A/N : My first "One Tree Hill" fanfiction, please be nice. ^_^ Inspiration
struck me after watching the second episode of the show, and I immediately
set off to work. Sorry if this chapter is a little long, it has just enough
to get the ball rolling.
Review and tell me what you think, I would really appreciate it!
Dedication : This chapter's for my North Hollywood Lady Huskies and the memories of the '02-'03 season.
Fate's Defiance
By Unladylike
Chapter 1 : Two of a Kind
"No, it certainly is not okay," the woman bit, glaring at her blond son. "Lucas, you can't just drop these classes, you need the credits," she pointed out, firmly, and with a strong sense of motherly love. Her fingers rapped softly against the tabletop as she leaned back into her chair, slender arms crossed over her chest.
Those glacial blue eyes stared calmly into his mother's. Here was Lucas Scott, talented basketball player, fairly decent student, and the infamous 'unwanted bastard' child of Tree Hill, North Carolina. The unacknowledged son of Dan Scott, and half brother of the ever arrogant, obnoxiously annoying, brunette, Nathan Scott, pleading a case to his mother ... and losing too. "But mom," he started, warily. "I'm not dropping these classes, I'm just reorganizing their periods so they're more convenient." Being in English with Nathan was bad enough, but now his half-brother had somehow moved his classes around so that they were identical to Lucas's. Something told him it wasn't coincidence.
Lucas shifted his gaze upwards from the pink slip of paper resting on the table to steal a glance at his mother. She was a strong woman, beautiful with soft white skin and curled dark brown hair, seated on one of the kitchen chairs. The sunlight fell on her face at such an angle that she appeared angelic. This was his angel, the only person in the world that really mattered to him -- the only person who felt his pain.
Before his mother could get another word out, Lucas pulled out the card that would win the argument. He couldn't lie anymore, not his mother at least. "Nathan's in all of my classes," he stated flatly. "And you don't want me getting into anymore fights, right?" once he finished, he looked back down at the paper and ran his fingers down the classes. "I'll be losing five credits, but it's not life threatening," he tossed that in as a buffer, not feeling the least bit guilty for mentioning Nathan. "I can make it up over the summer if you want."
"Lucas, I said--" she abruptly fell into silence, a light frown creasing her features. A silent understanding washed over her and she ceased to debate. "Well ... all right then, I trust you," she said softly, coming to a slow stand. This conversation would not continue on, not about that boy at least. "Lunch? I'm making roast beef," she announced, moving to the oven and pulling the door open.
While she took little stabs at the meat to check if it was ready, Lucas frowned and leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen. He shook his head softly, not that she would see it, her back was to him. "Aw, sounds great, mom but I've already made plans with Haley to have lunch. And Whitey wants us in for evening practice to prepare for Washington tomorrow," he cringed, thinking of the turbulent times he was having on the team. But Lucas had found a new strength to continue in his mother, Keith, Haley, and so on. Washington was one of the top high schools in North Carolina, but he and his teammates had worked hard to earn an opportunity to face a respected basketball team. How flattering. "I won't be late for dinner though," he chimed, flashing a smile as she turned around to face him.
"Well, all right. I'll see you later then," Karen pulled her only child into a tight hug, then opened the refrigerator to fetch more ingredients. "Don't be late," she called, as he exited the kitchen into the living room.
"I won't, mom," he called back, gathering his gym bag, wallet, and sweatshirt. Lucas tugged the grey sweatshirt on; it complimented his rusty blue jeans nicely. Then he slipped the wallet into his back pocket, and with his gym bag in the other hand - exited the house. Immediately after stepping into the cool morning air of Tree Hill, North Carolina, he spotted his best friend Haley, standing right beside the white picket fence and glancing at a barking dog across the street.
She turned to face him, light strands of hazel falling just slightly past her shoulders and a little sparkle of amusement that always accompanied her. "Are you two related?" she asked, glancing from the barking dog to Lucas with a grin spread across her features.
"Sure," he commented, making his way over to her. "Haley, meet my brother, Nathan," he jabbed a thumb at the canine, matching her grin with his. Lucas felt oddly happy this morning; the feeling had almost become foreign to him. Bad days haunted him constantly, but things didn't appear quite as bad when he had good friends to lighten the mood.
The two of them started for the diner, laughing and talking about various things. "So hey, big game against Washington tomorrow?" she peered at him through the corner of her eye as they entered the restaurant.
"Two," Luke said to the waiter, before being led to their seats. He set his duffle bag on the floor and slid it under the table, then sat across of Haley. "Um, yeah, Whitey's calling us to a quick practice at two. It's a big game ." his voice trailed as his gaze fell to the salt shakers. "Anyway, he's starting me at the forward position. You're going to be there, right?" he glanced back up at her.
"Of course, would I miss precious Luki's big game?" she smiled sweetly, tugging on his cheeks. Haley knew she would draw a sour reaction from Lucas, but if that's what it took to lighten him up, the risks outweighed the gains.
"Don't--" but before he could finish, the waiter cleared his throat.
"Hello, how are you two today? Cute couple. What'll it be?" he extracted a pen from his pocket and clicked it, notepad in hand.
"We're not a--" and for the second time, Lucas was cut off again.
"I'll just have a tuna melt and a pepsi. Luke?" she spared a glance at her friend, who was glaring furiously right at her.
"Er, just soup, thanks. I have practice soon," he replied slowly, still eyeing Haley.
"Soup? He'll have a bowl of clam chowder, some spaghetti, and a large water," she cut in. Before the waiter could reply, or Lucas could start complaining, Haley ushered the man away. "Don't," she stated flatly, avoiding his blistering gaze. "Haley, I have practice soon," he complained, but to no avail. And he knew it.
