Title: Everything She Needs
Pairing: Brooke/Lucas romance, Brooke/Peyton friendship.
Disclaimers: The usual. I don't own these characters.
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Brooke felt like she was made of lead as she slowly dragged herself out of the car and made her way toward the building. She noticed several students were staring at her as she stifled yet another yawn. She shrugged it off; she knew she wasn't looking her best. Her hair was messy and she was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a wrinkled "Scott Body Shop" t-shirt that belonged to Lucas. It was very unlike her, but she didn't care. She was totally exhausted and she wondered how she would make it through the day without passing out. She spotted her best friend Peyton sitting on a bench. Peyton was so focused on her drawing that she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt something on her shoulder. Brooke had plopped down on the bench and put her head on Peyton's shoulder. "Damn it Brooke! Make some noise next time would you," she said. She immediately became concerned when there was no witty response from her friend, and she took in Brooke's ragged appearance.
"Hey Brooke, spill it. What's wrong?" she asked. "Tired," Brooke said with a sigh. Brooke giving one word answers? Now Peyton knew something was definitely wrong. Peyton removed her drawing pad from her lap and Brooke instinctively took its place, shutting her eyes. "Late night? I can't believe you partied without me," Peyton said. "No parties, I was home all night," Brooke answered sleepily. Peyton looked confused as she noticed her friend shiver, it was a fairly warm day out. Brooke wasn't being her usual talkative self, so she knew she had to get to the bottom of the problem on her own. Brushing her hair away from her face, she felt Brooke's forehead and it was a little warm, but nothing to be alarmed about. Just then the bell rang, signaling that first period would be starting in five minutes.
"Come on, we have to get to class," she said, easing Brooke off of her and pulling her up from the bench. Wrapping an arm around Brooke's waist, Peyton dragged her into the building. Peyton stopped, seeing that Brooke was having a hard time keeping up with her. "Hey, why don't you head home? You don't look like you're going to make it through the day. Poor baby, I think you're coming down with something," she said. Brooke hesitated for a second before nodding in agreement. "I know it's not far, but I don't want you getting in an accident. Do you need me to drive you?" Peyton asked. "No, I can make it, you go ahead to class," Brooke replied softly. "Alright, go get some rest. I'll cover for you in class. I'm ditching practice and coming straight over after school to check on you, ok? Call if you need me," Peyton said. She and Brooke shared a quick hug, and then she ran off to class while Brooke slowly trudged back to her car. _______________________________________________________
"Hey Peyton, have you seen Brooke?" Lucas asked, as he sat across from her at the lunch table. "Yeah, I saw her this morning," Peyton answered, never looking up from her drawing. As if things weren't awkward between them before, they had become exceptionally so since he and Brooke started dating. "So where is she? I haven't heard from her at all today and she's not answering her cell," he said. "She's not here, she went back home before first period. She wasn't feeling too well this morning," she answered, finally looking up. "Was she serious or is this just her way of skipping class again?" Lucas asked. Peyton smirked a little, she was skeptical of their relationship at first, but she knew they really cared for each other—and he was getting to know all of Brooke's little quirks just like she did. "She's really not feeling good, you should have seen what she was wearing this morning. Plus she felt a little warm to me. I was going to head over after school, but I think I'm going to just skip my last two classes instead," Peyton answered, "you're welcome to come along if you want."
