1.
Nathan placed his last folded shirt into his duffle bag before zipping it closed. He picked it up and tossed it in the corner with his larger suitcase and gym bag, which he hoped would be enough for the summer ahead of him. In the morning, Nathan would have to carry all of his bags downstairs and pack them in his father's Range Rover.
"That's the last of it," Nathan crossed his arms and let out a sigh. Then he turned to his girlfriend, Peyton Sawyer, who was sitting with her legs crossed on his bed. She was looking down and playing with her fingers nervously.
Nathan titled his head to the side, "What is it?"
"It just sucks that you're leaving for the entire summer tomorrow. I thought we would have time to actually spend it together." Peyton looked up from her chipped black nail polish on her fingers.
Nathan walked over and plopped himself next to her. "It won't be so bad, Peyton. We can write letters," he placed a hot wet kiss on her neck, "and webcam." He said huskily.
Peyton pushed him away. "Down, boy. I don't need your parents hearing us."
He sat up again. "Like that's ever stopped you before. Come on, are you sure you're going to last three months without having sex with me?"
"I've lived without it before." She stated.
Nathan held up his hands in surrender and let out a chuckle. "All right. What do you suggest we do then? We did get invited to the River Court for my farewell party tonight. Are you up for it?"
"I don't know. I thought we were going to spend your last night together."
Nathan shrugged. "I kind of want to spend it with all the guys. I am going to the best basketball camp in the state and I can't talk about basketball with you."
During his sophomore year, Nathan's father, Dan Scott, contacted scouts from an elite high school basketball camp called High Flyers. One of the scouts had come to one of last year's playoff games to watch Nathan play. Dan felt that his son was more than qualified for a spot. The camp only allowed one student per school to participate so Nathan had to make sure that none of his teammates tried to outshine him. His efforts definitely seemed to impress the scout. A couple of weeks ago Nathan had received his acceptance letter in the mail and couldn't wait to go so he could play with other talented players.
"Sorry, I just think there's more important things in life than shooting a ball through a hoop."
Nathan was tired of hearing Peyton depict at the sport that he loved to play. It was what got him on the map at school and it was something that he could connect with his father through. The court was where he could show off his talent and be known as the best.
Nathan stood up from his bed showing his annoyance. "Let me guess, we were just going to sit in your room and listen to your loser rock? That doesn't sound like the night I want to have before I leave."
As always, Nathan regretted what he said to her. Music and art were what basketball was to him. Plus, being the guy that he was, knew that there was potential make up sex involved.
He walked over and put his hands on her thin waist. "Look, I'm sorry I said that. I just want to have some fun tonight. Okay, Peyton?" His voice was softer in order to get her to forgive him.
She didn't respond as his lips decided that it was fine to just devour hers. Like always, she gave into his sloppy kisses. Peyton couldn't stand whenever she and Nathan fought. She stayed with him through much worse fights. A major part of why they were still in their relationship was because Peyton didn't like being alone. Her mother had passed away when she was younger and her father was somewhere out at sea.
Nathan pulled away and dropped his hold on her tiny frame. Then he walked over to his desk to pick up his keys. He pulled off his shirt and discarded it on the floor before rummaging through what was left of his unpacked wardrobe for a clean polo shirt. It was like Peyton wasn't even around as he walked out of the room and hurried down the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Peyton followed him out and crossed her arms over her chest. She stood at the top of the stairs and caught him as he was opening his front door.
"To go meet the guys." He said sounding clueless and acting innocent. "What?"
"So you were just going to leave me here?"
"No. He quickly looked through the small space where he was able to open the door to. "You came over in your car, which I actually need you to move so I can pull out of the driveway so I can get out." His blue eyes looked back to her angry and annoyed green ones.
"You are unbelievable, you know that?" She said grumpily as she walked down the stairs.
"I didn't know this was going to be such a huge deal. Give me your keys and I'll just move it myself."
"What happened to the Nathan Scott that just apologized to me upstairs? You're like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Ass."
Nathan shrugged and slammed the door behind him. He got in his car and waited for Peyton to take her sweet time to move her car.
He didn't know how the almost 2 year relationship had turned into this. They used to be able to have a great time together. That mostly contained making out, which led to other activities. All the two ever did was fight, feel guilty, and hook up. Nathan was tired of it and he knew that Peyton was, too. Nathan didn't want the relationship to end because he was selfish and reflected on their good times together.
Going to High Flyers for the entire summer was probably going to do them both some good. It would give them a break from seeing each other everyday and give them time to focus on having a memorable summer before their final year of high school had to start.
He watched as Peyton walked past his car and he let out a frustrated sigh as he placed his head against his headrest. His eyes traveled to his mirror, where he could see her back up her car quickly and speed away. The screech of her tires could be heard as she made a turn down the road.
