FLASHBACK
"Whoa! That's barely hiding anything down there. A VIP coming to the club?" Sam asked Brooke who had just stepped out of the tiny bathroom in their apartment. She was wearing a sparkly silver g-string that showed her butt and left very almost nothing of the front for imagination and a fake crystal encrusted bra. Her hair and makeup was done up and she was carrying silver plastic wings in her hand. She looked like an angel more than a slut despite the skimpy clothing.
Brooke rubbed her cold hands together as she ran around the apartment looking for a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt to pull over her ensemble. "No, I'm going to a wrap party today," she replied monosyllabically as finally found her jeans and pulled them up.
"Huh? Wrap party? Wait, like a movie wrap party?" Sam asked.
"Yep," Brooke replied, not catching on the hidden excitement in Sam's question. Brooke tried really hard to numb herself before her job. She could not feel. She had to hide her vulnerability, her emotions, her pain, her exhaustion, her pride. She couldn't allow the cracks to show.
"What movie? Which actors? Who hired you?" Sam asked, letting her excitement show then.
"What? How does it matter? Bachelor parties? Wrap parties? What is the difference?" Brooke asked.
"There will be actors! Famous people! Please tell me!" she begged.
"It's Josh Avery and Alex Dupre," Brooke replied in an attempt to get her teen to quit nagging her. "Jamie, I have to run. Don't trouble Sam, she has to study for a big test, okay. Brush your teeth, get into your jammies and straight to bed, alright?"
"Can I play for ten more minutes, please?" he negotiated. "Brooke was always amazed by his negotiation skills. She always felt like she was playing Model UN with a Dictator when getting Jamie to follow instructions.
"Fine," Brooke replied, not having the energy to argue. "I love you, bye," she said, kissing his blonde mop and then his chubby cheeks.
"Is it the wrap party for Seven Dreams Til Tuesday?" Sam asked, excitedly. "Where is it? Can I come?"
"Are you insane? Go, pick up your books," Brooke instructed her daughter.
"What? I want to meet Alex Dupre and Josh Avery is hot!" Sam replied.
"Sure, why don't you borrow one of my thongs and maybe we can put you up on a pole by Josh Avery!" Brooke replied sarcastically.
"Works for me!" Sam joked but Brooke gave her a death stare and so she quickly backed down.
"These parties go on for a while, so I don't know when I will be home. Study, okay. Jamie should be too tired after playing to put up a fight to go to bed. Love you, you smarty pants," she said. The last part was uttered with such motherly pride that Sam blushed. Fine, she would pick up her books and study. She lowkey enjoyed the fuss that Brooke made when she fared well in school.
Giving Sam a kiss atop her chocolate locks, Brooke grabbed her coat, stuffed the fake wings in her bag and went out the door. She had the address of the club where the party was taking place. Celeste and Solaris were going to be there too. They had been hired at a very good rate. Brooke was going to take home Two Thousand Dollars for her services and whatever tips she could collect. Celeste and Solaris would be walking away with five hundred dollars each. Besides, actors were good tippers. She was counting on going home with a good chunk of change.
Brooke walked to the club and went to the back door. It wasn't considered good to walk through the front door. Brooke knew that she was worse than staff, she was the entertainment. She would have to sit on the laps of strangers, allowing them to take a feel of her body while gyrating her hips on their hard ons. She had on one of her skimpiest and sexiest ensembles too, an angel. She laughed, thinking she was the real dark angel, not Peyton. Sam had been correct, you could more or less see everything that was supposed to be hidden down there.
When she got in, Celeste and Solaris hadn't yet reached. Brooke went to the bathroom, pulled down her clothes and attached the wings to her back. She stuffed them in her backpack and kept it away. She checked herself in the mirror. Her eyes roamed all over her body but she could not meet her own gaze. She stood there, astute, for a few moments, waiting for imaginary drugs to shut down her system.
"Okay," she whispered to herself and got out. The party hadn't yet begun. She stretched herself by the pole as if she was warming up for cheerleading practice. Her hands gripped the pole and she took an effortless spin around it.
"Wait what? Who are you and what exactly are you doing here?" a voice suddenly called out to her.
"Excuse me?" Brooke asked.
"What are you doing here? The club has been booked tonight for a closed party," the boy repeated.
"Wait? Am I in the wrong place? This is the wrap party for Seven Dreams Til Tuesday, right?" Brooke asked, her eyes widening and cheeks blushing out of embarrassment as she realised what she had on if she was in the wrong place.
