What just happened?

[brooke]

Brooke couldn't believe what had just happened. There, in front of the whole school, Blane had kissed her. That wasn't the worst of it, though. Whether anyone else realized it or not, she'd been too stunned to immediately pull back... she'd kissed him back! It had been unintentional, more reflex than anything, but in that brief moment when she had been transported back to when things between them hadn't sucked she hadn't reacted at all. She cursed herself for not having enough common sense to pull away the second he moved in. How horrible that must've looked to everybody else! And she had a boyfriend. She'd been kissed by Blane, her jerk of an ex, right in front of Tadhg. What must he be thinking?

Full of guilt and too embarassed to be seen crying like she was, Brooke had made a mad dash to the girl's room and shut herself up in the farthest stall. This couldn't be happening... she was the Homecoming Queen, for crying out loud! How could things go so terribly wrong? She'd allowed Blane to get the best of her, something she had vowed not to let happen. He had ruined her night. Her night, which she had worked so hard to plan out just right. And she hated him for it.

Sniffing a bit, she grabbed some toilet paper and dabbed at her eyes, then her nose. This was not how she had hoped the night would go.

[Tadhg Kelly]

Tad followed Brooke out into the hall, and saw the girl's bathroom door swing shut. Oh good. He glanced both ways to make sure no one would see him before opening the door and entering. He had a feeling he'd done and would do worse things than go in a girls bathroom, but still. . .if he could avoid being spotted. . .

He heard the sniffling come from the end stall, and gathered that it was Brooke. He wasn't exactly stupid, he had noticed the kiss lasted longer than he would have liked personally, but at the same time it wasn't like Brooke had initiated the kiss. He was confused to say the least. He glance around the bathroom to give himself a moment to think before speaking. He spotted a couch off to the side wall and his mouth dropped slightly.

"You guys get a couch?" he asked quietly, jealousy slightly evident in his voice. **Bonus points if you get what that's from**

He then slapped his forehead, making his way back over to Brooke's stall. He wrapped his knuckles on the door.

"Hey," he said tentatively. "You want to talk about this?"

[brooke]

The door to the bathroom swung open only a few moments after she had situated herself in the last bathroom stall, but Brooke ignored it. She assumed that it was just one of the girls from the dance, since these were the only bathrooms open in the school at night. She didn't care if anybody heard the remnants of her crying at this point; she'd been so humiliated back there that she doubted things could get much worse.

"You guys get a couch?"

Her breath caught in her chest as she heard Tadhg's voice fill the empty room. He'd followed her into the girl's bathroom? She was a little happy at the fact that he had chased after her, but also a little nervous. What could she say? There had been that brief moment where she hadn't responded during the kiss, and while it was obvious she hated Blane that hesitation... it never should have happened. She should've pushed him away immediately instead of getting shell-shocked.

"Hey," he said tentatively. "You want to talk about this?"

Brooke took a deep, shuddering breath. What could she say? She wasn't even sure what had happened back there, not entirely. How had everyone else reacted? It was obvious that Blane had kissed her, right? That she was the 'victim' here?

"I... I promised myself I wasn't going to let him ruin my night," she said slowly, trying to control her shaky voice. She already had her makeup out of her purse, trying to mask the red on her face from crying for that brief period of time. "I shouldn't have overreacted like that... it just... I didn't think he'd..."

Brooke stopped talking, realizing that she wasn't really helping her case.

[Tadhg Kelly]

"Whoa, whoa, hey," Tad said, attempting to comfort her through the door. . .which was weird even for him. "This is not working. . ."

He pushed open the door. . .I'm assuming she didn't lock it, hope that's all right. He glanced down at Brooke.

"I know I'd be upset if Blane kissed me too," he said. "Not to mentioned confused. . ."

He sighed. Now wasn't the time for jokes about Blane's orientation. . . not yet anyway.

"So. . ." he began trying to choose his words carefully. "Umm I couldn't help but notice. . . I-- do you still like Blane?"

He couldn't see how that could even be a possibility. . .after all the shit he'd pulled, but still. . .maybe it was best he be certain. He couldn't imagine she would have liked if some girl had kissed him and he hadn't pushed her off immediately.

