Author's Note: This is also inspired by yesterday's trip to the amusement park
Author's Note: This is also inspired by last week's trip to the amusement park. It's very strange. This is a Nick/Brooke fic to a certain extent, and it's only going to be this one chapter. This was inspired by my sunburn, and a line in the story "Real World 2" by Strawberry Angel. Hey, guess what! It's another flashback! Hey, guess what again! I don't own anything!

Berating and Debating

Brooke Lanier sat on her bed, crying. The day had been perfectly awful, and now she had to go to the station.

"Hey, Brooke! We have to go to the station in ten minutes!" Val yelled from the kitchen.

"Coming!" a tearful Brooke yelled back, hoping Val wouldn't notice her shaky voice. Luckily for Brooke, Val didn't. Probably daydreaming about Tyler, Brooke thought bitterly yet wistfully. I could've been sitting here lost in a cloud daydreaming about Nick- but no! I just had to go and screw things up! And I've only liked him since forever… I never would have guessed that he liked me too… and then I ruined it. If only I had shut up for just 3 seconds! That's all it would have taken…

Brooke slowly rose in a stupor to go wash her face as she recollected the day's events. It had been perfect. Her mother had finally given her a small freedom. She and Nick could go to the amusement park as long as they checked in with Val every half hour. She and Nick had a blast. It had been perfect.

Nick had worn the typical guy thing- shorts and a t-shirt. Brooke wore a T-back tank top and shorts, and although she applied plenty of sunscreen, by the end of the day her back was getting sunburned. That was where the trouble began. Brooke already had a strange tan line from where she got sunburned in a short-sleeved t-shirt and then it turned to tan, like usual. Oh, if she could only change it, take it back somehow….

*memory*

Brooke peered over her now-pink shoulder to examine the sunburn on her back.

"Ouch, that must hurt." said Nick, seemingly very concerned. He also seemed sort of fidgety, the whole time.

"Yeah," Brooke moaned. "But what'll be even worse is when it turns to tan. I'll have the weirdest tan lines in the whole world."

"Brooke-"

"It'll be so embarrassing! I'll have to hide it in a t-shirt!"

"Brooke, listen-"

"I won't be able to wear tank tops, or a bathing suit! I can't go swimming all summer!"

"Brooke!" Nick burst out suddenly angry. "Gosh! You're just shallow like the rest of them! I'm trying to ask you something important and you won't shut up about your stupid tan lines!" Nick shook his head angrily.

"Well Nick, I'm listening now, ask away." Brooke said.

"Now I'm not so sure if I want to ask you to go out with me! Gosh Brooke, I've liked you as more than a friend for a long time, but now, I'm not so sure. I don't think I will. Girls!" Nick said.

Brooke was astounded. Shell-shocked. The world spun around her, threatening to topple her over, and she'd go careening into the ground. She liked Nick too, but didn't want to strain their friendship by telling him how she felt. And she had just ruined it…

*end memory*

"Hurry up! Brooke, we're going to be late!" Val yelled. Brooke hurried out the door after her sister into the cool night air.

***

Val smiled when she saw Tyler as soon as she entered the station. Tyler forced a smile in return and went back to watching TV, silently berating and debating with himself.

Gosh. You should have just kissed her. No, I'm sure she doesn't feel the same as me. Look at her! She's staring! At you! Really? Yes! Are you sure? Yes! Positive? Yes! Yes! Yes!

***

In the office, Brooke madly pawed through one of the many endless cabinet drawers full of paperwork. She was had. Her sunburn hurt really badly, the whole Nick episode was driving her crazy, and on top of that, Tyler didn't do his paperwork!

"TYLER!" Brooke roared.

"What?" Tyler asked miserably. In his distraction from debating and berating, he missed Brooke's angry tone.

"You didn't do your paperwork!" This time, Tyler noticed Brooke's less-than-pleased tone of voice. He ran into the office, grabbed it, and left, afraid to face the wrath of Brooke.

