Chapter Thirteen: Never Let This Go
The door shut behind them nobody paid much attention to them as they began their slow march. A sudden over confidence seemed to hit them, but that was quickly diminished. One person turned and caught sight of the two and nudged their friend in the ribs. Whispers began to circulate about the hallway and soon every pair of eyes was fixated upon her.
"Breathe." Lucas murmured tightening his grip on her hand.
She inhaled deeply closing her eyes and whisked herself away to someplace serene, someplace that swept her away. As she opened her eyes, however, everything around her seemed to slow down. She could pick out every stare and every sneer. The whispers were slurred together but she knew without a doubt they were about her.
Lucas led them to her locker where Haley, Brooke and Nathan were waiting. Haley and Brooke instantly showered Peyton with hugs.
"Thanks you two it's nice to see you again." Peyton showed a genuine smile as she was released from Brooke's tight hold.
"How are you?" came Haley's worried tone and Peyton knew this question would surface eventually.
"I'm battling, but if I can make it through today I think I'll be alright." she replied confidently and even added a smile for reassurance. The first bell rang causing many people still milling in the hallway to scatter and prompting the five of them to head to class. There would be time to catch up later. Peyton received hugs from Haley and Brooke and a final one from Nathan. Lucas laced his hand within hers grasping it tightly.
"You'll be fine." he whispered in her ear.
"I know I will." she murmured back pressing her lips lightly to his.
Lucas was prompt arriving quickly after each of her classes greeting her with light peck upon her lips and the same repeated question if she was okay before he enlaced their fingers and walked to her next class. Without Lucas, Peyton had no idea how she would have ever made it through the day. He was her rock her knight in shining armor. Most of all he was her everything. He was there when no one else was. She needed him just as much as he needed her.
With the end of the school day approaching she was confident she was going to be able to make it. Then rush home to Lucas' house and fall asleep and not wake up until Monday. The class ending bell rang throughout the school and Peyton filed out of her classroom. She waited a minute and Lucas was not there. She thought nothing of it and continued on thinking he would catch up with her in due time. That, however, was wishful thinking.
She felt as if someone was following her but she did not dare to turn around. In the next moment a large figure stood in front of her, laughing as she came to an abrupt stop. She made a motion to turn around but she found yet another boy standing in her way. In no time she was surrounded by a group of boys all laughing and snickering.
"Well well well, lookie what we got here Mike." came the voice of the tallest one.
"Ain't that the truth Rodney we finally caught us the little slut. Hard to find her alone without that Scott boy attached to her hip." the boy named Mike called back.
Suddenly she felt the boy named Rodney close upon her. "Is that what you are? A whore? Did you sell your body for that hit make all the pain go away?" he mocked with a laugh.
The group reverberated with laughter and Peyton felt herself sink to the ground. She felt the painful memories come haunting back to her. She saw Rick and that fateful night when she and Lucas ran away.
"Come baby, just five minutes in the bathroom and I promise we'll do lines you slut. You'd sell yourself for practically nothing for a little crack wouldn't ya?" Rodney's voice seemed so envelope her as did his body as his hands groped for her body.
Slut. Whore. Bitch. The words flew from the boys like they meant nothing. She was so close to tears she could feel them brim to the surface. She tried to escape but they were too much for Peyton to handle.
Things were growing out of control any moment and she felt that the boys were going to hurt her physically. Lucas rounded the corner raising his brows at the gathering near the lockers and thinking nothing of it. Then he heard the desperate cries from Peyton and something snapped inside of him.
Immediately he grabbed the closest one he could find which happened to be Rodney throwing him up against the locker punching him once hard in the face, his shirt held tightly between Lucas' fists.
"Whoa Scott what the fuck?" spat Rodney struggling though Lucas surpassed him in strength.
"You stay the fuck away from her you understand me?" he shouted with his face only inches away from Rodney's.
"Oh you mean your little slut." Lucas punched him again.
"Stay the fuck away from her punk or I swear to god…" but he never got any farther as two strong hands pulled him away from Rodney.
"Lucas walk away." Nathan tried to soothe his brother guiding him away from the crowd.
"Yeah I got it." he replied sharply anger still pumping through his veins.
"Luke, man what was that all about?"
"They were harassing Peyton. I wasn't just going to sit back and let it happen."
Peyton. Her name seemed to bring a sudden calm over him then a sudden worry. His eyes darted about the empty hallway then back to where the crowd was dispersing. She was nowhere to be found. Immediately he darted towards the door taking off in a run.
"Dude, Lucas where the hell are you going?" Nathan called after him.
"To find Peyton I'm not about to let her go alone." he called back running out in the rain scanning the parking lot hoping to find her.
He took off towards his house thinking that was the first place she would. To his luck he found her not too far away completely soaked from head to toe. "Peyton!" he called after her finally falling into stride with her. "Let me take you home." he whispered pulling her close to his body.
"I don't want to go home Lucas."
"Then at least let me take you back to my place and get you some warm clothes, you'll freeze out here like this." he murmured pressing his lips to her hair.
