A/N: I know I haven't updated in a long time, and I'm sorry. But it's summer, and I should be updating this fic and my other more frequently. But, I think I'm going to be bringing this to an end sometime soon; I'm not exactly sure yet though. Hope you guys like it and be sure to review. :)

Love, Katie


She wasn't able to control herself anymore. She was letting herself break down in the arms of no one. Her bed was her only comforter since Lucas had left earlier that day. She couldn't even pinpoint exactly why she was a wreck because she and Lucas were better than they'd ever been.

She was in utter shock and complete confusion because of Jake's call. Why had he chosen to call her now? After that whole stretch in time where she would have done anything just to see him again or to hear his voice. The truth was that she didn't love him anymore; she had devoted her entire being to Lucas, but her selfish desires were trying to push her back to Jake.

To Peyton, it seemed as if the whole world supported her relationship with Jake, and there wasn't another girl around that could rip that away from them. Jake was easy, when he was around. She was able to fall in love with no complications. Unlike Lucas. She and Lucas had always had the odds against them. No matter what, there was always a barrier holding them back, but she had decided it would be worth the pain or suffering. She had wanted to beat the odds that held them back and prove to everyone that within their relationship, true love could be found.

But she had gone through so much pain and suffering in her lifetime, that Jake still seemed easier.

Snap out of it, Peyton, she thought to herself. You know who you're meant to be with. You've always known it.

She knew the only way she'd be able to rid these thoughts of Jake from her mind was to see Lucas again. Even if he had just left her house, she couldn't bare to be without him through this. How would he feel if he knew she had been reconsidering everything only because of self-interest? The selfish nature was not supposed to belong to her, and she knew it.

Leaving her room behind her, taking only her cell phone and a jacket, she hurried down the stairs. The less time that it took her to reach Lucas, the less doubts she would have filling her mind.


As Lucas approached his bedroom door from the porch outside, he saw a familiar brunette sitting there, holding her sweater. She appeared to have been waiting for awhile, and when he started to make his way up the steps on the porch, she made no movement except for a slight turn of the head. He looked down and met her glance, but quickly broke it knowing that he couldn't do this.

"What are you doing here?" He spat out almost unconsciously. "You know I'm with Peyton, Brooke."

"So, since you're with Peyton, I can't even come over to talk to you Lucas? What happened to us remaining friends?" She cried out back to him, sounding perfectly rehearsed.

Yet he still caved in to her deceiving charm. "I'm sorry, Brooke," He set his coat down and took a seat next to her on the porch steps. "Now, what are you here to talk about?"

"Jake's in town," she began. "I saw him while I was out walking, and I thought you'd like to know."

"Why would I want to know that?" His voice grew a little louder, yet he still remained calm with his actions.

"Aren't you friends?" Brooke broke the sea of composure with her own snapping remark. "Excuse me, but if my friend was back in town, I would be happy to know."

"But that's not your intent – for me to be happy; is it Brooke?" He lost his control of his temper as well. "You came to tell me just to stir me up because Peyton and I are content for once in our lives. You just have to cause some kind of drama, don't you Brooke?"

"It's not ME causing the drama, Lucas. Open your eyes and see that Jake's here, and he's probably at your precious girlfriend's house right now; he's causing the drama. What small ounce in your brain makes you think I caused any of this?"

"'Cause it was you, Brooke. You don't think I learned anything about you while we were dating? I know your unfaithful tactics and your deceitful schemes better than half this world will ever understand! In some sort of screwed up way, you are behind all of this." He was up to a mild roar by now, yelling and flailing his arms at his former girlfriend.

He could see she was putting on a show for him, trying to make him feel sorry for her when she tried. The tears had started to roll down her face as she looked up at him, speechless. Shaking his head in disbelief, he took off down the street, leaving the hopeless brunette to herself on his porch yet again.

Running down the street, building up to a sprint, he paid no attention to the shower of rain that started to fall on his head. In a t-shirt and basketball shorts, he was numb to the chill and the fever that he certainly would catch. All his mind was focused on was seeing her and hoping she'd still want to be with him, even if her earlier love had returned.

As the rain continued to pour down on his drenched body, also damaging his sight with the raindrops in his eyes, he was able to make out two body figures ahead of him. The two figures were standing there facing one another, not seeming to be making any movement. Since he was still a ways away, he couldn't tell if they were in a conversation or experiencing awkward silence.

It wasn't until he narrowed the gap that he was able to see clearly. Invisible to the two standing only a hundred feet in front of him, he ceased running and watched as the taller figure, Jake, bent down and kissed the smaller figure, Peyton, on the cheek, and then embraced her in a tender hug, stabbing a dagger right into Lucas' heart.