Looking For Solid Ground

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





"Now," Brooke sighed as Haley opened her eyes. There was a look deep inside of them that Brooke had never seen before, and she was suddenly finding it hard to speak. Even if she could speak, she couldn't begin to remember what she was trying to say.



"Brooke?" Haley questioned, finding her voice.



"Ugh, yea," she laughed nervously. She let Haley go and took a few steps back for safety. "So, as I was trying to say, but you were too busy chewing me out to hear, I'm sorry."



Haley looked down at the floor playing nervously with her hands.



"I made a mistake. You should know by now that that's all I'm good for. But you have to believe me when I say that I value our friendship more than anything else in the world. It's just--it's hard sometimes you know?" Brooke admitted. "I mean, you are so perfect. You're like a freaking genius, and you have the morals of a nun, and it's just hard to keep up sometimes. And the last thing I want is to disappoint you, but I just can't help but to continuously do stupid things. And--"



Brooke was cut off as Haley walked over to her, pulling her into a hug. Brooke looked down at her confusedly as she pulled away.



"Thank you," Haley smiled softly.



"Thank me? For what?"



"For letting me in," Haley replied honestly. "For finally letting me see the real Brooke Davis. Not the girl who has this perfect life, but the Brooke Davis that is real. Thank you for not treating me like one of your cheerleader friends who you put this facade on for."



Brooke blushed slightly, "It's what real friends do."



Haley nodded with a smile, "And seriously Brooke, I don't give a shit if you're a genius or not."



Brooke looked at her questioningly.



"It's your faults, not your perfections, that make you who you are," Haley explained.



"Then I must be one hell of a person because I certainly have a lot of faults," Brooke laughed.



"True," the smaller girl nodded.



"Not cool."



Haley laughed, taking Brooke's hand in hers, and tugging her along. "Come on Tigger, I think we should get some sleep. I don't know if you've forgotten, but we have school tomorrow."



"School? Haley, you can't be serious. After everything that's happened this weekend, you expect me to go to school?" Brooke whined.



"Yes, and I expect you to pay attention in class and learn something."



"What happened to my faults making me who I am?" Brooke complained, allowing herself to be dragged down the hall and into Haley's room.



"Nothing," Haley replied turning to face her. "It's just that I refuse to not have you next to me when I graduate."



"Uh, Haley. Maybe you should be the one not graduating. If you haven't realized, my last name starts with a 'D', yours starts with a 'J'. We won't be anywhere near each other."



Haley rolled her eyes. "One, you're retarded. Two, I was being symbolic. Three, legally my last name starts with an 'S',” she replied, her voice growing soft.



"Sorry," Brooke replied, noticing the pain returning to Haley's eyes.



"So, are we still not talking about it?" she asked as they climbed into Haley's bed.



"Yep," Haley replied, her jaw set, refusing to give in to the tears.



"Well, would it be ok if we at least cuddle?" Brooke asked, hating that Haley had shut herself off from her again.



"Please," Haley responded, her eyes watering.



Brooke smiled sadly as she scooted closer to Haley, whose back was to her. She wrapped an arm around her waist, and Haley leaned back against her, thankful for the comfort that Brooke always seemed to bring.



OTH++++++++



Brooke awoke with a faint smile. Her arms were still around Haley. Actually, Haley had put her arms over Brooke's, causing her to pull her closer. She craned her neck slightly, so she could look at Haley. Her faint smile grew when she saw the beautiful girl sleeping peacefully. Her eye's fell on Haley's lips. They were soft and pink and parted ever so slightly as she breathed. Honestly, since the night before, they seemed to be all Brooke could think about.



She sighed, looking over at the clock which read 5:00 AM. She laid back down, figuring she could probably get another hour and a half of sleep in before Haley woke her up. Brooke pulled Haley closer, wrapping her arms tighter.



"Mmm," Haley sighed in her sleep, causing Brooke to smile as she drifted back off into sleep.



