A/N: Yeah so umm I'm sorry about the wait. I had terrible writers block with this story. I knew what needed to be said but I didn't know how to get there. Anyways, I hope this came out decent. I'm not entirely positive if I like it…I like the end though. And now I'm rambling lol. So yeah, enjoy this! And review if you don't mind. It'll make my day!
Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or Panic! at the Disco's Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have.
I've got more wit,
A better kiss,
A hotter touch
A better fuck
Chapter Six: Spirals only Head Downward
Stories. They taught lessons, right? Morals and such. She remembered once her mother told her a story of a beautiful angel who fell for a mortal man whose soul was as black as coal. The angel knew that she could be destroyed by this man, but she also knew that he would gain some of her goodness and purity. In the end, they'd both wind up shades of grey. There was probably a real moral to that story, something about compromise and good triumphing. She was pretty sure that the angel and the mortal man both wound up being good people. However, looking back, Peyton saw it as pretty screwed up. No one should sacrifice their morality for someone they love. If they do, can they really call it love? Why the hell was she thinking about this anyway?
Oh, right! She remembered now. The mortal man sort of reminded her of herself. She was no saint, she knew that well. And Lucas…well he was like the angel. Only their story hadn't turned out like the one her mother told her. If she was being honest, she was guilty. She felt like she had tainted him, like she was responsible for what he had done with Brooke. She wasn't used to feeling guilty, but then Lucas was responsible for teaching her that someone's actions affect other people in ways unseen. It seemed like a double burn for her.
"Hey princess, I hate to interrupt your little daydream, but you're going to be late for homeroom."
Peyton had been staring aimlessly at the inside of her locker. It wasn't her fault she zoned out. There were plenty of unsettling thoughts on her mind. She was constantly thinking about her date tonight with AJ, Haley's experience with AJ, and most importantly, her words with Lucas just a few days ago. The whole sticky love confession.
"A.J., why would you care?" she asked as he continued down the hallway. He was walking backwards so he could face her.
"I don't," he smirked, "but I know you do." He gave her a quick wink. "I'll see you in English." He turned back around.
"They let you back so soon?"
"Of course," he called back over his shoulder, not bothering to turn around or elaborate. She felt a small grin tug at the corners of her mouth, but it quickly disappeared as she turned back around to find Lucas leaning against the locker next to hers.
"Hey," she said softly. She could have ignored him, but she had come to realize that was useless. Besides, he had been giving her space just like he said he would. She figured the least she could do was try and be somewhat civil.
"Hi," he replied, his gaze focused on his shoes.
"You must have done something wrong."
"What?" His eyes quickly darted up to meet hers.
"Well, people aren't usually shy unless they've screwed something up. Right now, you're avoiding eye contact so I'm assuming-"
"It's nothing big, but I just don't know how you'll react to it."
"Well, I'll put it simply for you," Peyton said as she pulled her notebook out of her locker, "If it includes the word 'Brooke' I may throw this at you." She had intended to make the taboo word love, but somehow her mouth wouldn't let her and Brooke had taken its place.
"It's nothing about Brooke," he said firmly, "It's about tonight."
"Okay…"
"So I made plans with Jake-"
"Switching teams already?"
"And Haley!"
"Ooh kinky! Is Nathan involved too?"
"Can you remove your mind from the gutter for just a second?"
"I'll try," Peyton said. She liked keeping things light hearted with him. It kept her from dwelling on the closeness of his body, the intensity of his gaze.
"We're going to the same party as you and A.J. I didn't know it when I agreed to it, but I just thought you should know."
"Oh."
"I'd stay home, but I promised Haley I'd do this for her. She won't take no for an answer and every time I try and explain-"
"It's fine, Lucas."
"Okay good," he nodded, "I didn't want you to think I was stalking you."
"Yeah, you kind of already have that nickname going against you."
"True," Lucas said. He shoved his hands in his pockets and took a deep breath, "Hey Peyt?"
"Yeah?"
"Just so you know, if any thing happens on Friday, I'll be there for you."
