Hey guys! SOO sorry its taken sooo long! My friend Zoe is here from California and we have been going non-stop… not to mention we've been on set the past 3 days… so I completely forgot about updating… but at least OTH came back! Haha
Thanks for ALL the reviews! I love you guys so much! Enjoy!
The rest of the semester went by pretty fast for Brooke. Between classes, trying to convince Zac that she actually did like him… and hanging with Lucas, Peyton and Nathan…She didn't have time for much else. She and Lucas were doing well… they hung out and studied… that sort of thing. It was still hard for Brooke to see him with Megan, but a lot easier than not being friends with him at all. She actually found it fun now to do little things to annoy Megan. Nothing obvious of course, just subtle things that Lucas, being a guy didn't notice… but drive Megan up the wall. One of those things was never knocking.
"Hey Ho" Brooke said bursting into Lucas's dorm room. It was insanely clean… Brooke guessed Megan had definitely had her way with the room, and hoped so much that she had at least found 1 or 2 pictures of her and Lucas together.
"Can guys really be called Ho's?"
"Ok sorry… Manwhore"
"Hi Brooke" Megan smiled walking out of the bathroom with a basket of cleaning supplies. Brooke was doing everything in her power not to laugh; here this girl was 18 and already a housewife.
"Megan… I didn't see you in there"
"Well maybe if you had knocked…"
"Yea… I don't do that" Brooke said plopping down on Lucas's bed. At least she had gotten him some new sheets, then it hit her… new sheets meant she might be staying over. Staying over wasn't good…after all she wasn't sleeping with Zac, and she sure as hell was going to be the first one to have sex.
"You like the new sheets?"
"You tell me"
"I don't believe in sex before marriage Brooke, just not my thing ok?" Megan said getting very defensive. This was funny… poor thing was dating a Scott and didn't believe in sex before marriage. Brooke just wondered if Lucas had told her the story of how he came to be yet.
"I just asked if you like them…"
"Whatcha need Brooke?"
"You ok Luke? You don't look so good…" Brooke said putting her hand on his forehead. He was pale and that always made her nervous… she wondered if he had even told Megan about his HCM.
"I'm Fine…"
"If you say so… I need to borrow your guyness for a minute"
"My Guyness" Lucas laughed rolling his eyes at her. She looked so funny laying there with her feet propped up on Megan's nicely folded clothes drinking her star bucks. Although Megan did look kinda pissed
"That is why I dated you, being a guy and all"
"What can I do?"
"Its Zac's birthday" Brooke sighed. She had been dreading this for weeks. Zac was getting really serious and Brooke wasn't ready to go there yet. Anywhere for that matter… she was still content with a kiss on the cheek and hand holding…
"Ah…"
"Yea and I don't want to get him anything that says 'Hey… I'm in love with you' but I also don't want to get him anything that says 'we're just friends'"
"So how am I helping you?" Lucas asked totally confused and a little uncomfortable. He hated Zac… so much. Every time he saw him with Brooke he really just wanted to punch his face in.
"You're a guy… what did Megan get you for your birthday?"
"I'm right here…" Megan laughed, a very pissed off laugh. The kind Brooke always did when she was REALLY mad.
"Sorry… what did you get Lucas for his birthday?"
"I'm not sure that's any of your business"
"See? Now that's why I asked Lucas first… Lucas?" Brooke asked, knowing good and well Lucas would tell her. He told her everything… even things about Megan that would probably cause them to break up if Megan knew she knew.
"A watch"
"Lucas!"
"A watch?" Brooke asked. She hadn't thought about that… after all it was just a watch. More sentimental than a shirt or a tie… but it wasn't like she was giving him a diamond ring or something
"Is this really appropriate? I mean… you 2 talking about this?"
"Yea…"
"Fine, then Brooke what did you get Lucas for his birthday" Megan asked growing red in the face. Brooke didn't understand why… Lucas delt with Megan's guy friends all the time and never asked creepy questions.
"This book I found… I read the inside and it was totally him"
"She's the one who gave you that book! The one you've been reading all the time"
"See! I knew it was totally you!" Brooke said excitedly. Of course she knew it was him… she'd looked everywhere for that damn book for 3 weeks before she had finally found it and paid an un-godly amount for it.
"Lucas, we have been dating for 2 months now and I would like to think we could not lie to each other about these things"
"Right… ok well you 2 have fun with that, and good luck Megan, telling the truth isn't exactly a strong point for Lucas sometimes…"
Brooke pranced out of the dorm room feeling pretty good about how that little meeting had gone… In fact, the whole way back to her room she was feeling great, She knew what to get Zac, Lucas and Megan were probably fighting and she had the whole next hour to herself.
"Hey… where were you?" Zac asked looking pretty pissed off at Brooke. Her happy mood was definitely gone now.
"Talking to Lucas…I thought we weren't meeting for another hour"
"You said 12"
"Is it 12 already?" Brooke asked looking down at her watch less wrist. Maybe it wasn't Zac who needed the watch after all.
