Hey guys, thanks for following! Sorry for the lack of updates, new computer now and no school, no excuse haha! Reviews would mean the world, so keep them coming! my updates will be way more frequent now! And the more chapters I do, the more characters this one will be around. Thank you kindly x


Clay sat at the dinner table, fuming still at Brooke and Nathan, days later and he hadn't contacted either. He hadn't even turned his phone on. He didn't care anymore, he was just going to make money and secure himself, and life could wait. For as long as he had known, they were his best friends, his other family, and now they had turned on him, he thought he knew them. He thought that they were his security.

His mum came down and sat next to him, his dad was working late, and Clay had only just managed to get out before he got lynched for even more overtime. Surely it was illegal, he worked dusk until dawn, he had no breaks, he was running himself into the ground. Maybe Brooke was right? He wasn't going to tell her that thought

His mum, Shelley, was different. She was his rock, the only person who really understood and helped him. She was the one who encouraged him to do what he wanted, to go to college, to not follow his dads footsteps. But his dad was a control freak, she was afraid of him. Everyone was afraid of him.

"Clay, don't fight with your friends" She said, putting a tea in front of him and stroking his head lightly. She knew about everything, she read him like a book. Because they were so similar

"Mum, you don't understand" Clay sighed, stirring his tea and looking at her wistfully, his hair flat across his forehead

Shelley put her hand on his shoulder "I'm married to your father clay, I know exactly what its like"

"Its not about him"

"Clay, it always is. He doesn't approve of friends, he doesn't approve of a lifestyle that doesn't revolve around that stupid company"

"Then why stay with him mum? Why not pack up, take me and Jay somewhere else, start fresh, leave him with his company?" he asked. He always wondered why Jay had got the free pass. Why he had managed to escape to Australia without a trace, yet he was the one who had to continue using this stupid family name, in the stupid family company, which he didn't even like

"You don't think ive tried that Clay? Your dad is obsessed with power, Jay left, but me and you are still fighting against that Clay, except you don't have to"

"What is this mum? An intervention?"

"Clay im just telling you that Brooke and Nathan, they both care, really care. Pushing them out and focusing on the company is going to kill you. You can get out clay, its too late for me but your young, you have friends that are willing to stick around to help you, you can quit that job, you can fall in love and enjoy your life. But your not going to do that at your fathers company, with him controlling you" Shelley said, looking deadly serious, her arms crossed. Her eyes had dark, concentrated circles under them.

"Mum?" Clay asked, watching her

"Don't be afraid to let people in Clay, don't let it get to the point where its too late"

"Mum where is this all coming from?"

"its just something I need you to know, ok? Ive gotta go out now, but don't wait up" Shelley said, looking at her son, leaving Clay sat in silence.

Flashback- high school

Clay and Brooke sat in Clays kitchen,

"Evans, your tea tastes like ass" cackled Brooke

"Make it yourself then" Clay laughed throwing a teabag at her face, causing her to squeal and laugh

"You got that on my outfit!" she laughed, pelting him with tea bags

"Stop" came a loud, sudden voice. Clays dad stood in the doorway, frowning

"Didn't know this household was a nursery" he scowled, pouring himself a to go coffee and leaving. Shelley sat on the stairs, watching, with a glass of what everybody thought was water

"right, lets get out of here" Clay said, his mood ruined, stomping out, slamming the door behind him, Brooke chased him out, this was way too familiar

"don't let him get you Clay, your better then that" Brooke said, putting a hand on his shoulder

"I know Davis. Sorry for taking it out on you, sorry for always taking it out on you. Its just..dads an ass, my mums drinking vodka and passing it as water, and if I don't get into college then ive gotta have that life too…" he said, running a hand through his hair and looking at brooke.

Her life was the opposite, she had a free ride to do what she wanted, she could go to college, develop her clothing line, then open a shop.

"Clay, you don't have to do anything. You have me, Nathan, Haley, Luke, Peyton. We are all going to look after you, you don't have to rely on him for a second" Brooke put her arm round him

Clay put his head on her shoulder

"I never want to lose you as a friend Brooke, promise me that even if things get really bad, we'll never lose eachother"

"I promise Clay. Now, come on, ive got a cheer routine and a fair to organize and its not gonna do itself!" she grinned, wheeling around and bouncing away

"I guess that was a hint that you need some help with the financial side of things?" Clay grinned

"How did you guess?" she laughed, and they walked into school together. It was funny, but school seemed to be the one place where the two of them felt safe.

