I'm back!
I am sorry its taken so long for an update, life gets in the way from time to time!
Here is your new chapter!
Nathan Scott was angry, scratch that—pissed off, at the very least. Furious. Although, he could feel his inner seventeen-year-old self being somewhat proud—hell the teenager inside him was jumping around pumping fists in the air, but his thirty-four-year-old self told the pipsqueak to sit down and shut up.
On the bleachers sat a group of teenagers, not in the best of the shape—in the middle sat one he knew better than others.
Jamie.
Of all people, he sat with an ice pack attached to his hand—and a black bruise on the side of his cheek, he could easily tell whoever got a swing on his son missed their target by less than two centimeters.
Chuck, who sat to Jamie's right, however—had a shiner to his eye.
On Jamie's left sat Madison, Lily, and Lucy—in that exact order. Each one had a cut and bruise of their very own, nothing too bad worth mentioning—though Madison had her head rested against Jamie's shoulder. Nathan wasn't sure if it was the game or the fight that was causing her exhaustion—he assumed it was a mix of both.
Next to Lucy was Andre, who was massaging his jaw, presumably from a fish gone awry.
They sat in a large group of their peers, basketball players from the boy's team and the girls, and the cheerleaders even. But, those were the six that stood out to Nathan the most.
"Exactly—how are we supposed to handle this"? Nathan heard and looked over to see his brother standing alongside of him. "Go over there, yell—scream"?
Nathan shrugged. "I don't know, what did you see"?
Lucas scoffed. "I saw your kid throw a hell of a right hook into Bentley," he told his brother.
"Do we know what happened"?
"Who cares"? The two heard as Haley walked over with Brooke and Peyton in tow.
"I'm sorry—what"? Skills asked as he walked over with Mouth and Millie. "What if it's justified? What if—"?
"They just had a full-blown riot in the middle of the gym—during a friendly competition between the girls and guys team, and you want to know if it was justified"? Haley snapped. "This was ridiculous their behavior was—".
"Was just like us?" Brooke said with an eye roll.
"Excuse me"? Haley asked with an eyebrow raise.
"Mid-nigh madness anyone"? Brooke asked. "This was the sequel".
"And Jamie was the star of the show," Nathan said shaking his head.
"Then instead of standing here let's find out what happened," Peyton told them.
Lucas walked over clapping his hand to get the group of teenagers' attention. "Everyone is free to go—punishments will be handed on Monday," he said. "You May be benched, sit out a game—you will know by Monday afternoon".
The teenagers all jumped to their feet each one rushing to the door faster than the other.
"Scott," Nathan said so loudly it echoed. "Fields. Scolnik. Mcfadden. Landry. If your last name is any of what I just called—park your ass".
Jamie's back was to his father, but Nathan swore he saw him roll his eyes so hard it could have broken his spine.
"Now," Nathan said harshly and loudly causing his voice to echo through the gym.
They each turned around, despite the snickers and teases from their teammates—but Nathan only locked eyes with one—his son. He assumed by Jamie's facial expression he wasn't pleased with his father's little announcement.
But, Nathan shrugged it off.
Lucas waited, he waited for the rest of the many teenagers to leave, or disappear before walking over to the group.
"So, which one of you is going to tell us what happened"? Lucas asked folding his arms.
No one spoke. No one so much as looked up.
"Let me rephrase that because I am guessing they didn't get the message," Nathan said walking over. "We are not leaving here—until you tell us what the hell happened out there, we will stay here all night if we have to. Now, it's illegal to keep the rest of them—but you all belong to at least one person here, or have some sort of legal guardian—whatever, the point is we are are going to sit here until you start talking".
Yet again—no one spoke. The gymnasium was quoted than Nathan had ever remembered it being, but he stood there, arms crossed—waiting.
"If someone doesn't start talking—not playing basketball will be the least of your worries" Brooke warned.
"What does it matter"? Jamie asked shrugging. "It's done—over with, there is no point in sitting here and going over it when it's already happened. It's stupid".
"You better watch yourself" Nathan warmed him. "You are supposed to be playing on a team and instead you turn around and cold cock one of your teammates, someone you are supposed to work with—depend on, trust. So, I want a damn good explanation for why you decided that the ridiculous behavior you displayed was appropriate".
Jamie didn't answer his father, though he looked up with a glare that could cut glass. But, instead, he scoffed and shook his head.
"Whatever it is that you have to say—spit it out, James".
Jamie knew growing up that when either of his parents called him by that name, but this particular night he just didn't seem to care. "That's a nice speech you just gave—Nathan," he said his father's name—just to get under his old man's skin. "But, it's a little hypocritical don't you think"?
"Excuse me"?
"C'mon dad, you don't think I haven't heard all the stories about you when you were my age. The cheerleaders, the drinking, the partying—the fights. How many people in this room have you swung on? I know uncle Lucas—didn't you hit Mouth once, too? Isn't that how he got the nickname 'Mouth'—it's real rich getting a lecture from the former bully of the group".
