Confessions of a Shopaholic

Haley waited outside for Dean. She sat on the step and studied her nails. Shopping would get her mind off of things. If there's one thing that Serena taught her, it was that shopping cured everything wrong in life... at least for a little while.

The Impala rumbled to a stop in front of the apartment building, Master Of Puppets blasting from the inside. It only got louder as Dean leaned over to push open the passenger's side door. "Come on, blondie," he yelled with a wide grin. "Let's go raise a little hell."

Haley nodded and got in. She stared out the window as she buckled her seat belt. "I take it you've never been shopping on Fifth Avenue."

"Nope," he admitted freely. "Does it show?"

Haley laughed slightly, "Only a little. I usually hate shopping on Fifth Avenue but in this case, I'll make an exception. Besides," She grinned mischievously. "You have to look good for Miss Hastings."

"Well, thanks for making an exception for little ol' me," he laughed. "So what do I need to know? About shopping on Fifth Avenue and about looking good for the sexy teacher?"

Haley thought for a second, "The more ridiculous it looks, the more it costs." She laughed and shook her head.

"Chuck must shop there a lot."

Haley nodded. "Lucky for you, I've got taste. I can't imagine what he would try to put you in." She shook her head. "Where are the fashion police when you need them."

"Can we stick to manly colors, please," he said with a touch of a whine in his tone. "I really don't think I'll ever get his fascination with the color purple..."

Haley looked at him, "I promise that there will not be a stitch of clothing with the color purple. But you do have to trust me, I do a lot of crazy things with color. But I promise you it'll look good."

"I will keep my bitching to a minimum." He looked around for a place to park. "So," he coughed and ignored the feeling of a blush on his cheeks, "what goes on at these dances?"

Haley took a deep breath and exhaled, "Drinking, a poor imitation of dancing." She shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know, I haven't been to many of them and the ones I have been to I've been too shitfaced to remember."

"Drinking and bad dancing? I'll be right at home," he laughed. "And I know I'm really not one to be saying anything but aren't you a little young to be getting shitfaced?"

"It was Serena's idea. I just went along with it." She shrugged, "I didn't even really like it. Thank God for Nate. He always covered it up. If Grandma found out, she'd never let me speak to Serena again. 'Ladies just don't do that sort of thing.'" She added, a touch of bitterness in her tone. "But it's okay for Nate and Chuck to act like complete asshats."

"This is where the 'I hate men' part comes in, isn't it? Should I hide?"

"I don't hate men." She assured him, "I just don't like double standards. Everyone should be treated equally because everyone was created equally." Haley shook her head, "Sorry, I'm getting all philosophical."

"Nah, I get it," he said with a nod. "Guys can get away with a lot of shit."

Haley sighed and looked out the window. "Alright, find a place to park and we can start the shopping trip. I do want to stop in J. Crew later. I need to pick up some stuff. Nothing major."

It took a few minutes to find a safe place to park his baby. Turning down the radio before he shut her off--didn't want to come back to bleeding ears--he stepped out of the car. "So are we starting at your J. Crew place?"

Haley shrugged, "Sure. That works for me." She crossed the street with ease and headed into her favorite store.

Following her inside, Dean couldn't help but feel a little ill at ease with the whole scenario. He didn't go shopping, let alone shopping in places like this. "So... Other than partying and shopping, what's a girl such as yourself do for fun around here?" He fell in-step beside her with a grin.

Haley shrugged as she picked up a few dresses off the rack, "I read a lot. I mean, I don't really have a lot of free time. Usually, I'm busy with student council stuff. I'm the president of the student body." Haley walked through the store and picked up a few pairs of shoes as well.