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"So, are you excited about this weekend?" Peyton asked Brooke as they packed her bags. Brooke nodded. She was excited to go to New York, she needed some new clothes, but she wasn't as excited about going with Lucas as she thought she would be.
"Yes, but not for the reasons you think. As much as I hate to say this, I don't think there is any future for Luke and I. I don't feel that way about him anymore." Brooke said slowly, shrugging her shoulders.
Peyton raised her eyebrows. Brooke gave her a sheepish smile. This was the first time she'd admitted her lack of feelings for Lucas.
"Wow, okay, so what are you going to do if he…" Peyton trailed off, biting her lip.
"Admits his feelings for me? I don't know, Peyton. I can't lie to him, but I don't want to hurt him either." Brooke said miserably. She was stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place.
"Just be honest. He can't blame you for how you feel, or don't feel, in this case." Peyton said reasonably.
"Oh, but he can." Brooke said softly. On that note, Peyton grabbed up her things and gave Brooke a reassuring hug before leaving. Brooke flopped onto her bed. Why did things always have to be so complicated? Turning off her lamp, she decided to get some sleep. She knew Lucas would be waking her up at the crack of dawn to go and see his precious Haley.
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"Brooke, come on, how much do you actually have to take for a weekend road trip?" Lucas whined, as he carried another of Brooke's bags to the car. The worst part was that he knew she'd go shopping in the city and come home with twice as much as she was leaving with.
"Exactly what I packed." Brooke replied in a no-nonsense voice as she followed him out of his house and got in the car. Lucas shook his head, an amused smile playing on his features. He'd give her one thing: Life was certainly never dull with Brooke Davis around.
Lucas jumped in the car and headed away from his house. All things considered, this trip made him nervous. Yes he had a legitimate reason for going. He was delivering Haley's finals to her, so that she could become a senior at Tree Hill High School. He wasn't even sure if that mattered to her anymore, but it mattered to him. They'd been inseparable since grade school and he couldn't imagine being a senior without Haley, whether she was actually there or not.
"Hey, let's stop for snacks before we leave town." Brooke said, nearly bouncing in her seat.
"What are you, twelve? Wait a minute, is this your first road trip?" Lucas asked suspiciously.
"Well, no, but it's the farthest I've gone on a road trip." Brooke admitted with a grin. Lucas felt his heart leap a little as he glanced at her smiling face. He cared so much for her, but he wouldn't act on it. Not until he was sure she felt the same.
"Alright, I'll stop just for you." He teased, as he pulled the car into the first convenient store he saw. Brooke squealed and clapped before quickly undoing her seat belt and hurrying into the store. Lucas took his time exiting the vehicle. He knew that Brooke would be awhile, buying everything that she thought they would need and want. As he entered the store, he saw Brooke with a basket that was nearly overflowing already. He chuckled and waited by the magazine racks. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a picture on the cover of one the magazines. Turning, he let his jaw drop at what he saw. Brooke had finished paying by then and walked over.
"Luke, what's wrong?" She asked, following his gaze. The picture was enough to shoot her eyebrows skyward.
"Wow." She whispered. Lucas nodded, turning away from the picture that was making him feel like he was going to throw up.
"Haley James and her mystery man, partying at Bungalow 8." The caption read. Only the man's identity wasn't a mystery to Brooke or Lucas. Right there on the magazine cover was Haley James-Scott, making out with Chris Keller.