❀⚘

"Why did Haley tell me you're thinking of not going to the away game tonight?" Jay cornered Isaac at his locker. The Banks male closed his best friend's locker, ignoring the flat look he was getting. "Are you sick? Why aren't you going?"

"I asked Keith if I could pick up a shift." Isaac simply stated. "I could use the money."

"You never miss a game." Jay wasn't understanding. "Did you and D have a fight?"

"No, we didn't have a fight," Isaac rolled his eyes. He ignored the confused look on his best friend's face and turned to walk down the hallway. Their last class of the day had just finished and the teen male wanted nothing more than to go home and take a quick nap before he had to go to work. "Darla and I are fine."

"'Darla?'" Jay hurried and moved to stop Isaac from walking. He moved his friend to the side of the hallway out of the way of the moving crowd. "Her government name?" Isaac kept up his quiet act. "Man, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Isaac glared, fed up with the prying. 

"Kick the fucking act Isaac and tell me why the fuck you're acting like fucking Dom Toretto."

Isaac kept his glare but Jay wasn't giving in. He knew how Isaac was. The guy was a man of few words already but when he's an inch away from having a rage blackout, he nearly goes mute. "Fine, we fought," Isaac rolled his eyes. He half expected Jay to smirk because he broke but instead Jay's face remained concerned. "She's riding with the girls to the game later and I'm giving her her space."

"You two don't fight." 

"Well, we did." Jay watched as his friend's shoulders slumped in defeat, the bags under his eyes a shade of deep purple. The boy was struggling internally. 

"About what?" Jay questioned. Darla and Isaac had been in sync enough of their lives to keep the peace in their friendship but now that they had officially become a couple, they were navigating a new era of themselves, and their first fight as a couple was expected but not necessarily so soon. Though Jay had to admit with the current drama circling her family he should've seen it coming. 

"Something," he glanced around as he answered. He hated seeming so vulnerable in public and he wanted to escape. "Look man, when I'm ready to talk about it, I'll invite you over to braid my hair and have a yap session okay?"

"Only if I can have my toenails pink this time," Jay smirked. 

"You're a fucking idiot," Isaac tried to fight his grin but with Jay poking his chest with a giant grin of his own, but he couldn't. "Can we go now?" Isaac started walking and Jay easily caught up with him. 

"Wait, so instead of showing up for her and showing her that even though you guys fought you'd still be there to support her, you're hiding away with Keith?"

"I thought about it okay, but I convinced myself she wouldn't want me there."

"When has B never not wanted you around? Dude, I say you just go and support her. You've never missed a game, don't start now."

"We fought," Isaac reiterated. 

"And? Did you break up? Apparently not, so why not go? Apologize for whatever you did or said. Suck it up and go support our girl."

"What makes you think I gotta be the one to apologize?" Jay gave him a pointed look. 

"I want you to think about what you just asked me," Jay put his hands on Isaac's shoulders, frocing his friend to meet his gaze. "The fact that you're skipping out on a game to work tells me all I need to know. But look, even if its equal blame, you two need to talk this out. Clear the air. Go back to being Butch and Buttercup because man if y'all don't make it, then true love doesn't exist."

"I still don't get why you gave us those nicknames."

"Darla likes them and that's all that matters." Jay shrugged with a grin. He noticed Isaac's eyes glance to something over his shoulder. He turned around, curious, and sighed softly to himself when he spotted Darla walking alone. Her cheer uniform was on and her gym bag clutched tightly in her hands. "I thought you said she was riding with the girls?" They watched as she walked down the sidewalk of the school, heading towards the bus that the entirety of the Ravens basketball team was loading onto. One of the guys reached for her gym bag and she smiled politely at him. Once she was on the bus, Isaac and Jay watched with matching glares as the boy was nudged and urged to follow after her by one of the other guy's on the team. "You sure you don't want to go to that game?" 

"Get in the truck." Isaac clenched his fists as he watched the boy climb onto the bus. He'd be damned if some punk tried to steal his girl. 

