Chapter 6: Once Upon a Time
"So I'm going to start from the very beginning," Lucas said looking at Brooke. "Which is what lead me to New York in the first place." He gave Brooke a kiss on the forehead, while Brooke squeezed his leg.
"And I will fill in the parts he forgets to say" Brooke said with a smirk, kissing Lucas again and causing everyone else to laugh. "and you can tell them everything, it's okay" she told Lucas and he made a concerned face asking if she was ready for people to know about and Brooke only nodded.
"It was night of the championship game." Lucas started. "The night I flew to go see Peyton" he said talking to Haley and Nathan and they nodded their heads Brooke grimaced at the reason he had went there and was glad that never happened. Lucas rubs her arm because exactly what she was thinking.
"I thought you didn't get there to the next afternoon. What were you doing the night before and all day before I saw you?" Peyton jumped in hoping like hell for some type of reason things turned out the way they did.
"You will see" Brooke glared at her. "And never said thank you because if wasn't for you we wouldn't be together now, so thank you." She finished as she saw realization hit Peyton like a ton of bricks.
"You were there." she whispered.
"Like I was saying…
Flashback 6 years 5 months ago….
"Tomorrow night, you play for the Division II title." Whitey told the team the night before the championship game. "However, in my opinion, you can go up against any college squad in the nation." He paused as all the boys hooted and hollered. "Now, for those of you who have won a championship, I don't have to remind you how good it makes you feel." He said looking at the two brothers on his team. "The rest of you will just have to trust me. Now, I want you to go home and hit the sheets... preferably alone." He finished talking and the team went to the locker room.
Lucas walked up to Whitey. "Coach."
"Go home, Luke." Whitey said.
"Actually," Lucas started again ignoring him. "I was thinking I was gonna watch a little bit more tape."
"Lucas, you've been a great assistant coach this year and someday you're gonna take over the team, but for now, you take orders from me." Whitey said. "Go home and go to bed
"All right." Lucas turned to walk away
Whitey continued to talk "And no late-night cyber chats with long-distance Blondie."
"All right." Lucas laughed and walked off again.
Nathan came outside of the gym looking for Haley and his son. He finally spots them and walks over to them. "There's my little track star." He said
"Oh, sweetie, he is..." She said talking to Jamie.
"Ball." Jamie yelled out.
"Did you hear that? He just said "ball."" Nathan said. "I swear he just said "ball."" He turned and saw Lucas coming out of the gym and excitedly said, "He said "ball," man."
"He's definitely your son! And he's a lucky kid." Lucas said walking up to the couple. "You look more and more like me every day." He continued ruffling Jamie's head.
"Say it again." Haley coursed. "Say it again. Ball. Ball." Most mothers would be horrified of their child first word not being mama but not Haley James she was thankful that her one-year old was talking.
Lucas walks into Nathan and Haley's living room to see his best friend humming to Jamie as he plays with the ball. "Hey" he said walking up to her.
"Hi" she replies tiredly running her fingers through her hair. "What time is it?"
"Almost 4:30." He replied squatting down to play with Jamie "I couldn't sleep either."
"Yeah, neither could he." Haley said pulling Jamie all the way on her lap. "You just excited about seeing Peyton or the game or what?"
"Actually, Peyton's not coming." Lucas said sitting down in the arm chair. "She couldn't get away from work."
"I'm sorry, Luke." Not seeming the least bit sorry. "I guess that's life in the music business."
Lucas thinks about Peyton for a second before replying "I guess." He scoffs. "Do you ever miss it?"
"Sometimes." Was Haley's reply to question. "Especially when I see you chasing your dreams of being a writer." She continued thinking about her career. "But, I'll get back to chasing my dreams someday."
"All I have to show for my writing career is a stack of rejection letters." He said matter of factly. "Besides, when I see the three of you together..." he paused and looked at Haley. "I just want what you guys have."
Haley looked at Lucas and started saying, "You know we could not have done this last year without you living here and helping. Between school and basketball and Jamie..." she takes a breath before continuing "I know it's hard to be away from Peyton."
But the girl on the blonde mind was not that of his curly head girlfriends, it was the face of the girl that got away that he truly missed. He shook her out of his head before he begin to talk. "We all made sacrifices." He said beginning to stand up. "I mean, for the first time in your academic career, you're getting B's." he tried get away from the serious situation.
"It was B-plus, okay?" she laughed and Lucas started walking away. "Hey." She called to him.
Lucas turned around to look at Haley. "Yeah?"
"You're a part of this family, and you always will be." She with a huge smiled once she got his attention.
