"Mom! Did you forget to pay the water bill?"

Ava sat quietly, eating her dinner while her mother pulled her hair into a ponytail. Of course, getting the food to her mouth was becoming a difficult task because of the way her mother was holding her head, but she managed.

After all, it was mac and cheese. Nothing would stop her from enjoying it.

When she looked up, she saw her brother soaked head to toe in a robe with shampoo in his hair.

"No, of course I paid the water bill." Karen assured him, moving to the sink to see if the water was still running there. "See, this is what we need the emergency Visa for. Something must've broken. I'll take care of it." She bent down and found a gallon of water under the sink, moving to the side so that Lucas could lean over. "C'mon, let's get you rinsed."

"How's this funny, Mom?" Lucas asked as his mother chortled.

"How is this not funny?"

"Luke, if you're good and you don't yell, I'll give you the toy I found in my cereal today." Ava thought she was helping.

"You think you're so cute." Lucas grumbled, spitting out some soapy water that got into his mouth.

"See?" Karen laughed a little more, rinsing all the shampoo out of her son's hair. "There you go. Nice and clean."

"Luke? Can I go with you?" Ava asked as her brother dried his hair off with a towel.

Lucas looked at Karen for her approval and when the woman nodded, he came up with an idea. "How much of your veggies have you eaten?"

"A little." Ava showed him her bowl.

She ate nearly all the pasta out of it and hardly touched her Brussel sprouts.

That's because Brussel sprouts were icky. They were such a sickly green and slimy. They made everything they touched taste like them.

"Tell you what, you eat the rest of your food and you can come with me. But you'd better hurry up. I'm leaving once I get dressed."

Lucas thought that would a good enough incentive. Ava always wanted to hang out with the older kids and she was often told that she was too young or too small. He figured she'd do just about anything to be allowed to tag-along.

"I'll eat!" Her eyes lit up just like he thought they would.

"Are you sure?"

"I promise!"


"So, are you excited?" Karen asked, holding a very sleepy Ava on her hip.

The nine year old didn't last very long. Between going to school and then the excitement of the basketball game, she fell asleep before the fourth quarter finished.

Hanging with the big kids was hard.

"What? That we won?" Lucas asked.

"No, because there's running water in the locker room. We're gonna be roughing it until tomorrow."

Karen called the water company and the plumber, but there was nothing anyone could do until the next day. Luckily, there were showers in the locker rooms and Carter's mother had no issue in letting Ava sleep over for the night. That way, she could take a shower and hang out with her friend for a while.

"It's okay." The blonde chuckled.

"I've gotta get her into to bed." Karen rubbed Ava's back. "Don't stay out too late, okay?"

"I won't."

"…Wilbur?" Ava asked her brother.

Getting Ava to go to sleep was a routine in itself. So, every night, Lucas would sit beside his sister and read to her. It always relaxed her enough to fall asleep and Karen wasn't going to complain about the way the two bonded.

For the past couple nights, Lucas had been reading Charlotte's Web and Ava loved it. She even asked Karen if they could get a pet pig.

The answer was an unapologetic 'no', but it never hurt to try.

"I'll read you two chapters tomorrow night just to make up for today, sound good?"

"Yeah….." She yawned, satisfied with the compromise. "G'night, Luke..."

"Get some sleep, Babygirl."


"Are you excited about the father/daughter dance?" Maddie asked Ava as they ate lunch in the school yard.

Their teacher announced that there was going to be a father/daughter dance in a few weeks time. It was going to be the first of many. She gave the girls flyers to take home and show their parents so they could save the date.

Of course, Ava wasn't exactly excited about it. To go to the father/daughter dance, she had to have a father. It just wasn't the same with a parental figure.

She could always ask Keith to take her, but Keith wasn't her father. Lucas always viewed him as a father figure and it wasn't that Ava didn't love him, because she did. It was just different for her than it was for Luke.

