So, I have six friends right? But one of them, I am constantly thinking of. I care for her, and not the kind of care where I see you in 6 months kind of care, you know the dentist - but really truly throw my heart in kind of care. She's truly one of a kind. She doesn't know it yet because she's just that down to earth. She also doesn't take compliments well – that's her nature because she's the kind of person who helps everyone else and leave herself in the dust. Yes, she's that strong of a girl. But lately, I have this tremendous sense that the strength she has, is being slowly stripped away. Fading. I got a strong feeling that it has to do with Oliver, you know her boyfriend….
Clay hears footsteps approaching his room. Pen drops. Journal slams shut. Door knocks.
"Clay, we bought Thai food. Your favorite!" Lucas knocks the door.
"Coming" Clay quickly puts away his journal under his pillow.
**
"So, Hales, is Oliver coming?" Peyton asked as she places the Thai take-outs on the table.
"Who?" Clay said as he walks out to see couple of his friends sitting around the dining table.
"You know Haley's boyfriend, you silly goose, you!" Lucas purposefully nudges Clay in the stomach, while forcefully giggles.
"I was just, uh, kidding" Clay hits Lucas on the arm.
"You're making it obvious" Lucas whispers, as he puts a pitcher of Thai tea on the side of the table.
"You think so? How about your bit - Haley's boyfriend, you silly goose?" Clay, taking a whiff of the Pad Thai.
"Well, I was trying to down play it. A thank you will be nice" Lucas whispers, sprinkling peanuts over the Pad Thai.
"How about don't do anything next time? You're welcome" Clay whispers back.
"What are you girls whispering about over there?" Nathan walks in, seeing Clay and his brother Lucas, chattering.
"Hey, man! How's it going?" Clay smiles, as they fists bump each other.
"Girls, money, parties, I'll say I'm doing good" Nathan laughs.
"What a whore" Haley coughs, walking pass Nathan as she pulls more chairs to the table.
"Excuse me, little miss righteousness, did you get laid last night?" Nathan asks with his arms folded.
Oliver walks in, and interrupted while holding a bag full of booze. "She did. Well, she did me real good. Drinks anyone?"
**
Gathering at the table, everyone was having a jolly good time except for Clay and maybe Haley. But not until, Oliver starts talking.
"So, Nate, how's the NBA treating ya?" Oliver asks, disinterested but asks nonetheless to start conversation while taking another shot.
"Let's see, fame, fortune and bitches, not bad, I'd say" Nathan laughs.
"Well, you should take me out sometime, I'll like to get me some of em' bitches" Oliver said with a big smile, disregarding the fact that Haley was even in the room.
Everyone turns their attention to Haley, to see if she was going to say anything. But she remains silent while gobbling up her food very quickly. Since Haley didn't say anything, the others didn't want to neither. It would've caused more awkward tension if they made it their business. Obviously they didn't want to make Haley anymore awkward than she is probably already feeling.
"You alright?" Lucas pats Clay's shoulders.
"No I'm not. I don't understand why she lets him speak to her that way" Clay said, his fists clinches.
"Dude, what was that out there?" Nathan walks into the kitchen, holding a bunch of dirty plates.
Clay and Lucas give Nathan a bizarre look. Nathan never cared for Haley. Yes, they have the same friends but they have never gotten along. They are always at each other throats whenever they see each other. And to top it off, if there was a fire, the last person Nathan will save is Haley. Truth.
"What?" Nathan said, puzzled.
"I'm sorry, did I not sense that you were bothered by Haley's boyfriend?" Lucas looks at his brother with curiosity.
"So?" Nathan said, still confused at what Lucas was trying to get at.
"Nate, you are the last person on earth that could care less about Haley especially when someone is disrespecting her. That's usually Christmas for you" Clay said, giving Nathan the eyebrow raised.
"You're right. I hate her. And if I could, I'll chop off her head and stomp at it a million times. But I can't stand when a man talks to his woman like that. And I'm not defending her. I'm just generalizing" Nathan said, leaning against the kitchen sink.
"You call women bitches, Nate" Clay said, a matter of factly.
"Well, it's a figurative speech. I love my bitches. And that dude out there, he's something else less of respectful. Bitches to him are slaves," Nathan said seriously.
"What you said there - shouldn't make sense, but somehow it miraculously does…" Clay's forehead wrinkles.
"He always has a knack of turning the bad into the good" Lucas sighs.
