Chapter 7
Before heading off to work that morning, Peyton looked into Lucas's room to leave him a note. Strangely, he wasn't in bed. "Lucas?" she called out.
No answer.
She shrugged it off and figured he probably went back to the dorms to get some fresh clothes. Peyton grabbed her work apron and headed out the door. When she opened the front door, she finally saw him.
Across the street, Lucas was bent over and peering at the engine of her car.
"K, when I said you had to fix my car, I didn't mean to do it at seven in the morning,"
Lucas smiled at the sound of her voice. He stood up and fished out the rag that was tucked into the back of his jeans pocket. Stepping towards her, he wiped the grease off of his hands.
"Yeah, you said 6:30, didn't you?"
"Lucas!"
"I'm kidding. I heard you get up this morning and I figured that I should get a start on it since I still have to help Haley move the rest of the stuff in,"
Peyton smiled, "Alright, well I'll try to get off early today so I can help you guys out,"
Lucas nodded as Peyton took two steps backwards before, reluctantly heading off towards work. He smiled to himself as he watched her walk down the street. She was half way down the street when Lucas started off after her.
"Hey, Peyton," Lucas called out.
She stopped and turned around.
"I was um..." he nervously jammed his hands into his jeans, "I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me some time,"
Peyton bit on her bottom lip to keep herself from breaking out into a big smile. "Yeah, I'd like that," she answered softly.
All morning long, Lucas had been in a great mood. Things between him and Peyton were finally getting on track, but how quickly that changed with one short phone call. Lucas now found himself standing in the middle of living room in Haley and Nathan's dorm. He was stunned. He didn't know what to feel. All he could do was stare at the cell phone that his hand now gripped ever so tightly, as if it were trying to squeeze the life out of it.
He tossed the phone aside and picked up the hammer and a nail. Getting his frustrations out, Lucas began hammering with more force than needed.
"Whoa, what did that wall do to you?" Haley asked when she entered the room with the pictures that were to be hung on the bare white walls.
"Nothing," he muttered.
"What crawled up your ass and died?" she continued to tease him.
Lucas responded with a glare. He wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with her sarcasm.
"Alright, what could have possibly happened in the two minutes I left you alone?"
"I don't want to talk about it,"
"Alright, then I'll guess…let's see, Peyton changed her mind about you and…"
"Wrong…Peyton would never change her mind about Lucas,"
Haley and Lucas looked over to the doorway where Peyton was standing with a smug grin directed at Haley.
"Hey, Peyton," Haley greeted. Then she muttered to Lucas, "Maybe now you'll be in a good mood again,"
"Hey Hales. Your door was open so I just let myself in. Hey Luke," she smiled at him.
Without a word or a nod to her presence, Lucas turned around and went back to work. Peyton looked at Haley for answers. All she got was shrug.
"Um…Haley," she started. Peyton wanted to minute alone with the brooding blonde to figure out why he would dismiss her so rudely.
Haley had gotten the hint. "I'm just gonna…um…I'm just gonna go,"
Maybe he did say hi and she just missed it. She figured that there wasn't any reason for him to be upset with her. They hadn't seen each other since that morning.
"Hey, you need help with that?" Peyton asked casually as she walked up to him.
Lucas picked up a frame. "No," Lucas replied. He was having difficulties trying to get the little hole in the back of the frame line up with the nail in the wall.
"Here," she offered anyways. "It might be easier if you…"
"I said, I got it,"
She jumped back at his angry voice. "Alright, sorry. I was just trying to help,"
"Well maybe I don't need your help,"
Peyton stood quietly and watched him. A few seconds later, his hands stopped fidgeting with the wooden frame. Cautiously, Lucas removed the hands and as soon as he did, the frame came crashing down.
Peyton jumped at the sound of the shattering glass.
"Damnit," he swore.
He quickly crouched down and started picking up the shards of glass with his hands. Peyton could see how deeply and quickly he was breathing. Lucas was clearly upset with something. Maybe it was her.
"Lucas, can we talk for a second?"
He ignored her request. After putting the last piece of glass that he was able to pick up in his hand, he stood up and dumped it into an empty cardboard box. Throughout the whole time, he avoided her eyes.
She reached out for his arm and tried to turn him around to face her, "Lucas, stop. Will you look at me for a second?" Her patience had worn thin, "Damn it, Luke. Look at me,"
When he refused to turn around, Peyton walked around and stood right in front of him, leaving him no choice.
"What's going on with you? Why are you all the sudden pissed off at me for?"
His eyes hurtfully glared into hers. "Cause I'm sick and tired of being some pawn in your game. Ever since you found out how I felt about you, you've done nothing but play with my mind. Well I'm not playing this game anymore,"
"What are you talking about? I'm not playing games. I told you last night that I wanted to be with you. You're the one I want to be with, you know that,"
"Oh, yeah? Well that's not what Jake said,"
"Jake? What does he have to do with us?"
"He called me this afternoon, Peyton,"
She shrugged her shoulders, not following what he was getting at. She hadn't spoken to Jake since she left Savannah.
"You claimed that all this time you loved me…that I was the one in your heart,"
"Yes, Luke. It's true, all of it,"
"Then how could you ask Jake to marry you?"
Her shocked expression froze on her face momentarily.
"If I was the only one in your heart, then why ask another guy to spend the rest of his life with you?"
"Lucas, you don't understand," Tears glazed over her eyes.
"So it's true?"
"No…yes,"
"Which is it?"
"Yes," she admitted quietly, "but…"
"Just save it," he backed away.
"Lucas, stop. Please. You don't understand," she pleaded with him to listen to her for just one moment.
He was too angry, too hurt and confused to let her. "How stupid could I be, again. Maybe Brooke was right all along…all you do is chase guys you can't have then toss them aside when you're done…Well you know what Peyton? You won. I ruined a second chance with Brooke and for what? Nothing. Thanks a lot Peyton,"
Frozen in place, Peyton watched Lucas storm out of the room. As the seconds passed by, she still couldn't say anything or move. She was completely shocked by his reaction.
"We're over and we haven't even started. How did we get so messed up?" Peyton wiped away her tears. She forced herself to stop crying.
Haley shrugged, "I don't know…but you guys are far from over,"
Peyton shook her head, "I think it's time to face the truth, Hales. Lucas and I – it'll never happen. God, why does it hurt so much?" she cried again.
Haley pulled Peyton into a hug. She tried her best to console her friend. "Because he's hurting just as much,"
A/N: Not my best work, but I wanted to get an update for this fic before I go on another short 'hiatus'. I have an exam coming up - why I picked up a couple of summer courses, I don't know why. Anyways, I am planning on updating next week, but in case I don't, you'll know why ;)
