Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter. They really meant a lot. I hope this chapter is okay. Please Read and Review.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of the characters and such.

Bold face is reality with Haley in a coma, Normal is the dream world, and Italics are the thoughts

The next installment of the story shall now begin, in a one bedroom apartment's bathroom.

Intent on Noticing the Unnoticeable

"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" Haley repeatedly yelled in the apartment's bathroom the next morning as she and Brooke got ready for school.

"Tutor-Girl, are you okay???" Brooke ran into the bathroom to see Haley staring in the mirror with a frantic expression, holding her hair up. Brooke resisted her first impulse to laugh, "Is that a hickey Haley!?!?"

"I'm pretty sure it is Brooke….Gah, how could this happen?!" Haley dropped her hair and placed her hands on the sink, she stared down into the drain.

"Well it usually happens when a boy and a girl get really into maki-"

"BROOKE! I know how a hickey happens! I mean, how could I have been so stupid?" Haley looked back up at Brooke's reflection in the bathroom mirror, a hint of desperation in her eyes.

Brooke's face went serious, "You think making out with the guy you love most of all is a stupid thing?" The night before when both had returned to the apartment they reached a silent agreement to not discuss what Brooke and Lucas had seen, but Brooke decided this could be her only opportunity.

"I don't love Nathan." Haley inwardly winced, always and forever.

"That's not what your new lyrics said."

"What are you talking about?" Haley spun around to face Brooke.

"I saw the piece of paper where you wrote a new song. You want Nathan to come back, you still love him."

"Brooke! How could you go through my stuff??"

"It was on the floor, in MY apartment. It's not like you had it hidden under your bed!" Brooke fibbed slightly, she didn't want to seem stalkerish for looking in the trash.

"Like all those letters to Lucas?"

Brooke faltered. She quickly regained herself and asked the question Haley had asked seconds before, "What are you talking about?"

"You've been writing Lucas letters for a while now. You're still in love with him, but are too scared to admit it!"

"You hypocrite! You're getting mad at me for looking at something on thefloor when you went through the stuff under my bed!"

"No Brooke, I see you writing them when you think I'm asleep. You fell asleep writing one once, I saw it and figured out all the letters were to him!"

There was silence as the two just stared at each other. Brooke broke the silence and quietly said, "I guess we're both in pretty screwed up situations. We both love guys that have broken our hearts and we're too scared to admit it."

"I guess so."

Brooke smiled a little, she didn't deny that she loves Nathan! "Here let me help you with your make-up. I got to be an expert at this freshman year."

After a few minutes the hickey on Haley's neck was completely covered, someone could only tell anything was different if they stared intently at Haley's neck.

During the class that they have together Haley was staring straight ahead, she couldn't deal with looking at Nathan and remembering the day before. Nathan, on the other hand, couldn't stop staring at her out of the corner of his eye.

There's something different about her…What? His eyes carefully scanned her, he knew her so well that he knew there was something slightly different, but couldn't figure out what exactly. Then the teacher must've said something complicated because Haley pushed her hair, which was down today, behind her shoulder. Nathan knew she did this while thinking hard, he looked at her neck and noticed something: Is that spot off color a little? Despite trying to stay subtle Nathan now completely turned towards Haley, and stared intently at her neck. It is off color! Why would she need to put that much make up on her neckNathan actually began to turn red as soon as he realized what would make a girl put a lot of make up on their neck. He turned and faced the front as Haley glanced at him, finally realizing that he was staring at her. She saw his slightly red face and she noticed her hair was pushed back, exposing her neck. Haley herself turned a deep shade of red and faced the front of the room again.

"Nathan and Haley, will you please explain to the class what exactly you two shared that made you both start blushing?" The new teacher, who both Nathan and Haley had grown to dislike, asked them.

"Uhh…" Nathan said, I gave Haley a hickey in our hot make-out session in the gym yesterday.

"I'm waiting." Neither said anything more, "Well since you two can't share with the class what it was that you both find rather interesting you get to share some quality time with me in detention this afternoon."

"I have basketball practice! The championship is this weekend!" Nathan protested, I've never heard of a teacher getting mad about 2 of her students blushing before!

"Well you should've thought of that before you and Haley shared an inside joke during my class."

Haley knew how much basketball meant to Nathan and without thinking blurted out, "We didn't share an inside joke!"

"Well what was it you shared?"

"Um…You see…Yesterday, Nathan and I, we-"

"She tutored me yesterday and I was too embarrassed to admit it." Nathan didn't know why he felt the need to protect Haley.

"As you should be Mr. Scott. Well, now that the whole class knows their 'hero' is an idiot, shall we continue?"

The teacher had buried her own grave then, nobody called Nathan an idiot in Tree Hill without suffering consequences. The class began to hurl insults at her throughout the rest of the hour causing the teacher to get very angry and blame it on Nathan and Haley. Just a few minutes before the bell she sent Nathan and Haley to the principal's office.

