Fic: One Crazy Night 11-12/22
Title: One Crazy Night
Fandom: Popular
Pairing: Sam/Brooke
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Alas, I don’t own the characters of Popular. They belong to Ryan Murphy, but hopefully he won’t mind if I borrow them for a little while.
A/N: This is a futurefic, where Sam and Brooke are in college. It's currently sophomore year.
A/N2: Thoughts are in [ ]. And memories/flashbacks are in italics.
( Chapters 1 - 2 )
( Chapters 3 - 5 )
( Chapters 6 - 8 )
( Chapters 9 - 10 )
Chapter 11
Brooke frowned, as she felt a shadow pass in front of the sun, which had previously been comfortably shining on her. She reluctantly opened one eye, squinting up at whatever obstacle was currently in the way of her perfect tan.
Sam stood in front of her, grinning. And wearing a very sexy green bikini.
[ Damn, where are my sunglasses? If I had them, then I could safely ogle Sam. ]
Brooke studiously kept her eyes from wandering over Sam’s body. Instead, she managed a fairly accurate impression of “nonchalant annoyance,” as she glared at her step-sister. “What do you want, Sam? You’re in the way.”
“I want you to get up off your lazy ass, and come swimming with me!”
“What, are you crazy? My hair was acting all funky this morning, and it took me a while to get it right. There’s no way I’m going to mess with it.”
Sam just scoffed. “Oh, come on. It’s Spring Break. We’re in Florida. On a beach. And the ocean’s probably about eighty degrees. Katie and Alex are already in there. You HAVE to go swimming! Besides, your hair always looks good, so no worries.”
And with that, Sam reached down, grabbing one of Brooke’s hands in both of her own, and heaved the reluctant blonde upwards off the towel.
“Saaaaaaam.” Brooke extended the name into a protesting whine. But Sam was stronger than she looked, and she apparently wasn’t taking “no” for an answer.
So Brooke found herself standing next to a triumphant Sam, who quickly kneeled in the sand to pull down Brooke’s shorts, leaving her in an equally stunning blue, white, and pink striped bikini.
Brooke, who had several fantasies involving Sam undressing her, felt a deep blush spread across her face. She noticed Sam hadn’t stood up again yet, so she glanced down to see why. Sam was staring straight ahead with a look on her face that Brooke couldn’t quite read. She felt herself flush even redder as she realized that Sam was staring at her scar. The one that led from the side of her left thigh, up and around towards her groin area. It was why she always wore shorts while sunbathing.
To break her sudden discomfort, Brooke lifted her foot to playfully push Sam backwards onto the sand. Sprinting towards the water, she looked back over her shoulder and called out, “Fine, I’ll go swimming! But last one in buys dinner!”
Brooke laughed as she saw Sam instantly struggle to her feet, muttering something about “cheater” and “SO not fair!”
But there were so many people on the beach, that reaching the ocean proved a more difficult task than originally imagined. And Sam was gaining on her. Brooke reached the ocean, right as Sam reached her. She let out a yelp of surprise when Sam wrapped her arms around her, tackling her as they both fell into the water.
Brooke felt like she should be upset, but they could both only burst out laughing as they lay in the shallow water, not even attempting to regain their balance right away.
As their laughter died down, Sam’s expression turned more serious. “Brooke, I’m really sorry I was staring. I just...I dunno, I just had never seen that one before. I mean, I totally wouldn’t have noticed it if I weren’t, you know, right there, and you really shouldn’t be embarrassed about it or anything, because it’s really not a big deal, and...”
Brooke just giggled. Normally she would, in fact, be extremely embarrassed about this. But she was determined to stay in a good mood and not let her insecurities ruin her vacation. “You’re babbling, Sammy. Don’t worry about it. I totally understand, so no need to apologize. Now come on, didn’t you mention something about swimming, not just sitting in the water?”
Brooke stood up, and now it was her turn to reach down and pull Sam to her feet.
It had been Katie’s idea for them all to head down to Florida. Her grandparents had a condo in Daytona Beach that they only used during the winter, so they were able to stay down there for the week for free. Jason couldn’t come, though, and after a few subtle hints from Sam that she didn’t really want her boyfriend to come along either, Katie informed a disappointed Luke that her parents didn’t want any boys staying in the condo, and it was too late to even think about being able to find him a hotel room.
So Katie, Sam, Brooke, and Alexis had the place to themselves, although they actually weren’t there too much. They slept and ate about half of their meals there, but the rest of the time was spent out on the beach, or shopping, or snorkeling, or riding bikes, or whatever else they felt like doing.
That night, the four friends were getting ready to head out to a club. Sam was in the shower, Katie was getting dressed in the room she was sharing with Alexis, and Brooke and Alexis were hanging out in the other bedroom, as Brooke applied her make-up.
Alex had returned to what seemed to be her favorite topic lately -- Brooke’s newfound questioning of her sexual orientation.
“I just don’t understand why you haven’t told Sam and Katie, yet. You know that you don’t have to worry about what they’d think, right? It’s totally not as big of a deal as you seem to think it is.”
Just then, Sam and Katie both entered the room, Katie from the doorway to the hall, and Sam from the adjoining bathroom. “Haven’t told WHAT to Sam and Katie?” they both asked simultaneously.
[ Shit! Damn it, Alexis...horrible timing! ]
Alexis just stared at Brooke apologetically, as Brooke looked back and forth between the two curious newcomers. “Uh, nothing much. Just that....that Charlie asked me out last week.”
Alexis’ look changed from apologetic to surprised. Brooke’s admission was certainly true, but it wasn’t the one Alexis had been expecting.
~~~
Sam was dancing. Smiling brightly as she moved to the music, completely at ease. Sam wasn’t drunk, but Brooke knew that a little alcohol always helped her loosen up more. And Brooke couldn’t tear her eyes away from her. She mumbled something about needing some fresh air, and bolted away from the tight circle of her friends. She found some space at the edge of the room, but maneuvered herself so she could still see Sam.
“I’m not sure if you’re even aware of it, but you’ve been watching her all night.”
Brooke looked sharply to her right, to see Katie smiling at her shyly.
“What? Watching who? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Watching Sam, of course. I’m guessing that this, and not the romantic attentions of Charlie, is what you and Alexis were really talking about earlier?”
