A/N: Thanks for all the awesome reviews and thanks to my beta: Leeese.
Chapter Sixteen
Something I Can Never Have
Over the next few days, Lucas noticed how distracted Brooke was. He could tell that something was bothering her, but she wasn't willing to share. He decided to try and get it out of Haley since she was her best friend. He knew that she would be able to tell him what was going on with Brooke. At least, he hoped so. There were some secrets that girlfriends weren't willing to tell other people about.
"I wish I knew, but she hasn't even told me what is going on," Haley told Lucas after he asked her about it. "And that isn't like her. She tells me everything. Something must be really wrong."
"Maybe it's the fact that she is moving," a familiar voice replied. Haley and Lucas turned to see Felix. Haley was skeptical to believe him. However, it would make sense of why Brooke was acting so distant from her friends. "You may not believe me, but I saw the "For Sale" sign in front of her house. Check it out and see for yourselves." He didn't wait for a response before he walked away from the two suspicious friends.
Lucas shook his head in disbelief. "Can you believe that guy? He will say anything to get attention."
Haley made a face. "Well, he does live next door to Brooke," she reminded him. "But I do want to see it for myself."
"If Brooke was moving, why didn't she tell us?" Lucas asked.
Haley tried not to laugh. "Maybe she wanted to but she didn't know how to share the news. It's kind of like you and Lindsey. By the way, you never did tell how that date with your ex-wife went," she teased him.
"Lindsey isn't my ex-wife," Lucas corrected her. "We got the marriage annulled, remember? And it was so awkward. I don't really want to talk about it. We have to figure out a way for Brooke to be able to stay in Tree Hill with us." Before Haley could respond, Lucas continued with the conversation. "I know it has nothing to do with me or Nathan. It's Dan. He's the one who is pushing her to leave so he doesn't have to worry about Brooke interfering with his plans to hurt my family."
"Whatever you do, please be careful," Haley asked him. "I don't want you or my boyfriend to get hurt again."
Lucas nodded, not wanting to tell her that they all had to be careful when it came to Dan. He knew that she would just worry about them more than she already was. And she would probably tell his parents about their plans to bring Dan down and they wouldn't allow the boys to carry it out.
During lunch, Lucas and their group of friends were spread out among different places. There were only a couple of weeks left in the semester and everyone wanted to make sure that they did well in their classes. So they were either working on projects with partners or studying for tests.
Brooke was working with Jake on their English project in the library. Or they were trying to. Brooke couldn't concentrate on anything but the thought of moving away from Tree Hill. Despite having absentee parents, her childhood hadn't been that lonely. After all, she had Haley and Mouth to keep her company and eventually Rachel when they met in junior high.
Jake noticed that Brooke wasn't playing attention. He couldn't blame her after what she had told him. "I guess we can do this later," he said as he started putting the stuff for the project away. Brooke gave him an apologetic look, but Jake just shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Besides, I think I can finish up the project so you don't have to worry about it."
Brooke gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, but that wouldn't be fair to you. It's our project and I want to show Mr. Hargrove that I'm doing my part of the work." She then let out a heavy sigh. "But you're right. It probably doesn't matter since I'm moving anyway."
Jake gave her a look. "That's not what I meant. You should make this project the best one you've ever worked on since it's your last." Brooke let out a heavy sigh. She knew that he was right. "But we don't have to work on it right now. We can just have lunch."
Brooke was about to respond when she noticed that he was looking at someone. She turned around and saw Peyton. She tried not to smile as she turned back to Jake. "So I take it that the auction date went well?" she asked.
Jake laughed. "Well, you don't have to worry about Peyton trying to chase Lucas away from you anymore."
"I was never really worried about her in the first place," Brooke told him as the librarian gave them a warning look. Apparently, they were getting a little too loud. They quickly became quiet and started to work on other classes.
After school, Brooke went to cheerleading practice. It was challenging, but she was able to concentrate on practicing the stunts. Once they were done, Lucas offered to take Brooke home. He was disappointed when he found out that Julian was the one who was planning to take her home. Yet, he knew that he was just looking after her, which Lucas was grateful for.
