Peyton walked into the overcrowded café. She scanned the groups of people until she spotted Haley and Nathan. She jostled her way towards them. "Hey you two" she shouted over the noise. Haley turned around gleaming, but there was still something distant and upset in her eyes.
"Hey Peyton. This is great, we have more people then last time." Her smile was a mile long and Peyton couldn't suppress her laugh.
"Hey Peyt." Nathan said while laughing.
"It's wonderful Hales." Peyton shook her head still smiling and wondering what Haley might be thinking or hiding. She looked up and scanned the crowd again. She wanted to talk to Lucas. She had given her life some serious thought last night and she decided she wanted to give Lucas a chance. School was officially over for them because none of them had regents to take and he was planning on leaving soon to go up to New York for school. Peyton wanted to talk to him before he left. "Hey, have either of you seen Lucas." She asked hoping they he was there and she would be able to get everything over with tonight. There was also another reason she wanted him there, it was something only Karen knew.
"He didn't tell you?" Haley's smile faded as she looked at her friend contemplating how to tell her.
"Tell me what?"
"Peyton he's not coming. He's leaving for New York tonight. I thought you knew." Haley wanted to cry but she didn't. she promised Lucas that she would enjoy herself, but seeing the look that briefly crossed Peyton's face was tearing her apart. Peyton tried to keep herself calm but she knew Haley could see through her.
"Ohh…well if he does happen to stop by, can you come fine me." He tone had no emotion and revealed nothing.
"He's not leaving till 12…you could stop by his house, he's packing." Haley hoped that Peyton would go talk to Lucas, she hoped it would give him a reason to stay and finally be happy.
"No…I'm just gunna stay here. I'll just call him later to tell him by. I'll see you guys later okay."
"Okay" Haley looked up at Nathan, who was just watching Peyton as she turned and walked away. Haley could see the worry in his eyes. They both knew the way Peyton and Luca felt for each other and they also knew that they never seemed to get their act together. "I hope she's okay" Haley said turning around, unable to watch Peyton.
Peyton found an unoccupied table in the corner and sat down. She laid her head in her hands and let out a cry of frustration. Nothing ever went right for her. She had pushed everyone away from her. Now the only person that had been willing to put up with her was giving up and her and leaving. She was going to lose Lucas and as much as her heart told her to go find him and confess everything to him, her mind told her differently. Her mind told her to let him go, he was finally going to move on, and Peyton thought that was something he needed to do. It was something she needed to do, something she had no trouble with until now.
"Is this seat taken." She looked up to see the owner of the friendly voice.
"Hey Jake. Hey Jenny, what are you guys doing here." She forced a smile.
"Well I'm going onstage for the second time this year. This is going to become a little tradition of mine." He said laughing lightly as he set Jenny down and took a seat.
"I'll have to make sure I'm here to see it every time." She leaned over the table slightly as she dangled her keys in front of a smiling car-free Jenny. She looked up at Jake, and smiled.
"So what's up, you didn't look to happy when we came over." She could hear the concern in his voice.
"It's just that I didn't get to say bye to Lucas, but I'll call him later." She said forging a smile.
"We're all gunna miss him, but he should be back before the semester actually starts."
"Yea." Peyton said tracing a spot on the table. She looked down at her watch. "Jake I gotta go….I'll talk to you later alright. Bye Jenny" She smiled at the small child sitting in her seat.
"Alright, see 'ya Peyton." Jake watched her walk away towards the side counter before turning back to play with his daughter.
Peyton watched as the last act walked off stage and Karen took their place. "Well everyone I hope you're enjoying yourselves tonight. The show has been great so far and there is more to come." Peyton watched Karen on stage feeling tears well up in her eyes. But she held them back. She stood from her seat and made her way to the front of the café, she was ready to leave everything behind her. She could hear Karen's warm voice in the background but it sounded fait as she continued walking. "Ladies and gentlemen without further ado, here is you next act." Karen walked excitedly off stage.
Peyton gave a steady glance around the room, scanning the faces for Lucas but she found him nowhere. She took a deep breath and pushed her emotions behind her.
"Well here I am, Peyton Sawyer, doing something I never thought I would do." She gave a small laugh into the mike, her eyes meeting a shocked Haley. "Anyway, this is a song I wrote from my heart and now that it really doesn't mean anything, I guess there is no harm in sharing it with you guys. So here it goes." Everyone watched intently as the piano began to play. Peyton opened her moth and began her song, her eyes still scanning for Lucas.
