Chapter 3: The Mellow Mushroom

Nathan left Peytons apartment early the next morning. He had to be at work and didn't want to wake her, since she looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, so he wrote a note and put it on the pillow beside her on the floor where they had fallen asleep.

Peyton woke up to a loud racket coming from the hallway. She got up and walked to the front door and threw it open to find 4 guys running down the hallway throwing a football back and forth. As soon as she stepped out... WHAM... the ball hit her right in the head. The 4 boys came running up beside her trying to asess the damage.

"Are you okay?" One guy asked

"That was narly" Another one said

"Come on lets get you up." She recoginized this one as Nathan's brother. The one she had seen when she first got there. He was looking at her and smiling. She automatically fell in love with his dimples

"Lets get you back inside" Lucas said putting his arm around her back and helping her inside

He began looking around noticing that she hadn't unpacked a single thing.

"Slow mover?" He asked with a smile

She sat down on the counter as Lucas went to the freezer for some ice

"Well... I guess I haven't had time... you know with being hit with flying footballs and all." She said as he began to laugh

"Yea... sorry about that" He said as he handed her a rag full of ice

"Thanks" She said taking it from him

"So... your new here huh?" He asked as she got off the counter and walked into what was supposed to be a living room

"Yea... just moved here from L.A." She said grabbing the pillow off the floor and sitting on the couch

"Talk about a whole other side of the world" He said sitting down beside her

"Yea... sure is... L.A.'s nothing but surfers and skaters pretty much... Here there is a lot more variety... I like it" She said simply

"Yea... Miami is a fun place to live... Did you not like the surfers and skaters or something?" He asked curiosly trying to figure out what type of guys she went for

"It's not that... I enjoyed watching them... Considering I cant do any of that, but they were everywhere... at least here there not on every corner." She said laughing slightly

"So you like surfers" He said plainly trying not to draw attention to the fact that he was trying to pick her up so to speak

"They have hot bodies, and they were board shorts all day, and stay in the water... need I say more." She said giggling

He just watched her laugh. "She got a beautiful smile" He thought "I wonder if she likes Nathan... I wonder if she would like me... I am better than him..."

"LUCAS?"

He was immediately drawn out of his thoughts

"Yea"

"Nothing... you just seemed dazed"

"Oh... I was just thinking"

"Maybe you shouldn't do that" She said jokingly

"Ha Ha Ha" He said "So when do you plan on unpacking?" He asked looking around her appartment

"Well... I guess today since I gotta work tonight"

"Work?... You just got here and you already have a job" He said shocked

"Yea... I got it before I even moved here" She said laughing slightly

"Well... were you gonna be working?"

"The Mellow Mushroom... you know it?" She asked

"I live in Miami do you seriously think I haven't heard of the Mellow Mushroom?" He asked laughing at her question

"Yea... So... I had a blonde moment... I am blonde so I tend to do that every so often" She laughed as her face turned flush

"Well when do you go in?" He asked

"Umm... I think they want me there at 8"

"Well... How about I help you unpack a bit before you have to go to work..." He paused waiting for her response

"Sure... I would love it." She said getting up "Well... aren't you gonna help." She said as she tossed a box over to him

"I guess I am now" He laughed

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"Well aren't we just looking fine tonight" Jake said as he hit on Haley

"I always look fine" She said ily

"That you do" He said leaning in and kissing her

She pulled away "I'm supposed to be working"

"This is working" He said as he leaned in for another kiss

"Jaakkkeee" She moaned against his lips

"I know... your supposed to be working" He said pulling away from her "So when's this new girl coming in?" He asked looking at his watch

"Umm... I think she's coming in at 8... She better know how to sling a bottle... I don't wanna have to pick up her slack because she's stupid" Haley said angrily

"You don't even know her and your already baggin on her... how nice are you?" He said smartly

"Come on... you know that if you came in here for a drink and she took 20 minutes to get to you you would be ed."

"Yea... but you don't know if she can sling bottles or not so why don't you ease up until she gets here and quit being so stressed" He said running his hand across her cheek "Now how about a drink"

"You're lucky you're sweet" She said smartly

"I know I'm sweet"

She glared at him and handed him his beer

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Lucas and Peyton were putting the finishing touches on her appartment. They had been going through boxes and unpacking for nearly 5 hours... They were both tired as they plopped down on the couch.

"looks good" He said looking around at his work

"Yea it does... Thanks... I probably would have never gotten to it"

"You are very welcome" He said turning towards her

"Where did you put my cd's" She asked

"Umm... I think there in the cabinet under the T.V." He said pointing towards it "Why?"