"You'll need your strength then," she abruptly replied, then turned to nod as the waiter set down their drinks.
"Says the golfer," he replied sourly. Lucas relaxed his features and finally smiled, breaking her frown. "You think I'm going to do well today?"
Haley eased back against her chair, exhaling softly. "Well of course, you will, Luke. And after you Ravens kick those cats .." she meant cougars, but the word eluded her. ".. out of our gym, we can go out to celebrate," Haley finished the sentence with a touch of smile on her face.
Eventually their food came and the conversation continued. "I need to go," Luke remarked after setting his fork down with a satisfying clink. "If I'm late, the whole team's doing laps, and ." well, he didn't need to elaborate any further. Lucas called the waiter over, pulling the other man from what seemed to be an interesting conversation. "Bill please," he requested.
"Well," the waiter started, obviously a tad bit annoyed. "Your bill's already been taken care of," in response to Luke's curious look, the man gestured over to the opposite side of the restaurant. And there, having just finished their food, was Nathan Scott and his gang. Apparently they were aware that Lucas and Haley were staring at them because the group broke out in unusually loud laughter. Then, slowly, Nathan turned to face Lucas, giving a little mock salute and smirk.
Haley followed his gaze, cringing the slightest bit at the sight of Luke's half brother. "Come on, let's get out of here. I'll walk you to the gym, it's on the way," she stood, giving Luke's arm a tug. Something about Lucas and Nathan being in a one mile radius unnerved her.
But before she could make a clean escape with him, Nathan himself approach. "Well, hello there. Funny seeing you here," he said smoothly, looking her from top to bottom. Lucas was graciously ignored. "I think I deserve a 'thank you' for lunch, don't you? How about a little kiss, beautiful?"
Haley felt her cheeks warm and opened her mouth to shoot a nasty retort, but at that moment, Lucas stood. He pushed himself up and put some distance between the two. Gym bag in hand, the two Scott's locked eyes for a few tense seconds.
Luke was the one to break the silence, taking her arm lightly and turning to start for the door. "Come on, Haley, let's go," he muttered. Offering the slightest bit of resistance, she stole one last gaze at the smirking Scott, and then allowed herself to be led out.
Nathan trailed shortly behind, holding the door open and calling out after them. "It's nice to see you two together here, cute, really," he announced. "Maybe that way, you can stop trying to screw my girlfriend," extra emphasis was put on the last few words. Nathan received great satisfaction from seeing his reject brother flinch and then freeze in place. Obviously he had struck a very loud chord, a chord that Haley happened to hear.
"You asshole," she bit, spinning around to glare venomously at the smirking brunette. "Take that little smile and shove it right up your--" instantly, her words were cut off as Lucas stepped in front. Eventually she stopped talking to the back of his grey sweatshirt.
"Just leave me the hell alone, and don't bring Peyton into this," he spat.
Nathan continued on as if neither of them had spoken. "With a curler, and some hair dye," he paused, connecting his thumbs and point fingers into a mock frame and placing it in front of Haley's face. Nathan squinted, looking through it. "Oh yeah, with a little hair dye, and maybe some contact lenses, you can pull it off just right," he lowered his hands and tucked him into his pockets. Nathan was looking a little too confident, and to top it all off, his crew came bustling out of the diner behind him.
It didn't matter to Lucas at all. By then, he had dropped his gym bag, yanked Nathan by the collar, and threw the boy roughly down against the damp pavement. Nathan was ready this time around, but he hadn't expected Lucas to move so quickly. Nike covered feet were pulled back and sent straight into the grey sweatshirt of the blonde Scott.
"Lucas, no!" a strained voice female voice cut in. But between the loud ringing in Nathan's ears, and the immense lack of air in Lucas's lungs, Haley's cries of protest were ignored. Lucas gasped for breath, but managed to pin Nathan down by the neck. He raised a tightly clenched fist and prepared to throw it down with such force, that Nathan's face would be sent straight back into his head.
You look just like him ... you look just like me.
Giving into gravity, his fist made its descent towards his half brother's face, but was suddenly halted. Two of Nathan's friends, guys that Lucas swore were on the basketball team, seized him by the shoulders and threw him off. Lucas hit the ground hard, and let out a pained groaned to acknowledge just that.
"Lucas!" and once again, there was Haley, interjecting. If Lucas's head wasn't spinning as badly as it was, he might have been flattered to see her tackle one of the guys on him.
Nathan had pushed himself off the pavement, and pulled his friend off of Lucas. "Get yourself a new sweatshirt," he paused, and Lucas blinked to see why. A second later, Lucas got his answer as a fist crashed into his nose. "Because it's dirty," the brunette spat, coming to a stand and brushing his jacket of dirt.
A few dollar bills rained down on Lucas's face as he struggled to keep his bloody nose under control. And sure enough, crimson drops stained his once clean sweatshirt.
"Oh, and by the way, Coach says practice's been cancelled. He just thought you'd like to know," Nathan folded his wallet and slipped it back into his jacket pocket. A quick glance was given to the fallen Lucas then to Haley, whose arms were pinned together by one of his gang. Her eyes bore down on him with such cold fury that he was tempted to frown. It was a shame that things had to be this way. "Under different circumstances." he muttered, barely audible, as Haley's features completely filled his field of vision.
Meanwhile, Lucas stirred on the ground and Nathan took that as his cue to leave. "Let's go," he instructed his boys, stepping confidently over the fallen Lucas. The blonde grasped his half brother's foot but shortly received a strike to the chest for doing so.
"Lucas." immediately after she was released, Haley rushed to her fallen friend and kneeled beside him. She didn't bother to shout more profanity at the retreating basketball players, because Lucas was more important. He was always more important.
