Chapter 16: "And I tried so hard to reach you"
"So you are telling us that you guys are just going to take a trip to California?" Nathan said as he looked up at Peyton and Haley who stood in front of he Jake, and Luke.
"Yup." Peyton said. "We need to get away for awhile."
"How long is awhile?" Jake asked raising her eyebrow.
"Oh don't freak out. No longer than four days. The tests should be done by the time we get back." Peyton explained. "We can all see the results together."
Haley had not said much, she just looked at her husband who wondered what she was thinking.
"Well then, tomorrow we will give you a ride to the airport."
~ The next morning the girls were on their way to San Francisco where they found out Brooke's most recent residence had been. The guys thought honestly the girls were just trying to get away. They didn't know their true motives.
"I was thinking that you could stay down here with me while th e girls are out." Luke said to Nathan as he flipped a pan cake. He was making Spencer, Jenny, and Logan breakfast.
Since Spencer moved to New York he and Jenny had been practically inseparable.
"Why is that?" Nathan asked as a crash came from Spencers room.
"WE'RE OKAY!" Jenny and Spencer both called out at the same time.
"Well, it's more likely than not you're Logans father, where timing and everything is concerned. I mean, I am almost ruled out." Luke said
Nathan took a second and thought.
"What does that have to do with me staying over?" Nathan said with a mouth full of eggs.
"Well, I mean if she is yours you want to have some practice right?" Lucas suggested.
Nathan thought fro a moment and then nodded.
"I don't think shes mine but theres nothing wrong with me hanging here while the girls are out." He said simply
"I hate to break up the conversation," Jake said entering the kitchen holding Jenny by the back of her overalls, and Spencer by the wrist. "but if we do not entertain these children soon they are going to tear down the entire apartment complex.
"Well where do you guys want to go?" Lucas asked the two trouble making children.
"Canada!" Spencer said. He had no idea what a Canada was but it sounded fun.
"Anywhere else?" Lucas asked
"Um… FLORDIA!" Jenny said jumping up and down.
"ANYWHERE ELSE?" Lucas asked
The two looked at each other. Spencer whispered something in Jennys ear. Jenny's eyes sparkled as she smiled up at the men.
"Spencer and I want to go to the zoo." Jenny said
Jake, Nathan, and Jake exchanged glances.
"It's just the zoo." Nathan said
"Yeah, how much harm can they do?" Lucas asked
"You have no idea." He said dropping Jenny who he still held by the overalls. "Let's head out and you guys can get a real taste of what it is like to be a single father."
"Alright." Nathan said standing up.
"Wait!" Jake said "We have to pack lunch first."
"Why?" Lucas asked picking up Logan who had wondered over to him
"Do you know how much food in those places costs? Besides, these kids stomachs are like black holes."
Jake, Luke, and Nathan spent the next half hour filling a cooler up with Arthur juice boxes, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cookies, crackers, carrots, and celery. They also packed some apples, and a banana or two. They were ready.
~ San Francisco
Peyton looked down on the address on the piece of paper in front of her.
"Adult Works Studio." Haley read on the outside of the building.
"I cannot believe Brooke works here." Peyton said thinking back to her best friend in high school.
"I can." Haley said knocking
A greasy man with shaggy facial hair opened the door.
"Yeah?" He said, they didn't respond. "Y'all here for a job interview." He asked
"Um, no." Peyton spoke up, "we are actually looking for Brooke Davis."
"She ain't here." They guy said about to close the door but Haley stuck her foot in.
"It's important. We need to talk to Brooke Davis."
The guy looked Haley and Peyton up and down…
"Hol' on." He said shutting the door. Seconds later another man opened the door.
"Follow me." He said.
Peyton and Haley walked through the different set, with people being filmed fornicating all around them, to a back room.
"Make it quick, she is going on in 15 minutes." He said to them.
They nodded as the man, almost like a bouncer left.
"Should we knock?" Haley wondered.
"No." Peyton said pushing open the door.
