Prom Dreams Side Story
Volume 5: Brooke O’Keefe - “Ambition”

by QZProductions

Loop Two, Day Two

It was certainly a good thing that she had a fascination with world history and the rise and fall of powers, otherwise she would have found all of this studying to be dreadfully boring.

With a precise, steady hand, Brooke carefully highlighted a passage she knew full well would be covered on her final exam - "...the annexation of these territories, or the absorption of once sovereign nations, into the Soviet Union...". Of course, she knew full well the definition of "annexation" already; but, she figured, it was always better to review redundant information than to mistakenly assume mastery of the material and disregard it. However, try as she might to keep her focus solely on the terms and definition she needed, she still couldn't keep her mind from wandering, amusing herself at the irony she saw in her text's account of the former state's eventual downfall.

For a government so hell-bent on controlling everything, from the press to the means of production to even the religious beliefs of its people, it certainly did seem like that really had no control at all. Boisterous, belligerent dictators who made their authoritarian intentions freely visible for all the world to see would, inevitably, fall apart - it happened to Russia, to Germany, to Iraq, and to countless others throughout history. Clearly, the mass-scale suppression and slaughter of one's own people was no way to maintain one's power; one has to at least pretend they care about the people they want to impose their will on.

Of course, it wasn't as though her own country was run by saints; she, of all people, would know better than that. But, she thought with a small smirk on her face, was that not the beauty of democracy, a convenient cloak behind which one can maintain their power under the guise of freedom and legitimacy?

Suddenly, to her annoyance, Brooke was startled out of her reverie by a weak knocking on the door to her room. With a sigh of irritation, she ignored it, returning her attention to her textbook. A moment later, she heard the knocking again, accompanied by a weary sounding voice.

"Brooke? ...Sweetheart?"

Brooke gritted her teeth and slammed the book shut. Then, she rose from her desk, stormed over to the door, and opened it, shooting an icy glare towards the weathered, red-haired man on the other side.

"Yes, Daddy?" she hissed, "Did you need something?"

Her father's shoulders drooped at the disgust in her voice. He glanced around awkwardly before finally speaking once more.

"...Brooke, honey," he said, unable to look his daughter in the eye, "I... it can't go on like this." He ran a hand through his thinning hair. "It feels like ages since we've talked... I just..."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "I know," she said curtly, "and there's a reason for that." She narrowed her eyes. "Or did you conveniently forget how you singlehandedly tried to ruin my future?"

The older man winced. "Of course I didn't forget! I think about it every single day!" He rubbed his forehead with his thumb and forefinger, sighing deeply. "...I'm so sorry, Brooke. I know I've been lousy father, a lousy husband, and -- "

"Oh, now you admit it."

" -- and I'm doing everything I can to get the money back for you! I'll - I'll sell the car, the summer house, whatever it takes for you to -- "

"For me to what, forgive you!?"

For a moment, her father remained silent. Then, in a quiet, somber voice, he answered her. "...Yes."

The look of contempt on Brooke's face quickly turned into one of barely contained rage. "...You really are dumber than I thought." She shot an indignant finger towards him. "Just so we're clear, Daddy, I do not need you. I don't need your money. I don't need your connections. I don't even need your half-assed attempts to pretend you ever gave a single fuck about me or Mom!"

"Brooke, please...!"

"God, will you just shut up already!?"

The man opened his mouth to speak - then, dejected, he closed it once more.

Brooke shut her eyes and turned away from her father. "...Just remember that I can call up the Times just as easily as you," she said. "So remember that when you think about bothering me again." She then slammed the door, causing him to flinch.

A long moment of silence passed as the worn senator simply stared at his daughter's bedroom door. "...Dammit," he muttered, removing his glasses to rub at his tired eyes. "Goddammit all..."

---

Loop Two, Day Three

Brooke let out a yawn in spite of herself, covering her mouth with her hand as she did so. Perhaps she ought to have cut her study session short in favor of getting to bed on time - ah, well, she thought, it was nothing a cup of coffee over the lunch break wouldn't be able to fix. She then reached into her book bag by her feet and pulled out a notebook, opening it to her world history notes and perusing them briefly; she did need something to do while waiting for Tachibana to show up, after all.

