Chapter Seven – Ex-Factor

'It could all be so simple,
But you'd rather make it hard,
Loving you is like a battle,
And we both end up scars...' – Lauryn Hill

October 2007

"Get the hell out, Smith, you are not even wearing that!" I exclaim when I see his costume. "You're almost naked! And I mean, that's just, that won't go over very well with people like the police and stuff!"

Brooke groans, "God, when I sat next to him in kindergarten, I never thought the day would come when I would see his naked ass." I glance over at her, and crack up at the expression on her face.

"Hey, you say it like it's a bad thing!" Tim whines, "Come on, you have to admit, this is a clever costume."

I'm not sure if this constitutes as a costume, let alone clever. "Tim," I sigh, shaking my head, "Just...no."

"Tim, you'll freeze your balls off," Brooke points out, "And how clever would you be then, Timmy? Huh?"

I roll my eyes at their antics. "Look, I'll put an end to this right now," I tell Brooke, "Smith, this has got to be the fruitiest costume I've ever seen. Now, I could care less about your sexual preferences or what other people assume them to be, but I know you, and I know how much you care. So, if you want more action from the dudes, keep the outfit, but if you want to score with a chick that isn't in drag, you might want to find something slightly less....flamboyant."

He looks a little shell-shocked for a minute. "Oh, I didn't even realize."

"Well, I mean, I'm sorry, it's just that it is kind Studio 54, if you know what I mean," I sigh, looking to Brooke for back-up.

"Oh, Tutor Girl is totally right," she agrees, "Unless you are a male stripper – and unless you have a job we aren't aware of, you aren't – then you shouldn't wear something that one of the Village People wore."

"Seriously, Tim, a loincloth? I mean, and you aren't even going as Tarzan? That's just weird, you know? I don't know many girls who, um, really go for that," I tease him.

"Fine, I'll go check out other costumes," he sighs, stomping back to the dressing room giving us a healthy shot of his ass.

"You know, his ass isn't all that bad to look at," I laugh.

Brooke scrunches up her nose at me before giggling. "You're right, I've totally been checking it out," she laughs. "This is weird, because I mean, it's Tim, and if there was one ass I never thought I'd check out, it was totally his. I'm still not sure if I'm a little turned on or a little grossed out."

"Hey, I'm in the other room, not China," he bellows out at us, "I can hear you!" This just causes us to laugh even harder.

She and I stand up and wander through the store some more, looking for costumes for us that show more skin and ones for Tim that at least cover his ass. Neither of us are sure what we want, so we each collect several from the racks.

"I got a letter from Nathan today," I confide in her.

She looks up from the rack she's digging through in surprise. "No kidding? What'd he have to say?"

"Not much, really. Mostly just that he misses me and he hopes that I'm doing okay, and that if I get the chance, I should go to the game he has at Duke next month."

"You gonna go?"

I shrug. "I don't know, Jason mentioned it to me, too. He told me he'd go with me if I'd like. Said he figured that I'd like to see Nathan play since I haven't had the chance to do that yet."

"Wow, he's gotten a lot more confident now that you two are sleeping together on a regular basis."

I laugh. "Well, I thought it was sweet of him to offer. And I don't know, we'll see. It might be weird to go to a game of Nathan's with Jason. And Nathan would really not like it, no matter how many fuck buddies he has."

She holds up a Wonder Woman outfit, contemplating it. "Well, whatever you decide, I'm here for you."

"You'd go to the game with me?" I ask, smiling. I'm holding a Tinkerbell outfit in my hands that I am seriously contemplating getting. It's totally cute.

"Yeah, of course. I'm sure Tim would, too. And you know, Jason probably has a bunch of guys in his house that he usually goes with. Maybe they could sneak us into the student section or something. It'd be fun. I could see Matt."

"Ah, yes, Matt. Yeah, it's always fun to see Matt, the guy who saw me naked," I joke, "But you're right, it'd be fun. I'll ask Jason about it."

"Gonna write Nathan back?" she asks.

"I don't know, I might send him an email. Snail mail feels more personal or something these days. Stupid technology. Sending an email in return seems more friend, less ex-loverish, don't you think?"

She rolls her eyes. "I think you're weird, but that's okay. Hey, how do you think I'd look as Pocahontas?"

"I think you'd make a very hot Pocahontas," I tell her, grinning.

"What are you holding there?" she asks, gesturing towards the green dress I'm holding.

"Oh, this would just be a Tinkerbell outfit. I was thinking it would be kind of fun. What do you think?"

"Hold it up." I do. "Wow, that green looks good on you. I say go for it, you'll look hot. Plus, it is short, strapless, and tight. You can't go wrong with the triple threat of short, strapless, and tight."

