Part 13

Brooke's head sprang up from the pillow as she heard a loud noise somewhere in the house. Wide eyed she swallowed nervously and tried to shake Haley awake as she slept on beside her. "Hales?"

"Mmm." Haley mumbled and turned over, blinking sleepily to stare into Brooke's brown eyes. She smiled warmly as she took in the other girl. "Hey." She said remembering the last few hours fondly, Brooke had been so nervous of being caught in the act as it were, that she'd made Haley place a chair next to her bedroom door. She smiled as she glanced over to see it still in place.

Brooke smiled back, unable to do anything else. Then she remembered what had woke her up and she lost her grin. "Uh, someone's in the house." She said in a whisper eyeing the bedroom door.

Haley shifted then covered her mouth as a yawn broke free. "No. Quinn's staying over at Heather's remember?" She said before fixing the cover back around her and settling down to get back to sleep. She liked Brooke a lot but seriously, the girl needed to get over it. Quinn might tease her mercilessly over breakfast had she been there, but coming home unannounced wasn't like her.

"Oh." Brooke frowned then with a slow glance around the room, eased herself back against Haley. If she wasn't bothered then why should she be? "Are you sure?"

"Yes, now get back to sleep!"

Haley grinned to herself as she felt Brooke wrap her arms around her waist and pull her back into the taller girl's body. She closed her eyes and sighed happily. I could so get used to this.

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"Are you sure you're up for this Brooke?" Haley asked as gently as she could. Brooke looked like she hadn't slept all night but she was expected to turn up for early practice with the rest of the cheerleaders in preparation for the game tonight.

Brooke scowled at the younger girl. "Your house is haunted. Deny it but I know what I heard last night. All night, might I add."

Haley laughed then covered her mouth seeing Brooke pouting. "I'm sorry." She said trying to compose herself before turning back to her girlfriend. "Tell me that again, I promise not to laugh this time."

Brooke rolled her eyes and pulled open her car door and getting out. "Laugh all you want, I know what I heard, and it wasn't just 'the wind'." She said crossing her arms over her chest as Haley batted her eyes at her from across the top of her car which she stoically ignored. "Not my fault you sleep like the dead."

"Aw." Haley walked around the car and wrapped her arms around Brooke's waist and hugged her close. "Does this mean you'll never come back to my place?" She asked with her bottom lip sticking out as she looked up into Brooke's brown eyes. "You'll not stay over again?" She asked sounding extremely disappointed.

Brooke couldn't hold the grin in any longer as she giggled and pulled Haley into a kiss.

"I'll think about it." She said pulling away and going to the boot of her car to grab the holdall with her gym gear that she always kept in there.

Haley pouted some more at that comment. She watched Brooke as the girl started walking towards the gym hall.

Brooke didn't care if she looked bad in front of the other girls, they'd simply assume she'd had a busy night, no need to correct them. It was partially true after all. She spun to look back at Haley who was still standing beside her bug. "You may need to convince me beforehand though, but I'm sure you'll think of something!" She called out before turning back around and disappearing into the school, leaving Haley to ponder that on her way to the tutor centre.

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"I'd ask how dinner went but I'm a little afraid of hearing too much for my sensitive ears this early in the morning." Peyton said quietly as she and Brooke changed into their workout clothes.

Brooke grinned but pleaded innocent, "I don't know what you mean."

Peyton rolled her eyes as she put her foot up on the bench and tied her laces. "Right. I mean it's not like you came back to mine last night." She said with a scoff. Brooke almost always crashed at her place and last night was a given considering how nervous Brooke had been about going over to have dinner at Haley's house. "Guess it's not her parents that are home?" She questioned as she did up the next trainer.

"Nope." Brooke replied cheerfully tying her hair back into a ponytail. "It was her older sister, one of them anyway, and hey, I could have gone home to my own house last night you know Peyton."

Peyton chuckled as she stood and followed Brooke and some of the other girls out into the main hall where by the sounds of it basketball practise was already well under way.

"And I'd maybe believe that if it wasn't for the fact I swung by your place to pick you up and strangely you weren't there either." She said giving Brooke a knowing look.

Brooke stumbled over her words as she searched for a come back, she could tell by the heat in her cheeks that she was probably blushing, finally she just shrugged and conceded to the blonde. "So what mom, I need your permission now?" She asked lifting an eyebrow at her best friend.

Peyton just grinned and shook her head slinging her arm around Brooke's shoulders. "Nope."

Brooke waited for more but apparently that was all Peyton had to say on the matter. "Well good." She muttered.

"But seeing as you are in a good mood,"

Brooke rolled her eyes as they made their way to the rest of the squad. "Oh here it comes."

