Sam was flummoxed as she stood at the quad carrying her tray of food in her arms. She looked around, assessing the different tables. At one extreme end was the table for the jocks and queens. It was perfectly shaded, large and away from trash cans and the food. Cheerleaders sat there in their uniforms, taking selfies with their jock boyfriends. Her current foster parents had most definitely sat at that table during their time in High School. Unfortunately, Sam would never be a part of that crowd. She averted her gaze and looked at the other tables. There were the nerds with their head in books as they sipped milkshakes and had a few fries between each page turn, the AV Club tinkering with equipment, the environmentalists working on posters to reduce single use plastic at the school until her eyes settled on a table where only one person sat alone. He had headphones on as he chewed his burger.
"Perfect," Sam said and made her way to the table.
"Hey, is this seat taken?" Sam asked the boy who had looked up when her shadow had blocked the sunlight.
"Huh?" he asked, surprised that another person, especially a girl, was talking to him.
"Can I sit here?" she asked again, nudging towards the chair.
"Oh, yeah, uh, sure," he said, moving his books away which covered most of the table. "Who are you? I've never seen you before."
"That's because I'm new. I'm Sam. I just transferred here today," she explained.
"Oh, makes sense. Hi, I'm Jack Daniels," he said and brought his right palm out to shake Sam's hand.
"Seriously? Your name is Jack Daniels?" Sam asked him with a judgemental look on her face.
"Oh! Oh my God! I am just realising that my name is the exact same as a popular whiskey brand. My God! Thanks, Sam! I would have never connected the dots without you!" he said sarcastically, making Sam laugh.
"What did your parents have to say when you asked them about their little joke?" Sam asked.
"My full name is John "Jack" Daniels, but I prefer Jack to John and I don't know. I can't ask them. They died when I was little," Jack shrugged.
"Wait, so you're an orphan!" Sam said a little too quickly, leaning closer to the table. She couldn't help it. Another orphan, another of her kind, another who understood.
"Yeah," Jack said, weirded out by her rather large reaction. Further, nobody had the guts to use the words 'orphan', especially not directly to his face.
"So are you in foster care or did you luck out and get adopted, though not all adoptive homes are great either, I hear," Sam voiced her thoughts.
"No, none of that. I live with my older brother, Xavier," he explained.
"Ah, the older sibling trick. Nice," Sam said coolly.
"Yeah, it's fine. He doesn't care where I am or what I am doing on most days," Jack replied, while still keeping his real family situation close. The truth was that his brother beat him, quite a lot, but he would never tell that to anybody, especially the new girl he met ten minutes ago.
"That's enough about me. Where are you from, New Girl?" Jack asked.
"The finest city in the world. New York," Sam said with a large smile.
"Wow, your family moved from New York to Tree Hill suburbia, that's quite a downgrade," Jack remarked as he took the last bite of his burger.
"Yeah, but I don't know. Let's see. I've decided to give Tree Hill a chance," she replied positively.
"Wow, you must really love your parents. Anybody else would have thrown a fit," Jack replied, surprised that the teen was so accepting of the fate he believed was against her favour. Sam was surprised to hear his deduction, but she kept quiet. She didn't know this guy well enough to explain the kind of hell hole New York had been.
"So, is there anything I should know about Tree Hill High?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, once Claire Young clocks you, she is going to pick on you for being new. Don't come in her line of sight," Jack advised.
"The blonde girl who is the centre of attention at the table over there?" Sam asked.
"The one and only," Jack replied.
However, it was too late, when Sam looked up at her, she found her staring at her. Before she knew it, Claire had walked up to Sam. She was beautiful according to the industrial standards of beauty anyway. Soft blonde curls framed her round face. She was healthier than Sam, but she wasn't fat. She was curvy. Sam never had curves or much to fill up her chest, but the girl in front of her was definitely a C cup. Besides, Sam's heroin addiction had taken away any beauty she could have maybe boasted about too. Claire's lips were a sparkling shade of pink thanks to the lip gloss she had applied and her nails had the prettiest manicure Sam had ever seen. She was older than Sam. The girl didn't look like she was a freshman. She was definitely a Junior or a Senior.
