Author's Note: Yes I know, it has been quite some time for me to finally finish this chapter, it's just that I've been busy with school and doing other stuff, and now I'm finally finishing it. But thanks for the reviews and those that have been checking for updates, it means a lot to me, and hopefully I will have some more time on my hands to go ahead and finish another chapter or something.
I've been watching the show religiously, and I must say things are starting to get good again, even though I'm absolutely disgusted at Lucas/Peyton couple. I hate them, and they're so freaking boring in every scene that they're in together. Peyton tries to be sexy and seduce Lucas, but she looks fake and isn't sexy at all. And Lucas, well, he just tries to be into it because that's the only girl that will stand him at this point. He's already screwed over everybody else. I already know that Lucas and Brooke is absolutely out of the question at this point, so now, I'm all for Brooke/Owen. Owen is soo freaking hot, and I'm glad that he finally came back to the show. Still in love with Nathan, & I think Rachel should definitely come back.
This chapter was especially hard for me to write. One, because I was so busy with other things going on in my life that I just got sidetracked. Two, it has a lot to do about the emotions of a lot of people, what they're feeling, what they hope for, things like that. Another is that there is a lot more phone conversations going back and forth. And lastly, you have to figure out how each character would respond to anything, whether it's a phone conversation or just a face to face one. It gets pretty tricky, but especially for me because I'm all about being realistic in what these people are saying. Most likely the way they react in the show is the way I make them react here. Enjoy &Review !
Chapter 25; I'm Not Over.
Rachel was never a fan of planes. Ever. It was kind of surprising to most people, since she was traveling more than half of the year. But this was a plane ride that she was definitely not looking forward to, mainly because she had to share it with Brooke. Rachel wasn't exactly a discreet person either. She tried to keep up her front of excitement and impatiency, but frankly she was falling off track, and Rachel didn't know how much longer she could keep on going on with this front.
She had known that Lucas was in Italy ever since Peyton had called to let her know. Why? She had no idea, but she was given strict instructions to never, under any circumstances, tell Brooke. Rachel didn't really know why, but she kept it hidden successfully. She has almost slipped up a couple of times, but Brooke had yet to find out. And now, with the girls' flight taking off in four hours, Rachel didn't know how the hell she could keep this under wraps. They were, after all, going to the same country Lucas was currently residing.
Peyton, Haley, and Nathan had resorted to calling and texting her every thirty minutes to see what they were doing, what they were talking about, and if the mention of Lucas had come up. Rachel was starting to regret even having their numbers programmed into her phone. Brooke, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on, which was a good thing.
Sort of.
On most days Brooke was persistent, and curious. But today, she wasn't. She complied with whatever information Rachel fed her, and she didn't seem to complain. Hell, Rachel could have burned all of the brunette's designer outfits, and she would probably sigh and order a whole new wardrobe. She didn't let it bother her recently, but at this point it was really starting to freak her out.
Her phone vibrated again, signaling a call from Peyton. Rolling her eyes, Rachel answered the call.
"No Peyton, we haven't left yet. Brooke's still finishing up her packing, and no, Lucas has not been mentioned yet." It had been the standard greeting for the past few hours since Rachel and Peyton had first spoken. Following after would be calls from Haley and Nathan, basically spouting the same contents.
"Actually, that's not what I was about to ask you, even though that helps my conscience a little bit."
"Okay, well if that's not what you want. Then what is it?" she asked, slipping on her heels.
"You know how we've been telling you that Brooke and Lucas cannot run into each other in Italy?
"Uhm, yeah. You, Nathan and Haley have only been mentioning this to me for the last fourteen hours," she stated.
"Okay, and I know this is going to sound really weird, but we need you to talk to Luca--"
"What the fuck?!?!" Rachel shrieked, twisting her ankle on her heels. "Shit!" she yelled. Just then Brooke ran into the room, staring at her in confusion.
"Rachel what the hell did you do?" she asked.
She chuckled nervously, "Uhh nothing, nothing. I just tripped on my way to the closet for some last minute things."
Brooke rolled her eyes, "If you say so. The driver called, he's on his way here."
"Okay, well I'm ready. What about you?" she asked, keeping her phone hidden behind her back.
"Just about," Brooke answered. "Are you sure you're okay? You look a little flushed."
Rachel shook her head, "No I'm good. Just a little bit excited I guess. Milan's pretty amazing."
Brooke nodded, smiling, "Yeah, it should be fun. I've always preferred Florence myself. But Italy's Italy, right?"
