Thank you, reviewers. That makes me feel happy despite the fact that my aunt and uncle are coming to town and my uncle scares me haha. But good news also, IT'S SNOW! We've had snow since sunday night and it's tuesday and had two snow days in a row. I am like Whoo! ha. But yea, I figured I'd take the time to update my story today since tomorrow I probably won't be able to and we go back to school and that just brings me back since we'll have to make up work. Anyways, my rant is done :] Enjoy the next chapter.

One word

It didn't take him long to get ready, but he wasn't exactly finished fast. It took him probably a total of 30 minutes to get a shower and get changed and all. Not too bad. I usually take 30 minutes in the shower. During this time, I had picked up all the empty food boxes and cartons. That definitely was going first. I couldn't stand the smell any longer. Those went to the trash and the trash went outside; seeing as it overflowed after a couple cartons. Apparently he hadn't taken out the trash either. Next were the beer bottles and whatever other liquids he had on the floor. Pretty soon those were gone and the only thing left was his room, which, I'm sorry, Lucas, but I wasn't going in there. Who knew what clothes he had there or if he had even changed. Besides, he was in there changing. I wasn't about to walk in there while he was naked.

A shiver went up my spine and I doubt it was from the cold. I shook it off and continued my work to clean up the house a bit. The only thing left was the couch that was a bit messed up and a couple of jackets and shoes probably. But Lucas had come out of his room and I would continue this later. My body turned and I face him, a small smile on my face. "Hey." He looked better. He looked cleaner. Which was a plus there.

His shoulders shrugged and he leaned against the doorway that he was in between the hall and living room. "Hey." He replied. Well, it looked like his mood hadn't changed.

My smile faded and I sighed. I made my way over to him and placed my hands on my hips once again. "Lucas, your mood isn't helping anything. You look a lot better, and your whole mood needs to change. I know she hurt you and you're hurting, but a small smile wouldn't hurt, would it?"

It was his turn to shrug this time and he shook his head. "Guess not." and that was all I got.

I finally got fed up, and I didn't want to be inside the house anymore, so my plan was put into action. I grabbed his wrist. "Come on, mister. We need to find something to cheer you up."

And we were off.

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I decided to drive, seeing as he wasn't in the mood for and if his little broody self would be distracted, well, i didn't want to end up in the hospital, thank you very much. My first stop: The rivercourt. Now, after this, I didn't exactly have anything else planned. But this was a spur of the moment plan and this was going to be made up as we went along. I shut off his car and got out, shutting the door; he followed the suit. We stopped at the edge of the concrete and from the corner of my eye, I saw my friend who would be stubborn as always, cross his arms.

"Brooke, what are we doing here?" He voice was weary again, and he sounded like he was empty and just not in the mood for anything. Like the type of person that was aggravated to the point where they just let everything go past them.

"I already told you, Lucas. We're here to cheer you up."

"Here?"

And I knew why he asked that. There had been some memories of him and Peyton here, and those were probably the ones that were in his mind now; probably in capital letters, bolded and in a flashing neon sign in his head saying 'PEYTON PEYTON PEYTON'. But we weren't here for that. We were here for something he hadn't done in a while.

I went back to the car, and I knew he kept a spare of what I needed at the moment. I felt his gaze on me and I could already imagine the confused expression and still weary on his face as he watched me. His face fell back again into a aggravated and annoyed kind of look when he saw me come back. "Brooke-" He started, but I didn't let him finish.

My head shook and I handed him the orange basketball in my hands. "Come on, Luke. You love being here and playing." As I said this, I glanced down at the court and became satisfied. The whole writing Peyton did was nothing more than a slight fade now, something that in his state he wouldn't notice unless he paid close attention.

His weary head shook like a little kid being asked to take out the trash in the middle of a really good video game. "But Brooke-" I cut him off again.

"Lucas, please?"

Silence for a couple moments. A sigh and a nod and he was mine now.

"Fine. But I won't promise I'm gonna be into it."

I grinned slightly and nodded. "I know. And if you want, just to make it more interesting, I'll play with you. Although, I know I'm gonna get my butt kicked." And this could be something fun, but my odds with him like this were looking pretty high now and I couldn't help but smile at the thought.

What happened next was something that I had been waiting for and excited me. He smiled. Well, in the slightest way, probably only half a smile, but it was still something. His eyebrow kinked and he inclined his head to one side slightly. "Are you really willing to go up against me, Brooke Davis?"

