A/N: So guess who is an idiot? Yes, that would be me. I accidently deleted this story when I was getting frustrated with my computer. But it's ok because it's back now. Thank you all for the amazing reviews even though some of them aren't being shown any more! I'm glad you're all liking this story so far! OK everyone, I am really sorry for the long wait! Like I said, I'm going to be really busy. I've been doing a lot of studying for my instrument rating. I managed to update this story today, so I hope you like it. Once again, I'm really sorry, but hopefully I'll be able to update quicker next time! Anyway, here's chapter two of Her and Me! I hope you all like it! Leave a review when you're finished reading!
xoxox
Gianna
Chapter 2- Unexpected
Independence. That was one word that was used to describe Peyton Sawyer. She never depended on anyone for anything. Not her mother, father, or even her best friend Rachel. Peyton was capable of making a living on her own. She was a very desirable woman who set big goals for herself, and she always had a plan B if something didn't go right. Peyton thinks that any person has the right to feel valued and that they are at liberty to add good and subtract bad areas of their influence. To her, real independence comes when you are able to make yourself and others feel valued by doing what you know best without unnecessary doubts.
She was a firm believer in woman's rights. Peyton always said that you never needed a man to get things done. Basically, her motto was anything you can do, I can do better. Of course it was directed toward men. She had too many bad experiences with the male species. Probably, the worst anyone has ever had. She dated this guy named Max who was great. Being a girl who was so deeply in love with him, she thought she had finally found someone worth spending her life with. But about two years into their relationship, she found him in bed with someone else. Now, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if that someone else was a woman, but it wasn't. Imagine how she felt, finding out that her boyfriend of two years was actually gay. So ever since then, she has pretty much given up on love. Peyton thinks that there is no point to it when obviously you were going to end up getting your heart broken.
Peyton always loved kids. Well, that and art. Her biggest goal was to change someones life, significantly. She wanted to start with an early age to make a difference in a childs life. Pain was something that she would never wish on anyone. Thus, the reason why she became a preschool teacher. She thought that even the little things could have an enormous impact on a kid.
"We are not just going to sit in your apartment all day, are we?"
Rachel. You had to love her. There was no way that you couldn't. She was fun, energetic, and had an amazing sense of humor. She and Peyton had been best friends since they were born. Their parents had been friends since high school, so they grew up together and became so close.
"I don't feel like going out. We can watch a movie," Peyton said fidgeting with the silver ring that was on her left thumb.
"Come on Peyton! I am not spending another Friday night watching a lame movie. Let's go out to a bar or something like that," Rachel pleaded.
"Why? So we can get drunk and end up hooking up with someone random person who looks really hot one minute, but the morning after is all hairy and at least 40 years old," Peyton says disgusted and speaking from experience. She did not need that happening again.
"You need to get over that," Rachel said giggling a little as she was getting up from the lounge chair she was sitting on.
"Whatever. Let's just watch Beaches," Peyton says grabbing the DVD and the remote.
Rachel snatches the remote from her hand. "Oh, no you don't. We are going out, and we are going to have fun tonight." Rachel took her best friend by the wrist and dragged her to the bedroom to pick out an outfit.
Peyton knew that it was pointless to even try and resist because Rachel would always protest.
--
Lucas sat at his house with his best friend of eighteen years Jake. Michelle was in the living room watching cartoons. There was no pulling her away from her show because once she started watching them, she couldn't stop. Her eyes were glued to the TV as if she was being hypnotized with a dangling watch.
"Does she always look like that?" Jake asked pointing to Michelle.
"You know how she is, Jake. She loves cartoons," Lucas said while throwing Jake a soda.
"Thanks," Jake said catching it. He opened it and took a long sip as if he hadn't ever had something to drink before. "So, what's on your agenda for tonight big shot?"
"What I do every night. Stay home with Michelle," Lucas said with out hesitation as he looked back over at his daughter.
"Luke, man. You can not be serious. It's a Friday night, and you're staying home tonight?" Jake asked in disbelief.
"Yes, I am."
