Hi everyone! I haven't read a lot of OTH fics, so hopefully this story is somewhat original. It starts with Haley moving back to Tree Hill with her son after her husband died. The fic is going to be Naley, Brucas, Jeyton and Jenny/Junior (Haley's son). There are a lot of secrets that are going to be uncovered, not just for Naley but Brucas as well... probably not Jeyton. They're going to be the "resident problem free couple". None of the parents are in the story, other than in passing. Haley, Lucas, Nathan, Brooke, Peyton, Jake, and Anthony (new character) were a close knit group of friends until something happened at the end of high school to tear them apart. Flashbacks are in italics. Ummm... I think that's all. Thanks for reading! :)
Chapter One: A Return To Tree Hill
Haley James-Jaglieski glanced in her rearview mirror at her sleeping son. At 15 years old he was incredibly handsome, athletic, and an all around great kid. She turned her gaze to the passenger seat that should have been occupied by her husband of 16 years, but was greeted with an empty seat that left an aching in her heart.
The loss of her husband was still fresh in her mind and her heart. They'd been good friends since high school and when she'd found out about the pregnancy, towards the end of their senior year, it was Anthony Jaglieski who'd stepped up to the plate and was her guardian angel. On the surface, it seemed like they had a fairytale romance, but below it contained the real story. And it was anything but a fairytale.
Haley and Anthony did love each other, there was no denying that fact, but it wasn't always that way - at least on Haley's part. What no one knew, except the two, was their son wasn't actually Anthony's, but was Nathan Scott's, Haley's former boyfriend and Anthony's former best friend.
No one could have predicted the events that took place that led to this point, nor could they change them. She'd come back home to make things right - something Anthony had encouraged from the beginning.
The day Haley had found out she was pregnant was the same day Nathan had broken up with her, claiming to want to focus on his basketball career, which, he explained wouldn't have been fair to her. She knew how much basketball meant to Nathan so she agreed and walked away, never telling him about the baby growing inside of her.
Somehow, she ended up at Anthony's and relayed the story - pregnancy and all. It all happened so fast; one minute she was crying, confused about what to do, and the next Anthony was proposing to her and offering a father for her baby. Haley didn't know why, considering she was still in love with Nathan, but she said yes. With graduation two weeks away, they decided they would drive to Charlotte and get married the day before graduation to make it seem possible that the baby Haley was carrying was Anthony's.
Haley's mind wandered back to the morning of the graduation ceremony.
--
Anthony grabbed Haley's hand and kissed her golden wedding band. It was a small band that Anthony bought in Charlotte. He promised that he would replace the ring with something nicer someday, but Haley wouldn't hear of it.
"You alright?" Anthony asked. She'd been quiet on the drive back, claiming that she was nervous about her graduation speech, but Anthony knew better. He knew that she was scared of what their friends were going to say - especially Nathan.
They entered the school holding hands, which seemed to make everyone stop and stare at them with looks of shock and confusion. Everyone knew that Haley James and Nathan Scott were dating and couldn't help but wonder what she was doing holding hands with his best friend.
They reached their lockers, which were in the same area as all their other friends and sighed in relief that none of them were there. Brooke Davis was the first to arrive. If she had found Haley and Anthony hold hands to be strange, she didn't let on.
"Tutor girl! Twin One! I can't believe they're forcing us to come to school on graduation. I mean, we've taken our finals, all passed, what the hell do we need to do today?!" She complained using the nicknames she had given them. Brooke dubbed Haley tutor girl because she tutored all through high school, but Anthony's nickname was a little different. He wasn't a twin, but his parents died when he was five and Jake's parents, who were Anthony's aunt and uncle took him in. Jake and Anthony had become like brothers and since their birthday's were less than a month apart, Anthony being the older of the two Brooke decided they were practically twins.
"I don't know Tigger," Haley said smiling at her friend, using Brooke's nickname that she started. "Maybe because we need to practice our graduation walk."
"How hard is it to walk? We do it everyday," Brooke whined.
Anthony laughed at Brooke's antics. There was never a dull moment with Brooke around. "Think about it this way. Maybe this is one last chance to be together before we all go off."
Brooke turned to Anthony with tears shining in her eyes. He cursed under his breath because he'd forgotten how emotional Brooke got with graduation. One minute she would be complaining about wanting to get the hell out of Tree Hill High, the next she would be bawling, not wanting to leave. "Aw Tigs, I'm sorry," he said enveloping her in a hug.
Brooke sniffled and accepted the hug. "It's alright. I mean, I'm going to miss Tree Hill, but we're all practically going to be together next year. You, Luke, Nathan, and Hales are going to be at Duke, and Jake, Peyton and I are going to be UNC," Brooke said winking at Haley at the use of proper grammar.
