At this moment there are 6, 470, 818, 671 people in the world. Some are running scared. Some are coming home. Some tell lies to make it through the day. Others are just now facing the truth. Some are evil men at war with good and some are good struggling with evil. Six billion people in the world, six billions souls, and sometimes all you need is one.

A heavy sigh escapes through lips as piercing blue eyes stare solidly at two doors. Behind those doors, hundreds of different lives exist. Some are rich, some are conceited, some are struggling, some are suffering, some are poor, some are kind-hearted, some are basketball players, and some are cheerleaders. Every life inside of that building, beyond those two doors, is different in some way. Some of those lives are connected, others are not. Some of those lives have never even collided. Maybe behind those doors, you'll find someone like you, maybe you won't. Maybe one of those worlds is a lot like yours; maybe one of those worlds is nothing like yours. Some call it high school, some call it hell. But what some people don't know is that behind those doors lives are bound of collide, lessons are bound to be learned, heartbreak is sure to hit, and love and friendship is certain to be formed.

As two large hands push those doors open, blue eyes are met with a sea of people, crowding the halls of what is known as Tree Hill High, the home of the Ravens. White and black checked sneakers step onto the immaculately polished white tile floor, entering the crowd of students. It's just another day of being invisible, of being part of the group that is not considered "popular". It's just another day in the life of Lucas Scott.

xxxx

"Move… Move… Coming through... Move…"

The brooding blonde is broken from his depressing thoughts at the sharp sound of the five most popular girls in the entire school.

People move to the side of the hall, backs timidly pressing against navy blue lockers, like a herd of cows scrambling to move out of the way.

On the far left, Bevin Mirskey walks with a cheerful smile planted firmly on her face. She's a pretty blonde with chocolate brown eyes, a cheerleader, and the daughter of a very rich neurosurgeon. She's also got the same IQ as a rock, or at least she pretends to, but Lucas knows that she is secretly a lot smarter than people assume. She's smart enough to know that playing the dumb blonde card works in high school.

Beside Bevin stands Quinn James, the twin sister of his best friend Haley. Quinn is a lanky light brunette with gorgeous blue eyes but it's not her looks that make Quinn popular. She owes her popularity to her personality. She's funny, smart, artistic, and charming all rolled into one.

On the far right, Alex Dupre walks with a fake smile, her dark eyes clouded with confidence. Luscious dark brown locks fall beneath her shoulders as her olive skin glows vibrantly. Alex is beautiful and also the daughter of a very successful actor. She is known for her erratic behaviour and love affair with drugs and alcohol.

Beside Alex, Rachel Gatina walks with a confident smile plastered across her face, straight red hair falling down her back, and a shine in her deep brown eyes. Rachel Gatina is a straight up bitch and she knows it too. She's the brains behind the group; deceptive, and manipulative; she knows how to get exactly what she wants.

Finally, in the centre, with a confident, sexy smirk that showcases two infectious dimples stretched across porcelain skin, is Brooke Davis. Brooke Davis is the leader of the group, the most popular girl in school, and the baddest bitch in Tree Hill. Rebellious, erratic, and wild, Brooke Davis is a free spirit that does as she pleases and cares not who she hurts in the process. And she too has a love affair with drugs and alcohol.

"Bitches…"

Lucas is broken from his obvious staring as a body rests gently against the locker beside him. Haley James is like his sister. She has been his best friend since he can remember.

"Isn't one of them your sister?" he chuckles at the girl that he loves dearly. She has always been there, faithfully by his side, to conquer the hell that is high school.

"She's still a bitch."

"Touché," Lucas nods, his eyes traveling towards Brooke's retreating figure. He finds her absolutely stunning and confident and something inside of him wants to know the girl behind the façade. Another part of him screams to stay away because Brooke has trouble written all over her.

"She's out of your league dude," Haley scoffs, rolling her brown eyes at the blonde. She loves Lucas like a brother and she would never want to see him hurt.

"What?" he turns to Haley, finally tearing his gaze away from Brooke.

"Brooke Davis," she rolls her eyes again, this time at his stupidity. "She's out of your league Lucas. You're wasting your time."

"And what do you know about Brooke Davis?"

"She's one of my sister's best friends," Haley answers, emphasizing the words 'best and friends'. "She's always at my house and plus I might have accidently read Quinn's diary once…" she pretends to look around distractedly as Lucas shoots her a look.

"Haley!"