Peyton just smiled and carried on saying, "Maybe you'll go easy on us for once." She got out before darting out of the way of Brooke's hand.

"As if!" Brooke replied then glared at every girl standing in front of her, waiting silently as they all stopped talking and looked at her. "We have a game tonight girls, and I don't care how easy this game is supposed to go I want all of you on the top of your game, is that clear?" She called out to them.

Rachel huffed out a breath muttering, "God, get over yourself already." She turned her head away from Brooke only to be met with the scowling face of Peyton Sawyer. Rachel smiled sweetly at the blonde then with a dismissive flick of her hair turned back to Brooke and waited for the show of leadership to be over.

Peyton sighed and tried to ignore the redhead, Rachel was going to do something stupid eventually and its not like she hadn't been warned enough already.

Brooke saw the sleepy looks in some of the girls and while she sympathised there really wasn't time for it. "Maybe fifty star jumps will get you lot looking awake, if not, well, we can always go for a run." She threatened suppressing a smile at the chorus of groans. She grinned wickedly at Peyton who shook her head. "Ready? And one, two..."

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Nathan watched with a wince as Lucas over shot yet another pass to a team mate handing the reserve team possession and an easy two point.

"God dammit!" Whitey called out blowing his whistle and calling both teams back in and telling them to run the play again, this time right.

Nathan wasn't sure he could take much more of this, Lucas was off, he wasn't sure what the deal was but his half brother had been glaring at everyone all morning and as far as Nate could tell he was running out of friends on court. He'd blamed half of his team already for not being where they were supposed to be even though it was clear he was the one messing up most of the time.

"Hey Nate!" Rachel called as she came back out into the gym having finished practise already and on her way to her locker. "You remember to come find me if you need a rub down yeah?" She flirted as she and some of the other girls passed Nathan on the bleacher.

Nathan grinned cockily. "I'll do that." He replied earning chuckles from the girls around Rachel and a wink from the redhead herself.

He shook his head knowing he wouldn't touch the girl if his life depended on it, but he did have a reputation to look after, he was after all single again.

"Ouch, what a step down."

Nathan turned to see Brooke standing beside him.

"I mean, you did have one of the hottest girls in school, now you're trawling the gutter with that piece of ass." Brooke continued taking a seat beside her friend and watching part of game going on still. "Whitey worried about tonight's game?" She asked wondering why they guys were still going at it.

"Lucas." Nathan replied as if that was answer enough. It was. "And I'm not after Rachel." He said about her earlier comment. "I'm not that desperate."

Brooke grinned. "Good." She'd been a little uneasy considering how the redhead had been hovering around Nathan since his injury. Truthfully she thought Nathan was better than to fall for the fake tart but you couldn't be too careful, he was a teenage boy after all wasn't he?

And Rachel was practically ready to strip there and then given the word.

Brooke screwed up her face as the play on court broke up and Lucas got into a pushing and shouting match with Tim. She turned her head to see Nathan with his hands covering his face. She smirked.

"Things working out like you planned?" She asked quietly as Whitey's voice rang out.

Nathan glared at Brooke.

"Guess not." Brooke muttered looking back to the changing room hoping Peyton would finally emerge and they could head to class or something. As much as she wanted to go see Haley the girl had tutoring right up to class starting.

Nathan watched a pout form on Brooke's face causing his eyebrow to shoot upward. He blinked when a dreamy expression covered her features. He looked around trying to find a source but there wasn't anyone standing where Brooke was looking. He looked back at the cheerleader and slowly a grin worked its way onto his own face. "And how are things with you?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her when she finally turned to him.

He laughed at her confusion. She obviously hadn't heard his question. "It's nothing, forget it." He said as she looked at him questioningly.

He had a good idea Haley was involved somehow so really he could do without the visuals that'd spring up in his mind. Damn they'd look hot together. He shifted in his seat and tried to pay attention to the practise game and ignore Brooke for the moment, he wasn't sure but there was a good chance he was blushing.

"Whatever." Brooke muttered not understanding her friend. She didn't spare too long wondering what was going on with him as she gave a happy yelp at seeing Peyton making her way out of the changing room. "Finally!" She said in the blonde's direction with her hands lifting as if in praise.

Peyton rolled her eyes and dumped her bag at Nathan's feet. "Hey, how's the foot?" She asked with a grin.

Nathan sighed. "Ankle." He corrected her. "And it'll be fine first thing tomorrow." He told her. He couldn't bear to watch his team suffer through more of the train wreck that was going on in front of him. Lucas was tearing his team apart with his attitude.

Brooke and Peyton shared a look.

