A/N: Hey Y'all. I finally finished Chapter 1. I don't have a beta for this story, so all mistakes are mine. A quick shout out to all who reviewed: emptyeyes09, guest, dianehermans, Amy, and Sara. Your reviews made my day, and your feedback/opinions have been noted. I will look into your suggestions as I continue to develop my characters and write more chapters.

Again here is a brief summary in case you forgot: Through the trial and tribulations of growing up, three best friends learn to depend and support each other when life throws them curve balls. Follow Haley, Brooke, and Peyton as they learn to deal with break-ups, marriages, and pregnancies.

More reviews are welcomed, and I hope you all enjoy :0)

-lalabelle-

Chapter 1

20 years later

She was running late. Throwing the gear into park, 24 year old Brooke Davis hastily grabbed her bag from the passenger seat beside her. Glancing down at her watch, she noticed it was now twenty minutes passed 6 'o clock. She was defiantly late. Her friends were going to be pissed. Hurrying up the flight of stairs as fast as she could in her 4 inch heels, Brooke hurried inside the building.

For the past year now, since it officially opened, the girls have been meeting weekly at Tric, Peyton's club, to catch up from their busy schedules and have quality girl time before the place opened to the public. As she approached their designated corner table, Brooke could see Haley was not in a good mood.

"You're late," 25 year old Haley James stated as she glared at Brooke. "This is the second time this month! Did you forget or were you stuck in a meeting again? I thought you owned Clothes over Bros. Can't you just find someone else to do all that work for you?"

"Not just anyone can own and manage a successful fashion empire, Hales," Brooke retorted after she took a huge gulp of the margarita Peyton placed in front of her. "It takes time, brains, and effort to make sure that my company is at the top, and I can't just hand all that responsibility off to someone else." After situating herself on the stool, Brooke observed her two best friends with curiosity and excitement in her eyes. "Now that I'm here, what did I miss?"

As she slammed her now empty glass on the table, Brooke watched as a grin grew on Haley's face as excitement washed over her friend's body. "Well I have some news. It might be nothing significant, but Chris did tell me he needed to speak to me about something important tomorrow night. I think he might be proposing," Haley gushed as she spoke of her high school sweetheart, Chris Kellar.

"Oh my, Haley! That's wonderful news. Has he been dropping hints recently," Brooke asked as she pulled Haley into a hug. "Can you believe it, P. Sawyer; our Haley Bob is getting married. I'm so happy for you."

"He hasn't really been dropping hints other than being nervous lately, but I just have this feeling that we are both ready to take this next step into our relationship. We have been together since freshman year of high school, and it only seems like the right thing to do. I can't wait to start this new journey with him."

"I'm excited for you Hales," 25 year old Peyton finally said as she joined in on the group hug. "This calls for the best bottle of champagne here. We need to celebrate!" She extracted herself from the group to grab a bottle from the back of the bar. After pouring each a glass, Peyton stood and raised her glass for a toast. "To the future, Mrs. Haley James Kellar. May your future be filled with lots of love, happiness, and sex."

After they finished the last drops of their flutes, the girls settled into their chairs, all ready to hash out the events of the past week. Haley placed her glass down and turned back to her friends. "Enough about me, is there anything recent going on with you two? Anything new happening with the store, Brooke? Any guy catch your interest yet, Peyton?" Both Brooke and Haley stared intently at Peyton as they waited for her to spill any news.

"What is with you two and these questions concerning my love life," Peyton responded with narrow eyes. "As I told you the week before, I don't need a man to be happy. I'm perfectly satisfied with running Tric, painting whenever I feel the urge or inspiration to, and simply hanging out with my two best friends."

"We know that, Peyton. We just want you to find that special someone too," Brooke replied as she grabbed her friend's hand with a small dimpled smile gracing her face. "It's been three months since you went out with Julian. You never told us why you never called him again."

"Things just didn't seem to work out with Julian. He's a great guy, heck, on paper he's downright perfect, but that spark wasn't there. And, besides not everyone meets their special someone in high school or falls in love at first sight with a random stranger," Peyton teased her friends as she opened a bottle of water. "Speaking of strangers how is that boy of yours, Brooke? That boy needs a medal in my opinion. Any man who is able to keep your attention away from work for more than 5 minutes deserves one."

"Lucas is wonderful, thank you for asking. I mean, I've only known him for two months, but it just feels right. I'm not crazy for being so head over heels already, am I?" Brooke nervously asked. "I mean, you guys know that I never do anything like this. I'm usually too busy with work, or too stressed about my parents to commit to a real relationship with a man. I don't normally go around accidentally bumping into strangers and the fall in love with them. I mean seriously, who does things like that?"

Becoming overwhelmed with her sudden shift in emotions, Brooke reached for the pile of napkins on the table, dabbing her eyes as tears start to form. "In all honesty, no matter how great Lucas is and how amazing he treats me, I'm constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. I'm waiting for him to realize that he is wasting his time on me. One of these days, he is going to notice that our differences are so great that I'm not worth it anymore."

"You can't think like that, Brooke. That boy practically worships the ground you walk on. He would be crazy to believe that being with you isn't worth it," Haley replied as she reached out to her friend in need. "And besides, if that ever did happen we'll just let Peyton beat him up."

Happily distracted with the vision on her skinny blonde friend beating up her boyfriend, Brooke fell into a fit of giggles. "Oh yes, big scary Peyton can definitely beat up Lucas. I can just picture it now."

"Hey! I can totally take him down!" Peyton exclaimed as she joined her friends in their laughter. "I was able to with Felix in kindergarten, and Tim Smith in junior high. I'm sure I can do it again. Just watch and see."

"I'm sure you could Peyton," Haley said to placate Peyton. Thinking back to the very first example of Peyton's strength, Haley felt a tender smile grow on her face. "I think we should find Felix and send him a gift basket or something."

"That's the most random thing you ever," Brooke retorted as she slid Haley's drink away. "That's it no more drinks for you, Hales."

"I'm serious, you guys. Think about it. If Felix never stole that book away from me, Peyton wouldn't have pushed him, and you wouldn't have to lie for her. Without Felix, we wouldn't have been friends," Haley explained while sliding her drink back in front of her.

"Huh, I wouldn't have thought of it that way," Peyton agreed as she reminisced of the memorable day at Tree Hill Elementary. "Well I guess another toast is in order for tonight. To, Felix Taggaro, wherever you may be. Thank you for being a complete scum bag at the age of 5. Without you, this amazing friendship wouldn't have formed."

"To Felix."