In honor of Today-The day that One Tree Hill comes back on after a very long hiatus :D Who else is squeeling for joy?? Enjoy, people!
A/N: Sequel to Just Miss The Train. In saying that I just wanted to let you guys know that if you haven't read it yet you probably should. It's kind of the prelude to where this story takes place. There will be a major-ish time jump in chapter 2 and chapter 3. Points that need to be taken about this story: 1) Lucas and Lindsay did get married in the church, BUT they have yet to legalize their marriage so technically the government doesn't really see them as husband and wife (Make sense?) 2) Lucas and Lindsay were on their honeymoon when Brooke started to take care of Angie and she will foster Sam at the same time; but there won't really be much mention of them just here and there. And if I think of anymore I'll let you know next chapter. Oh, and not that it matters cause this will probably be the only time you read about it-Lindsay's dad is still alive.
Chapter One: You Can't Break A Broken Heart
A few weeks after the night at Tric
Peyton's POV:
Hovering foolishly by the fireplace gives me this sense of déjà vu feeling all over again. The aroma of wood burning feels the house quickly and seconds later Brookes walking down the stairs spraying the lavender scent air freshener throughout the living room complaining how much the smell stings her nose. She's quickly by my side when she notices my tears through that damned mirror that's perched right above the fireplace.
"P. What's wrong? Is it Lucas?" And that's my best friend for you, quickly jumping to conclusions that every time I seem to mope around it's all because of a guy; that same guy. But then again what kind of gal pal would she be if she didn't know me inside and out. So I don't speak, but nod my head and it's all she really needs to know anyway. "Damn it. Does the guy not know a warning when he hears one? What the hell did he do this time? You know what? Don't tell me. He can inform me when he's begging for mercy as I pound his face in."
She quickly grabs her keys from the coffee table and I can feel her hesitation. She's spotted the letters that have come from the mail. Two letters that have remained unopened since they came in this morning with the fancy French cursive of Miss. than both our full names on each crème colored envelope. There's nothing else inscribed on it, but we already know who it's from and what's inside. She mutters under her breath, Oh no he didn't. If I didn't keep my mouth shut I would have screamed 'Yes, he freaking did.'
The sound of paper tearing doesn't make me turn to look around, but I know Brooke has more 'guts' than I do because I wouldn't be able to read what that filthy request says. So my green irises stay attentive on looking at the red and orange flames as I watch my dreams burn along with that dying log.
"You've got to be kidding."
The sound of her voice is raw and horse that it actually gets my attention. I take in her look; jaw dropped, eyes popping out of her skull, eye brows wrinkled together, and nostrils flaring. Brooke Davis is not happy.
"Read it."
I'm demanding grabbing the last closed letter that's made out to me, Miss. Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer, no longer is it sitting nicely next to the half empty bottle of my good friend Jack Daniels but it's hanging loosely from the tips of my fingers as if it was diseased. My place is firm right in front of the fire place as I hear Brooke clear her throat and read loudly her voice giving off as much sarcasm as she could.
"He asked and she said yes..." And all I could do was think. Great does he still have to rub in my face that I didn't say that three letter word? "Lindsay Evelyn Strauss and Lucas Eugene Scott are getting married…" Really? I was hoping that it was more of a death sentence. "And they ask you to join them…" As if. "On Tuesday, the Eighteenth of March at twelve o'clock noon, St. Mary's Chapel…" Did I just hear right? That was only a little more than a month away. "Hope to see you there."
Drops of tears are staining the perfect crisp envelope leaving behind small wet pools. Inhaling deeply I throw the letter into the fire and watch as the flames consume it like a drug addict consumes a hit of their favored substance. I will not be in attendance to watch my nightmares come true.
"You should still go."
It's my way of telling Brooke that she doesn't need my permission to go because if something unbelievably funny happens than who would tell me? Not Nathan or Haley, not Lindsay or Lucas. Okay so Skillz would defiantly give me a call as its happening at that very moment and most likely extend the phone out so I can hear everything that's going on, but Brooke doesn't have a problem with the happy couple and just because I don't like them together doesn't mean she shouldn't. I have to play the better person here, right? Plus, Skillz' plan to reenact the Ross and Rachel episode isn't going to happen seeing as Lucas needed to be in on the deal.
"Are you sure?"
She's so sweet and sincere always taking my feelings into consideration first. Brooke has defiantly come a long way from her high school years.
"Yes. You will go, you will look hot, you will have fun, and you will tell me if her rich daddy's money somehow managed to buy her a malfunctioning Janet Jackson ensemble."
It's the first time that I've laughed in a couple of days, but it feels good. Getting my mind of that stupid letter and that stupid upcoming wedding by making fun of it sure does make a person feel real good on the inside.
The next couple weeks of night's sleep I was restless. Although me, Brooke, and Skillz talked every night about all the stuff that could go wrong at this wedding from someone stepping on Lindsay's train and having the back side of her dress tear off to someone 'accidently' throwing a basketball into the cake it still didn't help me sleep. Not even when Skillz had said it to me, again, for the umpteenth time.
"You never know it could still happen. Imagine it now; what if Luke accidently says 'I take you Peyton Sawyer to be my wife' cause we all know my boys inner feelings about this whole thing."
