Little Moments: Like Father, Like Son
Chapter 4: Tar Heels Take the Lede
Disclaimer: I still don't own anything related to One Tree Hill. I do own the DVDs, does that count? Yeah, I didn't think so.
A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews. I tried to get this new chapter up last week because all of your words were inspiring, but I went out of town before I could. Sorry. Reviewing really does work though guys. Keep it up! So this chapter jumps ahead...let's say maybe about three weeks. I do realize that their relationship seems really fast but I'm trying to smush their story into 20-25 chaps or less (spanning from when they meet to when they are in their mid 60s) so obviously some of it will be a little rushed. If I get too ahead of myself let me know. I hope you like it. Enjoy.
OTHOTH
Looking at the clock, Jamie saw that they had about an hour until game time. It was the first home game that Jamie was able to go to and he wasn't making light of the situation. Liza deserved a big cheering section. Not only was she a tremendous athlete but he wanted to show her how much he cared. And by showing her, he meant it.
"Where's the face paint?" Sam walked out of his room with a white Tar Heel shirt.
Reynolds squirted a blob on his hand and held it out, "I have it." He smeared the Carolina Blue on his face and watched as Sam did the same.
This wasn't new. Well it was new but not entirely. Last year during basketball season the guys would get all hyped up and occasionally paint their face when UNC played Duke or another key team, but this time it wasn't basketball. It was soccer.
Jamie used the tube and got himself a nice sized dollop to cover his face. He knew that he would end up looking like a Smurf by the time he was done, but that was alright.
"You think this game's gonna be on TV? Maybe we'll be on TV?" Sam looked at the other two wide eyed and grinning.
Reynolds shrugged, "I don't know. Probably. The team's ranked...what, number..."
"One." Jamie finished Reynolds's sentence and nodded. That was right. The UNC women's soccer team was incredible. Championship winning, aggressively dominating. It was almost unfair to those other teams.
As Jamie finished applying his color he thought about the circumstances. Not long ago his father played on a championship team. Three championship teams. Nathan had won in high school, college, and even took home the trophy in the NBA too, and there was something always the same. His mom. His mom had been by his dad's side cheering and encouraging from the start, and now Jamie was filling that role. The situation had things a little reversed however, Liza was the star athlete. He didn't mind though, cheering Liza on was perfectly fine with him.
Walking to the bathroom, Jamie took a look at himself in the mirror and laughed. He looked on the ridiculous side but it was all for fun. He washed the paint off his hands and laughed. Liza was either going to love his school pride or hate it. Hopefully not the latter.
As he turned into his bedroom he grabbed a little notepad and pen. He shoved the two into his back pocket and grabbed the wristband that he'd need later. Closing his door, he walked back to his blue faced buddies with a smile, "Ready?"
Sam and Reynolds nodded and the three guys left their apartment headed for the soccer stadium.
"So what number is Liza?" Reynolds was curious to find out which number the player they'd all gotten decked out for was.
"Six."
Sam itched his painted neck and arched his brow, "That's a random number."
Jamie shrugged. He hadn't asked her why she was number six, but if he had to put the pieces together he'd say it was because her birthday was March 6th.
Reynolds shook his head at Sam. Six wasn't really a random number. Just random to Sam. "Are we gonna try and sit close to the field?"
"Yeah." Jamie nodded. Maybe that way Liza would be able to see them in the crowd.
The three friends headed toward Fitzer field and Jamie couldn't help but be nervous. It wasn't that he was nervous himself, but he was nervous for her. He wanted her to play well, he wanted the team to win, and he wondered if she was nervous that he was coming. Liza had seemed really excited that he was gonna be there, so she probably wasn't worried about him sitting in the stands. It wasn't like soccer players got stage freight, or field freight.
But maybe they did. Liza had been quietly tightening her laces in the locker room and had blocked out the other girls' excitement as she anxiously waited for game time. She tugged on her sock to make sure it covered up her shin guard and exhaled slowly. Did she ever get nervous before a game. Not really. Was she worried about the Boston College Eagles? No. It was something else wasn't it? Yes. It was a certain blue eyed boy who'd be in the stands, right? Yeah.
