2003 ― Tree Hill, North Carolina

Brianna Davis wasn't a big fan of parties. But, she still attended them anyway.

As a co-captain of the Tree Hill Ravens cheerleaders, whenever the team won a big game, there was always an after-party, and Brianna felt obligated to go. Tonight's party was at Nathan's beach house to celebrate another win for the team. Brianna was proud of Lucas because he played a better game tonight than he did a few nights ago.

Peyton Sawyer pulled to a rough spot as she parked at the beach house. The Davis sisters got out of the car, and Brooke turned to their blonde friend. "Every time I ride with you, I swear I'm never going to do it again," Brooke said as she adjusted her outfit and Brianna laughed.

"Keys?" Brianna asked.

"Tempt fate," Peyton responded as Tim approached the trio.

"Peyton, you have to talk to him. Lucas had the better shot. You saw it, right?" Tim asked as he looked at the three of them. Nathan was icing his best friend out because Tim passed Lucas the ball instead of Nathan and Lucas got the game-winning shot. Brianna knew Tim was right, Lucas did have the better shot because Nathan was being double-teamed, as usual.

"Tim, are you being pathetic?" Brooke asked. Tim rolled his eyes and turned away from them, and Brianna smiled when she noticed the tow truck from Keith's body shop pulling up. That's the main vehicle Lucas drives, even when he's not helping Keith with work.

"What is he doing here?" Tim asked right as Nathan approached.

"I invited him. I mean, since you guys are such great friends now." Nathan said sarcastically as Brianna approached Lucas and Haley.

"What are you trying to pull?" Peyton asked as she looked at Nathan.

"Nothing," Nathan said. He watched as Brianna hugged Haley and he walked over to the trio. "I wasn't sure you'd come." He said.

"That makes two of us," Lucas said. Nathan's eyes quickly diverted to Brianna, and he wore a coy smile while Brianna left her face stoic. Then he turned to Haley. "Haley, right? I'm Nathan." He said. Haley rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I know," Haley said as she brushed past him and walked to the steps that led to the door of the beach house. Brianna quietly laughed as she followed behind her friend. She turned around to see Lucas following after her, and she smiled at him.

"I bet their plumbing works." She teased. Lucas told her this morning that while he was in the middle of washing his hair during his shower, the plumbing went out and the water stopped. Lucas shook his head as he smiled. "Just saying."

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Brianna walked off to find Peyton and Brooke. She found them in the kitchen, standing around the island with red cups in their hands. "Hey, you. Wanna play I never?" Peyton asked. Brianna shrugged her shoulders and approached the table, and Brooke handed her a cup.

"Lucas. Come play." Brooke said a few moments later.

"What's the game?" Lucas asked as he approached the table and stood next to Brianna.

"I never," Brooke responded.

"And yet, apparently you have." Vegas, one of the boys on the team said. Everyone started laughing while Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Vegas." Brooke snapped.

"Alright, so the game is, we all take turns saying things that we've never done, and anybody at the table who has... bam!" Nathan said as he held a cup out to Lucas.

"Drinks." Lucas finished for him as he took the cup from his hand.

"Alright, Theresa, you're up," Nathan said.

"Okay, let's see... I never... had sex with anything made of plastic." Theresa said. Everyone looked around their circle to see who would drink. Everyone started laughing when Brooke raised her cup to her mouth.

"Okay, my turn. I never... No, I did that." Brooke said, making everyone laugh again. Nathan cleared his throat.

"Alright, my turn. Oh, let's see. Um... I never... I never had a dad who wished I was a stain on the bed sheets." Nathan said as he looked directly at Lucas. Brianna's eyes widened as she shook her head. She couldn't believe Nathan would cross the line like that. Brianna put her cup down and walked away from the table, she needed a moment to compose herself.

She went into the bathroom and took a deep breath. She made the decision that she was done tutoring Nathan. She only had two conditions, she didn't think they would be too hard to follow. But she should've known that Nathan would never back off, and she felt like an idiot for thinking she had enough power to make him stop. She took another deep breath before opening the door to walk out, and she saw Peyton leaning against the wall.

