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Chapter 8: Everyone Knows But You

Lucas arrived at Peyton's, surprised to find a blotchy-eyed Brooke beside his girlfriend. He called earlier to check how things are with Peyton. She just said that Brooke sounded upset on the phone and was on her way to her. He never expected Brooke would look this bad. Her hair was a wreck, something she would never allow to happen...at least, until today.

Lucas approached Brooke with so much concern in his voice, "Brooke, what happened? Are you okay?"

Brooke just sobbed harder upon hearing Lucas' voice, "Oh Lucas, my life is over!"

Lucas couldn't understand exactly what is going on so he just placed his arm around Brooke as she rested her head on his shoulder, "Shh sweetheart, it's going to be okay!" Lucas just smoothed her hair, still not having figured out what could cause Brooke to cry like this.

Peyton appeared from the front door and Lucas smiled at her. Peyton always loved seeing Lucas, something about him lightens up her day. Peyton reached down to give her boyfriend a kiss on the forehead while Brooke was still resting on his shoulder. Kneeling down, Peyton ran a hand on his hair. "Luke, you mind taking Brooke home. I don't feel good about letting her go home alone."

Lucas nodded, "Sure, I'll take her home now. C'mon Brooke, let's get you home." Lucas suddenly helped Brooke to her feet and supported her with his arms while walking towards his car. Once Brooke was already seated and buckled up, Lucas ran swiftly to the front porch where Peyton was watching them.

Peyton looked at Lucas curiously upon seeing him going towards her. As soon as he was near, she asked, "Did you forget something for Brooke?"

Lucas smiled as he shook his head, "No, I came back for me." He suddenly grabbed Peyton closer to him and gave her a long, passionate kiss. Peyton just giggled when their lips parted.

Lucas was happy to know she liked his little surprise. "You didn't think I was going to pull out of your house without a kiss from you, right?" he whispered as he held her hands in his.

Peyton just smiled, "You better come back later. It's so cold tonight and I want your arms around me."

Lucas nodded as he gave his girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek, "I'll be back before you know it!"

Before he got into his car, Lucas looked up. "Something's not right here, looks like we're in for a heavy shower tonight," he thought as he noticed the clouds looking unusually dark.

He hurriedly went on his way. Luckily, Brooke only lives a couple of blocks away from Peyton. When they have pulled up Brooke's driveway, Brooke was s little calmer than she was when she arrived in Peyton's house. Lucas turned the ignition off. "Here we are Brooke, you okay?" he asked as he looked as his friend who was looking straight into her house.

Brooke just smiled gratefully at Lucas and gave him a friendly squeeze on his arm, "I'll be fine, thanks Luke!"

Lucas knew Brooke pretty well around this time and he knew Brooke was lying. She really was still upset. "Don't you want to tell me what's going on?" he softly said with a concerned look on his face.

Brooke let out a laugh while wiping her eyes, "Let's just say Jake was the ultimate jerk today and there's no forgiving him this time."

Lucas lets out a little laugh himself, "I guess guys can be jerks sometimes. It's really up to the girl how much she's willing to take the jerk back after everything, you know?"

Brooke shook her head while looking upset again, "No, Luke. Jake has gone past Jerk Ville this time, I'm telling you. He's leaving me to give Jenny's mother another chance." With that, Brooke cried again and all Lucas could do was hug her tightly.

"I'm so sorry sweetie. I didn't think it was anything like that. I thought you guys just had a fight." Lucas said while stroking Brooke's hair. He can't believe Jake would do such a thing to Brooke. After all, they had just talked to each other during practice and he went on and on about how perfect things were with him and Brooke. He even mentioned planning to marry Brooke someday. "What did I miss here?" he wondered as he let Brooke cry on his shoulder.

Once Brooke was able to pull herself together, she got out of Lucas' car. Lucas walked her to the front door, "Hey Brooke, things will be better soon....you'll see. You can stay with me and Peyton anytime, okay?" he said as he held the door open for Brooke.

Brooke smiled at him gratefully, "Thanks Lucas, Peyton is really lucky to have you...I'm lucky to have you too!"

Lucas just laughs. "I'm lucky to have you too, Brookie. Don't cry too much, your eyes will get too red and puffy. You wouldn't want to wear shades on a rainy day, do you?" he joked in the hopes of putting his friend into a somewhat lighter mood.

Brooke laughed a little, "I'll take your advice, Luke. Thanks so much really, this means a lot to me. You should get back to Peyton though, she's been wanting to be with you all day."

Lucas nodded as she gave Brooke friendly kiss on the cheek, "I'll see you tomorrow then, get some rest now!"

Brooke waved at him as he pulled out of her driveway.

Meanwhile, Jake received a surprise visit from his mom who wanted nothing but to spend a whole day with Jenny. He was more than happy to let her. Trying to hide what had just happened between him and Brooke, he told his mom that he was just going to go out for awhile. He didn't know where he's going at that time, he just knew he need a place that would let him forget about Brooke for awhile...

Haley couldn't be happier with Nathan's work in the café. She never imagined he would be such a big help in a place like this. She would look at him from time to time with an intriguing smile on her face, "What on earth did Luke mean by that?" She still couldn't help but wonder. For one thing, she never expected they would ever realize having something in common other than their father.

At this time, Nathan was on the other side of the café, busily cleaning some tables. He couldn't help but steal a glance at Haley from time to time. She was fidgeting with a pen on the counter while reading some papers. He thought she looked cute.

