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"Its a load of bullshit." Darla rolled her eyes at her Dad's grumblings. All she wanted was to eat her cereal in peace but like every other day of her life, her Dad found something to complain about. She figured he was bitching about the same thing he always does, Lucas or basketball. Or in this case, Lucas playing basketball. "Whitey has no business letting that boy play on the team!" The newspaper in his hand ripped from how tight his grip on it was.

"And there it is." She mumbled. "Its too early for this shit." She dumped her bowl in the sink, not even bothering to rinse it. She passed Nathan on her way up the stairs, "I wouldn't go down there if I was you."

"What is it this time?" He sighed.

"Same shit it always is." She shrugged. "Lucas." He mumbled the name at the same time she did. She watched her brother run a hand down his face, yawning as he ruffled his hair. "You good?" The skin under his eyes was a dark purple and she noticed new spots of acne on his cheeks. "You're breaking out again."

"I know." He grumbled. "All this shit about Lucas being on the team is stressing me the fuck out."

"Well, that serum I lent you last time is in my bathroom in the cabinet. Feel free to use it." She gave him a tired smile and mock saluted him. "See you at school."

"You need a ride?"

"No, Isaac's taking me." He smirked at her and she blushed in response. He leaned against the railing, his arms folding across his chest. "Don't even say anything." She jabbed his chest with her finger.

"Lee, you gotta tell him eventually."

"Well Royal," he rolled his eyes at the usage of his middle name, "when I'm ready to, I will." She insisted. "Don't tell him for me either."

"Well, Lee, somebody has to." She rolled her eyes at the name. She disliked her middle name almost as much as he hated his. He smirked at her but before she could say anything, Dan exited the kitchen and stared directly at the teens.

"What are you two doing?" He narrowed his eyes at them. Nathan shot her a look before shrugging at their Dad. Darla didn't bother answering. "Family meeting." He spun on his heels and headed into the living room. Darla groaned and reluctantly followed him, Nathan on her heels. The two teens plopped themselves on the couch, both of them sitting with their arms crossed as they waited for the Dad's lecture to begin. "Are you ready for tonight?" Darla shot a confused look at Nathan. She knew he meant him, but her Dad's eyes burned a hole into her forehead as she turned back to him.

"I'm just a cheerleader." She shrugged.

"I know," Dan smirked at her. She scoffed in response, of course, he was mocking her.

"Okay, I'm done." She stood up and left the room, ignoring her Dad yelling for her to sit back down. She rushed up the stairs and threw herself onto her bed. Her phone rang from where it sat charging on her dresser and she rushed to it, knowing exactly who was calling. "Are you here? Please tell me you're here." She begged.

"Yeah B, I'm here." His deep laugh echoed in her ears and a smile lit up her face. "You've got two minutes or I'm leaving without you."

"No, you're not." She chuckled and hung up. She slipped her shoes on and grabbed her backpack and gym bag before rushing down the stairs. She didn't bother saying bye to her brother or Dad, knowing they were too busy going over the details of the game. With a smile on her face, she jumped into Isaac's truck and immediately wrapped her arms around him. He chuckled and hugged her back. "Good morning." She pulled away and Isaac smiled softly at her. He reached up and pushed her hair away from her face, his heart thumping hard against his chest as her face reddened at the action.

"Good morning B." He grabbed the strap of her gym bag and chucked it into the backseat, waiting for her to buckle up before driving away.

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"You've got practice today, right?" He held the truck door open for her and helped her jump out. He reached for her gym bag and shouldered it, his backpack on his other shoulder.

"Yeah. You gonna come watch again?" She teased him with a grin.

"Oh, B, I want nothing more than to see you bend and jump around in your little skirts." He smirked at her, grabbing her hand and pulling her body closer to his. She intertwined their fingers and gave him a smile that had his stomach flipping and his heart beating faster. "I have a shift with Keith after school but we'll be done in time for the game."

"Keith's coming?" Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. She was ready to make a flirty comment back about watching him sweaty and working on cars, something she found incredibly hot, but she was distracted by his comment.

"Yeah, he wants to see Luke play." He shook his backpack from his shoulder and held it in his hand as he slung his arm over her shoulder and began walking them towards the school.

"That makes sense." She nodded. She could remember Keith showing up to a few of Nathan's games but he stopped attending at the end of their freshman year, he didn't want to see Dan unless he had to. "He-"

"D. Scott!" Their heads turned as Brooke rushed towards them. "Why aren't you in uniform?"

Darla looked down at her simple outfit of straight-legged blue jeans and a plain white v-neck top. The jeans flared cutely over her white sneakers and she had her Ravens hoodie in her bag in case she got cold. "I didn't feel like wearing it yet." She shrugged. From beside her, Isaac chuckled and pulled her body into his side.

Brooke glared at her before rolling her eyes. "Fine." She huffed. "You're lucky you're my favorite Scott." She flicked her hair over her shoulder and left them alone.

"She looks so hot walking away." Isaac snorted as Jay appeared beside them. "Good morning you two." He moved to stand on Darla's free side, keeping the shorter girl between them as they walked towards the school. "No skirt today?" He eyed Darla's denim covered legs with a quirked eyebrow.

"Later." She promised. They made it to the courtyard and she spotted Nathan standing with Tim and his friends. "How did he get here before us?"

