Chapter One- Unknowing
Brooke lay motionless on the floor. Everything ached. Everything hurt. Everything was red.
It pooled all around her, blood. Seeping through the skirt of her dress and running around her bruised body.
Hearing her phone ring Brooke tried to lift up her head but failed. This time they had gone too far.
After her third attempt to reach her phone it stopped ringing and Brooke went back to her collapsed state on the ground.
She was alone. No-one was here to save her now.
Lucas sighed as she put his phone back on the side, his girlfriend snuggled deeper in to his chest and he kissed the top of her forehead.
"No answer, I told you something was going on with Brooke." Peyton leant in to him and exhaled loudly.
"Do you think it's us." She questioned looking at her boyfriend.
"Maybe, but she's been this way since she broke up with me and that was only a month and a half ago."
It was true Brooke had been different, more aloof and it seemed she was back to her old ways. She was never in contact with them and had drifted away from her usual gang to shady men in black cars and women in sketchy outfits.
In fact it was only yesterday he had seen Brooke in oversized black sun-glasses, a long overcoat and high boots. She was walking with a tall man who he didn't recognize and a smaller beefier man who looked very anxious.
'What is she doing?' Lucas wondered to himself wanting to know what had happened to his cheery post breakup.
"Brooke told me she didn't miss me anymore, which basically is saying she doesn't love me so I can't see how our relationship is affecting her."
"True, she told me she didn't love you anymore." Peyton said hoping to move Luke away from his brooding.
"She told you that?" Lucas asked with a hurt expression
"When?"
"Oh, a few days before your breakup." Peyton lied
"But you weren't even on good terms." Lucas said still surprised at her words.
"Well it was sometime before our argument, now if this discussion is over, I would like to spend some quality one on one time with my boyfriend." Peyton hooked her leg through Luke's and rolled them over.
"Mmm." Lucas moaned as Peyton kissed him softly.
"No more Brooke." Peyton looked at him sternly.
"No more Brooke." Lucas agreed and rolled them over once more.
"Nathan, have you seen Brooke?" Haley questioned as they sat at their usual lunch table. "No, she wasn't in any of her usual classes."
"And none of us are near her lockers so we wouldn't know." Lucas added wanting to be apart of this conversation.
Peyton rolled her eyes. "God Brooke, she gets everyone worried and then comes back the next day all bright and breezy."
"Peyton!"
"It's true though," Nathan nudged his wife.
"I suppose but if she's not in tomorrow."
"Why haven't you gotten up yet." Richard stormed in to the room annoyed that his daughter hadn't gotten up."
"Richard," Brooke croaked praying that he would take pity on her.
"God, you look a right mess, I can't sell you now." Richard shouted angrily
"Are you happy, you've gone and mucked up a day of work." Brooke cowered under her fathers angry gaze.
"What's all the yelling about?" Victoria ran in to the room, stepping over the broken glass to arrive at her husbands side.
"Look at her Vickie."
"Brookie, what have you done, do you know how much private hospital bills cost."
"Please, water." Brooke begged, the blood in her mouth causing her to cough and splutter.
"Irene!" Victoria called. "Fix up my daughter and make sure she looks presentable."
Irene, a thin, scrawny lady who was in desperate need of a hug took one look at Brooke and once again wished she had another job.
"Ma'am, I'm not sure if I can lift her on my own."
"What do you mean Maid, are you not capable of using your arms. Richard gave the maid a glare
"No Sir, but if I move her I might cause more damage." Irene squeaked as she tore her eyes from her masters stony stare.
"Alright, I will call the doctors if I must." Richard strode out his coat flapping as the wind rustled him.
"I hope you know what you've done." Victoria bleated at her daughter as she trotted off after her husband.
"God, you are a piece of work aren't you?" Irene gave the teen a dirty look and strutted off, her small heels clacking on the polished floor.
Brooke longed for someone nice, someone who cared and who would look after her.
"Brooke's been admitted to hospital." Haley rushed over to her husband to share the news.
"What?" Nathan asked in shock.
"I don't really know what's happened but they called me because I was the last person she called using her phone."
"When did she call you?" Nathan questioned, none of them had been in contact for a while.
"Oh, when you were in hospital, after the accident."
"Why are we still here, we have to go." Haley grabbed Nathan's hand dragging him after her as they headed for the car-park.
"Hales, I think your forgetting something. We don't have a car."
Haley slapped her forehead and groaned. "Who has a car?"
"Lucas, Peyton." Nathan listed the names off on his hand.
"And Me." Rachel appeared by the couple's side twirling her keys in her hand.
"I suppose your going to the same place as me, so I might just give you a lift."
Haley scowled at the familiar red-head.
"Your going to see Brooke?" Nathan eyed Rachel.
"Yeah course!"
"Your not even friends." Brooke accused.
"Believe me, were closer than you and her honey." Rachel gave her a gleaming smile and patted the side of her car.
"Hop on up Nathan."
Haley glared "Seriously." She whined as her husband opened the door and leapt in to the passenger seat.
"Its a lift Hales." He told her and she pouted before climbing in to the back.
"All aboard freaks." Rachel pressed down on the accelerator and they sped off.
"Where are Haley and Nathan?" Peyton wondered as they sat down at the usual spot
"I don't know, but lets relish in the fact its just you and me." Lucas leaned forward to press his mouth against his girlfriends and she smiled in to the kiss.
"Mmm, I like this you and me time." Peyton grinned giggling.
"So do I." Lucas smiled pecking her lips before opening up his brown paper bag.
He had a peanut and jelly sandwich with a Hershey's bar and an apple.
