AN: I know. Finally, right? After two author's notes, I finally finished it. Anyway, I wouldn't keep you all from waiting. Here it is.
Title: Dinner Turned Engagement
Chapter V: It's Our Friends Who Keep Us Grounded
She was staring blankly at the ceiling for quite a while now. It was just now that his words dawned on her. But mostly for me. It rang inside her head once again. She turned one more time, not knowing what to think of his words. Does he like her? She thought to herself. She doesn't understand why she's so troubled about it. Was it because she kissed him back? Does she like him? Those were the things that ran through her mind. When she turned one more time, a thud following. She had fallen of the bed.
She let out a groan as she tried to get on her feet. When she was finally able to, she made her way to the bathroom. It seemed like sleep was the last thing that's going to come to her tonight. She washed her face and she looked in the mirror. "Lucas Scott, what are you doing to me?" She mutters to herself, then washed her face one more time. Hoping that along the water that's flushed down the drain will be some of things that's keeping her up tonight.
The next day, Brooke Davis had found herself buried with work in her office, trying to finish sketches that were already a week overdue. It wasn't until a certain blonde followed by a red head that she realized she hasn't eaten anything.
"Brooke Davis, just the girl we want to see." Peyton greeted as she looked to Rachel first, then taking the seat in front of the brunette's table. She lifted her head slightly from what she's doing and was met by a frown from Rachel.
"You're busy?" The red head asks as she walked towards the brunette's table and looked at what she's working on.
"Yeah, I needed to finish some designs. Recent events stopped me from doing so." Brooke told her two friends with much frustration. A crease forms between Peyton's eyebrows. Come to think of it, the brunette looked tired considering it was still early in the morning of office hours. Also, her voice sounded raspier than usual.
"Are you okay?" Gone was the silly tone she had greeted her earlier, and was now replaced by a worried one. Rachel caught a glimpse of the blonde and nodded.
"Have you eaten?" The red head asks, this time, out of concern too. When the brunette just smiled at them cheekily, Peyton had to hiss.
"Brooke!" The blonde says.
"I know." She tells them both, as if trying to tell the two to not lecture her about it. "It's just that I really got into work and…" Her voice drifted off as she saw her two friends nod, their faces still not pleased with what she did. She must've really gotten them worried when she passed out once, but that was a long time ago.
"Why don't we just grab a bite?" Rachel suggested, and then looked at the blonde that she came with first, then to the brunette who was still smiling at the two of them. Just when the three were about to leave, Millicent knocked on the door and poked her head inside.
"Brooke, are you busy?" She asked, looking at the blonde and the red head she was well acquainted with. When her boss shook her head, she took it as her cue to step in and continued. "Oprah called again, they said that if it's possible, they want to reschedule your guesting."
"You're guesting on Oprah!?" Peyton turned to the brunette behind her with an amused face on. It was like she wanted to jump out of sheer happiness. Brooke was actually surprised that it was Peyton who fired up, and not Rachel, but she ignored it first and placed her focus on Millicent.
"I don't understand, I haven't given them an answer." She tells the eyeglass wearing brunette, and she just nodded.
"Yes, they said that they're looking forward to your answer, and if possible, to call them before this week ends." Millicent explained.
"Oh, I haven't talked to Lucas about it yet." Brooke says, ignoring the questioning looks Rachel's giving her. When Millicent heard her boss, she just nodded as she exited the room, closing the door behind her.
"I can't believe you're guesting on Oprah!" Peyton gushed again, excitement written all over her face.
"You lucky whore! Come on, tell us about it." Rachel finally said, and it doesn't surprise Brooke. She had to chuckle at her friends. They obviously thought about it the way she did when she first heard about it.
"I thought we were going to grab something to eat?" She tells them as she opened the door and asked the two to follow her. More than willing, both Rachel and Peyton did as they were told, looking forward to some girl talk.
Lucas Scott awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. When he reached out to answer it, it fell off the side table causing him to groan. He opened his eyes and saw that the sun had long awaken. When he turned to his clock, he thought he read it wrong. Taking a second look, he realized he woke up way past the time he usually does. The first thing he thought about is Brooke. Forgetting about his phone that fell, he pushed off the sheets.
Not even brushing his teeth, and still having his morning hair, he stumbled out of his bedroom to check on the brunette. He knocked and poked his head in like he usually does. "Brooke, are you in there?" He called out when he doesn't see her. When he didn't get an answer, he made his way downstairs into the kitchen, only to find out, it too was empty.
He felt a little sorry that she had left without waking him up. Then again, it wasn't really her job. The expression on his face suddenly changed when he noticed a pink post it on his fridge. He's not familiar with the brunette's handwriting, but he assumed it was hers, considering they were the only two people living in his house, and he's sure it doesn't belong to him.
Hey Lucas,
Sorry, I had to leave early.
I have tons of work to do.
You were still sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you.
-Brooke
He smiled as he read her note. Even in the paper she still calls him Lucas. Although if you ask him, he would have said he'd like her to call him Luke. Lucas just seemed all too formal.
