Brooke walked into her house for the first time in ten years. She inserted the key into the lock as she remembered when she pulled it out for the last time ten years ago.
Flashback
She picked up the last of her bags that was waiting by the door and slung it over her shoulder and walked out. She locked the door and slipped the key into the bag and walked to her car. She drove away not looking back at her many memories of Tree Hill
End Flashback
She walked in and slipped the key into the bag that she had slung over her shoulder and looked around. It looked exactly the same, apparently the person her parents hired to clean once a week did her job, the place was spotless. She dropped her bag on the table by the door and kicked her shoes off under the table. From her long flight she was hungry and made her way to the kitchen, which was remodeled. It was pale shades of peach and apricot. She opened the fridge. No foul smells but there was some food in there, bread, sandwich meats, etc.
School
Jenny and Gloria were walking to class together since they became the best of friends. It was a Friday and school spirit day, so they were wearing their cheerleader uniforms and carrying poms instead of books. They passed Fate and Robbie and kept going, true Gloria and Fate were good friends at home, they never acknowledged each other at school. Fate was a cheerleader but just a JV one, they were varsity. Robbie was wearing his jersey. "Robbie, watch this" Fate said running up to Nathan, who was in his office, "Daddy, I know you love me, right" Nathan looked at her "What do you want" "An excuse to get out of history, please daddy" "Is there a test" "No of course not, just a really really boring movie, can't you tell Ms. F that I'm helping you with something, or you need me to do something, please daddy?" She looked at him with big eyes and a pouty lip. "All right, sure you can hang out here for a class, don't tell your mother, she'll kill me" "All right daddy, my lips are sealed" She said sitting down on the couch in his office, "Oh and daddy, what about Robbie, you could tell Ms. F that he needed extra practice or something." She said and motioned for Robbie to come in. "Fine, but that's it, you cant help everyone skip" "Thank you Daddy" She said hugging Nathan
Ole Man Davis'
Ole Man Davis is what everyone knows Brooke's father as. The legend has it that Lady Davis killed him and shoved him up the chimney and lit a fire to get rid of him so he wouldn't find out about her affair with his best friend. Their only daughter called the police so Lady Davis shot herself and dropped dead and their daughter was arrested for murdering her parents and that their spirits still lurk inside the house waiting to gobble up small children to become alive again. Brian, Tyler, Ryan, and Chris and some of their friends were hiding behind the bush just outside the property with Kelsi and Melisa and some of their kindergarten friends. "All right two at a time, you must go up and ring the doorbell, wait and retreat. If you complete this task you are free to use the playground, if not you are forced off until you complete the task, whose first" Kelsi and Melisa wanted to go first. "Are you sure?" Chris asked, concerned about his sister and her friend. They looked at each other and nodded with confidence, "We're ready, we ain't no chickens." They were given a push out onto the path to get going and they ran up there as if it were a race, then rung the doorbell like 5 times consecutively, waiting impatiently for someone to answer, tapping their feet or looking at an imaginary watch watching until they we're motioned to come back cause they were done, but they just saw them all run away and turned around to see what they were running from, someone answered the door and motioned them inside, so naturally they went inside, and followed the person to the kitchen and sat down. "I'm Brooke" she said and they looked at her and at the same time they both said "I'm Melisa/Kelsi" "One at a time" Kelsi went first, being a complete daredevil, "I'm Kelsi and she's Melisa, nice to meet you, Brooke" "Say Kelsi, what's your mommy's name?" Brooke asked noticing the girls blonde curls, just like her best friends. "Her names Peyton Jagelski, and my daddy's name is Jake, and I've got two brothers, Tyler's 7 and Brian's 8, and then there's Jenny, she's old" "You said your mommy is Peyton, my best friend Peyton" "Depends maybe I could ask her" Annoyed by being excluded Melisa started talking, "I am Melisa, I belong to Haley Scott-" Brooke cut her off, "Your tutor girl's kid" "Tutor girl?" She asked questioning Brooke. "Yea, and your dads big shot Nathan Scott, and you've got a sister, I can't remember her name" "I got two sisters, Fate