Chapter 4

"Can I get you anything?"

"I'm fine.." Brooke replied to Lucas in a low voice. She had been dodging him all day.

"Brooke, baby, I'm worried about you." He let the word baby slip, but at that moment he didn't really care.

"There's no reason to be.." She shrugged, as if nothing mattered. She had this unemotional look on her face, one that

scared him a lot. He knew Brooke Davis and he knew when she was trying to hide something, or hide her feelings.

He shook his head and sat in front of her. "Look at me." He grabbed her arms softly when she still wouldn't look at him.

"Brooke.." He turned her chin toward him, forcing her to look at him.

"Now let me in. I want to help you. What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" He smiled softly.

"You can't help, don't you get that?" She said, trying to keep up her straight face, but it wasn't working.

"Pretty girl, I know he hurt you. And I won't let him get away with it, alright? I'm just glad I got there when I did."

Brooke just nodded, trying to put her walls back up, in fear that she might tell him what else was bothering her.

--

"B. Davis, I heard what happened! Are you okay?" Peyton rushed into the house.

Brooke glanced at Peyton, then back at the tv. "Sure."

"Good, you don't look so hot." Peyton said, meaning it as a joke.

"So.." She said, ignoring Peyton's last comment.

"Do you wanna hang out? Maybe go shopping?"

"No." She replied back. "You can give me your keys."

"What?" Peyton was caught off guard.

"I said, you can give me your keys. You won't be needing them. Since you'll be with Luke, right?"

"I thought you were staying at Luke's these days?" Peyton said sarcastically, pointing to Luke's room that they were in.

"I want your stuff out of the house by the time I get back." She said coldly.

"Okay, what's the deal? Are you mad at me?"

"No..fine. Don't move out. I'll go somewhere else."

"Brooke, why?"

"I need to be alone." She said simply.

--

Brooke walked into her completely trashed store. She was alone, finally. She sighed and let tears fall out of her eyes,

Tears that had been waiting to fall all day, but she wouldn't let them. Just then, she heard a knock on her door, she

jumped and looked to see who it was. She walked to the door, opening it to just a crack.

"Do you have any spare change?" The man said.

Brooke gulped, her breath getting hitched in her throat. "No." She shut the door and backed away from it.

She watched until the man was completely out of sight.

Lucas walked behind her, she felt someone behind her and was about to turn around, but Luke tapped her and she

screamed. "Don't touch me!"

"Hey..it's just me. You worried me when I didn't find you in my room." He replied, pulling her into a hug and wiping her

tears.

"God Luke don't do that.." She sighed.

"I'm sorry Pretty girl." He brushed her hair.

"Don't call me that." She pushed him away from her and walked to another part of the store.

Lucas looked confused and followed her. "Why not?"

"Because he took it from me! That's why.." She sighed, more tears rolling on her cheeks. "Damn it.."

"Hey, Brooke you're beautiful. Don't...don't say you're not." He said, shocked that she could even think that.

"Luke, hold me.." She cried, not even trying to put her walls back up, they were open.

He grabbed a tight hold on her and held her to his chest. He was sensing that something else happened the night

of her attack. He didn't know why, and maybe he was wrong, but something just made him think that.

"Baby what else happened the night of the attack?" He asked.

"He.." She started, but choked on her tears.

"He what?" Luke said, looking into her eyes.

"He..he r-raped me.." She mumbled softly, in a crying voice.

Lucas wasn't sure he heard her right at first, but when he looked at her face, he knew it was true. His fists clenched.

"Damn it!" He stood up. "I am going to kill him, I swear Brooke, I swear." His voice was shaking and his eyes were

filled with anger and hurt.

"Luke..don't, it's okay." She pleaded, standing up.

"It is NOT okay, Brooke! You don't deserve that! Especially you!"

Brooke broke down with another round of tears, and Lucas pulled her into a tight hug, his eyes watering with tears.

"You're going to stay with me.." He pulled back to look her in the eyes.

"Luke.."

"I won't take no for an answer. You're staying with me."

"Okay." She nodded, feeling a little safer.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I didn't get there sooner." Lucas said, looking to the floor.

"It's not your fault Luke. It just happened, you had no way of knowing." She replied.

"I am going to kill him." He said "Now lets get going." He smiled softly, his blood still boiling on the inside. He

grabbed her hand and led her out of the store, and back to his house, while his mind tried to find ways to

make things better.