AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. I suck. Ugh! I got super busy with work and school and then I had this horrible writer's block because people want angst and drama and that is so not my strong point when writing fanfiction. I'm going to introduce a plot line in this chapter that could lead to some angst. Hopefully it like won't suck. Who knows? Haha. Thanks again for checking this chapter out. I hope you like it.
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: I don't own One Tree Hill or the Celtics, but if I did oh how different the former would be.
Chapter Three: Step the Fuck Up
"Hi I'm Marvin McFadden and lucky for you, you've just tuned into Beantown Breakdown, where we discuss and analyze everything from who Manny was talking to on the phone that day in the wall to which Patriot has the best braids." He holds up a picture of Laurence Maroney and points at it emphatically before continuing. "Today we have a special treat for our viewers at home. Celtic newbie Nathan Scott is going to be joining us via satellite from his home in Portland to discuss everything from his feelings about the trade to his longtime rivalry with Kings' guard Damien West. So sit back and enjoy."
Nathan took a deep breath and then plastered a cheesy grin on his face. He hated doing interviews, but he owed it to Mouth to do this for him. Mouth had been a good friend to him over the years. Supporting and encouraging him during those rare moments in his career where his performance was less than stellar. In fact it had been Mouth who had made and posted the highlight reel that secured Nathan his spot on the McDonald's All American team. And it had been Mouth who had sent him a copy of Jimmy V's 1993 ESPY speech after he tore his ACL. "Thanks for having me today Mouth I mean Marvin. Sorry old habits die hard."
"It's all good Nate. Thanks for taking time out to join us. I realize you are probably crazy busy with packing and making arrangements. Didn't you just finish your farewell press conference like forty five minutes ago?"
Nathan looked down at his watch. "More like forty three."
Mouth laughed. "Oh well my bad. So how'd it go?"
"It was good, kind of sad, but overall it was really good." Nathan had been shocked not only at the number of people that had shown up, but also at the fact that he'd actually been emotional. Sitting up there on the stage as the crowd chanted 'Nate the Great' reminded him of his rookie season. He'd been so young when he moved to Portland. He'd never lived anywhere but North Carolina before let alone the West coast. Still the fans had greeted him with open arms and rarely did they condemn him even when he made mistakes.
"Is it true you donated your fully loaded Chevy Tahoe to a local orphanage?"
"Yeah, but that was all Lainey, my assistant. She's been in charge of everything including figuring out what to do with the Tahoe. It was either donate it to a good cause or pay someone to drive it across country."
As if on cue Lainey walked into the office wearing an oversized Boston College t-shirt. "Have you seen my cell phone?" Her head shot up the second she heard Nathan chuckle. She turned around to see that she was in full view of the camera. "Shit." She mumbled under breath.
"Watch it Lainey this is family friendly programming. Say hey to Mouth." Nathan tried to keep from grinning.
Mouth smiled and waved. "Hey Lainey thanks for joining us on Beantown Breakdown. I'm digging your t-shirt. How goes it?"
She looked down at what she was wearing and felt her cheeks gradually start to redden. "It's going very quickly." She's trying to come off as not at all fazed by suddenly being on television, but has a feeling that isn't the case. She decides the smartest thing she can do is get out of here as quickly as possible with as much of her dignity intact as possible. Beantown Breakdown is her father's favorite show to watch when he gets home from work which means her mother is going to see this and call her later wanting to know why she would 1) use such vulgar language and 2) wear a ratty old t-shirt on television. "Thus I need to get back to supervising the movers."
"Okay but just one last question."
"Uh okay," she silently says a prayer that it isn't something completely mortifying.
Nathan smiles in the background happy to have the spotlight off of him even though he knows that later Lainey is going to lay into him. She could totally be a member of the Bad Girls Club if she wanted. She fooled people with her sweaters and her shy personality but if shit hit the fan she was the first person yelling "pop off!"
"After you all get to Boston and you've settled in and everything would you be interested in maybe going on a date with me? I hear you're a Red Sox fan. I could possibly get us inside the wall." Mouth has known and secretly been in love with Lainey for close to three years. When they first met she was dating a tool that played hockey for U. Maine. After they broke up she swore of men for a year. During this time he started dating an office temp named Shelly. When the news broke of Nathan's trade his immediate thought was that he was finally going to have a real shot with Lainey. Nathan and Brooke had bet that he wouldn't have the balls to do this. Of course that had left him no choice. It was either step up or deal with their shit for the rest of his nature life.
Of all the things she had been accepting this had not been one of them. She looked at Nathan who was had a shit eating grin plastered on his face and instantly knew that he was in on this. She looked at the screen and couldn't help but smile at how pathetically cute Mouth looked in his blazer. She tentatively smiled and then nodded. "Okay but just know that I think Asante has way better braids than Laurence. We'll talk after the press conference tomorrow."
