Brooke made her way to her blue Volkswagen Beetle and drove to the dry cleaners to pick up her dress. She parked and entered the building.
"Excuse me, how may I help you?" Asked the store clerk, looking up from his computer. Brooke approached him and nodded. "I'm here to collect my red prom dress," she stated.
The man nodded. "Name?" he questioned. "Brooke Davis," she replied with a smile. The clerk scanned the list. "It indicates that the dress has already been picked up," he informed her.
Brooke's expression darkened. "What do you mean, picked up?" she asked, her frustration mounting.
"A thin blonde female picked it up, stating that she was collecting it on your behalf," the clerk explained apologetically. "Peyton!" Brooke exclaimed in disbelief.
Brooke glanced at Clark and gave a nod of gratitude before stating, ' Thank you, I'm off.' With determination, she made her way to the car to gather a few items before reclaiming her dress from Peyton's place.
'Prepare yourself, Peyton!' Brooke declared as she journeyed home, stowing away a photo of Peyton and Lucas in her cheerleader bag. She then carefully placed a childhood mug from Peyton and a carton of eggs into the bag.
After obtaining the necessary supplies, the brunette proceeded to Peyton's residence, aware that this unconventional approach was necessary per the blonde's request.
Upon arrival, she set down her bag, extracted the carton of eggs, and began tossing them at Peyton's window.
Brooke was on the brink of launching another egg when Peyton dashed out in confusion, exclaiming, 'Are you seriously egging my house!?'
'Well, you better hand over my dress,' Brooke retorted, her gaze piercing Peyton as she recalled the shopkeeper's detailed description of her. This encounter only fueled her determination to win back Chase.
Peyton met Brooke's glare and quipped, 'Why don't you just go naked? It'll save you time when you're snagging other people's boyfriends.' Brooke scoffed in response, 'You're one to talk.' Retrieving the cup Peyton had gifted her, Brooke hurled it towards the porch, causing Peyton to flinch.
'You're the one who wants to talk, Peyton. Remember when you claimed we were never friends? That it never meant a thing to you?' Brooke demanded, brandishing a photograph. 'Care to see something else?' she challenged, holding up the picture.
Brooke lifted the image and hurled it towards Peyton, exclaiming, 'Here is a picture of you and Lucas, on my birthday, so who's the whore now?' She demanded before turning to walk away. Unexpectedly, Peyton tackled her to the ground, leading to a scuffle between the two.
'God, just release me! Stop it! Stop, just let go! I'm the one with no boyfriend, no prom, just a black eye!' 'You're going to prom with the guy you love, so you win!' Brooke conceded.
'Okay, Peyton, you win! Why do you even care anymore?' Brooke gasped as she sat up and picked leaves out of her hair. Watching Peyton walk away, she frowned, realizing she had once again made a mistake.
'Peyton…' Peyton stopped and turned to face her, ignoring the hurt in her hazel eyes. 'You made fun of my mom's death, Brooke. You knew her, you cried with me when she died, and now you use it as a punchline for a joke to hurt me.'
"Painful it was, but no longer so because our relationship is over! And yes, she's history, just like you are to me," Peyton exclaimed, clenching her lip as she entered her home and slammed the door shut.
Watching Peyton with a troubled expression, Brooke knew she had crossed a line in her anger and regretted it deeply every single day.
( Back at Rachel's house)
Brooke entered the room she and Rachel shared, noticing her friend was nearly finished. 'Wow, you're actually leaving. I guess I should start packing too,' she remarked, prompting Rachel to raise an eyebrow.
'Why, I didn't invite you.' 'No, because this is your house and… This is your house, right?' Brooke asked, puzzled as she looked at the redhead.
'You didn't secretly marry and bury some old guy in the basement, did you?' she joked. Rachel chuckled and shook her head.
'I wish. My parents won't be back for a while, so you have some time,' she assured. Brooke's expression turned somber. 'I feel guilty that you got expelled for something I did,' she admitted.
'Please. I practically pushed you to cheat. Besides, for me, getting expelled meant getting a tan. You had more to lose with your "clothes over bros" deal,' Rachel reasoned.
Brooke gave a confirming nod. 'Thank you, Rachel. I appreciate your actions, even though I may not understand them,' she expressed gratefully. Rachel returned the nod, a smile gracing her features. 'I did it because of our friendship. And in return, mend things with Peyton,' Rachel responded encouragingly.
'But she said I was dead to her,' Brooke confided, feeling lost in how to make amends with Peyton and pondering ways to fix things with Chase. 'Do you blame her? You know deep down you're at fault. You crossed the line by getting involved with her boyfriend,' Rachel pointed out.
'They were broken up!' Brooke defended herself.
'Regardless, some boundaries are not meant to be crossed. And why not forgive her for the same offense against you?' Rachel questioned gently.
'Fine. It's like the pot calling the kettle black. You pursued Nathan knowing he was married!' Brooke retorted with a frown.
Rachel let out a sigh and gazed at Brooke. 'I admit my mistakes. But you are capable of rising above. Sort it out. It's lonely being without friends,' she advised compassionately.
Brooke sighed, admitting, "It's rather dull being the girl without a boyfriend."
"No kidding. What's the deal with the Clean Teens crew? First Shelly breaks up with Mouth, then Chase does the same to you. Maybe they should consider a new slogan. We shatter hearts, not hymens," Rachel joked.
Trying to shift the topic, Brooke inquired, "Shelly ended things with Mouth? I saw him today and he didn't mention anything."
Rachel nodded, saying, "He probably didn't want to add more drama, just like Peyton added to your face, but he's really upset about it. Anyway, it's my ride. Thanks for being my friend, slut!" She teased.
Rolling her eyes, Brooke replied, "Thanks for being my friend, crazy bitch. Sorry for getting you expelled, yet again," with a smirk.
Rachel simply shrugged and grinned 'I've grown accustomed to it,' she said. Brooke nodded in agreement, stating, 'Rachel, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm going to miss you.' Rachel smiled back, replying, 'You too,' before leaving the room.
Before leaving, she turned to Brooke and advised, 'And Brooke, if you're serious about winning Chase back, just proceed with caution.' Brooke watched Rachel depart with her belongings, then sighed and laid down on the bed with the box containing her dress.
Unsure of who to go to prom with now, an idea dawned on her, and she thought, 'I could ask Mouth to accompany me and use that time to contemplate Chase.'
After a quick shower and donning her dress, Brooke adjusted her hair and gazed at herself in the mirror, admonishing her reflection with determination, 'Let's not mess this up any further.'
( Let me know how the story is and please give me any ideas how Brooke can try to win Chase back.)
