Still don't One Tree Hill. (damnit)
"Henry, Henry wake up." Peyton giggled as she shook Nathan's shoulders. Why was she calling him Henry? "Henry, c'mon, we're going to be late for Kelly's party. Remember what she did last time. Vamos Henry, we've got to go!" Why was she talking with a British accent? Peyton shook Nathan's shoulders again and Nathan opened his eyes. He was in his dark room, staring at the ceiling. Peyton wasn't here. No one was here but him and Cat. What was she doing?
He rolled over and saw her lying on the floor; giggling then suddenly she stopped and looked scared. Nathan began to watch with interest, a small smile growing on his lips. She rolled over and began to lightly snore. After five minutes, Nathan figured she had settled back into normal sleep, and he himself rolled over and went to sleep. In another dream, him and Lucas were sneaking out of his dad's house and he thought he heard a window opening. He wondered if it was real when he woke up in alarm. But checking the window quickly, Nathan saw he had nothing to worry about and went back to sleep again.
"So as you can see, the quadratic formula for finding out what beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep..." Why was Mr. Orson emitting sounds like her alarm clock? Haley wondered, finally opening her dreams from what might qualify as a nightmare. Having to relive physics all over again? I don't think so.
Haley sleepily rolled over and pressed the snooze on her alarm clock, then thinking about it, just turned it off and rolled out of bed. Thinking about Nathan got her through brushing hair and teeth, taking a shower, brushing her hair and eating minimal breakfast. She wanted to get out of the house and fast. All she could think about was seeing Nathan. She had an hour before school started, and she knew Nathan liked being up early. She practically ran to the bus stop and prayed that the bus driver would go faster to get to his apartment building.
Haley had something very important to tell him.
Brooke was dancing on a bar as she ran her fingers through her luxurious hair. She was shaking it for all she was worth and Lucas just couldn't tear his eyes away. She stripped off her shirt and threw it at Lucas, so that it landed on his shoulder. She winked and the crowd went wild. Mouth hanging open, Lucas wordlessly asked for more as he watched that black lacy bra move back and forth as she wiggled herself around on stage.
Finally the grand finale. She went to the pole and really began to shimmy. Turning to Lucas, she opened her mouth in a sexy manner and said, "Lucas," in his mother's voice. "Luke it's time to wake up."
He opened his eyes and looked around his room. Weird dream. Not that he was complaining. But he wasn't so sure he wanted it to be Brooke up there. He kind of thought of a certain girl with the most adorable smile in the world. But no one could know about that. Especially not her. He pulled a shirt over his head and decided to drop by her locker at school today. Maybe a quick note to brighten her day would be good. Just a little something to fall out at her that she could look at and smile.
Lucas was talking in phone ring sounds. No he wasn't, Peyton realized as she reached over for the phone. What she had mistaken for phone sobs in her dream where Lucas was crying about Nathan being hit by a car (wonder why she dreamed that?), were, in fact, actual phone rings. She put the white receiver to her ear, bracing herself for the sound of the elusive girl's voice. She'd been getting weird phone calls from a really creepy girl who told her she should never have tried to steal her man, that her guy was too good for her and that Peyton should crawl up in a corner and die.
"Hello?" Peyton asked, the dread already building in her voice.
"You deserve to die Peyton," the girl said. "You think that by coming into a guy's life and 'helping him through something' you can just become his girlfriend. But let me tell you, if you try anything with that guy, I will personally chop you into a thousand little tiny pieces and mail them to your father.
"I'd mail them to your mother, but apparently she ran herself into a car not wanting to have to deal with you anymore." Click. A sob hitched in Peyton's throat. As if she hadn't had that very thought a million times. And why did Brooke have to keep calling and saying these horrid things to her on the phone? Did she really hate her that much for making out with Lucas? Peyton had thought a truce was something where both sides stopped for a while.
She leaned back against her pillows and reminisced about she and Brooke had once become friends in the first place.
Nathan walked over to the window to look out at the sunny day. He knew it would be partially blocked by the huge tree outside his window, but he still wanted to see the sun shining through the leaves. He wondered absently if Haley might show up. He hoped so. Seeing her first thing in the morning really made his day. He also wondered what she'd make of his new roommie.
Speaking of new roommies, his current one was sleeping on a tree branch. That's right. One arm was bent and her hand was pressed to her cheek. Her sheath of long blond hair was spilling over her shoulders and hanging straight. Both legs were straddled over the sides like she thought she was riding a horse. He had to get her inside, but how to wake her up without startling her? Think, think, think, but think fast.
