A/N: Mariposa101! Thank you for your kind words! There will definitely be more on the way!
"Haley? Are you still mad at Nathan?" Ava asked, sipping on a cup of hot cocoa as the two walked down the Market Street dock together.
Haley knew how much Ava looked up to her, so she always set aside some special time to spend with her. She was the youngest in a very large family, so having Ava around was just as much fun for her as it was for Ava.
"Stay out of it, Ava." Haley sang.
"He really didn't know there was a note, I promise." Ava crossed her fingers over her heart. "And he didn't pass it around."
"Ava, are you covering for your brother?" Haley knelt down to look her in the eyes.
Ava wasn't a liar, but she had a way of sweet talking her way out of trouble. Haley had no doubt that skill extended to others.
"No." Ava shook her head. "I was with him a lot at the party. He wasn't even being mean to Lucas."
As upset as Haley was, that little detail did count for something. If Nathan wasn't even messing with Lucas, maybe he really hadn't done what Brooke said he did.
"Nathan! Nathan!"
Nathan stopped lifting weights and set them down once he heard the sound of his sister's voice. He thought that getting in a little workout would keep his mind off of what happened the night before, but Ava was just as good a distraction as any.
"Ava, does your mom know you're here?" Was the first thing out of the teen's mouth.
He didn't want another repeat of her roaming around Tree Hill without anyone knowing. That was really dangerous and the fact that it happened in the first place, didn't sit right with him.
"Yeah." Ava nodded excitedly, skipping up the driveway with her shoelaces untied. "Wanna play?"
"Sure. Why don't we play to eleven?" Nathan stopped her, pointing to the bench he had just been sitting on. Ava pouted, but sat down and allowed him to tie both her shoes.
She watched as he bent down so he could reach her properly. He placed one foot on his leg and looped the strings around one another to make two bunny ears. Ava could feel how careful he was being, trying not to tie her laces too tight.
"Is that tight enough?"
"Uh huh. Thank you." She smiled in adoration before they both stood up again. "Can I have the ball first?"
"Sure." Nathan picked up a basketball and passed it to his sister.
"What do I get when I win?"
"A cookie."
"Can I keep your sweater instead?"
"Sure." Nathan shrugged. He was going to let her keep it anyway. "But what do I get when I win?"
"A kiss?" Ava didn't really have anything to give him except that.
"Sounds fair." Nathan thought she was just adorable. "Go ahead."
Ava smirked and began dribbling, watching her brother carefully to see what he would do. When he went to steal the ball from her, she dribbled between his legs, running around him before she made a layup.
"That's one!"
"Okay, okay." Nathan laughed, gaining possession of the ball. It was good to know that he didn't have to go easy on her. "You got lucky, but you won't score again. I guess you don't get to keep my sweater."
"We'll see." Ava began guarding him, only stopping once Brooke made her way up the driveway. "You have company. Brooke's here."
Nathan gave her a look of disbelief, only turning around when she pointed at his classmate "What do you want, Brooke?" He asked, clearly not happy to see her.
After what she did at the party, it wasn't a surprise.
"To apologize for what I did to you. You and Haley."
Ava had to give it to Brooke. She did look like she was really sorry. And she knew how hard it was to apologize. It was such and embarrassing and uncomfortable feeling.
"You're apologizing?"
"Weird, right? I'm sorry."
"Whatever." Nathan rolled his eyes.
"I want you to know, I'm going to fix it. I'm gonna get you and Haley back on track."
The last thing Brooke wanted, was for Nathan and Haley's relationship to be ruined by the stupid thing she did.
"Not gonna happen. She made that pretty clear this morning."
Nathan tried to talk to Haley earlier that morning and explain what happened. He found her picking out CDs at the music store with Lucas after he asked her mom for her whereabouts. But Haley wouldn't really give him the time of day.
"Leave it to me. What do you want to do on your date?"
"What date?"
"Never mind. No time to waste. I'll call you with the details. Hey, cutie, what's Haley's favorite food?"
Ava looked at Nathan, waiting for his approval and at his nod, she jogged over to Brooke and whispered it in her ear.
"Thanks a bunch, I'll catch you later." Brooke fist bumped her before making a quick exit, leaving the two siblings wondering what she was up to.
"Any new messages?" Lucas asked his sister, stuffing some mac and cheese in the microwave for her.
Ava had only been home for a couple minutes. After playing that short game with Nathan, she decided to spend the rest of the day with Carter. The two pooled what little money they had and bought a couple of hotdogs for lunch. There wasn't much to do in town and they didn't really want to go to the park, so they just decided to take a really long stroll until going their separate ways.
But, Carter, always the gentleman, made sure Ava got home safely before he took off.
Since no one was home, Ava sat in the kitchen, listening to the answering machine to entertain herself.
"Yeah." She nodded as she pressed a button on the phone to play their newest voicemails, just as their mother entered the house.
"Bongiorno, I am Marcello Viviari of the Genoculudidian Institute in Florence." A male voice spoke through the phone. "I am calling for Signora Karen Roe."
"He's Italian." Ava grinned at her little bit of knowledge of the foreign language, making Karen smile and ruffle her hair.
"When does that 'do not call' list kick in?" Lucas joked.
"Excuse me, but we haven't heard from you." The man continued. "We sent a letter inviting you to start next week and, uh, we haven't heard a word so would you be kind enough to call me back?" He finished before Karen reached over and deleted the message.
"Isn't that the school you've been talking about forever?" Lucas moved towards the table with the bowl of food and two spoons, handing one to Ava, who immediately dug in.
"Yeah."
"Mom, that's great!"
"It's no big deal." Karen shook her head. "I'm not gonna go."
"It's a big deal, Mom." Lucas insisted. "Come on, it's a huge deal."
"Well, maybe I'll just go some other time." Karen wiped some cheese off of Ava's cheek and stole a spoonful of the food.
"No, Mom. Now's the time. Come on, you've put your whole life on hold for me and for Ava. Every choice you've made has been about us."
"That's the way it's supposed to be. I'm your mother "
"And, Ava and I want you you to have this. Right, Squirt?" Lucas winked at his sister.
