12 Memories

Chapter Five - Walking Down the Hill

Authors Note - So, this story is progressing well, and I'm hoping you guys like it. I'm not completely sure where it's going yet, but I do know don't expect a really, really long story. Mostly the plot of this is them finding their way back to each other after some things that go on down the road. So, even if things don't go completely the way you want in a few chapters, stick with me, because I can guarantee you a happy ending. I've got some kind of plan - keep reading guys. Here is chapter five )Read this

The sun peeked in through the sliding glass window, making the morning presence known to all that were in the room. A groan could be heard, and a pillow flung over someone's head. It was nearing nine AM, but neither of the blondes were willing to wake up that morning. Especially not after the night before - all of the bottles previously encased in the mini bar were now gone. And Lucas could honestly say that he enjoyed himself up until the point that he felt like he and the toilet were a lot closer than he would've ever imagined. The fact that his head was pounding with unbelievable force was also not helping the cause.

– 'Walking down this hill tonight I had a thought all to myself as I contemplated the moonlight' –

"Advil," she mumbled from beneath the covers and between his arms.

He nodded silently, knowing even the slightest noise would make him cringe, or the pounding increase, becoming louder in his head. And then that pretty, little blonde in his arms had to talk again.

"How're you?" she questioned through her slight headache, still not approaching the feeling he had.

"Better when you weren't talking," he grounded out, receiving a slight giggle from the girl.

They laid in the silence for a long time, as Lucas began to doze off again Peyton found herself in a whirlwind of memories from their earlier years. One in particular day that stood out in her mind was the first anniversary of her mother's death, the hardest year.

A whole 360 days she'd survived without her mother so far, she wasn't sure she would make another 360 - or that she'd even want to. But Lucas had been there the whole year, without a doubt or a second thought. It hadn't even occurred that he didn't have to be there. And that day was no different.

It was near 5:30 that morning when she heard a knock on her window. Groggily she opened her eyes, unwilling to want to start that dreadful day. But it didn't take a genius to know she couldn't stay wrapped in the covers that whole day - no matter how much she wanted to.

She looked through her window, surprised to see Lucas standing in her front yard with a few stones in his hand, and a broad smile crossing his face. She let the corners of her mouth turn up slightly at his attempt to be there for her. She put a finger up to signal that she'd be down to him in minutes, he took her answer and paced the grass wondering what he would say to such a broken little girl.

"Hey," she offered, burying her hands deep into her jean pockets and looking to the grass below her.

"Hey, Peyt..."

"You don't have to act all weird around me, I'm still the same person...even today," she reassured him of this before stepping closer and faking a small smile.

"Well, the Peyton I know would definitely want to go to the River Court and hang out for a little bit," he flashed his smile, showing off his one missing tooth and began walking in the right direction.

She trailed behind the boy slightly, trying her hardest to keep all the random images of her mother from her mind. But there were a few moments as they walked when she saw a flower, or the sun tinted the trees to make them just the right color that her mother's laugh would ring in her ears, her smile would invade her vision, causing her to shake her head a few times. He looked back momentarily, making sure she was okay, making sure she stayed with him. He'd just turned eleven, but he wasn't stupid - he knew she had lied in saying she was okay, but he would let her talk on her own terms.

"Luke..."

"Yea?" he turned back, squinting to see her through the bright sunlight.

"Is something wrong with you?" He laughed at her question and stopped to fall into step with the girl a few inches smaller.

"No, why?" he watched her concentrate on her answer, her eyebrows furrowed creating an expression that made him smile.

"Because why haven't you asked me anything? You haven't asked how I was or if I was okay..."

"I don't need to," he responded confidently.

"What?"

"I'm your best friend and I have been since we were two. I don't need to ask, but when you're ready to talk about it I'll be here," she looked over to him admiringly. "So...you ready for me to kick your butt in PIG?"

"Okay, someone's got pride..."

"I'm not proud, just confident, Peyt." She giggled at his egotistical response, and if only for a few hours he took her mind off of everything, for a few hours all was right and nothing had ever been wrong. If only for a few hours her mother didn't leave, her father was always home and she had always felt complete - if only for a few hours.

– 'We got it all, we got it made, I don't know how I got here but I'm holding on for the crash' –

By four o'clock that afternoon Lucas was willing to try to pull his head out from under the covers that he had trapped himself in. He found that Peyton was no longer with him, but instead she had left a note on the bedside table, along with an Advil and glass of water.