"What?" she looks at him with innocent eyes as if reading her twin sister's diary really isn't that big of a deal. "It was open! And besides, you wouldn't believe the things that girl has done! I mean, yeah, we hear the rumours all the time, but Quinn's diary is like a tell-all memoir about the lives of the Tree Hill bitches."

"She can't be that bad."

"Getting busted for having sex with Tree Hill High's biggest man slut under the bleachers and then flirting with the principal to avoid getting a severe punishment isn't bad at all," Haley rolls her eyes sarcastically. "Oh and let's not forget the time I caught her snorting coke on the bathroom counter in the girl's washroom… Or the time…"

"Okay, I get it," Lucas frowns, holding his hand up in the air as a signal for Haley to stop her ranting. "She's not exactly a saint, but she's not all that bad. We all make mistakes, we're only human."

"Oh and did I mention that I once read in Quinn's diary that she had an affair with our English teacher?"

Lucas's eyes shoot wide open. This is news to him. "Mr. Johnson?"

"No," Haley chuckles with amusement. "Mr. Chavez, the hot English teacher we had last year. I guess she had an affair with him, and then threatened to blackmail him so he quit."

"Wow," Lucas mutters, shocked by this recently uncovered information. "Maybe, I should read Quinn's diary. It seems like a good source of gossip," he teases as Haley shoves him playfully.

"Did you just say you should read Quinn's diary?"

The two blondes turn around to see Peyton Sawyer standing behind them, her eyebrow kinked inquisitively.

"Well look at the time, I've gotta go. I'll see ya later Luke and you too Peyt…" Haley grins as she glances at her watch, quickly retreating down the hall.

"Thanks a lot Hales," Lucas groans as he stares at his ex-girlfriend awkwardly. "Hey Peyt…"

"Hey…" She scuffs her black converses across the neatly polished floor, leaving a black streak behind as her dull green eyes stare at the ground.

"Where's J?"

"Actually, I came here to talk to you," Peyton shrugs, her eyes lifting up from the ground. "We're okay, right?"

"Yeah…" Lucas drawls, unclear of what to say to the blonde that massacred his heart. "Of course, we're okay Peyton. It's been almost a year."

"I hurt you pretty bad Luke."

"I know," he frowns, as the images of Jake and Peyton sucking face on her bed flash into the back of his mind. "But I forgave Jake and I forgave you too."

"Why is it so awkward then?" she asks, her eyes staring at him pleadingly. "I miss our friendship."

"I miss it too Peyton, more than you'll ever know," he responds fleetingly, the last part an almost inaudible whisper. "But I'm not going to lie to you, it's hard. You were my first girlfriend, I was starting to fall in love with you, and then you shattered my world. I was so broken when I saw you and Jake together. It still hurts. It only reminds me of what a fool I was for believing that there was something real between us."

"I'm so sorry Lucas…" A tear escapes the corner of her soft eyes as she looks at him with a pained expression. "I didn't mean to…"

"I know you didn't," he smiles softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "This was fate's way of telling us that we weren't meant to be together. It just sucks that one of us had to get hurt in the process."

"Lucas…"

BRIIIIING BRIIIIIING BRIIIIING

Saved by the bell.

"I'll see you around Peyt," he offers with a sad smile, turning on his feet and propelling himself in the opposite direction.

Peyton had hurt him pretty badly and he was still getting used to their newly re-formed friendship. But, it was all a part of the learning process, he knew that. You live and you learn, and he certainly had learned a lot from that relationship... you can't always trust the people that mean the most to you.

Agitated, she twitches uncomfortably in her seat, pulling at the hem of her white tank top. Her nose burns and she is bouncing with energy, even more energy than she usually harbors. She reaches up to wipe her nose, sniffling a bit. A fake cough follows the hand motion as a disguise to make it appear as if she is sick, not on cocaine.

She looks around, paranoid, and catches the eye of Peyton Sawyer, whom she despises with an undying passion. Former best friends and now passionate enemies, Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer hardly speak to each other and when they do-it usually isn't very pleasant.

Peyton rolls her eyes at the brunette, almost as if she is disappointed, clearly knowing what Brooke was up to. She understands because it wasn't all that long ago that she'd had the same addiction. As much as she hates Brooke, she thought that even Brooke was better than that.

Sometimes Brooke wishes that people understood the real her, that they saw through the façade she fronted herself with. She hates her parents for basically abandoning her, she hates her friends for not being able to take her seriously, and above all she hates herself. She knows that she is the master of her own fate and that the reason she is the person she's become is a product of her own doing.

"Davis!"

