Sixth Grade
When Peyton Sawyer sat down next to her that day in the park, she was amused yet felt the boiling discontent in her stomach. Most days, thinking back she can still feel the absolute hatred she had for the girl sitting on the swing over. They were just kids, but the feelings were still there. Brooke and Peyton were enemies at best.
There was nothing similar about them other than the fact that they were both in sixth grade and twelve years old. Brooke Davis was a shy girl. She sat quiet and alone in the corners of all of her classes. She remained in the background and tried to avoid getting teased. Peyton Sawyer was the opposite. She was popular and friendly and could get along with anyone. She chose whether or not she wanted to be your friend, not the other way around.
Brooke rolls her eyes when the blonde-haired girl sits beside her. "What do you want?"
"Excuse me?" Peyton laughs a little. She finds this fun. It's kind of like a game. She's always liked to keep things fresh. "Maybe I wanted to be friends."
She shakes her head, getting off the swing.
"That's right," Peyton began to speak again. "Why would anyone wanna be friends with a piece of shit like Brooke Davis?"
She thinks she's cool because she swears. Everyone suddenly moved up to middle school and there's a new dictionary too.
"You're just mad because I'm the best on the squad and we all know it. I can land every move-"
"Actually, your handspring is a little rusty."
For a moment, Brooke is about to cry, but she pulls herself together and wills herself not to. That's what they want to see and she won't be the source of Peyton or her friends entertainment. "I'm good and you know it."
Peyton quickly comes and pushes her down as the other girls laugh.
"Go, Peyton!"
She tries to get up but the taller, skinnier, prettier girl starts kicking woodchips and she closes her eyes. She's afraid to yell at her to stop because woodchips most likely wouldn't taste too good. She doesn't open her eyes because that would hurt quite a bit too.
"That's what Brooke is. A fat, ugly, shitty, piece of filth," Peyton taunts. "Don't mess with me, Davis."
She stops after that. When the girl laying on the floor finally opens her eyes, Peyon is swinging with her other friends now and they're all laughing at her. She can't stop the comment that crawls out of her throat. "All of you are whores. And no one likes you. And-"
"She better run," Peyton tells her friends.
They hop off the swing while it's midair and Brooke fully comprehends what she just said. She turns around, running back down the street towards her safe house. There are footsteps chasing her as they began to tease her too.
"We'll catch up! She's too fat to run!"
"And uncoordinated. She'll trip!"
"Broooookie," Peyton, the ringleader chants. Then somehow she quickly caught up with her chicken legs and tackled the shorter girl onto the sidewalk.
Brooke winces and she laughs, punching her dead in the eye. She gets up and starts kicking the smaller one too as she lays there defenseless. She finds herself not caring anymore. Go ahead, Peyton. Have at it. If that's what makes you happy.
When Peyton finishes she squats down and smirks at her. "Watch your back, Brooke Davis."
She doesn't get up until they turn the corner and are officially gone. Only then does she walk the four houses down into the house and softly shuts the door. Her mom looks up from the kitchen table and cringes. "Oh, God, go clean yourself up."
She sees why when she gets to the bathroom. There is a very big red mark right under her eye that's sure to bruise. Her lip is cut and her self-esteem shattered. One day, she would find real friends and this wouldn't happen to her. That's what she thinks every night as she falls asleep. It's what keeps her sane.
Today, unfortunately, just wasn't that day.
:::
The next time she sees Peyton Sawyer is at Haley Scott's birthday party. Haley and Brooke had never really spoken to before, but she's kind. The few times they did make small talk, Haley always smiled and didn't call her any names, which for Brooke was really all she ever asked for.
At first, she stands in the background, lingering. She has a present for Haley but doesn't know how to talk to people. Truth be told, this is her first birthday party. Normally, she was just reminded how she's not invited.
"Brooke!" Haley sees her. "Come on! We're going swimming!"
Brooke smiles but it's cut short by the voice she had learned to associate with pain over the years. Peyton Sawyer was here too.
"You invited Brooke?" she says.
"Yeah," Haley's voice is confident. "She's nice."
"She's a loser," Peyton clarifies. Everyone snickers at the word.
"I'll go," she says softly.
