Author's note: Hello, readers! This is a brand new story that I was inspired to write about. With the current OTH hiatus (transitioning from Season 4 to 5)… I've got to suppress my OTH cravings, somehow. As for my other stories, I'm working on those, as well. If anyone is wondering, they will not be 'incomplete' forever! Leave any comments, feedback, suggestions/ideas! Constructive criticism is welcome! So, anyway, hope you guys like this one.
Enjoy,
SJ
Author's edit: I wanted to change the formatting because for some reason my mini line breaks disappeared! :( So, I put in the big ol' line breaks for the convenience of you readers! Also, I changed some of Haley and Peyton's heart-to-heart based on a suggestion from a reviewer at the . They just sounded way too old to be 11-years-old, so thanks laffertyluvsme.
Summary: Nathan and Lucas Scott are twin brothers; children to Dan and Karen Scott. They form a lasting relationship with their neighbor, Haley James. The three go through the different stages of life, Haley, always a little bit behind, being three years younger. Suddenly, her outlook on life, friends, and love changes as she sees a particular Scott brother in a new light. This is her survival story of going through puberty, high school, a first love, tragedy, and everything else a teenage girl has ever had to go through. A different approach to a Naley story. NH, JP, and BL. (Disclaimer: Everything and anything related to the television series, One Tree Hill, is rightful property of its owners, writers, and producers).
CHAPTER 1 – A Change in Seasons
"Nathan! Lucas!"
Haley James, still clad in her pajamas, stood on her neighbor's driveway screaming. Her four-year-old voice was shrill and disturbing, especially around 8AM on a Saturday morning. A dog barked in response, some ten houses down on their charming street.
Five minutes had passed, what seemed like an eternity for such a small girl, so much so that tears began to form in her doe-like eyes.
"Nathan?! Lucas?!" She cried out their names in between tiny sobs.
"Haley Marie James! Get inside this house, right now!"
Haley turned around reluctantly to see her mother in her bathrobe with a very unhappy look adorned on her face.
"But, Mommy! Nathan and Lucas said that they would play with me today!"
Mrs. James couldn't help but to smile at her daughter's antics. She had noticed the half-eaten bowl of cheerios on the breakfast table. And the color-changing spoon that Haley had to eat with had been sloppily tossed nearby, surrounded by a tiny pool of milk. The following screams of her daughter's voice had given away her whereabouts.
"Haley-bub, it's too early for you to be yelling outside. Everyone is still sleeping,"
Knowing better than to disobey her mother, she stomped her small feet toward the house, her bottom lip wearing the biggest pout she could manage.
"I hate them!" She angrily said, her tears now flowing gently down her rosy cheeks. She raised her hands toward her mother, waiting for her to pick her up and comfort her during her emotional time of need.
"What did Daddy and Mommy say about that word?" Lydia James carefully reminded her daughter, as she lifted her swiftly.
"Not to say it," she answered in a timid voice.
"That's a good girl. You finish your breakfast, clean up, and watch your cartoons, okay? Then, at 10:00 you can go knock on Mrs. Scott's door and ask nicely, if the boys can play, okay?" Bringing a free hand to her child's face, she wiped away her needless tears.
As she carried Haley inside, her husband came down the stairs, rubbing away the sleep from his eyes. Seeing the obvious tearstains on his baby girl's face, he perked up immediately.
"Haley-bub, what's the matter?"
"I'm okay, Daddy. Mommy says I just have to wait till ten o'clock,"
Confused by her answer, he ran his hand over her head, fluffing her blonde curls before looking at his wife for an explanation.
"The girl's four and she's already crying over boys," She sighed only like a worried mother would.
Haley paid no mind to the brief exchange between her parents. All she could think about was when ten o'clock would roll by and she could finally play with her two favorite friends in the whole world—Nathan and Lucas Scott.
The James had moved to Tree Hill, North Carolina, as a young couple with their only daughter. Haley was their precious little girl. Unfortunately, they were unable to have any more children, so when she cried or innocently asked for more siblings, her pleas could not be answered. When she discovered that her neighbors were close in age, she found an almost sibling-like companionship with the Scott brothers. Nathan and Lucas were a pair of fraternal twins, three years her senior, who couldn't help but to return the same affections to their newfound friend.
The boys were a definite contrast, yet complimentary to one another, much like a yin-yang. Lucas was older by a mere ten minutes—Nathan had been a bit stubborn. The older Scott had sunny blonde hair and a pair of crystal blue eyes. His freckles would fade in and out as the seasons changed and he was taller by at least an inch. Nathan had dark brown hair, nearly black, yet had the signature Scott baby blues, though darker than his twin brother's. His complexion was olive, always a shade darker than his brother. He was a mirror image of his father.
