2003 ― Tree Hill, North Carolina

Peyton Sawyer was in her room lying in bed with Brooke and Brianna Davis. Peyton and Brianna were watching a horror movie while Brooke was knocked out. After Brianna closed up at the cafe, she had a text from Peyton saying that Brooke was sleeping at her house and Brianna was welcome to come if she wanted. At the time, Peyton hadn't known what Brooke did to Brianna, but Brianna explained when she got there.

The main female character in the movie screamed, which caused Brooke to jolt awake and look around at her surroundings. Brianna knew her sister didn't remember anything that happened last night, she had way too much to drink.

"So, what am I doing here?" Brooke asked.

"Brooke, that's two weekends in a row that you don't remember what happened the night before," Peyton said. Brooke sighed as she looked between Peyton and Brianna.

"Oh, please tell me I didn't make a fool of myself with Lucas." She said, and Peyton shook her head.

"Nope, that would be me," Peyton said.

"Wait, you two are totally hot for each other," Brooke said.

"Were... until about halfway through ripping each other's clothes off. I bailed." Peyton said. Brianna looked over at Peyton and raised an eyebrow. Lucas had told her it didn't work out with Peyton, but he didn't say what happened.

"Wait, why?" Brianna asked.

"Because he got all serious. He was talking about this intense commitment, or I don't know." Peyton said while shaking her head.

"And what's wrong with that?" Brianna asked. Before Peyton could respond, Brooke was speaking again.

"Uh, I don't want to live in a world where three fine and willing girls like ourselves can have such a lame Friday night. I have to change my karma." Brooke said, and Brianna cleared her throat.

"Yeah, that's not the only thing you have to change." She said. Brooke turned to her sister and searched her mind for what she did last night, and when she realized, her eyes widened.

"Bree, I...-" Brianna cut her off.

"...-Save it. I have to go. See you later, Peyton." Brianna said as she walked out of her bedroom. She was meeting Lucas and Haley at the record store. She was glad that Peyton got her sister home safely, but she wasn't in the mood to be around her.

Not after what she did.

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"Hello to my two favorite people in the world right now besides Peyton." Brianna greeted Haley and Lucas when she walked into the record store. Haley laughed as she turned to her friend.

"Are you still mad at Brooke?" She asked, and Brianna nodded her head.

"Yes. She hasn't apologized, but I guess that's also because I haven't given her much of a chance to... But it's because I know her, she's just going to make up a bunch of excuses, excessive alcohol being one of them." Brianna said. Lucas and Haley nodded their heads, and then they heard the bell ding as someone else walked in.

The three of them turned around to see Nathan Scott, with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his varsity jacket, and he was looking at Brianna. She turned back to Lucas and Haley. They had concerned expressions on their faces.

"You okay?" Lucas asked, and Brianna nodded her head.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She said. Lucas and Haley nodded and walked off to a different part of the store. When they walked away, Nathan slowly approached Brianna, and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I called Peyton... she said you were here," Nathan said. It surprised Brianna that Nathan would call Peyton and ask about her.

"Crap. Next time I should lie to her." Brianna said. Nathan sighed as he took a step closer.

"Look, I didn't know until Brooke read that note, okay? I didn't even know there was a note until later. Bree, I would never do that to you." Nathan said. That was the same thing he said last night, and Brianna sighed. She wanted to believe him, and part of her did believe him because she remembered his expression last night when Brooke was reading the note. He looked just as surprised as she did.

"Okay." Brianna siad.

"Great, so... we're cool?" Nathan asked, and Brianna laughed.

"Oh god, no." She said, and Nathan was confused as she laughed more.

"You believe me, right?" Nathan asked.

"I believe that you're sorry," Brianna responded.

"Well then, what...-" She cut him off.

"...-Look, this whole tutoring, hanging out, whatever it is thing. It's just a bad idea. I know I promised to get you to the end of the semester, but I can't. I can't do it anymore. I'm sorry, I'm just... I'm done." Brianna said as she turned and walked in the other direction, and she heard Nathan sigh.

But she didn't turn around.

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After Brooke and Peyton went shopping, Brooke made her way to the Scott household. She had an idea for how to get Brianna and Nathan back on track, but she knew she needed to apologize to both of them first. Nathan was lifting weights when Brooke walked up the driveway, and when he saw her, he sat up and sighed.

