A/N: Hi everyone! I am back with another update! I am thankful for all the wonderful reviews. I appreciate them. It makes me happy to hear and know that people actually read my stories. I'm flattered. And I know all of you are all hating on Brooke now, I'm sorry for the Brooke fans, I just needed a mean character right now to keep up with the plotline. But soon enough you'll get to see her character develop. Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it. Tell me what you think.
- Annie
Chapter 6//The Remedy
The very next day I had woken up with a sore head. I didn't think it would be that bad because I didn't drink that much. Maybe it was from all the stress and thinking that I was doing last night. Some parts were pretty fuzzy, but I could remember the things that Brooke said and the star gazing with Nathan. It was both a bad and good night.
"You look . . . lovely," Eliza stated as she found me propped behind the counter with my head against the cold surface.
"Thanks," I replied.
Olivia and I arrived to the bakery a bit early. She gave me a special concoction for hangovers. It was strawberry flavored, so it wasn't so horrible. The only that I didn't like about it was the fact that it didn't completely erase the headache right after I drank it.
"What happened last night?" she asked, wrapping a MO's Bakery apron around her waist.
"I went to that bonfire at the beach," I replied. "Didn't you go?"
Eliza tied a knot behind her as she shook her head.
"Nope. I was actually at home doing some research. "
"Research for what?" I asked. "It's summer time. What do you have to do research on?"
"If you didn't know already, I'm a supernatural freak. I was trying to figure out the story behind the old bank and the ghost that lives upstairs."
"There are no ghosts around here," I corrected, lifting my chin off my arm.
"I've actually done some research and there is," she replied. "One of the halls at the Tree Hill University is haunted."
I rolled my eyes at the thought. My head was still throbbing and the story wasn't helping me since I hated freaky things like that. My worst fear is fear. I hate being scared and I hate the feeling I get when I am. It's nauseating.
"Look, if you don't believe me we can go check it out one day. The doors rattle when you walk past them," she said with this creepy smile.
"I think I'll pass," I snapped. "I am deathly afraid of anything creepy. I don't even watch scary movies. I get nightmares. I also get very paranoid so if I go with you, I will be freaked out for weeks. " I heard her laugh as she looked at the cork board filled with orders. She unpinned a note and read it. She made a face and placed the yellow note into her apron pocket.
"Speaking of creepy things," she stated. "I was assigned to make a freaking Barney cake today. Can you believe that?" She thought for a second and her eyes widened. "Maybe I'll put a pterodactyl in its mouth! Barney is a fuckin' dinosaur after all."
I looked at her sourly and asked, "But isn't he also a purple character for little children? Putting a pterodactyl in his mouth would probably scare the little tykes."
Her shoulder slumped and she moaned. "Guh, the things I do for little children," she stated. She started walking to the back until she turned around. "Are you going to watch me decorate the cake?"
I slowly lowered my face against the counter. "I'll be there in a few minutes. I'm going to give my throbbing skull a rest."
"Alrighty."
As she left, I slowly closed my eyes and tried to find some comfort from the cold counter. It helped for a bit, until it suddenly turned warm. I opened my eyes and pouted. I turned to the empty seat behind the register and thought of Nathan. I wondered if he was going to show up early today for his shift or if he was even working at all. I started looking around me for the work schedule for the week. I jumped off the stool that I was sitting on and gazed at the corkboard that had a few sticky notes, ads, and flyers pinned on it. No sight of any schedule. Then I returned to my spot behind the counter. And I just sat there staring out the glass entrance as people walked by. It was too early for me to be here, way too early.
"Here's a muffin." I turned around and found my grandmother setting a blueberry muffin in front of me.
"Thanks," I smiled picking up the pastry.
"I figured since you're still a little hung over, Miss Drunkie, that you might you need a little bit more food to fill you up." She smiled and leaned over the counter, her face close to mine. I took a bite off the muffin and noticed her staring at me.
"Merriam told me that something happened last night. Would you like to fill me in?" she asked.
I sighed deeply and put the muffin back down. "I figured you'd find out somehow. This town has no secrets." I wiped my hands together and turned towards her to give her my full attention. "Well, this girl was being rude to me when I arrived. I have no clue why. She just started bitchin me out for no apparent reason."
"Who was it?"
"Brooke. I forgot her last name."
