Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I know you all are probably just DYING of Baley withdrawal! It's been a crazy week to say the least, but I found the time to make and EXTRA LONG update for you guys to make up for it! I think you guys will really like this chapter, there's a lot of Baley interaction and some drama! I know you guys are waiting for them to kiss and declare their love for each other, but I think I'm going to wait a few more chapters, maybe one or two, because I still have some ideas for stuff going on between them before they actually get together. This is my longest chapter so far and I hope you all like it! As always, please read and review!
Disclaimer: I own nothing, One Tree Hill and its characters belong to the nice, wonderful, talented people at the WB.
Rating: PG to PG-13
In the Presence of an Angel
Chapter 5
Later the next day, Haley was doing her homework for Chemistry and Brooke was catching up on work she'd missed so far in school at the table in the kitchen. There came a knock and Haley rose to answer the door and, without thinking, swung it open. Before her stood Lucas with a sorrowful expression and a bouquet of her favorite flowers. "What are YOU doing here," she asked crossly as she placed a hand on her hip. Lucas saw the bruise that he had caused and raised his hand to gently touch her cheek but she quickly pulled away. Lucas hung his head in shame as he held out the flowers to her, "I'm sorry."
Haley's face reddened a little in anger, "Sorry is not going to cut it this time, Lucas, and neither will flowers or a box of chocolates. You really hurt me Lucas, and not just physically. Nathan is my friend and ONLY my friend. We're nothing more than that and never will be. Until you understand that, maybe we should take a break from each other." Lucas' eyes widened in shock at her words, "Hales..." "Goodbye Lucas," Haley said tersely, but both of them could hear the unsteadiness in her voice. She knew that she didn't want to do this, but it was for the best. He had to understand that nothing will ever happen between her and Nathan, that she liked someone else, but she couldn't tell him who that person was. As she began to close the door on him, he said, "I'm really sorry Hales."
After Haley had closed the door, she went to her bedroom and collapsed on the bed, tears flowing down her cheeks. Brooke, who had been listening in on the conversation, followed and gently sat down beside her, stroking her hair comfortingly. "Why did you tell him to stay away from you," Brooke asked softly. "Because Nathan and I will never be anything more than friends. They were getting along so well, at least, as well as could be expected at the moment. I mean, they aren't friends yet, but they were being civil to each other in the least. Now with the fight... I'm afraid it'll ruin what bonds they've built. I don't know how he could think that a relationship between Nathan and I would ever work out, we're both so different."
Brooke nodded and thought with sadness, 'We're both different too... even if she did feel the same way, maybe we wouldn't work out...' Haley blurted without really thinking, "Besides, I like someone else." Brooke's eyebrows arched in questioning, "Who?" "It's just someone," Haley replied secretively, folding her arms across her chest. "Who is it, Haley," Brooke pressed on even though she felt her heart breaking inside. Haley liked someone else and that person wasn't her. Haley shook her head in defiance, not saying a word. "It's Lucas isn't it," Brooke said softly. She had noticed how close the two were and how they did things that a lot of boyfriends and girlfriends did together. Haley got a disgusted look on her face, "What? No. That's sick! Lucas... he's like my big brother. I could never like him like that." "You know, best friends make the best lovers," Brooke waggled her finely plucked eyebrows in suggestion. Haley, however, took it two different ways, "Eww... that's gross! I could never sleep with Lucas!" Haley thought, 'Brooke and I are best friends...' "You sleep over at his house or he at yours on your movie nights," Brooke pointed out. "Yeah, but that's different. I mean, I could never, you know, have sex with him." "Oh," Brooke responded.
They were both interrupted by another knock at the door. "It better not be Lucas," Haley growled as she went to answer the door yet again. She found Nathan with a black eye and a cut lip behind the door. He saw her bruise and said, "Are you okay?" "Not as bad as you," she replied, "I'm sorry he hit you. He had no right; he jumped to conclusions and sometimes he tends to react impulsively instead of finding out more information before making a rational decision." "Yeah I can see that," he smiled then chuckled, "I see it every time I look in the mirror since yesterday." She grinned at his joke, "Me too." "Well, one of the reasons, besides checking up on you, was that I came to tell you that I got a B on my Chemistry test. I really appreciate you helping me out. Thanks, Hales. You're the best," he pulled her into a hug. "That's great Nathan, I'm happy for you." "Sorry Haley, but I have to go. Dad has me doing some weights and running. Can't disobey Daddy Dearest," Nathan said the last sentence sarcastically as he pulled away. "Bye Nate," Haley called out as he began to walk down her driveway. He waved in response before getting into his car and driving off.