"He doesn't believe in speed limits," Jay commented.

"You're not wrong." Darla snorted. She lost count of how many speeding tickets Dan had either paid or talked his way out of for her brother. She caught sight of a familiar blonde head and called out for him, ignoring the intense glare from her other brother. "Lucas!"

The blond male shot his head up and smiled to himself as he changed direction and headed their way. "Hey, Bambi." He opened his arms for a hug and leaped into them.

"How are you feeling?" She pulled away and he shook off her concern.

"I'm good B." He assured her. "I'll see you tonight." He did his guy handshake with Isaac and Jay before leaving them.

"You worry too much." Isaac sighed and grabbed her hand, dragging her towards the school's doors. He opened them and ushered her inside, Jay right behind them.

"Somebody has to." She replied. "I hate basketball."

"And on that depressing note, I'm out." He patted Isaac on the shoulder and gave Darla a chaste kiss on her hair before walking away. The duo stopped at her locker and Isaac watched her shove her bulky gym bag in it before slamming it shut.

She leaned her back against the cold metal and stared up at Isaac as he put one hand over her head, using it to hold his weight as he stood over her. "You have no idea how happy I am that you're the one person in my life who's not obsessed with sports."

"I play for fun." He shrugs. "You know basketball's never been my thing."

"That's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me." She gushed as he rolled his eyes, a smirk forming regardless. Neither one of them said a word for a moment as they gazed softly at each other. Isaac found himself leaning closer to her, his head bending to her height. She closed her eyes as his forehead rested against hers and Isaac knew he could have his moment. She wasn't pushing him away and that told him all he needed to know. He had a chance but he wasn't about to take it in a hallway full of people he could care less about. He kissed her forehead and pulled away. Her eyes shot open and a pout formed on her lips, her eyes asking the question she didn't want to say aloud.

"Later." He promised and grabbed her hand, dragging her through the halls to her first class. He kissed her cheek and nudged her in the doorway, turning on his heels before she could say anything to him. Darla stared after him, confusion written all over her face.

"Why do you look like you ate something sour?" Peyton sidled up beside her, her usual pensive look on her face. Darla turned to her, her eyebrows furrowed.

"He didn't kiss me." Peyton gaped at her. They'd all been waiting years for the two to make a move on each other. Peyton didn't hesitate to grab the younger girl's hand and guided her away from the classroom and to the library. She found an empty table and she threw her backpack on the table. "Explain." She demanded once the two were sat. "Wait, hold that thought." She pulled out her phone and sent a text to Brooke. "Hold it for two minutes." Peyton looked towards the library doors and within a minute, Brooke was running through the door, an excited smile on her face.

"D. Scott! Explain everything!"

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Brooke Davis was on a mission. Her cheer skirt clad tightly to her thighs as she pushed her way into the gym. There was a gym class occurring but she ignored the curious looks from the gym teacher and a few of the kids doing pushups as she marched up to the bulky boy she was looking for. He was lazily shooting hoops with Lucas, his back to her. The blond male noticed her first and when Isaac noticed his friend was distracted he looked to see what caught his attention. He wasn't expecting to see an angry Brooke Davis or to have her finger jabbing at his chest.

"Ow- what? Stop it!" He pushed her hand away and rubbed at his chest, he was sure a bruise would form from her incessant jabbing. "What is wrong with you?" He looked to Lucas for help but the boy just stood there laughing at him.

"Why didn't you kiss her!" She demanded. Isaac exhaled loudly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Brooke, just stay out of it please." Isaac for the most part was a pretty private person. He could count on one hand how many people who really knew him and Brooke Davis was not one of them.

"No, I will not stay out of it." She put her hands on her hips. "You like her, she likes you. What's the holdup?"

"Look, Brooke,-"

"No, you look grease monkey," she stepped closer to him and Lucas couldn't help but move in closer, his nosiness getting the better of him. "She wanted you to kiss her so you either do it or I'll find someone else who will. She likes you so get your shit together and do something about it." Isaac had a moment of rage as he imagined someone else touching his girl and he found himself nodding. "Good." She walked away from him and he stared incredulously at Lucas who just smirked and passed him the ball.

"So when are you gonna do it?" Lucas inquired.

"She's your sister, is this something you really want to know?" Isaac asked him, shooting the ball into the hoop and making it.

"No, but you're one of my best friends. We could talk about it." He offered.

"I just didn't want her first kiss to be in a hallway surrounded by random people." Isaac relented. "I want to do shit the right way. She deserves nothing less."

"Jay was right." Isaac looked at him confused. "You've got it bad."

"Shut the fuck up." Isaac glared at him and harshly passed him the ball.

"I'm just saying," Lucas wanted to be honest with his friend. "I know you'll treat her right but she's my little sister man, hurt her and we'll hurt you."

"We?" Isaac quirked an eyebrow at him.

"She's the one person Nathan and I would call a truce for," Lucas smirked at him. "Just keep that in mind."

Isaac sized him up before shrugging. "I could take you."

"Oh, I know you could." Lucas laughed. "So don't hurt her because I don't feel like having my ass kicked."

"Got it." Isaac laughed with him. Now he just needed to talk to the other brother so he could finally make his move and get the girl of his dreams. Oh joy, he grumbled to himself.

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