"Davis?" she asked. I nodded. Olivia started shaking her head as if she knew something like this happened often with Brooke. "She's always been such a bratty little child."
"Has this happened before?"
"More often than you know. I've lived in this town for ten years and I know a lot about some of the kids here, especially when they crave the attention," she spoke. "But don't let her get to you, baby girl. She's friends with Nathan and Peyton plus she's dating Lucas, so there's obviously something good inside of her selfish body. She's just jealous of you."
"She shouldn't be," I stated.
"But apparently she is." Jonathan entered the bakery with a huge smile on his face, looking happy as ever. He greeted both of us before Olivia patted my back and returned to the kitchen with him.
I stretched my arms above me and ate the rest of my muffin. As I was chewing on the last part of my muffin, I heard the door open. I looked up and found a freshly awakened Nathan walk in.
I smiled at his bed head, wiped my mouth and threw the napkin away.
"How was your morning, Perseus?" I asked, referring him to the hero of his constellation story he told me last night.
He rubbed his hair and walked closer to me on the other side of the counter.
"A little achy, but I'm fine. And apparently you're doing alright since you actually remembered the names in the story."
I shrugged as I watched him round the corner and sit behind the register right next to me.
"I'm surprised I remembered too," I said. "So how's Lucas?"
He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he began to chuckle. I looked at him, puzzled and lifted my eyebrows at him. "Worse than us. He couldn't even get out of bed this morning."
"Man I feel bad for the guy," I stated. "Especially when he has Brooke for a girlfriend," I added.
"You still mad about that?" He asked, opening the register and counting the money inside.
"How could I not? The girl was a bitch to me the whole night," I stated.
"True. I'm glad that you sort of stood up for yourself, though." He had a handful of dollars in his hand and started counting them as he put them back into their rightful place.
I smiled. "Thanks. At least I tried."
"You did a pretty good job – a little tame – but a good job."
I stood up from the stool and grabbed an apron from one of the hooks on the wall. "Whatever. I'm just hoping I won't see her face again," I said.
"Don't count on it," he stated before I headed towards the kitchen. I glared at him for a bit and then entered the back room.
Eliza was setting up the ingredients for the cake mix as she read off of a piece of paper. I looked over to my right and found Olivia and Merriam working on a piece of dough. They both had their own piece as they rolled it over a wooden board covered with flower. They were both laughing and joking like two best friends. As they were laughing, I noticed my grandmother turn her head away from the dough and let out a few coughs. I was hoping that she was taking medicine for that.
"There you are!" Eliza called out. I turned away from Merriam and Olivia and walked over towards Eliza.
"Hey," I greeted.
After a few hours of learning new recipes and baking, Nathan decided to bring me out to lunch. I told him that I wasn't really hungry after licking and eating some of the samples I was making, so he suggested coffee. There was a coffee shop just down the block so we ended up just walking.
On our way to the shop, Nathan brought up the Glee club subject. I was totally embarrassed. It's not that I didn't like it; it's just the fact that it was Glee club. Not a lot of people thought that it was the cool thing to do around high school. I did it because I needed something to put on my transcript. It was fun; I just wished Olivia didn't talk about it to everyone.
"Do we really have to talk about this? I mean, it's not like it's interesting," I stated.
"Yea, we're going to talk about it," Nathan smirked. "So, did you have to sing and dance?" he asked.
I sighed deeply and I just knew that I wasn't going to get out of this conversation before I died of embarrassment. "Yep, that's what you do in Glee club," I answered.
"You do this in front of people?" he asked, curiously. I could tell that he was very amused by all this. I just wanted to slap him in the arm.
"Unfortunately yes," I answered. "But, it was fun so don't judge me."
"I'm not judging anybody," he replied, holding up his hands in defense. "It's cool that you're in glee club. That's brave of you to be able to sing and dance in front of an audience."
"Look who's talking. Aren't you some kind of volunteer firefighter?" I asked, as we stopped to let someone walk past us to go inside one of the boutiques.
"Yeah, I guess," he answered as we continued to walk down the sidewalk.
"Then you're definitely braver than I am," I stated. "You save people's lives."
"Yeah, but not that often," he answered. We both stopped in front of the coffee shop and he opened the door for me. I walked in and I saw a few familiar faces sitting in different tables. Some that I've seen at the bonfire and some that have walked into the bakery a few times. The line up front was pretty short, so Nathan and I walked behind this large lady wearing a pink sleeveless shirt and yellow Bermuda shorts. We both looked at each other when we started smelling BO from her pits.