Nathan started up his car, which instantly was filled with the sound of his radio's bass system as hip-hop music blared through his speakers. As Peyton did, Nathan pressed hard on the gas to get out of the driveway.
.
"Yo, look who finally decided to show!" Skills shouted as Nathan slammed his car door shut.
His friends and team members hung around the bleachers with a few coolers filled with beers.
"What took you so long?" Skill motioned to their friend, Tim, to toss Nathan a can of beer. "Was Peyton giving you some special goodbye?"
Nathan caught the beer and shook his head as the can hissed when he opened it. "Peyton's not too happy with me right now. She kind of wanted to spend time alone together before I leave tomorrow."
"And you chose to sit around and drink beer with us? You could be gettin' some right now. Man, you're an idiot." He set his empty can on the bleachers and grabbed a full one.
"She'll understand eventually that I wanted to spend the night with you guys because I'm not going to be around for three months. I thought you would appreciate the gesture."
"I'd appreciate you more if you were having sex with your girlfriend right now."
Nathan smirked as he took another sip from his can. Having sex with Peyton was something he was too used to. Whenever they had it they were either bored or pissed off at each other. There was never a time where they were doing it because of how they felt about each other, which Nathan didn't truly know the answer to. All he was convinced about was that he was too young to fully love another person.
"I'm going to miss you, too, Skills." Nathan joked.
"Whatever you say. This puts you in the same class as Tim, you know. You're the white boys who ain't getting' any of the group." He shrugged.
"Cool, I'm finally on the same level as you, Nate." Tim hopped off the bleachers to give Nathan a high five.
Nathan just shook his head and finished off his beer. "I can't believe I might even miss you. There aren't going to be guys like you at High Flyers."
"Yeah, he's going to be with the big dawgs." Skills nodded as he picked up the basketball and began to dribble it. "They ain't got what I got, though. Street cred." Skills shot the ball and it sailed straight through the next.
Nathan tossed his can aside while the other guys stood up from the bleachers to start up a game of basketball.
"Instead of shooting for teams how 'bout we shoot for who gets stuck wit Tim? Then again, I had his ass last time, but since this is your party I guess I'll just take him." Skills said.
"You've got to give him some props, Skills. Whitey did give him a spot on varsity with the rest of us." Nathan explained as he walked over to stand across from Skills.
"The old man's crazy." Skills said as he checked the ball over to Nathan.
"I know. He picked you, too." Nathan checked the ball back.
"Well aren't you the king of talkin' smack?" Skills said as he caught the ball.
"You got that right," Nathan rushed in front of Skills and was able to get the ball from his grasp. He dribbled the ball and jumped up to dunk the ball. To show off, he hung on for a few seconds. "I am the king," he said as his feet touched the ground.
.
He returned home late last night and barely had the chance to fall into a deep sleep. Just as he felt like his body was giving in, his father barged into his room to tell him to hurry and get the car packed up. Another reason why he couldn't wait to head off to High Flyers was because he got to be away from his overbearing father for the summer.
The last bag was piled up in the back of the black Range Rover. Nathan pulled the trunk down. At the sound of a car horn, Nathan turned around. Peyton pulled up to the side of the street and sat in her car.
Nathan looked to see if his father was coming out of the house. The coast was clear so he walked down to Peyton's car. "I didn't think you were going to stop by." Nathan stopped by her door and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"I didn't think I was going to either. Look, things have sucked between us lately, Nathan, and I just want to know that things aren't going to continue to go on like that."
"I hate how it is between us, too. I don't want it to be like this." He took his hands out of his pockets and rested them on top of her door. He put his body weight on his hands as he leaned forward. "We'll be us again, Peyton. I promise. When I get back things will be good again."
"God, I hope you're right."
"They will be." He smirked and leaned in to kiss her. When she accepted he tried to push his tongue passed her teeth.
"Nathan, let's get going!" The teens pulled apart at the bellowing of Dan Scott.
"I better see you on my webcam." Nathan gave her a quick peck on the lips and sent her a wink as he walked back to where his father was waiting for him.
Nathan opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat, next to his father. Dan turned to him after Peyton drove away in her Comet.
"This is going to be great for you. Now, you will have complete focus on basketball with no distractions from that girl of those lunatics you associate yourself with. You're a winner, Nate, and you should be surrounding yourself with other winners."
Nathan ignored his father's advice and placed his headphones over his ears. He closed his wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and fall asleep as long as he didn't have to spend the two-hour drive listening to his father. Luckily, he was able to do just that.
With a yawn, the raven-haired boy woke up. He shifted in his seat as he glanced at the clock. Nearly two hours had gone by since his body let his exhaustion take control of him.
