The Bitter Taste

For Blue Skies

The past is annoying. It's in everyone's conversations, it's everywhere you go, but you never wanna give it up because at one point, it was exactly where you wanted to be.

xxx

I hear the clock, it's six a.m.
I feel so far from where I've been
I got my eggs and my pancakes too
I got my maple syrup, everything but you.
I break the yolks, make a smiley face
I kinda like it in my brand new place

Brooke strummed her guitar as she looked out into the crowd. There were hundreds, probably thousands of people. She was singing for a benefit concert. Brooke looked over and saw Alex standing off stage checking her out; she was disgusted with him.

I wipe the spots off the mirror
Don't leave the keys in the door
Never put wet towels on the floor anymore' cause
Dreams last for so long
even after you're gone
I know you love me
And soon you will see
You were meant for me
And I was meant for you.

She finished off the song and thanked the audience. Brooke hopped offstage and Alex wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately on the lips, "Amazing," he said as he slapped her ass. Hard.

Brooke gave him a little smile and walked towards her dressing room, "Who knew you had it?" She heard a voice say.

Brooke turned around and saw Chris Kellar leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, "Look at you," she said with a roll of her eyes, "Still dressing like a 5 year old punk wanna-be?"

"Look at you," Chris retorted, "You look like you haven't eaten in years. And what happened to the sexy, brunette that all of us loved?" He said with a cocky smile.

Brooke walked towards him with her arms crossed, "She got her heart broken."

"Nathan and Haley?"

"No," Brooke said as she rested her hands on her hips, "Nathan and his secretary…Haley and Lucas are together," she said with a devilish grin, "They're in love."

Chris looked away from Brooke and shrugged, "Good for them," he said without any real emotion.

"You're taking this well," Brooke said.

Chris leaned towards her, "At least I'm not some coked out slut," he said; his mouth an inch away from her ear.

"I thought slut was your thing?" Brooke asked as she looked over to all of Chris's groupies.

He laughed, "You know…I like you Brooke. I think you could use a tan, some food, and a new hair color, but I still like you," Chris said and then wrote something on a piece of paper, "And that is why I'm going to give you the number of my hotel room."

Brooke raised her brow, "I'm not a groupie…"

"But you are lonely," Chris said. He knew exactly what she was going through. He knew Brooke was vulnerable and naïve.

Brooke watched as Chris walked onto stage. She looked at the piece of paper and put it in her pocket. She walked into her dressing room and saw Nathan sitting there looking at the pictures of her and Alex. She stopped in her tracks as her mouth dropped. "What are you doing here?" Brooke asked.

"I got your message," Nathan said as he got up and walked towards her.

Brooke crossed her arms tightly around herself, "Then you should understand that I don't want to see you."

"Why? Do have plans with Alex later? Or maybe Kellar?" Nathan said bitterly.

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Don't you have some secretaries to fuck?" She shot back angrily. Brooke poured herself a glass of Vodka and turned back to face Nathan; "If you came here to ridicule my lifestyle then don't bother. I'm doing fine."

"You don't look fine," Nathan said as he looked her over, "You look sickly Brooke."

Brooke took a sip of her drink, "Don't start Nathan…"

"I'm not allowed to worry about you?"

"You shouldn't worry about me," Brooke yelled, "Because I shouldn't matter to you anymore."

Nathan gave her a look, "But you do matter to me…I would've told you that at the hospital but you left Tree Hill so fast."

"Can you blame me?" Brooke asked, "God Nathan…"

Nathan grabbed her hands, "I came here to ask you if you wanted to really get a divorce."

"Yes," Brooke said after some hesitation.

Nathan looked down at the ground and started to pace, "Dammit Brooke!" He yelled as he looked down at her, "I love you so fucking much!"

"Now you know how it feels to have your heart broken," Brooke said.

Nathan knew she was right. He knew she was hurt, too. "Come back to Tree Hill, if not for me then for Peyton. She misses you so much Brooke. You and Haley are Eric's godmother's."

Brooke smiled to herself and then looked up at Nathan, "I'll leave tomorrow morning for Tree Hill."

"Okay," Nathan said as he began to walk out of the dressing room.

"But it's not for you," she said as Nathan turned around. Nathan nodded and continued out of the room. Brooke looked in the mirror and took a deep breath. She saw Nathan's reflection in the window and didn't bother turning around, "I thought you were leaving…"

Nathan sighed, "I don't want things to be like this between us…They shouldn't have to be."

