Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

Author's Note: I changed my mind about the direction I wanted this chapter to go in about halfway through it. As a result, this chapter got cut in half and the next chapter will be the second half of the original of this one. So... enjoy.

Author's Note 2: I was kind of surprised at the amount of response the last chapter had. I wasn't expecting everyone to get that enthusastic over everything. Not that I mind... it was great to get that kind of response. So, I hope you will continue through the next few chapters.

Broken Hearts and Healing Minds

Chapter 33

Haley walked out of the crowded bathroom, crossing her arms uncomfortably over her chest. She couldn't believe the nerve of some of the people at the party, just doing it on every available surface. It was creepy as hell and wrong. Did anyone have any respect for privacy around here?

She saw Peyton sitting by herself on one of the empty couches, looking as though she had just been kicked in the stomach. Knowing that Peyton hadn't been in the best of moods lately because of her father's return, Haley decided to talk to her friend.

"Hey," Peyton said softly as Haley sat down next to her. "You don't want to be around me right now. I screw up everything I touch."

"What happened now?" Haley asked. She winced inwardly at the stench of alcohol on her friend's breath.

"I made out with Gary on the couch," Peyton said. "And Lucas watched."

"Are you crazy?" Haley demanded not bothering to keep her voice low. There was too much ruckus going on to worry about anyone listening in.

"Yeah," Peyton said honestly. "And lonely and pissed and drunk. I screwed up big time and it was all because I was jealous."

"Of what?" Haley asked in shock.

"Of the way Lucas shows affection to everyone but me in public," Peyton said. "Of how my dad is leaving me again and he has the power to get out of this hellhole of a town whenever he wants. Of Lucas in general for being strong and handsome and smart, even when he has everything thrown at him at once. I'm just jealous and sick of feeling like this and I know, I'm sounding like a whiny brat right now, but I can't help it."

"You are sounding like a whiny brat," Haley said. "And you're acting like a spoiled one. How could you do those things to Lucas? He has forgiven you for everything you have ever done and believe me, you have done a lot of shit that he should never have forgiven you for. He has been through so much and now you tell me that he has to watch you make out with Greg at some dumb party?"

"I just wanted him to show some emotion in public," Peyton muttered. "Do you know what it's like to be completely in love with someone and think that they're completely in love with you only to watch them make out with someone else?"

"What are you talking about?" Haley asked. "I thought you were the one making kissy faces with Gordon."

"I think it was Grayson," Peyton said. "And I was in the process of punching the jack ass's face in when I turned around and found Lucas lip locked with that damn new redhead, Rori or something like that."

"I think her name is Rachel," Haley said.

"Whatever, Hales," Peyton said coldly. "It doesn't matter."

"So you started kissing someone who is not Lucas to make Lucas jealous only to realize that someone else was already kissing Lucas because you weren't?" Haley asked trying to make sense of the jumbled mess her friend was in.

"Something like that," Peyton said hiccupping. "And now, I'm by myself at some lame ass party without a ride home because Lucas left a little while ago, Stephen's drunk and somewhere with Brooke, and I can't find Nathan anywhere."

"I think he left with Lucas an hour ago," Haley said. "C'mon, I'll take you home."

"No," Peyton said petulantly. "I don't want to go back to the apartment like this. Hell, I don't really want to go back to the apartment at all."

"Then go back home," Haley suggested. "Your dad's away, isn't he?"

"No," Peyton said. "He came back only to tell me that he's leaving again tomorrow. Today. It's like two o'clock in the morning, isn't it?"

"It's actually midnight," Haley told her. "But that's not the point. You could always come back to Brooke's apartment if you want."

"Don't you live there too?" Peyton inquired her green eyes looking at Haley slightly out of focus.

"Brooke's off with Stephen at the moment," Haley said with a slight grimace. She didn't even want to know what those two were doing.

"Oh," Peyton said tiredly yawning. "If you promise not to tell anyone where I am, then sure. I want to die in peace."

"Fair enough," Haley said with a slight chuckle. She knew there was nothing humorous about this situation in any way, but dark humor was better than none at all. "C'mon, I'll drive you. Anything else that I might need to know?"

"I might have told Nathan that you're screwing Tyler," Peyton murmured as she stumbled to her feet.

"Well, that's just lovely," Haley said sarcastically. "Remind me to punch you when you're done feeling sorry for yourself."

Brooke reluctantly pulled away from Stephen and smiled sheepishly. She was glad that they were getting along, but she knew that she didn't want to go all the way tonight as well. It seemed like Stephen wanted that, but he didn't protest as she moved a few inches away from him.

"Everything okay?" he asked in a husky whisper.

"Yeah," Brooke said with a soft smile. "Let's just not ruin this, okay? We just got back together and no offense, but you kind of smell."

Stephen let out a groan as she chucked.

"You and Lucas are crazy," he said. "I took a shower this morning."

"Kill anyone after that shower?" Brooke asked teasingly.

"I might have," Stephen said his eyes twinkling. "Or I might have gone to see my sister."

