Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I just thought I'd reply to those kind enough to take some time out of their day and give me some feedback.
AlwaysRiverCourt: Thanks for the review. It really made me smile. Sorry that the chapter was too short but this one will definitely make up for it and I know that it seems like they are switching partners and I am contemplating on who I want Rachel to be with. It will for sure be either Owen or Julian. I guess I'll just have to see what everyone else wants.
Dianehermans: Thank you so much for the review and I missed Lucas in that chapter too but don't worry, he will come up in this chapter lots. I'm glad you like Rachel and Julian together because I think it'll make for an interesting and totally different couple, rather than the usual cannon crap.
EmmettsNewGirl: Don't you worry, I have no intentions of ruining Sophia and Jamie, although that's not to say that there won't be obstacles ahead for them. All couples hit rough patches and so will Jamie and Sophia but it will all work out in the end, just bear with me.
Wolfgiiiiirl1234: Glad you like the chapter and thanks so much for reviewing.
ReadingRed: Glad you like the possibility of a Julian and Rachel relationship because I was quite honestly nervous about what you guys might think about it. Also thanks for the good luck with school, I'm gonna need all the luck I can get with my hectic timetable this semester.
Xmnmxox: Don't worry about Jamie and Sophia because everything will work out in the end and like I said, I have no intentions of ruining their relationship, just creating some rough patches for them but they are strong and they will overcome those. As for Naley, I have an idea about how I want their relationship to play out and it will be a slow process, unlike the Brucas and Jeyton relationships. It will involve Haley making Nathan a better person and nothing serious will happen until Pathan is officially over, I can promise you that.
Supergirl818: That would be a cool idea but unfortunately it won't really fit with my story dynamic. Thanks for the review and I'm glad you liked it.
BaFfLeD'n'BeFfUdLeD: I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far and I promise that Sawyer's character will not be black and white. One of the main focuses of this story when I started was to have Sawyer and Sophia start out as enemies and progress into friends and sisters, following a similar storyline as Nathan/Lucas on the actual show. I'm glad you liked the Brulian and I agree that their chemistry comes naturally and there will be more Brulian later on, you can count on that! As for a love interest for Lucas, that was my intent all along. I was going to wait to introduce Lindsey to the story but I decided what the heck and included her in this next chapter but Brucas is still endgame, so no worries there but I actually don't mind Lincus so I chose Lindsey as his love interest. And I'm also glad you liked the Naley. There will be much more Naley interaction to come. Thanks for the review, it was really great.
xxxx
The tides take a turn
Another lesson learned
I'm right here but still you wonder
Would you say that you need more
And it's not what it was before
Your on your own and going under
Deep inside your soul know I'm always there
-Default
xxxx
Lucas Scott stared at the paper in front of him as he marked yet another red X across the page, indicating a fail. Sometimes, he wondered what ran through these kids heads. A knock on the door caused him to look up. "Come in!"
The front door opened and standing there, leaning against the doorframe was Brooke Davis.
"Brooke…" he breathed out as he saw the distressed brunette.
"Hey..." she croaked out nervously, her voice barely above a whisper.
"What's up?"
"I uh… we need to talk about the other day," Brooke trembled upon her words as she stuffed her hands in her pockets.
Lucas nodded and motioned for her to sit down beside him at the kitchen table. He shoved his papers aside and gave her his full attention. "I'm sorry for bombarding you with that. It was wrong and I probably just jeopardized our friendship."
"It's okay," Brooke gave him a small smile. "I guess I'm glad that you were honest with me but I can't be with you like that. At least not right now. I'm so confused and I need to sort my feelings out because it wouldn't be fair to you if I didn't."
Lucas gave her an approving nod. "I wouldn't expect anything less but can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Do you think you could ever you know be with me again?" he asked quietly as he looked at his hands.
Brooke let out a weighty sigh. "Maybe. I mean I don't know. Like I said I'm just really confused okay? And I don't think that we should be in a relationship right now."
