Thank you for the reviewing everyone, I really appreciate it and thank you to everyone who has read my story so far in its beginning stages. I hope you like this next chapter!

Chapter three: Redemption

Lucas walked through the crowded halls of Tree Hill High. Guys and girls brushed past him excitedly talking to their friends they were walking with. Really everything was a blur, though. He had been experiencing tunnel vision ever since his and Peyton's walk with one another. Lucas didn't know why she could leave such an effect on him by just the touch of her or her intoxicating perfume or even her laugh.

He scratched the back of his neck and turned around abruptly as soon as someone called his name from behind him. It was Nathan, his half brother and fellow teammate.

"Hey, Luke," greeted Nathan as soon as he was within talking distance.

Lucas a smiled, "Hey man, didn't see you there."

"Nah, that's alright. You seemed to be thinking anyway."

Luke laughed a bit, "Yeah, the day seemed to have gone by in a haze."

"That happens to me sometimes. After I see Haley and just her touch captivates me enough to stop worrying about everything else. It's just weird how that still happens to me after how long we've been together." Nathan shrugged after he said that, but he too, like Lucas, had a glazy look in his eyes.

Lucas just shook his head in understanding.

"Well, I gotta get going. Keith said he'll have my shirt if I didn't get to the shop on time." Nathan said patting Lucas on the shoulder and walking away.

"See yeah around, then." Lucas called to Nathan's back.

Lucas started heading toward the school parking lot. It didn't take him long since he wanted to get out of there before anyone else decided to encounter him; he wasn't up for socializing just now. After all the strain of what was to come that night was tough enough.

He got into his truck and headed home. When he got to his house, he decided to take a nap quick before heading over to Peyton's. He didn't feel so hot ever since he and Peyton talked. Lucas was exhilarated at the thought of Peyton asking him to come over and hang out, but the invitation also left him light-headed. So as soon as his head hit his pillow, he was out.

Beep, beep, beep.

Lucas hit his alarm clock he set for 5:30. The annoying alarm stopped and because of the power of the blow, fell off his night stand.

Lucas kicked his feet off of the bed and sat on the edge of it. He rubbed his eyes a few times, trying to wake himself up a bit. It helped a little, but didn't successfully do the trick. So he decided to take a cold shower, "That should do the trick," he said groggily.

After a few intensely freezing minutes in the shower, Lucas came out shivering. "Never do that again unless in dire need of it!"

He got dressed in a black t-shirt with a white t-shirt under that and his favorite blue jeans. This time he didn't need his jacket since warm weather was finding its way through the cold that had enveloped the town for a week now.

Lucas headed towards the kitchen and found a piece of notebook paper on the table. He grabbed the nearest pen and wrote:

Mom,

I went to Peyton's. Be home sometime late.

Love,

Lucas

Lucas dropped the pen on to the table next to his letter. He picked up his keys off of the counter where he had put them before his nap and walked outside to his truck.

He started up his truck and tried to forget about the nervous feeling he had throughout his body. He tried to listen to the radio, but about every single station held a song that reminded him of Peyton in a certain way. He finally resorted to turning it off since it made him more uneasy than just silence.

It seemed like a second later, Lucas was parked in front of Peyton's house. He was unsure of himself at this point; he didn't know what to do. Everything between them lately had been uncomfortable and intimidating.

He inhaled deeply and that gave him enough courage to get out of his truck and head up to her front door. Lucas stood there a second and cleared his throat. Then he took another courageous breath and knocked.

He heard footsteps getting slightly louder and closer with each step until Peyton stood before him in the doorway.

"Hey there, stranger." She said with a small smile on her face as she leaned against the door.

Lucas smiled genuinely, "Hey there Peyt," he looked more closely at her and his breath was again, for the second time that day taken away from him, but he controlled his reaction better. He cleared his throat, "Am I allowed to come in or do I have to stand out here all night?" He asked joking sarcastically with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Ah, duh! How stupid of me; come in." Peyton said turning around and started to climb the stairs which led upstairs.

Lucas acted like her shadow and followed her up as well. They ended up in her very elaborate and decorated bedroom.

"That wallpaper can really freak me out if I wasn't alert have the time!" Lucas said as soon as he entered her room.

Peyton nodded, "Yeah, sometimes when I'm really out of it, I forget about it and when I finally look up and I scream."

Lucas chuckled at the thought of her getting scared.

