Disclaimer: I know that whenever there is some sort of debate between B/L and P/L it tends to get ugly and people feel very strongly about their preference of the couples on the show. Even though I am a Brucas fan, the point of this post is not to rag on Leyton fans or Leyton. If you respond to this post, I wish you would do the same. The point of this post is not for people to come back and slam me or slam others who do not like Brucas or to do the opposite and attack those who like Leyton. That is not what the point of this post is for. I do not care whether you ship Leyton, Brucas, both or neither when it comes to One Tree Hill. The only thing I care about is if you can honestly answer the questions I have when it comes to this situation between Brooke and Peyton without bias so I can understand why someone may think this way (even if you're a Brucas fan and feel this way, feel free to speak up. This is why I do not care which couple you prefer). So, my disclaimer is that I am not in ANY way attacking Leyton (fans), but I do have something to say on this subject because as a Brucas fan and a Brooke fan it is hard to ignore this because I do not think its right.
I have always liked Brucas since I started watching the show and even though I know there are people who don't (or who like Leyton), I never heard of anyone saying that BROOKE stole Lucas away from PEYTON-it was always the other way around. Even the L/P fans on the board pretty much were like "yeah they may not have come out of the best way, but I still prefer them" and that was okay. That is why they came up with the sex-tape storyline in season 4 (to sort of "even the score" so to speak between the 2 girls) because Mark hated that a lot of girls didn't like Peyton as much as they "should" because of all she had done in s1 because she is his favorite character (hence why whenever he's in a scene on film, its always with Peyton). A few others have agreed with this so I never really thought anything more about it. Since about 3-4 months ago, I have had 2 instances from (L/P fans) those who have said the opposite- BROOKE took Lucas from PEYTON. I sat there puzzled and then I thought it was just sour grapes because they were L/P fans so they probably didn't want to admit that their fave couple came out from the fact that they were sneaking around behind their BFF/GF's back. So I went ahead and re-watched all of season 1 and part of season 2 to see if I know what they are talking about because even though I really like s1 there was so much going back and fourth between the 2 girls I couldn't remember what happened when. I have now seen all of those episodes, took notes (I have a horrible memory), and tried to remember as much as I could on it and I am still dumbfounded at how anyone can think this and it's not just because I like Brooke/Brucas. It's just a matter of re-watching the first season.
This is the way I look at it: At the beginning of the series, Peyton was the sort of "popular girl who wasn't comfortable in her own skin and wants something more in life" (going on to Brooke about how cheerleading isn't important and the comic strip she drew that said "have sex with some meaningless jock/make sure to smile")- I get that, almost every teen show has one (Marissa Cooper, anyone?). So part of that whole thing was that she was going out with the guy who she didn't have that great of feelings for but yet felt that she was supposed to go out with or whatever (again, I've seen it before) while going out with Nathan. Well, the thing is, is that even though she may've had feelings for Lucas at the beginning of the series, she was still going out with Nathan, so she could not go out with Lucas, so that doesn't mean she had any ownership of him. A crush does not a boyfriend make. Brookes first line in the whole series was some sort of comment about how hot Lucas looked while playing basketball, while Peyton was telling him to move away from her car so she doesn't run him over so I would say that they really tried to develop the Brucas possibility a lot earlier on (I don't mean overall because I know Leyton was developed before Brucas because there wasn't even a Brooke originally. I just meant in the show it was because Leyton had a longer way to go it seems where as if Lucas was interested, Brucas could've done it in the backseat of his car that night while Peyton was just standing there trying to pretend she doesn't like him or whatever). Anyway, so this goes on for a few episodes where she's with Nathan and then they finally break up. So now Peyton has no more excuses to not go after Lucas anymore and yet she still doesn't. Brooke must've asked Peyton a million times if she had feelings for Lucas. I think even in the part I just talked about where Brooke talks about how hot he is she asks Peyton if she has feelings for him and she doesn't say anything. Again, Brooke asks a few more times and she either doesn't say anything at all or says no. She even said in that "love square + 1" comment that she "doesn't know who the he11 Peyton likes anymore" and also said to her "you have a one week hold on Lucas but can have him for some rebound action" or something along those lines as well. If I was Brooke, I would figure Lucas was fair game too- she had no idea what Peyton was feeling (she wouldn't say so) and Peyton knew Brooke liked Lucas (she could've said she liked him too, but didn't). Brooke figured he was fair time. In "Life In A Glass House" she dared Peyton to finally not be in denial anymore and finally show how she felt towards Lucas by giving him a kiss. That's exactly what Peyton needed because for some reason she couldn't just come out and say she liked Lucas to Brooke when he was fair game because then Brooke would've backed off (instead she had to be Peyton's mind reader and was supposed to figure it out). Even in "Life In A Glass House" she asked Peyton in the beginning of it- she mentioned there were 2 Scott boys to go around and mentions how she wants Lucas and Peyton should go with Nathan. Peyton just made some snippy comment about how B/L weren't going to hook up and N/P were no longer together. I've had someone say that Brooke was playing games in LIAGH to get Lucas away from Peyton and its true but what matters is if it worked because then Brooke would be taking Lucas away from Peyton. It didn't. Here's my thoughts on this: 1.) She was probably just trying to get back at her for the comment she made earlier (that I just mentioned) and the comment she made at the party where Peyton yelled at her in Nathan's room for being so manipulative 2.) Lucas even said to her "what if there was somebody else" and it seemed like all Brooke wanted was sex anyway (she even asked Jake afterwards for crying out loud!) so even if they did have sex that night, it doesn't mean that they were going to be dating 3.) She also played