AN/ Hey guys! So here is chapter two! I hope you all like it! Please read, and review! It would mean the world to me!
Special thanks to everyone who reviewed: sandygirl, dianehermans, guest, Brucas, and didi! You guys are amazing!
-Madison
Welcome to the family jewels
Coal to diamonds, sold to fools
Welcome to the family jewels
Simmer and suffer, can't keep his cool
I can't keep my cool
I can't keep my cool
Brooke Davis wasn't one to do daring things. She kept herself on an organized schedule that maintained doing the same things over, and over again. It hardly ever changed.
Only when she moved from house to house, sometimes even town to town. With a new family, and new ordeals that had to be preformed in that specific foster household.
So being as she just took a four and a half hour plane, across the United States was very well out of her comfort zone. Not to mention the fact that she'd be meeting her doppelganger, maybe even potentially her long lost twin sister... If that could even be possible.
She had arrived in a small city called Charlotte, about an hour ago. It looked just as vacant as the whole state of Nevada, being a bare and empty desert. Except North Carolina had seemed to be full of much more... moisture. Leaving everything to look greener on the other side.
Brooke pulled out her small black phone, and clicked the power button looking at her one new current message. It was from her foster mom, Shannon.
"Everything okay?" she read the message on the screen.
She knew Shannon really didn't care. The day that Brooke would turn eighteen, would be her last day over there, and that was only a few months away.
Brooke typed a small reply back, letting her know that she had left, and a small thank you sufficing her stay.
It was nearing around six o'clock, just as the buses had arrived around their loop. One flashing speculated orange letters over the top, reading Tree Hill, NC as the destination.
Brooke quickly stood up, and swung her bag over her shoulder.
She stepped onto the bus, and gave a polite smile to the old bus driver.
She crinkled her nose in a way, as the smell of must, cigarettes, and people filled the crowded vehicle, before quickly finding an open spot next to a window.
Letting go a sigh of relief, before she sat down, placing the bag between the small space between her feet.
After about five minutes had passed, more people had filled the bus, and the bus driver quickly started the engine, letting a low rumbling sound fill the place, along with the small chatter of other persons. The bus quickly rose up, and started to drive to the place where she would meet her one possible member of a family she never got to have.
Brooke bit down her lip, as she stared outside of the window. Noticing how the sky turned to a dull shade of grey, as little raindrops sprinkled the atmosphere outside.
She wished that she could explain what she was feeling, but it was no use. It was a mix of emotions. Excitement, nervousness, a little scared, maybe even a touch of guilt for leaving Shannon, and Owen... but maybe even a touch of hope.
She didn't know what would happen once she met Beth. Would they automatically feel a connection? Become best friends? What if the took one look at each other and felt an absolute disgust of hatred? And not only that. What would happen to her? Where would she stay? She hoped with Beth, and her family. Would she be able to take a place in her family? Or was this just a quick meet up to see if they really were in a sense, related? More doubt filled Brooke as she started to play with her thumbs, a nervous habit she had picked up.
Seeing as this was a two hour bus ride, she decided to push her fears a way, and take a small nap to recharge herself for maybe one of the biggest events to happen in her small town girl life. Closing her eyes, slowly before letting the surroundings fade out.
A sudden jolt of the bus being stopped woke Brooke up. She heard the driver announce that they had now arrived in Tree Hill, North Carolina. Remembering where she was, and what she was doing, Brooke felt all of her nerves play in her mind all at once. For a short second she wanted to chicken out, be a coward and duck out of this situation, and just drive back to Charlotte, and somehow find a way back to Nevada.
She couldn't though. She wasn't a coward. Her whole life she wanted desperately to have a family, to be able to be wanted, and to make her life her own. Here it was, hitting her straight in the face, and she wasn't going to let it pass her up. She dug into her wallet for a few dollars, before standing up, and walking out with the rest of the crowd, handing the money to the bus driver, with a thank you.
'This is it' She thought to herself, walking out of the bus, and letting her surrounding kick in. She opened up her phone, and clicked on a message that Beth had sent her, Giving her the destination of where she wanted to meet, the time, and her number. With a reminder to not tell anyone who she was.
Exiting the bus station, Brooke felt a chill go through her body, as she tightened her dark plum jacket around her.
"Okay" Brooke spoke to herself, arriving at the address and checking the time. 7:53 pm it read back to her. She was a few minutes early, as she checked around the street to see if anyone was coming out. She really hoped Beth would come soon, seeing as it was dark, and a little chilly outside. Plus she just wanted to shove her nerves right through the door.
"8:10" Brooke said aloud, taking a seat on the curb of the sidewalk, holding her jacket closer to her. Beth was about ten minutes late, and Brooke was staring to think that she had forgotten about her long lost sister that she flew all the way over here. She clicked the number on her phone, and called it.