"Do it, Mama." Ava nodded, still eating as if she hadn't had a meal in days.
If Lucas didn't stop talking, and start eating, there would be no food left at the rate she was going.
"See? It's time for you to do something for yourself."
"I'll think about it."
"Don't think about it, Mom. Do it."
"How was your day with Nathan, sweetheart?" Karen asked, brushing some hair from Ava's face.
At first, Ava opened her mouth to answer, but then she clamped it shut, not wanting to upset Lucas.
Lucas saw her reaction and smiled at her. He saw how Nathan was with her and he still didn't trust the guy, but, so far, he was really good with her. He knew how important spending time with Nathan was to her, so he wasn't going to make her feel bad for enjoying herself.
"We played basketball." Ava beamed proudly.
"Really, who won?"
"Me!"
"Bastard! Bastard!" Sarah and Eliza sang as they teased Ava the next day during recess.
Usually, the teasing was tolerable, but ever since Lucas joined the basketball team, it had only gotten worse with every passing day. Their words grew harsher, the harassment was a lot more frequent, they even passed Ava mean notes during class and smiled when they watched her face fall.
Ava didn't know how much more of this she could take.
"Cut it out!" Maddie crossed her arms.
And even though Sam really didn't like confrontation, she defended Ava, too. "Leave her alone!"
But the two bullies continued their verbal attacks.
"How's it feel to have a dad that never wanted you?" Sarah asked. "Why do you have his last name if he doesn't even care about you?"
She knew that was one of Ava's biggest insecurities. Bearing the 'Scott' name meant that everybody in town knew who her father was. Which meant they also knew that he wasn't in her life. It was like carrying a big sign that said 'Hey, look at me!'
"Sarah, why do you have to be so mean all the time? Don't you get tired of it?" Carter asked.
The teasing caught his attention and he quickly left his beloved game of baseball to get involved. Usually, Ava told him not to worry about it because she could take care of it herself, but even Carter was getting fed up with hearing everything this two girls had to say.
And a lot of it wasn't even true.
Ava just didn't understand why she was the target of all their aggression.
She had never done anything to them. She had never given them a reason to harass her everyday.
But bullies never really needed a reason, did they?
"I heard that her mother was a home wrecker, and her father regrets ever meeting her…...at least that's what my mom says. My real mom." Eliza smirked. "She tells me everything. You wouldn't know anything about that, because you don't have a mother, not really."
Ava's eyes burned, but she refused to allow the tears to fall. She wouldn't give Sarah and Eliza the satisfaction of making her cry.
"My dad said that your mother only took you in to get back at your dad for what he did to her." Sarah shrugged before her face lit up. "Hey, Ava…who's taking you to the father/daughter dance on Friday? Oh, right….you don't really have a father, do you? Guess you can't go."
Ava had been keeping the flyer for the dance in her bag and never showed it to anyone. She didn't want anyone in the family to know about it. If no one knew about it and she didn't go, then it was no big deal.
Until Sarah revealed it to the whole class.
That sly comment was the last straw.
Ava had enough.
With a big sigh, the nine year old drew her arm back and punched Eliza right in the nose, sending her flying.
Even though she hadn't said very much, Eliza was closest to her, so she got the first bit of Ava's growing rage.
She wasn't a fighter, so as soon as Ava's fist connected with her nose, she screamed as loudly as she could. Her hand flew up to her nose and her screams only grew more frantic when she saw the blood that was flowing out of it.
That prompted Sarah to throw herself at right at Ava and knock her onto the grass beneath them.
But Ava was too angry to lose this fight. The ashen blonde rolled on top of Sarah and yanked at her hair, making her scream and scratch at her arms. So Ava let go of her hair and went straight to punching her, the way her older brother had taught her to do if she ever needed to defend herself.
The way they did in the movies.
She didn't get as in many hits as she wanted to before Carter ripped her off of Sarah, right as a teacher began making her way over to the children. And the woman didn't look pleased.
That's when a distressing thought occurred to her.
She started this fight and the school had a zero tolerance policy. She was going to be in so much trouble.
And for what? Because she couldn't ignore a few stupid little comments?
As her mind began to race, so did her feet.
And she was gone before anyone could stop her.
"What's with the boxes?" Keith asked as Karen passed him carrying several boxes on her own. He was on a little lunch break from the auto shop and decided he wanted to get a small cup of coffee and see Karen in the process.
The cafe was the perfect place to do both.
"Oh, bookshelves." She answered. "And they were supposed to come assembled."
"Are you gonna put them together all by yourself?" He quirked an eyebrow.
He didn't doubt her ability to do it, he just didn't think she had the time.
"Actually, I was going to offer you dinner to help me."
"Sold." Keith grinned.
He had always secretly admired Karen, but was always afraid to admit how he felt.
"Perfect. I'll be closing the cafe around seven…..so it's a date?"
"It's a date." Keith nodded before the phone rang.
Karen exhaled laboredly as she put all the boxes down and picked up the receiver. "Karen's Cafe, how may I help you?"
Keith watched as Karen's face dropped and her eyebrows furrowed. He couldn't hear what was being said, but he knew that by the look on her face, it couldn't be good.
"Oh really?" Karen spoke. "What do you mean, she left?" She questioned. "And you let her?! Of course I don't know where she is! She's supposed to be in school, under your supervision!"
"She's missing?" Keith asked, standing up out of his seat. He didn't need to be told that phone call was about Ava.
Karen nodded, still listening on the phone. "Thank you for letting me know. I'll find her." She said before hanging up. "Ava got into a fight and ran off. I need to close the cafe to find her. Keith, she must be so scared! Something must've really set her off! She's never done anything like this before! What if I can't find her?"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Keith rushed to comfort her before she grew hysterical. "We're gonna find her. She's gonna be okay. Just take a deep breath. Okay?" He coached. "Business is busy right now, you don't need to close, I'll go out and I'll find her, okay?"
"Keith if she—"
"—She's gonna be fine. She got just got a little upset and she ran off. Kids do it all the time. I'll find her. She's around here somewhere."
"Call me as soon as you do." Karen took a shaky breath. "And call me if you don't."
