Chapter Two

Whitey had volunteered to take care of her the next day at school so that Friday the three of us went together in my car.

He pretended to be gruff when we dropped her off but Whitey was like that-he talked mean but he was mostly all talk. He loved Jenny and was happy to take care of her if it meant keeping Jake in school.

He had physics for his first class and I had biology, so we parted ways. None of my closest friend had biology with me so it was a very dull class-a slideshow more often than not, accompanied with a lecture. I wouldn't have taken the class but I hadn't figured out what my major should be at college. Originally I'd wanted to go to Yale or RISD to learn about being an artist but then I'd applied to late to get a scholarship and dad had said he couldn't afford an art school, just a regular one. So I'd opted for Duke to stay close to Jake and Jenny. Which is really pathetic, if you think about it too much, staying at home to be close to your boyfriend. It's almost as bad as going to a university just because your boyfriend goes there.

After biology I had English and then world history and then lunch.

Almost always I sat outside at a table with my closest friends-Jake, my ex-boyfriend Nathan, his brother Lucas (who was also an ex. Sort of.) and my best friend Brooke. Occasionally someone else would join us-Nathan's dumb jock friend Tim, or one of Brooke's cheerleading friends. But mostly it was our circle of five. All of us had dated at least one of the opposite sex between each other, but somehow or other we'd all managed to stay close in spite of this. I was the only one to date all three of them.

Nathan didn't date anyone anymore, despite the fact that he was a star basketball player and was good looking enough to get anyone he wanted. And Nathan had used to live like that-lots of girlfriends, lots of flings, lots of sex. But then Haley had come along.

Haley was the elephant in our living room. She'd started off as Lucas' geeky best friend, begun to tutor Nathan, then going out with him. She'd changed him, perfected him. Changed him from the asshole I'd dated to the man that he was. Haley was unquestionably the best thing that had ever happened to Nathan Scott.

Until she'd broken his heart.

She'd left him for her talents. She'd gone off on tour with Michelle Branch and Chris, a musical genius whom she'd kissed after she and Nathan had married. And after the tour had finished, she was everywhere. At music stores nationwide you could buy the cd featuring Haley's beautiful voice and her other one, featuring duets by her and Chris.

Nathan didn't know a lot of things he should have known because everyone was smart enough never to mention Haley in front of him. But there were signs to hint that she'd forgotten him about as much as he'd forgotten her-like how she still wore her wedding band on her left ring finger. And how she was still Haley James Scott instead of Haley James, and how she always denied anything going on between her and Chris, as much as he tried to hint that there was.

Brooke was alone as I approached the table that was known far and wide as ours.

"Hey," I said, dropping my tray and sitting down next to her.

"Hey. You wouldn't believe my student council meeting. They went against everything I suggested and even started talking about next year's candidates. And cheerleading practice was even worse-the squad sucks this year. No wonder we lost at the Classic again. And today I was looking at all the guys in my classes and I realized I've already gone out with or made out with the only desirable ones! What is with that?" she said. I raised my eyebrows.

"Of course the squad sucks without me," I said.

"Yeah, but you know you gotta do what you gotta do. I mean to some people being a mommy is more important than being on the A-list, but…" she giggled as I slapped her shoulder. "Oh my god, you had that meeting with the lawyers! How did that go? I can't believe I was babbling about cheerleading after that stupid meeting about the stupid skank!"

"More of the same. About how somehow or other Nikki doesn't have any point off for being a bitch and has points on for being the mom. How is that possible?"

"It's unbelievable. Oh, hey guys," she said as Nathan and Lucas came and sat down with us.

"Hey," said Lucas, smiling tightly. For the most part, Luke wasn't a smiley kind of guy. Nathan just nodded.

After Nathan began to concentrate on his lunch shot Lucas a questioning glance. Had something happened? Nathan showed up for school when he wanted to. Even before he'd turned eighteen he'd become emancipated, with the right to do whatever he pleased.

Brooke continued to entertain us with tales of her day but the conversation didn't exactly flow. I worried about Nathan and about Jake, who didn't appear as the meal progressed. Eventually Brooke and Nathan left together, both headed for English and I was left alone with Lucas.

"What's up with him?" I asked.

"Oh, you didn't see it?"

"See what?"

"Haley was on TV last night in an interview with that moron. They didn't say anything that confirmed anything but he seemed so possessive," said Lucas. My heart went out to him-Lucas loved Haley almost as much as Nathan did, though in a completely different fashion.

