Nathan lay on his bed, still wearing the basketball outfit that he had played in that night. The room around him was all silent as he was lost in thoughts. He couldn't believe that he had actually lost the game of one on one at the river court. Not only that but he was beaten by Lucas, his brother who had never played at his level. The kid had game though, he had to admit that even if realizing that hurt. Also did he know that they needed a player like him especially after the losing streak that the team was going through. Half the team had been suspended and that made the Ravens lose their last three games in a row. It still wore on Nathan because it had all been his fault. If he hadn't stolen that bus in t first place, they'd all be fine. No one would've thought of Lucas and they'd probably had won all those games.
Before he could come to a decent conclusion of his thoughts, he got interrupted by his girlfriend walking in. He hadn't heard her approach at all and he didn't know what she was doing here either. Of all people, she should know that he didn't want to talk after a public humiliation like the one he had gotten about an hour ago. He had brought her to her place before returning home too but still she was there and when she spoke, Nathan turned around to look at the curly blonde. "Nathan?" she asked, clearly trying to test if he was going to snarl at her. He didn't answer though and just kept looking into her eyes, no words were needed to show her that he was annoyed by her presence.
Peyton still decided to take the jump and start the talking and when she did, she moved slightly closer to the bed that he was laying on. "I just wanted to make sure that you're okay. I mean with Lucas winning the game and all." While Nathan listened, he raised a brow and he wasn't really sure how she was going to give this a positive spin. "Was it really that important to you? It's only basketball, you know." Her mouth wasn't yet closed but she did already know that she had just made a huge mistake by her poor choice of words. Quickly she moved her eyes away from his, not wanting to see his reaction.
Angrily Nathan brought his hand to her cheek and turned her head so he could look at her again. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Just basketball?" he asked, repeating what she had said because the meaning of it hadn't completely gotten to him. He should've taken a pause and just breath in deeply but that wasn't how Nathan Scott worked. Instead he reacted right away, still furious. "Tonight I've been humiliated by that ass that's supposed to be my brother. My father didn't want him and now he beats me, taking away my team and my shots on the court. To you it might just be basketball but to me …" He almost yelled at the end of his speech. "It's my future, Peyton. This is my shot to a great college and NBA. It is not just basketball." Peyton was nailed on the ground as he had been speaking to her and she just couldn't return anything. For Nathan it was the sign to push her out of his room and close the door behind her. This talk was over.
When she wasn't in his sight anymore he sighed and leaned his back against the wall. Slightly calmed down, he realized that he shouldn't have gone all mad on her. She had been here for him, willing to help him through this and instead of thanking her, he had snapped because of the way she put things. Only when he heard the front door close, he was able to get away from the door and jump back on his bed. He felt even more frustrated and miserable now. His life had been seriously messed up in the past hour.
-x-
It was 6.30 a.m. on a Saturday but the sound of an alarm clock could be heard from Nathan Scotts room. Today was game day and it'd be the first time that he would be confronted with yesterday's loss. He didn't know if the team would talk about it but he did know that the whole school would know it by the end of their game. Whitey wouldn't put Lucas in the team yet, he was sure of that since the boy wouldn't have trained with them and that would mess up every single tactic that the coach had worked on the last few years. Seeing Lucas would only become a problem at the first training on Monday when he would actually join the team. Nathan didn't want to think about that just yet. The game had to come first now.
As he rolled out of bed, he put on a comfortable trainer. Then he stretched himself out once before heading downstairs. He'd start the day off with a short jog, warming the muscles early for tonight's game. It would be the last game where he'd be the only Scott playing and he had to make sure that everyone knew that they didn't need Lucas on the team. He had to shine on the court this time, even more than he normally did. Everyone will be looking at Nathan and they are expecting him to keep this win in Tree Hill. It would be tough though because his team didn't have a whole lot of quality anymore.
Right before he went out, he made another stop in the kitchen, grabbing himself a bottle of water. He put that away in one of his pockets and with his iPod on play and his headphones on his ears, he headed out. During the run, he wanted to clear his head, something that he had hoped that had happened when he lay in bed but it hadn't. Instead he had just been worrying and tossing around in his bed, not really getting the sleep he needed. He had been feeling insecure for pretty much the first time in his whole life. The one thing that had always been his was basketball and suddenly he felt like he had lost that on the river court when he played his brother. What if he was better than him? It would mean that everything that Nathan ever dreamt of would collapse. He wasn't sure if he could take that. And how would everyone else react on yesterdays loss? Would someone dare to make fun of him? Nathan just didn't know. Eventually he was able to get some sleep and when that happened, he was calm and somehow that seemed to be enough to start this day all rested.
