Season on the Brink
I usually like to let my work speak for itself, but I think it's important that you read this knowing I'm not really following any particular season storyline here. Of course, there will be elements of the things that have happened over the past three seasons of OTH (minus most of season 2, cause I didn't really watch it much), but this piece will kind of mush it all together and jumble it all up. Let me know what you think - reviews give me the confidence to move forward.
P.S. Kudos and brownie points if you recognize the title of the story. ;)
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"Hey, man," Nathan Scott called out as his brother, Lucas, stopped and looked over his shoulder.
"Headed to the court?"
Nodding, Nathan jogged to catch up and then fell into step with Lucas as they headed toward the river court. "Practice starts tomorrow," the younger brother finally said.
"It's gonna be so weird without Whitey," Lucas added, shaking his head.
The sudden death of their beloved coach, just before the start of their senior year, had hit both Scott brothers hard. The worst part was that their father, Dan, was the front runner to replace the former coach, the one he had tried so hard to replace the year before.
"You wanna head over to the gym?" Lucas asked suddenly. "Play a little one-on-one before it's stained with Dan-filled memories?"
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Dan Scott walked through the halls of Tree Hill High School with a spring in his step, happily swinging his whistle at his side. Though the school board had yet to make the decision final, he was ready to move into Whitey's old office and start reviewing game tape for the new season.
Sure, they had lost in the first round of the playoffs last year, but that was because he hadn't had an entire season to shape the kids, to mold them into real players. They had been able to do whatever they wanted under Whitey's system, and with no structure, they had suffered. The entire community had suffered under the embarrassment of their lost season, and he was tired of it.
Pushing the door of the locker room open, Dan stopped cold in the doorway.
"Can I help you?"
He eyed the petite woman behind the desk. "Can I ask what you're doing in my office?" he asked, shaking his head to gather his thoughts.
She smiled and secured her blonde hair into a tight ponytail. "Sure, you can ask," she winked, hanging a framed photo on the wall. "Except that you're in my office."
With a chortle, Dan moved to the desk and leaned toward her. "Listen, little girl," he spoke to the woman who couldn't be more than twenty-five. "I don't know who you think you are, or how you got lost on the way to spin class, but I am Dan Scott and this is my office. The Ravens are my team."
She had picked up another photo, and then sat it back on the top of the credenza behind her desk. With a nod, she took a piece of paper from her side and looked it over. "Then we have a problem, Mr. Scott," she said, holding the document up for him to see. "Because this contract, signed by the school board and the athletic commitee, says that I am the coach of the Tree Hill Ravens through the 2007 season. So, if I'm correct, then that would make this my office. And," she raised an eyebrow and smiled, "It would make the Ravens MY team."
"What in the hell qualifies you?" Dan asked suddenly. "Who the hell are you?"
The young woman smiled again and slid off the credenza, returning to the decorating job at hand. "Call me Coach Dixon. My friends call me Paige, but we're not friends." She raised an eyebrow as if to challenge him. "And you can inquire for a full list of my qualifications from the athletic commitee. I really have too much to do to spend my time listing them for you."
Dan looked her over again. She was barely 5'6" and couldn't wear more than a size 4 dress. Her figure was good, he noticed as he glanced down the front of her tank top. "They are rather sizable accomplishments," he smirked.
Coach Dixon crossed her arms, giving him a better view of what he was blatantly staring at. "Ya know, while it's been a pleasure finally getting to meet the infamous Dan Scott, there is something that you need to remember. I may look like a cheerleader, but I am not here to shake my pom poms. I will not be pushed around by anyone, and that includes you.
"Because let me be really honest with you, Mr. High School Basketball Star," she returned the cocky look he had given her. "I don't really care what you did when you were a student here. Hell, I don't even care what I did when I was a student. Because the only high school basketball that matters to me, Dan Scott, is the ball my guys are going to play this season. That's it. Nothing before it, nothing after it."
When she uncrossed her arms and flipped through a few file folders, Dan tapped on the finger on the desk. "You have no idea what you're in for, little girl," he warned before turning and leaving.
The young woman looked around the office after Dan left and lowered her frame to the chair behind her desk. "Come on in, fellas. Daddy's gone."
Nathan and Lucas rounded the corner, shoulders slumped like little boys caught eavesdropping on their parents. "Um, we were just," Lucas started.
But she held up her hand. "You were just lurking in the hallway, trying to see if the newbie could take on Satan's evil twin?" When they shared a knowing look, she motioned to the chairs across from her desk. "Lucas, right?" The blonde brother nodded. "And Nathan?" The brunette affirmed. "Paige Dixon. Coach Dixon to you guys."
They both smiled and watched as she flipped a folder open and withdrew two cloth "C's" from it. "What's that?" Nathan asked.
She rolled her eyes and handed each of them one. "Normally, I would make my captain earn his title. But I found this folder when I was cleaning out Coach Durham's desk. He was a great coach," she nodded with a respectful glance to the picture of last year's team on the wall behind her. "Started his preseason scouting as soon as last season was over. And he had a very specific note on the first page - Make Nathan and Lucas co-captain this team."
Lucas shook his head and smiled over at Nathan. "He really did want us to kill each other," he smiled nostalgically.
Paige leaned forward and folded her hands, her eyes narrowing. "Coach Durham was an incredibly well-respected coach amongst the high school basketball elite. I am handing those positions to you because I trust that he knew what he was doing. But I am not going to spend an entire season watching you two play bull shit posturing games with each other. Is that clear?"
The sudden shift in her tone, from sweet, little Southern belle to harsh, demanding basketball nazi. "Sure," Nathan answered with a shrug.
She didn't smile. "I'm not playing around, guys. I'm not here to make friends, and I could give a fuck less about respecting tradition." She looked at the fabric in their hands. "You both have impressive numbers and your stats are well-documented." She looked back at the paper in front of her. "But you both also have criminal reprimands and an equally well-documented history of violence amongst yourselves. So my gut is telling me that this whole captain situation is a horrible idea."
The Scott brothers shifted uncomfortably in their seats, staring at the floor and refusing to meet each other's eyes. "Coach," Lucas started.
She held up a finger. "Prove me wrong," she said, looking at both of them for a moment and then standing. "I've got decorating to do. Should be a couple more hours, so you guys can shoot around until I'm ready to go. Go easy on the floor, though. I don't wanna re-wax before tomorrow's practice."
When she turned her back to hang another photo, the brothers stood and headed for the gym. "So what do you think?" Nathan asked as they began to shoot the ball.
Lucas shrugged his shoulders and caught the rebound. "We'll see. Seems alright," he answered non-chalantly.
They both knew that a new coach was going to bring changes. But a female coach was going to bring an explosion. Mostly with Dan. And that alone was enough for the Scott boys.