2003 ― Tree Hill, North Carolina

Brianna was walking down the hallway of Tree Hill High School, and Nathan Scott was in the same hallway, but he was behind her. He recognized Brianna anywhere from any angle, and he smiled as he called out for her. "Bree!" Brianna turned around, and she smiled when she saw Nathan. She stopped walking to let him catch up to her, and he gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her into an empty classroom.

Nathan pressed the brunette up against the wall, laid his hand on the side of her neck and near her collarbone, and he brought their lips together. Brianna smiled as she moved her lips against Nathan's, and when they pulled away, she let out a content sigh.

"Hmm, we cannot do this right here," Brianna said. Nathan's lips were still hovering over hers as he laughed.

"We just did..." Nathan said as he leaned back in and gave Brianna a few quick kisses. "I'll kiss you later." He said. With one last kiss, he exited the room. Brianna stayed against the wall for a few seconds and gently rubbed her lips with her finger as she smiled. Then she left the room too.

All thoughts on Nathan Scott.

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The following day after basketball practice, Lucas came to Brianna and said Nathan was having some trouble at practice and he wasn't acting like he usually does. When she got to school, she saw Nathan standing at his locker, so she approached him from behind and gently touched his shoulder. Nathan was wound up on anger and enhancers because his dad had been putting a lot of pressure on him about their upcoming game. He quickly spun around, ready to swing at whoever touched him, until he saw it was Brianna.

"Very funny, Bree." He said, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, are you okay? Lucas said you had some trouble at practice yesterday." Brianna said.

"Lucas needs to mind his own business. We have a game coming up, that's all. I just get a little intense." Nathan said, and Brianna nodded her head. She's been watching Nathan play basketball for years, and she's never seen him this wound up before.

"Are you okay? Nate, you're shaking." Brianna said. She could see his body was visibly shaking. She knew something was wrong. Even though she was never friends with Nathan, she's been cheering on the sidelines, watching him play basketball since middle school, and she has never seen him like this.

"My heart's racing too," Nathan said as he grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest where his heart is. "That's what happens when I'm around you, Brianna Davis." He said with a smile. Brianna rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile at his cheesiness. But she still felt that something wasn't right with this situation. "So, your house tonight, right? Tutoring?" He asked.

"Yeah, I think Brooke is going out on a date with Lucas, so it'll just be us," Brianna said, and Nathan nodded his head. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, and he nodded his head.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just... I had a bad day yesterday. I'll see you tonight, okay?" He said, and Brianna nodded her head.

"Yeah, see you."

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Later that evening, Nathan was at the house, but they hadn't started studying yet. Nathan was pacing, and he had been pacing for the last 15-minutes, so Brianna was looking things up for their assignment on the computer. She didn't know what was wrong with him, but he kept insisting that he was fine.

"Nathan, are you going to pace all night, or can we get started?" She asked. Nathan nodded his head, and he noticed a picture on Brianna's dresser. It was a picture from a family vacation with their parents, their two older sisters, Stephanie and Amber, and then, of course, the triplets, Brianna, Brooke, and Beckham.

"So, these are your parents? Why are they never here?" Nathan asked, and Brianna sighed.

"When my oldest sister Stephanie turned 13, they figured she was old enough to take care of the rest of us as long as they sent money. Then when our older sisters graduated and moved out, they figured Brooke, Beckham, and I would be fine on our own because we had each other... and as long as they sent money. Now Beck's in boarding school, and it's just me and Brooke... and the money they send us." Brianna said as she shrugged her shoulders.

Nathan finally sat down on her bed, and she let out a breath of relief. The pacing was making her nervous. "Well, they suck... So, a month ago, did you think we'd be alone in your bedroom?" Nathan asked, and she laughed.

"Oh, but Nathan, we're not alone in my bedroom. We have the forefathers with us." She teased, and Nathan laughed.

"They can watch." He said, and Brianna rolled her eyes.

"Nathan, can you get serious for a minute?" She asked.

"Oh, I am serious," Nathan said as he grabbed Brianna's hand and pulled her out of her desk chair. He pulled her between his legs. "Come here." He said as he laid back on her bed, bringing her with him, so she was on top of him, and he pressed his lips against hers. Brianna couldn't help it, she easily melted into Nathan and kissed him back.

