Author's Note: I know, I know, I'm terrible. I kept trying to focus on writing but school got in the way, and my dorm room makes it difficult to focus. My goal is to update at least once a month. I actually have a lot of half chapters written up for my other fics as well. Within the next few days I should have updated all of my stories. Hopefully this chapter isn't too awful; I'm a bit rusty so bear with me. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Title is a line from the song Keep It Simple by Cobra Starship.

Chapter Three: Keep It Simple Now

"Rise and shine!" Nathan exclaimed cheerily, walking into Lucas's room and switching the light on.

"Turn the damn light off." Lucas mumbled, pulling his blanket firmly over him. He groaned, feeling a sudden throbbing pain in his head. The events of the previous night washed over him and he released another groan of frustration. "Why did you let me drink so much?" he muttered, agitated.

"I'm not a babysitter. You're the one that kept tossing back the drinks. I told you to stop, not my fault you didn't listen." Nathan said, a proud smirk on his face. Lucas sat up a bit, glaring at him.

"I would hit you right now if I wasn't so hung-over." He rubbed his head gently, in a feeble attempt to ease a bit of the pain. It was definitely a pretty gruesome hangover that would take more than a couple hours to recover from. Nathan sat down on the edge of the bed, jostling Lucas a little bit. "Don't move unless you want me to throw up everywhere." He ran his hand over his face, swallowing the bile that was rising in his throat.

"So what happened between you and Theresa last night?" Nathan asked curiously. Lucas glared at him, not wanting to discuss the events of last night.

"I don't even get a few hours to adjust? You're just gonna start hounding me with questions now?" he grumbled in response. A soft chuckle fell from Nate's lips and he raised his hands in defeat.

"Alright, alright. Calm yourself down." He stood up and stretched his arms behind his back. "Pull yourself together. You can't let mom and dad know that you have a hangover."

"Seriously? How the hell am I supposed to pull that off?"

"Wash your face, pop a couple aspirin, and try not to throw up all over the kitchen table." He moved towards the door, stopping in the doorway and turning around to glance at Lucas. "And later, I expect full details of last night." Nathan smirked before walking out of the room, leaving Lucas in his misery. After a few moments of staring blankly at the door, he fell back against the pillows, groaning once more. He rolled over and grabbed his phone off of the side table. He scrolled quickly through, checking for any missed calls or text messages. In all honesty, he had hoped to see something from Peyton. Last night had gotten pretty messed up, and he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that nothing was ever going to be the same. He had acted like a jealous boyfriend, and retaliated in the wrong way.

"She's just a friend, Lucas. You haven't even known her that long." he muttered to himself as he attempted to stand. He would've fallen to the ground but he managed to steady himself with the wall. Pretending that he was perfectly okay was definitely not going to be an easy task. Lucas took a deep breath, shook his head, and slowly made his way to the bathroom. He took Nathan's advice and washed up, as well as popping three aspirin.

"Good morning!" Deb said cheerily when she spotted him walking into the kitchen. He smiled softly at her, trying to ignore the fierce pounding sensation in his skull. "I made breakfast. Dan and Nathan are sitting in the dining room. What would you like to drink?"

"Some water would be good. Thanks Deb." he replied somewhat appreciatively. His steps were slow and methodical, but he eventually made it to the dining room, breathing a sigh of relief as he settled into a chair.

"Morning Lucas. Did you sleep well?" Dan asked, taking a slow sip of his coffee. Lucas nodded his head, forcing a smile. The scent of food was overpowering his senses and making his stomach churn. Nathan smirked softly, practically burying his head in his plate.

"Mom made her world famous pancakes this morning." Nathan told him with a grin, lifting up the plate of pancakes and shoving it in his direction. "Smells delicious right?" Lucas pushed the plate away, covering his hand with his mouth.

"I'm not very hungry." He glared at Nathan, trying to capture all of his agitation in one simple look. Dan raised an eyebrow, looking curiously over at Lucas. "I'm not feeling very well…" Lucas said when he saw the look Dan was giving him. He just chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, deciding to leave it be.

"Why aren't you eating?" Deb asked worriedly. She set the water in front of Lucas before sitting down.

"I'm not feeling so good this morning." He felt bad that she had taken all this time to make breakfast and he was physically unable to eat any of it. "It all looks delicious; I just don't think I can keep it down."

"Well then you go on up to bed." Deb said seriously. "I'll bring you up some tea and I'll make you some soup for lunch." Lucas stood up slowly and nodded his head gratefully. Right now, lying in his bed was the only thing he wanted to do.