and Cassie, and a cousin, Gloria, and two brothers, Ryan and Chris" "I figured tutor girl would have a lot of kids. Do you have an uncle Lucas, by any chance" "Uncle Lukie, we love uncle Lukie" "You want me to call him to get you, that way your mommies never have to find out" "Yea!" They both screamed, Lucas was like an uncle to all of them. Brooke dialed the number on her cell, "Lucas, hey I need you to come to my house to pick up your nieces, yes this is Brooke, no I don't know why there here, of course I didn't pay them, all right see you soon", "He's on his way" Lucas arrived shortly, "Hey Troublesome two, what did you do now" "Nothing" they said looking angelic as Luke picked them up, one on each side, and went over and whispered something in Brooke's ear "I'll be back later" She nodded. "So who wants ice cream" "I do I do" hands shot into the air and Brooke joined them, "Uncle Lukie can't Brookie have ice cream too?" She gave him that face he could never resist, "All right, Brookie can have ice cream too, if that's all right with you two" "Yeay, we like Brooke"
THHS
The last bell rung, Fate was still hanging out with her good ole dad, Robbie had gone to do some free shots, since he got bored. "So Daddy, the best Daddy in the world, care to go out for ice cream" "No, your mom will wonder where we are" "Daddy, she's not there, she had a doctors appointment today, remember, she told you this morning, and if we must we can even bring Gloria and Jenny, and of course Robbie" She looked at him with the face Haley gave him when she wanted something, "Fine!, just don't do that again, and mom can't find out" "She won't" Fate said running to go round up everyone, she got Gloria and Jenny first, "Hey dad's taking us for ice cream, you in or out" "In!, I don't want to go home" Gloria said, and Jenny agreed, "Great so meet dad in his office, I'm going to get Robbie
Ice Cream Parlor
Lucas, Brooke, Melisa and Kelsi were sitting at the counter when Nathan walked in with Fate, Gloria, Jenny and Robbie. Melisa slipped off her stool "Daddy!" she said running to Nathan. Lucas and Brooke turned around "Hey Man" Lucas said "Come sit over here" They all sat along the counter, Gloria at one end, Jenny then Kelsi, Melisa, Nathan, Fate, Robbie, Lucas, and Brooke at the other end. Lucas turned to Brooke, "Brooke this is Robbie, Robbie, Brooke" "Hi Robbie, uh Broody who is he" "Cheery, he's my son, I adopted him." "Oh okay, Hi Robbie" Brooke said. Her phone started ringing and she looked at the number of the caller. "Sorry Broody I have to take this" She said kissing him and walking outside.
"So Dad why does she call you Broody, I thought your name was Lucas." "Old nickname, Broody and Cheery, Broody, one of her many nicknames for me." "Oh okay, and you know her from where exactly" "Here, there, high school" He replied with a smile. Brooke came back in. "I need to go, come over later, okay" She said kissed him and ran out.
Peyton & Jake's
Peyton saw her two sons and their two friends, Ryan and Chris run in with terrified looks on their faces. "Hey guys" Peyton said looking at them, "what's up." They looked at each other not really wanting to tell where they'd been, Tyler just started blurting things out, "well we were at ole man Davis' house, that old abandoned one up on Laurel Lane, where the grass is as tall as a giraffe" he said raising his hand high above his head as far as he could reach, "and the windows are boarded with the names of all the poor kids eaten there and all the ghosts party all night long with ole' man Davis and Lady Davis to get back at their daughter, to stay alive they eat small children, but if they don't get small children or a.k.a the kindergarteners, then they move on to bigger people, so we sacrifice the kindergarteners to save us, its been done for generations, but then we took the first bunch of them there today and Kelsi and Melisa, being the daredevils and fearless people they are went first, and they rang the bell and they went in, some lady was there, and now there gone! It's not our fault, you can't blame us, its their fault for going in a stranger's house, you have to go save them." Peyton stood there looking at him and he started again "Mmm what do I smell, chocolate chip cookies" Tyler said licking his lips and rubbing his stomach, "I just realized how hungry I am." Peyton rolled her eyes "Kitchen, one and only ONE each, milk's in the fridge, I'll go find your sisters, I know how many cookies I made," Peyton said grabbing her car keys and her jacket, "And if your father gets home be sure to tell him that story, I know he'd love to hear it." She imagined Jake's face, hearing them tell that story then saying mommy told us to tell you and running off.
