Title: Double Tree Hill Hotel
Author: Sweet Sarcasm
Rating: PG-13 for language and adult situations
Author's Note: I really am a horrible person. This chapter is way overdue and I don't think it met my expectations. So from now on, just don't pay attention to whatever promises or deals I make. Apparently, I can't live up to them. :(
But some good news is that I'm slowly overcoming my writer's block and Christmas break just started for me, so hopefully I'll be able to crank out another chapter before it ends. Whichever comes first. For all of you Bachelor readers, I'm starting to pick up interest again and hopefully my beta and I will be able to define the plot better. If that made any sense. And it's been forever since I've updated that story, so hopefully I'll be able to keep my promise on that story and update this month. Hopefully. Once again, pay no attention to me.
Before we go on to the story, I just want to thank my lovely beta, Marie P. I love you, girl:) And for some shameless promoting, if you want to read a semi-fluffy-AU-Christmas-Naley-one-shot, then just go onto my page and read Sitting on Santa's Lap. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own any lyrics, quotes, movie references (I hope someone can pick it up!), torture ideas, characters, places, or canon plotlines that you see here. Just because everything is different doesn't mean that everything has changed.
-Irene Peter
The next day, Brooke and Haley met up with Jake in the lobby. He already had their coffees ready for them. "Hey," he greeted them, handing them their drinks. He noticed that Haley didn't greet him with her usual smile. "What's wrong?"
Haley just made an inaudible sound and pushed past to get to the employee lounge. Jake turned to Brooke. "What's up with her?"
Brooke shrugged, taking a sip of her chocolate cappuccino. "I have no idea. She's been in such a bad mood lately. She went straight to bed last night without saying anything to me, and today she hardly acknowledged me." Jake mouthed the word 'acknowledged' incredulously, and received a light slap. "Shut up. I'll have you know that I did pretty well on my verbal last year."
Jake rolled his eyes. "Sure you did." Brooke made a face at him and together, they walked to the lounge. "You don't think she's pissed off because of yesterday, do you?"
Brooke rolled her eyes as they walked down the narrow hallway. "Of course she's mad because of yesterday, dumbass. Didn't you know that she and this Nathan guy go way back?"
Jake blinked as he pushed the door open for himself and Brooke. Realization finally settled in moments later. "Oh! You mean…"
He was cut off by Brooke's warning glare and her frantic gesture to the lounge. Luckily, Haley had already signed in and left her stuff in her locker, but Brooke didn't want to take any chances. "Exactly," she replied in a low voice.
"When you say they go 'way back', do you mean they…?" Jake grimaced.
"Ew, no!" Brooke shuddered. "At least I don't think so. They were like, childhood friends or something like that."
"Do you think she likes him?"
Brooke made a face. "Tutor Girl and Cocky Jackass? Uh, no. They are so not compatible. Hales deserves way better." She spun the combination lock to crack it open and threw her purse and jacket inside. "I mean, did you see how he treated her yesterday? I don't even know why she was sitting with him. And his friends didn't make it any better. God, I'd love to rip out Raggedy Ann's hair out and shove it in her mouth."
Jake rolled his eyes. "But she seemed to be enjoying his company before we came. He's probably one of those people who acts one way with one person and then does a 180 with other people."
Brooke snorted, disbelief flickering in her brown eyes. "Oh, yes, Dr. Phil, the boy who has everything he wants is actually an insecure person who seeks attention but through the wrong ways." She shook her head. "That's exactly the type of person that he is." Jake just sighed, knowing that he couldn't change her opinion of the young hotel heir. "Now let's go before Macready goes looking for us, hatchet in hand. I just can't wait for what she has in store for us today." She clapped her hands sarcastically.
They found Haley folding clothes over by the gift shop. "Hey, Hales!" Brooke said cheerfully, bouncing over to stand in front of the table that she was using. "Are you still ignoring us?"
"Yup," Haley said, not looking up from her work.
"Aw, come on, Hales. What did we do to you?" Brooke said defensively. Jake gave a swift kick to her shin, but she was hardly bothered. "You can't ignore us forever, especially when we don't know what we're guilty of."
Haley sighed, finishing the last stack of T-shirts. "I'm sorry. It's just that I've been having a really bad day."
