Hey guys, okay, I know I said Sunday for this chapter and it's actually Monday but hey, that's close enough, right? Anyway, I got less reviews for the last chapter than I've had for any of the others apart from the first one, which kind of sucked, but I'm hoping that that was because everyone's on holiday or something and not because people are getting bored with it - fingers crossed. But thanks to all the wonderful people who are still reviewing, and I hope you like this one…
Chapter Eleven
"And Nathan Scott takes it to the free throw line, if he sinks this then it's game over. He shoots…and it's nothing but net. And that's all folks, Scott 21 – Jagielski 17," Mouth commentated, sitting on a sunlounger on the edge of the makeshift court that Nathan and Lucas had set up around the one hoop that hung to the side of the cabin. James's carrycot sat on the floor next to the boy, and the baby gurgled happily as Jenny chattered away to him. "Bad luck Jake," Mouth added, as the older of the two players collapsed to the floor beside him, wiping his brow with his arm.
"Nice game Jagielski," Nathan chuckled, setting the ball on the ground and perching himself on it. "You should give Luke a game," he suggested, seeing his brother approach, "you'd probably win…what do you say Luke?" he added, this last to the older Scott who joined the trio, sitting down next to Mouth on the sunlounger.
"Huh?" Lucas asked, staring blankly at his younger brother who sighed, waving his fingers in front of the blond boy's eyes in an effort to gain his attention.
"Earth to Lucas, come in Lucas," Nathan tried, rolling his eyes when the other boy failed to show any awareness. "What's up bro?" he asked finally, a hint of concern in his voice.
Lucas smiled vacantly, his brother's words finally registering. "Peyton and I broke up," he admitted finally, staring at his feet and so missing the small smile that crossed Jake's face and the knowing gaze that Mouth and Nathan shared.
"That sucks man," Mouth tried. "What happened?"
The older Scott shrugged. "It just wasn't right," he muttered. "There was no real spark there, y'know?" Maybe we should have just stayed friends."
Nathan nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean," he agreed. "You and Peyton are way too similar to be a couple," he opined. "Hell, she's you, but hot!"
"Don't let Haley hear you say that," Jake warned, laughing at the younger Scott's words.
"And you know I'm hot too," Lucas protested, sticking out his bottom lip and fluttering his eyelashes at his brother.
"Dude, that's wrong on so many levels," Mouth chuckled, laughing harder at the horrified expression that crossed Nathan's face, before suddenly turning serious and fixing his eyes on Lucas. "Does Brooke know?" he asked, worry creeping into his voice as he wondered how his friend would react to the news.
The blond boy shrugged. "Not as far as I know," he replied. "It's not going to bother her though, is it?" he questioned obliviously, causing Nathan to roll his eyes at his sibling's naivety.
"Looks like we're about to find out," he responded, gesturing in the direction of the blonde girl, who was approaching the hot tub where Brooke, Haley and Rachel were sat. "Damn, I wish I could hear what they're saying," he added grumpily as the other boys spun around to stare in the direction of the girls, wondering what was about to happen.
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"Hey guys," Peyton greeted the other girls as she joined them in the hot tub where they were attempting to enjoy a relaxing afternoon, a task that was made difficult by Rachel and Haley, who were sniping at one another relentlessly.
"Hey P. Sawyer," Brooke beamed, grateful to have someone to help her referee her friends, who were starting to drive her insane.
"Hey Peyt," Haley added, smiling at the curly blonde, whilst Rachel merely rolled her eyes, annoyed that her bickering had been interrupted.
"So what's up Blondie?" Brooke questioned cheerfully, noting the tension on her best friend's face as she sat down next to Haley, who was positioned across from the other two girls, directly opposite Brooke.
"Umm, well actually," Peyton began, feeling slightly embarrassed at having to blurt this out in front of everyone but realising that sooner or later the others would have to know, "Lucas and I…we broke up."
For a moment there was near complete silence, broken only by what sounded like a cough from Rachel, although Brooke could have sworn it was actually a poorly disguised laugh. "What?" the brunette finally managed feebly, ignoring the worried glance she received from Haley and focusing her eyes on the blonde. "Why?"
Peyton shrugged. "I guess we realised we didn't really love each other," she answered honestly, looking down at the water and so missing Rachel's eyebrows shoot up in disbelief whilst Haley's expression grew even more worried.