Haley had forever been correcting her friends at the use of proper grammar and it made her smile to see that Brooke had actually listened and learned something from Haley's corrections. "Where's Luke and everyone else?" Haley asked.
"Um, Broody's picking Hot Shot up. P. Sawyer's having breakfast with Hot Papa S. And Twin Two is MIA as usual," Brooke replied using all the nicknames that she single handedly assigned. Broody was Lucas, because as she put was a brooder before she came and rescued him. Hot Shot was Nathan, because he thought he was Hot Shit, but she would get in trouble when she said 'shit'. P. Sawyer was Peyton. Peyton always felt she got the short end of the deal with the nicknames, but when Brooke suggested others - bitch, backstabbing whore, and cheater among them - she gladly accepted P. Sawyer. And Twin Two was Jake.
Peyton and Brooke had come a long way in their friendship. They'd been friends since kindergarten and out of all seven of them, used to be the closest. Their friendship changed due to one boy - Lucas Scott.
This was Lucas and Brooke's second try at a relationship and they were both determined to make things work. Their first time around had began and ended badly. They gravitated towards each other because both were looking for fun and nothing serious. Unfortunately, love had come into play. Brooke found herself falling in love with Lucas, while he found himself falling for her best friend Peyton, who reciprocated those feelings. The situation ended badly. Lucas and Peyton thought they could go behind Brooke's back and wait for Brooke to lose interest in Lucas, but Brooke never did. Eventually, Brooke found out about their relationship and ended things with Lucas and also ended her friendship with Peyton.
Peyton and Lucas genuinely tried to make their relationship work, but it was just so hard when the constant reminder of what their being together cost them - Brooke's friendship. In the end, Lucas and Peyton ended their relationship as friends and both tried to mend the rifts their actions caused. Their relationship not only affected Brooke, but it also affected Nathan, Haley, Anthony and Jake. Nathan surprisingly defended Brooke and was angry with Lucas and Peyton, something no one understood. Haley tried to understand Lucas and Peyton's side but couldn't. She didn't condone what they had done, and told them that fact, but didn't go as far as to cut them completely out of her life. Maintaining a friendship with them was hard because Nathan took it upon himself to hang out with Brooke, and since Haley and Nathan were together, meant that she was also spending a lot of time with Brooke. Not that Haley complained. She was glad for the time she got to spend with her because out of the seven, they were probably the two that were not close at all. Anthony was closer to Peyton so he naturally took Peyton and Lucas's side. Jake decided not to get involved and distanced himself from everyone.
It took Lucas, Peyton, and Brooke about a year to rebuild their broken friendships, but they managed. Peyton and Brooke knew it would never be the same, but they made an honest effort to try to be as good of friends as they could be. By the time Lucas and Brooke had become friends again, he had found himself falling for her. She took him back and they started their senior year together and were still going strong. Brooke may have forgiven both of them, but in her heart, she would never let either of them all the way in because it literally broke her the first time she did.
Anthony glanced at Haley, who had suddenly gripped his hand tightly. She was staring down the hallway looking a little pale. He followed Haley's line of sight and saw what had her so spooked. Nathan had just entered the school and was talking to a group of basketball players, oblivious to Haley's burning stare. "Listen Brooke, can you do us a favor? Get everyone to the Rivercourt after graduation. We have something to tell everyone," Anthony said.
"Um... Ok," Brooke said skeptically. "I'm not sure about Jake though. That boy's hard to get a hold of."
"I'll take care of Jake," Anthony said. "Just make sure everyone's there." He pulled at Haley's hand and led her out of the school. He'd read in one of the pregnancy books he bought that stress was harmful for the baby so he decided to get her the hell out of the there.
When they got inside his car, he turned to her concerned. "You okay?" He asked rubbing her arm comfortingly.
"I can't do this," Haley whispered brokenly. "I'm only 18. You're only 18. We can't do this. This baby isn't even yours. You shouldn't do this Anthony." She broke down for the first time since Nathan broke up with her. Anthony gathered her in his arms and held her as she cried.
"I'm going to be here for you Haley," he whispered into her ear. "Whatever you need, whatever you choose to do, I'm going to be here. I'll always be here for you."
Haley stared into his eyes and smiled her first genuine smile she had in the past month. "You're too good for me. You're too good for this," she said pointing to slim stomach.
"You're too good to do this on your own. And I offered," he said reassuringly. "You should really tell Nathan about the baby Hales."
"No," Haley replied adamantly. "He can't know this baby is his. No one can."
