The back door opened and Karen, who had been sitting at the table writing bills, looked up in surprise. "Lucas?" she asked as he walked through the door. He gave a slight nod before pulling off his soaked hoodie.

"Hey ma," he said as he hung up the sweater on a near-by hook. "You're soaked to the bone!" she said as she stood up, going to the cupboard to grab a mug. She filled it with water, and then slid it into the microwave to make him some tea.

Lucas leaned against the counter, his eyes looking to the floor. "Can I ask you something?" he asked, catching the nod his mom gave from the corner of his eye. He let out a breath before asking, "There's a party tonight at Tric, and Peyton's trying to get Brooke to go. I'm not sure…" he trailed off, unsure if he could continue.

What hurts the most
Is being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do

"Do you think she'll show up?" Karen asked as she stepped towards her son. He gave a slight shrug, his eyes still on the floor. Hearing the beeping of the microwave, she turned to grab his cup. She slipped in a tea bag, letting it steep as she turned back to him. "I think you should follow your heart, Luke. If you think you can work things out, go. There's no sense in staying home tonight anyways."

He let out another breath, his hand sliding to the back of his neck. Lucas closed his eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Thanks for the tea, ma," he said as he pushed away from the counter. "I think I'll just take a shower and a nap though."

Karen gave him another nod, watching his back as he retreated into his bedroom. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to find a way to help him out of this.

----

Hearing a knock at the door, Brooke glanced down at her chocolate ice cream. She had opened a new pint of ice cream today, and within an hour she was almost half way done with it. She pushed it away, dropping her spoon into it as she stood up.

She walked over to the front door and opened it, her eyes widening at the sight of the person on the other side. She quickly went to close the door, only to be stopped by Peyton's hand. The blonde pushed the door open again, ignoring the glare she was getting from her ex-best friend.

"What do you want?" Brooke hissed, her arms crossing over her chest. It was obvious that she didn't want to talk to Peyton.

"Look, I know I'm not your favourite person in the world these days," Peyton started. "No kidding," Brooke said, leaning against the door a bit. The blonde ignored her and continued, "There's a party at Tric tonight. I didn't know if you knew, but Lucas is going to be there."

The look that came to Brooke's face, even though it was for a mere second, showed Peyton that she wanted to be there. It was a mix of pain and excitement, something she really wished she didn't have to have played a part in.

"Well, then I'm sure I'll see you two there together," Brooke said, placing her hand on the door again. "Are you done flaunting your relationship with my ex-boyfriend in front of my face, or do you want to rub some salt into the wounds?"

Peyton let out a sharp breath and shook her head. Good old Brooke, she thought to herself. "Actually, he isn't going with me. Not that it's any of your business," she said.

Brooke merely rolled her eyes and closed the door in Peyton's face. "You can have him," she whispered to the door.

Turning on her heel, she knew that it wasn't true. She wanted so desperately to be with him again, and knowing that he was going to be there tonight made butterflies come to her stomach. At the same time, however, she thought of how easily he had let her go.

Did he ever think about her?

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts of him. Glancing towards the kitchen, she let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Ben and Jerry, here I come," she said as she headed towards the kitchen.