Raaaanndom update? I think So:
Chapter 18: Let Me Warn You
"First day of school, First day of school!" A voice screamed throughout the house. Her brown hair swayed back and forth while she pranced around the kitchen. She dropped a box of crayons into a Dora the Explorer backpack and pencils into a black tote bag. Wearing a giddy smile, she pulled two Pop Tarts out of the wrapper.
A grumpy man comes into view, "Haley? What in the hell are you doing?"
She looks down at her feet sheepishly and mumbles, "It's the first day of school..."
"Haley," Owen sighed. "You are clinically insane. Who else in the world do you know likes the first day of school?"
Haley opened her mouth to say a sarcastic retort, but as if on cue, Megan marched down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Happy today! I'm going to schooooool!"
Haley grinned triumphantly and Owen stared at Megan like she was an alien. "You've made her one of you, Haley. You should be ashamed of yourself!" He said seriously, taking the Pop Tart out of Haley's hand and quickly exiting the room. The doorbell rang and he shouted, "I'll get it." From the hallway Haley heard him say, "They're in the kitchen."
In a parade-like fashion, Luke, Brooke, Jenny and Jake all came in a single file line into her kitchen. Her hand found its way to her hip, "What are you all doing in my kitchen? Don't you remember what today is?"
Lucas chuckled, "Yes, Hales. We remember." He glanced at Brooke, "We are here to see Megan off to her first day of kindergarten."
"Yeah, and we're here because my car broke down and we are going to the same places. So I thought-" Jake admitted with an embarrassed smile.
Haley smiled, "Please Jake, don't give it another thought. Of course we'll give you and Jenny a ride." She turned and looked down at Megan who was still in her pajamas and getting pop tart all over the place. "I'm going to go get your school clothes."
"It's my first day of school!" Megan shouted at the room when her mother left. She did a little dance and the three adults were struck again with the thought that Megan was undoubtedly Haley with Nathan's eyes and charm. Oh, the trouble this child will be as a teenager.
Lucas sighed exaggeratedly, "What thoughts has your mother poisoned you with, Megan Rose?"
Megan frowned and cocked an eyebrow, "What do ya mean, Uncle Luke?" She froze her body, mid-dance, and stuck herself in a vogue-like pose.
"I mean, normal kids don't like school. In fact, they hate it." Lucas informed her, receiving a swat from Brooke and a punch in the arm from Jake. Jake pointed at his own daughter, who had been listening closely to Lucas's words.
"They don't?" Megan gasped with a real shock in her voice. She snapped her head to Jenny. At least, the big bad 1st grader looked just as floored as she was.
Ignoring Jake and Brooke's protests, he continued, "Not really, no. Kids can be cruel; At school, you can't escape them. Well, maybe going to the nurse's office you can, but then you get a rep as a coward. It's a vicious cycle."
Jake chuckled, "Dude, shut up."
The phone rings shrilly and Megan jumps from her disbelief, "Daddy! Uncle Luke, get da phone! Daddy's calling!"
Lucas holds his breathe, hoping it's Nathan. Lately, each time the telephone rings Megan immediately believes it to be Nathan on the other end. Most of the time it turns out to be a solicitor or one of Haley's numerous relatives. "Hello?"
"Luke?" Nathan's voice came through the line. Thank God for that. "Did I dial the wrong number?"
"Nah, I'm here to make sure Haley doesn't screw up your kid by making her enamored with school. You know, set her straight." Lucas smirked, amused. Silence. "Nathan?"
"Please don't talk to my kid anymore Lucas." Nathan sighed.
Lucas frowned and handed the phone to Megan. She squealed, "Daddy!"
"Hey angel. Happy first day of kindergarten!" He smiled into the phone. "Is your mom dressing you up?"
Megan exhaled deeply and mumbled bitterly, "Yeah. I think I gotta wear a dress."
"Oh no. Stay away from the boys." He practically begged, "Please."
"What did you just tell my daughter?" Haley's sharp tone spat into the phone.
"Uh, have a good day?" He tried. He was on his way to morning practice. It must have been a morning of firsts because today was the first morning practice he had ever attended. The traffic at this time in Los Angeles was brutal. Who would have thought that?
"Nice try. She hit the speaker phone button just in time. She's not even five yet, Nate. Boys are okay at this age." She coaxed. "Speaking of boys, Nathan Scott you are up so early!"
He grumbled, "You're telling me. It's still dark out. I haven't woken up when it's still dark out since I was not even five yet."
