Spilled Milk: Based on a True Story

At the local fair, Cristin tells Brooke that she thinks Paul might like her, and Paul offers to take Brooke home that night. Brooke worries about being too busy with her job and home life to have a boyfriend, and worries about her father’s reaction. She spends time with Paul at the fair, but when he asks her out, she politely declines. At cheerleading, Brooke has an intense practice and falls in pain, and a doctor tells her that she has a hernia. Another surgery causes Brooke to miss eight weeks of cheerleading and be in a vulnerable state with her father around. Meanwhile, Molly finds out she is pregnant again and asks Brooke to start selling oxycontin at school on her behalf. Brooke agrees and enlists Judd’s help to find customers. One night while selling, Brooke is held up with a gun and the oxycontin pills are stolen. When Molly finds out, she reacts with anger, just as she did when Thomas’s bike was stolen.

Brooke starts spending more time with Paul, who continues to ask her to out. When she finally agrees, she is surprised at how happy she feels. When Paul’s parents invite Brooke to dinner, she enjoys spending time with Paul’s family. Paul’s younger brother is nosy but innocent, and his parents are kind and open. All of this makes Brooke realize that her own family is dysfunctional. During dinner, Paul’s brother spills some milk and Brooke instinctively stands up in a panic to take him away from what she assumes will be a violent reaction. Her reaction shocks Paul’s parents, who assure her that the spill is no big deal. Brooke and Paul go for a walk, and Brooke feels as if her entire life has been a manipulation. A month later, Brooke heads to school after being assaulted by her father the night before, once again in severe pain. She decides to call Paul’s mother, Gina, to pick her up and attempts to spend the night at Paul’s house to escape her father. Paul’s parents are deeply concerned, and when an enraged David shows up to take Brooke home, they watch as she has no choice but to follow him out the door.

Brooke’s cheerleading group ostracizes and bullies her, tensions rise at home, and Paul becomes distant when Brooke refuses to have sex with him. Brooke decides to go to Paul’s house one night when he isn’t answering his phone and eats dinner with Paul’s parents. When Paul arrives, he is irate to see Brooke and demands that she leave. Paul’s mother, Gina, drives Brooke home and asks about her home life. Brooke passes off her father’s rage as resulting from her mother’s pregnancy and daily stressors.

Brooke and her older brother Adam grow distant but have an opportunity to converse one night when he drives her to Paul’s house. He mentions their father favoring her, and seems to be upset about it. Brooke realizes this misunderstanding stems from her keeping David’s abuse a secret; from the outside, it does seem like she gets whatever she wants. She feels guilty, but thanks Adam for telling her something she needed to hear. When Brooke sees Paul, he apologizes for his previous behavior, commenting on how much pressure he gets from his friends about sex. Brooke and Paul make love for the first time, and Brooke finds the experience enjoyable despite her history of abuse—but afterward, Paul questions her virginity. Brooke tries to play off her experience and tells herself that she needs to come forward with the truth about her father.

On the last day of school, Brooke goes to Cristin’s house for a sleepover. They discuss Brooke’s relationship with Paul and Molly’s baby, who is soon to be due. Brooke worries about the baby growing up in the house without her and decides to test the waters with Cristin to find out if what her father does is normal. She asks Cristin if she ever has dreams of her father entering her room at night, and Cristin has no idea what Brooke means. Again, Brooke feels this confirms her suspicions that her situation is not normal. She then goes to visit her aunt in Florida, with whom she has a special bond, and hopes that her aunt will notice something is wrong. Brooke’s aunt doesn’t seem to notice anything, and Brooke decides to find a college far away from home and take her secret with her.

When Molly goes into labor, she loses a dangerous amount of blood and has a heart attack. She nearly dies and is in the hospital for weeks. The baby is born with health problems, and Brooke’s father tells her to name the baby. Brooke chooses the name “Ethan,” and the doctor calls Molly’s recovery a miracle. Brooke realizes she had weeks to tell someone in her family about her father but feels she couldn’t take away attention from her mother.

Brooke becomes Ethan’s caretaker and develops a deep love for her him. Two months later, she realizes she hasn’t had her period. She and Paul haven’t been sexually active, so she is certain that she’s pregnant with her father’s baby. That night, Brooke wakes up in severe pain, and when she spends two hours bleeding in the shower, she is certain that she miscarried. She stays in bed for three days and wants to end her life. She writes a note that says “Your secret has died with me” (147), and plans to take several of her mother’s pills. Before Brooke takes them, Paul calls and apologizes for being absent lately. He asks Brooke to come over the next day. After hanging up, Brooke thinks about her siblings and how she cannot leave them, and flushes the pills down the toilet, deciding that it is time for change.