Brooke came to an abrupt stop near the River Court basketball hoop. She jumped out and started walking toward Lucas who was shooting free throws. Nathan slowly climbed out of the small, silver car and took a deep breath. He made his way over to Brooke and Lucas in the middle of the court.

"That's the last time I ever get into a moving vehicle with you, Brooke Davis! Not only do you not know how to stop at stop signs, but you obviously don't know that you should slow down at turns. I wanted to jump out of the car for my own safety!" Nathan yelled.

"Shut up, Scott. I am a great driver. You're just square," Brooke teased while she slapped his chest. Nathan grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him, tickling her in the process. They were both laughing when Lucas cleared his throat, making them stop abruptly.

"Okay... what's going on here?" he asked, dribbling the basketball.

"Nothing. We hung out yesterday, so I figured I could just drive the loser here to meet you," Brooke said, stealing the ball and shooting a lay-up. She missed.

"Okay, you have dated a star basketball player, are good friends with another one, and are head cheerleader. How can you not make a lay-up?" Nathan teased her while rebounding the ball and tossing it back to her.

"I don't know," Brooke shrugged. "I don't watch you guys during practice, because I'm too busy leading my squad. During games, I'm way too pumped to pay attention to how you guys do things. I just cheer and inspire you all to win. Plus, you and Luke have never actually taught me how to play," Brooke explained.

"Well, that's about to change. What do you say, Nathan? Help me teach the cheerleader how to play ball?" Lucas jumped in.

"I guess I could spare an hour or so to give her some pointers," Nathan teased while shooting the ball and making it with no problem.

"Showoff," Brooke mumbled.

Two hours later, the three friends were all tired and sweaty. Lucas collapsed onto the court, soon followed by Nathan and Brooke.

"Okay, Brooke. You can now rebound, shoot from the top, lay-up, dribble, and you even made a couple three-pointers. The only thing left to teach you is how to dunk. And I don't think that's going to happen, unless you have some 12-inch heels at your house," Nathan said.

"Hey, buddy. I am not that short. And I do have some pretty tall heels, but I don't have any that will add a foot to my height," Brooke said, while drinking from her water bottle.

"So, Nathan, have you heard anything from Hales?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, she called last night. Nothing really got resolved or anything. She's in New York with Chris. I told her that I would send her stuff and divorce papers to her parents' house," Nathan explained to his older brother.

"That sucks, dude. Are you seriously going to divorce her?" Lucas asked, looking at his younger brother who was obviously going through a lot.

"Why wouldn't he?" Brooke interrupted. "She ran off with some guitar-playing jackass. She didn't even bother to tell him she was leaving. He sat at home for two days worrying about her until he finally got some ridiculous postcard explaining jack shit. I usually like Haley, but right now... she doesn't deserve someone as good as Nathan Scott."

"Okay, Brooke, calm down there. Thanks for the lovely little speech there, but it's alright. Haley's a good person. I don't know what in the hell is going on with her right now, but... I don't know. I am seriously going through with the divorce, though. I called my lawyers earlier today," Nathan said.

"What?! You didn't tell me that. I would've been there while you were talking to them," Brooke replied, while sitting up and staring at Nathan.

"I know, Brooke, but it's okay. I'm a big boy. I can handle this. I just told them to draw up the papers and send them to me. They should arrive in two days. I'll take everything to her house then."

"Well, I am going with you, mister. Don't think for one second that you are going to do that alone. It's going to be trying and emotional and awkward. I will help with everything," Brooke insisted.

"What are you guys, Will and Grace, or something? Since when did you become so close?" Lucas asked.

"We've known each other since we were little, Luke. We've both had really bad weeks, and we're acting as friends do in these situations. Any problems?" Brooke asked, annoyed.

"No, Brooke. I was just curious. I mean, I never knew you two were such good friends."

"Well, we haven't been that close in awhile, but things change. Things change a little too much here in Tree Hill," Nathan joked.

"No kidding. Well, guys, I promised my mom I'd help her at the cafe this afternoon. She's shorthanded since Haley left. I'll call you later, Nate. Bye, Brooke," Lucas said, standing up and giving them both hugs. He started toward his car.

"Lucas, wait!" Brooke yelled, jogging over to him. "Look, Nathan told me about what you were going to tell me last week. Ummm... I'm not with Felix anymore, because he got bored with me. But... Look, I'm just going to be honest here, because that's how I am. I don't think we could be together again. Not just because of what happened with you and Peyton, either. I have serious trust issues with the male species right now, and it just wouldn't work out. I do however want to be your friend. You're a great guy, Lucas Scott, even if you can be a total jackass at times. I want you in my life... just not as my boyfriend," Brooke rambled all at once while she still had the courage to.

"Wow, that was a long speech, Brooke. And surprisingly... I'm okay with it. I understand where you're coming from. I know that I betrayed your trust, and I'll live with the consequences of that. If you don't want us to be together, that's fine. As long as we're friends, I'll be good," Lucas said, pulling her into his arms. "You're special to me, Brooke Davis. You always will be, no matter what title you hold. I'll see you later." Lucas climbed into the truck and drove away.

Brooke stood there for a moment, watching the truck get smaller and smaller. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders, pulling her into a hard body. She leaned into the touch and sighed.

"You okay, Davis?" Nathan asked.

"I will be, Nathan. I'll be fine. It's just hard to let go of the only person to ever love you," she said, tears dripping down her face. Her body trembled with a small sob and she felt herself being pulled tighter against Nathan's chest. She took a few minutes to calm herself down before turning to look at Nathan. "Can we get out of here? I really don't need to be surrounded by the basketball court that your brother holds so dearly in his heart."

"No problem, Brooke. Let's go back to my place. You can help pack up my wife's belongings. You got to have your breakdown today. Let's go have mine now," Nathan said, pulling Brooke towards her car.

"Alright." Brooke opened the driver's side door and started to climb inside.

"No way in hell are you driving, Brooke. I may be upset right now, but I don't want to die. I'm driving from now on," Nathan said, pulling her out of the driver's seat.

"Fine. I'm not even going to argue with you. But you be damn careful. I had to beg my parents to let me keep this car. I'll die before I let anything bad happen to it," Brooke warned him as she walked around and got into the other side.

"No problem. I will drive safely. A lot better than you anyway," Nathan joked with her.

The car pulled out of River Court and onto the streets of Tree Hill. The two passengers both looked at the small town scenery as they thought about the events of the last week. They shared a small sigh and looked at each other in surprise. Brooke grinned as Nathan grabbed her hand and held it during the drive back to his apartment building.