Popular (tv series) Fic: Clarity: Chapter 4/13 - Lucky Denver Mint
Title: Clarity
Chapter 4: Lucky Denver Mint
Author: emotionsovrflow
Rating: T
Feedback: Always welcome
Disclaimer: I do not own Popular or it's characters. I do not own Jimmy Eat World or their music. The only thing to which I can lay claim is the arrangement of the words herewithin.
Author's Notes: See Chapter 1. Also, I wanted to leave a quick note here to thank GilmoreRos who has been helping me with my writing process over the past few days as I've been working through edit after edit after edit.
Link to Chapter 1 - Crush
Link to Chapter 2 - Table for Glasses
Link to Chapter 3 - A Sunday
4 - Lucky Denver Mint
Brooke was having a hard time keeping her mind off of Sam. When the brunette had come to talk to her about the attraction they had been feeling towards one another, she had been adamant that they should ignore whatever was going on between them. Before talking about it, Brooke had assumed that they would both just pretend it was nothing and never even speak of it. Eventually, their feelings would fade, and they could move on.
Unfortunately she was finding that their conversation, if anything, had made her interest grow. When they had stopped speaking to each other, Brooke was surprised by how much she had missed Sam’s company, even in a strictly platonic capacity. Since they had started hanging out again, though, Brooke couldn't help but feel like they were on some sort of pseudo-date every time they spent any time together just the two of them.
She was partially annoyed at Sam for even bringing it up. She had been fairly certain that Sam was into her, but with it being confirmed, something seemed to have changed inside of Brooke. It was like a switch had been flipped and there was now a giant spotlight on how she felt about her housemate. She would find herself daydreaming about the brunette at school, as she was trying to fall asleep, pretty much all the time.
As she lay on her stomach, trying to focus on a paper that was due the next day, she was completely preoccupied thinking of their situation. Just as she was about to give up on her homework altogether, there was a knock on her door.
“It’s open,” she called out.
The object of Brooke’s imagination stuck her head in through the doorway. “Hey, mind if I come in for a sec?”
Brooke dropped her pen and said, “no, come on in, Sam. What’s up?”
Sam smiled and entered the room fully, closing the door behind her. “I was wondering if you had heard about that party on Saturday? I mean, supposedly everyone is going, so...”
Brooke remembered something that Nicole had said earlier today. “Yeah, I think I’m supposed to go. Are you?”
“Carm and Lil want to go, so I think I’m gonna head over at least for a while, yeah.”
“Oh, cool.” Brooke nodded at Sam who just continued to stand there, looking at her somewhat expectantly. “Was there something else?”
Sam cringed. “Actually, there is.” Brooke felt her heart rate pick up speed before the brunette continued. “Do you think you could drive me? I don’t really have any other way of getting there, and it would be really far out of the way for Carmen to come pick me up.”
Brooke let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, though she couldn't say for certain it was out of relief. “Absolutely. Yeah, that’s fine. It would be silly not to drive you.”
“Cool!” Sam looked down at the books in front of Brooke. “Working on that comparative piece for lit?”
Brooke sighed heavily and scowled at her notebook. “Yes. I wish it would just write itself.”
“It’s due tomorrow right?” Sam asked, to which Brooke nodded. “If you want, I could help you out a little. Read over what you have and try to help you along. I’m done with my homework for the night, so I’m not really doing anything else.”
Brooke took a moment to consider her options. On the one hand, she really needed help with this. On the other, she thought it might be best to try to limit her contact with Sam since she was feeling so stressed out about everything concerning her.
“That would be great. I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time writing this thing.”
----------------------
Sam had helped Brooke finish her paper and the blonde was happy with the way it had turned out. She had turned it in on Friday morning and felt relief that the project was finished and out of her hands. That night, she had hung out with Nicole and Mary Cherry, going to the mall and seeing a movie. She had been happy to spend some time apart from Sam and out of the house. She even managed to stop obsessing about her and focus her attention on her friends.
