AN: Thank you for the reviews. I haven't decided how long I want this to be but I do have some ideas that I want to play out. For those of you wondering why Rachel doesn't pressure Brooke into telling her what really happened, don't worry, it's coming. I hope you enjoy, let me know.
Chapter Two
Rachel had been in Tree Hill for a week and Brooke still didn't know where she had been those weeks she went missing. The redhead refused to open up about the time she was gone because she was too focused on Brooke.
Anytime the brunette tried asking, Rachel would just brush the subject off by telling her they could talk about it some other time. All she cared about was that Brooke healed from her "fall".
She had seen some of the bruises that covered Brooke's arms and legs but had yet to see the full extent of the injuries. Brooke knew that if Rachel saw them, she'd be even more worried and her story of falling down the stairs would be even more weak. Rachel not seeing the bruises, however, wouldn't last long.
As Brooke climbed out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body, she walked over to the mirror and wiped it clean. The bruises didn't appear to be healing any, and it disgusted her even more. She couldn't even look at herself anymore, the thought of how she looked killed her. She had no idea how Rachel could even stand looking at her everyday.
But Rachel could stand it and had been staying with Brooke since she arrived in town. Brooke thought it would be weird with her staying there, at first, but she had to admit that she felt safer with the other girl around.
None of her other friends had been by, not even to ask why the Clothes Over Bros shop was closed. Since none of them had been by, none of them knew Rachel was in town. They had just been holed up in Brooke's house, eating junk food and watching cheesy 80s movies. It was the most fun Brooke had had in a long time.
Even though Peyton hadn't been by, she had called and set up a lunch date. That's what Brooke was getting ready for now. She didn't particularly want to go but knew she owed it to her friend to spend time with her.
She had just gotten her shirt over her head, after throwing her, still wet, hair up into a messy ponytail, and was buttoning her jeans when Rachel walked into her room without knocking.
"Rachel! Could you knock please? I could have been naked in here," Brooke exclaimed after clumsily getting her jeans buttoned.
"Nothing I've never seen before," the redhead answered with a wink, hinting back to senior year at the cabin. "At least you weren't Brooking yourself this time."
The statement caused Brooke to blush and look down, a small smile displayed across her face. The events leading up to the trip to the cabin had been difficult to go through but, somehow, the group had gotten through it together. Brooke didn't know when that had changed, when everyone was solely focused on their own problems.
"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it, bitch," Brooke finally countered after the blush disappeared from her face.
"Never said I didn't, slut," Rachel responded, raising her eyebrows and displaying a cocky smirk.
Brooke could feel the blush starting to creep back up but forced herself to push it back down, "Anyway, what was so important that you couldn't wait for me to be finished?"
"While you're out on your date, I'm gonna head to the store. You're in serious need of some food in this place."
The brunette chuckled, slipped some shoes onto her feet and started heading out of her room, "You know, I wouldn't have that problem if little miss likes to eat didn't drain me out of everything I had."
"Hey, it's either me mooching off of you and becoming a fat-ass or me getting high every chance I get. Pick your poison," Rachel responded as she followed Brooke out into the main part of the house.
"Then I pick you becoming fat with me," a sincere smile crossed Brooke's face. She wanted the other girl to know that she didn't have to go down that road again.
It worked because Rachel returned the smile, just as sincere as the one she had just received, but it didn't last as she changed the subject, "You seem to be in a better mood today."
"I am, thank you," Brooke's normally raspy voice became just a bit raspier as she looked down and softly spoke the words. After a quick, reassuring, squeeze of the arm from Rachel, she looked back up and continued to talk, "I look like hell, though."
"Oh, whatever. You look hot. You always look hot. Even a set of stairs can't change that," she emphasized the word stairs, indicating she still didn't believe the story.
Brooke just laughed and thanked the girl for the complement. She needed to get away before she actually confided in her what really happened. She grabbed her keys and walked out the house with Rachel in tow.
With one last smile, they each headed off to do their own thing.
Rachel made it to the store fairly quickly. Considering the size of the town, it wasn't that surprising, but it was nice not having to stop at any of the lights. She couldn't believe how lucky that had been. It must have been the universe's way of telling her that the luck couldn't last long because there placing an apple into the little fruit bags, was Haley.
She tried to turn the corner to the next aisle quickly so that the other girl wouldn't see her. Even though they came to terms, somewhat, that last night of summer, they still weren't each other's biggest fans. Her escape plan failed, however, when Haley lifted her head just in time to see Rachel making a run for it.
