Looking For Solid Ground

+++++++OTH++++++++



"Hales, come on hun," Brooke called, knocking on the bathroom door. "We need to get going."



"What happened to being fashionably late?" Peyton laughed from the living room. The three girls had gone back to the apartment to change for the party.



"Hales?" Brooke questioned, turning the door knob and finding it unlocked. She opened it carefully to find Haley standing solemnly in front of the mirror, "Hey, you. Everything's ok?"



She nodded.



"You sure?" Brooke asked, closing the door and walking behind her to wrap her arms around her.



"I'm-I'm just a little confused," Haley admitted.



"About what?" Brooke asked patiently, resting her chin on top of Haley's head.



"The divorce is final."



"Oh, sweetie," Brooke soothed, turning Haley around so that she was facing her and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry."



Haley shook her head, pulling away, "No, this isn't right."



"What's not right?"



"Me. I'm not supposed to be sad about this. I wanted this. I wanted the divorce. I have you now. I'm happy now, and it isn't fair to you for me to be like this," she said, her eyes glistening.



"Hales," Brooke said gently, rubbing her arms. "It's ok, alright? I understand. I mean, I don't know what you're going through, but I know it can't be easy on you. You love him, and you always will, and you know what? I'm ok with that because I know you love me too, and I know that you chose to be with me, not him. So, it's ok if you need to be upset about this. And if you need a shoulder to cry on," she smiled, "well, hey, I have two."



The tears started to stream down their face.



"Ok, ok," Brooke said nervously, not sure what to do. "I wasn't expecting that to happen so quickly."



But Haley shook her head, laughing softly, "No, it's ok."



"But, you're crying."



"No, you see, happy tears," Haley pointed to her face.



"Happy tears? I don't understand."



"I-I just realized just how much I'm in love with you," she smiled through the tears. Brooke took her face in her hands, kissing her sweetly, tasting the salt on her lips.



"You wanna know a secret?" Brooke whispered with a playful smile as she pulled away.



Haley nodded.



"I'm in love with you too," she said, giving her an Eskimo kiss and making the tutor giggle.



++++++++



"You guys ready to party?" Peyton asked as they all got out of Brooke's car that she had parked next to Peyton's. They had dropped it off there on the way back from graduation.



"Well, of course," Brooke smiled. "I mean, I got my best friend, and I got my girlfriend. What more could a person want?" she asked, slipping her hand into Haley's, making her smile.



"Well, I was beginning to think you guys weren't going to show," Bevin laughed as they walked into the house.



"Now come on," Brooke laughed, squeezing Haley's hand, making her giggle. "What's a Tree Hill party without Brooke Davis?"



Bevin stood there at a loss, "I don't know."



Peyton laughed, giving her a pat on the back, "Don't worry. There's no such thing."



"So, this is where all the beautiful girls are," Mouth smiled, walking into the group. "I was beginning to get worried."



"Aw, we weren't going to leave a hottie like you hanging," Brooke winked. "You wanna dance?"



"Hell yea," he laughed.



Brooke turned to Haley who nodded, laughing, "Have fun. Don't corrupt him."



"Please," Mouth grinned. "Don't you know? I'm the one that corrupted her."



Brooke laughed, taking his hand and walking to the living room, "Come on hot stuff."



++++++++++



"Care if I cut in?" Haley whispered in Brooke's ear.



"I don't know," she laughed. "I asked him first."



"I was friends with him first," Haley pointed out.



"Now now ladies," Mouth smiled. "There is plenty of me to go around."



Haley rolled her eyes, "I swear. If I would have known this is how you would have turned out, I would have stayed at the rivercourt."



Mouth smiled as a slow song began to play and they began to dance, Brooke leaving the old friends to talk.



"You still think we should have stayed?" Haley asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.



"Some days," he nodded. "You know, it's like, if we would have stayed, Jimmy would still be here."



Haley frowned at the sadness in his eyes, "You can't blame yourself for that. I mean, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but Rachel said it best when she told Jimmy that he couldn't blame you for living your life."



"I know."



"And I was just as much his friend as you were. So if you go blaming yourself, then you might as well blame me and Luke and Skills as well."



"It just sucks, you know? Losing your best friend," he said.



Haley looked over to the front door where Lucas was walking in, "Yea, I know."



"But so many good things have come out of it as well," Mouth continued. "I mean, Lucas has Peyton. I've been asked to be a sports announcer at UNC. You've gone and become all famous."



"One tour does not make me famous. I didn't even finish it, remember?"



"Hales, how many people can say that they went on a U.S. tour their junior year of high school? I think that makes you just a tiny bit famous," he laughed.



"Yea, I guess some good did come out of it," she smiled, catching Brooke's eye as the cheerleader winked at her.



"So, what's your plans, now?"



