Aftermath
Kevin Volchok lay passed out on his couch with a hangover for another morning. This seemed to become quite a trend for him lately. Actually, this was always a part of his daily routine, but in the past two weeks, it had gotten worse. He rolled over, knocking three beer bottles off the couch. Kevin sat up and hunched over, holding his head in his hands. This migraine was the worst this week. He grabbed a half empty bottle off the coffee table and finished it off. Volchok grabbed his cell phone and looked at a picture of him and Brooke from prom last year. He messed up…again…just like he did then. Why did he care so much? He knew Brooke would find out eventually. Why couldn't he just move on? It's not like he was in love with her…was he? She was the only girl he ever had real feelings for, but he screwed it up twice. He led her straight into Lucas Scott's arms, so he thought. Lucas. Volchok wasn't blaming Peyton, Brooke, Summer, or even himself. All of his problems pointed straight to Lucas Scott. Sure there was really no reason to hate Lucas, maybe it was just the alcohol messing with his head, but nothing could change his mind at this point. Kevin began to think about everything that had happened since that night at the Bait Shop.
Volchok opened his door expecting to see Peyton who promised to meet him.
"Hey...Pey—Brooke. Babe, I've been wait-"
"What? Oh, wait, were you expecting Peyton maybe?" questioned Brooke as she pushed him aside and walked into his apartment.
"Okay, you know, so let's have it," answered Kevin nonchalantly.
Brooke was absolutely furious. He was acting like he didn't even care. He probably didn't but he could at least show some sort of regret. Brooke reached her hand up and slapped Kevin across his face. He turned his head to the side and raised his hand to his reddened cheek.
"Is that it? Can I go back to what I was doing now?"
"Doing…the only thing you've been doing is my best friend! How could you? How could you cheat on me with my best friend?" Brooke's eyes were glaring with anger and sadness.
"It happens. Get over it. Move on," retorted Volchok.
"As if I would have any trouble getting over you; you're pathetic. Look at yourself, sitting in your shitty apartment getting drunk all the time; selling drugs for a living. Only God knows why the hell I was ever with you. Don't you ever think for a second that I am going to shed a tear over you! I'm done, for good. Don't ever talk to me again…" exclaimed Brooke.
She stormed past him towards the door and slammed it shut as she left.
Kevin continued staring at the picture on his phone. Should he have done something? There must have been something he could've done to stop this situation. Yes, not cheating on Brooke would have been a good option. There was no going back. I am who I am. I do what I want, and I don't care about anyone else's feelings. Why do I feel so guilty? Why am I feeling regret? Brooke was the best thing that's ever happened to me, and now it's over. Lucas is going to pay for stealing her away from me.
Ryan sat in a booth at the diner, staring intently at Haley, who sat across from him. He laughed to himself, and Haley looked up from her plate of food.
"What?" she laughed confused.
"Nothing…I just noticed your poncho. It's the same one you wore when we hung out at the library a few weeks ago," said Ryan as he pointed at her attire.
"Shut up! I like it!" giggled Haley throwing a French-fry in his face. Ryan threw one back at her and she returned the favor. It soon became a French-fry throwing frenzy, until the waitress came by to tell them that they were disturbing others in the diner. Ryan and Haley shared a few moments of laughter.
"So since you're a famous singer and all now, when's your next gig?" joked Ryan.
"Ha-ha," replied Haley sarcastically, "I don't know. I was offered to play at Tric, so I might do that soon."
"That's great. Just don't wear that poncho on stage," he joked again.
"Wow, I had no idea you were so funny. So, I've been meaning to ask you something…" said Haley hesitantly. Ryan just raised his eyebrows and looked at her expectantly. "Okay, we've been spending a lot of time together since that night at the Bait Shop, and I was just wondering where this is going. I mean, are we just hanging out as friends or are we…?" Haley hoped he would finish for her.
"Dating?" he concluded for her.
"Yeah…are we?" Haley clinched her teeth, praying she wouldn't be rejected again.
"If you want to…because I want to but if you…"
"I do," answered Haley smiling, reaching her hand across the table.
"Alright…" said Ryan awkwardly, putting his own hand atop Haley's.
"Okay…" agreed Haley.
They both looked around the diner uncomfortably, neither knowing what to say. Ryan was at a loss for words. He really liked Haley, everything was fine and fun until this subject was brought up. He liked hanging out with her, but maybe he just wasn't attracted to her…physically. He never had that problem with Marissa. No. He shouldn't be thinking about Marissa, that wasn't fair to Haley.