Keith had always been and she was grateful, but she always had this nagging feeling inside of her. She wanted her father in her life and she couldn't understand why he couldn't be there.

She never talked about it with anyone, she was too ashamed. She never wanted to hurt Keith's feelings. He was one of her most favorite people in the whole world and she never would want to make him feel anything less than that.

That's why she wouldn't ask him to the dance.

And it would just setting herself up for more ridicule. Once Sarah and Eliza saw her with her uncle, the bullying would become relentless.

Ava wasn't really sure where she stood with Dan. He was her father, sure. He got her a nice birthday gift, that much was true.

But did he want a relationship with her?

Ava didn't want to set herself up to be disappointed, so it was better to just ignore the whole thing.

The only problem was, she couldn't ignore the whole thing.

"Is your dad taking you?" Ava asked her friend, politely accepting a brownie the girl handed to her.

Maddie's parents were divorced and she lived with her mother, but her father was still very much involved in her life. She looked forward to seeing him anytime he came around.

"Yeah, he doesn't have to work that night." Maddie nodded. "Why don't you ask Keith to go?"

"He's not my daddy." She shrugged innocently. "He's my uncle and everyone's gonna make fun of me."

"So ask your dad." Maddie said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

And it was, but Ava wished it was a little complicated than it was.

She wished she could march right up to Dan Scott and ask him to go to the dance with her. Right in plain English. But she didn't have enough courage to do that.

Right now, she felt it was better not to ask and to never know the answer.

"What if he says no?" She voiced her fear.

"Then he's stupid." The blonde huffed. "Why would he say no? He gave you something for your birthday. That means he'll say yes."

Maddie's logic did make sense.

Maybe she should at least try.

"I guess so."


Ava paced back and forth, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans as she tried to calm herself down. Her hands were so sweaty, she had to do that every couple of seconds to the point where a dark patch was forming on her thighs.

If she kept this up, her jeans would get soaked through.

What was she going to say? She couldn't just wait for him to open the door and ask him. That would be incredibly insensitive and rude.

But she didn't want to beat around the bush either. That would give her enough time to chicken out.

Which is exactly what she felt like doing.

A chill ran through her body as the temperature dropped.

She had to do something before she caught pneumonia out here.

She didn't know why she was doing this and the longer she stayed, the more she felt like it was a mistake to be here.

She thought she would've learned from the last time she was at her father's house. It was better to just ring the doorbell and get it over with instead of delaying the inevitable.

With a shiver, she reached up and rang the doorbell, trying to get her teeth to stop chattering. Her cable knit sweater wasn't going her any favors right now, she needed to get indoors.

The father/son basketball game at Tree Hill High was going to start that evening, so if she wanted to catch Dan before he left, she had to make it quick. It was only the early afternoon, but at the rate she was going, it would be hours before she got anything done.

"Ava?" Nathan answered the door. "What're you doing here?"

"N-Nevermind…..I g-gotta go!" She chickened out and turned to run away, but her brother grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her inside, shutting the door to keep the warm air inside.

This already wasn't going the way she planned it, so she needed to abort the mission.

"Where're you going? You're freezing!"

"Nathan, is that?" Ava heard Haley's voice.

That made Ava pause in confusion...and horror.

What was Haley doing there?

If Haley was here, then she would probably tell her mother where she was and then she'd get into all sorts of trouble.

"Havana-Rose Scott, does your mother know you're here?" The older girl asked, taking her jacket off of the coat rack and wrapping Ava up in it to warm her up. "What were you doing out there without a jacket?"

"N-No." Ava shivered. "I f-forgot."

"You didn't answer my question." Nathan crossed his arms. It wasn't like she wasn't welcome and he wasn't happy to see her. Because she was always welcome and he was happy to see her. He just didn't think it was safe for her to be wandering around the neighborhood without her mother knowing where she was. "What're you doing here?"

"I w-wanna go home." Ava gave Haley an innocent look, hoping she'd fall for it this time.

