The next day at the Davis residence was filled with tension. Peyton was trying her hardest to be normal, but she was failing miserably. Brooke noticed that something wasn't quite right, so all day she had tried to talk to Peyton about it, but Peyton always blew it off as nothing. Peyton had also ignored Taylor all day. Everybody else seemed to pick up on this tension, and they tried to stay clear from any confrontation.

Brooke, at the moment, was trying to talk to Peyton as she got ready in the bathroom. Peyton had come in to get something, and Brooke wouldn't let her leave without talking to her.

"Peyton!" Brooke said, exasperated. "Will you please talk to me?"

Either she got really stupid, or she doesn't realize what the problem is. Which would also make her really stupid. Peyton thought as she closed her eyes in frustration

"Peyton Sawyer!" Brooke had come over and grabbed Peyton by the shoulders and began to shake her

"What!" Peyton exploded angrily

This, in turn, made Brooke angry. "What the hell is your problem?"

"You're my problem! Ok?"

Brooke was taken by surprise. "Me? Why? What did I do Pey?" She had softened her tone

"I really don't want to talk to you right now Brooke."

"Fine. Whatever." Brooke grabbed her jacket off the bed. "I'm going out with Taylor. We'll be back later."

"Whatever." Peyton mumbled as she walked into the bathroom and slammed the door

Brooke walked out into the living room with an angry huff to join Lucas, Taylor, Nathan, and Haley.

"Are you ready Taylor?" Brooke asked harshly

Everyone turned to look at Brooke.

"Are you ok Brooke? We heard yelling." Nathan said. "Where's Peyton?" He looked at the bedroom door Brooke had just come out of

"Why the fuck should I care!" Brooke screamed

Everyone in the living room cringed and Taylor stood from the couch. "Ok. Let's get you outta here." She turned to Haley. "You wanna check on Peyton?"

Haley nodded and stood up from the couch. She placed a hand on Brooke's shoulder as she walked by. "Are you gonna be ok?" Brooke nodded tersely

"Come on Brooke." Taylor said as she grabbed her jacket and led the two of them out the door

"Wow. That can't be good." Nathan said to Lucas

"No. It really can't be." Lucas agreed

Brooke and Taylor had gone to the club that they had been at the previous night. Brooke had said she needed some alcohol, and Taylor had wanted to dance. She said that since there were no good clubs in Tree Hill except TRIC, she wanted to get dancing out of her system before she left New York.

After dancing much of the night, the Taylor sat at one of the tables that was unoccupied and waited for Brooke to come back with the drinks. Once they were both seated, Taylor initiated conversation.

"Are you and Peyton ok?" Taylor asked slowly, not wanting to set Brooke off

Brooke shook her head and took a gulp of her beer. "I have no idea. She was avoiding me all day, and then she blew up at me when I tried to ask her what was wrong."

"Did she say anything?"

Brooke laughed bitterly. "Yeah. She said it was me."

"What? What did you do?" Taylor asked, clearly confused

"I have no idea." Brooke chugged the rest of her drink and got up from the table to get a new one. She returned a few minutes later with a pitcher.

"Whoa." Taylor said when Brooke set it down

"So what? I like to drink. Sue me." She poured another glass and took a drink. "At least its not drugs." She looked Taylor in the eye

Taylor looked down at her beer. "How did you know about that?" She asked, her voice filled with shame

"Tutor-Girl kinda let it slip. Don't be mad at her, she thought that Peyton had told me everything already."

"I didn't want Peyton to get involved with it all. You're girlfriend is very insistent when she wants something." Taylor smiled a little

"This isn't funny Taylor."

"No shit, Einstein." Taylor said. "So are you gonna give me a lecture now or something?"

"No. But I do want the story. So spill."

"The last people I was living with were obviously not the people that I needed to get involved with. They were hard-core partiers, but I never thought it would get so deep as drugs. Obviously I was incredibly wrong." Taylor paused and took a sip of her drink. "It was something there that numbed the pain, so I started doing them when I could afford it, or when it was offered to me. It finally got to the point where I couldn't afford my habit, and some bad shit happened. It's why I came back."

Brooke sat silent as she processed Taylor's story. "And now?"

"Now I'm trying to stay clean. I have an apartment now, and all my money goes to that."

