A/n: This chapter gave me a bit of trouble that's all I'm going to say. Please enjoy!

Chapter Six

Run Right Into You

Part One

"Hey B watcha doing?" Haley asked when she stepped inside her friend's room only to find her sitting against the headboard of her bed, legs propped up with a book against them. It had been a few days since they had their talk and things seem to be good between them but something was wrong with Brooke and Haley was determined to find out what that was.

"Just refreshing my mind." she simply answered as she turned a page from her book. Haley noticed that it was one of her business books from when she used to go to school and looked at her in a concern way. It was sad to see that because of money issues Brooke had to quit school and give up her dreams to someday own a business of her own.

"You're going to go back someday, you know that right?" Haley stated with a slight smile. She sat down at the edge of Brooke's bed.

"I know." Brooke whispered sadly as she got a thoughtful expression on her face. She remembered the day that she had to make a choice whether to continue with her studies or help her family overcome their financial situation. She of course chose the latter, choosing to help her family first and then maybe someday return to her studies. Since Clay was almost done with his career it was decided that he should at least finish his so that when the time came he would be able to support his family better and hopefully Brooke could return to school someday.

It had been a year since then and so far things remained the same.

"Maybe when you marry Julian…" Haley trailed off carefully not wanting to upset her. She knew how much her friend hated when Julian offered to pay things for her.

"Not going to happen." she said closing her book and placing it in her nightstand.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Brooke come on! Stop being so stubborn!"

"It's not being stubborn Haley. I want to do this on my own and not have my boyfriend help me out whenever I have a problem."

"He's not going to be your boyfriend in a year but your husband." Haley said remembering that her friend and Julian had set a date to their wedding a few days ago. It had been five weeks since they got engaged and they hadn't talked about wedding stuff, so when Brooke out of nowhere told her they set a date it definitely surprised her. "And as your husband it's going to be his duty to help and take care of you including financially." Haley continued.

"I just don't want people to think I'm with Julian because of what he can give me." she sadly said, shrugging her shoulders. She hated when people talked behind her back whispering she was just using Julian for his money. It wasn't true and if they would just give her a chance she knew she could prove them otherwise.

"You shouldn't care what people think Brooke."

"I can't help it when people like Sylvia and Theresa remind me about it every time I see them." she said frowning a bit.

"But I thought Julian was no longer talking to his mom." Haley asked confused.

"He isn't but I still remember all those times they made me feel like I was some sort of gold digger that just wanted him for his money."

"Ahh Brookie, come here." Haley said as she scooted closer to her friend to comfort her. "No matter what they say you know who you are and that's all that matters." she told her as she put her arm around her shoulder and pulled her in.

"I know but it sucks when people treat you like crap when they don't even know you." she mumbled in a hurt tone. Haley closed her eyes; that was the only bad thing about her friend dating Julian. Sylvia and Theresa never have been able to accept Brooke because of her humbled upbringings. They insulted her whenever they had a chance and made her feel like she was worth nothing.

"Hey Brooke we're okay now right?" Haley asked after a couple of minutes of silence when she suddenly remembered the reason she came to see Brooke in the first place.

Brooke pulled away from their embrace to look at her. "Of course Hales, why do you ask?" she asked curiously.

"Is just that ever since our disagreement a couple of days ago you've been acting really weird." Brooke sat upright and looked away remembering why she was acting a bit strange with Haley. "I mean I know we already talked and everything seems good between us but sometimes you give me this look like if you're still mad at me or something."

"No it's nothing like that." Brooke assured her friend although she knew she was lying to her. She was a bit mad but it wasn't because of their argument last Friday. She didn't want to admit it but she was uncomfortable with how quickly Haley and Lucas got along. There was more to that than just being mad and uncomfortable but Brooke wasn't ready to admit that yet.

"I just have been stressed lately with the whole wedding." Brooke started to say. "I barely started planning for it a few days ago and gosh there's so much to do!"

"I talked to Lucas yesterday." Haley mentioned and felt how her friend tense at her words.

"Umm really?" she questioned, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "And umm what did he say?" she asked as she got off the bed and headed to her closet pretending to be organizing her clothes.

Haley looked at Brooke for a moment; something was definitely up with her. She was nervous. "Nothing really…he just happened to mention how you guys haven't talked since Friday."

"I-I just been busy and haven't had the time for much lately." She got out a burgundy colored shirt and held it out for Haley to see. "Does this look nice?"