"Oh no." Haley shook her head. "You don't get to bat your eyelashes at me."

"I c-came to s-see Da…" Ava trailed before she could finish the word because she wasn't even sure what she should be calling him.

Dan?

Dad?

Daddy?

Mr. Scott?

Ava was just confused. It was probably better not to call him anything for now.

"He's not home."

"I b-better go." That's all Ava needed to hear to be on her way.

"No, I'll drop you off."

"M-Mama's not home." Ava's eyes filled with tears. This was turning into a big mess and all she wanted was a yes or no answer to a simple question. "I'm supposed to b-be at the River Court…..with Carter."

"You lied to your mom?"

"N-No!" Ava clarified before Haley had a chance to reprimand her. "I just wanted to ask a q-question. I was g-gonna go back!"

"I'll drive you." Nathan sighed, helping Ava shrug off Haley's jacket before he pulled one of his sweaters over the child's head.

"S'warm." Ava hummed as her violent shivers stopped.

"Yeah, next time don't leave the house without dressing properly, okay?" He bent down to her height, rolling up the sleeves so she could use her hands again. "And I'm not gonna tell your mom, but you have to promise not to do something like this again."

"Okay."

"No, Ava. Promise."

"I promise."

"Let's go." He took her hand, leading both girls to the car before opening the passenger door for Haley.

"Thank you." Haley smiled, watching as he moved to the back door to help Ava inside.

"Wow, you're short." Nathan chuckled a little, noticing Ava's head was nowhere near the headrest. This kid didn't just need a booster seat, she needed a carseat and a copy of the yellow pages.

"I'm a preemie." Ava told him as he buckled her in. It was something she was capable of doing herself, but she wasn't going to stop him. "That means I was born too early."

It was true. When her mother first showed up at Karen's door, she thought the baby in the woman's arms was sick because she was so small.

Turns out, Ava was born three weeks early, but she was a fighter.

Sometimes Ava resented what that brought, including being a late bloomer. All her classmates already lost their front teeth when they six or seven, she just lost hers at eight and they were taking a long time to grow in. She was smaller than everyone else and that meant being treated like she was younger.

Karen told her that she got to be her baby for a little while longer.

"So that means you're pretty strong, huh?" But Nathan turned around into something positive.

"Yeah!"

"Then let me see your muscles."

Ava immediately showed off her biceps with a giggle, her troubles long forgotten.

Haley watched the two siblings, seeing something in Nathan that she didn't think was there before. She saw him as an arrogant jerk who's idea of fun was torturing his brother, but he was also a guy who was concerned about his sister's well-being.

It looked like he and Lucas had something in common after all.


"Okay, what does these dresses say to you?" Karena asked Lucas and Ava, holding a couple dresses up for them to see.

True to his word, no one told Karen about what happened. As long as Ava kept her word not to go running off like that again, her secret was safe.

"Uh….beware of crazy ladies who talk to dresses." Lucas smirked from his place on the couch.

"No, come on. Really." Karen playfully rolled her eyes. "I need your help. Single and successful or married to her work?"

"Pretty, Mama." Ava played with Lady's floppy ears, not really paying attention. The tv was on and she was watching a Mickey Mouse cartoon, so that had most of her focus. "Like Snow White."

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"Is this for that justice league thing?" Lucas asked.

"Oh, is Mama gonna go as Cat-Woman?" Ava looked away from the television set.

"Small business league." Karen corrected. "And yes, it's one of the few times a year I get to dress up and I'd like to look nice."

"Well, is Keith still going as your date?" Lucas gently pushed Ava away when she tried to climb on top of him.

Ava fell back onto the couch with a cute little giggle and got up again, ready for another round. If she badgered him enough, she could get Lucas to wrestle her.

"He's not a date. We're just going together. Why would you say that?"

"You guys hang out a lot." Lucas tickled Ava's tummy before making Lady give her kisses. "You get along well….."

