Author- Emily-Grace Mendes (Brookebynature)

Disclaimer- I own none of the characters, only this story.

A/N- Sorry it's taken such a while to update, but here we are, so with a huge thankyou to you reviewers, and without further ado, here's the fourth chapter. please review xxx

Play The Game

Play Dirty

She could feel him staring at her from his locker, hiding behind whatever book he was holding. She was surprised he was even holding a book, it might not have gone with his image. Yet still he was, but she wasn't going to talk to him. That would make it look like she liked him, and he couldn't think that. Neither could anyone else, including herself.

"So you're just going to ignore me then?" His warm breath was against her neck, giving her that familiar tingling feeling, as if her skin might melt away.

She shrugged, trying to remove the dimpled smile form her face, the smile that he couldn't see.

"What do you want me to say to you?"

Lucas let a smile play along his lips as he watched Brooke's fingers grip her pink folder tighter.

"Maybe how good I was the other night…." He waited for some kind of reaction, but received nothing, so continued. "Maybe you'll answer my question?"

"And what question would that be?" Her eyes met his this time, and that was when she realised he was going to be serious. He didn't seem to have that smirk on his face which she had begun to think was a permanent fixture.

"Do you wanna go out sometime, as in……tonight?"

"So you're not playing hard to get any more?"

"Babe" Lucas rolled his eyes at her "I think that was you."

The bell chose to ring at that exact moment, giving Brooke two options. She could either give him an answer there and then, or she could walk away, keeping him guessing. She chose the latter.

"Still playing huh?" Lucas called to her down the hallway as he shrugged to himself. He didn't need to wait for her, there were other girls that wanted him just as much, if not more than Brooke did. Lucas Scott didn't wait for anyone.

----

She sat there, all the way through fourth period chewing her pen so much that her mouth had actually started to ache. Still, deliberating about whether or not to go out with Lucas that night was more important than learning about the French Revolution. Brooke had no interest in that.

He ignored her last period, sitting there in her desk, only inches away from him, close enough to hear him breathing, just as he was with her. And it was becoming increasingly hard for her not to talk to him, especially when she looked at the clock and saw there was another half an hour left of the lesson.

Lucky she'd carpooled with Peyton that morning, otherwise her shoes may have gotten wet, due to the light drizzle that was falling outside. Her car was still in the garage, the mechanic had told her that it needed a new filter pump, whatever the hell that was.

When the bell finally rung, signalling the end of school, Lucas got up from his desk without so much as a second glance back towards the brunette, who was now beginning to really regret her decision to walk away. She had no idea why she couldn't have just told him that she'd be ready for him to pick her up at seven, but it seemed impossible for the words to leave her mouth. Still, he'd told her that he knew they'd be in bed together again, and Brooke didn't doubt that.

It was just that this time, she felt a little different. A little self-conscious even. She knew she liked him.

----

Brooke lay on her bed, a book in her hands, some novel they'd been given to read as an English homework assignment. But she couldn't read. She kept thinking that she should be with Lucas right now, doing….well….him.

Her shoes were by the door, practically begging her to put them on. She could just go visit him at home, they didn't have to go out. It would be a casual visit. But Brooke didn't do casual.

Still, she walked the short distance to his home, the one with the huge driveway, the one which oozed money, status. The one home in Tree Hill that was better than hers.

Brooke knocked, but there was no answer, still, spying his car by the basketball net, she tried the handle, making her way inside when she found it wasn't locked.

"Is anyone home?" she called, her raspy voice filling the otherwise silent house.

Had there been an answer, Brooke might have continued a little cautiously, perhaps in fear of meeting someone she didn't know how to act around. No that was stupid. Brooke Davis knew exactly how to act around everyone.

Still, since there was no answer, Brooke took it as her cue to enter without hesitation, making sure to take in the details of Lucas' house as she made her way through. She noted the hard wood floors and the duckegg blue walls, accompanied by many hi-tech gadgets she would have no idea how to work. Things like that didn't interest Brooke, the only things she needed to know how to work were her car, cell phone and most importantly, her body.

Upon hearing what seemed to be voices upstairs, Brooke turned her attentions to the landing, and the giant staircase leading up to it. The more time she spent in this house, the more jealous she became. It wasn't like she was poor, but Brooke had always been known to have the most money in Tree Hill. Here, money equalled power, and when Brooke had power, she knew she could do anything. Now here was Lucas with his bigger house and more expensive car. She knew it was only a matter of time before he took over her status. After all, he'd been here a few days, and he'd already conquered Nathan.

----

"Lucas are you…oh my God!" Brooke shut that door as fast as she could, racing downstairs before he could catch up with her.

A sweaty and breathless Peyton lay in Lucas' bed as he pulled on some jeans over his naked body, a body that Brooke would have been very glad to find undressed had it not been on top of her best friend.

"Brooke wait up!"

He didn't expect her to shout 'go to Hell' like she had, but then again, Brooke Davis was unpredictable. Lucas debated going after her, to find out why she seemed to be so upset. But he decided against it.

He couldn't possibly be seen as the nice guy. He had to get revenge on Nathan for the other night. Peyton could help him achieve that.

He had to play dirty.