"You didn't love him?" Brooke questioned, her voice quivering slightly in disbelief.
The blonde girl shrugged again, unable to meet her friend's eyes. "I thought I did," she tried, "but it was never like it was with Jake. I think maybe we should have just stayed friends."
"Un-fucking-believable," Rachel exclaimed angrily, amazed at the girl's lack of sensitivity. Incensed, she began to get to her feet, ready to knock some sense into the blonde, but before she could do so she was interrupted by a loud thwack as Brooke launched across the hot tub and slapped Peyton hard across the face.
"You bitch," Brooke hissed, staring into her friend's eyes, which shot wide with a blend of surprise and terror. "The two of you break my heart, twice, and then you sit here and tell me, 'oh no Brooke, actually I don't really love him?'" Peyton gulped, unable to respond, but there was no need for her to do so as the brunette continued, her voice rising as it began to fill with tears. "I love him Peyton," she cried, her anger preventing her from noticing the use of the present tense, "but I gave him up because you wanted him!"
"I never asked you to," Peyton protested feebly, but even as she spoke she knew her words had only served to further irritate the angry brunette.
"No Peyton, you never asked me to," she screamed, "you just told me that you loved him! What the fuck did you think was going to happen, huh? That I was just gonna say, 'oh well, Peyton wants Lucas again, but that's okay because I know the two of them would never betray me?'" The sarcasm in her voice cut through the air like a knife and Peyton flinched visibly as Brooke continued. "I gave him up because I knew that sooner or later he'd go to you, and I couldn't live with the wondering taking over my life. And it killed me to lose him, but I forgave you because I thought the two of you were happy together, and I wanted you to be happy Pey. But now this?" Tears threatened to spill and Brooke paused to brush them away.
"Brooke…" Peyton began, but then trailed off, unable to think of any words to erase the pain she had inflicted on her friend.
"No!" the brunette cut her off sharply. "There is nothing you can say to make this better Peyton, nothing. You destroyed me, my heart, my trust, my hope, everything. And all for nothing." Sobs threatened to overcome her, and not trusting herself to say anything else she turned and ran, refusing to let the tears fall until the cabin door slammed behind her.
Silence reigned for a second as the three remaining girls attempted to process Brooke's outburst. However, the quiet was immediately destroyed by Rachel, who brought her hands together in mocking applause. "And people say I'm a bitch," she commented dryly, glaring at the girl opposite her.
"I didn't mean…" Peyton attempted, but the redhead cut her off.
"Let me tell you something Peyton," Rachel spat, "and make sure you listen carefully. You don't deserve to have that girl in your life. You claim to be her best friend, and yet you didn't even realise that that was going to upset her?" She shook her head in disbelief, venom creeping into her voice as she continued. "Friendship's a two-way street Peyton, and all you do is take, take, take."
"That's not fair," the blonde protested but again Rachel interrupted her argument, raising a hand in warning.
"Fair?" she questioned harshly. "No, it's not fair. Not fair that Brooke has done everything for you: supported you through the deaths of two moms, saved you from psycho-Derek, gave up the man she loved because you thought you loved him too. And you? When Brooke really needed a friend the last few months, where were you Peyton?" she snorted in disgust before answering her own question. "Oh yeah, that's right. When your so-called best friend was crying herself to sleep over Lucas, you were really helpful weren't you?" she asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Yeah, I'm sure Brooke found it a real comfort to know that the person she was supposed to be able to lean on was out there, fucking the boy who broke her heart." Shaking her head, Rachel sat back in her seat. "You disgust me," she muttered finally.
Shaking from the force of Rachel's attack, Peyton turned to the girl next to her, desperate for a shred of sympathy. "Hales?" she whispered uncertainly.
Haley sighed, trying to balance Peyton's naivety with Brooke's destruction. "I hate to say it Pey," she admitted softly, "but Rachel's right." The redhead smirked victoriously as Haley rolled her eyes at her before continuing. "I know you thought you loved Lucas, and I know you didn't mean to hurt Brooke, but the fact is you went after her boyfriend twice, and now you're saying it didn't even mean anything?" Shaking her head sadly she continued, getting to her feet and moving to follow Rachel indoors, "Brooke will forgive you, she always does," she told the blonde girl, "but this time? This time I'm not sure you deserve it." Giving her friend one last sad smile, the young mother turned, leaving Peyton to watch the two girls head inside to comfort her best friend.
