I assure you this is where the fun begins... Mwahahahaha...Enjoy watching as the drama unfolds, ladies and gentleman.

Let the games begin.

[Edited]

~Hailey~

London was fun.

We went clubbing in the evenings and during the days we went sightseeing seeing as the rest of the group didn't really go up to London that often. I for one had lived there until recently, so it was nothing new to me. We also visited shops, galleries and as many museums as we could find which was a treat.

During the chaos, Scott and I had also managed to find some time alone to celebrate our anniversary in peace. We'd snuck off to a small French café that Scott's father had often taken him to as a child when Scott had travelled with him on his business trips. For the whole time we'd just focused on us, talking about anything and everything - including our future. I'd enjoyed it.

I bit into my croissant, moaning. "This has got to be the most delicious piece of scrumptiousness I've ever tasted." I stated as I sucked on my fingers.

Scott looked at me over the rim of his mug of hot chocolate, smirking as he watched me devour the pastry like a caveman would its next meal. "I'm glad you like it," he grinned as he took another sip of his drink. "I always used to have the jam-filled ones, but I knew you'd prefer the chocolate."

He knew me well, obviously.

I nodded as I took another bite, "Yep." I may not have been a lot of things, but a chocolate lover was definitely something I was. If someone gave me chocolate then I was basically their bitch, just like I was my boyfriend's.

"Congratulations on scoring nearly 100% on that test the other day," he remarked as he put down his drink. I picked up my own and took a sip to taste the hot chocolate which was creamy and rich, sliding down my throat with ease.

"It was a difficult one."

I nodded. "Yeah it was." Really, that was actually an understatement.

The test had in fact been an absolute bitch to study for, taking up more than plenty of my time. I'd revised as often as I could and for hours at a time, in the hopes to achieve a good mark. Which I had, fortunately enough.

He frowned, mixing his drink with his spoon as he thought about something. "I don't know how I managed to scrape 80% if I'm honest. I mostly crammed the week before."

Smiling, I offered him some of my croissant to which he denied. "Well that's because you're smart, obviously. Think about it: you crammed and spent only a week revising and still got a really high mark," I smirked. "You're a clever-clogs."

He laughed.

"And thank you," I added. "I'm proud of my result."

He leaned forward over the table to kiss my lips. "You're welcome."

When we'd returned, Layla had been pissed at me for eloping without the warning (we'd made up by then, although it had taken a lot of talking through). To compensate, I'd agreed to go clubbing with her that evening -- much to the annoyance of the girls. It had been worth it though.

They'd always been jealous of Layla and her special treatment, but I'd known her for longer; naturally we were closer.

Finally, the day we left we'd all driven back on a private coach late in the evening. Obnoxiously loud music had been playing throughout the whole drive home, but I hadn't minded once I'd taken enough sips of champagne from the bottle that had been passed around.

Scott had been sitting beside me, trying his best to keep me occupied, but I could tell something had been weighing heavily on his mind. It wasn't until I'd gotten home and he'd texted me saying we needed to talk the morning after, that I knew for definite.

After a drunken phone call and ten minutes of yelling on my part, I'd finally discovered what had been bothering him.

"You lot are quiet today," Layla commented as she sat down at the next to us at lunchtime. With routines like this, I sometimes forgot we weren't in high school or college. There were points where I wished I was, but not often.

I barely raised my head, and when the rest of them didn't speak she nudged me, sending me a reassuring smile before giving a death glare to the girls. I'll admit if I hadn't been in such a shitty mood I would have cringed away as well, just like they all had. "Alright, what the fuck's up with you guys?" She ask-yelled. I almost laughed.

Amanda, who was filing her nails, simply shrugged. "Nothing."
Not a beat later when she saw Layla's face did she add with a reluctant pout, "Where were you guys yesterday evening?" The rest of the girls waited for an answer. "We didn't see you in Tristan's VIP suite and you'd promised you'd stay."
Of course, she was referring to when we'd snuck out to go to the 24-hour spa, while Tristan's party was still going on in the early hours of the morning. We'd done that after we'd gone clubbing.

