Cheerleading practice went by painstakingly slow. I couldn't get Peyton out of my head. She wasn't at practice, which already worried me. She hadn't called or told anyone where she was.

I figured she had gone home and listened to a new album and just lost track of time. She does that a lot. I love how she gets so engrossed in her music. Sometimes I would just stand in her doorway and watch her. My record is four songs without her noticing I was even there. She usually responds by calling me a perv and then I tell her I can't help it. She just looks so beautiful.

Maybe breaking up with her is a mistake.

No, I have to stop second guessing myself. I made a decision and I'm going to stick with it.

Practice finally ended and I headed to Peyton's house. I parked in her driveway and sat there for twenty minutes, arguing with myself.

How am I supposed to break up with her?

Sorry, Peyton, I just don't love you anymore. That's lame. Especially since I do still love her. It can't be true love though if I'm willing to be with someone else. I have never been so frustrated in my entire life.

P. Sawyer, I'd rather date Rachel. My bad.

It's not you, it's me.

Let's just be best friends, like the good ol' days.

I'm breaking up with you because I care so much about you. I don't want to hurt you in the future and I know that I will because I'm not fully committed. Please don't forget that I love you and need you in my life.

Hmm. That wasn't half bad. I finally mustered up enough courage to get out of my car and walk up to her room. If I don't do this now, I will never be able to. I still don't know what exactly to say but I take a deep breath and open her door anyway.

"Peyton?" I call out to her. My face drops and I fall into protection mode as I see Derek strangling Peyton. I jump on top of him and it causes him to fall to the floor. It knocks the wind out of me.

Peyton coughs and cries out my name. She stumbles towards her closet and pulls out a baseball bat. I'm still trying to recover. She swings the bat but she isn't strong enough. Derek catches the bat and tosses it to the side. Unbeknownst to him, I picked up the bat and crack his skull with it. He falls to the ground and groggily gets up right away.

I take one final swing as he nears the window. I connect with his jaw and he goes flying out of the window to the ground below.

Peyton instantly collapses. I run to her side and drop to my knees. I wrap my arms around her and try to comfort her as she cries into my shoulder.

"It's okay Peyton…Shhh…He's gone now, it's okay…" I whisper into her ear.

I can feel Peyton tremble. "I…love you…" Peyton shakily whispers.

"I know P. Sawyer. I love you too." I was crazy to think I could ever break up with this girl.

FOOL

There comes a day in everyone's life where they realize they have to grow up. Hard decisions need to be made and then those choices have to be lived with.

These choices can't be made on a whim. No, they are supposed to be thought out.

That day I made a choice. I couldn't leave Peyton. Not when she had been savagely attacked. As I held her in my arms, all thoughts of anyone else had been instantly wiped from my mind. She had always been there for me. I loved her and she loved me.

Haley's question was answered for me that day. We wouldn't be who we are without each other.

Now it's five years, three months, and four days later. I am standing at the front of the church and Peyton is standing across from me. Rachel and Haley are proudly standing on the side of me as my bridesmaids.

The priest is talking but all I can see is Peyton.