"We still friends though?" he cracked a smile in attempt to lighten the tension a little bit.
"You'll always be my best friend Lukey. But I also came over here to invite you to TRIC tonight," the brunette smiled excitedly as she clapped her hands together like a little kid.
Lucas laughed at her crazy antics. "What's going on at TRIC?"
"Well I'm throwing Rachel a little homecoming party and I want you to come."
"Rachel's back?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. Her sudden disappearance had been quite a surprise but he guessed that she just needed a break. Some time to sort her life out.
"Yes," Brooke squealed. "It's great to have her back and I want everyone that matters to be there for her."
"Well count me in," Lucas offered her a small smile.
"Okay but I gotta get going. Sophia needs help with some cheerleading routines so I'm breaking out the pom poms," Brooke grinned as she got up.
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna show Soph some of your old routines?"
"Well I was head cheerleader back in the day. I still haven't lost my touch," she answered matter-of-factly.
"Of course you haven't. See you tonight Brooke Davis," he smiled as she reached the door.
"So we're cool?"
"We're cool."
As she disappeared out the door, Lucas let out a defeated sigh. He knew that no matter how hard they tried, after something this big their friendship would never be the same. It would never be restored to what it was before. "God, I'm such an idiot," he cursed under his breath.
"Don't want that, don't want that," Lucas muttered to himself as he sorted through his mail at the Tree Hill post office, tossing the unimportant fliers onto the heap of unwanted items that littered the floor.
He turned to leave when his body collided with another, sending mail flying in every direction.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," Lucas mumbled embarrassedly as he bent down to pick up the items.
"It's okay. I wasn't watching where I was going either," a feminine voice laughed as Lucas handed the mail over. He looked up and his eyes met a pair of gorgeous blue ones.
"I'm Lindsey by the way," she smiled, extending her hand out for him.
He took a good look at her and noticed that she was absolutely beautiful. She was no Brooke but she was still gorgeous. She had light brown hair that flowed just past her shoulders and bright blue eyes.
"Oh, I'm Lucas," he muttered stupidly as he accepted her awaiting hand.
"Nice too meet you Lucas. I'm new in town so I don't really know anyone," she grinned coyly as she let go of Lucas's hand. "I know this might sound forward but do you wanna grab some coffee with me? You don't have to if you don't want to but it's just a suggestion…" she rambled on aimlessly.
"I'd love to," Lucas smiled as he held the door open for Lindsey. "There's a great little place just around the corner. I'll lead the way."
They were talking and laughing like they'd know each other forever once they entered the tiny café. Lucas led Lindsey over to his usual table. A table that he only shared with Brooke. Brooke. He instantly got a guilty feeling in the pit of his stomach. But why? It's not like him and Brooke were anything more than friends since clearly she wasn't ready for a relationship any time soon. He quickly shook it off and sat down.
"So why exactly are you here in Tree Hill?" Lucas asked once he grabbed them each a coffee.
"I'm a book editor and I have a writer here in Tree Hill. I'm just here for a few months to get her back on her feet since she's been going through a tough time," Lindsey shrugged as she sipped her coffee.
"You're a book editor?" Lucas asked with awe as he raised an eyebrow at the brunette.
"Yes. Why, do you write or something?"
"I'm a High School English teacher. I teach the seniors and freshmen and my friend teaches the sophomores and juniors," he responded with a slight smile.
"Nice. So do you have a girlfriend or anything?" she asked bluntly.
Lucas sighed dreadfully. "Ah, it's complicated."
"Complicated?" she raised an eyebrow. "I don't mean to pry but how so?"
Lucas leaned back in his chair. "She's my best friend and I admitted that I had feelings for her but she wasn't ready for a relationship so no I don't have a girlfriend."
"That sucks, being in love with your best friend. I know the feeling."
"Really?"
"All too well," she smiled as she took a sip of coffee.