As excited as she was that he was coming to watch her play, Liza found herself nervous. And that was the weird thing. She never got nervous before games. She loved the game, she was good at it, nothing was gonna stop her from playing her heart out. But if it beat out of her chest before she even made it to the field then there might be a problem. That was exactly what was going on now. The single idea of him in the stands cheering her on made her heart race, her blush appear, and made those lips of hers turn into a jittery smile. There was something about Jamie Scott that made her feel like never before.
Ansley sat down on the bench next to her friend and leaned into her shoulder, "I'm guessing you being on mute right now has a little something to do with Jamie coming?"
Liza looked at Ansley and nodded, "Yeah, but I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm good. I'll be fine."
"Ha." With all those words, Ansley laughed, "I can see that." She nodded at Liza and shrugged, "It will be fine. You'll play great like you always do and we're going to shut Boston College out like we did last year."
Liza laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I know." Boston College really was going to get it handed to them.
Ansley wasn't finished. "And Jamie. He'll be watching with that grin of his and you have nothing to worry about."
That made Liza grin herself. It was smirk actually. That grin of Jamie's Ansley was talking about, it was more of a smirk. "Thanks." Liza was happy to get some encouraging words. They helped ease her nerves.
"Alright ladies. Time to head out." The coach walked toward his team and clapped his hands, "Warm-ups, let's go."
The soccer squad all huddled together before they took the field and one of the seniors took over. "First conference game of the year and we've got this. Let's go out there and show them what we've got..."
Ansley nudged Liza and raised her brow, "Yeah Bennet, show him what you got."
"Tar Heels on three!"
The team banded together and took to the field. The roar of the crowd always gave the girls the chills. It was a special feeling playing at home. All the students and fans who came out were inspiring.
The white jersey's ran out to the field and Jamie's eyes were roaming the numbers. Fourteen. Twenty two. Double zero. Where was six? They were about fifty yards from the girls but Jamie figured he'd at least be able to see her. And when the sea of white started to part he saw her. She was walking out with one of her roommates. It was either Margaret or Ansley. He hadn't gotten their names straight yet, but he was working on it. But she looked great. It might not have made sense, but Liza looked like she was born to wear that jersey, those colors, play that game. Her dirty blonde hair was up in a ponytail and she had one of those elastic hair bans on.
"There she is." Sam pointed and took note of Liza.
"Yeah." Jamie had already spotted her but appreciated Sam's gesture. He turned to his blue faced friend and remembered that he too had a blue face. Liza probably wouldn't recognize him. He glanced back her way and felt a little bit of pride rush through him. Jamie couldn't help but smile.
Liza's eyes were running up and down the lines of fans but she couldn't find him. There were so many people. It was going to be hard to find him.
For the next twenty minutes the team ran through drills and the boys waited patiently for the game to start. Sam being Sam, decided they needed hot dogs while they waited. He'd just gotten back when the Tar Heel starting line-up was being announced.
"A Junior from Hartford, Connecticut, playing center forward, number four, Shannon Hawkins."
The crowd cheered and Sam crammed the last bit of his hotdog in his mouth. "Is it numerical?"
Reynolds looked at Sam with a raised eyebrow, "Are you serious?"
"What?"
"Yes, it's numerical." Reynolds laughed at Sam.
Jamie rolled his eyes at his friends and turned his attention to the field. She was probably next. The team might have a number five, but what where the chances that number five was a starter?
The announcer came back over the speaker and began to announce the next name. "Our starting left midfielder from Savannah, Georgia..."
Jamie smirked to himself because he was right, Liza was next.
"...number six, sophomore, Liza Bennet!"
Jamie watched her run to her position and it just so happened that she was closest to his side of the stands. That was nice. She waved to the crowed and Jamie swallowed hard. He could hear all the cheering and he was happy for her. It was an incredible feeling to watch her, and she wasn't even playing yet.
Liza smiled at the stands but couldn't help but wonder where he was. Was he there? Did he come? Maybe he had somewhere else to be?
Jamie saw her eyes roaming the crowd so he cupped his hands over his mouth and hoped she could hear him. "Hey number six?" He waited to see if her eyes met his but they didn't. It was too loud for his single voice.