Anthony nodded his head, accepting her decision. There was nothing else he could do really. He'd been trying to convince Haley to tell Nathan - convince her that he would prove the great guy he was and be there for her - but Haley would always say no. He had a feeling she was worried she might end up like Deb, Nathan's mom, or Karen, Lucas's mom.
Karen Roe got pregnant with Lucas at the end of her senior year, and when she told her then boyfriend Dan Scott about the baby he broke up with her and walked out of her life. He went off to college where he met and dated Deb Lee. Three months after meeting, Deb fell pregnant as well. Dan decided to marry Deb and they moved back to Tree Hill, where a very pregnant Karen still lived. Life had been hell for both Lucas, Karen and Dan's son, and Nathan, Deb and Dan's son. Lucas, because of the whispers about his mother and him around town, and Nathan because of the pressure Dan placed on his shoulders.
"He's not like that you know," Anthony said.
"I never said he was," Haley said knowing it was a reference to Dan Scott. "He just can't know ok?"
Anthony dropped the subject knowing there was nothing he could do to change her mind. Haley was one of the strongest and stubbornest person he'd known. This was her decision and she was sticking to it. They left the school to grab a bite to eat and returned in time for the graduation ceremony that afternoon.
Haley, being the valedictorian of that year, sat on stage facing her peers. She fidgeted nervously as she prepared to make her speech. She had spent the last two months writing and rewriting her speech and as she looked down at her cards, the words suddenly had no meaning to her. She sought out her friends faces who all gave their thumbs up and encouraging smiles. She looked at Nathan and with just one smile, all the anticipation, nervousness and problems just seemed to float away along with everyone else. Principal Green's speech about one door opening while another closes sounded distant and muddled and the people around her seemed to vanish. It was just her and Nathan in that moment. She was jolted out of her reverie by the person next to her nudging her.
Haley walked up to the podium and placed her cue cards on the stand. She looked down at the words and turned them over. She chuckled nervously. "I had a speech prepared, but I'm not going to say it. Everything I had to say was some cliche about high school ending that we've all heard."
The crowd laughed with her and she took a deep breath. She once again sought out Nathan and found him staring at her. She kept eye contact with him, and it almost seemed as if she was just talking to him. "We live in a small town, and for most of us, we've been going to school together for the past 13 years. We may not have known each other, but we've always been together. We formed relationship and friendships, that through thick and thin will hopefully stay strong with all we face. We're leaving the past behind us and looking to the future. We're going to make mistakes and learn from them. We will hurt people," she said tearfully, " and they'll hurt us, but hopefully we'll all learn to forgive.
"Life isn't perfect. There are going to be times when you feel alone and broken." Haley broke her eye contact with Nathan and found Anthony in the crowd. She smiled at him through her tears. "But as long as you have just one person, everything'll be alright. Congratulations class of 2006. I wish you all the best of luck in whatever you choose to do."
Scattered applause broke out as Haley took her seat. They all knew Haley and knew that her speech wasn't her. Nathan, Lucas, Brooke, Peyton, and Jake all looked at Haley, wondering where the hell that speech came from.
After all the pictures and family dinners, the group of seven met at the River Court.
"What are we doing here?" Jake asked impatiently.
"We have some news," Anthony said grabbing Haley's hand. He took a deep breath and began, "I'm going to UCLA."
"What?" Peyton said, the hurt evident in her voice. "Why? I thought - you - we were all going to stay together."
"I'm moving to California too," Haley said, purposely leaving out the school of her choice. She'd decided to defer school until after the baby was born.
"What?" This time it was Lucas. "This wasn't part of the plan. What's gotten into you? Is this because Nathan broke up with you?" Lucas finally realized that they were holding hands and his confusion turned to anger. "Are you two together or something?"
Haley shut her eyes and nodded her head. Lucas and Brooke seemed to be the most shocked and angry, or they may just have been the most vocal about it. Peyton and Jake were quiet, but their facial expressions gave nothing away. Haley couldn't tell whether they were angry, or unconcerned. She looked to Nathan and found him staring at her. Anyone else would have seen an indifferent Nathan, but she knew better. She knew he was hurt.
"You're fucking unbelievable you know that?" Lucas said to Anthony. "You're supposed to be his best friend!"
"I am his best friend." Anthony dropped Haley's hand and turned to Nathan and took a step towards him. Nathan looked at him and felt like he'd been kicked in the gut. "I am your best friend," Anthony said.
Nathan clenched his fists, trying to calm himself. He wanted to yell at him or punch him, but he couldn't. He couldn't speak and he couldn't move.
"We got married," Haley blurted out, not wanting to deal with the tension.
"What the fuck?" Lucas asked angrily. He turned to his brother to see if he was alright but was greeted with a stoic Nathan, who was staring at Haley.
