(Honeygrove)
The bus slowly pulled into Honeygrove bus terminal and came to a halt alongside the sidewalk outside. Mouth had been sleeping in his position near the back of the bus, his head resting gently on the window. The sudden cessation of movement caused him to stir from his slumber and look sleepily out the glass beside him.
On realising where he was, Mouth sluggishly got to his feet and began to make his way down the aisle towards the door. He paused briefly on the top step before descending slowly and stepping out into the warm heat of the sun.
For a moment he just stood there, glancing around at the scenes playing out before him. When he'd boarded the bus in Tree Hill, he'd been certain that it was the correct thing to do, that it would be better for everyone, including himself if he just disappeared for a while.
However, now that he was actually here, standing alone in an unknown town, with nothing but the clothes he was wearing and his wallet Mouth was beginning to have doubts. At least in Tree Hill he had his friends and family, but here? Here he had no one.
Slowly Mouth started to make his way towards the terminal exit, pausing only once to look back at the bus behind him. He was tempted to turn around and head back, back to Tree Hill and whatever awaited him there. After all, hadn't it been him that'd told Brooke not to run from her problems but to face up to them?
Right now Mouth couldn't help but feel like he was being a complete hypocrite. Do as I say and not as I do. He thought to himself.
Mouth shook his head slowly and turned again, walking out of the bus terminal and onto the street outside. Just as he was descending the steps onto the sidewalk below Mouth heard a familiar voice call out from beside him.
"I told you we'd meet again," they said, "but no one ever believes anything I tell them. To be honest when I said that I wasn't expecting our rendezvous to be so soon, but this could work."
Mouth frowned before turning around to look at the person standing behind him.
Seeing the look of astonishment on his face, she walked down the steps to meet him.
"Way to say hello Mouth." Rachel said smiling.
"Rachel?" he asked shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm not entirely sure." She answered, trying to look as puzzled as possible. "It's kind of a funny story."
Rachel paused momentarily before continuing, enjoying every minute of her act.
"You see," she began again. "I was waiting at the airport, trying to catch another flight to meet my folks on vacation, when I received a very strange and cryptic message on my cell from a guy that I kind of care about."
Rachel winked playfully at Mouth.
"Something about how he was in trouble and needed to get out of town for a bit." Rachel said, dramatically as though trying to jog his memory. "About how he was sitting on a bus and heading to a town called Honeygrove."
Rachel put her hand out in front of her and asked him quizzically.
"Sound at all familiar?"
Mouth reached out and touched Rachel's arm as though making sure that he wasn't just imagining her standing before him.
This time it was Rachel's turn to frown.
"Uh, Mouth?" she asked him, "Are you ok?"
Mouth smiled and laughed to himself.
"Yeah," he said truthfully. "I was just, you know, checking that it was really you."
Mouth paused for a moment and Rachel smiled at him.
"I never thought you'd actually come." He said.
"Well," Rachel said, taking Mouth's arm in hers and leading him up the street away from the bus terminal, "For some reason a ill-advised road trip with you, seemed so much more appealing to me then discussing my expulsion in more detail with my parents."
"What can I say?" she added dramatically, "I'm a sucker for a little adventure."
Mouth laughed at this and smiled at Rachel, causing her to smile back at him in return.
"So Mouth," she asked, "How much trouble are we talking about here?"
"Well," he said in response, "You know the whole time capsule, limo over a bridge, stolen calculus exam, love triangle, sex tape and teenage pregnancy rumour thing?"
Rachel laughed slightly before answering.
"Yeah, I think somehow I was involved in almost all of the previously mentioned." She said as more of an observation than anything.
Mouth stopped to look at Rachel.
"Well this is worse than all those things put together."
"Huh," she said sighing slightly. "Suddenly seeing my parents doesn't seem like such a bad idea anymore."
(Karen's café)
After updating the others on the events of the previous evening, Peyton had excused herself from the table and headed outside for some fresh air, Lucas following closely behind her.
