Winds of Change

Two

"So, remind me why we're here and not at Brandon's party," Brooke drawled, making no move to get up, but curiosity lacing her tone. They were a tangle of limbs upon the living room floor, strewn among dozens of fluffy pillows and warm blankets. It was Friday night, and this was certainly not the normal for them. Maybe on Wednesdays, but definitely not Friday. Brooke, Haley and Peyton didn't just run with the scene—they were the scene.

"Because Haley's got a problem that getting drunk won't solve," Peyton muttered as she carefully retouched the coat of red nail polish upon her toes. Like the rest of her body, her toes were long and thin and flexible. Peyton could even pick things up with them. She liked to say that they were just useful, but Brooke had long declared them creepy, dubbing them her "second fingers".

"Because some time tonight, Chris is going to show up. I need you guys to be here to remind me not to forgive him," Haley explained, moaning at how codependent she had gotten.

"Our specialty!" Brooke laughed, and Peyton nodded in silent agreement. If there was anything they were good at, it was magnifying the flaws of Chris Keller. And there was so many to choose from.

"Great!" Haley chirped with false enthusiasm. "Now please remind me exactly why I should kick his ass to the curb. I need to be prepared."

"Well, he's cocky," Peyton said, and they had a mutual flashback to their first encounter with "the Chris Keller". Brooke cringed as Haley laughed slightly.

"Hell yes, make sure that's on the list. And, he, um… he's inattentive," Brooke beamed, proud of herself for summoning up a "Haley word" on such short notice.

"So true," Haley muttered resentfully, flipping the channels on the television. The Wedding Singer? Don't think so. Cruel Intentions? Hum…

"He's really not that good a musician," Peyton added, her musical expertise shining through. Only a bit of condescension laced her voice.

"I'm more muscular than he is," Brooke chimed in. Sad, but true.

"And he's no good in bed," Peyton added helpfully. Haley's honey gaze widened in shock, as Brooke turned an amused eye to this new information.

"No, I mean, you said so yourself!" protested the curly blonde. Grimacing, she added in a disgusted tone, "Me, sleep with Chris Keller! God, Haley! Not only is he your boyfriend… he's Chris Keller!"

"As that was only mildly insulting, we'll let it slide," Haley said, returning her attention to the small screen. A tiny smile flitted across her features as they traced the fine features of Ryan Phillippe, star of the movie she was watching. Now that was what she needed. Someone gorgeous and charming, and who really cared if they lacked morals? Haley James wasn't exactly poster child for morality either.

"Oh, and his hair like defies gravity. What the fuck is up with that?" Brooke asked irritably, as Peyton laughed. Haley's mind, however, was far from her missing-in-action boyfriend. Earlier this day, she had made the acquaintance of someone who was gorgeous and charming, and didn't exactly strike her as the Alter Boy type.

"Hey, did you guys notice a new guy today?" she asked abruptly. Brooke's electric green eyes widened in excitement.

"Are you going to ditch Keller and take up our way of life?" They could almost see the wheels churning beneath the silky chocolate hair, enthusiasm radiating off her. Brooke Davis was already plotting to restore Haley James to "party girl extraordinaire." Mentally, she drew up a list of all the guys to recommend for hook ups. The perky brunette could be pretty damn organized when she put her mind to it, contrary to her best friends' beliefs.

"Um, no," Haley laughed, and Peyton sighed. Of course Haley wouldn't ditch Chris. For some reason, the pretty blonde had an attachment to the musician. She had been putting up with his shit for some time now, and it didn't appear to be changing any time soon. Haley James had never chased after her own happiness, regarding what didn't fall into her lap as something not worth it. And Peyton could appreciate the occasional selflessness of her best friend, if only she wasn't making herself so miserable in the process.

"You're better off without him," she stated simply, screwing the cap back onto the nail polish and blowing lightly.

"DON'T CALL HIM!" Brooke shrieked, diving across the mounds of pillows to tackle the phone away from Haley. A brief struggle ensued, ending with a struggling blonde pinned to the couch, a triumphant brunette sitting on top of her.