Peyton drove to Brooke's house. She saw Brooke carrying in boxes and bags, "need some help?" Brooke looked up and dropped the bag she was carrying and came running and gave Peyton a big bear hug. "Best Friend! Sure you could help, I need to get back to New York tomorrow morning, stupid people, can't do anything without me, called me today and asked if I wanted the skirt to be baby blue or sky blue when I wrote the stupid thing down in BIG BOLD LETTERS!" "Brooke calm down" Peyton said picking up what Brooke dropped, "Now what's this I hear, you terrorizing my kid, not a very smart child for going to a strangers house cause her brother dared her, but still my daughter, my only daughter, loudest of the pack" "what are you talking about, Kelsi and Melisa came and I called Luke and they went our for ice cream." "You haven't heard the rumors of ole' man Davis" "course I've heard them, I started them when I left, told a bunch of little kids and freaked them out, surprised its still going on, I love corrupting America's youth" she said with a smile. "Going younger now huh" "Yea there easier and more vulnerable" She said leading Peyton into the house.
Brooke's, Later that night
Brooke sat waiting in her room for Lucas. She knew the way he would enter, the way he did in high school, up the trellis into her closet. Flashback
"Lucas, it's the only way I can see you and you can see me" Brooke said climbing the trellis after their "date", "My parents are here, I'm under house arrest until we agree on a college for me and then I'll be shipped away and the house will be boarded up" "Brooke they can't be that bad" "You've never met them and you don't want to, they're bad people" "How can two bad people have such a nice daughter" "Follow me" Brooke said climbing up to the window just above the trellis, looking to see if Lucas was following her, "Luke, when the light goes out from this window that means I'm gone, but I'll keep it on till I leave" Brooke finished climbing into the window. Lucas came every night until one night the light was out and she was gone.
End Flashback
Sure enough he came. "Lucas, I need to go to New York tomorrow, for at least two weeks, then I need to go to France for a month, and show them my new design to send through, then California for two weeks, but I'll be back, and I'm here tonight" Brooke said looking at him and kissing him
The next morning
Life went on as usual and Brooke went to New York after a romantic night with Lucas.
The three months came and went (she spent and extra month in California) and now it was the day Brooke was supposed come home. Lucas waited at the airport for Brooke. He cell phone rang, "Hello," he said. "Hey Broody." "Hey Cheery, where are you?" "Yeah, that's why I'm calling, I'm in Nevada, just for today, I'll be in tonight, wait up for me" "Nevada." Lucas said repeating what she told him. "I needed to get something, kisses, see you later-."She hung up the phone and stared at it. She didn't tell him what she was getting in Nevada, it would be a surprise.
Lucas left the airport and went to surprise Nathan's basketball team. They loved having a professional come to teach them.
Nathan was in his office, waiting for the bell when the loudest kids of the whole school would come into the gym, when a man walked in. "Hello Mr. Scott, I'm Mr. Rynolds (I just made up Mr. Rynolds). I am head of North Carolina's scholastic department. We've checked our records and over half of the students here become greats, whether it be in academics or in an extracurricular activity, such as a sport. We feel that Tree Hill High School is long overdue for a renovation. We would like to add a new sports annex with accommodations for many more sports than you already have here with a second floor for class rooms, a larger foreign language department for more choices on languages that the students could learn. A new computer lab with at least a thousand computers. We also hope to add at least another thousand students." Nathan was shocked. "Wow, so what sports are you going to be adding?" "Well we feel that the ladies should have as great of an opportunity as the men, so we are adding women's teams in all sports there are men's, also a swimming pool, for a swim team, and of course a gymnastics team, and a new gym, with air conditioning, a new scoreboard, by the way that brings me to my next point, uniforms." "Uniforms" Nathan said unsure. "All students will wear a school uniform, because this school has the most students with dress code problems, ladies in a skirt and a blouse, men in long pants and a button up shirt with a tie and of course polished shoes." "Wow, um that's a great idea, we could try it" "Not try, enforce, no uniforms, no new annex and more class rooms." "Then uniforms it is, by the way, I was wondering, could we go back to being the Tree Hill High School Ravens, Blue and White?" "That's a splendid idea, cheaper uniforms, that will look better, great, hmmm the new annex, the Raven's Lair" "Raven's are birds, the Raven's Nest" "Oh that sounds great, you're a genius, you get a raise, sports director, effective immediately." "Um, one last thing, can you leave one hallway in the annex, leading to the new gym, blank, empty, no color, no paint, I think it would be a great experience for the art club." "Wow you just keep impressing me, of course, you can tell the coordinator, right?" "Sure" "Well good day, see you tomorrow, when we start on the construction." "Your starting tomorrow?" "Yes want it to be ready by the end of the year, that's why I told you today and made you agree." "Well if you wanted, you could even start this afternoon, it's sooner" "Good idea, and even bigger raise, see I told you a ton of smart people crawl within this place." He turned and left. Nathan looked at the clock, ten minutes until classes change. He could tell Peyton now, and still be back in time for class change.