"What do you want, Brooke?" He asked.

"To apologize. For what I did to you... You and Brianna." Brooke said.

"You're apologizing?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, I know. Kinda weird, right? But I'm trying to appease the gods, so... I'm sorry." Brooke said.

"Whatever... it's really Brianna you owe the apology to. For drunken high school girls..." Nathan trailed off, and Brooke nodded her head.

"Okay, I totally had that coming. I want you to know that I'm going to fix it. I'll get you and my sister back on track." Brooke said, and Nathan scoffed.

"Not gonna happen. She made that pretty clear this morning." Nathan said as he shook his head.

"Leave it to me. What do you want to do on your date?" Brooke asked, and Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"What date?" He asked, and Brooke shook her head.

"Never mind. No time to waste. I'll call you later with the details."

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Later that day, Brianna was at work. Haley was in the back getting an order together while Brianna was bussing off the table of a couple that just left. She heard the bell go off as someone walked in, and she was praying that it wasn't Nathan. But, when Brianna looked up, she changed her mind, and she wished that it was Nathan, but instead.

It was Brooke.

"We're closed," Brianna said. Brooke raised an eyebrow and turned around to see the sign was flipped to open, and then she turned back to her sister and sighed.

"Oh, I get it. Closed to me. I don't blame you, Bree. I'd be a bitch to me too after last night." Brooke said, and Brianna sighed.

"What are you doing here, Brooke? I'm working if you couldn't tell." Brianna said.

"Bree, you're blaming Nathan for something that I did, and that's not fair. I was drunk, and I was pissed about Peyton and Lucas, and I found your note, and you know the rest... I want to make it up to you." Brooke said, and Brianna laughed. So that's why her own sister humiliated her in front of Nathan? Because she was pissed about Lucas and Peyton even though she was the one who told Peyton to kiss Lucas.

"Here's the thing, Brooke. I don't care that you were drunk, and I certainly don't care that you were pissed about Peyton and Lucas seeing that you were the one who dared Peyton to kiss Lucas. As soon as you saw my name on the note, you should've put it back and left it alone. I would've never done something like that to you. So you can go now, and I'll see you at home." Brianna said as she turned around to walk away.

"Actually, you're not coming home. I'm hooking you and Nathan up tonight. What's your idea of a perfect date?" Brooke asked.

"You walking out of that door and leaving me alone right now," Brianna said, and Brooke nodded her head.

"He'll be here at 7 after you get off. Have fun. I really am sorry, Bree, and I love you." Brooke said before she left the cafe, and Brianna sighed. She does love her sister more than anyone in the world, but what Brooke did last night hurt her feelings, and she couldn't believe that her own sister would do that to her just because she was mad at Peyton.

It was inexcusable.

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Haley, Brianna, and Keith were closing the cafe. Haley had already flipped the sign to closed, and when Brianna finished wiping down her last table, she looked up. "Okay, done." She said as she threw her rag to Haley, who was standing behind the counter with Keith. "Catch. I'm gonna head...-" She was cut off by a knock at the door. When she turned around, she saw Nathan. "...-Out."

Haley winked at her friend, and Brianna sighed as she walked outside of the cafe and crossed her arms over her chest. "Hey, Bree." He said.

"What are you doing here, Nathan?" She asked.

"Didn't Brooke tell you I was gonna come?" He asked.

"I try to block out 95% of what my sister says, so whatever the two of you are up to, I'm not in the mood for any more games, okay?" Brianna said, and Nathan shook his head.

"I'm not up to anything. Look, I apologized, and I told you the truth. The rest is Brooke. She set up this whole serial date thing. One card leads to the next." Nathan said as he held up the card in his hand. Brianna raised an eyebrow as she pointed to it.

"Well, what does the first one say?" She asked. Nathan opened the card and read it aloud.

"Step one, convince Brianna to go with you, and it might be hard because she's a little stubborn." Nathan read. Brianna rolled her eyes because now she knew Nathan was telling the truth. He wasn't playing a game, Brooke really did arrange this. "How am I doing so far?" He asked.

"I don't know... depends on what the second card says," Brianna said. Nathan laughed a little as he pulled the second card from the envelope.

"Go to 1423 River Street to find your next envelope. On the way, tell three things you like about each other." Nathan read. Brianna sighed as she shifted her weight.