"There's something more isn't there?" Haley asked ignoring her friend's question.

"No." Brooke quickly replied. Haley gave her a look. "Okay fine we may have had a little argument of some sort." she admitted as she put the shirt away keeping her back to Haley.

"Lucas doesn't seem to think it was an argument but more like you being mad at him for some unknown reason."

"You and Lucas seem to be getting along really well aren't you?" Brooke asked with a hint of bitterness in her voice that Haley couldn't help but to notice. Something was definitely wrong and she was getting an idea of what that was.

"Sort of I guess. He came over to the bar yesterday and was worry he may have done something to upset you." Haley started to say smiling at her friend in the process when Brooke briefly turned around. Brooke quickly turned back to look through her closet again.

"We talked for a while and I have to say Brooke he isn't as bad as I thought he was."

"Isn't it great how much you and Lucas are getting along so well?" Brooke said with fakeness dripping from her.

"He even asked me out." Haley said after a while, waiting for the reaction she thought Brooke was going to have. Of course she was lying but Brooke didn't know that and she really wanted to see if she was right about what was wrong with her.

"Well fan-fucking-tastic!" Brooke shouted turning around to look at Haley only to find her grinning at her. "What?" she asked harshly when all she saw was her friend smiling at her.

"You're jealous aren't you?" she asked amused getting up from the bed and standing in front of Brooke. This of course would have bothered her a few days ago but after meeting Lucas and having their talk in her mind, she was feeling a bit more sympathetic towards her best friend and to Lucas.

"Not jealous." Brooke stated indifferently. She was lying of course, deep down inside she knew she was but again that wasn't something she was ready to admit.

"Yes you are and I'm guessing that's why you've been acting so weird towards me and the reason you've been ignoring Lucas. You're afraid aren't you? Afraid of what you're starting to feel."

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about." Brooke nervously said as she sat back down on her bed.

Haley followed suit, sitting down next to her. "Lucas never asked me out Brooke."

"He didn't?" she asked with a glint relieved washing over her. Haley shook her head no in response. "Then why did you…" she began to say when she saw the semi amused face of Haley. "You were testing me." Brooke realized.

"Yes and you completely fail." Haley replied.

"Haley I…" Brooke stopped; she had no idea how to explain to her what was going on with her.

"It's okay, I understand." she said with compassion. "But you have no reason to be mad at Lucas. Whatever you thought you saw last Friday was nothing but friendliness between us."

"How did you know?" she asked.

"I put two and two together." Haley said simply. "Not mad at him anymore right?"

"I don't know. I think I'm just confused now." she replied with a frown.

"Brooke I hate to have to remind you this but you have a boyfriend." Haley told her and saw the guilty look she got. "So whatever you're feeling, whatever is going on in that little head of yours," she tapped her friend's head lightly. "figure it out before it's too late. If you want Julian fine be with him but don't keep leading him on because he's a great guy and doesn't deserve this." she said with a concern tone. "But if you think there's something more than friendship with Lucas, if you think that something can happen between you two then do the right thing and end things with Julian before you do something you will regret."

Brooke nodded knowing that Haley was right. She had to think things through and figure out her feelings before she made a rash decision. Before Brooke had a chance to respond a knock was heard on her bedroom door.

"Come in." Brooke called out. The door slowly opened and Julian came in carrying a huge white box with a blue bow around it.

"Hey babe." Julian greeted setting the box near the door.

"Julian?" Brooke questioned, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she got up from her bed.

"Well I'm here to see my beautiful soon to be wife." Julian answered in his usual charming way as he pulled Brooke closer to give her a kiss. He missed her lately since she had been preoccupied with other things but having her here in his arms he felt content.

"And that's my cue to leave." Haley announced getting up from Brooke's bed. Brooke quickly pulled away from Julian to look at her friend. "Julian it's nice to see you again and Brooke just remember what we talked about." Haley said giving her a knowing look before quickly leaving.

"That was weird." Julian commented after Haley's quick departure. "What was up with your friend?"

"Nothing just girl stuff…so what brings you here with a box in tow?" she asked staring at the white box near the door.

"Well I actually have a favor to ask."

"And what's inside the box is going to help you convince me?" she tried joking and he just shook his head in amusement.

"Maybe but actually there's this event that's going on this Saturday and I was wondering if you could come with me."

