Shalom, shalom!
Okay, yeah… it's been forever. And I was actually trying to get this chapter up quickly… which didn't quite work out.
BUT… I got certified this weekend! (YEAY FOR BEING CERTIFIED)! Which means I'll be home a LOT more often (I know, I know… I've said this before… but seriously, I'm going to be home more than I'll be in the army… unless my new army commander changes that). The only thing that might be problematic in terms of sitting down and writing the next chapter is that now I'm hanging out with one of my best friends EVER (Alexandra! Who is visiting from the Netherlands! I haven't seen her since February!) and she is leaving in a few days =,(. Then on the 27th my sister is coming back from the USA! (My sister, parents and Cairn Terrier have been in the USA since July first… and my parents and Cairn Terrier are only coming back September 30th…) Anyway, September is kind of the Holiday season for us Jewish folks. But I'll be home often (I'm relatively sure), so I'll write then, too.
I'm sorry for the random long rant. But yeah… I'm just excited to finally have something up for you guys =). I actually wrote the last 3/4s of this chapter while I was closing base this weekend (which was my certification weekend) because I took my computer with me! I stayed up until three AM… haha.
ANYWAY… enough of my chit-chat. I hope you guys will enjoy the chapter and that you didn't forget too much of what happened in the previous one.
Thanks to Alexandra who helped me go over some parts for this =).
Chapter Thirty-Six
Somebody Else
Haley continued sitting in her car, allowing the tears to fall down her cheeks. She didn't wipe them away because there was no use; new ones continued to stain her face.
She felt so helpless. She felt like there was no way to get out of this situation and what had become of her life.
It was only a few weeks ago that she started her Junior year like any ordinary sixteen year-old. How did she get here?
Haley heard the sound of her ringtone join the rhythmic tapping of the rain.
She looked over to her cell. There was no one she could think of that she wanted to talk to, but once she saw who it was (or, really, who it wasn't) she decided to take the call.
Before answering, she wiped her eyes… as if it actually mattered.
"Hey Brooke," she said after taking a few breaths in. She really hoped Brooke wouldn't be able to tell she was crying.
"Hi," Brooke answered back.
There was a moment of silence.
"Listen, a few of us were going to go out clubbing tonight," she began, though she didn't sound too enthusiastic considering the subject matter. "I'm assuming you're not interested."
Haley took a few moments to think things through. "Actually, I am."
"Oh," the brunette on the phone sounded surprised. "Well, I'll get you a fake ID, then. Pick you up at ten?"
She looked at her watch; there were still a few good hours. "Sounds good. I'll see you tonight, then?"
"Yeah, I'll see you then," Brooke agreed before ending the call.
Haley looked at her cell phone before throwing it back to the passenger seat and starting the engine.
Granted, this wasn't a time for a party. But that wasn't even her train of thought. What better place to be at when she was feeling empty? Being with those girls in that environment without the actual people who made her feel trapped was all she wanted.
She needed to forget this feeling. To be surrounded by that superficiality might just be the best thing that could have come her way.
"Thank you, Brooke," Haley said aloud as she began driving towards her house, this time much more careful.
Tonight she wasn't going to be the nobody she has been feeling like for the past two weeks. She was going to feel good about herself, even if it was going to be for something incredibly shallow. Hating herself wasn't going to get her anywhere, she decided.
One night. She was going to give herself a break for one night. Brooke was giving her the chance to be an ordinary seventeen year-old, the kind who would be preoccupied with absolutely everything that didn't matter. And she was gladly taking that opportunity.
After working on her appearance for a good few hours, Haley looked at the mirror satisfied.
She was clad with that oh-so-short mini-skirt Brooke had forced her to buy during that first week of school and the recommended black fishnet stockings. For the latter she had to dig through Taylor's old stuff, which was where she found the tall boots that were adorning her feet.
Her simple cream tank-top completed her outfit perfectly keeping her sexy appearance away from slutty.
