Nicotine [Brendon Urie AU]

Chapter Three ✔

Chapter Three | "I Wanna Be Free" 

Brooke took a seat on the bed, while Ryan rested on the window seat with his arms crossed, waiting for a reaction from Brooke. "I don't, I don't know, Ryan." There was the stutter that Brooke hated the most, causing her to cringe greatly. She swallowed a large lump in her throat, she fidgeted with her hands more, pressing on them harshly. 

"Barbara was always a violent child as a kid." Ryan started to explain unprompted. "She loved hitting other children and hurting animals. I once caught her trying to throw my childhood cat against the wall. She's not sane." He explained. Brooke looked at him with wide eyes. Of course, that sounded exactly like the vicious woman, but to hear from another person was a whole new experience. Ryan was serious, Brooke could tell, but it was still surprising.

Brooke stared at him, feeling a little bit guilty, "Why are you telling me this?" She really wanted to know why. Ryan barely knew her, so why is he spilling such sensitive subjects? There was a slight war inside her mind, but she tried to push them back. On one hand, she wanted to feel sorry for Ryan for being related to the witch, but then on the other hand, how she can trust him? 

"I wouldn't be surprised if she was abusing children in this very orphanage. I grew up with her, you see, I know these things because I was subjected to them with I was younger. She's a disgusting human, and anything you tell me, I will believe you." Ryan finished his thought, using hand gestures to amplify his point across. Brooke, in the back of her mind, felt like she was going to regret explaining what she's going through. But, pushing back the thoughts in her head, she began to explain. Brooke stared at the floor, hoping to get enough courage to speak her mind. 

The beginning was the best place to start, she guessed, so she started with, "It started off with when I was younger, I guess. It was, painful," She stated, not looking up from at the ground. Brooke felt weak at this moment, vulnerable from whatever she went through. "She would treat the other girls better than she did me, I never understood why. That woman has hated me and always will. She used to play these... these horrid pranks on me. She even got the others to help her. They would tell me that my father was outside, and when dumb and naive me ran out, they would lock the door behind me. But, when I got back inside, Ms. Ross would be there, laughing with the other girls - having the time of her life at the expense of me. While the girl was eventually adopted or aged out, the pranks stopped to an extent. She still makes jokes about my family, my life, my looks, everything." 

"That's awful," Ryan tried to word out, but that was the most he could come up with. It truly was hard to hear that she was being terrorized - by an adult, none the less - about her family.

Brooke nodded, even though it wasn't a question. Brooke went on, emotionless, "I guess she prayed on the weak. And... I was when I was little. Even though I'm almost an adult, she treats me like a child who needs to be kept on a leash." 

Ryan frowned, clearly feel her pain. "I'm sorry," He closed his eyes, soaking in the information that Brooke just told him. Everything she just said confirmed his suspensions. "You don't deserve that. Especially at a young age like this." Ryan said mostly to himself. It was awful for such a young girl to have to mature the way she did, so quickly and by force. Kids are supposed to run around happily and teenagers were supposed to be in school and studying for finals and planning for their future. But, Brooke, who has never attended school, was trying to make sure she was going to survive the next day.

All she learned is from other kids who went to school for just a little bit of time. Stella was a big help in teaching Brooke what she knows, but it was still a challenge for the young girl. She was deprived of a proper education. "It's too late to fix it, though, isn't it?" Brooke whispered with dark, sarcastic humor. It was true, the damage from over the years of abuse has taken its toll on Brooke. That's obvious from the get-go.

Ryan looked sad, but still spoke. "It's not, Brooke. Please believe it's not. I have a plan and that's the only reason I'm here. And it involves you." He explained. Brooke tilted her head, finally looking Ryan in the eyes. She didn't understand why he showed so much interest in someone he just met. Why did he make a plan that involves her? Brooke couldn't get a grasp on it, how could he trust her so dearly? 

"What plan?" She asked before starting again, "And why does it involve me?" Brooke was generously interested. 

"You and I both know what's she's doing. But the court and the police don't. If we can get her on tape, doing something... anything that proves her wrongdoing, we can get these kids, and you, out of this hell Barbara has created." Ryan explained, standing up and pacing around the room. The plan, if you could even call it that yet, made sense to Brooke. No one believed that Ms. Ross was abusive and neglectful, but if there was evidence, they could prove it. But, Brooke had no idea how to go about doing it. 

Brooke had to stop to weigh her options. Ryan seemed to really want to help her and the rest of the kids, but at what expense? If Ms. Ross found out, then she would no doubly end up committing murder. Her options were; stand on the sidelines and get hurt or go with Ryan's plan and get hurt. It seemed like a loose-loose situation, but then again, what did she have to lose? 

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Chapter three is up! The truth starts to show with our wicked witch of the west, of course, through Ryan himself. What do you think he has in mind? Do you think it will work?

So this book is off to a slow start, I'll admit since it isn't raking up a lot of views like the other books. Please, please, please vote and comment to let me know that this book is worth updating. Share it with friends, tell someone about it, anything to help this book continue to be published. Now, I don't want you to worry - this book isn't ever going to be discontinued. There might be some hiatuses here and there, but there will never be a flat-out ended abruptly.

Again, please comment and vote on this book to let me know that people are still reading. Thank you for viewing this chapter, I deeply enjoyed writing it, and the next chapter will be published in two days!

- simply_psychopath