#23 | Nathan Scott

chapter twenty-one

Allie woke up to an empty bed. She furrowed her eyebrows and walked over to where her clothes were. She walked into the bathroom and changed before walking back out. "Nathan?" She yells but was met with silence.

She grabs her phone and starts calling his cell. "Hello?" She hears him say over the phone. "Hey, where'd you go?" She asks while putting her shoes on.

"I went on a run with Lucas." He says and she nods her head. "Oh, okay." "Why? You miss me already?" Nathan jokes and she laughs.

"Whatever. Listen, I have to go home and get ready for school so I'll see you in a bit?" She asks and her boyfriend answers a quick "Yeah." before hanging up.

-

She was at cheer practice with Peyton and Brooke, the two made up apparently the night of the party. "I'm glad we're all friends again." Allie says and takes a sip from her water bottle. "Yeah, me too." Peyton says and smiles.

"I was thinking maybe we could spend a little trial makeup time at the mall?" Peyton asks Brooke and Allie. "Yes, I've been dying for a girl's day out." Brooke says to them. The three girls hugged and grabbed their bag, heading to the mall.

-

The three girls were shopping with Jenny since Jake was working. "So where are your parents now?" Brooke asks Allie who shrugs her shoulders. "Who knows? They're never home anyways." She says and takes a sip from her cup.

"Well, well, well. As a babysitter, apparently, you suck." Nicki says and the three girls turn around to find her holding Jenny.

"Nicki, what are you doing?" Peyton asks and tries to grab Jenny. "Protecting my baby. While you three barbies were getting ready to make out, anybody could have taken her." Nikki says.

"Put her down!" Allie says, looking at her. "I don't take orders from anyone." Nicki says and walks off with Jenny.

"Where are you going?" Peyton asks, the three girls following her. "Shopping with my daughter." She replies, continuing to walk away. "I don't think so." Brooke says and Jenny laughs. "Yeah, I see you stopping me."

"Go get security." Allie says to Brooke and looks at Peyton." Call Jake. I'll get Jenny." She says and runs after Nikki.

She was looking all over the mall for about 20 minutes and sighed. She ran her fingers through her hair when her phone started ringing. Allie groans and declines the call while spinning in circles, trying to see if she could find Nicki.

She stops in her place when she sees Nicki with Jenny in a baby store. Allie growls softly and makes her way inside the store.

"You need to give her back to me right now." She says and Nicki laughs. "I'm just shopping with my daughter." She says and begins walking away.

Allie scoffs and pulls Nicki's free arm. "You walked out on her. You don't deserve to spend any time with her, bitch." Allie says and grabs Jenny from Nikki's grasp.

Nicki scoffs and stares down Allie who was staring right back at her. "Get lost, bitch. And, don't come back. Ever." Allie says and walks back to where Peyton and Brooke were.

"She's my daughter, not yours!" Nicki screams while following Allie. She saw Jake who was arguing with Peyton. He turns at Nicki's words and sighs a breath of relief when he sees Jenny in Allie's arms.

"I got her, Jake." She says and coles at Jenny who was starting to cry. "What's going on?" Nicki says, walking up to them.

"What the hell are you doing, Nikki." Jake says and Nikki shrugs her shoulders. "I just wanted to take Jenny shopping."

"You are unbelievable, you know that?" Jake says to her and she scoffs at him. "Hey, if you'd let me see her once in a while-"

"That's not gonna happen! Not after this!" Jake yells at her and Nikki scoffs. "You think I'm such a bad mother?" She says and looks at the three girls.

"Yes!" Allie says, handing Jenny to Peyton. "Haven't you been in Tree Hill long enough? Leave! No one wants you here! Not even Jenny." Allie says and the three girls including Jake walk off.

-

Allie walked into Nathan's apartment with Brooke and Peyton after the mall. Nathan walks out with his gym bag and basketball.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite girl." He says and walks to Allie, giving her a quick kiss. Brooke clears her throat at his comment and smiles at him.

Nathan laughs, "Sorry, favorite girls." He corrected and Brooke smiles, "Thank you." She replies. "Well I have to run to practice, then I'm going to pick up an extra shift at the mall, and after that I'm working out with Lucas." He says to his girlfriend who looks at him.

"Well, who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?" She joked. Nathan laughs and hugs her, "I gotta go." Allie smiles and nods her head.

"Okay, be safe please?" He kisses her forehead and smiles. "Always am." He says goodbye to Brooke and Peyton and leaves the apartment.

"So, how is my favorite couple doing?" Brooke asks her while they sit on the couch. "Doing good. Things are going well for us right now." She says and smiles.

"I think I'm gonna go see Jake and Jenny." Peyton says and sighs. "Yeah, you should go check on him." Allie says and the two girls nod. "I'll see you guys later." She says and walks them out the door.

-

"Did you know that my dad is coaching the team?" Nathan says to his girlfriend who furrows her brows at him. "What? Why?" She asks him and plates the food.

"Whitey's having surgery and he somehow made him agree to let him coach." Nathan says and sighs. "I'm sorry baby." She says and looks at him.

"He just always has to win." He says and grabs his girlfriend to embrace her. "I'm here for you. Always." She says and he nods his head.

He kisses her head and squeezes her tighter in his embrace.