~ The Next Day ~
Jade awoke to a gentle tap on her shoulder. "Jadey?" said little Brooke. Jade mumbled something and rolled over. "Jadey?" Brooke tried again. Jade groggily opened her eyes and looked at her little sister. "Hey, Brookie," she said, still half asleep. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What's up?" Brooke pointed to her right eye. "My face hurts and I can't open my eye!" she complained. Jade gently tucked a strand of hair behind her sister's ear. She toF a look at Brooke's bruised eye, which had swollen shut. "The doctor prescribed you some pain medicine," she said, "One sec." She got up and took out one of the pain pills. She set it on the table and got a glass of water for Brooke. "Can you swallow pills?" she asked. Brooke nodded. "I think so." She put the pill in her mouth and washed it down with a sip of water. "I think you and Beck should get married," she said out of the blue. Jade chuckled, "Oh really?" Brooke nodded. "Yep!"
Suddenly, Beck opened the door to his RV and entered. "Good morning!" he greeted. He set a plate of bacon and pancakes down. "I've brought breakfast!" he announced. "We were just talking about you," Jade commented, picking up a piece of bacon. Beck kissed his girlfriend on the cheek. "I hope you were saying nice things," he joked. He picked up a piece of bacon and ate it. "Little Brookie here thinks that we should get married," Jade said. Brooke smiled and gave Beck a thumbs up. She nodded and moved her eyebrows up and down. Beck ruffled the little girl's hair and laughed. "Is that so?" he asked. Brooke nodded again. "But we're only sixteen...well Beck's actually seventeen," Jade told her. Brooke rolled her eyes. "Well duh! I know that. I mean when you guys are older!" she informed her older sister. Beck and Jade chuckled. "You should eat something, kiddo," Beck suggested. He pushed the plate of bacon towards Brooke. Brooke shrugged. "Nah, I'm not that hungry," she replied. Jade offered her a strip of bacon. "Come on! Just one piece," Jade said. Brooke took the bacon and broke it in half. "I'll eat half of it," she compromised, handing her sister the other piece of bacon. Beck picked up his PearPhone and turned it on. His screen was flooded with texts and notifications from The Slap. Tori, André, Robbie, and Cat had sent him texts asking if everyone was okay. Some of Beck's friends posted on his Slap page, asking if everything was alright. As he scrolled through the comments on his Slap page, he saw dozens of Northridge girls' posting things like 'OMG! I hope you're okay!' and 'Is everything okay?!' He chuckled at all the Northridge girls' posts. "What's so funny, Beck?" Jade asked, eyeing her boyfriend's PearPhone. "Nothing, just Northridge girls," he replied nonchalantly. Jade grabbed his phone and scrolled through the posts on Beck's Slap page. "I though you told me they stopped posting on your page!" she exclaimed. Beck took his phone back. "They probably just heard about what happened and freaked out a little. Chill, you know that those girls don't have anything on you," he said. Jade reluctantly accepted this and moved on. "What time is it?" asked Brooke. Beck looked at his phone. "Nine-thirty," he answered. Jade whipped around to face Beck. "We're gonna be late for school, Beck!" she exclaimed. Beck got up and gave Jade hug. "Relax, babe. School's been cancelled, because of what happened yesterday," he told her. Jade relaxed. "Well why didn't you tell me that?" she questioned, playfully slapping Beck's arm. "Sorry. Will a kiss make it better?" Beck said cheekily. Jade smiled, and Beck kissed her on the lips. "You're forgiven," Jade said.
After everyone was finished getting ready for the day, Beck invited Tori, André, Cat, and Robbie over to his RV. Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" Beck called. "It's meeee!" Cat responded cheerfully. Recognizing his friend's voice, Beck went to the door and opened it. Cat, Robbie, André, and Tori were outside. "Come on in!" Beck said, holding the door opened. Jade and Brooke greeted everyone. After seeing Brooke's bruised and swollen face, Cat gasped then shrieked really loudly. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, pointing to Brooke's face. Brooke turned to Jade. "You said I didn't look that bad!" she angrily told her sister. Jade gave Cat an annoyed looked. "You look fine. Doesn't she, Cat?" Jade said through gritted teeth. Realizing what she did, Cat answered back, "You look great!" André and Robbie took a seat on the couch, while Tori sat on the floor in front of them with Cat. "Baby Jade, what happened to your nose?" André asked. "She broke my nose!" Brooke answered. André gave her a sympathetic look and patted her on the head. "Aww! It's okay! One time I broke my nose after tripping over a rock with my scooter," Robbie said. "Well at least it's better now," Brooke told him.
