Hello all, thank you so much for the follows and the reviews! new chapter up, a little bit heavy, hopefully ive done some justice! xxx
Keep reviewing with your thoughts and ideas,
Brooke ran to her car, trying to ignore the horrible feeling in her head. It had al suddenly clicked to her, how unhappy Shelley was, the tears around her eyes, the dark circles. The way she pleaded with Brooke to look after Clay, as if she wasn't going to be around.
She said she had to go away. What did she mean by that, did she mean permanently? Why was her phone switched off, she never had her phone off, none of their family did. Ever. this in itself was odd.
Brooke shakily put her phone in a dock and speed dialled Nathan, he was the only person who could help her. Clay hated her, his brother was in Australia and the other brother was probably off his face somewhere in New York with his crazy drugged up girlfriend
"Brooke, im in practice" she heard him whine
"have you heard from shelley?" she asked, worried. Maybe she had called round to visit Nathan too, he was just as important to Clay as she was. Maybe more. They were like brothers
"she text me saying look after Clay yesterday or something" Nathan replied, casually
"did she sound ok?" Brooke asked, speeding through a red light and shutting her eyes for a little bit, almost in disbelief that she had survived
"it was a text, Brooke" Nathan said, dully, he chuckled a bit
"whats this then, you cant look after clay so your trying to look after his mum?" he asked, and brooke rolled her eyes
"ill call you later nate" she said, panic evident in her tone. She shut off the call. She didn't know whether to call clay, where to drive, where shelley could even of gone. she didnt know anything, and that scared the hell out of her.
She decided her best bet was to go to the house. Clay was never there, his dad was never there, maybe she had just got a bottle of wine to relax or something? She tried to kid herself, it was the only way she could keep driving without getting the shakes.
She casually jogged to the front door, not wanting the neighbours to be suspicious. In tree hill, it was a small place. Everything that anyone did, was usually reported later on.
She knocked on the door, her code knock. Her and clay had made it up when they had just started high school
"ok brooke, we need a code, you see, there are gonna be a lot of girls swinging by here.." he started, raising an eyebrow with a slight laugh
she cackled back
"you think your house is going to become the playboy mansion with your dad under the roof?"
"true…ok we still need a code though because codes are pretty cool" clay replied, leaning back and letting his head meet the pillow, groaning
"heavy night?" asked an amused brooke
"you would of known if you weren't doing the bump and grind with Nate" he grinned, cockily, welcoming the pillow Brooke had just thrown at him
"to answer your question, once I lost my two best friends, it was just me and the drinks table.." he said, feigning sadness
"and Rachel" he grinned
"oh god Rachel? Have you got yourself checked out?" brooke said, in disgust
"jealous are we?"
"of her fat ass, no" she snapped back, and he laughed
"girls. Im never gonna figure you women out"
"if you set your sights on girls as transparent as Rachel you might be in luck" she snorted, and Clay shook his head
"you laugh, but id take Rachel anyday over the emotional baggage of your best friend" he said, raising his brows
"at least Peyton isn't a whore"
"there is that..anyway your off topic missus, code" Clay said, keeping the pillow over his head
"4 knocks ok?" he suddenly said
"What?" brooke asked, her own eyebrow raised
"it says 'hello, its brooke''"
"I hope to god girls never start trying to figure you out"
"let them try Davis, let em try.."
Brooke tapped the four knocks, hoping that Clay wasn't in. she was half hoping just to try and break in through his window, but then she heard footsteps coming from down the stairs, and Clays bright blue eyes were suddenly glaring into hers, unwelcoming
"Brooke" he said, shortly
"Clay- i."