She did her eye make-up a lot heavier than she usually did; which wasn't hard to do considering she never really wore make-up, and if she did it was always so natural it was barely noticeable. But she was going to a club now, so she allowed herself to have it like this.
What she saw in the mirror was the reason Chris and Nathan were dating her. It wasn't because of her musical talent, and not because she was an interesting human being. It was because she looked good, because of her body. That was the only thing guys looked at, anyway. And what a body it was!
Haley remembered hearing Taylor say that the key to great clubbing, and club-dancing in particular, was confidence. She knew she couldn't go to a club feeling self-conscious. Any girl who was self-conscious while dancing was just going to move awkwardly. Besides, tonight wasn't about being her usual self – the one who was unsure and insecure. Tonight was about being confident and forgetting her pathetic little existence; and forgetting the little helpless Haley she has been for a while now.
She was breath-taking and sexy, she told herself. No one was going to walk all over her when looking like this. Nathan could go screw himself.
She heard her cell phone ring and then looked towards her clock: ten-thirty.
Before answering she made sure it was in-fact Brooke. The calls from her boyfriends she just ignored. "Downstairs," Brooke said as Haley answered.
"Coming," Haley closed her phone and threw it onto the bed. She wasn't going to need it tonight. Let the rest of the world burn in flames.
She took one glance at the mirror and smiled to herself. "Haley James, you've never looked better."
She went downstairs and left the house, not even giving her parents the chance to look at her. If they'd see her dress this way they would have a fit. She knew they've had enough with Taylor. Besides, she was their only innocent child… though this definitely wasn't the case tonight.
With every step she took on those heels she felt that much more confident. She loved the way they made her feel.
Sitting in her baby blue VW Beetle, Brooke whistled to the approaching girl. "Hey babe, tell me: how much per hour?"
"Huh?" Haley opened the door to the passenger side of the car and took a seat.
"How much do you charge an hour?" Brooke winked.
"Oh jeez, Brooke," Haley rolled her eyes. "I don't look like a whore, do I?"
She laughed. "Just insanely sexy."
"Well in that case more than you can afford," Haley smiled, closing her eyes and leaning back in the seat.
Brooke snorted. "The rest of the girls are meeting us at the club," she informed her. "And today happens to be your lucky day because Emma's not coming."
"I don't care," Haley said apathetically. That British whore didn't even cross her mind once for what seemed like an eternity. Even if she was going to show up, there was nothing she could say or do that could bring Haley down. She was way ahead of Emma.
Brooke took one glance towards Haley, "I see that." Where was that sigh of relief she was expecting? She turned on the radio and turned the volume up.
"I'm so in the mood for a party," Brooke smirked to herself as she began singing along to the song that came up; it was one of those overplayed pop songs Haley didn't know the words to. Tonight was sure to be filled with those songs. But for the first time in her entire life, she was glad. Meaningless songs with a good beat were just what she was looking for.
Yeah, tonight she was going to let those songs define her life.
"So Chris and his friends let you go for tonight?" Brooke asked, interested. "Aren't they going to some party, too?"
Haley shook her head. "Damien's fucking one of his whores," she repeated Chris' words from a few hours ago. "And Narayan and Alyson are celebrating an anniversary."
"Oh my God, right!" Brooke gasped. "Today's their six month anniversary! I can't believe it's been that long."
Haley looked over at Brooke, confused. Chris did say 'who the hell knows' in response to which anniversary the duo was celebrating. Apparently Brooke did.
After a few more minutes of driving, making small-talk and listening to the music in Brooke's car, the two girls arrived.
"You see that group of insanely good-looking girls?" Brooke said while parking the car. "That's our girlies," she smirked, turning off the engine and getting out of the car.