"An apartment with Sydney right?"

"Yeah? So?"

"Do you really think that's smart if she's using too?"

"How do you know she is?" Taylor asked defensively

Brooke scoffed. "I'm not the smartest person ever, but I'm not that stupid! I just put it all together, and the defensive tone in your voice helped. So did you 3 get Lucas using too since him and Sydney are doing whatever the hell it is that they are doing?"

"First off, it's called dating. And second, Lucas doesn't even know."

"I highly doubt that. He's not a stupid guy."

"What about you huh?" Taylor suddenly blurted out. "You're getting pissed at me for something that I'm trying to beat and get past, but here you are, still drinking like a fish to cover your problems. So you know what Brooke, until you can get off your high fucking horse, stop attacking me. Got it?"

Brooke was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"Please! You've been hiding behind your alcohol for as long as I've know you."

Brooke sank back in her chair. "I'm sorry Tay. I'm just worried about you. And Peyton. And Sydney."

"We're doing ok. We're keeping an eye on each other."

"Oh. That's reassuring." Brooke smiled slightly and rolled her eyes

Taylor smiled and lifted her glass. "To staying clean and staying sober."

Brooke started cracking up. "Tay! We're toasting beer to that?" She managed when she had caught her breath

Taylor shrugged. "So we'll start tomorrow."

Brooke shook her head and laughed as she drank to Taylor's toast

While Brooke and Taylor were out, everyone back at Brooke's house was trying to find what was peeving Peyton so much. After a few hours of trying, they decided to leave her alone, and they all went out to give Peyton her privacy.

Peyton was sitting in the kitchen, eating a snack she had fixed herself. She heard the front door open and she got up to walk back to the bedroom to be alone.

"Hello?" Faith called out as she rounded the corner. "Oh. Hey Peyton."

"Everyone is out. Make yourself at home." Peyton said as she started walking to the bedroom

"Damn. What's the matter with you?" Faith hopped up onto the kitchen counter

"Nothing that concerns you."

"Alrighty then. Tell everyone that I stopped by to say hi. Later Blondie." Faith hopped off the counter and started for the door

"I think she's cheating on me again." Peyton spoke out suddenly

Faith turned back around and walked over to Peyton. "Why do you say that?"

"I saw her and Taylor kiss last night."

"Peyton. I don't think that she would cheat on you while you were in the house. Not that she would cheat on you in the first place." She added quickly. "Again." She crinkled her nose

"I think that they have a history together. They are always really comfortable around each other. And just the way that they talk to each other. And then that kiss. I can tell you right now that it wasn't a first time thing."

"History is the past. You're the present." Faith reasoned

"But I don't know their history. So I don't know if its over." Peyton whined

"Peyton, shut up. She loves you."

"But if she's not trying to hide this, then why hasn't she told me?"

"Maybe she didn't know how to bring it up. There's probably a reason." Faith looked around. "Where is B?"

"Out with Taylor."

"Oh." Faith made a face

"Yeah." Peyton sighed

The two girls sat in silence for a moment, when Faith suddenly started going through the kitchen drawers.

"Faith? What the fuck are you doing?"

"Hold on a sec." She finally found what she was looking for. "Ah ha!"

Peyton raised an eyebrow in confusion. Faith walked over to Peyton and handed her something.

"She loves you Peyton. You just have to trust that."

Peyton looked down at the picture that Faith had handed her. It was the picture that Brooke had shown Faith when she told her about Peyton. Peyton looked back up at Faith and smiled.

"We were happy."

"You still are. You just need to talk to her Peyton. She's not gonna deny anything, I promise you."

"Thanks."

Faith walked over and gave Peyton a hug. Just then the door burst open and very giggly Brooke and Taylor walked in.

"Faith! What are you doing here?" Brooke asked when she noticed the other brunette in her kitchen

"Damage control." Faith smiled and gave Peyton's hand a squeeze before she left

"Umm…I'm just gonna go to bed." Taylor said as she realized Peyton looking at them, the hurt evident in her eyes. "Night Brooke. Peyton." Taylor hugged Brooke. "Thanks for tonight." She whispered

"Ditto." Brooke smiled as Taylor went into her room. Brooke turned back towards Peyton and made her way over to the blonde. "Anyone else home?"