"I don't know..." She said.

"Look, I'll go first. You're the most patient person that I know. You don't go postal on me during tutoring, and you don't treat me like I'm an idiot. I really appreciate that. Look, I know I have no right to ask, but we never do anything fun together, and plus, this is your sister, it's Brooke... You can bet this won't be boring." Nathan said. Brianna smiled at his words, she appreciated hearing that Nathan liked her patience, and it was easy not to treat him like he was an idiot because she knows he isn't one. Everyone learns at their own pace, and she knows what does and doesn't work for Nathan.

And he was also right about this not being boring because Brooke planned it.

"I'm free to bail whenever I want?" Brianna asked, and Nathan nodded his head.

"Absolutely. Whenever you want. Trust me?" Nathan asked. Brianna shrugged her shoulders as she thought about it. She had nothing else to do for the rest of the night. Her shift was over, and she still wasn't ready to be around Brooke. She would determine whether or not to forgive her depending on how this night goes.

"Okay, what the hell? What was that address again?"

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As Nathan and Brianna were walking down the sidewalk, she remembered that Nathan had only said one thing he liked about her. "You still have two more," Brianna said, and Nathan looked at her. "Things that you like about me." She said.

"I like how different you are. I know you hear all the time that it's unbelievable you're related to Brooke because you're polar opposites, but I like that. I like that you don't act like the stereotypical popular captain of the cheer team. You have a soft and nerdy side, which you never see on TV." Nathan said, and Brianna laughed a little, but she appreciated his words.

"And number three?" She asked.

"Your loyalty. To Lucas, Peyton, and all your friends. I know I'm not always wild about how it plays out, especially when it comes to Lucas, but it's cool." Nathan said, and Brianna laughed.

"Okay, uh... three things I like about you." Brianna trailed off as she thought about what she wanted to say.

"My good looks." Nathan teased as he laughed. Brianna rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling.

"I like the way you let me in, past all the bluster you give everybody else. And I like your smile when you solve a problem. To see that look in your eyes when you get it and you know that you got it. And... I guess you're not the worst person to look at." Brianna said as they came to a stop at the address on the card. "This is where we're going? Leave it to Brooke." Brianna mumbled as they stood outside of Brooke's favorite lingerie store that she has dragged her sister and Peyton to many times.

"Nice work, Brooke," Nathan said as he laughed. Brianna playfully rolled her eyes. Nathan held the door open for Brianna and let her walk in first. "We could find the envelope a lot faster if you helped." Nathan teased her.

"I'm going to kill my sister," Brianna said, and Nathan laughed.

"Well, okay, here it is," Nathan said as he pulled the next envelope out of a thong. He opened up the card and read aloud. "Congratulations. Now, buy each other a gift and exchange them on the way to... there's another address here." Nathan said as he showed Brianna the card. She laughed a little as she shook her head.

"This is so wrong." She said, which made Nathan laugh. What was she supposed to buy him at a lingerie shop? She had no idea what she could buy him that was not highly inappropriate. And what would he buy her?

"You don't want to do it?" Nathan asked.

"I didn't say that... come on."

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After the two spent about 20 minutes in the store, they met back up outside to exchange their gifts. After they walked outside, Nathan turned back into the store. "Did you see what that saleswoman was wearing?" He asked.

"More like not wearing," Brianna said, and they laughed. Brianna held her bag out to him. "Here. You go first." She said. Nathan nodded his head and took the bag from her, and he laughed a little when he pulled out a pair of socks.

"Socks?" He asked.

"I was playing it safe. I wasn't sure what to get." She said, and Nathan nodded his head before handing Brianna his bag. She was surprised to see a cream-colored negligee underneath the tissue paper, and when she pulled it out to examine it, she smiled.

"Oh my gosh, this is really cute. Thank you, Nathan." She said. Nathan nodded his head with a smile, and he looked at the card to see the next address, and there was the name of the restaurant on the card. Brianna was definitely going to forgive Brooke when she got home because she was having a great night.

"Okay, if we go to this next place and we hate it, we can just get some pizza. Sound good?" Nathan asked. Brianna smiled as she nodded her head because that sounded perfect.

"Let's do it."