Darla stared at him sadly. She was more than sure he couldn't see her as she sat looking out the small bus window. Jay stood with him, the two of them talking, but she noticed that Isaac's eyes never glanced away from the bus. She turned away from him as someone cleared their throat. 

"Is this seat taken?" The same guy who loaded her gym bag stood by her seat, his eyes darting to the empty seat beside her. 

"Yeah, sorry," she gave him another polite smile and placed her jacket beside her. 

"Oh, um, okay," the boy moved away, his hand scratching at the back of his neck as his face flushed with color. She turned back to the window, exhaling softly noticing her Isaac's truck no longer there. Her jacket being thrown on her lap startled her and she gave herself whiplash when she felt a large body slump beside her. 

"It's gonna be a long ass ride," Nathan uttered tiredly. "I invited Haley." He confessed. 

"You like Haley? As in Haley James?" She kept her voice low, not wanting any more of her brother's business to spread around. At his nod, she pried more. "Since when are you two friends?"

"She's been tutoring me," he shrugged. 

Details were clicking in her brain. She listened to Haley ramble over a crush she had on someone she was tutoring but she never expected it to be her older brother. At least not the one sitting next to her. "You invited her as a friend or..?" 

He caught on to what she was saying, "I don't know."

"Does she..?"

"I don't know." He sighed. 

"Well, I hope she goes, but you should probably sort out your feelings quickly because Isaac might beat your ass if you play with her feelings."

"That I do know," Nathan chuckled. "I heard you talking to Mom this morning. Have you talked to him?"

"No," she shook her head. She slouched in her seat, the light in her eyes dimming. Nathan was more than familiar with the look on her face, their Dad eliciting the same reaction from her, but he had never seen it caused by Isaac. 

"What did you two even fight about? Was it like when me and Peyton fought?"

"Peyton and I," she corrected him.

"Oh, you fight with her too?" He teased, grinning smugly when she chuckled quietly at his lame joke. 

"Yeah, it was kinda like that for us," she admitted. 

"Explain it to me," Nathan encouraged her. 

"It's a long story," she shook her head. 

"We have time," he smiled, the both of them slightly jolting in their seats as the bus started driving away. 

"I really don't want to talk about it," her tone was pleading but Nathan wasn't letting up.

"What could it have been about? Seriously, Lee you can tell me."

"Nathan--"

"Lee, seriously, what's so bad that it caused a fight this bad for you two?" He wasn't giving in and Darla had had enough. 

"You," she confessed with a guilty look. "Nathan, our fight was about you." 

"Me?" He didn't understand. "What about me?"

"You hazed his best friends Nathan, you know how Isaac is." 

"Lucas and Jay are your friends too and you forgave me."

"It's not the same Nathan. You're my brother, to Isaac, you're nothing more than the ass who ditched his friends in a swamp with rope binding their hands together."

"So what? Now he's pissed at you for talking to me? What type of shit is that?"

"You're not getting it, Nathan," she sighed and looked at him tiredly. "This is why I didn't want to tell you."

"He's mad because you picked me over him, what's not to get," he shrugged.

"I didn't pick you over him," she shook her head, her brunette strands moving slightly with the motion. "He didn't make me choose, Isaac's not like that. He's mad because I asked him to let it go."

"And he wouldn't?" His gaze was soft as he looked at her. He'd had his fair share of fights with whoever he was dating but Darla wasn't toxic and neither was Isaac. 

"You know how he is," she sighed dejectedly. "I shouldn't have asked him at all. It wasn't fair to him."

"Lee, its not wrong for you to want a little peace in your life. I'm sorry you fought because of me." He slung his arm around her when he felt her lean into his side. Her head slumped against his shoulder, his warmth giving her a moment of peace. The two siblings sat in peace for the remainder of the drive. Not even Tim could pull Nathan away, not when his little sister was sleeping beside him. Though there was plenty of noise around him, he drowned it out as he stared out the window. It was almost comical for him; gazing out a window solemnly going over every decision he'd made recently. His lips quirked as he considered reaching for Darla's ipod and playing an angsty Avril Lavigne song to add to his music video moment. 

