A/N: Okay, this chapter takes place the three weeks after the last chapter.
Katie walked through the school hallway towards her locker. She rolled her eyes as she saw a familiar figure standing by her locker. It was Lars.
"What are you doing by my locker?"
"I'm not allowed to hang out with my friend?" He asked with a smirk.
"I'm not your friend. Now be a good boy and move so I can get something out of my locker" He moved, but just to the locker next to hers.
"Ugh, don't you have somewhere to be?" Katie asked in an annoyed tone.
"Nah, we have the next period together right? I'll walk you……and hold your stuff for you"
"Look, I don't need you to walk me. I don't need you to hold my stuff. In fact, I don't need you at all!" She shouted angrily and stomped off.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" Lars called after her.
"What?" She asked turning around.
"Where'd you get the bruise on your arm from?"
"That's none of your business!"
"Well, looks like we have more in common than you think" He said walking past her to their next class. She just stared after him wondering what he meant: 'We have more in common than you think' She just ignored it and followed him to their next class.
"Okay, class we're going to start a long-term project that will be due in a month. You and a partner will choose a topic and research it. Then you will create a website about it. I'm choosing the partners" The class groaned. Mrs. Miller just laughed and read off the list of partners.
"Timmy Brooks and Dylan Teslow…Matt Duffy and Tom Phillips…..Kevin Scott and Jenny Jageilski…Melanie Thornton and Trish Cover…Kathleen McQueen and Manny Santos…Shauna Meyer and Jessie Meadow…David Scott and Anna Michaelchuck….Katie Scott and Lars Larson……."
Katie didn't bother listening to all the other names being called after she heard who her partner was. She couldn't be with Lars! He was the most annoying and infuriating person she had ever met! Plus, she couldn't stand people who smoked ever since her Aunt Vivian had died of lung cancer when she was only forty-six. She noticed he was staring at her with his signature smirk. She wanted to just smash that face to pieces. Instead, she just smirked right back at him and rolled her eyes. It was the last period of the day and she had basketball practice right after school let out. She noticed Lars following her as she walked out of the school building.
"We may be partners for this stupid project, but you don't need to stalk me"
"Chill, I was thinking we could start working on the project"
"I have practice until 4:00 and then I have other homework to do"
"Tomorrow then; I'll go over to your place and we can get started on the project" Lars said walking away before she had time to say anything else.
"Is there something wrong? You look upset" Kevin asked her while they were running laps during practice.
"It's just Lars. I'm partnered with him for a project and he really bugs me" Katie lied. Lars was only a small part of her problems.
"If you want I could "take care of him" for you"
"Thanks, but I don't need my big brother beating up every guy that gets on my nerves because trust me that would be half the male population"
"Including me?"
"Yes, including you" Katie joked.
"That hurts me, it really does"
"Oh, I'm so sorry" She said rolling her eyes.
OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH
Meanwhile Peyton was at Karen's house. She was almost five months pregnant now and starting to show. She had a doctor's appointment later that afternoon so she was staring to get ready for it. As she looked through her purse something caught her eye. It was a picture of her and Jake. It had been taken a few month's ago at Lily and Jenny's eighth grade graduation ceremony. They were sitting in their seats and Jake had his arm around Peyton who was smiling widely. They had been so happy then and now Jake hadn't spoken to her in three weeks…Didn't he at least care about their unborn child? She decided instead of calling him for what seemed like the hundredth time she would go over to his house before her doctor's appointment.
She drove to Jake's house hoping he would at least let her in. Peyton knew he would be home because he had the day off. Plus, she saw his car in the driveway as she pulled up to the driveway. She sighed. 'This is it' she thought to herself as she walked up to the door and knocked.
"Peyton" was all Jake could say as he opened the door. Peyton noticed he looked tired and a little hurt, but he was trying to look angry.
"Jake, can we please talk?' She asked, trying not to cry.
"Come on in" He said, leading her over to the couch. They sat down.
"I am so sorry! I never should have hid my drinking problem from you, especially after I got counseling and Lily found out. You have no idea how terrible I feel. I love you so much, Jake!"
"I love you, too. I guess there's not much I can say to you though"
"What I did was low, lower than low and I shouldn't lied to you about it"
"Do you remember when I proposed, a while after you got out of rehab?"
"You made me promise I wouldn't do drugs ever again"
"What you did was worse; I mean how do you think I feel knowing that my wife was an alcoholic behind my back for years?"
"I've been sober for a-" Peyton started to say but was interrupted.
"Whether you're sober or not doesn't matter! I would have helped you through it!God, Peyton, why the hell didn't you tell me?"
"I thought it would ruin my marriage. At all the AA meetings I've been to there are always people talking about how their addictions ruined their life and caused them to lose the people they loved the most in the world! I don't want to be one of those people saying those things"
"You thought I would leave you?"
"No-maybe-I don't know. I was scared"
"Is that why whenever we go out to eat you never drink any wine or anything?"
"Yeah, I guess I thought just having one glass of anything would make me addicted again. When Lily caught me drinking it was like a wake up call. I realized that I couldn't lose her or you or Jenny or Brooke or Lucas or all the other people in my lives"
"That makes sense-besides I haven't been exactly truthful with you for the past few years"
"What does that mean?" Peyton asked wiping tears away from her eyes.
"Nikki came to see Jenny a couple years ago. I wouldn't let her see Jenny and she gave me this huge lecture about how jenny needs to know who her biological mom is. I told Nikki that Jenny knows that you aren't her real mom, but she still doesn't want to meet Nikki. Ever since then she's tried to call me a couple times but I ignored her"
"Wow, I don't understand why didn't tell me"
"Nikki means nothing to me. She's nothing to my daughter. As far as I'm concerned, you are her mom. I didn't think it was worth telling" Jake said shrugging.
"Jenny's going to want to see her someday"
"Is it wrong of me to try to delay that day as much as I possibly can?"
"Maybe a little-Oh, look at the time! I have a doctor's appointment in twenty minutes. I'm finding out the baby's gender"
"I'll go with you-that's okay right?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way" Peyton said smiling as they walked to her car.
OthothOTHOTHOTHOPTHOTHOTHOTHOOOOOOOOOOOASASDAD'''''''''''''''''
"Peyton Jageilski" A nurse said calling them into one of the rooms.
"Everything looks good" Dr. March announced fifteen minutes later.
"That's great" Jake said with a smile.
"So, are we finding out the baby's gender today?" Dr. March asked smiling.
"I think I want to. What about you Jake?" Peyton asked.
"If you want to"
"Congratulations, you're having a baby boy!"
Peyton and Jake were about to exit the hospital when they heard a lot of noise. They turned around. Brooke was in a wheelchair screaming and Lucas was trying to talk to someone at the front desk. Jake couldn't quite hear what Brooke was saying but he thought she yelled something Lucas and a hooker and killing Lucas. Bailey was standing next to Brooke looking confused. Peyton ran over to Brooke to try to calm her down while Jake picked Bailey up and told Lucas he was taking her to get a treat. The last thing heard as he walked away was Brooke yelling: "Somebody get this baby out of meeee!"