A/n: Finally, chapter 3! This chapter took me SO much longer than I thought, and it turned out to be the longest chapter I've ever written. I actually knew what I was going to write before I started, but I had really high expectations so I was really critical about this one. That's mainly the reason why it took me more than two weeks to finish, plus tests, projects, and all that other stuff.

Some parts of this chapter are disappointing, for me at least. I had a lot in mind, but it was hard writing it all down. My style of writing is also kind of changing at the moment, and because I wrote this over the period of two weeks, there are some slight changes in style, particularly dealing with dialogue and the thoughts of characters, which kind of altered depending on whatever mood I was in. Also, Brooke's character changed a bit in this chapter. I kind of like it better this way, and throughout the story, you'll see more of her new side.

Thank you to all my readers for the wonderful reviews that you've given me. I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Brooke gaped at Felix in shock. What was going on? Hadn't he been expelled last year? A million questions flashed through her mind, but she was unable to voice any of them, leaving her to stare blankly at him. She was vaguely aware of Lucas' arm wrapping around her waist as he pulled her closer to him.

Felix smirked, "What? No hello's for this old friend of yours?"

"What are you doing here!" Brooke finally found her voice. "I thought you were kicked out, and sent to some…military school."

"Oh well," Felix replied nonchalantly, dismissing her question with a casual wave, "you know how it is, with rich and influential parents, you can have anything your way." His eyes took in the girl in front of him, and he smiled knowingly. She hadn't changed one bit, still as attractive as before.

Lucas glared at Felix- he hated how the guy always looked at Brooke, as if he was imagining and picturing what was lying underneath her clothes. He could feel his girlfriend getting ready to throw an insult at Felix in reply to his remark about "rich parents"; this wasn't how he wanted to start out the day. Not wanting to give Felix a chance to provoke Brooke any further, he took her hand in his, and kissed her gently on the forehead, "Come on, pretty girl. Let's go to class- he's not worth it."

Felix smiled, with that confident air of his, "Oh c'mon Brooke, I just want to talk. Am I not even allowed to talk to you?"

Brooke rolled her eyes, "I'd rather not, but if you really have something to say, just say it now so I can get this over with."

"I want to talk to you. Alone."

Brooke glanced at Lucas hesitantly. She knew he despised Felix; the two of them never got along. Felix hated Lucas because he was dating his little sister, and Lucas hated Felix because well, who didn't hate Felix?

Lucas didn't want to leave Brooke alone; he didn't trust Felix. He never did, and he never will. There was something about Felix- the coldness of his eyes, the smirk that always occupied his face, but there was nothing he could do about it- Brooke was capable of making her own decision, and protecting herself. He shrugged, "Go ahead. I'll see you in English."

Brooke nodded, and gave him a light kiss. "Thanks, Broody. I'll see you later." Smiling at him reassuringly, she allowed Felix to lead her away.

Peyton caught Lucas' look of disgust. "Don't worry, Luke. Brooke knows what she's doing."

Lucas sighed, "I know, but I don't trust Felix. There has to be a reason why he's back. He doesn't do anything just on impulse."

"Well, I guess we'll know soon," Peyton replied. "Felix never keeps his motive hidden for long."

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Felix led Brooke to the other side of the hall. Brooke glared at him impatiently, "Why do we have to come all the way over here? And why couldn't you just say whatever you had to say in front of Lucas and Peyton?"

Felix smirked, "So, you're Lucas' girl again, aren't you?"

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Yes, and for your information, we're very happy so I'd appreciate it if you could leave us alone!"

"Seriously Brooke, I thought you were smarter than that. Once a cheater, always a cheater." Felix knew he had hit a sore spot as Brooke's eyes clouded with the memories of last year.

Brooke tried to shake off what she had just heard. "You're wrong about Lucas. He won't hurt me again."

Felix shrugged, "Suit yourself, but at least I never cheated on you with your best friend."

"Yeah, except you wrote 'dyke' on my best friend's locker!" Brooke retorted angrily.

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"C'mon Luke, let's get to class," Peyton urged him as his eyes were still fixed on Brooke and Felix at the end of the hallway, but before she could get him to move from his spot, a soft voice sounded behind them.

"Hey, Luke!"

Lucas turned around to find himself facing a familiar face. She had cut and layered her hair so now that it framed her slender face, but he could recognize her anywhere. "Anna!" He opened his arms, and hugged her, happy that his friend was back. "You're back too?"

Anna nodded, "Yeah. I went back to boarding school, but I kind of missed Tree Hill, believe it or not. When our parents reenrolled Felix here, I told them I wanted to return too."