Last night had been one of those nights he hadn't had in a while. He practically slept like a log. Obviously, that was the case, seeing how late he woke up. Normally he'd find himself tossing and turning every night thinking of things, but last night was different.
Brooke Davis had kissed him. Sure, he was the one who initiated it, telling her that it's also for the cameras. But if he would have to say so himself, she kissed him back. The last thing on his mind was that she could only be pretending, because it certainly didn't feel like it.
He folded the note as a pleased smile crossed his lips, suddenly remembering the sound of his phone that had caused him to wake up. He went back to his room to check on the call only to find out that it was his father.
Some way or another, Dan Scott always finds a way to ruin his day, but not this time. What could he possibly want this time? He shrugs the thought away not minding to call him back. He was all too happy with the note Brooke left him, but he couldn't help but think that it was just a note, and people leave notes all the time. Still, he couldn't help but feel…elated. Who knew a note could make him so happy?
I got your note.
You should've just woken me up.
I wouldn't have mind.
-Lucas
The text message read, and it was a simple act, yet it made her smile. "Okay, why are you smiling?" Rachel asked snatching away the brunette's blackberry.
"Rachel! Give it back!" The brunette hisses trying to take back her phone, but wasn't successful.
"I got your note? You should've woken me up? I wouldn't have mind?" Rachel read the text message. Her voice getting more and more excited each line that she read. When she saw his name, she had to restrain herself from squealing as other people were already starting to look at them.
"What? Let me see!" Peyton followed next and her eyes got bigger as she read the words. The brunette just rolled her eyes, feeling a sense of defeat from her two friends. "Oh my God, did you? Did you…" Peyton's voice drifted off when she saw Brooke finally glaring at the two of them.
"Get your mind out of the gutter!" She hisses, finally taking back her blackberry and shoving it back into her purse. "And no, we didn't!" She tells them and they both quirk eyebrows at her.
"So do tell Davis, what did you do then?" Rachel quirked, raising an eyebrow at the brunette, who seemed uneasy at the position she was put in.
"What do you mean what we did? Nothing. We didn't do anything." Brooke replies defensively, only ensuing more questions from her two friends who are nowhere near satisfied with her answers.
She then watched Rachel walk towards a table where a couple of guys were seated, then came back with a newspaper in hand. "Well, this picture says otherwise." The red head told her, and then pointing to a picture of Brooke and Lucas caught up in each other's lips.
The brunette chose not to say anything about it, first because people who hear bits of their conversation could find out the truth, and secondly, she wasn't sure what she'll make out of their kiss either. Was it just a kiss? She didn't know. Did it mean something more? She doesn't know that either. All she knew that during that moment she felt she needed to kiss him back, and boy, it was good.
"On to some other things." Peyton spoke when she felt the brunette doesn't want to talk about it. "I still can't believe you're guesting on Oprah." She tells Brooke with an excited tone. Rachel just rolled her eyes and decided to drop the subject about Brooke's relationship with Lucas for the mean time.
"I don't think I'll do it though." Brooke replied trying to gather her thoughts back and not think about the kiss.
"What? Why?" Rachel asked in a shocked tone, turning a few head towards their direction. "Ooops. Sorry." She tells the crowd waving at them apologetically.
"Because!" Brooke says, but doesn't manage to continue.
"Because what?" Peyton asks, lowering her tone, so that she was sure only the three of them would hear.
"Because they're asking for me and Lucas. They're asking for us." Brooke explains putting emphasis on the last word. The realization hits both of her friends and she thinks they finally understand, until Rachel started speaking again.
"But this is Oprah we're talking about!" She tries to argue in a low tone, not wanting the nearby tables to find out about their conversation.
"I know!" The brunette replies, suddenly feeling lost about it. Is she really just going to pass up this opportunity, something that not all people get?
"Brooke, you're not considering on doing it, are you?" Peyton asked and saw hesitation in the brunette's eyes. "Brooke!" She hisses one more time, keeping her voice low.
"I don't know. I don't know. I'll talk to Lucas about it." She replies as she had come to the decision of doing what Lucas will do. Yes, she's going to let him call it.
The doorbell rang a few times before he was able to finally answer the door. "Hi Luke." Haley greets him in the softest tone.
"Hey Hales." He greets her back and lets her in. "What brings you here?" He asks, not really expecting the presence of his best friend at the moment.
"I was in the neighborhood. Just thought I'd drop by." Haley told him as natural as she could. If he didn't know her he'd probably believe it, but he knew better.
"Really?" He asks, trying to call her bluff, and then raising an eyebrow at her. The Haley he knows always called. Even when she was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by, she always called. "Are you by yourself?" He asked, but was answered by the greeting coming from his brother.
"Hey Luke." Nathan greets him as he made his way into the living room.
"I guess not." He says raising an eyebrow at the two. "Why are the two of you here?" He asks again, this time he eyes them both as if telling them to better tell him what it's all about.
"It's Dad." Nathan told him, but he just looked at him inquisitively and asked the two to have a seat.
"Yeah, this morning my phone rang. It was him, I wasn't able to answer it though. What does he want this time?" He asks not really caring about the words he's using, or the tone he has.