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When the pair got to the restaurant, they were seated at an outside table. Brianna recognized the restaurant, she's been there with her siblings a few times. She was hoping the meal was paid for. Not that she would have any problem paying it. Their parents send them a significant allowance to make up for the fact that they've been neglected their entire lives.

But Brianna enjoyed food more when it was free.

"Here you go, miss... sir." The server said as he handed them menus. Nathan thanked him, and after he walked away, Brianna took the card that was waiting on the table for them.

"To be honest, I'm a little afraid," Nathan said. Brianna laughed before reading the card.

"Order your favorite dish for the other person."

"Any chance your favorite dish is... prime rib?" Nathan asked, and Brianna rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, we actually have a lot of that at my house." Brianna teased. Nathan rolled his eyes, and then they both laughed.

"I'm not very experienced with this, so uh...-" Brianna cut in.

"...-You don't have much experience in ordering food? I didn't think your parents did everything for you, Nathan." She teased, and Nathan laughed.

"No, I mean... With Peyton, you know, it was all just parties, games, sex, and drama. I never really did anything like this. This is different." Nathan said. Brianna couldn't tell if he meant different in a good or bad way.

"Different... good? Different... bad? Different... weird?" She asked, and Nathan quickly shook his head as he looked up from his menu and smiled.

"No, good." He said. Brianna smiled back at him, and when their server came back, Nathan ordered prime rib for Brianna, and she ordered mac and cheese for him. "I'm really glad you decided to come," Nathan said, and Brianna smiled.

"Me too."

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When their food came, Brianna and Nathan immediately dug in, and she had to admit, prime rib wasn't that bad. She could see why it was Nathan's favorite food. "I thought you'd be into lobster," Nathan said, and Brianna laughed while shrugging her shoulders.

"I am, but nothing beats mac and cheese. It's the food of the gods." Brianna said.

"Yeah, if the gods are five-year-olds." Nathan teased, and they laughed again. Then he held up the second envelope that came after they got their food. "Ready for this next one?" He asked, and Brianna nodded her head. She didn't know if Nathan was going to call this a date, but it certainly felt like one, and she was having a great time. She was hoping that they would be able to do this again, but next time it would be a date orchestrated by Nathan... not her sister.

"Bring it on," Brianna said.

"Reveal a secret that nobody else knows about you," Nathan said. Brianna was a bit taken aback by how loaded the question was. Now she was grateful Brooke wasn't here. She knew Brooke would try to pry secrets out of her she doesn't know.

"Okay. When I was in second grade, I stole some candy... actually, I think it might've been from you." Brianna said. Nathan rolled his eyes, but he still laughed.

"Bree, that's not a secret. Tell me something for real." He said. Brianna nodded as she took a deep breath and thought about the things she could tell him.

"I cheated on a geometry test last year." She said. Nathan's eyes widened. For as long as he's known Brianna, she has always been at the top of their class along with Haley. She always studied hard, always got good grades, turned in her homework on time, etc. Nathan was surprised to learn that she ever cheated.

"What? Brianna Davis cheated on a test? I didn't think you and Brooke were that alike." Nathan said, and Brianna laughed while shaking her head.

"Yeah. My parents were out of town... as usual. Brooke and Beckham came down with something, so I had to take care of them, and I didn't have much time to study in between." Brianna said, and Nathan nodded his head.

"Did you get caught?" He asked.

"Of course not. That was the point. I mean... but I knew what I had done, and it didn't sit right with me. I hated that I did it because I knew it wasn't right." She said, and Nathan nodded his head.

"So you started tutoring." He said, and Brianna nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I thought it would be like... penance or something, but it turned out that I really like it." She said, and Nathan smiled.

"And here I thought it was just your way of trying to get to me," Nathan said, and Brianna laughed while rolling her eyes.

"I think that's the other way around. You entered my domain." Brianna said, and Nathan shrugged as they smiled at each other. If someone would've told her a year ago that she would be on a date with Nathan Scott, she would've called them crazy, but here she was, on a date with Nathan Scott and actually enjoying herself. "Your turn... What's your secret?" She asked. Before Nathan could say anything, a group of basketball players from the team approached their table.

"What's up, Nathan? Hey Bree." He greeted them.

"Hey." Another player said.

"What's up, guys?" Nathan asked.

"What's this?" One player asked.

"Well, you guys know Bree, my tutor, right?" Nathan said. Brianna raised an eyebrow, and the guys looked at her and smiled.

