By: CouchTater
Lucas and Peyton and Brooke… oh my!
As many of you know, I only last season jumped aboard the ONE TREE HILL express, having years ago watched the pilot and dismissed the show as not my cup of tea. Following the four-year fast-forward, I tuned in again… and was instantly hooked. So much so that I went back to watch from the beginning (thank you, Netflix!) to see how we got from there to here. And along the way, one thing became abundantly clear to me.
Lucas belongs with Brooke.
Yes, yes, in the early episodes, Peyton and Lucas were the original root-for couple. Eventually, as will happen when you combine hormones and pretty people, things got complicated. Brooke faked a pregnancy, Peyton got involved with Jake, Lucas dated a lesbian… you know, typical high school stuff. And midway season two, after Lucas found out Anna was gay and eventually realized that there was one person he wanted to be with: Brooke. Unfortunately, she was involved at the time with Anna’s brother, Felix.
Leaving Lucas to pine. Not for Peyton, who the show would have us believe is his true love, but for Brooke.
For a very long time, Peyton continued to long for the long-absent Jake as Brooke and Lucas got closer and closer before finally reuniting. All was lovey dovey… until Peyton got shot during the third-season episode in which a student took the school hostage. Now typically, one would expect that the scenario would play out with Lucas, realizing that Peyton might die, realizing she was the one he loved and kissing her. Instead, the situation played out in exactly the opposite manner: Peyton basically used her injury as an excuse to throw herself at Brooke’s beau!
And that stolen kiss eventually proved to be the downfall for Brooke and Lucas.
At that point, the show went back to selling Peyton and Lucas as true loves.
Now I have a very dear friend, whom we’ll call Madame X, who insists that Lucas and Peyton were, are and always will be where it’s at when it comes to love connections. I, however, firmly believe that he had a much better connection with P. Sawyer’s gal pal, brooke.
Last season, when Lucas made that phone call asking one of three women to join him, I was praying he’d wised up and realized Brooke was the one he belonged with. Madame X, of course, rooted for Peyton, whom I’ve never particularly liked with anyone except, oddly, that guy from Fallout Boy she was involved with during season three. And while I like Brooke with Owen, he’s being treated like a glorified guest star… which of course means she’s free to pursue Lucas, should he become available again. (Or try and steal him should he not shake off Peyton.)
So let’s put aside the age-old Team Lucas or Team Nathan debate in favor of Team Brucas or Team Leyton? 
