Peyton's POV…

…way back then,

"Lucas James Scott…" I sobbed, taken aback by the beauty. At this very moment he reminded me of a hawk, his eyes didn't miss any movement I made. If looks could kill, I'd be dead.

"I don't know what to say…" I looked down at the tiny box, velvet covering. From the corner of my eye I saw movement, and glanced up. Lucas had stood up, back to me.

"Lucas!" He spun around.

"Peyton!" His anger surprised me. In less than a second, he was calm again. "You're supposed to say yes… I thought you loved me, I thought we had true love, always…" His face turned blood red.

My eyes stung, and I knew what was about to happen. I quickly covered my eyes, burying my face in my hands.

"You can't do this to me Peyton, not now. Not ever…" Lucas's voice trailed off and I glimpsed through my fingers. He was pacing around the room, and then stopped to look at me.

"Lucas, we're still very young… And I…" I couldn't finish the sentence; there was no way to say it nicely.

He quickly took the box out from my hands, and fell to his knees. "No…" I whispered, but he was opening the box. "No!" I shouted, pushing him out of my way. I ran to my stuff, and gathered it up.

"Peyton…" he cooed. Tears streamed down my face, no stopping now.

I turned quickly, fast enough to scare him. He got close to me; I could feel his warm figure against mine, even though I couldn't see it. My eyes remained shut, scared to open them.
"I can't." I whispered, almost sobbing.

I could feel his large arms wrap around me, and his cold lips pierce my forehead.

His arms disappeared, and his warm figure gone like the wind. I opened my eyes to see nobody in front of me, and his stuff gone, how long had I had my eyes closed?

Just then, I heard the door creak open, and I whipped around to see the familiar face of the man I loved. I smiled, tears still making there way down my face. He didn't smile, which made me worry. Before I could say anything, he opened his mouth, and the words I hated so very much echoed in my head.

"Peyton, people always leave…"


PRESENT TIME.

I counted the tiles on the ceiling for about the hundredth time, when something caught my attention. The picture on the wall, it was one of my unfinished drawings. Anger flowed through my veins. It was black and white, like most of my pieces… It had two people in the middle, pushing on a red broken heart. They were trying to put it together, and even though they knew they didn't have the strength to, they just kept trying, and never gave up.
What am I doing? I thought. I'm letting a drawing get to me… I studied the art work for another minute before tearing it off the wall. It fell silently to the floor, as if it was untouched. I had to get out of the house, at least take a walk.
The breeze tickled down my neck, back towards the sun. I walked down the street, looking every which way for a face I might know… Some company wouldn't hurt.
"Peyton!" Brooke ran out of her store and rushed to my side.
"Oh. Hey." It had just occurred to me that I walked by her store.
"What're you doing out here?" Her voice lacked enthusiasm, was she ok?
"I decided to go for a walk, had to get out of the house…"
"Come in! Please?"
I went in her store and followed her to the counter. It wasn't very busy today, no wonder… The prices were hilarious, but I wouldn't dare tell her. I saw a dark green dress hanging up on the wall, its dark lace attached to the bottom. It was a strapless, which made it all more appealing.
"That's amazing Brooke!" I stumbled over towards the dress, my hand rubbed against the material which was softer then anything I had ever touched.
"It's yours." I spun around to face her.
"Brooke… I couldn't just… take it, I'll pay for it. How much is it?" I grabbed the price tag; my jaw couldn't help but fall open. It was almost four hundred dollars.
"Peyton please… You're my best friend, and that's what friends do. Just think of it as a gift from me to you." She got it off the hanger and passed it to me. "Try it on." She added.
The changing rooms were small, with pasty yellow wall paper. I snickered at the bright blue carpeting. I hauled the dress up and zippered the back. I turned around to face the mirror, the dark green brought out how blonde I was. I had just recently started straightening my hair, making it longer then usual. The strapless dress even made my breasts look larger, which didn't bother me any.
"Brooke this is amazing!" I repeated as I walked out. My smile disappeared when I saw a man at the door. He had just walked in, his eyes locked on me. My knee's shook and seemed as if they were going to give out on me. My lips trembled as if I was going to cry. My eyes watered and I knew I had to get out of there. Brooke's face was stunned as she saw me go from beautiful to a train wreck. All those years without talking to him, made me horrible. I felt empty… I had gotten over it, and gone cold turkey. I tried to forget all about him…
There standing in the door way, was no other then Lucas James Scott.