𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗘, 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀

𝟬𝟭𝟯 - chapter thirteen

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BROOKE DIDN'T KNOW how long her and Gracie were sat down in front of the lake. Gracie just held onto Brooke, her arms wrapped around the younger girl as they sat there in silence. Brooke didn't talk that much after she stopped crying, but she would hear Gracie whisper some comforting words to her.

Brooke's head was resting on Gracie's chest, and she sighed, staring at the lake in front of them. Gracie ran a hand through Brooke's hair, now humming quietly as she leaned down, resting her head on top of hers and slowly rubbing the girl's arm.

Brooke suddenly heard some footsteps coming from behind, and she sat up, looking over her shoulder to see who it was. Chris walked over to the two girls with his hands in his pockets, a small frown on his face as he stared at Brooke the whole time. Brooke bit the inside of her cheek when she saw the boy, and she heard Gracie clear her throat, unwrapping her arms from Brooke and standing up, causing Brooke to look up at her.

"I'll let you two talk". Gracie nodded, and then she looked down at Brooke, leaning down and kissing her forehead. "I love you".

"I love you, too". Brooke mumbled, looking down to the ground as she felt the woman give her shoulder a small, gentle squeeze.

Gracie walked over to Chris, looking at him for a moment before giving him a small smile and walking past the boy, leaving the two siblings to talk. Brooke stared at the lake in front of her, grabbing a pebble from the ground and throwing it at the water, trying to make it bounce a few times, but it didn't work, and it just landed on the water with a splash, sinking. Chris stared at Brooke from behind, remembering the conversation they just had 30 minutes ago. Everything Brooke said wouldn't leave his mind, and he felt so fucking bad. He didn't know she went through all that, he had no idea.

Brooke wrapped her arms around herself with a sigh, and she heard Chris walking up to her, the Sturniolo boy sitting down beside her and staring at the lake in front of them, resting his hands on his lap. It was silent between the two, and Brooke didn't say anything, she didn't even look at him. She just kept her eyes on the lake, grabbing another pebble and throwing it at the water, but it wouldn't bounce. She couldn't stop thinking about the conversation as well. She just told her brothers everything that happened, and she didn't even plan on telling them, it just happened so fast. And also, Jack heard her as well, and he knows now. She doesn't know what he's gonna be like now. He was really fucking shocked, and now, Brooke was worried.

Chris finally looked at Brooke, his face softening as he said something, being the one to break the silence. "Hey".

"Hi". Brooke mumbled, and Chris let out a small smile, glad she didn't ignore him.

Chris watched as Brooke grabbed another pebble, throwing it at the water, but this time, she didn't try to make it bounce.

"Um, so...". Chris exhaled as he looked back at the lake in front of him and Brooke, and the Sturniolo girl stopped throwing pebbles. Brooke could tell Chris didn't know what to say, she could tell he was hesitant, but she stayed quiet, not saying another word as she waited for him to talk. "I'm sorry, Brooke".

Brooke finally looked at the boy beside her, and she saw the apologetic look on his face. He kept his eyes on the lake, letting out a small sigh and kicking a pebble that was on the ground.

"For everything". He mumbled. "I'm so sorry for everything, Brooke. I really am. I didn't know you went through all that, with Brad. Me, Nick and Matt didn't know, at all. We- we thought you actually went back to him, and started dating him again and...we were so pissed Brooke. Because we knew he would cheat on you again and...we didn't want you to get heartbroken again. Brooke, I'm so fucking sorry. We're so sorry. We're sorry for going back to Boston without telling you. We're sorry for ignoring you for months. I- I'm sorry for being such an asshole to you. We...we love you, Brooke. We do. And- we had no idea that you're not our real sister. But mom really cares about you, and dad cares about you, we all do. They just- they explained to us that...that they didn't want you knowing because it was just for the best. But honestly, we don't care that you're not blood related, because you're still our sister. You're our sister, and we love you so much".