"Oh Lucas, come on!" Peyton said frustrated.
"I trust your judgment. I really do. I'm just saying-"
"Whatever." She slammed her locker shut giving him a quick glance. It was a mistake though because as soon as she saw those blue eyes, all resolve to be irritated melted. "Thank you, I guess." She quickly took off down the hall, unable to handle the situation.
"You're welcome," he whispered to no one in particular.
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Othello is Shakespeare's second longest play. 1,309 lines. The main characters, Othello and Iago have the fifth and sixth most lines respectively out of all of Shakespeare's characters. 274 and 272 respectively. The play is about how far someone can be pushed when jealousy-"
"Jesus Christ, I forgot how boring this class was," A.J. whispered in her ear. She glanced over her shoulder at him.
"Yeah so did I." She had been taking notes for the last half hour and her hand was cramped.
"I miss the good old days when he was locked up and I could have a damn smoke."
Peyton couldn't help the small chuckle that passed over her lips. It earned a nasty glare from the teacher who abruptly turned around from his work.
"Ms. Sawyer, Mr. Hopps, am I interrupting anything?"
"No, sir, we were just discussing the incompatibility of military heroism and love in Othello."
"Well, those are some deep thoughts Mr. Hopps. I'm sure you and your girlfriend can discuss them in details during your partners' project."
"Oh Mr. Camden!" A.J. let out a deep laugh, "I don't usually do girlfriends. And besides, if she had been my girlfriend, she would have been cursing me not laughing with me." A few people in the class laughed.
"Oh your wit kills me," the teacher deadpanned. He glanced at the clock and sighed, "I think it's time you broke into partners and discussed the project. Try to keep the noise down."
Peyton hardly had time to comprehend the teachers' words before she felt her desk being jerked around so she came face to face with green eyes.
"Howdy, partner."
"Aaron James."
"Shh! Don't use the Christian name! People might hear it."
"There's something odd about you saying the word Christian."
"Well aren't you a funny one."
"Hey, can I ask where you pulled that thing about heroism and love from?"
"Sparknotes."
"Ah, I figured," Peyton nodded.
"So we're still on for tonight, right?"
"Yeah. Why would you ask?"
"Well, there's this rumor going around school that you and stalker boy are back on."
"We're not. You don't have to worry about that," Peyton said cryptically, biting her lip.
"Truthfully?"
"Listen," Peyton sighed, "If I wanted to go with Lucas Friday, I'd go with Lucas. I want to go with you."
"Can't blame you there," he smirked, "And I seriously don't mind being a pawn in this little game you're playing with him. Just let me have my fun."
"In your dreams, Hopps." Peyton suddenly realized she had set herself up for whatever lewd comment he could manufacture. Before he got a chance to even open his mouth though, the bell rang.
"I had a good comeback for that, but I think I'll save the innuendo for when I pick you up."
She just nodded as she packed her things away. A.J. had already made his way out the door when Lucas moved to pass her. They were both in the same row, and the tight quarters made it painfully noticeable when he did move around her, his body brushing hers. His hand instinctively found her waist to keep his balance as he maneuvered around her. It was a fleeting moment, but like all their moments it left a mark.
"Sorry," he muttered not looking at her.
"It's okay," she said shakily, trying not to show the affect he had on her. She doubted he even heard her, as he was already headed out the door. To her surprise, he must have because he glanced over his shoulder and threw her a small shy smile. She couldn't help but return it.
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I can do this. I can do this. The words had become her mantra. She felt an unnerving sense of panic at the thought of being at a party with A.J. The rumors about him may not have been entirely true, but that didn't mean they held no merit whatsoever. She hadn't gotten to the point where she could trust people again. Not that she could much before the whole Lucas debacle. What if he was exactly like everyone said he was? What if he pulled something on her?
Lucas will be there. She looked around. Where had that thought come from? She hated the idea that the thought of Lucas watching out for her made her breathe easier. He was her knight in shining armor, as much as she hated to admit it. He was meant to protect her. Love her. Save her.