Nathan could feel his blood boiling, but most of all his wife could see it—or he got the sense that she did when Haley took his hand in hers, to calm him maybe.
"You won't speak to your dad that way," Haley told him.
"It's true, though," Lily said. "You all are standing there as you have never got into a fight or something—".
"We aren't here to talk about our behavior, we are here to talk about yours"! Brooke said. "We made mistakes in high school, and we learned from them, now we want to teach you".
"Maybe we don't want you to teach us"! Madison said. "We earn the right to make our own mistakes".
"Did any of you ever get punished for yours"? Andre asked. "And you all turned out just fine".
"Charles"!
"You have got to be kidding me," Chuck said laying his head in his hands.
Gretchen came storming in, with Chase closely in tow. "Grounded," she said. "And that's to start off—".
"Who called her"? Chuck demanded.
But, no one fessed up—no one knew. The adults all glanced but they talked about calling her, decided against it due to her fragile pregnancy—so it was a shock to them as well
"What's going on"? Gretchen asked looking around. "Is he knew trouble"?
"If you don't know why are you here"? Peyton asked.
"The motorcycle"! Gretchen said—harshly looking at her son. "We are moving, and you didn't think we would find it—we had to clean out the shed at some point".
Chuck looked at Jamie, "you better claim it" he whispered. "I can't take the fall for that—".
"My mom will freak out" Jamie whispered.
"What do you think his mom is doing"? Madison asked.
"Well, she is already crazy," Jamie told her.
"Charles"! Gretchen demanded. "Explain".
Chuck, at a loss for words—was a first.
Jamie wished for just once in his life he didn't care what happened to others, but he wasn't that person.
Damn it.
"Don't get mad at him?" Jamie said. "It's—it's not his".
Jamie opted not to look up at his parents, he could very well guess they were looking at him—probably behind death glares.
"What—what do you mean it's not his"? Haley asked. "If it's not his—whose is it"?
Lucas covered his mouth, he half wanted to walk away and call it a night—address everything in the morning, but he felt it was best that he stay—for Jamie's safety.
"It's—it's mine," Jamie said slowly.
"You have a motorcycle"? Haley asked, not the nicest voice she had ever used either. "Do you know how dangerous those things are"?
"It's no more dangerous than driving or riding a plane—".
"This couldn't get any worse" Lucy whispered shaking her head.
Andre chuckled. "Give it a minute".
"Do you think just because you're sixteen you can do whatever you want"? Nathan yelled at his son. "You go out and drink—".
"Would you pick a side with that"? Jamie snapped. "One week you're fine because I did it responsibly and the next your pissed about it, just in time for you to use it against me"!
Haley nodded. "I'm actually with him on that".
"Whatever, you smoked weed—".
"A few times through the summer" Jamie quickly defended himself, but then paused. "How—how do you know about that"?
"Brooke and Lucas found it in your room," Nathan said without hesitation.
Jamie jumped to his feet and looked at his uncle. "You two were snooping through my room—when I tell you mostly everything anyways"?
"Now, calm down it wasn't like that—" Lucas said.
"It doesn't matter what it was or wasn't like," Haley told him. "You' re—you have made quite a few questionable changes in your life recently".
"She is right the drinking, the smoking, the tattoos, the bad attitude, the sex—" Nathan began listing.
"The what"? Haley asked turning from her husband to her son. "Sex? Whose having sex"?
"Wait, what"? Chuck asked and looked at Andre, whose mouth was hanging wide open.
Jamie looked back at Madison, who had gone beet red, though she didn't wait around. Instead, she darted out of the room as fast as her legs would let her go.
"Anyone else's business you would like to blurt out"? Jamie yelled at his dad.
"You are my business"!
"I am—maybe, yes but that isn't just my business"! Jamie told him. "I confided in you about something, personal. That's my sex life, you can't just go announcing it like that".
"You're too young for a sex life" Haley scoffed. "This is a joke—this doesn't make sense".
"I'm sixteen," Jamie told her. "I'm a year younger than you were, and a year older than dad was—now I am going to go check on my girlfriend, who dad just humiliated".
Nathan watched his son walk away in the same direction Madison had went, and he honestly felt bad about it.
As he slowly reeled in from the aftermath, he could remember himself saying everything—but it was as if he had no control between his thoughts and his mouth.
"Should I—"? He asked looking at Lucas.
"I really think you have done enough," Lucas said.
Nathan nodded, he really had.
But, when he looked away from his brother—he saw his wife, he saw her face—her confusion, her hurt.
"Hales—".
"You—you knew they were having sex, and you didn't tell me"? She asked. "We will talk about this later".
"I can't believe he told his dad and not us," Chuck said.
Madison felt the cool air hit her face as she stepped outside of the school—and she just stood there, with her hands on her hips, inhaling the fresh air.
She was embarrassed, she was angry, upset—hurt if it was possible to feel every emotion known to man that was what she was experiencing at this moment.
