Slamming the door to the house, Justin stalked angrily down the front steps. He and his mom had been fighting nonstop ever since a week ago when he announced he was dating Audrey. It had been fine for the three weeks before that when he was just hanging out with her, but suddenly, now that they had gone out on a date, Brooke suddenly became overprotective every time he said he was going over to Audrey's apartment. He hadn't actually done anything that Brooke could ground him for yet though, which was why he still held his tongue against all the angry words he wanted to say to his mother. He wasn't going to give her a reason to ground him, even there were plenty of things he wanted, no, needed to say.
Standing at the next corner, he looked one way, and then the next. He could turn left and go to Audrey's apartment, or he could turn right and go to the house where Kristine lived with the Scotts. He paused for a moment. He had hung out a few times with Kristine, trying to get to know her as his sister, and learn more about their mother, but right now he wanted to spend time with his girlfriend. He wanted to forget about his mother and his troubles for a bit, or maybe even talk about then, but not with Kristine. He turned left and zipped up his jacket as he kept walking.
In her apartment, Audrey and Logan were watching a movie on her couch. He was sitting on one end and she was lounging with her feet in his lap, and he was absently rubbing them. She had done a good job of keeping the two of them apart, because she knew that Logan didn't approve of her budding relationship with Justin, and she didn't want to get into an argument with him over it, because she already knew exactly what he would say, and she just didn't want to fight with him when she was too stubborn to concede. She had been sure to make plans with each of them on separate days because of that, which wasn't too hard, considering she spent a lot of time with Justin when she was at work, and he would hang around to spend time with her.
Right now she was just hanging out with Logan because she had worked every day that week, and she felt like since she and Justin had officially moved their relationship to the dating level she hadn't gotten much a chance to see her best friend. She also wanted to go over to Nathan and Haley's for dinner tonight, because Logan had been bugging her about it every week, and Lucas had too, but she had only agreed to go if Logan would go with her. She was putting off getting up off the couch and actually going, and she knew that soon he was going to force her to get up.
Just as Logan was going to tell her she had to get up so they could go, there was a knock on the front door, followed by it opening and Justin stepping inside. She never locked her front door, and everyone who knew her knew that. She glanced up and saw Justin come in, and she immediately withdrew her feet from Logan's lap, sitting up. She saw the look on his face and stood up, walking over to pull him in a hug. "Do you want to talk about it now or later?" she asked, for the moment forgetting about Logan. She was really coming to care about Justin, and she wanted to be there for him.
Looking over her shoulder at Logan before he looked down at her, Justin shook his head. "Let's talk about it later. Right now I just want to ignore it," he trailed his hands down her arms, took one of her hands, and led her over to the couch. She glanced at Logan, and back at Justin, and she knew that Logan was wondering what she was going to do. She didn't say anything for a moment, and finally Logan stood up, intending to just leave, because he didn't want to force Audrey into making a decision, mainly because he was scared of the outcome.
Before he could make up some excuse to leave, though, Audrey spoke up. "Actually, babe, Logan I and were heading over to Haley and Nathan's for dinner tonight. Lucas is going to be there, and probably my mom too. I know Kristine will be there. Would you like to come with us?" she asked slowly. She hadn't been sure that she wanted to bring him with her because she avoided bringing Justin close enough to Kristine where she would have to witness them talking and getting along, but she could tell Justin needed her right now, and she didn't want to blow off what she had promised Logan she would do.
Taking a moment to think about it, Justin wasn't sure what to say. A part of him didn't want to go and see Kristine around her other family, because he was jealous. She had gotten to know their mom, and now she had a whole other family that loved her too. All Justin had had was his father, and now his father was gone and he was stuck with a mother who had given him up, and he still wasn't convinced she had ever really wanted him, despite what she had said to him when he had first moved in. He just wished he could have gotten so lucky. He tried not to let it affect his friendship with Kristine though, because it wasn't her fault that she had people who loved her. He just didn't really want to be exposed to that. He also wasn't sure how they would accept him, considering everyone that would be there was mad at Brooke.