"You're 24 years old not 70. You can still go out and have a good time," Jake said while taking a seat on the stool near the counter.
"Jake, you don't understand. Do you see her?" Lucas pointed to Michelle. Jake nodded. "Well, in case you forgot, she's my four year old daughter. I can't just go out and have a good time anymore. Last time I went out and had a good time, I got someone pregnant, and then that someone ended up leaving her child behind with out ever looking back."
"Luke, I'm not saying you have to have sex with someone. I'm just saying we could go out and have a few beers or go to a club." Jake paused and looked back up at Lucas. "By the way, how long has it been since you," he turned to look at Michelle and then back at Lucas. He whispered, "had sex."
Lucas just rolled his eyes.
"That long, eh?" Jake asked.
"Well, if you really want to know," he stopped suddenly feeling embarrassed with his answer, "Since Brooke."
Jake couldn't help, but laugh.
"Jake, it's not like I've even been trying otherwise I guarantee I could get at least someone."
"Keep telling yourself that," Jake said still chuckling. "Anyway, we could go out and get some beers tonight. You know, just like old times."
"Oh, yes, right. Michelle loves beer," Lucas said with the sarcasm obviously in his voice.
"Your mom can watch her. She loves to. It's all she ever talks about," Jake argued.
"I just don't think it's a good idea." Lucas rubbed his forehead.
"Why not? It'll be fun. I swear."
"I don't know, Jake. I mean Mom's probably busy tonight and-"
Jake cut in. "Why don't you call her and ask if she can keep Michelle for the night. It's not that hard." Jake picked up the phone and placed it in front of Lucas.
Lucas sighed and took the phone in his right hand. "Fine. You win. Happy?" Lucas asked while dialing his mother's number.
"Very," Jake was clearly satisfied with himself.
"Hey mom, It's me."
"Hi honey. What's going on over there?" she asked.
"Nothing. I'm just sitting her with Jake while Michelle's watching cartoons."
"Tell them I said hi."
"Michelle! Grandma says hi!"
"Hi gramma!" Michelle yelled while her eyes remained on the TV set.
Lucas looked over at Jake who was mouthing the words 'Ask Her.'
Lucas waved his hand as if telling him to be patient.
"Listen, I wondering if you could keep Michelle tonight. Jake wanted to hang out, just the two of us. It's OK if you can't because-"
"Lucas, I would love to. You two have fun. I'll be by in like five minutes to pick her up, ok?"
"Yeah, ok. Thanks, mom. ," Lucas looked at his watch, "See ya soon. Love you."
"I love you too."
"Bye."
"See that wasn't so hard was it," Jake said while throwing his pop can in the trash.
"Shut up," Lucas said. "Michelle. You're going to spend the night at Grandma's tonight, OK?" Lucas walked over to his daughter and picked her up off of the floor where she sat.
"But I'm gonna miss my cartoons!" she whined.
"No, you won't. You can watch them there," Lucas told her as he kissed her forehead.
"Kay." She squeezed her fathers faced and placed a big kiss on the side of his cheek. Michelle looked to her left and saw Nathan. "Hey Uncle Jake. When didja get here?"
Both Lucas and Jake began to laugh. "Where have you been this whole time, kiddo? I've been here for over an hour," he said as he rubbed the top of her head.
"You're messin' my hair," she said as she shoved his hand away. Jake kept doing it just to make her a little frustrated. "Daddy, make him stop."
Lucas punched Jake lightly in the arm. Michelle looked satisfied with her fathers actions and quickly stuck her tongue out ad Jake with out Lucas noticing. Nathan stuck his tongue back at her.
"Quit taunting my kid," Lucas said chuckling a little.
"She started it!" Jake said, acting quite childish.
"No, I didn't! He's lying, daddy!"
Ding-Dong
"Saved by the bell," Lucas said as he put Michelle down. He went to answer the door and saw his mom standing there.
"Gramma!"Michelle yelled, running into her arms.
"Hey big girl!" Karen said while lifting her into the air. "Are you all ready to go?"
"Yep!"
