Chapter 2: Clumsy and Cheery

Lucas and Nathan were having lunch together when Nathan started to share the past

"It's one of Tree Hill High's biggest mystery" he started "Brooke Davis was the hottest girl at School. Head of cheerleaders, popular, flirty, sexy… you name it, she had it"

"She was a cheerleader?" asked Lucas amazed as his eyes turned to Brooke, who was about to drop her dish any minute now

"Yeah" sighed Nathan "and a very good one… she had all the boys going after her. And of course, there was Peyton too"

Lucas' eye went to the curly blonde that was drawing in a solitaire bench by herself, listening to her iPod.

"She was the second in command in the cheerleader squad. She and Brooke were not close, but they were cool" went on Nathan "Peyton was this sweet, funny girl. She was very sarcastic, that is for sure… but she was also very nice to hang out with"

"You guys were close?" asked Lucas

"Not very close friends" replied Nathan "but we all hang in the same circle so we were bound to bump into each other"

They both heard a noise and witnessed Brooke picking up her books again while Peyton sighed

"What happened?" asked Lucas

"I don't know… one day, they both quit the team and next thing you know, Peyton was bitching at everyone"

"And Brooke?"

"Well, she showed up without make up one day and started to wear baggy clothes. She refused boys and all that and before you knew, she was not at the spotlight anymore. You know how High School is, one day you're up, the next you're down" said Nathan sadly while watching the jock's table

"You OK?" asked Lucas

"I think they were my friends, I should have known better" replied Nathan "But back to Brooke, well, let's said she had it pretty hard. Her dad went bankrupt so Brooke had to go out and start working out of the blue. My mom took pity on her and hired her to work for the bookstore she has"

"She works at a bookstore?" Lucas was shocked "With all her clumsiness?"

"Hey!" said Nathan "Brooke might be a little clumsy, but she is very good at her work. She knows a lot about books and always helps people to find what they really want to read. She has like a sixth sense for it. Not to mention, the kids love her at Saturday Afternoon's story reading… she makes up voices and all that"

"Your mom has a bookstore then?"

"Yeah, on the main street… she used to have a Café next to it but now she sold it"

"Wait a minute… my mom bought a Café in here next to a bookstore" said Lucas surprised

"So… that means your mom bought my mom's old Café" replied Nathan "Cool"

"Yeah, cool"

Lucas' eye focused on Haley now… she was talking very closely to a brunette, short guy

"Who is he?"

"Tim Smith" said Nathan a little bitter "The guy I told you about before… jerk. He is the main player at School… but Haley seems to like him"

"Why?" asked Lucas "what can she possibly see in him? He is nothing but an airhead probably"

"You got that right…. But you know how life is" sighed Nathan

Lucas had a lost puppy face on him

"Oh men, I cannot believe you're so infatuated with her…" exclaimed Nathan "OK, this is what I know… she needs a tutor for her Italian lessons. She's taking them cause she thinks it's trendier than French but she is really bad at it"

"I can do it" smiled Lucas

"Do you even know Italian?"

"How hard can it be?" asked Lucas

Nathan sighed and stood up "I better go help Brooke with her books. I'm afraid one of these days she's gonna hurt badly"

Next: Casa Sawyer