Brooke stormed out of yet another one of her favorite boutiques, ready to commit murder. Shopping was not doing it for her this morning and it usually did what it was supposed to do when she needed a pick me up.

Let's face it Brooke you need more than a pick me up. You need to throttle someone. Lucas had approached her once during the prom and like the good drama queen she could be, she told him to go back to his date. Unfortunately he did and she hadn't seen him since.

She'd lost sight of him and Peyton half way through the night and her mind had jumped to several different conclusions all of which ended with her boyfriend and best friend in bed.

"I will not cry," she muttered. As she turned the corner she ran into Haley and Nathan. "Watch where you're-oh my god. Haley, Nathan." She sighed. "Watch where you're going!"

Haley winced and Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"Wow, um skip Starbucks this morning?" Haley asked crossing her arms.

"No. I'm sorry for psycho bitching all over you." She sighed and looked pleadingly a Nathan. "Can you go away?"

Haley gave a Nathan a 'sorry, whatareyougonnadothat'smafriendbrooke' smile.

"Um, yeah I'll just…be in here." Nathan ducked into the closest door they were standing to.

"Does he know that's a lingerie boutique?"

Haley smiled. "Oh I'm sure he does now. I wonder what goodies he's gonna spring on me tonight."

"Ooo, what kinda goodies, the crotchless panty kind?" Haley let out a yelp and turned several shades of red.

"Ah! Brooke!"

"Hey don't knock it till you try it,"

"That was way too much information. Okay so you made my husband run away crying. You are not happy? Now, what's up?"

"Did you see Lucas or Peyton last night at all?"

Haley flushed. Damn you Lucas, she raged. "Um, yeah. Yeah I saw them. They both looked sort of miserable though."

"What kind of miserable, like we shouldn't have had sex in the bathroom, I hope Brooke doesn't find out miserable or a I miss my girlfriend and I miss my best friend kind of miserable?"

"Um….I don't know…Just, um miserable. Look Brooke, I think you and Lucas just need to talk things out. Just-Just get it all out there. You're just hurting yourselves by letting it drag itself out. I mean look at you. You've been out here what half an hour and all you have is a single Cranberries cd. That's not the Brooke Davis I know."

"He didn't look for me Haley. I haven't heard from him. What if he and Peyton…"

"I'm sure they didn't," Haley said, hoping to God it wasn't a lie.

"Then what if he got tired of waiting for me?"

"He loves you Brooke."

"What if…what if I'm tired of waiting for him?"

This was a great idea, Peyton thought to herself as she slowly and painstakingly alphabetized every record Tric owned. It was just the thing she needed to keep her mind off of Lucas and Brooke.

When she awoke to find Lucas' note instead of Lucas beside her, she had been relieved. She didn't want to deal with the ramifications of the night before, of all that had been said and what it meant for them all. Peyton sighed.

You wouldn't be hiding out in Tric if you had kept your big damn mouth shut, she thought. So why had she said it?

The day Lucas had showed up at her house with two records of her favorite punk rock band and a puppy dog face, Peyton had already decided to go to prom-alone. Lucas had asked her before, but she'd turned him down or at least she thought she had. Her "What? Are you crazy? Shut up Lucas," seemed to her like a sound 'no,' but he was determined to change her mind.

"Peyton, after all we've been through… we owe it to ourselves to go."

"Luke, I'm going alone." Lucas had sighed and pulled the yellow rose from behind his back.

"Peyt, please? It's our prom."

"But…" Peyton felt herself weakening. "Brooke."

Lucas looked down, determined not to feel guilty. "I know. I know, but it's our prom too Peyton. Now I still don't know what's going on between you two, because you won't tell me, but you can't keep punishing yourself for it. We get one prom. Brooke is taking Mouth and I wouldn't take anyone else."

Peyton was still unconvinced. "Oh come on Peyt. It's you and me here. It's us. Don't make me get down on my knees here on your front porch, Peyton. I'll do it."

Peyton had stared at him in disbelief and then raised an eyebrow. Lucas in turn had shook his head and did what he said he would. He'd gotten down on one knee and offered her the rose. For anyone else watching it seemed he was proposing marriage instead of proposing she go to prom with him.

"Lucas what are you doing?" She looked around wildly hoping no one was watching this. "Get-up!" She hissed.

"Come to the prom with me," he'd countered.

"Luke!"
"Peyton. It's us. Why go alone when we're gonna be attached at the hip anyways. Com on." He'd taken her hand and grinned up at her. "Please. PLEASE!"

"God! Okay, okay. Now get up you goof," she said tugging on his shoulder sleeve. Lucas stood with a half cocked smile that was as infuriating as it was endearing.

"Gimme those," she'd said snatching the flowers and records.

Peyton had given in. She always did when it came to Lucas. Going to prom had even seemed like a good idea until she ran into Brooke and Haley while shopping for a dress.

"Be sure to pick out something nice and slutty Peyton. Maybe you'll get lucky."

Haley's eyes bugged out at Brooke. Before she could admonish her friend Peyton had spoken up.

"You're going with Mouth. Brooke he asked me to go with him. What did you expect him to sit at home alone on his prom night and pine away for you?"

"I expected my so called best friend to NOT go to prom with my boyfriend who she just happens to be in LOVE with!"

"Keep your voice down," Peyton muttered.

"Oh that's right, you like to keep secrets and sneak around when it comes to Lucas. I forgot."

"Brooke, I was being honest with you. God why does this bother you so much? If you would've just stopped being such a baby then you would be going with Lucas, not me. He asked me so I'm going. Nothing is going to happen."

"Spoken like a true slut."

"Brooke!" Haley cried, shocked beyond belief at how cruel and unfair Brooke was being to Peyton. She wasn't sure what exactly was going on between the friends, but this level of fighting could only mean one thing. Lucas.

Peyton was pretty fed up with Brooke herself. There was only so much abuse a person could take especially from a friend.

"No Haley it's okay. It takes one to know one."

"Yet you're going to prom with him."

"You won't go with him Brooke! No matter how else I may feel, Lucas and I are friends first. Period. If you don't open your eyes and stop seeing yourself as the victim he'll be gone just like that."

So it had been anger that had fueled her decision to go, up until that night.