"I love you, Lucas," Peyton said.
"I love you, too, Peyton," Lucas smiled. "I mean, we've been through a lot and all."
"No, Lucas, you don't get it," Peyton said with a sad smile on her face. "I've been holding this in for so long and I just need you to know. I love you. I'm in love with you."
Lucas stared at Peyton for a moment, unsure what to say.
"Oh," Lucas said, surprising not only Peyton, but himself as well. "I have to go."
Lucas hurriedly left Peyton's room as tears fell down her face.
"I'm so stupid!" Peyton yelled out to the empty room. She broke down in tears and eventually cried herself to sleep.
Lucas left Peyton's house as quickly as he could. He thought about going home, but instead headed to the rivercourt. He needed time to think about what just happened. Peyton just confessed that she was in love with him. He dribbled the ball around the court, attempting to make a few shots, but missing every single one.
"That's not a good sight to see the night before the state championship!" Lucas heard a voice call out. He turned around and found himself face to face with his old friend, Skillz.
"Hey, Skillz," Lucas called out with a laugh. "What are you doing out so late?"
"You actually think I'd be home sleeping? In less than 24 hours, we will be playing the game of our lives, man," Skillz replied. "So, what's got your mind all worked up?"
"Peyton told me she's in love with me," Lucas confessed.
"Like that was some big surprise," Skillz laughed. "What did you say to her?"
"I just said 'oh' and left," Lucas sighed.
"You said 'oh'?" Skillz burst out laughing. "The girl that you would have given anything to be with a year ago tells you that she's in love with you and all you can muster up is 'oh'?"
"She's just confused. I mean, she's been through a lot in the past few months with the school shooting and the whole Psycho Derek. I just happened to be there to save her."
"No, Peyton just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. You chose to save her. Think about that." and with those words, Skillz left as quickly as he came. Lucas turned around and tossed the basketball towards the hoop and turned to walk away. All he heard was the swishing sound of the ball going through the hoop.
It was the morning of the big game, and Brooke felt compelled to talk to Peyton. She wasn't sure why, but she needed to talk to her. As she walked into her former best friend's room, the first thing she noticed was the sad look on Peyton's face.
"Peyton?" Brooke called out softly. Peyton turned around, confusion evident on her face.
"Brooke? What are you doing here?" Peyton asked.
"I honestly don't know," Brooke replied. "Are you OK?"
"Lucas came over last night, and he told me that you guys officially ended things," Peyton said. Brooke nodded to confirm things. "I told him last night."
"Told him what?" Brooke asked.
"I told him that I loved him," Peyton replied, unsure as to why she was telling these things to Brooke.
"Oh?" Brooke questioned. Peyton burst out laughing. "What's so funny?"
"That's exactly what he said."
"He said 'oh'?"
"Yes. I told him I was in love with him and he said 'oh', and then ran out of here faster than the speed of light. He doesn't want me, Brooke."
"Oh, Peyt, I'm sorry."
"No, you're not. You're probably bursting with joy inside. Lucas Scott doesn't want me."
"Peyton, I mean it. I'm sorry."
"So, why are you really here?" Peyton asked, wondering what Brooke's motives were.
"I miss you, Peyton. I miss us."
There was less than 30 minutes to the start of the biggest game of the year. The Tree Hill Ravens had reached the state championship for just the second time in Whitey's 35 year coaching career. 18 years ago, Dan Scott lead the Ravens to a disappointing loss, and now Nathan & Lucas Scott hoped to lead their team to victory, to give Whitey his one and only state championship.
Tensions ran high, as well as nerves. Skillz needed this win in order to get a college scholarship, otherwise there would be no college for him. Nathan wanted this win so that one day, he would be able to tell his son or daughter about it. Lucas wanted this because it would be the last time he would set foot on a real basketball court. Whitey wanted this because it would be the last game he would ever coach.
The arena filled up, a sell out crowd came to watch the Tree Hill Ravens take on the McArthur Mustangs for the State Championship. This was it. It was now or never.
