Chapter Twenty Five

While Jake and Nathan were cooped up in Whitey's office, Lucas and Brooke were enjoying their free period out on the lawn in front of the main school building. At first they had gone to the library, but since Brooke had wanted to practice her lines they had had to find a place where they could talk.

"Do you want to do that part again?" Lucas asked when they reached the point her character exited the scene.

Brooke shook her head. "No, it's okay. I think I know that one well. Do you want me to help you with some of your lines now?"

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Well, basketball tryouts are this afternoon and if I get on the team, then I might not be able to do the play."

"You're going to drop out?" Brooke exclaimed.

"I just don't think I could manage basketball, the play and schoolwork."

"Substitute cheerleading for basketball, and I am!" Brooke reminded him.

"You're used to it. You do cheerleading and the school play every year – normally I don't do either. And if I have to drop one then maybe it should be the play since I might get stage fright again."

"What if you get…" Brooke paused as she searched for the word, "court fright?"

"What?"

"What's to say that you won't get afraid about performing on court?"

"Nothing is. That could happen too, but I'm a little more confident about playing basketball than I am about acting so there's less of a chance that it will. Plus, being on the team is more important."

"Because of the case?" Brooke guessed.

Lucas nodded. "Exactly. How do you feel about that by the way?"

Brooke shrugged. "I'm still getting used to it, honestly. I mean, I know I got drugged, but it's a little scary to think that the problem is so bad that the police sent undercover cops into school. And I became friends with one of them without having any clue as to who he was! I just totally accepted that Nathan was a high school student without a second thought."

"You had no reason to believe that he wasn't," Lucas stated.

"I know. But the whole thing is just a little…unsettling. I hope they manage to get this guy soon though."

"Me too," Lucas agreed. Both paused for a long moment before Lucas spoke again, "Hey, Brooke? We're cool, right?"

Brooke narrowed her eyes. "Uh…yeah. Why wouldn't we be?"

"No, I mean…Last night I tried to tell you about Rachel, but you left so soon after Nathan and I explained about the case that I couldn't. I want you to know that I was only with her because of the case. If we hadn't thought that she could be the drug dealer I never would have –"

"I know." Brooke smiled reassuringly at him.

"Okay." Lucas smiled back at her, and the two shared a small moment before Lucas dropped his head. "So," he began, picking up the book in his lap and opening it, "do you want to go over some more of your lines?"

"Wait a minute. That's it?" Brooke said suddenly.

"What's it?"

"That! That's all you have to say?"

"What do you mean-"

"Don't you have anything else to say? Or ask me, maybe?" Brooke insisted.

"Uh…no?"

"Then why were you so concerned that we were 'cool'?" Brooke emphasized the last word by using air quotations.

"Because I want things to be okay between us, Brooke."

Brooke took a deep breath. "Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but I had this feeling that you were, maybe – even the teensiest bit – attracted to me."

Lucas mouth formed an 'O', surprised by her frankness. "Well, yeah, I –"

"Well, then why haven't you done anything about it?" Brooke demanded, throwing her hands up in the air.

"I – well, I – I wasn't sure if you –" Lucas stuttered.

"You weren't sure about me! I sent you all the signs!" Brooke exclaimed.

"What signs?"

"What signs?" she repeated, only ten times louder. "How about the book-reading?"

"You said you liked reading!"

"Magazines, chick-lit and the occasional mystery novel," Brooke enlightened him. "What makes you think I would read a book called The Winter of Our Discontent for fun?"

"B-but you finished it in two days."

"Oh, I skipped a couple of pages," Brooke dismissed it easily. "And even if you couldn't get that, I sent you all the other signs! I even did the jealousy thing by hanging out with Nathan more than you sometimes."

"Oh," Lucas said glumly. "Well, that worked."

"Not well enough, clearly! God, Lucas, you couldn't have expected me to wait around forever! I have been asked out by other guys, you know."

Lucas came to life at this last statement. "What other guys?"

"Well, Mouth, for one."

"I thought you two were just friends."

"We are now. Oh, and Felix too, after he broke up with his girlfriend. When they were still going out he asked me if I wanted to 'benefit' with him."

Lucas was beginning to turn slightly red in the face. "You can't date him! Felix is an ass!"

"I know he is; that's why I said no to him. And I can date whoever I want to so don't tell me what to do! I mean, Winter Formal will be coming up in a few weeks time and I'm not going dateless just because you didn't ask me to go."

"It wasn't like I was never going to ask you out," Lucas said quietly.

"Well, it doesn't look like you were going to anytime soon! I mean, what were you waiting for, Lucas?" Brooke asked. "For me to shout, 'kiss me, you fool!' and throw myself in your face so you definitely wouldn't misinterpret the meaning? Well?" Brooke prodded when he didn't reply.

"Er…okay."

"Huh?"

And then Lucas, fool that he was, leaned forward and kissed her.

After his heart-to-heart with Jake, Nathan left the principal's office with his thoughts in confusion, so he wasn't all there when he met Lucas and Brooke on their way to class.

"Hi!" Brooke beamed at him.

Lucas chuckled. "Hey; how'd your meeting with Jake go?"

