One Last Kiss
Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!
Flashbacks in this style of writing.
Peoples thoughts are also in this style of writing. And also quotes.
Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity. – Henry Van Dyke.
One week. 7 days. 168 hours. 1440 minutes. Since Brooke Lee had last spoken to Lucas Scott. Whoever said time flies when you're having fun was a genius…because the past week had been torture for both Brooke and Lucas and it had seemed like years since they had last spoken. However it had not been years, it had been 7 long days…and it's amazing how so little time like that can change things so much…change your feelings towards someone, change your view on a person and just change your life. Brooke knew this; after all she was a victim of time herself.
They were sitting in their English class. The class that Brooke shared with Lucas but also shared it with Anna, Jake, Haley, Skills, Bevin, Mouth and Tim. If this was any other situation then Brooke would be thankful to be in this class…however, looking over at Lucas who was sitting next to Anna, smiling and laughing just hurt and made her feel like crap for cheating on the stupid girl.
"Brooke, will you read this quote for me?" Mr. Jones asked interrupting her from her thoughts.
Brooke noticed that all the attention was turned to her, including Lucas's.
She took a deep breath before looking at the paper in front of her "Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity." Brooke read aloud and she couldn't help but think about the words and how they related to a lot of things in her life.
"This quote was written by Henry Van Dyke. What do you think he meant by that Miss Lee?"
"Um" Brooke stuttered not sure with what to say as all eyes were on her...she couldn't help but glance at Lucas but the second he caught her eye she darted her eyes away.
"I think what this Henry guy was trying to say is that time is precious and you will never get anywhere in life if you don't take chances" Brooke said nodding as if she was agreeing with herself "I think that your mood effects your time...if you are grieving, in fear or just waiting, time punishes you for not making the most of your life and the moment you are in, but if you are happy then time will go by so fast that you wish you had longer or that time does not even exist" Brooke said not sure if that really made much sense aloud...however it did in her head.
"And what about for those who love Brooke?" Mr Jones asked urging her to continue.
"Um" Brooke said nervously "I think that for those who love...time does not matter, why would it? If their love is strong enough then it shouldn't matter how much time has passed or how little time there is to come...true love still remains the same either way"
Lucas sat thinking about what Brooke had just said, how it had so much truth in her words but he also wondered if there was some kind of double meaning in there aimed at him.
"Thanks you Brooke" Mr Jones smiled, happy with the answer Brooke had given him. "Oh and by the way" he said.
Brooke looked up to face him.
"I agree with everything you just said...time shouldn't matter if you're happy" Mr Jones smiled.
Brooke gave him a small smile back before looking down at her work before thinking 'Well I guess I have all the time in the world'.
Brooke and Jake sat in the school cafeteria at lunch.
"So about what you said in English today...did you really mean all of that stuff?" Jake asked curiously.
Brooke shrugged "Yeah I guess"
"Were you thinking about Lucas at the time?" Jake asked, a sad and disappointment tone in his voice that Brooke quickly picked up on. However she shrugged it off to answer his question.
"A little...but mostly I was thinking about Cooper" Brooke admitted
Jake gave her a sad smile.
"I think I am going to go to his grave this afternoon during my free period, I have been avoiding it all week but I think now is the right time to go" Brooke sighed.
"Well do you want me to go with you?" Jake asked.
Brooke was about to shake her head but then realised that it wouldn't do any harm for Jake to go with her "Ok" she agreed
"I just want to be there for you Brooke" Jake said softly "You know that right?"
"Yeah I do, thanks Jake" Brooke said giving him a soft smile "It means a lot"
Lucas couldn't help but look over to where Jake and Brooke were sitting. He frowned slightly as he saw Jake lightly rub Brooke's arm. 'Who the hell did that guy think he was? Her boyfriend?'
"Hey Luke" Anna smiled as she sat down and gave him a quick peck, Haley sitting across from them.
"Anna, Haley" Lucas smiled turning his attention away from his ex-girlfriend and former friend.
"So what did you think of Brooke's guru thing in English" Anna asked.
"Guru?" Lucas asked confused, he just thought Brooke was telling the truth.
"Yeah I mean...this is Brooke Lee we are talking about; she isn't exactly a model student with a high IQ"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucas asked, trying to hide the anger in his voice as Haley raised an eyebrow.
"I'm just saying that what she said was a bit high class for her standards don't you think?" Anna asked not seeing anything wrong with what she was saying but taking up every opportunity to prove that she was a better girl than Brooke Lee.