"Yea"
"Ok then… lets go study I guess"
"I really hate Literature…" Zac said flipping open his book. The more Brooke got to know this guy, the more they had in common. They liked the same things, hated the same things… maybe that was the problem with the whole relationship. They never fought.
"Believe me… me too, its ok though in high school Lucas gave me this book full of stuff to help me out…"
"Here, that fell out. To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."
"Um…Its nothing" Brooke said snatching the piece of paper from Zac. She felt really bad he had found it… now there were going to be a million questions and she really wasn't in the mood to answer any of them.
"Brooke, I thought we were going to work on telling each other stuff"
"Fine… Lucas gave it to me last Christmas after my parents didn't want me to come home. He said I was his world and that's all that mattered, and whenever I felt as crappy as I did right then to look at that and remember…"
"Remember?"
"How much he loved me, Zac I cant do this right now ok?" Brooke asked folding up the piece of paper and putting it in her drawer. So much for moving on… she felt like driving off a cliff right now.
"You know I had a girlfriend in high school who I loved a lot… her name was Alicia"
"You guys broke up?"
"No, she was killed in a car accident 2 weeks before graduation" Zac said quietly, not looking Brooke in the eyes. Brooke's heart sank. That had to be one of the worst things she had ever heard.
"I'm sorry"
"It was really hard, I loved her so much. She always said we were so opposite even our names were at opposite ends of the alphabet. I thought if I came here and met someone else I could get over her… Then I met you and it was easy for me to lie to myself about everything… because you were too. But we cant do that anymore"
"Why?" Brooke asked not liking where this was going.
"Because I see the look you get when you see Lucas, or when someone mentions him. That's the same look Alicia used to get around me, and Brooke if you have that you should fight for it. I hate to loose you but I'd also hate to have what Alicia and I had destroyed for someone else, you were never going to love me like you do Lucas, and I wont ever love anyone like I did Alicia… this way at least we're out of denial"
"I'm sorry…"
"It's ok… just get him back" Zac smiled. Brooke didn't know how… she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to smile again if something like that had happened to Lucas.
"He's with the little whore of cleanliness"
"I haven't known you that long Brooke Davis, but I'm guessing you don't have a problem with breaking people up"
"Usually no… but in this case, I cant. He's got to figure it out for himself that we're meant to be together… you and I, we can still be friends right?" Brooke asked. This was the first time she had actually meant what she was saying to Zac.
"Of course"
Peyton walked down the hall towards Lucas and Nathan's dorm. It was 1:00 so she hoped they were both in class, that way she could have some time to study away from Brooke's drama. The guy's apartment was always so much quieter, not to mention bigger and more comfortable… it just made studying that much easier. Of course, Peyton had forgotten 1 little thing. Megan.
"Hey Peyton!" Megan said scaring the living daylights out of Peyton. That girl never left!
"Megan… what are you?"
"I just thought I'd wait for Lucas, get some stuff done, that sort of thing"
"Right…" Peyton sighed trying to decide if she wanted to stay or leave… Brooke or Megan, this was definitely a tough one.
"Brooke's not with you is she?"
"No… she's with Zac"
"Right, maybe she'll stay there for a while" Megan said gritting her teeth. Peyton could tell Brooke had really been getting on Megan's last nerve lately.
"Is she giving you a hard time?"
"You could say that… and Lucas is totally oblivious to it all! I think Brooke could actually kill me, and he'd defend her"
"They've loved each other for a long time" Was all Peyton could think to say. That's just how it was with them… She actually felt bad for Megan and Zac, the way Brooke and Lucas were using them, even if they weren't meaning too.
"They dated what? Like a year?"
"Did you ever have one of those relationships, where it was so short… but in that little bit of time you loved that person more then you ever thought you could love someone?"
"No… I mean I had a boyfriend I loved and all but" Megan started but Peyton broke in. It was time this girl had a serious reality check when it came to the drama and relationships that was Tree Hill.
"I had this guy… Jake. We only really actually dated for about a month, and I spent about a year and a half waiting for him… he never came back. But when I look back on my love life in high school. The one person I could have spent my life with… I don't think about Nathan who I dated for 2 years, or Lucas… we had this whole screwed up thing going on… I see Jake. My Jake and Jenny… and I know in my heart that no matter who I am with from now on, they'll never compare. It's the same with Nathan and Haley… they can move on as much as they want, but whenever they look back on their lives and think about their one true love, they'll always see each other"
"Peyton… What does this have to do with Lucas and I?"
"I'm just saying, for Lucas… its always going to be Brooke. Not many guys will walk around at 17 and admit they've found the one for them… but he did. It didn't matter how much I wanted him… or Rachel or anyone… it was Brooke. And it's the same for her" Peyton said opening her history book. She hoped maybe that would give Megan some incite on how all of this was going to end.
