Blind Leading The Blind
Author's note: I know I promised you some more BL interaction and I'm sorry to tell you that there isn't once again one. I know I'm an ass. But as I wrote this chapter the scenes I wanted to incorporate became way too long. So I'm happy to announce to you guys that this is a two part kind of update. The next chapter is already written and I'll gladly put it up here on Saturday/Sunday. Just be patient one more time please….
Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. Sadly the TV-series is belonging to Mark Schwahn
Chapter 6: No Goodbyes
I can
see the light behind your eyes
Even in the summer shade
outside
When every single day
Will never feel the same
A
single minute can't be wasted
New York, September 2011
Brooke is standing next to the fridge searching for the juice carton. As every morning she starts the day with the same routine.
6am wake up call. 15 minutes showering. First she turns on the cold water to let the chilly stream wash all over her body and with that away the last trails of sleep.
Before her body starts to shiver uncontrollably she switches on the warm water and enjoys the sensible heat revive her spirits and mind.
Then she wraps herself up in one of the big fluffy towels and dries her hair.
Still just covered with only the towel around her waist Brooke steps into her walk-in closet to find some suitable clothes for the day. This part of her daily routine almost takes up more time than putting on the make up and styling her hair. Brooke knows that as a fashion designer she always has to look stunning and practically as perfect as her own models.
There is no room for a bad hair day or the wrong outfit. The press and the paparazzi will gladly exploit every single one of her slip-ups.
At 7.30am sharp Brooke enters her kitchen all set and ready for the day.
As she pours herself some orange juice into a glass Brooke's eyes wander to the answering machine. She takes a gulp and eyes the telephone suspiciously. It is more than a couple of months ago that she talked to Haley for the last time. After Lilly's birthday party she kind of got trapped in all of the chaos with the launch of the fashion line, the move to the new apartment and her duties as a celebrity. Gradually Brooke forgot to keep in touch with her best friend. On account of this she was taken back to hear Haley's anxious voice last night on the answering machine.
It is unlikely of her to leave such a short message with just some cryptic content that Brooke wonders what is wrong with her. Slowly Brooke picks up the phone and starts to dial the familiar number.
"Hello?"
Brooke holds her breath for a second and thinks about hanging up before she unconsciously lets out a noisy sigh.
"Brooke is that you?" Haley asks with a doubtful voice.
"Hey tutor mum. How are you? I missed you so much. I know I haven't called you in a while but I had to work so hard to launch my own clothing line. Then my mum took over the company being the new C.E.O. and bossing me around 24/7. She even made me move out of my old place to an apartment in a more sophisticated neighborhood…and oh did I mention it that I'm sorry that I haven't called you lately." Brooke rambles without even catching her breath for a split second.
"Hmm, okay…well hi there Brooke. I'm glad that you called" Haley responds somewhat baffled and surprised.
"Well tutor mum. How is my favorite godson Jamie doing? Is he still into soccer or has Nathan finally convinced him to play basketball? And how are you holding up with all of the kids in school being a pain in the ass?" Brooke asks with her voice trembling every now and then.
"Brooke Penelope Davis. You are in so much trouble. Not calling me for more than 6 months! Duh…Do you think you can just forget about all of your friends from Tree Hill now that you are famous missy? And then you also have the audacity to distract me from this fact by rambling on and on?" Haley exclaims a bit annoyed.
Brooke swallows hard trying to overcome the evident bitterness in Haley's voice.
"Haley I'm really sorry. I know that I should have called you a long time ago but I was swamped with work and my mother supervising every step I make. This isn't a good excuse because there really isn't one but I'm telling the truth here." Brooke stutters.
"So work huh…and how come that your mother is bossing you around?" Haley asks calming down a little.
"You know that I told you at Lilly's party that I was trying to launch my own fashion label. Well after my contract with Victoria's Secret expired I was offered a chance to build up my own company. Right about this time my mother miraculously popped up into my life. First I was glad that somebody helped me deal with all of the financial and press aspects of the company but as time went by she kind of took over everything." Brooke explains, frustration lingering in her voice.