"Thanks." A smile graced his face at the statement before he looked at Jamie. "Night, little man." He said walking off.
"Ball." Jamie said again pointing at the ball on the floor.
"Yes." Haley said kissing the top of his head. "I will get your ball."
Lucas walks in to the gym and sees Nathan playing "Little early, aren't you?"
"Maybe after tonight people will look at me as a champion again, not a point-shaver." He said looking at Lucas.
"We're gonna win this one, little brother." He finished taking the ball from Nathan.
"Oh, yeah" Nathan says before running to the hoop to complete the ally-hoop that his brother just shot.
1 hour later at the basketball game…
Sports' announcer's voice came over the speaker saying "This is the ultimate Cinderella story. For years the Cobras have been perennial doormats, but this season, under the leadership of Nathan Scott, their fortunes have changed."
Lucas starts yelling at the players "Attack the gap! Attack the gap!" following every moment they make. "Get back on "D"! Come on!" He said after they made the shot. The other team made a shot and Lucas through his paper down in frustration, while Whitey sits back smiling at what have become of the boys he so carefully taught. "Look high-low! Look high-low!" he continued pointing at his teammates, continuing to amuse Whitey.
"After a game that's seen 17 lead changes, we're all tied up with less than a minute to go in the fourth." The sport's announcer came back on after the opposing team called a timeout. "Scott's been carrying this team, but does he have enough left in his tank?"
"Ok... Listen up..." Lucas starts but remembers he is not the coach when he sees Whitey join them in the circle. "Sorry, coach. What's the game plan?"
Whitey looks at Lucas like a proud father. "You tell me." Lucas face took on one of confusion. "You know, I told you someday that you'd be taking over." Lucas looked at the clock not really believing his ears. "Well, this is it." Whitey touched Lucas on the arm "You're ready." He continued. "Go on. Bring us home." He said with a wink, leaving a distraught Lucas on the court with the team.
"It appears Whitey Durham is headed to the locker room I guess that leaves the Cobras under the leadership of assistant coach Lucas Scott, who used to play for Durham once upon a time." sport's announcer said to the confused crowd.
The team looks at Lucas and he looks at the time before turning back to the team. "Okay. Heads up." He says grabbing the clipboard. "We're gonna go man-to-man, full-court press." He said, drawing the play. "I want you to force the ball sidelines. Anticipate this pass over the top." He said looking at the team. "When we get the ball back, they're gonna double-team, so I want you to stagger screens here and here." He points out on the board before turning to Nathan. "Nathan, ball's in your hands."
"Whatever you say... coach." He smirked rising into a standing position.
Lucas looked at the team. "All right. Let's win this. On three." He said. They all put their hands in. "One, two, three."
"Cobras!" everyone yelled.
"Hey, Nate!" Lucas yelled out to his brother. "Maybe you want to consider the fade away." He continued when he turned around.
"Fade way's weak, man." Nathan said smiling and jogging backwards.
"All right, match up by the 12! Switch off screens!" Lucas yelled to the players
There was a few seconds left on the clock and the Cobras intercepted the ball. They continued to pass the ball around to the last possible second before passing it to Nathan. He did the fade away and shot the ball up for a three-pointer and made it right when the buzzer went off.
"They won" Haley yelled getting up.
"Whoo" Lucas said looking at the score board. Whitey smiles at the screen in the locker room at his team. Confetti starts to fall around them bringing Lucas back to senior year at the championship game.
Flashback…
"It's you." Lucas said looking Peyton.
"What?" Peyton asked.
"When all my dreams come true, the one I want next to me..." Lucas forced out his mouth as he went to the girl the love of his life pushed him to. "It's you. It's you, Peyton." Brooke it wanted to say but that was not the name that came out his mouth. She no longer wanted him and now he had to settle for what he could get. So he kissed her with all he had trying to get the spark he had with the Cheery brunette but it never came, and in that moment Lucas Scott started to believe the lie everyone else have chanted for the last two years.
Flashback ends…
Lucas watches his family, Nathan, Haley and Jamie celebrate the cobras win and thought about the bubbly brunette he wanted by his side at the moment but shook the thoughts out of his mind and let the pictures of his girlfriend fill is head.
Lucas turned and faced Coach Whitey as he walked to him. "Good job, son. You ran that final play just like I would have."
"Maybe so, but you sure do know how to kick a guy out of the nest." Lucas said.
Whitey chuckled putting his hand on his shoulder. "Lucas, you were always a great player, but you're an even better coach." Lucas smiled at that "There's nothing more I can teach you, which is why this is my final game."
Lucas let the smile fall. "Coach."