"Looks like we have a lot in common," Lucas grinned as he looked over at Lindsey who was smiling in agreement. "I know we just met and all but I was wondering if you're busy tonight?"
She raised an eyebrow at him mockingly, "Are you asking me out on a date Lucas Scott?"
"No. Not a date silly. A friend just came back to town and Brooke's throwing her a little get together at TRIC. I was just wondering if you wanted to go with me because most of my friends have dates and I always feel like an idiot going alone and I usually go with Brooke but considering the circumstances…"
"Okay, I'll go." Lindsey threw her hands up in the air in defeat.
"Awesome. So I'll pick you up at eight?"
Lindsey nodded. "Here's my address." She wrote the address down on a sheet of paper and handed it to Lucas.
"Well I've got to run but I'll see you at eight," Lucas winked as he stood up and pulled out his wallet to cover the tab.
"Yeah I'll see you at eight," she smiled back as they both stood up and pushed their chairs in.
Brooke looked at herself in the mirror one last time and quickly started panicking.
"What's wrong?" Sophia asked with an amused laugh as she joined her mother in the bathroom.
"My hair is not perfect," Brooke freaked as she reached for her curling iron and started curling pieces of hair like crazy.
"Mom you look fine," Sophia chuckled as she grabbed the straightener from her mother's hand and set it down. "Besides why would you care? It's not like you have anyone to impress, unless Lucas will be there that is."
"Fine will not cut it and I'm not trying to impress anyone. Brooke Davis never leaves the house without looking perfect," she snapped harshly as she sent her daughter a glare.
"So are you going with Lucas?" Sophia asked with a wink as she propped herself up on the edge of the counter.
"No, I am not going with Lucas," she glared at her daughter. "I can do thing by myself you know. Besides I'm going with Julian," she stated plainly as she reached for her tube of eyeliner.
"Julian?" Sophia raised her eyebrow in question. "Since when do you go out with Julian?"
"He's my friend Sophia. Jake is going with Peyton I think, I don't know what the hell Lucas is doing, Rachel said she would find someone there, and Haley is taking Skills since Lauren is busy so I'm going with Julian," Brooke shrugged as put the eyeliner down and exited the bathroom. The sound of the doorbell ringing broke both of the girls from their conversation.
"Looks like your date is here," Sophia kinked an eyebrow at her mother as she headed down the stairs.
"Like I said it's not a date," Brooke growled as she followed her daughter down the stairs.
"Hey Uncle J," Sophia smiled brightly as she pulled the door open to reveal Julian Baker standing in a pair of dark blue jeans and a tight fitting white t-shirt.
"Hey Sophia," he nodded towards the teen. "Brooke, you look great," he smiled finally as he took the brunette by the hand and pulled her to the door.
"You behave and Jamie had better be gone by the time I get back!" Brooke called over her shoulder as her and Julian left.
"Whatever. Just get out of here," she grinned jokingly as she shut the door behind them.
Sure, Julian was nice and all but he was not Lucas and no matter how hard he tried to be, he would never be. And besides, he was Jamie's dad and the thought of her mom dating him was just plain weird. She just hoped for their sake that nothing ever happened between them.
"Here we are," Lucas smiled contently as she pulled up to TRIC, the bright lights illuminating the dark streets of Tree Hill. The town was damn near dead tonight and Lucas was glad that he would be having fun tonight.
He got out and opened Lindsey's door for her. He grabbed her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "You'll love my friends. They're all awesome."
"I hope so," she smiled nervously as Lucas led her towards the club.
He pushed the door open and made his way over to the table they always sat at, weaving his way through the crowd, with Lindsey gripping his hand tightly. The club was packed tonight, but it usually was on Friday nights.
Brooke, Julian, Haley, Skills, Peyton, Jake, and Rachel were all sitting at a table laughing when he approached them. "Hey guys…"
They all looked up and in unison their eyes all darted back and forth between Lindsey and Lucas.
"This is Lindsey," he smiled. "And Lindsey this is my group of friends."