"Oh, way to put my foot in my mouth," Brooke said smacking herself on the forehead. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I'm trying to move on," Stephen said. "And I was enjoying spending time with my girlfriend who I love very much."

"Did you just say that you love me?" Brooke asked shocked. She knew that she was very much in love with him, but hadn't realized that he felt the same.

"I said I love you very much," Stephen corrected leaning in to kiss her. "And you know me. I don't lie."

"You lie to Lucas all the time," Brooke pointed out. "You told him that his headache was caused by stress."

"Lucas lies to himself and he knows as well as I do that his headache is caused by something more," Stephen said. "But let's not talk about him, okay? Tonight is just about me and you."

"Just how many drinks did you have tonight?" Brooke teased. "You are never like this."

"One or two. Why? You like it?" Stephen asked.

"Maybe," Brooke murmured as she pressed her lips to his. "Maybe I love it. Maybe I love you."

"Well, if that's the case, then let's run away together," Stephen said.

Brooke stared at him for a moment before she realized that he was joking. She smirked and kissed him again.

"I might just take you up on that offer," she warned him. "But not tonight."

"Why not?" Stephen challenged.

"Because we just got back together, for one, after you had a mini meltdown," Brooke said. "And I'm not ready to get married yet. We haven't even graduated high school, Stephen!"

"I never said anything about marriage," Stephen muttered kissing her again. "I just want to get out of Tree Hill."

"Tree Hill is my home," Brooke said softly. "For better or for worse, I love it here."

"God, you sound like you're married to this place!" Stephen said teasingly. "But I guess I'll stick around for this beautiful brunette I met at the party."

"Oh?" Brooke asked in mock jealousy. "Pretty brunette?"

"Well, actually she was drop dead stunning," Stephen said. "She wore this sexy dark green tank top with a black leather jacket and a pair of blue jeans. Her beautiful hair, that barely reached her shoulders, was curled slightly and she wore just enough eye make-up to make her beautiful hazel eyes pop."

"Mhmm," Brooke murmured. "Keep going."

Stephen chuckled before kissing her forehead.

"I love you, Brooke Davis," he whispered.

"I love you too, Stephen Burns," Brooke said.

Lucas cradled his head in his hands while sitting on the river court picnic table. He felt like absolute shit and the fact that he had caught Nathan with a syringe in his pocket didn't help. Lucas had boldly ran away rather than confronting Nathan at the party, deciding that was one fight he did not want to have in public.

Footsteps on the hard tarmac made Lucas grudgingly look up. He didn't want to talk to anyone, not when he was feeling this miserable, but he also wanted to make sure it wasn't some moron with a knife coming to do away with him either.

"Hey," Nathan said quietly as he sat down next to Lucas on the picnic table. "Everything okay? I saw you cut out of the party early."

Lucas stared at him in disbelief, that stare turning into a withering glare as he realized that Nathan still had the syringe in his pocket.

"Luke?" Nathan prompted.

Lucas stood up, pulled the syringe out of Nathan's pocket and threw it down on the table.

"No, Nathan," he said coldly. "Everything is not okay."

Nathan looked astonished as his eyes went from the vial to Lucas and back again. His mouth opened as he attempted to formulate a reply.

"Luke," he began.

"I don't know which is worse," Lucas said in a dangerously soft voice. "The fact that you used again after you swore to me that you were never going to again or the fact that you have the balls to look surprised that I found out."

"Lucas," Nathan tried to interrupt.

"I thought I could trust you, Nate," Lucas said shaking his head. "I honestly thought I could. But I guess I was wrong."

He stood up and made to leave. Nathan's voice called him back.

"I have never seen this before," the younger Scott said practically shaking with anger. "And I don't know what the hell is going on here, but you have to believe me. I would never go back to using those drugs again."

"Really?" Lucas scoffed. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you already have."

"Lucas," Nathan protested.

"It's the same cycle as last time, Nathan," Lucas said. "You got upset because you saw Haley and Tyler talking on the quad. You don't talk to anyone about it and then I find you a few hours later surrounded by stoners and Greenberg, the guy who was good friends with Ryan by the way, and now you come here. You're either high or drunk and because of the syringe in your pocket, I'm inclined to say you're high. And I'm getting the hell out of here before history can completely repeat itself and I wind up in the hospital because you nearly kill me."

"Keep talking like that and I will nearly kill you," Nathan threatened. "Honestly, I thought I was the smart one! I am not using, Lucas. What do I have to do to prove that to you?"

"Clean up your act, for one," Lucas said. "Hanging out with known stoners isn't exactly the brightest of ideas."

"I was in there looking for you," Nathan retorted.

"And you honestly think that I would be in there?" Lucas demanded. "I am a moron."

"Yeah, you are," Nathan shot back. "And I had just stepped in there when those guys, Greenberg and a few of the other ones, started telling me that I should take something. I told them to back the hell off."

"Give me one good reason why I should believe you," Lucas said coldly.

"Because I'm your brother," Nathan said.

"That's not good enough," Lucas said. "If you want me to trust you again, then prove to me you're not using."

With that, he turned and walked away.