Sensing his hesitation, Audrey was going to speak up again and tell both guys that she would abandon her plans for the night and just hang out with Justin instead, but Justin slowly nodded. "If it gets too awkward, we can bail, right?" he asked, trying to put some humor into his tone but not really pulling it off. Audrey and Logan could both tell there was an underlying seriousness to his tone that said he meant it. He just didn't want to stick around if he was going to be hated, like he expected to be, for being Brooke's child. He hadn't been around many families that were loving and accepting. The only family member besides his father that he had spoken to on a regular basis was his uncle, and he hadn't heard from him once in the month since he'd moved to Tree Hill.
Smiling and hoping to break the tension as the trio thought about how badly the night could end, Audrey stood, trying to be optimistic. "I promise you, the second things start going badly I'll be the first one out the front door. I just miss Nathan and Haley, and maybe even my mom a little bit," she admitted to the pair. She wouldn't have told just anyone that, and she was surprised she could tell Justin that. She also missed her father, a tiny bit, even though she had seen him a few times since he had helped her move in. She wouldn't admit that particular detail to anyone except Logan, though, and only because she knew that he would be able to tell anyway.
With that being said, the three of them left her apartment and piled in her Comet so she could drive to Nathan and Haley's. She parked in front of the house, noticing that both Peyton and Lucas's cars were already there. She hesitated for a brief moment as Justin and Logan got out, but she quickly opened the car door as soon as they both turned back to look at her. She led the way to the front door and stood between the two guys as she knocked, grabbing both Logan and Justin's hands and giving each a squeeze before she dropped Logan's.
When Haley opened her front door, she was a little surprised to see Justin standing there. She had known that Audrey and Logan would be there because Lucas had told her, but she was shocked to see Justin with them. She pulled Audrey into a hug, though, all smiles and then pulled back to let the three of them in. She gestured Audrey and Logan into the living room, but put a hand on Justin's arm. "I know you're probably nervous about being here, but in the Scott family, one rule is to never judge a child based on the mistakes of their parents. If you knew Lucas and Nathan's father, you'd know why," she paused, and she could see he was wondering where she was going with this.
Smiling, she slowly started to lead him into the living room. "That means that no matter who your parents are, if you're friends to one of us, you're friends to all of us," she paused, turning serious. "Now, that also means, if you hurt one of us, Audrey included, even though she's not blood related, you will have some very angry men in this family to answer to, particularly Nathan, who's grown quite fond of her, and especially Lucas, who is still in love with her mother, even if he won't admit it. So just remember that," she said as they entered the room where everyone else was.
After Audrey and Logan had entered the room, everyone else had wondered what was taking Haley so long to come back. Nathan was about to go find her, when she entered, with Justin right behind her. Kristine was missing, but Nathan, Lucas, Peyton, Karen, Keith and James all stared at him for a moment, before welcoming him into the group. The little kids were on the floor playing, and Lily was sitting on the living room floor too, but not really participating in the playing. She and Daniel, who was just a year younger than her, were watching the adults as if anticipating the drama that could unfold.
When things didn't take a turn to the dramatic side, they became uninterested and went back to watching the younger children as the adults and teenagers made conversation. Karen made a fuss over Audrey, and told her she was disappointed that it had been so long, and that the next time she was going to miss dinner for so many months, she had at least better visit Karen at Tric or the Café. Audrey looked appropriately chastened, and Karen seemed to accept that. Justin stood with their hands still linked, watching them talk, but not really saying much of anything else.
As Logan talked with James, he watched Audrey, and she made her way around the room, stopping for conversation with everyone, with Justin trailing at her side. She included him in conversation a little bit, but he could tell she was enjoying catching up with everyone, while avoiding Peyton for the most part. He also knew she was glad Kristine wasn't there. She had actually stopped being openly mean to Kristine at school, mainly because of her relationship with Justin, and he was glad that she seemed to be turning back into the person she used to be. He still longed to be with her, but he was used to being just friends.
Watching one of his best friends staring at the girl he had been in love with since the first day he'd seen her practically was beginning to get wearing to James. He snapped his fingers in front of Logan's face to get his attention. "When are you finally going to get over your fears and tell her you love her?" he asked when Logan finally looked at him. He watched as Logan's eyes widened, because he hadn't let his best friend know that he knew before. "No point in denying it. I've been your best friend since we were kids, and it's pretty obvious to everyone but her," he paused. "It's also obvious she loves you back," he added.