"Hi," she smiled nervously and Lucas noticed Brooke looking at him strangely and he noticed that his hand was still intertwined with Lindsey's. He quickly dropped it.
"I just met Lindsey earlier today and she's new to town so I'm showing her around. I thought she might like to meet some other people," he quickly smiled as he took a seat beside Jake and motioned for Lindsey to join him.
"Lindsey this is my friend Jake from High School," he said as he introduced the two of them. "He also owns this place."
"Nice to meet you Lindsey. You'll love it here in Tree Hill," Jake grinned as he stuck his hand out for her to shake.
"Nice to meet you too."
"This is Skills, another friend from High School," he pointed at Skills who nodded in Lindsey's direction. "Haley, another great friend of mine," he pointed towards a smiling Haley. "It's a pleasure to meet you Lindsey," Haley grinned as she stuck her hand out as well. Lindsey nodded and shook her hand. He went on to introduce Julian, Rachel, and finally Peyton as his sister in law. "And this is Brooke…" he motioned towards his best friend.
"I've heard a lot about you," Lindsey offered her a smile small as she stuck her hand out for Brooke. Brooke looked at her skeptically for a moment before accepting the gesture. "Well I wish I could say the same about you."
"So Rachel, how are you?" Lucas asked as he reached across the table and engulfed the redhead in a hug. "It's been awhile."
"Yes it has and I'm doing fine," Rachel grinned as she pulled away from Lucas. "I'm thinking about modeling for Brooke again…"
"That's great."
"I know right, so how are you doing Luke?"
"Well you know I'm hanging in there."
"Julian, let's go play pool. Winner plays Skills since he thinks he's so good," Brooke dragged on sarcastically as she grabbed Julian's hand and pulled him towards the pool table.
"Well I am good and I will kick the winner's ass," Skills retorted as he followed the pair towards the pool table.
"We'll see about that," Brooke kinked an eyebrow as she picked up the pool stick and shook it at Skills jokingly.
"I gotta go see this," Haley chuckled as she picked up her drink. "You come see me later mister," she winked at Lucas. "Hey wait up guys!" she called after her friends as she wove through the crowd.
"So…" Peyton smiled awkwardly as she looked back and forth between Lucas and Lindsey. "How did this happen?"
"Oh no, we're not… We're just friends. We met at the post office and I invited her because you guys all bring dates and I usually go with Brooke but you know how that is…"
"I see," Peyton smiled with amusement as she leaned back in her chair and tapped her fingers against the tabletop.
"Peyt let's go get a drink?" Jake suggested as he sensed the awkwardness of the situation and he really didn't want Peyton to grill Lindsey and Lucas with questions.
"You know what happened the last time we drank together," Peyton mumbled under her breath before realizing she'd just said that out loud.
"What was that?" Lucas asked as he shot Peyton and Jake a look of confusion.
"Nothing," Peyton quickly covered up. "Lead the way Jagielski."
"Well this is awkward…" Rachel grumbled as she stood up. "I'm just gonna go find myself a hot guy to hook up with but you two have fun and I'll see you later tonight."
"I get the feeling your friends don't like me," Lindsey sighed as she looked off into space.
"It's not that Linds. They just like to do their own things."
"Okay. Because they seem nice and I really like them."
"So what's the deal with Brooke and that Julian guy?" Lindsey asked as she noticed Lucas glancing over at the pool game.
"What do you mean?"
"Well they seem I dunno…close."
"Well they're just friends," Lucas snapped as he tore his eyes away from them. "At least I think they are," he grumbled under his breath.
'Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button, girl.
So cradle your head in your hands
And breathe... just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe
"I love this song!" Lindsey squealed as Anna Nalick's Breathe started to play. "Wanna dance?"
"Sure," Lucas offered his hand to her as he saw his friends scatter on the floor. Rachel was dancing with some unknown guy, Peyton was dancing with Jake, Haley was dancing with Skills, and Brooke was dancing with Julian.
