Chapter 3: are you true?
Luke had been true to his word and had decided to play in the game that was happening that night despite all the doubts that been going through his head since the last game he had played in but a part reason for him to deciding what to do was the fact that his sister was still going to play and knew that he would feel better if he was free to watch over her. As part of his whole thinking, he had torn the Scott name tag off of his back of his shirt before heading out to the field while he had done the same to Alex's since he didn't want Dan to think he had any part in what they could do on the court. Alex had made sure that she looked a tad more fierce than she had before in the last game by braiding her hair into two French braids but still wore the same basketball uniform as before. So far the game was half way through when Whitey called for a time out in order to talk to his players about the next move before the game finished in order for the ravens to win.
" Under twenty-five seconds to go, the Ravens trail by two" The announcer said as he announced the game as the team began to head towards their coach for a quick revisal of the game plan and to have a drink
" We're running black for Nathan. If they double you, fight through them and take your shot when we have five seconds left. Let's go!" Whitey said to the team while they were in the huddle as Alex drink of some water
" Ravens on three. One, two, three, Ravens!" Tim said as everyone out their hands in the middle and before they all began to shout out their team name and run out to their positions on the court
" So a quick time out and the Ravens take to the court, their undefeated record at stake sign 18 seconds left on the clock. They need a basket to tie or a 3-pointer for the win" the announcer said to everyone in the room
" let's go ravens! Let's go!" The cheerleaders said as they cheered for the team in the sidelines on the court while everyone began to watch what was going on on the court between the two different teams
" Jagielski to the inbound finds Alex Scott out top. We're under 10 seconds now. Alex Scott dumps it down to Nathan Scott and he's double teamed but he forces up a 7-footer. It kicks off the heel of the rim. Jake Jagielski, though with an offensive rebound, with under 5 seconds on the clock, Jagielski out to Lucas Scott, he is behind the 3-point line. The Ravens are going to win or lose it right here" the announcer said as he commented on what was going on
" Luke, shoot!" Alex said shouting to her brother who she noticed had the chance to sink the winning shot as her and a player from the opposite team where fighting for control between themselves
" Unbelievable! Lucas Scott with the 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Tree Hill Ravens are still undefeated! And I tell you what, if you're going to play the Ravens this season, you better take note, there is a new Scott in town!" The announcer said after Lucas made the shot and they began to celebrate
After the game was finished, all of the Raven players headed for the lockers in order to get changed out of their sweaty uniforms and go for shower before getting dressed back into their previous outfits that they wore before the game which meant that Alex had the girls locker room to herself to get showered and changed on her own with the other members. When she was dressed and ready, she headed back into the main locker room to meet up with Lucas before they headed back to the gym hall where they knew that their mom and uncle Keith were waiting for them to congratulate on the game.
" Nice game, Lucas. You too, Alex. You were both awesome" a random guy said to them as he passed them by while they were heading over to where they had seen Karen and Keith standing waiting for them
" Thanks..." Lucas said giving Alex a weird look since neither of them knew who he was but yet he still knew who they were, they were used to going through the school unknown and unnoticed like before
" how weird it is that people suddenly know who we are?" Alex said as they looked around to see the buzz around them as Alex noticed AJ was looking her way as they smiled at each other discreetly
" Lucas, you rock! And Alex, you were so great" Keith said as him and Lucas high fived before Keith went to hug his niece as he looked over to his younger brother to see that Dan was watching them
" Thanks, Uncle Keith" Lucas said as he hugged his mom as he thought about how great the game had been for him as well as his sister as he was suddenly glad that he had decided to play the game
" For a kid that was about to quit and another that was worried about playing with boys, that was something to see" Karen said to both her kids as she hugged Alex and kissed the top of her head
" I picked up fouls too early and I was slow getting back into it" Lucas said thinking about all of the mistakes that he had made at the beginning of the game as he began to doubt himself and his playing
" and then there's the fact that I missed that first shot because of ten big burly dude in my way and the three fouls I picked up too" Alex said as she began to think abut her own mistakes during the game
" You both were great" Karen said to her children as she thought about how everyone else know how great they could play now which was something that she had always know about them both
" Thanks, mom. So we were thinking about going to the café and hanging out with Haley for a while if that's cool?" Alex said thinking about the plans that they had made with Haley only a few hours before
" of course it is" Karen said knowing that she had always trusted her kids to be good especially when they were with Haley since they had never gotten into trouble or done anything too extreme
" See you soon, mom" Lucas said as he kissed his mom on the cheek as he smiled as he thought about them both telling Haley how well they had done during the game since she had missed it
" Not too late, though" Karen said as she called out to her children who had began to walk away from her and their uncle as they bought a out going to meet their best friend who was waiting for them
" hey, you've got the car here right?" Alex said thinking about they had one car that they tended to share, although Alex preferred to cycle around Tree Hill since it was a small and quiet town most of the time
" yeah, did you think I walked it here or something?" Lucas said as he showed her the car keys as they began to head out to the car park as he laughed at her question as he wondered what she was thinking
" ha ha, I'm just asking because I cycled here so I'll need to cycle home... duh" Alex said since they both knew that her bike didn't fit into their car meaning that she would need to take her bike home with her
" give me your bag then and I'll meet there" Lucas said as he took the bag that held all off her things that she needed for basketball before they headed off in different directions in order to head home.
