Disclaimer: Still don't own One Tree Hill.

You Cheated Me
Part #2: My Excitement and Our Project
© los angeles

-

"Cheat the earth and the earth will cheat you."

-

Haley and I stepped out of my car as we parked onto the school grounds. I hopped out of the car enthusiastically, nearly tripping as I stepped out, but managing to keep myself steady. Still, I didn't let that little mishap get to me. I hummed a nameless tune, feeling utterly ecstatic, with Haley walking besides me. She gave me a look that either screamed: a) Why're you acting like an idiot? Or b) You are an idiot. You could never really tell with Haley. I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath of the fresh, morning air.

"Isn't it a beautiful day today?" I asked with a dreamy sigh.

"What's wrong with you?"

"What ever do you mean, my best friend in the whole entire world?" I looked at her, batting my eyelashes.

"Well ever since you picked me up from my house this morning, you got all hippie on me. I mean, you told me how much you loved the sun and trees and nature like a billion times already. And we both know that Brooke Davis hates nature," she stated plainly. She was right, really. I didn't like it much. I was more of an indoor type of chick, y'know? But the occassional sunset on the beach didn't hurt much. Despite the facts, I continued to smile.

"I just had an epiphany," I said as we walked to her locker.

"An epiphany," she repeated slowly. "About…?"

"Okay, so you know how I was stuck in the room with," I let out a disgusted scoff for effect, "Lucas Scott?"

Haley chuckled. "How was that, by the way?"

-

"I think about you all the time."

-

I waved my hand in the air dismissively. "It sucked. Now, when he left, I was sitting there. And I realized two things. The first was that you were right! Lucas so likes me."

"And you're happy with that?"

"Yes!"

"I thought you were completely grossed about it?" Haley asked, opening her locker.

"Well, yeah, before I had my epiphany. The second thing I realized was that I could so use him." At her blank stare, I continued, "I know, I know. Pretty shallow, right? But look at the big picture! I cannot believe that I never thought of this before. Lucas likes me, right? And he's like, the VIP of the Scott parties. So if I could get him to think that I was into him, too, then I'm a shoo-in for an invite!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms into the air. "I know what you're thinking: This Brooke Davis is genius. I'm so glad I'm her best friend."

I picked at my nails, shining them against my shirt.

Haley laughed, shaking her head.

"I don't think this'll work out," she stated. "Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

"What can I say? I'm a very persistent person," I said.

Persistent didn't even begin to describe me. I mean, I'd been trying so hard to get into this party and here was an oppurtunity, right in front of me. Probably one of the last chances I'd ever get. I'm a junior, after all! I practically made it my life goal to get into a Scott party. And, damnit, I'm going to get into one. Lucas—he'd get over it, right? I mean there were probably a ton of girls wanting him to take 'em right now. Yeah, so I'm guessing he'd recover real fast. Popular kids always do, anyhow. Haley rolled her eyes.

"More like an idiotic person," she replied. "I'll be watching as this one fails."

"We'll see about that," I said with a cheeky smile.

My happiness still hadn't dwindled by the time our second period History class rolled around.

And, if I didn't know any better, I would've thought that Haley was getting a little bit P.O.'d by it. Fortunately, I did know better—Haley could never stay mad at me long. It was one of the perks of being best friends with a mellow fellow like Haley James. Sure, she threw sarcastic comments out here and there and she'd get annoyed with me, but never once could I ever recall my best friend being mega-beyond pissed off at me. She's pretty cool, huh?

I nestled into my seat, Haley taking hers a few seats behind me.

"Good morning class," Mr. Tyler greeted and he recieved scattered responses. "Today is the beginning of a new month. And you all know what that means, right?"

"Burrito Tuesdays, yes!" A random voice cried out. What the hell?

A few people sniggered.

Mr. Tyler raised a brow. "Um… well, okay, but no. It means that today, we'll be having another partner project!"

This time, everyone groaned.

My hands started to shake in excitement. Even though I absolutely hated the damn projects, this was absolutely perfect. It seemed like all the planets in the Solar System aligned or something because things were starting to go my way, for once It's pretty amazing, really. This is actually one of the only plans—Okay, the only plan that went even remotely right. But, hey, I wasn't complaining. Mr. Tyler took out his clipboard and went down the list, asking people whom they wanted to become their partners.

It didn't take long until he got to Davis. He looked at me. "Ah, Brooke. Who will your partner be this time? Miss James, perhaps?" he inquired.