As Haley got out of the car and took everything into perspective, the feeling of déjà vu came over her. She was once in a similar situation; she had come with Chris to rescue her friend. But then it was different, yes there was that booming music in the background and people in sight dressed in clothes only meant for clubbing. But Haley wasn't going to be one of the people in the club, then, she only came to get her friends. Now she was to be one of the glamorous party girls who had the whole night ahead of them. She was going to dance and drink, and have a good ol' time. It didn't matter to her who she was going to be with.
She approached the group of Junior girls, though with the way they were dressed they could have easily been mistaken for being in their twenties; college girls at least. And she didn't look any younger.
They hugged her and kissed her as if she was one of theirs; as if she had always been. Though Haley wasn't; she was better. Alyson put all of these pathetic girls to shame. Aly had chosen her as her friend. Haley wasn't better than them just by association to the Senior crowd, she was better based on every possible criterion.
They were lucky to have her with them, she decided. But she played along nonetheless.
"You look so gorg, Haley!" Caitlin gushed. "You so need to go clubbing with us more often!"
"Oh, wow, totally!" Bianca agreed, nodding. "You're hot!"
"Told ya," Brooke winked at her friend. "Here's your fake ID, shove it in your pocket, put your game face on and let's go," Brooke handed Haley her brand new fake ID.
"Don't you already have a fake ID from going out with Chris?" Gabbi asked, interested.
"No," Haley said, looking at the fake ID and putting it in her pocket. "They never check our ID's when we go out," Haley brushed it off and ran a hand through her hair. This wasn't a complete lie, there was never a need to check her ID when she was out with Chris. Oh, whatever… she didn't owe these girls a thing.
"Ugh, we so need to get to that status," a girl Haley recognized from their lunches together said. Her name was something with an 'D'. Dana? Diana? Danielle?
"Well I don't know about you, Julia, but I'm already at that status," Brooke laughed at her friend.
"You wish."
Right, Julia… something with a 'J', not 'D'. Oops.
"You girls, ready?"
The six girls began making their way to the club.
Some guys sitting on a bench outside the club whistled to them. "Some fine girls right there. You girls want to come with us?"
They just ignored them and continued walking, not even bothering to reply to that.
"Let's hope there aren't any asses inside tonight," Gabbi said to her friends.
Haley's heart was beating quickly while the bouncers were checking the ID's. What if Brooke accidentally made her fake ID wrong? She could just see it happening – all the girls getting inside with their ID's, because they had used them before. But her new one looked so fake that they weren't going to let her in.
Maybe her skirt was short enough and her heels tall enough for them to let her in on that fact alone? Haley could only hope.
Brooke took Haley's hand and signaled for her to take the hand of the girl behind her as the six girls made a link. "Hey Greg," Brooke said coming to the front of the line. "Would you let us in early tonight? I don't really want to stand in the line."
"You think you're better than everyone, Brooke?"
Brooke pretended to think for a second, "Yeah, I do." She pressed her lips together.
Greg chuckled.
"You don't think I'm better than everyone, Greg?" Brooke batted her eye-lashes. "That makes me very sad."
He shook his head, smiling, looking behind Brooke at the girls who were holding hands. "Lance, let these six beautiful ladies in. They're with me."
"I'm flattered, Greg. Save me a dance, okay?" Brooke winked and then turned to her friends. "Let's go in, girls."
Once in the club Haley was overwhelmed by the loud music and the amount of people on the dance floor. The party was already beyond its developing stages, bodies pressed against each other and alcohol in everyone's bloodstream.
It took Haley a few seconds to take it all in.
"I told you I could get inside without an ID," Brooke told Julia and the rest of the girls.
"That so doesn't count. You're just lucky the guy you happened to have slept with was standing outside," Julia argued.
Gabbi snorted. "Jules, it is more likely that Brooke has slept with the guy outside than not."
"Shut up!" Brooke gasped slapping her cheerleader-friend.
"It's so true and you know it."
"So what are we doing first? Dancing or drinking?" Caitlin asked, looking around.
