Chapter 2

The tiled walls of the high school hallway were a dreary and drab gray. The lockers where a bright red, which made out school resemble the inside of a fire station. All we needed were some poles to slide down. The floor, I could tell by the slipping of my shoes, was newly waxed.

Several students roamed the halls searching for something to do or someone to talk to. As I came around a corner, I spotted someone I knew. It was tutor girl. She was carrying on a conversation with someone. I couldn't see who it was because they were standing in the doorway of Mr. Thomas' classroom. I walked closer.

"Hannah," I called out. She turned around. The person she was talking to disappeared.

"What ya' doin' out of class? Little early to be tutoring isn't it? After school projects usually don't start until after school, right?"

"It's Haley. Not Hannah." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I was just talking to a friend."

Looking up from my purse, I managed to say, "Oh, right, aren't they all?" I grabbed a Stila lip gloss out of my bag and applied it. My lips puckered together, then released. "Well, Helen, I should probably go to class." I turned to walk away and then once more looked in her direction, "Have a nice day." I waved back to her.

I rolled my eyes and went to the main office. I crossed my fingers hoping that my receptionist of choice would be working today. She was. Mrs. Howard, a clueless old lady, no older than sixty, no younger that fifty- five. She ate everything out of the palm of my hand.

"Mrs. Howard," I called out, walking into the office, "You look marvelous today. Did you get some sun this weekend?" My hands were placed on the desk across from here. I picked at my index finger nail. "Damn," I thought to myself. "I need another manicure already."

She blushed and reached into a drawer for an admit slip. "As a matter of fact, Mr. Howard and I took the boys to the beach this weekend. They really enjoyed it. They built sandcastles, played volleyb..."

She continued. I zoned her out. Daniel Howard. One of my favorite guys in all of Tree Hill. He was a senior at one of the rival high schools, Pinkerton. He was a leading scorer on and off the court. A definite player in my book. I didn't mind. I actually really enjoyed him. He was... good and we'll leave it at that.

"Well Mrs. H, that sounds like an excellent weekend." She nodded and started to write my admission slip for my first period class. "You know my mother would have called in, but they are in Florence for the month. Just a vacation. You know how they are and I was sick this morning. I couldn't get myself to get up and call..."

"I understand Brooke. I will give you an excused tardy because I am sure you wouldn't fib to me." She winked at me and I gave her a smile back.

"Thank you Mrs. Howard." I took the admit slip and hurried out of the office. "I really owe you one."

Once I was out of the sight of the office ladies I said to myself, "I'm sure you wouldn't fib to me." I gagged and stuck my finger down my throat.

"Shouldn't you save that for after lunch?" I heard a familiar voice say. I turn and saw Lucas Scott right behind me. His skin was perfectly tanned and his eyes were the exact color of his ice blue UNC tee shirt. He slowly put his hands into his back pockets.

I smiled, looked down, bit my lip, and slowly looked up. I ran my fingers through my hair. "Lucas, Lucas. You think you know me so well. I never realized how predictable I was."

"You're not." He walked closer to me. We both stopped at the water fountain. I placed my hand on his shoulder. "People might think you are, but you aren't."

I shook my head and said, "Everyone thinks they know me. No one really does." My hair fell to my face when I leaned over the water fountain. Lucas held my hair. When I leaned back up I said, "Hmm. You've never held my hair before have you?"

He laughed. "Last time was over a ... toilet or maybe in Nathan's front yard."

"Same difference." I shrugged my shoulder and looked at my watch. "Shit, I better get to class." I stood on my toes and kissed him on the cheek. It wasn't even a kiss. My lips were on his cheek. There was no kiss to it.

"Okay, I'll see you..." I was walking to class at a steady pace by the time Lucas spoke. I waved to him.

My hand reached for the doorknob to enter the classroom. When I walked in my English teacher didn't even notice I walked in. I placed the slip on her desk and went to my regular seat behind Peyton. I tapped her on the shoulder and whispered, "Tutor girl was talking to some dude in the hall." Peyton slowly turned around, making sure the teacher didn't see. She looked intrigued. "It was outside of Nathan's class." I leaned back in my seat. "So I don't know." I shrugged my shoulders.

Peyton turned around right as Mr. Landon turned around. "Well if it isn't the infamous Miss Davis. How nice of you to grace us with your presence. I know how difficult it is to get up in the morning after a hard weekend of partying, but please... the rest of the week," He tapped his watch, "On time."

I spoke up and leaned forward in my seat, "Now Mr. Landon, you know that I party really, really hard on the weekend so that I and sort of burned out for the week. But by about Wednesday..."

Peyton interrupted me, "She will be here right on time the rest of the week." She looked back at me, with a stern face. "I will make sure of it."

He nodded and continued on with the class. "Brooke, why the hell would you tell a teacher you party really, really hard on the weekend and then on Wednesday you party again?"

"Oh come on Peyton," I put the end of my pen into my mouth, "Like everyone in this school doesn't know my party schedule." I crossed my arms across my chest. "Oh hey!" I whispered, loudly leaning forward in my seat once more.

"What?" She asked, not even turning around. I poked her on the back of the neck with my pen. "Jesus. What?" She turned around.

"Look at me when I am talking to you, damnit."

She rolled her eyes and turned forward in her seat, "You must be joking Princess Brooke." I poked her on the neck once more. "Damnit." She grabbed the pen out of my hand.

"I was joking." I took the pen back from her, "But as I was saying, I saw Lucas out there..."

Peyton shook her head, "Oh shit Brooke, what have I told you? It was a one time thing. You liked him, I like him... fuck Rosie O'Donnell would like Lucas Scott and she is a married lesbian."

"Whatever!" I said. "Listen, stop talking to me. I need to pay attention."

"You were the one talking..."

"Peyton," My shoulders dropped and I pointed my finger in her face, "What did I say? How easily you forget. What Brooke says, Brooke gets."

"Right, right what was I thinking?"

I tapped her on the head, "Obviously not about my best interest. I'm not as smart as you in English Peyton I have to study..."

She quickly turned around, "Then study! Don't talk."

I nodded my head, once. "Right. No talk." I "zipped" my mouth shut and didn't talk for the rest of the class. But once class was over, Peyton was listening to every damn thing I had to say.