Both Brooke and Sam had spent most of the day Saturday doing homework and otherwise keeping to themselves. Jane cooked an early dinner and once they had finished helping clean up, they went to their rooms to get ready for the evening. Meeting downstairs just before 8:30, they yelled a quick goodbye to their parents as they headed out to the car.
Driving in relative silence, Brooke wondered if Sam was aware of the unease that she was feeling. As if on cue, Sam turned to her and offered, “you look really nice tonight, Brooke.”
Brooke’s shoulders lowered, the tension she had been holding dissipating a bit. She smiled warmly and responded, “thanks, Sam. So do you.”
As they got close to the party, Brooke found a parking spot near the beginning of the street and parked smoothly, about a block from their destination. They got out of the car and started walking toward the house, already able to hear the loud music coming from inside. “You’re meeting Lily and Carmen here, right?”
“Yeah, and I think Harrison is supposed to show his face at some point. What about you? Are Satan’s minions coming tonight?”
“Yes, Sam.” Brooke rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the small smile that played at her lips. “Nicole and Mary Cherry should already be inside.”
As they approached the door, Sam turned to Brooke. “Ok then, thanks for the ride. Guess I’ll see you around in there.”
“Yeah, have fun.” Brooke seemed to want to add something else but faltered.
“What is it?”
Brooke stood still for a moment, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, holding her breath. “Do you think you’ll need a ride home?”
Sam, cocking her head to the side curiously, replied, “I don’t know. Maybe. Try to find me if you’re going to leave, and I’ll do the same, ok? We’ll see what happens.”
“Ok, cool. Sounds like a plan.”
They each walked into the house and were swallowed by opposite sides of the crowd.
------------------------------
Throughout the night, Brooke had seemed to have a sixth sense concerning Sam. At any given moment, she knew exactly where she was and who she was with. If she was being honest with herself, she would admit that she had purposely tried to keep her within eyesight while also maintaining maximum distance. At the moment though, Brooke had lost track of her. She was scowling slightly as she scanned the crowd.
“Who is that?” Nicole asked, enunciating each word with earnest.
Brooke and Mary Cherry both turned their heads to see who Nicole was glaring at. They saw a tall, handsome, muscular, dark haired guy that neither of them had seen before.
Josh came up behind them, having overheard Nicole’s question. “That guy? That’s Alex. He just transferred here last week. He walked right onto the lacrosse team. The dude’s a beast!”
As Alex shifted his weight to his other foot, revealing the person he was talking with, all three cheerleaders gasped.
“Why is he talking to Spam???” Nicole shouted, clearly upset. “Someone should go save him from the terrible mistake he’s making.”
“Calm down, Nicole,” Josh started. “Sam’s fine. I think maybe he’s been trying to get involved with the newspaper. I swear you guys, if I was into dudes, that’s the dude I would be into.”
Nicole whipped her head to gape at Josh, who was staring at Alex with admiration clearly written across his face. Mary Cherry, on the other hand, was still staring at the new student with a hungry look in her eyes, licking her lips, muttering, “mmmmmmm hmmmmmm,” in agreement.
“What the fuck have you been drinking, Ford?” Nicole spat at him.
“I’m just saying. He seems like he’s a good guy.”
At that point, Sugar Daddy walked up with a tray of shot glasses and a bottle of tequila. “Who wants some shots, homies?”
Brooke, whose attention had not wavered from Sam since she had come back into her view, quickly spun around, grabbed a shot glass and the bottle. She poured herself a shot and downed it in one gulp, causing her to cough as it burned it’s way down her esophagus.
As Brooke went to pour herself another shot, Sugar Daddy said, “hey, you could leave some for the rest of us.”
Nicole looked back to her friend and offered, “Jesus Christ, Brooke. Don’t get sloppy.”
“Shut up, Nicole,” Brooke fired back. She finished pouring her shot and handed the bottle back to Sugar Daddy.
Nicole looked like she was about to put up a fight, then backed down. “You know what? Fuck all you idiots. I’m gonna go introduce myself to that sexy, sexy man who is currently wasting his time talking to that social reject you live with.”