Beck sat on his bed with Jade and Brooke sat on Jade's lap. "So what made Elise go nuts yesterday?" Tori asked. Everyone shrugged. "Your guess is as good as anyone's," Beck said. "She looked like she knew Brooke though," Jade said. She looked at Brooke. "I never saw that girl until yesterday!" Brooke said. The group discussed the incident for a while. "Well she was a really angry person. She was bound to erupt sometime," André said. Cat giggled and everyone looked at her. "Hehe...like a volcano," she commented. Ignoring her friend's random comment, Tori tried to change the subject. "Wanna do something?" she asked. "Like what?" asked Robbie. Tori shrugged, "I dunno." "We could go to the Green Meadow Mall," Beck suggested. Everyone agreed, so the gang got into their cars and drove to the mall.
Cat, Jade, and Brooke rode with Beck. Tori, André, and Robbie rode together in André's car. After a short drive, the two cars arrived at the Green Meadow Mall. Brooke had brought one of her Build-a-Buddy dolls with her and put it in her backpack. She and the doll looked very similar, and they had matching outfits on. By now, the swelling in Brooke's right eye had gone down, and she could open and close it. "Jadey?" Brooke asked. "Yes?" Jade answered. Brooke leaned closer to her sister. "What if people laugh at me?" she asked quietly. Jade smiled kindly at the tiny girl. "No one's gonna laugh at you," she replied. Brooke looked more pathetic than funny. She had a black eye, bruising on various parts of her face, and her nose was still in the splint. "Plus, if someone does try to laugh at you, they'll have to go through me first," Jade added with a wink. She helped Brooke unbuckle herself, and the two held hands as they walked into the mall.
The Green Meadow Mall wasn't very crowded because a lot of people were at school. The gang walked around, deciding where to go first. "Let's go to Build-a-Buddy!" Cat squealed. "Can we? I want to make my doll a friend!" Brooke asked. The gang agreed, and they walked to the Build-a-Buddy store.
"Hello and welcome to Build-a-Buddy! Will you be making a new best friend today?" greeted an employee. Brooke nodded. The store was filled his displays of 18 inch dolls. There were rows and rows of doll clothing and accessories. Along the walls, there were pre-made dolls, ready to be bought. Brooke took her doll out of her backpack and carried her around the store. There were also touch screens that allowed people to customize their dolls. Brooke and Jade went over to a touch screen. Brooke tried to look at the screen, but she was too short. Jade picked her up, so she could see the screen. Brooke pushed a green button on the side of touch screen. "I want to make my dolly a twin sister!" she told Jade.
"You have selected the Customize-a-Buddy option! Tap the screen to continue!" the touch screen said. Brooke tapped the screen. "Please select a face!" the device said. Brooke looked through all the faces, trying to make a decision. "Which one looks the most like me?" she asked her sister. "Hmmm..." Jade looked at the screen, then back at her sister. "Number 23," she answered. Brooke tapped option #23. "Now choose the facial details!" the touch screen said. Brooke choose blue eyes, peachy-pinkish lips, and no freckles. "Now choose the hair colour, length, and style!" the machine said. Brooke's hair was in between Jade's natural brown hair colour and her current jet black hair colour. She selected long dark brown hair with a slight wave to it. "Thank you! Push the red button if you are finished!" the machine said. Brooke was about to push the red button, but she overheard a conversation between a father and his little girl.
"But Daddy! It's my birthday!"
"I'm very sorry, Sweetheart, but we can't afford to buy a doll."
"But you promised!"
"That was before I lost my job. I'm really sorry."
"All my friends have Build-a-Buddy dolls from here! I'm the only one that doesn't have one! Plus, all their dolls look like them and I don't have any dolls to play with."
"How about I get you one next year?"
"You said that last year!"
"I know, but I didn't expect to get laid off. Come on, Sweetie. How about I buy you a ballon?"
"This is the worst birthday ever! You ruined my life!"
The little girl ran towards a display of dolls and began crying. The father followed his daughter and tried to comfort her. Brooke looked at Jade. "Come on, Brookie! Are you gonna push the button or not? My arms are getting tired," Jade urged. "Wait! Put me down," Brooke said. Gladly, Jade set her sister down. Brooke ran over to the crying little girl and her father, soon disappearing in the multitude of dolls, clothing, and accessories. Jade quickly took off after her.
