𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆: 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐛𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐰

...🏀...

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓, 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋

𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟒

On a cold September night, I paced around my room, cradling my month-old daughter against my chest. I rubbed the back of her navy blue onesie while she snuggled closer, seeking warmth. I turned to the clock on my nightstand. A cool breeze brushed leaves against the doors connecting to my balcony.

𝟏𝟎:𝟑𝟎

It was a late Friday night, and everyone in Tree Hill had already left their homes to go to the high school for the evening. Basketball season had started a week ago, and the gym was packed with fans watching Nathan Scott, the star player for the Ravens, leading the team to victory.

I didn't care much for basketball.

A vibration on my bed caught my attention, and I turned to find my phone. I carefully placed my daughter in the crib near my bed, pulling the light purple blanket over her and listening to her take deep breaths.

I grabbed my phone and pressed it to my ear. "Hello,"

"Mylah," A familiar voice spoke. "You missed the game, not just any game, the season's first game."

Rolling my eyes, I walked away from my daughter's crib. "Brooke,"

"Yeah," Brooke asked.

"You're doing the rich, popular girl shallow thing again." I reminded her.

"Oh," Brooke said, pausing. "Sorry. I'm back."

A smile slowly formed in my mouth. "Good," I said, lowering myself onto my bed. "I'm home with Leila."

"Really?" Brooke asked. "I thought your mom was going to babysit for you."

I sighed. "I stayed home."

"Mylah," Brooke's voice took on a concerned tone. "I don't want to push you, but soon, you'll have to leave your house and Leila."

I knew Brooke was right, but I didn't know if I would be ready after everything. "I know."

"Your brother got into it tonight," Brooke said.

I rolled my eyes, glancing at my ceiling. "With Nathan?"

"Yes," Brooke said. "I swear if we weren't winning, I think Whitey would bench both of them."

I sighed with a hand on my stomach. "What was it this time?"

"Who knows," Brooke said. "Anyway, my friend Peyton left me here, and I had to call my mom to come and get me."

I glanced at a knock on my door and saw my mom standing in my open doorway. "Speaking of moms."

"Oh, I know what that means," Brooke said. "Tell your mom I said hi, and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

I hung up the phone and placed it on my nightstand as I watched my mom walk further into the room.

When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, Leila, my mom was always there. She was one of the few people I told, and she didn't judge me for it. As a scared fifteen-year-old, there was so much that I didn't know about being a mother. But having my mom there was a relief.

"Was that Brooke?" My mom asked.

I nodded my head. "Yeah." I watched my mom enter my room before sitting on my bed.

"You got Leila to go to sleep." She asked.

I nodded. "Yeah,"

My mom laid down beside me and pulled me into her arms. "I think we need to finish that conversation we put on hold when you told me you were pregnant."

I rested my head on my mom's chest as an icy cold shiver went down my spine. "I can't."

"I know it's hard." My mom said. "But you should talk to someone about what happened to you." I could hear a voice whisper as things from the past year flashed behind my eyes. "A therapist. Maybe the police."

I sat up abruptly and shook my head. "No."

"But honey—" My mom began, reaching for me.

I flinched, and my mom dropped her hand. "Please don't."

"Okay." My mom said and sat up in bed. "Take a deep breath, honey."

I let in a deep breath and felt my chest tighten. "Mom...I—I need you to trust me. When I'm ready, I will talk to someone."

"Okay," She nodded.

I half-smiled, and a tear slid down my cheek. "I love that you care, mom. But I need you to let me decide."

"I understand." She said. "I won't push you."

I leaned my head on my mom's shoulder, and then her arms wrapped around my shoulder. "You know I love you, right?"

"Yeah," She said. "I know, honey."

...🏀...

"The magazine pages are sticky again. Little pervs."

I snatched the magazines from Haley's hand and saw my best friend Lucas strolling into the cafe. "Oh look, it's Luke's favorite."

"Is that the 'why do I hang out with these people?' Issue, because you're on the cover of that, right?" Lucas teased.

Glancing at Haley, I leaned over the counter with a smirk. "No, I think they're out of that issue."

"Yeah, running the 'my best friend is an idiot' issue," Haley said, grinning.

"Haley, Mylah, would you like to join us?" Lucas's mom asked.

"Hell yes," Haley answered, tugging me along.

Seated across from Haley, I smiled in thanks as Karen pushed a bowl of broccoli and cheese soup my way.

"So, honey, how was your day?"

