It's Late Where You Live

“Whatever, I bet you that I’ll smoke your ass one on one.” It was true. No matter what anyone said, I was the best around here. I was Mr. Basketball. No one could touch me. It was just who I was, it was in my blood. The guys and I were all hanging around the coffee table at a party. We didn’t even know who’s house it was, but from the looks of it, in the morning, the owner of the house wasn’t even gonna claim it. It was trashed.

“That’s a bet,” Mike told me and I just grinned. Another person was going to get their feelings hurt. What can I say? I run this school. Then we sat there and drank some more. That’s how it usually went. It was a big who’s who of drinking and acting like idiots, but it was fun. I’d rather be here than home or really anywhere else.

“So what’s up with your girl? She’s hangin’ out with the new kid a lot.”

My expression turned from a smile to a frown in no seconds flat and I just narrowed my eyes. Eventually, I just shrugged.

“She’s being charitable,” I joked and they all pretty much laughed and I just smiled. Yeah, whatever I said was gold with these guys, but sometimes it was just stupid.

“Yeah, she was doing more than being charitable this afternoon.”

We weren’t together anymore technically, but that didn’t mean anything. We’d break up and get back together like it was nothing and that was all this was. Nothing. That new kid? Was nothing. I was something, I had the trophy’s to prove it. That kid had jack shit.

An hour later, I finally decided to leave and head home. I had a practice in the morning with my dad that wasn’t looking forward to, mainly because he told me how bad I was. He always said it was for my own good, but I’d rather hear the good things and not the bad. I got in my jeep and drove off, heading home to impending doom. I hated being there. I liked being at Lexi’s, and I was almost tempted to go over there and surprise her, possibly getting back together and having get back together sex, but something stopped me.

Lexi. Sitting there at the red light, I watched her as she walked out of a store and I went ahead and cut a few lanes to get in the turning lane. Then I saw him. That new kid with her and my fingers gripped the steering wheel so hard, they almost went numb.

This was bullshit. She was just using him to make me jealous – and it was working. It was time to end this. She won and now she could come home with me and everything would be fucking fine. Pulling into the empty parking lot, I slammed on the breaks and got out of the jeep, walking over to them.

“Lexi, we need to talk.”

I never knew that Tree Hill was where I’d end up. There was some part of me that just wanted to stay with the Cohens, but then again, I didn’t want to be somewhere where I wasn’t wanted. Except for Seth. He was pretty … yeah. He was pissed about the whole thing, but I understood. Why should I expect anyone else to want me when my mother didn’t even want me? Now I was stuck in Tree Hill, doing nothing for the summer, living with a family who … I guess wasn’t all that different from normal. They had dinner at the table with the tv turned off, if it was ever on and on some nights, there was bible study while on Sunday’s … we all went to church. Not that I didn’t want to, I just thought it was a little much. I don’t know. I think it’s safe to say that I was never religious. My mother cared more about the bottle and the guy of the week than God, or how she was going to be judged, which my home mother talked a lot about. Being judged. Either you’ll be burned, or you’ll be picked up by God just before and taken to Heaven. It’s all … kind of scary now that I think about it.

Everyday I leave and go down to the beach. It’s the only thing that reminds me of California, it’s beaches. I only had a few more years until I was of age and then I could just leave. I wasn’t exactly making a house a home here. I did what I was told and then I left and then when I turn 18, I’d be gone for good. Probably go and see Seth, and then after that? I wasn’t’ sure.

Sitting here, I just leaned back and wondered what was going on in the other side of the world. The next thing I knew, I heard thunder from a distance and I looked out, noticing a few clouds coming in. Getting up, I brushed myself off from the sand and just watched it. Lightening, thunder and now everything was turning dark. The wind started picking up and this is the fastest I’ve ever seen a storm form. Everyone was running and little kids were screaming as they held onto their mother’s and I just watched it. I noticed something though and I walked a little bit closer, but there was someone in the water.

I looked around, watching for the lifeguards, but they were too busy trying to get everyone else out to see what was going on over here. I didn’t think about it, I just got in and swam against the current, trying to get myself to this person so I could pull them out. Finally, I grabbed them and faced their back toward me and then dragged ourselves out of the water. The rain was really coming down now and I could barely see what was in front of me. I ended up taking her to an overhead up the beach and I laid her down. I looked her over before trying to remember what to do. Tilting her chin up, I leaned down and tried to hear if she was breathing, but she wasn’t. Leaning down, I started breathing in, then sat up and positioned my hands over her chest before I started pumping her heart. A few rounds of CPR and finally, she was spitting out the water and her eyes were opened.

“Hey … I um … I’m just going to get you inside, somewhere safe,” I told her, trying to be reassuring, but the rain that was pouring down was heavy and I wasn’t sure she could even hear me.