The cheerleaders sat impatiently in their locker room. Haley was nervously pacing as Rachel took the practice quiz for Calculus. Brooke and Peyton sat side by side in silence as Brooke applied the finishing touches to the "R" on her face and Peyton listened to her Ipod. Brooke glanced over at Peyton and gestured for her to remove the headphones.
"Peyt? Look, I know I kind of sprung everything on you this morning," Brooke began.
"No, I'm sorry, Brooke," Peyton interrupted. "I shouldn't have gone off on you. It's just, well, finding out that I made a fool out of myself in front of the guy I'm in love with and probably ruining my friendship with him in the process, I just took it out on you. You didn't deserve that."
"But I did," Brooke disagreed. "I've been so stupid and selfish for so long, Peyton. I came by this morning to apologize for yesterday. You remember Mr. Chavez?"
"Somewhat. I mean, he was only our teacher for like five minutes."
"See, Rachel put my picture up on this Internet dating website, and I was set up on a date with an older man. We hooked up, and then I found out that he was our new English teacher. We'd been secretly seeing each other and then I found him in bed with one of the models from my fashion show. It hurt, and I guess that's why I showed up at Luke's house."
"Wait a minute. You really did have an affair with him? I thought it was just a rumor!"
"An affair? Peyton, it's not like either one of us was married or anything. But that's beside the point. When I showed up at Luke's and you were there, I was a little upset. To be quite honest with you, I only asked Lucas to be my date for the banquet to spite you."
"You're so sweet." Peyton said, sticking her tounge out as Brooke rolled her eyes.
"When Whitey made his speech, that's when I knew it was truly over between Luke and I. I had fallen out of love with Lucas a long time ago, and I think the same thing happened to him."
"I wouldn't be too sure."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"A few weeks ago," Peyton began. "I asked Lucas who he wanted next to him when his dreams came true. Without any hesitation, he said you."
"Why would you tell me this?" Brooke asked.
"I would have given anything to hear him say me," Peyton said, tears visible in her eyes. Brooke reached out and grabbed Peyton's hand. It was a small gesture, but to Peyton, it was a good sign.
Ten more seconds. In ten more seconds, the game of their lives would begin. The boys sat quietly in their locker room, waiting for Whitey to lead them to the court. A few of the boys said a quick prayer. Nathan was too nervous to do anything. He glanced over to Lucas and watched as he looked at the bottle of pills.
"You better take those," Nathan called out, breaking the silence in the room and causing the team to look at Lucas. Lucas glared at Nathan for a moment before taking two pills out, placing them in his mouth, and swallowing them with some water.
"Happy?" Lucas asked.
"Yeah, I want to win tonight, Luke," Nathan called out. "I don't want to watch you die on the court."
Before Lucas could say anything back, Whitey emerged from his office. No words were spoken as he nodded for the team to follow. This is it.
There was a sell out crowd of 10,000 people and every single one of them were on their feet as the Tree Hill Ravens and the McArthur Mustangs walked out on the court. Nathan looked over at the cheerleaders and made eye contact with his wife. She gave him a reassuring smile and then blew him a kiss.
The whistle blew, the game had started. The Ravens had possession of the ball. Nathan dribbled down the court and passed to Lucas. Lucas dribbled a little more, and passed to Skillz who made the first shot. The Ravens were up 2-0.
The game was intense. The Ravens and the Mustangs went back and forth for the lead, and by halftime, the game was tied at 38 each. Whitey told the boys that he was proud of them. Win or lose, they were playing an excellent game that night. In fact, Nathan was playing the best game of his life, he had scored 20 of the 38 points. Lucas was struggling a little bit, he'd only scored 8 points and had 5 turnovers. Skillz approached him in the locker room.
"What's going on, man?" Skillz asked. "You still thinking about what Peyton said?"
"It's all I can think about," Lucas sighed. "I mean, here we are, playing the state championship, my last game ever, and all I can think about is that Peyton's in love with me. I just can't figure out what it all means."
"Do I have to do all your thinking for you?" Skillz laughed. "You know, the world would be a much better place if you just admitted that you're in love with her, too. It's obvious. Here we are, the state championship, and all you can think about is Peyton. That's your future, man."
Skillz patted Lucas on the shoulder and walked away, once again leaving him to his own thoughts.