“Go get ‘em.” With that, Brooke slung back her second shot. This time, she didn't even flinch.
----------------------------------
Sam was looking, unsuccessfully, for Brooke. Carmen had asked her and Lily if they wanted to stay the night at her house, so she wanted to let Brooke know she wouldn't be needing a ride. As she rounded a corner, getting ready to give up altogether, she ran directly into the blonde.
“Saaaaaaaaam!!!!!! Where have you beeeeeen?” Brooke slurred, clearly drunk.
“Brooke, what the hell? You realize you drove, right?”
The sequence of expressions on Brooke’s face mirrored the thought process that this question spurred. “Ohhhh nooooo. You’re right! I did drive. What am I going to do, Sam?”
Though partially pissed off, Sam was finding Brooke to be quite endearing in her drunken state. “Where are your keys? I’ll drive you.” Sam had sipped on a beer towards the beginning of the night, but since then, had been sticking to water.
Brooke searched through her purse with a look of deep concentration. When she finally retrieved her keys, she pulled them out with a flourish and a, “ta daaaaaaaa!”
Sam chuckled at how proud she looked of her achievement. “Good job, Houdini. Come on.” She grabbed the keys from Brooke’s hand and wrapped an arm around her waist, leading her towards the front door.
As they made their way outside, they encountered Carmen and Lily who had been waiting for Sam. “Whoa,” Carmen said, seeing Brooke’s current state.
“Yeah,” Sam agreed. “Sorry guys, I have to get her home. Raincheck on an all-nighter?”
“Of course. Will you be ok? Do you want us to come back to your house with you?” Lily asked as she and Carmen helped walk Brooke down the street and get her into the car.
“No, thanks. I’ll be fine. Do you guys need a ride or anything?”
“We’re ok. Just get home safe, yeah?” Carmen seemed concerned.
“Thanks, guys. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Sam started the car and drove towards home. Brooke was completely wild, blasting the radio and singing along to every song that came on, to the protests of her current chauffeur. After a while, Sam gave up and decided to just concentrate on her driving. Once they were pulling onto their street, she finally convinced Brooke to settle down so they didn't wake their parents.
Sam managed to maneuver Brooke out of the car, and get her upstairs almost silently. Brooke, though still unsteady on her feet, managed to walk through the house with a wobbly sort of grace that Sam hadn't really witnessed before from anyone. Once they were in Brooke’s room, the blonde flopped onto her bed.
“Hmm...” Laying on her back, staring at the ceiling, Brooke seemed to be deep in thought as Sam had kneeled down to remove the blonde’s shoes. “I’m drunk, you know.”
Sam laughed quietly and looked up at the blonde fondly. “Yes, Brooke. I know.”
Brooke propped herself up on her elbows and stared into Sam’s eyes, taking in a deep breath. “I want to tell you something.”
“Hey. Listen, maybe you shouldn't. I don’t want you to regret anything tomorrow, ok? So let’s just wait.”
“No!” Brooke protested, fully sitting up. “I won’t regret it, Sam. I promise. I want to tell you now.” Brooke reached out and placed her hand on Sam’s cheek.
Sam sighed deeply, pressing her face into the blonde’s hand. Contemplating the situation, she went back and forth in her mind as to how to proceed. “Brooke, I want you to be sure. Please just wait until tomorrow when you’re thinking clearly. You really are quite drunk.”
“I’m drunk because you were talking to that stupid guy.” Brooke scowled.
“What stupid guy?” Sam asked, confused.
“Stupid Alex. With his stupid hair and his stupid muscles and his stupid face.”
“Alex? He was asking me about the Zapruder. He wants to see about working on the paper and he had heard that I was involved.”
“Well,” Brooke pouted again, “I don’t like him.”
“Why did you get drunk because I was talking to him?” Sam asked, barely above a whisper.
“Because he’s like, really hot. And I didn't like it. And you should have been talking to me instead. Because his face is stupid. And you’re so pretty, Sam. And sometimes I just look at you and all I can see are your lips, and all I want to do is kiss them. I just want to kiss your stupid pretty lips on your stupid pretty face.”
