Last character chapter, but there's an epilogue to follow.

Brooke Davis: Vanity, Insecurity

Brooke drummed her fingernails rhythmically on the desk, and noted that she desperately needed a manicure.

If only I could get out of this hellhole, she thought to herself as she sighed inwardly.

After Nathan's little temper tantrum, everyone had kept to themselves, even though Brooke's attempts to get them all to talk to one another was one of the high points of the detention.

Anyway, trust Nathan to bring the house down and ruin the mood. Just who did he think he was? Sulking in the corner of the room, just because his daddy was also someone else's daddy.

Geez, and they thought she had issues.

At least hers didn't stem for sibling rivalry or parental pressure.

'Of course not', a little voice inside her head chided, 'your parents don't care about you. They didn't want you in the first place, so why would they want a brother or sister for you?'

Brooke remembered the tuts and looks she got when she very innocently requested a brother or sister to play with.

Her mother just huffed something about only having lost the post-pregnancy weight and sent Brooke to her room; conveniently placed on the other side of the house.

Brooke wondered if they ever thought about her when they were away on their vacations or 'business trips'. They must, since she occasionally received a postcard from whatever destination they were sipping cocktails at, and the usual 'Wish you were here, love Mommy & Daddy' scrawled across.

And the few times she joined them were usually spent on her own since her mother took advantage of the spa, and her father spent most of his time glued to his laptop, cellphone or mini-bar.

So Brooke had grown up with the assistance of a nanny when she was younger, a cook, a housekeeper, and one Peyton Sawyer.

Brooke glanced at the blond and smile slightly, wondering how a bitchy, tactless, selfish girl like her wound up with someone so different and so caring.

Brooke knew one thing; she wouldn't trade Peyton for the world. Out of everything else in her life; the clothes, money and boys – Peyton was irreplaceable, and Brooke made sure she let Peyton know that.

Although she couldn't help the occasional slip-up, but she blamed that on the alcohol that usually ran freely at whatever party they were at.

"Hey, P. Sawyer," Brooke said disturbing the blond from her art, and making the first comment after fifteen minutes of deathly silence. "Whatcha drawing?" she asked, gesturing to Peyton's newest artwork.

Peyton matched Brooke's smile and held the picture to her chest, "Well, you'll have to wait until it's done."

"Why?" Brooke asked, before it clicked, "You're drawing me, aren't you?" she asked. Peyton rolled her eyes.

"You just love to ruin surprises don't you?" Peyton grinned.

"You know me, the only surprises I like are kinky ones, so unless you have a pair of fluffy handcuffs hidden somewhere – I want to know!" she demanded.

"Sorry, Brooke, you'll have to wait until it's done," Peyton told her firmly.

"Fine," Brooke conceded, "But know that I will be pouting for the next two minutes and these evil glares are directed at you," she told her friend.

Peyton shook her head and went back to her drawing, knowing that it was typical Brooke humor. And as expected, less than five seconds later, Brooke was her usual happy self.

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"Can we play a game or something because sitting around is just plain boring."

"Nope," Nathan said.

"Did I say you could play?" Brooke said irritated with Nathan's non-enthusiasm.

"What game can you play with four people in a classroom?" Nathan challenged.

"Uh, duh!" Brooke replied, "Truth or Dare!"

"You want to play that all the time. It's a stupid girl's game."

"Then you'd fit right in!" Brooke shot back, turning to the group after one final glare, "So ignoring Natey-boy here, who wants to play?"

The group just stared at her blankly.

"Oh come on, it's either that or we just follow Sir Sulks-A-Lot," she said referring to Nathan, "It'll be fun…" she coaxed.

"Brooke, no offence, but your games tend to get a little out of hand and heated," Peyton told her.

"That's only because there's usually alcohol involved in that decision. And plus, nothing bad has happened since that whole Teresa-accidentally-finding-out-her-boyfriend-cheated-on-her-with-Lucy-Thomas incident," and when she got a look from Peyton, added, "Which I totally apologized for! And I'm bored!" she complained, "So if I don't do anything in the next five minutes, I'm going to have to Cosmo-quiz each and every single one of you."