Happy that she was finally talking to them, Jake decided to enter the conversation. "I know what you mean. Jenny would not stop crying last night, and I ended up rocking her half the night. I finally went to bed around two o'clock." Haley and Brooke made sympathetic noises that were soon ruined by the arrival of Mrs. Macready.
"What are you three doing here?" she barked, making them jump a little. "I thought I made it clear yesterday what your duties are for the rest of the summer."
"I wasn't there to hear it," Haley interjected, placing the last shirt on the top of the pile. Macready glowered at her.
"Well, if you weren't late yesterday, then you would know," she snapped, giving her an evil glare. "Go ask Davis and Jagelski. And then at ten, I want to see all of you and Mr. Scott's friends in the lobby. Got it?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Brooke muttered, her eyes fixed to the carpet.
"Yes," Jake said quickly, not too fond of getting in trouble early in the morning.
"Good. You can start with breakfast," Macready ordered. "It's waiting in the kitchen." With that, she left the trio to terrorize the other employees.
"So, exactly what are our duties for the rest of the summer?" asked Haley, dreading the answer. She nodded at the cashier as they walked out of the gift shop.
"We're supposed to cater to the heir's and his guests' every need," spat out Brooke, scuffing the toe of her shoe. "It's bad enough that we have to see him every day, but we have to act as his personal slaves. God must really hate us."
Haley's heart skipped a few beats. "Wh-what?" She prayed that she had heard wrong.
"We have to cater to Nathan's every need," repeated Jake, running a hand through his curly hair. He noticed that Haley had turned slightly pale. "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine," squeaked Haley. She couldn't believe it. It was bad enough that she had to see him again, but to be with him 24-7. She would have sooner chosen to be Macready's long lost daughter with Michael Jackson as her father rather than serve Nathan or watch him make out with every pretty girl that fell for him.
She was so not jealous.
Brooke heaved a sigh as they walked into the kitchen. Five gleaming trays were waiting for them on the front table. "Please tell me we don't have to make two trips just to deliver them their breakfast in bed."
"Oh, no, we have to bring each meal one by one," Jake said sarcastically, getting a pitcher of orange juice from the huge refrigerator. "We'll use the carts, smart one." Brooke stuck her tongue out at him.
"Shut up. It's early," whined Brooke, placing each dish on the metal cart. "And I really don't enjoy serving these spoiled brats, no matter how nice some of them actually are."
"Yeah, I saw you and that Peyton girl 'bonding' yesterday," Jake said casually, adding napkins to their pile. Haley almost dropped the plates. "I'm surprised, actually. Who knew that someone actually shared your love for the Clippers?" He rolled his eyes.
"Okay, first of all, the Clippers are so going to kick ass next season, and Dallas is going to kill Phoenix," warned Brooke, waving a fork around. "I'm so confident that I'll even put down thirty dollars on the game."
"Make that forty and two babysitting jobs for Jenny and you got yourself a deal," grinned Jake, leaning over to shake her hand. Haley sighed.
"For God's sakes, it's only a stupid game!" she exclaimed, taking the fork away from Brooke. Jake and Brooke just gawked at her. "What? It is!"
"Tutor Girl, I don't know how you maintained a friendship with Jake and I all these years," Brooke sighed, patting Haley's auburn hair. Haley swatted her hand away.
"It's Jake and me," she grumbled, fixing her hair.
Jake checked his watch. "We should be going, their highnesses will be wondering where we are." Haley sighed while Brooke groaned. "Try not to kill them with your enthusiasm."
"Oh, I won't," Brooke replied, pushing the cart through the swinging doors. "That's why we have knives hidden underneath the napkins." Haley guffawed. "Oh, that's so feminine of you, Tutor Girl."
"Ha ha, love you, too, Tig," Haley said dryly, pushing the cart from the side. She pushed the up button for the golden elevator. "I can't believe we're worthy enough to use the elevator now."
Jake laughed sarcastically. "Either that, or we sunk so low that we can't use the stairs anymore." They reached the twenty-fourth floor with no interruptions, and started walking towards the treasured suites. Jake knocked on one of the doors. "Room service!"
"Finally!" a loud voice exclaimed from the other side. The door was thrown open to reveal Rachel, the redhead, clad only in a silky Victoria Secret's robe. "What took you so long?" she complained.
