Brooke stared out the window of the living room and sighed. The beautiful and warm sunny skies were interrupted with angry dark clouds. It looked like it might rain unexpectedly after all. She used to love rain, especially storms. Even as a little kid she had not been afraid. In the elementary and middle school days, she and Peyton would run outside in their swimsuits in the middle of the front yard, giggling as they splashed about. She missed that. She missed Peyton more than ever. And when she had grown older, thunderstorms took on a whole new meaning.

It was nightfall in the tiny one bedroom apartment she shared with Haley, who had weathered the storm to go see Nathan. The door had opened and the wind had blown in a drenched Lucas. It was supposed to be a romantic evening. She was cooking dinner for him and he would read another beautiful letter he had penned for her. But it had turned out to be anything but. The first bad omen had been when dinner burned. The second came with a blackout and no flashlight or candles in sight. And the third was when Brooke read the letter she had so looked forward to.

Everything had been perfect until that stupid last line. You're mine forever. Brooke wanted to scream. It was a perfect line, but the same damned line Lucas had used in a letter he had previously written to Peyton. Snatching her coat from its hook, she had angrily ran out in the midst of the storm of the century. Lucas had run after her where they proceeded to have a knock down, drag out argument in the middle of the street. But things had calmed down when he told her that he was in love with her and exactly why. It had warmed her heart and hours later, they had both warmed her bed, consummating their relationship for the first time on their second go.

Brooke closed her eyes. She'd never forget how she felt at that moment. She could still see him. She could still see the way those blue eyes stared right at her as they made love. She could still feel him, still touch him, it was as if the moment was happening all over again…

"God, my life is over," came a moan from the other side of the room.

Brooke's trance was broken when she looked over and saw her dear friend Mouth flat on his back, staring aimlessly up at the ceiling. His eyes and nose were red and puffy from crying.

"It's okay, Mighty Mouth," she consoled him. "I promise you your life is not over, Friend. It only feels that way because this is your very first heartbreak."

"Actually it's not," he blew his nose. "It's my fourth. You were the first, Erica Marsh was the second and Rachel was the third."

"Oh."

"I need more tissues, please."

Brooke frowned at the hunk of balled up, snot and tear filled, white paper already forming a volcanic heap on top of Mrs. Gatina's five thousand dollar custom made rug.

"Here," she tossed him a brand new box of Kleenex.

"Thanks," he dove right in.

"Mouth, um, no offense or anything but exactly how long is this cry fest going to last?"

"Forever," he sighed dramatically.

"Great," she mumbled under her breath.

He had been sobbing and venting about his unexpected breakup with Gigi going on three hours. She considered Mouth a friend and she loved him dearly. After all, he had been a major player in helping her get over Lucas the first time they had split up. She would always be there for her friends but it was hard seeing poor Mouth in such bad shape.

"It's okay. I know I'm depressing you, Brooke. I'll be okay. Just, just leave me here."

She hung her head in exasperation. Though his pain was real and she could sympathize, his flair for the dramatic had her wanting to ram her fist down his whining little throat. At her wits end, she felt a glimmer of hope when someone was at the door. It was probably Rachel, who had forgotten her key again. Brooke breathed a sigh of relief. Rachel would know exactly what to do.

"Thank God you are here, we have a breakup code red going on right on your living room floor and…"

"Brooke! Oh God! My life is over!"

Brooke made a face. What the hell was going on? It was not Rachel at the door, it was a distraught Bevin.

"Don't just stand there, come in before it stats pouring," Brooke closed the door behind them. "Now what the hell happened to you?"

Bevin looked a mess and Brooke couldn't remember a time seeing her that way. She wore no make up and heavy bags loomed underneath her once bright eyes. Tears streamed down her face and she could hardly speak.

"Oh Brookie, it's hopeless! Everything is hopeless! I'm hopeless! I just want to die!"

"Join the club," Mouth sat up, curious, as he temporarily forgot her own troubles.

"I need food," Bevin stumbled in the kitchen. "Lots of it. High calorie, fatty, bad carb filled food."

"Bevin…"

"Donut holes. Oh God, I need donut holes. Do you have any donut holes, Brooke?"

"Of course we do. Rachel lives here", Brooke handed her a bag.

"I love you, " Bevin whimpered as she shoved five in her mouth.

"What the…" Brooke threw her hands up in the air.

Bevin reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of clippers. Holding them in her right hand, she grabbed a handful of her gorgeous blonde locks with the left hand.

"I'm gonna do it! I swear to God! I'm just gonna shave all my hair off and get it over with!" she threatened, powdered sugar and glaze encased around her lips.

"That's it!" Brooke yelled. "Now I am officially taking charge! You two are absolutely nuts! I have Mouth over here trying to blow his brains out through his nose and I have Bevin pulling a Britney. I so cannot handle this right now. I feel a Mariah moment of my own coming on. Both of you need to get a grip and calm down so we can talk this out like rational people."

Bevin pouted, tears still falling as she relinquished the clippers to Brooke.

"What happened to you?" she sniffled, nodding at Mouth.

He exhaled.

"Gigi dumped me."

"Why?" Bevin wrapped her arms around him. "You two were like the perfect couple. You're so cute together. I thought you were happy."

"So did I," he shrugged. "So did I."

"What did she say?"

"She said it was over. She said we were getting too serious too fast. She said she wanted space and time to hang out with her friends. She said she wanted to be just friends…with me."

"I'm so sorry, Mouth."

He shook his head.

"I just don't get it. Is it just me? I mean, I thought everybody wanted to be loved. I thought every girl wanted a nice, honest, loyal, loving guy. Why don't people want relationships anymore? You know, it took me forever to find Gigi. I was always the nice guy, the little brother. I'm the guy you'll ask for help on the big test but I'm the last guy you'll ask out on the big date."

