A/N: Thank to everyone for all your fabulous reviews!! And now on to chapter 2!!

TOXIC

Chapter 2

Around the Bend

Eggs. The smell, the crackling sound they make in a pan, the yellowy puffiness that sticks out at you offensively. It all sounded absolutely revolting to Brooke. In fact the entire concept of ever eating again in this millennia sounded like a decent plan to her at the moment.

She could vaguely make out the noise of somebody in the kitchen making breakfast. The sounds of food being made, was what woke her from her naturally light sleeping pattern. However with the hangover she was now carrying, she wanted to pray a thousands prayers to God of she could just fall back asleep. And forget about her mind numbing stomach and headache.

Brooke tossed over and covered her face with a pillow and waited.

And waited.

And waited some more. Until she finally accepted the sad realization that sleep wasn't going to come.

Begrudgingly she rolled as slow as possible out of bed, threw on an old sweatshirt, went to the bathroom to brush her teeth, and then finally made it into the kitchen.

Haley noticing her friends' disheveled hair, and smeared eye make-up from the night before, when Brooke trudged to the refrigerator.

"Rough night," she asked with a smile.

"Rough morning, more like it," Brooke replied, grabbing a bottled water, and sinking into a nearby chair.

"Want some omelet, I made enough for two," Haley offered, picking her plate up, and wafting the smell in front of the brunette's face.

Brooke repressed the urge to gag and pushed it away sharply. "Do you want to see me puke all over this table?"

"Not particularly."

"Then keep you greasy ass food far away from my face," she grumbled, resting her head on one arm.

"Only if you promise to tell me all the dirty and debaucherous details of your date last night."

"In a nutshell, Frat Boy # 27 was a better kisser than Frat Boy #18, a little bit less entertaining than Frat Boy #13, and a lot less smaller than Frat Boy #5. But all in all not a complete waste," she finished, taking a slow gulp from her water, before screwing the cap back on.

"Another one-nighter then," Haley asked, referring to her friends' usual routine of date 'em-do-'em-and-dump 'em.

"Aren't they all,"she grinned, with heavy lidded eyes.

Haley tried not to judge her friend on her promiscuity, but sometimes couldn't help herself.

"Brooke you do realize you're just like a guy right?"

"So what? If I wanna go out and party, and get laid by pretty college boys, with no strings attached I can. Guys don't deserve to have all the fun ya know."

Haley sighed, and took another bite of her omelet. "I just worry about you I guess."

"Well don't," Brooke said firmly. "Worry about getting yourself some booty and pronto, girlfriend." Brooke snapped her fingers together quickly to emphasize her point.

The ring of their cordless telephone prevented Haley from responding to the insanity that was her roommate. Picking the phone off its cradle Haley pushed on the on button.

"Hello."

"Umm Hi, is Haley James there," a distinctly male voice said from the other end of the receiver.

"This is her," she replied, giving Brooke curious look.

"Oh hi, um this is Brad Shiftly, I'm in your Organic Chemistry class with Professor McCain, remember?"

"Yeah I remember you. What's up Brad?"

Brooke's ears perked up at the name coming from Haley's lips, she turned to her, "Speaking of booty...."

Haley rolled her eyes, and Brooke tried to lean in to listen to her conversation. Haley swatting at  her to move away.

"Ok I will...It's not a problem...On Tuesday?...Sure...Ok...Bye Brad," Haley finished, clicking the phone off with an evident smile.

"And who may I ask was that," Brooke inquired, a little more a wake this time, a little more of her nosy self.

"Just a guy from my Chemistry class, he needs some help before the test, no big deal," Haley got up, taking her plate and glass and sticking them in the sink.

"Well ask him out," Brooke blurted to Haley.

"For what," asked Haley, sincerely curious.

"For what?! For a date dumbass, what else?"

"Uh I don't think so," she replied, cleaning up the rest of her mess.

"And ...why not," Brooke got up and followed her into the kitchen.

"Because I'm not a real pro with the whole dating thing, you know that. My two previous boyfriends ended with one dumping me for no apparent reason at all. And the other, convincing me that we were in love, sleeping with me, and then cheating on me with the Homecoming Queen. So basically Haley and Dating: very non-mixy things."

"Blah, blah, blah, who cares? New guy, new start babe. I swear, you seriously gotta stop living in the past."

....................

The club was packed. From the outdoors the neon light sign was the only thing alighting the large groups of people waiting outside to get in. The deep thick base coming from the speakers pulsed over the dance floor, reverberating through the entire building. Soft clouds of smoke gave way, and the low cascading lights that showered the room, gave the place a very mysterious appearance.

Haley, on the other hand knew differently.

All the same people, at all the same tables, ordering the same drinks, dancing to mostly the same songs. It was her life, or at least it had been every weekend for the last six months. Serving tray firmly in hand, she skillfully ducked and dodged her way through the crowd with relative ease, coming to stop at a small group of girls who'd waved her down.

She began taking their orders, when over one of the girl's shoulders she saw Brooke and Peyton slip in behind Dominic the bouncer, giggling to themselves about something funny they had just done.

"I'll be right out with those," Haley told the girl, taking the sheet to the bartender, and then stopping where her own friends had sat down.

"Hey there friend, having fun," Brooke said leaning forward so that she could be heard.

"Oh yeah loads," Haley yelled back, above the music. "So what are you slackers doing here? Come to taunt me on your night off?"

"Actually we came for D.J. Sonic, bothering you is just an added bonus," Peyton teased, with a grin.

"You want the usual?"

"Yeah," Peyton nodded.

"Brooke?"

"Huh? What," she refocused back on Haley.

"DO YOU WANT ANYTHING," she said slowly, holding up her tray and notepad for emphasis.

"Give me a Rum and Coke," she replied, returning her attention to the table across the room.

Haley tried to figure out what Brooke was looking at, waving her hand in front of her face to get her attention "Hey! What is it?"

"See that table over there? Those people look really familiar," she pointed. Haley turned to see, but with the size of the crowd and her own shortness, wasn't able to make out much.

"Well let me get your drinks and I'll see what's up. I think it's my table anyway," she said, giving the girls a quick wink before heading toward the bar.

About five minutes later, after all her drinks had been made and served Haley forged her way up into the corner of the club, where the bigger tables where placed. Wiping her hands on her short black apron, she readjusted the rather skimpy black and white top that her jerks for employers made all the girls wear. Stepping up a few small steps onto the platform where the last table in the corner lay, Haley took a deep composing breath, and then approached the circle.

"Hi everyone my name's Haley. I'll be your waitress this evening. Is there anything I can get for you guys," she spoke cheerfully, keeping her eyes downward, to her note pad.

"Well, well ,well if isn't tutor girl," Nathan Scott said, a huge smirk written all over his handsome features.

 Haley flicked her head up to look at the face that came with the voice, just to make sure she hadn't lost her mind. When she saw it was in fact him, she paused, trying to collect her thoughts or even the simplest of words, the only thing running through her mind was what Brooke had said to her earlier in the day: You gotta stop living in the past.

No shit.