"I don't think there was anything wrong with what Brooke said...she was being honest and it made a lot of sense, how could she have possibly made that up?" Haley asked cutting into the conversation.
Anna shrugged "I don't know...I was just saying it didn't really sound like her that's all"
"Yeah well you don't know her" Lucas muttered as he glanced back at Brooke who was laughing at some story Jake was obviously telling her.
"Hi Cooper" Brooke said quietly as she leant down at his gravestone, she knelt down on the grass and placed her flowers down neatly against the stone.
She turned back at Jake who stood there rather nervously, obviously not sure with what to do with himself.
"Maybe you should wait in the car Jake? I can do this by myself" Brooke said confidently and Jake looked at her hesitantly.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes...go" she said giving him a small smile for reassurance.
"Ok" Jake nodded before turning around and walking away.
"It's my birthday coming up soon...you promised you would be here for this one...you know with it being my 18th" Brooke said quietly as she struggled to control the sadness in her voice "But it's ok, I won't shout at you and bitch at you like I did last year...it's not your fault that you won't see me this year" she continued as fresh tears began to sting her eyes "Oh but I wish you could...I really do" she whispered.
Brooke took in a deep breath as she tried to control a small sob which escaped her lips "I miss you Coop, I really miss my big brother...I just want you back. I would do anything to have you back...hell I would even marry Felix if it meant getting to see you again, even if it was just for five minutes, because in those fast five minutes I would be able to tell you how much I love and appreciate you and how proud I am of you for being so successful with your track and escaping from Dan and basketball at such an early age. I would thank you for everything that you have ever done for me and how much you have helped me, I don't know what I would have done without you sometimes...but now, here I am today. Without you and I still don't know what I am supposed to do...how do I be a good person Cooper? What do I do?" she cried as she put her head in her hands as her body shook with sobs "What do I do?"
"You work hard" A deep voice said.
Brooke jumped at the voice and quickly stood up and turned around to see the man she hadn't saw in a long time.
"It's good to see you again Brooke"
"Dan" Brooke said in barely a whisper.
"Hello Brooke" He said in a tone that Brooke didn't recognise. Which was strange in its own way because she could always tell what type of mood her father was in by the tone of his voice...however today, she couldn't tell...she had never heard that tone before.
"Dan" Brooke answered back simply, unsure with what to do, say or act.
Dan stood there awkwardly for a moment as he glanced at his son's grave "When did you come back?" he asked after a few more long seconds of silence.
"Last week" Brooke answered nervously "I was going to come and see you but I have been so busy with school and moving..." Brooke trailed.
"No you weren't" Dan said shaking his head, but it wasn't in the normal smug tone that he would have normally said it in, it was different and Brooke was still trying to figure out what mood it matched "But it's ok Brooke, I don't blame you"
"You don't?" Brooke asked slightly surprised.
"Nah" Dan said shaking his head "You hate me...I get it, I mean after everything that I have did to you...I would hate me too"
"You would? Or you do?" Brooke asked curiously
Dan didn't answer, he looked down at the floor and kicked some of the dirt lightly with his shoe "So uh...did you come back for that Scott boy?" he asked.
"No" Brooke answered stubbornly, but also trying to hide the hurt in her voice.
Dan raised an eyebrow slightly "So you two aren't back together?"
"No" Brooke answered again "Why are we even talking about him?" she asked annoyed.
Dan raised his hands in surrender "Okay, I will stop"
"Whatever, I gotta go" Brooke muttered as she looked back at Cooper's grave before beginning to walk away.
"Brooke" Dan called after her.
Brooke turned around.
"I am sorry you know...for everything" Dan said somewhat softly, but Dan Lee soft, not a normal person soft.
"Yeah...so am I" she muttered bitterly before walking back to Jake's car.
Dan sighed deeply as he turned to the gravestone "How do you want me to repay my sins today Cooper?"
Brooke walked into the gym. She was late...welcome back captain!
"Brooke, there you are" Peyton said approaching her as Brooke was walking into the gym in her normal clothes "We have been waiting...now I don't want to sound bitchy or out of line but with you being captain again you kind of need to be here on time" Peyton said softly "Come on, the girls are waiting" she finished as she went to escort her over however she stopped when she saw the look on Brooke's face...it was as if she was lost.
"Are you ok Brooke?" she asked worriedly
"Yeah" Brooke said nodding slightly "It's just weird...being back here again"
"Are you sure that's all it is?" Peyton asked again, sensing that there is more to it than Brooke was letting on.
