I grew up in Tree Hill. I spent most of my life here. It's what I wished for. I like Tree Hill like this: warm, safe, loved. It doesn't mean there haven't been hardships, but I'm here and here is good.
Chapter III: A not so Fairytale Tale
"I'm sorry when I see a design opportunity I take it."
Haley James Scott frowned as she entered through the front door with a stomp of feet and pouty lips. It was so unfair, she couldn't even argue with Brooke. For one thing, she loved the sketch of the dress Brooke had shown. The black lace lined with the purple silk was just lovely. Secondly… Oh that was right, there was no second thing.
Tossing her bag onto the couch without a care, Haley was about to head for the kitchen when a sound alarmed her.
"Woa!"
Eyes widening, she turned in the direction of her husband just as he stood up from his position on the couch. "You're home?"
"And now regretting it. Don't you ever look before you toss that thing?"
"That thing has precious papers just waiting for my red markings."
"I feel sorry for the papers," Haley's husband, Nathan Scott, admitted. Swinging his hands forward in an absent manner, he also whispered, "And I feel sorry for me too with what I'm about to say."
Pulling open the fridge, Haley lazily glossed over its contents. "What was that, honey?"
Sighing, Nathan stepped before her, grabbing her hands and turning her to face him. "This morning, over breakfast, I wasn't completely honest with you."
Haley remembered breakfast alright. She had been pouring Jamie some Cornflakes when Nathan announced during the duration of his munch on Cocoa Pebbles that Peyton had just called him a few minutes ago and asked Jamie to be the Ring Bearer and he'd agreed. Her nostrils had flared. How could Nathan agree to let their pure and innocent child be a part of that home-wrecker's wedding? Then, much to her dismay, the nightmare didn't stop there.
Jamie's precious blue orbs lit up, the one's that reminded her so much of Nathan, and he said ecstatically, "I want to be a part of the wedding, mama."
Her heart had sizzled.
Pulling her out of her reverie with a gentle touch to the face, Nathan continued. "She also asked me to be the best man…"
"Your going to participate in Seyton's wedding?"
"Don't you think your being a bit harsh?" When Haley's steely gaze didn't waver, Nathan swallowed. "Look," he sighed, "she's our friend."
"Was our friend, Nathan, past tense."
Rolling his eyes, he said, "Well, she's still my friend."
"She betrayed Lucas!"
So Haley had a point. Then again, Haley always had a point. However, he just could not forget his friendship with the curly haired blonde. Besides, Lucas wouldn't want any of them to take sides. He also wouldn't want any of them to miss their friends wedding just because he was suffering from heartache. Nathan wished Haley would realize that. She was fighting a battle Lucas didn't want fought. "Jake," he said, "he's still a friend."
Haley literally squirmed. Nathan had a point there. Jake played no fault in this. It was all Peyton's doing. Peyton was the one that had hurt Lucas. Not Jake.
"Jake insisted."
Haley sighed. There was no way out of this. It looked as if she would have to attend Seyton's wedding and participate in it as well. She was doing it for Jake. She was going to participate in Jake's wedding. Who Jake was marrying, as far as Haley was concerned, was just fine detail.
xoxoxox
Plopping onto the couch after shrugging out of his blazer, Jamie switched on the television just as his Uncle Lucas arrived with a can of soda, complete with a blue crazy straw. It was tradition every time Uncle Lucas picked up Jamie from school that they would come here, to Uncle Lucas's place, and have sodas with crazy straws while playing videogames. It was a tradition kept clandestine from Jamie's mother for Jamie wasn't allowed to indulge in caffeinated fizzy drinks. Jamie was also sure his mother would start muttering words he did not know and was never to repeat if she ever found out about the videogames and say how he was melting his brain away. Anyhow, that's what she said to daddy every time he played.
"Thank you, Uncle Lucas."
The older blonde ruffled his nephew's hair.
"Uncle Lucas?"
"Yeah, Jamie?" he asked in return, taking a seat beside him.
"Peyton's getting married, right?"
Jaw tightening, Lucas slowly nodded, wondering if Jamie could tell what Lucas chose not to divulge. However, as Lucas met Jamie's curious gaze, he realized that Jamie was just a child. What could he possibly know about love and heartache?
"Are you mad?"
"Why would you think that?"
Shrugging his shoulders, the little boy held out a torn photograph depicting two pairs of smiling blondes. "I found it on the floor when I was removing my shoes."
Guiltily taking the photograph from his nephew, Lucas admitted, if only to himself, that that hadn't been his proudest moment. It was from the night his wedding invitation had arrived. He still could not believe Peyton had the audacity to invite him. Then again, maybe that was Jake's doing. Tossing the torn photograph of him and the curly blonde, in happier times, into a nearby garbage can, Lucas turned back to his nephew. "So how about Mario?"
"Were you together?" Jamie continued, holding back the urge to grab the game controller and play the game Uncle Lucas had bought just for him.
At a time like this, Lucas wished Jamie had not inherited Haley's curiosity. "Once upon a time."
Blue eyes lighting up, Jamie moved closer to his uncle. "How'd you meet?" That cliché beginning of a story always lead to a happy ending, at least the in the stories Aunt Brooke read him. Therefore, it probably applied to the real world as well.
Lucas chuckled at Jamie's enthusiasm. "Has Aunt Brooke been reading you fairytales again?"
"Only the cool ones," proclaimed Jamie.
After giving him a look, Lucas admitted, "I had a crush on her since I was eight."
"Madison likes to pull my hair," the little blonde blurted out. "Daddy says it's cause she likes me. She says it's cause boys have cooties."
Lucas laughed, lifting up a copy of his first novel, An Unkindness of Ravens, off the coffee table and handing it to Jamie.
"Mama says I can't read that."
"I'm not allowing you to do so, Jamie." The kid honestly looked dejected.
"I won't tell mama if you won't," he added in hopeful tones.
Bursting his nephew's bubble of hope, Lucas shook his head. "I published her drawings in a magazine called Thud."
"Why?"
"I wanted her to know that I liked her for who she was."
"No fair I get hair pulled."
Continuing, a half smile made its way onto Lucas's lips. "Then, after I rescued her, I began dating her best friend."
Eyes widening, Jamie asked, "What kind of fairytale is this?" Where was the happy ending? Frowning, Jamie guessed that's why his mama wouldn't let him read Uncle Lucas's novel. Maybe that's why Peyton was marrying some guy named Jake. Uncle Lucas had abandoned her. "Who was her best friend?"
At this, Lucas's blue eyes fell back to his book. This story was complicated and twisted. When he was with Peyton, he liked to believe the story was about them, and maybe that's why his editor, Lindsay, had become such a Lucas and Peyton aficionado. However, Lucas often forgot that Brooke was a part of his life, his relationship, for most of the writing process. Now, their story was faded into the pages and skewered in the translation. "Your Aunt Brooke."
Jamie felt as if the air in the room had thinned. Honestly, he didn't know what to think anymore. His aunt and uncle had been together, an idea that should have caused his heart to perk up with happiness. However, it seemed that they had betrayed Peyton. Pushing the novel off him, Jamie said, "I don't even want to read it. I want to go home."
A/N: Well, it looks like Jamie's got Lucas and Peyton's story all wrong. I like to think that about Mark Schwann too :)
