Chapter Eight

Haley struggled to get the room key out of her jean shorts pocket as she tried to balance the other objects in her hands. She was holding the dress of Brooke's she had borrowed and a pair of nude heels to match, as well as a bag full of make-up and accessories. Once she finally figured out a position in which the things in her hand wouldn't fall, she awkwardly slipped her room key into the slot in the door and pushed her way in.

"Hello?" Came a deep voice from within the room. "Who's that?"

"Oh, Jake. It's Haley." Haley replied, forgetting that Jake wouldn't be expecting her to come back. "Sorry, do you need to come back later?"

Jake jogged up to the door to meet her. "No, don't worry. Come in."

"Thanks." Haley said as Jake helped her rest some of the things she was carrying on the ground.

"I just thought I'd come back here to get ready for tonight as it is our room until we switch again. Sorry, I forgot to ask you." Haley explained to Jake.

"No need to ask! It's your room as well." Jake replied with a smile. "I'm really sorry about last night by the way, I didn't mean for you to be the one to get kicked out."

"Thanks Jake, but don't be sorry." Haley returned the smile. "Okay, well if you're not using the bathroom do you mind if I do?"

"Go for it." Jake replied. "I've already had my shower and gotten dressed for the night. I'm all set."

Haley groaned and rolled her eyes simultaneously. "Eugh. That's so unfair. Boys have it so easy."

She only got a laugh in reply from Jake before she shut the bathroom door.

About two hours later, Haley had finally finished making herself up and was sitting on the bed with Jake watching some really bad movie that they were making fun of.

"Seriously? They think that looks real?" Haley laughed as she watched a dinosaur rip off a person's head with extremely bad editing.

"All I can say is I'm glad we are living in the twenty first century now." Jake laughed in response.

They heard a knock on the door.

"Haaaley! Ready for a night on the mean streets of DC!" Brooke muffled, excited voice came from behind the door.

Haley laughed as she swung it open. "Since when are the streets of DC mean?"

"Well, as soon as Brooke arrives in a place nothing stays nice." Peyton sarcastically replied with a grin.

"Hey!" Brooke slapped Peyton on the arm before eyeing up Haley. "Tutor girl, you look bitchin'!"

"Brooke, please don't say bitchin'." Peyton said with a look of pain.

"Why not?" Brooke asked. "Cut off the last syllable and it's the only word on earth that describes you!"

Peyton rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress her laugh. "You do look amazing though, Haley."

"Thanks." Haley smiled. "You guys too."

As always, Peyton and Brooke looked immaculate. Haley envied them for that and always felt like she didn't fit in when she'd walk into places with them. She never saw herself as half as beautiful as they were. Brooke had her hair down and was in a short blue dress that to Haley's surprise wasn't nearly as tight as the ones she usually wore. Peyton was in a figure hugging green number that accentuated her ridiculously long legs.

"It's a pity we aren't going to a costume party." Brooke remarked. "We could have gone together as Mother Nature in our colours. Me as the sea in my blue, Peyton as the trees and grass in green and Haley as the earth and sand in nude."

"Thank god we aren't going to a costume party." Peyton retorted. "Because that would have been highly embarrassing."

"Oh, shut up." Brooke responded before walking into the hotel room. "Hey Jake."

"Hey Brooke." Jake replied politely. "Hey Peyton."

"Hey." Peyton smiled.

"So," Brooke began as she bounced down on the bed. "What's happening again?"

"I'm meeting Cam at his room and we're going from there." Haley replied. "Are we all going in a bus together or what?"

"No, you have to make your own way there." Jake answered. "Gigi said something about it being too obvious that we were going to a club if we all went together, so just taxi's I think."

"Okay, Peyton we are going to have to go and find a couple of guys off the team who can pay for our taxi ride for us." Brooke said with a look of determination, getting up from the bed.

"Wait, no." Haley stopped her. "Just come with me and Cam."

"Tutor Girl." Brooke said. "No, you guys should have alone time. Besides, if we ride with you we'll have to pay our share!"

