I am SO SORRY it took me so long to get this chapter out. My computer crashed, so there was no way for me to post it. This chapter is pretty long, and I'll post another chapter for you guys with this one. Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. You guys make me blush with all your compliments. : )
NEW YEARS EVE
The new year had sprung upon everyone faster that they had all expected. In New York, Brooke, Peyton, and Faith were all getting packed and ready for their flight to Tree Hill. Ever since Christmas, Brooke's parents, yes, Ellie and Thomas, had made an effort to be a part of Brooke and Peyton's relationship. Even though Brooke thought telling her parent's would push her family further apart, it in fact did the opposite.
In Tree Hill, people were already over Sydney and Taylor's apartment. They were having their New Years Eve party there that night, but Lucas, Nathan, and Haley had gone over to the apartment early because they had nothing else to do that afternoon.
NEW YORK
"Your dad turned out to be a really cool guy Brooke." Peyton said as she folded a shirt
"Surprisingly. He did a complete 180 from that first night. You probably gave him whiplash when you went off on him at dinner. I mean, did you see his head pretty much spin completely around? It probably effected his brain." Brooke laughed
"I didn't hear about this! You went off on Mr. Davis?" Faith asked
"Yeah. I felt horrible afterwards too!" Peyton said as she remembered everything she said
"What did you say to him?" Faith looked at Peyton
"I sorta called him a bigot and a sorry excuse for a father." Peyton answered, ashamed
"Holy shit!" Faith said, cracking up
"Obviously you hit a nerve, because he's totally different." Brooke pointed out
"Actually, I think that it was a mix between Peyton's outburst, your talk with him on Christmas, and my threatening to leave him." Ellie said to Brooke as she walked through the door with a stack of laundry in her hands. "This was the last of the clothes in the laundry room."
"Thanks." Peyton said as she took the clothes from Ellie
"Damn Mom. You threatened to leave Dad?" Brooke asked
"Yes." Ellie smiled. "Now finish packing and I'll take you to the airport. We don't want you three to miss your flight."
"You're taking us?" Brooke scoffed
"Well, I'll pay for the taxi to take you." Ellie laughed
"That's so much more believable." Brooke laughed at her mother. She then shut her suitcase, and turned to Peyton and Faith. "Let's go girls."
TREE HILL
"What is that horrid smell?" Haley asked as she walked through the door of Taylor and Sydney's apartment. She plugged her nose as she stepped further inside.
"Dude! That's disgusting." Nathan said as he followed Haley in
"What? I don't smell anything." Taylor said from the couch
"Oh, that's bad. You're immune to it." Lucas said
"What are you all talking about?" Sydney asked as she came out of her room
"It smells like moldy ass." Haley said, her nose still plugged
"Where is it coming from?" Lucas asked as he began to sniff around the living room
"Dude. What the fuck are you doing?" Taylor asked Lucas from the couch
"It's not coming from in here." Lucas confirmed
Nathan and Haley went and searched the kitchen, and everyone came running when Haley shrieked. "Oh God. I think I'm gonna be sick." Haley clapped a hand over her mouth and ran into the bathroom
"What?" Sydney asked as she looked into the cabinet Haley had opened. "Oh. Eww."
In the cabinet under the sink, there was a huge rat that had started to decompose.
"I didn't know that Tree Hill had rats that huge! How could we have not seen that before Tay? I mean, holy shit, it's decomposing! That's just nasty." Sydney crinkled her nose
"I have no clue. But I am sure as hell not touching it!" Taylor said as she quickly walked away
"I have to go check on Haley." Nathan said as he walked away
Lucas and Sydney turned to look at each other.
"Rock/Paper/Scissors?" Sydney asked
Lucas nodded and they played. Lucas lost. Sydney smile and gave him a kiss as she walked away and joined Taylor in the living room.
"That's not fair. It's not even my apartment." Lucas grumbled
ON THE PLANE
"This is so awesome! I mean, look! We're so high up off the ground, we get these nifty little pretzel packages, and I'm so excited about tonight! This so rocks." Faith babbled as she kept looking back and forth between Brooke and Peyton and the window
"Faith! Stop! You're babbling, and you're making me dizzy." Brooke laughed. "You sure have been babbling a lot lately."
"Sorry. I babble when I'm excited, nervous, scared…and right now I am all three. I'm so excited to be going with you guys!" Faith smiled big
"Faith, are your parents ever home? Because you sure don't spend a lot of time there." Peyton suddenly said
"Wow, umm…I guess I should have double checked to make sure that I wasn't intruding coming with you guys." Faith said, showing a vulnerability she rarely showed
"No! That came out all wrong!" Peyton quickly said. "I'm glad you're coming with us! I really am. I just meant it as you are never home. So I was wondering if your family was around or not."
