Ravens: The Next Generation

The quiet town of Tree Hill, North Carolina was even sleepier than usual. A warm Friday night and there was no sounds around the streets, no whisper, no person walking. Usually, laughter and chatter filled the air, but on this particular Friday night, the entire town was eerily quiet.

This was because of one reason, and one reason only: the Tree Hill Ravens had a basketball game, and the entire town was in attendance. Just like every Friday night. Attending the Ravens' games had become something of a tradition for Tree Hill, ever since Jamie Scott went to school there. Now he was long gone, graduated six years ago and playing professional basketball in New York. 

Still, it was no secret that Tree Hill loved basketball, and even six years later that hadn't changed. In the school gym of Tree Hill High - an establishment which had educated musicians, basketball players, artists, authors, fashion designers and more over the years - came the deafening roar of the crowd gathered to watch the game. 

Cheerleaders, players, parents, coaches and more filled every seat and inch of standing space in the large gym. On the wall hung four jersey numbers, each showing the best players through generations, including Jamie Scott's very own jersey from when he attended Tree Hill High. 

By the sidelines of the game stood another member of the Scott family. She was a pretty young girl with dark blonde hair and a young, innocent face. Her straight hair was pulled back into a ponytail tied with a blue ribbon, and an 'R' was painted on her cheek. She was head cheerleader and confidence oozed out of her. 

Beside her stood a girl with blonde curly hair. Her hair was shorter, but wilder, also pulled back into a curly ponytail, tied with a blue ribbon. She nudged her pom-poms towards her companion and smiled at her.

Their names were Lydia and Roe Scott. They were best friends and cousins. 

Roe, standing in her rightful place to the left of the Captain of the cheerleading squad, turned to her best friend. "Noah's looking good out there," she said to Lydia, who just smiled a knowing smile and kept her eyes on the game. 

Roe glanced away from the game for a second to check back in the stands. She searched the crowd for a few seconds before her gaze settled on five people in the bleachers: her mother, father, aunt, uncle - Lydia's parents - and her mother's best friend. Her father, Lucas Scott, spotted her and waved at her. 

    "Are they there?" Lydia asked without turning around to look for herself. She was focused on the game, on keeping her cheerleaders in line.

Roe knew who she was talking about without having to ask. "Yes. And Brooke too."

The pair fell silent while the crowd in the gym grew louder. Lydia stepped forward and led a cheer and her boyfriend, Noah Jacobs, stopped mid-play and looked over at her. He smiled and she gave him a small smile back, then flicked her fingers at him, encouraging him to get back into the game. He caught the ball and headed for the basket. 

15 seconds left on the clock. 

Noah passed the ball to one of his teammates - a boy Roe liked, Lydia thought - and travelled closer to the basket. The ball was passed back to him but he still wasn't close enough.

10 seconds.

Noah backed up, away from the player marking him. His opposition wasn't letting him get free and Lydia led the cheer louder, with more ... well, cheer, this time. She wanted him to win. They had to win. If they won, they would advance through another level and that would get them one step closer to winning the State Championships. The Ravens had won the State Championships several years in a row. They'd won when her father and uncle had played for the team; they'd won when her older brother had been on the team. Lydia was infamous within the school. She was the most popular girl in school, along with Roe. She was practically basketball royalty due to her family. Her grandfather, her father, her uncle and brother had all set the bar. Her mom and aunt had been cheerleaders. Her Aunt Brooke had been Captain, just like her. 

3 seconds.

Noah sprinted free from his opponent. 

The ball was passed to him. He lifted, aimed and the ball left his hands. It soared through the air, up, up, up and down, down, down into the basket just as the buzzer sounded and the game was over. 

The score: Ravens leading 23-20. 

Cheering filled the air and Lydia screamed and stamped her feet excitedly, hugging Roe with indescribable joy. They jumped up and down together and she glanced into the crowd and caught her father's eye. He smiled at her, pleased with the result, pleased for his Alma mata. 

Her attention was suddenly caught by Noah barrelling towards her at full speed, lifting her up into the air and twirling her round. She had her arms around his neck and she was laughing into his ear and he was spinning her and spinning her some more until she felt dizzy.

     "Congratulations!" she said. "You did it! You made the shot!"

Noah set her down finally but kept hold of her arms. He was quite typically tall, dark and handsome. He was also her boyfriend. The star of the team, and the head cheerleader. It was the perfect dynamic. It was exactly what her parents had when they were her age. Her parents got married when they were age - only sixteen. She wasn't ready for that yet, though. Obviously not. She wasn't even sure if she loved Noah. But he sure loved her.

The problem with Noah was that he wanted them to have a love story like her parents, like her aunt and uncle. He'd read her Uncle Lucas' book only about a thousand times, over and over. He thought that Noah and Lydia would be the new Nathan and Haley.

They made sense on paper. They were perfect on paper, but what made her parents' love story great was that they hadn't made sense on paper. She just wasn't sure that Noah was the one for her. But she was only sixteen; she had a lifetime to decide. 

    "No," Noah said to her, grinning. He kissed her forehead. "We did it."