"The prodigal son returns," Mouth commented as Lucas strolled up to the River Court. It had been two months since Lucas last played a game there with his old friends. Between basketball and the Haley and Nathan drama, Lucas rarely had time to spend with the guys.
"Hey, Mouth, how you doing, baby?" Lucas greeted.
It was good to be back and see the River Court up and running. The court was out of commission for a while due to Nathan and his friends wrecking it as a hazing prank. Lucas spent every day after practice cleaning it up for a week straight. It looked as good as new, well as good as it once was.
"Hey, he remembers my name," Mouth joked.
Lucas rolled his eyes and walked out onto the court where the rest of the guys would be. Mouth was not much of a player when it came to the game, but still loved the sport. He planned on making a career out of it being a sports commentator. Mouth never missed a Ravens basketball game, home or away, and live-streamed each game with commentary on his website, .
"Have, uh, we met?" Junk asked, messing around with Lucas.
"How's it going, Junk?" Lucas said, shaking Junk's hand first out of the trio.
Lucas moved onto Fergie, who stood next in line to Junk. "Ferguson Thompson," Fergie playfully introduced himself.
"Okay, guys, come on, it has not been that long," Lucas assured them. He tried to remember the last time he played a game with them. His most recent memory was that day on the River Court when Nathan challenged him to a one v. one game. That was the game that determined Lucas' future as a basketball player for the Ravens.
"It feels like forever, dawg. I mean, do you still play street ball?" Skills laughed. In a normal high school game, they had all these rules that the River Court boys didn't follow. They played for the pure love of the sport.
"Better than you," Lucas shot back with a smile.
"Aw, baby, he's been back two seconds and he's already talkin' right. Oh…let's see what you got," Skills said, passing Lucas the ball.
"Fine. Shoot for teams?" Lucas asked. Even though it had been awhile, he fell right into rhythm with the guys like no time had passed.
"You know what, why don't you and Fergie just take it, cuz, you gonna need it," Skills told him. Lucas may be a fancy basketball player, but we it came to the River Court your title didn't matter. All that mattered was the game and what you brought to it.
"Oh really? Like that," Lucas mused.
"Just like that," Skills reinforced.
"Well then, I hope you don't mind that I brought a few extra players," Lucas said, gesturing to the group walking up to the River Court in the distance. "Might as well keep things interesting."
"They ain't going to watch me play, dawg," Skills insisted, suddenly feeling self conscious of his game. He hated playing for an audience, that's why he never joined the high school team. Mouth was okay because he was a friend, but Skills would never admit that he suffered from stage fright and had performance anxiety.
"Who said they were going to watch?" Lucas mentioned. He invited Jake, Peyton, Brooke, and Haley to the River Court for a fun pick up game of basketball, no pressure whatsoever.
Lucas had noticed for the past few weeks that Jake never really fit in with the guys on the team. Perhaps why they got along so well. And with Jenny, Jake became more and more detached from his teammates.
When Lucas asked Jake to join him in a pick up game, Jake had been hesitant to come. What did that mean for Jenny. He was supposed to be watching her that night since his parents worked. Lucas insisted that she'd tag along since Haley was coming. Haley had been desperate to see Jenny again and thought that looking after her would help prepare for her own baby. With Haley as babysitter, Jake couldn't say no to the offer.
With Peyton, there was no convincing. She practically invited herself. Peyton came out purely in interest of Lucas. When Lucas mentioned going to the River Court that night, she expressed her curiosity. She wanted to make the effort and get to know his friends. Peyton had bonded with Haley during the past couple of days and really enjoyed her company. She couldn't wait to meet Mouth, Fergie, Skills, and Junk, who Lucas talked about so often. This would be the first time seeing Lucas play on the River Court since Lucas defeated Nathan two months ago.
Brooke tagged along as Peyton's best friend and wingwoman. Wherever Peyton went, she did too. The cheerleader lifestyle favored Brooke, but the friendships she made there were not sustainable. She felt more connected to Lucas, Haley, and Peyton than Bevin, Teresa, and Rachel. Girls she had known for years didn't even come close to the friendships she had started to develop.
Haley, like Jake, almost hadn't come. Since finding out about the baby, she'd been trying to pick up extra shifts at Karen's. Lucas begged Haley to take the night off and come with him to see the guys. He knew they missed her just as much as they missed him. The six of them were all such a tight knit group until Lucas joined the team. Haley didn't even mind being the only girl amongst the guys. They always made her feel right at home.
Karen had to intervene just to convince Haley to come. She closed the café tonight so Haley didn't feel guilty. Karen wanted Haley to have these moments with her friends before she became a mother. However, despite Karen's kindness, she wasn't free to go just yet.