Brooke was behind the counter at Clothes over bros, walking around, tapping each hanger, finding something to try and repair, but it wouldn't take her mind off of things. It had been a week, that was the longest either her or Nathan had gone not talking to clay. He was her best friend.

He was the one who was there during the Peyton and Luke saga, both times. She remember the prom incident

Flashback

Brooke appeared in Clays window, the way she always had. Clay had a downstairs room, and Clays dad hated guests. It was the way it had always been

She tapped on the window, she had just been round Peytons, arguing with her, fighting with her. She didn't get it. Peyton had won, Peyton had Lucas, Peyton had good grades, Peyton had at least one stable parent who loved her, Peyton had the boy. Luke had loved her from the start

Clay let her in

"hey davis whats with the face?" he asked, concerned, looking at her bruise, and the red tear marks around her eyes

"peyton hates me" Brooke announced, shortly. folding her arms. She hated what she had done with Nathan, she hated that it painted her in such a hideous light. She hated that Peyton hated her

"Chase dumped me" she continued, sniffling a little. She hated letting her guard down aswell, but Clay was the one guy who was always able to combat that one

"am I just going to be alone? Am I that much of a mess that nobody wants to stick around?" Brooke asked, quietly. Feeling almost as vunerable as she did the day she fell for Luke. She didn't break down to anyone. She was the strong one, she didn't draw, she didn't put her emotions into anything. She just spent her days looking after her friends, then she returned to her empty house

Clay had already started edging towards her, shaking his head

"Brooke, your not even on the right planet if you think that. Peytons upset, that's all, its just happened for her. And lets be honest, she cant act like the saint for that long. And look, if chase cant see you for you, hes not the guy for you ok?" he said, putting his hands around her waist and pulling her into a tense hug, willing her to just let go and let him comfort her

she put her head on his shoulder, trying to keep calm

"it's the day of prom, I have a black eye, no date, no friends who respect me, and a limo ride there that's gonna be just me, because I got my best friend expelled!" she said, her voice quivering quietly, her sniffs becoming more audible. She was losing control, and quickly. She tried to edge away from Clay, knowing that she was going to break down soon enough

"Clay let me go" she said, sadly, but Clay held on

"you don't have to be the wrong one all the time Brooke, let me help" he responded, pulling her in. she stopped fighting, and started crying. Her body shook with loud, painful sobs, like every single emotion and person in her life was hurting her all over again. Luke, Peyton, Chase, Victoria, her father, everybody who was gossiping so viciously about her and Nathan

"now Davis, heres the plan. Your gonna go home, dry your eyes and go make yourself look beautiful"

"whats the point, nobody at prom is even going to wanna look at me" she sighed, the sob fest forgotten. She rubbed her eyes and looked at Clay almost desperately, hoping that he would say something

"and im going to pick you up at 8 in the limo, ok?" he said, giving her a small, dimpled smile

"huh?" brooke asked, not processing it. She laughed a little

"Clay you don't have to take me, I know you wanted your dance with Rach"

"I want to see my best friend happy, and I want to let you have a prom to remember. So that's what we are doing ok?" Clay said, softly, putting an arm around her shoulders and leaning his head against hers.

Brooke stared sadly at the ceiling. She knew she had gone too far, she knew Clay hadn't meant any of it, he was practically a puppet for his control freak of a dad, but she had done exactly what he had wanted. She had pushed him away, so he didn't have to have any of it on his conscience

The bell rang on the door, and Brooke wheeled around, hopefully to help a customer. Instead she saw Shelley, looking thinner and unhappier then ever

"Brooke" Shelley said, a small nod exchanged between them. She knew. She knew Brooke was fighting with her son. She hated it. She hated the fact that yet another element of her sons life was being diminished by that man. She just wanted to make it stop, to make the world stop hurting the son she loved so desperately.

"Mrs Evans, I know I shouldn't be fighting with Clay" she started, waving a hand as if it was a white flag

"That's not what im here to talk about Brooke, its not my business" Shelley replied, calmly, sitting down on one of the chairs by the changing room, looking even smaller as she sat down, her willowy frame suddenly looking even more gaunt and undernourished

"Brooke, I need a favour, and I really hate to ask.." she started, wringing her hands together nervously, her pale features more accentuated as she sat in the light

"Anything?" Brooke said, sitting opposite Shelley, and taking in how terrible she looked. She had black circles under her eyes, she looked gaunt, the light behind her eyes was no longer present. She was a shell. She had been rapidly losing weight, losing sight of what was important, losing sight of what a life without Carl, her husband would be. She didn't know what it would be, she could never find out..