"AAAAAHHH!!" Brooke screamed. "Oh god you scared the hell out of me!" She said angrily.
Brooke was dressed solely in skimpy lingerie, and was covered in whorish make-up. She grabbed a robe to cover herself.
"Peyton, tutor girl, why are you here?"
~ New York
"I'm tired." Jenny said as she dragged along in the zoo
"Well you wanted to come here!" Jake said tossing his young daughter one his shoulders
The kids little legs tired out easily. Lucas already had Spencer on his back.
"I got the easy one." Nathan said grinning. He was in charge of pushing Logans stroller.
"This will be you one day." Luke said
"I'm hungry!" Spencer told his father.
"I'm pretty hungry too, you guys want to take a break and sit and eat?" Luke asked
"Yeah." Jake said.
15 minutes later they had finally found a picnic table.
"Great." Nathan said rubbing his hands together. "Who has the cooler?"
"You do!" Lucas said not bothering to look at his brother, he had to make sure that Spencer didn't take a trip to see the penguins again.
"No! I gave it to Jake!"
Both guys looked at Jake
"You never gave me the cooler!" Jake said holding both hands up.
"Yea, I told you to grab it out of the back of the car it was next to Logans car seat." Nathan said.
"Daddy I'm hungry!" Jenny said pulling at Jakes shorts. He picked her up.
"Let's just go to see if they will let us out to get the cooler." Lucas suggested
" They are not going to let us out and then back in." Jake said
"Maybe they will." Nathan said heading off with Logans stroller.
Jake and Luke looked at each other before snatching up one anothers children and jogging after Nathan. By the time that they reached him he was already arguing with the guard.
"What the hell kind of place is this! Look the kids are hungry!"
"I understand sir but-" The guard said reasonably when Nathan shoved him against a wall.
"NATE!" Lucas and Jake both yelled as they went to pry Nathan off of the guard….
Needless to say the group was escorted out of the park, and asked not to return. Nathan was lucky the guard did not want to press assault charges.
~ San Francisco
"Logan, we need to know who her father is." Peyton said.
Brooke pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"What do you mean who her father is? I told you her father is Luke?"
"Are you sure because we're not." Haley said
"Oh look, tutor girl's got balls." Brooke said turning to face the wall.
"NO IT'S YOU THAT'S GOT THE BALLS BROOKE!" Haley said stepping closer to Brooke. Peytons eyes about jumped out of the sockets
"Look Brooke, we just need the truth." Peyton said holding Haley by the arm to make sure that she didn't lunge for Brookes throat.
"What is it to you?" Brooke said as someone knocked on her door.
"BROOKE! We need you out here now! You're on in 5!" The mans voice said.
"I've gotta go." Brooke said heading towards the door.
"Not until we have answers." Peyton warned her
"You will get them… I will be back in twenty minutes."
"So what you expect us to wait around while you get screwed!"
"Haley!!!" Peyton warned her
"If you want answers that bad you'll be here when I get back tutor girl." Brooke said heading out.
"I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!" Haley yelled.
"Calm down, I am going to go find a vending machine to grab us some drinks at. What do you want?"
Haley didn't answer, she just paced around the room.
"Right, anything as long as it doesn't have caffeine." Peyton said leaving
~ New York
Spencer and Jenny sat on the hood of the car in the parking lot. Both of their faces were covered with peanut butter and jelly. Spencer and Jenny were grinning from ear to ear. Jennys pig tails hung lop-sided. Jake held Logan on his lap, legs turned out of the car sitting in the passengers seat, while Lucas and Nathan sat on the hot pavement in front of them.
"I still don't get what was up with the outburst man." Jake said feeding Logan her bottle.
"At least the kids don't seem too torn up about it." Lucas said looking up at the kids who were currently rubbing peanut butter and jelly in one anothers hair.
"DAD! I'm done!!!!!!!" Spencer yelled.
The six piled back into the car and headed back… they were only about a few miles down the road when they heard a "POP".
"Oh great." Lucas said banging his head on the steering wheel.