Nathan made a face and I started to chuckle. The woman turned around a bit, and we both immediately stopped smiling. She turned back around and he placed his finger under his nose.
Eventually we made it to the front and were able to breathe in fresh air when the lady left. Nathan ordered a vanilla cappuccino while I ordered myself a caramel frapp. We both sat by the window and settled down in our seats.
"So since you're in Glee club, that means you sing," Nathan began as I sipped from the straw.
"Yeah, obviously," I laughed.
"You should sing for me one day," he said.
"Oh no thanks," I replied. "I'm finished with that."
"So does that mean you no longer have a singing ability?" he asked, chuckling.
"Exactly. Right when I graduated from high school it totally stopped. I can't sing anymore. I can't even hum," I joked.
He chuckled and took a sip from his drink. "But really, when you decide to that you can sing again, you should tell me. I'd like to listen."
I thought about it for a moment and nodded. I wasn't going to promise anything though. I learned my lesson about giving into peer pressure. If I agreed to it, then he was going to expect something from me, and I didn't want him to think that. I'm not saying I was a bad singer; it's just the fact that he wants me to sing to him that scares me. And that made me realize that a lot of things scare me. Scary stories, bitchy girls, and singing to boys. What the hell is wrong with me? I am a freak.
When we returned to the bakery, I noticed Peyton standing by the register talking to my grandmother. Before we entered, she turned her head and her face lit up at the sight of us. I walked in, Nathan following as Peyton walked up to us.
"Hey, I was wondering where you guys went," she stated.
"We went on a coffee break," Nathan answered.
"Oh well," she said, looking over at Nathan then back to me. "I have to talk to Haley for a moment."
Nathan nodded and met up with my grandma behind the register. Peyton led me to one of the tables near the windows and settled on the seats.
"I wanted to give you an apology on Brooke's behalf," she began.
I sighed as I played with the napkin container. I'm not surprised to see Peyton here doing what Brooke's supposed to be doing.
"Do you usually apologize for her?" I asked.
"Sometimes, but she's a little sick today." I rolled my eyes. She was obviously hung over and couldn't find composure from last night. "But, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry again for how she acted."
"Are you expecting me to forgive you? Because I could forgive you, but not for Brooke."
"I understand. I've been in your position before, but I came here to ask you if you wanted to hang out with us. You know some girl bonding time."
"But wouldn't that make everything worse? I mean, I am a threat to the group."
"That's why I'm initiating this. I want her to see that you're not a threat at all. You're a cool person. And I also want you to see that Brooke isn't really who you think she is." I looked at her as she spoke. I didn't believe in a nice Brooke at all. After what she did to me last night - talking to me like I was trash - I wasn't sure if I could give her another chance. "I mean, I know it might be hard to look past everything that she said to you, but can you at least give it a try?" she asked.
Is this peer pressure or is this just an opportunity to give someone another chance at a first impression? I looked up at Nathan because I knew that he was listening. He glanced back, giving me a little smile, and nodded. I figured he thought it might be a good idea too. Brooke was his friend after all, and he did tell me that the person that I saw last night wasn't the person he knew. Then I returned my gaze at Peyton. I could tell that she really wanted me to say yes. If these two people -who have been utterly nice to me from the beginning – can be friends with Brooke, then I might as well try to find that same person that they see in her.
"I'll see," I answered.
"Good," she replied with a relieving smile. "It will be fun. I'll just meet up with you later about the details."
She stood up from her seat, put on her sunglasses, and then left the bakery. I just sat there, straightening the cloth on the table and then stood up. I walked towards Nathan behind the register and grabbed a piece of chocolate from the basket.
"Remember when you said you didn't want to see her face again?" Nathan asked me as he pressed a button on the register. I glared at me and punched him the arm.
"Oh shut up."
"Just be careful for what you wish for," he advised.
"Alright, Genie," I replied as I turned away and went back to the kitchen to meet up with Eliza.