"I'll play," Peyton offered, supporting her friend.

"Yeah, go ahead," Haley joined in, followed by a nod from Lucas.

"Nathan?" Brooke said in her sweetest voice, "Are you going to play?"

"You'd have to pay me to play one of your stupid games," he grumbled.

"Suit yourself," Brooke muttered, before turning to the others, "I'll start," she announced as she glanced at each of the three players.

Peyton was too easy. Tutor Girl was too squirmy. Lucas was a prime specimen, but she didn't want to start another fight between him and Nathan.

"Lucas," she decided to play safe, "What is your favorite book?" she asked.

"Uh… aren't you supposed to ask 'Truth or Dare' first?" he asked.

"Well, I decided we'll just play Truth and get to the juicy stuff."

"Yeah, because Lucas' favorite book is big gossip," Nathan said. Brooke stuck her tongue out at him.

"Okay, my favorite book… 'Catcher In The Rye'," he answered.

"Why?" Brooke asked. Lucas shrugged.

"I just like it, I guess. The stuff he does, why he does it, things he goes through. It's interesting," Lucas explained the best he could, "But I also really like 'The Winter of Our Discontent' too."

"Okay, your turn," Brooke told him. Lucas thought for a moment.

"Um… Peyton," Peyton turned her attention to the blond, blue-eyed boy at the back of the room, "Do you think you and Nathan would ever get back together?" he hazarded. He knew he should probably not annoy Nathan, but it was a question he wanted to know.

"Why? Are you going for my sloppy seconds?" Nathan butted in before Peyton could answer.

"Hey! I'm standing right here!" Peyton said irritated, "And you're in idiot if you think I'd pass up a chance to get back together with Nathan. After all, he treated me so nice!" she continued dryly.

"You were never happier," Nathan complained.

"And you were never hornier. Can we move on, please?" Peyton asked.

"Go ahead, Friend. It's your floor," Brooke prompted.

"Well then, Friend," Peyton began facing Brooke, "Do you think you and Nathan will ever get together?" she questioned, partly for her own curiosity.

Brooke and Nathan faced one another and began to laugh.

"Oh please! The chance that Nathan and I would ever, ever get together is probably about the same as Tutor Girl and Nathan getting together," Brooke said through her laughs.

"Brooke!" Peyton said as Haley turned bright red.

"What it's true!" Brooke insisted, "So once they get together, we'll see," she added.

Brooke gave Nathan a quick wink, before continuing.

"Anyway, my turn again. Tutor Girl-"

"Why do you call me Tutor Girl?" Haley butted in, surprising everyone.

"Uh, okay, I guess it's your turn now," Brooke said clearing her throat.

"Why am I Tutor Girl? Is 'Haley' to hard of a name to remember?"

"Calm down," Brooke told her, "You're a tutor and you're a girl, hence 'Tutor Girl'. It's just a nickname so people know who you are," Brooke explained.

"Like how people call you 'Cheer Slut'?" Haley asked. The entire room hushed into silence and glance at Brooke, who looked as if she was about to punch something. Or someone.

Nathan let out a loud laugh.

"What did you call me?" Brooke said through gritted teeth.

"Brooke!" Peyton grabbed hold of her friend before there was a dead body where Haley James used to sit.

"No! I am not a slut. People just assume that of me because I flirt a lot. It doesn't mean that I sleep with every guy that comes along." Brooke yelled.

"Then why do you let them call you that?" Haley asked. If someone called her that and it wasn't true, she'd want to set them straight.

Brooke sighed, having calmed down slightly when she realized that Haley hadn't meant it as an insult.

