Chapter Two

And so It Begins...

Haley finished clearing the last of the tables and hurried to back room to wash the dishes, flipping the 'Open' sign on the Cafe door over. It was late. It was dark. She was tired from working the night shift, and all she wanted to do was get home and get some sleep. She needed it badly, after a long summer of working at Karen's Cafe, and tomorrow was only the first day of her long-awaited senior year.

Even worse, an unkindly lost soul was daring to show her face in Tree Hill after four years. Haley recalled those four years ago when she found out her sister and best friend had been sleeping together behind her back, when Haley stopped talking to them both all-together, and her sister had taken it upon herself to move back to California with their mother , whom had never cared much for Haley to begin with.

At that moment, Karen, the owner of the Cafe and just about Haley's only true confidant, bounded past the door. Her long-lost smile indicated an unwanted truth in which Haley couldn't prolong any more. "Holly's here!" Haley forced a smile and looked away in annoyance. "I bet you can't wait to see her. C'mon!" With that she hurried away. Haley sighed and moved into the empty Cafe again, to spot a silver SC lexus parked outside. Ofcourse, Holly always insisted in driving herself everywhere, because she was just a "normal" person like everybody else.

So instead, she bought a new car with each visit and usually left it with their father. In this case, it had been four years since Holly had decided to stay for good in the town she had grown up in with her twin sister. Haley and Holly had lead normal, happy lives up until the age of eight. Just like any other set of twins, they were extremely close to the point of inseperatibly. But when they're parents divorced, Haley stayed loyal to her father while Holly ran off with her mother to California. This was the reason for the grudge Haley held against her sister.

The bell on the Cafe door jingled as Karen and Holly walked in, attached at the hip and giggling like a pair of school-girls. That was another factor in Haley's once very comfortable life that Holly stole away. Looking back, when Lucas and Haley were little kids and nearly as inseperable as the two girls, Haley remembered looking upon Karen as a second mother, to replace the one who only loved her first born because she was "Beautiful, and glamerous, and oh-so talented".

Apparently that had an affect on both of Haley's "mother" figures, because on Holly's last visit to Tree Hill, she and Karen had practically acted as best friends during the year she worked at the Cafe. She claimed there weren't very many girls she could get along with at the all-girls private school her mother had sprung to for her to attend. Her, and only her.

"Haley!..." Both ladies looked away from each other to stare at Haley, who stood in the door-frame staring right back. Holly's smile faded when she realized her sisted wasn't as excited to see her as she was. Without saying a word, Haley retraced her steps back to the kitchen area of the restaraunt where she continued to wash and load the dishes.

After a moment, Holly appeared in the doorway, careful not to go too far in for fear that she might set off some kind of metaphoric alarm. Haley was not too happy with her, after all these years. Not a letter, not a phone call, not even a goodbye. Neither expected to ever talk to eachother again, not that it would bother Haley at all. Was Holly wrong to expect a warm welcome?

"I missed you..." Holly whispered. Haley's face lay emotionless as she tried to keep her focus on the dishes. "Mom misses you, too."

Haley rolled her eyes, making it apparent that she didn't believe it, nor did she care. "I know how long it's been. Maybe, together, we could convince her to come visit in a few months?"

"I'd really rather we didn't."

"Okay...", Holly began awkwardly, "Um, well.. I was thinking I might drop by The Rivercourt on my way home and say 'Hi' to Lucas. You get off soon ri...?"

Haley's head jerked up at the mention of her former best friend. "Do you honestly think he'll be glad to see you?" She cut Holly off in a rather cold tone.

She could see the dissapointment in her sister's eyes and she enjoyed it. "Well, uh..."

"After all, you are the one that caused all of this. You're the one who ruined his realationship with his best friend."

"Look, I am sorry, Haley, but..."

"Did you even tell him you were coming?"

"I thought you would." Holly looked side-ways at her sister. Obviously, she had been clueless to as how permanent Haley's grudge toward Lucas had lasted.

"That's not my place." Haley said bluntly.

"I'm sorry, I honestly didn't know..."

"Wait, a second," A smile crept over Haley's face, "Is that why you're here? Did you hope to rekindle something with our dearest Lucas?"

Holly scowled and looked away. She didn't say anything.

"Well, just know this. Lucas is happy. He's been happy for the past four years without you. So if you think he needs you now, think twice."

She brushed past her sister on her way out, 'accidently' knocking her nearly off-balance.

Holly pulled her lexus up onto the curb and put it in park. She spotted Lucas Scott dribbling along the rivercourt all alone, and stared wishfully in his direction. She recalled about Lucas not caring about her anymore and she slowly became overcome with a deep depression. He meant more to her than her sister could ever imagine. But Haley refused to understand Holly's point of view, and sometimes Holly even resented her for that.

