Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with the WB or One Tree Hill so please don't sue. All you'd get would be some dvd's and a bunch of misc. posters :-)
Author's Note 1: I just wanted to say sorry for the lack of updates in this story. I had several chapters written and then made the mistake of letting my neice get onto the computer without them being saved. So I had to rewrite three chapters and I personally think I did a better job this time around. Hopefully you do too :-) I just wanted to say once again thank you so much to Amanda (othretard) for sending me the email. Yes, I am okay and I promise this story will be updated regularly again :-) it's almost over! You're the greatest :-) I also wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter. You all are so sweet! I had personal thank yous but they got erased as well so I am just going to say a quick one this time to KaraokeDiva419, Bridgend, Kelz3192, JeytonLover, Brucas4ever, DanceDude09 and especially L-A-C-18 and OTHRetard for always having such great reviews for me. And the italics are flashbacks
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE- The World Around Us
Lucas walked towards the empty chair and sat down. He had been at the shelter for over three hours already and was exhausted. Between worrying over his mother and Brooke, he was driving himself insane. He stared down at his feet and kicked the soda can. What the hell was he going to do?
Haley pulled the white apron off and made her way towards him. She smiled sadly as she rubbed her hands gently across his shoulders. "You're mom is going to be okay Lucas," Haley said.
Lucas nodded his head but didn't look up at her.
"So is Brooke."
Brooke's name caused Lucas to glance up and catch his best friends stare. The last year had been so crazy and their friendship had paid the price. But one look at Haley and Lucas knew she was there for him. And she always would be. "I just got her back Hales," he explained. The words weren't coming to him as he placed his head in his hands. He could feel himself choking up and he knew that he couldn't take anymore. Haley leaned down in front of him and took her hands in his.
"She loves you Lucas."
Haley's words were simple and yet meant the world to him. But they were just words. And at that very moment, Sean was probably professing his love to Brooke. Perhaps she had done so already. And if that was the case, he would have to be okay with it. But there was a tiny part of him that was holding onto Brooke's actions the last few weeks. He could have sworn she was beginning to love him again.
Could Sean really change that?
"Does she? Or is she just using me."
He knew even as he said the words that they couldn't be true. Brooke wasn't the malicious type. She was loving and honest and most of all she didn't play games. Her heart had been broken, by him no less and she swore never to let anyone feel that type of pain again.
Haley held her breath for a moment and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe she's turning Sean down as we speak," Haley offered. Lucas rolled his eyes and chuckled despite everything.
"I don't think so."
Haley raised an eyebrow. "You never know, especially with Brooke."
……
Knock.
Knock.
Brooke angrily slammed her hand against the door waiting for Nathan to appear. When he didn't come, she grabbed the door knob and turned it. "Nathan, get the hell out here right now!" She screamed as she walked into the apartment and slammed the door behind her. After several minutes, Nathan appeared wearing nothing but a towel.
He grinned from ear to ear and was about to say something, but Brooke walked towards him raising her hands in a motion to tell him to stop. "I don't think you're funny Nathan. You're just like them! We were friends Nathan. I trusted you," Brooke said. The anger in her voice had been replaced by disappointment as she backed away back towards the door. "I needed you," she whispered.
"You can still trust me Brooke," Nathan said. He walked towards her but Brooke backed away further. She shook her head no and Nathan sighed. "I had to do it. I knew you weren't going to understand that's why I didn't tell you. But Sean- he's a creep."
Brooke laughed. "A creep? You don't even know him!"
"I don't have to," Nathan raised his voice as he spoke. "You're 17 Brooke. You're not even legally an adult and he's a teacher for shits sake! A teacher."
Brooke glanced down at the floor in embarrassment. He had been a teacher, but their relationship wasn't something unhealthy and immoral as he was making it sound. Their relationship was different from others, but that didn't mean it was bad. They were comfortable with each other and Sean treated her right. He respected her. She knew he wouldn't hurt her.
He was safe.
"It's my life," Brooke reminded him.
Nathan nodded his head. "Yes it is your life. And as your FRIEND I am not going to stand by and watch you fuck it up."
