CH.11First Impressions
Worry ate away at her insides, starting at her toes and ending at her temples with a killer migraine. To tell or not to tell? She paced back and forth, barley noticing the cold floor that was making her toes numb, pulling her IV drip with her. In Brooke's mind there was no doubt that she was going to keep the baby, there was no hesitation. She was sure that Rachel would help her with anything that she could but Nathan; she couldn't even picture him by her side in seven months when she gave birth. She was two and half months, she was bound to start showing and there wasn't enough time to prepare a backup plan, she needed to wing the whole damn thing. Man she needed to pee, again!
Owen nervously made his way to the elevators with his heart on his sleeve, he had showered shaved, bought flowers and a balloon from the gift shop for Brooke, all to win brownie points with a wild red head. He had tried getting Rachel to come see him last night but she had blown up on him and then broken down telling him everything that had happened, he hadn't known how to comfort her but made some lame sex joke. Her eyes had burned holes to his soul and left him with a major boner. Dumbass. That's what he was but he was no fool to not be oblivious to what Brooke and Nathan thought of him.
He was only two years older than them and had went to the same school so they had had plenty of time in high school to get to "know" each other. He can still remember how his face stung from Rachel's bitch slap, Brooke's smirk and twinkling eyes, and Nathan sulking in the corner.
Three years ago
Owen watched mischievously as the new crop of freshmen made their way through the courtyard. He loved watching how awkward and naïve they were. Him and his football buddies sat on the lunch table that was the farthest from the others, they had a good view of everybody else, they always rivaled the basketball players on the popularity pyramid, especially when it came to fighting over the cheerleaders.
His best friend, Chase, elbowed him and jutting his chin out to a trio of girls. They were interesting to say the least, one was blond with a scowl that distorted her beauty, there was a red head but he really couldn't see her face, she was walking backwards talking to fucking Nathan Scott. That pretty boy was already a legend and he was just a freshmen, the ass wiped already made him sick with his cocky grin and spitting game at the senior cheerleaders and the girls just teetered at how "adorable" the kid was. He completed ignored him when he zoomed in to the girl that had her arm linked through his, she was a gorgeous brunette that had a pair of Bermuda shorts that showed off her tan legs a halter top that just made you just focus on her boobs. He was smitten.
He watched fascinated as she threw her head back and laughed at something that the Scott kid said, he deposited them at the cheerleading table and he went back to the lunch room, catching up with some other ballers. It was time to go in for the kill," Watch this Adams!" Chase just rolled his eyes and started betting with the other guys as soon as Owen turned around on whether he would score a number or not. Freshmen girls were always the easiest to take advantage of, the easiest to woo.
Owen only made within two feet of them when the blonde's head whip around and stared at him with calculating big green eyes, he froze and then the bell rang, it was if the blonde knew his plan all along, she smirked and stuck her tongue out at him. She leaned over and whispered something to the red head, he still had to see what she looked like, the red head just grabbed his prey's arm, the brunette, and dragged her to her feet and rushed her along to the school.
What the heck! He needed to talk to the girl. He rushed after them, they were maybe fifty people between him and her. He skirted past giggling freshmen and well developed sophomores that he was so totally gonna check out later. The trio of girls ducked into the girls' bathroom, crap! He stopped and waited, they eventually had to stop peeing. The halls started to clear and the tardy bell ran and still no girls, he rounded the corner and stuck his head out. He watched from his hiding place and waited, the door opened and giggling spilled out. The first one to come out was the blonde, she walked with determination to the front door, first day and she was already skipping? The chick had balls.
" Bye Peyton! Have fun with your vibrator!" the voice was a whisper shout, the blond turned and flipped the brunette off that was now standing in the middle of the hall. Owen ducked back and waited for the blonde to leave and give him time to sweep the other girl off her feet. The girl leaned against some lockers and whipped out her phone, furiously typing on it. Owen straighten out his clothes, popped a mint in his mouth and he was ready.
"Hey you lost?" the girl hid her phone away so fast he practically saw her hands blur. Once she saw he wasn't a teacher she relaxed and leaned against the lockers.