Peyton shook her head. "No. They all went out. They should be back soon."

"Oh. Cool." An awkward silence fell over the girls. "Ok. I'm gonna go take a shower." Brooke walked past Peyton and into the bedroom

After a minute of preparing herself to ask Brooke what was going on, Peyton followed Brooke into the bedroom. By the time she had gotten there though, Brooke was already in the shower. Peyton sat on the bed to wait for Brooke.

20 minutes later, Brooke finally came out of the bathroom, only in a towel.

"Peyton! You scared the hell outta me! What are you doing?" Brooke said when she noticed Peyton just sitting there

"We need to talk Brooke." Peyton said

Brooke went and sat next to Peyton. "Ok. What's up?"

"Brooke, this is serious."

"I figured that. What's your point?" Brooke said confused

"How do you expect me to serious when my girlfriend, who is extremely sexy I might add, is sitting next to me in only a towel." A small smile played at Peyton's lips

Brooke giggled. "Right. Ok, hold on a second." Brooke jumped up from the bed and threw on a shirt and some shorts. She then re-joined Peyton on the bed. "Sorry. What's up?"

Peyton laughed nervously. "This might sound stupid, and don't get mad at me for assuming stuff, but I need to know if something is true or not."

"What's this about Peyton? You know you can ask me anything." Brooke encouraged

Peyton looked Brooke right in the eye. "Do you and Taylor have some kind of history?"

Surprise registered in Brooke's eyes, but she kept her composure. "Wow. Where did that come from?"

"Answer the question and I'll tell you."

"Well…umm…yes, actually. We do." Brooke confirmed not meeting Peyton's eyes

"Why haven't you ever told me that!"

"How did you even know!"

"Just the way you two are around each other. And I sorta saw her kiss you last night."

"Ok, that meant nothing. It was an honest mistake." Brooke said quickly

"You sure do have a lot of those, don't you?" Peyton said, trying not to get mad

Brooke put her head in her hands, and sat silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts. She finally turned to Peyton. "Me and Taylor had something a while ago."

"When?"

"After me and Lucas. You remember how I said she was in town?" Peyton nodded. "Well she was living with me."

"I had no idea. How long was she living with you?

"About 2 months. She kinda stayed under the radar."

"So how did it all start. And end?"

Brooke smiled at the thought. "When me and Lucas were together, we had that whole three-some thing with Taylor. Which, by the way, wasn't as bad as it sounded." Peyton furrowed her brow. "Never mind. Well after that whole thing, me and Taylor kept in touch. Why, I'm not even sure. Then the whole 'love triangle' between me, you, and Luke happened, and it was so hard to be around everyone."

"I remember. In fact, I don't think I'll ever forget."

"Yeah, I went kinda psycho-bitch. I'm sorry."

"All is well. Continue." Peyton said, wanting to know the rest

"I told Tay about it, and she came to Tree Hill to keep me company while I was dealing with it all."

"How did it get from that to whatever it was that the two of you had?"

"After about 2 weeks of her staying with me, for some reason there was all this tension between us. So one night we just went off on each other; screaming, yelling, all of it. The next thing I know, we're making-out and tearing off each other's clothes." Brooke said sheepishly

"I could have done without that last part." Peyton shuddered. "You get horny when you are arguing don't you? We were arguing the first time we kissed." Peyton re-called

Brooke smiled at Peyton. "How could I forget?" Peyton smiled back at Brooke. "So that's when it all started."

"So it went on for another month and a half?" Brooke nodded. "How could no one know about this?" Peyton asked, amazed

Brooke shrugged. "I have no clue."

"So how did it end?"

A sad look crossed over Brooke's face. "One day she just said that she couldn't dealus hiding our relationship from everyone we loved. I told her that I wasn't ready to tell everyone, and the next day she was gone. She said that she couldn't stay in the shadows forever, it wasn't how she lived, and it would just be better for both of us if she left."

"Was it? Better, I mean?"

"Bittersweet. It really hurt when she left, because she was all I had at that time. And I really did care for her. I knew that if she left me, she would have no where to go. And that was one reason it was hard to let go. We had some good times together." Brooke placed her hand over Peyton's. "But it was also the best thing that could have happened. If there was still a me and her, there wouldn't be a you and me. And I love being with you more than anything in the world. What me and Tay had was never about love."

