Author's Note: I'm terrible. I hadn't even realized it had been so long since I've updated, and you guys have been so amazing with reviews, that I decided to write you an extra-packed chapter.
The story has been pretty fluffy so far, and we're about to get into the real dramatic parts, so hopefully you wonderful girls can bear with me through it.
Our journey is far from over. Hehe.
Thank you so much for all the reviews you girls have left me. I'll try my hardest to get personal replies up next week. And don't forget that you're always free to ask questions.
Wonderwall
Chapter Three: Put it Behind You
Brooke placed both of her hands on either side of her head, squeezing her eyes shut.
"I think I may have to kill myself."
"Don't. Because if you were dead, we'd never be able to launch this thing in time." Haley spoke through bites of Chinese take-out.
Brooke rolled her eyes. "Good to know I'd be missed."
"Oh, Brooke."
"Oh, Haley."
The girls grinned at each other for a few moments, before Brooke turned back towards the dress in front of her. She ran her hands over the silver, silky fabric, cocking her head to the side.
"If I could just finish this dress.." She trailed off, unsure of exactly what she would do if the dress was in fact finished.
"Well, honey, then we'd be set. Because if you finished the dress, that would mean we would only have about.. Oh, I don't know. Two million more?"
Brooke scoffed. "Don't joke, Hales. This is kicking my ass."
"So don't let it," Haley shrugged. "Come on. We've got a bunch of people working here. Look around you! Everyone's here to help, and we're going to get this done in time. I promise."
Haley stared into her best friend's eyes, and Brooke found herself nodding, however unsurely.
-
Brooke smiled easily as she lay on her father's boat, stylish orange tank-top rolled just above her navel, and with her legs sexily positioned beneath her hips.
"You gotta love California during days like this, eh?"
She turned to her left, where her best friend, Peyton Sawyer lay beside her, in a position similar to her own.
"P. Sawyer, you gotta love California all the time."
The blonde shook her head of thick, blonde curls. "No way, man. The second I turn eighteen, I'm leaving this place behind and never looking back."
"Not without me you're not." Brooke nudged her.
"Of course not, B. Davis." Peyton smiled reassuringly, adjusting her sunglasses.
"We'll go to Rome."
"Maybe London."
"Hell, how about Spain?"
Both girls, seventeen and innocent to the world's complications, giggled and nudged each other, continuing their discussion on where life would take them.
-
"Ow!"
Brooke head snapped upwards towards the tall, pretty model. Bevin frowned, lifting up the bottoms of the unfinished skirt to show off the tiniest of cuts, small droplets of blood nearly spilling.
"You stabbed me!"
She refrained from rolling her eyes. "Hardly. I'm sorry."
"Whatever, Brooke. Maybe you shouldn't be day-dreaming when you do this. That really hurt."
"Maybe," Brooke clenched her jaw. "You should just let me do my job."
Bevin made a face. "Okay. Chill."
Brooke lifted her hazel eyes to meet Bevin's brown ones. She squeezed her eyes shut.
"I'm just stressed. I'm sorry. Do you need a band-aid?"
The blonde eyes her suspiciously. "No, I'm okay."
"Okay. Um, I think I need a break," She stood, backing away. "I'm sorry. Sorry."
As the brunette stumbled out of the room, Bevin turned to face Haley, who was staring after her.
"Is it just me or is she acting unusually weird?"
Haley seemed to be in a daze. "Something's definitely up."
-
Brooke stared out at New York City below her apartment. The sun was barely still up in the beautiful city of Manhattan, and the air smelled faintly of Chinese food and vanilla, but this didn't give her the comfort it usually did.
She sighed.
-
"Brooke, this conversation is over." Maria Davis snapped at her daughter, returning her gaze to the road.
"No, it isn't. Because I'm not done talking!" Brooke found her voice raising a few octaves, and her mother seemed to notice it as well.
"Do not speak to me that way. I am your mother, and in some places, that still means something."
"Oh, give me a break! You shouldn't even be a mother. You don't deserve to be a mother. You are possibly the worst mother to ever live."
She winced as her mother's hand made contact with her cheek, and the stinging aftertaste it left her with burned.
"Oh, that makes you a better mom." She spoke bitterly, her eyes watering.
Maria shook her head. "You are so ungrateful. I've given you everything and this is how you repay me?"
"Yeah. And by the way, I don't owe you anything."
-
"Hey," Haley offered, sliding the glass door leading to the balcony shut behind her.
"Hey." Brooke smiled, turning to face her best friend.
"You wanna tell me what that was in there?"
"I'm not sure. I - I'm tired."
Haley nodded. "Oh, yeah, I get that. But you're not exactly acting like yourself, buddy, and I have to say, it's freaking me out."
