Author's Note: Well if I've confused myself I feel bad for you. If you have any questions about the fic or whats happened in the past just post it in a review and I'll clear things up in my next chapter. Sorry if anyones terribly confused. Hmm, that would suck, and the only kind of sucking I prefer is Brooke and Lucas...

drunk – adj. overcome by intoxication of alcohol

LATER THAT NIGHT

With the amount of joy a three-year-old has in a candy store, Peyton skipped into her bedroom with Brooke moping behind.

"What has you so excited?" the usually bubbly of the two asked.

"Oh nothing," Peyton sing-songed. She started tossing clothes from the closet onto the bed trying to find a suitable outfit for her night with Jake. Maybe that was what had her in a ridiculously giddy mood. Things hadn't been exceptionally well with them, what with Jenny's passing and "Rachoe's" return. But somehow they managed to get past it all. Finally they were going to have a romantic night together, the first in months.

"Whatever, just make sure you're not home tonight. I've got some big plans for Luke and me." Brooke and Lucas, although not as troubled as Peyton and Jake, shared their ups and downs as well. Brooke's selfishness about her relationship put a damper on things for a while but like with everything else, things had gotten better.

"Deal," Peyton muttered, slipping on a low cut shirt. "I'm out; see ya." She scooped up her purse and ran out the door. As she scrambled down the stairs, Lucas was making his way up and the two collided. Contents of her bag poured everywhere.

"Peyton!" Luke said, shocked. "I'm sorry, let me help." He bent over in a futile attempt to pick up various lip glosses, hair ties, and other feminine needs.

"No, let me." Peyton's breath was short and afraid. She couldn't let Lucas see what she had in that bag. Shoving him out of her way, she grabbed most of what had fallen. "Thanks; see you later Luke!" Peyton resituated her bag and quickly got to her car, hitting the gas as hard as possible.

"Wait!" Luke yelled from the steps. "You forgot…" He bent over and picked up a birth control pill container. "This." With a shake, he realized not only that she had forgotten the pill, but that it didn't matter anyway because the case was empty.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Peyton, what's up?"

"Nothing, how about you?"

"Peyton…"

"I just bumped into Luke, that's all."

"Oh, I could see why that'd be a little, ya know, much."

"I know. God, I feel like a fool. I better fix myself up."

"Nah, it's fine. You'll probably just get real sweaty and dirty soon anyway." With a gentle push, Tony Battle dropped Peyton on the bed. After a moment of silence, the friends burst out laughing.

"My God, what if Jake came in one day when we were doing this?" Peyton cracked up. Since freshman year Tony and her had been great friends. (Talk about relief when Jake moved in with him instead of someone else like Mike.) The two talked about anything and everything. Besides Brooke, Tony was the only one who knew about her and Lucas. As close as Peyton was with Haley, Nathan, or even Bevin, she trusted almost no one with this type of information as much as she trusted Tony.

"Then we'd so be busted. I'd end up like Mike!" Tony fake gasped and started to wildly tickle his pal.

"Tony stop!" Peyton giggled. She curled into a tiny ball as tears started coming. Never did she have as much fun as when she was with Tony.

"Peyton?"

"Jake!" Peyton scrambled to fix her shirt and wipe the smirk off her face. Even though Jake knew the two were just friends, she could never help but think he was somehow jealous of Tony.

"Yo man," Tony said as he stood up to man hug Jake. "Take good care of her. She's a real special one alright." Jake put on an angry frown when Tony raised his eyebrows looking at Peyton.

"See ya later babe." He walked over to her and pecked her cheek before creeping out of the dorm.

Peyton held in her laughter. Seeing Jake jealous was almost as funny as the time Tony and her pretended to have sex on Bevin and Skills's bed the year before.

"What?" she demanded when Jake wouldn't let his guard down.

"Nothing," Jake whispered with attitude as he grabbed his car keys.

"Jake-"

"No Peyton, you don't get to explain."

"And that's because…?"

"Because," he sighed. "I have to."

"What?"

"I've been seeing someone."

Peyton stumbled backwards, almost thumping her head on the wall.

"How dare you! It's Rachel; I knew it! She never left! She's probably hiding under your bed right now. Damn you!"

"No, you don't understand!"

"Like hell I don't!"

"Therapist."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm seeing a therapist."

"Jake, why?" Peyton asked in a much more soothing voice than the one she had been using.

"This year screwed me up pretty bad so far. I know you're always there for me but sometimes it's just good to get it all out to an impartial party. You know what I mean?"

Peyton thought back to all the pod casts she made in high school.

"Of course I do. I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine. It does hurt though that you'd think for a second I was actually dating someone else."

"I know, God. I can't believe I said that," Peyton shrugged. "Am I forgiven?" She stepped closer to Jake and talked in a husky voice.

"Only if you promise to sleep over…?"

"Anything for you Mr. Jagielski."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

A clinking noise echoed through the kitchen as Nathan chucked a beer bottle into the sink. Surprisingly enough, it didn't break. None of the six had. Nathan stumbled to the couch, out of beers. Where the shit is my wife? Nathan wondered to himself. It was almost ten at night and the most contact he had with her was a voice mail saying she would be back as soon as she could.

A slight knock on the door was followed by a mousy voice.

"Honey, I forgot my key. Can you let me in?"

Nathan slipped out of his unconscious daze and made his way clumsily to the door.

"Well hello there my beautiful," he slurred, picking her up then dropping her right back down.

"Nathan," Haley said as she covered her nose. "Have you been drinking?"

"Who, me? Hell nah. Nathan Scott only drinks cocoa in the winter. So warm and nice and cozy and sweet and loveable. Like you." Nathan slipped his sweaty hands onto Haley's waist.

"Nathan, stop it," she begged. "Go take a nice shower, drink some coffee, and go to bed." She stormed her way into the apartment.

"I told you Helly, I only drink cocoa." His eyes went wide as he fell to the ground. "Woopsy daisy!" He shook it off and cracked up as he stood, only to fall again.

"What did you just call me?" Haley hissed.

"Helly, because you from hell." Nathan swooshed his head around in a way Will Smith would have back in his Fresh Prince days.

"I'll let this slide for now. Get to bed."

"Make me cocoa."

"Nathan," Haley pleaded. "Please get to bed. We'll talk in the morning." Haley made her way to the sink, prepared to clean up whatever mess her husband made while she was out but not ready at all for the shock she got.

"Nathan! Six bottles? You're kidding me right?"

"Cocoa!" Nathan cried like a child.

"Shut up now! Get to bed before I have to call the emergency room!" Usually kindhearted Haley exploded when Nathan hurled the television remote towards her head, missing by inches.

"Make me cocoa now!" he demanded.

"Nathan! Shut the hell up right now! You got yourself so goddamned wasted and I'm not about to put up with this! I have no idea why you felt the need to get drunk tonight but whatever it was can be forgotten now. Get to freaking bed or you'll be sorry!" Haley quickly turned her back to Nathan and began cleaning out the sink.

"No," Nathan whispered as he picked up a flower vase from the end table. "You'll be sorry." With one swift motion, the vase went hurdling silently through the air. A horrific cracking noise penetrated through Nathan's ears although to anyone else it would have been impertinent. Haley's limp body fell to the ground in a puddle of blood and everything went black.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN : I just hope I wake up tomorrow in one piece and not in a box going out of the country courtesy of Naley fans. I'll pray for myself tonight.