Brooke gave her a tight smile as she pushed past the bitchy girl. "We were doing an experiment on whether or not a person can really die without the hired help."
Rachel gave her a look. "Oh, look, the monkey can talk! That is so clever, but right now I just want to eat. So if you'll be so kind to give me my food, I would really appreciate it."
"Honey, I think you can afford to skip a few meals," Brooke told her, giving her the once over. "You'll never be able to fit into that size eight dress without shedding a few pounds." Rachel gasped, and her hunger disappeared as she prepared to pounce on the head cheerleader.
"Rachel, give it a rest," Peyton called from the living room. "Just shut up and eat your food." Rachel whirled on the curly-head girl and was about to tell her off it weren't for the rest of the group rushing past her to get to Brooke.
"Oh, you guys are my saviors," praised Tim, passing the plates to his friends. "This smells so good!"
"You guys hungry?" asked Lucas, pouring himself a glass of orange juice. He glanced up and was surprised to see Haley standing a few feet away from him. She just looked away.
"Actually…" Jake began, but was cut off by Brooke. "Ow! No, apparently we're good." He glared at Brooke, who just shot him a look.
"No, seriously, you guys should take some," Peyton told them. "This is so much, I don't think we'll be able to finish it."
"And this will probably be your last chance to eat something this expensive for free, so I'd take advantage of the opportunity while I had the chance," Nathan said, not even looking up, so he missed the looks of surprise and anger from everyone's faces besides Tim and Rachel's. "But if you guys touch the sausages, I'll kick your asses."
"Nathan!" Peyton said sharply. "Stop being such an ass!" Nathan just shrugged and brought his plate back to the living room where ESPN Classics was on. She turned to the other three. "Don't mind Nathan. He's not a morning person."
Jake couldn't take it anymore, so he reached for a plate. He was so hungry that he could forget about Nathan's snide little remark. Brooke slapped his hand. "Hey, don't try to stop me! I just had yogurt for breakfast."
Brooke sighed loudly and she too reached for a plate. "You hungry, Hales?" Haley shook her head, clearly upset from Nathan's little declaration.
"I'm fine," she said stiffly. Peyton smiled at her.
"Are you sure? These waffles are to die for," she said, motioning to the platter of blueberry waffles. "I'm Peyton, by the way."
Haley shook her head again. "No, I'm good." Peyton was a little taken aback by the girl's hostility, but she really couldn't blame her.
Haley bit her lip as she realized how mean she was being to the girl, even though she really hadn't done anything to her except be nice…well, actually, there was always that little nagging memory of her kissing her longtime crush about five years ago. Otherwise, she had no ground to be cold against the pretty blonde, even though her boyfriend was being an ass to Haley and her friends. "I'm Haley."
Lucas' head snapped up, now certain that he knew who this girl was. He glanced at Nathan, who was intently watching the game of '76. He wondered why his little brother didn't react to this introduction…
"Oh, by the way, our boss wants to see everyone except Nathan at ten in the lobby," Jake announced, his mouth still full of pancakes. The girls gave him a dirty look, and he swallowed.
"It better not be about my birthday," Nathan said, his eyes still glued to the screen. Tim snorted.
"Please, your mom probably ordered it…from rehab," he chortled. Nathan glared at him, and the other boy cringed. "Sorry."
Haley looked curiously at the dark-haired boy, even though she was still angry with him. It must be tough to have one of your parents in the hospital, and the other in rehab. She felt a tiny surge of sympathy for him. Tiny being the key word.
"You guys should sit down," Lucas said to them, gesturing to the sofas. "You don't have to stand." He gave Haley a curious look as she sat in-between Brooke and Jake. She looked away.
"Oh, this was a good game," remarked Jake, staring at the screen. "The Celtics kicked ass!"
The girls simultaneously sighed, knowing where this conversation would lead. "That's because Olajuwon screwed it up for Houston," countered Tim, stabbing his hash browns.
"No, Celtics would still have won. They were too good," disagreed Lucas.
"It wasn't the Rockets' game, that's all," Nathan put in, running a hand through his hair. Haley, who had been watching the small exchange, gulped.
"So, Haley, what type of music do you listen to?" Peyton said loudly, turning to the other girl. She rolled her eyes at the boys, making Haley smile.
