"P. Sawyer!" "Hey best friend!" I called back. "Oh, my god! This is going to be SO great! We're juniors now! We're totally upperclassmen and all the stupid..." she scrunched her face looking for another adjective, "little..." she shook her head ignoring the one she chose, "freshmen will have to bow down to us." She thought of something else and quickly sucked in air while speaking, "I bet I can get them to do my homework!" Her face lit up. I chuckled and hit her hand which was grazing mine as we walked into the gym. "Cheerleading is going to be so great this year, too! Mmm, watching boys get sweaty for a couple hours after school everyday? Yes, please! Sign me up!" Brooke and I went over to the bleachers to set our stuff down, I was only bent over half way when I caught sight of him in a uniform across the gym and froze. Brooke groaned, "Ughh, what is loser boy doing here? Shouldn't he be off serving people at that stupid café?" I heard the coach, Whitey, yell at Lucas, "Come on, little girl! First day of practice, we have to see if I made the right decision letting you on the team! Get your ass out here!" Lucas made eye contact with me then quickly broke it running to the court and I slowly stood up straight. "Well, that's an interesting new development," Brooke scoffed.

Lucas and I hadn't been friends for a long time now. In fact, we openly argued whenever we had run-ins with each other in school. Everyone thought that we had this overwhelming hatred for each other. We didn't. Well, at least, I didn't hate him. I wasn't sure about his feelings towards me.

The boys were running laps when Whitey blew his whistle and they all slowed to a stop, breathing heavily. Lucas was near me so I took the opportunity to make a snide remark, "So it wasn't enough that we had to have the same classes, but now you're at practice, too?" Annoyed he retorted, "Peyt, despite what you may or may not think, I didn't join the team solely to upset you!" I rolled my eyes and he picked up a nearby basketball, grunted, and threw it as far as he could across the gym. The ball barely missed Jake, who twirled around in response. "Jake, sorry man. Not aiming at you." Luke looked apologetic. Jake laughed, "Its cool, just aim that direction next time," he pointed towards me. I looked at Jake and smiled, "Thanks Jake!" He gave me a shrug and a look like, 'hey, I do what I can' before turning his attention back to what he was doing before. "Listen, Peyt, I don't have time for this. My mom needs me at the café." Regardless of the years we'd spent not being friends, he continued to call me by my nickname. I never once tried to stop him, either. He walked into the locker rooms, but not before looking back at me stealing a glance.

o o o o o o o o o

"So, Brooke, party at your house on Friday night?"
"You know it! You're going to help me setup, right?"
P: First party as upperclassmen? Of course! I've already started preparing the right blend of musical stylings. So, who are you inviting?
B: Cheerleaders, basketball players and anyone associated with them!
P: Aweso—wait, all of the basketball players?
B: Yeah, why? Ohhh, is this because of broody, loser boy? What are the chances that he'll actually show up? He hates us, right?

I looked away, not exactly reassured.

o o o o o o o o o

I walked into the café after practice and scanned the people who were dining there. Nope, no one from school. I slipped behind the counter looking for Lucas, but ran into Karen. "Hey Sweetie! Haven't seen you around here in awhile." "Uh, yeah, you know, I was busy this summer and now school is starting and I'll probably be even busier," I laughed nervously and wondered if she noticed that I was rambling. "Peyton," she warned through her sincere smile, "don't make excuses. I don't know what happened between you and Lucas because neither of you seem to want to talk about it, but I do know that I love you and I would like to see you around more." I sighed because I knew she was never anything but nice to me. She totally deserved better than how I'd been treating her. "You're right, I'm sorry," I looked down not knowing what to say or how to explain myself. "Peyton, sweetie," she swallowed me in a hug, "come over for dinner tonight?" "Oh, I don't," I saw the look on her face, "of course." She smiled and pointed over her shoulder in the general direction of the customers, "I should get back, but I'll see you tonight." I smiled and turned towards my original mission.

