Disclaimer: I (regrettably) don't own One Tree Hill so don't sue.

A/N: I suck! I'm not even going to bother making excuses for my laziness. It seems that since school ended, my brain has gone on hiatus. Chapter 7 is almost done now though so I should be updating again soon! If you have any ideas/comments, please review!! I hope this chapter is okay.

Have you ever walked by someone who looks like they should have the world in the palm of their hand? You know, we assume that the cheerleader or the jock – the pretty and popular people in the high school – have life damn good. Why? Because that's just the way it is. Bad things can't possibly happen to those kinds of people; instead, they only happen to us mere mortals.

But that's the mistake we make. Sometimes you see a person but you never really see them. Sometimes from the outside, a life can look good; a life can seem perfect to others. But they don't know the half of it. They don't know what could possibly be wrong on the inside. And that's the sad thing; we all do this – each and every day. We make assumptions on people because it's easier to judge than actually stop and open our eyes to the truth. We assume because it's simply easier that way.

Growing up, I was always one of those people who watched the popular crowd with envy. I wanted to be like them so badly that I let it consume me. But to them, I was always just Rachel – the fat girl. I was the girl that nobody thought twice about. And somewhere along my journey, I made a decision to do something about it. I made the decision to undergo surgery in order to become one of them. And once I did, I realized that I felt the same as I always did. I might have looked different but underneath my new exterior, I felt the same hollowness I always had.

I was once one of those people who assumed that Brooke Davis had a damn good life. I figured, how could she not? She was beautiful, kind and had friends who seemed to do anything for her. I made the mistake of judging Brooke and after I got to know her, I repeatedly wondered how I could've only bothered to look only at her exterior life.

That's just the kind of person Brooke is. She goes through life wearing a smile, even when things are hard. You never find her giving up because she's simply not that type of girl. She is brave and faces the world each day – regardless of which battle she might have to face and I often wonder on how she's able to do that.

But now, Brooke's hiding out from the world because she's broken. And sometimes, I'm scared that she might be broken beyond repair; broken beyond my help. And if there's one thing I hate, it's feeling helpless.

*

Rachel marched into the room she shared with Brooke, switched on the light and without breaking stride, marched over and pulled the curtains back to reveal a beautiful North Carolina fall day.

"Enough is enough, Brooke. Get up, damn it"

The only response Rachel got was mutinous muttering and then Brooke simply pulled the sheets over her head in an attempt to block the sunlight.

Rachel rolled her eyes and continued, undeterred. "Seriously Brooke, I know that you're going through a hard time but you can't give up like this. I've been covering your ass all week at school but I can't anymore. It's time to join the real world, Brookie"

"It's only been two weeks, Rach. Plus I think I'm allowed to get in some grieving time over the loss of my baby without you bitching down my throat" Brooke replied wearily from beneath her covers.

"I get it Brooke, I do – but I might be more understanding if you told the father of your unborn baby about his loss also."

With those words, Brooke finally sat up in the bed. "I can't do that to Lucas. What he doesn't know won't hurt him." She trailed off as she stared at the wall, seemingly lost in thought before she continued. "I just can't help but wonder if maybe this is a sign. Maybe I'm not good enough to carry Lucas's child; maybe I'm simply not good enough to be with him. He'd be better off with the Peyton's of the world than with me."

Rachel rolled her eyes unsympathetically at Brooke's words. "I'll leave the heavy thinking up to you, Brooke. You're the one who's going to have to do a lot of explaining about why you've been avoiding Lucas for the past two weeks."

Brooke moaned and collapsed back in her bed. "You're totally not helping things"

*

Voicemail. It can be your friend and it can be your enemy. Over the last few weeks, Lucas had become quite familiar with Brooke's voicemail. He had also become familiar with the sight of Rachel's door being slammed in his face by the annoyed red head. And for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. One moment, everything had been perfect and the next – everything had fallen apart.

As Lucas walked through the school towards his locker, he saw Haley pacing anxiously by Nathan's locker, gnawing on her fingernails – a sure sign that she was worried about something.

"Hey Hales, everything okay?"

Haley started in surprise and turned around to face Lucas with a smile on her face.

"Of course! Why wouldn't things be fine?"

Lucas raised his eyebrow skeptically and Haley sighed. "Sorry – I forget that both Scott brothers can read me like a book."

"Not to mention the fact that you are a terrible liar."

"That too, how's Brooke doing lately? I've tried calling her. I can't believe she's staying with Rachel."

"I know, they must have started talking to each other when Brooke and I stopped."

Haley winced sympathetically and patted Lucas on the shoulder. "What happened exactly between you two at the wedding?"

"I kind of accidentally told Brooke about – uh – how Peyton kissed me the day of the school shooting."

If looks could have killed, Lucas would have been dead with the glare that Haley was giving him.

"You and Peyton kissed – again?" Without waiting for an answer, Haley stormed off, leaving Lucas behind.

*

It might have been the hormones talking but after Haley heard about Peyton and Lucas kissing – again – the first thing that came to her mind was slapping Peyton. As she stalked through the school, searching for the familiar blonde curls, she finally spotted her standing by Lucas's locker.

Peyton smiled, unaware, as Haley marched up to her. "Hey Hales"

Without pausing for pleasantries, Haley slapped her across the face.

"God – what is this? Slap Peyton week?"

"You kissed Lucas, again. So yes, I think you deserve it."

"I'm guessing Brooke told you."

"No actually. No one has talked to Brooke in two weeks, not that you seem to care."

"She's my best friend, of course I care."

Haley laughed at the irony of Peyton's statement. "A true friend – let alone best friend - would never dream, let alone act upon kissing their best friend's boyfriend, Peyton. Open your eyes."

"It's not like that-" Peyton began to say, before Haley interrupted her again. "So what's it like? Here you are, standing by Lucas's locker, waiting for him. He's not yours, Peyton. He loves Brooke and you know that, so what the hell are you doing?"

Before Peyton could even reply, Haley spun around and walked away.

*