"On three." Reynolds nodded at Jamie and looked at Sam. "One, two..."
"Hey number six!" All three guys shouted as loud as they could.
Without thinking, Liza turned her head in the direction of the question. The announcer started to introduce the next player, but Liza was concentrated on finding the voices that had shouted out. One voice in particular. Biting her lip, she was worried she wouldn't find him but then blue met blue. As soon as she saw him she laughed out loud. His whole face was blue and he looked a little like a cartoon character. He was in between his roommates who were also sporting some school pride. She gave him a small wave and in return he flashed her that Scott smirk and the nerves she'd felt earlier seemed to subsided. Sure, she thought she was nervous because he was gonna be there but it was exactly the opposite. Liza felt better because he was there.
Jamie was glad that he'd locked eyes with her before the game started. For a second there he thought he might miss the chance. Once that whistle blew and that ball started rolling around, he knew her concentration would be primarily on the game. As the rest of the Tar Heels were announced, Jamie couldn't help but keep his eyes on Liza. She was going to do great.
It was time for play to begin and Liza had to shake off any and all things not related to the game. Boston won the toss and before they started kicking it around, Liza looked up to Jamie one more time. It was going to be a good game.
OTHOTH
The second half was winding down and the girls had the game in the bag. Poor Boston College never had a chance. It was six to nothing with less than a minute to go and Jamie knew he needed to get going. He needed to find a bathroom to wash his face off. It wasn't going to be very professional if he walked to the soccer center with a blue face.
"I'll see you guys back at our place in a little while." Sam and Reynolds both looked at him and nodded. "Thanks for coming."
Sam smiled, "Are you kidding. It was awesome. These girls rock."
Laughing, Jamie agreed. "Yeah."
"See you later, man." Reynolds nodded at Jamie and watched him get up.
The bathroom was crowded and a little boy who was at the sink next to Jamie was wide eyed. The water in the sink was bluer than the sky. "Whoa."
Jamie looked at the little boy and laughed, "It's pretty blue, huh?"
The boy's father walked up behind him and laughed, "Now that's school spirit."
"Yes, sir." Jamie used a paper towel to wipe of his face and laughed.
The man laughed and looked at his four year old. "I used to do that, paint my face for the games."
The boy looked to his father and smiled, "You did?"
"Oh yeah." The man raised his brow, "Rah, Rah, Carolina-lina."
Jamie knew that the thirty something must have been an alumni, "Rah, Rah, Rah."
The man smiled at Jamie for his 'rah, rah, rahs' and looked at his boy, "Come on, bud, let's go." The father took his son's hand and Jamie watched as the pair left the bathroom. He'd like to have kids one day. Not any time soon, but one day.
Looking back into the mirror, Jamie nodded at his clean face. "That's better." He looked down at his watch and knew he needed to head over to McCaskill. He didn't know how long the team celebration would be but he figured he might as well head that way.
The team celebration was short lived. Of course the girls were excited about their conference win but they didn't want to dwell on it. With Boston College defeated they were all more concerned with their next match. All of them but Kate.
"That was so awesome!" Kate nodded and patted Liza on the back.
Margaret laughed as they walked to their cubbies and she flung her jersey off her shoulders, "I know, Megan and her hat trick stunned BC." She grabbed a towel and shed the rest of her clothes. "And I don't know about you but I've got to get in the shower."
Ansley walked up behind them and agreed, "Me too."
"Me three." Kate started to get undressed and followed her teammates into the showers.
Liza wanted to take a shower too but could hold off for a minute. The post game rush toward cleanliness was always chaotic and she didn't mind waiting. Liza faced the inside of her cubbie and looked at the pictures. There was one from last year's championship team taken in a candid moment with their NCAA trophy, a picture of her family, and a quote from Mia Hamm. Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don't settle for them.
"Great game." The assistant trainer walked past her and smiled.
Liza looked away from the quotation and nodded. "Thank you."
She glanced down to her jersey and remembered what Jamie and the boys had called out. 'Hey number six' was on repeat in her head and she could feel the warmth in her cheeks. Liza let out a small laugh and headed to the showers.
