Thanks so much for the feedback. Basically the story is going to focus on each othe the main people in the order that they are suppose to be in the family. So, Taylor, Jake, Brooke, Chris, and then Haley. After each chapter that has focused on the family then it will get general and couples will be introduced. It's going to be a long fic! There will be a lot of drama. What you have to understand is I want to focus on each character and they one tragic flaw then combind them and let them work it out, if it is even possible at this point in their lives. Feeback is love!

One Year Later

Taylor James was really trying to make things work. She was exhausted. She was mentally, physically and emotionally drained. She would have given just about anything to have been able to go back to her life before she received the news of her parent's death, a time where the only thing Taylor had to worry about was what outfit to where and whose party to attend.

Taylor James was lazily lying on the sofa in her apartment watching the newest episode of her favorite teen drama that she had TiVoed. She was bored. Her roommate, Nikki Smith, was currently in another heated argument with her younger brother, Jake. Taylor blocked it out, just like she always does when the two of them started fighting.

Taylor and Nikki had been friends since there first play date at the age of 5. The James and Smith family were two prominent families in Tree Hill so it was only natural that they would have their children play together. Taylor was closer to Nikki then she ever was to any of her own sisters. They shared the mutual love of shopping, booze, and powdered drugs.

"I can't stand your brother!" Nikki yelled slamming the door to her bedroom and storming over to her friend.

Taylor rolled her eyes as Nikki dramatically threw herself on the sofa beside her.

"What did he do now?" Taylor asked, not really interested. Nikki of course did not pick this up.

"He hung up on me! Can you believe this?" Nikki looked at Taylor waited for the head shake and then continued on. "One minute we are discussing whether or not we are going to go to Tim Scott's party, the next he hangs up!"

"Maybe he lost service?" Taylor suggested half-heartedly. Taylor knew how this conversation worked, Nikki would complain about Jake then 20 minutes later she would be singing his praises. They had the most dysfunctional relationship in North Carolina.

"I doubt it; he was at the Siblings Night at your house, not like he was climbing Mount Everest."

"I forgot about that." Taylor said, even though both Nikki and she knew full well that she did not forget but had chosen not to go. Taylor hated the idea of spending a Sunday evening crammed (as crammed as you could be in the Taylor mansion) in the "family room" of her parent's house, bonding with her younger snot nosed siblings.

"Whatever, all I know is this time we are finished." Nikki declared, "I've had enough of dating younger men and I think it is time for me to start dating a real man."

Taylor nodded; she had heard this statement at least once a week for the past two years. Nikki was about as likely to dump Jake, as Tree Hill was to become the capital of North Carolina. Nikki thought she needed Jake, and Nikki was already shopping for houses in Chapel Hill for when Jake moved to start school in the fall.

They sat in silence watching the TV, until Taylor's cell phone started ringing. She glanced briefly at the screen and saw that it was her brother.

"It's Jake." Taylor said flashing the screen to Nikki.

Nikki rolled her eyes and waited to hear Jake's excuse for not calling her back.

"Hey loser!" Taylor said flipping the phone open, "Heard you hung up on my bestie, if you weren't my brother I'd so have to hurt you"

"Taylor." Jake's reply was enough to wipe the smile immediately off Taylor's face.

"What's wrong?"

"It's mom and dad, they were in an accident on their way to that charity event in Charlotte."

"Are they okay? What hospital are they at?"

"Tay, they um, well the doctor said they died on impact. That um, well they didn't feel anything and there was nothing that could be done."

Taylor stayed silent trying to process what her brother said. She was unaware that she was holding onto Nikki hand so hard her fingernails were leaving imprints.

"Taylor?"

"Okay, your serious Jake, this isn't some joke because I didn't come to Sibling's Night?"

"I wish I were." For the first time Taylor realized her brother was crying. Taylor had never heard her brother cry since before he turned 12. She could vaguely make out the sound of her sisters wailing in the background.

"I'm on my way." Taylor hung up her phone and went straight to where she kept her car keys. Taylor had always resented her parents, hated them for the way they pushed her into being someone she wasn't. And now they were gone.

It had been 12 months since Taylor got the call that shattered her perfect existence. It had been 12 months since she moved back into her childhood home. It had been 12 months since she found a job and started working to help out around the house.

Her parents were rich, they could have afforded to buy their own private island somewhere, but their children were not. Their trust funds were locked away until they turned 25. Taylor was the eldest and she had to wait three more years before she would be able to touch the millions that her parents had left her.

They were living off a monthly stipend that their Uncle Cooper sent. Cooper, Victoria's brother, was left guardianship over the children. He'd show up once a month, hand Taylor an envelope full of cash, and then headed off to another exotic location where he was spending his time with his new flavor of the day. Cooper handed guardianship over to Taylor in everything except the legal documents. Taylor, a two time prosecuted cocaine offender, would not have stood a chance at gaining custody of her siblings. Cooper couldn't be bothered raising children that weren't his while he was in his prime so he gave Taylor the money and let her run things.

