Special thanks to BrownEyes1980, I am glad you're enjoying the story and I loved your feedback. I do believe, that the only way for Mark to make the two of them friends again, is that one of them is sick. And I hope to God, that it's Brooke. Because if it's Peyton I swear I am going to... well... be very angry ;-)
Chapter Four
"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal"
-Albert Pine
Brooke ran her hand over the black satin material and smiled in satisfaction. Looking down at the dress, she knew it was perfect and that Haley was going to love it. It wasn't something that she herself would have chosen to wore but she knew that Haley would look beautiful in it. And the velvet bow around the empire waist was the magic touch.
"Brooke! Can I see it now?" Haley asked.
She was nervous to say the least. The last time Haley had let Brooke design a dress for her, it had been a catastrophe. It wasn't anything like Haley would have normally worn and she was scared that Brooke had done it again.
"Yes, come on in."
Haley stepped into the bedroom from the bathroom and walked towards the bed, looking down at the dress. Her mouth fell open and she turned towards Brooke with a smile on her face. "Brooke, that is perfect!"
"Are you sure, it seems a little dull..."
Haley shook her head no and picked up the dress, holding it up to her slender form. "It's not dull. It's exactly what I would have wanted. Thank you so much," Haley said as she brought her friend into a hug.
Brooke was quiet for a moment and then sighed. "Well you tutor girl are going to look hot. Even if you do have a tutorbaby in the oven."
"Bun. Bun in the oven Brooke," Haley corrected her.
Brooke rolled her eyes and laughed. "Whatever, you know what I mean. Nathan is going to flip when he sees you in that dress."
"Where's your dress Brooke?" Haley looked around the room and Brooke hesitated for a moment. She took a seat on the chair beside her bed and shrugged her shoulders.
"I didn't make one for me," she said honestly.
Haley raised an eyebrow as she placed the dress on the bed and waited for Brooke to explain. "I'm not going to prom." Brooke didn't give an explanation and when Haley pushed for one she simply shook her head. "Haley, I love you okay? You're my best friend and I know what you're thinking. There's only one prom in my lifetime and I should be there for it, with my friends. But I don't want to go, okay? Just please... respect that."
"Brooke..." Haley began.
Brooke shook her head and stood up, angrily folding her arms across her chest. "I mean it Haley. I'm not going and nothing you or anyone else can do will change that. Okay?"
Haley found herself at a loss for words. She was no match for arguing with Brooke. Her best friend was one of the most stubborn people she had ever met and she had no ability to compete. "Okay." Brooke smiled, glad that her friend was letting the subject go and turned back towards the dress. "Now, what do we do with that hair of yours?" She said with a smile.
"What am I doing here Luke?"
Lucas turned towards his friend and rubbed his forehead. "Tonights prom and I know that she'd want you here," he tried to explain. The boy shook his head in confusion and waited for Lucas to continue. "She thinks you don't love her. That you gave up on her."
"She chose you," Jake managed to say.
Lucas moved to his dresser and pulled out a sketch pad. He threw it at Jake and motioned for him to go through it. When Jake finally did, he was suprised at what he saw. There were several pictures of him throughout the book, some of Jenny and a few of Brooke. On the last page was a drawing of him and Jenny, with the words Someday scribbled across it.
"I know Peyton loves me," Lucas said. He could tell how uncomfortable Jake was and felt sorry for his friend. "But her heart, it belongs to you. She's scared and she's afraid that she won't compete with Nikki and Jenny. That she's not enough because you're always choosing them over her."
Jake shook his head. "I never chose Nikki over her."
"No, not really. But she's your daughters mother and that means something deep down. There's a love there, at least there once was. Peyton doesn't have that with you."
Jake leaned against the desk. "I never asked her to compete with either one of them. I asked her to follow her heart and she came back to you." Jake waited for a moment and then continued. "And I appreciate this, I really do but if Peyton wanted me here- she would have called."
"Just like you did? How many months were you gone and you never called her," Lucas said. "It took her getting shot in the leg to make you realize that you cared for her? Where were you when I was comforting her in that library?"
Jake shook his head, angry that Lucas was saying these things to him. "Don't stand there and say I don't love her okay? I let her go, I loved her enough to let her go. She doesn't need any of the baggage that I bring to her."