"Intervention time, P. Sawyer?" she said casually to her friend. Grinning despise herself, Peyton rose and took a seat on Haley's bony knees. They ignored the agitated grunts from beneath them.

"So, here's the thing: your boyfriend sucks," Peyton said bluntly, looking into her best friend's eyes with no trace of laughter. The look upon Haley's face was one that she wasn't used to. It was not anger or confusion or pain. Her eyes reflected that she already knew exactly what they were trying to tell her, but couldn't figure out why they were saying it.

"And Hales, you're so smart, and you're funny, and you're so pretty. You definitely don't need him," Brooke nodded firmly, wavering slightly as Haley shifted below.

"I understand what you're saying, but I really can't breathe," the blonde choked out, pushing slightly at her friends. They jumped off immediately, kneeling at her side.

"You okay, skinny girl?" Brooke asked.

"Physically? Sure," Haley said, her eyes sliding closed. The lids of her eyes were slightly moist when she reopened them, and Peyton could feel anger stab at her heart. How could someone hurt their Haley like that? Brooke seemed to mirror her thoughts.

"Alright, group hug! And then we can all accomplice-ize each other as we murder Chris Keller," Brooke gathered the two people she loved most between her bony arms. Haley's laughter was muffled against her shoulder.

"I was wrong, before. This is an entirely new level of pathetic," the pretty blonde mumbled, but that was not what alarmed her friends. Her voice had been stripped of its usual aloof quality. That was what made Haley James so elite, so untouchable. She was unaffected; seeming to float above what troubled all of them, always poised if not cold. Without her ice to fall back upon, she was just raw before them, and Brooke could feel tears start to wet her bare shoulder.

"I hate him. I hate him so much," Haley sobbed, as Brooke rubbed her back comfortingly, sending signals with her eyes to Peyton Sawyer that they had finally reached Haley's breaking point. Silently, the curly blonde moved to the window. This window, Haley left open constantly for the past few months. It was this window to which Chris Keller would come with his guitar. To this window, he would beg forgiveness with a guitar and some pretty words. As quietly as she could, she lowered the glass panes, snapping shut the latches, and smiling satisfactorily at her work. There would be no absolution for Chris Keller tonight.

Besides, he sucked at singing.

There was an internal timer, somewhere deep within Haley James's petite body. It was this that ensured she had never had a "tardy" mark in all of her life. It was this timer that made sure she never slept her days away. It was also this timer that made sure she had first dibs on the bathroom, when her best friends slept over. Thirty minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of smoke, draped in white towels, to see her best friends still unconscious on her floor. Brooke lay peacefully on her stomach, her little butt poking up as she slept on. Peyton shifted uneasily on her side, her face twitching slightly. Sighing, she smoothed the blanket over her blonde friend, wishing deep down that Peyton would find a way to be okay.

Dressing in a rather revealing sundress, Haley glanced out the bay windows, admiring the fact that it was still so warm in late September. They had certainly gotten lucky this year. Briefly, she debated with waking up her best friends. However, one look at the beautiful blonde, and she knew that she couldn't. Peyton Sawyer seemed to have finally settled down, and Haley knew better than anyone how difficult it was for her to sleep. No, she wouldn't wake her, and Brooke was a force of nature sure to disturb the sleeping girl. She would just go for breakfast by herself. She'd bring something back for them.

Looking in the mirror, she quickly swiped on lip gloss and eye liner. Moments after she was done, her light brown eyes remained trained on the reflective glass. She felt it was mocking her, in a way. What it threw back in her face was perfection. She looked perfect, her gorgeous, sleep-addled friends were perfect, her bedroom was perfect, her outfit was perfect. Everything was just goddamn perfect, and she couldn't figure out why that made her so angry.