Sam’s breath caught in her throat. She took Brooke’s hand in her own and removed it from her face, dropping it down to Brooke’s lap. She swallowed, trying to find her voice. “Brooke, you’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re saying.”
Brooke squeezed Sam’s hand. “I do, Sam. I mean, yes, I’m drunk. But I know what I’m saying.”
Sam nodded. “Ok. I believe you. But we’re going to talk about this again, alright? Tomorrow? Or whenever. Just not now. Please.”
“Okay,” Brooke conceded finally.
“Let’s get you into bed.” At Sam’s suggestion, Brooke got a devious smile on her face and raised her eyebrows before biting her lip. “Stop that, Brooke! Get changed, I’ll come check on you in a minute.”
Brooke nodded as Sam went into her own room and got into her pajamas, then stopped into the bathroom. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she tried not to think too hard about what had just transpired between her and Brooke.
She made her way back into Brooke’s room and smiled when she saw the blonde snuggled in her covers, just her face poking out from underneath. “You look comfy.”
“Mmm, yes. I am.” Brooke definitely sounded like she meant it.
Sam sat on the edge of the bed. “Well, I hate to disrupt you, but you should take these.” She put out her hand, showing Brooke two pills, a glass of water in her other hand.
“What is it?” Brooke asked, sitting up a little and dislodging herself from her blanket cocoon. She took the offered pills and swallowed them down with a large gulp of water, not even waiting for an answer to her question.
“Just some Tylenol. Drink as much of the water as you can, you’ll be happy you did in the morning.”
Brooke groaned a little and left the half filled glass on her nightstand. She looked up at Sam. “You always take such good care of me, Sammy.”
“Anytime, Princess.”
Brooke laid down again and snuggled back into her covers. Sam got up and crossed the room, turning off the lights.
“Sam?” Brooke said, stopping the brunette’s exit. “We’ll talk tomorrow?”
“If you still want to, yes.” Sam replied, softly. “Get some sleep, Brooke.”
“Night, Sam.”
“Night, Brooke.”
Chapter 4: Lucky Denver Mint
Author: emotionsovrflow
Rating: T
Feedback: Always welcome
Disclaimer: I do not own Popular or it's characters. I do not own Jimmy Eat World or their music. The only thing to which I can lay claim is the arrangement of the words herewithin.
Author's Notes: See Chapter 1. Also, I wanted to leave a quick note here to thank GilmoreRos who has been helping me with my writing process over the past few days as I've been working through edit after edit after edit.
Link to Chapter 1 - Crush
Link to Chapter 2 - Table for Glasses
Link to Chapter 3 - A Sunday
4 - Lucky Denver Mint
Brooke was having a hard time keeping her mind off of Sam. When the brunette had come to talk to her about the attraction they had been feeling towards one another, she had been adamant that they should ignore whatever was going on between them. Before talking about it, Brooke had assumed that they would both just pretend it was nothing and never even speak of it. Eventually, their feelings would fade, and they could move on.
Unfortunately she was finding that their conversation, if anything, had made her interest grow. When they had stopped speaking to each other, Brooke was surprised by how much she had missed Sam’s company, even in a strictly platonic capacity. Since they had started hanging out again, though, Brooke couldn't help but feel like they were on some sort of pseudo-date every time they spent any time together just the two of them.
She was partially annoyed at Sam for even bringing it up. She had been fairly certain that Sam was into her, but with it being confirmed, something seemed to have changed inside of Brooke. It was like a switch had been flipped and there was now a giant spotlight on how she felt about her housemate. She would find herself daydreaming about the brunette at school, as she was trying to fall asleep, pretty much all the time.
As she lay on her stomach, trying to focus on a paper that was due the next day, she was completely preoccupied thinking of their situation. Just as she was about to give up on her homework altogether, there was a knock on her door.
“It’s open,” she called out.
The object of Brooke’s imagination stuck her head in through the doorway. “Hey, mind if I come in for a sec?”