"No, she doesn't," Lucas agreed. He walked towards his bedroom door and shook his head. "She needs your love."
"Are you ready?" Nathan asked Haley later that night.
Haley stood in front of the mirror in her bathroom and sighed. This wasn't how she imagined prom to be like. She didn't dream of being pregnant, or her stomach being too big that she didn't fit into her normal dresses. Nathan knocked on the bathroom door and peeked his head inside. "Hales, you look great!"
Tears started to fall from Haley's eyes as she shook her head franticlly. "Are you crazy Nathan? I'm fat! I look horrible," Haley said. She leaned against the bathroom sink and put her head in her hands.
Nathan fought back the urge to laugh and walked towards his wife. "Haley you're not fat. You can barely even tell that you're pregnant." Haley looked up at him, not really believing his words.
"You have to say that, you're my husband."
Nathan nodded his head. "But you know what? Brooke said you looked gorgeous in your dress and she wouldn't lie, right? She'd be the first to tell you you've gained too much weight too soon."
"That's true I guess..." Haley laughed. "Oh Nathan, I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm acting like this, I fall apart over everything. I hate it."
He wrapped his arms around his wife and gently rubbed her back. "It's going to take some getting use to. This is your first time being pregnant and you have a lot of other things going on. It wasn't exactly the best timing."
"Yeah..."
Nathan rubbed the tears off of her cheeks and kissed her lips. "But it's okay Haley. You have nothing to worry about."
"Can you give me a minute?" Haley asked. "I need to fix my makeup."
Nathan nodded and dropped one last kiss on his wife's lips before exiting the bathroom. "Just hurry up okay? Lucas and Peyton are going to be here any minute and we're going to be late!"
"Are you sure you don't want to go?" Rachel asked as she entered Brooke's bedroom. Brooke was laying on her bed with her journal in her hands. "We could always go and spike the punch, that could be fun..."
Brooke managed to laugh but shook her head. "No- I don't want to go. Have fun okay?" Brooke said as she flipped open her journal and Rachel rolled her eyes.
"Is Nick coming over tonight?"
Brooke just shook her head no but didn't look up. She had been avoiding Nick for a few days now. It wasn't like she believed Lucas, she was just angry and didn't want to take it out on Nick. 'Yeah,' Brooke thought to herself. 'That's it.'
"Well I'm going to go," Rachel said as she grabbed a pair of earrings out of Brooke's jewelry box and headed towards the door. "Last chance..."
Brooke waved goodbye. "I'll see you later Rach."
She watched as Rachel gave up and walked out of her bedroom. Brooke laid her head against the pillow and shut her eyes just as there was a knock on the door. "Rachel, I'm not going to the prom okay?"
Mouth opened Brooke's bedroom door and carefully made his way towards the bed. He had a white box in his hands, with a red bow sealing it closed. "This was on your doorstep..." He explained. She raised an eyebrow and took the present from Mouth, carefully pulling at the ribbon. As she took the top off of the box, she gasped down at the dress within it. "Who..."
"There was a note also," Mouth said as he pulled his jacket open and pulled out the envelope. He handed it towards her and she carefully looked at her name scribbled on the front of it. She shook her head, knowing just who it came from. Brooke ripped the envelope open and pulled out the peice of paper.
"Remember tonight, for it is the begining of always."
Brooke placed the note on the nightstand beside her and sighed. What was Lucas doing to her? Why did he always have to come back into her mind, just when she was finally done and pushing him out?
"Brooke-" Mouth began. He hesitated, not wanting to hurt his friend. "What Lucas told you about Nick, it was true. I saw... We saw him kissing that girl."
Brooke pushed the box away from her but didn't look up from the dress. "I know," she whispered. She felt tears drop from her eyes and she just shook her head. "I know Lucas was telling the truth. I was so angry at him. At me for believing that someone could love me and not cheat."
"People do love you Brooke, we all do."
Brooke sighed. "I've had three serious boyfriends. Felix lied to me, Lucas cheated on me with my best friend. TWICE. And now Nick, he's doing the same thing?"
"It's not your fault for what they've done."
She nodded her head, knowing full and well that it wasn't really her fault. "But is my fault for letting it happen. I appreciate this Mouth but I really don't feel up to talking."
"Then how about dancing?" He offered with a smile.
"I'm not going to prom..." Brooke said but he cut her off.