Haley slipped out silently, not wanting to alert anyone. She would much rather be alone right now. On her way down the path, she was greeted with an unusual sight. Chris Keller, her boyfriend of months (when he was actually around, that is) was sleeping on her front lawn, his guitar propped up beside him. Curiously, she wondered why he hadn't called to her the night before. Her gaze fell upon the window, shut and locked and symbolic. She couldn't even muster up anger at her friends for manipulating events. She felt nothing really, a simmering rage that she was so used to it was barely real anymore, having settled deep beneath her skin. All she could do was walk on, fighting the urge to puncture his throat with her stiletto heels.

The bells jingled cheerfully, and Haley couldn't help but smile as she stepped inside the café. Karen's Café, as it was so creatively dubbed, was a place so full of warmth and care that anybody who stepped inside couldn't help but be swept up within it. Karen had been a teenage mother. The mother of Lucas Roe, Brooke's newest conquest, to be specific. Haley had a certain detached fascination with the woman. She had never spoken more than five passing sentences to her, but she admired her and couldn't help but wish they knew each other better.

Lucas came to take her order. He really was hot, with his sandy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. They crinkled at the corners when he wanted to smile. She liked that about him. After this morning's brief encounter with Chris's slumbering form, Haley wanted nothing more than to lash out. She flirted half-heartedly with Lucas, knowing that anything more would be crossing one of the well-defined boundaries of Best Friends. Lucas was Brooke's, for this weekend at least. As she mentally outlined these boundaries, she could feel eyes boring into her back, revealed by her dress. Turning her head, she looked over her shoulder through her loose curls, and found a familiar sight. She just wasn't sure if it was a welcome one. At booth 4 sat the gorgeous guy she had had the briefest of conversations and the longest of staring matches with. The confident smirk that she already associated with him was on full display, and she thought about her next move.

Picking up her diet soda, she plopped as gracefully as possible into the booth, opposite him. Instead of questioning or greeting or even appearing interested, he just continued to stare.

"Well, I know you can speak. So why aren't you?" she questioned, flicking a golden ringlet out of her face. He laughed, a melodious little sound that echoed in her mind, bringing a tiny smile to her own lips.

"You're an interesting girl, Haley James," he shook his dark head, an amused smile gracing his full lips.

She opened her mouth to respond with something witty or amusing, but stopped. How did he know her name? "Have we met before?" she asked, knowing that the answer was no. Surely they hadn't met before. She would definitely remember him. The flickering in his eyes suggested that he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Nope. I'm new here."

"Of course you are," Haley said. "Well, let me tell you how things work around here. You and I are not going to run in the same social circle. You don't get to touch me, or hit on me, or even stare for prolonged amount of time."

"Says who?" his pale blue eyes twinkled, clearly amused instead of intimidated.

"Hum… I don't know, really. That's just kind of how it goes," she frowned slightly.

"So let me guess—you're one of a few select girls that make up the elite, and so everyone else is expected to bow down to you. You're used to this position, so your people skills are a little lacking to say the least. You should really work on that, Hales," he simpered, his tone clearly amused. Her eyes widened at the truth in his words, her pride refusing to admit it.

"You don't know anything about me," she spat defensively, picking up Brooke's habit of crossing her thin arms below her chest. She slightly sucked in the left corner of her mouth, which would be a flashing neon sign to Brooke or Peyton that she was nuclear meltdown angry. No one else would notice, because they had never gotten close enough to her. The thought was surprisingly painful.

"If you insist," he shrugged.

"Who the hell are you?" she questioned, eager to turn the tables on him. She was damn sick of talking about herself.

"Nathan Scott."

The name suited him. The Scotts, she remembered the name vaguely, were prominent among North Carolina society, and she recognized his dark good looks as a resemblance to his father. Nathan sounded like a strong name, and judging by the pleasant bulging of his biceps through his crisp polo, the man before her was indeed strong. For just a second, she imagined what it would be like to fall asleep in those arms, instead of Chris's, which were probably skinnier than her own. Her thoughts shocked even her, and Haley James was becoming quite unsettled by how Nathan Scott seemed to read her mind, smirking knowingly at her. His pink lips parted to say something, (most likely something snarky, Haley thought with a wince) when strains of music interrupted him, starting off quietly before drowning out all other noise.

