Tree Hill's Slice of Lyfe

“You don’t have to spare your own feelings by saying that, Lo. You don’t let me be right, I am right. How is that tainting the popcorn! It’s enhancing it! Salty and sweet all at the same time, cuts the fumbling time! You know my motto,” she leaned forward on her elbows. “Work smarter not harder. You burn out that way,” Marley settled back into the cushions, kicking her feet up. Everything inside of her screamed to tidy up the living room but this was how Logan and Jules liked it. A humble disarray of beautiful life. The pang of regret rang through her. If only she knew earlier on that her career would eclipse her desires to be a mother. “I mean Florida is nice? I would miss the hell out of you two but I get it. We all have to fly from the coop to know if it’s where we’re supposed to be.” Marley rolled her eyes. “I just happened to be only one with a medical license in the room but if there were another doctor, everyone would have been fine without me.” The rolling burn of Maisie’s white lie seared her skin. “I mean if anyone can amuse her it would be him. I am not even mad that it’s him but that they didn’t tell me. Am I that big of a baby or a villain that they I’d overreact?” 

“Oh, but I really do see because you know how that fragile that male ego is in this day and age. It is not enhancing it. Some people like to keep there sweet over and here and salty over here.” He gestured to either side of himself. “To be honest you are the last person on earth that I would expect to mix M&M’s and popcorn. Feel like it would just mess with all your tidy tendencies.” His face scrunched up at the last two words in mocking of her adorable quirks. What could be wrong with someone who cleaned when they were upset? Logan and Jules could certainly use that around here but this was their life and it worked for them. He actually had a running bet with his little sister about when Marley would start to clean his house. Logan was impressed with her restraint to say the least. 

He had never been much for following that motto of Marley’s, despite how often he’d heard it. Logan felt like he was always just riding the wave of life, letting the people around him dictate what he did and how he did it. Growing up without a Dad, he had just learned to take care of those around him, his own life taking a back seat. Which was why Marley had always held this special place in his world as the tornado that forced this yearning for more into his life. And while he’d been in what felt like a coma for years with Rosie, the clouds managed to lift ever so quickly when she left. Sometimes it was hard to miss her at all. “Nah, I don’t think that flying the coop is for me. I want the Wilder roots to stay strong here. That’s important to me.” He asserted. “Oh I doubt that. With the way you talk to Jules--I’m positive you put those people at ease. That’s half the battle in a storm like that.” He pointed up the stairs towards the sleeping child up there. “Well, to be honest with you I’m not sure the answer to that question will leave you more satisfied. If I had to guess, Tyler had her believing the secret affair would end once you found out. Maise is 100% her own woman, but she definitely likes a good, strong distraction. What’d she say when she told you?”

Matt gingerly held onto the bottom praying that the flashing red and blue merging lights wouldn’t flag them down. Driving under a state of emergency was one thing; driving under the assumption that one is also drunk would be detrimental to his future plans. He snuck a couple glances at her before allowing them to drift back to the muddled middle line that divided the street. Even in the assault of blurred droplets, the predominant canary yellow brightened up the void against the obsidian asphalt.   He didn’t know why he decided to flee from the populated area of Karen’s. Maybe it was to get away from the prying eyes that wished nothing but bad fortune on the outsider. 

“Karen’s seemed a little too cramped for me,” he mumbled. His father’s status as mayor didn’t help his son’s isolation. Especially not when he had lived so far removed from the town; he missed Italy and his mother. “So, thought swimming home drunk as a skunk was the best plan?” 

There were certain people in Tree Hill that Chloe wasn’t the biggest fan of. But she didn’t really consider Matt to be in that category, although now time would tell. Even though he was a pretty quintessential jock, there was at least a little mystery and intrigue behind his eyes. He was bigger than Tree Hill and she would be thrilled for him when he realized the fullest extent of his dreams. 

“It’s a mad house, I am sure. Loved ones all searching for each other in hopes no one got hurt. Your dad, probably just worrying about the mess he’ll have to clean up.” Eyes widened with her candidness. “Probably not true actually..just you know..the drinking and all..filter is..you know what I’m just gonna shut up now.” Her eyes gazed up into the menacing clouds, then watching the way the branches on trees would bend in ways never possibly imagined, silhouette’s flickering in the constant spurts of lightning. In the end she should probably be thanking her brothers. It wasn’t the night they’d had in mind for her, to be sure. But it had been a little more exciting than it might’ve been were she in charge of her own night. Though, Mother Nature was also a contributor to that cause. “The storm is beautiful and I suppose it hypnotized me a bit. What can I say Matt I am just glutton for punishment I suppose.” She mocked, grabbing the bottle of Jack back from him.

Chloe Ellen Parker. 

