Brooke was sitting at one of the tables in Tric, her eyes focused on the drink that Rachel had gotten her. The red-head had disappeared moments after dropping off the refreshment and Brooke knew that she had spotted some gorgeous guy. She shook her head a bit, surprised at how alike they were. Well, the Brooke that she used to be before meeting Lucas.

The girl let out a heavy sigh at the thought of him. She stirred her drink absentmindedly with the small, red straw that was sitting in the glass. Losing herself in her memories, she could see him so clearly at the beach, professing his love for her. "I know we're just part-time, that's cool. You know, do whatever, have your fun," he had said to her, "but one of these nights, you're gonna realize it. I'm the guy for you, Brooke Davis."

The part that seemed to hurt her the most was that she believed him. And for a while, he was the guy for her. But then Peyton had pulled him away, again, and she'd decided to let go instead of letting them rub their relationship in her face.

As if on cue, the curly blonde-haired girl walked onto the stage and approached the microphone. "How is everyone tonight?" she asked, only to be greeted by a loud yell from the crowd, their voices morphing into one. Peyton let out a laugh before asking, "Are you all ready for Sarah McLachlan?" The crowd once again let out a shout, one that sounded like a strangled 'Yeah!'

Brooke took a sip of her drink, feeling the alcohol Rachel as slipped into it burn at her throat. She coughed a bit into her hand as Haley and Nathan approached with their hands together between them. She gave them a smile as they sat down at her table, their fingers still intertwined.

"You don't want to drink that," Brooke said as Haley picked up the glass she had just set down. She sent the brunette a confused look to which she stated, "Rachel spiked it." Haley gave a nod, setting it back down onto the table. Haley leaned into Nathan a bit as he looked over the crowd of people.

"Have you seen him yet?" Haley asked as she watched Brooke look over the crowd. The brunette's eyes landed on her friend, a faint blush coming to her cheeks. "I haven't been looking," she mumbled before taking a large drink from her glass.

The sounds of Sarah McLachlan could be heard from the stage, a bit quieter up where they were seated. Nathan kissed the top of Haley's head before muttering something about someone he had to talk to. As he passed Brooke, he lovingly squeezed her shoulder, causing tears to spring to her eyes. She couldn't help but feel pathetic, knowing that both Haley and Nathan could sense her pain.

Haley leaned across the table, placing her hand gingerly on top of her best friend's. "Brooke," she said quietly, watching the brunette's eyes raise to meet hers. "I know that you still love him. You need to try to work things out with him before you lose him completely. And I know," Haley continued despite the efforts of Brooke to interrupt, "that he can be stubborn, but I also know that he loves you. Believe me, I'm like his sister. More so now than ever, but that's beside the point. Just please, promise you'll talk to him tonight?"

Brooke, with her free hand, raised her glass to her lips and she downed another large drink of the liquid. It was now half-empty and Brooke, who hadn't eaten anything, was starting to feel just the slight buzz. She nodded a bit to Haley, knowing that protests would be pointless. "I'll try," she said softly.

----

Lucas stepped into the club, hearing the music floating over the crowd of people from the stage. He ran a hand over his hair, glancing around a bit. His blue eyes searched over the mass of bodies, trying to find the one person that he wanted to see. After a few minutes, with no luck whatsoever, he let out a heavy sigh.

He pushed his way further into the club towards the bar and he sat down, seeing one of the bartenders behind it. "Water, please," he said when she glanced his way. He closed his eyes for a moment as he rubbed his forehead, trying to figure out what to do now.

"Hey," said a voice beside him and he opened his eyes, seeing Peyton sitting to his right. Lucas gave her a slight nod, taking the glass from the woman. "Hey," he replied before taking a drink.

Peyton bumped her shoulder against his gently, flashing him a smile. "What's got you so down?" she asked, her elbows resting on the bar. She knew exactly what was wrong (she had seen Brooke at the mall, watching them) but she didn't want to admit it.

"It's Br… It's nothing, Peyton," he said with a shake of his head. What was the use of telling anybody? He'd already lost her, and now he was just nursing a broken heart. "I don't believe that," she said as she stood up, "but I'll let you wallow alone in your water for now. I have some stuff to attend to," she said before giving him a brief hug.

Lucas stood up with the glass in his hand, dropping a few dollars onto the bar top. He stepped through the crowd again, heading towards the tables along the sides of the club. As if by magic his eyes fell on Brooke's form, sitting across from his best friend. His heart soared in his chest, beating wildly at the thought of her actually being just a few feet away from him.

He walked towards her table only to be stopped by a hand grabbing hold of his jacket. "I thought I lost you," Peyton's voice came from behind him. Lucas let out a few choice words beneath his breath before he turned around unwillingly.

"I know this probably isn't the best time," Peyton said, ignoring the fact that Brooke was seated a few feet from them. "I need to tell you this, though. So please, Luke, just hear me out."

Lucas leaned against a near-by pole, fighting the urge to turn around and walk towards Brooke. Peyton rambled on for a few moments, talking about how she and Lucas were really good friends and he meant a lot to her, etc. He was about ready to interrupt when she stated, "I love you, Lucas. I've loved you ever since we first met."

He had no time to reply before Peyton pulled him into a kiss. His eyes widened in shock as he stood there for a moment, stunned. Somewhere behind him he could hear a loud gasp and somehow he knew that Brooke had been watching.

Sure enough, as he tried to pull away, he could see the brunette walking quickly towards the exit. Lucas finally broke free and he glared at Peyton. "What the hell is your problem?" he asked, not giving her time to reply before he went after Brooke.

----

Brooke had been sitting at the table, talking to Haley about what all she had to do for the party. Then, all of a sudden, she could see her friend's eyes grow a bit wider as she looked past her. The brunette turned in her seat just in time to see Peyton kissing Lucas.

A gasp came from her mouth before she had time to control it and she quickly pushed her chair back, feeling the familiar sting of tears at her eyes. How dare he get that close to her just to make out with his new girlfriend?! She walked briskly past them, fighting the urge to look at them as well as holding her tears in check.

It seemed like days passed as she pushed her way through the crowd. Brooke finally found the exit and pushed open the door, collapsing on the top step of the stairs. Her throat was burning with emotions as she squeezed her eyes shut, praying that no one had seen her.

Her head pounded as she rested her forehead onto her knees, trying to breathe deeply. She wanted so badly to get out and go back to Rachel's house, but she didn't have a car and she didn't have any money on her. Why did she decide to come to this party?

The door opened behind her, but she remained seated the way she was. "Please, don't let it be Lucas," she whispered against her legs. The person sat down beside her, keeping as much space between them as was possible on the narrow step.

"Brooke?" Lucas asked tentatively, positive that at the sound of his voice she would sit up and slap him. The brunette tensed beside him, her hands gripping her legs as she tried to scoot further away from him.

"Leave me alone," she mumbled, her voice a bit muffled from the position she was in. The blonde let out a heavy sigh as he rested his head against the wall. Inside he could hear the crowd singing along with Sarah.

What was he going to do now?