He stood up and made his way across her room to her stereo and flipped on the radio. Luckily it was a slow song and he walked back towards her. "May I have this dance?"
"You're kidding right?" Brooke asked with a laugh.
Mouth shook his head no and reached for her hand. "No. It's prom night and I want to dance with the prom queen," he said. Brooke tried to protest but Mouth had pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm no prom queen, look at me."
He looked down at her clothes, the red and pink stripped pajamas and found himself laughing. "You've never looked more beautiful." She smiled at him, this boy that had meant so much to her over the past couple of years. He was always there for her, always knew the right things to say. Brooke opened her mouth to say something but all of a sudden felt light headed. She stumbled backwards and used Mouth as a way of catching her balance.
"Sorry, I'm just a little light headed."
Mouth shook his head, leading her back towards the bed. "Brooke, we have to get you to the doctors okay?" He asked.
"No Mouth, I'm fine. I just got up a little too fast and I haven't eaten all day..." Mouth watched as she tried to make excuses. "I think you're right," she whispered quietly.
He smiled, relieved that she was agreeing with him. "Lets get you to the doctor's then."
"No." Brooke stood up and grabbed the box from the bed. "I meant about prom, I should be there."
Mouth watched as Brooke walked towards the bathroom door. When she reached it, she held herself up by the door jam. "Thanks Mouth, you're a great friend." He nodded his head, glad to have at least gotten her out of the bed and going to prom.
A half an hour later, Brooke re-entered the bedroom with her prom dress on. Lucas had picked out a purple dress, that was strapless and had a full skirt. She pulled the skirt up just a little to reveal a plain of simple silver stileto's and turned around so that Mouth could see the whole outfit. "What do you think?" She smiled.
Mouth fumbled for words, amazed at just how beautiful his friend truly was. Her long, dark hair was straight and she had minimal makeup on but enough to accentuate the purple of her dress.
"You look like a prom queen."
"I'm glad we did this Peyton," Lucas said as he wrapped an arm around her. He pulled her into a quick hug and then released her, placing a kiss on her forehead. "I'm glad we can be friends."
Peyton nodded her head and smiled sadly. "It's a perfect end, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I do."
The song ended and the couples on the dance floor began to dance to a faster song. Lucas laughed, a bit embaressed at his lack of dancing skills and Peyton pulled on his arm. "Let's get a drink," she suggested.
He smiled. Getting a drink he could do, making a fool of himself out on the dance floor with his ex girlfriend is something he had no intentions of ever doing. He saw his mom in the distance, a hand firmly planted on her pregnant stomach. They shared a smile and he looked away as his father came up behind her.
He turned his attention back towards the doors that his friends were still entering and waved hello at Bevin and Skills. Lucas smiled at how happy the two of them looked together. "Luke, where's your head?" Peyton asked finally but went unanswered. She rolled her eyes and poured her glass of punch, knowing full and well just where Lucas Scotts head was.
"Wow," Lucas breathed.
His words through Peyton out of her trance and she turned to see what he was looking at. It was crowded and there were plenty of people surrounding her but she could make out the faint outline of Brooke in the distance. She was wearing a purple dress and was standing next to Mouth. "Lets go say hello," Peyton said grabbing a hold of Lucas' hand and pulling him with her.
"I don't think that Brooke would..."
But he was too late. Peyton had pulled him in front of Brooke and they were standing only feet away from one another. The people around them stood in silence as they watched the former lovers stare at one another. "Hi Brooke..." Lucas said lamely.
"Lucas."
Brooke had always been beautiful, there was no denying it. Lucas would have been an idiot if he hadn't noticed. But tonight, as he stared down at her in the dress that he had bought, he fought back tears. She looked beautiful and delicate and sexy all at once. "You look beautiful," he choked out.
She blushed, something she wasn't use to doing in a long time. The others standing around began to move away, aware of just how private the conversation was. "Thank you," she said simply. Brooke pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear and smiled up at him. "And thank you for the dress."
Brooke didn't give him a chance to say anything, she simply pushed past him and gave a small smile to Peyton. Lucas watched the encounter but said nothing, just watched as the love of his life turned her back on him and walked towards their table. She turned towards her friends, Peyton and Lucas included and put her hands on her hips. "Are we going to party, or are we just going to stand there?"