Brooke dropped her pen and said, “no, come on in, Sam. What’s up?”
Sam smiled and entered the room fully, closing the door behind her. “I was wondering if you had heard about that party on Saturday? I mean, supposedly everyone is going, so...”
Brooke remembered something that Nicole had said earlier today. “Yeah, I think I’m supposed to go. Are you?”
“Carm and Lil want to go, so I think I’m gonna head over at least for a while, yeah.”
“Oh, cool.” Brooke nodded at Sam who just continued to stand there, looking at her somewhat expectantly. “Was there something else?”
Sam cringed. “Actually, there is.” Brooke felt her heart rate pick up speed before the brunette continued. “Do you think you could drive me? I don’t really have any other way of getting there, and it would be really far out of the way for Carmen to come pick me up.”
Brooke let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, though she couldn't say for certain it was out of relief. “Absolutely. Yeah, that’s fine. It would be silly not to drive you.”
“Cool!” Sam looked down at the books in front of Brooke. “Working on that comparative piece for lit?”
Brooke sighed heavily and scowled at her notebook. “Yes. I wish it would just write itself.”
“It’s due tomorrow right?” Sam asked, to which Brooke nodded. “If you want, I could help you out a little. Read over what you have and try to help you along. I’m done with my homework for the night, so I’m not really doing anything else.”
Brooke took a moment to consider her options. On the one hand, she really needed help with this. On the other, she thought it might be best to try to limit her contact with Sam since she was feeling so stressed out about everything concerning her.
“That would be great. I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time writing this thing.”
----------------------
Sam had helped Brooke finish her paper and the blonde was happy with the way it had turned out. She had turned it in on Friday morning and felt relief that the project was finished and out of her hands. That night, she had hung out with Nicole and Mary Cherry, going to the mall and seeing a movie. She had been happy to spend some time apart from Sam and out of the house. She even managed to stop obsessing about her and focus her attention on her friends.
Both Brooke and Sam had spent most of the day Saturday doing homework and otherwise keeping to themselves. Jane cooked an early dinner and once they had finished helping clean up, they went to their rooms to get ready for the evening. Meeting downstairs just before 8:30, they yelled a quick goodbye to their parents as they headed out to the car.
Driving in relative silence, Brooke wondered if Sam was aware of the unease that she was feeling. As if on cue, Sam turned to her and offered, “you look really nice tonight, Brooke.”
Brooke’s shoulders lowered, the tension she had been holding dissipating a bit. She smiled warmly and responded, “thanks, Sam. So do you.”
As they got close to the party, Brooke found a parking spot near the beginning of the street and parked smoothly, about a block from their destination. They got out of the car and started walking toward the house, already able to hear the loud music coming from inside. “You’re meeting Lily and Carmen here, right?”
“Yeah, and I think Harrison is supposed to show his face at some point. What about you? Are Satan’s minions coming tonight?”
“Yes, Sam.” Brooke rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the small smile that played at her lips. “Nicole and Mary Cherry should already be inside.”
As they approached the door, Sam turned to Brooke. “Ok then, thanks for the ride. Guess I’ll see you around in there.”
“Yeah, have fun.” Brooke seemed to want to add something else but faltered.
“What is it?”
Brooke stood still for a moment, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, holding her breath. “Do you think you’ll need a ride home?”
Sam, cocking her head to the side curiously, replied, “I don’t know. Maybe. Try to find me if you’re going to leave, and I’ll do the same, ok? We’ll see what happens.”
“Ok, cool. Sounds like a plan.”
They each walked into the house and were swallowed by opposite sides of the crowd.
------------------------------
Throughout the night, Brooke had seemed to have a sixth sense concerning Sam. At any given moment, she knew exactly where she was and who she was with. If she was being honest with herself, she would admit that she had purposely tried to keep her within eyesight while also maintaining maximum distance. At the moment though, Brooke had lost track of her. She was scowling slightly as she scanned the crowd.
“Who is that?” Nicole asked, enunciating each word with earnest.