When Haley reentered the kitchen, Brooke said, "That sounded like it went much better than your last conversation with a Scott." "Yeah well, Nathan is the only Scott on my good list right now, besides Keith and Deb. The other two are jackasses." "Serves them right," Brooke replied with a nod.
"I feel like going swimming," Haley stated. "Swimming? Haley, are you crazy? It's October, the water will be freezing," Brooke exclaimed in response. "The pool is heated," Haley replied with a smile. "Cool," she said back as she followed Haley to her room. As Haley fished around for her suit, Brooke remembered that she didn't have one to wear. "Uh Haley? I don't have a suit to wear. I guess I'll just have to skinny dip. Is that okay with you?" Brooke felt a shiver run down her spine at her own words. Just the thought of her being naked in front of Haley caused her body to heat up. Haley laughed uncomfortably and turned her head to hide the blush creeping up in her cheeks then gave her a 'You've got to be kidding me, right?' look then shook her head, "Nonsense. You can borrow one of mine." "Okay, thanks," Brooke replied.
Haley went to change and reappeared a few minutes later in a light pink bikini with blue and purple Hawaiian flowers on it. Brooke took in her pale, but slightly tanned, skin, her toned abs, stomach, and slender figure. "Wow Haley, you look good. You know, you have a great body. You should show a little more skin than what you usually wear to school. Besides, it'll surely drive this boy that you're being so secretive about wild. I know! We'll go shopping! Once this awful reminder of my mother goes away, I'll take you to the mall and we can get some new outfits for you. How does that sound?" "Uh sure, that'd be great," Haley replied a little nervously. Haley didn't like showing off her body that much; she didn't think she was very attractive. But apparently Brooke thought so. And hadn't she subconsciously grabbed her bikini instead of her one-piece suit? 'What is going on with me,' Haley thought. She then picked out a bikini for Brooke, a red one, Brooke's favorite color of course. The brunette went to change then they both grabbed towels and headed out to the pool.
Brooke dipped her toes just barely below the surface of the water and quickly recoiled back, hopping around trying to warm her foot. "Haley, I told you it's freezing!" Haley laughed at her antics, "You were hopping around like Tigger in Winnie the Pooh. Ooh! That's what I'll call you now! Tigger!" Brooke laughed and smiled, "That means I get to call you Hales." "Of course," Haley replied as she bent down to turn on the heaters for the pool. While she did this, Brooke discreetly eyed her from behind. Haley felt eyes on her and turned to see Brooke with a devilish grin on her face, "Why are you looking at me like that?" Brooke's smile grew even wider as she raced over to her, grabbed her, and launched them both into the pool.
Once they came to the surface, both sputtered out water and wiped the hair from their faces. "Brooke! Why'd you do that? This water is FREEZING," Haley exclaimed loudly and proceeded to get out of the pool. "It seemed like the perfect opportunity. You weren't watching," Brooke laughed. As Haley began to climb the ladder, Brooke noticed something in the water. "Uhhh, Haley?" "Yeah," she asked and turned to face her. A deep blush rose to Brooke's cheeks as she turned her head away and picked up the thing that had floated by, "Um...you, um...forgot this..." Haley's eyes widened in shock as she slowly brought her gaze down to look at her body then immediately covered her chest. Her cheeks burned in embarrassment as she quickly grabbed the top part of her bikini and raced inside the house.
Brooke came in a few minutes later, letting Haley get herself together before she put herself in the other girl's presence. Brooke entered the bedroom and sat on the bed, wrapping the towel tighter around herself to warm up. Several moments passed until Haley finally exited the bathroom, wearing a blue shirt and a pair of sweatpants as she dried her hair with a towel. Her cheeks were still a fierce red and had a wide-eyed expression on her face, stunned by what had happened just minutes ago.
"Hey," Brooke said softly. It was then she noticed that Haley wasn't wearing a bra. She knew this by Haley's hard nipples protruding through the thin material of her shirt. Brooke swallowed hard and fought the urge to kiss her. 'Why does she have to be so damn sexy? She looks so hot with her wet hair...her perfect breasts... even her frown makes her look sexy...' Brooke came out of her reverie when she saw that Haley's mouth was moving to form words. "Hi," Haley replied quietly as she sat on the bed with her back to Brooke.
