Part 2
Somewhere in East side:
"Haley, you're a genius!"
"Why, thank you Mr. Jaglieski. You're not so dumb yourself." Haley said and smiled at Jake while wiping the counter. Jake had to leave River court early because his dad had to leave for work and couldn't baby sit Jenny anymore. Her mom came home so he was able to leave for few hours. Now he and Lucas were hanging out at Karen's Café where Haley was working. It was a slow day and Karen had the day off so they were the only people at the café.
"I can't wait to beat the West. It's gonna be so awesome." Haley said with a dreamy look.
"Who's gonna drive for us?" Jake asked.
"That'd be me." Haley said smiling. "Oh, I can't wait to see their faces when I win!" Haley said with that crazy gleam in her eyes the others were used to seeing. Haley kept on wiping the counter still smiling.
"Who do you think is driving for them?" Jake asked.
"Probably Nathan." Haley said.
"I don't know. He got into an accident a few months ago. He could've quit racing." Lucas said.
"Well, whoever drives will get the coolest car from Dan's dealership. It's so not fair." Haley said.
"True. What are you driving?" Jake asked from Haley while taking a sip from his soda.
"I don't know. My car's not fast enough compared to some of the ones Dan is selling. Besides, I'm still missing my side mirror." Haley said and sighed.
"Hales! You remember the old racing car that's been at Keith's garage for a while?" Lucas suddenly asked.
"Yeah, but it's a piece of junk. And we've only kept it because we thought we could sell most of the parts." Haley said.
"Well, what if we don't sell the parts. What if we fix it?" Lucas asked excited.
"I don't know, Luke. It's a lot of work. I don't even remember the last time I heard its engine run." Haley said doubting the whole thing.
"Oh, come on Hales! It'll be fun! We'll fix the whole car, you'll win the race and the best thing is that we get a new car!" Lucas said excited.
"I think he's right." Jake said.
"Of course I'm right." Lucas said smiling.
"I don't know…" Haley said hesitating.
"Oh come on, Hales. You know you want to." Lucas said. Haley still looked like she was thinking about it.
"Haley…" Jake sing-songed.
"Ok, ok, ok! We'll fix the goddamn car." she said.
"Yeah!" Lucas yelled and high-fived Haley. First Haley looked really excited but then her face turned into a scowl.
"What?" Lucas asked.
"Nathan's still got my ball."
"Don't worry, we'll get it back." Jake said.
"Yeah, when I beat him!" Haley yelled excited.
"We're so gonna win this!" Lucas said smiling.
Somewhere in West side:
"We're so gonna win this!" Brooke yelled excited.
"That's the plan." Nathan said while shooting Haley's ball through the basketball hoop. Nathan, Peyton, Brooke and Tim were still hanging out at Rivercourt.
"Who's driving for us?" Tim asked Nathan.
"Me." Nathan said and shot the ball through the hoop.
"Even after the accident?" Brooke asked surprised.
"Like I'm gonna let that stop me." Nathan said.
"Who do you think is driving for them?" Peyton asked wondering.
"Probably Lucas." Brooke said dreamily.
"So, it's Scott versus Scott. Interesting." Peyton said.
"But we have to make them believe I'm not the driver." Nathan said.
"Why?" Tim asked.
"Because I don't want them to try any shit before the race." Nathan said.
"That's smart." Brooke said. "How do you wanna do this?"
"They probably already know about my accident so all I have to do is pretend that now I'm scared to race or other shit like that." Nathan said.
"That's not enough." Peyton said. "We also have to act like we have someone else racing for us. They have to believe that there's someone else."
"Who?" Brooke asked. They all turned to look at Tim.
"What?" he asked unaware or his important role.
"You're going to be our fake driver." Brooke said excited.
"Why?" Tim asked.