Claire eyed her from head to toe as if she was a ferocious tigress assessing her prey. Sam felt like a helpless chicken in front of her. She sent painful memories through her mind - images of her past bullies and abusers came to her mind's surface, but she quickly pushed them down. Being a scholarship kid in a prep school had taught her everything she needed to deal with bullies. 'She is just another Nevaeh,' Sam said to herself and mentally prepared herself to kick her bully's ass.
"That's a cute top. Who are you and where did you get it from?" Claire asked, feigning politeness.
Sam was smart enough not to fall for her gimmicks. She could read people and their true intentions better than anybody. Sam was wearing a top that Brooke had designed and stitched for her.
"It's from New York and do you want to hear something better? It was custom," Sam said with an air to herself. If Brooke Davis had taught her anything, it was how to spin a tale and Sam was a fast learner.
"I want it," Claire puffed when she heard Sam. The girl did not look like she came from money. Her shoes were old and worn out. Her bag was deplorable, as if it was second hand, but the top, it truly was something. The fit was fantastic. It fit Sam like a glove. There really was no question that the top had been customised and tailored to fit Sam perfectly.
"Oh even if I gave it to you, it's not like it's going to fit you. Maybe, you can take a trip to New York and buy it off the racks once it hits stores. Currently, this designer is exclusive. In fact, if my calculations are correct, by the time this hits stores, I will already be wearing her new exclusive line," Sam sassed.
"Hey you!" Claire yelled and lunged at Sam to begin pulling the top off her. Two of her friends were there too, making Sam flail her arms as she tried to fight three of them at once.
"Stop it!" Sam shrieked as she tried to attack her bullies but she was failing. A huge circle had formed around them as everyone stood to spectate the fight.
"What the hell is going on! Stop! Get off her! Enough, okay? I'm gonna see every one of you in detention," Haley said as she came to the quad to break up the fight. She was surprised to see that it was none other than her niece who was being attacked, on her first day at school nevertheless.
"Hold on, Sam," she called out when she saw Sam try to storm off angrily in the other direction than the girls. She wanted to go to the bathroom to see the carnage the girls had left. Her clothes didn't seem to have torn luckily, but she wanted to be sure. Unfortunately, Sam didn't even know the way to the bathroom. "Hey, are you okay? Congratulations on your first Tree Hill catfight. I've had a few in my day." Haley tried to empathise with Sam and help her. She was family after all.
"Spare me the female bonding, okay? I know that you think you know me because of what you might have heard from Brooke and Lucas but you don't know me very well. However, I've heard all about Mrs. James-Scott, a cheerleader who dated the star of the basketball team. That is, when you weren't on a rock tour. Your life must have been really tough being best friend's with the girl who filled Claire Young's shoes back then. So just don't pretend like you get me or know anything about my problems, okay? See you, Hannah Montana!" Sam yelled and stormed off to find a bathroom.
Haley was shocked. What had happened? She thought that Sam liked her. They had gotten along when they first met and then in class, it felt like absolute magic teaching Sam Les Mis on the side. She thought that Sam was happy too. Had she misjudged everything?
Haley decided that she would let the infraction slide this time. Sam had just been attacked by three girls. Maybe her anger was displaced. If she did it again, she would consult Brooke and Lucas. Out of all of them, Brooke was the most equipped on how to deal with Sam and Sam did need a different approach. She had not had the same upbringing most of her other students did. She definitely had not lived like Claire Young and truth be told, Haley never liked Claire Young anyway. Sam was quite adjusted thanks to Brooke. She had mentioned how Brooke got her a scholarship to a prep school. Haley had googled the school after her class. It was prestigious and a million times better in terms of curriculum than Tree Hill High. She didn't want Sam's education to suffer because of the move but the only reason Sam had got that was because Brooke had the patience to understand her needs and shortcomings and give her what she needed. Haley would learn too. She promised herself that. She really wanted to see her niece thrive.
The rest of school went by quickly. Sam breezed through her classes with ease. She was ahead in all subjects and if she wanted, she could really take the next couple of months off. Her previous school had been rigorous and there was the sword of Damocles always hanging over her head that her scholarship could be snatched at any second. So, she ensured that she always performed her best and hardest. If she was telling the truth, she kind of missed the intensity of her prep school. She had made friends there although she was not the same as most of the elite kids who were the likes of Claire Young. She truly believed that the prep school would give her the edge she needed to get a scholarship to the writing programme at NYU. Hopefully, Tree Hill High got her there too. She couldn't ask Brooke to pay for her college tuition. She just couldn't burden her with that. All she could do was hope.