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"Hmmm, looks like Brooke took the news well then," Nathan observed sarcastically, as he watched the brunette run into the cabin, obviously upset.
"Maybe I should go check on her?" Mouth suggested, clearly concerned about his friend.
"Nah, it's okay, Haley and Rachel are going," the younger Scott brother noted, seeing the two girls get out of the hot tub and follow their friend.
"Why is she so upset?" Lucas wondered, clearly worried about his former girlfriend.
"Uh, because Peyton just told her that you two have broken up maybe?" Nathan suggested sarcastically, rolling his eyes at his brother's naivety.
Lucas ran his hands through his hair, clearly confused. "Why would that upset her?" he questioned.
Nathan sighed, grabbing the ball from Jake and making an effortless jump shot before turning back to his brother. "Well without knowing exactly what Peyton said I can't be completely sure," he admitted, "but assuming she told Brooke that you and her should never have become a couple, I think it's pretty obvious what the problem is." Seeing the incomprehension on Lucas's face Nathan rolled his eyes. "Clearly not," he muttered, before elaborating. "Brooke pushed you away because she thought you loved Peyton, and you let her. And now she's hearing that you don't love Peyton, and so she thinks that you just let her walk away because you didn't care about her. Make sense?"
"But that's not true!" Lucas protested. "Brooke finished with me, she told me that she wasn't going to fight for me, and she told me to go to Peyton."
"But that's just how Brooke is," Mouth interjected. "She was scared of getting hurt so she finished things before you got the chance. She was protecting her heart Luke."
"Plus," Nathan continued, tossing the ball from one hand to the other as he spoke, "now that you and Peyton are through, Brooke's lost her safety net."
"Her what?" Lucas asked in confusion, still trying to process the information he had just heard.
Nathan sighed again, amazed at how dense his brother was capable of being. "Brooke's still in love with you," he announced, ignoring Mouth's warning glare. "But while you were with Peyton there was no chance of anything happening between you, because there's no way Brooke would have done that to Peyton." Nathan paused and Lucas winced as the implications of his brother's words hit. "Now, though, you're both single, and there's nothing to protect her from the way she feels," the boy finished as though it were obvious, sinking another basket as he spoke.
"Brooke isn't still in love with me," Lucas argued feebly, trying to quell the hope that had risen within him at his brother's words.
The younger Scott snorted. "Well let's put it this way," he suggested, "Brooke loves you about as much as you love her. What does that tell you?"
Lucas sighed, unable to dispute Nathan's interpretation of his feelings. "Is it that obvious?" he asked.
"Uh, yeah," Jake answered, chuckling. "And I've been here less than a day!"
Mouth grinned, amused by his friend's obliviousness. "You could cut the sexual tension between you with a knife," he snorted. "Actually, I'm amazed Peyton didn't break up with you sooner."
"Oh crap," Lucas groaned, throwing his head into his hands dramatically. "So what do I do now?" he asked desperately.
"You don't do anything you idiot," Nathan cautioned. "I'm serious Luke, if you go and tell Brooke how you feel now, you'll destroy any chance you have with her. She needs to know that it's her that you want, and that you're not just on the rebound from Peyton."
"Right," Lucas nodded, getting to his feet and dusting himself off. "I need to see her," he told the others.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea Luke," Mouth advised carefully. "She looked pretty upset…"
"I know," Lucas nodded resolutely. "But I can't not go, I need to know she's okay."
Mouth sighed, exchanging a glance with Nathan who looked equally worried. "Just be careful Luke," he managed finally, but his words went unheeded as Lucas jogged off, disappearing inside the cabin before Mouth had even completed his sentence.
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"Can I see her?" Lucas asked of the two girls who had exited Brooke's room at the sound of his knock and were now standing in front of the door, preventing him from entering.
"No," Rachel answered bluntly, fixing him with a venomous stare.
Lucas sighed. "Please?" he begged, turning to face Haley, who ran her fingers through her hair uncertainly.
She shrugged. "I doubt she'll speak to you," she hedged. "She won't even speak to us."
"And we're not the ones who just shattered her heart, again," Rachel added harshly, enjoying the guilty expression that crossed the boys face as her words hit him.
"Please?" he asked again, choosing not to try and argue with Rachel.