"I will."
"Is Nathan joining us?" Dan asked as Deb began to set the island top for dinner.
"Uh, no." She shook her head. "He had a date with Haley."
"His tutor?" Dan raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Must be a mercy thing."
"Okay, you did not just say that."
"Come on, she's from Westover. Her father works for the power company."
'So, what are you saying?" Deb questioned. "That she's somehow…..beneath him?"
"Don't be so dramatic." Dan scoffed, finding nothing wrong with what he just said. "I'm just saying that Nathan could do better."
"Hmm, funny." Deb smirked. "That's what my parents said about you."
"And I proved them wrong."
"Well that may be. You should give Haley a chance to do the same."
Dan never got an opportunity to respond, because the house phone rang. "Odd." He commented when he looked at the caller I.D.
"Who is it?"
"Karen."
He wasn't sure why she was calling him, especially at this time, but it wasn't like he was going to leave her hanging.
"Answer it, it might be important."
"Doubt it." Dan shrugged, but answered the phone anyway, immediately getting a mouthful. "Karen? Karen, slow down!" He tried to get a word in, but the woman on the other line just wouldn't calm down. "Say that again, but slower…..okay, well did she win?….Sorry, not the point, go ahead..…What do you mean, you can't find her?"
"What's wrong?" Deb asked.
"Ava ran away." He mouthed to his wife, his eyes betraying the concern he was feeling. "You looked everywhere? Don't call the police, they'll just make it worse. I'll find her and I'll bring her home…...Karen…...Karen! I'll bring her home." He said before hanging up.
"What happened?" Deb questioned. "Why did she run away? That doesn't sound like Ava at all."
While it was true that she didn't really know Ava too well, the little girl didn't strike her as the type to run away and make her mother worry. In fact, from what she had seen and heard, Ava was always attached to her mother's apron strings.
Something was very wrong.
"She got into a fight at school and she ran off right in the middle of recess. Keith spent hours looking for her and he looked in all the places she might be, but there's no sign of her."
"Why did you tell her not to call the police?"
"Because she's out there somewhere and if the police find her and approach her, it's gonna scare the crap out of her. She's probably already scared out of her mind." Dan explained, putting his jacket on, dinner was now long forgotten. "I'll find her."
Dan couldn't remember a time where he had been this frantic about something. If he didn't find Ava after he literally just promised Karen that he would, he'd never forgive himself.
Ava sniffled and pulled her jacket tighter around her middle as she sat on the edge of the fountain by the Market Street Docks, wishing she had put a thicker sweater on before leaving the house that morning.
Then again, the temperature was dropping because the sun was getting low.
And she wasn't even supposed to be out at night like this.
She knew she should've gone home hours ago, but she was too upset to face her mother, who was probably angry with her for running off in the first place. Not running off was a pretty big rule in the Roe-Scott household and Ava just broke it tenfold.
But she couldn't help it. She hadn't planned to run away from school. Sarah and Eliza just went too far with their teasing and she just couldn't take it anymore.
But it was getting late now. She was cold and she was hungry, and she didn't know what to do.
She couldn't go home and school was out, so she couldn't go there either. Going to Maddie and Carter's houses was out of the question, because their parents would just call Ava's mother.
Taking a deep breath, she looked around at everyone on the street. A girl and her father caught her eye.
It looked like he had asked her to dance along with the band that was playing live in the background.
She could see the light in the girl's eyes as she stood on his shoes and he spun around, careful not to let her fall.
Ava would never have that.
And that thought alone made tears well up in her own eyes.
Sarah and Eliza were right.
She was a bastard.
All these years, Karen protected her from that reality. But she was older now and she could handle the truth. She supposed she ought to be grateful to Sarah and Eliza for telling her what she needed to hear instead of letting her live in ignorance.
"I didn't think I'd find you here." Dan startled her with his sudden presence. "Can I sit down?"
By the look of the flushed color on Ava's face, the nine year old had been wandering around all day, which was why Keith couldn't find her. She probably just got tired enough to take a load off of her feet.
"I don't care." She shrugged, quickly wiping her face of any evidence that she had been crying. "It's a public place."
"You know, your mother's worried sick about you."
"Yeah, I'll bet." Ava kept her gaze on the girl and her father, refusing to look at Dan.
If she did, she might lose control and really start crying.
"I heard you got in a fight today at school." Dan changed the subject. "How'd that happen?"
"What do you care?" She quipped. "It's not like I mean anything to you."
"Ava..…" Dan sighed. This was a tough conversation that he didn't think he'd be having in the middle of town, but there was no avoiding it now. "I do care." He spoke firmly. "You're my daughter. Our relationship isn't what either of us want it to be, but believe me when I say that there isn't a day that goes by where I don't think of you."
"Is that why you never come see me?"
"I deserved that." Dan accepted. "There's a reason for that and you won't understand it now, but, hopefully, you'll understand it when you're older."
There was so much that happened over the past nine years that Ava didn't know about. Now wasn't the right time to hash it out and Dan honestly thought that she was too young to hear any of it.
She was already sensitive and insecure. She needed to do a lot more growing before they opened that can of worms.
"Okay." Ava shivered, listening to the soft jazz music.
She never understood it when people said that music could make you cry.
Not until now.
Even though there were no lyrics being sung, she could hear what the music was saying.
She could feel it.
And it was lonely.
Empty.
Longing.
Stretching out for something that was so far out of reach, any sane person would understand that it would probably never be attainable, so why try?
But the music was trying.
It was failing, but it was still trying.
"Ava, I know that you and I are nowhere near as close as we should be, but I thought that we were getting somewhere. What happened at school today?"
Dan knew that somebody must've put something in her head to make her think this way. The little girl sitting next to him was not the same little girl from a few days ago and he wanted to know why.
"Sarah and Eliza were teasing me." She admitted, proving his suspicions to be correct.
"Again?" Dan couldn't help the way his nostrils flared. "What did they say to you?"
"All kinds of things..…it doesn't really matter." The nine year old shrugged and scoffed her shoe on the ground.
"It does if what they said is making you this upset. Tell me."