As Nathan started down the street, he spared a glance back at the two - burning with jealousy. How was it, that his bastard brother (literally), denied the wealth and affection of a successful father, lived most of his life in shame and shadows . had everything that he, Nathan Scott, wanted? A truly caring and loving parent (even if it was just one) and true, solid, friendship. It was sickening to watch, but for some reason, Nathan couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene. I'm better than him. I'll always be. With that thought in mind, he turned his eyes to his car and entered it. The engine was brought to life with a turn of the key, and once the last of his friends were in, he pulled out. Look how much I have. I'm better than him. Though, as he drove past the two again, those thoughts brought little -- if any -- comfort.
"Was that part of the plan?" Lucas managed, through a thick patch of tissues.
"Has it stopped bleeding yet?" Haley came up from behind him, dropping a box of Kleenex into his lap and ignoring the sarcastic comment. "I'm not letting you leave until I'm sure it's okay," she commented, settling beside him on the couch.
"Haley, it's just a bloody nose," he stated slowly, a tad bit irritated. Lucas had once again let his anger get the best of him. But Nathan had deserved it, hadn't he? With bringing Peyton into the mix, and she hadn't even done anything! She had nothing to do with them. Or did she? Peyton Sawyer, the strong-willed, independent, young woman who was, unfortunately, his half-brother's girlfriend. But aside from those titles, she was the girl that he -- Lucas Scott -- dreamed of.
"And you took a rough kick square in the chest, Luke," she pointed out before turning her head to check the time. "Want me to call your mom and tell her you're having dinner here?" Haley looked back to her longtime friend and canted her head to the side, in question.
"Ahh, I don't think so. I promised my mom I would have dinner with her," and it went without saying that Luke kept all the promises he made to his mother. Hesitantly, he lowered the tissue and touched just above his lip, to see if any blood was still flowing. It wasn't.
"Oh ... well okay then," Haley replied, keeping the disappointment from leaking into her voice. "Do you want me to walk you home?"
"I think I'll make it back all right. I should get cleaned up though," he flashed her a weak smile before standing and hurrying over to the bathroom. Lucas flipped the light on, shut the door, and turned on the faucet to clean his face.
Haley watched his fleeting figure with a look of clear sadness on her face. She knew fully well how she felt about Lucas, but he hadn't a clue. Not even one. Stray strands of hazel were swept up and tucked neatly behind her ear. With a sigh, she set off on the task to clean the living room, picking up bloodied wads of tissue on the floor and tossing them into the trash bin. Then, Haley took Lucas's grey sweatshirt and spun it around to check the extent of damage. A nice trail of crimson streaked from the right sleeve, to just below the shoulder. "Nothing a little tide with bleach can't fix ... " with that said, she started off towards the laundry room.
Meanwhile, Lucas splashed his face with water a few times, then dabbed it with a clean white towel. He leaned forward in the sink and checked to see if there were any visible marks from the tumble he took a few hours ago. There were not. He flipped the light switch off and closed the door, while making his way back to the couch. A few scattered items were stuffed into his gym bag before he zipped it up and slung it over his shoulder. Luke noticed that his sweatshirt was missing and leaned over the back of the couch to look.
As if she could read his mind, Haley chimed in from behind. "Two cycles should get them right out," she assured with a nod. The doorframe served as a temporary cushion as she leaned against it for support.
"Thanks a lot. I don't know what I'd do without you," he flashed her a weak grin.
"Ain't it the truth?" she matched his grin with one of her own. "Now go home, Scott, your mom's probably worried sick."
"Yeah, you think so? And Haley ..." he started slowly -- but there was no need, she already knew.
"Don't worry about it. We ate, practice was cancelled, and you came over," she recited dully.
"Right," his grin got a bit wider and he gave her a confident thumbs up. "See you around," he nodded. The door was tugged open and once Lucas received a wave from Haley, he stepped into the cool night air. It was around 7:30 now, and if he walked fast enough, home was a thirty minute trip.
"Explain to me how this happened . again," the voice of Peyton Sawyer was one that rang clearly in anyone's ears. She was, simply put, blunt as hell. A struggling artist with a few issues on her mind and in her life. One of them, specifically, was sitting right in front of her.
"Damn it, Peyton. For the third time, that blonde reject passed the ball when I had my back turned," he accompanied the lie with a very convincing cringe.
Peyton would give him something to cringe about. The ice pack that she held against the bruise on the back of his head was removed, then abruptly slapped back on. "Pay attention then," she muttered, annoyed. The two of them were on his bed. Nathan, laying on his side with his back to her. She was sitting on the edge, rolling her eyes at him.
"Ow, shit! Are you trying to add another one?" Nathan snatched the ice pack from her hand and sent a glare in her direction. He gently rubbed the sore, and damp spot on the back of his head and set the ice pack against it once more. Though, in his mind, dropping the money on Lucas at the very end had made everything well worth it. Even if Nathan was twenty dollars short now.
"Funny. I don't remember seeing a squad of sweaty boys in the gym during cheer practice today," it was a bluff. Actually . more a blatant lie. Good luck getting her to cheer practice on a Saturday. However, Nathan had undoubtedly fallen for her deception. This was made obvious by the heavy sigh that followed. "Why don't you stop giving him a hard time?" she sighed also, and rolled her eyes once more.
"You like him don't you?" without waiting for a response, he continued, tone flaring up with blind jealousy. "Well that's just fucking great, why don't you go back to him, Peyton? You're a little too late though, he's already found another girl, and they looked pretty cozy together at the diner," he sneered, sitting up in his bed.
"For the last time, no, Nathan," not this discussion again. "He's a great basketball player, Nathan, obviously Whitey has faith in him. If you two grew up for once, maybe good things would happen on the team."
