First off, I wanted to say thank you so much to all of you lovely readers and reviewers. And I wanted to say thank you to one lovely reviewer in particular, ReadingRed, who suggested that I put in a little link in this chapter.
This story is based on something that happens in real life every single day. You could make a difference. Go to BeTheMatch {dot} org, and see what you can to do help. You could save a life. When I went to the site, I registered. It's really very simple and free, just a swab of your cells from inside your cheek could match up and save someone's life. They'll mail you the kit and everything (I'm waiting on mine now). I really, really recommend it to all of you. Without further adieu, the next chapter!
It wasn't until three nights later that Brooke's friends returned to their respective homes. Brooke had to forcibly drag Lucas to his car, insisting that he return to his worried and lonely mother.
"Brooke, I appreciate you looking out for her, but she's fine."
"And so am I! I just got three nights with you, the least you can do is give her one. Besides, you have got to go back to school. It's a wonder any of you are going to graduate!"
"Fine," Lucas agreed reluctantly. "But you promise me you'll call if you need me?"
Brooke rolled her eyes. "Of course. You called Charlotte right?"
"Yes, she knows what happened. She briefly explained to Chance that we can't see her for a bit, but that we'll see her by the end of next week," he smiled, kissing her softly. "I love you."
"I love you too. Goodnight, Luke."
She walked back into her house, making sure to solidly lock the door. In the still silence, she was suddenly a little bit afraid. She took a deep breath and pulled Lucas's sweatshirt tighter around her body. Her bruises were only slightly faded now, her aches and pains marginally better.
She made her way into the kitchen, deciding to make herself a cup of tea. When the kettle whistled, she poured it into her mug with a smile.
"You make this too easy," came an all too familiar voice, one that had come to haunt her nightmares.
She screamed, turning and throwing the steaming contents of her mug at the intruder. He screamed in pain, gripping at his face. Brooke panted; he was smarter now, blocking her access to her knives. Instead, he pulled one out himself.
"You ready for some fun, Brookie?"
She went to bolt, but he grabbed her and held the knife up near her throat.
"Just give me what I want and I'll go," he whispered into her ear, biting at her neck.
Brooke kicked back, hitting him in the groan before running toward the phone again. Again, he foiled her plan by knocking it over.
"Leave me alone!" Brooke shouted. She ran to the front door, desperately trying to unlock both locks with her shaking hands.
"Leaving so soon?" he asked, pressing her against the door. He started unbuttoning her jeans, trying to yank them off. Brooke closed her eyes, trying to remember all of the self defense that Jake had taught her just that morning.
She used the palm of her hand to ram his nose upward. She heard the crack of it breaking and took advantage of his howling to grab the nearest object, a picture frame containing a photo of her and Peyton when they were twelve. She smashed it on his head, returning to her task of unlocking the door.
"I don't think so," he growled, throwing her onto the ground. "Now you've really made me mad, Brooke."
He picked her up despite her kicking and clawing and placed her in a chair, holding her by the hair, looking around him before smirking. He grabbed her toaster, yanking the cord out of the back and using it to tie her to the chair. She began to hop around pitifully, trying to undo the binds.
"How cute," he mocked, pointing to a picture of her and Lucas on the fridge. It was one of her favorites, snapped at a party. All around them, people are blurred, but Lucas was looking down at Brooke, simply beaming with affection as she giggled into his neck.
He walked to the stove, turning on the flame and lighting the picture on fire. Brooke glared at him.
"He's going to kill you," she mocked. "He knows it was you, and I told him not to do anything because of Peyton, but the second I tell him he can, he is going to hunt you down and he will absolutely kill you."
Derek laughed. "Peyton? I'm not even Peyton's real brother. You really are stupid, aren't you, Brookie? I saw you on her webcam all the time, and I was simply infatuated. It was easy enough to come up with the story the more I listened to her bitch and whine about people always leaving-"
"Don't you dare!" Brooke shouted. "Don't you dare talk about my best friend, you sick twisted bastard."
He slapped her across the face, leaving her reeling. The locks began to make noise, drawing his attention.
"Brooke?" came Peyton's tentative voice.
"No! Peyton!" she screamed, trying to warn her. Derek growled, leaping at her.
Peyton screamed. "BROOKE!"
Brooke's blood froze as she heard another scream; Haley. Haley, as in her pregnant best friend Haley.
Brooke finally lost it, succumbing to her tears. "He's not your brother," she sobbed over the scuffling sounds of whatever was occurring in her living room.
"Not my best friend, you fucking psycho," she heard Peyton shout, and then a loud crashing. Haley came running, rapidly working to untie Brooke.
"Haley," she sobbed. "Haley, you've got to get out, the baby-"
"I'm not leaving without you!" Haley insisted, grabbing her face and looking her in the eye. "It's going to be okay, Brooke."
"HALEY!" she screamed. Derek grabbed Haley by the neck, shoving her against the fridge. Brooke was free now, standing shakily and leaping onto Derek's back, screeching and scratching. Peyton was still in the living room, lying on the ground groaning. She pulled out her phone and dialed Lucas.
"Luke," she gasped out. "Luke, Haley and I went the Brooke's, come fast. Call Jake, Nate."
She hung up without waiting for his response, forcing herself upward despite the pain in her back. She ran into the kitchen to see Brooke get thrown from Derek's back. Peyton instinctively threw herself in front of Haley, taking another hit in the face from what she had thought was her brother.
Brooke ran past, beginning to go up the stairs. She appeared to have a plan.
