So I had this chapter written on Friday but I was SO not satisfied with it… I started talking to my friend, Alexandra (my writing buddy :P ) and asked her to help me with it… she looked over it and then we went through a few drafts and it improved dramatically. So I hope it's good…

So a big thanks to Alexandra! And this is dedicated to my sister who just arrived today from the USA! I missed you!!

Thanks so much for the reviews guys! They were awesome! I loved to hear your theories. Some I haven't even thought of… they're all kinds of cool! Oh and honestly… I got two reviews requesting more present-time Naley… these kinds of reviews might seem very wasted but believe me that I was concentrating on the dreams so much that I totally forgot and starting with the next chapter I'll fulfill that request… see? Reviewing isn't a wasted effort. I actually listen :O . lol

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Fourteen

Lightning Crashes

The previous dream was merely that of Haley talking to her two best friends which further frustrated her. Lucas and Lindsey were just as much each other's best friends as they were hers and the fact that Lucas said something to the contrary made her so much more than just confused.

Haley looked towards the closed door and then back to him. "Mr. Scott," she said, "about tonight, I can't really-"

"Not here," Nathan whispered looking to the door. He seemed kind of mad at her for attempting to speak to him in school. She looked down. "It's okay. I can't either," he looked back to her. "So Haley, what are you doing on this Friday night?" he suddenly spoke casually.

"Brooke's dragging me to some party," she replied not adding the fact that they got invited through her, not Brooke.

Nathan laughed. "It will surely be an adventure. Have fun, just not too much fun." He winked at her.

She smiled. "Don't worry about me. Brooke will do enough of the partying for the both of us." She was sure of that.

"Go out, loser," Haley heard the second she answered her cell phone. "I'm outside."

"Out in a second," she replied and then hung up. She took one final look in the mirror and sighed. Brooke had called four hours ago and told her what she was not to wear and the options for what she should wear. Brooke had been musing about how great it was that they had gone shopping together the week before.

Haley was wearing light skinny jeans and a black cami that was showing too much cleavage for her liking. Her shoes complemented the outfit, a pair of black high heeled ankle boots.

She went down the stairs and towards the door.

"Hey sexy," Brooke called from her car, hip-hop music playing in the background.

Haley went into the car and Brooke drove off.

"This is amazing, I'm so excited. I swear that I'm in a partying mood."

"Aren't you always?" Haley turned towards her friend after looking at her house fading into the distance.

"But now even more. Seniors," Brooke shook her head still not believing where they were headed.

They drove in silence; Brooke from excitement and Haley because she really didn't have anything to say. It wasn't such a big deal. She didn't like to party anyway.

Brooke stopped the car when she saw an insane amount of cars parked in-front of a house. "This should be it," Brooke looked at the address on the note she had and then at the house number. "Yep," she grinned.

Haley turned towards the door and opened it.

"You better close that door, Haley James!"

Haley looked at Brooke confused. "Why?" But her friend just looked at her and Haley closed the door.

"Okay," Brooke turned towards a small bag she had in the little cabinet in-front of Haley and opened up the lights.

"What's that?" Haley looked at the little pouch.

"You, my dear friend, need to learn to accessorize." She pulled a pair of silver hoops and handed them to Haley who just stared at them. "Come on, Haley, I don't have all night."

Haley groaned and grabbed the earrings and put them on. "Okay, are we done?"

Brooke snorted. "Look at me," she instructed as she pulled an eye-liner pencil out of the pouch.

"I don't wear make-up, Brooke."

"Well, you're rolling with the big dogs now; you need to be as smoking as can be." Brooke held up the eye-liner. "So either you apply it or I do."

"Brooke, seriously. Didn't you say you were going to be grateful to me for life?"

"Only looking for your best interest, Hales." Brooke scooted closer to Haley who surrendered unwillingly. After Brooke applied the eye-liner and then the lip-gloss she pulled out, Haley was ready.

Brooke smiled. "You've never looked better. This is going to be amazing." Haley looked at the rear-view mirror. Brooke was right, she did look great. She definitely looked much older than her seventeen years. Hell, if she would be wearing something a little sluttier she would be ready for the club scene. But working so much on her appearance just seemed like too much effort for some party.