I bit my lip. "Um, actually—no."

Mr. Tyler's brows raised. "Really?" He seemed surprised. "Who, then?"

It took all I had not to respond with a snarky comment. I mean, what was he trying to imply? That Haley was the only person I was friends with? Psh.

I settled with a small smirk.

"Lucas Scott."

And I sure as hell didn't miss Lucas' reaction. It was priceless. And if it were the time—I would've exploded with laughter. Since he was sitting a few seats in front of me, he had turned around so quickly that I was quite afraid that his head would snap straight off his neck. His blue eyes were wide in surprise and brows were raised so high, I could've sworn it flew off his forehead. He locked eyes with mine, and I held it for a moment, before looking up at Mr. Tyler, the sneaky smirk still upon my lips.

"Well, that—that's different," he commented. He looked over at the dumbfounded blonde, "Are you willing to work with Brooke, Mr. Scott?"

I looked at him, inclining my head to the side.

He was silent for a while before, "Yeah. I'll work with her."

Score!

I almost squealed. Almost. This was just way too good.

As Mr. Tyler went on, my phone started to vibrate. Looking up to make sure he wasn't looking, I went to go check who it was. Haley's name caught my attention. Her message read:

Lucas? Really? Are you kidding me?

I didn't know if she was upset or not.

yeah. its part of my plan girly, dont worry

And again, she didn't reply back to my text. I simply shrugged and slid the phone back into its little pocket inside my bag. I drowned out almost everything, that is, until he called Haley's name. It was then I realized—If I wasn't going to be Haley's partner then who would? I turned around a little and my best friend was staring at me. Her face held a little bit of… What was that? Dejection? If there was anyone who could hide their feelings that well, it was Haley James. It was strange how she could read me so well.

Sure, I could read her emotions sometimes too, but most of the time I had no clue.

"…I'll take Kyle Harris," Haley said with a sigh. It was Lucas' old partner, who just so happened to be invited to the Scott parties all the time.

Mr. Tyler nodded, writing something down on his clipboard.

It was then that Haley gave me a look that I could definitely read: We'll talk later.

I offered an apologetic smile, mouthing: 'I'm sorry.'

By the time Mr. Tyler was done with the partner selections, there was roughly twenty minutes left in class. He raised a hand, calming down the class that had become a little rowdy. He cleared this throat and began to talk. "Okay, okay. Now that you have your partners, here's what the project is about. You and your partner are to create a poster about a certain, major past-time and the outcomes that have come from it. You will be presenting your works in two weeks. Any questions?"

"Great. Now get to work!" he announced when no one replied.

As I stood up and started to collect my belongings, a certain someone stopped by.

You'd already know, wouldn't you?

Well, if you didn't know, it was Lucas, standing there with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He set out an unsure, yet casual vibe. I paused what I was doing, placing down the pen that I was about to put into my bag. I watched his actions in amusement, a cute little smile playing itself on my lips. "Well hello, partner," I greeted. I grabbed the nearest empty desk and placed it across from mine, grinning toothily, "What're you waiting for, Scott? Plant your ass right here and let's get started!"

Lucas chuckled and placed himself in the aforementioned seat.

It's now officially flirting time.

"So," he started, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning into his chair, "Why'd you pick me, Brooke Davis?"

I blinked innocently. "What do you mean?"

The smile never left his face. "You know what I mean. You and I both know that you and Haley over there are always partners. Why the sudden change of heart?"

More flirty, Brooke! I batted my eyelashes, twirling a lock of auburn hair around my finger. Now that's more like it! "Well…" I paused for effect. I looked away for a moment, then looked back at Lucas who had an urging look on his face. "How about I tell you… tonight? At… your house, while we're working on the project?" He raised a brow, but I gave him a secretive smile, making imaginary circles on the table top. He placed his hands behind his head.

"Are you saying that you're coming over to my place tonight?" he asked, amused.

"Wow, Lucas, this is a little sudden. I'll have to look through my agenda to see if I'm free," I said. I took out an imaginary book and flipped the imaginary pages. "Well, let's see. Oh! It looks like I'm free at about 4:30. You're in luck, Mr. Scott." I leaned forward, crossing my arms and leaning it upon the desk. He was smiling.

He shook his head. "Okay, fine. My house, 4:30. Let me just give you my address." He started taking out a piece of paper, but I stopped him by resting a hand on his arm.