Haley waited for Ryan to say something…nothing. She didn't know what to say either. Here she was dating the guy of her dreams, and she had absolutely nothing to say! They've been hanging out for weeks. Maybe he wasn't over Marissa. No. She couldn't think like that.
"Well, Sandy wants me home early to help Kirsten set up for some auction, but I'll call you later," Ryan finally said as he rose from the table.
"Oh, of course, I'll answer you later," replied Haley as she too stood up. She just realized how stupid that sounded. Could things get any more awkward?
Ryan leaned in to kiss Haley on the cheek, while Haley quickly went for a hug. They immediately bumped heads.
"Ouch!" they said in unison, each holding their heads. With an embarrassed laugh, they both finished with an awkward 'goodbye' and a wave.
Lucas lay on his bed with his laptop open. He had the volume on loud as he listened to the music in his iTunes library. All he could think about was Brooke, as usual. She was the only thing that was ever on his mind. Right now, he was thinking about her more than ever. He hadn't talked to her in over a week, and it was killing him. He remembered the night of Haley's show; Brooke had come over after catching up with her cousin.
"Brooke, you're here…" Lucas smiled and motioned for her to come in, but he noticed something was wrong. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying. He caressed her hands and sat her down on his bed, pulling her into a comforting hug. "What happened?"
"Kevin…he…he cheated on me…with Peyton…" Brooke pulled out of the hug and looked away from him. She so badly wanted to just stay in Lucas' arms forever, but all she could think about was how two people she really cared about had betrayed her.
"Peyton? How…how could she do something like that?" Lucas realized he wasn't helping but he was in shock as well. Peyton was Brooke's best friend. Kevin has always been a jerk, but Peyton…that was unbelievable. Brooke was going to break up with him anyway, but the fact that it was her best friend made things worse.
"Lucas…I really want to be with you…more than you know," sobbed Brooke. Lucas shook his head in disbelief like he knew what was coming.
"I know, Brooke. I get it," he raised his hand to her cheek and looked into her eyes.
"I just…I'm going to need some time to process everything that's happened. This doesn't change how I feel about you because I-"
"Brooke, it's okay. I understand." Lucas yearned to kiss her, but he knew that's not what she needed. He wiped a tear from her cheek, and pulled her in for another hug. She nuzzled against him, and he held her for a good five minutes in peace. Then, she stood and walked to the door, looking back at him. He just nodded and then she was gone.
How much time did she need to process things? He knew she was hurting, but who cares about Volchok. Lucas understood the betrayal by Peyton part of it, but he just wanted to be with Brooke so badly. This was Volchok's fault…and Peyton's fault for that matter. Thankfully, he had already taken care of Volchok.
"Well, well. Little bitch is back," smirked Volchok opening his door to see Lucas. He turned and walked towards the beer sitting on his coffee table. He picked it up and guzzled it down. Lucas walked inside with his arms crossed and fist clenched.
"Brooke already slapped me, but I guess it's time for the real show. Well, Mr. Hero. What do you got?"
"You're an ass, and you're an idiot. You hurt the girl I really care about…the girl I love…"
"Isn't that just precious... Lucas Scott is in-"
"I'm not finished," interjected Lucas in anger, "You hurt Brooke. I told you to treat Brooke right, and you didn't. I promised that I was going to hurt you if you did anything to mistreat her, and I came here with the intention of doing that. Now, I realize that you're not worth it. You're not worth it, and you don't deserve any more of my time, and you sure as hell don't deserve Brooke."
Volchok was no longer smiling. His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes swelled with rage. Lucas turned to leave and Volchok threw the beer bottle he was holding straight at him. It missed and hit the wall.
"And what? You think you deserve her? If I can't be with her, then neither can you!" yelled Volchok. He was in Lucas' face now. Volchok shoved him and Lucas stumbled backwards. Lucas instantly snapped and punched him straight in his face. Volchok touched his now bleeding nose and took a swing at Lucas, who immediately dodged it. Lucas swung at Volchok again, this time hitting him in the mouth. Volchok stumbled and fell to the ground holding his jaw.
"You're pathetic," said Lucas now standing in the doorway looking down at Volchok. Volchok stared up at him in defeat. Lucas shook his head and left.
Lucas knew that he shouldn't have let Volchok provoke him then, but somehow he was glad to get out all the anger he had towards him. Lucas couldn't go any longer without Brooke. He wanted to be with her, and he was going to fight for her.