"I'm fine," Brooke assured her. "I swear. I just needed a little break. And Bevin's been complaining about seriously everything." She laughed lightly.
"He's okay, you know."
"What?"
"Lucas. He's okay." Haley put her arm out, allowing it to rest on Brooke's shoulder comfortingly.
"Oh, I know. He's - I'm not.." She trailed off, unsure of what to say. His safety was always at the back of her mind. Even when he was with her. But this wasn't about his safety.
Memory lane was a bitch.
And she didn't understand exactly why it was kicking itself into high gear right now.
"Every time you hear a siren, you get that look in your eye." Haley shrugged. It was the only thing she could relate this to.
"Look?"
"I can't explain it. You just - you're always thinking that it's him in that fire-truck. You're always thinking that he's in a burning building at that exact second, saving the life of someone that's not him."
Brooke sighed. "He's not.. He's going to be okay. I know he is. I mean, it's Lucas. He knows what he's doing."
Haley smiled. "I know. I just wanted to make sure you knew that."
"Of course. Of course.."
-
"You can't be serious." Peyton shook her head, watching in horror as Brooke began to pack her life away.
"What choice do I have, Peyton?" Brooke stared at her friend, hoping that somehow she could find an answer.
Peyton merely stared at her friend helplessly. "Brooke, I wish I knew how I could change your mind, but I don't. I just know that this isn't the answer."
"If I leave, they'll know that I'm serious."
"And maybe they won't care. Have you met your parents?"
"Briefly." Brooke shrugged.
Peyton lifted herself into a sitting position, not allowing herself to believe this would be the last time she'd ever sit on Brooke's bed; in Brooke's room.
"They just don't know how to handle this."
"They don't know how to handle anything. I'm not going to hold back my dreams for them. I refuse to."
Peyton sighed. "Brooke-"
"Look, Goldilocks, I love you for caring. But can we please drop it?"
"This is serious, Brooke! It's not a boy problem! Do you realize what you're about to do? Don't you know how serious the consequences of your actions could be?"
The brunette whirled around to face her best friend, dropping the neatly stacked t-shirts in her hands. "Yes, Peyton! I do! I know exactly what could happen! You don't understand though. You don't have parents that are so distant and manipulative and controlling all at the same time! Your dad loves you more than life itself, and would be supportive of any choice you made. Hell, you could aspire to be a stripper, and he'd still support you! That isn't what it's like for me. And this is the only way I can get my point across."
Peyton lowered her eyes to the ground, defeated. "Okay."
"So," Brooke bit her lip, looking around at the few suitcases she'd packed. "Can I stay at your place? Just for a few months or so, until-"
"Brooke," Peyton scrunched up her face and squeezed her eyes shut, allowing a long, deep breath to leave her lips. "I'm - I'm leaving. I'm going to an art school in Chicago."
"What?"
"In a few weeks. I leave," She paused, "in a few weeks."
-
The front door opened, barely stirring a reaction from anyone. They had been working for endless hours, waiting for the moment when they would finally be finished, and the launch would finally be taking place.
Cloth was strewn around in all directions, along with fabric books, sewing machines, and the like.
As Lucas entered, smelling of smoke - despite rubbing his skin raw - and aftershave, his eyes instantly landed on his wife.
Brooke sat with her legs bended beneath her, and her eyes focusing on one of the models in front of her. She looked down at one of her many notebooks, biting her lip and feverishly writing something.
She turned to focus on Teresa once more. "Okay, so I think we should shorten the dress a little bit."
Wesley, her close co-worker, and possibly the only straight man in fashion sighed, shaking his head. "We've shortened it like, four inches already, Brooke."
"I'm just not liking it this long. It would look better above her knees."
"I agree," Teresa spoke up, looking down at the medium blue dress she was wearing. "It's too long."
Wesley rolled his eyes. "Of course you side with her."
"Well, it is my line." Brooke twinkled, a grin lighting up her face.
Lucas was careful not to step on anything as he made his way towards his wife.
"Hi." He smiled, kissing her quickly.
She leaned into him, savoring the fact that he was back; that he was alive.
"Hello, Husband."
"You look stressed. Are you stressed?" He said worriedly, pressing the back of his palm to her forehead, and then her cheeks.
She chuckled. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have a fever."
He dropped his hands sheepishly. "Sorry."
Brooke nudged him. "No, it's nice."
-
"What are you doing here?" She didn't even look up from her spot on the sand.
"What do you think? I'm leaving tomorrow, Brooke."
Brooke sighed, looking out at the ocean. This was their spot. No matter what drama they were forced to endure, they always found their way back here. They sat at the ocean together for hours on a random log on a random portion of the beach, and most of the time, they didn't even have to talk.
"Really? I hadn't noticed." She deadpanned.
