Thanks for all the amazing reviews guys, you make me smile : ) Sorry for the long wait, I have no excuses other than laziness and lack of ideas. That and I started school and again and I need to focus of my school work to keep my grades up, but hopefully I will be able to start updating my fics more often.

Also, Lucas is totally the villain of the story, so feel free to hate him as much as you please and feel no sympathy for him. But lucky for you guys, he's not in this chapter, sorry this chapter is short, but it's better than nothing I suppose. I promise the next one will be longer! Enjoy!

**

-Julian's POV-

Why did I make that bet? Why did I make that bet?

I'm standing in the kitchen, slowly banging my head against the cabinet door, re-playing my conversation with Lucas over and over and over again. WHY DID I MAKE THAT FUCKING BET?

Making a deal with Lucas was like making a deal with the devil, and now I'm feeling regret. I'm feeling remorse. I'm feeling stupid. I blame the drink I drank. Then all the ones that followed that drink.

Maybe it won't be that bad. I mean, I do genuinely like Brooke, right? All I have to do is hook up with her and that's that. Case closed. I win the bet and get the girl. And Lucas gets to live with the fact that he lost. I know how he is when he looses something. He's the worst of the worst. The absolute sorest loser possible.

Getting the satisfaction of making him feel that way, well, maybe that won't be so bad. Not bad at all.

Now, all I have to do is get through to Brooke. Make her realize that I'm a good guy and that she should take a chance with me, or at least get to know me. Haley could convince her, right? And, I am a good guy, right? Okay, maybe this bet was a stupid thing, but, it's not like anyone other than Luke is gonna find out about it, so it really doesn't even matter…

"Julian? Is there any particular reason that you're standing there, banging your head?" I hear Haley ask behind me. I wonder how long she's been standing there.

I sigh.

Perfect timing, Hales.

"I'm just seeing if I keep doing this long enough, that maybe I'll bruise," I dryly joke.

"Well the banging sound is kinda giving me a headache, so will you lay off? If you need a bruise, I won't mind giving you one," Haley says. And I'm totally sure that she means it too.

I just smirk and comply with her wishes as I close the cabinet and go to seat myself at the counter. I have the worst fucking hangover and it's only been a few hours since I drank. Pathetic much?

Haley joined me at the counter and sighed as she zoned out, deep in thought.

"It's nearly one in the morning, what are you still doing up?" I ask.

She shrugged her shoulders then she looked at me as though she were going to ask a question. She didn't.

"Something the matter, Haley-Bob?" I ask.

She sighs again.

"Well actually…the thing is," she began. "I sorta thought about what we talked about earlier, about, ya know, Brooke."

Brooke.

At the mention of her name, I instantly perked up and became very interested. What about Brooke? Was she going to help me get with her? Did Brooke say something about me?

"Yeah?!" I reply, all too eagerly.

"Yeah…" Haley says, I hear a tone in her voice, one that sounds as though she's going to let me in on some bad news.

Unfortunatly, my instincts were right.

"I don't think I can help you with her, Julian," she says as she fiddles with the ring on her middle finger.

My shoulders slump. I release a heavy sigh. Of course Haley wouldn't help me.

"You don't think you can help me," I repeat.

"No, I really don't. Look…I don't know, what your reasoning is, for choosing my best friend to be your next target, but I just don't think this is going to work out. I mean, come on, Julian. I know you. I know how you are with girls and relationships, and…quite frankly I'll be damned if I'm going to help you hurt Brooke. She's been through too much."

"Hales, I have no intention of hurting her," I say, almost sternly. Those words taste sour on my tongue. No intention of hurting her…no intention of hurting her…if that were the case, I probably wouldn't have made that bet. I don't know what it is that makes me so hell bent on getting with Brooke Davis, but it's a strong feeling that I refuse to ignore. A feeling that I can't ignore. A feeling I won't ignore.

Haley made an annoyed face and looked directly at me, as though she were about to scold me. "Why do you want me to fix you up with her anyways? What do you even know about her?!"

"That's kinda the point," I say.

"What's kinda the point?" she asks me, confused.

"I wanna get to know her," I reply.

"But why?"