Oh my God, Lucas was starting to come back. in my happiness, I could've jumped for joy; of course it would've looked really odd seeing a famous designer in heels jumping up and down on a basketball court. Instead, I simply smiled a bit and shrugged innocently, taking the ball from his hands once again and dribbled it once. "If that's what it takes to keep that smile on your face, then yes."

The almost full smile on his lips actually spread out a but further and it actually was a half smile now. "You're wearing heels." So he noticed.

"Well I wasn't going to wear nurse's shoes everywhere, was I?" I couldn't help but smirk in the slightest way at my remark. But he had a point and after I finished talking, I started removing my shoe. Right foot, then left. I took the heels that I have forgotten the price of and put them to the side.

God he was tall.

I looked up at my blonde ex and he kept his half smile in place, rolling his eyes. "If you wanna play barefoot, be my guest."

The ball was snatched out of my hands and Lucas dribbled it, walking around to the hoop and started shooting a couple times.

I was about to go join him, but my happiness that I actually cheered him up a bit was overwhelming. First, he had opened up for me, even when Haley had come; even when Haley had brought Jamie. Then, I actually got him out of the house. Now that's a major accomplishment if you ask me. Usually, when Lucas Scott is depressed he won't leave the house. But it's been a week. And now he actually half smiled. I'd say the getting out of the house and smiling should count for ten points each.

I practically almost skipped over and grabbed the ball after it came back down from going in the hoop. This could be fun.

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(A/N: Ok soo....I don't exactly know how to play basketball, so I'm not even going to try and type it down. I seriously suck at it ha. So we're moving on, shall we? :])

After a good fifteen minutes, my pedicured feet couldn't exactly take much of the hard ground, we took our seats on the picnic table that was there. He had actually put a full smile on and an almost laugh when I had almost tripped over my own feet trying to get the ball. I'm not good with basketball. I'd say the whole thing could be twenty points each. Add forty to twenty and you get sixty. Sixty points. Thank you, thank you.

"Now wasn't that fun?"

His smile was back and he turned to face me with those blue eyes that finally had the Lucas I knew in them, well, a little bit of it anyways, but still. "Yea. It was."

I nodded and gave him my own dimpled smile back and looked at the court. Ah, sweet victory.

"Brooke?"

I turned my head towards him and his expression looked...nervous?

"I'm sorry about lashing out at you before."

Oh, he was talking about at the house. I smiled once again and waved my hand to let him know I didn't care. "Lucas, I understand. Don't apologize; it's fine."

His lips let out a soft sigh. "It's not fine. I shouldn't have, Brooke. You were trying to help I just got mad at you. It's just..I just don't understand...I mean..." He was struggling with the right words and I knew what he was talking about now. I placed my hand over his and looked at him sympathetically.

"I know. I don't know why she left either. But I promise you, Luke; I'll get her back for you." And my voice went down from the beginning of the sentence and at the end it was nothing more than slightly above a whisper. Why was I making this promise I probably couldn't keep? Because I wanted him to be happy. Why did I want him to be happy? Because he was one of my best friends and I loved him. Why did I love him? Because He was, again, my best friend. All these questions and answers were correct, well, 2/3 were. That last one, I knew it was true, but again, that feeling in the pit of my stomach and in some part of my heart was telling me it was wrong. And what did I do? I pushed it away again.

Lucas' head nodded and he looked at the court and then back at me. "Thanks." He said softly.

I nodded and mustered the best smile I could. Before I could say anything though, my phone rang. I let go of his hand and suddenly my hand ached for the warmth of his hand once again. Because he's my friend and I want him better. I kept telling myself over and over again as I reached into my pocket and took out my phone.

"Hello?"

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Lucas had been trying to call my name for the past minute; I could hear him even if it was far away, well, was.

"Brooke. Brooke, answer me, damn it."

My eyes blinked and I faced the blonde haired, blue eyed boy I know. He must've seen something in my eyes or my expression because his own became alarmed.

"Brooke, what happened? What is it?"

And I felt myself not be able to talk except for one word. One name that would change today from being a depressed to slightly happy to now depressed again with the slightness of emergency and confusion and frustration and more emotions I couldn't name.

"Peyton."

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Whoa, cliffhanger! haha. Well, anyways, thanks again for the reviews on the last chapter. I don't really like this chapter but as I said before, I wanted to get it done so when I go back to school I won't be distracted and not be able to get it up. I'm working on the next chapter and how it's all going to be played out. Yes, Peyton joins us once again in the next part, along with Haley and Jamie and Nathan. Whoo! Ha. Review! :]