Chapter 19: Bound to Emerge
Nikki slammed on the breaks as she reached the girls' apartment. She got off furiously as she glared at Peyton and Haley who were both looking at her in shock.
"Brooke's right," remarked Peyton as she watched Nikki walking angrily over to them.
Still not aware of that Brooke and Jenny have gone off, Haley turned to Peyton looking puzzled, "Huh? What do you mean?"
Nikki flashed a devious grin at the two girls, "Well...well, what are you two standing outside now? Guarding Jenny, are we?" Nikki looked straight at Peyton with an angry expression on her face before she continued, "You sure you're doing things right this time? Better be careful, dumb babysitter!"
Peyton glared at Nikki, "Is that all you got psycho stalker skanky bitch?"
Before Nikki could answer back, Haley suddenly stepped between the two of them. Haley just gave Nikki a devious grin, "You must be Nikki, it's nice to meet the girl who just fell on her face earlier this afternoon!"
Remembering what happened in the gym earlier made Nikki furious. Suddenly, she reached her hand out to hit Haley. However, she felt a strong arm stop her. She looked up and saw Nathan looking angrily at her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," remarked Nathan as he tightly held her arm.
Nikki pulled away from him defiantly, "Oh yeah, what are you 'gonna do now? Kiss me?"
Nathan looked at Nikki in utter disgust. "You're unbelievable!" he exclaimed.
Suddenly, Ethan and Jake came rushing toward them. Nikki turned and gave a haughty laugh, "I beat you guys! Looks like I am getting Jenny this time, Jake."
Peyton suddenly gave an equally haughty laugh, "Actually, you got her too late skanky bitch!" With that, Peyton immediately rushed toward Ethan and Jake, leaving Nikki looking at her curiously.
"Peyton, where is she?" asked Jake in a panic as soon as Peyton reached them.
Peyton looked at Jake intently, "She's not here, Jake."
Jake breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good to know but where is she?"
Peyton took a deep breath, "Brooke took her somewhere. She said there's no need to worry, she'll keep her away from Nikki."
Jake looked at Peyton with a puzzled look on his face, "You mean...you don't know where she took her?"
Peyton shook her head, "No...I trust Brooke, Jake...she's taking Jenny some place really safe."
Ethan thought for a moment and finally got an idea. He immediately turned to Jake, "I think I know where she's going, man. Come with me."
Without wasting anytime the guys were headed back to the car. Peyton suddenly remembered a promise she made earlier. "Ethan," she called out.
As Ethan turned to look at her, Peyton continued, "Brooke says she's really sorry."
Ethan gave Peyton a sly smile, "She has nothing to be sorry about. I'm the one at fault here." Peyton smiled at him, "I hope you two can fix things soon."
Ethan smiled at Peyton gratefully before he got in his car. "I hope so," he thought as Brooke's face appeared in his mind.
Meanwhile, Nikki was watching everything going on. When she saw Ethan and Jake getting back onto her brother's car, she knew they knew where Jenny was. She immediately rushed to her car to follow them. As this was going on, Peyton just looked on as the cars disappeared from her sight.
Behind Peyton, Nathan and Haley stood side by side. They were both quite overwhelmed with what had just taken place. After awhile, Nathan turned to face Haley. For quite some time, there was a moment of silence between the two of them. It seemed like their eyes were doing the talking. Suddenly, Haley decided to say something. "Nathan..." she began.
"Hales...don't," said Nathan as he interrupted her. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Haley intently, "I just want you to know that...I'm here for you...anytime." He looks down as Haley looked at him stunned. She wasn't exactly surprised but to hear that from Nathan after everything that just happened between them was something she didn't quite expect. After awhile, Nathan looked up as he ran a hand anxiously through his hair, "Well, I guess I should go."
As he walked towards his car, Haley just stood still as she looked on. "Nathan..." she softly muttered under her breath as she watched him.
"Wow, you got me the big one! Does it have fudgy brownies at the bottom?" asked Jenny as her eyes widened with delight upon seeing the big bowl of ice cream that Brooke settled in front of her.
Brooke grinned widely at Jenny as she sat down and started to play with her smaller sized chocolate fudge sundae, "Yep, just like you wanted!"
"You're the best Auntie Brooke!" remarked Jenny as she started to dig in her ice cream.
Brooke just laughed, "Well, you're about to meet someone who can make you an even better ice cream treat!"
Jenny just continued to go through the bowl, "Really?"
Brooke nodded, "Yeah, you're 'gonna like her."
"What's she like?" asked Jenny before spooning a piece of brownie into her mouth.
Brooke thought for awhile as she spooned some ice cream herself, "Well she's...a great mom."
"Is she your mommy?" asked Jenny as she kept her yes on her favorite treat.
Brooke laughed, "No, but I wish she were." Jenny just continued to enjoy her big ice cream bowl as Brooke looked at her with a smile on her face. "I just hope I'm not screwing things up any more than it already is," she silently wished as she went through her sundae.
"Where could they be?" asked Peyton to herself as she paced back and forth in their living room. She clutched her cel. phone as she anxiously waited for Brooke to call.