The girls looked at one another, communicating silently whilst he waited. "Fine," the redhead finally muttered, pushing herself away from the door. "I'm going to find Mouth," she mumbled, "he's the only sane person in this place."
Haley rolled her eyes at the retreating girl before turning back to her friend, eyes serious. "Be careful Luke," she warned, and he nodded, waiting for her to leave before gently opening the door and tiptoeing inside.
"Brooke?" he whispered to the fragile figure who sat on the bed furthest away from him, hugging her knees tightly to her chest.
"Fuck off Lucas," she spat harshly without even raising her head, and the boy recoiled, uncertain of how to react to the poisonous tone in her voice.
"I'm sorry," he murmured finally, looking up in surprise when she let out a bitter laugh at his words, raising her head and glaring straight into his eyes.
"Sorry?" Brooke repeated incredulously. "Sorry for what Luke?" she asked, springing from the bed in anger and throwing the towel that had been wrapped around her to the floor. "Sorry for what?" she demanded again, shouting this time.
"Uh…" Lucas froze, the sight of Brooke in her bikini sending all blood away from his brain. Think, Goddammit, he urged himself silently, forcing his eyes away from the brunette's cleavage, which was heaving uncontrollably as she shook with rage. "For dating Peyton?" he tried uncertainly, wincing as the expression on Brooke's face told him he had again said the wrong thing.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke in slow, measured tones, as though explaining something to a small child. "I'm not mad at you for dating Peyton," she told him, "I told you to go to her, remember?" Seeing the blank expression on Lucas's face she sighed and continued. "I'm mad because you stopped dating her."
The boy racked his brains for a moment, trying to remember Nathan's explanation for Brooke's behaviour, but finding himself unable to think of anything apart from the beauty in front of him. "I don't get it," he mumbled finally, causing Brooke to groan in frustration.
"I loved you Lucas, more than I ever thought it was possible to love anyone," she explained gently, unable to prevent a tear from trickling from her eye as she spoke. "So when I found out that you had kissed Peyton, again, I pushed you away, knowing that either you would come back to me, or you would go to her. And when you chose her, I tried to be happy for you, I really did, but now…" her voice trailed off and she paused to brush away the tears that were now cascading down her cheeks, "now I hear that you don't really love her. And if you don't love Peyton, Lucas, yet you chose her over me, then what does that say about how much you loved me?"
"Brooke…" Lucas trailed off, reaching towards the broken girl and pulling her towards him. "Brooke," he repeated, tilting her head towards him and forcing her to look into his eyes, "I could never love anyone more than I love you pretty girl," he whispered, pushing Nathan's words of advice out of his head and concentrating on Brooke's dazzling green eyes, and for a second she relaxed in his arms and he almost smiled.
But then she broke away again, pushing him away from her, snorting in disbelief. "Don't even think about it Lucas Scott," she warned, eyes flashing. "I am not going to be your consolation prize. You don't get to come in here and spout all this crap about how you never really loved Peyton, blah blah blah –"
"I did love Peyton!" Lucas exploded in frustration, "it's just…it wasn't the same."
"You mean you couldn't get her to spread her legs as easily?" Brooke spat back hotly.
"It wasn't about that!" the boy argued fiercely, running his hands over his head in annoyance.
"Oh no, sorry, of course it wasn't," the brunette retorted sarcastically, "one shouldn't talk about Princess Peyton in such a coarse manner," she mocked, feigning a posh British accent and a part of him wanted to laugh at the expression on her face.
Sighing, he tried again. "I meant that isn't what you and me were about," he murmured quietly. "I mean," he continued, a wicked grin lighting up his eyes, "the sex was great, but-"
"Damn you Lucas!" Brooke exploded, cutting off the end of his sentence, "this isn't a fucking joke!"
"I know," he protested, scared by her sudden anger.
"Then don't try to make it one!" she continued, voice rising even further as she stormed towards him, until she was so close that her hair grazed his bare arms as she shook her head in fury. "You broke my heart Luke, you and my whore of a best friend, so don't you dare stand there and make jokes about it, just-"
This time it was his turn to interrupt her, grabbing her waist and pulling her towards him, crashing his lips onto hers so hard that it hurt. For a moment she struggled, and then he felt her arms wrap around his neck as he lifted her up, forcing her to entwine her legs around his waist as they deepened the kiss, tongues battling for dominance as the passion between the former lovers finally ignited.