Haley walked through the courtyard of the school to find Brooke sitting alone on one of the benches.
"Hey Brooke, what you doing here by yourself?"
Brooke looked up in surprise to see Haley seated beside her on the bench. "Oh, hey Hales. Nothing much, just thinking." Brooke turned her gaze to the student body of Tree Hill. "You ever wonder who here is really who they pretend to be?"
"Why do you ask that?" Haley too turned to take in her surroundings.
Brooke shrugged her shoulder carelessly. "I don't know, just asking. Guess I've got a lot on my mind lately."
Haley turned to face Brooke and for the first time noticed the sadness and defeat in her eyes. "Does this have to do with Lucas?" She asked placing a hand on her arm.
Brooke was about to object but could tell from the look on Haley's face that it would be futile. "Yeah. This thing with Peyton and him is just too much for me to handle right now. I'm sure he's told you about what happened the other night."
"He didn't tell me the whole thing, but he did tell me about Peyton having feelings for him again, and that, that was what you guys were talking about. Brooke…" she waited until she had Brooke's attention. "He doesn't want to be with her. You do believe that don't you?"
"Do you remember when he got into that accident?" Brooke asked, not answering Haley's question.
Haley, not wanting to push her for an answer, went along with the change in direction. "How could I forget? I thought I was going to lose my best friend."
Brooke inhaled deeply as she once again resumed her study of the courtyard. "I was so scared he wouldn't ever wake up again. I remember, sitting by his bedside and holding his hand day in and day out. Hoping he would open his eyes so that I could see them again. Some days I would just sit there and talk to him about anything and everything…" her words faltered a little as she recalled the event just like it was happening yesterday. "And then, there were those days, when I sat there, holding his hand, crying and pleading for him to wake up so that I could tell him how much I loved him."
Haley could tell how much it was hurting Brooke to remember the past. She ran her hands up and down the side of her arms, trying her best to comfort her and let her know that she was there. "It must've been really hard for you, seeing him like that." She whispered.
Brooke laughed softly as she wiped a stray tear from her eyes. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do for the ones you love?" She turned serious eyes to Haley once again. "But what hurts the most Hales, is that when he woke up and after he got out of that hospital, I wasn't the one he wanted to be with. I became a bad choice for him, because what he had wanted all along was my best friend. That's what hurts the most."
Haley opened her mouth to object, only to be silenced by the look in Brooke's eyes. She knew nothing she could say at this point would make any difference. "I'm sorry Brooke. I don't know what else to say."
Brooke brushed her apology off with a shrug of her shoulders. "There's nothing to say Haley. This is why I can't be with him right now. We've finally gotten to the point where we're friends. Why did he have to go and ruin by admitting his feelings for me? It's not fair of him to do that to me." She whispered venomously.
"No, it's not. That's why you shouldn't do anything you don't want to do. I'm sorry if I was trying to push you to give him a chance earlier. I hadn't realized there was so much more to the story than what I've already heard. Follow your heart Brooke. Just make sure in the end, you're happy with your decision. Don't let me or Lucas or anyone else for that matter, push you to do something you're not ready for." Haley pulled Brooke into her arms for a hug, wanting to offer her friend as much comfort as she could.
"Thanks Tutor-Wife, you're a good friend." Brooke said as she returned the hug.
"You know it! Now, let's get our tardy butts back to class, since lunch was over 5 minutes ago." Haley jumped up from her seat and offered Brooke a hand up.
The two girls walked to class arm in arm, not noticing a pair of blue eyes watching them from his position by the large oak tree.
Lucas watched as Brooke and Haley walked through the double doors of the school. He had come out to the court yard to eat his lunch, and had noticed Brooke sitting alone on the bench. He had been about to approach her, but had seen Haley walking up to her instead. So he had decided to sit under the large oak.
Now, as he stood watching Brooke and Haley leave, he couldn't help but feel empty inside. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, as the events from the previous evening flashed through his mind. He knew Brooke was hurt, and he didn't want to push her, but he missed her like crazy.
As he too shuffled his way into the building and made his way to class, he knew he had to think of a way to get back in Brooke's good graces. He would take it slow, so as not to scare her.
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A/N: Sorry this chapter is soooooo short. I know it sucks, but I promise, the next chapter will be much longer, and will have more Brucas for you. I hope you don't hate this too much.