Another Kind of Green
Again I Go Unnoticed
A half hour later, Brooke woke up with a splitting headache, and realizing she was laying on the cold tiles of the kitchen floor.
'Not again.' She thought. She reached her head to her temple and could fell the swelling. She then remembered the confrontation with her father, and realized how she ended up on the floor. This wasn't, of course, the first time this had happened.
She pushed herself off of the ground, and stood up. She looked into the living room, and saw her father passed out on the couch. She ran into her room, grabbed her purse and book bag, and bolted out the back door while she still had a chance. She would just stay at Haley's until he had cooled down, and then maybe everything would be okay. At least she kept telling herself it would be.
She walked down the street noticing how beautiful the sunset was. The seasons were changing, and it was becoming spring, so the sun was starting to set later in the evening, and today she was thankful for that. It had been the only beautiful thing she had seen all day. Not Lucas at her locker, not Haley sobbing into her pillows, not her mother's letter, or the sight of herself yelling at Nathan. And definitely not the bruise that was forming on her left temple.
She saw a familiar figure standing outside of Haley's house.
"Don't you think throwing rocks is a little old, Nathan?" She said walking past him.
"Brooke, you have to tell her I'm sorry. I've called her a hundred times. She won't answer."
"And why would she Nathan?" Brooke said walking up the stairs, placing her hand on the door knob.
"Brooke, please. I need your help. I love her."
Brooke turned around, the porch lights capturing her face.
"You want some help?"
"Yes I-" He started but noticed a massive bruise on the side of her face. His voice lowered. "Brooke, what happened to you?"
"I'm fine! It's none of your business." She snapped. "You want some advice? Here you go - If you love her so much, prove it to her. Calling her won't do it either. Actions speak louder than words."
With that she stepped inside and slammed the door, leaving Nathan alone with his thoughts.
'Actions speak louder than words.'
- - - - -
Haley looked up as Brooke walked into her room. She noticed the bruising and swelling on the side of her face, but didn't say anything. She didn't need to.
"Do you want me to get the ice?" She asked.
Brooke looked up with tears in her eyes, and slowly nodded.
Haley returned with an ice pack, and placed it on Brooke's temple. Both girls fell back onto Haley's bed.
"Brooke, please. I have to say something to my parents. They're going to start questioning if you keep showing up like this with bruises all over your body."
"He's all I got Haley. My mom left today. Please, just give him time. Maybe he'll change."
Haley promised her friend she would wait, but inside she was scared for her friend. What if something worse happened to Brooke? It would be her fault.
Slowly, they each drifted off to sleep with heavy hearts, neither wanting to wake up and face the next day.
- - - - -
The next morning Haley helped Brooke style her hair to cover as much of the bruise as she could, and watched as Brooke applied about seven layers of make up to completely cover it.
Together, they walked to school. Most of the walk was silent. Neither wanted to speak of what had happened the day before. Not about Brooke's father, or what had happened with either Scott brother.
They parted to go to their lockers and their first period classes. Brooke kept her face down as much as she could, in fear of anyone catching a glimpse of her bruise.
They met up again for English and walked down and sat in their usual spots.
"Haley?" She heard a voice beside her. She turned to see Nathan in the desk right beside her.
"Don't talk to me."
"Look, I'm sorry, Haley. I really am."
"Well, sorry is not going to cut it. Now leave me alone, I have class to pay attention to."
- - - - -
That was how the rest of the day went. Nathan trying to speak to Haley, and Haley shutting Nathan down. He had tried four more times. Once more in English, two times at lunch, and once in the hall ways.
Lucas, on the other hand, had pretty much avoided Brooke. She had made it clear yesterday that she wanted nothing to with him. He did notice, however, something different about her today. Her head wasn't held high as it usually was, and she rarely looked up from the floor. Once, when their met eyes in the cafeteria, he swore he thought her one eye looked swollen. She had looked down immediately, so he couldn't be for sure.
He now sat in his sixth period class, listening to Nathan ramble on about Haley. He looked up when he heard Brooke's name.
"Wait, what were you saying about Brooke?"
"She was at Haley's last night when I went there to apologize. She told me I needed to prove it to Haley that t I love her."
"Oh. Well she's right." Lucas said turning back to his paper.
"Yeah, I know. There was something wrong with her face though."
Lucas looked up again. "What?"
"I don't know it looked bruised or something."
Lucas connected the dots, and realized something had happened to Brooke. For some reason, his heart was telling him it was something to be worried about.
The bell dismissing them from sixth period rang, and they both gathered their things and headed to their next class – Chemistry.
- - - - -
Luckily, for Haley and Brooke today was not a lab day. They sat for the entire period copying notes of the board and listening to the teacher lecture about ions.
Nathan couldn't focus. He stared at Haley for most of the class, racking his brain for something that might work. He couldn't lose her, not now.
He leaned over to her, and tried to talk to her. It was pointless at this point to begin listening to the lecture anyways.
She shrugged him off, and continued to copy the notes.
Nathan, once again feeling rejected, looked over to Lucas. Lucas was also scribbling on a piece of paper, but Nathan realized it wasn't the notes he was writing. He watched as Lucas folded the paper and laid it on Brooke's desk.
Brooke opened the piece of paper in front of her.
Are
you okay? -Lucas
Brooke quickly wrote on the paper and handed it back to him before returning to the notes.
Lucas reopened the note and read what she had written.
Yes. Just peachy.
Brooke saw the paper plop back on her desk.
Are you sure? Your face looks swollen and Nathan said it looked bruised last night. I just want to make sure you're okay.Brooke crumbled up the paper, and turned to look at Lucas.
"Look, I'm fine. Okay? Drop it." She hissed at him, trying to be quiet.
Lucas looked into her eyes as she said it. He could see fear, sadness, and most of all- hurt. She was definitely not "fine."
- - - - -
Class had ended, and Nathan was panicking. He needed to do something. He made his way through the swarm of people and met Haley at her locker.
"I thought I told you to leave me alone." She said with a cold voice.
"Haley, I'm not going to stop. I want you to know how sorry I am. Haley I lo-"
He stopped when Brooke appeared. "You ready Haley?" She asked.
Haley nodded, and together they walked towards the door.
Nathan stood there defeated. He knew that this was it. He watched as Haley walked away through the crowd, further and further away from him. He had blown it. He had ruined the only chance with someone he truly loved. And he did love her, his heart aching for her as she walked away. He saw her near the door at the other end of the school.
Suddenly, he called out. "HALEY!"
He saw her pause at the end of the hallway, but continued.
"HALEY JAMES! I LOVE YOU!"
This time she completely stopped, and turned to face him, a look of shock spread across her face.
"THAT'S RIGHT! I, NATHAN SCOTT LOVE YOU HALEY JAMES AND I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW IT!"
He stopped yelling and looked at her. He was out of breathe, but he smiled when he saw a smile on her face. He took off into a jog, and slowed as he approached her. Walking up to her, he put his arms around her waist and spun her around, kissing her as he put her down. They stood there smiling at each other for the longest time, neither caring who was watching them.
- - - - -
Brooke had walked away, wanting to leave Haley alone with Nathan. Sure, she was happy for her best friend, but she had never felt more alone in her entire life than she did at that moment.