"Well, with a ringing endorsement like that, how could I at least not try it on?" I grin. "First, let's find you a few to try on." We browse through a few more sections grabbing things for Brooke and me to try, and blessedly, we even find a few things for Tim.

"Here, Tim," I call, tossing things over the dressing room stall at him, "Try these on."

"Great, now you two are picking out my clothes?" he groans, "You're like, worse than my mother or something."

"Gross," Brooke comments, "Okay, here's the rule – try on your first outfit and wait until everyone is ready. Then we all step out at once. Got it?"

"Yup," I smile, closing the door behind me.

"Fine, whatever," Tim sighs. "This is way girlie, though. Next time you two feel the need to shop, remind me to decline the invitation to tag along."

I get into my first outfit – this sexy witch thing with a short skirt and halter top, and announce that I'm ready. I wait until Brooke counts to three and then step out with the other two.

"Woo!" Brooke screams when she sees Tim, "That is so much better!"

I grin when I see him. "You do look completely adorable," I smile, "You make a totally hot cowboy!"

"Hey, I will have you know that I am not just any cowboy – this happens to be an official John Wayne costume, so you can now call me the Duke."

"Oh, no. If he wears that, he'll call himself that all night," Brooke sighs, "Okay, next outfits. Back to square one, Timmy."

His face falls, and I think he's starting to get sick of this shopping. Or at least he's sick of shopping with us. I close the door and try on my second outfit. It is an angel costume with a halo and everything, although this is some seriously slutty angel wear for someone who is supposed to be in Heaven. I actually like the witch outfit better.

We all step out, and this time Brooke is looking great in her Pocahontas outfit and Tim looks equally good in his gangster outfit.

"Wow, you guys look good," I smile, "But I refuse to wear this."

"And well you should," Brooke says, frowning at my costume, "That thing is so clichéd. You can definitely do way better than that. Even the witch costume, which was just as clichéd was better. Go try Tinkerbell on!"

"Aren't you two going?" I ask when the just stay there.

"Nope, I found what I'm wearing," Tim smiles.

"Me too," Brooke chimes in, "It was the one I wanted all along, really. So, we'll sit this one out."

I shrug, heading back into the dressing room. I slip into the tight, short, strapless green dress, put the matching wings on and step back out for them to assess me.

"Oh, yeah," Tim grins, "That is hot!"

"Hey, she's your cousin's girlfriend," Brooke reminds him with a slap upside the head, "Show some respect."

"Trust me, it would be disrespectful if I didn't tell her how hot it is," he argues, "I mean, that hugs her ass – "

"Oh, okay, I've heard enough," I laugh, "Please, I've heard enough." I twirl around. "So, this is it? Tigger?"

"Yeah, it's perfect," Brooke grins, "This is going to be the best Halloween ever!"

I really hope those aren't famous last words.

I sigh into the phone. "I can't get my hair right. I'm going to have to get Brooke do it for me."

"Okay," Luke laughs, "So what exactly are you crazy kids doing for Halloween, anyways? Anything fun?"

"Well, Jason's frat is having a party – of course – and since we know so many of the guys and their girlfriends, it just makes sense to go there. Plus, we're still minors, and they have free alcohol," I joke. "And they're fun guys, we all get along really well with them, even Tim. Although Jason might have told them that no matter how much of a dumbass he is, they can't kick his ass.

Luke chuckles. "You and Jason are getting serious, huh?"

I'm not sure how much I want to tell him. I've been purposefully sparse on details with Luke because I just don't know if I'm comfortable knowing he might be talking to Nathan about me.

"Things are going well," I comment cryptically, "We're having a lot of fun together."

"Like what kind of fun?" he presses.

"Why are you so curious about my relationship with Jase all of a sudden? It's starting to sound like you have a crush on one of us, and I'm not sure if it'd freak me out more if it was on him or me," I joke, trying to deflect his attention.

"Um, just curious, Hales. You are my best friend, right?"

"Well, of course."

"So, why can't I ask?"

"It just feels weird. Like you're trying to fish for details about my sex life or something. I don't know, it's just weird."

"Do you have a sex life?"

"Lucas!" I squeak, surprised he'd actually come out that directly with the question, "What the hell?"

"I'm just asking. Is there anything so wrong with that?"

"Look, Luke, I don't know if it was because I was dating your brother for so long, and you just went celibate after the Brooke/Peyton/Nikki disaster of 2004, but we have never talked about each other's sex lives. Is there any good reason we should start now? Because, for the record, I can't think of any."

"I'm sorry," he sighs, "I'm just trying to be a better friend. And better best friends are open to talking about anything."

"Yeah, whatever. Anyways, what are you doing for Halloween?"

"Oh, football team is having a party. I'm going with some guys on the basketball team. It should be alright."