I should have known…

Matthew braced himself for the rushing blow of chaos that rattled between her joints. Tree Hill was small enough to become fully acquainted with the lives of a stranger. Could she even be considered a stranger when he pined over her since he moved here? Breathing in deeply, his knuckles tensed at the wheel. The wind whipped angrily once the door propped open and she slipped on in. The scent of booze rolled off her in excess but he kept composed. “Looks like you found it…” his voice hardly above a whisper. Matthew eased onto the break, putting his ‘65 mustang into park, to shrug off the heavy material of his jean jacket. “Put it on. I’ll hold your friend jack for a second so you can..” and not spill it all over my car. 

Chloe frowned, pushing her lip out in a pout when he didn’t answer her question about what had brought him out into the storm. She thought she’d heard that everyone was meeting at Karen’s. Chloe had been planning to make her way over there but maybe a part of her wanted to scare her brothers a bit in a very sadistic sort of way. “Looks like I did!” She grinned. This was no where near who Chloe normally was but maybe Matt could get a little flavor of a different Chloe because, what the hell right? Chloe nodded handing it him as she pulled the warm jacket up over her shoulders. With a content sigh, Chloe’s eyes turned back towards the storm. “You never answered my question Matt.”

“Never. I am always right! You totally hit your head,” she cocked her head to the side with a slow blossoming grin. “Popcorn is best served with M&M’s and butter together. Not separate because what’s the point of complicating the viewing experience with sorting around your junk pile? It’s silly.” Marley settled into the rolling warmth of the couch, her bones aching from the last sixteen hours spent on her feet. Sure she could be anywhere right now but no place seemed better than right here with Logan. There was something charming about the scattering of toys and his array of juice available. For a while, she had forgotten the beauty of their little scarred bubble. Rosie never really liked her; the feeling had been mutual. “It was a normal evening for us, you know that. All the chaos because no listened but no one was seriously hurt. I stitched a few foreheads but I’d say it was a success. I’m glad that you two were safe.” She bowed her head. “Found out my sister is sleeping with Tyler…and that kinda sucks for a variety of reasons.” 

“Well I certainly know that I let you be right when the moment calls for it but this, this is not one of them. You don’t taint the popcorn, neither the M&M’s merely for theater watching laziness.” Logan chuckled pulling up the mug of coffee to is lips. The warmth filled in all the gaps that Rosie had left behind. She was a lost cause at this point and even if she weren’t, he had put her behind him. The only woman he’d ever seen himself was right in front of him and he would not give up the chance to be with her now that he could see the light. Logan had let his two favorite women in his life aside from his daughter skirmish with one another but now he was free of Rosie’s constant shackles. Logan shook his head, “Yes I have half a mind to take Jules away from here all together. But I never could figure out how to really leave this place.” Her smile could light up a room like no other. Throughout his marriage the man could be caught stealing glances at it for a blissful escape into what could’ve been. And now it was here. “Well thank goodness we all have you.” Logan tipped his head back toward her. “Maise and Tyler huh. Well not exactly something I saw coming but also he’s kind of a perfect cover for her.” His head cocked with a widened eye. “What’s sucking the most, mmm?”

The pounding sounds of the rain s m a s h i n g down against the hood of his car soothed his restlessness. Charcoal colored skies muted the colorful back lit foliage with its melancholy filter. Yet, in the whirling chaos, he found peace. Matthew watched the roads begin to thin out, no longer met with the metallic glint of lightening off the distant chrome finishes.  He slowed the tread of his own wheels to observe the bopping silhouette in the distance. Soft curves and wild locks pasted down against the angelic glow of her skin. She’s nuts. His thoughts weighed down the beautiful symbolism of her marching protest against the elements.

Matt scowled at the wetness that rolled down his forearm as his window disappeared into the door. “What in the hell are you doing,” he called out gently not to scare her.

Chloe Ellen was certainly searching for cover in the madness of the storm that had bloomed in the skies over a matter of minutes. It was gorgeous though. And a part of her just wanted to get lost in it for a little bit. She wanted to believe Parkers were survivors, but how could she really say that. Ha, she couldn’t. Still, she wouldn’t let the world take her away. 

Her eyes squinted when she heard a voice suddenly, knowing right then the jig was up. She noticed it was that Matthew jock boy from high school. Chloe puddle jumped her way to the passenger seat of his car, letting herself in as she hugged the bottle of Jack to her chest, coiling in for some warmth now that she was no longer being poured on. “Looking for cover, ha. You?” Her head lolled back and forth in her drunken state as she watched him with wonder.

“Marls man, you gotta cool it now.” Logan laughed. “I’m telling you that you are definitely wrong and I am right. This is just how its always been.” He shrugged with a light chuckle, joking the Saturday away with Marley. Balancing his life out had become and odd phenomenon these days. Where one part of him felt badly that he was relishing in time away from Rosie, merely because he liked to escape the woes of the world in his friendship with Marley, but still, there was this weird sense of guilt that came with it. He couldn’t deny the feelings that fluttered through him whenever she’d been around. It wasn’t like he’d forgotten when she’d gone off to college by any means but shit had happened. There were no regrets to be had there, except those few tweaks to his soul where he wondered what it would’ve been like if he’d just waited for Marley like he’d promised to himself all those years ago. For now though, he was just happy to be beside her. “So how was getting through that storm during Burning Boat? Crazy stuff out there. You make it out okay?”