"Oh, just about anything," Haley said softly, playing with the pillow. "Sheryl Crow is my idol, though." Peyton smiled politely.
"Yeah, she and Jake have this 'band' thing going on," chimed in Brooke, nibbling on a small piece of fruit. "Haley has such a beautiful voice; I'm so jealous."
Rachel looked up from Lucas' lap. "You're in a band?" she asked, directing her question to Jake. She smiled, clearly impressed. "What instrument?"
Lucas frowned, not really liking how his girlfriend was acting. But he was used to it; she always did this. Why he dated her, he wasn't quite sure. But he put up with her because she wouldn't let any other girl date him. It was wrong, but he really didn't mind because no other girl had really caught his eye.
"Guitar," Jake replied, turning a little red. All the girls thought that this made him very adorable. "But Hales can sing and play the guitar and piano. She's multi-talented."
Haley blushed. "Stop," she mumbled. "I'm not that great."
Brooke snorted. "Please. You're the next Kelly Clarkson."
"Oh, you have to sing for us sometime," Peyton told her, patting Haley on her knee. "I'd love to hear you."
"That would be great," agreed Lucas, grinning at her. Haley's suspicions that her identity was now revealed was proved to be correct. She groaned inwardly.
Nathan noticed that his older brother was getting friendly with this Haley girl, and he couldn't help but feel jealous. That surprised him; it wasn't as if he liked her or anything. She was, after all, only a servant. "Peyton, you want to go out for dinner tonight? They have a Johnny Rockets across the street."
Peyton sighed, and just shrugged. "Sure, why not?" Haley looked away and continued to fiddle with the pillow.
They continued to watch the game in silence, and Brooke rested her head on Jake's shoulder. After the first half finished, Jake checked his watch. "It's 9:45. We have to be in the lobby at ten."
Brooke stood up and stretched her arms. "Yeah, we should go."
Everyone else got up except for Nathan. "Have fun," he said dully.
Brooke turned to Haley. "Hales, you take the cart." Haley heaved a sigh.
"Fine," she said, exaggerating a little bit. Brooke grinned.
"You know I love you, Tutor Girl," she chirped, and looped her arm with Jake's. Peyton lagged behind.
"Do you need any help?" she offered.
"Oh, no, I got it," Haley replied. "Thanks, though."
"No problem." They walked together behind the rest of the group. "So, are you and Jake together?" Peyton suddenly asked her. Haley just stared at her before bursting in laughter.
"Oh, my God, me and Jake? No!" laughed Haley. "I mean, we did date back during our sophomore year, but it wasn't anything…you know, serious. We're just friends."
"Oh," said Peyton, frowning.
"Why do you ask?" asked Haley, still smiling at Peyton's assumption.
"Oh, no, I was just curious," Peyton said, turning a little pink. Haley raised an eyebrow.
"So, you and Nathan, huh?" she said nonchalantly. They turned a corner to find their friends waiting for the elevator.
Peyton shook her head viciously. "Oh, no. We're just…friends."
"Really?" Haley didn't look convinced.
"Well, we just broke up; there was nothing between us," shrugged Peyton. "I wasn't in love with him." Haley nodded.
"You guys are so slow," Tim told them, rolling his eyes once they finally caught up with the group.
"Whatever, Dim. The elevator's not even here yet," Peyton replied, sticking her tongue out at him.
A ding signified that the elevator had just reached their floor, and the teens let an elderly couple exit before entering. "So, you guys know each other long?" asked Lucas, his eyes resting on Haley. She turned away.
"Me and Hales," began Brooke, but she was cut off by Haley.
"It's Haley and I," she corrected, sighing. Brooke just rolled her eyes.
"Hales and I," she started again, "have been friends since Kindergarten."
"And you'd think that you would be able to tell the difference between 'Haley and I' and 'Me and Haley" by now," Haley muttered.
"You know that's too much for Brooke to comprehend," Jake chastised, grinning. Brooke just stuck her tongue out at him.
"How long have you known Brooke and Haley?" asked Peyton.
"Um…let's see, Haley and me fell in love during our sophomore year," teased Jake. Haley snorted.
"Like I could ever date a guy whose grammar is just as good as a monkey's," she grumbled. Everyone laughed.