***

"What's wrong with Brooke?" Tyler asked Val quietly. Val shook her head.

"I don't know. She didn't say anything at home… she just sat in our room. I don't know what happened after the amusement park. Nick's mom picked them up. Don't you remember? I just don't know…." Val's serious voice turned teasing. "Did poor Tyler get beat up by little Brookie? " And before Val knew it, her hands moved on their own accord, tousling Tyler's hair playfully. But he didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, he reached over to tousle her hair back, but the alarm sounded. Each asked himself or herself, What happened here? And the super squad was off, leaving Brooke the Paperwork Queen to her duties.

***

The squad returned from their call, laughing.

"What's so funny?" Brooke demanded. They laughed harder. "What is so flipping funny?" Brooke demanded shrilly and loudly.

"This guy calls saying he was bit by a supposedly rabid wild animal. Turns out, he was bitten by his neighbor's runaway hamster. He's barely even bleeding from a teeny tiny cut, and he's practically having a panic attack." Val explained. Brooke laughed along with the squad for a moment, her troubles forgotten. After a few moments, Brooke and Tyler returned to what they were supposed to be doing: paperwork.

***

Brooke slid tiredly into bed. The day had been long and incredibly awful, for the most part. Oh, well. Tomorrow was a new day. She'd call Nick and apologize. Beg. Grovel. Get down on her hands and knees. Everyone has their shallow moments, their personality lows. Nobody was perfectly uncaring about their looks.

***

(THE NEXT DAY –duh!)

Brooke put her cereal bowl from breakfast in the sink, flopped onto the couch, and turned on the TV.

"Hey Brooke, why don't you go outside? Call Nick and ride your bikes or whatever. It's a nice day out." Val suggested. At the word 'Nick' Brooke burst into tears. She just started bawling uncontrollably.

"What's wrong with her?" Caitie asked as she entered the Lanier household at 9:30 that morning.

And Brooke poured out everything. Everything.

***

"So, what are you going to do now that you and Nick are splitsville?" Caitie asked.

"What do you mean?" Brooke asked suspiciously. "We never went out or anything."

"Oh, really?" Caitie asked mischievously.

"You were going to." Val amended.

"So what are you going to do?" Caitie asked.

"I don't know. Probably sit around on the couch and mope, go to the station, and wait for Nick to call in the unlikely event that he still likes me or still wants to be friends-" Brooke was cut off by the phone ringing.

"Hello?" Val answered. Pause. "Oh, hi Tyler!" Val gushed perkily. "Mmhmm…okay… alright… see you there! You too! Bye!" at the words 'you too' her eyes lit up, even brighter than before, if that was possible. And before Brooke and Caitie knew it, she was out the door before any questions could be asked, leaving the other two girls to merely stare at the screen door, still swinging, in bewilderment.

"What was that?" Brooke asked.

"You know, I have absolutely no idea."

***

Val walked down the sidewalk on her way to the park, reveling. Wow, he likes me. No, wait, he LOVES me! He said so himself! On the phone! Wow! I can't believe he loves me too… it's mutual…**sigh**

***

[Plink. pl-plink. pl-plink. plink… plink plink pl-plink plink…pl-plink plink plink plink pl-plink… plink pl-pl-plink pl-plink…]

Brooke's hands picked out a tune on Tyler's keyboard in her bedroom to a poem she had written. Okay, so it was more like a verse, seeing as it was only four lines, but she could add more if she wanted.

SCREECH! THUMP! "AAAAAHHHHHH!"

"OMG! What was that?" Brooke asked herself as she very quickly ran outside. Then, as she saw what had happened, "NICK!!!!!!!… Nick, I'll be right back don't move I'm calling 911!"

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Author's Note: no, he's not dead… unless he is. I'm being very cryptic here. The reason for that I'm not telling if I don't get reviews for this. :-) Oh I'm so evil…. been talking to Ivy Leaves too much… BWA HA HA!