A/N: Hey ma, look at me, I updated! And only because I have like three hours of homework I have to do tonight. And it's midnight. And I have to take a shower still. Well, it's only been nine months. Sorry about the whole not updating thing. I haven't watched the show since then, didn't get into the new season so I haven't been paying any attention to this fic. And you guys pay the price for it. How is that fair?
I had plans to go on for a while longer with this story but I just can't do that to you guys. This seems like it's a good fit for the story. And after a year, I think it's time for it. I really hope you like it.
To everyone who reviewed over the past year- thank you so, so, so, so, so much! If it weren't for you guys this story would've stalled in the third chapter. You guys mean the world to me and I wouldn't trade any one of your comments for all the m&m's in the land.
Chapter Eight: Smoke And Steam
•••
She knows something's been going on, some new gossip is spreading around the school faster than she had ever noticed before. Yet, she didn't know what it was. She kept waiting to be clued in by one of her squad mates, but nobody had said a word during the school day. And now that she was finally on her way to practice, she was sure she would be able to get the gossip out of somebody. She couldn't help but notice how strange it was that she, Brooke Davis, queen of the gossip circles in the school, had been left out, seemingly intentionally. As she pushes open the gym door, she shrugs the thought off to being paranoid. An eerie silence sweeps through the gym as the members of her squad turn to watch her as she approaches.
"Well what are you waiting for, girls? You should be stretching! I know it's still early in the year but come on, show a little interest." She says, more like yelled, and takes a seat on the bleachers, retying her shoelace. She hears someone approach and looked up to find Bevin, obviously apprehensive about doing so. "What's up?" Brooke asks casually.
"Nothing."
She eyes Bevin for a moment, knowing something was going on, then looked back to the squad. Realizing she was one short, she asks, "where's Peyton?"
"She went home after the thing this morning."
"What thing?" Brooke asks, her interest suddenly peaked.
"You know, the thing that happened after first hour in the hallway?" Bevin says gingerly, fearing saying that it was an altercation would rouse Brooke too much.
"No, I don't know. What thing?"
"Okay, Peyton and another girl nearly got into a fight."
"What?"
"Well, it was more like the girl picking on Peyton. I don't know, she said something like she had a problem with people like Peyton, whatever that means."
Brooke raises an eyebrow, suddenly fearing for the blonde's safety. "She's okay, right?"
"Oh, she's fine. She just went home."
"Who was it?"
"Heather Perkins and some of her friends."
"Okay." Brooke says quietly, vowing to approach this Heather Perkins sometime during school the next day. After another thought, she asks, "hey, that isn't what the big gossip's been about today, is it?"
"Oh, no. That's about-" Bevin's eyes grow wide and she firmly shuts her mouth, causing Brooke to stand up.
"That's about what?"
"Nothing. Just this new guy, someone says he killed a security guard at his last school. Just walked right up-"
"Bevin?" Brooke hisses. "Tell me."
"It's about you and Peyton." She answers quietly.
"Me and Peyton?" Bevin nods. "What about us?"
"Someone said they caught a show last night on Peyton's web cam." Bevin whispers. Brooke studies her for a long moment, not quite catching on. "You know, you and Peyton. Peyton and you."
She feels the air get sucked out of her lungs. They had been found out. And in a very public way. She sits down, back on the bleachers, no longer feeling steady on her feet.
"I've been telling everybody all day that it's just not true, but there's only so much a girl can do." Bevin says, trying to bring Brooke back out of her thoughts. "Maybe you speaking out against the rumors will help."
"Yeah. Yeah." Brooke says distractedly, barely taking notice of the girl's words. Peyton. God, what Peyton had gone through. She has to see her. Now. "Practice is canceled!" She yells out, her voice echoing throughout the gym as she grabs her bag and hurries to the door. She hears the girls break out into chatter behind her, undoubtedly talking about her and the gossip. But she doesn't care. There's only one thing she cares about now: making sure that Peyton is okay.
•••
She stares at the tile floor, tracing the pattern over and over with her eyes. The day had started out so well and then gone so wrong so quickly that she wasn't sure what had happened. She woke up with a feeling of absolute peace surrounding her, and now where was she? Sitting on the bathroom floor, telling herself that crying isn't going to do any good.
She hears her bedroom door get pushed open. A small voice calls out her name as footsteps enter her room. She hears them come closer and get slower, until she knows they're parked right outside of the closed bathroom door. A small tap of knuckles on the door. She can't bring herself to say anything to the girl whom she knows is on the other side, not come in, not go away, not I love you, not anything.
She hears fingers wrap around the doorknob, then the twist, then the creak as the door slowly gets pushed open. She doesn't look over, not wanting to see the reaction in those eyes when they see how devastated she looks. She waits.