Peyton was bored of the same old stuff every year, do this drawing, evaluate this painting, blah. Nathan walked in, and startled her, the class didn't even look up, half were sleeping, a quarter talking with their friends and the rest ditched. "Hey Peyt, got a surprise for you." "Hmm a surprise, what could it be?" "Well your always complaining that this place is so dull and your job is so boring, I spiced it up." "Oh god, what did you do." "This guy, My. Rynolds, he's building a new annex and an upstairs, and he wants the art club to do the hallways leading to the new gym, or "Ravens' Nest." "Ravens? We haven't been the Ravens for years, have you lost it?" "No, Mr. Rynolds thinks that it's a good idea to be the Ravens again. Something about cheaper better looking school uniforms." "Wait, everyone's going to have to wear a uniform?" "Yea, to help us stick to the dress code" "Dress code, we never stuck to no dress code." "Well the team awaits, and you need to get an idea for the Ravens' Nest" "Okay." Nathan left.
After School
Jenny, Fate, Gloria, and Cassidy were sitting on the grass, in their backyard. Jenny, Fate and Gloria were showing Cassidy some simple cheers, since she would start high school next year and they would need the whole year to get her ready for the squad (she's starting high school a year early because she skipped a grade). Jenny, Fate and Gloria made a small pyramid, Jenny and Gloria at the base and Fate on top. Then they told Cassidy to do the same that Fate did, Cassidy fell. Peyton saw them through the window of the house and laughed. They were going simpler now to a toe touch, Peyton remembered Brooke teaching her these things against her will.
Flashback
It was night, dark and cold. "Peyton, your not perky enough!" A thirteen year old Brooke yelled at Peyton as she drilled her so they both could join the squad. "Like this" Brooke did the cheer perfectly and cheerful, "Now you" Peyton did the cheer again, with a fake smile. "Better, but you still need more work, you're never going to make it." She start jumping and cheering and doing a ton of moves, nailing them all perfectly. "Peyt, practice, I need my beauty sleep," Brooke left her, she tried it again and left.
End Flashback
Peyton walked outside. "Hey Mrs. J" Fate said, "just teaching Cass here some cheers and moves." Jenny went up to Gloria and whispered something in her ear, then in Fate's, they all got big smiles on their faces. "So girls what's your little secret." "Oh it's just, you can't help us, you can't cheer." Jenny said looking at her innocently. "I can't cheer my ass." Peyton did one of the more complex cheers Brooke drilled into her, something they couldn't do. "Now who can't cheer." Peyton smiled and went back into the house, leaving Jenny's jaw hanging open.