OTH+++++++



"Beep! Beep! Beep!"



Haley groaned at the sound of her alarm on her cell phone going off. She tried to move her hand to turn it off, but it didn't budge. She looked down and a smile came across her face. Brooke's arms were still around her, and sometime during the night she must have taken Haley's hands into her own.



Haley carefully unlaced their fingers and reached up, turning off the alarm. Brooke's arms immediately tightened around her, pulling her back against her.



"Brooke?" Haley laughed lightly.



Nothing.



"Brooke, come on," Haley coaxed, tracing small circles on Brooke's hands. "We have to wake up."



"Can't make me," Brooke replied, her breath tickling Haley's ear. Her voice came out even raspier than normal, causing Haley to shiver in Brooke's arms.



"Cold?" she asked concernedly, pulling Haley closer, but still refusing to open her eyes.



"No," Haley replied nervously, thankful that she was facing away from Brooke because she could feel her cheeks burning a brilliant red.



"Haley, I don't wanna go to school," Brooke whined, after waking up a little more.



"We discussed this last night Brooke. You have to go."



"Remind me why I agreed to that."



Haley sighed, turning around in Brooke's arms, looking her in the eyes.



She couldn't help but smile as brown met brown, "Hey."



"Hey back at you," Brooke replied, returning the smile.



"Oh, yea, school," Haley said, shaking the fuzziness out. "Because you are going to graduate, and you're going to do it the right way. No more cheating. And in order for that to happen, you have to go to school."



"But--"



"Everyday." Haley said firmly.



"Everyday?" Brooke croaked. "Haley, that's not fair."



"Brooke, it's school. Normal people go to school everyday."



"When have I once ever fallen into the normal category?"



"Never," Haley smiled. "But you're living with me now, so you follow my rules."



"Living with you?"



"Well yea," Haley said, fiddling with her fingers nervously. "It's just that, last night you said that when Rachel's parents come home, you're going to be homeless. And well, I'm currently without a roommate. So, I just figured...but I mean, if you don't want to, I understand," she finished quickly.



Brooke smiled sadly as she watched the insecure girl in her arms avoid her gaze.



"Hey," Brooke said, getting Haley to look at her. "I would love to move in with you."



"Really?"



Brooke nodded with a smile, "Of course, why wouldn't I?" Brooke suddenly remembered the previous night's conversation.



"Haley, about last night," Brooke smiled, knowing what Haley was thinking about when the tutor turned a bright red.



"Why would you think I would be ashamed of you to tutoring me?" Brooke finished.



Haley let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding, "Oh."



"Oh?" Brooke questioned with a smirk. "What did you think I was talking about?"



"Nothing--it's just--I--and"



"Haley, breathe."



"Right, sorry," Haley laughed, turning another shade of red.



"But seriously,” Brooke said. "What would make you think that?"



"I don't know," Haley replied softly. "It's just that sometimes, all of this seems like some crazy dream. Or maybe, I'm just being Punk'd you know? I mean, I've been on tour. I married the most popular guy in school. I'm not only friends with the cheerleading captain, but I'm a cheerleader myself. I just keep waiting to wake up. Or maybe for everybody else to wake up and realize that these things shouldn't be happening to me. I'm just a shy nerd who's best friends with a loner," she said, laughing slightly.



"Haley, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but you still are a shy nerd," Brooke smiled.



Haley looked at her with surprise.



"Hey, some things never change. You'll always be that shy, clumsy, rambler, who is way too smart. But that's not a bad thing," Brooke added, noticing the sadness in Haley’s eyes. "That's why so many people love you. You are this incredibly original person, and you can become a cheerleader or a superstar, but you'll always be Haley. And unfortunately, Haley has a lot of friends who care a lot about her, so you'll just have to get used to that."



Haley smiled, "Thanks."