While Alex cycled home, she began to think about the game as a whole as well as the upcoming annual burning boat festival that happened every year where the people of Tree Hill burned anything that they thought as bad luck or karma in order to improve things for themselves since it was an event that she usually mocked and made fun of but this year things seemed to be different for her. Soon she neared the café as she suddenly craved one of her mom's homemade brownies as she hoped one was left when she saw that Haley was just closing up for the night since she had been on shift while everyone else had been at the game
" 12 points, 8 assists and I made the game winning shot" Lucas said as him and Alex entered the café as he decided to fake Haley out by pretending to be sad to make her think the worse before smiling
" Good! That is great, right?" Haley said as she jumped into Lucas's arms and began to hug him from sheer joy from hearing that he had done better than the last game that he had played in with the team
" Yeah, it's all right" Lucas said as he shrugged it off like it was nice as he watched as Alex jumped onto the counter with a plate of half filled with brownies as she began to eat one while this happened
" oh and I was there too by the way" Alex said as she thought about how she was used to coming in second place to Lucas or even to Nathan, it always seemed like there was a better Scott than her
" well duh... how'd you do?" Haley said as she turned to her other side to give her an equally sarcastic look as she wondered how she did since she knew that she had been worrying about keeping up
" not great as look but 8 points and way more assists than him" Alex said thinking about how well she had done since she was still inserting herself into a male centred world where she had to push back
" Ugh, I can't believe I had to work! Tell me about it!" Haley said looking between them as she suddenly wished that she and been there to see them in action instead of working especially since it had been so quiet
" Actually the beginning wasn't so great since I ran into you-know-who but lucky for me, Alex came to my rescue" Lucas said knowing that his younger twin wasn't afraid to say what they were all thinking
" Dan? Oh I'm sorry. What did you do?" Haley said to the blonde female as she knew that she could more of a loose cannon than Lucas especially whenever she thought someone she loved was in danger
" I told him to stop messing with Lucas's head and grow a pair since he seemed to be so scared by a 17 year old kid" Alex said knowing that it was true since he always seemed to push Nathan too far
" Do you want to talk about it?" Haley said turning between them as she knew the effect that Dan Scott could have on them both since they tended to her everything just as they would with each other
" Actually, I was thinking about checking out the burning boat. You two want to come?" Lucas said as he thought about how it had been on his mind since he had torn the Scott name tag of his team shirt
" yeah, it's kinda been on my mind since the game" Alex said as she finished her brownie and jumped off of the counter as she thought about what she wanted to burn in order to make herself feel lighter
" Well, I suppose I could be seen with you. Let me just call home and tell them not to wait up Hey, mom, it's Haley. Haley James, your daughter. Listen, I'm gonna go out after work, and I'll be home. Okay? All right, bye" Haley said as she used the café's phone to call her mom at home
" Was your mom drinking?" Lucas said referring to the drinking motion that she had made halfway through making the call causing Alex and Lucas to laugh as they thought of Lydia James drunk
" No! I got the machine" Haley said laughing as she grabbed her coat wondering why they would think her mom was drinking as they all headed out of the café to enjoy the amount of freedom that they had
" Haley, that so wasn't the gesture of answering machine! Sometimes you amaze even me" Alex said as they all headed to the burning boat event that was being held near the docks like it always was
" Nice game, Lucas" someone said as they passed him by as they approached the docks which wasn't that far from Karen's café as they turned to face him as they still were used to this amount of attention
" hey, thanks" Lucas said trying to be humble about it all as he thought about the kind of attention he was getting this week compared to the kind he had gotten after playing so terribly during his first game
" You too, Alex. You were so hot" the boy said causing Alex to cringe a little as she wrapped the grey hoodie she was wearing over her T-shirt a little tighter as she shook her head thinking about it
" that's so sexist! You get 'nice game' and I get 'you were so hot'" Alex said knowing that she had a long way to go to prove herself in the eyes of the team and the eyes of the fans that supported the team
" come on, you two are just blowing up" Haley said trying to make both of the twins more positive about the attention they were getting even if it was on the sexist side toward the blonde female twin
" Well yeah, man. I'm a big star now. You better hope I keep you around, I mean I'm only keeping Alex around because she's my sister and she makes me look good" Lucas said making them both laugh
" oh yeah, that's right. Reduce me to some eye candy on your arm, everyone else has" Alex said with a smile to let Lucas know that she wasn't actually that upset about everyone still underestimating her
" You know, I'm gonna try not to lose sleep over that, thanks. Oh so last night, I'm watching Scandinavian week on the history channel, and I-" Haley said as the burning boat came into sight
" Why?" Lucas asked since it wasn't something that an normal person their age would watch as he thought about how Haley would mock him for the weird and varied books that he would often read
" Because... blonde Viking guys are hot or haven't you ever seen Alexander Skarsgård?" Alex said answering for Haley since she already knows what the answer is as both teen girls begin to laugh
" she's right but anyway this whole Burning Boat thing is a total rip-off of a Viking funeral, did you know that?" Haley said as they stood next to the boat that was already filled with people's bad karma
" you know, you're the bomb" Brandon said as he came up to the three of them as they all began to turn wondering who he was talking to exactly, though it seemed like Lucas already knew who he was talking to
" Thanks" Lucas said simply assuming that Brandon was talking to him as a result of how well he had played during the game that night for Brandon to simply give Lucas a look causing the others to laugh
" Check it out!" Brandon said to Haley as he showed her the recent grade he had gotten with her help due to the amount of studying and tutoring that she had been doing with him lately as a result
" B+! Brandon, all right! You did it!" Haley said as she noticed the grade on the paper and began to hug the boy as well as celebrating how well he had done as a result of his hard work with her recently
" Yeah, I just threw all my bad grades into the pot. I'm not going back there" Brandon said knowing that this was the way forward for him as a result of Haley's teachings hence why he had used the boat
" I know you're not" Haley said encouragingly since she knew how hard he had worked in order to achieve this grade and knew how much it meant to him to have achieved it as she kept smiling at him
" I've had I don't know how many tutors and this girl's a miracle worker" Brandon said knowing that the other tutors had tried before had really worked until he had met Haley and used her many methods
" No, this is all you, man. Congratulations!" Haley said as she handed Brandon back the paper he had shown her as she hoped that this was the first of many in terms of getting many more grades like it
" Thanks, Haley. See you." Brandon said before leaving the three of them alone again as they turned back to face each other as they tried to each digest what just happened as Haley began to celebrate
