Disclaimer: I do not own or wish to own any of the characters from One Tree Hill, or any sub-plots similar to that of the show.
AU: Brooke never pursued Lucas, she and Nathan are dating,(And Nate never dated Peyton). Lucas and Peyton recently started dating. Brooke and Peyton, and Lucas and Haley are B.F.F's. Jake, Mouth, Skills, Bevin and others included. It's November of their Freshman year...
Lucas was getting ready for school on a Monday morning. He had just gotten out of the shower, a white towel wrapped around his waist, covered in moisture. He was standing in front of his dresser, sculpting his hair.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The knocking was coming from his side door.
"Just a sec!" he called, scanning the room for his clothes.
"It's just me Luke," the female voice yelled through the door.
Lucas visibly relaxed, "Come in!" He walked over to his closet and searched through it.
Haley opened the door slowly and cautiously stepped inside, with a nevous, anxious look on her face. Her sandy blonde hair was up in a ponytail, curls hanging naturally out the back. Her bright, crystal eyes scanned the room and her normally glowing skin was slightly pale. She was wearing a white shirt, hunter green cargo pants, and black Etnies. She was wearing very little make up and a yin/yang pendant hung on a leather strap around her neck.
She set her tan messenger bag by the door after she closed it gently and walked over to his bed, pacing for a moment before taking a seat. She watched Lucas scurry back and forth from the bathroom, first putting on a pair of blue boxers and then a pair of faded jeans.
"So...How are you doing Hales?" Lucas asked, looking for a t-shirt.
Haley was wringing her hands in her lap, " I'm good,"
He knew the statement wasn't as true as she tried to make it seem, she had been acting strange and distant for about a week and she wasn't talking about it, "Nice try Hales, but you might want to try lying to someone who hasn't known you since you were four." He smiled light-heartedly at her.
"I just have a lot on my mind, but I don't really want to talk about it," she replied honestly.
He gave up on his shirt hunt and kneeled down in front of her, "Hales, whatever it is I'm sure it's not as dire as it seems, just don't stress, okay? I know you, you over-analyze way too much."
A small, brief smile graced her lips and she looked into his, concerned, understanding eyes, "Thanks Luke, but I'm still not saying anything."
"That's fine, but if you decided you want to talk I'm here," he assured her, standing up.
"I know, thanks ," she told him and enveloped him in a hug.
He embraced his best friend tightly, concerned, but trying to give her some strength.
"Hey Lucas?! You decent?!" Peyton called, coming in through his front door. She looked at them, hugging with Lucas topless and raised an eyebrow, "Am I interrupting?"
Haley immediately jumped away from Lucas, " Peyton, we weren't...I mean, nothing..."
Peyton started laughing hysterically, "You should've seen the looks on your faces."
Lucas glared at her, "Very funny Peyton."
Haley's laughter filled the entire room, startling the other two occupants.
Lucas chuckled, "Thanks Hales!"
She continued to laugh, "It's just so funny, like I would ever be interested in you."
"Hey!" Lucas exclaimed, feigning hurt.
Haley shrugged, still laughing, "Well..."
"And that's funny why?" Peyton questioned, feeling like she was in an alternate universe.
Haley sobered up slightly, "He's just not really my type, plus my best friend, that would just be weird."
"Hey, look at that," Lucas said, "You're not all stressed out anymore."
Haley's laughter ceased as she turned to glare at him, "Thanks for reminding me, jerk."
"Sorry," Lucas replied, sheepishly.
Peyton could feel the tension radiating from Haley, "So...who's ready for school."
Haley sighed dramatically, she loved school, at least the education part of it, but everything was different now and she was worried, "Yeah, school."
Lucas grabbed a blue t-shirt and they left for school. Peyton drove them, her and Lucas talked the whole time, while Haley sat silently in the back seat. When they got to school, and Peyton parked, Lucas hopped out enthusiastically and Haley got out slowly, seeming more nervous than before. They all walked towards their friends, who were gathering in the parking lot.
"Hey, I didn't realize there was a car pool," Brooke called from behind them, she caught up to them with Nathan attached to her.
"That's 'cause we didn't tell you," Peyton retorted, sticking her tongue out.
