"So, Miss Davis. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

She tapped her finger on her pursed lips in false concentration. "Nope, not really," she smirked after a few moments.

The man sighed in exasperation from across the dark wood table. It reflected the entire room onto its surface with its perfectly waxed sheen. Some would say it was professional, but it made her want to throw up.

His head glistened in a thin layer of sweat as he contemplated what to do next. Truth was, he had tried everything. The entire school administration had tried everything. It was as if each punishment pulled the trigger for her next wild act.

"I don't know what to do with you anymore, Miss Davis," he mused aloud. "We've given you detention. We've detained you from vacations. We've had your mother and father come in for an intervention. Tell me, what should I do next?"

"Start by calling me Brooke," she stated with an overly plastic smile. "And I'm sorry Mr. Burns, but some girls are just impossible to be tamed."

She smirked again and tossed her hair over her shoulders. This was boring. She was bored. How many times were they going to bring her into this overly suffocating, overly organized room and give her the same damn lecture? This was the third time this month, and she was sick of it. Her parents were paying thousands per year for this boarding school, and there was nothing they could do about her behavior if they wanted to keep receiving that cold hard cash. End of story.

"I wish I could give you another detention, Miss Davis, I really do. But the school board doesn't think that it's doing anything to teach you a lesson."

She shrugged. "Maybe I don't need to be taught a 'lesson.' Maybe you guys have to learn to live a little."

"I'm sorry Miss. Davis. I like you, I really do. But your behavior has become unacceptable. You have been here th--…"

"Three times this month. Ten times this year, and, I quote, 'It's only November!' I know the statistics." She rolled her eyes.

"Exactly. And the school board has gone over your records. You are failing every class with the exception of Spanish. And that was because you were giving the teacher lapdances on the side."

She suppressed a laugh.

"So, what's the punishment this time?" she said, gaining her composure. She folded her hands neatly on the desk in front of her, trying to act as studious as possible.

"I'm sorry, but you will be going home as soon as possible."

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The air was crisp, just the way she liked it. From the looks of it, it could've been a summer day with how bright the sun shone, but once you got a feel of the air, you knew fall was here. Multicolored leaves flew through the air with each gust of wind, each finding its place on the lush green grounds. She pushed her sunglasses up onto her head and smiled to herself.

Truth was, she wasn't too upset. She couldn't leave for another day or so, so that just meant skipping class, drinking, and of course, lying behind the stables with CJ in their favorite spot. They'd make hot chocolate and spike it with rum and sit there for hours just kissing. Well, maybe more than just kissing, she thought to herself with a seductive smirk.

Yes, it would be a nice way to leave.

She walked across the campus toward the place she had called home since she was in seventh grade. Truthfully, she couldn't believe she had lasted until sophomore year. Her stunts last year alone were definitely enough to kick her out, but as her dad always said, the power of money is endless.

She walked into the common room and down the long hallway of seemingly identical rooms. Her room was toward the end, but she liked it like that. People could sneak in her window, she could sneak out of it, and none of the security guards who sat in the common room all night would ever hear.

"So, I heard the news," Chelsea said as Brooke entered the room.

"What news?" Brooke smiled sneakily.

"Oh shutup! The whole school knows! I can't believe they kicked you out! They never kick anyone out!"

"First time for everything," she responded nonchalantly as she sat down on her bed. She would definitely not miss that bed and the chiropractic bills it would probably cost her in the future.

"Are your parents pissed?" Chelsea pried.

"Haven't spoken to them," she shrugged.

"Are you pissed?"

She thought for a minute. "Na, not really. I'm gonna miss you though, Chel."

"I'm gonna miss you too!" Chelsea said, tears beginning to collect in her blue eyes. The emotion hitting her at once, she lunged forward and embraced Brooke.

Chelsea and Brooke had been friends since Brooke's first year at East Coast Prep. They had shared a dorm room that year and had been roommates ever since. For the most part, the two girls were extremely different. Chelsea was petit and lacked curves; Brooke was tall and curvaceous. Chelsea was smart; Brooke didn't give a shit about grades. But they shared one thing: their love of boys. Chelsea always covered for Brooke when she snuck out to see CJ by the stables, and Brooke covered for Chelsea when she would go fool around with the boy-of-the-week.

Chelsea had a way of always looking like a businesswoman. Even now, in her black peacoat and dark jeans, she looked as if she was going to the office for a meeting.

"How long do you have?" Chelsea inquired once she and Brooke broke from their hug.

"Not sure yet. They're gonna call my parents and let me know when they come get me. So basically, I'll be here until summer vacation," she teased.

Her parents had sent her here because they didn't have time for her. They lived their life by the "keep up appearances" rulebook, so rather than leave Brooke to fend for herself with nothing but a few maids and a few limitless credit cards, they sent her to the most expensive boarding school they could find. That, and the fact that at the ripe ol' age of twelve, Brooke was becoming quite the troublemaker, had landed her here.

How she wished she could see their faces when they received the call that she had not only gotten caught smoking a blunt in the headmasters' office past curfew, but that she had also been naked. With CJ. Oh, and he was naked too.

