TITLE: Busted!
AUTHOR: Angelina
EMAIL: angelina2006@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: They belong to Touchstone TV
Feedback: Yes please!
Notes: I don't think this is long enough to qualify as a fic, more like a fragment or snippet.
Nicole made her way to the Novak, scowling at the occasional unworthy person who dared to look at her. Entering the plush, pink bathroom gave her a sense of serenity and calm, away from the fashion disasters and the hopelessly uncool people of Kennedy High. She checked her reflection in the mirror and uncapped her lip gloss ready to top up the near-perfect image she found staring back at her. The wand froze half way to her mouth as she heard humming coming from one of the stalls. The slightly off-key, warbly tone told Nicole that it was in fact her best friend, Brooke McQueen, who was the occupant of that particular cubicle (hey, nobody can be good at everything right?). She listened with interest as the humming turned into singing for a short burst:
[Hello Samantha dear I hope you're feelin' fine And it won't be long until I'm with you all the time But until then I'll spend my money hmmmmm hmmmm hmmmm]
Nicole's lips remained unglossed as she recapped the bottle and replaced it in her bag. Her mouth was set in a firm line. Hearing those words had confirmed what she had suspected for a while but could produce no proof of until now. She stalked silently over to the stall Brooke was in and planted herself directly in front of it, arms crossed, patented "Bulldog Chewing A Wasp" expression firmly in place.
The sound of a toilet flushing was quickly followed by the click of the lock. Brooke exited, still humming, until she caught sight of Nicole and shrieked. She put a hand over her heart and tried to get her breathing under control.
"God, Nic, you scared me half to death…what are you doing hanging around outside people's toilet doors?"
"Oh just getting in a little musical appreciation and confirming some suspicions." said Nicole, staring intently at Brooke, watching for signs of a guilty conscience.
Brooke, meanwhile, was trying hard to mask signs of a guilty conscience. Did Nicole suspect about Sam? How could she know? She'd kept it so well hidden. What musical appreciation? She aimed for breezy and almost pulled it off with her reply.
"Whatever are you talking about Nicole?" Brooke could do haughty with the best of them.
"I'm talking about the little ditty you were oh so tunelessly performing for all and sundry to hear just a minute ago."
Nicole raised an eyebrow as Brooke thought back to what she'd been singing. Then it came to her, that damn song! She'd had it stuck in her head for days because of that one stupid line with Sam's name in it. She felt the colour rushing to her cheeks so she quickly moved around Nicole and headed to the sink to wash her hands and get her complexion under control. Once she was convinced her cheeks were back to something resembling flesh-tone she turned back to face Nicole who was impatiently awaiting a response.
"I…uh…I don't know what I was singing…just some dumb song I heard on the radio or something I guess."
"Come on Brookie, the jig is up. I know your sordid little secret… it's time to `fess up."
Brooke stared back at her wordlessly. She was partly relieved that Nicole seemed to have figured things out by herself and partly terrified of what she was going to say about her discovery. She was still attempting to find the words to vocalise her thoughts when Nicole spoke again.
"Look B, just admit that you've been listening to country music, promise never to do it again and we can forget about this whole sorry little episode."
Nicole sighed, she was obviously going soft in her old-age. Letting someone off scot-free with such a monumental crime as listening to the music of grown men in cowboy outfits was just not like her. But then again, it was Brooke. Brooke who was beaming from ear to ear… Nicole was slightly worried that her face was going to crack if she didn't stop soon. It must have been more of a cross to bear than she'd thought!
"Yeah Nic, I'm sorry, I've been listening to the country station on the radio and I'm so ashamed…I'll never do it again."
"Thank you."
Nicole gave a brief nod and walked to the door of the bathroom, still reeling from the shock of it all. The door opened as she reached for it and she almost bumped into Sam McPherson.
"Watch it Spam."
"Sorry Satan. But I wouldn't worry, your implants would have cushioned you from any injury."
Sam smirked as she watched Nicole's face twist in fury. But the earlier discovery about her best friend's listening habits had rendered her unable to come up with a witty reply so she stormed out of the Novak to look for someone to be mean to…Mary Cherry would do.
Sam turned, still smiling, to see Brooke standing in front of the mirror, laughing. She walked up behind her and snaked her arms around her waist.
"Hey," she said softly, leaning her chin on Brooke's shoulder. "Stop laughing at yourself, you're not that bad looking."
Brooke turned in Sam's arms so they were nose to nose.
"God, you're such a flatterer." she said, sarcastically.
"And that's why you love me right?"
"Among other things." Brooke smiled again as she remembered Nicole's interrogation. "Oh, by the way, you're going to have to stop forcing me to listen to your Garth Brooks albums…it very nearly got me in a whole lotta trouble just now."
"Is that why Nicole couldn't come back at me just now? She was in shock at your appalling taste in music huh?"
"Yep…which was a relief actually…I thought she had discovered my appalling taste in women."
"Really? That was a close…hey!"
END
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