"They said that my mama was a home wrecker who you never want to see again…...they said that you never cared about me and my mom took me in just to get back at you." Ava's tears renewed themselves as she watched the man lift his daughter up.
She hoped that smile never disappeared from that girl's face. She hoped that whenever she needed something, or if she ever got into trouble, she never doubted that she could count on her father to help her.
She hoped that the girl knew how much her father loved her.
Because there was nothing worse than not knowing.
It was an empty hole that didn't just dwell, it hurt.
And Ava wouldn't wish that on anybody...not even Sarah.
"Did it ever occur to you that these kids just might be a little jealous of you?" Dan asked.
"Of what?" That got Ava to look in his direction.
"It's obvious they're lacking something in life, and they see that you have something that they want, so they're making you feel just as miserable as they are."
"I don't get it. What do I have that they want?"
"You have a loving mother who is out of her mind because you ran off. So out of her mind, she called me." He noticed her crack a smile. "You have two brothers that love you."
"Two?" Ava questioned. She had no doubt that Lucas loved her, but she and Nathan barely knew each other. She wasn't sure where they stood.
"Oh yeah. You should've heard Nathan going on and on about how much you loved the car he gave you for your birthday. And that game you guys played? He was over the moon about it. He adores you." Dan confirmed. "And you have an uncle that teaches you all kinds of cool things. You have a Haley. I mean, come on, who else has a Haley?"
He wasn't necessarily fond of Haley James, but he saw the way she interacted with Ava and he saw how much the two adored each other.
"Nobody has a Haley. She's all mine." Ava giggled.
"See? That's plenty to be jealous of." Dan mirrored her smile before looking in the direction she was originally looking.
He saw the little girl and her father.
They looked happy.
Secure.
"I'm gonna be honest with you, I don't particularly wish to see your mother again, because what we did was wrong. We were in a dark place, and we made a mistake. But you were not a mistake. You just weren't planned. There's a difference." He spoke firmly, wanting her to believe him. "Karen didn't take you in to get back at me. That's not who she is and I know you know that, too. She took you in because the moment she saw you, she loved you. She saw a piece of Lucas that was missing and she knew you were a part of the family. Don't let a couple of idiots downplay her love for you."
Ava just nodded and shoved her hands in her pockets, mulling all of that over. "I came here, because people make wishes in fountains." She explained why she was there when she could've been anywhere else. "I already made a wish on my birthday and it was coming true…...so I thought that if I wished again…...at this fountain, it would work faster." She shrugged.
"I don't know." Dan dug in his pocket and held out a quarter. "Why don't you find out?"
Ava nodded and took the coin, closing her eyes and making her wish, before tossing it in the water.
And she opened her eyes just in time to see Dan doing the same. "What'd you wish for?"
Dan didn't say anything. He just smiled and cupped her chin, wiping away some residual tears that had fallen from her eyes. "The music's pretty tonight, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Ava was surprised when the man stood up and held his hand out to her. "What're you doing?"
"Havana-Rose Scott, may I have this dance?"
"Yes." Ava smiled and allowed him to lead her away from the fountain and pull her into a light sway.
"So who won?" Dan asked all of a sudden.
"What?"
"You got into a fight." He clarified. "Who won?"
"I did." Ava couldn't help but grin proudly.
"Nice…..don't tell your mom I said that."
"I won't."
"I've lived a life that's full. I traveled each and every highway. And more, much more than this, I did it my way." Dan sung softly to the music as he twirled Ava around. "Regrets, I've had a few. But then again, too few to mention. I did what I had to do. I saw it through, without exemption."
The air didn't seem to be cold anymore as the two danced arm in arm.
Sure, this didn't make up for the years and years of isolation from her father, but right now, at this moment, she didn't care about any of that.
He was here. And she was here. In his arms.
And it felt nice.
"For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught. To say the things he truly feels, and not the words of one who kneels. The record shows, I took the blows. And did it my way." Dan finished as the song came to an end. "Yes, it was my way."
"What's on your mind, Baby?" Dan asked, looking back at his daughter through the rearview mirror.
After their dance finished, he decided it was time to get out of the cold. Ava wasn't ready to go home yet, so the only other option was to drive around for a while. Of course, he called her mother to let her know she was safe before he even put that plan into action.
Ava shrugged as her hands glided over the carseat she had been placed in. Nathan was too big for a carseat and it looked brand new, so it couldn't have been something that was stuck in storage.
Plus, it was pink and it had little crowns and tiaras on it. One of the ones where the back would come off when it was time and a lot like the one she had in her mother's car.
"You know, neither one of us is leaving this car until you tell me what's wrong."
"Just thinking."
"Are you thinking about that father/daughter dance coming up?"
"How'd you know about that?"
"Keith told me about it."
"But I didn't tell him." Ava frowned.
"No, but your friend did. What's his name? Carter?"
"Yeah…..he's my best friend."
"He's a good kid." Dan smiled. "Is that what those girls were teasing you about today?"
"Yeah." Ava nodded, still not looking at him, her insecurities flooding back to her. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. You don't have to make me feel better. I know I'm a bastard and—"
"—Havana-Rose Scott, I don't ever want to hear that word come out of your mouth again." Dan turned around when he stopped at a red light. "Especially not when you're referring to yourself. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes." Ava was a little surprised at her father's sudden change in attitude. She knew that word wasn't a good one, but she didn't realize just how offensive it really was.
"Ava, is that why you came to the house the other day?" Dan took his foot off the brake when the light changed, trying to quell his anger. He wasn't upset with her, not by a long shot, but this kind of bullying couldn't continue. "Nathan told me you were looking for me."
"No…..yes." Ava nodded. "But it's okay if you don't wanna go…it was dumb."
She didn't know why she was making such a big deal out of all of this.
It was just a dance.
"Do you want to go?"
"Yeah….."
"Then it's not dumb. I'll be there."
"Mama, look!" Ava ran into the house once Dan brought her to the front door of the house.
"Ava!" Karen scooped the child up into her arms, cradling her head before she planted several kisses on her face. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Mama." Ava tried to wiggle out of her arms.
