"Are you coming to the game tonight?" Nathan asked.
"I have to work," Haley answered whilst zipping up her backpack. A week had passed since she agreed to tutor Nathan and shockingly enough, things were going smoothly. Since the first day, Nathan was no longer late to their sessions. She met him after practice at his house, depending on her work schedule.
"Can't you call off?" Nathan questioned.
Tonight's game was an important one. It was the annual Father and Son basketball game. With Dan on the court with Nathan it would be two against one in regard to Lucas. Though the two boys would play on the same team it would trip Lucas up having Dan there and allow Nathan to shine on the Son side. If Haley was on the sidelines not only cheering Lucas on but Nathan too that would help with his destruction of Lucas.
"Karen needs me at the café," Haley reasoned. Truthfully she did want to go to the game, but it wasn't to see Nathan. Lucas and Keith were playing.
With Dan playing as Nathan's father and not bothering to acknowledge Lucas as his, Lucas had sought out Keith to play as his father for the night. Dan's name may be on Lucas' birth certificate, but Lucas had always considered Keith a father to him. Keith took him fishing, taught him how to drive, gave him advice on girls - all things fathers were supposed to do with their sons.
"Mom!" Nathan called out when he saw his mom walk by the kitchen. Deb followed the sound of her son's voice and met him in the kitchen.
"Oh Haley, I didn't know you were here," Deb admitted. Over the past week, Deb had gotten the opportunity to know Haley. She was impressed that her son had started to take his grades seriously and get a tutor. And Haley was a great girl. Deb thought that Haley was a good influence on her son, Nathan really needed someone like her in his life.
"Hi, Mrs. Scott," Haley greeted. Haley liked Deb. In the little time she knew her Haley saw that she was a caring mother, maybe a little absent in the past, but was willing to take time away from her job to spend with her family.
"Shouldn't Haley go to the game tonight?" Nathan asked her. He knew his mother adored Haley and would like somebody to go to the game with her. If he couldn't convince Haley to go, maybe his mother could. Haley seemed to like her much better than him anyway.
"You should go, the Father and Son game is always fun. The kids have such a great time playing with their parents," Deb said. The game was a double edged sword. While it was fun to watch the kids have a low stakes game to raise money, Dan always tried to prove himself. He put so much pressure on Nathan to be at the top of his game every week that Nathan deserved a break, not another week of the Dan Scott pressure. He couldn't play just a fun game of basketball with his dad. Deb wasn't even sure of the last time the boys did that. "Plus it would be nice to talk to someone other than those stuffy booster moms."
Those booster mom's idolized Deb. To them, she had the perfect life. A successful job, perfect husband, and fantastic basketball player for a son. The mothers rarely provided a reprieve. Haley, however, would be a calming presence in comparison to Tim Smith's mother. She hoped Haley would go, but she wouldn't force her. Deb knew that Haley was a busy girl and tutored other students while having to balance a job and school on top of that.
Haley gazed to both an eager Deb and Nathan. She could easily disappoint Nathan as it wasn't in their arrangement, but Deb had treated her so well. "I'll try, but no promises."
"Hey, Haley, I'm going to go to the game. Are you okay to lock up?" Karen asked, wiping her hands on a hand towel.
Haley handed Mr. Murphy his coffee and placed his bill beside him. She had been looking for a way to broach this subject all night, but hadn't known how to. She rarely asked for days off; however, when she did it was never such last minute. The idea of doing so to Karen had bothered her all night.
"Actually, I was wondering if I could finish up and head to the game myself," Haley began, "I mean, it's okay if I can't. I just thought with Lucas and Keith playing together, it would be nice to see and support them. But then again, if you need me here at the café..." Haley's ramblings had trailed off as Karen gave her a knowing look. It was time for Haley to wrap it up. "...I understand."
"Haley, of course I'll let you go to the game," Karen agreed. Why would Haley be nervous to ask her about this? Haley was her most loyal and trusted employee. If she wanted a break, Karen was willing to give it. "Have I've ever given you a reason that you couldn't?"
