𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆: 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐚 𝐋𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬

...🏀...

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓, 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟓

A smile graced my lips as I grabbed my books from my locker, feeling Nathan's gentle kiss against my cheek. Biting my lip to hide my grin, I closed my locker and slipped the books into my bag.

Nathan reached for my bag, but I swatted his hand away playfully. "Nathan."

"I'm carrying it," he insisted, taking the bag from my grasp. I knew there was no point in arguing; he'd carry it no matter what. "Don't fight me."

I glared at him playfully. "I'll win one day."

"I doubt that," he replied, slinging my bag over his shoulder and his own. His gaze shifted to an orange flyer on the wall. "What are these auditions?"

"Oh, um... I think Peyton's having an 'All-Ages' night at Karen's Club. She's looking for bands or something," I answered.

"When do you go on?" Nathan asked, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah, not happening," I said, shaking my head.

"Mylah," Nathan sighed, raising his eyebrows. "You're good."

I brushed a stray curl from my high, messy bun out of my face. "It's one thing to sing for you and my family. But a crowd is a whole other thing."

I loved to sing, and music was my passion, but the thought of all eyes on me, watching and judging, was more than I could handle.

"Nathan," Whitey's voice called out. I turned to see him holding a letter out to Nathan. "A letter came for you through my office."

"What is it?" Nathan wondered, taking the letter.

"How the hell should I know?!" Whitey grumbled. "Do I look like the damn postmaster general?!"

I grabbed Nathan's hand and pulled him down the hall towards my first class. "I think you should talk to him."

"For biting my head off?" Nathan said.

I shook my head. "No, he's scared about the surgery." Nathan raised an eyebrow. "That's what my dad told me, anyway."

"I'll try," Nathan said. "But I don't think Coach will listen to me."

I shrugged. "He just needs to know there's someone in his corner." Standing outside my classroom, I reached out to grab my bag. "Can I have it back now?"

"Fine." Nathan sighed, handing it to me. Then he grabbed my waist, pulling me close. "I'll be waiting out here when you're done."

A big smile spread across my lips. "Okay, Scott." I stood on my toes and kissed him before entering the classroom, feeling happiness engulf me.

...🏀...

"Read it," Nathan told me as we sat on the beach, me nestled comfortably in his lap.

I grabbed the letter from his hand, curiosity piquing my interest. "Should I be scared?"

"I don't think so," Nathan said, a hint of a smile on his lips.

I opened the letter and scrunched my nose as I read. My eyes widened slowly, and I turned to face him, excitement bubbling inside me. "You got into High Flyers?!"

"Yeah," Nathan breathed, a mix of pride and disbelief in his voice.

I grinned broadly. "That's amazing."

"It's at this Allstar basketball boot camp," Nathan began, pointing to the name in the letter still in my hand. "Milt West scouts the best players in the country and invites them down to Florida to work on their skills."

I knew Nathan deserved this, especially after dealing with his parents' divorce and all the stress it brought. "I'm so happy for you."

"But?" Nathan asked, sensing the hesitation in my voice.

I shrugged, trying to hide my concern. "It's three months." Nathan wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back against his chest. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm not going," Nathan revealed.

I sat up abruptly, turning to see the truth in his eyes. "Excuse me?"

"It'll be three months away from you and Leila," Nathan explained, resting his arms on his knees. "It wouldn't be fair to you, especially when we just started seeing each other."

I stood up, shaking the sand off my legs. "I'll be okay, Nathan." He followed me, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. "You earned this. Don't throw it away, especially not for me."

"If basketball ended for me today, do you know how I would feel?" Nathan asked. I shook my head, unable to guess. "I would be sad, but only for a moment," he continued, grabbing my hand and rubbing his thumb in soothing circles. "Because I would have you and Leila. That's all I need."

I glanced at our entwined hands, the warmth of his touch steadying me. "I became a mother at sixteen. Do you really want to be a part of this, Nathan?" I lifted my gaze to meet his piercing blue eyes. "What about your future?"

