- T h i r t e e n -
Brooke stood outside the Jagielski house, patiently waiting on the porch only having knocked moments ago. She glanced to the front yard, taking in the silent surroundings and evening air, as the sun descended behind the houses which lined the other side of the street. A pink and orange glow settled over the clear sky, making way for nightfall.
Brooke breathed a sigh, her mind instantly realizing how quickly Monday morning was approaching.
"Hey, Brooke."
The brunette spun quickly at the soft voice greeting her from behind. A light blush coloured her cheeks having been caught and effectively surprised by his appearance at the door. She hadn't even heard the noticeable sound of the lock being turned or the light squeak of the hinges being in use.
It had not been the first time she had been distracted over the past week and she was well aware that others had been picking up on this also.
She thoroughly believed she had the curly haired blonde to thank for this current state.
Brooke began looking at everything in a different light, which meant she had began to examine things more closely. The only thing that had managed to surpass her meticulous inspection was the developing feelings she had for the aforementioned blonde. She attempted to pay no attention to the race in heartbeat or sheer high and low of being around her.
Instead, she coached herself that things would change and she would get passed her problematic situation, returning to what once was.
"Uh, Brooke?" Jake softly spoke again, more in worry at the complete lack of response.
Brooke's eyes snapped to the gentle brown ones before her and again the light blush crept back onto her skin. "Oh, God, Jake. I'm sorry."
"It's fine, but are you okay?" he questioned in concern, as his eyes squinted to observe the cheerleader.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Brooke grinned in response. "..just a little out of it."
"You wanna come in and talk about it?" Jake replied, stepping aside and allowing the smaller teen entrance.
Brooke smiled in gratitude, as she stepped over the threshold. "I'll come in but I'm not here to talk about me, am I?"
"We can do both."
"I'll save you the agony, Prince Charming." Brooke joked, while Jake took her jacket. Once he had hung it on the coat rack behind them, she faced him with a wide smile. "Well, Jagielski, show me the goods."
Jake laughed in response and began making his way into the living room, where Brooke felt instantly comfortable. It wasn't huge and was not over crowded with furniture, which complimented the warm and inviting atmosphere the house itself had. In the corner was a television set showing a random children's show and sat before it, was a small girl who was enthralled by the moving images.
"I would appreciate it if you did not speak about my daughter in such away, Miss Davis." Jake chided, as he made his way across the room.
Brooke smiled as she moved closer, making sure to keep a distance, not wanting to intrude in anyway.
"Jenny, sweetie, wanna say hi to Daddy's friend, Brooke." Jake lovingly spoke, crouching down to be at a better level when speaking to his daughter.
Jenny cautiously turned to where her father's eyes and index finger were directed and was met with a grinning brunette.
"Hi, Jenny." Brooke greeted, taking the same gentle tone used by Jake.
A small smile emerged on the little girl's face, before she spun back round to bury her head into her father's shoulder. The act elicited the two teens to chuckle in response.
"Awe, she's adorable." Brooke commented, taken by the child's innocent and sweet behaviour.
"Come on, Jenny. Brooke won't hurt you." Jake attempted to coax but this only caused the girl to bury her head further into his body. "Okay, we're going to go to the kitchen. If you need anything, you come and get me, okay?"
The question received no verbal response but Jenny managed to nod in agreement, still clinging to Jake. Once he was certain of her reply, Jake began to stand back up, while Jenny watched him cautiously for a moment. The child then briefly looked back at Brooke, who once again smiled warmly.
Another smile broke out on Jenny's face but she turned quickly to face the television screen again.
Jake's and Brooke's eyes met briefly and exchanged amused, yet warmed expressions before Jake instructed the brunette to follow him back out of the room, where they headed for the kitchen.
"She is such a sweet girl, Jake."
"I know." he beamed in response. "She's my pride and joy. My everything."
Brooke could only smile. She was surprised when Jake had confessed he was a father to a little girl, who was approaching the age of two. It was that moment that she realised what he had meant by 'things that kept him grounded.' The 'things' being the completely endearing and innocent child that was now perched in front of a cartoon.
At the time she had had many questions for her friend and like the honest person Jake was, he answered as many as best he could. One of which had been, why had he chosen Brooke to confide in, after an initial slip of the tongue lead to her discovery.
Over the week, since their date, the two had been spending more time together. During classes and lunch. Catching each other after practice, where Brooke would offer the taller brunette a ride home. It was a friendship, Brooke had not expected but welcomed. She had grown tired of sitting with most of the cheerleaders or being drooled on by the jock population. Jake was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale environment.
