Hey guys!! I am sooo sorry for the lack of updates over the holidays but I was so busy with work and family that I didn't have much time to sit down and write anything even though my mind has planned out the next 3 chapters. Thank you so much for sticking with me. Keep Reviewing and I will keep writing. Suggestions are welcomed.
Chapter 10: What's the First Step?
On the way down the hallway, Brooke was trying to calculate something better to say than her regular 'I'm sorry'. It wasn't exactly an adequate response for the way things had ended.
Nathan's over reaction the night before was definitely going to cause some form of a conflict between her and Chase.
Turning the corner she spotted Chase patiently waiting at her locker for her arrival.
Taking a deep breathe she put on a smile as if nothing was wrong and headed over in his direction.
"Chase!" she called out, pretending like it was such a shock for him to be waiting on her.
"Brooke." he replied in a very different tone than hers as his eyes dropped to the floor, blocking their normal eye contact.
"Chase about last night" she spoke up trying to break in before he let his words get ahead of himself. "Nathan is just… actually I have no clue but I am so sorry for the way that things happened."
She watched as he finally brought his eye level up to hers but her words didn't seem to change anything.
"Just tell me what's going on between you and Nathan.."
"Nothing.." she said raising her tone in anger.
There was nothing Brooke hated more than having to defend her friendship with Nathan. Too many people had questioned them growing up, that by now it was old and tiring.
"There's nothing.." a barely audible voice mumbled out as her mind drifted back to before things got so complicated.
When you turn thirteen and your best friend is a guy, everyone thinks that there is something more going on. It didn't help that up until this past summer girls went from having cooties to developing into something that guys wanted to know more about.
Brooke had to admit that she did spend more time with Nathan than even her own family but that's what happens when you're best friends with someone else.
Sitting out on the side of the Scott's pool, Brooke was sporting her new striped bikini. For the first time since she was born, her bikini top actually had something to hold in.
But Brooke wasn't the only one who'd caught other people's eyes. Nathan had gone from a scrawny little kid to a boy with muscles and a 6 pack.
With this growth came something that neither Brooke nor Nathan had ever experienced…insecurity.
"Nate…do you think that Sarah is prettier than me?" a intimidated and self conscious Brooke asked as she eyed her own body, causing him to do the same.
"No." he replied simply before swimming over to the side of the pool.
"Do you think I am hot?" she went on with more probing questions.
"I don't know.." he answered with a stammer.
A shocked and slightly hurt Brooke looked up. "Either you think I'm hot or not" she demanded. This had now become a personal war. If her best friend didn't think she was hot then there was no way anyone else did.
"Okay" Nathan replied as he held his hands up in defense. "Your hot Brooke and you know it."
Those words alone brought a smile to her face and caused a boost to her ego that would stick with her for years to come.
"What?" Chase asked, bring Brookes mind back to the present.
"We're just friends, that's" the soft tone was low and somewhat of a lie.
"Brooke you're not blind, we saw the same thing last night. Nathan was fine until he realized we were together and when he stormed off you broke down. I really like you Brooke but how you reacted wasn't just as a friend either."
Chase's voice came across flat and making his point blatantly clear.
"I don't know what you're talking about Chase… there's nothing there." Brooke was getting defensive and irritated by the interrogation.
"So you have never once… never once wanted there to be something more…" letting his voice trail off he stared at Brooke just wanting the truth this time.
"Yes! Okay!" a voice erupted, taking Brooke a few second before she realized the voice was her own and quickly covered her mouth.
Shaking her head she just turned away in disbelief at her own outburst. As her forehead pressed against the cold metal lockers she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
"Brooke.." Chase's voice was tinder and sympathetic now. "I'm not mad, I completely understand. But you have to open you eyes.. everyone can see it, now you two just have to take the chance. You should go to prom with someone you love… not me."
"It's just not that simple.." she cried almost I tears as she allowed Chase to pull her into his chest.
--xXx—
The rest of Brooke's day was going to be spent locked away, in her room, with no distractions. School was the last place she wanted to be and after she broke down in the hallway there was no way she was going to stick it out.
Sitting on her bed, she glanced around her room at the picture frames filled with memories of her life. There were so many thoughts starting to fill her head.
Nathan was always the player type, girls lined up around the block just to have a one night stand and if it was ever more than that it didn't last very long.
Brooke didn't believe he was capable of having a serious relationship and definitely not capable of staying faithful.