But since it was his first offense ever, they excused him with just a warning and a few detentions. Of course, they had blamed Brooke for corrupting him, but who the fuck cared? Corruption was an art she had mastered and no one seemed to mind the corruption she had imposed on them. Well, everyone except the administration of East Coast Prep.

"Okay, I have to go meet Chad for a little," Chelsea stated, opening her peacoat to reveal a mere leopard bra. Brooke laughed at the sight, although it was not unusual. She was a closet whore, bottom line. "If anyone asks…"

"You're at the gym, I know." Brooke smiled at her friend.

"Love you B."

"Love you C."

With that, Chelsea dashed out the door, blowing Brooke a kiss from the hallway.

Brooke reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She punched CJ's number in and waited for his answer.

"Hey," he answered in his deep voice. The voice that gave her chills.

Maybe there was one thing she'd miss about this place.

"I got kicked out," she said running a solitary hand through her chocolate locks.

"I heard. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she said, letting a raspy laugh out.

"Do you wanna talk?"

"Not really," she breathed.

"Do you wanna see me?"

"Per se," she said, a flirtatious smile playing on her face.

"Elaborate…" She could hear his smile on the other side of the line.

"I wanna fuck you, to be completely blunt." She smirked to herself.

"Stables?"

"Be there in five."

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She ran her hands over his shaved head. He looked like he belonged in the army with this haircut, but it suited him. His green eyes shone against his olive skin. They were freckled with golden flakes.

"This sucks," he breathed as they sat with their backs against the beat up red barn.

"Whatever," she replied. She took a sip of her hot chocolate thermos, courtesy of CJ. The warm liquid coated her throat and she tasted the tint of rum in it. She leaned her head onto his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"We'll see each other, right?" he asked suddenly.

"Maybe. You can come visit whenever, you know that."

"I'll try," he promised.

"I'll try to visit you, too. During vacations, and stuff. Or maybe I'll sneak onto campus," she giggled.

Her cell phone vibrated softly in her pocket. She pulled it out and sat up.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Brooke, you're leaving now. Your brother's here to pick you up," Chelsea's voice squeaked.

"What?" she said, her jaw dropping.

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"Nathan," Brooke breathed. She was out of breath from running from the stables to her dorm room.

"Hi Brookie," he smiled and embraced her in one of his signature bear hugs.

"I can't believe you're here!" she said, smiling against his chest.

Chelsea faked a cough in the background.

"Nathan, this is my roommate, Chelsea," she said introducing the two.

"Nice to meet you," Chelsea smiled.

"You too," Nathan replied. He turned his attention back to Brooke. "I've been here for like, an hour. So I packed your clothing into bags we can take home now, and the rest is gonna get shipped home. I'm gonna go get the car and pull it up closer so we can load everything in easily. I missed you, lil' sister," he said, hugging her once again.

"I missed you too, Natie."

Once he was out of sight, Brooke began gathering other little things together to put into her purse. Lipgloss. Mascara. A picture of her and CJ. A picture of her and Chelsea.

"Hey, Brooke. Why didn't you mention you had a brother?" Chelsea asked innocently.

Brooke shrugged. "It never came up."

She threw a few more things into her bag. Chelsea watched her sadly as she folded up her blanket and piled pillows atop of them.

"Well," she said once everything was in its place. "I guess this is goodbye."

She watched as a single tear ran down Chelsea's cheek.

"Don't do it. Don't cry. I don't want to cry, Chel," Brooke pleaded, now wiping at her own tearing eye.

The two hugged for a few moments.

"Hoes over bros?" Brooke said, as she pulled away from the hug.

"Chicks over dicks," Chelsea said. They hugged once again.

"I need to go say bye to CJ. I love you Chel. December break starts soon. You'll come stay with me for a little while."

"Definitely," Chelsea said, nodding rapidly. She wiped a few more tears away.

Brooke rolled out a small piece of luggage. As she reached the doorway, she turned around. "Love you Chel."

"Love you too," she squeaked.

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CJ sat on a bench at the edge of the campus. His head was bent, and Brooke wasn't sure if he could see her.

"Hey," she said, breaking him from his thoughts.

He stood up and placed a big hand on each of her cheeks. "I thought you left without saying goodbye."

"Never."

He kissed her softly, as if it was the first time they were kissing.

She pulled back. "I gotta go, Ceej. Call me."

And with that, Brooke Davis was gone.

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"I can't believe they made you come get me so soon," she said from the passenger seat.

"They're pissed, Brookie."

"Understandable. But this was inevitable. I can't stay in one place for that long, you know that. They know that too!"

"You need to get your act together," he said sternly.

"Blah-blah-blah," she mocked. "Enough about me. Tell me about you!"

"What do you wanna know?"

"How's basketball?"

"Great, besides this jackass who's trying to steal my position on the team."

"Do I know him?" she smirked.

"Do you know him as in have you slept with him on one of your trips home? Probably not."

