Hey...
Like always, I just want to start off by thanking everyone who is reading and say a special thanks to everyone who has reviewed.
Now, onto chapter 5...Please read and tell me what you think. Thanks.
Summary: Lucas Scott is just a boy...who seems to control his life. What is Nathan supposed to do when Lucas slowly takes away everything he has ever known? Two brothers, brought together by the love for the game, and the love for the girl. Naley, Brucas
PRESSING ON
CHAPTER 5
The bells chimed above the doorway, signaling the entrance of yet another customer. She didn't bother to glance up, instead continued to wipe the counter with her rag. She quickly moved the napkin holder, making sure to wipe the entire counter clean.
"Nathan." She heard Deb greet her son. She quickly looked up, her jaw hanging slightly open at the sight before her. Nathan walked slowly toward the counter, a small bag slung over his shoulder, and a toddler holding his finger with her entire hand. "Jenny!" Deb squealed in delight as the little girl released Nathan's hand and waddled up to her.
"Jake had some stuff to take care of, so I offered to watch her for a few hours." He talked to his mother as she cooed over the little girl. Haley watched from behind the counter, her heart aching as Nathan smiled.
Deb replied, motioning toward the stools and taking the bag from Nathan's shoulder. He followed, his eyes finally meeting Haley's as he took his seat on the stool a couple spaces away from where she stood. "Hey." He murmured gently.
She smiled hesitantly back at him, mumbling her own greeting before distracting herself in cleaning the counters. From the corner of her eye she could see Deb continue to play with the little girl and she could hear the loud giggles that the toddler returned.
"She's cute." Haley finally broke the silence between the two, her head inclined to the girl. Nathan nodded in agreement, chuckling softly as she pulled at his mother's hair. "Who's is she?"
"Brooke's niece, Jenny." He replied, turning slowly in his stool to face her again. She looked at him curiously and he seemed to understand. "Jake. You know him; he was on the basketball team with me when we were sophomores. Got some girl pregnant, mother ran off."
"But I thought his last name was Jag something." She wondered out loud, confusedly. Brooke had never mentioned a sibling, as far as Haley knew, her only family was her parents, and even they weren't really around.
"Jagielski actually." Nathan supplied her with the right name. "Same mother, different fathers. They've always been kinda close, despite their mother's best efforts. Anyway, he had some stuff to do, and Brooke is helping Lucas pack, so I offered to watch her for a few hours."
She seemed to retreat silently to herself at the mention of Lucas, causing Nathan to wish he had never brought that subject up. "So I was thinking…" He picked absently at the counter top, his eyes studying it. "I get that you need some time, from 'us'."
"Thank-you."
"But…I was just wondering, does it mean that we can't be friends?" He allowed his eyes to meet her's briefly before refocusing on the counter top. "I mean, I like you in my life Haley. And even if we can't be together, I'd at least like to be friends, like before."
She chuckled lightly, smiling gently at him as he quirked his brow at her. "We were never friends Nathan."
He frowned at her statement, not even bothering to hide it. "I'm just saying, we went from hating each other straight into dating. We skipped the whole friends thing."
"I never hated you Haley."
"I still need time Nathan." She stated, clearly setting up her ground rules for their newfound friendship.
"I know."
"I guess friends wouldn't be that bad." He visibly brightened at her words, reaching across the counter and pulling her into a 'friendly' hug. Both lingered for an extra second, not really wanting to let go, but knowing it was already pushing the boundary.
"Nate!" A little voice screeched from below him, a sudden tugging on his pant leg pulling him away from Haley. He smiled down at the girl, hoisting her up in his arms and resting her gently on his lap.
"Another Nathan Scott groupie." Haley shook her head playfully. Nathan just smirked, his eyes still on the toddler as she nibbled on his finger.
"What can I say, the chicks just dig me." He smirked devilishly to himself, smiling as he heard Haley laugh openly beside him. He watched Jenny bite onto his finger, the drool beginning to drip from his hand as she laughed at the face he began to make.
"Here." Haley reached under the counter, throwing a new towel at his chest. He quickly grabbed it, catching the drool from dripping onto his shorts. "Not so cute anymore, is she?"
"Of course she is." His finger tapped the girl's nose playfully, causing her to giggle louder. He slung the towel over his shoulder as he stood up, resting Jenny comfortably on his hip. "I should get going."
"You'll make a good father someday Nate." Haley smiled at him affectionately. He glanced at the girl again before turning to Haley.
"I doubt it." He shrugged lightly. He frowned a little, thinking about how bullying and hostility seemed to run in his family, not to mention the abandonment. He quickly covered it up though, opting to tickle Jenny, causing her to kick her feet wildly.