"Hey, anytime you need somebody to tell you how great you are, I'm your girl," Brooke smiled. "So, about that other thing..." Brooke laughed as Haley turned a brilliant red for the third time that morning.



"You know, the whole me stealing the test thing. We're cool right?" Brooke asked, knowing she was getting to her.



"Brooke," Haley sighed frustratedly.



"What?" she asked innocently.



"Ok, you wanna know what I think about last night?" Haley asked this time with a smile playing on her lips. "I think that you think that everybody melts under your smile. And that all you have to do is bat your eye lashes to get your way. But I'm warning you now, the 'Brooke charm', as you put it the other day, may work both ways, but it does not work on me. So you can't just show your dimples to get your way, and you can’t just flirt with me when you want me to do something for you, and you certainly can’t kiss me every time you want me to shut up or to listen to you."



"Oh really?" Brooke challenged with a raised eyebrow and a dimply smile.



"Yea, it just doesn't work," Haley replied, but her voice faltered slightly at the sight of those dimples.



"You know you're adorable right?" Brooke smiled, licking her lips slightly as she eyed Haley's perfect ones.



"I...you..." Haley cursed her brain for shutting down on her once again.



"It's really a shame that my charm doesn't work on you," Brooke replied, her voice barely above a whisper as she leaned closer to Haley. "Because I bet we could have a lot of fun together."



"Hey you guys! Are you awake yet?!" a voice called from the front of the apartment.



"Yea, just give us a few minutes, Luke!" Brooke replied aggitatedly.



"Oh, well, time to get up Tutor Girl," she smiled, jumping out of bed and walking to the dresser to get some clothes, leaving Haley to lay there, completely speechless.





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



"You know I'm not too fond of you right now, right?" Haley asked as Lucas held open the door for her to walk out the apartment. The three of them decided to ride to school together, since they were all going to the hospital after school to see Peyton anyway.



"What did I do?" Lucas asked confusedly, closing the door.



Brooke leaned over the front seat and laid on the horn in Lucas's car. "Come on! We can't be late for school, now can we Tutor Girl?!" Brooke called, sticking her head out the window.



Haley rolled her eyes.



"What is she talking about?" Lucas asked as they walked down the stairs.



"Brooke stole the test--"



"She what?" Lucas questioned, the anger evident in his voice.



"Relax," Haley smiled at Lucas's protectiveness of her. "It's ok. We worked it out. So, anyway, yea, I'm making Brooke go to school everyday from now on, and I'm gonna make sure she passes all her classes so she graduates with us."



"That's sweet Hales, but it's Brooke we're talking about. How are you going to make her go to school everyday?"



"She's going to move in with me now that Rachel's gone."



"What about Nathan?"



Haley stopped dead in her tracks. She had forgotten to tell Lucas about Nathan leaving.



"What's wrong?" Lucas asked, turning to face her. "What happened?"



"Nathan--he uh, he left me last night," she replied shakily.



Lucas felt his anger rise once again as he pulled Haley into a hug.



"It's going to be ok," he assured her as they pulled away, and she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I promise. I'll do whatever I have to, but I'm going to make things right again."



"Luke," Haley smiled sadly. "You know you can't promise me that."



"Watch me."



Haley pulled him into another hug, kissing his cheek, "I love you, Luke."



He smiled, "I love you too, Hales."



Brooke wasn't sure why, but she felt an uneasiness grow in the pit of her stomach as she watched the scene in front of her. She shook it off as the best friends got into the front seats of the car. Brooke reached forward and squeezed Haley's arm reassuringly. Haley patted her hand and winked at her in the rearview mirror.





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





"So Lucas, why are you at school instead of spending the day with Peyton? That's not very boyfriendy, you know?" Brooke asked as they walked into the building.



"She made me come," he sighed.



"Yea, I know how that can be," Brooke replied, staring at Haley pointedly, earning her a playful slap from the tutor.



