A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews. Yes, this is a really dark story. Don't expect Brooke, Nathan, Lucas to show much sympathy for anyone. They're pretty twisted characters. Uh, I guess you could say that Brooke and Nathan have a pretty open relationship but they're kind of possessive of one another. Anyway, I've switched it up some in this chapter; it's told from Lucas' POV. Enjoy and don't forget to leave some reviews. Chapter 4 is for the most part written so it's up to you guys as to when I'll update.

It's Not A Side Effect Of The Cocaine, I Am Thinking It Must Be Love

Lucas POV

We have gone almost everywhere in Tree Hill looking for the perfect specimen for me. Whatever that's supposed to mean. The mall had no one, the café was dead, and everywhere else we looked got us no where. Nathan's starting to get bored, Brooke's pouting, and I'm beyond frustrated. So we grab some coffee, and start walking down the boardwalk towards the River Court. Nathan stops dead in his tracks and hits me on my chest, nodding to the blonde sitting on the bench, completely engrossed in her drawing.

"She's perfect!" Brooke gushes.

"She's a complete bitch." I grumble.

"At least she's hot." Nathan comments.

"Thank, God, we've finally found her!" Brooke cheers, sitting down on the nearest bench. Nathan takes the seat beside her and I remain standing in front of us looking completely bewildered.

"You cannot be serious! Peyton Sawyer? She doesn't talk to anyone- at all. She's completely pissing and moody and angry and broody and no. I'm not doing it." I huff flinging my arms up in a fury.

"Would you like some Midol babe?" Brooke asks me seriously.

"Brooke, stop making everything into a joke." Nathan feigns seriousness before busting out laughing.

"Luke, you want me?" Brooke asks and I grudging nod. . What a conniving little…"Then you'll screw over Peyton Sawyer as badly as you want me."

See here's the thing about Peyton Sawyer. She hates everybody, including herself, minus the starving kids in Africa and even then, I still think that's up in the air. She didn't use to always be that way though. She was actually Brooke's best friend and a part of our group until a year ago when her mom died. Than everything went to shit and she stopped talking. Brooke hates her because before she committed herself to silence, Peyton Sawyer told everyone in Tree Hill Brooke's secrets; including something that Nathan and I didn't even know about.

"But it's like impossible to get her to talk. Besides she's still pissed about that whole 'DYKE' graffiti on her locker which she's convinced we all did. Brooke." I accuse and she tries her best not to smirk.

"The truth hurts baby. I would know, first hand. You know, all those secrets she leaked out, she forgot about the one when I found her in the bathtub, ice cold water up to her neck, her arm looking like Freddy Kruger had a spasm on it. She forgets about her little tryst with Anna, since she was 'bored.' She forgets all those secrets. The little bitch deserves what she gets coming."

"Then why haven't you told everyone about all of those secrets?" Nathan challenges. Brooke looks directly at him and I see the most evil I have ever seen in someone's eyes.

Well it was at the time.

"Because I want Peyton Sawyer to pay. I want her to suffer so much more than what she put me though. At the end of this game I want her so desperate, so despondent, that not even all that cutting could take away the pain. She's going to know what's it's truly like to suffer and I want her so pathetic that not even God would take pity on her sorry excuse for a human being."

"See, this is exactly what I mean. This is a lost cause. I understand that you have this great vendetta against Peyton, really I do Brooke, but for me to do this? It's like the most impossible thing to do." I whine and Brooke rolls her eyes. "Nathan, a little help here please?"

"Dude, it's just all apart of the game. "

We just didn't know.

We had no idea

If we had, would it had changed anything?

X-x-X

Of all the broads to connect me to, they had to pick Peyton. Haley was easy; sweet, naïve, and most of all putty in Nathan's hands. I mean, he's going to win the game, hands down. Peyton, however, looks pissed as fuck at the world and I'm not looking forward to the encounter we're about to have. She's gonna rip me a new one, I can already feel it. Okay, what the hell Luke? Grow some.

"Peyton?" I ask hesitantly. Her head jerks from her drawing to my face and I think I literally hear her growl.

"What do you want?" Yup, she's definitely growling.

"We haven't talked in a while…" I state, taking a seat beside her on the bench. She looks at me curiously for about half a second before returning to her drawing.

"I don't talk to anyone Lucas and you know that. "

True.

"Well how have you been?" I try my best to ask nicely. Ok, truthfully, I'm probably a tiny bit truly interested.

"Peachy." she quips and I sigh in frustration.

"Peyt, come on…I miss you. I've thought about you a lot since that night…" I reach over and tuck some of her stray curls behind her ear. She winces, then relaxes, and then jerks her head completely away from my hand.

"Fuck you Luke." she screams. I do believe I've hit a nerve there.

"Oh but you've already did that Peyton." I retort, my true jackass colors showing proudly.

"Don't you dare bring up that night." she grits out and for a second, I almost see tears forming in her eyes.

"You were fantastic. Grief really partners well with your sexuality." I egg on.

"You sorry son of a bitch." she mutters getting up and gathering her stuff, throwing it in her bag. I grab her arm as she's walking past and forcefully set her back down on the bench. "What do you want?"

"What do you think? Come on Peyt, we were good together." I smirk and she darts her eyes everywhere but at mine.

"That was a mistake." she whispers.

"You still don't want me Peyt?" I ask running my finger from her cheek down her neck. "You think about me don't you? Dream about me?" I whisper in her ear, causing her to shiver.

"It was a mistake." she repeats sucking her breath.

"Every time?" I challenge.

