A/N: Takes place during the College episode: 312

This is Brooke centric, and placed throughout the episode. I used http/ to help me with the scenes that I used from the episode itself.

Beta-ed By: Kayla (Dazzles), and Mel (Brokenhearted)

Just Smile

"I'm not alone, I hate being alone, I have my roommate and… my squad, my friends; my Peyton, my Lucas."

Pulling her messenger bag higher on her shoulder, Brooke continued to walk blindly along the school's grounds.

'Alone?' Brooke huffed. 'I'm NOT alone. I have a roommate I'd do anything for. Hell, I have. I went on a date with Chris Freaking Keller for her. And I know she would do the same for me.'

'Alone?' Brooke grumbled, increasing her speed and stepping on the grass, speckling her new Jimmy Choos with mud. 'I have Peyton; she's been there for me since I could remember. I've practically lived in her house since I've known her. She's my best friend, she's my Peyton!'

Stopping abruptly, Brooke's eyes landed on Haley and Lucas a few feet away.

'Alone?' Brooke smiled, 'I have Lucas: the guy who chased after me since the beginning of this school year relentlessly. The guy who has never left my heart. The guy who sees me for who I am and doesn't want me to change, yet makes me feel like I am a better person. The guy I love, and hell, he loves me back.' With her smile widening, she approached her roommate and the guy who stole her heart. 'Alone? Ha! I think not.'

Brooke bounced next to them looking at Lucas first, "Hey Boyfriend," she grinned, taking Lucas's arm and turning to Haley with a smirk on her lips, "Faily."

"And I'm never telling you anything again, ever," Haley gritted her teeth.

"Cause it… freaks me out,… OK? I, um,… I like high school. I'm good at high school. You know, I know who my friends are and who my enemy is. Got this place down."

Walking fast, Brooke continued to think about her session with the counselor. 'Yeah, I'm good at high school,' she thought as she picked up her head higher. Confidently remembering, 'They do say keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, and how are you suppose to do that without knowing who your friends and enemies are.' She pondered a second on that last thought. 'Yeah, I got this place down.'

Walking faster, almost reaching a slow jog, Brooke rounded a corner with a smile on her face as she spotted her squad. Hearing the music blaring from the stereo stationed in front of her cheerleadrs and seeing Mouth McFadden in the middle of the squad forced Brooke's smile to turn to a grimace. Brooke continued to walk to her squad, anger growing with every step, she demanded "Whoa, Stop! Halt! Cut!" She turned off the radio with a quick flip of the power switch. "Why is everybody here early?"

Peyton and Haley both frowned at Brooke while the squad nervously looked on. Stepping up with a bright smile on her face Bevin clued Brooke in, "Early? You're like an hour late."

Brooke faced Bevin, the anger in her eyes, evident. "I don't think so." She noticed that Mouth was making his best attempt not to make eye contact and Rachel had a smug look plastered on her face. She continued with Bevin. "Unlike you, I've never thought there was a thirteen o'clock."

Taking pity on Bevin, who had started to look like she was second guessing her words, Haley looked at Brooke, "Brooke, Rachel said you wanted us here an hour early."

Looking hurt, Brooke turned to Haley and Peyton, "And, where did you think I was this whole time?"

Peyton shrugged her shoulders and said cautiously, "Late, as usual."

Rachel turned to Brooke. "Brooke, the classic's coming up and we don't have a routine yet." She paused for a second for added effect, "And I figured since Mouth helped you out last year, we could maybe come up with one and surprise you. So…." Rachel's mouth broke into a beaming smile, "surprise."

Cattily looking at Rachel, Brooke said "The only way I'd be surprised right now is if you were actually wearing underwear."

Biting her lip, Rachel lowered her voice, "Guess no surprises, then."

Scoffing, Brooke continued on as she glared at Rachel, "Ok, I am the captain of this squad; it is my job to come up with a routine for the tournament w-"

Rachel bit in with a voice that was sweet, sickly sweet, "But the tournament is the same weekend as Rouge Vogue."

Haley and Peyton both turned to Rachel with their eyes opened wide with shock.

Unrelenting, Rachel pushed on, "You'll be in New York City."

It took a second for Brooke to absorb what Rachel just told her, but once it sunk in Brooke looked at Rachel with hard understanding while nodding her head, "That's why you submitted my fashion designs."

Rachel smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Surprise."

Turning around, her face filled with sharp betrayal, Brooke's eyes began to water up. 'Yeah, I got this place down.' And with that she quickly walked away from her "friends" while they watched her walk away.

"The truth is, I don't really like to think about college. Cause that means high school's over.."

Sitting on the floor with her back against the wall, Brooke stretched out her legs and arms thinking, 'nothing like a winning game to get you out of a funk.' Smiling she looked to her left, watching Haley who was sitting next to her. Propping her head against the wall, pulling her legs up to her body and draping her arms on her knees, she nodded her head toward Haley, "What a game, Lucas was amazing. I'd say this was he's best game this whole season, and that big-shot scout was even here to see him. Lucas played beyond good tonight."

Brooke stopped when Haley absentmindedly corrected Brooke with a low, "He played well tonight, not Good." Brooke noticed that Haley wasn't really paying attention to her but instead seemed to be looking at her own hands, lost in thought.

Putting one of her hands on Haley's shoulder she asked, "Haley, what are you worried about," Brooke cocked her head in the direction of the boy's locker room, "Worried about Nathan not playing tonight?" Haley just shook her head, her eyes facing the direction of the boy's locker room as she whispered, "Lucas, played well tonight."

"Kay, Tutor-girl, I know my English is not 'well', but come on, Haley that's no reason to look worried! And Lucas played more than good tonight! He was amazing!"

When Brooke saw Lucas step out of the locker room, she stood up, grabbed her bag, and helped Haley up. "There's the man of the hour," Brooke's smile widened and turned to look at Haley one last time, "Don't worry so much Haley." And with that, Brooke rushed to Lucas, skipping along the way.

Throwing her arms around Lucas and giving him a quick kiss on the lips, Brooke flashed her dimples, "You keep playing like that and you might have a chance with the captain of the cheerleaders."

Lucas smiled while he grabbed her under her arms loosely and looked beyond her asking, "Really? She say something?"

Looking pointy at Lucas, "Yeah, she said this," and Brooke planted another kiss on him.

"After graduation, everyone will probably go play basketball, or sing or start recordlabels. And I'll have to start all over, alone,"

Brooked looked toward the parking lot, it seemed everyone was leaving the game with someone. Brooke wrapped her arms around herself as she saw Lucas enter a car with Keith and Karen, Haley and Nathan leaving together, and Mouth leaving with Rachel.

'Just Smile,' forcing a smile as she hoisted the bag higher on her shoulder, Brooke walked to her car. Alone.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, but like I said I don't like to think about it"

Fin