2003 ― Tree Hill, North Carolina

Aurora James.

The twin sister of the best tutor in Tree Hill, Haley James. Aurora always calls her a miracle worker because she can make even the hopeless students pull excellent grades. Aurora never knew how she did it, but she was proud of her. Aurora and Haley were twins, but they were polar opposites. Haley is more of an introvert, very into her studies, and likes to keep to herself.

Whereas Aurora is an extrovert. She is a good student but has a good student/life balance. She never lets her grades slip, but she always knows how to have fun and loves meeting new people. Haley is a tutor. Aurora is co-captain of the Tree Hill Ravens along with Brooke Davis. But despite their differences, there is one thing they have in common.

Their best friend, Lucas Scott.

The twins met Lucas when they were eight years old. Aurora met him first and then introduced him to Haley, and the three of them have been inseparable ever since. Lucas and Aurora had an interesting start, but she wouldn't change anything about their relationship. Aurora loves Lucas more than anything, but maintaining a friendship with him over the years has been difficult because of one factor.

His half-brother, Nathan Scott.

Aurora met Nathan two years before she met Lucas when she was 6. So, when she did meet Lucas, she was a little hesitant to talk to him because she thought she was 'betraying' Nathan. But since she and Nathan were so young at the time, he didn't care, but as they've gotten older and Dan has put more and more negative thoughts into Nathan's head, Aurora can see that Nathan tries to act like her relationship with Lucas doesn't bother him, but she knows it does.

Lucas acts the same way. They both have terrible poker faces.

As co-captain of the Tree Hill Ravens, Aurora has been friends with Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer since first grade, and the trio grew up cheering together. But, Peyton and Aurora fell off around the time Peyton started to develop feelings for Nathan. She was jealous of how close Nathan and Aurora were and even asked Aurora if she would 'back off' a little bit so she could get to know Nathan more. Aurora said she wouldn't stop hanging out with her best friend just because Peyton was insecure.

Aurora is still cordial with her because she is Nathan's girlfriend, and they're both friends with Brooke, but other than that, they don't hang out anymore or talk the way they used to. Aurora missed her, Peyton was one of her best friends, but she wasn't going to beg anyone to be friends with her.

Aurora was currently walking towards Karen's cafe. The Ravens had a game tonight, it was an away game, but Aurora drove because she doesn't like riding the bus with the team, and she always comes to the cafe after games because she knows Lucas and Haley will be there. Aurora and Haley both work at the cafe, but during basketball season, Aurora mainly works weekends since they have school during the day and then either practice or games in the afternoon.

"Hey Karen, Lucas," Aurora said when she walked in. Lucas was sitting at the counter, and he turned around when he heard Aurora's voice; then, he smiled as he looked at her cheer uniform.

"Nice outfit; who won?" He asked. Aurora rolled her eyes because Lucas asked her that every time she came to the cafe after a game, and the answer was the same every time. Aurora walked over to join him at the counter and dropped her duffle bag next to his basketball.

"We did, of course. What about you?" She asked. Since she saw his basketball, she knew he was at the river court and probably played a pickup game with their other friend, Skills. She knew Mouth probably commentated on the game, and then Junk, Fergie, and Jimmy watched.

"I did, of course," Lucas said with a smirk. Then Haley walked out of the back with a magazine in her hands.

"The magazine papers are sticky again. Little pervs... oh, hey Ari." Haley greeted her sister when she noticed she was there. Aurora smiled, then pointed to the magazine and turned to Lucas.

"Sticky pages, huh? Lucas, have you been doing some reading lately?" Aurora teased. Karen and Haley started laughing while Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Is that the 'why do I hang out with these people?' issue because there you are, Aurora, right on the cover." Lucas teased back, and this time, Aurora rolled her eyes.

"No, it's actually the 'my best friend is an idiot' issue, and look, Lucas, there you are," Aurora said. Haley started laughing more, and Karen looked between the twins.

"Haley, Aurora. Would you girls like to join us for dinner?" Karen asked.

"Hell yeah!" Haley and Aurora responded at the same time. Then the four of them sat down at the table that Karen set up with food for them to eat. Then Karen looked at the Aurora once they were all settled.

"So, honey, how was your day?" Karen asked.