"Dressing up?" I ask, knowing full well that there is no way in hell a bunch of guys on the basketball team will be dressing up for a party the football team is throwing. Unless of course there is hazing involved.

"Yeah, right. I'm not two," he mocks.

"Shut up, Mr. I was Mickey Mouse every year until I turned 13 and my mom couldn't find a costume big enough!"

"You have a long memory, Hales," he laughs.

"Damn right I do."

"What about you? What are you dressing up as for Halloween?" He knows I'll be dressing up without having to ask. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and dressing up is just a given for me.

"Tinkerbell!" I grin, "And I am so excited, let me tell you! It is the greatest costume I have ever worn."

"Even better than the year you were my Minnie?" he pouts.

"Aw, well, it's close. But Luke, this Tinkerbell costume is smoking hot."

"You have been hanging around Brooke way too much if you are saying things like 'smoking'," he grumbles.

I laugh, "Yeah, don't you think she's a good influence?"

"Whatever you say, Hales. Whatever you say."

"Hey, um, I got a letter from, Nathan," I divulge.

He pauses for as second, not saying anything. "Oh, really? Thought you guys went cold turkey or something?"

"Guess not. He invited me to the game they have at Duke," I tell him, hopefully sounding casual. "Did he mention to you he'd be doing this?"

"Well, I, uh, I – "he stutters.

I interrupt him, "Luke, if you two are talking about me, I have the right to know. Do you even remember what happened last time I caught you two talking about me?"

He sighs all dramatically and loudly. "Look, Haley, he dumped Miranda. He decided it wasn't fair to her or him if he was just using her as a substitute for you. And a cheap substitute at that – he felt bad he was just using her for sex, basically. Plus, he realized he barely knew anything about her, and didn't care to find out more."

I'm not sure what to say to that. "She was a substitute for me? What do you mean by that exactly, Lucas? And why are you even telling me this?" I bark in frustration.

"Okay, Hales, would you talk to him about this? I don't want to be in the middle of this, and I already feel like I'm a spy that reports to both of you on the behavior of the other, you know. I hate that."

"Lucas?"

"Yeah?" he asks nervously.

"Please tell me you aren't reporting back to Nathan about me," I warn him, "Because I don't think I'd appreciate finding out you were. And I'd be really mad if I find out that's why you were questioning me about my sex life. But since I haven't been asking you about Nathan, and you're saying you feel trapped in the middle, well, that makes me assume he's asking about me."

He sighs again. "I'm sorry, Hales. He really flipped out after you severed all ties with him. Like was halfway to the airport to get on a plane back to Tree Hill, flipped out. I mean, willing to risk the wrath of Dan by ditching basketball. He was serious about it. I had to enlist Jake to help me talk him out of it."

I'm floored by this...revelation, for lack of a better word. I don't even know where to begin with it. "Luke, give me something to work with here. What happened?"

"I – I don't know, exactly. Sometime between Tree Hill and there he decided he was making the world's biggest mistake."

I sit down, my legs feeling shaky. "God," I breathe, "I don't know what to say or do now, Luke."

"You don't have to do anything, Hales. Maybe I shouldn't have told you. I just didn't want you pissed off at me because I wouldn't tell."

I don't understand how Nathan still has the power to get to me this easily, after all this time. It's just bizarre, and it is pissing me off. I don't understand the hold he has on me. In some ways, it feels like it goes beyond first love. This is all so damn complicated, especially with Jason involved now.

I'm silent so long he jumps back in. "I'm sorry, Hales."

His voice startles me, causing me to jump and almost drop the phone. "No, don't be sorry. I think I needed to know. I don't know what to do with this knowledge, but I don't think it's horrible that I have it now."

He sighs, still stressed about this. "Hales, he wants to get back together with you. I know I absolutely shouldn't have told you that, but he does."

"#$, he thinks we can get back together now? Luke, I don't know what to do. I don't want to break his heart again, but I can't give him what he wants."

"Hey, you don't have to do anything, Hales. This is his problem, so maybe it is time he worked things out on his own. You can't always solve everything for him."

"Lucas, I really miss you right now."

"I miss you, too, kiddo. Especially since it is Halloween."

I laugh, "I know what you mean. But really, thank you for telling me, even if I had to drag it out of you a little."

"Sorry I was fishing for info. Want to tell me what's really going on now? Promise I won't tell anyone," he laughs.

"There's not much going on. Things are good with Jason and me. I really like him a lot, and he – I – well, things are good," I say blushing, even though he can't see me.

"Ah, so you two have been sleeping together," he deduces, "I can tell by how you tripped over what to say there at the end."

"Wow, you're intuitive, when did that happen?" I joke.

"I don't know. Maybe since I met a really great girl," he says, and I can tell from the sound of his voice that he is just grinning.

