AN: Thanks for the reviews to: jeyton4ever, southerncoffeeaddict, and OTH.daddy'sgurl.06. You guys are amazing, and I'm so happy that you like this story!

Chapter 7

Peyton's POV

I would've given anything in the world for him to get mad at me. Yell at me. Maybe throw something. Anything. Anything would've been better than the eery, awkward silence that followed and went on forever after those words came out of my mouth. Remind me again why I decided to tell him I was in High School? No, I'm glad I did, really, at least now he knows the truth. It's the fact that I had lied about it in the first place that I'm regreting.

"Jake," I said quietly, not able to look him in the eye, so I was looking down at the ground, "Say something, please."

Jake looked up at me and I forced myself to keep my gaze down, not wanting to see the way he would be looking at me. "But today..." He paused, for what seemed like hours, "How were you in my group?"

I was confused at first, but then it came to me. The dating round one groups. He was in the over-twenty group and I should have been in the under-twenty group. "I," I said feeling a little embarassed, among all the other feelings flowing through me, "I kind of switched programs with someone."

Then. That's when I made the mistake of looking up into his face. He was looking right at me. His gorgeous eyes only reflected hurt, not hate. He looked confused, but not mad.

"Jake, it wasn't suppose to be a big deal-" I tried to say.

"I have to go," He said breaking the gaze and getting up.

"No, Jake, please don't be mad. Let me-"

"I'm not mad, Peyton. Just... disapointed," He said before turning around and leaving. It took every strength in me not to yell after him or run after him. But he obveously didn't want to talk. Maybe some time alone would do some good.

xXxXxXx

"Brooke!" I yelled when I got to our cabin, hoping she would be there. And thankfuly, she was there, sprawled on her bed reading Cosmo. She looked up alarmed, I guess I must yelled louder than I wanted to.

"Peyton, what's up?" She asked worriedly closing her Cosmo and setting it beside her. I went and sat down next to her on her bed.

"Brooke, please don't be mad. OK, I had to do it," I said all in one breathe. I was really wired for some reason.

"Why? What are you talking about? Slow down." She said giving me a semi-hug.

"Brooke, I told Jake." I said, "I told him that we were in high school. I'm so sorry, I just-"

"Peyton, shh, it's OK. I already told Lucas, like yesterday." Brooke said biting her bottom lip looking nervous. Her puppy-dog eyes saying 'please don't be mad'. I just laughed.

"Why didn't you tell me? And how'd Lucas take it?" I asked, wanting to forget about my troubles for a little while and focus on Brooke and Lucas's rapidly growing relationship.

"He thought it was funny. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I told him I just made Lucas swear he wouldn't tell Jake. I didn't want you to feel pressured to tell him, you seemed like you were having a lot of fun," She said.

"Yeah, 'were' being to key word there," I said.

"Tell me what happened," She said sympatheticaly, reminding me how lucky I am to have her as a best friend. I can tell her anything and I know she'll always listen to my many issues.

"He didn't really say much, you know? He just looked so disapointed in me and so hurt, and I really wish that I had never lied in the first place. He left before I could really explain myself," I said. Lucas had just laughed. Jake had done the opposite. For best friends, they sure were different.

"Oh, Peyton, I'm sorry. He probably just needed some time. He'll come around, don't worry," She said soothingly wrapping me up in a best-friend bear hug.

"I hope so," I said into her shoulder.

xXxXxXx

Jake's POV

"Lucas!" I yelled walking in to our cabin. Lucas was in there with Jenny.

"Hey, man, I picked up Jenny from the day-care, I hope you don't mind," Lucas said.

"Nah, thanks man," I said, "Hey Jenny, do you think Daddy and Luke can have a word in private for a second?" I asked.

She nodded and went to a corner of the room where she took out a piece of paper and some pens from the drawer and started drawing.

"What's up?" Lucas asked concerned. I sighed. I really didn't want to be the one to tell him this.

"Luke, you should probably hear this from Brooke but I think I should tell you," I said. And at the sound of Brooke's name he perked up, looking worried.

"Why? What happened?"