"look after him" shelley said, shaking as she said it, wringing her hands even more, looking anywhere but Brookes eyes. Her cobalt blue eyes meeting Brookes hazel ones.

"What do you mean?" Brooke answered, leaning closer, trying to think of something to say or do that was going to calm down the woman in front of her, who had started to shake even more, as if a cold wind would knock her to the floor

"im going away for a while, and I need to know that Clay isn't going to become his father" she said, shaking a little bit more, a dry tear straying down her cheek, one which she didn't try and gulp away.

"I need him to know what its like to live, to love, and to not be in that mans shadow. Brooke, he is so desperately unhappy at the moment" Shelley sniffled, opening a bottle of water from her bag and taking a long gulp. It wasn't water. it was more sinister then that. but Brooke needed to think it was water, the purpose of this visit wasn't to get Brooke to worry for her. She just wanted to know someone was going to be there for her son.

"how so?" Brooke asked, leaning forwards, concerned

"he goes to work, comes home, eats a little, goes to bed, then repeats it. Hes lost the life behind his eyes, Brooke, he works about 12 hours a day, he doesn't even get a day off anymore, and when he does he just spends it locked up doing god knows what. Look, I was always in the shadow of Clays father, but its not too late for him, he doesn't need to be. Promise me you'll look out for him? Please?" Shelley fought back tears, she was trying to act cool, but Brooke was staring into her eyes, and she knew how much courage it was taking Shelley to say these things, and how much she truly did care. Brooke and Shelley always talked about Clay, their worries for him, their worries that he was being worn down by his father. But not like this. Something was different. The tone was different. The level of worry was different.

"of course I will" Brooke said, quietly. A rasp in her voice that was only there when she was feeling emotion, when she was feeling lost, helpless. She didn't know what she could do, the man who had once saved her was in a position where he, more then anyone needed saving

Shelley suddenly pulled Brooke into a tight hug, Brooke smelt the dainty perfume, the powder on her face, the apple shampoo that she always used

"I know you will, that's why I asked. You're the best thing that's ever happened to him" she said, holding Brooke close with both arms

"fix him" she said, slowly and quietly, and Brooke nodded into her shoulder, figuring that this was what both women needed right now. Shelley then looked at Brooke, with a small smile, and left.

She was so graceful, so small. She always smelt of the same perfume, for Brooke it felt like home. Shelley had always been like a mother to her, and she knew that she was the only person in Clays family that kept his head above the water. He also had a brother, but his brother had moved to Australia. He had known how controlling Carl, Clays dad was. He got out while he could.

She sat behind the counter, thinking of the conversation she had just had with Shelley. it seemed oddly formal, it seemed final, Shelley looked like she was giving up on everything, everyone, on her life.

Brooke suddenly remembered things, things that she didn't want to. Things she had blocked out, for her sake and for Clays

Going to school with Clay, and seeing Shelley on the stairs with a glass of wine, at 9am

When they left with Carl in the car for prom, Shelley going upstairs with paracetamol, more then one serving

Shelley taking a short holiday, which Brooke had always thought was rehab

Shelley taking a swig from her bottle of water just now, and grimacing..

Every single image flashed through her head one by one, as if she was taking multiple photos. Shelley had asked Brooke to fix Clay. She had said it was too late for her and not to him

What did she mean by too late? Was their hug too long, too final? She pondered for an hour, she tried to distract herself by doing some designs for the new line, but she couldn't focus on anything. The shapes were too samey, the colours were last season, the lengths were all wrong. She could barely piece together her mannequinn, let alone a whole new collection. She could barely piece herself together.

She thought about the frail woman who hours ago had been sitting in her store. Shelley Evans. the woman who used to hold such a bright light in her life. She used to be like the morning son, she used to have round cheeks, a gorgeous smile, blonde, long, thick, wavy hair. But now she was gaunt, she was frail, she looked like an old woman. Her grey roots were coming through, stress making them much more obvious. She had worry lines on her forehead, she shook like a leaf as she spoke. Clay wouldn't notice, Clay couldn't even look after himself. This was upto her. What if the visit was a cry for help?

Brooke picked up her phone and called Shelley, she was worried. Shelley was unstable. Straight to voicemail.

She called again

Voicemail

She called again

Phone number not available

She called again

A dialling tone

Brooke suddenly saw where this was all headed

"Shit" she muttered to herself, quickly running out the shop, grabbing her keys, and hailing the nearest taxi.