Chapter Fourteen: Red Letter Day

Lucas lay up in his eyes bed, eye boring into the ceiling and the fan. He wanted the blades rotate slowly as his mind wandered off to other matters. His talk with Haley at lunch sat fresh in his mind and he reflected on her words. She was right; she was always right when it came to helping him. He needed to rebuild the friendship he had forged with the two girls. Then maybe the pieces would fall into place and his life could be whole again. Without Peyton and without Brooke his chest was left empty. He continued to lie awake trying to find a way to start the beginning of their new friendship, yet no ideas came. Another hour came and passed and he still had no idea. He sat at his desk for awhile aimlessly tapping his pen along a blank sheet of paper. Then suddenly the words seemed to flow freely on to the paper. Each sentence came out with a deep meaning, an apology to each of the girls and yet there was still something more within each letter. Something, that even he could not specifically pin point.

With a final sigh he dropped his pen on to his desk, his eyes glancing to the clock at his bedside. 12:03. Time had flown by, he had been so completely wrapped up in his words he had simply lost track. He sealed each letter in a red envelope jotting down Brooke and Peyton's names on their respective envelope and set out for his venture into the night.

Brooke lay up in her bed crying silently into her pillow her body fighting the numbness of emotion she usually felt. Another boy another night, it had grown so redundant. Yet while she felt nearly nothing with the boys, she felt all the pain in the world. Her heart ached every time her eyes caught sight of Lucas. Any time she saw him a ripple of fury coursed through her. Then realized she had been the one to break it off with him. She could have stuck it out with him, worked out their problems and had a stronger relationship. But her insecurities had gotten the better of her and she closed down at the sight of him in her bedroom. She lay in her bed staring at the ceiling listening to the calming silence of the outside. She lay there, but sat up instantly as she heard a disturbance beyond her door. Brooke waited and listened for the knock, but all she heard was the shuffle of footsteps away from her door. Hastily she rose from her bed, cautiously opening her bedroom door peeking her head outside. Nobody was there. She went to close her door when she saw a red envelope dangling from the doorknob. Lucas, she thought.

Lucas' next stop came in the form of making his way towards Peyton's residence. The dark street was illuminated by only the dim streetlights on the block. His pace was slow and steady his eyes never leaving the street. Slowly he made his way up the walkway to her front door pausing before it. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but let it fall limp to his side with a sigh. His fingers overturned the letter within his hands before placing it gently inside the door. He glanced to her window, his head falling slightly. He turned on his heel and headed back home defeated.

Peyton had been watching from her window, barely peeking from behind her curtains. She had not expected to spy on him, she just happened to look out the window when he came sulking up. Her heart, though, skipped a beat when she saw him. His silhouette in the street was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Quietly, she tiptoed down the stairs unlocking the door and slowly pulled it open. She heard something fall and bent down to pick up what had fallen. Her heart raced as she held the red envelope in her hands, feeling warmth spread through her instantly. She shut the door with a creak and made her way back upstairs, plopping herself on top of her bed watching the phone waiting for the phone call from Brooke.

Lucas had arrived home later than he had intended. He tried quietly to sneak into his room through the door. Seemingly home safe, he flicked on the light to find his mother sitting on his bed, her face stern and arms crossed.

"Mom." he managed weakly shutting the door behind him.

"Lucas." she replied with a nod of her head and a sharp glare.

"Mom, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be out this late." he said, his faltering at the end of his sentence.

"You know, I've heard that a lot lately. You're always sorry. But what about me Lucas? I shouldn't have to wait up for you to come at night. What is wrong with you? Ever since your split with Brooke you just haven't been the same." Karen's hard stare turned soft into a more motherly gaze.

Lucas sat on the edge of his bed beside his mom with a sigh. "I think I messed up pretty bad and I almost came between two best friends and that was never my intention. Now I've lost a friend and a girl that I could have loved. And now I'm messing up even more and some of the things that are happening to other people are my fault. But tonight, I hope I sort of rectified things."

Karen pulled her son into a warm hug stroking his hair. "Lucas honey everything is alright. You still have plenty of life to live. Follow your heart Luke, eventually it will do you right. You this wasn't bad for plan b." Karen chuckled standing up.

Lucas rose a brow at his mother, "What was plan a?"

"Kick you in the ass and ground you forever."

They both began to laugh.

"I like plan b."

"I thought so." Karen laughed walking from his room leaving Lucas with his thoughts.

Peyton watched her phone for nearly a half an hour before it finally lit up blinking Brooke's name on the display. A smile came across her face as she answered with a cheery 'hello'. She listened attentively as Brooke talked way too fast for any other person to understand, but Peyton, so attuned caught every word.

"Yeah I know, I got one too."

She clicked her phone shut and fell back on to her bed clutching the red envelope close to her chest.