Chapter Nine

Final Step- Finally, the bet is over. You either won or you didn't. There is no in-between. Always be gracious in winning and in defeat. It will help you in the long run.

The realization that it was already the end of the week didn't hit me until three o'clock Friday afternoon when LaLa on TRL screamed, "Finally the school week is over and you are now here... with us on TRL". The camera cut away from her and to the crowd outside. Thousands of people stood outside hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite rock or movie star. Their lives seemed so simple. I wished my only worry was that I wouldn't get to see Beyonce or Eminem that day.

As I rolled over and out of bed, something poked me on the back. It was the picture of my parents that I had slept with the night before. The same photo I had looked at so many times now had a different meaning. Everything was so peaceful. The clouds were a pristine white and the turquoise colored ocean was very tranquil. This made me wonder if that's what heaven looked like, white and perfect. I closed my eyes and dangled my legs over the edge of my bed, thinking.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knocking at my door. "Senorita, you have a visitor. They are in the foyer," Rosa called out. She slowly opened the door and peeked her head in. "Do you want to come down or no?" She asked.

I sat up and got off my bed which had not been made in weeks just because I was lazy. "Yes, tell them I will be down in a minute, please." She nodded at me and left the room. Looking into the mirror, I didn't recognize myself. I looked like hell. I picked my hair brush off of my dresser and ran it through my tangled hair. A pair of pink cropped cargo pants lay on the floor; I picked them up and put them on. My hair was pulled into a loose ponytail and I found a black deep v-neck top on the edge of my bed. I picked it up and threw it on. Looking back into the mirror, I felt somewhat presentable, so I headed downstairs.

By the time I was to the bottom of the stairs, I saw my visitor. He sat in the living room, leaning forward on the leather couch. I slowly approached him. He turned around. It was Lucas. I gave him a small smile and sat next to him on the couch. What was I supposed to say?

"Hey," was all I could manage. He put his arms around me and engulfed me in a hug. Someone must have found out what happened and the must have told him. When we pulled away, I spoke again, "Thanks for coming to see me." I smiled again, this time a little bigger.

"Incase you were wondering, Peyton told me. She called your house and talked to Rosa." He lowered his head, not looking at me. He looked up and into my eyes, "Brooke, I'm so..."

"No," I said, now was the time. I was starting to feel guilty that he felt so sorry for me when I had not been honest with him in weeks. "I don't want you to be sorry. I don't deserve your pity."

He tried to put his arm around me but I pushed him away, "Brooke, what are you talking about? If anyone should be sorry for you it is me. I know what is it is like to be missing a parent in your life. Peyton does too."

"Can we please not talk about her right now?"

"Yeah," He sat back and crossed his arms, "But what is up with you?"

I took and deep breathe, "Lucas, I have not been totally honest with you about... about anything." Tears started to fall from my eyes. I wiped them away thinking, when will they ever run out. His eyes were full of curiosity. "This is so hard for me." He wiped my eyes with the bottom of his shirt. How could I have done this to him? He was the most perfect person I had ever encountered in my whole live. A bitch like me did not deserve someone like him. "A week or two ago Peyton and I made a bet. We decided to see who could get a guy first." I watched his body tense up. "It was the same day that you told me you wanted to get back together. Me being the jerk that I am agreed because I wanted to win the bet." It all came out like word vomit, I couldn't stop. "I did agree to go on a date with Daniel Howard to his brothers wedding. I was the one who asked why Nathan is with Hailey," The tears began to fall very steadily, "and I was the one who ruined everything."

My body fell into arms, his arms. I never would have expected after saying all that that Lucas would still be sitting there next to me on the couch. I figured he wouldn't want to be within a fifty mile radius of me. His hands ran over my back. He finally spoke, "Don't think that I am not disappointed, because I am and don't think that you are getting off this easy because you're not." I looked up at him and he continued, "Maybe we just need to talk everything out and set some boundaries. If you want, I don't mind if you go to the wedding with Daniel, just don't sleep with him again. I am just looking out for your own good now." We pulled away from one another and looked into each others eyes. I stopped crying. "Brooke, I am so crazy about you that whatever you did, I wouldn't care. That is how much I love you and that scares me..."

Before he could finish, I interrupted his sentence, "What did you say?" I asked him, taking a deep breath and sitting back in the couch. I pulled my legs up and sat Indian style next to him.

I watched his mouth slowly open until I heard the words come from his mouth for the second time, "I love you."