But she was stubborn and still hurting. She refused to make it easy for him to waltz back into her life. This A.J. thing wasn't helping either. With his carefree, hit-them-where-it-hurts mentality and charming smile, he was providing her an escape. She hadn't decided if he was preying on her weakness or just generally interested in helping her, but she knew one thing was for sure. He had the lust factor, and when reeling over heartache, a good rebound was never a bad thing.
She glanced in the mirror again, her black lined eyes darting down to check the evenness of rose colored hue of her lips. She traced her gaze back up her face, before stepping back from the mirror to take it all in. Her paled complexion contrasted greatly with the black halter top that clung tightly to her upper half. Her hair had been swept back casually into a ponytail, allowing a few tendrils to escape the sides and back. She had opted for a red plaid skirt and chunky black boots to complete her ensemble. She looked good, sexy even.
Her hand unconsciously smoothed her skirt as she heard the doorbell ring. Taking a deep breath, she quickly headed down the stairs. Her hands lingered on the doorknob a second before she swung it open. There was A.J. in all his glory, wearing blue jeans and a Rolling Stones T-Shirt.
"Hey A.J.," she said.
"Well, well, well," he said, as his eyes roamed her body. Normally, that would make her feel uncomfortable, but it was normal behavior for him. She was growing accustomed to it. "You look hot."
"Thank you," she said, "You look nice too." She watched as his eyes snapped back up to meet hers. He shifted closer, inside her house, hands resting on her hips.
"I'm thinking we skip the party and head upstairs," he said lowly, a smirk settled on his lips.
"Nice try."
"It was worth a try."
"Oh! I have something for you!" She could tell that he had to use all his self restraint not to make a smarmy comment. She found the manila envelope on the stairs and handed it to him.
"What's this?" he asked eyeing the envelope in confusion.
"Take a look."
She had finished the picture of him. She had shaded and even colored it. It was one of her proudest works. And it made her even prouder to see the smile tugging at his lips as he studied the drawing. He wasn't smirking, no just smiling softly. It made him look so gentle.
"Rise above the curve, huh?" A.J. said, as his eyes slowly dragged away from the paper to meet hers. He was referring to the caption on the work.
"Yeah. I thought it worked."
"It does," he nodded, "Thanks for this." He motioned to the paper. "It's really good."
"No problem."
"You ever try selling your stuff?"
"Umm, I kind of work for THUD magazine," Peyton said awkwardly. When she thought of that job, she thought of Lucas.
"Never read it. Too preppy for my taste."
"Shocker there," Peyton said rolling her eyes. She could sense his nervousness at her gesture. He wasn't used to people giving him something without any ulterior motive. He didn't have friends. He had accomplices and dates and neither lasted long. She gave him a warm smile. "We should get going."
"Uh, yeah," he said snapping out of his trance. She pulled on his hand, tugging him out the door, unable to keep the grin off her face for leaving A.J. Hopps speechless.
---------
It was like any typical high school party. There was music pumping through the house. Everyone was crammed together, making it hard to navigate your way through the house. There were beer bottles everywhere and Peyton always found it fun to find the strangest place she could spot one.
"I'll go get you a drink," A.J. said, "The living room should have a recliner open."
"Okay," Peyton nodded as they parted ways.
Sure enough when she entered the living room, there was a single recliner free of any occupant. She glanced around and noticed that this seemed to be deemed the make-out room. There were at least seven or eight couples bordering on indecent exposure. What boggled her more was the fact that many of the couples had taken to pressing against walls when there was a free recliner right there. She just shook her head at them, before settling down on the open chair.
"You might want to move, cheerleader," one of guys said, as his date moved her lips to his neck freeing his mouth, "That's A.J.'s seat and he'll eat you alive, sweetie."
"Well that explains it," Peyton muttered. She didn't answer the boy, simply laid back in the chair waiting for A.J. to return.
"I hope Heineken is all right." Peyton almost jumped out of her chair at the voice.
"Jesus, A.J.!" Peyton exclaimed, "You scared me!"
He merely chuckled at her before extending a hand. She eyed it curiously.
