"I noticed that ring on your ring finger!" Peyton pointed out to Brooke.
The two women were driving towards Juliet's school to pick up the five year old. Peyton offered to drive Brooke since Lucas had her car.
Brooke looked down at the ring Lucas proposed to her with. "Yeah Lucas and I are getting married."
Peyton's eyes widened but she quickly fixed her facial expression. "When did this happen?"
Brooke smiled at the memory of Lucas' sweet proposal. "Last night actually!"
"He proposed to you with Keith's ring?" Peyton questioned as she pulled in front of the preschool Juliet attended.
Brooke glanced over at Peyton and frowned. "How do you know this is Keith's ring?"
Peyton opened her mouth to say something but couldn't find the words. How do you tell your friend that her fiancé proposed to her with the same ring? She couldn't tell Brooke, not now. Not after the girls finally made up.
Before Peyton could come up with an excuse as to why she knew that Brooke's ring was once Keith's ring, Juliet came running out of the building.
"Oh look there she is." Peyton nodded her chin towards Juliet.
Brooke hesitated but climbed out of the car to fetch her daughter from the school's court yard.
"Juliet!" She called out to her daughter.
Juliet greeted her mother with a bear hug. "Hey momma!"
"Hey sweetie." Brooke took her daughter's hand and led her over to Peyton's old black Comet.
"Aunt Peyton?" Juliet questioned as she climbed into the backseat of the black convertible.
Peyton turned and greeted the young girl with a bright smile. "Hey! I'm glad you remember me."
Brooke took her seat in the front next to Peyton. She didn't forget about Peyton's hesitation about knowing her ring was Keith's ring.
"Maybe Lucas proposed to Peyton first?" Brooke thought to herself but she quickly shook the thought out of her head. "Lucas wouldn't do that to me." She accidentally said out loud.
"Do what?" Peyton questioned as she drove toward their old high school were Lucas now coached.
Brooke looked back at her daughter smiling in the back seat then she looked at Peyton. "We'll talk about this later." She whispered to Peyton.
Peyton fought off the urge to bit her bottom lip. "Had Brooke figured it out all on her own?" She hoped Brooke doesn't know about the proposal. Lucas would really hate Peyton if Brooke ever found out. "But how do you keep something like that from your friend?" She thought to herself.
xoxo
"Coach Scott!" A student by the name Quentin Fields called out to Lucas.
Lucas looked up from his clip board full of plays. "Mr. Fields you are late! Go run." He shooed the boy off with a point of his finger towards the edge of the court.
"Sir yes sir!" Quentin said with a laugh and a wave of his hand toward his forehead.
Quentin Fields was one of the best players on the Ravens. He knew it and was very cocky about his talents. Although he was beginning to soften up towards his team mates and coaches with the help of Nathan Scott's son Jamie Scott. Jamie reminded Quentin of his little brother and he couldn't be bad towards Jamie. Quentin began his suicide run along the edge of the court while his team mates practiced.
"Hey Coach Scott need any cheerleaders?" Brooke called out to her fiancé as she walked into the gym with her daughter, Juliet and her friend, Peyton.
Lucas looked up from his clip board and smiled from ear to ear. "If it's you then yes!" He kissed his fiancée and daughter. "Hey Peyton." Lucas coldly greeted Peyton.
"Hey Luke. The team seems to really be coming together." Peyton pointed out.
When Lucas failed to do anything but stare at her, Peyton just walked away and moved to go sit on the bleachers. Brooke noticed the bad energy between the two of them.
"Juliet, honey go play with your cousin Jamie!" Brooke nodded toward the small four year old boy trying to dribble a basketball.
"Jamie!" Juliet squealed as she ran towards her cousin.
Brooke laughed as the two kids hugged but she turned towards Lucas. "What's going on between you and Peyton?" She asked as she fixed a button on his shirt.
"Nothing is going between us Brooke! Nothing has gone on between us since freshman year of college." Lucas turned away from his fiancée and blew his whistle at his team. "Coach Skillz please take over for a second."
Skillz nodded and started the team on a new play.
"No I mean, why are you so cold towards her?" Brooke looked over at her shoulder at Peyton.
Lucas sighed and shrugged. "She's done a lot to hurt the both of us."
Brooke turned her attention back on Lucas. "What did she do to hurt you?"
Lucas opened his mouth but nothing came out. He scratched the back of his head.
