Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ONE TREE HILL! I just wish I did: P
A/N: This is a Nathan/OC story and Lucas/Peyton, with possible Jake/Brooke. Still undecided on that. Please tell me if you like it. Otherwise, I won't post any more... and I do have more, but this is just to test the waters.
WARNING: THIS FIC DOES NOT HAVE HALEY. I love Haley so much, but she's not in this fic just for storyline purposes. Sorry! Personally, I don't authors take original characters out, but I was just bored one day and felt up to writing this. Here goes...
A girl is driving down a street as she listens to rock music. Glancing at the map next to her, in the passenger seat, she tries to make out where she turns next. It is early morning in a small town as she parks on the sidewalk and walks up to a house with her two suitcases. A few hours later, after settling in, which she didn't have to do much because she's living with someone else as well, she went to a café.
"Hello. Can I help you?" An woman that appeared to be in her thirties asked her as she sat down.
"Yes, you can. Can I have a ham sandwich and some coffee?"
"Sure. I'll be right back." The older woman was Karen Roe, she was wondering who this new girl was. She seemed as old as Lucas, so why wasn't she in school right now?
She took the coffee over to her, and just as she was going to go back, she turned around and asked her. "I'm sorry, but I'm just wondering about something. Do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"No, not at all. Ask away."
"Aren't you young? I don't mean that you're a little girl, but shouldn't you be in high school right now?"
"Oh." The teenage girl laughed. "I should be, but I just got into town this morning. I am going to register later though. I guess it does look suspicious."
"I was just curious, sorry. My name's Karen, Karen Roe."
"Hence Karen's Café."
Karen laughed and said, "Yes."
"Anyways, you have nothing to be sorry for. I'd be curious if I were you too. My name's Isabella Montoya."
"Oh, well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Isabella."
"You too, Karen."
"So, where did you come in from?"
"New York, actually."
"Really?" Isabella nodded. "So why move here?"
"Well, I used to live in California when I was younger, but I moved to New York when I was fourteen. I took a bus to New York to California. You can understand how expensive plane tickets can be, and on the ride to New York, my bus stopped here. I looked around and thought it was amazingly beautiful here. I just love small towns. Since I had plans in New York, I continued on, but I always wanted to come back. So, when things weren't going so well for me in New York two years later, here I am."
"Wow, but don't your parents mind moving around like that?"
"I don't live with my parents." Isabella looked down and took a sip of her coffee.
"Oh, I'm really sorry."
"No, it's okay." Isabella paused and there was an awkward silence between the two of them. "You see, my parents, they always fought, and a few years ago, I lost one of my brothers. He wasn't even doing anything either, you know? He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Things got worse at home and I couldn't take it, so I got emancipated when I was fourteen, and moved to New York with my Aunt Jenna. She was one of the only family members I had that understood me, and I felt that really cared about me. She listened to me and tried to help me all the time."
"She sounds great."
"She was."
"She's not with you?"
"No, she, uh, passed away recently. Like my brother, wrong place at the wrong time. You know those violent New York streets. But I'm also here because her Uncle-in-law lives here." Isabella wiped at the tears in her eyes.
"Oh, Isabella. I'm so sorry." Karen said, before going over to Isabella and hugging her.
"It's okay. I'm fine. I'm sorry, but I have to go right now."
"Okay, here, let me give you your sandwich to go, and feel free to come around anytime." Karen handed Isabella her ham sandwich when they went up to the counter for Isabella to pay.
Isabella walked out as Keith walked in. "Hey Karen, who was that? She seemed upset."
"Her name's Isabella Montoya and she's new to town. We were talking and it got very personal. I can understand why she's upset. To go through so much, like that, when she's so young."
Keith furrowed his eyebrows. "How young is she?"
"I'm not sure, but I think she's sixteen."
"Is she going to Tree Hill High?"
"Yes, she mentioned registering today. I'm worried about her. I know I just met her and I barely know her, but what she told me was so distressing."
Keith took Karen into his arms to comfort her. "Karen, I'm sure she'll be fine. We can tell Lucas about her, and hopefully he can find her at school."
"You think that will work?"
"Yeah, I'm sure it will. Besides, Lucas could use another friend, especially since he never really got over the fact that Haley had to leave a few years ago."
"Yeah, you're right, Keith. Thank you." They smiled at each other, and moved back into the hug.
It turns out that Isabella was going to the school as the spoke, and she was going to register. She walked into the hallway, and looked around. Isabella didn't know where the office was because she parked on the side of the school instead of the front. "Excuse me, can you tell me where the office is?"
"No." A guy said to her rudely. Then, he walked away, bumping into her on purpose, making her drop her papers.
Someone stopped to help her. "Here, that guy's a jerk. He's only nice to girls if there's a high chance he can sleep with them, which is close to never."
"Well, that would explain why he was rude to me, because there's no way in hell that I would sleep with him." They both laugh.