"It was pretty good. Same thing as every day. School, then we had a game, won said game, and now I'm here. So, the usual." Aurora said. Then Karen looked at Haley.

"Good, thanks... Good is a relative term considering a third of the world is starving, which does not change the fact that I am clumsy as hell. Did I tell you guys that I fell down today? Yeah, slipped off the curb, face down, butt in the air. Too graphic? Sorry, I'll just be quiet." Haley said, which made Aurora start laughing. Then Karen looked over at her son.

"So, I got something for you, Lucas." She said.

"Actually, I found it. Not that I was looking for something specific, which implies some hideous sort of 'Joey loves Dawson' scenario and completely creeps me out, but you know, we saw it, and...-" Aurora cut her sister off.

"...-Karen, please give him the book before she starts talking about how she fell with her butt in the air again," Aurora said, which made Lucas laugh. Karen handed the book over, and he looked less than happy after he read the title.

"Wow, Julius Caesar," Lucas said with no enthusiasm.

"You're welcome, Mr. Grateful," Aurora said sarcastically. Lucas looked at her and shook his head, and Aurora laughed more.

"There's a tide in the affairs of men or something like that," Karen said. Lucas nodded before smiling at the three women in front of him.

"Nice. Thank you, guys. Thank you very much." He said, and Haley rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, dude. That's what you're into."

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"I heard you and your idiot teammates stole a bus after the game." Aurora James said as she stood in the doorway of Nathan Scott's bedroom. Nathan looked up when he heard her voice and when he saw it was Aurora, he shook his head, but he still had a smile on his face.

"Yeah, but guess who didn't get in trouble for it?" He said as his smile turned into a smirk. Aurora rolled her eyes as she walked into his room and closed the door behind her. Then she sat down next to him on his bed.

"You probably should've, but of course, daddy Dan came to the rescue," Aurora said, and Nathan laughed.

"He did, but half the team is still suspended," Nathan said, and Aurora rolled her eyes again.

"Does being this stupid come naturally to you... or do you do these things by your own choice?" Aurora asked, and Nathan let out a fake laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. Did you come here to insult me or what?" Nathan asked, and Aurora laughed.

"Always. Maybe I just wanted to visit my best friend. Am I not allowed to do that now?" She asked, and Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"Aurora James, are you going soft on me?" He asked. Aurora rolled her eyes and laid back against some of Nathan's pillows but turned her body to face him, so Nathan did the same.

"Oh, never, Nathan Scott," Aurora said as she laughed. Then she noticed that Nathan started leaning in. Aurora raised an eyebrow before lifting her hand and blocking his lips before they could reach hers. "Did you forget that you have a girlfriend? Curly blonde hair, blue eyes, loves music... goes by Peyton Sawyer?" She said.

"Nah, she broke up with me," Nathan said.

"She always breaks up with you," Aurora said, and Nathan shrugged his shoulders.

"You never had a problem with it before," Nathan said, and Aurora rolled her eyes.

"I never said I had a problem with it now. Maybe, Nathan, I've realized I deserve better than making out with a guy who's always off and on with his girlfriend." Aurora said, which made Nathan laugh.

"You deserve a lot better, but isn't that punk in love with my girlfriend?" Nathan asked, and Aurora rolled her eyes. Nathan knows about Aurora's feelings for Lucas, and they all also know that Lucas has a crush on Peyton and he has since the 8th grade.

"Look, you know my rule about Lucas," Aurora said as she pointed her finger at him. Her only rule with Lucas and Nathan is that they aren't allowed to trash the other in front of her.

"I know, I know... no shit-talking him to your face," Nathan said.

"Good... and just so you know, I'm not biased. I have the same rule for him too." Aurora said. Nathan nodded his head, and then he started laughing.

"So no making out then?" He asked. Aurora rolled her eyes and pushed his face away from hers as she sat up. Then she grabbed the pillow she was lying on and hit him with it.

"You're such a pig, Nathan Scott. I'll see you later." She said while laughing. Aurora got off of the bed and walked to the door, but Nathan called out after her.

"I love you too!"

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"Nathan challenged you? Are you going to play?" Haley asked Lucas Scott as the two of them, along with Aurora, walked down the sidewalk. They were on their way to the cafe. Lucas was between the twins and told them about how Nathan came down the river court and challenged him to a one-on-one game.