"Don't you go trying to think of a lie or excuse Lucas Scott!" Brooke knew him too well.
Lucas sighed heavily. "I proposed to her and she said no." He finally admitted.
Brooke laughed in disbelief. "That's how she knows this is Keith's ring." She thought aloud.
"Shit!" Lucas thought to himself. "Peyton always has to go screwing stuff up."
"Did you propose to us with the same ring?" Brooke began to slide the ring off her finger. She already knew the answer but she wanted to see if he would lie to her again.
Lucas held Brooke's hand to stop her from taking the ring off. "I did but I never gave her the ring."
"Because she said no!" Brooke cried out.
Lucas pulled Brooke out of the gym so no one would hear them arguing especially Juliet and Peyton.
"Brooke I don't want to argue. I'm sorry I never told you about proposing to her." Lucas dropped his hold of Brooke's hand.
"Whatever Luke." Brooke took off the ring and put it into his hand. "I'm tired of always being the foot note in someone else' love story. I even get a hand me down reject ring." She rushed off to the women's bathroom after feeling tears forming in her eyes.
Lucas watched her run away from him. He threw his clip board at a locker nearby. "Peyton Sawyer." He turned and set his anger in Peyton's direction. "Peyton I need to speak to you?"
"About what?" Peyton pulled her attention away from the two children playing in front of her.
"Now Peyton!" Lucas said sternly.
The two adults exited the gym. Lucas was beyond angry with Peyton. Why couldn't she just stop bringing drama into his life?
"Is there an alarm that goes off in your head whenever I'm happy with another woman?" Lucas spat the words out at Peyton.
Peyton opened her mouth but only managed to let out a cry. His words hurt her. She wasn't intentionally trying to hurt him. "I'm sorry Luke!"
Lucas rolled his eyes and roughly rubbed his hot forehead. "Sorry isn't enough Peyton!" He turned away from her. "Because of you my fiancée is sitting in a high school bathroom crying her eyes out."
Peyton reached to grab Lucas' arm. "Luke I didn't mean to hurt Brooke." She pulled Lucas to face her.
Lucas reluctantly turned to face Peyton. Anger still reading deep in his eyes.
She gently caressed his cheek with her thumb. "I will go make it up with Brooke. Will that make it better?"
As Lucas tried to pull away from Peyton's grip her husband, Jake, walked into the hallway.
"There you are Peyton." He stopped in his tracks as she saw his wife standing with her ex-boyfriend.
Peyton quickly dropped her hold on Lucas' face when she heard her husband's voice. "Jake!"
Jake turned and left Peyton standing alone in the hallway with Lucas. Peyton ran after him.
"Jake, wait!" Peyton called after him.
Jake angrily turned on his heel to face his wife. "I thought this was over with Peyton? You and Him?"
Peyton shook her head. "It is Jake!"
"Then what was that Peyton?" Jake ran his fingers through his chocolate brown hair.
"We were just…" Peyton tried to find the words to explain her exchange with Lucas. "He blames me for his troubles with Brooke."
Jake laughed in disbelief. "Of course he does!"
"What does that mean?" Peyton asked her feelings hurt.
"It means you're back to creating drama with Lucas Scott because you can't stand seeing him happy with someone else!" Each word he said fueled by anger.
"You know that isn't true!" Peyton pleaded with him. She tried reaching for his hand but he jerked away.
"Is that why you have twenty plus copies of his book sitting in your studio?" Jake questioned. "Isn't that why you came back to Tree Hill! You're still in love with him Peyton. Tell me I'm wrong!"
Peyton opened her mouth and turned to look back at Lucas. She couldn't manage an 'I don't love him Jake' out of her mouth. Jake turned and left the high school, leaving his wife staring at the guy she should have married.
Brooke finally came out of the bathroom. "Lucas I'm sorry I was being silly!" She apologized and kissed her fiancée. She noticed Peyton standing there staring at Lucas. "What's going on guys?"
Peyton and Lucas looked at one another then Brooke.
"Nothing!" Lucas turned to Brooke. "Nothing at all. I promise to buy you a nice new ring." Lucas kissed her forehead and led her back into the gym with his arm around her waist. He was done with Peyton and her drama.
Lucas just made his choice. He chose to be with Brooke instead of getting back together with Peyton. The choice hit Peyton like a ton of bricks. She wasn't expecting for her feelings for Lucas to come rushing back again. Maybe Jake was right about her? Maybe she still was in love with Lucas.