"Because they know you're best friends with me so you've gotta have some racing experience. And also it's easier for them to believe that I'd give one of my dad's cars to someone who's my friend than a complete stranger." Nathan reasoned. He missed the net so he angrily threw the ball over the entire thing, like Haley had few hours ago. Nathan smiled at the thought.
"Right now, all we gotta worry is Tim's acting." Nathan said.
"Ok, so what do I have to do?" Tim asked.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing. If you go jumping up and down yelling 'I'm the racer for West' they'll never buy it. They're not stupid. You have to act nonchalant." Peyton said. Tim looked confused.
"Nonchalant." Peyton repeated. Tim just raised his eyebrows.
"Like nothing weird is going on. Be cool." Brooke explained.
"I can be cool." Tim said smiling.
"We know you can. Now go get the ball." Nathan said and pointed at Haley's ball. Tim sprinted after the ball. The trio looked after him.
"Do you think he can be cool about this?" Peyton asked worried. "What if he's too relaxed and the Easts don't even think that it could be him."
"Don't worry. The more we tell him to be cool and normal, the more nervous he will be. Trust me, he'll do fine." Nathan said watching Tim coming back with the ball.
"Are we ready to go?" Peyton asked getting bored. She did care about beating the East but she didn't wanna spend an entire afternoon hanging out at a basketball court when she could be home drawing and listening to her music.
"Sure. Nathan, you're driving us home, right?" Brooke asked.
"Actually Brooke, I was wondering if you could go with Tim. I need to talk to Peyton." Nathan said.
"Sure, let's go Tim. Call me!" she yelled at Peyton before leaving with Tim. Peyton looked after her friend and started to walk towards Nathan's car. They both got in and he started driving towards her house.
"Nathan-" Peyton started.
"Peyton, don't say anything. Just hear me out." he said and took a deep breath. "I'm really sorry for the way things have lately been with us. With me. I've been just really stressed about everything and I hope we can put that all behind. I want us to go back to normal, Peyton."
"Nathan, normal sucks with us! I'm sorry, but it does. Look, I didn't break up with you because of how you've been acting lately. I broke up with you because I didn't work. It never did." Peyton said.
"Don't say that! It's not true." Nathan said even though he knew she was right.
"Nate, you know I'm right. Don't you remember how much fun we used to have when we were just friends? Everything changed after we started dating. I want to be your friend." Peyton stopped for a while before continuing. "But I can't be your girlfriend." Peyton finished. They drove for a while in silence until they got in front of her house.
"So, just friends." Nathan said more to himself than her.
"Just friends." Peyton said and smiled.
"Ok, we can do that. We can be friends. I have a better idea, though." Nathan said smirking. "How about friends with benefits?" he said and winked. Peyton started laughing.
"Good bye, Nathan." she said smiling and got out of the car.
"Is that a yes?" Nathan yelled after her. She turned around to look at him.
"It's a hell no." she said smiling.
"Ouch!" Nathan said. "You're coming tomorrow to the meeting with the Easts, right?"
"Of course. See you there." she said before disappearing inside the house. Nathan looked at the house for a while and then sped off. He knew they had made the right decision but it still made him a little bit sad. Sure, they had been horrible when they were dating, but at least they had been dating. He looked at the passenger seat and noticed Haley's basketball there. He smiled when he remembered her making fun of Tim. She was different from every girl he'd ever met. Suddenly, all sad thoughts about Peyton disappeared.
Next day, at River court
Haley, Lucas and Jake were playing ball at Rivercourt, waiting for the Wests to arrive.
They saw a car coming towards them and park behind the court. Nathan, Tim, Brooke and Lucas got out of it.
"Here we go…" Haley mumbled when the four started walking towards them.
"Good morning!" Brooke said cheerily and started shaking everyone's hands. "Brooke Davis. Nice to meet you."
"Lucas Scott. Nice to meet you too." Lucas smiled.
"And what are your names?" Brooke asked from Haley and Jake.
"Haley James." Haley said suspiciously. What was she up to?