After school ended, she did as she had been instructed and went to the gym where she had to wait for her 'father' until he finished practice. Sam took her time to reach there though. She spent some time walking the hallways. She reached a trophy case and peered in. The biggest one was from the basketball championship that Lucas and Nathan had won. There was also an image of the cheerleaders with the basketball team with the mascot in the centre, the same one that was there in the yearbook that she had seen. Everybody was smiling happily. Sam couldn't wrap her head around the fact that her foster parents had good memories in High School. She couldn't wait to get out and move on to bigger, better things.
Eventually, Sam found her way to the gym. She entered it and was instantly surprised by what she saw. Lucas was blowing his whistle loudly as the boys on the team huffed to make their way from one end of the gym to the other. Sam never had school spirit. Before Brooke, her schools were all terrible and after Brooke, she always had to run to relieve Brooke from Jamie duty. That was after all their original agreement. Sam would lodge and eat at hers in exchange for helping her look after Jamie. Though Brooke repeatedly impressed upon her to go out and be a kid and not worry about her and Jamie, she knew that Brooke worried, she knew that Brooke really needed her and depended on her. So, unless she had a major project assignment or something that held her, she never stayed back at school, especially to go watch sports.
In Tree Hill, sports were a big deal as had been explained by everybody, there being nothing better to do in the small town. The boys had a practice with the cheerleaders, much to the dismay of Sam. Claire Young, whom she believed would be stuck in detention, had somehow managed to make it out of there and into cheerleading practice. However, that was not the most irritating part. No, the most horrific part was the way her eyes were ogling Lucas! Sam wanted to retch as she watched Claire try to look sexy and flirtatious as she and the other girls on her squad stretched. Oh, it wasn't just Claire. All the girls in the squad had the hots for her foster-father. Ew! Lucas, however, was absolutely oblivious to their gazes.
Sam walked further ahead of the door at that point and started making her way to the bleachers. Being a past scholarship student, she had planned to breeze through her homework in the hour that she had to kill. Besides the Les Mis homework that Haley had set her up with, she really would not need to work too hard on the rest that her new teachers had assigned.
"Hey Sam," Lucas greeted her warmly when he saw her. His entire demeanour changed from tough overbearing coach to girl-dad when his eyes fell upon Sam. All the boys immediately heard the difference in the tone of his voice. They had only ever heard him bark instructions. Even the girls were surprised as they halted mid-stretch to watch whatever was going to happen next. Sam noticed her surroundings quieten as Lucas focused all his attention on her. Thankfully, Lucas noticed it as well.
"Who asked you boys to stop? Continue!" he blared with the blow of another whistle. The boys shook their heads and resumed their training. Lucas beckoned Sam towards him and despite the girls still glaring daggers at his back. Sam did not want to go. Nobody knew that she was his daughter. She wasn't sure if she wanted the school to know that. It was obvious that she was not his bio-daughter so it wouldn't take long for her to walk in the hallway to coughs hiding calls of 'Orphan Annie.' Half the kids at her old school did not know her name and only called her 'Orphan Annie' because Brooke or Norma was definitely too young to be a mother, let alone Sam's mother, though she did have a child of her own.
"Hey Champ, how was the first day?" Lucas asked with a hint of excitement. His dad-energy was making him sound way way older than he was, making Sam cringe.
"Lucas, at school, we don't know each other," Sam laid down the rules.
"Sam, I'm going to show up at open houses for you and if you participate in extracurriculars, I'm going to be in the first row, filming the whole thing on my phone and I'm going to be screaming the loudest at your graduation. The world will know that you're my kid," he informed her. Sam was speechless. He wanted to do all that for her? What? Huh? She knew Brooke was a goofball, but Lucas too? "Now, how was your first day?"
"It was fine, like most first days. Got lost a lot, started a fight, proved I'm smarter than some of my teachers and analysed that new place, new school still means the same shitty kind of people," Sam gave her truthful deduction.
"What? What fight?" Lucas asked. "I thought you would make friends on the first day, not enemies!"
"Yeah, school sucks for most people, Mr. Popular in High School even after you have graduated," she said, patting his back.
"Huh? What do you mean?" he asked.
"Nothing, get back to doing what they pay you a shitty salary for. Your boys will collapse if you make them run another lap," Sam said, beckoning towards his team.
