a cowardly move. But even Haley couldn't deny that Nathan Scott was absolutely stunning.

The Gods themselves carved his chiseled jawline and perfectly arched nose. His dirty brown hair had that natural 'just out of bed look' that looked ever so sexy on him. And god those eyes, those piercing blue eyes.

Haley had only ever looked into them once but she had them memorized. They were hard to forget. They were a deep ocean blue and you could get lost in them. There was a certain sadness about them that captivated Haley. A certain feeling of being lost.

Ringggg! The bell rung and Haley dashed out, glad to be free.

And that's it! Thanks for reading and keep them reviews coming in :) The next chapter should be up within this week!