"Well than we say 'Too bad Broody. You lost your chance now you have to live a life without P. Sawyer'!"
Brooke instinctively replies pouring the last of the bottle of liquor into her shot glass. The two have been going on and on that I felt left out for about a second.
"So put that in your juice box and suck it!"
Skillz and Brooke turn to look at me and laugh off to their drunken stupor. They obviously didn't expect that kind of response to leave my lips and neither did I; unable to fight off the fit of giggles anymore I join in my own laughter mixing along with theirs.
Lucas' POV
In just a couple of hours Lindsay will become my wife. The thought has been in my mind a couple of seconds every hour, but not for the right reasons. It's so hard when all you think about is another woman especially when that said woman won't have anything to do with you. When she said she was going to let me go I didn't think she meant permanently out of her life. Just to cut me out of it has to be unreasonable. She won't take any of my calls ignoring them as soon as the first ring is sounded and she has yet to RSVP to my wedding that is happening in less than three hours.
"Let me help you with that."
Nathan moves away my hands from the bow tie that I've been trying to tie for about twenty minutes now with no such luck. I can't seem to concentrate on anything as of lately and I hate that. I lived two years perfectly fine without her in my life. I did it once and I can do it again. No, no I can't do it again. She has to be there. I need to have some part of her in my life even if we just have to be friends. I'll even be okay with her dating some guy as long as I get to see her and hear her voice.
"Are you nervous?"
Nathan's question brings me back to reality. It's the second time he asks me, today. The first time I just shrugged it off, but this time I won't.
"Yeah. What if she doesn't show up Nate?"
He knows who I'm talking about, but that doesn't spare me from his disapproving look.
"I wasn't talking about her." They all still refuse to say her name around me. Just like those two years after we broke up when they didn't dare let anything that even rhymed with Peyton leave their lips. "I was talking about Lindsay."
A part of me should have known that he was talking about her, right? I mean deep down I really knew, but I was just hoping that maybe he wasn't. Maybe his thoughts were where mine had been the last couple of weeks. With her. I can't get any information out of him or Haley when it comes to Peyton. Haley still hasn't talked to her and Nathan, well, he's been busy with his recovery; so that it's understandable. Skillz is the only person who truly knows other than Brooke and I've got a better chance at finding out what's really going on inside of her head from my best Rivercourt buddy than her best friend.
"Looking fly in that suit, dawg."
Speaking of; Skillz comes into the room suited in a tux himself and we knock our fists together.
"You don't look too bad yourself."
I wonder if he came alone. Apparently the girl he was dating didn't pan out in the end, but he had fun. Since he didn't get named as my 'best man' he's been kind of under my radar. Every time I've called him to see if he wanted to play a game down at the court Mouth would always tell me the same thing. 'He's at Peyton's place'. Don't get me wrong I'm glad that he's there when she needs him, but I can't help the twinge of jealousy that he might have filled my shoes. Maybe he was the one who was saving her from me.
"So." I try to sound casual. "How's Peyton?"
The tension in his body rises and I can see it. He's got that whole knight and shining armor get up radiating off of him as soon as I mention her name.
"You're my boy, you know that right?" I nod. "But P. Sawyer is my girl." I want to ask what that has to do with anything. Can't a guy just ask about how one of his friends is doing? "And, well, I love the both of you but you're in two different worlds now. Worlds that don't collide; at least not anymore."
He has to be quoting Peyton. I just know he has to. Not that Skillz couldn't make that up on his own, the wording is just off. The sentence sounds exactly like it had come out of Peyton's mouth.
"I'm just asking how my…"
"Dawg, me and you both know that you can't be friends with her. Too much has happened-"
"I'm sick of everyone saying that. So we had a past. Who cares?"
The anger is rising. Who ever made up that rule was stupid beyond belief.
"She does." I feel him patting my shoulder. "No over lapping, no colliding, no clashing, no nothing. Remember two people in different worlds."
I guess that's the nicest way he could say he's not telling me a thing about her without getting mad or over protective, but I'm still hoping that she'll come. Maybe later tonight I'll be able to talk to her at the reception and work on being friends because we were that once and I'm sure we can be that again.
Standing up at the pedestal my eyes roam the church's pews that are filled with what looks like all of Tree Hill. Lindsay's mother and father are sitting on the left side while my mother, sister, and Andy make their presence on the right side. But my eyes are more focused on looking for another figure. From the front and I still don't see her, to the middle section and she's still not here, lastly my eyes look to the back hoping that she's hiding in between strangers but no such luck. By now Haley's walking down the aisle in her black maid of honor dress, Lindsay says it's the closest they could get on short notice, and still no Peyton.
The door's to the side of the church open and Brooke's making her way to the end of the second row. I'm hoping that Peyton's just probably parking her car out on the street, but when I meet Brooke's eyes in search of answers all I get is a shake of the head. No, she isn't coming. That's when I realize that now I have nothing that will give me reason to stop this wedding. In the end Lindsay Strauss will become Lindsay Scott and the guilt comes rushing at me.
A/N: So? Did you like? Shall I continue? There's that magical green button and all. So I am a huge fan lover of Skillz/Peyton Friendship :D They make me laugh!