Her wrists were grasped and she was tugged forward to gaze into his teal eyes, that were blazing with . anger? No, it looked more like a pained expression rather than an angry one. "Not . greater . than . me," each word was accompanied with a pause, just so there was time for them to settle. "Never," he whispered faintly.
Haley was taken back by his reaction, stumbling over her words after he finished his. "I can't believe you. You're such an asshole," she spat. "And I knew you were lying. Nathan, honestly, grow up," she dully replied, sounding much more confident than she actually felt. Lucas Scott . Peyton shook the thought out of her head and stood, once he had released her. "I'm not in the mood to put up with your cycles today, Nathan. Call me when you've taken your dose of Prozac," likewise, she didn't wait for a response and headed out the door.
"Peyton ." he started wearily, right before she walked out. "Peyton, come back here!" he dropped the ice pack to snatch a few cds that belonged to her off his bed. He wouldn't realize the fault of his actions until much later, in which he would apologize and things would patch themselves up - as usual. No big deal.
The girl paused in her steps and swiveled around to face her emotionally turbulent boyfriend. "What the hell is it?" she demanded. In response, a small pile of cds fell and landed with a light 'crunch' in front of her feet.
"Take your shitty music with you," he bit, then retreated back into his room. If she was expecting an apology from him now . yeah right. As if for emphasis, the door of his room shut with a satisfying bang.
"It's not shitty!" she called out, marching over to his door and giving it a rough pound. Though Peyton wouldn't wait for a response, she crouched down to pick up her cds, and quickly proceeded out of the Scott house into the night.
Just another wonderful day in the life of Peyton Sawyer.
Great, just great.
The walk home would be a particularly long one.
As Lucas passed by the last house on this particular street, he turned into the next one and started down that sidewalk. Shouldn't have let that happen, Luke. You let him win again. But I wasn't fighting for myself, it was for Peyton. Face it, you don't stand a chance. Yeah I do. There's always hope.
With his bag slung over one shoulder, he continued down the street until he reached a house. Not his house, but an equally modest looking one. The lights were on, maybe someone was home. A few memories came tumbling into mind as he stood beside the fence and gazed at the door.
"What about Nathan?" ". What about him?"
"Take a picture, it lasts longer," a voice called out from behind.
Lucas felt his muscles tense at the sound of the voice. God, not her. How embarrassing. Awkwardly, he spun around to find himself face to face with the occupant of that house - Peyton. "Er, I wasn't staring at it. I just stopped to tie my shoes," he lied. Badly, too.
"Mm . right," she shot back sarcastically, seeing straight through the façade. Luke was terribly bad at it. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, rather abruptly.
Luke saw her defenses drop an inch and suppressed a smile. "Didn't think you cared," Lucas locked eyes with her, he had forgotten just how brilliant those were.
"Who said I did?" she shot back, a touch offended. "The anti-hero bitched to me about it on the phone today," she wouldn't tell Lucas that Nathan had thrown her out of his house . again. Plus, the asshole didn't bother giving her a ride home once more.
"Oh . that," he shifted uncomfortably in place, dropping his gaze to his worn sneakers. "Er, yeah, I'm still breathing. And how is he?" not that Lucas actually gave a damn. Hopefully, Nathan was laying in a coma. Somehow, Luke didn't think he was that lucky.
"He's . him," she cringed her nose. "Anyway, go home. Unlesss you want to come in?" her features lightened as she played with their little inside joke.
"Like I'm really going to fall for that again," he shot back, rolling his eyes mockingly.
"Didn't think you would. I'll see you at the game tomorrow," without hesitation, she walked up to the door, inserted her key, and opened it with a quick turn of a knob. Peyton felt Lucas's eyes on her back as she did this, not feeling the least bit uncomfortable doing so, however. He radiated a certain aura of warmth, even if the big oaf didn't know it sometimes. Peyton had felt it the first time they met. A clear contrast to cold Nathan. Hard to believe, in some ways, Nathan and Luke were alike. Aside from having the same father, they were both wounded. Yet, Peyton always knew that Nathan's wounds were something she could never fix. Or at least, she wasn't the right one to do it. Lucas, on the other hand .
"G'night," he called out, a little belatedly. Lucas was a bit curious as to why she stopped at the door, and didn't continue into the house. Peyton really was beautiful, wasn't she? Something about her, turned him inside out whenever she was around.
"Er, 'night," she called out, his words derailing her trail of thought. Peyton felt her cheeks warm, and became instantly grateful that she had her back to him. How embarrassing. Without lingering by her door any longer, she entered the house and softly shut the door behind her.
Once the door shut, Lucas released the breath that he wasn't aware he was holding. And after pausing for a few more seconds, maybe in hope that she would come out again, he continued down the path to home -- a little less sad than before.
The trip, from Peyton's house to his, took a little less than ten minutes. Of course it seemed much longer than that to him. When Lucas arrived home, he saw something he had not expected to. The door was left wide open and all the lights, strangely enough, were all off. But it's only 8, something's not right, he silently thought. His gym bag was dropped on the grass and he leapt over the fence to proceed into the house. On the floor was a shattered lamp, an overturned couch and drops of . blood?
As if he had touched a live cable, Lucas's head jerked back in disbelief. A sudden, and vaguely familiar feeling of dread struck him. ". Mom?" he choked out, but she was nowhere to be found. "Mom!" a little more panic- stricken now, he glanced around the living room in search of her. Lucas hurried into the kitchen and found that everything was still intact. Though, something was oddly out of place here -- Lucas was not alone.
In the shadows, Lucas felt another person stalk the room. And then, another figure brushed right by his, then paused there. Almost instantly after, a hand roughly clamped down on his shoulder. Lucas felt his muscles tense and exhaled quietly. He braced himself for what was in store, and slowly, very slowly, turned around.
