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Chapter Two: We Might As Well Be Strangers

Brooke watched the waves lap around her feet as she moved them gently back and forth in the pool. Living in a New York penthouse most of her life, she hadn't been privileged enough to spend time in her own private pool. There had been one on the roof of the expensive apartment complex she'd resided in, but she had never been brave enough to risk it. Sure there were hotel pools, and the ones at the spas, but she'd never had one in her own back yard before.

She frowned as she realised that she'd need to buy a new swimsuit, since she'd last used hers almost six months ago when she'd joined her parents on one of their numerous trips. Brooke wondered if there were any good swimwear stores in North Carolina. She'd passed the mall on the way here but she knew she'd need at least a few days to familiarise herself with the area.

Or a really good tour guide.

Her mind glanced to Lucas but she rolled her eyes at the thought of him giving her a tour. Either he'd ditch her in the middle of nowhere, or she'd end up killing his childish ass.

Brooke couldn't believe a guy who was almost 18 could be so immature. It's because he's spoilt, she told herself, used to having everything and anything. She shook her head as she remembered their first meeting and what he had described the family as.

'He's the devil and she drinks like a fish. Not to mention their sons are pretty bad too. One of them is in jail and the other… well, the other is just a bastard.'

Yeah, that pretty much summed Lucas up. A bastard.

Brooke sighed, realizing that she'd only based her assumptions on one or two encounters with him, and she'd learnt the hard way that appearances can be deceiving back in New York. She resisted the urge to want to jump into the cool water in front of her. She closed her eyes and sighed contently, only opening them when she heard footsteps approaching her.

"Brooke, honey?" Karen said when she saw the young woman, "Dan just pulled up in the drive. Dinner will be served shortly," Brooke nodded and reluctantly pulled her feet out of the water, giving them a quick dry with the towel she'd brought out with her.

Slipping into her shoes, Brooke automatically made herself more presentable and smoothed down her clothing.

She walked back into the house, making her way to the living room, where she could hear muffled yelling. She paused outside in the hallway and listened to what the voices were saying.

"Lucas, there is no way in hell you are going out tonight."

"It's just a party, dad!"

"You have practice early in the morning and God knows you need all the practice you can get!"

"I've been working my ass off all week. I deserve a break."

"You don't deserve jack, Lucas and you know it. Do I need to remind you about last night's game? You missed three easy shots and not to mention-"

"Whatever, Dad," she heard Lucas finally give in, "I'll stay if it makes you happy," she could hear Lucas' footsteps retreating towards the hallway.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" she heard Dan shout after him.

"To my room."

"Dinner is almost ready. Your mother cooked us a nice meal and you damn well are going to eat it with the family."

"I'm not hungry."

"I don't care. This is Brooke's first day here and we're going to eat together. I want no arguments or the PlayStation is the first thing to go, followed by your cellphone," Dan threatened. Brooke heard Lucas grunt with annoyance and come back to the living room.

Brooke waited a good half a minute before entering the living room so that she didn't give the impression that she'd been listening in.

When she did enter, Dan looked up from his newpaper and grinned widely.

"Brooke! How nice to see you," he said as he rose from his armchair and gave Brooke a hug. Brooke glanced in Lucas' direction, where he was sitting sullenly on the couch with his arms crossed.

"Hi, Dan," she greeted, a little uncomfortable with the hug but pleased that he seemed to accept her presence. "Thank you for letting me stay," she told him sincerely.

"No problem, we have plenty of room. Plus, it's nice to have a girl in the house to keep Karen company. You know, I remember how thrilled your parents were when you were born. The last time I saw you was… oh, when you were two years old," Dan reminisced. Brooke smiled, "So, what are you up to these days?"

"Uh… high school, I guess," she said, being reminded that she needed to sort out her enrollment at Tree Hill High.

"Say no more, I enrolled you at Tree Hill High two days ago. You start on Monday," he told her.

"Oh, thank you," Brooke said.

"Do you do any kind of sporting activities?" Dan asked. Brooke could see Lucas roll his eyes out of the corner of her eyes.

"Not really, besides cheerleading."

"Cheerleading is a sport. How often do you practice?"

"Um, whenever I can." She said a little unnerved by his line of questioning.

"Tree Hill High have a great cheerleading squad. Did you ever win any championships in New York?"

