AN : For this chapter, I was a bit inspired by a movie : "WHITE OLEANDER" by Peter Kosminsky so that's why there is a scene which looks like a part of the movie. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 12: Hanging out with the devil

Previously : She desperately wanted to help Sam to go through this with her, but she was afraid Sam might not stop blaming herself. Maybe she needs some extra help. Brooke considered, if things get worst.

Brooke's phone's ring got her out of her thought, she took the call.

"Allo? Oh hi Millie..Yes, why?...okay, I'm on my way, don't worry." Brooke hung up the phone, and she shouted for Sam. "Sam! Get out of your room for a second please".

"What ?" the teen asked, standing at her door.

"Millie called. I need to be at the store right now to give her some help with...whatever, just to give her some help, will you be okay on your own ?" Brooke asked, a bit worried. However, Sam laughed.

"Brooke I'm 15 years old, not five." She pointed out. Brooke didn't take note of what Sam said and continued to look at her. " I will be fine, don't worry, you can go, it's okay." She reassured even if she didn't really like the idea of being alone right now, but she will never admit it.

"Okay, I let you Haley's phone in case you want some company or for any problem."

"Okay, I get it! You should go now."

"Yes you're right, okay bye! See you later, love you!" she said before rushing out of the house.

(LATER AT BROOKE'S HOUSE)

" Sorry Sam, I'm terribly late, I tried to call you but my phone's battery let me down." Brooke stopped talking when she realised Sam wasn't in the living room. She frowned when she opened Sam's door, she wasn't there neither. Unbelievable...wait, maybe she's at Haley's.Brooke thought and dialed her friend's number.

"Allo ?"

"Oh, hi Hales! It's me, is Sam with you ?"

"No, why ?" Haley responded a bit puzzled.

"I told her to call you if she wanted someone to talk to or for any problem." Brooke explained, obviously worried.

"No, I'm sorry Sam didn't come or call me." Haley said. "Are you okay ?"

"I don't know..I don't know where she is and yes I'm scared because if I were in her shoes, I don't know how I would react ! I probably would make a stupid thing or something! I don't want her to be drunk, or ..." Brooke panicked.

"Okay Brooke stop." Haley cut her short. "I'm sure Sam isn't at a party, or having sex, or doing drugs or anything like this. She's a smart kid and you know that." Haley said trying to calm Brooke down.

"Yes, you're right but.."

"No but Brooke. I know she's hurt, I know it's hard for her, and for you seeing her like that, but I also know she only does stupid things because she wants someone to care about her, and she knows she has you. I'm sure she doesn't do anything wrong, because she knows you care about her and if she messed up with you right now, she's aware you will be on her back all the time, and believe me, she doesn't want that." Haley said wanting to convince her friend.

Suddenly Brooke heard some giggles, then the door opened and she saw Sam and her mother. What the hell is she here ? Brooke immediately thought when she noticed Victoria's presence. And then she realised Haley was still on the phone.

"Oh, sorry Hales, Sam is here, thank you."

"you're welcome. Say hi for me...oh wait, and Jamie too." She said when her son made a big gesture.

"Okay." Brooke hanged up her phone. She looked at Victoria then at the teen. " I didn't know I gave you Victoria's number, Sam." She pointed out, a bit upset.

"Yeah don't be mad Brooke, I just wanted to get out of here, and I don't know, I called her. Stop that, everything is fine, we had a good time, so play nice please." Sam explained.

"Well, thank you for bringing Sam home safe. See you tomorrow at the store, goodbye, I think you know the way." Brooke said a bit coldly.

"Okay I get it. No need to be such unpleasant Brooke." Victoria replied. "Goodbye Sam, sleep well, and if you need me again, tell me." She said before leaving.

"Need you ? How a sane person can feel the need to be helped by this... by Bitchtoria ?" Brooke thought, disgusted.

"Okay thank you, and for the afternoon as well." Sam responded. Victoria gave her a gentle smile and left the house.

"Okay what was that ?" Brokke asked, once the door closed.

"What? You know I like your mom, it's not a secret anymore." Sam said, before eating a bit of her salad.

"Okay, as frustrated as I am, I know you like her, and she seems, and I insist on seems, to like you too, but please Sam just be.."

"careful, I know you already told me that." Sam finished Brooke's sentence.

" I just don't want you to get hurt by her, she can be so evil sometimes that's why I don't like the idea of her being in your life." Brooke explained.

" What's the matter now.." Sam mumbled.

"What did you say ?" Brooke asked.

"Nothing. Leave me alone." Sam said, getting up, and trew her nearly untouched salad in the dustbin.

"No, don't blow me off. What did you just said ?" Brooke asked, determinded.

"I said what's the matter ! She can't hurt me because I already feel hurt! And nothing of what she could do or say to me would be enough to make me feel hurt more ! I already inflicted it on myself." She said walking towards her room. Brooke didn't move. She was still standing in the kitchen, thinking about what just happened.

Enough thought Brooke after a while. She made her way to Sam's door and openned it.