"He had a heart attack Luke." Haley was the one to break it to him. She was serious, and he didn't know how to react. He stifled a nervous laugh.
"Lucas, this is serious." Haley scolded him. "This is your father we're talking about." She continues pitying the man whose sons hated him.
"What do you want me to say Hales?" Lucas replied in frustration running a hand through his hair. He paced around hoping to find answers. The couple was silent for a while until his brother spoke.
"Look man, I know he wasn't the best father to us, but he's still our father." Nathan told him as he too rose from his seat.
"I know! But what do you want me to do? Look at what he's done with my life!" Lucas' voice rose as anger raged inside him, Nathan just let out an irrate laugh.
"Yeah, let me tell you what. Sure it was some wedding arrangement he planned with Brooke's parents, but he brought you Brooke." Nathan's voice rose a little too, as he tried to make a point. Haley decided to step in between them before the two end up really fighting.
"Stop it!" She tells them both, and with that the two Scott men turned to look at her. "Dan may not have been the best father to both of you, but if it were not for him, you wouldn't be here." Haley says and it's directed to Nathan as much as it is to Lucas.
"You decide what you want Luke, but I'm going to see him. I just thought I'd let you know." Nathan looks at him straight in the eye, a small part of him finding it really difficult of how his brother could just ignore what happened to their father, while for the most part, understands what he's going through. "Let's go Hales." He tells his wife.
Haley nodded but not before she hugged Lucas goodbye. "I know you'll do the right thing." She whispers to him, and with that the couple left. Somehow, Dan Scott really manages to ruin his day, and just when he thought that he couldn't possibly do that to this day, it turns out he can.
"So enough about me." She quips to her friends as she drank what's left of her iced tea. "How's Jeyton land? And Jenny? I miss that kid." She asks as she turns to Peyton who had raise her eyebrow due to her 'Jeyton' comment.
"Jeyton? Dude, seriously? We don't need a couple name too." The blonde replies shaking her head in the process.
"Well I thought you should get one. It's only fair since people didn't even ask if Lucas and I wanted to be named as Brucas." The brunette argues and Peyton couldn't believe it was coming from the CEO of a big company, then again, Brooke had always been a cut above the rest.
"Well, Jeyton land is doing just fine. In fact, Jake said he and Jenny might stay for a week or two when he finishes with the tour." Peyton muses, a glint of happiness and longing visible in her eyes.
"That's great! I'm really happy for you P. Sawyer." Brooke tells Peyton with a content smile on.
"Well, I'd say I'm happy for you too, but you certainly don't think so." The blonde joked as she slightly tipped her head sideways, making the brunette roll her eyes.
They then notice Rachel's silence. Looking over to the red head, Brooke saw her face down, as if not wanting to be seen. Peyton observed her earlier looking at a table a few meters behind the brunette.
"Rach? Are you okay?" Brooke asks, trying to take a look at her friend's face. When Rachel realized that the two had already noticed her weirdness, it became more difficult to hide it.
"You were looking at something a while ago." Peyton tells her, and then looked towards the table she was sure her friend was spotting. That's when Brooke decided she too should see for herself.
"Brooke, no." Rachel asked her, almost pleading. The brunette had yet to see what it was. She just raised her brow at her friend and tried to turn again to see what is was.
"Brooke, don't." This time it was Peyton's hand that stopped her. The blonde too, almost pleaded, her eyes shifting from Brooke to the table and back again.
"Okay, you two are seriously creeping me out." She tells them both with a nervous laugh. Curiosity got the best of her and she turned to look at it. "What is it anyway?" She says first. As soon as she realized why the two were stopping her, she wishes she should've just listened to them.
There it was, rather, there he was. The face she had tried to forget for the last 4 years or so. Dressed in a black suit, she assumed he was meeting some clients. Beside him sat a woman, about their age. Auburn hair, white skin, she couldn't tell the color of her eyes. Suddenly, all of them rose from their seats and she had to turn her head back to where her worried friends were waiting, afraid that he might see her.
She gathered her thoughts first, not really knowing how to react and what to say next. She looked at her friends and saw their worried faces on. "Is he gone?" She finally spoke, and both Rachel and Peyton darted their eyes towards his direction to see if he's still there.
"He's leaving." Rachel informs her, watching the brunette close her eyes in relief. It all came as a shock for the three of them, but mostly for Brooke, that's for sure.
Rachel and Peyton didn't say anything to the brunette. They just let her calm herself and waited for her to finally speak. "I think I should head back to the office. They might need me for something." Brooke finally said. Peyton looked at Rachel as if trying to tell her to say something.
"Brooke, are you sure?" Peyton asked, a bit hesitant about it. She knows Brooke, and if she doesn't want to talk about it, she'll pretend nothing happened.
"Waiter." Rachel called, waving a hand at one. She asked for their cheat and paid for everything. Soon enough the three were out of the restaurant, but not before checking if he had really left. "I'll drive." The red head says with authority, snatching the keys from the brunette. Peyton just nodded, and though Brooke hesitated for a second, she just agreed with her in the end.
