A Beautiful Mess

~x-X-x~

"And what a beautiful mess this is.

It's like taking a guess when the only answer is yes.

And through timeless words and priceless pictures, we'll fly like birds not of this earth.

And tides they turn, and hearts disfigure

But that's no concern when we're wounded together"

Jason Mraz – A Beautiful Mess

~x-X-x~

Chapter 1: Life, As We Thought We Knew It

~x-X-x~

"They will not control us, they will stop degrading us..."

Angry tunes spewed from the open-top comet as it sped through the school parking lot, picking up onlookers in its path. Rccccccchhhhhhhhh! Tires cried out in agony as they cornered the asphalt, begging for traction. In a haze of rubber smoke and windswept hair, the car lurched to a stop. Shuddering, the engine sputtered and sighed. In a swift movement, the door handle clicked and a pair of ivory, svelte legs extended to the ground. Taking in the surroundings, hazel eyes landed on what seemed to be a sea of interested eyes. Staring at the girl before them, she was a picture of beauty yet a puzzle unsolved. Staring was the only option.

And all she wanted to do was run away and hide.

But this was the day-to-day life of Peyton Sawyer. A walking contradiction if there ever was one. She was popular, but rarely spoke to anyone. She was a cheerleader but regularly misplaced her smile and school spirit. She was trendy, but wouldn't be found dead spritzing herself with the latest Gucci scent or Max Factor gloss. And although she looked the part of the regular beautiful high-school barbie doll, she never listened to popular music or wore the latest fashion-forward clothing lines. Instead, she immersed herself with the likes of Muse, Radiohead, Jack's Mannequin and Travis, and she preferred mini skirts and band T-shirts as her style of choice. Add that to her choice of car, an older style 1964 Mercury comet Caliente, and she literally was a stark contrast to the zippy Volkswagen beetle-driving rich kids that buzzed around the school like they were royalty.

Peyton often wondered how on Earth she managed to be so popular when she felt like such an outcast? It was then that two people crossed her vision and instantaneously answered her question. Dressed in Calvin Klein jeans and figure-hugging top, Brooke Davis was an image of sheer divinity. Chocolate locks dangled dangerously over her petite shoulders, their slow movements in the breeze enough to hypnotize the hoards of hormone-driven males at Tree Hill High. Her body has reached cult-like status, and had she been around in this day and age, Helen of Troy would be have a fierce rival for the title of the face who could sink a thousand ships. In essence, the cheery brunette was stunningly beautiful. Add that to the fact that she was the head cheerleader, had more money than she knew what to do with, and had a laugh that would melt the hearts of even the coldest fish, and even the blind could see that Brooke really was someone to envy.

She also happened to be Peyton's best friend.

Standing beside Brooke was the second reason Peyton rode the Popular train. Nathan Scott. Boyfriend. Basketballer. Bad Ass. The raven-haired jock also happened to be Tree Hill High's Sporting GOD! Since the age of five, the kid had game. Shooting hoops and winning national recognition, he seemed unstoppable and had always enjoyed a plethora of adoration. Driven by an equally aggressive father, he was on the fast track to being one of the minute few who could have been drafted out of high school. Wherever he walked, he was adored. Guys wanted to be him and girls wanted to have him.

But it was Peyton Sawyer who had caught his eye.

And so the blonde had learned to accept the interest that spurted her way whenever she arrived at school. Being popular and yet not behaving like the norm kept people intrigued. They knew of her, but didn't really know her. Some called her a bitch, others a fake. She'd even heard the word lesbian thrown around a few times like it was some sort of explanation for her behaviour.

Angry, alternative lesbian.

Theresa had found herself egged on the way to cheerleading practice thanks to that comment. Brooke was also a fiercely loyal and protective friend.

"P. Sawyer!" came the raspy call as the brunette laid eyes on the curly-haired blonde, arms waving above her head as she made her way forward through the crowd. "Have I got news for you!"

Peyton stopped and smiled, an expression she saved for but a few people in the entire town, Brooke being one of them. It was hard not to enjoy being around Brooke because she was so cheery all the time. Bouncing like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, she was a ball of excitement. Laughing, Peyton allowed her best friend to plummet into her with a choking hug.

"Good morning to you too," the blonde breathed out, a slight chuckle coming from her lips. "And how many coffees have we had this morning?"