"What? When? Lucas Scott, are you holding info out on me? Oh, my gosh, well, do tell. I want to hear all about it!"

He tells me all about it, and before we hang up so I can finish getting ready, he promises again to stay out of things between Nathan and me. Whatever those things are.

I call Brooke and beg her to come over because I can't seem to get my hair, and she shows up as I'm still struggling with it.

"I thought I told you to stop touching the hair, and wait for me," she growls as she comes in my room.

"I know, but I thought – "

"There you go thinking again – how many times do I have to tell you to knock that off?" she jokes. "Okay, let the master do her work."

After she works on it for awhile, possibly causing some serious damage to my scalp, she shoves me in front of the mirror. "Uh, Tigger?"

"Yes?"

"Tinkerbell didn't wear a tiara," I tell her, otherwise loving the look.

"Who cares? Your hair is perfect like that, and we have to be at Tim's in twenty minutes, which is not sufficient time to whip up something else, so let's go!"

I laugh at her energy knowing she is excited for the party tonight.

"Okay, this will work. And I'm sorry I didn't mention it earlier, but you are officially making quite the lovely Pocahontas."

She smiles and curtsies. "Why thank you. I'm hoping by the end of the evening, I will be Poke-Me-Hontas."

"Okay, too much information, thank you," I groan at her bad joke, "Seriously, you going after Matt?"

She shrugs. "I don't think so. He's a good guy, hot, good kisser, and all, but he's almost too nice for my tastes."

I roll my eyes at her. "You know what, if you like him, go for it. Don't let the fact that he's a nice guy stop you, Tigger. You deserve a nice guy, too!"

"Whatever," she sighs, "Now, come on, let's go." I grab my camera and this cute little bag I'm using as a purse for the evening and stuff some backup makeup in there, and decide I'm ready. She drags me down and tosses me in the car.

"You're getting awfully pushy," I complain, laughing at her.

She just shrugs. "Yeah, well, someone has to keep you in line," she jokes, "And it looks like I'm the woman for the job!"

God help me.

"Hello Party People!" Brooke shouts as we walk in the door of the fraternity, "I am here, let's get crazy!"

Tim shakes his head and I grin as about fifteen guys line up waiting for Brooke hugs. My grin widens as I see Jason walking over towards us, and I stand aside so he and Tim can do the manly, cousinly hug/slap thing. Once they get the ritualistic male behavior over, he picks me up and spins me around.

"You," he whispers in my ear hotly, "Look amazing. Ten kinds of gorgeous. I'm starting to think we need to be up in my room having our own trick or treat session."

I turn my face to him and kiss him. "After. We have to at least stay long enough for me to drag you out on the dance floor a couple of times."

"Uh huh, whatever you want," he agrees as I press against him. I pull away, winking at him. "You are the most gorgeous little...uh, what was Tinkerbell again?"

"Fairy, I think," I laugh.

"Okay, fairy. You are the most gorgeous fairy I have ever seen." He kisses my neck. "You sure you don't want to go upstairs now?" he jokes.

"I'm sure," I laugh, "Besides, with our luck, someone will just barge in anyways, claiming they were moving the party up there."

He groans, pulling away from me. "Did you have to remind me? God, that is still embarrassing," he blushes.

"You're cute when you blush," I smile, "But you're even cuter when you're leading me to the open bar."

"Upstairs, downstairs, or basement?" he asks. See, this is why fraternities are kind of cool, and make up for inconsiderate housemates that barge in you – they don't just have one bar. Oh, no, they have two or three or four.

"Mmm, whichever is most festive," I decide, and follow him upstairs. "And speaking of festive, where is your costume?"

"Well, I thought about going as Naked Man, but I figured I'd save that for later when it was just you and me," he whispers, sliding his hand over my butt.

"You're no fun," I tell him indignantly, "You should never be too old or too cool to dress up for Halloween."

He just shrugs. "I don't know, I'm not really a costume kind of guy. I always feel so dorky and embarrassed in them."

I can't help but tease him. "And this from the guy takes off his shirt and paints his chest for football games. You see, it is bullshit like that this that makes it impossible for women to understand men fully."

"Painted chests make it difficult to understand us?" he asks, bemused, "Better than spending hours painting our faces every morning!"

"Hey! At least we don't do it for the sole purpose of getting on TV while we're drunk and loud and making asses of ourselves," I fire back, laughing, "And now I have half a mind to drag you up to your room and find a sheet for you to wear as a toga. At least that'd be a better costume than nothing!"

"Do we have to?" he laughs, "Because I'm perfectly happy in my jeans and t-shirt."

"Okay, okay. Let's go get a drink, though." He takes my hand and pulls me into one of the rooms that have bars. Matt is currently on bartending duty.