"I'm going to convince you otherwise." Mouth joked and then waved goodbye. "If you agree with Lainey make sure you go on to our website and make your opinion known. A few comments will be featured each day. Now back to the athlete at hand Mr. Nathan Scott. Sorry about that Nathan."
"It's all good reporters need love too."
"Okay so let's start off with how are you feeling about the trade?"
"I won't lie at first I was like shocked and then stressed but it only took like five minutes for that stress to turn into anticipation. I'm really excited to play for such a historic organization like the Celtics. Plus who wouldn't want to play with such amazing guys like KG, Ray, Big Baby, Rajon and of course the Truth."
"Have you talked to any of the guys since the news broke?"
"Paul called me that afternoon and welcomed me to the organization. I've also talked to Doc Rivers. Still it's not like I'm some sort of big name player. Compared to these guys I'm someone who needs to prove myself."
Mouth wasn't surprised that Nathan felt that way about coming to Boston or that he thought he was an average player. Somehow in the transition from high school to college Nathan had lost the ego that many thought was his Achilles heel. "So we're just going to do a quick rundown of some personal, but easy questions before we let you go. Question number one is it true you're NBA rival is Kings' guard Damien West?"
Nathan couldn't help but laugh at the question. It was one that Mouth had surely come up with himself. "He was definitely my biggest rival in high school and college. If there was a guy I wanted to show up it was him. I've never dunked harder than I did when we played Oak Lake, his team in the playoffs the year we won the high school state championship. Let's just say I was looking to break the back board, but as far as the two of us being rivals now though not really. I'm still going to go hard when I play against him, but not any harder than I would if I was playing my best friend."
"Okay I guess I'll have to take your word for it. What's the biggest misconception people have about you?"
"That's an easy one. Most people think I wear 23 as an ode to Michael Jordan. I don't know how many articles I've read claiming that. I realize that he was the most talented shooting guard ever and he was from North Carolina, but my number has nothing to do with him. I mean he played for Carolina and I'm Duke fan/alum through and through. I wear 23 as homage to Christian Laettner, because Laettner's number 32 was retired back in like 1994. I respect Mike, but I'm not worshipping Mike. The Duke fan in me will not allow that."
"Good to know. Okay the final question is who do you think Manny was talking to on the phone the other day in the wall?"
Nathan scratched the back of his head as if he was really trying to come up with a plausible answer. "I got it. Manny was talking to Laurence Maroney to find out where he gets his dreads done because he's looking for a new hair person."
"Good answer. Thanks again for joining us today Nathan we've sure learned a lot. Fly safe tomorrow. For fans wanting more of Nathan Scott be sure to check out Globe 10.0 tonight and also tune in to NESN tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 for his press conference."
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"You are such an obsessed whore." Rachel joked as she walked into Brooke's office and found her good friend watching NESN.
Brooke's head shot up and then she flicked her friend off. "I am so not obsessed. Mouth is my friend. The least I can do is watch his show."
"Yeah you're watching it because of Mouth. More like Nathan was on there and it gave you a good chance to stare at his face wistfully. I wish you would just get over yourself and tell him how you feel. I mean god it couldn't be more obvious. It's really making you pathetic Brookie."
Brooke scoffed. "I'm pathetic, this coming from the girl who fell in love and became engaged to a gay man."
"Shut the fuck up it's not like Felix was wearing a rainbow bracelet and hanging out with members of the Village People when we met. He drank beer, watched sports, hell he even dated a stripper before me."
"He had a stylist!"
"He was a model! That makes him metro not homo." Rachel had yet to live down the fact that Felix had left her for a guy named Chip. "Anyway that just makes me tragic not pathetic. I mean okay so I still sometimes pine for a guy who was recently on the front page of OUT, you on the other hand are just chicken shit because there is nothing standing in the way of you and Nathan."
"Yeah except the fact that if we break up our friendship might not survive." This was the main reason Brooke kept her feeing to herself. That and the fact that if he didn't feel the same way that would also ruin their friendship. "He's my oldest friend next to Peyton and Jake. I can't afford to lose him."
Rachel sighed. "Listen up and for once I'm going to attempt to be nice about this. Sooner or later some hot bitch is going to swoop and steal Nathan from you. He's young, hot, rich, and not a complete asshole. He's like every girls dream. Don't let that happen because that'll ruin your friendship to. I mean do you remember what happened when he was that Haley bitch? He was like three steps from wanting to marry her."