Not even sporting could take the doubts that had recently popped up in his mind away and that made him worry about all of it even more. A new thought brought even more uncertainty upon him. What if he couldn't let go of this on the field? He'd probably play his worst match ever then. So far he had never taken any doubts up the court but this was all so different and new. He had never had this feeling before and he couldn't say what would happen.
At the end of his run, he arrived back home and he immediately spotted the basketball laying against the gate of the garage. The brown haired boy walked up to it and got a good feel of it first before he threw his first shot. All this insecurity could only be washed away with a couple of good shots. Nathan Scott, star player of the Tree Hill Ravens, had to convince himself that he still had his game and when the ball touched nothing but net time after time, he felt some kind of relieve come over him. This went as he had hoped and had always known. He shouldn't worry this much because he knew that he'd carry the team today, everything else would be solved later.
-x-
At the same time in another house in Tree Hill, Peyton Sawyer was laying on her bed. Her head was comfortably placed in the lap of her best friend who she had called about an hour ago. Brooke Davis hadn't been at the river court the previous day but she had heard about Naytan's loss. Peyton had now told her all about it and she ranted as well about what had happened after the game, when they had been at the Scott residence. While Peyton had been talking, Brooke was playing with the girls hair and imagining how it would've been. She hadn't seen a defeated and fragile Nathan before. It made her curious. When Peyton had finished, she just smiled and shrugged before answering. "Well P. Sawyer, I think that you know that you haven't phrased things very well. Yes, I agree that he shouldn't have blown up in your face but he has his weaknesses. He pretends that no one can hurt him and he is a jerk but you just hammered on one of his insecurities right when he was feeling vulnerable and that set him off. I wouldn't worry too much if I was you."
A smile played on Peyton's lips and she moved her head slightly, giving her the opportunity to let her eyes meet with Brooke's. Their eyes locked for a moment and Peyton nodded, agreeing on what her friend had just told her. She'd give Nathan a call and then everything would be okay again. It wasn't that big of a deal anyway. They had bigger fights in the past.
Now that the crisis was averted, the two girls chatted about several other interesting and less interesting topics before Brooke decided that it was time to get going and ready herself for the upcoming game. Peyton let her out and when the brunette got in her car, she smiled once more at her before getting back inside. Back in her room, she grabbed her phone and dialed Nathan's number out of her head, wanting to make things good right away.
She didn't have to wait long before Nathan picked up his phone and answered her call. "Peyton?" he asked, being surprised as he hadn't been expecting a call from her after what had happened earlier. He figured that they'd make up at the gym right before or maybe even after the game. "Hey Nate. Could you come over to talk?" Peyton always liked face to face conversations more than the ones over the phone, especially after fights. Her apology would seem more sincere if he could see her, she thought. Nathan wanted to prepare for the game though and he hadn't forgotten about the basketball comment. Thinking back at it, the words still pissed him off and before he had even thought about his answer he said: "Not now Peyt. Maybe after the game." He didn't agree and that totally caught Peyton off guard. It did piss her off as well because she had been the one trying to do good yesterday and now she tried to get things right too. In the heat of the moment she responded in a way she had done several times before. "Well, if you can't come here for a short talk about things, then maybe you should just stop coming around. We're done."
Hearing her words, Nathan didn't even try to convince her to over think what she had just said. He remained calm and while still being on the phone he even wondered how long she'd go through with that this time. Usually their break ups lasted for about a day, a few times two or three and Nathan had no doubt that this one wouldn't last longer. She'd come back to him and then they had sex. It's what they did. He ended the phone call by saying: "If that's what you want Peyton." And he hung up before she could react.
-x-
Hours later, it was time for Nathan to shine. Since coach Durham had expelled so many members of the team, including all the seniors, he was obliged to find a new captain for his team. Even though he had known that Nathan had something to do with the incident, he had given him the title because it was the only logical option. Not one other player would be able to deal with the pressure or could talk to the team the way that young Scott boy did. So far he hadn't proven to be worthy of the title though since they had lost every single game under his lead. He hoped to turn things around for the better today to prove that Lucas Scott wasn't their savior. This team was about Nathan and Lucas wasn't allowed to take that away from him.
