2.

As the bell rang signalling the end of the school day Lucas breathed a heavy sigh of relief, today had been the longest and strangest day that he had ever encountered at Tree Hill High and that was saying something.

"Did Brooke say that she was coming straight after school?" Haley asked as they headed outside into the fresh air.

"I think so," Lucas replied. "That's if she turns up at all," he added under his breath, thinking back to what he had seen earlier. After the way Brooke had reacted he couldn't help but fear that she would avoid him at all costs from now on.

Haley narrowed her eyes at him. "What makes you think that she won't show?"

"Brooke Davis and school work ... even just saying it sounds wrong," Lucas hedged, not wanting to explain the truth to Haley, at least not right now when he was so unclear on the facts himself.

"Actually Brooke has one of the highest GPA's in the school," Marvin 'Mouth' McFadden said as he came up behind the pair before falling in line with them.

Haley didn't even try to hide her surprise. "No way? Brooke Davis?"

"Really," Mouth nodded. "I think it's even higher than yours."

"Who did she sleep with for that?" Haley whistled, regretting it the minute the words had left her mouth.

Lucas stopped, turning to face his best friend not even bothering to hide his disappointment. "Wow Hales, when did you turn into such a judgemental bitch who believes everything she hears."

"I know. I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that, I shouldn't have even thought it," Haley admitted.

"Have you ever even spent more than a few minutes talking to her?" Mouth asked, suddenly feeling fiercely protective of his friend.

Haley shook her head. "No. Have you?"

"Yeah," Mouth admitted. "In fact recently Brooke and I have been spending quite a lot of time together outside of school."

Now it was Lucas's turn to be surprised. "Really? You and Brooke Davis?"

"It's not like that," Mouth said, knowing exactly what Lucas was thinking; what would a girl like Brooke Davis want with a guy like him. "Brooke and I are friends. We go to the same ... she needed someone to talk to ... I was there ... and over time we became friends, you know she's a lot different than people think, the Brooke you all see that's just one part of her ... but the Brooke I see ... just don't judge a book by its cover yeah?"

"Hey Mouth are we still meeting up later?" Peyton shouted, running to catch up with the trio.

Mouth nodded. "Yeah. Your place in an hour?"

"Actually my dad just called, he has some friends coming round for a poker game so my place might not be the quietest, they can get pretty rowdy," Peyton laughed.

"The rest of us are meeting at Karen's Cafe, you could come too, kind of like a study group?" Haley suggested her excitement at the idea obvious in her tone.

Peyton nodded, her wild curls bouncing. "Sounds good. Mouth?"

"I'm in," Mouth agreed.

"I can take us all in my car," Peyton offered. "It's just over there," she said, pointing to the far end of the car park.

Haley followed Peyton. "Awesome."

"I have my bike," Mouth sighed. "I'll meet you there."

"I'm going to walk," Lucas added.

Haley turned to face her friend. "You're turning down a free ride?"

"I just need to clear my head," Lucas shrugged. "It's been an odd day."

Once the girls had left Lucas quickened his pace until he had caught up with Mouth. "Hey Mouth have you got a sec?"

"Sure," Mouth nodded stopping by his bike.

"So how long have you and Brooke Davis been hanging out?" Lucas asked, getting straight to the point.

Mouth narrowed his gaze. "Why the sudden interest in Brooke?"

"I ... Er ... I was just wondering that's all, I mean you've never mentioned her before," Lucas lied, even though he knew that Mouth was one of the most trustworthy people around he wasn't ready to let anyone in on what he saw.

Mouth considered his options carefully before speaking. "About 6 months."

"Right that's-"

Mouth unlocked his bike. "Look Luke if you have something you want to ask me then go ahead otherwise we have a study group to get to."

"Is there something going on with Brooke? Something ... that she doesn't want anyone else to know?" Lucas asked.

"If there was something going on, something she doesn't want anyone to know what makes you think I would tell you?" Mouth frowned.

Lucas looked down at the ground. "I don't know," he admitted. "It's just ... I saw something today and ... I'm worried ... I want to try and help her but I don't know how."

"Well maybe if you told me what you saw I could help?" Mouth suggested.

"I can't," Lucas breathed, the weight of what he had seen playing heavily on his conscious.

Mouth could see that his friend was struggling with something. "If you can't tell me then you have to talk to her, it's the only other way you'll be able to get any answers. But Lucas ... go easy on her yeah? Brooke is going through some really heavy stuff right now. I can't tell you anymore than that but ... if she lets you in ... don't let her down ... she's had too many people give up on her already."

As Lucas took in what Mouth was saying he nodded, knowing that no words were needed. "I'll see you at the cafe yeah?"

"Yeah," Mouth agreed as he pulled on his helmet and pedalled out of the car park.

Watching his friend go Lucas looked around, stopping as he watched the familiar blue car pull up alongside him. "Need a lift?" Brooke asked.

"Sure," Lucas agreed getting into the passenger's side, after their earlier confrontation Lucas had assumed that Brooke would avoid him, instead here she was offering him a lift.