Peyton stared at a picture of her and Brooke when they were seven as she flipped through a photo album. Nearly every picture had Brooke in it. They were best friends. Were best friends. Peyton was in disbelief. The past two weeks felt like a nightmare. But it wasn't a nightmare; everything was in fact reality. She had screwed over her best friend for a guy who meant absolutely nothing to her. The hurtful words Brooke had said to her were imbedded in her mind.
"Peyton…" Brooke said just above a whisper as she stood in Peyton's room.
"Brooke, hey. I'm sorry I didn't come find you at Haley's show; I figured you'd be with Kevin," said Peyton softly. Brooke's face was stone cold and Peyton was suddenly worried.
"That's what you're sorry for…" Brooke rolled her eyes. Peyton was still lying to her. "And how could I have been with Kevin if you were with him?" Her voice wasn't loud, but her tone was angry and filled with disappointment and betrayal.
"Brooke…I…we-"
"How could you? Has our entire friendship been a lie? Do you think I would care this much if it was anyone else? No….but it was you Peyton. My best friend!"
"I didn't mean for…I just…I…" Peyton had no idea what to say. There was nothing she could say to fix this, but she had to try. "I messed up. I wasn't thinking. This hasn't been going on. It happened twice-"
"It was him…" interjected Brooke, "When I came over before the Bait Shop and you said you were just taking a nap…it was him."
"Yes…" Peyton sighed. "I never meant for this to happen. It just did. That day was a mistake...everything was a mistake…and at prom last year…I never meant to do that…I just-"
"What?" Brooke took in what Peyton had just said. She had no idea that Peyton was the one he cheated on her with the first time. "That was you…" Everything came rushing back to her, as she thought about seeing Volchok kissing someone else at prom last year…someone with blonde curly hair. "Oh my God, it was you…"
"Brooke…I…" Peyton was frantic trying to think of anything to say.
"Stop! I don't want to hear it. You betrayed me Peyton. You've been lying to me for over a year. You were there when I cried for weeks last year! And it was you!" Peyton walked over and tried to put a hand on Brooke's shoulder. Brooke immediately backed away and slapped Peyton across her face. Peyton turned away in shock before looking back at Brooke. Peyton knew she deserved it, but she still hadn't realized to what extent Brooke's anger was. "Don't you dare come near me! You are a backstabbing twofaced bitch, Peyton! And you know it! I hope you two are happy together, because I really don't care if I see either of you again. As far as I'm concerned, this friendship is over. And if we never speak again for the rest of our lives, that'll be fine." With that Brooke quickly exited the room. Peyton stood there, shocked, regretful, and in tears.
Peyton shuddered as she thought of everything Brooke had said to her, but Brooke was right. She was a backstabber, a twofaced bitch, a liar, and anything but a friend. Peyton couldn't try to mend things with Brooke now. She had to give her time, although she knew that there wasn't enough time in the world to fix what she had done. Her thoughts turned to Volchok. She couldn't have feelings for him. Not after everything that had happened. Yet, she still wondered how he was doing and how he was dealing with everything. It would be wrong to reach out to him, it would just prove her betrayal even more, but she felt this unwanted urge to make sure he was okay.
Summer lay in bed next to her cousin. She looked at Brooke worriedly. Brooke was staring at the ceiling of her room thinking about everything she had gone through in the past two weeks. She decided she was done wasting her time grieving over Peyton and Kevin. They deserved each other. Of course, she would never stop hating them, but she needed to move on and focus on what mattered and the people who made her happy. She had Summer with her now, who needed Peyton. And as for Volchok, he wasn't much of a loss, because she had Lucas now. At least she hoped she did. She told Lucas that she needed time, but it's been long enough. Brooke just wanted to be happy.
"You okay?" asked Summer, nudging Brooke.
"Yeah…" Brooke nodded. "I'm done being sad. I just want to be happy for once…"
"You love him, don't you? Lucas, I mean?" questioned Summer. Brooke smiled to herself and nodded. Brooke realized that all they had talked about since Summer came back was her problems with Peyton and Kevin, so she decided to find out how Summer was doing.
"Are you okay? You only briefly described why you're here, and I'm really excited that you are…I'm a little worried though…" Brooke turned on her side and propped up on her elbow so she could face Summer.
"I'm done being sad too. So my dad got divorced again; it's no big deal. The bitch of an ex-wife just happened to be a psychotic bitch who took all his money. Not to mention that she got the house out of the divorce. Now, my dad is living alone in a trailer back in Newport…"
Brooke looked at her in shock. She knew Summer's dad got divorced again, but living in a trailer…that she had no idea about.