Peyton walks in and whispered loudly. "Come out here now!"
The guys walk out to the dining room, witnessing Oliver pouring his tenth shot.
"Olive, slow down on the shots man" Lucas faintly giggles.
"Yeah, man, you didn't eat much neither. Straight shots are bad on empty stomachs" Nathan said nonchalantly.
"Am I hearing this from you, Nate? You're like the King of Shots" Oliver laughs.
"Stop drinking Oliver" Clay states sternly.
"What is this an intervention?" Oliver said, pissed, looks at Haley, hinting to her she better defend him.
"Baby, I should take the last shot for you. I didn't even get a shot, you hogger" Haley jokes, grabbing the shot out of her boyfriend's hand.
Haley looks at the shot in her hand. The smell of pure vodka makes there way to her nose and Clay could see that she was gagging.
"I'll take that shot, Hales" Clay aggressively grabs the shot out of Haley's hand.
Oliver stands up, absolutely outraged.
"You're stealing my girl's shot, Clay" Oliver's piercing eyes look at Clay.
"Maybe Haley forgot to tell you this but she hates shots" Clay stated explicitly.
"Are you telling me you know my girl better than I do?" Oliver's eyes widen with fire.
"Well, considering I know her for seven years and you guys just went out for two years, sorry man, I'd say yes, obviously I do" Clay smiles with delight.
"Well, with a record like that, man, it's a shame to see that you guys are lacking on the friendship department these days because if you've noticed, Haley changed. She likes shots now and if you don't mind, she likes her shot back" Oliver nudges Haley, to get the drink back.
"Yeah, Clay, one shot, no harm, no foul" Haley gulps as she grabs the shot out of Clay's hand and painfully ingest it.
Oliver smiles with satisfaction while Clay felt sick to his stomach.
"See! All gone!" Haley holds up the shot in the air but then she feels the discomfort sensation runs up and down her body and quickly runs to the bathroom.
Clay eyes Peyton, to signal to her to run after Haley.
"Hales, you okay?" Peyton knocks at the bathroom door.
"Uh huh" Haley looks in the mirror and sees a pale reflection looking back at her.
Haley opens the door and there stood Peyton.
"I don't understand, I take shots all the time with Oliver. I don't know why this time, I'm going all gaga" Haley lies, trying to avoid looking at Peyton.
"Haley, everyone knows you don't like to drink. And when you do, it's usually the fruity ones with seventy percent orange juice. Now, if someone were to bet me today that I'd see Haley James downing pure vodka for hundred dollars, I would've definitely lost the bet. What's going on Haley?" Peyton asks, grabbing a hold of Haley's hands.
"Peyton, it's just a shot" Haley reassures Peyton.
"Haley, it's never just a shot" Peyton stops Haley from dodging her.
"Well, I want to be adventurous once in a while" Haley goes all jumpy.
"This is not you" Peyton stated powerfully.
"See, that's the thing Peyton, everyone think they got me all figure out. I don't want to be predictable. I don't want to be Miss right all the time. I like that Oliver brings out this Miss Bad ass side of me," Haley said, indifferently.
"The problem is not you. The problem is ---"
"Don't say it" Haley demands.
"Don't say what? That Oliver is the problem? So you do know he has a problem? Have you talked to him?" Peyton asks with frustration.
"Tell him what? That I have a problem with him having too much fun?" Haley laughs it off. "Loosen up Peyton"
Peyton stands there, witnessing her friend walking away. Lucas sees that Haley had came out of the bathroom while his girlfriend slowly trails behind. Something is wrong, he thought. He looks at Clay and Clay throws Lucas a look, implying to Lucas to go find out what's going on.
"Did you talk to Haley?" Lucas asks.
Peyton nodded.
"So? Did you find out anything?"
"Yeah I did. Make me a drink, Luke."
"What?" Lucas steps back, confused.
"She told me to loosen up" Peyton stated, absolutely irritated with that notion.
"Have she met you?"
"Exactly. I'm fun and adventurous right?" Peyton asks. "Right?!"
"Right except minus the dark music and drawings"
"You're agreeing with her? Unbelievable!" Peyton hears the doorbell and stomps to the door to open it.
"Honey, your taste in music doesn't necessarily scream rainbow!"
Lucas shouts.
Peyton opens the door and sees her best friend and ex-boyfriend.
