#script. answered

" are you saying you think you hide it well? " the words roll off her tongue as a tease, an echo of laughter soon following. " that's like me saying i keep mine under wraps. " brooke is well aware of all her little quirks and isms. she had never shied away from them, but with maturity came leaning in to them. " but if anyone ever asks, you obviously have to say that i'm, like, totally normal and well-adjusted. only i can say otherwise. "

as a women who tends to walk alone at night in new york city, brooke has fine-tuned her senses over the years to really hone in on her surroundings. staying oblivious has never served anyone well. certainly not her. so tonight, as she makes her way home from the office, even with the weight of the day on her shoulders, her ears are perked up and she listens.

there are footsteps that sound a bit too close, too clunky, too intentional. her hand slips into her purse, casually as to not draw any attention, to dig out the small, purple-rhinestoned canister that she ordered off of tik-tok shop late one night.

before she can realize what's happening, the presence closes in on her and a voice sounds in her ear. brooke turns on her heel, her heart racing as she raises the pepper spray between her and this creep.

" back off. or i'll use it, " the brunette bites out, trying to sound a lot more tough than she feels in the moment. " you've been following me for blocks. "

[ txt : tim ] : did peyton call you? [ txt : tim ] : she shouldn't have done that. [ txt : tim ] : i'm fine. she's making a big deal over nothing. [ txt : tim ] : just some scrapes and bruises. [ txt : tim ] : i'll be back in brooke-top-shape in no time.

[ txt : pint sized pop princess ✨ ] : never again took a left down hmmm maybe i'll give her a chance avenue and somehow ended up at oh no this was a big mistake boulevard. [ txt : pint sized pop princess ✨ ] : she's my mom, daphne. i can't stop wanting to expect the best from her, even though i should know better by now.

[ txt : ry 👨🏼‍🏫🧪 ] : i didn't know you were so interested in resort-wear. [ txt : ry 👨🏼‍🏫🧪 ] : what are your thoughts on sarongs? [ txt : ry 👨🏼‍🏫🧪 ] : do you even know what a sarong is? [ txt : ry 👨🏼‍🏫🧪 ] : i'm not sure if sarongs are still cute i'm spiraling. [ txt : ry 👨🏼‍🏫🧪 ] : insert picture here of one draped on a dress form.

" uh, no. " as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. " at least, like, not in the way that you do. " maybe poking the bear isn't the wisest option when the bear your poking is a tech billionaire genius, but she's never been one to bite her tongue and roll over before.

after all, she's not book smart. she's brooke smart. and there's a big difference!

she waits a beat, mulling over her next words, before doing a total 180. never let them guess your next move, right? " actually, you know what? i am smart. smart enough to see through all that ego and those poorly tailored suits. " a cutting insult from the designer herself, " the hem is weird, by the way. makes your legs look way too long and not in a gisele bünchden kind of way. " if she was to continue on her reckless streak, she'd say it's giving daddy long legs. but she's said enough.

for now.

" he for sure has small yacht energy, " brooke replies, standing on the gangway with her head tilted as she takes it all in. she, naturally, is joking — but mona seems to be taking this very, very seriously. " i'm not the one that wanted to come to this, " she's quick to remind the other woman, " i was perfectly content to get down to business on my couch with my boyfriends ben and jerry, but no. you were all, brooke being a spinster is so not chic in your thirties! "

" besides, it's not the size of the boat that matters, right? it's how you use it. " she holds for laughter. or applause. whichever comes first. tonight, it looks like it's neither. " okay, with windy it is tonight, there's no way this baby's actually leaving the dock. i say we stay an hour, see if the apps are good, then irish exit the hell out of this thing. i bet we can find somewhere more fun and fabulous to head to after. " for mona, she'll have to rally, even though she'd rather be in a face mask and pajamas right about now.

[ TXT : riggins ] : now i didn't ask you to do all that, riggins. [ TXT : riggins ] : i'm a strong, modern woman. i can take care of things myself! [ TXT : riggins ] : that being said if for some unrelated reason you found yourself in my neck of the woods and you felt inclined to come over, well, i wouldn't exactly stop you.