"Haley!" Peyton yelled, and Haley instantly ran to follow the brunette. Peyton squared off, ready to face Derek. She gulped down the blood flowing from her face that was running into her mouth. She finally swung back, satisfied when it sent him reeling. She kneed him as hard as she could in the gut, throwing him on the ground and slamming a chair over his body. He was still and she raced upstairs to join her friends. Brooke was wildly searching for something, and Haley was trying to move the decorative table from the hall in front of the stairs as a barricade.
"I think he's down," Peyton panted, doubling over. "I called Luke."
Haley launched herself to hug Peyton, tears forming in her eyes. "We need to call 911."
Peyton nodded before cursing. "My phone fell near Derek."
"You can't go back," Haley insisted. They went off into Peyton's room to find the home phone.
A sudden growl jarred them. Derek grabbed Haley, kicking and yelling, dragging her down the hall and pulling at her hair.
"LET GO!"
He grabbed her by the neck again, lifting her and throwing her over the table, sending her tumbling down the stairs. Peyton ran out of the room, taking in the scene.
"HALES!"
"You next?" Derek asked, lunging at her. He bent her over the desk, choking her.
"Haley, hang in there, please," Peyton gasped toward her. "It's going to be okay."
"The baby," Haley sobbed.
"I know, it's going to be fine," she choked.
Derek suddenly released Peyton as he saw Brooke going into a room. He grabbed her ankle, sending whatever was in her hand toward the ground. She went for it and he tripped her. She crawled desperately on the ground, managing to twist and stand, kicking him hard.
"Peyton!" she screamed. "Table! Cheer camp, eighth grade!"
Peyton's eyes widened as she hastily moved the table out of the way and knelt in front of the stairs. Brooke kicked him again, sending him flying over Peyton and down the stairs. Peyton, however, tumbled with him.
As soon as she hit the ground, Peyton crawled desperately toward the sobbing Haley. Derek grabbed her, dragging her back.
"Leaving now? Little rich girls can't fight?" he mocked.
A sudden sound caused he and Peyton to both look up. Both pairs of eyes widened.
"The little rich girls think they'll stay awhile," she growled, a gun pointed at his forehead.
The front door slammed open, Lucas and Nathan staring in shock at the scene before them. Nathan paled as soon as he saw his wife.
"No, Haley!" he shouted, kneeling beside her.
"Brooke," Lucas whispered.
Brooke was focused solely on her attacker. "You took my life and you turned it into a nightmare. And all I have thought about is that I hate you."
She cocked the gun, finger on the trigger. Haley sobbed brokenly on the floor.
"Brooke!"
Brooke glanced over but focused her attention back on Derek.
"Brooke, please don't. I need you," Haley gasped out.
"But you are not worth my time," Brooke suddenly hissed. "And you are not worth my life."
She made a sudden movement, causing all breath in the room to halt. She took the gun and slammed him across the face, tears filling her eyes.
"You have a nice night," she growled through her tears, throwing the gun toward the living room. Sirens could be heard outside. Lucas grabbed her, holding her to him as she sobbed. Jake came rushing in just before the police. Several of them arrested Derek, hauling him out of the house. Brooke and Peyton were dragged away from their panicked boyfriends, while Nathan followed Haley into an ambulance.
Both girls were wrapped in fire blankets whilst being questioned outside.
"Hoes over psychos?" Brooke asked tentatively. Peyton managed a shaky grin, fist bumping Brooke.
"You bet," Peyton croaked.
"Haley," Brooke breathed. "The baby..."
"I'm sure it's going to be okay," Peyton assured. "How are you?"
"I can't breath very well," Brooke managed. "And I think he cut my neck. You?"
"Definitely been better," the blonde managed to chuckle.
Their boyfriends approached, insisting on them also going to the hospital for a check up. The four piled into the second ambulance together while the girls underwent a preliminary checkup.
"Miss Davis, I think you have a couple of fractured ribs," the paramedic said, pressing against her side. She hissed in pain, grasping Lucas.
"Definitely a broken hand," said the paramedic poking at Peyton.
Little was said between the teens as they arrived at the hospital. Nathan was the first thing they saw in the emergency room, leaning against a wall, crying openly.
"Nate," Brooke gasped.
She went to approach him, but was guided away by the paramedic. "You need to be checked out further."
"Is Dr. Grant here?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said, confused. "But he's a cancer specialist-"
"I'm in treatment right now," she said simply. "I want to see him, please."
"Of course."
Minutes later, Dr. Grant rushed into the room that Peyton and Brooke had been situated in.
"Brooke!" he exclaimed. He examined her, his face grave.
"We're going to have to wait at least six weeks to do the transplant now," he said, his voice extremely sad.
"Why?" Peyton insisted.
"Your body won't take to it if you're this injured."
Peyton and Brooke exchanged grave looks. The two remained in their room, awaiting news on Haley, stuck separated from their friends. Peyton reached out her good hand, grabbing Brooke. The two finally began to cry. Brooke stood up and moved to Peyton's bed, laying beside her. They held each other and sobbed.
They sobbed for their shared childhood, and all the pain they had seen in that time. All the abandonment, death, and loneliness. They cried for their adolescence, how they had tried to grow up so fast with alcohol and sex. They cried for the time they had lost in their Bermuda triangle. They cried for the times they had missed out on, for the times they had had but were now over.
If Brooke didn't make it until the transplant, it was all over.
They crossed their fingers and hoped to God that Haley and her baby would be okay. If they weren't, it was all over. Everything would have fallen apart.
Okay wow, that was very intense and dramatic. I hadn't intended for that to happen. I combined like eight OTH fight scenes into one haha. Chance will return in the next chapter, I wanted to keep her out of the stalker mess.