Brooke and Mary Cherry both turned their heads to see who Nicole was glaring at. They saw a tall, handsome, muscular, dark haired guy that neither of them had seen before.
Josh came up behind them, having overheard Nicole’s question. “That guy? That’s Alex. He just transferred here last week. He walked right onto the lacrosse team. The dude’s a beast!”
As Alex shifted his weight to his other foot, revealing the person he was talking with, all three cheerleaders gasped.
“Why is he talking to Spam???” Nicole shouted, clearly upset. “Someone should go save him from the terrible mistake he’s making.”
“Calm down, Nicole,” Josh started. “Sam’s fine. I think maybe he’s been trying to get involved with the newspaper. I swear you guys, if I was into dudes, that’s the dude I would be into.”
Nicole whipped her head to gape at Josh, who was staring at Alex with admiration clearly written across his face. Mary Cherry, on the other hand, was still staring at the new student with a hungry look in her eyes, licking her lips, muttering, “mmmmmmm hmmmmmm,” in agreement.
“What the fuck have you been drinking, Ford?” Nicole spat at him.
“I’m just saying. He seems like he’s a good guy.”
At that point, Sugar Daddy walked up with a tray of shot glasses and a bottle of tequila. “Who wants some shots, homies?”
Brooke, whose attention had not wavered from Sam since she had come back into her view, quickly spun around, grabbed a shot glass and the bottle. She poured herself a shot and downed it in one gulp, causing her to cough as it burned it’s way down her esophagus.
As Brooke went to pour herself another shot, Sugar Daddy said, “hey, you could leave some for the rest of us.”
Nicole looked back to her friend and offered, “Jesus Christ, Brooke. Don’t get sloppy.”
“Shut up, Nicole,” Brooke fired back. She finished pouring her shot and handed the bottle back to Sugar Daddy.
Nicole looked like she was about to put up a fight, then backed down. “You know what? Fuck all you idiots. I’m gonna go introduce myself to that sexy, sexy man who is currently wasting his time talking to that social reject you live with.”
“Go get ‘em.” With that, Brooke slung back her second shot. This time, she didn't even flinch.
----------------------------------
Sam was looking, unsuccessfully, for Brooke. Carmen had asked her and Lily if they wanted to stay the night at her house, so she wanted to let Brooke know she wouldn't be needing a ride. As she rounded a corner, getting ready to give up altogether, she ran directly into the blonde.
“Saaaaaaaaam!!!!!! Where have you beeeeeen?” Brooke slurred, clearly drunk.
“Brooke, what the hell? You realize you drove, right?”
The sequence of expressions on Brooke’s face mirrored the thought process that this question spurred. “Ohhhh nooooo. You’re right! I did drive. What am I going to do, Sam?”
Though partially pissed off, Sam was finding Brooke to be quite endearing in her drunken state. “Where are your keys? I’ll drive you.” Sam had sipped on a beer towards the beginning of the night, but since then, had been sticking to water.
Brooke searched through her purse with a look of deep concentration. When she finally retrieved her keys, she pulled them out with a flourish and a, “ta daaaaaaaa!”
Sam chuckled at how proud she looked of her achievement. “Good job, Houdini. Come on.” She grabbed the keys from Brooke’s hand and wrapped an arm around her waist, leading her towards the front door.
As they made their way outside, they encountered Carmen and Lily who had been waiting for Sam. “Whoa,” Carmen said, seeing Brooke’s current state.
“Yeah,” Sam agreed. “Sorry guys, I have to get her home. Raincheck on an all-nighter?”
“Of course. Will you be ok? Do you want us to come back to your house with you?” Lily asked as she and Carmen helped walk Brooke down the street and get her into the car.
“No, thanks. I’ll be fine. Do you guys need a ride or anything?”
“We’re ok. Just get home safe, yeah?” Carmen seemed concerned.
“Thanks, guys. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Sam started the car and drove towards home. Brooke was completely wild, blasting the radio and singing along to every song that came on, to the protests of her current chauffeur. After a while, Sam gave up and decided to just concentrate on her driving. Once they were pulling onto their street, she finally convinced Brooke to settle down so they didn't wake their parents.
