Life's Surprises
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the OTH characters except Brooke's parents
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews!! Jake never left and him and Peyton are together!!
Chapter 3: Realizations
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Brooke struggled, dialing the number she knew by heart.
She heard it ring and cried out "Please, answer"
"Hey, you reached the..." She hung up the phone before the message could finish.
She slammed the phone back down and let out a frustrated sigh.
The footsteps were coming closer and she could hear them approaching her door.
She ran to the only place she knew, the closet. She pulled herself up as fast as she could, but her hand slipped and she hit her head against the wall. She could hear the twisting of the doorknob, and then she saw the door opening. There was nothing she could do but pray.
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Peyton walked into her room with Lucas in tow when she noticed the blinking light on her phone. She motioned for him to sit down while she checked something. The machine said one new message and it was from Brooke.
Why would Brooke be calling her? They haven't talked since she found out that Lucas was cheating on her with Peyton.
If it was important, she'll call back. Peyton thought. She walked toward her closet and got her jacket. With one more glance at the answering machine, she and Lucas left.
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Pain. That's what Brooke felt when she woke up. Her head was throbbing and her arm hurt like hell. She looked at her arms and noticed the bruises. There were big and small ones, all over.
She picked herself up and managed to make it to her bed. Her eyes felt heavy, but she knew she needed to get checked on, to make sure she didn't break anything.
It can wait until tomorrow. She thought, as she drifted off to sleep.
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It took cheerleading practice for Peyton to notice that Brooke wasn't there. She looked around but didn't see her anywhere. No matter how mad she was at Peyton, she would never miss a practice.
She's probably sick. Peyton thought
Still, that phone call last night remained in her mind
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Brooke woke up to yelling, a lot of it. Her head pounded, and it felt like it weighed a million pounds. She walked toward her open door and through the hallway.
"I'm going to get her back, Mike" She heard her mom say
"I'm sure you will, because an alcoholic looks good to the court" her dad yelled
"You think you'll win? Money might let you win, but I know she doesn't want to stay with you"
Brooke couldn't take it anymore, she silently walked out of the house and started walking. She didn't know where she was going, but she hoped she would figure it out. She ended up in front of Karen's Cafe. She could see Haley wiping down the counter and decided to try asking her.
She tapped on the glass and saw Haley look up. Her mouth dropped open is shock and ran toward the door.
"Brooke, are you okay?" Haley asked
She sat down on the curb and used her good arm to wipe the tears away from her eyes
"No, not really" she answered
Haley sat next to her stroked her hair. She looked at Brooke's face and said, "Come on, we need to get you cleaned up" She tried pulling her up, but saw Brooke wince in pain.
"Did you hurt your arm?" Haley asked, concerned
Brooke stammered out a "I...I think so"
They walked back into the cafe and Brooke saw Jake walking toward her.
Haley sat her down in a chair and grabbed a wet cloth. She handed it to Brooke and she wiped off the crusted blood.
"I think we need to get you to a hospital" Jake said
"I'll take her, I'm done anyway" Haley said
She grabbed Brooke and they walked out the back way. It wasn't until they were outside again when Haley noticed the bruises
"What happened?" She asked
Brooke's face broke out in new tears and she said, "My dad happened. I was stupid and talked back"
"You're not stupid, Brooke. You don't deserve this, no one does. Let's get you to the hospital"
They arrived at the hospital and sat in the waiting room. Everyone that walked by was looking at Brooke and giving her pity glances. Finally it was her turn and Haley went in there with her.
After some x-rays, the doctor determined that Brooke's arm was indeed broken. She had to keep the cast on for at least 6 weeks and then come back to get it taken off.
The doctor also gave her some painkillers and some other stuff for the cuts on her face.
When they were leaving, the doctor pulled Haley aside and asked, "Does she have anyone she can stay with? It might not be a good idea for her to go home and she might want to talk with the police" Haley just nodded and left.
Outside, Brooke was standing beside the car. She didn't want to go home. The hospital probably called, telling her dad she had been there. If she went home now, she would end up worse than last night. She thought about calling Peyton and ask if she could crash there, but that idea was out. How could she depend on Peyton when she didn't answer last night, or even call her back.
Haley had come back outside and stood beside Brooke and said, "Do you want me to call Peyton?"
Brooke shook her head and said, "I tried calling her last night for help, but she didn't answer and she never called me back. I think I'm going to head back home. Thanks for the help Haley, I really appreciate it"
Haley stood there confused. Why would Brooke go back? If her dad hit her before, he would certainly do it again. The next thing that ran through her mind was that Brooke had called her Haley, instead of Tutor Girl.
"No" Haley said, grabbing Brooke's good arm
"You're coming home with me for a couple of days. You don't need to go home right now and don't say anything, I won't take no as an answer"
It was the first time she had seen Brooke smile since she first came to the cafe.
"Thanks Haley" Brooke said
"No problem"
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All the gang, minus Haley and Brooke were sitting at a huge table in the cafe when a ringing came from her purse
"Hey Peyton, your phone's ringing" Jake said.
"Thank you, Jake" She said, smiling at him and pulling out her cell. The caller ID said Brooke.
"Hello?" she answered
"Peyton?" A voice asked.
"Yes?"
"Hello, this is Mike Davis. I'm Brooke's father"
"Uh, Hi" Why would Brooke's dad be calling her
"You're probably wondering why I called you. Brooke's disappeared and I can't seem to find her. She left her cell phone in her room and I got your number from it. I was just wondering if you've seen her?"
"No, she wasn't at school today" Peyton said
"Well, thanks Peyton" His voice cut off
She was putting her phone away when Jake's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Who was on the phone?"
"Brooke's dad. He wanted to know if I've seen her today. He can't find her and she left her cell at home"
She saw Lucas turn his head in her direction. Jake looked at him and laughed.
"She came by the cafe earlier. She was pretty banged up" Jake said, squirting ketchup on his fries
"What do you mean banged up?" She said calmly
He shrugged and said, "She had a black eye and lots of cuts and bruises on her body. Her arm looked broken, So Haley took her to the hospital"
Peyton glanced at Lucas and they both stood up. She grabbed her car keys and ran toward her car, with Lucas on her heels.
Millions of thoughts were racing in her head, but all she could say was, "I should have called her back"
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A/N: Chapter 3 done!! Yea. Hope you liked it. I didn't mean for Peyton to come off sounding like a bitch, it's just the way it happened. She'll make it up to Brooke.
Please keep the reviews coming!!!! And I'll continue to write. J/K, I'll continue to write no matter what.