Nathan and Haley were waiting for them in the parking lot of Tree Hill High School when Brooke, Peyton, Jake and Jenny arrived. They all climbed out of the Eclipse and met Nathan and Haley by the front doors.
"Hey guys." Haley said smiling. "You all look great."
"So do you." Brooke replied.
She looked over at the doors and said, "Wow, it really has been ten years, hasn't it?"
Everyone else looked over at the doors too.
"It really has." Nathan answered. "Are we ready to go back?"
They stood quietly for a minute before entering the building. As they walked down the hall, heading towards the gymnasium, Jenny was amazed by the tall lockers and long hallways. She looked up at Jake as she walked and said, "This place is cool. It's so much bigger and longer than my school. Is this where I'm going to go to high school, Dad?"
"Yep." Jake replied before looking over at Peyton. "You'll make a lot of memories here."
"Awesome. I'm going to have so much fun. I can't wait."
A few steps later, they had all entered the huge gymnasium, where at least 80 or so people were standing around and talking and laughing or dancing to the music being played by a rock band. Party lights were strung all along the gymnasium walls. And over the stage, a long banner hung, reading: WELCOME BACK CLASS OF 2006! Tables were set up too and in the hall just outside the gym, the concession stand was set up selling food from pizza to hot dogs and other snacks and soda.
"This place hasn't changed at all has it?" Brooke observed.
"Not one bit." Peyton agreed.
"So what do we do now?" Haley wondered. "Are we going to stick together all night or go mingle and meet up later?"
Jake answered her, "Well I want to take Jenny and show her around and show her where my old locker used to be and stuff and introduce her to old teachers and friends. Do you want to come Peyton, or do you want to rest first?"
"No, I'm good." Peyton replied, taking Jake's hand. "I'll come with you."
Peyton, Jake and Jenny headed into the crowd in one direction, and Nathan, Haley and Brooke walked in another direction. After walking a few minutes, they found an empty table and sat down.
"So exactly what do we do at reunions anyway?" Brooke asked. "Do we go look for old friends or let old friends come looking for us."
"Either way, I think." Nathan replied. He looked over at Haley and noticed her face was red and she was fanning herself with her hand.
"Haley, are you okay? Your face is all red."
"I'm fine." Haley replied. "I'm just a little warm."
"Do you want me to get you a drink?"
"Um, sure, I'll take some water please. Ice water, actually."
"How about you Brooke?"
"No, thanks, not now." Brooke replied after staring at Haley suspiciously at her weird behavior.
Nathan went to get Haley's water while the girls looked around the gym from their seats. They tried to spot anyone really familiar. Though they did see some familiar faces, they did not spot anyone they had really been friends with ten years ago. A few minutes later, Nathan returned with the water.
"Thanks." Haley said, kissing Nathan's cheek before sipping her water. Nathan curled his eyebrows. He had expected a kiss on the lips. Something felt off. However, Nathan didn't have much time to think as a very familiar voice spoke from behind him.
"Well, well, well…if it isn't the Scott family."
Nathan, Haley and Brooke all looked behind them and smiled when they say their favorite teacher and coach standing there with a smile and a cane.
"Hey Coach." Nathan said happily as he stood up and hugged the large man who still wore the blue baseball cap that hid is completely bald head.
"It sure has been years since I've been called that." Bryan Durham said with a smile as he pulled away from Nathan. "How are you, son?"
"I'm great." Nathan replied, still smiling. "How are you?"
"Oh, I'm getting' by." Whitey said before looking over at Haley and Brooke who were both now standing.
"Hey Whitey." Haley smiled and hugged him. "Long time, no see."
"Whitey pulled out of the hug first and replied, "Yeah, well Florida turned out to be a pretty nice place to retire to, but it's not as beautiful as Tree Hill."
He looked over at Brooke. She smiled shyly at him. this was the first time she'd seen Whitey in five years. Since Lucas's funeral. She hadn't even spoken to him until now.
"Hey Coach." She said.
"Hello, Brooke." Whitey hugged her and when she pulled out of the hug, he asked, "How are you?"
"I'm great." Brooke replied with a smile.
"Good." Whitey smiled, then changed the subject. "Well the last time I saw you, you were with child. How is you little one?"
"Oh, she's great. Here…"
Brooke reached in her purse and pulled out her wallet. She opened it and handed it to Whitey. Inside was the picture of Lilly in a pink ballet outfit and smiling.
"What a beauty. She looks just like you and her daddy."
Brooke smiled and put her wallets back inside her purse.
"So, um, about Danny…" Whitey brought up the subject no one really cared to talk about. "Is he still in jail?"
"Yeah, he is." Brooke replied. "He's only got another five years, though, unfornately."
"Yeah, the bastard should rot in prison forever." Nathan said sourly.
Whitey decided to change the subject to something more positive, "So, um, how's that boy of yours doing?"
Nathan and Haley both chuckled and Nathan replied, "He's great. Andrew is a great kid. All of our kids are. We've actually got other boys now. We have a three year old, James. And a two year old, Cooper."