Suddenly, her phone rang. "Hello," answered Peyton in a panicked voice.
"Peyton, are you okay?" asked a man's voice with concern.
"Um...Lucas...yeah, Nikki got here," answered Peyton. For some reason, she felt relieved to hear his voice. "I wish you'd hold me," Peyton found herself hoping as she clutched the phone tightly as if to make her feel like things were going to be alright.
Listening to Peyton, Lucas sensed she was quite shaken, "Peyt, are you okay?"
Peyton let out a heavy sigh, "I don't know Lucas...I'm just...a bit shaken. Nikki's such a bitch!"
Lucas chuckled, "You got that right! Listen Peyt...you really don't sound so good. You...want me to come over?"
Peyton bit her lip for awhile as she stared into empty space. Her mind was shouting yes, but she feared that the day won't end well for both of them again. "Nah...I'll be fine in a while. Thanks for the offer though!" Peyton said quickly before she can take her words back.
Lucas was glad to hear that she was okay, "Alright...I guess I'll see 'ya...bye!" With that, Lucas hang up.
"Bye..." Peyton muttered as she closed the phone and stared at it for awhile.
"Hey, who was that?" asked Haley as she walked into the living room and settled on the couch.
Staring outside, Peyton answered, "Lucas."
Haley looked at her intently, "No word from Brooke yet?"
Peyton sighed, "No...I'm getting quite worried."
Haley let out a sigh herself, "Look Peyt...maybe this is how we should see it...for as long as Jenny's not with Nikki, it's a good thing."
Peyton looked at her and gave a sly smile, "Yeah...that's a good way of putting it."
Silence filled the air for quite some time. Neither of them tried to speak. It seemed that both were in deep thought, even anxiety. Ethan kept his eyes on the road. "Brooke...she's a great girl," Ethan remarked as he finally spoke up.
Jake just laughed, "She is, isn't she? While we were in high school, she's always been full of surprises. You know, she's got this...multi...dimensional character."
Ethan smiled, "That's what I like about her..."
They were silent again for some time. Suddenly, Ethan turned to Jake as he the car stopped on a red light, "If you don't mind my asking, why made you like my sister? I mean, she's not exactly...the ideal girlfriend type."
Jake laughed as he turned towards Ethan, "I don't know, man. When I first met Nikki, I couldn't take my eyes off her. She was so...mysterious. It just made me want to know her more. The next thing I knew...we were dating and then...Jenny came along."
Ethan let out a sigh, "I'm sorry man...for what Nikki did to you and your daughter."
Jake shook his head, "No man...you had nothing to do with it. It's between me and her."
Keeping his eyes on the road, Ethan's face suddenly turned serious, "Look man, I love my sister but...for some reason, I just think Jenny would be better off without her. I've seen Nikki's ways. One minute, she's here and the next, she's taken off. Jenny doesn't deserve a mother like that, showing up only when she feels like it."
Jake's face turned equally serious, "I know man...but she'll do anything to get Jenny."
Ethan just gave a sly smile, "I don't know if Brooke's told you man, but we only found out about Jenny last weekend."
There was a persistent knock on the door. Peering into the driveway, Carmen saw a car parked outside. It wasn't any of her children's. Nevertheless, she decided to open the door. As she did, Carmen's face lit up upon seeing her son's girl friend. "Brooke!" she greeted as she smile at her.
Smiling back, Brooke spoke up, "I'll be honest with you..." She said as she began. Taking a deep breath she continued, "I'm not sure if I want Jenny to meet her mother, but I know I want Jenny to meet her grandmother." With that, Jenny stepped out from behind Brooke.
"Uh...hi," greeted Jenny shyly at the old woman who's eyes widened upon seeing her.
Choking back the tears, Carmen reached out her hand, "It's nice to finally meet you, dear. Can you give grandma a hug?"
Jenny nodded and approached her for a hug. Immediately, tears started flowing from Carmen's eyes as she mouthed out a "Thank you" to Brooke.
Brooke just nodded as she also felt tears in her eyes as she watched Carmen and Jenny. "I guess I did the right thing, "she thought as she smiled through her tears.
After awhile, Carmen realized something and exclaimed, "Oh goodness, what are we all doing outside. Come on in, let's have some tea."
Brooke nodded and so did Jenny who clearly became fond of Carmen. During tea, Carmen and Jenny had a good time getting to know each other while Brooke just watched them in silence. After awhile, Carmen turned to Brooke, "How are things with you and Ethan."
Brooke just gave a sly laugh, "Honestly, not good...I think it's over between us."
Carmen gave Brooke a sympathetic smile as she reached out to touch Brooke's hand, "My son loves you dear, I know he does. Maybe things will get better for you two, you'll see."
Brooke shook her head as she fought the tears back, "I don't know...I screwed up really bad."
Carmen shook her head firmly, "You mean...my daughter did. You two were just caught in between...you and Ethan should be able to work things out."
Brooke just smiled gratefully through the tears, "I...hope...so."