A/N : Phew, that's chapter one. Once again, please review and tell me what you think. I would very much appreciate it. =)
Review and tell me what you think, I would really appreciate it!
Dedication : This chapter's for my North Hollywood Lady Huskies and the memories of the '02-'03 season.
Fate's Defiance
By Unladylike
Chapter 1 : Two of a Kind
"No, it certainly is not okay," the woman bit, glaring at her blond son. "Lucas, you can't just drop these classes, you need the credits," she pointed out, firmly, and with a strong sense of motherly love. Her fingers rapped softly against the tabletop as she leaned back into her chair, slender arms crossed over her chest.
Those glacial blue eyes stared calmly into his mother's. Here was Lucas Scott, talented basketball player, fairly decent student, and the infamous 'unwanted bastard' child of Tree Hill, North Carolina. The unacknowledged son of Dan Scott, and half brother of the ever arrogant, obnoxiously annoying, brunette, Nathan Scott, pleading a case to his mother ... and losing too. "But mom," he started, warily. "I'm not dropping these classes, I'm just reorganizing their periods so they're more convenient." Being in English with Nathan was bad enough, but now his half-brother had somehow moved his classes around so that they were identical to Lucas's. Something told him it wasn't coincidence.
Lucas shifted his gaze upwards from the pink slip of paper resting on the table to steal a glance at his mother. She was a strong woman, beautiful with soft white skin and curled dark brown hair, seated on one of the kitchen chairs. The sunlight fell on her face at such an angle that she appeared angelic. This was his angel, the only person in the world that really mattered to him -- the only person who felt his pain.
Before his mother could get another word out, Lucas pulled out the card that would win the argument. He couldn't lie anymore, not his mother at least. "Nathan's in all of my classes," he stated flatly. "And you don't want me getting into anymore fights, right?" once he finished, he looked back down at the paper and ran his fingers down the classes. "I'll be losing five credits, but it's not life threatening," he tossed that in as a buffer, not feeling the least bit guilty for mentioning Nathan. "I can make it up over the summer if you want."
"Lucas, I said--" she abruptly fell into silence, a light frown creasing her features. A silent understanding washed over her and she ceased to debate. "Well ... all right then, I trust you," she said softly, coming to a slow stand. This conversation would not continue on, not about that boy at least. "Lunch? I'm making roast beef," she announced, moving to the oven and pulling the door open.
While she took little stabs at the meat to check if it was ready, Lucas frowned and leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen. He shook his head softly, not that she would see it, her back was to him. "Aw, sounds great, mom but I've already made plans with Haley to have lunch. And Whitey wants us in for evening practice to prepare for Washington tomorrow," he cringed, thinking of the turbulent times he was having on the team. But Lucas had found a new strength to continue in his mother, Keith, Haley, and so on. Washington was one of the top high schools in North Carolina, but he and his teammates had worked hard to earn an opportunity to face a respected basketball team. How flattering. "I won't be late for dinner though," he chimed, flashing a smile as she turned around to face him.
"Well, all right. I'll see you later then," Karen pulled her only child into a tight hug, then opened the refrigerator to fetch more ingredients. "Don't be late," she called, as he exited the kitchen into the living room.
"I won't, mom," he called back, gathering his gym bag, wallet, and sweatshirt. Lucas tugged the grey sweatshirt on; it complimented his rusty blue jeans nicely. Then he slipped the wallet into his back pocket, and with his gym bag in the other hand - exited the house. Immediately after stepping into the cool morning air of Tree Hill, North Carolina, he spotted his best friend Haley, standing right beside the white picket fence and glancing at a barking dog across the street.
She turned to face him, light strands of hazel falling just slightly past her shoulders and a little sparkle of amusement that always accompanied her. "Are you two related?" she asked, glancing from the barking dog to Lucas with a grin spread across her features.
"Sure," he commented, making his way over to her. "Haley, meet my brother, Nathan," he jabbed a thumb at the canine, matching her grin with his. Lucas felt oddly happy this morning; the feeling had almost become foreign to him. Bad days haunted him constantly, but things didn't appear quite as bad when he had good friends to lighten the mood.
The two of them started for the diner, laughing and talking about various things. "So hey, big game against Washington tomorrow?" she peered at him through the corner of her eye as they entered the restaurant.
"Two," Luke said to the waiter, before being led to their seats. He set his duffle bag on the floor and slid it under the table, then sat across of Haley. "Um, yeah, Whitey's calling us to a quick practice at two. It's a big game ." his voice trailed as his gaze fell to the salt shakers. "Anyway, he's starting me at the forward position. You're going to be there, right?" he glanced back up at her.
"Of course, would I miss precious Luki's big game?" she smiled sweetly, tugging on his cheeks. Haley knew she would draw a sour reaction from Lucas, but if that's what it took to lighten him up, the risks outweighed the gains.
"Don't--" but before he could finish, the waiter cleared his throat.
"Hello, how are you two today? Cute couple. What'll it be?" he extracted a pen from his pocket and clicked it, notepad in hand.
"We're not a--" and for the second time, Lucas was cut off again.
"I'll just have a tuna melt and a pepsi. Luke?" she spared a glance at her friend, who was glaring furiously right at her.
"Er, just soup, thanks. I have practice soon," he replied slowly, still eyeing Haley.
"Soup? He'll have a bowl of clam chowder, some spaghetti, and a large water," she cut in. Before the waiter could reply, or Lucas could start complaining, Haley ushered the man away. "Don't," she stated flatly, avoiding his blistering gaze. "Haley, I have practice soon," he complained, but to no avail. And he knew it.
"You'll need your strength then," she abruptly replied, then turned to nod as the waiter set down their drinks.
