Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from One Tree Hill. just the ones i make up.

this chapter is short just cause im still getting the creative juices flowing.

Nathan Scott glanced up at the clock above his English Lit classroom door for what seemed like the hundreth time. There was still 25 minutes left until lunch. He drummed his pencil on his desk impaciently. He totally tuned out whatever Mr.Richardson, his boring old teacher, was saying in his completely montonous voice. He glanced to his left where Brooke Davis was doodling all over her notebook. She looked over at him, flipped her shiny, chocolatey brown hair over her shoulder and winked at him. He smiled to himself and rolled his eyes at her. She smiled back. He half smiled and looked up two seats in front of her, where Peyton Sawyer usually sat. Her seat was empty for the third time that week. Just then, something, or rather, someone, caught Nathan's eye. He saw blonde hair go past the window in the door and something came over him. He raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr.Scott?" Mr.Richardon asked, barely glancing up from his textbook he was reading from.

"May I go to the washroom?" Nathan said quickly. Mr.Richardson nodded, and Nathan grabbed his books from his desk, threw them in his backpack, got up and left. He walked quickly in the direction he saw the hair go and caught up with Peyton easily. He walked up beside her without her even noticing. She had her i-pod on and she was moving her head along to the beat, her blonde curly hair bouncing prettily against her shoulders. Nathan pulled the earbuds out of Peyton's multiply pierced ears. She jerked her head in his direction, surprised.

"Nathan, what the hell?" she said loudly. He stepped back instinctively. But she didn't do anything except stare at him with her beautiful big brown eyes. He smiled at her and stepped back towards her.

"Peyton, you haven't been in class all week, whats the deal?" he asked carefully, when they started walking again. She kept her eyes locked on the ground and shrugged.

"Why aren't you in class Nathan?" she asked smugly, with a small smile that he could barely see because she still wouldn't look at him. He smiled at her even though she wasn't looking.

"I got bored. I have had enough academics, I am so ready for Christmas holidays. Thank god they start tomorrow" Nathan said playfully, trying to get her to smile a real smile. She didn't. She just bit her bottom lip and put her earbuds back in her ears and turned on her i-pod. Nathan looked at her shocked that she just tuned him out like that. He pulled the earbuds out just like her did before.

"Nathan, what the hell?" she said, suddenly crying. She turned away from him, wishing she could just run away, but she couldn't move. Her feet felt like they were glued to the ground.

"Peyton, what's going on with you?" he asked gently, wishing he could have worded it differently.

"Forget it Nathan, you wouldn't understand" she said, putting her earbuds back in and walking quickly away, leaving Nathan standing alone in the quiet halls.