But Whitey was having any of it. "I've already talked to the dean and the A.D. about it." He said cutting him off. "They've never had a student coach before, but, then again, they've never had a championship before, either. They both agreed that you're ready."
Lucas looked dumb folded. "I don't know what to say."
"Just promise me you'll always remember there are more important things in life than basketball." Whitey said shaking Lucas's hand.
"So, what about you?" he said gesturing toward his coach. "I mean, what are you gonna do now?"
"I don't know. Now that I'm retired, probably go to basketball games and yell at the coach." Coach said with a smile looking at Lucas.
"I would agree with that as well, but, after a season like that, the D-I Scouts have got to take notice." A journalist asked Nathan.
"Right now, I'm just happy with playing the game. If there's one thing this year's taught me it's that the most important thing is my family." Nathan replied.
"Hey, Nate." Lucas said grabbing Nathan's attention. "The bus is leaving."
"Okay." Nathan said before turning back to the journalist. "Hey, thanks for your time." He shook his hand before grabbing his back and walking to his brother.
"So, how'd it go?" Lucas asked while walking out of the locker room.
Nathan smiled. "That was the first time in a year I didn't get asked about point-shaving."
"All right." Lucas replied glad things were looking up for the both of them and they both walked outside to be stopped by Haley.
"Hi, sweetie." Haley said to Nathan.
"Hey, you ready?" Nathan asked his wife.
"You should ride with the team. We just wanted to say goodbye." She said walking to them giving Nathan a kiss.
"Get some sleep, kiddo." Nathan said ruffling Jamie's hair. "See you at home."
"See you, Hales." Lucas said walking towards the bus.
"See you." She said walking away.
"Hey, Scott. You got a cute kid." Some random guy on the sidelines said. "Wonder if he'll grow up to be a cheater like his old man. Just think" he paused and looked at his friends, "you could teach him to shave and shave points."
Nathan goes over and chokes the guy. "Why don't I shave your face on the pavement?" He says through gritted teeth.
Lucas rushed over to them and pulls Nathan off of him "Hey! Come on, Nate. Come on. Nate! Get on the bus." He says pushing him towards the bus. "Get on the bus!" he said again when Nathan didn't listen.
They were on the bus for a good ten to twenty minutes when Lucas got a text message.
"Hey Luke, play this song when you win the championship. Peyton".
He puts his headphones in and plays the song. And laughs at how it was the song that was playing when his whole life changed one year ago.
"That was a hell of a move tonight." Whitey said.
"Soon as the ball left my hands, I knew it was going in." Nathan replied reenacting the play.
"I'm talking about after the game." He told Nathan. "Look, I didn't put off my pension so you can beat up any jackass that heckles you."
"I know. I'm sorry." Nathan said.
"You've worked hard this season. A lot of eyes are on you. But you've got to be careful." Whitey continued. "If you're not, that temper of yours will be all you have left."
"I just don't know if people are ever gonna forget the mistakes I've made." Nathan replied staring out the window.
Whitey looked at him. "The important thing is for you to get past them." He said. "This is not gonna go away just by playing better. You've got to live better."
"I know. You're right. I get it, coach." Nathan replied wanting this to end.
"Nathan, I just don't want you to look back down the road in a couple of years and wonder what might have been." Whitey explained. "We all know where that path can lead a man."
"Dan." He said remembering how his father turned out.
Whitey smiled and said "For the record, that last shot was a hell of a move." He laughed and got up to sit by Lucas.
"Hey, coach." Lucas said taking the headphones out of his ears.
"Hey" Whitey replied sitting down.
Lucas looked at him and asked. "So, 37 years of coaching... where does this night rank?"
"This would be number three." Whitey answered. "Number two was your high-school championship." And Lucas smiled thinking back to the last game he played in.
"And what was the first?" Lucas smiled over at his coach.
Whitey smile as the words fell from his lips, "The first was the night Camilla agreed to join a scrawny kid just embarking on a 37-year coaching career."
Lucas smiles down at the last picture of Him and Brooke on his phone. "There are more important things in life than basketball."
Whitey smiled at the thought of at least one of his many kids finally getting it right. "That's right."
"Hey, coach. You wouldn't mind dropping me by the airport, would you?" Lucas asked knowing what he had to do. He had to make things work or what he really gave up would have been for nothing.
"Be happy to, son." Whitey chuckled knowingly, "Tell my favorite cheerleader I miss her and don't see her enough." He finished getting up leaving a confused Lucas behind.
