At The End of The Day

Authors Thoughts: I disclaim that the character names in this story, besides one, are not mine, and the character personalities are tweaked and different from the characters they are modeled after (even though they do share some of the same qualities). This chapter is only the beginning, and remember nothing is ever as straightforward as it seems. I hope that as the story continues you'll find it believable as I've tried to make this sound real, or at least make you believe that it could be. Any and all references to places in Duke are made up.

Chapter 1 "Today, is gonna be the day, that they're gonna throw it back to you" –"Wonderwall" Oasis

"Lucas Scott!" Lucas heard the unmistakable voice of his best-friend Haley James calling out to him from across the quad. Haley had been a good friend ever since he met her and now they were best friends. He'd met Haley at freshman orientation. She was a spunky girl with a confident demeanor and a vibrant spirit. He remembered how she'd gently tapped him on the shoulder asking if he had any idea at all where the closest bathrooms were. That was the only place he actually did know because the first thing he memorized about a new place was where all the bathrooms were; after all it was an important thing. He'd chuckled and pointed to the building right across from them and when she'd come back they'd striked up a conversation. Both had grown up in North Carolina, living there all their lives and were now starting a new chapter at Duke University. She had babbled, in the way he came to learn she sometimes did, over how happy she was to finally be starting college and how much she was looking forward to it. Then she'd stammered about how all the talking she was doing must be making her seem like a total idiot and had began walking away when he'd laughed and told her it was ok. She was a talker, but not high-maintenance, and she was fun. They'd developed a strong friendship over the last couple of years and she was the first best friend he'd had that was also a female. He had plenty of guy friends especially since he played shooting guard for the Duke basketball team but Haley was a girl and that made the best friend relationship different, but a good different. He knew he could come to her about anything and the same went for her. It was comforting to have someone to depend on like that especially since they were somewhat away from their parents.

Summer was over, but Haley and Lucas had spent plenty of time together since their hometowns were a short drive away from each other. However they hadn't seen each other in a couple of days as both were busy packing getting ready to go back to school. Today was the first day of moving back into the dorms and four years later Haley was just as excited as she'd been on the first day. She caught up with him quickly running towards him and enveloping him in a hug.

"Hey Hales, what's up?"

"What's up? Lucas must you even ask? It's senior year! It's our last year at Duke aren't you excited?" He laughed at how indignant she reacted that he wasn't showing his excitement as outwardly as she was. Haley was always like that, happy and excited. She knew how to appreciate the good things in life, and tried not to dwell on its negative aspects. She hadn't had the easiest of lives but she always thought of it as not having had a life as hard as others. That was part of her positive attitude on things. It took something serious happening for her to get depressed or sad, or even angry. She was mild-tempered for sure and that was one of the things that made them click as friends. Lucas Scott was pretty laid-back as well and tried to take life in stride. Of course sometimes he relaxed too much, and seemed to momentarily forget what his responsibilities or expectations were. He cared about things, but he never went crazy over anything. He'd gotten that attitude from his father, Keith, who was as relaxed about things as he was, if not more. It drove his mother Deb absolutely crazy. She worried about things constantly, made up for what Lucas and Keith didn't worry about, twofold. His family balanced each other out in that sense.

Their calm demeanors were what had drawn Haley and Lucas to each other. Neither were all that crazy about partying all the time as was the common practice of the kids their age. They quickly developed a friendship that had lasted all through the three years they had shared together in college, now ready to embark on their fourth.

"Of course I'm happy Haley. But classes don't start until Tuesday anyway so its not official," he reasoned with her.

She just rolled her eyes at him, her hands placed on her hips "Whatever. What are you doing out here anyway watching all the freshman move in? What are you already picking out who you're going to pick on?" She gave him a knowing look; Lucas Scott loved to tease.

He opened his mouth to answer before he heard his name called out again "Lucas Scott!"

He turned to see a bouncy brunette running up to him, he smiled at the sight of his girlfriend Brooke Davis, who was heading towards them. Behind her was Peyton Sawyer, another friend of theirs. Brooke and Haley had known each other since high school. They were best friends even before getting to Duke and remained thus so. It was because of Haley's friendship with Lucas that Brooke had met him. At the time they just remained friends, and both dated other people. However, at the beginning of their junior year they'd taken their friendship to the next level and began to go on dates until they officially became a unit right around Christmas. They'd been together ever since. Lucas on the other hand knew Peyton since high school. They'd dated almost all of their senior year but remained friends after breaking up both mutually agreeing that they just didn't work as a couple. They'd surprised each other when they realized they were both going to Duke. And so the two pairs of friends, Brooke and Haley, Lucas and Peyton, formed a quartet. Lucas and his three girls: his best friend Haley, his girlfriend Brooke, and his ex-girlfriend Peyton. It was an odd combination, but they'd found a way to make it work. There was also Lucas' freshman year roommate Kevin. Kevin and Lucas had hit it off as buddies too and he was always hanging around their group as well. In that sense the quartet was more like a quintet, except that Kevin was the only one who didn't have a high school history with any of them. He was new to the group freshman year but he'd stuck around with them since then.

