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Prologue: Unfounded
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"And you're still here" Eleven years of living together, yet every morning she utters the same sentence.
She thinks it's her world because she was born first, well that and I live in her parents house, her biological parents that is, "And you're still a bitch" I mutter, running a hand through my brown hair.
She narrows her eyes at me and makes a face, "Well, I can't help but point it out you are living in my Dad's house" And she's always been this blatantly mean to me. Ever since we were younger she's gone out of her way to make me feel like an outcast.
"He's my Dad too" I retort childishly, but I feel like I have to point it out because it's true.
She disregards this completely, "Whatever you need to help you sleep at night" She pops two Percocet's in her mouth because that's what she needs to help her sleep at night, well actually to function at all. And as mean and bitchy as she is to me, I still feel like she's my sister and every time I see her do it I feel a pang of hurt in my heart.
"Stop staring…freak" She insults me on her way out of the room.
I don't say anything because frankly I'm pretty much used to it, I mean it just doesn't really phase me anymore, I just count down the days until I'll be out of here. Not to say that I wouldn't miss my parents, because they have been nothing but good to me. My dad never let me feel as if I was anything but his daughter and "Mom" well she's a little to busy being nineteen to pay attention to either of us. But I honestly couldn't thank them enough for taking me in after my mother died when I was five. So I'll always be grateful and that's probably why I usually at least try to hold my tongue with Brooke.
"Baby!" I hear her squeal and I know she's in the presence of her boy toy Lucas Scott, the first guy she's ever committed to. And how? I'd like to know.
I hear her giggling as she leads him back into the kitchen, "Take whatever you want, I'll just be a minute" She kisses him unabashedly before sauntering back up to her room.
"Hey" He raises a hand up at me in recognition.
I jut my chin out to him, "Hi" I greet, throwing him a muffin, which he catches much to my surprise, mostly because I suck at anything requiring, well, coordination.
"Thanks" he nods, "Did you read the book I suggested?" He asks casually.
And I know you're all stunned by the fact that he used the words "read" and "I" in the same sentence, because that's not a typical Brooke Davis boyfriend. BUT he's hooked on phonics and actually has a personality.
I nod my head, "It's crap so far" I say with a shrug.
He gives a small laugh, "Awe c'mon you just have to get past the halfway, then it gets good!" He defends.
"How about the Fountain Head? How far do you get in that?" I ask him about the Ayn Rand book I had suggested him to read.
He shakes his head at me, "She's a bleeding heart liberal and I have no idea what she's talking about…so far" He's biased though because he's always thought that she's crazy and way too far left, so he can't make a clear judgment.
I just don't think Brooke knows this side of him. She just knows the Lucas Scott— basket ball star. You know the same Lucas Scott that they all know. No one (besides me I think) even knows this part of him. That he doesn't actually have fun at their parties, that he'd rather read a good book then go out and get drunk, that basketball has always just been an outlet to an overbearing father and that what he wants more then anything is to be accepted for what he is and who is rather then who he pretends to be.
What adds to his complexity though, is that he actually does love my sister. And it's not that infatuation type of love that Tim feels when he's around her either. It's genuine, compassionate real love. It's so unfathomable for me though, because the two of them in reality couldn't be any more different. But he's the first one who's ever gotten in her heart…so obviously she sees something in him too. Shocking I know, since I thought Brooke was only capable of loving herself.
"Haley" His voice shakes me out of my thoughts; it looks like he had just asked me a question that I clearly didn't answer.
I give a nervous laugh, "Sorry?" I ask him to repeat.
"Just wondering if you're coming to the game?" He asked a little defensively.
I shrug a shoulder, "I dunno, maybe if Jake…" I trail off, mentioning Jake Jegalski— my best friend, the only person who truly understands me.
Lucas leans against the counter, "Yeah, he's playing" He answers my barely asked question, "His shoulder's better now" He says briefly.
What Lucas doesn't know, is that it wasn't because of his shoulder that Jake had to start the season off late. Missing the first seven games. Oh no, it wasn't a physical ailment that plagued Jake. It was the fact that a week before the season started, a baby showed up on his doorstep. A baby that was most definitely his and completely abandoned. So in between the diaper changes and the crying, he barely had time to go to school let alone play basketball. But he didn't want to get kicked off the team so once he explained to the coach (Whitey) his current predicament; they concocted this "shoulder" story until he got settled.
"I'm uh glad" I say awkwardly, I'm a really bad liar.
