It had been a long, hard day at school and an even longer, harder two hours at cheerleading practice. Brooke Davis was exhausted. Walking from the gym to her car in the student parking lot, she could only dream of getting home, taking a nice, relaxing, hot, bubble bath while eating ice cream and thumbing through the latest edition of Cosmo. Then it would be off to bed. It was a heavenly thought and she wished it hadn't been so late so she could have called up Peyton and coaxed her into an late afternoon at the spa getting manicures, pedicures, facials and Swedish massages. But for the moment, she would settle for her own home pampering. Opening the door to her prized and adorable convertible Bug, she tossed her gym bag and book bag in the back seat. She was minutes away from home, just minutes away from paradise but a quick glance downward quickly shattered any dreams of relaxation and pleasure. Instead, in seconds, Brooke's whole day was suddenly ruined.

"Son of a bitch!" she muttered, stamping her tiny sneaker clad foot.

She couldn't believe it. The tire to the rear of the driver's seat was completely flat. Looking around, there didn't seem to be another student or person in sight. Brooke cursed again as she dug around in her purse, searching for her cell phone.

"You okay?"

She stopped, freezing. She'd know that voice anywhere. Seconds before she had mumbled a quick silent prayer for help from someone, anyone. God must be playing tricks on her. Of all people to send.

"Lucas", she managed through tightly pursed, glossed lips.

Her handsome, basketball playing ex boyfriend walked up to her looking scrumptious as usual in his workout clothes, gym bag hanging from his muscular shoulders.

"Hey. You looked like you needed help. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine", she countered quickly.

His eyes gazed down to the tire.

"I hope you don't plan on driving that thing."

"And if I am?" she came back, fumbling for that stupid phone more than ever.

Lucas didn't want to piss her off even more but he couldn't help but chuckle.

"You won't get very far and you'd just kill your rim."

She made a face.

"I knew that. I'm not stupid, you know. I was just about to call…"

He set his bag on the pavement.

"You have a spare in your trunk?" he asked.

"I don't know. I guess."

"Pop it", he said, much to her dismay.

She complied and he looked inside finding the tire and the jack and the other tools he needed.

"What are you doing?"

"About to save you a lot of time and money. I'll change this. When you get a minute, take this bad tire to the shop and see if it can be plugged or something. I doubt it because it looks like you got a nail embedded pretty deep. They might be able to save it. If not, you can get another one."

Brooke folded her arms.

"That's very nice of you, Lucas but it's okay. I can handle it. I don't need you going to so much trouble."

"It's no trouble at all", he shrugged, already on the ground setting things up. "Besides, that's what friends do for each other, right? We help each other out."

She cringed at the statement involuntarily. Friends, huh? Could they really call themselves that after everything that had happened?

"Uh, sure", Brooke said, uneasily, leaning against the front portion of her car.

She watched him get to work, tanned arms bulging with muscles in all the right places. Friends. She could remember a time when they were more than friends…

She had never really paid much attention to him before sophomore year. He was just the cute but dirty looking boy from the opposite side of the tracks who scandalously, supposedly was Nathan Scott's older, illegitimate half brother. It wasn't until after the rumors were confirmed and he began to play on the Raven's team that the attraction developed. At first it was a game, nothing more than a mere high school hookup. Never mind that her best friend seemed to have some amazing brooding soul connection with the guy. Brooke was just out for a little fun. She didn't count of falling in love…it just sort of happened.

He listened to her. He talked to her and not at her. He wasn't just interesting in getting in her panties and he even had the audacity to fight off the first sexual advances she initiated. Lucas Scott was just different and she really liked it. He and Peyton ended before they really started and before Brooke knew it, she was falling in love with her new boyfriend. Bliss would unfortunately last shortly as he broke up with her right after the car accident that almost claimed his life. Then she found out the chemistry with he and Peyton had never ended and behind her back, they had been acting on it all along. The pretty brunette affectionately known as Cheery was anything but. It took a false alarm pregnancy scare and a lot of time and drama before she could forgive either of them. Even more amazingly, she and Lucas were able to become real friends but her deep down love could never be denied and she had finally agreed to trust him with her heart in a second chance. She had vowed to keep her eye on Peyton but it would be another blonde who would sweep the rug from underneath her feet.

Her name was Kelly. She was bubbly and sweet, popular and eager to prove herself as a Ravens' cheerleader. Almost instantly Brooke had seen something special and had taken to the young girl, right away spending extra time going over routines and moves. They had formed a sisterly bond, which made it that much more disappointing when Brooke found out she would miss Kelly's first big dance competition with the squad. She'd be at the Rogue Vogue, a fashion event for up and coming designers to showcase their latest stuff on the hottest models. It was Rachel who had submitted Brooke in the first place and although pleased, Brooke automatically sensed an ulterior motive. Of course Rachel just wanted the chance to captain the girls alone for a chance but little did any of them know, Brooke had bigger things to worry over.