Nathan's
Nathan and Lucas were talking when Nathan's cell phone rang. "Hello" "Um Okay" "No it wasn't me" "Probably Mr. Rynolds" "Okay bye." Nathan hung up his phone. "Cheer coach, said that Mr. Rynolds guy decreased her pay so she quit, I don't want a bunch of angry cheerleaders all over my gym, know anybody who could replace her until we can get someone." "Um yea, I could um ask Brooke when she gets in, in," He looked at his watch, "an hour." "That Rynolds guy also wants us to be the ravens again, not to mention wearing uniforms." "Man, Tree Hill's wearing uniforms, that's bull, I'm going to head out to get Brooke." The Airport
Lucas sat in the terminal waiting for the passengers to arrive off of the plane. He checked the board, there was an hour delay. Lucas roamed the airport terminal and came across a flower vendor. The vendor recognized him. "Hey man, Your Lucas Scott, I've seen you on TV." People heard him and looked up, some looked and kept going, others kept going in a hurry, a few wanted to go over but were pushed away in the crowd. "Hey, you got a special girl" he said winking, holding out a bouquet of flowers, "Give 'em to her." "Thanks" Luke took the flowers and kept walking, he found his way back just as the passengers arrived in and immediately found Brooke. She was leading four people. "Luke" she said hugging him. "These are my cousins, George, Leo, Maria and Anna, there going to stay with me for a while until my aunt comes back from Australia." The little girl tugged at Brooke's top. "I Annie" she said pointing to herself, then looking at her jersey, it was number 3, and said Scott on the back. She shrieked, "Your Lucas Scott the bestest basketball player in the whole entire world, Brookie you know him." "Yes, of course I know Broody." Lucas looked at the dark haired, tan skinned teenagers, then the pale blonde child in the jersey. The older three looked Hispanic, but Annie, she was different. "Brookie Annie hungry." The girl said pointing to herself. The taller boy spoke up, "I'll take her," he said in a thick Spanish accent, looking towards the subway. The older girl spoke up, also in a Spanish accent, " I could go for a sub," and elbowed the other boy, who also had a Spanish accent. "Me too, what about you Brooke?" "Oh no, I've been sick for weeks, I keep throwing up everywhere." "Maybe I should take you strait home." "No, they want to eat, let them eat and then we go," she said grabbing his hand with the flowers, "for me?" "Yes, of course." She kissed him and dragged him to subway. They sat at a table, near the back. "So I wanted to ask, well maybe not ask but tell, I wanted to tell you something." "Go on, go on." "Brooke, Tree Hill High wants you to be the cheer coach." "Me, the school that told me once I graduated I can't come back, now their begging me." "Yea" "Ooh this is going to be so good." Brooke said and clapped her hands.
They left afterwards, and went to Brooke's.
Tree Hill Elementary School
Lucas walked into the office holding Annie's hand, "I would like to register this lovely lady for school." He said to the office secretary, who recognized him. "She yours?" She knew he wasn't married, nor had kids, well that she knew of. "Actually, Brooke's cousin." "Ah Brooke Davis, sweet little girl, left here, you mean she came back?!" "Yea, and brought her cousins to stay with her, which I thought should be enrolled in school as soon as possible." Maria was waiting in the office to help with information on Annie. "You need to fill out these forms as best as you can." She said handing him some papers. Brooke had given him the papers that they gave her, like social security numbers and insurance numbers, a doctor to get records from, etc. "Full name." Lucas said pointing to the first line on the paper. "Anna Lana Lopez, mom named her," Maria said as Lucas wrote it down and showed her the spelling and she nodded. "Date of birth." "September the first, 2011." Lucas wrote it down. "Grade, Kindergarten, right?" "Yea." He filled that out and copied the information from her papers. "Any illnesses or disabilities?" "Well mom always wrote that she couldn't run fast, but that's a lie, we've all seen her run." "All right, nothing." "Any foreign languages, that she speaks/ understands?" "She can understand Spanish, but denies it, she can speak it too, shame." Luke wrote it down while laughing and finished it, gave it back to the secretary. "Anna will be in Ms. Lawrence's class, I already called down for escorts that will escort Anna to class." "I Annie," she said pointing to herself. Kelsi and Misi (Melisa) walked in, "We're looking for that new kid." They waved to Lucas and took the papers from the secretary, "girls, this is Anna." "I Annie" She said it again and pointed to herself. "Bye Annie," Lucas said leaving with Maria to register the older ones for high school, and left.
Ms. Lawrence's room
They walked in and everyone looked up. Misi and Kelsi handed her the papers and took their seats at the empty table with no one else there but them. "Ah okay Anna, want to tell the class about you?" "I Annie," she said pointing to herself. "Anna you don't want to tell the class about you, where did you come from?" "Vengo de Nevada, (I come from Nevada)" She said in American Spanish, she does that when she's mad. "Anna, how old are you?" "Soy cinco años de viejo. (I am five years old)," She said holding up five fingers. Ms. Lawrence looked at her, she wasn't Hispanic, she should know some English. "Anna, what's your favorite color?" Ms. Lawrence asked seeming to be interested in Anna. "Mi color preferido es azul. (My favorite color is blue.)" "Anna just take a seat and class open your books to page ten." Anna sat down by Misi and Kelsi, everyone stared, nobody sat by them, except a boy, they were scary. She opened the book sitting at the table to page ten. "Anna do you want to start reading?" Annie looked around for somebody named Anna to start reading. "Anna, can you read?" Still no response. Misi nudged her, "she means you." "No, I Annie." "Yea and I'm Misi, but she still calls me Melisa." "Oh, but nobody call me Anna. I don't look like Anna. I look like Annie." They didn't get that she was saying, Anna is a Hispanic type name and she doesn't look like that.