The two went out of the car and walked towards the house.

When they got to the door, Haley made a move to knock, to which Brooke grabbed her hand quickly and twisted the knob. With that, the door was open and the music grew even louder.

"Hell yes," Brooke whispered as they closed the door and entered further into the house.

There were around ten people in the living room which was located to the left of the entrance. The lights were closed, the only source of light coming from a staircase leading downstairs.

On the couch there were two guys chugging down some unknown liquor as the others around them cheered.

The music boomed from the downstairs basement playing Kanye West's Stronger."Look! Young people," some random senior called out tearing his eyes off of the two guys on the couch. "Grape juice in the kitchen."

"Because you finished the milk, right?" Brooke replied nearing the table in-front of the couch which was full of bottles of alcoholic beverages and filled two plastic cups with something she chose.

While Brooke was pouring the drinks, Haley noticed that these were not only seniors; they were the 'elite seniors'- only the in-crowed. The guys were incredibly good-looking and she remembered them from some random school sports event. They were possibly the guys from the wrestling team. Haley took another good look. Yes, they were. After realizing this, she felt even more out of place. She was not the person to be with the elite-seniors.

Haley felt a heavy hand go around her shoulders and looked up to her left. "You're hot. There's a bedroom upstairs, do you want to come with me?" the smell of alcohol from his breath made her sick to her stomach.

"Ignore him, he's drunk," Brooke handed Haley a drink and took her other hand and left the room, ignoring the guy's protests. "Note to us, the asses are up front." The two descended down the stairs.

"Brooke?" Haley handed her friend the drink in her hand.

"Come on! Stop being so straight-laced," she pushed the drink towards Haley.

"Who the hell is going to drive us back?" Haley looked at Brooke annoyed.

"Way to appoint yourself designated driver. Do you have your driver's license, Miss James?"

Haley nodded.

"Fine then, only the bare minimum of alcohol for you tonight."

"No alcohol for me tonight," she corrected.

Brooke shrugged and took down her drink in one gulp and then put Haley's cup inside her empty one and took it.

"Hey! Why don't you join us, ladies?"

Brooke turned around to what seemed like a second living-room and smiled. "Would love to," she grabbed Haley's hand and went to sit next to the irresistibly dark-haired good-looking the guy.

"I'm Brooke and this is my friend, Haley."

He smirked. "The Juniors."

"The smokin' Juniors," someone called out. "Chris Keller sure knows how to choose them."

"You two drink?"

"I do. Haley's driving tonight."

"Responsible," the guy noted. He then began pointing out his friends and introduced himself as Daniel. Haley once again took a look around. She could recognize some of the guys from the lacrosse, soccer, baseball, cross-country and swimming teams.

There were more couples in this room, or just random people who decided to hook-up. Some people were making out but most were filling each other up. Those who weren't making-out were dancing to the music. Though dancing wasn't really the word, it was more like dry-humping. The guy making sure to slid his hand down the girl's side as much as possible. The girls seemed to enjoy it though.

"So how are you liking the party so far?"

"We just got here but the guys are definitely hot," Brooke looked straight into Daniel's eyes, flirting with him. "I hate my grade. I wish I was a senior."

Daniel laughed. "How about you, Haley?"

"I'm okay with two more years of high school," Haley answered looking back to the people in the room. She caught a few guys staring at her.

"You want to dance, babe?" one of the guys that was looking at her asked with lust in his eyes. Sex, no doubt, on his mind.

"Her name's Haley," Brooke replied for her friend and then turned to Haley. "You should dance with him, he's hot."

"No, I really don't want to." She felt very uncomfortable at the guys looking at her. There were a bunch of gorgeous girls in the room, why couldn't they look at their direction?

"You're right, Chris Keller might show up here and he'll see you and you'll be off his radar. Save yourself for him," she slapped Haley's thigh.

"You want me to get you another drink, Junior?" Daniel looked at Brooke's empty cup.

She smiled and handed him her cup as he got up and walked to a corner of the room where the alcohol seemed to be.