"What the hell Tutor Slut?!" Brooke demanded. "He still loves you!"
"Don't talk to her like that," Anthony said pushing Haley behind his back to protect her. "If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at me."
"What the hell were you thinking? Why would you go after Nathan's girlfriend right after he broke up with her? What kind of friend are you?" Lucas accused.
"It wasn't like that," Anthony pleaded. With all the arguments going on, no one had noticed Nathan slip away from the group, nor did they notice Haley follow after him.
"Nate," she called out.
"Don't call me that," he whispered painfully. "You don't get to call me that anymore."
"I'm sorry," she said sadly.
"You're sorry? You marry my best friend and all you can say is you're sorry?" Nathan asked angrily.
"You broke up with me okay? You don't get to be angry at me anymore. You don't get to judge me."
"You're right," Nathan said. "I broke up with you. And you know what? It was probably the best move I've ever made. Have a nice life Mrs. Jaglieski." With that said he walked away from her for good. Haley knew what it meant. It meant Nathan was cutting her, their child, and Anthony our of his life.
Haley stood staring after Nathan's retreating form, but was interrupted by the shouting coming from the others. She turned to where they were just in time to see Lucas punch Anthony.
"How could you do that to him?" Lucas asked, disgusted with Anthony. "You know he loves her."
"Really? He loves her Luke? He loves her so much that he can't put her above his precious basketball?" Anthony said.
Brooke, who was standing by Lucas, scoffed at Anthony. "You two can have each other. As far as I'm concerned you deserve each other. I'm done with the both of you," Brooke said and angrily walked away.
"Luke?" Haley said questioningly. They had been best friends since they were three and she could understand how difficult this was for him. A large part of her wished he would take her in his arms, like he did when they were younger, and scare the monsters away.
"I can't Haley," Lucas said sadly. It was killing him, but he couldn't understand it. He couldn't understand what she was doing with Anthony, and couldn't understand how they could do that to Nathan. He shook his head and ran after his girlfriend. The only ones left were Jake and Peyton, who had remained silent through the whole ordeal.
"I though he was your best friend Anth," Jake said breaking the silence.
"Don't judge me," Anthony shot back. "You don't know anything about us," he said referring to the group of friends that Jake was never really close with. Peyton and Brooke had been best friends practically forever, as had Lucas and Haley and Anthony and Nathan. They all used to joke that Jake was the seventh wheel and it never really bothered him.
Jake chuckled sadly. "You're right. I'm not a part of you guys. I don't even know why I'm here."
Anthony sighed. "I didn't mean it like that."
Jake ignored his cousin's comment. "Welcome to the family Hales." He turned and walked away from his cousin.
"Are you happy?" Peyton asked Anthony honestly, genuinely curious with his answer.
Anthony nodded his head dropping his gaze to his and Haley, who was standing a bit away from them. He engulfed Peyton in a hug and whispered in her ear. "You can't help who you love."
Peyton nodded in understanding and went to hug Haley. The two cried with each other, knowing that this was probably going to be the last time they saw each other.
--
Haley was jolted back to the present when she heard her son groan.
"I'm freaking starving," he proclaimed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Seriously?" Haley asked in amusement. "You wake up and your first thoughts are food?"
"No. My first thoughts were how much I hate road trips. Then I thought about how hungry I was."
Haley chuckled. He was such a wise ass sometimes. "What are you in the mood for?" Haley asked.
"A steak," he replied. "And potatoes. A lobster would be good too."
"How about a cheeseburger, fries, and you get a job to buy your own lobsters," Haley joked.
He heaved a mock sigh. "I guess. Want me to drive Ma?" he asked.
Haley let out a loud laugh. "That would be a big fat NO. There's no way in hell I'm going to let you drive on the highway. But if you really want to, I'll let you drive when we get to Tree Hill."
"Crap Hill's like a block long. Where the hell am I going to drive to? The corner and back?"
"Hey! Language," Haley scolded.
"You said hell first!" He cried out.
"Do as I say, not as I do," Haley snipped back jokingly. "And Tree Hill's not so bad. Your Dad and I grew up there. And we turned out pretty damn fantastic if you ask me." Haley was shocked to hear silence come from the backseat and not some snarky comeback. She glanced in the rearview and saw his jaw was clenched and his Adam's apple bob up and down as he tried to swallow his tears. "It's okay to miss him you know?"
"I know," he mumbled in response.
"He'd be proud of you. Making a big move, leaving behind everything you've every known."
"I know."
"He loved you so much," Haley whispered with tears in her eyes. She looked in hear rearview again and saw him tilt his head back to try and stop the tears from falling. It killed her to see her son hurting so much.