She was once again riding in her Ferrari. It was a great day outside. The sun was shining in her golden hair and she was smiling broadly. Nothing could go wrong. Well, Henry coming over with her father being the way he was might, but she thought he had the sense to stay away when she told him to. She had shown him the mark that guy had made the other night with the -
"Cat."
That one word immediately startled Catherine out of her dream.
"Cat don't move. You're in a tree."
Catherine decided to listen to whoever was talking. Her vision was still blurry and she was aware of being in great pain. Her legs hurt, her hips hurt, her right arm hurt, and for some odd reason, so did her head.
"Cat, wake up but don't move too fast or you'll fall."
Catherine slowly sat up, sending pain up and down her legs. She winced, which cleared up her vision a little better. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. Looking around, she realized the voice was right. She was in a tree. She was up a creek without a paddle. (Weird thoughts could go through Cat's mind when they were all muddled around from strange sleep). For some reason, this seemed hilariously funny. Catherine started giggling uncontrollably. There was nothing she could do. She had to wake up and get out of the tree, but that creek thing without a paddle that was funnier than the man with no legs joke! Concentrate! She told herself.
Then, Catherine made the biggest mistake she could make. She looked down. All of a sudden, the ground began going up and down, up and down, swirling around like the giant teacups at Disneyland. Faster, and faster, and faster she was slung about, all the while holding to the tree branch so hard, the bark of the tree cut her hands. The ground came up and went down, came up and went down, giving Catherine such a motion sickness, she wasn't sure she'd make it to the bathroom before barfing. That was when she made her second mistake. Admitting to herself that she was afraid of heights. (She had kind of guessed, but had never really put it to the test like this).
"C'mon Cat," Nathan called out to her. His voice sounded so far away! It was like she was at one end of a swirling and maddening tunnel, while he was on the other, sane side. He was asking her to join the land of sanity, but for her that was now impossible. The grass came so close, she believed if she reached out she could touch it. Then it sickeningly dropped to the bottom of the earth, crushing Antarctica and the rest of the continents underneath America. Then again it came up and began to swirl again.
Catherine started to inch forward, the last sane part of her mind reminding her she did have to get through the tunnel - oops, window - or else the madness would never stop. Centimeter, by careful centimeter, Catherine began to scoot forward. One hand in front of the other, grasping the branch and pulling. Her legs scooting over the rough bark and slowly shredding her pretty silk pajama bottoms. She didn't care though. Tears began to streak down her face. Her lower lip trembled.
Crack. Catherine was almost all the way to the window, but still the big heavy branch that had held her weight all through the night was now not going to take it. Catherine slid down a few inches, still holding onto the branch and crying. She knew that if she gave up, there was a very large possibility she could fall and break something. An arm, a leg, her neck. The tears came faster and hotter, blurring her vision so badly; she almost couldn't see the swirling of the ground. But she could sense it. Oh how she could sense it.
Finally the branch just gave out. It fell to the ground. Luckily for Catherine, Nathan's reflexes were quicker than a cat's. He reached out and grabbed her arms, slowly but surely drawing her back into the apartment. With the force of the last yank that got her back to safety, the two of them flew back in and Nathan landed on top. Catherine started to giggle uncontrollably, having just been through a major ordeal. (For her anyway. She was deathly afraid of heights and for good reason you may, or may not find out later in the story! It's a repressed memory, so that should be interesting...) Nathan caught the giggles and the both of them turned their silly giggles into maniacal laughter, Catherine quickly repressing this memory as well and just giving over to laughter. Nathan was laughing so hard; tears were streaming down his cheeks.
Haley pulled into the apartment building's parking lot and killed the engine. She stuck her keys in her pocket and took out the spare key Nathan had given her. She fairly flew up the steps, about the same time Nathan yanked Catherine into the apartment building.
Maybe you could come by the place we used to hang all the time. I don't know, maybe not. It's not like a girl like you wouldn't have plans Friday night, right? I mean, look at you. You're a total social butterfly and now everyone knows it. Just see if maybe you can make it, okay? It would really make my day. I'd like to talk to you about something very important. Lucas
Lucas grinned at the note and stuck it in his jacket pocket, placing the pen back on the coffee table. He grabbed his backpack and slung it on his shoulder, then gave his mom a quick peck on the cheek. He clambered into his car and thought about how great it would be to see the girl of his dreams smile at the note he had stuck in her locker. Not that he would ever tell her how he felt. She was happy with things the way the were now. And it seemed like something was bugging her. Ever since he and Brooke had broken up it seemed like; she had always had something else on her mind. Always had something that made her smile or cry out of no where.