He swayed to the music alongside Lindsey but his eyes stayed on Brooke who was laughing with Julian. It looked to him like Brooke and Julian had become closer and it scared him because he was afraid of losing her to Julian.
He caught Brooke's eye and saw her staring at him sadly. She almost looked upset but he shook it off. She didn't want to be with him so why would she have that painful look in her eyes?
As the song faded out, Brooke found herself still staring at Lucas as he swayed to music with Lindsey. Lindsey. Sure she seemed like a nice girl but her and Lucas were acting like a couple and it hurt that only a few days he was declaring his love for her and now this…
Lindsey and Haley were having a good conversation and Lucas was just sort of sitting there listening. Skills, Jake, Julian, and Peyton were having a mini pool tournament and Rachel was off with her newest conquest. Lucas spotted Brooke sitting alone at the bar with her head slumped in her hands, downing a shot.
"I'm just gonna go talk to Brooke," he said, receiving a nod from both Lindsey and Haley who were both engaged deep in conversation.
"Hey stranger," he smiled as he plopped down beside her on the barstool, grabbed her shot glass and downed it.
"Hey… I was drinking that," she protested as she gave Lucas a playful shove. "Having fun with Lindsey?" Lucas could almost sense a twinge of jealousy in her voice. But there was no way that she was jealous, even though he wished that she was.
"Why are you jealous?" he teased and her face turned bright red.
"Me jealous? You wish," she scoffed as she ordered Owen to get her another drink.
"You seemed upset all night. You wouldn't even look at me."
"Yah well it's kind of hard to do so when the guy who confessed he loved you shows up with another girl a few days later. It's like a slap in the face and it shows how much he meant it when he said he loved me," she snorted as she played with the straw in her drink.
"Brooke…"
"Sorry, I'm just bitter I guess."
"Lindsey is just a friend. She's nice and all but she's not you. So how about you and Julian?"
"What about me and Julian?"
"Well I dunno, you guys just seem to be getting closer and closer."
"He's a really good friend and I enjoy talking to him. That's all," she shrugged as she took a long sip of her drink. "Why?"
"Well I just feel threatened I guess. I'm afraid that he's going to take you away from me. You're my best friend and we used to talk about everything and I'm scared that you have Julian now and you'll forget about me…"
"Lucas. Look at me," she deadpanned as she placed a hand on top of his. "You will always be my best friend. Julian isn't taking your place. He's just another friend like Rachel, Peyton, Jake, or Haley."
"Promise?" Lucas asked childishly as she held his pinkie out for her.
"Promise," she laughed as she linked her pinkie with his.
"You should get back to Lindsey. You brought her and it's sort of rude to abandon her," Brooke insisted as she pushed Lucas towards Haley and Lindsey.
"Brooke…"
"No it's okay. You have fun with her. She's seems like a great girl."
"I told you that there is nothing between us. And even if there was why would it bother you? You didn't want me so technically I can date whoever I want."
Then he was gone.
What the fuck had she done? A tear slipped from her eyes as she watched Lucas and Lindsey. Lucas shot her a look before turning back to Lindsey and whispering something in her ear.
"Jamie, don't!" Sophia squealed as she ran from her boyfriend, ducking behind the couch as he launched a hunk of cookie dough at her. It hit the wall and stuck to it in a clump. "Jamie, my mom is gonna kill us!"
"Ah, it's okay. Brooke will be cool about this."
"My mom won't be cool with us decorating her house with cookie dough," Sophia laughed as she grabbed the spatula from Jamie. "The fun is over. Let's go clean, and then we can do whatever you want as long as it doesn't involve destructing my mother's house."
"Whatever I want?" he grinned as he kinked an eyebrow.
"Not that. My mom will be home soon but we can certainly have some fun," Sophia smiled as she straddled her boyfriend. "But first we clean."
She hopped off his lap and tossed a rag at him. Jamie groaned. "Sophia Davis, you will be the death of me."
