Hey!
Huge HUGE Shout out/THANK YOU to Lexie-Rae. That idea was amazing in every way. All credit goes to her for this sprout of inspiration. Props/kudos to you, Lexie! :] You were also right about Carter, but we'll see how correct you are. ;]
And Jamie knows about Dan and Keith.
As always, Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill.
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"Seriously?" Peyton said, dropping her hands to her side as she and Lilly stood in her office after Carter had left. He looked at Lilly but hadn't said anything, just as Lilly had expected. "That's The Mysterious Stranger? Really? He's like total emo/scary looking. I half wanted to call Lucas and tell him to come protect me."
Lilly rolled her eyes at this, flopping down on the couch where Carter had been sitting before her. "Oh, come on. He's not that bad. He's actually pretty cute. Just because he has long hair doesn't make him scary."
"Hair that is greasy with little birdie eyes that look black-"
"But he can sing."
Peyton stopped. "Still, he's creepy."
Peyton sat down next to Lilly on the couch, groaning as she laid back and ran a hand over her enlarged stomach. "How can you even be attracted to that kid? He looks like a criminal."
Lilly snorted. "It's not like your taste in men is the best."
Peyton straightened her back, leaning against her arms. "Luke doesn't look like a criminal and he says more than two words when you see him."
Smiling, Lilly looked up to Peyton. "You didn't walk directly into him and feel how muscular he is."
"What in the world are you talking about?"
The girls both turned as Lucas walked in, giving them a quizzical look. Peyton stood up from where she was sitting and gave Lucas a kiss that Lilly wasn't very interested in seeing. Lucas leaned down and said something to the baby and Lilly turned her head so they wouldn't see her gagging. "Nothing. We weren't talking about anything."
Lucas looked between the two of them, eyeing each. "Right…"
"Lilly thinks she found a cute guy at school but I think he's incredibly creepy." Peyton squealed, biting her tongue.
"Peyton!" Lilly exclaimed, groaning at what was coming next. She hated it when Lucas played the over-protective big brother. She wished he would just leave her life alone but Lucas Scott never left anything alone.
"I'm sorry!" Peyton cried. "Pregnancy has made me tell everybody's secrets. I can't lie worth a damn."
"Well, it doesn't matter what either of you think of him, because Lilly is not dating." Lucas said, kissing the top of Lilly's head much to her dismay.
"Who says I'm not dating?"
"You're seventeen, Lil. You're too young."
"You know, Luke," Peyton started, pointing her finger at him. "When you were seventeen, you and Brooke got drunk and you got a tattoo. And me and Nathan…."
"Okay!" Lucas held up his hand, signaling for her to stop. "She gets the picture. But that was different. And she can learn from my mistake."
Lucas making a mistake? Humph. Lilly thought to herself, standing up. "Okay, well, as much fun as this is. I called Jamie like ten minutes ago to come pick me up and I'm sure he's here by now, so I'll see you guys later-"
"Why'd you call Jamie?" Lucas asked, stopping her before she left. "You knew Peyton's car was in the shop and that I'd be picking her up, I could've given you a ride home."
And have to deal with the awkward conversation you would try to make on the way home? I don't think so, Lilly thought to herself before answering. "Didn't think about it. Sorry."
"See ya, Lil!" Peyton shouted after her.
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"Why didn't you just have Lucas give you a ride home?" Jamie asked when Lilly sat down in the passenger seat.
"Because that would've been awkward." Lilly answered, changing the station and again when Jamie tried to change it back. She swatted his hand away when he tried a second time. "Besides, I want to spend as little time with him as possible. And Oh! Guess who came into the studio today!"
"Grandpa Dan?"
Lilly frowned. "Uncle Dan? Why would he come to the studio?"
Jamie rolled his eyes, hitting her arm and then pointing to the side of the road in front of him. "No, Grandpa Dan is right there."
Jamie stopped the car, cutting the lights wondering if he had seen them. "What should we do?"
"Why are you acting like this? It's just Uncle Dan. He's your grandpa. Shouldn't you say hi or something?" Lilly said.