I found Lucas writing something in a book or journal of some sorts in the back of the café. I cleared my throat and his head snapped up, he looked perplexed. "Brooke's party on Friday, you going?" "Are you inviting me?" he drawled out. "No. I just want to know if you're going." Continuing to eye me trying to figure out my motivations, I shrugged my shoulders and looked down. "Peyt, why are you here?" Exasperated, "I don't know, it's just... well, now that you're on the team, don't think that that automatically makes you popular." "I don't." "Well..." "Seriously, what's your point?" "OK, well, everyone else seems to be welcoming you to our circle with open arms, I just wanted to make sure you didn't think I was doing the same. We'll be at the same parties now, who cares, right? I mean, well, right?" "I don't know what you're rambling about, but I still haven't made my mind up about Brooke's party, so," he stopped not knowing his own point. "Whatever. I'll see you tonight," I started walking towards the front of the café. "Wait, what's tonight?" Without turning around, "Dinner." "Mom invited you to my birthday dinner?" I closed my eyes with my back still towards Lucas, how could I have forgotten? I took a deep breath and walked out leaving Lucas' question unanswered. Karen waved to me on my way out, "See you tonight, Sweetie!"

o o o o o o o o o

I walked in the back door, which led straight to the kitchen, "Mmm, smells great!" I said to no one inparticular. I took the wooden spoon from the pasta sauce, blew on it, and as I was about to put it in my mouth Lucas came up behind me and put his hand over mine and directed it to his mouth. When Karen walked into the kitchen, Lucas immediately backed away and hugged her, "Mom, it tastes wonderful, thank you." "Peyton! I'm glad you could find time in that busy schedule of yours." I melted at the sight of her sweet smile, "Of course. I have to eat, right?" She laughed, "Yeah, but do you? You look so skinny. I worry about you Peyton. You probably don't eat properly over in that house of yours all alone." Amused, "But I don't exactly eat properly when my dad is home, either!" "Oh yeah, remember that one time," Lucas chimed in, "we had pizza with bologna and pickles? That was surprisingly good." "See! We weren't too insane." I smiled, then noticed the look Karen was giving me, "What?" She held my jaw like she was going to turn my face side-to-side inspecting it, "I missed your face around here, baby girl." She shook my jaw slightly, "Let's eat!"

A night of amnesia was long overdue. For that one night, all of the drama between us was forgotten. Not just for Karen, but for Lucas and me. We needed to be reminded of why we were once best friends. I dreaded leaving their house at the end of the night because I knew once I did, things would go back to normal. A normal where we hated each other for some inexplicable reason.

o o o o o o o o o

"Gee Brooke, are you sure you bought enough alcohol?" "You laugh now, but when we have leftovers for private parties," she looked at me knowingly, "you'll be thankful." About two hours later the party was in full effect. Considerably buzzed (or maybe a more accurate description, lightly drunk), I started walking around checking out all of the people who had come. I hadn't seen Lucas, until I rounded the corner and noticed him leaning against the refrigerator talking to Meagan, one of the senior girls who was also a fellow cheerleader. Just then, a group of people, including Brooke, walked up to the counter near them and they all got ready to play a game. "Lucas, Meagan, come play with us!" Brooke said. I walked up to the group, stood across the counter from Lucas and declared, "I'm in, too!" Twenty minutes into the game I was full of alcohol and completely drunk. Meagan was too and she was hanging all over Lucas. "OK, Peyton, your turn." I turned to Lucas, "Truth or dare?" He gave me a pleading look, "You know everything about me," this got looks from people, including Meagan, considering most never knew we'd been friends, "so I guess, truth." My eyes narrowed, "Who do you think you are? Do you really think you belong here?" I added, "With her?" It came out roughly and dripping with alcohol. Lucas' eyes narrowed. He set his cup on the counter and walked over to where I was standing. I turned to face him and he walked right into my body, the entire length of us was flush. He dipped his head down, so only I would be able to hear him. "Who do you think you are?" He backed up with his eyes not leaving mine, kissed my forehead, then walked out of the front door leaving me in embarrassed shock. Everyone's jaw dropped. Someone commented, "Wow, I never knew you hated him that much." Brooke was drunk, but not drunk enough to not notice Lucas' pain, "Peyton, seriously. That was pretty low." I sighed and walked past her, hitting her shoulder with mine. "I'm going home."