The beautiful brunette is broken from her thoughts at the harsh whisper of the blonde athlete beside her.

"What?" she snaps back, hazel eyes meeting blue. Clay Evans is her best friend. They have known each other since the tender age of five, he's like her brother, and he knows her better than anyone-or so she thinks.

"Whatcha doing after school?" he questions with a lazy grin, one that she's seen one too many times-after all it can be very convincing.

"I don't know…"

"Meet me at my house," he smirks, looking around before tilting his bag towards her, revealing a bag of white powder.

"Clay…"

"Brooke…" he pleads with that damn grin again and she knows she's hooked.

"Fine…"

She hates herself for doing this but somehow she can't stop. And until she finds another addiction, she doesn't think she ever will.

FLASHBACK- twenty minutes earlier

"Dude we're gonna be late for class," Brooke whines as she glances at the blonde in the driver seat beside her.

"Since when do you care?" Clay snarls as he pulls a bag of cocaine out of his pocket, dumping a generous amount on a CD case.

"True," Brooke smiles as she eyes the substance up, her body suddenly aching for its touch. "I just wanna see Rach."

"You should have invited her…"

"Clay!" Brooke gasps, hazel eyes narrowing quickly. "You know that Rachel has been clean for months. I wouldn't want her to relapse. At least one of us still has some sense left in them."

"Brooke, can I ask you something?" Clay asks as he begins fixing the pile of cocaine into two lines with his driver's licence.

"Ask away C," she smiles, staring out the window at the empty school grounds.

"Why do you do it?" he asks, motioning towards the cocaine before him. "I mean, if you know that it's wrong, why do you do it?"

"I can't stop…" she admits, croaking the words out in a soft whisper. "I have a problem. But, I'm not ready to get help yet. Maybe, one day. But, sometime I feel like it's all I have left."

Sadness gathers in Clay's eyes as he looks at the brunette that he is madly in love with. She's been through a lot in her seventeen years of life; in fact she's been through more than any kid her age should have to endure. But, he commends her immensely. She's the strongest person he knows. And he doesn't think he could ever have made it through half the shit his best friend has.

"You'll always have me," he smiles, placing a hand on her knee. "I don't ever want you to doubt that B."

"I know. And I won't," she smiles back. Clay has always been her rock, her shoulder to cry on, and she can never thank him enough for it. God knows, she probably wouldn't even be alive right now if it wasn't for Clay.

"Now let's do us some Hollywood's," Clay grins as he holds the CD case towards her. Lowering the rolled up twenty dollar bill to the surface, she allows the lethal substance to sink into her nose, ignoring the burning in her nose and the trickle down her throat.

"Clay I've gotta stop," she groans, resting her head against his shoulder.

"I know," he mumbles, wrapping the brunette in his arms. He hates seeing her like this; so broken and in pain. But he doesn't know what to do. He's broken too.

"I just don't know how," she mumbles into his shoulder as a tear falls from the corner of her beautiful hazel eyes.

END FLASHBACK

"God, look how fat Brittany is getting," Rachel snickers as she takes a chug of her water, her eyes casting a glance towards a girl standing in the lunch line.

"I know she must be pregnant or something," Alex smirks, looking the girl up and down. "Or just really bloated."

"I heard she got all depressed and couldn't stop eating and shit," Rachel grins as she puts her water down and unwraps her sandwich.

"Well she certainly isn't doing cocaine, that's for sure," Quinn chimes in as Rachel and Bevin laugh.

Brooke and Alex exchange nervous glances. Alex is the only person at the table that knows about Brooke's addiction. Rachel and the others think that she's been sober for a few months-and she had been… until she relapsed.

"So what's the deal with you and Julian," Alex smirks at Brooke, quickly changing the subject. "Are you guys like you know…?"

"We're friends," Brooke states forcefully, cutting Alex off with a stone cold glare. "With the occasional benefits of course."

"Brooke!"

"What? He's good in the sack, but I can never become romantically involved with him again. There's just way too much baggage and shit for me."

"I think you're falling for him and you're scared so that's why you broke it off," Alex states bluntly, taking a bite of her salad.

"I think you're full of shit," Brooke grumbles, her hazel eyes forming a glare. "All of you."

Brooke Davis please report to the principal's office immediately.

"Shit," the brunette mumbles, looking to her friends.

"Ooh, Brookie's in trouble. What did you do now?" Rachel teases, her tongue sticking out immaturely at Brooke.

"I don't know. It could be from a lot of things I've done this week. Ooh, maybe someone found out I skipped third period yesterday to hook up with Felix Taggaro in the janitor's closet."

