2003 ― Tree Hill, North Carolina

The following day at school, Brooke, Peyton, and Brianna were walking through the hallways because Brianna was making her way to the tutoring center. She was meeting with Nathan. Now that she had been working with Nathan for a couple of months and she felt that they were genuinely friends, she didn't care about being seen with him anymore. Especially now that all of her friends knew she was tutoring him.

"All I remember is you, me, tutor girl, and Haley in my car... and then Lucas and Nathan, and then you said something about being into Lucas, but it could've been Nathan, and I need to know," Brooke said, and Peyton raised an eyebrow.

"Need?" She asked.

"There's two of them and three of us, not enough Scott boys to go around. So, everyone needs to make a decision right now, and your courtesy hold on Lucas has expired. Besides, you and Nathan were so... interesting together. Plus, we could still trade off every once in a while... or twice. Win-win." Brooke said as the girls approached Lucas at his locker. "Hey, broody." She said. Lucas looked up and smiled at the three of them.

"Hey, cheery... Bree, Peyton." Lucas greeted them.

"This girl has tutoring, so I will see you all later."

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When Brianna walked into the tutoring center, she saw Haley sitting with one of her regular students. The friends smiled at each other before Brianna went to her normal table and got all of her things ready while waiting for Nathan.

He showed up a few minutes after she got in. She noticed that over time, Nathan stopped being late, and sometimes, he would even show up early. Today they were studying history, and she could tell that it wasn't Nathan's favorite subject because he was starting to get frustrated. It only took a couple of minutes for him to push his book away from him in frustration.

"Oh, this is so stupid. What... why do we have to study history anyway?" Nathan asked.

"So we're not doomed to repeat it," Brianna responded, and Nathan laughed.

"What?" He asked. Brianna shook her head as she smiled.

"Look, don't lose hope, okay? Tomorrow is a teacher's work day, so you've got a three-day weekend to study." She said, and Nathan sighed as he rolled his eyes.

"Minus my dad's annual kiss his ass jamboree. Hey, I would invite you but...-" Brianna cut him off.

"...-I'm already required to go since I'm a cheerleader?" She finished for him, and Nathan nodded his head.

"Exactly." He said, and they both laughed.

"Even though I'd rather not. It's not like I want to kiss Dan's ass anyway." Brianna said, and Nathan laughed while shaking his head.

"Yeah." He said.

"So, listen. I made you a study guide. Everything you need to ace your history exam." Brianna said as she reached into her bag and took out a small metal box, and handed it to Nathan. "It'll be right here in this little box of tricks. NoDoz, eye drops, number two pencils."

"Why don't you just text me the answers?" Nathan asked. Brianna laughed as she shook her head. The bell rang, indicating that period was over, and she started packing up the rest of her things.

"Oh, no! Look, if you need anything, just give me a call, okay?" Brianna said as she stood up from the table. "And hey, thanks for cutting Lucas some slack." She said, and Nathan nodded his head.

"A deal's a deal, right?" He said, and Brianna nodded her head.

"Yeah... see you at your dad's kiss his ass jamboree."

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Later that night, Brianna and Brooke were at Peyton's house getting ready for the basketball fundraiser that Nathan refers to as Dan's "kiss his ass jamboree." Peyton was standing in her bathroom that was connected to her room, and she was putting on dark red lipstick.

"Haven't you heard goth is the new geek?" Brooke asked as she tossed Peyton some lip gloss. "Tonight's going to be killer. You and Nathan, me and Lucas, an open bar."

Peyton noticed that Brianna looked up when Brooke mentioned Peyton and Nathan. "Brooke, are you serious? You're trying to set me back up with Nathan when it's clear Bree has feelings for him." Peyton said. Brooke looked over at her sister, and Brianna diverted her eyes to her lap.

"Peyton, it's fine. You and Nathan have history, I'm just his tutor." Brianna said as she shook her head, and then she started to tweak her hair. She had her hair in french braids for the last couple of days so she could wear it wavy to the fundraiser. She was taking the braids out.

"Hey, don't do that. I'm over it with Nathan, and if you two like each other, I want you to go for it." Peyton said, and then she turned to Brooke. "And there's no you and Lucas, for that matter, either." She said.

"For now," Brooke said as she shrugged her shoulders. Brianna had a bad feeling that tonight wasn't going to go well in anybody's favor.

