Wednesday Bridal brunch
Peyton walked into the cafe. Karen had sectioned off a spot for todays activities. She couldn't decide if Brooke was just extra having something everyday or this is what it was like being apart of a wedding party. She didn't have many girlfriends back in New York so she didn't attend too many weddings and the festivities leading up. But then again thinking back, growing up she really only had one girl friend. It was always her and Brooke. But Brooke had Haley, Bevin, Rachel, and Millie. She began to wonder if the lack of girl friends said a lot about the person she was. Said a lot about her character. Brooke had always been her number one. Then Haley came into the picture. And although she acted supportive of her and Lucas's relationship, she saw the loyalty to Brooke. She remembers the cold shoulder, the whispering, the affection towards Brooke when her and Lucas had ended up together. She knows Haley refused to speak Lucas, she knows Haley was Team Brooke and their friendship had gone through a rough patch because Haley said she knew who he really wanted, not needed to be with.
She looked around seeing all the woman running around. Catching her eye was a little girl sitting at their table drawing. She walked over. "Hi Jenny," she sat down admiring the girls work. "Hi Peyton," she continued with the black crayon not looking up from her drawing. Two minutes later a smile formed on her face. "Look Peyton," Jenny turned her artwork to her. "Its me, daddy, and mommy," she said with her toothless grin. Three stick figures stood on a beach holding hands. Peyton grimaced at the sight of 'mommy' having red hair. Then her demeanor changed. The small child looked sad and pointed at the mommy stick figure. "You see mommy, aunt Peyton?" Peyton nodded. "Rachel isn't my real mommy. My mommy did't want me and she left daddy and I. But auntie Brooke said the only person missing out is my real mommy." Peyton nodded her head. "Auntie Peyton, Rachel is the best mommy though." Peyton started to hate the conversation not wanting to hear about Rachel. "One time, my mommy was invited to this very important party for her job and daddy was going to stay home with me, but then he got really really really sick. And then I called mommy and she told daddy to go to bed and she facetimed me and flew home in a biiiiiiiiiiggggg plane and she got home soooooo quick. Then mommy and I watched the party on tv because mommy said it was an awards show. I don't know what that means." Fuck she thought. Rachel cannot be a good human.
"Auntie Peyton, Auntie Brooke said growing up your mommy acted like a mommy to her. Is that true?" Peyton thought back to their younger years. Her mom taking on the role of being Brooke's mom. Victoria's absence being apparent and Anna not allowing the girl to grow up without love. "Brooke was like my sister. My mom included her in everything." Satisfied by that answer the little girl beamed with a smile.
"It looks beautiful Jenny. You like to draw?" Peyton questioned. "Aunt Peyton you didn't know? I like to draw because of you." Peyton had a look of confusion. How did she influence Jenny? "No Jenny I had no idea. Thats so kind of you." The little girl pulled out another piece of paper and began to draw again. "When daddy and I moved back here, Auntie Brooke used to show me all the pictures you drew. She kept a folder with all of them. My favorite are the ones when you drew them in high school Auntie Brooke says they're so raw with emotion. I don't know what that means though." She took a yellow crayon and begun scribbling. Brooke showed Jenny her drawings? Come on Peyton, don't get sappy with Brooke yet you have an agenda here, she thought.
"Peyton over here," Bevin ushered her over to the counter handing her ice buckets with champagne in it. "I'll be right back kid," Peyton got up moving towards Bevin. Karen was behind the counter piling pastries onto trays to put on the table. Karen shouted, "Brooke will be here in 5 minutes ladies, 5 minutes!" Everyone scrambled towards the table getting the brunch in order. They sat down waiting for the arrival of the Bride to be. Karen stood up with her hands clasped. "I just wanted to thank everyone today before Brooke gets here. I know myself and Victoria," Karen gestured to the woman, "have been going a little overboard for the upcoming nuptials, but being their friends and family I know you know they deserve all of this love." Karen looked towards Victoria smiling at her. Victoria continued, "With everything my Brooke has been through, she deserves all of this and I am blessed to be surrounded with those who support Brucas." Victoria's eyes burned into Peyton's head as she talked about the support.
Before Peyton could scowl back, the bell rang over the door and in walked in Lucas and Brooke. Haley stood up immediately yelling at Brooke as Brooke yelled back giving her a big hug. Brooke looked beautiful. Her hair was curled lightly. Her makeup was more of a natural look with eye shadow making her brown eyes pop. She had on a white dress with a square cut at the chest. It went down to her knees with a little slit. Haley guided the couple to the table. "Ok," she yelled excitedly. "We have a few games that involve Lucas so we are going to start with those first so my BIL can leave and go hang out with the guys at the Rivercourt." The table laughs, "Thanks Hales for thinking of my sanity."
The first game Haley had set up was the shoe game. Brooke and Lucas sat in chairs back to back to each other each with one shoe in their hand. Haley began telling the rules. "Ok guys so I am going to ask a question and Brooke and Lucas are going to raise either shoe of who the statement refers too. You guys are going to guess too. Makes sense?" Haley looked at everyone nod.