Haley chuckles a little bit and says "The Brooke Davis I know does not surrender. Where is the spirit of the head cheerleader gone who could basically kick everyone's ass for interrupting our precious practice?"
Brooke clears her throat and tries to come up with a sassy comeback. But somehow she fails and just stays silent. Instead she abstractedly just runs her hand through her long brown hair while staring at the ticking wall clock.
"Well Haley you said that something happened. So tell me what's wrong?"
Haley is struck by the sudden change of heart of her best friend.
"Are you okay Tigger?" she asks in a concerned tone.
Brooke furrows her brows and responds quickly with her familiar cheerful voice "What happened tutor mum? Are you pregnant again or has Nathan maybe a secret affair with the dirty mistress a.k.a. the nanny?"
"No. You are stupid Brooke" Haley hisses. She catches her breath and then proceeds to talk.
"Actually…something really bad happened. I know that you liked Whitey a lot but I'm sorry to tell you that he passed away last Tuesday."
There is a short silence on the phone and Haley can only hear the ticking of a clock in the background.
Then Brooke lets out a soft sigh.
"Did he suffer Hales?" she whispers with a throaty voice.
"No Brooke. The doctors said that he died peacefully in his sleep without any kind of pain" Haley answers tearily.
"That's good…that's really good" Brooke mumbles almost inaudibly as she picks up the glass to take another gulp of the juice.
"Well…. The funeral is on Saturday 2pm. We thought that maybe you would like to come…" Haley says quietly.
"That's really nice of you. Yeah…I'll definitely think about it" Brooke replies with a blank expression on her face.
Haley lowers her head gloomily as she senses the sadness evident in Brooke's voice.
"You know we love you and miss you Tigger…" she simply says pushing back the urge to ask Brooke again about her state of mind.
"I love you too…tutor mum" Brooke responds quickly before her voice cracks and she disconnects the call.
She holds her breath as she tries to fight back the tears from swelling in the corner of her eyes. The moment one single teardrop drips down her cheek she breathes out with a silent sigh. Then she slowly puts down the glass on the kitchen table and mechanically wipes away the tear.
Tree Hill, September 2011
Lucas stretches out his legs and yawns noisily. His eyes are still closed and his head is burrowed in the pillow. He did not sleep very well in the tiny bed of his sister. All night he just tossed and turned from one side to the other without really drifting off into sleep. It felt strange being home and in his room again after all these years. But what bothered him even more was the fact that no one else was there too. Apart from him the house was empty and deserted. After he left Tree Hill to attend college at UNC he never really came back home without his mum or Lilly being there. He realizes that actually he never was alone at all. Even when his mother went to Italy for cooking school Keith was here to keep an eye on him.
Now both his mother and little sister are traveling to places all across Europe.
He has not heard or seen them for more than 3 months. His mum called him the day of their departure to check on him and to say goodbye but aside from this he only received some post cards from Vienna, Rome and London.
Lucas yawns again scratching the stubbles on his chin. Finally he decides to open his eyes a little. He squints quickly trying to block out the bright and shiny rays of light illuminating the room. Slowly he gets up from the bed and stumbles forward towards the bathroom covering his eyes with one hand from the glistening light. After he washes his face with the cold water to wipe the sleep out of the corner of his eyes Lucas picks up a cigarette and proceeds to light up. He pauses for a second and thinks to himself what his mother would say if she saw him acting like this. He lets out a loud groan and opens the door. Still a bit shaky on his feet and only covered with some worn out shorts and a plain white t-shirt he sits down on the porch. With the first drag his senses sharpen and he takes a look around.
The neighborhood is still looking like he left it years ago. Mr. Connor as usually is washing his car in the driveway on a Friday morning and the kid from the Taylor family is mowing the lawn. He smiles slightly and feels like he missed all of this so much. Everything is so calm and serene, nothing like his chaotic life back in L.A. .
As Lucas takes the last drag from the cigarette and then stubs it out he decides to go out for a run before breakfast.
--------------------
He runs steadily through the small town and passes by all these familiar buildings that are connected to so many memories from his past. Every now and then somebody recognizes and gives him a friendly wave or nod. He picks up the pace as he approaches the Rivercourt.