"Event? What kind of event?" she asked curiously.

"This charity event, kind of like a fundraiser to help out orphanages located near New York City." he explained with a faint smile on his face.

"Julian that's great! But why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have gone out and bought the perfect dress for this event." she told him with a smile but then saw how his expression changed into something more apologetic and she began wondering what was going on with him.

"Here's the thing Brooke. Everyone with a prestige name has been invited. We're talking about people with influences, businessmen and political figures. I was invited because of my work in the filming industry but also because I am a Baker." he explained and hoped that she understood what he was trying to say.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asked hesitantly not wanting to believe what she heard.

"My whole family was invited Brooke along with the Millers. Lex told me and they're all planning to go meaning there's a slight possibility we might bump into my mother and Theresa at the event."

Brooke let out the breath she was holding. Of course with her luck she knew she was bound to bump into Sylvia and probably Theresa as well in the event. She didn't know if she wanted to put herself in this kind of situation but she also knew it was inevitable. Sooner or later she was going to have to come face to face with Sylvia Baker again so why not do it in a place where at least the older woman had an image to uphold?

She wasn't sure what to do yet but when she looked at Julian she knew she couldn't disappoint him, she owed it to him to at least try.

"I'll go but the minute your mother tries something I swear Julian I won't be responsible for my actions."

"I know babe and I'll support you one hundred percent." he said leaning in to give her a sweet kiss. She quickly pulled away after a couple of seconds. She couldn't explain why but she felt weird every time they kissed. It hadn't always been like this but lately that's how it felt.

"I'm probably going to have to go shopping for a dress. Ooh unless…" she headed towards her closet and pulled out a beautiful, elegant one shoulder strap red dress that fitted her waist perfectly. She kept it for special occasions and this surely called for it. "Will this do?" she asked smiling widely.

"Actually I have something better for you." Julian said and went to go pick up the box he left near the door. He gently put it on her bed and motion for her to open it. She did and when she took out what was inside the box her breath caught her throat. It was a formal dress, a gorgeous looking one with a one shoulder strap. It had intricate designs at the waist and at the shoulder strap. The dress flowed fully to her feet with a deep slit going down the side. It was beautiful she would admit that but the color was all wrong. It was a deep shade of royal blue and she didn't like it. Now usually she didn't have a problem with wearing whatever color but this blue was all wrong, it was too ugly for her taste.

"Well what do you think?"

"It's a very beautiful dress Julian but I think I'm going to go with the one I have." Julian frowned, that wasn't what he was expecting to hear.

"Brooke just wear this dress please for me?" he pleaded and Brooke sighed, tiredness evident on her face. It had been a long day and her talk with Haley earlier had really exhausted her.

"Julian I just don't think this dress is me." she tried arguing.

"Brooke what are you talking about? This dress is so you. Come on just wear it, please for me?"

"Fine." she relented, she didn't have the energy to argue today. She didn't even care that once again he was trying to give her things she didn't need or want.

"Thanks babe." Julian happily said as he kissed her on the cheek. "I'll leave you now since you look tired but I'll call you later okay?"

"Sounds good." she replied with a yawn. Julian smiled warmly at her and turned to leave.

"Oh and Brooke?" Julian said stopping at her bedroom door just before he left. She looked at him wondering what more he wanted. "You look better in blue anyways." he stated with a wink and then left.

Brooked stared at her now closed door and simply shook her head. She was too tired to deal with this now so she laid down on her bed and went to take a nap.

It was a Thursday night and work had been exhausting for Lucas but he managed to get through it with no problems. Felix had been oddly working quietly without causing problems since their last confrontation and that was something he was thankful for. Though he knew it wasn't going to last he was going to enjoy those days as much as he could.

When he got home he immediately took a warm shower, changed into his comfy clothes which consisted of gray sweat pants and a white t-shirt and then just laid there on his bed thinking.

As usual his thoughts drifted to his life back in Tree Hill and how simple everything used to be before coming to New York. He also thought about his family and how much he missed them and wished they were here with him instead of back home. Then he thought about his life in New York and how everything was so much harder and yet better at the same time.

And although he didn't want to he started thinking about two of the current issues he had at hand. One which wasn't as important as the other but still worried him was his "date" with Sylvia's daughter Peyton. It was coming up soon and Lucas still hadn't found a way to get out of it. He knew he had to but it wasn't easy. After all this was Sylvia Baker and there was no way he was going to get on her bad side.