A heavy silence hung over them until finally Brooke couldn't take it any longer. "I'm not a drug addict."

"Ok," Lucas nodded.

"Ok," Brooke repeated. "That's really all you have to say?"

Lucas turned to face her, watching as she chewed nervously on her bottom lip. "If you say you're not a drug addict then ok ... I believe you, like you said; I don't know you, I don't know anything about you which gives me no right to pass judgement on your life."

"Ok," Brooke agreed as silence once again filled the car.

As they climbed out of the car Lucas reached out and gently took Brooke's hand in his. "That can change though, if you want it to?"

"If I want what to change?" Brooke asked, genuinely confused.

"Us, not knowing each other," Lucas explained. "I'd like that to change. I'd like to get to know you Brooke Davis," he smiled.

Brooke studied him carefully, trying to figure out what his agenda might be. "Why? So you can find out all my deep, dark secrets?"

"No," Lucas replied. "We're going to be spending the next 6 weeks working together it makes sense ... besides if you ever need to talk I've been told I'm a pretty good listener," he added.

"We should go inside," Brooke said purposefully avoiding giving him an answer.

Lucas looked over her shoulder to inside the cafe where Haley, Nathan and Peyton all sat watching them. "Yeah we should."

"Brooke, Lucas wait up," Mouth called out breathlessly as he chained his bike outside.

"Hey," Brooke greeted, seeming genuinely pleased to see him.

Mouth looped his arm around her shoulders. "Hey. Where did you disappear to this afternoon?"

"Oh you know me Marvin; people to see, places to go," Brooke teased.

"And hearts to break," Mouth added with a wink.

Brooke leaned her head on his shoulder. "You got it."

As the trio entered the cafe Lucas sat down next to Haley, leaving an empty seat next to him and another one next to Peyton.

"Hey Peyton," Mouth smiled sitting down next to the blonde.

Brooke sent Mouth a grateful smile before sitting down next to Lucas, reaching into her bag she pulled out 2 large books and a folder. "So the library didn't have much but I found these 2 books and a few articles online," she explained, opening the folder and pulling them out.

"I found a biography," Lucas added pulling a few pages out of his bag.

"We should split up into our pairs," Mouth suggested. "Otherwise it's going to get really confusing seeing as how we are all working on different topics."

Lucas nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Pairs."

"But first snacks," Haley said as Karen walked over towards them.

"Hey Ma," Lucas greeted. "Thanks for doing this."

Placing a tray full of sandwiches, muffins and fruit down on the table Karen ruffled his hair. "You're welcome, can I get anyone a drink?"

"Coke."

"Juice."

"Coffee."

"Sprite."

"Diet soda."

Karen chuckled as 5 requests were thrown at her in one massive word jumble. "Anything for you?" she asked, directing her attention towards Brooke had had been the only one not to place an order.

"I'll just have a water please?" Brooke asked as Karen added the request to her list.

Once she had headed back to the counter everyone started to get stuck into the snacks as they began discussing what assignments they had been given.

"Martin Luther King Jr," Peyton read, placing her assignment down on the table.

"At least we won't have any trouble finding information on him," Mouth pointed out, knowing that there was practically a whole section of the library dedicated to the man.

Nathan frowned at the piece of paper in his hand. "Mother Theresa."

"Who did you get?" Haley asked, turning her attention towards Lucas.

"Marie Curie," Lucas replied.

Peyton looked down at the assignment. "Martin Luther King Jr, Marie Curie and Mother Theresa ... this assignment sure is random."

"Not really," Brooke shrugged her voice barely audible.

Everyone turned to look at Brooke who until then had barely said a word. "Really?" Haley wondered.

"They're all Nobel Prize winners," Brooke explained. "Martin Luther King won the Nobel Peace Prize as did Mother Theresa and Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize twice in physics and chemistry for her pioneering work with radiation," she finished, stunning the group into silence.

Mouth couldn't help but smirk proudly. "Show off."

"They're interesting people," Brooke breathed as Karen arrived with the drinks.

A series of thanks were exchanged as Karen once again headed back behind the counter leaving the 6 teenagers to divide off into their pairs.

"You doing ok?" Mouth asked quietly, pulling Brooke off to the side so no one else could hear their conversation.

"I-"

"You barely touched the food," Mouth pointed out, cutting her off before she had a chance to reply with her usual insistence that she was fine. "And you barely attended any of your lessons."

Brooke looked up, seeing nothing but worry in his eyes. "I'm just having a rough few days," she admitted. "I can't stop throwing up and I'm so tired all the time yet I can't seem to sleep." She sighed sadly.

"Want me to stay tonight?" Mouth offered. "We can have another slumber party?"

"I'd like the," Brooke smiled tiredly. "You're a good friend Mouth."

Mouth looked over to where Lucas stood watching them. "Did something happen with Lucas?"

"Why did he say something?" Brooke worried.

