Chapter Two – Have You Done All You Can?

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AN: Just a quick little note before we get to the chapter – I didn't get many reviews last chapter and so I would really love it if you could review this chapter. I really want to know your thoughts on the fic so PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you to those of you who did review last chapter, your feedback is very much appreciated. Thanks to Ellie for being an awesome beta. This chapter's title is from 'Rewind' by Stereophonics.

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Brooke stood by the riverwalk, knowing that Lucas would be arriving home about now, that is if he hadn't found any excuse he could to stay at school longer. But, she had made plans for this afternoon, and for once, they honestly weren't in an attempt to avoid an awkward evening at home with Lucas.

"Brooke!"

She turned around at the sound of her name and was immediately caught in a hug by the girl who had come to be one of her closest friends, although she didn't see her as much as she would like, seeing as they attend different colleges.

"Haley.." Brooke said as she embraced her. "Oh I've missed you buddy.."

"I've missed you too," Haley replied as the two young women who were recently just girls, broke away from each other.

"We have so much to catch up on, but first, coffee?" Haley asked.

"Yeah", Brooke said with a nod.

Moments later the girls walked along the riverside together sipping coffee, giving desired warmth on the cold winter's day. Brooke's thin pink scarf floated in the breeze behind her, her brown wavy hair drifting along on top of it.

"So, how are you?" Brooke asked Haley.

"I'm good. College is great. I'll admit at first I was a little disappointed to be going to Duke and not Stanford, as you know, but I'm actually really loving it at Duke."

"That's awesome, Haley. How's Nathan?" Brooke asked.

"He's great, putting a lot of focus into basketball at the moment cause they've got some big games coming up, so I'm not seeing him quite as much as I would like. But, that's only for a bit."

"So things are good with you two?"

"Yeah, they're great. For a while there I never thought we'd find our way back, but that seems so long ago now," Haley beamed, reminiscing over how far she and Nathan had come.

Brooke nodded and gave a half-smile. She was trying so hard to be happy for her friend but she couldn't fight the feeling of jealousy she felt towards Nathan and Haley's relationship. It made her sad to think how perfect their relationship was compared to her own.

"Oh I'm sorry Brooke, I wasn't thinking-" Haley apologized. She didn't know all the details on Brooke and Lucas' relationship, but she knew enough, and she knew Brooke. Even though they didn't see each other as much as they did in high school, Haley could still sense how Brooke was feeling. Haley stopped walking as she apologized, and Brooke turned to look at her as she responded.

"Haley it's okay. Really. I'm happy for you guys, you deserve to be happy."

After a moment, Haley spoke. She wanted to help Brooke and Lucas, she just hoped Brooke would talk to her and let her help.

"How are you, Brooke?"

"I'm okay", Brooke replied unconvincingly.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm not on top of the world or anything, but I'm okay."

"So.. what's going on with you guys?" Haley asked slightly hesitantly.

"Honestly, I don't know."

"What do you mean?

"I mean we're together but it doesn't feel like it anymore. It's like we've got stuck in this cycle and we can't get out of it. We just don't seem close anymore, Haley. I mean we live together, I see him everyday but we seem so distant from each other. I mean I can't even remember the last time we kissed, or even hugged, let alone had a proper conversation."

"I'm sorry, Brooke. But you two are meant to be together, I know you are. You'll work it out."

"I hope so Haley. I really do."

"Believe me, I know how it feels to think things will never be right again. But they will."

Brooke gave a weak nod as they continued walking along the quiet strip beside the water. After a moment, Brooke spoke.

"When you came back from the tour, and Nathan pushed you away and didn't want to be together again, how did you do it? How did you hold on?"

They had come up to the picnic tables by the riverside, coincidently appropriate as Haley began to speak of her and Nathan. They sat down next to each other on one side of the table and turned to face each other.

"I'm sorry to ask, Haley, I don't want to remind you off it and I'm seriously not trying to make you sad-"

"No, no Brooke its okay. I umm" she hesitated, looking for the right words to offer her friend. As she searched for the right words, she looked at Brooke. Her eyes were tired and sad, and she didn't have the essence of life and joy that once belonged to her. Haley remembered how Lucas had called Brooke 'Cheery', and she couldn't help but observe how that name was no longer suited to the girl it once had been associated with.

"Well, I guess the first thing I did was stop and think whether I should hold on. Whether maybe he was right and we wouldn't be able to find our way back. But I knew I loved him and so I knew that I couldn't give up on us." She paused for a moment. "Look Brooke, you love Lucas don't you?"

"Yeah I do. But I'm beginning to wonder whether there needs to be more than that to keep us together."

"No, you just have to remember that love and remind yourself of it and try and work through your problems. You both need to start fighting for your love."

"Yeah, you're right. But we tried so hard in high school and I don't know if either of us have the strength anymore."

"But when have you tried recently? Have you done all you can? Just talk to him Brooke, you guys need to tell each other how you're feeling and why and try and work out how to fix it. You can't hide from your problems, Brooke, or else you're going to be stuck in the cycle forever."

Knowing her friend was right, Brooke promised herself that she wouldn't give up and felt a little reassured that all hope was not lost. Yet, she knew that things wouldn't get better by themselves and that they had to do something to fix this. But what? Brooke decided to follow Haley's advice and start by talking to him, but she wasn't sure she would have the courage. Still, Brooke found it hard to be completely open around Lucas, only a very few times had she let her guard completely down and told him everything she was feeling. Brooke knew that this in itself was one of the factors that had led them here, to a place so far from the relationship they once shared. How could she start to work towards overcoming their problems, when one of the methods of doing so, was one of those very problems?