"Well it'll be an adventure, that's for sure," Rachel said.
"Okay, well I'm going to go ahead and bring my suitcase to the front door for the bell boy to take up."
"Yeah, I still have a little more stuff to add but I'll be done in a sec," Rachel called as Brooke left the room. Cradling her ankle, she held the phone back to her ear.
"Sorry Peyton, Brooke came in just when I tripped on my heels," the redhead explained.
"Yeah, I noticed."
"Anyways, what the hell are you talking about? Why do I need to talk to Lucas?" This was just not making sense. One minute they want her to steer Brooke as far away from Florence as possible, and now they're saying how she needs to go talk to Lucas herself, when Brooke's going to be with her most of the time? What did these people want from her?
"Well, we thought about how Karen said that she wanted Lucas back home in time to fix what was messed up with him and Brooke. Our mistake, but we completely forgot about that little detail, so maybe you should go talk to him and try to set him right."
"How am I of all people going to be able to convince him of that?"
"I don't know. But you've seen Brooke Rachel, I thought Tim spaced out less than her lately. This has got to be fixed and if they're not going to do it, then we might as well will."
Rachel sighed, "Okay, I'll see what I can do. But what if Lucas still doesn't budge? Then what are we going to do?"
"Let's just say you're not the only one trying to get him back here."
"Alright Goldilocks what the heck are you talking about?"
"Lucas, this is ridiculous," Karen said, a sense of finality in her voice that meant that she meant what she said, and there was no turning back.
"Ma, what in the hell are you talking about?" Lucas asked, frustrated that she was holding his pocket journal hostage in her hands. It had been only a couple of weeks since he had purchased it, but it seemed that was all he did was write in it. All the repairs that he had been doing around the Cafe were done with, and now her son had resorted to sitting around like a lost puppy. Karen's only resort was to get her son's ass back to Tree Hill.
"You're sitting around here, eating, sleeping, and writing in this stupid little journal."
"Well I offered to work around at the Cafe..."
"That's not the point. You need to go back home."
"I'm not going back there, especially now."
"Just because Brooke's getting married doesn't mean that you can't go back to Tree Hill."
"Yes it does! I'm not going to go back there when everyone's celebrating their marriage. I can't and I won't."
"Well, what if I kick you out?"
Lucas smirked, "You wouldn't."
"You're right, I wouldn't. But still, this is getting too much, Lucas. You're a grown man, and it's about time you started acting like one."
"I'm not acting like a baby, I just won't subject myself to looking like a complete idiot, hoping that Brooke will realize what a mistake she's making when she won't."
"Yeah, and that's not immature at all," she said sarcastically.
"Do you have any idea how embarassing it would be to come back home and have everyone looking at me in pity? It's bad enough most of my life I've been looked at like that, but I won't do it now. Brooke's getting married whether I like it or not, but I'm not gonna wait around in town hoping that she'll change her mind."
"Lucas you have to get over that fact that she is getting married. And when have you ever cared what people thought in that town? You can deny it all you want, but you know you're a little home sick, and you haven't even met your nephew yet."
"It's not that I didn't want to. Things would've been so much easier if I just would've fought for her in the first place..."
"Well son, there's nothing you can do about it now, and sometimes all you have is now, so you might as well make the best of it before you're sitting somewhere years later, wishing the same thing," Karen said. It wasn't about trying to convince him anymore. It was about giving Lucas the courage and the wisdom to face the things that scared him, the things that he had been trying to run away from for years.
"That's all great Ma, but I'm still not coming back, no matter what anyone says. I'm just not ready."
"Lucas, if you don't go now, when are you ever?"
He shrugged, "I don't know." They both sat there in their thoughts for a minute before his cell phone rang, which was hardly an occurrence since he had arrived in Italy. Lucas pulled out his phone and had a call coming from Haley. He pressed the 'talk' button.
"What's going on, Hales?"
"Luke, I really don't mean to bother you, but I need you to come back to Tree Hill as soon as you can."
He groaned, "Haley, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not coming back anytime soon."
"Lucas, it's Jamie."
"What about Jamie?"
"The doctors think he might have HCM, and they need a close relative to be tested to compare the results."
"Why don't you guys just test Dan? He has HCM also."
"In case you forgot Dan's in a solicited holding cell. They're not going to let him out of the facility to get tested for that."
"I don't know Haley, you know how hard it is for me to even think about going back at a time like this."