Brooke walked towards him and stared him dead in the eyes. "Do me a favor? And forget we're friends," Brooke said angrily. And with a slam of the door, she was gone from his sight.
He stayed their motionless for a few seconds, before grabbing a sweat suit and running out the door towards her. Nathan didn't make it that far, just to the end of the steps. Brooke was on the bottom step and her head was buried between her hands. He could hear the faint sounds of sobbing as he took a seat next to her. "I'm sorry Brooke."
"Why'd he come back?" She whispered as she looked up at Nathan.
Nathan shrugged his shoulders and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I don't know," he replied. Brooke stayed quiet for a few minutes before wiping under her eyes for any makeup that had decided to run. She shrugged her shoulders and turned to Nathan.
"Everything was getting better," Brooke sighed. "I finally forgave Peyton and Lucas and I were becoming closer than ever. I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to do anymore."
Nathan nodded his head in understanding. "Did you tell him?"
"No, I don't want to hurt him. Or Lucas for that matter," Brooke explained. "It's just when he showed up, I was getting ready to tell Lucas how I felt about him."
Nathan turned to her, a bit shocked. When had she decided to tell Lucas the truth? Where had he been? He looked down at her and rubbed her back gently. "Well then you have to tell him."
"I can't."
Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Why the hell not? You love Lucas, you always have. So why be with Sean?"
……
Peyton glanced down at the envelope in her hands and sighed. This was it, a moment of truth for her. Inside the envelope would hold the fate of her future. It would tell her whether or not she had gotten into her 'reach' school or whether she was destined for a community college somewhere around tree hill. It was her chance to go to New York, to do something for herself that she has wanted to do all her life. It also meant whether or not Jake and her would be together.
She thought back over her relationship to Jake, and how she instantly felt connected to him and Jenny. They had become so important to her that she wasn't sure what she would do without them. Jake had been the one to leave several times and every time when he came back he told her it would be the last.
But if she moved to New York, it would be final. She'd go to school and sometime, somewhere Jake would move on. And then there was her dad. He was home now and even though she wasn't sure how long he would stay, she knew she was all he had left.
Sighing, she slipped the envelope into her dresser drawer between pages in her sketchbook. She knew she would eventually open it, but it wasn't the time. Peyton sat back in her seat and stared at her sketch on the desk. It was a small portrait of Jenny dressed in her Christmas best. She had drawn it for Jake and was waiting to give it to him on New Years. The phone rang and she answered it with a sigh. "Hello."
"Hey beautiful," Jake said.
Peyton smiled. "Hey yourself."
"I was thinking about picking up pizza and a movie, you interested?"
Peyton tapped her fingers against the desk and sighed into the phone. "I guess."
"Okay. Be there in an hour. What kind of pizza would your dad want?"
She thought a moment and shrugged her shoulders. "Pepperoni and bacon."
"Alright. Love you."
Peyton hung up the phone and placed it on the desk in front of her. She could hear her dad moving downstairs and she knew it was no or never. Deciding she couldn't wait any longer, she opened the drawer and pulled the letter back out.
As she counted to ten, she took a deep breath and opened the envelope. A smile instantly spread across her face. As she read the letter she realized that she had been excepted and all her dreams that she had always had for herself were suddenly within her reach.
……
Brooke pulled her car to a stop and turned her engine off. She took a quick look in the mirror and placed her head back against the seat. Sean had asked her to meet him at his hotel room and even though she had agreed to it, she couldn't help but notice how nervous she was.
What was he expecting from her?
What did he want?
She looked down at her outfit and wondered if it was the right choice. Brooke had chosen a burgundy turtleneck sweater and black pants with matching boots. It was a lot more conservative than he was use to her dressing, but she didn't care. She took a deep breath and exited the car.
Knock.
Knock.
Brooke had only been there a few moments before Sean answered the door and pulled her inside. She glanced around the room and noticed a swim suit on the bed. He had a pair of swimming trunks on and a bottle of wine in his hands. Sean smiled at her and tilted his head down to place a quick kiss on her lips. "I thought we could take advantage of the indoor swimming pool," he said.
