Hi! You guys are amazing, I love you. Keep reviewing please!!

Lilly is supposed to sound a little spoiled. I'm writing her that way. She is a teenager so she's not completely rational. Lilly has just grown up hearing about how good he was, from other people, and felt as if she could never top that. Lilly just wants to get away from that and be her own person. She could on her own if she wanted to, but then I have no story and that would be no fun. :] And I just wanted to clear something up, Haley does still teach at Tree Hill High, I just haven't wrote a scene for it yet, but I promise one will come. Okay?

Anywho, if you have any suggestions, ideas, questions, yada yada yada The green button is a great way to get a hold of me!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill no matter how many times I wish upon a star I did.

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Lilly picked up the framed photo that had been sitting on top of her dresser since before she could remember. Studying it, she traced her finger along the lines of his face. Her mother, and many other people who knew him said she looked just like him. She had his eyes, and smile, and just a little of his personality. She didn't know though. He was her father, and he had died before she was born. Her mom told her it was a car accident. She often wondered about him, who he was, or what he was like. Did he like the same things she did? Lilly couldn't say she exactly missed him. How do you miss someone you never knew? Though, Lilly did often wish she had known him so she could miss him just a little.

"Lilly!" She heard Karen call. "Jamie's here!"

Lilly set the picture down, taking her bag and placing the strap around her shoulder as she walked out the door. She waved a small goodbye to her mom and walked out the door, sitting down in the passenger seat of Jamie's car and immediately turning the radio station to her personal favorite.

"Lilly! Geez! I don't want to listen to this crap!" Jamie exclaimed, pulling out of her driveway.

"On the contrary, Theory of a Deadman is not crap, thank you."

"It is, too. I am not listening." He turned the station back to his favorite. "And since I am driving, I get to pick."

Lilly groaned. "Perfect. I hate Eminem."

"So, listen, about yesterday, I'm sorry I made you mad." He started. "But, have you ever considered that maybe Karen doesn't want you to be Lucas? That maybe you're overreacting."

"I'm not overreacting." She countered, sending a text message on her phone. "You don't see the looks she gives me, or how excited she is when Lucas calls. It's insane. She's never that excited to hear from me."

"Maybe it's because you live with her." He reminded her. "And you're forgetting that Lucas wasn't perfect as a teenager. Remember the story Aunt Brooke told of getting him drunk and him getting a tattoo? Or the pregnancy scare?"

"I don't know. I just sometimes feel like they would be more happier, without me."

"You know that's not true."

"Do I? Do you know that when Lucas leaves after every visit, Mom tells him exactly how much she loves him and how proud she is of him? She's never once told me how proud she is. Not once. Not when my picture was published on the school newspaper, let alone the front page of the town's newspaper, not when I scored the game-winning goal in the State Championship last year, or when I got the Tree Hill High Soccer spirit award, or the Tree Hill Photography award. She just smiles. She didn't even come to my soccer banquet last year. She was too busy with the store."

Jamie looked at her, feeling a bit of pity and an incredible desire to change the subject. "Are you coming to the family picnic on Saturday?"

Lilly smiled, amused by his subject change knowing how uncomfortable he felt. "Only if you're there."

----

Lilly had to work right after school, so Jamie dropped her off at Tric, and she walked in. She had her homework to do in case things got boring, and a book to read also.

Lilly loved the label. She loved working there, being there amidst new bands getting a promise of their future. The label was also the location of most of her photography projects for school as well. There was so much there to capture; Lilly never ran out of subjects for her photography.

Photography was to Lilly as sketching and drawing was to Peyton. When she saw a building, she didn't just see a building. She immediately picked out different angles to make the building look prettier, more artsy, taller, anything. She was good at Photography. The challenge it gave you to capture a subject at exactly the perfect moment. The challenge to capture the emotion she was trying to project within the subject she was shooting.