Brooke had taken the backseat, and although Peyton wanted to seat beside her, she opted that the blonde seat beside Rachel. All three of them were silent, an awkward silence enveloping all of them. Brooke stared blankly outside, her sad face slightly reflected on the cars window.
Peyton heard her sigh and for a moment she almost wanted to talk to the brunette, but she told herself not to, instead, she just spotted her from the rear view mirror. Rachel however just focused on driving. She didn't look at the blonde or catch a glimpse of the brunette behind her. She just drove.
About 15 minutes into traffic, Peyton couldn't take the tension anymore and has decided that her friend needs to talk about it. She turned to Brooke but she had to stop from calling her name when she saw the brunette already fast asleep.
The red light has yet to turn green and Rachel was growing impatient. She tapped her fingers on the wheel, already itching to step on the gas pedal. "She's asleep." She heard Peyton hush as the blonde turned back to her seat and faced the road.
Rachel caught a glimpse of her friend from the mirror. For someone who had seen the ghost of her past just a while ago, Brooke awfully looked peaceful in her sleep. The red light soon turned green and the red head made a quick left on Charles St.
"Rachel, where are we going?" Peyton had to ask knowing that they should've made a right if they were going back to Brooke's office.
"Just taking a different route." She tells the blonde without taking her eyes off the road. Peyton looked at Brooke in the mirror to check if she was still fast asleep.
"Okay, whatever you're planning, it would be better if you tell me, right about now." Peyton told the red head trying to keep her voice down. Rachel was awfully driving faster along Broadway but not breaking speed limit, of course.
"She needs to deal with things Peyton, you know she does." Rachel tells the blonde mysteriously. Peyton still couldn't understand why they're driving on Broadway so fast.
"And that's connected to this, how?" She asks trying to make the red head face her, but Rachel doesn't. She just continued driving. Peyton looked over at the brunette again, checking if their hisses managed to wake her up. Luckily, it didn't.
"Here, call Millicent first." Rachel ordered the blonde as she handed her the cell phone. Peyton obliged, but in exchange, she wanted a clear explanation.
"Hello, Millicent? Yeah, it's Peyton. Does Brooke have any important meetings? No? Ok, she's not feeling well right now. No, nothing to worry about, she says she'll just see you on Monday. Yes. That would be all." Peyton finally hung up and looked towards the red head again.
"Get Brooke's phone and call Lucas next. He might get worried." Rachel instructed and Peyton shot her a glare, not that it affected the red head, because it definitely didn't.
"You better have an explanation for this Gattina." Peyton muttered as she grabbed a hold of Brooke's blackberry and started dialing Lucas' number.
"Hey Lucas. It's Peyton. No, I'm calling for Brooke. She's going to spend the night with Rachel and I. No, it's nothing to worry about. We just need to talk about some stuff. I'm sorry but she can't come to the phone right now. Yeah, I'll tell her to call you back. Bye." Peyton hung up again, then looked towards the red head again. "Anymore people you want me to call?" She spats, but Rachel doesn't reply.
The blonde who was yet to be made aware where their destination just sat silently. It's already been over an hour and a half since she had, by no choice, went along with what Rachel was thinking.
They were now driving along the New York Thruway passing 14 exits already. "Okay, just tell me where we're going and maybe I won't let Brooke kill you when she wakes up." Peyton finally spoke again, eyeing Rachel, who was nice enough to slightly look at her and nod.
"Three more exits and you'll know." The red head replies simply making the blonde groan at tad bit loud. That's when Brooke woke up. For a moment, Peyton wanted to pretend she too was asleep.
"Where are we?!" A panicked voice asked as she looked at her surroundings, noticing a big change in scenery.
"We got lost on our way back to your office." Peyton answered trying to humor the brunette, but failing miserably. She then glared at the red head who didn't care to answer the brunette's question.
"And what?!" The brunette started. "Ended up on the highway?!" She fumed, shooting glares at both the blonde and the red head thru the mirror. "Rachel, pull over." She instructed, but Rachel didn't listen.
"Just one more exit." Rachel simply answered and continued driving. She spotted the sign: Exit 19, 1 mile ahead.
"I said pull over!" Brooke's tone rose a little, but Peyton knew she was still restraining herself. Knowing that Brooke getting mad wouldn't help, she decided to step up.
"Brooke, calm down!" Peyton tells the brunette. If looks could kill, she would've been dead by now.
"Finally!" Rachel mutters, as if not aware of the fight that will ensue, right about now. She paid for the toll, quite thankful that Brooke hasn't exactly given her an earful yet.
"Stop the car!" Brooke shouted again, this time not managing to restrain herself of her anger. Peyton had to squint her eyes a little due to its tone. Rachel stepped on the gas pedal and Brooke was thrown back due to the speed. Peyton held onto the safety grip afraid that their car would crash.
"Rach! Slow down!" The blonde warned her friend, her body, backing away from the dashboard as far as possible. But Rachel did no such thing. The only way their going to get where their going is if they get there fast, and that's exactly what Rachel intends to do.
She drove about fifteen more minutes before Brooke had to shout again. This was when she knew Brooke had already had it. But she didn't really mind. Brooke could shout at her for all she care, what's important was they finally got to their destination, well, almost.