"Ugh don't remind me." Brooke hated Haley James. She came off as sweet and innocent but Brooke didn't buy that act for a second. She was always asking Nathan to introduce her to people and take her places with him. But when Nathan really needed Haley, right after he tore his ACL, she hadn't been there. Instead she'd been in a recording studio in Los Angeles. When Lainey had called to let her know Haley said she wouldn't be able to make it even after Lainey had offered to fly her out there. Brooke had told Nathan in the hospital that he needed to cut her loose and that she didn't deserve him, but he hadn't listened. Three weeks later though, after her first single was released and she became America's Musical Sweetheart she broke up with Nathan and told every magazine that would listen that they were just in two different places in their life, but that she'd always love him. It had taken everything Brooke had to not start a hate campaign against the stupid bitch in the media. After the break up Nathan had struggled to get his shit together and that was the real reason Brooke had sent Lainey to work for him. She'd worried that the break up would set back his recovery. Lainey made sure that didn't happen.
"So do us all a favor and step the fuck up and let him know that you want to be with him." Rachel instructed her dear friend. "I mean the last thing we need is for your life to become my best friend's fucking wedding slut."
"Don't you have somewhere to be?"
Rachel looked down at her watched and cursed. "Shit lucky for you I actually do. Jean-Pierre is taking me to Bora Bora so I need a new swimsuit."
"Who's Jean-Pierre?" Brooke asked though she knew the answer was going to repulse her.
"Jean-Pierre just happens to be a very rich French businessman who loves my cheek bones."
"And the noise your head makes when it is banging against his headboard." Brooke replied sarcastically.
Rachel countered with a, "At least I'm getting laid."
"How long has he been married?"
"Are you insinuating that I can not find a single man to love me?"
"How old is he?"
"I'm not dignifying that question with answer."
Brooke jeered, "That old huh? Try not to cause his hear to fail until after your in his will."
"Don't be jealous slut."
"Never whore."
"Remember what I said. Grow a pair and tell him you love him or I will." And with that Rachel was gone just as suddenly as she appeared.
Brooke sighed and looked back at the television just in time to catch a reporter talk about Nathan's farewell press conference. She knew Rachel was right. If she didn't speak up soon this was going to go down hill.
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"Elaine I can not believe you are going on a date with Marvin McFadden. He seems like such a nice boy. How could you not call me right away?"
Lainey groaned. Her mother didn't even bother to say hello first. No she just started asking questions right off the bat. "Mom please with the questions. I've been busy today. In case you forget I'm in the middle of moving Nathan to Boston."
"Excuse me for wanting to know about your love life. God forbid I ask questions."
Lainey sighed knowing that her mother was going to start guilting her if she didn't spill the beans on Mouth. "He's a nice guy Mom. I'm not sure what we're going to do except see a ballgame. I'm sorry I didn't call. How are you?"
"I'm good. How's Nathan?"
"He's excited. Do you want to talk to him?"
"Oh no Lainey let the boy handle his business. Just let him know that he has to come over for dinner after he gets settled in. I'll make him corned beef and cabbage."
Lainey rolled her eyes at the way her mother says Nathan is busy. If only she knew that Nathan was actually out back practicing free throws and not actually spending his time doing something productive. She smiled when she saw that someone was calling on the other line. "I'll pass on the message Mom. I have to let you go though because someone is calling on the other line. It's probably one of the movers or something."
"Okay but Lainey next time you appear on television please wear something a little nicer. I mean would it kill you to wear clothes that you didn't get a decade ago?"
"Okay Mom. Love you. Bye." Lainey switched over before her mother could say anything else. "This is Lainey O'Callahan. How can I help you?"
"Uh sorry I must have called the wrong number."
Lainey sighed thinking that she didn't have time to talk to some reporter wanting an exclusive. "If you're looking for Nathan Scott then you have the right number. If you want an exclusive I suggest you hang up before you waste our time."
"Actually yeah I am looking for Nathan, but not for an exclusive. This is Haley James. Nathan and I used to date. I wanted to actually talk to him if that was okay."
Lainey's jaw dropped. She had no idea what to do, but she knew that she did not want Haley talking to Nathan. Not after what that stupid bitch did to him last time. "He's not available right now, but I'll pass the message on to him."
"If you could just give me his number I can call him and leave him a voicemail myself."
"Yeah it's our policy to not do that. If Nathan wants to talk to you he'll get a hold of you." And with that she hung up not entirely sure what she should do now.
That was the longest update I've written in years. I can not believe how long this chapter is. I hope that was a good thing. I'm sorry there was no actual Brathan in this chapter. It just didn't work out that way. There will definitely be some next chapter. I'll try to get that one out faster. Please let me know what you thought. I love each and every review. Thanks for reading. - KRiSTiNEDAHLiNG