"You're up next," he tells Jason, who sighs. "And Miss Haley, it's good to see you again. Fully clothed that is."

"You've seen me fully clothed several times since then," I point out, laughing at Jason's protective expression.

Matt grins. "Yeah, I know, but it is fun to piss Jason off. You know what would piss him off more?" I raise an eyebrow at him. "Dancing with me when he's on bar duty."

I laugh. "Sure, I can do that. I like your costume, by the way." He looks ridiculous in his Han Solo Star Wars replica outfit, but I'll totally give him creativity points. "Oh, and Pocahontas might be looking for you," I tell him as he hands us our drinks.

He laughs, adding, "I'd like to poke her hontas." Jason and I both groan at his bad joke. "Not funny?" he questions slyly.

An hour later, Jason is manning the bar upstairs, and I'm dancing with Brooke and Tim and whatever random guy is trying to molest Brooke. I'm not even sure if he is in this fraternity.

"It's hot in here," Tim complains, "Let's go out on the balcony."

"Only if you promise you have no bungee cords hidden in your pockets," Brooke teases, "I have the feeling that if you tried that stunt again, they'd come up with a much worse nickname for you."

Tim just shrugs good-naturedly. "Hey, at least they like me! Besides, Bungee Boy isn't such a bad nickname."

"Oh, they like me, too," Brooke says coyly, "They like me a lot. More than you! And FYI, Bungee Boy is a horrible nickname, Timmy."

I roll my eyes, sipping my drink. "You two are such children sometimes," I whine, "Always bicker, bicker, bicker."

They both grin widely at me. "And you love it, James," Tim informs me, laughing. Brooke nods in agreement. "If you didn't love it, you would've taken off running a long, long time ago."

I shrug. "Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I'm just too used to you guys now to bother running," I tease.

"You love us, admit it," Brooke cajoles.

"You fishing for compliments, Tigger?" I ask, grinning. She nods. "Okay, fine, I love you guys. You are awesome friends, and I can't picture my life without you. Sappy enough for everyone?"

"Awww, that's so sweet," Brooke laughs as she launches herself into my arms for a hug. "I love you, too!"

"Yes, I finally get my hot girl on girl action," Tim grins lecherously, rubbing his hands together.

"Damn, Smith, you're wrecking a nice moment," I tell him before Brooke can kick him, "The least you could do is join in and tell us how much you love us!"

He wraps his arms around us, and kisses each one of us on the cheek. "I love you both. You're my best friends."

"Awwww," Brooke and I say simultaneously, "You're so sweet!"

He blushes, but smiles, too. "Well, it's true. I know I give you guys a lot of crap, but I know how lucky I am to have you."

"We're lucky to have you, too," I smile at him. "We're all lucky to have each other, no matter how, um, weird it was for us to be friends at first."

"Hey, it wasn't weird. At least for me," Tim disagrees, "You thought it was weird? Why'd you think that, was it because of me?"

"Well, that's the obvious reason," Brooke laughs, "But Tim, think about it. Haley was friends with Peyton and is friends with Lucas, both of whom I don't get along with well. She's also Nathan's ex, who is your ex-friend. And you and I, well, we never got along in high school. Or middle school. And I hated you in elementary school for stealing my crayons. It's a screwed up, out of the ordinary situation."

"So, what?" Tim shrugs, "Maybe it wasn't ideal and we haven't been best friends since we were peeing in each other's swimming pools – well, Haley doesn't have a pool, but you get the point."

"Yeah, we get it, Tim, go on," I laugh.

"Right, so just because we haven't been friends forever doesn't make it mean any less, right?"

"Of course not," Brooke says with a wave of her hand, as if doing so makes it irrevocably true, "Look, we've all had...relationships that were important to us before. And we still have relationships now that are important to us and may even conflict with our friendship." She looks at me when she says that, and I feel Tim's gaze on me, too. "But no one has let that affect what we have here, so I think we're all good."

"Me too," I agree, relieved that they didn't think I was some horrible person who put my old friends first or something. I've tried to maintain a balance, and I'm glad they recognized it.

"Man," Tim says, pretending to cry, "I love you guys!"

My cell phone rings, startling me. I'm even more startled when I look at the caller ID and see that it is Peyton calling. I almost drop the phone.

"Um, you guys, I need to take this. If Jason looks for me, would you tell him I'm out in the yard?"

They nod, looking at me curiously. I grab my drink as well as Brooke's and run down the stairs out into the side yard so I avoid the partygoers coming and going, sitting down on the step.

"Peyton?"

"Hi, uh, Haley. I was, uh, I was just calling to see how you are. It's been a long time."

