So I know I shouldn't be starting yet another fic when I'm so busy and I have two that haven't been updated in ages, but I can't help but be inspired by college life and so here's another AU of our Golden Six (Brucas, Naley, and Jeyton.) In this, the gang didn't meet until college, including Lucas and Nathan, who aren't brothers. Lucas is the son of Karen and Andy Roe, and Nathan is the son of Deb and Dan Scott. They go to school in Seattle (I'm just gonna make up a fake college). I'm choosing Seattle cause I live here so I know the most about it!
Peyton Sawyer ran a hand nervously through her blonde curls, taking a deep breath as she swung open the small suite she would be sharing with her two roommates for the rest of the year. Her father had, of course, been unable to come and help move her in. And so Peyton had hopped into her Comet by herself and drove from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington, where she was about to attend Pike University for the next four years as a music production major.
She entered the suite to find a brunette girl balancing precariously on top of a chair, hanging what appeared to be white Christmas lights in swingy strands across the ceiling of their small living room.
Peyton cleared her throat and the brunette toppled with a squeal. Peyton quickly dropped her things and rushed over to her. "I'm so sorry!"
The brunette grinned, brushing her hair out of her face and looking up at her new roommate. "I knew I would end up on my back the first day of college, just didn't think it'd be quite like that."
Peyton wasn't sure what to say to that. "We must be roommates."
The brunette nodded. "I'm Brooke. Brooke Davis."
"Peyton Sawyer," Peyton introduced.
"I took the middle bedroom," Brooke explained. "You can have either one of the others."
"Thanks," Peyton said, looking around. They had a small common area and a little kitchen, with three bedrooms coming off of the common room.
"Do you need any help with your stuff?"
"No need," a charming voice came from the hall. A brunette boy and a blonde were each holding stacks of teetering boxes. They placed them down.
"We saw the room number on the boxes down in the lobby and thought we'd just take them up for you," the brunette explained with a nervous little shrug. "I'm Jake."
"Peyton," the blonde replied. "Thanks for bringing that stuff up, I'm so tired from the drive."
"And I'm Brooke. You are?"
"Lucas," mumbled the blonde boy, scratching the back of his neck.
"Nice to meet you boys," Brooke purred. "Y'all live on this floor?"
"Two floors up," Jake explained. "With another guy named Nathan."
"We have one more roomie," Brooke explained. "Her name's Haley."
"Cool," Jake said, rocking back and forth on his feet. "Well, we'll see you two around, then."
"Count on it," Brooke smirked. "Bye Jake, bye Lucas."
"Bye," Lucas muttered shyly. Brooke watched him go with a feline-like smile.
"That boy is a cutie."
"I thought the other one was cuter," Peyton said with a shy motion of her hand.
"Perfect," Brooke smirked once again. "Glad to know we have different types."
"Seriously, Quinn, just carry the damn box!" they heard a voice snap. A girl with long, copper blonde hair entered through the open door, followed by what appeared to be a small army of siblings.
"You must be Haley," Peyton said awkwardly as she watched the siblings fight amongst themselves.
"I'm so sorry," Haley gushed, and Peyton and Brooke grinned at each other. It seemed that apologies were their new form of introduction. "I'm Haley James. This is Quinn, Taylor, Roye, and Ryan."
"Nice to meet you," Brooke said sweetly, and Peyton did the same. The two girls stayed out of the way as Haley said her tearful goodbyes to her siblings.
"Your parents couldn't come either?" Peyton asked.
Haley shook her head. "My parents took off in an RV as soon as I graduated high school. They started their family young, so they're really just trying to make up for their lost teen years, I guess."
Brooke nodded at her. "My parents had me at thirty five and they took off as soon as I had learned how to microwave TV dinners."
Peyton let out a little laugh. "My dad works on a boat out at sea eleven months out of the year. Funny how we've all got absentee parents."
"At least we've all got one thing in common," Brooke smirked as she looked around at their things strewn about the living room. "Looks like that's where the similarities end, though."
Most of Peyton's things consisted of records, and Haley's of books. The majority of Brooke's stuff was clothing and accessories. Haley and Peyton both laughed as they observed this as well.
"What's your major?" Haley asked.
"Marketing," Brooke said. "I want to start up my own fashion line."
"That's really cool," Peyton smiled. "I'm a business major and a music minor. I plan on opening a record label."
"I'm English and history," Haley said. "I just plan on being a teacher."
"Oh, you'll be turning high school boys on all over the place," Brooke teased with a smile. "What orientation groups are you guys in?"
They each checked their welcome packets. Peyton was in group five, Haley in two, and Brooke in nine.
"Lame," Brooke shrugged. "Do you guys want to meet up after the stupid group things and go to dinner together?"
"Yeah," both other girls agreed.
