"Mama" Jenny's face flashed in front of Peyton's eyes, and something made her slam on the breaks really hard. The car skidded and brushed the side of the oak, but the force was reduced so significantly that the airbag sort of came out but quickly deflated. Peyton breathed slowly in and out- she had just stopped herself from purposely nearly killing herself.

At Brooke's…

Brooke broke apart from Lucas slowly and looked into his baby blue eyes. She never thought she could feel like that about a boy- and now she did, and she was thoroughly scared- Lucas did things to her heart she never thought were possible.

"I love you Brooke, you know that, right?"

"Yeah" Brooke smiled, her eyes twinkling. Lucas pulled her into another kiss and they broke apart, laughing. "Come on, Broody- inside before we catch pneumonia!"

"Right, Cheery" Lucas laughed, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to him.

Brooke and Lucas dried off and had some hot chocolate, and then Lucas had to go, and they parted very sorrowfully.

"I don't want you to go" Brooke whined.

"I know babe and I don't wanna leave you- but I don't wanna be grounded either" Lucas laughed, kissing her forehead and running his hands through her hair softly. "I love you, Brooke- don't ever forget that, ok?"

"Same to you Luke" Brooke said, kissing his cheek. "Bye"

"Bye babe- I'll call you, ok?"

"Ok"

Lucas slowly drove home, making sure to be careful because of the rain. His cell phone rang and he smiled, thinking it was Brooke calling to say she missed him, but he saw "Peyton" flashing on his screen. Flipping the cell phone open, he greeted her warmly.

"Hey, Peyt!"

"Lucas…can you come over, please? I'm not ok right now and Brooke's not picking up her cell or house phone and I need someone" the panic in the girl's voice was apparent, and Lucas immediately panicked himself- he knew Peyton's drug history.

"Ok, Peyton, I'll be right there- just hang on, ok?" Lucas said reassuringly. He dialed Brooke's cell phone number, but Peyton was right- she wasn't picking up. Lucas turned into Peyton's driveway, and ran into her house.

"Lucas thank God you're here" Peyton said, getting up. Lucas pulled her into a hug and she let her body relax against his.

"Peyton, are you ok? What happened?" Lucas asked.

"Jake and Nikki were hugging at the Rivercourt and they looked pretty damn cozy to me!" Peyton sobbed. "I thought Jake loved me, I thought we had something going"

"Peyton, Jake does love you" Lucas said softly, sitting down on the bed with Peyton.

"Then why was he hugging Nikki?" she cried.

"I don't know Peyt, I wasn't there…but he loves you"

"He didn't even bother to come after me" Peyton sobbed. "And now, I don't think I can ever talk to him again- I mean, Nikki of all people!"

"Don't you think you're being just a little dramatic?" Lucas asked timidly. "It might have been something completely innocent"

"Whose side are you ON, Lucas?" Peyton screeched.

"Shh Peyton" Lucas said, pulling her into a hug. "Just close your eyes"

"Lucas what am I going to do?"

"For right now, sleep" Lucas whispered. He really wanted to call and tell Brooke what was going on, but he didn't wanna leave Peyton alone, she was extremely vulnerable.

"Ok" Peyton said, her eyes closing from exhaustion. Lucas still had her in a hug, and she was falling asleep. Lucas shook his head at the thought of what it must look like, the two of them in an embrace like that, but forgot about it really soon as he felt the mesmerizing rhythm of the rain make him sleepier and sleepier.

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Brooke came out of her shower, feeling warm and ready to relax and listen to music. She noticed her cell phone screen flashing, and smiled, thinking it was Lucas who had left her messages. She dialed her voice mailbox and a feeling of dread came over her as she heard Peyton's shaky voice. She only had to listen to one voice message before she bolted out the door.

"Brooke, it's me…I'm not doing so good right now because I saw Jake and Nikki and yeah I'll explain can you please, please come over?"

Brooke drove quickly, and parked her car in Peyton's driveway. She let herself into the house and ran upstairs. The sight she was greeted with almost made her drop her keys and cell phone.

"Well, well, well- déjà vu all over again" Brooke snapped loudly. Lucas yawned and opened his eyes slowly, but they snapped open at sight of the brunette.

"Brooke! Omg I tried to call you to explain what happened with Pe-"

"Believe me, Lucas, this is explanation enough- you lying in bed with Peyton, all tangled up in each other" Brooke said sharply, her voice shaking with emotion and her eyes filling with tears. "Now I realize that you were fooling me the entire time"

"No Brooke it's not like that-" Lucas tried to explain.

"Then it's like what, Lucas? Believe me, this is enough" Brooke said, the tears now spilling over. "And today I thought I felt something for you that I've never felt for anyone else, and I come here and find you in my best friend's bed!"