"Becuase" She said getting up "I want to listen to some music"

"What type of music do you listen to?" He aksed curiosly

"Well... mostly punk, rock, emo... that kind of stuff"

He laughed at this

"What's so funny" She asked as she ed her head to the side

"Nothing... Just a girl listening to punk... That's different"

"Well I happen to like it... ALOT" She said grabbing her favorite cd and putting it in the cd player

"And what would that be?"

"A mix" She said simple

"And what would be on this mix?"

"Well... I got some Fall Out Boy... All American Rejects... Story of the Year... That kind of stuff"

"Really now...?" He said

"Yes... Really" She said as she sat back on the couch and pushed play as All American Rejects-Dirty Little Secrets blared through the speakers

"Now this my friend is an awesome song" He said looking at her

"I know." She said smirking at him

"Soo..." He started

"Soooo... what?" She asked

"I saw you with my brother last night... where'd you see him"

"The bar" She said simply

"Oh yea... do you like him"

She just looked at him

"Well..." He said

"Well... I just met him... He's a cool person to hang out with" She said looking away

"Yea he is... He's such a flirt" He said laughing

"And so am I... so we are a perfect match" She said trying to make him jealous. She noticed how hard he was trying to make it seem like he wasn't interested and she was feeding off of this... Truth be told she thought Lucas was pretty hot

"Yea... well you might wanna get going... you gotta be at work in like 30 minutes" He said

"He's so shy" She thought to herself... "Telling me I gotta be at work so he can avoid the subject... That's so cute" She thought again as she laughed to herself

"What's so funny?" He asked

"Nothing... I better go and get ready... See you later."

"Yea... later" He said as he looked at the floor

Lucas walked out the door and back to his appartment as Peyton went to get ready for work

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LUCAS' POV

What was I thinking? She was totally hitting on me and I completely froze. She probably thinks I'm a chicken... I am a chicken... She's hott and I can hardly look at her without freaking out. How lame am I.

PEYTON'S POV

I can't beleive he freaked out like that. Am I to forward or something. Nathan didn't run from me... Maybe I'm not... Maybe he's just shy... Maybe I shouldn't be so flirty with him. I might be scaring him. To bad he's not like his brother... I'd totally date him

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"Hey... are you Peyton?" Haley asked as she poured some guy a shot

"Yea"

"Ever Bartended before Peyton?" Haley asked as she poured another guy a shot

"Yea... back in L.A." She said as Haley through her a bottlea

"Then get on it" She said rushing off to fill a beer order

"Hey there... what can I get you" Peyton said smiling at one of the guys at the bar

"I need a double shot of tequila and one for yourself" He said handing her a 20

She poured him his shot and poured her shot. Anytime a customer buys you a drink... you drink it. Whether you spit it out into a beer bottle or swallow it... you don't turn it down. She touched shot glasses as she took hers and he downed his.

"Here you go" He said putting a 10 in her tip jar

"This is gonna be easier than I thought" She thought to herself

Peyton spent the next few hours running up and down the bar pouring shots and taking shots and flirting with the guys. After all... that was part of her job. She and Haley seemed to make a pretty good team. They laughed and joked around as they did there jobs... It paid off for them as well because there tip jars were over flowing. Peyton had her back turned to the bar when someone yelled at her

"Hey miss... I need 2 beers over here"

She turned around to see Nathan and his brother standing there smiling

"Hey!" She said walking over to the bar "What can I get for you... other than 2 beers?" She asked

"How about a phone number and a kiss" He said as he winked at her

"Hmmm... you just might have to see me after my shift" She said winking back

Lucas turned his back to them not wanting to see the flirting

"I'll definetly have to do that... When does your shift end" He asked as she grabbed him his two beers

"My shift ends at 4 but I get a break in an hour" She said handing him his beers

"We will definetly have to hang out on your break"

"Only if you plan on dancing" She said flirtily

"That I can do"

"See you then... I gotta run" She said turning away and tending to another customer

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"Haley... Jakes up there looking for you" Peyton said as she took the bottle from Haley so she could take over

"Thanks" She said as she smiled at Peyton and walked over to Jake

"What's up" She said hugging him

"Came to see how you were treating the new girl... seems to be going pretty well to me... She knows how to sling them bottles don't she" He said watching Peyton

"Yea she does... She bartended out in L.A."

"Yea"

"How did you know that" She said looking at him

"I met her last night... Nate told me before we got here that she was gonna be working here... Talked about how she lived in L.A. and " He said looking over towards Nate and Luke "So when do you go on break?"