Peyton stood on the side, unable to believe her eyes. She had missed Anna a lot; there had always been a connection between the two of them, and she had been disappointed that Anna had left without a goodbye. She understood and supported her decision, but she wished she had gotten to know the girl better.

Anna's eyes drifted to the blond girl standing next to Lucas. "Peyton!" She rushed up, and hugged her. Peyton had been one of the reasons she decided to return to Tree Hill. She felt guilty for all the drama that she had created for her the previous year, but was determined to be a better friend this time around.

There was another reason though, but she wasn't ready to share that one yet.

Peyton grabbed Anna's schedule, "Yes, you're in my class this period!"

Anna sighed in relief, "Thank god. I was already late to my first two periods because I couldn't find the rooms. I feel like this is my first time in this high school because of those stupid messed up room numbers that whoever built this school so kindly decided to have us stuck with."

Peyton grinned as she looped her arm through Anna's, and they started walking down the hall towards their class, "So, are you staying for good this time?"

"Yup, as long as you guys don't get sick of me," Anna smiled in return.

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"Anna's back too?" Brooke had never liked her, partly because she had dated Lucas before, but she just had never really connected with her. She only hung out with her because she knew that Peyton was friends with Anna. And besides, Anna was related to Felix, meaning she couldn't be as innocent as she tried making people believe.

Felix grimaced, "Yeah. I wish she had just stayed at boarding school; I've got enough to deal with without her around. Besides, her and the stupid rumors ruin my reputation."

Brooke shook her head in disgust, "That's all you care about, isn't it- your stupid reputation?"

Felix smiled cockily, "Of course. Reputation is everything; you should know that by now, my dear Brooke. Anyway, you better be careful about your reputation. I have a feeling history is about to repeat itself in front of your very eyes."

"What are you talking about?" Brooke asked.

"Look at them," Felix pointed at Anna, Peyton, and Lucas, who were just about to turn around the corner. Anna laughed, and slapped Lucas playfully. Felix continued, "Anna and Lucas make such a perfect pair, don't they?"

"Uhh, Lucas is going out with me. Besides, you didn't like Lucas dating Anna last year," Brooke retorted.

Felix shrugged, "Honestly, I don't really care. I'm sick and tired of watching out for Anna; she's not even grateful for it. From now on, she can make her own mistakes, and I won't be there to clean up everything for her."

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Why, you're a loving brother."

Felix smirked, "Oh well, I must go now, but just a piece of advice- better keep your eyes on your boyfriend. Remember, old habits don't die out easily. Lucas always had been attracted to my sister anyway." With that, he walked away, leaving Brooke deep in thought.

He wouldn't do that to her again, Brooke thought to herself. Not after everything they had gone through together, not after what happened last night when they had finally said those three precious words to each other. As Brooke finally snapped out of her reverie, she realized that she was late for third period. Very late.

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"Miss Davis," Mr. Smith, one of the most-hated teachers in the school, glared at Brooke after she had unsuccessfully tried to sneak into English without getting caught. "It's so nice of you to join us today. What's your excuse for being late this time?"

"Uhh…" Brooke racked her brain for a plausible excuse but couldn't find any, "I just look track of time….?"

Mr. Smith gave an exaggerated sigh, "Yet again. Take your seat, Miss Davis, and please do try very hard not to disrupt the rest of the class again."

It took a lot of self control for Brooke to not throw an insult back at the teacher. No worth getting in trouble because of this that senile man anyway, she thought as she held her head high, and walked to her seat, only to find it…occupied.

And the occupant was no other than Anna.

She vaguely saw Lucas throw her an apologetic smile, but her eyes were fixed on Anna, who was sitting in the seat next to Lucas as if it were rightfully hers. In that second, her hatred for the girl sky rocketed. She opened her mouth to reclaim her seat only to hear Mr. Smith's cackling voice, "Sit down, Miss Davis. It will be detention if I have to ask you a second time.

Reddening from embarrassment after getting yelled at twice, not once, by the same teacher within a period of ten seconds, Brooke stormed to the back of the classroom where the only vacant seat was, and sat down fuming. She glared at Anna's back and Mr. Smith, while seething as she watched Anna and Lucas laugh and whisper to each other for the rest of the period. Lucas wanted to show me off, she thought indignantly, and instead, that…troll's flirting with him right in front of me!

"Miss Davis," Mr. Smith's voice rang across the classroom once again, snapping Brooke out of her thoughts about taking her copy of the Scarlet Letter and shoving it down Anna's throat, "Could you kindly tell the class what kind of flower is planted next to the prison door in chapter one?"