As the water rushed over her body she wondered what the rest of her day might be like. Liza hadn't talked to Jamie yet but maybe they would go out that night, stay in, it didn't really matter.
Once she was done with her shower Liza quickly realized that she was the only one left in the locker room. She did have a tendency to take long showers. When she walked to her cubbie, Liza saw the note Kate had left. Hey slowpoke, if you ever get out of the shower we'll be at home. Liza laughed and pulled out some clothes to change in to.
"Boston College never had a chance did they?"
Liza's eyes shot open and she turned around to make sure the voice she heard was the voice she thought it was. "Jamie!" Quickly crossing her arms around her chest she turned red in the face. She'd managed to pull on her shorts and a bra but was standing in front of him shirtless. "What..." Turning back around and scrambling for her shirt Liza was stuttering, "What, what are you doing in here?"
He laughed at her frazzled state of mind and thought it was cute. Jamie held out his arm showing her the wristband that let him in the building. It was more or less a press pass. "I'm doing a piece on the team."
Liza could feel the heat radiating out of her cheeks and shook her head, "But..."
Jamie started walking toward her and he smiled, "You're coach said that you'd be in here." He sat down on the bench in front of her cubbie and shrugged, "I didn't mean to startle you." He laughed because she turned a little more red.
"Um..." Liza sat down next to him, "It's fine."
"You played great by the way." Jamie looked into her blue eyes and nodded, "A couple of assists and even more steals." She glanced toward him and shyly smiled. He pulled the little notepad and pen from his back pocket and raised his eyebrows, "So, how does it feel to have the first conference win of the season?"
Liza smiled at him and laughed, "Great." She nodded and looked around the locker room. "We worked really hard in the off season to stay in tip top shape and to come out with a win today was perfect." She saw that he was writing what she said down and she shook her head. "What are you doing?"
"After I interviewed the coach I asked him for a player Q and A, and you know who he told me to interview?" He nodded at her and smiled, "You."
"Me?"
"Uh-huh, told me that his star mid fielder, Liza Bennet would be great to talk to and that I could probably still catch her in the locker room, that she takes really long showers." He laughed and arched his brow.
"They're not that long." She rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. "So what'll it be Mr. Reporter?" She used her hand to prop her question and smiled, "Ask away."
He nodded and cleared his throat, "Now that you have played an entire season and won a National Championship, how have you prepared differently for this year than your freshman year?"
Liza loved how he sounded so professional. "I knew I needed to work on skill. Tighten up my footwork. I spent a lot of time this summer running through drills and maintaining my fitness."
Jamie wrote as she spoke and spit out another question, "After playing an important role in last year's run to the championship, do you feel any more added pressure this year than last?"
"There's always pressure. Understandably there is a little bit more this season, but it's not daunting or overbearing. I think we use it to our advantage though. Use it as inspiration rather than something to worry about."
She didn't know it, but the way she said things was making Jamie hide a smile. Liza was graceful even when being interviewed. "Starting as a freshman last year, what would be your advice to this year's incoming freshmen to make the transition easier?"
"College athletics is a challenge. It's gonna be hard, and painful, and maybe even a little scary. But that it's all worth it. The games, the crowd. There's nothing more motivating. And to remember that you're not the best anymore, that in high school you may have been the leading scorer but things change. It will be frustrating at first, but having a group of girls who are the best of the best is a great tool to use to improve your game."
It took Jamie a minute to jot all that down. He looked at her and asked his next question, "So what's your best soccer memory?"
"Oh gosh." Liza had to think. There were so many. "Winning the championship last year was incredible. To have been a part of that team was beyond anything I could have ever imagined."
Jamie nodded and smiled. "I don't think I ever congratulated you on that. Winning the championship is pretty amazing."
She looked at him writing her words and smiled. They didn't even know each other back then. "Thanks."
"What's you're favorite part of being a Tar Heel?"
Liza knew that answer. "The tradition, the legacy of this program. Wearing that Carolina Blue and stepping out on Filtzer. It's an honor."
There was something incredible about the women's soccer program at UNC. Somehow, in all it's years, they'd made it to every single NCAA tournament and had more championships than any other school. With her answer, Jamie realized just how talented she was to be a part of the team. He'd known she was good, but it was all in perspective now. She couldn't just be good to play for the Tar Heels. "These next few are going to stray from soccer"
"Okay, sure."
