Title: Different People
| Prologue | Part One | Part Two |
Author: Replica
Email: replicapants@yahoo.se
Archive: http://www.realmoftheshadow.com/replica.htm
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me etc so don't sue and etc
Pairing: Sam/Brooke
A/N: Hey Ya'll. I've had trouble writing Trouble of Sam, so I thought I'd write something else to get my inspiration back. It's a story that takes place in an alternative universe (AU) so the characters are a bit different from what they are in the tv-show.
Hopefully I'll get part 2 posted since I've already started writing it. but I can't promise anything since I don't have much time for writing/reading fics because of school and other stuff.
“Fuck this!” A girl with dark brown hair and heavy eye make-up screamed and drumsticks flew across the room.
“Uhm, Lily, you should consider to stop throwing things when you’re angry, you’re gonna poke someone’s eye out one of these days.”
“Well, excuse me! I’m fucking tired of this, I give up.”
“Ugh! Come on Lily, we have a gig next week, we have to get this right.” Said Sam, another girl with dark brown hair and heavy eye make-up.
“Just one last time?” A third dark haired girl pleaded.
“Okay, okay. But this better be the last one, I have to get home and feed the cat.”
“Hah! Yeah, right!” Said Harrison with the green hair. “You’re going out with that crazy cheerleader that calls me Joe.”
“Fuck off, Harry! I wouldn’t even go near those chicks if they paid me one million dollars.”
“I bet the crazy one would gladly pay one million dollars to go out with you, Lil. Haven’t you seen the way she looks at you?”
“Yeah, like she wants to kill me and make a coat outta me!”
“Guys, come on, let’s play this one last time.”
***
Brooke McQueen and Nicole Julian stood in front of the mirrors in the Novak, touching up their make-up as usual. She looked at her friend standing beside her with envy. Nicole had everything she wanted; that long, blonde, beautiful hair (she had long blonde hair too, but not as beautiful as Nicole), that incredible body (if she could just stop eating burritos she could be like Nicole) and the handsomest guy in school, Josh Ford. Sometimes Brooke wondered why she thought Josh was the hunkiest guy in school, because he didn’t really have anything that other didn’t have, but it was kind of an unwritten law for a cheerleader to like Josh. Of course, since Nicole was the head cheerleader, she was the lucky one who got to date Josh.
“Hey, Brookie, could I borrow you chem. notes?”
“Yeah, sure. I have them right here.”
“Ugh, thanks hun! What would I do without you Brookie?”
Brooke thought about that for a couple of seconds. If Brooke wouldn’t be by Nicole’s side, some one else would. Mary Cherry or Popita Fresh for example. At least she got something out of being Nicole’s best friend. She was co captain of the cheerleading squad, and since Nicole was more interested in shopping and making out with Josh in his brand new car, she practically ran the squad by herself. No one would ever pick on her ever again now that she hung out with Nicole. So maybe Nicole should rephrase that question. What would Brooke do without her?
“You would be flunking chemistry?” Brooke answered with a smile.
Sam was on her way to school with her guitar in a case on her back and her books in the hand. Her boots, at least three sizes too big, shambled loudly when she walked. Her car had broken down, her bike was stolen, her mom had already gone to work and she couldn’t get a hold on the other guys in her band. Therefore, she had no other alternative than to walk all the way to school and probably miss first period.
“What a stupid idea.” She said kicking a small stone on the ground. “Why didn’t I just stay at home?”
A black convertible drove by and Sam could see Brooke McQueen in the driver seat and Nicole Julian sitting beside. Sam wanted to pick up that stone she had just kicked and throw it at the car hoping she would hit Nicole.
Nicole was Sam’s archenemy. No one, not even them, really knew how this war between them started. It was something that happened when they were kids. Sam remembered Brooke, how she liked to play with Brooke because she was the nicest girl in the whole kindergarten. But Nicole snatched Brooke away from her, eventually making Brooke into her thrall. Nowadays, Sam and Brooke hardly ever spoke to each other. They belonged to completely different worlds, but Sam couldn’t stop to wonder what could have happened if she and Brooke had become friends. Nicole always had something against Sam, trying to make her life a living hell in on way or the other. On the other hand, Sam was thankful of the fact that Nicole was such a bitch towards her. It gave her plenty of inspiration to write songs for her band, The Browns.