"Hey baby," Lucas greeted his girlfriend pecking her on the cheek.

"Getting ready to rule the school?" Brooke smiled a mischievous grin that made everybody around her smile. She was very giving of herself, except when it came to her heart, which was loaned out to Lucas at the moment. She was a seemingly happy girl, an infectious smile always on her face. She was interested in the campus gossip, and was always in a good, perky mood. She was still a kid at heart. Few things could deter her from her goals and when she wanted to get something she fought like the best of them for it. She went after what she wanted and wasn't afraid to be who she was. She oozed sex appeal and many of the guys on campus looked her up and down, knowing she belonged to Lucas, and mad they didn't get to her first.

Lucas laughed at his girlfriend's antics. She loved being the boss and she loved that they were now seniors. Sometimes she acted like she was still in high school what with her love for gossip and her excitement over the fact that they were in their last year of school. You could tell her and Haley were friends just from that. Yet other than that, she and Haley could not be more opposite. Haley was calm, hated gossip, and smart. Brooke was high-maintenance, carefree and could be the party girl when she wanted to be. She was different from Haley and Lucas, yet they connected. Underneath her bubbling personality was a frail heart. She cared for other people, and yet was afraid to open up too much for fear that they might actually see that under the layers of makeup and perfect hair was a girl just as insecure as the rest of them.

"What are you guys doing out here just standing around watching freshman?" Peyton questioned. Peyton was the most multi-faceted of the group. She was one of the people that Haley would say had a harder life than her. Her mom had died when she was young and she'd had a really difficult time dealing with that. Her father was great but worked a lot and was often out of the house. In many ways Peyton was alone, she didn't really even have a best friend in high school, until she met Lucas. He seemed to always be there for her, especially when she really needed him, which was probably how their friendship developed into a relationship. One founded primarily on need, her for comfort, him to give it, and that was probably why it had ended. Haley knew though that Lucas would always care for Peyton. Peyton loved music and art and like Brooke when she put her mind to something she'd stop at nothing to get it done. For that reason, different as they may be, Peyton and Brooke had really hit it off. All three of the girls shared a bond but Peyton and Brooke had become close the way Lucas and Haley had. Old pairings of friends stretched and grew into new pairs, never forgetting the ones they already had.

"I was just asking him that," Haley replied looking to Lucas.

"I know one of the new freshman this year so I'm watching to see if I can spot him."

"How do you know one of the freshman?" Haley asked.

"Didn't I tell you? My baby cousin is coming here."

"Who you calling baby?" A tall boy asked coming up behind Lucas. Luke turned around and immediately enveloped, what the rest of the group assumed must be his cousin, in a man-hug, complete with the slaps on the back.

"Hey guys this is my cousin, Nathan Scott." Though Nathan was younger he didn't look it too much. He was taller than Lucas by one or two inches, had a strong build and wide shoulders. He had dark brown, almost black hair, unlike his cousin who was a blonde, yet both had blue eyes. "This is my girlfriend Brooke," Lucas said pointing to the petite, brown-eyed brunette. Nathan shook her hand and repeated the action when Lucas introduced Peyton. By looks Peyton was the complete opposite of Brooke. She was taller, lankier, and had short, soft blonde curls, which contrasted Brooke's straight and dark locks. Yet Lucas had dated both of them; the boy clearly didn't have one set taste. "And this is my best friend Haley," Lucas' voice softened a little and Nathan's eyes fell on the short girl directly in front of him. She was the shortest of the three, and in his immediately formulated opinion, the prettiest. She had soft features and long honey-colored hair that was a mix of blonde and light browns, almost a caramel color. He shook her hand as well, grasping her much smaller hand in his own, noticing her big brown eyes and her soft smile as she practically cranked her neck to look up at his 6'2" figure.

"Hi," she smiled, noticing that the blue in his eyes was a much more piercing blue than in Lucas'.

"Hi," he responded with his own smile, holding her hand a little longer in his grip than he had the other two girls.