"And then we broke up because her best friend had the hots for me." He winked. Brooke just groaned.
"Can we please forget that chapter of our lives?" she pleaded. "Looking back, it's like I was dating my brother."
"And here I am, thinking that incest wasn't a problem for you," muttered Rachel. Brooke whirled on her.
"I'm sorry, but can you speak up a little bit? All I can hear from you is 'blah blah blah, I'm a fugly fat bitch, blah blah blah," mimicked Brooke. Rachel's eyes narrowed.
"Okay, I'm tired of you and your shit. Why don't we just settle this once and for all?" challenged Rachel, her hands curling up into fists.
"Bring it on, bitch," replied Brooke, rolling up her sleeves.
"Take her top off!" cheered Tim. Everyone gave him a dirty look.
"Put some ice on it, Rachel," Peyton said dully. "Stop acting like you're the shit."
"Yeah, you may look like shit, but you're not 'the' shit," Brooke couldn't help but add.
Rachel turned to her boyfriend. "Lucas."
"What?" Lucas asked warily, afraid what she was going to ask of him.
"You're not going to let them treat me like this, are you?" complained Rachel.
Lucas' eyes darted back and forth, and he really didn't want to say anything. "I, um…"
"Oh, look, we're here!" Haley interrupted lamely. A bell signified their arrival. Lucas let out a long sigh.
"Where are we supposed to meet?" Haley asked Jake, not wanting to finish the quarrel.
"The lobby," he replied, nodding towards their sour boss, who was waiting for them over by one of the couches.
"For once, you three are actually on time," sniffed Macready when the teens approached her. "I'm shocked."
"So why don't you just keel over and die?" muttered Brooke. Peyton laughed, but was silenced by Macready's death stare.
"Anyway, I'm here to discuss Mr. Scott's birthday party," she continued. Lucas, Peyton, Tim, and Rachel all groaned.
"What's it going to be this year? A black and white party?" sighed Peyton.
"No, it's going to be Egyptian dancers this year," Tim said, his eyes lighting up.
"That was last year," Rachel pointed out. "I think that it'll be basketball themed. Again."
"As long as there are no clowns," begged Lucas. "Those things scare me."
"Actually, Mrs. Scott requested that young Mr. Scott's friends plan his party for him, seeing as she is indisposed at the moment," Macready said primly. "Her husband has given us a budget, and it is up to you to plan his son's eighteenth birthday bash next weekend. There will be many important executives present at this party, so please refrain from using anything distasteful. Here is a list of ideas that Mrs. Scott has come up with and you may use them if you wish. Oh, one more thing. This is a surprise party, so try not to reveal the party to Mr. Scott. Are we in agreement?"
"It seems that we have no choice," Brooke said coolly, taking the list from Macready.
"Don't screw this up, Davis," warned Macready. "This is very important, and I know many people. Do you catch my drift?"
"Crystal," replied Brooke, her chin thrust up to meet her superior's eyes.
"Good. Well, good luck and I hope to attend a grand event." Macready bustled out of the lobby.
"Do you know what would be fun to watch? Torturing Macready with the Chinese Water Torture till she cracks," Brooke said dreamily. Haley burst out laughing.
"What ideas does Deb have?" asked Peyton, peering over Brooke's shoulder.
"Basketball, Casino Night, Jungle, Arabian Nights, Moulin Rouge, Grease Lightning, High Society," Brooke read off. "Is it just me, or does some of this sound exactly like My Super Sweet Sixteen?"
"Uh, yeah. It's Deb's favorite show. After Pimp My Ride, of course," Tim said dreamily. "Man, Deb is hot."
"Okay, ew. That's your best friend's mom and my…half mother?" guessed Lucas. Haley, Brooke, and Jake just stared at him. He shrugged. "Yeah, my family's messed up."
"You're not the only one," Jake muttered.
Rachel groaned. "Okay, this is going to be the last party I plan for Nathan. I am tired of seeing all this money being thrown all over the place. And I'm rich, so this is really saying something."
Peyton sighed, and sunk down on one of the couches. Reluctantly, everyone followed suite. Haley wheeled the cart behind the couch. "You know what, let's just stick with the basketball idea. I mean, Nate loves basketball and it would be easy to do. No clowns, no strippers (Tim groaned and everyone ignored him), and everyone's happy. It'll be steps up from his twelfth birthday party. I think my dad knows some people who know some basketball players, and we'll invite them, too. And then we'll just put up pictures and play videos from all of Nathan's games."