"You love me," she mocked as they began scrubbing cookie dough.
"That I do," he agreed.
A half an hour later, the house was cookie dough free.
"Wanna watch a movie?" Jamie suggested as he collapsed onto the couch.
"Sure. How about something scary?"
"You just wanna watch a scary movie, so that I have to hold you," Jamie teased as he bent down and selected a DVD to watch.
"Maybe," she grinned coyly as he joined her on the couch.
Sophia shoved kernel of popcorn after kernel of popcorn into her mouth as her eyes were glued to the screen. Someone jumped out unexpectedly in the movie and she jumped. She turned to see her boyfriend staring at her. "What?"
"Nothing, I was just looking at you."
"Yeah, I noticed. Why?"
"I was just thinking," he smiled as he laced his fingers with hers.
"About?"
"You and how beautiful you are."
"Jamie can I ask you something?" she asked suddenly and he nodded. "Is there anything going on between you and Sawyer?"
Jamie looked at her skeptically. "Why would you insinuate such a thing?"
"I dunno, she really likes you and I guess that I'm just scared of losing you to her," Sophia shrugged as she played with the buttons on his shirt.
"Babe, I told you that Sawyer is just a friend. I love you Sophia, you know that."
"Yeah, just forget I even said anything. Just watch the movie," Sophia mumbled as she turned her attention back to the screen.
"Okay…" Jamie mumbled as he looked at his girlfriend strangely. It hurt him to know that she was questioning their relationship already.
"And then I was like…" Peyton started as her body collided with another. "Sorry," she apologized as she turned to the stranger.
"Nathan?" she blinked as she saw her husband staring at her. "What are you doing here?"
"That's not really any of your business," he mocked as she looked between Peyton and Jake. "Jagielski? Jake Jagielski. How are you doing man?"
"I'm fine. I'm just going to go. See you later Peyt," he offered her a small smile before disappearing into the crowd.
"Jake Jagielski huh? You know that I went to High School with him?" Nathan questioned with the raise of his eyebrow.
"I'm aware of that. He owns this bar. My label is here, Nathan. Of course I was going to run into him. We've actually become good friends."
"Well that's nice," Nathan smiled as he pushed past Peyton.
"Hey Brooke…" he smiled as he made his way to the table.
"What the fuck are you doing here, you asshole?" she hissed as she shot him a glare.
"Nathan…" Peyton interjected as she tried to steer him away from the table. "You're drunk."
"Fuck you Peyton," he spat as he pulled away from her.
"Haley, it's nice to see you again," Nathan smiled as he shot Haley a flirtatious smile. She just gave him a look of disgust.
"Nathan. Leave." Lucas growled as he stood up from the table, his gaze hard and cold.
"If it isn't Lucas Scott, the bastard son of Dan Scott, the one that nobody wanted," Nathan chuckled as he smirked at Lucas. That definitely struck a nerve for Lucas. "Why you little…" Lucas hissed as she lunged himself at Nathan, delivering a punch straight to his face.
"LUCAS!" Brooke yelled as she tried to yank Lucas away from Nathan. "He's not worth it."
Lucas stood up and sent Nathan another deathly glare. "You had better leave my friends the fuck alone. Nobody wants you here and you better as hell leave Brooke alone. She doesn't want you and you've already hurt her enough you fucking asshole."
"Lucas…" Brooke said softly as she tried to pull him away from Nathan, seeing as they were standing face to face now.
"No Brooke. He's treated you like shit and you let him walk all over you like that? It's not fair."
"Well obviously she doesn't want you either," Nathan chuckled with a spiteful smirk.
"That was low Nathan. Get the fuck out of here," Peyton hissed as she stepped in between Lucas and her husband.
"Peyton, you better get him out of here before I kick his ass," Lucas warned as calmly as he could muster. His blood was boiling with anger as Nathan just smirked at him maliciously.