Brooke moved over to her and Haley flinched a little. "Haley, it's okay. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, it's nothing that I haven't seen before." Haley looked at her with an arched eyebrow and a confused expression. This pressed Brooke to continue on. "First of all, these," Brooke pointed to her own breasts then returned them to her sides, "and second, I'm used to it. Peyton and I change clothes in the same room all the time, same goes for when all the cheerleaders change in the locker room." "But that's just it, Brooke! You're used it, I'm not! I don't see other girls' breasts on a regular basis. I don't even put much thought to my own! I have never been in a situation like this!" Haley was almost hysterical now as she stood and began to pace back and forth while making frantic movements with her hands.
Brooke, despite herself and the seriousness of the situation, started to laugh. "You mean you've never been in a situation where like Luke barges into your room without knocking, like he does your house, while you're getting dressed or something and finds you half naked," Brooke asked incredulously. "No and can we please not go there? I don't want to talk about him," Haley responded in a cold tone. "Sorry," Brooke responded quietly. Haley sighed as she sat back down and stared at her hands in her lap, "It's not your fault."
Brooke, who was still in her bikini, shivered from the water on her skin and her wet hair. Haley noticed this and rose from the bed, "I'll get you some clothes." A few seconds after Brooke entered the bathroom, she came out, grabbing the shirt off the bed, "Forgot my shirt." As she finished getting dressed, Brooke remembered something Haley had said about a week ago when they were discussing their classes for next semester. She exited the bathroom and said to Haley, "You know, you're going to have to get used to naked bodies, or partially naked bodies, because remember, you have gym next semester. All the girls change in front of each other and take showers together. You'll never survive gym if you don't get used to it, or at least feel comfortable seeing it." Haley zoned out for a few seconds as she thought, 'I'd like to take a shower with you...' She returned to reality as Brooke continued to talk, "And I was thinking maybe I could help you with that." Haley's eyebrows furrowed tightly in confusion, "How?"
Haley's eyes widened in shock and her mouth dropped open when she saw that Brooke began to take off her shirt then turned away from her. Brooke chuckled lightly at this, "Relax Haley, it's just my shirt. I haven't even taken my bra off yet." Haley folded her arms across her chest and started to walk out of the room, but Brooke's hand stopped her. "It's okay to look Haley. Other girls do it all the time." "But I'm not like other girls, Brooke! I don't look at other girls' boobs or hook up with a guy every other night! I have never been with a guy before. Usually I am sensible and secure and know what I'm doing in just about everything, but when it comes to sex or nakedness, I'm anything but. I don't know about all that stuff. That's why I'm so uncomfortable. I'm not like you and the other cheerleaders; I don't flaunt my breasts and I'm not flirty. I don't have sex with guys every night like those cheerleaders on the team! And-and when you do this...I-I... Why are you doing this to me?" Tears had welled in Haley's eyes as she ran from the room leaving a topless Brooke hurt and confused more than ever.
Tears formed in her own eyes and she stood there for a few seconds, shocked by Haley's outburst, and then slowly slipped her bra back on then sat on the bed and buried her head in her hands. Some of Haley's words had really hit home to her; especially the hooking up with guys and Haley not being like her; it was just another stab to an already open wound. She laid down on the bed and clutched Haley's pillow, inhaling her scent before crying herself to sleep.
When Haley had raced out of her bedroom, she fled to the back porch where she sat on the bench swing and pulled her knees close to her body and cried. She too had realized that they were both so different and even if they never became more than friends, their differences might still come between them. She grabbed the blanket from the wooden chest and laid back then covered herself, cushioning her head with her arm as she drifted into slumber.
The next morning, Brooke stepped outside to get some fresh air and wake up. A few tears ran down her cheeks as she thought about what had happened last night. Haley had run out of the house and not come home; maybe she had gone to Peyton's house. She thought about calling her, but then Peyton would probably ask where she's been and so many other questions that she didn't want to answer right now. She just wanted to find Haley; she was beginning to worry about her. What if something happened to her?
Brooke breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Haley lying on the bench swing huddled up, probably from the coolness of the air. She sat on the porch floor next to the bench by Haley's head and just stared at her. She looked so beautiful with her hair falling down over her face, her soft pink lips, the little ring she always wore on her pinky finger, and her long eyelashes touching her skin. What broke her heart though, was the frown on her face and her tearstained cheeks and knowing that she was the person that had caused them.