Jamie bit his tongue, he knew Lilly didn't know about Dan and Keith, and even though he didn't approve, he had never told her. After Dan had gotten a new heart the summer he turned six, Jamie thought of him differently. After Dan had told him the truth, he had put it aside because Jamie thought Dan was going to die. But, then he didn't die and got a new life instead. Jamie looked at him differently, finally letting his emotions of the idea of Dan killing someone get to him. He knew Lilly wasn't close to Dan as it was, her knowing how bad of a man he was just not how bad. Still, Jamie felt guilty for not telling her. HE cajoled himself with the fact that it wasn't his secret to tell, and if anybody should tell her, Karen should.
"Um, let's just keep driving. No big deal. He probably doesn't want to be interrupted on his walk." Jamie turned the engine over and started driving.
Lilly frowned, but continued on with her story anyways. "Well, anyways, Carter Smith came in."
"Carter Smith?"
"Yeah!" Lilly said, grinning. "He's the Mysterious Stranger I've been looking for! Haley discovered him somewhere, probably at school now that I think of it, and told Peyton about him so he came in and sang for her to hear! He was good, too."
"Huh."
"What?" Lilly asked, catching on to the weird tone of his voice.
"Carter Smith was the guy who was arrested for doing drugs last year. Not exactly the guy you should be falling for, don't you think?"
Lilly looked out the window for a moment. "That was last year, right? And who's to say he hasn't changed? You don't know him, I don't know him-"
"Exactly why you shouldn't be trying to get in his pants."
Lilly looked offended. "Who says I'm trying to get in his pants? I just think he's mysteriously cute. I really have to tell Aunt Brooke about this. She's gonna love it."
"No, she's not. Aunt Brooke is gonna flip out when she sees what creepy guy you've picked."
Lilly threw her hands up in the air, frustrated. "Creepy? He is not creepy! Sheesh, you and Peyton."
"You're not really trying to get in his pants, are you?" Jamie asked as he pulled up to her house.
She stepped out, but turned around and leaned down so she could see him. "No, I just want to get to know him, that's all. See you tomorrow, thanks for the ride."
"No prob." Jamie said as she shut the door and walked away.
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The next day at school Lilly looked for Carter even more than she had already. Hearing him sing had escalated her curiosity about him, and she wasn't giving up. She was going to talk to him even if it killed her. Jamie didn't approve, saying he was a creeper and not the type of guy she should be hanging out with. But, Lilly didn't care what he said. She thought he was perfect. He was everything Lucas wasn't.
Since she now knew that he was into music, Lilly walked along the music hallway of the school before class started, to see if he was there. Indeed, he was. He was sitting on a chair in the music room by himself, playing his guitar. Lilly stepped in quietly, leaning against the wall by the door. She watched him play for a couple of minutes, listening to the type of music he was playing; it was indie, maybe mixed in with a bit of rock here and there, but Lilly liked it. His voice was soft, and quiet for a guy. He stopped playing and turned the page of the music book in front of him.
"Are you gonna say something or are you just going to stand there and watch?" He said, looking up to her.
Lilly's eyes got big, not having realized that he knew she was there. "I…uh…" She stumbled, placing a hand to her forehead. "I'm sorry. I just, I heard you yesterday at Peyton's and I…"
"…wanted to hear more." He finished. "You're pretty nosy, you know that?"
She shrugged. "I'm just surprised is all. I didn't expect you to be the music type."
"What type did you think I was?"
Now, Lilly was at a loss for words. Was he criminal type like Peyton had said, or just creepy like Jamie thought? "Um…I don't know exactly."
He nodded. "You doing anything Sunday night?"
Lilly shook her head no. She became ungrounded tomorrow, which just now seemed to fit perfectly.
"Good. I'll pick you up at seven?"
Lilly nodded, before she could give him her address the bell rang and he shooed her out of the room before the teacher came in and saw her.
--
English was Lilly's first class. Because they were in a way related, Haley wasn't Lilly's teacher. Instead Lilly had grumpy old Mrs. Schultz who really hated kids. Well, at least she hated Lilly. Lilly was sure of it. She wasn't a very nice old woman in the first place, and Lilly really tried to get Haley as her teacher so she would actually learn something other than how to yell at students. But, the principal said no and that was that.
"Okay, class," Mrs. Schultz started once everyone was sitting in their seat. When everyone ignored her and continued to talk to the person sitting next to them, Mrs. Schultz dropped her teacher textbook on the floor, making a loud bang.
"Class!" She yelled. Everyone quieted down, facing her. "Today we are going to start reading a new book. Anyone want to take a guess at what it is?"