Tree Hill High School
Leo, George, and Maria just finish registering and were trying to find their homerooms.
Leo, not the brightest guy on earth had Spanish first, he spoke fluent Spanish. George found his class first and sat at a seat in the back, it was science, but the teacher was asleep at his desk, two guys were throwing a football back and forth across the room, the girl next to him, Gloria, was wearing a cheerleading uniform and painting her toenails, black and gold, like her finger nails, the girl on his other side was doing her make up, nobody noticed that he came in, let alone sat down in the middle of everything. Maria found her class, it was near the cafeteria. When she walked in, it was warm, not hot but nice, quiet. She showed the teacher her schedule and took a seat in the back. It was a English. The girl next to her passed a note back and for the with the boy on the other side of her and got a big smile when she sat between them, easier to pass notes.
Leo went to Spanish and seemed like the smartest guy on earth, teaching the teacher Spanish. Jenny sat next to him, she was impressed. She started flirting with him. "Hey," she said seductively, her brown hair falling in her face, "I'm Jenny," she aid touching his arm and running her finger up and down it, "I'm a sophomore," she said moving closer to him, "I'm a cheerleader, and I think your hott." "Well I think your hott too, you want to know what else I think, I think that I don't have a girlfriend." He said moving closer to her.
Tree Hill Elementary School
Annie quickly became friends with Kelsi and Misi, she also met Misi's brother, Chris, who Ms. Lawrence kept calling Christopher. They sat together at lunch and played together at recess.
Tree Hill High School
Brooke, feeling better when she woke up this morning, waited in the gym for the cheerleaders, they quickly arrived, including Maria, and sat down in a circle on the floor. "All right, I need to know everyone's name, this will also be a test, you shall create a cheer about yourself, with moves, and recite it to me by the end of class," Brooke said with confidence. Gloria spoke, "Um, who are you, what happened to Miss Jackson, and why do we need to do this stupid assignment?" "Okay I have no clue who this "Miss Jackson" lady is, and I'm going to do the assignment too. Another thing, that's not the spirit of a true cheerleader, you must have spunk and perk, even when your sick, or early in the morning, before caffeine, you must be perky and cheerful." They never had an actual coach before that cared how they looked or how they cheered, or anything else.
Lucas' House
Luke was packing his back, getting ready to hit the road for his game tomorrow. He wrote a note for Robbie that he could stay there by himself or someone else's; like Brooke's or Nathan's or Peyton's. He left, he'd call Brooke when he got there, so she wouldn't worry, and so she wouldn't skip work to come with him.
Peyton and Jake's
Kelsi came running into the house, followed by her best friend Misi and her brothers Brian and Tyler and their friends Ryan and Chris, dragging Annie inside. "Daddy" she shrieked, calling Jake, who immediately came, thinking something was wrong. "Daddy, there you are, Daddy, this is Annie, my new friend, she can speak another language and made Ms. Lawrence mad, she's so cool!" "Hi Annie." "Hola, Mr. Jagelski." She said innocently and ran off with her friends. Personally, Jake thought it was good for his kids to have friends from different backgrounds, besides Tree Hill.
Tree Hill High School
"All right, I'll go first," Brooke said standing up, "that way, you won't look like fools." Brooke walked to the center of the gym and began. "My name is Brooke, I can't cook.
I'm twenty-eight, I believe in fate. I was head cheerleader here, I like beer. Feed my cravens, Lets go Ravens!" Brooke finished in great triumph. They all stared. One raised her hand. "Cheer, then question." Brooke said looking directly at her.