"Yeah, I didn't know we had trailers in Newport either…" said Summer noticing Brooke's confused face. Brooke just raised her eyebrow in response.
"Oh, I forgot to mention that part earlier huh. Well, my dad got fired because some new and improved young brain surgeon replaced him. Actually, I think something happened in a surgery why he got fired, but he didn't really want to get into it much. Basically, he didn't want me to be in that kind of environment and what not so here I am! Living with you for awhile…maybe even for good…" rambled Summer.
"I'm sorry, Sum. I am, however, super excited for you to be here! Especially now when I could really use my cousin…" Summer sat up and reached her arms out. Brooke sat up as Summer pulled her into a tight hug.
"We are way more than cousins, Brooke. You're my best friend for life," said Summer. Brooke smiled as they let go of each other. "First order of business," started Summer as she raised an eyebrow like Brooke, "You need to go get your man!" Brooke laughed and nodded her head. Brooke slipped on a pair of jeans and a tank top, and she grabbed her keys off the nightstand. Summer winked at her, but before she could leave there was a knock on her room door. "It's open!" yelled Summer.
"Hi Brooke," said Lucas as he entered the room. A smile immediately spread across Brooke's face.
"Lucas, I was just on my way over to see you!" Brooke couldn't help but smile when she saw Lucas. His face lit up at the sight of her dimples. He thought she might be hesitant about seeing him since their last talk, but she seemed like her old self, and he was glad for that. He took her into his arms for the first time in over a week. Brooke nuzzled into Lucas' chest and he rested his chin atop her head.
"I missed you, Brooke Davis," said Lucas as he pulled away and rested his hands on her hips.
"I missed you too, Lucas Scott," agreed Brooke.
"That is too cute," smirked Summer as she sat cross legged on the bed. Brooke and Lucas both looked over at her. "Okay, okay, I'm leaving. You kids have fun now," giggled Summer as she left the room.
"How are you?" asked Lucas as they both focused on each other.
"I'm better. In fact…" Brooke wrapped her arms around Lucas' neck. Brooke pulled him towards her and their lips finally touched. No distractions and no interruptions. Lucas reluctantly pulled away and gazed into her eyes. He wanted all of her. He so badly wished they could just rip each other's clothes off right then, so he could make love to her, but he wouldn't do that. Lucas wanted to appreciate every moment he had with Brooke, and he knew they shouldn't rush things.
"This feels right," said Brooke.
"Yeah, it does," agreed Lucas. Lucas rubbed his hands up and down her arms as if to warm her up. "How about we have dinner at my mom's café?" he suggested.
"Sounds perfect," answered Brooke as she kissed him again.
"Ryan!" Kirsten Cohen threw open Ryan's room door, and he quickly looked up. "Someone's here to see you," she said with a knowing smile. Ryan followed Kirsten into the living room where Sandy was also standing. He then looked to who was sitting on the sofa. Ryan didn't say anything; he was so surprised.
"Ryan, I'm growing a beard here!" exclaimed Seth Cohen as he stood up. Seth walked over and gave Ryan a quick hug.
"Sorry, you just surprised me. It's good to see you. Are you taking a break from the sailing? How's the boat?" questioned Ryan.
"Ryan, Ryan, relax. I'm back for good. Turns out the whole sailing the world thing wasn't for me, especially when I got sick of talking to myself. Although, I never used to have that problem. Mom and Dad are happy about it though. Come on, let's go talk about stuff," replied Seth as he headed towards the pool house.
"So what have I missed these past few months?" asked Seth as he collapsed on Ryan's bed. Ryan took a seat in a recliner across from him.
"A lot," answered Ryan.
"Well, I know you've never been much of a talker, but you can't leave me hanging here. What's up?"
"Alright, I broke up with Marissa. Brooke got back together with Volchok. Volchok cheated on Brooke with Peyton, and it turns out that Peyton was the one he cheated on her with last year at prom. Marissa was dating Lucas, until he broke up with her. Now I'm pretty sure Brooke and Lucas are together, or are going to get together. I've been hanging out with Haley, but I don't know if we're going anywhere. Oh, and Brooke's cousin, Summer, is living here now apparently."
