Chapter 19

Lucas POV

The place was quickly coming together as the night went on. It was amazing to see how all of the hard work they'd put into the party had turned out. Lucas couldn't wait to see Haley and Nathan's reaction.

If there was a couple that deserved it, it was them.

Thankfully he wasn't alone to do the finishing touches on the party. Junk and Fergie had showed up earlier to help him out before being replaced by Mouth and Skills. He was glad to see his boys from the river court contribute. In the past they'd all been on the receiving end of Nathan's past self. So seeing them trying to do a nice thing for his brother wasn't forgotten.

"Yo Luke," Skills called out. Lucas turned to his friend to see him and Peyton walking over. "Found some help."

"So how are we looking?" Peyton asked, loving how everything was coming together.

Lucas looked around. "Honestly, everything's pretty much done. Except the mix, I know you probably wanted your hand in that."

Peyton's eyes lit up at the sound of music. "You know me well."

"Well if that's all, I'm out," Skills said while fist bumping Lucas. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Then, we party all night."

"Absolutely," Lucas smiled, waving to Mouth too. "Thanks for everything Mouth."

He watched his two friends leave before turning to Peyton. Just the two of them now, he sat watching as she dug deeper into her computer trying to figure out the perfect mix of songs.

She had a god given talent for the arts and he'd seen so many times. All he had to do was look around and see her stamp on the party.

Looking at her, in her element, it was so easy to fall for her. He should know, he'd harbored the biggest crush on her for so long. It almost became a reality but then he'd gone and messed that up.

They'd played the cat and mouse game for so long and in the end, it just felt like everyone got hurt.

He couldn't change that, but seeing how far they'd come, he wouldn't dwell on it either any longer.

They were friends now, maybe not the best, but he could sit down with her on a night like this and just be at ease. Lucas never thought he'd get that again, but was thankful for it.

"Thanks for helping huh," He said finally.

Peyton looked up from her computer and smiled before looking back down. "This isn't going to be a heart to heart is it?"

Lucas laughed, feeling a little warm. "Am I that predictable?"

"Yeah."

Clapping his hand, he got up to take a walk. "No heart to heart then. Okay then, well how about normal friend conversation."

"What do you have in mind?"

He smiled, remembering something he overheard Haley and Brooke talking about. "You talk to Jake recently?"

The fingers on the keyboard stopped as Peyton looked up nervously. "What?"

Laughing, Lucas explained. "I heard Haley and Brooke talking about it the other day. How's he doing?"

Peyton made a mental note to kill Brooke when she got back.

"Fine last I checked," Peyton admitted. "I haven't spoken to him in awhile though."

"And Jenny?"

"Getting bigger everyday," Peyton smiled, remembering the little girl.

"That's good," Lucas said seriously. Jake had been a good friend, so hearing he was doing well was great to hear.

He eyed Peyton, seeing something he hadn't in awhile. "Were you blushing?"

"What? NO!"

Laughing, he walked closer towards her. "This isn't weird right? We're friends, we can talk about stuff like this."

"Really?" Peyton asked, smirking a little. "You want to talk about dating with me? Fine, who's the special girl Luke? Must be someone for you to be in such a good mood."

He really should work on not being so damn obvious all the time. It was beginning to hurt his secret keeping ability.

"I met her on dare night," He explained, remembering the kiss he shared. "Wasn't really anything, but she's cool, and I had fun that night with her. I almost forgot what that was like."

Peyton nodded, knowing the feeling. "I know what you mean. When did dating someone become so damn complicated and hurtful?"

"I don't know, but it just feels like the drama never stops."

"Hopefully soon. So, does mystery girl have a name?"

Lucas hesitated, but thought against it. This was Peyton, if he couldn't tell her then whom could he tell. "Her names Anna. She's new to Tree Hill so you probably haven't heard of her."

The name sounded familiar to Peyton. "There's a new girl named Anna in one of my classes. Dark hair, dark eyes, tanned?"

It could be a coincidence, but it added up. "Sounds like her. I didn't know she went to Tree Hill."

"It's Tree Hill Luke, where else is she going to go?"

"Good point."

Peyton watched the boy she used to have feelings for stand near her brooding, probably thinking about the girl. She didn't know when she became Brooke, but another idea popped in her head.

"Why don't you ask her to the party tomorrow?" Peyton asked.

"It's a little last minute don't you think?" He'd thought about it before, but the girl hadn't called since dare night. He was beginning to think she never would.