"I'm—I'm so sorry" Madison heard.
She didn't have to turn around to know Jamie was directly behind her, but the feeling of him wrapping his arms around her waist—told her so. She leaned back, into his body—resting.
"It's not your fault," she said. "I knew everyone would find out, but—there are parts of our relationship that I just want to keep between us".
"I shouldn't have told him".
Madison turned around and wrapped her arms around Jamie's neck. "He is your dad, and I know Nathan didn't mean to just say it like that, in front of everyone—he was mad, but I want you to have a relationship with your father. I have heard all the stories about the relationship Nathan didn't have with your grandfather, I don't want that for you—just please tell me you didn't tell him anything past that"?
Jamie looked down, and through the dark sky, he could barely see her face—the shimmer of the street light was all that kept her visible. "What"? He asked.
"You didn't go into—details"? She asked.
Jamie smiled. "No," he said as he slowly backed her into the wall. "I wouldn't share those—I keep those thoughts all for myself".
Madison smiled as Jamie pressed his lips against her neck. "Good".
"Especially—that thing that you like so much".
Madison bit down on her lip, as she felt Jamie's lips trail down her neck, and his hand slip up the back of her shirt.
"We need to go back inside".
"Do we"? He asked as his finger trailed up her spine, causing a tingle to run through her veins.
"Your mom—Haley knows we have had sex".
"And that will still be the same in the morning," Jamie said standing up straight, lifting Madison up.
Madison smiled, as she wrapped her legs around her boyfriend's torso, trying not to think of all the ways this could go wrong. "We are right outside the school—in trouble, and you want to have sex"? She asked.
"I have a car—we could leave".
"We will get in trouble".
"We are already in trouble, at least let's go out with a bang—pun intended".
Jamie sat Madison flat on her feet, and the two took off hand in hand, as fast as they could.
"They aren't talking," Brooke said, folding her arms as she stood looking with her friends—all looking at the four teenagers left that sat on the bleachers. "What do we do"?
"We could make the rest of the teams come back" Peyton suggested. "Someone has to talk".
"That will end the same way this is—just more teenagers who are pretending not to know a damn thing," Lucas told his ex-wife.
"I say we dismiss them—break off the weakest link" Mouth said and nodded his head at his daughter. "Lucy will fold, get her out of Andre and Lily's protection—she'll spill".
Everyone turned and looked at Mouth, a few eyebrows raised, jaws had hit the floor—they were all in shock by his response. But, nevertheless—he was correct.
"That's—dark" Gretchen told him. "Why have I never seen you at AA meetings"?
"You all can go shower" Lucas called ignoring the rest. "Or whatever it is you need to do—go do it, you're free to go".
They stood there and watched the teenagers shrug, unsure, but each did as they were told.
"You will find Lucy alone in the cheerleaders changing room" Mouth told Peyton.
"Me? Why me"? Peyton asked.
"Because you're the biggest bitch here," Brooke said shrugging.
"What"?
"We have me—the grieving Widow, Haley—the upset mom who just found out her son is not a virgin," Brooke said gesturing toward Haley who sat alone on the bleachers three hundred feet away. "Millie—the former drug addict turned to stay at home mom, and Gretchen the former alcoholic turned nurse turned the clean teen's pregnant fiancé—you're the most durable choice".
Peyton couldn't really argue with that, so she didn't. But, as she walked away she rolled her eyes, it was the very least she could do.
"I'll be right back," Nathan said. "I need to go talk to Haley".
Before he could get to close to his wife, his brother pulled him to the side—privately. "Maybe you shouldn't"? Lucas offered. "She looks a little sensitive right now".
"All the more reason to speak to my wife".
"I get that—but Nate, you kind of went off back there," Lucas said. "I am pretty pissed at you myself".
"Oh—about the weed"?
"Out of everyone losing their cool—I never thought it would have been you over Haley, and right now she is upset," Lucas said. "You need to give her a second. Virginity—sex, that was always a big deal for her—it probably still is when it comes to Jamie, she probably had this fantasy of him waiting as she did. I get why you're mad at Jamie, but you threw a lot of vinegar on a very open wound, so leave it for a bit okay? If you want to apologize to anyone, go apologize to Madison".
"I was really out of line wasn't I"? Nathan asked.
Lucas nodded. "Yeah, man you were—like I said I get why you did it. I do. I understand you're pissed, everything with Jamie has been so up and down lately, but you overstepped. You threw us all under the bus, Jamie trusted me. You broke that, you took Brooke down with you—and you may have lost that good relationship you wanted with Jamie so badly. I'm pissed. Brooke is pissed. Haley is hurt. Jamie is livid".
"I don't know what happened Luke—I lost it with him," Nathan told him. "I didn't even know what I was saying until I already said it, we have moments where we have this wonderful relationship and it's great—and then when he says something or does something it gets under my skin so bad I swear I can feel it itch. We are hot and then cold, I feel like I'm in a damn Katy Perry song, some days I don't even know if I can talk to him or not, then others he tells me everything. If you ever repeat this, I'll deny it—but, I'm scared of him".