Finally he thought about the brunette that didn't want to leave his mind since the day he met her. She was always there, now more than ever since she decided to cut down all communications with him. He tried calling her, texting her and even going to her mother's store only to be told she was busy or tired.

He tried talking to Haley and Owen about it but they had no idea. He even went and talked to Victoria and she was just as clueless. Though she did reassured him that Brooke would get over her funky mood sooner or later. But Lucas wasn't so sure about that anymore. Brooke was stubborn and if she was mad at him, he knew she was going to continue being mad no matter what.

Lucas sighed tiredly. He wasn't even sure why Brooke was ignoring him. He kept playing last Friday afternoon over and over again but nothing came to mind. As far as he knew he didn't do anything or said anything that could have upset her.

His mind then wandered to his conversation with Haley a couple of days ago…

"You like her don't you?"

Lucas scratched the back of his head nervously before answering. "Yeah I do... a lot actually." he confessed giving her a tight smile.

"Let me tell you something Lucas, Brooke is an amazing person. I could see why so many guys would like her but the thing is that she has been through so much. Her life hasn't been easy; in fact she's been through things that a twenty one year old shouldn't have to. Julian came to her life at a time when she needed someone to lean on. He's a great guy and they love each other that-"

"I know." Lucas cut her off knowing where Haley was going with this. He knew he needed to stay away from Brooke because in the end he was going to be the one to get hurt but he couldn't. In the short amount of time he had known her, Brooke had managed to slowly crawl her way inside his system. He liked her, he liked her a lot but she was like a forbidden fruit that he wasn't allowed to touch. "And I already know what you're going to say, that I need to stay away from her, that it's wrong because she belongs to someone else." Lucas took a deep breath thinking that what he was about to say was probably the hardest thing he's ever had to say. "And I will if that's what you think it's best."

"I'm not saying that." she said, surprising Lucas. "Yes it's wrong to like someone that's taken but at the same time you can't help who you like. Brooke for some reason wants you in her life and I'm starting to see why. You're an amazing guy Lucas and if she wants you in her life then be there for her."

"So where does that leave us? Because I don't want you and Brooke to keep having problems because of me. She told me how you weren't comfortable with her hanging out with me because of Julian and if my presence does that then…"

"It was never about you coming in between Brooke and Julian that made me uncomfortable." she quickly interrupted. "Sure at some point it might have been but it was more about you taking my best friend."

"I don't follow."

"For as long as I've known, it's always been me and Brooke with occasionally Quinn and Clay but in the end it's always been us-Tigger and Bunny." Haley started to explain and Lucas smiled at the nicknames the girls had for each other. "But then Brooke started spending so much time with you and talking about you like if she's known you forever and I guess I got jealous. I was mad and scared that you were going to take away my best friend…my Brookie. I used Julian as an excuse to hide what I was feeling but it wasn't right."

"Haley…"

She shook her head sadly. "It wasn't Lucas and I'm sorry for judging you how I did. I'm sorry for not giving you a chance and basically for acting like a total bitch." she said laughing drily at the last part.

"Hey why don't we forget about that and just try to get along like your Brookie wanted us to in the first place."

"You really are a great guy Lucas Scott."

"Well you're not too bad yourself Haley James."

It was kind of ironic that once he got the best friend to like him Brooke would pull a one eighty and stop talking to him. Brooke was so complicated that he wasn't even sure why he kept trying with her. Oh that's right because he liked her. He liked Brooke Davis but what if it was more than just liking her? What if he loved her? Lucas shook his head; he couldn't possibly be feeling that already. His mind was just screwing with him; of course he couldn't love her. He just couldn't. Besides she wasn't his to love in the first place.

He rolled over onto his stomach and drifted off to sleep hoping that soon things would get better and uncomplicated between him and Brooke.

"Peyton you will put on that dress and get ready for tonight's event." Sylvia ordered her daughter when she came to her room only to find her lying down on her bed.

"I'm not going mom." Peyton stated firmly looking at Sylvia with a scowl.

"I honestly don't have time to put up with one of your bratty moods. Lucas will be here in an hour and you will not embarrass me."

"Mom I've never wanted to go on a date with this Lucas guy in the first place. I don't even know him!"

"Well I do and I'll tell you this. Lucas is an incredible guy. He's young, attractive and extremely rich. You'll be a fool not to go out with him."