Some boys kiss me, some boys hug me

I think they're O.K.

If they don't give me proper credit

I just walk away

They can beg and they can plead

But they can't see the light, that's right

'Cause the boy with the cold hard cash

Is always Mister Right, 'cause we are

Living in a material world

And I am a material girl

You know that we are living in a material world

And I am a material girl

For the briefest of moments, she thought she observed a genuinely amused smile tugging at his lips. In an instant, it was gone, to be replaced with a look of blank indifference. "It's not mine," he deadpanned.

Rolling her eyes, she flipped open her cell phone without even checking the screen. She didn't have to. "Hey Tigger."

In her mind's eye, she could see her best friends clearly. Peyton would swipe groggily at her large hazel eyes, golden curls mussed by restless sleep, croaking obscenities at Brooke for waking her up. The brunette would be oblivious, bouncing around the room with her dark brown hair pulled up haphazardly in a bun, strands falling out and framing her face, her ear pressed firmly to Haley's metallic phone.

"Haley, 1. Where the hell are you? And 2. You better have bagels!" her upbeat voice blared through the cellular phone's tiny speakers, alerting anyone in the vicinity as to exactly what she was saying. Haley couldn't help but notice how Lucas looked up upon hearing Brooke's voice. Smiling slightly, a plan began to swirl in her mind as she gestured her order for six bagels.

"I'm at the café. I'll be back in like ten minutes," at this, Haley snuck a glance at Nathan, "and hell yes I've got bagels."

"I loooooove you!" Brooke shrieked before there was a loud OOMPH!, and a clicking noise. Haley had the faint impression that Peyton had finally paid Brooke back for waking her up.

"Well, I'm so sorry to cut this delightful meeting short, but I've got to be going," Haley rose, a fake smile plastered to her pouty lips. Smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress, she made her way to the counter, and could feel his ocean-colored eyes burning holes into her back. Dammit.

Fifteen minutes later, Haley James was making her way back home. The majestic James home was in sight, but she was cursing herself for wearing such insensible but adorable sandals, when she became aware of a car driving slowly behind her. Glancing, alarmed, over her tanned shoulder, her honey gaze took in a brand new Mercedes…and a very familiar figure in the driver's seat. Impressed despite herself, Haley squared her shoulders and whirled to face him.

"What are you doing?"

"Driving," he laughed lightly, at her paranoia mostly, and she was caught between wanting to hear more of the sound and wanting him to shut the hell up. He accelerated slightly, pulling into the driveway on the boundary line of her family's property and the massive estate next door. Haley noticed that Chris was still passed out on her front lawn, and prayed to God that somehow Nathan had missed this detail.

"What are you, stalking me?" Haley demanded, hands on hips.

Again he laughed, and she was angry at how he managed to remain so cool while she got all riled up. Marching indignantly over to him, she stood toe-to-toe with the boy who was currently infuriating her beyond anything she had ever known. She had to tilt her head back as far as it went in order to make eye contact with him, but refused to be intimidated. However, his beautiful eyes were not on her, for the first time since they met.

"Boyfriend?" he asked, arching a dark eyebrow in Chris's direction.

"Jealous?" the petite blonde asked scathingly. The musician chose this moment to let out a snore, and if the ground would open up and swallow Haley James whole at this moment, that would be great.

Nathan Scott didn't respond, his eyes snapping from Chris back to Haley, but his hysterical laughter echoed across the grounds, still shaking his muscular frame as he shut the dark wood front door of the mansion next door to hers. Her eyes wandered warily to a massive sign on the perfectly manicured lawn. Just perfect, Haley thought, his laughter still reverberating through her. Abso-fucking-lutely perfect.

SOLD

So this chapter was really hard to write, because I got such nice reviews for the first chapter. Hopefully I didn't destroy everything in this one. Let me know? Lol

Thanks for reading!

Xox Sam