From a distance he can spot that somebody is playing basketball on the court. He raises a smile and runs even faster in anticipation to reach his desired destination.
As he gets to the court he breathes heavily and wants to shut off the music he was listening to during his run. But all of a sudden somebody tackles him from the side and he trips and almost falls on the ground.
"Uncle Luke, Uncle Luke… you are here, you are here" a tiny and high pitched voice squeals.
Lucas quickly turns around and sees his godson Jamie launch into his arms. The little boy embraces him in a tight hug and wiggles his feet in pure joy as Lucas picks him up and swings him high into the air.
"Come here little man. I missed you so much." Lucas exclaims, a genuine smile creeping all over his face.
"Hey douchebag. Don't I get a hug?" a male voice says sarcastically.
As Lucas looks over Jamie's shoulder he recognizes the face of his brother. He looks older, much more mature with his quite long brown hair and beard.
Lucas carefully plants Jamie back on the ground and runs his hand through the boy's short hair. Then he nervously approaches Nathan and embraces him in a somewhat awkward hug.
Nathan tenses up a little but proceeds to hug his older brother back.
Jamie is standing besides them and eyeing them both with excitement lingering in his eyes.
"Daddy…can Uncle Luke play some basketball with us?" he asks picking up the ball next to his feet.
Nathan pulls out of the hug a bit too harshly and looks at his son in amusement.
"Well Jamie…you can ask your Uncle by yourself. I bet he still thinks he is Tree Hill's finest player." he answers with a smirk on his face.
Jamie dribbles the ball towards Lucas and puts it into his hands.
"Uncle Luke will you please play some basketball with us. Daddy always wins. Maybe you can help me." the little boy says looking at his uncle with a shy expression on his face.
Lucas gives his godson a reassuring pat on the head and replies "Jamie as far as I can see your daddy doesn't stand a chance against us. It looks like he has put on some weight and is pretty rusty."
The little boy giggles and takes the ball out of Lucas's hands. He then happily dribbles towards the basket.
"Look Nate I'm sorry…" Lucas tries to say but gets cut off by a quick gesture.
"Let's just play some ball" Nathan grumbles not trying to hide the bitterness in his voice.
--------------
For quite some time the three of them play basketball without any kind of interruptions. It is now way past noon and the sun is really taking a toll on the boys.
As Lucas tries to sink a three pointer the ball hits the rim and bounces off quite far away to the parking lot.
"I'll get the ball" Jamie shouts eagerly running towards the parking lot.
Lucas wipes the sweat off his forehead and slumps down on the ground.
Nathan does the same and sits down across from his brother.
"Man did I miss this" Lucas says staring at the river and the picnic tables.
Nathan looks at his brother in utter disappointment and anger.
"You missed this? What did you miss? Did you miss your godson and Haley for the past years? Did you miss Karen and Lilly last Christmas? Don't give me any of this bullshit Luke" he scoffs.
Lucas does not even try to raise his head to look into the eyes of his brother. He just sighs and then stays silent.
"Yeah I thought so! Man, we needed you here. When I had the accident Haley was a mess and I almost fucked up my life and my family. I know that Karen always tries to stay strong but she had to struggle a lot with Lilly and the café too. But you lived your high profile celebrity life in L.A. . Now don't dare you to tell me that you missed us." Nathan says with a cold and lethargic voice.
Suddenly Jamie comes back with the ball in his hands and a sheepish grin on his face.
"Daddy I'm hungry. Can we and Uncle Luke go home to eat something?" he asks.
Nathan looks up at his son and shoots him a big smile.
"Jamie I'm sorry but your uncle can't come to lunch with us."
Jamie pouts and looks pleadingly at his father.
"Jamie your daddy is right. I got to get home to work a bit. I'm sorry" Lucas mumbles apologetically.
Jamie nods his head slowly and embraces his uncle in a tight hug. Then he takes the hand of his father and walks away, every now and then turning his head around to take a quick look at his uncle.
Lucas watches them leave but quickly averts his gaze.