"I'm not so hungry anymore Mom," he said in such a small voice that he sounded ten years younger than he was. "And I'm tired. Do you mind if I go back to sleep?"
Haley smiled sadly. He still wasn't ready to talk about Anthony. "Sure. I'll wake you up when we get to Tree Hill."
After a couple of minutes of silence, Haley turned her iPod on to fill the silence. As luck would have it, the song playing was her and Nathan's song.
You need a friend
I'll be around
Don't let this end
Before I see you again
A week after Haley and Anthony's announcement, she found herself in front of Nathan's house. She had been standing there for ten minutes trying to summon the courage to know on his front door.
"What are you doing here?" Nathan asked with hostility in his voice. He'd been watching her stand in front of his house from the moment she arrived.
"We need to talk. Can I come in?" she asked.
Nathan folded his arms across his chest and blocked the doorway with his body. "No," he said. "We can talk out here."
What can I say
To convince you to change your mind?
"I'm sorry Nathan," she whispered as the tears fell from her eyes. "I'm so so sorry."
Nathan wanted to take her into his arms as she stood in front of him sobbing, but he couldn't. She made her choice and it wasn't him. It wasn't his job to protect her, or comfort her when she cried. Not anymore.
"Is that all?" he said as if her tears hadn't affected him.
I'm gonna love you more than anyone
I'm gonna hold you closer than before
And when I kiss your body be free
I'll be free for you anytime
I'm gonna love you more than anyone
Haley was taken aback at the coldness in his voice. She knew he was going to be angry. Hell, if the situation were reversed she'd be livid, but it didn't make it hurt any less. All she could do was nod. She saw him turn into his house, but before he could close the door he turned back to face her.
"I loved you," Nathan said angrily. "I know I broke up with you but I loved - love you."
"Nathan, I still love you too!" Haley cried.
"So why?" he asked brokenly. For the first time he stopped hiding behind his anger and let out his sadness. "Why did you marry Anthony?"
Haley took a deep breath and stared at him. Tears were rapidly streaming down her face and she knew that this would kill any chance she had at mending Anthony and Nathan's friendship, and also hers and Nathan's. "I'm pregnant," she whispered. She hung her head in shame, not wanting to see the hurt in his eyes. A second later she was startled by the loud boom of the door slamming in her face.
Haley sadly left Nathan's. she knew the choices she made had affected everyone, especially Nathan and Anthony, but there was no turning back now. She knew the bonds of the once strong, almost invincible group of friends had been broken and things were never going to be the same.
--
As if some cruel joke, the next song that randomly played was the song that reminded Haley of Anthony and the beginning of their relationship.
--
I've been awake for awhile now
You got me feeling like a child now
Haley woke up in the middle of the night and felt a hand on her stomach.
"Your Mom is a such a great person little one. I know she's going to be great," Anthony said to the rounded baby bump.
Haley had been in her seventh month. A month after graduation Haley and Anthony had moved to L.A. where Anthony received a partial academic scholarship to UCLA. Haley's parents had been supportive of Haley and Anthony's marriage. They'd been disappointed that Haley had gotten pregnant, but they hid it well. Anthony's Uncle and Aunt had been somewhat supportive. They loved Anthony like he was their son, be they had also know how close Anthony and Nathan had been growing up and couldn't understand what went wrong. There hadn't been much communication between Anthony and his surrogate parents, and that made Haley feel even worse about the situation.
"When you get older kiddo, you're going to learn some things that are going to upset and confuse you, but I just want you to know that I love you, and I'm going to try and be the best substitute dad I can be for you."
Cuz everytime I see your bubbly face
I get the tingles in a silly place
It starts in my toes makes me crinkle my nose
Wherever it goes I always know
Haley silently cried. Here, she had this amazing guy that sacrificed everything for her. She felt selfish. Anthony had never given her a reason to believe that he was resentful towards her, but she couldn't help but feel that he did.
Anthony dropped a kiss on her belly like he had done many times before. When he had trouble sleeping, he found comfort in talking to the little baby growing inside Haley's stomach.
Haley felt the warmth of Anthony's lips on her stomach all through her body. She felt an odd fluttering in her heart - something she hadn't felt in awhile. A second later she felt a small jab coming from inside her stomach.
"Ow," she moaned.
"Hales? Are you ok? Is it the baby? Should I call an ambulance?" Anthony asked frantically.
"No, nothing's wrong," Haley assured. She turned the lamp on and smiled brightly at Anthony. She grabbed his hand and placed it back on her stomach. The baby responded and kicked once more.
"Is that?" Anthony asked excitedly.
Cuz you make smile please stay for awhile now
Just take your time wherever you go
Haley nodded, smiling brightly as the happiness from sharing the special moment with Anthony coursed through her.
