-1Champagne For My Real Friends
"Brooke!"
"Haley!" Her response was more surprised than enthusiastic, but Tutor Girl didn't seem to notice the difference. "Welcome back."
The smile the girl flashed was dazzling and Brooke chided herself for hating her. After all, it wasn't Haley who had done anything wrong this summer. She wasn't the one who'd been sleeping with another women's husband.
"Thanks!" Haley replied, enveloping her in a hug that felt more like fingers wrapping around her throat. "So I'm really excited for your beach party tonight, I've heard it's gonna be great."
"Pretty standard, really," Brooke shrugged, glancing around the setup as she spoke. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary - a bonfire pit, a circle of lawn chairs, a few speakers scattered across the sand. An impressive number of kegs had been secured, but they wouldn't be put out until dusk. "The usual high school social scene."
"Yeah, but every party you throw is always such a hit," Haley said wistfully. Brooke tried not to notice that she was twisting her wedding band anxiously around her finger, but it was hard to ignore the shiny reminder that she had everything Brooke wanted. "Hey, can I ask you a favor?"
Brooke shrugged. "Sure." It was the least she could do, right? "What's up?"
"Well, Nathan and I were talking." Already, alarm bells were ringing in Brooke's head. "And we decided we want to renew our vows which, of course, means we need to organize some kind of ceremony. And we - well, okay, I - was hoping that maybe you could plan it for us. What do you think?"
What did she think? She thought there was a better chance her shaving her head and becoming a Buddhist. Or Peyton showing up to school in something pink and sparkly. Or - anything, really. There was no way in hell she was planning the renewal of Nathan and Haley's wedding vows.
"Oh, Haley." She chuckled mirthlessly, even though the joke was on her. "I don't think so. I mean, throwing parties isn't the same as planning a huge event like that, you know? I wouldn't know where to begin."
"It doesn't have to be huge," Haley protested. "In fact, I was thinking something small, intimate ... just our family and close friends. Casual, but elegant. Come on, Brooke, you know you can do it. I know Lucas didn't plan that engagement party last year all by himself."
"Yeah, that was totally me, but -"
"No 'buts'." For someone who had once been so timid, Haley was certainly pushing the issue now. Brooke fought the insane urge to punch her. "I won't take no for an answer, Brooke. I want someone who knows us to do it and you're perfect for the job."
Brooke couldn't form a coherent thought, much less a sentence to argue the ludicrousness of that statement. "I - I'm not -"
"Okay, I'm begging you." Haley clasped her hands in front of her chest so earnestly that it made Brooke sick. "It would mean so much to Nathan and I. This is really important to us."
Nathan and I. Important to us. There it was, what Brooke kept trying to make herself forget. Nathan was one half of a couple, he had a whole married life that consisted of married language like "we" and "us". And Brooke had nothing to do with any of it.
Except for this one thing. If she couldn't be with Nathan, she could at least play this small role in his happiness. She could give him a day to share with all the people he loved; to celebrate the homecoming of the girl he'd married.
"Okay," she finally relented. "I'll do it."
As Haley's smiled widened, Brooke could feel the crack in her heart do the same.
XXX
Nathan arrived late to the back-to-school beach party and when he did finally get there, it was only because Haley was dragging him. He'd tried to weasel his way out of it, but Haley hadn't bought his claim of a sudden and serious illness. So here they were, trudging across the sand to join their drunken peers.
"I want to find Brooke real quick," Haley told him, shouting to be heard over the music. "And then I've got some great news for you."
He barely heard her. He had already spotted Brooke at the center of a small crowd; all of whom were male; all of whom were whooping loudly as she knelt to chug from their funnel. "Great," he muttered. It was clear she was drunk enough without the added encouragement of frat guys looking to score. "Hales, why don't you go find Luke and I'll -"
"Right here." Lucas appeared next to them, slinging his arm casually around Haley's shoulders. "Hi, stranger. Listen, I'm sorry we're not gonna get to spend any time together tonight, but as you can see, my girlfriend's in need of a little sober assistance, so -"
"Girlfriend?" Haley interrupted, beaming up at her best friend. "I didn't know you and Brooke had gotten back together again."
"Well, it's not official yet, but we're ... talking," Lucas smiled.
Nathan suddenly had the urgent need to get drunk. Or at least to get away from this conversation. "Hey, you know what, I'm not feeling up to partying, anyway," he broke in, hoping his tone was casual. Inside, he was seething. Brooke and Lucas, together again? "So why don't I drive Brooke home and you and Haley can have some time to catch up?"
"Are you sure you don't mind?" Lucas asked, after exchanging a look with Haley. "Brooke can be kind of a handful when she's drunk."
Don't I know it, Nathan scoffed inwardly. "It's cool. I can handle it. Go, have fun, enjoy the party. I'll take care of Brooke."
XXX
It would be easier said than done. Nathan approached casually, hands stuck in pockets, eyes scanning the horizon beyond, but Brooke knew immediately what he was there to do.
"Come to tuck me in?" she sneered at him, reaching for the beer one of her fans was offering.
Nathan intercepted the hand-off and set the can down on the sand. "Or at least drive you home," he said calmly. "Isn't it time you called it a night?"
"It's still early," she shot back defiantly. "Besides, I'm celebrating."
"Celebrating what?" He couldn't help himself. "Your reunion with Lucas?"
"Nope. Yours with Haley. You know, the ceremony she asked me to plan." Brooke sneered at him. "Whose brilliant idea was that, Nate? Was it some kind of joke to you?"
From somewhere at the very back of her brain, where she was still sober, Brooke knew she was spewing all kinds of hatred that she should've been keeping to herself. She'd really thought she could handle Haley's favor maturely, but five drinks later she'd realized she wasn't even close to ready to take such a huge leap.
"Haley asked you to plan our vow renewals?" Nathan's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Without another word, he grabbed Brooke's wrist and dragged her away from the crowd. "Brooke, are you serious?"
"As a heart attack," she said coldly.
"I never even agreed to do that!" he exclaimed, bewildered. "I told her I'd think about it. I don't - I just don't see why she would go behind my back like that."
"Because she loves you." Brooke's tone was hard, but her eyes were wet and wide, pools of misery he thought he might drown in. "Don't you get it, Nathan? She would do anything to make up for hurting you. She really loves you."
"I know, but I - I -" Nathan stuttered. He couldn't say he didn't love her, because that wasn't really true. He definitely couldn't argue how she felt about him. Where did that leave him and Brooke?
She seemed to know what he was thinking. "Exactly," she said, and he wondered how she could make that one word sound synonymous with 'defeat'. "So, thanks for the offer, but I'll find another ride home. You should go be with her."
"Brooke!" he called out as she started away from him. She turned back, the moonlight spilling over her skin, casting her in a soft glow of light that made seem almost like a figment of his imagination. He lifted his hands helplessly, unsure of what else to say. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"
A million emotions flashed through her eyes, but she blinked before he could decipher any of them. "I'll be fine," she assured him, but she was far enough away that her voice sounded faint, and neither of them were convinced.
