15. Wins... Losses...

Sam wiped up the spilled coffee. She asked Lily and Carmen, her voice betraying her nerves, if Harrison had guessed about her and Brooke, the way they had.

The girls looked at each other, unsure how to respond.

Finally, Lily answered, "Well, we talked about it, but he never really believed it, at least not in Brooke's case."

"Yeah, he said 'Maybe Sam – at least a little – but not Brooke,'" Carmen added.

"Wait! Why would he assume..." Sam said, gesturing towards Brooke, "and not..." Sam looked annoyed.

Brooke arched an eyebrow. "And why are you offended by him guessing something about you that turned out to true?"

"I'm not, but... why just me?" She was pouting now.

Brooke shrugged, "Well, I was pretending to be someone I wasn't – you weren't."

Sam was still pouting. "I suppose."

A moment later she added, "I guess we have to tell him next." She bit her lower lip and glanced at Brooke.

"Oh God!" Brooke sighed, putting her face in her hands.

"It won't be that bad," Carmen chirped.

Lily looked at her as if she'd suggested Emory was hotter than Brad Pitt.

Brooke just sighed, remembering her last intense conversation with Harrison, a few months earlier, when she was still learning to walk again.

Harrison had come to visit her at home. He had tried to comfort her, reassuring her that she'd be walking again – even cheering – soon.

"I hope so," Brooke answered, "but frankly I don't care if I ever see a pom-pom again."

Harrison looked away. He didn't know how to fix this.

Brooke sighed, and went on. "Have you seen Nicole?"

"I haven't spoken to her – No one has. I mean, she's at school, and still captain of the Glamazons, but none of our friends..."

"She hasn't tried to... talk to anyone?" Brooke looked almost disappointed.

"Oh, she still terrorizes the school, just not us," Harrison commented. "She avoids us, especially Sam."

Brooke smirked. Harrison said, "Listen... forget about her. Once you're walking again, I want to take you out and celebrate, just us. We can..."

"How are you and Sam getting along," she interrupted. She was smiling, but he could see she wasn't comfortable with the subject.

Trying to hide his disappointment, he answered, "We're okay."

"Really?" she pressed him.

"I didn't choose her Brooke – that's a big thing to get past."

"I think you will," Brooke reassured him, "get past it, I mean."

"I hope so," Harrison sighed.

"Brooke, I chose you. Will we get past that?"

"What do you... What do you mean?"

"Oh come on Brooke! I picked you and you stormed out – You were disappointed, for God's sake."

Brooke sighed. "I'm sorry – really – I'm so sorry. I just... I realized that... I realized, once I'd 'won' that it... it wasn't what I wanted."

Harrison's face soured. "You mean I wasn't what you wanted."

Brooke's face was dark. "I'm sorry Harrison," she said to the slamming door.