"Three, but that's besides the point," Brooke replied, catching her breath as she leaned in to speak. "So word has it, and I have this on very good authority, that due to budget cuts and the population decrease or some crap like that, Tree Hill East is closing its doors. As of like, last week!"

Brooke jumped up and down a little at the excitement, Peyton throwing her a confused look like somehow she had missed where the joy was in her statement.

"Don't you see, Peyton?" Brooke replied, imploring her with her eyes and voice to have her friend see where she was going with the whole conversation. "That's an entire school, closed. They say half are coming here whilst the other half will be heading over to Bear Creek or whatever."

"Well that's great Brooke," Peyton replied, her next sentence laced with her usual tone of sarcasm. "Now we can look forward to more crowded classrooms, grumpier teachers and a bigger queue for the cafeteria."

Un-phased by her response, Brooke countered Peyton's statement with another, more positive spin on the situation.

"Orrrrr, we can get new cheerleaders for fresher routines, new basketball players to support your boy-wonder out there and NEW BOYS to entertain the rest of us lonely gals!"

"Eeeeeeeee," screamed Bevin, racing over like a kid on a sugar high. "More boys Brooke, I'm so excited!"

"I wish we all could be," Brooke replied, an angry scowl crossing her features as she wrapped her arm in Peyton's and dragged her forward. "But some are being more difficult than most!"

It wasn't hard to see who was having a problem with this. The only issue was, Peyton had no idea why. Leaning up against the brick wall besides the school entrance, Nathan looked more angry than excited. As the whole school buzzed around the news, Nathan appeared frustrated. His usual basketball crowd gathered around him, and as per usual, they were in complete agreement with their captain. Whispering in her ear, Brooke begged Peyton to make her boyfriend see reason.

"He's being a complete tool about it. Says it's a bad idea for our school's reputation to be letting in riff-raff from the other side of the river."

"He's even gone as far as to say his father is looking into petitioning the idea," Bevin replied, quickly catching up and sliding alongside Brooke, "says his dad is beyond mad about it and they're gonna rally the parent committees..."

"But why?" Peyton asked, unsure why her boyfriend would be so dead against such a merger. "It could be nice to see some new faces around here, feel more like a place you could get lost in..."

"So you'll talk to him? Great!" Brooke stated, thanking her friend with a quick tap on her behind and skipping off. "I'll come find you in Trig!"

"Brooke!" Peyton called after her, only too aware that her friend had pulled a rather shifty manoeuvre on her. It wasn't the first time that such a thing had happened. And normally Peyton wouldn't mind doing Brooke a favour since she had been her rock these past years. But talking to Nathan was like talking to a brick wall. He boxed all his emotions like they were a prized possession. Or maybe he was just too easily influenced by his Dad, the man often telling Peyton that to date an elite athlete was like dating half a man – because you were only ever going to get that much of him. And in many ways, it was true. Nathan and Peyton rarely talked about the important stuff. In fact, they only ever seemed to talk about the latest efforts on the court, or the latest scandal that was burning like wildfire throughout the school, or even the latest free pass he got in class because he won championships. In the two years that they had been together, they had never talked about music, or literature or art. They'd never gone a date anywhere that wasn't filled with a million familiar faces from school. Dating Nathan was like dating a celebrity in a way because he was always surrounded by people.

Some may have wondered why they were even together, but in order for that to happen they would have to know the truth. From the outside looking in, they seemed like the perfectly matched couple. Basketball captain dating blonde cheerleader. It didn't get much more high school cliché than that! For Peyton though, it was enough. She liked the easiness of dating someone like Nathan. He never wanted to get emotional, it was either happy or mad. There was no time for any emotion in between. She never had to delve into her inner thoughts or feelings because he quite simply didn't seem to understand them, and for her that was okay. When her mother had passed away from cancer two years ago, it was easier to just have Nathan sit there and say nothing than for her to have to try and answer a million questions about how she was feeling. Yes, their relationship worked because it was all he knew and all she was capable of dealing with. So pulling up alongside the disgruntled jock wasn't too hard. It was the getting him to change his mind that was the giant task at hand.

"We can't have these kids coming in here and taking over our school," Nathan ranted, his basketball team-mates nodding their heads in complete agreement. "They'll bring down our scores. They'll try and take over our team. They'll ruin everything we've worked so hard to build!"

"It's not like it's their fault, Nate," the blonde interjected, much to the confusion of the boys surrounding her. "Their school closed down. They have no control over it."