"One or two," Brooke told him. Dan smiled.

"Excellent. I'm sure you'll lead our team to victory too."

"Well, we'll see," she told him just as Karen told them dinner was ready.

Brooke sat opposite Lucas on the very big dining table. The food was lovely and Brooke made sure she complimented Karen on her excellent job.

"Thank you, Brooke. Do you cook?" Karen questioned. Brooke nodded.

"Yeah, I learnt to anyway," she replied with a hint of embarrassment.

"That is great. Most teenagers now rely on other people to cook their food. I'm glad you took the initiative to learn at such a young age. I just wish Lucas could take a leaf out of your book," Dan said, casting a glance at his oldest son.

Lucas put down his fork, "I won't need to, Dad," he said, a smile playing on his lips and Dan looked at him questioningly, "I'll just get myself a wife like Nate did."

Brooke watched as Dan looked at his son angrily and Karen looked away, hurryingly busying herself with taking more potatoes.

"Watch your mouth, son," Dan said, trying to keep his voice from reaching a yelling level. Broke gulped and looked down at her food, catching Lucas' stare.

"Anyone want more potatoes?" Karen offered, breaking the tense silence that fell over them.

The next morning Brooke woke up quite early. She had no idea what the usual routine was for the Scott family, so she lay in bed for a good hour or so until she heard noises and voices. From her window, she saw Dan leaving for work in his car, followed closely by Karen leaving for her café ten minutes later.

Brooke then decided it may be safe for her to venture around the house further. After quickly grabbing a shower and changing into fresh clothes, Brooke left the safety of her room and decided to go down for breakfast.

When she went into the kitchen, she caught sight of a dark haired figure raiding the fridge. Her eyes widened as she quickly ducked behind the door and wondered what she was going to do.

Eyeing the nearest weapon she could find – a frying pan – and cautiously making her way towards him, Brooke tried to fight her nerves as she inched closer and closer to him.

"Hey!" she managed to say, grabbing his attention. He turned around and had no time to react as he saw the frying pan collide with his head.

"OW!" he yelled in pain as he hit the floor. Brooke was still holding the frying pan in defense as she looked at the person she'd just attacked.

"Nathan?" she questioned recognizing the features from the huge family photo in the living room, "Is that you?"

"Yeah… who are you?" he asked. Brooke helped him up, rendering it safe to put the frying pan down.

"What the hell-" Lucas said as he came into the kitchen in just his towel, fresh from his shower. He surveyed the scene, "Brooke, what happened?" he looked at the frying pan and then at Brooke, "You didn't just…?"

"Yeah," she blushed, "I hit him with the frying pan," she said motioning to Nathan.

"Why the hell did you do that?" Lucas yelled.

"Calm down, man." Nathan told his older brother. Both ignored him.

"I thought he was a thief. I only saw the back of his head!" she defended herself. Lucas gave her a look.

"Well you could have at least asked who he was first!" Lucas shot back.

"I'm sorry, but in New York we just don't ask intruders who they are before attacking them. It's called 'the element of surprise'. Look it up!" Brooke yelled back, getting more irritated by Lucas by the second.

"Surprise, surprise, you're not in New York anymore. Plus, he's not an thief, he's my brother."

"How was I supposed to know that from the back of his frickin' head?" Brooke questioned.

"Time out, guys!" Nathan yelled getting in between the two of them, "In case you haven't forgotten, I was just hit in the back of the head with a very heavy frying pan. Would it be too much to ask for a little sympathy and maybe a little ice before you two go at it?"

The two looked at each other and mumbled apologies. Brooke got some ice for Nathan's head and gave it to him. Sitting at the breakfast bar, the three sat together, drinking coffee.

"So, you're Brooke?" Brooke nodded, "I heard you were coming. How do you like Tree Hill so far?"

Brooke shrugged, "It is okay, I guess. I mean I haven't had the chance to really explore but the mall seems good. Although I don't really know anybody or anything here…"

"I should hook you up with Haley – that's my wife – she'll be more than happy to show you around," Nathan offered.

"Would that be okay?" Nathan nodded, "Then that'd be great!" Brooke grinned.

"So," Lucas said changing the subject, "Are we going to play some hoops or what?" he asked his younger brother.

"Sure… you want to get dressed first?" he asked glancing at his brother's current attire.

