"Brooke, we need to talk," Haley said as she walked into the doors of Clothes Over Bros.

"About?" Brooke asked curiously as she organized the clutches on the purse rack. She hated working at her mothers store almost as much as she hated her mother, but if she wanted 20 bucks an hour, she had to. The 20 dollars an hour was just about the only perk about working for her mom.

Haley walked over to where Brooke was and answered slowly, "Oooooh just…about a guy…"

Brooke kinked an eyebrow. A guy? "Ohh? And what guy are we talking about here? Your boy toy, Nathan?"

Haley's eyes widened and she quickly placed her hands on her hips. "Why does everyone think I have a crush on him? Seriously? Just because he's…really cute and the only one of Julian's friends that I can actually stand and…" Haley started going off.

Brooke tuned out the rest of Haley's ramblings at the mention of Julian's name. Julian and his grin had been in her mind nearly all day. She felt rather pathetic re-playing their short conversation from art class in her head over and over, but she was unable to hit the stop button. It was like it was on repeat or something. It wasn't even more than a minute that they had talked, but she still couldn't get it off of her mind. Why did Julian sit down and attempt a conversation with her? Did she really affect him that much when she did her little number on him the other night? Was he just being polite? What gives? Why the fuck is she even stressing about it?!

"…and those my friend, are all the reasons that Nathan Scott and I will never, ever be together, ever!" Haley finished. Brooke hadn't heard any of what'd she'd just said but she nodded and pretended like she did anyways.

"Right. So what guy are we talking about then?" Brooke asked, organizing one of the purses.

Haley then composed herself then thought back to her original purpose for being here and what it was she needed to tell Brooke.

Julian.

Haley was more than a little hesitant on whether or not she should tell Brooke about her encounter with her brother earlier.

Brooke isn't exactly the type of girl that Julian was usually into, what were his intentions? Were they pure? Did he really like Brooke, or was she just another name he wanted to notch on his bong? Not that he notched names on his bong, it's just a figure of speech…Haley rambled in her head.

"Oh, just…about…Julian…" she then said nonchalantly.

Brooke felt her face get hot and her heart started to beat a little faster. She found herself gripping tightly onto one of the purses.

"Julian?" Brooke asked, hoping her voice didn't creek as she spoke. "Wh-what about him?"

Haley took a breath and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh it's just…he just sorta, said a few things…about…." Haley looked away and fiddled with one of the purses.

Brooke was getting impatient. What about Julian? Why would anything about Julian involve her? Why was Haley talking about him? What was she going to tell her? Brooke bombarded her mind with a zillion questions.

"About?" Brooke asked, gritting her teeth in the process.

Haley bit her lip. "About…you," she declared as she finally got the courage to look Brooke in the eye.

What the fuck?

"Me? Wh-why was he talking about…me?" Brooke asked, as she moved away from the purse rack and moved onto one of the stores couches. Haley followed her.

"Uh, well…"

Brooke waited. Anxious. Nervous. Excited?

Haley licked her lips and fiddled with her hands. "Okay, you see the thing is…"

Brooke narrowed her eyebrows implying that she wanted Haley to spit it out already.

"My brother seems to be like totally into you and I think he might really like you and make another move on you sometime in the very near future," Haley said in a rush.

Brooke was shocked and a bit flattered. "Wait, what?" she asked, somewhat flabbergasted.

Haley took a breath and started to speak more slowly. "Well you know today at lunch, when he called me?"

Brooke nodded.

"Well, he ended up asking me if you were seeing anybody, and the look on his face was like…serious," Haley responded.

Brooke let that sink in and remained quiet.

"And I know that he's…sort of a major player and I know that you don't usually go for the athletic type guys after what happened with…" Haley paused and Brooke almost flinched. Haley thought it better not to say his name. "…but I don't know Brooke, Julian seemed kinda…sincere."

Haley's demeanor changed to that of curiosity. "So, what exactly were you two doing downstairs that had such an impact on him anyways?"

Brooke just looked at Haley and giggled.

**

"So, what's with you talking to Brooke Davis today?" Lucas, hiding his bitterness, asked Julian as they played a game of pool at Tric.

"What do you mean?" Julian asked as he positioned his stick on the table. Is it some kind of a crime for me to talk to her or something? Geeze.

Lucas looked at him and took a swig of his beer on the bar next to him and replied, "I mean, what was a guy like you doing talking to a bitch like that?" His throat almost stung calling her such a vulgar word, she wasn't a bitch. She was Brooke. His Brooke. And she always would be…but only he seemed to know that. No one else could now how much he was still in love with Brooke Davis. No one.

Something inside Julian snapped at hearing Brooke being called a 'bitch'. He looked up from shooting the ball and gave Lucas a dirty look. "She's not a bitch, you don't even know her…" he said with somewhat hostility in his voice.

Lucas bit back a growl.

I know her better than you think asshole, Lucas thought to himself.

"Oh, and you do?" he asked Julian. "When did you two become such best buddies?"

Julian paused and just glared at him. "We're not, she just…" Julian drifted off.

