Author's Note: Hey guys! I am SO, SO sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out! I have been really busy with college and everything. For English we have to write an essay like every WEEK! It's brutal, I tell you! On that note, I should be writing my paper, but I didn't feel like it right now so I decided to finally sit myself down and focus on getting this chapter out to you. I haven't decided what's going to happen in the next chapter yet so I don't know when it's going to be out. I'll try not to take as long as this time. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter! As always, please read and review!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.
Rating: K+ to T
The Hardest Thing
Chapter 6Peyton's POV
Over the past few days I had noticed that Haley and Lucas had been avoiding each other, which was something that rarely happened. So, under the cover that I needed help with my English assignment, I had invited her over to my house to have a little chat with her. She was currently painting her toenails while I pretended to be struggling with how to write the paper we had been assigned to do. "Let's take a break. My head hurts from all this information you crammed into it," I audibly sighed as I set the notebook and pencil aside and told her, "I'll be right back; I'm going to go get something to drink. Do you want anything?" "Water's fine," Haley responded, not looking up at me for she was focused on making sure she didn't mess up the nail polish on her big toe. I went to the kitchen to grab a soda for me and a bottle of water for Haley then returned to my room where I reclined back on the pillows.
"How have you been? We haven't talked in awhile," I asked her, subtly trying to approach the subject. "Fine," she responded, obviously preoccupied with something else on her mind. "How are things with Nathan," I inquired. "We're great," Haley replied, inspecting her foot and deciding that she needed another coat of polish on some of her toes. "What about you and Lucas? I haven't seen you two hanging out much lately," I replied as I took a sip of my soda. Haley rolled her eyes as she closed up the polish and sighed, "I was wondering how long it was going to take you to bring that up." I gazed at her confusedly for a moment then she replied nonchalantly as she inspected her fingers, "I could tell something was bothering you." I had forgotten how good Haley was at reading people. "So, what's up with you two," I patted her leg to get her attention away from picking at her newly painted fingernails.
Haley dropped her hands into her lap with a heavy sigh as she stared down at them, tears welling in her eyes, "We had a fight…" "What? Why? What was it about," I asked concernedly. It was not very often that Haley and Lucas, best friends forever, had a fight. Haley sniffled as she tried furiously to wipe the tears from her face. She wouldn't cry over him; as she'd done so many nights the past week. "I-It was about the amount of time we were spending with each other…We had a difference of opinions…I thought we were seeing too little of each other and he thought we were seeing each other too much…We hardly see each other at all and he says he wants to see less of me? It hurts Peyton. I've lost my best friend…" Haley sobbed as she thought, 'and the man I love…' I gazed at her sympathetically, tears welling within my own eyes as I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight.
Later that day, I took a walk down to the rivercourt, intent on giving Lucas a piece of my mind about Haley. There he was, dribbling and shooting the orange ball into the hoop like always. Although he usually made basket after basket with ease, now he missed shots consecutively and they seemed to get even worse with every try. "Hey," I called out to him as I walked onto the court. At first, Lucas thought it was Haley by the sound of the girl's voice but when he turned around, he saw that it was Peyton. "Oh, hey Peyton," Lucas replied as he began to bounce the ball again, aiming for the hoop, "what's up?" "Oh, nothing much. Nice day out, thought I'd take a walk. Maybe have a little chat," I responded, stuffing my hands in the front pockets of my jeans. "Something on your mind," he inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"I heard about the fight between you and Haley…" I replied, sliding my hands into the pockets of my jeans. Lucas' eyes widened as he turned to face me after picking up his basketball, "H-Haley told you…about our fight?" "Yeah…" I trailed off then looked at him confusedly, a stern tone to my voice, "Why in the hell would you tell her that you two are spending too much time together? You hardly see each other at all! Do you know how much it hurt her when you told her that you wanted to see less of her? I had to hold her in my arms for over an hour while she cried her heart out. You're losing her, Luke, and I can't understand for the life of me why you would tell her that. She's your best friend Lucas."
Lucas was somewhat relieved that Peyton did not know what had gone on between himself and Haley and he took a deep breath, "Haley told you that? I miss her too, Peyton. I know we hardly see each other, and it hurts me too. We hardly have time to hang out together. I go to school then work at the shop and it's late by the time I get home and I'm just so tired that I just crash. Haley has school, tutoring, the café, Nathan. We've both been so busy that we haven't had any time to spend together. All of it just got to us and we had a fight…" "You need to talk to her, Luke," I said firmly as I crossed my arms over my chest. He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, "I know. I will." "Tomorrow," I ordered before walking off the court to head back home. I hated seeing two of my friends fighting and would do anything to fix things between them.
Lucas' POV
I dragged my feet as I slowly walked across campus from the parking lot to the school building. I didn't really want to be here today but I had already missed two days of school this week alone. I went to my locker to retrieve the books I would need for my first two classes and put in the ones I wouldn't need until later then pulled out my gym bag for our early morning practice today. Whitey had said the team was lagging a little bit and needed to practice some new plays and strategies for the game coming up next week. I groaned to myself as I thought of it. I knew what that meant; suicides and weight lifting until they dropped. I would be so dead tired by the end of the day that the moment my head hit the pillow I would be out until the next morning and possibly then some. Good thing it was a Friday so I would be able to sleep late tomorrow.
Suddenly I felt a chill run down my spine like a cold hand gripping your neck and I turned to see Haley walking with Nathan down the hall. She looked so beautiful despite the obvious bags under her red-rimmed eyes and her pale complexion. It hurt me so much that I had caused her so much pain and suffering. I wish I could tell her that I did love her with all my heart, make everything okay, but I couldn't. Our lives were too complicated; I was dating Brooke and Haley was married to Nathan. Maybe if we had realized our feelings for each other sooner and gotten together even before Nathan, Brooke, and Peyton came into the picture, we wouldn't be in this mess. We would have been happy. I gazed at her for a few more moments when I saw that she had spotted me and her eyes locked onto mine.
I know that we'll meet again
Fate has a place and time
So you can get on with your life
Haley's POV
As I walked down the hallway with Nathan's arm around my shoulders and mine around his waist, I glanced around and saw Lucas at his locker, staring at me. My eyes stared into his deep dark blue ones until I couldn't take it anymore. I turned my head away as a few tears slipped down my cheeks as I buried my face in Nathan's chest and leaned in closer to my husband, savoring strong arm around me, holding me up, for I knew I would fall if it were not supporting me. We walked past him and from Nathan's chest, I peeked from the corner of my eye at him and for a moment he seemed hurt but his expression immediately changed, to what I am not sure. I used to be able to read him so well, now not so much anymore, maybe not even at all if I was really honest with myself. What had happened to us?
Lucas' POV
Like Dr. Zhivago
All my love I'll be sending
And you will never know
There can be no happy ending
I looked on helplessly as I watched her walk away with her husband at her side, comforting her when I had been the one to cause her so much sadness. I opened my mouth to call out to her, but nothing came out. Instead, I mouthed a soundless "I love you" to her back as she continued to walk down the hall. I knew she wouldn't see it, but it made me feel a tiny bit better knowing that I had confessed it even though I had told her I didn't love her before. I hoped that she would sense it after the connection we'd had with each other since we were youngsters. I felt a presence beside me and saw Peyton stop beside me as she too looked at the two retreating figures. She turned to me with sort of a cross look on her face, "You know, talking to someone requires opening your mouth, but it also entails saying something."