She giggled. Although she liked CJ, that didn't mean she was a changed person. She still had needs. And these needs happened to be fulfilled on random weekends home with random boys. As she told Mr. Burns, some girls are just impossible to be tamed.

"How's he trying to steal your spot?"

"Well, he never played basketball… until this year. Now, he gets bumped up to varsity with me, and we're both the best players on the team. Of course, I'm better. But Whitey favors him because… well, I don't know! He's a sneaky fuck who's a jackass to everyone except Whitey. He must be blowing him or something on the side," Nathan mused, a smile playing on his face.

He ran his hands through his dark hair.

"What's his name?"

"Lucas Scott."

"Don't worry. You'll always be the best player on the team."

"I have no choice but to be the best unless I want my ass beaten by dad and I don't want to get into Duke."

She rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure how Nathan was holding up under the conditions. Their father was psychotic about appearances and basketball, and their mother was a closet alcoholic. In public, they were picture perfection. But Brooke wasn't sure how long she could stand the behind-closed-doors version of her family.

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The grass was still the same green she remembered. The door was still red, sticking out like a sore thumb against the otherwise white house. The only difference was a dark green dumpster outside.

"What's that for?" she asked as they stepped out of the car.

"They're redoing the kitchen."

"Didn't we just get it redone last year?"

"Yup. Anything to spend money," Nathan said with a roll of his eyes.

They walked toward the red door, each holding a piece of overstuffed luggage. Nathan dropped one bag to unlock the door.

"Where are mom and dad?" she said looking around at the completely vacant house.

"Mom's gonna be gone for two weeks… The newest charity program. Dad'll be home in a few days. Some business thing. AKA, he took Jenny, his secretary, to the beach house, for a little vacation," he said in disgust.

They made their way up the winding stairs towards her room. They dropped the bags onto the floor sloppily. Nothing about the room had changed. It was still plain and did not reflect her at all. Not that she was home to ever make the room more… her.

"Give me your keys, Nate?" she asked.

"Why?"

"I'm going out for a little."

He tossed her the keys and she planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, you're the best."

She walked down the hallway and down the stairs hurriedly. She didn't know where she was going, but she was already feeling suffocated by the town. Maybe she'd grab some ice cream. Or a strong drink.

Yeah, a strong drink was definitely what she needed right now.

She got into the car and headed in the direction of a bar she knew on the outskirts of Tree Hill. It was the only place she knew she'd never see any of her future peers. A twenty minute drive, and she could be away from the people she was dreading meeting.

She knew people in Tree Hill talked about her. The few times she was a home a year, she was out with her friend, Rachel Gatina, drinking, smoking and having sex with the first cute guy she saw. She knew girls resented her for sleeping with their crushes and their boyfriends. She knew boys questioned Nathan about when the next time his sister would be home. She knew Nathan had punched a handful of guys due to them making comments about his, "smoking hot sister" who they'd like to "fuck her until she couldn't remember her own name."

A small town like this needed someone to be infatuated with. The drama within itself doesn't always sustain the people. They itch to know more, and Brooke was their more.

She arrived at the bar easily, hitting no traffic. The sun hung sadly in the sky leaving a purply gray sky. It had been a long ride home from school, and she was wiped out. But she needed a drink desperately.

She walked into the hazy bar. "Vodka on the rocks," she requested from the older bartender.

He handed her a glass and she quickly drained it. "One more," she asked. Within moments, her glass was refilled. And within moments, it was empty again.

She spotted a guy who looked her age down the bar. So, being Brooke Davis, she found herself slipping into the seat next to him. He had messy blonde hair and toned arms that peeked out from his plain white t-shirt.

"Don't you love bars at this time?" she mused, hoping he'd join in to her conversation.

"No," he answered bluntly, keeping his eyes focused on the drink in his hand. He sloshed around its contents mindlessly.

"I do. No one's ever at a bar this time, unless they need to get drunk in order to forget something terrible."

He looked at her, finally revealing his piercing blue eyes. "What's your tragedy?" he sneered. The brunette was beautiful from what he could tell in the dark atmosphere.

She stared at him for a moment. "Do you play pool?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, why?"

"Let's play," she said before standing up and walking toward the back. He had been here before. He knew perfectly well that there were two pool tables and a dart board set up in the back. But he had never actually played here.

He contemplated for a moment before getting up and following her. Something about her intrigued him, but he couldn't place what it was.

"What do I get if I win?" he asked once she had racked the balls. Although he tried to resist staring, the way her body looked as she leaned over the edge of the table to set up the triangle was mesmerizing.

"I'll tell you my name," she smirked. "What do I get?"

"Don't get your hopes up."

"Ah, a determined one. I like it. I'll break."

She hit the solid white ball into the perfect array of multicolored. Immediately, three striped balls found their ways into three different pockets.

His face was shocked, to say the least. Maybe it was because he had become accustomed to cookie-cutter girls who were all identical to each other with their forced stupidity and blonde hair. Or maybe it was because he had underestimated the mysterious brunette.

"As I was saying, what do I get if I win?"