She raised her hand slowly and softly caressed her cheek with the back of her hand, causing Haley to stir awake. Brooke quickly recoiled her hand back to avoid her feelings being found out and placed it back in her lap. Haley blinked and rubbed her eyes a few times before she was able to focus and then she laid her eyes on Brooke, who was sitting on the porch about a foot from her. "Hey," Haley said softly, her voice raspy from sleep, and then noticed her tears then asked, "why are you crying?" More tears began to cascade down Brooke's cheeks as she responded in a shaky tone, "I'm really sorry about last night..." "Me too," Haley replied quietly. Brooke continued on, "I thought you left last night and when you didn't come back... I thought something had happened to you..." "I'm sorry," Haley sat up and scooted off the bench to sit in front of Brooke and hugged her. Brooke hugged her back tightly, "I'm sorry too." Haley laughed a little, "You already said that." "I know, but I'm still really sorry," Brooke replied. "It's okay," Haley patted her back in reassurance.
"What do you want for breakfast? I'll cook," Brooke asked. Haley looked at her incredulously, "You can cook?" Brooke smiled back and chuckled, "How do you think I survived all these years with my parents gone?" "A maid," Haley suggested. "Nah, they only have one to clean the house. Since they're never there, they don't see the need for a cook anyway." "Okay, how about blueberry pancakes?" "Yum, that's sounds great. Good idea," Brooke responded. Haley got up and held out her hand to Brooke, "Come on Tigger, I'll show you the way around my kitchen." Brooke smiled at Haley's use of her new nickname; it told her that everything about the fight the night before had been forgiven. "Okay Hales, let's get this show on the road! I'm starving!" Haley laughed as both girls entered the kitchen.
Haley looked at the clock and turned to Brooke, "You better make those mini-pancakes-to-go. I've gotta get ready for school." "You're going to school today," Brooke asked, a twinge of sadness surfacing within her. She thought that maybe they could spend more time together, especially after last night. "Yep, I have to keep my grades up or I won't be able to tutor anymore," Haley responded, then said in a colder tone, "besides, it's not like nobody knows what happened at school the other day." "Yeah," Brooke trailed off as she scooped some batter into the pan. "Oh, I just remembered, I have to work today as well. I think my shift is from three to eight, then I'll come home. I hate leaving you by yourself all the time." "It's alright. I'm used it," Brooke replied sadly. "Me too," Haley responded in the same tone.
"Pancakes are ready," Brooke said as she placed four mini pancakes on each plate. They both began to eat and Haley nodded in approval, "Mmm, these are so good. You're a great cook." "Thanks," Brooke replied. They finished breakfast and Haley went to get changed for school then put her books in her backpack and grabbed her keys. She walked back into the kitchen where Brooke was washing last night's and that morning's dishes and drank the last of her orange juice. "Since I'm working tonight, I'll bring dinner home. How about BLT's," she inquired. "Sounds great," Brooke responded. "Great. I'll see you later tonight then. Bye Tigger." "Bye Hales," Brooke waved as Haley exited through the door.
At school, the halls were bustling with news of the fight and Haley caught some people staring at her, most with sympathizing looks because they knew how close Lucas and Haley were. All day Haley avoided Lucas like the plague, sitting as far away from him as possible but still remaining close enough to the front of the class to pay attention to the teacher. At lunch, she sat alone at one of the outside tables reading one of her books. She wanted to sit with Nathan, but he was probably sitting with his jock friends and Peyton was probably sitting with Lucas.
"Got room for another tortured body," a voice asked from above her. Haley looked up and found Nathan staring down at her and smiled, "Sure, pull up a seat." "So, how are you," he inquired. "Better than the other day. How about you? How did your dad react to the fight?" He shrugged, "Oh you know Dan, he asked me how Lucas fared and I said that he looked worse off than me then he made me run a few miles and do some weights." Haley scoffed, "He looked worse off than you? Nathan, he barely had a scratch on him!" "Hey," he protested, "I got in a few good punches. What a way to ruin a man's pride Hales." "Oh you're no man, Nathan, you're just a little boy who can't cut it fighting with the big boys," Haley said as she began laughing hard. "Oh, you are so going to get it Hales," Nathan replied as he began to tickle her. "Nathan... stop..." Haley giggled as she squirmed, trying to get away from his grasp.