"If you weren't playing soccer. What collegiate sport would you want to be playing?"
Liza had absolutely no idea. Soccer was the one thing she really played growing up. She looked at Jamie and wanted to say basketball because it was probably what he wanted to hear but that wasn't it. "I don't know..." She paused for a moment and laughed. "Rowing? I know that seems a bit odd, but I grew up on a river and the water has been about as comfortable for me as the soccer field."
"Interesting." He raised his eyebrows and wrote down what she'd said.
He looked at his next question and smiled, "What is your favorite place to eat in Chapel Hill?"
"Top of the Hill." It came out a lot faster than she had expected and she laughed. "It's got great food and a fun atmosphere. I love siting outside and looking out over downtown." All that was true and if she hadn't been interviewing for the school newspaper she would have mentioned that she'd had the best worst first date there.
"Last question. Who has been your biggest role model to help get you where you are today?"
Liza raised her eyebrows curious, "Can I pick more than one?" He nodded so she thought about it. "On the field, Mia Hamm. There's nobody like her that had her drive and determination. In life, I'd say my mom. She knows how to make the good things better and the bad situations learning experiences. Sometimes people get caught up in life and it's nice to be able to take it all in and learn from it, all of it. My mom's been able to do that and I try to do the same."
Jamie liked her answer, and he could tell her that she was doing a good job in trying to learn from her mother. Liza did make good things better and bad situations learning experiences. He flipped his pad shut but had one more question. "And what do you think of doing dinner tonight?"
She smirked at him, "Off the record?"
"Off the record."
"I think that sounds great." Liza got up from the bench and grabbed her bag.
Jamie followed suit and got up too. "If Margaret and Kate and Ansley want to come over they can all come. Maybe we can do burgers or something?"
"Yeah. I'll ask them. I'm sure they'll want to." She nodded her head, "My car's here, you want a ride back to your place."
Jamie nodded. It would have been a semi long walk and the offer was appreciated. He laughed as the walked out of the soccer center. At least Liza's passenger side door wasn't going to get stuck.
OTHOTH
After Liza had dropped him off, Jamie talked with Sam and Reynolds about having the girls over. Both of them thought it was a good idea and they all knew they needed to clean the place up a little. Mr. Reporter, Jamie Scott, was gonna turn into Mr. Clean for a little while. Sam was the lucky duck who got to go to the store leaving the others to pick up.
It wasn't taking them long though. They really only needed to make sure the living room, kitchen and one of the bathrooms was clean. The bedrooms were probably not going to be in use so Jamie and Reynolds didn't waste time cleaning those.
As Jamie wiped off the coffee table, he heard his phone ring and got up to get it. The name popped up and he answered with a smile. "Hello?"
"Hey, Jame."
"Hey, Dad, what's going on?"
Nathan sighed, "Not much. Your mom and Charlotte went to some movie and I was just piddling around the house. What's going up up there? Anything new going on?"
"Actually." Jamie laughed, "Yeah. I went to a soccer game today."
"Soccer?" Nathan didn't not like the sport, but he didn't think there was a whole lot to it. Kick the ball in the goal. "What sparked going to that?"
Jamie hesitated a second and shrugged, "Well, remember how I said I was seeing someone? She's on the team."
"Really?" Nathan raised his brows.
"Yeah. She's great. The team kinda handed it to Boston College today."
"Oh yeah, the girls are really good aren't they?"
Jamie nodded, "Ranked number one."
Nathan was pretty impressed. Even though he didn't know much about soccer, he knew what it was like to be a college athlete. "What are you up to tonight?"
"We're having a few people over and we're gonna cook some burgers and stuff."
"Be careful about the grill. Sometimes it's hard to judge the temperature." Nathan knew that Jamie's apartment complex had a few simple charcoal grills without gauges. "You don't want to serve anyone rocks on a bun."
"Got it. I'll be sure and keep an eye on them."
Sam came into the front door with and armful of bags, "I got a few more in the car."
"Hey, Sam just got back with groceries, I gotta run."