"You won't be Dan." Haley leaned on the counter, her face fully serious. He glanced at her, amazed at how well she could read him. He simply nodded, thanking her in his own way. "You'll be a great dad."
He waved briefly, a smile creeping onto his lips as Jenny mimicked his actions toward Haley. The bells chimed above the door as he walked through it.
"When I invited you over to help me pack, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind." Lucas laughed lightly as he wrapped another picture frame into the newspaper that was laid out across his dresser.
"I'm helping." Brooke shrugged coolly as she flipped the page on her present magazine. She was currently stretched out across his bed, the magazine open in front of her as he packed all of his stuff into boxes.
"Really? How is that exactly?"
She took a second to glance up from the article she was reading and flashed him a dimpled smile. "I'm…supervising."
"Right…" Lucas wagged his finger at her playfully. "So, what's new in your world?"
Brooke made an effort of closing her magazine, pulling her feet in front of her to face him. "Well broody, Jake is back in town."
"And that's a good thing, right?" He glanced at her quizzically as he placed the wrapped item into an empty box.
"For me, yes." She smiled widely, the excitement of having her brother back in her life radiating off of her. "Not so much for Nathan. Jake arrived this morning, totally un-announced mind you, and found a half-dressed Nathan sleeping on my bed. You can just imagine how that went."
"Yeah…" Lucas' eyes squinted tightly at her statement; he could imagine why Jake didn't like finding a half-dressed boy in her bed. "I can't say I'm too fond of the idea either."
"Luke, chill." Brooke flashed him her smile, knowing that it would instantly calm him. "It's just like you and Haley, absolutely nothing is going on. Scout's honor." She even went as far as holding up her right hand.
"You were never a scout, and that's not even how it goes."
"So? Sue me." She shrugged, unaffected by his retort. "Did I mention how much my mother is going to flip when she finds out that Jake is staying the summer? Well, that would be assuming that she would be home long enough, or even care enough to notice."
"His daughter is, what, two? I kinda think they're gonna notice Brooke."
She easily waved the notion off, chuckling amusedly to herself. As if her mother would be around long enough. "Eh, well…She can get over it. Jake is her son too, she can't exactly just kick him to the curb."
"Which leads me to my next question: why is it that she doesn't like him again?" Lucas inquired, his genuine curiosity getting the better of him.
"Please! She likes him well enough, that was never the problem." Although she tried to hide it, Lucas could hear the anger in her voice. It had become a common occurrence whenever, although few times, that she had actually talked about her family. "But a teenage son with a child doesn't exactly make her look like mother of the year. Hence her shipping him off to live with his father."
"And what's his role in all of this? I can't imagine that he'd be too happy."
"Too bad for him." She shrugged half-heartedly. "Jake's nineteen, enrolled in college and supporting himself just fine. But, all family drama aside, I'd really like for you to meet him and him meet you."
"Yeah, I'm not liking the idea." He smiled sheepishly.
"Oh, come on Luke!" She practically leaped from the bed to beg him front on. An idea popped into her head, the sly smile creeping onto her lips. She slowly walked toward him, her tongue darting out to wet her red lips. "It would really mean a lot to me. It'd be a huge favor…"
"A favor?" He smiled shakily as she stood in front of him, her warm breath splashing against his face, knocking any logic from his mind. His eyes angled downward, taking in her beauty, his heart beating faster because of it. She nodded purposefully, her hair bouncing around her shoulders causing her unique scent to drift up to him.
"I would owe you." Her perfectly manicured nails trailed agonizingly slow down his chest, his breath catching in his throat at the initial contact.
"And h-how would you pay me back?" He found the strength to utter to words, not sure if he was ready to hear the answer or not. He sucked in a deep breath, his body quivering despite his best efforts to steady himself as trailed her hand along his waistband; the innocent smile on her face was becoming more and more seductive.
She gently leaned up on her tippy-toes, her breath rolling enticingly down his neck as she whispered lowly into his ear. "Anyway you want, boyfriend." She let her finger dip into the elastic of his basketball shorts briefly, the pure lust in his eyes momentarily throwing her off track.
His lip turned a light pink as his teeth bit into it, his head nodding up and down slightly, silently agreeing to her request. He absently hooked his fingers into the belt loops of her jeans, pulling her closer to his body, pressing her into his chest. "You're a cheater." He whispered huskily into her hair, his teeth nipping at the exposed skin on her neck.