It's gunna be me, babyIt's gunna be you, baby
Peyton closed her eyes and prepared to share her feelings with a group of people she barley knew. As she continued singing however, she stopped caring. She just wanted to get everything out and she didn't care who heard.
Time I've been patient for so long...
How can I pretend to be so strong?
Looking at you, baby
Feeling it too, baby
If I'm asking you to hold me tight
Then it's gunna be all night
Haley listened to every word that left Peyton's mouth. She wished with everything she had that Lucas was there to here it. Peyton was for the first time letting her wall fall and it was all for nothing, Lucas would never know how she felt. Haley felt the tears fall from her eyes as she listened to Peyton's beautiful voice that filled the room.
It's gunna be love
It's gunna be great
It's gunna be more than I can take
It's gunna be free
It's gunna be real
It's gunna change everything I feel
It's gunna be sad
It's gunna be true
It's gunna be me, baby
It's gunna be you, baby
It's gunna be.....
It's gunna be love
The entire crowd was quite as they stared, mesmerized by Peyton's heart felt song. Peyton continued searching for Lucas as she poured everything she had into her singing.
Time in my restless sorrow pool
How can you pretend to be so cruel?
Maybe it's me, baby
Maybe it's true, baby
Maybe it's everything we're dreaming of
We've waited long enough
Karen had known that Peyton was going to sing tonight, but she didn't know what about. She leaned against the counter wishing her son was there. She called him but he didn't pick up and his cell was off. Her eyes switched from Peyton to the door hoping Lucas would walk through, but he never did.
It's gunna be love
It's gunna be great
It's gunna be more than I can take
It's gunna be free
It's gunna be real
It's gunna change everything I feel
It's gunna be sad
It's gunna be true
It's gunna be you're the one to do
It's gunna be me, baby
It's gunna be you, baby
Peyton could feel the everybody's eyes on her. But, she only wanted one person watching her and she wasn't there. She had decided to let him go and live his life without her to drag him down. Although she couldn't tell him how she felt she was glad that she could get it out. She felt a sense of peace knowing that she had finally admitted things to herself.
The sooner you let two hearts beat together
The sooner you'll know this love is forever
Love needs time now or never
It's gonna be tough
You gotta believe
It's gonna be strong enough
It's gonna be love
It's gonna be great
It's gonna be more than I can take
It's gonna be free
It's gonna be real
It's gonna change everything I feel
It's gonna be sad
It's gonna be true
It's gonna be you're the one to do
It's gonna be hard
It's gonna be tough
It's gonna be more than just enough
It's gonna be love
Oh, it's gonna be love
It's gonna be sad
It's gonna be true
It's gonna be me, baby
It's gonna be you, baby
It's gonna be me, baby, hey
It's gonna be you
It's gonna be....
It's gonna be love
Peyton closed her eyes as she let her voice fade. She heard the piano stop and she opened them and stared out at the crowd. She forced herself to smile they all applauded. She heard Haley's voice. "GO PEYTON." She looked over at one of her only true friends and saw her tear stained face. She watched Haley start to walk over to the side of the stage with Nathan.
"Thank you" she said into the mike and she composed herself and walked off the stage. She turned to the direction she thought she saw Haley coming from but turned around as she felt a hand grab her arm.
"Hey Hales…" Peyton started as she turned around but stopped as she felt her lip pressed against someone else. She couldn't make out who it was in the barley lit area, but she knew who it was. She abruptly pulled herself back, her body filled with shock and freight.
"Peyton, I love you. I..." She cut him off.
"I love you too Lucas, I'm sorry I pushed you away. I was scared and then tonight I thought I lost you for good and…God I'm just so sorry. I…" This time Lucas cut her off as he leaned down and kissed her. The two heard the various awes and applauds from the crowd.
The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful
Lucas and Peyton broke apart as they heard Haley's voice radiate through the café. The looked on the stage to find Haley smiling and motioning for them to come up. The listened and went to stand near her.
Stop me and steal my breath
Emeralds from mountains thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth
Everyone watched as Jake set Jenny's car seat down and stepped next to the mike to sing.
Tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above
Lucas wrapped his arms around Peyton's slender waist as she laid her head on his shoulder. The two stood there unable to remove the smile from their faces. The both of them had finally found a sense of happiness and relief. They listened as Haley and Jake started in together.
And I'll be your crying shoulder
I'll be loves suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life
Haley began her part again. She was happy that her two friends had finally found each other.