[ Fuck, am I that obvious? ]
Brooke just stared at Katie, her expression gradually shifting from tense and ready for denial to panic-stricken.
“Oh, Katie. What am I gonna do? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. But I mean, it’s SAM, of all people! I shouldn’t be spending my night watching SAM!”
Brooke felt her heart pounding. It was the first time she had admitted aloud her crush...
[ Who am I kidding? This is way more than a crush, at this point. ]
...or whatever it was that she felt for Sam. It was both a huge relief, to have it out in the open, and completely terrifying at the same time.
Katie just reached out and pulled Brooke into a comforting hug, as she whispered soothingly in her ear, “It’s okay. Really. It’ll all work out, somehow. I mean, I’ll admit that the situation kind of sucks, but you’ll be okay, Brooke. Whatever happens, you’ll find a way to pull through. And I’m totally here for you, if you want to talk about it, or whatever.”
Brooke just clung tightly to Katie, trying to will herself not to cry. She was mostly successful, but a few tears fell silently down her cheeks. Slowly, she calmed herself down and pulled back from Katie. “Thanks. Sorry about the freak-out. Oh, and um, Alexis and Jason know that I like both guys and girls, but they don’t know about which girl in particular led me to that conclusion. I’m just not quite ready to tell everyone that yet. So, I know I can totally trust you, but I’d appreciate it if this didn’t go any further.”
“Yeah, sure Brooke, of course.”
Suddenly, Sam and Alexis appeared, laughing about something. Sam was the first to notice the serious expressions on her two friends’ faces. “Hey, is everything okay?”
[ God, I don’t know if I can handle going out there and dancing any longer. Because I want to dance with HER, not with her, Katie, and Alexis. ]
Thankfully, Katie seemed to read her mind. “Yeah, everything’s great. But I’m getting pretty tired, guys. Would it be okay if we head out?”
Brooke gladly breathed in the cooler night air, as they all exited the club. She was extremely grateful to Katie, both for being so awesome about the whole situation, and also for cheerfully carrying on the conversation, covering for Brooke’s thoughtful silence.
Crawling into bed that night, she felt both elation and misery. Because there was only one bed. So she got to share a bed with Sam -- so close to her, but not close enough.
Sam was asleep within a few minutes, but restlessness stayed with Brooke. She froze when she heard Sam sigh contentedly in her sleep, and then reach an arm across Brooke’s stomach, pulling her tight against Sam’s body. It was pure agony. Brooke knew that she wouldn’t be sleeping much tonight. Because she couldn’t let herself relax into Sam’s arms. If she did that, she’d never want to leave.
[ I wonder…does she even realize that it’s me that she’s hugging? Does she think I’m Luke? That would completely suck. Or maybe I just make a good pillow, and there’s nothing more to it than that. ]
But now that the unbidden thought of Sam and Luke in bed had entered Brooke’s mind, she couldn’t get rid of it.
Brooke was thinking about starting her psych paper when she heard a knock at her door.
“It’s open!”
Sam entered, closing the door behind her. She quickly glanced over to Alexis’ side of the room, but Alexis had just left for her early-morning run.
“Hey, Sam. What’s up?” Brooke was puzzled by Sam’s obvious nervousness. Sam opened and closed her mouth several times, apparently trying to figure out what she wanted to say. After a few moments, Sam drew her eyebrows together and seemed to make some kind of decision.
“I slept with Luke,” she blurted out.
Brooke felt some color drain from her face, and her eyes widened. It was way too early in the morning to deal with this.
“You what?” Brooke’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“I slept with Luke.” Sam’s voice sounded stronger this time, but she still looked a little shell-shocked.
“Oh.”
If Brooke was honest with herself, she was actually surprised that this conversation hadn’t happened earlier. Still, that didn’t make it any easier to take.
[ So that’s it. They’re sleeping together. They’re really serious. I mean, they’ve been dating for so long, how could it not be serious? But I held some small bit of comfort in the fact that they hadn’t had sex yet. Oh well. There goes that. But I can’t let myself freak out right now. This is so big for Sam, I have to be the good friend that she needs. ]
“Okay. You slept with Luke. That’s…well, I’m happy for you guys. That’s a big step forward for you. Are you okay? I can’t tell whether you’re happy or not.”
Sam shifted back and forth on the balls of her feet. “I don’t know. It was okay. Not quite what I was expecting. I mean, last night, he was just being so perfect, and it all felt right, and I made a conscious decision to go ahead with it, but it was just weird, somehow.”
“Wait, so this just happened last night? Sam, it’s only 7am. Did he leave already?”
Sam looked sheepishly at her feet. “No, he’s still in my room. I felt too weird, being in there, awake, while he slept, so I came down to talk to you. He sleeps like the dead, though, and probably won’t even start waking up for at least another 2 and a half hours.”
Brooke hated that Sam had obviously spent enough time sharing a bed with Luke to learn his sleeping habits. She also noticed that Sam was acting more and more agitated. “It’s just…I definitely wouldn’t call it bad, but I wouldn’t call it good either. Do you know what I mean? But that’s just because it was the first time, right? It’ll get better?”
Brooke felt her heart skip a beat at those words. She didn’t know which would be worse to hear -- that sex with Luke was great, or that the sex was only so-so, but Sam planned to keep having sex with him anyway. But Sam looked so lost. Brooke stood up, took two long strides, and pulled Sam into a hug.
“Don’t worry, Sammy. It’s okay. It usually takes people a little while to adjust to each other like that and learn what’s good for each other.”
Sam kept her arms around Brooke as she mumbled into her neck, “Josh is the guy you’ve had sex with the most, right? Did it get better with him?”
“Honestly, not really. But Josh and I was never a good idea. So you shouldn’t exactly take us as a model.”
[ Poor Josh. Now I understand a little more why that never could have worked out. I think, in a way, I was crushing on Sam even way back then. ]
Brooke closed her eyes, gently stroking Sam’s hair. She could smell Luke’s cologne clinging to Sam’s body, and it almost made her physically sick. More than the smell itself, it was the idea of what the smell meant. Still, she held on until she felt Sam relax, and then finally released her hold on her step-sister.
“Well, I should probably get back up there. Thanks, though, Brooke. I’m really glad I could talk to you.”
She quickly hugged Brooke once more, and then left without another word. As soon as the door closed, Brooke collapsed back onto her bed, releasing a strangled sob.
