Love Unrequited
An OTH FanFic
By AlexB
2
Knocking echoed inside his mind. Hollow it rang, making his head hurt even more than it already did. He couldn't open his eyes. The muscles in his back and shoulders were pulled so tight, the spasm hard enough to rip and agonized groan from him. His hands were bound so tightly at the wrists, he couldn't feel them. And his ribs, he couldn't take a decent breath.
Then he heard a voice.
"Peyton, I know you're home, your car is in the drive."
Peyton.
Lucas tried again to open his eyes but his body wouldn't let him. He ached all over and could feel the bile rising in the back of his throat. Clamping his jaw, he choked it back. He was not about to be sick in some place he had no idea how to get out of.
He was so tired.
The darkness was pulling at him again. As bad as his head throbbed, Lucas knew that he shouldn't let himself fall asleep. He fought weakly to pull his lids up. He barely managed it and it was like he had never opened his eyes at all. He was surrounded by darkness. The last thing he heard was the doorbell before he willingly let himself be pulled back under.
-
"Sounds like someone has come to call, darling-mine." 'Derek' spoke as he lowered Peyton back into the chair. He anticipated her calling her help to whoever it was and clamped a hand over Peyton's mouth just as her peal began. He was going to have to work harder for her to see what was right there in front of her.
He shoved the bandana back into her mouth, tying it tightly then he moved to stand by the windows that were high on the basement walls.
Legs.
That's what he saw. Legs and the flirty hem of a scarlet red dress. He turned back to Peyton.
"You need better friends." He said to her. "That Haley bitch is too smart for her own good. Although she wasn't using her Einstein mind when she married Nathan was she? Now that guy," 'Derek' laughed. "Is either pussy-whipped, or just one big pussy. I vote for a little of both. I don't know what you saw in him, but I'll make you forget that guy, too.
"Now Brooke, she's pretty. But she's a trampy little slut of a thing, isn't she? My guess is that she kisses plenty of guys without even knowing their first names. I'll let you in on a little secret. When guys say that they like them easy, what they really mean is that easy girls are one step up from sticking it in a light socket. You won't normally do it, but they're there, you know?"
"You're doing a really piss poor job of pretending not to be home, Sawyer."
Peyton's eyes rolled up to stare at the basement ceiling at the familiar voice.
"Sure," the voice was closer now. So close that it felt like Brooke was right on top of them. 'Derek' moved under basement steps. "Hide down in the creepy basement because you know I hate it."
Peyton screamed in warning from behind the cloth of the bandana that gagged her. Brooke rounded the steps to see her friend, whether she was pissed at her or not, gagged and tied to a chair.
"Oh my, God, Peyton?"
A hand shot out and Brooke head snapped back and her teeth clicked. She could feel the coppery taste of blood in her mouth as she bit her tongue. The force of the blow sent Brooke falling into a wall. Involuntarily, she cried out from the pain of it. The cement walls scraped her skin.
'Derek' snatched her up by her hair. He cut off her outraged hiss, turning it into a choking rasp as he wrapped his other hand around her throat. Brooke's eyes widened as she took in the man who attacked her.
'Derek' smiled a thin smile. "Welcome to the party, Brooke Davis." He told her. "I didn't think you'd show. You never did RSVP."
He threw her.
Brooke fell to the hard ground below, scraping her hands on impact. She coughed and clutched at her throat then tired to rise.
She was pulled up by the hair again, and she fought. Her legs kicked out, she threw an elbow behind her and was supremely satisfied to hear 'Derek's' shout of pain.
"Fucking whore."
Brooke's jaw dropped and a small sound fell from her throat ass she felt the stinging pain pierce in her neck. Dark hazel eyes grew heavy lidded. The last thought on Brooke's mind as her eyes rolled back and fluttered closed, was that she was allergic to bees.
-
She slumped in 'Derek's' arms. He let her fall hard to the floor.
"Why are you friends with this?" He stepped over Brooke's limp form. Tossing away the used syringe, he stabbed his fingers through his hair. Peyton watched him while he paced.