"When are you going to tell your friends that you're moving?" Julian asked Brooke as he drove her home. He and Rachel had been trying to coax Brooke into telling her friends about her move, but they hadn't been successful yet. "You know that they are going to find out sooner or later."
"I would tell them, but it's not the right time," Brooke replied. "I don't want to ruin the holidays for them."
Julian rolled his eyes. "With news like this, it never is. But you need to tell them. They deserve to know that their best friend is moving away. It's just like with me discovering that my girlfriend has returned to Tree Hill. It was important for me to know that she was back. I just can't believe that my dad was the one who pushed her out in the first place."
"I can't believe that you are still calling him that after what he has done to your family," Brooke said.
"I'm still trying to give him the benefit of the doubt," Julian replied as they arrived at her house. He parked the car in the driveway before they climbed out of the vehicle. When they got inside, Rachel was waiting to greet them.
"What have you been doing all day?" Brooke asked Rachel as she threw her backpack on the sofa. Even though she had returned to Tree Hill, she hadn't gone back to school. In fact, she hardly left the house.
"I've been apartment hunting online," Rachel told her as she looked up from her laptop. "I can't believe how much money you have to pay to rent an apartment. I'm just glad that my boyfriend will be helping me pay the rent."
"You still have to get a job," Julian reminded her. "And I want you to enroll in school once we get to Los Angeles. I'm not having my girlfriend stay a high school dropout. I don't care if you don't go to college though."
"Good because I wasn't planning on it," Rachel replied before she turned to Brooke. "What are you going to do when we get to Los Angeles?"
Brooke didn't answer for a moment. "I'm hoping that I won't have to go with you guys," she admitted. "Maybe that's why I haven't told my friends yet. I keep thinking that my mother will change her mind and allow me to stay here somehow. But I don't think she will unless Dan is taken care of." She didn't let her friends respond before she headed up to her bedroom.
Julian was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "I'll be right back. I got to go and run an errand," he said before he gave her a good-bye kiss and headed out the front door to his truck. Rachel didn't even have to wonder. She knew where he was going.
One Saturday afternoon, Haley convinced Brooke to join her and Millie to do some Christmas shopping. Shopping always cheered Brooke up and she hadn't been able to do it with packing boxes and finishing up her final homework assignments. She definitely was ready for a distraction. And Rachel believed that it was the perfect time to tell Haley and Millie about her news.
"Thanks for helping me pick something out for Marvin," Millie told her friends as they walked around the mall. "I wouldn't have known what to get him otherwise. So where do we go next?"
"I'd say we hit the toy store," Haley suggested. Brooke and Millie instantly agreed. They too wanted to find the perfect Christmas gift for Lily. "Maybe you can find something for your future little sibling." Brooke gave her a look. "Come on, Brooke. You can't tell me that you're not excited by the thought of finally becoming a big sister."
Brooke hated to admit it, but she was right. She had always wanted siblings. Then again, she didn't want them to go through the same experience she had. But she also felt that this baby needed to know that someone loved and cared for them. It certainly wasn't going to be her father or her new stepmother. That was for sure. Her father may be excited now, but she knew that he would go back to his old ways of not paying attention to his new wife and child. However, Brooke didn't want history to repeat itself.
There was one problem though. "I don't know how I will be there for my half brother or sister since I'm moving after the holidays," she confessed. "And it's across country too. My mother was going on about believing that there are more opportunities for both of us in Los Angeles, but I know it's really because she wants to stay clear of Dan." She then realized that she was offending Millie. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Brooke," Millie replied. "I have to admit that my dad has been acting very secretive lately. And I don't think that it's because of the holidays either." Brooke and Haley were about to ask her some questions, but she didn't let them. "I didn't say he was involved in the attack. I just think that he is up to something. I just don't know what."
Haley wanted to change the subject. "Let's get to the toy store before it gets too crowded." Her friends didn't say another word about Dan as they headed in the direction of the toy store. Instead, they started thinking of ideas of what they could buy Lily.
As Brooke looked around at the many different toys, she had a funny feeling that someone was following her. She turned around, but there was nobody looking at her. She then jumped as she heard a familiar voice. "Brooke, are you okay?" Haley asked her.
Brooke nodded. "Yeah, I just thought that someone was following us around," she replied as she looked over her shoulder again. She turned back to her best friend. "But I guess it is just me being paranoid."
