A/N: Hello all! Thank you for the great reviews. In this chapter, Lucas confronts Peyton...and it doesn't go the way he'd like. I hope I kept Peyton in character in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill.

He ran out of there as fast as he possible could. Her words still echoing in his mind. He was on a mission. Find Peyton. Confront her about the essay. Fix their friendship. Figure out where his heart stood.

He was just glad that English was the last class of the day. He drove as fast as he could, his tires almost screeching as he came to a halt outside her house. He didn't even bother knocking. Just ran up the stairs knocking at her bedroom door when he reached it. She glanced up from her computer. When she saw him, her eyes widened for a moment before she forced them back to normal.

"Hey Luke," she said smiling sadly. Lucas wondered how he had never noticed how sad that smile was. How much pain she held back.

"Peyton," he said sitting down on the edge of her bed, "I haven't seen you in a while."

"I've been busy," she said shrugging, "Plus, Brooke isn't talking to me so that kind of makes it hard to hang out with you guys."

"Yeah, I guess," Lucas said, "I should have made more of an effort to see you."

"That's ok," Peyton said quickly, "I don't need your pity Luke."

"It's not pity, Peyt. I miss you a lot. You're one of my best friends." Lucas immediately cursed himself for using those words. Knowing now what he did, he couldn't miss the way her eyes flickered with disappointment.

"I miss you too."

"So," he said lying back on her bed. He was trying to be as casual as possible, but it was really hard to be casual when it came to this. "You missed English class today."

"I know. I had a doctor's appointment. Still getting over the flu."

"Ah, ok," Lucas nodded. Peyton shut down her computer and turned to him.

"So did I miss anything?"

"Well, we got our papers back," he said, "And Mr. McHenry read one out loud." A flash of worry passed over Peyton's features which she immediately suppressed.

"Oh."

"It was anonymous, but by the end, everyone knew who wrote it."

"Really?" Peyton said chuckling nervously.

"I wish you would have told me you hated me to my face. Hearing it in front of twenty other people kind of hurts." Peyton's face dropped and her cheeks turned bright red in embarrassment.

"What are you talking about?"

"Peyton, the whole class knew it was your paper. All of Tree Hill knows about what happened between us. And I happen to remember the first time I saw you at the café and about the time you almost ran me over with your car. I highly doubt anyone else had that happen to them."

"I wrote that essay thinking it would be confidential. I never meant for you to find out about that."

"So you were just going to go around pretending like everything was all right when it really wasn't?" Lucas's voice was rising now.

"Yeah," Peyton shrugged, trying to sound indifferent. The tears forming in her eyes told her otherwise.

"But you hate me!"

"And love you," Peyton whispered closing her eyes, "It really sucks actually."

"Who knew about this?" Lucas asked trying to ignore the pain in his chest he got from seeing her cry.

"Everyone had an idea I'm sure. The ones who definitely knew were Brooke and Jake. Brooke and I had our falling out because I still had feelings for you. Jake and I broke up for good because I accidentally mumbled that I loved you in my sleep when I went to see him."

"Brooke kept this from me?" he said incredulously. He couldn't believe that Brooke wouldn't tell him about something this big.

"She was probably worried that you'd come running back to me. She's paranoid ever since last year and I don't blame her for it. You broke her heart."

"And yours," he said.

"I don't need reminding Lucas," she said pinching the bridge of her nose, "Listen, that essay was written right after Brooke and I had that falling out. I was really angry and I'm sorry I said that stuff. It was wrong."

"See the problem is Peyton," Lucas began as he stood in front of her, "A lot of what you said was true. I mean I was the cheater. I did sleep with someone less than a week after we broke up. I came between you and Brooke. Worst of all, I did call you a mistake."

Lucas tipped her chin up so she would look at him, but Peyton looked away from his prying gaze. He was trying to read her again and she just couldn't allow it.

"But I need you to know that I did love you. I do love you. What I said to Brooke may have sounded like I was calling you a mistake, but I meant it more along the lines of the way I treated Brooke. I shouldn't have strung her along. I was in love with you and I should have told her that. Instead I let it all get tangled up and lost both of you."

"That doesn't help me Lucas," Peyton said softly, "Because I want to believe you, but I know that every word you say is empty. All you want is for everyone to like you. I'm sorry it doesn't work like that."

"I can't have you hating me Peyton."

"What's done is done. You can't change it." Lucas sighed and resumed his position on her bed.

"What about this summer?"

"What about it?"

"We were friends."

"I was a mess. Jake left. Some crazy lady was claiming to be my mom. I need someone to lean on. You could have been Charles Manson for all I cared. I just learned to suppress the pain you caused. And then Brooke came home and it all flooded back. And for Brooke, I stayed close to you so that I could make sure you didn't screw things up with her like you did last time. In the process, I hurt myself again. I was going to write about that, but I ran out of space. Lucky you, huh?" Peyton smirked.

"So let me get this straight? You don't want to be friends with me?"

"You sound so childish," Peyton said rolling her eyes, "I just don't think being friends with you is a good idea."

"I do."

"Well of course you do," Peyton said, "But being friends with you isn't enough for me. I'm in love with you Lucas and I can't watch you with Brooke without it killing me inside. So I just think it's best that we stay away from each other."

"Peyt," Lucas begged as she pulled him up and pushed him to the door.

"I think it's time you go, Lucas."

"One last question."

"Fine," Peyton sighed.

"Why were you so open with me just now?"

"Because I know it's the last time I'll see you here."

"How can you be so sure?"

"You're not in love with me. There's no other reason to come back."

"Look at me," he said. She obliged though her heart told her not to, "There's something worth saving here. I'm going to prove it to you."

"I know there's something worth saving Lucas," Peyton whispered her eyes not leaving his, "It's just not something you want to fight for."