"Don't give up so easily," Peyton said, turning back to her computer. "Now leave me be for a few, I gotta make a kick ass mix."

Lucas smiled at her before listening. He'd leave her in her own world for the moment. He had other things to do anyways.

Like figure out how he was going to track Anna down…

General POV

Friday night was packed full of people as Brooke sat by the bar watching everyone around her. She recognized a few faces, even some friends from school. They'd made their way over, said hello, and then left to do their own thing.

It would have been much easier to leave with them as she sat with Jack in silence. He hadn't said much in the car, and now here, beer in his hand, he just sat and drank. Brooke wondered if he'd used all his words during his awkward apology.

She was still going to kill Peyton for this. Setting her up like some desperate final act that couldn't find a thing to do. She was Brooke Davis, just looking around she could spot 10 guys willing to do whatever she'd ask of them.

But here she sat, watching as her counterpart slowly drank whatever problems he had away.

"You could leave," Jack mumbled, turning his face towards her. She watched as he smiled at her lack of ability to speak. "Peyton kind of threw you under the bus."

Without warning, Brooke made an 'I told you so' face. "She totally did!"

Realizing her mistake, she watched as the eldest Scott broke out into a quiet laugh.

"I kind of just admitted that huh?" She said, feeling stupid.

"It's fine," Jack smiled. He signaled over the bartender who handed him another beer. "Here, that should make it better."

Brooke watched as he passed her the drink before paying. "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

There was an inadvertent tease in her voice as she watched him. Feeling a little more comfortable, she grabbed the beer. She could see what Peyton was talking about earlier when she commentated on Jacks look.

He was looking good, really good, and that could only spill trouble. She knew what happened when she went out drinking with a boy she found attractive. It didn't take a genius to figure out the end game.

"Is that what the other guys do?" Jack asked, eyeing the crowd. He saw the looks they were getting. "Must have seen a couple guys leer are way."

"Maybe they're looking at you," Brooke joked.

Jack eyed her. "They're definitely looking at you."

Seeing the look he was giving her, Brooke tried to think of something else to talk about before things got weirder.

"What about you?" She asked.

"What about me?"

"I've had the unfortunate task of dealing with girly cheerleaders since they discovered who you were," Brooke explained. Half her squad was already at each other's throats over him. "Making my job a little harder to be honest, they've been tough to manage."

Jack took another sip. "You're cheerleaders, I thought they're all nice."

Maybe in the movies Brooke thought. "We're vicious. Tough. And hard to control."

"Vicious?" Jack smiled, looking over the small girl.

Brooke saw his reaction, and feigned surprise. "What you don't think we could be? Just cause you fight doesn't mean we don't."

Jack watched amused as the girl in front of him got up from her seat and raised her fists towards him. She waved them back and forth a little drastically before attempting to punch him in the shoulder.

"See," Brooke punched one more time. "We're tough."

She didn't know what came over her, but the longer they hung out, the easier it was. Pretending to throw one more punch, she was surprised to see him catch her arm while smiling at her.

"Easy there Tyson," Jack joked, dropping his hand until he held her closed fist.

Brooke stopped moving as her opened up her fist and pulled out her thumb from underneath. Maybe it was the fact she hadn't been intimate with someone for so long, but the way Jack closed her fist before placing her thumb over the bottom of her fingers made her feel weird.

"There," Jack explained, letting go of her hand. "Keep that thumb on that outside, or when you punch someone, you'll break it."

Looking at her closed fist, Brooke wondered what the hell had just happened. Without warning, she grabbed the beer hastily before taking a large gulp of it.

"So do you enjoy it?" Brooke asked, trying to get her mind off of things. She noticed Jack's confused face. "Fighting I mean? Seems kind of dangerous."

"That's cause it is," Jack answered seriously.

"So why do it?"

It seemed dumb enough to do something dangerous, but to do it over and over again was just insane. Brooke could never see herself doing something that constantly put her life or well being in danger. Although she did drink a lot, and maybe that could be consider dangerous.

Still, she'd seen the way they fought in that cage, and it scared her. The guys in there weren't hitting to knock the other out; it was life or death in there.

"Control," Was the answer she got.

"Sorry?"

