Chapter Ten – You Say Potato, I Say Patato
(Dedicated to Nicole Speziale aka Brooke Davis aka Skank! The bestest friend a girl could ask for!)
Haley James watched herself brush her hair in her vanity mirror. She had plans to go to out to dinner and then to a movie with Lucas. It had been almost two weeks since the wedding, and her and Lucas had been hanging out almost everyday. Which was nice, because they were able to catch up on the lost time. But something was bothering her. In the pit of her stomach there was a sneaking suspicion that Lucas was starting to like her a little more then as just friends. Haley wasn't sure about how she felt about Lucas, let alone how she felt about him liking her. She knew she liked him as a best friend, hell she loved him as a best friend, but anymore more? She just wasn't sure. Hearing Lucas' knock on the front door of her apartment in Charleston, she quickly reapplied her lip gloss and ran to the door.
"Hey!" She smiled.
"You ready to go?" Lucas asked with a smiled.
Haley moved out of the way so he could come in. "Yeah. Just let me grab my purse." Jogging back to her room she grabbed her purse off of her bed and slipped it on. Checking her appearance in the mirror one last time, she met Lucas at the front door and they left.
Four hours later Haley and Lucas walked out of the Charleston Cineplex laughing. "I can't believe she called the cops on her!" Haley choked out between laughs.
Lucas laughed. "I know! 'Now Miss, just sit down. These nice gentlemen are going to talk to you about the girl you locked in your closet.'" Lucas quoted from the movie.
Haley snorted. What? She's grounded! That's where she goes when she's grounded."
"But miss you have to feed her, and let her out of the closet once in a while!"
"You're crazy! You don't know what you're talking about!"
"I'm crazy? You're the one who locks other people's children in the closet!" Both Haley and Lucas said in unison.
They burst out in another fit of laughter.
Haley put her hand on her stomach. "I'm so buying that on DVD when it comes out."
"Hell yes!" Lucas laughed. "Me two."
"Well it's settled then." Haley said clasping her hands together shivering. It felt as if the temperature had dropped at least 20 degrees from once they had first entered the movie theater to now.
"You cold?" Lucas asked her, slipping off his jacket.
"No, it's fine." Haley began to protest but it was too late, Lucas had already put his jacket over her shoulders.
"Haley, I've known you forever. So, stop acting like I have cooties, or something and put on the damn jacket."
"Alright. Alright." Haley laughed putting her arms into the arms of the jacket. "Thanks."
She had had a pretty good time with Lucas that evening. Nothing awkward about it, just two friends having dinner and catching a movie afterwards, right? Wrong. Haley had been cool for most of the night; Lucas was treating her more like a little sister then anything. But when the got to the movies and took their seats, Lucas smoothly put his arm around Haley's shoulders. Thoughts of worry bombarded her mind. She didn't want Lucas to think this was a date, but then again she didn't want him to think it wasn't one either. Haley wondered if she was over reacting. Maybe Lucas was just acting like a friend, that that's where his arm felt comfortable. Okay, how lame did that just sound? Haley thought.
Haley's thoughts were broken by the sound of her cell phone. She quickly checked the caller ID before answering. Peyton Sawyer. "Hey Peyt, what's up?"
"Hey Hales." Peyton practically screamed into the phone. "I have the perfect idea. What are you doing?"
"I just got out of a movie with Lucas." Haley thought she heard Peyton murmur some obscene swear word on the other end of the line, but wasn't sure. There was a lot of static on Peyton's end of the line and Haley could here music and a crowd cheering. Probably at one of Chris' concerts. Haley thought. "What's the idea?"
"Brooke and Nathan are coming back to Tree Hill in two days–you know what? Hold on." Peyton told Haley.
Lucas nodded towards the phone. "Who is it?" He asked his friend. Haley put her hand over the receiver of the phone.
"It's Peyton. I think she's at one of Chris' concerts." Haley pretended to gag.
"What does she want?" Lucas asked not really interested. He and Peyton had drifted a part over the last five years, and now that she knew about him and Brooke, he decided it was best to keep his distance from that particular blonde.
Haley shrugged. "She has some great idea. She put me on hold though-" Haley was cut off by the sound of Peyton's voice on the other end.
Peyton had walked out side from backstage. As much as she loved watching her boyfriend play live, she had scene the set before, and could due to miss a few minutes of a song. It was much quieter outside of the sold out stadium. "Ok. I'm back. You still there?"
"Yeah. Go ahead." Haley said refocusing. "What's up?"