"I honestly don't care." Peyton grumbled with annoyance. She didn't care about going out with Lucas in the first place. All she wanted to do was stay in her room and listen to her music or draw something.

"Well you better start because I will not let what happened with Julian repeat again. You will meet Lucas Scott and things will happen how I want them to. Now do as I say or else." Sylvia warned trying to slam the door shut but was unsuccessful.

Moments later Peyton got up from her bed and slammed the door shut over and over again.

"Peyton you stop that ruckus now!" Sylvia shouted from the first floor.

"This is how you slam the freaking door mother!" she yelled banging the door shut loudly. "And I am not going out with that guy!"

An hour later a very grumpy looking Peyton came down the stairs wearing a beautiful ankle deep emerald colored dress. Her hair was curled up in its usual messy way, something that Sylvia chose to ignore for the time being.

"Lucas should be here any minute now." Sylvia stated when Peyton was standing in front of her.

"I would only hope so since he's so perfect." Peyton replied sarcastically.

"You hear me now Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer. You will not embarrass me with Lucas. You will be on your best behavior and enjoy your date. He is a respectable young single man and it would benefit you, us if you happen to catch his attention today."

"First of all mother what kind of date will it be if we are going to be under your watchful eyes? And second of all, I'll be the one to decide what kind of guy Lucas Scott is. So far he doesn't seem that great if he agreed to go out on a blind date just because you asked him to."

The doorbell rang but neither paid attention to it. They were too caught up in the moment to realize when the house maid went to go get the door.

"Now you listen here missy, I will-"

"No mother you listen. I will go out on this "date" with that guy but that won't mean anything. I'll be on my best behavior like you want me to even if I think that Lucas Scott guy is a complete douche for agreeing to go out with me in the first place."

"Umm Ms. Baker, Mr. Scott is here to see Miss Peyton." the maid awkwardly announce. Both women looked behind the maid only to see a very amused Lucas standing behind her. It was obvious to see that he had heard most of what Peyton said and Sylvia couldn't have been more embarrassed while Peyton simply looked like she couldn't care less about the whole situation.

"Oh God Lucas I'm so embarrass! Please excuse my daughter she's uhh…sometimes she says things without thinking a-and she…oh God I'm so embarrassed."

"No, please don't worry about it Sylvia." Lucas said waving his hand dismissively. He was still quite apprehensive about this date and the fact that he couldn't get out of it made him extremely uncomfortable just being here. However he made a promise to Sylvia and he couldn't break it. "I completely understand where she's coming from." he reassured her as he took a quick look at Peyton. He had to admit that she looked beautiful in her own different way but that was just it. So far he didn't see anything special about Sylvia's daughter.

"Lucas no it wasn't right and-"

"It's fine." he interrupted with a warm smile. He then turned to Peyton. "If it wasn't obvious I'm Lucas, the complete douche that agreed to go out with you. Nice to meet you Miss Sawyer." he said to the blonde who had a scowl on her face.

"Nice to meet you too I guess." Peyton replied as she took him in. He was wearing a dark suit and pants with a dark grey shirt and a black tie. He looked handsome she had to admit but he didn't seem like the type of guy she would ever find herself going out with. She assume from the way he looked and how much her mother wanted her to go out with him that he came from one of those snobbish rich families and that was something she wasn't too fond of.

"We should probably go." Peyton said after a while and Lucas nodded in agreement.

"Have fun you two and Peyton remember what I said." Sylvia reminded her.

"Whatever." Peyton muttered, already on her way to the front door. She stepped outside to wait for Lucas.

"Quite the charmer isn't she?" Lucas remarked with a hint of sarcasm.

Sylvia sighed. "She's been through a lot." she said with a slight frown. "Take care of her Lucas, she along with my sons are my entire world."

"You know I will. We'll see you at the charity event later?"

"Yes, of course I'm just waiting on Alexander."

Giving her one last look, Lucas turned to leave. Once outside he found Peyton leaning against his car with a scowl on her face. Always the gentleman that he was, Lucas opened the passenger door for her and without saying anything she slipped inside giving him a look of disdain. He rolled his eyes; this was going to be worse than he thought.

"Let's just get this over with." Lucas said once he got inside. He quickly started the car and began driving towards their destination.

