It's Complicated

@ FallenHope95
After Chance made his way out of Brad's house, he headed home. Though, while there was plenty that the young man needed to be focusing on and doing, there was really only one thing on his mind. Brook. He wondered how she was doing, if the medicine was helping her or not. Chance wondered if Brad lost his temper on her after he left or if she was at least spared of that. Chance also wondered if Brook thought of him at all...He knew that she probably would not, even though he did save her life....But Chance had a feeling that he would need to do more than that to enter her thoughts or gain even the smallest amount of trust.

When Monday rolled around, Chance was hoping for the opportunity to at least see Brook to confirm that she was okay. That she didn't get some kind of lung disease after having all that water in her. But he didn't get a chance to see her in the morning, and although Brad did not care for Brook, Chance was rather sure he would say something if she was dead or horribly ill. But as the day went on, Chance remembered that he would have an opportunity to see her for a bit.

One of the few chances that Chance had was seeing Brook in Art. Which ended up being perfect as Brad nor the other guys were in there. Which meant that he had a lot more wiggle room to do a few things without Brad finding out...which is what he really needed if he wanted to get to know Brook without getting a lecture from his best friend. So when Mrs. Philips told them to split up into partners, Chance did not hesitant to head over to her desk. Besides...it wasn't like he really knew anyone in the class anyways.

Sitting down in the desk next to Brook, Chance leaned back into the wood seat, a dumb grin moving over his face. "Well it looks like we are partners." Chance told her, not wanting to give Brook a chance to say no. Especially since he thought she would if he had asked at all... But now that everyone was partnering up, her opportunity to get someone else was quickly dwindling if she didn't move fast enough. The truth was, he would glare at any guy she would find besides him to be a partner. And Chance was rather sure that a wink and a shake of his head would convince the girls not to partner with her either.

"I would ask you what you think we should make but you don't know the school that well yet, do you?"

@ BearGirl
The sound of the chair next to her caught Brooks' attention. Raising her bright green eyes it took barely a moment for her to realize who it was. "Really?" She mumbled, no enthusiasm in her voice as she narrowed her eyes ever so slightly and looked at Mister Popular in the flesh. A small shake of her head followed suit as she listened to him and looked away. Hoping, begging that someone else would walk by and be free to be her partner.

Except, it seemed like everyone who looked her way ended up getting freaked out at the sight of Chance. Which in turn, caused a sight to escape from Brook as she turned her head towards the star football player. "Does it matter? Aren't all schools obsessed with sports or something? I'll just do a drawing of the basketball team doing warms ups or something." Brook told Chance, not really wanting to include him because in her mind. He was useless, all guys in art, were just taking it for the easy A. They didn't care about what one could create, the story's that could be told with a simple brush stroke.

Glancing ahead of herself, Brook did her best to ignore Chance as Mrs.Philip spoke about the point system and so on and so forth. Then, as the bell rang, Brook grabbed her back and hoisted it onto her shoulder. "Don't worry Chance, I won't let you fail this class," Brook mumbled, then turned to head out of the class. Art was the last class of the day, so it was nice that now Brook could go and hide.

@ FallenHope95

Chance was quick to gather up his things before chasing Brook out of the classroom. "Hey there now." He said as he managed to get back to her side. "We didn't even talk about the project and I don't remember asking you to do it for me." Chance said, surprised that Brook even seemed to think that was what he wanted from her. "And not that it's any of your business, but I am definitely not going to fail Art. Geez, how stupid do you think I am?"

With two quick steps, Chance was in front of Brook and ready to block any move she took to try to get around him. It wasn't that hard anyway since the hallway was full of other students. "We are partners which means that we are going to work together." As Chance said that he started to struggle with his things a bit as he pulled out his phone from his back pocket. He was a little disorganized since he had to chase Brook out of the art room.

Once his phone was in his hands and he opened it up to contacts, Chance handed Brook his phone. "Put your number in so I can contact you. We will need to figure out when to get together to work on the project." As he spoke, his eyes were staring directly into hers, hoping that Brook wasn't just going to say no or put in a fake number...or worse, chuck his phone and make him run for it while she ran away from him. Chance wouldn't put it past her.