Opening his mouth to protest, Logan thought a moment, but then his eyes went back to Audrey, and he decided against it. He closed his mouth again and sighed before finally speaking. "I never will. I thought about it, after she and Sean broke up, but then she got with Justin, and I realized the truth. She's never going to think of me like that. We'll always be friends, because I'm never going to risk losing her friendship. I know she needs me as a friend, and if that's all she ever needs me for, I think I can live with that, as long as she's happy," he finished, shoving his hands in his pockets.
Before James got a chance to say anything else, the front door opened, and Kristine came into the room a few moments later, leading Sean by the hand. It was easy to tell they had taken their relationship to the more than friends stage, especially when Kristine froze at the sight of Audrey, causing Sean to bump into her, and then they shared a guilty look. Audrey stared at the brunette whom she had actually been thinking about becoming friends with, or at the very least, letting go of the hatred for. The tension in the room mounted as everyone waited for one of them to do something.
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The month had passed with fewer and fewer incidents with Audrey. Kristine was actually starting to think that Audrey dating her brother might actually not be a bad thing. She was getting to know him, and they were actually forming a good relationship, she thought, especially if it meant that Audrey would stop being so hateful towards her. She was actually liking cheerleading practice now, instead of the way it was before, when she only went because they guys had their practice at the same time. She didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that.
Which was why she was surprised to find Sean's lips on hers. She knew that she had been developing feelings for him. Heck, these feelings had started developing that first night she met him, if she was honest with herself, but for some reason, she thought they were one-sided, unreciprocated by the guy who hadn't seemed to give her a sign that he felt the same way. She was okay with that, though, because she knew Audrey would go right back to hating her if she started dating Sean, and she was sure that they would be better as friends anyway, what with his somewhat playerish reputation.
When he kissed her though, she forgot all about Audrey and any other reason she shouldn't be with Sean. She kissed him back, knocking their books aside as she practically crawled into his lap. She laced her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer still as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She was mildly surprised when she had to pull away fro air and found herself practically laying on top of him, and that made her jump back, pulling away from him as she fought to find her rational side again. She had to take a few deep breaths as he sat back up, trying to figure out what she was thinking.
To be honest, she was trying to figure it out too. One minute, she had been doing her homework, sticking her tongue out a tiny bit as she concentrated, and then the next he had tilted her chin up and kissed her. Her head was reeling and she knew she should tell him that they shouldn't have done that, but she couldn't remember the reasons why. Audrey was not his girlfriend anymore. She had no claim on him, and Kristine was starting to think there really could be something between her and Sean. "Why did you do that?" she questioned, wondering where that had even come from.
What he really wanted to do was keep kissing her, but he knew they had to talk this over. He knew he had to convince her to try going out with him first though. He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I like you, Kristine Davis. There is no other explanation but that. I think we could really have something here. I'm tired of trying to pretend I don't like you to protect you from Audrey. If Audrey doesn't like the fact that I want to date you, it's her problem. I don't care anymore. She's moved on already. It's time I do too, and there is no one else I would want to move on with than you. So please, tell me you'll try this with me?" he reached out for her hand.
That speech really did mean a lot to her. She knew that he could probably date anyone else in school right now, or sleep with them all and date none of them, but he wanted to go out with her. He didn't have to date her, but he wanted to, and he had only been hiding his feelings to protect her from his ex? She decided then that she would face whatever Audrey would throw at her. She didn't want to hide her feelings from him anymore either. She liked him, and there was nothing Audrey could do about it. She took his hand and pulled him into a kiss again.
After she managed to stop herself from kissing him, she realized that it was time for her to get home for dinner. She suddenly wanted to bring him along, to see if he would fit in with the family. She realized then that they already knew him, and most didn't really like him for the way he had treated Audrey. She knew that he wasn't that person though. He might have been then, but she knew a different side of him, and she wanted the rest of them to see that side too. "Will you come to dinner at my house with me?" she asked as they packed up their stuff.
