Title: Human

Author: Allie aka LittleRedDevil

Author's Notes: Hey! Fancy meeting you here. Okay so. I've reviewed a bunch of OTH stories but I've never actually written my own. Well I have about 30 of them started and stored on my computer but they're either nowhere near finished or I'm too embarrassed to post them. This takes place in Season 4, right before prom. How it was actually handled in the next episode (Prom Night at Hater High) really pissed me off so once Peyton punches Brooke it's going to be all different.

The title comes from the uh-mazing song Human by Christina Perri. If you don't know it, you should really get on that!

I really hope you like it. So on with the show! Enjoy and please read and review

As Nathan and me run into the house, I can feel my hair dripping onto the floor. Only seconds before we were carefree and for lack of a better word, playing in the sprinklers. We're 18 years old and we still play. If it made us laugh what's the harm, right?

What's in front of us is no laughing matter. I see a ton of kids in the huge living room of the Scott house. Some are groaning, some are snickering. Most of them are just staring straight ahead at the big-screened TV, mouths partially open.

What is the big deal? I wonder silently to myself. Slowly I turn to face the TV and a wave of nausea washes over me.

It's Nathan. And me. Together. In the biblical sense. It doesn't look like we missed a lot of the tape and yet I'm already flat on my back, shirtless and braless. Well, nobody said Brooke Davis doesn't move quickly. Actually my reputation is for quite the opposite. I'm just in my mini skirt at this point. If I'm lucky I wore underwear that night, but I guess it doesn't really matter in the end. The result is the same. Nathan is above me, his body in-between my legs, shirtless, with my hand on his back.

I turn my head away from the TV and immediately find Nathan's eyes. He looks just as I imagine I do; a mix of horror and guilt with a ton of shame. His eyes slowly meet mine and judging by the look in his eyes he understands the magnitude of this just as quickly as I do. He breaks the gaze and looks down, already preparing to start apologizing to Haley.

This tape affects everyone that I love. Nathan, Haley, Peyton and Lucas. Even though they have hurt me so much, Peyton and Lucas, I know that this is going to cut into them in ways I probably don't even understand.

I slowly start to come out of my bubble and I can start to hear the girls whispering around me, calling me a whore and a slut and one person even whispers, "Wow two for two, I wonder which one is better." Worse still, I hear myself laughing and giggling on the TV. Someone does a fake cough that sounds a lot like "whore." I nod to myself. Yep. That's me.

I can't bring myself to meet anyone's eyes but the strangers in the room that think they have the right to judge me. A few guys start to whistle at this point and I force myself to glance at the TV again. I am completely naked now, sitting straight up, with Nathan kneeling in-between my legs and his dick in my mouth. But hey, at least my vagina is covered for the moment. Tape Brooke pauses, winks at the camera and runs her tongue all over her lips. I cringe. I can't believe that's me.

One particular asshole yells out, "way to go, Nathan!" I want to kick whoever that is right in the balls. Out of the corner of my eyes I see Nathan gaze up and have a look of murder on his face. But even he is too devastated to say anything back.

Haley, the smartest person I know, must have realized that this was way before her and Nathan even met, so she can't be THAT mad right? I bring my eyes up to meet hers and she just stares back at me.

Wait.

Is that a small smile she's offering me? I keep her gaze and she opens her mouth to silently say the words 'It's okay.' Her eyes appear a bit colder than I would have liked but at least she said those words.

Phew. Well, that's one person on my side. I breathe in a huge sigh of relief; at least I have my Tutor Wife.

Apparently my eyes being locked with Haley's, I fail to notice a certain curly haired blonde sailing towards me with her fist out and ready.

I feel the impact though and I fall to the floor, everything around me going black.

"Brooke? Brooke?" I feel something cold against my face and I start to come back to Earth. Slowly I open an eye to see the concerned face of Haley James Scott staring back at me.

"Are you okay? She hit you pretty hard," Haley comments.

I try to move around but it hurts. I wince in pain and automatically bring my hand up to my face.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you," Haley advises.

I heed her advice and try to lower my gaze, still unsure if she meant what she said before.

"I know it was before I met him," she starts. "And I get why you didn't tell me. I bet it wouldn't have been the easiest conversation." She laughs a nervous laugh.