"I can't stay here and look at you blaming yourself for the two accidents , so I will tell you every time needed that it was not your fault at all until you'll see you have not failed. Now, scoot." Brooke told, her tone was firm, and she slipped between the sheets, next to Sam.

Sam was kind of shocked but she didn't let it appear. Instead, she just said "You are loosing your time Brooke."

"Whatever." She replied, imitating Sam's favorite expression. Few minutes were gone when Brooke asked "Why did you want to mean when you said lately you weren't good enough for everyone ? You didn't seem to speak about your friend."

"..." No answer.

"Sam ?"

The teen sighed. "You might not know all the truth about my life with Helen."

Brooke was a bit surprised. "Oh, and what exactly happenned then ?"

"I don't know if I should tell you." Sam answered.

"Why not ?" Brooke was confused.

"I don't know." She answered, shruging her shoulders.

"Sam, please, tell me what happenned."

"Okay...do you want the long version or the short one ?" the teen asked one minute later.

"The long version please." Brooke answered.

"Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have let you the choice !" Sam exclaimed.

"Sam language" Brooke corrected but discreetly smiled too.

"Sorry... Well when I was 13, I was placed in a foster home, it was Helen. Like I said, I didn't want her to know me and I didn't want to speak to her or anything. But after a while I started to ask some questions, because I knew I had to stay there for a long time so...and she was very nice. Then I started to answer her questions as well. Plus we found out that we had a lot in common. I began to hang out with her, I really liked her. I liked her so much that when I heard her and her boyfriend arguing in the kitchen about me, I intended to be asleep because I didn't want her to kick me out that night."

"Why were they fighting about you ?" Brooke asked trying to understand.

"Because...Her boyfriend wanted to dumped her. They were already in a break-time for few months and Helen thought of having someone to make her company would keep her busy and stuff. It didn't seem to be such a bad idea, it took her off of her breakdown for some time. I didn't notice she was depressive! She looked fine!" Sam paused, remembering the past.

"Well that night I understood why I was there but I liked her so much that I wasn't angry or anything. In fact I was still hopping we could find a way to stay together." Sam smiled at the memory.

"But Helen couldn't handle to live without him. I heard her suggest him to kick me out if he would accept to stay with her. But her boyfriend had enough of her attitude so he left. He packed his clothes and he was gone." Sam paused again.

"She was crying in her bathroom. I heard her during two hours, then I decided to come and see her. I sat on the floor and begged her to not leave me. I looked so pathetic. She knew all of my life, I hadn't secret anymore. She told me to come with her in her bed because it was cold outside. I fell asleep next to her. I was pleased she didn't reject me." Sam stopped. She had some tears in her eyes.

"The next morning, I woke up and Helen was still asleep. I looked at her few minutes and I noticed something was wrong with her, so I tried to wake her up, I squeezzed her but it didn't work. Then I saw her medicines, and few pills spreaded on the floor. I called an ambulance but I knew it was too late. So I left before someone from the social services could put a hand on me, and I fled to New-York." Sam was now crying.

"Oh my god, Sam...Come here." Brooke hugged the teen and stroked Sam's hair with one hand, the other one rested on Sam's back. Both had tears in their eyes.

"That why you were so reticent about me sleeping with you, and that explains your rule bed, and your questions about me being despressed." Brooke stated.

"I was scared because Helen was the only foster home with who I slept and didn't hurt me, well, physically. And when you said I had to sleep with you, I freaked out. I'm afraid because I don't want you to leave me, but also I don't want me to care about you, because even if I trust you, there is a part of myself who doesn't, so that's why I hide things from you. I don't want to let you completly in because it will hurt too much. I'm sorry." Sam finally admitted.

"I understand Sam, it's okay. You get very hurt, you need time to trust someone again. But know that I'm not like her, I love you Sam, unconditionally. And no one could change that, even not you. I never am going to kick you out and I hope that one day you will see it and stop hiding things to me." Brooke truthfully said.

"I'll try." The teen responded in a yawn.

"Good. But you know, it's a risk to take." Brooke spoke after a while.

"What ?"

"I mean, you can't not let people out of your life because you're afraid to lose them. It's a part of life, you have to take the risk to let someone in, even if you don't know what could happened. I know it hurts like hell if things get bad, but it hurts more if you decide to live all alone without caring about others. I'm not saying you have to let everybody in, but you need to try to let some because it's amazing, otherwise, what is the point in life ? You can't be happy alone."

"Yes, I know you're right. And to be honest with you, I am working on it, just be a little more patient please." Sam responded.

"Oh, I wasn't speaking about me when I said all of this, it was just a ..."

"I know." Sam cut Brooke short. "But I think if I want to let Tree Hill inhabitants in, I have to start with you first." Sam announced, letting Brooke in a sort of state of shock.

Soon after, Sam fell asleep. At that point Brooke couldn't be any happier.

Okay,well it was chapter 12, hope you liked it! Just let me know it in a review, thanks ! Oh, and by the way, I won't be here before next week, so...