"You are my future," Nathan said, his voice firm and sincere. He placed his hands on my cheeks, his touch gentle. "Our parents might think I'm too young to know, but I know I'm a better person because of you. And when I look into the future, I only see you and Leila by my side."

My heart melted at his words, a warmth spreading through me. "I hate when you do that." He furrowed his brows in confusion. "I can't argue with you now." A laugh escaped Nathan's lips as he shook his head. "But you're going to Whitey and asking to do the summer program."

"Mylah," Nathan sighed, dropping his hands.

I pointed my finger at his chest. "Nathan, basketball is your dream; you deserve to live it." A small smile tugged at my lips. "Leila and I will still be here when you come back."

"Promise?" Nathan asked, his eyes searching mine.

I grabbed the back of Nathan's neck and kissed him, pouring all my feelings into the kiss, not holding anything back so he knew exactly how much I cared. The warmth of his lips, the firmness of his grip around my waist, and his taste filled me with a sense of belonging and security I hadn't felt in a long time.

When I finally pulled back, needing to catch my breath, Nathan stared at me with a dazed look. His pupils were dilated, and his breath came in short gasps.

"Does that answer your question?" I asked, my voice soft.

"Mmhmm." Nathan nodded, pulling me flush against his chest and touching my cheek. "But I think I need to make sure."

A laugh escaped my lips and was swallowed by Nathan as he kissed me again, this time with a bruising intensity that left no doubt in my mind about how he felt.

...🏀...

I sat with Peyton in the empty club, looking tired and slightly disheartened. The girl on stage was singing, but the notes were all wrong, and I cringed as she hit another sour note. Peyton leaned over to me, her voice low so only I could hear.

"Why don't we just call it 'Club Suck'?"

I couldn't help but smile at that. Peyton turned to the girl on stage with a fake, cheery voice.

"Hey, thank you, that was, that was...uh."

"Something," I finished for her with a shrug.

"Great. That was great. Um... we'll...let you know," Peyton said, waving the girl off. The girl walked off stage, looking upset.

"That was the last of them," Peyton sighed.

"We can go with the balding wedding band or the bad ballad guy," I suggested, feeling just as tired.

Peyton smiled ruefully. "Great, so club no-name has no acts." The laptop in front of us pinged, and Peyton glanced at it. "Huh, Nathan just sent me an MP3."

"Nathan?" I asked, frowning as my voice suddenly started playing through the laptop's speakers. "Oh, that's a virus!" I tried to turn it off, but Peyton grabbed my hands to stop me.

"Stop!" Peyton pushed me back, grinning as she listened to the song.

My voice filled the room, singing the lyrics I had written. "Close off from love, I didn't need the pain. Once or twice was enough, and it was all in vain."

Peyton's eyes sparkled. "Why did we even bother having auditions? Mylah, this is awesome!"

"It's—" I started, but the back door opened, and a guy in a red plaid shirt walked in, carrying a crate of CDs.

"Oh, it's the rude record store guy. Um, can you just put the CDs by the side of the stage? Thank you," Peyton said.

My song continued to play. "My heart melted to the ground found somethin' true. And everyone's looking 'round thinking I'm going crazy, ooh."

"How many other songs have you written?" Peyton asked, turning to me.

I stopped the recording. "I dunno. Maybe like...20."

"20?!" Peyton's eyes widened. "Alright, well, you're gonna open."

"Uh, NO! I'm not!" I protested.

"You choreographed an entire cheer routine in three hours, and Brooke told me you used to dance," Peyton reminded me.

"One, I was not out there performing. Two, yes, I used to dance, but that was a long time ago. You're going to have to find someone else. I'm serious, Peyton," I said firmly.

A guitar strummed, drawing our attention to the stage. The guy was sitting on a stool with a mic in front of him, playing the guitar. He started to sing, and both Peyton and I exchanged astonished glances.

