Assumptions
Ryan sat on his bed in the pool house and Haley stood in front of him with her arms crossed. He looked up at her with apologetic eyes. He didn't want to fight with her. He needed her. He felt terrible for accusing her of sneaking around with Volchok, and Ryan knew not to listen to Seth in the first place. Ryan just felt vulnerable after admitting to Haley that he was in love with her. Even though he knew she felt the same way, long before him even, part of him was afraid to lose her. He couldn't figure out why he was feeling this way, but part of him knew it was because he wasn't with her all summer.
"I want to fix this…" muttered Ryan as he brought his eyes up to Haley's.
"Well, in order to do that, we have to talk to each other Ryan," said Haley, "I know that's not your favorite thing to do, but if we don't then…"
"I know," cut in Ryan. He didn't even want her to finish her sentence. Communication was the key to any relationship, and without it, the relationship wouldn't work. "I'm sorry," said Ryan, "I never should have accused you of hanging out with Volchok behind my back, and I know there's nothing weird going on."
"Thank you," said Haley appreciatively. She was glad that Ryan was finally talking to her about this. Her expectations for this day hadn't gone as planned, but things seemed to be looking up. "If there ever is something weird going on, then I'll tell you," added Haley.
Ryan nodded. He saw Haley smile, and he suddenly felt better. He grabbed Haley by her hips and pulled her down onto his lap. She giggled as he brought his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. "Anything else we should talk about?" asked Ryan with a smirk. "I think I'm all talked out," grinned Haley as they continued to kiss. Ryan scooted up onto the bed and lied down bringing Haley with him; their lips never parting. They flipped over and Ryan positioned himself comfortably to lie atop Haley. He put his weight onto his forearms as not to crush her petite frame as they continued moving their lips in sync.
"I should probably go…so you can get some rest," mumbled Haley although it was the last thing she wanted to do.
"Can you stay the night?" asked Ryan as he began kissing along her neck. Haley nodded and Ryan pulled up to look her in the eyes. "We don't have to do anything. We could just…sleep," added Ryan. Haley widened her eyes in surprise. There was no way she could just sleep next to Ryan without doing anything. She'd been aching for his touch all summer, and she wanted his first night out to be special.
"You've got to be kidding me," smirked Haley. She gave Ryan a quick kiss before removing her shirt. Ryan then removed his own and brought their lips back together. Their tongues intertwined, and they both moaned into the kiss. The passion and tension was growing. Neither could believe how badly they had wanted to be with each other. This was exactly why Ryan had told Haley to stop visiting him when he was behind bars; because it was too hard to see her and not touch her or kiss her or just be with her.
Ryan moved his hand to Haley's back and unhooked her bra. Haley ran her fingers along his abs as he removed her bra and planted numerous kisses on her chest and down her stomach. They separated for a minute while Haley unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down her legs. Ryan helped her out of them and threw them to the floor before bringing their lips together once again. Ryan ran one hand along her body, while he reached into the drawer of his nightstand next to his bed. Ryan continued to shuffle through the drawer as he kissed her. Haley grabbed Ryan's hand to stop him from searching in the drawer, and she placed his hand on her hip. Haley unbuttoned and unzipped Ryan's jeans as they pressed their lips together.
"Wait, Haley," muttered Ryan pulling away and breaking the kiss. Haley gave him a confused look. "I don't uh…have any," he stuttered uncomfortably and embarrasedly, "Is it okay?"
Haley immediately pressed her lips against Ryan's. She knew he meant that he didn't have protection, and she knew he was trying to be cautious by asking her. She wasn't ignoring the fact, but she just wanted to be with the boy she loved.
Ryan wasn't sure if Haley was okay with it or not, but when she kissed him, it made him feel better. He let her finish removing his jeans, and soon enough they were skin to skin. They were as close as possible as they made love, both expressing their pent up desire and fervor that had been building up.
Lucas took a deep breath as he looked out the window of his rental car at Brooke's new house. It looked a lot like her house in Tree Hill but slightly bigger. That was to be expected considering he was in Beverly Hills. He took out his cell phone to make a quick call to Marissa who was at the hotel. After three rings, she answered.
"Hey, I'm here," said Lucas into the phone, never taking his eyes off of the house.
"Okay, goodluck," replied Marissa. Lucas muttered a 'thank you' before ending the call and stepping out of the car.
Lucas stood in front of a bright red door preparing to knock. Everything about this house reminded him of Brooke. He couldn't take the suspense that he was putting himself through any longer, so he rang the doorbell. Within moments, Richard Davis, Brooke's father, was standing in the doorway. Lucas was surprised that he was even home. In Tree Hill, he was always away. Lucas had only met him once or twice before. The first time was when he walked in on him and Brooke making out in her room a few months back. Not exactly the first impression Lucas had been hoping for.