Peyton laughed and gave Haley a sympathetic look as Brooke dragged her out the door. "Sorry."

Haley gave her a small smile in return and waved them goodbye.

"See you there, Tutor Girl!" Brooke yelled before the door slammed.

Haley stared at the door for a moment before a thought popped into her head.

"Do you want to come with us?" Haley asked, turning to Jake.

"Oh, I don't want to get in the way..."Jake said.

"No, please. You won't." Haley gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll go get Cam now. We can just meet out the front. I'll text you."

"Sounds good." Jake grinned. "Thanks Haley."

"No problem."

"Just a second!" Haley heard Cam's voice yell from within the room.

A moment later, the blonde boy opened the door with a wide grin.

"Hey." He said, looking her up and down. "You look great."

"Thank you." Haley smiled. "So do you."

Cam was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a fitted blue shirt with his blonde hair gelled slightly. He looked good. Haley smiled to herself.

"You ready to go?" She asked.

"Yeah, definitely." Cam replied grabbing his phone and wallet off the bench before returning to the door. "Let's go."

"Jake's going to ride in the taxi with us. He's waiting downstairs. Hope you don't mind." Haley said, noticing Cam's face falling slightly before his mouth returning to a grin.

"That's fine." He replied, resting his hand on her hip as he guided her into the lift. "I'm looking forward to tonight."

"Yeah." Haley replied, trying to muster up her enthusiasm. "Me too."

The music blaring from within the club could be heard out on the street. Haley, Cam and Jake had been waiting in line for at least half an hour but were finally nearing the entrance to the nightclub. Haley searched the line for Brooke and Peyton, but the only familiar faces she saw were a few of those from the basketball team and Jessica, the head cheerleader.

"Haley, turn around." Cam said. "We're at the front."

Haley whipped her head around, relieved to finally be at the front of the line. The moment the bouncer laid his eyes on her he nodded.

"Yep, you can go in." The bouncer moved out of the way to let her through without bothering to check for her ID, but stopped Cam and Jake. "Not you two."

"They're with me." Haley replied.

The bouncer looked momentarily at Haley before turning back to the boys. "Alright, but let me see your ID's."

Cam and Jake immediately had their fake ID's in front of the bouncer's face. He stared at them questioningly for a moment before begrudgingly moving aside.

"Alright, you can go in."

"Thanks." Cam replied.

Haley smiled at him as he took her hand as they entered the club. Nathan never had the courtesy to thank people for doing minor things for him.

As soon as they entered, Haley immediately caught sight of Brooke on the dance floor in her navy dress, dancing with some random guy.

"Drinks?" Cam asked her.

"Sure." Haley replied, scanning the room while he went off to get them something. Jake quickly disappeared into the masses of people.

A familiar scent of cologne filled Haley's nose. She looked to her right, in the direction the smell was coming from, to see Nathan glide past with his usual entourage lagging behind him. Haley mentally cursed.

Don't notice him, Haley. But God, does he have to make it so difficult for me not to look at him?

In typical Nathan Scott style, he looked flawless. Yet, Haley knew it would have taken him exactly fifteen seconds to get ready.

God, he's frustrating.

She tried not to dwell on the fact that he had walked right by without even noticing her.

"Here you go." Cam grinned as he handed her a pink cocktail. He spotted Nathan and his cronies.

"Hey look, the others are here."

"Yeah." Haley feigned a smile. Please God, no.

To Haley's dismay, Cam took her hand and led her in the direction of the group.

Lucas was first to notice them. "Cam, Haley! You made it."

Haley smiled at Lucas as he pulled her in for a hug. She took the chance to momentarily glance at Nathan, who had his back turned to the group. He had still failed to notice her. Haley felt a twinge in her stomach. She peered behind him to see him talking to a group of girls. Another twinge.

Lucas and Haley withdrew from their hug, but Lucas kept his arm around her shoulder. It was like he always knew when something was bothering her; sometimes he even did it subconsciously. Either way, Haley was grateful.