"I don't know; it's not like I have anything to prove," Lucas said.

"But don't you just want to show him sometimes...-Oh, damn!" Haley exclaimed as she jumped up. Lucas and Aurora stopped walking as a flock of birds flew past them. "What is up! I was attacked by a flock of crows last week! I'm totally serious." She said.

"By the way, it's a murder," Lucas said.

"What?" Haley asked.

"More than one crow is a murder," Lucas said.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Haley responded, and Aurora laughed.

"A parliament of owls, an exaltation of larks, a murder of crows," Lucas said. Aurora looked at their friend and shook her head.

"And that, Lucas Scott, is why Haley and I are your only friends." Aurora teased, which made Haley laugh. Lucas shook his head, and then he took a deep breath.

"Ah, man... I would like to show him sometimes, though, what a mistake he's made." Lucas said.

"Dan?" Aurora asked, and Lucas nodded his head.

"Mostly for my mom... sometimes for me." He said, and Aurora nodded her head before wrapping her arm around his torso. Lucas smiled at the gesture and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they continued to walk.

"So, Luke... What are ravens? You know, more than one?" Haley asked.

"An unkindness." He said, and Aurora smiled.

"An unkindness of ravens... sounds like the title of a novel, don't you think?"

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"Wow... this place looks great," Aurora said to Lucas when she stepped onto the roof of Karen's cafe. Lucas turned around from the ledge and smiled when he saw it was Aurora. She looked around the roof to see the lights set up; that was the notable difference because when they first started working on this place, they didn't have any lights.

"Thanks. I just finished putting up the lights. Miniature golf is never going to be the same." Lucas said, and Aurora nodded her head.

"Your mom is worried. She's downstairs with Keith, picking through her past." Aurora said, which made Lucas sigh as he shook his head. Aurora could see it in his eyes. He wanted to play against Nathan, but he wasn't sure if he should.

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

"Do you?" Aurora asked back. Lucas gave her a look that made her smile. She knew that Lucas hated when she answered his questions with questions; that's why she does it, to make him think.

"A little bit. I mean, if I walked away, then my mom wouldn't be downstairs worrying about it now." Lucas said, and Aurora shook her head.

"You know, I don't say things like this very often because I hate being emotional, but you're a really good guy, and I'm glad we're friends, Lucas Scott... but you and your mom worry too damn much," Aurora said which made Lucas start laughing.

"I'm glad we're friends too, Ari... I don't know what I would do without you." Lucas said, which made Aurora smile as she looked at him.

"If you want my honest opinion... I think you should play Nathan. He thinks it's going to be some easy game he can crush you with... show him that's not true." Aurora said. Lucas looked a little surprised at her answer.

"You want me to beat him?" Lucas asked.

"Hey, just because we occasionally would make out with each other whenever he and Peyton would break up, that doesn't mean I don't know when he should be knocked down a few notches. I'm an unbiased best friend." Aurora said. Lucas' face scrunched up as he turned to her.

"Please tell me you're joking about the making-out thing," Lucas said. Aurora looked over at him and shrugged her shoulders, and Lucas groaned. "Oh, Aurora, come on!" He exclaimed, which made the brunette laugh.

"I mean... Do you want to make out, Luke?" Aurora asked, and Lucas froze because the question caught him off guard. How does someone answer that? Especially when it's their best friend who's asking the question.

"Are you serious?" Lucas asked, and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Actually, I have a better idea," Aurora said, and Lucas raised his eyebrows. Aurora was sometimes unpredictable, and Lucas was never 100% sure what she would do. Aurora wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up to press her lips against Lucas's gently. He was caught off guard at first, but he eased into it and kissed Aurora back, and he couldn't believe that he was kissing her. He was shocked in a good way, and he enjoyed it a lot. When Aurora pulled away, she smiled at him, and Lucas still had a bit of confusion in his eyes.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"For luck... of course, I want you to win tonight."

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Aurora made it to the river court before the boys started their game. As the game began, she sat on the picnic table next to her friend, Mouth. She decided the right thing for her to do was stay neutral. She wasn't going to give away anything in her face. She wasn't going to cheer when either of them scored. Even though she hopes Lucas wins the game, she doesn't want to hurt Nathan by cheering against him.