Lucas had just arrived at Peyton's apartment in L.A. and he spent the whole flight racking his brain trying to figure out what his coach was talking about. He felt in his pocket to see if the ring box that he brought at the airport was in there before he took out his key she gave him and unlocked the door. He walked inside knowing it was time to leave the past in the past and at-least try to fully be in this relationship. It was just now 4 o'clock in the morning and he knew she would be sleep. He had been praying for a sign that he was about to do something totally wrong and that the path he was on was the wrong on but so far he hadn't ran into any. He didn't know rather to seem grateful for that or a bit disappoint to know that the brunette he was very much in love with was not his future. He was leaning towards the latter. He quietly walked towards what he believed to be her room. He looked around the apartment finding it, exactly how it was the last time he was here, just this it had clothes thrown everywhere. Something in his head was telling him his life was about to change again but he thought nothing of it. He continues to walk towards the back room, mistaking the men clothes lying around for the woman's he was here to see. He slowly opened the door and found the sign that he been looking for, for the last 6 hours. He felt as the small piece of his heart that belonged to this woman laying this bed sleep, fell to the floor and shattered.
So OMG this chapter was like the hardest to right but the past looks to be shaping itself pretty well is I say so myself, I hope you like it and keep a look out of the next chapter.
Tell Me How You Really Feel,
Miss Pretty Girl
Shot outs:
Sandygirl- Woooo! Congratulations on being the first to review again. Thank you on the Karen and Brooke scene I was really aiming to capture that in the story. I am glad you feel that way about the wait but I will try my best to keep you from waiting too long. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter.
Adoringly Yours,
Miss Pretty Girl
Naleyalwaysforever- I am glad to hear from you. I am so glad you like the chapter here is another one and I hope you liked it.
A-N-F,
Miss Pretty Girl
Bjq- I am glad you feel as if it gets better with every chapter and I am so glad you like my story hopefully you continue to like it.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Miss Pretty Girl
Lanae96- I am so glad you are still reading and I hope you continue to read. Here is the story and I hope that is the outcome of this story lol who am I kidding it is the outcome. Hope you like the story.
Love and kisses,
Miss Pretty Girl
Dianehermans- hey girly, so here is a new chapter and I tried my best to update within a week time just for you. I hope you like the chapter.
Keep it coming,
Miss Pretty Girl
Brookenlucas4va03- I am so ecstatic that you loved the chapter and I hope it is the same for this one too. Here is the new chapter, tell me what you think of it
With love and hope,
Miss Pretty Girl
Arubagirl0926- So what did you think of this chapter. I am glad you like the last chapter the flashback story should carry on for a few more chapters but this is the beginning and do have 5 years to go through do this should be fun. Hope to hear your thoughts.
Faithfully yours,
Miss Pretty Girl
Lovelybeauty468- I will like to start off by saying I am so terribly sorry for the late review for OFaA, I really meant to do it sometime last week but time was not on my side. I mean literally wrote this chapter after I did the review for you story and a little bit last week. And don't mention it about the lateness of the review for my story I mean a long as you review it is cool. I mean I am about to be a grandma so I know you want have time sometime and it means a lot to me that you actually read my story let alone review. I love hearing your thoughts on the story because it's so detailed, and I appreciate that a lot. Unfortunately the guy on the plane was not talking about Peyton, hints the name he used was "dimples" Do Peyton have dimples? I can't remember but I didn't think she did. Thanks I always loved them names, especially Easton when I first read it in a story I was like I had to use it. The other two names was my kids names with some one tree hill twist to it. I agree that Karen should not have found out like that, it could have very well given her a heart attack at the news. Lol shame on BL I know. It was kind of out of the blue on the cool but it is also epic. And I hated how they completely erased Karen and Brooke in the show I mean I would have expected Brooke to keep in contact with Karen because they were so close. Lol calm down I doubt your best friend s ran off and got married without telling you and I like how they pulled a Naley, it was justified no matter what Haley may think *wink lol. Lol I always did envy Jamie for being so smart and wonder what happen that I wasn't so well off at that age so I figured he acted that way from hanging around Skills and now with his godparents back hopefully it gets worst lol. I really hope that we get some Rachel and Haley friendship in this story I mean anything is possible I mean we do have a Rucas BFF going on in this story lol. Yes Jamie has a bit of a crush on his Aunt Brooke but I promise there is a legit reason behind it. I am glad you like it and the flashback should carry on through a few more chapters with breaks back to the present hopefully.
All My Love,
Miss Pretty Girl
P.S.- Just because Brooke has kids does not mean there will be no Bramie time, I would never deprive the world of that lol, *hints on the crush.
Well I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and I hope to hear your thoughts on it. So…..
Tell Me How You Really Feel,
Miss Pretty Girl