"Well that's...good." Brooke shrugged at Peyton, it was all she could come up with. As far as they had known Nathan had wanted to stay out of the team for a while longer and hope it would benefit everyone to have him out of the way and let Lucas take over the team for a bit, let them all see what his brother could do.

He snorted knowing what they were thinking. "Any longer and Whitey'll have no team left."

Peyton chuckled as she looked at the guys being shouted at by the coach as they set up for a play, everyone looked angry and out of sorts. "True."

Brooke reached down for her bag, picking up Peyton's and handing it to her. "Good luck with that, and them." She said grabbing Peyton by the arm and making a break for it.

Feeling like her arm was about to come free of the rest of her body, Peyton pulled Brooke to a halt, just as a basketball flew past just in front of the brunette. Immediately she turned with a scowl looking for the idiot responsible as Brooke flinched at the sound of the ball thundering off the wall.

"What the hell?" She yelled angrily turning towards the guys nearest them.

Jake swallowed nervously and jogged over to retrieve the wayward ball. "Sorry." He muttered to Brooke who was unusually calm looking.

"It missed." Brooke said quietly as Jake picked up the ball and raced back onto court. Peyton's grip on her hand was keeping her grounded, especially given the cold stare Lucas was sending her way.

"I can't believe him." Peyton muttered thinking Jake knew better than throw the ball around that hard.

Brooke swallowed as Whitey cancelled practise and told all of the players to hit the showers.

"I don't think it was him." She said quietly.

"You alright kid?" Whitey asked coming over and taking a good look at the girl, he didn't think she was hit but he knew just how hard that ball had been thrown. Damn boy, I'm going to knock his head in if it's the last thing I do.

"Yeah."

Just then Nathan hobbled over to the three of them. "Hey, you okay?" He asked in concern.

Whitey sighed nodded to them, and then moved away, he was intent on calling a certain Scott boy into his office for a very long talk.

"You didn't get hit did you?" Nathan continued.

Brooke shook her head. "I'm fine, really, it never touched me."

"No but it could have." Peyton muttered darkly.

Nathan relaxed and blew out a breath in relief. "Well if I didn't know better I woulda guessed Rachel had thrown that at you." He said trying to make a joke and get a laugh from his friends.

Brooke however wasn't seeing the funny side at present. She could still see the way Lucas had been staring at her. She'd never seen that much hate in someone's eyes before, he hadn't even looked that mad when she'd broken up with him.

"It was Lucas." She said as Peyton mumbled something negative about Jake under her breath.

Nathan frowned. "Are you sure?"

Brooke shrugged. She might not have seen the actual throw itself but from the way he'd watched her, yeah, she was sure.

Peyton shared a worried look with Nate before tugging her friend's hand. "Come on, before we're late for class."

Nathan watched the pair leave and scanned the empty gym hall. He'd missed the throw as well but he wouldn't put it past Lucas to pull a stunt like that. He's damn lucky he missed like every other shot he's tried this morning! He thought to himself angrily before hobbling his way to the changing room.

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"Are you sure you're okay?" Peyton asked as Brooke closed her locker having pulled out the textbook she needed for first class.

"I'm fine." Brooke replied quietly snapping the lock and turning to head for homeroom.

Peyton silently followed along. They passed a few of the other girls on they're way who all said hello to the pair. Peyton wasn't surprised as Brooke blanked them all leaving her to return their greetings.

The blonde was grateful when they'd made it to class and sat down in their usual seats.

Peyton waited a few minutes but when the teacher still hadn't arrived she turned around to her friend still concerned about her.

Brooke glared at Peyton as she opened her mouth.

"I said I'm fine!"

Peyton cleared her throat, shifted back into her seat and stared towards the empty board out front.

"If you say so." She muttered just loud enough for Brooke to hear.

Brooke sighed and vowed to make it up to her friend later, right now she had so many thoughts going on in her head she just couldn't deal with Peyton thoughts on top of her own.

Should she go find Lucas and find out what he was playing at?

Or should she just let it go.

Something it didn't seem Lucas was capable of.

What if he tells Haley?

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AN/ Hey guys :D

Another chapter, and before anyone mentions it, yes there isn't a whole lot of Brooke/Haley interaction right now but I really hope you all don't mind too much. This fic is about them but it's more about Brooke. (If you haven't gathered that already)

Also, remember when I said I wasn't sure on what Lucas had done to piss Brooke off only that it wasn't physical (he didn't beat her). Well I'm thinking I know now although you'll have to wait and see how much gets into the fic as like I've said its not the main focus of the story.

So anyway, thank you all for reading and I'll try not to leave you hanging for too long.

Next time!