"Hi! I'm Brooke," Brooke said, introducing herself to the little girl. She stuck her hand out. The little girl ignored her and cried harder. "I overheard your conversation," Brooke started. The little girl looked up at her now, still sobbing. "What's wrong with your face?" Brooke frowned for a second, but a smile returned quickly. "Sophie!" the father scolded. "It's okay. This mean girl punched me in the face," Brooke replied. The girl continued crying. "So your name is Sophie? That's cool! I was in a musical one time, and my character's name was Sophie," Brooke said. The crying girl looked at her again. "This girl is getting a doll, and her daddy lets her do musicals and stuff! Why can't I?!" she said sadly. The father sighed. "Honey, I told you that when we have enough money, I'll be able to sign you up for acting lessons," he said. He turned to Brooke. "I'm sorry, kid. Are we in your way?" he apologized. "No, not at all! I overheard you guys talking, and I came over," Brooke responded politely. "Great! Now this girl knows we're poor!" Sophie said sadly. She began to cry again. Brooke sat next to the girl. "Well when I heard your conversation, you said it was your birthday," she said. "Yeah..." Sophie said. Brooke smiled. She asked how old Sophie was turning. "Six" Sophie answered. "So, I was going to get my doll, Elizabeth — I call her Lizzie for short — a twin sister today, but then I heard you and your dad talking. I decided that Lizzie doesn't need a twin sister because I already made her lots of friends to keep her company at other Build-a-Buddy stores. I decided that you should get a doll instead. She can keep you company, so you won't be sad anymore! Plus, nobody should ever be sad on their birthday!" Brooke told Sophie. Sophie sniffled and stared at Brooke. "Really?" she asked. Brooke nodded happily. "Really! Come on! I can help you make the doll of your dreams!" she said excitedly.
Suddenly, Jade found Brooke. "Brooke! Don't run away from me like that! Something bad could have happened to you!" Jade scolded. Brooke hung her head guiltily. "Sorry, Jadey. I didn't mean to scare you!" she apologized. Jade hugged her little sister. "It's okay, just don't do it again. Promise?" she said. "Promise!" Brooke replied. "Pinky swear?" Jade asked seriously. Brooke hooked her pinky with Jade's. "Pinky swear." Jade patted her sister on the back. "Did you finally pick out a doll yet?" she asked. Brooke shook her head. "I don't want to get a new doll anymore. I want to give my new friend, Sophie the doll instead," she responded. Jade looked at her little sister. "Are you sure?" Brooke nodded. "I'm sure," she confirmed. She held her hand out, and Sophie took it. The two skipped to the Customize-a-Buddy machine with Jade following close behind. The two girls customized a doll. Sophie pushed the red button, and a box came down a chute. The machine presented the doll, and the girls walked around to find an outfit for it. "Wow! She looks just like you!" Brooke exclaimed. Like Sophie, the doll had pale freckled skin, sage green eyes, and medium length straight blonde hair. Brooke and Sophie ran all around the store, trying to find the perfect outfit. Finally, they settled on a sparkly pink party dress, a birthday party hat, and pink heels. Sophie's dad agreed to buy Sophie the matching girl sized dress, so she and her doll could match. Even though she didn't get another doll, Brooke got the same sparkly pink dress that Sophie. She bought one for her and one for her doll. The two also got matching tiaras for themselves and their dolls. After making her purchase, Brooke and Sophie went into the changing rooms to change into their new dresses. They strutted out and posed with their dolls. Jade and Sophie's father took a few pictures. "Thank you so much, Brooke! This was the beast birthday ever!" Sophie said graciously. She and Brooke hugged. Jade and Sophie's father exchanged contact information, so that the girls could meet up again. "Bye, Brooke!" Sophie called, leaving the store. Brooke smiled and waved back.
"You know, what you did for that little girl took a lot of kindness," the cashier said to Brooke. "Thank you," Brooke replied sweetly. The cashier smiled and handed Brooke her receipt. Brooke and Jade said goodbye and left the store. They caught up with everyone else at the pet store, Totally Pets, which was a few stores down. Tori and Cat were looking at furry little hamsters, while Robbie and André were trying to talk to the parrots. Beck was waiting for Jade and Brooke at the front of the store. Beck looked at Brooke's ensemble and smiled. "You look like a princess!" he told the little girl. Brooke smiled and curtsied in reply. "Why are you guys in a pet store?" Jade asked. "Cat said she needed to get food for her brother's special gerbil," Beck replied. The three people walked into the store.