"Damnit," Rachel whispered, knowing she had been caught. Hoping Haley would just look away and go about her shopping, she was disappointed when it didn't happen.
"Rachel," she said as she pushed her basket over to where the redhead stood with hers, "What are you doing back in town?"
"Oh, you know, catching up with old friends. I really missed Tree Hill."
"That's funny," Haley laughed, "I wasn't aware you still had friends. You can't be talking about Brooke since you used her and stole from her."
Rachel was clearly nervous. It was all she could do to stop from fidgeting so much. She didn't want Haley to know she was having any impact on her. It wasn't working.
"Look, Haley, I know we've had our share of problems in the past, but, to be honest, I don't give a damn what you think of me. I'm here to make things better with Brooke and to be here for her, something none of her other "friends" seem to be capable of. And, just to be clear, whatever you think you know about my last stay here, it's wrong."
She didn't wait for a response because she knew it would just lead to more fighting, so she just turned back to her basket and tried to finish up her shopping. Haley, on the other hand, was shocked. She had never heard Rachel give a speech like that. When it came to the girl, Haley didn't think much of her, just a loose girl who only cared about her needs.
Something had changed.
Meanwhile, across town, at a small cafe close to the water, Peyton and Brooke were trying to enjoy their lunch together.
"Your eyes look better," the blonde commented after noticing how many people had been staring at the other girl, something Brooke had noticed almost immediately.
"Thanks," was all she said, refusing to look up from her salad.
"Lucas said it would be alright if I stayed with you for a little while. You know, until you get everything figured out with the store."
Brooke finally looked up and forced a smile to stretch across her face. She hated how it sounded like Peyton needed permission. That probably wasn't the case but sometimes Peyton was a little clueless. "No, that's ok. I'm taking care of things."
The fact that she hadn't told her friend about Rachel being back in town was a little bothersome, but she knew once the words left her mouth, Peyton would find a way of keeping the redhead away from her. It wasn't something she needed right now, not when she was just starting to feel like a person again.
The rest of lunch was spent in awkward silence as neither girl knew what to talk about. Peyton didn't want to pressure Brooke into talking about her injuries and Brooke didn't want to talk to Peyton about her engagement to Lucas. The fact was, she really didn't care at the moment. She was glad they were happy, sure, but how could she be happy for someone else when she couldn't even be happy for herself?
Brooke plopped herself down on the couch next to Rachel and let out a sigh. Lunch had been everything she expected, awkward and humiliating. The people never got tired of looking over at their table, hoping to get a better look at her face.
"That bad, huh?" Rachel asked as she flipped through a magazine.
"People wouldn't stop staring at me. I told you I looked horrible."
Rachel closed the magazine and tossed it onto the coffee table in front of them, "Then let them stare and screw what they think. You just want to hide out here for another week or two so that people don't look at you?"
"It's embarrassing, Rachel. I can't handle the looks and the whispers. You wouldn't understand."
"We're going out, I'll be right back," and before Brooke could protest, Rachel was already walking out of the room.
For what seemed like an eternity but, in reality, was only 30 minutes, Brooke waited for Rachel to finish whatever she was doing so she could tell her she wouldn't be going out. But when the other girl walked back into the main room, what she saw was a surprise.
Rachel had spent the half hour applying make-up around her eyes, and Brooke wasn't sure how the girl had pulled it off, but it looked like she had actual black eyes.
After noticing the shocked and confused look Brooke was giving her, Rachel laughed and explained, "Being a drug addict you have to learn how to hide things. Combine that with the fact that I was model, I learned a few things about make-up. Now people won't be staring at you, they'll be staring at both of us."
"You want me to go out that bad?" Brooke asked amazed. Rachel never seized to surprise her with how much she was willing to do for someone else.
"I want you to have fun. This past week has been great and I needed it but I hate the fact that you're scared of going out because of other people. You've smiled more today than you have any of the other days combined, so screw me that I want to see you smile some more."
There were no words to express how Brooke felt at that moment. This girl went above and beyond just to get a smile, all she could do was walk over and give her a hug. It didn't seem like enough, but, apparently, Rachel thought that it was.
After pulling away, she smiled and started pulling Brooke towards the door, "If anyone asks what happened, we'll just tell them they should see the stairs."