Going out of the locker room, the captain could clearly hear the familiar sounds of the excited home crowd. They were as enthusiastic as ever even though they hadn't seen good basketball during the previous game. As he entered the gym, Nathan couldn't help but turn his head towards the cheerleaders. Peyton was there but he tried to ignore her. Instead he gave all of her teammates his typical boyish grin. While looking, his gaze stayed on Brooke Davis slightly longer than on the others. She had something special about her. Not only the way she got these cute dimples when she smiled but something that he couldn't name was what made her like that. He had known her for so long and still she amazed him. That feeling was soon gone when Nathan turned his head though. He stared right into the eyes of his father and that man could erase every happy feeling from him with a stare as he was giving now.
Just for a second, they both watched each other. None wanting to be the first one that stopped looking. It was only when his mother noticed what the two of them were doing that things ended because she bumped into her husband's shoulder, making them break the contact. At that point, Nathan turned around and focused again on his warming up. A few sprints and some practice shots later, he was ready for the game and feeling really confident about it. He told his team exactly how he felt and that they weren't going to lose this time.
As the game progressed, Nathan showed off everything he had and that sparked the team to have a great performance as well. Almost as importantly, it proved that he had been right when he shot some hoops on the driveway of his house. His problems would never find a way to get into his game. He shouldn't worry about that anymore. In the end, he finished with twenty-nine points on the board, seven rebounds and a couple of assists which made him once more the most impressive player on the field. The defense didn't have an answer on his moves and he had been pressuring them all game long. When they did stop him, they had to commit a fault. After such a good game, Nathan felt better. All the worries were gone for a moment and it gave him a moment of pure joy.
A sober party was started in the locker room as everyone was glad that they finally had that first win with the new team but it didn't last too long because all of them were eager to share this victory with their loved ones. Nathan took a quick shower and when he got back into the gym, he noticed a few of his teammates. It didn't take long for his father to walk up to him though and the young guy just sighed. "Hey Nate. You should've made that one free throw to get thirty. Scouts would've loved that." The younger Scott acknowledged that he had spoken by just shrugging. He hadn't expected his father to compliment him but taking him down every time wasn't how he wanted it either.
Nathan didn't want to listen to what other remarks that Dan Scott, once as good of a player as his son, would have on his game so before his dad could speak up he walked away from him, not sure where to go though. While his eyes scanned the environment, he had noticed that Peyton had already left, which was for the best probably because else she'd start screaming at him for everything that he had done and all the things that he didn't do. He did see Brooke though and he figured that he should talk to her to see how Peyton was dealing with everything because he did care for her even though that wasn't always visible.
As he walked to the hallway where she had been chatting with her friends, she had noticed him. Visibly rolling her eyes, Nathan could tell that she wasn't impressed by his latest stunt and when he was nearing her she already started her lecture. "What the hell were you thinking Scott? She wanted to make things right and you just blow her off? She is your girlfriend, you know." Nathan looked at her but the words didn't really hit him. He did know what she said but he felt nothing. "I shouldn't have done that but I'm tired of her always trying to do things and later apologize for those. I mean all this breaking up is bullshit." Brooke didn't reply, she just glanced at him and turned around, making the fabric of her skirt twirl slightly and having Nathan's eyes glued on her behind.
-x-
That night, Nathan hosted a party to celebrate his first victory as the captain of the Ravens team and everyone with some status at Tree Hill High would be there as always when threw a party. This time it would be on the beach in front of the Scott beach house. He had managed to snatch away the keys and had already made sure that there would be enough booze for everyone. Since it wasn't too late, no one would complain about music either and when they did, the party could always move inside.
Nathan knew that Peyton wouldn't come, she never did when they had broken up that same day. She'd be in her room, listening to her rock music and drawing some sketches. Most likely with her webcam turned on so the whole world could see how bad her life was. With that knowledge and the fact that he was single, Nathan was going to have some fun. Pretty much every girl begged for his attention these days so it wouldn't be that hard to find a sexy and playful one.
All night long Nathan divided his attention between two groups. The first one included the current players of his basketball squad. Most of them were about his age or younger. They seemed to idolize him for his game and that was fun to a certain extend. After that it became highly annoying but some of them were persistent and kept following him. Nathan liked hanging out with the seniors that used to be on the team more. They knew how to drink and girls liked those older guys better so they always had a couple of sexy chicks around them to flirt with.