While the money did go along way, it was nowhere near enough to support her four other siblings and the lifestyle they previously had. Taylor had vowed to make things as normal as possible as she could for them so she started working at Bryson and Daniels, she was a legal secretary by day, and working at Karen's Café as a waitress by night. Taylor had never held a job longer then three weeks in her life. She was flakey. She didn't like to work and it took everything she had to drag herself to work everyday.

But like every other bad girl gone good there was bound to be a relapse soon.

"Hey Tay, what are you doing?" Haley James said walking into the kitchen and joining Taylor who was leaning against a counter.

"Just thinking," Taylor said giving her sister a reassuring smile. "How was school?"

"It was good," Haley said reaching for an apple. She knew that while Taylor asked the routine mom like questions (although their mother never had) she really didn't want a long explanation of things she couldn't really care less about.

"Where are Brooke and Chris?" Taylor said while her gaze was focused on the front door.

Before Haley could reply the door flew open and slammed off the wall, the force so hard it sent a family picture that had previously been hanging there shattering to the ground, the unmistakable voice of Brooke James accompanying it.

"You're really a piece of work you know that!" Brooke yelled swinging her purse right in the direction of Chris's face.

"And you're a slut!" Chris yelled back grabbing the purse and tossing it across the room.

"Ha!" Brooke yelled getting right in her brothers face, "At least people are willing to have sex with me, unlike you Mr. Clean Teen."

"I choose to abstain from sex, seeing as you get enough for the whole family!" He yelled stepping closer to Brooke so they were nose to nose.

"Puh-lez, you're not a virgin by choice. No one wants to sleep with your…."

Before Brooke could even finish her reply a baby wailing interrupted her. For a moment she felt guilt, but that guilt immediately turned to anger when she saw her older brother appear on staircase above her.

"What the hell is going on?" Jake was angry, it was unmistakable in his voice. "You woke Jenny up." He said indicating the wailing baby he held in his arms.

Brooke scoffed, turned on her heel and stomped her way to her room.

Chris gave his brother a disgusted looked and stomped to his room.

There was an unmistakable sound of two doors slamming and the same time followed by another sound of glass breaking.

"This is all your fault." Haley said reaching for her backpack and fleeing the room.

She left a flabbergasted Taylor in her wake. Taylor shook her head and went to get the broom; there was nothing more she could do.

…

Taylor was a reformed bad girl, forced into being a good girl. When her parents died she was thrust into a world full of responsibility. Her best friend took off leaving her alone with no one to turn to. While Taylor had a house full of people she felt completely alone. There was too much pressure being put on her. She couldn't take it anymore. She reached for the bottle of sleeping pills her mother had always kept in the medicine cabinet.

Jake got his high school girlfriend pregnant. He gave up is scholarship to UNC to take care of Jenny after Nikki left town. The once care free boy gave up his dreams and was turning into a bitter old man as each day went on. He was driving his younger siblings away with his verbal abuse; his friends had long since abandoned him.

Taylor twisted the cap off the bottle and looked inside.

Brooke had stepped up her partying ways and it was luck if she was sober. She quit cheerleading, a passion she held since elementary school, and have been suspended 5 times in the last year for being under the influence (Principal Turner was giving her a pass do to the tragedy in her life). She was bitchy and lashed out at everyone.

Taylor picked up one of the pills and placed it on her tongue and closed her mouth.

Chris had given up on his music career. He currently blamed everyone around him for his failure and was cutting himself off more and more with the outside world. He had been in several physical altercations in the past year, one that landed him on probation until he turned 21.

Taylor picked up the glass full of vodka and ice. She laughed as the vodka and the pill slid down her throat.

Haley's grades were slipping. She was once on the honor roll and now she was barely making the grades to pass. She threw herself into an unhealthy relationship with her abusive boyfriend Flex. She developed also nasty attitude.

Taylor dumped the rest of the pills into her open palm. She then put them all in her mouth and reached for her glass, taking one big gulp and emptying its contents.

And Taylor? Well nobody took the time to ask her about her problems. She was lonely, to say the least. There were still nights when she woke up in a cold sweat dreaming about snorting cocaine. She gave up all of her friendships and partying ways to take care of her ungrateful siblings. She was so tired.

Taylor rested her head against the cold ceramic of the bathtub and cried.

She cried for the family that she wasn't going to be able to save.

She cried for the parents that she lost.

She cried for herself.

Taylor James was alone.

While Jake, Brooke, and Chris were out at the latest Tim Scott party, she was alone.

While Haley was out with Jenny at Lucas's, she was alone.

No one cared for Taylor, and as Taylor was losing consciousness she wondered how long it would be until her siblings even realized she was gone.