"Jake Jaglieski." Jake said.
"Nice to meet you all. Like I said, I'm Brooke Davis. This is Nathan Scott, Tim Smith and my best friend Peyton Sawyer." Brooke said. Everyone exchanged heys.
"Ok, what's with the cheeriness?" Haley finally asked narrowing her eyes. That Brooke girl acted like there was no hatred between the Easts and the Wests.
"There's nothing wrong with being civilized. Besides, we're all going to go to the same school. We have to start to get along sooner or later." Brooke said smiling. She could've sworn she heard Haley mumble "rather later" but she wasn't sure.
"So, about this race." Haley said. She was tired of the small talk. She saw Tim stiffen. Interesting… "Have you guys thought about the time or location?" Haley asked.
"My uncle's a race car driver. He owns a race track about 50 miles from here. We can use it."
"Nice." Haley said impressed.
"When do we do this?" Lucas asked.
"How about tonight?" Nathan asked. Lucas glanced at Haley. They were both thinking about the same thing. They hadn't fixed the car yet and they needed at least a week to do it.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Haley said.
"And why's that? Does your driver need practise? Well, he should 'cause our rocks!" Nathan said. Lucas noticed that Tim was standing there looking really uncomfortable.
"No, we don't need any practise." Lucas said.
"Then why not race tonight?" Nathan challenged.
"Just think about it." Haley said. "School starts on Monday. Every cop in town will be on duty tonight because it's the last Saturday before the schools officially unite. They are expecting parties, fights and accidents. If they see a huge amount of cars driving outside Tree Hill, they'll be there before we can even start the race. Trust me, we can't race this weekend. It'll be too risky." Haley finished.
"I think she's right." Peyton said. "Next weekend might be too early too. Schools have just started and they're expecting us to get crazy 'cause it's the first weekend."
"So, how about the weekend after that?" Jake asked.
"Fine by us." Nathan said.
"Us too." Haley said.
"Prepare to lose!" Tim said excited.
"Tim, no need to get like that. Remember, we are civilized." Brooke said and smiled sweetly at the Easts. A little too sweetly for Haley's taste.
"Yeah, Tim. Behave." Nathan said.
"So, any chance on telling us who your racer is?" Brooke suddenly asked with a smile.
"Hell no. But if you want to tell us yours, go ahead." Lucas said and smiled.
"I don't think so." Peyton said.
"So, the identities of the racers stay a secret." Jake said.
"That's right." Nathan said and quickly glanced at Tim.
"So, what are you guys planning on doing tonight?" Brooke suddenly asked from the Easts.
"What? Why?" Haley asked suspiciously. She couldn't help but feel really uncomfortable around Brooke.
"No reason. I just thought that you guys might have some plans since it's the last chance to party before school starts." Brooke said.
"We're getting wasted at Haley's house. It's a tradition. She brings the booze, we bring the food." Lucas said and pointed at him and Jake.
"So, it's just gonna be you guys?" Brooke asked.
"Yeah, why?" Lucas asked.
"Nathan's having his annual end of the summer -party. You guys should come." Brooke said.
"We'll pass." Haley said and smiled a fake smile.
"See, Brooke. I told you they didn't have the balls to come." Nathan whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.
"You know what? Count us in!" Lucas said. Haley turned to look at him with a death glare.
"Fantastic! It's at Nathan's beach house. You know where Hampton Drive is?"
"Yeah, Haley and I run there a lot." Lucas said.
"House number 15. Just follow the noise. The party starts at 8. See you there!" Brooke said and left with the other three.
As soon as the Wests were gone, Haley smacked Lucas on the back of his head.
"What the hell was that!" Haley asked angrily.
"Relax, Hales. This is a good thing."
"How can partying with the enemy be a good thing?" Haley asked.
"We have to get to know them. Make sure they don't try to screw us over in any way. And maybe in the process we might even find out who their racer is. Though after today I'm pretty sure who it is." Lucas said.