Suddenly, Jenny squealed as she ran towards the door, "Daddy, I want you to meet someone!"
Jake smiled as hugged Jenny, "Oh darling, I'm so glad to see you."
After a brief hug, Jenny led her dad to the living room where Carmen and Brooke were having tea. With a huge grin on her face, Jenny began her introduction, "Daddy, this is Carmen. Aunt Brooke says she's my grandmother."
Jake smiled politely at Carmen, "Hello...mam."
Carmen smiled as she stood up and gave Jake a hug, "You may call me Carmen, Jake. I see, you've done a remarkable job raising my granddaughter."
Jake smiled warmly at the old woman, "Thank you...Carmen."
"I see you all have met," remarked Nikki as she stood by doorway.
Approaching them, she glared at Brooke, "For a moment there, I thought I'd end up charging you with kidnapping."
"Don't speak to her like that Nikki!" snapped Ethan as he glared at his sister.
"Stop it, both of you," remarked Carmen sternly at her two children. Turning to Nikki, she asked in a serious voice, "What do you want Nikki?"
Nikki slowly walked over to Jenny as the expression on her face softened. "I want her..." she softly began as her face broke into a smile upon seeing her daughter, "I want to be with you, Jenny. I love you darling. I want you to stay with me."
Jenny suddenly got frightened by the woman she doesn't know, but wants to keep her. Immediately, she held onto her dad tightly, "Daddy, I want to go home now."
Looking at Nikki with a grave expression on his face, Jake talked to his daughter, "Okay sweetie, but say good-bye to grandma...and to your mother."
Jenny reached out to give Carmen a hug, "Can I see you again?"
Carmen just laughed as she lightly touched the tip of her granddaughter's nose, "Of course Jenny, you can visit me anytime you want."
Jenny nodded as she smiled, "Maybe you can visit me too."
Ethan suddenly went toward them as he turned to Jenny, "I can take grandma to see you."
Jenny nodded as she reached out to give Ethan a hug as well.
Turning around, Jenny saw Nikki looking at her with tears in her eyes. Jenny suddenly approached her and spoke softly, "Maybe you can visit me too."
Nikki nodded as she hugged Jenny. After a brief hug, Jenny walked towards Jake and clutched her dad's hand. Jake smiled at Carmen, "Thank you Carmen."
Carmen just nodded as she smiled, "Thank you for taking care of her."
As they stepped outside, Ethan walked behind Brooke. Finally, he had a chance to talk to her. "Um...Brooke," Ethan began as Brooke turned around to face him.
"I can take Ethan and Jenny if you want...after all, you must be tired," Ethan offered as he looked deep into Brooke's eyes.
Brooke just gave him a sly smile, "Nah...it's okay, I can take them. You stay here...with your family."
As Brooke turned her back on him, Ethan called her our again, "Brooke."
As she turned to face him once more, Ethan nervously asked, "Can we...start all over again? You know...make things right."
Brooke let out a heavy sigh as a sad expression appeared on her face, "I don't know Ethan...I'm starting to think that our relationship is not as strong as I thought it was. I mean, look at how easily this came between us."
Ethan just gave her a sly smile as he sadly nodded, "I understand...I guess I'll see you around."
Brooke nodded as she smiled sadly at him, "Yeah, see you."
"Didn't think things would get this crazy when we reach college," Haley remarked as she sat in front of the television with a bowl of popcorn on her lap.
Peyton just smiled as she settled beside Haley, "You bet...a whole lot of...drama too!"
Haley just let out a heavy sigh, "You think things will ever get simpler around here?"
Peyton just laughed, "That's like asking if...we'll ever be 16 again!"
Haley just laughed, "I guess the answer is no..." Her face suddenly turned sad as she let out another sigh, "I just wish things between me and Nathan will get..."
"Better?" asked Peyton as she continued Haley's sentence.
"Simpler actually," said Haley as she grabbed some popcorn.
Peyton just laughed, "I don't know Hales, thing were never simple between you and Nate...you know!"
Haley laughed at Peyton's comment, "I know...just like with you and Lucas."
Peyton nodded, "You know...let's just forget they exist for tonight, enjoy this popcorn and have a good night's sleep afterwards."
Haley smiled as she nodded, "Yeah...that's probably what we both need."
Jake looked with concern at Brooke who was seated on the driver's seat beside him. Jenny already fell asleep on the back. "Brooke, you alright?" Jake finally asked.
Looking out, Brooke exclaimed, "I don't know..."
Jake just gave her a pat on the back, "Things will get better, you'll see... Anyway, thanks for what you did for me and Jenny today."
Brooke turned to him and smiled with tears in her eyes, "You deserve to be happy."
Jake smiled at her gratefully, "So do you." With that, Jake reached out to take Brooke in his arms. Brooke gratefully rested her head on Jake's broad chest as she let her tears fall freely.
Peyton stared out from her bed as she clutched a piece of paper tightly. Glancing at it, she took a deep sigh as she folded it carefully and slid it into her notebook. "Lucas..." she muttered as she closed her eyes.