From two rows away, diagonally sat the blond sibling of the two. He'd watched their whole conversation, a big part of him angry at the scene. The text from Jay replayed in his mind. Darla and Isaac had a fight, a big one, and Lucas knew that Nathan had to be the cause of it. Nathan was the cause of all the drama in her life, why wouldn't he be the cause for the drama in the only healthy relationship their sister harbored. 

"I'm sure if you glared hard enough, his head might explode." Jake chuckled from the seat beside Lucas. "Or not," he held his hands up in surrender when Lucas turned his glare onto him. 

"Sorry man," Lucas shook his head to clear his thoughts and turned to his only ally on the team. 

"All good, but maybe save his ass kicking until after we beat the hicks," the two shared a grin before leaving each other alone. Lucas spared the duo one last look, ignoring the jealous pang in his chest when Nathan moved to rest his head against Darla's. 

Lucas Scott hated Nathan Scott, but that was nothing new.

❀⚘

"Go Ravens go!" Darla threw her hands in the air, waving her pom poms at the crowd, a bright smile on her face. With Bevin by her side, the two stepped to the side of the gym to get a sip of water, hoping Brooke wouldn't notice they stepped away. 

"I don't know about you Darla, but some of these hicks are definitely bangable," Bevin winked as one of the Peckerington players ran by her. 

"Gross Bev," Darla fake gagged, hitting the blonde with a pom pom. "I have a boyfriend."

"Oh, I know, and girl if my man looked like him I wouldn't stray either." Darla swatted her again, the two girls giggling. "All I'm saying is I'd kill for any guy to look at me the way he looks at you."

"And that would be?" Darla inquired, curious to what 'look' she was referring to.

"That one," Bevin nodded to the bleachers, Darla following her nod, her brows furrowed in confusion. Sitting beside Haley and Mouth, sat Isaac and Jay. He was already staring at her, meeting her surprised gaze head on. 

"He told me he wasn't coming," Darla muttered.

"Oh please, we all know Isaac James doesn't miss a basketball game, and it ain't because he likes the sport." Bevin snickered. When she noticed that Darla remained quiet, she cocked her head to the side as she studied her. The younger girl's posture was tense as her teeth gnawed the inside of her cheek anxiously. "Did something happen?"

"We had our first fight," Darla smiled tightly. "We haven't really talked things out yet."

"You will," Bevin assured her. "Don't stress it though, for now just focus on the cheers and the game. Distract yourself."

"Easier said than done," Darla grumbled under her breath. Bevin left her standing alone, headed back to the other girls while Darla tried to ignore the set of eyes glaring into her. 

"You wanna know what I think?" Darla had moved towards where Brooke and Peyton stood in an attempt to start distracting herself and Brooke's gossip always did the trick. "Hey D. Scott. Anyways, Peyton, I think Nathan likes tutor girl but tutor girl likes Lucas. And I know I like Lucas. But we don't know who Lucas is into and I don't even know who the hell you're into anymore. This is all turning into one big love rectangle plus one, whatever that is."

"A pentagon?" Darla suggested

"Exactly," Brooke snapped her fingers. "D gets it." 

The game was going strong, both teams lined up as one of the Pirates' players shot his free throws but the rivalry between the two towns wasn't the reason for all the arguing being heard from the Tree Hill Ravens. Several sets of eyes were focused on the Scott brothers currently bickering with each other instead of the opposing team. 

"Hey!" Lucas ran up to the cheerleaders, his eyes set on Peyton, a sly grin on his face. "So, I saw Nathan in the shower. No wonder you broke up with him." Darla gaped at him while Brooke snickered. Nathan was fuming. The warning glare from his sister went unheeded as he flung the basketball at the back of Lucas' head. 

"Nathan!" Darla chastised him. She took one step closer to him, unsure what she'd say or do but she wasn't given any time to even try to muster something up before Lucas and Nathan were shoving into each other. The two brothers fell onto Brooke and Darla, both girls being trampled under their bodies as they punched and pushed at each other. Jake and Peyton had managed to grab Brooke and move her from under them, the brunette wincing in pain as she limped out of the way. Tim had reached down for Darla the girl crying out as she was knocked out of his hold, her head clashing against the hard gym flooring. 

