Secrets//Jake Jagielski

~11~

The next morning Brighid walked into the kitchen to see her parents extremely unhappy.

"Did you know Nathan had a hit and run incident last night?" Her mother asked with her hands on her hips. Her father seemed to have cared less.

"No!? Is he okay?" Brighid asked

"Oh just fine. In trouble though, tried to pin it off on Lucas" Deb explained.

"I'll talk to him" Dan said ending the conversation.

"That's it's you'll talk to him. We have bigger issues at hand. Our children party, they roam the streets and never tell us where they are at. They seem to do whatever they pleased. Let me tell you this is why we had a problem with Brighid in the first place" Deb sternly said.

"There kids Deb, they are going to drink and party. They always come home" Dan shrugged seeing no problem with it.

"Our daughter got pregnant at 14 and you see no problem with that?" Deb asked outraged.

"Maybe one of the problems is that your never home"

"I'm out saving the world around 10 days or so ever month and you have the audacity to blame me"

"Lack of parenting maybe?" Dan asked before exiting the room. Brighid stood there applauded. Her parents always fought but not like this.

"Breakfast?" Deb asked trying to forget the fight.

"I'm okay" Brighid said walking by.

Deb grabbed her daughter's hand stopping her from leaving.

"I can see you clearly resent us for the choices we made. It's for the best" Deb reassured Brighid.

"Really mom? Is it really?" Brighid asked pulling her hand from her grip and running up stairs to her room. Slamming the door loudly.
———
Brighid was relieved to find out that both her mother and father were going away for the Small Business League dinner which just happened to fall on the same night as the Pickerington Pirates away game.

Brooke had offered to drive Peyton and Brighid to the game so they wouldn't have to crowd onto the smelly, lame school bus.

"Excited?" Brooke asked the two.

"Finally, no preying eyes from my father. One of the best nights already" Brighid exclaimed. Brooke smiled and Peyton turned up the music. The three jamming out on the car ride there.

Eventually the three made it and they stood on the sidelines cheering for the Ravens. The crowd was crazy, from both sides.

"So what exactly happened with you and my brother?" Brighid asked as they waited for halftime to be over.

"We are done, for good" Peyton explained.

Brighid raised an eyebrow at Peyton not believing her for a second.

"I swear" she said with a smile.

"Fine, I'll take your word" Brighid said back. The three stood there watching the guys shoot some practice shots.

The game resumed and immediately Brighid could tell Lucas and Nathan were fighting.

"Hey I saw Nathan in the shower. Yeah no wonder why you broke up with him" Lucas commented. Peyton's face showed shock, Brooke was laughing and Brighid rolled her eyes. Lucas was definitely a Scott, stooping low.

Nathan stood next to Brighid fuming. He grabbed the ball and threw it at Lucas hitting him in the back. Lucas turned around and began to fight with Nathan. He pushed Nathan to the ground causing Brooke and a couple other cheerleaders to fall as well.

The ref blew the whistle and ejected Nathan and Lucas out of the game. Brooke was on the floor clinging onto her ankle.

"Here let me help you" Peyton said taking her to the nurses office. The game abruptly ended after with the Ravens just winning.

Brigid with her cheer bag packed looked all over for Peyton and Brooke but was unable to find them.

"Coach?" Brighid quietly asked.

"Brighid, I'm not in the mood for another Scott to make me mad"

"I have no ride home" Brighid explained.

"Fine, let's go" Whitey said ushering her onto the bus. She sat in the front minding her own business when the bus pulled over.

"Nathan Scott. Lucas Scott. On your feet" Whitey announced. Brighid turned around watching the two stand up.

"Congratulations boys. In all my years coaching this has got to be a low point. That little stunt you pulled almost cost us our undefeated record! I don't give diddly-squat about your issues with your daddy to your girlfriends. As far as I'm concerned you can hate each other until hell freezes over! But if your going to play on my team you're gonna learn how to work tougher!" Whitey announced. The bus was completely silent.

"Can't see that happening Whitey" Nathan spoke out.

"Yeah? Well you got thirty some odd miles to figure it out"

The two began to sit down and Whitey shouted "walking". The two exited the bus thinking he was joking.

"You think that's a good idea?" Brighid asked Whitey.

"You care to find out?" Whitely said pointing to the outside. Brighid quickly jumped off trying to convince them to get back on. Only when she went to speak the bus closed the door and pulled away.

"They can't just leave us here" Nathan said.

"Nice work, idiot" Lucas commented. Brighid stood in the freezing cold in only her cheer uniform.