Lunches were spent on the quad, with a few others they could only label as acquaintances. They would talk on anything that came to mind, getting a better understanding of one another.
They spoke at length on Friday after school and, as most conversations do, unknowingly veered from their original discussion and found themselves on the topic of parenting, where the young male let slip that he would never subject his daughter to the treatment Brooke spoke of.
A series of promises were made. One being that Brooke would get to meet Jenny, which had caused the somewhat vague invite last night while at the beach.
"Did you want a drink?" Jake offered, breaking into Brooke's thoughts.
"Um, water would be good, thank you."
Jake made his way to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water as well as the carton of orange juice. He handed Brooke the bottle and grabbed himself a glass from one of the cupboards.
"So, you wanna tell me what's got you so dazed?" Jake asked, as he and Brooke sat at the table.
She smiled brightly in response, trying to hide her discomfort. "No, I wanna talk more about how adorable Jenny is." she answered, trying to change the subject. "She has your eyes, you know that?"
"That's good then because mine are amazing at knowing when someone needs to talk." he replied, raising an eyebrow to let Brooke know he was not dropping the subject.
"Honestly, Jake, I'm fine." Brooke responded, while fiddling with the label on the water bottle. "I don't know why you think I have this need to talk." she mumbled, briefly glancing at his face before returning her focus to the plastic in her hands.
"So you've told her then?"
Brooke's head snapped up at the question. Being completely of guard, she tried desperately to mask her worried features as well as telling herself Jake would not be talking about what she thought he was. There would be no way.
"Tell who what?" she returned, her voice a touch quieter than it usually would have been if she was truly clueless of what Jake could have been referring to.
"Telling Peyton that you love her." he answered softly, leaning closer to Brooke from his seat, resting his forearms on his legs.
Brooke's eyes met Jake's understanding ones, wanting the cloud of tears to vanish so she could focus and pretend this was not happening. Confronting herself had been hard enough but to be confronted by someone else made everything feel ten times heavier. Reality had finally settled on her shoulders.
"I..I don't." she attempted to argue but her voice barely picked up above a whisper, invalidating her claim.
"Brooke." Jake gently spoke again, reaching over and taking her hand, as her eyes now refused to met his.
"I can't." she replied, this time being able to amend her previous admission. However, the consequences of her statement were a couple of tears which trailed down her refined cheeks. She looked back up and wiped them away, with a small sniff. "..and I don't." she tried the words again.
"Then explain why you wouldn't go on another date with me?" he questioned, keeping the same tone he had used throughout the conversation.
Brooke sighed in aggravation and her eyes soon developed into a glare. "I said it's complicated." she stated forcefully.
"And this complication, is it Peyton?"
The brunette cheerleader snapped her hand back suddenly, pulling her body further from the tenderness Jake was showing. "Look, maybe I just didn't like you and I was trying to let you down gently." she snapped, resentful at the scrutinizing of her feelings. It was not fair. She was happy being in denial.
"Maybe?" Jake responded.
He knew what he was doing was hurting Brooke but he could also tell she was hurting by not being honest with herself. Jake had noticed the girl was always happiest when around the blonde, who he had only met a handful of times. Despite what she may have been feeling internally, Brooke's face was a clear indicator whenever she mentioned Peyton.
For the past couple of days, since he had spoke more at length with the head cheerleader, he had tried to convince himself he was just making assumptions due to her rejection to go out again.
However, last night at the beach and the clear moment they or rather Lucas, had intruded on, Jake had been faced with more clout than he could have imagined. He suspected his theory to be true and added to Brooke's behaviour at this moment, it had only solidified his belief.
Jake had planned on leaving the subject for when Brooke felt comfortable or when he would be more comfortable. Nonetheless, when he had seen her today, his resolve had quickly fell. Brooke may be popular but the father was aware of the few friends the girl had to depend on. She would not have someone she could talk this through with, since the person he knew Brooke would have went to, was the person she needed to talk about.
A decision had been made. He now wanted Brooke to acknowledge what she was feeling. He wanted to help her be happy without the doubt and fear, which inhabited her and he was prepared to be hated by the brunette if this was the cost.
"What do you want from me?" Brooke groaned, as she stood from her chair and ran her hand through her hair in irritation. She turned back to face the silent male, her eyes becoming suspicious and questioning. "You wanna go out on another date, is that it?"