She tried to get those thought out of her head, she wouldn’t let Nicole ruin her day, no matter how much she wanted to kill her. Instead, she thought about Brooke and how beautiful she was. Sam couldn’t understand how such a sweet and intelligent person like Brooke would like to hang with those air headed cheerleaders. She had always thought there was something special with Brooke, but she had never had the chance to find out what. Early in life, she learned that some people are just not supposed to hang in the same group. Social status was everything. And Sam was branded outcast, social bohemian. However, she never complained. She was happy with her friends, her band, and her life.
After a horribly long walk, she finally made it to Kennedy High. She had missed first period, as she suspected, so she headed for her locker right away.
“Hey Sam, missed you in English class.” Harrison said with a smug expression.
“I had to walk all the way to school! My feet are so dead.”
“What happened? Your car died again?” He laughed.
“Yeah, really funny Harry. I’d like to see you walking all the way to school.”
“If my car died, I would just ask Brooke McQueen to give me a ride.”
“Yeah right, like she would give you a ride.”
“Why not? We have been neighbors since we were kids. I’ve seen her naked.”
“And how would that help you getting a ride?”
“It wouldn’t. Point is, she cannot refuse me a ride. It would be too rude.”
“Maybe Brooke would give you a ride. But Nicole would never let you ride with them. She would rather die than being seen in the same car as you.”
“That’s not such a bad idea.”
“What?”
“Nicole dying.”
“Maybe you should ask Brooke for a ride tomorrow?”
“I thought you were over Brooke McQueen?” A voice from behind said.
Harrison turned around and found himself standing face to face with the girl with the big orange afro, his girlfriend May Tuna.
“There’s not much to get over.” He answered and kissed her on the cheek.
“Oh yeah? I’ve heard you had a big crush on her all through junior high.”
“No, that must be Sam you’re talking about.” Harrison said nudging at Sam.
“What? You’re talking shit Harrison!” Sam said hitting him on the arm.
“Aotch! Be careful, girl!” Harrison wailed.
“Whatever. I have to go now. See you two at lunch.”
***
“OMG Carmen! Is that a hickey on you neck?”
“Schhh! Lil, you don’t have to tell the entire world!” Carmen said nervously trying to cover her hickey.
“This is the first time I see you with one of those. I am so proud of you girlfriend! Where did you get it?”
“Geesh, not now Lily.”
“Why not? A hickey is nothing to be ashamed of.”
“But the person who gave it to me is.”
“Oh my… Carmen has a dirty secret. Come one, spill it!” Lily said with big enthusiasm. She really wanted to know who had given her friend that hickey.
“Hey guys!” Sam said approaching their table.
“Hi Sam!” Carmen was extremely relived Sam had come. Now she could smoothly change the subject and forget all about the hickey business. “Hey, why weren’t you in English class?”
“My car broke down. And you guys had already left, so I had to walk all the way.”
“Bummer. Oh, and in those shoes!” Lily said frowning.
“Uh-huh. Hey, you guys ever considered getting cell phones?”
“I thought you were against those things Sam.”
“I thought so too. But they would really have come in handy today.” She sighed. “And Brooke and Nicole drove by me on my way here, which hardly made things better.”
“Don’t you think you a little bit too obsessed by Nicole?” Lily asked.
“I’m not obsessed! I just hate her. A lot. And rightfully. She’s tried to make my life a living hell ever since kindergarten.”
“You’re just overreacting.”
“Hardly! You’ve seen how she’s tried to bring me down over and over again.”
“Maybe you could stop fighting if you would stop writing mean things about her in you editorials.” Lily suggested.
“Hey, where am I? The Nicole Julian worshipping club? I thought you hated Nicole as much as I do.”
“Kinda. But you’re obsessed Sam.” Carmen said and Lily nod in agreement.
“Whatever. You know I’m right.” Sam pouted while the other brunettes laughed at her childish expression.
***
“Good morning class!” Ms Glass screamed all over her class room. “Today is the day the big science project about our environment starts. Therefore, I’ve let my computer randomly pair you up with someone in this class that will be your science project pal for the next three weeks. ”
Sam looked around in the room, trying to figure out who she’d been paired up with. She hoped it wasn’t Josh, because that would either end up with her getting an F or having to do all the work by herself. Emory Dick was a perv and Mary Cherry a complete psycho.