"Everywhere you go, perfection. Follows you the wrong direction, And you will never see it for, You get all that you need, and more, You see it."

"You want it, You find it, it's yours. But you can't say what you want or Take what you want or Choose the moods that you fake when you want, You said your life needed something special, Which you don't have, Yeah, well aren't you glad, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeaaah,"

I looked at the guy, impressed by his talent. "I think he's your man."

Peyton didn't look pleased, but I got up from my chair and walked over to the stage. "You were great."

"Yeah, I know. I'm Chris. When do I play?" he asked.

"Um...," I began, glancing at Peyton.

Peyton cut me off rudely. "You're okay, but we had a lot of really good people show up today. So...we'll call you."

"Whatever. Not Emo enough for you?" Chris asked, smirking. "Hey, I heard your song, it's not bad. The key F major was an interesting choice. I wouldn't have chosen it, but you pulled it off."

As Chris walked off stage, I turned to Peyton. "He's your best shot."

"Yeah, he's good, but... he's a jerk! And... he's like...arrogant and self-righteous," Peyton complained.

"Are you going to date him?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Peyton shook her head. "No."

"Then ignore his cocky attitude. It's for the club, right?" I reasoned.

Peyton sighed. "Yeah. But I don't need him, Mylah, I've got you!" She looked at me earnestly. "Think about it, Okay? You can do this."

I just stared at Peyton. She looked at me with hope, but I couldn't help feeling nervous about performing in front of a crowd.

Could I really do this?

...🏀...

I headed into my room, the frustration still simmering inside me. I barged over to my balcony, throwing open the doors. Nathan leaned against the rail, gazing at the dark, star-speckled sky. I stormed up to him, placing a hand on the railing beside his.

"How were the auditions?" Nathan asked, his voice calm and unbothered.

"You sent my music to Peyton," I shot back.

He looked at me, a small smile playing on his lips. "She liked it, didn't she?"

"Yeah, but that's beside the point, Nathan," I said, my voice tinged with frustration.

Nathan sighed. "Mylah, you wouldn't listen to me. Besides, I believe in you when you don't believe in yourself. You did it for me, so I'm going to do it for you."

His words softened my resolve, and I shrugged, whispering, "Not fair. I wanted to be mad at you."

Nathan laughed, the sound warm and reassuring. "So, will you play?"

I sighed, feeling the weight of his question. "Are you going to High Flyers?"

He nodded, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Then yes, I'm going to play," I said, deciding on my drive from the club to my house that if I encouraged Nathan to follow his dreams, I needed to do the same.

Nathan pulled me into his arms, and I looked up at the sky, a smile spreading across my face as a meteor streaked past the glittering night sky.

"Still mad at me?" he asked, his voice soft in my ear.

"No. Just don't let me commit social suicide," I replied, my tone lighter.

He laughed again and kissed my cheek, pulling me closer to his chest. I continued looking at the sky, feeling peaceful in Nathan's arms.

...🏀...

Walking around TRIC, I watched people dancing and having fun in the club. Anxiety welled within me as I approached the DJ booth where Peyton stood, headphones on her head.

"Hey," I said, my voice barely audible over the music.

Peyton took off her headphones and leaned closer. "What?"

"I don't think I can do this," I repeated, feeling the panic rise.

Peyton's eyes widened. "And you're telling me this now?!"

I glanced around at the crowd, the sea of faces making my heart race. "There's all these people..."

Before I could say more, a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side. Lucas stood there, his expression serious. "I've got this, Peyton."

He led me a little away from the DJ booth into the crowd. "Nathan told me you're supposed to sing tonight."

I hugged my arms to myself, feeling small. "Not anymore."

Nathan appeared beside his brother, concern etched on his face. "Peyton told me you're backing out?"

All I could do was nod, the weight of the decision pressing on my chest.

"Why?" Nathan asked, his voice gentle.

"Look, I know I said I was going to do this," I began, trying to keep my voice steady. "But being here and seeing all these people... having to sing in front of them. I just can't."