Brooke lit up a cigarette and sat down, "What if I would've had sex with some guy?"

Nathan didn't know what to say. He knew that Brooke was right, but he knew that he also had made a huge mistake.

"See?" Brooke said, "I guess you can understand where I'm coming from."

Nathan watched as Brooke slipped a small, white pill into her mouth. She downed it with a drink and then looked at him, "The drugs ease the pain?" He said with a glare in his eyes.

"Sometimes," Brooke said, "It makes me forget about how I gave my heart out to someone and they just took it and tore it in two."

Nathan looked down at the ground, "I haven't been with anybody since you left. I haven't slept with anyone, I haven't kissed anyone, fuck, I haven't even cuddled with anyone."

"Congratulations," Brooke said sarcastically.

"I fired Rachel," he then said, "I couldn't look at her without feeling like I was going to fucking throw up. She reminded me of everything I've ever done wrong. Sure, you kissed Lucas when we were engaged, but I forgave you because I love you!"

Brooke let out a dry laugh, "Kissing someone and fucking someone are two different things, Nate!"

"You act like I don't feel bad about what happened," Nathan screamed, "I think about us every single night, and I think about how bad I fucked up! Are you happy Brooke?"

Brooke stood up and smashed her cigarette on the table, "This isn't about making me happy!" She screamed back, "I wanted to kill myself after I found out that you had slept with that whore!"

"You are killing yourself!" Nathan began, "The pills, the cigarettes, the alcohol."

"Don't give me the speech," Brooke said as she rolled her eyes, "Now, I need to get dressed and then pack for my little trip to Tree Hill."

"Fine," Nathan said quietly as he walked out the room.

xxx

Brooke looked at the slip of paper and knocked on the hotel room door. Chris opened the door and looked her up and down, "Well hey beautiful," he said.

"Shut up," she said and then walked into the hotel room.

Chris laid back on the bed as Brooke leaned against the dresser, "I was beginning to think that you weren't going to show up."

"Here I am," Brooke said with fake enthusiasm.

Chris got up and grabbed Brooke's hand. He brought her on top of him and kissed her hard on the lips. He unbuttoned his pants and took Brooke's hand and shoved it down his pants. Brooke rolled her eyes and rolled off of him and sighed in annoyance. Chris wiped his lips and looked down at her, "You know…The whole point of having sex is for both people to enjoy it."

"You're not enjoying it?" Brooke asked slyly.

Chris groaned and took a swig of his beer, "Aren't you supposed to be like horny as hell?"

"Who told you that?" Brooke asked as she fixed her skirt.

Chris shrugged, "Ever since the whole Nathan thing a couple months ago I figured you'd be fucking every guy who looked at you. And plus, you're hanging around with my man Alex. Now, he's trouble."

"He's also a small dick freak," Brooke spat, "And as for me and Nathan…You don't know shit about what happened."

Chris sat on a chair and looked at Brooke, "Level with me here Davis," he began, "You and I were both hurt once. I know how it feels."

"We don't have anything in common Kellar," she snapped.

"Then why are you here?" Chris asked, "Is it because Nathan was waiting for you after the show, begging for you to come back and give him a second chance?"

Brooke got up and pushed over an empty Vodka bottle letting it smash on the ground, "You're sad Chris, you really are."

"I'm not the one sucking dicks for a line of cock or maybe a bottle of pills," he said knowingly.

Brooke grabbed her coat and put it on, "What I do with my life is my business. So if you think your stupid ass is going to change that…"

Chris cut her off, "Look at you. Thinking you're all big and bad, sweetie you don't know what the real world is really like."

"I know that in the real world husbands don't fuck over their wives," Brooke muttered.

Chris stood up and put his arms on Brooke's shoulders, "Yes they do," he said and then cackled, "Hell, my dad cheated on my mom every day with out baby sitter."

"That explains a lot," Brooke said as she looked down at the ground.

Chris smirked and put his hands on Brooke's cheeks, "Now," he said as he tilted his head and leaned towards her, "Let's see if the rest of you is blonde shall we?" He said with a horny grin, "But you're probably a groomed girl aren't you?"

"Wow," Brooke said quietly.

Chris smiled and licked his lips, "What?" He asked; equally quiet.

Brooke kneed him in the groin and watched him fall to the ground, "We almost had a moment there," she said and then walked out of the hotel room.

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A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews!