A/N - Thanks for the reviews!!! Here's chapter 7!

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I Hate to Love You

Chapter 7 -

"Brooke." He said through my bedroom door. He wasn't talking loud though, since it was two in the morning and my mother and his parents were asleep. "Please let me in." I had locked him out of my room so I could be alone.

"Brooke. Please let me in." We were both eight years old and in the third grade.

"Leave me alone." I mumbled before burying my face in my pillow once more.

"Please don't cry. I don't like when you cry." He said, knocking on the wooden door again. It was times like these where I knew that Lucas Scott would be my best friend forever. "Just let me in, Brooke. Please." I finally caved and opened it.

My eyes were blood shot and my face was red. "They were all making fun of me, Luke."

"I know. But they're stupid. Just because you can't play basketball doesn't mean you're not good at anything else." He said while taking my hand and pulling me to my bed to sit.

"Well I'm not good at anything else." I sighed and wiped my eyes with my sleeve.

"Of course you're good at stuff!" He stood up, ready to continue talking. "You're good at shopping." I rolled my eyes. "You're good at cheering people up when they're not feeling good." He paused and I waited for more. His whole speech wasn't really helping. "And you're good at being a best friend, Brooke." He said gently and then took his seat again.

"Really?"

He nodded. "Yup. And tomorrow, we're going to go to my backyard and I'm going to teach you how to shoot hoops."

"Really? Thanks, Luke." Suddenly my tears vanished and I gave him a hug.

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"Please let me in, Brooke." I snap out of my daze and wipe my eyes dry...I don't want him to see me crying. I finally open the door and without looking at him, walk over to my bed and lie down, he does the same.

Twenty minutes pass and I can tell he hasn't fallen asleep either. That really sucks because all I want to do right now is curl up into a ball and cry, but I can't 'cause then he'll hear me.

"Luke..." I say barely above a whisper.

"Hmm?"

"Never mind." I shake my head even though I know he can't see me do so.

"Brooke?" He says after a few minutes.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry...for everything."

"It's fine, really." I say though I don't truly believe what I am saying. Because I know it's not fine.

"It's not though." He argues back and sits up from his air mattress. "I mean, I let all of you down. You in particular. And I'm just...I...I guess I was just so self centered I never realized it. And I'm just really, really sorry."

"Me too." I say, but I really don't have anything to apologize for.

"Maybe...Maybe we can be friends." He says. It's a possibility both of us won't remember any of this in the morning because it's so late, but I just can't help but agree with him.

"Yeah, I'd like that, Luke."

"Goodnight."

"'Night." And suddenly I can sleep much better.

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"Hey." He's sitting at the kitchen table, already dressed for school.

"Hi." I reply back, grabbing a banana from the counter.

"Your mom left for work already and she said she'd be home late tonight."

"Oh, okay." I sit across from him and watch as he subsequently takes a sip from his coffee mug and then returns to the newspaper.

"About last night...-"

"Let's just put that behind us."

"I was thinking the same thing. So we're friends?" He asked, placing the mug down.

"Friends." I nod in agreement.

"Oh, I was wondering. There's a Ravens game tonight and I was just thinking..."

I scrunch my nose and shake my head. "Those things aren't really for me."

"Oh, that's okay. But if you change your mind, just let me know."

"Okay, thanks."

As much as I'm so happy to be on good terms with Lucas, it is a bit weird. And I'm not quite sure if we are ready to go out as friends in front of his whole posse. Knowing him, the second he sees his gang, he'll instantly ignore me again. But, we'll see.

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"Hey, Brooke." Lucas passes by us during lunch.

"Luke." I give him a small smile as he passes by.

"Okay, what was that?" Peyton asked as Nathan and Haley nod in agreement.

"What was what?" I ask.

"That. 'Luke'." She mimics me.

"That? That was nothing."

"You sure about that?" Haley asks.

"Guys, you're overreacting." I sigh. I knew they would react this way if I told them me and Luke were sort of friends again. Which is exactly why I haven't told them yet...

"Whatever."

"Let's just drop the topic."

"Fine." Nathan says. "Anyway, you wanna hang out tonight?"

"I'm in." Peyton and Haley reply in unison.

"Brooke?"

"I...uhh...can't. Gotta do stuff with my mom." I lie to them. I haven't really made up my mind about the game with Lucas, but just incase I do decide to go, I'm not going to make any other plans for later.

"Oh."

Just then the bell rings. It's seventh period and we're all in different classes.

"I'll call you guys later to make plans." Nathan says to Haley and Peyton.

"We'll talk to you later, Brooke." They say to me.

"Bye."

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I walk into my room later to find Lucas in his Ravens uniform. He looks so hot, but of course I can't let him know I feel that way.

"Hey, Luke."

"Oh, hey."

"Is that offer for the game still on?"

"Of course."

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We arrive at school and the gym is packed.

"I gotta go talk with the team."

"Okay, I'll see you later. Good luck."

"Thanks." He calls as he disappears into the crowd.

I take a seat on the bleachers and look around the crowded gymnasium. Out of my four years at Tree Hill High, I've only been to about three games. And that's only because Nathan, Haley, and Peyton dragged me to them.

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The Ravens won yet another game because of Lucas's winning shot.

I wait for the crowd to die down a bit before I start to walk down the bleachers.

"Brooke?" I whip my head around upon hearing my name. There stand Haley, Nathan, and Peyton. Great...Just what I need.

"What are you doing here?" Nathan asks.

"I thought you were busy tonight." Peyton adds in.

"I...umm...uhhh..."

"Brooke, hey." Once again my name is called but this time it is from Lucas. Wonderful...

"Lucas?" Nathan asks incredulously.

"Lucas?" Peyton and Haley both mumble.

"Um, I'm going to wait outside." Lucas excuses himself.

"You blew us off for...for him?!"

"Guys calm down, it's not what it looks like."

"Oh, bullshit, Brooke. What, all the sudden he's nice to you for a day and you forget all about what he's put us through? All he's put you through?"

"Peyton..." I tried but she stormed off before I could continue. "Haley? Nathan?" I looked at the two.

"She's right, Brooke." Haley shook her head, walked away, and Nathan followed.

"Great." I mumble and try my best not to cry...not here, not in school. I scoff my sneakers on the floor for a few minutes and curse under my breath before exiting the gym.

"You okay?" Lucas asks me once I'm outside.

"I'm fine." I murmur.

"Ready to go?"

Without taking my eyes off the floor I nod.

"Oh, crap, I forgot something, let me go get it. Be right back." Lucas walks away and I lean on the brick wall.

"Well, well, if it isn't Brooke Davis."

"Leave me alone, Tim. I'm not in the mood."

"Look, Davis, I don't know what you think is going on between you and Luke, but nothing's going to happen. He doesn't like you, he never will. So you stay away from him, got it?"

"Tim, get away from me." I'm not even listening to half the words he's saying. He's an ass and I really don't care what he thinks about me.

"What if I don't? What are you gonna do about it? Huh?" He starts advancing towards me.

"Hey, back off, man." I turn around and there Lucas is.

"Luke, I was just...-" Tim starts.

"You ready to go?" Lucas ignores Tim.

"Yeah." I say, moving away from the two of them.

"Bye, Tim." He mumbles as he walks after me

"You're making a mistake, dude. You're making a mistake."

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Not one word had come out of my mouth during the whole car ride home. Even after we got home, there was still silence.

I don't know what the hell happened today.

I think I gained a friend, but also at the same time, lost three that had always stuck beside me.

I've got a lot of thinking to do tonight.

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A/N - Okay, I really don't like this, but I had to get something out. Sorry if it wasn't that great.

PLEASE REVIEW!

(Also, if you haven't already, check out chapter 12 of A Bad Dream!)

Thanks,

Melissa