"That's amazing!" Anthony exclaimed.
Haley happily nodded. "He?" she asked with amusement. "I have a feeling it's a boy as well and I think he was responding to your voice."
Anthony ducked his head shyly. "Um... you heard? I tried to be quiet. Sorry."
"It's alright," she said sincerely. "He obviously loved it."
Anthony removed his had from her stomach and stood up. "I'm just going to go to my room now and let you get some sleep."
Haley grabbed his hand, stopping him from leaving the room. "Do you think you can... um... stay with me? Here? It's a pretty big bed."
"Are you sure?" Anthony asked.
"Yeah," Haley said.
Anthony's heart swelled at Haley's words. He slipped under the covers and lay on his back staring at the ceiling. Haley turned the lamp off and lay on her back. Neither said anything for awhile, but both were wide away and uncomfortable.
"Why'd you do it?" Haley asked. The question had been bothering her for awhile and she finally had the courage to ask it.
"Do what?" Anthony asked turning to his side. He propped his head on his hand to get a better look at her. He saw tears sliding down her face and used his other hand to wipe them away.
"Lose everything for me and a baby that isn't yours?"
He wanted so badly to tel her that he loved her and always had, but he couldn't. He couldn't do that to her, not when she had so much going on. She was already confused and still adjusting to life in L.A. "Because you're my friend and you needed me," he said simply.
"But you lost everyone."
"I still have you," he said sincerely.
Again, Haley felt a little flutter in her heart. She made the decision right there that she would let Nathan go completely and focus on her life. In letting Nathan go from her heart, she opened it up to the possibility of something more with Anthony and that thought made her smile. She turned on her side and mimicked Anthony's position. "We have each other. And we're a family."
--
Haley drove for the next hour, memories of her and Anthony's life floating back to her. They'd got off to a rocky start, but in the end, they'd both found love in each other. It wasn't until four months after she'd give birth to her son that she realized the growing love she had for Anthony. Love that wasn't out of obligation, gratitude, or friendship. From then on they dated and had a real marriage and a real family.
Haley exited the highway and parked at the gas station off the highway. She light shook her son to wake him. "Hey, wake up."
"Huh?" he replied sleepily.
"We're here. Do you still want to drive?"
The suggestion of driving woke him up. He unbuckled his seatbelt and took a seat behind the wheel. Haley took a seat in the passenger's seat. She gave him turn by turn directions noticing how Tree Hill hadn't changed much in 16 years. They passed the River Court and Haley's heart ached as she remember all the times she, Brooke, and Peyton would watch Jake, Anthony, Nathan, and Lucas play two-on-two. They passed the small movie theater where she and Nathan had their first date. As they passed Karen's Café, she saw a dark haired girl waiting tables, something she had done when she was 15.
They finally reached Haley's childhood home. Her parents had decided to buy an RV and tour the country last year. They couldn't bear to part with the house that at one point was a roof for five children and two parents, so they kept it. When Haley made the decision to move back to Tree Hill after Anthony died, they gave the house to her.
"This is where you lived?" her son asked.
"Yup. This is where all the scars me, your Aunts Taylor, Quinn, and your Uncles David and Jason all grew up."
"Cool," he responded nodding. Out of all her brothers and sisters, her son had formed a close bond with Taylor. When Haley and Anthony first moved to L.A., the only person they knew was Taylor, who had been living there since she graduated high school two years earlier. Taylor had been a godsend, finding them a reasonably priced place to live, and offering her babysitting services once the baby came.
"Hey, why don't you go to that café we passed on our way here and I'll meet you there once I get the car unloaded," Haley suggested. He hadn't eaten since last night and he was probably starving.
"Karen's?" he asked.
"Yeah, it's open til 12, so you should be fine. I won't be long. Go," Haley said all but pushing him towards the street. "Wait!"
"Yeah Mom?" he said turning to face her.
"I know this is going to sound weird, but... um... could you just... you know... um, could we just call you 'Junior' while we're here? It's just, I know it's stupid, but your name's probably going to bring up some question and you shouldn't have to deal with that right now. Just for awhile, I promise. Besides, you used to go by Junior when you were younger so it's not too big of a deal is it?"
"Alright," Junior said skeptically. "I'll go by Junior than. Do you mind if I order when I get there? I'm starving."
"Go ahead. I promise I'll try to get there as soon as I can."
Haley began unloading their suitcases. They had brought the necessities, and the rest of their thing were going to be shipped next week. Once she unloaded the car she locked the door, unaware of the man standing behind her. She turned around and nearly jumped a foot back. "Holy shit."
"Hi," Lucas said staring at Haley.
"Lucas," Haley replied, uncomfortable at his gaze.