"Guys, I'll meet you at the party... I need to go talk to someone." Brianna said. Peyton nodded her head, and Brianna left after she finished taking out her braids. She knew leaving abruptly like that was weird, but she needed to be honest with herself, and being honest with herself meant she needed to be honest with someone else.

Lucas.

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[bree's outfit, hair, and makeup]

Brianna walked onto Luke's porch, the back door that leads directly into his room. She knocked on the door and then took a deep breath. She was nervous because she was pretty sure Lucas was going to hate her after she talked to him. But she thought about what Peyton told her when they were getting gas.

She doesn't need Lucas' permission. When Lucas opened the door, his eyes were wide when he saw Brianna because of how rapidly she had been knocking. "Bree?" He asked as he opened the door and let her in. "One, you look beautiful. Two, is everything okay? What are you doing here?" Lucas asked.

"First, thank you. Second, I'm saving you from that tie." Brianna said as she took his tie out of his hand and went to look for another one. "Third, we need to talk." She continued, and Lucas nodded his head.

"Could we do both at the same time?" He asked. Brianna nodded her head as she grabbed a black tie from Lucas's closet that she thought would match better with the shirt he had on. Then she walked back over to him and took a deep breath as she wrapped the tie around his collar.

"Um, okay... You're not going to like this, in fact, you're going to hate it. But, since you are my best friend, in the interest of full disclosure, I know that I need to tell you. Plus, I'd rather you not call me a liar again." Brianna said as she looped Lucas's tie through and started to pull it so that it would tighten around him. She's tied her brother Beckham's ties many times, she was an expert at it by now. Lucas laughed as he shook his head.

"Yeah, right. What could be worse than you tutoring Nathan, huh?" Luca asked. Brianna didn't answer him, but when she looked up, and Lucas looked into her eyes, he didn't need an answer, he already saw it. When Brianna sighed and solidified what he was thinking, the smile slowly left his face. "You like him." He said. Brianna took a step back and pointed her finger at Lucas.

"Lucas Scott, do not freak out on me, okay? I can't help it any more than you can." She said.

"I don't like him!" Lucas exclaimed while slightly raising his voice.

"I'm talking about you and Peyton! We don't decide who we like. We just... it just happens." Brianna said while shaking her head.

"Do you know what you're getting yourself into?" Lucas asked. Brianna didn't like how hard his tone sounded, and the answer to his question was no, she didn't know what she was getting herself into. She had a front-row seat to how bad Peyton and Nathan's relationship was, but Nathan wasn't like that with her.

"I'm not getting myself into anything. I am thinking about maybe getting into something that is never going to happen anyway, so...-" Lucas cut her off.

"...-But what could you possibly like in the guy, huh?" Lucas asked.

"Different stuff... We connect. Yes, he can be a total asshole sometimes... but I'm telling you, it's just a defense mechanism. He really opens up with me, Lucas." Brianna said.

"You know how I feel about him," Lucas said, and Brianna sighed.

"I know... and I'm sorry, Lucas. I really am." Brianna said in a soft voice. Lucas's face softened when he heard Brianna's tone. He knew it wasn't her fault, and she was right. You can't help who you have feelings for. He knew if Brianna could help it, she wouldn't like Nathan for his sake, but he also couldn't be selfish and ask her to do that.

"But I get it, alright? I understand. Just do me a favor, okay? Just...-" Brianna cut him off because she knew what he was going to say.

"...-Be careful? I wish everyone would stop telling me that."

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The fundraiser for the basketball team had been underway for a few hours. Most of the basketball players and cheerleaders were outside in the backyard. Some of the guys were playing ball on Nathan's hoop, and everyone else was standing around and talking to each other. Brianna was talking with Nathan, not about school, tutoring, or basketball, they were just talking. She noticed that Peyton was talking to Lucas, and then she saw her sister Brooke walk outside, and she could tell from looking at her face that she was drunk and upset.

So she knew something bad was about to happen.

"Listen up, everybody... it's time to play truth or dare... or maybe just dare, because... nobody really tells the truth anymore." Brooke said while looking directly at Peyton. "Let's see... Theresa, I dare you... to go pinch Whitey's ass." She said, making everyone around them laugh while Theresa shrugged.