@ BearGirl
Hearing Chance's voice before she saw him caused Brook to roll her eyes. She honestly didn't know why she was so against talking to him. Sure, he may be a jock and friends with her half brother, but. He also did save her life. So, when he asked if she thought he was stupid, Brook just opened her mouth and then closed it. Some things were just better left unsaid sometimes.

Pursing her lips, Brook stopped dead in her tracks. A good step or two from being chest to chest with the football player in the hall. Her bright green eyes watched as he pulled out his phone, then looked back up into his bright blue eyes as he continued to speak. His words made sense and it took everything in Brook to not give in to everything right away.

So, after a couple of moments of just staring into those ocean blues, Brook reached out for his phone. "If I get dick pics or random drunk calls at early hours, you're blocked." She mumbled, grabbing his phone once he handed it to her. Brook added in her phone number and name. She had debated on taking a picture with his phone for her contact picture but had decided against it.

"There, happy?" She asked, looking up at the six-foot-something jock and motioned for him to take his phone back. Except, before he could, Brook dropped it as a model ready looking girl bumped into her. "Ah! What a coincidence seeing you here Chance." A high pitched voice said as Brook was shoved out of the way as she tried to retrieve Chance's phone before it shattered. "My, your arms look bigger? Were you lifting more weights this summer?" A second girl asked voice just as high pitched. "You promised to call me this summer Chancey, why didn't you?" A third asked, and Brook could have sworn that a headache burst to life listening to them.

Then, once Brook got the phone. A sense of relief washed over her as she saw that it wasn't cracked, just a little dirty. Raising her eyes, Brook's eyes widened as she saw the three girls. They all looked identical, well almost. One was tall and skinny, the one on the right was a little thicker with boobs that didn't look read and the one on the left looked like she was anorexic. Although, if you saw them from far away, they'd all be identical with their matching clothed and bright bleach blonde hair. Instantly, Brook decided to call them the plastic's, because they reminded her of the girls in the movie.

@ FallenHope95

Before Chance could even respond to Brook, he was suddenly surrounded by the three girls. He glanced up at them and offered a sheepish smile to the three of them. He was very aware of who they were... All part of his little fan club at the school. Something that he loved the idea of at first until they started to get way too into it. In truth, the girls that were a part of it kinda scared him now. Not that he thought they would hurt him...Okay, maybe they would hurt him if they ended up cracking one day.

Chance cleared his throat a little before beginning to speak. "Hey, Monica," He said as he looked at one girl before looking onto the next, "Ashley," He then looked at the final girl. "Heather" He looked at Monic first. "Yes, I have been lifting weights all summer, how did you know?" Though the moment he asked, Chance was afraid that the answer would be stalking him at his house so he moved on. "Sorry that I didn't call Ashley. I was international this summer with Brad and you know how bad the service can be once you get out of the country."

He offered the woman a kind smile before turning to Brook and motioning to her. "You three should meet Brook. She is new this year. Actually, she is Brad's sister and now my Art project partner." He was kinda hoping that their focus would shift to Brook...Even though he was realizing that he was kind of feeding her to the dogs.

Reaching out, Chance took his phone from Brook. "Thank you, Brook, and I promise you will only get the most gentlemanly messages from me." Chance started to walked a few steps backward, hoping to slide out of this conversation. He was always worried about hanging around the fan club group for too long. Although he finds them scary as hell, they were also insanely hot...and there was only so much a man could do from stopping himself from doing something stupid.

@ BearGirl
Looking at the small group that she was pushed out of, Brook had half the mind to just turn and walk away. She could just tell Brad to give Chance his phone tomorrow because he left it in class or something. Sure, he'd probably call her a freak or something for possibly stalking his friend, but that was all on Brad. Not her. Or, she could always keep it herself and find some blackmail. Oh yeah, blackmail sounded like a REALLY good idea.

Before she could pocket the phone though, Chance had taken his phone back. An thus, pulling Brook out of her thoughts and blinking in confusion as the three plastic-looking girls turned to look towards her. Their gazes caused the skin along the back of Brook's spine to become covered in goosebumps, her eyes widened and as she looked towards Chance. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. That traitor.