"Hey," Brooke smiled. "You said I had to go, but you never said I had to enjoy it."



"Well, I'm saying it now," Haley responded smartly.



Brooke's jaw dropped, "You see Luke? You see what I have to deal with?"



Lucas looked at Haley who smiled at him sweetly, causing him to laugh and wrap an arm around her shoulder, "For some reason Brooke, I don't feel sorry for you."



Brooke scoffed as Haley stuck her tongue out at her when Lucas wasn't looking.



"Besides," Lucas said as they reached his and Haley's lockers, "Peyton's getting out this afternoon, so they're going to be running a whole bunch of tests and stuff this morning just to make sure she's ok, and I'd just be in the way."



Brooke nodded, patting his shoulder, "I know, I was just joking earlier. So, we'll meet back here after school?"



Haley and Lucas nodded, and she gave them a wink before turning to go to her own locker.



"She's definitely something else, that one," Lucas laughed, pulling out the books he needed.



"Yea, I know," Haley sighed, watching the raven-haired girl walk away.



"Hey, you ok?" Lucas asked concernedly as they closed their lockers and began to walk towards their first class.



"Yea, I'm fine. It was just a really long weekend," Haley replied.





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





Haley sighed frustratedly as she pulled on her jeans after gym. Brooke had jumped at every chance to get under her skin that she had gotten, whether it was winking at her when she caught Haley’s eye, or trailing a lazy finger down her arm when they passed in the hall. Honestly, Haley was at a loss. She had no idea what was going on with her. Nathan was never able to affect her the way Brooke was now. But she knew one thing for sure, she wasn't going to take it sitting down.



"Hey tutor girl," Brooke greeted as Haley was reaching for her shirt in her locker. A smirk grew on Haley's face as she thought better of it and turned to greet Brooke in just her jeans and a red lacy bra.



"Hey Tigger, how's it going?"



"Very well," Brooke replied with a surprised smile. She caught the mischievous glint and Haley's eyes, and there was soon one in her own. Well if that's how Haley wanted to play, then game on.



"And how about you?" Brooke asked, touching Haley's bare shoulder lightly.



Haley wasn't sure how Brooke did it, but her skin seemed to burn under her touch, yet goose bumps ran down her arm.



"It's getting better," she replied sweetly.



"Really? And why is that?"



"Aw, Brooke, you know every time you talk to me, you make my day better," Haley replied, her voice sugary sweet, as she took Brooke's hand in her own.



Brooke tried not to laugh. Haley was good, she'd give her that, but she was better. After all, Brooke had been doing this for a lot longer than Haley had.



"Seriously Hales, you are way too adorable for your own good," Brooke replied honestly.



"You think?"



Brooke nodded, pulling Haley's hand, making her step closer, "Yea, and I also think you had better be careful because you are in way over your head."



"Just because you're taller, doesn't mean you have the advantage," Haley replied.



Brooke bit her bottom lip. The girl before her really was too adorable for her own good. It was time for Brooke to step up her game. She linked her index fingers through the belt loops of Haley's jeans and pulled her closer, until they were inches apart, causing Haley take in a sharp breath.



"You know Haley, if I remember right, we were interrupted this morning before we got to finish what we had started," Brooke smiled.



"Oh really?" Haley whispered as Brooke leaned down.



"Yea."



Their lips were millimeters apart.



"Because I think, we finished just fine," Haley said with a smile, before turning back to her locker. She slipped her shirt on and turned to Brooke, "I'll see you after next period."



And with that, she walked away, this time leaving Brooke to be the one standing there speechless. Brooke all but growled; the tutor had beaten her at her own game. This wasn't good. What was worse was the disappointment she had felt when Haley pulled away. Brooke hoped she was just having an off day.



Haley took a deep breath to steady herself as the door to the locker room closed behind her. Pulling away from Brooke had proved to be one of the hardest things she had ever done. This was going to be more difficult than she thought. Maybe Brooke was right, maybe she was in way over her head.