Unfortunately for Brooke, that morning was not the last time she had to endure a tortuous conversation with Sam about sex with Luke. Because for some reason, Sam seemed to have decided that Brooke should be her post-sex analysis buddy. Brooke secretly felt that sex shouldn’t require that much thought, but it did for Sam, apparently. Now, Brooke allowed herself to turn and look at her bedmate.
[ Oh, Sam. You could do so much better than Luke. He’s a really sweet guy, but I can tell from listening to you that he’s not nearly as good for you as you deserve. ]
The next morning, Brooke dragged her extremely tired self into the kitchen. She glared around the room at her three very awake-looking friends. They all took one look at her and decided not to comment, just point towards the fresh pot of coffee.
After two cups of coffee and a bowl of cereal, Brooke started to feel better. She had come to a conclusion that night, as she lay sleeplessly in bed, and decided that now was as good a time as any to share it.
“You know, I think I’m going to say yes to Charlie. And I’ll clean my dishes later, but I’m going to go take a shower now.”
Brooke turned and quickly left the room, but after a moment’s pause, she heard someone jump up from the table and follow her. Once inside the bedroom, she turned to face Katie, who closed the door and then looked back with a very confused expression on her face.
“You’re saying yes to Charlie? Why?? I mean, last night...I thought it was pretty clear that Charlie’s not the one you’re interested in.”
“No, he’s not. But I can’t handle this. I can’t handle Sam right now. I can’t handle the way I feel around her. I can’t handle listening to her talk about Luke. Talk about the pros and cons of FUCKING Luke. I need some kind of distraction. Any kind of distraction. So, Charlie lucks out by being the right kind of offer.”
Brooke pled silently with her eyes for Katie to just let it go.
After staring at Brooke for another few seconds, she just shrugged her shoulders. “Fine. I don’t think it’s a great idea, but if that’s what you need, then fine.”
[ It’s not what I want, but it’s what I can have. ]
__________________________________________________
Chapter 12
Sam was about to knock on Brooke’s door, but she was halted by the sound of Brooke talking on the phone.
“I know! Look, I think it’s safe to say that I’m even less happy about it than you are. But it was the guys’ idea, and I couldn’t exactly say no, now could I? Maybe if I had more time, but they put me right on the spot, and I didn’t have a handy excuse ready.”
Sam didn’t like eavesdropping. So even though she was quite curious as to what Brooke was talking about, she raised her fist again and knocked. Brooke opened the door and waved Sam inside, but was preoccupied with listening to whoever was on the phone.
Brooke obviously wasn’t ready to go yet, though, as there were numerous shirts strewn about the room, but Brooke wasn’t actually wearing any of them. Sam blushed as she felt her eyes immediately drawn to Brooke’s pink bra, but she quickly looked away, giving Brooke her privacy.
“Yeah, she just got here...I’ll call you or see you later, to let you know how it goes...Yeah, thanks...Okay, bye Katie.”
Sam frowned. She had noticed that Brooke and Katie had gotten a lot closer lately. And she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it. On one hand, she was happy that her two best friends got along so well. But on the other hand...she was almost jealous. Because sometimes it felt like Katie had taken over Sam’s role as Brooke’s confidant.
“Sorry, Sam. I’ll be ready in just a minute.”
Sam turned to face Brooke again, and was relieved to see her pulling on a shirt. At the same time, the door opened again, and Alexis walked in. For the second time in the last month, Alexis was once again trying out a new hair color. She was currently going with a multicolored, but primarily pink look.
“I sure hope that shirt is in the process of going on, not coming off...’Cause if it’s the latter, then I guess I’ll just leave you two alone.”
Sam chuckled, as Brooke blushed and glared at Alexis.
“Ha ha, you’re so funny. But no need for you to worry yourself, all is good and innocent, and my shirt will be staying on my body. Sam and I are about to leave.”
“Oh, right! It’s the big double date tonight! Good stuff. So where are the boy toys?”
“We’re meeting them at the restaurant,” Sam answered. “And with any luck, Brooke will be ready to leave soon, or else we’re gonna be late.”
Sam glanced over her shoulder, where Brooke had moved to search through some drawers for something or other.
“Awesome. Well, you kids have fun. I’m actually just stopping in for a minute. I had to come get my bio book, and now I’m off to chill with Jason and try to get some work done. Alas, while you two get to go out on a date, I get to hang out in a library.”
[ It almost sounds like Alex is saying that just Brooke and I are going on a date. Together. By ourselves. But that’s obviously not what she meant, so whatever. I don’t know why I just thought that. ]
Alexis continued, “But you gotta admit, gay guys can often be so much more fun than the straight ones. Anyways, see you two later.”
Brooke finally found what she was looking for -- a tube of lip gloss. “Well I’m ready, so we can all head out together.”
The subway ride to the restaurant was pretty quiet. Brooke seemed preoccupied with something, and kept tapping her foot at an incessant rate. At one point, Sam literally grabbed onto Brooke’s thigh to hold it still.
[ What is Brooke so nervous about? And she’s barely looked at me since I showed up at her room. ]
“Brooke, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s great. Why?” Even when talking to Sam, Brooke still looked straight ahead.
“You just seem a little...I dunno...agitated about something.”
“No, I’m fine. And this is our stop, so let’s go.”
The restaurant was just a few blocks from there, and they found Luke and Charlie already sitting down. Sam and Brooke joined them, each lightly kissing her respective boyfriend.
After they had all ordered their meals, Sam got up to go to the restroom.
[ This is so much more awkward than I thought it would be. I don’t even know why it’s so awkward...we all normally get along pretty well. But I guess it’s a whole different dynamic when it’s just the four of us. ]
As she was returning to the table, she saw that Charlie was talking. Brooke turned to look in her direction. She quickly looked away again, but then seemed to do a double-take, bringing her gaze back towards Sam. Sam wasn’t sure, but it almost seemed like Brooke’s eyes swept up and down Sam’s body.
[ Did Brooke just check me out? No, she probably just hadn’t noticed what I was wearing before, since she hasn’t looked at me for more than half a second before now. ]
Sam had actually had a lot of trouble figuring out what she was going to wear that night. She finally decided on a silky, red, tight-fitting v-neck top and black pinstripe pants. The shirt had been an impulse buy a month earlier, and she hadn’t actually worn it yet. She thought it looked good on her, but wasn’t sure. Brooke’s seemingly positive appraisal, however, eased some of Sam’s worries in that regard.
