Here is the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who read and replied to the last chapter! It really is appreciated – and I'm happy you all like the story and its direction. The next chapter is a little longer because it's mostly fluff. Enjoy!

Chapter 8 Learn to Fly

The beginning of their Freshman year of college was shocking to every last one of them, but even more so to the boys. Between basketball practice, schoolwork, and classes, Lucas was surprised he had time to eat. He had only seen Peyton at night the first week and hadn't laid eyes on Haley at all. Peyton seemed happy and cheerful, as happy and cheerful as Peyton ever seemed, during the day. Something about the night brought her insecurities back and caused her to toss and turn until either she crawled into his bed or he came into hers. After two weeks of getting approximately three hours of sleep a night, Lucas decided that there had to be some sort of solution. He had already noticed that Peyton had cut caffeine from her diet after lunch time, but that didn't seem to be helping the sleep problem.

Friday was a game day and Lucas was determined to get a full night of sleep beforehand. After finishing a paper for one of his English classes, he turned off his computer and made sure the security system was set. Turning out all of the lights in the living room and kitchen, he went into the bedroom with his book. He pulled back the heavy purple comforter and climbed in between the soft sheets on the right side of the queen-sized bed before flipping open Oroonoko.

Peyton, who was talking to Brooke using the web cam, turned around to look at him suspiciously. "Lucas, what are you doing?"

"Getting ready for bed," he said nonchalantly, not looking up from his book.

"In my bed?"

"You sure you want Brooke privy to this conversation?" Peyton glared at him but did turn back to the computer and log off with an extremely irritated Brooke. Turning off the computer and her desk light, Peyton marched over to the bed and stood on the left side, looking at Lucas as though he were an offending bed bug. She knew as well as he did that they would end up next to one another, but admitting to it before three in the morning seemed too invasive to her preferred reality. Sensing her irritability, he set his book aside and looked up at her with an expression of calm rationality. "I'm not moving. It's stupid. We're not doing anything wrong, so why don't we just start out the night this way? I need sleep, you need sleep. We need an arrangement that's going to accomplish that nightly."

"I just need to get used—"

"I'm not asking for an excuse. I'm just asking for you to admit that you need someone. Maybe even that you need me." Peyton didn't answer; she couldn't without crying. Instead, she crawled under the covers and curled up next to him, her head lying on his chest. Lucas turned out the light, scooted himself into a position more conducive to sleeping, and then chastely dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

"Good night."

"G'night," she mumbled. Two weeks later, she stopped looking for an apartment altogether; not that she had been whole-heartedly looking before. She and Haley had visited quite a few that would have passed muster, but they were all missing one thing. A tall, blond, literary-minded basketball player. The apartment itself slowly morphed into a place that looked like a home. Lucas was amused every time he returned to find another piece of well-suited art hanging on a wall or perched on a shelf. Despite all the denial she voiced, Peyton had a flair for making a living space feel like a home.

Three weeks into the school year, Peyton and Haley were sitting at a basketball game, watching the team warm up, when they realized that they hadn't made any extenuating friends. A girl squealed and ran to her friends in front of them, and they simply looked at each other and raised their eyebrows; they were much cooler, lower key basketball watchers. Surprisingly for freshman, Lucas and Nathan played almost the entire game, with only a few minutes out when Lucas had a close call with his ankle. Peyton and Haley both watched in horror as he fell and neither spoke nor took a breath until he stood up and walked on it, obviously not terribly injured.

"I can't imagine if they played something really dangerous," Haley said after they knew he was all right.

"We wouldn't be able to watch," Peyton answered. "Are you feeling alright?" She had noticed that Haley looked paler than usual and now she was flushed, all of her skin turned a blotchy pink color.

"Yeah," Haley said, giving her friend a strange look. "Why do you ask?"

"You don't look so great."

"Thanks," Haley said with an incredulous laugh.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way, but a feverish way. You're all flushed." Haley put her hand to her cheek and realized that she was warm, but that could be a result of the chill in the gymnasium; she told Peyton as much. Peyton relented her questioning and went back to watching the game. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I have to meet with my group for Bio. We have a project due Tuesday," Haley answered. "How about you?"

"I don't know. I have homework. But not too much."

"You can have some of mine," Haley offered with a mischievous smile.

"That's alright," Peyton answered. "You don't want me doing your homework. It wouldn't be a credit to you."