Pressing her heads against her head, she started to rub her palms in a circular motion over her temples. All these thoughts and analyzing things were starting to give her a major head ache.
Memories started to flood her mind.
As she turned a corner she stopped and peeked around. Up ahead she spotted Nathan, her Nathan, putting the moves on Tutor girl.
Swallowing hard the lump that she was trying to get rid of remained.
Right as Brooke was starting to realize there might be more between her and Nate, she was also reminded of what a player he was.
Brooke should have known better, after all this was her best friend. She had watched him go through many girls over the years.
When Nathan spotted Brooke, headed in her direction. "Looks like all you're cheering paid off tonight." He said giving her a devilish grin.
"Looks like it." She replied without cracking a smile or giving him any eye contact.
"Brooke.. everything okay?" he asked slightly confused as he reached for her arm and stopped her to face him. He needed to make sure she was honest and that involved eye contact.
"Everything's fine Nathan. You can stop worrying so much." She said in a hurtful tone before giving him an 'anything else' look.
"We're hanging out tonight right? I mean I saw your mom and you know you can crash at my place."
"I can look out for myself Nathan. Plus looks like you already have plans." Brooke said with an attitude as she nodded her head in the direction of Haley would was waiting a few feet behind Nathan for him.
Squeezing her eyes tight she couldn't help but scream out in frustration, "DAMN THAT BOY!"
"Nathan" Brooke said finally breaking the prolonged silence between them.
Looking up Nathan caught a glimpse in her eye like she had something to tell him. "Yeah?" he asked.
"Do you think that I will end up like my mom?" Brooke paused looking over at him. "I mean.. drunk and alone, pushing away anyone who every cared about me?" One single tear slid down her cheek as she waited for him to tell her.
"Of course not.. You're nothing like your mother Brooke." Nathan stood up and kneeled down in front of her, taking her hands into his as he gave her a genuine smile.
"You're the exact opposite of your mom. You have me and you will never be alone and while we might fight I am always going to be here for you. There will never be a day that you can't call me and I won't come. I'm yours Brooke Davis, yours before anyone else's."
Smiling she nodded and then leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his chest and squeezing tight. His arms slipped around her, holding onto her tightly as one hand moved to the back of her head.
"GOD I HATE THIS!!" Is all that she could formulate.
She knew exactly who she needed to turn to for the best advance and who would tell her exactly what to do.
--xXx--
"Deb!" Brooke called out as she let herself into the Scott family home, just hoping that Nathan wasn't the one to greet her.
"Brooke?" Deb questioned before calling out to her again. "I am in the kitchen sweetie."
Following Deb's voice, Brooke made her way to the kitchen happy to see that she was already working on some sweets that just might brighten Brooke's mood either way.
"What's wrong?" Asked Deb, making the concern on her face very apparent.
Fighting back the tears, Brooke forced a smile while trying to not let her emotions get the best of her.
"You're the one person I count on for an honest and trust worthy advice." Brooke leaned against the counter hoping that she would have some good advice this time. "It's about Nathan though, is that okay?"
"Of course, Brooke. I am always here for you." Deb said stepping over towards her and began to rub Brooke's arm. "What's going on?"
"Well, last night I was hanging out with Chase when we ran into Nathan and things blew out of control.. then at school this morning Chase told me he could see there was something between me and Nate which made him not want to go to prom with me…" Shaking her head she looked down at the floor more confused that when she'd arrived.
Breaking down, Brooke just let everything start to flow out into a mixture of tear, sobs and jumbles of words. "I really really care for Nathan and every time I start to think of us being something more than just friends, I see him flirting or some girl all over him and I just put that wall up again and push that possibility aside.." Pausing she just searched for the right words before continuing.
"I…I love him but I just don't know if that's enough to get through it all and I don't want to loose my best friend over a failed attempt a relationship." Brooke explained finally getting her true main thought across.
Watching Deb look at her, Brooke could tell she was thinking through the right advice to give but her nerves were eating at her.
"I think that getting into a relationship with someone who knows you as well as your best friend does can be scary. There's no way to hide or erase your past. But at the same time that's the best part. You have that person to share everything with. The person that know how to make you the happiest on your worst day. You just have to be willing to take that step but you should listen to your heart because a part of you knows how you both really feel about each other.."
"So what's the first step..?" Brooke asked unsure and curiously.
"You need a date for prom." Deb answered simply before giving Brooke a reassuring smile.
