White Houses

Chapter Three- Who Are You?

I woke up in a groggy state from my nap, my room was a bit darker than it was before, telling me that the sun had gone down a little. I glanced over at the clock and realized it was five-thirty. Dinner with Karen, Keith, Lucas and Lily was at seven. I got out of bed and tried to find something to wear. I settled on a white long sleeved button up and jean shorts. I slipped on my Sperry's and walked over to Lucas' room to see if he was back from practice.

"Luke?" I asked, knocking on the door.

"Yeah! Come on in, Hales." I smiled at the nickname and let myself in. Lucas and Nathan were playing an NBA game on the Playstation. They paused and both looked over at me. I smiled to myself when I noticed Nathan taking a double look.

"Dinner at your mom's tonight, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, at seven. We can leave here around six-thirty... is that cool?" He retorted. I simply nodded and sat on his bed, watching the two boys return to their game. Nathan's number was #23 and Lucas' was #3. I had no idea what they were doing on the court; I wasn't a huge sports fan. I had been to one basketball game in my life. I was five and it was for my brother's birthday.

I watched the two of them for a little while more until it was time to leave. I got in Lucas' car and we made our way over to his mom's.

"How are you liking Tree Hill so far?"

"Pretty good. It's a cute little town. I went downtown today and then came home and talked to Peyton a bit-"

"She's awesome. She's always willing to talk about anything. She's friendly and sweet…" Lucas trailed off.

"Luke? Do you like Peyton?" I asked. Peyton was Lucas' best friends girl. It sounds like an old eighties song but it's true. Lucas coughed in response to my question. It may have seemed as though it came from left-field but I could tell that there was something Lucas wasn't telling me about his possible feelings for Peyton.

"As a friend! Yeah!" He laughed awkwardly and the tension in the car was building up.

"What about more than that?" I dug deeper, I knew there was something he wasn't telling me. "Come on, Luke. I'm your cousin, we tell each other everything.."

"I mean, there has always been something about her that I liked. But she's with Nate and I can't do that to my best friend."

I could only nod in agreement. I wouldn't be upset if Peyton and Nate split, more Nathan for me. At the same time though, I understood where Lucas was coming from. One of my few relationships that I had been in, ended because the guy's best friend realized she had feelings for him. That's the thing about guys and girls being friends, there will always be some sort of background feeling that looms, in my own opinion. Shortly, we arrived at the familiar house on the corner. A small yellow house with a wrap around porch stood on a small plot of residential land. The side door was painted black, the door that led to Lucas' old room. I walked up the beaten sidewalk and knocked on the forest green door. Quickly a young girl answered it and smiled up at me. She stood no taller than four and a half feet, still small for her age and shorter than me, which didn't take much. She had brown hair, which curled at the ends, and bright green eyes that you could fall into.

"Hey Lily!" I smiled as I hugged the girl. She was only eleven and she was already super outgoing and friendly to almost anyone.

"Haley!" She greeted as she returned the hug. It had been a while since I had seen my cousin, probably about three years. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well. How's school?" I asked. There was an interrupting cough behind me. Lucas held his fist over his mouth, silently telling us to continue the conversation somewhere other than the entry way. I let him by and entered the house behind him. It hadn't changed at all, still the same furniture and the same pictures on the wall. There was a family photo of our side of the family all on the beach with my grandparents. That was a good summer.

I followed the brother and sister into the kitchen, which was directly in front of us. I said 'hello' to Karen again, she was busy cooking up something delicious. Through the back door entered a scruffy, older man. I smiled at the familiar face.

"Hey Uncle Keith." I hugged him tightly. He was my favorite uncle, he was always so mellow and calm and easy to talk to.

"Hey Sweetie!" He laughed, placing a kiss on my forehead. He looked the same as always, greasy. He was a mechanic and even had his own garage further into town. He looked up at Karen and blew a kiss her way.

"Your car is fixed, there was a belt that was rusting over." He informed his wife.

"Thank you Dear, now go wash up. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes." She laughed as he took his work boots off by the door and trudged into the bathroom to clean up. I sat down at the table, which was already set for dinner and watched the interaction between the family. Lucas was setting out glasses of water while Lily moved the salad bowl from the counter to the table.

"Is there anything I can help with?" I asked feeling left out by just sitting there.

"You can grab the parmesan cheese and dressing out of the fridge." Karen offered. I did so and placed the garnishes on the table. A few minutes passed and it was time to eat. Karen had prepared lasagna, salad, and bread, knowing it was my favorite. My mom and dad didn't cook much, and if they did it was either microwavable or out of a paper bag. A home-cooked meal sounded wonderful.