"You're scared—of Jamie"?
"Yes, it's like he can smell my fear—he walks down the stairs in the morning and I swear he has x-ray vision because he just looks at me," Nathan said. "He is nice to his mom and then he is acting like a little dick to me, but then the next day I'm his best freaking friend—it's not funny".
Lucas couldn't stop laughing. "You don't know how ridiculous you sound right now, Nate. He can smell your fear and has x-ray vision, he isn't the spawn of Superman and some whacked out vampire".
"Then what is he"?
"A teenager" Lucas said plainly. "He is a sixteen-year-old hormonal boy, who gets pissed at his dad for no reason other than he can from time to time".
"We were never like this".
Lucas scoffed. "Please, you were worse than Jamie could ever be. He is a good kid".
"You all know Jamie and Madison left-right"? Deb announced as she walked into the gym.
"What"? Haley asked jumping to her feet.
"I saw them leave, I was outside smoking a cigarette—they're gone".
Nathan sighed and looked at Lucas. "You were saying"?
Keith knew his daughter was in there, she was right behind the door—or somewhere behind it. He stood there, waiting, he was trying to give her enough time to change—or shower, or run away possibly so there he stood in the middle of the hallway in tree hill high school, where he didn't exactly feel comfortable at.
He couldn't remember what happened here, but he knew it was the very thing that robbed him of sixteen years with his daughter—the memories with Karen, it took away everything he ever wanted.
Everything he rightfully deserved.
So, Keith didn't wait for another second, he couldn't stand in this hall a minute linger—he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
It looked empty, but he could hear Lily shuffling around, somewhere. He heard the door quietly close behind him, and he took a deep breath before walking forward.
Keith walked, slowly, looking down each row of lockers—each one just as empty as the one before it. For a second he thought maybe she wasn't in here, and he had missed her until he heard the water running from inside the bathroom, he felt like a coward because he froze, like a statue as heard the soft footsteps coming his way.
The door swung open, and there she was—the only time Keith ever remembered his breath being taken away was when he looked at Karen, he couldn't name a specific time due to the lack of oxygen he was getting to his brain.
"I'm sorry I thought I was al—" Lily said as she saw the shadow in front of her before she looked up, into his eyes—her eyes. She could feel her hands shake as she looked at the man she never knew but aches for all these years. "You—daddy"? She asked, her voice breaking as she felt a tear stroll down her cheek.
Daddy.
Keith missed so much he assumed he would skip straight to dad, most men get da-da, then daddy, and then dad. It came in phases for most kids, but it broke his heart in the best way possible to hear that one-word escape from her mouth.
"Hi".
Keith wanted to kick himself.
Hi.
It was the only thing he could seem to say, it was the only word that came across his mind—hi.
"You're really here"? Lily asked looking up at him.
Keith smiles, and he nodded. "Yeah, sweetheart—I'm here".
"If I hug you—are you going to fade away"?
"I'm not going anywhere".
Lily wanted to smile but she couldn't, so instead, she fell into her father's arms for the first time.
And it was better than anything she had ever dreamed of.
"Haley, calm down," Brooke told her friend. "I am sure they are fine, Nathan and Lucas went to go find them, it will be okay".
"Did you know"? Haley asked looking at her.
Brooke didn't need to guess what Haley was asking her, so she took her hand's friend and led her to sit down. "No, I didn't".
"Did Lucas"?
"Haley, I just found out myself, so if he did—he didn't share it with me".
Haley ran her fingers through her hair—she couldn't seem to shake the strange feeling in her stomach. "He is too young for this, he can't be having sex he is just a kid".
"I know you want to believe that, but Haley he isn't a kid," Brooke told her. "I know that you desperately want to believe that, that's true but he isn't a kid—Jamie has made mistakes but he hasn't done anything that I didn't do, or far worse at his age. But, I met this girl—and she became one of my best friends, she helped to ground my feet to the floor and because of her I ended up okay".
"Oh, really"? Haley asked, half smiling.
"Yeah, but Jamie's luckier than I was—that girl is his mom," Brooke said. "I know the sex probably freaks you out—".
"You think"?
"But, you need to find the silver lining in it—he had sex with the same girl he has been with since he was a kid. He isn't out jumping from bed to bed like Nathan and I did at his age, he has a good stable girlfriend whom he loves—God, that boy would move mountains for Madison".
Haley nodded. "He would, I don't think I have ever seen him as hurt as he was when we couldn't find her".
"I get it—why you're upset, I really do. I have two boys that I love watching grow up but hate to see them getting bigger" Brooke told her. "I understand why it probably freaks you out but Jamie—he isn't a normal teenager, he is smart—I mean yeah, he makes dumb choices but we all did. You kissed Chris Keller and I slept with him, we aren't exactly the best role models. Jamie needs to mess up from time to time, that's the best way to learn—and as for the sex, like I said it's not like he is out bed hoping, he is intimate with a girl he loves very much—maybe you should support that".