Looking back up towards the taller women, Brook gulped and offered a sheepish smile. "You're related to Brad Watkin's?" One of the girls asked Brook couldn't remember which one of the clone Plastic's she was. "Um, yes?" Brook mumbled quietly, taking a step back. "How? Are you a long lost sibling or something? We've grown up with Brad, and Chance, we've never heard of you." Brook cast another look towards Chance for help, but the damn jerk was already long gone.

"Uh, that's a long story," Brook mumbled quietly, and then the girls practically jumped her. Asking her questions, wanting to know what game she was playing at. Telling her that it's not nice to lie to Chance because he's so nice. And then telling her that she was pretty much not welcomed at the school. It took a while, but eventually, Brook managed to run to her locker and escape the hell that Chance had thrown her into.

@ FallenHope95

In truth, Chance did feel bad about throwing Brook to the lions. Though at the same time, he felt like it was also a necessary act to save himself. He knew that the fan club wasn't all that nice to the girls that he ended up getting anywhere near but Chance felt that Brook would be saved by the fact that she was Brad's sister...And even if that was not the case, he was certain in the fact that she would be safer around them than he would be. He feared the day that he ended up sleeping with a fan club member, despite his better judgment. All Hell would break loose and no one at this school needed to see that day of reckoning.

So when the opportunity arose, he snuck out of that conversation, hiked it down the hallway and eventually made it to his car. At which point, Chance speedily drove home. It was the end of the day and practice was canceled anyways. But once he made it to the house, Chance knew that he needed to send Brook a text. First of all, she needed his number as well. It was only right. Though he also needed to craft a message that signified the importance and regret of the situation that he had put her in with those girls.

Something that explained that she had to be the one to fall on her sword for the good of everyone. Not only for himself, but for the school as a whole. But also something that expressed that he wished it never had to be that way, and that if he could save her, that he would. That he would have gotten them both out alive if that was ever a possibility, which it was not.

It took him some time, but once Chance finally knew what to text, he picked up his phone and sent it to Brook. Sorry

@ BearGirl
What a joke, and here Brook had thought that Chance had actually been a decent guy to get to know. That he wasn't what she had originally thought. Oh, how wrong she was. He was a freaking asshole. Throwing her to those overly plastic barbie wannabe's and having them talk smack to her like she was below them. She got that enough from her brother and his mother, she really didn't need that from those crazy obsessed group.

Once Brook was finally home, she went straight to her room. Chanced into a pair of baggy thick sweat pants and took her shirt off, replacing it with a thick hoodie as she pulled her bra off as well. She needed to get comfortable. She was not in the mood to go anywhere, so why stay with a torture device strapped to her chest? Moving towards her bed, Brook fell face first onto the soft bedding and let out a small sigh. She was more than okay with just shutting the world out. Today sucked.

Hearing the distinct vibration from her phone, Brook allowed a small groan to escape her. Slowly, she opened her eyes and turned her head towards her phone. She debated on ignoring it, but the damn thing vibrated once again. So, she reached out and rolled onto her back as she swiped the screen on. The one-word answer from the unknown number confused her. 'Who are you?' She wondered for a moment as she stared at the emoji for a while and then to the one-word reply. Then, it seemed to hit her and a small huff escaped from her.

Care to elaborate on what you're sorry for?

Brook stared at her question for a couple of moments, debating for the briefest of moments before she hit send and dropped her phone onto her chest as she waited to see if he replies.

@ FallenHope95

Chance was quick to glance at the text message that Brook had sent him. From the emoji alone, he could tell that her conversation with the fan club did not go as well as he had hoped it would.... Not that he ever thought it would go that well but Chance had believed that since she was Brad's sister, they would ask her a billion questions about Brad. Though they probably ended up treating her like they treated ever threat.

He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to think of how to respond. After all, he did need to respond. Chance knew that what he had done wasn't all that kind but it certainly was necessary. He was the one who would have been worse off. Chance tapped the side of his phone as he thought. Brook wouldn't let him off easy just because of who he was. Which was a little unfortunate since Chance was sure there were plenty of girls in the school who would just let him off of the hook.

