Chapter 1

Peyton sat, her head cradled gently in the soft palms of her hands, listening to the rain beating down on the porch roof. She was seated on the top step of her porch, watching the rain fall, just a few feet from where she sat, tears threatening to spill over the rims of her eyes and trickle across her face. One tear found his own path and squirmed down a pale cheek, dangling upon her cheek bone a minute, before she reached up to wipe it away. Damn it. She had ruined everything with Brooke, broken their friendship, their trust, and now Lucus was hurt, and some how she couldn't help but feel like maybe it was all her fault. The accident, she realized, wasn't her fault, but when Lucus had came to her after it? That was. She should have sent him home, she shouldn't have kissed him, and Brooke would never have known. That damned camera. But she knew that she never would have been able to look at him again, without having second thoughts, it she hadn't, her feeling were so strong that she knew there was no holding them back. But now? Now everything had gone all topsy turvy on her, and there was not turning back. Peyton let her head rise up softly as she heard the dull thud of rubber on concrete, blonde curls fell into her pained eyes as she gazed into the warm visionaries of none other than Lucus Scott.

"Oh Peyton..." He gazed upon her from where he stood as he spoke, leaning down with his good arm and brushing a few springing golden locks from her face.

"Lucus...don't. We cant be together, you know that. We've already screwed everything up as it is, and we're never going to get back in Brooke's good graces if we keep at it like this." Peyton choked back tears and buried her face into her already tear stained hands. Inside she wanted to fall into his warm embrace, but she had to resist, for Brooke's sake, she had to stay away from him.

"Peyton, don't push me away. I need you Peyton. I might–" but she cut him off promptly. A hurt expression crossed over his face in devastation, and he craned his head down to look at his feet, the freezing rain and cool tempatures causing him to shiver gently, and he reached out to take her hand before she could speak, but she withdrew it.

"Don't say it Lucus Scott, don't even say it." With that the blonde girl rose, Lucus reaching for her hand as she did, but she payed no attention. His fingers caught the hem of her shirt but fell as she strode towards her front door, tears already brimming over her bottom lids, and as she blinked they flooded down her fleshy cheeks slowly. She flung open her door and let it slam behind her, slamming her back into the shut door and sliding down into a crumpled ball, her shoulders shuddering with every sob.

Lucus sat on her steps for a few moments longer, running his mobile arm through his damp hair. Slowly he rose, and stepped back into the rain, his good arm shoved into the pocket of his deep gray hoodie, tennis shoed clogging softly over the soaking pavement, and the rain came down in pour sheets. He was confused, hurt, and cold, and right now he just wanted to curl up in his bed and block the entire world out, except for Peyton. There was something about that girl that was driving him crazy, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. as he arrived at his house, he peered in through the lit window, and there sitting at the kitchen table was his rather frantic looking mother. He pushed through the front door, peeling his soaking shoes and jacket off with difficulty due to his gimpy arm. Her first reaction was to go motherly on him and kiss his forehead and get him a dry towel, but she didn't. Instead she chucked a towel at him from the bathroom and glared at him momentarily.

"I know mom...I'm sorry, you told me not to go, but I had some things I needed to take care of." He stared at his feet, speaking in soft tones and his mothers stern face faded slowly.

"I know you have a lot on your mind Lucus, but you really just need to rest right now, alright? Give things time, and it will all work out honey, I promise, just please don't go running out into the rain again." She paused and ruffled his wet hair. "Did you get it taken care of?" She asked, crossing her arms over he chest, dark hair tickling her cheeks as she watched her son dry off, and then peel his soaking wet shirt off and toss it into an empty laundry basket.

"No...I just keep making things worse mom, I don't even know how to start making it better anymore, the more I try..." He shook his head in frustration, and his mom nodded in understanding.

With that, she let him be and Lucus retreated to his room, where he stood a moment before peeling off the remainder of his wet clothes and pulled a dry sweater over his head, and a clean pair of boxers on his bottom half, then a pair of comfortable sweat pants. Running the towel through his hair once more, he settled gently onto the bed, his battered and bruised body causing him to groan as he descended onto the pillow. For a moment he lay there, staring at the ceiling, his mind in utter turmoil, but his heart knew exactly what he wanted. It took him a few painful moment after that to readjust himself to a comfortable position, or comfortable enough to slip into dream land anyway. It was about four o'clock, but he feel into a deep slumber anyway, curling up beneath the covers, his bad arm crossed over his chest.