Lucas turned and whistled, allowing them to take a break to catch their breaths.
"Hey, I'm sorry that it wasn't a great first day," Lucas said to Sam as she began walking towards the bleacher.
"Hey, don't be. It was the least worst first day out of all the first days I have had and trust me, I have had a lot of them," she replied with a smile before taking a seat at the bleachers.
"Hey, who are you?" a guy from Lucas' team asked Sam as he walked over to where she was sitting and pulling books out of her bag.
Sam's head immediately shot up when she felt a man tower over her. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as her breathing quickened. Foster fathers who beat her and abused her always towered over her. She hated the feeling it always left her with. Sam looked at the guy as she tried to suppress the ugly feeling that had wrapped their icy hands around her.
"What? Do you need anything?" she snapped at the fellow she didn't know.
The boy held his hands up defensively. "I just wanted to say hi and I was wondering what you are doing in the gym since you aint no cheerleader." The boy eyed her up and down as he made that deduction about her.
"Oh, what gave that away? My sunny disposition or the fact that I don't have a Claire Young stuck up my ass!" Sam growled.
The boy chuckled and gave her a breezy smile. "You're feisty," he remarked. "I saw you in Miss James-Scott's class this morning."
"Hey Quentin, what are you doing out there? Get back here. I want twenty free throws by everybody. You miss one, you start running again. Am I clear?" he ordered.
"See ya," he said with an enigmatic smile and proceeded to run to his coach.
Lucas did not like what he saw. He did not want any boys to be around Sam. Boys that age only thought from one place. He knew that. He was her age precisely six years ago. He would try his damndest to protect and shelter the daughter he was really beginning to love.
Sam was surprised that a jock had paid any attention to her. She found herself watching the game for a while. She liked basketball. She watched Knicks games with her friends in New York, Jamie considered basketball to be a religion and she was always stuck taking him to Central Park to play a 'match'. She was also intrigued to watch Lucas play such a hard ass coach. He was usually quite soft-spoken and uplifting. Sam had only seen the writer side, the father side and she had caught glimpses of the lover side of the man. She didn't know that he had it in him to be that tough. She made a mental note to keep that in mind for when she messed up. The last thing she wanted was to be surprised.
She watched Claire and the girls practise their routine as they tried to win affectionate gazes from her father and she watched the boys play. The guy, Quentin, he was good. He was definitely the star player of the team. Sam continued to watch and work. She finished the last bit of reading for her report on Les Mis when Lucas blew the whistle to end practice and instructed the boys to hit the showers.
Lucas walked up to Sam and gave her a warm smile. "Hey Sammy, hope the wait wasn't much. I'll just grab my things from my office and then we can head home," he apprised.
"Yeah, it was fine. Can I, uh, wait by the car for you?" she asked. She did not want to be seen fraternising with her foster father, the coach.
"Yeah, go right ahead," Lucas said and began to walk to his office.
Sam collected her things and walked out. She waited by Lucas' red mustang as she scrolled through her phone to see what her friends were up to.
"Look at that, the new girl is waiting for someone in the parking lot," Nikki told Claire, pointing in Sam's direction.
"What! This is ridiculous. She isn't even cool. She is ugly. How did she get a date with a guy on the team on her very first day at school!" Claire complained.
"I saw Q talk to her during practice," Audrey apprised her.
"Seriously, Q likes her!" Claire complained.
"Let's just wait and see who shows up," Nikki suggested. The girls were sitting in the safe confines of Claire's car, so they knew that Sam could not spot them. Nevertheless, they put on their sunglasses and watched.
Lucas finally walked out with his things and unlocked the car. He gave Sam a short hug and opened the door for her, just like he always did for Brooke.
"Oh my God! Did you see that! What!" Nikki screamt and she pulled out her phone to begin recording what they were watching.
Sam blushed when Lucas treated her like a princess and opened the car door for her, but she settled in and saw Lucas make his way to the driver's side. They put on some music and made their way to Brooke's home.
"What the hell!" Claire screeched from the driver's seat of her car. "She and Mr. Scott! How? She doesn't even do sports! She has been here one day and she is riding away in Mr. Scott's car! How does she get him on day one when she looks like that! Gah!"
"We can get our way with Mr. Scott now if we want," Nikki suggested, waving her phone towards Claire who gave a menacing smile, "Gotcha."