"Well we are standing on the bar," Haley spoke up. She needed significant alcohol in her system. She wanted to get completely lost. The music wasn't intoxicating her yet, she needed that alcohol. "Let's drink."
"You said it," Brooke nodded. "What are we doing tonight? Tequila? Vodka?"
"What gets you drunk faster?" Haley asked, a second later regretting her question. She was supposed to know the answer to this. She wasn't supposed to be herself now.
"Both will get us there," Brooke laughed.
Surprisingly, no one paid attention to Haley's slip.
"Let's have the tequila," Haley suggested, remembering the taste of vodka as being revolting and acidic from the upperclassmen trip. Though the purpose of this alcohol wasn't for great taste, it was to get significantly tipsy.
"Tequila it is," Brooke leaned on the bar. "Six shots of tequila, please."
"Seven," Haley said and then turned to Brooke who was looking at her. "I want two."
"Me, too!" Bianca quickly said.
"Yeah, yeah, two now," Julia agreed.
"Haley's right. Two," Caitlin nodded.
"Two for all of us?" Brooke asked, and saw her four other friends nodding in unison. "Twelve shots of tequila," she looked back to the bartender. "Please," she smiled sweetly.
Haley looked to the bartender, confused as to why he wasn't asking for ID. Oh, right, this club was 21 and over.
Each girl put enough money for the tequila shots. Apparently they were already familiar with the price of each, so Haley just saw how much each girl was putting down and paid for her own two, as well.
"So, Haley, what's it like partying with Chris and his friends?" Bianca asked, smiling, as the six girls took a seat on the bar.
Haley looked at the girls and was about to say that she wouldn't know, but instead said: "A blast." Tonight was about being someone she wasn't, and that was who she intended to be. "I mean Chris and I just end up against a wall somewhere making out. But whatever…"
The girls laughed when they saw Haley was smiling.
"And what does Narayan think of you, Chris and Alyson being voted the Hottest Threesome on Tree Hill's Newest?"
Haley raised her brow to which Brooke replied, "The gossip site."
Tree Hill's Newest? That was a lame name. "Oh yeah… we don't really read that."
"Well, the voting was only in like two hours ago. Maybe they didn't talk about it yet," Caitlin suggested. As if someone didn't read the school gossip site! She refused to believe that.
"You know, if Lauren and Chris would still be together, I don't think Lauren, Chris and Alyson would win," Gabbi added.
"Then who? It couldn't be Chris, Narayan and Alyson. I mean it's always been two girls and one guy. You know, from those who won," Brooke said. "I think if Lauren and Chris were still together, then the three of them – Alyson, Lauren and Chris – would so win. I mean just because of Lauren and Alyson," she laughed.
"Has Chris forced you to make out with Alyson yet?" Caitlin asked, leaning towards Haley.
"Chris' girlfriends and ex-girlfriends," Gabbi rolled her eyes though she had a smirk on her face.
"No! It so wasn't Chris who made them do it!" Bianca said, coming to the protection of the guy who would never notice her in a million years.
"Bianca's right. It was when they were drunk, anyway."
"Yeah," Julia nodded. "Besides, everyone knows that Lauren has a huge crush on Alyson. That's why she's so mad at Haley, because now that Lauren's not with Chris, she can't have her drunken make-outs with Alyson."
"Oh whatever. Aly wanted to make out with Lauren, too. Besides, you know Lauren would do whatever Aly would ask her to do."
Gabbi turned to Haley, "Has Alyson ever flirted with you?"
"Once, when she was drunk," Haley shrugged it off.
The girls gasped. "Drunken words are sober thoughts!" one of them declared.
"She's so a closet-lesbian!" Julia said.
"What's a closet-lesbian? It's a closed-lesbian!" Bianca tried to correct her friend.
"No, it's a closet-lesbian," Julia argued.