"I guess not." Haley just figured that by keeping the café open a little longer it would help her and Lucas get some extra money. Without Dan's child support, which Karen vehemently denied, those two were always strapped on cash. Just last week their water was shut off.
"I told you from the beginning that I was always flexible. I get it. You're a teenager and you want to do normal teenage things." At her age, Karen was having the time of her life. She was a cheerleader and dated the star basketball player. Granted, her life went south quick after high school, but she never once regretted her choices because they got her to where she was today. Now Karen was a successful small business owner and a mother. It was no glamorous lifestyle, but this was the kind she preferred. "To be honest, I'm glad you want to take the night off. You work so hard, Haley, that sometimes you forget to have fun."
Haley scoffed jokingly, walking off. "Me? I have fun all the time. Just the other day, Lucas and I played minigolf."
Karen smiled. She still remembered Haley as that spunky eight-year-old who volunteered her spend her time with her and Lucas as her family was too big. Jimmy and Lydia loved Haley, but with six kids when one was gone it made it a whole lot easier. Karen loved to have Haley around so much that she offered to watch her after school some days. She was grateful that Lucas had a best friend like Haley.
Karen couldn't believe that it's been almost ten years since then and next year at this time both Lucas and Haley would be applying to colleges. Lucas dreamed of being a writer in a big city and Tree Hill wasn't the place for that. He'd mentioned to her schools like NYU or Emerson. Though they were far away, at least Lucas wanted to stay on the East Coast, Haley planned to be all the way in California at Stanford.
There was no doubt in Karen's mind that the kids would get into their dream schools. Both worked incredibly hard in school and had the grades to prove it. Money, however, factored more than Lucas or Haley would like to admit. Karen wanted to send Lucas to one of those fancy East Coast Liberal Arts Colleges, but the café wasn't necessarily as lucrative as she hoped. Since Lucas started playing on the basketball team, Karen thought there was a real shot he could get not only an academic, but a sports scholarship. Haley, on the other hand, was top of their class and Stanford only accepted the best as an Ivy League school. Her parents, though together and both employed, had five children before Haley. Money was tight and the only way Haley could pay for Stanford was through a job. Haley started working at Karen's when she was fourteen and saved each paycheck to put towards her Stanford fund.
"Well, why don't you hurry up and start helping me close this place," Karen suggested grabbing her purse and coat from behind the counter.
"Already beat you to it," Haley grinned as she turned the sign from 'open' to 'closed'.
"Did you see that?" Brooke asked, swatting at Peyton from the sidelines.
"See what?" Peyton questioned as she continued to stretch out her calf.
"He just gave her the nod," Brooke explained.
"Who gave who the nod?" Peyton asked, not understanding who Brooke was talking about this time. Brooke loved to gossip so much that Peyton paid attention only half of the time.
"Nathan just gave Haley the nod."
Peyton laughed. "His tutor?"
Word quickly spread that Nathan was being tutored and Brooke made it her mission to find out who the tutor was. It was not every day that a tough jock like Nathan would go for tutoring.
"Yes his tutor! Did you not just hear what I said?" Brooke asked. She was shocked Peyton was not more affected by this. If the roles were reversed, she would be livid. "Nathan just gave Haley the nod. The 'let's hook up after the game' nod."
Peyton knew that nod well. He had given it to her multiple times. She should have cared more. This was her ex-boyfriend of only one week they were talking about, but since the breakup Peyton had not bothered to care about anything that Nathan did on his free time. It was quite refreshing.
Brooke and Peyton looked over at Haley in the bleachers who seemed visibly uncomfortable with the attention Nathan was giving her. Peyton's heart lurched for her. From what she's heard around school, Haley's a good girl. Peyton hoped Haley knew what she was getting into when it came to Nathan. He would only cause her heartbreak.
"You know what I think," Brooke continued. "I think Nathan likes tutor girl, but I think tutor girl likes Lucas, and I know I like Lucas, and I don't know who the hell you like anymore. This is all turning into one big love...rectangle, plus one whatever that is."