"Support"?
"Maybe that was too strong of a word," Brooke said laughing. "Don't stand on the other side of the door cheering them on and giving them pointers, but you should encourage him and his relationship, and I think it's good to have a healthy sexual appetite so long as they are safe".
Haley took Brooke's hand and smiled. "This is why I wanted to carry your baby".
Brooke arched an eyebrow, in a way she wasn't sure it was meant to.
"I'm sorry—what"?
Haley laughed, lightly. "You have been looking into surrogacy, I wanted to be your surrogate. You are the best mom, and if anyone deserves it—that happiness that comes with being a mom it's you. I was ready to offer that to you, but I wanted to go to the doctor just to make sure—before I offered, but they told me that I can't".
"Haley, I love you—and you're my best friend. I expect you to water my plants when I'm out of town but I don't expect you to carry my baby" Brooke told her. "I am so grateful, and I want nothing more than to have this large family, but if it never happens I still have Jude and Davis, and maybe that's all I need—wait they told you that you couldn't? Is something wrong, is everything okay"?
Haley nodded. "They told me I couldn't because I am already pregnant," she said quietly. "I haven't told Nathan yet, we tried and tried and now we stopped trying and I end up pregnant".
"Oh, my god" Brooke said hugging her best friend. "Congratulations".
"It doesn't make any sense though, we use condoms—religiously, the same ones we have used since I had Lydia and they have never failed us before".
"A baby is a blessing," Brooke told her. "Always".
"With everything going on I thought I would be stressed, I feel like I should be but I just feel so happy. Lydia is going to have a little brother or sister to play with—Jamie will probably freak—".
"No, Nathan will freak—what got into him earlier"?
"Jamie," Haley said. "It's actually entertaining—Jamie has so many of the same traits that Nathan had at that age, and it drives him crazy. He is basically parenting himself, and he hates it—loves Jamie, Deb finds it amusing, too".
"That gives me no comfort when the boys are that age if they act like I did I will end up in a straight jacket".
Keith tried to remember the last time he was around a crying teenager—and a newly pregnant Karen flashed across his mind, but this was much different.
"Let's sit," Keith told his daughter pointing to the small bench in front of her open locker.
Lily nodded as her father took her hand and led her over, both of them sitting down—she knew he was real, she knew he was here—but it felt like a dream.
"I—I was thinking I have all these pictures of me and mom, now you're here so I can take pictures with you—so I will have all these pictures of us, but I will never have a picture of me and you and mom," Lily said looking down.
Keith blinked a few times before he could even process what she had said, and it broke his heart into a thousand pieces.
"I can't bring your mom back if I could trade places I would in a heartbeat—" Keith began.
Lily smiled looking up at her dad.
"What"? He asked, figuring what he had said wasn't that funny.
"She used to say the same thing—and then she would tell me that every little girl needs her dad," Lily said resting her head on Keith's shoulder.
He smiled, which sounded like Karen. He could even hear her voice saying those words, he tried to think of what else she might say—or do, that would have made their daughter feel better.
Their daughter.
It still felt so unreal to him, like it wasn't completely possible that he had a child—with Karen.
"You May never get pictures with both of us, but you will always have memories with both of us," Keith said, swallowing hard. "I felt the same way, for weeks after I found out I had this beautiful daughter. I woke up and her mom was gone, I don't even remember the time I had with your mom but I try to find the silver lining in it. I do have mentors with Karen, good and bad. Every relationship has those up, down moments—ours will, too. But, you will have memories and moments with both me and your mom, no you won't have any of the three of us together but that doesn't make us any less of a family".
Lily looked up at her dad and smiled. "You're here—I'm not going to graduate with no parents in the audience, you're going to be here to walk me down the aisle, you can threaten my boyfriend—you're here. I miss mom, every day—but you're here and that's all that matters".
Keith kissed the top of Lily's head and smiled "you got that slap you gave the cheerleader from your mom—in case you were curious".
Lily threw her head back, and she laughed. "I got the basketball skills from you"? She asked. "Back in the day"?
"That made me feel old".
Lily once again laughed, and Keith adored the sound of it.
"You know if your mom was here you would be grounded".
"I would be so grounded". Lily agreed nodding. "You're going to ground me, right"?
"I don't want to—but I have this voice in the back of my head threatening me if I don't," Keith told her smiling.
"That voice sounds anything like mom"?
"You hear it, too"? Keith asked grinning, only half-joking.
"Can my sentence be at least negotiable"? Lily asked as she watched her father stand up. "That's what mom would do".
"No, it isn't," Keith said as he helped her to her feet.
"Worth a shot".
"So, let's talk about that boyfriend—will I like him"? Keith asked as he and his daughter made their way out the door.
