I am so sorry that I haven't updated in forever but my summer has been pretty busy! And I start school tomorrow so I probably wont have very much time to write. But please enjoy this chapter. I'll update as soon as I can! Thanks!

-Zoë

Chapter 3

"How many?" the hostess asked?

"Let's see. A bunch?" Haley answered.

"Uh huh. Right this way." the hostess led the group to the back room. "Is this a party?"

"Yeah. My baby girl's 16th." Brooke answered proudly.

"Would your baby girl like a booster seat?" the hostess joked.

"Um...yeah! Thanks." Brooke said with a devious smile.

"No way Mom! No way! I am not sitting in one of those things!" Emma protested.

"Oh yes you are! Come on. On Saturday, you are the princess and you can ignore me all you want. But today, I get to humiliate you!" Brooke clapped her hand the way she always does when she's excited.

"Alright. But then I get to humiliate you on your birthday."

"Sorry, no deal. My birthday is on a Sunday and I'm having my party on the same day. No time for family humiliation." Brooke said in accomplishment

"You suck!"

"So, I'll be back with a booster chair."

"Actually, we need like...three." Haley said counting the little children on the floor picking their noses.

"No, Haley, that makes 4." Lucas corrected

"No it doesn't. Lucy, Carter, and Wesley. Three." Haley stated.

"And Emma." Luke added.

"Oh, right. I knew that. Four. Duh! That's what I meant."

"Uh huh. Sure Haley." Lucas followed the hostess to the door and whispered to her, "bring 5. I need to get back at my wife." The hostess winked and walked away.

"Hey Luke! Come break up your kids. I think they're gonna kill each other!" Nathan shouted. Lucas walked back to the seating area where Carter and Maddie were fighting over who got to sit next to Emma.

"Maddie, get off your brothers head!" Lucas yelled.

"But he's on my foot!" Maddie yelled back.

"Carter, get off your sister's foot!" Lucas was bewildered as to how they could have gotten themselves twisted into that position.

"But she pulleded my hair!" Carter whined.

"I only did it cause he pinched me!"

"Both of you stop or I'm gonna come over there and sit on you both!" Lucas threatened. Both kids instantly separated and stood straight. "Now, what's the problem?"

"I want to sit next to Emma." Maddie complained.

"I wants to sit next tos her mores!" Carter argued.

"Emma, you handle this." Lucas gave up. Carter and Maddie darted over to their sister and put on their biggest smile.

"Emma, I love you! You are my favorite sister!" Maddie kissed up to Emma.

"What about Lucy?" Emma asked somewhat worried, but mostly quite pleased.

"All she does is cry and poop and watch Dora the Explorer!"

"True." Emma admitted. "What about you Carter?"

"You're my favort sistwa toos!"

"Hey!" Maddie smacked Carter.

"Whoa! Shut down!" Emma laughed. "Okay, I'll make a deal with you guys. Whoever gets me the best present wins."

"But we don't gots no pwesents here." Carter said confused.

"I'll give you five minutes to go find one." Emma said. Both children ran off. Maddie tripped Carter and got a head start.

The grown ups were all gathered around the table catching up and talking about politics. This completely bored Brooke. So, she thought up something to entertain herself. "Lucas, will you come with me please?" She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him outside.

"What are we doing out here, Brooke?"

"Playing Sweet and Sour." Brooke said very pleased.

"Oh, Brooke! That is so fourth grade!"

"Not the Brooke Davis version."

"Brooke Davis?"

"I mean Scott. Brooke Scott. I said Brooke Scoot." Brooke said, trying to save her mistake.

"No you didn't. Anyway, what's the Brooke Davis Scott version?

"Come here." Brooked pulled Lucas close to her and kissed him. A car drove by and honked at them. Brooke giggled and looked up at Lucas. "See? How sweet!"

Lucas laughed. "Well how are we supposed to count the sour people if we're attached at the lip?"

"Uh…well…who really needs sour people anyway? They get you down." She kissed him again and listened as drivers honked on their way by.

Maddie and Carter were running through the dining room looking at all the booths.

"Well, hello there. What are you two doing?"

"Um…nothing. We're just looking for…um…strawberry jam." Maddie said.

"Oh. Well then…here you go, sweetie."

"Thanks!" Maddie said taking the jam out of the pudgy hands of the large woman in the booth. "Here Carter!" Maddie said shoving the jam into Carter's pants pocket. They ran off.

Back in the party room, the hostess came back with the booster seats.

"Where are the one's who requested these?"

"Oh, they've all run off." Skills answered.

"Right. Well I'll just leave these here then."

"Thanks."

"How many was that?"

"39." Brooke answered proudly.

"Okay, I think that's enough PDA for now." Lucas said pulling away from Brooke.

"No! Lucas!" Brooke whined. She gave him the puppy eyes, which of course, he couldn't resist, so he caved. She smiled and kissed him. A car honked and the people inside whistled out the window.

"40! Okay, let's go!" Brooke kipped into the restaurant. Lucas laughed, rolled his eyes, sighed, and followed her inside.

Carter and Maddie stood on their tipsy toes looking at a booth.

"Score!" Maddie said, her eyes glowing. Carter cupped his hands against the table and Maddie scraped the money off the table. They stuck the money in Maddie's sweater pocket and ran off.

The waiter walked over to the booth. "No tip! That's the 6th booth! This is so not my day!"

Maddie and Carter ran up to Emma smiling. "We gots your pwesent!" Carter said gleefully.

"Ooooh! Goodie! Give to me, I love presents!" Maddie dumped her sweater pockets on the table. Then she split the money pile in half.

"This is from me."

"And this is froms me!" Carter said pointing to the second pile. Emma gathered up the money and counted it.

"They're even. It's a tie."

Carter reached down into his pocket. "Here Emma." Carter said putting the strawberry jam on the table.

"Hey, I was just looking for some jam. Thanks Carter" Emma said patting him on the head.

"Do I win?"

"Yes, Carter. Come sit here next to me!"

"Yay!" Carter smiled deviously at Maddie. She stuck her tongue out at him, crossed her arms, and slouched down in the next chair and pouted.

"Where did you guys find all this money anyway?" Emma asked curiously.

"A bunch of stupid people left it on the tables." Maddie said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Oh my God you guys! That's money for the waiters! Oh well. Sucks to be them." Emma laughed.

"What's so funny?" Brooke asked, walking into the room.

""Carter and Maddie stole tip money off of tables and gave it to me as a present."

"Did you really?" Brooke asked the kids, amazed.

They both hung their heads in shame. "Yes."

"That's very bad!" Brooke scolded. "Promise me you will never do it again." Brooke squatted down between the kids and whispered, " unless you give the money to me." Then she stood up and spoke loudly again. "You promise?"

"Yes! We promise." Maddie and Carter both giggled.

"Emma, why aren't you in your chair?"

"Because…um…oh look! Bread!"

"Do not change the subject!"

"Emma, listen to your mother or we'll never get to eat." Lucas begged.

"Yeah dogs. Listen to your mom. I'm hungry!" Skills backed up Lucas.

"Thank you boys." Brooke smiled. "Now get your butt in that chair!"

Emma gave Lucas a dirty look. "Traitor."

They all got situated around the table. They all ordered, and of course Brooke ordered more than she could eat. Lucas told her it was fine, but naturally he knew that it would all end up sitting in the fridge for about 3 months, and he would probably have to clean out the moldy, rotten food. But it was expected. They ate and talked and laughed until the kids became restless and begged to go home. So Lucas paid the check, as per usual, and they all piled into the car.