Nch AN-Thank you guys for the reviews that were left. I really appreciate the comments made, positive and negative. Once again, any suggestions you all may have, feel free to leave them in a review, or even through my AIM (justemily01). I may not always be at the computer, but my away message is usually always up, so you can always leave messages there.

And about Lucas and Peyton getting together, haha, it's killing me to have to write Brucas right now. But I'm having LP take it slow, not Jake and Peyton slow by the way. Lucas and Peyton have never been rushed, and I don't want them to be.

The song used in this update is "Everything I'm Not" by The Veronicas. I do not in any way own anything of theirs, yadda yadda yadda. All credit of usage of this song is to them.

Love, Emily.


"What are you doing out here?" He walked up the walkway and saw his girlfriend sitting outside on the steps to her porch. "Hey…what is it?" Her eyes avoided his, and he felt her flinch slightly when he began caressing her back. She stood up soon afterwards, bringing her hand to her mouth to muffle any cries that may escape from it. "Brooke…"

"Peyton told me you were coming."

"So why are you outside? You're going to freeze out here…" He stood up next to her, trying to reach for her arms, but she shook her head, backing away from his reach once again.

"Lucas, I can't do this anymore…" her voice was barely audible, a mere whisper. A look of confusion crossed over his face, seeing her eyes begin to release tears which had been building in her eyes ever since he showed up. "I can't keep pretending this is all okay when it's not. It can't be anymore."

I was losing myself to somebody else
But now I see
I don't wanna pretend
So this is the end of you and me

"Brooke what are you talking about?" He had an idea, but he didn't know what to say.

"I haven't talked to you since the day of the shooting, Luke! I've been trying to give you space, letting you be the one to come to me when you're ready, but you never have…" She couldn't stop the tears rolling down her cheeks anymore, so she let them fall freely. "You keep turning to Peyton, and it hurts me, Luke, more than you'd ever understand…" He stared at her blankly, knowing she was right. "It's not that I don't trust you or her…" Her voice trailed off.

"Then what is it, Brooke? Because that's what relationships are built off of, right? Trust? And I thought we agreed that we were going to do that this time." His voice was raising, and he didn't mean it to, especially since he knew this wasn't her fault.

"Then why can't you trust me enough to talk to me like you have been to Peyton?" Her voice was rising as well because she knew he was avoiding her point she was trying to make. "I wanted to help you through this, but you turned to Peyton before I even had a chance, and since then, all you've been doing is shutting me out."

"Brooke…"

"And honestly, I can't be mad at you or her…because I know how you two feel about each other, and how you always will feel about each other." She bit her lip gently as their eyes met, her glassy ones staring directly into his. "And I've always known, and so have you two, I just get in your way…"

Cause the girl that you want
She was tearing us apart
Cause she's everything

"Brooke, I love you," he cupped her face in his hands, rubbing her tears away with his thumbs, trying to persuade with her.

"Yeah but you love her too…" she said softly, "and don't say you don't, okay? 'Cause it's okay."

"Broo-"

"Life's too short, Luke, go give your heart a chance, it's what you've been waiting for since before I even met you, hell, even while we dated the first time." She smiled slightly toward him. "No one's stopping you, not me, not Jake. Just tell her how you feel, and see where it goes okay? You both deserve it."

"Brooke, why are you doing this?" He didn't know what else to say other than why.

"The same reason you gave up being with Peyton by calling Jake." She saw the look on his face. "Best friends tell each other everything, Luke, you should've gotten that by now." She smiled toward him softly. "I'll talk to you later, okay? Trust your heart. You may love me, but you've already given your heart away, a long time ago…to my best friend." She went back up the stairs into the apartment, excusing herself away from him before she changed her mind; before she could actually realize what she had just done.

"Life's too short, Luke…"

Everything I'm not



"Hey, how'd it go?" Peyton slowly got her crutches and headed toward him.

"The usual, you know, just breaking up, nothing crucial."