"I have the same feeling sometimes," Haley agreed. "But I think it's just because of the attack." The subject was dropped as they continued their search for Christmas presents for Lily.
When Haley dropped Brooke off at the house, Lucas was there waiting for her. He helped the girls bring the bags in before Brooke said good-bye to her friends. There was an awkward silence between her and Lucas before Brooke finally spoke. "I suppose you know about the move."
Lucas nodded. "Yeah, I heard rumors about it. I didn't want to believe it until I saw the sign in front of your house. Why didn't you tell me before?"
Brooke let out a heavy sigh. "Because I didn't know how to tell you or Haley," she admitted. She then went into his arms for a tight hug. Her anger about leaving her friends behind finally caught up with her and tears started to fall down her cheeks. "It's not fair. I don't want to leave Tree Hill or you."
"Then don't go," Lucas begged her. "I need you to stay. You have to stay."
"If there was any way I could, I would," Brooke told him. "But my mom is adamant about us leaving." There was a short pause before she spoke again. "I really liked being the girl behind the red door."
Lucas didn't answer her. "Why don't you come over to my house for dinner tonight? My mom is making chicken and dumplings. I don't know if Haley told you, but she will be there too. And I'm sure Lily is dying to see you again."
Brooke stopped him right there. "I would love to stay for dinner."
Before Lucas could answer, Rachel and Julian came walking into the room. Brooke tried to think of an excuse when Lucas gave Rachel a smile. "It's good to have you back." Brooke and Rachel were confused. "Julian told me that she had returned when he stopped by my house the other day," Lucas said.
"How much did he tell you?" Rachel asked curiously.
"He told me about Dan blackmailing you," Lucas replied. "That was enough for me. Don't worry. We'll make sure you're both safe from that bastard."
A couple of hours later, Brooke was at the Scott house. Lily was thrilled to have both Haley and Brooke there. However, she was sad to hear that Brooke was moving. So were Keith and Karen. Neither was Lily.
After dinner, Lucas and Brooke took a walk around the neighborhood. They tried to keep the conversation lively, but it was both hard for them. As they reached the house, there was silence between them. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Brooke nodded. "Yeah, it's just every time I see something in Tree Hill, it's probably one of the last times I'll see it. So I feel that I have to take mental pictures of everything."
"When you take my picture, make sure it's a good one," Lucas joked.
Brooke couldn't help but laugh. "So what are you going to miss most about me?" she asked. "I know we haven't known each other long, but it feels like we have been friends forever." Lucas nodded in agreement. "And it has to be something good. It can't be just us hanging out or my fun parties."
Lucas just gave her a smile. "I'll miss the girl behind the red door." Brooke wasn't expecting that answer, but she was pleased with it just the same. It showed he noticed the little things about her. "We should be getting back." Brooke nodded in agreement and they headed back to the house.
When they arrived, Keith and Karen were sitting in the living room. "We're going to go hang out in my room," Lucas told them. His parents just nodded as he led Brooke to his bedroom. To her surprise, she noticed the door had been painted red. She didn't have a chance to say anything as he gestured her to follow him into the room. Brooke gasped in surprise as she saw all of her belongings were in there. She turned to Lucas, ready for an explanation. "This is all of my stuff. I don't understand."
"Julian set his dad straight about his relationship with you. He won't be bothering any of us anymore," Lucas assured her. "Even with that news, your mom still wanted to move. So I had my parents talk to your mom and she allowed you to stay here for the remainder of your high school education." Brooke couldn't believe her ears. Was this really true? She was staying in Tree Hill? "She didn't want to, but my parents can be pretty convincing. I'll have to room with Nathan, but it's worth a small sacrifice to be able to keep you in Tree Hill."
Brooke gave him a grateful smile. "You did this for me?"
"I wasn't ready to lose you yet," Lucas replied. There was silence as he spoke again. "So? Are you going to stay or what?"
Brooke nodded. "Yes, of course," she exclaimed happily as she embraced him in a tight hug. "I wasn't ready to be lost. Thank you." It was the miracle that she had been wishing for. She was going to stay in Tree Hill with her friends. Life couldn't possibly get better than this.