As Sam reached the table, Charlie was still talking, Brooke was now staring intently at her lap, and Luke was staring at Brooke with an expression of shock, mixed with what almost looked like anger. Brooke looked up to see Luke staring at her. She looked back at Luke defiantly. They simultaneously stole quick glances toward Sam, before going back to staring at each other. There was some kind of silent communication between them, and Sam had no idea what was going on. Charlie, meanwhile, had finally caught on to the fact that no one was really listening to him, so he also just looked around the table in confusion as to what had happened.
Mercifully, the waiter showed up right then to bring them their food, momentarily breaking the sudden tension at the table.
Fortunately, the good food gave them something safe to talk about for a little while. Luke kept looking back and forth between Sam and Brooke, though, and it was starting to get annoying.
Sam didn’t really understand what Brooke saw in Charlie, but she had to admit that tonight he was doing an admiral job of keeping some kind of conversation going. The guy could talk about anything, it seemed.
“My family has been acting so insane lately. We just found out that my older sister’s boyfriend is going to propose to her next weekend, and my parents are about to explode with excitement about the whole thing. Michelle totally knows that something weird is going on, but luckily, no one’s let the cat out of the bag quite yet.”
“So how’d you guys find out about it?” Sam was happy for something to take Luke’s attention away from her and Brooke.
“Well, he did the whole old-fashioned thing, and asked my parents for Michelle’s hand in marriage.”
Luke commented, “Nice. Classy.”
“No, wait. It’s not ‘classy.’ No offense to your sister’s boyfriend, Charlie, but I think it’s a horrible idea.” Everyone turned to look at Brooke.
Sam was worried to see Luke look almost excited at the prospect of an argument.
[ This is SO not going to end well. I just know it. ]
“Horrible? Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh, Brooke? I think it’s romantic. Aren’t girls like you supposed to like that kind of thing?”
Brooke frowned. “Okay, first of all...‘Girls like me’? What’s THAT supposed to mean?”
“Just, you know...girly girls. Girls that like shopping and want guys to take care of everything for them. The type of girl that Sam used to love writing editorials against.”
“Hey, don’t bring me into this,” Sam interrupted. “And yes, I used to write anti-Brooke editorials, but I’ve since learned that there’s a lot more to her than that, so I have to admit that I don’t know what your point is.”
“Thanks, Sam. And the point is that you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Luke. You don’t know anything about who I am.” Brooke’s voice remained eerily sweet and calm, but her eyes flashed with anger.
“But to get back to the original point, I like a guy to be romantic just as much as anyone else. But asking your girlfriend’s parents for their permission to get married isn’t romantic. It’s out-dated and misogynistic.”
“Where do you get that idea?” Luke asked. “It’s considerate. It’s respectful. It shows that you want to get along with her family, that you’re willing to go that extra step to make everything go smoothly. Having the parents’ approval ensures all that.”
“But it’s not the parents’ decision! If my dad didn’t approve of the person I love, then that would suck, but it has nothing to do with him, and if we really loved each other, then the lack of his approval wouldn’t matter. You’re marrying the girl, not the father. The tradition of asking for a woman’s hand in marriage is rooted in the idea that the daughter has no say in the matter. She’s just a piece of property to be bought! I’m sorry, but I don’t find THAT to be considerate and respectful.”
Sam felt a thrill run through her. It had been a while since she had heard Brooke argue. And for once, she wasn’t on the receiving end of Brooke’s scorn. It was nice to watch her in action, without having to worry about holding her own. Seeing Brooke all fired up was definitely quite a sight to see.
Charlie grinned and slung his arm proudly around Brooke’s shoulders.
“I think my girl’s got you beat, there, Luke. I learned very quickly that it’s useless to have an argument with Brooke, because she’ll always win. You’d think that you would’ve learned the same thing with Sam. Just do me a favor, Brooke, and don’t think too badly of my sister if she’s totally charmed by the whole thing.”
Sam stiffened a little the moment that Charlie’s arm made contact with Brooke. She felt an immediate dampening of the feeling that watching Brooke had created in her. Somehow, she didn’t like the idea of Brooke being “my girl” to Charlie. Brooke had just finished ranting against male entitlement over women, and here was Charlie, possessively wrapping his arm around her.
Brooke merely rolled her eyes. She, too, seemed to deflate under the weight of Charlie’s arm, losing some of the fire in her eyes. Sam tried to catch her gaze, tried to read what she was thinking. Brooke looked uncomfortable. Like she wanted to be anywhere but there in the restaurant with the three of them.
[ Is this what Brooke was talking about, then, when she was on the phone with Katie? Was the prospect of tonight what she was so unhappy about? ]
As they exited the restaurant a while later, Sam managed to get Brooke’s attention. Brooke had kept a superficial smile on her face for the rest of the meal, but she only really brightened up when she could talk lightly with Charlie and not deal with either Luke or Sam.
“Hey, you alright?”
When Brooke turned towards Sam, a strand of hair hung in front of her face. Without thinking, Sam reached out and lightly brushed it back and behind Brooke’s ear.
The touch startled Brooke, and she quickly took a step away from Sam. She stared at Sam with a pained expression, as Sam looked back, her hand frozen in mid-air, unsure of what she had done wrong.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Something over Sam’s shoulder caught Brooke’s attention, and Sam glanced back, to see Luke watching them, as Charlie tried to flag down a cab. Sam turned back to Brooke, who looked at her sadly. “I’m just tired. You should go with your boyfriend. He mentioned that you were thinking of going back to Columbia tonight, and that’s in the opposite direction. Charlie can get me home, so I’ll just see you later. Goodnight, Sam.”
[ What’s wrong, Brooke? Why won’t you talk to me? ]
In the cab with Sam, Luke didn’t wait long before venting his various frustrations with Brooke.
After letting him go on for a minute, Sam interrupted.
“Look, I don’t know what your problem is. I know that I’m dating you, but Brooke is my best friend, so I can’t imagine what you expect to gain by complaining about her to me! You’re acting like a jealous little kid, and I have no idea why. Brooke did nothing wrong tonight, and right now, all you’re succeeding at doing is making me wish that I had gone home with her, instead of coming with you!”