"Welcome to Kingston?" Peyton read as they passed by the sign, turning to the red head with an awful lot of questions. One of which was, why Kingston?
"Either you stop now, or the three of us will get into a serious accident." Brooke threatened. With that, Rachel brought the car to a screeching halt.
"Fine. I'll stop." She tells the brunette nonchalantly, her voice not rising a bit. Peyton looked over to the red head and shot her a questioning look, while Brooke angrily got out of her car.
"Fine!" The brunette shouted as she started walking back to where they came from.
"Fine." Rachel mutters nonchalantly inside Brooke's car, tilting her head a little in the process. The blonde and the red head hear the brunette groan madly, and soon enough she was walking back towards them.
"Okay, bitch walking back now." Peyton observed then sunk in her seat. "I mean Brooke." She corrects herself, laughing a little in the process. Rachel chuckled a bit with her, not aware that the brunette could see them thru the side mirror.
Brooke tapped her window and Rachel rolled it down. "Get out of the car." A fuming Brooke ordered.
"Why?" Rachel asked as if not aware of the brunette's desire to go back to New York and to her 'normal' life.
"Because it's my car!" Brooke shouted with much anger as she pulled the door open and waited for the red head to step out. If looks could really kill, she'd have two dead bodies with her now.
"No." The red head reply, and that's when Peyton knew, she'll be the one driving after what's going to happen, happens.
"No? Then I'll just have to get you out, don't I?" Brooke spat out and grabbed Rachel by the arm and started to forcefully drag her out. Eventually she managed to do so.
"Fine! Keep running, keep doing what you're doing for the last four years." Rachel bit as she collapsed on the ground near the road. She knew she shouldn't play that card, but it was the only way Brooke would talk about it.
Brooke glared at the red head trying to catch her breath. They were still both tired from dragging each other earlier. "Running? You think I'm running? Well try thinking he's the guy you're supposed to spend your life with, and then find out he just walked away from you! What would you do?" Brooke screamed at the top of her lungs while Rachel tried to regain her energy as she sat on the ground.
Peyton just watched from the car. She had seen this happen too many times. How could today any be different? Well, aside from the fact that the two were in the middle of the road on a sunny September afternoon, shouting at each other?
"I'll deal with it, and maybe, move on. But I'll definitely deal with it." Peyton heard Rachel spat. She knew all the red head wanted to do was to make Brooke realize what she's missing out on life, on love, on a lot of things, really. But the brunette had been stubborn, too stubborn.
"You think I haven't dealt with it. Well surprise, I have!" Brooke shouted back, then began walking towards the car. Peyton tensed. Their fight usually ended when the two couldn't say anything to each other anymore.
"How Brooke? Tell me!" Rachel stood up from her position, shouting as loud as she possibly could. "By not dating? By burying yourself in work? By completely ignoring our questions when we ask you about him?" The red head ran down, knowing all too well what her friend had been doing ever since.
Brooke turned to face Rachel again, and for a moment, the red head thought that the brunette already ran out of things to say, but boy, was she wrong. "Yes. Are you happy now?" The brunette bites back, but it was all too cold. No emotions whatsoever.
Peyton didn't hear what Brooke said so finally she felt the need to step out of the car. It was the cue she always got when the two fight. It was her cue to just step in and stop them already, knowing one is already too hurt. Most of the time it was Brooke, other times it was Rachel.
"Happy? Are you insane? Do you think I like to watch one of my best friends miss out on a lot of things? Just because of this one guy? This one guy that's not even worth it! You think I'm happy Brooke?" Peyton heard Rachel say as she inched closer. Somehow her feet stopped. She's never heard those lines before.
"You don't even know why he left!" Rachel continued when the brunette didn't come up with anything to say. "Well let me tell you why!" She spat out, but this time Peyton ran between them.
"Okay, stop. You do realize we're in the middle of the road, right?" She says, stating the obvious, hoping that Rachel would just calm down.
"You knew why he left and you didn't tell me?!" Brooke shouted as she walked closer to the red head. Peyton realized none of their conversations had gone this far before. She also knew that once all of this is done, it's either the three of them will remain friends or they won't. She hoped it'd be the first one.
"Rachel, stop." Peyton tells the red head, but it was as if to the two who were both hurting, she wasn't there. Afraid of what the circumstances would bring she shouted at both of them again. "Stop fighting!" She cried out, hoping one of them would at least listen to her.
When the two both grew silent, she knew it was her turn to speak. "This has gone on long enough. I've had it. I don't want to stop both of you from fighting every time Rachel thinks you should talk about him anymore." Peyton speaks in a low tone, her voice not rising a bit.
"Peyt…" Brooke mutters, but the blonde doesn't let her speak. "Stop it Brooke. I need to say this." She began. "This, everything, this whole confrontation, Rachel just wants you to realize that you're missing out on a lot of things. I do too." She tells the brunette. She didn't even realize that tears were already running down her face.
"He's not even worth it Brooke. Do you know why he left?" Peyton asked only to be met by the brunette's intense eyes. The blonde then turned to the red head who just nodded. It was about time their friend found out the truth.