"Well, I, ah, I'm fine. How are you?" I ask curiously. It's weird to hear from her now. We hadn't heard a peep from her or her father since he left to take her up to New York to find a hospital for her to be in.

"What the hell do you care?" she snaps.

I actually recoil from the phone, startled. "Uh, Peyton, if I didn't care, I wouldn't have asked. Hell, I wouldn't have even answered my phone at all. What's going on?" I ask as cautiously as possible.

"I – I'm sorry, I shouldn't have freaked out. I'm calm now. I'm doing my breathing exercises."

"O-o-okay," I stutter, completely unsure of myself in this conversation. Why the hell is she calling at midnight on Halloween? And is she still in the hospital? If not, where is she? God, I can't bust out with all these questions; I'm not sure how they'd affect her, and I don't need another freak out.

"I'm sorry, Haley, can't you forgive me?" she cries.

"For what, Pey?" For yelling at me now, or for last year? I'm so confused by what is going on right now.

"For everything. Oh, I know you hate me, Haley, you don't have to say it. I can see it in your voice."

Okay, if she can see it in my voice, I'm beginning to think that she is either not out of the hospital or that she needs to be back in it. Either way.

"I don't hate you, Peyton. I promise."

"LIAR!" she screams. I actually do drop the phone this time. I quickly pick it up, placing it once again to my ear.

"Peyton, where are you?" I ask again, needing to know.

She laughs strangely. "You can't put me back in that hospital, Haley, I won't go. No matter what you do, no matter who you lie to, I won't go."

Click.

Oddly enough, my first thought is that I get hung up on a lot. My second thought is pure terror over Peyton's whereabouts, and not just in terms of myself. God, she could be anywhere out there, alone and scared and confused. She might not have any money or a place to stay, and any creep could take advantage of her. I'm so scared for her. Anything could happen to her.

"Hale?" Jason calls from around the corner.

"Over here, Jase," I call back, glad he's here. He walks around the corner, smiling when he sees me.

"Hey, I was missing you. Brooke said you had a phone call, everything okay?"

I shake my head. "I don't think so." He sits beside me, taking his jacket off and wrapping it around my shoulders. I smile gratefully at him.

"Want to talk about it?"

I nod, glad to have someone neutral who isn't at least somewhat involved in things, someone who will be on my side no matter what. Well, besides Brooke and Tim, but I'm not ready to tell them yet, this just hits too close to home, especially for Brooke. He sits here beside me, not pressuring me to talk.

I take a deep breath. "Okay, I had – have, I don't know – this friend named Peyton. She and I became close in high school, and she was a part of my little group of friends. She came home last Thanksgiving, though, and freaked out that I was friends with Brooke and Tim. After assuring me it was fine. There was some nasty business between Pey and Brooke, so they really didn't get along." I take another breath, shivering. "Then on New Year's we went to Florida to watch Luke play basketball in a tournament. We were barely talking, and she spent most of the trip drunk and angry. It finally culminated with her coming back one night when Luke and I were hanging out and her just blowing up and stomping out."

He brushes a strand of hair out of my face. "Sounds rough."

I smile wryly. "Yeah, it was. Anyways, I find out that Peyton has spent time in a mental hospital for – get this – attempting to poison Brooke. And no one ever told me."

"Whaaat?" He looks so amazed and fascinated that I almost laugh at his expression, but I guess laughter isn't really appropriate for the situation.

"Yeah. Luke and Jake were the ones who got her help, and they told Nathan so he could protect me, whatever the hell that means. And Brooke promised to keep it quiet, so no one ever knew besides them."

"Where is she now?" he asks, shaking his head at the information overload.

"I don't know. That's the problem, really. But it sounds like she needs to be in the hospital," I sigh, "And it worries me that she isn't. God, I don't know if she's okay to take care of herself, I don't know if she's dangerous to herself or others, I don't know anything."

"Hey, there's nothing you can do about, gorgeous," he says soothingly, pulling me closer, "It isn't your fault, either."

I get as close to him as I can, drawing strength and comfort from him. "I know. But I'm going to have to call Lucas and everyone tomorrow. Warn them, see if Luke can get in contact with her dad. I just wish I could help her."

He smiles at me as I climb onto his lap. "And if you need anything, let me know. I'm here for you any time you need it."

"I know. Thank you." I kiss him softly, sweetly. "And you know, if you have any crazed, delusional friends who may or may not have escaped from a psych ward, I'm here for you, too," I manage to joke.

He laughs. "At least you still have that sexy sense of humor."

"My sense of humor is sexy, hmm?" I ask, fishing for compliments.

"I don't think there is much about you that I don't find sexy," he smiles, "But I'll deny that I said the mushy stuff."

"Oh, you're one of those sensitive with the girl, macho with the friend types, are you?"