"There's the entrance to the athletics building. I wonder if the workout room is connected to it," his father pointed to the large building with the foyer as they pulled into the drop of parking lot.
When the car was parked Nathan got our to stretch. If the program was going to start right away, his current sleeping position was going to bite him in the ass.
Dan handed him his duffle bag while he rolled his suitcase and carried his gym bag in his other hand. Dan seemed very proud as a smile graced his face and his eyes seemed to light up like a child going to Disney World for the first time. Nathan traveled in the back and occasionally looked around.
"This is your room, son. It looks like you beat your roommate so you have a chance to claim the better half." Dan looked at Nathan's acceptance letter that held all of the information on it. He set the gym bag next to his suitcase, which he left by the door.
Nathan carelessly tossed his bag on the bed he was standing next to. He turned his music off and glanced around the room. The layout of the camp and the rooms reminded him of a college type setting. The room was the size of a nicer hotel room. Downstairs there was a lobby, swimming pool, and cafeteria.
In the hall, he could her the mixed chatter of the others who arrived shortly after they did. He couldn't wait for his father to leave so he could choose the guys that he wanted to tolerate.
A knock on the door made Nathan look up from his feet. A boy with dirty blonde hair stood in the doorway. He had the same colored eyes as he and his father. He walked in with a woman that Nathan guessed was his mother.
"You must be Lucas' roommate." She kindly said. "I'm his mother, Karen Roe." She offered out her hand for Nathan to shake.
Nathan accepted it. "I'm Nathan and this," he pointed over to his father, who was still in the process of checking every inch of the room, "is my father, Dan Scott."
At the mention of his name, Dan came back over to the small group. "My boy is the top player in the state. Aren't you, son?" He said as he shook her hand.
"Sure, Dad." Nathan looked over to Lucas, who shook his head. So far, Nathan liked whom he was going to be rooming with.
"Well. I'll let you get settled in, Lucas." Karen walked over and quickly gave Lucas a hug and kiss on the cheek. "It was nice meeting you, Nathan." Karen rubbed his arm as she left the room.
Dan stalked over to his son. "You have an orientation tomorrow morning. I want you to be the first one there so the coach knows that you're serious about this. Then I want you to call me and tell me everything." He gave his son a firm handshake, and ignored Lucas, before leaving, too.
Nathan rested on his bed. "I'm sorry about my father, man. He's normally a rude bastard."
Lucas let out a chuckle. "Don't worry about it. Which school are you from?"
"Tree Hill High. Have you heard of it?"
"The Tree Hill Ravens? Yeah, we played you in the regular season. It was the game right before the playoffs."
"So that makes you," Nathan bit his lips as he thought back to the game Lucas mentioned, "a Falcon?"
Lucas nodded as he started pulling items out of one of his bags. He picked up a picture frame and set it on the shared nightstand. "I hope you don't mind. My girlfriend doesn't want me to forget about her. She's worried that I'll get hit in the head with a ball and lose my memory."
Nathan leaned over to look. The picture was of a brunette girl with hazel eyes and huge smile. She was in her cheerleading uniform and posed on what appeared to be Lucas' bed. "She's hot," Nathan commented.
"That's an understatement. Her name's Brooke. We've been dating since our freshman year. She's the cheer squad captain." Lucas turned the frame away from Nathan. "What about you? Got a girlfriend back home?"
"Yep, Peyton. We're almost at the two-year mark. She beat up our cheer captain and likes to draw and listen to weird ass music." He let out a laugh at his explanation.
"Sounds like the perfect girl for you." Lucas joked.
He shrugged. "Yeah, she doesn't sound like Brooke, but she's like the only girl I can actually stand to be around. I go out and party and I have all these girls who try and flirt with me. I can't do anything about it because of Peyton."
Lucas sat down on the side of his bed. "I used to have that problem until everyone knew that Brooke was my girlfriend. Now, girls have to be careful about even looking my way."
It was easy to tell that Nathan and Lucas were going to get along just fine. The two continued to share crazy stories about things they did with their friends and girlfriends back at home.
"Man, is it weird that I already wish that we went to the same high school together?" Nathan asked.
"Sort of, but then only one of use would be here right now and I think it would be me." Lucas said.
Nathan shook his head in disagreement. "I don't think so. If I remember correctly, you had quite a few turnovers in the game we played against each other. I haven't had one the entire season. There's no way the scout would have picked you over me."
"I guess we'll have to see about that when we get on the court then, Scott. A little friendly competition for the summer?" Lucas offered Nathan's his fist to bump.
"Deal." His fist collided with Lucas.
After a while, Lucas left to use the phone to call Brooke. Nathan rested his head on his pillow and tried to get more rest. So far, he didn't want his summer to end. This place was practically his paradise.
There's the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review!