"Lucas Scott," said Richard with wide eyes.
"Hi, Mr. Davis," returned Lucas with a half smile.
"What brings you to Beverly Hills?" asked Mr. Davis, "All the way from Tree Hill might I add."
"I was hoping to surprise Brooke," said Lucas nervously.
"I didn't know you two were still together," replied Richard. Lucas wasn't surprised by this at all. Of course Brooke's father didn't know what went on in her life. Richard didn't know what to make of Lucas' silence. "I guess she told you about Julian," added Richard.
"Who?" questioned Lucas confusedly.
"Oh, I guess not," replied Mr. Davis realizing that he had said too much. His daughter clearly hadn't told Lucas about Julian. "Brooke's not home," he quickly said.
"Umm…well, do you know when she'll be back?" asked Lucas.
"Well, she and Julian went to dinner, and I think they were going to see a movie afterwards," answered Richard nonchalantly. He seemed completely annoyed as if he wanted to slam the front door and go back to his work. "I'd say around midnight, but your welcome to wait here," he added.
Lucas grew even more concerned. Who was this Julian guy? Had Brooke really moved on? Was that what she wanted to tell him tomorrow? That she had met someone else? He knew he had to find out, and he was going to find out tonight.
"No, it's okay. I'll just stop by tomorrow," muttered Lucas before turning back to head to the rental car.
"Alright. Did you want me to tell her that you're in town?" asked Mr. Davis. Lucas looked back and shook his head. Richard nodded and went back inside, closing the door behind him.
Lucas sat back down in the front seat of the car. He was going to wait until Brooke got home. He needed to get to the bottom of this.
Brooke solemnly poked at the apple pie sitting on the plate in front of her. She glanced up at the nineteen year old boy sitting across from her. They were seated at a table in a low key café in Beverly Hills. He had short trimmed brown hair and a contagious smile, but he was looking at her with a worried expression. She couldn't believe that she had only met Julian Baker two months ago. In the short time that she'd known him, she already couldn't imagine how she had gone almost eighteen years without him in her life. They were so different, which she liked, despite the fact that they shared a father.
"What's wrong Brookie?" asked Julian.
"Really with the nickname again," muttered Brooke raising her eyebrows.
"Hey, we're making up for the past seventeen years here," said Julian trying to cheer her up. She obviously had something on her mind that was bothering her. "Soon to be eighteen," added Brooke with a half smile.
"Don't forget about me," returned Julian, "I'll be nineteen two weeks after you turn eighteen."
"Weird how that worked out; we're almost exactly a year apart," noted Brooke as she took a bite of her apple pie.
"Richard…dad…probably planned it," stuttered Julian.
He was still uncomfortable calling Richard Davis his father. It was just two months ago when his mother, Sylvia Baker, and confessed to him who his father was. Julian was raised by his mother, and had never met his father until recently. Richard moved his family here in hopes of having everyone get along, but that was far from what occurred. Brooke noticed Julian's hesitation and realized that he was still having trouble accepting the fact. Her father had told her and Victoria that he was moving them here for a job, but he soon told them the real reason. Victoria was so taken aback that she ran off to New York, while Julian's mother's drinking problem worsened and she went to get help. "So, what's really bothering you?" asked Julian.
"Nothing, it's not a big deal," shurgged Brooke.
"Okay, I know we've only known each other for two months or so, but we're blood, and I can tell when something's wrong," objected Julian as he finished eating his own apple pie.
"Fine, I texted Lucas earlier telling him to call me tomorrow," began Brooke. Julian nodded as he remembered who Brooke was talking about. She had told him about Lucas a few times over the summer, but he knew that Lucas was important to her even from the little he knew. Julian had accidentally stumbled across a box of letters that Brooke had written to Lucas but never sent. He never looked at the letters, and he hadn't even told Brooke that he knew about them because he figured there was a reason why she hadn't sent them. "He hasn't texted me back," continued Brooke, "I'm starting to wonder if he moved on. I thought this time apart would be good, but I think it's just driven us further apart, especially now that I'm living 3,000 miles away from him."
"Don't get too down on yourself," Julian tried to reassure her, "You told him to call you tomorrow, so he'll probably call you tomorrow." Brooke nodded hoping that he was right. "There's one thing I don't get though…why are you living 3,000 miles away from him?"
"You know why," said Brooke not wanting to explain.