"Brooke-"

"Lucas- we're through" Brooke shouted, running out the door and into her car. Tears fell, blurring her vision, and she drove to her house as quickly as she could. Running up to her bed, she grabbed her pillow and squeezed it tightly to her chest. She couldn't believe this was happening to her- her whole world, which was Lucas himself, was being ripped away from her, and all she could do was sit and watch the one boy she ever felt something for betray her again.

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"I should go, Peyton"

"Luke, I'm so sorry"

"Yeah…me too" Lucas said, leaving and getting into his car and driving home. Lucas went out to the patio in the back and sat and watched the rain fall. He remembered just a few hours ago he and Brooke had so lovingly kissed each other, and he wanted to go explain himself and what happened, but he knew to let Brooke cool off before going.

"We're done, Lucas" Brooke yelled, stomping out of Lucas's house junior year. "We're through forever!"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Lucas- I'm not your girlfriend…I'm not even your friend"

"Well, well, well- déjà vu all over again" Brooke snapped.

Losing Brooke was the hardest thing he ever had to go through the first time, and now the second time- he had to go explain himself to her.

"I love you, Brooke" Lucas whispered, feeling a tear fall down his cheek. How could he bear to lose the girl he loved?

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Brooke sat staring at her mirror, wondering if Lucas was thinking about her. The tears just wouldn't stop. She heard a knock on her door and ran to open it. Lucas was standing there, looking very hot all wet and broody. Brooke almost wanted to hear him out, but she shut the door in his face.

"Brooke! Will you just listen to me?" Lucas pleaded. She could hear the emotion in his voice, and couldn't bear to shut the door.

"What, Lucas?" Brooke asked coldly.

"I'm sorry- it wasn't anything like that- Peyton was really vulnerable and I hugged her and she was upset and she fell asleep and I kind of fell asleep with her and nothing happened!"

"But yet you didn't call me"

"I did call you! Check your call history" Lucas pleaded. Brooke opened her phone and saw that he had indeed called her-5 times.

"That still doesn't prove anything, Lucas" Brooke said, wiping a falling tear. Lucas felt his throat constrict- he couldn't bear to see Brooke cry.

"Brooke-"

"No, Lucas, today I felt something for you that I've never felt before, and I thought I was genuinely in love with you- I finally opened my heart and placed trust in you and you go and do this! I cant handle it, Lucas, my heart cant handle it…I thought you loved me"

"I do love you, Brooke, damn it don't say things like that!" Lucas said.

"Then why'd you sleep with Peyton?"

"I didn't! All I did was fall asleep- she called and she was upset and I hugged her and she was exhausted and I suspected she took drugs and it made her really sleepy and I didn't wanna move and disturb her- nothing happened, Brooke"

"You know, Lucas, I believe you- because for some reason I do- but what I saw, my heart couldn't take the thought of being hurt like that again…I think its best if we're just friends"

"Brooke…why? I love you" Lucas said, his throat constricting tighter and tighter by the second.

"And I love you too, but I need time to figure things out, ok?" Brooke said sadly. Lucas nodded and hugged her tightly. He kissed her hair and looked into her eyes.

"I understand if you need time, Brooke, but know that I'll always love you and I would never do anything to hurt you, ok?" The radio played one of Brooke's favorite songs and the lyric's caught Lucas's ears.

Because you live girl

My world

Has everything I need to survive…

Because you live

I live…I live…

"I know, Lucas- right now its my weaknesses kicking in" Brooke whispered, kissing his forehead. Lucas nodded and turned to leave. He got into his car and turned on the radio, and the DJ spoke.

"If you want to dedicate a song to someone, now's the time to do it!" the DJ said loudly. "So guys, call in for your girls!"

Lucas picked up his cell phone and dialed the number.

"Hello, you're on the air"

"Hi, I'm Lucas Scott" Lucas said. Brooke caught the name Lucas Scott on the radio and her attention was immediately captured.

"Yes, and you would like what song?"

"The song you were playing right before this" Lucas said.

"Because You Live?"

"Yeah"

"Good choice! And this is dedicated to?"

"Brooke Davis"

Staring out at the rain with a heavy heart

It's the end of the world in my mind

Then your voice pulls me back like a wake up call

I've been looking for the answer somewhere

I couldn't see that it was right there

But now I know what I didn't know

Because you live and breathe

Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help

Because you live girl, my world has twice as many stars in the sky

Its alright, I survived, I'm alive again

Cause of you, made it through every storm...

Tears fell down Brooke's face as she heard her favorite song dedicated to her- she wanted to be with Lucas, she did- but her heart couldn't take the thought of being betrayed like that again- it was too much for a girl who'd been hurt too many times to count.

A/N: Sad chapter, I know! I didn't wanna do it, but I had to- the fluff was getting old- isn't Peyton eeeww? And no, I didn't wanna eliminate her lol! But I don't like her very much, so yeah ;-) Thanks for all the reviews- review, review, review!