"Ok. You know Brooke and Nathan are coming back from the honeymoon in two days, right?"
"Right…"
"Well, I was thinking we could throw them a surprise party. I already talked to Rachel and Jake and they are willing to help, and I thought you might like to lend in a hand. I know you and Mrs. Scott's–how great is that? Mrs. Scott! Anyways–relationship has been rocky for a while, but I also know you two are trying to work it out. And what better way to do so, by throwing her a welcome home party?"
Haley thought about it for a minute. Lucas mad a funny face at Haley, and she playfully pushed him. "Stop it." She mouthed to him with a laugh. "Yeah. Sounds fine to me."
"Awesome!" Peyton exclaimed. "We're starting preparations right away since we have such little time to get everything together. I've already called the Party Shop and ordered a whole bunch of crap. I bought so much random junk they actually gave me a discount. So luckily I only have to pay, like, half price. And tomorrow I'm going to the invitation store on the corner of West and Main. Jake and Rachel already volunteered to write out the invitations and put together a guest list. I was thinking me, you could spilt up the invites and deliver them personally. Rachel and Jake would help but they have Jenny. Anyways, Jake, Rach, and Jenny are here now. Well, not here here, but they're back at my place. Last time I talked to them they were putting together some stuff, like photos of them from as far back as junior high and as recent as the wedding. Well, actually, Jenny is playing with Barbie dolls in the spare bedroom, but Jake and Rach are hard at work. And I was thinking, because you live in River City–which is, like, twenty minutes from my place in Charleston–that you could stop by and help out. You guys won't be there with out me long, I'll be here with Chris an hour more at the most and then we'll be back at home. I'll even have the driver stop Pete's Pizza and spring for pizza and beer. So you in?" Peyton took a deep breath and laughed. "Sorry, got a little over excited there."
"It's fine. Being a little spastic about something isn't so bad if it's for a good cause, right?" Haley laughed. "Look, I'm fine with coming over and helping you guys, but right now I'm out with Luke. We actually heading back to my place, and were going to watch some bad reality TV show reruns." Haley put her hand over the receiver. "We're going over to Peyton's." She told Lucas. Lucas pretended to gag. Haley smacked his arm playfully. "We could come over to your place and help out though, that is if you don't mind this loser I know named Lucas, tagging along."
Lucas' eyes widened and his mouth hung open. "I'm shocked. I can't believe you, my best friend, Miss Haley James, just called me, the hottest male specimen alive, a loser!"
Haley laughed. "Well, I did. So deal. Got it, Scott?" Lucas rolled his eyes. "So we'll be there in a half an hour, ok?" Haley asked Peyton.
Peyton dragged her feet as she walked around in circles outside. She really didn't want Lucas there, but she knew if she told Haley no, then she would cancel out on the night and wouldn't come over till the next day. "Fine. I'll see you guys when me and Chris get home." Peyton hung up the phone.
Haley hung up her phone and put it back in her purse. "We're going over to Peyton's." Haley informed Lucas. "She's organizing a surprise welcome back party for Nate and Brooke. Jake, Rach, and Jenny are over at Peyton and Chris' mansion right now–emphasis on the mansion part." Haley laughed.
Lucas checked his watch. "Hales, it's already-" Lucas started to complain, but Haley cut him off.
"Look, I don't know what stick you and Peyton have got wedged up each others asses lately, and I really could careless. But it's for Nathan and Brooke, we're they're friends now whether we like it or not and we're going." Lucas shot her a look of disagreement. "And don't give me that face, Lucas. If you keep doing it long enough your face will get stuck like that and we wouldn't want 'the hottest male specimen alive', now would we?"
Lucas couldn't help but laugh. "Well, if I have to…"
"You have to." Haley demanded.
"Fine." Lucas sighed.
"Fine is right." Haley laughed and smacked his butt. "Let's get back to the piece of crap you call your car."
Lucas pretended the be hurt. "Not the car Hales, not the car. The car is a classic."
"You say potato I say patato." Haley laughed. "You say classic, I say junk yard turndown. Same difference."
Lucas laughed and draped his arm over Haley's shoulders. "I better not regret this, Haley, or I swear on my 'hottest male specimen alive' life, you will live to regret it."
"Peyton's bringing beer and pizza back with her and Chris when she leaves the concert." Haley informed Lucas matter-of-factly. "So it won't suck totally.
"Maybe it won't be all that bad and suck totally." Lucas smiled. "We could always just get drunk."
Haley laughed and put her arm around Lucas' waist. "Lets go get drunk!"