"Ah…" Brooke flipped through her book, panicking. She had forgotten to read Scarlet Letter over the weekend, due to her thoughts and preoccupations over Lucas. "…A daisy?"

Mr. Smith slammed his hand on the table, "Miss Davis, not only do you come in five minutes and disrupt the class, you cannot answer a simple question on the reading that was assigned last Thursday!" Reaching into his drawer, he took out a pink slip. "I have no other choice but to give you detention for tomorrow afternoon."

"But, Mr. Smith…!"

"Who can answer the question?" Mr. Smith ignored her protests. "Ah, yes Anna?"

"Next to the prison door is a rose bush," Anna replied. "It represents hope for the prisoners because everything else is covered with weeds, but the rose symbolizes that through everything, there is still that ray of light left."

"Very well said, Anna, especially for someone who has just joined our class," Mr. Smith said.

Lucas tapped her lightly, "Hey, that was a good response. How did you know the answer if you got the book today?"

Anna grinned, "Oh, the Scarlet Letter is one of my favorite books. I read it a lot, and I know it from back to front."

Lucas smiled, "Yeah, it's my favorite too."

Overhearing their conversation, Brooke could feel her doubts surfacing once more. "Lucas always had been attracted to my sister," Felix's words replayed over and over in her mind. There was no doubt why Lucas liked Anna- they were similar in many ways; they both liked to play basketball, and even read the same books, Brooke thought. And now she was back.

Calm yourself, Brooke Davis, she said to herself. You can't always be this insecure when it comes to Lucas. Trust him, and trust yourself. Anna's just a friend, that's all.

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"Brooke, wait up!" Peyton called as she watched her best friend shoot up from her seat and dash out of the classroom as soon as the bell rang. Catching up to her halfway down the hall, she said breathlessly, "Whoa, way to sprint out of there."

Brooke made a face, "I hate English."

Haley came up behind them. "Well, you could have just read the book…"

"Well, I didn't have time!" Brooke complained. "Between getting sent to jail, going to talk to Lucas, making my fashion line, going to talk to Lucas again, and then falling asleep in his bed, I didn't really have time for anything else."

Peyton swung her arm around Brooke's shoulder, and said sympathetically, "Too bad you have detention tomorrow after school. Haley, Anna, and I are going shopping."

At the mention of Anna's name, Brooke shook her head and thought bitterly, Great. Now she's taking my best friends too.

"Earth to Brooke!" Haley waved her hand across her friend's face. "What's wrong? You suddenly got really quiet…"

"Oh, it's nothing," Brooke replied quickly.

"Hey, girlfriend," Lucas came up from behind them, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. "Way to not wait for me after class."

The first thing that came to Brooke's mind was, "Well, you looked quite busy with Anna, so I didn't want to disturb you guys," but she thought against it. She didn't want to be that jealous over-possessive girlfriend anymore. "Yeah well, here I am, aren't I?" Brooke placed a fake smile on her face.

"C'mon, I'll walk you to Latin," Lucas took her hand, and the two of them started to walk in the opposite direction.

Brooke looked at the messy-haired blond boy next to her, and smiled to herself. She loved him. That thought came so easily now when before, she always fought it or tried concealing it by making out with other guys.

Lucas caught her looking at him, and felt his breath catch. She was gorgeous. And she was his. He grinned at the thought as he wrapped his arm around her waist, and felt her settle comfortably against him. As they turned the corner, a disheveled figure ran up to them.

"Luke!" Anna called out, breathlessly. "I can't find my French classroom."

Lucas chuckled, "It's okay; I have French with you this period. Just follow me, and I'll take you there once I drop Brooke off at Latin."

"But Luke…" Anna whined, "I can't be late! This is my first day; what would the teacher think if I showed up to class late on the first day?"

"Umm…" Lucas looked uncertainly at Brooke. He had promised her that they would spend some time together during their first day of being "exclusive," but so far, they hadn't had any chance to talk. On the other hand, he should really take Anna to their French room; being late on the first day never did do any good to first impressions. "Is it okay if I show Anna to our next period class…?"

"It's fine," Brooke replied quickly, "I promise I won't get lost on my way to Latin." She smiled as she squeezed his hand gently. "You should go or else you'll be late."

Lucas reached over, and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I'll see you at lunch then."

Brooke's smile fell as she watched her boyfriend walk in the opposite direction with Anna. Sighing, she repositioned her shoulder bag, and continued walking slowly down the hall. He was gone…again.