"Please Lucas, I wouldn't be asking you this if it wasn't important. The sooner we find out if Jamie has HCM or not, the sooner we can treat it."
Lucas' heart sank at the thought of him and his nephew sharing the same life threatening disease the Dan had started. And the fact that little Jamie Scott was just a baby made the situation harder. The kid was supposed to grow up to be like the rest of the men in his family, basketball stars. And now what? There was a chance that he would never be able to play on a basketball team or reach up to the stature that his father had reached.
"I'll get the next available flight," he said quietly before hanging up. Apart of him angry to the point of no return, and another somewhat rejoicing. "Looks like you're getting what you want, Ma. I have to fly back home as soon as possible."
"Why? What's wrong with Jamie?"
"We have to find out if he has HCM or not. The facility Dan is in won't allow him to leave, so I'm the next person in the line."
"When are you leaving?"
He shrugged, "I don't know. I have to get online and look up the next flight."
"You don't seem too happy," Karen mused.
"You're right, I'm not."
"I feel really bad about this, Nathan," a guilty Haley said as she wiped down the counter at the Cafe. She and Nathan had single handedly managed to get Lucas to come back to Tree Hill within the next few days. If only they hadn't lied through their teeth.
It was the only plausible excuse that would bring Lucas back to Tree Hill. All the other things wouldn't seem as important to him than the health and well being of his own nephew and god son. Nathan, being his brother, felt bad about it, but what else could he do? Lucas was wandering around moping like a little bitch while the love of his life was looking at rehearsal silverware depressingly. And when Brooke wasn't happy, that meant his own wife wasn't happy, therefore he wasn't happy, in all areas.
"You can't be serious, Hales. Think about it, we only had to make up a little white lie, and now Lucas is coming back and this whole thing can finally be settled. I know you feel bad, but look at the bigger picture here."
"Look at the bigger picture? Okay, I see Lucas royally pissed off at us and never talk to us again. That's the bigger picture that I see."
Tutorgirl was never one to lie to her best and longest friend. It had taken Nathan all day to bring her up to doing this. A day might not have seemed that much for some people, but Haley was always a girl that managed to stand her ground no matter what people wanted her to do. But Nathan was, afterall, her hubby, so she had to stick with this ridiculous and cruel plan to trick Lucas.
"Haley, this could fix things," Nathan explained. Leave it to Haley to always be the guilty one. Nathan on the other hand barely even was guilty. This was the perfect plan and little Jamie was the perfect thing to use to get his brother to come back. Haley had a hard time understanding the term 'whatever it takes.'
"I know it would fix things. I just feel bad about lying to him and using my own son as a pawn in this plan."
"Jamie has no idea what's going on," Nathan said, watching Jamie in his baby chair, putting numerous chewable toys in his mouth. "Look at it this way, if Brooke and Lucas end up being together years later, we can thank Jamie for that. If it wasn't for him, they wouldn't be together."
"Whatever. I still feel bad," she mumbled.
There was no doubt in her mind that Lucas would have a total fit whenever he found out that in fact, Jamie was perfectly alright, and that Nathan and Haley had managed to drag his ass back home.
Nathan continued to mull over the situation at hand. Everything seemed to be working and on the right track, except for one little detail...
"Nathan!" Haley exclaimed. "Why the heck did we try to get Lucas to come back here whenever Rachel and Brooke are going there?!?"
He groaned, rubbing his face, "That's what I was just trying to figure out."
Not only was the plane ride exceptionally quiet, but so was the car ride. It was mind boggling, seeing as it was Rachel Gatina and Brooke Davis in close proximity for more than twenty four hours. Both girls were thinking very serious thoughts. Brooke was thinking about how she could possibly have a good time, and Rachel was trying to figure out how she was going to be able to not spill her guts. Both came with very questionable answers.
"So," Rachel finally said, fiddling with her Blackberry in her hands, "Are you excited or what for the serious shopping we're about to do?"
Brooke shrugged absentmindedly, staring out the window, "Yeah, I guess."
For someone that spent her senior year in the town of serious emotions, Rachel had a hard time actually appreciating the fact that people actually felt pain in Tree Hill. Everyone had some serious issue, and everyone had been in emotional pain one way or another. Rachel, on the other hand, completely blocked it out no matter what, which was probably why she was such a bitch during high school. Even now, she had a hard time being of some assitance. This was something that Peyton should've been dealing with, what with her and Brooke sharing that whole two dead moms, three absent parents or something like that.
