Brooke pulled the jacket a little closer to her body. It was thinner than she was used to and it lacked her usual designer label. In fact it said, GAP and that in itself made her cringe. She had actually bought it off the rack from the local mall. But the weather, especially at night, was getting chillier and she needed something to keep warm. Her shifts at the Den varied but she almost never closed. Most nights she was off around eight or nine and that meant she walked back to the house. It wasn't very much distance and the small town was relatively safe. Besides, Brooke rather enjoyed those moments.

Her tranquil silence was broken by the sound of loud thumping. As the noise approached, it seemed that the streets, along with her small body, vibrated. It sounded like thunder, or worse, a freight train barreling ahead at full speed. Brooke quickened her pace but soon realized that it was neither thunder nor a train. It was a vehicle. A vehicle blasting the loudest, most obnoxious music she had ever heard in her life.

Headlights rounded the corner. Glancing over her shoulder she saw could barely make out the black F-150. She rolled her eyes. She should have known. Lucas Scott.

Brooke held her head high and began walking at an even faster pace. She mouthed a silent prayer that he wouldn't recognize her but no such luck. He had seen her before she saw him and the smirk had already found his lips as he slowed down and pulled over. He knew she had seen him but she didn't stop. Typical girl. Typical Brooke. So he began driving beside her at a snail's pace. Nose pointed towards the night sky, she simply kept ignoring him.

"Nice night for a walk", he observed.

"It was", she said.

Lucas grinned.

"Ouch. I take that as a dig at me and that you don't want to be bothered."

"Then you take it right."

He nodded.

"Okay. It's just that it's obvious we're headed to the same place and since I'm driving and you're walking, I thought it would be the polite thing to do to offer you a ride home."

"Since when did the word polite enter your limited vocabulary?"

Lucas laughed out loud.

"You are brutal! I swear the hostility never ends with you."

For the first time she stopped and turned to look at him. Her facial expression was one of pure exasperation and her hands were planted firmly on her hips. Sarcasm drenched her venom filled voice.

"Mr. Scott, I appreciate you politely offering me a ride to my destination, however I must politely decline. Is that non hostile enough for you?"

"It is", he mused. "It's just that it's late and well, anything could happen."

Brooke frowned.

"Anything like what?"

Lucas shrugged.

"Well, I don't know. I mean, who's to say? Pretty, young girl like yourself walking around all alone at night…"

"Deb said it was okay. People walk around all the time here at night alone. I saw just saw some lady walking her dog."

"Okay."

"I highly doubt that a mad rapist or serial killer is lurking around in the bushes of Tree Hill."

"Probably not. We don't have that kind of crime here. Mostly muggers and robbers, you know, the petty stuff."

Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Well, won't they be disappointed? I don't have shit. Nothing except a few quarters in my back pocket and this stupid ugh, GAP jacket. When they see me, they'll probably feel sorry for me and spot me a loan."

Lucas smiled. Such an easy mark. He couldn't resist teasing her.

"You know, robbers aren't the only thing you have to worry about…"

"Is the Boogeyman gonna come get me?"

"You see, I don't believe in the Boogeyman. He isn't real. And what's not real can't hurt you. But you know what is real? Lions, tigers, bears…"

"Oh my!" Brooke went along with him. "Nice try. You're a real comedian. Like you have any of those here in Tree Hill."

"But we have stray dogs."

"I like dogs."

"And wild dogs. And coyotes."

Coyotes? Brooke thought she had heard something howl outside her window one night.

"Um, coyotes? Really?" she asked in a small, frightened voice.

"Oh yeah. All kinds of wildlife."

"Well, I'm not afraid", she said defiantly, starting to walk away but still turned back in his direction.

"You're a brave girl, then. By the way, watch out for that dead possum plastered to the sidewalk in front of you."

"Whatever. I'm not falling for that one. You are just trying to scare me."

"Suit yourself", he shrugged with a smile.

Before Brooke could say another word, she had stepped on the Lucas had just fore warned her about. Horrified she lifted her left foot. It was sticky with blood and guts and whatever else was there and it made a bone chilling squishy sound.

"Oh! My! God!"

The look on her face was priceless. Lucas knew it would be good, he just didn't know it would be that good.

"Hey. Animals have rights too. Don't desecrate the little guy's final resting place."

"Oh God! Oh God! This is so gross! I am going to totally vomit", Brooke already began retching.