Jack gestured around the bar. "Look around. Every one of these people has a different story. Some are married, some are happy, some are alone, and the rest are just trying to figure it out. The only common thing they have is out in the real world is they don't control it. They could try, and maybe, just maybe they get close. But it doesn't last. People spend their whole life trying to find that one thing that makes sense for them. When I'm in that ring, it's the only thing that makes sense to me. I know that the other guy is going to do whatever it takes to knock me on my ass and I have to be ready for that. I need to control that. I fight because I love it, and because I know when I'm in there, I control my own life."

Brooke inadvertently found herself looking around wondering what'd he said. How many of these people felt like they had no clue what they were doing or where they were going. She wondered if her friends felt the same way at times.

Getting in that cage made Jack feel like he had a purpose, and she wasn't sure what to make of that. On the bright side, he knew what he wanted and knew what he loved. Every person dreamed of finding that one thing to hold onto. Whether it's a job, or place, a thing, a person, it was always different. She just wondered if the one thing Jack loved would end up hurting him beyond repair.

"What about you?" She heard him ask. Looking up, she saw his curious face. "What do you love?"

A brief image of her ex boyfriend crossed her mind before she answered. "I don't know. I haven't figured that out yet. I just hope it doesn't end with me getting punched in the face."

"I can drink to that," Jack laughed, clinking beer bottles with hers. "You'll find it, I don't doubt that for a second."

Brooke smiled. "You don't really know me."

"I don't," He admitted. "But I'm learning."

Damn the Scotts. Brooke thought. They always found a way to say the right thing.

She hated admitting it, but she wasn't having a horrible time. They spent the next hour getting to know a little more about each other. Brooke learned that the first time he'd fought was against a girl when he was 5 years old. Took one punch from her and lost three teeth. Till this day he said it was the hardest he'd even been hit.

Brooke tried to imagine it, but every time she'd choke on her beer from laughing. It would have been a sight to see.

Her stories weren't as funny, especially when he took notice to how close she and Peyton were. To most people she hated talking about the lack of love her parents showed her, but tonight she was in an open mood.

It wasn't hard to understand that the lack of love her parents showed her pushed her towards her best friend. In was way she was glad, it's what made her love her friend so much, but it also showed her a flaw. She relied on her friend too much sometimes.

When she couldn't turn to Peyton, where could she go? It was nice to know that in the last year people around her started to show they cared for her. It'd been something she'd lacked for many years.

"I find that hard to believe," Jack offered, after she finished her story. "From the little I've learned you have quite the attention from everyone."

"Attention can be a two faced bitch," Brooke explained honestly. She noticed Jacks serious face, before her breath caught. This couldn't be happening. "Oh god."

"What?" Jack asked, surprised. He noticed her eyes and turned to see what she was looking at. He saw nothing. "What is it?"

Brooke watched as a guy a few tables down smiled towards her before getting up and headed her way. "Damn it. That guy coming over, the one with the stupid smirk on his face. I hooked up with him awhile ago."

Before Jack could answer, the guy stopped in front of the two by the bar, smiling at Brooke.

"Brooke right?" He smirked. She nodded slowly. "I knew it was you."

"Yeah," Brooke mumbled, embarrassed. Truth be told she didn't even remember the night, but she didn't forget a face.

"What's it been a year?" He smirked again, finally noticing Jack. "Hey man."

Jack nodded, not saying anything.

"You're looking really damn fine tonight," The guy continued, reeking of alcohol. He turned again to Jack. "Sorry bud, she's with you. My fault. But I'll tell ya; she's a hell of a lay. Crazy in the sheets."

Brooke nearly grabbed the bottle near her and dropped it over his head. "Excuse me?"

"What it's a compliment," He laughed. "You're a good screw…"

"Why don't you watch your fuckin' mouth," Jack said, turning the guy towards him.

"Hey man, I was just saying," The guy said, confused with the hostility.

"I don't care what you were saying. Quit being an asshole and get out of here."

The guy stepped back, turning to Brooke. "Real keeper you have here. Guy's a prick."

Brooked smiled sweetly at the guy. "Well at least I remember his name. Bye jackass."

Without another word the two watched as the guy slowly made his way back to his table, confused and defeated.

"Asshole," Jack whispered, before looking over at Brooke. "Sorry but he had it coming."

"No complaints here," Brooke said, thankful he stepped in when he did. "I'm just embarrassed I use to hook up with guys like that."

The light buzz of Jack's phone interrupted them as he quickly checked to see who it was. It was late, very late, whoever was calling must have had something important to say.

Seeing the caller Id, Jack excused himself. "It's Ed, I'll be right back."

