Lucas strolled down the hallway heading to the Cafeteria to check up on Brooke, but he figured she was probably grabbing lunch with Felix.
He planned to talk to her later and maybe hang out, even though he knew it wasn't ideal to have feelings for her since she was dating someone.
Suddenly, he heard Felix calling out to him, so he stopped and waited for him to catch up. 'Hey, Felix, what's up?' Lucas asked as he noticed the puzzled expression on Felix's face. 'Do you know where Brooke is?' Felix asked.
Lucas was confused because he thought Brooke would have left the office by now. 'She wasn't in class, and we were supposed to walk to lunch together,' Felix explained. 'I needed to tell her something, but I can't seem to find her anywhere, not even at her locker.'
"Chill, Felix," Lucas said, trying to calm the black-haired boy. "I heard Brooke got sent to the office during first period." Lucas managed to get Felix to look at him as he scanned the area for the brunette.
"The office? But it shouldn't take three classes to get there," Felix remarked. Lucas, agreeing with him, was about to explain what was happening when Brooke walked over to them.
"Hey, Felix, oh hey Luke," the brunette greeted with a smile once she reached them. "Sorry I took so long in the office, Tanner needed help with something that took a few hours, so I pitched in," she explained.
"No worries, you're here now, Brooke," Felix reassured her as he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She leaned into his embrace as Lucas nodded his head in approval.
"Hey Brooke, you good?" The blond asked, not buying what the brunette was saying. He could tell she was fibbing, especially because she wouldn't look them in the eyes.
Brooke nodded with a smile, "Yeah, Luke, I'm alright." She tried to keep a straight face instead of breaking down in front of Felix and Lucas.
"Since I'm here, let's go grab something to eat, Felix," she said, giving him a kiss on the chin. Felix agreed, "Okay," and had Brooke head to his car while he had a chat with Lucas.
Noticing the tension in the air and feeling something was off between Lucas and Brooke, Felix asked, "Can I talk to you before I take Brooke for lunch?"
Lucas nodded, "Sure, what's up?" The blond looked at Felix after seeing Brooke head outside the school and asked, "What's the deal with you and Brooke? You seem closer than usual."
Lucas assured Felix, 'We're just building our friendship, nothing more!' He fixed his gaze on Felix and added, 'Brooke has feelings for you.' Felix, shaking his head, replied, 'I'm not concerned about that. But there's something else bothering her, and I want to find out.' Lucas glanced at the wall and then at Felix, saying, 'Brooke is upset about the move, but she's hiding something.'
Felix processed the information and said, 'It's probably nothing, but I can keep an eye on her when she's with me.' Lucas suggested, 'Peyton and Jake are already watching out for her when they're around. Let's meet at the river after school if you think we need more help figuring this out.'
Felix agreed, 'I gotta go now, we'll talk later.' And they headed in different directions.
"Hey Nate," Lucas greeted with a nod. "Hey," Nathan replied as he approached the blond. "We need to talk!" Nathan stated, looking into Lucas' eyes. "Talk?" Lucas inquired, looking back at his brother to see if Nathan had figured out what was going on.
Nathan nodded and crossed his arms. "Did you know about Brooke leaving Tree Hill?" he asked. The younger Scott would be upset if everyone knew before him and never told him about it. "I knew. Brooke and I found out at the wedding," Lucas confirmed. "I was going to tell you this morning, but you ignored me."
"Okay," Nathan said, understanding why his brother hadn't told him, and cursed himself for not listening. "But there's something else going on," he added. "And I need your help, along with Felix."
Lucas gave Nathan a curious look. "Brooke asked Dan for help to stay in Tree Hill, or rather, Dan offered to help her," Nathan said, earning a surprised look. "Why would Dan help Brooke?" the blonde asked, not happy that their dad offered to assist.
"I don't know, but I think he has ulterior motives. He won't let Brooke off without her repaying him for helping her stay in Tree Hill," Nathan said, with Lucas agreeing. "What should we do?"
Nathan shrugged. "I'm not sure yet, but we definitely need to watch Dan. I think he did something to Brooke that she's not telling us when he's around." Lucas nodded. "I can keep an eye on him when I'm at his place."
"Sounds good. We can both watch him at school, and let's inform the others. But most importantly, we need to keep an eye on Brooke," Nathan suggested, with Lucas agreeing.
"Let's meet up at the river after school, Felix will be there and we can convince the others to join us for help," Lucas suggested.
Nathan agreed, "If Dan is hurting Brooke, I won't hesitate to confront him, even if he's my dad." Lucas added, "You won't be alone in that."
( With Brooke and Felix)
Brooke walked with Felix to a small café they both agreed on because they didn't feel like going to a big place.
'What will you order?' Felix asked, taking a seat opposite the brunette, who shrugged, 'I'm not sure.' She grinned while checking out the menu. 'Just pick whatever you want, but we gotta chat after we eat!' Felix suggested as he glanced at his menu.
'Talk? About what?' Brooke inquired, placing her menu on the table. 'We'll discuss it after eating,' Felix reassured her. 'It's nothing serious, I promise,' he added softly. Brooke nodded, looking puzzled, and turned back to her menu as the waiter approached them.
'What can I get for you guys?' the waiter asked, ready to take their order. 'I'll just have a Dr. Pepper and a small salad,' Brooke replied, putting her menu down. She wasn't too hungry, so she opted for a light meal, ignoring Felix's questioning glance.
The waiter nodded 'Is that all?' scribbling down the brunette's order. 'Yeah,' Brooke confirmed with a nod, and then Felix ordered chicken tenders and a coke for himself. After the waiter bounced, Felix turned to Brooke.
'You know, you could order more than just a salad,' he suggested. But the brunette just shrugged, 'I know, but I'm not that hungry,' she explained, gazing down at her hands.
Felix sensed something was up and held Brooke's hand, asking, 'Is something bothering you, Brooke?' Brooke hesitated before saying, 'Nothing, I'm just…' As she looked into his eyes, she finally admitted, 'But I think this isn't working.' Felix seemed puzzled by this revelation.
The brunette nervously bit her lip and locked eyes with Felix. 'What do you mean it isn't working?' he inquired. 'If it's because you have to move, don't worry, we'll figure something out,' Felix reassured her. However, Brooke shook her head. 'No, it's not about the move. I think you and I aren't working out anymore. I'm sorry, Felix, but I think we should break up.'
Listening to the brunette, Felix kinda saw it coming but he was more concerned about her. He couldn't shake off what Lucas had told him. 'I was also planning to tell you the same thing. I have developed feelings for someone else,' he said.
Brooke gave him a knowing look and asked, 'Really? Please don't tell me it's Peyton.' Felix chuckled, 'Nah, it's just an old friend. I don't want things to be messy while we're together. And I know you have feelings for someone else too,' he added.
Brooke responded with a pout, 'No, I don't!' Felix laughed, 'If you say so. I'm sure that guy feels the same way about you.'
Brooke nodded skeptically. 'But we can still be friends,' she suggested with a smile. Felix reassured her, 'Of course, our friendship is solid.'
Brooke smiled and nodded after finishing their lunch. Felix said, 'We should head back to school now.' Smiling, they both left the café to go back. Felix added, 'And don't hesitate to come to me if you need help or just wanna chat, Brooke.' She nodded with a smile.