"I didn't ask for this you know." Peyton stated though she didn't know why. It must have been the looks he was giving her though she wasn't too innocent since she was giving him way worse looks than he was.

"Me neither." he responded not bothering to look at her.

"Then why did you agree in the first place?"

"Honestly when your mom came to me asking me if I could take you out, I wasn't paying attention so I said yes without knowing what I was agreeing to in the first place." he answered sheepishly.

She looked at him in shock. "You are without a doubt a complete idiot." she admonished angrily.

"You know what? Why don't we just sit here in silence?" he suggested not wanting to have an argument with her.

"Sounds good to me."

They remained quiet for a couple of minutes neither wanting to talk. Peyton was silently fuming about being forced to go out with a complete stranger while Lucas was silently praying for the night to go by fast. He would later tell Sylvia that it didn't work out between her daughter and him and then this whole mess would be over soon.

"Do you mind if I play some music?" Lucas asked suddenly.

"Your car." Peyton murmured without looking at him. He rolled his eyes again; he had a feeling he was going to be doing that a lot today. He reached for the dial in the radio finding his favorite station and soon Use Somebody by Kings of Leonstarted playing much to Peyton's surprise. She looked at him wanting to see what he was going to do and she once again was surprised when he started bopping his head up and down to the beat of the music and moving his lips to the lyrics of the song.

"You like Kings of Leon?" she asked curiously.

"Listen if you have a problem with it just tell me and I'll change it." he told her firmly already reaching for the dial.

"No!" she yelled surprising Lucas. "I actually like this song."

"Really?" he asked kind of shocked. "Wow out of all the things I expected this wasn't one of them." he said giving her a real smile for the first time.

"Me neither…what else do you like?"

"A little Seether, Foo fighters, Hinder, Death Cab for Cutie isn't too bad along with the Script. The Killers are also pretty good but I do like other type of music." he answered right away.

"Great bands though I could do without the Script." she lightly teased.

"Are you kidding me? Breakeven, Before the Worst and Nothing are awesome songs!"

"Sure whatever Lucas." she playfully said rolling her eyes at him. He shook his head and continued driving. Maybe he'd been wrong after all and this night wasn't going to be as bad as he thought.

"So I haven't seen your brother coming to the bar in a while." Haley commented casually to Owen as she took a bite out of her ice cream. They were both walking around the streets of New York when Haley decided she wanted an ice cream cone, strawberry of course.

"Yeah I talked to that little punk and told him to stop coming to the bar." Owen responded with a scoff.

"Talked or threatened?" she wondered with curiosity.

"Is there a difference?"

Haley rolled her eyes. "Apparently not." she replied eyeing him up and down. Owen was not a guy to mess with. He was built really well and on top of that he had a look that could seriously make you rethink about messing with him.

"What's with the sudden interest?" he asked suspiciously.

"None! I'm just curious…" she mumbled looking down at the sidewalk.

"Huh? Really?" he asked with skepticism. "Cause' you keep asking about him and I'm starting to wonder if you have a thing for him or something." Haley looked up and when she did he gave her a look she knew too well.

"Don't give me that look Owen Daniel Scott!" she said swatting his arm. "You know me well enough to know I wouldn't go there."

"I know you would never sink that low." he corrected.

"Owen! He's your brother!" Haley scolded.

"Exactly because he's my brother I know what kind of guy he is. I wouldn't want you to go there with him because believe me he has the ability to hurt you whether it's intentional or not. And trust me on most occasions it is."

"Hmm…I guess you have a point there." Haley said frowning a bit. She didn't know why his assessment about his brother bothered her but it just did. "But umm still you know that I would never with your brother right O?"

"I know Haley J." he said wrapping his arm across her shoulder. "Wanna head back to the bar?"

"No, let's just keep walking until we really have to go back. And hey since when do you call me Haley J?"

"Well I just thought I should try something different." he calmly said as they kept walking around, stopping occasionally to look through store window stills. "Like it?"

"Heh it's like whatever."

"Kay then Haley J…so what's our little Brookie up to today?" he asked curiously. Her life was like a soap opera, very entertaining and he loved hearing about it from Haley.

"She's going out with Julian to this event to help fundraise money for orphanages around New York City." she told him as she kept on looking through some more store window stills.

"Hmm that's interesting."

"What's interesting?" she wondered turning back to look at him.

"My mom and dad are supposed to attend that same event today too."

"Really?"

