Hard Times

5

It wasn't long before they reached the cafe and headed inside.

"Hey!" Nathan said as he hugged Stacie.

Stacie smiled softly. "Hi, thank god it's the weekend." She said as she moved to hug Haley and then Lucas.

"Yeah. But we are one week closer to SAT's." Lucas groaned dramatically.

Laughing softly, Stacie sat down beside Peyton. "I'm guessing you're not ready then?" She asked. Stacie had straight A's in all of her classes and never seemed to struggle with any of her classes or exams.

"Not in the slightest. Not even with Haley's help." Lucas said, shaking his head.

"Well, I could try and help you." Stacie said with a shrug, leaning forward and stealing a piece of bacon off of Nathan's plate.

Nathan ignored the thievery and continued to eat his meal in silence.

"Are you trying to steal my job?" Haley said, with a teasing smile.

Grinning, Stacie leaned forward again and stole a sausage from Haley's plate. "What if I am?"

"Hey, stop stealing food and get your own." Haley said. "And Lucas is mine, find your own person to tutor."

Pouting, Stacie leans back in her seat. "But he's just so handsome, Haley, I can't help it." She said teasingly.

"Back off." Brooke said, possessively, taking Lucas's hand, an air of jealousy surrounding her.

Stacie raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Brooke, he's not actually my type. I'm into more feminine blonde's than anything." She said, sending a flirty yet playful wink toward Peyton.

Peyton averted her eyes, her body going stiff. She swallowed and her cheeks turned a pale pink colour. "Let's change the subject." She said quickly.

Laughing softly, Stacie turned to face Aubrey who was staring at her with a raised eyebrow. "What?" The flirty brunette asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Stop flirting with everyone." Aubrey said, shaking her head.

"Jealous?" Stacie asked, leaning closer to the blonde.

"I don't get jealous." Aubrey said, looking down at the menu she now had in her hands.

Shaking her head, Stacie turned her attention to her own menu. Wondering if she should have even bothered agreeing to go out of the hotel room.

"Hi there, what can I get you?" One of the waitresses Lucas's mom had recently hired approached the table. Her name was Clarke. She was in Hayley and Stacie's math class. Her blonde hair was tied up at the back of her head and she wore an apron.

Stacie looked up and sighed. "Actually, I'm not hungry." She said, standing up and making her way toward the bathroom.

"What's up with her?" Nathan asked, frowning.

Aubrey didn't look up from her menu. "She probably just needed to use the bathroom."

"I'm going to check on her." Hayley said, getting to her feet and leaving the table. She entered the bathroom to hear soft crying coming from one of the stalls. "Stacie?" Hayley asked softly, approaching the stalls.

"I'm fine, just go back out to the table." Stacie called out, sniffling softly. "I just need a minute."

"No, you're crying." Hayley said stubbornly.

Stacie cleared her throat. "Hayley, please I just need a minute."

Hayley didn't move. "What's wrong?"