"I'll be right back," Theresa said and then walked off. Brooke smiled and turned to Peyton.

"Let's see... Peyton?" Brooke asked.

"Brooke, come on," Peyton said while shaking her head.

"I dare you to show us how you really feel... kiss Lucas," Brooke said, and Brianna's eyes widened. She excused herself from Nathan, walked over to her blonde friend, and gently grabbed her arm while shaking her head.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I can take her home." Brianna whispered. Brooke was still glaring at Peyton, and Peyton shook her head. She turned to Lucas, grabbed the back of his head, and pulled him into a kiss. Brianna looked over at Brooke, who now looked even more pissed, even though she was the one who dared Peyton to kiss him. When Peyton pulled away from Lucas, Brianna saw the tears in her eyes. Then Peyton walked off.

Lucas immediately went after her.

"Why are you being such a bitch tonight, Brooke?" Nathan asked as he looked at her.

"Well, I thought you liked that in a girl," Brooke said with a smile on her face. Nathan scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"You should put some ice on it."

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After that fiasco, Brianna excused herself and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water, but she was surprised to see Haley in the kitchen, and she had boxes in her arms. "Hales, what's going on? Do you need any help?" Brianna asked as she took one of the boxes off of Haley's stack to make it easier for her.

"Deb needed some cake, and I was working, so I came to drop them off, and now I have to get back to the cafe, but Bree, you look beautiful," Haley said, and Brianna smiled.

"Thanks, Hales," Brianna responded as Karen entered the kitchen.

"Brianna, you look beautiful, honey," Karen said, and Brianna smiled.

"Thank you, Karen." She responded.

"Can I ask you something?" Karen asked.

"Of course, always," Brianna said.

"Why didn't you tell me you were tutoring Nathan?" Karen asked. Brianna looked over at Haley, who shook her head, indicating she didn't tell Karen that Brianna was tutoring Nathan, so Brianna figured that Deb must have told her. Brianna sighed as she turned back to Karen.

"Oh, uh... it just seemed kind of weird. Lucas wasn't really happy about it, and he's still not really happy about it, so I just figured that you wouldn't be happy about it either, and honestly... I wasn't even sure if I was happy about it." Brianna said, and Karen nodded her head.

"And now?" Karen asked.

"Um... now things are okay with Lucas and me," Brianna said, and Karen nodded her head.

"And with me. Go on back to the party and enjoy yourself." Karen said. Brianna gave her and Haley one last smile before she grabbed the bottle of water she came into the kitchen for.

Then she made her way back into the lion's den.

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"Bree! Hey!" She heard her name as she was walking down the hallway. She turned around and saw Nathan approaching her. "I um... I forgot to say this earlier, but you look absolutely beautiful." He said. Brianna gently bit down on her lips as she felt her cheeks getting warmer, she knew she was starting to blush.

"Thank you, Nathan... Are you enjoying yourself?" She asked, and he laughed.

"Hell no. I mean, I'd even study right now. It'd be a hell of a lot more fun than this suck-fest." He said, and Brianna laughed.

"Sorry, I'm off-duty." She said.

"Well, then, can I get you a drink?" He asked. Brianna held up her water bottle with a smile.

"I just beat you to it. But thank you for offering." She said, and Nathan nodded his head. He was about to ask Brianna if she wanted to steal away from the party and spend some time together one-on-one, but then Brooke approached them before he could get a word out.

"Tutor girl! My dear sister." Brooke said.

"Hey, Brookie... Are you feeling okay?" Brianna asked. She had no idea that her sister had just been in Nathan's room looking for more alcohol, but she found the metal box 'study care package,' that Brianna had given to Nathan. Brooke found the note inside the box and read it to herself, and she knew she shouldn't have. Brianna was her sister, but she was drunk, and she wasn't thinking about the consequences of her actions at the moment.

"Brooke..." Nathan said in a warning tone.

"Oh, Brianna. Nathan's own personal little care package. Everything is starting to make so much more sense now. You two are adorable. What was my favorite party? "Believing you'll do well is half the battle." Brianna's eyes widened as she realized that Brooke was quoting the note she left for Nathan, but she didn't know how Brooke would know about it. Brooke turned to Nathan. "Oh, you know. My sister's little love note that you passed around earlier, the one that said, 'call me if you need anything... at all.' You know." Brooke said. She looked at her sister and smiled, and then she walked away.