"Mom told me one of the James kids was moving back here. She thought it was Quinn, I thought it was Taylor." He'd gone to the house with the hope that it was Haley who had moved back, but he would never tell anyone that. God he missed her. Lucas continued to stare at her. Maybe it was because she was actually here. Or maybe it was because he thought he was dreaming. Or maybe he was scared that if he blinked, or looked away from her she would disappear like she did 16 years ago.
"Yeah," Haley said awkwardly looking down. It was unnerving her to have Lucas staring at her so intently. Haley took a tentative step towards Lucas but Lucas shook his head a took a step back.
"I can't do this," he said. He was so overwhelmed by seeing her. He wanted to grab her in his arms and hug her. Hug her to try and make up for those lost year. But a part of him, the bigger part was still mad at her; still hated what she did. Still blamed her for what happened. "I can't. You can't come back here and expect me, expect any of us to forget what you and Anthony did."
Haley hung her head. She didn't know what to expect from Lucas. But she was expecting, or hoping, that they could move past it. "It's been 16 years Lucas."
"Yeah, and you can't just come back home and think your both going to be instantly forgiven. That we're all going to forget what you two did!"
"I didn't think that anyone was going to forget! I just thought... I thought you and I were best friends."
"We were Haley. But he's my brother. And you... you slept with his best friend!"
"We were best friends long before you and Nathan were brothers," Haley whispered sadly.
"Yeah, and so were Nathan and Anthony. He got married you know. Sophomore year in college. Guess you didn't mean that much to him." Lucas, obviously trying to hurt her, conveniently left out the fact that it was a drunken marriage that lasted less than a week.
"So that's how it's going to be huh?" Haley asked. "Purposely trying to hurt me?"
"Can't take the truth Haley? I mean, you did sleep with and marry his best friend a week after he broke up with you. Tell me something. Did Nathan mean anything to you?"
"You know that I loved him Lucas. Don't you dare say I didn't love him," Haley said angrily.
"I don't know Haley. Sleeping with his best friend doesn't scream 'I love you'. Speaking of Anthony. Where is the backstabbing bastard?" Lucas asked viciously.
Haley mustered all the strength she could not to break down. "He's dead," she spat out just as viciously.
"What?" Lucas asked crestfallenly. "He's..."
"He's dead Lucas. Guess you won't have to deal with seeing the 'backstabbing bastard'."
Lucas stepped forward to offer Haley a hug... something to let her know he was sorry, but she stepped back. "No," she said. "You don't get to feel sorry. Not after making it obvious that you're still angry for what happened. 16 years didn't make a difference why should Anthony's death right?"
"I didn't know Hales," he whispered using her childhood nickname.
The nickname didn't go unnoticed by Haley. When she first saw him it would have been a welcome endearment, but not now. "Of you course you didn't know Lucas. How could you? You cut us out of your lives. We sent postcards, Christmas cards, birthday cards! And you know what we got back? Nothing. So you don't get to feel sad that he's dead. Because you cut us... you cut him out of your life a long time ago."
Having said her peace, Haley got in her car and drove to Karen's without looking back to see Lucas's reaction.
--
A pretty dark brown haired girl greeted Junior as he walked into Karen's Café. "Welcome to Karen's Would you like a table or a seat at the counter?"
"Um, a table," he said.
"Did you want to start with something to drink?" the girl asked when he sat down. She got a better look at him and was taken aback at the intensity of his blue eyes. They were gorgeous, but there was something so familiar about his eyes that she couldn't quite place. He stared back at her and she blushed.
"Um, a coke is fine," Junior said. She turned to walk away, but he called out to her before she could get too far. "I'm Junior by the way."
"Ouch," she said wincing.
"Huh?"
"Well, your name. It's Junior, meaning you were named after someone, which means you're forever going to be living in someone else's shadow, constantly being compared to them," she said as if she knew exactly how it was.
"Is there a senior you running around?" Junior asked, his voice light. He noticed her slight drawl and found it endearing. A welcome change from the 'Like, oh my god's' he was accustomed from the California high school cheerleaders.
"Sort of. There is a Nikki running around - my mother. My name's Jennifer Nicole and my mother's not exactly Tree Hill's sweetheart," she explained.
"So how do you deal with it Jennifer Nicole?" Junior asked.
"Jenny," she replied correction him. "I don't let it get to my head. She may be my mother, but no two people, even identical twins, are exactly alike. And I'm nothing like her. I try and go out of my way to be the opposite of her."
"So would that make you Tree Hill's sweetheart?" He couldn't believe he was flirting with her! Yeah, he'd had a couple of girlfriends before, but he's never been one to flirt with someone he'd just met.