"He left because he cheated on you. Your dad had to pay him off because he threatened that he'll ruin your life." Peyton was quite relieved as soon as the truth left her lips. Brooke however, was devastated.
"No, you're lying! You're lying!" Brooke broke down in tears refusing to believe what her blonde friend had said.
"It's true Brooke, we were there!" Rachel shouted, wishing that the brunette would just take it as it is, so they could all be happy together.
"No! He wouldn't do that to me!" She tries to argue, but somewhere in her heart, she somehow knew it was true.
A black Mercedes passed by, and stopped by to where Peyton stood. "Hey, I didn't think I'd bump into you here. Are you girls okay?" The guy from inside the car asked, but only Peyton could see him.
"You know what Brooke? Believe what you want. But it's the truth. We wished it wasn't, but there it is. It's either you deal with it, or like Rachel said, run from it. Your choice." Peyton told the brunette, then looked over to the red head. She's had enough of the two of them, at least for now. With that she opened the door to the Mercedes and got in. Before they passed Rachel, she had already rolled the window up.
"Peyton!" Brooke called out realizing her friend just went with a total stranger. She walked back to her car, got in and started driving, but not before she stopped by Rachel. "Are you going to get in, or what?" She asked the red head, and with no questions asked, she ran towards the passenger seat and got in.
The call he got from Peyton took his mind off of things for a while, but when he realized Brooke must've missed her friends company, he ended back to his first worry. What was he supposed to do? Go back to Tree Hill and act like Dan Scott is the best father in the world? No, that definitely wasn't one of his options.
Confused as he was, he decided to make a call to a number he knew by heart. Knowing that thinking about the situation more won't help him, he waited for the person to pick up at the other end of the line. "Hello? Lucas?" The voice he's well familiar with finally answered.
"Uncle Keith." He greeted back nervously. He could also tell that his uncle was shaking. You could hear it in his voice. "I heard about dad, is he okay?" He manages to ask.
It doesn't take his uncle too long to answer. "It's bad son, it's really bad. The doctors don't know how much damage there had been." Keith explained, stuttering at some words.
Lucas couldn't say another word to his uncle. Suddenly, he thought he shouldn't have called. He heard his uncle speak again. "Are you on your way?" Keith asked and he didn't know how to answer.
"I…I got held up. But I'll be down there as soon as I can." He lied, thinking it wouldn't be best to tell his uncle how much he hates his father right now. He heard a faint oh at the other end, but was immediately followed by another question.
"How about Nathan? Is he on his way?" Keith asked, eager to know the blonde Scott's answer. Lucas cleared his throat before he spoke again.
"Yes. Nathan and Haley are on their way. How's mom?" He asks, truly worried about his mother's condition. He did hate her less after all.
"You're mom's a mess." He hears his uncle say. He felt his heart sunk a bit with the news, knowing he could've been there if he wanted too. "But Karen's helping her cope. She needs you here Luke." Keith informed him, and that's when Nathan's words finally got to him.
"I know. I'll be down there as soon as I can. I'm going to have to call you back." He tells his uncle goodbye, shutting his phone in the process. He started to pace around his living room again. If Haley was there she'd have knocked sense into him hours ago.
But she wasn't. Instead she came with Nathan. She went with him to see the person who didn't think twice on letting her know that he hates her. She visited the last person she wanted to see, and that is more than what he can say about himself right now.
He had mixed emotions. Part of him wanted to just go down to Tree Hill and see his father the minute he heard about the news. Another part wished he'd just die, along with the secrets he knows about him. But the biggest part of him was just too stubborn to not care. It was like his father could die and he wouldn't mind. But he knows it was just because of the recent things he's done. Somehow he wonders again if what he's about to do is the right choice.
The black Mercedes pulled away from them way too fast. Apparently, Brooke didn't know how to drive like Rachel did. Then again, she never dated a race car driver either. "We're losing them!" Rachel finally spoke, worried about Peyton, who so stupidly just got in on some stranger's car.
"Well I don't know how to drive like a mad man!" Brooke replies with an irritated tone, not minding to look at the red head and just focused on the road.
"It's a straight road!" Rachel hisses, trying to catch the brunette's attention. "If something happens to Peyton, it's your fault!" She continues, and as if they're not trying to catch up with a black Mercedes, Brooke put the car into a screeching halt.
"My fault!? Are you kidding me!? Who brought us here in the first place anyway? Here's a clue, her name isn't Brooke!" The brunette spat out to the red head, who fumed as much as she did.
"Well that's good. At least she doesn't runaway from her past!" Rachel knew she was pushing it, but there's just no way that she's about to let the day end without knocking some proper sense into her friend's head. Even what it takes is getting bitch slapped.
Brooke's palm collided with her face. Rachel half expected it, but she didn't really believe Brooke would do it until it had actually happened. "You don't know how much I'm hurting!" The brunette said with her eyes closed.
