The Shape of Things to Come
By Grace (purplemud)
Email: purplewitch10yahoo(dot)com
Standard disclaimers apply. Me don't own.
Pairing: Laley friendship-centric, dash and bit of Naley and Brucas
Rating: PG 13
Spoilers: Some Season 3
Summary: Lunch at Tree Hill High. Lucas broods and Haley interrupts.
One Shot (Possibly. For now)
Author's note: Because I miss the Laley friendship in Season 1.
Charles Dickens once wrote: Affection, mature affection, homage, devotion, does not easily express itself. Its voice is low. It is modest and retiring. It lies in ambush, waits and waits. (David Copperfield)
Lunch at Tree Hill High. Nothing really impressive about it at all, especially not with Today's Special, which, as far as Lucas could remember, had actually been Two Day's Ago Special. Reheated.
And over at the Cheering Squad-Jocks Only Section, Brooke Davis, looking hot as ever, seems to be having the time of her life being spoon-fed by some nameless Football Jock, with muscles the size of a basketball.
Non-exclusive his ass.
He should've sat there, Lucas thinks, a little irritated. He should be there. After all, he is officially part of that circle now, no longer the tortured proverbial outsider. But then claiming that social spot would require being near Nathan, who is still pissed at him for a list of several things he had done, all of which, he thinks personally, his younger brother ought to be thankful for. Of course, trust the younger, more immature sibling to not see the good intention, only the bad results.
Lucas snorts and for what seemed like the millionth time, wonders how his life had suddenly become a never ending episode of teen-angst- shattered -romantic-hopes-and-dreams-primetime-family-drama. What is that show Haley kept on mentioning a year ago? Something about Dawson and Joey's Creek.
Just drown him now.
"Hey Squinty."
Looking up and finally having a reason to smile, Lucas, if possible, squints his eyes even more, mock-grimacing at the new nickname. "Broody sounds so much better."
"Really?" Haley asks, looking not at all amused. When he didn't say anything, somewhat at a loss on how to actually answer that, he uses the universal Whatever Gesture: a helpless shrug and a half-shake of the head.
He watches wordlessly as Haley's eyebrows rose to newer heights. A silent, but rather more effective way of reiterating her question. She leans over and attempts to imitate his broody-slash-squinty look.
"I do not look like that!" He argues. And damn it because he couldn't help it. He squints right back at her.
She scoffs at this and shakes her head. "Broody is Brooke's nickname for you. I have to be original." She slides into the empty seat across from him, her back to the Cheerleader/Jocks Only Section. Good reason why. Good angling too.
And now suddenly, this seems so much more familiar.
Except now, Haley James isn't Haley James anymore but is actually Haley James-Scott, one time rocker chic, touring the US with her guitar, opening for The Wreckers, rubbing elbows with celebrities and oh, hanging out with The Worlds Biggest Jackass Chris Keller. Gotta remember that.
"That's you, definitely." He quips, smirking as he silently watch her do her Haley James lunch routine of arranging everything first in the order she likes (bottle of water to the right, fork to the left, food center of table, Calc book two inches within her reach) before starting her lunch, which was, gasp, the customary, mac and cheese.
"You haven't been brooding much." Haley said, curling her upper lips, "In fact, you've been a take-action kind of guy lately, so yey, good for you, even though you haven't really gotten yourself an exclusive girlfriend yet, but never fear, there's always that chance that you might get a surprise Friday Night Booty Call."
Well now, some good news, finally. "Did Brooke say something about a surprise Friday Night Booty Call?"
Haley lets out what seems like strangled laughter before batting her eyelashes, "Maybe. Maybe not."
He leans back, shakes his head and thinks about it. He thinks about Brooke and making out with her, thinks about all the things he wants to do to her, with her. He visualizes it with startling clarity, HDTV-like, full color, surround sound and then forces himself to shake it all of. He heaves a tired, heavy sigh. "I think I'm gonna have to take a rain check on that."
He listens to her gasp of surprise and rolls his eyes at her overly-dramatic reaction. For a split second, Lucas wants to echo her, let out his own gasp of disbelief, because seriously, had he really said that out loud? Because, one of these days, he would have to pull his head out of his ass and just be thankful, just be really, really thankful that Brooke Davis is even considering him for a late night Booty Call.
"Wow, I am so digging this new you. Suddenly, you can say no to Brooke!"