[brooke]

"Whoa, whoa, hey. This is not working. . ."

Brooke braced herself for Tadhg’s next movement, which was to open the door to the stall she was in. She had her compact out and was touching up some of her make-up, hoping that she didn’t look too horrible. Her mascara had run a little, leaving black streaks down her cheeks which she had only half-heartedly managed to rub off. At least her hair was still alright. Ah, to hell with it, what did it matter?

"I know I'd be upset if Blane kissed me too. Not to mentioned confused. . ."

Brooke tried to laugh, but it was obviously forced. She could tell from the questioning look on Tad’s face that he wasn’t sure what to say to her. She half-expected for him to yell at her, demand to know what the hell she had been thinking. She should have pushed Blane off immediately, but instead she froze and didn’t do anything for far too long. He should dump her right then and there for all of the shit he’d been through because of her.

"So. . . Umm I couldn't help but notice. . . I-- do you still like Blane?"

Brooke looked up into Tadhg’s eyes, her own pleading from beneath their watery sheen. “No… you have to believe that I don’t,” she said. “It was just, I froze. I hadn’t expected it, and so I didn’t know how to respond. It was like a flashback, almost, you know… when you get lost in a thought and don’t… react… as fast as you should.” Brooke knew that it was the truth, that there was no way she felt anything for Blane. No matter how familiar the kiss had seemed, it wasn’t a welcomed familiar. Not in a million years… right? She couldn’t help but doubt herself a little, despite the fact that he was such an ass. Why else had she froze and not just slapped him in the face? Why else would the kiss have gotten to her that much, if it was meaningless? No, she told herself. She wouldn’t let that doubt invade her mind.

“Tadhg… you know I wouldn’t do that, right? I… I love you.” This was it. She hadn’t planned on saying it, but it was what had come out and she would have to live with her words. This was the moment of truth. They’d been dating for a little over a month now, but neither of them had said the ‘L’ word. But Brooke meant it, she really felt like she had something with Tadhg, and if any moment called for those three little words it was this one. She just hoped that it wouldn’t scare Tadhg off.

She really did care about him, and she could tell from the tone of his voice that Blane’s kiss had hurt him. She only blamed herself for not pushing him away immediately, even though she had explained her side of it. If their relationship fell apart now the fault was all her own. If she were him then she doubted that she would’ve believed herself. Even if she knew she was telling the truth.

((ooc- wow. Tough one… feel free to have him freak out and run away or something… ^_^))

[Tadhg Kelly]

Tad wasn't entirely sure he believed Brooke: that it meant nothing. But then his ex had never tried to make out with him on a dance floor before. I mean sure, she'd showed up at his house a few times after he'd ended it, but that was a fairly easy solution kind of problem. He just locked the doors and waited for his dad to come home with the music turned up. He nodded as though he understood though.

And then she dropped the L bomb. He blinked silently for a minute, and then laughed awkwardly. He glanced around awkwardly and sat down on the sink counter with his head in his hand. He didn't want to seem like an ass or anything, but well it was. . .love? She loved him?

How could she love him already? She barely knew him. . . he barely knew her, but he certainly liked her a lot, a lot more than he'd liked any girl he'd met before. But love? He was only 17, was he capable of loving a girl? Maybe. . .maybe he should stop ignoring the girl who had just shared her feelings with him.

"I uhh. . .well umm. . .wow," he said at length. "I don't know what to say exactly. . .Oh GOd. . . I'm not trying to be a prick. . .I just---umm I wasn't expecting this."

[brooke]

"I uhh. . .well umm. . .wow," he said at length. "I don't know what to say exactly. . .Oh GOd. . . I'm not trying to be a prick. . .I just---umm I wasn't expecting this."

"I'm sorry."

Well, if she hadn't screwed things up before, she certainly had now. She got the feeling that Tadhg didn't believe her, and in her desperation had said that she loved him. She didn't know what had made her say it, what had come over her to cause her to use such rash words, but she had. And now, if it was physically possibl, things were even more awkward between the two of them.

"Neither was I," she admitted, now blushing deeply. She had to get out of there... she had to leave. Brooke realized that she had backed herself into a corner here, and thought it was safe to assume that the longer she remained there, the longer she spoke, the better her chances of doing or saying something else equally stupid.