"Thank you, Dan." The woman smiled at her ex while their daughter was blissfully unaware of their feelings towards each other.
"Don't mention it. I'd do it again, you know that."
"Mhm." Karen nodded, looking at the item Ava was hanging onto. "What's this?"
"Oh, I, uh…..I bought her dress." Dan explained the covered article of clothing. "I heard she has a dance coming up."
"He said he'd take me." Ava beamed, her smile so wide, it showed off her never-changing lack of front teeth. "Mama? Can I wear makeup?"
She didn't think Karen would let her wear makeup, but she wanted to give it a shot.
"We'll talk about it." Karen kissed her cheek once more before she put her down. "Why don't you go put that dress in your closet and take a bath? You're messy."
Her hair was in disarray and her clothes were all askew.
Messy wasn't the word for it.
"I'm not messy." Ava giggled, moving closer to her father before she crooked her finger. "Come here, please."
Dan's eyebrows shot up to his forehead, but when Karen laughed, he bent down to Ava's height. "What is it, Baby?"
"Thank you." Ava looked him in the eye before wrapping her arms around his neck.
"You're very welcome." Dan flashed a grin of his own. "What time is the dance?"
"Five." Karen supplied. "They're letting them out of school early."
"I'll pick you up at four." He winked.
"I have an idea." Karen couldn't believe she was about to suggest this, but she was doing it for Ava's sake. "How about you pick her up from school and take her for the weekend?"
Ava's eyes lit up so much they practically shined. Even Dan was shocked by the offer.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"Yeah, it'll give you two a chance to get to know each other." Karen's smile grew to be a little forced, but Ava was none the wiser. "You can pick her stuff up at the cafe in the morning."
"Okay."
"Yay!" Ava jumped for joy, making Karen feel like it would almost be worth it.
"You heard your mom, kiddo. I'll pick you up at school before the dance. Now get ready for bed."
"Goodnight!" Ava nodded and ran straight to her room, a huge grin plastered on her face.
Maybe birthday candles and fountain wishes did come true.
"Please tell me that you were somewhere in the land of no phones." Karen glared at her son as he snuck into the house at the crack of dawn.
Ava waved at him as she continued to chow down on her cereal, still dressed in her pjs. Karen decided that today would be a lazy day for the household. Between Ava running away and Lucas being out so late, they could all use the extra rest and relaxation.
"I know." He sighed resignedly. "I should've called."
"Coming home would've been another option."
"You're right. I'm sorry."
"You looked me in the eye and said, 'Go to Italy, I can take care of myself."
"Look, I can, Mom!" Lucas interrupted. "A guy drugged Peyton's drink at a party. Brooke called me for help. I took her home, waited until she felt better." He explained, looking her in the eye. "Truth."
"As excuses go, that's pretty solid." Karen has calmed down significantly. "Is she okay?"
Ava's pajama covered feet swung back and forth as she listened to their conversation, offering Lucas a spoonful of her breakfast.
"Yeah, she'll be fine." The teen accepted the food.
"Drugs, parties, fights, running away, and I'm supposed to go to leave the country." Karens sighed, feeling more relaxed now that she had the full story.
"Hey, don't not go to Italy because of this. Okay, Mom, please?"
"Yeah, please?" Ava pouted adorably.
"We'll see." Karen cupped her chin. "But if I do decide to go, I'm gonna have Keith come and stay here while I'm gone.'
"Yay!" Any day Ava got to spend with Keith was the best day ever.
"Great, just as long as you go." Lucas grinned and pulled a piece of paper out of the pocket of his sweatshirt. "I went on Peyton's computer and booked you a flight on the emergency credit card. Non-refundable." He handed it to her. "We want you to have something for yourself, Mom. You've earned it."
"Alright." Karen returned his smile, pulling both kids in for a hug.
"And what do you mean by fights and running away?" Lucas questioned curiously. "I only went to a party..."
"Ava, do you want to tell your brother what happened at school yesterday?" Karen chuckled as they pulled away.
"I got in a fight." Ava shrugged, gulping down another spoonful of Trix.
"Seriously?" Lucas quirked an eyebrow. "You?"
"Uh huh."
"Who won?"
"Lucas!"
"Mom, if she's gonna get into fights, she might as well be winning them."
"There were two of them. I won."
"Nice." Lucas held his fist out for her to bump it.
"Lucas Eugene Scott!"
"Hey, Ava, could you grab that bag and bring it out to the car?" Keith asked.
"Sure." Ava nodded and lifted up the carry on bag with a bit of effort.
Karen was leaving for Italy and everyone was pitching in to help her get there. Ava was really going to miss her mother, she had never been away from her like this, so it was going to be a really big change.
She helped her pack and everything, but as the minutes closed in, she felt a little sad to see her go. But she was also excited about having Keith stay over.
"I thought you were going for six weeks." Keith joked at the sight of all the luggage.
"This is a lot of stuff." Ava giggled as she nearly tripped over herself.
"So, you're sure you're okay with Deb taking over?' Karen asked Lucas as they made there way over to the car.
In order for Karen to actually go to Italy, Deb had to take over the cafe for six weeks to keep everything up and running. After the basketball sponsor party, the two were becoming fast friends. Deb actually had a hand in convincing Karen to go and follow her dreams.
"Yeah, if it means you'll go." Lucas took the carry on from his sister and tossed it into the car before lifting her up and pretending to throw her in, too.
Ava shrieked and wrapped her fists around his sweater to keep herself steady, still giggling when he put her down.
"Okay." Karen sighed, taking them both in. If she stared long enough, she would be able to take a mental image of what her two children looked like right at this very moment. "I love you." She hugged Lucas first, wanting to give the both of them individual time with her before she hopped in the car.
"I love you, too."
"Look out for your sister."
Karen knew she didn't really have to tell Lucas to watch out for Ava. That had been his self-appointed job since the day she was brought home. Nothing could happen to her as long as he was around.
"You know I will."
Karen turned her attention to her daughter and swung her up onto her hip. "And you." She tapped her nose. "I love you. You be good, okay?"
