The colorful splatters on the walls were tripping him out. All the creepy figurines aligned on the bright red shelves and morbid artwork scattered all around Haley's room were freaking him out. And the dark and goth music that was being used as background noise was seriously giving Julian Baker shivers.

He sat there on the grey couch right next to his step-sister Haley, who was practically zoning in and out. The one thing that Julian and Haley had in common was not music. It wasn't movie preference, it wasn't their taste in food, not the people that they hung around and it wasn't their hair color. It was smoking pot.

They would smoke before school, after school, and whenever else they felt the need to relax or just do it for fun. You'd think with Julian's status as a football player and Haley's as the Art Club president that they would need to stop smoking in case of drug tests, but Julian knows a guy that warns him ahead of time when the tests are a' coming, and Julian warns Haley, and as annoying as it is, they stop smoking until the tests have come and past.

"So, are you gonna tell me?" Haley asked, staring at her paint-splattered wall, not bothering to look Julian in the face.

Julian raised an eyebrow. "Tell you what?" he asked, still staring at the wall.

"About the girl who's stressing you out," Haley replied, annoyed, "Everytime you wanna smoke just to 'relax', it's either about a big football game, or whatever girl you nailed. And since your game was yesterday and you won, I'm guessing it's the latter…"

Julian sighed. Haley knew him too well. His father and Haley's mother had been married since Julian and Haley were fourteen years old. In the past three years, despite how different they both were, Julian and Haley both seemed to really bond as brother and sister. Before, Haley always saw Julian as nothing but a stereotypical jock, who only cared about football, sex, and parties. Julian on the other hand always saw Haley as a weird art freak, who was into freaky shit and the color black. But since the fateful day that their parents merged and they found themselves living under the same big roof, Julian and Haley both discovered that there was so much more to each other than each other realized. They'd also realized that they made great smoking buddies.

"It's Serena," Julian replied, his tone indicating that he wasn't particularly proud of his latest conquest.

"Serena," Haley repeated, "as in, Serena van Der Woodson? As in, head cheerleader, Serena? As in, fake blonde-headed slut, Serena? As in 'I'll do anything for a quick fuck', Serena? As in…"

Julian cut Haley off mid-sentence. "Yes, that Serena. Geeze." Julian didn't need to hear all of Serena's less than admirable qualities right now. He knew that hooking up with her at Nathan's victory party last night had been a mistake, but at the time he hadn't cared. He was too drunk to have cared.

Just for a moment Haley had hoped that she was wrong about the Serena she had in mind, she thought her brother had more class than to sleep with someone like her, but it was Julian we were talking about. He may have been a great guy, but when it came to girls, it seemed as though he just really didn't give a fuck about who he banged. Haley sank deeper into her comfy grey couch and leaned her head back. "Well, what about her? You think you've obtained an STD or something?"

"Haley," Julian rolled his eyes.

"Oh, not an STD? Oh my god, you knocked her up didn't you?" Haley asked. "Oh sweetie don't worry about it, odds are, you aren't even the father," Haley replied nonchalantly.

"Haley, really?" Julian asked annoyed, but could help but emit a small chuckle at his sister's humor.

Haley laughed. "Ugh, okay! Really, tell me," she replied.

Julian released a sigh. "Well, the thing is, I was supposed to be hooking her and Lucas up, not hooking up with her myself," Julian admitted. "What the hell is Lucas going to say when he finds out?"

Haley rolled her eyes. Typical football player drama. "What make you so sure that Lucas is even going to find out?" Haley asked, "It's not like you're going to tell anyone, right?"

Julian diverted his attention away from the trippy wall and looked at Haley. "Well of course I'm not gonna say anything, but what about Serena? You said yourself, she doesn't exactly have the best reputation, and for goodness sakes, she hooked up with me so you know she's going to brag about it…"

Haley couldn't help but laugh at that comment.

"What?" Julian asked.

"Hah! I'm sorry, but the fact that anyone would brag about sleeping with you, hah!" Haley laughed.

Julian smiled and shook his head. "Well, I'm glad you find this amusing," Julian replied.

"I'm sorry," Haley replied, her laughter dying down, "but who freaking cares? You football players and cheerleaders sleep with each other and trade off all the freaking time, do you really think Lucas is going to give a shit that you slept with the school slut?" Haley asked.