I am sorry for ditching you to deal with my fan club... I thought they would be nice to you since your Brad's sister.

With that sent, Brad fell back into the computer chair that sat in front of his desk. He then set his phone down besides his computer. Hopefully she would understand once she read fan club. But he couldn't focus on this for too long, Brad had homework to do and now was a good time to get ahead before sports became overwhelming.

@ BearGirl
Feeling her phone vibrate on her chest, snapped Brook out of her thoughts. She opened her resting eyes and picked up her phone. Reading over the message, a small frown appeared on her lips. Well, deepening really as she reread it over and over. Her eyes traveled to the cieling of her room before she slowly moved to a sitting position. Her eyebrows narrowing as she thought of how to word things.

You just don't get it. Brook sent, then silently cursed herself as she lowered her head and rested her phone against her head. A small groan escaped from her as she tried to figure out what she meant by her words. Then, she lowered her phone and sat up straight. Her fingers moving rapidly as she spoke. Just leave me alone, I'm not your scapegoat. Brook's finger lingered over the send button, ready to hit that little blue arrow. Instead, Brook erased the whole thing.

They think I'm lying about being related to him, to get to you. Those girls are scary. Brook hit send and then threw her phone onto the bed beside her. Then, Brook went to her bathroom to wash her face and run a hot bath. She needed to get the stress of the day off of her.

----

The remainder of the night and the next day, Brook ignored any sort of advances that chance tried to make. Whenever he tried to talk to her in art, tried texting her, she ignored him. He was being punished for being a typical tool. A taste of his own medicine, if you will.

Walking towards her locker that Friday afternoon, Brook weaved in and out of the people in the hall. She had been running away from Chance every chance that she got. She'd go the long way to her locker, she'd put her earbuds in if he tried to talk to her in class. Then, she'd focus down on her phone. Ignoring him, casting him out of her life. He may have saved her lift last weekend, but that didn't mean he was welcome to walk all over her now.

Arriving at her locker, Brook pulled her earbuds out of her ears and put the cord in her locker. Then, she shoved her phone into her pocket and started to look through her locker. Pulling out the books that she knew she'd need if she had homework. Then put away the ones that she didn't need.

@ FallenHope95

By Monday, Chance was ready to give up on Brook. He had tried to apologize about the situation with the fan club multiple times but Brook wasn't willing to budge in the slightest. And, it was now at the point where she was completely ignoring him. While the fan club was difficult, it wasn't something to be mad over for days. Especially when he had tried to make it right. So he sent her one last text that just said 'I'm sorry' before putting his phone in his pocket and giving up.

There was really no reason to try to change Brook's mind when it was set, especially as she was being overly stubborn about it. Even more so, after he had saved her life at the party. The least she could have done was accept his apologies and call it even. Not that it was actually even but it wasn't like Brook owed him her life or some stupid blood debt. But it seemed that she was determine to be rid of him so Chance would let her. And, in truth, he was actually pretty angry that she ignored him the whole weekend over something so stupid. If this was how all poor people acted, then Chance wasn't interested. It was petty.

But that still left the issue of the art project... Well he could always speak to the teacher about it and ask if he could submit his own work or ask to change partners. Chance had always been a good student so maybe the teacher would give him a break. And if that didn't work, Chance could just tell her that his partner was ignoring him, which was completely true. Of course, it meant that he would have to find more time to finish it which wasn't ideal. It was the middle of the season and he had practice as well as other school work. Well, he will figure it out. Chance wasn't going to beg Brook to forgive him.

As he walked by Brook's locker, Chance didn't even look at her direction. While he had been interested to learn more about her and the people in her social standing. It wasn't like he had a strong attachment... Ignoring her from now on would be easy, right? And it would make his friend happy if he didn't associate with her either. He let out a small sigh. This did kinda suck but it wasn't the end of the world. He started to head towards the art class, thinking he should just get it over with and speak with the teacher beforehand.