"For your family?" asked Julian disbelief, "For this family? If that's the reason, then you really need to rearrange your priorities." Brooke looked away from him for a moment. "What family Brooke? My mom's in rehab, your mom's in New York, and our father isn't exactly much of one," continued Julian, "You and I have had a great summer getting to know each other, but I'm going off to college soon. So, what are you really sticking around for?"
"Well, when you put it that way…" returned Brooke. Julian just waited for an answer. He wasn't going to let her get off on this one. "I thought I could fix things," said Brooke with a shrug knowing how stupid that sounded.
"This family's problems are bigger than you, Brooke. There's nothing you or I can do to make things better or easier, and I think you know that," urged Julian, "Be honest with me and yourself, what's the reason?"
"I'm just scared I guess," admitted Brooke, "I don't know if he even still feels the same way."
"Do you?" questioned Julian.
"Yeah, I mean, he's the only thing that's been on my mind all summer. His smile…his laugh…the way he wraps his arms around me…the way he makes me feel like we're the only two people in the world," rambled Brooke, "Then there's the way he kisses me…the way he touches me…the way his tongue feels on my…"
"Whoa, okay, stop!" interjected Julian with a slight laugh, "Brother here."
"Sorry," muttered Brooke embarrasedly. Brooke was quiet for a moment as she thought to herself. "I think it's time for me to go home," sighed Brooke.
"I'm glad you can finally admit it," added Julian, "But…why haven't you just told him about me? Wouldn't that have been easier?"
"Yeah, it would have been easier…I guess I have trouble letting people in," Brooke tried to explain, "I don't trust people too easily. I blame part of that on my past relationships and part of it on Victoria. Lucas knows that, and I'm afraid of what he might think when he finds out about you. I was so quick to let you in to my life."
"But you haven't let me in, have you?" Julian contradicted, "Otherwise I would've known this."
"No," she agreed with a sigh, "But it's not like you've let me in completely either. You were even reluctant to meet me."
"I know, and I'm sorry for that. This whole situation started out pretty crazy, but I hope we'll have a closer relationship someday," returned Julian, "I've always wanted a little sister to look out for."
"Thanks, I hope so too. So do you want to just skip the movie and go home? I'm kind of tired," suggested Brooke.
Julian agreed, so they paid the bill and went straight home.
Summer leaned her head on Nathan's shoulder as they sat together in the living room of her and Brooke's place watching a movie.
"Sucks that no one could hang out tonight," said Summer.
"Yeah, they all had some pretty lame excuses too," added Nathan.
"Ryan had the only legit excuse," returned Summer sitting up to face Nathan.
"Being tired is not a good excuse," refuted Nathan with a smirk, "He probably just wanted to get some action from Haley tonight, considering he hasn't gotten any all summer."
Summer widened her eyes at his comment. Was he just being funny or was he implying something else?
"And you have?" asked Summer. Nathan shrugged with a smile jokingly, but Summer wasn't seeing this as funny at all. "What is that supposed to mean?" questioned Summer turning off the TV.
"No, babe, I was kidding," Nathan said hurriedly. He really shouldn't have said that about Ryan. She couldn't be mad if he just told her the truth right? Who was he kidding? Of course, she would be mad.
"Nathan, don't lie to me," sighed Summer. Nathan tried to refute, but Summer cut him off. "Just tell me the truth. Who'd you hook up with this summer?"
"It doesn't even matter, we weren't together," tried Nathan.
"Seriously, Nathan, just tell me," demanded Summer.
"Rachel Gatina, Bevin Mirskey, and Jess Sathers," confessed Nathan.
Summer felt tears well up in her eyes, but she forced herself to keep them from falling. How could he do that, thought Summer. Sure, we weren't together, but after what he said before I left…who am I trying to convince here? He's a guy…of course he wouldn't just sit around and wait for me.
"You slept with all of them?" asked Summer as if making sure she heard him right.
"Yeah, I did…but…come on, it's not like you didn't hook up with anyone in California over vacation," said Nathan. Part of him was hoping she had, then his summer flings wouldn't seem so bad, but the other part of him hoped that she had just been thinking about him all vacation.
Summer shook her head in disbelief. He really thought that she had gone off to California whoring around. She definitely wasn't about to tell him that she spent the whole vacation thinking about him. For some reason, she suddenly wished that she had hooked up with someone while she was in California. She had the chance, but she was in love with Nathan.
Summer waved shyly at Zach Stevens as she walked into his room. She was expecting Kaitlin Cooper to be there, but she was glad that she wasn't. Zach smiled and patted the spot next to him on his bed for Summer to join him, which she did.