"Don't you know anyone here from cheerleading or something?" Haley asked Brooke trying to make conversation with the one person she didn't mind talking to.

Brooke pointed to a blonde girl with one of her straps off her shoulders. She was making out with some guy. "That's my captain," she laughed. "These parties are where she works on her splits, if you know what I mean."

"Then how come you weren't invited to any senior parties? Aside from this one I mean," she quickly added.

"The Senior cheerleaders are hoes," Brooke was now the one to study the room. "When I was a freshman the senior cheerleaders were great, but this senior class, cheerleading-wise, sucks. They're really self-absorbed. And also, there's a reason these are called senior parties. Juniors aren't really supposed to go to them, unless it's by personal invitation by the party host."

"But Chris wasn't the one that invited us," Haley remembered.

"This is Narayan's party, honey. Chris just wants you here. So I'm guessing he asked Narayan to get you to come."

"Oh."

Brooke looked around the room to see why her drink still hasn't gotten to her. "Bitch," Brooke glared at some girl who pulled Daniel by his shirt to her, giggling and batting her eye-lashes. He was obviously enjoying the attention.

"These stupid seniors. The girls won't let a Junior get a guy and the guy just wants younger girls for sex," Brooke got up and took Haley's hand.

"Didn't you say you liked the seniors?" Haley asked amused.

"Shut up," she spat frustratedly. "I wonder…" she went to a door that was to the right of the staircase they went down previously and turned the knob.

"Britney Spears? Honestly? Can't anyone choose good songs anymore?" Haley and Brooke heard someone say aloud from inside the room.

"Shut up! I love Britney."

"Well hello there," someone spotted Haley and Brooke. "Look who arrived."

Some people turned towards the two but the rest continued chatting amongst themselves.

They were a group of around fifteen to twenty people and were all sitting on the floor, some had a drink in hand and some didn't. The atmosphere was different from that outside the room. These people were here to hang out with their friends and not necessarily out looking for their next sex victim. The girls were still just as stunning as those who were outside the room and the guys just as attractive. They just had more class and were very intimidating, almost too gorgeous.

The light was on though which made the feeling less claustrophobic.

Brooke scanned the room along with Haley and then turned her back to the people and took another drink from a table that was prompted there.

Damn, must there be alcohol every single corner she turned?

"Twelve o'clock," Brooke whispered with a smile.

Haley didn't even have to look to know who she was talking about. She heard the door close next to them.

"Hey Junior, that bottle empty?"

Brooke and Haley turned to the girl who just closed the door.

"Brooke, and yes," she replied.

"Let's play spin-the-bottle," the girl said excitedly.

"Way to go all middle-school on us, Yasmin," someone from the crowd laughed.

"For old-times sake," Yasmin reached for the empty bottle and set it in the middle of the room.

Everyone looked at the bottle and then at each other. After a few seconds they finally began forming a circle.

"Come on, Juniors," someone called.

Brooke pulled Haley's hand but Haley didn't budge.

"Brooke, I can't," she whispered.

"What do you mean you can't?" Haley remained silent. "What, you have a boyfriend or something?"

'Yes, I do.' That would definitely keep her from playing.

'Really? Who?' her features were painted with utter shock.

'You don't know him.'

'Oh,' Brooke looked at Haley sorrowfully. 'Haley, honey, no need to make up imaginary boyfriends.'

Haley was brought out of her daze as she sighed and sat down next to Brooke, a few Seniors clearing room for them.

Yasmin, as the initiator of the game, spun the bottle… and with that, the games began.

"Okay," the guy thought. "Take off your shirt and keep it off for the rest of the game." This dare got a cheer from all the guys in the room. "Come on Meagan, you up for it?"

Meagan glared at the guy. "You're an ass."

Meagan pulled off her shirt and threw it towards him. "It's a souvenir, sweetie."

"I'll make sure to keep it," he smiled.

Haley's heart raced. She didn't want to know what people would dare her to do.

Every time the bottle spun, Haley held her breath. So far seven people had gone, and the bottle still didn't land on her.