"Luke, that night, I was upset. My mom had just died. I didn't want to feel anything. It didn't mean anything."

"Yeah it did. You know you've been in love with me for awhile. Don't deny it. It's okay though. I think I may feel the same way about you."

Oh yes, I lay it on thick. I think she almost believes me for a few seconds there.

That quickly dissolves.

"Bull shit." she screams again.

Oww.

X-X-X

"Man this is bullshit Luke." Nate screams at me running his hands though his hair. "How could you let this happen?"

"I didn't think…I don't know. Brooke was supposed to watch her." I say defending myself.

"Don't you dare try to lie this on me!" Brooke screams, her tears subsiding for the moment.

"Okay, both of you shut the fuck up. Well it won't matter who was watching her when the cops throw us in jail for the rest of our lives will it?" Nathan seethes. "Now, we need to calm down and figure out what we're gonna do about this. The others are in the cabin?"

"Yeah, last time I checked." I confirm. I look over at the form in front of me and lean over, throwing up the remaining contents of my stomach. "Son of a bitch. I didn't think he would go this far."

"Well he did and it's our faults." Nathan replies and for the first time, I notice tears in his own eyes.

X-X-X

"Peyton wait! Will you just listen to me for a few minutes? Remember? We used to do this thing called conversation…"

Shoot me, I'm fucking pleading.

"I'm a mess Luke. I can't do this with you. You and I were a million years ago. I'm not the same person. And I don't even know how to be her anymore." she says allowing her tears to finally fall.

"Let me help you Peyton. I'm not gonna take advantage of you. I just want you to be okay." I lie through my teeth. She sighs again and throws her head back to the sky, contemplating my offer.

"I'm not having sex with you or anything like that." she says after a few moments.

"Right. No sex." I nod. She puts her head in an upright position and looks at me.

"Just talking?" she clarifies. Again I nod. "And you can't tell Brooke about this. Not even Nathan."

"Oh of course not. This is just our little secret." I confirm.

"I'll see you Luke." she finally says standing up and looking at me hesitantly.

"Promise?"

"Yeah, I'll be around."

X-x-X

"What the fuck do you want?"

Yes, she really is that peachy, all the time. It's the next day, and after a little coaxing from Brooke, I'm at Peyton's house. If I'm going to do this, and do it right, and win this stupid game then I am going all out. I'm surprised though, Peyton usually keeps her door locked, but today I was able to waltz in and not even startle her when she looks up to see me leaning in her doorway.

"Why's your door unlocked?" I ask, plopping down on the bed side her.

"Maybe I'm praying some psycho will come in here and kill me, snuffing out my misery." She quips, ever continuing to draw.

"Well, that would be almost believable." I nod, rolling over to lean on my elbow, facing her. "But you don't believe in God. So you don't believe in praying."

"I never said I didn't believe in God. I just believe that he forgot about me."

"You really should keep your doors locked. I thought since…"

"Since some psycho really did come in here and kill my mother that I would?" she finishes, snapping her head up in my direction. "You are such a fucking dick."

"Look, I'm just concerned about you." I follow her into her bathroom, where she turns on the water and leans on the sink for support. I gently place my hand on her back. "I have been for months. I wanna take care of you."

"You're a fucking liar." She grumbles, pushing herself off the sink and letting my hand fall off her back. She starts searching though her medicine cabinet, finally grabbing a small tube from the back. Twisting it open and peering inside, she curses and slams the plastic tube into the sink. "Shit."

"Looking for some of this?" I ask, smirking in satisfaction as she looks up and her eyes fix on the small, white powered fill bag. I shake my head in mock disappointment. "Peyton, Peyton, Peyton. I thought you would be better than this."

"I've never been better than any of this." She responds, reaching up to grab the bag from my hands. I'm quick, and it's up and out of her reach. "Lucas."

"Peyton." I quirk up an eyebrow as my hand moves to the small of her back and I push her body up against mine. Her hand drops and she looks away, even though she doesn't move away.

"I-I thought yesterday…" she mumbles, focusing her attention on the floor.

"You thought yesterday, what?"

"Yesterday, we agreed." She tenentively looks up, gulping back her fear. "No sex."

"You're right." I release her, taking a step back into her bedroom. "We agreed to no sex and here I am, trying to pressure you. I'm just going to go."

"Luke wait." She calls out and I stop, just as I approach her door. I smirk quickly before wiping it off and turning around to face her. "I might be a little bit more relaxed…"

"Oh." I pull out the white powder from my pocket and walk towards her. "You want some of this."

She watches intently as I walk past her, into the bathroom once more. I grab the small round mirror off the shelf and set it on the edge of the sink, dumping a small amount of the powder onto the surface. I step back and admire as she skillfully moves the substance around and forms it into a straight line. Giving me one final look as I give her an approving nod, she bends down, sucking the powder up her nose.

"You feel better now baby?" I whisper in her ear, coming up behind her and pressing against her. Her head bobs feverously as she leans back into my embrace. My hand moves to the front of her jeans, unfastening the one button and unzipping the rest. "Good. Now you're going to make me feel better."

A short time later, I smirk to myself as I pull up my jeans. I'd really love to see daddy dearest come walking in on this scene. His precious baby girl, naked, spread eagle across the custom bedding. I walk over to the dresser, plucking up the camcorder I set up just prior to my little game. As I walk out, I glance back, smiling, thoroughly satisfied with my accomplishment.

How naïve I was. Accomplishment? Looking back now, it was the beginning of my downfall. Of all our downfalls. I thought for sure Brooke would be mine. She would never even been close to mine.