"Take your time," Brooke said, watching as he left towards the exit. She couldn't blame him, the place was really starting to pick up. It was hard to hear yourself think.

Taking another sip of her beer, Brooke looked around to see if any of her friends were still here. She didn't mind sitting alone, but sooner or later a guy would make his way over and take a shot.

Any other night maybe she would indulge, even at the beginning of tonight, but she didn't want that anymore. Honestly, she wanted to finish talking to Jack. Some of the things she learned were interesting to hear.

And as much as she dreaded it, she was having a good time.

Smiling to herself, she reached over for her beer but felt her hand collide with something before her forearm was drenched in whatever drink had been spilled. She looked up, ready to give whoever a piece of her mind but was stopped short after seeing their face.

"Oh man I am so sorry," The guy apologized. He was around Brooke's age, brown hair, dark eyes, and the way he was fussing to grab napkins gave him an adorable look. "Can I get some more napkins please? I'm really sorry."

"It's fine," Brooke smiled, waving it off. The boy continued to try and dry the mess he'd made, making Brooke laugh. "Seriously, it's okay. Not the first time I've had a drink spilled on me."

The guy smiled sheepishly at her. "Still sorry."

Brooke smiled, thinking he was actually cute. "You're forgiven."

"I'm Chase," The guy introduced, sticking his hand out. "I don't normally meet people by spilling my drink on them, I swear."

She laughed, shaking his hand. "Brooke. And I believe you."

The two stared each other done, not really sure what to say next. Brooke had never seen him before, especially around school, she'd defiantly remember a smile like that.

Chase, smiling at the beautiful girl in front of him, remembered his manners. "Um, can I buy you a drink or something? Pay you back for kind of ruining your shirt."

She would have jumped at the chance, but she remembered where she was. Looking towards the exit, she noticed Jack making his way back towards the bar. He'd probably understand but Brooke wouldn't put him in that spot.

"I'm sorry," She apologized, smiling a little at his defeated face. "I was actually leaving pretty soon."

"Yeah of course no problem," Chase hurried, waving it off like no big deal. He noticed a guy make his way over, before he sat near them, nodding towards Brooke. "Hey man, I'm Chase."

Jack watched as the guy put his hand out, a nervous smile on his face. "Jack."

"Anyways," Chase smiled, seeing the guy not raise his hand. He turned to Brooke one last time, hoping he'd see her again. "Again, I'm sorry. Have a great night Brooke."

"You too," Brooke smiled as the guy walked away. She wondered why she'd never seen him before, maybe he was new in town. Before being lost in her imagination, she turned to Jack with a look. "What was that for?"

"What?" Jack asked, not sure where she was getting at.

Brooke gestured towards his hand. "He tried to shake your hand. You blew him off."

He'd realized his mistake a little too late. "I actually thought he was another one of those guys from your past. Last one didn't make that great of an impression."

It made sense, the last guy was a dick. "Yeah I gotta pick better guys."

Jack laughed. "Maybe tomorrow. Right now I'm pretty beat. You want a lift home or are you crashing at Peyton's?"

Brooke POV

The two of them stumbled into the darkness of the home as they did their best not to make a sound. It was almost 1 in the morning, and they'd noticed that Peyton had already gotten home, probably asleep.

Brooke was a little surprised, she half expected to see her friend up waiting to grill her on how the night went. There was always the morning for that, and Brooke knew it would come eventually.

Making there way upstairs, Brooke watched as Jack headed towards his room for the night. They hadn't said much in the car ride, just enjoying the quiet sounds of Tree Hill on their way home.

Still, she'd admitted to him that she didn't want to go, and that felt like a mean thing to leave the night on.

"Hey Jack," She whispered. He stopped short of entering his room to look at her. "Thanks huh. It wasn't the night I expected, but I ended up having fun."

"No problem," He smiled back.

"You should do that more often," Brooke found herself saying. She saw his confused look, needing to elaborate. "Talk, smile, like you did tonight. There's actually a person in there."

He laughed at her joke, smiling one last time. "I guess you're just easy to talk too."

She felt her cheeks redden at the look he was giving her. Thankful for the dark, Brooke mumbled goodnight before slipping into Peyton's room. She didn't want to think about it any longer as she slipped into bed.

Both Haley and Peyton had been teasing her for the past two weeks about him, and seeing the look he gave her summed it up. She was attracted to him.

Now all she had to do was do a better job at denying it from the moment she woke up.