AN: Just a oneshot of Peyton and Lucas's goodbye after graduation.

Read and Review please!

Without fear, there would be no accomplishment. No testing of our limitations.

xxx

"If there's just one piece of advice I can give you, it's this -- when there's something you really want, fight for it, don't give up no matter how hopeless it seems. And when you've lost hope, ask yourself ... if 10 years from now, you're gonna wish you gave it one more shot. Because the best things in life ... they don't come free. It is the end of something simple and the beginning of everything else," Mouth said finishing his valedictorian speech.

As soon as he came down the steps the countdown had been on and the next three seconds were filled with graduates throwing their caps in the air and watching them fall down.

"We finally did it Nathan," Haley said.

"Yeah baby, we did," he told her hugging her from behind.

Watching the scene unfold had just torn her up.

She didn't have anyone to celebrate with like that anymore.

She and Lucas had broken up and along with highschool finally being over, so was her life in Tree Hill as she had known it for so many years.

"Hard to watch," someone from behind questioned her.

She quickly turned around and saw the figure pointing to the two reunited lovers, her exboyfriend and exbestfriend, hugging for like the 100th time that day.

"Yeah," she said,"just a little."

"You'll be strong though, right curly. You alwys were a strong one."

"Yeah Daddy," she said in a little voice,"I'll be strong. Um, I'm gonna go out tonight but I'll say good-bye tomorrow. Okay."

"That's fine, Peyton," he said walking away.

xxx

The bonfire had been blazing for the past hour as everyone was gathering around telling stories and talking, the basic after graduation convesation.

Haley and Nathan were cuddled up together and so were Brooke and Lucas.

She was once again the odd ball out.

She just needed a break from it for a minute so she decided to go out and walk along the beach for a few minutes, get herself refreshed.

Ending up at one of the docks she sat down and just looked at the waters' calmness.

She was fine just thinking.

About life, about love lost, about moving on.

Always intelligently thinking.

"You okay," Lucas asked,

"Yeah, just thinking about saying my goodbyes I guess," she laughed.

"Mind if I sit," he said motioning,

"Nah, go ahead."

"So already thinking of the goodbye? We still have some time before that."

"Yeah but as you know, I'm not good at goodbyes. And I'm finally realizing that's what it's going to be, what it is," she finished blankly.

Lucas just nodded in understanding letting her continue.

This was her good bye to him.

"Because as much as I thought I wanted us to be together, I guess what I want more is one of those people who lives every moment of her life without indecision and without regrets, someone who dares to disturb the universe without a thought to the consequences, you know?"

He nodded again.

"And you're not one of those people ... at least not yet. Maybe you'll prove me wrong about that one day, I hope you do ... but who knows? Maybe people can't change, maybe we're doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again ... no matter how hard we try," she said in a defeated way.

"Peyt-"

Peyton stood up and dusted her jeans off starting to walk away from the end of the dock.

Away from him.

Turning around the third time he finally called her name she finished her good-bye.

"I always hope for a happy ending, how crazy is that?" she laughed, "Take care of yourself, Lucas." And with that she left.

The end.

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