Chapter Four: Beauty In The Breakdown

Night had fallen over the small town. Many had turned in for the night with only the faint glow of the t.v. visible from the windows. That was not to say a select few were still wide awake, those few including Brooke and Lucas. They sat on his bed, conversation not needed for their mouths were rather busy locked with one another's. Brooke pulled away as Lucas dove for more. She smiled at him staring longingly into his eyes. He raised a brow curious as to why she pulled away, it was so unlike Brooke.

"Thank you for being so cool with Peyton. I know she can be hard to get along with." Lucas stifled a chuckle, "Ha that's an understatement." Brooke rolled her eyes placing a finger on his lips. "Shh, just give her a chance; she'll warm up to you eventually." He grunted leaning in for another kiss. "But for being such a good boy I guess I can give you what you want." she smiled deviously shifting her position so she sat on his lap, legs wrapped around his waist.

"I'd like that." he whispered kissing her. The night was lost within the lustful moments spent between the two teens. The quiet moments they spent together in the secrecy of his room were never discussed. The sensual touches and intimate kisses remained locked in their hearts. No one had to know what happened behind the closed door between Lucas Scott and Brooke Davis. The stolen moments were enough to take Lucas' mind off Peyton and the thoughts of her. He was with Brooke in the now.

The next few weeks passed the same for Lucas Scott. Peyton still gave him the silent treatment during class, and only talked to him when Brooke was around. It was a simple pattern easy enough to follow. The rules were simple between them: Talk only when Brooke is around, otherwise ignore each others existence completely. Simple. However, both Peyton and Lucas found it hard to ignore each others existence when thoughts of the opposite consumed them during the day. On several occasions Lucas caught Peyton glancing at him, only to look away when their eyes locked. He had all given up hope on trying to make conversation with her and so the silence between them ensued.

It wasn't long before Brooke had Peyton on the cheerleading team, furthering Lucas' continuing curiosity over her. School was in full swing, teachers wasting no time piling on the homework and the never ending papers that needed to be written. Workouts for basketball had begun to start, leaving his already limited time with Brooke completely scarce. The many nights they spent together had completely disappeared leaving them maybe just a few hours out of the day. Those hours though were not wasted between the two lovers and Brooke made sure of that. Lucas would expect no less from her. It was one day after workouts that brought Lucas yet another surprise in his life. One that he would never be expecting.

A typical afternoon would include Lucas in the gym with the team running drills and getting in shape, the start of this afternoon was no different. Whitey ran them up and down the court, suicide after suicide. Everyone had lost count. Whitey was waiting for someone to run out and throw up. After close to an hour of this the team began to run an assortment of drills, this season was going to be better than the last. With two short blows from his whistle, Whitey ended workouts and sent his sweaty red faced to the locker rooms, Lucas however, remained behind.

"Hey man you comin'?" asked Skills from the gym doors. Lucas shook his head, "Nah man, I'm gonna shoot around for a little bit. I'll catch up with you later." Skills nodded," Alright man, whatever floats yo' boat." Lucas picked up the orange basketball dribbling it a few times before shooting it, a perfect swish. The routine went on like this for awhile until he hunched over panting slightly. He shot one more time landing another basket and let the ball roll into a corner of a gym. Somebody would get it. He hurried back to the locker room, showering, and then getting dressed in his school clothes. Quietly he made his way out the gyms doors making his way through the gym.

He saw the basketball had disappeared from the gym completely. It was unlikely that someone had already picked it up. He stood at the center of the gym reflecting on the last year's letdown. Lucas' head dropped slightly tucking his hands inside his pockets. He turned to leave when he heard the quiet sound of crying from somewhere in the gym. Instantly his head picked as he tried to pinpoint the exact position of the sound. He paced the gym several times before finding the life form huddled behind the bleachers. Carefully he clambered under the bleachers, avoiding the various poles and metal in his way. The girl looked familiar, extremely familiar.

"Peyton?" he asked raising a brow as he approached her. He received no response and still only heard the quiet sounds of her sobs. He was almost certain it was her. He knelt besides her placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Go away, Lucas please." she managed between the tears shrugging off his hand.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong." he replied back shifting so he was sitting next to her.

"I don't owe you any explanation." she retorted back turning her head away.

"You're right you don't, but it might make you feel better."

Peyton sniffled wiping away several tears that stung in her eyes. There he was at it again, making her feel things that she did not want to feel. This simple act of kindness was all she really wanted. A part of her wanted to spill her soul to him. There was an air about him that was so comforting that merely sitting beside him made her feel better. She sighed tucking a piece of her curly blonde hair behind her ear. They sat in silence for a bit longer which seemed to be their default setting, despite the time when Brooke forced conversation on them. However, this silence was not awkward like it had usually been. This silence was comforting to Peyton. She liked the fact that he was willing to sit here and wait until she was ready to talk. A feeling of warmth washed over her and she opened her mouth to speak, but instead came the sobs. They overcame her, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

Lucas pulled her into a hug which she did not fight, hard muscled arms encircling her small frame allowing her to rest her head against his hard chest. She felt safe in his arms, like he could protect her from the world. She only wished he would be able too. Peyton could not let herself succumb to the charm of Lucas Scott. He could be such a great friend to her, if only she would let him. But she could not let herself get close, she was leaving Tree Hill at the end of the year and she was never coming back.

Lucas stood up taking her hand in his. "Come on I know a place where you can be alone."