The accusation shocked Jake for a brief moment, before he laughed slightly callously at her words. "No, Brooke. That is not what this is. This is me trying to help you realize you need to talk to someone." he implored, standing up, subsequently feeling less intimidated by the affronted girl's stare. "Your happy when you're around Peyton. Like last night at the beach, once you calmed down from whatever silent trip you were on, you laughed and smiled. You've barely managed that all week when we've been together, unless you spoke about her. You did it unconsciously. When you stop thinking and worrying, you light up." Jake explained soothingly, trying to ease the blithering tension. "..but it doesn't last because you then over think it. So this is my lame attempt to make you stop worrying and to talk to me."
"I told you I didn't want to talk." Brooke replied, her icy stare lessening but her tone did not.
"And I'm trying to tell you, you need to." Jake replied earnestly. "I've known you for a few years and, yeah, we were never close and I'm happy that is changing but even I can see you are not the same. You seem to have the weight of the world hanging over you and I want to help by getting rid of that."
"I never asked for help."
It was now Jake's turn to groan, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know that, Brooke." he replied tersely, before returning to his calmer state. "Believe me. I didn't want to bring this up."
"Then why did you?" she heatedly asked, imploring him for a reasonable answer for the torture she was going through.
"Because you need to talk, to vent even, what it is you are feeling. Your distance is concerning and I know what is causing it, which means I'm going to get you to realize what you are feeling so you don't bury yourself in it." Jake stated, now regretting not having thought this through properly.
"I'm well aware of what I am feeling, Jake." Brooke snapped suddenly. "Okay? I'm aware. I'm aware that I've not been myself. I'm also aware that I miss her when she's not around. That I get jealous over the most stupidest things when it concerns someone who is interested in her. That she can get me laughing with a simple look but can then crush me with the next one. I'm aware that every frigging thought I have is linked to her in some way and no matter how much I try, I can't stop any of it." she took a deep breath, as Jake stood rooted in silence. "I know, Jake and I'm hating every moment of it…"
Silence invading both of them for some time, as tears rolled down Brooke's face once again.
"…all because I'm in love with her."
Brooke's words barely broke into the noiseless room but Jake could hear the admittance as if she had shouted it. He moved across the kitchen and wrapped his arms around the trembling girl, guilt finally taking him as he tried to sooth her.
"But I can't." Brooke whispered into his shoulder, while she held on tightly. "She's my best friend and she's a girl."
Jake chuckled shortly at the last of her sentence. "Stranger things have happened, Brooke." he comforted.
"It will complicate so much. Not to mention, she's a closed book. I don't know what she would think, say or do if she was to find out. I couldn't lose her. I need her and I just want all my feelings to go away so I can breath again. I hate it, Jake. I hate it so much." the shorter brunette confessed, keeping herself firmly in his strong arms appreciating the comfort.
"It'll work out, Brooke. I swear." Jake whispered into her hair.
"I don't know if it will." Brooke whispered before she pulled away from his body and looked up to his gentle smile. "I really don't."
Silence again fell between them, as they Brooke tried to settle herself. "God, I must look a state." she mumbled, running her hands over the dampness on her cheeks.
"Nope." he chirped to some degree, with his smile transforming into a grin. "..just a girl in love."
Brooke grimaced at his words. "Have I been that obvious?"
Jake shook his head, as the grin decreased in size once again. "No. Only to me. I've been there."
"Really? You've fallen for your best friend, who just so happens to be the same gender as you are?" Brooke grinned. "Mr Jagielski, you dark horse, you." she quipped, trying to make light of the situation.
"Not what I was going for." Jake replied, a little embarrassed at the remark. "What I was meant to say was, I know what it's like to love someone and feel drained by it at the same time."
"Nikki?" Brooke asked, having been informed of Jenny's parentage amongst the number of questions she had fired at the young dad when she had found out.
Jake nodded shortly. "Yeah."
Knowing the topic was not easy for him to talk about, Brooke decided to move on. "What am I going to do, Jake?" she sighed, moving to take a seat back at the table, resting her head in her hands.
"Well.." he began, following her to where she was sat. "..maybe, you can work up the courage to tell her." Brooke's head shot up, with an expression of disbelieve and worry at the prospect of his words. "..or.." he continued, kneeling before her. "…you can talk to me about it until your ready."
The head cheerleader smiled at the offer. "I like option two. Especially as I think you wouldn't approve of option three."
"And what's option three?"
"I hide until it all goes away." Brooke sheepishly answers.
"Yeah, your right. Option three is a no go." Jake replied, watching as the girl's grin slowly evaporated from her features and the worry returned. "Hey, come here." he instructed, standing them both up and wrapping his arms around her.
