im quite pleased with this chpt 'cos i tried something different i hope it comes across well with you guys. please let me know thanks again!!

lonely

'Do you want to get married?'

Chad leaned forward to look into Hilarie's eyes.

And into the camera, of course.

He reached out his hand and touched Hilarie's cheek, she looked away – longing, wistful. This was the fourth take on this scene, he usually messed it up sometime about right now.

He took a breath.

'Do you… do you want to marry me…' he moved his hand slowly to her hair – her fake hair that was. Only this time he spotted something, a strand of her real hair had fallen out, grazing her cheek slightly. He tucked the strand behind her ears, and kissed her cheek. He could feel the tension in her back. He could almost read her mind in those green eyes of hers….

That wasn't in the script Chad!! Hilarie felt like screaming into his ear, but the camera was still rolling.You're not supposed to kiss me like that - unexpectedly, like its nothing, like its natural without giving me the time to mentally prepare first you insensitive annoying selfish self-centred... Obviously their nitty picky director had chosen this day to forget his script. She could kill Chad right now. She turned to give him dagger looks when she saw the red light change, the camera was on her now.

So instead she had to look into his eyes – longingly, wistfully.

And it was then that she saw something.

Was it longing? Desire?

Honestly why did Chad have to pick today to act so well?? Just when she was getting all jittery.

She breathed deeply, how many more seconds did she have before the whole scene was messed up?

If only he would stop looking at her like that.

Like he meant it.

Like it was real.

She breathed, feeling herself blush all the way to her ears.

Your line Hills, he was mouthing.

Shut up was what she felt like mouthing.

Then with all her might and concentration she forced the word out.

'No,' she said.

'Cut!!!!' the director yelled. 'Try reading the script Burton, I would have scrapped it if Murray hadn't messed up so many takes before this. Great this time Murray though please remember that its Shane not Lucas you're playing… less throbbing emotion please.'

Hilarie and Chad were still paused there, in each others' laps. She could see something in his eyes, it had been there since that moment in the scene only now it was deepened, intensified. It wasn't just longing, or desire, it was….

Sadness.

Sadness? But what was he sad for?

Chad motioned for her to get up as he walked away, lifting his hand to his eyes. Hilarie watched him wordlessly as he walked off the set.

Usually he always joked or laughed with her, played his 'Lucas Scott' role for a few minutes teasing her about how hopelessly in love she was with him.

Peyton, that is.

Usually she played along, joking about how they should just elope and live happily ever after.

Their characters, that is.

But today was different.

What made it different?

He'd just walked off, and left her in the scene, questioning how clear the line remained between fiction and reality.

--------------------

'No,' Eugenia said firmly.

'No?' Shane questioned. 'Why?'

'Because I love you.'

Shane looked down at the girl he had known since the moment that he had met that he would fall desperately in love with.

'You… you love me?' he asked.

'Yes,' she said resolutely.

'But you don't want to marry me because you love me,' he said.

'Yes,' she said.

'Can you blame me if I'm getting confused here?' he threw his arms up in the air.

Eugenia laughed and silenced him with a gentle kiss on the lips.

'I've never told you this but before my Mum met my Dad she was married to someone else,' she said.

'What!' Shane looked stunned.

'Hang on hang on…' Eugenia laughed. 'She married this man in high school. But she always said they were too young, when she made some wrong choices it fell apart…'

'How do you know this stuff?' he couldn't help but tease her matter-of-factness.

'I snooped around when I was little, found her old wedding ring… some other odds and ends, she had some explaining to do…' she laughed. 'But that's why we can't get married… I don't want it to be like that for us…'

'So we can't elope and run away?' Shane kidded with his puppy dog-eyed look.

'No, we can't!' she said.

'Alright then,' Shane said scooping her up in his arms. 'But that's not going to stop me from kissing you.'

There was a loud slam as Shane pulled Eugenia close to his lips. They pulled apart and saw Lucas standing behind them.

'Lukey I…' Eugenia began.

'Eugenia get out of the room,' Lucas said.

'I…'

'Get out of the room.'

Eugenia walked up the basement stairs angrily.

Lucas faced this young man steadily. For the first time in his life, he had met this man face to face. And all he saw in his face was…

A stranger.

'Get out of here!' he shouted. 'I don't want to ever see you near Eugenia again!'

Lucas walked slowly up the stairs after the boy left. His head was throbbing with the realization that the first words he had ever spoken to that boy was words of anger, hatred, pain – not directed at him.

'I hate you!' were the words that greeted him as he stepped out of the basement.

'Eugenia…' he said as she paced up and down.

'You humiliated me, you screamed at my boyfriend you have no right to do that…' she shouted.

'This is my house and I am your…'

'You're not my father!' she shrieked. 'You're not my parent you're not my father you've made it perfectly clear that you never really wanted anything to do with me!'

Lucas was stunned. 'Eugenia I…'

'I hate you! Leave me alone!'

And with that she stormed up the stairs leaving Lucas once again, alone.

Give one word to describe Lucas, Peyton.

Joke.

Give one word tp describe Peyton, Lucas.

Lonely.

So this is what true loneliness feels like, Lucas thought to himself. Feeling the anger sweep away from his face, his mind, leaving a cold emptiness on the inside.

So this is what loneliness feels like.

Ring ring.

'Lucas Scott speaking,' he said tiredly. 'Yes, I'll meet you at 9pm.'