"Well it sounds like you two have been busy. Maybe in the next five years you'll have your own basketball team."
Everyone chuckled. From behind Whitey, Peyton, Jake and Jenny walked up.
"Coach?" Jake wondered and Whitey turned around.
"Well, well," he said, smiling again, "Jake Jielgelski and…"
He noticed Peyton's pregnant stomach and the ring on her finger and continued, "…And Peyton Jielgelski by the looks of it. How are you?"
"Great." Jake replied smiling.
Coach Durham looked down at Jenny spoke, "Hey, there Miss Jielgelski. You probably don't remember me, but—
"Yeah, I remember you." Jenny interrupted. "You used to be my dad's basketball coach."
"That's right. I think you've got a better memory than your dad. He could barely remember to get to practice on time."
Jake chuckled. "It's been a long time, Coach. But it is good to see you."
"Same here. But I'll have to play catch up with you all later. I have to go say hello to the staff and some old friends."
"Okay. We'll talk later." Nathan said.
After Whitey walked away, Jake took Jenny to show her around the school and Peyton hung back with Brooke, Nathan and Haley. The band started playing a slow song and Nathan asked Haley to dance. She agreed and they joined many others who were dancing. Peyton and Brooke watched them from the table.
"So are you having fun yet?" Brooke asked as Peyton rested her hands on her stomach.
"I don't know about fun." Peyton replied. "But I am enjoying being here with Jake."
"So I take it things are getting better between you guys?"
"Yeah, he's been home more since we talked about his working so much a couple of weeks ago."
"Does he know if he got that promotion yet?"
"No, not yet. But he's supposed to to find out soon. Either way, he promised he was going to try and be home more for us."
"That's good, Peyton."
A few minutes later, a familiar tall, bald black man and a familiar blond, thin woman approached Brooke and Peyton's table, hand in hand.
"Brooke? Peyton?" the blond wondered.
Peyton and Brooke both looked behind them at the mention of their names.
"Oh my gosh," Brooke smiled when she realized who'd called out her name. "Bevin? And Skills?"
Brooke and Peyton both stood up and Brooke hugged both of her former classmates.
"I can't believe it's you." Bevin said after she'd finished her hug with Brooke. "It's so amazing…I haven't seen you in ten years."
"Tell me about it." Brooke replied. I guess college really does make a difference. So how are you Skills, it's been awhile."
"Yeah, it has. "Skills answered. "I was sort of hoping we'd see you tonight. But I wasn't sure, you know, because of Luc."
Brooke nodded her head and said, "I miss him, but I'm okay. I wasn't after he died, but time has healed my heart. and I still have my little girl."
"Oh, you have a little girl?" Bevin asked sweetly.
"Yeah." Brooke smiled as she pulled out her wallet again and showed Bevin and Skills the photo inside.
"Awe…she's so adorable." Bevin said smiling. "What's her name?"
"Lilly. She'll be five next month."
"I can see some of Lucas in her." Skills said as he passed the photo back to Brooke.
"We all see a lot of Lucas in her everyday." Peyton added with a smile.
"So what's going on with you two?" Brooke wondered. "Are you together?"
Bevin smiled, "Yes, for about three years now. We actually, have an 11 month old at home with my mom. And we're getting married in August."
"Wow, congratulations."
"Yeah, congrats." Peyton said.
Nathan and Haley returned to the table.
"Oh my gosh, "Haley said with a smile when she saw him. "Skills?"
"Hey Hales." Skills said before hugging her. "Hey Nate. What's going on?"
"Nothing much, man." Nathan replied, his arm around Haley's shoulders. "How have you been?"
"Pretty good."
"So Skills…" Brooke began after considering something he might be able to help her with. "Have you, um, have you heard from any of the guys lately. You know, Fergie, Junk…Mouth. Do you know if they're going to be here tonight?"
"Well, I haven't heard from Mouth in awhile. We sort of lost touch after he moved to California. But I still see Junk and Fergie. Neither of them could make it as much as they were dying to come back and see everyone. Fergie's mom has been sick and he's been taking care of her. and Junk was planning on flying in for the reunion with us, but he had to cancel at the last minute because his wife went into labor. So it too bad he couldn't make it, but he was definitely glad to finally be a dad."
Brooke nodded. She was a little disappointed, however. She was really looking forward to seeing all of Lucas's old River Court buddies, especially Mouth McFadden. She used to be particularly close with him, one of her best friends. But after high school he'd gotten a scholarship to a college in California and Brooke hadn't seen Mouth since Lucas's funeral, much like most of the other people she kept running into tonight.
"Well, it's been great catching up," Bevin started, "but I think we're going to go see who else we can run into and I need to call and check on the baby. Maybe we'll see each other later."
"Bye." Brooke waved as Skills and Bevin walked away.
Meanwhile, Jake and Jenny are walking back towards the gymnasium.