" Yes! I knew he could do it! Yes!" Haley said celebrating how well she had helped Brandon as she started to dance a little since she always took pride in her students' victories like once likes these
" Nice work, Hales" Lucas said congratulating her on a job well done since he knew that she took pride in the word she did in the tutor centre in school as a tutor and tried to help as many people as she could
" look at us, the three superstars or two superstars and a hottie depending on who you ask" Alex said laughing as Lucas pulled her closer to him for a side hug as she referred to the attention she was getting
" Thank you. So, what bad mojo are you burning this year?" Haley said to the twins since it was clear that they had come here with some kind of intention although Haley wasn't exactly sure what that was
" I haven't actually decided yet but I will by the time they burn the boat" Alex said already knowing in her head what she wanted to burn but knew it was more private than Lucas burning their name tags
" I'm not wearing that on my jersey and neither is Alex. So, we're going to watch this together, right?" Lucas said as he pulled out his and Alex's jersey name tags before putting it onto the boat to be burned
" Maybe. I have to, uh, check my schedule. You know, the word around town is that I'm um... the bomb. Oh!" Haley said with a pause before walking away from them causing them to give the other an amused look
" oh look who went got an inflatable ego" Alex said causing both twins to laugh as they went after Haley in order to check out some of the booths that had been placed around in the name of the event
" ha ha... oh listen they're playing 'Attack of the 50-foot Woman' at the Crescent the day after tomorrow. Do you both want to go?" Haley asked them both since it was the kind thing they did
" yeah, count me in" Lucas said knowing that he loved going to see old movies with his best friends and sister, as well as that doing something more normal seemed to be kind of what he needed right now
" me too... umm hey, is it cool if I bail and use the car?" Alex said after checking the time as she realised that she was slowly running out of time as she turned to her twin brother for the car keys
" of course but why? You got plans or something?" Lucas said as Alex began to notice the looks of suspicion coming from Lucas and Haley since the three of them never kept any secrets from each other
" yeah, I'm secretly going to meet up with some dude from school... oh wait! Nope, i forgot I don't that kind of thing " Alex said trying to cover up for what she was really going to do as Lucas handed her the keys
However as Alex got into the jeep that she shared with Lucas as a result of them getting the car for their sixteenth birthday as a shared present, she headed for the same bridge that she had met AJ after the last game that she had played in. She tried to not think about the fact that she had just semi lied to the two people that she had never lied to before as she began to think about how bad the fallout would be if Lucas and Haley but especially Lucas found out as she tried to picture his reaction and knew experience that it wouldn't be good. However all of the doubts and worries began to fade away as she saw the faint outline of AJ form waiting for her at the bridge as she pulled her car to halt before getting out
" I was starting to worry that you weren't going to show" AJ said as he turned around to face her with a smile as he watched as she jumped onto her car and sat cross legged on it as she faced him to talk
" careful now, you almost sound like interested in me" Alex said thinking about how he had left a note in her locker after the game to meet him at the bridge at the same time last week as she tried to hide it
" would that really be so bad?" AJ said as he moved closer to her as he wondered what it was about her that made him to forget about the problems involved in being together and who his friends were
" probably, considering your best friend is my younger half brother who been raised to hate me. How do I know this is apart of some play of his?" Alex said knowing that was definitely a worry on her mind
" what do you mean?" AJ said trying to not to show how hurt he was by this idea or how taken aback he was but knew that it was a valid concern considering the way that Nathan had been acting lately
" well how do I know he's not told you to get close to me to mess with my head and force me to quit the team? We both know that he wants me and Lucas off the team as soon as" Alex said being honest
" because he's more focused on Lucas because Dan is... and there's the fact that me being this close to you goes against the bro code. You're off limits, remember?" AJ said now standing in front of her
" yeah, want to tell me why that is again? It's not like he cares about me or anything?" Alex said shaking her head as she knew that there was still a lot that she didn't know about what was going on
" I don't know, hell I doubt he does. Dan has screwed his head that much that all he does is try to please him, he barely has his thoughts anymore" AJ said knowing that he didn't like when he was going
" I can't imagine Dan would have liked tonight's game with Lucas making the shot that Nathan didn't" Alex said knowing that she hated how Dan always seemed to be watching the game too intently
" not one bit, he kinda chewed him out afterwards about how the team was meant to be his" AJ said thinking about how Dan only really cared about basketball and living his dreams through Nathan
" you know I was at the burning boat tonight..." Alex said changing the subject as AJ decided to next to her on the hood of the jeep as he liked how relaxed she seemed to be around him this time
" oh yeah, did you put anything into the boat to burn?" Aj said thinking about the Tree Hill tradition of putting things associated with the bad things in their lives into a boat to burn to allow only the good in
" Lucas put our 'Scott' name tags into the boat to be burned, he doesn't want us to linked Dan while playing" Alex said thinking about the look on Dan's face when he noticed the blank patch on their shirts
" I did notice that your names weren't on your shirts tonight, what do you think about it?" AJ said knowing from their interactions already that Alex Scott was definitely a girl with her own mind
" to be honest, I already asked Whitey if I could by Alex Roe on the court. Partly because of Dan and partly cause having three Scotts on one court is confusing" Alex said laying back on the car laughing
" true... so what are you burning then" AJ said coping her actions but laying down beside her on the car as he thought about how pretty much everyone in town took part in the burning boat event
" I don't know yet..." Alex said thinking about the amount of things that she could burn to bring herself better karma but wasn't sure what was the right thing to burn as she turned her head to face him better
" how about this, why don't we meet up just before they burn the boat and toss something in?" AJ said knowing that he'd do anything to just spend more time with her even if Nathan objected to it
" yeah, sounds good" Alex said with a genuine smile as she looked back up to the sky as she thought about how these small moments were definitely the calm moments in the the storm that was basketball
The next day at school, things between the Scott twins and the team seemed to step up to a new level when they decided to steal Lucas's town when he was in the shower forcing him to use basketballs to cover himself up as well as stole Alex's clothes forcing her to simply wear a towel as they both tried to find their misplaced items. Fortunately for them, they were discovered by Whitey before anyone else could see them and cause them further embarrassment as he helped them find their missing items while having a chuckle to himself about the hazing that went on between new team members and already existing members. Eventually the twins found themselves back at their body shop with their uncle away from the team and the buzz that was going around them in school.