She noticed that just as many people chose truth as dare. Honestly, it would be so much better to truth. What's the worst they could find out about her? There was no way they would ask her if she was dating a teacher. And even if they would, her relationship with Nathan was more important than this stupid game. She'd lie.

It would be so great if Nathan would be there… as a student. She wouldn't actually hate to play truth-or-dare if it was back in 2003. She loved those dreams, although she saw Nathan twice as much as she would usually see him in a normal relationship. She was falling for him twice as fast which wasn't really a good thing.

"Chris," the girl that had the end of the bottle pointed to her smiled. "Truth or dare?"

"Go on and dare Chris Keller," he answered egoistically.

The girl thought as she looked around the room, her eyes settling on another door then the one Brooke and Haley entered through. She turned to Chris smiling. "Okay, five minutes in heaven, also known as being locked in a dark closet. With… the girl you like most in this room."

Chris got up. "It's Haley, right?"

Haley's heart stopped. She was so busy thinking about whether the bottle would land on her, she didn't even contemplate that someone else's dare would involve her, which was incredibly stupid on her part seeing as the reason she and Brooke were invited in the first place was due to Chris' interest in her.

"He doesn't bite," someone said laughing.

Haley got up slowly and walked towards the closet. Chris opened the door for her. She avoided eye-contact and walked in. He closed the door behind them.

As soon as it closed, Haley backed away as far as she could, her back pressed against the wall behind her. The closet was tiny and they were both sitting.

A few moments of silence passed.

"Sorry I didn't come to say hi before. I just didn't want it to be awkward."

Oh, because this isn't awkward at all, Haley thought. "It's okay."

There was more silence.

"So… you have any musical training?" he surprised her by asking.

"I- I've had voice lessons and guitar and piano lessons," she replied cautiously.

"You play guitar and piano too? See, I knew it wasn't just the singing. That solo was good. Your voice could use a little work, though. But it's better than the other losers that call themselves musicians at our school. Have you ever recorded something in a recording studio?"

"No, not really."

"Really? With your voice? You should be recording something. You know, before your voice gives way from smoking too much."

"I don't smoke."

"Good, I was just checking, some idiots ruin their voices that way. Have you ever thought about recording?"

"A little bit," Haley smiled as she loosened up. "But studio time costs a lot of money; money that I don't really have."

"I have some studio time coming up, and I need some female vocals on this song I'm working on. You interested?"

"I- that would be great." She smiled at the thought. This wasn't too bad.

But she thought too soon. It all happened so quickly, she couldn't even process it. She didn't even understand how his lips found hers in that darkness. That same darkness that hazed her judgment and blinded her as to what exactly was happening. She was in another world; throughout the entire party… this wasn't her world. Nothing here made any sense.

Light shed on the situation and with it numerous whistles of approval. They broke from the kiss. Her eyes grew accustomed to the light, and she saw every face in the room staring at her. She blushed at the attention.

"Junior got moves," the guy Haley remembered Brooke pointed out as Damien smirked.

She quickly left the closet and sat next to Brooke again, avoiding everyone's gaze; especially his.

"They always cheat," Brooke whispered, smiling. "They say five minutes but they know that if they want to get to see anything they need to open the door…"

But Haley wasn't listening. Had she cheated on Nathan? Her heart felt as if it was just sliced open with a sword.

Her eyes stung. If she would know this was what would happen, she would have never come. Again, she was extremely naïve. Of course something was going to happen! That was the reason she was invited to this stupid senior party. And now she had done the worst thing imaginable.

"I'm leaving," Haley whispered to Brooke as she got up and walked out the door.

"Leaving? We came in the same car!" Brooke was at her heel, completely conscious at all the eyes following them.

Haley didn't speak and instead found her way out of the house.

"So how amazing was that kiss?" Brooke smirked when they were inside the car.

"Is there a way to just bury it?" Haley asked, more to herself than to Brooke, sticking the keys in the ignition.

"Bury it?" she turned to her friend in confusion. "Wasn't he a good kisser?"

"A good kisser? What the hell does that have to do with anything?!"

The two remained silent not understanding where the other was coming from.

A/N: Please don't stop reading! I'm afraid someone will… haha.