"Alyson likes fucking Narayan too much to be a lesbian," Haley said, making the other girls quiet down. "So are we drinking or what?"
The five other girls looked at the 12 shots that had magically appeared before them.
Each girl took her two shots towards her.
"First one," Brooke said taking the first one to her lips.
"Wait," Haley said. "I want to purpose a toast, okay?"
"Yeah, totally," one of the girls agreed, the others nodded.
"To…" Haley thought, "to being popular, and the great joy it brings."
The girls agreed with Haley's inspirational first toast and took the shot.
Oh jeez… Haley thought. The tequila was definitely not any better than the vodka. But that wasn't its purpose to begin with.
"Second one…" Haley said, quickly taking the second one to her hand, and then saw the other girls taking the lime into their mouths. Oops…
"You're not going to take the lime, Haley?" Caitlin asked.
"I never have lime with my tequila," Haley said nonchalantly, as if having the lime was something only little Junior girls did. "We ready for the second one?"
"Yeah."
This time she already had one in mind… "To beautiful dreams and falling in-love," Haley downed the tequila shot so fast, she didn't even let her words process in the other girls' minds.
"We're so dancing," Julia said, getting out of the chair and grabbing the hand of the nearest girl.
Haley remained in her seat, unfamiliar with the momentary spin the alcohol was giving her.
While the other four girls left to the dance floor, Brooke and Haley remained in the bar. "You want to go dance?" Brooke asked.
"In a second," Haley said, what was she going to do if her head would start spinning when she was going to try and stand up?
"So… none of that really happened, right?" Brooke asked, in the most conversational tone she could master. "About clubbing with Chris' friends."
"And why the hell not?" Haley turned to Brooke, a little pissed off.
"Because it just doesn't sound like you."
"Right. And you're my best friend who knows everything about me."
Brooke ignored the comment, just as she had with every friend of hers who had a few drinks. Many girls have said much more hurtful things to her in the past when under the influence, anyway. She just didn't know it would take such a short time for the alcohol to start affecting Haley in that manner.
"Because partying all-night and being popular isn't fit for a nerd like me, right?" Haley started again when she saw Brooke wasn't replying.
"I didn't mean nerd."
"Then what did you mean? Hmm?"
"Not shallow," Brooke said, looking her friend in the eye.
"What does that word even mean?" Haley rolled her eyes, getting off the chair. "Are we dancing or what?"
"Haley, if you're going to drink anymore, please just don't mix drinks, okay?"
"I told you that I've been out before, okay?"
"I know; I get it. But I don't know how you club with Chris' friends and what they do. I'm telling you from experience that you shouldn't mix drinks. Tequila tonight, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, okay," Haley said, going into the crowd of people, not even taking Brooke's hand.
She finally found the girls from her school… the girl from her school! What were they even to her? Her friends-for-a-night? She could've danced with any of the other people in the club and it wouldn't have made a difference.
"Hey Haley!" they said excitedly when they saw her. "Hi Brooke!"
"The Sexy Six, right?" Caitlin said happily. First the Fab Five and now the Sexy Six? This girl was so desperate to be a part of a 'Gorgeous Group'. Haley nearly laughed out loud at her own joke.
She started dancing, regardless, finally feeling the beat of the music through her entire body. She knew she was better, she knew she looked hot as hell, and the alcohol was only helping. She was dancing in perfect synch to the music, her hips moving to the beat. She couldn't help but think about her Senior Prom dancing with Nathan behind her.
His confirmation of how sexy she really was; their sweet… painful… sex afterwards that night; the feeling of being as close to someone as humanely possible…
She completely brushed that thought out of her mind. Tonight wasn't about Nathan. Besides, thinking of Dream Nathan was just going to make everything worse. Nathan wasn't really like that… that was just her imagination… though it was so real…
Haley, it's 2007, she reminded herself. You're young, hot and not tied down to anyone.