Mouth smiled as he grabbed a hold of Brooke's hand.
"We're going to party," he said. If Brooke wanted a party, Marvin Mcfadden was going to be damn sure she got one. If she wanted to dance the night away under bad lighting and crete paper, she was going to. And if she wanted to pretend that her world wasn't slipping away from her, that her friends were going to always be there...well then he would give her that too.
Two hours later the prom had slowed down and Brooke had quietly excused herself so that she could head to the bathroom. She could hear Nathan going over who this years prom king and queen would be, as well as announcing the royal court and she made her way through the crowd. She was stopped by the words Brooke Davis being spoken over the microphone.
Brooke turned towards the stage, and raised an eyebrow. She had won? For prom queen? There was no way that was possible, she wasn't even in the running. Her fellow students pushed her towards the stage and she tried desperately to maintain her balance. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the table she had been sitting at and the smiles on all of her friends faces. They were clapping and applauding the queen and she just shook her head. She saw the devious smile on Mouth's face and silently questioned what he had done.
But it was too late, Brooke was being handed her flowers and the crown was already on her head. She turned towards Nathan, silently begging for the end of what was happening. Moments later, a familiar song played on the radio and her eyes began to fill with tears. Gavin Degraw's 'More than Anyone,' played in the background as Lucas' hand found hers.
"Sorry Pretty Girl," he said as he moved his hand to behind her back. Lucas moved her body towards him and she reluctantly placed her arms around his neck. "It's tradition..."
Brooke nodded her head and shut her eyes, leaning her head against her shoulder. For the first time, in a really long time Brooke Davis felt peaceful. She allowed the song to take over their bodies and the two of them moved to the music together.
Everyone stared at them, a sense of satisfaction on each of their faces. Haley leaned her head against Nathan's chest and smiled at her friends. She knew that Lucas and Brooke had a lot of problems that they had to face and that the road back to each other was not going to be easy. But seeing the two of them dancing, reminded her of what true love really was. It wasn't the easy times that kept people together, it was loving in spite of the hardships you face.
"It must be hard for you."
Peyton's eyes widened but she didn't turn her back. "It gets easier. Some things just don't work out," she explained. She knew who was standing behind her, she would know his voice anywhere.
"Still must be hard," Jake said as he took the seat next to her.
Peyton shook her head no and sighed. "I gave up on true love a while ago."
"That's too bad," he whispered in her ear. "Because, everybody needs a little hope."
She smiled warmly, remembering hearing that word once before. And she had been. So hopeful. Peyton had been searching for an epic romance, the type of stories people write movies about, that artists paint and musicians sing about. She wanted the type of love that Nathan and Haley had had, since the begining of junior year.
She had found it but it had been taken from her before she had the chance to fight for it. Part of the reason she was so sure her heart was with Lucas was because it had been him, who had helped her see that love was worth fighting for. She had watched him for a year, love Brooke with everything in him. And she wanted that, so desperately.
"What are you doing here Jake?"
Jake placed his hands on the table and turned in towards her. "Lucas called. He said that tonight was prom and that he knew you would have wanted me to be here."
Peyton smiled towards Lucas, she owed him a lot. He was always saving her, always rescuing her from others but mostly from herself. "It's good to see you," she said honestly.
Jake nodded his head in agreement. Sure, it wasn't the world but it was a start.
"Brooke," Lucas whispered. "Brooke, the song..."
Brooke felt like she was spinning in circles but she knew the song had come to an end. She could hear Lucas' words but couldn't manage to form her own.
"Brooke, are you okay?"
Lucas pulled away slightly and as his arms released her, Brooke fell to the floor. He did his best to wrap his arms around her and save her from the fall but she still colapsed underneath him.
"Brooke!" Haley cried as she moved towards her two friends.
Lucas ran his hands over Brooke's pale face and turned towards Nathan. "Get an ambulance," he screamed.
Peyton, Jake and Mouth gathered around her as Lucas tried his best to wake her up. "Brooke, open your eyes okay? You gotta open your eyes. Baby," he whispered. Lucas fought back his own tears as he watched the girl he loved more than anything, slip away from him.
TBC.
Love it? Hate it? I want to know what you're thinking. Please read and review you guys! Up next on If tomorrow Never comes:
Brooke's latest journal entry.