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Chapter 8

Brooke closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She immediately opened them when she felt someone hug her.

"Congrats!" Bevin said as she pulled away from the hug.

"Yeah, congratulations Brooke." Peyton said.

Brooke faked a smile and said, "Thanks for coming." Then she quickly walked away, not looking back until she reached her office. She closed the door, locked it, and flopped down in her chair. Her breathing quickened as anxiety consumed her body.

...

"Hi Victoria" Peyton said flatly.

"Peyton Sawyer. I see you still look the same since you and Brooke were little. And you still have the body of a ten year old boy. Still trying to grow out of that awkward stage, huh?"

Peyton looked down to the floor in embarrassment. Then, Victoria turned to Lucas and locked her eyes on him. He was the target and she was set and ready to destroy.

"Hello Mrs. Davis. I'm Lucas Scott." Lucas extended his hand for her to shake. Victoria smacked his hand away. Lucas looked shocked and confused.

"Oh, so you're Lucas." She could see where Sebastian got some of his looks from. "Brooke could've done way better." She looked him up and down once more. "Poor Sebastian never had a chance." She mumbled as she walked away.

Lucas felt emasculated.

"So, that's Brooke's mom." Bevin said.

"Yup, that's Brooke's bitch of a mom." Peyton responded.

"Can you give us a minute alone?" Lucas asked Bevin.

"Sure, I have to go find Skills." She looked around and spotted his bald head. "Hey Papa Bear!" She yelled across the room.

"Hey Sexy Momma!" Skills yelled back. They ran into each other's arms and started kissing, ignoring the people that were looking at them.

...

When Victoria got to Brooke's office, she turned the knob but it was locked.

"Is she alright?" Millie asked, coming up behind her.

"Give me a key so I can unlock the door." Victoria demanded.

Millie quickly handed her the key. When they opened the door, they saw Brooke hunched over her desk crying and hyperventilating.

"Leave." Victoria told Millie.

"But..."

"Leave now!" Victoria yelled. She didn't want anyone to see her daughter when she wasn't at her best. Millie scurried out of the office. Victoria walked over to Brooke and grabbed her shoulders.
"Brooke Penelope Davis! Stop this nonsense right now!"

...

"Peyton, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be at TRIC!" Lucas asked. His words sounded more harsh than he intended. Peyton looked hurt.

"And you're supposed to be at home, so why are you here?" She shot back.

"I came to support Brooke." Lucas told her.

"And I can't?" Peyton questioned. "Why didn't you tell me she was back?"

...

"Look at them. I can't believe they're here." Haley said as she looked over at Lucas and Peyton talking.

"Hales, they both are our friends." Nathan said.

"I know, but it's weird and dysfunctional."

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need your help." Millie told Haley.

"Sure, what's the problem?"

"Brooke is falling apart."

"Why? Everything is going great." Haley asked.

Millie pointed to Lucas and Peyton. "And she's alone with Victoria."

"Okay, where is she?" Haley asked.

"In her office. Come on."

"I'm coming too." Nathan said as he followed them both to Brooke's office.

...

"I don't know. Everything got extremely complicated when she got back. And I know I've been acting strange. I'm sorry." Lucas apologized. He hoped this half-hearted apology would buy him time until he could figure out how to tell her about Sebastian.

Peyton felt guilty. "I'm sorry I lied about where I was going to be tonight. When I found out that she was back in town, I just had to see her, ya know? She was my best friend Luke." She began to cry a little. Lucas wrapped her in his arms, wishing she was Brooke.

...

When Millie, Haley, and Nathan walked into the office, Brooke had her face in her hands while Victoria shouted at her.

"You have a company to run! Never let personal affairs interfere with business!" She turned to Millie. "Why are these people in here?" Brooke's head snapped up to see who her mother was talking about.

"We came to see about Brooke." Haley stated firmly, as she looked over at Brooke. Her eyes were red and puffy and her skin was flushed with anxiety.

"Did you? Or did you come to see if you could get another dress for free?" Victoria retorted.

"Excuse me?" Haley was about to confront Victoria, but Nathan jumped in.

"Mrs. Davis, we truly came to see about Brooke. We're her friends." He explained.

"It seems that my daughter has so many friends now that she's wealthy and successful. Where were these friends when that asshole knocked her up and that stick figure back-stabbed her?" She was referring to Lucas and Peyton. "Where were these friends when she was pregnant in New York all alone? Hmm? Where were these friends when she almost miscarried my grandson?"

Everyone in the room looked at Victoria. Haley, Nathan, and Millie didn't know about the last part. Brooke didn't know that her mom knew about it also. Haley and Millie walked over to Brooke but she held her hand up to stop them. She wiped her tears away and turned to Victoria. She inhaled deeply.

"You're right. I should never let my personal affairs interfere with business. Please leave."

Victoria looked Brooke in her eyes and she could see that her daughter was shutting down emotionally. Mixing emotions with business was too messy and if her heart had to take a beating, then so be it.

"Fix your face, your mascara is running." Victoria told her. When she was sure that her daughter's defensive walls were up and her persona was strictly business, she left.

"Brooke, we're sorry." Haley said.

"It's fine. Umm, I have to get back out there, but thanks for coming." She said in a nonchalant voice. "Come on Millicent." Millie didn't say a word. She just followed Brooke out of the office.

"Damn, Victoria is like the female version of my dad." Nathan said.

"Did you see how quick she changed like that?" Haley asked him. "Victoria made her shut down just like that." Haley snapped her fingers.

"Give her some time. She's been through a lot tonight." Nathan told her. Haley breathed deeply.

"She and Sebastian are moving out in a few days. Do you think she's going to be okay?"

"Brooke is strong. She is going to be okay." Nathan reassured his wife.

"I'm going to miss them being at the house every day. We finally get her back and now she's moving into her own house."

"Whenever we miss them, we can always visit them. They don't live that far from us Hales."

"You promise?" Haley asked.

"I promise." Nathan said, as he led them out of the office.

When they returned to their group of friends, they noticed that Lucas and Peyton were gone. Everyone in the group was silent. They knew what happened. They all looked toward Brooke and saw how hard she was working. A waiter walked by and offered the group a drink. They all took one and toasted to Brooke's grand opening. When they finished their toast, Junk walked by with Megan Fox on his arm. He winked back at them and headed out of the store.

"Dude, Junk just left with Megan freakin' Fox!" Mouth exclaimed. The alcohol was starting to affect him.

"Either he's really lucky..." Fergie began to say.

"Or she's really drunk." Skills finished.

"Both." Nathan said.

Haley shook her head. "Guys." That's all she could say.

"Hey, that was the chick from Transformers!" Bevin just realized.

"Baby, I think you had too much to drink." He took her glass away from her.

"I am Optimus Prime. Leader of the Autobots!" Mouth said in a deep voice.

The whole group laughed at him.

"Somebody please take his drink too." Nathan laughed.

"And get him away from the DJ booth." Fergie laughed also.

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