She let herself feel the music again, looking around her at the girls dancing with her in their little circle. Haley turned to Brooke who was dancing next to her. She needed to dance with someone she knew and was her friend. Brooke was the closest to answering that description. The rest of them were just… groupies...
Brooke noticed that Haley was looking at her and smiled. "Aren't we just the sexiest girls in the room?"
"The Sexy Six, no?" Haley laughed, knowing how lame that sounded. Seriously, she couldn't even believe she was saying it.
"I meant…" Brooke leaned in to whisper in Haley's ear, "the two of us."
"Oh, so true," Haley agreed when Brooke took a step back.
Brooke wasn't bad at all… and she did remind Haley so much of a younger version of Alyson. That was so something Aly would say.
They were dancing for a good few songs, brushing guys off who would approach them.
Haley was growing frustrated. She wasn't going to get anywhere in this state. She was barely drunk! She didn't even feel tipsy… sucks...
She felt a pair of hands on her hips as someone stepped behind her. Haley stopped dancing and turned around to study said guy. "I don't know you… I don't think," she said to the guy, shaking her head as she left the girls and began walking to the bar.
Haley took a seat on the bar… so what was it she needed to order? Tequila? "Two shots of tequila," Haley ordered, taking the money from her boots.
The bartender nodded, and began pouring her drinks when he saw the money before him.
"Make it fast," Haley said annoyed.
When she had the two shots in-front of her she quickly downed them both. She didn't know where the hell she learned to down shots that way… maybe it was genetic. Taylor sure knew how to do it… one of her parents was very… Taylorish when they were young. That was for sure.
Oh! But she forgot her toasts! Umm… to life-changing kisses behind closet doors and underneath desks. Yeah, that was a good toast. She had such romantic first kisses, someone had to pay tribute to them!
"Hey," a guy took the seat next to her. "You have a boyfriend?"
She looked him over for a second before replying. "Two," she giggled, sliding the two empty tequila shots towards the bartender.
The guy chuckled. It sure looked like this girl had a sense of humor. "And are they here?"
Haley looked back at him pursing her lips. The guy was insanely good-looking; she did have to hand it to him. And he had brown eyes! Which would definitely not remind her of Nathan's cobalt ones. And he looked like somewhat of a frat boy.
"I left them home," Haley said looking back to the counter.
"I'm Josh," he introduced himself.
Haley studied him again, "Alyson. My friends call me Aly."
"I like that, Aly," he smirked at her, allowing the name to roll off his tongue.
"I said my friends," Haley smiled back. "I don't recall saying you're my friend."
"Okay then. Alyson for now?"
"Alyson. And not just for now," she said, as if it was a challenge. "So tell me, Josh, what university do you attend? Or are you one of those non-University people."
"I'm a Junior at Duke," he smiled.
"Ummhmm," Haley nodded, approvingly. "Apparently, I have a thing for older guys."
"'Older guys'? How much older than you am I?" he asked, interested. Though he did like where this conversation was going.
Haley shrugged. "College Freshman… or something like that," Haley narrowed her eyes.
"Gotta love the fake ID," he joked. "But that makes me older than you by only three years."
"One year, six years… what the hell's the difference?"
"So you want to dance, Alyson?" he asked the question that has been on his mind right after the one about the boyfriends.
"That depends: do you want to buy me a drink?" she asked trying her most seductive voice.
Josh laughed. "How many did you have?"
"Lost count," Haley shrugged. Really, she just wasn't bothered to do the simple math… how many did she have before the three she had now? Wait… did she just have three? Okay, saying she lost count wasn't a lie. This loud music was confusing the shit out of her. Besides, all this yelling she had to do when she had to have a conversation with someone. And it had to be pretty late, too. She wasn't used to being out at these times.
"Are you sure you should have another one?" Josh questioned.
"What are you, my dad? Because I don't see him anywhere around here," she looked him straight in the eye.
Josh smiled at her as he took out his wallet. "What do you want?"