@ BearGirl
It was weird, it was like her body was reacting on its own. There were hundreds of other kids in the hall, and yet. As soon as Chance walked by, her body seemed to know that it was him. Broad shoulders, amazing height, and muscle proportions. His dark hair, that comforting scent that he got from his cologn. It was weird that she could smell his cologn in the crowded hall, but she ran with it. All because she saw the mere back of the boy, no man, who's been on her mind all weekend. Maybe she had taken her little antic of ignoring him too far, but. What could she do? She had trust issues. Lying was something that she was sued to, she was used to being bullied, she didn't want to deal with that shit anymore. She just took everything out on Chance.

Closing her locker with a soft click, Brooklyn straightened her shoulders and stood up straight. She needed to apologize for being a bitch. She knew she was in the wrong, she knew he was mad at her. She just needed to get this over with. Right? Right, so with one more deep breath Brook turned towards their art class and started to walk towards it. Her lips pursed into a thin line as she walked, weaving through the crowd as she tried to catch up with the taller male. His ability to weave through the crowd was amazing, he moved like water. While Brook had to constantly apologize to people for bumping into them.

Then finally, a couple of steps from their art class, Brook finally caught up with Chance. A small sigh escaping from her as she could stop her speed walk and catch her breath. Her hand reached out to grasp onto Chance's arm, holding lightly. "Can, can we talk?" She asked quietly, slowly letting his arm go as he turned towards her. A small frown appearing on her lips as she felt like she was about to be scolded like a little child.

@ FallenHope95

Feeling someone grab onto his arm, Chance turned back to look at who had done it and his eyes landed on a slightly out of breath Brook. Admittedly, he was surprised to see her, even more so that she was reaching out to him. After all, Brook had ghosted him all weekend so why would she want to talk to him now? A frown moved along his face as a slightly sinking feeling moved into his stomach. Something about this told him that it wouldn't be good.

He glanced back at the art room for a moment, wondering if he should talk to the teacher first. This would be one of the few times of the day that he would be able to speak to her without others in her classroom. And he didn't want to start art class with Brook as her partner as that was sure to be uncomfortable. But as he looked back down at Brook, he felt that it was better to hear what she had to say. "Yeah..."

Chance waited for Brook to lead them somewhere that they could talk privately. Though when she didn't, Chance motioned for her to follow him before he started to walk down the hallway and then into an empty classroom. He knew that the literature teacher didn't show up until second hour so it was empty. Once the door was closed behind them, Chance turned back to Brook and waited for her to speak. Though the sinking feeling of his stomach started to get to him, pushing him to say something.

"If this is about the project or how you don't want to work with me anymore, you don't have to say whatever you have planned. I am sure that Mrs. Henderson will let us work on the project alone." Chance told her before lifting his head up and looking at Brook with harsh eyes. "And if you just want to yell at me, don't. I have already apologized multiple times so I don't know what you want from me at this point."

@ BearGirl
As Chance led them into an empty classroom, Brook could feel her stomach turning even more than it already was. This would be the second time that Chance got her alone in a room and this time, she wasn't half-drowned. She was fully conscious and could comprehend what was going on. He wouldn't be able to feel her up or something, she wouldn't allow it. Brook could scream this time if she had to, she was sure that an adult would hear and come and rescue her. Unlike those unruly teens at that party.

Slowly, the anxiety that Brook was feeling turned to confusion as she listened to Chance. Her lips turned into a small frown and her head tilted to the side. "That's not what I wanted to talk about." She said quietly, looking at him confused. Her arms moved up and slowly crossed over her lower stomach. A small act to try and comfort herself in this confusing moment. "I wanted to apologize to you. I didn't know how to just accept your apology through text, so I thought it'd be better to do in person. Anyone can type things, but speaking them means more to me and I am sorry and I accept your apology as well." She explained, hoping her little thing of word vomit made at least a little bit of sense to Chance.

"An who said anything about not wanting to be your partner anymore on our art project? Even if we're both in disagreement, it'd be more trouble for the both of us to do this thing on our own." Brook did her best to offer a teasing smile, but she was sure that failure was more of what she'd receive.