"Alright. I'll talk to you later."
"Tell Mom and Charlotte hey."
Nathan nodded, "I will. Bye Jamie. I love you."
"Love you too Dad, bye." Jamie hung up the phone and walked over to Sam.
The bigger guy pulled out three bags of frozen french fries and shrugged, "I couldn't decided on which kind. Shoe string, crinkle, steak fries. There were too many to pick."
Jamie laughed, and patted Sam on the shoulder, "Well I think you did a good job. There's more, right?"
"Yeah, in the car."
Making his way outside he checked his watch and figured that the girls would be over in a few hours. They still had plenty of time to check the apartment in order.
And those few hours flew by like the days of summer. Before the guys knew it, Liza and co. would be arriving at any time. Jamie had met Liza's roommates and liked them all. Ansley was funny, Margaret was a big Bobcats fan, and Kate was nice too. Everyone had met each other before except Reynolds. He hadn't met Ansley but they'd get along. Ansley got along with everyone.
Jamie was marinating the patties when he heard her voice.
"Jamie? Hello?" She'd walked in and saw Sam and Reynolds sitting in the living room. "Hey guys." As she walked into the apartment she passed the kitchen. "Hey."
He smiled at her, "Hey." He held up his hands and shrugged, "I've got, ugh, dirty hands so..."
"Can I help you with anything?" She walked into the kitchen while the other girls went to the living room.
"Sure, you want to put these in the fridge while I wash up?" Jamie moved to the sink to wash his hands and Liza happily put up the meat. He turned around drying his hands off with a dish towel and smiled, "Thanks."
"Yeah, sure. Thanks for having us." Liza nodded and smiled.
Jamie tossed the towel next to the sink and walked to her, going toward the rest of the group. The twosome made their way to the living room and Jamie said hello to the girls. The seven young adults crowded around the sofa and started to talk. Soccer, horrible professors, home towns, and scrambled vs. sunny side up all came into conversation.
Between the hot debate on how best to eat eggs, Jamie and Reynolds went down to start the grill and it didn't take long for it to heat up. Jamie came up to get the burgers and couldn't help but laugh at what Sam was doing.
Sam looked over his shoulder and laughed, "Wii fit tournament!" He was in the middle of doing the hula hoop and nodded, "It's on."
"It's gonna be a pretty tight competition Jamie, go tell Reynolds that he might be beat by a few girls." Ansley laughed as she said it.
"Alright, just let me go last, so I can cook first." Jamie got out the pan of hamburger patties and headed back outside. When he approached Reynolds, Jamie laughed. "Better run up there. Sam's got a Wii fit tournament going. Old school."
"You're kidding?"
Jamie shook his head. "Nope, he's up there hula hooping right now." He laughed and kicked his head toward the apartment, "Go on up there, those girls think they've got it in the bag."
"They haven't seen me hula hoop."
"I know."
Reynolds laughed and walked to their apartment. Jamie put the burgers on the grill and knew after about ten nine minutes he realized he needed cheese. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number.
Liza felt her phone start to buzz and laughed when she saw Jamie's name. "Hello?" She said it with a hint of laughter.
"Hey, will you do me a favor and get a head count of people who want cheese and bring me some?"
"Yeah, I'll be down in a sec." Liza shut her phone and looked to the group. "Who wants cheese."
Everybody did so she went to the kitchen and got out seven pieces of cheese. Liza walked outside and realized that the sun was starting to go down. The sky was in the beginning phases of changing into night and the stars were starting to come out. His back was to her and he was flipping the burgers. They smelled fantastic. "I got seven pieces. I didn't know what you wanted so I got you one."
"Oh yeah, sorry. Thanks" He felt dumb for forgetting to tell her if he wanted cheese or not. "So are you ready to duke it out on the Wii?"
Liza handed him the cheese and nodded, "I'm all for some friendly competition."
He put the cheese on the burgers and laughed, "Friendly competition? I don't know, it might get pretty heated in there."
"You think so?" Liza knew he was right. None of them liked losing.
Jamie nodded and raised his brow, "I'm pretty good at that soccer head butt thing. I might just beat you at your own game."
"Well see about that." Liza laughed and crossed her arms.