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Fourth period rolled slowly by. Brooke used to love Latin; there were a couple of pretty hot guys in her class, and they always flirted with her all period, but today, she couldn't stand them. There was only one person she could think of: Lucas. She didn't want any other guy- she only wanted him.

When the bell rang finally, sounding the end to fourth period, Brooke grabbed her bag, and was the first one out of the classroom, ignoring the calls of one of the guys from her class (Jason or whatever his name was) that he was supposed to walk her to lunch. She pushed through the throngs of people in the hallway, and finally reached her locker. Throwing her Latin binder carelessly on top of all her books, she slammed her locker impatiently, and continued down towards the cafeteria, only to be stopped by someone calling out her name from behind, "Brooke!"

"Felix, what do you want now?" Brooke asked, frustrated.

"Nothing. I just want you to eat lunch with me," Felix replied.

Brooke rolled her eyes, "I'm eating lunch with my boyfriend, Felix. Go have fun with your own friends, and stop bugging me!" Fortunately for the big crowds of people that were pouring their way, Brooke let herself be swept among the people, and lost Felix somehow. She walked quickly to the cafeteria, and scanned eagerly around for Lucas.

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Lucas sat alone, as he waited impatiently for Brooke to show up. It felt like ages since the last time he had held her in his arms, and kissed her soft rosy lips. He fiddled with his sandwich as he remembered what had happened earlier in the morning. Felix was back. Lucas had never liked the guy. He hated everything about him- from the usual smirk on his face to the way he looked at Brooke. His train of thought was interrupted by a wet object hitting the side of his face. He looked up, and saw Anna staring down at him, with a mischievous smile. "What was that?"

Anna laughed, "A grape. I had to wake you up from whatever you were thinking about."

"A grape!" Lucas stared incredulously at her. "You threw a grape at me?" Picking up a chip, he threw it at her in return.

Anna hardly dodged it. "Oh, it's so on!" she shouted, and proceeded to pelt all sorts of foods at Lucas.

Lucas got up, and tried to run as he saw more grapes being thrown his way, along with bits of the crust from his sandwich! Ignoring the weird stares that they were getting from everyone, he ran to the other side of the table, and knocked over his bottle of Gatorade by mistake. Anna, who was running up to catch him, didn't see the red puddle that was on the floor until it was too late. "Ahh!" she flailed out her arms, desperately trying to regain balance.

As if on instinct, Lucas' arms shot out, and they encircled around Anna's waist, successfully maneuvering her away from the slippery spot on the floor. Still breathless from the food fight, Anna started laughing hysterically at the absurdity of their situation; Lucas soon joined in.

Anna grinned at him, all the while never looking away from his deep blue eyes. Those eyes, she missed them. A lot. When she first returned to Tree Hill, she wondered if Lucas had changed during the time that she was gone, but now, gazing into his eyes, she knew that he hadn't. And while they smiled silly childishly at each other, she was aware that his arms had never left her waist.

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"What did I tell you?" a deep smug voice whispered into her ear. "It was love at first sight for them at the beginning. Too bad you didn't bother to listen to me." Giving her his well-known smirk, he sauntered away with his friends.

She didn't need him telling her these things; she had seen it all for herself. The food fight, the laughter, the flirting, and now they were standing close to each other, his arms circled around her waist, with that gentle expression on his face.

Stop it, she told herself. They're just friends. Friends.

But she knew that she couldn't face Lucas right now. It wasn't so much that she was jealous of her; seeing him with Anna reminded her of the moment when she had seen Peyton making out with her boyfriend on the webcam. She couldn't deal with the memories, the weeks and weeks of loneliness and pain. She thought she was over it, all of it; she had been able to forgive both of them, but would she ever forget? Would she ever be able to see him with another girl, and not think of the scars she still carried?

And with that, Brooke turned around, and walked out of the cafeteria.

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"Brooke's still not here…" Peyton said again, halfway through their lunch period. Where could she be? She knew that lunch was Brooke's favorite period- she never missed it for anything. Besides, didn't she want to show-off her new exclusive boyfriend? Her best friend instinct told her that something was wrong; Brooke had been acting strange ever since English.

"I'm going to go look for her," Lucas replied, and waved goodbye to his friends.

Haley smiled as she watched her best friend walk away, "They're so in love…" and stole a quick glance at the person sitting next to her.