"Says the golfer," he replied sourly. Lucas relaxed his features and finally smiled, breaking her frown. "You think I'm going to do well today?"
Haley eased back against her chair, exhaling softly. "Well of course, you will, Luke. And after you Ravens kick those cats .." she meant cougars, but the word eluded her. ".. out of our gym, we can go out to celebrate," Haley finished the sentence with a touch of smile on her face.
Eventually their food came and the conversation continued. "I need to go," Luke remarked after setting his fork down with a satisfying clink. "If I'm late, the whole team's doing laps, and ." well, he didn't need to elaborate any further. Lucas called the waiter over, pulling the other man from what seemed to be an interesting conversation. "Bill please," he requested.
"Well," the waiter started, obviously a tad bit annoyed. "Your bill's already been taken care of," in response to Luke's curious look, the man gestured over to the opposite side of the restaurant. And there, having just finished their food, was Nathan Scott and his gang. Apparently they were aware that Lucas and Haley were staring at them because the group broke out in unusually loud laughter. Then, slowly, Nathan turned to face Lucas, giving a little mock salute and smirk.
Haley followed his gaze, cringing the slightest bit at the sight of Luke's half brother. "Come on, let's get out of here. I'll walk you to the gym, it's on the way," she stood, giving Luke's arm a tug. Something about Lucas and Nathan being in a one mile radius unnerved her.
But before she could make a clean escape with him, Nathan himself approach. "Well, hello there. Funny seeing you here," he said smoothly, looking her from top to bottom. Lucas was graciously ignored. "I think I deserve a 'thank you' for lunch, don't you? How about a little kiss, beautiful?"
Haley felt her cheeks warm and opened her mouth to shoot a nasty retort, but at that moment, Lucas stood. He pushed himself up and put some distance between the two. Gym bag in hand, the two Scott's locked eyes for a few tense seconds.
Luke was the one to break the silence, taking her arm lightly and turning to start for the door. "Come on, Haley, let's go," he muttered. Offering the slightest bit of resistance, she stole one last gaze at the smirking Scott, and then allowed herself to be led out.
Nathan trailed shortly behind, holding the door open and calling out after them. "It's nice to see you two together here, cute, really," he announced. "Maybe that way, you can stop trying to screw my girlfriend," extra emphasis was put on the last few words. Nathan received great satisfaction from seeing his reject brother flinch and then freeze in place. Obviously he had struck a very loud chord, a chord that Haley happened to hear.
"You asshole," she bit, spinning around to glare venomously at the smirking brunette. "Take that little smile and shove it right up your--" instantly, her words were cut off as Lucas stepped in front. Eventually she stopped talking to the back of his grey sweatshirt.
"Just leave me the hell alone, and don't bring Peyton into this," he spat.
Nathan continued on as if neither of them had spoken. "With a curler, and some hair dye," he paused, connecting his thumbs and point fingers into a mock frame and placing it in front of Haley's face. Nathan squinted, looking through it. "Oh yeah, with a little hair dye, and maybe some contact lenses, you can pull it off just right," he lowered his hands and tucked him into his pockets. Nathan was looking a little too confident, and to top it all off, his crew came bustling out of the diner behind him.
It didn't matter to Lucas at all. By then, he had dropped his gym bag, yanked Nathan by the collar, and threw the boy roughly down against the damp pavement. Nathan was ready this time around, but he hadn't expected Lucas to move so quickly. Nike covered feet were pulled back and sent straight into the grey sweatshirt of the blonde Scott.
"Lucas, no!" a strained voice female voice cut in. But between the loud ringing in Nathan's ears, and the immense lack of air in Lucas's lungs, Haley's cries of protest were ignored. Lucas gasped for breath, but managed to pin Nathan down by the neck. He raised a tightly clenched fist and prepared to throw it down with such force, that Nathan's face would be sent straight back into his head.
You look just like him ... you look just like me.
Giving into gravity, his fist made its descent towards his half brother's face, but was suddenly halted. Two of Nathan's friends, guys that Lucas swore were on the basketball team, seized him by the shoulders and threw him off. Lucas hit the ground hard, and let out a pained groaned to acknowledge just that.
"Lucas!" and once again, there was Haley, interjecting. If Lucas's head wasn't spinning as badly as it was, he might have been flattered to see her tackle one of the guys on him.
Nathan had pushed himself off the pavement, and pulled his friend off of Lucas. "Get yourself a new sweatshirt," he paused, and Lucas blinked to see why. A second later, Lucas got his answer as a fist crashed into his nose. "Because it's dirty," the brunette spat, coming to a stand and brushing his jacket of dirt.
A few dollar bills rained down on Lucas's face as he struggled to keep his bloody nose under control. And sure enough, crimson drops stained his once clean sweatshirt.
"Oh, and by the way, Coach says practice's been cancelled. He just thought you'd like to know," Nathan folded his wallet and slipped it back into his jacket pocket. A quick glance was given to the fallen Lucas then to Haley, whose arms were pinned together by one of his gang. Her eyes bore down on him with such cold fury that he was tempted to frown. It was a shame that things had to be this way. "Under different circumstances." he muttered, barely audible, as Haley's features completely filled his field of vision.
Meanwhile, Lucas stirred on the ground and Nathan took that as his cue to leave. "Let's go," he instructed his boys, stepping confidently over the fallen Lucas. The blonde grasped his half brother's foot but shortly received a strike to the chest for doing so.
"Lucas." immediately after she was released, Haley rushed to her fallen friend and kneeled beside him. She didn't bother to shout more profanity at the retreating basketball players, because Lucas was more important. He was always more important.