He was going to kill them.
This was her last night on Earth and this was the way she was spending it.
Held hostage in her own damn basement by her crazy stalker who had broke her goddamn phone, split her boyfriend's head open, and had just drugged her bitch best friend.
And it was frickin' prom.
Great.
Yeah, that's it, concentrate on the anger, use the man, she told herself. When she got out of this, things were going to change. She was going to tell her father that she hated his job. She was going to have a relationship with her brother. She was going to make this night up to Lucas, and she was going to tell Ms. Brooke Davis about herself then thank her for coming to her rescue.
Sort of.
"I mean," 'Derek' went on. "What's the appeal? She ruins everything! This, tonight, was supposed to about us. She was not invited!"
He snatched a chair from the corner with enough force to have the legs swinging out in font of him. He slammed the chair down hard next to Peyton, making her jump. 'Derek' walked back to Brooke's unconscious body and picked her up like a rag doll. Peyton watched helplessly, her anger mounting as Brooke was tossed none to gently into the chair and tied down.
He tugged Brooke's hair, lifting her head up. He stared at her face while he spoke to Peyton.
"Everyone in your life has left you." Dropping Brooke's head he looked at Peyton. "Your dad, your mom, the both of them," he added. "Lucas left you for that there." He nodded toward Brooke. "I mean seriously. What the hell was he thinking? Lucas doesn't deserve you. They don't love you enough to stay, Peyton." He went on. "I do. Me. I want to make you happy. And I could if you would just let me."
-
Lucas's eyes shot open as pain split like thunder down the middle of his scalp and straight down his spine. Wherever he was, it was dark, and it was hot. He could hear his heartbeat pound in his ears, the sound of his choppy breaths echoed in his head. His ribs felt like they were on fire as the pain burned him.
He blinked his eyes over and over again in a weak attempt to beat back his head's throbbing. The pain in his arms and shoulders only added to Lucas's discomfort, and it thoroughly pissed him off.
He couldn't see anything. It was like his eyes wouldn't adjust. Sweat trickled down his back and the side of his face itched like something was sticking to it. Lucas was sure that it was his own blood.
Letting his head fall forward, he tired to quell his rapid breathing. Unable to catch a decent breath, he was feeling lightheaded. He kept trying to remember where he was and how he got there.
Nothing would come.
Slowly Lucas started up to his knees. One second, his body was so hot he thought he was going to go up in flames. He could feel fresh sweat bead on his neck, back and forehead. And in the next, Lucas's body would go so cold, shivers would rack his body and he had to clench his teeth to keep them from chattering.
He couldn't stop the bile that rose in his throat this time. Lucas's body heaved violently as his stomach emptied it's self.
"Fuck."
Lucas pushed on. Determined now, he lifted himself until he was completely standing on his feet. He started to fall. His body caught and held on a wall. Still breathing hard, Lucas's eyes started to search the dark again.
He laughed out a groan when he saw the shaft of light under what looked like a door.
He was in a frickin' closet.
Moving slowly, Lucas turned so his back was facing the wall. He inched himself over until the felt the door knob. He turned it.
"Dammit. Goddammit."
It was locked.
He rested and heard the music again. He heard the screaming first. The music came louder covering it up. It was right under him, it was her and she was screaming for help.
"Peyton!" Turning to his side, Lucas rammed his shoulder into the locked door as hard as he could. Pain shot through him as he slid to the floor.
-
Slowly everything came back to her. First she heard the music. Then she was looking down at her feet, the hem of her dress. Her face hurt and her hands burned. But all that was secondary.
Her damned dress was ripped.
She tossed her head back, and found herself again looking into the eyes of Peyton's stalker.
This was just great. Her prom was ruined because of the shithead and the bitch kidnapped next to her.
"You and Lucas are perfect for each other." 'Derek told her. "You ruin everything!" He shouted. Brooke ignored his outrage. Feeling Peyton's gaze on her, Brooke turned and stared at her.
Peyton stared back.