"Oooh, someone's feisty this morning, the wardrobe doesn't go though," Brooke replied, pointing to her ensemble.
"What's wrong with my outfit?" Peyton questioned, looking at herself. She was wearing black pants, black boots, and a black Led Zeppelin t-shirt.
Brooke gave her a sarcastic look, "Other than you're promoting the Emo thing, it's just depressing P. Sawyer."
"What about you?" Peyton challenged, glaring at Brooke, "Been shopping at Sluts-R-Us lately?"
Brooke's head dropped immediately, as she checked her outfit. Her long, brunette hair hung in curls past her shoulders and her chocolate eyes were laced in confusion. She wore a dark blue, spaghetti-strap, lacy top, that revealed a goo portion of her cleavage, and a tight, denim, mini-skirt, with matching wedge heels.
"You're a mean one P. Sawyer," Brooke said callously.
The two girls glared at each other, both ready to strike.
Lucas stepped in between them, "Hey, girls, you don't want to fight each other."
"He's right," Nathan agreed, surprising everyone momentarily, "You shouldn't be fighting each other, you should be fighting over me." He chuckled and smiled smugly at himself.
Lucas and both girls stared at him incredulously, observing his wardrobe choice. Nathan wore dark, denim jeans, that were faded in spots, and a black t-shirt, with a pair of black Doc Martins. The three students bursted with laughter, upsetting Nathan slightly.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, "Brooke! A little support from my girlfriend would be nice."
"What?!" Brooke asked, her laughter ceased and she coughed, "Um, I'm sorry baby, you look fantastic superstar." She gave him a sideways, half-hug and peck on the cheek, then she turned to Haley, "Hey Tutor Girl, why are you so quiet this morning?"
The entire group looked at Haley expectantly.
Haley's head jolted up, perplexity written on her face, "Huh?" Her eyes locked with Brooke's for a second before she looked away, "Uh, I-I need to, um, g-g-go, uh bye." She gave them a partial wave before fleeing towards the school.
"Wow, burn!" Nathan remarked, laughing at Brooke.
"Shut up!" Brooke glared and punched him in the chest.
"OW!"
"Nice comeback, Brooke," Peyton teased, laughing.
The gang started laughing and the all headed towards the school.
Haley walked into the Tutor Center, which was filled with students.
"Hey Hales," Mouth greeted warmly, wearing his normal ensemble, "How was the rest of your weekend?"
"It was fine," she said, brushing over the topic, "How about you?"
"Awesome!" he smirked, "That was some party, huh?"
She forced a smile and nodded, "Um...Yeah, it sure was." She gazed around the room, "Look, I just wanted to see if you could cover for me today, here, um, 'cause Karen asked me to take a shift at the café."
"Oh, yeah, I'll uh, yeah I can do that for you. So I guess I'll see you at lunch?" Mouth inquired.
"Yeah, se-see you later Mouth," Haley replied, obviously distracted, before leaving for class.
Brooke and Nathan were standing in front of her locker, she was going through it, searching for a textbook. She was gathering her things before they met everyone for lunch.
"How much longer do I have to do this Brooke?" Nathan asked with a gentle tone.
Brooke turned to him, guilt marring her features, "Nathan," she sighed, "Please, just for a little while longer. I'm just not ready yet, besides I'm not sure how people will react."
Nathan looked into her eyes with all the sincerity he could muster and smiled genuinely, "Don't you mean how sh..."
"Nathan," she pleaded, "Please don't."
He sighed, "Okay." He nodded and put an arm around her shoulders, as she closed her locker, "Let's eat!"
Lucas, Mouth, and Peyton were sitting at an outside table, talking and enjoying their lunches.
"So, what was up with Haley today?" Peyton asked, "If it's even possible, she seemed more stressed out than usual today."
"Yeah, is she okay? She was acting a little out of it earlier," Mouth added.
They both stared at Lucas expectantly, he returned with a confused expression.
"What are you guys lookin' at me for?" he asked.
"Come on Luke, you're her best friend." Mouth stated.
"Yeah, Luke, come on," Peyton added.
Lucas looked back and forth, "Guys, I-I..." he gazed past them, "Hey, look here comes Haley," he pointed.