"Yes, it is, but what are you doing here?" The boy was going around in circles.
"I have been hired to work the party," Brooke replied.
"Work? Work the - this party?" he asked. The girl's line of work was obvious to him.
"Yeah, why is there a problem?" Brooke asked, crossing her hands across her chest.
"Who hired you?" he asked.
"Josh Avery," Brooke replied.
"Okay, just give me a few minutes," he said and walked away pulling out his phone from his pocket.
Within the next twenty minutes, Celeste, Solaris and Josh arrived at the club.
"Hey man? What's the issue?" Josh asked in a bit of a drunken stupor.
"What are these girls doing here?" Julian asked, pointing at the three of them who were standing in a back room. The guests had already begun arriving. Loud music crescendoed in the club as the girls waited for instructions.
"Hey Penelope. It's so good to see you again," Josh said, getting closer to Brooke and tracing the crystals on her bra with his finger, feeling her hard nipples through the thin fabric before moving them to her lower folds that were peeping out of her g-string. "My my my, you truly are angelic!"
"What's the hold up?" Brooke asked, flicking Josh's hand away. No money, no touching. She wanted to get started so that she could get her hands on some rich and famous people's tips.
"Yeah, Julian, what's the hold up?" Josh repeated.
"Josh! Why did you hire strippers!" Julian yelled, although his face was stuck in an impish grin since he had watched Brooke twirl on the pole, her legs parted with only a really thin piece of string wedged in her sexy slit.
"It's a party man! And we're in New York. Come on, everybody in this industry knows that the real gem of New York isn't the Statue of Liberty, it's her! Just look at her man! I bet real angels don't look that good. Have you seriously never been blown by her? Trust me, she is the best five hundred dollars I have ever spent," he explained.
"Josh, you cannot have strippers at the party," Julian explained slowly as if Josh was Jamie's age.
"What? Why?" he whined in response.
"Are you crazy? We cannot have scandalous things written about the film before it even releases. Strippers will give us a bad rep. Do you not want the movie to succeed?" he replied.
"You won't tell the paps, will you?" Josh asked in a sexy voice.
"No, sir," Solaris said and wrapped her lean body around his frame.
"See, they're cool," he said and began to trace his fingers up and down Solaris' sides before squeezing her butt.
"No. Look, girls, I am really sorry, but we cannot have you here," Julian said.
"No, you can't do that. Your movie begins with a sex scene between me and Alex!" Josh argued like a petulant child.
"Josh, that was totally different. Please girl, sorry, but I am going to have to ask you to leave," he replied.
"That's fine with us but now you have to pay us double of what you owe," Brooke replied like a business shark.
"Huh?" Julian asked.
"Well, we still haven't been paid what we were promised at the time of booking the gig and if we were out there, we would be earning tips. Since our night is wasted, you have to reimburse us," she replied clearly.
"Josh, take care of it and pay them," Julian replied.
"What? I am not paying them. The movie is paying for the wrap party which means you have to clear the bill," he said.
Julian rolled his eyes. He absolutely hated entitled actors like Josh. However, as the job of a producer, he was used to dealing with their messes and putting out fires.
"Fine, how much do I owe you?" Julian asked.
"My price was two thousand, so you have to pay four thousand to me and Celeste and Solaris were hired for five hundred, so they each get a thousand. Cough up 6 grand, pretty boy," Brooke did the maths.
"Is that in pesos?" Julian asked, his eyes widening.
"Haha, funny," Brooke sneered. "We want the cash."
"I - I don't have six thousand dollars lying around. That is a whole lot of money. Can I pay you six hundred dollars?" Julian tried to act dumb while negotiating.
"That's hilarious. Look, Sir. We better get paid what we owe right now or we will walk out the front gates of the club and get our pictures taken by the paparazzi stationed outside.
Julian's eyes widened hearing Brooke's threat.
"Tell me what is the lowest that you will go," Julian pleaded.
"Six Thousand Dollars," Brooke replied sternly, using the voice she used to mother Jamie.
"Come on," he replied.
"Come on girls, let's get some pictures taken," Brooke grinned and turned perfectly on her three inch stilettos.
"No wait, I'll pay. Uhh, can I write you a cheque?" he asked.
"Fine, but leave the names blank," Brooke demanded.