So she decided not to cheer for anyone.

Lucas made the first shot, and cheers went up all around Aurora since she was mainly sitting with their friends. Most everyone here was rooting for Lucas to win; that much was obvious. This was our home turf, and everyone knew how good Lucas was. Nathan looked over at his best friend and saw she wasn't cheering. Aurora shrugged her shoulders and kept a neutral expression on her face.

The game continued; the brothers were both making great shots and scoring back and forth. Mouth said the game was to 15, by 1s. Nathan had possession of the ball now, and before he went up for his shot, he elbowed Lucas hard in the face, which would be considered a foul. Aurora immediately stood up, rushed to Lucas's side, and then looked at her other friend.

"Nathan, what the hell? If you can't play fair, then forfeit and leave." Aurora snapped. Nathan looked at her, and he was surprised that she said something. Aurora helped Lucas off the ground as he wiped his nose and looked at Aurora.

"I'm fine... I'm okay." He said. Aurora nodded and returned to her seat while Lucas spit out some blood. "No foul. The basket counts." Lucas said to the crowd, and then he turned to Nathan. "Besides, you won't score again." He said, and Aurora mentally approved of the confidence in his words.

"Oh, the basket counts, and it's 14-12, game point for Nathan. He could win it all right here. Nathan, for the win... Holy crap!" Mouth exclaimed. When Nathan went up for the shot, Lucas went up with him and delivered a clean block that had everyone in shock. "Did you see that? Someday men will write stories about that block. Children will be named after it. Argentinian women will weep for it. Luke gets a basket, and he's down by one."

After blocking Nathan, Lucas made two more shots, and now it was 14-14; this was it. This was the final point. "Oh god," Aurora mumbled to herself.

"Another dagger, and it's all tied up. I think I'm going to puke." Mouth said.

"Me too, Marvin." Aurora agreed.

"This is it, folks, no going back now. The next basket wins it." Mouth said. Then Aurora's eyes were glued to the court. Nathan and Lucas's mouths were moving, but Aurora couldn't understand what they were saying. Then Lucas pulled up over Nathan and made the game-winning basket. "Luke for the win! It's good! It's good! Lucas Scott takes it 15-14, and there is bedlam, delirium, and felicity for all!" Mouth exclaimed, which made Aurora laugh as she shook her head.

Everyone rushed to Lucas and started giving him their congratulations, while Aurora stayed at the picnic table and she watched all the celebrations going on around her. She was proud of Lucas and knew Nathan wouldn't take this lightly, so she already decided she would just talk to him tomorrow after he's had some sleep. Lucas felt he needed to prove something, and Aurora thinks he fulfilled that. When Lucas noticed Aurora sitting alone, he let go of Haley and walked over to her.

"What are you doing over here all by yourself?" Lucas asked when he sat down at the picnic table next to her.

"Letting you enjoy your victorious moment and watching you enjoy your victory with pride in my heart," Aurora said. Lucas chuckled, and they looked around the river court and saw people were starting to clear out.

"You didn't go check on Nathan?" He asked, and Aurora shook her head.

"He'll be fine... the only thing you really bruised is his ego," Aurora said, and they both started laughing. "How does it feel, though?" She asked.

"To win that game? It felt great." Lucas said, and Aurora smiled at him.

"You're welcome." She said, and Lucas raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.

"For what?" Lucas asked.

"Obviously, my good luck kiss won you the game... so, you're welcome," Aurora said. Lucas laughed while shaking his head, but then he leaned over and gently kissed Aurora on her cheek.

"You've always been my good luck charm," Lucas said, and Aurora smiled.

"Flattery will get you nowhere." She responded, and Lucas shrugged his shoulders.

"You're sure?" Lucas asked, and Aurora nodded her head.

"Positive." She responded.

"You want a ride home?" He asked. Aurora nodded, and they both stood up from the picnic table. Lucas wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she wrapped hers around his torso as they walked to his truck. It's for Keith's body shop, but it's the primary vehicle he drives around.

"Thanks, Luke."

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─── AUTHOR'S NOTE
if you already know this story, then you know, but if you don't, welcome.

don't forget to vote/comment. 

xoxo.