" How's things been since the game?" Keith asked his niece and nephew as him and Lucas fixed the underneath of a car while Alex was nearby working on a car as she popped the hood to see inside of it
" Different..People I've never talked to say "Hello" to me like they've always known me and the teachers smile more, cheerleaders strip in your car" Lucas said thinking about how things have changed
" boys calling you hot, giving you their numbers, teachers being more relaxed on homework... it's like living in the bizarro" Alex said thinking about how nothing seemed real and genuine anymore
" Sounds like the good life" Keith said thinking about how that sounded like every teenagers dream life in high school as he remembered how things had been for him when he had played on the team
" Yeah, it sounds like it but not really" Lucas said sharing a look with his sister as they thought about how it seemed to be like the perfect life from the outside but from the inside it was anything but
" it's all a little fake, especially none of these people would have noticed us if we hadn't joined the team" Alex said suddenly wondering the same of AJ as she tried to shake off the feeling she was getting
" plus the team's hazing us a little bit" Lucas said still not liking the fact that they had taken his towel or had Alex's clothes since he hated the thought that any of the other students might have seen her
" Well, believe it or not, I wouldn't take it too personally" Keith said knowing that hazing had been a part of team sports since it usually helped males bond better as players, friends and as a team
" oh you clearly have never been a girl walking around school in nothing but a towel" Alex said with a deadpanned look and a tone to go with it as she thought about how bad it could have been for her
" yeah, I'm still not happy with that" Lucas said not liking how they were also doing it to his sister as he thought about the amount of different ways that they could take it too far with her compared to him
" See, we did that when I played unless it gets completely out of hand, just roll with it. Show 'em what you're made of" Keith said trying to help them since he knew that it was a part of normal team sports
" I'm not sure you want me to show them what I'm made of" Alex said giving them a look since they all knew what she could be like when she was back into a corner as Keith gave her a warning look
The next day at school, their uncle's words seemed to echo through their head to not take anything that the team did to them seriously but that was a lot harder to in reality considering that the team seemed to be relentless between the looks that the other players were giving them to the whispering to each other. It didn't exactly take a genius to work who was behind it as AJ's words about Nathan thinking that Lucas was taking the team away from was fresh in Alex's head. The the hazing didn't seemed to let up any as the twins headed for practice to see that their lockers in the basketball locker room had been tampered with as Lucas's locker had been drenched in water as well as had everything in while Alex's locker room had been filled with tampons.
" It's only going to get worse" Nathan said to them as him and the rest of the team laughed at the pair as Alex noticed that AJ stood next to Nathan silent but very much looking like he was in his side
" at which point can I take one of this and shove it where the sun don't shine? I can stand start with Nathan and end with Tim" Alex said with fury in her voice as she watched at Jake heads for his locker
" you're a little fiery, aren't you? Oh I see, the hazing begins... right on schedule. Can you smell the desperation? We all went through it, hang in" Jake said handing Lucas a spare and dry set of gym clothes
" and try not to kill anyone in the process, you mean?" Alex said with a dark smile as she knew that the was only so much that she could take before she snapped and decided to fight back against them
" Alex is the one with the temper out of the two of us but even I need to agree with her on this one" Lucas said not liking how they were attacking her along with him as she headed into the gym since she was already dressed
" ah! Alex, come over here. You too, Nathan" Whitey said as he noticed Alex had come into the gym hall and began to warm up for practise as he decided to start this practice off with some changes
" what's up, coach?" Nathan said sounding a little breathless as Alex rolled her eyes as she began to gather all of her hair up and began to place her hair up into a bun wondering what was going on now
" I'm tinkering with the offence, you'll be playing more small forward" Whitey said as he looked behind him where Jake and Lucas had come into the hall to start shooting the ball into the basket almost every time
" I'm assuming that's because you want Lucas to play shooting guard" Alex said with a smile since she was pleased that her brother was doing so well on the team and was outplaying Nathan right now
" Forget it, I'm the shooting guard!" Nathan said outraged that he was being moved to a lower position than the one that he usually played as he thought about what his dad would say when he heard of this
" That's funny, I thought I was the coach. As a matter of fact, you can call me that and I'll call you "small forward". Nathan Scott, small forward. Has a nice ring to it" Whitey said making his point to him
" to be honest, I think you made the right call with that one. He'd make a way better small forward than a shooting guard especially with how he played last week" Alex said thinking more out loud than anything else
" I'm glad you think so because I'm putting you in as the point guard, out on the court you have the best control I've seen in years in terms of the game and you set things up nicely for Lucas" Whitey said knowing that he had made the call with this one
" this means I need to study the game plan and action listen to you right?" Alex said once again using humour as a way getting around a hard situation as Whitey simply laughed at her and the way she was
" I'll give your it home so you can study it down to a tee and past plays so you can make the right call out on the court during a game... now go, getting ready for practice" Whitey said not being able to helping at her
Later that night after changing to warmer sportswear, Lucas and Alex decided to head to the River Court to simply play some one on one and just relax for once since they never wanted to lose their love for the game or stop finding it fun to play. However when they got to the court that they loved so much, they found that it had been completely trashed with litter everywhere and the hoop wrecked with the words 'you sick' written in spray paint. It didn't take a genius to work out who was behind it as Lucas picked up a can of spray paint that someone had left behind before throwing it as Alex simply told Lucas that she would be back before getting back into her car and driving to the one person who she thought would give her answers on what had happened to the court as she knocked on his door
" hey, what are you doing here?" AJ said answering the door as he tried to hide the fact that he was surprised to see Alex at his door as well as the fact that she ever knew where he lived, although it was a small town
" tell me that you had nothing to do with it!" Alex said as AJ stepped out into the hallway of the apartment that he shared with his brother as could tell that whatever she was talking about that it angered her greatly
" to do with what? I have no idea what you're talking about" AJ said completely clueless for once as he wondered what happened now as he knew that if she was this angry then it had to have something to do with Nathan and the team