"As you wish, Miss Cruz," he replied. Julian pulled out his chequebook and quickly made each one out for double the exorbitant rates that had already been charged by the girls.
"Penny baby, is it possible to get a blowie before you leave?" Josh asked sweetly.
"It's time to go out and join the party, Josh," Julian instructed him.
"At least a lap dance, come on! We're leaving the city soon," he begged. "I'll let you watch, see what you are missing."
"Stop acting like a dog and have some dignity. Let's go," replied Julian and held his hand to guide him outside.
"Please use the back entrance, Miss Cruz and Josh, seriously, you don't get to order anything or anyone for the wrap party! You just cost us a boatload of money!" Julian yelled and left with Josh in tow.
"Thanks Penelope! We would never have asked for all this money! You really helped us out!" Celeste said.
"Well girls, we aren't done earning yet. Let's go to the club, the night's still young," Brooke said, proud of the haul she was going to return with.
"Whoa, what are you girls doing here? I thought it was your day off," Marty said when he saw the girls in the staff only room.
"We thought we'd double your earnings for the night," Brooke answered with confidence.
"How soon can I announce you?" Marty asked with a wide toothy grin. He knew that Brooke meant way more customers and much higher tips leading to great commissions for him.
"I'm ready to go up," Brooke replied, pulling down her jeans and sweatshirt to reveal her outfit. She pulled her angel wings up and stood ready. Marty checked her out with lecherous eyes as he licked his lips.
"Pay me five hundred dollars less, but I want a blowjob tonight," he said, marvelling at her form.
"Marty, you know I don't do it with you because you're my employer," Brooke said, groaning at his requests.
"Come on," he coaxed.
"Just announce me and cue the music," Brooke sighed as she began to walk towards the stage.
The crowd went wild when they heard her name get announced. Brooke couldn't help but giggle. She felt famous, as famous as Josh Avery and Alex Dupre, but she was famous for all the wrong reasons. Brooke pushed the thoughts out of her mind as she tried to get in sync with the lilting melody.
She held the pole as the beat sped up. With the drop of the beat, she had flung herself on it and turned upside down. She took two rotations of the pole before spreading her legs to show her perfect pilates butt. The crowd hooted, taking in every bit of her milky supple skin. Another swing around the pole and she had her right leg and hand entwined at the bar, allowing her to open her left leg wide. Men stared at her centre, hoping that they had laser eyes which could eviscerate the barely there fabric to get an eyeful. Brooke gently slid down and glided across the ramp, getting closer to her live audience. Her fans held dollar bills in their arms, shaking it towards her. She gave them a few mischievous grins and winks before getting the front clasp of her crystal encrusted bra. The bra snapped open effortlessly due to the habituated hands and fell to the floor. The crowd roared as they got a full view of her heavy breasts and hardened nipples. Men were salivating at the view. Brooke made a show as she slowly and sultrily arched her back, laying down on the ramp. The crowd watched her move with bated breath. She pulled her legs up at a perfect ballerina angle before splitting them wide apart. Her g string dug into her folds as she danced, assisting the men to enjoy the view. She didn't stay in that position for long knowing how compromised she was. It was just a flash and the view was snatched crowd groaned as if they had been shown the most precious candy only for it to be taken away before they could get a lick.
Brooke went to the crowds next and shimmied her boobs close to them, making the men moan with delight. She knew that she was going to earn quite a few blowjobs and lap dances that night. As the final beats to the music played, Brooke blew a kiss to the crowd before going to collect her tips, grateful for every penny that helped pay her hospital bills and allowed food on her children's plates.
END OF FLASHBACK
"Brooke, Luke, meet Julian Baker. Julian, the infamous Brooke and Lucas," Peyton said, introducing her current boyfriend.
"Penelope Cruz! Wait! Brooke Davis, your Brooke Davis is Penelope Cruz! It doesn't make any sense. How is your best friend a famous stripper in New York!?" Julian said making every single one of them gape for different reasons.
"Fuck!" Brooke yelled aloud and ran into what used to be her bedroom when she was a teenager. She locked the door behind her as she began hyperventilating. How had the shadow she had left behind in New York followed her to haunt her in Tree Hill? She paced the room, feeling a surge of emotions consume her. How could that much happen in one day? She had tried to give her son the best birthday party while dealing with her daughter's social worker while her best friend showed up out of nowhere and messed up matters, only for her new boyfriend to be a movie producer she had conveniently extorted for a large payday!
