Heart of the Champions

Chapter 5

Ina's POV
I made up my mind on what I wanted to do. Before I knew it, I was knocking on the Scotts' door. Nathan's to be exact. I waited a few minutes before Nathan's figure appeared behind the now open door. He looked confused. "Ina? What're you doing here? I looked him up and down to take in his appearance. He was wearing a large hoodie with a pair of nike shorts. He looked good, but when doesn't he? Seeing his face almost made me forget how pissed I was at him. I snapped out my thoughts. "Listen Nathan. I've thought a lot about this. I'll tutor you." I said. A smile instantly grew on his face. "Well that's grea-" I cut him off instantly. "But it has to be on my terms and conditions. One. No one ever finds out about this. Especially Lucas. He'll never forgive me if he does. Two. It has to be whenever and where I say. No being late either. Three. Lay the fuck off of Lucas. I'm so sick and tired of you playing these stupid games." I crossed my arms in front of my chest to let him know I was being serious and was also irritated. He hard a hard expression on his face as if he was trying to decide what he wanted to do. A second later he looked up and said, "Deal." I was shocked he agreed so easily to my rules. I nodded my head at him and said, "Okay. 7 a.m. tomorrow morning at the market dock." He looked confused but nodded anyways. "But what about the tutoring center?" he asked. I shook my head no quickly. "Hell no. Too many people there. The dock. Take it or leave it."  I said. He smiled. "Okay. See you tomorrow bright and early." I gave him a quick nod before turning to make my way to the car. I let out a huge breath I didn't know I was holding in. Why was my heart racing so much? I got into my car and drove home wondering if I made the right decision or not. What did I just get myself into?

The Next Morning 

I woke up super early to make it to the dock on time. I packed everything up the night before and set out my outfit. I was wearing a fitted black and white striped crop top, a pair of black ripped jeans, and my black hightop converse. I left my hair in it's natural state and also decided to keep my face natural except for mascara. I drove to the dock and got out all of Nathan's files. I was waiting for a good 15 minutes before he showed up. He was carrying a box of some type of candy and two coffees. "You're late." I said, clearly irritated with the fact he was already taking this as a joke. "Hey, I'm sorry. I brought us breakfast. Breakfast of champions." he said while grinning. I watched him open the Cracker Jack box and peek inside. He pulled out a cheesy bracelet and instantly looked at me. A huge grin suddenly made its way onto his face. "Here for you. Don't say I never gave you anything." he said as he grabbed my wrist and carefully placed the bracelet on it. I jerked my hand away and picked up a math book. This kid needs an awakening. "Do you see this book? This is math. I am math because math doesn't give a shit about all your bluster and bs. You can work your I'm big shot Nathan Scott all you want but at the end of the day, math doesn't care and neither do I." I said seriously. He smiled at me. "Does English care? Because I suck at that too." he said. I instantly got pissed. This boy is so selfish. Does he not realize what I'm risking to help him? I let out a groan of frustration and ran my fingers through my hair. "Nathan. If you're not going to be serious about this then do not waste my time. I'm already taking a huge chance on you." I placed my head into my hands and stared at him waiting for a response. He could tell I was frustrated. His playful smile had fallen and he scratched the back of his neck. "I'm sorry. I'm serious about this Ina." I studied his face closely. He looked sincere, so I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and said, "Alright. Let's get started then." 

Later In The Day

School flew by once again. It was weird not seeing or talking to Luke though. I knew he was avoiding me, but he couldn't once volleyball practice came around. I started getting ready for it. I threw on an oversized t-shirt and same black spandex along with my shoes and kneepads. I threw my hair into a messy bun and was ready to go. I knew I had to work things out with Lucas after practice, and for some reason, I was nervous. Before I knew it, I was snapped out of my thoughts and was forced to warm up. I was so excited for volleyball though just because I can use it as a chance to take out my anger. Once we started scrimmaging, I let it all out. All my frustration with Nathan, Lucas, Peyton, just everything. I don't think I have ever hit that hard before in my life. 

Lucas' POV

I was watching Ina warm up and I stared at her every movement. She's perfect. They way she hits the ball, how she looks in that baggy t-shirt. Man... I wouldn't mind seeing her like that in my room. Oh my god. What is wrong with me? I knew things were still kind of tense between us, and I wanted to fix things but I can't just yet. I think I may have feelings for Ina and I don't know what to do about them. I mean, we've been best friends for forever. What would she do if she knew I cared about her like that? I don't want to ruin our friendship. I'm hoping that this is a phase that will blow over, because this is killing me right now. Just the thought of her with another guy is infuriating me. I looked over to the rest of the team and sure enough, they were all watching her. None of them deserve her. I was snapped out of my thoughts as I looked at an approaching Ina. She ran up and threw her sweaty arms around me. "I'm sorry Luke." She whispered in my ear. I couldn't help but close my eyes and take in her embrace. I smiled. This is where she's supposed to be. She should be in my arms. I wanted to smack myself for not realizing this sooner. Now that I see her as more than a friend, I'm wondering how I went so long without thinking twice about our friendship before. "I'm sorry too Ina." I said. She snuggled herself closer into me when I said that and my heart melted. She gave me one more little squeeze before removing her embrace from mine and running off to go play again. That girl will be the death of me.

Nathan's POV

I knew I had a pissed off expression on my face as I watched Ina and Lucas. I couldn't help but be jealous. Ina deserves someone who's going to treat her right. A real man. Not Lucas Scott for god's sake. I thought about how I would treat her if she was mine. It's something I've never imagined myself doing for a girl before. The thought actually scared me. Was I willing to change my ways for her? I took the time to study her. Just at that moment she was in a huddle with her team and someone said something that made her laugh. Her eyes lit up and she had the biggest smile on her face. Yeah. I would do absolutely anything for that girl and I plan to make sure she knows it.