"Ok question number 1, who is the better driver?" Lucas's hand shot up with his shoe and everyone laughed and yelled Lucas. Brooke rolled her eyes and lifted up his shoe, "Listen just because I hit curbs doesn't mean I am not a good driver." "Brooklyn you make me car sick going from my house to the shop!" Victoria shouted. Everyone started laughing. "Thats a 7 minute drive!." Brooke stuck her tongue out at her mom. For Peyton, it was so weird to witness the playful banter with Brooke and her mom. She had been absent for so long. Mean. Cold. Horrible. To see her interact with Karen. The woman who would take over the role for Brooke. The woman who held her when she cried, even when it was about Lucas. The woman who supported her dreams. The woman who loved her as if she was her daughter. Brooke would be consider #3 in importance in Karen's life behind Keith and Lucas. Seeing all of them with this relationship and love, Peyton felt like she was in the twilight zone so bewildered at the sight in front of her.
"Question number 2, who is cleaner?" Brooke immediately shot her hand up with her shoe. Lucas put her up as well. Haley continued on with the questions.
"Better cook?" " More adventurous?" "First to apologize" "Better at basketball?" Haley continued.
"Who is more fun?" Brooke and Lucas both shot their hands up with their own shoes. Karen spoke up, "Honey you know I love you, but the only reason you're fun is because of the one sitting behind you." Brooke turned around and stuck her tongue out, "Hah Broody in your face! Even your mama knows I am the fun one." "Whatever babe I'll let you win this one."
"Next, who said I love you first?" Brooke and Lucas both lifted Lucas's shoes. A ton of "awwwwws" came out. "Brooke had me falling for her quicker than I could blink. It was hard not telling her I loved her earlier." It dawned on Peyton, Lucas really never said he loved her. He said "love you", but never "I love you." She started to wonder if what she dreamed of the life with him really was just a dream and nothing more than that.
"All three times Lucas?" Haley laughed. "Thanks a lot Hales. But yes, all three times I said I love you first," Lucas shook his head.
Haley flipped over the last card. "And the final question. Who do you love the most?" Lucas and Brooke both lifted each other's shoes. They both turned towards each other giving a loving kiss. Everyone squealed. Peyton felt like vomiting. The room felt small and she was suffocating.
"Enough enough! Next game!" Haley waved at them. Peyton was more than thankful to stop the Brucas love fest. "Lucas you may leave, we are going to move on to bridal jeopardy! Be back in like an hour. And bring the guys, they can help bring gifts back to your house and have any of the leftover pastries your mom made." Lucas nodded getting up kissing the sides of his mom, Haley, and leaving a lasting one of Brooke. "Goodbye all," he nods off to the group of women. Haley moved to grab a poster board behind the table. She opened it up showing "Bridal Jeopardy" having several categories with envelopes. The categories were, "Brooke," "Lucas," and "Brucas," with envelopes for 100-700. "Now the way we play is its like regular jeopardy. We condensed it to 3 categories because if not we could be here forever," everyone laughed. "If you know the answer to a question raise the Popsicle stick with Brooke's face on it." Haley gestured to the sticks with Brooke's face on it.
"Ok so I am going to pick a name out of a hat to see who goes first." Haley took a plastic bag and shook it picking out a piece of paper. "Ok Karen you start." "I'll take BRUCAS for 300 points." Haley laughed, "Starting off strong. Ok first question, what date did Brooke get Lucas drunk and tattooed?" Rachel's hand flew up wih Brookes face on a popsicle stick. "Rachel," Haley pointed. "First real date at Blue Post with some fake IDS."
"Brooklyn!" Victoria reprimanded. "Corrupted that poor boy on the first shot," she said laughing.
"Haley!" Brooke screeched. "What important part of the Brucas fairytale," Haley said laughing. Since Rachel got it correct, she then picked next and picked, "BROOKE for 300 points." "Ok for 300 points, who was Brooke's first kiss?" Peyton shot the hand up immediately, "Mike Dom in 2nd grade." "P Sawyer how could you remember!?" Brooke laughed. "Brooke after you guys kissed you told him if he was ever mean to me again you'd tell everyone he was a bad kisser!" Peyton was belly laughing remembering them on the playground and Brooke telling her what she said. "Brooke you were blackmailing kids in 2nd grade?" Haley laughed. "What no one was going to be mean to my P. Sawyer," Brooke rolled her eyes. Peyton looked up making eye contact with Rachel, Rachel lifting and eyebrow after that comment.
The game continued. It became very apparent that every time a question had come up under the Brooke Category, Peyton had answered it correctly. "Brooke's first boyfriend;" "Brooke's favorite food;" "Brookes first teacher crush." Unknown to everyone, every time Peyton would answer a question, Victoria and Rachel would make eye contact. Rolling their eyes at the girl who was pretending to be there for the bride to be. Now the last question on the board. Haley read it out loud, "What was the first job Brooke ever wanted to have." Peyton looked around to give people a little time. What felt like forever, but was 10 seconds she raised Brooke's head on the popsicle stick. Victoria intertwined her hands waiting to hear Peyton's answer. "Okay for 700 points, give us the answer for the first job Brooke ever wanted to have." "A mom."
Brooke melted at the answer. With a tear in her eye, "Peyton, how did you remember that?" All eyes had been on her. Peyton was feeling so uncomfortable. "Well when we were little and played house you would be the mom and I would be the daughter. You would do my hair and makeup and say that when you have a daughter you were going to do the same. But its hard work so it has to be considered a job especially when you found out you didn't get paid." The whole group began to laugh. Brooke got up and walked over to Peyton. She made her stand up and squeezed her tight, "Oh P. Sawyer you know everything about me." The bell had rang over the door and in walked the guys. Lucas walked in first making eye contact with Peyton. His eye's bore no happy emotion. Him looking at the embrace of his soon to be wife and ex girlfriend knowing it was all a show made him sick. Peyton wondered if he could ever see past the hate had for her.