"Do, you want to talk about it?" she asked awkwardly. Rachel wasn't going to lie, her and Brooke had a lot in common, even heartbreak, sort of. But this was still weird.
Brooke turned her head and stared at her, "Are you serious?"
The redhead sighed, "Okay, you know this isn't my thing. But I'm not completely clueless. You're still missing Lucas." Brooke twirled her ruby ring around her finger. She knew that Rachel was right. Brooke wanted to make the most out of her trip, but like always, Lucas took over her mind.
"I really am. I'm trying to have fun, but I don't think I can do this."
"Brooke, if there's one thing I've known about you for the past years, it's that you can do whatever the fuck you want to do. It's all in your head."
"In my head, or in my heart?" she asked. "I mean, I know that if I wanted to, I could spend years trying to get over Lucas and it would work, someday. But the thing is, I don't want to. As much as Lucas being in my head drives me crazy, I don't want it to stop."
"Brooke, are you sure it's Brian that you want to marry?" Rachel asked. She didn't expect this to happen so suddenly. Most people would deny, deny, deny until they just couldn't take it any longer, but this was exceptionally easy. Way to easy.
"No, it's not really that. Brian's everything that I wanted and needed. He's good looking, has a lot of money, has his priorities straight, and he knows how to take care of me. I feel safe with him, and everything's so simple and not complicated. After all, isn't that what love is all about?"
Rachel smiled softly, "But..."
"But with Lucas, he absolutely drives me crazy, like I want to pull my hair out or jump from a thirty story building. He absolutely infuriates me all the time, and he knows just how to do it. He knows me so well, more than I know myself, which means he knows my every move, my every thought, and just my whole being. It pisses me off that someone can know me as much as Lucas can."
"But..." she repeated once again.
She smiled at the redhead, "But that's why I love him all the same. Because he does know me, and knows how I operate. And I love the way he calls me 'Pretty Girl,' and just looks at me in a way that I feel like I'm the luckiest girl in the world, or the way he holds me, not too tight as to not strangle me, but enough so that I can feel it. And his stupid blonde hair that can never stay flat on his head," she chuckled.
Rachel reached her hand and grabbed the brunette's hand, "Well, it seems to me like you're marrying the wrong person." She didn't get the reaction she was expecting, though.
Brooke shook her head furiously, wiping the tears that had fallen out, "No, I'm not. Because I know as much as I love Lucas, and I probably always will, it won't be enough. There will always be something that will get in our way of happiness, or I'll hurt him or he'll hurt me. That's how it's always been Rach, and I should've realized a long time ago that that's how it will always be. I guess I was just a teenager in love at the time. Being with Lucas isn't an option for me anymore because I know in the end all we'll do is hurt each other."
Was it denial, self sacrifice, selfishness? Rachel didn't know what to make of it. But there was one thing she knew for certain. It was that Brooke was in love with two men. At first she never believed in the concept. Either you loved one person or you didn't. In this case, Brooke was struggling with her love for two guys. Maybe it was the fact that Brooke was in love with the idea of Brian. Safe, predictable, stable Brian, the guy that picked up Brooke's heart and pieced it back together, so to speak. Rachel didn't know much about the guy, but she figured if he could keep up with Brooke and keep her in line, then he must be a keeper. But was he Brooke's to keep?
And then there was Lucas. The boy that screwed up more times than Rachel ever had time to recount, and had captured many girls' hearts, even a little bit of her own. At first glance, you'd think this guy was sent from heaven. He looked like the perfect boy. Sensitive, understanding, not to mention his killer body and eyes that you would willingly drown yourself in. He was beautiful. But there was no doubt about his stupidity. He'd hurt Brooke as much as he loved her, which was basically throughout their whole relationship. Rachel didn't blame her for wanting to run for the hills. Maybe seeing Lucas in Italy was just the thing to confirm Brooke's decision.
"Well," Rachel began, "you're smart, you'll find a way out of what you're going through right now."
And if you don't, then I'll do it for you.
He never thought he'd see a better view of the sunset than when he was standing on the Rivercourt, watching the sun consistently make it's descent down the end of the earth. The vibrant colors, and how everything just sort of stood still just for those moments when the sun was the most beautiful. It was clear that sitting on the roof of the Cafe with his little sister in Florence, Italy beat the Rivercourt by a longshot.
"So why do you have to go back to Tree Hill?" Lily asked, swinging her little feet against the tin roof.
Lucas sighed, throwing a lonely rock down the building, watching it hit the cracked concrete, "Because, I have to go help my nephew Jamie."