Not long after that Nathan had gone to the restroom, leaving Brooke and Haley alone at the table.
"So," Haley said after Nathan had left, pointing towards the laceration that could still be seen on Brooke's forehead. "I bet that's a nice reminder of last night. Does it hurt?"
"Not as much as it did yesterday." Brooke said as she put her hand up to her head and winced slightly as she touched the cut. "I suppose it could have been worse," she said laughing despite the pain. "You could have punched me in the face as well, made it a matching pair." Brooke continued, pointing towards the eye that Peyton had hit after discovering the tape of Brooke and Nathan together.
Haley laughed at this. "Believe me I was tempted." She said playfully.
Brooke looked down at the table a moment.
"That was a joke." Haley said when she noticed the look on Brooke's face.
"Yeah I know," Brooke answered looking back up to meet Haley's gaze. "But it doesn't make me feel any less guilty about it."
"Brooke, listen to me," Haley said shaking Brooke's hand in her own. "As far as I'm concerned, what happened with you and Nathan is in the past, forgotten. Ok? I mean it happened a long time ago when we didn't even know each other. It's not like you've ever lied to me about anything else?"
At this, Brooke inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, a new wave of guilt washing over her. Initially she thought that stealing the calculus exam with Rachel would be harmless, but she'd felt awful when she'd found out that Haley had lost her job at the tutoring centre, especially because Brooke knew how much it meant to her friend.
"Listen Haley…" Brooke began opening her eyes to meet her friends' gaze.
Just as she was about to continue, Nathan returned to the table carrying a small book in his hands.
Brooke glanced at him as he sat down next to Haley who was continuing to watch Brooke closely.
She returned her gaze to Haley, losing her nerve to tell her about her role in the stolen papers.
"Thanks." Brooke said, forcing a smile.
Haley smiled back at her and nodded.
Feeling a sudden need to change the subject, Brooke turned towards Nathan.
"So Nate," she said, quickly pointing at the book, "What you got there?"
"A book of baby names." He answered, holding up the book for her to see.
Brooke looked between Nathan and Haley questioningly.
"So?" she asked, "You decided on anything yet?"
"Not yet," Haley sighed. "You got any suggestions?"
"Well," she said raising her eyebrow playfully, "I always liked the name Brooke."
Nathan laughed at the suggestion and asked, "Brooke you do realise we're having a boy right?"
"Yeah, I know." She answered smiling.
Haley looked towards Nathan, "You know," she said mischievously, " I kind of like it."
"You're kidding right?" Nathan asked.
"I think it's different." Haley responded shrugging her shoulders.
"Thank You." Brooke said enthusiastically holding her hand up in front of Haley.
Haley gave Brooke a high five and winked at her knowingly.
"You know Nate," Brooke began, "Haley is technically a famous musician, I mean she's been on tour and everything."
"What's that got to do with anything?" Nathan asked looking confused.
"Well," Haley said, seeing where Brooke was going with this. "Musicians can pretty much get away with naming their children anything."
"Exactly." Brooke said pointing at Haley.
Nathan looked between Brooke and Haley a bemused expression on his face. From his point of view both girls could have been extremely serious and he was starting to worry that Haley was actually considering this.
Just when he was about to say something else, Brooke and Haley burst into a fit of laughter before him.
"Nice," he said, nodding his head slowly, a small smile creeping onto his lips. "Ok, laugh it up you two."
"I'm sorry," Haley said still laughing, "but you should have seen your face."
Haley continued to laugh at Nathan as he leant back in his chair. Despite himself Nathan laughed as well.
"Besides we all know that there's only one Brooke around here." Brooke said smiling.
"That's true." Haley said pointing at Brooke. "You really think I'd be able to deal with another one?" she asked Nathan teasingly causing him to laugh harder.
"No, one is definitely more than enough." Nathan said.
"Hey!" Brooke said, feigning insult and playfully hitting him on the arm. "I'm not that bad."
"No you're worse," he said light-heartedly.
Brooke stuck her tongue out at him before laughing with the others.