"Wow. I'm definitely never going sailing again. So right now, Peyton, Marissa, Summer, and kind of Haley are single. I like those odds," smirked Seth. Ryan just laughed. "So do you like Haley?" Ryan just shrugged. "Okay," Seth laughed, "Let's just focus on me then. Clearly, I'm not gonna go for Marissa…or even Haley at this point because you don't know what you want. So that leaves Peyton and Summer. My mom's auction is this Saturday, so we need a game plan…"
Ryan and Seth talked for hours. Mostly, Seth was doing all the talking, but Ryan really did miss his company, and he was glad to have him back.
Peyton stared at her phone for a good ten minutes before she finally got the courage to dial his number.
"What?" answered Volchok.
"Kevin…I don't know why I called. I just need to talk to someone…"
"I'm bursy…busy…I am…I'm draining…" slurred Volchok.
"You're what?" Peyton became worried as she realized he was really drunk. Not just the usual drunk like he always was, but extremely drunk.
"I'm driving…" he finally got out.
"Kevin! You cannot drive right now!" Peyton screamed into the phone.
"I'm going to finish this…once and for all…" said Volchok before hanging up.
Peyton knew Kevin was about to do something extremely stupid. She had to stop him, but how? She couldn't call Brooke. Maybe Ryan could help.
"Peyton?" answered Ryan through the phone.
"Yeah, listen. I was just on the phone with Kevin. He was driving drunk, and I think he's about to do something stupid. He said something about finishing this once and for all. I don't know what to do."
Something immediately clicked in Ryan's head. Volchok would never do anything to hurt Brooke. That left himself and Lucas. Ryan didn't do anything, recently, to upset Volchok, which meant that he was going after Lucas. Ryan told Peyton he would take care of it, and with that he grabbed his car keys, until he remembered that Seth had taken the car to the library. Ryan threw his keys aside and headed towards Karen's café at full speed on foot to find Lucas.
"Well well, Peyton Sawyer…"
Peyton immediately whipped around as she set her phone down to see Summer Roberts standing before her.
"Summer, I heard you were back," said Peyton hesitantly.
"Relax; I'm not gonna slap you, because from what I heard Brooke already took care of that. You deserve a hell of a lot worse though," replied Summer as she put her hands on her hips.
"Look, Summer, I feel bad enough as it is and-"
"I'm sure you do," interjected Summer as she picked up a picture off of Peyton's desk. It was the one Peyton was looking at with her and Brooke when they were seven years old. "Let me guess, you regret it, and wish you could go back and do things differently. Well, life doesn't give you second chances, Peyton, so screw you. I just came to tell you to stay away from Brooke. She doesn't need you in her life anymore, and she doesn't want you in her life anymore. And she knows I'm here, so I didn't come here to threaten you behind her back. Goodbye Peyton."
Peyton just nodded. There was nothing she could say, because Summer was right.
Haley watched as Lucas scrambled through his closet trying to pick a shirt to wear.
"Luke, it's just a shirt, relax," she laughed as he took off a red tee to put on a blue tee over a white long sleeved shirt.
"I know. I just want tonight to be perfect. Brooke deserves it," said Lucas as he stood in front of the mirror and ran his hands through his hair. Haley smiled.
"Go with the layers and wear this," said Haley tossing Lucas a brown jacket.
"Thanks, Hales. So what's the deal with you and Ryan?" asked Lucas.
"We're dating…" replied Haley solemnly.
"Is that not a good thing? I thought you liked him," said Lucas confused.
"It is, and I do. Things are just awkward, and I think it's because of our physical chemistry. Don't give me that look, Luke. I'm not planning on…doing that; it did cross my mind, but I'm definitely not ready," explained Haley.
"I don't think you are either. You're my best friend, Hales, and I just want you to be happy," replied Lucas.
"So you like Ryan, then?" asked Haley. Lucas was like her protective older brother, but she loved how caring he was, and she really wanted his approval.
"Honestly, I don't know him that well. I do want to talk to him, and make sure his intentions are honorable. I don't want him dating you to get a shot at me for going out with Marissa."
"Thanks, Luke. I have to go return a book at the library, but have fun on your date!"
Lucas smiled as Haley left. He looked in the mirror one last time before heading out to his car.
Haley dropped her book into the return slot at the library. She turned to leave but stopped when she saw a familiar face walking out of the library with three graphic novels in his hands.
"Seth Cohen?" Haley called to him. Seth turned to see Haley and walked over with open arms. "What are you doing back so soon?" she asked as they released from their hug. Seth used to help Haley in the tutor center, so they were pretty good friends before he left to go sailing.
"Sailing trip didn't go as planned," replied Seth.