"Hey, P. Sawyer. Sorry, I didn't know you were waiting out here. It's all yours." Brianna said as she stepped aside. Peyton shook her head and closed the door.

"How's the tutoring going?" She asked, and Brianna's eyes widened.

"You know about that?" Brianna asked.

"Nathan tells me everything, and I thought you did too," Peyton said, and Brianna sighed.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to keep it a secret or hide it from you like we were doing anything shady... I just didn't tell anyone I was tutoring him, you know... It's Nathan." Brianna said, and Peyton laughed because she understood exactly what she meant.

"I know, and it's okay," Peyton said, and Brianna sighed.

"He came to the tutoring center and said he needed help, and then when I looked over his tests... I knew he needed some help." Brianna said, and Peyton laughed more.

"Maybe you could teach him to stop being such a jackass," Peyton said, and Brianna laughed.

"I don't think anybody can teach him that, but I'll be sure to include it in the lesson plan." Brianna teased. Both girls shared a laugh before Peyton gently touched Brianna's shoulder.

"Just be careful, okay Bree?" Peyton said, and Brianna nodded her head.

"Yeah, I will," Brianna said.

"Does Lucas know you're helping Nathan?" Peyton asked. Brianna sighed again as she shook her head.

"No... he doesn't, and I'd really like it to stay that way," Brianna said. She knew it wasn't good to lie to her best friend, but she knew Lucas would freak out and overreact if he knew.

"You know that I won't say anything... just remember what I said. Be careful, Bree." Peyton said. Brianna nodded her head and wrapped her blonde friend in a hug.

"Thanks for always having my back."

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Brianna decided she was going to leave the party. She wasn't doing much anyway except aimlessly wandering around. She thinks Haley dipped out early because she couldn't find her, and she saw Lucas and Peyton talking outside earlier. She had no idea where her sister was and didn't want to know.

"Are you leaving?" Nathan Scott asked. Brianna turned around and noticed him leaning against the wall. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at her, and she hated to admit to herself how good he looked.

"Nathan... we had a deal. You promised you were going to be nice." Brianna said.

"I... I am being nice. I invited him to this stinking party, didn't I?" Nathan asked. Brianna rolled her eyes as she now crossed her arms over her chest as well.

"And for what? So you could pick on him in public? What you said crossed a line, Nathan, not to mention it was cruel. Just because you don't act like it and refuse to acknowledge it, Lucas is still your brother, and everyone knows it. You could at least show common human decency." Brianna snapped.

"Oh, man. Is that what... Over that lame joke? Come on, Bree. The guys... sometimes we get kind of raw with each other. I was just trying to include him. He took it the wrong way." Nathan said, and Brianna laughed while shaking her head.

"Really? So you tell all the guys on the team that their dads wished for them to be cum stains left on the bed sheets?" Brianna challenged. When Nathan didn't answer, she rolled her eyes again. "That's what I thought. So you were just being a dick because it's personal. Maybe you need to rethink your approach." She said.

"Okay, well... as my tutor and his friend. How do I handle this?" Nathan asked.

"It's simple. Stop being an asshole."

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Brianna didn't leave. She called a cab because she realized the walk back to her house would be further than she thought, and she was still waiting for the cab to come. While she waited, she went back to the dock that was behind the house and sat to watch the ocean. She loved watching the water at night, it was peaceful and comforting to her.

"I thought you left." She heard Nathan behind her, but she didn't turn around.

"Are you following me?" She asked. Nathan laughed a little, but he didn't say anything. "And I tried to leave, but my stupid cab isn't here yet." She continued.

"Well... I'm glad you stayed." Nathan said as he approached her and sat down next to her on the dock, letting his feet dangle off the end like Brianna's were. "I wanted to thank you for holding back." He said. Brianna turned her head to the side to face him and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Calling me a dick and an asshole was pretty tame. You could've called me a lot worse. I probably deserve it." Nathan said. Brianna sighed as she turned back to face the water and she ran her fingers through her hair. Nathan watched as she did. He never noticed before how stunning Brianna's side profile was. He always noticed that Brianna was beautiful, he used to have a crush on her before he started dating Peyton. But seeing her side profile under the glow of the moonlight, Nathan felt like he was looking at an angel.

