Again, a HUGE turning point in this story. In this chapter, we discover something that no one knows about. Dun, dun, dun! Just kidding. But seriously, this chapter is a little uplifting but also a little dark. I'm warning you now, this chapter includes a lot of dark, dark stuff. If you can't handle that kind of stuff, back out now. I really don't have much to say other than... you are all going to hate me so bad. :'( The song I would pick for this chapter would have to be "Turning Tables" by Adele. Epic song. Go listen... after you read, of course.
Brooke sat in the passenger's seat of Haley's car and stared out the window. Jamie was in the backseat watching a movie in the dvd player. Haley, for the most part, kept her eyes on the road, but was constantly looking over at Brooke to see if she was okay. Jamie was wearing headphones, so Haley felt it was okay for the two of them to talk.
"Have you eaten today, Brooke?" Haley asked barely looking at Brooke.
"...No." She answered a little ashamed of that fact.
"When did you eat last?" She asked looking at Brooke a little more.
" I don't know... A couple days ago?" She whispered. Haley turned her full attention to Brooke when she hit a red light.
"Brooke... have you been taking care of yourself at all?"
"Haley, I don't even remember what day it is... Okay, that's how badly I need help." She said choking on her words.
"Well... that's why I'm here." Haley said tearing up as well. Haley proceeded on driving until they got to her house. When she pulled into the driveway, Jamie unbuckled his seat belt and ran into the house. "Jamie, sweeite, go upstairs for a few minutes, okay?" Jamie didn't reply but did as he was asked. Haley helped Brooke out of the car, even though Brooke didn't really need it. Haley walked into the house with Brooke right behind her. Haley walked up to the screen door that led to the backyard. "You want help, right?" Brooke nodded. "Okay... well, I know someone who can help you." Haley opened the door and walked outside with Brooke. Brooke stared at the harsh sunlight that was shining brightly off the reflection of the pool. Brooke saw Nathan sitting by the pool in his wheelchair. Brooke turned back to Haley.
"Hales..."
"Brooke, you don't want to see a specialist, and you won't let us help you... Maybe if you talked to someone who understood you-"
"He doesn't."
"He does, Brooke... You and Nathan grew up with the same blueprint... Both of your parents put you through tough times when you were younger... you guys walked the same roads, and you ended up with the same dead end."
"So you're saying being crippled is just like what I'm going through?" She said sarcastically.
"Yes." Haley sighed. "Brooke... Nathan is physically disabled... and you're emotionally disabled. It might as well be the same thing... I'm not doing this to help Nathan, I'm doing it to help both of you. You need to deal with this and talk about this with someone who understands."
"Nathan's pretty tough... he kinda deals with things on his own."
"Sounds a lot like you. So maybe your situation isn't so rare after all. Honey, I know you're hurting right now, but sometimes it takes a bit of the pain of the way to do something nice for someone else. I know you care for him, Brooke... Maybe he's not as independent as you think. You both need this... Go talk to him." Brooke looked at Haley for a moment and decided to give in.
"Fine, but Nathan's probably gunna end up slashing my wrists, while I roll him into the pool." Brooke joked in horribly bad taste. She walked up to Nathan, but turned back around to Haley who was still there watching. She sat down next to Nathan who knew she was there, but didn't look at her. "Hey, Nate..."
"Haley send you to talk to me?"
"Yeah... so maybe if we just pretend we're talking, she'll believe we made a breakthrough." She joked.
"Fine with me." They both sat there for a moment not saying a word. Brooke put her hair behind her ear and hung her head. Nathan looked over at Brooke and his eyes grew with concern. He reached over and moved her hair out of her face. He looked at the corner of her eye and saw a giant bruise there. Brooke was busted. She looked down in embarrasment. "He hits you, Brooke?" Brooke didn't respond. "Brooke?" Brooke still didn't look up. She sniffled a few times, then nodded her head.
"It was my fault anyway." She said raising her head.
"No, Brooke, don't make yourself the victim...You are not responsible for his behavoir... How long has this been going on?" He asked, changing his demeanor.
"...A little over a year." She cried.
"Brooke..." He said in disbelief. "Does anyone know about this?"
"... No." She cried a little harder. "I know, I know... I'm stupid..."
