Chapter 1 You Don't Understand.
Nathan stood alone in the River court.
Years had passed since his success and glory in the NBA, and he felt like he was fading.
Younger men were taking over leaving Nathan with nothing but a jersey on a wall.
Though he did not want to admit it, he missed the old Nathan. The old "teenage" Nathan.
He was playing again, but he wasn't the star anymore. He felt like his time has passed though he was still in his twenties. He thought of the long life he had ahead of him.
It felt empty if it weren't for Jamie.
Lucas and Peyton have been gone for two years, and he missed them.
Though he did not regret it, he realized what marriage at sixteen meant. He is leading a forty-year old man life at his twenties. He burned the stages of life, and he didn't know what came next.
He played basketball pretending to be a sixteen year old again.
He imagined Dan watching him carefully. He imagined the roar of the crowd.
He even heard the cheer of the cheerleaders. He could hear Brooke Davis' voice cheering the loudest.
Brooke Davis. He missed her. After Lucas and Peyton's wedding, she disappeared. He did not see her since. They lost contact which really bothered Nathan.
He kept on pretending, and it felt good.
He imagined how it felt like winning a game. How the teammates and cheerleaders hugged him.
He could remember the way Peyton would jump on him, and how all the cheerleaders will kiss his cheek or some his mouth.
He could remember the way Brooke Davis will pat his arm affectionately.
He could feel it because here was the real Brooke Davis patting his shoulder. He snapped back to reality, and he was stunned to see Brook.
She shrieked:" Nathan!"
He hugged her , and smelled the weirdly familiar smell of soap and lavender.
She looked older, but not in a good way.
She was wearing long baggy jeans, and a big sweater rather than a usual elegant dress like usual.
Her hair was in a messy ponytail. She looked exhausted.
He did not like seeing her like that. He found her scent strangely comforting.
She asked:" How is Jamie doing? Your wife? You? »
He replied: "They are doing fine .We are doing fine. What about you? What have you been up to?"
She smiled a faint smile. A phantom smile.
She said:" I am living in New York. "
He nodded noting to himself how vague she was being.
He saw the wedding ring on her finger. She followed his gaze to her finger.
Nathan felt irrational anger towards that husband that aged Brooke and consumed her strength.
He felt hurt because she didn't invite him to her wedding let alone tell him about it even though she was the maid of honor in his.
She looked worn out.
He asked:"Julian?"
Brook shook her head a nostalgic smile on her face and answered in one word:"No."
They stood there in awkward silence. Why was this awkward?
She said:" Let's sit on the benches. We never were in the sidelines."
He replied:" True. We always were in the heat of action."
She laughed and said:" No. You were in the heat, and I was in the action."
They laughed.
They both sat down on the benches looking at the scenery.
Nathan said:" You are the only person who got along and understood both the "old" and "new" me."
Brooke replied:" True."
She looked far way. As if she was in a different place.
He said:"God, you were the female version of me. I was a man-whore and you were a slut."
Nathan laughed.
Brook looked at him a hurt look on her face.
She looked angry. What is wrong with her?
She said:"Between all people you should understand how it was, and how hard it was to change. You should feel the guilt and the shame that I felt. You do not understand! No one does. You can't begin to understand how horrible it was because it still is."
Brooke burst into tears.
Nathan felt like kicking himself for calling her a slut.
He didn't understand why it upset her so much.
He whispered:"Sorry."
She said in a small voice:" It's not your fault. It is something else. You don't understand."
She was crying hot tears like someone who had been holding in the pain and is finally releasing it.
Nathan took her into his arms, and she rested her head on his chest.
She cried saying over and over again:"You don't understand."
He whispered in her ear:" What? What don't I understand?"
Her phone rang. The ringtone seemed to bring her back reality.
She pulled herself together and said stiffly:" I have to go."
Just as she started to walk away he held her elbow, and asked for her number.
She shrieked in pain.
Nathan asked alarmed:" What? Did I hurt you? Brooke, talk to me."
She said:" No."
Nathan looked at her suspiciously and ordered her:"Show me your elbow."
She shook her head and said:" No."
He said angrier and louder:" Show me your elbow."
She said:"No."
Nathan tried a different approach and said softly:" Brooke will you please show me your elbow?"
She turned to leave, but he held her hand and turned her toward him.
He shouted:" Show me your damn elbow, and tell me what you are hiding."
She shook him head releasing her hand and said:" You don't understand."
He took her hand again. He rose up her sleeve till he could see her elbow, and he couldn't believe what he saw.
Her elbow was literary blue because of bruises.
Not only her elbow, but her whole arm.
He asked:" Brooke, who did this to you?"
She shook her head and said:" It was an accident."
Nathan said:" It doesn't look like it. Years ago I told you to come to me if you had your dream taken away from you or I would be pissed off, and you didn't. I want you to come to me this time. Please Brooke. Please."
Brooke blinked back tears and said:" You don't understand. I won't tell you. I can't tell you. You don't understand."
Nathan said:" What I do understand is that you are one of the toughest girls I know. You fight back, why aren't you? "
She said like a parrot:" you don't understand. You don't understand."
The phone rang again.
She looked at Nathan and said:" I have to go."
Before he could reply, she was gone and so was her comforting smell.