Tree Hill High School
Even before my father went to the hospital to pick me up, I had called him and asked to bring my school supplies so he could drop me off at school later. Although he didn't like the idea and said that I still needed rest, he gave in. He couldn't know that I only wanted to go to school to see Lydia. But I knew just as well that we had to be careful. As long as she was officially with my brother, we couldn't meet in public. But somehow I hoped there would be a possibility for us to meet. I took the opportunity during the break, when all the students went to the cafeteria to eat. After looking for her for a while, I found her in front of the classrooms, talking to Sawyer. She smiled as she spotted me and my heart began to beat faster. As she said goodbye to Sawyer and then headed for the ladies' room, I followed her. I thought she was going to stop, but to my great disappointment she opened the door to the ladies' room and disappeared inside. I glanced around and then opened the door and entered. After all, it was the only place where nobody would look for us and where we could be undisturbed. I checked the toilet booths and then knocked on this one that I knew Lydia was inside. I grinned at her as she opened it and looked at me with wide eyes.
"Davis?" She exclaimed in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
"Let me in," I asked, gently pushing her back into the tiny booth before she could recover from her shock. I quickly locked the door and put my arms around her waist. "Don't you want to give me a welcome kiss?" I asked teasingly.
"We're in a public restroom!" She hissed softly. "Besides, it's the girls' room. You can't just walk in there! What if someone saw you!"
I could see how embarrassed and how shocked she was and I grinned. It wasn't the first time I was making out with a girl in a toilet booth. But I wouldn't admit that to Lydia. Since she still hadn't responded to my question, I bent down and kissed her.
"Not here, Davis!"
She pushed me away and I felt disappointment. "It's the only place where we can meet without being watched," I whispered in her ear.
"Come to me after school," she suggested.
"And what about your mother? She won't be thrilled to see me," I said.
"Yeah, right." She gnawed thoughtfully at her lower lip. "And we can't meet at your place either, because Jude will be there. Hm... what are we doing now?"
"You really need to talk to him, Lydia," I said urgently. "I don't want to meet with my girlfriend in public toilets, just to be alone with her." I just had finished mentioning 'alone', when the door opened and someone entered the room. Lydia's eyes widened in shock and I could barely stifle a grin. I knew it wasn't quite fair when I put my arms around her again and then pressed my mouth to hers, because I knew she couldn't pull back from me without attracting attention. But she didn't want to withdraw from me I realized surprised, as she wrapped her arms around my neck and returned the kiss fiercely. When I felt how her body pressed tightly against mine and reminded me again how soft her bare skin had felt under my hands when we had slept together, I could barely stifle a moan. When I heard that the person next to us left I breathed a sigh of relief. I pushed Lydia gently away, opened the latch with trembling fingers and literally stumbled out of the toilet booth, my chest rising and falling as fast as if I had just run a marathon. I rushed to the sink, turned on the cold water, and put my head under the faucet. A cold shower would have been even more effective, but that had to do it for starters.
"Davis? Are you okay?"
I shook out my wet hair over the sink and then turned to her with a sigh. She was too inexperienced to know what she just started. "If you kiss me like that and press your body so close to mine, I can't guarantee anything," I said hoarsely. She understood and lowered her head in shame. "Hey, it's all right. I didn't want to make you feel bad. But we shouldn't meet in small rooms in the future," I said with a smile.
She nodded, then went to the door and opened it. "The coast is clear," she said. "You can go now."
Before I left the ladies' room, I put my arm around her waist again and kissed her goodbye. "I'll call you later, okay?" I promised her and then walked quickly down the hall. But I didn't get far when Sawyer crossed my path.
"Did you see Lydia?" She asked with a frown.
As she studied me from top to bottom, she probably guessed that we had been together. I pointed to the ladies' room and saw how her eyes widened.
"Have you been in there together?" She asked in shock.
I knew it was futile to lie, so I nodded. "We haven't found a better place where we can meet without interruption," I said with a grin.