She stood where Brooke stood. "I am a junior, next year a senior. My name is Lacey, my best friend is Tracey. I am loud, I am proud, put that ball through the net, lets go Hornets!" She said landing her jump. "Good, what' your question Lacey?" "Um well uh were the hornets, if you went to school her shouldn't you know that." She said laughing and returning to where she was sitting. "For your information, we were the Ravens, go ask anyone, Peyton, Nathan, Lucas, who don't work here but is here enough." Brooke said starting to ignore the girl and marking her down on her paper. "Maria, why don't you go next." "Um, sure." The cheerleaders all stared at the new girl. "My name is Maria, and I have an idea. Lets cheer on them wildcats in combat. Lets go Wildcats!" She finished loudly and excited. Her old school was the lions, so she decided to do a cheer on them. Brooke was clapping, while everyone stared, who was this weird girl. "Whose next?" Brooke said looking at the girls. Jenny looked at Fate, Lacey and Gloria then at Brooke and got up. "I am Jenny. I've got plenty. We're going kick your ass, your going to pump our gas. Hornets sting hard, so prepare to be scarred. Lets go Hornets!" Jenny finished with a big "I told you so" smile and ushered Gloria up. "Hornets are best, go home and rest. Gloria's my name, cheerleading's my game. We are the best, we put you through the test. All right Hornets!" Gloria said accenting certain parts. Brooke was annoyed. "Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, All Wrong. Fake happy faces, false excitement, all of you phonies, if you don't want to be here, leave, I can find better." Brooke kept yelling about everything they did wrong. Nathan was afraid to start practice.
A Week Later, Nathan and Haley's, Nathan and Lucas talking
"So man, you know what's up with Haley, she's been avoiding me lately." Nathan asked Lucas. "I don't know man, the last time you asked me that was what 13 years ago," Lucas replied counting on his fingers. "Ah yes, the time he told me I was going to be a father."
Flashback
It was science class, junior year, Ms. Gold, Nathan was turned around in his seat talking to Tim, "Dude this lady must be like a thousand years old." Tim said looking at the science teacher. "Nah man, maybe a hundred, tops." Nathan was doing everything to keep his mind off Haley, who was sitting next to him, actually doing the stupid lab the teacher assigned. Tim was picking up a test tube with an orange liquid in it, "Dude what do you think it is?" Tim asked referring to the test tube. "Knowing our school, water with orange food coloring." Ms. Gold came over, "If you did the experiment you would find out what it was." "Or I could do this." Tim said drinking the liquid, with the teacher watching, "Mmm, orange soda, can I have some more?" Tim asked holding the test tube out to Ms. Gold, finishing it off. Ms. Gold shook her head and walked away. Nathan glanced over at Haley, she looked half crying, half smiling. The guy on the other side of her was talking. "So are you busy Friday night?" Knowing Haley, she would say no, because she's mad at him, so he stepped in. "Listen New Guy, She has plans with me, her husband." The guy was shocked, he looked at her hand, "Well if she is her wife where's her ring?" Nathan looked at her hand, he was shocked, she wasn't wearing her ring, on her finger, none of her rings for that matter. The bell rang, Nathan flew out of the room first and grabbed Haley's arm as she walked out. "What's wrong, you can talk to me, you can tell me anything, you know that." He lifted her face so her eyes met his, she started crying, "We were so careful," she sobbed, "Nathan, I'm sorry," He wiped her tears, "I'm pregnant," He hugged her, truthfully, he hadn't been the best husband lately, out at all hours of the night with the guys, and that was just the mildest of it all. He noticed a chain around her neck, under her shirt and pulled it out, hanging from it was her ring. It made him feel better, she was wearing the ring.
End Flashback
"But then, that was Fate, Cassidy she never told me about."
Flashback
It was night, Nathan was home with five year old Fate, watching the game, Fate was wearing the jersey for their team, her short dark hair in a mess, everywhere, it was about 11:30, on a school night, Nathan had no idea Haley was coming home that night, if Haley knew the way Nathan was taking care of Fate, she'd have a heart attack. Popcorn was spilled in the chair they were sitting in and on the floor. Their team just scored and Fate jumped up and screamed with excitement. There was a knock on the door and Fate was running to answer it. "Who is it?" She said in an innocent voice, while Nathan slapped himself on the head and walked over and looked in the peephole. He quickly opened the door to the apartment when he saw Haley standing there, holding a child. She walked in, the child was awake, but out of it. Haley looked around at the messy apartment. "I leave for three years and you couldn't pick up a dust rag." She said laughing handing Cassidy to Nathan. "Cassidy say hi to daddy." The girl looked at him, then screamed for Haley. "She's shy," Haley said walking to the couch, putting Cassidy there.