Lilly had a desk right outside the door to Peyton's office where she worked as a receptionist. Lilly set her bag on her chair and walked into Peyton's office to let her know she was here. Peyton was on the phone when Lilly walked in, rubbing her stomach unconsciously, smiling at whomever she was talking to. Lilly walked over, sitting down on the seat usually reserved for clients. Lilly turned a photo that was sitting at Peyton's desk around. It was a photo of Lucas, and their three kids-Sawyer, who was eleven, Keith, who was eight, and Quentin who was six. When they found out Peyton was pregnant again, Lucas didn't want to know the sex of the baby, but Peyton did. Peyton told Lilly that it was a girl, and had also stashed some of the nursery items at Brooke's and some at Lilly's house in their extra bedroom.

"Hey, Lil" Peyton said, pulling Lilly out her thoughts. "How was school?"

Lilly shrugged. "School was school. Same ol', same ol'."

"You and Sawyer are exactly the same. Everytime-School was fine, nothing happened. Can't you say anything else?" Peyton huffed, sitting down at her seat.

Lilly chuckled, playing with her ring on her finger. "Something happened yesterday."

"What? Tell me! Please, I've been dying for some gossip outside of this place."

"I walked right into this guy, right?" Lilly said, telling her the story of her rundown with The Mysterious Stranger, which had become his name. Lilly had looked for him today, to flirt with him a little, but she hadn't seen him anywhere.

"The guy just walked off?" Peyton said after Lilly had finished. "You should've followed him."

"No, that would've been awkward. I looked for him at school today but that didn't help."

Peyton looked at her watch, jumping up when she did. "Well I would love to stay and chat about this. But I have a new guy coming in to show off his stuff. He's some acoustic guitar guy that Haley discovered somewhere. Actually, I'm pretty sure he goes to your school. Maybe he knows the Mysterious Stranger."

Lilly shrugged. "Maybe, who knows. I'll go sit outside and wait for him. Do you want me to send him right in, or make him wait?"

"Eh, make him wait. He's just a high school kid."

Lilly laughed as she walked out of the door.

--

Lilly was on the computer, photo-shopping one of her photos when she heard someone grunt. Her mouth fell open when she looked up, seeing The Mysterious Stranger standing right in front of her. What was he doing here? She fumbled for words, trying to compose herself. "Uh…Can I help you?"

"Yes," He said in his dark, velvety voice. "I'm Carter Smith. I'm here for a meeting I have with Peyton Scott. I'm supposed to talk to her about a demo."

He was the kid from her school? Great, Lilly thought, now it would really be awkward. "Oh, uh, okay. Um, well, Peyton is not ready for you yet so you can have a seat and I'll call you when she's ready."

He nodded, sitting down as Lilly picked up the office phone, pressing the button to Peyton's office. "Peyton? Yeah, Carter Smith is here. Uh-huh. Got it."

"I'm guessing you weren't expecting me." Carter said from his spot across from Lilly's desk after she hung up the phone.

"Uh, not really, no." She answered, typing something on the computer.

He nodded, his lips turning slightly upward at the end. Lilly couldn't tell if this was supposed to be a smile, but she would take what she could get. "How did you come to work at the label? You interested in music or something?"

"Peyton is my sister-in-law." Lilly answered.

He nodded, again, not saying anything. They were quiet the rest of the time until Peyton stepped out and told him to come inside. Lilly waited a couple of minutes before standing up and tip-toeing to the door, being careful not to make it squeak when she opened it. She saw him sitting on the couch across from Peyton. He had his guitar in his arms, getting ready to play. They talked a second more and then he started to play. And he was good. Like, really good. He was indie, different than what Lilly usually listened to, but she liked him just the same.

All of this just made Lilly want to talk to him more.

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Okay what do you think? You think this kids gonna be everything Lilly wants him to be? Or the opposite? Ideas are welcome and Reviews are even more welcome!

I went ahead and made Lilly not know that Dan killed Keith. She'll found out, though, don't worry. If you have any ideas or preferences for how she finds out, leave it in a review!

:]

Mrs. (Edward)Cullen21