Her cousin from Los Angeles finally arrived that morning. His parents were in the midst of a horrible divorce, so her aunt shipped her son down to Tree Hill. Haley promised to come if she could bring her cousin, Julian, along with.
"Well if it isn't Haley James," Mouth said. "What do we owe the pleasure?"
"Good to see you too, Mouth," Haley smiled, wrapping Mouth in a tight hug. Aside from Lucas, she was probably second closest with Mouth. Whenever she watched the guys play, Haley sat at the sidelines with Mouth and often talked about school or absolute nonsense.
"So are you finally going to join us on the court?" Junk asked. They were aware of Haley's lack of athletic ability and had wanted to see it on display for sometime. Haley had talked about it a few times, but the guys never saw it. That didn't stop them from trying to convince her to play. She'd refused on the basis that she can't even shoot a basket.
"Wish I could, but I kind of had a valid excuse this time," Haley said, gently patting her flat stomach, thankful that the baby got her out of the sport. She'd given Brooke the go ahead to dispel all Brooke-related pregnancy rumors once she told Nathan. Since Nathan knew, there was no point in hiding her baby. Brooke acted swiftly after Haley left school yesterday, she cleared her name and explained that the pregnancy test was Haley's and that Haley was the one pregnant, not her.
"I heard about that," Skills said. He'd heard rumors around school yesterday when he was with the boys, but none of them believed it. Just like they didn't believe that Haley had also made a sex tape with Nathan Scott. The Haley James they knew was too cautious to ever do something so risqué. But there she was not denying the rumors. "Nathan the baby daddy?"
"Who else?" Haley replied.
"You serious?" Skills asked. The guys on the basketball team spread the news about Nathan and Haley's tape, so the boys figured Nathan had started it to get back at Lucas. Haley's confirmation was everything they needed to know about the situation. "Damn, girl. On the bright side, if it's a boy, your kid has a chance at being a hella good ball player. With help from Uncle Skills of course."
Lucas threw Skills's the ball hitting him square in the chest. "Can't forget about Uncle Luke either. That kid's going to learn everything about basketball from me," Lucas assured them.
"What if it's a girl?" Brooke suggested. She hoped Haley had a girl. It would be her own mini model that she could dress up and make clothes for. The possibilities were endless.
The boys in the room broke out into laughter as if it was the silliest thing they heard. "As much as I hate to admit it, the past two generations of Scotts have been boys. The odds are against girls," Lucas said. Him and Nathan. Dan and Keith. It was not in the DNA of Scott men to produce females.
"Whatever, I just hope the baby's healthy," Haley said.
"Alright, alright," Skills relented. "So Haley's out. That leaves us with an odd number of players."
"Never fear, I brought a replacement," Haley assuaged them, pulling her cousin to the forefront of the group. "You guys remember my cousin, Julian."
Julian Baker, Haley's cousin from LA, had been to Tree Hill before. When he was younger, he spent his summers running around town with Haley and Lucas. He'd even played a few games with the guys at the River Court at Haley's insistence. She always made an effort to include him.
Junk, Fergie, and Skills visibly cringed. They liked Julian, he was a good kid, but the genes he shared with Haley were too strong. Haley always talked about how poor her basketball skills were and the boys could only imagine that they were of equal or worse quality to Julian's skill level.
"Your game get any better?" Skills questioned, passing the ball to Julian.
To the surprise of the guys, Julian had caught it. In the past, it just slipped through his fingers dropping to the floor. "I hope so," Julian said.
"We ready to play then? Junk, Fergie, me verses Luke, Jake and Julian," Skills decided.
"Why do we get Julian?" Lucas questioned. Haley had told him in confidence that while Julian said he'd improved, it hadn't been by much. Julian just wanted the chance to play to prove himself to the guys.
"Because you and Jake play on the team, we got to keep it even somehow," Skills explained. Two Ravens and Julian plus three street ballers seemed fair.
"What about us?" Brooke asked. She was promised a game of basketball and was dressed up in her athletic wear for a game of basketball.
"You pretty ladies want to play?" Skills asked.
"Yeah, why not?" Peyton shrugged, she thought it would be fun. For years, her and Brooke had watched at the sidelines the boys play basketball and figured it couldn't be that hard.
"I call Lucas' team!" Brooke cheered.
"Brooke!" Peyton and Lucas exclaimed. Peyton and Lucas had kind of been looking forward to being on the same team. They still hadn't put a label on their relationship, but it was one step before dating. She hoped that Brooke had given up her crush of Lucas because her response indicated otherwise.