"My plans?" Haley asked nervously, blushing as the raven-haired girl blew her a kiss.



"We've graduated. What next?"



Haley stopped swaying to the music, realization washing over her, "I-I don't know. I mean, two years ago I would have answered Stanford without hesitation. But then with Nathan, and the baby, it was Duke. That was his dream school, and they offered him a full scholarship for basketball. We couldn't have asked for better. Then with the whole shaving the points thing, he lost his scholarship. Now, we're not together anymore, and I have no idea."



"Hey," Mouth laughed gently. "You're Haley James. You can get into any school you want. You just got to follow your heart, that's all."



++++++++



"Hey hey hot stuff," Brooke smiled, sitting on Haley's lap as she sat in a recliner tiredly, yawning.



"You tired?" Brooke asked worriedly. "We can go if you're ready."



Haley laughed, "Brooke Davis leave a party early? You feeling ok?"



"Hey, that was the old me."



"Brooke, I know you, and I love you, and I know how much you want to be here. Yes, you've changed into a wonderful person, but you still live for this type of stuff. We haven't been to a decent party in forever, so enjoy it, ok?"



"I can't enjoy it, if you're not enjoying it," she pouted, wrapping her arms around Haley's neck.



"I'm definitely enjoying this," Haley smiled.



"So, what's wrong?"



"Where are you going to college?"



Brooke bit her lip, "Well, actually, I don't know if I am going. I mean, I have so many great things going on with Clothes Over Bros right now, that I don't want to slow down for school. I don't want to miss this amazing opportunity, you know?"



"You're not going to go at all?"



"Hales, school isn't my thing. It's yours, you know that."



"But, you are so smart," Haley said.



Brooke smiled, pushing a piece of hair out of the tutor's face, "You see, you know that, and I know that, but most other people, they just don't get it."



Haley frowned.



"Look, I'm street smart. I know how to get by in this world. I know what it takes to survive out there, and I know what I want to do with the rest of my life. I don't need to go to college to figure that out."



"I know, but what if something happens. I mean, I'm not saying that I don't think you're going to be uber successful, cause I do. You're going to be the next Gucci or whatever, but what if something happens. People are cruel out there, and you don't have anything to fall back on."



Brooke sighed, "How about this: once I get settled wherever it is I end up, I'll take like some business courses at a community college. Would that make you happy?"



Haley smiled, "Yea."



"Alright then. That's what I'll do," she smiled back. Anything to see that adorable girl smile was worth it.



++++++++



"Hey," a voice greeted, walking up behind Brooke. She was looking out a window on the second story, watching Haley mess around with Skills, Fergie, Junk, and Mouth outside by the bonfire.



"What do you want?" she questioned.



Lucas joined her at the window, smiling down at the scene before him. He had seen so many like it before. Well, it wasn't at some party full of all the popular kids, but it definitely consisted of his friends just goofing off and having a good time. He felt his chest tighten, realizing just how much he missed that.



"She's something else, isn't she?" he asked, watching Haley fondly. Skills was trying to convince her to jump the fire. He had done it, but then again he had almost a foot on her.



"She's amazing," Brooke agreed, chewing on her bottom lip. She wasn't going to do it. She wasn't going to cry.



"I wanted to show you something," Lucas said, reaching into his jacket pocket. "Haley gave me this as a graduation gift."



Brooke looked at him curiously, taking the photo from his hand. She immediately felt the tears spring to her eyes at the black and white picture in her hands. The tiny baby was curled up safely inside its mother.



"That's your godson," Lucas smiled, tears in his own eyes. "She wasn't going to tell you until after he was born, but she wanted you to be his godmother."



Brooke just let the tears flow as she ran a thumb over the picture, "He's beautiful."



"It was taken the day of the championship game," he explained.



Brooke nodded with a smile, "Yea. God, I was so scared when we found her on that bathroom floor. At that point, I would have said that that was the most scared I have ever been. Then when the doctor said everything was ok, it was like relief. Then that night, I got a call saying that the she had gotten hit by a car, and your heart had stopped. That was probably the worse day of my life," she admitted.



"Hers too, I'm sure," Lucas said, turning his attention back to the window.



"I don't know," Brooke shook her head. "She's been through so much, you know. It's almost not fair. I mean, I can't lie I used to be a shitty person. At times I still am. But then, there's Haley who is just absolutely sweet, and caring, and would give anything to help someone, and she's been through so much crap."



"Yea," Lucas frowned.



"But you know what?" Brooke asked, wiping away her tears agitatedly. "She's gone through hell and back, but I bet if you ask her what her worse day ever was, you know what she'd say?"



"What?" he asked confusedly.



Brooke gave him back the picture, her eye fiery, "The day my best friend turned his back on me."



Lucas frowned, watching her walk out of the room. He turned back to the window, watching his best friend, holding the picture of his late nephew.