Suddenly, an old woman walked in the café. Haley looked up from work, "Hi, can I help you?"

The old woman smiled as she settled in a table near the counter, "Oh dear, can I have a cup of coffee and some buttered toasts?"

Haley smiled as she nodded, "Certainly, I'll be right back with your order."

Haley went into the kitchen to fix the order and hurriedly brought it over to the smiling old woman who was looking around the café. "Here you go, coffee and some buttered toasts." she said as she placed the food in front of the old woman.

The old woman smiled, "Thank you dear. You know, you're a very wonderful young lady. I can see why your boyfriend likes you so much."

Upon hearing this, Haley's eyes widened in surprise, "What do you mean? Who is my boyfriend?"

Without hesitation, the old woman pointed straight at Nathan, "That tall young man over there who's been wiping tables. He's been looking at you with this glow on his face...the glow of someone in love."

Haley could feel her cheeks turning pink as she smiled at the old woman, "Oh, you must be mistaken. He's not my boyfriend and we're not even dating."

The old woman looked at her straight in the face. "Dear, for 60 years, I am yet to be wrong about love. You may not be dating now, but who knows what will happen tomorrow...even tonight?" With this, the old woman placed the payment on the table and stood up.

Haley was quite overwhelmed by what the woman had just said and she just remained standing by the woman's table. Suddenly, the woman squeezed her arm and whispered, "Give him a chance." Before she could even say anything, the woman had left. Haley didn't know what to say. She just turned to look at Nathan who was already looking her way. Upon meeting eyes, Nathan just gave her a warm smile and she smiled back. "How can I give a chance to someone who's not even asking for it?" she thought.

Jake Jagelski suddenly walked into the café. He just kept his face down, not wanting anyone to notice that he had been crying ever since the talk he had with Brooke a little earlier. He settled into a quiet corner by the window, hoping no one would see him. He wanted to be alone. He wanted to suffer alone since that's what he deserves for driving the one woman he loves and who loves him out of his life.

All of a sudden, he heard a voice come up to him. "Jake? You alright man? Anything I can get you?" Nathan asked as he looked puzzlingly at his friend. He sure realized that Jake was a mess. His hair was ruffled and his eyes were quite puffy.

Jake looked up to Nathan and managed a weak smile, "Nathan, what are you doing here man?"

Nathan just shrugs, "Just helping out Haley. I'm returning the favor for the tutoring and baking she did for me earlier."

Jake didn't quite understand. "Did he just say baking?" he thought. He was not in the mood to know what's going on though, he had a lot of things going on himself....one of which he wished wasn't. "Yeah, can I get a cup of coffee? I just want it black...plain black," he said as he wondered out the window.

Nathan nodded and grabbed him some coffee. When he set his coffee on the table, he took a seat opposite to Jake. They sat in silence for awhile. After some time, Jake spoke up while continuing to look out the window. "I've done something I'll regret forever, Nate," he said as he sighed and took a sip from his coffee.

"Did something happen to Jenny?" Nathan asked, suddenly looking worried.

Jake laughs a little as he looked down, "Jenny's fine. She's home with my mom. I broke things up with Brooke today," he explained as he sighed heavily.

Nathan felt sorry for him, "Oh, that's really bad man. I'm sorry to hear that. I don't understand though. Why did you do it?"

Jake started to look like he was at a lost. "I don't know man. It felt like the right thing to do," he suddenly put his head down. He took another sip of his coffee before he continued, "You know how coach would go on and on about our future? Well, on my way home from practice awhile ago, I dwelled a bit into that. I thought about me and Jenny, how we're going to be and then, I thought about Brooke."

Nathan looked quite confused, "You didn't think Brooke would stay with you?"

Jake let out another heavy sigh, "No, I realized she would stay with me. It bothered me, Nate. How could I let her waste her time on someone like me...someone already carrying an excess baggage in his life? She deserves someone better."

Nathan sighed, "And you? You deserve to be happy too, man. Brooke is an amazing girl and you are a great guy. Besides man, what if she doesn't want anyone else? What if all she wants is you? Then, all you have done is make her miserable. Jake, you never forced her to be with you. And you've seen the way she treats Jenny, she's like a mother to her."

Jake buried his face on his hands as he shook his head, "I think it's too late to get her back though. I lied to her."

"What did you say"

Jake took a long sip from his coffee, "I told her Jenny's mom and I are trying to get back together."

Nathan looked at him with determination, "Then you should go to her and tell her the truth. Besides, you two have come so far...don't you lose her now!"

Jake smiled at him gracefully, "Thanks man! Don't lose her now too!"

Nathan looked at him in bewilderment, "Huh? Don't lose who?"

Jake gave him a little laugh, "C'mon man, I'm talking about that girl by the counter who you have been smiling at ever since I got here."

Nathan just laughs himself as he scratches his head, "How did you know about that?"

Jake just gives him an exasperated look, "We all do, man. We're just waiting for you two to hook up. Look, I'll do all I can to get Brooke back because I suddenly realized that I can't be without her. I love her so much. I know how strong you feel about Haley. Don't let her slip away, man. Losing the one you love doesn't feel good at all, even for a couple of hours." With that, Jake gave Nathan a pat on the back and left.

Nathan found himself staring at Haley. In his mind, he tried to ask her one question he's been too scared to ask out loud, "Will you have me?"