"I'm sure you're wrong, but I guess I'll do it all myself. Have you heard from Brooke lately?"

"Yeah, she called last night around dinner time. Sounds like she's feeling left out, with all of us being here while she's in North Carolina."

"She could have applied to schools in New York," Haley said defiantly. They had the argument many times the year before when Brooke found out they had all been accepted to Columbia. Nathan probably wouldn't have been without his basketball talent, but the rest of them had worked hard to keep their grades up and make sure they were eligible for schools to the caliber of Columbia. Brooke had ignored their warnings, especially Haley's, over the years and slacked off in her classes. Getting into an out-of-state school, let alone a private school, had been out of the question with her GPA.

"I know," Peyton said sadly. "But I can imagine it being lonely. It's bad enough having to be away from your friends, but if they're all together, it would be worse."

"We should invite her up for the thanksgiving break."

"You're not going home?"

"Nope," Haley said with a shake of her head. "I was talking to Karen last night and she and your dad were thinking it would be fun to have Thanksgiving here. A new place."

"In other words, they want to see the parade first hand," Peyton said with a laugh.

"I think so. And I think Karen just wants to do something different for once. It was always her and Luke and Keith. And then it was her and Luke. My family won't miss me, and I don't want to drag Nathan away. He's really starting to feel like he belongs to a family with you and Luke around."

"Well, if my dad's coming here, I guess I'm staying. I'll call Brooke tonight and ask her."

"Sounds good," Haley agreed. "By the way, we're having it at your apartment."

"Why at ours?"

"Yours has a bigger table and it looks nicer,' Haley answered.

"Your apartment is nice," Peyton said with a surprised laugh.

"And yet yours is actually decorated. It has an artists touch," Haley informed her. "Oh, get over it. It doesn't mean you have to do dishes. Nathan and Lucas have that detail."

"That'll be something to see," Peyton said with a laugh.

"Yeah." They were fairly quiet for the rest of the game and waited in the bleachers after the other fans had left. Fifteen or so minutes after the game ended, Lucas and Nathan came back into the gym in regular clothes, with their bags slung on the shoulders. Peyton clapped and whistled when they came out, cheering for their win. Lucas stopped to playfully bow in the middle of the floor before approaching them. Peyton stood up to meet them and Haley attempted to join her. She was standing for less than a few seconds before she fell back down, luckily being caught by Peyton. Nathan got to them in three strides and picked Haley up into his arms.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," Haley said stubbornly, fighting out of his hold once the original weakness subsided.

"Fainting is fine?"

"I didn't faint. I'm still conscious."

"Haley—"

"Can we just go home?" Her question, posed so softly, won Nathan over. He nodded and put her down but kept an arm around her waist as they walked toward the door. Lucas and Peyton were both concerned, but they couldn't make a deal out of something that Haley obviously wasn't concerned with.

"You still want to grab dinner?" Lucas asked Peyton as they followed the old married couple out of the gym.

"Sure."

"Hey Nate, we're gonna grab a bite. You want us to bring you guys something?"

"I think we're alright," Nathan answered. "See you tomorrow."

"Feel better Hales," Peyton called after then.

"I'm fine!" Haley insisted.

"What's tomorrow?" Peyton asked as they walked along the busy sidewalks and towards an area with more restaurants.

"All day practice," Lucas said defeated. "We won, and we still have to practice all day. I was hoping to get a paper done that's due next week."

"That's too bad."

"Yeah. What are you doing?"

"Apparently spending the day trying to amuse myself. Haley has a group meeting for one of her classes so I'm on my own."

"What was up with her tonight? She looks awful."

"I know. But she said before that she felt fine."

"Haley will tell you that until she's blue in the face," Lucas commented. "When she was little, she used to try to hide her colds and things so her mom wouldn't keep her home from school."

"That's pretty twisted. The rest of us spent time trying to act sick to get out of school."

"Yeah," Lucas agreed with a laugh. Their waiter returned with their drinks; a soda for Lucas and juice for Peyton.

The title for this chapter is from the Beatles' "Blackbird:"

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly.
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see.
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free."

Also – those of you who are reading my other story "Happy Families are All Alike—" I do plan on updating that soon. Sorry it's taking so long, but I'm stuck at a particular point. But I should have it up sometime this week. Thanks for reading!