"Yeah, I was just going to do that now," Lucas said getting up, he looked at Brooke, "This time, ask before you go around attacking my brother," he told her coldly.

Brooke sighed as Lucas left the kitchen.

"Don't worry about him," Nathan reassured, "He doesn't mean anything by it."

"Has he always been this… childish?" Brooke asked, "It's like he hates me."

"That's just Lucas. He's got a lot riding on him. He's one of the best basketball players in the town and, since I left the family, my dad's been piling on the pressure a lot lately."

"How long have you and Haley been married?" Brooke asked, interested in the subject since she didn't know too many teenagers who married while in high school.

"A few months. It's still new but I'm getting used to it," Nathan informed her, smiling at the thought of his wife, "You're going to love Haley. She's awesome."

"You really love her, don't you?" Brooke observed while Nathan nodded, "That's sweet."

"How about you? Any boyfriends? Fiancés? Secret husbands?" Nathan questioned. Brooke laughed.

"No way. I've sworn off men."

"Oh, so you're…" Nathan began awkwardly.

"No! No," Brooke said quickly, "I had a very bad break-up not too long ago. Going to be a while before I trust guys again – tell me, are you all such swine?"

"Not the ones that marry their girlfriends," Nathan said. They laughed, only for it to be broken by Lucas' appearance.

"Nate," he said simply looking between the two. Nathan scribbled down a number on a nearby pad or paper and gave it to Brooke.

"This is Haley's number. Just call, tell her who you are, she'll be down here in ten minutes. Just make sure you get some good walking shoes because she shops until she drops," Nathan told Brooke. Brooke thanked him and watched the two brothers go out onto the court in the backyard, before dialing the number.

"So, Brooke's hot," Nathan said to Lucas as they set up for their game. Lucas shot Nathan a look. "What?"

"You're married." Lucas stated.

"So? I was just making an observation. And you don't have to be so mean to her."

"Why not?" Lucas asked as he threw a practice shot, "She's invaded my house."

"Luke, don't be like that. She seems nice and you really don't need to make her life harder. I mean, aren't her parents in jail slash rehab? Isn't she more or less orphaned?" Nathan reminded Lucas, who didn't reply, "I mean, she moved from New York City to be here. It's not easy for her. Plus, she knows nobody. She's never really met mom or dad and now she has to live with them." Nathan continued.

"I guess you're right. Guess what Dad asked her yesterday," Lucas said.

"Something about sports?" Lucas nodded, "What did she say?"

"She said she's a cheerleader," Lucas smirked.

"Nice," Nathan said seeing his brother's expression, "Especially for you."

"Why me?"

"Because we all know you have a thing for cheerleaders," Nathan told him, "And I can bet you any money that you'll have slept with her… oh, within three weeks."

"Ha, you're funny. Anyway, she's not like other girls. She's got some bite."

"I bet she has,"

"No, I mean, she's tougher. She takes no crap. She threatened to mace me when we first met, and every time I make a comment – she has something to reply," Lucas said.

"Ah, a woman who doesn't go weak at the knees every time you even look at her. That's a rare find," Nathan said as he took a shot.

"Tell me about it," Lucas said casting a glance to the kitchen window where he could see Brooke talking on the phone with Haley, "But I don't think anything will happen between us."

"Why not?" Nathan questioned.

"I don't know. I just have a feeling. Plus, she thinks I hate her."

"You don't hate her?"

"Not really. I still wish she wasn't living in the house. Have you seen her room? It's like they planned for her to come stay here." Lucas said.

"Well, Mom and Dad always said they wanted a daughter," Nathan said.

"Yeah, well. Forget her. Let's play some ball," Lucas said changing the subject and throwing Nathan the ball.

Brooke watched the two brothers play basketball. There was no question that they were both at the top of their game. She wasn't that interested in basketball, but the way they played made her mesmerized. Lucas especially was brilliant at the sport and seemed to know every single move Nathan was about to make.

She sighed, wishing that Lucas was a little nicer. She already liked Nathan and was pleased that he was civil to her, although she was a little sad that he had to be the one who had moved out.

Her thoughts were shaken by the sound of the doorbell ringing. She opened the door to find a brunette standing there with a grin on her face.

"Haley, right?" Brooke questioned. The girl nodded in reply, "Come on in."

To Be Continued…