TROUVAILLE | BROOKE DAVIS

twenty.

"Parker," she heard her mother's voice say softly as she knocked on her bedroom door, "Haley's here."

"Tell her that I died, and I don't want to see her," Parker muttered as she shoved her face into her pillow.

"Parker, open the door, I have problems that I need to vent about," Haley's voice said on the other side of the door. Parker groaned and got out of bed, opening her bedroom door. Haley pushed into her room and placed her bag in Parker's desk chair.

"Nathan has been watching porn. Hardcore porn," Haley tells her.

"That's bad," Parker says, collapsing back on her bed.

"Yeah," Haley says, "And he has them bookmarked. Meaning he watches them a lot."

"He's a dude. They're horny, Haley," Parker says bluntly. She's thankful that Haley is taking her mind off of her breakup with Jake but talking about relationship problems is really making her sad.

"Not helping," Haley told her.

"What should I say?" Parker asked, "Nathan's a bad guy because he watches porn? At least he isn't cheating on you."

"Okay, really not helping," Haley told her.

"How about I change the subject?" Parker asked, "Jake told me he loved me. Then he dumped me. I have been depressed about it, but can you believe that there is a tiny piece of me that's relieved because I might have feelings for someone else?"

Haley stared at her with wide eyes, "What?"

"Jake loves me, but how can I be in love with him if I'm entertaining the thought of being with someone else?" Parker questions, "I've locked myself in my room, not because I'm a hot mess, but because I'm scared to face them."

"Who is the other person?" Haley asked, "Is it, Luke? That would explain why you're so mad at him."

"No," Parker said shaking her head. A nervous laugh escaped her, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me," Haley told her.

Parker bit her lip nervously and stood up from the bed, grabbing her journal from middle school and handing it to Haley. She eyed it warily as she took it from her, "This is your old journal."

"Yeah," Parker said, "You can read that, and you'll get the answer to your question. I just can't say it out loud, because if I do. It becomes real."

"Fine," Haley says taking the journal, "But we're gonna talk about it."

"That's fine," Parker says, "And at the end of the day, Nathan loves you. He'd never do anything to intentionally hurt you."

___

There was a knock on the front door that startled Parker. She opened it to see Jake standing there in front of her. Parker rolled her eyes and was ready to close the door.

"Parker please," Jake said, "I need to talk to you."

"What?" she asked him.

"Nicki is suing for full custody of Jenny. Attorneys say that she's fair game and I can't cover the expenses," Jake tells her.

"So what? You want me to get you a lawyer?"

"What? No!" Jake tells her, "I'm leaving town. I've got family in Savannah and Peyton's dad is gonna let me catch a lift on his transport."

Parker's heart almost stops.

"You're leaving?" and Jake nods.

"It's the only way to keep Jenny from Nicki," Jake tells her, "I would stay, I want to stay, but I can't."

"I know," Parker tells him, "Jenny comes first."

"I love you, Parker," Jake tells her with a small smile, "Nicki did a number on me and I thought I'd never really love again. But you kept bumping into me in the hallway and everyone had their eye on you, I knew I had to make a move."

Parker laughs, but the tears fall silently down her cheeks.

"I'm gonna miss you and your stupid camera," Jake told her softly.

"Hey! That stupid camera took a great picture of you," Parker told him.

"I know," Jake said with a smile.

Parker couldn't help herself as she rushed forward and threw her arms around Jake's neck, hugging him tightly. She was going to miss him. She was going to miss Jenny. She loved Jake, she wasn't sure if she was in love with him or if she simply loved him, but Jake was someone she'd never forget.

"I love you too," Parker whispered softly.

___

"Brooke Davis!" Haley exclaimed as she barged into her room, throwing the journal down on the bed, "How did I not see that!"

"It wasn't obvious," Parker stated, and Haley rolled her eyes.

"Please! You gave Brooke your science project and seventh grade so that she wouldn't fail. I remember how mad your dad was when he saw your grade."

"I was being nice," Parker defended her actions, but Haley wasn't buying it.

"This explains why you were mad at Lucas, why you helped at the cheer competition, and you why you were mad that I didn't invite Brooke to the party," Haley pieces together.

"Wow," Parker says slightly surprised.

"I noticed these things!" Haley tells her, "So I'm guessing your crush is coming back?"

"Kinda," Parker says, "I don't know, when I'm around Brooke I feel like I did in seventh grade. I want to fix all of her problems and I don't really want to do that for anyone else."

"Well aware," Haley tells her, "Do you think this could go anywhere?"

"Not really," Parker replies. Brooke most likely didn't return her feelings and if she did, there was no way that they'd last. Brooke cared too much about popularity and how people saw her. Parker did as well, but she wasn't in the spotlight the same way Brooke was.

"Do you think you'll ever tell her?" Haley questioned and Parker shook her head.

"Better to suffer in silence than get my heart broken twice in a row."