Lucas looks at me funny, "But you knew that right? I mean aren't you two like—
He gets cut off by my sister's voice and for once I'm actually a little relieved to see her, "Luke baby, do you…" She trails off glancing at the two of us, "Why were you talking to her?" She asks utter disdain in her voice.
I see Lucas shoot me an apologetic glance, how ironic is it that he's apologizing for the way my own sister treats me, "I was just making polite conversation babe" He says smoothly, walking over to her with out another word to me.
And in that sense Lucas Scott is and always will be like the rest of them. When it comes down to it him and the rest of the school is at Brooke's every beck and call, so what princess doesn't like…
She stares at him for a second, before attaching her lips to his and that's my cue to leave.
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I wait on the receiving side of a very familiar door, "Hey, you're early" He looks disheveled and tired.
I step in leaving my shoes at the entrance, "Step-bitch and the boyfriend were canoodling, so as always I was sick to my stomach" I grin and he just nods because he knows.
He leads me into his small sitting room where have spent countless days watching movies and having popcorn fights, "So I got good news, coach is letting me—
"Play?" I supply, but immediately I wish I hadn't because now he's gonna wanna know how I knew.
He looks at me curiously; here it comes "How'd you know?" He asks.
I bite my lip, "L-Lucas uh mentioned it" I stutter.
His face is that of complete and utter shock, "Lucas as in Scott?" He asks and I feel like that's kind of a dumb question.
I just nod though, "Yeah, Lucas Scott" I confirm.
He raises his eye brows, not even bothering to cover his surprise now "Yeah and what else did you guys talk about?" He asks amusedly, he's mocking me.
I shake my head, "Nothing, he just…nothing" I glance towards the floor.
Jake will never be able to understand or accept that me and Lucas Scott could have anything in common. Because in the world of popularity and excess, we wouldn't have. But people tend to surprise you; I've always believed that, most people don't.
I can feel his gaze linger on me for a second longer, "Where's Jenny?" I ask, changing the subject.
"Sleeping" he breathes out in a sigh of relief, "My mom's gonna watch her till I get back from school" He tells me.
I nod, "And the game?" I ask him, wondering who would when he was playing.
Then he looks towards me, "I was hoping, you'd do me a favor Haley bub…" He trails off optimistically, "You know you could even bring her to the game" He tries to make it look more appealing.
But he doesn't have to because I already love Jenny as if she was my niece and I'd never refuse to watch her, "Course I will" I say almost immediately.
He smiles, "Thanks, you're the best" He reaches over to hug me.
I accept his hug but can't help but feel uneasy about his gratitude. He should know that he really doesn't have to ask me to watch Jenny, that I'd do anything to help him out just like he'd do anything for me. It's usually been that way between us since I can remember, so why all of a sudden does it feel so formal?
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Tree Hill High, it's that school that you thought only existed in the movie "Mean Girls". Where cliques are eminent and no one steps out of their comfort zone. And where do I fit in? Well pretty much no where, my best friend's a jock with a baby and I'm a tutor so on the social scale I'm not sure where I'd be. That and my sister, my own flesh and blood is high school royalty. So I'm really not sure where that puts me and honestly I've never cared enough to find out.
Being Brooke's sister, people have always known me but along with knowing me they know Brooke absolutely despises me, so no one acknowledges that we're related.
I lean against my locker and stare at her for a minute, surrounded by all these people, being the center of attention. "Oh god, Rach you wouldn't even believe me if I told you!" She laughs that raspy laugh that everyone finds absolutely adorable but I find excruciatingly annoying.
She directs her attention to one person and everyone else just hangs on her every word. There's the usual crowd, Lucas hovering over her, Lucas's twin brother Nathan (who is coincidentally Brooke's "best friend"), Peyton, Nathan's blonde on and off girlfriend. A girl named Rachel who doesn't seem like she has Brooke's best intentions at heart. Bevin, a girl who I'm surprised can walk and chew gum at the same time with the IQ God allotted her, Tim Smith, her intellectual counterpart (who is completely obsessed with Brooke). And then there are the nameless, faceless cheerleaders and jocks all of them as taken with Brooke as the next.
And I stand on the opposite side of that world, leaning against my locker watching her accept everyone except me. Even though I say I've grown to recognize that Brooke and me will never be anything, it doesn't mean I don't feel a pang of hurt in my heart every time I think about it.
But she's never going to feel that way, she'll never be remorseful for the way she's treated me these last few years.
And she's never going to realize that her hatred has, had and always will be…
Unfounded.
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A/N: Pretty A/U huh?
Well read and review :]