He grins. "Only if it's working."

I can't help but laugh with him. "You're too much," I smile, kissing his chin, then his cheek, purposely avoiding his lips.

"You're teasing me, aren't you?" he oh so astutely asks, "I'm not sure if I like it or if I think it's the worst form of torture ever."

I laugh. "I could really torture. I am sitting on your lap, so I could wiggle my butt against you or something."

He groans. "You're evil. That is all there is to it." He kisses and sucks on my neck. "But you're a really good tasting kind of evil. Very sweet."

I moan as he slides his hand up my leg, under my skirt. "Maybe we should go up to your room now," I whisper, pulling away to stand up.

He's grabbed my hands and has dragged me halfway to the front door so fast my head spins. When I start laughing, he turns around and smiles at me. "Are you laughing at my eagerness?"

"Just a little," I giggle, holding my finger and thumb a tiny bit apart.

"It's all your doing," he informs me as we tear up the stairs. I trip and fall like the klutzy spaz that I am, and I start cracking up, all the emotions of the day just pouring out of me in laughter. I guess I can't complain – laughter beats tears any day of the week. People around us are staring, but I barely notice and Jason doesn't seem to be bothered by it, so I just tune them out completely.

He sits down beside me, laughing, too. "You okay?" he chokes out.

"If I wasn't, I'd be really mad that you were laughing at me," I warn him, laughing harder, myself. He helps me up, and proceeds to take me to his room where I forget about everything but him.

"You sure you don't mind if I make these calls from here?" I ask, concerned. I'm going to call Luke first, and the chickenshit part of me is hoping he'll volunteer to call Nathan and Jake to let them know about Peyton's latest escapade.

"Hey, I don't mind at all. And if you need me, I'll just be in the shower. You can join me or just, you know, yell for me." He kisses me on the forehead and walks out of the room clad only in his towel.

"It'd be much more pleasant to just get back into bed with him than do this," I tell myself out loud. Sighing, I punch in Luke's familiar number and wait as it rings.

"Mmm, hello?"

"Luke? It's Hales. We need to talk," I sigh.

"Haley, it is 11am on a Saturday. What the hell is going on? What is so important it couldn't wait until at least after noon?"

"I heard from Peyton," I inform him, letting it sink in.

"Oh, shit," he groans, "You're kidding. God, what'd she say?"

I sigh. "Luke, she was freaking out. Just, it was weird, I don't know. I think she's out of the hospital. She said she was anyways, but she sounded pretty messed up. Like maybe she doesn't really know what is reality and what isn't," I whisper, "I don't know what to do. What if she's on her own up there? What if she can't even take care of herself and she doesn't have a place to live?"

"And what if she's plotting something like she did towards Brooke?" he asks, giving voice to the one question I hadn't been able.

"Yeah, and then there's that. I don't know what to do, Luke."

"Hey, hey, Hales, it'll be okay. We'll figure things out. I'll try again to get in touch with Larry. I'm sure I will, and he'll be able to at least tell us where she is and how she's doing, okay?"

I nod reflexively, although I know he can't see me. "Okay," I sniffle, trying not to cry. "I just – I hate this. Why does it have to suck so much?"

"Aw, honey, I don't know. Hey, don't worry about it, okay? Just make the other calls you need to make," he says meaningfully, "And then forget about it for awhile."

"And what other calls do I need to make?" I ask, a little perturbed with his presumption, although I know he's right.

"Jake and Nathan. You get a hold of them, and then I'll try and hunt down Larry, okay? Hales, it'll be fine, I promise."

"Yeah, okay," I sigh.

"Hey, I'd talk more, but Alyssa is going to be back any second now, and well, you know."

"Oooh, Alyssa is there? Or will be back? I want to talk to her," I tell him, laughing at his groan. "Best friends get to evaluate new girlfriends. You remember that rule, right?"

He chuckles, "Yeah, instituted after the great Peyton/Brooke scandal of 2004. And it hasn't failed since. But...you can't talk to her today for several reasons, the first of which it is too soon. And the most important reason is that you just want to use it as a stall tactic, and I'm not going to let you do that."

"Brat," I mutter.

"Haley, just call him. You'll be fine, I promise."

"Yes, Daddy."

"I'm hanging up now. Love you."

"Love you, too, Luke."

I call Jake next, and we have a quick conversation before he has to go take care of Jenny. Rather inconsiderately, I hadn't thought about the time zone differences, so it is only 9am there now, and I feel bad. He promises to help in any way he can, and will assist Luke in finding Larry if necessary.

Before dialing Nate's number, I settle back on Jason's bed and take a deep breath, bracing myself. I'm wearing this huge, oversized sweatshirt of his that is completely comfy as well as a pair of his boxer shorts. They're a strange comfort as I dial Nathan's phone number. I haven't actually heard his voice since the night of Theresa's party two and a half months ago, so this is probably going to be kind of strange.