"Oh." Faith laughed a little ."They're actually always home. They drive me crazy though, and that's why I'm always out. If I stay home too long, they'll drive me right to the looney bin."
"That makes sense." Peyton laughed
Faith held up her little cup of soda. "To a New Year. May it be filled with many good times, new experiences, and some great memories. May everything get better than we ever could have imagined."
Brooke and Peyton laughed and held up their glasses too.
"Could you be more cheesy?" Brooke asked. "But I'll toast to it."
"Ditto!" Peyton agreed as they all drank
TREE HILL
"Hey Tim, do you remember Nathan's bachelor party when you got arrested for harassing the cops?" Skills asked, laughing hysterically
"Yeah, real funny. I thought they were strippers man. I didn't know they were real cops." Tim said, blushing slightly as he tried to defend himself
A bunch of people were spread out in Sydney and Taylor's living room, going back over the past year. It was 8:00, and everyone wanted to reminisce before they all got too drunk to think straight.
"How about that time you moved to Charleston? How long did that last? Like 3 days or so?" Haley poked Lucas' arm teasingly
"It wasn't my fault Dan had a heart attack. He probably planned that as some way to ruin everyone's lives too." Lucas laughed. If only they knew how much he ruined mine. "I'll never forget the time you all stole my clothes while I was in the shower when I had first joined the team. I used two basketballs to cover my, well…more private areas, and Whitey caught me. He called me 'Ball Boy'. I never knew which balls he was referring to." Lucas chuckled
"Dude, we were total jack-asses to you!" Nathan said
"It's a good thing that I don't care for revenge, or you would be in trouble." Lucas said
A chorus of ooh's and ahh's went up as the brother's continued to talk trash. A sudden knock at the door made everyone jump.
"Pizza's here already?" Taylor asked as she looked at her watch. "Tip him good Syd."
Everyone went on talking when suddenly Sydney called out from the door.
"I didn't know we got a surprise with our order."
"Well what is it?" Taylor called back
"Three totally hot chicks to party with!" Brooke said as she walked into the apartment. Peyton and Faith weren't too far behind.
Everyone's mouths in the living room dropped open.
"Drooling is no way to greet someone people." Brooke laughed
Pandemonium broke out as everyone jumped up to hug Brooke and Peyton. Those who didn't know Faith yet introduced themselves. The pizza really did arrive halfway through the middle of everyone hugging, so they all looked like chickens with their heads cut off running around the apartment. Once they had all said their hellos and gotten their food, they all settled back down into the living room.
"So what did we interrupt?" Peyton asked, taking a huge bite of pizza
"Just everyone going over this past year. Just re-telling funny stories." Nathan said
"Fun! I have a good one!" Brooke said, raising her hand for emphasis. "I'll never forget when Karen had just gone to Italy, and Lucas and I started dating. After Lucas had already gotten grounded, like a day after Karen left I might add, we went to do some shopping at the grocery store." Brooke giggled at the memory
"Uh oh. This sounds like it's leading to no good." Fergie laughed
"So Luke is standing in line while I go get some things, and the next thing I know, Deb Scott just caught us buying condoms and whipped cream."
"To make it worse, later that night Keith caught us making out on my bed. Thank God we hadn't gotten further than that." Lucas added
"Parent's always catch you at the wrong time, don't they Brookie." Peyton joked
"Shut-up Goldilocks. It was so your fault." Brooke accused
"Why am I sensing a story here?" Taylor asked
"Christmas Eve, my parent's decided to come home unannounced. Needless to say, they caught us with Peyton straddling my lap, kissing me on the kitchen floor." Brooke said
"Whoa!" Sydney said. "That was an over share. You couldn't have just said that you got caught?"
"Brooke!" Peyton smacked the brunette's arm. "Stop making things sound so much worse than they are." Peyton rolled her eyes. "We had just got done making cookies, and we were in the middle of clean up. We kinda got in a flour fight, so the kitchen was covered. We were trying to get it all up off of the floor, and that's when the rest of Brooke's story comes in."
"Much better." Sydney said with a nod
"I have one. How about that time we went to Charlotte for the 'Classic'?" Mouth started. "That was an awesome weekend."
"What happened?" Erica said from her spot on Mouth's lap
"First it was hell because me and Lucas got stuck in a room, and it was still when we weren't getting along." Nathan said
"Then me and Brooke got stuck together in a room, and I thought that she might kill me in the middle of the night because of the whole 'Love Triangle'." Peyton said with little air quotes
"Not to mention Theresa's chicken pox the day before out huge cheer competition. I was so stressed out even before that." Brooke said
"And Peyton had me fill in. God that was horrible. Fun, but horrible. I'm definitely not cut out to be a cheerleader." Haley said with a shake of her head
"Please Tutor-Girl. You kicked ass!" Brooke smiled
"Brooke had me spy on all the other squads." Mouth said
"Yeah, and you showed us Bear Creeks routine perfectly. I'll never forget you up there shaking your ass!" Brooke laughed at the memory
"Then there was the strip club." Lucas added with a groan. "Tim decided to take us all on 'Ladies Night'. I still think I'm gonna be scarred for life because of it."