"Nothing ever does with you," joked Haley. He had that same quirky smile to match his jewfro.
"So do I still have a job at the tutor center?" asked Seth, playfully punching her arm.
"Of course, but you wouldn't want to take too much time away from your comic book club," said Haley pointing as his graphic novels.
"This is why I like you, Hales. You are so much funnier than Ryan," he joked. Haley laughed. She was so glad to have him back. It was nice to have a friend she could have fun with other than Lucas.
"I was actually just headed to the diner to pick up some dinner. Wanna come?" suggested Seth.
"Yeah, we can catch up. I wanna hear all about your life at sea," answered Haley with a nod.
Marissa walked into Karen's café and saw Brooke sitting at the counter. Marissa took a deep breath and walked over to take a seat next to her.
"Brooke…" said Marissa.
"Marissa, hey," said Brooke with a slight smile.
"What's up?" asked Marissa. Brooke furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion. Why was Marissa being so casual and cool? Shouldn't she be mad that Lucas dumped her?
"Just waiting for Lucas…" answered Brooke.
"Sorry, this is probably weird. I just wanted to say that there are absolutely no hard feelings about Luke. Truth is I knew how he felt about you, and I still went after him, so I guess I'm sorry for that. And I've also been thinking that we should put our differences aside," began Marissa.
"Umm…thanks Marissa. I completely agree, but I've never had a problem with you other than the fact that you treated Ryan like crap, and you were constantly trying to outdo me. With that aside, you're a good person and we could actually be friends," replied Brooke with a smile.
"Great," exclaimed Marissa. "I'm so glad that we-"
"Brooke!" Marissa was cut off by Ryan who burst into the café.
Marissa and Brooke both stood up from the counter, as Ryan caught his breath.
"Ryan? What are you doing here?" questioned Marissa.
"Brooke, where's Lucas?" asked Ryan, completely ignoring Marissa.
"He should be on his way here. Why?" wondered Brooke. She was beginning to worry. Ryan had a concerned look in his eyes. "Ryan, what is it?" Brooke's eyes were wide with distress.
"Ryan, what's going on?" asked Marissa. Even she was worried now.
"Peyton called me, and I think Lucas is in trouble," said Ryan.
"Peyton? There's a reliable source," sneered Marissa sarcastically. Brooke gave her a weird look, but turned her attention back to Ryan.
"Peyton talked to Volchok and..." began Ryan.
"Whoa, wait. That bitch has the nerve to keep talking to Volchok!" interrupted Marissa.
"Marissa…please," said Brooke calmly putting her hand up to let Ryan continue explaining. Marissa is being a major suck up right now, thought Brooke. As if it's not bad enough what they did, I don't need to be reminded of it every ten seconds. I just want to know what the hell is going on. I don't know what I'm going to if anything happened to Lucas.
"Look, she just said that she was worried about what Volchok might..." Ryan was interrupted again when Brooke's cell phone rang. It was Karen, Luke's mom.
"Br…Brooke…" sobbed Karen into the phone.
"Karen! What's wrong?" Brooke listened desperately for an answer but all she could hear was crying. Brooke's eyes began to water, and Ryan and Marissa both stared at her with worry and anticipation as they stood side by side now. Ryan's hand accidently brushed against Marissa's. Marissa held Ryan's hand, and their fingers interlocked. Ryan looked down at their intertwined hands, but he didn't pull his away. Finally, Brooke heard a voice on the line.
"Brooke, it's Keith. We're at the hospital. I think you should get down here."
Brooke could hear the fear in his voice. She could barely respond, but she managed to let him know that she was on her way. She was halfway out the door when she turned around and told Ryan to call Haley to meet them at the hospital, and then she was gone. At the mention of Haley's name, Ryan pulled his hand away from Marissa and scratched his neck nervously. Marissa tried to apologize, but Ryan was already dialing Haley. Finally, someone answered.
"Haley is currently stuffing her face with French fries so she..." said a male voice from the other line.
"No! I'm not! I'm here, who is…" said Haley. Ryan listened as the two voices on the other end of the line argued playfully until they hung up on him. That sounded like Seth, thought Ryan. No, it was Seth. I know that sarcastic tone. What was he doing with Haley? I shouldn't be jealous. Seth and Haley used to be good friends. Haley is my girlfriend, and Seth is like my brother. I have nothing to worry about. I should just try calling her again when I get to the hospital.
"Let's get going," said Ryan looking up at Marissa.
"I'll drive," she replied.