As their kisses got more passionate, Nathan flipped Brianna under him, and she slightly pulled back. "Brooke could come home at any minute." She said.

"Oh, come on, you said she's out with Lucas," Nathan said as his hands moved down to the bottom hem of her shirt. When he started to lift it up, Brianna shook her head and sat up.

"Nathan, come on. Stop it." She said, and he didn't stop. He kept kissing her neck and trying to lift her shirt. "Come on... don't... Hey!" Brianna snapped as she forcefully pushed Nathan off of her and pulled her shirt back down.

"What?" He asked. Brianna rolled her eyes, did Nathan seriously not hear her saying stop?

"I think you should go," Brianna said, and his eyes widened.

"You're kidding, right?" Nathan asked. Brianna stood up and walked over to her bedroom door, and held it open. "Bree, alright. Brianna, I'm sorry. We can study, it's fine." He said, and Brianna shook her head.

"I would like you to leave." She said. Nathan shook his head and scoffed as he gathered up his things and walked to the door.

"Unbelievable." He muttered as he walked out. Brianna sighed as she watched him go.

She understood that Nathan likes sex, and he's not a virgin. And although she had already had a first kiss before him, she was still a virgin, and she wasn't ready to lose her virginity yet, and if Nathan couldn't respect the fact that she said no, he needed to leave. She didn't want a reason to go back to hating him. So she asked him to leave, so neither of them would end up doing or saying something they regret and ruining their relationship while it's barely started.

She needed a minute to cool down.

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The following day at school, Haley James, Lucas Scott, and Brianna Davis were sitting at one of the outside lunch tables. Brianna turned her head right as Lucas looked at her, and she winked at him since she knew exactly what he did last night. Brooke told her everything when she got home, and she said she had an amazing time with him.

"So, what did you guys do last night?" Haley asked her best friends.

"Nothing, you?" Lucas asked.

"Nothing," Haley said.

"Bree?" Lucas asked.

"Nope, nothing." She lied. She didn't want to tell them about what happened with Nathan. She could handle it, and Lucas is on the fence about him enough, she didn't want to give Lucas another reason to hate him.

"Well... actually, I kind of made out with Brooke," Lucas said. Haley looked at him, and her eyes widened. When Lucas looked at Brianna, she winked again, and his cheeks started flushing.

"What?" Haley asked.

"While I was drunk," Lucas said, and the girls laughed.

"Oh wow. Slow night for you. What happened?" Haley asked.

"We went out as friends, and then things just kind of escalated," Lucas said with a shrug, and Brianna laughed.

"Yeah. Sounds like it. You and Brooke Davis. Please." Haley said like she couldn't believe it.

"Is something weird about that, Haley?" Brianna asked, and Haley quickly looked at her. It seemed like she forgot for a second that Brianna is Brooke's sister, and Brianna will always defend her sister first.

"Sorry, it's just weird to think of Brooke and Lucas together," Haley said. Brianna didn't disagree with that, but Haley's tone made it seem like she had a problem with Brooke and Lucas being together.

"You know, she's different from what people see. You, of all people, should understand that." Lucas said, and Haley sighed.

"I've been kissing Nathan," Brianna said. Her friends immediately turned to her.

"If I told you not to do that anymore, would you listen?" Lucas asked.

"If I told you not to kiss my sister anymore, would you listen?" Brianna asked, and Lucas laughed.

"Maybe." He said.

"Probably not." Brianna and Lucas said simultaneously, and then they laughed.

"So, what about Peyton?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, Hales... you can kiss her if you want," Lucas said. Haley rolled her eyes while Brianna laughed.

"I'm serious," Haley said.

"Look, I told her how I felt, alright? She doesn't feel the same way." Lucas said.

"So, my sister is just a rebound?" Brianna asked. Lucas looked at her and quickly shook his head. Brianna didn't want Lucas to get involved with Brooke if he even had a shred of feelings left for Peyton.

"Maybe she's just not ready," Haley said.

"What are you, her lawyer?" Lucas asked.

"No, I'm just saying. Her relationship with Nathan wasn't the greatest, so maybe immediately jumping into another one, and with his brother, made her nervous, that's all." Haley said. Brianna nodded her head. She could agree with that, and it made sense.