"It went okay," he said, as he fell into step with them. "I told him that you're going to tryout for the team and that Brooke knows."

"Is he mad?" Brooke asked.

"He was, a little, but I think he's okay now."

"That's good," Brooke said, and Lucas nodded his head in agreement.

As they walked further down the hallway, Nathan glanced around and noticed something that had missed his gaze earlier. Brooke and Lucas were holding hands. "Wait a minute." Nathan stopped in his tracks. "Are you two…" his question trailed off, but Brooke nodded eagerly at him. "Finally!"

Brooke giggled. "See!" she told Lucas as she punched him lightly in the arm. "Even Nathan saw the signs."

The bell rang, signaling that they were late for their next class. "Well, I better go now before I get even later," Lucas said.

"Okay. Bye, Broody." Brooke stood on her tip-toes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

Lucas grinned. "Bye, Cheery."

"Oh, god. You've been going out for five minutes and you already have sappy nicknames for each other."

Lucas glared at Nathan, but Brooke simply smiled. "You're just jealous."

"That no one calls me 'Broody'?"

"That you're all alone," Brooke clarified.

"I'll see you at lunch," Lucas told them, and after kissing Brooke one last time, he turned down the corridor.

"You know," Brooke said, taking a step closer to Nathan and linking arms with him, "I think Miss James would call you 'Broody' if you asked her nicely."

"Brooke! There are people in the hallway," Nathan muttered harshly.

"Well, it's nothing to be ashamed of. She's not even really your teacher so it's less ew than I first thought – in fact, it's totally legal. And I think you guys would be cute together. You're just what she needs after that whole ordeal she went through with Mr. Keller."

"Could we not discuss this, please?"

"Well, since you said please…No! It's too much fun! I love knowing things other people don't know."

"As long as you keep it so that way."

"Of course I will," Brooke replied, as they approached the door to their classroom. "Just trust me, okay?"

Hours later, Brooke was dragging Nathan into the boy's locker room. They had both gone to the gym after school to see Lucas tryout for the basketball team, but while they had been waiting there Brooke had suddenly stood up, saying she had an idea, and pulled him out of there. "Brooke, what are we doing here?"

"We're looking for evidence. Isn't that what you cops do?"

"Yes, but –"

"So, we're here to find evidence of drug use in the boy's locker room."

"What?"

"God, Nathan," Brooke said exasperatedly. "Are you sure you're a cop? All the boys on the team are in the gym because the coach is making them tryout as well to keep their places. So, all their stuff is in here. Some of that stuff may include drugs!"

"Brooke, I get why this is good for the case, but you can't be here."

"Why not?"

"You're a civilian. You can't get involved."

"What! That is so not fair! Lucas is involved!" Brooke pouted and put her hands on her hips. "Geez, the justice system is totally sexist."

"Let's just get back to the gym, now."

Brooke ignored him. "Since we're already here we may as well search." And with that she started pulling at locker doors, seeing which ones would open.

"Brooke!" Nathan exclaimed, moving forward to stop her. "Anyone could come in."

"Which means we have to make use of this golden opportunity now! Come on, Nathan, I want to help!"

"I get that you do, Brooke, and this is a good idea. But, no one who keeps that stuff in their locker would leave it unlocked and I don't have the tools to crack one open – and, even if I did, it would take too long."

Brooke's exuberance visibly deflated. "Oh. Okay, then. But will you let me help at least a little?"

"Why don't you talk to the cheerleaders or any other girls you know; ones who are dating guys on the team," Nathan suggested. "If their boyfriend's are involved with drugs, then they might know about it."

"Okay." Brooke smiled, warming to the idea. "Okay, I'll do it. I'm a good people person."

"Alright. Let's get back to the -" Nathan stopped before he finished his sentence at the sound of the locker room door banging open. Nathan's eyes opened wide. He could come up with a reason for being there, but Brooke would definitely get into trouble. He took her hand and, signaling for her to be quiet, led her to the back of the room, where they crouched down behind the lockers.

Both stayed silent, but Nathan started racking his brain for excuses as he heard the footsteps grow louder. Suddenly he heard Brooke whisper, "Kiss me."

Nathan whipped his head around. "What?" he whispered back.

"It's the only feasible excuse for us being in here."

"Brooke, I'm not going to kiss you."

"I said, 'Act like your about to kiss me!'" she told him, quietly. "Ew!" she added. "No offense; it's not that you're not good-looking or anything, but I'm not really into the older guy thing. Passed that phase a long time ago."

"Okay, okay." Nathan put his finger to his mouth, motioning for her to stop talking.

He turned his head to the left and tried to peer out from behind the lockers when a voice called, "Nathan?"

Brooke closed her eyes. "Busted."

Nathan, however, stood up. "Jake?"

Jake came out from the shadows and into Nathan's line of vision. "What are you doing here, man?"

Nathan smiled. "Looking for evidence."

When Jake raised an eyebrow, Brooke stood up and waved awkwardly at him. "Hi. It's my fault; I thought we could come in here and look for evidence while everyone was in the gym. I didn't really think the plan through." Brooke shook her head and looked at the ground. "This never happens to Veronica Mars."