"I have HCM, Rose. It's on Dan's side, which means you need to get tested, too."

"That's a heart condition, right?"

Lucas nodded. "A serious one."

Rose sighed. "Just my luck."

"Hey," Nathan said. "Chances are you may not have it. I don't."

"But it's best to get tested," Lucas said, "just to make sure."

Nathan nodded in agreement,

"I know," Rose said.

"I had to quit basketball because of it," Lucas informed her.

"That must've been hard for you," Rose said, weighing every word carefully because she was already walking on eggshells.

"Yeah, but it was basketball or possibly death, so..." Lucas gave a small shrug.

"Well, I guess I'd better get going," Rose turned to leave, guessing that she was only welcome for that small talk.

"Wait, Rose," Lucas said hesitantly.

Rose turned back to face Lucas.

"I just wanted to let you know I understand why you told Brooke," Lucas said.

Rose nodded.

...

Brooke sat beside Rose at a table at school. "I heard you went out on a date with Jake Jagielski last week," the brunette grinned.

"You might've heard right," Rose said enigmatically.

"I knew it. Tell me everything," Brooke demanded.

"I don't kiss and tell," Rose said. Then, she realized what she said. "Well, damn, maybe I do," she said, laughing.

"You kissed him?"

"No," Rose shook her head. "He kissed me."

"Funny, I thought you told on people who kissed, not told people who you kissed," Rachel said, sitting on Rose's other side.

Rose glared at Rachel. "Who invited you?"

"No one," Rachel smirked "I just wanted to tell Brooke that I know who put up those pictures."

Brooke scoffed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, neither do I," Rose said, shooting Brooke a "you-better-tell-me-later" look.

"Whatever," Rachel said. "So, Rose, why didn't you come to the cabin?"

"It might've had something to do with the fact that I don't like you," Rose said.

"At least you're honest," Rachel stood up, shooting a glare at Brooke. She walked away.

Rose raised a questioning eyebrow at Brooke.

"Okay," Brooke sighed. "I found a private picture of fat Rachel before she got plastic surgery."

"And posted it all over the school?"

"Yeah," Brooke said, quite proud of herself.

"Really, Brooke?"

Brooke nodded, smiling.

"I seem to remember finding a picture of you with braces and headgear somewhere at Peyton's..."

Brooke's expression fell at the mention of Peyton's name.

"What I'm saying," Rose continued, "is that we all looked bad once. Some of us still do." Rose shrugged. "But is getting revenge really worth it?"

"I don't know, Miss Locker Hate Confetti-"

"Hey, now. I've paid my dues for that. And it never would have escalated to me humiliating her, no matter how mad I was at her...why did you do it?"

"Because, while we were at the cabin, Rachel caught me...'brooking' myself."

"'Brooking' your- oh," Rose laughed as she realized what Brooke meant. "And?"

"And we were playing a game of 'I Never', and she told everyone...including Pete from Fall-off-the-face-of-the-earth Boy."

Rose stifled a laugh. As unfortunate as the situation was, Rose found it funny.

"You're trying not to laugh, aren't you?"

"No," Rose's amused voice gave her away. "Anyways, just think about how you'd feel if I put that picture up of you. It would do a lot of damage in return for a small, common secret being spilled."

"But she told everyone."

"And you've showed everyone," Rose gestured to one of the pictures of Rachel. "So, I guess you're even. But,I thought these kinds of stunts stopped being pulled in middle school." Rose shrugged as she stood. "Guess it's just me. By the way, I'm becoming Rose Scott today. I filed the papers about a week ago, and they're going through today."

"What about 'Gallagher'," Brooke asked, "your adoptive parents?"

"That'll be my other middle name."

"What even is your middle name?"

"Danielle," Rose said.

The bell rang for Rose's next class.

...

Her next class was Calculus, a class she shared with Nathan.

"Hey, loser," she said as she sat in the seat in front of him.

"You're the loser," Nathan retorted teasingly.

"So, how's the wifey?"

"She's great. Speaking of which, we're getting married again," Nathan said.

"Again? Isn't once enough?" Rose raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, but none of our friends or family were there when we got married the first time."

"So, when is your make-up wedding?"

