Chapter 559: Beaulieu Manor
Monday, February 27th, Evening
They all would meet at least once a week to have dinner together. She would sit at the head of the table and look at all the residents of Beaulieu Manor seated at the table. She looked at the four ids, two teenagers, a near 'tween, and a child, then she would look at the lone man sitting at the table.
Brooke Davis sat there slowly eating her dinner. Each person had their own way of eating. As each person would finish, they would leave the table. Brooke watched as the residents thinned out until it was just Brooke and Sawyer. Looking down at the table, Brooke studied Sawyer as she poked at her food. Sawyer ate, usually like Brooke's daughter Izzy, but was active, which kept her from putting on too much weight.
"Dinner not to your liking?" Brooke asked.
Sawyer shrugged, "I'm just not hungry, Aunt Brooke," she said.
"I see," Brooke said.
Sawyer nodded, poking at her food. "Yeah, I am not hungry," she said.
"You have a game tomorrow, need energy," Brooke said.
Sawyer nodded, "Yes, Aunt Brooke," she said quietly.
Brooke studied her goddaughter, her closest friend's youngest daughter. The ordinarily energetic curly-haired blonde seemed to have taken on the vail of her older half-sister. There is a darkness leeching into this teenager, Brooke could sense it, and the lack of appetite was just the beginning.
"So, how was your day?" Brooke asked.
"It was okay," Sawyer said and poked at her food.
"Just okay?" Brooke asked.
Sawyer nodded, "Yeah," she said.
"Nothing exciting happened today?" Brooke asked.
"Not exciting, but Ashlyn called me into her office," Sawyer said.
"So, what did Aunt Ashlyn want you for?" Brooke asked.
"I'm a student buddy, as you know," Sawyer said.
"Yeah, I encouraged you to do it," Brooke said.
"Well, I guess my name was on top of the list because we had a new student," Sawyer said.
"So, how did that go?" Brooke asked.
Sawyer shrugged and poked at her food. "It was fine; he didn't talk much," she said.
"Maybe he's shy," Brooke said.
"Or doesn't talk much," Sawyer said.
"What else?" Brooke asked.
"He walked behind me a lot; I think he was checking out my butt," Sawyer said.
"That sounds like a fifteen-year-old boy," Brooke said.
"Yeah," Sawyer said and hung her head.
"Nothing else is new?" Brooke asked.
"Not really, Aunt Brooke," Sawyer said.
"You know you could always talk to me about anything, you know," Brooke said.
"I know, Aunt Brooke," Sawyer said.
Brooke nodded, "Being a teenager is tough, but you don't have to go it alone," she said.
Sawyer nodded, picked her head up, and looked off into the distance. Brooke noted for the countless times how much Sawyer looked like her mom at her age. Yet, as much as they looked alike, Brooke noticed that Sawyer always seemed happier than Peyton at the same age. To Brooke's knowledge, Sawyer never had a boyfriend or girlfriend, whereas her mom was in the middle of a rocky relationship at the same age.
"I know, Aunt Brooke," Sawyer said.
Brooke nodded, "So, how are things between you and Gareth?" she asked.
"What?" Sawyer asked.
"You and Gareth are fighting," Brooke said.
"We're not fighting," Sawyer said.
"What is happening then?" Brooke asked.
"Nothing," Sawyer said.
"Nothing?" Brooke asked.
"Gareth doesn't want to be my friend anymore," Sawyer said.
"What? I don't believe it," Brooke said.
"He did, told me right to my face," Sawyer said.
"Why would he do that?" Brooke asked.
"I don't know," Sawyer said.
"Oh boy," Brooke said.
"Why did you say that?" Sawyer asked.
Brooke nodded, "I think I know why," she said.
"Why? What?" Sawyer asked.
"I should've caught on, a while ago, a long while ago," Brooke said.
"Caught onto what? Aunt Brooke, what are you talking about?" Sawyer asked.
"I must be getting rusty at my age; I used to pick up on it right away," Brooke said.
"Hey! Aunt Brooke, over here," Sawyer said.
"It all makes sense now," Brooke said.
"Aunt Brooke, what's going on?" Sawyer asked.
Brooke sighed and looked at Sawyer. "Gareth has feelings for you," she said.
"What? No! Aunt Brooke, Gareth can't have feelings for me," Sawyer said.
"You are sometimes so much like your mom," Brooke said.
"What does that mean?" Sawyer asked.
"Not always that emotionally aware," Brooke said.
"Aunt Brooke!" Sawyer said.
"Sometimes, you couldn't see the forest through the trees," Brooke said.
"But Gar, having feelings for me," Sawyer said sullenly.
"It appears that way," Brooke said.
Sawyer shook her head, "He can't have feelings for me," she said.