Nobody said anything.
"Just as I had expected." She started, walking around her desk and standing in front of them. "We are going to read An Unkindness of Ravens by our towns very own, Lucas Scott."
Freaking Perfect! Lilly thought, immediately shooting her arm up in the air.
"No, Lilly," Mrs. Schultz said giving her a death glare. "You cannot get out of reading this."
"Oh come on, Mrs. Schultz!" Lilly whined, putting her arm back down. "I already know what happens. He is my brother after all."
"No, we are not reading to see what happens, we are reading to learn how to become better writers."
Lilly groaned. She really did not care about being better writers. Writing wasn't her thing; it was Lucas'. She had never read the book. She thought of it as a way of getting back at Lucas for being perfect. Only thing was, Lucas never seemed too upset that she hadn't read it, neither did Karen, which was strange to Lilly. This didn't bother her though, she figured they were doing some reverse psychology thing even if it was just a book.
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"You're really reading it in class?" Jamie said to Lilly as they set out the plates on the picnic table. It was Saturday, and the Scott Family and Friends Annual Picnic. Everyone was at the beach, setting up the food. Lucas and Nathan had hauled down a couple picnic tables and Karen and Haley made Jamie and Lilly set up the table.
"Yeah, can you believe it?" Lilly replied, setting down the napkins. "This is going to be weird. She's probably going to want me to bring Lucas in to speak in front of the class. Which I'm not going to do. She can ask him. It's not like he's terribly hard to find anyways, he is the basketball coach."
Jamie said nothing. He knew this was going to be bad, he could feel the trouble coming already. Lilly was going to read about Keith and Dan, and all hell would break loose. Because once Lilly found out about the secret everyone had been keeping from her, she wasn't going to be happy, and Jamie, Lucas and Karen would be the first to know about how mad she was.
"Maybe you just shouldn't read it," Jamie said, trying to think of a way to keep the peace. "Maybe you could just pretend. It's not like you don't know what happens in the book so if she asks you a question, you'll know it."
"James Lucas Scott, are you trying to get me in trouble?" Lilly laughed. "Usually I'm the one saying that. You should be saying something along the lines of 'It'll be fun' or 'just go ahead and read it, no big deal'" Lilly imitated his voice.
Jamie rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying, you don't actually have to read it."
"Hey, Godson and favorite Scott Girl," Brooke greeted, as she walked over, holding her 2 year old daughter, Julia and a bowl of watermelon as her five year old son, Brody followed. "What are you talking about?"
"I have to read Lucas' book in class." Lilly told her, sitting down at the table with Brody. "Isn't that weird?"
"Uh, you haven't felt weird until your parents, and everybody you work with know about all the slutty things you did as a teenager courtesy of said book." Brooke sat down at the table, switching Julia's position to her lap. She set the bowl of watermelon on the table and began to field the little pieces to Julia, taking out the seeds in the process.
"Touché." Lilly answered.
"Mommy?" Brody asked, turning to his mom.
"Yes, beautiful baby boy?"
"What does slutty mean?"
Lilly and Jamie both burst out laughing as Brooke's eyes get big and her mouth drops open. "Uh, when you're sixteen I'll tell you all about it. I promise."
"Okay." He shrugs and runs off to play in the water with Emma and Nate Jr., Jamie's younger siblings.
"Nice one." Jamie commented laughing.
"So, Aunt Brooke," Lilly said, "Guess who has a date tomorrow night!"
Brooke grinned. "Ah! Finally! Oh, this is perfect! I can do your hair, and don't worry, I'll bring something from the store for you to wear, everything will be amazing! Who is he? Is he cute?"
Jamie snorted, Lilly shot him a glare before turning back to Brooke. "He's just a kid from school. I think he's cute, but Jamie and Peyton think he's creepy."
Brooke pouted. "Wait, Peyton met him before I did?"
"He is working on his music with her." Lilly explained.
"Fine. I'm meeting him tomorrow night then."
Before Lilly could respond, Julian called Brooke over to where the rest of the adults were. Brooke smiled, said goodbye and walked over.
"You do realize that once she sees Carter she's going to slam the door in his face and not let you leave, right?" Jamie asked pointedly.
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Okay, next chapter: Lilly's date, more drama with Carter, and she starts reading the book! Ideas and suggestions are always welcome!