"Shit! This is bad! This is so bad!" she mumbled to herself as she paced around the room trying to come up with an excuse or at least an explanation that she could give Peyton. She tugged on her clothes, checking if she was still wearing them. Suddenly, she felt as naked as she did on that stage. Why had she expected Tree Hill to be any different? How had she stupidly assumed that her dark past was behind her, that she had escaped. Brooke had no idea about the kind of person this movie producer actually was. Julian now knew her real name, he knew where she lived, he knew about her kids and he had open access to her history with Peyton's assistance. Besides, it was evident that he could not keep his mouth shut as he had so eloquently ratted her out to Peyton.
"Brooke, open the door," Peyton yelled from the other side as she banged on the heavy wooden frame. Brooke sat on the bed, her legs tucked close to her chest as she hugged a pillow and cried. "Brooke!" But, she didn't move. She was frozen. She tried to remember how strong she had been when Lucas had found out. She had managed to do a full day's worth of work with him hanging around. Yet, she remembered how frozen and broken she had been once she had escaped him that night and returned home. She remembered feeling the same deadness settle in her. Brooke was in her thoughts when the backdoor which led to the pool flung open and slammed behind her. She looked up and saw a red-eyed Peyton standing in front of her. She had forgotten about the patio doors. That was stupid of her.
"What did Julian mean?" Peyton asked Brooke, her voice coming out in cries.
Brooke remained absolutely mute, burying her face in the pillow she was holding.
"Brooke!" Peyton barked.
"I never stripped for him!" she explained. Maybe that is what Peyton wanted, confirmation that it wasn't three guys that they had shared. Maybe, all she needed to know was that she hadn't given a lap dance or a blowjob to Julian.
"What! So, it's true?!" she screeched.
"I didn't strip for him!" she repeated, needing Peyton to believe her. By then, Lucas and Sam had entered the room using Peyton's route followed by an awkward Julian standing behind them.
"Brooke," Lucas said, to let her know that he was in the room.
"I promise you, I never stripped for him," she begged for someone to believe her. "You tell them!" she screamed, eyeing Julian as if he was the one that had forced her up the stage all those times to dance.
Julian's eyes widened but he nodded his head. "Yeah, I just paid her and sent her back home. I swear Peyton, I didn't even know. It was Josh Avery, you remember what a tool that guy was. Almost cost me the movie," he explained.
"I promise, Peyton," she cried again.
"Brooke! Yes, I am glad that that didn't happen but that is not my primary concern. You - you're a stripper?" she asked.
"No, I am not a stripper. I am a designer now! I am working on getting my own Company up and running," she stammered, more to remind herself than Peyton.
"Tell me everything, right now," Peyton demanded.
"No Peyton. I can't. I'm sorry, after graduation, everything was so messed up. One drunken mistake at the graduation party caused too much grief to too many people. I want it all to end. I can't take it anymore!" Brooke cried, not caring anymore that Sam was watching her fall apart, or that Julian was a stranger or that Lucas could use this to build a custody case over her.
"Lucas, did you know!" Peyton asked.
"Yes, that's where I found her and that's why I had to get her back to Tree Hill at any cost," he explained.
"Why didn't you call me! You called me to ask for permission regarding the book, but you didn't tell me about my best friend! What is wrong with you!" she screamed at Lucas.
"She made me promise not to tell anyone and how could I rat her out about that?" Lucas asked.
"So what? It was okay to just let her - Brooke, why? Why would you sell yourself? Did you want to do it!? I mean we would laugh about it in high School, but this is serious! I don't understand. Why?!" Peyton asked.
"Hey! Do you know how costly it is to raise two kids in New York? Brooke was asked to leave her family with only the clothes on her back while she was pregnant! Do you have any idea how costly raising a child, let alone two is? Do you know how much medical debt she accumulated giving birth to my birth? Don't you dare accuse Brooke that way in front of me!" Sam shrieked, instantly disliking Peyton.
Peyton's eyes widened, hearing Sam defend Brooke. "I'm sorry, I can't do this anymore," Brooke said and got up to leave. She didn't even bother to look at anyone's expressions. She unlocked the door and bolted up the stairs. She went to Jamie's room and closed the door behind her, heaving from the emotions somersaulting in her chest. She watched her son sleep and felt her knees weaken. Hobbling, to his bed, she sat down in the same spot she was sitting on while putting him to sleep. Brooke watched Jamie's rhythmic breathing, his flushed chubby cheeks, his soft blonde hair. He was worth everything. She kissed his cheek softly and caressed his hair.
