Brooke Davis of One Tree Hill began her journey as a shallow, self-centered, kind of slutty cheerleader. But as time progressed, we learned what's under the clothes. Brooke ended the series as one of the most well-rounded and intricate characters. From her relationship with Lucas and Peyton to her eventual marriage to Julian, Brooke rode a series of ups and downs. In my opinion, Brooke Davis is the glue of Tree Hill. Without her wise words, her fierce friendship, and her loyalty everything would have fallen apart.

She is STRONG

“Sometimes, life will kick you around, but sooner or later, you realize you’re not just a survivor. You’re a warrior, and you’re stronger than anything life throws your way.”

This girl has gone through so much in life and has always gotten back up from a fall and held her head high. Her parents all but abandoned her as a child; her father was more interested in his golf game than in his daughter and her mother admitted to never wanting her and paid more attention to her looks and her shopping bags than her daughter. But Brooke got up and went to school every day and tried to be a better Brooke every day.

“People always leave” is a saying her best friend, Peyton, always carried around, but for Brooke, people always left. The aforementioned abandonment by her parents, her first love left her for her best friend, her best friend moved away after marrying said first love and having a baby with him, her foster daughter left her for her birth mother, the cycle continues. Until it doesn’t. But Brooke woke up every day and went to school, she cheered for her high school basketball team, she became student body President, she started her own clothing line which she turned into a multi-million dollar company, and she got up and went to work every day with her head held high.

She was told that she could never have children, the one thing she wanted most in the world but she put on a brave face and kept going. She kept working, she kept loving, she kept fighting, and eventually she was blessed with two beautiful twin boys.

She is INDEPENDENT

“Don’t ever cry for a guy, because girls give and forgive and guys get and forget.”

Her aforementioned parents’ abandonment as a child lead to Brooke learning how to take care of herself. She got a part-time job when her father lost his job. Brooke’s clothing line is titled Clothes Over Bros, indicating she had a heart for fashion above all else.

She is FIERCE

"You think you know me, but you don't. And that means you don't know what I can do."

Brooke Davis is unapologetically herself. She never excuses herself for her behavior, but learns from it and grows from it. She is not ashamed of who she was because she has become such a good individual. When boys break her heart, she moves on and never lets them see her crack. And she is fire. She is sassy. She struts her stuff without a care. Her attitude towards her friends and family is unlike any other, and she never settles for less than she deserves.

She is HARDWORKING

“Do you know what my mother said to me when I told her I wanted to start a company? She said your chances are one in a million. And I said ‘maybe I’m that one,’ and she said ‘you’re not.’ And she was wrong. Because I am one in a million.”

Brooke started a clothing line in high school while working a part-time job at a clothing store. She began designing clothes and came up with a label for the company, and with the help of a good friend she launched an online store. After high school, Brooke took her clothing line to the next level and became the owner of a multi-million dollar company. With the help of her mother as her partner, Brooke created three different fashion lines, a self-titled magazine, opened many retail locations, and ran the company from the comfort of Tree Hill, North Carolina. She quite literally spun string into gold.

She is SELFLESS

Brooke was always doing things for other people. She hardly ever made a decision with only herself in mind. She broke up with Lucas when she learned her best friend was in love with him. She promoted Millie to a position requiring her to live in Tree Hill so that she could be near her boyfriend. She forgave her mom's countless misgivings based solely on the fact that she was her mom. And many times she gave her dad a second chance based on the same fact. What makes Brooke stand apart from so many other people, though, is when she was faced with losing her company. "My company, Clothes over Bros, declared bankruptcy. Which would have allowed me to keep the company, but our investors would lose all of their money. So I've decided to pay them back...every penny. But to do that, I have to sell the company and deplete my personal fortune as well." Brooke decided to give away her own money so that her investors would not lose theirs. She chose integrity over a million-dollar fortune.

She LOVES with her Whole Heart

“I wanted you to fight for me. I wanted you to say that there was no one else that you could ever be with and that you’d rather be alone than without me.”

Brooke gave her all in every relationship. Even after having her heart broken, she opened up her life to new boys and allowed them to get comfortable.

With Lucas, Brooke fell in love for the first time. When he broke her heart, she was hesitant to let anyone in again. When Owen came along, she let him pursue her pretty hard. She had too many reservations to let him get close, and eventually he gave up. With Julian, though, Brooke felt a Lucas scenario all over. She refused to get close to him. Her walls went straight up the minute he confessed his love for her. But Julian was the best thing to happen to Brooke, her husband, and the father of her children.

She is an AMAZING FRIEND

“I used to be a bitch just for the sake of being one, but now I’m a bitch for my friends and family.”

Despite the fact that she and her best friend were fighting, Brooke knew when something was wrong with Peyton. And she always had her back. Despite the fact that Lucas broke her heart Brooke was always there to talk and to encourage his relationship with Peyton. Despite the fact that Rachel treated Brooke terribly, Brooke was always there when she needed a job or a friend to hold her hand and help her walk through life. Despite the fact that Nathan was a total jerk in high school, Brooke was always there to smack him over the head when he was being extra idiotic. And despite the skeptical beginning to their friendship, Brooke was Haley’s rock for so long in every instance, and made Haley her matron of honor when she was finally married.

She is BEAUTIFUL

“Sometimes, pain becomes such a huge part of your life that you expect it to always be there, because you can't remember a time in your life when it wasn't. But then one day you feel something else - something that feels wrong only because it's so unfamiliar. And in that moment, you realize you're happy."

Because of everything Brooke went through, because of all of the obstacles she overcame, because of every broken heart she suffered, and because of how she handled all of it… Brooke Penelope Davis is the most beautiful character on One Tree Hill and an outstanding role model for young women.