"We have to share the chair. And I'm guessing you're lighter than me which means you get top."
"Oh," Peyton said taking his hand as he hoisted her up. A.J. sat down, and in a sweeping motion grabbed Peyton by the hips and pulled her down to his lap. She felt herself pulled back as he reclined the chair.
"Much better," A.J. sighed, handing Peyton her beer. She took a large gulp, feeling self conscious as all these people who had been making out, shifted their attention to her. A.J. must have noticed. He simply glared at them and they all went back to making out.
"How do you do that?" Peyton whispered.
"You're just figuring out people are scared of me?" A.J. said. Peyton let out a steady laugh.
"Good point."
"I'm gonna have to kiss you now." The words seemed out of the blue, and Peyton almost choked on her drink.
"Excuse me?"
"We're in the make-out room. In my make-out chair. It's only custom that I kiss you."
To say Peyton was having a moral dilemma at this point would be an understatement. She knew she wasn't over Lucas and she probably wouldn't be for a long time. She also, deep down, didn't want to be over him. That didn't stop her from feeling the obvious attraction to the man lying next to her. She couldn't help but feel curious as to what it would feel like to have his lips moving against hers.
The curiosity won out in the end.
She pulled his head down, enveloping his lips with hers. To his credit, he immediately responded, placing his hands on her hips to tug her forward. She ran her hands through his hair.
His kisses didn't set her on fire. They didn't make her melt or drift off into her own little world where all that existed was him. They weren't Lucas's kisses. But they were sexy and passionate in their own way. She was positive that if he had kissed her before Lucas's lips had ever left their mark upon hers, she could have fallen for him. But alas, he didn't.
And it was at that moment she realized she loved Lucas. She loved him more than she had ever loved anyone else. More than any of her boyfriends before. And especially more than Nathan. And she knew this because all she could think about was Lucas. Here she was with an attractive, smart, funny guy and all she could think about was the jackass who had broken her heart.
As she felt his hand creeping under her top, she pulled away.
"You okay?" A.J. asked, although Peyton could tell he was more interested in reattaching his lips to hers.
"I can't do this," Peyton said, "I still…I'm in-"
"You don't have to say it," A.J. cut her off. Peyton simply smiled at him, before her eyes wandered to the front room. They were met with a familiar pair of blue ones. Disappointed blue ones. She sighed internally. That was not the sight she wanted Lucas to see. Making him jealous was no longer interesting. She felt her heart drop as he headed out the door, without another look at her.
"I'm gonna go mingle," Peyton said suddenly. She needed to clear her head. She needed another beer.
"Yeah it would probably save us from the awkwardness, especially since your stalker saw us," A.J. smirked.
"You're so funny."
"I try. Listen, you don't mind if I go find another lady to occupy my interests."
"No," Peyton laughed shaking her head, "Knock your socks off."
"I plan on removing much more than my socks."
"Oh God…"
------
She had been wandering around the party for awhile, finally settling in one of the more secluded rooms, a study that faced the living room. She had brought with her a six back of beer. Now, there was only five empty bottles, and a half drunk one in the petite blonde's hand. She had grabbed the alcohol when her search for Lucas left her empty handed. Now, she was smashed beyond belief, and she felt herself being tugged into a constant haze which she knew would lead to her passing out. She tried to pull herself out of it, but whenever she did, she took another sip of her drink, thus adding fuel to the fire.
She hardly heard the door of the study creaking open.
"Well, well, well, it must be my lucky day," the guy at the door said. Peyton could hardly make out his face, her vision was so blurred. "A drunk, pretty cheerleader alone in a room."
"You're a creepy guy," Peyton muttered honestly. Drinking always did make her blunt.
"Do you have a point?"
"Umm, it makes me uncomfortable that you're standing there."
"What? Are you afraid I'll do something you won't like?" He was coming dangerously close to her now.
"Just because I'm drunk, doesn't mean I'm going to sleep with you. Even with eight or so beers in me I can tell you're ugly."