"God," Peyton shook her head. "Could you please at least try to pretend you'll miss me? Maybe not hate me? I'm getting on that plane tomorrow, and I don't want to be on bad terms with you! I could die. We could never speak again."
"Yeah, and whose fault would that be?" Brooke snapped.
Peyton threw her head back. "I can't believe you're mad at me! This is my dream, Brooke!"
"Whatever happened to 'Best Friends Forever', huh? Whatever happened to 'I'll never leave you' or 'I'll always be there'? I stayed here for you, Peyton!"
"So come with me!"
"I can't!"
"Why not?"
"My parents are cutting me off, Peyton. I can't exactly afford to just move to Chicago."
"I could help you out.."
Brooke put up a hand to stop her. "No. No, Peyton. This friendship obviously doesn't mean enough for you to stay, so why should it mean enough for me to go?"
"Because!" Peyton wanted to pull her hair out. "Because you're my best friend!"
"Maybe I was, but I'm not anymore." Brooke stood, pulling her thin sweater tighter around her body.
"Brooke, you always said we'd get out of here when we were eighteen."
Brooke shrugged her shoulders heavily. "Well, apparently plans have changed." She stood.
"Have fun in Chicago, Peyton."
-
Brooke yawned, tugging back the comforter of her and Lucas's large, neatly made bed. He did the same on his side.
He looked just as tired as she felt, collapsing into the blankets immediately afterwards. "You know, if you want we could just sleep tonight."
She smiled, allowing her body to drop into the bed beside his. "I was plannin' on it."
Lucas lazily draped an arm over her back. "You did good today, Baby. You've got basically everything done."
"And we still have almost a month." Brooke agreed, smiling to herself.
"Maybe now you can finally stop stressing."
"Oh, I doubt it. This is just the beginning of my stressing." She chuckled, leaning upwards to turn off the light.
Lucas let out a loud yawn, his eyes flickering closed. "I hope not.."
They were silent for minutes, before Brooke turned her head to the side, eyeing her beautiful husband's sleeping form. "Luke?"
"Mhhm?"
"I'll never leave you. I promise."
He drew her in closer. "I'm holding you to that."
Brooke kissed his bare shoulder, wishing he'd promise her the same thing. "You won't have to."
-
"Aw, look at the one!" Brooke squealed, pointing towards the baby golden retriever.
"Yeah, uh, as much as I love looking at puppies with you, which I do.. Uh, could I.." Lucas trailed off, longingly looking outside of the shop, where more of the mall's stores were littered around.
"Go to the sports shop? Go ahead. You won't get me out of here for a while."
He grinned. "You are the best girlfriend to ever walk planet Earth. You know that?"
"I believe I do." She giggled, standing on the tips of her toes to kiss him.
"Well, I'm gonna.."
"Go." She gave him a little shove, and he was out the door.
They'd been dating for just over four months now, and the relationship was taking a severe turn for the better. It was honestly her best relationship yet, and she could say that with no hesitance. Lucas was everything she'd never had before; security, love, and friendship with a man.
She'd never loved being with anyone this much. Ever. She had yet to get sick of him, and honestly, she didn't think she ever would. When she was with him, she was at her happiest, and when she wasn't with him, she almost needed to be with him. It was intense, but she loved it.
"God, if I was as cute as you, I'd be one cocky little bastard." She picked up one of the baby Labradors, kissing the tip of his nose.
As Brooke rocked the puppy back and forth slowly, she found her gaze shifting around the pet shop towards the kittens. She shook her head. She could never understand how people could like cats more than dogs. It just didn't make sense to her.
She was about to tell this to the puppy in her arms, when her eyes landed on one of the women looking at the kittens.
Her heart picked up its pace, and she looked over the woman's frame. Her clothes were slightly more reformed, and her thick, curly locks had grown a bit longer, but there was no mistaking that the woman was Peyton Sawyer.
Her former best friend stood smiling softly, playing with one of the kittens. As she watched her, Brooke felt a longing inside her she hadn't felt in years. Her best friend was standing less than thirty feet away, and she couldn't even move.
She swallowed hard.
Maybe this was her opportunity to rekindle her lost friendship. And she could! She knew that Peyton would accept her in a heartbeat. Wouldn't she?
Brooke bit her lip, taking a step backwards. She had a choice to make. She could swallow her pride, walk up to Peyton, and start a conversation. They could become like they were before. She could have her best friend back.
Or, she could walk away. Probably never see her again. She could go back to Lucas and act as if Peyton had never even existed. She could act like Peyton had never mattered, like she didn't wonder how she was doing every day.
Honestly, the first seemed more logical.
Brooke swallowed hard, taking in the sight of her best friend for just a moment longer.
Then, with a heavy sigh, and an even heavier heart, Brooke stepped outside of the pet shop, and never looked back again.