My best friend and I shared a look before I went back to glaring at my salad. I was so not in the mood for their theatrics so I was more than happy to let Layla deal with it.

Layla sighed. "Look guys, we said we were sorry. You know that Hailey and I didn't mean anything by it, we just wanted a night out together."

Amanda was still pouting as she out her nail file back in her bag. "You'd already had a night out before you decided to skip out on us again!"

I nearly groaned while Layla just tapped a nail against her chin, deep in thought. She didn't look anywhere near as píssed as I felt. "Look, how about we make it up to you?" They all looked at her.

"Why don't we have an evening together in my dorm room? We can order pizza and do our hair and nails and... have a karaoke session! Yeah?" One by one their faces lit up.

They were so predictable.

Amanda grinned, before flipping her hair over her shoulders in an attempt to feign nonchalance, or something or other. "Sounds good. I'll bring my curlers."

Courtney chimed in, "I'll bring ice cream!" At that I lifted my head. "And magnums. Lots of them!"

Layla nodded with approval, a matching grin lighting up her own features while I said nothing. She looked pretty when she smiled like that. "That's what I like to hear."

While the girls were busy talking amongst themselves, Layla shuffled her seat closer to me and leaned forward. "Why don't you come too, Hay?" She whispered. "It will distract you."

Being my best friend, she already knew what my problem was seeing as I'd told her about the phone call straight after it had happened.

I was about to utter my reply when the devil in disguise and her minions strutted past. Unable to help it (seriously, it was like an instinct or something) I stared hatefully at the blonde bimbo, whom I could only notice had a stupidly good taste in fashion. When she joined the lunch queue with her friends, I shifted my gaze back down at my untouched food.

I'd called Scott the night before to demand what he'd meant by the text. After much yelling from me, he'd finally admitted that whilst Layla and I had gone out clubbing, Jenna had made a few passes at him in Tristan's suite. Obvious passes. As in, the feeling-him-up type of passes.

He'd told me not to worry about it and had said he'd "firmly declined her" -- his words, not mine. What had made me lose it was when he'd tried to reassure me that Jenna had only made the passes because she'd been drunk.

Which couldn't have been further from the truth, obviously.

Not caring about who heard, I exhaled loudly.

It made me mad that he couldn't see through her and I was angrier still  that, while he'd been temporarily avoiding her, he hadn't ended their friendship.

Asshole.

"I'll come but only for an hour or so," I whispered back. That morning he'd been texting and calling but I hadn't replied to any of them. I was leaving him to stew. "I'm in the mood to be mopey."

Layla laughed. The sound reminded me of all the happy times we'd spent together, making me feel a bit better and reminding me that there would no doubt be happier times to come.

She forced her arm across my shoulders, determined to cheer me up despite the stubborn pout that refused to leave my lips. "Fine. I'm happy enough with that. But," she frowned and waited a beat before adding, "You have to join in on the karaoke session at least once!"

I shook my head at her in amusement before taking a bite of my salad. "Whatever." My appetite had chosen to make a reappearance again for the moment which was good

Probably thanks to Layla's attempts.

*

"And I-I will al-ways lo-ove youu!"

Layla and I belted off-tune to Whitney Houston as the rest of the girls clapped, already tipsy on champagne. I wasn't even sure what time it was.

Boxes of pizza littered Layla and Ingrid's dorm room; tubs of ice cream lay scattered, unopened. My hair, which had been expertly curled by Amanda, was now shielding half of my face as I wobbled on Layla's queen sized bed gripping a hairbrush which was my acting microphone.

Their room was by far the biggest one I'd ever seen on campus. A plasma TV rested against the walls; two giant beds centred the room, with matching white wardrobes that took up the whole length of the opposing walls.

The cream carpet was really plush (by that I mean heavenly plush), tickling my bare feet as I stepped onto it. Large windows lined the wall behind their beds which were laced with delicate lilac silk curtains.

"... I will always love you." I sung. When it was finished Layla cheered loudly, almost falling on her face as she stepped off her bed.