Rachel didn't realize she was already crying with her. "Well, whose fault is that?" It came out more of a question than a bitter remark. "You don't know Peyton and I hurt because we feel like we've lost our friend either." The red head continue, not meeting the brunette's sad eyes, wiping her tears in the process. She spotted a car from the rear view mirror. Fortunately, it was running slow.
"I'm still here." Her voice was no longer angry. She didn't realize her friends were hurting too. "You never lost me." She continued, that's when her voice cracks. To her surprise, Rachel got out of the car and started waving at a red ford mustang that's awfully driving slow.
"Hey there hottie, fancy finding you here." Brooke heard the car's driver speak. When she saw her friend open the door, she knew she had to get out of her car.
"Rachel! What are you doing!?" She shouted at the red head even though they weren't even a meter apart.
"I'm going to find Peyton, you go back to New York, do whatever you want. Go back to your normal life if you please. There's a map on your compartment, you should be fine." Rachel tells her with tiredness in her voice. The red head chose not to meet the brunette's eyes, simply looking at the road ahead. Brooke looked over to the driver and tried to see if she knows him. Unfortunately, she didn't.
She wanted to say sorry. She wanted to tell her she's finally ready to talk about Chase. She wanted to say that they should look for Peyton together, but all she mustered up was a simple "Wait." The red head wouldn't hear it though. Brooke heard her tell the driver to take her to his house, him happily obliging.
Helpless, mad, and hurting as she was, it didn't take her long to get back to her car and started following the mustang that had clearly picked up speed. Her best friends are just too important to her. Whether they are enemies now, or the best of friends, she wouldn't let strangers in cars take away her girls. Not ever.
She'd fight to death for those two. She really believes that the three of them had gone to hell and back. Nothing could break them apart. Not her ex-boyfriend from the past, nor their seemingly non-ending confrontations about it, not even this.
She picks up her blackberry, confused as to why it was on the passenger's seat. Immediately she dials a number an waited for the other person to pick up. "Brooke?" He finally answers.
"Hey. I'm just calling to let you know I might not spend the night there." Her voice was a lot raspier than usual. She had stopped herself temporarily from crying.
"I know. Peyton told me. Are you okay?" He just had to ask. From what he can hear, it sounded like she had been crying. Did something happen to her and he didn't know? Suddenly, the kiss was the first thing that flashed into his mind.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Listen. I'm going to have to call you back. Bye." She doesn't let him reply, hitting the end button immediately. It was then that tears started falling again. She stepped on the gas pedal, not thinking if she's breaking speed limit or what. Granted that there was none, she didn't really care anymore. She needed to catch up with that mustang.
She thought about everything that just happened. How it was so not worth losing her friends over. She had known Peyton her entire life. She had cried with her when her two moms died. The blonde had already been an extension of herself, and she doesn't want to lose that part of herself. She knew that much.
Then there's Rachel. They had pretty much started off on bad terms during junior high. She after all, practically tried to take her spot as cheer captain and tried buying off Peyton with a NOFX CD. But it didn't take long for her too see past the red head's façade. Brooke knew it was thicker than what she shows around people – harder to bruise, harder to break, but she knew Rachel was no man of steel. She's just like everybody, vulnerable.
She saw the mustang take a left, and she hoped that the road doesn't diverge again, at least not when they're not in sight. Tears keep falling from her face, beginning to blur her vision. She didn't know why she's still crying. "Stupid fight! Stupid Chase!" She cursed under her breath. She wanted to hit her head on the wheel, but she also knew she has too much to live for.
When she took the left, she saw a town straight ahead. Although the figure was too small from where she is currently positioned, she recognized that Rachel had gotten off the red mustang and had started to walk away from it. She sped up towards her and in no time she was out of her car calling after the red head.
"Rachel! Rachel, stop!" She called after her, but she wouldn't listen. She continued walking, having her cell phone by her ear. Brooke eventually took off her stilettos and started running after her, barefoot.
The red head stopped when they reached a house with a white picket fence. "Peyton! Where are you?! Brooke and I are worried sick!" She asked agitatedly, as soon as the blonde picked up her phone.
"So you two made up already?" The blonde asked with an amused tone, waiting for Rachel to give her an answer.
The red head turned to look at the brunette. She wanted to laugh at her, seeing her walking towards her, barefooted, but she had to stop herself. "No." She simply answers, then asks again. "Where are you?"
Rachel hears a groan from Peyton. "I'm fine. Don't call me until the two of you make up." Peyton told her and hang up. Rachel got irritated as she too shut her phone.
"Damn it!" She mutters then walked towards the house with the white picket fence. Brooke's eyes widened as she watched her friend knock madly at the door.
"Rachel!" She hisses, staying outside of the fence. The red head turned once again to look at her and knocked one more time. The red head had to restrain herself from laughing again.
An old man finally opened the door. Brooke saw his face break into a big smile when he saw who the person at the door was. "Andy? Is that you?" Brooke heard the man ask and she saw Rachel nod. The two then hugged and was about to go in when the old man noticed Brooke's presence.
"Oh, is that beautiful lady a friend of yours?" The man turned to Rachel as the red head looked at the brunette, a smirk now crossing her face. She nodded and the old man invited Brooke in.