"Now look! Really, Peyton, Brooke asked me to play nice but you and your boyfriend have created nothing but trouble for her and for me. I don't know what report Lorelai is going to write up after you ambushed us and Brooke was finally forgetting her horrible past but you Mr. Loudmouth couldn't hold his tongue for 2 seconds!" Sam shrieked, her fear coming out in the shape of unbridled anger.
"Sammy, it's okay. We will figure it out with Lorelai," Lucas said immediately, understanding what Sam must be going through.
"How? She basically called us out on our ploy and this guy can't seem to keep his mouth shut and Brooke's a mess and they have much more to tattle about," she called the situation as she saw it.
"Sam, I know that you just met me today and none of it has been favourable to you but I promise you that we won't say anything to anybody. I am just trying to understand what happened. I can't understand, what went wrong? Why - what happened? Lucas, please explain what's going on. Sam, somebody?" Peyton begged.
"What's going on is that Brooke has a gigantic heart and she martyrs herself and her happiness for the wrong people," Sam said and walked out the door, following the steps Brooke had taken earlier. Peyton gawked again, not knowing what to do.
"And then there were two. Both of you know more than me so both of you are going to sit down right here and explain to me what the hell all of this is about," Peyton demanded.
"Peyton, it's not that hard to put two and two together," Lucas said, trying to calm Peyton down.
"I don't understand why she did it!" Peyton cried. The truth was, she understood. Sam had simplified it for her, what she could not accept was that she was partially responsible for it.
"Peyton," Julian said, pulling his crying girlfriend into his arms. "It's because of me, isn't it?"
"No, how can you be responsible for what career Brooke pursues?" Julian asked, pissed that his girlfriend was blaming herself. "This was a bad idea, I'm so sorry. We should return to the hotel."
"No! First, tell me, how far did Brooke go?" she asked, equally wanting to know the answer and afraid to.
"I don't know Pey. Josh hired the girls. I caught Penelope practising just before all the guests arrived and -"
"Her name is Brooke! Call her Brooke!" Lucas yelled.
"Sorry, I saw Brooke and I ushered her aside. She asked me to pay her double her rate for going away quietly, and frankly, she made a lot of money out of me!"
"Julian, shut up!" Peyton screamt.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I just paid her and they left from the service entrance," he held his hands up, realising that every additional word could land him in hot water.
"Lucas, how much do you know?" Peyton asked.
"I do know more, but I don't think it's my place to tell you anything. This is Brooke's story to share, not mine. All I know is that she is working really hard on restarting Clothes over Bro's and leaving New York in the past. She is working to get her dreams to come true," he said.
"Did she prostitute herself?" Peyton whispered.
"No, she didn't," Lucas said and heard Peyton sigh with relief.
"So, Victoria cuts her off because you two did the nasty behind my back and she decides to become a stripper?" Peyton asked.
"No! Do you even remember the kind of person Brooke is?" Lucas asked.
"Clearly not, or I would see this coming!" Peyton cried.
"Victoria swindled Brooke out of her ownership of Clothes over Bro's. She sold Brooke's line to some investors so Brooke had nothing. Then she kicked her out. Brooke was alone and homeless in a new city when she just found out that she was pregnant with the baby of the boy who was in love with her best friend. She didn't just start stripping. She lived in homeless shelters during her pregnancy and even for a while after giving birth while working as a waitress. But as the call from the hospital explained, she faced severe complications and ragged up a hefty bill. She is still paying off her medical debt as she had no insurance anymore with her parents cutting her off. That's when she started working at a strip club. Sam, she ran from the foster system and decided to work at the club and Brooke took her in. She lived in a dumpster apartment with no heat in a building full of undocumented refugees and thugs to pay the bills and give her children the best life. Does that appease your conscience, Peyton?" Lucas argued.
"Shit, what now?" Lucas asked.
"Now, nothing. We help her forget and move on!" Lucas sighed and he too, walked out the door to go to Brooke. When he got up, he saw Sam sitting outside Jamie's locked door.
"Hey Champ," he said to her, sliding down beside her.
"Did the witch leave with her good for nothing boyfriend?" Sam asked.
