Chapter 17:

Nathan awoke with a smile. He had been dreaming a fantastic dream. His date with Haley kept on replaying over and over in his head. As he exited his room and entered the common room, he still wore that silly grin.

"What's up with you?" Tim asked as he poured some milk for his cereal.

"Nothing," Nathan replied, not hiding his joy at all.

"You're smiling."

"So?"

"You're smiling a lot and that rarely ever happens."

"Can't I just be really happy this morning?"

"Um, no."

"Why not?"

"Well I just figured you'd be a little more focused since today marks a week until the first basketball game of the season."

"Basketball." Nathan paused. He had completely forgotten that the season opener was a week away. Sure, he went to the daily practices and workouts, but that all seemed like a distant blur. The only clear thing was Haley and all the events that included her. He then frowned. And now that the season was about to start, that meant there would be less time he could spend with her.

"Did you forget?"

"No. I just was focused on something else, that's all."

"You forgot."

"No I didn't!"

"Okay, whatever. Well whatever that other thing is. I like it."

"What? Why?"

"You're all happy now. And I rather have happy Nathan as a best friend than the other Nathan." Nathan's mood turned a little sour.

"What do you mean 'the other Nathan'?"

"I-I—m-m-mean" Tim stuttered, searching for a way out. Just then Lucas walked in the door, newspaper in hand. "Lucas is back." Tim said trying to change the subject. "How is your morning Lucas?" Lucas looked at Tim the same way he always did when he felt that Tim was high or drunk. Then he looked at Nathan who was shaking his head. Lucas looked at a grinning Tim one more time before ignoring him and turning his attention to Nathan.

"You ready for next week?"

"The game?"

"Yeah. What else is there next week?" Lucas asked, almost prying a bit.

"Nothing." Nathan sheepishly smiled. "In fact, I'm going to the gym right now, to get some extra practice in."

"Alright. By the way, what's up with Tim?"

"Oh. Um, you know, the same." Nathan said chuckling with Lucas. Tim, not knowing the joke or situation, found himself laughing too. The brothers just shook their head and went their ways.

--

Nathan squeezed and rubbed the ball between his hands, getting the feel back. His muscles were a little sore from the work out he had just done in the weight room, so stretched a bit. He then palmed the leather ball, turned up his ipod and took a deep breath before running into his extra work out. Up and down the court he went, dribbling, practicing his ball handling skills, cross overs,, between the legs, behind the backs, combos. Then he began shooting, starting close at first, getting his form down. When he was around mid-range he started to add a dribble rather than just set-shooting. An hour and a half passed and his was still working on his mid-range game, driving then stopping and popping a short jump shot or fade away, and every once in a while dunking. Then he moved beyond the arc and began practicing his threes. He made sure that he made ten before moving on to his next spot. Perfection and a quick release were the keys. After finishing, he moved into the posts and began practicing moves with his back towards and away from the basket. Playing both a two and a three position, he needed to make sure that his game was well rounded. Covered in sweat, he checked the clock. Three and a half hours had passed. He then went to the free throw line and did his normal hundred. Around the fiftieth he could have closed his eyes and still made the shot through muscle memory. This he could thank his father for. The constant drive to be the best was instilled in him from an early age. He frowned at the thought of his father, as he lined up for the hundredth free throw. It bricked on the back of the rim. Grabbing the rebound, Nathan went up and dunked the ball angrily, so much that the glass vibrated and almost shattered. His father, the haunting shadow, could never be shaken. Nathan pounded the ball into the ground and realized that he needed a run to clear his head, enough training for one day.

--

Haley awoke with a smile on her face. She lazily rubbed her eyes as last night's events replayed in her head. She turned her head to her left when Joshua's crib was. He was already up, playing with a toy that Brooke gave him for Christmas.

"Hey babes," She said lifting him up and bringing him back to her bed. He smiled as he sat on her comforter and continued to play with his toy. "I've been a bad mommy haven't I?" She asked him. He looked up and then back to his toy. She then hugged him and kissed him gently on the forehead. "I'm so sorry sweetie. He let out a giggle as the toy made a sound. She smiled too. "You forgive so easily." She hugged him again and muttered to herself, "Probably because you aren't even listening to me and have no idea what I'm saying." He looked up at her. She smiled and cupped his cheeks in her hands. "Just know that I'm sorry, that you'll always be number one in my heart and that I love you, forever." She then kissed him o the nose as he giggled again. She picked him up again and cradled him in her arms. "Come on. Let's go on a walk. We haven't done that in a while." Just as she finished her idea proposal he emitted a happy sound on cue.

--

"Where are you going Hales?" Peyton asked, looking up from her drawing pad.

"Just out for a walk with Joshua. We haven't done that in a while." Peyton looked at her wearily. "We'll be fine. Enjoy your Saturday," She said with a smile. "By the way, where's Brooke?"

Peyton snickered and returned her attention back to her art. "She enjoyed Friday too much." Haley laughed and exited the dorm.

A brisk breeze met her cheeks outside. She tucked Joshua in with a blanket before proceeding any further. They strolled around campus. He was fascinated by the littlest of things and his smiled from excitement never faded. At one point in time, he even got out of the stroller and helped Haley push it. She smiled at his happiness. Eventually Joshua wore out and Haley stopped at a tree near by to rest as well. She pulled out a blanket from under the stroller and laid it out on the grass. She then gently lifted him from the stroller and placed him down on the blanket. She grabbed a book from the same compartment as the blanket, sat and leaned against the tree. Before opening it, she looked down at him. He was snoring softly or to put it cutely, breathing heavily. She brushed his cheek with her finger and smiled. He was so peaceful, immune to the bustling world around him. If only life could be that simple.

A/N: I know that this story has some unrealistic factors to it and I apologize for that. I wrote this chapter trying to correct a few of those blunders. So please continue to help me and please comment/review. Thanks for reading.

Also many of you have wondered where baby Josh is in all of this. To clear that up, baby josh is being taken care of by a babysitter...by the name of Bevin? … ^.^

Personal Comments:

Mazzy: so they will find out on Dec. 20 2012... hehe just kidding. how should I say this? when they both know... it'll probably be time to say goodbye. :) and baby josh is safe... no worries chicken curries.

Merenwen Calmcacil: Thanks so much. i will try to "flesh it out more" and add the details that matter. Now that you say something, I do realize that it is quite unrealistic. I guess I was just in a rush to get everything that popped into my head down, that I forgot about the little stuff. sad panda... :( Anyways about basketball, yup yup... another detail I almost forgot. About baby Josh yeah I admit... sometimes... kinda a lot I forget about him. oops. sorry. :) thanks for the review. it was really helpful.

To everyone else: Thanks so much for reading.. it really fuels me to write if I know that there are people reading. :)

To those silent readers: I hope that one chapter you will comment. Teehee thanks for reading. :)