Chapter Five: Don't Lie to Who Trusts You
Haley paid the babysitter and hailed a taxi for her to go home in.
She sat up for a while, gazing at her child. Most regarded her decision to keep the child as lunacy, but Haley had never regretted it.
Peyton entered the room silently and looked between her best friend and her goddaughter.
"She looks so peaceful," breathed Peyton.
"Yeah. We're going to change our minds though, when she wakes up screaming," said Haley.
"Totally. She's so great though. I never thought I'd enjoy having a baby in the house," said Peyton.
"To be honest, me neither. But you guys are so great. Speaking of which, didn't I leave Taylor behind to look after her?" said Haley, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah. Tay called me-she said that she was, and then her friends were going partying so she hired a babysitter," recited Peyton.
"God. I don't trust a babysitter. The girl looked about twelve," complained Haley.
"Come on, you know Taylor loves her little niece as much as anyone," said Peyton.
"Yeah. It's pretty cool-she never dealt well with me when I was a baby," said Haley.
"This is different. This is better," said Peyton, putting her arm around her best friend.
After Peyton dozed off, Haley stared at her daughter, lost in thought. The time she'd just spent with Mr. Scott had been more personal somehow than anything they'd ever done. They'd actually shown emotion toward one another. He proved he actually noticed her as slightly more than an agreeable companion. Haley and Nathan had spent a year and a half in a relationship revolved entirely around intercourse. Which was fine, for the most part. He was the best-and the only-she'd ever had.
Brooke awoke twelve hours later, very sober and very aware.
Nathan had long since left. The apartment was empty, save for her. Their first sex in months made her feel alive, but betrayed. He'd said the name of another woman. Brooke had known for months, deep down. The perfume in itself was enough of a giveaway. But the hurt, the humiliation was fresh on her, eating on her soul. She'd just acted as a consolation prize.
She cursed her drunkenness in annoyance. If she hadn't been drunk, she would have remembered the name of the other woman. However, if she hadn't been drunk, she never would have allowed thing to get so out of hand.
Peyton Sawyer looked nervously around the Scott Athletic Agency main office. Attempting to look purposeful, she strode to Haley's desk. Haley had taken advantage of a sick day to nurse a slight hangover and to look after her daughter, and had asked Peyton to go in to the office to pick up a file for her.
"Are you looking for something?" asked a voice, as Peyton dropped onto Haley's chair and began to rummage around the jumble of papers on her desk.
Peyton looked up in shock. Looking straight at her were a pair of warm brown eyes. A handsome face with curly brown hair and a broad smile that never failed to reach his eyes and her heart.
"Jake?" she asked, her voice near a squeak. She saw him search his memory.
"You're Haley's roommate… Peyton, right?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'm glad you remembered. I'm just searching for a file," explained Peyton.
"Oh, Haley's working on this one," said Jake, reaching for a yellow folder as Peyton did. Their hands collided, sending shivers down Peyton's spine.
"Thanks, Jake," she said.
"No problem. Is Haley okay?" he asked in concern.
"Yeah. Hungover," she admitted.
"The sick day of the new century. Mr. Scott must be missing her, eh?" said Jake, laughing.
"What?" asked Peyton in confusion.
"Oh, you know… the rumours…"
"No, I don't know. That's not true," said Peyton, watching Nathan emerge from his office, shaking hands with an elderly important looking man.
"Well I guess you'd know. Nice seeing you, Peyton," he said. Peyton forced herself to smile.
Peyton sat back slowly. A rumoured affair with her boss. An unexpected love child that Haley had refused to name the father of. Suddenly it all made sense.
She slowly made her way home on the subway, clutching the file. She'd known Haley all her life, and she had no idea as to how to confront her.
In the end, Peyton confronted her in the only way she knew how:
Head on.
"Haley, what's going on between you and Nathan Scott?" she demanded coolly.
"What? What are you talking about?" asked Haley.
"There are rumours about you," said Peyton.
"Well they're not true," said Haley stubbornly.
"Because you know if they were, it'd be pretty stupid. He's married, first of all. And he's thirty-six. Which, if you'll remember, if twelve years older than you. And he's your boss," hinted Peyton.
"All of which is true, but none of it matters, seeing as he's nothing to me," said Haley, bluffing. Peyton saw through her easily.
"Every day for a year and a half you've been coming home, obviously having had a good time, that good time obviously having nothing to do with secretarial work. Now it all fits," said Peyton.
"Shut up. You're my best friend. You're supposed to believe me," said Haley threateningly.
"I believe what I see, Haley. Your emotions, your eyes. Not your words. They've never been your strong point," said Peyton, turning her back on her friend and slamming the door to her bedroom.