She growled lowly as his teeth sunk into her neck, her hands resting comfortably around his waist, her finger still hooked firmly into his shorts. Her mind instantly clouded over as his tongue trailed down her ever-warming skin, and before she knew it, he was hovering above her on his bed, the magazine and small boxes that had occupied it before pushed messily to his bedroom floor. "God I'm gonna miss you when you're gone."
He hushed her quickly, opting to place his lips against hers, silencing her once and for all. "We still got three days." He mumbled between kisses. He may not have done his favor to her yet, but he definitely planned on receiving his reward in advance.
She paced nervously back and forth on the front porch, silently cursing herself for being so anxious. She was simply returning a bag that he had forgotten; besides, it wasn't like they were going to be alone, Jake would be there, maybe even Brooke. And even if they weren't, what difference should it make? They could be in the same room together.
The large red door suddenly swung open, an amused man leaning against the doorframe. He let out a soft snicker as Haley paused mid-stride, her features clearly indicating that she wasn't the slight bit amused. "So is this some weird teenage booty call?"
"Excuse me?" She scoffed loudly at the man in front of her, one she didn't even know. She could only assume that it was Jake, simply going by the fact that she knew no one else lived in the house.
"Just wondering." He shrugged simply, coolly. He glanced back inside the house momentarily, and then back at her, his eyes taking a moment to scan her. "Cause if it is, could you give me just a sec to grab my daughter?"
Haley stared at him, bewilderment written across her features. He sure had some nerve, talking to a complete stranger like that. "I—"
"It's nothing personal sweetheart…" Haley could have sworn that he winked at her. An ever-growing smirk was plastered to his features, his eyes staring directly into hers at the next part of his statement. "It's just that, I'm not sure it's the best thing for my daughter to hear that kind of loud moaning."
Haley would have reached out and slapped him if she wasn't in such a state of shock. He pushed himself from the doorframe effortlessly, this time taking a step toward her, towering over her with his tall body. "And you definitely look like a screamer."
"Ok, ew." Haley's face contorted in disgust, her hands pushing him back forcefully. She scanned him up and down, almost like he had before to her, the irritation never leaving her face. "Funny, I've never met someone so…what's the word?"
"Gorgeous, charming, charismatic…sexy?" He wiggled his bushy eyebrows, his face mere inches from hers. He pulled back abruptly, the smirk returning to his face as he leaned himself back against the doorframe, his muscular arms crossed tightly over his chest. "Need I continue?"
"Repulsive was the word I was looking for actually." Haley smirked, quite proud of herself.
"Aw, Haley, I'm hurt." His hand pressed against his chest lightly. Her eyes snapped to him when she realized the use of her name. "It is Haley, right? I just assumed that you were the chick Nate was whining over; god, does that kid ever shut up? All I've heard since I've been here is 'Haley this', 'Haley that'! I just want to slap him upside the head and tell him to get over it. I must say though, it is definitely his loss."
"And you're Jake right?" She threw his own question back at him, determined to ignore his irritating comments that were infuriating her more and more by the second. "It's a wonder some girl ever came within a ten foot radius of you, forget ever sleeping with you. No wonder your baby's momma left."
A small twinge of regret pricked at her when she saw his face drop slightly at her retort. For a brief second she could have sworn she saw a splash of hurt flash through his brown eyes.
He glanced behind him as the distant sound of a cry echoed through the house. He turned back to her, the smirk now undetected on his lips, a new serious frown taking its place. Her comment had obviously gotten to him, and a part of her wanted to apologize for it. "Oh, well, here." She thrust the bag into his chest. "Nathan left this at the café earlier, I though you might need it."
"Sure, thanks." He nodded, slinging the bag across his shoulder. He rifled through the pockets momentarily, finally retrieving the small brown teddy bear from deep inside. He held it up for her to see, "Jenny can't sleep without it. Only thing her mother ever gave us."
Haley was mentally kicking herself in her head. She had obviously hit a seriously sore spot, and the pain in his eyes was only intensifying by the second. "Hey, listen, I'm sorry about what—"
"I gotta go." He tore his gaze from hers and backed into the house. From inside both could still hear the distant whimpers of the toddler echoing in from a different room. She nodded, glancing one last time at him before turning away and stepping down the stairs. "Oh, Haley!" He called after her, hoping she would turn around.
Like he had suspected, she stopped, turning slightly to face him. "Yeah?"
"Don't call me, I'll call you." His smirk once again graced his lips, a loud, devilish laugh bouncing off the surrounding houses as she stomped the rest of the way down the stairs. She quickened her pace down the driveway as he let out a loud whistle that only infuriated her more.
Brooke slammed the door closed behind her, her eyes quickly scanning the house. She stomped through the kitchen, her voice screaming his name at the top of her lungs. She finally stumbled across him in the living room, the TV blaring with him asleep on the couch.