" Lucas and I went to to the River Court tonight to find it completely trashed. You don't need to be Sherlock Holmes to know who did it" Alex said leaning against the railing that was behind her
" and you think I helped him do it?" AJ said slightly annoyed that she would think of him after everything all of the little moments that they had been sharing lately as he allowed himself to show it
" I mean you are his best friend" Alex said as if it was the same thing as saying that he had just murdered someone as he tried not to let the hurt he was feeling show on his face as her words hurt
" not lately, I'm not... he wanted to ramp up the hazing on you guys to get to leave the team, I said no and now we're not talking" AJ said leaning against the door to the apartment he shared with his brother
" oh..." Alex said not sure what else she could say now that he had disproved all of her theories as her anger towards him began to fade away as she realised that she had displaced the anger she felt
" yeah, he seems to think I have a thing for you" AJ said thinking about the argument that he had with Nathan in the locker room when he had told him to leave Alex out of the feud he was having with Lucas
" and what did you say?" Alex said in a small voice as the conversation began to take an unexpected turn for her as she wondered where this was going as she suddenly became aware of the distance between them
" that even if I did have a thing for you, that it's between us and not him" AJ said as he started to move closer to her as he realised that this was probably the one chance to take her by surprise for once
" and do you? Have a thing for me, I mean?" Alex said lowering her voice as she became aware of how close he was and how she could smell the familiar scent of his body spray and mint that seemed unique to him
" What do you think?" AJ said as he brushed a piece of blonde hair behind her ear before leaning in toward she'd hoping to capture her lips with his own when the door behind opened interrupting them
" oh sorry... I umm I was just wondering where you had gotten to and now I know" AJ's older brother said as he leaned against the door a used at finding his younger brother about to kiss someone
" ummm Alex, this is my older brother Eric. Eric, this is Alex Scott. She's Nathan half sister and the newest Raven" AJ said coughing slightly to hide how annoyed that his moment with Alex was ruined
" yeah I heard about you, apparently you're some player on the court" Eric said knowing that he had yet to see her in action since he usually had to work at night when the games were on as he smiled
" thanks... umm I'm sorry, I should be going since I technically stole the car keys and ran away from Luke" Alex said before running down the stairs a little embarrassed at being caught like they were
" huh? So you and Nathan's half sister?" Eric said to his younger brother, hoping that AJ wasn't using her following Nathan's orders as he thought about how AJ had been doing what Nathan told him since they were kids
" it's not like that or it was to start with but now it's way more than that, I want it to be more than that" AJ said as he realising that he was ranting a little as he thought about becoming more with Alex
" good, I'd hate you to think that you're the kind of guy that's messes with a girl's head because your friend told you told" Eric said before heading back into the apartment to let his words sink into his brother
Lucas and Alex had tried their best to try and tidy up the mess created by Nathan and his goons by picking up the trash lying around the court and by washing away the spray paint since the place was as precious to them as a church was to anyone that believed in god, it hurt them to see it in such a condition and to think that Nathan was now making things personal with the hazing. However soon it was time for them to go to meet Haley since they had agreed to her at the docks before they needed to go to their work since Haley was on the late shift at the café and Keith had allowed the twins to work at a later time. As soon as they found their best friend, they began to fill her in on what happened
" They trashed the court? What else?" Haley said not liking the sound of hazing as she began to worry about how far Nathan and the other players were taking this tradition of hazing to embarrass them
" stole my towel, broke into my locker and soaked my stuff" Lucas said as he started to number off the things that the team had done to him so far before looking to Alex to tell Haley her own story of what had happened to her
" well they stole my clothes leaving me in just my towel and filled my locker with tampons but jokes on them because that's just forward thinking" Alex said trying to play all of this off as a joke as she shrugged
" I don't know, Hales, I don't know how much longer I can put up with this and I know Alex is one incident away from smacking one of them" Lucas said knowing that she was the more violent one
" Do you think they're gonna like let up anytime soon?" Haley said thinking about how much worse this could for the twins as she thought of how Nathan had come looking for her at the tutor centre today
" No chance. And you want to know why? Because Nathan controls the team" Lucas said knowing that everything that was happening to them was happening because of Nathan and at his say so
" and there's no way in hell he's gonna back off, not until we both leave the team which isn't going to happen" Alex said knowing that they were going to stay on the team as long as it annoyed Nathan
" What are you thinking?" Lucas said as he noticed the look on Haley's face as they all stopped walking so that they could properly look at each other as they tried to work out what she was thinking
" This weird thing happened at the tutoring centre...It's not important, never mind" Haley said as she started to tell them about Nathan asking her for tutoring and her being tempted to say yes to him but stopped herself
" Are you sure? It looked kind of important" Alex said wondering if Haley had a secret of her own as she thought about how she had them a lie herself the night of the game so she could go meet AJ
" Yeah, mm-hmm. Are we still going to go to the movie later tonight?" Haley said trying to change the subject before Alex asked any more questions or worse, found out what she was hiding from them
" of course, you know how much I love old movies" Alex said thinking about all the time that the three of them had spent watching movies both old and new rather than going to parties like normal teens
" Yeah, sounds like fun" Lucas said knowing that he was definitely looking forward to doing something a little normal than what had recently been going on in their lives since joining the basketball team
" okay, cool... guys, how far do you think he's really gonna go. Nathan, I mean?" Haley said worryingly as she thought about how far and how dangerous all of this could get if someone didn't stop it first
" I don't know. As far as he wants to go until somebody stops him... and somebody I don't mean you, Alex" Lucas said knowing that Alex was way more likely to get into a fight than he was at this point
Soon Alex and Lucas found themselves back in the familiar setting of their uncle's body shop as they took a small break from fixing cars to talk to their uncle as they thought about the last time that they talked to their uncle where he had told them to not to talk anything that the team was doing to them personally but now it seemed like Nathan was making it personal now. Something that Alex wanted to repay in kindness since that was how he seemed to want to play, although Lucas was more laidback about the whole in comparison. Currently the twins were sitting in the back of the that Keith was working on as they talked about things.