Rain falls angry on the tin roof
As
we lie awake in my bed
Tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above
Haley was so involved with Lucas and Payton that she was startled by the hands that wrapped themselves around her waist. She turned to find Nathan smiling down at her. He soundly kissed the top of her head tightening his grip. She turned back to the mike so that she and Jake could continue.
And I'll be your crying shoulder
I'll be loves suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life
And I've dropped out, burned up, fought my way back from the dead
Tuned in, turned on, remembered the things that you said
And I'll be your crying shoulder
I'll be loves suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your
I'll be your crying shoulder
I'll be loves suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life
As they finished the song. Nathan turned Haley to imitate Peyton and Lucas. The two pair broke apart at the same time, all of them smiling. The turned to look at the crowd, all four growing red as they listened to the applauds and whistles. Lucas looked at his mom who was smiling and whistling. Their eyes met and he could see how happy she was for him. The night was perfect.
They all walked off stage and the two couples returned to the table Nathan and Haley were sitting at. Peyton stopped Lucas before they sat down and pulled him back a little. "Lucas are you really leaving" Her smile was gone and replaced by a look of grief. Lucas kissed her lips lightly.
"I'm not going anywhere Peyton" He grabbed her hands in his and led her to the table.
"It's about time you two hooked up" Nathan said with a raised eyebrow.
"Very true" Haley added in.
"Tell me about it." Lucas said looking at Peyton, who gave him a passionate kiss.
"Oh. Get-A-Room!" They broke apart to see Karen smiling at them. "This turned out to be a very good night." Karen handed them all a soda before turning and going to introduce the next person. The couples sat there talking about the last four years of the life. The smiled and joked with each other all night. At around 12 everyone finally left. The four went to the beach for the night.
Peyton sat next to Lucas, gazing up at the stars and breathing in the fresh air. Since they left she had grown quiet. Luca began to fear that she was going to shut him out again, even after their night together. "Peyton are you alright?" he asked hoping for a good answer.
"I don't know" She answered honestly, revealing nothing to Lucas. She recalled the conversation she had had just two hours ago.
"I have to go" Peyton got up and started to walk away.
"Where" Lucas asked, worry apparent in his voice. Peyton smiled and kissed him.
"To the bathroom Luke. I'll be right back" She turned and made her way through the crowd. When she came out of the ladies room she began walking back to the table but was stopped by a hand on her arm. She turned around, only to be pushed against the wall.
"What do you think your doing Lucas Scott?" Ricky asked, glaring at her and reinstalling all the fear she was letting go off.
"My life is none of your business, and that includes who I chose to spend my time with." She said yanking her arm away and trying to hide her fear. "Me and you are over and I'm glad. Now get the hell away from me." Ricky grabbed her wrists as she attempted to walk away from him.
"Who the hell gave you the right to talk to me like that" he yelled as Peyton felt the tears flowing freely down her face.
"What the hell do you think you doing" Ricky turned to see an infuriated guy walking towards him.
"Go back to what you were doing Nathan" Rick yelled when he realized who it was.
"I will when you let go off her." Nathan was now standing next to them.
"This is none of you damn business." Rick spat back.
"I'm gunna go with that was your doing" Nathan gestured to the bruises on Peyton's face that were now slightly visible where her tears had washed away the make up. "And you look like you're about to try some shit like that again so I'm making it my damn business. If I have to say it one more time your gunna regret it. Get the fuck off away her!" Nathan had broken Rick's grasp and Peyton's writs and was now standing between them.
"Fine, whatever man…that little whore isn't worth it." He turned and walked away causing Peyton to stop holding back. Nathan caught her as her legs gave out and she fell towards the floor.
"Hey you alright?" he asked her, unable to keep the worry and concern out of his voice. She nodded slightly.
"Nathan, don't tell Lucas." Was all she said as he helped her up.
"Peyton you have to tell him"
"Nate, please don't make this night any worse then it has to be. Don't ruin it for Lucas and Haley. Luke knows about everything that happened with Ricky and if he hears about this he's going wind up in a jail cell for the rest of the night. So please just let it drop for the night." She pleaded with him.
"Pey, I..." he started, unsure of what to do and taken in the information he was receiving. He couldn't believe that Peyton had gotten into an abusive relationship and kept it hidden form everyone.
