With one week until prom, Brooke felt like she was losing her mind. Campaigning for prom was pure hell. She was on track to having straight A's and being Valedictorian of her class. She didn't want to graduate but she was excited to start college.

Brooke sighed. She hadn't even asked Lucas where he was going to college, or if he was going to even go. She scanned the hallway for him, but he was nowhere to be found. This was getting to be the usual, Lucas never being there when she needed to talk to him.

She shut her locker and walked to her next class. She smiled as she saw Lucas in his normal seat.

Sitting down, "Hey, Luke."

"Hey, babe!" he said as he gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Can I ask you something?"

Lucas nodded, "Sure?"

"Where do you plan on going to college?"

He sighed, shrugging, "Wherever accepts me."

This wasn't the answer that Brooke had wanted to hear from him, "You did apply for a school, right?"

He nodded, "A few. North Carolina State University is what I am counting on. I won't get the acceptance for another week."

Brooke smiled, "I'm sure you will get in."

"So, Harvard?"

"I applied there, Princeton, and Yale," Brooke informed.

He sighed, "That's great. I'm sure you will get into all of them!"

"Carolina isn't that far away and we have the weekends to see each other!" Brooke said as she flashed him a smile.

Lucas shook his head and stood up. He stormed out of class. Brooke sighed. What was wrong with him? Before she had a chance to go after him, the teacher began to lecture.

"Are you nervous?" Haley asked as she turned to face Brooke.

Brooke nodded, "Yes and no."

The last thing she wanted to do was stand on stage with the other nominees and see Lucas on the other side. She wanted to figure out why he stormed out on her.

"I hope we at least get some votes," Haley whispered.

The line was so long that it spilled out into the hallway. Brooke watched each person go into the makeshift voting stand and cast their vote.

She turned her head and her attention to Lucas. He was talking to Nathan. They made eye contact for a second before he continued talking.

Brooke sighed, "Hey, Haley, where is Nathan going to college?"

"He has a scholarship for basketball so he can play anywhere, really. He's gotten offers for some great places because of his talent," she gushed.

Brooke rolled her eyes, "No, like what school is he set on?"

"He wants to be close to Tree Hill but he got some offers near the schools that we want to go to."

Brooke was jealous. "So, you guys are going to stay together?"

Haley grinned, "We are going to stay together. He might accept a college by us just so we don't have to do the distance."

Brooke nodded. The smile that was once on her face ad faded. She wanted to break down and cry, but that didn't look good when people were possibly voting for her.

Haley sighed, "Lucas isn't going to school, is he?"

Brooke shrugged, "We were talking about it and he stormed off."

"I'm sorry."

"All I want to do is run over there and ask him what is wrong…" she trailed off, looking at him once more.

Brooke gave a sigh of relief as they were given the green light to go. "That was quick."

"I guess they just wanted to take pictures of all of us as a group," Haley said.

Nathan rushed over to Haley and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her cheek. Brooke looked at them in complete envy.

"How's my girl," Nathan asked.

Lucas walked over to the three. He gave Brooke a kiss on the forehead, but didn't say anything. There was definitely something wrong with him.

"Nathan, let's go get something to eat," Haley said as she tugged him away.

Brooke sighed and turned to Lucas, "So, you wanna tell me what that was all about?"

"Not really," he said as he kept walking towards the door.

Brooke caught up with him, "Lucas, stop!"

He kept walking and ignored her, "I don't want to talk about it, Brooke!"

Brooke walked in front of him and pushed on his chest, yelling "Stop!"

Lucas crossed his arms, "Not right now."

"No, now!" she was getting angry. "What the hell is wrong with you."

"Brooke, don't curse," he sassed.

Something inside of her snapped, "Lucas, don't be an asshole."

Brooke stormed off. She didn't care anymore. He was going back to being an ass, yet again. it could not possibly be so bad that he couldn't tell her.

She didn't stop as she heard him chasing after her. she opened her car door and he slammed it shut.

"What?"

"I'm sorry," he said as he tried to give her a hug.

She pushed him off, "I don't get why you are so stubborn."

"I'm a jackass, that's why."

"Well, I am not going to argue there," she hissed.

She loved him more than anything and that scared her. all she wanted to do was figure out their plans for the future, but how could she do that when he acted like this?

"I want to go to to North Carolina, but I don't like talking about it. I know that you are going to be far away from me and I hate that. I hate that I won't be able to see you every day. I can't hold you or be there when you need me to be…"

Brooke was glad that he was being honest with her, but she didn't want to admit the reality of it, "I am going to hate it just as much."

"I got college offers from the south and Nathan got offers from upstate. I can't leave my mom or the familiarity of the place I grew up," Lucas said softly. He was getting emotional.

He continued, "I'm sorry that I can't be Nathan and go to school with you or near you, but that's how it goes. I don't want you to throw away the good schools to be with someone like me."

"Lucas—"

"No, Brooke, I'm not done. You deserve Harvard. You worked your ass off to get there and it is your dream. I want you to be able to go there and have the time of your life. I don't want you to be held down by your loser boyfriend…"

Brooke sighed, "What does that mean?"

"Exactly that, I don't want you to be held down by me. It's funny, you think that you don't deserve me, but it's the opposite. Popularity in high school doesn't mean shit in the real world, but being smart means everything. Take basketball and high school away from me, and I am just another person…"

Brooke shook her head, "Lucas, you are smart. I know that you don't try sometimes, but you can do anything you set your mind too. You might be just another person, I am too, but you mean everything to me."

She hugged him. She felt the tears roll down his cheek and on to her shoulder. Brooke pulled back a little and kissed his forehead.

"I don't care what school you go to because as long as we want to, we can do it. I don't care about Nathan going with Haley, because I am happy for her."

"You are the girl I want to end up with, so I just felt like I was holding you back from being truly happy," he said as he wiped his eyes.

She smiled, "Lucas, you are what makes me truly happy."

Lucas kissed her passionately. He felt like he was being a big baby about the whole thing, but he was glad they got that off their chest.

"I love you, Brooke."

"I love you too."Brooke said automatically.

AN: Thanks to all who read and reviewed! Next chunk of chapters will be posted soon.

COMING UP: Letters from colleges come in the mail and prom is one to remember.