"They should go somewhere else," came his gruff reply, annoyance dripping off every syllable. "We don't want them here!"

"Yeah," came the supportive cry of his team mates, fists pumping in the air as if to cement their opinion. Their loud cries seemed to bounce off the vehicles in the crowded parking lot at the end of the footpath, and suddenly Peyton felt over-crowded. Tugging at Nathan's jacket, hazel eyes gazed up to be met with cerulean orbs.

"Can we talk?" Peyton asked softly, the roar of the jocks already getting out of control as they cried out about a cause they could probably care less about. "In private?"

Watching her closely, Nathan hesitated for a moment and then relented. "Alright. Lead the way." Looking back over his shoulder, he motioned to his vice captain Tim that he was headed inside with Peyton and disappeared into the crowded hallway. Diving in and out of adoring faces, tiny fingers intertwined with a rough palm as Peyton allowed herself to be dragged through the masses of bodies floating downstream. Finding their usual supply closet, Nathan ducked inside and pulled the blonde in with him, a few wolf whistles echoing down the hall. Suddenly, the teenagers were closed in complete darkness. Reaching across the cold, alabaster wall, a tiny hand found the light switch and flicked it upward. Flooded with light, Nathan watched and waited.

"What was all that about out there?" Peyton questioned, folding her arms as if ready for battle. Nathan sighed, knowing this stance all too well. No one could ever accuse Peyton Sawyer of not being fiery. Usually, she let him go past with his rantings about whatever was on his mind at the time, but somehow she knew it was different this time. Perhaps it was the fact that, with the exclusion of his dad, she was perhaps the person he spent most of his time with. Sighing, two hands ploughed their way into the jacket's pockets and defeated eyes looked straight at the blonde before them.

"He goes to that school Peyt," the boy replied, anger mixed with a little desperation filtering in his tone. "When my Dad found out, he went ballistic."

"He?" Peyton quizzed, a little surprised by Nathan's confession. "He who, Nathan?"

Cerulean eyes dropped instantaneously as Nike shoes scuffed across the linoleum floor. Heavy breaths expelled from tense lips as the basketballer shuffled uneasily on the spot. Every inch of his body had tensed, muscles contracting together in anger. Seeing his reaction meant only one thing. The boy he was referring to was one which Nathan had successfully managed to avoid his entire life.

One Peyton had never met but knew of quite well.

"You mean Lucas?"

A disgusted scoff left Nathan's mouth then and he angrily punched the wall. The shelving rattled from the blow, the basketballer immediately grabbing at his hand. Peyton understood then why her boyfriend was in such a state. Lucas wasn't just another basketball star who was more than capable of rivalling Nathan on the court – he was Lucas Scott, his estranged brother.

He was the guy Nathan had never forgiven for existing.

Lucas was in fact Nathan's older brother. During High School, his father Dan had dated Lucas' mother Karen. She had fallen pregnant their senior year, but with a scholarship to a prestigious college, Dan Scott made the decision to leave Karen and his upcoming son to focus on his basketball career. His decision dealt him an ironic twist of fate however when his new college girlfriend Deb Lee, fell pregnant with Nathan. Having the support system of her wealthy family however, Dan left college and settled down with Deb, bringing both his new wife and son to Tree Hill. Upon hearing of his return, Karen and her newborn son went to see the man who had abandoned them, hoping for some sort of help and relationship between father and son. Dan had refused, and so Lucas had never known his father, and thus, never got to know his brother. For Nathan, Lucas was nothing more than his father's mistake, a parasite on their family that would never go away but could be successfully ignored. Now it seemed, his solace in that ideal would be short lived, because if Dan's parents and citizen's meeting was to backfire, Lucas Scott would become a permanent fixture at Tree Hill High.

And in turn, a permanent fixture in Nathan's life.

"My Dad will fix this," Nathan fiercely determined, unable to even acknowledge that it was indeed Lucas who he was talking about. "That bastard will not be coming to my school."

"Nathan," Peyton spoke his name softly, a delicate hand running down his shoulder as she tried to get him to look at her, "Maybe it's time for the two of you to bury the hatchet? He is your only brother after all. Why are you paying for your father's mistake? His coming here might be a good thing..."

"Are you out of your mind?" Nathan replied angrily, pushing her hand to the side as he paced the closet. Whirling around, he glared angrily at her. "You know how I feel about the guy. I cannot believe you are defending him."

