Lucas woke up not knowing where he was, the surroundings felt so familiar but his feelings didn't seem to belong. There was hair all over his face, he had nestled in the comforting scent of floral shampoo all through the night. Now, he felt that he shouldn't have. He shouldn't have let this happen.

She was tucked so perfectly under the crook of his arm, his hands lingered on the softness of her belly, her hands covered his, keeping them safely close to her body.

"Mmm," she stirred in her sleep. He couldn't move, those large blue eyes could only stare at her. They fell asleep no more than five hours ago, but the pleasant slumber his body felt as he slept with her body coiled against his could not last long. With every movement she made, the same thoughts ran through his mind.

This is Haley.

He couldn't move though, something about her, even though she was just asleep, captivated him. It was ridiculous. How could someone be so fascinating when she was asleep? It made no sense. But neither did the feeling running through him now.

Every time her lips parted in a breath, or she body moved against his, all Lucas could think of was kissing her. Leaning down and waking her up with a kiss. Just like in the videos they used to watch when they were younger. The videos where the perfect animated prince would save the perfect animated princess with a kiss. And they would live happily ever after.

Once when Haley and her brothers fought, she ran away. She ran away and ended up sharing Lucas's bed for a week. Her parents were out of town at the time and Karen was only too happy to have her over. They were about ten at the time, and it was the first time, the only time, that Lucas wanted Haley to be his girlfriend. The only time til now.

At ten years old, he didn't quite understand love. He just liked having Haley around, and he knew that he would not only be mad, but upset and disappointed as well, if Haley ever treated any other guy the way she treated him. Because he wasn't just her friend. He was hers. Her what exactly, he wasn't sure. But even at ten, he knew that they were different. Different than anyone would probably ever understand.

And right now, she lay in his arms. But he was just a friend.

--------------X----------------X----------------

Brooke was at school earlier than Peyton for the first time in years. When the blonde stepped out of her car, the first thing she saw was her best friend sitting on the curb. And even with Brooke's natural beauty, she looked like crap.

Jogging pants, neon tube top and heavy denim jacket. So the outfit wasn't that bad. Maybe it was the streaks of mascara running down her face.

"Brooke," Peyton exclaimed in a mixture of surprise and disbelief. "What's wrong?"

"Peyton?" She looked up at her friend, her eyes confused in realizing that she wasn't alone. Blinking quite a few times, she bit her lip as though ready to cry again. Peyton stood frozen in front of her. It wasnt until Brooke buried her face in her hands and began to sob heavily that Peyton sat down next to her and wrapped her arms around him.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"Such... sorry... didn't..." Words tossed randomly into coherence spilled out of Brooke's palms, which were still plastered atop her crying face. "Accident... and he said... but I knew..." The words began turning into phrases as Brooke took her hands away from her face. Peyton kept her arm secured around her friend's shoulder. She was still bewildered by the sight and sound of her friend. What was going on?

"Brooke, can you tell me what's going on?"

"I'm..." she gulped air before finishing in one long breath. "the biggest slut and worst friend ever."

"What?!" Of all the things Peyton expected, or didn't expect, her to say. That was one statement that never even crossed her mind. Quickly, she did a mental account of friends and boyfriends and came to the conclusion that no one they knew, at least within their circle of friends was really dating seriously. Unless Bronson for some reason cheated on Amber with Brooke. But that would never happen. Would it? What other couples did they know? Asides from Nathan and Haley.

Oh God. Nathan and Haley.

But.

"Nathan?" Peyton's question hung in the air like a profanity. From her friend's lack of acknowledgement, Peyton held onto hope that maybe it wasn't Nathan. Not because Peyton liked Nathan or anything of the sort. Peyton liked Haley. Brooke liked Haley. They had a good, comfortable three-way friendship. And Peyton knew that friendship would be more and more important now because Haley was finally realizing her feelings for Lucas.

And Brooke couldn't have slept with Nathan.

"I didn't mean to," Brooke whimpered after a long period of sobbing.

Oh fuck. It was Nathan.

Fuck.

---------------X-----------------X-----------------

"Do you... uh... want to go to your house?" Haley asked awkwardly. "To change." She added with some afterthought.

She was in bed with Lucas Scott.

Even if they were both fully clothed, it just seemed surreal. They were fully clothed and on their traditional sides of the bed. They were even doing their traditional early morning routine. She brushed her hair while hanging half off the bed and he stretched his ridiculously long limbs until he seemed almost too tall for the bed.

But this morning was different. Because last night was different.

Haley looked over at her blonde stretching boyfriend. Best friend. Who was a boy. So a boy-friend. A boy who was a friend. Even in her mind she was rambling. Stammering. Stuttering. Confused and unsure of what she felt for Lucas.

She thought he looked almost too perfect in her bed. If he kissed her, right then, morning breath and all, she might have not been able to restrain herself. She might lose her virginity to someone who could quite possibly not feel anything real for her at all.

It scared her to even think that.

"Don't I still have clothes here?" Lucas asked, tilting his head sideways as he asked.

God, he looked cute. Snap out of it, Haley!

"Uh, I think..." she got up quickly off the bed and turned away from him, beginning to rummage through her closet.

Why was she feeling like this? Why was she driving herself crazy? It was Lucas. Luke. Her Luke.

It would be a long day.