"OK. Give your daddy a big hug and kiss!"
She jumped down from Karen's arms and ran over to her father. "Bye Daddy."
"Bye, baby." He said kneeling to her height. He hugged her as if he would never see her again.
"Luke let her go. She'll be back tomorrow," Jake said.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Lucas released his hold on her and let her go.
"Bye Uncle Jake!" Michelle high-fived him and kissed his cheek.
"Later kiddo!"
"I'm ready gramma!" she yelled as she took her Grandma's hand and began to drag her out the door.
"Bye boys. You two have fun tonight. Be safe!" Karen yelled back to them.
Lucas turned to Jake. "So what did you have in mind for tonight?"
Jake smiled widely.
"Oh God. What did I get myself into?"
--
"No way! Uh-uh! No chance in hell!" Peyton yelled.
She knew she shouldn't have let Rachel dress her. Peyton looked at herself in the mirror and didn't even recognize the person staring back at her. She wore a dangerously short, tight, black, leather mini skirt with pumps that were about five inches high. A sleeveless button up that looked like it was cut in half clung to her. It showed off her toned stomach and a little too much cleavage for her.
"Why not? You look amazing!" Rachel smiled as she pointed to the clothes that she wore.
"I look like a slut, that's what I look like."
"How?"
Peyton looked stunned. "How? How? Are you seriously asking me how?"
"You're a naughty preschool teacher. I bet the kids will love it," Rachel said smirking and raising her eyebrows.
"I look like a prostitute, that's what I look like."
"Peyton, every girl dresses like that when they go to clubs! It's just the way things are, and besides you're 23 years old. You're allowed to dress like that."
Peyton looked back in the mirror at her reflection. She never dressed like this, but she didn't think one night would hurt. "Fine. Show me what you're wearing."
"It's similar to your outfit. So don't worry. Unlike you, I actually dress like I am my age."
--
Jake and Lucas arrived at the noisy night club. The music that was playing was so loud that Lucas could barely hear him self think. He looked back at Jake who was grinning at him as they pushed through the crowd of dancing, sweaty bodies. It was somewhat dark and extremely hot.
"Let's go get something to drink!" Jake yelled over the blaring music.
Lucas nodded his head. "I can not believe I let you talk me into coming here."
"Relax, man. We'll have fun," Jake turned to the bar tender. "Can I get two beers?"
The bartender quickly handed them to him due to the massive amount of people waiting for their drinks.
"Thanks."
Jake looked over at Lucas who looked bored out of his mind. "Will you at least pretend like you're having fun?"
Lucas quickly put a fake smile on his face when, suddenly, someone tapped him on his shoulder. "Hey, cutie. Buy me a drink?"
Lucas shook his head. "Not interested."
The woman looked shocked almost as if saying 'no one ever turns me down, but Lucas just did. "Whatever. Your loss." The woman walked away and moved on to someone else across the bar.
"I can not believe you just turned her down," Jake said taking a sip of his beer. "No wonder why you haven't gotten laid in over three years."
"I wasn't interested in her."
Jake glanced to his left. "Lucas, check it out."
"Check what out?"
"Them," Jake pointed to two women who were ordering drinks.
Lucas quickly recognized the curly blond. It was Michelle's teacher, Peyton. She was the last person he was expecting to see here. He sure never imagined her to be dressed the way she was either. Lucas quickly looked away when she raised her eyes and looked up at Lucas.
"No way," Lucas said with incredulity obviously in his voice.
"What?" Jake asked confused.
"The blond is Michelle's preschool teacher," Lucas said nudging Jake who was still looking over at the two
"That's Michelle's teacher?!" Jake asked in disbelief as he pointed toward them.
Lucas nodded.
"Damn! If I had a teacher like that, I probably would have gotten better grades."
Lucas just laughed it off while Jake started smirking evilly. "Whatever it is you're thinking, stop thinking it."
"You don't even know what I'm thinking yet."
"Yes, I do and the answer is no!" Lucas said while widening his eyes.