"Nathan please"
"Okay, but if that asshole comes anywhere near you again don't keep that hidden. At least tell me or Hales if not Luke. But Peyton please tell him" Nathan looked straight into her eyes and she nodded, knowing that he was right. She turned and walked into the bathroom to fix her makeup. She might have been letting something go, but there were still things that she wanted to stay in the past and her entire relationship with Ricky was one of them.
Her and Nathan returned to the table, both much quieter then before. "What happened to you two, it was taken long enough" Haley said leaning into Nathan.
"Yeah, me and Hales were worried old flames were rekindling." Lucas laughed as he wrapped his arm around Peyton's shoulder, causing her to grow tense briefly. Neither Lucas nor Haley noticed it because they were laughing but Nathan did. He gently tapped her foot with his and gave her a look saying 'it's gunna be okay'. She forced a laugh.
"Of coarse not, we satisfied that craving earlier." She said licking her lips and winking at Nathan before giving both Haley and Lucas a seductive yet innocent smile. They all broke out into fits of laughter. The rest of the night continued much like it had before the whole bathroom incident with the exception of Peyton being slightly quieter and Nathan giving her concerned glances every now and than. Both things went unnoticed by the two best friends who thought that nothing could ruin their perfect night.
Peyton was torn from her thought as Lucas gripped her shoulder lightly. "Peyt, what's wrong?" He asked pulling her closer to him and laying her head on his chest.
"I ran into Ricky when I was coming out of the bathroom." She admitted, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Lucas sighed.
"So it wasn't my imagination, you did get tense when I put my arm around you after you sat down." Lucas questioned.
"Luke I'm sorry, it's not that I don't trust you, I just, I can't stop it. It's like this automatic reaction that I can't turn off." Lucas cut her off.
"Peyton don't be sorry. I understand that, I'm just worried about you."
"Lucas I don't know if I can do this whole thing with you" Peyton lifter herself from his chest and sat up, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her delicate arms around them.
"Peyton please don't do this again. Don't push me away." Lucas sat up and stared at her, her blonde curls blowing recklessly though the wind.
"Luke I don't wanna push you away, I just don't know how ready I am for this. Luke I thought I was okay. I thought that I wasn't scared anymore. But when he grabbed my wrist and pushed me against the wall it all came back. God, if Nathan hadn't have shown up I don't know what he would have done. All the trust I was building up just vanished in seconds."
"Why didn't you or Nathan tell me he came up to you?" Lucas asked, not knowing what else to say.
"Nathan wanted to, but I told him not too. I didn't wanna ruin the night, everything was going so great. I just wanted to forget it all, but it wound up ruining things anyway." Peyton felt like crying again but she blocked the tears.
"Peyt, we don't have to let him ruin our night." Lucas started.
"That's just it Luke, I don't know if I can handle an 'our night'. Just like before everything feels so up in the air and I just don't know how ready I am for any of this." She kept her eyes over the ocean, avoiding his gaze at all cost.
"Okay." He said simply. He took his hand and turned her face to look at him. "Peyton is you're not ready to jump back into anything I understand, and I'm not going push you to do anything you don't want to. We can do this on your terms and at a pace you're comfortable with. I have no problem taking things day by day." He looked into her eyes, hoping that she understood, hoping that she wouldn't just get up and leave.
"Luke what if I can't handle day by day" She asked on the verge of tears.
"Then we'll take it minute by minute. It's all up to you" He said smiling at her and bending his neck slightly. Peyton laughed and let a smile replace her worried frown.
"I'm pretty sure I can handle that" He moved a piece of stray hair from her face. "This minute I think I want you to hold me" she said looking at him with hopeful eyes. He moved himself behind her and wrapped his arms around her thin frame, slowly letting their bodies fall back gently into the sand.
"So are we going to be here like this all night?" He asked her with a sly smile on his face. He felt her body shudder as laugh escaped her lips.
"So you heard that part?" she questioned.
"I heard the whole thing" he informed her tightening his grip a little.
"I'm glad" she said quietly, her voice showing her insecurity.
"So am I" Lucas smiled kissing her matted curls. They sat there quietly after that staring up at the sky. Peyton fell asleep to the feeling of Lucas's chest steadily rising and falling. It all gave them both an odd sense of satisfaction and comfort. They felt shielded from all the torment that was awaiting them outside the beach. They were content that for the night they only had to be concerned about each other. It wasn't long before Lucas fell soundly asleep feeling genuinely happy for the first time in weeks.
The songs were "It's Gunna Be Love" by Mandy Moore and "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain. I'll update soon thanks for reading.