"Why can't his own parents help him?"
"Because I'm the only one that can help him. If it wasn't so serious than I would stay here with you and Mom, but I need to go back."
"So, if Jamie's your nephew, what does that make me?"
"Hmmm. Well, I guess that makes you and him cousins."
"Oh, well I guess it isn't that bad then if you're going back to Tree Hill to be there for my cousin."
He chuckled, "I guess not."
"Then why are you acting like this is the worse thing that could ever happen?"
"Because I'm not too sure I'm ready to go back to Tree Hill. You know whenever you did something bad that you know Mom's going to get mad about, so you kind of hide from her all day and try to do whatever it takes that you don't mytseriously run into her?"
"Yeahhhh..." she trailed.
"Well that's kind of what I'm trying to do right now. I don't want to go back to Tree Hill because of things that I've done, things that I'm ashamed of. But it's also because I'm kind of sad the way I left things, so I don't think it's a good idea to go back right now. But I don't have a choice in this situation. Jamie needs me."
"Are you going to come back whenever you're done helping him?" she asked innocently. Lucas sighed. He honestly didn't know what was going to happen. He would love to come back and act like nothing had ever happened. But he couldn't, and he knew that once he came back to Tree Hill, he would have a hard time leaving.
"I don't know. I want to, but I don't know what will happen while I'm there."
"Do you think your Pretty Girl will come back to you?" she asked.
"That's something that's just out of my reach Lil."
Going in for a job interview, you're professional and personal. When you're preparing for an exam, you're studious and focused. But when you're sneaking out of a hotel room, wandering in a train to Florence, you're supposed to be sneaky and stealth. Rachel Gatina was having a hard time keeping up with those traits. She wasn't normally a nervous person. In fact, she hardly got embarassed or worried for anything.
It was a good thing Brooke had been in the shower whenever she left, and it was a good thing the girl was so spacey that she made Tim look a little bit down to earth, because otherwise there was no way Rachel could've escaped without some serious questioning and reason to tag along. Rachel had been glancing at her phone every two minutes, wondering when Brooke would finally get the hint that she wasn't there, and call her to see what was up. But she should've known better. Brooke would probably notice she wasn't there, but wouldn't care, because Brooke hardly cared about anything lately. In this case, it was definitely a good thing.
It had occurred to her more than once that maybe she was doing the wrong thing. Maybe it wasn't her place to involved herself in details that she had no idea about up until a few weeks ago. It was crazy to actually see herself helping Brooke Davis, and going to such lengths to do that was absolutely an outrage. Maybe she was in way over her head thinking that what she would say would completely make a difference. If it didn't work, it wasn't like she didn't try.
To gain more self assurance and confidence, she dialed the number that she had been punching in quite frequently since her and Brooke had embarked to Italy.
"What is it, Rachel?" the voice of Peyton Sawyer rang through the ironic red Blackberry in Rachel's hand.
"Okay if you want to be a bitch about this then fine," Rachel snapped, catching the attention of the whole train compartment. You didn't need to be foreign to know the word bitch.
"Just tell me what is it you had to tell me Rachel. I've talked to you like ten times today."
"Actually it was seven but who's counting. Anyway, I'm on a train right now and I'm on my way to Florence to see Lucas myself," she said, examining her cuticles.
"Okay, so where's Brooke?"
"She's at the hotel. I snuck out while she was in the shower. I don't even think she cares that I slipped out."
"Why are you going by yourself? The whole purpose of you bringing Brooke was that she would be able to face Lucas and try to work things out. Don't you know anything?"
"Because Goldilocks, Brooke's not going to have any conversation with Lucas unless I tell the blondie to get his ass over to Brooke. She's really down and out on Lucas, no matter how much she loves him, she's not going to go to him Peyton. That's just the way it is."
"Then what are we supposed to do then? Lucas isn't coming back to Tree Hill anytime soon, and you guys aren't going to be there much longer. How is this going to work?"
"I think good on my toes. I'll call you later tonight, or whatever time it is over there and let you know what's going on."
"Alright, keep me updated."
Just as she hung up, the train stopped and the monotonous voice of the conductor rang through the compartment, letting them know that they were at the train station in Florence, and that the next train leading back to Milan would take place in three hours, which gave Rachel just enough time to yell at Lucas, convince him to see Brooke, and maybe get a little shopping in before heading back on the train.