"So, what are you doing here?" asked Zach.
"You say that like I've never been in your room before," returned Summer, "I used to come over all the time."
"Yeah, I remember," murmured Zach, "That was before you left for Tree Hill."
"I wish things were as simple as they used to be," added Summer, "It was always me and you against the world."
"Yeah, it was," sighed Zach as he thought about their past.
Summer and Zach both gazed into each other's eyes seriously. Neither realized how close they actually were until their noses grazed. Both pulled back nervously.
"So, where's Kaitlin?" asked Summer.
"She went to the mall with my sister," answered Zach, "They won't be back for another hour."
"So, are you two serious?" questioned Summer.
"No," Zach replied quickly, "Just having fun, I guess. I'm not ready for anything serious."
"I'm sorry…for everything," said Summer. She suddenly felt guilty, because she knew that she was the reason why Zach didn't want a serious relationship.
"It's okay," returned Zach.
Gravity had somehow brought them closer together. Both looked at each other for a second before Summer pressed her lips agaisnt Zach's. Zach kissed her back, and when she slipped her tongue into his mouth, he returned the favor. They continued for what seemed like hours, but it was only a minute or two. Zach was the first to pull away and break the kiss.
"What was that Summer? What are you doing? What are we doing?" asked Zach.
"I wish I knew," she muttered.
"You're running; that's what," Zach informed her, "You're running from your heart and Nathan has it." Summer looked at him, shocked by how well he could read her. "I know you Summer, and you did the same thing to me. You gave me your heart and ran away," continued Zach, "I forgave you for that, so don't even try to apologize again. You need to open up your heart to someone completely and stop being afraid of getting your heart broken. I know it's hard for you, especially because of everything that happened with your mom, but you can do it. Just let him in once you get back to Tree Hill."
"Thank you, Zach. I needed to hear that," said Summer, "Sounds like someone needs to follow their own advice though."
"I'm not going back to Tree Hill," admitted Zach. Summer asked him why, but she suddenly knew the answer before he gave it to her. He stayed in Tree Hill for her, but they weren't together, so he didn't need to be there. "Because this is my home. I don't belong there," answered Zach.
They both flinched at the sound of the front door slamming. Kaitlin and Zach's sister were home early.
"Does she know?" asked Summer referring to Kaitlin. Zach shook his head 'no.' "I should go," said Summer.
"Keep in touch," added Zach as he hugged her goodbye.
"Count on it," returned Summer as she left.
Nathan waited for Summer to say something, but he could tell she was thinking. He didn't know what about, but he assumed she was thinking about him and how he could hook up with those girls.
"Can you leave please…" said Summer keeping her eyes away from Nathan.
"I'm sorry, Summer…I…"
"Please…just leave," repeated Summer.
Nathan nodded and did as he was told. He hoped he hadn't ruined things, and he regretted everything he had done during the summer vacation.
Peyton rejoined Seth in her room with a glass of water. She sat next to him on her bed as he worked on one of his comic strips. She leaned her head on his shoulder and watched him sketch. Seth kissed her forehead and smiled as he set down his sketchpad.
"Do you ever think about letting the world see your art?" wondered Peyton, "I can talk to Thud Magazine about getting you a strip."
Seth was thankful for the offer, and he thanked her for caring. Peyton had her own weekly comic strip in Thud Magazine. He looked around at the sketches she had up on her walls. He didn't just want to write a weekly comic strip. That was great for Peyton, and he was glad that she was happy.
"The world will see it," replied Seth, "My dream is a graphic novel."
Peyton nodded and checked the time. It was almost eleven. "Crap, I have to get home," hurried Seth as he kissed Peyton. Just as Seth was standing up to leave, someone standing in the doorway of Peyton's room cleared their throat.
"What the hell are you doing here?" snapped Seth. He wanted to be a tough boyfriend for Peyton even if he knew he really wasn't that tough. As stood there staring at Kevin Volchok, he became angered and frightened all at once.
Volchok ignored Seth and turned to Peyton. "I wanna talk to you," he demanded.
Seth glared at Volchok and looked back at Peyton. "Seth, it's okay," Peyton reassured him, "I'll see you tomorrow." Seth glanced at Volchok one last time before finally leaving reluctantly.
"What do you want Volchok?" questioned Peyton.
"Wow, you don't usually call me Volchok," he smirked, "You must really hate me."
"Hate is an emotion that involves feeling something, and I feel nothing for you," retorted Peyton, "So, no, I don't hate you. I just don't care about you."