She glanced to the side, a movement catching her eyes. She stepped away from her brother momentarily, opting to pick up her niece who had apparently just awoken from her own nap. "Hey there cutie."
Jenny squealed in delight, her feet kicking wildly as Brooke tickled her sides. Jake seemed to hear the commotion as he groggily sat up, his hands wiping at his eyes. "Back from your rendezvous with Lucas so soon?"
"For your information…" She stopped to glance at her watch before turning back to him. "It's eight in the evening. And, not like it's any of your business, but I was just helping him pack." Even if it was a lie, her brother didn't need to know the details anyway.
"Whoa, what's with the 'tude?" He questioned grumpily, his arms stretching above his head before he click the TV off. "Not getting any?"
Brooke glanced at the little girl in her arms, the fire igniting in her eyes before she decided to keep quiet. Jenny didn't need the arguing, no child needed it; Brooke had heard enough between her parents to know how it felt. "Shut up Jacob." She warned.
"So touchy." Jake mocked lightheartedly. "Seriously, what's wrong?"
"I just got off the phone with Lucas." She kept her voice low, but anyone with ears could tell she was seething with anger. Jake shot a face her way, shrugging uninterestedly. "Who is best friends with Haley."
His eyes shot up to her, instantly fearing the scolding he knew was coming. "You remember her right? She's the girl you practically molested on our front porch earlier!"
"I didn't even touch her!" Jake shot up from the couch, his voice matching hers. "And besides, she wasn't exactly all that innocent either."
"Really?" Brooke scoffed skeptically. "So you didn't mention anything about sex to her?"
"Yeah, I did." He admitted. "Somewhere in between her calling me repulsive and wondering out loud why Nikki abandoned us."
"Oh, and you didn't lead her into that?" Brooke shifted the toddler to her other hip, making sure to check herself before continuing.
"So, maybe I came on a little strong, so what?" Jake smiled casually. "I was just messing around."
"Well next time you 'mess around', you might want to make sure that the other person knows you're just 'messing around'." Brooke smirked petulantly at him. He held his hands up in mock surrender, a light chuckle dying on his lips when he realized she wasn't in the mood to joke.
"Fine." He relented. "I'll apologize next time I see her. I really didn't mean anything by it Brooke. You know me, I just like to kid around."
She shot a glare at him, trying her hardest to stay angry with him, but even she knew it was pointless. With one pout of his lips and the puppy-dog eyes that he had mastered long ago, they both knew she would cave. "Whatever."
"So are you still mad Brookie?" He was turning his charm on full-force.
With a sigh she finally met his eyes. "No." She barely whispered, a smile popping onto his face at her confession.
"We're cool, right?" He motioned between the two, his hand bringing her chin up so she would face him.
"I guess." Brooke shrugged. "But you gotta promise me that you'll be nicer to my friends. They're really important to me, and so are you. And I really want you guys to get along."
"I promise. I'll admit maybe I went a little overboard with Haley. But I sorta figured, maybe if she saw what other guys were like, then maybe she would reconsider Nathan." He answered truthfully. "So see, I was just trying to help."
"Good, cause tomorrow I want you to meet Lucas." She looked up at him hopefully, her face attempting his perfected pout. He chuckled lightly at her attempt, knowing exactly was she was doing.
"A little more lip." His fingers pulled her bottom lip out more. "Perfect."
"So that's a yes?" She asked anxiously. He nodded, slinging one arm around her shoulder, the other hand playing absently with his daughter. "Great! I promise you'll like him. He's real sweet, and he's like uber hot."
"Not exactly what I like to hear." He groaned. He carefully took his daughter form her arms, resting her against his chest as she slowly drifted back off to sleep. He smiled at her briefly, her hand still clutching the small teddy bear as she rested her head against his shoulder. "You be careful with him, ok?"
"Yes daddy." Brooke sighed dramatically as she threw herself down on the couch. He carefully sat beside her, balancing Jenny on his lap before talking again.
"Hey, I'm the big brother, I'm supposed to look out for my little sister." He spoke purposefully. "I just don't want you to end up like me. You got so much ahead of you, don't blow it over some guy."
"Thanks Jake." Brooke smiled gently. She leaned her head against his shoulder, letting her eyes drift shut. So maybe she didn't have parents that were there for her, ready to talk and give her advice. But sitting here now, she figured she really didn't need them anyway.
She was perfectly content with what she had. A wonderful, loving best friend; a caring, supportive boyfriend; and the best big brother that any sister could hope for. That was enough for her.
