AN-Thanks for the reviews. And also thanks to the people who may be reading but not reviewing. I'm on some sort of updating kick, so I'll post the next chapter and possibly one more. It just depends on when I get tired. I have a three day weekend this weekend though so I'll try and get as many updates done as I can.

Love, Emily


He quickly realized where he was as his eyes fluttered open slowly. Looking around briefly, he found the person he was looking for quickly; Peyton. Her back was turned to him, and she was drawing at her computer desk, her crutches lying to her side. "There's a glass of water and two aspirin on the table…" her voice surprised him since he wasn't sure she could even see him. She seemed annoyed, bothered by the fact that he was there.

"What am I doing here?" the palm of his left hand cupped the side of his head, closing his eyes tightly as he felt why she had left him the aspirin.

"Nathan dropped you off." Her back was still facing him. "He had to get back to school."

"Why aren't you there?"

"Didn't really feel like being there anymore…" She wasn't explaining anything to him, and he realized it quickly. She answered his questions with simple answers, without going into any sort of details why. Right now, if it were up to her, he didn't deserve it, no matter how drunk he was.

"Peyton, what's wrong?" He asked finally, realizing that she was upset, just not knowing it was because of him; like usual.

"Lucas, now is really not the time to bring it up, okay?" She finally turned to face him in her chair. "I'll end up saying something I'll regret, and your head is probably in three different places anyway." She turned her chair back to face her computer, picking up her drawing once again to continue it.

"Well obviously it's important because you're clearly upset about it." He stood up and began walking toward her slowly. "Come on, Peyt, just tell me what happened."

"You regret going back into the school, Luke because you think that's the reason Keith is dead." She stared at him blankly, placing her drawing back onto the desk next to her. "I'm trying so hard not to take it critically, Lucas, I am because I know you're hurting. I do, and I know how it feels when drinking seems like the only escape away from it all." She watched him walk closer to her, but couldn't stop talking. "I just can't keep trying to be there for you, and then you shooting me down. I'm just trying to help, trying to give you space."

"Pey-"

"And I know you were drunk, but a lot of truth comes out when you don't have anything stopping you from saying how you feel." She looked up at him since he had finally reached the point where he was standing right in front of her. Her eyes were tearing, and she couldn't help it anymore. Drained; she was tired, overwhelmed, and upset with how everything was falling apart. She knew it was coming, she knew in the library when she thought she was going to die. But saying and experiencing are two completely different aspects.

"A lot of truth comes out when you think you're close to death too, right?"

"Lucas, now isn't the time to talk about that, please…" she sighed, he always had to make it about her. Trying to move away, he stepped in front of her abruptly.

"No, no, I want to talk about it, Peyton." His voice was direct. "I don't want to talk about how I'm doing anymore. I'm sick of the attention, and you're the only one who will let it go instead of pressuring me for an answer. You're the only one I can talk to right now without feeling awkward, and I want to talk about what happened."

"You want to know what happened?" She asked as he nodded slightly. "I thought I was dying, Luke, alright? I didn't know if I was going to even make it out of that library, and that feeling scared me, knowing that you were there but couldn't do anything except try to make me feel better. Knowing that I could die right in front of your face without you knowing how I feel." Tears rolled down her cheeks. This was what she was most afraid of, opening up and breaking down to the one person she didn't want to collapse in front of; especially with everything he was going through himself.

He was silent, again.

"And this is why I didn't want to talk about it, Luke…" She sighed up at him. "It's just going to be awkward now, just like befor-"

"I love you too, Peyton…" he whispered gently, cutting her off this time. "I do, alright? A part of me always will. You were the first person I ever did, but I was afraid to say it. Maybe I was like you, afraid of getting too close, but that doesn't matter anymore. I'm sorry for what I said this morning, but I hope you know that that's not how I feel. Keith would've gone back into that school if I was in there or not, and I don't know what I'd do if I lost you too…" He wiped single tears away with his thumb, keeping his callused hands against her cheeks. "I just owe it to Brooke, to you even, to be the better person for her." He tucked single strands of hair behind her ears, smiling softly as she nodded in agreement.

"You should, um, go see Brooke…" she changed the subject. "I'm positive she's pretty worried about you."

"I'll stop by before I go home okay?" He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms securely around her waistline as she comfortably rested her head against his chest.

"Thank you, Lucas…"

"You're welcome," his lips grazed her forehead. "We're just going to help each other through this whole mess, alright? Just you and me."

She nodded with a slight smile before grabbing hold of her crutches again. "And Lucas?" he turned around to face her again.

"I'll wait forever if I have to…"