"We haven't really set a date yet," Nathan said, "but I'll let you know when we do."

"I better be the first to know," Rose said.

"But Lucas..."

"You and I shared a womb. I could've absorbed you. Be grateful and tell me first," Rose said, grinning.

"Okay," Nathan chuckled.

...

Even though Rose wasn't allowed to cheer for the rest of the season, she was still allowed in the gym by Whitey because Nathan, Jake, Brooke, and Peyton convinced him.

Rose watched with disapproving eyes from her seat on the bleachers as Brooke purposely tried to mess Peyton and Rachel up.

"Hey, Brooke, it's called a squad for a reason," Rose called out to her. Brooke stuck her tongue out at her.

"Real mature!" she added sarcastically.

Lucas sat beside her.

"And what are you doing here?" Rose asked, turning to him.

Lucas shrugged. "It's not gonna kill me to watch," he said.

Rose nodded, then sighed. "I miss cheerleading."

"I miss basketball," Lucas said.

"Well, aren't we a pair?" Rose chuckled sarcastically.

"How's the shoulder?"

"Just a scar now," Rose said, "but they kept me off the squad for the entire season to make sure."

"How do you stand it?"

"I spend my days watching TV and getting fat, of course."

Lucas looked at his sister. "Shut up."

Rose laughed.

"No, really, though," he said, "how do you stand not being able to cheer?"

"I try to take my mind off of it."

"By sitting in the gym watching cheer practice?"

"We all have our ways of coping," Rose said defensively.

"Watching TV and getting fat seems appealing to me," Lucas joked.

Rose smacked him on the arm. "Shut up, Luke."

Lucas smiled.

"Oh, look who's getting along," Nathan commented from across the gym.

"Play ball, you moron," Rose called to him.

"You sound like Whitey," Lucas said.

"Not sure if that's good or bad," Rose shrugged. She turned her attention back to the cheerleaders, who looked close to ripping each other to shreds. "Girls!" she shouted. They all turned to her. "Take your egos and throw them aside, and do the routine. Screw whatever personal problems you idiots have. I'm ornery and I want to see your routine."

Some of the girls, like Brooke, Bevin, and Peyton, burst into laughter. They were used to Rose's semi-rough ways. Others, like Rachel, just glared at Rose, the cripple that dared tell them what to do. The latter, Rose just smirked at.

After a while, the squad was getting along, or at least tolerating each other. Rose was satisfied and looked over to the basketball team, only to notice that there was a girl talking to Jake. No, by her body language, that wasn't just talking.

Rose told Lucas she'd see him later, and then she made her way over to the girl and Jake.

Jake turned around, hearing Rose's footsteps on the echo-producing floor. He smiled when he saw her. When the girl saw Rose, and Jake's expression, her own smile fell.

"Hey, Jake," Rose said, stepping closer to him, "who's your friend here?"

"That's Nicki," Jake said, "the new girl on the cheer squad."

"I'm filling in for some girl who got shot," Nicki shrugged.

"Oh, are you?" Rose asked, trying to sound like she genuinely cared, but it ended up sounding sarcastic.

"Yeah, they said her name was Daisy, or Tulip, or Violet," Nicki said dismissively.

"Or...Rose?" Rose asked, the faintest trace of a smirk on her face.

"Nicki, this is Rose Scott," Jake introduced her. "The girl you're filling in for, and my girlfriend."

Realization came upon Nicki that she was close to being stomped by the girl she was replacing.

"Well, I'd better go," Nicki said, winking at Jake before she left.

"Well, that was entertaining," Rose said dryly.

"You were jealous," Jake teased.

"Was not," Rose argued.

"Whatever you say."

"So, I couldn't help but notice you called me your girlfriend."

"Well," Jake grinned, "isn't that what you are?"

"It is if you want it to be."

"Then, that's what you are."

"Jagielski," Whitey called, "I don't see you doing your suicides."

"On it, coach," Jake said. He gave Rose a kiss on the cheek and went back to practice.

Rose smiled as she went back to sit on the bleachers.

...

I know there wasn't much of anything that was serious in that chapter, but I wanted to write a somewhat comedic chapter before the next chapter, which will be pretty serious. I hope you all enjoyed it.