“Carmen Ferrara will be working with Emory Dick, Harrison John with Nicole Julian, Josh Ford with Popita Fresh, Lily Esposito with Mary Cherry, Sugar Bernardino with May Tuna and Sam McPherson with Brooke McQueen.”
The entire class gasped in unison. No one was happy with the pairings. Especially not Harrison who had to work together with the girl who had tried to run him over several times in drivers ed. Carmen was embarrassed to be seen with Emory since she had been at a party and made out with him thinking he was some one else and Lily was sure Mary Cherry wanted to kill her. Sam, on the other hand, saw the fact that she was teamed up with Brooke as a chance for them to catch up on 10 years of lost friendship.
***
Sam was standing by her locker searching for her math notes when she felt someone approaching her.
“What a bitch today at chem. class.” She said thinking it was Harrison.
“Excuse me?” Said a soft voice.
Sam’s eyes widen when she realized that wasn’t Harrison’s voice. Neither was it Lily’s or Carmen’s. She looked up from behind the door of her locker and saw a shy, blonde girl standing behind with a pack of books in her hand.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought it was… My friend.”
“That’s okay, I just wanted to ask you about that science project thing.”
“Oh, that one. Yeah. Uhm, maybe we should meet somewhere and discus what we want to do?”
“Sure, that would be great. What about: Thursday? Maybe?”
“Thursday? Let’s see… Yeah, Thursday’s fine.”
“Okay, so I see you Thursday after school?”
“Yeah, see you then.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
A/N: Finally it's here. After a long time of anxiety and insecurity. First of all, school is killing me. I don't have time for anything else. Then I realized that maybe I'm not such a good writer hence the angst and insecurity. But then I realized that I could write anyway, as long as I'm happy with it. I try to stay positive...
Anyway. I wanna say thanks to everybody who sent me feedback on the first part. hope you like part nr 2.
None of my fics are beta read, so it might get weird at times.
~~~~~
Sam was sitting in the cafeteria by herself staring into nothing and everything at the same time. Her head was full of thoughts while she couldn’t seem to get any of those thoughts straight. No pun intended, even thought she was thinking about a certain cheerleader by the name of Brooke McQueen.
It was Thursday, the Thursday that she was going to meet Brooke after school. She couldn’t figure out why she felt so elated just because of a little meeting with the blonde. The gorgeous blonde, Sam thought and had to mentally slap herself. That was so wrong. She just couldn’t yearn after someone who, first of all, was best friends with Nicole Julian, and second of all, was part of this hierarchic system of class and popularity that she and her friends fought (or at least tried to) against.
So, she pulled out her notebook out of her bag instead and started to take notes for an article on class and popularity for the school paper.
“Hey Sam!”
Sam's heart raced at 1000miles/hr. At first, she didn’t dare to look up. What if it was Brooke? What would she say? What would she do? Then she realized that Brooke would never approach her in the cafeteria. Risking your life to greet a freak wasn’t worth is, Sam thought.
As she looked up, she saw Lily standing in front of her with a tray in her hand. “Hey Lil, what’s up?”
“What’s up with you Sam? I’ve been calling your name about 50 times before you reacted.”
Sam smiled; Lily looked like one of those enraged guests on Ricki Lake. “I was taking notes for an article.”
“Oh, I was just about to smack this tray upside your head.”
“Must you always be so aggressive?” Sam laughed.
“Hey, why do you think I play the drums?”
“Because you anger management therapist told you to find something healthy to discharge you anger with?”
“Exactly.” Lily said with a smirk.
“Well, to be honest Lily, I don’t think its working.” Sam said ducking in case something came flying at her. Lily usually reacted that way, throwing whatever she had in her hand.
Instead the violent Latina laughed.
“I guess it’s not. But I’m taking up boxing. You wanna come along?”
“No thank you. It’s not really my thing to hit people with big silly gloves.”
“Come on Sam! I think it will be good for you. You can at least come and check it out?”
“I don’t know Lil, when is it?”
“Today after school.”