"Okay.' Ava wrapped her arms around her and squeezed, taking in the scent of her perfume. It was a mix of lavender and rose water. Ava never wanted to forget how warm and safe the scent made her feel, not even for six weeks. "I love you, too, Mama."
"Take care of you brother and have a good time at the dance, okay?"
"Okay." Ava got in one last squeeze before her mother set her down. "Have a good trip."
"Havana!"
The nine year old froze when she heard her older brother hiss out her name.
She looked up from what she was doing and saw Lucas narrowing his eyes at her, making a single slashing motion at his own throat, to silently tell her to cut it out.
The dirty blonde had been walking along the bleachers of the gym in pure boredom, which was something she always did whenever she had to sit in during basketball practice. Keith and Dan were too busy working and Deb had her hands full with the cafe, so Keith asked Lucas and Nathan to keep an eye on their sister.
With Karen being in Italy, Lucas had to be a little more hands on, but he didn't mind. Ava wasn't very high maintenance and she usually listened to him, but after sitting there doing nothing for too long, she was growing very bored.
But since Lucas told her to quit it, she stopped wandering around.
The tension in the air was really thick and she knew now wasn't the time to act out. Even Nathan was giving her an unamused look, pointing at where she should be sitting.
Not wanting to rock the boat, Ava quietly sat down like she was supposed to, getting an empathetic smile from Jake that made her flush pink and turn away.
She wondered if Whitey would let her play sometime. But now wasn't the time to ask.
"When you leave this gym today, I was each one of you to look at the sun, because if you lose to Cove City on Friday, I can pretty much guarantee you that sun will not rise the next day." Whitey spoke to the entire team.
Ava figured this game must've been a really important one, but she didn't understand how serious it was because basketball was still just a game to her.
Whitey's words sounded so ridiculous that everyone, save for Nathan, laughed.
"That's not a joke. I've coached some great players and great teams in this gym, but not one of those great players or great teams has finished a season undefeated. You may be the first. There are only two things separating you from greatness." Whitey continued. "Number one, is Cove City. Number two…..is you."
"Hold it!" Whitey blew his whistle, catching Ava's attention. "That was a foul! Nathan, you've got to get off his back!"
She had no choice but to sit in on her brothers' practice, but this time around, she had her schoolwork to occupy herself enough to sit quietly. She was working on her math problems, division and multiplication equations. She didn't mind all the work she had to do, because this part of it was fun, she just wasn't looking forward to working on fractions.
"Why don't you get off my back, Whitey?"
Ava's jaw dropped at her brother's attitude and she watched closely to see how this would play out. Maybe he'd have to sit in time-out. Her mother made her do that whenever she felt her attitude was getting to be a little too out of control.
It might give Nathan some time to cool off.
"How would you like to call that a practice?"
"Whatever, man. That's fine by me." Nathan slammed the ball down so hard, Ava flinched when it bounced near her. She didn't even say anything to him as he walked away. It didn't seem like a very good time and she didn't want him to yell at her, too.
Maybe the pressure was getting to him.
"Nathan!" Whitey snapped to get his attention.
"What?!" The teen whirled around. "Huh?! What do you want from me?!"
"Just walk away, son. Walk away." Whitey decided to let it go. "Fight ball, up top."
Jake ran over to the bleachers to retrieve the ball, smiling at Ava when she looked at him. "He's going through a rough time right now. Don't worry about it." He tapped her nose before getting back to work.
But Ava was worried and she could tell by the look on Lucas' face, that he was worried, too.
Turns out, Ava had every right to be worried.
Because of all the pressure he was under, Nathan began to take performance enhancing drugs. Ava wasn't really sure what that meant, but she did know that they weren't safe and they made Nathan act funny.
He was more aggressive than usual and lot more mean.
No one could talk to him without him snapping at them, so she just avoided him altogether.
Keith told her that drugs could do that to a person, so she'd better stay away from them for her own sanity and safety.
And the proof was at the Cover City game. Nathan was playing basketball as if he were on a football field. He picked up fouls, barreled into the other players, and argued with anyone that got in his way.
Until he collapsed.
One minute he was on his feet, and the next he was on the floor.
But luckily, the doctors said he'd be alright as long as he stopped taking the drugs. Of course, Ava was very happy about that, but she was still confused at how a tiny little pill could do so much harm.
"Take off your jacket. Make yourself at home." Dan told her as they both entered the house.
Time seemed to have flown by. Ava was a lot more worried about Nathan than she was about the dance. Everyone kept telling her that he would be okay, but she saw when he dropped onto the hard, glossy floor of the gymnasium. She saw when they rushed him away on a stretcher.
How could he be alright after that?
"Are you hungry?" Dan asked her, moving towards the kitchen to give her some space.
Ava took a few moments to respond to his question, shrugging her jacket off of her shoulders before she put it in the closet where she had seen Deb putting everyone's coats that night of the party. "Yes."
Her hand glided along the wall and as explored her way to the kitchen. Of course she had been inside this house a few times before, but this time it was different. This time, she was staying overnight.
"What do you feel for? Pasta?"
Ava just looked around, taking everything, feeling a lot more shy than she had ever felt in her entire life.
"How about, pizza?"
That got her attention. "Yes, please."
"What do you like on your pizza?"
"Broccoli and garlic."
"Alright, go upstairs and hang out with Nathan for a while so I can call this order in." He winked.
"Okay." Ava acquiesced, leaving the kitchen in favor of hiking up the stairs.
She remembered where Nathan's room was and she made sure to knock before she stepped inside. "Hi."
"Hi." Nathan focused on counting the imperfections in the ceiling.
"Can I sit down?"
"Sure." His voice was so soft and it made him sound so small and fragile.
Ava hesitated before she sat down on his bed, keeping a little bit of space between them, almost as if she were afraid to touch him. "Do you feel better?"
"I'm okay." He gave her a small smile.
"Promise?"
"I'm okay." He repeated himself
"Good."
"Don't tell him I told you, but Dad has a surprise for you."
"What is it?"
"I can't tell you that. Your'e just gonna have to wait and find out."
"Are you finished eating?" Dan asked Ava.
The little girl nodded and hopped off of the stool she was sitting on, taking her plate to the sink to wash it.