"Bye Sammy, see you at night," Lucas greeted as he pulled into the Davis driveway.
"Wait, you're not coming in?" Sam asked.
"No, uh, no. Brooke deserves to have some space to herself. I don't want to be the guy who is constantly lurking," Lucas replied clearly.
"True, but it was Jamie's first day of school…" Sam reminded him.
"I know and Brooke already texted me all about his first day. He likes Miss Lauren. She gave him a gold star in class for voluntarily helping to put away the art and craft supplies and he made 3 new friends, Andre, Chuck and Madison. Although, he is sceptical about Madison because she's a girl," Lucas filled her in.
"Oh wow," Sam said, surprised that he knew so much and that Brooke was so open. She found it strange that they were that communicative. Brooke had always been so closed off after all. "Okay then."
"I'll see you at dinner time. Bye," he said and rode off to do a difficult task that he had to get done.
Lucas drove to the river court and sat right in the middle of the tarmac. His legs did not have the strength to carry him to the bleachers. He looked around, the park was empty, just like he had hoped. Lucas pulled out his phone and fumbled with it in his hand, staring at the device. His other hand rubbed his mouth as a grim expression was plastered across his face.
He sat and contemplated his next actions, mentally trying to prepare himself for what he was about to do. 'It was just like ripping a band aid, right?' Lucas wondered, but he knew that the skin on his heart, however scabbed it was, was still too soft to bear the rip. He decided to shove his feelings and simply get the work done with.
Lucas went to his list of contacts and searched for the contact he needed. He pressed his phone to his ear and heard the ringing sound. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. He sighed and was about to pull the cell phone away from his ear when he heard the familiar voice that knocked the wind right out of him.
"Hello? Lucas?" Peyton said in a unsure way. She didn't know why he was calling and she didn't know whether answering was the right thing to do.
"H-hi," Lucas stammered. His throat was dry and his voice careened to reach her.
"Hey,"Peyton replied although they had been done with pleasantries. She did not know what this call was about and she was too afraid to ask.
"I wanted to let you know that a publishing house liked my book. We are working on edits to get it ready for publishing. An Unkindness of Ravens is getting published," he informed her.
"Oh wow! That's really great, Luke. I am happy for you," Peyton replied, feeling surprise and happiness while also feeling extreme weirdness.
"Yeah, thanks. I called to ask if you were okay with it. I mean, the whole story is about… us in High School," Lucas apprised and asked for her opinion.
"Oh! Right," Peyton said and went silent on the call. Lucas remained quiet, giving her the important moments to assess her feelings on the matter at hand.
"Hey, it did happen. It was all true back then and it was great while it lasted," Peyton said good-naturedly.
"Are you sure, Peyton? Do I have your blessings for this?" he asked.
"I guess it is my turn to say, 'Your Art Matters, Lucas. It's what got me here,'" she quoted and chuckled to herself.
Lucas remained silent as he let her words truly sink in. It was true. He and Peyton were where they were thanks to his words. The words he had said to her to assure her to put her art and herself out there in the world.
"Luke, are you alright?" Peyton asked after a few moments of lingering silence.
"Huh?" he replied. He was so dazed. "Yeah, yeah. I am fine."
"I am so sorry about everything. Really, I am. I didn't want to hurt you, but-" Peyton apologised. Her voice was strained. She was struggling to keep the tears at bay.
"Hey, Peyton. Thank you for that. Trust me. It - I - everything worked itself out. It was for the best," he replied. "Pey, are you happy?"
"Yes, I really am," she said with firmness in her voice, easing Lucas too. "Congratulations on the book, Luke. I truly am so happy for you. Send me a copy once it prints and if LA is a stop on your book tour, maybe I will stop by and get a signed copy."
"Oh, huh. We haven't reached there in our talks, although my contract that I signed did stipulate that I would do a tour if the publishing house thought it fit," Lucas replied. When he signed the contract, he was newly broken-hearted with no knowledge that he had a son to call his family. A book tour sounded great. Now, he never wanted to stay away from Jamie for long durations. He would have away games, but that was a matter of a weekend, not months.
"Okay, uhh, I need to get back to work," Peyton said awkwardly.
"Yeah, of course. Bye," he said and ended the call.