"forget it" he said, coldly, standing in front of the door, stopping her from coming in
"what?" she asked, trying to look in. Shelley's car was there…
"whatever you've got to say, forget it. Ive got two staff training days to run, a conference in the city, and normal shifts on top of that, I don't have time for your insults or your girl drama"
Brooke bit back tears, and instead came back with a retort. She never wanted to fight, but he had his barriers up and she decided to respond by doing the same
"well you'll be happy to know I didn't come to see you"
"you used the code"
"thought you didn't care" she accused
"I don't"
"well im here to see your mum, is she in?"
"nope" clay said, coldly again, his eyes looking anywhere but her
"well, sorry to waste your time, Mr Carl Evans, I know nothing is more important then work. You better get back to it" she said, sharply, her eyes narrowing and looking at Clays. He even looked taken aback by that, angry, he sighed. Calling him by his fathers name. She knew what buttons to push.
"well at least this time next year ill have an income. Maybe your shop will make some good offices. You know where I am if you need a good deal on it" he said, cruelly, taking a sip of something and wincing a little, before turning around
"enjoy the vodka" Brooke said, biting her tongue. She wanted to say more, but she couldn't. he was being a complete and utter ass but she could see how much he was hurting, the way he was jibing at her, drinking in the afternoon, not letting anyone in. he was a mix of his mother and his father already, and not the good traits.
She wished the conversation had gone differently. She didn't want to stand in her best friends driveway trading insults with him. She didn't want a slanging match, she just wanted to fix her best friend and fix his mum and she wanted everyone to be happy. Why was that so hard?
She turned around one more time. Pissed at what he had said about her company, he knew how hard she had worked, he knew her heart was in that company and he just insulted it
"you know what Evans, im gonna design a kick ass line, people are gonna be beating down my door, and you know what, your stupid underpaid little office will not be ANY damn better" she said, a low rasp coming out of her tone, something that only ever happened when she was really angry or affected by something. Clay knew it too, he closed his eyes as he turned again
"you do that Davis" he muttered, quietly, before going back to his house. It was so much easier when nobody cared. He could carry on as normal, go to work, eat, sleep, wash, make money. That's all he was functioning to do. Not even Nate had called him lately, he had probably sided with Brooke. That's what everyone did. Nobody would ever side with him, they would take the easy way out and say he was "too much like his father"
They would claim that they were worried, upset for him, they wanted to look out for him. What a load of bullcrap.
He didn't want to hurt Brooke, but he didn't want her chasing after him all the time either. He knew he wasn't in the best place but he was suriving, he wasn't hurt. He didn't need his friends acting like he was on suicide watch because he was working some extra hours, everybody had done it. He was earning money for a dream. Once he had earned enough, he could potentially start his own agency, move out, get a flat.
He needed those 70 hour weeks, those random flights into LA, the conferences, training the new starters. He was getting every penny he could find because the faster that was done, the faster he could desert his dad and get his life back.
But by the looks of things, that was gonna take a long time, years maybe. He was not going to drag people through that, he had to do it alone.
He sat back and chugged down a beer as he edited a spreadsheet. The business was consistent. That could be his life. Consistent. Unhappy but everything was there, all the fundamentals.
He looked at his phones wallpaper, of him Nathan and Brooke, and tried his best to focus on his work. He had been so nasty to her, he had put her down just like everybody else did, without a care showing in his face.
He hated himself. Everyone. He wanted to talk to his mother. She was the only one who got this, the only one who could solve everything with just a hot chocolate and a hug. He could imagine her words now, the words she said to him this morning ringing around his head like an alarm bell
"don't be like him, its not too late for you". What did she mean by that? Its not too late for him? Who was she saying it was too late for, his dad, her?
He rang his mum, suddenly missing her, suddenly needing her, craving her attention. He was the only mummys boy in the house, and he had barely seen her lately. She made him sandwiches and put them in the fridge for his lunches, she made him have some fruit when he got in. she tutted at the dark circles under his eyes. He heard her always arguing with his father, trying to get his hours reduced, to no avail. He hadn't let her in though, his guard was well and truly up. But he didn't want it to be anymore. He didn't want to be that guy
The jackass who didn't talk to his mum, who dumped his best friends, who became the 'bad guy' in Brooke Davis' life. He didn't want to be that guy. It wasn't too late for him.