Brooke had come to Nathan's party too, not because she desperately wanted that but because she had to think of her reputation. She had some kind of status at Tree Hill High and not being seen at a party like this would raise questions and answering those was annoying. Still she didn't mind coming here either. It was always nice to hang out with her friends at the beach, enjoying some good music and enough drinks to get drunk.
Actually she really needed this party today, just to clear her mind from everything that had happened. Others might think that she was her cheery self as always but it was just a mask to hide her troubles. She didn't want to bother anyone with those. What upset her was that her father had come home today and had kissed her on the top of her head. It might have been something that other fathers did sometimes but hers had never bothered to do so. For a moment she felt loved by her father, something that she had felt only once before but then he broke their moment by saying that he was just grabbing some things and had to head off again. Brooke had always known that they would never be a good family but that small sign had given her hope. For the longest time she had locked herself in her room and hadn't even come out to say goodbye when he left again.
The brunette was still slightly worked up about the situation when she excused herself and walked off to get another drink. At that point, Nathan had the same idea and he walked up to the bucket with cool beers. When he noticed her, he remained silent and just looked at her. Brooke didn't seem as happy as she usually does although she tried to hide that well and Nathan had seen that. She didn't look up when someone stood next to her, so Nathan grabbed himself a fresh beer and waited for her to finish the drink.
When the girl finally looked up at him, her eyes immediately met with his which caused a slight smile on both their faces to appear. Nathan started the conversation. "Hey, what's up, Davis? Something bothering you?" He received a sigh in response and she just shrugged, still pretending that it was nothing. "Nothing that I can't handle." Was her answer and Nathan smirked, not believing any of it so he threw his arm around her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Alcohol had loosened both of them up it seemed as Brooke didn't pull away. "Sure Brooke, pretend that you're alright. I can see that it's not though." After those words a silence fell and Brooke wanted to get away. She pulled herself free and then went looking for her friends again.
While the party was going hard, Nathan occasionally got his eyes on the brunette with whom he had been talking earlier. She had moved from her group of friends to flirt with some guys but she gave them only the illusion that she was interested because every single time she left them standing without looking back at them. Nathan couldn't help but think that she was the biggest tease around here as he watched her.
It was when the first guests started to leave that their gazes met again. This time Brooke took the initiative and slowly made her way up to him. Nathan had understood what she was doing and took a few steps towards her himself, meeting her almost halfway. As they stood there in front of each other, Brooke looked up, let her hazel eyes meet his and whispered softly but suggestively: "So you're single tonight, right?" Nathan didn't know what to say or what to think when she asked, he just stared at her. Eventually he shrugged. She didn't say another word and walked towards the beach house with a smile playing on her lips.
Nathan stayed on his spot as he just stared at her back, watching how Brooke walked away. He knew that she had been drinking too much but he didn't know what would happen once he got inside. For all he knew it could be another trick of hers but then he looked around and saw how the party was ending. Since they had to turn off the music earlier, this had become a night of drinking and standing around the bonfire so he just decided to play the game and follow her inside.
As Nathan entered the house, it was silent but he instantly spotted the playful brunette sitting on the kitchen counter. She smiled back at him and moved her finger suggesting that he should come closer to her and that was exactly what he did. When he had moved towards her, she wrapped her legs around him and pressed her lips on his. Nathan couldn't even react as he got overwhelmed. In his intoxicated state there wasn't much thinking and he just answered her kiss, letting his lips feel hers. Brooke opened hers slightly and before they knew it, Nathan was exploring her mouth with his tongue tasting her and playing.
As Nathan invaded her mouth, Brooke let out a soft moan. She urged him to do more while her hands were already at the hem of his shirt, trying to get it off. Then she broke their kiss, just to let his shirt slide over his head. It exposed his muscular chest and she smiled. Nathan watched her and he knew that he hadn't locked the door. Anyone could walk in on them. That's why he grabbed her butt with both his hands and lead her to his room. Brooke didn't seem to mind.
When he had locked that door, he lay her softly on the bed and got on top of her, continuing with the kiss that Brooke had broken. His hands roamed over her body and under her shirt, feeling her skin and working up to feel the fabric of her bra with his finger tips. By then Brooke was moving her hips, trying to rub as much against his crotch as possible. This was really happening was what Nathan thought.