"So, Seth Cohen, huh?" returned Volchok with a sly smile, "Doesn't seem like your type."
Peyton rolled her eyes at this. What is he even doing in my house right now, thought Peyton, let alone my room? I really need to start locking my front door. Who is he to tell me what my type is?
"We actually have a lot in common, not that it's any of your business," hissed Peyton.
"Right," began Kevin, getting to the point, "Well, I just came by to say that I'm not going to cause you any trouble. I made some mistakes in the past. You were one of those mistakes, and I'm sorry for what I did."
"Wow, Kevin Volchok apologizes," scoffed Peyton, "Alert the media!"
"I'm not joking around here Peyt," he said seriously using an old nickname he had for her, "You should know me well enough to see that." Peyton cocked an eyebrow at his statement. "Whatever, I'm not going to bother you, so have a nice life."
"Hold on," Peyton called him back, "What's this game you're trying to play with Haley?"
"No game…" muttered Volchok.
"Do you like her or something?" tried Peyton.
"I don't know, we'll see," he returned. At that moment, when Peyton looked at Volchok, she could somehow tell that he actually did like Haley. That worried her.
"No, we won't see," retorted Peyton in defense, "Because your going to stay away from her."
"Don't think I can do that," finished Kevin, "But before I go, do you know if Brooke is coming back soon? I want to talk to her too." Peyton couldn't believe that he thought he could just apologize and make everything okay. As if Brooke would even want to talk to him. Peyton didn't even know why she had agreed to talk to him, but she was worried about Haley. Haley didn't know him as well as she or anyone else did, and she might fall for his tricks. Peyton just nodded her head at her room door for him to leave. "Silent treatment…I'll just be on my way then," concluded Kevin, "See you around Sawyer." Peyton couldn't believe that he had the nerve to waltz into her room like that. She knew he was up to something, and she needed to talk to Ryan about this.
Lucas was nearly dead asleep in the front seat as he waited across the street from Brooke's house when he was awakened by a car pulling into her driveway. He quickly sat up in his seat. Lucas was about to get out of the car to approach Brooke, but she wasn't alone. He saw both the passenger door and the drver's door open. Brooke came out of the passenger side, while a guy Lucas had never seen before came out of the driver's side. He suspected it was this Julian character, who Mr. Davis had mentioned. Lucas furrowed his eyebrows as he watched them and cracked his window to hear if they were saying anything.
"Thanks for tonight," said Brooke as Julian alarmed the car, "I needed this."
"Anything for my little Brookie," grinned Julian.
Lucas swallowed disappointedly as he saw Julian put his arm around Brooke's shoulders. He couldn't sit there and watch this. That was enough to piss him off. Brooke and Julian were obviously together, and Brooke had clearly moved on. That's why she wanted to talk to him tomorrow, right? To tell him that she was over him. Lucas knew he should've waited until they were inside, but he was in no mood. He immediately turned the key in the ignition, put the gearshift in drive, and sped away with a loud screeching noise.
Lucas tried to calm down on his way back to the hotel, but he couldn't get his mind off of what he had just seen. He opened the door to the hotel room with two queen beds and stepped inside closing the door behind him. The lights were off and Marissa was lying on one of the beds in her pajamas watching a movie.
Marissa muted the movie as she saw Lucas come in. He didn't look to happy, although she couldn't quite see his facial expression in the dark, but she assumed it wasn't good news. She moved to sit next to him as he plopped down on the other bed.
"How'd it go?" she asked hesitantly.
"She's seeing someone else," stated Lucas without any emotion behind his words.
"Oh, Luke, I'm sorry," murmured Marissa as she wrapped an arm around him considerately while he slumped over.
"I should've known," said Lucas almost to himself.
"There's no way you could've known," returned Marissa, "At least you came and found out for yourself."
Lucas nodded, but he wasn't really listening to what she was saying. "I thought I was the guy for her…I thought…she was the girl for me," he rambled on.
"Maybe you are, and maybe she is," tried Marissa but she wasn't getting through to him.
Lucas didn't know what came over him. He quickly turned to Marissa and pressed his lips agaisnt hers. He didn't know why he did it. Maybe for revenge. He just kept picturing Brooke and Julian together. He kept wondering what they were doing in Brooke's house after he left, and he needed to get it off of his mind somehow. This seemed like the perfect way to do it.
"Luke, what are you doing?" muttered Marissa as she reluctantly broke the kiss.
When Lucas kissed her, images of Jake flashed through Marissa's mind. She needed to get over him, and maybe Lucas was the guy she could do that with. Part of her felt guilty about it though, because she was Brooke's friend, and she knew that Lucas was just upset about Brooke.