Maybe this note could fix that.
He got to school and stuck the note in through the slots at the top of the locker. (What were those for anyway?) Then he made his way to the library, where he planned on getting his English done.
Her drawing of Jake was quickly crumpled and stuffed in her pocket when she heard the library door open. But it was only Lucas. It wasn't Jake. She was planning on telling Luke about her newest crush factor, but wasn't so sure she should. Maybe she just shouldn't even think about dating for a while. She had gotten with Nathan - big mistake. She had known that from day one. She had gotten, kind of, with Lucas, and that was a big mistake as well. First going behind Nathan's back, then not really sure, then going behind Brooke's back. She didn't want another half-brother love situation going on ever again.
But Jake was so sweet, and he was so nice to her. Maybe it was only because she was so good with Jenny. Maybe Jake only put up with her because she was sort of like a substitute mom since Nikki had run out. But that didn't seem to be a problem anymore. Peyton wondered what would happen if Jake couldn't help himself and got back together with her. She shuddered at the thought and took out a new piece of paper as Lucas sat down at her table.
"What's up?" he asked, the voice she had once loved rolling from his throat.
"Nothing much," she said, as she began a drawing of a broken heart with a dagger plunging through the end of it where it was still together. Right now it looked like a sketch line of a sunrise or something, but soon it'd look like what she wanted it to. She lost herself in her art as Lucas started his homework.
Nathan and Catherine had stopped giggling. Haley walked in and called out for Nathan. Unfortunately for the two of them, they had not heard her. Haley walked farther into the apartment, figuring maybe Nathan - as strange as it may be - had decided to sleep in today. He had been kind of bummed about no one showing up when he put out the roommate search sign and put an ad in the paper.
"Nathan?" she called again, and walked in on Nathan lying on top of another girl. A very pretty girl she had never met before. Was this his way of getting back at her for the party? How many times had she apologized?
"Henry, Henry wake up." Peyton giggled as she shook Nathan's shoulders. Why was she calling him Henry? "Henry, c'mon, we're going to be late for Kelly's party. Remember what she did last time. Vamos Henry, we've got to go!" Why was she talking with a British accent? Peyton shook Nathan's shoulders again and Nathan opened his eyes. He was in his dark room, staring at the ceiling. Peyton wasn't here. No one was here but him and Cat. What was she doing?
He rolled over and saw her lying on the floor; giggling then suddenly she stopped and looked scared. Nathan began to watch with interest, a small smile growing on his lips. She rolled over and began to lightly snore. After five minutes, Nathan figured she had settled back into normal sleep, and he himself rolled over and went to sleep. In another dream, him and Lucas were sneaking out of his dad's house and he thought he heard a window opening. He wondered if it was real when he woke up in alarm. But checking the window quickly, Nathan saw he had nothing to worry about and went back to sleep again.
"So as you can see, the quadratic formula for finding out what beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep..." Why was Mr. Orson emitting sounds like her alarm clock? Haley wondered, finally opening her dreams from what might qualify as a nightmare. Having to relive physics all over again? I don't think so.
Haley sleepily rolled over and pressed the snooze on her alarm clock, then thinking about it, just turned it off and rolled out of bed. Thinking about Nathan got her through brushing hair and teeth, taking a shower, brushing her hair and eating minimal breakfast. She wanted to get out of the house and fast. All she could think about was seeing Nathan. She had an hour before school started, and she knew Nathan liked being up early. She practically ran to the bus stop and prayed that the bus driver would go faster to get to his apartment building.
Haley had something very important to tell him.
Brooke was dancing on a bar as she ran her fingers through her luxurious hair. She was shaking it for all she was worth and Lucas just couldn't tear his eyes away. She stripped off her shirt and threw it at Lucas, so that it landed on his shoulder. She winked and the crowd went wild. Mouth hanging open, Lucas wordlessly asked for more as he watched that black lacy bra move back and forth as she wiggled herself around on stage.
Finally the grand finale. She went to the pole and really began to shimmy. Turning to Lucas, she opened her mouth in a sexy manner and said, "Lucas," in his mother's voice. "Luke it's time to wake up."