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





"Ok P. Sawyer, we're here to spring you from this joint," Brooke smiled as they entered her hospital room.



"Well it's about damn time," Peyton replied, standing up from the chair she had been sitting in. She was already dressed in her regular clothes and her overnight bags were packed with all her stuff that they had brought to her.



"How long have you been ready?" Lucas asked, taking a bag from her.



"Since around 11."



"See, I told you. We should have just ditched after lunch," Brooke complained.



"Aw, but Brooke, then we would have missed gym," Haley replied with a smile. "And we all know how much you love gym."



Brooke sent her a death glare as Peyton and Lucas looked between the two confusedly.



"Anyone care to explain?" Peyton asked with a laugh.



Brooke opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words.



"Well, I've started Brooke on this rigorous schedule of school and tutoring, so she's suddenly taken a liking to gym because it's the only class without homework," Haley explained, wrapping an arm around Brooke's shoulders. Brooke frowned; she was not going to let Haley win this one.



"Go ahead Haley; it's about time someone cracked the whip on B. Davis," Peyton smiled.



"Oh, how I wish she would," Brooke whispered suggestively, just loud enough for only Haley to hear. Haley had to bite her lip to keep from reacting.



Damn her and that voice, Haley thought to herself



"I don't know," Haley replied as Peyton and Lucas walked out the door. "I've always preferred handcuffs, myself." She walked to Peyton's bed and picked up her other bag.



"Like I said," Haley continued as she exited the room, walking by a frozen Brooke. "The 'Brooke charm' just doesn't work on me."



Haley laughed as she heard Brooke let out a frustrated groan behind her. Round two goes to the tutor, Haley smiled to herself.





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





Brooke let out a frustrated groan, "Haley, I just can't get this. It's impossible." She pushed her calculus book away from her and slumped in her seat. They were sitting next to each other at the kitchen table as Haley tried to tutor Brooke.



"It's not impossible," Haley responded patiently. "Nothing's impossible."



"Can you fly? Because I know I sure as hell can't."



"Brooke, please be serious," Haley pleaded.



Brooke frowned, "I'm sorry, but maybe for someone like you this stuff is possible, but for someone like me, it might as well be Latin."



Brooke noticed a blush rise to Haley's cheeks, "Don't tell me you know Latin."



The blush grew.



Brooke sighed, rolling her eyes, "It's people like you that make people like me become sluts."



"One, you are not a slut," Haley replied. "And two, what the hell are you talking about?"



"People like you. Smart people. People that this stuff just comes easily to. People like me see people like you and we become frustrated. We realize that we'll never be as smart as you, so we'll never have as good of a job as you, so then we have to marry rich. And in order to do that, we have to be really hot and be really good in bed. Lucky for me, I already got the hot part down, so I don't need plastic surgery like the majority of us. And the only way to get good in bed is to practice. Hint, the slut part. Although, I do have to say, I have some natural talent in that area too."



Haley couldn't help but smile at Brooke's theory, "You're something else, you know that?"



Brooke shrugged.



"No seriously, listen. So people like me get the good jobs, right? Brooke, I plan on being a teacher. Do you know how much they money make. And people like you?" Haley smiled when Brooke looked at her worriedly. "Trust me when I say this Brooke. There is nobody anywhere in this universe quite like you. You are definitely in a category all your own. So, therefore, you get to make your own rules. You don't have to marry some rich guy and end up like all those other pathetic washed-up cheerleaders. You are going to become a famous fashion designer, and you're going to be so rich that you are going to buy me a house because I will be a teacher, and I will be broke."



A smile grew on Brooke's face.



"And in order for that to happen," Haley continued, pulling Brooke's book back in front of them, "you have to study and work hard, so you can keep your contract, alright?"



"Alright," Brooke agreed.



"Ok, now, we'll start back at the beginning."