Disclaimer: Anything you don't recognize from the show is mine… everything else… I wish!

Tell Me Now, What to Do


"That was Brooke." Jillian reentered the living room where the boys were sitting, across the room from each other while Jenny sat in her bouncer in the middle of the room.

Mommy's little mediator, Jillian thought.

"She wanted to let us know that they are planning a wedding shower for Nate and Hales for tomorrow night. It's a surprise and I got to go help set up tomorrow afternoon." Jake was pushing his daughter with his foot, a stare fixed on Denny who was playing with his palm pilot. "And she wanted me to give you this." She handed Denny a piece of paper and the soda that he accepted when Jillian asked.

"What is this?" He took the paper and while reading it, smiled. "Brooke's number. Score."

Jillian walked across the room and sat down on the arm of the couch next to Jake. He put his arm around her waist and continued to look over at Denny.

"So how long are you going to be in town for?" Jillian pretended not to notice the death stare they were exchanging.

"Just a couple of days. Enough for us to catch up."

"Well, I have school and all..."

"That's right, I keep forgetting you aren't in college yet." Jake was still staring. Jillian didn't know what to say next with the two of them just sitting there, staring each other down as if it were some sport.

"So." Denny entered Brooke's number into his palm pilot and slipped it into his jacket pocket. "Heard you lost the championship."

Jake was about to rebut when the front door opened and Jake's parents entered, carrying grocery bags.

"We're home."

"Thank God." Both statements came in unison. Jillian, after thanking a higher power for the arrival of the parents, stood and took a few bags out of their hands. "I'd like you to meet my childhood friend Denny."

"Denver Stanford Parker the third." Denny stood as he pretended to button a suit button that he was not wearing while speaking with an English accent.

Alice and Frank both laughed along with Jillian but Jake abstained; he was immune to Denny's charm and he could see the underlying smugness that Denny possessed, along with his arrogance of being from a wealthy family though he tried to mask it with sarcasm. Jake took Denver for face value and he couldn't see why Jill was his friend.

"So you are a childhood friend of Jilly's?" Alice had finished putting away the groceries and the whole family assembled in the living room.

"Yes ma'am, I moved here when, I think you Jilly were about 10. We were both children of avid church goers; we ended up spending quite a lot of time together."

"Jillian and Jake were inseparable when they were children." Frank laughed as he remembered those days.

"Yeah." Denny looked down at his hands, breaking his stare with Jake. "I remember that. Still like that." Jake smiled in his own personal triumph. He had won the girl.

"Are you from around here?" Alice asked.

"We lived closer together once Jilly moved right outside of Tree Hill. I went to St Anne's boys school." Alice and Frank had quizzical looks on their faces. "My grandfather owns Parker Pharmaceuticals." They both nodded in understanding; Denny came from money.

"But as of right now I'm living quite like any other normal college guy." Jake found that hard to believe with a ipod sitting next to him on the couch and his pilot in his jacket.

"What school are you attending?"

"Clemson. Well, as of right now I'm studying at Clemson but I've got an application and I'm told I'm a shoe in to go study at Cambridge for the duration of college."

"No way." Jake saw her jump forward in her seat.

"Yeah, I thought you would be excited to hear my news. I've living our dream."

"What dream?" Jake didn't like the sound of Denny referring to anything as a dream the two shared.

"Nothing." Jillian wiped away any notion that Denny's news affected her in any way. Denny noticed this but it didn't phase him; he thought that Jake would love to hear this little piece of information.

"It was always a dream that we both had; we would go to Cambridge and study our separate fields. Mine was English."

"Mine was medicine." Jillian looked distressed. Jake knew why; she just realized that her dream could not happen. Jillian was no longer a free spirit. She was tied down whether or not it involved rings and I love you's, she had a daughter to take care of.

He could tell she was scared, too. She forgot that she had no plans anymore. It had always been her plan to become a doctor and now it was near impossible.

"Hopefully I will finish school there, tell the family tootles, see you at all the appropriate holidays and live my life free of them."

Jillian still looked in awe of it all; Jake just rolled his eyes as his mother asked his enemy to stay and have a nice home cooked meal.


"What do you think?" Peyton ushered Lucas into the studio that Brooke and Peyton decided to rent for the night of the shower.

"Am I really the one you should be asking?" Peyton stood firm so Lucas looked around. "Looks a little empty to me?" Peyton playfully smacked his arm.

"We are going to fix that."

Brooke came out from another room; Lucas looked in the doorway and noticed that the room was full of decorations. Brooke noticed that Lucas was peering into the room and saw all the stuff they bought. She pulled a credit card out of her pocket and smiled. Lucas nodded in understanding.

"I love my dad. Especially his credit cards."

"Your mom already said she was going to make the food for the party."

"Wait, you suckered my mom into this..."

"She wanted to help, Luke. She loves Haley just as much as the rest of us. And if you really are her best friend, you can't tell her or your brother."

Lucas didn't correct her brother remark, he liked hearing it. He smirked lightly, like he was thinking of something, a prank or something else just as mischievous, to ruin their plans. Peyton could read Lucas and knew what he had on his mind.

"I can't promise anything."

"I know how long I can go without sex. If you tell... then I just hopeyou can lastlonger than I can."

"Duly noted." He smiled and kissed her as Brooke went back into the other room so that she didn't have to watch them.

It was hard for Brooke to not be with someone; she always had someone in her life and for once she felt like everyone else was paired off and she was the only person alone in Tree Hill.

"When is help coming? You got a lot to do before tonight."

"We got some other people that plan on coming tonight to help." Peyton wrapped her arms around Lucas. "I was hoping that you being a big strong guy, that you would help us set some stuff up." Peyton gave him a long kiss on the lips.

"That is cheap."

"But it's working." Lucas didn't argue, letting Peyton kiss him again.

Brooke emerged from the room, a wide grin on her face.

"What happened to you?" Peyton laughed, holding still onto Lucas.

"I just got a call from Denver. He's my date tonight."

"That's great." Peyton watched as Brooke took her jacket and started for the door. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"I have to go get ready."

"The party is in like, twelve hours."

"I have to go shopping to get something to wear." Brooke took her purse that was sitting near the doorway. "I'll be back later."

Peyton, exasperated, picked up her cell phone out of her purse that was also near the door, and started to dial.

"Who are you calling?" Lucas came over to where she was standing.

"I'm calling Jilly; I need reinforcements since Brooke is going A-wall." She put the phone up to her ear. "Hopefully Jake can come and help out, too."

"Yeah, wouldn't that be fun."

As long as Jake didn't admit to it, Luke got to ignore that Jill passed on him to be with Jake. It still bothered him, though he knew that he loved Peyton. Why did it affect him? He should be happy. There were many reasons for Lucas to be happy with life. But for some reason, he couldn't come up with anything that actually did make him happy.

He didn't want to spoil the party, though. Jill and Jake were his friends and he was not about to create more drama than needed. He would suck it up and ignore his feelings. He wanted everyone to have a great time, and he wanted tonight to be perfect for Nate and Haley. So many people were rooting against them; sure, he was one of them. After thinking about it, Nathan is his brother and Haley has always been his best friend. Even if he doesn't agree with their choice, he doesn't want to be cruel.

The party is going to be fun no matter what Lucas has to do.