"Yeah, well I get along with the guy who delivers our water. That doesn't mean I'm gonna date him."

"Yeah, but the guy who delivers our water is not Keith." Lucas insisted.

He could see that there was something there even if she couldn't."

"Where is this coming from?"

"Well, you know, I've been thinking…you know, that you're not exactly old, Mom."

"Thanks….I think."

"I'm just saying that I'd be alright with it, you know? If that's what you're worried about."

"Me, too." Ava agreed, though she still wasn't truly paying attention.

She was making Lady walk on her brother's arm, right up to his shoulder. Then she held the stuffed animal still and held it out to him.

"Kiss, please."

Lucas made a show of rolling his eyes before he kissed the dog on the nose to placate her. If any of the guys found out about this, he was toast.

"Well, thank you, Cupid. Now, help with the dresses, please."

"Black, I guess."

"Why black?" Ava asked. "Wear lots of blue."

"You're only saying that because you like Princess Jasmine." Lucas smiled.

"That kind of blue is not for a formal event, sweetheart." Karen explained. "And besides, I don't think it's my color."

"Ohhhh."

"Black it is." Karen moved to leave before she stopped herself. "Keith didn't say something to you, did he?"

"Oh, about the date that you two aren't going on tonight? Not a word."

"Good luck with your game." Karen laughed. "Ava, be good. Listen to your brother and don't leave Haley's sight during the game."

"I'm always good." Ava huffed and crossed her arms.

"Yes, you are." Karen cupped her chin. "But you have a knack for getting yourself into trouble. Remember, you wanted to prove that you're a big girl."

"I am a big girl!" Obviously, that was a bit of a sore subject for Ava. "I'm not a baby!"

Karen immediately realized she made a mistake with her wording and kissed Ava's forehead, unwilling to go back and forth on the matter. "Behave. I mean it. Okay?"

"Okay, Mama."


"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, from the sticks of Pickerington where the pirates always suck and the livestock is nervous." Mouth spoke into a small microphone for his sport's podcast. "I'm Mouth McFadden and sitting in with me at tonight's game, is Haley James. Haley, how do you see tonight's match up?"

"I'd rather not be associated with your lunacy, Mouth." Haley smiled, moving Ava to sit in-between her and her friend. Which was hard because they were sitting on the bleachers. So she had to physically lift Ava up to move her. "Here. Why don't you talk to Ava?"

Ava loved Mouth. He was another one of Lucas's friends and he always treated her like she was the most special person in the room. He wanted to be a sport's announcer like the guys on ESPN, so every time there was a game, he was there.

"Alright." Mouth shrugged. "I'm also sitting here with Ava Scott, little sister to both Nathan and Lucas Scott. Tell us something about yourself, Ava."

"I lost my two front teeth, see?" Ava smiled at him.

"And how do you feel about that?" Mouth decided to roll with it.

Content was content.

"It's hard to eat apples, but ice cream doesn't make my teeth hurt because they're not there anymore."

Haley let out a little chuckle and even Mouth had to smile at that. Ava said some of the cutest things.

"Ava, the listeners want to know, do you play basketball?" Mouth brought her back on the subject.

"Uh huh." The nine year old nodded seriously. "And I'm good at it."

It was true, for a kid her age, Ava was exceptional at basketball. Her jump shots were accurate, her form was great, and she could dribble circles around some teenagers.

"Who taught you?"

"Lucas." Ava's 's' letters were suffering slightly because of the gap in her mouth, but it only made her sound that much more cute. It helped with getting her out of much deserved trouble, but it only gave Sarah and Eliza another thing to tease her about.

"How did you feel when your brother joined the team?"

"I was excited because he likes to play basketball and now he gets to do it at school. He and Nathan don't like each other, but I wish they'd become friends."

That was one of the things Ava wanted most in the world. It was no fun hanging out with her brothers when they didn't get along.