" Guys, I owe you an apology" Keith said thinking about what Karen had told him had happened to the River Court and how it was connected to the hazing that the team were currently playing on them both
" For what?" Lucas said looking to his uncle since neither him or Alex had any idea what he was talking about as Alex looked from where she was currently tweaking with the radio while she sat inside the car
" I told you guys not to take things personally but they're making it personal.... All right, let's give her a try" Keith said as he gestured for Lucas to turn the car on to check whether the engine was working
" that sounds way better... maybe next time, we have talking time we can do while we get our nails. We do way too many male ordinated things" Alex said making them both laugh at her suggestion
" Sorry, we're closed" Keith said when they heard a sudden knock at the door as they all began to wonder who it could be since the body shop had been closed for an hour, although they chose to stick around
" Hi, I'm Jake" Jake said to Keith as he entered the body shop as Keith recognised him as one of the ravens basketball players as he wondered whether he was one of the good ones or Nathan's goons
" Oh, hi, Jake. I'm Keith... I got some paperwork to do, see you" Keith said before walking away since he sensed that Jake wanted to talk to Lucas and Alex alone for whatever reason but wanted to stay close
" I heard about the court" Jake said thinking about the talk that was going on in the locker room about Nathan and some others had trashed the court that the Scott twins loved so much as part of the hazing
" You heard about it, or you were there?" Lucas said standing up as Alex got out of the car as both of them got a little defensive as they thought about the state that the court had been in afterwards
" I swear to god that if it was you-" Alex said knowing that they would see a side to her that they never expected as she thought about how they hadn't done anything to be treated like this from the team p
" hey, I don't buy into that mob rule nonsense, all right. I play defence, I live my life and that's it" Jake said defending himself as he thought about how he had better things to do than being petty like this
" Yeah, and what about the rest of the team?" Lucas said thinking about there was definitely a mob mentality going on with the team going on right now with them both painted as the bad guys just now
" something tells that they are getting their pitch forks and torches ready for a mob hunt at moment now" Alex said knowing that the hazing wasn't quite finished yet which scared her to a degree
" Look, the guys on the team...they're in a tough spot. Because of the suspension, most of these guys are younger and they're not going to stand up to Nathan" Jake said thinking about how Tim, Nathan and him were the only one from the original team
" that's not excuse, they should still know right and wrong" Alex said thinking about how they should have stood up to Nathan when they realised that the hazing was more than just team bonding
" It's not right but that's the way it is" Jake said knowing that none of them could change the way things were and they certainly couldn't do it over night as he tried to reason with them both right now
" Yeah, well the way it is doesn't work for us and it doesn't work for our friends" Lucas said knowing that it wasn't just him that played at the River court and loved it as much as they did as he thought of skills and junk
" Yeah, I know but that's... That's kind of why I came here. This thing could get really messy if someone doesn't take the high road and I know this is not my place to ask but I was just hoping that you could rise above it." Jake said knowing that they were more likely to be reasoned with than Nathan
" I don't think I can do that" Lucas said knowing that there was a certain point where he would start to fight back and he was getting close to it as he thought about everything that the team could still do
" I definitely can't do that. It's different when boys hazing boys, it's just a bit of childish fun but this is targeted and pure hatred, Jake" Alex said thinking about how the locket filled tampons was about her being a girl on the team
" Okay but just know that if you do, the team's gonna come around. Their gonna see that you're a good guy and a hell of a player and Alex, they'll look past you being a girl and see what you can do for this team" Jake said knowing that they both had a lot to offer the team
" And if we can't?" Lucas said looking to Alex as he knew that it would take a lot for Nathan to back off like that since he was being pushed by Dan to make Alex and Lucas go away like he wished Karen had
" Then I got both your backs... I'm sorry I should go but that's all I wanted to say to you" Jake said before leaving them both alone as he knew that he needed to head home before his parents missed him
Before heading to the movie theatre, Alex wanted to head home so that she could change into something warmer and cosier to watch the movie since it was her thing to do while watching a movie as well as the snacks, of course. Eventually, Lucas and Alex headed to the movie theatre where Haley was pacing outside as she waited for them. Unfortunately when they got closer to the movie theatre, a van pulled behind them as a few of their teammates grabbed them before putting a bag over their head and forced them into the van while they kicked and screamed due to clearly not wanting to be kidnapped like that. The van drove for a while out of Tree Hill and into a more secluded area where they usually did this part of the hazing, while Lucas and Alex bounced around the back of the van as they quietly strewed in their anger as they waited for the next thing to happen. Eventually the van came to a halt before they were pulled out the van, struggling all the way before being pushed into a muddy puddle.