"nope just waiting on a friend." She puckered her lips in concentration and then smiled, she had perfect white teeth and dimples that could melt him." Hey aren't you Morello?"
She knew his name!" Yuh." He cockily leaned down on her, he could drown in her green eyes.
She pushed him back with her finger," You don't like my friend." She side stepped around him and leaned against the other lockers, across from him.
Who was her friend? " Who? Maybe I can learn to like him… in exchange for a name of course." He crossed his arms and watched her.
"Maybe you can meet him; he'll be here in a few." She didn't tell him her name, damn. He was getting tired of her games.
He crossed the few steps to her and leaned down his face to her's again. She bit her lip and stared at him in the eyes, he was hypnotized by those pink pillowy lips. He was leaning down even more to capture those lip," Yo Davis!" she ducked from beneath his burly arms and skipped to the punk, Scott. The kid wrapped his arm around her and she held on to him with both arms, his blood seethed.
"Whoa, hold on! Davis? As in Brooke Davis?" the girl nodded at him with a beaming smile while the Scott kid just frowned at him.
" Yup!"
Brooke Davis was another legend, she was notorious by the trouble she got herself in middle school and there were lots of predictions for the freshman already. But if Owen recalled well, it was Scott, Davis and another name he couldn't remember, where was the third person? " See you later Morello, we got to go." With that the Scott kid steered him and Brooke around Owen and kept walking. Owen latched on to Brooke's wrist," I think you owe me a kiss." He waggled his eyebrows at her and she tried pulling her arm away, Nathan didn't know if he should intercede, he had to let Brooke fight her own battles sometimes.
" Eww perv let go." She scrunched up her nose and pulled, Owen was stubborn and didn't loosen his grip. All of a sudden he was turned around and received major abuse too his face, he had just gotten slapped!
She was beyond gorgeous, she was flawless, Brooke was forgotten instantly and replaced the tall redhead girl, with the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen. The name Gatina popped up in his brain, Rachel Gatina was the third person that completed their little troublesome group. He recalled the cheerleaders who loved to gossip, refer to them as the bratpack. They were loyal to each other, but so reckless and cruel.
There he was the filling of a pissed off Rachel, smirking Brooke and sulking Nathan pie.
He had fallen head over heels for that girl and it was all thanks to the smirking brunette. He needed Rachel, it was so odd to think about it but he just couldn't function without her. If Rachel wanted the Statue of Liberty named after her, he would make it possible, if she needed the sun to set on her demand he would arrange that, if she wanted the moon he would reach it for her.
He walked into Brooke's assigned room; she was sleeping while Rachel kept guard over her. Owen cleared his throat and Rachel's body snapped to his direction so gracefully that he was breathless.
"What are you doing here?" her question sounded harsh as she hissed it out to him. What was he doing here? He didn't even know it himself.
"I-I wanted to see how Brooke was and to see if you needed anything." Her heart melted a little at his deep voice, she could have been a puddle of mush.
"Owen?" Brooke's voice broke their moment, she looked a bit confused.
Owen's throat itched with apologies and his body prickled with sweat and Brooke just laid there in her hospital bed with her left leg prompted up, cool as a motherfucking cucumber. Rachel had left for the cafeteria claiming to go get Brooke's favorite Topeka pudding just to avoid her questions, leaving Owen to deal with Brooke's wrath.
"So did I interrupt a Browen reunion?" Brook's sarcasm bleed through him, he regarded her with serious eyes.
" Brooke I came here to apologize with you, I shouldn't of have let Rachel have so much to drink an-and-" Brooke held her hand up to stop his word vomit.
"Owen just shut up and help me off this bed, my favorite kind of pudding is chocolate not some damn Topeka." Owen hurriedly rush to her side and helped her into the wheel chair. He was grateful that Brooke didn't blame him or call security to throw him out or something.
Brooke just wanted to go home and hide hell she didn't even want to go back to Rachel's house; she would prefer her own cold one because there was never one else but her. Nathan hadn't stopped by to see her, the only one that had been by her had been Rachel since she had woken up. Rachel had mentioned earlier that Peyton would stop by with Lucas to pick her up and help Rachel get Brooke situated. So where the hell was Nathan?