"Because it's better than being invisible," she said quietly, giving a small shrug as she sat down in her seat. "Of course I'd rather not be called that, and I'd love a normal relationship where I can go out on dates and get to know a person, even fall in love or something. But let's face it, it's not like that's going to happen to me anytime soon. My mom didn't marry one of the richest men in Tree Hill by studying hard. She slept her way to the top and I grew up thinking that that's the way to get what you want."

"But you know it isn't," Haley told her gently.

"Yeah, I know it isn't. You don't know what it's like to be told by your mother that no-one cares if I'm smart, or a kind person. She said people only look on the outside of you, and get to learn the inside later. My mom wasn't in love with my dad; she was in love with his wallet. She thinks that if I follow in her footsteps, I'll get a rich, good-looking, powerful guy who I'll learn to love. I guess I just went along with it."

"You can always try and change, right?"

Brooke let out a low chuckle, "Oh, yeah, that'd go down great; 'Former slut tries to do good for mankind'. It's just not done. And anyway, it's something to be known by. Something that can get me invited to all the right parties, get my face known around town. So what if they think I've slept with all the of basketball team, as long as my closest friends know the truth," Brooke's glance went to a sympathetic Peyton.

"I'm on the basketball team," Nathan said suddenly, "And you haven't slept with me."

Brooke leant down close to his ear and ruffled his hair, "Yeah and we're going to keep it that way," she joked. "Anyway, are we done with the angst-fest because I don't want my mascara to run," Brooke said dabbing at her eyes. She never thought revealing that to a bunch of people would be so emotional.

"Sorry," Haley apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Brooke said, "Haley," she added, causing the girl to smile slightly.

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"So, whose next?" Peyton asked.

"I'll go," Nathan said. They looked at him.

"I thought you weren't playing," Brooke said.

"Changed my mind," he replied. "So, Lucas," he began, as everybody cringed and waited for his question, "What's it like growing up without a father?" he said, a wicked smile creeping across his lips.

Fortunately, Lucas kept his cool, deciding it was better to be on the high road.

"I don't know. Better than having a father I can't stand," he shot back.

"Oh-kay…" Brooke said under her breath, bracing herself for another outbreak of Scott vs. Scott. Nathan stood up from his seat, the chair scraping across the floor as he did. In a reflex, Lucas did the same; both determined to make sure that they won this round.

Brooke pulled her shoes off again, "Sit down," she demanded holding both shoes, "Because I swear to you I'll do it again!"

Nathan and Lucas stared at each other for a few moments, before reluctantly returning to their seats.

"Geez, you guys seriously have no idea how lucky you are. My parents didn't even want me... how do you think that makes me feel? At least all of you have one parent that cares about you. I'm stuck with a ton of money and a big empty house. I'd much rather have someone to ask me about school when I get home, or tuck me in, or even ground me. I'd much rather take a father who pushed me to my limits than one who doesn't care less about whether I'm alive or not," Brooke said.

"Brooke, this isn't about you," Nathan snapped, a little annoyed that Brooke had a point.

"I know it isn't, but apparently both of you are too immature to realize that the bad guy here is Dan Scott. He makes both of your lives hell by ignoring one of you and pushing the other one too far. I don't see why you can't just make up or something because this whole drama of yours is getting a little old now."

"Aren't you the one who encouraged it?" Nathan challenged.

"Yes, and that was a mistake because I've now ruined expensive shoes," Brooke told him. Nathan and Lucas both smirked. "See? You can be friends."

"No, we can't." Nathan said.

"Okay, fine, you can be civil to one another. Just… no more fighting? Save your macho foreplay for some other time. Got it?" Brooke asked. Both boys nodded, and Brooke could finally return to her own seat.

"Boy, I've never seen you so assertive," Peyton commented, "Unless they were cheerleaders."

"Well, P. Sawyer, I told you I would have made a great babysitter," Brooke replied, "If only I could stand little kids running around the house and whining all the time." She shuddered as she remembered having to babysit the neighbor's kids a few years ago.

All hell broke loose after one of them decided to glue paper stars and add glitter to Brooke's very expensive shoes, and the other insisted Brooke watch cartoons with her all night.