"Good, thanks ..." Haley interjected.

I shook my head, grabbing a spoonful of soup before putting it in my mouth.

"Good is relative, considering a third of the world is starving, which does not change the fact that I am clumsy as hell." Haley continued. "Did I tell you that I fell down today? Yeah, slipped off the curb, face down, butt in the air."

"Hales," I laughed, shaking my head.

"Too graphic? Sorry. I'll just be quiet," Haley said, taking a bite of her chili.

"So, I got something for you, Lucas." His mom said.

"Actually, I found it." Haley jumped in. "Not that I was looking for something specifically, which implies some hideous sort of 'Joey loves Dawson' scenario and completely creeps me out, but, you know, we saw it, and...well, give him the book."

Karen held out a book, and I waited for Lucas to take it and smile.

"Wow, Julius Caesar," Lucas said, flipping through the pages.

"'There's a tide in the affairs of men'—or something like that." His mom said.

"Nice. Thank you, guys. Thank you very much," Lucas expressed his gratitude.

"You're welcome, book nerd," I teased, taking another bite of my soup.

Lucas shook his head, and I smiled as I took another bite of my soup. I relished a nice family dinner I hadn't had in a while.

I missed this.

...🏀...

I smiled at Lucas, leaning against a golf club in the dark. Switching on the lights, I watched as the different colored lights I had hung a couple of nights ago illuminated the room.

"Wow," Lucas breathed, looking around. "This place looks great."

"Haley and I finished putting up the lights," I said, walking over to him. "Your mom worried. She's with Keith talking about her past."

"Do you think I'm being selfish playing Nathan?" Lucas asked.

I raised a brow. "Well, do you?"

"A little bit," Lucas admitted. "I mean, if I walked away, then my mom wouldn't be downstairs worrying about it now."

I looked out into the late-night air. "You're a good guy, Luke. But I think you've been putting others before yourself your whole life. I think you need to do this for you."

"Thanks, Mylah." He pulled me into his side.

"I know I'm the best." I joked.

He shook his head, and I pulled back from him, happy my friend smiled again.

"I'll see you later," I said, glancing up at him.

"Yeah," Lucas said.

I turned from him and headed for the stairs, unable to shake the worry for my friend as he faced off against his half-brother.

...🏀...

Standing beside Haley, I watched Lucas expertly dribbling the basketball, the wind whipping through the bustling court. The crowd grew larger, their excitement tangible, yet Nathan was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is he?" Haley asked, standing on the ball of her feet and looking around.

I sat on the park bench and stared at my best friend. "It's Nathan."

"I know," Haley sighed before coming to sit beside me.

"Nathan! Nathan! Nathan!" The crowd cheered.

Nathan's confident stride carried him from the grassy sidelines to the weathered basketball court, where he casually tossed his jacket at Peyton. With a determined expression, he chased after the ball, effortlessly dunking it into the basket. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his showmanship.

"I hope Luke wins," Haley said.

I nodded. "Me too."

The basketball court was a battleground as Nathan and Lucas fiercely competed. The tension between the Scott brothers was discernible with every dribble and shot. As the game progressed, each scored points against the other, keeping the score neck and neck.

𝟑-𝟑

𝟏𝟑-𝟏𝟐

As the game continued for another hour, I watched intently as Lucas and Nathan battled on the court. Lucas moved to block Nathan, but I gasped as Nathan elbowed him in the mouth, causing Lucas to stumble. Despite the hit, Nathan smoothly turned around and shot the ball into the basket, scoring effortlessly.

Lucas, clearly shaken by the blow, held his mouth and nose, spitting out blood onto the court.

I gripped Haley's hand tightly within my own and looked at Lucas with worry.

Determined, Lucas declared, "No foul. Basket counts," and took possession of the ball, continuing the game.

Nathan passed the ball to Lucas, who quickly returned it. Dodging Lucas, Nathan drove towards the basket, lifting the ball with one hand and making a successful shot.

The crowd erupted into cheers as Lucas retaliated, jumping up to slap the ball away from Nathan. Encouraged by the crowd's support, I stood on the bench, cheering for Lucas. Nathan regained possession of the ball and took a shot from the free-throw line, but the crowd's support seemed to fuel Lucas, who was now playing with renewed determination.

𝟏𝟒-𝟏𝟒

Nathan forcefully passed the ball to Lucas, who crouched low to receive it. Beside me, Haley squeezed my hand tightly. As Lucas maneuvered around Nathan towards the basket, the tension in the air was thick. In a swift move, Lucas evaded Nathan's block attempt, leaped up, and scored.