"That was not my fault!" Tim said
"Right." Lucas rolled his eyes
"You guys sound like you all have some really good memories between you." Faith said with a smile
"Yeah, I guess we do." Haley said as everyone shared a smile. "So what about that 'Boy Toy Auction'?"
Everyone laughed as they recounted the events of that night. If you were to have walked into that living room at that moment, you would have never guessed that half the people hated each other at one point. Brooke was sitting on a chair with Peyton sitting on the floor in-between her legs, Lucas and Sydney were sharing the couch with Nathan and Haley, Mouth and Erica were sitting on the beanbag, while Taylor, Faith, Fergie, Skills, and Tim were all sitting on the floor. Although they were all together physically, mentally they couldn't be further apart.
Brooke: Its so weird being back here. It seems like nothing has changed. Everyone seems exactly the same as when I left, even though I know everyone is so different. God it's weird being home!
Peyton: I wonder if I get up to go to the bathroom if Taylor or Sydney will catch the hint that I want to talk to them. It's been getting so hard to hide my withdrawals, and I need something to keep me grounded.
Lucas: Why does my heart still flutter every time I see Brooke smile? Can't I just get over her? I'm with Sydney now, shouldn't that be enough?
Sydney: Faith is kinda hot. Scratch that; she's extremely hot. I wonder what Lucas would say if he knew that the person I cheated on my last boyfriend with was a chick?
Nathan: This will be the last New Years I celebrate as a teenager. Next year, I'll be a father. Oh God. Am I ready for fatherhood? Is Haley ready for that? We're only 17 years old for God's sake! What the hell were we thinking?
Haley: I wonder if Jake will ever come back to Tree Hill. Then maybe he can give me and Nathan some tips on being teenage parents. I wonder how Jenny is anyway?
Mouth: This is a great New Years. For the first time ever, I'll have someone to kiss at midnight. Wow, that's really pathetic.
Erica: Its so odd being around everyone for New Years. I don't think I've ever been to a New Year's party! Or any party for that matter.Wow that's pathetic.
Taylor: I wonder if Syd told Lucas about us. Judging by how content Lucas looks, and how nervous Sydney looks, I'm guessing not. I mean, then again, it was only a few times. Right?
Faith: I wonder what everyone back in New York is doing tonight? I wonder what Brett is doing? No, I don't! I don't like him! Just because he's a good fuck, doesn't mean I want a relationship with him. That Sydney chick is kinda hot. And she keeps looking at me. Hmm.
Fergie: I wish I were playing basketball.
Skills: Where's the music in this place?
Tim: I'm still hungry. And damn! Brooke and Peyton are hot. Wonder if they'll make out later.
"Tim, what are you grinning like an idiot for man?" Nathan suddenly asked
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." Tim smirked at Brooke and Peyton
"Here we go people!" Sydney shouted
They all started the countdown together. "10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!"
All the couples did the traditional New Years kiss, while everyone else just laughed and clinked their glasses together.
"Damn people. Do you realize that this might be the last New Years we all spend together?" Peyton asked
"Babe, think happy thoughts! We can get all sappy later." Brooke said giving Peyton a kiss
"You're right. Sorry." Peyton laughed
"You know what would be fun right now?" Fergie asked the group
"What's that?" Lucas asked
Fergie and Skills shared a smile and spoke in unison. "Drunk basketball!"
Everyone agreed since they were running out of things to do at the apartment, so they all hopped into two of the cars. Haley and Mouth were still completely sober, so they volunteered to drive everyone else. After stopping off at a gas station to load up on snacks and sodas, the cars made their way to the River Court.
"I've missed this place so much!" Brooke said as she stood in the middle of the court and spun in circles. She ended up on her ass, and laid laughing for a long time
"Ok Brookie." Peyton eventually walked out onto the court to check on her girlfriend. "Time to get up so we can play some basketball." When Peyton reached Brooke, she realized why she hadn't gotten up sooner. "Lucas? A little help? Brooke passed out." Peyton laughed
Lucas jogged over to Peyton and picked Brooke up. "Is she going to be ok?"
