Ch. 14 Unraveling
And I'm back!
Nathan made his way down the hallway, his hands on the wall guiding him past the den and through the living room. His body was tired and his movements were strained, his bed called his name but he knew that he just couldn't sleep in this house.
Earlier in the day Dan had pushed him past his limits, ordering him to train nonstop and his body couldn't take much more of the abuse he didn't have much pride left and he knew that he's only escape for the weekend was to flee across town to the Gatina house.
He silently shut the front door and made his way hurriedly across the front lawn and didn't even bother stopping at his truck, he walked.
Rachel rested her head on Brooke's lap and Owen was sprawled out on the floor where he had set camp with pillows and blankets, they were watching his favorite movie, The Guardian, and it was so damn good he always got teary eyed at the end and the girls always teased him about it. Rachel reached out her hand and began playing with Owen's hair, his was cut short and was baby soft, her mind wandered back to another dark headed boy that would come bounding in whatever room the girls were and always lay his head in her lap waiting for her to play with his hair, Nathan, that boy hadn't come back to the house for a whole month now, it was the beginning of December and nothing.
She rarely saw him at school and when she did he'd turn and walk the other way. Rachel glanced up at Brooke who was absently rubbing her pregnant belly, she had began showing by the middle of November and this month they would get to know the sex of the baby. Brooke rarely smiled these days and when she did it was when Owen would bring her favorite ice cream and when Rachel would take her out shopping for the baby.
The cast was gone and now Brooke had to wear a padded boot on her foot and a brace on her knee for two more weeks, she was excited to be able to finally move around with freedom and get ready for the birth of her child.
Brooke traced designs on her baby bump and thought back on last month, when she was younger she always loved November. It represented the only time that her parents came home and they would celebrate thanksgiving as a family, when December came they fled to exotic beaches to escape the south's cold and celebrate New Year's Eve, they always left Brooke home with the Gatina's, Rachel's parents always stayed till Christmas.
This year, November, had been hell on wheels, her parents did a surprise visit , they found out about her pregnancy and when she wouldn't tell them who the father was they disowned her.
The stinging on her scalp only made her wince and hold her pregnant belly and try to protect it, Victoria wouldn't loosen the grip she had on her hair.
"Tell who the bastard's father is!" Brooke shook her head in protest and Victoria only got angrier and swung her around, Brooke held her hands out protectively and landed on the carpet.
" I should on have known better to let you live irresponsibly with that slut of a friend you have, either you tell me the name and we can fix this or you are cut off." Victoria wished more than anything to undo this whole mess with the most of extremes measures: abortion.
Brooke shook with fear, she had never seen her mother this angry, Victoria had never once acted violent to her, maybe an insult here and there but she never got physical.
"I can't tell you who it is." Victoria raised her eyebrows, the evil sinister smile on her face got bigger.
"Well then Brooke you have two hours to clean out this room, take what you can with you, you are no longer welcomed in this house or to our money."
Every single time Brooke thought back to that evening her scalped stung with the memory. She had arrived at Rachel's doorstep with her bags and the rested packed in her beloved baby blue bug Volkswagen. Rachel didn't hesitate to take her in.
Rachel had called her parents and after five hours on the phone pleading, bargaining, and lowering her dignity her parents allowed her to help Brooke with the promise of her attending the college of their choice and they got to meet Owen. Rachel kept mentally kicking herself for promising the last thing, how could she introduce Owen to them? She had never let them meet a boy she was interested in much less actually involved with. Once she told Owen this he let a big shit-eating grin cross his face and she punched him for it.
Owen had integrated himself with the two best friends so flawless it was as if the whole high school drama never happened. He found himself smiling every time he saw Rachel and Brooked teased him without mercy about it.
Owen came down the stairs in the dark, which wasn't a good idea, Brooke's crutches were on the last step and he stumbled over them and almost busted his ass. Lucky for him no one saw that.
He made his way to the kitchen for something to eat and that's where he found Brooke sitting by the counter smacking down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
"Whoa there tiger easy." She glared at him and flipped him off. Brooke busied herself with chewing the last of her sandwich and focused on Owen.
"You wanna know a secret that is about you but you don't even know?" Her hazel eyes looked like cat eyes in the dark and glittered with mirth.
Owen stood there thinking it in his head trying to figure out the riddle, " Ok you got me, what the heck you talking about?"
She shakily stood from her seat, limped over to him, looked up to him and whispered," I know you are in love with my best friend, you want to know how I know?" she paused looked at him with her hypnotizing cat eyes and continued," You look at her like the sun shines outta her ass!"
Boy was Brooke right, Rachel couldn't go anywhere without Owen following her around like a lost love-sick puppy and she loved every second of it.
The movie credits rolled and Rachel realized that Brooke had fallen asleep, she tapped Owen's head and gestured to Brooke when he turned around. He simply got up, arranged her comfortably in his arms and took her to her own room, Rachel began folding the blankets and straightening out the living room.
Diiing
The doorbell rang, she checked her watch and it read back to her with midnight, who could it be? She cautiously looked through the peep hole and gasped.
The door swung open and Nathan found himself staring into dark chocolate eyes that could kick his ass and he deserved the punch that came flying at him.
"What the hell are you doing here?"spit flew out of her mouth but she didn't care, the anger burning through her wanted t destroy the guy that was holding his jaw in pain.
"Just let me crash here tonight, I won't cause any trouble, please Rachel I have nowhere else to go."
Rachel was torn, inside was her heartbroken best friend and standing on her doorstep was the one responsible for all the tears. She took a deep breath," Towels are still in the same place, you still have the same room and everything just don't bother her." She turned and headed back inside of the house leaving the door open for him.
An unsettling feeling settled in her stomach, tomorrow could be hell.
Brooke woke up with a bitter taste in her mouth, looked around and saw that she was in her warm comfortable bed, she mentally thanked Owen for carrying her to her room.
She reached over for her phone, checked the day which was Saturday, decided to hang out with Peyton and texted her.
Brook: Yo let's hang
Peyton: Sure , no Browen?
Brooke: Na they're glued together let's give them some space, Lucas?
Peyton: He's working, just you and me cool?
Brooke: As ice
Peyton: My place in 30 we can go out for breakfast and head over to the mall
Brooke: Read my mind see ya then
Brooke really didn't want to leave her bed but she flung her covers off and looked around for clothes to change into. She decided on black leggings and a green chashmere sweater and some black flats. She hurried to wash her face and mouth and changed. She pulled her hair back and styled it into a side braid. She threw some eyeliner and gloss, she carefully made her way up the stairs to Rachel's room to say goodbye and wake Owen's lazy ass up.
She pounded on the door and heard a annoyed 'go away' but bounded in," Elmo I'm going out! Yo Ponyboy! WAKE UP!" Owen gruffly threw a pillow which she dodged and Rachel sleepily waved at her. Brooke just shook her head at them and closed the door silently.
She grabbed and apple off the kitchen counter, her keys and her coat out of the coat room and walked out the front door. Brooke felt a burning at the back of her head and turned back around to the house and saw the window's drapes flutter, weird.
Nathan looked dumbstruck as Brooke's car pulled out of the drive away, she looked beautiful.
And I'm back, as I have said before and I say it again: this story will be completed! I just started school, my senior year to be exact; in a foreign place where I have no friends and have to start over from scratch…it gets hard
I have a new story please check it out, it'll be like One Tree Hill but different characters, check it out!