Brianna turned to Nathan with tears starting to form in her eyes, and Nathan noticed. He had no idea that Brianna had written him a note. He hadn't even opened the box that she gave him yet. He was planning on doing that tomorrow. He was mainly in disbelief that Brooke would humiliate her own sister like that.

"Brianna, I didn't...-" She cut him off.

"...-Stay away from me, you asshole." Brianna snapped as she quickly left the house. She immediately went to her car, and she drove to the only place where she knew someone would be that wouldn't make her feel like a loser.

Karen's cafe.

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When Brianna got to the cafe and walked inside, Haley immediately noticed that she was crying. Brianna had cried the whole ride over, and the tears hadn't stopped. Haley immediately flipped the sign from 'open' to 'closed' and then she and Brianna went behind the counter and sat down on the floor. The friends hugged each other while Brianna continued to cry and she explained what happened. She didn't know what to believe. She didn't think Nathan would be so cruel as to pass a note around, but then it didn't make sense to her that Brooke would exploit that. If Nathan had passed around a personal note, why wouldn't Brooke defend her?

"Brianna? Hey, Bree! Hales told me you were here." Brianna heard Lucas, but she couldn't find it in herself to call out to him, but Lucas could hear her crying, and he walked behind the counter. "Is this floor taken?" He asked. Haley shook her head, and she had Lucas switch spots with her. When Lucas sat down, he wrapped his arms around Brianna, and she clung to her best friend as she cried into his shoulder.

"I'm gonna go clean and close up, and then I'll be back, okay?" Haley said. Lucas nodded his head, and Haley walked out from behind the counter, and Brianna lifted her head from Lucas's shoulder.

"You know, just this once, I deserve a big fat I told you so," Brianna whispered. Lucas shook his head as he wiped her tears.

"Well, you won't get one from me," Lucas said as he kissed her forehead. Brianna laughed a little and laid her head back down on his shoulder. "What happened?"

"Exactly what you told me was going to happen. I started believing that he wasn't a terrible person, and he proved me wrong. Once again, the smart girl is really stupid. I watched Peyton go through this, who am I to think that because it's me, he'll be different?" Brianna asked.

"Hey, hey, hey... Brianna Davis, you are not stupid." Lucas said.

"Thank you," Brianna said as she sniffled and lifted her head. Lucas wiped the remainder of her tears, and she smiled at him. "Well, at least things are working out for one of us. It looked like you and Peyton were headed in the right direction." Brianna said, and Lucas shook his head.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, that lasted all of about five minutes." He said, and Brianna frowned.

"It doesn't make me feel any better, but welcome back," Brianna said, and Lucas laughed.

"To where?" He asked.

"Normal." She responded, and Lucas sighed.

"Yeah, they can have their world. Come on, let's help Haley close up." Lucas said as he got off the ground and offered his hand out to Brianna. She let Lucas help her off the ground, and she sighed.

"I'm partly in that world." She said, and Lucas nodded his head. "Guys, I'll close up on my own tonight. I know I didn't work today, but cleaning will help me clear my head. You guys get out of here." Brianna said. Lucas and Haley turned to her like they were unsure.

"Are you sure? We can help." Haley said, and Brianna nodded her head.

"I'm sure it's alright. Get outta here, you crazy kids." She teased. The three of them laughed, and they pulled Brianna into a group hug and told her they loved her before they left. Brianna locked the door behind them and started to wipe down the tables since Haley had already flipped the sign to closed.

About thirty minutes into her cleaning, she heard a knock on the door. She turned around and saw Nathan standing there with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his varsity jacket. "Hey." He said as Brianna approached the door. "Can I come in?" He asked. Brianna let out a deep breath, she didn't know whether to unlock the door or not.

But then she realized she didn't want to hear any more of his excuses, so she turned off the light, and Nathan sighed. "Brianna, I didn't know. I wouldn't do that to you." He said. Brianna shook her head and turned around to walk to the back of the cafe. "Come on, please! You have to believe me. Bree!" Nathan called out after her, but it was no use.

She was gone.

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wow, how could brooke do that to her sister, right? don't worry, it'll be okay.

don't forget to vote/comment. 

xoxo.