Rachel considered this. "Sawyer, I think you've got something going here. We'll autograph a basketball and his jersey, have a 'halftime show' with the cheerleaders…it's perfect!" She turned to her boyfriend. "What do you think?"
Lucas nodded, a smile beginning to grow. "I think Nate would love it. And it's the perfect good-bye high school, hello college party."
Brooke leaned forward, rubbing her hands. "You know, this might be the party of the year. Or at least the summer. You really can't beat Patrick Hopper's end of school party, but whatever. So, what's Nathan's favorite team?"
"Well, it's definitely not the Lakers," snickered Tim. Lucas and Jake joined him while Brooke and Peyton threw them disgusted looks.
"Well, we were the Tree Hill Ravens," suggested Lucas after he calmed down. "Our colors were blue, black, and white. We can use that as our theme."
"Oh, so you're the Tree Hill Ravens," Jake said suddenly. "You guys killed us during the tournament." Lucas and Tim tried to hide their smug smiles.
"Yeah, well…we have a great coach," Lucas said lamely.
"And we're just naturally talented," Tim added. Everyone rolled his or her eyes.
"Yeah, and at least we had some pretty hot cheerleaders, right, Jake?" Brooke nudged her friend. He laughed, and swung an arm around her shoulder.
"Yeah, babe. And at least we beat Bear Creek at the Winter Classic," he tossed back.
"You guys beat Claire Young and her bitches?" asked Peyton, clearly impressed. "God, I hate that girl."
"She thinks she's all Bring it On," grumbled Rachel. Lucas gave his girlfriend a hug.
"Rach is upset because we couldn't go to the Classic for our last year," he told everyone. Rachel slapped him on the shoulder.
"No thanks to you guys," she muttered, casting Tim a dark glare. "It would have been my year."
"Last I checked, the shiny trophy was sitting in my room," Brooke told her smugly. Rachel looked like she wanted to slap Brooke. Which she probably would have done if it weren't for the fact that she would be sorely outnumbered.
"Okay, anyway, so it's a basketball theme," Haley interrupted, tired of procrastinating. "Any other remarkable details that we need to be aware about?"
"Dress code is formal, food has to be ridiculously skimpy and overpriced, decorations must be elegant, music is limited to a live band, and I can't think of any other forms of entertainment," recited Peyton.
"It'll just be another boring party," agreed Tim. He sunk lower on the couch, but immediately straightened up when something caught his eye. "Yo, Nate! Over here!"
Nathan approached the group, slightly relieved that they hadn't left him alone in the dull hotel. Lucas, Rachel, and Tim were all clumped on one couch while Peyton, Jake, Brooke, and…Haley, he actually remembered her name, were on the other couch. The only available seat was next to Haley, and still feeling slightly guilty because of yesterday, he sat down next to her. "Are you guys finished planning my party?" he asked dully.
"I guess it's pointless to deny any mention of your birthday party, then," Jake said ruefully. Nathan shrugged, his shoulder brushing Haley's. He felt her stiffen, and couldn't help but feel unwanted.
"You can tell me what the theme is this year," he replied, running a hand through his dark hair. "That's the only thing I don't know."
"Basketball," Lucas replied simply. "Try to act surprised next Saturday."
Nathan rolled his eyes. "I'll try."
"It's going to be the best party ever," proclaimed Rachel. "You're gonna love it, Nate." Nathan just nodded.
An awkward silence followed. Everyone cleared their throats or tapped their foot.
"So, what's next?" asked Tim, eagerly. Nathan shrugged.
"We can go and hit on some of the maids," he said half-heartedly, grinning at Tim and Lucas. Haley could feel herself grow warm with anger, and she urged Peyton and Brooke to scoot over so she wouldn't have to touch Nathan. He frowned at her.