"Moving on, just like she did," answered Lucas solemnly hoping Marissa wouldn't reject him. He didn't want to feel rejected for the second time that night.
"I don't want to miss him anymore," muttered Marissa referring to Jake.
"Then don't," Lucas persuaded her, "Let's just forget about them."
Marissa smiled slightly before bringing her lips back to his. Soon enough, their tongues were intertwined as they both struggled for the upperhand. They both agressively stripped each other of their clothes, releasing their pent up frustration, disappointment, anger, and loneliness. Both knew that come morning they might regret this, but in that moment neither cared. And who's to say that they would regret it? Maybe this was right.
Haley skipped into Karen's café and joined Nathan at the counter for the breakfast they had planned. Karen soon brought a plate of eggs and toast for Haley and a plate of pancakes for Nathan. Haley couldn't have been in a better mood, and Nathan definitely noticed. Nathan, on the other hand, wasn't in quite the same mood, which Haley too noticed. Haley nodded towards the ketchup on the counter and Nathan handed it to her.
"That's disgusting," laughed Nathan as he watched her pour ketchup over her eggs.
"Shut up! It's good," returned Haley as she smacked his arm playfully, "Don't you have practice today?"
"Well, it look's gross," added Nathan, "And no, I don't have practice. Whitey feels sorry for us, so we're starting when school starts."
Karen returned with two glasses of orange juice, and she set them on the counter.
"Is Luke around?" asked Haley, "I feel like I haven't seen him in days."
"He's actually out of town," answered Karen, "He was supposed to come home on Friday, but he's cutting the trip short, so he should be back tonight." Lucas had told his mom not to tell anyone, but Karen told him that she wasn't going to lie for him. She didn't want to give away too much information, though, because there was obviously a reason Luke didn't want his friends to know. She hoped the reason for the short trip was good.
"Oh, okay…back from where exactly?" wondered Haley.
"California," replied Karen. With that, she went to help other customers so as not to say too much.
"What a liar…" muttered Nathan as he thought about Lucas blowing him off last night.
"I can't believe he didn't tell me…" added Haley.
"You think Brooke will be back with him?" questioned Nathan. He thought about the advice he had given Lucas during the summer. He told him not to give up on Brooke; maybe he was taking Nathan's advice. He hoped that was why Luke went to California.
"I hope so," replied Haley as she began to worry about her best friend.
"So, how are you and Ryan?" asked Nathan changing the subject. A smile immediately spread across Haley's face at the mention of Ryan.
"Really great," she answered thinking about the night they shared, "What about you and Summer?"
"Not so great," returned Nathan, "She found out that I hooked up with a few girls over vacation."
"I'm sorry; I hope you two can work it out," said Haley. Nathan nodded solemnly. Haley suddenly thought back to the conversation she and Nathan last had in the café. "Wait…aren't you the one that said…and I quote, 'we all have our summer secrets and whether we want them to or not, they're going to come out eventually'?"
Nathan laughed to himself at his own hypocrisy. "Yeah, that was me, but at least I confessed before someone else told her," said Nathan in defense.
"Very true," put in Haley with a shrug.
They both soon quickly finished their breakfast, and Nathan couldn't help but wonder if Haley had any secrets of her own.
"So, what's your summer secret?" he asked. Haley just shrugged it off as she gulped down her orange juice. "Come on, you must have something," urged Nathan.
"Sorry, I'm boring," returned Haley throwing her hands up.
They both stood up, and Haley gave him a hug goodbye before turning to leave.
"Fine, there's still a few days left of summer to cause some havoc. Remember what I said," Nathan called after her, "It'll come out."
"Okay, whatever you say Nate," said Haley on her way out.
Nathan smirked as he watched her leave. He was glad he had a friend like Haley to hang out with. He was comfortable around her, and there was no pressure. It was always a good break from hanging out with the guys, but it also made him realize that he needed to make things right with Summer.
Lucas opened his eyes and squinted at the bright light shining through the curtains of the hotel window. He sat up against the headboard and noticed that the spot next to him in bed was empty. He glanced over at the other queen size bed in the room; it was empty too. Maybe what had happened last night didn't actually happen. Maybe he had just dreamt it all. Maybe he hadn't seen Brooke with some other guy, and maybe he hadn't slept with Marissa. These thoughts were suddenly erased from his mind as Marissa emerged through the door with a brown paper bag in her hand.
