Thanks to everyone who took the time to review! I hope you like the next chapter. It's not terribly exciting, but it's important to the plot. Enjoy!

Chapter 11 Pretending Everything's Okay

Friday afternoon, Peyton was in the bedroom when Lucas and Nathan walked in to the apartment. They didn't expect her to be home since she had told Lucas that she was going to an Art Club meeting. She also didn't expect them because normally they were held after for practice until at least six. Making her presence known didn't occur to Peyton; she was busy working on a sketch and figured that the apartment was small; Lucas would find her sooner or later. Lucas threw his bag into the hall closet and went into the kitchen to get his brother something to drink.

"Where's Peyton?"

"Art club," Lucas replied as he poured two sodas.

"So what's going on between you two?" Peyton's ears perked up and she moved to the other side of the bed so that she could hear more of the conversation. Normally she would have been embarrassed over being so nosey but she had been asked that question often and she was curious to how Lucas answered it. The sketchpad stayed on her lap; she could pretend to be involved if she should be caught listening.

"What do you mean?"

"You. Peyton. Living in the same place. Come on, man. That bed obviously hasn't been slept in for weeks. There's dust on the covers," Nathan said with a glance at the bed in the living room.

"Nothing's going on," Lucas answered calmly. "We're friends."

"With benefits?" Nathan asked with a smirk.

"Want me to punch that smirk off your face?" Lucas' voice indicated his anger and Peyton smiled at the sound of him defending her but she also tried not to read too much into it. He was a gentleman; he would react the same way to a callous statement about any female.

"Sorry man, I was kidding."

"It's not the kind of thing you say about a woman. Like I said, we're just friends. Let's drop it."

"Sure. Whatever." Nathan sat down on the sofa and Peyton couldn't hear him as well, but she caught the important parts as the conversation continued, taking a slightly different direction. "If it's not Peyton, what's stopping you from dating?"

"I haven't found anyone I want to date."

"Come on, Luke. This campus is full of girls who would love to go out with you. There are even a few girls on the cheerleading squad—"

"I think I've had my fill of that," Lucas said, interrupting his brother. "The last time I dated a cheerleader, it ended badly. I'm not ready to date."

"Then it is Peyton."

"No, it's not—"

"Luke, you've got to get out more. Now, I married. So really you have to date for the both of us."

"Interesting concept," Lucas said as Peyton, still in the bedroom, rolled her eyes. She knew that Nathan had to be wrong, but a tiny voice in the back of her head reminded her that she had been planning to get her own apartment. She and Lucas had two separate lives, at least they were supposed to—

She hated the thought that she might be holding Lucas back from a normal social life but she was comfortable. Their arrangement as friends wasn't hurting anyone, so she let the thoughts go as she turned back to her drawing and attempted to concentrate on the still life bowl of fruit that she copying for an art class.

Lucas popped a pizza in the oven for dinner that night and they ate in the living room while watching Rebecca. The old Hitchcock movie was certainly not Lucas's first choice but he found himself enjoying the bizarre horror film; classics like that simply weren't created as often anymore. "So, what's up for this weekend?"

"I have a project to work on for perspectives. So far I can't seem to get it. But I only have until Monday, so this weekend is it."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. Are you gonna work here?"

"I might go to the studio for a few hours tomorrow. But otherwise I should be here. Why? Did you need the apartment?" Her mind was racing with the possibilities; had Lucas found someone? Even if he had, why did she care? Why was her heart pounding? She was so wrapped up in her panicked thoughts that she didn't hear him the first time he answered. After he tapped her shoulder to get her attention, he repeated himself.

"I don't need the apartment. I just have to work on a project with a kid from philosophy. I wanted to make sure you didn't mind if we worked here."

"Oh," she said distractedly. "I don't care. It's your apartment."

"It's yours too," Lucas said suspiciously. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, a little too snappily. She stood up, picked up her things, and was out of the room before Lucas could really focus on what was happening. The commercial was ending and the movie coming back on as Lucas stood up and followed Peyton into the bedroom, a puzzled expression still fixed in place.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Do you mean besides coming in here after I clearly wanted to be alone?"

"I'm too tired for a game. Just tell me what I did."

"You didn't do anything," Peyton said sullenly, reminding Lucas of a pouting child.

"If there's something –"

"There's nothing," she snapped. "I'm just tired." She turned away from him and buried her head in one of the pillows, refusing to look at him any longer.

"Okay," he said tentatively. He obviously wasn't convinced that she was fine. Seeing Peyton's stubborn display, he knew there wasn't anything he could do at the moment to change her opinion. So he turned and left the room, turning off the light and shutting the door behind him. Peyton rolled over and looked up at the ceiling, her eyes filling with tears. She knew she was being foolish. Then again, she reasoned, it wasn't her fault. It was everyone else that had thoughts of her relationship with Lucas running around in her head. Things had been perfectly fine before.

Deciding that she needed a voice of reason, Peyton picked up the telephone and dialed a number that had become second nature over the past few years. It only rang twice before there was an answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi Karen," she said as cheerfully as she could muster. She also attempted to keep her voice down. She had acted like a fool in front of Lucas, she really didn't want to deal with him presently.

"Peyton!" Karen said excitedly before her voice immediately grew quieter. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Peyton insisted.

"You're a very poor liar," Karen informed her. "If you're not going to tell me what's wrong, at least tell me what's going on. What is everyone up to?"

"Just school and stuff. Hales is feeling much better."

"It's a good thing. I hope you three didn't catch it."

"Not yet at least," Peyton assured her. "The basketball team is doing great. Maybe they'll make the playoffs."

"If they do, we'll have to come up to New York to watch a few games."

"That would be nice," Peyton said absently.

"Yeah, I think it would be. So, Keith has been working with Dan this week—"

"Yeah?" Peyton said listlessly, doing little to encourage the conversation.

"Yep," Karen said as normally as possible. "They were working on a project for the town council meeting. Apparently they hate the opposing candidate for Mayor more than they hate one another."

"That's good."

After a short pause, Karen broke in and her voice took on a firm but kind tone. "Peyton, tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing really," Peyton answered with the best laugh-off she could muster. "I'm just overwhelmed. A lot of work. And a lot of new people."

"Is Lucas bothering you?"

"No! No, he's fine. Everyone is fine. I'm sorry I called. I just wanted to hear a voice from home, I guess."

"Peyton, you're in New York along with quite a few people from Tree Hill."

"I know. But it's not the same."

"No, I guess it's not. So, how are your classes going?" Karen and Peyton talked for a little over an hour, long enough to get the younger girl's mind away from the confusion at hand.

The chapter title comes from Michelle Branch's "Are You Happy Now?"

"Now, don't just walk away
Pretending everything's ok"