My Old Friend
(1?)
Rivercourt Rating: 3-4
Summary: This story is going to predominantly focused on Haley and Lucas, though there will definitely be all of the familiar faces from Tree Hill )
A/N: This story is going to start at the early points of their life, but within four chapters they should be in high school… hope everyone enjoys it. As always, feedback is appreciated.
"The future depends on what we do in the present."
-Mahatma Ghandi
"You'we mean!"
"Am not!"
"Awe too!" The five-year-old girl retorted, arms crossed over her chest as a pout spanned across her lips.
"Nuh uh!" The little blonde boy at her side argued, shaking his head emphatically. Lucas Scott was many things; but even at the tender age of six he wasn't about to let a girl accuse him of being something that he wasn't. At least, that is, something that he thought he wasn't guilty of being.
"Yuh huh!" Shaking her head at the boy, Haley James sniffled quietly, brown eyes with a sadness to them. Rising to her feet slowly, she glanced at the boy that had sat down beside her after she'd run away from the group in their kindergarten class.
"I wasn't tryin'a be mean." He spoke after a moment, rising to his feet as well, standing beside the girl that had only been in his class for a couple days. Haley James was the new girl in Mrs. Johnson's class, having just recently moved into town. And now she felt like an outcast, like she didn't fit in. And maybe she didn't… the majority of the residents of Tree Hill had been born and raised there. And then, there was Haley.
"You stowe my cookie!" Young Haley responded, innocent brown orbs widening, as though in sudden realization of what he'd done—aware that the homemade chocolate chip cookie her mother had packed for her had now settled into Lucas' stomach .
Biting down on his lip, he looked down ashamedly before trying to excuse his behavior: "I was still hungry."
"No, you'we just mean." She mumbled as she walked towards her cubby, silently picking up her coat and putting it on. In her young mind, if nobody liked her here she'd just leave—she'd leave and go back to where she was from. Her old home with her old friends and her old school.
As Lucas was about to argue with Haley once more, he stopped short as he watched her sliding her jacket on. As it was, It was playtime and the teacher was pre-occupied with Danny, a little boy that had a slight bladder problem. Turning his attention from the teacher to Haley, the girl that he'd upset, he frowned. "Where awe you going?"
"Home."
"Nuh uh—you can't!"
"You can't stop me."
"I can… cuz…" Lucas paused, as though at a loss for words before glancing behind himself and nodding with the confidence that only a stubborn six-year-old can carry. "I'll tell Mrs. Johnson—and then… then she'll call your parents and you'll be in biiiiig trouble!"
Instantly, Haley frowned at his words. Silently she slipped her hand into her My Little Pony bookbag, opening her lunchbox and pulling out a Ziploc baggie with a chocolate frosted brownie in it. "Hewe." She spoke after a moment, pushing the bag towards Lucas. "If you take it you have to promise to not tell."
Lucas looked at the brownie that she handed him, standing silently as the auburn-haired kindergartener exited room 37 of Tree Hill Elementary. After standing silently with the brownie in his hand for a minute, he glanced deeper into the room to ensure that the teacher was still preoccupied before grabbing his bookbag and walking out into the hallway, biting down on his lip. While it wasn't an extremely big school, to a child that age it was enormous, and he had no idea where to go. Shrugging his small shoulders slightly, he began to walk towards the backdoor of the school that led to the playground. He wasn't sure where any of the other hallways went, and maybe he'd be lucky.
"Haley?" He called in a loud whisper as his eyes scanned over the decently sized playground, searching for the girl that he'd seen only minutes before. Continuing to look around Lucas finally spotted her sitting at the bottom of a slide. Walking over to her, he stood in silence, watching her stumble to wipe at her tears.
"Go 'way." She mumbled before rising to her feet, forehead creasing at the boy that had followed her outside. After he had been mean to her and stole her cookie she hadn't wanted to see him, or the other students in her class again. They were mean, and they weren't her class. Her class was back in Cleveland… not at Tree Hill. She didn't know anyone here, and she just wanted to feel secure again—the one thing that Haley's parents hadn't planned out in their move was Haley's difficulty adjusting. But even though they hadn't planned for it, it had been there. And every night since the move she'd cried herself to sleep in their bed.
"I thought you were leaving." He spoke after a moment, standing in front of her, the uneaten brownie still in hand.
"I—I am. I just wanted to go down the slide one last time… 's a nice park." Haley lied. "I'm done now—bye."
"Wait."
"I'm goin'." She nodded her head as she began to walk before Lucas moved quickly to stand in front of her.
"My Uncle Keith said—you should always try to help." Lucas began as he pursed his lips together. "If you're going, I'm going with you—you shouldn't be all awone. There might be strangers out there."
Haley looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before nodding her head and allowing him to walk beside her, the young pair outside in the playground all alone—and yet unwittingly together. "Okay… but, you have to share the brownie. 's a long walk."
"Where are we going?" Lucas asked as he walked next to her, oddly in step since they'd never really talked.
"Cleveland." And with that, Lucas slipped his hand around Haley's, the first moment of friendship that either had truly experienced.