"Yeah. Just let her sleep it off. She'll be up and running around again in about 30 minutes." Faith said as she walked over to Lucas and Peyton
"Someone doesn't know their limit." Sydney laughed, joining them
"That's Brooke for ya." Faith laughed. "Now are we gonna play some basketball or what? I'm ready to kick some ass." She gave Peyton a high five as they walked onto the court
"You ready Syd? It's time to show them who owns this place." Lucas said as she put his arm around Sydney's shoulders
"Damn right." Sydney looked at Brooke one last time before she laughed and walked to center court with Lucas
"Ok, here's the game- first to 30 wins. No rules except for no one touches Haley, or there will be a smackdown. We don't want little Scott being all scrambled. Got it?" Skills said
"Nice picture you painted there Skills." Haley laughed
"Yeah, yeah. Let's play some ball people." Skills tossed the ball to Lucas. "Your team can start."
"Bring it on!" Faith yelled at Skills. Lucas looked at her funny, and she just shrugged and smiled
The two teams were made up of 5 players. Lucas led a team of Sydney, Fergie, Taylor, and Faith, and Skills led a team of Haley, Nathan, Tim, and Peyton. Mouth sat out as normal to commentate, and Erica sat next to him to keep an eye on Brooke.
Lucas passed the ball to and open Taylor, who ran downcourt and passed to Faith, who made the open shot. The girls gave each other a high five, and stuck their tongues out at Skills.
"Whoa ladies! Calm down." Skills laughed
"And Lucas' team leads after Faith made the game opening shot." Mouth commentated
Skills passed the ball to Nathan, who passed it to Peyton. Peyton went up for the lay-up, but ran right into Sydney. Both girls fell on their asses as the ball flew out of bounds.
"Watch where you're going bitch!" Sydney said in mock anger as she got to her feet
"I'd watch your back whore!" Peyton said as she spat on the ground by Sydney's foot for emphasis
"We're not even 5 minutes into the game, and hostilities are running high. This will definitely be an interesting game." Mouth laughed
Peyton and Sydney laughed and smiled at each other before running off to join their teams.
"Haley's flying down the court, followed closely by Lucas. All game people have steered clear of Mrs. James-Scott whenever she's had the ball. The score is 28-28, and Skills is using Haley to his advantage. She goes in for the shot, Lucas not far behind. Oh my! Haley suddenly stops running, and Lucas falls as he avoids running into her. Haley passes to Nathan, who shoots, and scores! Skills' team wins 30-28. Close game!" Mouth said excitedly
Brooke suddenly shot up from her position on the grass and screamed. Everyone turned to her to see what was the problem.
"Something bit my ass!" Brooke said when she noticed everyone staring. She shrugged and walked onto the court and stood next to Peyton. "So are we gonna play or what?" Brooke yawned
"Babe, we just played for an hour. We're all exhausted." Peyton laughed. "You passed-out. Don't you remember?"
Brooke stood quietly for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "Oh yeah. Never mind then. Who won?"
"We did." Haley said proudly as she stood with her team
"Yeah, because they kept giving you the ball, and no one wanted to accidentally hurt you, so we stayed out of the way. You cheated!" Taylor complained
"Deal with it Sister." Nathan turned to Taylor, smirking
"I gotta pee." Peyton suddenly said. "Come be my look-out Tay?"
Brooke and Taylor both looked confused. "Sure?" Taylor said giving Brooke a funny look. Brooke just shrugged.
Peyton and Taylor walked off, and Faith walked over to Brooke.
"You ok there B? You just like clocked out all of a sudden."Faith laughed
"Yeah. Guess I had one too many. Great way to start the New Year, huh?" Brooke laughed
"How long are you two here for?" Lucas asked as he walked up to the two
"Till the 3rd. We wanted to stay longer, but-" Faith started
"School." All three finished with a groan
"What do you want?" Taylor asked Peyton when they had walked away from the group
"How do you know I want something?"
"You've been sending me needy looks all night." Taylor rolled her eyes
"And you've been ignoring them?" Peyton feigned hurt
"Shut up Sawyer. What is it you want?"
"I'm going insane Taylor. I need a little pick-me-up, if you catch my drift."
"Peyton, I don't know if you've heard, but I'm trying to stay clean. I don't have anything." Taylor said
"Whatever. Just give me the rest of your stash."
"I don't know if you just didn't hear me, or if you are stupid. I don't have any Pey. I've been clean for a little while. And you're supposed to be staying drug-free too! What's the matter with you?"
Peyton sighed. "I don't know. I'm sorry Taylor, you're right. Sorry to drag you out here."
Taylor offered Peyton a smile. "It's all good. Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yeah, but I really do have to pee. So turn around." Peyton laughed
Taylor made a face. "That's so gross. Just make sure nothing climbs up your-"
"Tay!" Peyton interrupted with a laugh
"Whatever. I'm just saying!" Taylor laughed too