"Haley, do you know how to do this?" Brooke asked, pointing to her math homework.

"Yep." Haley said, walking over and explaining the whole thing to Brooke.

"Jeez, you are smart." Brooke raised he eyebrows and looked at Haley, who didn't hear Brooke's comment.

Paige walked into the kitchen where the four kids were sitting "You four are going to the Valentine's Day Dance at school, right?"

"Yea." They all mumbled.

"Do you have your dresses?" Paige asked the girls who shook their heads.

"We're going after school today." Brooke informed her mother who smiled.

"Good." Paige said with a big smile.

"Brooke, can I talk to you?" Lucas asked, motioning for Brooke to follow him outside

"What's up? Brooke asked, looking into Lucas' blue eyes.

"Do you have a date for the dance?" he asked nervously.

Brooke smiled "Not yet."

"Would you like to go with me?"

"I'd love to." Brooke said happily.

Later that night, after everyone was asleep, Brooke ran into Haley's room.

"Haley! Lucas asked me out!" she ran in practically yelling.

Haley sat up "Brooke, what time is it?"

Brooke shrugged "Who cares! I'm going to the dance with Luke!"

"Excited much?" Haley pulled the comforter over her head just as her cell phone vibrated, then Brooke's did a moment later. Both girls read the messages and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Brooke asked Haley.

"No where." Haley answered, pulling a big sweatshirt over her head "Where are you going?" she asked, walking out onto the deck that led to the beach.

"No where." Brooke answered. Both girls walked out onto the beach, knowing, of course, why the other one was there.

Lucas and Nathan were standing at the water, waiting for the girls. Without saying anything to each other, Brooke went one way with Lucas, and Haley went with Nathan another way.

3 3 3

"How you holding up?" Brooke asked after a few minutes of walking "I mean….you know…after being here a week?"

"Your parents have been more than great Brooke, really." Lucas told her "Really, it's been great."

"That's not what I asked." Brooke said, putting her hands on her hips "I wanna know how you are doing. I know you're quiet, but I'm here if you wanna talk."

Lucas paused a minute "Have you ever lost someone close?"

Brooke shook her head "No, I haven't."

"Well it's hard as hell, and sometimes you seem so lost you don't know what to do but then you realize that it's not the end of the world, and you can't just hide from the world, you can't be afraid, it's just life. If you face up to things, work through them, it makes you stronger. And I think I finally realized that."

Brooke nodded, intently listening, until Lucas did something Brooke didn't expect. He leaned in a kissed her.

"What was that for?" she asked.

He paused a second, his hand on her cheek "I like you Brooke. I really like you."

Brooke smiled "Good. Me too." She kissed him back as it started to rain.

After a while more, Brooke looked up and Lucas. She was laying on his chest in the sand, looking up at the stars. It stopped raining and was such a beautiful night.

"Ready to head back?" he asked her.

"No, let's stay for a while. It's a beautiful night. Why don't we stay up and watch the sunrise?" she asked, her big brown eyes looking happily into his.

Lucas chuckled and wrapped his sweatshirt around her small frame "Sounds perfect." He lay down and she kissed him once again before putting her head back on his chest. He stroked her hair and they stared at the stares, staying there all night until the sun started to rise over the horizon.

---------------------------

"Nathan, ready for school?" Haley was knocking on Nathan's door on Monday morning "Nathan, we're gonna be late." When she didn't hear anything, she opened the door and saw Nathan, asleep in the bed "Nathan!" she yelled louder "C'mon!"

Nathan was tired, but sat up anyways "Sorry. I'm coming."

Haley walked closer to the bed "You okay? You look pale."

"Yea, I'm fine." He said, getting out of bed and pulling a sweatshirt over his head.

Haley watched him walk downstairs, but wasn't really convinced that he was okay. Still, she followed him downstairs and all day didn't say anything to him about it, even though he looked horrible.

Later that night, Nathan and Lucas were sitting on the couch watching basketball.

"Hey man, you okay?" Lucas asked, also noticing Nathan's pale face and the fact that he hasn't said more than two words all day.

"Yea." He said "I'm fine."

This kept going on for three days until Brooke, Lucas, and Haley asked him so many times if he was okay that he finally confessed to Lucas. He told Lucas that he'd been really tired the past few weeks, even before they moved here, and he couldn't keep his food down. He also has been very dizzy all the time. Lucas talked to Paige and she made an appointment for Nathan at the doctor, even though Nathan hated people fussing over him, and hated going to the doctor.

The next day at school, the four kids headed in and did their usual morning routines. Nathan and Lucas got their things from their lockers and met up with Brooke and Haley before walking to class. Nathan was feeling dizzier than usual today and was standing with Lucas and Brooke at the end of 1st period, he was talking about the test he has next period and before he knew it he was on the ground.

"Nate…Nathan." Brooke and Nathan were at Nathan's side.

"Ow." Nathan rubbed the back of his head, realizing he had passed out.

"What was that? What happened?" Brooke asked as Nathan tried to sit up.

"Woah, slow down. Just stay there a second." Lucas said as Nathan failed to sit up.

"It's fine. I was just dizzy. I have to get to class." He stood up with Brooke and Lucas' help.

"You're not going to class." Lucas and Brooke said simultaneously.

Brooke took out her cell phone and called her mom, after hanging up she turned to Nathan "Mom will be here in two minutes."

"No, Mom is taking me to the doctor's after school." Nathan said to her.

"No, she's taking you now." Brooke told him as Haley walked up.

"Nathan, what happened?" she asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine." He said again.

"He passed out." Brooke told Haley.

"Nathan…." Haley didn't know what to do.

Paige pulled up a few moments later and Haley walked out with Nathan.

"I'm fine Mom." Nathan said as his mom ran up to him.

"Honey, get in the car." She said quickly "Haley, do you want to come?"

"Please?" Nathan asked, taking her hand.

At the doctor's, they ran a lot of tests before deciding to send him to the hospital for more.

"Mom, I'm fine. I don't need to be here." Nathan dangled his legs on the hospital bed.

"Yes, you do." Paige said sternly "You're sick Nathan."

Nathan jumped off the bed and ran to the bathroom "I'm gonna be sick." He leaned over the toilet.

"See Nathan!" Paige practically yelled as the doctor walked in.

"I'm gonna wait outside. Brooke and Lucas just walked in." Haley said, leaving Paige and Nathan alone with the doctor.

"What did the doctor say?" Brooke asked quickly as Haley walked out.

"I don't know yet. Nathan's still convinced he's fine." She said to them.

They sat in the waiting room until Paige came out "They're gonna do an MRI." She said sadly.

"Everything's okay though, right Mom?" Brooke asked.

"I hope so, baby." Paige said, walking outside to get some air.

Brooke followed her Mom outside and Haley looked at Lucas, she looked so scared. Lucas put his arms around her and held her tight "He's gonna be fine Hales, don't worry."