Peyton smiled. "So you guys stayed friends, even after all that?"

"Yeah. It was hard at first, but we managed."

"Why have you never told me that Brooke?" Peyton asked softly

"I honestly don't know. It was weird to say that I had a girlfriend before you, I guess. It's funny, because everyone thought I was the 'Slut of Tree Hill', but I was far from it. Just shows that people only see what they want to see."

"Wait, what about that thing that happened with Lucas right before me and you got together?" Peyton suddenly asked

"As bad as this is gonna sound, I sorta used him to see if I was still in love with him. At the time, my emotions were so screwed up because of Taylor, then Lucas wanting me back, and then my feelings for you. I just wanted to see what was real. Obviously you won out." Brooke smiled, but still had guilt in her voice

"Brooke!"

"I know! Just don't tell Lucas. I mean, yeah. There is a part if me that still loves him, I think that there always will be. You know, the whole 'first love' thing? But I could never be with him again. My heart belongs to someone else."

"So is there anything else that I should know about you Brooke? Any other skeletons in the closet?" Peyton asked

"Baby, I never meant to hurt you by any of this. It was all in my past. Taylor kissed me last night out of old habit, but it meant nothing. For either of us. She wasn't trying to get in between me and you, or trying to get me back. It really was just an honest mistake, I swear."

"I believe you. But I don't want to keep things hidden from each other Brooke. Otherwise we'll never work."

"Well then there is something else you should know."

"What is it?" Peyton asked hesitantly

"Even though Taylor was my first girlfriend, there is only one woman I have ever loved, and that's you. Hell, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my life."

"I know." Peyton smiled

"I'm sorry I kept it from you Peyton. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Peyton leaned in and kissed Brooke. "It's ok. Just be honest with me from now on. Don't feel like you have to hide anything from me."

"Ok. But look, there's something that you've been hiding from me too that hurts me a lot."

"Huh?"

"I thought that you had only done coke that one time on Halloween. But I've heard different. How could you keep something like that from me Pey?"

Peyton drew in a ragged breath. "Brooke, I'm so sorry. I kept it from you so that you wouldn't worry."

"Peyton, that didn't keep me from worrying. Now how often do you use?"

"You know, it's nice to know that Taylor has such a big mouth. I can't believe that she told you about all my shit!"

"First off, it wasn't Taylor who told. It was Haley because she thought that I had already told you. Taylor just confirmed everything. Second, don't you dare get mad about this. I'm glad that it all came out."

"Damn those James'." Peyton joked to break the tension that was quickly filling the room. She turned serious again when she noticed the look on Brooke face. "What?"

"You! Drugs! What the hell is the matter with you!"

"Babe!"

"I'm serious! This is serious Peyton. Do we need to get you help?"

"God no!"

"Well how often do you use them?"

Peyton bit her lip as she thought. "Once or twice. A week." She cringed knowing that Brooke was about to freak-out

"Peyton Sawyer!" Brooke shouted

"Brooke! You're gonna wake all of New York, including the dead!"

"Sorry." Brooke got quieter. "Peyton. You need to stop. You, Taylor, and Sydney. You're going to ruin your lives."

"We are getting help. We're helping each other."

"Yeah, because that will work so well." Brooke said sarcastically. "Peyton, if one of you falls, the other two wont be far behind. If you don't stop…I'll tell Karen to keep an eye on you." Brooke threatened

"Brooke! If Karen found out, me and Syd would lose our jobs." Peyton said, panicked at what her girlfriend might do

"Exactly! But you'd be getting help, because I guarantee you that she would put you in…'Coke-Heads Anonymous' or something." Brooke said seriously

Peyton couldn't help but laugh. "You are too cute."

"Peyton! I'm trying to be serious here! This is a huge deal and-" Brooke was interrupted by Peyton's lips crashing onto her own. Brooke kissed back, but pulled away after a few minutes when she realized that she had just been in the middle of a serious conversation. "Obviously you aren't gonna listen to me right now. But don't think for a second that we are done discussing this!" Brooke said sternly

"Right." Peyton mumbled before she kissed Brooke again

"I love you Peyton." Brooke whispered against Peyton's lips

"I know."