After a few more hours of training, Olivia decided to let me go and do whatever I wanted to in town. She gave me the keys to the car and I headed off. I don't know where I was going, but I was going somewhere. I looked around the town as I drove. I saw a couple of children skipping on the sidewalk without a parent. There was another group of teeny bopper girls wearing an extraordinary amount of makeup. I didn't even wear that much makeup when I was younger. Actually, I didn't wear make up at that age. Then I saw a couple holding hands as they both held a ice cream cone. The girl put her ice cream in front of the guy and made a dot on his nose. He glared at her as she laughed. I smiled and decided to go back to the house.
When I drove into the driveway , my cell phone started to vibrate. I put the car in park, unbuckled my seatbelt and answered the phone call.
"Hello?"
"Haley," my mother greeted. "You never called us about how your first week was."
I climbed out of the car and started walking towards the porch. "I'm sorry, mom. I was busy. Too much has happened in a week," I said as I pressed the button on the keychain to lock the car. Then I unlocked the front door and walked in.
"Do tell," she said. "Your father and I miss you."
I closed the door behind me and placed the keys on the table next to the door. "I miss you guys too."
"So what's happened so far?" she asked as I started making my way up the stairs.
"Um, I met Merriam, Gram's friend. She's really nice," I stated as I walked into my bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at my reflection in the vanity mirror. "She's the one who picked me up from the airport."
"Aw, I love Merriam. She's a sweetheart."
"She is. And then she brought me to the bakery her and Gram own. The place is fantastic just like she described."
"You should definitely send me a box of cookies," my mother suggested.
"Mom, you want me to send you a box of cookies? You live on the other side of the country. Just buy cookies from the bakery there."
"But I miss my mother's baking," she answered. I rolled my eyes and laid back against my bed.
"I'll just send you the recipes," I replied. I could tell that she was making a face on the other side of the phone. I thought it was pretty funny since she was horrible at following recipes.
"Very funny, Haley Bop," she said. "So tell me more. Is the town what you expected it to be?" She has no idea what I expected. I didn't think it was going to be so quaint and peaceful, but I also didn't think it was going to be such a small town where everyone knew each other so well. I actually didn't really know what I was expecting.
"The town is beautiful. There are so many trees," I laughed. "The people are . . . nice," I hesitated. I was definitely not going to tell her about the Brooke situation. If I did, she'd tell me to grab my things and come back home. She was so protective like that. "Gram brought me to this annual barbecue party at the Sawyer house the second day here. It was very interesting."
"Oh, the Sawyer house? They have annual barbecues there now?" she asked, curiously.
"Apparently, but I think it started when Larry Sawyer was the mayor."
"Larry Sawyer was the mayor?!" my mother exclaimed. Obviously my mother was behind on the whole Tree Hill news. She sounded so surprised to hear about this. "Larry Sawyer wanted to be a sailor when he was in high school. I didn't think he was going to be the mayor."
"Well he's not the mayor anymore, but I heard that he was wealthy."
"Damn, things have changed since I left there," she said.
"I guess."
"Sorry, honey. Tell me more. Did you make any friends?"
"Yeah, I've been hanging out with Merriam's grandsons, Nathan and Lucas. And the Sawyer's daughter, Peyton. They are pretty cool."
"Oh, I see you've met a met a Scott boy," she said in a low tone. I felt like there was a story that was about to be told.
"I actually met two," I corrected.
"Two? Well that's double the trouble," she said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked curiously as I laughed.
"I went to school with their father Dan. He was such an arrogant jerk who thought he could get with any girl he wanted."
I smiled. That's exactly what I thought of Nathan the first time I met him, but he wasn't arrogant at all.
"Maybe it's just him. His sons are pretty nice."
"The generation's changed but that doesn't mean their motive has," my mother stated. I didn't say a word for a moment. It made me think about Nathan and the kindness he was showing me. My mother was making sense, the time has changed and the guys are a bit nicer so it was easier to reel girls in. Guys still want sex and I still wasn't sure about Nathan. I'm just hoping my mother was wrong. I want him to prove her wrong.
"Well, I'll just have to see if the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree."
"Alrighty. Well I'm glad things are well there. I just wanted to see how you liked it," she said. "And maybe I 'm wrong about the Scotts, just be careful. I don't want you to get hurt."
I sat up on the bed and fixed my hair as I looked at the mirror.
"I'll be careful, I promise," I stated. "Thanks for checking on me."
"Anytime, honey," she said. "Call me again later. I love you, sweetie. Be safe."
"I love you, too." Then we both hung up and I climbed off the bed to head out the door once again.
R&R