Season on the Brink

Haley watched from the sidelines as Nathan warmed up for practice. Becoming a cheerleader had been a favor for Brooke, and she couldn't say that it was her proudest moment, especially being forced to watch her ex-boyfriend sweat and look all kinds of sexy on a daily basis. Sometimes she wondered what in the world she was thinking when she broke up with him.

"Hey," her thoughts were interrupted as Peyton joined them, looking a little frazzled. "Did I miss anything?"

Haley laughed and grabbed her pom poms from the bleachers. "Just a quick look in the mirror after you got done with Luke," she smirked.

Peyton hurridly ran her fingers through her hair. "Oh," she blushed. "Um, we were just," she started, until Haley put a hand up to avoid the gory details of her friend's afternoon. "Sorry," she flinched, tucking her hair behind her ears again. "I mean, I know Lucas is overcompensating for the fact that he's still trying to make nice with Brooke, but sometimes a little overcompensation isn't so bad, right?"

"Yeah," she sighed and looked to the court, catching Nathan's eye. They both smiled instinctively. "Wish I remembered what that was like sometimes."

Before Peyton could ask for further explanation, the doors clanged shut. All of the players automatically stilled their dribbling. But Paige didn't go to them, and she didn't blow her whistle. She simply walked to the girls gathered on the sidelines.

"What is this?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

"Cheerleading practice," Brooke answered from behind the woman, who turned to meet her eye-to-eye.

But Paige just shook her head. "Really? Cause all I really see is a bunch of horny teen age girls, waiting for a glimpse of some sweaty, topless guys." Ten girls watched her with gaping mouth, disbelieving the audacity of this woman who really didn't look like much more than a horny teen age girl herself. "Sorry to squelch your fun, ladies, but you're gonna have to settle for gawking in the hallways from here on out. These practices are closed. To everyone who isn't a Raven."

"Exuse me," Brooke demanded, her hands on her hips. "We are Ravens. Have been for the last four years. Unlike some people in this gym."

If there was anything that everyone knew about Brooke, it was that she always got her way. Everyone at Tree Hill was more than a little intimidated by Brooke Davis. And she liked it that way. But if she was looking for a formidable opponent, she had just found one.

"Yeah, well some people in this gym get paid to be Ravens, so they get to make the rules. No matter how long they've been in the nest," Paige retorted, pointing to the door. "Go be peppy in the quad, ladies."

There were a million thoughts swarming in Haley's mind, but before she could spew any of them, Peyton put a hand on her shoulder and ushered her out of the room.

Turning, Paige rested her hands on her hips and turned to watch her team, all watching her for their next cue. "Alright, we're gonna run position drills," she instructed as her assistants joined her on the floor.

A couple of them were students at nearby Duke. Another was a hold-over from the Whitey-era. And each were whole-heartedly behind her vision for winning a championship.

She watched her guards running drives to the basket at one end of the floor while the centers worked on blocking impossible shots at the opposite end. The forwards were working on defensive stances on the sidelines. Paige took it all in, giving her input when she thought it was necessary, and giving her colleagues space when it wasn't.

After thirty minutes, she blew her whistle again. "Alright, teams," she called out. Immediately, the players divided on two sides of the center line. "Fifteen minutes, all out. Anybody decides to give me a half-assed effort, you will spend the remainder of your practice running wind sprints that will make you cry for your mother. Is that clear?"

They all nodded, moving into position and waiting for the whistle. Paige had no doubt they were working their hardest, each striving to impress her, and their teammates. Though she couldn't let them see it, she was proud of them. Sure, they had a lot to learn, but they were coming along.

"Nathan, pass it to Turner," she called, and then let herself smile on the inside when he did as he was told. That kid had a world of talent and potential, like none she had ever coached. He was special, Nathan Scott was.

"Double cover him," she shouted to two of the other guys. "Double cover him!" When her instruction was ignored, she blew her whistle angrily. "TAKE A KNEE!"

Nathan shot a look at Lucas as they dropped side-by-side. She didn't yell often, but when she did, it meant something. "Fuck," Nathan breathed, causing his brother to smile.

Paige grabbed the ball and threw it against the far wall with a strength they hadn't seen yet. "What is your malfunction?" she asked, throwing her hands up in disgust before running her hands over her standard ponytail. "You think you know more than me, Tim? Do you?"

Slinking back slightly, Tim hissed under his breath slightly. "Nathan's a bigger threat," he said softly.

"Really? Nathan's the bigger threat?" She turned to look at the young man on her left as she positioned herself squarely between her two captains. "Would you like to tell Mr. Smith what the real threat is in this gym, Mr. Scott?"

He shrugged. "I'm gonna let you field this one, Coach," he said softly.

She almost cracked a smile, but hid it when she turned back. "Your position on this squad is going to be threatened if you don't quit thinking you know what's best for this team and start listening!" Without warning, she turned and left the court.

"Dude, is practice over?" Turner asked quietly.

Lucas looked to the Guards coach at his side, who only shrugged. He was about to dismiss the team when Paige returned, a small box in her hand. Dumping the contents on the floor, she kicked a few of the gold rings toward Nathan and Lucas.

"Anyone else in this room have four high school letters in this sport?" A few of the guys raised their hands. "Alright. And how many championships do you have?" They lowered their hands as she bent to pick up her letters. "I have four. Three as a player, one as a coach. Anybody else in this room have an NCAA ring? Cause I have six of those, too." Lucas tossed her one and she held it up. "Two as a player and four as a coach.

"And do you know what all of these mean?" She looked to them for an answer.

"That we listen when you talk," Tim ventured a guess.

Paige nodded her head. "You should," she confirmed. "Because I'm your coach, though, not because of this," she motioned to the accessories at her feet. "Because this shit? It doesn't mean a goddamn thing." For affect, she threw the ring against the wall. "Nothing that any of us in this room have done to this point means shit. All that matters is now. This year. This team.

"Look around you," she instructed as her team began to share furtive glances. "The people in this room right now, your teammates? They're the ones that are going to take you to the top this year. I know that trust is something you earn." She looked at the Scott brothers knowingly, recalling her first conversation with them in her office. "But if there is one thing that you all need to know about me, it's that I don't like looking like an idiot.

"So when I throw a bitch fit, it's not because I'm on an ego trip. And it's not because I have PMS," she narrowed her eyes to a couple of the guys on her left, ones she had overheard at the beginning of practice. Shaking her head, she stopped speaking once again.

She had been the hard ass coach for more than three weeks, and she felt like she was earning their respect, but something still wasn't connecting. "Raise your hand if you love this game," she said suddenly. The players looked startled, but slowly, one-by-one, they each raised their hands. "Keep it raised if you need this game."

"What?" Lucas asked.

"If you need this game," Paige repeated. "If you wouldn't, couldn't, be the same without it. If it's so much a part of you that you can't imagine your life without it, keep your hand raised. If it's your only release from everything, the one thing that you can count on when you have nothing else," she felt herself getting choked up as she raised her hand higher into the air. "Because that's how I have felt since I saw my first game when I was seven. And those are the only people I want on our team."

Not one of the guys around her put their hands at their sides as they began to stand, united by her words. "You tell us what to do, Coach. We just wanna win," Lucas finally said.

"Alright then," Paige clapped her hands and blew her whistle. "Let's tip off again."