Okay, I'll be honest. I've probably had plenty of time to update lately. But it's been PERFECT weather this past week so I've been outside. Plus, I'm sort of in a rut with this story. I know EXACTLY what I'm gonna be doing in a chapter or two, but for right now its like, "What do I do in-between?" No need to worry, though. I won't give up on this story. There might be bigger gaps between updates but they'll be up eventually. I promise.

Peyton woke up shortly after. Lucas didn't mention anything about the message or the call as they argued over pizza.

"We could get mushrooms," he offered. Peyton gagged. "Fine, we'll get cheese. That way everyone's happy," he said, to which Peyton smirked triumphantly.

Peyton grabbed the phone off the receiver to hand to it Lucas. She was about to drop it in his hand when she pulled it back. Grinning, she glanced at the screen. "Let's see who's been calling Lucas Scott," she said in a sing-song voice, scrolling through the recent calls. Lucas made a quick swipe for the phone but she pulled it out of his reach.

A second later the smile slid off her face.

Peyton's eyes became wider as she stared at the number on the screen. Though there wasn't any name, she recognized those digits. She gaped at the familiar number, and then moved her eyes to Lucas. He stared back at her in silence, a knowing look on his face. "Did-he called here?" Peyton stuttered.

Lucas sucked in his cheeks, not answering. He simply stared back at her with slightly pleading eyes, begging her to drop the topic, but she didn't. Dropping the phone on the table, Peyton sat up straighter in her chair, looking as though she was falling apart at the seams. "Lucas, did he call?" she asked, sounding frantic.

Lucas's mind was racing as he tried to figure out what to say. He paused for a moment, and then spoke. "Did who call? I was outside on the phone with Brooke for a while. She wants the gang to go to her place to catch up." He admired his quick thinking. It was even partially true- at school Brooke had been going on about how much she wanted to host a "Welcome Home!" party for Peyton.

Peyton gave him a hard, probing look. She was sure he was lying to her, the way he refused to look her in the eye for more than a few seconds. She stared at him a moment longer before dropping her shoulders. She figured there was no point in pressing the matter. Lucas would keep lying to her no matter how many times she asked.

"Fine," she snapped, throwing the phone back at him. "And a party sounds fun. When are we going?" She raised her eyebrows, waiting to see his reaction.

Lucas smiled back quickly. "Let me just call Brooke and tell her we're ordering pizza," he replied. "I'll tell them to deliver it to her place. And then we can get going."

--

Ten minutes later, Lucas and Peyton sat side by side in his car, on their way to Brooke's apartment. It had taken some time for Lucas to talk to Brooke, convince her that he'd seen Peyton earlier in the day and knew where she was staying, and get her to call Nathan and Haley for their get together. The whole time he was outside on the phone he could see Peyton pulling back the curtains and watching him, obviously interested in why he was taking so long. Eventually Brooke had agreed, sounding extremely excited, and Lucas had ordered the pizza quickly. He had kept his mouth shut about the conversation he and Peyton had earlier, and thankfully she didn't speak of it either. It seemed they both wanted to just have a good time with no worries in sight.

"So you're sure Brooke believed you?" Peyton asked, glancing at Lucas.

He looked back at her, frowning slightly. "Yeah, I'm sure. I don't know why it's a big deal though. Shouldn't we just tell her you've been staying with me?" But even he knew that idea was out of the question, and he wasn't surprised when Peyton raised her eyebrows at him.

"Yeah?" she shot back. "Do you want to be the one to tell Brooke that I've been sleeping in your bed since Friday night?" She stuck her tongue out at him as he gave her a defeated look. Crossing her arms, Peyton glanced down at the cast around her wrist. "God, I can't stand this thing. My arm's been itching like hell since I got it on. Hasn't my bone fixed itself yet?" She impatiently groped in her bag for a pen to soothe the itch.

Lucas grinned and put his arm around her shoulder. "It could be worse," he said optimistically. "At least you still have your arm. Besides, it's been like two days since you got it on. No more complaints."

Peyton leaned her head against Lucas's shoulder, closing her eyes. They drove in silence for a long time, and then they finally pulled into the parking lot outside Brooke's apartment. Nathan's car was already parked, and from the lot they could see lights on in Brooke's room.

Lucas got out of the car, and then hurried around to Peyton's side to hold the door open for her. She raised her eyebrows at him questioningly before stepping out of the car and thanking him quietly.

"Are you ready?" Lucas asked as he slammed the door shut, shoving his keys in his pocket.

Peyton shrugged, her blonde curls bouncing on her shoulders. "I guess."

Together they walked up the steps and stopped in front of Brooke's door. They could hear Brooke, Nathan, and Haley talking loudly inside. Lucas reached up and knocked. The voices inside died down, there were heavy footsteps, and a split second later the door swung open.

"Peyton!" Brooke screamed as she threw the door open. A moment later her arms were around Peyton for the thousandth time since she'd been back. Brooke gave Lucas a smile and a nod, then grabbed Peyton's arm and dragged her inside excitedly. "Nathan, Haley, look who's here!"