[ Whoever thought up the idea of a double date is an idiot. ]
Fandom: Popular
Pairing: Sam/Brooke
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Alas, I don’t own the characters of Popular. They belong to Ryan Murphy, but hopefully he won’t mind if I borrow them for a little while.
A/N: This is a futurefic, where Sam and Brooke are in college. It's currently sophomore year.
A/N2: Thoughts are in [ ]. And memories/flashbacks are in italics.
( Chapters 1 - 2 )
( Chapters 3 - 5 )
( Chapters 6 - 8 )
( Chapters 9 - 10 )
Chapter 11
Brooke frowned, as she felt a shadow pass in front of the sun, which had previously been comfortably shining on her. She reluctantly opened one eye, squinting up at whatever obstacle was currently in the way of her perfect tan.
Sam stood in front of her, grinning. And wearing a very sexy green bikini.
[ Damn, where are my sunglasses? If I had them, then I could safely ogle Sam. ]
Brooke studiously kept her eyes from wandering over Sam’s body. Instead, she managed a fairly accurate impression of “nonchalant annoyance,” as she glared at her step-sister. “What do you want, Sam? You’re in the way.”
“I want you to get up off your lazy ass, and come swimming with me!”
“What, are you crazy? My hair was acting all funky this morning, and it took me a while to get it right. There’s no way I’m going to mess with it.”
Sam just scoffed. “Oh, come on. It’s Spring Break. We’re in Florida. On a beach. And the ocean’s probably about eighty degrees. Katie and Alex are already in there. You HAVE to go swimming! Besides, your hair always looks good, so no worries.”
And with that, Sam reached down, grabbing one of Brooke’s hands in both of her own, and heaved the reluctant blonde upwards off the towel.
“Saaaaaaam.” Brooke extended the name into a protesting whine. But Sam was stronger than she looked, and she apparently wasn’t taking “no” for an answer.
So Brooke found herself standing next to a triumphant Sam, who quickly kneeled in the sand to pull down Brooke’s shorts, leaving her in an equally stunning blue, white, and pink striped bikini.
Brooke, who had several fantasies involving Sam undressing her, felt a deep blush spread across her face. She noticed Sam hadn’t stood up again yet, so she glanced down to see why. Sam was staring straight ahead with a look on her face that Brooke couldn’t quite read. She felt herself flush even redder as she realized that Sam was staring at her scar. The one that led from the side of her left thigh, up and around towards her groin area. It was why she always wore shorts while sunbathing.
To break her sudden discomfort, Brooke lifted her foot to playfully push Sam backwards onto the sand. Sprinting towards the water, she looked back over her shoulder and called out, “Fine, I’ll go swimming! But last one in buys dinner!”
Brooke laughed as she saw Sam instantly struggle to her feet, muttering something about “cheater” and “SO not fair!”
But there were so many people on the beach, that reaching the ocean proved a more difficult task than originally imagined. And Sam was gaining on her. Brooke reached the ocean, right as Sam reached her. She let out a yelp of surprise when Sam wrapped her arms around her, tackling her as they both fell into the water.
Brooke felt like she should be upset, but they could both only burst out laughing as they lay in the shallow water, not even attempting to regain their balance right away.
As their laughter died down, Sam’s expression turned more serious. “Brooke, I’m really sorry I was staring. I just...I dunno, I just had never seen that one before. I mean, I totally wouldn’t have noticed it if I weren’t, you know, right there, and you really shouldn’t be embarrassed about it or anything, because it’s really not a big deal, and...”
Brooke just giggled. Normally she would, in fact, be extremely embarrassed about this. But she was determined to stay in a good mood and not let her insecurities ruin her vacation. “You’re babbling, Sammy. Don’t worry about it. I totally understand, so no need to apologize. Now come on, didn’t you mention something about swimming, not just sitting in the water?”
Brooke stood up, and now it was her turn to reach down and pull Sam to her feet.
It had been Katie’s idea for them all to head down to Florida. Her grandparents had a condo in Daytona Beach that they only used during the winter, so they were able to stay down there for the week for free. Jason couldn’t come, though, and after a few subtle hints from Sam that she didn’t really want her boyfriend to come along either, Katie informed a disappointed Luke that her parents didn’t want any boys staying in the condo, and it was too late to even think about being able to find him a hotel room.
So Katie, Sam, Brooke, and Alexis had the place to themselves, although they actually weren’t there too much. They slept and ate about half of their meals there, but the rest of the time was spent out on the beach, or shopping, or snorkeling, or riding bikes, or whatever else they felt like doing.
That night, the four friends were getting ready to head out to a club. Sam was in the shower, Katie was getting dressed in the room she was sharing with Alexis, and Brooke and Alexis were hanging out in the other bedroom, as Brooke applied her make-up.
Alex had returned to what seemed to be her favorite topic lately -- Brooke’s newfound questioning of her sexual orientation.
“I just don’t understand why you haven’t told Sam and Katie, yet. You know that you don’t have to worry about what they’d think, right? It’s totally not as big of a deal as you seem to think it is.”
Just then, Sam and Katie both entered the room, Katie from the doorway to the hall, and Sam from the adjoining bathroom. “Haven’t told WHAT to Sam and Katie?” they both asked simultaneously.
[ Shit! Damn it, Alexis...horrible timing! ]
Alexis just stared at Brooke apologetically, as Brooke looked back and forth between the two curious newcomers. “Uh, nothing much. Just that....that Charlie asked me out last week.”
Alexis’ look changed from apologetic to surprised. Brooke’s admission was certainly true, but it wasn’t the one Alexis had been expecting.
~~~
Sam was dancing. Smiling brightly as she moved to the music, completely at ease. Sam wasn’t drunk, but Brooke knew that a little alcohol always helped her loosen up more. And Brooke couldn’t tear her eyes away from her. She mumbled something about needing some fresh air, and bolted away from the tight circle of her friends. She found some space at the edge of the room, but maneuvered herself so she could still see Sam.
“I’m not sure if you’re even aware of it, but you’ve been watching her all night.”
Brooke looked sharply to her right, to see Katie smiling at her shyly.
“What? Watching who? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Watching Sam, of course. I’m guessing that this, and not the romantic attentions of Charlie, is what you and Alexis were really talking about earlier?”
[ Fuck, am I that obvious? ]
Brooke just stared at Katie, her expression gradually shifting from tense and ready for denial to panic-stricken.