The theatrics of it all amused him beyond belief. Brooke needed her own reality show.

"Oh well. It's getting late and I have to get home. I guess I'll see you later."

"What? Where do you think you're going?" Brooke demanded.

"Deb's. You know that house down the block where we both stay", he replied innocently.

"I know that, Mr. Smarty Pants but you can't just leave me here!"

"But I thought you didn't want a ride."

"That was before!"

"Before what?"

"Before my foot was covered in road kill!" she exclaimed.

"Oh yeah. That. How unfortunate. That's pretty nasty. See, this is a brand new truck. Everything is top notch and custom, right down to the floor mats. And it isn't mine. My uncle loaned it to me from his dealership. And between the mess all over your shoe and the fact that you still have a trail of spit from where you just gagged all over the place…well, I'm sorry. I just can't let you in."

"What am I supposed to do? Walk?"

"Yeah. You seemed good enough at it before", Lucas grinned before cranking up the CD volume again to full blast. "Just follow the street lights to the end of the block. It isn't far."

And with that, he screeched off, leaving her coughing in a trail of dust. Brooke was furious!

"What a cretin!" she screamed aloud to the empty street. "That jerk! That jackass! Douche bag! Son of a bitch!"

She stamped her foot for emphasis only to have some disgusting brownish red matter splatter from her shoe. Brooke groaned aloud, whimpering as she hobbled down the street, tears in her eyes. She had never been so mad! She was seeing red and not just from the gunk on her new shoes. When she saw Lucas Scott she was going to snatch him out of his socks!

A few blocks away, Lucas whistled a happy tune as he unloaded some things from the truck. He moved about taking his time as he saw the stalking, unhappy girl trying to make her way down the street.

"You might want to take those off before you go inside. Don't want to ruin Deb's carpet", he suggested.

"You!" Brooke angrily pointed.

"Me?" he asked innocently.

"This is all your fault!"

"No, it's not. I tried to warn you. Next time watch where you're going. Or better yet, if you'd open your ears and quit yapping your trap so much, maybe bad things wouldn't happen to you…rich girl."

Brooke's mouth fell open.

"You don't know anything about me or where I come from!"

"I know your type and that's enough."

"Really? And just what is my type?"

Lucas shrugged.

"Spoiled rotten, filthy rich, totally clueless society broads. You're all the same with your diamonds and your designer bags and your country clubs. It's pretty pathetic."

"You know, you have a lot of mouth and a lot of nerve for that matter. You're talking about stuff you know nothing about so you better watch it!"

Lucas laughed.

"Is that a threat? Oooohhh, I'm so scared! I know plenty and you know I'm right. That hideous thing you call a fur in the basement proves that."

Brooke bit her lip.

"For your information, I sold it!"

"Too bad. You could scrape your little friend off your shoes and it would have been a nice accessory."

"Screw you."

"No thanks. Been there and done that with girls just like you. Deb might be naïve because she sees the good in everybody and she just wants to help you but I had your ass pegged from the moment I saw you. You're nothing but a trust fund baby whose Daddy probably didn't get her the latest Porsche model or worse, refused to pay for your year in Paris or some shit and in a pathetic but strategically planned act of defiance, you decided to run away. Oh yeah, that'll really teach them", he shook his head with a smirk. "Sad. Go back home to Mommy and Daddy before you get hurt out here in the real world, kid. It's a cruel place."

Brooke could not believe him or what he had just said. Hot tears stung her eyes. He had hit a nerve. He was taking it too far. Way too far.

"You are a real asshole, you know that?"

"Don't cry about it. That's just life. Sometimes it deals you a shitty hand. You just go with it."

"Kind of like how when you have a beautiful, wonderful wife at home and you screw it up by being a bastard 24/7 and not being able to keep your dick in your pants?"

Lucas' body visibly tensed. Talk about hitting a nerve. Brooke had cut straight to the core.

"What did you just say?"

He turned to her angry, his jaw tight and clinched, his face like stone.

"I know what's going on", she motioned towards the men's wedding band on the chain around his neck. "Guess I'm not the only one with an interesting back story. Looks like I'm not the only one who has screwed some things up. I heard all about you and Haley…"

"Don't!" Lucas warned, lunging at her person, putting a finer in her face.

"What?"

"Don't go there. You're messing with serious shit you know absolutely nothing about."

Brooke nodded.

"Yeah…well, now you know how it feels."