Chapter Four...

Tighter, tighter. I squeezed my eyes shut hoping that when I opened them this would all go away. I opened one eye, slowly, and then the other. Nope, I was still here, except now I had a splitting headache.

Watching the door carefully as I held my breath I wondered what she would say when she found out. I guess I would find out sooner or later. Here she was, sooner than later.

She scratched her head, looked at me, and crossed her arms over her chest. I wondered what she was thinking. If she was ashamed of me, if she wished I was still in New York, if she wished I wasn't her daughter. She didn't speak and as usual the tension was there. I almost prayed that Brooke would come soon so there would be someone else to start the conversation.

I watched her rub her temples and close her eyes. "Davis, why do you give me a headache?"

For a moment, I felt guilty and then a moment after that, for the first time in my life, I felt lonely and confused, not knowing where I fit in here. Back home I was a tough city girl. I was my own person. Guys adored me for my outgoing nature and the way I could be one of the guys and then seconds later be the best they had ever had. Here I was Brooke's cousin, feeling like all of a sudden I had something to live up to.

I shrugged my shoulders at my mother and she sighed. My eyes fell toward the floor, studying the lack of pattern in the multicolored carpet. My attention drifted off. Out of Tree Hill, out of the south, and back home in NYC.

I remembered my last night at home. Owen took me out for dinner and a movie. The look on his face when I told him I was leaving played over in my head. Looking back on our relationship now I realize what we had was something special and that maybe, just maybe part of me actually had feelings for him.

Pushing the thoughts and feelings of Owen Linley I looked up. Brooke, my mother, and the principal stood in front of me. I felt like crawling back into my hole. I nervously stood up and followed them into the principal's office.

Looking at them I felt like I might be sick.

The door slowly opened and a woman walked in. Perfect, I thought, someone else to tell me what I did wrong.

"Davis, this is Mrs. Cooke our Guidance councler here at Tree Hill High, I thought you might like to talk to her."

Brooke looked at me. She knew what I was thinking. I was disgusted with the fact that they brought in some uncertified woman in here to talk to me about my problems. This principal didn't understand that back in New York I had my own psychologist that I went to see four times a week. That may sound like a big deal, but in New York its nothin'.

I gave a half-hearted smile and said, "Okay thank you."

She thought I was being sincere and she smiled back. "Anything to help a girl in need."

Who did this woman think she was? A girl in need? Please.

Brooke cracked a smile and looked at if she might start hysterically laughing any minute.

"Lets get started, shall we? I have a... appointment at five this evening in New York, and I really can't miss it." My mother said, desperate to get this show on the road. If you can't already tell she was not the "PTA-Room Mother" type. Come to think of it I don't think she ever stepped foot in any of my schools in New York.

I smirked at her and then looked back at the principal who had just began speaking. "Okay, as you know Davis is here because last period she..."

"I hit a girl." I blurted out.

Brooke laughed at me, "At least she isn't denying it."

I smiled at her. Maybe she wasn't so bad.

"That is a good point Brooke and because she isn't denying it we are only going to give her in school suspension for a week." The principal, Mrs. Katz said.

My smile fell off, "You're kidding me."

"No, Davis, this is very serious. We don't just hit people here." Mrs. Katz leaned forward in her chair.

"I didn't just 'hit her' Mrs. Katz." I said.

"Why don't you enlighten me then?" She said narrowing her eyes at me.

I sat back in my chair and crossed my legs. "To be blunt, she was calling me a slut."

"That is no reason to hit someone Davis." Mrs. Katz said as she shook her head at me.

I pointed to Brooke, "She was calling Brooke one too."

"That bitch." Brooke exclaimed.

"Brooke! Language." Mrs. Katz screeched.

I looked over at my completely uninterested mother. She was painting her nails, if you can believe that. If you can't too bad, she was.

I rolled my eyes at her and looked back at Mrs. Katz, "What was I supposed to do? Just sit there and take it?"

She nodded her head.

"I didn't realize southern women were supposed to be meek and submissive." I said, crossing my arms. Now we were playing mind games.

"We aren't all completely passive, Davis." Brooke said, pushing me.

"Don't do that." I said to her through clinched teeth, "I just hit someone."

She smirked and we looked back at the principal who was getting aggravated. "Davis, southern women are not docile."

"Mrs. Katz, I was standing up for myself and if I am going to be condemned for that, then fine," I stood up and put my hand on the door knob, "and truthfully if I had it to do again," I looked back at her, "I would have hit her harder."

Brooke followed me out and I heard my mother ask the principal if we were finished. When she left, she didn't even say goodbye. I didn't see her again for six months and I didn't mind.

The rest of the day flew by. It was one of those days where you don't remember anything that happened, you just remember getting up and sometimes you don't even remember that.

I met up with Haley in the parking lot after school. She didn't bring up she and Nathan, so I didn't even bother asking what was going on earlier in the day. It wasn't worth it.

"Look," She whispered pointing to Brooke and Lucas.

"What?" I whispered back. Have you ever noticed that when someone whispers to you, it is nearly impossible to not whisper back? Just a little something I had observed in my years.

"Its happening again."

"What is?"

"It's that time of year again. There love is blossoming." Haley said as she put her arm around me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked her as I got into her car.

She started it and said, "If you haven't noticed... they have this love-hate relationship that no one, no one can understand. Not even them."

"Oh." I said fastening my seat belt.

"But when the fighting is over and everything is said and done they always end up together."

"That's nice." I said.

"Stop lying."

I smiled at her and she laughed. Pulling out of the parking lot, Nathan knocked on Haley's window.

"We need to talk." He said leaning into her window.

"Nathan, not now." She whispered to him.

"Then when Hales, when are we going to talk about this?" His voice was raising and I turned away, looking out the window.

I saw Lucas and Brooke. He was leaning over her at her car. I smiled, happy that she was happy but the smile quickly faded when I realized that I wasn't, happy that is.

Nathan and Haley continued arguing and Brooke and Lucas continued smiling and there I sat in between the two extremes longing to feel something, anything and feeling painfully alone.

Author Note: I am so sorry for the lack of updates on this story. Davis is a complicated person to write and the fact that I am living a complicated and busy life doesn't help the matter any. BUT, never the less, what did you think? Like it, hate it? Still despise Davis? Please tell me, I am dying to know!