The crowd erupted in cheers, surging towards Lucas in celebration. I stayed on the bench, observing as he basked in the cheers. His eyes locked with a blonde girl before he headed over to her.

A throat cleared below me, and I saw Nathan standing before the bench. I raised a brow, then glanced down at him, noticing Haley slowly moving away.

"I'm going to go see Lucas," Haley said. "Good luck."

I rolled my eyes. "What is it, Nathan?"

"Need some help?" Nathan asked.

I rolled my eyes and accepted his outstretched hand. "Fine."

As Nathan took my hand, I prepared to jump, but an arm suddenly wrapped around my waist, lifting me. I stared into Nathan's blue eyes, my lips parting slightly in surprise.

I furrowed my brows as my feet touched the ground, but I didn't feel the tangy taste of fear or the urge to recoil from another man's touch.

"Thanks," I said, running my hands through my hair. Glancing down at his hand still in mine, I stepped back, dropping his hand.

Walking toward Haley, who was waiting by herself, I didn't look back but could feel Nathan's burning gaze on my back. Nathan and I had never interacted much, given our families' hatred for each other and his focus on Peyton and basketball.

"What was that?" Haley said, grabbing my arm.

"I don't know," I replied with a shrug.

"Hmm," Haley said.

As the crowd thinned and moved to celebrate a Scott win, I pulled Haley toward my car. Glancing back, I caught Nathan staring at me. I turned away, shaking my head, trying to listen to Haley and ignore the lingering feeling of Nathan's gaze on my back.

...🏀...

𝑷𝑨𝑺𝑻, 𝑮𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑵𝑶𝑹'𝑺 𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑺𝑬

𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟑𝟏𝐬𝐭, 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟏

I sit on the steps outside the governor's house, leaning back on my hands, gazing at the stars in the night sky. Laughter and music drift out from the party inside, where the governor is being reelected. Since my dad is his best friend, I'm obligated to be here.

"Not enjoying the party?" A voice interrupts from behind.

I turn to see an older boy standing there. "Not particularly interested in discussing politics or my potential future in them," I reply dryly.

"Yeah. It doesn't get better." He sighs, sitting beside me. "I'm Andrew."

I roll my eyes, still staring at the sky. "I know. We grew up together."

"I think I would have remembered that." He said.

I turn to face him. "So you don't remember pulling on my pigtails? Maybe this will jog your memory. You once told me you'd marry me before stealing my first kiss."

"Oh, my god." He said with widened eyes. "Mylah."

I smiled. "Yeah."

"The last time I saw you was..." Andrew trailed off.

"Seven years ago," I finish for him.

"One day, you were here; the next, you were gone," Andrew says, bumping his knee against mine. "Why was that?"

I shrugged. "My dad got traded. We had to move."

"Really?" Andrew's expression darkens for a moment before returning to normal.

He then launches into updates about the past seven years, filling me in on what I've missed.

Later, that dark look in Andrew's eyes would haunt me as I wish I had taken it as a warning.

...🏀...

The English teacher began, "You know, early in his career, Hemingway was...he was frustrated. He was a good writer who wanted to be great. And eventually, he discovered that less was more."

I wrote in my notebook, barely paying attention to the lecture, as a melody appeared in the back of my mind. A tap on my back stiffened me, but I didn't turn around, already knowing who it was. I've avoided Nathan since the intense one-on-one game between him and Lucas.

"Can you stop that?" I murmured, not wanting to engage.

"Maybe?" Nathan whispered in my ear. "Are you going to keep avoiding me?"

"Yes."

"It's kinda rude," He commented, leaning back in his seat.

I turned around, meeting his gaze. "We don't have anything to talk about, Nathan."

"Peyton," The teacher interrupted. "Describe Lucas using just one word."

The girl with curly blonde hair briefly flickered to Nathan, who sat across from her, before settling on Lucas. "Choke,"

The class erupted in laughter, and I shook my head, turning back around in my seat. While I hadn't been at the game working at the cafe, I'd heard that Lucas hadn't played well, which seemed to be the talk of the school.

"Okay, quiet, please," The teacher requested, bringing the class back to order. I glanced at Lucas, offering him a small smile. "Thank you," The teacher continued around the room. "Lucas, care to respond and describe Peyton?"

"Lonely," Lucas said.