“Oh, Katie. What am I gonna do? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. But I mean, it’s SAM, of all people! I shouldn’t be spending my night watching SAM!”
Brooke felt her heart pounding. It was the first time she had admitted aloud her crush...
[ Who am I kidding? This is way more than a crush, at this point. ]
...or whatever it was that she felt for Sam. It was both a huge relief, to have it out in the open, and completely terrifying at the same time.
Katie just reached out and pulled Brooke into a comforting hug, as she whispered soothingly in her ear, “It’s okay. Really. It’ll all work out, somehow. I mean, I’ll admit that the situation kind of sucks, but you’ll be okay, Brooke. Whatever happens, you’ll find a way to pull through. And I’m totally here for you, if you want to talk about it, or whatever.”
Brooke just clung tightly to Katie, trying to will herself not to cry. She was mostly successful, but a few tears fell silently down her cheeks. Slowly, she calmed herself down and pulled back from Katie. “Thanks. Sorry about the freak-out. Oh, and um, Alexis and Jason know that I like both guys and girls, but they don’t know about which girl in particular led me to that conclusion. I’m just not quite ready to tell everyone that yet. So, I know I can totally trust you, but I’d appreciate it if this didn’t go any further.”
“Yeah, sure Brooke, of course.”
Suddenly, Sam and Alexis appeared, laughing about something. Sam was the first to notice the serious expressions on her two friends’ faces. “Hey, is everything okay?”
[ God, I don’t know if I can handle going out there and dancing any longer. Because I want to dance with HER, not with her, Katie, and Alexis. ]
Thankfully, Katie seemed to read her mind. “Yeah, everything’s great. But I’m getting pretty tired, guys. Would it be okay if we head out?”
Brooke gladly breathed in the cooler night air, as they all exited the club. She was extremely grateful to Katie, both for being so awesome about the whole situation, and also for cheerfully carrying on the conversation, covering for Brooke’s thoughtful silence.
Crawling into bed that night, she felt both elation and misery. Because there was only one bed. So she got to share a bed with Sam -- so close to her, but not close enough.
Sam was asleep within a few minutes, but restlessness stayed with Brooke. She froze when she heard Sam sigh contentedly in her sleep, and then reach an arm across Brooke’s stomach, pulling her tight against Sam’s body. It was pure agony. Brooke knew that she wouldn’t be sleeping much tonight. Because she couldn’t let herself relax into Sam’s arms. If she did that, she’d never want to leave.
[ I wonder…does she even realize that it’s me that she’s hugging? Does she think I’m Luke? That would completely suck. Or maybe I just make a good pillow, and there’s nothing more to it than that. ]
But now that the unbidden thought of Sam and Luke in bed had entered Brooke’s mind, she couldn’t get rid of it.
Brooke was thinking about starting her psych paper when she heard a knock at her door.
“It’s open!”
Sam entered, closing the door behind her. She quickly glanced over to Alexis’ side of the room, but Alexis had just left for her early-morning run.
“Hey, Sam. What’s up?” Brooke was puzzled by Sam’s obvious nervousness. Sam opened and closed her mouth several times, apparently trying to figure out what she wanted to say. After a few moments, Sam drew her eyebrows together and seemed to make some kind of decision.
“I slept with Luke,” she blurted out.
Brooke felt some color drain from her face, and her eyes widened. It was way too early in the morning to deal with this.
“You what?” Brooke’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“I slept with Luke.” Sam’s voice sounded stronger this time, but she still looked a little shell-shocked.
“Oh.”
If Brooke was honest with herself, she was actually surprised that this conversation hadn’t happened earlier. Still, that didn’t make it any easier to take.
[ So that’s it. They’re sleeping together. They’re really serious. I mean, they’ve been dating for so long, how could it not be serious? But I held some small bit of comfort in the fact that they hadn’t had sex yet. Oh well. There goes that. But I can’t let myself freak out right now. This is so big for Sam, I have to be the good friend that she needs. ]
“Okay. You slept with Luke. That’s…well, I’m happy for you guys. That’s a big step forward for you. Are you okay? I can’t tell whether you’re happy or not.”
Sam shifted back and forth on the balls of her feet. “I don’t know. It was okay. Not quite what I was expecting. I mean, last night, he was just being so perfect, and it all felt right, and I made a conscious decision to go ahead with it, but it was just weird, somehow.”
“Wait, so this just happened last night? Sam, it’s only 7am. Did he leave already?”
Sam looked sheepishly at her feet. “No, he’s still in my room. I felt too weird, being in there, awake, while he slept, so I came down to talk to you. He sleeps like the dead, though, and probably won’t even start waking up for at least another 2 and a half hours.”
Brooke hated that Sam had obviously spent enough time sharing a bed with Luke to learn his sleeping habits. She also noticed that Sam was acting more and more agitated. “It’s just…I definitely wouldn’t call it bad, but I wouldn’t call it good either. Do you know what I mean? But that’s just because it was the first time, right? It’ll get better?”
Brooke felt her heart skip a beat at those words. She didn’t know which would be worse to hear -- that sex with Luke was great, or that the sex was only so-so, but Sam planned to keep having sex with him anyway. But Sam looked so lost. Brooke stood up, took two long strides, and pulled Sam into a hug.
“Don’t worry, Sammy. It’s okay. It usually takes people a little while to adjust to each other like that and learn what’s good for each other.”
Sam kept her arms around Brooke as she mumbled into her neck, “Josh is the guy you’ve had sex with the most, right? Did it get better with him?”
“Honestly, not really. But Josh and I was never a good idea. So you shouldn’t exactly take us as a model.”
[ Poor Josh. Now I understand a little more why that never could have worked out. I think, in a way, I was crushing on Sam even way back then. ]
Brooke closed her eyes, gently stroking Sam’s hair. She could smell Luke’s cologne clinging to Sam’s body, and it almost made her physically sick. More than the smell itself, it was the idea of what the smell meant. Still, she held on until she felt Sam relax, and then finally released her hold on her step-sister.
“Well, I should probably get back up there. Thanks, though, Brooke. I’m really glad I could talk to you.”
She quickly hugged Brooke once more, and then left without another word. As soon as the door closed, Brooke collapsed back onto her bed, releasing a strangled sob.