He looks at the ground of the court and recognizes the familiar writing on it that faded slightly over the past years.
It faded away like all of his friends and family did in the back of his mind.
New York, September 2011
The moment the interviewer from Glamour magazine closes the door to Brooke's office she lets out a noisy sigh.
She quickly picks up the phone and dials the number of her assistant Millicent.
"Milli would you be so kind to cancel every meeting I got this afternoon? Tell everybody who calls that I'm too busy working on new designs and that I want my privacy." Brooke says with a strained and tired voice.
"Sure Miss Davis. Do you want me to get you anything for lunch?" Millicent replies.
"No. I'm fine. But thanks Milli." Brooke whispers.
As she puts down the phone Brooke turns around in her chair and looks out the window.
It is noon and Central Park is crowded with people enjoying the warm summer sun. Some are having a picnic with blankets spread on the green grass and others are just bathing in the sun during their lunch break.
She misses doing things like this. Going out enjoying herself without the fear of getting caught on camera by the paparazzi or without having a fake smile all the time plastered across her face.
She misses being a 21 year old girl having fun and living a carefree life.
"Where is the spirit of the head cheerleader gone…?"
Brooke buries her face in her hands trying to hold back the tears as she hears a knock on the door.
She does not flinch or answers because she hopes it is just somebody Milli can get rid of.
"Brooke? Are you sleeping? You know that the fashion industry does not sleep. Wake up or your enemies will get ahead of you." Victoria shouts standing next to the open door.
Brooke does not turn around. She recognizes the voice of her mother and cringes.
"Mother I'm tired. Can you please leave me alone to have a little privacy?" she says almost pleadingly.
"Brooke you know that you have to attend another movie premiere tomorrow?" Victoria responds shrugging her shoulders.
"Mother I don't want to and I'm not going to" Brooke raises her voice suddenly.
"Brooke you have to think about the company and the clothing line. We need publicity. If you want to be successful you have to sacrifice some things." Victoria replies with a calm and pitiless voice.
Brooke turns around in her chair and looks her mother straight into the eyes.
"Mother I told you that I'm not going to the premiere. In fact I was thinking about taking a break and going on vacation for a while" she hisses.
"Duh…taking a break. Who do you think you are Brooke Penelope Davis? Do you think I worked so hard to let everything go to waste? People won't wait for you to get off your ass! Everybody expects from you to fail miserably. I don't know what I thought when I offered you my help. You are really disappointing me." Victoria spits out.
Brooke's bottom lip starts to tremble and her eyes get misty. She props her elbows up on the table and moves her body a bit towards her mother.
"I told you that I'm going to take a break. There is nothing you can do about it. From tomorrow on I'm on vacation. But it is nice to know why you even bothered to come back into my life." Brooke mutters with a raspy voice.
Victoria throws her hands up in the air accepting her defeat.
Before she slams the door shut she pauses for a second and looks at her daughter.
"Fine! Go ahead, screw up your life. But don't come back and expect me to be there to clean up your mess."
Once again Brooke holds her breath as she tries to fight back the tears from swelling in the corner of her eyes.
But this time not even a single teardrop drips down her face.
Author's note:
Lynn – Once again thank you so very much for your lengthy review. You inspire me to write this story and to step up my game. I hope I answered some of your questions with this chapter. However your answers are never annoying but really interesting and help me a lot. Watch out for some reviews for your story. Love you hun….
B.P. Davis – I know I suck for no BL interaction again. Don't give up on me yet. I wouldn't want you to miss out on the upcoming chapters with much BL.
Chey – I'm glad you liked the last line..nailing something like this is always difficult. By the way your stories are awesome. Have to start reviewing.
Whitney – Sometimes Lucas needs to really hit rock bottom to realize what makes him happy. I'm happy that you like this kind of development and like my story (even without BL scenes).
Todd – Wow your review was just awesome. I like it that I have the ability to surprise you and that you are eager to find out more about the past. Well all of them have grown up and both Lucas and Brooke have a job. This definitely is an important part of their life and so I have to write about it. There will be definitely more Brooke/Lilly scenes along the way.