Three Love Stories
by Mallory

Peyton & Jake

"Look, I'm really sorry about Nikki."

"Yeah. I bet you are," she says, glaring at him.

"C'mon Peyton," he says desperately. "Why is this such a big deal?"

"Why is this such a big deal?" she almost screeches. "Why is this such a big deal? Damnit, Jake!"

She stalks off, and his eyes fixate on her golden curls, and he almost forgets that they've just argued. He almost forgets, except that he remembers that he's not allowed to touch that hair, or that face, which had only a second ago looked at him furiously. He almost forgets, except he remembers that this is the one thing he wants most in the world, and he might have just ruined it.

* * *

"Haley!" Lucas yells. She doesn't turn. "Haley!" He grabs her arm and she swivels.

"What do you want, Lucas?"

"Haley – come on, don't do this—"

"Don't do what, Lucas? Don't do what? As far as I can see, you're the one who did something they weren't supposed to."

"But—"

"I'm sorry," she says, and then runs off.

* * *

Brooke is alone. She is filled with an aching, unending loneliness, and Brooke will do anything to fill the void. That is why she is the way she is. That is why she plays the slut – so that just maybe, maybe, one day a guy will look at her the way Nathan looks at Haley, and the nothingness inside of her will be filled.

"Hey Nathan," Brooke says.

He was not paying attention; he had not seen her. "Oh, hey Brooke," he says, surprised.

"Can I ask you something?" Brooke really doesn't have anything she wants to ask him; all she wants is his attention.

"Can it wait?" he asks distractedly. "I have to talk to Haley."

And he walks off, without a second glance.

Brooke wants to cry.

* * *

Haley loves Nathan. She really does.

She thinks that there's two kinds of love – the love that you have for your friends and your parents, and the kind that you have, well the kind that she has for Nathan. She just has to tell Luke that the kind of love she has for him is platonic.

But it doesn't sound very convincing in her mind, and the more she practices saying, "Look, I don't like you that way," to the mirror, the more it seems to her words are untrue.

The phone rings.

She picks it up and says, "Damnit, Lucas, I don't want to talk to you."

"Lucas?" says a voice on the other end.

"Oh, hi, Nathan," she says, relieved.

"I was wondering – do you want to go see a movie tonight?"

"Yeah, I do."

"I'll pick you up later then. Bye."

"Bye." Haley smiles and hangs up the phone.

She loves Nathan. She really does.

And she doesn't let herself think about Lucas.

* * *

Peyton misses Jake. She doesn't like that she fought with him; she wants to apologize, but Peyton is stubborn and something is not letting her. So, instead, when she walks over to Jake's house, she stops the street before and paces back and forth, wondering if she should continue.

* * *

Lucas sees her coming out of the movie theater with Nathan and runs up to her and says, "Haley, I really need to talk to you."

Haley frowns, but Nathan says, "Hey, go on, I'll see you later," and Haley is left alone with Lucas.

"Let me give you a ride," he says.

* * *

She doesn't ever decide to actually go to his house, but he walks past her and blinks at her, long and slow, and when he says, "Peyton, come with me. Let me explain," there's nothing she can do but go along.

They sit on his porch and he explains, but his words are lost on her ears because all she can think about is him him him.

Which is why it takes her a while, when she hears the loud thud to realize that she should turn and look.

And when she does, she realizes that it's Lucas truck that is all banged up and mangled, and she whispers, "Oh, my God."

* * *

His nerves are on fire and the pain is unbearable. Slowly, he turns to see if Haley's all right.

"Haley?" he asks. "Haley? Haley!" he screams.

She doesn't answer.