She could see the concern on his face. Though it hurt to see him with someone else, she was glad he actually cared about her friend and wasn't just using her like every other guy would have. The concern in Luke's eyes wasn't just about Brooke's health—he was also concerned about Brooke and Peyton's friendship. He knew how much they needed each other, and their relationship had become strained since he and Brooke started dating. As much as he wanted to see his girlfriend and take care of her, he knew that what she really needed was time with Peyton. "Actually, I have to work and then help out with the restaurant tonight, but tell her I hope she feels better and I'll call her tomorrow," he said, "Later Peyton." "Bye Luke," she answered. __________________________________________________________
"Brooke?" Peyton called as she carefully ascended the stairs with the hot bowl of soup. She placed the bowl on the bedside table. Brooke was sleeping soundly on her stomach, breathing heavily from the stuffiness in her head. Peyton felt her forehead and brushed a few sweat soaked strands of hair away—she was burning up. She went back down to the kitchen and got a glass of iced water and the thermometer she had purchased, then rushed back up to Brooke's bathroom to get a bottle of Tylenol. "Come on Brooke, you have to wake up now," she said shaking Brooke gently. "Peyton?" Brooke questioned groggily as she finally rolled over, "what are you doing?" "Wow, you are sick. I told you I was coming over to check on you. Sit up for me please. Here," she said while shoving the thermometer into Brooke's mouth, " and don't talk." Brooke did as she was told, slowly but surely. While Peyton was waiting for the thermometer to beep, she took two pills from the bottle. "102.1(? Wow, you're burning up. Look at you; your shirt is soaked! Here, take these," she said, handing Brooke the pills, "and you need to drink all of that water."
Brooke downed the pills and the water, then lay back down on her stomach and kicked the cocoon of covers off. "You went to bed in your jeans? — and your shoes?" Peyton questioned at the sight of Brooke's strange sleeping attire. "Too tired to change," Brooke mumbled. She could barely keep her eyes open. "You need to get out of those clothes. I'll go run you a nice hot bubble bath, it'll make you feel a lot better," Peyton said, while removing Brooke's shoes. Brooke just nodded her approval. When Peyton was done arranging everything, she helped her friend out of bed and led her to the bathroom. "Can you handle this on your own?" Peyton asked. Brooke nodded "yes" weakly. "Ok, I put clean pajamas on the sink. Just yell if you need anything," Peyton said. While Brooke was taking her bath, she busied herself changing the sheets and getting more iced water.
"Well hey there beautiful, nice to see you again. Feeling any better?" she asked when Brooke finally emerged from the bathroom. "A little," Brooke answered softly. She crawled into bed and snuggled under the covers. Peyton placed a cool cloth on her forehead and sat down beside her on the bed. "I'm sorry Peyton," Brooke said, placing her head in Peyton's lap. "Sorry for what?" Peyton questioned. "Sorry that I'm such a burden to you. My mother should be doing this," she replied. "Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for. You're my best friend, I love you—and a mother is something neither of us have, so we have to take care of each other," Peyton replied while playing with Brooke's hair, "Oh, I brought you some soup, but it's cold now." "That's ok, I don't think my stomach could handle it anyway," Brooke said with a sniffle.
Just then Peyton got an idea. When Brooke would get sick when they were kids, they would always watch Labyrinth. "Wanna watch Labyrinth?" she asked Brooke. Brooke flashed her that brilliant, dimpled smile of hers. "Sure, it's in the DVD player right now," she replied. They both laughed as Peyton grabbed the remote and started the movie. As usual, Brooke had fallen asleep after fifteen minutes. She didn't want to wake her, so Peyton tried to slip out from under her as carefully as possible. "Peyton? You're leaving?" Brooke asked sleepily, her voice brimming with disappointment. "No, don't worry. I'm just going sit over here and draw. Go back to sleep, you need to rest. I'm staying over tonight," Peyton answered. Brooke drifted off with a smile on her face. Peyton removed the cool cloth from her friend's forehead and placed a chaste kiss there.
Sitting on the sofa opposite the bed, Peyton pulled out her drawing pad. Catching sight of a picture on the table beside her, thoughts filled her head. It was a picture of herself and Brooke when they were kids. Brooke still had the same brilliant smile and big dimples—she also had the same sadness in her eyes. Peyton thought about the way things were as she began to sketch the picture. Brooke put on that bitchy, slutty mask, but behind it there hid a truly good person. Peyton wished that more people could see that side of Brooke, but only she—and now Lucas—were privy to that information. Once Brooke let you in, she was the most amazing friend a person could ever have. She was the type of person who would do anything for you and could make you smile even if you were having the worst day in history. Underneath the façade and the antics, there was a girl with a huge heart. It was sad really—she only acted the way she did because the two people in the world who were supposed to love and protect her no matter what didn't give a damn. They'd broken her heart over and over again, and at some point she realize she just couldn't take another hit—so she shut her true self off from the world.
