Author's Notes: Set during early season 1. Based around and inspired by 'The Breakfast Club' and a real-life experience of being stuck in isolation with five other kids. Title taken from the theme song for 'The Breakfast Club' – Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds.
Prologue
Brooke Davis couldn't believe her luck. A one-day only sale at her favorite store and she just had to go there.
And she just had to be caught by the principal.
Now she was sentenced to a Saturday detention on the hottest day in Tree Hill history.
She grumbled again as she parked her car in the almost-empty school car park. At least she could choose her spot, she thought to herself.
Brooke wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead and removed her sunglasses, placing them carefully in her purse.
She checked her reflection in the rear-view mirror and sighed to herself, wondering why she was going to all this effort when there was more or less nobody worth checking out.
Nevertheless, she applied another layer of lipgloss and, once satisfied, got out of her car and made her way to the main block.
Brooke opened the huge entrance door and stared at the empty corridor which seemed so much bigger when she was the only one standing in it.
Her heels clicked across the newly cleaned floor as she peered into the vacant classrooms.
"What am I doing here?" she muttered to herself as she paused in the hallway, "I'm so out of here," she turned on her heel and wasn't even halfway on her way out when a voice stopped her.
"Going somewhere, Miss Davis?" the booming voice of Principal Turner echoed off the empty walls. Brooke forced a smile and turned around.
"Wouldn't dream of it," she offered him her best smile.
"Good. Then come this way," he waited for her to catch up with him and led her to a classroom up a flight of stairs.
"I would appreciate it if you could keep up," he chastised.
"Contradictory to Nancy Sinatra, these boots weren't made for walking," Brooke told him, which caused him to chuckle. After a few more steps and a short walk down another corridor, they finally arrived to a classroom Brooke swore she never even knew existed.
"Here were are, Miss Davis," he told her, his hand lingering on the doorknob as if to reveal a mystery prize, "The others are waiting for you."
"The others?" Brooke asked, her forehead crinkling slightly as she frowned.
He didn't reply, but opened the door and allowed her to walk in first.
She surveyed the scene. Twenty one empty desks, and four already occupied by some familiar faces.
She caught sight of blonde curls and gave a small smile to her best friend, her eyes flitting to the other three. One whom she groaned at the sight of and the other two made her raise her eyebrows slightly in surprise.
"Take a seat, Miss Davis," the principal instructed. Brooke obliged, choosing one next to Peyton.
The principal looked at the five students, ticking off their names as he went down the register.
He wiped at his forehead with a tissue, "Okay," he said taking his glasses off and wiping them off. "I guess everybody's present."
"Can we go then?" a grumble came from the corner where Nathan Scott slouched in his chair with his arms folded across his chest.
The principal stared at Nathan, clearly unamused.
"No, Mr. Scott, you may not. All of you are here for a good reason and I hope that you learn something from this experience. The time is now nine o'clock. I have business to attend to in my office and I expect all of you to still be here when I get back."
"And that would be…?" Brooke asked, "Because I have a pedicure booked for three," she said, earning her a few chuckles and eye rolls in her direction.
"I assure you, Miss Davis, that you will make your appointment. Just stay here until noon and then, provided you are all on good behavior, you may go," he explained.
"Just great," Brooke muttered under her breath as the principal took one look at the group and left.
Not even ten seconds had gone since the principal had departed and Brooke immediately turned in her seat, facing her best friend.
"So, you'll never guess what Bevin told me last night-" she began. There was a loud groan from the corner of the room. "What?" she questioned as she looked over at the culprit.
"I don't want to spend my detention listening to you gossip about everyone and everything," Nathan complained.
"So what? It's not like we have a wide variety of things to do," she replied arching an eyebrow at him. "Anyway, Boy Toy, what are you in for?" she watched him wince as she used her pet name for him.
The one that made him mad.
He glared at Brooke and then cast a quick glance over his shoulder.
Brooke followed his gaze and looked one Lucas Scott dead in the eye. He shifted uncomfortably and looked away, his eyes finally resting on a bookcase on his left. Brooke laughed.
"Oh, you and your brother get into a fight again?" she asked.
"He's not my brother," Nathan said loud enough for Lucas to hear.
"Right, you're in denial again," Brooke said, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you have the same daddy, then you're brothers. It's called biology."
Nathan narrowed his eyes at the brunette.
"Fuck. You." He said. Her lips curled into a smile to let him know she wasn't fazed.
"Suit yourself," she replied turning back to Peyton. However, before she could open her mouth to continue, Nathan interrupted.
"What are you in for, Brooke?" he asked.
"I cut school to go shopping," she told him pointedly. Nathan laughed loudly.
"Figures," he said before turning to Peyton. "What about you, Peyt?" he used the nickname of his ex-girlfriend just to annoy her.
Peyton just looked at Nathan and then pointed a finger at Brooke. Brooke gasped.
"Dragging other people into your crimes, Brooke?" Nathan asked with a sneer.
"She wanted to buy some of her crappy CDs," Brooke explained, "And at least it doesn't involve fisticuffs with long-lost brothers," Brooke shot back. Nathan stood up from his seat.
"Okay, guys, can we just chill?" a meek voice from behind asked. As all three turned to look at the owner of the voice, she tried to sink under her seat.
"And you are…?" Brooke asked the owner of the auburn hair.
"In the wrong place," she chuckled nervously, "I'm Haley James," she said.
"Aren't you one of those tutors? What are you doing here?" Peyton asked.
"They caught me with a cigarette," she said blushing. Brooke, Nathan and Peyton – even Lucas – laughed.
"Are you kidding me?" Brooke asked, "What were you doing smoking?"