A short moment later, however, she spotted some movement out of the corner of her eye, and she looked up to find a familiar face: a certain messy-haired trust fund baby easing her way out of her wheelchair and settling into the desk beside Brooke. It took all of her self control not to visibly grimace at the sight of her, as she was the one obstacle standing between her and her stepping stone to success, Yale. But disgust soon turned into a cocky sort of mirth as she remembered that, soon, very soon, that snot-nosed brat would get what was coming to her - after all, she did have Kyle wrapped around her little finger, and the poor girl was none the wiser...!

Inevitably, Brooke couldn't resist; she put on the friendliest face she could muster to hide her amusement and turned towards her classmate.

"Oh, hello there, Dolores!" she said with feigned chipperness. "How are you this morning?"

Dolores lifted her gaze from the book bag she had been rummaging through; then, she turned to Brooke, her expression somewhat difficult to read. "...Oh. Hello, Brooke." She returned her attention to her bag.

Brooke was almost disappointed by her aloofness, though it wasn't out of the ordinary for her. She pressed further. "So... have you been studying for your finals?"

The other girl nodded with an affirmative hum.

"And how's that going for you?" She smiled sweetly. "You know that if you need any help, you can always come to me, right? That's what I'm here for, after all."

Dolores again turned her head, her eyebrow cocked incredulously. She then shut her eyes, as though annoyed by the offer. "...Thanks, but I really don't think I'll need the help." She opened her own text book and flipped through its pages. "Besides, aren't you trying to get into Yale? I hear it's hard to get in - maybe you should focus more on your own studies instead of other people's?"

Brooke could feel her eye twitch slightly at her words - was she implying something? Honestly, the nerve of her...

"...If you say so." She looked back towards her notebook. "Well, in any case, good luck - though I'm sure you'll do just fine."

"Mm. You too, Brooke."

Of course, Brooke's well wishes weren't genuine; and, judging by the dryness in her voice, neither were Dolores'. Not that it particularly bothered Brooke, as once she realized she was not going to get a satisfactory reaction from her target, she returned her attention to her notes.

When Mrs. Tachibana finally arrived and class finally began, she had all but forgotten the conversation already - however, a few minutes into the lecture, Brooke began to feel a strange pressure in her head, a dull pain just behind her right eye. At first, she simply ignored it, but soon the pain became a sharp stinging sensation. She winced - surely, it had to be her sinuses acting up, she thought. However, just as she was about to raise her hand and excuse herself to the nurse's office, her vision began to blur, and the world around her turned a dark red hue.

She let out a slight whimper as the pain in her eye became unbearable, she raised her hand to her face, placing pressure on her eye in a vain attempt to stop it. Once she felt something dripping down her cheek, however, she gasped, lowering her hand and looking down at it.

Though her vision was still murky, what her other eye was able to see was unmistakable - blood, a small puddle of it, had accumulated in her palm.

She shrieked, shooting up from her seat and causing the entire class to go quiet. From the blackboard, Mrs. Tachibana blinked.

"Brooke?" She asked, concerned, "Is something wrong?"

Brooke's gaze darted around the room, and she noticed that nearly all of her classmates were staring at her. "My... My eye..." She then looked down at her hand once more, only to find all traces of the blood gone. What's more, her vision had been restored, and the pain in her head had suddenly vanished. Dumbfounded, she touched her face once more; had she really just imagined all of that...?

"...I..." she muttered, trying to regain her composure. "...S-Sorry. Something must have gotten in my eye, that's all..."

Mrs. Tachibana frowned. "Oh, that's no good. Why don't you run to the restroom and wash it out?"

Brooke stayed silent for a moment, taking another look at her classmates, some of whom had returned their attention to other things. Then, she sighed.

"...I think I'll do that," she said before hurrying out of the classroom. What she failed to notice in her bewilderment, however, was the small smirk that had formed on Dolores' face as she passed her by.