Haley turns and has really caring eyes. That's the first thing Brooke sees in Haley. She's really compassionate. "No, stay. I'm sure Peyton will be nice. Right, Peyton?"
"Sure," she smiles innocently. "Come on, Brookie."
She stares at her luring face for awhile before turning back to Haley and smiling apologetically. "I'd better go, Haley. My brother is sick anyway."
"Brooke, you don't have to-"
"I do," she says. "See you at school, Haley. Happy birthday."
"Bye, Brooke Davis!" Peyton chants.
Somehow, she finds it in her to turn around and smile. "See you, Peyton."
She walks around the house to the front and begins going down the sidewalk. She told her mom that she'd find a ride home, but she figured that she wouldn't. Brooke isn't upset about the fact that she has to walk home. She's upset because she thought she'd stay a little longer at the party. She really thought that she was going to make friends today. But no, instead she's going home early, making up a lie about a brother she didn't even have.
Halfway home she stops at a bus stop and sits down for awhile. She takes out her cell phone and wants to cry. She might have a cell phone, and money, and everything a twelve year old could possibly want, but it didn't mean much without friends.
"Brooke?" She looks up. Mr. Sawyer is standing there with a smile on his face.
He didn't know about the feud. No adults did. Brooke didn't have anyone to tell. Besides, she knows Peyton and her dad are close. He comes to every cheer competition and roots for them and sometimes brings snacks for after. Peyton finds it really embarrassing, but Brooke always find it sweet. She would never tell her father about the monstrous side of her.
"No thanks, I'm good."
Peyton is glaring at her from the passenger seat. She scares her. Brooke hated admitting it, but there's something about the way she could destroy a person that's terrifying.
"Brooke, I know you don't have a ride home. Why don't you get in?"
There's not much a fight in her anymore. She nods her head silently and hops in. Peyton can't do anything with her dad in the car and a five minute car ride would be another forty-five minute walk.
"How have you been, Brooke?" Mr. Sawyer asks. "Peyton tells me you two have a lot of classes together."
"Yeah," she says quietly.
"Brooke doesn't talk much," Peyton tells her dad. "She's always been on the quiet side."
"Oh, nonsense!" he laughs. "She's a cheerleader!"
It's silent in the car for awhile before her dad pulls into the gas station. Brooke's heart begins pounding. Is he really going to leave them alone in the car?
"What are you doing?" Peyton asks.
"I need gas," he shrugs. "You want twizzlers?"
"Yeah!" A bright smile comes to her face. Peyton without a sneer is a rare sight to see.
"Brooke, do you want any candy?"
"No thank you," she says politely.
Her dad gets out of the car and walks into the gas station and the silence really hits in. Peyton taps away on her phone, texting the friends that Brooke has always wanted. Eventually she turns.
"You didn't have to leave Haley's."
"You didn't want me there."
"I was just giving you a hard time," she defends.
Brooke looks up at her skeptically as they meet eyes. "It didn't seem like just a hard time."
"Why were you walking home?"
"My mom doesn't like me getting her way," she says.
Peyton nods, but has a hard time feeling sorry for the girl. "Better than me. My mom is dead."
Brooke rolls her eyes. "Sucks."
"You don't seem very sympathetic," she notes. There's something about Brooke. Something that Peyton can't quite figure out. She has this spark in her, though. A spark she enjoys messing with.
"Your mom dying doesn't change that you're a-" she cuts herself off. "Nevermind."
"No, go on," Peyton crawls into the backseat and Brooke scoots closer to the window. "I'm a what?"
"Forget it."
"What, are you scared?" she taunts.
"Why wouldn't I be scared of you? All you've ever done is hurt me."
Peyton looks down. "I didn't mean to," she promises. "Just say it. I won't hurt you."
"There are so many things that I have to say, but can't because you'd probably beat me up," Brooke mutters quietly. A part of her expects a punch in the face just for the comment.
"I'm sorry you think I'll hurt you," she says solemnly. Just then her dad comes back with a pack of twizzlers and smiles, tossing them in the back seat. Peyton hands one to you and you shake your head. When the door shuts and he leaves again to put the gas in the car she turns to Brooke once more.
"Look, it's not that I don't like you-"
"I don't care, Peyton," Brooke cuts her off. "It doesn't change that you make life hell."