I gave him a look. "Lucas. We've been going to the same school for years now, and I drive by your house practically everyday. I think I'd know where you live," I informed him.

"Stalker, much?"

"How dare you! I'm no stalker," I huffed. Well… Okay. That was partially a lie. Now that I thought about it, I kinda sorta stalk Nathan. But not really! I mean, I didn't take pictures of him while he was showering in his bathroom or anything. His room was, like, a million feet off the ground in the huge mansion he lived in. And even if I did use a ladder, it would be a little short. 3.5 inches, to be exact. But it wasn't like I tried it before, because that would be a major stalker move!

…Okay, another lie. I did try it. But only once!

He chuckled. "Well, sorry."

"You better be."

Jerk.

I didn't see Haley after History class—or around the halls for that matter—until lunchtime came around. She was sitting at our table, with her lunch already in front of her. I bounced over happily, plopping down across from her and giving her an enthusiastic, "Hey Hales!" She looked up at me for a split second, before turning her attention back to her still uneaten food and just, well, staring at it. I blinked twice, raising a perplexed brow.

"You know, I'm not super smart, but I think it'd be more exciting if you ate one," I advised. "I hear they're better that way."

When I didn't get a reply, or a reacton, I pouted.

"Hales, girly, what's wrong?" I asked, "Did something happen?"

"You mean other than the fact that my best friend totally ditched me?"

It took me a moment for the information to process through my head. "Oh, Haley, I'm so sorry," I said, realization dawning upon me. She was talking about the little History project thing. I offered her a comforting smile. "I really, really wanted to be your partner. Honestly, I would've picked you! But then there was Lucas and you know how he's the most important part of—"

"—of your plan, I know," she finished with a sigh. She looked up at me, and I could see the disappointment in her eyes. "It's just…" She looked away. "…Never mind."

"You do know that you can tell me anything, right?" I spoke sincerely.

Haley nodded. "Of course," she said quietly. It was silent, and I was about to say something, but she beat me to it. "So, how is your genius plan going anyway?"

I knew she was just trying to change the subject. As I said before, sometimes I couldn't read Haley's emotions, but then there were times when it was so obvious that you'd have to be an idiot not to see it. And even though it was hard to read her sometimes, I knew when she was lying. She'd go off topic and if it was really bad, she'd start stuttering and rambling. She always sucked at lying; I think it was because of her conscious, whatever the heck that was. But I'll ask her what's up later.

"I scored pretty good today. I'm going to his house!"

"You guys talked for only twenty minutes, including the time you guys had yesterday, and he's already inviting you to his house? Typical Brooke," she said with a sigh.

"Hey!" I yelped at what she was implying, earning a smirk. "It's not like that, Tutor Girl. I'm going to his house today for our History project. And he didn't really invite me. I invited myself, but he was pretty cool with it. But I'm planning on seducing him today," I said casually, taking a bite out of my pizza.

"Sex. Already? Now Brooke, I know you like to move fast, but—"

I practically gagged on my food.

There was no way I'd ever have sex with Lucas Scott. If he were the last man on the planet, I'd have to say that I'd do a chick.

"What? Ew, no!" I made a sour face as she laughed. "Okay, first: Never use the word 'sex' and 'Lucas' together in the same sentence ever again. And secondly: It's the flirty kind of seducing. You know, throw on a little something that make his pants a bit tight? My specialty, of course," I said casually. "Nothing will happen, though. I'll make damn sure of that!" Definitely. Waking up next to a naked Scott in the morning? If it wasn't Nathan, than it sure as hell won't be Lucas. Haley sighed, shaking her head.

"Just make sure you actually get some work on your project done," she said, her Mom-side coming out. She treated me like a kid, sometimes. But what would I ever to without my Haley?

"Ah, don't worry. We have two weeks to work on it," I said.

"Whatever you say. I just don't want to end up staying up late helping you with it again," Haley replied sternly.

"Gotcha," I winked, and continued to chew on my food.

Now, what was I going to wear tonight?

tbc

A/N: Gah. So, the ending; I definitely wasn't satisfied with it, so I'll most likely end up editing it later on. But! I know, still not that much Brucas. ;p Sorry about that! Next chapter will be mostly about them, so just be patient. Just wanted to thank everyone for their awesome reviews and the favorites/alerts, whatevs. (; You guys are what keep me going, lol. So! Stay tuned for next chapter that will be filled with Brucas. Just be patient for a few more days, hehe. xP

- los angeles

r e v i e w.