Brooke lay on her bed, scrolling through pictures of herself with Lucas. There were some of Peyton with Jake, but she skipped those.

Lucas had been the only thing on her mind for months now. Hearing him promise to love her forever, it was the best news she had ever heard. She fell in love with him only two weeks into dating last year. Now that she knew for certain he loved her back, she was on top of the world.

Someone else had creeped into her mind every once in a while. Jax Teller. But why? They had a nice conversation and she knew what a broken heart felt like. They related on that level. And he wasn't awful to look at. She couldn't tell anyone about the dreams she had been having. She felt a connection with him, a connection she didn't want.

Leah came bouncing in Brooke's room the way Bevin used to, and she jumped on the bed beside Brooke. "Plans for today?" Leah asked. Without giving Brooke a chance to reply, she continued, "Because I was thinking about shopping, maybe catching a movie later. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good to me. Where's Chloe?" Leah never showed up anyone by herself. Brooke learned that pretty quickly.

An annoyed sigh escaped Leah, "In Charming, She stayed at the clubhouse with Juice." Leah kinked an eyebrow and looked at Brooke. "Speaking of Charming," she snatched Brooke's phone, "Jax asked about you."

"Oh, really?" She didn't want to show any interest in that topic. Her cheeks flushed just thinking about him.

"You're totally into him!" Leah noticed the change in Brooke's face and sat up excitedly. "I knew it!"

"No!" Brooke was embarrassed, an emotional that didn't come easily for her. "Okay, fine, he's hot," she grabbed her phone back, "But I have a boyfriend. Lucas, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah. Broody from across the freaking country. I know. But c'mon, Brooke," she started to sound disappointed, "you really believe he's not going to hook up with someone else while you're here all summer? He's a guy, remember?"

For a moment, Brooke's face fell. Lucas wouldn't do that to her again. She felt it in her heart. "Actually," she sat up on her bed, "he's planning a road trip with Peyton."

"And you think they're coming here?"

"Yeah," she nodded, throwing her raven colored hair over her shoulder, "I think they want to surprise me."

Leah didn't buy it. When it came to guys and relationships, she was very untrusting. "For your sake, I hope you're right." She didn't want to deal with the serious vibe that had taken over the room. "Get dressed, let's go. It's too nice out to stay inside."

They spent most of the day walking through the mall, then grabbed lunch at this cute little bistro near the beach. Leah reminded Brooke of the girl she was before Lucas entered her life. Energetic. Happy. Care-free. Boys and relationships were too much drama sometimes. Brooke understood why Leah wanted to stay single, but at the same time, Brooke loved how Lucas made her feel. It was a feeling she couldn't put into words.

"You've got that look again," Leah said as she sipped her Pepsi.

"What look?"

"The 'oh-my-god-I'm-so-in-love' look. The one you always get when your boyfriend is on your mind. The look that makes me feel sick," she teased, mostly.

"Why are you so against relationships?" Brooke had to know why Leah was so broken, so hard.

A heavy sigh escaped her lungs, "My dad constantly cheated on my mom. Like, all the time. And I was seeing this guy last year," she paused to collect her thoughts, "he had anger problems," her voice began to crack, "I was his punching bag."

Brooke was speechless. Suddenly the history with Lucas and Peyton didn't seem like a big deal. "Leah-"

"Don't," she interrupted, "it's okay. I'm okay. Now finish lunch so we can hit Rodeo Drive." And just like that, the cheery, bouncy girl had returned.

The girls were shopping for new swimsuits when Leah's phone rang. Chloe woke up alone at the Son's clubhouse with no way of getting home. Juice had picked her up on his Harley.

"Looks like we're going to Charming," Leah said. She pulled out her credit card to pay for her things, then they were on their way to Charming.

Brooke wasn't thrilled about going out there again. She didn't want to see Jax. As hard as she tried to not think about him, and the way he called her 'doll,' she couldn't help herself. Her face flushed at the thought of him saying her name.

