I Won't Let You Close Enough to Hurt Me

Chapter 12

     "Brooke, what are you doing?!" Abby screamed.

     "I'm sorry, Abby," Brooke apologized. The duet hadn't gone well at all that day. She was still having trouble forming chemistry with Nick, and she refused to look Brandon in the eyes. Not to mention, she was making an unbearable amount of mistakes in the choreography.

     "I know you've had a rough day, and I hope that's all it is. I will dismiss you three early tonight, but you better be practicing at home. And Brooke, if you are acting like this tomorrow, I'm going to have to replace you with Maddie or Chloe. I don't want to, but I'm not sure if I have a choice," Abby said strictly.

     Brooke nodded her head, and then walked out of studio A with the boys. As Brooke was packing her things, Brandon came up behind her and grabbed her waist. "I hope you and Nick have a great time on your date tonight," Brandon taunted.

     She put her hand on his chest and pushed him away as hard as she could. Brooke wanted nothing to do with him. He tried to touch her again, but Nick walked in. "Hey Brooke, my mom is ready to take us back to my house."

     Brooke let out a sigh of relief. "Good, let's go now."

     She grabbed Nick's hand and led him out of the studio as fast as possible.

     When they got in the car, Nick's mom greeted them. "Hi Brooke, hi Nick. How was dance?" She questioned.

     "It was... interesting," Nick replied.

     The ride to Nick's house was pretty silent. There was a lot that Brooke wanted to say to him, but not while they were in the car with his mom. Luckily, the drive to Nick's house was only about five minutes.

     When they arrived, Brooke and Nick went straight to the basement. "So, do you want to watch a movie from Netflix or something?" Nick asked.

     "Sure," Brooke smiled. They started scrolling through all of their options when she saw the movie title 'Friends With Benefits'. "Oooh can we watch that? I've always wanted to see it."

     "Whatever you want," Nick laughed.

     Right before the movie started, Nick went to make popcorn. While she was waiting, Brooke scrolled through Facebook and Instagram on her phone. She saw a picture of Ryleigh with her arms wrapped around Brandon and felt a little bit of jealousy. But she knew that she didn't want Brandon back; not after everything that he had done to her.

     A few minutes later, Nick was back. He put the popcorn on the table, sat down on the couch, and then put his arm around Brooke. At first, it made her feel tense. She didn't know if she should lean her head on his shoulder, grab his hand, or if she should just try to keep to herself. But as Nick pulled her closer, she rested her head on his shoulder. Although she thought it would be awkward, it wasn't. Cuddling with Nick felt even more natural than cuddling with Brandon.

     When the movie was over, Nick moved his arm so that he could turn off the TV. "So, what do you want to do now?" he asked.

     Brooke looked at her phone. It was 9:45, and her mom was coming at 10:00. "Well, we only have a few more minutes until my mom comes to get me. And there are a couple of things I want to talk to you about." Brooke took a deep breath. She had a lot to say, and she wanted to be able to get through it without crying. "First of all, I don't like Brandon anymore. I was confused after we had so much chemistry in the dance, but after he was such a jerk to me, I could never go back to him. And I know that he told you that I was a whore, but that's not true. I don't want you to think that about me," Brooke stopped. She had more to say, but Nick had put his hands around her waist and started slowly moving closer to her.

     When their faces were about two inches apart, Nick whispered, "I know." Then, he started leaning even closer to her.

     Brooke's heart began to beat faster than it had since the first time she kissed Brandon. She knew what was about to happen, but she wasn't sure if she wanted it to.

     For a split second, Nick's lips brushed softly against hers. But before anything else could happen, they heard two other voices in the basement.

     They both whipped their heads towards the door to see their mothers standing there, staring at them.