Haley looked onto the court at Nathan and when he caught her eye, he immediately nodded at her and smiled. Now, Ava wasn't sure what that meant, but she was sure it had something to do with why Haley was at his house before.

"Haley, can we get caramel corn, please?" She asked politely, suddenly feeling hungry.

The bus ride to Pickerington had been a little long. After all, it was in the middle of nowhere. Plus, she had a hankering for something sweet.

"Sure, Trouble. Let's go." Haley stood up and offered her hand to her.

The game wouldn't start for another few minutes and a hungry Ava, was a cranky one.


"Why were they fighting?" Ava asked Haley as they walked down the hall, hand in hand.

It was a good thing they went to get something to eat before the game started, but this was a game they didn't want to miss.

Ava hadn't realized a basketball game could be so interesting. It was almost like watching them play hockey without skates and sticks!

At first, the game went smoothly, Pickerington didn't have that good of a team, so it was easy to lead the scoreboard. But after several minutes, Lucas and Nathan began to antagonize one another.

Which meant, it would eventually lead to a fight. Punches and all.

She was glad the game was over because they couldn't each other anymore.

"Well, you know Lucas is stubborn…..so's Nathan…they're just having a hard time getting along right now."

"No matter how mad I get, I'm not allowed to hit Lucas." Ava mused, swinging hers and Haley's hands back and forth.

That was something she learned the hard way. Karen never allowed her to put her hands on her brother and she never allowed Lucas to put his hands on her. However, sibling arguments ensued and tempers flared.

Ava had a temper that could rival her brother's and one day he made her so angry that she just reeled back and hit him. Of course, Karen hadn't been home because none of it would've happened if she was there.

Lucas was a bit angry himself, so he didn't think twice before he hit her back. What he didn't account for, was his strength in comparison to hers.

There was a lot of cuddling and a lot of ice cream to make up for it, too.

"Well, your relationship with Lucas is different than his relationship with Nathan. You and Luke grew up in the same house and you were raised the same."

Plus, Lucas and Nathan were the exact same age. There was only a three month period where their ages were different, but other than that, they were basically Irish twins.

"Oh." Ava nodded, thinking of something else. "How come you were at Nathan's house? Are you friends?"

Since she wasn't at school with them, Ava never really knew what was going on with them unless they told her. She didn't remember Haley and Nathan becoming friends, but it would be nice if they were.

"I don't know if we're friends, but I've been helping him with school." Haley explained. "Don't tell anybody that."

"Why?"

"Because it's not something people want everyone to know. I'm telling you because I trust you."

"I won't say anything. I promise." The ashen blonde assured her.

If this was something that Nathan didn't want anyone to know, than she had no right to tell anyone else.

"What are you still doing here?" Peyton asked Haley once the two walked over to her.

She was standing along in the hallway when they found her, so Haley decided to strike up a conversation with her.

"I'm thinking of transferring." Haley fired back with a smile. "What's your excuse?"

"Brooke." Peyton nodded towards the door beside her. "She's been in there forever. And you're Ava, right?"

"Yeah, this is Ava." Haley almost laughed when Ava hid behind her and peeked her head out to look at Peyton. "She's really shy. I'm sure she'll warm up to you soon. Ava, say 'hello'."

"No." Ava meshed herself into Haley's side, burying her face in Lady's fur.

Peyton seemed like a nice person. Ava knew Lucas had a crush on her for a really long time, but she had never met her before today. Peyton's hair was blonde and curly like hers, except it was lighter and looser. Her eyes were a pretty green and she had a nice smile.

Just by the way she dressed, Ava could tell that Peyton was into music.

"Sorry. I tried."

"No, it's totally cool. I don't like talking to people I don't know either." Peyton chuckled. "She's cute. And who's that? Is that Lady?"

Hearing the name of her stuffed dog, Ava uncovered her face and nodded hesitantly.

"That's a pretty cool movie. You've got good taste."