"Not even a little bit—it's okay, I don't like him most of the time either".
"We can't find them," Nathan said walking into the gym, slightly more aggravated than he was when he left. "Luke and I drove all over town, I didn't see Jamie's car anywhere".
"Probably because they got back fifteen minutes ago," Skills told him throwing his thumb over his shoulder. "They are changing".
"And no one thought to call me"? Nathan asked.
"I told them not to," Haley said standing up walking over to her husband. "I don't want anymore arguing tonight, so they are changing and then we are all going home, we can address this in the morning".
"Address what, though"? Brooke asked.
"Yeah, we don't even know what happened" Mouth agreed.
The doors opened, and closed, followed by the sound of Peyton's heels clicking against the gymnasium's floor. "I do," she said smiling, walking over and joining the group.
"Lucy"? Millie asked raising her eyebrow.
"I tried, but she must have a little of Rachel in her because she wasn't talking," Peyton said folding her arms. "I knew Andre was a no-go, so I cornered the most talkative one I could find".
"Why do I have a feeling my son's name is about to be brought up"? Gretchen asked shaking her head.
"I just walked up to him and acted like I already knew, a few 'I can't believe Bentley said that' and a couple 'he had it coming', he talked and talked, I didn't get a word in edgewise," Peyton said shrugging.
"So, what happened"? Nathan asked.
"I guess Bentley and what's his friends name Andrew—".
"Andy"? Lucas asked.
"Yeah, him—in the locker room before the game I guess they were just little disgusting boys being little disgusting boys, they were making this list of all the girls they would—have sex with, which FYI was not the phrase Chuck used," Peyton told them. "Guess who was at the top of their little perverted list"?
"Madison"? Haley asked, sure she already knew the answer.
"Yup," Peyton told them. "They sat there and talked for fifteen minutes about all the things they would do if they got the chance to have sex with her, Jamie was late so he didn't hear all of it but Andre and Chuck heard it from the next set of lockers over. Of course, that's their best friend so they had to tell him".
"What exactly did they say about her"? Brooke asked, half livid herself.
"Think Fifty shades of grey mixed with the Don Jon, and half of it I'm sure they wouldn't know how to do," Peyton said crossing her arms. "Anyways, when Jamie found out that's when they started arguing—before the fight. That's when Bentley moved on from sex jokes about Madison to sex jokes about Haley".
"I'm sorry, excuse me"? Nathan asked crossing his arms.
"Teenagers are evil," Brooke said shaking her head.
Peyton shrugged. "I guess he took it one your momma joke too far, that's when Jamie clocked him".
"And let me guess, that's when the whole basketball team split into either team Jamie or team a Bentley"?
Peyton nodded.
"So, what happened with the girl's team and the cheerleaders"? Millie asked.
"Some girl named—was it Sasha"?
"You don't even need to say no more," Haley told her shaking her head. "She has been causing trouble between Jamie and Madison since middle school—I don't know if she has some crush on Jamie, or just really hates Madison—".
"Probably a little of both" Gretchen said. "That's how most girls are in high school—jealously".
"Good point, Sober girl" Brooke said smiling.
"Sober girl"?
"Now, I have tutor girl and sober girl, I need a name for Peyton".
"How about Peyton" her life long friend suggested. "I'm okay without some horrible nickname".
"By the way, she speaks for the rest of us" Haley pointed out. "So, what do we do, do we punish him—Nathan—where the hell did Nathan go"?
Lucas looked around and didn't see any sign of his brother, but he did see the door to the gym shutting. He shook his head. "This family can be a pain in the ass you know"?
Brooke shook her head. "I swear we were on the other side of this five minutes ago".
"Is this about mid-night madnesses"? Skills asked.
"Peyton got Rachel good that night" Mouth pointed out.
"Rach—you didn't see the Nathan and Lucas in the locker room, that was brutal" Skills said shaking his head. "You never would have guessed that they were brothers".
Lucas laughed. "But, I kicked his ass, it's what big brothers are for".
"Did you though—I mean there were a lot of fists being thrown, how can you tell"? Skills asked him. "I still want to know who hit me in the ass that night".
"I think that was me, sorry," Haley said tasing her hand. "I was trying to get Peyton off the mascot".
"And I'm the alcoholic," Gretchen said shaking her head. "Where were you in all of this"? She asked looking at her fiancé.
"This was before me," Chase said laughing. "Although, Haley was eight or nine months pregnant and she still managed to slap Rachel pretty good".
"Did anyone like this Rachel chick"? Gretchen asked.
"No".
"Not really".
"Hated her".
"Nope".
Well, that answered that.
"Is Jamie right"? Haley asked. "Listen to us, are we hypocrites—".
"We were young" Peyton pointed out.
"Just like them"? Chase asked.
"I don't care what I did, or how old I was," Brooke said. "I'm going to ground Madison or something because I wish someone had done that for me. You handle this how you all see fit, but I know what I needed, what she needs now".