Squint, frown, tilt of head. "Digging?"
"Well, euw, not like that." Haley quickly amends, shuddering at the very idea. She shakes it off, wiggling her shoulder blades a little. She pauses to look at some fixed point, way beyond the fences of their school and then suddenly turns, frowns and asks: "Don't you think maybe she wants to be chased?"
"I'm done with playing games." Lucas answers honestly. Last year it had been his downfall and maybe it was because he clearly wasn't used to the rules of the popular kids. Plus, he hadn't really had the time to process the sudden change in his social status. He couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something so wrong about his acceptance into this world. Granted that he had to go through a series of Nathan's jack-assed hazing rituals, but it still seemed so… jarring.
Be a high school basketball star and suddenly you're in. But what about the rest of the years before? When there were only a handful of people who greeted him as he walked down the hallways? When people looked away every time he and Nathan happened to be in the same room?
"Maybe you should tell her that, instead of, I don't know, just hanging out here and hiding."
Hiding. Haley always nails it but this time, it's because she's practically doing the same thing. "And what about you?" He asks, letting his concern show.
"Me? Dude, you totally looked all sad and lonely sitting there, like, from a mile. I'm just doing my bestfriend duties, be thankful, buddy." She's teasing him, but he could sense that her heart isn't in it at all.
The false cheeriness in her voice insults him a little. It's as though she's forgotten just exactly how long they had been friends. Ten years. And he's sure as hell could read her clearly. He knows when she's having a bad day. She didn't have to pretend. Especially when there's no one else around and it was just that two of them.
This is the one thing he hadn't yet screwed up, his friendship with Haley, and somebody ought to hit him with a giant anvil, Road Runner style, if he ever finds himself screwing this up. So, Haley is just going to have to forgive him if he decides not to join her Let's Pretend Everything Is Ok Party. He didn't get the invitation to that one.
"Nate still not talking to you?" He asks, in a gentle voice, hoping to sound encouraging.
"No. No. No." She replies in a sing-song voice, surprising him. "We had a nice little chat about divorce the other night, so we're definitely back in speaking terms."
"Haley." He begins, uncertain of what to do. What to say. Just to make things better for her. He reaches out to touch her hand, squeezing it gently, a reassurance, show of support, a shot of strength, whatever it is that Haley needs, even though he knows she's being incredibly stubborn about it – about everything – acting as though she didn't need any of those things.
Haley James-Scott: great singer, bad actress.
Oblivious to his tone and continuing with her cheery, albeit forced, disposition, Haley leans over and rests her chin on her open palm. She does her I-Just-Discovered-Some-Fun-Fact-wide-eyed look, "Oh! And did you know that the good 'ole state requires estranged couples – that would be me and Nathan – to be separated for a year before they grant a divorce. There it is! My silver lining!"
Unable to stop himself, Lucas lets out a small chuckle. Trust Haley to see a bright side in all of these. "Uh-huh?"
"Yeah. Definitely." An enthusiastic nod of the head, brown-blonde hair (Lucas wasn't sure anymore) flying everywhere. "The way I see it, I have one year to un-mess-up my life. 12 months. I like deadlines. I work well with deadlines."
Babbling now. Good sign? Bad sign? Lucas tilts his head, trying to think up of something to make Haley stop being so un-Haley like, even with all the forced Haley-ness around her. But then again, would he rather have her crying her eyes out in the open? For everyone to see?
He stares at her, long and hard and it's the kind of stare he'd used whenever she's being stubborn. It's one of his few anti-Haley-stubbornness tactics that rarely fails him. Usually, in just a few second, she'd relent and finally tell him what was really wrong. Today, though, The Stare isn't helping. Her eyes were silently pleading with him to just go with the banter, at least, for now anyway.
Exasperated, Lucas raises a finger at her, makes his squinty-one-eyed-warning look and shakes his head. "Sometimes, I forget how geeky you are." He snorts, stabs a piece of his lunch before shoving it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Maybe some things never change and it's one of those days when that particular universal truth becomes somewhat reassuring. "Save your marriage, work on a deadline."
This earns him a small, slow genuine smile of thanks. "Exactly. And if all fails, I could always get a good lawyer. Drag the divorce for all eternity. Always and forever, right?" Everything was said in a light tone, with a self-depreciating smile but her eyes were dark, so unanimated, so…blank. None of the old playful twinkle.