"Oh come on! It'll be fun. Let's just call them over. It's better than sitting here listening to you complain about how you're not having any fun."
Before Lucas could protest, Jake had already gotten up from his seat and began walking toward the two woman. Lucas sighed and followed after him.
--
Peyton looked up from her drink and noticed a pair of piercing blue eyes staring her down from across the bar. Unbelievable. It was Lucas, Michelle's dad. She sure as hell wasn't expecting to see one of her student's parents here. He did look really good though.
"Rachel! I told you this was a bad idea!" Peyton yelled as she grabbed Rachel by the back of her arm.
"What? Why? What are you talking about? And let go of me. That hurts," Rachel said ripping her arm away.
"You see him?" Peyton said pointing toward the sandy blond.
"Oh, I see him alright. He's fine."
"Yeah, and he's also one my students Dad."
"Him?!" Rachel asked completely shocked.
"Yes him!"
"Oh, damn. He is so hot," Rachel smiled as she watched him and the brunette.
"Oh God, this is so embarrassing."
"Why? Do you see the way he's looking at you?"
"And just how is he looking at me?" Peyton asked wanting to leave as soon as possible.
"Like he wants to have sex with you on your desk at school."
"Rachel!" Peyton said swatting her arm.
She laughed a little. "What? It's the truth." Rachel looked back at the two men and noticed them coming toward her and Peyton. "They're coming over here. How do I look?"
Peyton sighed. Great. This was not something she needed. The other day she had just told every parent that there was no reason why they shouldn't trust her with their kids. Now, Lucas was going to think that some tramp was teaching his four year old daughter.
--
Jake walked straight up to Haley and leaned against the bar. "So, tell me. Did it hurt?" Jake asked smoothly.
Rachel smiled widely. "Did what hurt?"
"When you fell from heaven?" Jake said.
Lucas couldn't help but laugh out loud. Was he serious? That was the oldest pick up line in the book. He didn't even think that people still used that line. He looked over at Peyton who was obviously uncomfortable with the whole situation.
Before he could say the word club, Rachel and Nathan had disappeared somewhere. He looked over at Peyton who was playing with something in her drink.
Lucas sat next to her while putting out his hand. "Lucas."
"I know. You're Michelle's dad," Peyton said shaking his hand anyway. "Peyton."
"I know who you are," Lucas said smiling. He hadn't been out since he was with Brooke so truth be told, he was a little nervous about talking to Peyton. Especially since this was his daughter's preschool teacher.
"Is that your brother?" Peyton asked referring to Nathan.
"No, my best friend Jake," Lucas said. "Can I buy you a drink?"
"Sure. I mean it's not everyday that one of my students dads wants to buy me a drink," Peyton joked.
Lucas chuckled lightly.
Surprisingly, their conversation was going pretty well. They talked about their families, friends, hobbies, and favorite foods. Peyton seemed to be really into Lucas which was actually really shocking. She normally never let a guy within about ten feet of her.
Peyton couldn't help, but ask her next question. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, and you totally tell me if this isn't my place to ask, but aren't you dating someone or married? I mean you have a four year old daughter, and I've been sitting here flirting with you basically the whole night so if you have someone else..."
Lucas laughed and shook his head. "No, I'm not dating anyone, and I'm not married," Lucas sighed before giving the whole story. "When Michelle was just born, her mom just left. She gave no explanation what so ever. I've been trying to be the best father that I can be. I don't want Michelle to ever feel like I'm abandoning her."
"From what I can see, you are a great Dad, and she's really lucky to have someone like you," Peyton truthfully said.
"Thanks. That means a lot."
"Anytime." Peyton turned her head and looked at everyone dancing crazily on the dance floor. She turned her head back to Lucas. "Do you want to get out of here?"
He smiled. "Where to?"
She grinned, suddenly getting a boost of confidence. "Your place."
to be continued...
A/N: Sorry to leave you hanging like this, but hopefully the update will come a little faster this time. I can't make any promises though because I really don't want to break them. But what I can promise you all is that Judgemental will be the next story that gets updated.
Leave a review! They are much appreciated.