She hadn't been able to get any rest emotionally or mentally, she needed to tell him.
Nathan couldn't bring himself to talk to the girl of his possible future, Brooke, he knew that he wanted to spend every waking minute with her but didn't know how to make it possible. He had treated her in the long run as nothing else but a toy that he picked up and threw away every time he was bored, he was ashamed of himself for not taking her seriously and for not breaking up with Haley sooner. He hadn't even had the balls to speak to her as soon as she had woken up. He was scared shitless and was clueless as hell.
He knew Brooke and she was transparent as a piece of glass to him. What could he do, what was he expected to do?
Rachel trembled with nerves; she couldn't bring herself to look at Brooke as she calmly ate her chocolate pudding with Owen quietly making small talk with her. This wasn't happening only in the fucking twilight zone would Brooke bring herself to have a civil conversation with Owen of all people. Rachel couldn't save face if her life depended on it, what other proof could there be that there was something seriously going on between her and him but that he was right there sitting across from her. He had silently asked with his eyes if she was ok and she had just nodded, the smile that had broken across his face had warmed her heart and it scared her.
"Could you please throw my plate away Owen?" Brooke's voice jarred her out of her thoughts and hearing the sickenly sweet tone that she used put Rachel on high alert. Brooke timidly smiled at her and that made Rachel's heart race, this sneaky skank was up to something.
"We need to talk Rachel and whatever you and Owen have going on is none of my business." That single statement made something in Rachel's inside curl with pleasure, in her own twisted little way Brooke had somewhat given her the approval. She wanted to lock Owen in a closet and have her way with him.
" Sure like now or…?" Brooke nodded her head and held her timid smile in place." Owen I'm going to take Brooke outside to the recovery patient park while you grab lunch." Without a backwards glance she grabbed Brooke's wheel chair and silently wheeled her down the hallway and into the elevator to get to the ground floor. Through all of this Brooke didn't glance at her once, Rachel just prayed that whatever it was wouldn't be bad and be something like their friendship ending.
Brooke silently twisted the hospital issued blanket between her fingers and looked everywhere but at Rachel's face. The October wind was biting and Brooke snuggled closer in the blanket, she was sitting across from Rachel in her wheelchair and Rachel sat on the wooden bench.
"I hope your warm because my ass is on this cold bench and I'm pretty sure I'm getting frost bite on it!" Rachel huffed her indignations and tried to find warmth in her leather jacket and Brooke just stuck her tongue out at her," Whatever skank your fat ass has enough warmth in one butt cheek for the both of us!" Rachel smacked Brooke upside the head and ruffled the brunette's hair who just pouted.
Brooke tried to smooth her hair in vain since the wind picked up and made it an unruly mess once again," Ok let's be serious for just one second here." Brooke waited for Rachel to stop smirking," You and Owen its cool honestly as long as he's not being shady." Rachel's face turned as red as her hair roots she prepared to protest but Brooke hushed her with a scathing look," It's cool Rachel it honestly is but I just ask that you stop with the binge drinking and whatever other little surprises I don't know about."
Rachel's mind was running around in circles trying to wrap her head around the idea of Brooke actually approving of Owen." Wha- Wha-" Brooke giggled uncontrollably at the red head's shocked face.
" What I'm about to tell you just don't flip out on me I only found out like two days ago and you are the only other one that knows…" Brooke shut her eyes counted to ten, let a big breath of air out," I'm pregnant as in knocked up by Nathan!" Brooke's heart stopped as she waited for the explosion to happen, she waited a couple more seconds and nothing. Brooke opened her eyes and Rachel just looked at her, she didn't make a sound.
Rachel couldn't wrap her mind around what Brooke had just said, what she could say? The unexpected had just happened to two of her best friends and she had no idea what to think f it or say. The least the Rachel could do was try," Brooke you do know that now you can officially be a fat ass with a good excuse?" Brooke's eyes widened in surprise but they soon filled with tears.
"Damn it Rachel I hadn't even thought of that!"Brooke leaned forward to envelope Rachel in a big ass hug.
" Brooke everything will be ok and if it isn't then I will set things straight." Rachel reveled in the warmth of Brooke's hug and the newfound revelation, they could go through anything, they could.