"That may be true, but you love Lucas too Peyton." Jake said cautiously, desperately trying to keep his hopes from rising.

"And you love Jenny too."

"Jenny is my daughter Peyton, it's not the same."

"I've come to realize something Jake…If you were in the hospital I would make myself go see you, I would get over my fear of people dying in hospitals for you… I can't do that for Lucas… I want to be with you."

Jake glanced up, simply staring at Peyton, refusing to believe her words.

"Peyton…." Jake pulled his girlfriend into a dark corner of the hallway.

"Hey sexy," Peyton said with a small smile before kissing Jake lightly on the lips.

She pulled back and gave Jake a seductive smile. He, on the other hand, kept his serious expression and said, "I think you should tell people to give Haley a break."

Peyton's smile suddenly disappeared, "What?"

"She's not a bad person and she feels bad for what she did!"

"Just because someone feels bad doesn't change what they did."

"That mindset doesn't give room for people to grow and fix their mistakes!"

"It also doesn't allow them to worm their way back into your heart only to hurt it again."

"Everyone screws up Peyton!"

"Not as big as Haley's screw up!"

"She won't screw up as big as she did again!"

"Really? That's not what I heard Jake. I heard she's leaving again at the end of the year, the record company just wants her to get her diploma."

"So we need to convince her to stay!" Jake exclaimed, he could tell Peyton wasn't too terribly taken to this plan so he changed tactics, "You say you're doing this campaign against Haley for Nathan right?"

"Yeah because he's too whipped to ever hurt her like she did him."

"Well wouldn't Nathan be happiest if Haley stayed behind with him?"

Peyton considered this. Sure she hated Haley for what she did to Nathan, but Haley was still the one for him, there was no real doubt about that. "I'll think about giving her a break, but only because you're so damn persuasive."

"What can I say? It's a gift." Jake said, smiling, as he leaned in for another quick kiss.

"P. Sawyer!"

"I told you, only Brooke is ever allowed to call me that!" Peyton said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm sorry," a freshman girl with red hair, who referred to herself as Red, said without meaning it.

"What do you want Rachel?" Peyton asked, she was worn out, cheer practice was almost over and Brooke still hadn't shown up, which was weird. Also, Nathan hadn't shown up at basketball practice, which really confused Peyton. Since Haley's departure the only thing Nathan Scott cared about was basketball, he would never miss a practice.

"First of all, call me Red. I don't go by Rachel anymore, it sounds too good girl. Anyway, I just think you should know," Red paused, waving seductively to Lucas who had just run past to the locker room, "your boyfriend met up with someone in the tutor center yesterday."

"Um okay…we meet a lot of people in the tutor center, especially Jake since he needs extra help because of Jenny." Peyton was annoyed with this girl, all she wanted was to go home and fall asleep in Jake's arms.

"Well he wasn't getting any tutoring help if you know what I mean." Red said, desperately trying to get Peyton's undivided attention.

"You better tell me what the hell you're talking about or else," Peyton said with a threatening tone, her annoyance turning into anger.

"Jake promised Haley James he would help calm you down," Red said simply, giving up her game. She wanted to see Peyton's reaction.

Peyton's jaw dropped and she stared at Jake as he ran into the locker room to get changed, "You better be kidding."

"Nope, they had no idea I was there watching the whole thing. That bitch totally hit on him, begging him to calm you down. Jake tried his best to withstand it, but he's a guy and supposedly she gets around, so he couldn't handle it and gave in. That slut promised she would sleep with him if he got you to lay off her."

Peyton turned her head to stare at Red in disbelief only to see her get bitch slapped by Brooke, who had finally decided to make an appearance. Brooke pointed a finger in Red's face, "I believe I specifically told you to spread around that Haley is merciful, not to tell complete lies about her." Brooke glared evilly at the girl who had now inspired her wrath, "You're officially off this squad. I don't care how good you are, you're gone. You can put your uniform in Coach Durham's office tonight, we'll wash the ho off for you."

Red's jaw dropped, "You'll pay for this Brooke Davis."

"Not as much as you will Red." Rachel stalked off into the locker room to change out of her uniform for the last time. Meanwhile, Brooke turned her attention to Peyton, "You better not believe one word that lying whore said. We both knew from the beginning all she has wanted is for us to give her attention and think she's cool."

"But…Jake did ask me to be nice to Haley…"

"That's because Jakey-boy is a nice guy Peyton, he thinks we should all be nice to each other. That would be so boring, I totally wouldn't have been able to bitch Red out like I just did if we had to live like that."

"I guess you're right…."

"Of course I am, why would you ever doubt me P. Sawyer?"

"Good question…." Peyton wasn't sure to believe Brooke. Brooke had been on Haley's side since she came home after all. She decided to change the subject, "What are we going to do without Red? All our routines are meant for ten girls, not nine."

"Oh, I have an idea," Brooke said with a small smirk.