A Lot Can Happen At Boarding School (One Tree Hill FF)

Chapter 23

Chapter 23: A Tree Hill Raven always knows, you can't have the calm without the storm.

Haley sits at the table, enjoying the last few bites of her cheeseburger. She takes a sip of her beer, completely at ease. It was a beautiful day out, their group had found peace, at least for the moment, and her mind could rest. She absolutely, positively, had Nathan to thank for that.

She watches as her maybe-possibly-friends banter around the table. Peyton is scrolling through Nathan's phone, giving him a hard time about his pre-game music playlist ("Bon Jovi, really?") and Jake and Brooke are trying to convince Lucas that The Great Gatsby movie is better than the book ("All I'm going to say is... Leonardo DiCaprio"). It was nice to observe the quiet moments, she used to have an abundance of these little memories, and now, if she ever dared think of the past, it was never the quiet moments that came to mind. Being here, listening to a whole bunch of nothings, was a comfort she didn't realized she'd been lacking.

Eventually, Jake turns his attention to her.

"You're quiet over there," he points out.

"Just watching," Haley smiles. Jake eyes her, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"Brooke, what are these paired games?"

"Don't ask me," Brooke says innocently. "It's a surprise."

"OK, let me rephrase. How competitive are they?" Jake inquires.

"Competitive enough. A little ridiculous but don't blame me, Bevin was in charge of them," Brooke remarks.

"You had me at 'Bevin was in charge,'" Jake states, hopping up from his seat. He checks his watch. "All right, we have about an hour before we have to get back down to the fields. Just enough time to do some damage."

"What does that even mean?" Peyton asks.

"It means you have to get up," Jake requests. "And follow me."

Jake makes a move to leave, stopping near the walking path that would lead them back across campus. He turns to find his friends amused, but unmoved, except for Haley who joins him. Finally, he cups his hands around his mouth, "Let's GO!"

Almost every table stops what they're doing, turning to watch Jake, then follows his eye line to the table. The group, now a little more aware of the attention being drawn, mouth various versions of 'what are you doing?' to Jake. Jake cups his hands around his mouth again, about to shout, causing Nathan to hop to his feet.

"Let's see what Jagelski wants," Nathan said. "He's a madman."

Jake and Haley charge on, a giggle escaping Haley's lips as she tried to keep up with his stride. Ever since the Thanksgiving she and Jake bonded, he'd always find a way to stir up some trouble, and always convinced her to be along side him. It was usually something silly, choc full of theatrics, but it gave her a break to be carefree. Today was no different.

"My partner in crime," Jake exclaims, kicking his pace up to a jog. Haley starts jogging with him, turning back to see their friends walking behind them. They'd catch up eventually.

Jake takes a turn down the path towards the lake, but then keeps going, weaving around the water's edge to enter the woods. They stop about a hundred feet in at the base of a gigantic oak tree – regal, and plump, and inviting. Jake grabs the lowest branch, and pulls himself up, before climbing higher and higher.

Haley knows exactly what he was looking for, and she gulps with unease at the thought. Oh freaking no.

...

10 Years Ago

On the eve of the first day of classes, the group sat around their dining hall table. Lucas bounced a basketball on his knee, waiting for Jake to finish eating before they hit the courts. He stared at Nathan and Haley, who were each thoughtfully writing in a notebook.