"Hello?" Brooke sniffled answering her phone.

"Hi baby, what's wrong?" Brett said across the line.

"Nothing really." Brooke put on her fake happy voice.

"Okay, good. Are we still on for dinner tonight?"

"Actually, I'm a little jet lagged and not feeling good. I think I'm just gonna spend the night with Rachel."

"Oh... Ok." Brett had forgotten that she had friends in Tree Hill who she hadn't seen in two months. "I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Yup," Brooke said.

"Love you Brookie." he said. You could hear his smile.

"You too." Brooke hung up.

She was laying in bed. She had no idea where Rachel was. She had stopped home and spent an hour with Brooke, but Brooke hadn't told her about Lucas coming over. Rachel had mentioned that she thought Peyton and Lucas were spending a lot of time together, but she didn't know real details.

Brooke had tried calling Haley right after Rachel left for the millionth time. She never answered her phone anymore. Brooke normally didn't mind barging into people's homes, but clearly Haley was still having trouble with the whole losing-the-baby situation.

She had unpacked all of her stuff, including the cardboard box of Lucas's letters. It was sitting on her vanity taunting her. She'd written a few over the summer. She took out a pen and paper to write him another one. She needed to, after what had happened today.

----------------------------

A week later, Lucas went on his new routine of an early morning run. He stopped leaving Peyton notes explaining where he was and instead would just kiss her on his way out. He always took the same route... Past the River Court and to Brooke's apartment complex. He'd sit down on one of the benches near her apartment to cool off. He was always tempted to knock on her door. But today was different. As he was sitting, a black BMW convertable pulled up to the complex.

The car parked and a guy who looked around 21 years old stepped out. He walked up the steps to Brooke's apartment and knocked on the door.

'What the hell...?' Lucas thought to himself. Brooke answered the door and the guy kissed her softly on the forehead. That's what Lucas would do to Brooke whenever she was scared, or just to show her he cared about her.

'So that must be her new boyfriend...' Lucas sat and just watched the door close. He could only imagine what was going on behind those doors. Knowing Brooke, she was probably asking him to shower with her, like she used to ask Lucas. Maybe she was making him cereal, since that was one of the only things she could 'cook.' SHe used to make Lucas cereal, or if he was lucky, burnt eggs.

Lucas sighed and put his head in his palms. What was going on? This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

-----------------------------

"Brooke, I gotta talk to you..." Brett said pulling back from kissing Brooke.

"What's up boyfriend?" Brooke cringed. Lucas was the only guy she called boyfriend, but she was going to have to push her feelings for Lucas to the back of her heart, because she was with Brett and Luke was with Peyton.

"I have to go back to school."

"What?" Brooke pouted, even though inside she was happy.

"My parents want me to go back. They think that if I take the year off I'm not gonna get a good job and blah-blah-blah..." He pulled her into him. "But I love you. And I want to be with you."

"I don't want you to go." Brooke lied.

"So why don't you move near the school? We can get an apartment together and I'll take class during the day..." Brett started excitedly.

"Because Tree Hill is my home. My friends are here, and even though they aren't my family, well you've met my parents. My friends are really the only family I have."

"I understand." Brett said dissapointedly.

"When are you leaving?" Brooke said.

"Tomorrow afternoon. Can I spend the last night with you?" he said kissing her.

"Of course." Brooke smiled.

"I think we can make this work, Brooke. I'll come out on the weekends, and vacations..."

"Brett, I love you for wanting it to work. But we both know you're not gonna want to drive 3 hours every weekend, and you have friends at school. And what if you miss an opportunity with the girl of your dreams at school because you're too busy with me?" Brooke was trying to find any way possible to end it with Brett.

"I guess so. But we'll have an amazing night tonight, and whenever I can I'll come visit. But I guess this was fun while it lasted." Brett smiled.

"It definetly was."

-------------------------

The next morning, Nathan was shooting hoops on the River Court when Lucas was on his run. Lucas went over to him.

"Hey man." Nate said.

"Hey."

"So I hear Brooke's back in town?"

"She is..."

"Have you seen her?"

"I went over there the day she got home. She has another boyfriend from California who came back with her. Plus, I'm with Peyton. Me and Brooke just never work out." Lucas sighed.

"That's B.S. man. You love that girl."

"I do love her, I always will, but it never works."

"Well, maybe you should make it work."

"Yeah, well let's just see what happens. School starts soon anyway."

"Yeah, I guess."

"How's Haley?"

"Better. She still spends a lot of time in bed, but she's a lot better than a few weeks ago."

"That's good. Tell her to call me when she's up to it. Do you wanna finish off this run with me?"

"Sure." Nate put down the ball and the two began to jog.

-------------------------

Brett and Brooke were laying in bed together. Brooke was tracing little circles on his stomach, but in her mind, it wasn't Brett she was laying next to. It was Lucas. School started in two days, and the two always had class together. Peyton was always in their classes too. And since Lucas and Peyton had alphabetically close last names, they always sat next to each other. She couldn't imagine how she was going to survive a year of watching Luke and Peyton as a couple every single day.

"I'll be right back." Brooke said. She needed to take a walk.

------------------------

Nathan and Lucas were sitting outside Brooke's apartment, on the bench that Lucas sat on every single day.

"You really love her, don't you?" Nathan said.

"Yeah, I do. But I told you before, she wants nothing to do with me." He sighed.

"How do you know?"

"When I went to go see her, she had taken the pictures of us down from her bulliten board. She even ripped one of them into a thousand pieces."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. It was like a reality check. Part of me was convinced that when she got home, everything was going to be perfect. Peyton would just drift away and we would be able to be together. Now she's with this other guy..."

Lucas looked up at Brooke's apartment to see Brooke walking out.

"Brooke!" Nathan called out. He got up to greet her.

"Nathan! It's so good to see you!" She hugged him. "Hey Luke." she said shyly.

"Hey." Lucas said standing up. He missed her so much.

"How's Haley, Nathan?" Brooke asked worriedly.

"She's doing better than a few weeks ago. I'm sure she'd wanna see you, drop by later today."

"I definetly will. I was just nervous to, she hasn't been answering any of my calls."

"Don't worry, she'll love to see you. So what's this I hear about a new boyfriend?"

Brooke laughed. "His name is Brett, but he's going back to school tomorrow afternoon so he'll be history in a few hours."

Lucas held back a smile.

"Well, speaking of the boyfriend, I think I should go spend some time with him before he kills me for being with two attractive guys instead of with him. I'll come by later Nathan and you'll give me the scoop about your summer. Bye Lucas."

"Wait, Brooke?" Lucas said following her.

"Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"I just wanted to say sorry. This is not how I imagined us coming home. Not even talking. I hope we can still be friends?"

"Yeah, I guess so... I'll see you later." Brooke walked up the stairs.

"Bye Pretty Girl." Lucas said so that Brooke could hear. She turned around and smiled, then turned back toward the door.

"Bye Broody." She whispered to herself.