Shelley didn't answer
Clay left a message
"Mum. I know it's late, and you might be out with your friends or doing bingo with whoever or doing some sort of crazy fitness group, but come back. Please. I know ive been different lately but I need you to come home"
"mum, its 2am, im not sure what your doing, where you are, but you never stay out without saying anything..just call ok?"
"mum, im starting to sound like a stalker now and considering the history of them in tree hill that's not good. Just let me know your safe, if you cant get home then call me, even if your halfway across the border ill drive over and get you..please"
"mum, im sorry this is the last message but I could just really use your advice right now.."
"ok so im making hot chocolates for miss shelley evans…but shes not here.."
Clay got out his iphone, then went on the "find my iphone" app, locating his mother. He double took at the name of the motel. It was a little sleazy, it was just outside tree hill. It looked like something that two people went too after a nightclub as a last resort.
He had work tomorrow, but he suddenly found he didn't care. He got his car keys. Just like he always did when he was troubled when he was younger, he was going to see his mum.
"Nathan it is FOUR AM OR ARE YOU IN FRANCE?" shouted Brooke. She had finally fallen into an uneasy sleep, then suddenly, her phones ringing. She ignores it. It rings once again, the raven black hair of the caller ID flashing again and again. He had been talking to her recently, he knew how hurt she was by her and Clay falling out, he also knew that she was panicking about COB to the point where she couldn't sleep, so he also should know NOT to disturb her when she was
"Brooke you need to get down the motel" Nathan said, his voice thick, completely ignoring her outburst, her shouts. The way she had ignored his whinging earlier. He sounded morose, alone, hurting.
"whats happened?" she asked, her eyes wide, flying out of bed and shoving on the nearest robe. It had to be serious, Nathan didn't even like talking on the phone, let alone doing emotional chats
"I laughed you off when you asked if clays mum was alright.." he said, more to himself than to Brooke, it was a regretful tone he said this in, this scared Brooke. He was talking in the past tense
"right" Brooke said, reminding him she was still there
"shes dead" Nathan said, taking a deep shuddering breath
"what?" Brooke gulped back tears, sitting back down, her legs had collapsed, she was shaking, she couldn't process it. It couldn't be, Shelley was in COB earlier, talking to her, hugging her, drinking water with her;
"its all over the news, it was an overdose". Apparently someone was worried she didn't come home so they tracked her on their phone and found her.." Nathan suddenly stopped. He didn't want to actually say it. His own mother had attempted this. An overdose.
"I went to the motel to see if Clay was there. No sign" he continued, he didn't want to go near saying that word again
"oh god" Brooke said, a tear rolling down her cheek. Shaking. Then she realized there was only one person in the house. She remembered the name that Nathan had just mentioned. The one name that was now going through her head at 50 miles an hour, the person she was now seriously worried for. Clay.
"Nathan, the "person" who found her wasn't just any person" she said, tears now trickling down her cheeks
"what?" he replied, his own voice wavering a little, he didn't know what she meant, he didn't know what any of this meant. Everything was fine, Shelley was always fine, she was bubbly, she laughed at Nathan and Clays boyish behavior, she nursed their hangovers, she always had a room for Nathan when Dan was being an ass, even if it was on Christmas day;
"I went round earlier. The only car outside was Clays. The only person who answered was Clay..i asked him where his mum was"
"oh my god"
"Nathan is she really-"
"Shes gone"
Brooke choked back a sob
"I'll be there as soon as ok, im leaving now" she sniffed, tieing her hair on top of her head and putting some shoes on, in complete disbelief.
Shelley was dead. Clay had found her. Brooke had been too late, and Nathan had found out his near enough second mother had died by watching the news.
Suddenly they were far away from the "good old college days…"