"By the way, you should walk straight here, turn right, then left, and two more rights."
"Thanks for telling me how to get there and no offence or anything, but I'll still get lost."
The person laughed. "I would too, if I hadn't already been here for like three years."
Isabella laughed. "I'm more of a visual person actually. I can't really do something unless I read it off somewhere or see it."
"Yeah, me too. I'm Peyton Sawyer. Nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Isabella Montoya."
"Come on, I'll take you to the office."
"Thanks, so does every guy here act like that?"
"No, but most of them do."
"Oh yeah? How great!" Isabella said sarcastically.
Peyton chuckled. "You're not like many girls around her though, I'll tell you that."
"Why? Are they rude too?"
"I'd say they're bitches, but you could say that."
Isabella chuckled this time. "I take it that you're dating one of the good guys here then."
"Not really. He's kind of a jerk, but he has his moments."
"Ahh, sounds interesting,"
"Yeah, you'll probably hear about him. His name's Nathan Scott."
"Oh, yeah, I know about him."
"Really?" Peyton asked, surprised.
"Yeah, star of varsity basketball; shooting guard. Son of Dan Scott of Dan Scott Motors, who was one of the top players in his day."
"Yeah. How do you know all that?"
"Oh, got some family here, is all." Peyton nodded. "So, nice stickers. NOFX."
"Thanks. I'm surprised. You know them?"
"Yeah, well, of them. 'That's me inside your head.' I probably don't look like the kind of girl to listen to rock, but I do. I listen to almost all kinds of music."
"That's cool. So, here you are. I'll see you around, Isabella."
"Yeah, thanks again. See you later, Peyton."
With Mouth, Jimmy, Skills, Fergie, and Lucas, they were sitting at a table outside, talking. "So Luke, rivercourt later, right?" Fergie asked.
"Yeah, of course. Why, you got other plans?"
"No, just asking."
Skills jumped in. "That's good though, dawg, because I'm going to beat you tonight Luke."
"Right." Lucas said, not believing him.
"What? You don't believe me? I will!"
Jimmy interjected with his own thoughts on the idea of Skills beating Lucas. "Come on, Skills. The last time you beat Lucas, he was sick, and threw up next to the court."
Mouth then said, "Oh yeah, I remember that. That was not a pretty sight Luke."
"I didn't think I was that sick." Lucas defended himself.
"Well, next time, you should just stay home and get better." Mouth replied.
"I agree, man." Fergie said. "But it was funny, Skills barely beat you, even when you were sick! He made the winning point only 'cuz you were going to blow."
Skills punched Fergie in the arm. "Man, why you gotta play me like that?"
All of them laughed, and, then, the intercom came on, "Will Marvin McFadden please come to the office? I repeat, will Marvin McFadden please come to the office?"
They started "ooh"ing at Mouth as he got up and gathered his stuff. "Guys, it's probably not anything like that."
They stopped, looked at each other, and continued to do what they were doing. Mouth laughed and walked to the office. When Mouth left, they changed the subject.
"So Luke, you hear from Haley lately?" Jimmy asked.
"Yeah, she and her family are in England. They're leaving for France in a few weeks though." He answered.
Fergie then asked, "You miss her a lot, man?"
"Yeah, sometimes. She emails me every once in a while. The basic stuff, like where they live now and if they going to move again; and where. It's nothing like before, but, at least, I get to hear from her.
Skills sighed. "Luke, man, you know I care about the both of you and that you guys had one of the best friendships I have ever seen in my whole life, but you need to move on. I'm not saying that you forget her, but stop being all broody about it. You're naturally broody enough as it is and it's been, like what? Two or three years?"
The four of them laughed, and Lucas agreed. "You're right, Skills, and I don't think that Haley would want me all broken up about her leaving. So, I'm going to try to feel better about it, okay?"
"That's good, because if you were going to be that broody for much longer, then you were going to make me punch you in the face."
Lucas hit Skills in the arm jokingly, as Skills, Fergie, and Jimmy laughed at him. "Can we talk about something than my 'apparent broodiness' that you guys say I have?" They just kept laughing.
With Mouth, when he got to the office, he was sent to the principal's office. He was starting to get nervous because he didn't know why he was there. He sat down in the chair they signaled for him to sit in, unaware of the girl in the seat next to him. "You wanted to see me, Principal Turner?"
"Yes, I did Marvin. We have a new student here, Isabella Montoya." Principal Turner said, pointing to Isabella. "And I would like you to give her a tour of our school. This is a copy of her schedule, maybe you can show her where her classes are. You are excused from the rest of your afternoon classes to do so. Your teachers already know and they have all said that you don't have any work to do."
"Thank you, sir, and I'd be glad to show her around." Mouth and Isabella walked out together. He turned to her. "Isabella, I'm Marvin McFadden, but you can call me Mouth. It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, uh, Mouth. My name's Isabella Montoya."
"So, let's start the tour."