The cool air hit her face as she snuggled against her cashmere coat that she had stolen from Brooke just before leaving. While on the train, she had gained the knowledge of the one place where she knew that Lucas would be. Karen's Cafe. After a couple of long minutes with an Italian man, she received directions, not very good ones, but it was enough to let her know that Karen's Cafe was in the heart of the little bazaar.
The sun was already starting to set by the time she set foot in the bustling but peaceful bazaar. There were different coffee shops, bookstores, fruit stands, and other things that anyone could possibly want for their homes. Just down the street were the highest fashions available in the town, and the most expensive restaurants.
It didn't take long for her to find Karen's Cafe. It almost looked like the one that was back in Tree Hill, except for the little apartment that was built above the cafe. It was cute and quaint, just the place where she knew Lucas Scott had to be brooding around. It was a little awkward for her to be inside his mother's cafe, a woman who she had no connection to. Rachel was sure they had spoken once or twice, but not enough for her to feel comfortable walking into her territory.
There was a little girl behind the counter, coloring in a coloring book with a red crayon. MY KIND OF GIRL. On the far end standing at the end of a booth taking an order was Karen Scott. She looked exactly the same as she had though before, except she had cascading jet black hair that was pulled up into a ponytail. She still had the same warm kind smile and always made her customers feel right at home.
Taking a seat at the countertop, she leaned forward to see that the little girl was drawing a red shoe.
"I like your picture," Rachel commented as nice as she possibly could. Usually kids annoyed the shit out of her, and she just wanted to stuff them into the dryer and let it run, but maybe Rachel could hang with this little squirt.
She looked up with the most pristine and innocent blue eyes, "Thanks. Who are you?" Noticing the little squint of curiosity in the girl's eyes, it didn't take the redhead that long to figure out who she was. This was Lily Scott.
"I'm Rachel, I'm a friend of your brother's from Tree Hill. Is he here?" she asked.
Her eyes widened, "You're from Tree Hill?? How's Jamie?"
"Uhm, he's, good. How do you know Jamie?" Rachel asked, somewhat confused.
"Lucas said that something's wrong with Jamie's heart, that's why he's going back to Tree Hill soon."
SHIT. "Uhm, yeah. So is Lucas here?" What the hell was going on? Since when was there something wrong with little Jamie Scott?
"He's upstairs in his room, brooding. Did he do that in Tree Hill?" she asked.
She chuckled, "Oh yeah."
"Excuse me, did you say you were looking for Lucas?" Karen Scott asked, coming behind the counter.
She smiled politely, "Yes, actually. I'm Rachel Gatina, you probably don't remember me from Tree Hill."
"Oh I remember you just fine, Rachel. You were the girl that got drunk and crashed that limo into the lake on Haley and Nathan's wedding," she smirked.
Rachel winced, "Yeah, I was hoping you would've forgotten about that."
"Well that's all in the past now. Lily, why don't you go down to the bakery and get some more bread for dinner tonight?" Karen suggested, handing Lily some money as she skipped off down the cobbled street.
"She's beautiful," Rachel commented.
"Thank you," Karen said. "Now I'm guessing you're here concerning Brooke."
Rachel nodded, "Actually, it's all of us. Me, Peyton, Nathan, and Haley."
"Now tell me: Is Jamie really needing to be tested for HCM?"
"Honestly, this is the first time for me hearing that. I don't know if Nathan and Haley were trying to pull something else off, but as far as I know little Jamie Scott is perfectly cute and healthy. And definitely not suffering from HCM."
Karen sighed, "This is getting complicated because Lucas was planning on flying back to Tree Hill in a couple of days to get tested and everything. He is not going to be happy about this."
"Defnitely not. But here's the deal: Brooke's here with me in Italy. Right now she's in Milan, she doesn't know I'm here, and I plan on keeping it that way for as long as possible. We all know that Lucas isn't going to come back, and that Brooke's not going to talk to him either, so we all had to take this into our own hands."
"This was the only option after all. Okay, but what about him going back to Tree Hill? Are you guys going to keep this trick up or tell him the truth."
"Definitely tell him the truth. I don't care if Haley and Nathan didn't want me to say anything. That'll just piss him off even more," Rachel said.
"That is true. He's upstairs," Karen said, leaving the counter and taking another group's order. Rachel looked to the long narrow staircase in the corner of the kitchen. Sighing, she climbed up it, her Jimmy Choos not exactly helping. What exactly could she say to a man that she never actually had a connection with, and that had seen her naked more than once? Her and Lucas never actually were friends either, she just tried to seduce him to piss off Brooke once or twice. What made her think that he would listen to her.