They saw her heading towards them, she appeared surprisingly chipper compared to earlier that morning. She walked straight up to them, a bounce in her step and a bright smile on her face. "Hey guys! What's up?"
"Uh...nothing," Lucas answered, looking between Mouth and Peyton, "What's up with you?"
Haley shrugged, "Not much really." She turned to glance over her shoulder and suddenly became visibly nervous, "Um...ac-actually, I-I, just, just remembered, that uh, I...I need to go."
Then she rushed off, once again.
Brooke and Nathan sauntered up to the group, holding hands, she seemed pained by Haley's sudden departure.
"Okay, seriously, what did I do?" Brooke queried, looking at Lucas.
"Why does everyone automatically look at me?!" he inquired.
Brooke sighed heavily, she rolled her eyes and put her arms up in defeat, as she at next to Nathan. She looked at Lucas with a hurt expression, "Lucas, please, jus..."
"Brooke, I really don't know what's up with her, she's not talking about it to me either," he told her, then turned to Mouth, "Maybe we should go check on her."
"Yeah, we should," Mouth agreed.
Both boys stood up and grabbed their things, before taking off in the same direction as Haley did.
"Wow, I sure know how to get rid of people don't I?" Brooke commented, sighing and dropping her head on the table.
Nathan put a comforting hand on her back, rubbing it gently, "Hey, it'll be okay. At least you know she doesn't know."
Brooke lifted her head slowly from the table, anger radiating from her small frame, and glared at him. He instantly realized his mistake, becoming guilty, he looked at her apologetically and mouthed "sorry."
Peyton watched the interaction, apparently annoyed and sufficiently shocked , "What's he talkin' about Brooke?"
Nathan stepped in, "Nothin', I was just shooting my mouth off."
Brooke patted his leg, "Thanks Nathan, but she's my best friend, I'm ready."
"You sure?" he questioned, still feeling guilty.
She smiled and nodded, then turned to Peyton, "There's something I need to tell you."
"Okay...What is it? You're freaking me out," Peyton told her.
Nathan squeezed Brooke's hand reassuringly, "Take your time."
Brooke took in a deep breath, obviously relaxing, then returned her attention to Peyton, "Okay, well, the thing is, I...how do I put this? I, Nathan and I have a lot more in common then we thought."
Peyton was utterly confused, "You make it sound like a bad thing."
Brooke sighed, "You don't get it." She was anxious and wringing her hands together, "We have the same taste...in girls."
The information didn't sink in right away, but when it did Peyton was speechless. She opened her mouth to speak, but words escaped her. She stared at a spot on the table, trying to wrap her head around the new information.
"Peyton, please, say something, I can't take this," Brooke begged, tears trickling down her cheek.
Peyton shook out of her trance and turned to face her friend, "Wow?"
Brooke sniffled and giggled slightly, the girls looked directly at each other and began to laugh hysterically. Nathan stared at them, thinking they had gone of their rocker.
Peyton sobered, "So, wait, does this mean you have a thing for all girls or just certain ones?"
"Relax P. Sawyer, you're safe, I only like one blonde," Brooke replied, beaming with excitement.
"Yeah, a spazzy blonde," Nathan chimed in.
Brooke playfully slapped him on the arm, "Nathan Scott!"
Haley was sitting beneath a tree, in the grass, she was staring at an apple that she'd taken a bite out of. She inhaled sharply and breathed out boredly.
"Hey Hales!" Lucas greeted, waving sadly at her. The boys sat down on opposite sides of her.
"Hey guys, apple?" she offered.
"No thanks," Lucas said, waving it off.
She turned to Mouth, "How 'bout you?"
He reacted much like Lucas did, "Um, actually I'm good."
Lucas sighed, "Hales, we're your friends, and we're worried about you."
"But Luke, I..."
"Let me finish," he interrupted, "Normally, I'd respect your privacy and tell you to keep it a secret as long as you needed, but..." He sighed again, not quite sure how to finish.
"You can't keep your emotions bottled up," Mouth took over, "We care about you and we don't like seeing you this upset."
Haley looked at him, irritated.
"Ha, he meant to say we don't like seeing you upset period, right Mouth?" Lucas glared at him.
"Heh, of course I did," Mouth replied nervously.
"Wow, thanks," Haley remarked sarcastically.