Lucas,

Take this and just don't move around too much. Hopefully it'll wear off so we can do something later. I'm going to take a walk - clear my head for a little bit. I'll be fine, don't come looking for me, believe me the consequences for your headache will be a bitch. I'll see you later

- Peyton

He re-read the note another couple of times to figure out what she was being so cryptic about. Why she couldn't have just told him where she went? She always made him worry when she got in those moods, the ones where she just wanted to be alone. He laid in the bed for another five minutes - his brain telling him that she wanted to be alone and that she'd be fine, but everything inside of him was pushing him to go find her, take care of that fragile part of her that only he got to see.

He felt a stampede of elephants run through his head, but he pushed harder to tie his shoes, trying to find why it looked like there were more laces than two. After much contemplation he tucked the strings into his white sneakers and pulled on a shirt before heading out the door, key in hand.

It didn't take long to find her, he picked up two lemonades and headed out to a solitary part of the beach where she was seated with headphones - his headphones. He plopped himself down on the sand beside her, shocking her slightly when she felt his presence.

"How'd you find me?" she questioned suspiciously, pulling the headphones from her ears.

"It was easy, plus I just know these things," he replied, winking and handing over a paper cup filled with homemade lemonade.

"Ext -"

"Yes, extra sugar. The same way you've been drinking it for years," a beat of silence, she tucked her curls behind her ear, letting her gaze travel back to the roaring waves. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Luke. Just needed a breather from...everything," she told the boy, when she really meant him. She need time away from him, from everyone, from the world around her. It was all coming down on her and the more she thought of heading back to Tree Hill the more she wanted to turn and run farther south, farther away. The thought of Jake still lingered in her head, that genuine smile he would let her see just before he kissed her, every kiss being as memorable as the first.

"So, this is an interesting first date," Peyton spoke up, the normally quiet Jake sitting across from her at a dinner table. His parents had just left the table to retrieve more food from the buffet, he blushed, grasping for words to explain his embarrassment.

"I didn't mean for it. I forgot my sister had a recital tonight, and when I told them I was taking you out they just kinda -"

"Invited themselves?" she finished and he nodded, still staring at the white table cloth.

"Can...can I just take you home, we can walk," he offered, she quietly answered with a yes and they stood together, waving to his parents.

"Ya know, it's not that I don't like your parents, I've known them for years," she told him easily, trying to fill the silence and let him know it was okay.

"I know, but when I asked you out, I asked you out, not you and my parents," she laughed at his explanation, tucking her hand into his. He was surprised, to say the least, but accepted, moving his eyes back to the cement below them.

"Thanks, Jake."

"For what? Taking you out to eat with my parents?"

"No, for taking me out, and wanting to," she blushed slightly at her sudden vulnerability and he smirked at her being able to be open with him.

He looked over, pushing her chin up to make eye contact with her. Leaning in slowly he captured her lips with his own, and to her own surprise she let him.

– 'Pulled myself out of the moon, I know I'll never go there, but it's shining down from up on high' –

"What're you thinking about?" he nudged her shoulder with his own, she shifted her eyes to make contact with his, the overwhelming desire to kiss him was overtaking her, but she wouldn't let it. She didn't like him like that - she missed Jake and that's all there was, all there ever would be. He would find other girls, she would find another guy, he was only a best friend and her hormones were getting the better part of her.

"...nothing"

"Liar."

"Nuh uh," she insisted.

"You are. I can tell when you're thinking about something."

"Well, it's nothing. I was just looking at the water."

"No, you weren't. Jake?"

"How do you do that!" she questioned, frustrated with his psychic ability when it came to reading her mind.

"I told you, I'm gifted," he revealed a cocky smirk and she hit him with her elbow.

"C'mon, Luke. I'm not into the bullshit right now," he let his smile fade, becoming serious very quickly, turning to face her he noticed the tears that began to form. She bit her bottom lip, pushing all the softness back - she'd always hated to be open.

"I told you this before, Peyt. I'm your best friend -"

"Do you think...we're more than that?"

"What do you mean? We don't go out, we've never even kiss-"

"I didn't mean like that, Luke. I mean like...what best friends do you know that are this close?" she asked, pointing between the two of them, referring to their strange connection. "And to make it weirder, it's not like we've ever kissed, so it's not that kinda connection we have. It's something different."

He seemed to think over the thought, tossing her words around in his head as the people on the boardwalk made noise in the background. The relatively cloudy day seemed to melt away as they sat there, leaving just them in the middle of the beach - together.

– 'We got it made, we got it made, I don't know what we've got to make...sooner or later lay down. We're apart' –

"I guess it is."

"You don't believe me?" she was perplexed that he didn't find their connection the same. She turned her head from his incriminating stare back to the water.

"What do you mean by different? We're best friends, what's different?"