"Well, she just wants to be friends," Nathan said.

"So, are you and Brooke like together now?" Brianna asked, and he shook his head.

"No, we went out. We had fun." He said.

"Alright, if that's what you want. You deserve to be happy, Lucas." Brianna said, and Lucas smiled.

"Yeah, you too." He said.

"Can you just do me a favor?" Brianna asked.

"Be careful?" He teased. Brianna laughed, and she shook her head.

"No... just don't pursue Brooke if feelings for Peyton are still there, okay? You've had a crush on her since 8th grade, and I understand she said she just wanted to be friends... but if you want to date my sister, please make sure that Brooke is the only one you have feelings for, alright?" Brianna said. Lucas nodded his head as he smiled at her.

"Of course, Bree."

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Brianna sat in the tutoring center during her free period, and she was waiting for Peyton. Her friend found her earlier and asked if they could talk during their free period, and Brianna agreed and told Peyton she can always talk to her. But she was worried because Peyton's tone made it seem like it was urgent.

"What's wrong, P. Sawyer, you said you wanted to talk?" Brianna asked when Peyton sat down.

"Do you think second chances are a lie?" Peyton asked.

"Well, it depends on who you're dealing with, I guess," Brianna responded.

"Yeah... How are things going with you and Nathan?" Peyton asked, and Brianna sighed. She didn't know if it would be weird to talk to Peyton about this since Nathan is her ex-boyfriend and she's her best friend. She knows Peyton said screw girl code, and she gave Brianna her blessing, but she didn't want Peyton to one day secretly resent her because she's with Nathan.

"Um... not so great. I don't know what he wants us to be. Are we a couple? Are we just hanging out? Is it just for sex? Because if it is..." Brianna trailed off.

"If it is, what?" Peyton asked.

"Then that's not enough for me," Brianna said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Bad experience?" Peyton teased. Brianna rolled her eyes, and Peyton laughed. She knows that Brianna is a virgin, but Brianna appreciated her easing the tension. "I know, I know. You're a virgin, and there's nothing wrong with that, Bree. Good for you. Sometimes I wish I still was." Peyton said, and Brianna smiled at her.

"Thanks." She said.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Peyton asked.

"I will try and get some answers. Even if I don't like them." Brianna said, and Peyton nodded her head.

"Did Lucas tell you about Brooke?" She asked, and Brianna nodded.

"They both told me about each other. Are you okay with that?" Peyton asked.

"He's fair game. Plus, we both know your sister. She's not really the dating type. You know what I mean." Peyton said, and Brianna nodded her head. Brooke doesn't get into serious relationships. She just hooks up and moves on.

"Yeah, I know. But maybe she's turned over a new leaf. She seems to really like Lucas." Brianna said. Peyton sighed as she nodded her head.

"Is connecting with someone really this complicated, or is it simple, and we make it worse?" Peyton asked, and Brianna smiled.

"For me, it's complicated. You just make it worse." She teased. Peyton laughed as she lightly slapped Brianna's hand and shook her head.

"Bitch." [obviously, Peyton also said this in a teasing tone]

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Later that evening, Brianna was on her way to the gym because it was almost time for their game to start. She had her bag slung over her shoulder, and she saw Nathan walking toward the gym. "Nathan!" Brianna exclaimed as she ran to catch up with him.

"Not now, Brianna." He snapped, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, how about after the game, we can get some food and talk?" Brianna asked.

"Brianna, I said not now, okay?" Nathan snapped again.

"And I said after the game. Why are you being like this?" Brianna asked.

"Because I can, okay? That's how it works. People are mean, and life's a bitch." He said. Brianna let out a frustrated sigh as she looked at Nathan. Clearly, something was wrong, and she was trying to stay patient with him, but it was getting hard.

"What the hell is your problem?!" She snapped.

"What's my problem? My problem is on the other side of the wall, and in five minutes, if I'm not perfect, they're going to eat me alive. That's my problem." Nathan snapped, and then he walked inside the gym. Brianna scoffed and shook her head as she stood there in disbelief that Nathan had just spoken to her that way. Once he was out of sight and in the gym, she made her way inside and went to the sidelines.