"Fucking quit!" A booming voice called out as the two brothers were finally pulled apart. The second Lucas and Nathan crashed into the girls, Isaac was on his feet and rushing down the steps of the bleachers, Jay right behind him. He shoved his way through the crowd, his jaw clenched when he finally saw what he was hoping not to see. Darla laid under her wrestling brothers, Tim trying to help her and avoid being shoved by either of the males. Isaac saw red and with Jay's help, pulled the boys away from her, using all his strength to push them apart. His hands hit Nathan's chest hard as the brunet Scott tried to rush at Lucas again. "Fucking stop!" Isaac glared at him. His eyes cast around, finding Darla with her head on Tim's shoulder as he supported her weight, the two of them following one of the school's nurses out of the gym. "Lets go," Isaac motioned for Jay to follow him. Bumping his shoulder pettily into Nathan as he walked past, Isaac fixed him with a steely glare. Nathan shied away from the heated stare, wanting to avoid picking a fight with his sister's best friends knowing one punch from Isaac would have him down crying in pain. 

They quietly left the gym, rushing to catch up to Darla and Tim. They found the two sitting alone in a training room, Tim now holding an ice pack on her right knee as Darla held the one on her head. "Hey," Isaac spoke softly as he walked into the room. Darla's eyes watered at the sight of him. "Thanks, Tim," he gave the boy a grateful nod as he grabbed the other ice pack from him. Tim awkwardly nodded and left the three alone. Jay stayed standing by the door, wanting to give the couple their privacy. 

"I'm sorry," Darla mumbled to Isaac, a lone tear slowly falling down her cheek. With his thumb, he brushed it away. 

"No, B," he dismissed her apology. "I'm the one who's sorry."

"No, I wasn't being fair to you," she tried to point out but Isaac didn't care who's fault the fight was anymore. 

"B, we're okay," he smiled tenderly. "What did the nurse say?"

"No concussion just a really bad bruise. I have one on my knee too."

He had to shake his head as he felt his rage creeping back in. "Come on pretty girl, let's get you home." He handed the ice packs off to Jay along with her pom poms and lifted her into his arms. With her head resting on his shoulder and her arms around his neck, she let her eyes shut as the exhaustion from everything finally caught up to her. They'd made it outside, her head popping up as she heard Brooke's loud giggles. She looked for the girl and found her with Haley and Peyton, the two girls struggling to put her in the backseat. 

"I got her," Jay jogged over to help, easily lifting her in and laying her down. Isaac carried Darla over, knowing she'd want to make sure Brooke was good before leaving. "There you go," Jay smiled softly at the giggling brunette beneath him. 

"You're Jay," Brooke grinned. 

"I am," he chuckled. "And you're Brooke."

"You're cute," she winked at him. The boy laughed and smirked at her, shutting the door as she winked at him again, her dimples on display. 

"She took some pain pills the trainer guy gave her," Peyton explained. "She'll probably fall asleep before we even leave the parking lot." The group stood around each other awkwardly for a moment before Peyton looked over to Darla. "Do you want to ride with us?" 

Isaac's hold tightened on Darla, the boy not ready to let her go just yet. Darla took the hint. "No, I'll go with Isaac." They all then turned to Haley but Brooke was now poking her head out the window and yelling for tutor girl to get into the car. 

"Guess that answers that," they all laughed before dispersing. 

"Let's go home," Isaac shifted his hold on Darla as he unlocked the truck's doors, carefully settling her in the middle seat of the single cab truck. Once he was sitting and starting the engine, Darla's head fell against his shoulder. She shifted slightly to get comfortable before her eyes fell shut with sleep. The drive back to Tree Hill was quiet as the boys kept the music low to let the girl sleep as peacefully as she could. However the peace quickly disappeared when they almost crashed into the girls' car who braked suddenly to avoid crashing into the Scott brothers. 

"Those two just can't stay out of trouble," Darla mumbled sleepily.