"You kind of don't have any choice in the matter." His words sent a flood of panic through her as she glanced around her. The door was closed. He was huge and she suddenly felt herself slipping into another haze. "See me and my friends saw you come in here with your six pack, and we waited until we were sure you had drank them all. And now, we're going to have some fun with you…"
She barely could comprehend his words as they trailed off in her head. Her body was becoming weak and she felt herself falling down onto the bed. Or maybe she had been pushed…She honestly couldn't remember. She heard herself yelling. And someone trying to sooth her. But then it all went black and the last words she recalled were her father's the night he first found her drunk.
"Drinking is never the answer, Peyton Elizabeth," he had said. He was always right.
------
Lucas had been hell bent on leaving the party. It had been nothing but a disappointment. Haley had ditched him for Nathan. Jake was currently trying to ward off Bevin's attention. Oh and did he mention that he had caught Peyton making out with A.J.? Talk about a slap in the face. He had been out the door, in fact, before he realized that Haley had his keys. For some strange reason, she figured she'd be the most likely to end the night sober. To say that was a misjudgment would be an understatement. She was far past plastered.
He eventually found her and got his keys. She had mumbled something about Peyton looking for him, and he had decided that he'd make one quick lap around the house to see if he could find her. He started in the living room, where he had previously caught her making out with A.J. But, he was shocked to see A.J. entangled with some red head. The gears in his mind started to click and he wondered what the hell had happened.
Suddenly, finding her seemed more poignant than going home. Part of him hoped that she had changed her mind about him and that's why she wasn't still with A.J. So that's why he was walking around the house trying to find her. He had been around twice with no such luck and he was just beginning to think that maybe she had gone home. Then he heard it. A familiar voice. A muffled scream. It was coming from the study. Peyton was in there.
He couldn't remember how it happened. How his body got from where he was standing to that door. How his hand turned that knob and pushed that door open. How his eyes narrowed at the sight he was presented with. No he couldn't remember any of that. He could only remember his arms wrapping around the stomach of the shirtless man who was currently pushing himself on Peyton. He could only remember pulling that man furiously off her and throwing him against the wall.
"What the hell is going on?" the man hissed, "Can't you see we're busy?"
"Get the fuck away from her," Lucas said in a low voice. He advanced on the man, only to be caught off guard when a fist knocked him from behind. He turned and saw two more men enter the room.
"Sorry, Mike, we didn't see him get through."
"It's fine," the man named Mike said, wiping the blood off his face, "Just get him out of here." The two men nodded and attempted to pick Lucas up by the armpits. He struggled free.
"I'm not leaving without her."
"Sorry, no can do. And no offense kid you can't take all three of us."
"Fine. If you're not scared of me, even though you should be right now, you should know she came here with A.J. Hopps." Lucas knew he couldn't take three men, but he also knew that the name A.J. Hopps could invoke fear in even the toughest assholes.
"What?" the man choked out, his own fear present as his eyes darted around the room toward the men with him.
"What the hell's going on here?" A.J. said suddenly as he passed by the room. "I heard my name on the way to the pisser." A.J. looked in the room and Lucas saw his fist furl.
"Mike, here, was trying to take advantage of Peyton," Lucas said.
"Oh really?" A.J. said coldly.
"Listen, Hopps. I swear to God-" He was cut off as A.J. slammed him into the wall. One of the Mike's men fled, but the other tried to hit A.J. from behind. Lucas cut him off, tackling him in the stomach. A.J. and Mike's brawl made its way outside, into the living room. Lucas on the other hand was trying to hold off the other man, who was at least twice his size. The longer the fight went on the harder it got for Lucas to keep hold of him. Finally, the man managed to pin Lucas down, and began wailing on him, each punch landing with increasing intensity and Lucas was sure that he had never felt this kind of pain before.
In the distance, he heard the shattering of glass and suddenly the man who was beating on him stood up and turned around to see what had happened. His eyes widened as A.J., without a scratch on him, stalked back towards the room. He pulled the guy up by the jacket allowing Lucas to get up.