As Nathan started down the street, he spared a glance back at the two - burning with jealousy. How was it, that his bastard brother (literally), denied the wealth and affection of a successful father, lived most of his life in shame and shadows . had everything that he, Nathan Scott, wanted? A truly caring and loving parent (even if it was just one) and true, solid, friendship. It was sickening to watch, but for some reason, Nathan couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene. I'm better than him. I'll always be. With that thought in mind, he turned his eyes to his car and entered it. The engine was brought to life with a turn of the key, and once the last of his friends were in, he pulled out. Look how much I have. I'm better than him. Though, as he drove past the two again, those thoughts brought little -- if any -- comfort.
"Was that part of the plan?" Lucas managed, through a thick patch of tissues.
"Has it stopped bleeding yet?" Haley came up from behind him, dropping a box of Kleenex into his lap and ignoring the sarcastic comment. "I'm not letting you leave until I'm sure it's okay," she commented, settling beside him on the couch.
"Haley, it's just a bloody nose," he stated slowly, a tad bit irritated. Lucas had once again let his anger get the best of him. But Nathan had deserved it, hadn't he? With bringing Peyton into the mix, and she hadn't even done anything! She had nothing to do with them. Or did she? Peyton Sawyer, the strong-willed, independent, young woman who was, unfortunately, his half-brother's girlfriend. But aside from those titles, she was the girl that he -- Lucas Scott -- dreamed of.
"And you took a rough kick square in the chest, Luke," she pointed out before turning her head to check the time. "Want me to call your mom and tell her you're having dinner here?" Haley looked back to her longtime friend and canted her head to the side, in question.
"Ahh, I don't think so. I promised my mom I would have dinner with her," and it went without saying that Luke kept all the promises he made to his mother. Hesitantly, he lowered the tissue and touched just above his lip, to see if any blood was still flowing. It wasn't.
"Oh ... well okay then," Haley replied, keeping the disappointment from leaking into her voice. "Do you want me to walk you home?"
"I think I'll make it back all right. I should get cleaned up though," he flashed her a weak smile before standing and hurrying over to the bathroom. Lucas flipped the light on, shut the door, and turned on the faucet to clean his face.
Haley watched his fleeting figure with a look of clear sadness on her face. She knew fully well how she felt about Lucas, but he hadn't a clue. Not even one. Stray strands of hazel were swept up and tucked neatly behind her ear. With a sigh, she set off on the task to clean the living room, picking up bloodied wads of tissue on the floor and tossing them into the trash bin. Then, Haley took Lucas's grey sweatshirt and spun it around to check the extent of damage. A nice trail of crimson streaked from the right sleeve, to just below the shoulder. "Nothing a little tide with bleach can't fix ... " with that said, she started off towards the laundry room.
Meanwhile, Lucas splashed his face with water a few times, then dabbed it with a clean white towel. He leaned forward in the sink and checked to see if there were any visible marks from the tumble he took a few hours ago. There were not. He flipped the light switch off and closed the door, while making his way back to the couch. A few scattered items were stuffed into his gym bag before he zipped it up and slung it over his shoulder. Luke noticed that his sweatshirt was missing and leaned over the back of the couch to look.
As if she could read his mind, Haley chimed in from behind. "Two cycles should get them right out," she assured with a nod. The doorframe served as a temporary cushion as she leaned against it for support.
"Thanks a lot. I don't know what I'd do without you," he flashed her a weak grin.
"Ain't it the truth?" she matched his grin with one of her own. "Now go home, Scott, your mom's probably worried sick."
"Yeah, you think so? And Haley ..." he started slowly -- but there was no need, she already knew.
"Don't worry about it. We ate, practice was cancelled, and you came over," she recited dully.
"Right," his grin got a bit wider and he gave her a confident thumbs up. "See you around," he nodded. The door was tugged open and once Lucas received a wave from Haley, he stepped into the cool night air. It was around 7:30 now, and if he walked fast enough, home was a thirty minute trip.
"Explain to me how this happened . again," the voice of Peyton Sawyer was one that rang clearly in anyone's ears. She was, simply put, blunt as hell. A struggling artist with a few issues on her mind and in her life. One of them, specifically, was sitting right in front of her.
"Damn it, Peyton. For the third time, that blonde reject passed the ball when I had my back turned," he accompanied the lie with a very convincing cringe.
Peyton would give him something to cringe about. The ice pack that she held against the bruise on the back of his head was removed, then abruptly slapped back on. "Pay attention then," she muttered, annoyed. The two of them were on his bed. Nathan, laying on his side with his back to her. She was sitting on the edge, rolling her eyes at him.
"Ow, shit! Are you trying to add another one?" Nathan snatched the ice pack from her hand and sent a glare in her direction. He gently rubbed the sore, and damp spot on the back of his head and set the ice pack against it once more. Though, in his mind, dropping the money on Lucas at the very end had made everything well worth it. Even if Nathan was twenty dollars short now.
"Funny. I don't remember seeing a squad of sweaty boys in the gym during cheer practice today," it was a bluff. Actually . more a blatant lie. Good luck getting her to cheer practice on a Saturday. However, Nathan had undoubtedly fallen for her deception. This was made obvious by the heavy sigh that followed. "Why don't you stop giving him a hard time?" she sighed also, and rolled her eyes once more.
"You like him don't you?" without waiting for a response, he continued, tone flaring up with blind jealousy. "Well that's just fucking great, why don't you go back to him, Peyton? You're a little too late though, he's already found another girl, and they looked pretty cozy together at the diner," he sneered, sitting up in his bed.
"For the last time, no, Nathan," not this discussion again. "He's a great basketball player, Nathan, obviously Whitey has faith in him. If you two grew up for once, maybe good things would happen on the team."
Her wrists were grasped and she was tugged forward to gaze into his teal eyes, that were blazing with . anger? No, it looked more like a pained expression rather than an angry one. "Not . greater . than . me," each word was accompanied with a pause, just so there was time for them to settle. "Never," he whispered faintly.