Picking her up, I held onto her as I led her to my jeep … the house mother’s jeep and I got her inside. Getting in on the other, I started it up and drove off, heading to my new house.

I watched the clock intently, just waiting and waiting for it to hit three o’clock. When it finally did, I was relieved. My day was done and yeah, that was the longest five minutes of my life. Grabbing my bags, I headed out to the car and headed home. Working at Tree Hill High School is interesting. It was much different than working at Sunnydale High for some reason. The kids here are a lot more snootier, I guess you could say. There are some good ones, some that I have actual conversations with where I can tell they’re not telling me what I want to hear. There were some good ones and some bad apples and it’s my job to guide them all, hence, the whole guidance counselor thing. I needed something to do to cover up the fact that I’m a vampire Slayer and hey, Tree Hill is the new hell mouth. Seriously.

I’ve been living here for a couple of years. Before, it was just me and Dawn, but now we’re joined with Faith and her daughter Lexi. Faith was married to a man named Harry, they had Lexi and then … he died. I ended up going to see her and I didn’t care if she said no or not, she was coming back with me to Tree Hill. She needed the distraction and I needed the help. Since she’s been back though, we’ve become … really close friends.

On most days, by the time I get home, Dawn’s already there. Some days she refuses to ride with me, some days she doesn’t. Most days she rides with her friends. Sometimes, I have to play the mom, even though I know that no one would ever replace her, her being mine and Dawn’s mom, but yeah. I have to get onto her about school and this and that and it’s all weird. Faith must be rubbing off on me or something, I don’t know.

As I walked into the house, I noticed that Dawn was at the table, doing her homework like a good little former key. I sat my stuff down on the counter and grinned when I saw Faith sitting on the couch.

“Hey you.”

We never thought that any of this would happen. Me and Faith and then Dawn and Lexi. Okayk, so *I* never thought this would happen. It kinda caught me by surprise, but it just fits. It works. That's all that matters.

I sat down next to her. "Nothing new going on at the school, you know, creepy wise."

So here I was. Standing in front of the Tree Hill High School and I was scared to death. I didn’t know what to expect. Everything in Tree Hill was so different from New York. Everything was … clean and well kept and the people here said, ‘yes ma’am’ and ‘no sir.’ I was a million miles away from everything I’d ever known … and everyone I’ve ever known. It’s not easy moving hundreds of miles away from your home and to still have to look over your shoulder to see if someone is coming to get you. Ever since being in Tree Hill, I’ve had to do that. Look over my shoulder.

I was tired of doing that.

Taking a deep breath, I walked inside of the building and headed to the administrators office to get my class schedule. I passed a few people who were generous enough to give smiles to me. In New York, you didn’t see that, ever. If they were smiling at you it was because they were planning to rob you later … or attack you. I still remembered why we came to Tree Hill and I don’t blame my parents at all. I wanted to get away, I just never thought in a million years that it would be this hard. My best friend was gone – who else did I need?

Pushing open the doors to the offices, I smiled a middle aged woman sitting behind the desk.

“Hi, my name is Adia Miller. It’s my first day of class. I just moved from New York and I need a schedule …”

“This is everyone’s first day of class. Did you miss orientation?”

Biting my lower lip, I nodded.

“Take a seat there,” she pointed and I did as I was told. I could just make my own schedule right now and be done with it, but I’d rather it just be given to me so I can appear normal. I just wanted to be normal.

Except for the night that my best friend died.

“Oh, look at you two. Walking all alone – all by yourselves.”

I reached down and held onto Eve’s hand and we both walked faster. I tried to remember if I had my knife on me that my dad always told me to carry, but I didn’t really like weapons, I was always afraid I’d cut myself. As we walked faster, the guy behind us walked even more faster. I saw Eve pull out her cell phone, but it was too late, he shoved both of us to the ground and then demanded our purses.

Quickly, I tossed him mine while Eve held on tight to hers.

“Eve, give it to him.”

“Yeah, listen to your friend.”

Everything that was inside of me … I felt it all just whirling around and before I knew it, I started speaking slowly, and then faster. Latin was coming out of my mouth so fast, that I wasn’t sure what I was saying anymore until everything just stopped and nothing happened.

I could feel the tears coming because the next thing I knew, my purse and her purse were gone and I was now leaning over my friend who was now cold beneath me.

“Adia … Adia?”

“Adia!”

Jumping a little in my seat, I got up and went to the desk. “Sorry about that,” I told the lady and grabbed my schedule. Glancing at it, I noticed all of the basic classes and cringed. I knew I had to take them, I just hated taking them. Turning around, I almost lost my breath when I saw Eve standing in front of me.

“You know I hate when you do that!” I scolded her and grumbled.

“I’m sorry?”

I turned around and shook my head to Miss Receptionist Lady.

“Nothing, sorry. I’m going now …”

With that, I walked out of the office and into the hallway.