Most of all, Brooke was loyal—almost to a fault. She was willing to do anything for Peyton, even if it meant breaking her own heart. Peyton thought about Lucas, and how Brooke was willing to let him go with no hesitation just for her and their friendship. As much as she wanted Lucas, Brooke needed him more. Lucas gave Brooke everything her parents never could—love, affection, attention, and devotion. Peyton swore she wouldn't be the one to take that away from her. It would destroy her, and she just couldn't do that to her best friend—no matter what. Looking over at the bed, she began to sketch a sleeping Brooke. The Brooke she wished everyone else could know, the angel behind the devil mask—the Brooke you couldn't help but love. The Brooke that could light up a room and steal your heart with nothing more than a smile. At that moment, Peyton realized that she needed Brooke just as much as Brooke needed her. _______________________________________________
Peyton was startled awake by the sound of her ringing cell phone. She quickly answered, hoping it hadn't awakened Brooke. "Peyton, it's Lucas. Sorry I woke you," he said. "Luke, it's 7:00 in the morning," she said, glancing over at the clock. "Sorry, I just wanted to know how Brooke was doing," he said. Peyton got up and walked over to the bed. She felt Brooke's forehead. She was still a little warm, but it was a big improvement from the day before. "She was sniffling and coughing all night, but she's doing better now. Her fever is down and she's sleeping soundly," Peyton replied. Brooke stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. "That's good," he said, sounding very relieved, "I'm going to stop by this afternoon. Do you guys need anything?" "Well, Brooke hasn't eaten anything so you can bring something for her. Things she might be able to keep down, like soup—oh, and ice cream, I think she has a sore throat," Peyton said. "Ok, no problem--soup and ice cream for my girl and pizza for us. Well, I'll let you get back to sleep. See ya later," Lucas said. "Hey Luke? Thanks you," she said. "Thank me for what?" he asked. "I know you only opted out of coming over here so Brooke and I could have some alone time together. Thank you for that and for being so good to her—for seeing who she really is. See you later Luke," Peyton answered. And with that, they both hung up.
TBC...
This is my first OTH fic, so I hope you enjoy it. Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Brooke felt like she was made of lead as she slowly dragged herself out of the car and made her way toward the building. She noticed several students were staring at her as she stifled yet another yawn. She shrugged it off; she knew she wasn't looking her best. Her hair was messy and she was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a wrinkled "Scott Body Shop" t-shirt that belonged to Lucas. It was very unlike her, but she didn't care. She was totally exhausted and she wondered how she would make it through the day without passing out. She spotted her best friend Peyton sitting on a bench. Peyton was so focused on her drawing that she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt something on her shoulder. Brooke had plopped down on the bench and put her head on Peyton's shoulder. "Damn it Brooke! Make some noise next time would you," she said. She immediately became concerned when there was no witty response from her friend, and she took in Brooke's ragged appearance.
"Hey Brooke, spill it. What's wrong?" she asked. "Tired," Brooke said with a sigh. Brooke giving one word answers? Now Peyton knew something was definitely wrong. Peyton removed her drawing pad from her lap and Brooke instinctively took its place, shutting her eyes. "Late night? I can't believe you partied without me," Peyton said. "No parties, I was home all night," Brooke answered sleepily. Peyton looked confused as she noticed her friend shiver, it was a fairly warm day out. Brooke wasn't being her usual talkative self, so she knew she had to get to the bottom of the problem on her own. Brushing her hair away from her face, she felt Brooke's forehead and it was a little warm, but nothing to be alarmed about. Just then the bell rang, signaling that first period would be starting in five minutes.