"I'll do that later." He waved her off. "Follow me."
Ava figured that this must have been the surprise that Nathan told her about earlier. So, she kept her mouth shut and followed her father up the stairs and down the hall. She wondered what he was up to and why he was being so secretive.
"Go ahead." He stopped in front of one of the closed doors on the second floor.
Ava furrowed her eyebrows and turned the knob on the door, shuffling inside. Her mouth dropped open when she saw what was inside.
The room had been decorated just for her!
The walls were painted baby pink and there were white picture frames hanging one right next to the other. The two on the end were pictures of Lady and the Tramp with the middle one being an image of them sharing a plate of spaghetti.
Those frames hung right over a metal white bed with a warm quilt. There was a desk up against a wall and a bench at the foot of the bed with an armchair on the opposite side of the room near a beautiful bookcase.
"How do you like it?" Dan asked her.
Ava tried to thank him, but every time she opened her mouth, nothing came out. So she wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed, hoping it was enough to get her point across.
She loved it.
"Alright." He chuckled, rubbing her back. "Hurry up and get dressed or we're gonna be late for the dance."
"We can get ice cream and brownies! And oh! When I beat you, I'm gonna tell your coach and maybe he'll put me on the team." Ava skipped happily beside Lucas.
The past week or so had been rough on the both of them. Ava had gotten into a fight and ran away, then Lucas helped Peyton and Brooke out, then messed things up with Peyton, but got together with Brooke, basketball practice had been brutal, and Dan took Ava to her dance.
They had such a good time, Ava didn't think the smile left her face the whole night. No one bothered her and no one gave her and her father weird looks for showing up.
It was an all around good time. It was such a good time, that Ava yammered on and on about it, unable to contain her excitement for more than a few minutes at a time.
On top of that, Whitey cancelled practice for the next few days. Nathan was doing a lot better, but he still wanted the team to get as much rest and relaxation as they needed to. He realized that he had been putting a lot of pressure on them and Nathan's ordeal really opened his eyes.
Lucas figured that he should spend some quality time with his little sister, since he hadn't really gotten a chance to since he joined the team and now was as a good a time as any.
So they were doing whatever she wanted for the day.
And she wanted to go to the River Court and shoot some hoops with the guys.
So that was exactly where they were headed.
"Hey." Lucas greeted Jake as they walked by his house which was on the way to the court.
"Hey." Jake smiled, lightly strumming the strings of his guitar as he sat on his front steps. "Hi, Princess Ava."
"Hi." Ava smiled, dribbling her brother's basketball.
"We were just on our way down to the River Court, man, thought maybe you'd want to shoot around."
"Yeah, it kind of feels weird not having Saturday practice, right?"
"Never thought I'd miss it." Lucas chuckled, sitting down next to him as Ava continued dribbling.
"She's pretty good." Jake commented. "How long has she been at that?"
"I made sure I put a ball in her hands as soon as she was stable enough to run." Lucas joked, making him laugh. "So how about it?"
"I appreciate it, but I kind of have to stay around the house today."
"What, are you grounded?"
"No." Jake chuckled. "Not exactly."
"Are you sick?" But when he didn't get an answer, Lucas shrugged and stood up. "Alright…...well, if you don't want to hang out with me, it's cool. Alright? I'll see you later, man."
"Luke." Jake stopped him. "Come on in." He stood up and opened the door, ushering the siblings into the house.
Ava stopped dribbling as soon as she entered and set the ball down on the floor, spotting a crib. "A baby!" She gasped and rushed over.
Ava loved babies, but she never really got to interact with them because there was no one in the family that had one. This baby was so cute! She was lying in her crib, looking up at them with curiosity.
"Yeah, that's Jenny." Jake smiled at her enthusiasm.
"Is she….."
"Yeah, she's all mine." Jake nodded, reading Lucas' thoughts.
"You have your own baby?" Ava's jaw dropped, peering over the crib at Jenny. "She looks like my dolls."
"She does?" Jake lifted her up so she could get an even better look. "Do you want to hold her?"
He never really let anyone hold Jenny except for his parents, but Ava was so excited to meet and he knew that she was responsible enough to take this seriously, so he'd give it a shot.
"Can I?"
"Sure you can." He set her down and handed her a bottle of milk. "Go sit down on the couch."
"Okay!"
Jake lifted Jenny out of the crib and moved towards the couch where Ava sat down, before placing her in her arms. "Support her head." He said as he helped her hold the baby properly. "Now you can feed her."
Ava gently put the bottle in Jenny's mouth, not wanting to be too rough, and watched in fascination as the baby chugged the milk.
Her dolls definitely did not do this.
"Wow, this is unbelievable." Lucas shook his head in amazement. "How old is she?"
"She's six months, nine days, and a couple of hours." Jake answered proudly.
"Who's the mother?"
"Uh, that's a long story, but let's just say she's out of the picture."
"So you're raising her all by yourself?"
"No." Jake shook his head. "My parents work nights and they help out a lot, between the three if us, we're handling it."
"That explains a lot about you, man. But why keep her a secret?"
"Oh come on, you know how people are." Jake took the empty bottle from Ava and helped sit Jenny sit up on her lap.
"Yeah, but if you treat this like it's something to be ashamed of, your daughter will carry that around with her for the rest of her life."
"Well, no…..I'm not ashamed of her." Jake told him. "I'm just trying to protect her."
"You know, my mom did the same thing. When I found out the truth about who I was, there was a part of me that thought that maybe, she kept it a secret because she was ashamed of me." Luca shrugged. "Trust me, man, you don't want to hide this."
Jake nodded, really taking in what his friend had just told him.
He wasn't ashamed of Jenny. Not at all.
He was afraid of the way everyone else would think of him after they found out about her.
But was hiding her away like this worth it?
"We're gonna head out." Lucas put a hand on his shoulder. "I promised a certain someone that we'd spend the day doing whatever she wanted to do and she's really cashing in." He joked.
"You'd better not keep her waiting." Jake laughed and took Jenny from Ava. "Say bye bye, Jenny." He made the baby's hand wave.
"Bye, Jenny." Ava smiled and picked up her brother's ball. "Bye, Jake."