She turned to him as soon as she heard him laughing. "Shut up!" Peyton said as she playfully punched his arm.

Lucas laughed a little after she punched him. "You're a feisty one, Miss. Sawyer."

"Ha, ha!" Peyton replied in a sarcastic tone. "Well, anyway, what are you in the mood for?"

Lucas's eyebrows raised by the question. 'What did she mean by what I was in the mood for?' He studied her quickly; she seemed to be oblivious to what she had just asked him. It was quite endearing the way she was innocent in the situation. Lucas shook that thought out of his head, "I-uh… I don't care. I'm in the mood for anything right now."

Peyton looked at him oddly. "Are you okay? You seemed a little out of it for a second there." She took a curious step towards him.

"Oh, I'm fine! It was nothing, really. Just lost my sense of concentration there for a bit. That's all!" Lucas said finally coming back to reality.

Peyton looked at him closely, "Whatever you say," but he could tell that she didn't believe him.

He scratched his shoulder to preoccupy him for a moment so then she would continue her search for a CD or record to play.

"Dashboard Confessional? Does that sound okay?" Peyton asked right in front of her closet as she looked vigorously through her very wide collection of music.

"Ah, sure!" Lucas answered while he quietly made his way over to her computer desk. From afar he spotted her art work lying open, like she had been working on it recently. He looked back at Peyton and made sure that she was still busy searching for Dashboard, which she was. Lucas shifted through the work slowly to make sure that they didn't move too much. He found a sketch that looked uncannily like him.

He quickly looked back around to make sure she was bent on finding the CD before he picked it up. She was, so he picked it up. The sketch was of him after he saw that his jersey number on the basketball jersey of the Tree Hill basketball uniform. In the corner of the magnificent and brilliant drawing was a comment.

'His 360, his change, his redemption.'

Lucas stared more intently at the sketch. On the left side of his body it showed him more as a boy and on the right side it portrayed him more as a man. 'Does she think I matured or something? Maybe she thinks I've changed for the better since the whole triangle screw up.'

"Found it!" Peyton exclaimed as she recovered the hidden Dashboard Confessional CD.

Lucas put the sketch away in a hurried fashion hoping that she wouldn't find him snooping through her private works. He turned around and pretended to just be leaning against her computer desk.

Peyton turned and had a big smile on her face. "This little bugger was in my stereo the entire time!"

Lucas laughed, "Don't quit your day job."

"Very funny!" She laughed as she placed the CD back in to her stereo and it started to play.

"Hey put it on 'Vindicated' would yeah?" Lucas asked as he started to move towards the stereo.

"No way! I don't wanna to thatlisten yet." Peyton replied jumping in front of the stereo controls and blocking them from Lucas's reaching hand.

Lucas laughed at the challenge Peyton was giving him, "Miss Sawyer, pretty please?"

"Uh-uh! You're not changing this song!" Peyton said pushing Lucas gently back away.

"Oh! You're going down then," Lucas teased getting into his attack stance.

Peyton giggled at the funny sight. Lucas charged, but caught Peyton off guard because they both ended up lying on the ground somehow. They didn't end up beside one another, but on top of one another.

The laughing had stopped and all of the uncontrollable silliness had ended abruptly too. Lucas was on top of Peyton on her bedroom floor, could anything get any more intense than that?

"Oh, sorry Peyt. I thought you knew I was, uh um, com-." Lucas said trying to get up without hurting her. But he stopped when he was unexpectedly pulled down forcefully by Peyton when she hastily brought him into a kiss.

The kiss was unbelievable! Just having her lips against his was appealing enough. Then feeling her heart beat just as rapidly as his was then was nothing but incredible. The kiss first started out as gentle and soft but soon elevated to a very extreme and passionate one.

Knock, knock.

Lucas and Peyton didn't hear the knocks at the door so they kept kissing fanatically. What they didn't know was that they were intruded upon until the volume of the stereo was turned down immensely.

They both stopped kissing instantly, but stayed where they were.

"Ha, ha, I should've known!" Spoke the angry voice of Brooke.

Lucas and Peyton looked up and saw Brooke glowering down at them.

A/N:

Well, I sure do hope this was a good and eventful chapter for you! I had fun writing it! I want to say thanks to everyone who's read my fanfic so far and thanks again toeveryone for reviewing! I really appreciate hearing your thoughts and eagerness! Review, review, review!