"I got bagels," she said giddily as she sat down on the bed. Marissa didn't know why she was in such a good mood. Okay, she did know. Anyone would be in a good mood after sex with Lucas Scott. Hell, she probably would've been in a good mood if it had been Nathan or Ryan or even Seth for that matter. All she knew was that she wasn't thinking about Jake anymore. Sure, she missed him, but it wasn't like they had had some sort of epic romance. He was gone, and she needed to get over it.
"Thanks," said Lucas as Marissa tossed him a bagel.
"So…last night was…" began Marissa trying to bring it up without being totally awkward.
"A mistake?" he suggested. Lucas sure thought it was a mistake. He may have escaped his disappointment and jealousy for a short time, but Brooke was still on his mind.
"Actually, it was exactly what I needed," returned Marissa with a slight smile.
"Seems like we're always comforting each other," noted Lucas as he remembered the night of Marissa's party.
The circumstance was very similar to this one. He had seen Brooke with Volchok, and he got jealous and angry. Marissa had broken up with Ryan, and she was sad. They were both just there for each other.
"Yeah, it does seem like that," added Marissa as she thought about that night as well.
As he remembered that night, he also thought about his short lived relationship with Marissa. She had gotten the wrong idea, and he felt bad for her. He wanted to make sure that that didn't happen this time, because he wasn't too interested in having a relationship with her.
"Just so there's no confusion," explained Lucas, "We should both agree that this was just a one time thing."
Marissa was surprised by how blunt he was. "Yeah, totally, just two friends comforting each other," she shrugged, "A meaningless hookup, nothing more." Lucas nodded as he ate his bagel glad that she was taking this so well. "So, I take it you want to cut this trip short," said Marissa.
"Yeah, I was hoping to just go home today," replied Lucas. After seeing Brooke with another guy, Lucas really had no reason to be in California, and he had no intention of being there anymore.
"Lucky for you, I already changed the flight and called your mom to let her know we were coming back today," returned Marissa.
"Thanks," said Lucas gratefully. So, that's why she had woken up so early.
"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Marissa considerately.
"There's nothing to talk about," Lucas shot back, "We said we were going to forget about them, right?"
"Right…" answered Marissa remembering what he said the previous night about just forgetting Brooke and Jake and moving on from them.
Lucas finished his bagel and went to the bathroom to take a shower, while Marissa packed what she had unpacked the night before. This was definitely the shortest trip she had ever been on.
Ryan sat across from Peyton at the diner as they tried to decide what to get for breakfast. He didn't know why she had invited him to breakfast, but he figured it had something to do with Volchok, because Seth had told him that he was at Peyton's house last night. He finally decided on waffles and handed his menu to the waitress.
Peyton too handed her menu to the waitress after deciding on pancakes. She and Ryan made small talk as they waited for their food. She didn't know how to bring up the subject of Volchok, but she was going to have to do it eventually.
"So, why are we really here?" asked Ryan as their meals arrived.
"Can't two friends just get together for a simple breakfast?" returned Peyton avoiding the question.
"Sure, but you just sounded like you were on a mission or something when you invited me," answered Ryan, "There must be something that you want to talk about."
Peyton shrugged, but Ryan looked at her pointedly. "Okay, fine," began Peyton, "But it involves the V word."
"Volchok…" muttered Ryan.
"He came over last night," put in Peyton.
"Seth told me," added Ryan, "What'd he want?"
"He was just feeding me his usual bullshit about not wanting to cause any trouble. Also…I think he likes Haley," replied Peyton with a sigh, "I mean, legitimately likes her; no games, no alternative motives…"
"It's always a game with him," returned Ryan, although he knew that Peyton truly believed in what she was saying.
Peyton ignored his comment in order to get through to him.
"Just because his feelings for her may be real doesn't mean he won't try anything with you, because he will," continued Peyton, "In his mind, you're in the way, just like Lucas was in his way with Brooke."
"I can't believe I actually tried to help the guy out," said Ryan as he thought about the summer, "I never thought I'd be one to get used by Kevin Volchok."
"He does it to everyone," said Peyton, although she knew that wasn't helping the situation.
"Well not again, and I'm not going to let him near Haley," said Ryan with a hint of anger.
"Ryan, please don't do anything stupid," she warned him, "You just got out, and Haley needs you. Stay out of trouble, otherwise you're just like him."
Ryan nodded as he took her warning to heart. She was right, but he was still going to be aware of Volchok and his antics.
Brooke and Julian were sitting at the counter in the kitchen eating breakfast and talking when their father entered the room. Richard Davis filled his thermus with coffee and grabbed a bagel as he hurried around the kitchen. "I'm running late, so fix yourselves breakfast. I'm travelling down to San Diego. I'll be back in a few days," rambled Mr. Davis before he hurried out. Brooke and Julian both rolled their eyes at his antics. He didn't even notice that they were already eating breakfast.