"I was thinking Attorney Guerin would do." She added quietly, her tone suddenly serious.
Lucas sits up straighter. He didn't think things were so serious. No one had mentioned lawyers before. "Attorney who?"
Haley stops, fork frozen in mid air, frowning at him. "Oh, you know, the lawyer my dad occasionally plays golf with." Flippant wave of the hand, eyebrow twitch.
There's a second of confused silence before he realizes that Haley is watching him, a spark of that old twinkle back in her huge brown eyes.
Rolling his eyes, he tosses a crumpled piece of tissue paper her way. She quickly euw-ed swatting at his hands when he tries to launch another attack.
If there was one sport Jimmy James hated with passion, it was golf. In fact, he had went as far as calling it a sissy sport and had a lot to say when he found out that Nathan had once gone on a weekend trip with Dan to play golf at an exclusive hoity-toity country club.
"You're funny." Lucas grins, shaking his head. It's nice to see some of the old Haley back. Being able to joke about the whole thing, even though it wasn't a laughing matter, this divorce, it was so Haley. Sooner or later, though, Lucas thinks sobering, she'll have to let go of this defense mechanism.
Her sarcasm and humor, though potent weapons, would not be enough. It might have worked for her when she was younger and feeling quite neglected, being the youngest child, always vying for her parent's attention and never really getting it, up until she was practically the only one left in the house, which was kind of pointless and moot, as Haley had once told him. Flippant, as always, but never without that the almost-but-not quite-there sadness in her voice.
That was the Haley James that Lucas knew and grew up with. Sunshiny with just the fringes of sadness around her, never, ever with the kind of drama that Brooke and Peyton always carried and indulged around with.
Haley James-Scott however was now ephemeral sunshine, dark clouds hovering above her, already knee-high with the kind of drama involving a marriage, a short-lived, abandoned music career and a possible divorce all at 17.
He really needs to knock some sense into Nathan. There has to be a way to whack Nathan's head (and, if it comes to it, Haley's too) to induce selective amnesia, forget about the summer and just pick up from where they left off: sickeningly sweet, revoltingly in love and boringly married couple. Brooke's word. Not his.
He gives Haley another 'you-sure-you're-ok-look?' which she answers with a roll of her eyes. He's about to say something more, when he feels someone's eyes on them. Frowning, trying to be as discreet as possible, he angles his head and finds himself staring into Nathan's full on pissed-off face.
What'd he do now? Lucas wonders, clenching his jaws.
"I think he's trying to burn a hole right through me." Haley sighs, wincing a little. "He did the same silent-staring thing during our English class. It's kinda stalker-ish actually. I'm just not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing."
Lucas has to hand it to his brother. For all of Nathan's groveling about divorce and annulment, it's still pretty obvious he's as possessive as ever and that he wants Haley back. The poor boy just didn't know it yet.
Well, at least Lucas could work on that.
"C'mmere and we'll make it a good thing." He leans forward, messes up Haley's hair, a life threatening maneuver, by the way, and is rewarded by Haley giggling out loud, leaning over to smack him hard in the shoulder. He grabs her wrist, pulls her over to him, stretching her across the table and hopefully, displaying the pesky number 23 tattooed on her back.
A little reminder to his baby brother.
That'll probably get Nathan all hot and bothered – euw, gross, by the way – until next period, but hey, whatever works.
"You're gonna be ok, I promised you that, didn't I?"
Lips curling upward in a real smile, Haley sniffs delicately, "I know, thanks, but you still messed up my hair, buddy." This time it's the spine of her calc book hitting him squarely in the shoulder.
Ouch. "Son of a…" The things he'd do for Haley and Nathan.
"And I love you for it." She said, reaching out to pinch his nose, "Squinty."
Well, mostly just for Haley. "And I love you too."
And this time, the smile finally reaches her eyes. Yes! Score!
He sneaks another glance at Nathan, who's now nowhere in sight and is currently replaced by Brooke, smiling at him with that inviting, be-dimpled, come-on-over smile of hers.
Lucas couldn't help but smile back, knowing that it's the goofy-I-miss-you smile that Haley always said makes him look cross-eyed.
Crap.
He's really in for some real drama this year. Lucas could already tell. Between Haley and Nathan's epic love story gone wrong and his unsuccessful quest of getting Brooke Davis back – exclusively – this is going to be a real long year.