"You have a Comet." Ava decided to say.

"Yeah, I do." Peyton nodded. "Do you like cars?"

"Uh huh." Ava unlatched herself from Haley, keeping a firm grip on the older girl's jacket. "Uncle Keith's teaching me how to fix 'em…..they're really cool. I'm gonna drive a Mustang one day."

"Well, anytime you wanna check out the Comet, you come find me, okay?"

"Thank you." And at that moment, Ava decided that Peyton was someone she could trust.

"Peyton!" Brooke came stumbling out of the room she was in with some college guy following her.

When Ava looked inside the room, she saw that it was an infirmary, which made sense because when Lucas and Nathan were fighting, they fell right on top of Brooke.

"Oh, boy…." Peyton grunted when Brooke threw herself at her.

"Hi." The stranger greeted them.

"This is my best friend in the whole wide world." Brooke rambled in such a way that made Ava confused. "Don't you think she's pretty?"

Why was she acting like that?

"What is this?"

"She found some pills…..on the floor. She'll be fine. Just, uh, let her sleep it off."

"Hey! Call me!" Brooke shouted after him, trying to chase him.

But with the way she was feeling, all she managed to do was fall. Luckily, Peyton and Haley caught her before she could hit the ground.

What a day!


"Ava, don't go too far!" Haley warned the nine year old as she walked ahead of her and Brooke.

But right now, Ava didn't want to be anywhere near Brooke. She didn't know how she felt about her just yet, but things weren't looking good.

Poor Haley was carrying most of the teen's weight because she couldn't hold herself up. If Ava was taller, she would've helped mover her along, but she wouldn't be able to do anything except get underfoot.

"We should probably hang out more." Brooke spoke to Haley as they exited the school building. "What's your name?"

"Haley."

"Yeah, I don't like that name. Let's call you…..Brooke!" Brooke giggled. "Hi, friend!"

Ava's body trembled a bit from the cold night air, luckily, this time, she was actually wearing a jacket to keep her from getting too cold. She scuffed the toe of her shoe on the curb in thought, looking at both her shoes.

She was usually wearing two different colored shoes whenever she had converse on her feet. Ava felt that because she had two different feet, there was no reason why she couldn't wear two different shoes. Today's combination was blue and red to match the sweater she was wearing beneath her jacket.

Peyton decided it would be easier if she ran out and got the car while Haley helped Brooke outside. That way, all they'd have to do was plop her into the car when it was time.

"Thanks."

"Sure." Haley shrugged. "I'll see you guys later."

They weren't really friends so there was really no reason to hang around for much longer.

"Where's your ride?" Peyton asked.

"Oh. We're gonna take the bus back."

"It just left."

"That's perfect! Brooke, you can come with us!" Brooke piped up from the backseat of the Volkswagen Beetle convertible.

Ava didn't really want to get in a car with Brooke the way she was, but she also didn't want to be stranded. It wasn't as if Brooke was the one driving anyway, so this was perfectly safe.

"Peyton, can they come? Please? Peyton, please?"

"Just don't touch the stereo, or we'll have a problem." Peyton joked, motioning for Haley to get into the passenger seat of the car.

Haley helped Ava in the backseat before she hopped in, making sure the girl put on her seatbelt before she even thought of buckling her own.

Ava just hoped it wouldn't be as long a ride as she was thinking it would be.


Ava didn't realize she fell asleep, but when she woke up, the car was no longer moving and the top was down. That was the price she had to pay for being young, she had to get more sleep.

"There's still no signal." Peyton looked down at her phone. "Who lives like this?"

"Pop the trunk, will you?" Haley chortled.

"Peyton, don't listen to it. It might be a trick." Brooke gasped, paranoia clouding her mind along with whatever drugs she consumed.

"Yeah, it's empty." Haley sighed. "I saw a gas station a few miles back. If I'm not back in an hour, tell my mom I loved her."