She looks out the window and Peyton grabs her phone. She starts pressing buttons then hands it back. "Text me sometime. Maybe you're not as absolutely terrible as I thought."
"I know I'm not. But you're below my standards," she shoots back.
"First of all, you don't know me. Second of all, you don't know me," she finishes just as her dad gets in the car for good and starts it again.
"Ready to go, girls?" he smiles at them both. "Let's get you home, Brooke. I bet your mom is worried sick."
She wants to laugh. Her mom doesn't realize she's missing. Or if she does, she likes it better that way anyway. Instead she forces out a smile with a perky voice.
"Yeah, I should probably get home."
:::
"Alright, good job, ladies! See you Thursday for practice!" Coach Ashley yells.
The group of girls begins to break up and head towards the locker rooms.
"Brooke, hold on a minute!" Coach calls her over.
Brooke closes her eyes and sighs, turning around again. She walks against the crowd and momentarily makes eye contact with Peyton. It's amazing how different she is. In the car that day, Brooke almost thought there was hope for her. But nothing changed. She was the same bitch she's always been.
She reaches her coach and puts on her brilliant Brooke Davis smile that makes everyone think she's okay. "Yeah, coach?"
"Hey," she smiles. "Becca told me you're thinking about quitting after season's over."
"Oh," Brooke's heart jumps at the thought of freedom. "Yeah, I was considering it."
"I hope you don't," she says simply. "You're really good, Brooke, and once you hit high school you're gonna be great. You have a lot of talent and I'd hate to see that go."
Normally she doesn't take compliments well, but she feels the corners of her lips start to perk up a little. "Thanks. Maybe I'll reconsider."
Her mind was already made up, but the compliment meant a lot.
"I hope you do," she pats her on the shoulder. "I'd hate to think Tree Hill is gonna miss out on someone like Brooke Davis just because she quits."
Maybe. But they'd still have Peyton Sawyer.
"Go ahead. I wouldn't want to make your mom wait."
The girl nods and starts walking back to the locker room. She pretends not to see her, but she notices Peyton lurking in the shadows against the wall. Out of the corner of her eye, she watches her walk over until they're finally walking the same path back to the locker room.
"You're gonna quit?" she asks.
They walk in and everyone else is leaving or has already left. It's just the two of them and Peyton sits down, undoing her shoelaces. Brooke still hasn't answered her question, but she doesn't have to.
"Don't," Peyton's answer is simple. At that, the brunette looks up. She isn't expecting that. Peyton's plea came as a surprise. She figured that Peyton of all people would be the happiest to learn they would no longer be teammates. "Look, I know I give you a hard time a lot, but in all honesty, you are the best we've got, okay? And quote me on that and I'll say you're lying, but it's true. If you quit, there's no point in staying on the team because it's gonna suck."
At that one, Brooke smiles a little bit. Peyton quickly puts on her sweats and t-shirt before waiting patiently for the other girl to change too.
"You're the best flyer and the best at tumbling. You've worked hard for this. You can't just give up," she keeps going.
Brooke looks up as she finishes changing and shrugs. "It's not fun anymore."
"Because of me?" Peyton asks. She still hasn't said sorry, but she always thinks it. Every practice she wants to go up and apologize, but at the same time, she created a great reputation for herself by making fun of Brooke. What if she loses her friends?
She shrugs a little bit. "Yeah. A little bit."
"I'm an idiot!" Peyton throws her hand up as they begin to walk out. Their coach raises her eyebrows as they trail out. Sawyer and Davis were dangerous together. She'd learned that over the years.
"Look, I don't even know yet, okay?" Brooke asks with a hint of annoyance.
They walk outside and Peyton goes to her dad's car as Brooke carefully opens her cell phone and pretends to dial her mom's number.
"You have a ride, right?" Peyton asks.
"We have practice every night. Of course I do."
"Just being nice for once," she winks. She's about to open the door then stops and turns around looking back once more. "I really will miss you if you quit, B. Davis."
With that, she gets into the car and after a few seconds drives away. Brooke finds herself smiling a little. B. Davis is a new one. It was a sort of playfully harsh name. She likes it. She glances at the car until it turns the corner then begins walking in the other direction towards "home".
i hope you like this. i'm trying out the one tree hill fanfic for a change. i have most of this already written, so if you like it please review! :)