Lucas found himself lying down on the tarmac of the river court. That call had sucked away way more energy than he had expected. He closed his eyes and just lay there, to allow his mind and body to recuperate. He had spoken to her and he hadn't died. He had powered through. Everything would be just fine. He just had to give himself the gift of time and grace that he would give others.
Lucas spent some more time sitting by the river as he reflected on his life and the past. If Brooke had been around, she definitely would have teased him by calling him Broody. He had to move on. He had to be okay with the idea that perhaps, he and Peyton would never be and oddly, he was okay with that. Lucas mused over that. When he had flown to LA to propose to her, he was certain that he would never be happy without Peyton by his side. He was sure that he wouldn't be able to live without her because all he had done for the past four years was miss her terribly. However, here he was, happier than he had ever been with a family to call his own. He wished that he could say that his love had expanded and that he loved Peyton and Jamie and in a way, that was true. He really did still love and care for Peyton, but he would be a liar if he believed that there had been absolutely no transference of love.
It was almost time for dinner when Lucas drove back to Brooke's house. He knocked on the door and was shocked to see that none other than Haley had opened the door.
"Hey, Brooke is forcing me to stay for dinner, I hope you don't mind," she replied with a smile.
"Hey, it's always good to see you and you know that," Lucas replied while hugging her. They entered the house and as soon as Jamie's eyes fell on his father, he stood up on the sofa, ready to lunge into his father's arms.
"Daddy!" he screamed as his little feet got ready for take off.
"Hi, little monkey!" Lucas greeted with a big bear hug when he caught his son in his arms effortlessly.
"How was your first day of school? Did you like it?" Lucas asked. Yes, Brooke had already told him everything. Yet, there was magic in hearing Jamie narrate his experiences. Jamie began to chatter, much like his mother as Lucas walked to the kitchen to greet Brooke. She was stirring a pot when Lucas, Jamie and Haley entered.
"Hi, good you're here. Now you can tell Haley that she is being ridiculous," Brooke said while rolling her eyes.
"What? Also, where's Sam?" Lucas asked. He perched Jamie on the kitchen counter and Jamie began to babble to himself as he played with a toy truck that was in his arms.
"Sammy is enjoying the perks of privacy. She is chatting in her room with Liz. She has finally gotten used to having her own space and she quite likes it. Now, Haley here is a whole other story. She wants me to design her an outfit to wear for the party before the NBA season begins. A party might I add, which is going to be televised! There's a red carpet for crying out loud. She needs to go to a real designer! And that's not even the whole story, wait till you hear her budget for the outfit!" Brooke complained.
"Brooke, you are a real designer. You designed the outfits Haley wore on tour with the Wreckers. You have a clothing company!" Lucas reminded her.
"What I have is a half-finished office, clothes in production with no warehouses or store-fronts! And if I even take this up, it's going to be a custom order. I told Andy that I would do custom couture," Brooke replied.
"I love the sound of custom," Haley chimed in. "Brooke, you're a fabulous designer. You made my wedding dress! The most important dress of my life, remember! Of course, I am going to come to the Queen of Fashion for my outfit. This is Nathan's very first season in the NBA. All eyes are on him and given our age, he wants to make an impression. I want to make an impression and the only way I am going to do that is with you. I know that you are busy with setting up the Company and setting your house here while navigating a crazy adoption, but I am not going to wear any other designer. It will also be great publicity for the brand because obviously, I will outshine all the other women out there."
"You're absolutely ridiculous, Tutor Girl," Brooke said, rolling her eyes.
"Do you know how much I have missed hearing you call me that?" Haley asked with nothing but love emanating from her liquid hazel eyes.
"Okay, fine. But, we negotiate the price," Brooke laid her terms.
"This is the first time that the seller wants to reduce the price for the buyer and the buyer is taking it higher!" Haley remarked. "Look, I told you my budget. I need something worth that budget, so you make me something worth that much. And thanks, Tigger!" Saying that, Haley lifted Jamie in her arms and began to swing him back to the living room where they had been playing while Brooke cooked.
"Wow, I can't believe it. I thought that all my earnings would halt, at least for a while after I moved here. But, I'm about to get paid a good deal of money!" Brooke said with a happy look of contentment on her face.
"I am so happy to hear that, especially since it sounds like you have the next month's hospital payment covered?" Lucas asked slyly.
"Yeah, I will use a major chunk of it for the hospital, but before that, I get to buy a set of wheels!" Brooke said gladly.