There was a dim light under one door, and she knew that Lucas was probably behind that door, brooding and had thoughts full of Brooke. With one more deep breath, Rachel knocked sharply on the door.
"Go away!" Lucas called. Rolling her eyes, Rachel jerked the door open anyway, not one to actually listen to anyone.
"Wow, aren't you a hot mess," she complimented, leaning against the door way. Lucas was laying on his back on his bed, staring at the ceiling with a red feather twisting around in his hand. Rachel knew that feather from somewhere, but couldn't place it right then.
He leaned up on his elbows, "Rachel? What the hell are you doing here?"
"What? You didn't think anyone could find you?"
"It's not that. It's just that I didn't expect you to find me of all people," Lucas said dryly, sitting up.
"Well I'm full of surprises. So reverse question. What the hell are you still doing here?"
Lucas shrugged, "My mom and sister live here. Why else?"
"Why else? How about you're being a pussy hiding out here so you don't have to face your problems."
"You think you have me all figured out don't you? When's the last time I had an actual conversation with you anyway? You know nothing about what's going on."
Rachel raised one eyebrow, "You'd be surprised how much I do know about your depressing sob story Lucas. In fact, I know the whole thing, and I still think you're being a pussy, so what does that say about you?"
"It says that I'm just trying to forget about everything and not deal with it anymore. I don't find anything wrong with that."
Shutting the door, Brooke realized this was going to be harder than she thouht. The longer she stayed here listening to Lucas, the more discouraged she had became, and she had just gotten there. "Look Lucas, I'm not here to fight with you or try to get you to do something you don't want to do. I just want to talk."
"There's nothing to talk about Rachel. And you are here to try to get me to do something I don't want to do."
"Well that would be idealistic, but I'm a realist, Lucas. You should know that. You're not helping yourself you know."
"So what if I'm not helping myself. I'm sure as hell not helping anybody in Tree Hill either."
"You're right, you're not. You're hurting them instead. Including Brooke." Guessing by the stiffening of his entire body, Rachel knew she had struck a nerve.
"For the last fucking time. She made her decision, she has to live with it, and so do I. I don't understand why everyone is acting like this is all my fault."
"It's yours and Brooke's fault. You're the one acting like a jackass, and Brooke's just stupid enough to feel guilty."
He snorted, "Guilty? Are you fucking kidding me?"
"No, I'm not fucking kidding you. In all truth Lucas, Brooke's been pretty down ever since you left without a word. Actually everyone's pretty much been down since you left."
"Yeah well they can get over it because I'm going back to that godamn town anyway. They're getting what they wanted."
Rachel grimaced, this wasn't going to go good. "Actually, you don't have to go back unless you want to. Jamie's not sick, Lucas. Haley and Nathan just said that so you would come back willingly."
What the hell was with his life lately? There was never a day that went by that Lucas didn't go through some sort of depressing phase, and with this crap that he was hearing right now, he had no idea what he was going to do with his life.
"That's just great. Now my fucking family is trying to mess with my life," Lucas chuckld harshly, trying so hard not to punch a hole through his wall. "This is fucking bullshit," he muttered under his breath, suddenly forgetting that Rachel was in his room. All these thoughts scattered throughout his head that he didn't see anything else.
"I'm sorry that I was the one to tell you this Lucas, but this should be a wake up call for you."
"Wake up call for what? That I can't even trust my own brother and my best friend that I've known my whole life? That's a damn good wake up call then. I definitely won't be forget that."
"Holy hell, Lucas! Stop being so immature for once! Okay, you have every right to be angry with Nathan and Haley. That was kind of a mean asshole-ish thing to do, even I have to admit, and I'm the biggest bitch you'll ever meet. But you should know that they wouldn't do that unless they felt there was nothing else for them to do."
He wasn't listening to her and he couldn't. There was no way that he could listen to her when all he wanted to do was strangle someone, and it didn't help that Rachel was going on and on in her annoying voice. Keeping composure was never Lucas' strong suit.
"Okay Rachel, you're getting way off subject right now. What is it that you came here for?" he asked, hoping to get whatever it was that she was trying to tell him and then tell her to get the fuck out. He didn't need another complicated person in his life right now. "Please, I'm really not in the mood right now, so if there's something that you so importantly looked for me to tell me, then just say it so that I can figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do with my life."
