Author's Note: Okay, so basically, this is the worst chapter of the entire story so far. Hah. Honestly, I'm not just saying that. It's another filler chapter, and I had to write it, but I didn't really enjoy how it turned out - at all. I hope you feel differently, but I have a strong feeling you won't. Don't worry. Things definitely get better from here. Thank you all so much for the reviews, and I hopeto get more feedback for this chapter!

Also, I'm going away for the next five days, and I won't have any internet. And then, I'm going to be here for about three days before I leave again for ten. So hopefully I'll have enough time to write you guys a better update. I know you deserve it. Heh. Anyway, yeah. Enjoy. (Hopefully.)

Movie Script Ending

Chapter Fifteen: Way Offside and I'm Almost Empty

Nathan closed the door gently behind him as he entered the house. It was only eight, and he wasn't entirely sure Brooke would be up yet. He tugged off his sweatshirt, revealing his sweat-soaked tank-top. He'd been running for the past two hours, and it had really taken a toll on his now sore body.

Heaving a heavy sigh, he dragged his body up the stairs. He quickly checked on Brooke, who lay asleep in her and Lucas's bed.

Lucas had left for another business trip only hours earlier. Nathan had run into him in the kitchen on his way out.

"Nathan?" Lucas asked in disbelief as he entered the kitchen, grabbing the coffee pot.

Nathan cast his eyes up from the papers before him. "Hi."

"What are you doing up this early? It's four A.M." He poured some coffee into his thermos.

"Oh, is it? I've just been preoccupied, I guess."

With a sigh, Lucas dropped his bag to the ground, taking a seat next to his brother at the island.

"Brooke told me about the divorce. I really - I'm so shocked. I can't believe it."

"Me either." Lucas looked over his brother. His shoulders were slumped over, and dark circles lined the underneath of his eyes.

"Hey, Nate. Don't worry."

"I don't - I'm just so confused right now." Nathan shrugged.

"Everyone really wanted things to work out for you two. Especially me. I mean, she was my best friend. My brother and my best friend? It seemed like a perfect match." Nathan glanced at his brother, who now seemed to be deep in thought.

"I hope you know that I won't be mad if you still want to hang out with her, or whatever." Nathan offered.

Lucas smiled faintly. "Thanks, man. But you're my brother. My loyalty's with you now."

Nathan dropped his head into his hands. "Thanks, Luke. That really means a lot to me. I just don't know what I'm going to do. I can't imagine myself as being divorced right now."

Lucas squeezed his brother's shoulder. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise, Little Brother."

Nathan sighed, venturing into his bathroom. He flicked the knob in the shower, and almost instantaneously, hot water began to fall.

He stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower. With a content sigh, he allowed the scalding hot water to ease and knead at his muscles. Bracing both hands against the wall, he stood in complete peace.

After about fifteen minutes, he finally got out, wrapping a towel around his waist, and flopping down on his bed.

He assumed he'd fallen asleep at some point, because when he woke up, the clock read 9:20 as compared to the 8:00 it had donned earlier.

Nathan stood and quickly dressed in a blue polo shirt and jeans, walking once more towards Brooke and Lucas's room.

The brunette was now very much awake, sitting by the window. One of her legs was folded underneath her, and she was holding the other with her arms. She was gazing straight out the window, blinking every so often.

"Knock knock."

She looked towards the doorway, a smile easing up on her lips. "Hey."

He nodded, walking inside the room, and taking a seat on the bed. It felt strange and slightly forbidden. He was sitting on his brother's bed. Where his brother got pleasured He almost chuckled at his mental wording, but decided against it upon the thought of Brooke's reaction.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine. I ran for hours today and I just sort of let myself detoxify the thought of Haley from my mind."

Brooke looked almost worried. "Are you sure that's what you should be doing?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I wasn't at first, but I thought about her and the whole situation a lot, and it definitely seems like the right thing to do."

"As long as you're sure." She murmured, resting her head on her knee and focusing back out the window.

"How are you? I mean, I know you're probably upset with Lucas gone again." He wondered if she'd give him a straight, honest answer.

"I'm fine." Nope.

Nathan made a face. "I don't believe you. How are you really?"

She looked over at him, and he could not read her expression. He was sure there was some definite annoyance there.

"Peachy." She formed a grin he knew to be fake. He felt slightly annoyed himself. He thought that they'd passed that whole stage. They were at the point now where they could merely be honest with each other, weren't they?

"Brooke, anyone that says that they're feeling peachy is lying." He smirked at her, and her fake grin dropped. She made a face, shrugging.

"When did you become Mr. Know-It-All, anyway?" She realized she was probably being stubborn, but this really meant nothing to her.

Nathan sighed, leaning back. He was better at this game than she was. "I've always been Mr. Know-It All. People just never trust me. Apparently it's because I'm 'the guy that got married when he was sixteen.'"

She giggled. He smiled.

Throwing her legs down onto the ground, she frowned. "I just hate how he he's always traveling. I mean, he never used to travel this much, did he?"

"No. I mean, I don't really know. I never lived here before."

"But you were over here like, every day."

"True. But I don't know. I don't really remember."

Brooke slumped over, resting her elbows on her knees, and her head on her hands. "That's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard. But whatever."

"Brooke," Nathan rolled his eyes. "He's not having an affair."

Her eyes lit up. "You're sure of this?"

"Positive."

"Okay. I mean, not that that was bothering me, or anything."

"Huh. Okay." Nathan chuckled.

Brooke cocked an eyebrow. "What? You don't believe me?"

"Not at all."

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "Maybe I thought about it a little, but not much."

"Okay.." Disbelief still laced his voice.

"Nathan!" She squeaked uneasily.

"Don't worry. I won't tell Lucas."

She smiled appreciatingly. "Thanks."

"Don't worry about it."

They were silent for a few moments, but it wasn't like the awkward silences that sometimes filled their serious conversations. This was a contemplative silence. Nathan felt almost grateful that he and Brooke had reached such a stage where they had these types of silences.

Years before, he would have never pictured himself and Brooke in this situation. Especially in high school, when she had just been his girlfriend's annoyingly popular friend. And even when she was Lucas's girlfriend. He would have just never seen this coming, to put in plainly.

But then again, he wouldn't have seen himself married and divorced to Haley James all before his twenty-fifth birthday.

"I really miss him when he's gone." She said slowly. Her voice was almost cautious, and he realized then that she was trying to tell him how she felt without actually telling him her heart.

"I know. Don't worry. He misses you too. He loves you more than anything."

"God, I do too. I know it doesn't seem like it sometimes, but I really do."

"I know, Brooke."

"Sometimes I get scared, though. Because of reasons I can't even explain." And her gaze was now outside the window once more, and he wondered if she was talking more to herself than him.

"Everyone does." He reasoned with a shrug.

"Yeah," She nodded slowly. "I just hope Lucas knows that."