Unfortunately for Brooke, that morning was not the last time she had to endure a tortuous conversation with Sam about sex with Luke. Because for some reason, Sam seemed to have decided that Brooke should be her post-sex analysis buddy. Brooke secretly felt that sex shouldn’t require that much thought, but it did for Sam, apparently. Now, Brooke allowed herself to turn and look at her bedmate.
[ Oh, Sam. You could do so much better than Luke. He’s a really sweet guy, but I can tell from listening to you that he’s not nearly as good for you as you deserve. ]
The next morning, Brooke dragged her extremely tired self into the kitchen. She glared around the room at her three very awake-looking friends. They all took one look at her and decided not to comment, just point towards the fresh pot of coffee.
After two cups of coffee and a bowl of cereal, Brooke started to feel better. She had come to a conclusion that night, as she lay sleeplessly in bed, and decided that now was as good a time as any to share it.
“You know, I think I’m going to say yes to Charlie. And I’ll clean my dishes later, but I’m going to go take a shower now.”
Brooke turned and quickly left the room, but after a moment’s pause, she heard someone jump up from the table and follow her. Once inside the bedroom, she turned to face Katie, who closed the door and then looked back with a very confused expression on her face.
“You’re saying yes to Charlie? Why?? I mean, last night...I thought it was pretty clear that Charlie’s not the one you’re interested in.”
“No, he’s not. But I can’t handle this. I can’t handle Sam right now. I can’t handle the way I feel around her. I can’t handle listening to her talk about Luke. Talk about the pros and cons of FUCKING Luke. I need some kind of distraction. Any kind of distraction. So, Charlie lucks out by being the right kind of offer.”
Brooke pled silently with her eyes for Katie to just let it go.
After staring at Brooke for another few seconds, she just shrugged her shoulders. “Fine. I don’t think it’s a great idea, but if that’s what you need, then fine.”
[ It’s not what I want, but it’s what I can have. ]
__________________________________________________
Chapter 12
Sam was about to knock on Brooke’s door, but she was halted by the sound of Brooke talking on the phone.
“I know! Look, I think it’s safe to say that I’m even less happy about it than you are. But it was the guys’ idea, and I couldn’t exactly say no, now could I? Maybe if I had more time, but they put me right on the spot, and I didn’t have a handy excuse ready.”
Sam didn’t like eavesdropping. So even though she was quite curious as to what Brooke was talking about, she raised her fist again and knocked. Brooke opened the door and waved Sam inside, but was preoccupied with listening to whoever was on the phone.
Brooke obviously wasn’t ready to go yet, though, as there were numerous shirts strewn about the room, but Brooke wasn’t actually wearing any of them. Sam blushed as she felt her eyes immediately drawn to Brooke’s pink bra, but she quickly looked away, giving Brooke her privacy.
“Yeah, she just got here...I’ll call you or see you later, to let you know how it goes...Yeah, thanks...Okay, bye Katie.”
Sam frowned. She had noticed that Brooke and Katie had gotten a lot closer lately. And she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it. On one hand, she was happy that her two best friends got along so well. But on the other hand...she was almost jealous. Because sometimes it felt like Katie had taken over Sam’s role as Brooke’s confidant.
“Sorry, Sam. I’ll be ready in just a minute.”
Sam turned to face Brooke again, and was relieved to see her pulling on a shirt. At the same time, the door opened again, and Alexis walked in. For the second time in the last month, Alexis was once again trying out a new hair color. She was currently going with a multicolored, but primarily pink look.
“I sure hope that shirt is in the process of going on, not coming off...’Cause if it’s the latter, then I guess I’ll just leave you two alone.”
Sam chuckled, as Brooke blushed and glared at Alexis.
“Ha ha, you’re so funny. But no need for you to worry yourself, all is good and innocent, and my shirt will be staying on my body. Sam and I are about to leave.”
“Oh, right! It’s the big double date tonight! Good stuff. So where are the boy toys?”
“We’re meeting them at the restaurant,” Sam answered. “And with any luck, Brooke will be ready to leave soon, or else we’re gonna be late.”
Sam glanced over her shoulder, where Brooke had moved to search through some drawers for something or other.
“Awesome. Well, you kids have fun. I’m actually just stopping in for a minute. I had to come get my bio book, and now I’m off to chill with Jason and try to get some work done. Alas, while you two get to go out on a date, I get to hang out in a library.”
[ It almost sounds like Alex is saying that just Brooke and I are going on a date. Together. By ourselves. But that’s obviously not what she meant, so whatever. I don’t know why I just thought that. ]
Alexis continued, “But you gotta admit, gay guys can often be so much more fun than the straight ones. Anyways, see you two later.”
Brooke finally found what she was looking for -- a tube of lip gloss. “Well I’m ready, so we can all head out together.”
The subway ride to the restaurant was pretty quiet. Brooke seemed preoccupied with something, and kept tapping her foot at an incessant rate. At one point, Sam literally grabbed onto Brooke’s thigh to hold it still.
[ What is Brooke so nervous about? And she’s barely looked at me since I showed up at her room. ]
“Brooke, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s great. Why?” Even when talking to Sam, Brooke still looked straight ahead.
“You just seem a little...I dunno...agitated about something.”
“No, I’m fine. And this is our stop, so let’s go.”
The restaurant was just a few blocks from there, and they found Luke and Charlie already sitting down. Sam and Brooke joined them, each lightly kissing her respective boyfriend.
After they had all ordered their meals, Sam got up to go to the restroom.
[ This is so much more awkward than I thought it would be. I don’t even know why it’s so awkward...we all normally get along pretty well. But I guess it’s a whole different dynamic when it’s just the four of us. ]
As she was returning to the table, she saw that Charlie was talking. Brooke turned to look in her direction. She quickly looked away again, but then seemed to do a double-take, bringing her gaze back towards Sam. Sam wasn’t sure, but it almost seemed like Brooke’s eyes swept up and down Sam’s body.
[ Did Brooke just check me out? No, she probably just hadn’t noticed what I was wearing before, since she hasn’t looked at me for more than half a second before now. ]
Sam had actually had a lot of trouble figuring out what she was going to wear that night. She finally decided on a silky, red, tight-fitting v-neck top and black pinstripe pants. The shirt had been an impulse buy a month earlier, and she hadn’t actually worn it yet. She thought it looked good on her, but wasn’t sure. Brooke’s seemingly positive appraisal, however, eased some of Sam’s worries in that regard.