It looks like she was walking for some more fuel.

"Don't you mean Nathan?" Brooke teased.

"I'll go with you." Peyton offered.

"I wanna come, too." Ava piped up, not wanting to be alone with Brooke.

"C'mon." Peyton unbuckled the girl's seatbelt and lifted her out of the car, making sure she had her footing before she let go of her.

"What about me?" Brooke huffed.

But all Peyton did was send the top up and lock the doors.

"I could suffocate in here!" Came Brooke's muffled yells as they walked away. "Guys!"

"You did crack a window, right?"


"Haley, I'm cold." Ava complained as they walked along the road. There were so far out in the middle of nowhere, that no cars were driving by.

It was just them and the black asphalt of the road surrounded by lines and lines of trees.

Halley immediately stopped walking and fixed Ava's hat, zipping her jacket up all the way so it covered her neck. "I know you're cold, Trouble. We're gonna find a gas station and we'll be home soon. Don't worry."

When Ava lifted her arms, Haley hiked her up onto her hip and rubbed her back for a while. It wasn't like she weighed much of anything anyway. And the extra body heat was nice.

"What did you mean before?" She asked Peyton after a period of silence. "About Nathan?"

"I just know him, that's all."

"Said the ex-girlfriend."

"Look, we were crazy with drama but I'm over it. He's not a complete waste. He just— he's really threatened by Lucas. It could all just be a big mind game. That's how he works…do you like him?"

"We just— talk about stuff, you know what I mean?"

"Like what?"

"Like school or…..his dad."

"Oh, Dan." Peyton glanced at Ava, picking her words carefully. "Danny sure did a number on his boy, right?"

She was being very careful of what she said, mindful that Ava had no choice but to listen to their conversation. She didn't want to make her feel bad or say something about her father that she didn't already know and change her view of him.

Whatever view that was.

"Yeah, both of them."

"You didn't answer my question. Do you like him?"

"It doesn't matter…..I mean, it would be too weird around Lucas."

"That's his problem. You've got a life to live, too."

"It just seems kind of selfish."

"Why? Did he ask you if he could go out with me?"

"Did he ask you out?"

"No." Peyton laughed right along with Haley. "That's not the point. No. He wouldn't ask permission. So why should you?"

"Would you say yes if he asked you out?"

"It depends. What song is playing? Am I in a mood? Is he smiling when he asks or is he doing that goofy brooding thing he does?"

"He is broody." Ava played with Haley's hair, slowly falling back asleep as Haley continued rubbing her back.

"She's right, he's definitely doing the broody thing."

"He does that all the time!" Peyton smiled.

"It's strange. Just…the night away from school, it feels like you and I actually live on the same planet."

"Life plays tricks on you like that."


"She sleeps a lot, doesn't she?" Peyton chuckled, glancing back at Ava.

The ashen blonde was out for the count before they even reached the gas station. Peyton was actually impressed with the way she could asleep and stay asleep at the drop of a hat. She didn't even stir when she was put back in the car!

"She's usually in bed by now." Haley smiled.

Brooke, who's pills had worn off by now, fixed Ava's seatbelt so that it wasn't digging into her neck before she wrapped the child's arms around her stuffed animal so that it wouldn't fall on the floor of the car.

Her head was pounding, but taking care of Ava was a nice distraction from the incessant throbbing.

"Oh my gosh." Haley's jaw dropped as the car came to a stop. "Nathan and Lucas?"

What on earth were they doing together?

When she felt the car's lack of movement, Ava stirred and her eyes fluttered open. And just in time for her brother's to hop in. Since she was still pretty sleepy, Nathan unbuckled her seatbelt and lifted her out of the car, taking her place before Lucas handed her back over to him.

Since the backseat would only fit three, Ava had to sit on someone's lap for the rest of the ride.

And as they drove home, she decided that this was, by far, the weirdest day ever.

Little did she know, there were plenty of days to come that would top this one.