One
Two
Three rings.
No one answered.
"So much for that." Brooke muttered under her breath, honestly feeling a little aggravated.
She felt the sensation that someone was watching her, as she flipped around to see the barren dark night, full of nothing but crickets chirping.
"Great." Brooke thought aloud. "This is just perfect." She grumbled, pulling out her phone again. 8:20.
She thought of the situation in her mind. Long lost sister, arrives to meet no one. In a state far away from hers, and no where to go.
She zipped open her duffle bag, pulling out about $50 dollars that she had saved up. Maybe a cheap motel would suffice if Beth didn't come withing the next thirty minutes.
She bit the inside of her cheek, feeling really annoyed until a black Mercedes CLK 63 drove by and stopped right by her.
The window rolled down, showing a girl about her age with dark red hair popping out of it.
"Get in bitch." She replied in a teasing tone.
Brooke looked around her, seeing as know once was there. Was this girl talking to her?
"Beth, I'm not playing around, come on, we're already late and I don't have all day." She groaned, sounding annoyed, as she chewed her gum.
Remembering that her message said 'don't tell anyone who you are' She decided to play along with it. Maybe Beth was wherever this girl was taking her, then they could both laugh it off and explain things there.
Sitting up, she grabbed her bag, and opened the car door up into the passenger seat.
"Ready to party?" The red head asked her, with a small devious smirk appearing on her face.
Brooke recognized her in one of the pictures that Beth had posted on facebook. 'Rachel Gatina' she thought to herself, remembering going over the face, to see this same girl tagged in it.
"Uh, sure." Brooke mumbled as they started to pull away.
"What are you doing with that bag?" Rachel had asked, whipping her head around back to the road, and chewing on her gum loudly.
"Oh, um..." Brooke stalled tying to think of an excuse, thanking the heavens above her that a spastic ringtone had entered the car.
"Hold that thought." The red headed girl replied pulling it out. "Yeah, yeah. We're almost there. Calm down." She replied into the phone before pulling into another curve that belonged to a nice rich home. Brooke widened her eyes at the sights of it.
The two had exited the car and were walking up the pavement, before the door opened wide, revealing a girl with curly blonde hair, and another one with a more straight, gentle wave. She recognized them from the photos as well. 'Peyton, and Haley.' She thought, also taking notice that Peyton was Beth's other sister.
"Well finally!" the girl called Haley cried out, enveloping Brooke into a giant bear hug. She could smell a small stench of alcohol on the blonde who was hugging her.
"Uh, hey." Brooke replied sheepishly, not really knowing hot to interact. "Be right back, I think I might use to little girls room." She replied, before walking off, feeling there eyes on her before going back to talking with each other.
Brook took a giant breath. What the hell? She thought, feeling something wasn't right. She didn't even know where a bathroom was located.
The loud sounding beat of the music filled the entire home. Maybe she could find Beth here? She thought to herself peeling around a corner.
This was the first party she had ever been invited to... well okay maybe she wasn't invited, but this was the first party that she had ever been at. Back home, she wasn't exactly the most popular girl in school, so she wasn't invited to anything. She was more of the underdog, just sticking to herself.
As a new Beyonce song played thought the crowd, Brooke kept searching, for an identical version of herself. People had kept calling Beth's name, staring at her. She didn't know what to do but give a timid smile, and a weak wave evertime someone called out.
"Come on Beth, where are you?" She whispered to herself, before someone pulled on her shoulder, turning her around and diving into her lips.
Startled, Beth pushed a way quickly, looking up at the tall, dark haired, and broad boy who had just attacked her mouth.
"What's the matter, babe?" the boy asked questioningly, wondering why she pulled away.
That was the first time she had ever had lip-to-lip contact with anyone ever. She was confused, and had no idea what was happening, scrolling back into her mind to think before she put this boy in his place. Who did he think he was, kissing random girls, and thinking that he could get of scott-free? Hell no. Brooke may have a bad back story of her life, but she did have standards when it came to this.
"Excuse me?" She glared at the boy. "But what the hell do you think you're doing?" She asked, feeling her cheeks light up a dark red feeling a little furious that her personal bubble was invaded. Way invaded.
"Kissing my girlfriend?" He asked her, lowering back down. "Sorry if I scared you, I just haven't seen you in like... weeks, babe." he stated.
It clicked in her mind. Oh. Nathan Scott. Beth's boyfriend. Or at least what she could tell from over the stated text posts of how 'in love' she was.
"Oh, no, I'm not..." She trailed off, before noticing that Nathan wasn't paying attention anymore, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, before he turned his head to talk to some of his friends.