"My turn!" Courtney screeched as the song list reappeared onscreen. I giggled.

In my drunken state I'd forgotten that I wasn't supposed to be texting Scott, so when the message: Please talk to me, flickered across my phone screen as I unlocked it, I very nearly replied.

At the last moment Layla pulled the phone from my hands, pouting heavily when she read who it was from. Then, she flung my phone onto her comforter several feet away. I'd done the same thing to her millions of times before; nevertheless, I was still pissed and let out an indignant squeak.

"That wasssn't nice!" I hiccupped.

"No phone tonight, Hay! It's a girlsss' night," She slurred in response.

I scrunched my brow up seeing as it this was news to me, before nodding with more enthusiasm than was probably necessary. It was in fact a girls' night, I recalled. "Oh yeah!"

And so it continued.

We partied and drank, scoffing pizza and ice cream to our heart's content as we took turns singing to David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, Calvin Harris and a few other artists. By midnight we decided to call it a night and too drunk to leave, the rest of us simply crashed on their floor, snoring loudly.

I was out quicker than you could say 'sleep' and stayed that way until it was morning.

*

~Scott~

The gentleman's club was quiet as we entered and sat in a private booth.

Almost immediately after sitting, a semi naked stripper placed herself on Tristan's lap and began to dance. Her actions were smooth but she kept a predatory gaze in her eyes as she puckered her scarlet lips and moved to the beat. It seemed to please him, but made me shudder.

Hailey would kill me if she ever found out I was here.

I shifted away to give them some privacy, although I doubted they even noticed.

Tristan was probably a frequent member if he got this much attention, I thought. I wasn't really surprised though. It was Tristan, after all. He was just like that.

Still, I couldn't help but wonder, How many times did he come here? Once a week? Twice?

Was it more often than that? I thought as I sat perched on the leather seat.

When a waitress clad in a sexy black and white dress with stockings walked past handing out glasses of champagne, my thoughts disintegrated on the spot.

She walked back towards our table minutes later and Tristan reached out and took two glasses, handing one to me. I eyed it carefully; sniffing the golden liquid to make sure it wasn't spiked.

Tristan saw what I was doing and scoffed.

"Have some fun already," His eyes sparkled in amusement as he gulped his down without sparing it a glance.

"You know, that could've had anything in it," I pointed out. He simply rolled his eyes.

My phone weighed heavily in my right pocket as I waited for a reply from Hailey. She hadn't been answering my calls and texts during the whole day and it was beginning to worry me. For how long would she keep it up?

When I'd told Tristan I'd needed to let off some steam, a gentleman's club was not what I'd had in mind. Even so, he'd forced me to come, refusing to give up until I'd agreed.

"How am I supposed to do that when I'm sat in a gentleman's bar?" I countered, glaring a whole into the ground. The second I'd walked in I'd regretted my decision to come, and it was pissing me off that Tristan was getting more out of this trip than I was when it was supposed to be for me.

He laughed again, gesturing to our surroundings. "Take your pick," he said, "They're all ready and waiting."

I pulled a face at his comment. "That's..." I couldn't find a suitable word.

It was strange to think I felt that way when before I'd met Hailey I wouldn't even have been asked twice and would've done what he's said.

But now though... Now everything was different.

On spotting a beautiful dark-skinned woman, Tristan gestured for her to come over. She was wearing nothing but a bright green corset and matching thong.

"Oh Jesus," I muttered as she joined Tristan and the other girl, sitting on the other side of his lap. The song changed to a much sultrier one and they began to grind against him.

At least that's what it looked like.

Gritting my teeth, I pulled away when an Asian women also wearing next to nothing walked up to me and began to play with my hair.

"Do you want to go to the back room?" She whispered in an American accent as she moved closer still and pushed her breasts into my face.

"No thank you," I told her right before my phone bleeped. I looked at the time. It was nearing half eleven. Breathing a sigh of relief, I excused myself. The message had come from an unknown number.

I need to talk to you, it read.

I typed in a response almost immediately.