Then, a small sigh escaped from Brook as she felt her shoulders sag and her anxiety dissipate after having explained herself to the man. "Friends?" She asked, wanting to just hide under a rock and never come out. Then, her cheeks instantly turned a bright pink color and her eyes widen a little in surprise. A friend did she really just call them that. Whatever they were? Was friends really the right word to describe them? Frenemies would probably be better, but Brook didn't want to take back the word or know how to without sounding even more like an idiot then she probably already did.

@ FallenHope95

The more that Brook continued to speak, the more that the anxiousness in his body started to come down. He had thought that she was going to snap or yell at him. But instead, she was apologizing. His body untensed and he took a moment to look over her face as though trying to figure out if she really meant what she was saying. Though it took Chance a few moments to process, to figure out what he should say in return.

A hand went up and grabbed against the back of his neck awkwardly. Though, a little smile started on his face. "I accept your apology then." He eventually told her. It seemed a little silly, considering that he barely knew Brook at all. But Chance was suddenly feeling a lot better... He hadn't actually wanted to get rid of her for some reason. At least he didn't have to. It was so stupid, especially since things would be so much easier if he just didn't want to be her friend at all but he kinda did. He was really fascinated by her and wanted to know more. Chance just chalked it up to wanting to know more about the poor people.

"I guess that is true." Chance responded to her. Though as he noticed the teasing smile, Chance let out a small chuckle and shook his head at her. Brook was so strange. "Though it seemed better to do it by myself than with someone who wouldn't talk to me." Chance teased back, hoping he wasn't crossing a line by saying that.

"Friends." Chance told her with a nod of agreement. What an odd day it was becoming. At least it was odd in a good way. Though the smile across his face shifted a bit and he let out a small sigh. "We should probably get to class..." He said before going to the door and opening it up for her.

@ BearGirl
It felt good knowing that Chance took her apology, Brook's stomach seemed to relax. Crisis adverted, she didn't need to worry about getting a new partner for the art class. Nor did she make an enemy out of her half brother's best friend. Things were looking okay for them, she didn't fuck up completely. She was safe from any possible backlash that could have happaned from turning down the attention of her brother's friend.

"Right," Brook said quietly, glancing towards the door. While she knew they didn't do anything in the empty classroom, she didn't want to know what others could think. Nor did she know why she was thinking like that. There was nothing between her and Chance, so why even allow for her mind to go in that sort of direction? Clearing her throat, Brook stood up straight and kept her gaze off of Chance as she walked out of the door that was held open for her. Doing her best to act normal, Brook glanced around to get her bearings about where she was in the school and started to walk towards where their art class was.

As she walked, Brook slowly bit down on her bottom lip. "So uh, any ideas on what we should do for our project?" She asked as she glanced up towards the taller boy. As much as Brook hated the idea, she'll have to lean on Chance to come up with most of the ideas. As he was the one who's been here longer then she had, being the new kid and all, Brook knew little to nothing at all about this place.

Once they got to their class, Brook walked in and took her usual seat. She grabbed out a pen and some paper to try and take notes on what Chance was suggesting to her that they could do for their project.

@ FallenHope95

Chances gave her a shrug when she asked if he had any ideas. He didn't yet, well that wasn't completely true. It was just that he didn't have any ideas that were actually good and worthy of an art project. "I am not sure yet but I know we will come up with something. We just need to get all of the bad ideas out of the way so we can actually do this right." He let out a small sigh at the thought. He wished he could just skip to whatever the correct idea was.

When they entered the class and Chance was sitting at his desk, he glanced over at Brook to see her grab a pen and a piece of paper to write down what he had in mind. He ran a hand through his hair, not looking forward to just telling her everything that had gone through his mind for the project. But even so, Chance did so and by the end of it, his head was laid against the desk in front of him.

"All of these ideas are total shit. Just throw the whole paper away." He grumbled to her. His hand moved up to the back of his head, patting down his hair for a moment before ruffling it up again and letting out another grumble. Chance's head turned slightly to the side so he could look up at her with one eye. He took her face in for a moment before glancing away again and now staring at the wall.

"Maybe I should...well...I could give you a tour of the school after the last bell rings. Just tell you everything I know and we might be able to figure out something from there." He let out a sigh. "Or we could meet up at someone's house and talk there."