"So where's Uncle Dan and Aunt Karen," Lucas questioned referring to Nathan's parents, "didn't they drive you down here?"

Nathan looked at his cousin incredulously, "You're kidding right? Me and my parents, plus all my luggage in a car? No way man I flew down here and speaking of, the taxi from the airport is waiting. You have to go tell him how to get to Minnow Hall so that he'll drop off my stuff in our room."

"Wait, you're rooming with Lucas? But you're a freshman…" Brooke asked confused.

"Long story," Lucas said shortly, "come on let's go" he motioned for Nathan to follow him back to the cab so that Nathan could begin settling in. As the boys walked off together the girls turned to each other.

"Hmm seems like the good-looks are in the Scott family genes," Brooke mused. Peyton laughed already knowing she'd say something like that.

"Brooke! You're dating Lucas!" Haley exclaimed even though she knew Brooke well enough to expect something like that as well.

"Oh come on just because you're with someone doesn't mean you don't notice other people. The boy's attractive I mean come on; he doesn't even look like a freshman. You two don't act like you weren't thinking the same thing."

Peyton smiled, "He's not bad."

Haley looked in the direction Nathan and Lucas had walked off in, "yeah he's cute I guess, so what?"

Brooke smiled knowingly at her but chose not to say anything. She'd seen the way Nathan had looked at Haley, and she knew that he'd liked what he saw. Not that it was surprising Haley was a really pretty girl. She had that sort of natural beauty and confidence in herself. If it were her, Brooke wouldn't dare go out in public without at least some make-up on, but Haley rarely used it. She'd always been the stronger one of them two in that sense, and a part of Brooke wished she had that little extra bit of confidence. To the outside world Brooke had the looks to walk down a street like she owned it, but Haley didn't even have to try and Peyton didn't even care. Peyton never wanted to own said street and Haley owned it without trying. Despite her internal confidence she was oblivious to that fact, and Brooke could sense that Haley hadn't noticed the way Nathan smiled at her differently then he had Peyton and herself.

"Whatever can we please go elsewhere standing in the hot sun is not my idea of fun. And that wasn't supposed to rhyme," Peyton complained.

"Oh I heard they opened up a new ice cream shop at the Student Union!" Brooke giddily clapped her hands together already turning in the direction of the building.

"Watch it be just another rumor," Haley rolled her eyes to Peyton. Both girls laughed knowingly and followed Brooke.

"Alright here it is little cous' " Lucas opened his arms gesturing as he showed Nathan what would be their room. Nathan dropped his bag to the floor and smirked at him.

"Stop calling me little, I'm bigger than you."

"But I can still wipe the floor with you on the court."

"Keep dreaming."

Both boys laughed. Besides blue eyes both shared a love for basketball. They'd grown up playing it, together even, until right before high school Nathan and his parents moved from North Carolina up to Connecticut. Both boys kept in touch though seeing as how they were more like brothers than cousins and often their families visited each other. Their love for basketball ran in the family seeing as how Dan, Nathan's father had played his whole life including college and Lucas' father Keith had played all through high school. All four men loved the game, and their grandfather, Royal Scott, Dan and Keith's dad, was the source of it all being the first to become infatuated with it and passing it on to his two sons, who in turn passed it on to theirs. Lucas had played successfully in high school and college but didn't want a career out of it. He was into literature and hoped to one day become a writer or a college professor.

"How is the team, by the way," Nathan asked. He was going to join the Blue Devils this year and he hoped that having Lucas on the team, someone he already knew, would be helpful.

"It can be crazy at times I won't lie, you know this school lives and breathes basketball, but it's a lot of fun though. Especially when you win." He grinned and Nathan laughed nervously in response. He knew his father would want nothing less than winning.

"So which bed is mine anyway," Nathan looked between the two twin beds on opposite sides of the room. "More importantly will I fit in either one of them?"

Lucas laughed, "Oh see now you don't like being the taller of us two" Lucas mused as Nathan smiled sarcastically at him. "I already put my stuff on this one so I guess that one's yours" Lucas pointed to the one on the same wall as the door to the room. Nathan shrugged and sat down looking around the room. His room in his house was about this size, but it was just him in it.

"Room's kind of small," Nathan furrowed his eyebrows together.

Lucas chuckled as he began to empty one of his suitcases that he hadn't yet touched. "Welcome to college life," he turned to look at Nathan who also began to unzip one of his bags, "you're going to love and hate it all at the same time." He smiled.

Nathan smiled back, believing the hate part, not totally sure about the love.

Jackie