Author's Note: Yay! We made it to thirty! And wow! The response to the last chapter was so wonderful. Keep it up, guys. Seriously, the fact that you're reviewing makes this so much easier to write. I know a lot of you are against the storylines, but you're sticking with me, and for that I owe you.

Doing a bit of promotion for myself, here. Heh. Check out my two newest stories An Attempt to Tip the Scales and Change in the Weather. Hopefully you won't be too disappointed with them. Anyway, enjoy!

--

Movie Script Ending

Chapter Thirty: Girl on Fire

Brooke squeezed her eyes shut, holding the damp cloth to her forehead. She'd been getting a lot of migraines lately. The fact that they usually happened to her when she started thinking really hard was bothering her. It was like, her brain's way of telling her that she needed to let go of whatever was on her mind. It was kind of ridiculous.

Lucas was at work, and she was home alone. She had contemplated calling Nathan, but had then decided against it, and now, with her headache fading away, she wondered why she had done this.

The doorbell rung loudly, and she groaned. She quietly scolded herself for not hiring a housekeeper years ago to do this sort of thing for her. It rang once more and she suppressed an angry yell, instead pulling herself to her feet.

As she stood, she felt a head rush coming on, and she sat down again. The doorbell rang a final time, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming. She made her way downstairs at her own speed, figuring that if the person left before she got there, what they had come to tell her must not have been all that important.

When she finally reached the door, she pulled it open with a pasted on smile. It fell from her features instantly when she saw the person on the other end. She was tempted instantly to slam the door.

"God, that took forever. What the hell were you doing?" Rachel Gatina stood before her in a jacket that resembled a cluster of live chinchillas, one hand on her hip, the other clutching a cigarette that she had yet to puff.

"Um," It took everything in Brooke's power not to reach over and slap the other woman's fake face. She'd heard rumors in high school that Rachel had once been extremely fat and unattractive, and had had tons of reproductive surgery to make her look like she did now. It was kind of hard to believe, what with them being only seventeen at the time, but she honestly would not put it past her. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Right." The redhead bobbed her full head of hair slowly up and down. "I figured you'd still be pissed about the New Years thing."

"Well, nothing gets passed you. Now, about my first question.." She was seething. This girl had no regret whatsoever. She didn't even seem to care that she could have easily ruined a marriage with her little 'New Years Thing'. Brooke found it ironic that she herself was so concerned about Rachel ruining her and Lucas' marriage, when she was single-handedly ruining it herself. With a little help from Nathan.

"Okay, okay. Obviously we're not going to be exchanging pleasantries anytime soon," The girl seemed almost disappointed in herself for the next words she spoke, but she spoke them nonetheless. "But I wanted to apologize. For kissing Lucas on New Years. I was drunk, and pissed, and feeling a little bit like I was in high school."

"That's not an excuse."

"Lighten up. It's not like he kissed back." She puffed at her cigarette, and though she blew the smoke out of the side of her mouth, it went directly in Brooke's face, who nearly gagged. If there was one thing that truly disgusted her, it was cigarettes. She did not need this right now.

"Well, as far as apologies go.."

"Okay, okay," another puff, "look, I am sorry. It's not like I ever really knew you in high school or anything-"

"Except for during the brief period of time in which you went after Lucas.." Brooke nodded slowly.

Rachel rolled her eyes, pulling her jacket tighter around her frame. "Okay, whatever. Will you just hear me out for a second?"

Brooke crossed her arms, but stayed silent. Rachel hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Okay. So, here's the deal.."

She was choosing her words carefully. Brooke noticed this as she watched the girl bite her lip in frustration, taking two long drags from her cigarette. "Since just apologizing to you about what happened is obviously not going to make you less pissed off, I have an.. offer for you."

"This'll be good." The other woman raised an eyebrow, and Brooke resorted to pouting, leaning against the door frame.

"Can I come in? It's kind of cold out here."

"No."

"Fair enough. Okay. I was wondering if you and Lucas, and maybe a couple of your friends would like to come up to my cabin in Charleston for the weekend." She'd said it so quickly, Brooke had hardly heard her.

"What?" She grinded her teeth. "Couldn't get any of your own friends to come along?"

She shook her head. "Look, it's the only way I know how to say sorry. And no offense, but you look like hell. You could use a weekend to just have fun."

"How would you know what I could use?"

Rachel dropped her cigarette to the ground, putting it out using her heeled boot. Brooke tried not to pounce on the girl for putting a cigarette out on her front porch, and instead stared at her, waiting for a response.