"Brooke!" Quinn's eyes shoot up in disbelief as Rachel and Alex snicker simultaneously.

"What? He's hot," Brooke shrugs as she stands up and dumps the contents of her lunch in the trash. "See ya later bitches."

xxxx

"Miss Davis, sit please…" Principal Turner smiles warmly as he motions for her to take a seat on the couch across from him. "Do you know why you're here?"

"Not particularly," the brunette shrugs as she pushes her chest forward, her boobs poking out the top of her shirt, exposing themselves slightly.

"Um…" Turner gaps as he tries to re-gain his composure. "Well you see… you're… you're failing English, Miss Davis."

"So?" She cocks an eyebrow. She doesn't understand what the big deal is here.

"You need to maintain at least a C average to remain on the cheer squad. If your mark does not improve, I have no choice but to revoke your spot on the squad."

How the hell was she failing English? She could always sweet talk her teachers into giving her the bare minimum that she needs to get by. "Surely, there is a way around this right? I can't lose my spot on the squad, it means everything to me," she mumbles, a tear forming in her eyes. Maybe playing the sympathy card was the way to go in this situation.

"Well there's one thing…"

"Okay… what's that?" Brooke asks, smiling sweetly, her dimples widening.

"You can get a tutor…"

"A tutor… there's no way in hell that I'm getting a tutor. That's bullshit!" The brunette scoffs, rolling her eyes at the principal.

"If you want to stay on the squad, you'll do it. It's the only way," Turner states firmly, folding his arms broadly over his chest.

"Fine…"

"Lucas Scott has the highest English mark in your senior class. If you want to stay on the squad, I would suggest seeking help from him."

"Who the hell is Lucas Scott?"

"I guess you'd better find that out if you want to stay on the squad Miss Davis."

Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Lucas Scott lets out a long and weighted sigh. If he stared at this stupid book any longer, he was pretty sure his eyes would start burning. Flipping the cover shut, he packs his things into his backpack and stands up as a hand reaches out and taps his shoulder.

He turns around cautiously, blue eyes meeting hazel. Brooke Davis is standing before him, an infectious smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Hey…" she drawls out, her voice sweet like honey yet seductive as hell. She's never even spoken one word to him before unless you count the times that she demanded he move out of her way.

"Uh… hello," he mumbles, trying his best to keep his eyes focused on the wall straight ahead as he nervously scratches the back of his neck.

"I'm Brooke…"

"Yeah, I know who you are."

"You're Nate's half-brother right?" she asks casually, her eyes gliding over his body, taking the time to appreciate the good looks that he'd been blessed with. It's a shame she hasn't noticed him before.

"Yeah… Lucas," the blonde drags on nervously. Why the hell is Brooke Davis talking to him?

"Look, Lucas, I need a favor from you," she states sharply, bluntness searing from her mouth. Her hazel eyes stare at him pleadingly, a sexy smile stretching across her lips, an eyebrow kinked seductively.

"Uhm… uh… okay. What can I do for you?" Lucas asks cautiously.

"I'm failing English," she smiles sweetly, her hand resting against his shoulder, sending a jolt of electricity running through his body. "I need a tutor and Turner suggested you."

"I don't know Brooke…"

"Please?" she pouts, sticking her bottom lip out. She looks so adorable that Lucas can barely look at her anymore.

"I don't think it's a good idea," he mumbles, his eyes looking anywhere but at her. "I mean Nathan's your friend and he doesn't like me very much. I mean come on Brooke you didn't even know my name until today. We just come from two completely different worlds and I don't think it would be a good idea if they crossed."

"Why not, you scared of falling for me?" she jokes, grazing her hand over his shoulder. He wishes she would stop doing that. It's exactly what he's afraid of. He knows that crossing paths with Brooke Davis is very dangerous. Nothing good can come about from it.

"It's just not a good idea."

"Thanks anyways," she mumbles dejectedly, a tear forming in the corner of her eye. "You were my only chance of being able to stay on the cheer squad."

Her back turns to his and she takes a deep breath before pushing the library doors open and stepping into the hallway.

He sighs inwardly, grabbing his backpack and following her out the door. "Wait, Brooke!"

She turns around, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face, sadness gathering in the depths of her hazel eyes. He hates how broken she looks and he hates that he just ripped all hope away from her.

"I'm sorry… I really wanna help you out. I just don't think that it would be good if people found out we were spending time together."

"It could be our little secret… Nobody would have to know."