"You ready for the game tomorrow?" Haley asked Lucas, but got a response from the entire group.

"You know it!"

"They don't stand a chance."

"Oh yeah!"

Haley laughed.

"I'm sure your pre-game cheer will get us in the mood." Cam winked at her and the boys hooted and nodded in agreement.

"Sometimes I think I play basketball just for the cheerleaders." Simon quipped.

In the midst of the laughter, Haley couldn't help but look back towards Nathan. Instantly, she felt her stomach give in and the twinge from before turned into a violent rush of pain. And anger. And jealousy. It was that same feeling Haley had experienced almost a year ago in the midst of one of Tree Hill High's infamous parties. It consumed her completely, and then infuriated her.

Releasing herself from Lucas's hold, Haley took hold of Cam's hand. It was the only thing she could think of to make herself feel better. She had done the same thing the last time she saw Nathan making out with another girl.

Without hesitating, Haley put her hand behind Cam's neck and pulled him in for a searing kiss. It was definitely the best one she'd ever given him. She needed it to be.

The boys around them started hooting and whistling.

"Oh, come on." James whined. "That's not fair. Why can't that ever happen to me?"

Nathan removed himself from the girls face. Looking back at her, he hardly even noticed what she looked like. He spun around at the sound of the guys whistling.

"What the hell's happening?" He asked as he turned.

Before anyone could say anything, he found the answer for himself. There she was. Blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, nude coloured dress, high heels, sucking the face of his teammate. His teammate who if he didn't hate him before, he now loathed with everything in him. She knew how mad this would make him. She was doing it on purpose.

Nathan purposely let the beer he was holding in his hand slip out and fall to the ground. The glass bottle shattered with a deafening noise as it collided with the floor. Everyone immediately stopped laughing and turned their heads Nathan's way. Haley and Cam stopped kissing and looked over too. Before Haley knew it, Nathan was pushing past her with his eyes ablaze.

She knew he cared.

"What the hell?" Haley heard one of the guys ask as Nathan stormed away.

"He's probably just mad he dropped his beer."

A few others nodded in agreement, including Cam. But Haley knew that was far from the real reason he had stormed off to be alone. Stop it, Haley. You don't care.

Nathan quickly got himself another beer at the bar then disappeared into a dark hallway of the club. He roughly screwed the lid off the beer and chugged down a massive gulp. He leant the back of his head against the wall as he tried to calm himself down. He tried to clear his head, help him not think about it. But it only made him think about the year earlier.

Nathan walked through the masses of people occupying his beach house, looking for a girl who could help solve his problems. He had to show Haley he was over it and he didn't care. He had to convince himself of it too.

Finally, he spotted a familiar redhead near the staircase. Perfect, he thought. Rachel Gatina. Haley absolutely hates her and she's always wanted me.

Nathan walked up to her confidently and gave her his signature smirk.

"It's your lucky night Gatina." Nathan said as the redhead eyed him.

"And why's that?" Rachel replied, leaning in to him.

"You finally get a taste of what you've been begging for over the past year." He replied. Rachel's eyes widened and then she smirked. As much as she wanted this, she never expected him to go for it.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist."

She quickly latched her lips onto his while the people around them stared in shock. Nobody had been expecting that. Girls threw dirty looks their way. Even guys thought it was wrong. The party fell silent as everybody watched what they thought to be impossible occurring.

Across the room, her brown eyes caught sight of them. Her stomach lurched and she tried to pinch herself. This had to be a dream. No, it was actually happening. Haley felt the tears well up in her eyes and suddenly felt the weight of everybody staring at her, waiting for what her reaction would be. She quickly blinked the tears away and changed her shocked expression to one that was a mix of anger and determination. She waited silently until she saw Nathan pull away from Rachel. She then quickly searched the room for somebody who Nathan hated. It had to be someone he hated more than she hated Rachel, if that were possible. She had to show him just how much she didn't care. He thought she was playing, but he was wrong.

It was then she spotted Damien West standing by the bathroom door.

Perfect.