The cheese had melted and Jamie started putting the burgers on the tray. They would see about that. They might be playing that game for hours on end. There was no telling.
OTHOTH
Dinner had come and gone and the seven college kids were immersed in a heated battle. It was crazy to see how into it everyone was getting. They were currently on round four and the leader board was sporadic. Reynolds had won the hula hoop competition, wowing the girls with his hip action. Kate managed to beat out Sam on the ski jump by just a few feet, and Margaret beat everyone on the three point shoot out. Jamie, Liza and Ansley were still looking for their first win.
Ansley took a step on the fitness board and nodded, "We got this one girls." It was the soccer game and Liza looked to Jamie as soon as Ansley said that. He looked right back at her shaking his head. He was gonna win.
The goal: Shift your balance so you don't get smacked in the face with a shoe or panda face. Simple, right? No. Ansley kept screaming every time a shoe flew her way and had everyone laughing. Her score was about as low as you could get and Kate was up next. She fared pretty well but Jamie knew he could beat it. After Reynolds and Margaret went, Liza was up. She gave Jamie a sneaky little grin as she stepped up to the board.
"Watch yourself. Those panda heads look a lot like soccer balls."
"Don't listen to him Liza. He's just messing with you." Margaret rooted on her friend and laughed at Jamie.
Liza started to play and was doing great. A perfect record, but then it started to crumble. Soccer balls started to look like pandas and pretty soon her character was getting smacked with shoes. Not good. She stepped off the board with defeat. She knew Jamie was gonna win.
"Show 'em what you got James." Sam nodded and used his most respectable voice, even calling Jamie by is first name.
Jaime took his turn and did exactly as they all thought. He was effortless playing. His win came easy and it really irritated the girls.
Ansley narrowed her eyes, "You know the cheats, don't you?"
Jamie shook his head, "Nope."
Kate sunk back in the sofa and rolled her eyes, "That's kind of annoying. We play soccer for the team and can't even win on this thing."
"Sorry girls." Jamie laughed and watched as Sam got up to start the down hill skiing game. "I'm gonna go check on the grill, make sure it's out."
"Hurry, cause this one is fun!" Sam looked at Jamie with a wide grin.
Liza had kept relatively quiet after Jamie had won the soccer game. She was trying to stay a good sport and not pout about Jamie owning everyone in that last game. She laughed when she turned to look at Sam and his crouched position. He didn't look like he really knew what he was doing. She got up off the couch, "I'll be right back." She walked into the kitchen and grabbed two red cups.
Jamie was spreading the coals around to make sure they were out and heard her come up behind him. He saw the red cup and laughed, "Drowning your sorrows about the loss?"
She laughed and handed him the drink, "Maybe."
"I told you I was good." He smirked before he took a sip of his drink.
Liza nodded, "Yeah, you did." She hadn't seen this cockiness of his yet but it was kind of cute. It wasn't overbearing or annoying. They'd been going out for almost a month and it was really the first time she'd seen him seriously flaunt that smirk of his.
The fire was out and coals was cooling. Jamie watched as Liza looked up into the sky and shrugged, "Are we sitting out the next round?" He remembered that the rest of the guys were upstairs still playing.
That had been her plan. As much fun as they were all having playing, she did want to get to spend a little time with him. "I'm not much of a skier."
Jamie laughed, "Me either. I'm more of a snowboard type guy."
"I've only seen snow a hand full of times, actually. I think last year, up here, I saw it more times than I did in eighteen years in Savannah."
"Yeah. Tree Hill isn't exactly a snowy place either." Jamie took in a deep breath and wondered if this next winter would bring them lots of snow. It was only September so they had a while before they'd know. Changing the subject, Jamie glanced at the grill, "How were the burgers?"
Liza smiled kindly, "Great." She took a sip of her drink and stepped closer to him. "Thanks for having us. It's been fun."
Jamie wrapped his arms around her back and smirked, "Even with a little Wii fit competition?"
Liza laughed, "That was the best part."
"It was my awesome head butting skills, I know." He started to laugh and Liza rolled her eyes.
"Whatever you say." She arched her brow and raised herself up on her tiptoes.