Ever since she set her sights on Lucas, she'd been doing some recon on him. Haley was Lucas' best friend, so Brooke assumed it was natural for there to be some unrequited feelings. She just hoped Lucas didn't feel the same way.
Peyton listened quietly as Brooke rambled on. She felt guilty. The tiny crush she harbored on Lucas was beginning to expand since her breakup. Peyton just didn't have the heart to tell Brooke. It would be like stealing what's hers, although Lucas was neither of theirs and had made his affections for Peyton quite clear.
Haley stared quizzically at the cheerleaders as Brooke and Peyton's gaze continued to fall on her ever since Nathan gave his cocky nod. She was sure he was proud of himself that he convinced her to come. No doubt he would tell Lucas about that one.
"Is everything okay, Haley?" Karen asked taking a seat. She dropped Haley off at the front of the school to get them good seats while she was parked. She'd heard from customers how big the annual Father and Son game was and wanted a good spot to cheer on Lucas and Keith.
"Yeah," Haley assured her.
The two teams started to warm up on the court. Haley and Karen were both laughing and pointing at Keith playing basketball. Haley knew Keith played a little bit in high school because he taught Lucas the game, but she didn't realize he actually wasn't half-bad.
Karen remembered the days when Keith was on the court. She was a freshman on the cheer team his junior year. From what she heard, he was the best player on the team until Dan joined varsity the same year.
It had taken Keith two years to be a starter and on varsity. For Dan, he had gotten the same positions during tryouts. Keith was proud of his little brother but insanely jealous. Dan always got what he wanted.
"Is this seat taken?" Deb asked, not meaning to interrupt Haley and Karen's conversation. Karen paused and wondered why Deb was even by them. She figured Dan must have set this up to get in her head.
"No, Mrs. Scott," Haley said, realizing how awkward this situation had gotten. She moved her bag onto the ground allowing Deb to sit beside her. Haley felt wrong pushing Deb away since Deb had been so insistence that she come. "Please sit."
Deb smiled and accepted, maybe she should have bit her tongue and sat with the booster moms. "Karen," Deb greeted, trying to be cordial. Just because they were connected through Dan did not mean they had to be enemies.
"Deb," Karen replied. "So how do you and Haley know each other?"
Haley wanted to interject, but Deb beat her to it. "Haley's been tutoring Nathan," Deb answered.
"Lucas mentioned something like that," Karen said, looking at Haley suspiciously. Haley gulped. She didn't mean to keep her tutoring of Nathan a secret from her. She just hadn't found the right way to tell her. At least, Lucas let her know.
"Haley's quite an exceptional girl. In the past week, Nathan's grades have already started to look so much better," Deb continued to praise her. It was a miracle Nathan was being tutored and his grades finally reflected the potential she knew her son had. "How long have you known her?"
"Almost ten years. Her and Lucas are best friends." Karen threw in the petty slight to show Deb that no matter how well she thought she knew Haley in this past week, Karen practically helped raise her.
"You and Lucas are lucky. If Nathan had someone like her all those years ago, I wonder how he would have turned out."
Karen and Haley were speechless at Deb's admission. Obviously she wasn't oblivious to Nathan's actions like Dan had been. Deb was aware of her son's behavior while she was away: stealing a school bus, sleeping with countless girls, and raiding her and Dan's liquor cabinet. She loved Nathan, but his behavior was out of control. That's partially why she decided to take a break from the nonprofit and be there more for her family.
Out on the court, Lucas and Nathan both took a pause from warming up when a peculiar sight took them both by surprise. "Is that?" Lucas began, gesturing to the bleachers.
"Yep," Nathan finished, looking in the same direction as Lucas. Both boys cocked their heads the same direction and tilted them slightly in confusion.
What in the world was Haley doing sandwiched between both of their mothers? And what were they even talking about.
The referee blew his whistle and the boys shook themselves off.
Game time.