"I think I should go home," she said suddenly. "And pretend this whole night never happened. Repression is a wonderful thing," she added, getting some use out of that honors psych class after all.

[Tadhg Kelly]

"I'm sorry."

"Oh God," Tad said lifting his head up out of his hand. "Don't be sorry. I -- just I need to think about this. It's not that I don't feel the same-- I just it's been a confusing night."

He was trying to make sense of all this. He knew she was probably expecting him to say the same thing back to her, but in his mind love was a big deal. He didn't want to just say it his parents had claimed they loved each other, and look how that had ended up. . .

"I think I should go home. And pretend this whole night never happened. Repression is a wonderful thing."

Tad hopped down off the sink at her words.

"You don't have to go," he said. "Or if you. . .do. I mean, let me at least walk you to your car."

[brooke]

"Don't be sorry. I -- just I need to think about this. It's not that I don't feel the same-- I just it's been a confusing night."

Brooke was confused. There were so many different throughts and emotions mixing inside of her. She was scared, sad, and angry, all at the same time; a mixture of pretty much everything. She wasn't sure what to do anymore. She knew she'd screwed up by freezing when Blane kissed her, so she was angry at herself. She was scared that, from saying 'I Love You' in her moment of desperation, she had ruined everything by going too far too soon. She was sat that, even when she had explained everything and been completely honest, Tadhg still hadn't believed her. And she was so confused...

"You don't have to go. Or if you. . .do. I mean, let me at least walk you to your car."

"I don't know... I don't think I can go back in there after that, but..." she sighed. What must Tadhg be thinking right then, at that very moment? She'd seen this very same thing happen on an episode of Full House (true story, just watched it today). DJ's date had been homecoming king, and his ex was queen, and she had kissed him. But DJ didn't believe her boyfriend, and ran off, upset. Only when she had said that she loved him, he had believed her, and they'd gone back to the dance and lived happily ever after. Somehow she doubted she'd get a hollywood ending out of this.

"I think I can walk myself to my car," she said finally, avoiding eye contact with Tadhg. Things were getting more awkward by the second, and she couldn't imagine having to make small talk the whole way to her car. She just needed to get out of there, and quickly. She rushed to the door, but turned around. "Look, I understand. I didn't mean to say... that," she said, not wanting to say I Love You again. "I mean, I do really, really, like you... I don't want to rush things either, though. I guess I just got so used to using that word...it lost it's shock value or something. I don't know." She wanted to let him know that she did feel strongly about him, but if he didn't want to toss around the 'L' word then she understood. She blamed how easily Blane had used it with her for how easily she was able to use it, but knew that wasn't an excuse.

With that, she pushed open the door to the girl's bathroom and headed for the nearest exit. How had her perfect night gone so terribly wrong?

((ooc- I'm pretending she turned the opposite way of where the gathering of people are, so she didn't see them. It's just easier that way, since I can't see that confrontation ending well.))

[Tadhg Kelly]

((Wow way to leave and not give Tad a chance . . .::grumbles:

Tad felt progressively worse about himself as she explained why she had said she loved him. He was flattered that she could feel that way about him, but he just wasn't sure if he felt like he deserved those feelings. He didn't have the best examples of love gone right in his past, and on top of it as Brooke mentioned, she used the word freely when it came to Blane. It wasn't that he didn't believe she didn't still care about Blane, it was about his own self doubt.

And then she attempted to take back what she said. He frowned in confusion at this point. Second thoughts, already? But it was his own fault and he knew it. She had wanted him to reassure her, to reciprocate some of those things she'd been saying, and he'd just sat there like a dumbass. She was heading out the door, and he held out a hand to try to stop her leaving. He should stop being a pussy and letting what had happened to others affect him.

"No wait, I--" he said, but she let the door close behind her. "--love---"

He turned around and kicked the wall before making his way into the hall way. He saw Brooke head out the one hallway while a group of kids, his friends, had gathered off to the other side. He sighed and let his head slump slightly feeling like shit.

"I'm going home," he muttered distractedly, heading for the parking lot.