I make sure my eyes, well; I make sure my eye shows my gratefulness. "Thank you," I say honestly.

She nods, still holding whatever it was up to my face. "Judging by your eye it may take Peyton a little longer to accept it."

I can't help but smile, feeling slightly better. At least one person doesn't think I'm the class whore. Or if she does at least she's still being nice to me.

"Haley," I begin.

"Uh oh. Must be serious if you're calling me Haley," she teases. But then she meets my eye and she sees that it is serious. "Sorry, go on."

"Why is it that I try and I try and yet no matter what I do I'm still nothing but a slut?"

Haley is quiet for a minute, probably trying to figure out how not to hurt my feelings. That's Haley for you. I have sex with her husband, record it, the whole senior class sees it and she's trying not to hurt MY feelings.

"You've come a long way this year, Brooke. And I'm proud of you. But sometimes things from the past just come back to bite you in the ass. That tape shows who you WERE. Not who you are. That's why I'm not holding a grudge."

Apparently Haley doesn't know about me sleeping with our English teacher. Or the test. "I don't think I'm the person you think I am," I whisper.

"Well, Tigger. I'm pretty sure we have no secrets now. Nice tattoo by the way."

I blush slightly, knowing I have at least two. "I slept with Mr. Chavez," I mutter.

Haley's face falls. "Mr. Chavez as in our English teacher?"

I nod, my eye not meeting hers.

"Oh, Brooke," she says softly. "Just once right?"

My silence tells her the answer. "At first we didn't know. But then when he saw me in his class we still kept doing it," I admit.

She looks at me sadly. She has a look of almost pity on her face. "Are you still…." she trails off.

"Definitely not. He's an asshole." I'm quiet for a minute and then I say, "If you want you can change your earlier statement. I know I just keep disappointing you. I'm sorry, Haley."

As I sit there I realize how pathetic I must look. Wet dripping hair. A black eye. Tear stains on my cheeks. The classic look of epic humiliation all over my face. And the girl whose husband I fucked on video camera, holding something to my swollen and bruised face, with a huge gaze of pity in her eyes.

The only thing I have going for me is that they weren't married at the time. Although, how Brooke Davis of me would that have been? I can just about guarantee nobody would have been surprised if that had been the case. Luckily, it's not. I need Haley right now, more than I've ever needed anyone. The next few days are going to be hell for me.

Haley sighs. "You're not disappointing me, Brooke. You've just made some bad decisions. Should you have recorded you and Nathan? That would be a no. Should you have kept sleeping with your English teacher after you found out he was your teacher? Probably not. Should you be friends with that red headed bimbo? Unless you wanna catch AIDS, definitely not…"

A hint of a smile crosses my face. There was a rumor going around that Haley punched the shit out of Rachel tonight. But then I think about what Rachel said she did for me and I feel like a terrible person again. "She's not that bad, Hales."

Haley's eyes flash. "She almost punched me. Your friend," she spit that word out, "almost hit a pregnant girl. Skills had to step in."

Ah. Well. Rachel left that part out. I stay quiet trying to think of something, anything I can say. I can't afford to piss her off right now. Even though I have one more secret that she doesn't know about. A secret that might take her away from me forever. I inwardly shake my head.

No.

I can't tell her right now.

Soon, I tell myself. You'll tell her soon.

Haley removes the impromptu icepack from my face and winces. "Who knew Peyton had such a good punch?"

"Shoulda known. It's always the skinny emo ones."

"Can you help me up? I'm such a whale I don't think I can do it by myself."

"Sure." Not able to see out of one eye I gain my feet slowly and then do my best to lean down to where Haley's sitting.

"Yeah um. I'm about six inches to your left. Maybe we should go to a doctor." Haley sounds worried.

"Relax Tutor Mom. I'll be fine." I find her and barely manage to hoist her up. We leave the bathroom together, her hand squeezing mine.

For a minute I feel okay. I feel like everything will be fine.

But as soon as we get to the stairs I quickly realize how wrong I was.

Well there you go! I hope you enjoyed it. Chapter 2 is being worked on now and should hopefully be up relatively soon. Please review!

-Allie