Chapter 4

When Peyton got out of the bath she had a crowd waiting for her. It had been a bitch drying off with that little towel. She noticed Anna first and then her dad and his girlfriend and including her doctor and some lady in a suit that she knew had to be a therapist.

"Ambush." Peyton whispered.

"They are all here because they are concerned about you Peyton." The therapist said.

"If they are all so concerned about me where were they last night? Last week? Last month? I have been falling off the edge of existence and nobody seemed to notice not my dad not my friends, and I don't even know you other three." Peyton said.

Her dad didn't have anything to say, she continued to glare at him.

"Okay. So let's get down to it. Tell me how this is complicating your life. Tell me how stupid this is. I heard it all this morning from my friends." Peyton said.

"Ms. Sawyer I think you should listen to what we have to say. My name is Vivian Grande and I'll be handling your case from here on out."

"I don't care what you have to say, I can't stand having people look at me like this. I want to get clean. But I can't guarantee that I won't go back to it. It's the only thing I have."

"You have all of us, and your friends. Stop this right now Peyton and listen, you could have died." Karen started in.

"I wish I would have died, things would have been so much better." Peyton said sulkily.

Twenty minutes later she was crying as she was put in a cab and taken to a rehabilitation clinic just outside of Charlotte.

Nathan returned home to find his father waiting in the kitchen.

"Where have you been?" Dan demanded scaring Nathan half to death.

"Shit. Dad you scared me." Nathan said, "I've been at the hospital, Peyton overdosed, she's doing fine now if you were worried."

"I don't care about that little crack whore ex-girlfriend of yours. I do care that you missed practice and cut class to see her." Dan said.

Nathan tried to continue on his way he was determined not to let Dan ruin his good mood.

"Do you hear me boy, you know what happens when you mess up and miss practice?"

He'd forgotten about punishment practice. It was a three and half hour rigorous workout and if he survived then Dan would really punish him. By the time he finished, Nathan was quite sure he'd sweated out every drop of water in his body; he collapsed on the floor when he was finally allowed back inside the house.

"Get your ass up, face me like a man and take what's coming to you. If you don't I'll tell him and that boy has enough sense not to want anything to do with you."

Nathan hauled himself to his feet and stood in front of Dan. Yes, he was going to stand there and let Dan beat him until he was satisfied, and Nathan couldn't stand. Sometimes he would deliberately do something for Dan to just wail on him, he could be such a masochist.

Nathan smiled back cockily at Dan, before he caught a fist to the jaw and he dared not to sway or even show any signs that that first punch hurt. Then there was another to his stomach which made him wince, and take a step back and that's when the blows came. Some striking him on the head on his shoulders until he fell to his knees and curled up in the fetal position. Dan beat and kicked until he was tired and need to get drunk, Nathan lay there in the foyer, bleeding and panting for a few minutes.

The day passed uneventfully for Lucas after Nathan had dropped him off. He talked on the phone to Brooke who was whining about how Peyton being in the hospital was affecting her life. And going on and on about how she was down a best friend, Lucas suggested that they do something together on Saturday just the two of them as friends. Brooke was pleased with the offer and said that they'd go shopping. Lucas was quite afraid of what shopping with Brooke entailed.

He finished the make up assignment from school read his favorite chapters of his favorite book and he listened to some music before he finally went down to the River Court and played ball with the guys. Finally he ended up back at home gazing out the window listening to his IPod.

It had started to rain; Lucas had always thought the rain was extremely sexy. He always wanted to go out and just get totally drenched in it, have it run down his hair and face just soaking him completely. But he'd never done it; his mother had always told him as kid that he'd get sick. And the opportunity never presented itself again and he didn't want the neighbors to think he was insane.

He stared longingly at the streets, the trees, and the grass which we're getting drenched. When he saw a lone figure stumbling toward his house. In the dim streetlight he could tell it was Nathan. And Lucas was out of the door and into the rain before he realized it, holding Nathan and kissing him.

"Did he do this?" Lucas hissed.

"Who else?" Nathan asked.

"We're gonna tell my mom and Keith they are watching a movie. We're gonna fix this. I don't want to see you get hurt anymore." Lucas pleaded the rain drenching him did not feel sexy anymore.

"That's not gonna stop him." Nathan said.

They were pressed so close together once again, Lucas was gazing in the stormy blue depths of Nathan's eyes. Slowly Lucas began to tenderly kiss all of the bruises on Nathan's face. The rain was becoming sexy again.

Nathan caressed Lucas' back, "He said that if you knew about me you wouldn't want anything to do with me."

"Shows how much he knows," Lucas whispered. "I wish you could take me right here. And I wish I could help."

"You can, if you'll let me crash for the night." Nathan said.

"My bed is your bed." Lucas took his hand and led him toward the house.

Lucas was toweling off Nathan's hair off when his mother came barging into the room, "We're gonna watch–Nathan, what happened?"

"He had a fight is all." Lucas said.

"Some of those stupid hicks got at me. I was out numbered."

"I'm gonna get you some ice, and once you get patched up I want you both to come in and watch the movie with us." Karen said.

"I don't like lying to her…" Lucas said.

"I know I'm sorry, I should go." Nathan said.

"Stay, you shouldn't be going back there tonight." Lucas said.

"I'm just gonna mess up things between you and your mom." Nathan said.

"She's cool she won't trip out if she found out about us." Lucas said.

"I don't want you to get into any trouble because of me."

"I won't don't worry," Lucas smiled.

"You're amazing you know that,"

"No you're amazing for putting up with Dan the way you do, I prolly would have killed his ass in his sleep." Lucas said dryly.

"He's my dad. He's all I have."

"You've always got me Nathan. And Keith, and my mom, and Haley, and Brooke, you even have Peyton." Lucas said.

"I know," Nathan said.

"Sometimes I think about leaving this town, and never looking back." Nathan said.

"Me too."

"When do you wanna leave?" Nathan asked only half joking.

"I'll let you know." Lucas smirked.

"I've got the ice and I fixed you both a plate, when you get Nathan all patched up and in dry clothes. What in the hell were you doing out in the rain, you two are gonna catch cold…" Karen ranted, but Lucas didn't really listen he was staring into Nathan's blue eyes.

"Mom, there's something I should probably tell you."

"Uh huh," Karen walked over and began disinfecting one of Nathan's cuts.

"It's about Nathan and I."

"What is it Luke?"

Nathan couldn't breathe; Lucas was going to tell her.

"I think he should sleep over tonight." Lucas said.

"Oh that's okay; you'll have to clear it with Dan." Karen said scowling.

"He doesn't care where I go." Nathan said.

"I'm the one who has been saying for years that Dan is an evil black hearted bastard, but I'm sure he'd like to know where you are." Karen said.

"I'll call him." Nathan smiled, knowing full well he wasn't going to call his father but it seemed to be enough to satisfy Karen.

Karen went back to join Keith for the movie, and Nathan and Lucas were coaxed into joining them. It was the most fun Nathan had in a long time. Finally, it was time for bed he was given a pair of Lucas' pajamas and sent into the bathroom to put them on.

When he returned, Lucas was setting up a cot.

"Neither of us is actually going to be sleeping on it, it's just so my mom won't get suspicious about us doing this," Lucas said kissing him.