Nathan shifted awkwardly under her gaze. He knew that she wanted to talk about what had happened last night, but he didn't know how to. He had needed her, and she had been there- he was grateful for her presence. But he wasn't ready to waltz through school while holding her hand, showing off her beautiful wife to the rest of the world, like Lucas and Brooke would do. Things were too complicated, even though he didn't know exactly how to simplify it. He did know, however, that Haley was expecting some sort of reaction, some sort of answer. He just didn't know what the answer was supposed to be.

Lucas walked down the halls; everywhere he gazed were memories of Brooke. Smiling blissfully, he thanked the heavens that they had given him his true love so early in his life. He had to be grateful for that; at least him and Brooke weren't worlds apart like Peyton and Jake were. After circling the whole school more than once and still seeing no sign of Brooke, Lucas walked outside, puzzled. Where was she? Brooke had never been missing in action during lunch. Maybe she got held back by a teacher, Lucas thought to himself. Suddenly, he stopped in the middle of the school's parking lot, and looked incredulously at the sixth space in the second row.

It was empty. Brooke was gone.

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She sat on the swings, with her feet dangling in front of her as she swayed back and forth. The wind blew gently, and she shivered. In her hurry to get out of the school, she had forgotten her jacket in her locker. Damnit, why had she only worn a tangtop today? She didn't want to go back to school, not now, not like this. She just wanted to stay here forever. It was all so peaceful, and yet, she felt a slight pang of loneliness. She missed him, his touch, his kisses, his deep and soothing voice.

A gray sweatshirt was draped across her shoulder. She looked up, startled, and was greeted by a pair of deep blue eyes. "Hey," his voice was soft and quiet.

"Hi," she replied, averting her eyes away from his. "What are you doing here?"

"To find you," he answered, taking a seat on the swing next to her. "You weren't at lunch, and I noticed that your car was gone from the parking lot so I borrowed Peyton's car to look for you. I've gone to all the places that you usually go to, and then I saw you sitting here so..." Looking at her, concerned, he continued, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied, a little quicker than usual, so he knew she was anything but.

A silence descended on both of them. Lucas looked at the girl next to her, and saw that she was deep in thought. He wanted to know what was bothering her, but he also knew better than to push her.

Finally, she broke the silence. "I used to come here a lot," her voice was barely above a whisper, as if she were in a trance. "When I was small, this was almost like my...sanctuary. Whenever something went wrong, I'd come here to think." She stopped as if she were trying to find words to describe her childhood. "When my parents fought, I'd run out of the house, and sit on the swings here. Sometimes, I'd sit here for hours, until I felt calm enough to go back. Other times, I'd swing as high as I could, and feel the wind blowing against my face." She closed her eyes, smiling and reminiscing. "I'd feel like I was at the top of the world, and that nothing could ever hurt me."

Lucas didn't know what to say. This had been the second time that he had ever heard her mention her childhood. He knew that her parents were always away lot, and that she was often left with the nanny, but she had never really talked about her parents or her relationship with them. He knew that it was a subject she didn't like to dwell on. Looking at Brooke, who was still swaying slightly beside him, he felt as if he was seeing Brooke as a child, innocent and vulnerable. He didn't know what to say to take away whatever she was feeling at the moment.

Taking her hand in his, Lucas pulled her from her swing, and into his lap. He felt her nestle against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist, enveloping both of her hands in his. "Whatever it is that's bothering you," he whispered softly into her ear, "you don't have to tell me right now. Just tell me when you're ready, but next time you want to skip school, take me with you."

Brooke looked up into his eyes, and smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Luke."

"For what?"

"For being here, and not giving up on me like everyone else."

Lucas gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you, Brooke."

"Why?"

"What, why?" Lucas was startled by her question.

"You could have anyone you want, why me?"

"Because you make me laugh when no one else can. You've showed me the true meaning of life and love," Lucas replied simply. "You make me feel complete."

Brooke was silent for a moment. "But we're so…different. We don't like to read the same books, or listen to the same music. We don't share any similar hobbies and…"

"But you make me feel real."

"Is that enough?" Brooke asked quietly.

"Of course. And you know why?" Dropping a light kiss on her lips, he continued. "Because you're the one."

A small smile appeared on Brooke's face. Burying her face into Lucas' shoulder, she breathed in the scent that she had always loved, the scent that lingered in her bedroom and on her clothes. She was tired of having doubts, of being insecure; she wanted him, all of him. "I love you too, Lucas," she whispered so softly that she wasn't sure if he had heard her, but a second later, she felt his arms tighten around her, and she knew that he had.

A/n: I hope you liked it! And don't forget to review- reviews make me happy and give me lots if inspiration DD