"Does touching me really repulse you?" he whispered to her so only she could hear. Haley turned and looked up at him, and found herself staring up at two beautiful blue eyes. They were such a striking blue that it made her forget what she was going to say. All she knew was that she could stare into his eyes all day long…
Nathan instantly regretted speaking to her because the moment she focused her big brown eyes towards him, he knew he was drowning and no one would be able to help him. It was strange, because the girls he usually dated (or hooked up with) had beautiful, colorful eyes. But not once had he noticed gold specks in their eyes. There was something about the petite blonde that gave him a sense of nostalgia, but he couldn't figure out why.
Then she blinked, and he shook out of his trance. What was this girl, a witch?
"No," she whispered back stiffly. It took him a moment to realize that she was answering his original question, not his thoughts. She turned away, and he found himself transfixed with her. She certainly wasn't supermodel material, but she was definitely pretty. Wait, did I just call her pretty? Something was definitely off. Nathan Scott never called a girl pretty. Hot, yes. Sexy, even. But never pretty or beautiful or any of those sentimental crap his brother used on girls.
"You know you want me," he taunted back softly, resisting the urge to hold her close to him. What the hell was going on?
"In your dreams," she scoffed, turning back to him to give him an evil glare.
Lucas watched the exchange between his brother and his old friend. He had to bite his cheek in order to prevent laughter from escaping. He had always thought that Nathan and Haley had a thing for each other, even when they were younger and thought that the opposite sex had cooties. And being the helpless romantic that he was, he thought it was…nice that they still had feelings for each other. Even if they were too blind to see it.
"So, Haley, what college are you going to?" he asked aloud, trying to get everyone to talk to each other. Peyton and Brooke had been chatting about some stupid TV show, Rachel was texting one of her friends, and Tim had been spacing out. Again. And of course, Haley and Nathan were trying to ignore each other. Trying being the key word.
Sighing, Haley shot a warning look at her friends before responding. "I don't know. Probably Central Piedmont or something." Lucas, Nathan, Rachel, Tim, and Peyton all exchanged a look. Central Piedmont was a community college, a place where people at Tree Hill usually didn't end up.
Seeing this, Brooke quickly added, "It's a shame, too. Hales scored 1480 on the SATS. She got the highest score in our class."
Jake nodded. "It was the perfect score. People thought she stole the answers to the test or something." He laughed.
Tim gawked at her. "That's like, twice my score. I think." He screwed his eyes shut, trying to remember how to divide the numbers.
"Dude, you must be a genius or something," Peyton told Haley. "That's amazing." The curly blonde grinned, making Haley smile a little.
"Yup, that's our Tutor Girl," chirped Brooke, patting Haley's leg. Haley gave her a look.
Jake yawned. "Well, while this isn't fascinating, I have some business to attend to." Brooke and Haley looked up, confused, but after exchanging wordless messages, they just nodded.
"We'll see you at lunch, then?" Haley asked in her soft voice. For some odd reason, Nathan could feel his hairs on his arm stand, and he blinked.
Jake nodded, and got up. "I'll see you guys in a bit." He nodded at Nathan and his friends and left.
Lucas turned back to Haley. "So, let me guess, you probably had a 4.0 GPA, right?"
Haley turned red, which Nathan thought was utterly sexy. "Um…sure."
"Nah, wasn't it a 4.2?" Brooke said innocently. She was like a mother showing off her daughter.
Nathan's mouth dropped. The girl was seriously a genius. He had never met someone who could intimidate him so much…and he barely knew this girl. And he was Nathan Scott, for God's sakes. Nathan Scott was not someone who was easily intimidated. But then why was this girl making him feel like he was at least two inches tall?
"So I'm guessing that you didn't have much of a life, then," Nathan said breezily, trying to ignore the punch to his gut when he saw Haley's eyes filled with pain and humiliation. "Don't worry, you'll get your revenge in a few years." He smirked at her.
That did it. "You know, I just remembered that Daisy wanted me to help her with something. Um, I'll just see you guys later," mumbled Haley, pushing herself off the couch. She quickly walked out of the lobby, barely catching Peyton demanding Nathan what the hell his problem was.
Instead of heading to the employees lounge, Haley made a detour to the pool. She was relieved to find it empty. This was her safe haven, the place where no one would bother her. The smell of warm chlorine soothed her nerves, and right now, she just needed to think…about what a jackass her friend had become.
Obviously, the pool wasn't working its wonders today.