A voice from behind them shouted, becoming louder as the person approached quickly, "Get your hands off her!" Both stopped and stared at him then rose to their feet. "I told you to stay away from me Lucas! We're just friends," Haley yelled at him. "You keep telling yourself that Haley," he responded as he stormed off. They sat down again and Haley buried her head in her hands and began to cry. "You okay," Nathan asked quietly. "I hate fighting with him... but he makes me so mad... sometimes I just want to kick him where the sun don't shine." "I could do that for you," Nathan offered happily. She smiled up at him and patted his arm, "As much as I would like you to do that, it would only make things worse between you two."
Their conversation was interrupted by Peyton running up to their table with wide eyes, "Oh my god, Haley are you okay? I heard what happened..." "And you're only hearing about it now? Where have you been the past two days," Haley asked confusedly. "I've been on my dad's boat. I stayed an extra day on Monday and I didn't get home until yesterday and I was exhausted so I stayed home." Peyton took Haley's chin between her thumb and forefinger and examined the bruise, "I can't believe he did this to you..." "Hey, what about me? I'm the one who took most of the heat here," Nathan piped in. "Aww, is Mr. Egotistical Cocky Jock going all baby on us? You need to start working out more; you're losing your touch. Lucas barely had any marks on him," Peyton responded in a sarcastic tone. "See, what'd I tell you," Haley retorted to Nathan with a wide smile on her face. Nathan shook his head and smiled as he stood, "Why I stay friends with you two, I don't know." "Oh, you know you love us," Peyton said back sweetly. "Yeah, whatever," Nathan waved his hand at them in dismissal and walked off.
The bell rang and the two girls rose from their seats, grabbing their books and throwing their trash away. As they walked to their classes, Peyton asked, "Hey Haley? Have you seen Brooke lately? I haven't seen her since last week and she's not answering her phone. Maybe she's pulling one of her disappearing acts again." Haley stiffened at her words, wishing she hadn't asked that. She was a terrible liar and people could usually catch her in a lie. But hadn't she been lying to a lot of people lately? She had lied to Lucas, Nathan, Peyton, and even Brooke. "Um, no I haven't, come to think of it. What do you mean by disappearing act," she responded, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. "Every once in a while, Brooke will disappear for a couple days to a week, and no one can find her or contact her. She doesn't come to school, she never seems to be home, and she doesn't answer her cell phone. She sort of falls off the face of the earth." "Oh," Haley replied as she thought, 'Maybe those other times she disappeared were times when her mother hit her.' Tears welled in her eyes at the thought of someone hurting Brooke and she fought to keep them from falling. "I'll see you later Peyton. I've gotta get to class," Haley said as she began to walk faster, "Oh, and I'm sure Brooke will turn up soon. She can't stay away from cheerleading too long." Haley smiled and Peyton returned it with one of her own, "Yeah. See ya, Hales."
Later that day, Haley went to Karen's café to start her shift. She went behind the counter and tied her apron on around her waist, consisting of her order pan and a pen as well as pockets for tips. As she did this, Karen walked out of the kitchen, nearly dropping the plates she carried at the sight of her. "Haley, what happened? Who did this to you?" "You mean you don't know," Haley asked confusedly. She thought Lucas would've told Karen about the fight, but maybe he didn't want his mom yelling at him for fighting with Nathan again. "No, what?"
Haley got a slightly mad look on her face and explained in a low tone, "Well, it so happens that a certain son of yours did this to me. It was an accident of course, but how it happened wasn't. I got this unsightly blemish because your son, He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, was fighting with his brother again. He and I were screaming at each other and he went to punch Nathan again and I pulled him back and he got ready give him another one when his hand swung back and hit me." "Oh my... What was Lucas fighting with Nathan about this time?" Haley shifted uncomfortably and crossed her arms, looking down at the floor, "He thought that I was sleeping with Nathan."
"Wow," Karen gasped then took in Haley's demeanor and asked quietly, "Haley, I hate to ask you this, but you-you aren't, are you? I mean I'm just worried about you. I don't want to happen to you what happened to me. You're like a daughter to me, you know that." "I do, and no, I haven't been with Nathan. We're friends and that's it. I'm still a virgin and when the time comes that I'm ready, just know that I'll be safe," Haley replied honestly. "Good," Karen responded as she hugged the girl, "now why don't you take these plates over to table 3 and refill the coffee on tables 2 and 4. Oh, and just to let you know, Lucas will be punished for this. He shouldn't be fighting with his brother and he definitely shouldn't be hitting his best friend, no matter how much of an accident it was." Haley smiled slightly then did as Karen told.