"You know what? Fine. Can't say I didn't try." And as she began to walk away, Brooke felt herself begin to give in. She really could use a weekend away.

"Wait," She called after Rachel, eyes squeezed shut. "I'm listening."

Her migraine was coming back.

-

Lucas was staring at her in what she believed was somewhat disbelief. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, eyes narrowed at her. "Wait, what?"

"I think it would be fun." She repeated herself, shrugging her shoulders.

"I just can't believe Rachel apologized. Doesn't seem like something she'd do."

"Well," Brooke was losing patience now. Did he want to go or not? "She did."

He laughed, like he sometimes did when he did not think things were funny. "Well, are you sure this isn't just a chance for her to try something else?"

"She's not a criminal mastermind, Lucas. I think she's genuinely sorry. I think she's matured." She did not believe this herself at all the slightest bit, but she needed to be out of Tree Hill for a couple days. The place was smothering her. It held all of her secrets.

Lucas scratched his head. "Alright, I guess. I could take a few days off work. Who would we bring? I mean, she said that we could bring a few friends, so.."

Brooke nodded. "Peyton, obviously. And she'll probably want to bring Dave since they're dating and everything.."

"How about Nathan?"

She swallowed. "Do you really think he'd want to go?"

"Why not? Do you not want him to or something?" Lucas frowned.

"No, no, no. It's fine. I just hope he doesn't get lonely up there or anything.." She was digging her own grave and she knew it. All that was left was to throw herself into the coffin and nail it shut.

"He'll have us. I'm sure he'd love to get away from here for a little. And I mean, it's not like you were planning on inviting Haley or anything." He chuckled, laying back on their bed. She remained standing, and did not let him know her thoughts. This was not a strange occurrence, as she rarely did these days. To be honest, she had considered inviting Haley. Although the two had rarely spoken since Nathan's split with her, Brooke had to admit that she kind of missed her old friend. Despite the fact that she had broken Nathan's heart, Brooke felt bad for leaving the girl so far out of the group. She wondered if Haley had friends.

"Yeah," Brooke said softly. "So, we'll go?"

"If you want to." Lucas shrugged.

She thought for just a moment. "Yeah. You never know. Could be fun."

-

This was not her idea of fun. Somehow, while deciding who would go in which car, Nathan had been stuck with her and Lucas. And the last thing she needed at this point was to be stifled in a car with her husband and her lover.

Rachel had decided to go with Peyton and Dave, who hadn't really seemed to mind all that much, although Brooke assumed it was because they were simply happy that she was allowing them a weekend away from Tree Hill. Brooke had also volunteered to go in the other car, stating she wanted some quality time with her best friend. The car would be, they decided without her, too full in this situation, and Peyton promised they'd spend some quality time up at the cabin.

So now, Brooke was stuck.

She watched her best friend drive off with Dave and Rachel, laughing at something her boyfriend had said. Peyton had come a long way over the years, Brooke realized. She had become an entirely different person. Gone was the self-loathing, cheating, brooding teenage girl, replaced with a confident, happy, self-serving woman. She had grown as a person. Brooke had done the exact opposite.

As Nathan and Lucas talked about something, with Lucas beside her and Nathan in the back seat, Brooke closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep.

She didn't want to be here. It was too strange. It was uncomfortable. Nathan seemed so okay with the situation it bothered her. Him and Lucas were laughing about some thing some player had done for some team during some basketball game. She could not keep up.

"So," Lucas said suddenly and quite cheerfully. "This should be fun. It's been a while since the three of us have hung out, huh?"

Brooke turned to look at Nathan through the corner of her eye. He looked guilty now, staring down at the carpeted floor of Lucas' new truck he'd gotten from Dan's dealership a month before, when his lease on the other car had been up.

"It won't be just us, though," Brooke heard herself say. "Peyton and David will be there too. And Rachel."

"Well, yeah, but so will we." Lucas smiled at her, and she felt her stomach turn.

God, she was a terrible person.

-

Haley looked through the window of the café. She was closing up, working the shift on her own. She liked working by herself sometimes. Gave her time to think.

Tonight however, her mind was thinking too much for her.

Rachel Gatina had stepped into the café for a quick cup of coffee earlier that morning and, always unable to keep her own business to herself, had spilled to Haley that she was taking Brooke, Lucas, Nathan, Peyton, and Peyton's boyfriend away to her cabin for the weekend.

Haley had smiled and imitated interest as the girl had blabbed on and on.

And all she'd been able to think about was how these had once been her own friends, and how they had not invited her.