The two boys were raised tenderly by their mother, Karen Scott. Karen was a gentle woman who had the ability to show love whether from a hug or from a scolding—she just had that magic. Their father, Dan Scott, was a different story. Dan and Karen had been high school sweethearts. Shortly after learning of Karen's pregnancy at the age of nineteen, they decided upon marriage. Mr. Scott was a legend around town from his earlier years as the Tree Hill High Varsity Captain for the basketball team, "leading them to the State Championship and finishing off with a glorious win" in his senior year. These were the very words not only from the man, himself, but those that never got past those golden days.
Like all seven-year-old boys, they were competitive but had an undeniably close relationship. As soon as they could walk and maintain their hand-eye coordination, Dan enrolled them in basketball youth leagues. He was determined to have them continue the Scott legacy. He somehow figured that creating a rift between the two would force them to push themselves harder, but he never won. Their bond was too great.
And now, with little Haley involved they had become the intertwined braids of a tight rope.
People came and went on their street; but those two families were a constant in each others' lives and a history began to develop in their private part of the world.
Seven years later…
Haley sat at her vanity, a recent purchase her parents had made. She admired the wooden engravings along the mirror, coated in a pearly white paint. To her it signified some sort of change in her life, along with the new set of plain white panties, without the teddy bears or flowers, and matching training bras folded neatly in her new matching dresser. She'd fought the changes making their appearance on her body. Her breasts started showing and she wasn't sure she liked it. In the movie, Now and Then, Christina Ricci's solution to these hormonal developments had seemed interesting, but Haley wasn't feeling drastic enough to wrap herself up in duct tape.
She already had too much to worry about. In one year, she'd be entering middle school and again, she'd miss the chance to be in school with both Nathan and Lucas. They'd be starting high school. She ached with jealousy at the thought of high school girls and their bigger boobs and their make-up. She hadn't always felt like this.
At one point, her love for the Scott boys was of pure innocence. She just liked how they treated her like their family, like a sister. Then, a new wave of emotions settled in as a different kind of love replaced the old. She knew her relationship with Lucas had not faltered. The comfort and safety she felt from him had abandoned her, though, when it came to his brother. She felt herself distancing from Nathan; but, it wasn't because she liked him less. The final wave crashed down upon her like a storm: she had a crush on Nathan Scott. It was when she'd made this realization that she started to appreciate her sudden 'hormonal developments'.
A breeze drifted through the crack of her window, sending in the aromas of a warm spring day and the echoes of a ball striking concrete repeatedly. Haley grinned excitedly at the familiar sound and quickly ran a brush through her golden waves, pulling it up into a pony-tail.
"When's practice, again?" Nathan asked his brother while sending a basketball effortlessly through the hoop.
The two boys changed spots on their driveway basketball court, as Lucas got ready to make his shot.
"Nate, I've told you like a billion times already. You have the worst memory,"
Nathan sighed at the remark. He did admittedly have a problem paying attention, sometimes. He hated situations like this one when his brother was right and he was wrong… once again.
He threw the ball with a bit more force than necessary at his brother, after catching it as it fell through the net. Caught off guard, the ball hit Lucas' hand, crushing his fingers.
"Shit! Ouch!" Lucas yelled out in pain.
A tiny gasp came from behind him, followed by a patter of footsteps.
"Lucas, are you okay?" Haley asked, kicking the ball onto the front lawn and turning her attention to his hand.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry about the cussing," He sheepishly apologized as he gently rubbed his now reddened and throbbing right hand.
"It's okay! I'm not a little girl, you know…" She replied defensively.
Watching the two interact only added fuel to Nathan's current temperament. Where it was coming from, he wasn't so sure. What were they? Boyfriend and girlfriend? He fought back the urge to ask. It wasn't like he liked her or anything—she was only a sixth grader. He assumed it originated from the already competitive mood that Lucas had put him in. Yet, he couldn't help but to glare at the pair.
"I'm going inside to put some ice on it. You wanna come in and watch a movie or something?" He asked Haley, choosing not to get into it any further with his brother.
"No thanks,"
"Alright, see you later, Hales,"
Nathan still stood there, his arms crossed and making a show of turning away as his twin walked past. Haley picked up the ball from the freshly cut grass and walked towards Nathan, holding it out towards him like a peace offering.
"Are you okay?"
He wasn't surprised by her question, but it never ceased to have that warming affect on him. Even though, he'd been the wrong one, she cared just as much about him as she did Lucas.