"Vodka straight up!" Haley turned to the bartender immediately.
"Make that two," Josh said, taking out the dollar bills.
"Two? Okay, I owe you a longer dance, then!" Haley said, all of a sudden hyper. Some people had to pay to get shots and others only had to look hot. She loved being the latter.
Josh laughed again. "One's for me."
"Oh…" Haley said, sliding back onto her chair "well if you can keep up with me."
"I don't think that will be a problem," he assured her, smirking.
"Are you doubting my skills, Duke-boy?"
Wow, funny and hot… he really did win the jackpot tonight. "Not at all Miss College Freshman."
"Then how about you get me two shots now? Okay? Sounds good, right? I think it sounds good."
"And I think that after this shot, you owe me a drink," he smiled. "We'll talk about more shots afterwards. Deal?"
"Deal!" Haley said, noticing the shot that was just put before her. "Cheers!"
She took the shot without even saying another word to the guy next to her. She sure hoped he had more bills in that fat wallet of his.
Haley got off the chair and took Josh's hand, "Try keeping up with me, Duke-Boy. I'm really good at this dancing thing."
"You are, are you?" he smirked, letting her drag him to the dance floor.
"Hey!" Brooke grabbed onto Haley's shoulder when she saw her friend. "Where have you disappeared to?"
"This is Josh," she told Brooke with a smile. "I promised him a dance."
"How much more have you had to drink, Haley?" Brooke asked, worriedly, looking from Josh to Haley.
"Just one more shot. Jeez, calm down! I can't believe I go out clubbing and I have mom and dad with me. I thought I left them home."
"I thought you said you lost count," Josh looked at Haley, though he found this whole thing really funny.
"Yeah, what I had with her and the one I had with you. I don't know how much that is, I'm really bad at math. How many did we have?" she turned back to Brooke.
"Two each," Brooke said, surprised at what Haley was saying. She didn't know Haley would be the type to dumb herself down for guys. Besides, what was she doing with this guy? She had Chris.
"Yeah, okay… two and the one I had with you. What's that?"
"Three," Josh chuckled.
"Yeah, three… three shots. Good… yeah… let's dance. Excuse me," she took Josh's hand and walked past Brooke.
Someone was definitely jealous that she had a guy with her, she smirked to herself as she turned towards Josh and began moving to the beat of the music, he putting his hands on her hips and pulling her closer to him.
Confidence from the very beginning… how charming.
Yes, this was definitely good. From making out with Chris to dancing with random strangers at clubs; suck on that Nathan.
She would've loved to see the look on his face. Call me young one more time, she would have dared him if he had been there with her.
But he wouldn't be there with her, would he? She wanted to laugh.
This was the way she had wanted to feel from the second Brooke said 'Clubbing'. The room was spinning but it felt so good. She had never been so in-sync with the music. Her skin felt so sensitive, too.
Maybe she needed one more shot? What would happen then?
Josh took his hand away from Haley's hip and lifted her head with his hand, giving her a kiss on the lips.
All of a sudden, the gap between them widened. Someone's elbow dug into her back, and someone else was yelling over the music. Haley realized she was laughing. Kissing three guys in one month… this was just too funny considering how she was basically a lip-virgin last year. The humor of it all!
"Josh you're… you're funny… you really really are…" She pushed him playfully, shaking her head.
Suddenly, the floor fell from underneath her feet, and she was only able to keep her balance by grabbing hold of Josh's shirt.
She couldn't believe it. Any random stranger? It wasn't something against Chris personally… it was with everyone… the nausea… the headache… the… dizziness…the alcohol.
She looked around as the blurred colors before her began to disappear. She lost all sense of sight and balance, and the last thing she remembered was hitting that hard club floor and then a few gasps followed by someone screaming "Haley!"
Then it all went black.