Fortunately for Brooke, Peyton Sawyer was only a phone call away, and after one SOS call to her; the blond arrived as back-up.

"Remind me never to offer to babysit anyone's kids ever again," Brooke sighed as she collapsed next to Peyton on the couch after putting the two brats to sleep.

"Well, after what they did to your shoes, I don't think you'll be offering anytime soon anyway." Peyton laughed, "And I'd better be getting a cut of the money."

"Oh, P. Sawyer, you saved my life tonight. I'm going to do something better than give you a cut of the money," Brooke said.

"Oh god, what now?" Peyton asked.

"Tomorrow afternoon – and I say afternoon because I'm going to be sleeping for the next ten hours – you and I are going to go to a spa for some much needed R and R."

"And what about school?" Peyton reminded her.

"I don't have afternoon lessons and all you have is Biology, which you hate anyway. Plus, it's my treat," Brooke told her. Peyton sighed.

"You're on," Peyton told her. "But for now, don't make me move," Peyton begged, her muscles aching from chasing the two children around the house, and crawling into closets and under tables to look for them. "Who knew three year olds had such energy?"

"Not me," Brooke sighed as Peyton shifted her shoulders, "No!" she protested as it forced her to also shift, "Your shoulder is a nice cushion."

"So I guess I'm staying here tonight," the blond yawned.

"Well, you could drive home and sleep in your bed but that would require you moving and that would require me moving too." Brooke said sleepily.

"Good night, Brooke."

"'Night, Blondie."

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Brooke sighed as she was reminded of what had happened the night after they had gone to the spa.

Nathan Scott, the one person she could count on to annoy the hell out of her, had seen Brooke running down the street in tears. Brooke and Peyton had been at a party nearby and one of the guys had pulled Brooke into a bedroom.

The guy had been unusually strong and rough and it took Brooke sometime to break free and dash out of the house. Brooke had been shocked by what had almost happened to her, and she was a little scared and disorientated.

Nathan had watched as Brooke stepped out onto the road, apparently oblivious to the car that was zooming down the street. Without stopping to think, the young man had raced across the road and pushed Brooke out of danger.

They stayed still for a few moments as Nathan got over the shock of narrowly missing a car and landing on the pavement, and Brooke realized what was happening.

"You okay?" Nathan asked her. He could see his breath in the crisp winter air. She was breathing, which was a good sign and her eyes were flicking back and forth, as if she was trying to gather her bearings. "Brooke?" he prompted. He'd seen her looking distressed and upset, and so was concerned about her well-being, especially since she'd almost gotten into an accident.

"Nathan?" she was relieved to hear his voice.

"Yeah?" His face was dangerously close to hers, and he could see the tear tracks that fell down her cheeks.

"Why are you on top of me?" she asked, a small chuckle being let out as she smiled. Nathan saw the smile, and returned it, pulling himself off of her and helping her to a sitting position.

"Because I saved your life, that's why," he told her. They sat on the sidewalk and Brooke noticed the graze on Nathan's arm.

"Hey, you're bleeding," she told him. Nathan shook his head.

"It's nothing," he told her, "Now why were you walking across the road without looking both ways? You were almost road kill." Brooke rubbed her eyes.

"Some jerk of a guy…" she began, "Urgh, I hate guys."

"Did he try something?" Nathan asked. Brooke felt slightly embarrassed to be admitting it to Nathan Scott of all people, but at the moment, he was the only one there.

"Yeah, he did, but I got away," she told him. Nathan noticed how she was rubbing her wrists.

"You okay?" he asked motioning to her wrists, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, no," she shook her head, "He was just stronger than I thought. I'm okay."

Nathan sighed and looked at Brooke, "Come on, I'll walk you home."

"I don't want to go home," she said.

"Are your parents away again?" Nathan asked. She looked at him questioningly, "Oh, I noticed that your car was the only one parked in the drive," he explained. She nodded. "Well, where do you want to go?" Nathan asked.