"From cheerleader to cheerleader that tutors. Looks like a date to me." He said, and Nathan shook his head.

"No, dude. It's definitely not a date." Nathan said. As soon as the words left his mouth, Brianna stopped eating and scoffed. It was unbelievable. She is a cheerleader, and she's popular, but even still, Nathan's embarrassed to be seen with her because she's also a tutor. Even though she cheers for him and the guys at their table during games.

"Okay, if that's your story." One of the guys said, and then he turned to Brianna. "See you around, Bree." He said, and their group turned and walked away. Nathan turned back to Brianna, who had her arms crossed over her chest as she was sitting back in her seat.

"Hey, I'm sorry about that," Nathan said.

"Are you really that embarrassed to be seen with me? I'm just as popular as you, Nathan, I just don't bask in it." Brianna said, and Nathan quickly shook his head.

"No, Bree. He's just... he was gonna...-" She cut him off.

"...-Why are you only nice to me when we're alone?" She asked as she stood up from the table. Nathan didn't answer, and she shook her head. "You know, for a few hours there, I was actually starting to think that you weren't a son of a bitch, and you just... fooled me again. Since when were cheerleaders, not your type anymore, huh? When they double as tutors?" Brianna snapped before walking away from the table.

"No, Brianna, wait!" Nathan exclaimed. She didn't stop walking. She kept walking down the sidewalk until Nathan was out of sight.

Then she went home.

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The following day was Sunday. Brooke had asked Brianna about her date, and she told her that it was going well until Nathan blew it, and she told her what happened. Brooke sincerely apologized for exposing her note, and Brianna forgave her, and the two hugged it out. Then Brooke told Brianna that she and Peyton went to a party at Duke the night before, and some guy drugged Peyton's drink and almost assaulted her, but Brooke got her out of there before that happened, and she called Lucas.

Brianna asked why Brooke or Lucas didn't call her, and Brooke said she didn't want to bother her while she was out on her date. So that morning, Brianna went to Peyton's house to check on her and make sure that she was okay. As she was walking back home, she saw Nathan standing outside of her house and throwing rocks against the window. She figured that Nathan thought it was her window, but it wasn't. It was Brooke's.

"Are you trying to wake Brooke up? That's her room, and she's a bit of a grouch when you wake her up before she wakes up on her own." Brianna said. Nathan turned around at the sound of Brianna's voice. She started to walk past him to go inside her home.

"Wait! Brianna, look. I need to apologize, okay?" Nathan said. Brianna sighed as she turned around and looked at him.

"You should write them out in bulk if you're going to hand apologies out that often." She said as she shifted her weight onto one leg.

"Can we just... I don't know how to do this, alright? I'm not like you." He said.

"What the hell does that mean?" Brianna asked.

"I screw up a lot, alright? And being around you, I just... I don't want to be that guy anymore." Nathan said.

"Who do you want to be, Nathan?" She asked.

"I want to be someone who's good enough to be seen with you." He said. Brianna groaned, and she was frustrated because his answer was such a good one, but Brooke was right, she was stubborn, and she still wanted to be upset.

"Well, you should've thought of that last night. You know, I keep putting myself out there, and you keep blowing it. But, it's probably a good thing because, at this point, nothing you say or do is going to surprise me." Brianna said. As she was rambling, she didn't realize that Nathan had gotten closer to her until their lips were only mere inches apart. Nathan stopped her ramble by gently kissing her lips.

She was caught off guard at first, but she easily eased into it. She has been kissed before, so this wasn't her first one, but she was surprised. Peyton would describe Nathan's kisses with aggression and assertion, but this kiss didn't feel like that at all. Nathan's lips were soft, and his kiss was slow and gentle, like he was afraid Brianna would break.

"Except for that," Brianna whispered when they pulled back. "You shouldn't have done that, Nathan."

"I wanted to." He responded.

"Yeah..." Brianna trailed off as she grabbed his shirt and pulled him back into another kiss. Nathan immediately snaked his arms around her waist as Brianna moved her hands from his shirt to wrap around his shoulders. Their lips moved together in perfect sync, and Brianna melted into him. Even though she has been kissed before.

Nathan exceeded all expectations.

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my babies had their first kiss, yay.

don't forget to vote/comment. 

xoxo.