Brooke looked around the store, taking everything in. "Guys! I got the food for my brother's gerbil!" Cat announced. Beck rounded everyone up, and the gang left the pet store. They walked around for a few more hours before going to the food court.
After ordering their food, the group sat down in a booth. Across from them were two guys.
"Hey, Reggie!" one guy said. "What, Cleveland?" replied the other guy, Reggie. Cleveland, the first guy, pointed to Brooke. "Isn't that the kid that's starring in the new movie?" He said. Reggie squinted and studied Brooke as she walked farther away. "Yeah, that's her! It looks like she has something on her face...this could be good! Call Donny! He's gonna love this!" he said. Cleveland called Donny and within a few minutes, a man with a camera and some other guys arrived. "This better be good, because I've been waiting to see a celebrity since we got here!" Donny said. "Oh it's good," Reggie said. "See that little girl? That's Brooklyn West. Ya know the little Broadway singer that's gonna be in that new movie?" Cleveland continued. "And she looks pretty beat up!" "I think we could get a nice juicy story outta this one," Reggie added. Donny nodded, and the group of paparazzi and the press got out their cameras. He snapped a few pictures of Brooke. "We gotta wait until just the right moment," he told everyone. They closely watched the tiny girl.
"Jadey, can I throw this away?" Brooke asked, holding up her empty ketchup packet. "Sure," Jade said. She kept a watchful eye on Brooke as the little child walked to the trash can that was a few feet away. "Ok, now!" ordered Donny. He and the rest of his paparazzi group snuck up on Brooke. As Brooke turned around to go back to the table, the paparazzi and press swarmed around her. All kinds of cameras flashed in Brooke's face and dozens of microphones were shoved in her face. As soon as Jade saw Brooke being surrounded, she alerted everyone at the table, and they made their way over to help Brooke.
"Brooklyn, what happened to your face?"
"Brooklyn! Over here!"
"Hey! Brooklyn! Why are you in California?"
"Brooklyn, when is your movie coming out?"
"Over here! Brooklyn!"
"Did you have an accident on set?"
"Are you living in an abusive household?"
"Is your nose broken?"
Brooke tried to escape the circle of paparazzi, but she was closed in. "HEY!" Jade shouted. The paparazzi quickly looked at her, but focused their attention on Brooke again. Beck and Jade tried to push their way through the crowd of paparazzi. Other mall goers had stopped to see what the big commotion was about, and some of them joined the crowd.
"Brooklyn, look over here!"
"How did you hurt yourself?"
"Did someone do this to you because they were jealous?"
"Is it true that Angelina Jolie is going to adopt you?"
"Is Concrete Angel really going to be playing at a different Broadway theatre?"
"Can you comment on your movie character?"
"What can you tell us about the Stunt Double Scandal?"
Brooke tried to hide her bruised face and turn away, but she was surrounded. "Please! Leave me alone," she pleaded. The bright camera flashes and overlap of voices directed at her began to disorient her. She tried to shield herself, but she stumbled a bit. André, Cat, Robbie, Tori, Beck, and Jade were trying to shout over the paparazzi. Eventually Jade was able to push her way through. She grabbed Brooke in her arms and attempted to shove past the sea of cameras, flashes, microphones, and voices.
"Who's that, Brooklyn?"
"Is she your mother?"
"Do you even know this lady?"
"Do you have a sister?"
"Is she the person that injured you?"
"MOVE!" Jade commanded, elbowing a guy in the side. She finally pushed past the paparazzi and press, and she looked for an exit. The paparazzi followed her, making an even bigger scene. Beck, Tori, André, Cat, and Robbie caught up with Jade, and they tried to form a human barrier between Brooke and the paparazzi.
"Hey! Is that Andy Samberg?!" one paparazzo called out. "I am NOT Andy Samberg!" Robbie exclaimed back.
Eventually, the gang was to escape the mall. They rushed into their cars and drove away. Brooke was clinging onto Jade for dear life. "Who were those people?" she whimpered. Jade held her little sister and kissed her on the forehead. "They're called paparazzi. They take pictures of famous people, like you," Jade answered. Brooke frowned. "Well I did not like that!" she said. Jade hugged her little sister. "Don't worry! I won't let them ambush you like that again," she reassured Brooke. Brooke hugged Jade back, and the gang went back to Beck's RV.