"I don't know. Brooke's not opening the door?" he asked.
"No. Uh, Luke, I'm scared. I am really scared about what Lorelai is going to do now," she cried.
"We will never let anyone take you away, I promise," he swore.
"But how can you? It's on them at the end of the day and Lorelai isn't dumb," Sam said.
"See Sammy, there is a lot what is not in our hand, but there are 2 things that I can do which are to Love you immensely and make sure Lorelai knows how much we love and care about you and to Hope that everything will work out in our favour," he said, leaning closer to his foster daughter.
"Hope is for suckers," Sam parroted what her years of experience had taught her.
"Then I'm a sucker and it's contagious," he said and pulled Sam into his arms. "Woops, I've rubbed it all over you, kiddo!" Lucas said as he messed up her hair. Sam laughed, enjoying her time with Lucas.
Brooke could hear Sam and Lucas laughing outside and she felt jealous. She wanted to be outside and laugh with them. She got up from her post on Jamie's bed and walked to the door, cupping her ear to the wood to hear better.
"Don't worry Sam, we will fight for you, if it's the only thing we ever do. You're family. You always will be," he said.
"Good, because I've kind of become used to living it up in a bougie neighbourhood," she said sarcastically.
"We aim to please!" Lucas bantered with her.
"Peyton won't cause any more trouble, will she? She knows…. A Lot."
"No, she won't. She and Brooke love each other, more than either of them ever loved me. Peyton and Brooke have been through too much to let this affect them," Lucas shared.
"Liz wouldn't do this to me! Some best friend," Sam scoffed.
"You mean to say that she wouldn't be shocked that you had a kid with her ex and hid that fact from her and then became a stripper to take care of your family?" Lucas asked.
"When you put it that way…"
"Give the two of them some time. They'll be okay by lunch tomorrow," Lucas assured her.
"Are you going to meddle?"
"Of course, I'm going to meddle!" he replied, sending Sam into fits of laughter.
"Can I stand and watch, with a bowl of popcorn this time?" Sam joined the joke.
"If I get to stand beside you with some M&Ms," Lucas replied. "Or better yet, we mix the M&Ms in the popcorn!"
"That's disgusting, but… movie tomorrow? You and me and maybe Jamie? We can leave Brooke and Peyton to sort out their mess," Sam asked.
"Done, as long as the mess is sorted between the two of them," Lucas said.
"What happened to braiding each other's hair by lunch?"
"Well, sometimes, it can involve a trip to the ER," he said cryptically, or psycho stalkers trying to kill one of them for the other. "I wonder if Ian is out of jail."
"You're insane!" Sam laughed.
"Hi," Brooke said, stepping out of the door.
"Hey B, are you alright?" Lucas asked.
"Is Peyton still here? We should talk," she said.
"I don't know, let's go down and see," he said and helped Sam and him get up and go downstairs.
Peyton was sitting on the couch, weeping and Julian was trying to pacify her helplessly. Brooke quietly walked to Peyton and offered her hand. Peyton watched her silently and held out her own hand to get up. The two girls walked outside to the backyard to talk.
"How bad?"
"Pretty bad."
"How long?"
"Almost three years."
"Three! What! You did that for three years!"
"Mm Hmm."
"Did you hook up with anybody?"
"No, never."
"Was it because of me?"
"Of course not, Peyton. I can't blame you for the choices I made or the circumstances I found myself in to make those decisions. I won't deny that sometimes I did blame you because it was easier to blame you than my lack of confidence. It's not been easy, it was the hardest thing I have ever had to do," she confessed.
"Did you really live in homeless shelters and shady neighbourhoods?" Peyton continued to ask. Brooke simply looked down and gave a weak nod.
"Why didn't your stubborn ass just call and ask for help?" Peyton cried.
"I was so scared, scared of being rejected by both of you and getting you upset for ruining both your lives. You and Lucas were the ultimate love story. I expected you both to get angry and I was so scared that neither of you would want anything to do with my kid. I didn't want to face that possibility and Jamie didn't deserve that and I was also scared that you would accept him and I would have to divide time and he would like being with the two of you more than me," she confessed vulnerably.
"How can we ever reject you, Brooke? You're my Brooke, my best friend! This is your and Lucas' son, your child! I am pissed at the timing, but I could neither hate your kid nor could I keep him away from you. Did you not trust me?" Peyton asked, feeling hurt.