Murmurs rippled through the class, and I glanced at Peyton, noticing her widened eyes.

"Okay, quiet, please," The teacher reiterated, returning to the front of the class. "Yes, Nathan?

I turned around to see Nathan with his hand raised. "Don't," I warned quietly.

"I can describe Lucas in one word," Nathan continued, disregarding my warning. "Bastard."

I sighed, turned around as the class murmured, and looked at Lucas. "Alright." The teacher said, trying to calm down the class.

Suddenly, hands grabbed my arms and pulled me out of my seat. I whirl around to see Lucas jump out of his chair and knock Nathan down. Gasping, I watched as the two boys rolled around on the ground, the classroom erupting into chaos as everyone stood up to watch the fight.

"Knock it off!" The teacher yelled, trying to restore order.

I stood frozen, unsure what to do, watching Lucas punch Nathan. Turning away from the fight, I felt a hand on my arm pulling me back, and I glanced up to find Peyton beside me.

"I can't believe they're fighting," Peyton said, her eyes wide.

"Yeah," I replied, crossing my arms. "Thanks for pulling me out before Lucas attacked Nathan."

"It wasn't me," Peyton told me.

I furrowed my brows. "Then who was it?"

"Nathan," Peyton said.

I looked back at the two boys on the floor and watched as Nathan tried to fight off Lucas's attacks, landing solid blows to Lucas's face. I felt conflicted about Nathan pushing me out of the way to protect me.

"I've never seen Nathan act like that before," Peyton said.

"Like an asshole," I muttered under my breath.

"No," Peyton sighed. "Concerned for someone else safety other than his own."

...🏀...

I hugged my arms as I walked into the slowly filling gym. Glancing at the basketball court, I watched the opposing team shoot baskets to warm up. Basketball had never been my thing, but I was here to support Brooke, who wouldn't stop complaining otherwise.

Making my way to the side of the court where the cheerleaders were stretching, I smiled at my best friend on the ground.

"Look who finally showed up," Brooke teased. "I honestly didn't think you were going to show."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm tired of one of my best friends complaining about me not being here to show my support for her and the basketball team."

"I wonder who that could be," Brooke said. "She sounds like a smart lady."

I shook my head and replied, "Well, I need to find a seat."

"Oh," Brooke said, getting up and walking toward me. "Where's Leila?"

I raised a brow. "At home. With my mom."

"Oh," Brooke sighed. "I think you should bring her and dress her up in a cheerleading outfit next time. It would be so cute."

I placed my hands on my hips and explained, "I can't bring Leila to a basketball game, Brooke."

"Why not?" Brooke said.

I gestured to the loud crowd in the gym. "It's too loud for a one-month-old baby to be here."

"Right," Brooke said, thinking. "But what if we got her some headphones?"

Sighing, I looked at her, knowing she wouldn't let it go until Leila wore a cheer outfit. "If you get her headphones and the outfit—make sure it's safe for her—then I'll bring her."

"I'll catch you after the game," Brooke said, stepping back.

I nodded and turned around, walking across the court to find a seat when a voice called out. Turning, I saw Nathan jogging up to me in his basketball jersey, the number twenty-three stitched in black on the white uniform.

I waited until he was in front of me as cheers erupted. "Shouldn't you be warming up with the team?"

"It's not for a couple more minutes," Nathan said. "I didn't think I would see you here."

I cocked my head, folding my arms. "Brooke asked me to come."

"I see," Nathan said.

"Well, I'm going to go now," I said, turning from him.

I headed for the stands but paused, glancing over my shoulder to find him still staring at me.

"Good luck," I called before hurrying to find an empty seat.

As I sat, I watched my best friend cheer on the sidelines. My gaze kept returning to Nathan and how he moved on the court. The tension between our families and Nathan's behavior around me confused me.

Was he different from the egotistical jerk he showed everyone else, or was it all an act?

...🏀...

A/N: THE FIRST CHAPTER IS HERE!!!

Mylah and Nathan are back, and I can't wait for you guys to see what I have planned for them.

I'm going to try to post chapters as fast as I can, but I have realized that I can't do everything, from work to school to writing. So, I'm going to try to limit my weekends to updating books. I'm going to try to update it at least every weekend, but it might turn out more like every other weekend.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 884 READS.

Anyway, please let me know what you guys think about this chapter.

𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒: What did you guys think of this chapter? What predictions do you have for this rewrite?

-𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑎𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