"It's time for you to join your friend," A.J. hissed. Lucas watched from the doorway as A.J. led the man to living room where the large window had been shattered and threw him out the now open hole. A.J. looked around at all the staring people
"Who owns this house?" he asked. A small mousy girl stepped forward, her hands trembling. A.J. pulled out his wallet and handed her a wad of bills.
"That should cover the broken window…and the broken lamp…oh and the broken shelf in the study."
"Thanks…Umm, I kind of already called the cops. I'm sorry A.J." the girl whispered.
"It's okay, babe." He said patting her on the back before he went back to the study and to Lucas. "You okay, stalker boy?"
"Yeah I'm fine. Thanks for your help."
"It's no problem. I shouldn't have left her alone with creeps like him wandering around."
"You didn't know."
"Doesn't make me feel any better," A.J. muttered, glancing at the blonde girl who had been the catalyst for all of this, "Fuck, when did I become a softie?"
"She has that affect on people."
"You love her, don't you?" A.J. sighed.
"Yeah, I do."
"Well then don't fuck it up again. She's different then most of them. Consider yourself lucky."
Lucas opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off by the arrival of two cops in the study.
"Mr. Hopps, we meet again."
"Oh Shirley! I'm so glad they sent you," A.J. smirked, "And Thomas came with you."
"What did you do this time?"
"I threw two kids through a window, but before you yell at me, I did it in defense of the lady they were gonna date rape, my good friend in fact. She's the girl on the bed here. Surely, that earns me some brownie points?"
"While I'm utterly shocked that this was a selfless act, what are we supposed to do about the broken window?"
"I gave the girl money for it. No harm done."
"You're intoxicated."
"Who here isn't?"
"We have to take you to the station, A.J. I'm sure we can work something out…yet again seeing as your dad-"
"…is chief of police," Lucas finished, "I knew Hopps sounded familiar."
"Yeah well, don't go spreading it around," A.J. said as he let the cops handcuff him, "I'm the black sheep of the family."
"I won't," Lucas promised.
"Can you give blondie a ride home?" A.J. asked.
"Sure."
"And tell her I'm sorry, if she wakes up." Lucas simply nodded at the statement. He watched as they dragged A.J. out of the room, before he scooped up the blonde into his arms and headed to his truck to take her home.
-----------
He was shocked to find the front door to her house unlocked. He'd have to talk to her about that habit. She hadn't woken at all since they had left the party. In fact, she barely stirred, and Lucas found himself glancing over at her at every stoplight to make sure she was awake. However, as they made their way up her stairs, she began to shift in his arms. Once he got her to the bedroom and laid her down on the bed, her eyes fluttered open.
"Lucas," she croaked, confusion etched in her voice.
"Yeah, it's me."
"What happened? I remember being in a study and then some ugly guy was there and-"
"Why don't you get some sleep and we'll talk about it in the morning?"
"Lucas, he didn't do anything did he," she said, her voice suddenly gaining panic.
"No," Lucas said quickly, "Nothing actually happened. I got there and so did A.J."
"Okay," she said, her fingers relaxing around his wrist and her eyes drifting close.
"I'm gonna go," Lucas said, "I'll be back in the morning to check on you."
"No!" Peyton muttered, grabbing his wrist again, "Stay."
"Peyt, I-"
"Stay," she just repeated pulling him down so that he was lying next to her.
"Okay, I'll stay."
"You're always saving me."
"Somebody's got to," he smiled, though she couldn't see him. She smiled back at him.
"I love you," she sighed, so quietly that he doubted he would have heard it if he hadn't been inches away from her. He saw that she was sound asleep already so he merely covered her with her blanket and took a deep breath.
"I love you too," he whispered, "That's why I'm always saving you."
It may have been words mumbled in the dark, but it felt good for Lucas to say them nonetheless.
Girl I was it, look past the sweat, a better love deserving of
Exchanging body heat in the passenger seat?
No, no, no, you know it will always just be me
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So….what'd you think? Next update should be out sooner than usual. We shall see. Also, don't expect a happy ending just yet...that'd be too nice. lol.