"Do we have to do our senior year here?" Peyton asked looking out the window of her new dormitory at Tree Hill Academy.
Tree Hill High had burned down in an accident over the summer and the kids all got separated into different schools, and Peyton, Lucas, Brooke, Nathan, Haley, and Rachel all were lucky enough to get into the same school, when everyone except Rachel. Brooke was happy that Rachel was there, but Peyton, Haley, Nathan, and Lucas weren't. Rachel wasn't their favorite person ever since the accident with Cooper and the limo. But Rachel didn't think it was her fault, she just wanted to be with him, only if he had said they could be together, none of this would have happened, is what she thought. Absolutely no one else agreed with her on that one, not even Brooke.
"Yeah," Haley said upset. Haley wasn't even in the same dormitory as Peyton or Brooke. She was on the other side of campus, with some weird girl named Polly.
"Hey, at least you don't have to have a room with your ex-best friend and the murderer," Peyton sighed leisurely unpacking her stuff.
"Peyton! She is not a murderer yet, stop saying that and it's not that bad, I mean I'm sure you and Brooke will patch things up, and I'm the slut won't be here a lot, she'll be in the boys dorm most of the time," Haley said making herself laugh and making Peyton give a half-hearted smile.
"Well, with the way Brooke's doing, she'll be a slut with Rachel every night now that she doesn't have Lucas," Peyton amused herself.
"A slut, well thanks bitch Sawyer," Brooke said walking into her room to grab some money. "Hey, Haley, how are you?" Brooke asked genuinely.
"I'm alright, but with the accident and all, Nathan hasn't been doing to well," She said her eyes glistening.
"Haley, I'm really sorry," Rachel said entering the room with caution.
"Right, I have to go. Bye, Brooke, bye Peyton," Haley said getting out of there as quick as possible.
"I didn't mean it," Rachel said whispering more to herself than anyone else.
"But you still did it," Peyton said unfolding a shirt to get a better look at it. Lucas had given her this shirt last year. She loved this shirt, it was big on her, but not too big, and the fact that it was Lucas's made the shirt so much better.
"Let's go Rachel, before she really starts to unleash her goth side and we don't want to see that," Brooke said smiling to Rachel before leaving.
"Brooke, wait," Peyton said to the brunette.
"Wait for what? My life back. Peyton it's already gone and you left with it too," Brooke said leaving.
"But Brooke, I'm sorry, can't we just forget it," Peyton asked desperately.
"No, we can't because it will always be true, you'll always love him, and now you have the chance to be with him, he's not mine anymore," Brooke said closing her eyes so the tears wouldn't fall. Her back was still to Peyton so she just started to walk towards the door with her eyes still closed, when she bumped into something manly and muscular. A familiar smell hit her nostrils, a smell she could never let go of, no matter what. She put her hands up to his chest to steady herself. He held her waist to steady her too, it was just like old times, now all she needed to do was lean in for the kiss. But this wasn't old times and she knew it.
"Sorry, Brooke," he said nonchalantly.
How could he talk to her like she was nothing when she knew, or at least hoped, that he was dying inside just like her after what happened between them.
"Yeah, I'm sorry too Lucas," She said lazily, trying to act like it was nothing too. But her sorry wasn't for bumping into him, her sorry was everything that had happened between them and Peyton. Her sorry was for her love for him and how it never ended. Her sorry was for that she was in the same room with him and Peyton, just like the night she caught them together. That was what she was sorry for, and he knew it.
"Don't be," was how he answered back, still holding onto her.
"I should go," she said quickly, too quickly. He knew what she was thinking, that she was still crazy in love with him.
"Yeah you probably should," Lucas said looking at Peyton. He could tell that she was hurt and that she was upset as she watched the scene unfold.
"Right, bye," Brooke said finally letting the breath out that she had been holding the whole time.