Rogue Vogue was a raging success and all was well upon her return to Tree Hill…for a while. Within weeks, the ugly rumors started. Brooke felt the stares and heard the whispers. Lucas had supposedly cheated. In a world of "he said, she said", Brooke was willing to turn the other cheek without solid proof until the sordid accusations simply became too much to bear. She confronted him and he denied all. He looked right in her face and said it was a lie. Something inside Brooke screamed otherwise.

She couldn't explain why she felt differently towards him but she just knew that she did. Call it a woman's intuition. Lucas felt it too, especially after an icy reception at a party with all their friends. With guilt weighing in on his own conscious, he made a phone call that would change all their lives. So it had been true, although he couldn't say why he'd done it or even how he felt about it after the fact. He just knew he didn't want to hurt Brooke…or the other girl. So he called her for a heart to heart and midway in, Brooke beeped in on the other line. He clicked over and promised to call her back although he failed to realize that he hadn't swapped calls.

"Kelly, what we did was wrong because I have a girlfriend but you're still a special person to me. I can't explain these feelings I'm having. I think about you all the time…"

But there was no Kelly on the other line…only Brooke.

Heartbroken and humiliated, she had ended their relationship that night. It had taken a while to get over the anger but finally it began to subside. She could neither forgive nor forget what Lucas and Kelly had done, she could only accept it and move on, barely tolerating what was basically thrown in her face every single day. It was hard and sometime it still hurt. Once upon a time he had called her "the one" and looked in her eyes with such love and sincerity that it made her melt. Now he was looking at someone else that way. Brooke was left to question if what they had was ever really real. Or was it just an illusion of the love she had always secretly so desperately craved?

"So I haven't seen you around in a while."

"Huh?" she snapped back to the present.

"You. I said I never see you."

"Lucas, you see me all the time."

He shrugged.

"I know but we never hang out."

Stupid boys. Like she was dying to spend an evening of dinner and dancing as a third wheel on the Lucas Scott/Kelly Dillard express.

"I've been busy", she scoffed. "I have my own life you know."

Of course she did. A life that no longer included him. It sometimes pained him and added to his ever growing confusion that it was all his fault.

"I know. It's cool. It's just that I miss you…"

"Lucas, don't do that."

"I'm not trying to. I'm just saying I miss you as a friend. We had some good times, Brooke."

"Shit happens. People move on."

"You seeing anybody?" he tried to ask casually.

"I date here and there. No biggie. I'm not looking to get tied down again. Playing the field is so in this season."

"I guess. I don't know. I just want you to be happy."

She wanted to scream. How dare he feel sorry for her?

"Well, I am. That's me, Brooke Penelope Davis. Happy, happy, happy."

Lucas, finished with his work finally stood.

"Good. I'm glad. You totally deserve real happiness."

"Are you done?" she changed the subject.

"Huh? Oh yeah. All done. You're good to go. Just don't forget to stop by the shop, alright?"

"Yeah."

"I could, you know, follow you home and stuff to make sure you make it okay. It wouldn't be any trouble."

"I'm fine. Tire looks sturdy enough."

"You sure?"

"I…"

Before she could sputter out another word, they were joined by a third party.

"Hey, Brooke", Kelly said, not looking at her in the eye.

"Kelly."

"Hey, babe. What's going on?"

She and Lucas kissed and Brooke thought she might puke.

"Nothing. Brooke had a flat. I changed it, helped her out."

Kelly nodded uneasily.

"Well, are you ready to go? I thought we could have ice cream and peach cobbler at the café."

Lucas could barely peel his eyes away from his ex.

"What? Oh sure. Yeah, Mom did bake peach cobbler today."

"Of course she did, silly", Kelly giggled. "It's Wednesday."

"Well, I wouldn't want to keep you away from your peach cobbler", Brooke finally spoke, climbing inside her car. "I guess I'll see you around. Thanks for the help, Luke."

He couldn't let go, not just yet.

"No problem. Look, if you need…"

"I'm fine", she cranked up and pulled away.

She had to drive and just keep going forward without looking back. It was the story of her life. Brooke couldn't look back. The past and everything behind her hurt too much. It was time to face the future, be a newer, stronger, Brooke Davis. The pretty, popular social butterfly of a head cheerleader. The player who had no time for relationships or real feelings. And that was the way she liked it. It had to be that way. Shame on Lucas for the first time but shame on her for allowing the second chance to be duped. But she had learned a valuable lesson and it would never happen again. No man would ever hurt Brooke Davis like that again. She wouldn't let him. Her fragile heart would remain under lock and key where it should have stayed the first time Lucas had ever broken it.