She nodded her head sadly and took the bathing suit in her hands. As she walked towards the bathroom to change, thoughts of what she and Nathan had talked about entered her mind once more.
"I do love Lucas, but that doesn't change that fact that I have feelings for Sean."
Nathan nodded his head. "But are they stronger than your feelings for Luke?"
"I didn't think so. But Sean came back for me. He wants to be with me," Brooke explained.
Nathan rolled his eyes. "And Lucas doesn't? He's been in love with you for over a year. Doesn't that count for anything?"
As she changed into the purple bikini, she pulled a hotel towel around her and headed out of the room. It was one of the first times that she had actually found herself feeling shy and she wasn't sure why. "You ready?"
Sean nodded his head and then grabbed a hold of her hand. "Before I forget," he said as he handed her a box and she smiled at him slightly. She opened it cautiously and lifted the paper to reveal a gold necklace with the letter "B' on it. She smiled and shut the box. "You're not going to put it on?"
Brooke rubbed her fingers gently on the locket around her neck. Lucas had just given it to her, and she didn't want to take it off. It was the best gift anyone had given her and now she had to choose between the two. She held her breath for a moment and nodded her head. "Can you put it on me?" She said as she pulled the locket off. Brooke placed the locket in her jeans pocket and waited until Sean had clasped the necklace around her neck.
"Perfect," he said.
Brooke instantly remembered that Lucas too, had said the same thing. She shut her eyes and nodded her head sadly. "Lets go," Brooke said as she took his hand in his. They walked quietly to the indoor pool and Brooke glanced around the empty area. There was fake palm trees and Christmas lights wrapped around them and Brooke laughed quietly at the tackiness of it. She watched as Sean jumped into the pool and stared up at her.
"What are you waiting for?" Sean asked.
Brooke shrugged her shoulders and dropped the towel. She stood still for a moment and walked towards the ladder to get inside the pool. As she took the final step, Sean swam towards her and pulled her into his arms. "I've missed you," he whispered before leaning in and bringing her into a deep kiss. She pulled away gently and then smiled.
"I missed you too."
Brooke pushed Sean under the water and Sean came up laughing. "You're gonna get it," Sean said as he tried to push her down. She giggled as she squirmed herself away from him and swam towards the steps. "That's not fair."
"Yeah it is," Brooke said. They were about three feet away from each other when Brooke put her hands up, signaling a truce. She smiled as he swam towards her and pulled her towards him. "We should probably get out," Brooke said. She pointed towards two shadows walking towards the area and Sean shrugged his shoulders.
He leaned in closer to her. "Or we could get in the jacuzzi," he whispered. Brooke sighed and shook her head no. She wasn't sure why she had said no, she was always up for a night in the jacuzzi. But being there with him, something seemed wrong. "Or not," he said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the water. He wrapped the towel around her and tried his best to dry her off.
"Thanks," she whispered as they walked towards the hotel room, oblivious to the couple that was entering the pool. Sean wrapped his arm around Brooke and pulled her towards him as he placed the key in the hotel door. She entered the room first and Sean shut the door behind them.
……
"Do you know them?"
Felix turned around to face her and nodded his head. He shrugged his shoulders and pulled off his shirt. "You coming? You can't go skinny dipping in clothes you know," he said as he pulled his shorts off and jumped into the pool. "Alexis- get in here!"
Alexis sighed and pulled off her shirt. He watched as she fully undressed herself and jumped in the water. All thoughts of Brooke went out the window as Alexis swam next to him and he pulled her into a kiss. As he deepened the kiss with Alexis, he couldn't help but notice the light in the hotel room Brooke had been in, switched off.
TBC...
Authors Notes: As always, I appreciate your reviews. Good or bad, I wanna know. So please, just take the time to send one.
Up next on Back to You:
- A thunderstorm on New Years Eve traps the teenagers at Tric
- Alexis and Felix's secret is exposed
- Felix blurts out something that can jepordize Brooke's relationship with Lucas
- Brooke once again misunderstands something between Peyton and Lucas
- Nathan tells Haley he thinks they need a divorce