"See!" exclaimed Julian pointing at the front door, "That right there is exactly why we should both just leave."
"I am leaving…next Wednesday, remember?" put in Brooke.
"I know, I was just encouraging it even more," grinned Julian.
"When are you leaving anyways?" asked Brooke, "You must've decided between USC and Stanford by now."
"I actually turned them both down," answered Julian. Brooke gave him a confused look as a smile spread across his own face. "I'm officially a North Carolina Tar Heel."
"Shut up!" squealed Brooke, "Oh my God! This is so exciting!" Julian smiled at her excitement. Brooke's smile fell as she wondered if Julian was only going to UNC to be closer to her. She didn't want him to do that just, because she wanted family. She had Summer for that. "Wait, you're not doing this for me, right?" added Brooke, "Because if you are, then…"
"I'm doing this for me," Julian immediately cut in, "I need to get out of California, and getting to hang out with my little sis every once in awhile will just be an added bonus."
Brooke let out a sigh of relief. She was happy that she and Julian would be closer.
"Hey, you should just come with me then," suggested Brooke, "You can spend some time in Tree Hill before you start classes, and meet all my friends finally."
"Your hot single friends?" smirked Julian.
"Not too many single," said Brooke.
"What about uh…Summer?" asked Julian remembering that Brooke had mentioned her a few times.
"You do know she's my cousin right?" laughed Brooke.
"Yeah, on your mom's side, meaning she has no relation to me whatsoever," he defended.
"Right, well, she's seeing someone now too," answered Brooke. Brooke's cell phone rang as Julian jokingly pretended to be upset that Summer was taken along with Brooke's other friends. She looked at her phone, and Summer's picture popped up on the screen. "Hello there my hot and not so single friend slash cousin," said Brooke answering the phone and sticking her tongue out at Julian.
"Oh, I don't know about that last part," sighed Summer.
"What? Why? When we talked yesterday, you seemed so happy with him," said Brooke. Julian raised his eyebrows and smiled, causing Brooke to leave the room so he couldn't hear.
"That didn't last very long," said Summer, "Nathan hooked up with Bevin, Rachel, and Jess over vacation."
"Wait, you broke up already?" asked Brooke.
"No, he's just giving me some space right now so I can think," answered Summer, "I just can't believe he would do that after what he said before I left."
"We all do stupid things when we're in love," said Brooke.
"So, when in love, hook up with everyone you can while you still can?" questioned Summer in disbelief, "You're in love with Lucas while living in California, and I don't see you fucking every guy there."
"That's not what I meant…I just mean…he messed up," continued Brooke. She didn't know why she was defending Nathan, but she always tried to see the good in people, even though, she ended up hurt because of it sometimes. "He really didn't even know if you were going back to Tree Hill or not."
"I guess so," sighed Summer.
"Just keep doing what you're doing…think about how you feel," advised Brooke.
"Okay, thanks for listening," replied Summer gratefully, "So, why are you in such a good mood? You seemed really excited when you answered the phone."
"Trust me, I'm far from being in a good mood," returned Brooke as she thought about Lucas, "Julian is keeping me distracted and attempting to cheer me up though."
"I'm liking him already," added Summer glad that Julian turned out to be a good guy.
"Good, because you're meeting him on Wednesday," said Brooke.
"You're coming home?" squealed Summer.
"You cannot tell anyone," Brooke warned her, "I want it to be a surprise."
"Okay, I won't, I won't," replied Summer, "Have you talked to Lucas?"
"No," said Brooke solemnly, "I'm hoping he calls me today, but I'm not counting on it."
"You should just call him," Summer encouraged her.
"He didn't even reply to my text, I doubt he'll answer my calls."
"Well, you're going to have to talk to him sometime," said Summer.
Brooke sighed. Summer was right. She had to talk to him, but that didn't mean she had to talk about him. That's exactly what Summer was about to make her do, so Brooke pretended that Julian was calling her from the other room. "What's that Julian?" Brooke yelled holding the phone away, but making sure Summer heard her, "Sum, I got to go."
"Brooke!" demanded Summer knowing Brooke was just trying to end the conversation, "You can't avoid talking about…"
"Talk to you soon, bye," Brooke muttered before hanging up on her cousin.
Brooke sighed and looked down at her phone. She had to call Lucas; she needed to talk to him. She just didn't know what she was going to say or what she wanted to say. Not that he would even answer her calls. She became in more nervous for her return the more she thought about it.