"Did she say she was Haley James-Scott? Did she have her wedding ring? How does she look?" I asked eagerly.

"If I didn't know her I would have said she looked great-she's thinner, all made up and in clothes she I wouldn't have thought she'd wear in a million years. Yes, she introduced herself as James-Scott, but I didn't notice her ring," he said apologetically. I sighed in exasperation. If I hadn't been busy with Jenny I would have watched the interview and noticed.

"How? You noticed her clothes! Poor guy, I'm surprised he even showed up. Hey, have you seen Jake?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah. He told me that he had to cut out early to meet with the lawyer. Apparently the lawyer though of something that Jake could do to put the battle in his favour. And then he said that he'd be home at around five and could you please ,please, please pick up Jenny from Whitey and take her home," said Lucas.

"Thanks. Now do me a favour and take care of Nathan?" I requested. He laughed, smiled for real and pulled me in for a hug. It was a lighthearted, friendly gesture but my heart couldn't lie to me about what it felt. After a moment I pulled away and ran off to class.

I met up with Brooke during last period and informed her of Haley's appearance and then mentioned how I was to pick up Jenny from Whitey. As I told her this her face fell but she quickly 'repaired' it and pasted on a bright smile.

"Brooke? Is something wrong?" I asked. I'd always figured she felt lonely now that I had such a life without her, but she'd never said anything about it.

"Nothing! It's just that we were supposed to go shopping today. Some other time, I guess," she said brightly. I winced-I had promised her Friday afternoon.

"No, we'll go today, with Jenny. Jake wouldn't mind, so long as we keep our eyes on her," I said guiltily. One day last year Brooke, Jenny and I had gone shopping and while we looked away for a moment Nikki had stolen Jenny from her stroller.

"All eyes, all the time. I love that little girl," she said.

"We all do," I said, slinging an arm around her shoulders and leaning in to her. Whoever it had been that had said took a village to raise a child had been correct.

"That's great," I said, laughing as later that day Brooke strutted around an embroidered bustier.

"I know. Shield her eyes," she said, laughing guiltily and indicating Jenny in her stroller. "Here, try this on," she instructed, handing me a red camisole.

"Why?" I asked. In shopping as we'd always done in the past, she seemed to forget my new life, my new party free life.

"For Tric or parties or whatever. Come on, you do still go to Tric," she said.

"I run Tric. I have to look responsible," I said. Tric was Karen's nightclub. Once a week I ran the all ages night.

"I know you have responsibilities and I'm so, so proud of you for that but aren't you going to have to let that go soon? I mean we're going to college soon. How can you do that and be Mrs. Jagielski at the same time?" she asked, laughing slightly over her joke, looking serious at the same time.

"I'm going to try to keep taking care of Jenny. She calls me mommy now, I can't let her down," I said, reaching into her stroller and pulling her onto my lap.

"I know sweetie. I don't know if I could give this up," she said. This: the parties, the popularity, the boys, I knew she meant.

"You wouldn't believe how easy it was," I said.

"Huh. You know how I've always said I'd go to college, join the right sorority and then marry a rich guy?" she asked. I nodded. "It never occurred to me that you wouldn't be doing these things with me."

I could help it-I cried.

Brooke went home with Jenny and me and listened to my newest record at a discreet volume as Jenny played on the rug. She went home five minutes before Jake arrived-hours later than he'd promised Jake, at nine. Jenny was already asleep.

As I kissed him I could faintly smell alcohol. I'd meant for the kiss to be a welcoming peck but he pulled me in close and pressed him mouth onto mine. We did less of this than we'd like because of Jenny's constant presence, so when we did it mattered even more.

After we finally stopped I remembered his meeting.

"What did the lawyer say? And why were you home so late?" I whispered as I changed from my jeans into the flannel pants and tank top that I always wore for sleeping. I was used to him now, no longer modest. He'd stripped down to his boxers and he took my hand and pulled me onto his lap. He seemed to be searching for words.

"I was at the bar. With Luke. I needed to think about some stuff," he said.

"Okay… was Nathan there too?" I asked. Jake laughed grimly.

"No, definitely not Nathan. Not the kind of thing he'd want to talk about," he said.

"Jake, just tell me!" I begged. Jake wrapped his arms around me and I leaned against his chest.

"Peyton, you're not going to like this," he said worridly.