"You know how many high school couples actually get married after high school? 1 in 25. In that 1 in 25… only 1/3 of them will make it to their 5th anniversary. People change, feelings change. People grow up. Maybe its just time all of you move on from your twisted little triangles you have going on. Maybe you'd all be a lot happier."
"I'm just saying, if you're with Lucas… friend, girlfriend, whatever… just be prepared to come second every time."
"I just don't get it… what does she have that I don't? What makes her so special?" Megan asked truly confused.
"She's got his heart Megan, to be as different as the 2 of them are, they understand each other better than anyone else…"
"I understand him too…"
"Maybe…" Peyton started just as Lucas opened the door. He looked shocked to see both of them standing there.
"Hey… Peyton?"
"Just came to get some piece and quiet… away from Brooke and Zac"
"Fighting?" Lucas asked. He felt bad for hoping they were, but he couldn't help it…
"Nope… studying or something. Whatever it was there was loud talking"
"Ok?"
"You ok Luke? You don't look so hot…" Peyton said noticing how pale he looked
"Thanks Peyton…"
"I'm just saying, shouldn't you be in class?"
"I had a doctors appointment" Lucas sighed reluctantly. He hadn't wanted to get into this them, hints why he hadn't told anyone.
"You ok?"
"Yea…its nothing"
"Nothing as in actually nothing? Or nothing as in that's what you want me to tell a certain person who is going to flip out if she finds out something might be wrong?" Peyton asked giving Lucas the look.
"Both?"
"Fine…"
"What are we talking about?" Megan asked totally confused. They had both forgotten she was even in the room anymore.
"Nothing"
"You haven't told her?"
"There's nothing to tell ok?" Lucas said giving Peyton his look. This wasn't working out at all like it was supposed to.
"If there's nothing wrong then why wont you tell her?"
"And people wondered why we didn't work as a couple"
"Right… because you're an ass, Megan Lucas has a heart condition called HCM" Peyton smiled sarcastically giving Lucas the finger. Sometimes she wondered how Brooke could stand him… or how he could stand her.
"Peyton"
"Are you ok?"
"Fine…Peyton just don't tell Brooke I had to go to the doctor ok?" Lucas asked, resorting to begging. He didn't care if Peyton was mad at him… she usually was. But he really didn't want to get into this with Brooke right now.
"If you tell me why"
"Just chest pains, stress… I played basketball last week ok?"
"Good job…" Peyton laughed in disbelief.
"Why does it matter if Brooke knows?" Megan asked, obviously still confused
"Because Brooke was the last one to find out he had the disease in the first place, and she almost killed him"
"That bitch"
"She almost killed him because it almost killed her. She cried for a week, and she gets a little freaked whenever he has to go to the doctor or anything…" Peyton finished.
"Oh"
"I just don't want her to have to deal with the stress right now" Lucas said, again resorting to begging.
"Whatever… I've gotta go study"
"Peyton…"
"Chill… I wont say anything"
Peyton left just in time for Brooke to come bouncing in with her history book, obviously looking for Peyton. Today definitely wasn't his day… there was no telling what Megan was going to say to Brooke, but from the look on her face she definitely wasn't going to keep quiet. Why couldn't he for once just find a quiet laid-back girl?
"Don't you have anything better to do than stalk my boyfriend" Megan asked not even giving Brooke a chance to speak.
"Um yea… hints why I am looking for Peyton"
"Your girlfriend?"
"Why yes! Damn… you've figured it out" Brooke said sarcastically. This girl was so lame… Brooke had better comebacks in middle school.
"She just left"
"Luke, you ok?"
"Fine…" Lucas lied. He was fine… as in he would be if he took the new meds. She really didn't need to know the details.
"Did he always lie to you like this?" Megan asked seeing the perfect opportunity to put some nice tension between them.
"What?"
"Megan…" Lucas sighed.
"He's not fine… he just got back from the doctor"
"What?"
"Unless chest pains are 'fine' in your book" Megan said glaring at Brooke. For a split second she felt bad, the look on Brooke's face went from ok to completely worried and upset in a matter of seconds
"What did they say?"
"That I was fine"
"Lucas" Megan said loudly. She wasn't going to let him get away with this.
"Just less stress… that sort of thing"
"So you weren't even going to tell me? You were just going to lie?"
"You don't tell me everything" Lucas said trying his best think of what to sat next. Brooke was right, he should have told her… but it didn't matter. Even if he had they would still be having a fight about it.
"When have I not told you something this important?"
"Brooke"
"Other than that damn pregnancy scare when I was 16! And you deserved it" Brooke said, always forgetting that little detail.
"This isn't that important"
"Fine… you know what? How sad is it that this is the first real conversation we have had in weeks? And I don't really care to have another one with you…"
"Is it just me or did she totally over-react to that?" Megan said after Brooke had slammed the door.
"She wouldn't have if you hadn't told her"
"Don't turn this around on me… this was all you. I'm going home"