"Hales, we didn't..."
Haley stopped Lucas with a hand to the face, "Just don't, okay? Look, I appreciate that you guys are concerned, but this is something I have to take care of myself."
Brooke and Peyton had started laughing again, even Nathan joined in.
"Haha, wait, what about you two?" Peyton questioned, pointing between them, "You guys are still acting all, couple-y, why?"
Brooke smiled widely at Nathan and slapped his knee lovingly, "Well...Mr. Scott here is surprisingly sensitive and he agreed to help me keep up appearances until I'm ready to...well you know."
"Come out?" Peyton offered.
"Peyton! Sshh," Brooke told her, placing a finger over her lips.
"Sorry," Peyton replied sheepishly, "So..by spazzy blondes, please tell me Nathan wasn't talking about Bevin."
"Ugh! No!" Brooke exclaimed, disgusted.
"Well, it's gotta be someone on the squad, right? I mean what other girls do you hang out with?" Peyton asked rhetorically, then realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She stared at Brooke incredulously, "OH!...I mean, wow. That's, um, that's, huh. I just, uh, I just never thought you'd be into..."
"A smart chick?" Nathan supplied.
Brooke glared at him and smacked him upside the head.
Peyton glared also, "No. I was going to say, someone so nice and innocent. I mean, come on Brooke, she's not exactly the wild and crazy type."
"And?..." Brooke asked, not seeing the importance of the statement.
"And you are. I mean even if you did get her, do you really think she'll go out drinking and partying with you? And you might as well just give up sex." Peyton told her.
"You think I haven't thought about that?!" Brooke exclaimed, gaining the attention of the students around them. "There's nothing to see here! Move along!"
The students quickly went back to what they were doing, not tempting fate by angering Brooke Davis.
"Come on, Peyton!" Brooke stage whispered, "You know me better than that."
Peyton gave her a 'be realistic' look.
"Ugh! That's what I like so much about her. She's not even close to being dysfunctional, like us. She's like a free bird, she's..."
"I think you mean free spirit, Brooke," Nathan interrupted, trying to help.
"Ugh, spirit, bird, whatever, who cares?" she asked.
Peyton smirked and opened her mouth to speak,.
"Shut it P. Sawyer!" Brooke demanded, "I wasn't finished, now where was I? Right! She's just so, so, relaxed, well actually she's kind of stressed out, but I mean she doesn't care what other people think of her." Brooke paused, zoning out for a moment, a sparkle in her eye, "She's innocent and sweet, and she can be extremely funny, in a kind of naive way, and she's really smart."
Nathan smiled, nodding, and pointed to Peyton smugly, who just rolled her eyes at him.
"Anyways..." Brooke went on, "I think she's really amazing. As for the partying and sex and stuff, I can live without it. I'd do that for her, 'cause she's just so, so...neat." Brooke smiled, her dimples out in full force.
"Wow," Peyton remarked, chuckling, truly astonished, "You really are fallin' for this girl, aren't you?"
Brooke's smile became impossibly larger, "I really, really am"
Peyton took in a deep breath, making a decision, "Alright, then I'm in." She stuck out her hand, hovering it over the table.
"Me too," Nathan announced, placing his hand on top of Peyton's.
"In what?" Brooke questioned, having a blonde moment.
Peyton stared at her, silently asking how stupid she could be, "Well, if you like her, we're going to help you get your girl."
"Oh," Brooke said finally understanding. She reached out with her right hand and put it on top of theirs. However, she pushed them down on the table and retracted her own hand, "Thanks guys, really, but I can handle this one, it's something I have to do alone, you know?"
Her two friends nodded, accepting the fact, but not entirely happy about it.
Haley, Lucas and Mouth were still sitting beneath the tree.
"Look guys, I just need some time to myself, to figure some things out," Haley told them, "Can you guys just give me that and I promise, when I'm ready, I'll let you know everything, okay?"
"Alright," Lucas sighed, "Come on Mouth, let's go see what everyone's up to." He stood up and smiled reassuringly at Haley.
"Okay," Mouth said, getting up as well, "We'll see you in study hall?"
"Yeah, I'll be there," Haley replied, putting on a fake smile.
The boys walked back towards the cafeteria, while Haley at there, thinking of the not-so-far-back past...