"I'm fine," He said, taking the ball into his own hands.
He made a point of avoiding her eyes, focusing on the bumps and ridges on the worn basketball. He knew she'd be staring him down, though, and finally relented with a sigh.
"I just hate it when he acts like a know-it-all,"
"What did I say about that word?" Her intonation matched her mother's perfectly.
Nate rolled his eyes, but answered, "I don't like it when he acts like a know-it-all… like he's better than me,"
"I know! Especially, since I'm the know-it-all. I am totally better than everyone else," She huffed jokingly, waiting for him to crack a smile.
Hearing his burst of laughter, a feeling of relief washed over her body.
"You're a funny girl, Haley James,"
She scrunched her facial features in response and stuck out her tongue, causing him to laugh again.
'He may not be ready to take me seriously, but at least this way it won't be obvious how seriously I take him.' She thought to herself optimistically.
"Feel like playing 'HORSE'?"
"Hmm… I don't know… feel like getting your butt kicked by a girl?"
The laughter and occasional screams could be heard far off in the distance, echoing through Oak Street along with the steady dribbling of a basketball on fresh pavement.
"You want to sleepover this weekend?"
"Mm… I'll ask my parents, but I don't know if I can,"
School was officially done with. Haley and her classmates were already in that rebellious summer phase, even more so because they had completed their last year at elementary school. After a half-day of school, she and her best girlfriend, Peyton Sawyer, were still lingering on the playground, seated at a swing-set.
"Hales, don't be a party pooper,"
"You did not just say 'party pooper'. That is so…"
"So what? So… fifth grade?" Peyton offered, never lacking of sarcasm.
The two girls were so alike in some ways with their similarly textured blonde hair and tom-boyish tendencies. But, Peyton was gutsy at times when Haley knew she needed to be. Mrs. Sawyer had been diagnosed with an early stage of breast cancer. Instead of moping around like anyone else, Peyton stepped up by helping her father and never losing faith. Maybe it was because she didn't understand the severity of the illness or that she simply chose not to. She wanted to let her Dad know that there was still hope because then, she could convince herself the same.
Haley rolled her eyes, but couldn't help to smile. She didn't want to be an alleged party pooper, but she knew that Mr. Scott was shipping the twins out to basketball camp this summer. She wanted to squeeze in whatever time she could with them.
"Are you nervous about next year?" Haley asked suddenly.
"Oh my God, Hales… the first day of summer hasn't even finished and you're here whining about next year! You've got to get out more or something," Peyton teased. She dropped her head back, gazing at the cloudless blue sky.
"Yeah, okay… why don't you pick me up later on your five-speed bike and we'll go catch a movie at the theatre?" Haley sarcastically snorted.
"Please don't let that be my bitchiness rubbing off on you,"
"P. Sawyer! Language!"
"I hate it when you talk like that..." Haley had a smart comeback hanging on the tip of her tongue, but then her friend added, "It... it reminds me of my mom,"
"Peyton, she's not dead." Most people would find Haley's remark blunt and insensitive, but Peyton appreciated the toughness.
"I know. She's just more worried about being around… I… I don't blame her. She has a lot of stuff to think about all the time. She just gets tired and well… I just wish that she wouldn't have to worry about anything else… except me. Am I being selfish?" Her voice had softened and she slumped into her swing, staring out into the distance.
"You are not selfish. You're just a normal girl that gives a crap about her mom. You don't have to pretend... it doesn't make it feel any better,"
Haley looked away as soon as she saw her friend roughly wiping tears from her face.
"Want to come home with me? We can make cookies… watch stupid movies… and… I'm sure that Lucas will be home," Haley sing-songed playfully.
This time, Peyton rolled her eyes. "Which means that Nathan will be home, right?"
Haley flushed immediately. Why was it so hard for her to act nonchalant whenever Nathan came up?
"Aw… are you blushing? You asked for it… I don't know where you get this crazy idea that I like Lucas,"
"Well… he likes you…" Haley said, wishing the burning in her cheeks would vanish.
"Yeah, well, it takes two to tango and I do not like him. I mean, you were so right about the whole brother thing with those two. I cannot imagine them as anything more than friends slash brothers slash best friends with my best friend,"
Haley laughed at her honesty and smiled a bit wistfully. She'd give anything for Nathan to like her.
"But, okay, I'll go home with you. Let's start walking! I know you want every minute you can get with… Nathan,"
As soon as Peyton said this, she grabbed her book bag and was already sprinting down the wooded path towards Oak Street, her laughter reverberating through the trees. Haley was right on her tail, screaming after her.