Dinner was filled with chatter and conversation about school starting, how my parents and siblings were, and how things were on the basketball team. Karen interrupted the small talk and smiled at the four people seated in front of her.

"I have an announcement." She smiled as she grabbed Keith's hand in her own. She glanced over and smiled, just as he did. He nodded, giving her his sign to continue.

"Keith and I are pregnant." She smiled happily. Lily squealed as she shot up from her seat, hugging Karen and Keith tightly. Lucas grinned widely and shook Keith's hand while congratulating him. I could not wipe the smile off my own face. I could not be happier for the two of them. Karen and Keith had been through a lot of turmoil in the process of falling in love.

The two of them were high school lovers who got pregnant with Lucas right before graduation. They split in college, leaving Karen to raise Lucas by herself. Keith made appearances to help out every now and then but he was still just a kid. When Lucas was ten, Keith entered into the picture. He had grown up and wanted to make this family work. Keith and Karen finally got married and Lily came along shortly after.

"Congrats you two!" I laughed. After dinner we all hung out in the living room, looking at old baby pictures of Lily, Lucas and I. I yawned and Lucas decided it was time to get back.

"It's getting late and my little brother needs his rest." Lucas teased Karen.

"How do you know it's a boy?" Lily asked.

"I just have a feeling."

"Well, I hope it's a girl." She retorted.

"I just hope it's as healthy as my other two wonderful children." Karen interceded.

"Agreed. Good night guys." Keith smiled as he gave me a hug. "It was great seeing you Haley. Come by the shop some time, I'll look at your car." He offered. I nodded in acceptance of the invitation and hugged Karen good-bye.

We got to Lucas' car and got it. I felt something in my purse and smiled to myself. I pulled it out.

"Hey Luke. Before we drive.. here." I handed him the book I had picked up at the thrift shop earlier.

"Thank Haley, I have this one though."

"I figured, but there was a highlighted quote in it. 'There is a tithe in the affairs of men'…" I quoted. "You will never know your hearts true desire unless you take risks. So talk with Peyton, when the time is right, and tell her how you really feel." I smiled. He hugged me and we headed back home for the night.

The next morning I allowed my body to wake me up. I had no immediate plans for the day but to relax and get ready for classes. I did have to go to the campus bookstore to buy overpriced textbooks, but it was not an urgent task. I knocked on the bathroom door; there was no answer, which meant Nathan was still sleeping. I locked the door and undressed, starting the shower as well. I hopped in and began to wash my hair, the chorus to a song was stuck in my head.

"Let me feel, I don't care if I breakdown. Let me fall, even if I hit the ground. And if I cry a little, die a little, at least I know I've lived, just a little…" I trailed off, humming the rest of the melody. I had been told that I have a pretty decent singing voice, I wasn't sure if I was American Idol material, but I had to admit it was decent.

There was a sudden knock on the door as the handle moved.

"I'm in the shower!" I called to the person behind the door, probably Nathan waking up from my singing.

"I have to pee and Lucas' bathroom is locked!" he complained back. I sighed and got out of the shower just enough to turn the lock, allowing the brunette entrance. I jumped back in before he could see me.

"Thanks. Was that you singing?" he asked as he finished.

"uhmm, yeah?" I smiled.

"You're pretty good." He complimented.

"Thanks. Now hurry up, I'm pruning." I laughed.

Eventually I finished and dressed, I headed downstairs for some breakfast. Nathan was sitting at the kitchen bar eating some oatmeal and a protein shake. He was super healthy when it came to his diet. I grabbed a Poptart out of the pantry.

"You know there's 'Open Mic Night' at Karen's right?" He suggested.

I shook my head immediately. "I don't do public performances." I laughed. "Only to the shower head and steering wheel."

"I think you should try it. There's no harm, and it's a cash prize." I shook my head. This wasn't a fight that he was going to win anytime soon.

"Any plans for the day?" I asked, obviously wanting to change the subject.

"Just headed down to the Rivercourt to shoot some hoops. Wanna come?"

"I don't play basketball." I rejected.

"You just don't do anything do you?" he teased.

"I just am not very coordinated and sports is not my thing."

"I'll teach you." he offered.

"Thanks but I think I'll stick to the sidelines." I laughed.

"Come on! What else are you going to do today?" he asked. That was a good question, I had no other plans for the day, except the bookstore and it would be there tomorrow too.

"Alright. But no laughing at me."

"It's a deal!" he smiled. We finished our breakfast and headed out to the Rivercourt. It was going to be an interesting day to say the least.