"Not exactly," Mouth began, not really sure who to explain his earlier conversation with the blonde basketball player. "He just seemed worried about you."

Brooke considered avoiding the question but as Mouth was the only person who knew everything that was going on with her she couldn't help but wonder if he might be able to help her find a way to deal with Lucas and throw him off the trail. "He saw something."

"Something being?" Mouth prodded, urging her to elaborate.

Brooke took a long, deep breath trying to dull the pounding in her head. "This morning the nurses office was shut, I was going to use the girls bathroom but there was a group of Seniors in there having a row so ... I found an empty classroom. Lucas walked in as I was injecting myself, I panicked and dropped my syringe ... he saw and ... now he has all these questions that I'm not ready to answer, especially not to someone I hardly even know."

"You can't blame him for being worried," Mouth said his heart breaking for everything his friend was dealing with right now. "What did you tell him."

"Nothing," Brooke whispered. "After he accused me of being a drug addict I kind of flipped and said some horrible things."

Mouth pulled her into a hug, not caring about how everyone was watching them, right now none of that mattered, all that mattered was Brooke and her frame of mine. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

"He can't know," Brooke panicked.

"Brooke-"

Brooke pushed herself free from him. "No. Marvin you promised," she reminded him, the desperation she was feeling evident in her voice.

"I'm not going to tell him, I'll just-"

"This is such a mess," Brooke stuttered, realizing that there was no way she would be able to get Lucas off her back without telling him something and how do you explain to someone you barely know why you were hiding in a classroom injecting yourself without telling them the truth, a truth that you had worked so desperately to hide from people.

Mouth watched as she wiped tiredly at her eyes. "It's going to be ok Brooke. Lucas he's one of the genuine good guys, I'll talk to him, find a way to get him to back off without telling him the truth."

"Thank-you," Brooke breathed her voice barely quiet and uncertain. "I know this isn't what you signed up for when you walked into the centre that day but ... I'm glad you did, I don't know how I would cope without you," she admitted.

"Well you'll never have to find out," Mouth promised. "Because I don't plan on going anywhere. I'm here for you Brooke Davis, every step of the way."

Brooke reached out and took his hand in hers. "I love you Marvin McFadden."

"And I love you Brooke Davis," Mouth smiled.

Brooke could feel the stress of the day catching up with her. "Can you tell Lucas that I'm sorry but I had to go."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Mouth offered feeling her hand trembling in his.

"No," Brooke sighed. "You stay and get some work done. I'll see you later yeah?"

Mouth gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before letting her go. "I'll bring the ice cream."

Mouth watched as Lucas made to follow Brooke, stepping outside the cafe he grabbed hold of Lucas's shoulder, stopping him from getting any closer. "Let her go."

"But-"

"Let's take a walk," Mouth suggested as he realized that the others were inside the cafe watching them.

Lucas watched Brooke's car drive off. "Ok."

Once they were round the corner from the cafe Mouth began to speak. "Brooke told me what you saw."

"She did?" Lucas asked surprised that Mouth seemed so calm about it, after all he couldn't imagine he would be as calm if someone told them they saw Haley injecting herself in an empty classroom.

"Like I said earlier Brooke's my friend, she tells me stuff, stuff she doesn't tell anyone else," Mouth explained.

Lucas walked over to the bench and sat down. "She said it's not drugs."

"It's not," Mouth agreed.

"Then ... what was she doing?" Lucas wondered a million scenarios running through his head.

Mouth considered his next words carefully before speaking. "Brooke's been going through some stuff lately. I mean I'm sure you've heard the rumours about everything that happened with her, Nathan and Peyton well ... it all caught up with her, anyway to cut a long story short she was diagnosed with iron deficiency the injection was a supplement that has to take until her numbers are all back to normal, usually she'll go to the school nurse but the office was locked this morning."

"Why didn't she just say?" Lucas queried wondering why if it was something as innocent as that Brooke had reacted the way she did.

"Partly because she's too proud to admit to anyone that she's struggling and partly because she's fed up with people talking about her all the time. What happened with Nathan and Peyton nearly destroyed her, they were here best friends for nearly a decade and ... let's just leave it at that yeah?" Mouth pleaded needing Lucas to understand.

Lucas looked down at the ground. "I wouldn't have said anything. I'm not like that."

"I know that," Mouth reassured him. "But Brooke didn't, she doesn't know you like I do that's why I had to convince her to let me talk to you. It's hard for her to let people in Luke but I know that I can trust you with this ... trust that you will not tell anyone else what I just told you."

Lucas nodded. "It's not my secret to tell."

"Thank-you," Mouth said.

"Is she going to be alright?" Lucas worried.

Mouth swallowed heavily wanting to tell Lucas everything so then he would have someone else to carry the load with him but he had made a promise to Brooke, a promise that he had no intention of breaking. "Brooke's a lot tougher than people think."

"That's not an answer," Lucas pointed out.

"It's the only one I have right now," Mouth sadly admitted as he stood up and made his way back towards the cafe, leaving Lucas even more concerned than he was before.