It was the Monday after Lucas had made the Ravens basketball team and Haley was in the Tutor Center. She was sitting by herself at a table, there were other students studying all around the room. She was wearing a red shirt and jeans, with a pair of white tennis shoes, her hair was down and curled. She felt her heart skip a beat and her eyes were drawn to her left. Brooke had just entered the room, wearing a white, low-cut blouse and a black mini-skirt, with matching heels. Brooke scanned the room, when she spotted Haley she sauntered over, causing Haley to roll her eyes. Brooke stopped inches away from her, hovering over her.
Haley looked up at her briefly, and, unknowingly, admired the girl's tan, toned legs, "Yes?"
Brooke smirked, "Hey Tutor Girl, what 'cha doin'?"
Haley took in a deep breath, trying to remain calm, "I'm studying. Did you need something?"
"Well..." Brooke started, tilting her head to the side, innocently.
It reminded Haley of a small child trying to con her parents into getting something for her. Brooke grabbed a chair and moved it, so she could sit close to Haley. Haley watched her draw circles on the table top with her hand.
"I kind of need a favor..." Brooke finally said.
Haley rolled her eyes again, not surprised in the least.
Brooke looked up at Haley, batting her eyelashes, "I guess I could've asked Peyton, or Lucas, but you're just so much smarter than them," she, not-so-subtly, brushed her hand against Haley's arm, "I mean you know all this information and your grades are like way better than anyone's."
At that moment, Haley couldn't have explained what she was feeling, or why. When Brooke's hand touched her arm she got goose bumps, her breath caught in her throat, and she felt the hairs on her arm and neck stand on end. She was even more confused when Brooke's bare leg rubbed against her jean clad one and electricity shot up her leg, making her hold back a whimper. She had to swallow hard to get the lump out of her throat, "Uh-huh?"
Brooke locked eyes with her, "And since you are a tutor already, it just makes more sense."
Haley nodded, her mouth too dry to allow any speech, Brooke's gaze entrancing her. For a moment, both girls sat in silence as they gazed into each other's eyes.
Finally, Brooke spoke, "You're pretty cute, you know that?"
Haley blushed, turning almost crimson, she put the hair in her face behind her ear, "Thanks."
"So...I was wondering if you'd tutor Nathan for a little while, he was too afraid to ask, so..would you?"
Haley found herself agreeing before she had even thought it through.
"She totally played me that day," Haley said to herself, she sighed and leaned her head against the tree. "What am I gonna do?"
The bell rang obnoxiously, causing a frenzy of students to flock towards their respective classes. Haley banged her head lightly against the tree, "Why me?"
She got up slowly, and reluctantly, grabbing her messenger bag and walking towards study hall.
Nathan, Peyton and Brooke had gotten up when the bell sounded. The three of them seemed at ease with one another and more happy than they had been in a long time.
Peyton chuckled, "Wait, you sure you only have a thing for one blonde?"
Brooke turned to her, looking confused.
"'Cause I could've sworn I saw you and Bevin have a moment at that party on Friday."
Brooke glared at her best friend, then rolled her eyes, "Ha, ha, very funny P. Sawyer. You're having way too much fun with this."
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," she reasoned, laughing.
"Come on Broody and snobby," Brooke said, ignoring her and walking to class.
"Hey!" Nathan exclaimed a few seconds later, "I am not snobby."
"Of course not," Peyton said, holding back a laugh.
"Yeah, whatever you ever say superstar," Brooke added, smirking.
"I'm not!" Nathan defended.
The girls just laughed at him and the three of them continued towards study hall.
Haley met up with Lucas and Mouth outside of class, "Hey guys."
"Hey," they greeted.
They stood there in awkward silence, looking around the hall and avoiding eye contact.
"Okay, this is a little ridiculous," Lucas commented, "We're all still friends, right? We don't need to act this weird around each other for no reason."
Haley smiled, "True."
The all smiled at each other and walked into class.
When they stepped in, everyone was already there, (except Whitey). The class was fairly diverse, students ranged from the jocks and cheerleaders to the geeks and loners. Of course most of the room was filled with basketball players and cheerleaders. The small group walked to the back of the room, taking the last three seats in the corner.