" what the hell!?" Alex said as she found herself covered in mud as she looked to her left to see that Lucas has managed to stand up and get himself free before he helped her to feet and unbound her hands
" Well, well... the gang's all here" Nathan said as he walked out from the driver seat of the van and stood in from of them as they got out of the stream as they got ready for what this was right now
" I should have know this was your doing" Lucas said knowing that he should have always expected the worse from Nathan and never have even considered Jake's suggestion for taking the high road
" oh I am so going to kill you!" Alex said as she went to punch Nathan but couldn't as a result of Lucas grabbing her to prevent her from getting hurt since she was very clearly outnumbered by the boys
" I told you it was gonna get worse. Now see, normally this is when you become part of the team. We'd have a keg, tell some war stories... but you had to know that wasn't going to happen, right?" Nathan said thinking about how he couldn't just accept them being on the team like this
" what shame for us because you all seem like upstanding guys, you know between the stealing and the kidnapping" Alex said with such venom in her voice as she narrowed her eyes at the group of boys
" Look... these guys made a choice to back me but we're going to be nice and we're going to let you walk away. Just quit the team. Otherwise, it's going to get ugly. Let's get out of here" Nathan said as it was as simply as that as they began to walk away, leaving the twins behind as they drove away
" tell me that didn't just happen!" Alex said still filled anger as she looked down to her once dark dusty pink hoodie to see it covered in mud as she realised that they were soaked from the muddy water
" wish I could... and I don't think it's over yet" Lucas said nodding to a different car that was heading their way as Lucas automatically assumed that this was another group of Nathan's goons coming
" AJ!" Alex said as she recognised the curled headed brunette coming out of a car that definitely wasn't his as she ran over to him and immediately hugged him leaving Lucas to wonder what was going on
" hey... you okay?" AJ said as he pulled away from the hug with Alex he gently cupped her face and began to look for injuries or anything that could be a cause for cause, almost forgetting that Lucas was there too
" I'm fine, I'm okay... I'm not hurt or anything, just cold and wet" Alex said trying her best to reassure him that she was fine as he took his hoodie off and placed it around her shoulder trying to heat her up
" How did you know we were here?" Lucas said suspicious of AJ since he was well known for bring Nathan's best friend as well as didn't like what was going on between him and his twin sister right now
" Tim called me and told me what they were planning, he's stupid enough not to remember my fight with Nathan. As soon as I knew what was going on, I came to help you" AJ said defending himself
" you seriously expect us to believe that?" Lucas said knowing that this could be another one of Nathan's tricks as he eyed the way that Alex was currently leaning against AJ for more than his heat
" believe what you want but either way I'm giving Alex a ride home, it's your choice if you want to come with us or walk home" AJ said leading Alex towards the unfamiliar car as Lucas began to follow them
" who's car is this?" Alex said knowing that it wasn't his since she had already seen and fallen in love with his red old styled Chevy trick as he helped her inside so she was in the passenger seat with Lucas in the back
" it's Eric's, he took my truck for work and gave me his car instead" AJ said explaining as he got in beside her and began drive them home as he tried his best to heat them both up before they got home
AJ drove them home in silence due to Alex suddenly becoming exhausted the moment she got in the car and Lucas sitting in the back along with his rage as he looked between Alex and AJ as he tried to work out why AJ would care so much about Alex and what happened to her. Eventually they arrived outside of their home as they realised how late it had gotten and knew that their mom was probably worrying about them already as Lucas got out of the car first, although Alex started to get out before turning back to face AJ to thank him for saving walking miles back into town and home
" hey... thanks for coming us, me I mean. I appreciate it, a lot" Alex said before gently kissing AJ on the cheek as a way of thanking him before getting out of the car and heading inside with Lucas beside her
"Hey, where you two been?" Karen said laying on the couch dressed for bed with a blanket on her as she clearly wanted for her children to come home with the phone in hand as she thought of the worse
" Nowhere" lucas said as him and Alex walked into the living room and sat down, automatically feeling how terrible their night had been as they suddenly remembered how good it had promised to be
" and by that, he literally means that we were in the middle of nowhere" Alex said as she decided to take her shoes as she looked down to see how wet and dirty she actually was thanks to the team
" What happened to you both?" Karen said as she noticed the colour of them as she wondered what happened to them to get them in such a state when she knew that they were only meant to be going to the movies
" we had a little run-in with the team" Lucas said thinking about how everyone had been telling them not to make this whole hazing thing seriously when in reality that was exactly how they meant it to be
" apparently they aren't our biggest fans" Alex said with a dark and humourless chuckle as she thought about how they had tied them and shoved them into the back of a van with a bag over their heads
" I'm sorry this is so hard for you. I wish there was a way that I could help but I don't think there is" Karen said feeling bad for her children as she wished that there was a way to make this easier for them
" There's not" Lucas said knowing that this was something that they had to do on their own and yet another opportunity where they had to prove themselves to the team that they were stronger than that
" Well if it makes you feel any better, I called some woman a bitch the other day" Karen said thinking about how high school had a way of affecting you even when you've been out of the place for years
" strangely, it kinda does" Alex said as her and Lucas began to laugh at the idea that their mom had called someone a bitch, although Alex had to admit that she was sad that she had missed seeing it
" I'm proud of you both, you know that? Sometimes I wonder where you get all your strength from" Karen said knowing that they had to endure more than more teenagers their age but had always dealt with it
" we get that from you" Lucas said thinking about how strong their mom has had to be since the moment that she found out about them and that she would be raising them on her own from a young age
" Oh, I don't know about that. I haven't been on my best behavior lately" Karen said thinking about everything that she had done lately that had been less than perfect like not going to their first game
" don't look at me, I'm barely ever on my best behaviour" Alex said thinking about how that wasn't necessarily true since Lucas was usually the one to keep her in line and make sure she didn't do anything too bad
" they don't make it easy, do they?" Lucas said thinking about how they had tried to keep their heads down and just play the game but every time there was also something else for them to ignore and get on with
" No, they don't but that doesn't mean we have to sink to their level" Karen said knowing it was only a matter of time before one of her kids began to fight back and took this hazing thing to the next level
" so we're meant to take the high road and ignore them basically bulling and abusing is because they don't like us or who our biological father is?" Alex said knowing that was what it all came down to
"Take the high road, huh? sounds familiar. But mom, Alex is right and we want to make you proud, we do" Lucas said looking to his sister as they silently spoke to each other all through one knowing look
" But there comes a certain point when you have to fight back and I think I can speak for Luke when I say we're at that point now... is it cool if we go to bed now? I'm so tired" Alex said wanting a shower and her bed
" of course, have a good night both of you. I'm just going to call your uncle Keith to tell him that you're both back and safe" Karen said knowing that Keith had been worrying about them too when she had called
" hey... what was that with AJ back there? Is there something going between you two?" Lucas said as he gently grabbed a hold of her wrist to stop her from going up the attic stairs to her attic bedroom
" I would love to try and explain what's going on between me and AJ but I'm way too tired right now and there isn't enough time for me to get into it" Alex said before walking away from him to head to bed
The twins had agreed that they would stop ignoring what the things that the team were doing to them and taking it lying down instead deciding to fight back against it, which apparently meant during the next practice that the team had as everyone seemed to be icing out the pair in the locker room which was something that only seemed to get worse when they were out on the court despite the twins trying to follow the game plan laid out to them.
