Hey everybody.

Here is chapter 18.

Chapter 18: Realizations and confrontations

"I'm sorry." said Tammy.

"Why did you do it?" asked Brooke

"It's complicated." she said.

"You lied to me Tammy." stated Sam disappointed, "You said that you didn't drink anymore. You said that it was nothing."

"What was nothing?" asked Brooke.

"Sam stop!" warned Tammy.

Tammy didn't want Sam to tell Brooke. She just wanted it to go away. If Sam told Brooke then it would ruin everything.

"No Tammy you need to tell her whats going on right now!" yelled Sam standing up, "Tell her why you did it!"

"Sam SHUT UP!" Tammy yelled back.

"TELL ME WHAT!" Brooke yelled.

"I'M GAY!" shouted Tammy

ONE WEEK LATER...

It had been one week since Tammy had come out to Brooke and Sam. She had been avoiding the two ever since. Brooke had grounded her but Tammy still found the time to sneak out and come home late from school. Brooke had tried everything including taking her phone, laptop, and iPod away but Tammy wouldn't talk to her or behave and she had even gotten drunk again the day after she came home from the hospital but thankfully Sam had stopped her before it got too bad.

Brooke had also banned Tammy from playing on the basketball team. Tryouts were in a few days and Tammy was determined to go to them whether or not she got permission. She had been sneaking out every night to the river court so that she could train. She didn't like going behind Brooke and Sam's back but she wasn't going to talk to them about her hospital confession.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" asked Brooke as she and Sam walked over Tammy.

It was early, barely eight in the morning and Tammy had been at the river court ever since about three. She knew that Sam and Brooke didn't wake up until around nine or ten so she just planned on getting back home before then. They would never know, or so she thought. She had done this multiple times before and never gotten caught.

"Here." remarked Tammy sarcastically.

"Tammy you know that you're grounded and aren't supposed to be playing basketball." ordered Brooke.

Tammy just rolled her eyes and shot the ball again. The ball swished in the net and she smiled. Brooke crossed her arms over her chest disappointed. She knew that Tammy was acting out for a reason and she knew that she could help but there was no way Tammy was going to talk to her.

Sam saw the look on Brooke's face and shook her head. She ran over and grabbed the basketball.

"Listen to her!" ordered Sam sternly.

"Give me back my ball Sam!" yelled Tammy.

"Not until you start talking." said Sam, "Why are you acting like such a bitch!:"

Tammy tackled Sam to the floor and started to hit her. Sam rolled them both over so that she was on top of Tammy. She lifted her fist in the air and was about to punch her when Brooke yelled.

"SAM STOP!" yelled Brooke.

Sam stopped and looked down at Tammy. She looked like she was about to cry. Sam closed her eyes and let out a sigh. She looked over her shoulder at Brooke who was standing nearby then back at Tammy.

"She won't hurt you Squirt. She loves you." said Sam honestly.

The last three words struck something inside Tammy. The floodgates of her eyes let loose and the tears began to fall freely. Sam got off of her and helped her up. She held her close and let her cry as she tried her best to soothe her.

"Hey." said Brooke calmly placing a hand on Tammy's shoulder.

Tammy wiped her tears and looked up at Brooke, her mother.

"I'm not mad at you." said Brooke simply, "I just don't understand why you are acting like this."

"I thought that you would be disappointed in me if you knew that I was the way I am, mostly because I hate it. I just figured that you were going to be disgusted with me and that you wouldn't want me anymore. I was scared." explained Tammy.

Brooke grabbed Tammy's hand in hers and held it tight making the teen look at her. She smiled at her softly .

"Honey I could never in a million years be disgusted with you. I love you no matter who it is that you love. You are still my daughter no matter what and I will never send you away. Tree Hill is your home with me and Sam and the rest of our crazy family. Nothing could ever change that." she replied.

"I tried to make myself like Layden because it was easier but I knew deep down that it felt wrong. Every time I tried to picture us together it just went so wrong in my head. It was like I was trying to be someone else, someone better." stated Tammy putting her head down.

Sam stepped closer to her mother and sister knowing that she had to say something.

"Tammy you are amazing and don't need to try to be anyone or anything but yourself. You are not wrong because of the way you feel and shouldn't spare your happiness because you are afraid of something happening after you die. You have one life Tammy and you should spend it loving someone that makes you happy. And I know that's Alex not Layden." said Sam.

Tammy looked up at Sam shocked. She had no idea that her sister had known that she had feelings for Alex. She had thought that she did a good job hiding it, except for her little outburst with Alex and going to her and Layden's birthday party.

"Is that why you've been avoiding her?" said Brooke more as a statement then a question.

Brooke was finally starting to understand why she had been acting the way she had. Tammy was confused. She didn't understand what she was feeling and she was scared. Brooke wished that Tammy didn't care so much about what people thought about her but she knew it was natural for a teen her age.

"I didn't mean to act so stuck up and bitchy. I just didn't want things to change. And I can't hurt Layden. He likes me but I don't feel the same way and Alex is his sister. Plus I don't even know if she likes girls." said Tammy as she kicked the ground below her.

"Hey. Life's all about taking risks. You can't learn to fly until you spread your wings so maybe what you need to do is talk to Layden first and then Alex." said Brooke, "It could make life so much simpler."

Tammy nodded.

"So how much trouble am I in?" asked Tammy.

"None. Well you are still grounded but only for a week okay. That's for running off and making me and Sam worry. You can however try out for the basketball team like you wanted but I need you to promise me one thing." said Brooke.

"Anything." said Tammy quickly.

"You will talk to me from now on. No more hiding things okay?" said Brooke.