"Come on, we have to get to class," she said, easing Brooke off of her and pulling her up from the bench. Wrapping an arm around Brooke's waist, Peyton dragged her into the building. Peyton stopped, seeing that Brooke was having a hard time keeping up with her. "Hey, why don't you head home? You don't look like you're going to make it through the day. Poor baby, I think you're coming down with something," she said. Brooke hesitated for a second before nodding in agreement. "I know it's not far, but I don't want you getting in an accident. Do you need me to drive you?" Peyton asked. "No, I can make it, you go ahead to class," Brooke replied softly. "Alright, go get some rest. I'll cover for you in class. I'm ditching practice and coming straight over after school to check on you, ok? Call if you need me," Peyton said. She and Brooke shared a quick hug, and then she ran off to class while Brooke slowly trudged back to her car. _______________________________________________________
"Hey Peyton, have you seen Brooke?" Lucas asked, as he sat across from her at the lunch table. "Yeah, I saw her this morning," Peyton answered, never looking up from her drawing. As if things weren't awkward between them before, they had become exceptionally so since he and Brooke started dating. "So where is she? I haven't heard from her at all today and she's not answering her cell," he said. "She's not here, she went back home before first period. She wasn't feeling too well this morning," she answered, finally looking up. "Was she serious or is this just her way of skipping class again?" Lucas asked. Peyton smirked a little, she was skeptical of their relationship at first, but she knew they really cared for each other—and he was getting to know all of Brooke's little quirks just like she did. "She's really not feeling good, you should have seen what she was wearing this morning. Plus she felt a little warm to me. I was going to head over after school, but I think I'm going to just skip my last two classes instead," Peyton answered, "you're welcome to come along if you want."
She could see the concern on his face. Though it hurt to see him with someone else, she was glad he actually cared about her friend and wasn't just using her like every other guy would have. The concern in Luke's eyes wasn't just about Brooke's health—he was also concerned about Brooke and Peyton's friendship. He knew how much they needed each other, and their relationship had become strained since he and Brooke started dating. As much as he wanted to see his girlfriend and take care of her, he knew that what she really needed was time with Peyton. "Actually, I have to work and then help out with the restaurant tonight, but tell her I hope she feels better and I'll call her tomorrow," he said, "Later Peyton." "Bye Luke," she answered. __________________________________________________________
"Brooke?" Peyton called as she carefully ascended the stairs with the hot bowl of soup. She placed the bowl on the bedside table. Brooke was sleeping soundly on her stomach, breathing heavily from the stuffiness in her head. Peyton felt her forehead and brushed a few sweat soaked strands of hair away—she was burning up. She went back down to the kitchen and got a glass of iced water and the thermometer she had purchased, then rushed back up to Brooke's bathroom to get a bottle of Tylenol. "Come on Brooke, you have to wake up now," she said shaking Brooke gently. "Peyton?" Brooke questioned groggily as she finally rolled over, "what are you doing?" "Wow, you are sick. I told you I was coming over to check on you. Sit up for me please. Here," she said while shoving the thermometer into Brooke's mouth, " and don't talk." Brooke did as she was told, slowly but surely. While Peyton was waiting for the thermometer to beep, she took two pills from the bottle. "102.1(? Wow, you're burning up. Look at you; your shirt is soaked! Here, take these," she said, handing Brooke the pills, "and you need to drink all of that water."
Brooke downed the pills and the water, then lay back down on her stomach and kicked the cocoon of covers off. "You went to bed in your jeans? — and your shoes?" Peyton questioned at the sight of Brooke's strange sleeping attire. "Too tired to change," Brooke mumbled. She could barely keep her eyes open. "You need to get out of those clothes. I'll go run you a nice hot bubble bath, it'll make you feel a lot better," Peyton said, while removing Brooke's shoes. Brooke just nodded her approval. When Peyton was done arranging everything, she helped her friend out of bed and led her to the bathroom. "Can you handle this on your own?" Peyton asked. Brooke nodded "yes" weakly. "Ok, I put clean pajamas on the sink. Just yell if you need anything," Peyton said. While Brooke was taking her bath, she busied herself changing the sheets and getting more iced water.
"Well hey there beautiful, nice to see you again. Feeling any better?" she asked when Brooke finally emerged from the bathroom. "A little," Brooke answered softly. She crawled into bed and snuggled under the covers. Peyton placed a cool cloth on her forehead and sat down beside her on the bed. "I'm sorry Peyton," Brooke said, placing her head in Peyton's lap. "Sorry for what?" Peyton questioned. "Sorry that I'm such a burden to you. My mother should be doing this," she replied. "Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for. You're my best friend, I love you—and a mother is something neither of us have, so we have to take care of each other," Peyton replied while playing with Brooke's hair, "Oh, I brought you some soup, but it's cold now." "That's ok, I don't think my stomach could handle it anyway," Brooke said with a sniffle.