As Haley entered the house that night, she sighed, tired from the day, and shrugged off her coat then called out in a sweet voice, laughing, "Honey, I'm home!" 'Home... It feels nice coming home to Brooke.' Haley heard her laughing and responded, "Brooke, where are you?" "In the living room," the girl replied. She walked into the living room and saw her lying on the couch, an arm under her head. Her tussled hair gave her a sleepy, sexy look with her half-closed eyes and lazy smile. "Hey, I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Brooke yawned and stretched, sitting up, "No, I was just reading." Haley held up the bag from Karen's Café, "I come bearing great gifts. Wondrous food for your stomach, dessert to satisfy your cravings, and drinks to quench your thirst." Brooke snorted and began to laugh at her words and the tone of voice she spoke them in.
"What did you get," she asked after she had finally calmed down a bit. "BLT's with fries, ice cream fudge sundaes, and diet coke," Haley replied as she sat down on the couch beside her. Brooke helped her lay out all the contents then went to get plates and eating utensils from the kitchen. As they ate, there was silence except for the two of them chewing their food. It was a companionable silence though, not really awkward. "It's raining," Brooke stated as she looked out the back door. "Good thing I got home before the storm hit. I wouldn't want to be caught in that rain," Haley replied as she took a bite of her sandwich.
"So, how was work today? Was it really busy," Brooke inquired, trying to break the quiet but genuinely interested. "Well, it seems that Old What's-His-Face didn't tell Karen about the little altercation with Nathan the other day, so she kind of freaked when she saw the bruise. Even though he's still my friend I hope the little rat gets what he deserves. Karen said she's going to punish him for fighting with Nathan and for hitting me, even if it was an accident. Other than that, the café was pretty busy." Brooke was about to respond when suddenly all the lights went out.
"Oh shit," Brooke said as she jumped a little in fright. "Come on, there's some candles in my bedroom," Haley replied as she stood in the darkness. "I can't see anything," Brooke complained as she too stood up. "Follow my voice and stick out your hands so you don't bump into anything and trip or knock something over." "Okay," Brooke said as she began to move towards her voice. Haley followed Brooke's voice and a few seconds later, she heard her shout, "OW!" "You okay," Haley asked. "Yeah, just bumped into the coffee table." They continued to move towards each other with their arms stuck out like zombies in the darkness, their hands probing for the other while maneuvering through the various pieces of furniture. "Marco," Brooke called out. "Polo," Haley responded. "Marco," Brooke said again, this time grabbing onto something soft and cushiony. "POLOOOO HOLY SHI T! Brooke, that's my boob!" Brooke immediately let go, "Sorry." Haley was breathing heavily not only from her fright, but also from Brooke's hand on her. She felt the nipple on her breast harden from Brooke's gentle squeeze and soft touch.
"Don't worry about it," she said. "Haley, I really am sorry. I didn't mean to-" "I said it's okay," Haley said in a louder tone, the frustration evident in her voice. There was complete silence for a minute or two until Haley finally spoke softly, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you-" Brooke interrupted her, "You had every right..." However, Haley continued on as if not hearing her, this time speaking in a lighter, slightly humorous tone, "It's not every day that I have someone groping me in the dark." Brooke laughed at this and then responded, "Let's go find those candles. Don't you have any flashlights?" "No batteries," Haley said then took her hand, "follow me. I'll try not to make you run into furniture." They went to Haley's bedroom and both parted ways to search for candles. "There should be some in the cabinet of my dresser, right side," Haley instructed as she went into her bathroom to grab some that she knew were there then reentered the bedroom, "find them?" "No, just some papers and a few books," she responded as she stood.
"Hmm, there might be some in the left cabinet," Haley thought as she walked over to it. She crouched down near the dresser and searched for the handle when her hand brushed up against something. Brooke nearly jumped five feet in the air, "SHI T! Haley is that you? Or do you have some cat that I don't know about? Because I just felt something on my butt!" Haley tumbled backwards onto the floor, stunned by what Brooke had said. Haley's mind was screaming with fright and happiness, 'I touched Brooke's butt!' She wanted to touch it again and feel the curves of her cheeks and hips and the strong muscles of her thighs. 'Stop thinking like this! Brooke doesn't like you that way. You need to get over her...' Haley instructed herself.