He opened his eyes and looked around his room. Weird dream. Not that he was complaining. But he wasn't so sure he wanted it to be Brooke up there. He kind of thought of a certain girl with the most adorable smile in the world. But no one could know about that. Especially not her. He pulled a shirt over his head and decided to drop by her locker at school today. Maybe a quick note to brighten her day would be good. Just a little something to fall out at her that she could look at and smile.
Lucas was talking in phone ring sounds. No he wasn't, Peyton realized as she reached over for the phone. What she had mistaken for phone sobs in her dream where Lucas was crying about Nathan being hit by a car (wonder why she dreamed that?), were, in fact, actual phone rings. She put the white receiver to her ear, bracing herself for the sound of the elusive girl's voice. She'd been getting weird phone calls from a really creepy girl who told her she should never have tried to steal her man, that her guy was too good for her and that Peyton should crawl up in a corner and die.
"Hello?" Peyton asked, the dread already building in her voice.
"You deserve to die Peyton," the girl said. "You think that by coming into a guy's life and 'helping him through something' you can just become his girlfriend. But let me tell you, if you try anything with that guy, I will personally chop you into a thousand little tiny pieces and mail them to your father.
"I'd mail them to your mother, but apparently she ran herself into a car not wanting to have to deal with you anymore." Click. A sob hitched in Peyton's throat. As if she hadn't had that very thought a million times. And why did Brooke have to keep calling and saying these horrid things to her on the phone? Did she really hate her that much for making out with Lucas? Peyton had thought a truce was something where both sides stopped for a while.
She leaned back against her pillows and reminisced about she and Brooke had once become friends in the first place.
Nathan walked over to the window to look out at the sunny day. He knew it would be partially blocked by the huge tree outside his window, but he still wanted to see the sun shining through the leaves. He wondered absently if Haley might show up. He hoped so. Seeing her first thing in the morning really made his day. He also wondered what she'd make of his new roommie.
Speaking of new roommies, his current one was sleeping on a tree branch. That's right. One arm was bent and her hand was pressed to her cheek. Her sheath of long blond hair was spilling over her shoulders and hanging straight. Both legs were straddled over the sides like she thought she was riding a horse. He had to get her inside, but how to wake her up without startling her? Think, think, think, but think fast.
She was once again riding in her Ferrari. It was a great day outside. The sun was shining in her golden hair and she was smiling broadly. Nothing could go wrong. Well, Henry coming over with her father being the way he was might, but she thought he had the sense to stay away when she told him to. She had shown him the mark that guy had made the other night with the -
"Cat."
That one word immediately startled Catherine out of her dream.
"Cat don't move. You're in a tree."
Catherine decided to listen to whoever was talking. Her vision was still blurry and she was aware of being in great pain. Her legs hurt, her hips hurt, her right arm hurt, and for some odd reason, so did her head.
"Cat, wake up but don't move too fast or you'll fall."
Catherine slowly sat up, sending pain up and down her legs. She winced, which cleared up her vision a little better. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. Looking around, she realized the voice was right. She was in a tree. She was up a creek without a paddle. (Weird thoughts could go through Cat's mind when they were all muddled around from strange sleep). For some reason, this seemed hilariously funny. Catherine started giggling uncontrollably. There was nothing she could do. She had to wake up and get out of the tree, but that creek thing without a paddle that was funnier than the man with no legs joke! Concentrate! She told herself.
Then, Catherine made the biggest mistake she could make. She looked down. All of a sudden, the ground began going up and down, up and down, swirling around like the giant teacups at Disneyland. Faster, and faster, and faster she was slung about, all the while holding to the tree branch so hard, the bark of the tree cut her hands. The ground came up and went down, came up and went down, giving Catherine such a motion sickness, she wasn't sure she'd make it to the bathroom before barfing. That was when she made her second mistake. Admitting to herself that she was afraid of heights. (She had kind of guessed, but had never really put it to the test like this).
"C'mon Cat," Nathan called out to her. His voice sounded so far away! It was like she was at one end of a swirling and maddening tunnel, while he was on the other, sane side. He was asking her to join the land of sanity, but for her that was now impossible. The grass came so close, she believed if she reached out she could touch it. Then it sickeningly dropped to the bottom of the earth, crushing Antarctica and the rest of the continents underneath America. Then again it came up and began to swirl again.