"Luc, they're not who they say they are. They're seventeen and still in high school." I said bracing myself for his response. It's harder for guys. You can't just go up and hug them, 'cause that might be a little awkward. I just kind of looked at him apoligeticaly. His expression changed from worry to amusement. That struck me as sort of odd.

"It's about time you found out. Brooke told me yesterday," He said casualy. "God, you had me worried for a second, Jake."

Wait a second. Brooke told him yesterday? And he just found out five minutes ago? And why was Lucas so easy-going about all this? They had lied.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I yelled. OK, so I didn't mean to yell, but it just came out. Which is kind of weird because I hadn't yelled at Peyton at all. In fact, I'm really not a yelling sort of guy.

"Dude, what the hell are you getting mad at me about? Brooke told me not to tell you so I didn't. It's not like it's a big deal. Chill, man," Lucas said defensively.

"They lied to us!" I said.

"Yeah, about their age. Come on, what difference does it make. Does it really change how you feel about her because she's a few years younger than you thought she was?" Lucas said. Yeah! I wanted to yell. Yeah, it really does make a difference. But I couldn't quite figure out why.

"What kind of an immature teenager lies about being in college? I have a daughter, Luke, more things to think about." I said.

"OK," Lucas said, "I get that. But tell me honestly, is this whole idea that Peyton is to 'immature' for you based on her being seventeen and lying about her age, which by the way a ton of teenagers do, or is it based on your actual opinion of her?" He said.

I opened my mouth to answer that he wasn't getting it and that wasn't fair. But what he had said really made me think. If she had just told me she was seventeen from the start I probably would have labeled her off as too young or immature, and I wouldn't have been able to get to know what a wonderful person she was.

"Look," Lucas said when he realized I wasn't going to answer his question, "just talk to her. I'm sure she really wants to explain it all to you. So, let her," he said. I just stood there for a second, then slowly nodded. Then I was out of there.

xXxXxXx

I was halfway to walking to Peyton's cabin when I decided against it and started walking back to my cabin. But I knew that once I reached the door of my cabin, I would just end up walking right back in the direction of her cabin. This whole thing had happened about fifty times before and I was sick of it. Just do it! I yelled at myself. I sighed, and continued walking to her cabin.

I stood in front of her door for a couple minutes. Should I knock? Should I just go back? Am I making a mistake? Right in the midst of my decision the door in front of me swung open and there stood Peyton, shocked to find me right there.

"Hi," I said not really knowing what to say.

"Hi," She said in a small voice, "Um, can we talk?" Can we talk? That would've been a good thing for me to say. But for some reason that hadn't come to me.

"Yeah, good idea," I said. We walked to the front of the boat, where there were a couple couples scattered around here and there.

"Look," I said, "I overreacted, I know, it's just-"

"No," Peyton interupted, "No, it's my fault. I should have told you sooner. Or, I mean, I shouldn't have lied in the first place but, it's just..." She paused and I waited for her to continue, "I have a good life. Great friends and I really shouldn't complain. But it's just... Everything that comes with high school. The drama, the immaturity, the bad relationships, I just wanted to have a summer away from that. I didn't notice that I was making a mistake by pretending to be older," She said.

"No, I get it," I said, but I'm not sure if she really heard me.

"Age... it's just a number you know," She said grabbing my hands in hers. "Everything else you learned about me is true, I swear. All the conversations, the fun we had, those kisses, they were so real, you have no idea. And I hope that I haven't ruined all of that," She said.

I took my hands from hers and placed them around her waiste. She looked up at me hopefuly. I smiled slightly, looking down at her beautiful face, illuminated by the moonlight. Before I could lean down to kiss her, she beat me to it, rising on her tip-toes and placing her hands on my face and meeting my lips with hers in a sensual kiss. This time I kissed her back quick, trying to make up for not kissing her faster before she had beat me to it. But that was actualy kind of sexy.

I pulled her body closer to mine, just to feel how well we completed each other. The kiss was intensifying with ever second and my head was spinning and my heart racing. I didn't know what I would do when this feeling would be over, but thankfuly neither of us pulled away. It just went on and on and on...