"Look, I've been thinking a lot about this tutoring thing... and I'm sorry, Nathan... I just don't think it's a good idea." She said.

"Because of Lucas?" He asked.

"Well, obviously. I don't know what I was thinking. There's nothing good that can possibly come from this." Brianna said as she wrapped her arms around herself. She forgot how cold it can get when sitting next to the water. Luckily she had brought her beanie, and she put it on to keep her head warm.

"Really? Is it because of what I said?" Nathan asked.

"Not just what you said, Nathan, but who you are! Two conditions. I only asked you for two things in exchange for my help. That Lucas doesn't find out, and you lay off being an asshole to him, but you're making it seem like that's impossible for you to do." Brianna snapped.

"Maybe you're doing me a favor then," Nathan said. Brianna turned to face him again.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Sometimes, I think it would be easier if I got kicked off the team because of my grades. Especially with my dad." Nathan said. Brianna thought this conversation was getting dangerously close to being a heart-to-heart, and she did not put having a heart-to-heart conversation with Nathan Scott on her predictions list for junior year.

"I should um... go find Lucas. No doubt Peyton is going to be spending the night, so I should ask Luke for a ride home." Brianna said as she stood up. Nathan stood up as well and gently grabbed her arm when she tried to walk back toward the house. Brianna was frozen in her tracks as that warm feeling crept down her spine again. Nathan's touch made her feel things she didn't think she could. She was feeling things she knew she shouldn't.

"He left a while ago," Nathan said as he released her arm. He had felt that spark too when he touched her. He realized, he never felt that when he touched Peyton, or when she touched him. But being this close in proximity to Brianna made him nervous, in a giddy kind of way.

"Looks like I'm walking," Brianna said. She knew it was a longer walk than walking home from the river court, but she didn't have many other options.

"Let me give you a ride home," Nathan said.

"It's not that far." Brianna lied.

"Bree. I know where you live, it is that far. You're not going to walk that far, at night, alone. We'll take Peyton's car." Nathan said. Brianna sighed as she shook her head.

"Nathan, I'm really fine, it's okay," Brianna said.

"You're a little high on yourself, aren't you? Going around telling people you're all fine." Nathan teased. Brianna rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the smile that remained on her face. "Come on, you're Peyton's best friend, and she wouldn't care. Honestly, she'd probably be pissed if I let you walk home by yourself at night. Just let me give you a ride back, Bree. It's the least I can do." Nathan said. Brianna sighed. She knew Nathan was right, Peyton probably would yell at him for knowing Brianna was going to walk home alone and not offering her a ride, and she knew Nathan wasn't going to stop persisting.

"Okay, fine," Brianna said. Nathan smiled, and the two of them walked to Peyton's car. She had left the keys inside the car, which Brianna had told her to stop doing, but she knew at Nathan's house, nobody was going to steal it. Nathan started the car and headed down the road to the Davis house, which he has been to numerous times before when Brooke has thrown parties.

And everyone knows their signature red door.

"And here we are, which as you said, you already know since my sister loves to throw parties too," Brianna said as she looked at the door.

"It's not like I was trying to show off," Nathan said, and Brianna laughed. He was talking about the size of the beach house compared to their house. Their house wasn't small, they did have rich parents, but the beach house was massive.

"Isn't that your default setting?" She teased, and Nathan shook his head. "I'm sorry if that was harsh." She said. Nathan shook his head again and laughed.

"Can I be honest with you, Bree?" He asked.

"Uh, you can... I don't know, you tell me." Brianna responded.

"What I said on the dock... that was a lie. I'm really lucky to have basketball. It's pretty much my shell to everything from here on out. If I lose it, it's over for me." He said. Brianna frowned, she could tell Nathan was being genuine, and it's obvious to anybody that watches him play that he loves basketball.

"So don't lose it." She said.