Haley was taken back by his reaction, stumbling over her words after he finished his. "I can't believe you. You're such an asshole," she spat. "And I knew you were lying. Nathan, honestly, grow up," she dully replied, sounding much more confident than she actually felt. Lucas Scott . Peyton shook the thought out of her head and stood, once he had released her. "I'm not in the mood to put up with your cycles today, Nathan. Call me when you've taken your dose of Prozac," likewise, she didn't wait for a response and headed out the door.
"Peyton ." he started wearily, right before she walked out. "Peyton, come back here!" he dropped the ice pack to snatch a few cds that belonged to her off his bed. He wouldn't realize the fault of his actions until much later, in which he would apologize and things would patch themselves up - as usual. No big deal.
The girl paused in her steps and swiveled around to face her emotionally turbulent boyfriend. "What the hell is it?" she demanded. In response, a small pile of cds fell and landed with a light 'crunch' in front of her feet.
"Take your shitty music with you," he bit, then retreated back into his room. If she was expecting an apology from him now . yeah right. As if for emphasis, the door of his room shut with a satisfying bang.
"It's not shitty!" she called out, marching over to his door and giving it a rough pound. Though Peyton wouldn't wait for a response, she crouched down to pick up her cds, and quickly proceeded out of the Scott house into the night.
Just another wonderful day in the life of Peyton Sawyer.
Great, just great.
The walk home would be a particularly long one.
As Lucas passed by the last house on this particular street, he turned into the next one and started down that sidewalk. Shouldn't have let that happen, Luke. You let him win again. But I wasn't fighting for myself, it was for Peyton. Face it, you don't stand a chance. Yeah I do. There's always hope.
With his bag slung over one shoulder, he continued down the street until he reached a house. Not his house, but an equally modest looking one. The lights were on, maybe someone was home. A few memories came tumbling into mind as he stood beside the fence and gazed at the door.
"What about Nathan?" ". What about him?"
"Take a picture, it lasts longer," a voice called out from behind.
Lucas felt his muscles tense at the sound of the voice. God, not her. How embarrassing. Awkwardly, he spun around to find himself face to face with the occupant of that house - Peyton. "Er, I wasn't staring at it. I just stopped to tie my shoes," he lied. Badly, too.
"Mm . right," she shot back sarcastically, seeing straight through the façade. Luke was terribly bad at it. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, rather abruptly.
Luke saw her defenses drop an inch and suppressed a smile. "Didn't think you cared," Lucas locked eyes with her, he had forgotten just how brilliant those were.
"Who said I did?" she shot back, a touch offended. "The anti-hero bitched to me about it on the phone today," she wouldn't tell Lucas that Nathan had thrown her out of his house . again. Plus, the asshole didn't bother giving her a ride home once more.
"Oh . that," he shifted uncomfortably in place, dropping his gaze to his worn sneakers. "Er, yeah, I'm still breathing. And how is he?" not that Lucas actually gave a damn. Hopefully, Nathan was laying in a coma. Somehow, Luke didn't think he was that lucky.
"He's . him," she cringed her nose. "Anyway, go home. Unlesss you want to come in?" her features lightened as she played with their little inside joke.
"Like I'm really going to fall for that again," he shot back, rolling his eyes mockingly.
"Didn't think you would. I'll see you at the game tomorrow," without hesitation, she walked up to the door, inserted her key, and opened it with a quick turn of a knob. Peyton felt Lucas's eyes on her back as she did this, not feeling the least bit uncomfortable doing so, however. He radiated a certain aura of warmth, even if the big oaf didn't know it sometimes. Peyton had felt it the first time they met. A clear contrast to cold Nathan. Hard to believe, in some ways, Nathan and Luke were alike. Aside from having the same father, they were both wounded. Yet, Peyton always knew that Nathan's wounds were something she could never fix. Or at least, she wasn't the right one to do it. Lucas, on the other hand .
"G'night," he called out, a little belatedly. Lucas was a bit curious as to why she stopped at the door, and didn't continue into the house. Peyton really was beautiful, wasn't she? Something about her, turned him inside out whenever she was around.
"Er, 'night," she called out, his words derailing her trail of thought. Peyton felt her cheeks warm, and became instantly grateful that she had her back to him. How embarrassing. Without lingering by her door any longer, she entered the house and softly shut the door behind her.
Once the door shut, Lucas released the breath that he wasn't aware he was holding. And after pausing for a few more seconds, maybe in hope that she would come out again, he continued down the path to home -- a little less sad than before.
The trip, from Peyton's house to his, took a little less than ten minutes. Of course it seemed much longer than that to him. When Lucas arrived home, he saw something he had not expected to. The door was left wide open and all the lights, strangely enough, were all off. But it's only 8, something's not right, he silently thought. His gym bag was dropped on the grass and he leapt over the fence to proceed into the house. On the floor was a shattered lamp, an overturned couch and drops of . blood?
As if he had touched a live cable, Lucas's head jerked back in disbelief. A sudden, and vaguely familiar feeling of dread struck him. ". Mom?" he choked out, but she was nowhere to be found. "Mom!" a little more panic- stricken now, he glanced around the living room in search of her. Lucas hurried into the kitchen and found that everything was still intact. Though, something was oddly out of place here -- Lucas was not alone.
In the shadows, Lucas felt another person stalk the room. And then, another figure brushed right by his, then paused there. Almost instantly after, a hand roughly clamped down on his shoulder. Lucas felt his muscles tense and exhaled quietly. He braced himself for what was in store, and slowly, very slowly, turned around.
A/N : Phew, that's chapter one. Once again, please review and tell me what you think. I would very much appreciate it. =)