Nathan smiled at Peyton, then hurried over and pulled her into a tight hug. "It's great to see you again, Peyt," he told her. Pulling away, he looked down at the cast on her arm. "Well, obviously you're still clumsy as hell." He put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair, making her curls tangle. Giving her one last grin, he stepped sideways for Haley.

Haley smiled at Peyton and walked over to her. "It's really amazing to see you," she whispered, wrapped her arms around the blonde. "Seriously, it's sucked here without you," Haley continued. "There's no good music anymore. If I have to listen to Brooke's Spice Girls CD one more time, I'm gonna hurl."

Brooke reached up and hit Haley lightly on the head as she pulled away from Peyton. "Don't pretend like you haven't been singing along to every song," Brooke grinned. She gestured toward the table in the middle of her kitchen, which was covered with bottles of beer and soda, as well as large bowls of chips and dip, and a large deck of cards. "I thought we'd make the evening interesting with a little strip poker. Or maybe just poker, if you guys want to be lame."

Peyton instinctively crossed her arms protectively over her chest. Lucas glanced at her, understanding immediately. Walking to Brooke, he said, "Let's just skip the 'strip' part. We don't want to scare Peyton back to New York." Brooke shrugged, grinning, and then pulled a chair out.

"Oh best friend!" she sang. "Come take your seat at the head of the table! I was going to decorate it with balloons and streamers but I spent all my money on the food. Sorry about that."

Peyton walked over and took her seat, beaming at Brooke in thanks. "It's no problem," she laughed.

Brooke took a seat to the right of Peyton, Lucas to the left, and Nathan and Haley on the other side. Nathan grabbed the deck of cards and started dealing while Brooke tore at a bottle of beer and Lucas dug through the chips, offering some to Peyton.

And the rest of the night was history. Peyton laughed louder than she had in six months. She talked to Nathan and Haley for the first time since she'd left. She got caught up on the latest Tree Hill gossip, listened to Brooke rant about sluts from local schools, learned of the Ravens' newest basketball recruits. She listened as Nathan recounted just how evil Dan had been since she left. She laughed as Haley discussed her latest conversation with her parents and how they were doing on their tour of the country.

In those few hours she sat with her oldest friends, Peyton started to think that maybe –just maybe- her life would be okay after all.

--

It was past midnight by the time Peyton and Lucas arrived at his house. It had taken some time for Lucas to convince everyone that Peyton's motel was on his way home and he could take her. Everyone wanted to see where Peyton was staying.

"How long are we going to keep this charade up?" Lucas had asked Peyton when they got in his car.

Peyton had simply shrugged and retaliated, "How long 'til you kick me out?" to which Lucas laughed loudly and wrapped his arm around her.

Peyton crawled into Lucas's bed the moment she entered his room. Despite the numerous naps she'd taken since she'd been in Tree Hill, she felt exhausted. She was sure it would take a while before she got her energy back completely. Lately she'd been feeling like she needed at least twelve hours of sleep a night.

Lucas checked his cell phone before getting into bed. There was a text message from Brooke. "Tonight was awesome! We should do it again tomorrow! P.S. I've got a surprise for you!" He smiled to himself, placing the phone on his dresser.

A moment later Lucas crawled into bed beside Peyton, this time both their heads next to each other. Peyton raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged. "I just thought we could talk a bit before going to sleep," he said.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Lucas, you're getting far too clingy," she remarked jokingly. Lucas punched her playfully on the shoulder and she giggled.

"Seriously, though," he continued, wrapping his arm around her. "How was tonight?"

Peyton gave him a genuine, toothy smile. "Tonight was really great," she said breathlessly. "I was worried it would be awkward, but I had such a good time. I really missed everyone. Nathan, Haley, Brooke…hell, even you."

Lucas gave a mock-upset look. Peyton laughed, then craned her neck up and pecked him on the cheek. She dropped her head back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling. Lucas stared at the wall across from him for a moment, looking confused, then leaned over Peyton.

"What was that for?" he asked.

Peyton shrugged. "Do I need a reason?"

Lucas opened his mouth to respond, still positioned above her with his arms on either side of her body, when he heard someone outside his door. A second later it flung open and a familiar voice called out.

"Oh, Luke! I've got your surprise!"

Brooke's voice died immediately as she stepped in the room. Her mouth was slightly open as she stared at the bed, seeing Lucas poised over Peyton. Her dark eyes widened and her eyebrows rose involuntarily.

Lucas stared back at Brooke, his mouth hanging open. Peyton pushed herself up on her elbows, causing Lucas to move off of her. She too stared at Brooke, feeling her face turn bright red. Across the room, Brooke's eyes were glowing.

She stared in complete silence at the two of them for a long moment. Her face began turning pink in anger and embarrassment, and Peyton was sure she saw tears glistening in Brooke's eyes. When Brooke finally spoke, her voice was hoarse and angry.

"I should've fucking known."

A second later the door slammed behind her as she left the room, leaving Peyton and Lucas together on the bed, horrified at what had just happened.