Author- Emily-Grace Mendes (Brookebynature)

Disclaimer- I don't own the characters or the show. Only this story

A/N- Big thank you to everyone who reviewed, though there weren't as many this time :( Hope you enjoy this, there's only two more chapters to go after this one. xxx

Play The Game

Play Because You Want To

"You want Nathan" Brooke poked Haley in the side as they walked to the gymnasium in order to get in a little cheerleading practise before detention.

"I do not!"

"Oh you so do" Brooke giggled. "And he wants you."

"He doesn't want me Brooke." Haley argued "He wants to sleep with Peyton."

"That's just a cover up." The brunette replied as she swung her gym bag over her shoulder to prevent it from falling. "I can tell, he really wants you. You were his answer in that stupid truths game yesterday."

"Yeah well that was his answer to who would he 'do' and like you said, it was a stupid game. He's a jerk anyway."

"Newsflash, all guys are jerks Haley. Didn't you ever have a boyfriend at your old school?"

Haley shook her head. "I didn't really care, boys only like cheerleaders."

"And here's your chance!" Brooke exclaimed as she saw Nathan and Tim approaching. "You're a cheerleader now."

"Looking good babe." Nathan nodded to Haley as the girls passed.

"You're looking good too Brooke." Tim told her "Maybe we should get together some time."

"We're out of your league." Brooke returned quickly, grabbing Haley's arm to drag her even faster along the walkway to the gym.

"What the hell did you say that for?" Haley asked Brooke when the guys were out of ear shot. "If that was my chance, you blew it."

"This coming from someone who's never had a boyfriend before." Brooke cocked her head to one side as Haley frowned. "You've got to treat them a little mean, make them want more."

"But that seems stupid." Haley argued. "If he likes me and I like him.."

"Ha! I knew you liked him." Brooke pointed her finger at the girl in front of her who had been smoothing down her skirt ever since she saw Nathan approaching.

"Okay so maybe I do, but I'm not gonna play all these stupid games."

"They're not stupid." Brooke replied, growing increasingly annoyed with Haley's smoothing of her skirt.

"Where did yesterday get you with Lucas?"

"That's different."

"How?"

Brooke was at a loss for a response, but felt that familiar sting when she saw the subject of their conversation shooting hoops in the gym- something he shouldn't have been doing considering Brooke had declared emergency cheer practise earlier that day.

"Ladies." he nodded coldly toward Brooke, and made the ball glide effortlessly through the hoop as they both looked on.

"We have practise now." Haley told him after having glanced at Brooke and noticed the slightly nervous look on her face.

"Well I'm quite happy to watch." he smirked as he grabbed the ball and turned to face them, winking at an unsuspecting Brooke.

"That's not gonna happen."

"I like your new cheerleader." Lucas stated. "At least she's honest."

Brooke narrowed her eyes at the blonde-haired boy who still had a smirk on his face. It seemed to be a trademark of the Scott family.

"That's a rare thing to come across these days."

"I was honest with you Lucas." Brooke spat, clenching her hands.

"Yeah" He shook his head, lightly chuckling. "When someone else found out the truth."

"Look we have practise and Brooke booked the gym, so can you just leave?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows- something she realised that she had picked up from her friend after spending just a few days with her.

Lucas held his hand up as he looked at the two girls. "Alright I'm going."

----

Unfortunately, the fact that tonight was game night did not seem to get the biology class off detention, and as it finished at 5, they didn't have long to get ready. There was a party afterwards, as there always was, and Brooke had decided that this was the time for Haley to get Nathan, and for her to get even with Lucas.

"I can't be at the game tonight." Haley told Brooke as they left the classroom. "My mom grounded me for getting detention."

"What!?"

"I'm sorry."

"Please tell me you're kidding."

"I wish." Haley replied "I really did want to go."

"You know there's a party afterwards right?" Brooke asked.

"So?"

"So this could be the night where you get Nathan."

Haley shook her head. "It's not going to happen."

