A/N: WOW! I'm totaly failing at this whole updating thing aren't i? Well, I don't really have an excuse. But I am sorry to keep you guys waiting! And I do have a big announcement to make at the end of the chapter so make sure you read it!
"Go Nathan!" Peyton shouted, watching Lucas and Jake take on Nate at the Rivercourt. The girls were sitting on the picnic table, all watching their boys, Brooke's eyes not once leaving Lucas' form.
"You've got it bad New Girl!" Haley laughed, bumping Brooke's shoulder with her own, bringing her out of her day dreams.
"I hate when yall call me New Girl," Brooke mumbled, forcing herself to not smile.
"Too bad New Girl!" Peyton joked.
"P. Sawyer, shut up!" Brooke giggled.
"I'm happy for you and Lucas," Peyton said, making Brooke and Haley stare in disbelief.
"Really?" Brooke asked in shock. Peyton rolled her eyes at the two of them, scoffing.
"You can wipe those looks off your faces! I am capable of being happy!"
"Since when? Peyt, we've been friends since elementary, and you've always been the brooding bitch!" Haley said with a grin on her face, the opposite of the scowl on Peyton's face.
"You know what Hales? Why don't you go suck face with Jake and shut the hell up?" she said rudely. Haley, used to Peyton's moods, just rolled her eyes and walked away.
"See? Now there's the Bitchy we all know and love!" Brooke laughed.
"B. Davis, shut up!" Peyton mocked, repeating Brooke's words.
"So, did you mean it?" Brooke asked, glancing at Peyton from the corner of her eye. Peyton watched Nathan and Lucas play each other one on one for a moment before answering.
"Yeah, I did," she sighed, "It was about time Luke pulled his head out of his ass!"
"But why? I mean, you hated me for so long!"
"Yeah, about that…I think I owe you some kind of explanation. Let's take a walk," Peyton suggested. She slid off the picnic bench and started walking towards the river. Brooke looked at Haley and Jake way too involved in each other over by Peyton's car, to Nate and Luke still playing basketball before joining Peyton.
"Brooke, I have to apologize for the way I treated you. It was wrong and I know it now. But at the time…you have to understand, Lucas is the only stable thing I've ever had in my life."
"But what about Nathan and Haley?" Brooke asked. Peyton looked out over the river as they walked.
"Haley's been my friend since we were kids. But when we got into middle school, just old enough to start forming real bonds, we all got into drinking and drugs, Haley more than anyone else. Honestly, if she hadn't met your brother, she'd probably already be in rehab or overdosed by now. Jake's the best thing that ever happened to that girl!
"And Nathan? Please! Yeah, we're good now. But we weren't always like this. Nate and I have problems that we're still working through. If you couldn't tell, he has somewhat of a drinking problem. And I'm sure Lucas told you about the drugs we used to do. I quit after I drugged you and Nathan found out about Tim. Sorry about that night, by the way!"
"Way over that. Don't worry about it," Brooke mumbled, watching the ground as they walked.
"Anyways, before you moved here, it was worse. The partying, the drinking, the drugs. Most of the time we didn't remember it all. I would hear people whispering about the fights Nate and I would get in at our parties. But I don't really remember them. Luke's told me about them before. He said we would fight about the stupidest things, break up, and then be back together by the end of the night."
The blonde and brunette walked in silence for a few more feet, finally coming to stop beside a park bench. Peyton took a seat, looking out at the water, thinking on her past relationship with Nathan.
Sure, they were messed up. But they loved each other. And that's what kept them together. Peyton knew without a doubt in her mind that she would spend the rest of her life with Nathan. All she had to do was get a handle on his drinking problem. Homeboy seriously needed some help!
While Peyton was contemplating her future with Nathan, Brooke stood by the bench and thought about Lucas. If anyone would have told her when she first moved here that she was going to fall in love, she would have laughed in their face! But now, after going back and forth with Luke for so long, they were finally in a good place. Now she just had to make sure they stayed there!
"Why are you telling me all this?" Brooke asked after a few minutes of silence, honestly curious.
"B/c I need you to understand Brooke! When I say Lucas is the only stable thing I've had in my life, I mean it. And I've been the only stable thing in his. Until you came along," Peyton told her, looking at her from the corner of her eye.
"Peyton, I'd hardly call us stab…." Brooke began before hearing shouting coming from the court. Her and Peyton ran back over to see Jake and Lucas going at it, Nathan trying to get in between them, and Haley shouting for them to stop. They rushed over just as Nathan pushed Jake away from Luke.
"What the hell are you doing Jake?" Brooke screamed at him, jogging up to slap his shoulder.
"Look at his fucking chest!" Jake shouted at her, pointing at Lucas.
"What?" Brooke asked, confused, turning to look at Lucas. As she turned, she realized he didn't have a shirt on. Guessing he got hot during the game, even though it was cold outside, she figured he took his shirt off for that reason. And that's when her eyes fell on the name tattooed across his heart.
"Shit," Brooke mumbled, closing her eyes before turning back to face Jake.
"What the fuck do you have to say about that Sis? You gonna explain it to me?" he demanded. Nathan, Peyton, and Haley hung back, not wanting to intrude. Lucas walked up and stood directly behind Brooke, his hand on her side, over her tattoo of his name, wanting to comfort her in any way possible.
"Jake, look, it's actually a pretty funny story!" Brooke said, laughing slightly.
"See, right after you got here, remember when we all went to that club?" Brooke asked, gesturing with her hands as she spoke, a trait Lucas found quite odd.
"And?" Jake prodded.
"So, Luke and I, and Nathan, all got completely wasted after you, Haley, and Peyton left. I'm talking the drunkest you've ever been in your life. Like, remember that party back when we were 15 and you couldn't remember anything the next day?"
"Brooke! Get on with it! Quit stalling!" Jake yelled, clearly still upset.
"Okay, so, when we left the final bar we went to, Nathan saw this tattoo parlor and thought it would be the coolest idea to get Peyton's name tattooed on his back."
"Idiot," Peyton mumbled from behind them, Nathan hanging his head in embarrassment.
"Sis, that still doesn't explain why Lucas has your name tattooed on his chest. Or why you're acting so weird about it."
"So, you know how I said Luke and me were trashed also? Well, he did that. And I….well…I did this," she muttered, pulling her sweater up to reveal her tatted up side with Lucas' name on it.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? YOU LET HIM BRAND YOU?" Jake screamed, throwing his hands up in the air.
A/N: What'd you think? So my big announcement...After I finish this story, which will be in the next few chapters, I will be taking an extended break from the fanfiction world. I've got alot of things going on in my life that I need to focus on more. My daughter, my custody case, work, family, the 2 books I'm in the process of writing. I hope to eventually come back to you guys and finish up the other stories I have begun. But right now, I just can't do it. But I AM NOT ABANDONING THIS STORY! I WILL FINISH IT BEFORE I TAKE MY EXTENDED BREAK! I want my amazing readers to know that. I will finish All Bets Are Off. And in the future, I plan to finish all my other ideas. I want to thank you guys for being so amazing and welcoming. Morgan, I love you FC. We'll talk more about the It's Perfect adoption idea later!
3 Jenn