I love my sister dearly, and I obviously love how defensive she seems to be of Brooke, but I really couldn't just give Haley a reason of WHY I wanted to get to know Brooke, I didn't even know. I just knew that I had to. I have to. Bet or no bet, I need to get to know Brooke.

I pause for what seems like an eternity to me.

"Cuz she's hot," I lie dryly. Partly-lie, anyways. I'll blame my lame answer on the drinks in the morning.

Whatever the reason was that I wanted to get with Brooke was, I'm sure Hales still wouldn't help me, so it didn't matter what she thought my reasoning was.

Haley saw through me anyways. Another reason why I love her.

She looked at me with knowing eyes and said, "Julian."

I sighed.

"Look Haley, I know you want some definite answer or reasoning as to why I'm so curious about Brooke, but the truth is, there is none, okay? It's just like, this, I dunno. A gravitational pull or attraction or something. I can't help how I feel, Haley."

Haley looked at me, her face pensive. She replied to me in a soft voice, "And how is it that you feel?"

"Ever hear of love at first sight?" I ask, knowing that I sound like a pathetic hopeless romantic like some tool from an 80s movie.

"Julian, you've seen Brooke dozens of times and you haven't so much as even batted an eyelash at her before. I would hardly call whatever you feel, 'love at first sight'."

Haley doesn't bullshit around. I lick my lips and look away. She's right. How many times had I seen Brooke Davis around? Dozens probably. Maybe even hundreds. And I was just now taking notice of her? This is crazy. Brooke, was making me crazy.

-End of Julian's POV-

**

"Alright class!" mused Mrs. Brown, the art teacher. "Now pay attention very closely and repeat after me: December 20th, 2009."

The apathetic and bored 6th period art class looked around a few students repeated weakly, "December 20th, 2009."

The enthusiastic teacher slouched her shoulders and made a face. "That was pathetic! Enthusiasm people, enthusiasm! Repeat it again, and this time, I want everyone to repeat it! Now again…"

Mrs. Brown motioned her hands to the class signifying for them to repeat.

A large portion of the class rolled their eyes and in a more louder tone of voice repeated, "December 20th, 2009!"

"Much better!" Mrs. Brown exclaimed.

Nathan's hand shot up. "Yo, Mrs. Brown?"

"Yes, Mr. Scott?" Mrs. Brown asked.

"What's the deal with December 20th?" he asked curiously.

Mrs. Brown fiddled with her glasses and smiled. "I'm glad you asked, Mr. Scott!"

"December 20th, 2009 is the due date. To what? I'll tell ya what..." She gazed into the eyes of her students and made a dramatic pause.

The class looked up at her, wondering what the eccentric teacher had up her sleeve.

"To your….Art projects!" she mused.

The majority of the class groaned in unison at the words 'art project'.

"Starting today, each of you will be split into pairs of two. Now, your objection is to make a portrait of each other, using paint, sketches, objects, whatever you like! It just has to represent your partner in an artistic and positive manner! And it'll be due…"

"December 20th, 2009," some of the students dryly repeated.

"Very good! Now…" Mrs. Brown picked up the clipboard on her desk, "Here are your partners…"

"Wait!" Jake exclaimed, "We can't choose our own partners?"

"Oh no! Where's the fun in that? It's much more exciting if you get a partner who you wouldn't normally choose, it's more…dangerous, exciting, and FUN!" Mrs. Brown replied. Obviously, the class and Mrs. Brown had different definitions of the word 'fun'.

"Now! Here are your partners! Nathan, you're with Izzy. James, with Liz. Chuck, with Jake…" Mrs. Brown went down the list and called out everyone's names. "Latoya, with Craig. Julian, with Brooke…"

Brooke looked up from her sketchbook as soon as she'd heard her name being mentioned. Julian instantly sat a little straighter in his seat and his eyes momentarily widened.

Brooke? Did she just say Brooke?! Were the gods playing some sort of joke on him? This was too good to be true!

Julian slowly turned his head and looked behind him to the back of the classroom where Brooke's table was. He was greeted by her eyes piercing at him, but not in a bad way. It was almost a good eye pierce. Julian quickly looked away at the immensity of it.

Brooke quickly looked down and continued to doodle in her sketch book, a rush of goosebumps shot down her spine, her face felt hot. All she could hear was her heartbeat drumming in her ears.