Wiping away what's left of her tears, and confused as hell, she smile awkwardly at the old man and approached the two, grabbing Rachel's arm as soon as she got close. "Patty, we have visitors." The old man cheerfully announces, while Brooke shot the red head questioning looks.
Rachel finally smiled. Brooke had finally understood. Otherwise, one of them wouldn't be standing next to the other at the moment. "Who is it?" A soft voice asked, coming from what Brooke believed to be the kitchen. "Andy? Is that you? Oh, it is! I haven't seen you in a while." Patty says as she hugged Rachel. "I see, you brought a friend?" She asks and Rachel nods.
"Grandma, Grandpa, I want you to meet Brooke. Brooke, meet my grandparents, Ben and Patty." Rachel introduced. Brooke smiled at them even though she didn't know Rachel still had grandparents.
"Hi. Nice to meet you." Brooke greets them a little awkward. "I'm sorry for showing up…like this." She tells them with a nervous laugh, as she still held onto her stilettos on one hand.
"Oh, don't worry about it honey." Patty tells her sweetly as a wide smile crossed her lips. "Do you need help with your things?" She asks the two. Both Brooke and Rachel turned to each other not knowing how to answer her question.
"Uh, we don't have things grandma." Rachel tried to explain, then sees Patty's face fall.
"Oh. Are you just stopping by?" Patty asked again, this time Rachel smiled.
"No. We're staying grandma. It's just all of this was a little sudden." She tells her the truth knowing that the old woman had a good instinct on finding out about things.
"Well, why don't you two wash up, and we'll just call you when dinner's ready. You already know the rooms. Brooke can take the one across yours." Ben suggested and Rachel just nodded, feeling a bit tired after such a dramatic afternoon.
Brooke followed the red head immediately after thanking the Ben and Patty again. She watched her friend collapse in bed, looking so relieved. "What are you doing? We haven't found Peyton!" Brooke looks at the red head shooting her a glare.
"She said don't call her until we're not fighting anymore." Rachel replied as she retreated towards the bathroom.
"Well what are you waiting for! And what's up with the name 'Andy'?" Brooke demanded as she followed Rachel inside and rolled her eyes at her.
"You have a phone don't you?" Rachel replied as she told the brunette to go out. She closed the door with a smile on her face, while Brooke retreated as she shook her head and began dialing Peyton's number.
"Hello?" She finally picked up.
"Haley!" Lucas greeted, very much relieved to hear his best friend's voice. "Where are you?" He asks.
"We're at the airport. Our flight doesn't leave for two more hours." She tells him, and he's thankful with what he's heard.
"Thank God. I got the same ticket. Tell Nathan I'm sorry and I'm on my way there." He shut his phone off not even letting Haley say goodbye. After his head and his heart debated, he had finally booked himself a ticket. He realized, Nathan and Haley were right. Dan may not have been the best father to him, but he's still his father.
He grabbed his luggage and got into his car. Hopefully he makes it there in time. After all, only his friends can keep him grounded.
So? I know it's kind of far from the story line. But I needed this chapter to make you guys understand how important their friends are to them. I would understand if you hate me coz clearly, there had not been much Brucas here. Anyway, I still would love to know what you think. Whether you hate it or not, it doesn't matter. I always love hearing from you guys. Brooke & Rachel's fight isn't really supposed to be on the heavy side. :D Just in case you noticed. :)
A special shout to:
Allie (othfan326) - who I think was the first one to PM me asking when I'm actually going to update this story. Seriously, you gave me a boost! I'm so sorry I wasn't able to get back to you via PM, also, I wanted to apologize for not checking your review first, regarding the suggestion you made before I asked you about it.
KatieLou (BrOoKe DaViS23) – who gave me a link about Brucas (which until now I haven't seen, coz of plain stupidity) Anyway, I really, really appreciate the support.
psiek – I know right? They just had to do that to Brooke. Thanks for encouraging me! I hope you're not too tired of waiting for this.
ILoveYouTooPrettyGirl – I didn't read much into the line you cited last time, but you gave me quite an idea. I too am floored by how long your review was! Really, I had this big smile on my face the whole time I was reading it. I hope you still read even though this update had been wayyyy too late.
TeamSophia – Hey there. So the checking out part didn't quite happen here. I hope you're not too disappointed by it. Chase (kind of) made an appearance, but not really. Lol. I'm torn apart if I should put him on the next chapter already, but we'll see what works. I hope you're not too tired of waiting for this. Thanks a lot for your review. :)
To everyone who reviewed:
TeamSophia
Squealing Lit. Fan
brucas224
othfan326
PeterClaire
fanoudum
psiek
Brooke6404
weasleyisking
flipflopgal
LeaCharmedOne
ILoveYouTooPrettyGirl
BRUCAS1
Brooke D.
B.Nguyen
BrOoKe DaViS23
erika x3
brucas.brachel
BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE
rosseyanna
my2krazies
SingingSailor
Thanks for reading. I hope you still want to find out what happens next chapter. If you ever find grammatical errors (which I'm sure, you will.) feel free to inform me and I'll correct them as soon as I can. That would be all, for now. :) Reviews are loved. :P