"Wait! Finally! Are you going to use that money to get yourself a car! Thank God! You really need one. I didn't want to say anything because I was afraid you would get mad at me, but you can't keep walking everywhere," Luke said, his voice full of relief.
Brooke stood like a statue when she heard Lucas' confession. She had an inexplicable expression on her face as she tried to comprehend Lucas' thoughts. "Luke, no! You're misunderstanding."
"Huh? Didn't you just say that you get to buy a new set of wheels?" Lucas asked, not understanding what he had misunderstood.
"Luke, I meant a bike. For Jamie. His, uhh, his birthday is coming up and he really wants a bicycle like the ones he saw other kids riding in Central Park. I really want to get him that bike," Brooke told him.
Lucas was surprised, but not surprised when he heard Brooke say that. No matter what, her kids always came first. That was just how she was hardwired. "B, you need the wheels much more than Jamie. If it is as good as it sounds, maybe we can get you a car," Lucas suggested.
"No, that won't leave any money for Jamie's bike. My kids get what they want first."
"B, if you have a car, Jamie won't have to walk back from school when you pick him up," Lucas told her. "It helps Jamie too."
"Yeah, but I cannot even imagine seeing the disappointment on his face if I don't get him that bike. You're not going to make me change my decision. Haley's money will go into getting Jamie's bike and the rest, as you said, I will use for the next hospital instalment."
He wanted to tell Brooke that he would buy Jamie the bike, but he didn't. Getting that bike for her son was important to Brooke. He could not take that away from her. He knew that doing that would make Brooke feel absolutely incompetent. So, he swallowed his concern and nodded his head.
"I know what you're thinking," Brooke said with a smile.
"You do?" Lucas asked, surprised.
"Yeah, you're quite obvious and stereotypical in these matters. You're worried about asking me about throwing Jamie a birthday party, aren't you?" she asked.
Lucas decided to play along. "Yeah, can we?" The idea of a birthday party did sound appealing. "We can call all his new friends."
"Yeah, we could never host a party in New York given our space. Now, we have a backyard and a large house. Hell, the kid could have a pool party!"
"Brooke Davis did love to party… plan," Lucas teased.
"Haha! Hey! Mean," she replied good-naturedly.
"Haley says that Sam is too smart for Tree Hill's freshman classes," Brooke said, making a sharp intersection on the subjects they were talking about. "Can you stay back for a bit after we tuck Jamie in? Maybe we can discuss this?" Brooke asked. She had reconciled with the fact that Lucas would be acting dad for both Sam and Jamie. So, she didn't want to make decisions regarding Sam without his approval. It was strange for Brooke, having to share authority and trade every bit of information pertaining to her children, but she would not have Sam as her own without Lucas. So, the least she could do was keep him apprised.
"Yes, I can," Lucas replied and then went to set the table. Yet, he knew that he needed to talk to Haley, so he called Sam to lay the table and beckoned Haley to follow him to the backyard to talk.
"What's wrong today?" Haley asked Lucas humorously as they sat on two deck chairs.
"So, I spoke to Peyton," Lucas informed her while keeping his eyes firmly closed.
"What!" Haley gawked. "What did you say to her? What did she say? Does Brooek know? Tell me everything!"
"Wow, okay. I just told her that Ravens was getting published and asked her whether she was okay with it. She said she was," Lucas chuckled as he mentally went back to hearing her say that his art mattered. "We agreed that whatever happened between us was for the best and she asked me to send her an advanced copy."
"Okay, how do you feel?" Haley asked worriedly.
"I feel like going and having a good meal with my family. I mean Brooke is cooking so it might not be a good meal, but at least my kids are here with me, in Tree Hill and I get to see them everyday."
"Was this closure between you and Peyton?" Haley asked.
"Maybe. I guess. I mean, she is still in the dark that I am a dad, but I have to keep Brooke's wishes in mind. Can you call her some time next week and check on her. Not now, it will sound suspicious, but maybe in the near future?" Lucas requested.
"Yes, I will," Haley promised. She still wasn't sure about Lucas and his double feelings. She wanted to slap him sometimes and tell him to think long and hard about what he was doing. She had called him out on his behaviour in high school but that time he was very much dating Brooke Davis and kissing Peyton Sawyer between library bookshelves. This time, he wasn't technically in a committed relationship with either girl, so what could she even say? All she could actually do was support her best friend, right?