"Hey, pretty girl."
She can't say anything, doesn't try to. She hears heels click on the tile come closer, feels a brush as a body sits down next to her. A few minutes pass, an arm wraps around her back, gently stroking her shoulder.
"I'm sorry about what happened."
"It's not your fault." Peyton whispers, wiping the tears from her cheeks. She can't keep crying, not in front of Brooke. "My web cam was on. It's my fault."
"No. None of this is your fault. Okay?" Brooke says, pulling Peyton closer to her. She whispers, "I shouldn't have come over last night." Green eyes look to her for the first time, a hint of anger in them.
"Don't say that." She says, her voice soft but firm.
"Peyton?" Brooke pulls back from her, her hand dropping down the blonde's back.
"We can't let them change us, Brooke. That's how they win."
"I'm not talking about them. To hell with them. I just don't want to do anything that hurts you." She sees the pain in Brooke's eyes, knowing it's only a reflection of her own.
"Last night didn't hurt me, Brooke. Last night was perfect."
"What?" Peyton sees the shock in her green eyes, feels the hand come off of her back, leaving her cold. She needs Brooke's touch.
"I tried to tell you this morning, but you ran off before I could say anything." Brooke shakes her head.
"Peyt, you don't have to-"
"Stop it! Okay? Just stop it!" She yells, earning silence from Brooke. The brunette looks down to the floor. "I love you." Surprised green eyes meet hers. "I love you." She says more forcefully. "I always have."
"I know." Brooke says, her tone telling Peyton that she doesn't understand.
"No, not like that. I love you like you said you loved me this morning. I'm in love with you. I have been for a long time, Brooke. I just never thought that you could ever feel the same way." She puts a hand to the brunette's cheek, strokes it with her thumb. "You're my whole world, Brooke."
"Peyton," she starts softly. Her eyes trace every feature of the blonde's face, intentionally imprinting it into her memory of this moment. She takes in a deep breath. "I love you, too." She watches a smile spread across Peyton's lips, a warm feeling coursing through her body. She pulls the blonde to her in a gentle kiss. "So, now do I get to do that whenever I want?"
"Yes."
"I should've told you I love you a long time ago, huh?"
"Yes." Peyton smiles and entwines her fingers with Brooke's, looking down at them, wondering how long the rapture would last this time.
After studying the blonde's face and the hint of darkness in her eyes, she asks, "what is it?" Green eyes look back up to her, surprised.
"What is what?"
"What you're thinking." She watches Peyton force a smile.
"Nothing."
"Peyton Sawyer, I know you better than that. Now, spill." Peyton nods, looks back down to their hands.
"What about them?" She asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Who?"
"The people at school."
"What about them?"
"They know, Brooke. They know about what happened between us. And they're not going to let us forget it." Brooke sees the fear in her green eyes and shudders.
"I know. But we can't change what happened. All we can do is deal with it." She strokes the back of Peyton's hand with her thumb unconsciously.
"How?"
"Well, tomorrow, we can show up to school, hand in hand, maybe share a few kisses and really give them something to talk about." She says with an impish gleam in her eye, earning a small laugh from Peyton. She loves the way the blonde laughs.
"And you'd be okay with that?"
"Of course. Cause I've got the hottest girl in the whole school all to myself." She gets another smile from the blonde. "In all seriousness, Peyt, all that matters to me now is that we're together. They can talk all they want because I know that in the end, we're going to be together, and we're going to be happy."
"You really mean that?"
"Yes."
"Forever?" Her eyes search Brooke's, needing to make sure that everything she had just heard wasn't a dream.
"Forever." She answers without a moment's pause. She knows it's true. She has no plans of giving up the blonde.
"I love you so much." Peyton says and pulls Brooke into a tight hug.
"I love you, too, Peyt." She feels lips against the side of her neck, then her cheek. She looks into those green eyes and sees a look she hasn't seen in them since the night before. "Feelin' frisky?" She asks with a smirk. The blonde raises an eyebrow seductively.
"Always am when I'm with you. And you?"
"Ready and willing." She whispers huskily then captures the blonde's lips with her own. A hand pushes her hair out of her face as lips move to suck lightly on her neck. "Let's just make sure the web cam's off this time, huh?" She feels the laugh of the girl on her skin and smiles.
"Brooke?"
"Yeah?"
"We're going to be okay. I know it."
"Oh, yeah? How?"
"Because of this." She says softly. Brooke looks at her in anticipation, expecting something sweet to come out of Peyton's mouth. Instead, she feels Peyton's fingers tickling her sides and feels the laughter course through her body.
"That's- not- fair!" She yells in between deep breaths.
"Say uncle!"
"Never!"
"Say it!"