Haley chose her favorite chaise and lowered herself upon it, closing her eyes. She was alone for a few minutes before hearing the doors swing open. She bit her lip, hoping it wasn't Brooke. She didn't want to deal with Brooke's ranting at the moment. Not yet.
"You know, a few years ago I met this funny girl who loved books but didn't know how to swim," a voice said from behind her. Haley smiled, knowing what was coming next. "We went elevator racing the entire day, and almost got caught twice. I wonder what happened to her."
"Hey, Lucas," Haley said softly, tilting her head up to see him towering over her. "Sorry I've been ignoring you lately."
Lucas grinned, and sat down next to her. "Well, Haley James, I have to say, you grew up pretty nicely." Haley playfully punched him on the arm. "You're not so scrawny anymore."
"Shut up," Haley laughed. "You don't look too bad yourself, Lucas Scott." She leaned over to give him a hug.
"Sorry Nathan's treating you like crap right now," Lucas told her, frowning slightly. "I'd be lying if I said he was never like this, but usually he treats pretty girls like you like princesses."
Haley rolled her eyes. "I'm no princess. Just a maid." She sighed. Lucas nudged her slightly.
"Hey, don't say that," he said. "You're just as good as any girl that Nathan has ever liked." Haley's eyebrows furrowed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, frowning slightly. Lucas shrugged.
"It's pretty obvious that you still have feelings for him," he replied nonchalantly. Haley blushed, and he grinned.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Haley mumbled, looking straight across the pool.
"I'm sure," Lucas said dryly, rolling his eyes. "But do you know what the weird thing is? I don't think he even remembers who you are." He said this lightly, but Haley knew that he was somehow hinting at something.
"What's your point?" said Haley, fiddling with her plastic bracelet.
Lucas just stared at her. "Come on, Haley, you've known him since you guys were what, five? He used to talk about you for hours and annoy the hell out of me and our friends. I just think it's strange that he forgot who you are and that you won't remind him."
Haley sighed. "Come on, Lucas, that was years ago. It was a long time ago, and I really don't think it matters that he doesn't know who I am."
Lucas finally shrugged, giving up. "Whatever. I think you should tell him, though. For old time's sakes."
"It won't matter," Haley said, resigned. "It won't make a difference."
Lucas was quiet for a few moments. "You know, Nathan's been going through a tough time lately. His mom's in rehab again, and his dad…well, he's my dad, too, but we try not to acknowledge it…well, he just had a heart attack."
"So?" mumbled Haley. "Shit happens. You get over it." She frowned, surprised to hear the cruel words come out of her own mouth.
Lucas pretended not to hear. "The thing is, ever since we were old enough to hold a basketball, Dan, that's our dad, has ridden our asses about basketball. When we were nine, he would wake us up at six and take us jogging for two miles. It grew longer as we grew older. But it was especially hard for Nathan since he lived with Dan full time and I only stayed over on the weekends. We've never had a real relationship with Dan. It's always been about basketball. Nathan is always feeling pressured because he has to get into college ball and eventually turn pro. It got so bad during high school that Nathan almost got himself emancipated. Our grandparents intervened, but Nathan hasn't really been the same. He's done some hardcore partying and ended up in the hospital and jail tons of times. He acts like a jackass most of the time. And now that he's the heir to the hotel chain, he has to deal with that and school."
"Why are you telling me this, Lucas?" Haley asked wearily, not wanting to feel sorry for him. He didn't deserve her pity.
Lucas shrugged. "I don't know. I just don't want you to think that Nathan's a bad guy, because he really isn't. He's actually one of the nicest people you'll ever meet once he lets his guard down. You should have to give him a chance."
"There's no point in continuing our friendship," Haley sighed. "I mean, I haven't seen him in years! We were young. People change. And besides, it's only for this summer. After that, we'll all go our separate ways."
Lucas just stared at her, his blue eyes penetrating through her plain brown ones. Haley gulped, and looked down. "You know, the best times Nathan ever had were in this hotel," he told her. "He hasn't been here since his thirteenth birthday." Haley's head snapped up, and she just looked at him.
Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else
Gets me frustrated
Life's like this you
You fall and you crawl and you break and you take what you get
And you turning into
Honestly, you promised me
I'm never gonna find you fake it.
-Complicated, Avril Lavigne
Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this and happy holidays:)