He smiled and leaned down to kiss her. Jamie heard Liza drop her cup and he had to laugh, "So I'm that good at this too?"
"Shut up." Liza shook her head and kissed him again.
Jamie could do that. If shutting up meant he could kiss her, he'd be quiet. He'd be quiet the rest of the night.
This time when they parted Liza ran her hand over his cheek and laughed. There was a tiny speck of blue. "You looked pretty hilarious today..." Liza used her nail to scrape off the lingering paint. "...with a face full of blue."
He took a deep breath and shrugged, "I was just showing my school spirit."
"I loved it." Liza laughed remembering exactly what he looked like.
"Well thank you."
The tone in his voice was sexy and the look in her eye was indescribable. He leaned down to kiss her again and smiled, "You played a good game, Liza Bennet."
Margaret had walked out to tell the lovebirds that it was Liza's turn but she quickly found out that they were busy. Snickering as she walked back in the apartment, she smiled at everyone else. "I'll ski for Liza."
Ansley and Kate raised their eyebrows, picking up of Margaret's sarcasm. They knew those two at the grill were in that blissed out, make out phase. It was hard to miss those googly eyes and puppy dog looks. The girls also knew that Liza had a good thing with Jamie. He was a keeper. So what if they missed out on a little Wii action.
Liza's friends were right. It was a good thing. One of those things that doesn't come around that often, and when you see it, when you find it, you hold on to it, and realize this thing you started was more than a fling. It was turning into something that could look a lot like love.
OTHOTH
Alright, chapter four complete. I know that was on the fluffy side but I wanted to give you guys a simple chapter because the next one will be kinda busy. Do any of you have any first hand Savannah knowledge? I've never been so if you know of any must sees or top places to go let me know. Yep, Liza's taking Jamie to meet her parents next chapter...so what do you guys want to see in that one? If you have suggestions, or a request of some sort I'm listening.
My reviewers are awesome. Thank you so much for all the support I've been getting for this story. It really does mean a great deal. To those of you I can't respond back to...
Caitlin: I'm so happy you liked the first kiss. I'm sorry for the delay in updating but I hope you liked this chapter!
Always and Forever: I'm a big fan of the Charlotte and Jamie relationship so that will be looked at a bunch in this story (and in her spin off), so I'm glad you liked that part. As for the site paying me to write what I do...that would be kinda awesome! Thanks for the compliment.
Tasha: Thanks for the review, and I'm happy you're enjoying this story.
MagicalNaley23: I agree. Jamie is sweet and adorable and Liza is brave. We'll get to see more of those traits in chapters to come, and I'll be having more Charlotte and Jamie too. I'm glad you like their relationship.
BDavis: I'm so glad you liked the chapter and that you like the story. Jamie might seem perfect, but there will be things ahead that show his not so perfect side and same with Liza. All relationships have to have a little bit of drama, lol. So I know you wanted to the the two gangs meet and while I skipped over the actual meeting I did have them all together for you. I hope you liked it.
Joan: Thanks for the review! Jamie's going to the airport was kinda a big cheese-fest but I figured it'd be alright. I'm so glad you liked it. If nothing changes, Jamie will be meeting Liza's family next chapter so get excited about that!
Laura: I'm so happy you are enjoying the story. About your request: Liza telling Jamie's she's pregnant. Yes. I'll probably be able to factor in Jamie realizing she's having pregnancy symptoms somewhere in here too. And I must say that your little comment at the end about binding fanfic was hands down the best compliment I've ever gotten. It totally made my day!
Blurrystars: I love how you listed the things you liked, ha. It makes if pretty easy to read your review. The airport scene was fun to write and I'm glad you liked the way I did it. It was something that was either going to be hit or miss. The phrase about Jamie being lean, I thought that summed it up too. Their first kiss was the hardest part to write in that chapter. I think I literally sat for like fifteen minutes trying to figure out how to do it, so I'm glad you liked out it turned out. Jamie and Charlotte! I love them too! And yes, their height differnece is great. Very Nathan and Haley like, lol. I love the thought of Liza sneaking into his room. Should that be something that maybe happens next chapter when they go meet her folks or should I hold off?
Please, please review!