She spotted him looking at her from across the hall. Damn, he looked so good in that blue cap and gown. She would have jumped him right there if she hadn't already… besides, she vowed she was never going to have sex again. It was way too painful to do twice.
Well, that and the fact that they were in a school hallway surrounded by other students.
But God! He had to stop looking at her like that… she blushed, and immediately looked away from him. She noticed he was smiling for getting her all red. He was thinking about it… he was imagining her naked; and imagining their night together.
Screw you, Scott. She was going to show him later! He couldn't just make her blush in public and get away with it.
She could feel every single pulsation that went through her head and could swear that her stomach was pulsating too.
She didn't know how but she knew that there was a waste-can near the bed, so she pulled it towards her and threw up, her body hanging over the edge of the bed.
"Haley? Haley can you hear me?"
"…Now is the time for all of us to become the people we've always dreamed of being," Haley looked out to her Senior class, smiling. "This is your world. You're here; You matter," she smiled and found the eyes of the guy who captured her heart this year. He was smiling up at her as she was standing there at the Valedictorian stand. He was so proud of her, she could see that. He had made her life richer in every sense of the word. The love she had for him made her heart ache. It was the most beautiful pain she had ever felt.
She found her two best friends, sitting in the crowd only a few seats apart. Lindsey Strauss and Lucas Scott… how could she have ever gotten to this day without them by her side? Lucas her best friend since before elementary school, and Lindsey the best addition to the duo she could've asked for. They were her saviors.
"The world is waiting," she finished up her speech and walked back to her seat on stage as the rest of the student body began clapping for her and her speech.
Now all that was left was the declaration to move the cap's tassel from left to right and throw the caps in the air. After that, she would officially become a Tree Hill alumnus, she would never be a high school Senior again.
But for the first time in weeks, she wasn't feeling sadness about this part of her life being over. She was going to be grateful for what she had, and welcome the unknown. Whatever the next year was going to hold for her, it was going to be an adventure. She knew that she could make a long-distance relationship with Nathan work, and she knew she could trust him alone in college. And she would see her friends often, too. They were in the same country after all. She was going to the West Coast, not Europe.
Whatever life would throw her way, she was prepared.
The unbearable pulsations forced her eyes open a second time, but the urge to throw up was less intense now. She sat up slowly. She was too dizzy to see anything. Everything was all out of focus.
"Hey," she heard someone call out. "Pick the one in the middle!" she saw a figure before her raising its hand. Haley blinked a few times and let the figure come into focus. Why did it feel like the bed was spinning?
Brooke got up and walked towards said spinning bed. "You've hit it a little hard tonight," she told her friend.
Haley wanted to reply to that… but it took her some time to realize what the girl meant by tonight. All she could remember was what happened during the day… which was graduation… with Nathan…
But within a minute she realized what was happening. It was only a dream. It was beautiful and poetic… but it was a dream. What would have made her heartbroken to find out made her happier than she thought possible. Her dreams were back! She knew there were more! Ordinarily, she would've been mad at the dreams for being gone for a week! Whatever that meant. But they were just so perfect.
"Here, have some water," Brooke handed Haley a water bottle and wouldn't let her friend rest until she drank at least half.
"Don't worry about the rumors that will come out of this," Brooke continued. "I'll take care of it. This will never get out."
Haley lowered the water bottle, finally realizing what she had to do. Her dreams were going to make her stronger this time, not weaker. She was going to take control of her life; not letting other people run it for her.
Everything was clear now. Whatever the consequences would be, she would face them. Because living like this was no longer an option.
"Brooke," she said, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and started again, "Brooke, I need you to confirm a rumor for me."
The brunette looked confused but willed her friend to keep talking with her gaze.
"I need you to say I've been cheating on Chris."
A/N: Before you say that Haley was very OOC in the club, please keep in mind that alcohol tends to make people OOC ;). That's also why the title of the chapter is what it is… haha.
But I would love some comments on what you thought of the chapter! Thank you for reading =).