"You want to cheer tonight right?"

"Yeah but…"

"And you want to go to the party?"

"Yes but I'm gro…"

"Well then we'll just have to sneak you out."

"I think my Mom's going to notice if she comes into my room and finds that I'm not there." Haley said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at brunette, another habit she'd picked up.

"If that happens, we'll think of a plan, but right now, you're coming to mine to get ready."

"But…"

"No buts, come on."

Luckily Brooke had her car today, so didn't have to face the embarrassment of having to walk, or worse still, ask for a lift. Haley trudged alongside her as they made their way to her powder blue beetle parked back in her favourite spot beside the tree.

----

"You know that my Mom is going to find out, and when she does, she'll probably kill me right?" Haley's eyes widened as Brooke held up various outfits from her closet, trying to decide firstly what she would be wearing to the after-game party, and secondly, what Haley would be wearing.

"I've told you, We'll think of a plan when we need to. Right now, we need to get these outfits sorted."

"Brooke I can't fit into any of your clothes! They're like a size zero, and besides, we're going to be late."

"FYI I am never later to anything, and I'm not a size zero." She rolled her eyes. "I wish."

"Well we'd better hurry up and if you think I'm wearing that shirt, think again."

Brooke feigned horror and threw a different shirt at Haley who was now dramatically shaking her head as she laid on the bed. "It's a cute shirt."

"Yeah, cute if you have boobs."

"You've got boobs Haley." Brooke tried to make her feel better but ended up giggling. "You can have some of mine, they're getting too big for their own good."

"I guess mine beat Peyton's huh?" Haley joined in the laughing.

"Even Nathan's beat Peyton's."

----

After finally settling on a low cut green silk top teamed with dark wash jeans and heels for herself, Brooke helped Haley decide on a plum coloured top and jeans too, only she'd teamed hers with boots and a long necklace, as Brooke had said it would draw Nathan's eyes to her chest, because in fact, she did have a decent rack under that bra.

Haley had replied that she didn't want Nathan to just look at her boobs, but Brooke had said it was nonsense, and that when they slept together, of course he'd be looking at her boobs. And that had freaked Haley out a little to say the least.

"I hope you're cheering for me babe." Nathan winked at Haley as the crowd roared and the team entered the gym.

Brooke rolled her eyes, but smiled a little as she watched Haley's gaze follow him down the court.

"I'll be cheering for you Luke." Peyton smirked as he winked at her, and Brooke's smile faltered.

"Glad to hear it."

She felt Haley's hand give her own a little squeeze as they began cheering. "I'm fine" Brooke muttered, silently vowing to get revenge, or at least, so something about the situation at the party later that night.

----

Drinks were flowing easily as Brooke and Haley walked into Nathan's beach house, the scene of many parties over the past year, and many to follow. Brooke made her way to the kitchen, dragging Haley along with her who was still getting used to the activities these people were used to after school, and also, worrying about what her Mom was going to say or do to her when she got home.

"How about a drink for the star shooting guard?" Nathan asked Haley, who was pouring herself a cola with no vodka.

"Where is Lucas then?" Peyton chipped in "I'll go get him one."

Haley rolled her eyes and Nathan chuckled as she handed him a beer. "You were good tonight."

"Babe" Nathan paused, taking a swig from the bottle "I'm always good."

Brooke was making her way down the beach when she spied Lucas and Peyton sat on a rock, obviously drunk from the way Peyton was laughing and Lucas' feet were dangling over the edge.

"Hey Brooke!" Someone called her form the water, and she shook off the thoughts of Lucas and Peyton, and being pregnant, or not pregnant, as the case was.

"Coming!" That fake smile was plastered across her face again as she shrieked down to the waters edge, playfully splashing those who were already in the water.

----

The stereo was cranked up on high volume when she entered the house again, with many people inside dancing where the coffee table would normally have been. She was with a guy, Michael, who she been talking to down on the beach. She'd seen him before, not normally at these parties, but at school. He was on the lacrosse team and had history at the same time as her and Lucas, but Brooke hadn't spoken to him much before.