"Have you told Nathan?" sudden frigid air hit her in the face, Brooke was slumped n her chiar with her face buried in her lap.
" No I haven't. There's Haley and he hasn't even stopped by to see me and-and I don't know, I absolutely don't know."
Nathan took a big breath and looked at the Tree Hill hospital, he continued sitting in his truck, and he was frozen with anxiety. He took another big breath but his body wasn't responding with his minds thoughts at trying to get out of the damn truck and moving his ass out.
He grabbed all his courage and with his heart on his sleeve he left the safety of his vehicle and walked forward to his possible future.
"Nathan fucking Royale Scott get your ass out of bed and go apologize to Peyton!" Nathan didn't dare move out from under his covers, he really didn't want to face a burning Rachel and steaming Brooke, but then again he shouldn't of have been a jackass to his girlfriend the night before. Cold air hit his bare back as Rachel pulled the covers away from him and he felt how he was being pulled out of bed by Brooke whose fingernails were digging into his ankles.
"No! Let go you wench!" Rachel jumped on top of him and tried smothering him, he rolled over and both landed on the hardwood floor. "BROOKE ATTACK!"
"NO!" Both Rachel and Nathan yelled but too late they were squished as Brooke giddily bounced on them repeatedly.'
"Brooke are you decent?" he softly opened the door and just found two sleeping girls, one wrapped in bundles of blankets and wrapped in the other girl's arms. Rachel was on the outside of the blanket burrito, she held Brooke in her arms, both of their hair was fanned out around their heads creating a halo of fiery red and dark brown.
On the left side of the bed sat Owen in an armchair all splayed out, sleeping heavily as his snores practically shook the room. Nathan felt a swelling of jealousy surge within him, he should of have been the one sleeping on that arm chair, he should have been here the whole day spending it with them but he had been an ass and not showed up until it was too late.
The slamming of a door jarred Owen awake, he looked around quickly making sure that Rachel and Brooke were still sleeping. He smiled once he saw them fast asleep on the bed, peace and security was written in their features, he intended to keep it that way.
Rachel stretched her arms and curled her toes, it was five in the afternoon and it was time to go home and take Brooke with them also. She rolled out of bed, trying not to wake Brooke. She padded softly over to Owen and shoved him, when it came to waking him she had to try her hardest, he was like a damn rock. He snorted and swatted her hands away; she sucker punched him," Whaaa!" he glared at her and she just blew him a kiss.
She held her finger up to her lips to silence him and nodded her head at Brooke, he grumbled and huffed but helped her anyways to gather all their stuff and get Brooke's things ready.
Lucas and Peyton quickly made their way to Brooke's room with the nurse and busted in the room with balloons and shouts. Brooke woke with a start and started smiling once she caught sight of the two blondes.
"Leyton!" she opened her arms to receive hugs from both of them. Rachel left with Owen to sign the release forms, Rachel had used her fake idea and pretended to be Brooke's older cousin in order to be able to see her and to prevent the hospital from calling their parents.
Peyton played with Brook's hair as Lucas started telling them his master plan," I think Nathan should be your slave, he should carry all of your books….No! Better yet he should carry you all around school!" Peyton threw her pillow at him!
" Babe you give blondes a bad name sometimes." Brooke chuckled along with Peyton as Lucas just scratched the back of his head as he watched them poke fun at him.
"You guys are no fun!" He pouted and sat down grumpily on the chair.
His large callous fingers intertwined with her small dainty ones, Rachel looked down in wonder at their hands and a smile graced her face. "I think we should make this official Red." Owen's words made Rachel's eyes bug out of her face and her heart started fluttering. He brought his face down to hers, gave her a slow sweet kiss," Will you be my girlfriend Rachel Gatina?"
Rachel melted on the spot,"Ah-ah yes! YES!" she wrapped her arms around him, she reached up on her tippy toes and attacked his face with light kisses until she she kissed his pouting lips, nice and slow.
Things were kind of looking up so far, maybe a happy ending wasn't too absurd for the jaded teens.
The next chapter is when everything explodes BIG time.