"See you around, Princess."
"Havana-Rose Scott!" Haley scolded. "You put that ball away and calm down."
Ava's eyes widened when she heard her full name and she immediately stopped dribbling her basketball, looking like a deer in the headlights. She knew she wasn't supposed to play around in the cafe, but when the cat was away...
"Don't give me that look." Haley narrowed her eyes. "Go."
"Do I have to?"
"Are you kidding?"
Ava shrieked when the older girl jumped at her and ran behind the counter, putting the ball down before Haley could get her.
"Hey." Peyton couldn't help but laugh. She had just walked into the cafe to see everyone who showed up to the open mic night when she caught the tail end of Haley and Ava's conversation.
"Hey." Haley smiled. "Would you give me a second?"
"Sure, go ahead." Peyton chuckled.
"Havana-Rose." Haley glared at the nine year old, who had since stopped dribbling her ball, but began entertaining herself by running around. "Sit. Down." She pointed to one of the empty chairs.
Ava pouted, but sat down anyway, making sure that Haley knew how annoyed she was by this whole thing.
"I'm sorry." Haley turned back to Peyton with a tight smile. "She spent the day rough housing with her brother, she's having a hard time winding down."
"It's fine. It's cool seeing her drive you crazy." Peyton joked, looking around the crowded area. "I guess all those flyers weren't a complete waste of trees." She referred to all the flyers Haley had her draw some art on, to advertise the open mic night they were having at the cafe.
Ava had been too occupied to really know about what was going on with her mother's business, but she knew that Haley and Deb had it all under control.
"Thank you so much for your help." Haley gushed. "Oh, just grab an apron." She instructed, making like she was going to walk away. "I'm kidding!" She laughed when she saw Peyton's unamused expression. "Sit wherever you want, order whatever you want, on the house. I'm glad you came."
"Brownies?" Deb held a plate full of the sweet treat out to Ava.
Ava's face immediately lit up once she saw and took the plate from the blonde, taking a bite. "Thank you."
"Don't eat it all at once." The woman smiled, walking back behind the counter.
She was technically Ava's stepmother and she wanted to have a good relationship with her. She figured that brownies were a good place to start. From what Haley told her, Ava had a real sweet tooth.
"Listen, Deb." Lucas approached her, scratching the back of his neck. "I just wanted to say you're doing a great job. My mom will be happy."
They got off to a rough start, because unlike Ava, Lucas wasn't a young child. It was harder to connect with him.
"That means a lot to me." She smiled. "Thanks, Lucas."
"And, about the the other night…..."
"Yeah, yeah I know you think I overstepped my bounds."
"No." Lucas shook his head. "It's just that if you have a problem with me, could you…..could you just talk to me about first?"
"You got it."
"Alright." He smiled, catching his sister's eye. "Hey, Squirt." He ruffled her hair. "Enjoying yourself?"
"Uh huh. Uh huh." Ava nodded exaggeratedly as she chewed her food.
"Make sure you stay close, okay?" After that whole incident where Ava ran away, Lucas wasn't taking any chances with his sister disappearing again.
"Okay." Ava, for once, wasn't at all annoyed by his overprotectiveness. She was just happy she got the chance to enjoy some dessert before she had even had dinner.
"Hey." Haley walked up to the stage and stood up at the mic. "So, I just want to remind everybody that the stage is open, if anybody has any hidden talent they want to reveal—"
"—I'll give it a shot." Jake spoke as he entered the cafe, carrying Jenny.
"Great." Haley waved him over. "Come on up. Jake Jagelski everyone."
Jake made his way onto the stage and set Jenny's carrier on the floor next to the stool he had sat down on. "So normally, I only sing for my daughter. But something that a friend said, convinced me that I should open up to a wider audience, and this seemed like the right time and place. So, everyone, this is my daughter, Jenny. And Jenny, this is my whole world." He smiled and began playing his guitar.
At some point, Ava decided that an entire plate of brownies was a bit too much for one person, so she skipped over to the opposite side of the cafe, hopping onto her brother's lap.
"I told you not to do that." He groaned, shifting her so that she was actually sitting on his lap and not his stomach.
"Hi, cutie." Brooke smiled from her place next to Lucas. "Having a good time?"
"Yeah." Ava nodded. "I have brownies, want some?"
"Of course!" Brooke lit up and took one.
"Where did you get all these brownies from?" Lucas asked as he took one himself.
"Deb gave 'em to me." The little girl shrugged. "She gave me too much."
The three sat comfortably on the couch, eating the rest of the brownies as Jake continued to sing. Usually, soft music calmed Ava down, but since she had consumed so much sugar, her energy levels were rising instead of falling.
She felt like bouncing off the walls.
And she probably would've if there weren't so many people in the room blocking her way.
So, to compensate, as soon as Lucas stood up, she hopped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck, getting a free piggy back ride over to Haley and Nathan.
"Listen, man, some of the guys and I are gonna do down to the River Court, I wanted to know if you and the team wanted to come." Lucas spoke to his brother.
"Why?"
"Cause it's fun." Lucas smiled. "Don't you remember?"
"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to a historic game of basketball." Mouth announced form the court side of the River Court. "I'm Mouth McFadden and tonight this is the only game that matters."
Lucas and Nathan played together on the same team, looking as if they were having fun, while Ava sat with Peyton and Brooke on top of Peyton's Comet with Jenny in between them.
"Go, Skills!" Ava stood on top of the car. "Win!"
Peyton put her up there so that she could cheer everyone on, but she was keeping an eye on her to make sure she didn't fall.
"What're you doing rooting for the other team?" Nathan questioned after sinking in a basket.
"Cause she knows I'm better, dawg." Skills quipped, dribbling the ball down the court and shooting a three. "See? That was for you, Ankle-Biter!"
"What are you doing on top of a car like that, Trouble?" Haley asked as she made her way over to the girls.
She had just gotten off work and decided to hang out with her friends before heading home. It was a pretty good day. Everyone was spending time together and they were actually getting along. She hoped that this was the beginning of something really great.
But so far, it was the perfect end to a perfect night.