She nodded wrapping her arms around his waist and let him guide her back to his house. Once inside Peyton pulled away from Lucas tears finally pouring from her eyes.
"Peyton what it is?" he asked closing the space between them.
"I can't do this anymore. I can't this I can't fight my past I can't escape it."
Lucas wrapped his arms around her tightly pressing light kisses to her forehead. "You can do this Peyton. It was your first day back no one expected you to make it as long as you did." he assured nestling his cheek into her hair.
"You heard them Lucas, they called me a whore and so many names. Is that was people think of me?" the tears came in full again prompting Lucas to rock her gently back and forth.
"Don't worry about those assholes. They don't know you and they never will. You've come so far already don't give up now."
She pulled away from him a small smile flickering upon her lips. Lucas wiped the tears away from her eyes with his thumbs. Their eyes locked and their bodies began to gravitate towards each other like they had done this dance so many times before. Lips met in a tender kiss all worry, all fear washing away from them. It took but a moment for the kiss the deepen their tongues entwining in a dance that felt so natural to them. He pulled her wet hoodie and t-shirt over head then his own shirt flinging them both to side gently guiding her to his bed where their lips would reunite.
Heat began to rise between them, their bodies no longer cold. Her hands worked tirelessly at the snap of his jeans fumbling for a moment before unsnapping them and he stepped out of the denim with ease. He was swift and elegant as he removed her jeans. Lips pressed to her collar bone, trailing down her breasts. He pressed butterfly kisses to her stomach dipping his tongue into her navel. He paused at the base of her underwear nipping at the cotton. She moaned in anticipation. He obeyed removing her panties with ease, then he too stepped from his boxers feeling himself free of restraints.
Lucas paused hovering over Peyton staring intently into her eyes. She gave a light nod of assurance bringing Lucas' lips to hers. He too smiled then pressed into her wetness gently. They both let out a moan in unison. His first few pumps inside of her were slow and deliberate just to feel her walls around him. Then no longer could he restrain himself and his pace suddenly quickened sending ecstasy through Peyton's veins.
She could feel her climax approaching and she wanted him more than ever. "Lucas." she whimpered quickly her nails raking across his back. Their lips crashed against each others as Lucas pumped harder feeling his own climax build in his belly.
"Peyton." he groaned tossing his head back as he released his seed. She came not soon after panting heavily as they rode out the final moments of their climax. He pulled out of her pressing kisses anywhere his lips could find.
He collapsed to her side feeling the fatigue wash over him. He had not realized how tired he actually was.
"Sleep." Peyton murmured pulling his lips into a kiss.
Lucas obeyed closing his eyes and let sleep hit him like a wave. Peyton lay there listening to the gentle sounds of his breathing until it too rocked her to sleep.
Peyton woke before he did hearing the light sounds of his snoring. He was a fixture of beauty in his sleep, so innocent so angelic like. Yet she could see the tired lines etched in his face, lines that were there because of her. She loved him, she truly did. But was love enough?
She rolled out from beneath the sheets, gathering up her now dry clothes and throwing them on her body. She stole a final glance at the sleeping Lucas and took flight from his room tears already welling in her eyes.
---
"There are bags packed." came Lucas' voice from her doorway as he leaned against the frame with his arms folded over his chest.
"I thought you'd still be asleep. You looked so tired." she replied ignoring his statement.
He too disregarded her reply. "There are bags packed." he repeated.
Peyton finally turned to face him trying to avoid his steely gaze. "I'm leaving Lucas. I need to leave."
"You don't need to leave Peyton."
"No Lucas, you don't understand. If I'm going to get better, truly get better I need to leave Tree Hill."
"Then I'll come with you." he tried.
"No. Luke please be reasonable. I'm not going to ask you to pick up your life for me." she replied gathering her remaining possessions and throwing them into a smaller bag. Lucas said not another word and watched as she zipped the bag and threw it over his shoulder. She caught his eyes just before she fled from her room and took flight down the stairs.
"Peyton please wait." he called taking off after her. She was almost already to her car when he caught up with her.
She chose to ignore him opening her trunk and throwing her bags inside.
"Peyton please we can talk about this."
"Lucas stop okay. You doing this doesn't make leaving any easier." she replied slamming the trunk shut.
"Peyton." he murmured grasping her arm spinning her to face him crashing his lips immediately against hers. She felt herself melt into his embrace feeling tears well in her eyes.
He pulled away resting his forehead against hers.
"Please." he whispered as a final plea.
"Luke. I love you and I always will. But I need to do this. Lucas please." she murmured throw her tears.
He released her arms and tears began to glisten in his eyes. She pulled him into a kiss and for that moment it was only her, Peyton Sawyer, and him, Lucas Scott, and nothing else mattered. She let her lips linger upon his just before she pulled away.
Lucas watched her pull out of the driveway and drive off into the dense fog. He watched until he could no longer see her taillights. He knew standing here would not bring her back, but he could not bring himself to move.