The quietness and comfort Brooke was surrounded by eased her into a more calmed state. "I'm so glad you're my friend, Jake." she finally mumbled. "..and I'm sorry I never really got to know you better before."
"Hey, no apologies, okay? I'm your go-to guy from now on."
Brooke chuckled softly. "I don't know if Peyton would like being replaced."
"I said guy, not girl." Jake stated. "Plus, she'll have to learn to share."
When Brooke laughed, Jake soon followed. It was at that time that Jake pulled away from the dark eyed girl and looked to the tiny hand, which pulled at the bottom of his shirt.
Jenny was stood by Jake's leg, causing the pair to smile at the small girl.
"Juice?" she requested.
"Sure thing, sweetie." Jake beamed, bending down to collect his daughter into his arms. "How about we get you a drink and then you can colour with Brooke?"
Jenny looked over her shoulder to the stranger before nodding in agreement to her father's suggestion. Brooke smiled brightly at the accepted playtime, then watching the interaction between father and daughter.
For a moment, it made her feel that she and the world were at peace.
----------
A few hours later, Brooke found herself walking up the stairway to Peyton's apartment. Despite her breakdown at Jake's, she was feeling better for it and added with the time she spent with Jenny, the head cheerleader was more comfortable in her own skin than she had been in the past month.
Although she had only realized last week how far she had actually fallen for Peyton, with hindsight Brooke could now see what had been developing for sometime now.
Brooke, however, did not plan on telling the blonde and would continue on the path she was currently mapped on, certain her feelings would evaporate with time. Until this time, however, she was grateful to have Jake there to help her. Brooke had found talking to herself soon lead to arguing and she was sure that the talking was bad enough for her.
Jake would be her saviour from insanity in the coming months.
See Goldilocks, if it weren't for you, I could be happy with Prince Charming, Brooke mused, as she neared Peyton's door, considering how much simpler life would be if she could feel for Jake what she felt for Peyton.
For a second or two she briefly debated whether to knock or just to walk in. On impulse she decided to knock and open the door in one swift movement, stepping straight in.
"Peyton? Where-" her question was cut off by the two before her.
Benny was stood facing Peyton, holding out a small bag, which Brooke did not need confirmed as to what was inside. It was as clear as day to the brunette, as her eyes flicked to the green ones that had been startled by her sudden arrival.
Hey pepods. I'm sorry for the slight delay but it's here! Forgive me?
Also I'm kinda hoping the Jake/Brooke friendship is making sense. I'm not sure about the flow of their convo...but you know...my sanity would have been the cost if I kept debating it.
GraydonGirl; Spashley20 (awe, I love SON); physcob2002; Thank you all for the reviews and for the compliment. Glad your liking it so far and hopefully you'll continue to. Also, more Breyton will come, promise!! Thanks!
I'mAnOverachiever; Hey, thanks for the review. Much appreciated. I working on the updated thing, I swear! Thank you again.
bohemianxx; More Jake...barely any Breyton though. Sorry. See, I didn't like Jake/Peyton but I do prefer Lucas/Peyton despite what this fic may suggest, lol. But we won't get into that debate! I'll have to check RENT out, although I'm not a huge musical fan. I really liked one of the first songs from Sweeney Todd, where his saying how crappy London is. I can't help it, it's catchy. Anyway...back on track...thanks for your review. Appreciated as always! Also there will certainly be a whole lot of Breyton in the next chap. Thank you!
BleedLikeMe; Good day..again! So firstly, loved your update. Secondly if you hated the last chapter ending, what'd you think of this one?! I know...not of Breyton but I think it's a give away on what's going to happen, huh? Anyway, hope everything is good with you and thanks for the review!
eerriinn91; It's updated! Any good? Thanks for your continual reviews.
craftyns99; Awe, well a smile appeared on my face when I saw your review. So lots of Jake above. He'll be around a little. The flirting is increasing but as you may tell it might be frozen for a while, lol. Concerning everyone else; they'll have their parts to play...including Luc-ass! Thank you for the review!
apathyaddict; Thanks for the review. The pretty thing, I just liked so I laughed and I'm glad you like my style of writing. Tends to help when you do this sort of thing, lol. I loved the Hoes Over Bro's reunion tour, bless. Was a good ep. Anyway thank you again for review and your very kind words. :)
Okay, so I'm beat.
Thank you to everyone reading and especially to all those who are reviewing. I know it can be a pain, so thank you for taking the time to do so!