"And the change today was because?" She questioned as she sandwiched the phone between her ear and shoulder and handed Brooke the things to help change (wrestle) Megan into her light purple dress.
"I wanted to tell you I loved you before you go torture those horny punks." His voice lowered and she knew he was smirking evilly to himself.
"You are so werid, but I love you too. Call me later?" She proposed.
"Sure, at five like always," he assured, "have a good day."
-.-.
"Lunch, my favorite part of the day." Jake sighed happily. Munching on his sandwich, he was in such a state of content that even the group of freshmen boys with their pants sagging passing them could bother him.
Across the table from him, Haley nodded in agreement. "I hope the girls are having a good first day at least."
"Why? Has yours been bad?" Jake asked as he opened his can of soda.
She shook her head , "Not really. That Johnson basketball prodigy, I have him in all three of the freshman classes that I teach. First and last hours and the hour before lunch. He has major ego problems. Also, I teach Math and Language classes, how messed up is that?"
"That sucks. Sorry Haley. Look at the bright side, at least you have things to teach with. I ordered new basketballs before the end of the year and they never came. That was all of my budget for this year so now I am out of balls and money." Jake said in dismay and stabbed his spoon into his pudding cup. He looked up and saw Lucas skidding to haltinto a chair, causing it to slide and bump Haley's. "Hey Luke, what's up?"
"You weren't in your office. You guys always eat in your office!" His breathing was raspy and Jake knew he had been running.
Haley, in her mothering nature, soothed, "Lucas, just sit down. What's wrong?"
"Brooke has to have another doctors appointment. They just called. Why would they call us? Does that mean something's wrong? Something's wrong isn't it?" He rambled in an exceedingly fast manner then took great gulps of air.
"It doesn't mean anything, Luke." Haley laughed, "Maybe Brooke just forgot to make another appointment last time she was there. During my pregnancy, I went to thirteen appointments. It just depends."
"I hate this. It's so stressful. I don't think I was made to be a father." He rubs his hands hard against his face and lets it rest on the table.
Haley and Jake give each other amused sideways glances, and Jake voices what they were both thinking, "Let us tell you, it doesn't get much better when the child is born either. Being a parent means a lifetime of worry, but that doesn't mean that it isn't worth it. Trust us, you will be a great father."
"Yeah, Lucas. You are a top notch worrier." Haley smiles and winks at her lifelong best friend.
He smiles faintly, "Thanks guys."
"No problem." Jake smirks, "Besides, with Brooke as the mother, you are going to have to start worrying now. Like a warm up or something."
Haley snorts, "Just think of when Brooke starts her on picking out clothes that show the most skin without looking desperate. That was always my favorite lesson."
"Oh God." He shudders mournfully and collapses back onto the table.
-.-
"How was work?" Owen smiles at a very overwhelmed looking Meredith. Her head was down on her kitchen table and her pin straight hair fanned messily out around her.
She tried to chuckle at his teasing tone, but it sounded more like a sob, "Shut up."
"That good huh?" He smirks and sets a beer down in front of her. "You should've expected it. The first day of school always felt like the end of freedom."
"They hated me. I made a fool of myself. The principle said he could hear my students all the way down the hall. I'm a failure." She whimpered and took a long pull on her beer. The cold drink's effect on her hot body caused her to shiver.
"You aren't a failure. You're just the new teacher. Just wear a short skirt and win them over." He shrugged casually.
Meredith's head snapped up and she wore a disbelieving smile. "I can't believe you just said that."
He shook his head in dismay, "You've known me since we were thirteen and you still don't realize that I think you're hot. That makes you either naive, or oblivious."
Her mouth hung open in shock, "I am not oblivious," she indigently stated. "Or naive."
"You're right; you're both." He said seriously and smiled at her angry look. A moment of silence fell across the room, both thinking of different things. Owen was once again hit with memories of their previous relationship. To an outsider, their move from friends to dating was both foolish and doomed from the beginning. They met the summer before their freshman year in high school. She was the daughter of a high powered defense attorney who loved to show off his perfect daughter at every function possible. She belonged to the popular clique and was their class president. She wore skirts and perfume, and her hair was always sculpted into the newest trends. Until, that is, Meredith met Owen James at the Tree Hill Memorial Hospital. His oldest sister was having her first kid, and her mom was getting botox. Then all hell broke lose and she was committing crimes and making out with boys.
As the memories filled his mind he couldn't help but let out a laugh. She threw him a dirty glare, "What's so funny?"
"I was just thinking about the day I got Black Betty." He sighed wistfully, and then quirked an eyebrow. "Then I thought of that night."