Tammy looked at Brooke weirdly. Sam laughed.

"I promise. No more secrets." said Tammy honestly

"Okay now I am giving you one hour to go and talk to Layden." said Brooke, "One hour and then I want you and Sam at Haley's house. Sam at Haley's for dinner."

"Wait Sam has to come with me?" asked Tammy.

"Yes. I do not want you running off again and I do trust you but I just want to be safe." said Brooke.

Tammy just nodded. Sam walked over and pulled her along as they began to walk towards Alex and Layden's house. It was silent until Tammy began to speak.

"Sorry I tackled you to the ground." apologized Tammy.

"It's okay. I'm more mad about you and the drinking. I mean Tammy you lied straight to my face." stated Sam.

"I knew you would tell Brooke if I said anything and sometimes I really don't want to be this not that I don't like people who are gay it's just that people are going to treat me so different if I am. I don't want that."

"You can't control what people say about you but you can ignore them. They only say stuff about you because they are insecure about themselves. People who judge you for what you are are assholes and trust me if I see anyone ever messing with you for anything including this I'm going to do some damage."

Tammy couldn't help but laugh. Sam was always overprotective of her and even though sometimes it got really annoying she had to admit that she liked it. At that moment she felt kind of stupid hiding everything from her and Brooke considering the way that both of them had reacted. She felt lucky.

Soon they reached the light blue house in which Alex and Layden lived. Tammy looked at Sam uneasily.

"It's now or never." said Sam.

Tammy walked up the stairs and rang the doorbell. She waited until someone opened the front door. She swallowed hard as she saw that it was Alex. Alex saw Tammy and stepped out onto the porch.

"Hey." said Tammy calmly.

"Um are you okay? I heard about what happened in school and I wanted to come see you in the hospital but after what happened in the morning I didn't know if you would want to see me. And when you didn't show up at the party it just got worse." said Alex.

She watched Sam and could see her uneasiness. She didn't understand what was going on with her but it didn't seem as though she was going to tell her.

"Is Layden here?" asked Tammy.

"He's in his room." said Alex.

Tammy walked past Alex and headed for Layden's room. Alex stood there confused. She sat on her porch steps and starred at Sam waiting for some sort of answer, figuring that Tammy's sister would have the answer to all of this. Sam saw her confusion and sat beside her on the steps.

"Is she mad at me?" asked Alex, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No you didn't do anything wrong." replied Sam honestly and calmly, "Tammy is just going through a lot right now. She's just scared and sometimes when she's like that she pulls away from everyone, even me and Brooke."

Alex sighed and looked down at her hands. One question had been haunting her ever since what had happened in the school.

"Why did she almost drink herself to death?" she question silently but loud enough for Sam to hear.

"That isn't for me to tell. If you want to know then you are going to have to ask her but give her some time. She'll go to you if she wants to talk about it. If she's pushed she'll close up again and lie about the whole thing."

"I wish I could help her." said Alex sadly.

"Hey, she will be fine and you can help her by being there for her. It isn't as bad as you think but she's just lost right now."

"So am I."

Tammy walked through Alex and Layden's house realizing that she had been in such a rush to get away from Alex that she had forgotten to ask where was Layden's room.

"Layden!" she called out hoping that he would hear her.

Sure enough Layden walked out of a room down the hall. He smiled when he saw her and motioned for her to go over. She walked into his room and sat on the bed. His room had posters all over the wall of sports teams and movies. She thought it looked cool in a "jockish" way.

"So are you okay?" asked Layden.

"Yeah I'm fine." said Tammy.

"Why did you do it?"

Tammy sighed. Layden wasn't one to beat around the bush.

"Can we talk?" asked Tammy awkwardly.

"I thought that was what we were doing." jokes Layden.

When Layden sees the seriousness on Tammy's face he stops laughing and sits on the bed beside her. Tammy was quiet for a while she didn't really know what to say and wasn't sure that when she told him the truth that he wouldn't get angry. She didn't want to hurt him because she did still care about him even though she didn't feel the same way as she felt about Alex.

"I'm gay." said Tammy without looking at Layden.

Suddenly there was a quietness in the room and Tammy mentally kicked herself for thinking that Alex would understand and listening to Brooke and Sam. She felt like an idiot.

"Maybe I should leave." said Tammy quickly.

"No." says Layden grabbing her arms before she can get off of the bed.

"Is that why you did it?" asked Layden patiently.

Tammy nodded her head yes.

"Why would you do that Tammy? You could have seriously hurt yourself. Do you know that?"

"I just wanted the feelings to go away. I felt wrong and scared. I didn't know what else to do and I was driving myself crazy. I have feelings for someone that I don't even know is like me and I highly doubt that she is."

"My sister."

Tammy looked at Layden is disbelief. She didn't understand how the people around her could understand this all better than she could. It didn't make any sense to her. She thought that she had hid everything so well but guessed that her outburst with Alex hadn't helped the situation.

"How did you know?" asked Tammy.

"Well what happened at school the morning before the drinking got me thinking about how you had been acting lately and I guess I just put things together." replied Layden.

"Are you mad?"

"No of course not. How could I be mad at you? I do wish you would have talked to me though instead of avoiding me and my sister but I understand why you did it."

"I'm sorry if I lead you on."

Layden smiled and wrapped an arm around Tammy's shoulder.

"Trust me I will be fine. As for Alex I think you need to definitely talk to her because this isn't as messes up as you think and if it answers your question then Alex does like girls but you need to be patient with her. Alex has been through a lot in the past year that complicates things." informed Layden.

"She's worth it though." said Tammy simply.

There you go.

I hope you all liked it.

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