Just then Peyton got an idea. When Brooke would get sick when they were kids, they would always watch Labyrinth. "Wanna watch Labyrinth?" she asked Brooke. Brooke flashed her that brilliant, dimpled smile of hers. "Sure, it's in the DVD player right now," she replied. They both laughed as Peyton grabbed the remote and started the movie. As usual, Brooke had fallen asleep after fifteen minutes. She didn't want to wake her, so Peyton tried to slip out from under her as carefully as possible. "Peyton? You're leaving?" Brooke asked sleepily, her voice brimming with disappointment. "No, don't worry. I'm just going sit over here and draw. Go back to sleep, you need to rest. I'm staying over tonight," Peyton answered. Brooke drifted off with a smile on her face. Peyton removed the cool cloth from her friend's forehead and placed a chaste kiss there.
Sitting on the sofa opposite the bed, Peyton pulled out her drawing pad. Catching sight of a picture on the table beside her, thoughts filled her head. It was a picture of herself and Brooke when they were kids. Brooke still had the same brilliant smile and big dimples—she also had the same sadness in her eyes. Peyton thought about the way things were as she began to sketch the picture. Brooke put on that bitchy, slutty mask, but behind it there hid a truly good person. Peyton wished that more people could see that side of Brooke, but only she—and now Lucas—were privy to that information. Once Brooke let you in, she was the most amazing friend a person could ever have. She was the type of person who would do anything for you and could make you smile even if you were having the worst day in history. Underneath the façade and the antics, there was a girl with a huge heart. It was sad really—she only acted the way she did because the two people in the world who were supposed to love and protect her no matter what didn't give a damn. They'd broken her heart over and over again, and at some point she realize she just couldn't take another hit—so she shut her true self off from the world.
Most of all, Brooke was loyal—almost to a fault. She was willing to do anything for Peyton, even if it meant breaking her own heart. Peyton thought about Lucas, and how Brooke was willing to let him go with no hesitation just for her and their friendship. As much as she wanted Lucas, Brooke needed him more. Lucas gave Brooke everything her parents never could—love, affection, attention, and devotion. Peyton swore she wouldn't be the one to take that away from her. It would destroy her, and she just couldn't do that to her best friend—no matter what. Looking over at the bed, she began to sketch a sleeping Brooke. The Brooke she wished everyone else could know, the angel behind the devil mask—the Brooke you couldn't help but love. The Brooke that could light up a room and steal your heart with nothing more than a smile. At that moment, Peyton realized that she needed Brooke just as much as Brooke needed her. _______________________________________________
Peyton was startled awake by the sound of her ringing cell phone. She quickly answered, hoping it hadn't awakened Brooke. "Peyton, it's Lucas. Sorry I woke you," he said. "Luke, it's 7:00 in the morning," she said, glancing over at the clock. "Sorry, I just wanted to know how Brooke was doing," he said. Peyton got up and walked over to the bed. She felt Brooke's forehead. She was still a little warm, but it was a big improvement from the day before. "She was sniffling and coughing all night, but she's doing better now. Her fever is down and she's sleeping soundly," Peyton replied. Brooke stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. "That's good," he said, sounding very relieved, "I'm going to stop by this afternoon. Do you guys need anything?" "Well, Brooke hasn't eaten anything so you can bring something for her. Things she might be able to keep down, like soup—oh, and ice cream, I think she has a sore throat," Peyton said. "Ok, no problem--soup and ice cream for my girl and pizza for us. Well, I'll let you get back to sleep. See ya later," Lucas said. "Hey Luke? Thanks you," she said. "Thank me for what?" he asked. "I know you only opted out of coming over here so Brooke and I could have some alone time together. Thank you for that and for being so good to her—for seeing who she really is. See you later Luke," Peyton answered. And with that, they both hung up.
TBC...
This is my first OTH fic, so I hope you enjoy it. Feedback would be greatly appreciated.