"One second," Brooke excused. Brooke pulled Peyton aside from the group to explain her master plan. "Basketball is a contact sport. You guard Lucas and he guards you. Who's to say you can't use your Peyton charms to steal the ball?"
"That's very thoughtful, Brooke, but what else?" Peyton asked. While Brooke had been on her best behavior all week making up for past mistakes, especially regarding Peyton and Lucas, Brooke still looked out for herself if the opportunity arose.
"Fine!" Brooke relented. "Julian's kind of cute."
She'd been eying Haley's cousin the entire ride over. He was a bit geeky compared to what she typically went for, but Brooke could not deny the fact that he was attractive. Being on the same team gave her an opportunity to make a move on him.
"Are you girls going to argue or are we going to play?" Jake asked. Jenny's bedtime was in an hour and a half. He didn't want to waste time.
"We're going to play," Peyton answered, taking her spot next to Skills, Fergie, and Junk.
Jake went to Jenny's car seat and placed it on the picnic table, next to where Mouth was sitting. "You got her?" Jake asked Haley, handing her the diaper bag.
"Yeah, if I'm going to be a mom might as well get the practice," Haley admitted as she took her seat next to the car seat. She cooed at baby Jenny who was staring all around, soaking in the new setting. Haley unhooked Jenny from her car seat, so she could watch her daddy play.
"Alright, play ball!" Mouth announced, commencing the game.
From a far in a parked car, Nathan sat watching the scene unfold at the River Court. Tim had tipped him off that they were all going to be there. He'd heard Lucas talking about it to Jake during practice and when Haley's name popped up, Tim reported it to Nathan.
Word had gotten out around school that Haley was pregnant. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was the father, especially after the video was leaked.
"Nathan, what are we doing here?" Rachel complained. "I thought we were going back to your place."
He never intended on keeping Rachel around, yet there she was. Unlike the other guys Rachel had been with, she set her sights on Nathan and refused to let him go. He was hot, popular, and at the top of the food chain. She suspected he came with some baggage since he had a half-brother he hated, but baggage never deterred Rachel from getting what she wanted.
Rachel was willing and Nathan liked that. There were no feelings attached and he made that clear. Rachel agreed to the terms, but wanted more. By the end of the week she was determine to have calling Nathan Scott her girlfriend.
Nathan watched on, ignoring Rachel, as Skills passed Peyton the basketball. Instead of dribbling, she traveled up and down the court until Lucas snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her to make her drop the ball. Julian recovered the ball quickly and passed it to Brooke, who reacted by throwing the ball back at him, hitting him in the face. Everyone seemed to be laughing and smiling playing basketball. He couldn't remember the last time he had that much fun on the court.
Nathan's eyes traveled onto Haley, who was holding a baby in her arms. She talked to Mouth and the baby as she pointed to Jake on the court. The sight was too much for him.
A year from now, that baby in her arms would be his. Even though he wanted nothing to do with the baby, would she tell the kid about him? Would she show up to basketball games with baby and watch him play? If his mom had anything to do with it, then yes.
He couldn't believe her. She'd come home yesterday, announcing that not only had she invited Karen and Lucas to his father's birthday dinner but Haley and her family as well. Dan and him had protested for their own personal reasons, but both issues boiled down to the fact that they never wanted to see the people they abandoned.
"I can't believe you slept with her," Rachel commented. When she saw the video, she was shocked that Nathan had stooped so low to have sex with the tutor girl. "Just imagine how fat she's gonna get with the excess baby weight. She's already pudgy enough as is."
She was disappointed yesterday to find out that Haley was the one pregnant, not Brooke, for two reasons. One, with Brooke pregnant, she could no longer be cheer captain, leaving Rachel a path to an easy victory. Second, was that with Haley pregnant, it was obvious Nathan was the father. He would be too preoccupied with a baby to ever give her the time of day. She was thankful that the baby had the opposite effect on him and it drove him into her arms.
"Will you shut up, Rachel?" Nathan pleaded. The internal battle inside Nathan had pushed and pulled his emotions in a hundred different directions. He was okay with abandoning Haley, but had issue with other people treating her poorly. Never had the words pudgy crossed his mind to describe Haley. And any weight she would gain would be in all the right places for the baby.
Rachel backed off like Nathan had wanted. "What are we ever doing here, Nathan?" Rachel asked.
"I don't know," Nathan admitted, putting the car into drive. It was a simple question, but Nathan had no answer to share to the public. He'd went because Tim had told him there was a chance he could see Haley. Even after all the pain she'd caused him, he still had to know that she was alright. And she was. No need for him to stay any longer. "We should get going."