"What's going on over here?" Owen asked as walked up to Lucas and Nathan.
"Get this ass out of here," Brooke growled as she pointed at Nathan. "He's drunk and he's trying to stir stuff up."
"Come on," Owen grumbled harshly as she dragged Nathan out of TRIC. "You better watch your back Lucas. This isn't fucking over!"
"I'm so sorry guys," Peyton apologized as she turned to the group. "I have to go."
"Lindsey…" Lucas looked over at the girl he'd brought along. "I'm sorry that you had to see that."
"What was that all about anyways?" she asked carefully as she looked at Lucas, demanding an answer.
He looked at Brooke and she nodded her head approvingly.
"Nathan is my half brother. We have the same dad but different moms. We grew up hating each other and he dated Brooke in High School. They broke up and she got pregnant. He left her to go to University and she spent the last 16 years raising her daughter alone…"
"I wasn't alone I had you," Brooke interjected with a grateful smile.
"Well, yeah I helped out. And Nathan got Peyton knocked up just after he moved to LA and they have a daughter the same age as Brooke's. Oh and Peyton and Haley are best friends from High School."
"Wow…" Lindsey breathed out as she looked back and forth between Brooke and Lucas. "That's crazy."
Meanwhile, Haley had run out after Nathan.
"NATHAN!" she yelled as she saw him staggering outside the bar. "I've got him Owen, just go," she insisted as the bartender gave her a strange look but simply nodded.
"What do you want Haley?" he slurred as he turned around to face the brunette.
"I want to help you," she whispered and he turned to her in surprise.
"You want to help me?" he laughed bitterly. "I just about knocked the lights out of your good friend, I abandoned your other good friend and my daughter, and I have a terrible marriage with your best friend and you want to help me?"
"Yes, I want to help you. Nathan, you're a good guy deep down. I can see it and I want to help you. My son has a father and although we aren't together, I can't imagine what it would be like to not have Julian in our lives. Sophia needs you."
"She has Lucas," Nathan snorted as he sat down on the edge of the curb with his head in his hands.
Haley sat down beside him and rubbed circles on his back soothingly. "Yes, she does have Lucas but she needs you too. She can have both of you in her life. Lucas may be what she considers her father but you can start by being a friend to her."
"And how do I do that? She hates me," Nathan sighed as she looked at Haley helplessly.
"Slowly, you need to work your way back into her life. But this has to stop. You have to quit being this Nathan and be the Nathan that Brooke fell in love with."
"I wish it was that easy."
"If I help you become a part of Sophia's life will you make me a promise?" Haley asked quietly.
"Sure," Nathan nodded. "What do I have to do?"
"Be easy on Peyton. She's trying so hard to give her daughter a good life and be the best wife that she can be and you're taking her for granted."
Nathan cracked a smile. "I can do that."
"Well I should get going but it was nice talking to you Nathan," Haley smiled as she stood up and brushed herself off.
"Haley?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks," Nathan smiled as she pulled Haley in for a hug.
"For?"
"Believing in me," he smiled as he let go of the brunette. "You're a good person, Haley. I just thought that you should know that."
"Thanks Nate. You're a good person too. We all are. You've just lost your way and I hope you find it soon because you're wasting time."
Then she was gone.
AN: I tried to make this chapter super long because it's probably the last update in about a month or so, unless I get a chance to update while on vacation, which is highly unlikely. Sawyer just didn't fit into this chapter so I apologize that she didn't make an appearance but she will next chapter. I promise that Brulian will not evolve into anything serious although there may be hints of romance and as for Lincas, I have an idea for them but they will not be anything serious either. Brulian and Lincus are merely Brucas distractions although I can promise you that Brucas will be together soon. Next chapter will have more Jeyton and Brucas love. There will also be more Naley and as you can see Haley believes in Nathan and she's gonna make him a better person. Please review and let me know what you think. Also would you rather Rachel end up with Owen or Julian? Let me know in a review which you'd like.