"I wasn't smoking. I was holding it for somebody," she insisted causing another burst of laughter.
"Please, that's the oldest trick in the book. Did you happen to see 'gullible' written anywhere too?"
Haley shifted in her seat, her cheeks burning with a mix humiliation and stupidity. She breathed a sigh of relief when the others turned away.
"Is it me or is it really hot in here?" Brooke asked shrugging off her jacket.
"It's really hot in here," Peyton replied, "Can one of you open the windows?" she asked the two boys.
Immediately, both Nathan and Lucas stood up and headed for the windows. They paused and glared at each other.
Brooke looked between the two, "Okay, down boys. This isn't a chance for some macho showdown. Unless of course, mud and nakedness is involved."
Reluctantly, Nathan sat back down and Lucas reached up to open the large windows. Brooke took a moment to check the other Scott brother out, raising her eyebrows slightly with satisfaction. Nathan caught the action and rolled his eyes.
"God, I am so bored," Brooke complained.
"We've been here for five minutes," Peyton pointed out.
"So? It's still boring. What the hell are we going to do for three hours?" Brooke asked as she lazily twirled a strand of hair around her index finger.
"I don't know what you're all going to do, but I'm out of here," Nathan announced as he got out of his seat. They stared at him.
"Perhaps you don't understand the concept of 'detention'. We have to stay here," Peyton said.
"You can. I'm not spending my Saturday stuck in a classroom, when I could be working on my jump shot," Nathan said.
"But what about Principal Turner?" Haley began.
"So what?" Nathan asked, "He has 'business to attend to', remember? This school is big. The odds of him seeing me are ridiculous," he told them.
There was a pause.
"Well, I'm in," Brooke said standing up.
"Brooke?" Peyton said.
"What? He raises a valid point. Why be stuck in here, when we could be outside topping up our tans. Come on, Peyton, we can take my dad's boat out." Brooke said excitedly.
"Brooke, you can't drive a boat!"
"Sure you can! It's like a car, but without wheels and… on water!" Brooke frowned before shaking her head and dismissing it, "Come on, Peyton!" she began to stamp her feet and was close to having a mini-tantrum.
Peyton sighed and looked at the clock at the top of the blackboard.
"We're going to get in so much trouble if we're caught," she said with a shake of her head.
"But we won't!" Brooke said confidently.
"I don't know…" Peyton leant back in her chair, crossing her arms across her chest.
Brooke had had enough, "Fine!" she said with a sneer, "Don't go. Stay here in the heat and draw or something. I'm out."
Brooke turned on her heel and joined Nathan at the door. Nathan looked around.
"Anyone else?" he questioned.
Lucas shifted uncomfortably. The offer was tempting and he wanted to go outside, rather than stay in the classroom; but he knew Nathan would probably hate it and that if they got caught, they'd be in so much more trouble.
He looked at the brunette by his side, who gave him a small smile when she caught his gaze. She was pretty, that much was obvious, and he'd often heard her name floating down the halls.
"How about you, Lucas?" she asked, "Isn't there something better you could do than spend your Saturday here?"
Lucas felt all eyes on him and rubbed the back of his neck.
"The Rivercourt is…"
"Great!" Brooke clapped her hands, "Then you're in." She made her way to his desk and pulled him out of his seat.
Lucas didn't have the courage to protest and so went along; ignoring the look Nathan was giving him.
"Great," Nathan said somewhat dryly, "Is that everyone?"
Haley and Peyton's silence confirmed it. Nathan slowly opened the classroom door and peeked outside to check if the coast was clear.
"See you later, suckers," he called as he allowed Brooke through. Lucas began to follow Brooke, but Nathan's hand pushed him back. They eyed each other and Nathan followed Brooke, making Lucas wait behind him.
Once Lucas entered the hallway, he closed the door gently behind him and reluctantly awaited more instruction from Nathan. Though he was the elder brother, he was shyer than his younger brother, since he lacked the popularity and arrogant attitude that made Nathan Scott.
The three looked around the empty hallway and sighed.
Freedom.
Nathan took the lead, slowly making his way down the hall and past the rows of empty classrooms and lockers.
Brooke felt a tugging behind her and she frowned as she turned to face Lucas.
"What?" she hissed, "This is an expensive top."
"Take off your shoes," Lucas whispered.
"Huh?" Brooke's face scrunched in confusion.
Lucas pointed down to the three-inch heels that would make a loud, echoing sound down the corridor if she continued wearing them.
"Your shoes make a sound," he told her. She nodded in comprehension and slipped them off, holding onto Lucas' arm for balance. Lucas gave her a small smile as he helped her.
Nathan glanced behind him and rolled his eyes again.
"Are you done flirting?" he asked, irritated with the two of them.
"Calm down, Nathan," Brooke warned as she let go of Lucas, "We're right behind you."
The trio kept to the right side of the walls, and Brooke couldn't help but imagine them as spies. The thought made her giggle a little too loudly, which earned her a glare from Nathan.
They were at the top of the flight of stairs and Nathan gulped.
There was only one way down from the classroom they'd been held in, and this was it. The only problem was that it ended almost directly opposite Principal Turner's office.
"Ready?" he asked.
"God, yes!" Brooke replied as she allowed Nathan to take the first step.
One by one, they slowly and cautiously followed; each could taste the scent of sweet freedom with each step.
And with freedom came a release from the heat that was making them all sticky, sweaty and frustrated.
No sooner had they reached the last step of the stairs and saw the open road to their freedom, did a voice startle them from behind.
"Mr. Scott, Miss Davis and, uh… Mr. Scott," they all groaned and turned around to face Principal Turner, "Is there a problem?"
To Be Continued…