As Sam reached the table, Charlie was still talking, Brooke was now staring intently at her lap, and Luke was staring at Brooke with an expression of shock, mixed with what almost looked like anger. Brooke looked up to see Luke staring at her. She looked back at Luke defiantly. They simultaneously stole quick glances toward Sam, before going back to staring at each other. There was some kind of silent communication between them, and Sam had no idea what was going on. Charlie, meanwhile, had finally caught on to the fact that no one was really listening to him, so he also just looked around the table in confusion as to what had happened.
Mercifully, the waiter showed up right then to bring them their food, momentarily breaking the sudden tension at the table.
Fortunately, the good food gave them something safe to talk about for a little while. Luke kept looking back and forth between Sam and Brooke, though, and it was starting to get annoying.
Sam didn’t really understand what Brooke saw in Charlie, but she had to admit that tonight he was doing an admiral job of keeping some kind of conversation going. The guy could talk about anything, it seemed.
“My family has been acting so insane lately. We just found out that my older sister’s boyfriend is going to propose to her next weekend, and my parents are about to explode with excitement about the whole thing. Michelle totally knows that something weird is going on, but luckily, no one’s let the cat out of the bag quite yet.”
“So how’d you guys find out about it?” Sam was happy for something to take Luke’s attention away from her and Brooke.
“Well, he did the whole old-fashioned thing, and asked my parents for Michelle’s hand in marriage.”
Luke commented, “Nice. Classy.”
“No, wait. It’s not ‘classy.’ No offense to your sister’s boyfriend, Charlie, but I think it’s a horrible idea.” Everyone turned to look at Brooke.
Sam was worried to see Luke look almost excited at the prospect of an argument.
[ This is SO not going to end well. I just know it. ]
“Horrible? Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh, Brooke? I think it’s romantic. Aren’t girls like you supposed to like that kind of thing?”
Brooke frowned. “Okay, first of all...‘Girls like me’? What’s THAT supposed to mean?”
“Just, you know...girly girls. Girls that like shopping and want guys to take care of everything for them. The type of girl that Sam used to love writing editorials against.”
“Hey, don’t bring me into this,” Sam interrupted. “And yes, I used to write anti-Brooke editorials, but I’ve since learned that there’s a lot more to her than that, so I have to admit that I don’t know what your point is.”
“Thanks, Sam. And the point is that you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Luke. You don’t know anything about who I am.” Brooke’s voice remained eerily sweet and calm, but her eyes flashed with anger.
“But to get back to the original point, I like a guy to be romantic just as much as anyone else. But asking your girlfriend’s parents for their permission to get married isn’t romantic. It’s out-dated and misogynistic.”
“Where do you get that idea?” Luke asked. “It’s considerate. It’s respectful. It shows that you want to get along with her family, that you’re willing to go that extra step to make everything go smoothly. Having the parents’ approval ensures all that.”
“But it’s not the parents’ decision! If my dad didn’t approve of the person I love, then that would suck, but it has nothing to do with him, and if we really loved each other, then the lack of his approval wouldn’t matter. You’re marrying the girl, not the father. The tradition of asking for a woman’s hand in marriage is rooted in the idea that the daughter has no say in the matter. She’s just a piece of property to be bought! I’m sorry, but I don’t find THAT to be considerate and respectful.”
Sam felt a thrill run through her. It had been a while since she had heard Brooke argue. And for once, she wasn’t on the receiving end of Brooke’s scorn. It was nice to watch her in action, without having to worry about holding her own. Seeing Brooke all fired up was definitely quite a sight to see.
Charlie grinned and slung his arm proudly around Brooke’s shoulders.
“I think my girl’s got you beat, there, Luke. I learned very quickly that it’s useless to have an argument with Brooke, because she’ll always win. You’d think that you would’ve learned the same thing with Sam. Just do me a favor, Brooke, and don’t think too badly of my sister if she’s totally charmed by the whole thing.”
Sam stiffened a little the moment that Charlie’s arm made contact with Brooke. She felt an immediate dampening of the feeling that watching Brooke had created in her. Somehow, she didn’t like the idea of Brooke being “my girl” to Charlie. Brooke had just finished ranting against male entitlement over women, and here was Charlie, possessively wrapping his arm around her.
Brooke merely rolled her eyes. She, too, seemed to deflate under the weight of Charlie’s arm, losing some of the fire in her eyes. Sam tried to catch her gaze, tried to read what she was thinking. Brooke looked uncomfortable. Like she wanted to be anywhere but there in the restaurant with the three of them.
[ Is this what Brooke was talking about, then, when she was on the phone with Katie? Was the prospect of tonight what she was so unhappy about? ]
As they exited the restaurant a while later, Sam managed to get Brooke’s attention. Brooke had kept a superficial smile on her face for the rest of the meal, but she only really brightened up when she could talk lightly with Charlie and not deal with either Luke or Sam.
“Hey, you alright?”
When Brooke turned towards Sam, a strand of hair hung in front of her face. Without thinking, Sam reached out and lightly brushed it back and behind Brooke’s ear.
The touch startled Brooke, and she quickly took a step away from Sam. She stared at Sam with a pained expression, as Sam looked back, her hand frozen in mid-air, unsure of what she had done wrong.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Something over Sam’s shoulder caught Brooke’s attention, and Sam glanced back, to see Luke watching them, as Charlie tried to flag down a cab. Sam turned back to Brooke, who looked at her sadly. “I’m just tired. You should go with your boyfriend. He mentioned that you were thinking of going back to Columbia tonight, and that’s in the opposite direction. Charlie can get me home, so I’ll just see you later. Goodnight, Sam.”
[ What’s wrong, Brooke? Why won’t you talk to me? ]
In the cab with Sam, Luke didn’t wait long before venting his various frustrations with Brooke.
After letting him go on for a minute, Sam interrupted.
“Look, I don’t know what your problem is. I know that I’m dating you, but Brooke is my best friend, so I can’t imagine what you expect to gain by complaining about her to me! You’re acting like a jealous little kid, and I have no idea why. Brooke did nothing wrong tonight, and right now, all you’re succeeding at doing is making me wish that I had gone home with her, instead of coming with you!”
[ Whoever thought up the idea of a double date is an idiot. ]