"Swap my Hershey's bar for your M&M's." Lucas said eyeing Peyton's lunch.
"Ew, No-way I don't like Hershey's." Peyton faked gagging.
It was times like this that Lucas thought of Brooke, she would always swap even when she didn't like the food she was swapping for.
As the bell rang signalling the end of lunch, Lucas and Peyton departed. As he walked in to English he thought back to the topic Peyton had been talking about, where was his brother and best friend. Usually Haley would be sitting at the back, her books laid out and giggling with Brooke. But now due to the absence of Brooke she had been sitting with Lucas and Nathan near the front. Haley was always at her classes 5 minutes early and now as lessons started Lucas found him self confused as to where her whereabouts was.
After class had finished Lucas had a free, so he decided to ring Haley.
"Who ya calling?" Peyton queried sliding on to the sofa Lucas sat on.
"Shhh." Lucas held up a finger to silence his girlfriend.
"Hey Haley."
"It's Luke," Haley told Nathan
"Well answer it then," Nathan sleepily replied
"What should I say?" Haley asked frantically not wanting to tell him about his ex-girlfriend.
"Whatever you do, don't tell him about Brooke." Rachel warned her as she came back from a coffee run, they had been there for almost four hours and they were all tired of sitting in plastic hospital chairs and watching the clock tick.
"Alright, I'm answering." Haley informed the group pressing the answer button on her phone.
"Hey Haley." Luke's voice chimed through the phone and Haley cringed. "Hey Luke, how are you."
Easy topic to start off on she thought.
"I'm good, you, I mean obviously you can't be good, Haley James never skips school." Lucas chuckled nervously as Peyton stroked his arm.
"Haley James Scott," Haley corrected "And for your information I am fine."
"Oh good, you had me worried there, wait is it Nathan."
"No Luke, do you think I wouldn't have told you."
"Probably not." Luke laughed "So where are you?" Lucas asked curiously.
"I'm...er." Haley swallowed nervously seeing all eyes on her.
"I'm at the studio, yeah they had a slot free and I thought why not take it, Nathan came for moral support." Haley lied.
"Really, studio during school, it's senior year Hales."
"Exactly, it's senior year why not take it easy and have fun. I'm feeling inspired Luke and when I feel this way I need to sing." Haley continued encouraged by her husband.
"Well alright, maybe I'll swing by later." Lucas said confused.
"No!" Haley shouted before quieting down. "I mean it's..er...a surprise."
"Alright it's a surprise, see you later Hales." Lucas chuckled at his friends weird behaviour.
"Yeah bye Luke." Haley hung up and faced the others.
"How awful was that exactly." Haley asked them
"It wasn't bad you just need to act more natural." Nathan soothed her.
"It was a ten on the scale." Rachel said bluntly sipping her latte.
"Anyone here for Brooke Davis." A doctor came out in white coat, she wore a grave expression and Haley's heart lurched.
"So where were Haley and Nathan?" Peyton queried
"The studio, she was feeling inspired." Lucas replied
The whole phone call had been very weird and Lucas could tell something was up with his best friend.
"That's odd, I mean it's senior year, isn't it Haley who the other day was complaining that we wouldn't be ready for the tests and needed to study more."
"Yeah!" Lucas said remembering
Flashback:
"Come on guys, we have a test next month, you need to study." Haley wacked Luke round the head with a book.
"Don't chuckle mister, you are sorely in need of help." Haley told Nathan wiping the smirk off his face.
"Yeah but I have an awesome tutor for a wife." He smiled pulling her in for a kiss.
"Ha, you think that's going to get you anywhere." Haley looked at him with a determined face.
Peyton laughed and Haley turned to face her.
"This is serious, not a laughing mater Peyton, you don't study, you don't pass, you don't graduate." She informed them firmly laying down the ground rules.
"So we will study, we will pass and we will graduate." Haley looked around at them all and banged her book on the table, grabbing their attention.
"No- more one more basket please hales or, I just love making out with Luke hales, he distracts me or Haley did you see this passage in this book. No! We will study and study hard." Haley gazed at them and smiled quickly as she sat down.
"So what's for lunch?"
Flash back ends.
"Your right Peyt, something's up." The curly blonde smiled with the satisfaction and opened up her math book.
"Lets move on to trig shall we?"
"Are you family members?" The doctor questioned an Haley suddenly felt queasy, Brooke's parents were never around and she had no siblings.
"Um..." She began but Rachel cut her off.
"I'm her sister." Rachel stood up, facing the doctor.
"So is Brooke okay, what happened."
"It appears Brooke Davis has received medical treatment in the past few days however it has been poorly done and many wounds that haven't been treated haven't healed properly. It seems Brooke Davis collapsed whilst on the way to school and a member of the public saw her and brought her in. She has three cracked ribs, a fractured leg, a sprained wrist, and various cuts and bruises dotted around her body, she is unconscious right now but it looks like the bruises were no accident." The doctor informed them and Haley gasped whilst Rachel looked grim.
"Can we see her?" Nathan asked, letting his wife lean against him.
"Sure, she's right this way, she has been having trouble breathing due to her throat being severely bruised but she's on an oxygen machine and is stable. ." The doctor ushered them in to a rib and Haley's features crumpled up at the sight of her best friend, linked up to several IV's and with an unrecognizable face.
"Brooke." Haley fell apart and Nathan caught her, hugging her fiercely. "It's ok Hales, didn't you hear the doctor, she's going to be ok."
"Brooke, I'm so sorry." Rachel slowly advanced towards where Brooke lay.
"I'm so sorry, for not helping you."