Author- Emily-Grace Mendes (Brookebynature)

Disclaimer- I don't own the characters or the show. Only the story.

A/N- Thank you for the reviews you guys, I love reading them. Updates will probably be less frquent of late, since I'm now in Spain with my little sister (and without the parentals) and looking after her is kinda hard work when she keeps shouting things at me and other people in Spanish and I don't know what the hell she's saying.

So I guess this is the start of the story really. Hope you enjoy xxx

Play The Game

Chapter 1- Play Hard

"So I heard there's a party at Nate's this weekend" Brooke sat on the bench next to Peyton, repeatedly moving a strand of hair out of her face, the wind completely annoying her.

"Beach house" Peyton told her simply, barely even looked up from the c.d cover she was staring intently at.

"Ya know blondie locks, I always wonder what it is we have in common." Brooke frowned at her friend who had hardly acknowledged her presence.

"you're both bitches"

Brooke turned around to see Nathan standing behind her.

"What brings you to our table? Shouldn't you be shooting hoops or talking about your sex lives, or whatever it is you guys do?" She asked him snidely, turning away from him again to focus on the bag of chips she had just bought from the cafeteria.

"Actually, I'm here because I wanted to make sure that you're coming to the beach house on Friday night."

"You know it."

"I do" he shrugged as he walked away, leaving Peyton without a kiss, or even a 'see you later'

"Jackass" Brooke muttered as she placed a crisp in her mouth, crunching on it delicately.

"You know you'd be perfect for each other" Peyton told her bluntly, dipping her hand into the bag of chips. "I'm surprised you haven't fucked him already."

"I have" Brooke replied nonchalantly, taking another crisp in between her thumb and forefinger.

"What? When?" Peyton demanded, snapping her hand away from the chips.

Brooke bit into her chip, licking the salt slowly off her lips. "the other week"

"And you didn't tell me?"

"Just did" she shrugged. "It's not like it matters."

"How the hell does it not matter?"

"It's not like he's your boyfriend"

Peyton had a hurt expression on her face but Brooke ignored it and continued. "Oh you don't think he thinks of you as a girlfriend do you? Come on, you're just fuck buddies."

"We're not all sluts like you Brooke." she shot back, standing up from her seat at the table.

"Don't kid yourself Peyton. We're both sluts and you know it."

"Why the hell would you want to talk about yourself that way? We're seventeen Brooke."

"I know what I am Peyton. I can accept that. Why can't you?"

She started to walk away, but turned back to face Brooke one last time. "Maybe I'm tired of being one of those girls."

Brooke entered the gym and was met by a hostile atmosphere. Damn those cheerleaders could be bitchy if they wanted. She'd taught them well.

"Yo hoes. Lets get to work." Brooke ignored the looks she was receiving and focused instead on a new move she'd seen some other high school do on ESPN.

"Half twist and into splits." she told the rest of the squad, completing the sequence perfectly. They nodded in approval, quickly forgetting the fact that they were meant to be against Brooke Davis. 'There's no I in team' and all that crap.

Except there was an 'I' in Brooke's team, and they all knew it.

"What's this?" Brooke slammed her hand on top of the silver drop-top Mercedes that was sparked in the space in the parking lot. Her space.

"A car" the blonde boy sat behind the wheel replied bluntly, squinting his eyes at the girl with the stony expression.

"Why is it parked in my space?"

"Your space?"

"Why are you repeating what I'm saying?" Brooke asked, growing increasingly angry by the second.

"Why are you asking stupid questions?"

"Look can you just move this heap of crap and then I can be on my way."

The boy revved the engine and Brooke cocked her eyebrow. But he didn't budge.

"Why do you want me to move so bad anyway? It's not like you have a car that needs parking."

"I will tomorrow." Brooke told him, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Fucking wind"

"Well today's not tomorrow, so there's no problem."

"Hey Jackass" Nathan's voice shouted over the revving. "Move the car."

"Hey Nathan" the boy shouted back "Try saying please"

Nathan shook his head and beeped his horn, starting a frenzy of car drivers beeping their own horns.

"You know him?" Brooke asked, narrowing her eyes at the boy in front of her. Come to think of it, he was actually pretty hot. 'No Brooke' She had to stay focused.

"Oh Nathan and I go way back." The blonde told her. "In fact, it's about seventeen years if I'm not mistaken."

Nathan shook his head, running a hand through his brown hair.

"We're brothers" he told Brooke, smiling at a pissed-looking Nathan. "Lucas Scott, pleased to meet you." he extended his hand out to Brooke who just stared back and forth between the two.

"I never know you had a brother" she told Nathan, shifting her pink ring binder from her right arm to her left.

"Aww Nate, you ashamed of me?" Lucas sneered, pressing a button inside the car that made the top come up and over his head, just as the grey clouds above them started to gather together.

"Whatever" Nathan said, gripping the steering wheel of his Toyota, cursing to himself as Brooke continued to stare between the two. "I'm out of here."

Brooke watched him zoom out of the parking lot, heads turning as he did so.

"Way to go ass hole" Brooke told Lucas "That was my ride."

Lucas shrugged "Guess I'll just have to take you home then."

Brooke contemplated declining the offer, but after looking up at the sky, and then down at her outfit, she decided that a ride home was probably best.

"So how come I haven't seen you around here before?" Brooke asked. It couldn't hurt to find out a little background information about this Lucas guy. After all, he was Nathan's 'secret' brother, so there had to be some kind of interesting story to explain all of this.

"I just moved here" he replied simply, not even turning to look at the brunette beauty beside him. Itching to find out more, Brooke just nodded, playing it cool. She didn't want to seem interested in this guy. She'd known him what? All of ten minutes?

But there was just something about him.

"Nice house" Lucas said as he pulled up in front of Brooke's driveway, a shiny new-looking powder blue beetle parked in the centre.

"Nice wheels" she told him, slamming the door after her. Lucas wound down the window and stuck his head out.

"Aren't you gonna invite me in?"

Brooke shook her head. "Nah, but there's this party on Friday night."

"Nathan's beach house."

Brooke nodded. "How'd you know?"

"Word gets around."

Brooke opened her door and turned back to face the silver car.

"You'd better get to school early tomorrow" Lucas shouted

"And why is that?"

"I kinda liked that parking space."

Brooke watched him drive off, her mouth slightly open until she remembered to close it. There was just something about him that she liked. And that was weird. Brooke didn't like anybody, at least, that's what she told herself.

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