“Milkshakes and fries…hell we’ll make it cheese fries.” AJ lifted her off the ground, turning in pure glee. “Like a dog?” His brow kinked at the joke; it bothered him slightly. “My success is your success so you get more than one treat.”

“Oh cheese fries big day!” She joked with the way he had chosen to phrase it. Her heart was suddenly sent aflutter as he lifted her off the ground. It was an overwhelming sensation, leaving her speechless as she pulled her shirt down. “Ahh-I--no no. It’s not like that.” She answered. “We’ll have treats galore because we can! Stuff our faces full till we feel like we might get sick like we used to after a big day with our lemonade stands of old.” 

“I PASSED SPANISH!” AJ exclaimed with a giddy pep in his step. It took a couple days for him to shake the holiday haze off to actually check his grades. “Where are we celebrating?”

“Ah!” She squealed brightly, jumping up to pull him into a hug. “I knew you could do it AJ! That’s amazing! Well how do you want to celebrate?” She asked as she pulled back, eyes bright with such excitement for his success. “My mom would say, okay Alice, now you get one treat.” She joked.

“I wouldn’t go that far but I’ll take it.” AJ wrapped his arm around her waist, his forehead pressed to the crook of her neck. “Charlotte? The Clash reunion was sold out…” the words tapered with the sight of the tickets that were tucked between her fingers. “Paige no way!” He gingerly took them from her to expect the validity of the gift. “You really shouldn’t have but holy shit.”

“Hey it’s true. And if you won’t take my word for it, then the grade speaks for itself. Because a dumb person could not have saved that grade by the end of the semester.” She joked gently. Though she was being serious. He had a natural aptitude about him. Paige had no idea why he couldn’t see it but she didn’t want to dive deep at a time like this. Her smile widened as his happiness washed over the both of them. It was all worth it. “Of course I should have. It’s my right to make you happy. I love knowing I got to put that smile on your face.” Now if only she felt like they truly knew each other; it would make them unstoppable.

“I PASSED SPANISH!” AJ exclaimed with a giddy pep in his step. It took a couple days for him to shake the holiday haze off to actually check his grades. “Where are we celebrating?”

AJ: And who am I?

Paige: A caring person with room in his heart for everyone

“I do but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Chelsea didn’t understand why he wasted his time on someone like her. She was broken beyond repair; just a collection of frayed edges and broken shard of a person. Chelsea accepted the reality that she wouldn’t be like all the other girl’s with their perfect little future. She just wasn’t. Charlie made her feel less broken like the weight of the world hadn’t turned her bones into dust; but it was a perfect illusion because women like never won. Chelsea fiddled with the wires, connecting the conductors with glee. “Are you saying you’re in the business to proving me wrong?” She leaned over her work to catch his lips again; a gentle anchor to keep her posted to the ground. “You ever try to close a chapter of a story but it won’t budge? Someone I used to know has re-entered and it’s just dredging a lot of shit I don’t want to deal with.” Chelsea looked back at him with a budding smile. “I created a program algorithm that calculates the probability of risk in a situation. Thought it would be helpful when struggling with hard medical decisions before having to entertain them on the table. It’s still young in it’s stages but why not test it on my doctor..”

“Well good then. I like you Chelsea and I want us to work.” He spoke freely with this, allowing her to know his intentions which he believed to have been clear enough. Though putting it to words was an entirely new animal he felt ready to begin tackling with her. Charlie knew that no amount of words or looks from her would pave a beacon of hope for her that they could weather the storm. He wasn’t sure if she’d ever really believe that he hoped to do right by her for all of his days that she’d allow him to--and then some to be sure. He knew that there would have to be a great deal of convincing when it came to her long ago. But that wasn’t much of a deterrent when he felt the way his heart beat so distinctly just for those adorable dimples. He shook his head with a smile, “So much wit, so much ability to toss up barriers at every turn. It’s quite masterful.” And yet, she still seemed willing to let him in. And that was all the love he needed in return at this time, maybe at all. Charlie cupped her neck, pulling her in for a longer kiss this time. “Well it sounds like I haven’t been around since they’ve been in the picture, and you’re likely not the same person..yes? You don’t have to let in the ugly, or you can let it in so long as you allow someone else to stomp it out right?” He wondered, he tried, hoped, and prayed that his words might shed some light into her world. “You did--wow--I mean--yeah I would love to be the first one to try it out. Of course, I’m going to continue using my usual consults and decision making processes at first. But if the machine seems to be all there as I go--I mean--wow Chelsea. This could really be a game changer for you. I--thank you--but really I mean--I’m so proud of you. You really are incredible.”

AJ: I have a feeling you're mad.

AJ: Honesty and a guitar.

AJ: I'm not a relationship expert but I know you've been trying to adjust. I didn't want to fuck that up.

AJ: I can't send her away, Paige.

Paige: Sounds like that was exactly what you needed.

Paige: I know it's okay.