He contemplates her idea, silently weighing the pros and cons in his head. If people found out about their little arrangement, shit would hit the fan. And he had a feeling that she could drag him into a tangled web of lies. On the other hand, he finally had the chance to figure out what the girl behind the façade was really like.

He steps forward and extends his hand to her. "Nobody finds out and you have yourself a deal."

She shakes his hand and thanks him, pulling a piece of paper and a pen from her bag. She scribbles on the paper before handing it to him, her name and phone number scrawled across the page. "Call me tomorrow night and we can work something out handsome."

She kinks an eyebrow and smiles seductively at him before turning on her heel and retreating down the hallway, making sure her hips swung lustfully.

Lucas let out an irritated sigh. He knew he was going to be in trouble with this one.

Blue eyes stare intently at the faded hoop, zeroing in on their target. The orange ball is lifted into the air with large hands, positioned perfectly for the mesh that hangs from the ratty backboard. In one fluid motion, two white sneaker clad feet lift up from the asphalt, knees bending, as the ball sails in mid-air towards its target. It smashes into the rusty and faded rim, looking as if it is about to drop in, before softly rolling over the side and heading towards the asphalt.

A frustrated groan escapes his mouth as Lucas bows his head down, grabbing onto his knees, and catching his breath. He doesn't hear the ball smack onto the asphalt and looks up, confused.

Raven hair rumples in the slight breeze as a 6"4 figure steps forward, smirking at Lucas. Blue eyes bore into familiar blue eyes of the same. Nathan Scott is the captain of the Tree Hill Ravens and possibly the biggest prick Lucas has ever met. Well, his father Dan Scott has him beat.

Without even lining the ball up to the net, Nathan effortlessly flings the ball towards the mesh hoop, watching it swish in with beautiful fluidity. "And that's how it's done."

His condescending smirk is something Lucas wants to wipe off of his face. "What are you doing here?" Lucas hisses sharply, his teeth grinding in anger. This was his world, not Nathan's. Nathan didn't belong here.

"I was in the neighborhood, thought I'd stop by…" the brunette basketball star shrugs, picking the orange ball up from the asphalt and walking back over to Lucas. "See what the bastard is up to."

He'd ignored Nathan's comments his whole life and he wasn't going to let them bother him now. "You don't belong here."

"Maybe not," Nathan shrugs, bouncing the basketball against the court with a smirk. "You don't belong in my world either."

"Which is why I stay clear of it," Lucas responds, annoyed. God, Nathan infuriated him.

"Heard, you were thinking of joining the Ravens?"

"Whitey asked me," Lucas shrugs, looking at the basketball hoop, then back at his brother.

"I wouldn't suggest it," Nathan bites bitterly, his blue eyes darkening. "I'll make your life hell."

"Well, despite what you may think, your opinion doesn't matter to me," Lucas responds with a careless shrug. "But, I'm not joining the team. I don't need to be involved with a bunch of jocks that think they run this town. I've got better things to do with my time."

"Think you're better than me?" Nathan glares, giving Lucas a small but hard shove that almost knocks Lucas off his feet.

"I know I'm better than you," Lucas replies automatically, pushing his brother back slightly. "I don't need to prove it."

"Join the team and you're dead man," Nathan warns, pointing his finger in Lucas's face.

"I don't want to join your stupid team Nathan…" The lie falls easily from his tongue. He's thought about joining the team. But, he doesn't think he can handle it. Not with Nathan and Dan both in the picture. He's managed to avoid them for seventeen years. He doesn't need to stop now.

"Good," Nathan smiles cockily, lining his shot up and watching the orange ball swish perfectly into the net. "Because that is my world, stay away from it."

One more cocky smile is shot in Lucas's direction as Nathan's brawny figure turns and walks away, leaving Lucas on the rivercourt alone. "Just stay away Lucas, it's for the best," he mumbles to himself quietly. Nathan and Brooke's lifestyle isn't one that he needs to get caught up in. They may have been raised that way but he wasn't.

AN: So this story is totally AU. It's just an idea that's been bothering me so I had to put it down. This is my first actual story so I'm hoping that it goes okay. The story will mainly focus on Brucas and their relationship. Also Brooke's personal life and problems will be a big part of the story (AKA her drug addiction and some other information that will be uncovered in later chapters). If you like bad girl Brooke then this is the right story for you. I will create other couples in time but none will be set in stone aside from Brucas. Anyways please review and let me know what you think. I know it may seem like a clique story right now but I promise that its different and its not just your typical high school one tree hill story.