Feeling a little uncomfortable Brooke, shook off his arm, mumbling a be right back before wondering down the hall again, back to her investigation on where Beth was. She didn't want to already be in bad terms for kissing her twin sisters boyfriend. That would make for an awkward meet up.
After about ten minutes, Brooke sat down on a sofa, taking a red solo cup, and filling it up with water. Not wanting to get drunk for when she met her sister. She sighed feeling a little defeated, and extraordinarily exhausted from her long flight, and bus ride. Maybe this was the feeling of jet lag all of her fellow classmates whom had come home from big trips always talked about. Or maybe it was that her emotions were all jumbled up into a ball, and she didn't know exactly where she was.
She hid a strand of her dark brown hair, over her ear, biting down on her lip, feeling confused, and aggravated.
Feeling the sudden need to go bathroom for real this time, she spun up and walked trying to locate it, before a blonde someone tugged on her arm, pulling his lips onto hers.
Brooke pulled away again. Twice in one night, and by two different boys. She had no idea what was going on, but if the raven haired boy was Nathan, her sister's boyfriend, then who the hell was this guy? Before being able to think she hissed to the guy, who looked confused that she had pulled away, and slapped him. "What the hell?" She hissed walking away from the blonde headed boy with the brooding features over his face. What was with this town? Why was everyone all of a sudden kissing her? And where the hell was Beth? The guy pulled back her arm. "Beth, what the hell was that for?" He asked confused, a stern tone to his voice. Brooke, hesitating everytime someone had called her Beth. "You can't just go up and kiss me. I have a boy friend." she obviously stated sticking up for her sister. Before walking away for good this time.
Suddenly feeling sick to her stomach of how the nights events were turning out, she sat back down on the couch, more people saying 'hi Beth' and waving to her. Brooke had to admit she felt a sudden ping of jealousy rise out of her. Her sister seemed to be popular, and Brooke had to admit, even living the underdog life style she always had wished for some form of popularity, and it seemed the girl who looked just like her had it.
"Hey girl, what's the matter?" the small blonde girl from earlier arrived, sitting next to her on to fuchsia colored seat.
Brooke looked down, playing with her thumbs before responding. "Oh, nothing. I guess I'm just not feeling well right now." She replied, biting down on her lip. She wanted desperately to confirm that she was Brooke Davis. Not Beth Sawyer. But remembering her the message she kept her mouth shut.
"Oh, well... I could take you home if you wanted?" Haley replied, patting Brooke's knee.
"You know what, that actually sounds great." Maybe Beth was at home, and really did forget about inviting Brooke down here, and the party.
"Okay, follow me." She replied giving a modest smile, taking Brooke's hand and leading her out of the room. Everything feeling a lot more quieter as they left the party, and got into another really nice car. This time a red one. "I'm sorry you're not feeling well. Hopefully you get better by tomorrow, I mean the whole world will be wondering what Beth Sawyer will be wearing." She laughed turning out of the driveway, and down an open road.
Brooke took notice to how neat and tighty the car was, except for the exception of blue and white shiny pom-poms that were placed in the back.
"Uh... yeah." Brooke mustered to get out. Still feeling eerily uncomfortable pretending to be someone she wasn't. She was glad for the song on the radio that was playing, so that it wouldn't leave them in an awkward silence, and for Haley to figure out that she wasn't really Beth. The car came to a stop.
"Well. Here we are." She grinned.
Brooke looked out the car window, seeing an even bigger house then what the one she was at the party. "Wow." she muttered under her breath. Taking in the trees, and garden that inseminated the tall bricked and stoned home... more like a mansion.
"What was that?" Haley asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing... Um thank you." Brooke said sincerely glad for the ride.
"No problem." She smiled back, genuine kindness. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah..." Brooke muttered again. hopping out of the door as quickly as she could. She walked up to the front porch steps, feeling incredibly out of place. So Beth, her twin sister, had a family, was popular, and oh yeah. She was rich.
That must have made sense considering that Beth had oh so generously payed for her plane ticket here.
She was about to knock on the door, before stopping her hand and looking back, Haley's car still in the drive way giving her a confused look.
Oh yeah. Beth probably didn't knock on her own door.
"Okay." She mumbled again under her breath, opening the door slowly and peering in, waving bye to Haley again.
"Hello?" She spoke out loudly, noticing how neat everything was. Everything seemed to have it's own place. He hello echoed through the dark hallway. She hadn't seen any cars in the drive way. So no one was home, right?
Feeling super exhausted, she walked up the staircase, deciding she'd take on the challenge tomorrow. She peeped into a room that had Beth's name on it, and walked in.
Knowing that this may look awkward when... or if Beth ever decided show up. Feeling truely defeated from the day, Brooke didn't care. She went over and lept into the bed, letting the covers take over her body, as she molded comfortably into them. Closing her eyes, and letting darkness overfill her.