Halftime had ended, and the boys reemerged onto the court. Lucas glanced over at the cheerleaders and spotted Peyton and Brooke together. He watched for a moment as the two girls laughed together. Just as he was about to look away, he caught Peyton's eye. She smiled at him briefly before looking away. He smiled back, happy for Peyton that she had her best friend back, but what did this mean for them?
The team took the court once again for the second half of the game. The Ravens once again had possession of the ball first. Nathan passed to Lucas who stood just outside the three point line and made a shot. To his amazement, the ball went in. The Ravens were up 41-38.
The rest of the game was a blur to Lucas, well, until the final 10 seconds. The Ravens were down 61-60. All they needed was a two point shot to win the game. Nathan had the ball, he dribbled past two of the Mustang players and then passed over to Lucas. As he went for the game winning shot, he was elbowed from behind, causing the ball to be knocked loose and the buzzer to go off. It was over. The Ravens had lost.
"Foul!" yelled the referee. "Lucas Scott gets two free throws!"
It wasn't over yet. Lucas looked up in shock. He was excellent with free throws. He took his place at the free throw line and went for his first shot. It was good, the game was tied. Nervously, he dribbled the ball a bit before making his second shot. This was it. He could win this for his team right now. He took his shot.
As the ball sailed through the air, it seemed as though everyone in the arena held their breath. The ball hit the front of the hoop and bounced off to hit the backboard, causing the ball to go into the hoop. It was over. The Ravens won. The team swarmed Lucas as they celebrated. The Ravens were finally state champs. For the first time in Raven basketball history, they were the big winners. They had done it. 18 years ago, a Scott lead them to defeat, but now a Scott--wait, two Scotts--lead them to victory.
The fans ran out to the court. Karen ran to her son and threw her arms around him.
"I'm so proud of you, Lucas!" She yelled over the noise. "And I know that Keith would be proud, too!"
Lucas hugged his mom as tight as he could without hurting her. He glanced over to Nathan who was twirling Haley around. As Karen backed away from Lucas, Brooke walked up.
"Way to go, allstar!" She yelled out as they hugged. She caught Peyton out of the corner of her eye. "So, Mr. Scott. Your dreams ahve all come true. Who do you want standing next to you?"
Lucas looked at Brooke for a moment before glancing over at Peyton.
"Go," She told him. He looked at her. "It's OK, go!"
Lucas hugged Brooke one last time before heading over to Peyton. Brooke smiled to herself. She had finally righted her wrong.
"Hey, you," Lucas called as he walked up to Peyton.
"Hey, Luke!" Peyton called, a huge smile on her face. "Congratulations!"
"Thanks," He said, pulling her into a hug.
"Well, I'm be seeing you!" Peyton said as they broke they hug. As she walked away, Lucas remembered the night at the rivercourt when he had beaten Nathan and became a Raven. He said those same exact words to her. Then he remembered his talk with Skillz last night. The words echoed through his head. "You chose to save her."
"Peyton!" He yelled. She turned around and looked at him. "It's you."
"What?" She questioned as he reached her.
"It's you," He repeated. "The one I want next to me when my dreams come true. It's you, Peyton."
Peyton looked at him as a huge smile spread across her face. He reached out and brushed a piece of confetti off her face and leaned in to kiss her. For the first time, they kissed without any worries. They weren't hiding from anyone and she wasn't bleeding to death in a library.
"I love you," He whispered into her ear.
"I love you, too," She replied.
"And that is how the great love story of Lucas Scott and Peyton Sawyer began," An old man said to the six young children in front of him.
"That's such an awesome story, Grandpa!" A young blonde girl called out.
"Yeah, you tell it better than Grandma," A young blonde boy called out.
"Don't let Grandma hear you say that!" The grandfather laughed.
"Too late," An older woman laughed as she took a seat next to her husband. "But don't worry, Lucas, I still love you."
"I still love you, too, Peyton," He laughed. "Always and forever."
"You guys aren't going to kiss now, are you?" The girl asked crinkling her nose. Lucas and Peyton looked at their grandchildren and smiled. It had been 50 years since that night and the love between Lucas and Peyton was as strong as ever.