Haley watched them nervously as they started to unpack their things, deciding whose stuff should go where in the common space. She had never had very many friends, and certainly had never had any friends like Brooke and Peyton. Brooke had obviously been popular in high school, and Peyton was the kind of cool, aloof artistic type that had scorned Haley in high school for being too brainy and logical. Yet they seemed to like her. Maybe her siblings had been right, maybe people really did leave those high school stereotypes behind in college.
Haley shook herself and began shyly inputting into the conversation, helping them unpack. Before they knew it, it was time to go to their orientation groups.
"At least the rooms are in the same building," Brooke said as the girls left their room and headed out.
"Yeah, that'll make it easier," Peyton said. "Everyone got their phones to meet up later?"
Brooke and Haley both nodded. "By the fountain, right?" Haley asked.
"Yep, the fountain at six," Brooke confirmed. She looked at her sheet of paper and then up at the room they were now in front of. "This one's me. See ya then!"
Brooke swung open the door with a broad smile. She was determined to make good first impressions; she had four more years here, and she wanted to make them count. Everyone else, however, seemed to be too shy to. They were all sitting far apart from each other while a pretty blonde girl in a red orientation advisor t-shirt tried to make conversation with them.
"Hi!" she said, smiling. "I'm Lindsay, your O.A.! What's your name?"
"Brooke Davis," Brooke said, taking a seat next to an extremely handsome dark-haired boy with striking blue eyes.
"Hey there," he said, leaning over and holding out his hand. "Nathan Scott."
"Hi yourself," she flirted back. "Where are you from?"
"New York City," he replied cockily, leaning back. "You?"
"L.A.," she said cheekily. "My city is better than yours."
He scoffed. "Oh please."
"We have Disneyland," she shrugged cutely. "Your argument is therefore invalid."
He laughed loudly at that. "I have to admit, I am a fan of your basketball team."
"I almost ditched the whole college thing to try out for a spot on the Laker Girls," Brooke confessed, "but I figured that I'd probably get further with this."
"Is that so?" he smirked. "I play basketball."
"And I'm a dancer. I'm sure I'll be seeing you on the court, then."
"I sure hope so."
Meanwhile, Haley entered her orientation room nervously and sat at a desk, playing with her hands. She watched people enter and tried her best to look welcoming, but no one approached her.
"Hi," a low voice said from behind her. She turned around to see a blonde boy with a friendly smile. "I'm Lucas."
"I'm Haley," she introduced.
"I figure I'll ask the standard first day of college questions," he chuckled. "Where are you from?"
"Raleigh, North Carolina," she said with a smile. "And you?"
"San Francisco," he said. "What's your major?"
"Double major in English and history," she said shyly.
"No way!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I'm English, too!"
"Really?" Haley said. "I never would have guessed that. Oh god, I'm sorry, that came off mean…"
He laughed. "No, no, it's fine. People say that a lot."
They spent the next hour playing silly day-camp like games that caused everyone to roll their eyes in annoyance. Haley and Lucas exited the classroom together, still chatting. They had hit it off extremely well. Haley ordinarily felt really uncomfortable around members of the opposite sex, but something about Lucas made her feel extremely comfortable. She felt like she had known him forever. She had almost completely forgotten about meeting up with her roommates until she heard someone call her name.
"Haley!"
She turned, Lucas stopping and turning as well. Haley watched a slow grin spread over Brooke's face as the brunette hurried to catch up with them, her brown hair bouncing at her shoulders. Lucas's cheeks were tinged with the lightest of pinks, and Haley nudged him teasingly.
"Crushing on my roommate much?"
"Lucas," Brooke chirped as she bounced up. "Long time no see."
"Hey Brooke," he smiled.
"There you guys are," Peyton said in relief. "God, that was boring."
"Seriously," Brooke agreed. "I could only play so many name games before I wanted to shoot up and die."
"Come on now, we had fun," a sudden voice said from behind her. She smiled at him, and Haley's heart nearly stopped. He was maybe the most attractive guy she had ever seen. "Woah, hey Luke."
"You two know each other?" Brooke asked, looking between the two boys.
"Yeah," Lucas laughed. "We're roommates."
"No way!" Brooke giggled. "Small world. Well, we're about to get dinner. You boys want to join us?"
They exchanged a look and shrugged. "Yeah, why not? I'll text Jake and tell him to meet us."
Brooke shot Peyton a wink as she started leading the way to the dining hall. "Nathan, these are my roommates, Haley James and Peyton Sawyer. Hales here is from Raleigh, and Peyton is from Portland."
"Very cool," Nathan nodded, shaking hands with the two girls. They met up with Jake outside of the dining hall and began chatting about classes, which were starting the next morning.
"What are you guys taking?"
It was established that Brooke and Jake shared a chemistry class together, Haley and Lucas were in history together, Peyton and Nathan had English together, Peyton shared music theory with Jake, and Brooke, Haley, Lucas, and Nathan were all in the same philosophy class.
"This is going to be so much fun!" the bubbly brunette squealed. Everyone smiled at her excitement, agreeing that, so far, college was shaping up to be pretty great.