Brooke walked into the cafeteria at lunchtime, holding her brown paper bag. She scanned the room, looking for a familiar face. She found Peyton sitting all alone, staring at her sketchpad, and began walking towards her.
"Okay, so this bra is totally rubbing me the wrong way," Brooke said while sitting down across from Peyton and readjusting her top. Peyton looked up and closed her sketchpad as quickly as possible, praying that Brooke hadn't seen what the picture was.
"That's great, Brooke. Now how is that thong fitting you?" Peyton said sarcastically.
"My thong? That's excellent! So how has your day been so far?" the brunette asked.
"It's been boring. I had chemistry this morning and then I had to sit through another lecture on Shakespeare. I thought I was gonna stab my eyes out," Peyton answered calmly, leaving out the parts about Lucas and the way his eyes always seemed to find hers. Peyton hoped Brooke didn't suspect anything.
"My day hasn't been too great either. I can never pay-" Brooke began before being cut off by a quick kiss on the cheek. She looked up and smiled. "Hey boyfriend! I can't believe it's been three hours since I saw you last. Sit down!."
Lucas tentatively pulled out the chair next to Brooke, eyeing Peyton as he glided into the seat. Peyton took note of this and knew it wouldn't be too long before she couldn't restrain herself. She would have to get out of this cafeteria before her body leaped across the table and her lips just happened to land on Lucas' perfect mouth.
"Excuse me. I don't feel very well," Peyton said quickly and grabbed her bag hastily. She ran out of the cafeteria, stopping by the bathroom on the way to her locker. Peyton looked in the dirty mirror and felt her eyes sting with tears. All she could see when she looked at herself were words like cheater, traitor, and backstabber. Peyton knew that she was better than this, better than Lucas. She felt warm, salty water spill onto her cheeks. This thing with Lucas, whatever it was, had to stop.
Peyton wiped the tears away with the back of her hand and walked out of the bathroom only to find Lucas standing there. "What do you want?" Peyton asked, her voice raw from crying.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Lucas whispered, cupping her chin in his hands and wiping away a stray tear.
"I'm fine, I just can't be in the room with you if she's there," she said, refusing to meet his eyes. "Why did you follow me? She's gonna start suspecting things."
"I'll take care of it. But Peyton, you have to understand. That kiss last night was so amazingly perfect and it felt so right. I've never felt that way with a girl before. When can I see you again?" Lucas asked pleadingly.
"You can't. I don't want to hurt Brooke. It's not fair to her or Jake. I'm ending it," Peyton said slowly and began to walk away. Lucas ran after her and grabbed her arm. She turned around and locked eyes with him. At that moment, she knew. She knew there was no way she could ever live without him and that she pictured them together for the rest of their lives. She also knew that she had to accept those feelings and that it would be a long road.
Peyton's body went loose as she allowed Lucas to hold her and they stood like that, not talking, but listening to each other's heartbeats as they slowly melted together and became one continuous sound. They didn't pull away until the warning bell rang, and he quickly kissed her on the lips before turning to find Brooke. Peyton could've sworn she heard him whisper three short words into her ear before he pulled away. Those three words that meant everything.
…
That night, Peyton tossed and turned, her body aching for Lucas' soft touch. She told herself to go to sleep and to forget about Lucas, which was impossible. He was everywhere and she couldn't escape him.
The phone rang, giving Peyton a start and she shot up from her bed. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Brooke calling. Oh great, she thought, pressing the talk button.
"Hey, Brooke. I just thought that you should know that it's two in the morning," Peyton said sleepily.
"I know and I'm really sorry. I was trying to tell you this earlier at lunch, but Lucas walked in and I don't want him to know yet," Brooke said worriedly.
"You can tell me anything, Brooke."
"I missed a period, Peyton. And I'm really scared," Brooke cried. Peyton could hear her best friend sobbing and knew that it was Lucas. It made her heart stop.
"Brooke, baby, you have nothing to be scared of. Lucas will support you through everything. You couldn't possibly be having a baby with a better man. I'll take you to the doctor tomorrow to see if you really are pregnant and then you're gonna have to tell Lucas. There's no getting around it," Peyton soothed.
"I know and Lucas is going to be an amazing father. I just don't think I'm ready to be a mother at seventeen."
"You will be the greatest mother to that baby boy or girl because of the love in your heart. You're going to do fine, Brooke. You and Lucas will both do great."
"Thanks, Peyton. I'm going to go, so I'll talk to you in the morning."
"Okay, goodnight," Peyton said even though Brooke had already hung up. She put the phone on her nightstand and rolled over. A single solitary tear rolled down her cheek and landed on her bed, making no sound. That tear represented her life, the loss she was going through. The loss that no one would hear about. The loss that wouldn't make a sound. Peyton was going to lose her one true love. Lucas Scott was no longer her special place, her comfort. He could not be Peyton's shelter from the world. He had a new role to fill and Peyton wasn't sure if she could handle it.