"Yup and you want to know something else?"

"What?"

"Lucas is going to that same event too." he told her in a matter-of-fact tone.

"No freaking way! How do you even know that?"

"He came to the bar yesterday and we just started talking. He told me about it and that he's uhh taking some chick with him." he said raising his eyebrows at her.

"I gotta call Brooke." Haley hurriedly said as she dug her cell phone out and started dialing her best friend's number. "Damn…" she muttered as she kept on trying her number. "She's not answering!"

"Calm down Haley J."

"I can't Owen! I know Brooke and she's not going to be able to handle this! She'll freak out and probably do something stupid."

"Fuck…well what do you suggest we do?" he asked worriedly as he ran a hand through his short dark hair.

"I don't know…damn and we have work in a few."

"Okay how about this? Let's just go to the bar, we'll calm down and then we'll figure it out from there." Owen suggested with a small shrug of his shoulders. Haley didn't like this idea but she had no other choice. She was just going to have to pray that either Brooke answered her phone soon or that nothing too bad happened in that party.

"Fine." she relented though she was not too happy with it.

"Is it weird that I'm having a great time already even if we haven't arrived to the party?" Peyton asked Lucas when they were close to arriving to their destination.

"Not really." Lucas responded knowing he was also having fun with just talking to Peyton. She was in every way similar to him but in a way also very different from him. They clicked but there just wasn't a spark between them so he knew there was definitely not going to be a second date.

"So about this date…?" Peyton began to ask wanting to know where they stood. If it was up to her they would treat this as an actual date but she wasn't sure what Lucas wanted. She wasn't sure if he was starting to feel a special connection between them like she was feeling.

"I was actually thinking about that and…"

"Yeah?" she anxiously waited for his response hoping it was the one she wanted.

"Maybe we shouldn't treat this as a date but instead as two people trying to make the best of this situation." He was driving so he couldn't see the way her face fell at his words. She quickly composed herself though, not wanting him to know how much his suggestion affected her.

"Sounds good." Peyton remarked quietly looking towards her side window.

A few minutes later they pulled into the luxurious "Four Seasons Hotel" marveling at the magnificent sight of it. Lucas who had never been there blew out a long whistle when he saw how tall the building actually was.

"My brother is supposed to be here with his fiancée." Peyton all of a sudden mentioned as they made their way inside the hotel after Lucas' car was taken by the valet service.

"Oh really?" Lucas questioned just out of courtesy. He didn't know why she started talking about her brother but he supposed she was just trying to make conversation. After he told her about not treating their night as a real date he immediately noticed the change in her demeanor. She got quieter and moodier if that was even possible. He figured it was because of what he said earlier but if he was honest with himself he didn't care. He wasn't interested in her the way she probably was and he wasn't going to lie to her. She seemed like an amazing person to be around with but all he could offer her at the moment was friendship and nothing more.

His eyes scanned the room in front of him. To him it was probably one of the most ridiculous things he ever seen. He could tell that the room itself along with the many decorations around it cost a lot of money, money that could have easily been donated to the children's orphanages in New York, the charity in which everyone here came to support.

"Yeah she's a sweet girl, a bit odd at times but mother doesn't approve of her." Peyton said as they made their way to their table where dinner was to take place first and then the main event later.

"Yeah she told me why." Lucas answered not at all paying attention to the conversation as he continued to look over the room.

"Do you believe her?" she asked curiously. She knew her mother probably said some pretty horrible things to Lucas about Brooke.

"Umm I don't know. She mentioned some things but I would have to meet the girl first before I make any assumptions." He pulled her chair out for her and she immediately sat down. She smiled at him; he was indeed the perfect gentleman. Too bad it seem he wasn't interested in her in a romantic way but still she had all night with him to change his mind.

"Well here's your chance. They just walked in." Peyton said motioning for him to look at the front entrance they just passed through. Lucas looked up trying to see if he could spot Julian but all he saw was a blur of people coming in.

"I don't see them." he said as he tried to look for the brunette man he barely remembered. Peyton looked to where she saw her brother but he wasn't there anymore.

"Hmm…well I'm pretty sure we'll see them later. You'll see for yourself if my mom was right or not."

"Place is stuffy." Brooke commented as she looked around the room she was going to have to spend the next hours with disdain. She wasn't used to coming to these kinds of events. Usually when Julian asked her to accompany him she would find a way to get out of it. She learned from her mistake the first time she attended an event with him and ever since then she would always find a way to get out of going with him.