Still, tonight things were different, and if she wanted to get back at Lucas, she needed another guy to do it with, and since Nathan was off limits due to whatever the hell was going on between him and Haley, Michael would do. Besides, he was good-looking and had a nice body underneath his shirt, which was slightly damp due to being too near the water's edge when Brooke had started off a splash-fest.

"You wanna dance?" Brooke whispered huskily in his ear, holding eye contact with Lucas as she did so. If he could rub it in her face about Peyton, then she could do the same.

"Sure" he nodded and let Brooke lead him into the dance floor, just as Peyton asked Lucas the same question.

They too, joined the coupled who were grinding up against each other, girls clad in short skirts and low cut tops, and guys with jeans on, most shirtless. Brooke found a smile creep across her face as she felt Lucas' eyes on her writhing body, but she just moved closer to Michael, happy to feel that she was having some effect on both guys.

"She's going to get hurt." Haley muttered to nobody in particular, but found that Nathan had heard her.

"She knows what she's doing."

"I don't think she does." She replied.

"This is what it's like Haley." Nathan told her. "It's not a fairy tale like the movies, you don't find the person you're going to marry in high school. That's not how it works."

"Why the games though? Why not just admit to liking someone?"

"It's more fun this way."

She watched him walk away to the centre of the living room, immediately being pulled into what could be described as the dance floor by girls who swayed their hips around him.

More fun for who? Haley wondered as she watched the action from her space in the kitchen. She was safe there, nobody could drag her to an upstairs bedroom or to go skinning dipping in the sea. They couldn't make her grind up against the rest of them, growing sweatier as the crowd pushed closer together. Here, she could watch.

It was when Lucas left for the bathroom, that Peyton grabbed Nathan, pulling him towards her by his open blue shirt. He looked back quickly at the girl who he had left stood alone in the kitchen, and when she caught his eye, she grabbed a bottle of beer, popping the top and taking a huge swig.

Brooke was right, sometimes you did need alcohol.

And when Lucas returned to find Peyton grinding up against Nathan, he looked over to Brooke, who was already leading Michael to the staircase, his hands tangling in her wavy hair as she held his lips against hers, their breathing becoming increasingly ragged as she felt with her hands for the banister rail.

----

Haley was tipsy when Brooke grabbed her hand, slurring that they should have a girly sleepover that night.

"We have school in the morning Brooke."

"So?"

"So I think I should go home, I'm in enough trouble as it is."

"You can't leave me Haley." She stuttered. "You're my best friend."

She then realised that Michael wasn't anywhere around, but that he and Brooke had most probably had sex. It wasn't uncommon at parties, and it certainly wasn't uncommon for Brooke, from what Haley had heard, but this time, she felt that Lucas was behind it, that he was the reason for tonight's drunken fumble.

"Where's Nathan?" Brooke asked. "Shouldn't you guys be in a bedroom right now?"

Haley shook her head "Look over there."

Brooke turned her head to where Haley was meaning, and saw a drunken Peyton snaking her hands over Nathan's shoulders, her lips dangerously close to his.

"I'm sorry Haley."

"Yeah me too."

They walked the short distance to Brooke after she had protested that Haley was likely to wake her parents up if she tried to go home, and after she'd been promised that she could ring them first thing in the morning, Haley agreed to join the brunette back at her house.

"Why'd you do it Brooke?" She asked as they lay underneath the cotton sheets.

"Do what?"

"With Michael tonight. Why not just tell Lucas you like him?"

"I had to get back at him."

"For what?"

"For what he did to me. For not listening, for being with Peyton all night."

"Don't you think it's gone too far?"

"It's all just a game Haley." Brooke tried to reason.

"But you're loosing Brooke! Can't you see that? Why are you still playing?"

"Because I want to okay? Because I want to get even with Peyton, I want to get back at Lucas, and I wanted Michael."

"So you've had him. What now?"

"I keep playing."

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