Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, but the WB does.
A/N: This is the final chapter. I had such a good time writing my first fic. thanks to all for the great reviews.
When she arrived at the club, memories of that night came flooding back to her; the punch, the kiss, the song. Everything about that night was perfect and she wanted to know what had happened. Why did this perfect world have to be turned upside down? Her body jolted as she felt someone touch her shoulder. It was Karen, Lucas's mom.
"Peyton, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school."
"Well…yeah, but I am having a bad day and I had to get out of there. I came here because I knew it would be a quiet place to think."
"Anything you want to talk about." Karen inquired, knowing that the answer would be no because it had to do with her son.
"Not really. I'm gonna go now. I have to get class notes from Brooke and do some other stuff. See ya later Karen."
"Goodbye Peyton."
It had been a few hours since her run in with Peyton when Karen arrived home. She found Lucas on his bed reading his English book. She walked in and Lucas was startled.
"Oh, hey." Lucas responded half heartedly.
"Lucas is there something wrong. Does this have to do with Peyton? You know you can talk to me." Lucas didn't respond.
"You saw her today." Lucas lifted his head at the sound of this news. He had not heard from Peyton since the incident in the hallway.
"She was skipping class and was at the club. Did something happen between you guys?"
"I don't know what is going on. One minute we were in this state of euphoria and the next minute she won't even look at me." Lucas continued. "She can never make up her mind about what we are. I think that she just doesn't want me to be with anyone else, but at the same time she doesn't want to be with me either. I just can't figure her out and I am to the point of giving up. I love her so much and I hate that those feelings are reciprocated by her." Tears began to swell in his eyes. He couldn't cry, not in front of his mom.
"Why don't you call her, find out what she's feeling instead of assuming what they are." Karen walked out of Lucas's room to let contemplate his next move.
Before Lucas could even pick up the phone to call Peyton, she called him."
"Hello?"
"Hi Lucas, its Peyton." She talked to him as if he wouldn't know it was her.
"We need to talk Peyton. What happened in the hallway that made you so mad?" Peyton couldn't believe that Lucas was playing stupid. He knew what he had done, being with Haley, and now he pretended as nothing was going on. She didn't understand why Haley and he would want to hurt her and Nathan; did they not have hearts?
"Lucas I think we need to be apart. We should break this off, whatever it is?" Her words stung him.
"Whatever it is! Peyton this is relationship, what else would it be."
Her voice began to crack as she was crying, "Goodbye, Lucas." Just like that, Lucas and Peyton were no more. He was left confused and hurt. Turning his head into his pillow, tears began to roll down Lucas's face.
"You did WHAT! Peyton, you need to have your head analyzed. He is madly in love with you and would never cheat on you. You would have thought he had learned his lesson."
Peyton had just told Brooke the whole story, but hadn't mentioned the suspect in the "affair" as Peyton put it.
"Who was it on the court with him?"
In a lowered voice Peyton said "Haley"
"HALEY, you mean, no you have to be wrong. She's married to Nathan, she'd never do that."
Lucas noticed Peyton and Brooke conversing in the corner.
"Well, I am going to have a little talk with Haley and find out the truth."
"Brooke, you can't, I mean Lucas doesn't even have a clue that I know and neither does…." Before she could even finish her sentence Brooke was gone, off to find Haley Scott. At the same time she saw Lucas was approaching. Not knowing what to say, she ran off into the hoard of people in the hall.
"Tutor Girl, we need to have a talk." Haley turned around and saw Brooke approaching her. She hadn't called her that name in a long time.
"Yeah, what's up"
"Same question. How could you cheat on Nathan?"
Haley looked puzzled, "When did I cheat on Nathan"
Brooke smirked, "Don't give me that, Peyton told me everything."
"Still not catching on to the concept."
"Peyton saw you with Lucas on the basketball court the other night. And the other day in the hallway. I mean Lucas is Nathan's brother for God's sake."
"Oh my God" Haley looked as if a light bulb had gone off in her head.
"What, you know what I am talking about now."