She wanted to know what was going on.

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Brianna noted that throughout the game, Nathan was playing really well, and he was making really good shots. He had scored over half of the total points that the Ravens had. She overheard Mouth commentating that he was trying to beat his dad's scoring record of 41 against this team. So far, he had 38 points, so he only needed 4 more to officially beat the record.

After a timeout, the boys came back to the court. Lucas passed the ball to Nathan, and depending on the shot he took, he would either be up to 40 or 41 points. Nathan held the ball and attempted to make a shot, but before he could, he started to stagger.

He shook his head and started blinking a few times as his vision started to get blurry. Brianna's eyes widened in concern. Nathan dropped the ball and started falling. The player for the other team who was defending him didn't know what was happening. He grabbed the ball and started running to the other end of the court.

Then Nathan collapsed.

Brianna's eyes widened as the rest of the Ravens basketball team ran out to the court around Nathan, and Tim called for Whitey. He knelt to Nathan and laid his hand on his chest, and Brianna's eyes started watering. The refs ran over, and she heard someone yelling for an ambulance to be called. She felt her hands being grabbed, and when she looked over, Peyton and Brooke were holding her.

What the hell just happened?

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Later that night, Brianna was in her room, and she was pacing as she left another voicemail for Nathan. After the game, when Nathan was taken out on a gurney, she ran to Karen's Cafe to tell Deb what was going on since Deb was working. Brianna was going to go to the hospital, but she knew Deb needed to be there more than her, so she offered to close up the cafe for her. She called Nathan on her way home, she didn't know if he had to have surgery or what was going on, but he didn't answer, so she was leaving another voicemail.

"Hey, Nate. It's me... I'm really worried about you. Seeing you collapse like that at the game really scared me, and I really hate the way we ended things. I know you probably can't talk right now, but please call me back when you can." Brianna sighed as she hung up her phone.

"I hate the way we left things too, Bree." Brianna was startled when she heard her name. When she turned around, Nathan was leaning against her doorway, and she frowned. Did he get up and leave the hospital without permission? "Nobody answered the door." He said when he saw her puzzled look.

"Brooke's at Luke's, and I probably didn't hear you knocking, I'm sorry," Brianna said as she put her phone down and walked over to him. "How are you?" She asked.

"Not good. Can I...-" Brianna cut him off by wrapping her arms around him and hugging him. Nathan let out a breath of relief as he immediately hugged her back and closed his eyes. "I made a lot of mistakes, Bree." He said as he pulled away and walked over to her bed. Brianna helped him sit down, and then Nathan grabbed her hands. "Sometimes because of my dad. Sometimes by choice... I just can't do it anymore." He whispered.

Brianna heard his voice crack, and it sounded like he was going to cry. Something deeper was going on here, and Brianna didn't exactly know what, but by the sounds of it, it seemed like Dan put a lot of pressure on him for this game. That was the conclusion she was drawing based on the minimum that she did know.

"Nate... it's okay." Brianna said as she sat down next to him and gently squeezed his hands. Nathan shook his head.

"No. No, it's not okay. I lived for tonight. I was so scared. I'm still terrified, and then I saw you. I promised myself that if I could just get up, walk over to you and tell you how much I need you and how much I want you, nothing else would matter." Nathan said. Brianna leaned in and gently pressed her lips against his.

Nathan immediately kissed her back, and as their lips moved together, both of them finally felt at ease. Their kiss got slightly more heated, but Brianna didn't want to do too much and risk hurting Nathan. She still wasn't sure what caused him to collapse. Brianna pulled away from the kiss first, and she walked over to her door so she could shut it.

"Bree," Nathan said, and she turned around and looked at him. "Can I stay with you tonight?" He asked. She nodded her head as she closed her door and walked back over to her bed. She and Nathan got in a comfortable position and laid down. Brianna's head was on his shoulder, and he had his arm wrapped around her.

"Nathan, don't you ever scare me like that again, okay?" She whispered. Nathan nodded his head and gently kissed her forehead as his hand ran over her back.

"I promise. I'm so sorry, Bree." He whispered back to her, and she shook her head.

"Don't be. I'm just glad you're okay."

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so sweet, these two.

don't forget to vote/comment. 

xoxo.