"So Nathan, your up this late?" "Yea, Hales the game was on, it was Fate's idea." "Since when do you do what a five year old tells you.?" "Since this was the playoffs." Haley looked at her daughter, messy, dirty, a disgrace. She kneeled down. "Fate, when was your last bath?" "Hmmm, last week, I think." "When was the last time you combed your hair." "Last month." She said trying to run her fingers through it. "What time is bedtime?" "Whenever the game's over." "What time do you get up to go to school?" "Whenever I wake up." Nathan kept shaking his head at all her answers. "What did you have for breakfast this morning?" Haley asked her. "Ice Cream!" "What about lunch?" "Hmm, I pickle, a piece of bologna, and a cookie." "How many days have you worn this jersey and these jeans?" "Two months strait." "And changed your underwear?" "I can't remember." "Nathan, do you know what your doing to her?" Haley said standing up and facing him, then turning back to Fate, "Bed," she pointed to her room, "But, but, the game's not over yet," she stuck out her lip, "There's a little thing that comes every morning, its called a newspaper, the score will be there." "I can't read, duh." Fate said rolling her eyes as Haley opened the door to her room. Her room was a huge mess, things everywhere, the bed unmade, clothes, shoes all over the floor, and of course the whole team all over her walls, half of them autographed. "This room's a mess, when was the last time you cleaned it? When did you put clean sheets on the bed, do the laundry?" "Um, I don't remember." Haley started to pick up some clothes from the floor to get through the door to her room. She flicked the light switch, no light. "Anyone know how to change a light bulb?" Haley was annoyed, she eventually cleaned up Fate's room to her taste, bathed her child, combed her hair, did laundry, then took Fate to school the next day to meet with her teacher."
End Flashback
"Man Haley was mad when she came back, you'd think I should have been mad, she didn't tell me I had another kid, then a couple months later, she kept cleaning everything, I wasn't surprised, she probably still wasn't satisfied with the place, we hadn't cleaned in years, Fate's teacher must have met with Haley everyday that week, asking her about why now she just showed up and how bad the child was treated, but they couldn't call child services because Fate said she loved her daddy and her mommy and she liked living like that, her grades in school were average, who expects a five year old to be smart, but by the end of kindergarten, she was smarter than me and sent to a private school. Then we had to move to a house, Ryan was a boy, you couldn't put him in a room with girls, she was taken out of private school, we couldn't afford it, but it didn't affect her much, except, she stopped learning for a while became average, and so on, then came Brian, two years later, Cassidy started kindergarten that year, same teacher as Fate, teacher had no problem with her, the bookworm, a year later was Melisa, Haley stopped everything for her, she was her baby, and of course in there, when Haley came back, the police knocked on our door with Gloria in handcuffs, they found her at her house, smashing things, crying, after they took her father, and she kept saying she loved her aunt Haley." "Dude, I know all this, I was kind of there, I kind of helped turn Fate that way, she did the same thing when she stayed with me and Robbie, why she came over so much, get away from clean mommy." Lucas said laughing.
Cassidy's room
"Come on Cass, you have to learn cheerleading." Fate said running her finger along the shelf of books, not a speck of dust, then turned to Cassidy, "Will you take your nose out of those books for a minute, anorexic freak!" She looked up, "Do you even know what that means?" "No, but it got you to look up so why should I care?" "It means a person who is extremely under weight." Cassidy said returning to her book. "Well I'll leave you the uniform, if you want to try it on, see how you look." Fate said hanging a hanger on her door and leaving.
Brooke's
She was on the phone with Peyton and Haley, "So It's Christmas week, Lucas has a big game, I wanted to go to surprise him for Christmas, but I need someone to watch my cousins." "Well," Haley said, "All of us girls could be at my house, then all the guys at Peyton's, a big slumber party." "Hey great idea." Peyton said, "Great so its settled," Brooke said, hanging up, then calling the airline for tickets, a hotel for a room, then packing all her favorite clothes, that Lucas loved seeing her in. She still had to tell the gang that she was going to leave for Christmas.
Brooke started packing, to leave.