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is. Face it. I'm a geek, a dork. And that sucks. I'm never gonna have a girlfriend and I'm gonna be a virgin forever."

"Mouth…"

"No. Brooke, Bevin, you two don't get it and you never will. Look at you. You're both drop dead gorgeous. You have no idea what it's like to wake up every morning and feel so ugly."

Brooke swallowed hard.

"Oh Mouth. Sweetie, you're not ugly and one day you're gonna find a great girl who is ready to love you just the way you love her. Plenty of girls would die for a date with you."

"Yeah? Who? Name one, Brooke."

"Um…"

"See you can't. Hell, you didn't even want me and I can't blame you."

"It wasn't like that."

"I know, I know. I was too nice. I'm like a little brother. Yeah, Brooke, I've heard that one before. Then when I met Erica I thought it would be different. She was so pretty and she really liked me. We had some great times. Then she got popular. She took a look in the mirror one day and figured out she could have any guy she wanted, so what the hell was she doing with me? That crushed me, it ruined my whole summer. Then I met Rachel but that was my fault. I was dumb enough to think I was actually in her league. I thought I could compete with Cooper Lee. Pretty dumb, huh? Nobody will ever want me. Face it. Unless I buy a hooker or a mail order bride, I'll be alone and sexless for the rest of my life. But at least my tomb stone will read that I was an awesome friend," he sarcastically rolled his eyes.

"I know exactly how you feel," Bevin spoke up.

"Yeah right."

"I do. You say that I'm pretty. Well, what if I told you it was a curse."

"Whatever."

"It's true. I know how it feels to go through life being judged solely on your looks. People expect me to act a certain way, be a certain way. I have this horrible stereotype I can't break away from. I'm pretty and I'm popular and all these girls want to be my best friend. But why? They don't know me and they don't care about getting to know me. And guys? Whatever. They're all lying, cheating, immature assholes. Be glad you're not like that, Mouth. And you know what? I'd rather be dateless."

"You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not. Being dateless might be a little lonely sometimes but that's okay. I can deal with that. I'd rather be lonely than hurt. Because I'm tired of it. I'm tired of it all. People think I'm stupid, just some ditzy blonde cheerleader with bubble gum for brains. That's not me. People think I can only get by on how I look. That's not true. I'm more than that. And guys think they can just use me. Hell, I'm really sick of that. I'm sick of being a whore."

"Bev, you're not a whore," Brooke reached out.

"I'm not? Well, what do you call it? What's the term when guys pick you up, pretend to be interested, tell you what you want to hear, screw you, then forget about you when they've had their fun? Do you have any idea how it feels to like someone, I mean, really like a guy and think your so called relationship is going great, only to have it blow up in your face? I'm tired of not getting called the next day, having guys not remember my name, having them ignore me when they're out with their real girlfriends. It hurts. It makes me feel so worthless."

Her tears continued to fall as did Mouth's as their broken hearts shared a sad but unique kinship. They hugged and comforted each other as Brooke watched from afar. Then, despite her attempts to control it, her own face fell, tears and sobs escaping.

"What are you crying for, Brooke?" Mouth asked.

"Because," she wailed. "Look at you two. You're two of my very best friends. You're both in so much pain and I never even noticed it. Some friend I am, huh? I'm sorry, guys."

"It's okay," Bevin hugged her.

"It's not okay. Sometimes, I feel like nothing is okay anymore. I mean, I'm not in love with Lucas anymore and I totally accept that we're over but sometimes I just get so mad, you know? Like why? Why did he have to love Peyton in the first place? Why wasn't it good enough when I gave him my heart two years ago? And why are things so messed up with Peyton? Part of me misses her so much and wants to forgive her but how? The friendship will never be the same. Can I even trust her again? I, I just don't know what to do sometimes. I feel lonely, too. Yeah, Rachel was great to let me stay here but I should be with my parents. They should be here in Tree Hill and they should love me and we should be a normal family. How come nothing is ever normal anymore?"

Mouth pulled the girls closer.

"I know this is gonna sound corny and lame but I've never felt as close to anybody as I feel to you two right now."

"It's not corny or lame," Bevin added. "I've never told anybody this before. Who else could I trust but you and Brooke?"

Brooke dabbed at her eyes.

"You know what? This really sucks but I'm glad we did it. I'm glad we talked and got everything in the open like this. It helps. I feel better. We're good people, the three of us. Yeah, we have our faults and flaws but doesn't everybody? This is high school and I know no matter what happens, we're all gonna be okay. Mouth, you're not ugly. Sweetie, you're beautiful. And one day you will find that special girl and it will be right, I promise. And Bevin, you're not an idiot. You're smart and kind and you're wonderful. You're not a slut either. Those guys are just assholes and they're the ones that missed out."

"You're pretty great, too," Mouth nodded. "I know things with Lucas changed everything but one day you'll look back on it and laugh. It was just high school, right? There's a guy out there for you too, Brooke Davis and he might not know it yet, but he's the luckiest son of a gun on this planet."

"You're a great friend, too, Brooke," Bevin smiled. "We all know that. Peyton knows it, too. One day you guys will have it back. Forgiveness takes time but that's okay. You love Peyton and she loves you. Don't force anything. When you're ready, it will happen."

The three looked at each other and immediately dissolved into tears again.

"I love you guys."

"I love you."

"What would I do without you two?"

Sobbing in a circle, they all held each other just as a key turned in the lock of the front door. Rachel could only look on in shock and shake her head, as she grabbed a donut hole.

"What the hell happened here?"