"You sure can pick them can't you." Brooke taunted. "If you would have just brought you skinny ass to prom, we wouldn't be in this mess."
"Don't speak to her like that!" 'Derek' jerked Brooke hair pulling her head back. "Show some respect."
"If I had a dick, this would be the part where I tell you to suck it." Brooke told him. "I've been this bitch's best girl a hell of a lot longer than you've been her stalker, you freak." She went on. "You've got a knife to my throat. You're going to kill us and I'm going to have my say before you cut my throat like you ruined my dress. Don't like it, too damn bad." She glared at him all the while shaking like a leaf inside.
Shut up, shut up, shut up, she told herself. That was her problem. The more scared she got, the mouthier she became. Close your damn mouth, Brooke Davis, she mentally kicked herself.
"You're going to pay for this dress, you better believe that."
'Derek' took the bandana from Peyton's mouth, and as if on cue, reading each other's minds, they began to scream for help. 'Derek' upped the volume laughing.
They screamed until they couldn't scream anymore. That's when he tuned the music down.
"Why'd you come?" Peyton wanted to know. The last time the two of them talked it hadn't been pleasant. They'd made sure of it.
Brooke shook her head. "We've been talking about senior prom since forever," she replied. "Before driving and before boys, it was all about the prom. I knew that you wouldn't let being pissed me ruin prom for you."
"Then you would only be half right." Peyton told her. "I wasn't going to go to prom because I didn't want to see your face. That didn't change. I still didn't want to see your face, but I didn't want to ruin it for Lucas. He wasn't the one on tape screwing my boyfriend. I was going to go for him." Peyton shook her head. "But Lucas is gone now, just like you."
"You left me a long time ago."
"Oh that's bullshit and you know it. At least you tell me that you told someone you were coming here so they would know where to find the bodies."
When Brooke didn't answer Peyton rolled her eyes again to look at the basement ceiling. She laughed humorlessly.
"Idiot."
"You're lucky I even came, bitch. You're ass would be getting murdered all by your lonesome if I hadn't come to call."
"Yeah, that's it. I'm so grateful. I won't die alone."
"You're the most ungrateful person to ever live."
"Yeah," Peyton replied. "Because being friends with you is something to be thankful for." She shook her head. "I hope he kills you first."
"Do you see now?" 'Derek' spoke softly. "Are you getting it now?" He waited for her to look at him. "She doesn't care about you. No one in your life does. If your dad cared enough, he'd find a job closer to home so you wouldn't be alone all the time.
"And this tramp would treat you better, because even when she was treating you like shit you were still there for her, weren't you?"
Peyton nodded.
"And if Lucas loved you, then Brooke Davis wouldn't have been an issue. You know I'm right."
"Yeah," Peyton broke. "You are."
'Derek' smiled.
"Un-freakin'-believeable." Brooke said. "I shouldn't be surprised. Always the victim, huh Peyton?"
"No, bitch that would be you." Peyton shot back hoarsely. "I didn't ask for anything that has happened to me. But leave it to you to use that to hurt me."
"Peyton-"
"Did I every once say that anyone close to you was going to die because they loved you? I never made cracks about your parents staying away because they're too selfish to love you the way that they need to be loved. I could have been that heartless bitch you were but I don't hate you that much. But I'm tired. I'm tired of getting nothing for something. I'm done. I won't care when you're gone."
-
He wasn't completely sure of Peyton, but 'Derek' untied her anyway. He had her. He told her the truth and now Peyton was seeing it for herself with her own two eyes.
Those amazing eyes.
"Finally," he said to her. "Didn't I tell you?"
Peyton nodded.
"They don't care about you. If they did then they wouldn't do the thing that they do. You know that now," he went on. "You see it."
Peyton nodded again looking at Brooke. "I see it."
"I'm the only one."
She looked 'Derek' in the eye. "Are you?"
"You know that I am."
"No I don't."
"Yes you do."
"Prove it," she dared him. "Give me the knife and take me home."
"Where's home?"
"Wherever you are."