"In about an hour or so... I gotta wait on Brooke and Lexy to get back from there's"

"I take it you get break same time as Peyton"

"Yea... She's actually pretty cool"

"Yea... glad your getting along with her"

"I am" She said as she hugged him

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"Dude are you seeing this?" Nathan asked Lucas as he stared at Haley and Jake

"Yea... What about it?" Lucas asked as he laughed at Nathan's jealousy

"What's so funny?" He said with a bit of anger in his voice

"Dude your so jealous"

"What are you talking about... I'm not jealous of them."

"No... not them... just Jake... you like Haley."

"Do not... I got Peyton"

"Dude you hardly know Peyton"

"Whatever dude" Nathan said turning back to the bar watching Peyton poor shots and take one herself

"You really do have a thing for Haley don't you" Lucas asked as he sat down beside Nathan

Nathan just sighed and looked over at Haley. She was smiling and laughing as she gave some guy a beer

"You still like her don't you?" Lucas asked quietly

"Yea" Nathan replied simply

"Why don't you talk to her?"

"Oh yeah... Jake would have a field day with that one wouldn't he"

"Dude you know he's got his eye on Brooke anyways... Like he'd care" Lucas said

"Brooke? When did this happen?"

"Uh... couple weeks ago when Brooke started to hit on him. She's hot dude... of course Jakes gonna have his eye on her"

"Yea Haleys just as hot" Nathan said eyeing her once more

"Do you know if she still likes you?" Lucas asked

"Nah... Probably not... we haven't really talked since she saw me talking to some other girl when I was waiting on her to go on break"

"You know what this is right?" Lucas asked

"What? A pathetic attempt to get back with Haley?" Nathan said sighing as he watched her take a shot

"No... Jakes her rebound... It's so obvious... girls are easy to read... You and her quit talking and she started talking to your best friend... See it now"

Nathans eyes brightend up "Yea... but I can't be mean to Peyton... She's cool... I like hanging out with her."

Lucas sighed. He thought he finally took Nathans mind off of Peyton and put it back on Haley. This was the only way he was gonna be able to talk to her without ing Nathan off.

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"What took you guys so damn long" Haley asked as she glared at Brooke

"Sorry... We were dancing"

"Yea well while you 2 were dancing me and Peyton have been up here busting our hineyrumpuses trying to serve drinks" She said angrily

"Well thats what you get paid to do" Brooke said smartly

"Well now it's your turn to get paid" Peyton chimed in as she handed Brooke a bottle "It's our time to go on break" She finished as she linked arms with Haley and walked off

"I don't even know that and I already hate her" Brooke said staring at Peyton as she walked off with Haley

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"So Nate... You ready to dance" Peyton said as she walked between him and Lucas and grabbed him and started pulling him towards the dance floor

"I guess I gotta be" He said trailing behind her

"Jake you wanna dance?" Haley asked as she watched Nathan walk off with Peyton with a bit of animosity in her eyes

She still liked Nathan but she didn't trust him and she tried her hardest to make him jealous by hanging all over Jake. To bad she didn't know Jake had been eyeing Brooke all night.

"Sure why not" He said as they left Lucas just standing there

Lucas went and sat down at the bar

"C'mon Nate... This song is soo fun... You gotta go crazy with it." She said jumping all around as she danced to Cascada's Everytime We Touch-Club Mix. She loved this song

Peyton, Nathan, Jake, and Haley were all out on the dance floor laughing and having a good time while Lucas sat at the bar drowning his sorrows with a beer

"Hey Nate... Where's your brother?" Peyton asked as they both scanned the room for him

"Uh... He's over at the bar. Why?"

"Cause I'm gonna go get him and drag him on the dance floor" She said walking away

She ran up to Lucas and grabbed his hand

"C'mon" She said pulling him up

"What are you doing" He asked as he set his beer down

"Making you dance with me" She said as she pulled him towards the dance floor

"Uh... I don't dance" He said trying to get out of it

"Yea... and neither does Nate but he's dancing" She said as she kept pulling him

"Fine... It you'll stop dragging me I'll dance" He said as she let him go and he followed her

"She got you bro didn't she" Nathan asked as he laughed at him

"Yea she did" Lucas said being honest

Peyton really did get him

"Now dance!" Peyton said as she tooke Lucas' hands and started dancing with him

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There it is! Your Update! Thank you for the reviews! YOU GUYS ROCK! I hope you like this chapter! I wasn't sure what to do to introduce the tangled web's of crushes and all the stuff! I hope it turned out okay! Let me know if you like it! If you have any suggestions or just want to see something in this story let me know and I'll see what I can do!

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