"No... I'd say you're just making a stupid decision..." Nathan sighed. He knew what he needed to say to help Brooke. "Look at what you're putting into a relationship. Then look at what your partner puts in. Is it equal? Is it even close to being equal? If it's not, you need to evaluate your relationship and decide whether or not it's worth it. Why are you staying faithful to a man who's cheating on you? Why are you supporting a man, and yourself which is already hard, when he's not helping you at all? Why is he taking your car and dropping you off at work, just to go joyriding? Sounds more like a boy than a boyfriend. And it sounds like you're being used more than you're being loved. Is that what you want? You may love him, but it's obviously not mutual if he's cheating on you or beating you. And all the love in the world isn't an excuse to be stupid. You have to respect yourself before you can respect a man, or expect him to respect you. And if he can walk all over you without any consequences, why would he respect you? Now, I am by no means suggesting you not to be a good woman. What I am suggesting is to make sure the guy is worth it first. If he's a good man, be a great woman. If he's a lousy man, you shouldn't be his woman at all. A lot of women work so hard to please a man who barely gives them any attention or appreciation. They figure that if they just do enough, or love him enough, he'll begin to see what he has and start to change into a better person. He won't. One thing you have to realize: You can't change a man.. So don't try. And don't allow him to play with your emotions just to get what he wants, either. It's called manipulation. And why would a man who truly loves you need, or even want to manipulate you? The longer you accept this bad behavior, the harder it'll be to realize that you shouldn't. And next thing you know, you'll be the girl crying that you 'put up with it for three years' and regret every second of it. The hard part is, how to stop this behavior. You're in love, you've been together for a while, and you're used to the relationship, so you deal. That's not the way to go. Nothing will change, if you don't change. But again, how? That's the question. Well, first off, it requires determination, and inner strength. How sick are you of this no good man and your shitty relationship? Are you sick enough to put a stop to it, by any means necessary? If you're not, I can't help you." Brooke was shocked by his response.
"You don't sound very broken to me, Nate."
"Just because I'm going through this doesn't mean I don't understand the foundation of a good relationship. Your problems can be fixed, Brooke... my problem may never go away."
"...Thanks Nathan... I don't know if you really fixed anything, but I know you changed my perspective on this... I wish I could help you..."
"I'm not sure anyone can, Brooke. My situation just needs time, you know? Maybe a little bit of self-love..."
"Yeah... it's getting harder and harder for me to love myself, so I get it."
"You go home an think about that, Brooke."
"Yeah... I will." Brooke stood to hug Nathan and kissed him on the cheek. "I hope things get better for you, Nate." She smiled as best she could and walked back toward Haley who was amazed at what she just saw. Brooke walked past Haley with tears in her eyes. "Take me home." She whispered. Haley followed her to the car and drove her home. By the time they got to Brooke's place, the sun was setting.
"You okay?"
"... Maybe." Brooke smiled. 'Maybe' was a step up from 'I don't know', and Haley knew it. Brooke hugged Haley and stepped out of the car. She mouthed the words 'Thank you' as Haley drove away. Brooke stepped inside and looked around her house. It was a mess. She breathed out deeply and took the next ten minutes to clean up the house. Twenty minutes after that, Brooke had pulled herself together. She had her hair in a french twist and was wearing a simple, yet elegant, black dress. (Clothes Over Bros, of course) She lit a candle and set it on the dining room table and sat there waiting for Fletcher. She sat there, waiting for over two hours. It was almost ten by the time Brooke blew out the candle and changed to go to bed. She lied down to try and sleep alone in her bed. She was upset, but she didn't cry. She didn't cry because deep inside of her, she expected him to do something like this. She fell asleep, but woke up about four hours later when her front door slammed shut. She jerked upward in bed, and left the room to see who it was. She stared at Fletcher, who was in the living room taking off his coat.
"What the hell are you doing up?" He asked looking at Brooke who was barely clothed. She didn't answer him.
"I was waiting for you... You said you would be here tonight for our dinner. I told you we had plans!"
"No, you said, you had plans."
"Don't twist my words around, Fletcher, you know damn well what I meant!" She yelled.
"Is it necessary for you to yell?"
"Yes, it is necessary! What is wrong with you?"
"Me? And what exactly is it that I did wrong?"
"You did everything wrong! You leave me alone for weeks, telling me you're on a business trip! Last I checked, going on a business trip does not include sleeping with horny college girls!"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I know you're not working Fletcher! They mailed your walking papers here months ago! Why the hell did you lie to me?"
"I'm not the guilty one here, Brooke! It's your fault we don't have any money, because your foolish pride 'made you' give up your wealth to your bitch of a mom!"
"You leave her out of this!"
"Or what?... You're gunna hit me?" He instigated. This pushed Brooke too far, and she did just as he said. She slapped him clear across his face. He barely reacted. "I'm gunna give you... three seconds... to apologize." Brooke stared at him as he counted down. When he reached '3', she spit in his face.
"Fuck you." She whispered. Fletcher chuckled. Suddenly, his eyes grew red, and he threw Brooke against the wall. He banged her head against the drywall a few times before dragging her into the bedroom. He lifted her by the elbows and tossed her onto the bed. She struggled to get away, but he kept pushing her down. He grabbed her wrists and twisted as hard as he could. She screamed as loud as she could and tried to kick him, but he punched her in the face, making her stop both. He let go of one of her wrists and started undoing his pants. Brooke groaned in terror. She tried to scream again, but he held his hand to her throat. He held his hand there until everything went black, and Brooke lost every chance she had at getting help.
That's the end of chapter four, let me know what you think. ;D