Catherine started to inch forward, the last sane part of her mind reminding her she did have to get through the tunnel - oops, window - or else the madness would never stop. Centimeter, by careful centimeter, Catherine began to scoot forward. One hand in front of the other, grasping the branch and pulling. Her legs scooting over the rough bark and slowly shredding her pretty silk pajama bottoms. She didn't care though. Tears began to streak down her face. Her lower lip trembled.
Crack. Catherine was almost all the way to the window, but still the big heavy branch that had held her weight all through the night was now not going to take it. Catherine slid down a few inches, still holding onto the branch and crying. She knew that if she gave up, there was a very large possibility she could fall and break something. An arm, a leg, her neck. The tears came faster and hotter, blurring her vision so badly; she almost couldn't see the swirling of the ground. But she could sense it. Oh how she could sense it.
Finally the branch just gave out. It fell to the ground. Luckily for Catherine, Nathan's reflexes were quicker than a cat's. He reached out and grabbed her arms, slowly but surely drawing her back into the apartment. With the force of the last yank that got her back to safety, the two of them flew back in and Nathan landed on top. Catherine started to giggle uncontrollably, having just been through a major ordeal. (For her anyway. She was deathly afraid of heights and for good reason you may, or may not find out later in the story! It's a repressed memory, so that should be interesting...) Nathan caught the giggles and the both of them turned their silly giggles into maniacal laughter, Catherine quickly repressing this memory as well and just giving over to laughter. Nathan was laughing so hard; tears were streaming down his cheeks.
Haley pulled into the apartment building's parking lot and killed the engine. She stuck her keys in her pocket and took out the spare key Nathan had given her. She fairly flew up the steps, about the same time Nathan yanked Catherine into the apartment building.
Maybe you could come by the place we used to hang all the time. I don't know, maybe not. It's not like a girl like you wouldn't have plans Friday night, right? I mean, look at you. You're a total social butterfly and now everyone knows it. Just see if maybe you can make it, okay? It would really make my day. I'd like to talk to you about something very important. Lucas
Lucas grinned at the note and stuck it in his jacket pocket, placing the pen back on the coffee table. He grabbed his backpack and slung it on his shoulder, then gave his mom a quick peck on the cheek. He clambered into his car and thought about how great it would be to see the girl of his dreams smile at the note he had stuck in her locker. Not that he would ever tell her how he felt. She was happy with things the way the were now. And it seemed like something was bugging her. Ever since he and Brooke had broken up it seemed like; she had always had something else on her mind. Always had something that made her smile or cry out of no where.
Maybe this note could fix that.
He got to school and stuck the note in through the slots at the top of the locker. (What were those for anyway?) Then he made his way to the library, where he planned on getting his English done.
Her drawing of Jake was quickly crumpled and stuffed in her pocket when she heard the library door open. But it was only Lucas. It wasn't Jake. She was planning on telling Luke about her newest crush factor, but wasn't so sure she should. Maybe she just shouldn't even think about dating for a while. She had gotten with Nathan - big mistake. She had known that from day one. She had gotten, kind of, with Lucas, and that was a big mistake as well. First going behind Nathan's back, then not really sure, then going behind Brooke's back. She didn't want another half-brother love situation going on ever again.
But Jake was so sweet, and he was so nice to her. Maybe it was only because she was so good with Jenny. Maybe Jake only put up with her because she was sort of like a substitute mom since Nikki had run out. But that didn't seem to be a problem anymore. Peyton wondered what would happen if Jake couldn't help himself and got back together with her. She shuddered at the thought and took out a new piece of paper as Lucas sat down at her table.
"What's up?" he asked, the voice she had once loved rolling from his throat.
"Nothing much," she said, as she began a drawing of a broken heart with a dagger plunging through the end of it where it was still together. Right now it looked like a sketch line of a sunrise or something, but soon it'd look like what she wanted it to. She lost herself in her art as Lucas started his homework.
Nathan and Catherine had stopped giggling. Haley walked in and called out for Nathan. Unfortunately for the two of them, they had not heard her. Haley walked farther into the apartment, figuring maybe Nathan - as strange as it may be - had decided to sleep in today. He had been kind of bummed about no one showing up when he put out the roommate search sign and put an ad in the paper.
"Nathan?" she called again, and walked in on Nathan lying on top of another girl. A very pretty girl she had never met before. Was this his way of getting back at her for the party? How many times had she apologized?