"Brooke? Oh my god!" Peyton's voice called as Brooke's friend ran towards the two people sitting on the pavement, "Are you okay? What happened?"

Brooke hugged her friend, "Some idiot thought he could go back to the Neanderthal times," she said, "I needed some air and Nathan saved me from a car."

Nathan gave Peyton a nod.

"Oh, honey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just want to get out of here," Brooke said trying to act brave.

"Come on, come back to mine," Peyton offered, "I'll go get our bags," she said before turning to Nathan, "Mind looking after her for like two minutes?"

"No problem," Nathan replied as both he and Brooke watched Peyton run back into the house.

"So did someone activate your sensitivity chip?" Brooke asked.

"Huh?"

"I just never thought you could care about someone else," Brooke teased.

"Is that your twisted way of thanking me?" Nathan replied. Brooke shrugged.

"I guess."

"Then I guess I might care about you," Nathan told her. Brooke gulped.

"Listen… Nathan, I appreciate you saving me and all, but… I guess I'm just wondering why you did it. I mean you hate me."

"I don't hate you, Brooke. You're the one who hates me."

"Only because you hate me," Brooke said before shaking her head, "Okay, we both hate each other."

Nathan sighed, "Okay, fine, we both hate each other. Happy?"

"You don't have to get all pissy with me," Brooke bit back.

"You don't get it, do you? You can even open your eyes just a little to see that maybe people do care about you. More than you know," he fixed his gaze on her and she was a little taken aback.

"Nathan…" her voice became softer.

"I got our bags, are you ready to roll?" Peyton interrupted, unaware of the angry confrontation that had just taken place.

"Uh, yeah," Brooke said, tearing herself away from Nathan.

"I'm going to go," Nathan said hastily before walking in the opposite direction.

"Well, I guess he's back to being Nathan Scott: Arrogant Superstar," Peyton commented as she handed Brooke her things.

"Let's just forget him, Peyton," Brooke pleaded, "I want to go home."

"Come on," Peyton said as she led Brooke to her convertible, "I have a cheesecake at home that has our names written all over it."

Brooke glanced back at Nathan, wondering what he'd meant and if he was right.

However, Brooke and Nathan never got to finish their conversation, because the very next day, Nathan asked Peyton out.

Brooke gulped as she tried to push the memory of that night out of her mind. His words had seemed to stay with her and sometimes when she'd seen Nathan and Peyton out together, wondered if it could have been her.

As if, she thought to herself.

She hated Nathan Scott. And Nathan hated her.

Right?

She could totally get back at Nathan by going after Lucas. Although she liked Lucas and so it didn't seem worth it to just pursue him to spite Nathan. Lucas was pretty cool in his own right.

Now she was confused.

"What are you thinking about?" Nathan asked Brooke as he saw her in deep thought.

"Nothing."

"Didn't look like nothing," Nathan said. Brooke sighed and turned to him.

"Listen, Nathan, do you think that you and-"

The door opened and everyone turned to look at the figure in the doorway.

"Hello everyone," Principal Turner smiled at them, "Everything seems to be in order," he said looking at how every single one of them was sitting quietly in their seats.

Nothing seemed to be different physically, but they all had a confused expression on their faces – as if they were surprised to see him there.

"It's noon," he reminded them, "So you may all go."

At first, no-one seemed to make a move, but eventually Nathan stood up, and was closely followed by the other four students.

As they filed out, Principal Turner turned to them.

"Did you all learn a valuable lesson?" he asked. There were a few nods and agreements, and a satisfied smile rested on his lips. "Good. See you all on Monday."

He watched the five students walk down the hall. Led by Nathan, Brooke and Peyton followed arm-in-arm, with Lucas and Haley lagging behind slightly.

Principal Turner watched them disappear through the double doors and turned back to the classroom, noticing a piece of paper remaining in Peyton Sawyer's seat.

He walked towards it, studying the content and smiled.

They'd most certainly learnt their lesson.

To Be Continued…