She blushed furiously, "It was a nice car."
"I warned you about dating me and then you jumped me." He leaned back and smirked.
She looked affronted, "I did not! You can be such a liar."
"I wasn't the one who told my dad I was going to a student council meeting when I should've told him I was losing my virginity." He looked at her pointedly for a second, watching her turn from pink to bright red. He stood up and swiftly got two more beers.
"You had already lost your virginity to that slut Kirsty Thompson. Besides, what daddy doesn't know won't give him a heart attack." She laughed and took a swig of the new beer. She eyed him carefully as he slowly peeled off the beer bottle's label. He looked deep in thought, "Owen what-"
Oh my god.
His lips had collided with hers. They had flirted up until this point, just playful banter, but she had never expected this. Well, maybe she had. Maybe she had even hoped for it a little. That still doesn't make it any less shocking for her.
Regardless of her shock, she kissed him back, and kissed hard. Owen James, round two.
-.-.
"So I have to deal with the kid for three hours. Stupid jocks." Haley yawned into the phone as she dropped the uncooked pasta into the boiling water for dinner. On the receiving end, he cleared his throat. "Oh, well.. I mean.. Well, I didn't mean..."
"It's okay Hales." Nathan laughed. "I was just kidding. He's a freshman, it'll be alright."
"Megan, stop playing with your silverware. Dinner isn't ready yet, go watch some television." Haley scolded at her daughter. Then into the phone said, "So how was YOUR day?"
"Same thing as everyday, practice and more practice. I had lunch with a teammate and his wife today though."
Haley smiled, "Oh, that sounds like fun."
"No, not really. She's kind of a bitch. I think she got a nose job recently because she kept turning her head to the side." He frowned. "Like anyone would comment on someone's nose."
Haley snorted and thought about her lunch, "Lucas still has his panties in a bunch because he's having a girl. He's crushed, it's so pathetic."
"Still?" Nathan asked incredulously. "That'll change once he sees the baby. It's weird that he is so against having a girl though. He's the sensitive one. Girls gravitate toward him."
"Oh and they don't gravitate to you, Mr. NBA?" She challenged, her hands finding their way to her hips. She stirred the pasta water and started to chop the asparagus. She could practically hear the smirk forming on his lips.
"Wouldn't you like to know." He winked and she paused at his words. She really would like to know.
-.-.
"Not having basketballs is a crime against humanity, seriously." Peyton sighed sarcastically. She placed his plate down in front of him and spun around to grab Jenny's off of the counter.
He either didn't notice her tone or ignored it and continued his rant, "I know. I talked to John, the superintendent, and he told he couldn't do anything. So now I am stuck with only last years. This year's team was going to be so talented too."
"Maybe you could get someone to donate some. Tree Hill is like the vortex of basketball glory, anyone would love to get their name on a board saying they support the Ravens basketball team." Peyton reasoned and rolled her eyes. Turning to Jenny, she warned, "Move your milk or it will spill."
His eyes glistened and his mouth dropped, "That idea is genius! You are so smart." He said, giving her a deep kiss.
"Yeah, well, I have my moments." She shrugged sadly.
He looked up in surprise at her and grabbed for her hand. "Hey, is everything okay?"
"Yeah, uh. I'm just going to go do the dishes." She busied herself quickly.
"Peyton?"
"Drop it, Jake. I don't want to talk about it." She spat and fled into the kitchen.
Jenny giggled, "Mommy is mad at you! If she gives you a choice on a time out spot, pick your bed. It's comfiest."
"I have a feeling I have a time out already scheduled there anyways." Jake sighed and returned to his dinner.
UP NEXT: -Little Disruptions
-Babys&Mommas Dramas
-Round Two
Shout Outs:
Deli41321: Thanks for the review. More of Megan's feelings will come out in the next chapter. Nathan MIGHT find a way to get traded. Im not sure if Im going to go down that road because realistically, it wouldn't be possible and its kinda a predictable move.
xSmile: Thanks for the review, I'm not sure why I have lucas being angry. I just wanted to give Lucas a storyline-ish. Lol
HaleynNathan23: Next chapter is surprise-packed with the Naley. That's all I'm going to say about that. And yeah, what I think is a short chapter is usually long by everyone else's standards. I usually write two pages on my word processor in seven font because it looks really big on my computer... Anyways. Thanks for the review, greatly appreciated.
Naleyluv: Brooke make me laugh. She's so ridiculous and Lucas would have his hands full if he gets a Brooke clone. Other than that, I don't want to give away too much so, "No comment." Thanks tons for the review