A/N: - Well...hi. Okay, so basically I haven't really written any One Tree Hill in a long time, and this story was a casualty of that. But I don't want to leave my story unfinished, so I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing this story again. THis isn't like a huge chapter or anything, but it's something at least.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 17

Waking up with a bitch of a hangover was never the best feeling in the world, in fact she'd go so far to say it down right sucked ass. Closing her eyes, she effectively shielded them from the brash sunlight that dared to invade her room and in that instant all of last nights escapades came back to her with a vengeance, hitting her like a freight train with a ton of cargo. The last thing that she remembered was stumbling upstairs to her bedroom. She also remembered the events that brought her to the drunken stumbling: the wrong answer. Damn her for stalling, she just hadn't expected it. It had thrown her for a loop. Then she had been left all alone and in her unwanted solitude her mind had mocked her stupidity and she had found a bar and drink after drink had followed. At the time she had been to far induced in her self pity that when someone slipped into the stool next to her and proceeded to fill her glass with what seemed like an endless flow of alcohol, she wasn't going to complain. Drink drowned her stupidity after all and she needed to forget.

Bringing a hand up she gingerly let it soothe her forehead, but without much success. Letting her eyes open again she took in her surroundings and if she had the energy to do so, she would have smiled. Simply for the fact that it was her own bedroom she found herself in. If she was a more honest person, especially to herself, she wouldn't have been surprised if she had woken up and it was an entirely different bedroom that was surrounding her. If it was her room though, as it appeared to be, she had had enough sense to not royally screw up her life. She could fall back asleep without having to worry about finding her clothes and silently sneak out of wherever she had found herself. Though now that she thought about it…where were her clothes?

She let her hand run down the sheet that covered her and for the most part she could tell that bar from the sheet that covering her, she was naked underneath. Oh god what in the hell have I done? She thought as panic rushed through every fibre of her. Maybe it isn't as bad as I think. Maybe I just got home...somehow...and felt like sleeping naked...Yeah, that had to be it, she reasoned with herself. But that niggling voice was helpful to point out that the sky was blue and pigs also flew.

She didn't dare turn her head to the side in fear of what or in this case who she would find. So she settled for laying there for another few seconds in her dread before turning her head to see if any clothes, other than her own occupied the floor. Her eyes scanned the floor in a scrutinising fashion and she was almost home free until she spotted one shoe too many. She also took into account that she would never be caught dead in that offending shoe either, which was really the furthest thing she had to worry about. This isn't happening. It can't be. Denial was her friend. Maybe I, I just stole the shoe from someone and that's why it's here! Apparently denial sent you screaming into the world of insanity. But she'd really take the insanity over having someone in her bed, she begged for that lapse in her sanity at the moment, but movement next to her proved that she was fully sane and responsible for all consequences that no doubt followed.

Though if she made her escape now maybe she could delay those consequences a little longer. Leaving behind the sheet she slipped on some pants and a t-shirt, now all she had to do was make it to her bedroom door and close the lid on this nightmare…for now at least. Throwing a look towards her bed she noticed a head-full of blonde hair snuggled into her pillow without a care to the world. Figures I'd go for a blonde, she thought fleetingly. Her objective now was to pass her bed, not wake Miss Blondie up, make it to the door and then hide until the rest of the world came knocking on her door. It was a valid plan wasn't it?

As silently as she could she started shuffling towards the door. If she had been paying more attention though she may have noted the upcoming bag handle that got caught around her ankle thus propelling her forward and onto the floor with an audible bang. She muttered a curse and cringed expecting the worse, but there was no movement from the bed. And so she carried on her now crawl towards the door knowing she was almost home free, but things in life are never that easy and the blonde in the bed had a thing for delayed reaction as she suddenly shot up with a gasp, only to still to the point where she could give a statue a run for its money. Groaning she didn't dare look back to see who was in her bed, she'd just stay still and hope that she wouldn't be noticed, that she'd blend into the scenery.

"Taylor?" the voice rang out utterly confused. "Why the hell are you on the floor…and wearing my t-shirt?"

I know that voice! Grinning, Taylor almost did a happy dance at hearing Peyton's voice and then forgetting the instant relief that washed over her she began to berate her brain for its sudden bout of amnesia, and the heart attack it almost induced. Though now that she had time to think it over she did have to wonder one thing. Turning her head and facing Peyton for the first time that morning the question flew from her lips. "Why the hell were we in bed together?" Enquiring minds wanted to know, not that it was such a profound event. "And why were we naked?"

Yeah, now was a time for silence.

Umm...yeah, so that's it for now. I do have the start of the next chapter...so hopefully it won't take as long to update. Feel free to review if you like.