"Peyton, don't say that to me! Nothing from my past experiences allows me to believe that. You are supposed to be able to count on your parents, but mine threw me out onto the streets. You're supposed to be able to count on your best friend and your boyfriend, but I could never get over the two of you cheating on me, multiple times. Jamie didn't deserve to compete for Lucas' love. And if the two of you had children of your own, where would that leave my son? He deserves the world!" Brooke answered. Peyton grew silent for a few moments as she let that sink in.
"So you worked at a strip club?" Peyton coaxed, needing to get everything out of Brooke.
"I have a huge medical debt thanks to no insurance and yes, it made me good money to pay bills and send them to good schools and save up for their futures so they would never have to see a homeless shelter," Brooke replied, simplifying matters.
"How are you paying for stuff now?" Peyton asked, believing that those days were in the past and that Brooke wasn't stripping anymore.
"Lucas is helping and so are Karen and Andy. I'm building back Clothes over Bro's. I designed a new line and I got a store in New York," Brooke smiled.
"Hey, that's great!"
"Yeah, I will be coming down to LA too, to get a store location out there," Brooke answered shyly.
"That's fantastic. You have to stay with me and Julian. But, uhh, Brooke, had I not come here, would you ever tell me about Jamie?"
"When I was living in New York, before Lucas found us, no. I had no intention of ever telling you or Lucas. Once we moved to Tree Hill, the big question was how long would I be able to keep Jamie in the bag from you."
"It's not fair, Brooke. Nathan, Haley, Karen, Mouth, everyone got to know him and met him before me!" Peyton argued.
"I hurt you the most by keeping him. He is the living proof of my mistake on graduation night. I was the most terrified of your wrath. I did not want another punch, Peyton, after Nathan and the sex tape. You would find it the hardest to be empathetic to my predicament. Heck I was - no, I am scared that you would think I deliberately did it to get revenge on you for Lucas or to trap him or god knows what else!"
"Did you!?"
"Are you insane! Of course, I didn't. Look, I love Jamie. He is definitely the best thing to have happened to me. But, I did not want to be a teen mom," explained Brooke.
"You singled me out! That's not fair!" Peyton argued.
"You're trying to tell me that you did not just create a scene when you got to know? And you're all excited to meet my son? Did you not lose your head when you found out? Are you listening to yourself? You literally just asked me to confirm if all of this was a trap!" Brooke called her out.
"Well, can you blame me!"
"Can you blame me?" Brooke countered.
"I guess not… Fuck! I'm so sorry! You danced on poles, naked, because of this! Because of me. How do I get over that?" asked Peyton, pressing her temples. This conversation was making it so hard for her to live with herself.
"That's on you to figure out. My sole focus is to make enough money to repay my debt, give my children a good life and adopt Sam, even if it takes dancing naked on poles to achieve that," Brooke replied nonchalantly.
"Please don't say that!" cried Peyton.
"What do you want me to say, Peyton? I did what I had to do to survive. I wished things were different. I wish I had support, I wish I could count on my family or my friends in my time of grief but I couldn't, could I?"
Peyton did not know how to answer that, she just looked at her feet and tried to keep her tears at bay.
"Did you know that Ellie would come and watch us sit under the bridge after my mom died?" Peyton asked, feeling nostalgic. "She said you wore too much makeup for being eight years old."
"I was always ahead of the times," Brooke made a failed attempt at joking. "But, why are you telling me that?"
"She had said to me that when she gave birth to me, she knew that the cliches were true, you did whatever was the best for your child, even if it meant giving them up," Peyton said.
"I could never give up Jamie," Brooke replied harshly, despising even the idea that Peyton would suggest that.
"No, no, of course not. I meant the whole doing whatever was the best part. You did whatever you had to to give your child the best life," Peyton explained in better words.
"Yeah, she's right. You'd walk through fire for them," Brooke agreed. "Peyton, is this going to change things between us? Are you going to look at me differently? Do you want me and my family to distance ourselves?"
"No, I - I don't know. I can't answer that right now. I just learnt that my best friend and boyfriend cheated on me, had a kid which my best friend hid for three years and the two of them are adopting another child while going through a fake engagement to deal with the formalities and what else, oh yeah, my best friend stripped naked and danced on poles for three years to make cash. Is there any other surprise you want to throw at me?"
"I guess you're up to speed," Brooke joked lamely. "But I do hope you wrap your head around everything quickly, because Lucas and I might need your help with the social worker."
