Thanks to OTH.daddy'sgurl.06, iftheyonlyknewthetruth, xSmile, naley for life, Nathanlvr, DayDreamer323, mistydm and naleysocute for replying. Leave some words and enjoy. xxKatyxx
Chapter Ten
"So, P. Sawyer, do you have any plans for this weekend?" Brooke asked as she came up to the curly blonde's locker.
Peyton busy putting on some lip-gloss but she smiled at Brooke through her locker mirror. When she was done, she put closed up her gloss and looked at the brunette pensively for a few minutes. "Jake and I are taking Jenny and Hannah to their grandparents," she replied.
Brooke's face collapsed. "What about my party?"
"We're going to have to miss this one," Peyton said.
"But it's a must-attend for all the A-list students," Brooke whined.
Peyton grinned. "Aren't they all?"
Brooke frowned. "Well, yes, but this one especially."
"Sorry, but we've cancelled on Jake's parents at least five times. They're going out of town on Monday and they'll be gone until June," Peyton replied.
"Couldn't you just go on Sunday instead of Saturday? That way, Jake's parents will still have seen the rug rats," Brooke asked.
Peyton's eyes narrowed slightly at the word Brooke had used to describe her children. "No can do. Take lots of pictures."
"Why?" Brooke asked.
"Well, when I come back, I'll look at them and it'll be like I was there," Peyton said.
Brooke gave her a wounded look. Then, Haley exited a classroom and Brooke's eyes widened. "Tutor girl!" she called but Haley kept on walking.
"Haley," Peyton called out, her voice loud enough so that it would carry over the racket their fellow students were making.
Haley stopped in her tracks, turned around and scanned the crowd in search of the person who had called to her. She noticed Peyton motioning for someone to come over to her and Brooke and then realized that Peyton was looking at her. She sighed and walked over.
"What?" she asked.
"Brooke wanted to talk to you," Peyton said.
Haley turned to Brooke with an expectant look. "Well?"
Brooke smiled. "Do you have any plans for this weekend?"
Haley thought for a second. "Well, no, not really…. why?"
"I'm throwing a party this Saturday," Brooke replied.
"So?" Haley asked.
Brooke looked so shock that for a minute, Peyton thought she had stopped breathing but then she just cocked her head to the side. "So I was wondering if you were coming," Brooke explained.
Haley chuckled wryly. "Why would I do that?"
"Because it's a party thrown by me," Brooke replied.
"And you want me to come?" Haley asked.
"Yes," Brooke replied.
"Why?" Haley asked.
"Because I'm inviting you to come," Brooke replied.
"I realize that but what I don't understand is why, all of a sudden, you're inviting me now," Haley said.
"It's a party, Haley. The reason to go to one is to party," Peyton replied.
"You've been throwing your infamous parties for almost four years now, Brooke and you've never invited me. I came to a few with Nathan last year but that's it," Haley said.
"Yes, and the reason you didn't come to the others after that was because you weren't in school. This is the first party I've thrown since the break," Brooke replied.
"I'm not part of the A-list," Haley said.
"Yes, you are," Peyton and Brooke said in unison.
"Since when?" Haley asked.
"You became one of us when you started dating Nathan," Brooke said.
"We're not dating anymore," Haley pointed out.
"True, but when you were dating, you were popular by association. Now, you're just popular," Brooke said.
"The reason you never realized it is because you don't take advantage of your popularity," Peyton explained.
"So will you come?" Brooke asked, looking at her hopefully.
"I don't think so," Haley said.
"Why not?" Brooke asked.
"Because I think you're up to something and whatever it is, it can't be good," Haley said.
"I'm not up to anything. I'm just inviting you to a party although now I'm starting to wonder why. You've never been that nice to me," Brooke said.
Haley's eyes narrowed. "I've never done anything to you."
"I saw the way you looked at me after the shooting," Brooke said.
"And how did I look at you?" Haley asked.
"You looked at me like I was the worst person in the world," she said.
Haley started laughing. "You know, you're unbelievable."
"What do you mean?"
"You're the one that cheated on Nathan with his brother but I gave you one alleged mean look and I'm a horrible person?" Haley asked incredulously.
"You had no business judging me," Brooke said.
"I wasn't judging you. I didn't pay any attention to you. The only person I cared about was Nathan," Haley said.
"So you didn't even care about how I was feeling?" Brooke asked.
"Why should I have?" Haley asked.
"I don't know. It would have been nice to have been thought of," Brooke said.
"Did you think about me when I was shot?" Haley asked.
"Well, no," Brooke admitted.
"Exactly because we weren't friends. Before the shooting, we had barely spoken," Haley said.
"All right. I'm sorry," Brooke said.
"Good," Haley said.
"Will you come on Saturday?"
Haley sighed. "I'll think about it."
"Good," Brooke said.
Haley walked away.
"God, she is a feisty one, isn't she?" Brooke remarked.
Peyton stared at her.
"What?" she asked innocently.
"What the hell was that?" Peyton demanded.
"Oh, I was just testing her," Brooke said.
"Testing her for what?" Peyton asked.
"I wanted to know how much she's changed. That day in the gym when she told of Theresa showed us that she had toughened up. I wanted to see how tough she really is," Brooke said.
"I don't understand," Peyton said.
"Well, I don't want to follow through on my plan if she was still really troubled after that whole mess with that Doug guy and her suicide attempt," Brooke replied.
"Your plan?" Peyton repeated.
"Oops. Probably shouldn't have said that," Brooke muttered to herself.
"Well, too late now. What are you up to now?" Peyton asked.
"Well, Haley's right; there is a reason I'm inviting her to this party," Brooke replied.
"Why?" Peyton asked.
"Well, Nathan will be there. Lucas mentioned how grumpy he's been ever since Haley cut him off after she woke up so I thought I'd invite them to the party and see what happens," Brooke said.
"What makes you think Nathan will show up?" Peyton asked.
"Because he's Nathan Scott. He has to come and once Luke tells him that Haley might be there, he won't be able to resist an opportunity to talk to her," Brooke said.
"I don't know, Brooke. She's gotten very good at ignoring him. Nathan's tried to talk to her a few times at the hospital but she refused to see him. If she sees him in the hallway, she'll turn the other way. One time he actually went up to her locker, she closed the door so fast; she almost took one of his fingers off," Peyton said.
"She'll talk to him because she doesn't know a lot of people there," Brooke said.
Peyton shook her head. "She seems like the kind of person who is comfortable being on her own. She might even start talking to other people to avoid talking to him," she said.
Brooke scowled. "They're going to start talking. I'll lock them in a bedroom if I have to."