"So are you having fun?" Jake wondered as he looked down at Jenny. "Uh yeah! So much!" Jenny replied excitedly. "This place is so cool. Thanks for showing me around, Daddy."
"Anytime, angel."
"I'm glad you didn't have to work tonight too. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to come with me and mom and you wouldn't have been able to show me around and tell me stories about high school."
Jake remembered the conversation he'd had with Peyton two weeks ago about his working so much.
"I'm sorry I haven't really realized how much I have been working, Jenny. I'm really trying to cut back. and I want you to know that I'm only trying to make our family happier."
"I know, Dad. It's okay. You're with us now. You've been doing better. I know Mom is a lot happier now and Emma doesn't cry when you leave anymore, or at least not so loud. Just as long as you don't forgetus, we'll all be happy."
Jake smiled and said, "I love you always, Jenny Bean."
"I love you too, Daddy."
Finally, they reached the gym and made their way through the crowd to find Nathan Haley, Brooke and Peyton still by the table.
"Hey guys." Peyton greeted with a smile. Jake walked over and kissed her, before wrapping his arms around her wide waist.
"How was the tour Jenny?" Haley asked.
"It was great." Jenny replied. "This place is so big!"
Peyton chuckled. For the next few minutes, the gang talked about the friends they had run into so far and some other high school memories that had been sparked because of tonight. While Jake was sharing a story of high school with Jenny, Brooke finished the last of her soda.
"I'll be right back." She said as she stood up. "I'm going to get another soda. Does anyone else want one?"
"I do, please." Jenny said.
"Sure, sweetie."
Brooke walked away from the table and made it through the crowd to the concession stand in the hall.
"May I help you?" a lady selling the concessions asked.
"Yes, could I get a Sprite and a Diet Coke please?"
"Sure." The lady walked away from the counter.
Without Brooke noticing, a man stepped up behind her in line.
"What do you say you let me buy a drink for you?" He suggested.
Brooke quickly turned around and she gasped at the man smiling at her.
"Mouth." She gasped just before smiling.
"Hey Brooke." Mouth said. "Long time no see."
Brooke threw her arms around him and squeezed her old friend tight.
"It's so good to see you." She said before pulling away. "I was hoping I'd run into you tonight."
"What a coincidence, I was hoping I'd see you too."
They smiled at each other. The lady returned with two PEPSI cups full with pop.
"Here you go, honey." She said.
"Oh, thank you." Brooke replied. She put two dollars in the tip jar and picked up the cups. She faced Mouth again.
"So would you like to walk with me back to my table and say hi to Peyton and Nathan and Haley and everyone?"
"I'd love to."
"Great. Come on, this way."
Brooke led him back into the gym and through the crowd until they reached the table where her friends were still talking and smiling.
"Hey guys," Brooke said, "Look who's here."
Mouth stepped up from behind Brooke and said, "Hey everyone. How's it going?"
"Mouth!" Haley and Peyton said excitedly in unison as they walked over to hug him.
Mouth chuckled and hugged them both. Then Brooke and Mouth pushed another round table closer to the one they had already been sitting at and the gang surrounded them to talk.
"So where have you been Mouth?" Jake asked. "What have you been up to the past ten years?"
"I've been in California and a pretty busy guy doing a lot of things."
"Really?" Peyton said smiling. "Would these be sex bachelor things? You sure got hot throughout the past ten years."
Everyone chuckled, but Jake stared at Peyton.
"Oh, don't worry." She said. "You are still way hotter."
"Thanks." Jake said before kissing her.
Mouth chuckled, "No, I've been busy with work and family things. Although, nowadays, there are some things that I wish I hadn't spent eight years of my life doing."
"Like what?" Brooke asked curiously.
"Like loving and being with someone who never truly loved me back."
"Oh, Mouth, I'm so sorry." Brooke said.
"Yeah, that really stinks." Peyton said.
"Thanks, but it doesn't really bother me as much anymore as I make it sound. I mean, if I hadn't loved Erika all those years, I wouldn't have married her and I wouldn't have my little girl. So my daughter is the part I don't regret. And now that I think about, I don't really regret loving Erika."
Brooke glanced over at the doors, then looked back at Mouth.
"So Mouth," she said, "all night I've wanted to walk around here and check out old classrooms and stuff. Would you like to check it out with me?"
"Sounds cool." Mouth replied. ""Let's go."
Mouth and Brooke left the table and headed toward the doors.
Peyton looked over at Haley and Nathan and asked, "Did anyone else notice a bit of a spark between those two?"
"I did." Haley replied.
"Yeah, I think I did too." Nathan said. "She was really glad to see him by the looks of how interested she was in his conversations and the look on her face when she brought him over."
"So maybe it's a good thing." Jake suggested. "Brooke and Mouth were close back in high school. She was as close to him as you and her are Peyton. Maybe the reunion made her remember how much she missed him. She's still trying to move on with her life after Luc's death. And now maybe she is trying to move on in a different way?"
"Good for her." Peyton said.
