Brooke had spent the past month in silent agony as her new crush had slipped from her fingers all because of Max Caulfield. She couldn't scowl for too long, though, it was her choice to attend Blackwell after all, but only because Alyssa was there. Brooke and Alyssa had been friends since the 3rd grade when the two of them were chosen for the "Gifted and Talented" public school path that would set them off to more advanced classes in their future years; they'd been inseparable best friends since, and where one wandered, the other was somehow sure to follow- except during their first years of high school when Alyssa had been taken out of Brooke's classes by some "luck of the draw" and they began following different goals.
Brooke had certainly gathered far more than enough credits to cash in and graduate early, but because that meant leaving her best friend behind in favor of a college her family approved of, she chose to stay. Alyssa had transferred to Blackwell for the photography program, and Brooke decided she could try her hand at taking photos before finding it might have been her true calling- if she attached it to a drone, of course. This is all besides the point, though; as our story isn't about Brooke's new-found fascination with photography or how she came to Blackwell in the first place, it's about how the dorky "boy of her dreams" had been stolen away from her... again...
In the first week of school, Alyssa had introduced Brooke to Warren Graham, not even mentioning that he had already asked her out that day. (That was something Brooke had discovered from talking to Stella Hill, the infamous gossiper of Blackhell.) Brooke hadn't realized that the quirky nerd in her Chem class was basically a male version of her best friend, and her crush on the boy was simply a reflection of how she felt about Alyssa. Maybe that was why she'd seemed so frustrated with Alyssa when she found out the truth about their relationship; she was furious that the ones she had cared for most- the ones she had so much as liked- had started dating, and to make things worse, her best friend since the 3rd grade had kept it from her.
When Alyssa and Warren parted, for reasons unknown, Brooke was more or less glad. It was a bittersweet feeling to comfort her best friend, but she knew that would come to pass. Warren seemed even further out of reach to her when he had began to take a liking to Caulfield, and Brooke had almost regretted that Warren had decided to atone for keeping silent about his previous relationship by blabbing Brooke's ear off about any girl he found slightly attractive; Alyssa had become somewhat more reclusive since the break up, retreating with her nose in a book, and Brooke had felt like her world was starting to unravel slowly.
Perhaps it was the world smacking some sense into her, or maybe it had been the light at the end of the tunnel Brooke had been looking for, but she had started to finally understand her desires. It had occurred in a spur of the moment decision- a conversation with peppy cheerleader Dana Ward, and her best friend Juliet Watson, about an upcoming social- that Brooke had realized where her heart's loyalty lay.
Juliet had spent the entire afternoon chatting off the ears of anyone who would listen about her date plans for the next party at Blackwell and somehow managed to drag Brooke into the conversation; Brooke had been heading back to the dorms, minding her own business, when the crowd pulled her in. "Who are you going to the party with, Brooke?" Dana had asked, a curious grin on her face.
"Party? You're kidding me, right? As if I'd attend some social gathering for the douche-bags of the Vortex Club." The nerd had seemed entirely unconvinced as to any reasons why she should attend; she was a raver, sure, but no amount of glow-sticks, Daft-Punk, and laser pyrotechnics could ever bring her to willingly walk into Vortex Club territory.
"But why not?" Juliet protested. "You've gotta go. It's the only way we talked Alyssa into going." Dana added, but Juliet gave her a glance that suggested Dana had said too much.
"You bribed Alyssa into going... with me?" Brooke crossed her arms, not entirely sure how to feel. On one hand, her best friend was convinced to go to a party and socialize with people, and her reason for showing up was Brooke herself; on the other hand, however, Brooke and Alyssa had now been forced out of their comfort zones, simply for the sake of one another.
"Well yeah, ever since she and Warren went off the deep end she's been a no show to every social event." Juliet said, as if it was somehow magically going to make sense. "We thought if she spent a little time around friends, maybe she would be a little happier." Dana added, bringing reason to their cause.
Their good intent seemed to spark something in Brooke, and she felt her expression soften in return. "Well she has been more anti-social than usual, I presume." Juliet and Dana looked surprised. "So you'll go then?" Brooke nodded, shifting in place uneasily. "If it makes her happier, yeah."
The duo had successfully brought Brooke into their clutches for their dastardly plan. "Good, now you'll need to ask her to go with you." That part, Brooke wasn't prepared for. "W-what? I thought she was already going?" She looked at them confusedly. "Well yeah but only if you go with her." Dana said, "And she wasn't too convinced you were even going, so really it only helps give her further reason to break out of her shell." Juliet added. Brooke felt even more uneasy than usual. Why was she so nervous about this? Friends go to things together all the time.
~Alyssa~For Alyssa, the moment she realized she had started developing feelings for her best friend was the moment Brooke had confronted her about entering Blackwell academy with her. Alyssa remembered the exact moment being filled with joy that washed away the anxiety of having to count down the days the pair had left together before Brooke had planned to take her early bail. Alyssa remembered the warmth in the hug they shared and how her heart was racing, grateful for Brooke's selfless choice to stay around longer.
However, that moment seemed to mean nothing more than being excited about the upcoming year together, rather than relief that she may finally admit to herself how precious Brooke was to her; in fact, the first week that started their new chapter of adventures together, Alyssa had jumped into a relationship with Warren in careless abandon of any regard of feelings towards her faithful companion. Needless to say, that ship sunk rather quick and Alyssa had to be comforted by the one person who had always remained loyal to her; just another reason to fall for Brooke's charm, to say the least.
Whatever the case may be, Alyssa had somehow managed to piece together how she felt before Brooke did, and this made her avoid confrontation wherever and whenever possible. After her first careless dive into love, the girl was not prepared for another set of scars on her heart.
The day Juliet and Dana had approached her about Brooke's plans to ask her to the upcoming dance, Alyssa seemed somewhat skeptical; it seemed somewhat too good to be true, and thus she shrugged it off without a second thought, continuing her daily read without so much as a glance at the pair. But as the day drew to a close, a certain nerd in a ponytail and Star-Wars hoodie paid her a surprise visit and, as the duo had told Alyssa earlier, asked her to the Vortex Club party.
Alyssa had been almost too eager to say yes to the girl who had nervously stumbled into her room. "Of course I'll go with you, Brookie, you act like we've never gone anywhere together-" As the words slipped from her mouth, Alyssa felt her cheeks turn a slight shade of pink; they hadn't really gone anywhere together- well, at least not as a couple, anyhow. "As friends." Alyssa finished her sentence quickly, leaving an awkward silence hanging in the air.
"Heheh, yeah, right. Well I just thought I'd ask, just to be sure you'd actually go, y'know?" Brooke tried to seem unconcerned with the dead air between the two friends. "I worry that you've become too... reclusive. Maybe a social event will help you out of the funk you're in." Brooke nudged Alyssa playfully. "It'll be nice to do something together again for a change. As friends."
As friends. Maybe Alyssa shouldn't have said that phrase. "Alright Brookie, I'll give it a try. And who knows? Maybe someone will decide to sweep me off my feet."
Brooke couldn't help but smile sheepishly, somehow picking up the hint Alyssa had dropped. "Yeah, that's the spirit... Maybe..."