Before she had left Tree Hill, during her freshman year at that private school her mother had insisted she attend instead of public school, Haley had introduced her to her best friend, Lucas. She knew Haley was dissapointed in the way Lucas and Holly immediatley hit it off. But at the time, she was ashamed to admit that she didn't care. If only she had known then that she would soon regret it. But she hadn't admitted to anyone, not even Lucas... and especially not Haley, the reason for betraying her sister. There was Holly couldn't helpthat she was, still to this day, in love with....

She jumped at the vibration of something hitting the opposite side of her car. The side facing the rivercourt. She looked up and saw Lucas bounding towards the car to retrieve his basketball. He squinted through the tinted windows of the car curiously. A panicky Holly started up the engine and pulled away from the park with full force.

Lucas watched the silver car speed off. His mind wandered back to the woman inside. It looked like... no, it couldn't be. He hadn't spoken to her in so long. She probably hated him. She definitley hated him. But could she have possibly been spying on him just now? But wait....

Was that Haley James driving a lexus?!

"I can't believe this!" Haley sqealed, her arms flaring out in all directions as she stood in her living room bickering with her father, as her sister stood to the side watching. "There's no way in hell I am sharing a room with her!"

Davus James shook his head as he glanced back between his two twin daughters. The resemblance was un-canny. Even after spending so many years apart, it was ridiculous how much they still looked a-like. Haley, a little more tom-boyish, usually stuck to a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She wore her auburn-hair straight down her back, and didn't believe in wearing make-up what-so-ever. Though she was naturally beautiful, she didn't get a lot of attention from boys, which was pretty understandable considering her temper.

Un-like her sister, Holly was more confident in herself, being an actress/model for the past eight years, and just recently recieving her big break in the series 'The OC'. She knew she was radiantly beautiful with or without make-up, but preferred to wear it anyway. Her hair, which had once been a dull-brown, not un-like Haley's, now now lay in elegant waves just past her shoulders in a lighter color. She was currently sporting a pleated jean skirt and a brown American Eagle t-shirt, along with a pair of flip-flops. This was somehwat more of her casual wear, something she would dress for, say, a plane ride?

"What's not to believe? We have only two rooms and we can't have your sister sleeping on the pull-out for a month."

"But it's my room, Dad! My room!"

Mr. James grasped his chin in though, and looked back to her. "Haley, can I speak with you in the other room?" He asked, gesturing towards the kitchen.

"Sure, Daddy." Haley sing-songed with a fake smile, following her obviously annoyed father out of the room. Holly sighed and took a seat on the couch. It wasn't as if she was at all feeling insecure or uncomfortable there. But she had been there less than an hour when Haley showed up and found her sister's luggage piled up beside her bed. That was when the bickering started, and hadn't stopped since. This sure wasn't the happy, loving home she had grown up in.

"Haley," Her father said gently, grasping an arm of hers in each of his hands. "I know you and your sister don't get along very well," His face drooped slightly as he said this. "But this is a prayer answered for me."

"You're mother refuses to let your sister visit too often, and this is the first time in four years that I've seen Holly. Now, this is going to be difficult for all of us, especially Holly. I can't imagine how she feels right now..." his voice drifted off.

oh, poor Holly. She must really be suffering right now, when she's got everything a teenage girl could ever want back in L.A., and she's stuck here for a month with only purpose. To tormet me!

"But... it's my room," She repeated dully. Was he not getting it? Her bedroom was my special place. Her hide-out. Her quick get-away from the world. The only place where she felt safe, or happy, or relaxed... and now she had to share it with her!

"I promise you'll survive."

"What are you doing with that?" Haley asked, stunned as Holly unloaded a pile of clothes from her first suitcase.

"I'm un-packing. Dad already cleared out a few drawers and some space in the closet. I hope you don't mind." She said sweetly.

Haley just rolled her eyes and tried to focus on her math homework. These problems weren't making any sense to her, which was very unusual. How was she supposed to concentrate with all this racket! OK, so it wasn't exactly 'racket', but it was a lot louder in the room with Holly there. Even a pin-drop aggitated her while she was trying to focus on something. She gave up, and decided to get some sleep while she still could. Pulling back the sheet, she sat on her full-sized bed.

"I'm going to bed now, incase you didn't notice." She said aloud, waiting for Holly to quit unloading her suitcase.

Holly glanced to the spot next to Haley on the bed, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Haley followed her gaze and scowled, jumping off the bed. "Oh no! No, no, no, no, no!"

"Well, where am I supposed to sleep?"

Haley smirked. "You get the floor."

"Ohhh.... kay." Holly sighed.

"Great! I'll go get you some blankets!" She replied cheerfully, pulling open her bedroom door. She was shocked to see her father there by the door frame. He thrust a stack of blankets and pillows into her arms and smiled down at her. "I took the liberty of getting you some extra blankets, Haley. That floor's pretty hard on the back.... " Haley looked to the floor and groaned. "Nighty night sweetheart." She was about to reply when she noticed he wasn't talking to her. Pouting, Haley took a step back and threw the door closed.