"Don't start Brooke." Julian warned her not at all liking that she was already complaining.

"Not starting Julian, just simply making an observation." Brooke answered briskly.

"What is up with you? You've been in a mood ever since Wednesday. Is it because I didn't call when I said I would?" he asked thinking that could be one of the reasons she was acting this way with him.

"Nothing is wrong." she replied in a flat tone.

"Brooke…"

"So where are we sitting?"

Julian pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration but let it go for now. "Over there." he said pointing to where their table was at. "I requested to be seated somewhere far away from where my family is sitting so there won't be any problems."

"Thank you." Brooke responded gratefully. She wasn't sure if she was going to be able to tolerate Sylvia's lovely comments so staying far away from her seem like a good idea.

"I love you Brooke and you know I'll do anything for you." She just faintly smiled at him not sure what to say. "Now come on let's just sit down and try to have a good time. We'll talk later okay?"

"Yeah…sure."

"Remind me again why I had to come here with you?" Nathan found himself asking his mom for what she felt was the hundredth time.

"Because Nathan your father couldn't make it back from his business trip on time and Owen is busy studying for an important test he has on Monday." Deb explained once again to her youngest son.

Nathan snorted with annoyance. "Sure studying." he muttered under his breath. Times like this he wished he could just reveal Owen's secret but he knew he couldn't betray his brother like that.

"What was that sweetie?"

"Nothing mom." Nathan said giving her a fake innocent smile.

"Alright then…well come on let's find our seats." she said motioning for her son to follow her. Nathan complied though he was still not too happy with being here in the first place. He actually had other plans to attend to today but instead he was forced to accompany his mother. He didn't like dressing up let alone pretend to like these people when in reality they bored the hell out of him. But he was doing this to please his parents in especially his mom so he would play nice for now.

It was later that evening when dinner had been serving for two hours already that Lucas decided to excuse himself from his table. Sylvia and Alexander had come to chat for a bit along with Theresa who he later learned was Peyton's best friend but there was only so much he could take so he excused himself.

He was just walking around trying to find a place where he could think without being bothered when all of a sudden a guy bumped right into him hard.

Nathan who was downright pissed at the moment saw his opportunity to release his anger and took it. He deliberately slammed his shoulder into the oncoming blond man with force wanting to get a rise out of him.

"Hey douche watch where you're going!" Nathan spat out angrily.

"Sorry man…" Lucas tried to apologize but the guy wouldn't have it. Nathan had just found the perfect excuse to release some pent out anger he had been holding for a while now.

"Nah don't go apologizing like a little dick." Nathan said pushing the blond in front of him.

"Dude seriously it was an accident." he tried to reason not knowing why the raven haired man in front of him was trying to pick a fight with him.

"Hey you wanna start something?" Nathan said once again pushing him. Now Lucas was a nice guy but he was no pushover. He wasn't going to let some random guy shove him around so he did what any guy in his position would and pushed right back.

"Dude seriously calm the fuck down!" Lucas warned him not really in a mood to start something though if the man kept on provoking him he knew he would.

"Hey! Is there a problem here?" a man asked from behind them. Both Nathan and Lucas turned to the newcomer, one of them instantly recognizing who he was.

"No problem." Nathan said backing away from Lucas. "Just minding my own business." he turned to leave but not before shooting a glare towards Lucas.

"You okay?" the man asked Lucas once he saw the other guy was gone.

"Yeah just wondering what the hell that guy's problem was."

"Same here. He seemed a little on the edge like if he wanted a reason to fight."

"I noticed."

"So I don't know if you remember me but I'm Julian Baker, Sylvia's son." he said stretching his hand towards Lucas.

"Yeah I remember." he answered shaking his hand with him. "I'm actually here with your-"

"Sister." Julian finished for him. "I saw her a couple of minutes ago and she told me about you. I invited her to my table afterwards. She's with my fiancée right now. Why don't we head there now?"

"Sure." Lucas agreed as both men made their way where the girls were. He was a bit curious to finally meet the woman who had been causing problems to Sylvia. He didn't think she was as bad as Sylvia said she was but still he just wanted to meet her out of curiosity.

To be Continued…

I know not much happened here. It was just the set up for the next part which in my opinion should be a good one for you guys. Thank you for reading :)

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