"Do you love him? Lucas?" Peyton asked, staring at Brooke.
"Wh-what? Where did that come from?" Brooke asked, feeling blindsided by Peyton's question.
"It's a really simple yes or no," Peyton said.
"That's insane, what?" Brooke said, feeling flustered.
"You know that if you want a go at it and make this all official, I really don't mind. You're fake engaged, buying houses and raising kids together. I know that what Lucas wants, he's ready to settle down, and I know that you have always wanted a real family to call your own more than anything in the whole wide world. You both have it, so why not jump?" Peyton coaxed.
"Are you crazy? He proposed to you, like five minutes ago. He does really care about you," Brooke justified.
"He liked the idea of me. We both loved the feeling of being understood because everything is so different and big in High School," she shrugged it off.
"I don't believe that. It happened too many times for it to be just that," Brooke spoke her heart.
"Okay, go at your pace, but if it begins to become real, please don't hold back on my account. You have my blessing or whatever," Peyton said.
"No, I am not violating girl code again," Brooke resolved.
"What girl code? Brooke, girl code was shattered years ago. Don't act ridiculous. Find your happiness!" Peyton encouraged her.
"Peyton, even if you're right, nobody is ever going to want to date a stripper. But, thank you and sorry, I don't even know what to say," Brooke ended the conversation. The two girls walked back indoors to meet everybody.
"Hey, are both of you okay?" Lucas asked as soon as he saw them enter the house. Both girls nodded their heads and gave an exhausted sigh.
"Look, it's really late. The house has lots of rooms, if all of you guys want to spend the night," Brooke offered.
"I have my car, I can drop Julian and Peyton back to the hotel," Lucas answered as he rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn.
"Don't drive, just go to bed. We'll - we'll just deal with everything tomorrow," Brooke was pointing at the mess that was her house as the aftermath of the party but it wasn't difficult to catch the hidden meaning behind her words.
"You don't mind, do you?" Peyton asked Julian.
"I'm here to support you. Whatever you want," Julian replied.
"Luke, you have some of your clothes in my closet that we kept to fool Lorelai. Maybe you and Julian can find something in there for the night. Peyton, borrow whatever you want and Sam, you need to go to bed," Brooke instructed. "I'll be up in five minutes."
Since everyone was exhausted, they just agreed and followed suit. Peyton and Julian took the room adjacent to what used to be Brooke's childhood room and Lucas took that bedroom. They fished around Brooke's closet and grabbed some sweats for the night while Brooke sat with Sam in her bedroom, stroking her hair until she fell asleep.
"Brooke, are we caught? Is it over?" Sam asked her. Yes, Lucas had reassured her, but she needed her mom's words to settle her mind.
"No. You're to stay forever. This is your family and this is your home and you belong with us and you always will. We will fix everything with the adoption agency," she replied, fondling her soft brunette tresses.
"Peyton is on our side?"
"It's never been about sides. Me and Lucas and Peyton, we have always been on each other's side. There's no way to explain it, really. But she will come through for me regarding you. She was adopted, she knows its importance. The best thing Ellie did was give her up to Anna and Larry."
"She met her birth mother?"
"Yeah, when we were in High School," Brooke shared.
"Did she ever forgive her for giving her up?" Sam asked vulnerably.
"Hmm, why don't you ask Peyton that tomorrow. Again, it's more complex than a simple yes or no. But yeah, they worked it out and loved each other. Ellie was great. It just sucks that Peyton barely got to spend any time with her. She died of cancer. Peyton and her released an album and Peyton made it a benefit CD to help cancer research to honour her birth mom."
"I'm scared of Rebecca. I never want to see her ever again," Sam cried. "I want to stay home, here, with you and Lucas and Jamie!"
"You're home, you're not going anywhere any time soon if I have a say in things," Brooke rubbed her back as Sam put her head in Brooke's lap and cuddled with her.
Soon enough, Sam had fallen asleep. Brooke turned on her night light, knowing she was as terrified of sleeping in the dark as Jamie. She checked on her son once more before closing the door of her bedroom. She twisted and turned, but she couldn't fall asleep. Her mind was crowded with thoughts. Ultimately, she grabbed her blanket and pillow, settled herself on the rocking recliner in Jamie's room and watched him as she contemplated every decision and figured out a plan to deal with Lorelai and Julian.