"That's one ugly face you're making P. Sawyer" Brooke said, while holding a basket full of wine and champagne.
"Julian" Peyton muffles under her breath.
"Peyton" Julian acknowledges back, feeling absolutely awkward.
"Are you seriously still pissed after all these years? You were the one who stole Lucas away from me first!" Brooke stated.
"What the hell are you mumbling about Brooke? I could careless if you had sex with Julian in front of me. I don't love him. And I did not steal Lucas away from you. He liked me first until you desperately swoop in and tried to make your move because you were jealous," Peyton said with small giggles in between sentences.
"Here we go" Lucas and Julian blow out a sigh.
While the girls were bickering about who had Lucas first, Oliver walks by the kitchen and witnesses new bottles of liquor lying around. He walks in to grab one.
"Excuse me, Mr. Stealer, what do you think you're doing?" Brooke stops the argument with Peyton, and lays her eyes on Oliver.
"Getting another drink" Oliver stated demandingly.
"Didn't you have enough? By the intense smell coming from your breath, I believe you had enough drinks to hold over for a year" Brooke stated with her hands resting on her hips.
"Let me tell you honey, you can never have enough drinks" Oliver smiles, handed Brooke a cup, on the rocks.
"You're my kind of guy" Brooke smirks as she turns to Peyton and drenched her with alcohol.
"What the hell was that?" Peyton looks down at her destroyed blouse.
"That was calling me desperate and jealous" Brooke puts the cup down and walks out of the kitchen.
"Brooke, why the hell did you just do that to Peyton?" Julian runs after his girlfriend, feeling a little irritated.
"I should ask you the same thing but wait, I forgot, you didn't do anything" Brooke said, her voice has gotten raspier if that's possible.
"What exactly are you saying? Are you implying that because I didn't immaturely drenched Peyton with alcohol, I'm still in love with her? Because you know what? You just single handedly showed me that you still like Lucas because if you didn't have feelings for him, that whole cup in the face thing with Peyton, wouldn't have happened" Julian said, pissed, walking towards the door.
Brooke remained silent and watches Julian disappears while Lucas was in a corner, eavesdropping the whole thing. He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about this, about Brooke, about everything. Meanwhile Clay sees that Oliver was still in the kitchen, so he takes this opportunity to talk to Haley.
"How's your throat?" Clay pulls a chair up and sits next to Haley.
"Its fine" Haley gulps, as she feels the remaining vodka in her mouth, scratching against her esophagus.
"You sure? Because I can just pour this honey earl grey tea down the drain" Clay pulls out a cup of steaming hot tea, out of nowhere.
"No! ---I mean I can use a hot cup of tea since I am kind of feeling a bit of a cold coming" Haley quickly grabs the cup out of Clay's hands.
Clay couldn't help but smiled adoringly. Giving tea to Haley is like giving a kid some candy. She loves tea ever since he could remember.
While Clay admiringly watches Haley drinks her tea, Oliver who was observing from behind the door, was pissed to see what was going on. Although he was buzzed, it could take a blind fool to see that Clay was absolutely smitten by Haley. Haley didn't have to say a word and you couldn't wipe that smile off of Clay's face – just being around her was enough.
"Baby, let's go!" Oliver aggressively grabs Haley's arm, and yank her up.
"Where are we going?" Haley questions, confusingly.
"Give me that cup!" Oliver grabs the tea and throws it across the room.
"Hey! She was still drinking that" Clay calls out, loudly.
"It's fine, Clay, I was almost done anyway" Haley stutters, putting her hand on Clay's chest, indicating to him to back up.
"Babe, let's go!" Oliver said once more, his blood shot eyes look directly at his girlfriend, entailing to her that he's pissed.
Clay, glaringly watches Haley disappear into the night.
So where was I? Oliver. I don't know what Haley sees in him. She was happy when she first meant him and I was no doubt, thrilled to see her happy but then that happiness? It was slowly peeled away every time I saw her. And today, it was evident; it confirmed everything I felt when I first met Oliver. Her face, her eyes, the way she talked, and the way she acted. She didn't want to leave with him. And if you were to ask how I felt about it? Obviously, I wanted her to stay. I wanted her to stay so bad. I'll do anything to make her stay – just to watch her finish that cup of tea – is all I ask. I miss the joy I see in her face when the fresh smell of tea hits her nose and she does that cute cringe. I want her back…as a friend anyway. God I miss her.