"Haley?" he asks, when he answers the phone.

"Yeah, it's me," I say softly, "How are you, Nathan?"

"I'm okay," he says cautiously, "What's going on, Haley J? I know you aren't calling me to chat, as much as I'd like to think otherwise."

"It's not that, Nathan. I'm sorry this can't be a social call. Look, I heard from Peyton last night."

He listens quietly as I explain the situation, interrupting me only twice to ask a couple of clarifying questions.

"Are you okay?" he asks when I'm done.

"I'm not sure," I admit, "I'm freaked out by it all. When she was yelling, I was just picturing the rage that had been on her face that night she left Luke and I in that hotel room. And then I picture that lost look she'd get sometimes, and I worry about whether she's warm, and if she has food. And then I feel like shit for assuming if she's out of the hospital that she'd be homeless."

"Aw, baby," he sighs, "It'll turn out okay, you know that, right?" His calling me 'baby' throws me for a second, once I get past how natural it still feels. I feel like I'm trapped in this weird world where terms of endearments from him and both the best and worst thing I've got.

"No, I don't," I tell him, honestly, "This is messed up, Nathan."

Jason walks back in, again in just his towel. His eyebrows rise a little in surprise at the mention of Nathan's name, but to his credit he just smiles at me and begins digging through his closet.

"I assume you've already talked to Lucas," he says, not waiting for me to answer, "So what do you need me to do?"

"There isn't anything you can do, really. Luke is contacting Larry and Jake is going to help him if he needs it. Basically all we can do is wait and hope we find her soon."

He sighs. "Well, I wish there was more I could do."

"Me too, but there isn't anything. I went round and round with Luke on that."

"I wish I could be there for you, at least," he murmurs.

"I'm fine, Nathan." I smile at Jason's backside as he drops the towel and pulls his boxer briefs on.

"I know you are, and I know you can take care of yourself. I just – missed you, that's all. Hey, did you get my invite to the game?"

"Um, yeah, I did, thanks."

"Given any thought to it?"

I sigh, feeling trapped. "Yeah, I'll probably be there if I don't have to work. I'm sure Karen would give me the night off, though." Of course she would. Hell, she'll probably be at the game with Keith, Deb, and Dan.

"Great, I can't wait to see you," he whispers huskily.

"Well, we'll probably be there," I tell him, trying to sound cool and collected, not excited and happy or frustrated and scared.

"We?" he questions, "Bringing Brooke and Tim?"

"Yeah, probably," I tell him, honestly.

"Okay, well, I can tolerate them if it means having you with fifty feet of me. I miss you, Haley."

"Look," I sigh, "I have to go. I just wanted to let you know about Pey. I guess if you think of anywhere she might go, let Luke know since he's kinda coordinating things."

"Yeah, uh, okay." I know he can sense the dismissal I'm sending his way, and I feel badly about that. I just can't let myself get too involved with him in any capacity right now, especially now that I know he dumped the ho-bag for me. I don't want to encourage him or give him reason to think I'll just up and change my mind.

"I'll talk to you later," I tell him, "Goodbye."

"Yeah, bye."

We hang up, and I flop back on the bed. I look up at Jason. "Who knew it would be so damn hard to tell your friends that your other friend is basically MIA walking around like a lunatic?"

He lies down beside me, and I smile at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He pretends to look me up and down. "Yeah, you sure are," he grins.

I smack him on the arm, laughing. "Well, it was weird to make those calls. First, Luke's new girlfriend was there, or would be back there in a few minutes. And then I'm dumb and called Jake in California, even though it is only 9am there. At least I got to say hi to Jenny. I really miss that little girl. And then, well, talking to Nathan went like it always goes. A little uncomfortable and a lot stilted."

"So, again I ask if you're okay?" he smiles.

"Yeah, I really am," I tell him, "I'm just a drama queen about this crap. It really freaks me out. I always thought of Peyton as being so normal, if not just a smidge moody and artistic. What the hell does that make me if I thought she was normal?"

"Normal," he laughs. I roll my eyes at him, "I'm serious!" he defends, "It's the people who go around diagnosing others that are weird. Projecting, or something. To just assume someone is normal until they give you a reason to know they aren't is nothing but normal, Hale."

I roll over onto my side, smiling down at him. "Thank you. I'm glad you think I'm normal," I laugh.

"Well, one of us has to be normal, right?" I nod, laying my head down on his chest and cuddling against him.

My life really has been anything but normal the last year or so, but not in a bad way. In fact, things are pretty good right now. Of course, that could all change at a moment's notice. So I'll just enjoy what I have right now because it is good.