Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill so please don't sue!
A/N: So, I did a season four marathon (puke) and this idea popped into my head. The title is from Brooke's quote about 'Giving Chase some…Chase' although I think that the story WILL be Brucas. Please drop a review and let me know what you think.
Each day seemed longer than the last, without him. It's not to say that I was without him; I mean we were friends after all, but friends would never be enough when it comes to Lucas Scott. For me, he was it. The one – whatever you want to call it. But I guess I wasn't his one; I wasn't the girl for him. My best friend is.
Life's hard like that sometimes. When the boy you love just doesn't love you back. Where do you go from there? And how do you move on? I've accepted the fact that Peyton and Lucas are together but it doesn't mean that my heart doesn't break each and every time I see them together. It doesn't mean that I don't want to scream each time I see them touch. It just means that I've become a pro at hiding my emotions. Instead of showing how much I'm hurting, I pretend that I'm fine. That everything is okay. I smile but it's not how I used to smile. Nothing is real anymore. I'm just faking through each and every day. And I'm scared that it's always going to be like this; that I'll have to go through each and every day feeling like this.
*
Brooke swept into the classroom – late as usual – shrugging off the teacher's reprimands wearily. She settled herself into her seat and watched curiously as Lucas tossed a piece of paper onto Peyton's desk.
"Passing notes, Mr. Scott? How about we share this with the class?" The teacher said as she snatched the note off of Peyton's desk and walked away with it.
"I'd be happy to," Lucas replied calmly. "It just says that 'Peyton, you look amazing. And I can't wait until class is over so I can look at those green eyes and kiss those perfect lips."
The entire classroom burst into giggles at this. And only if you were paying attention, you would have noticed that Brooke's face went a shade paler at Lucas's words.
"Ms. Sawyer, care for a rebuttal?" The teacher replied snidely.
Peyton said nothing but leaned across the aisle and kissed Lucas while the class erupted into catcalls.
"Alright, settle down class. Ah, young love – at least you two will be together in detention."
Brooke looked away from the sight of her best friend and ex-boyfriend, trying to think of anything to stave off the tears that were brimming precariously in her eyes, accidentally knocking over her notes onto the floor in the process.
"Damn it" she hissed angrily but before she could bend down to pick them up, the new boy wearing a clean teen shirt who was sitting beside her reached down and picked them up for her.
"Here you go…" he trailed off uncertainly, obviously not sure on her name.
"-Brooke. And thank you…?"
"Chase. And you're welcome, Brooke."
With those words, the new boy turned back around in his seat to face the teacher, while Brooke tried to shake off the tingles that had been sent through her body by his brown eyes. They were the farthest thing from Lucas's blue eyes and for once – Brooke didn't have a problem with that. She wasn't looking for version 2.0 of Lucas. She just needed something different.
But still, Brooke had never been so eager for the bell to ring so that she could get away from Peyton and Lucas. It still was too hard, no matter how much she tried to pretend otherwise.
*
"Brooke! Hey Brooke, wait up!" Brooke turned around to see Haley rushing to catch up with her.
"Hey tutor-mom, sorry about that… I just kind of wanted to get out of there."
"I figured. How are you doing anyway? I feel like I haven't spoken to you in forever. I'm worried about you tigger – you feeling okay?"
Brooke grimaced. "I'm here and I'm making it, Haley. It's not easy though when they are making out in class right in front of me-"
"Wait. What? They were making out in class?"
Brooke nodded slowly. "He read out loud the note he got caught passing to her and yeah."
Haley frowned but then brought Brooke in for a hug.
"What are you doing later, Tigger? Want to hang out?"
"I would but I have practice and then an appointment, Hales."
"Boo – alright, time for me to get to class again. Bye Brooke!"
With that, Haley took off down the hall while Brooke watched her walk away and leaned up against her locker for support.
*
Chase walked into his new house in Tree Hill and headed straight up to his room so that he could escape his parents interrogation on how his first day had gone. Truth be told – he missed his old school. He missed his old friends, but yet he didn't at the same time. Too much had happened between them and some things just weren't able to be forgiven. Like his girlfriend – or ex girlfriend now – cheating on him with his best friend. For the life of him, he had been unable to comprehend why Liz would have done that to him. She had been everything to him and yet, he hadn't been enough for her. He hadn't been the one for her.
It was a hard thing to accept. But at least now he was in a new town with new people; none of which knew of his past. And he'd joined clean teens. Chase figured that it'd be easier this way; if no girls noticed him then he wouldn't get hurt. But for some reason, Chase couldn't get a pair of hazel eyes and a dimpled smile out of his mind and he wondered what it would be like if that girl – Brooke – ever noticed him again.
*
After class the next day, Brooke lingered behind packing her bag hoping to get a chance to talk to the new boy. Unfortunately, Lucas chose this day to stay behind also in an attempt to talk to her.
"Hey Brooke, how are you?"
"I've been good, you?" Brooke replied shortly as she hurriedly stuffed the rest of her books into her pink bag and swung it onto her shoulder, nearly hitting Lucas.
"Listen, I just thought we could be friends still, Brooke. You mean so much to me-"
"-Listen, I gave my blessing on you and Peyton and as far as I'm concerned, that's enough. Just leave me be, Lucas. Please." And with that whispered please, Brooke took off out of the classroom and didn't stop until she was outside leaning against a tree, struggling not to break down.
After a few minutes, she felt as if she had regained control and turned around, nearly running into the new boy – Chase – again.
"Hey again. I, uh, couldn't help but hear what happened in class… I know we're complete strangers but if you ever need someone to talk to, I just wanted to let you know that I'm here."
Brooke couldn't help but smile at that and gestured for him to sit with her at one of the picnic tables. "Do you have a class this next period?"
"Just a study block"
"Well then Chase, it's your lucky day. I have one also." Brooke flashed him a smile and for once, it actually felt real.
*
Brooke had been amazed by the amount of things that she had in common with Chase; they'd both been on the losing end of love triangles from hell and both tended to hid away so that they wouldn't get hurt in relationships. And as they talked, she found that she was enjoying the conversation. Chase was different – he was a mystery and of course, a virgin – hence the clean teen shirt. He was everything Brooke once never would have noticed but now, she found it impossible to take her eyes off of him.
As Brooke said goodbye to Chase after their study period, she remembered the first conversation she'd ever had with Lucas.
"When that last shot went through, did you feel it change?"
"Feel what change?"
"Everything, I mean how many moments in life can you point to and say, 'that's when it all changed'? You just had one."
She remembered that moment because for her, it was one when she could point to and say that's when it all changed – that's when her life changed. And right now, walking away from Chase, she felt as if she'd just had another. For better or for worse, her life had just changed.
*
"Hey slut" Rachel said as she breezed into their room and flopped onto her bed.
"Hey bitch. Why are you in such a good mood? Did you do something slutty?"
"You know me well, Brookie. I just so happened to have hooked up with a certain teacher… Mr. Owens to be exact"
Brooke sat up straight and looked over at Rachel stunned. "Shut up! How do you get all these hot older men?"
"Stick with me and maybe I'll teach you my ways. Or maybe not – I happened to see you having an up close and personal 'studying' session with a clean teen." Rachel sniggered at that, while Brooke rolled her eyes and chucked a pillow in Rachel's direction.
"Laugh it up, Rach. It just so happens that Chase and I have a lot more in common then what might meet the eye."
"Oh, like how he's a virgin and you just love sex?"
"Says the girl who seduced our history teacher. Congratulations."
Rachel did a mock bow and then pranced out of the room while Brooke laid back on the bed and hugged a pillow to herself tightly.