Lucas looked at him and gave him an expression that read 'just what?' He wanted an explanation as to why Julian and Brooke seemed so chummy and he wanted it now.

"Look, she's just Haley's best friend and she's someone that I have to be nice to, that's all," Julian lied. Well, half-lied. She really was Haley's best friend, that much was the truth.

"Really? You're forced to be nice to all of Hales' friends?" Lucas asked through squinted, disbelieving eyes.

Julian nodded and put his stick down. He then made his way over to a nearby stool and took a sip of his drink "Mhm, I do."

"But your sister can be a bitch to me and the guys?" Lucas remarked as he rounded the pool table and stood next where Julian was seated.

Julian sighed and faked a chuckle. "Dude, why does it even matter?"

Lucas looked down and realized how worked up he seemed to be getting. He gave Julian a tight smile and shrugged his shoulders. "Heh, you're right. I guess it doesn't." He then took a seat on the stool next to Julian and folded his arms on the bar.

Lucas's thoughts drifted back to a plan that had formed back in his mind earlier that day. Operation: Get Brooke Back.

The second that he'd seen Julian blatantly flirting with Brooke earlier today, something inside of him had lost it. No guy had any right to make a move on Brooke, not when he was sure that she was still in love with him. And Julian sure as hell couldn't make a move on Brooke. Brooke was his. Not Julian's. Not anyone else's. His.

Getting Brooke back shouldn't be that hard to do. Sure, he may have done something to…upset her in the past, but he didn't think it was something that needed to keep them apart now. It happened, it's over. They moved on, why couldn't they try again? They were in love once, that amazing summer. Hell, he was still in love with her. He'd never stopped loving her. Nothing in this world would cause him to stop loving the beautiful and amazing Brooke Penelope Davis. And he was sure that she felt the same, she just needed a push in the right direction, which brought him back to his original plan.

"But uh, I guess I do have to admit, she is kinda hot, ey?" Lucas remarked, waiting to slip his plan into motion.

Julian kinked his eyebrows. "Who, my sister? Dude, that's just sick."

Lucas chuckled. "No, no. Not her. Brooke."

No shit she's hot, Julian thought. "Yeah, she kinda is," he responded nonchalantly, shrugging it off, trying to make it appear that Brooke didn't affect him as much as he knew she did .

"Yeah, I wonder how a girl like her is in bed," Lucas said. Not that I don't already know…he thought.

"A girl like her?" Julian asked, almost annoyed at the comment.

Lucas nearly smiled hearing the edge in Julian's voice. It was obvious that Brooke had some sort of an effect on him. Perfect for his plan to fold out. "Yeah, you know. The mysterious, artsy type. I bet she's into all sorts of kinky shit," Lucas said rather crudely.

The conversation was making Julian feel a bit uneasy. He didn't want Lucas thinking about how Brooke is in bed. The thought alone nearly made him gag, but he responded in his usual guy conversation tone. "Heh, yeah."

Lucas almost sensed Julian's uneasiness. "You think you could ever get with Brooke?" Lucas asked, biding his time, waiting for his plan to unfold.

Julian kinked an eyebrow. "I am Julian Baker after all," Julian replied with a confident attitude. "Who couldn't I get with?"

Lucas chucked and shrugged his shoulders as he took another swig of his drink. "Nah, I don't think you could get with her," Lucas replied, trying to get Julian riled up.

"And why the hell not?" Julian asked, almost offended. What? Am I not good enough for her?

"Because dude, you two are total opposites. And she seems like too much of a bitch to give you the time of day."

"Well, I think you're wrong. I could totally get with Brooke Davis if I wanted to," Julian replied sternly.

"You wanna put money on that?" Lucas asked with a smile.

How dare Lucas question his ability to get a girl! He got with Serena, didn't he? He could get with any woman he fucking pleased to. Julian shrugged. "No. No, this I'll do for fun."

Lucas grinned. This is too easy. Lucas raised his beer in the air.

"Alright tough guy, here's to you trying to fuck Brooke Davis. I'll give you until the end of the school year to do it. You're going to need all the time you can get since I know you're going to fail miserably."

Julian raised his beer to Lucas's and they clanked bottles. "Please. She'll be eating out of the palm of my hand in no time. You'll see, Scott."

"Whatever you say man," Lucas responded.

This was too good. Julian will make Brooke fall for him, then I'll tell her the truth, that she's nothing more to Julian than a bet. Then I'll be her shoulder to cry on, and she'll realize how much she loves me, Lucas thought happily to himself. This was going to be a piece of fucking cake. Now all I have to do is wait. Brooke will be mine in no time.

Julian interrupted Lucas from his thoughts. "So, what's in it for you?"

Lucas looked at him warily. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, hypothetically speaking, if for some freak chance that I don't get with Brooke, and you win, what do you want?"

Lucas shook his head. "Just the satisfaction of being right," he replied with confidence. And the satisfaction of having Brooke again.

"Well, you're going down my brotha," Julian chuckled, taking a drink.

Lucas looked at him with disdain while Julian wasn't paying attention. Oh, we'll see who's going down...

**