" Ball! Ball! Ball! Over here! Ball!" Lucas said to Tim who currently had the ball but was refusing to pas it over to him as as Alex stepped into control the ball causing Tim to turn around knock her down
" owe, what the hell!" Alex said exclaiming when she hit the ground wondering why he had done it since it had been uncalled for when she had simply been trying to do her job as the point guard
" What the hell was that?" Tim said after Lucas had stolen the ball from him and threw the ball int the basket causing Tim to push since he had taken the back from as Lucas fought back with Jake separating them
" hey, you okay?" AJ said helping Alex to her feet as he suddenly became aware of the fact that Nathan was looking at them with a glare on his face causing them to jump apart a little from each other
" you really got to stop asking me that" Alex said with a small chuckle as Whitey blow his whistle signalling for the team to come in and surround him so that he could talk to them about what had just happened
" Here! Second team!" Whitey said clearly angered by the behaviour that he had just seen with his players as he called them all over to yell them as he saw that Tim was about to protest him yelling
" But he stole the ball from his own team!" Tim said trying to justify what he had done to his two teammates as he looked between Alex and Lucas, thinking about how they got in the way more than anything
" But nothing! That guy has hit seven in a row and you won't pass him to ball! And let's not forget that you knocked another member on her ass for nothing!" Whitey said yelling at Tim for his mistakes
" yeah, thanks for that" Alex said sarcastically as she thought about how the players on her own team still thought of her as an easy target as she rolled her eyes at their sexist behaviour towards her
" And you! This is a team game. If you guys don't get your heads out of your asses, I might be forced to suspend my second team this season. Go home!" Whitey sad before dismissing the team for the night
" So much for the high road, huh?" Jake said noticing that the twins definitely weren't taking the high road anymore and instead had decided to fight back against Nathan and his little followers on the team
" oh Jake, what would be the fun in that" Alex said making both him and Jake laugh as they began to head to the locker to get to go home for the night as they thought about how things had ended
After practice instead of going to meet Haley with Lucas, Alex decided to head home in order to find something to place inside the burning boat since it was going to be burned by Whitey tonight in front of everyone in town. Alex headed for her bedroom and pulled out a box from under her bed where she kept everything hidden that she would rather bury than admit to herself as she looked through it before finding the thing she was looking for as she suddenly felt all of the emotions that went with the simply piece of paper before swallowing it down once again. After getting changed into something warmer, Alex headed down to the docks where everyone was gathered for the burning boat event as she began to look for her mom and Lucas who were currently standing right by the boat
" hey guys... wait you're burning something too, mom?" Alex said as she noticed that her mom had her old cheerleading sweater from when she went to high school in her hand as she suddenly wondered why
" Well, time to let the past go... and to practice what I preach. Shari!" Karen said as she threw her sweater onto the boat before noticing that Shari and some of the other booster moms nearby them
" is that woman that you called a bitch?" Alex said in a whisper before Lucas elbowed her since it clearly wasn't the time or place as both children began to wonder what their mom was up to just now
" Karen" Shari said in an snotty and entitled voice as Alex one instantly why her mom didn't get along with a woman like this since her mom was the complete opposite to the woman in front of them
" I, uh, just wanted to introduce you to my kids, Lucas and Alexandra. Guys, this is Shari, Tim's mother" Karen said wanting to show the mothers that her children were people too just like their kids
" Stepmother" Shari said correcting as she thought about all of the things that she had heard that Tim had done to the Scott twins as she tried to distance herself from her stepson a little as Alex suppressed a laugh
" look, I'm sorry about what I said before. Because-let's face it-it's been a long time. We really don't know each other anymore but I want to give you the benefit of the doubt so that next time we meet, at least I'll be dealing with the person you've become and I hope you'll do the same" Karen said trying to be a good example for her kids
" ummm it was nice to meet you. I'm gonna take off, okay?" Lucas said trying to be polite towards Shari before speaking to his mom as he realised that there were a things that he wanted to do first
" yeah, me too. There's something I want to do before they burn the boat" Alex said noticing that AJ was standing nearby the boat as she remembered the deal that they had made together a few days ago
" Okay, be careful both of you and I love you" Karen said calling out to her children as they began to walk away from her and head in different directions for once in their lives as they went off in their own
" so that's your mom over there, huh?" AJ said nodding over to where Karen was standing as he could see some similarities between Karen and her daughter despite the blonde hair that she shared with her brother
" yeah, that's her. The best and only parent I've ever needed which is handy since Dan never exactly stepped up to the plate" Alex said looking around to see Nathan in the crowd, looking as self righteous as always
" be glad of that... so did you finally decide what you're going to burn?" AJ said knowing that she had been a little unsure of what she should burn in order to get rid of the bad mojo that might be holding her back
" you first" Alex said wanting to know more about him since there was clearly something between them as she wanted it to be more than just jokes and basketball as she watched him grab something from his bag as he showed her a pile of postcards
" my mom sends me one everywhere she goes and she has since the day she left me and Eric, I'm not even sure why I've kept" AJ said looking at the large stack of postcards from throughout his childhood
" how old were you when she left?" Alex said knowing that she had been wondering about why he was living with his brother instead of his parents, although she would be lying if she said she hadn't heard the rumours in school
" I was six and Eric was 15 then three years later when he turned 18, he got custody of me and had raised me ever since. My dad wasn't much interested in being a dad either" AJ said tossing the cards
" I'm sorry, it kinda sucks when the adults around you have a habit of disappointing you" Alex said placing a gentle hand on his arm as she suddenly felt from him as she began to see a new side of him
" now, come on. it's you're probably turn" AJ said wanting to change the subject onto something else or else he knew that he would dwell on his failure of parents as Alex pulled out a sheet of paper
" umm... I pathetically made this when I was ten. I always wondered why Dan didn't want us or why we couldn't all be one big family so I drew this and on my next birthday, I wished for it" Alex said sadly
" so why burn this?" AJ said looking down at the childish drawing that held one very large family as he noticed the names that she had labelled on different the people that she had drawn from her head
" because now I know how lucky I am not to have been raised by Dan Scott but instead being raised the way mom wanted to us be raised and I don't want any tie to him anymore, not even ones that I once made up in my head" Alex said placing it into the boat knowing that she was done with wishing