Do I know you?

I waited almost a full two minutes before another message was sent. The name that showed up on screen made me feel strangely uneasy even though it shouldn't have, really.

Another text was sent immediately after it.

Can I meet you outside campus? I know it's late...

Finally. An escape.

I looked towards Tristan who seemed to be having the time of his life and caught his attention by snapping my fingers. "Something's come up," I told him. "I need to go."

He gave me another smirk as both strippers whispered in his ear. I didn't rise to the bait and said nothing. "See you tomorrow then," was all he said before turning his head away.

I left, shaking my head as I did so.

The minute I walked out a huge wave of relief crashed over me.

*

The night was cold as I stood by the lamppost puffing out clouds of air. In an attempt to get warm I rubbed my hands together and pulled my jacket closer to me, listening for any signs of movement from around.

There was nothing at first until the distant sound of heels clicking against the pavement could be heard. The sound got louder until I could see a slim figure walking purposefully towards me. She hesitated as she reached me and stepped out into the light. It illuminated her blonde hair, making it look like a halo.

What did she want?

I stepped closer. "Is everything alright?"

She nodded as she pulled on her coat sleeves, her teeth chattering ever so slightly from the cold. "Sorry it's so late," she sounded genuinely sorry.

I brushed away her apology with a smile. "Don't be. You pulled me out of a sticky situation." She looked like she wanted me to elaborate, but I didn't.
Instead I distracted her by asking, "What did you want to see me for?"

A sigh escaped her. "There's no easy way to ask this," She looked vulnerable as she bit her lip before deciding to get straight to the point. "But, is it true?" It was spoken as a hushed whisper.

I didn't understand what she was talking about. "Is what true?"

She blinked, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Suddenly her stilettos became a lot more interesting to her and my uneasiness increased. Something didn't feel right. "Is it true they're saying things about Hailey?" Her tone was subdued.

I stiffened in surprise.

What?

That wasn't what I'd expected to hear, particularly at that time of night.

"What do you mean?" I was thoroughly confused. "Is someone spreading something?" I wondered who would do something so petty and demeanin, not that Hailey didn't have a lot of enemies.

Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet mine. They looked beyond guarded. "That's what I was trying to find out."

Why?

I exhaled again, no longer bothered about the cold and decided to swallow down my questions for the moment. I told her the truth, "I don't know. If they have then I haven't heard anything." I made a mental note to ask Tristan. Why was it so important to her anyway?

I had to find out. "Tell me what you think they're saying," I demanded once she'd given me a nod.

With great reluctance, she did and I almost wished I hadn't asked.

After she'd finished speaking, a long silence descended upon us as I fought the urge to... I don't know what. The revelation had both angered and shocked me.

Why on earth would anyone say such a thing? What could they possibly have gained from it?

With a heavy heart I asked her the only thing that mattered at that point in time. "Is it true?" She must've known if it had been or not.

I took her silence as a confirmation.

Cursing, I ran a hand down my face.

Fuck. I felt sick. Why hadn't I known? A harsh laugh escaped me, making her jump.

Of course Hailey wouldn't have told me something as dark as that. Why the hell would she? I thought to myself.

I wouldn't have told her about that if the roles had been reversed.

"Don't bring it up with her," she quickly rushed out. I zoned back in to what she was saying, blinking once.

"You'll only hurt her. It's best that she doesn't know anything about it," She waited, "Or our meeting."

I nodded, agreeing with her words. "I won't say anything," I promised her. Hailey would only blow a fuse for me meeting someone this late at night. It didn't matter who it was or what the circumstances were. She was like that.

"Do you want me to walk you back?" I asked. I needed a distraction from my thoughts.

She shook her head, looking as relaxed as I'd seen her that night but still tense. "It's fine. It's only a two minute walk away."

Saying nothing, I watched as she strutted down the pavement after saying goodbye. Her heels were the only repetitive sound in the otherwise deathly quiet darkness.

---

So who did Scott meet? What secret do you think was revealed? And do you think the secret is true? Let me know in the comments! I love predictions...

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