Jamie shut his locker, and when he did he saw his dad on the other side, he tossed his large duffel down on the small bench next to him.
"I don't have the energy for this" Jamie told him as he sat down slipping into his shoes.
"Maybe you might if you hadn't been in a fight with your own team and having sex like a real-life rabbit," Nathan said.
Jamie didn't respond as his father sat next to him, although Nathan felt him tense up. It was no lie, nor could either pretend, the teenager was angry with his father. In fact, he didn't want to be anywhere around his father.
But, Nathan didn't care what he wanted, at least right now.
Sure he felt bad about all the things he had said, but he was still the dad here.
"I crossed a line," Nathan told Jamie. "You trusted me, I shouldn't have said anything".
"No, you shouldn't have" Jamie agreed.
Nathan bit down. "I'm still the dad here, Jamie—I'm still the adult and until you're eighteen you still have to listen to me rather you like it or not. Are we clear"?
Jamie didn't look up as he tied his shoes because there was no argument for that. "Fine" was all he said.
Nathan let out a long, deep breath, but then he said: "I heard what happened, what Bentley said".
Jamie sat up and looked at his dad. "Okay—and"?
"For the next thirty seconds, I'm not your dad—got it"? Nathan asked.
Jamie nodded, confused.
Nathan asked, with a quiet voice, "you put your back into it"?
Jamie was taken back by his father's question, and he was still pissed but he nodded. "Yes, sir".
"Alright then—attaboy" Nathan said patting Jamie on the knee before getting up and walking away.
Jamie was left alone, speechless, by the encounter with his father but he smiled.
Madison walked over to where Lucy and Lily were standing and followed the direction of their stare—the small window in the door of the gymnasium showed the group of adults standing in the middle of the floor.
"They have been in there talking for twenty minutes," Lily told her. "My dad just went in there to see what's going on".
"Wait—your dad"? Madison asked. "Your dad, he is here".
Lily nodded, smiling. "Yeah, he grounded me," she said. "My dad grounded me, it's so weird to say".
"I've never been grounded so correct me if I'm wrong—isn't that a bad thing"? Lucy asked.
Madison nodded. "Normally".
"Don't worry I'm sure Mouth will ground you tonight—or Millie, Millie looks like more of the bad cop" Lily told her friend. "So, we might have to adjust our plan just a bit".
"About that" Madison began. "But, we are all already in trouble—are you sure you two want to go".
"Yes," Lily and Lucy said without hesitation.
"You're going to meet the people who claimed to be your parents, you're not going alone," Lily told her.
Lucy nodded. "Not to mention there is safety in numbers, I can't drive yet but I can navigate".
Madison smiled. "Then we need a plan".
"We need to leave in the middle of the night," Lily said. "My dad is staying with Deb right now until he gets better so I will make some excuse to stay with Lucas tonight, I need my things or something—it's easiest to sneak out of".
"My dad doesn't go to bed until eleven, and Jimmie wakes up around twelve each night but he is back to sleep by twelve-thirty," Lucy told them.
"Brooke never goes to bed without a glass of wine and a sleeping pill, so you should pick me up first," Madison told her.
"Then we should be to your house by twelve forty-five," Lily told Lucy. "I will park just around the corner, by the time they wake up we should be halfway there".
The three girls jumped at the sound of the gymnasium door opening and looked up to see the adults piling out one by one.
"Where are the boys"? Chase asked.
Lily pointed. "Outside".
"Let's go," Haley said shrugging.
Brooke walked up to Madison as everyone began walking away.
"Did Lauren ever ground you"? Brooke asked as she slipped into her jacket.
Madison nodded. "When she thought I deserved it".
"And do you think you deserve it now"? Brooke asked.
"What would you have done if some girl made a comment about Julian if he was still here"? Madison asked.
Brooke paused. "Okay, not all your points are bad but you're still grounded, I'm not taking your phone but tomorrow you're going to get up and there will be a list on the counter, you will do everything on that list. Then if I'm not happy with it, you'll do it again. You won't leave the house, you won't even walk across the road to see Jamie—you won't sit down and binge-watch whatever television series you're stuck on. Got it"?
Madison sighed. "Got it, warden".
Brooke pointed towards the door and watched as Madison walked away.
"Warden," Brooke said to herself as she zipped her jacket. "Warden Davis—I like it".
"Are you serious"? Andre asked Skills as they stood in the middle of the living room floor. "I wasn't even fighting, I was just trying to break it up—and you're punishing me for something out of my control"?
"Nothing in front of you is out of your control" Skills told him. "And I saw you punch Andy, so I'm sorry dawg, yeah, I'm serious. You're grounded".
"You're not even my father, you have no biological ties to me".
"No, but your mother did and she left you in my care, why don't you take this time without your phone to go visit her," Skills said, holding his hand out.
Andre rolled his eyes but took his phone out of his pocket and laid it in Skills palm, before storming up the stairs.
"Nothing in front of you is out of your control" Skills repeated. "I sound like my father".