"Tim." Haley said and Lucas nodded.
"Did you see how nervous he got every time we mentioned the race?" Jake asked.
"We gotta be careful when we're around the Wests. They are also trying to find out who our racer is. They can't find out that it's you." Lucas said.
"Don't worry. They won't." Haley said and smiled.
"We have to be really careful. We only talk about the race when we're alone. And we won't tell anyone that Haley's the racer. Not even an East. We're the only ones who know about it. No outsiders. And Haley, I know you won't like this but you shouldn't drive until the race." Lucas finished.
"What! But how am I going to test the new car?"
"When it's done, I'll test drive it. You'll be there too but I'm gonna have to be the driver. Haley, we can't risk them seeing you drive a race car." Lucas said.
"This sucks! But you're right. Doesn't mean that I like it." Haley said and smiled a little. Then she thought of something. "Hey, since I can't drive that means one of you is going to have to stay sober tonight." Haley said grinning. The guys groaned. Haley burst out laughing.
In Nathan's car
"So, do you think they bought the act?" Brooke asked with a devilish grin.
"Totally. You were awesome, Brooke." Nathan said.
"Thank you, thank you. Nathan, you're a genius. This whole let's-be-friends-with-them is one kick ass plan!"
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Nathan said and smirked.
"This is so sweet. We'll get to know them, find out who their racer is, learn his weakness and use it against him." Brooke said excited.
"You guys are cruel." Peyton said from the backseat where she was sitting next to Brooke.
"Oh, come on Peyton. You want to beat them just as much as we want to." Nathan said.
"Actually, no I don't. I really don't even care about this race."
"Oh really, then why did you come with us today?" Brooke asked. Peyton didn't say anything. She did care about the race but she just didn't want anyone to get hurt.
"That's what I thought. You're just like we are." Brooke said.
"No, I'm not. I don't wanna see anyone get hurt." Peyton said quietly.
"No one's gonna get hurt. You may not wanna be like us, but you are one of us. They are trying to do these exact same things to us but only the other side can win. It's either us or them." Brooke paused for a second. "And I choose us."
"So, are you with us?" Tim asked.
"Of course I am." she said. Brooke screamed happily and hugged Peyton.
"Good! I knew you weren't gonna leave us." Brooke said happily.
"That was quite a little speech you just gave me." Peyton said smiling.
"Why, thank you! But you know what the coolest thing is? They totally think that Tim is our racer!" Tim turned to look at Brooke.
"They do? But I was so nervous that they wouldn't think it's me."
"That's the reason they think it's you!" Brooke said excited.
"Huh?"
"Ah, nothing man. Just do what you do!" Nathan said and high-fived Tim.
"So, tonight our mission is to get to know the Easts a little bit better." Brooke said.
"We shouldn't just focus on Lucas but also Jake and that Haley girl." Nathan said.
"Why them?" Peyton asked.
"I think Jake has more power in the group then he thinks he does. He's like their emotional leader." Nathan explained.
"Why Haley?" Brooke asked.
"Little Ms. James has wrapped Lucas around her finger. The best way to mess with one's mind is to find one's weakness. And Lucas Scott's weakness is Haley James. We're not sure if Lucas is the racer but if he is, we can definitely work on the situation." Nathan ended. Plus, he didn't mind getting to know the girl a bit better.
"I'm sure they are going to be extremely cautious around us so right now all we can do is get to know them. And that's what tonight is for. Getting to know the enemy." Brooke said.
"You're right." Nathan said while dropping off the girls at Peyton's house where they were going to get ready for the party.
"See you tonight, Nate." Brooke said.
"Yeah, see ya there. Come early!" he said.
"Ok, we'll be there by six." Brooke said before slamming the door shut and running inside the house with Peyton. Nathan turned to look at Tim.
"Tonight's gonna rock."
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-Fes