"Guys. Are. Stupid."

"Am not. I want you to explain to me what's so different about you and me that's not like...Laverne and Shirley?"

"Oh my God. Are you kidding me?" she laughed loudly, he looked at her strange as she belly laughed through his looks. "Did you...really just...compare us to Laverne and Shirley? And since when do you watch that show?" she laughed between words, determined to catch her breath.

"Hey, my mom used to make me watch it. She used to love that stuff...I couldn't think of any other best friends...stop laughing!"

"I'm sorry, Luke. It's just...I just can't be friends with you anymore."

"Haha, yea real funny.That's extremely funny, Peyt."

"I thought so. Anyway, I think we're a lot different than Laverne and Shirley," she poked fun at his example and he just made faces.

"How?"

"Look, our moms were best friends. We can like read each others minds, finish each others sentences. You can find me when I leave...even in Virginia. You found me that night my mom died. And you're the only one who's stuck by me when I'm a bitch, when all I do is cry, or I laugh like a maniac. You know me better than anyone, you're more than a best friend to me."

"Yea. I guess we are closer than normal best friends," he decided.

"Ya know Haley makes fun of us..." she trailed off, waiting for him to question her, freak out just like she knew he would.

"What? Why?" she laughed at how predictable he always was and answered patiently.

"Because we're so close, but we've never kissed or done anything at all. She keeps telling me, and telling me that we're gonna end up together and how perfect we are for each other...but I don't see you like that," he feigned hurt at her rejection and chuckled.

– 'Go to pieces. Why not go to sleep? Look into my heart, oh baby, don't become a part of the past. You can be a part of the keep' –

"Well, that's Haley for you. The eternal matchmaker. You mean you've never looked at me like that? Ya know I liked you when we were like 10, but I got over that," she now threw her hand over her heart, laughing at his confession.

"I didn't like you then. I did...never mind."

"Never mind what? Continue."

"No," she refused to finish her sentence.

"Yes, you can't do that. You can't start a sentence and just stop. That's not cool."

"I liked you...once."

"When?"

"If I told you...I'd have to kill you," he smiled at her corny jokes, but pressed again.

"When?"

"Okay, but you can't make fun of me. I...I liked you, last night?"

"Last night!" he nearly choked on his lemonade at her information.

"Yea, I called Haley but she told me I was just upset over Jake and my hormones were messed up. It was a one time thing, don't let me inflate your ego. I didn't really like you," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, what an inflation in my self-esteem -"

"Luke, I didn't mean it like that. I don't like you like that. You're my best friend, and while you probably would be perfect for me...it'd be too weird."

"Yea, it would be."

"Do you think Haley's right though?"

"About what?"

"That we'll end up together...I mean we have a weird connection, it's not really normal, but I think of you like a brother...well not a brother, but you know what I mean," he let a few moments pass, really thinking about her question and how weird it would be to be with her like that.

– 'Don't turn away, don't run away, don't leave me hanging by a thread. Shine a little loving down on me. We're in love, make your peace, wasting time is all you need' –

"Well, right now...I don't see it. I can't think of you like that, but that's because we're the way we are. I mean, maybe one day when we're older, when things are different. It's not that there's anything I don't like about you...I mean you're everything I look for in a girl -"

"Where'd Brooke come from then?" she teased.

"Shut up. Anyway, when I look for a girlfriend I find myself comparing her to you, but I can't see us together, at least not yet. We're not ready yet - we're not grown up enough yet to deal with whatever connection we have. I think it's bigger than what we expect, I think it's more than we're ready to take on at 16 and 17. I think we have something deeper than any 16 or 17 year old can have in a relationship, it's too much. But maybe one day, when we're older and ready...maybe then we can be together that way. But for now, I think we're best friends for a reason. And if this connection is what I think it is...then no matter what we'll find our way back to each other in the end."

"Very deep, Luke. So, you do acknowledge there's a connection?" she smiled at his words, teasing him again.

"More than what we think."

"So, what? Fate's gonna bring us together?"

– 'Walking down this hill tonight, I had a thought, it was my own and then the moon swept by the clouds and saved the starlight. Oh shall I be or shall I not be, I don't know, I just don't feel like it tonight' –

"No. Whatever we have between us will bring us back together. Whatever we have, it's strong enough to do just that - it's meant to do that."

So, hopefully that made some sort of sense for you guys. I really liked the connection aspect, so I think it worked. The song was "Walking Down the Hill" by Travis.

Tell me what you thought, if it worked or not. The reviews keep me writing, I'm not writing it for myself after all. So, just give me a few words, let me know you're reading.