Julian looked up at the ceiling. Haley was probably right. Girls didn't hold much interest for Lucas for too long, so maybe he was over his whole Serena fixation by now? Julian let out an annoyed groan.

"Ughh, you're probably right. Dammit Haley, why do you have to be so damn smart all the time?" Julian asked.

"Just one of my many quirks," she grinned cockily. "Besides, I don't know why you feel the need to sleep with all of these meaningless girls, Julie," Haley remarked, "All the girls you need in your life are me and Mary Jane," she replied with a smile while holding up and un-smoked joint.

Julian chucked. "Technically, me and Serena didn't sleep together, we just…did other stuff. But you're right, and I hate when you call me Julie," he replied.

Haley just laughed, "Whatever." She then looked down at her watch and realized that it was Saturday night and it was nearly 7pm.

"Oh! Damn, it's almost seven," Haley said out loud, rising from her position from the couch.

"Yeah, so?" Julian asked.

"Soo," Haley looked at Julian, grabbing his arm about to yank him up, "I have a friend coming over tonight and I don't want you in here when she shows up!" Haley replied.

"You…you, don't want me around?" Julian feigned hurt, "What, do I embarrass you? Do I make you miserable?" Julian faked a cry.

"Julian…," Haley just looked at him with her eyebrows narrowed, "Shut the hell up and get out of my bedroom," she replied, "Mom and Paul are out of town, and for once your little jocky friends aren't here causing a muck, so I'm having a girls night," Haley told him matter-of-factly.

"Ohh, a girls night ey?" Julian mocked, "anyone I know?" he asked.

"Not that it's any of your business but yes," Haley replied, while she went around her room, picking up a few of her dirty pieces of clothing.

Julian was interested now. "Ohh really, who is it?" he asked.

He was such a guy sometimes. "It's Brooke," Haley responded.

Julian narrowed his eyebrows. Brooke? Who's Brooke? Brooke..Brooke…?

Haley noticed the confused look on his and replied, "Brooke Davis?"

"Brooke Davis…? I…don't think I know a Brooke Davis," Julian replied.

Haley made an annoyed face. "Uh hello, she's in our grade. Black hair, pale skin, mom runs a clothing store, really rich, been my best friend for years…?" Haley said, hoping to trigger her brother's memory.

But none of it did any good. Julian honestly had no idea who on earth she was talking about. Sure he knew that Haley hung out with the same crowd all the time, he'd even seen her hanging with her friends between classes, but he never had actually taken the time to know their names…

Julian shrugged. "Uh…has she been over here before?" he asked.

"No, she hasn't. I usually go over to her place, but since mom and dad are away and we have this big beautiful house to ourselves, I thought this time she'd come over here," she replied.

"Oh, cool," Julian said, still wondering who on earth Brooke was.

"Yeah, now," Haley grabbed two handful's of dirty clothes and rushed out her bedroom door, about to head downstairs and put them away in the laundry room, "go, do something. She'll be here any minute."

Julian nodded, but he was still annoyed that he didn't know who Brooke was. "Hey Haley?" Julian asked, before she was all the way downstairs, "Are you sure I know her?"

Haley rolled her eyes. "She's only in your art class," she replied in a tone that suggested that Julian was an idiot if he seriously had no idea who she was referring to, then walked off and towards her destination to the laundry room.

Julian just stood there at the top of the stairs and thought to himself.

Art class.

He sat at the front table in that class next to Jake. The table next to him consisted of Nathan and Tim. With his buddies in the front of the class next to him, he didn't really feel the need to look behind him and see who else was even in that class. Maybe if he did, he would know who this Brooke person was.

It was killing his brain wondering who she was.

Oh well, he though. I guess I'll find out tonight.

**

Julian sat in the living room, watching some random reality show on MTV. Julian just sat there and groaned. MTV had really gone to shit, what ever happened to the good old days when there were more music videos as opposed to these gay shows? Julian didn't know why he had it there, or why he didn't change it to another channel that didn't upset him as much, but he just sat there and stared at the screen, not really paying any attention, still a little high from the blunt he'd shared with Haley less than thirty minutes ago.

Haley remained in the laundry room, washing clothes. With their parents gone, she sure as hell knew that clothes wouldn't wash themselves, and she was pretty sure that Julian didn't even know how to use the washing machine, so she took it upon herself to do it.

The ring of the doorbell broke Julian out of his blank stare of the TV.