"I'm defending you," Peyton responded quickly, wanting to douse out the fire threatening to rage between them. "I don't like seeing you so stressed. I'm trying to do the right thing."

Suddenly, the class bell rang out above them, feet scattering on the other side of the door to get to class. Exhaling deeply, Nathan glanced up at Peyton with a look so serious it took her breath away.

"If you wanna do the right thing, then be a good girlfriend and stand by my side at the meeting tonight."

Before she could even answer him, the basketballer abruptly turned and opened the door, making his way out into the hall. As Peyton ran to the door, she saw his raven locks disappearing in the rushing crowd of matriculating students.

"Great," she breathed out, talking to herself as the halls began to slowly empty. Reaching for her bag, she stepped into the hall and jogged down to her classroom, wondering what on Earth she was going to do tonight.

Life was just too damn complicated.

~x-X-x~

"So this could be the new digs?" came an interested tone, honeyed sweet mixed with a drop of humour, "I could like it, I suppose."

"You would like anything that had chicks and wide open spaces to croon in, Chris." came the sarcastic reply, two pairs of eyes staring straight ahead at Tree Hill High from the bonnet of their car. The front lawn was heavily populated with parents and community citizens, all eager to start the new meeting and get to the bottom of this supposed high school merger. The was a buzz of excitement in the air, but it was clear not everyone was willing to allow this to happen. In fact, as Chris Keller sat watching these people traipse back and forth over the green lawn of the school, he wondered how on earth his friend was feeling. Turning to the right, he stared at the brooding basketball hero and squinted, the sun reflecting in his smoky-blue eyes.

"So Luke, which one is he?"

Lucas Scott knew who his friend was referring to. It was the very man he had successfully avoided his entire life. With cell phone brought to his ear, Dan Scott cut a foreboding figure even from a distance, and as Lucas tilted his head, he nodded towards his father to give Chris a good look.

"The monkey in the Hugo Boss suit. Although, to be honest I think he's cutting a figure more like a baboon than monkey these days."

"Fat blaster?" Chris questioned, staring at the man with the million-dollar smile. "He certainly does look a little more gruff. Or is it buff? It's hard to tell what is what in the animal kingdom these days."

"I'd go with Baboon, personally," came a soft voice from behind, Haley James jumping on the end of the bonnet and staring ahead with the rest of her friends. "Just the name itself identifies looks and personality, you know?"

"Baboon it is then," Chris agreed, all three pairs of eyes now watching the eldest Scott as he turned and saw them. "Thank god you managed to get out alive, Scott."

"That's one way of putting it," Lucas countered, Dan's eyes drifting over them all before he quickly turned away and ushered people inside with him. "I don't even know how his wife and other son put up with it."

"Drugs," Haley offered, turning to both boys and smiling. "And denial. Definitely."

Lucas smiled as his friends gave him a supportive grin, feeling suddenly at ease. Chris Keller and Haley James were his two closest friends at Tree Hill East, and he had been seriously concerned about the three of them when the school had announced it was closing it's doors. Luckily though, they lived fairly close to one-another on the other side of the river and thus somehow managed to land themselves at the same school. While Lucas was the blonde-haired, blue-eyed basketball hero of his high school, Haley was the quiet over-achiever who had been his friend since they were both born. Their mother's had raised them together, and Haley was often seen crawling out of her bedroom window at night and creeping over to Lucas' house. It was lucky he lived just across the street. Down the road you would find Chris Keller, sultry musician who used humour as a means of self-preservation. Well, that and lots of booze and women. A serial dater, he was perhaps the most excited of the three to be merging schools, his motto of "more fish in the sea" becoming a reality right before their very eyes.

"So, is your sis coming to the meeting tonight Hales?"

"Nope," the honey-haired girl replied, breathing out a sigh of relief at the idea. "Taylor said she wouldn't be caught dead here any sooner than she needed to be."

"Of course," Chris replied, sneering a little at the thought. "Queen Tay wouldn't want to be scared off by a little competition, would she?"

"Competition?" came a shrill laugh, a laugh from the right side causing all three to suddenly turn their heads. "Puh-lease. These skanks have nothing on us East-side girls." Dressed in a tight-fitting top and even tighter jeans, Rachel Gattina made her way towards the three amigos (as she liked to call them) and placed her hands firmly in Lucas'. Smiling, the fiery redhead leaned in and pressed her lips against his, Chris sniggering as Haley made a face of disgust at the public spectacle. "Right baby?"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Chris answered before Lucas could even make a sound, everyone following his gaze and landing on the sight of Brooke Davis and her clan. "They sure do have some talent here."