"Two weeks"? Chuck repeated. "Two weeks, you've got to be kidding me".
"Do we look like the humorous type right now, Charles"? Gretchen asked looking at her son from across the kitchen counter.
"One week for the fight, one week for hiding the motorcycle," Chase told him.
"It's not even my damn motorcycle," Chuck said throwing his hands.
"And three for that" Gretchen told him.
"Let's see if he can make it to a month," Chase said sarcastically to his fiancé.
"I'm going to kill Jamie," Chuck said as he stormed away.
"Try to see if you can't leave that attitude up there in the morning" Chase called. "It doesn't go good with my eggs"!
Gretchen laughed.
"What"? Chase asked.
"You sound just like your dad".
Chase froze. "Damn it".
"A month," Millie told Lucy. "One month, no phone, no tv, zero electronics—you go to school, you come home, and that is all".
"Am I allowed to breathe"? Lucy asked folding her arms.
"Don't talk that way to her" Mouth told his daughter.
"A month, you don't think that's a little ridiculous"? Lucy asked her dad. "I'm a good kid".
"You are," Millie said. "Which is why you're still allowed to go to cheerleading practice but if you keep up, that will disappear with your phone".
"What am I supposed to do without my phone," Lucy asked folding her arms.
"What did you do before you came here"?
"I was a street rat, do you really want to go down that road"?
"Do you really want to jump on my last nerve because it's the only thing keeping you on the cheerleading team?" Millie told her.
Lucy threw her hands up and stormed up to her bedroom.
"Oh, my god" Millie said sitting down. "I sound like my mother".
"I can beat you, you sound like my mother" Mouth said laughing as he sat next to his wife.
"Then why are you smiling"?
"Because we sounded like a family" Mouth told her. "We did. It's not the most ideal way I ever pictured us sounding like a family, but we did—we do".
Madison waited, she couldn't sleep anyways but she waited. And she waited. The moon was high in the sky when she crawled out of her bedroom window, far earlier than she expected Lily to arrive.
But, that wasn't where she was going.
She walked across the street, and climbed up the treehouse in Jamie's back yard, she leaped over it and on to the roof—as quietly as she could, taking small steps to his window—that was undoubtedly open, and she squeezed through the frame.
Madison bit down on her lip, smiling, as she looked at Jamie. He was asleep, with one hand tucked under his pillow and the other above his head, one leg under the covers, and one leg out.
She opened the covers and crawled underneath them, instantly she felt him a jerk, knowing it was her presence that probably woke him.
"What—what's going on"? Jamie asked, his voice horse and low.
"Brooke grounded me," she said smiling. "She took my phone".
"Join the club, I got six weeks".
"Wow," Madison said as she laid in his arms. "I only got two".
"And you're here to make it worse"? Jamie asked smiling.
"No, I just wanted to see you".
Jamie had more questions, but he never got the chance to answer them.
Madison kissed him, she kissed him in a way that made sent a shiver down his spine, and with that, he rolled on top of her.
Jamie assumed she snuck over because they wouldn't see each other the next day, and they were both grounded.
But, what he didn't know was it had nothing to do with their activities from earlier that evening, it had everything to do with what the rest of the night would hold for her. Or the following day. Or two. She could easily handle Brooke being angry with her, but she couldn't handle Jamie being upset with her, and she was keeping something from him.
Something big.
Jamie would be upset, angry—but she couldn't let him get mixed up in it. Not for this.
It wasn't long after they had sex that he fell asleep, and a short time after that Madison saw the time. She snuck back out the same way she came, and around the corner—where Lily was waiting in her car.
"Took you long enough," Lily said as Madison got in.
"I was with Jamie," Madison said as her friend began to drive. "He is going to be so mad at me, for not telling him".
"And you don't want to"?
Madison shook her head. "He is already in trouble, a lot of it, and even if he wasn't something like this would have Nathan throw him on the bench for weeks, basketball isn't just a sport to Jamie. Did you know he already has college scouts looking at him"?
"Lucas mentioned it once or twice—there's Lucy, already waiting".
Lily stopped the car, just long enough for her friend to hop inside, and then the three took off.
"You two sure about this"? Madison asked them. "You're going to get in trouble".
"Ride or die," Lily said smiling.
And the three took off into the night.
A/N thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed.
I have written this chapter 4 or five different times, I knew how I wanted it to play out but every time I wrote it, I just didn't love the flow of it.
I wrote it From the adult perspective, and then from the teenagers perspective, until finally I just decided to write it with the aftermath. This is a switch for the adults, It's something that they experienced in high school but received very little to no repercussions, so I wanted to write about how they would handle it.
I worried about writing Nathan's outburst, at first I worried that it was Very out of character for him, but decided that sometimes dad get heated in the moment.
One pregnancy down! ;)
And the girls took off, does anyone actually think this is going to go well? Nope, me either.
Anyways, review & let me know what you think!
Until next time!