“Oh, no can do Lily. I’m booked.” Sam said letting out a sigh of relief. Going to boxing practice with her small, but very strong, friend and having to take her blows in the face wasn’t exactly her picture of a good time.
“Going on a date or something?” Lily asked curious as always. If there was something she loved, it was gossip.
“I don’t think you can call it a date. I’m just gonna meet Brooke McQueen after school.” Sam said and felt her heart racing faster and her cheeks starting to burn. Luckily, her friend didn’t notice it since she was occupied putting mayonnaise on her veggie burger.
“Brooke McQueen? Why are you hanging with her? I thought you hated her.”
“I’m not hanging with her, we’re just gonna talk about our science project. Besides, I never said I hated Brooke. I just hate her friends.”
“And what makes her different from all those other air headed cheerleaders?” Lily asked with a bitter tone of voice.
Sam felt stupid because of the fact that she wanted to defend Brooke. However, she didn’t want to start any arguments with Lily, so she just shrugged.
“I don’t know really, just a feeling I have.”
“Sam, why are you blushing?” Lily smiled. Sam was definitely up to something, she thought. Sam was not the kind of girl who blushed over nothing.
While Lily was amused by her friend’s sudden nervous behavior, Sam was trying to stop herself from having a heart attack. She was aware of the fact that she was behaving strange, but she couldn’t stop it. For some reason, Brooke McQueen was a sensitive subject that luckily wasn’t discussed much among her friends. Nicole Julian or the crazy one, Mary Cherry, was often the topic of any conversation.
“I’m not blushing!” She said defensively.
“Yeah, nice try Sammy. I could see your blush miles away.”
“Ugh! Okay, Okay! I’m blushing, so what? Can we please change the subject?”
“My, oh my. Sam McPherson blushing over a cheerleader. Now this is good!” Lily said a little bit too exited for Sam’s taste..
“I’m not blushing over a cheerleader! Maybe I’m just, really hot. In here.” Sam had to mentally slap herself again. That didn’t sound so good.
“Sam’s got the hots for a cheerleader!” Lily said teasingly while bursting into a big laugh.
Meanwhile, in the same cafeteria but at the other end of the room, the cheerleaders were enjoying their fat free lunch.
“Ah had no idea this delicious asparagus stock cube could replace an entire meal!” Mary Cherry said gleefully putting the last piece of her lunch in her mouth.
“Isn’t it great? I am going to send a love letter to whoever invented this.” Said Nicole.
Suddenly, Nicole’s attention was brought to her fellow cheerleading friend who seemed to be staring into the blue.
“Brookie? Are you alright? You haven’t finished your asparagus.”
Brooke, who was actually looking at Sam, awoke from her daydreams with a flinch. “Uhm, I’m not really hungry.” She said trying to hide her blush.
“Well, at least you don't get fat when you're not eating.” Nicole said with a haughty tone of voice while snatching the last piece of Brooke’s asparagus stock.
Brooke knew that was a hint from Nicole. A hint that maybe she should loose some weight, as the others always told her. But that was way easier said than done. God knows how many times Brooke had tried to loose weight, she’d been there, done that, got the t-shirt.
Now she and the other cheerleaders were on a crazy diet, eating nothing but concentrated, dried food. It was actually working this time; she had managed to loose some weight. But she knew she’d never ever get a slim figure like Nicole’s.
“Uhm, Brookie? What are ya looking at?” Mary Cherry said bopping her head up and down trying to catch whatever her friend was staring at.
Brooke (who was not aware of the fact that she was looking at Sam again) was blushing so much, it looked like her face was about to catch fire. She quickly turned around to face the other side of the room and then stared back at her friends. They all looked like big, blonde question marks.
“Brooke, what the hell are you doing?” Nicole asked firmly.
“I was just thinking about bio class.” Brooke had to admit, she was no good liar.
“Don’t tell me you were actually thinking about that McBitch McPherson?”
Brooke wondered how much one could blush before it was considered unhealthy or she might spontaneously catch on fire.
“No, I was just… I was just thinking about what to do, with the science project.” Brookes answer was barely audiable.
“Mah lord, Brookie. Ah feel so sorry for you, hon. Being paired up with that skanky ho! ”
“Actually, I don think…” Brooke said only to be interrupted by Nicole.