Julian couldn't help but get a tad excited. What if it was this Brooke girl at the door? He was more than eager to see who the hell she was. But then a thought occurred to him. Why was he so eager? What if she was some butt-fugly weirdo who worshiped satan and did those freaky abstract paintings that Haley did?

Julian felt himself getting a bit disheartened.

The doorbell rang again.

"Dammit Julian, can you get that? It's probably Brooke and I'm kinda busy over here!" Haley yelled from the laundry room.

Julian rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure," he hollered back.

He slowly rose from the couch and put the TV on mute. Hearing some annoying dispute between Lauren Conrad and some other random blonde chick on the screen wasn't anything Julian felt like listening to.

He swiftly made his way to the door and opened it, unsure of what the girl behind it would look like. When he opened it, he literally had to take a deep breath.

She stood there in fish nets and combat boots. Short jean skirt & a black halter top that showed off creamy toned arms and the right amount of cleavage. Her long black hair covered both of her shoulders and her long sharp bangs almost hid a pair of amazing pools of hazel brilliance.

With a bag slung over one of her shoulders and a raised eyebrow, wondering why the school jock was eyeing her so meticulously, she cleared her throat and asked in her usual raspy tone, "Um, is Haley around?"

Julian wasn't sure how long he'd stood there just staring at the girl. He did recognize her now, but he sure as hell never actually took the time to look at her.

How could I not? he thought.

How is it possible for one so…Julian tried forming the right words in his head, mysterious and alluring to be in my art class and have me never pay attention? he asked himself.

"Uh…yeah," Julian said unmoving, eyes still glued to her.

Brooke gave him a weird look, wondering if he was going to let her in anytime soon.

Julian noticed the look she gave him and he quickly shook his head and repeated, "Uh, yeah! Yeah!" Julian opened the living room door wider and said, "Come on in."

Brooke grinned at him and made her way into the house, accidentally brushing her shoulder against Julian on the way in. "Oh, sorry," she replied, backing away from him a bit.

Julian couldn't help but notice how intoxicating her scent was as she passed by him. "No no, it's fine," he reassured her.

Julian shut the front door and Brooke slowly walked into the living room, cautious to sit down or wander anywhere else since the house was unfamiliar to her. She took a good look at the surroundings around her.

Big screen TV, surrounded by a wooden entertainment center aligned with white candles, fake but tasteful plants, and family photos. Three large beige sofa's that looked comfy as hell with a coffee table in front of the center couch that had a newspaper, a few remotes, and a half-empty soda can atop of it. Tile floor with a large floral rug, accompanied by Julian's black converse thrown lazily on it.

Julian made his way from the door over to the living room and walked near Brooke then nervously looked around him, unsure of what to say to the mysterious beauty.

"Nice house," Brooke commented, still looking around.

"Uh, thanks," Julian replied, "this is all Lydia though, quite the little interior decorator she is," Julian spoke of his step-mother.

Brooke gave a polite smile and nodded.

They were quite for a few seconds and Julian was straining his mind thinking of something witty to say. He always knew what to say, especially to girls, but Brooke Davis seemed like a girl that wouldn't go with his shit, like most girls would.

"So um…" Julian began, but was interrupted by Haley.

"Brooke!" Haley exclaimed, making her way into the living room.

Damn the timing! Julian thought.

Haley pulled Brooke into a girly hug and grabbed the bag Brooke had draped over her shoulder, then looked over at Julian. "How kind of you to invite Brooke to sit down, Julie," Haley commented.

Did she really just call me Julie in front of Brooke?

Julian gave Haley an annoyed grin and replied, "Well I was about to Haley-BOB, but you interrupted me." Julian knew how much Haley hated being called by her middle name.

Haley just sent him a death glare and put her arm around Brooke's waist. "Come on Brooke, let's go to my room, where assholes don't lurk about," she spoke, her eyes peering into Julian's as she said 'assholes'.

"Um, okay," Brooke said, slightly amused by Haley & Julian's banter.

As Haley started to lead Brooke upstairs, Brooke looked behind her at Julian, surprised to see him staring back. She felt a shiver go down her back as she gazed into his dark brown eyes, then she looked away, almost blushing.

He smiled to himself after Brooke looked away from him, swearing that he caught her cheeks turn pink as she looked away. Julian continued to watch as Haley and Brooke disappeared upstairs, unable to take his eyes off of Brooke.

This was going to be a looong night.

**