The parking lot of Teller-Morrow Garage was empty except for Gemma's SUV. She was in the kitchen having a cup of coffee with Chloe. When the doors opened, Gemma greeted them.

"Hey, Leah," then she studied Brooke, "and you must be Brooke."

Brooke gave a shy smile and a soft wave. She examined the pictures on the walls and caught herself smiling at Jax's mug shot. Why on earth there was an entire wall of mug shots was beyond Brooke, but part of her liked it.

"Before you girls take off, Chloe needs to clean that bedroom. It smells like sex in there," Gemma told them. She walked over to Brooke, taking another cup of coffee with her. "Here," she handed Brooke the cup, "He's vulnerable right now," she looked at Jax's photo then smiled at Brooke.

Brooke sipped the coffee and thanked Gemma. "Yeah, he told me about his girlfriend leaving. I can relate to that. My boyfriend is all the way in Tree Hill. I feel like a mess without him."

"Tara never fit in with the club. We treated her like family and she thought she was better than us. Jax is better off without her. He'll realize that soon."

"You two are close?" Memories of Karen and Lucas flew into her mind.

"He's my baby boy. His dad died two years ago. We became even closer after that."

"I wish I was close with my parents Sometimes it feels like I could set myself on fire and they wouldn't notice."

"Then it's their loss. From what I can tell, you're a wonderful young woman. Sometimes you have to make your own family, Sweetheart. Leah and Chloe are a part of our family here, and if you stick by them, you'll be family, too."

"Ya know," Brooke started, taking another sip of coffee, "I'm always wanted to be part of a family. My parents would rather throw cash at me than spend time with me."

"That's not the kind of family we are. We look out for our own," Gemma finished her coffee, "Just be careful with my son, okay? That's all I ask."

The girls talked and laughed on the drive back to Leah's house. They drove past the Sons and Brooke caught Jax's eye. She smiled, and he returned one to her. She wanted to know him. She wanted to explore that connection. What was it about Jax Teller that intrigued her? She wanted answers without betraying Lucas.

They lounged by the pool with music playing. Brooke and become close to her new friends. So close that they didn't have to talk to have a good time together.

She raised up to get her beer, then her phone rang. Peyton. "Hey, P. Sawyer, what's up?" As she listened to every word Peyton said, the smile faded, and she felt her heart crush to pieces, "New York? Just you and Lucas? Oh, okay. No, I'm fine. I just had this crazy idea that you two were coming to see me, but I guess you miss Haley more. It's fine. Be careful, okay? Tell Tutor Girl I said hey. Don't apologize, I shouldn't have assumed anything. Talk to you later. Bye."

"Trouble in paradise?" Chloe asked, sucking on a cherry from her drink.

"Maybe. I'm not sure. They told me they were planning a road trip and stupid me thought they were coming here."

"Where are they really going?" Leah questioned.

"New York. To see Haley."

"The one that left her husband to sing?"

"Yeah. That one."

"Brooke, I'm sorry. That sucks," Chloe told her, she didn't know what else to say.

Leah leaned over and hugged Brooke, stroked her hair, "I'm sorry, Buddy. We need more drinks."

The bubbly blonde went inside the house, no doubt to get the key for her mother's liquor cabinet.

"How could I be so stupid, Chloe? Seriously."

"You're not stupid, Brooke. You're just in love. Should I call a few guys over? It would be a nice distraction for you."

"No, Chloe, I don't want guys over. I'm pissed at Lucas and I'd take it out on everyone else."

"He keeps hurting you. You deserve better."

Leah returned with shot glasses and whiskey. Brooke's kryptonite. "I'll just drink until I don't care anymore. How about that?" She said, pouring a shot that nearly spilled over the glass.

"Getting drunk by the pool sounds like a good plan," Leah agreed.

For the next five hours, the girls drank cocktails and took shots until they passed out in the lounge chairs. When Brooke woke up that evening, she had three missed calls from Lucas.