Nathan grabbed my hand and pulled me closer, his blue eyes searching mine. "You can do this, Mylah."

I bit my cheek, feeling the pressure. "Nathan..."

He cupped my cheeks, his touch warm and reassuring. "This is your moment, Mylah. Just imagine it's me and you in your living room."

His belief in me shone through his eyes, and I could feel it bolstering my resolve. My family might not be here to support me, but Nathan was, and that meant everything.

I nodded slowly. "Okay."

A smile spread across his face, and he kissed my forehead before heading back probably to tell Peyton I hadn't backed out.

Lucas stayed by my side. "I don't like him, but he's good for you."

I smiled, turning to face my best friend. "Yeah, he is. And I know you're lying about not liking him."

"Debatable," Lucas replied with a smirk.

Taking a deep breath, I moved toward the stage. The keyboard sat there, waiting for me. I sat down and let out a breath, resting my hands over the keys. Closing my eyes, I began to sing.

"Closed off from love, I didn't need the pain..."

The crowd went silent, and I opened my eyes, seeing everyone watching me. I continued, feeling more confident with each note.

"Trying hard not to hear, but they talk so loud. Their piercing sounds fill my ears, try to fill me with doubt. Yet I know that their goal is to keep me from falling, hey, oh."

My eyes found Nathan in the crowd, his smile giving me the strength I needed.

"And it's draining all of me. Though they find it hard to believe. I'll be wearing these scars for everyone to see."

I paused, letting my hands move over the keyboard.

"They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth. My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing. Oh, you cut me open, and I..."

As I finished the song, I lifted my head, looking at Nathan. His smile was all the reassurance I needed.

"Oh, you cut me open, and I. Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding, love."

I lifted my hands from the keyboard, unsure of the response. There was a moment's pause before the club erupted in applause. I smiled, feeling a rush of happiness.

"Alright!" Nathan shouted proudly, clapping.

"Alright, Mylah!" Peyton cheered.

"Wooow!" Karen exclaimed.

Lucas smiled and clapped, his support evident.

"Thank you," I said shyly, walking off the stage and pushing through the crowd toward Nathan. He smiled at me, and I jumped into his arms. Nathan caught me and wrapped his arms around me.

"You were amazing," he said, pride shining.

I pulled back as my feet hit the ground, grabbing the collar of his shirt and kissing him. My heart raced as our lips met, and everything else faded away. The noise of the club, the people around us—it all disappeared, leaving just the two of us in that moment.

Nathan's arms tightened around me, pulling me closer as he deepened the kiss. I felt a rush of warmth spread through me, my hands gripping his shirt like a lifeline. When we finally broke apart, I looked up into his eyes, seeing a mix of pride and adoration that made my heart swell.

"Do you want to stay longer?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"No," Nathan shook his head. "I have work in the morning."

He pulled me to his side, and I nestled against him, feeling safe and content. "Want to get out of here?"

"Yeah," I said, smiling.

"If we make it home before my parents, they can't catch you sneaking into my room." Nathan said.

"I think you're addicted to sleeping by my side at night." I told him.

"Maybe." He shrugged, a teasing smile on his lips. "But don't deny that you like using me as a pillow."

"I never said I didn't," I replied, a smirk playing on my lips. "But you have to leave in the morning. If my dad finds you, he'll kill you."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Nathan said, pulling me out of the club.

...🏀...

𝐀/𝐍: I UPDATED AGAIN!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 122K READS.

So Mylah finally sang in front of a crowd of people. Which will be important for the rest of this book. There were some cute Nathan and Mylah's moments in this chapter. I just want to let you guys know that Nathan and Mylah's story in season two will be different not the same like Nathan and Haley's in the actual show.

THANK YOU TO 963 FOLLOWERS.

Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter.

𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒: What did you like about this chapter? How do you feel about Mylah singing? What season of OTH is your favorite?

-𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑎𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