“Ugh! Poor Brookie? Poor me! I’m the one who have to spend the next two weeks with mister pond scum hair. Eeew!” Said the blonde looking disgusted.
“And what about me? I don’t know how I will survive two weeks with that stinky, hairy little thing they call Lily.” Mary Cherry said using her hand as a fan.
“You’re so lucky you get to work with Josh!” Nicole said hitting Poppy on the arm.
While Brooke’s friends were arguing who they should pitty the most, Brooke’s eyes had yet again got stuck on Sam.
Lily, at the other side of the cafeteria, had noticed this and started to gently bounce up and down in her chair from pure exitment. This lunch hour was just getting better and better.
“Sam, don’t look, but Brooke McQueen is like really staring at you.” She whispered.
Sam’s reaction was to quickly turn around and seconds later be paralyzed as their eyes met. Brooke reacted the same way but Nicole was not so pleased with it.
“Brookie, what the hell are you doing? What are you staring at?”
Nicole tried to see what her friend was staring at by climbing over Mary Cherry, using her head for support. As she saw Sam rapidly hurrying away from her table as she shyly looked at her direction, she got suspision over what exactly her friend was doing.
“Brookie, do you know why Spam was in such a hurry to get out of the cafeteria?” She asked.
Brooke suddenly realized what she had done all that time, she had been sitting, in front of her friends, staring at Sam McPherson. Social outcast, and furthermore a girl.
“Maybe because of her inability to match her clothes?” Brooke tried to sound unmoved and haughty.
Nicole looked at her friend with a suspicious expression. Brooke was right, that girl couldn’t match her clothes to save her life. But why would she all of the sudden care about that? The blonde was sure her friend was up to something. But that was something they had to discuss in private, so she let it go.
“That ugly little bitch couldn’t match her clothes if her life depended on it.” She laughed and a sudden calm spread through Brooke’s body.
Meanwhile, Sam was in a hurry to get to her locker and trying to shake Lily off of her. But that was, as always, impossible.
“Sam! Can you please explain what the hell happened in there?”
“Ugh! Can’t you give it a rest already?.”
“Don’t lie to me Sam, I know you were making eyes with that cheerleader. I bet you don’t remember one single thing I told you during lunch hour.”
“Sure I do!”
“Yeah? Name one thing.”
“You were saying something about… the environment?” Sam said with a sheepish smile.
“Ugh! Nice one Sam. I always talk about the environment.”
“I know. That’s why I said that.”
“That’s really nice Sam, you haven’t listened to one single word I’ve said.”
***
“So… Brookie; how come you were so distracted at lunch today?” Nicole asked.
Brooke and Nicole were touching up their make up in the novak before class, as always. And the blonde took the opportunity to get some info on her friends behavior now that she had managed to get rid of Mary Cherry and Poppy. Which wasn’t that hard by the way. She just had to tell Mary Cherry that George, the other hunky quarterback, wanted to see her and Poppy behind the grandstand before class.
Brooke knew this was coming, but she pretended to be surprised by her friends question.
“What? Me?”
“Yes, you.”
The shy cheerleader was a bit disturbed by the calmness in Nicole’s voice. It made her unable to stay calm. “I-I-I…” She stuttered, unable to even form a simple sentence.
“Are you sure everything’s okay?”
“Yeah, it’s okay. I’m fine.” Brooke said a little bit calmer, but not calm enough to not be suspissious of her friend. She knew that Nicole was quite an expert coming to vicious mind games. But on the other hand, she was extremely reliefed she had seemed to have got away really easy this time.
“Okay Brookie, I have to get going now. Promised Josh I’d take a ride with him after school. Can you cover for me hun?”
“Yeah, sure.” Brooke said with a big smile. She had to take every chance to suck up for Nicole. Maybe she would forget about the whole lunch episode after she went out with Josh.
Nicole left the room without saying bye (she hardly ever did) and Brooke could finally breath out. She hadn’t had time to figure out herself what had happened in the cafeteria earlier that day. So the last thing she needed was Nicole haunting her for info like a mad dog. Though Brooke was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Nicole had let it go so easily. She just hoped it was an episode everybody would soon forget. She had more important things to think about; science project (a.k.a. Sam McPherson, though this wasn’t anything Brooke would admit).
TBC