The original cast of One Tree Hill leaves nothing to be desired, but what if the Lucas Scott, Nathan Scott, Haley James Scott, Peyton Sawyer, Brooke Davis, Antwon "Skills" Taylor, Marvin "Mouth" McFadden , Jake Jegelski, and Chase Adams you know and love were joined by six and a half new characters in a tumultuous story of their high school experience? Meet Julian Baker (who may or may not be new to you depending on your One Tree Hill watching), Lailin Durham, Isobel Scott, Hunter Hayes, Sophia Scott, Blake Taylor, and Samira Kapoor, Tree Hill's newest residents. Whose relationships will fail? Whose friendships will fall apart? And whose pasts will come back to haunt them?

New Characters

Lailin Durham- Whitey's Granddaughter

Hunter Hayes- Dan conceived a child in the summer between high school and college with Susan Hayes while he was at summer camp. Learned he had three half siblings after she died.

Isobel "Izzi" Scott - Nathan's twin sister

Sophia Scott- Karen and Keith got married a year after Lucas was born and had another child.

Blake Taylor- Skills' little sis; works at Karen's Café with Lucas, Haley,and Hunter.

Samira Kapoor- cheerleader and friend of the main characters.

Julian Baker- Nathan and Lucas's team-mate on the Ravens and Brooke's boyfriend.

A/N Hi, my name is Kenya and I am writing this story with my best friend Mary Alice. I know this story doesn't start with a character you are familiar with but please read it , the characters we all know and love are coming soon. Enjoy!

Lailin

There aren't many people in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, the crawfish capital of the world. Sure, you've got your preachers and your fishermen and your school teachers, but that's mostly it—go through three stop lights and you've missed the town completely. And as stereotypical as it is, I was born in the small town to a terribly poor family with a cancer victim for a mother and a father who hadn't darkened our doorstep since the day I was born. I was an only child, so as soon as Mom died when I was sixteen I packed my bags for Tree Hill, North Carolina in search of my only relative and never looked back. Mom had been my only friend besides a childhood confidant by the name of Hunter, and even that fell apart eventually. Everyone important to me fell away—I was a loner who was actually terrified of being alone. But I adjusted. Life in Tree Hill became rhythmic, and I began to feel like I was finally fitting in somewhere. I felt like maybe, just maybe, I had found my groove.

That is, until I got the stupid text just a few days ago.

Now, I make myself a third cup of coffee and just stare at it, picking it apart like birds might pick the skin from a poor dead critter. Lailin,

It's Hunter. I'm in Tree Hill, and the last person I talked to back home told me you were, too. I don't know if the feeling is mutual, but I'd really like to see you. It's been forever. Let me know if I can stop by. :)

I throw the phone across the room and put my head in my hands. I can't stop picturing his face when he told me he was leaving me behind, the gut-wrenching feeling that came with it. I know it's not his fault his family decided to move—I knew it then. But the fact that he waited until now to let me know he was even alive still hurts. And quite frankly, even though I'm seventeen and it was six years ago, it really pisses me off.

The doorbell rings and I heave myself out of my chair, still staggering from the weight of all the sleep caught in my hair and eyes. The man behind the door is a big, bumbling bulk of guy, his expanded belly hanging over the edge of his pants and his chin hanging down to the collar of his shirt. He just looks like someone's legendary grandfather who has been the coach of the Tree Hill Ravens basketball team for years upon years—it's bordering on stereotypical. I like him, though. He's nice, he's funny, he's caring...and he's paying my rent, which factors in significantly in his status with me. I smile and give him a quick hug. "Hey, Whitey." He'd asked me not to call him Grandpa the moment I could first talk—he said it reminded him he was so old. I've always called him by his name, just like my parents did. Monkey see, monkey do, I suppose.

"Hey, Lailin. I just came by to drop off this month's rent. You should start getting nasty emails about it tomorrow at the latest." He presses an envelope into my hands and I take it reluctantly. I told him when I first moved in that I'd be happy to pay my own rent—the law wouldn't have to know. But he refused. He's dished out quite a bunch on me in the one year I've struggled through Tree Hill.

I sigh. "For the last time, I really can pay the rent. It's no big deal."

"Nonsense! You're young. You shouldn't have to worry about that. That's what I'm good for."His big fingers fumble with something in his pocket before pulling out a credit card, one with my name on it. "I also went and got your past few months' paychecks put on here. I bought this month's groceries with it, too, like you always insist I do."

I raise my eyebrows. "Did you really?"

"Well, I paid the tax with it, at least. You've still got a good amount of money on there."

I roll my eyes and punch him lightly on the shoulder. "You're impossible." He smiles, and it is my mother's smile, all teeth and dimply cheeks. My heart hurts. "Is there anything else you want to so graciously give me before you leave?"

He chuckles. "No, unless my regular question about you transferring to Tree Hill High counts."

"We've been over this, Whitey—regular high school is not for me. Unless Oppenhemier's tuition is getting too expensive for you." He has asked me this question at the end of every grading period this school year, and now that summer is rapidly drawing to a close, I suppose he feels the need to ask again. It's not like I haven't considered it—Oppenheimer's School for the Gifted is rough as far as academics go. But I don't know if I could adjust to a normal school system again.

"No, no, nothing like that," he assures me. "I just thought that you might want to spend your senior year somewhere that would allow you to have a little more fun. And the academics aren't terrible, you know. A good number of boys on the team have outstanding grades. In fact, Nathan is with a girl who has like, a 4.25 GPA. You can't get that without good AP classes."

A 4.25? And I thought my 4.0 was impressive! "Well, as always, I'll think about it." He nods and turns to leave, and before I know what I'm doing, I stop him. "Hey, Whitey?"

"Yeah?"

I swallow. "Do you…would you happen to know where a boy named Hunter Hayes is staying? He's in Tree Hill, but I don't know for how long." What the hell, Lailin? I think. Are you trying to make yourself miserable?

His face scrunches up, his eyebrows drawing together comically. "Hayes….Hayes….oh, that's Lucas and Nathan's half-brother. He used to live with Dan and Deb, but now that all those kids are emancipated, he lives with Nathan, his wife, Haley (that freaky genius I was telling you about), and Isobel Scott in an apartment somewhere. They're all seniors this year."

Dan? Half-brother? Apartment? My head is swimming. "Excuse me?" I watched Hunter move to New York with his family—I waved goodbye as the moving van drove away. How could he possibly be someone's emancipated half-brother?

Whitey looks at me strangely. "Hunter has been in Tree Hill for five years, Lailin. Why? Do you know him?"

I can't catch my breath. Five years. He's been in Tree Hill for five years, and he hasn't bothered to acknowledge my existence until now. And it's not like he didn't know I was here—I made my aunt, who had lived next door to us and taken care of me towards the end of Mom's life, send him a letter explaining where I was going, just in case he cared (or remembered me at all). So why has he waited until now? And why, why, why didn't he tell me about all this? "No," I answer, my voice strangely distant. "Not anymore."

Thanks for reading, should I continue? If I get 2 reviews I will update tomorrow!

-Kenya