"Whatever," Rachel replied, turning around and sinking herself into Lucas' lap, his arms circling around her stomach. "She's not that great. Besides, look at all the airheads around her. I mean, it's like the blind leading the blind in the fashion sense department. Some of them are even wearing last season and off-the-rack. Eeew."

As if she had somehow managed to hear what Rachel had said, Brooke turned and gazed over at them. She eyed them off, Chris throwing up his usual grin as Lucas stared at her. It wasn't until Haley nudged him from the side that Lucas turned away. With a look of concern etched across her face, Haley nodded forward and Lucas followed her gaze, eyes landing directly on Nathan Scott. In a stare-off to rival the best of them, the two estranged brothers glared at one-another, their eye lock only broken by the blaring music screaming through the school parking lot.

"Like the naked leads the blind

I know I'm selfish

I'm unkind

Sucker love I always find

Someone to bruise and leave behind..."

Screeching to a stop a few spaces down from their car, the quartet glanced over as the vintage vehicle pulled in. The parking lot was thrown into silence with the cutting of the engine. In one swift, fluid movement, the girl hit the pavement and stood, turning to grab her coat from the back. Dressed in jeans and a Jimmy Eat World T-shirt, she wasn't what they had expected to see at the school. Smoky blue collided with hazel magnificence and stared, the blonde goddess before him a thing of beauty.

"Damn," came Chris' shocked expression, all four teenagers watching the girl slide into a leather jacket. "Where did she come from?"

As he spoke, the blonde turned and looked at them all again. As if uncomfortable, she glared back and raised her eyebrows, almost daring them to explain their inability to look elsewhere.

"And she's a fiery one," Haley replied, as if that somehow made her more likeable. "Thank god we don't have a school filled with air-headed cheerleaders!"

"Hey," Rachel hit her, clearly annoyed with Haley's remark. "I am a cheerleader."

"I think you spoke to soon," Lucas replied, Brooke and her posse descending upon the blonde protectively. "Looks like she's one of them and we've just upset Momma Bear!"

Brooke turned and shot them all a hardened look, wrapping her arm around Peyton's and dragging her forward. The girls giggled, but the blonde didn't smile, instead turning back to shoot the four teenagers another look.

"I could dig a cheerleader," Chris interjected, still unable to take his eyes off the mysterious blonde. "Seriously, I've done it before."

Standing in the middle of the grass, Chris surveyed the blonde carefully. She was unlike any of the girls that surrounded her. Where they wore tight shirts and high-heels, she wore T-shirts and sketchers. Where they bounced with excitement, she stood reserved and somewhat scowl-ish. Their smiles were met with her looks of distaste. It was hard not to look at her because she was so different.

"I so call dibs!" Chris replied, happily looking over at his friends as they rolled their eyes.

"You might wanna talk to him first," Haley replied, bursting Chris' bubble. "He might have something to say about it."

Chris watched as Nathan Scott made his way over to the blonde, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close. Lucas stood as his brother glared at him, the two facing off in a war of silence once again.

"That's Peyton Sawyer," Lucas replied, having heard about Nathan's girlfriend through the grapevine. "From what I hear, she's a bitch with an attitude. Stay away man, that's all I got to say."

"Figures," Haley replied, standing to join Lucas when Nathan turned and pulled his crowd away with him. "All girls who date jocks are."

"Hey," Rachel exclaimed again, hitting Lucas in the stomach. "Say something."

"It's time for the meeting," Lucas replied, gathering his own little group and stepping onto the grass. "Time to find out if we'll be matriculating with these guys or not."

They stood and made their way across the grass, two wide doors of the school hall beckoning them forward. As groups from different walks of life entered the hall, it was hard to imagine that two rivalling teams could ever be forced to work as one. Taking their seats, the atmosphere so tense you could cut it with a knife, Dan Scott stepped to the podium and placed his hands on either side of the mahogany stand, grey-blue eyes dominating the room.

And so it begins.

~x-X-x~

I just seem to be inspired to write lately, and after not writing Chreyton for a while I felt the urge to explore them again. Please review as your words help shape my ideas into a reality, and it's always great to hear other perspectives to make me think of things that may not have even crossed my mind! :)

Enjoy!