For a moment, Sean didn't know what to say. He knew from his years of dating Audrey that this was the day they all had dinner together. He knew that Audrey hadn't been there since Kristine had moved in, so he wasn't worried about her, but everyone else knew him, and they knew how he had treated Audrey. He saw the look in Kristine's eyes, though, and he knew he couldn't refuse her. She believed in him, he could tell, and he wanted to be worth it. He would prove to her family that he was worth it too. "Alright, Kris, since you're my girlfriend now, I'll go," he paused, "but only because I think I could take James in a fight," he added, mostly jokingly.
Rolling her eyes, she finished packing up her books and followed him to his car, glad to be able to hold his hand like she had been aching to for so long. She knew it felt right, and while she knew that when they went to school on Monday they would face the blonde and her wrath, she knew it would be worth it because she knew he now felt the same way about her. She was sure that she'd be able to face Audrey when they went to school, or at least she was sure of that until they got to the house and walked into the living room, and there the blonde was.
No one said anything for a few moments, and eyes flickered between the two teenaged girls. Peyton wanted to reach out, say the right words to calm her daughter down before she did something she regretted. She didn't get the chance to move though before Audrey turned on her heel and ran out of the house. She was fuming mad and she didn't want to cause a scene in front of her family. She was also worried she would start crying, and she didn't want everyone to see that. She didn't like crying, especially not in front of her family, and she didn't understand why she felt like crying now.
The first to recover, Kristine ran after the blonde, wanting to find some way to make it better. She didn't want to go back to the way things had been, with all the hatred. She liked the way things had become, even though Audrey was ignoring her for the most part, she wasn't constantly hating her, and she was beginning to think that maybe one day they could be friends. She needed Audrey to understand that her feelings were real, and she couldn't stop them. "Wait, Audrey, listen," she grabbed the blonde's arm to stop her before she walked out the front door.
Spinning to face Kristine, and grabbing onto her anger, Audrey pulled her arm out of Kristine's grasp. "No, you listen. I don't care to hear whatever bullshit you're about to come out with. You want to date my ex, you go right ahead, but remember this, I was with him for two years. I know that he cheats, and I know he goes for the easy lay. So don't think you can change that. I spent two years trying, and one day someone new and more interesting than you will come along and take him from you the same way you took him from me," she snapped, turning on her heel and running out the door before Kristine could find her voice.
Both Peyton and Logan moved to go after her. Justin was frozen in his spot. Lucas wanted to go, but knew either Logan or Peyton would be able to handle it better, and he didn't want to arouse suspicion in either Haley or his mother. Peyton stopped Logan at the doorway, sending him a look. He paused and finally nodded. "She'll be at the beach," he said, gesturing for Peyton to go, because he knew she wanted to repair her relationship with her daughter.
Surprising everyone, Sean spoke up. "No, wait a second," he said, holding up his hand and listening. He heard the tires squeal as she pealed out of there, and nodded, his suspicions confirmed. "She's trying to hold onto her anger right now. Whenever she's angry she goes to the Rivercourt. She only goes to the beach after her anger gives in and she wants to cry," he noticed everyone was looking at him as if surprised he knew that. "Trust me, I made her angry enough times. Every time she gets angry she goes to the Rivercourt with a basketball," he shrugged.
After considering this, Peyton realized he was probably right. She knew her daughter liked the Rivercourt almost as much as her father did. She glanced at Lucas, so he would know she got that trait from him, and then made her apologies to Haley before leaving the house. Justin didn't know what to do now that Audrey had left. She was his ride, for one thing, and for another, she didn't know if the rest of them would want him around. Haley noticed his discomfort. "Well, lets all eat," she motioned for everyone to go into the dining room, and then went to see if Kristine was alright.
A/N: Okay, I am really sorry its been so long, but my muse just disappeared for this fic for a while. I think it is back now. I can't promise that updates will be sooner though, because life is busy with a two month old, and doing online classes. I will try to write as much as I can though. I only hope there are people still reading.
Spoiler: Next chapter will probably contain a Peyton/Audrey scene, a Nathan/Kristine scene, and maybe even a Audrey/Kristine heart-to-heart. They are going to be friends here soon. I think it'll be in the next couple chapters. As for the adults, there should be a Leyton scene and maybe a Breyton scene, and I think I need to get in some Peyton/Haley/Karen bonding again. Hopefully all of that will fit into one chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, Peyton and Lucas would definitely still be in the show.