"My parents aren't at home," she said. "If you want, you and Lydia can come to me later."
I looked at her in surprise. Did she really mean that? That would be great, because then we could meet, without anyone would notice. "You should tell Lydia about it and ask her what she thinks about it," I suggested. When Sawyer nodded and walked past me, I decided that it was time to go back to class, even though I knew I probably couldn't concentrate on school matters. Sighing, I ran a hand through my damp hair and went back to my classroom.
House of the Bakers
All the time I couldn't forget what had happened with Sawyer on the beach. How it had felt when she had leaned her head against my shoulder and had wrapped her arms around my neck, as I had lifted her onto my arms and carried her to the car. For months I had tried to withstand these feelings because I knew that I wasn't allowed to have them. She was only 16, five years younger than me. But feelings didn't ask for age. I had already realized that one and a half years ago, when I fell in love with her, after she had hurt herself during the cheerleading training. I had stayed with her until the paramedics had arrived. She'd only been 14 at the time, and I had just finished school and had become the coach of the 'Ravens'. I had a bunch of girlfriends before, but not any of them had made my pulse quicken like Sawyer Scott. She was like a forbidden fruit for me, which I wanted to taste but wasn't allowed to. The fact that she was close friends with Izzy and was constantly going in and out in our house didn't make things any easier for me. And watching her performing during cheerleading sessions was pure torture. I thought that if I didn't give in, my feelings towards her would vanish. But I was wrong, as I knew since this morning. I still had feelings for her. Moving to L.A. was my only chance to forget her. But now that I had decided to stay a little longer in Tree Hill, there was still no end to it. Sighing, I took the poem and read the lines again. And there was the unknown writer I still didn't know who she was. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't respond until the door opened and Jude entered my room. I looked at him astonished, because he was the last person I had expected here.
"Do you have a moment?" He asked hesitantly.
I nodded and pointed to a chair. "Of course. Something happened?" I asked curiously. It was unusual for Jude to seek my help.
"I have a problem and I don't know who to talk to about it," he confessed shyly.
"I'm all ears," I said and smiled encouragingly. "What's going on?" I could see how uncomfortable he was to confide in me. But finally he told me what was on his mind.
"I met a girl yesterday, Tracy," he said reluctantly. "She was visiting her brother at the hospital and I was there to visit Davis. By chance we got into conversation and got along really well. Finally, we exchanged addresses and our telephone numbers."
He paused and I looked at him questioningly. "And where is the problem?" I asked, frowning.
"She wants us to meet." He lowered his head in embarrassment. "She just moved here with her parents and asked me if I could show her around in Tree Hill."
I nodded slowly. Gradually it dawned on me what he wanted to tell me. "Would you like to meet her?" I asked calmly.
He nodded. "I would love to. As I said, we got along very well. But I'm not sure if I should do this."
When he hesitated again, I continued. "You're wondering if it's fair to Lydia when you meet another girl, right?" I smirked as he looked at me in amazement. Big brothers just had a sixth sense. Besides, I knew things about Davis and Lydia, which Jude didn't know about.
"I'm not sure if I still love her," he confessed. "I've felt things with Tracy that I shouldn't feel if I'm still in love with Lydia."
I was almost relieved that he said that, because that would make way for Davis and Lydia to get together. "I think you're right. Well, if you don't feel that way for her anymore, you should tell her that," I suggested carefully.
He nodded. "I will. Then I can meet with Tracy without anyone else saying I'm cheating."
I smiled. Jude was always so precise in everything that it was almost a little bit extreme. But he was right that he should end things with Lydia before he met another girl.
"Thank you, Justin! I knew you would help me."
When he jumped up and left my room, I leaned back with a sigh. Within a week I had given love advice to two of my brothers. Only with me all good tips failed. 'Put that idea of Sawyer Scott right off your mind' was one of them. And I knew that it would be harder for me to forget her, now that we had been so close. I looked at the clock, it was time to leave. In half an hour the basketball training would begin. I put the poem back into the drawer and left my room.