games with Nathan/Haley too so its not like L/P were the only people she was trying to "sabotage" or whatever and she said sorry to both of them the next episode and also set them up for another date as well (she didn't have to do that, she could've just said sorry and that'd be that) 4.) Like I said, it didn't matter because L/P still ended up making googley eyes at each other all night and were in the guestroom almost having sex and it wasn't until Peyton decided to leave because she felt it was going too fast that nothing happened between them- that had nothing to do with Brooke! Even if Leyton had sex that night, that doesn't mean they were dating or anything else. So basically as far as that episode goes, the only thing that Brooke did that I felt bad about was how she sabotaged Naley because Haley was the one hurt in the end, crying at the cafe because Brooke was trying to get back at Nathan for his comments to her (something like "just leave it alone, Brooke" outside when she dared the L/P kiss) but instead Haley was the one who ended up being hurt by it. So basically even though there were feelings between the 2 of them, Lucas was still fair game. And not only did Brooke not know where Peyton lied with Lucas, she wasn't ever around during these times where they were making googley eyes and they certainly weren't in the same room with her at the time of the "almost-sex" and she was passed out for most of "Every Night Is Another Story" where Peyton/Haley talk a lot about Lucas (where Peyton even admits to Haley during that he's fair game when Haley asks if Brooke has feelings as well). So how exactly was she supposed to know when she never saw it and Peyton wouldn't admit it? That's exactly why she dared her- she's not a mind reader. Sometime after that, Peyton even walked up to Lucas at the lockers and asked him if he's cool with just being friends and they both agreed that's what they were. Brooke and Lucas start to get closer during the time when Peyton was knocked out from a roofey and they finally started dating when Karen is away in Italy. Peyton seems to have no real problems with this and I think at this time started getting closer to Jake. So Lucas assumed from the facts that Peyton turned down sex, said she wanted to be just friends, Brooke (who is Peyton's BFF) wants to go out with him so why would she be interested if Peyton wasn't cool with it, being less close with him and more with others that he's pretty much fair game to be with anyone, so he goes with Brooke. Peyton even agreed she blew her chances with Lucas and Brooke had said that she was her BFF and wouldn't do anything to compromise that. Brooke even made sure Peyton was okay with the 2 of them dating and Peyton said it was fine and they were "just friends" (I believe this is the "hotel almost-sex" episode but I cant remember). Peyton then comes over in the infamous scene where she tells him her feelings for him while Brooke is in the room which even though its still a mean thing to do to your best friend, she probably figured she didn't want to lose him in case the relationship between Brucas got serious and she missed her chance since she probably had feelings for him first. But the problem is, is that not only did she do that but SHE kissed HIM in that hotel room scene- not the other way around. So basically she had "two strikes" against Brooke who didn't have any against Peyton. Lucas mayve kissed her again in the library and by the lockers, but she kissed him first in that hotel room and I still think its worse to do something to your best friend of 7+ years than to your girlfriend that youve only been with for like a month.
So basically, it's a matter of timing. If Peyton would've just finally admitted her feelings early on, then Brooke would've been the one to steal Lucas away, and I would've been okay with admitting that even if I liked B/L more. But since Peyton waited so long, she had her chance and blew it. I understand that this makes for tv drama to make the L/P fans squirm for so long, but I also think that just because youre fave couple isnt on the screen, that doesnt really give you the right to make up reasons for why youre favorite couple isnt together though. For those of you who watch The OC, it'd be the same thing as if Summer decided to go for it with Ryan during those early episodes of the first season where she kept making comments about how hot he is. Even though I love Marissa/Ryan together and Seth/Summer together, I wouldn't have A PROBLEM with it because Marissa had no hold on Ryan since she was with Luke and didn't actually admit how she felt to Ryan (same sort of triangle with Peyton/Nathan/Lucas) until later on. They decided to go ahead and have Marissa/Ryan together and develop the Summer/Seth storyline instead but if they hadnt I still wouldnt have hated on Summer is my point. Ryan would've been fair game. For those of you who watch 'Friends' and not 'The OC', it's the same thing as Rachel finally going to the airport to admit her feelings to Ross who comes back with Julie instead. Like Monica says, Julie was just a girl who met a guy and fell in love. Julie had no idea Ross' feelings for Rachel and vice versa, so she figured why not and went out with him. So basically these triangles all have one thing in common: timing. You can't hate a certain character on a TV show for "stealing" someone away from someone else when that person was never with them to begin with. You can't lose something that you never had. So this is why I don't understand why on earth any L/P fan (or whoever) would say this about Brooke towards L/P. Like I said, maybe it's just sour grapes. But either way, I would like SOME sort of explanation because sitting there and saying "well Brooke took him away" as some sort of excuse for why you're favorite couple didn't end up together at one point just isn't logical. If you're an LP fan, that is fine, but I don't like when people bend the truth to fit their needs. If you like L/P then you can just say "yes they may have cost their relationship/friendship to be with one another but I still like them" rather than "yeah I like them but too bad they took so long to get together because their BFF/GF intervened first". I love Ross and Rachel together, but I don't hate on Julie for finding a guy and falling in love with him before Rachel finally decided to go for it. So why hate on Brooke for falling in love with Lucas before Peyton decided to go for it with him?
EDITED TO ADD: If you guys come on here and write about this and then decide you want to come back and add something in response to someone else because you thought it was interesting, go ahead. I do not mind if this turns into like a forum because 1. it may help in everyone's understanding of the situation and 2. because its not like the OTH forums have been sooo interesting lately anyway lol 