"Okay, that's everyone! Now, go and sit with your partners and discuss! I except amazing things from you all," Mrs. Brown told the class.

A few seconds later, the whole class was shifting around in their seats and moving around the classroom to find their partners. Julian gathered his things very slowly, trying to think of something clever or witty to say to Brooke when he got to her., but his efforts came up short and he ended up with nothing.

"Well well," Chuck began to say to Brooke, "Isn't this your lucky day?"

Brooke made a face and raised an eyebrow. "What are you babbling about?"

"The quarterback?" Chuck raised his eyebrows. "Don't tell me you're not internally doing back flips that you got stuck with Hale's brother for this assignment," Chuck replied.

"I don't do backflips," Brooke retorted.

"Why not? I'm sure you're limber enough…as I'm sure Julian will find out soon enough," Chuck finished.

"Oh, shut up," Brooke said annoyed, playfully pushing Chuck away with her hand.

Just then, Julian was soon standing just a few feet away from Brooke's desk. Chuck saw him and slowly gathered his things.

"Just saying," Chuck chuckled as he rose from the desk.

"Good luck with this one, you're gonna need it," he said to Julian as he patted him on the back and made his way over to his partner, leaving Brooke and Julian alone together.

"What was that about?" Julian asked Brooke, amused.

Brooke sighed. "I've learned that ignoring Chuck is the best thing you can do."

Julian smiled and silently chuckled.

A silence overtook them for a moment, as both were unsure as what to say to one another, but Brooke broke the silence. "You just gonna stand there or do you plan on sitting down?" Brooke asked light-heartedly.

Julian smirked and placed his backpack on the floor, next to the chair. "Ah, I'll sit."

**

Thirty minutes later, after slightly awkward, slightly comfortable conversation and having discussing some options for their art project, the class was five minutes away from ending.

"So, what are your plans this weekend?" Julian asked, closing his notebook after writing down the requirements for the art project from the board.

Brooke shrugged. "Dunno. Probably stay home, read some, maybe even watch that Halloween movie marathon that they're showing."

"Uh-oh, reading and scary movies?" he said. "Now you're talking crazy."

Brooke pursed her lips and shifted in her seat to face him entirely. "Ooh, alright Mr. Excitement, what are your plans this weekend?"

Julian cleared his throat. "Well, I have an Algebra paper that needs to get done, and Nathan sort of talked me into throwing a party at my house this weekend so…"

"A math paper AND a big party?" Brooke mocked. "Don't hurt yourself now."

Julian laughed. "I'll try not to." Julian was internally grinning from ear to ear. Him and Brooke were actually making a conversation. A conversation! Brooke didn't even seem annoyed by him! If she was, she sure didn't let on.

Brooke shoved her sketchbook into her bag and pulled out her car keys, waiting for the bell to ring so she could blow off seventh and eighth period so she could head over to the arts and crafts store before they closed early.

"You want to come?" Julian asked.

"Come, where?" Brooke asked.

"To the party," Julian replied.

She sighed. "Hmm, let's see. Watch Michael Myers stab a dozen people, leaving them in a puddle of gruesome dripping blood, OR go to a high school party where there'll be a bunch of idiots and ho bag's shoving their tits in the face of guy that's drunk enough to fuck them in the corner of the living room, all the while some god awful rap song will play over and over in the background so loudly it'll make me feel like pounding my head against the wall…?" Brooke pondered out loud.

Julian laughed. "So I'll see you there at eight?"

Brooke smirked. "Sorry partner, but I think I'm gonna stick with Michael."

"Oh come on…you could at least make an appearance. Make the night more bearable for me."

"I don't think so," Brooke replied amused.

"You're breaking my heart right now," Julian replied, placing his hand dramatically onto his chest.

"You sound perfectly fine to me," Brooke chuckled.

"It's all a façade, I'm really a mess under my obvious cool exterior," Julian replied.

Brooke sighed, almost defeated. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask," Julian grinned.

Brooke couldn't help but grin back.

**

Sorry I didn't give you much of a cliffhanger, but I promise that the next chapter will be more entertaining and definitely longer! Hope you enjoyed : )