Chapter 5: This Night is Wild

5 Months Ago…

"So Haley James, tell me about yourself," Chris Keller asked.

"Well," Haley said, playing along, "I'm 25 years old, and I have a daughter who's going to be 7 pretty soon."

"A daughter?" Chris asked, "What about the father?"

"Chris," Haley started.

"Haley, we've been friends for like 3 years now, and we've just recently began dating, and you've never mentioned the Nicky's dad before," Chris begged.

"He doesn't know about her," Haley sighed, "We'd been friends for a while, and we slept together one night, right before graduation."

"She reminds me of my best friend, you know," Chris said.

"What? How does a 6 year old remind you of a 25 year old?" Haley laughed.

"Her eyes," Chris said.

Present

Brooke's breath caught in her throat as she saw Nicole launch herself onto Haley. She looked up to see Taylor standing there, Chris in tow and another little girl who she presumed to be Jake's daughter. She looked around the room to see her old friends' expressions, which, she sadly realized, she couldn't tell.

Haley's eyes widened in shock as Nicole was rambling on and on about the basketball game she'd just returned from. Haley bent down to knee level of her daughter and put a brave smile on her face.

"Taylor?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, Hales," Taylor said looking at her younger sister.

"Can you take Nicky upstairs?" she asked.

"Sure," Taylor replied as Nicole ran to her aunt, "Jenny-you come too!" Nicole called.

"Chris," Haley said, "Go with them."

"Why?" Chris asked.

"I think the six of us," Brooke said with her hands, "need to talk about some things."

After the four left, the six friends were left to deal with each other and the reactions each was going to get of the other.

"You seriously want to talk about this stuff?" Peyton asked to Brooke.

"We might as well," Brooke replied, "There are too many loose ends that need to be tied up."

7 Years Ago…

"Spring Break!" Lucas roared, excitedly.

"Woot Woot!" Karen, Lucas' mom came out following her son's lead.

"Oh God, Mom!" Lucas whined.

Nathan followed out after his brother and mother, laughing, "Mom's hip."

"Right, and Dad's rapping," Lucas remarked.

"Don't underestimate me, son," Dan laughed coming out to his children.

"You two are so cute," Haley gushed from the car, next to Peyton and Brooke in the back seat of the car.

"Where's Jake?" Karen said walking over to the car.

"It was weird, he said that he couldn't come but he couldn't really mention why," Brooke replied.

"Oh, man, your guys last spring break in high school, and Jake can't even go?" Dan asked.

…Little did they know, that would be their last spring break, ever—at least together.

Present

"My apartment is right here," Brooke said. "But, Haley's is bigger, so I guess we can go there."

"You just sent up that guy and Taylor there," Lucas said.

"As I said, Broody, it's bigger. They can go somewhere while we're in the living room," Brooke said, not even realizing she had just called her ex boyfriend her old nickname for him.

The six friends walked into Haley's apartment, silently, so many questions lingering in their silence, and no one knowing where to begin. Haley went off to find her daughter, and returning to mention the four were playing in Nicole's room.

The six friends sat in silence just looking around at each other not knowing where to start, when Haley spoke up.

"This is so weird," Haley chuckled as everyone agreed, and all of a sudden the six of them started laughing.

After calming down, Brooke spoke up, "That guy was Haley's boyfriend," Brooke started, watching Nathan cringe and hoping that Peyton caught it, "He's also known as Nathan's best friend," she finished watching the faces of the three turn into a prefect "o". "No, we haven't been keeping in touch with Nathan, but Chris and Haley and I have been friends, and when Chris and Haley started dating, he kept mentioning his best friend. On our way to meet this mystery "best friend", Haley and I thought we saw you, Jake, walking across the street with a little girl. And after that, Haley thought she saw Nathan crossing the street the opposite way."

A few questions were answered, everyone thought, not really understand how Nathan, Haley and Brooke all did know the man walking with Nathan.

7 Years Ago...

Nathan and Lucas drove in the car, trying to ignore the two girls singing The Veronicas "4ever" on the way to Florida, their senior year spring break location.

"Can you guys stop?" Lucas laughed at his girlfriend and best friend who were screaming loudly, and Peyton in the middle trying to ignore the two of them, hating the type of music.

"Peyton, you enjoying that back there," Nathan laughed looking back toward Peyton whose hands were on top of her ears.

Peyton looked at him, making a sarcastic face towards him, "Oh, so much. I think I'd rather listen to your rap than this crap."

Haley stopped singing and looked at Peyton, "Well, it was Brooke's turn for music, you already had your turn."

Peyton laughed at how motherly Haley was. It was her idea to "take turns" on who listened to their musical choice, to "take turns" on shotgun, and to "take turns" on who drives.

"Shotgun Switch!" Peyton heard Lucas yell, and laughed at Lucas and Haley, the best friends were two of a kind, and when Haley mentioned the "taking turns" Lucas was the first to agree to it, eager to see the way their system would work out.

"My turn!" Peyton yelled.

"My turn to drive!" Brooke yelled.

Haley groaned, as Lucas and Nathan came and sat in the back, on either side of her.

"I hate being in the middle!" Haley whined.

"But you're smaller then us," Lucas reminded her.

"I'm sorry-I don't care," Haley said, making both boys chuckle.

"Tutorgirl, think about how many girls would die to be in your position. Between both Scott brothers," Brooke said wiggling her eyebrows.

"Brooke, gross!" Haley giggled.

Lucas laughed and put on his iPod, as Haley looked towards Nathan who was looking at her, "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Nathan said tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and pulling her close to him.

Present

"Who wants to start?" Brooke asked.

"I will," Jake said.

Everyone turned towards Jake confused, "Jenny's mother lives here in New York. When Haley and I were dating, and she told me she really wasn't ready to have sex, I met her. Her name's Nikki. And she's crazy. I moved up here to sue her and to get a restraining order against her. I mean, I know my secret doesn't deserve as big of as explanation that the other ones do, but I figured, that maybe, just maybe…Me coming clean would let someone else come clean."

"I'll go," Peyton spoke up.

Brooke immediately tensed up, but was ready for what her ex-best friend was about to come clean with.