Okay, so maybe this wasn't going where Rachel had expected. She had gotten the idea that Lucas would be miserable and sad, but also be willing to listen to what Rachel was saying, and actually take it to heart. But she forgot that it was a Scott she was talking to right now.
"Here's the deal: Brooke's here in Italy. Milan, actually. She came with me because I had a few photo shoots to do, and I told her to come along to get herself out of this funk that she's been in since you've left. So far, it's not fucking working. So I'm here to try to get you to see her. I'm not going to tell her that you're in Florence. Either you go see her yourself, or we go back to Tree Hill and she gets married and that will be it. Our plane leaves tomorrow afternoon, and I'll probably be gone most of the time, which gives you two time to talk. This is it, Lucas. You will never get another chance to be able to talk to her like this. It's all up to you. Here's the address," she slipped a folded piece of paper on the desk next to her.
He glanced at it before staring straight at his wall again. "What makes you think I'll show up? Why should I, it's not like it will change anything."
Rachel smirked, "That's the beauty of it Lucas. It'll change everything.
She didn't know if that would be the last time she would ever see Lucas, or if he would soon become a permanent fixture for her vision. But leaving him with the hotel name and room number was by far one of the smartest things Rachel ever did, and that was something she would remember. She gave a smile and nod to Karen before leaving, the door jingling behind her. Rachel was never one for goodbyes.
By this time the temperature had dropped down ridiculously, and the redhead was on the verge of completely freezing her ass of. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she dialed Peyton, remembering her promise at the beginning of the night.
"Yeah?"
"I think I took care of it."
"What do you mean, you think?"
"He'll bite, trust me."
"How do you know that?"
"Because he still loves her, and if he can get a chance alone with her, then he'll take it."
"I'm trusting you on this, Gatina."
"Fine by me, it'll work anyway. By the way, bitch Nathan and Haley out for their little plan."
"What little plan?"
"Ask them, they'll know. Later Sawyer." Hanging up, she quickly stuffed her cold fingers back into her coat pocket. Now that all that shit had been taken care of, it was time to find somewhere to crash for the night. Her agent had told her that there was a crazy dance club back in Milan, maybe she could check it out. Maybe she would meet a cute Italian guy and spend the night at his house. Maybe she would check into another hotel for the night. But what she did know was that she would not be back at her and Brooke's hotel tonight. That was sure to be occuppied.
The weather was beyond belief. The weather reporter and all the radio stations commented that it would reach the twenties tonight, which was by far a shocker for the people of Italy. Even heaters within houses wouldn't be able to shy away from the coldness that was embarking on every living thing that night. But it took over Brooke Davis the most.
Ever since the stupid blue eyed blondie that stole her heart had left her, she was always chilled, and shivering for some sort of reason to know why she was being stupid and indecisive. Brooke had always wondered why she couldn't just decide. It was easy, choose the guy that loves you and would never hurt you. The only problem was, she loved both men, but she wasn't sure which one she wanted in her life the most. She didn't know which one she couldn't live without.
Brooke was already on her fifth glass of wine, and five minutes ago she had ordered a bottle of Grey Goose vodka from room service. The alcohol was slowly taking up her whole body, and she felt weightless. This feeling, this floating feeling was what had attracted her to drinking way back when she was a teenager. This was the feeling. Brooke had to admit, she did miss the empty feeling.
The hotel room was absolutely fabulous. It was one of the best she had ever stayed in. Wrapped in a blanket with only a black tank top and red silk string pajama bottoms was no way to be on a night like this. On a night period, it wasn't right. Usually she would've been finishing up her 24 hour shopping spree, or maybe out at the hottest nightclub, having drinks and dancing the night away. But tonight Brooke wasn't in the mood to dance or mingle, but she was in the mood to drink.
Everything was still and quiet. Now, she didn't have to hide her feelings or what she wanted to say, although she was still bad at hiding anything.
A knock on her door broke her out of her reverie. Sighing, she set down her already empty wine glass. She rubbed her arms as she made her way to the front door. Behind it was a man dressed in black pants and a nice white shirt. He was holding a tin ice bucket with a clear bottle of vodka.
"Vodka for Ms. Brooke Davis," he stated.
Brooke smiled, "Yes, thank you." She grabbed it with both hands, afraid of dropping it and creating a fiasco on the whole floor. The man left politely, heading towards the elevator just as it was opening. Brooke balanced it with one hand riskily before closing the door. But it wouldn't close because a hand was holding it open.
Her breath almost caught in her throat.
"Lucas."