"Peyton thought…,Lucas was on the court with me because he needed to talk about Peyton. He told her that he loved her and she didn't respond the same way. The other day in the hallway we were talking about the same thing. The hugs were just for support."
"Lucas told her he loved her."
"Didn't Peyton tell you?"
"No, she left that out. Well it doesn't matter because she broke up with him last night."
"Lucas, he must be devastated. I should talk to her."
"Let him. They need to get all the feelings and emotions in the open. Trust me it is for the best." Brooke and Haley walked towards their next class together, praying that this drama would be behind them soon.
Lucas finally caught up with Peyton in an empty classroom. Everyone had left, but Peyton was just finishing packing her stuff into her bag. She jumped as she heard the door shut and looked up. Lucas was standing there with a determined look on his face.
"You are not leaving this room until we talk."
"Shouldn't you go find Haley, I'm sure you want to make out with her a closet on the way to class." Lucas began to laugh.
"Thanks Luke, why don't you just rub salt into my wound."
"Why would I want to make out with Haley."
"Don't play dumb with me. I saw you, the other night on the basketball court with her, hugging her, and the hallway the other day."
"I was at the basketball court with Haley because I needed someone to talk to. I was worried because I told you that I loved you and you did not reply. Why?"
"So nothing went on between you and Haley?"
"She's my best friend Peyton, but she's married and I have never felt that way about her. I promise."
"Lucas, I am so sorry." Lucas saw this as his sign and he leaned in to kiss her. They were so close, but she pulled away.
"I can't be with you. It's not because of Haley; that is cleared up now. I just don't know how I feel about you and I need time. Can you give that to me?" She knew she was lying, but that was just the way it had to be.
"I guess I can give you some time." Lucas left the room extremely discouraged.
Weeks went by and Lucas waited, but Peyton still hadn't given him a decision. She was ready, she at least told herself. There was a special way she was going to tell him. It was her way.
Haley drove to Lucas's house with the magazine in hand. She had seen the comic strip in while she was eating breakfast. It had taken up the whole page, unusual for Peyton's strips. There were sketches of Peyton and Lucas at all different moments in their history and under the pictures were the lyrics to a song, "Everything", at least that's what Haley thought it was called. She knocked on the door and Lucas answered.
"Hey what is going on?"
"You need to see this" Haley handed him the magazine, got back in her car and left Lucas on the porch.
He sat down and began to look at the comic strip. It was sketches of him and Peyton that she had made. Under them were the lyrics to a song:
I can be an asshole of the grandest kind
I can withhold like it's going out of style
I can be the moodiest baby and you've never met anyone
who is as negative as I am sometimes
I am the wisest woman you've ever met.
I am the kindest soul with whom you've connected.
I have the bravest heart that you've ever seen
And you've never met anyone
Who's as positive as I am sometimes.
You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here
I blame everyone else, not my own partaking
My passive-aggressiveness can be devastating
I'm terrified and mistrusting
And you've never met anyone as,
As closed down as I am sometimes.
You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here
What I resist, persists, and speaks louder than I know
What I resist, you love, no matter how low or high I go
I'm the funniest woman you've ever known.
I am the dullest woman you've ever known.
I'm the most gorgeous woman you've ever known
And you've never met anyone as, as everything as I am sometimes
Lucas grabbed his jacket from the closet and rushed out to his truck. He ran up to Peyton's door and knocked for almost five minutes. She knew it was him, but she wanted to play with him a little bit. As soon as she opened the door he grabbed her into a passionate kiss. When they finally pulled away, he began to speak, but she put her finger to his lips.
"It's my turn now….Lucas no one has ever made me feel the way I feel when I am with you. There is no part of my body that doesn't want to be with you, but…" Lucas started to put his head down, but she lifted it back up.
"I need to tell you something first before we take that step…I love you Lucas Scott"
"I love you too." Lucas grabbed her and spun her around. Then he cupped her face and let his lips touch hers. It felt like they were together for an eternity.
"Lucas, lets take this upstairs." She grabbed his hand and brought him upstairs to her room. Peyton went and sat on the bed, while Lucas shut and locked the door behind him.