"Yeah" Brooke said nodding reassuringly.
"Ok" Peyton sighed knowing that Brooke could be as stubborn as hell sometimes.
"You are late Jagelski" Whitey said sternly as Jake jogged up to the team after changing his clothes.
"I know...I am sorry Coach" Jake said apologetically.
"What's your excuse then?" Whitey asked impatiently.
"Yeah Jake, what's the reason for making us all have to wait for your ass?" Lucas asked coldly, noticing that Brooke had also come in late.
Jake frowned at Lucas and sent him a short glare before turning back to Whitey "I'm sorry Coach...I was just helping out friend" he said glancing at Brooke who was in the middle of warming up.
Lucas followed his gaze and he couldn't help but feel angry and jealous about how close Jake and Brooke seemed to have gotten since she returned from California. He also remembered time after time when he was late for practise because of Brooke Lee. However it was always Nathan who bit his ass about it, knowing he was Brooke...however now he was the one getting angry over the amount of time another guy is spending with his Cheery.
"I was starting to think you weren't joining us Scott!" Whitey shouted as Lucas entered the gym
"Sorry Coach, I was running a bit late" Lucas apologised as he sent a quick glance towards Brooke who was trying to teach the cheerleaders her routine.
This glance didn't go unnoticed by Nathan though who's head looked like it was about to explode with anger "Yeah Scott! Don't think you can just slack around on your lazy ass all afternoon while we work our asses off for Fridays game!" Nathan growled
"Ok" Whitey nodded, accepting Jake's excuse "Now get to work...suicides now, all of you!" he demanded as the boys moaned a little before they began running.
Brooke stood outside of the boy's locker room impatiently after practise and she groaned inwardly when she saw Lucas come out.
"Hi Brooke" he said nervously as he slowly approached his ex.
"Lucas" Brooke nodded trying not to look directly at him.
"So uh...who are you waiting for?" Lucas asked curiously however he knew who she was waiting for...he was just hoping that he was wrong and that it would be someone like Tim.
"Jake" Brooke answered simply.
"Of course" Lucas muttered.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Brooke asked noticing the cold tone in his voice.
"Well you two seem to be spending a hell of a lot of time together..." Lucas said annoyed "Is there something going on between the two of you?"
Brooke looked at him in shock "No there isn't...and even if there was, I don't know how that would have anything to do with you!" Brooke bit back coldly.
"Well I just think that if you are with him or have some sort of feelings towards him then it makes me wonder..." Lucas trailed.
"Makes you wonder what?" Brooke asked impatiently, she couldn't believe Lucas right now.
"It makes me wonder that if you are into Jake then did you have those feelings when we were together?"
Brooke looked at him disbelief "I can't believe you just asked me that Lucas! God you are such a dumbass!"
"Well can you blame me? The guy is obviously in love with you Brooke!" Lucas said frustratingly.
"Oh my god! I can't believe we are actually having this conversation!" Brooke muttered angrily "Let me remind you of something here Lucas that you seem to keep blanking out of that jackass mind of yours...you have a girlfriend"
"Don't bring Anna into this right now Brooke; this has nothing to do with her!" Lucas shouted
"You're talking shit Lucas!"
"Am I? Oh come on Brooke...ever since the school shooting you and Jake seemed to have some sort of bond that is shared between the two of you" Lucas said coldly.
Brooke let out a dry laugh "You know...that's kind of ironic, you saying that, and also slightly hypocritical...because you know, you spent a good couple of hours in that shooting with Anna, you know, your girlfriend? Or have you forgotten about her again?" Brooke asked coldly shaking her head "The fact that you would even bring that day up against me just shows how much you only care for yourself" she said sadly.
"Oh Brooke come on...you know that's not true" Lucas said trying to get her to listen.
"I don't know anything anymore Lucas...at least not when it comes to us" she muttered sadly before turning around and beginning to walk away.
"I thought you were waiting for Jake?" Lucas asked coldly.
Brooke turned to face him "You seem to think a lot of things lately, don't you Lucas?"
Lucas didn't answer though as he looked down at the floor.
Brooke nodded her head and let out a dry forced laugh before walking out of the doors into the quad "Oh this day just keeps on getting better and better" she muttered to herself.
A/N: Well? What did you all think? Please review and tell me! I love to hear what you all think! Especially those long reviews! Thanks!
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