Secrets of Life

By Bindy417

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. It belongs to Mark Schwahn and the CW. This story was originally based on the book The Dashwood Daughters' Secrets of Love by Rosie Rushton.

Summary: Sequel to Secrets of Love. The James sisters have already been through so many hardships in their young lives. And now that they're older, things just seem to get more complicated. Will they, once again, be able to rise above all of the curveballs life throws at them? Or will they, this time, find themselves completely consumed by despair? Pairings are Naley, Brucas, and Jeyton.

AN: Hey everyone! It's taken forever, but I finally finished writing this sequel for you guys. For those of you who have been waiting, thank you for being so patient. I've been very excited about this fic and have been itching to post it. I hope that you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Seeing as though this first chapter is the prologue, it's not very long. But the following chapters, for the most part, will be. Anyway, please read and review! And have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Prologue

Haley's POV

Essayist Joseph Addison once wrote, "Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." A lot has changed since the 17th Century when this quote was first written. But despite the major gap in time, these words still hold true today. What is life but a series of day-to-day events that shape our existence. Every memory we have, every experience we go through, and every choice we make defines us. And why do we go through it? What is it that we're striving for? What is it that we really want? Unfortunately, nobody knows. No one can seem to come up with a straight answer. Is it a challenge? Maybe. Is it love? Possibly. Is it hope? Perhaps. It's all just so unclear.

Now, I know what you're all probably thinking. You're most likely saying to yourselves, "What in the living hell is this random girl talking about?"

In fact, at times, I don't even know anymore. But just so you're not completely confused, let me formally introduce myself. I'm Haley James, and I'm an alcoholic…

….JUST KIDDING! Sorry, I just couldn't resist. But you really shouldn't believe everything you hear. You'll get yourself into trouble that way. That's happened to me a time or two. Trust me. Well, actually, you probably don't now. But like I said, I'm just joking. My sisters warned me to lay off the sugar earlier. And I hate to say it, but they were right. I tend to get a little hyper and have the tendency to ramble—which is exactly what happened before. But it'll stop. Any second now. I can already feel the sugar wearing off as we speak. I'll be back to normal in no time. Five…four…three…two…one…damn it! Nothing! And I'm still rambling! Great.

Ok, I'm just going to push forward. For those of you who have just met me, you probably think I'm crazy. The only thing I can say to you is stop reading this right now and go read Secrets of Love. It'll explain a lot. For those of you returning, welcome back! I'm glad that Peyton, Brooke, and I didn't scare you away last time. We can be a little intense sometimes. But hey, we're James girls. Enough said. A lot has changed since you've seen us last.

First of all, we're now two years older. Gone are our carefree high school days when all we had to worry about was organic-food-eating bimbos, family deaths, usurped houses, brotherly rivalries, love triangles, redheaded bitches, cheerleading competitions, HCM tests, and bittersweet summers. My sisters and I are all in college now. Speaking of my sisters, I should probably reintroduce them.

First off, there's Peyton. She's the oldest sibling and "Broody Artist" as we like to still refer to her. She's also now an art and business major extraordinaire at the University of North Carolina. It'll be her junior year this coming semester. She and her boyfriend Jake Jagielski are still together and happy—along with Jenny. They're like the cutest little family of three. It's amazing how good Peyton is with Jake's daughter. People actually mistake her for Jenny's real mother. She doesn't mind, though. She loves that little girl like she was her own.

Next is Brooke. She's the second oldest. My "Tigger" and the all around "Wild Child." She's also at UNC—going into her sophomore year—and is studying fashion design. She's still her usual energized and bubbly self, for the most part. Although, ever since she got back from her internship at DKNY the summer before our senior year of high school, she's been a little more cautious and subdued when it comes to her talent. She'd worked so hard that summer developing her own fashion line. And what happened? The company ended up hating it. At least that's what they led her to believe.

I won't go too into the details but let's just say it really rattled Brooke. Initially, she was devastated. But I know that deep down she's still determined to prove herself. Luckily, she had Lucas Scott to come home to and comfort her. They're also still together. My sister and best friend have to be the most adorable and disgustingly affectionate couple I know. Nevertheless, they're perfect for one another.

As for me, the youngest of the James trio, I'm still "Tutor Girl." My interests include school (Yes, I know. I'm a dork.), music, and tutoring/teaching (obviously because of my nickname). I went to Stanford University in California for college and double majored in music and education. I skipped a grade in high school, so I'm at the same education level as my sister Brooke.

Anyway, Stanford had always been my dream school. It was one of our stops on our way to visit my grandmother (my mom's mom) all those years ago during our trip to the Golden State. I had immediately fallen in love with the campus and vowed to go there someday. But when I grew up, I fell in love with something else—or someone else, rather. That someone else being my best friend's brother/enemy at the time, a.k.a Nathan Scott. My very own "Boy Toy." His dream school had always been Duke University where he could play basketball. The guy's crazy about that game.

So, what did I do? I applied to both schools during my senior year of high school and got in. Originally, I decided to go to Duke to be with him. It really was a great university with a lot to offer. I confirmed my enrollment for the fall and everything. My mind was made up, and I was going. But then something happened at the end of our senior year. Something that changed everything between us. Something that I couldn't take back and ended up breaking both of our hearts in the process.

As a result, I went to Stanford in the fall, instead. There was no point in me going to Duke if I couldn't have Nathan. He didn't really want to talk to me after what happened—not that I blame him. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't regret the choice I made. So, you can probably guess by now that we're no longer together. But that doesn't mean that I don't still love him. Because I do. I'm completely, hopelessly, and irrevocably in love with Nathan Scott. That's never changed.

I did a lot of soul searching my freshman year of college. In the end, it boiled down to one fact. I wasn't happy—which my sisters and mom had picked up on right away. Each day I'd wake up, go through the motions, and feel the constant pain and ache in my heart where Nathan used to be. I spent one year of my life walking around in some kind of daze trying to figure out what path to take. Now I know. I want…no…I need Nathan back. And I'll do whatever I have to to gain his trust again.

I know it sounds depressing. I just told you all about my sisters' nearly perfect lives before explaining my year from Hell. But I'm not the only one who's dealing with issues and regret. Brooke and Peyton are working through their own inner demons, as well. Like me, they're really good at hiding it. We're all searching for something in our lives that we still can't quite grasp. As far as I'm concerned, Addison's theory on life is correct. Peyton needs hope, Brooke needs a challenge, and I need love. And believe me when I say, this year, we're all going to fight like hell for them…