"I wouldn't go that far," she said flirting back. She liked him, and hoped that he wasn't just passing through like most of the unfamiliar people that at ate at the café. "I'll get your drink."
Junior watched as she walked away. She looked like he was around his age. She dressed casually wearing jeans, black Chuck Taylor's, and a solid black t-shirt. He thought she looked great.
"Here's your coke." She placed the coke on his table and stood by the table. "So, what brings you to Tree Hill?"
"I just moved here," he replied, forgetting about his hunger.
"Really?"she asked surprised. "So your parents used to live here?"
Junior laughed. "Yeah. How'd you know?"
"Tree Hill's not exactly on the map, you know? Most people who live here have lived here all their lives, and if people move here, it's because they used to live here. And we're not exactly a tourist hot spot."
"Seriously? The only reason I didn't fight too hard when I heard we were moving here was because Nathan Scott's from here!" Junior said excitedly.
"You know Nathan Scott," she asked with a smile on her face. "Not many people know about him. I mean, he played in the NBA for like, less than a year."
"Yeah, but I'm talking about the NCAA. Lead high scorer practically his whole college career. Seriously, he was probably the next Michael Jordan if he hadn't blown out his knee against the Suns," Junior said excitedly. He admired Nathan Scott, and to be in his home town, possibly sitting in a café that he might have gone to made him drool.
"Do you play basketball? Or are you just an observer?" Jenny asked.
"I play. I was a starter on Varsity at my old high school. It kind sucks because even if I do get on Varsity this year, I'm probably not going to make the starting line up," he said sadly.
"You might," Jenny said. "We do things a little differently around here in Tree Hill. Yeah, Coach has an idea about the players he wants starting, but he's pretty fair. He won't care if you just moved here as long as you bring your 'A' game... and are good."
"Is the team any good? I mean, do you watch them?" At his old school, people watched the basketball games, but they didn't bring the hoards of people the football games brought.
"How do put this. Basketball to Tree Hill is like what football is to Texas. We live and breathe basketball," she explained. "The team's pretty good. We lost a lot of good players last year, but Coach is gunnin' for a state championship this year, so if you're up for it, he'll be pushing really hard."
"So, um... do you go to the games?" he asked trying hard not to seem to eager.
"I'm definitely at the sidelines of every single game Tree Hill's had," she said. "I'm a cheerleader."
Junior's smile faded. He tried not to let her being a cheerleader change his opinion of her, but he couldn't help it. He automatically associated cheerleader with brainless bimbo thanks to the handful from his old school. "Oh."
"Do you have a problem with me being a cheerleader?" she asked offended.
"No," Junior said unconvincingly. "I mean, no, I don't have a problem with you. It's just... a cheerleader? You don't really look like a cheerleader to me!"
"I didn't realize there was a prototype for cheerleaders," she spat back. "My mom was a cheerleader. And her mom was a cheerleader."
"I thought you said you didn't want to be anything like your mom," he said confused.
"I said I didn't want to be anything like my mother. My mom's a great person who I'd love to be like." At Junior's still confused expression she explained further. "Nikki is my biological mother. But biology doesn't make someone a mom. She's not my mom, but she's my mother."
"I'm sorry. About assuming. I'm such an idiot," he said shutting his eyes. "Can we just start over? Hi, I'm Junior. I like to put my foot in my mouth in front of total strangers I just met." He stood up from his chair and stuck his hand out.
"Hi Junior," Jenny said shaking his hand. "I'm Jenny and I'm a cheerleader. I left my slut clothes at home and I'm bleaching my hair tomorrow."
Junior sat down and put his head in his hands. "Ok, I deserved that. Why'd you tell me all that stuff about you anyways? About your mom...s, I mean. You don't even know me."
"Small town. It's kind of hard to keep secrets around here. Besides, you'd find out about it sooner or later."
"Kinda like living in a fish bowl huh?" Junior asked.
"Only if you have things to hide. Do you know what you want to eat? I kinda forgot that I'm supposed to be waiting on you," she said with a chuckled.
Junior, too, had forgotten about his hunger. He couldn't help it, not when he was talking to such an interesting girl. "Can I get a cheeseburger and fries please?"
"Sure," she said and walked away from the table to put the order in.
Junior gazed out the window as he waited for him mom and burger to arrive. It seemed like such a quiet town, definitely different from the bustling streets of L.A. Maybe change was good. Besides, his dad was from here. After losing him in that car accident, he'd felt so lost. Being in Tree Hill made him feel closer to him, even if he was gone. Maybe Tree Hill wasn't so bad.
Let me know what y'all think!
Songs: More Than Anyone by Gavin Degraw & Bubbly by Colbie Caillat