"Well, that's just the thing... With my grades, I'm close to being ineligible to do the one thing that I'm actually good at. It's not just my life either. It's my dad's too. It's like he's still got something to prove to Whitey, and if I screw it up, it's going to destroy him... and it will destroy me. Look, I know you have no reason to do this, and I know it's going to complicate things with Lucas, but... I really need your help, Brianna." Nathan said.

Brianna sighed as she looked down at her lap. She could hear the sincerity in Nathan's voice. He really was pleading for her help. She didn't want him to fail and lose basketball, but she didn't know how she could continue to tutor him in secret. Lucas would find out eventually, and their friendship would probably implode, and she didn't want that either. She was stuck. She really wanted to help Nathan, but she didn't know if she could. She looked back up at Nathan before she spoke.

"Your dad shouldn't be living out his twisted narcissistic vendetta against Whitey through you, first of all. Second of all, I know how much basketball means to you, so I promise, I will find you someone else." Brianna said, and Nathan shook his head.

"No, I came to you because you're the best tutor at the school. And you're not going to tear me down or make me feel dumb. It's not easy having everybody know you're failing. It's you or nobody else." Nathan said, and Brianna sighed again while running her fingers through her hair.

"Okay, I will get you through the semester, and then you've gotta be on your own. I'm serious." Brianna said. Nathan let out a sigh of relief and nodded his head.

"That's totally fine with me." He said.

"Okay, great. We'll start on Monday." Brianna said as she opened the door and got off. "Lay off, Lucas." She said. Nathan nodded his head and waited until Brianna was inside before pulling off. When she walked inside, she immediately went to her room, took a shower, and went to bed.

She didn't even realize she left her beanie in the car.

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A few days later, Brianna was at work. She noticed that Lucas had been avoiding her and she didn't know why. She asked Haley what was wrong, and Haley said Lucas hasn't mentioned anything to her. Brianna doesn't remember arguing with him, so she had no idea why Lucas would be ignoring her. The bell to the cafe dinged, and Brianna looked up to see who was coming in. She was surprised to see Lucas. She was standing behind the counter, and Lucas approached her at the counter.

The reason he had been avoiding her was; after Nathan dropped Brianna off and was coming back to the party, he was driving drunk and driving recklessly. Lucas was leaving the party, but he saw Peyton's car and assumed that Peyton was driving drunk. Nathan crashed the car into a tree, and after he and Lucas argued, Nathan left it there. Lucas, against his better judgment, attached Peyton's car to the tow truck and took it back to Keith's garage.

Keith was not happy about it.

But when Lucas looked inside Peyton's car, he noticed Brianna's beanie in there. He knew that Brianna was Peyton's best friend, but he had also seen Brianna with her beanie on after she, Peyton, and Brooke had already arrived at the party, and Lucas was talking to Peyton when Nathan drove Brianna home, so he knew that she didn't leave the hat in the car one of the times she was in there with Peyton.

He pieced together that she was with Nathan.

"Hey, I was beginning to think I would never see you again. You're avoiding me, right?" Brianna asked as she looked at him.

"A little." He said.

"Why? What happened? Did I do something that I was unaware of that made you upset with me?" Brianna asked.

"We can still be honest with each other, right?" Lucas asked. Brianna nodded her head. She was unsure of where Lucas was going with this.

"Yeah, of course. What's going on, Luke? You're being weird." Brianna said.

"So, if anything were going on with you... anything important, weird, or confusing... I mean, you could still be honest with me about it, right?" Lucas asked, and Brianna nodded her head.

"Yeah, of course," Brianna said. Lucas reached into his pocket and pulled out Brianna's beanie and laid it down in front of her. Brianna was a little confused, but then it registered in her brain. She left that in Peyton's car the night Nathan drove her home. She didn't realize she didn't have it until the next day because she went to sleep immediately after Nathan dropped her off.

"You left that in Peyton's car," Lucas said. Without another word, he turned around and left the cafe. Brianna sighed as she picked up her hat and watched Lucas go. She couldn't run after him because she was still on the clock, but she had no idea how he found out that she was in Peyton's car with Nathan that night.

"Shit."

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dun, dun, dun. bree messed up.

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xoxo.