Sam managed to maneuver Brooke out of the car, and get her upstairs almost silently. Brooke, though still unsteady on her feet, managed to walk through the house with a wobbly sort of grace that Sam hadn't really witnessed before from anyone. Once they were in Brooke’s room, the blonde flopped onto her bed.
“Hmm...” Laying on her back, staring at the ceiling, Brooke seemed to be deep in thought as Sam had kneeled down to remove the blonde’s shoes. “I’m drunk, you know.”
Sam laughed quietly and looked up at the blonde fondly. “Yes, Brooke. I know.”
Brooke propped herself up on her elbows and stared into Sam’s eyes, taking in a deep breath. “I want to tell you something.”
“Hey. Listen, maybe you shouldn't. I don’t want you to regret anything tomorrow, ok? So let’s just wait.”
“No!” Brooke protested, fully sitting up. “I won’t regret it, Sam. I promise. I want to tell you now.” Brooke reached out and placed her hand on Sam’s cheek.
Sam sighed deeply, pressing her face into the blonde’s hand. Contemplating the situation, she went back and forth in her mind as to how to proceed. “Brooke, I want you to be sure. Please just wait until tomorrow when you’re thinking clearly. You really are quite drunk.”
“I’m drunk because you were talking to that stupid guy.” Brooke scowled.
“What stupid guy?” Sam asked, confused.
“Stupid Alex. With his stupid hair and his stupid muscles and his stupid face.”
“Alex? He was asking me about the Zapruder. He wants to see about working on the paper and he had heard that I was involved.”
“Well,” Brooke pouted again, “I don’t like him.”
“Why did you get drunk because I was talking to him?” Sam asked, barely above a whisper.
“Because he’s like, really hot. And I didn't like it. And you should have been talking to me instead. Because his face is stupid. And you’re so pretty, Sam. And sometimes I just look at you and all I can see are your lips, and all I want to do is kiss them. I just want to kiss your stupid pretty lips on your stupid pretty face.”
Sam’s breath caught in her throat. She took Brooke’s hand in her own and removed it from her face, dropping it down to Brooke’s lap. She swallowed, trying to find her voice. “Brooke, you’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re saying.”
Brooke squeezed Sam’s hand. “I do, Sam. I mean, yes, I’m drunk. But I know what I’m saying.”
Sam nodded. “Ok. I believe you. But we’re going to talk about this again, alright? Tomorrow? Or whenever. Just not now. Please.”
“Okay,” Brooke conceded finally.
“Let’s get you into bed.” At Sam’s suggestion, Brooke got a devious smile on her face and raised her eyebrows before biting her lip. “Stop that, Brooke! Get changed, I’ll come check on you in a minute.”
Brooke nodded as Sam went into her own room and got into her pajamas, then stopped into the bathroom. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she tried not to think too hard about what had just transpired between her and Brooke.
She made her way back into Brooke’s room and smiled when she saw the blonde snuggled in her covers, just her face poking out from underneath. “You look comfy.”
“Mmm, yes. I am.” Brooke definitely sounded like she meant it.
Sam sat on the edge of the bed. “Well, I hate to disrupt you, but you should take these.” She put out her hand, showing Brooke two pills, a glass of water in her other hand.
“What is it?” Brooke asked, sitting up a little and dislodging herself from her blanket cocoon. She took the offered pills and swallowed them down with a large gulp of water, not even waiting for an answer to her question.
“Just some Tylenol. Drink as much of the water as you can, you’ll be happy you did in the morning.”
Brooke groaned a little and left the half filled glass on her nightstand. She looked up at Sam. “You always take such good care of me, Sammy.”
“Anytime, Princess.”
Brooke laid down again and snuggled back into her covers. Sam got up and crossed the room, turning off the lights.
“Sam?” Brooke said, stopping the brunette’s exit. “We’ll talk tomorrow?”
“If you still want to, yes.” Sam replied, softly. “Get some sleep, Brooke.”
“Night, Sam.”
“Night, Brooke.”