"Thank you." he said quickly before shuffling back towards the stairs. The pain of the headache was slowly lessening; he figured he'd be golden in another hour or so. He intended to take a nap, but he couldn't fall asleep. Thoughts of last night kept his mind focused and awake. He couldn't rid the image of Peyton with Justin from his thoughts, and it was driving him crazy. Once again the thoughts he had tried to shake off the night before were reappearing. His whole reasoning for going upstairs with Theresa was to rid himself of whatever he was feeling towards Peyton. If anything, it had had a reverse effect. Lucas grabbed his phone once more, flipping it open and scrolling to Peyton's number. For a second he debated calling her, but decided that would be much too awkward. Instead he decided to send her a simple message. Just a little something to let her know he was thinking about her, and maybe even a bit worried. He typed furiously and clicked send before he could change his mind. Now all he could do was wait.

--

Peyton rolled over in bed, colliding gently with the warm body next to her. She groaned, running a hand through her hair and trying to erase the memories of last night from her mind. Justin snorted softly before rolling back over and continuing to sleep. She slid out of bed, ignoring the pain in her head and picking up all her belongings. She slipped back into her clothing, grabbed her purse, and slipped out the door. Last night had been a complete and total mess. She became the girl that she used to be, and she hated that. She had gotten jealous, drank too much, and let her emotions take her over. Once she was outside, she realized that she had no way to get home. She tried to calculate the math in her head, but that simply made the pounding worse. A soft vibrating sensation shot through her leg, confusing her for a moment before she realized it was just her cell phone. It was probably Brooke, checking up on her or congratulating her; something along those lines. Her heart skipped a beat when she flipped her phone open and Lucas's name flashed on the screen. A part of her was upset because he had gone upstairs with Theresa. Another part of her felt absolutely pathetic for feeling upset, because he wasn't hers. 'Hey Peyt. Just wanted to make sure you were alright. I got the hangover from hell.' A soft smile graced her lips. She couldn't help but think about how adorable he was. After a few moments of quiet contemplation, she slid her phone back into her pocket and started to walk. He could worry about her for a little bit, that was fine with her. Peyton didn't like feeling this way, it was so confusing. It's not like she had known Lucas long enough to have these feelings for him. It had to be infatuation, strictly infatuation. Peyton Sawyer didn't do crushes; they weren't her thing.

"Starting right now, I will not think about Lucas as anything more than a friend." she said, promising herself. She couldn't help but wonder how long her willpower would last…

--

Deb took illnesses very seriously; even just a minor cold. Lucas had been confined to bed rest; he was only allowed to leave his room to use the bathroom. She would check on him every fifteen minutes to make sure he didn't need anything. It was driving Lucas insane, and he couldn't wait until tomorrow when he would make his 'miraculous recovery'. Nathan decided to take this opportunity to head over to Peyton's and check up on her. She was like a sister to him and she had been somewhat of a mess last night. He knocked lightly on the door, pushing it open with ease.

"Peyt?!" he called, glancing around the house. The soft sound of footsteps approached and he sent a warm smile in her direction. "How you feeling?" he asked sympathetically. She shrugged her shoulders lightly, unsure of how exactly to answer that question.

"No hangover if that's what you're asking." She had a feeling he was referring to the Lucas situation but she wanted to avoid that topic as long as possible.

"That's not exactly what I was talking about and you know it." he retorted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "If it makes you feel any better Lucas has a pretty brutal hangover. Deb confined him to his bedroom because he told her he was sick." A laugh fell from Peyton's lips; it was common knowledge to never let Deb know if you weren't feeling well. "I bet if you got in touch with him it would make his day…he's probably pretty bored right now."

"He's probably trying to sleep off the hangover. I don't want to bother him." He raised an eyebrow at her, smirking softly at how easily the bullshit rolled off her tongue. "Don't look at me like that." she added softly, walking towards the kitchen.

"Don't let what happened affect your friendship…you'll regret it if you do." he called after her. Her head turned slightly as she stopped moving. "You like him, that's a simple fact. Get to know him…be friends. Don't push him away, Peyt." And with that he turned and walked out the door, leaving Peyton to think about what he had just said.

"Don't push him away…" she mumbled to herself. She bit her lip gently, running a hand anxiously through her hair. After a few moments of quiet contemplation she headed upstairs and switched on her computer. She loaded up her aim account and noticed that he was in fact online.

P*sawyer: hangover from hell, huh?

LScott: unfortunately…worst part is that Deb thinks I'm sick so I'm stuck on bed rest

P*sawyer: Deb takes sickness very seriously. Nate should've warned you

LScott: yeah, remind me to kill him for that later? =)

P*sawyer: =)

P*sawyer: I don't want to get any of your 'sickness' but if you're bored I'll gladly keep you entertained via internet

LScott: really? Don't have anything better to do this lovely afternoon?

P*sawyer: *shrugs* nope. Talking to you all day wouldn't be such a terrible thing =P

LScott: glad you think so highly of me =P

P*sawyer: but of course. Have to think highly of the bad boy with the cheesy pick up lines

LScott: I have no cheesy pick up lines

P*sawyer: do I need to remind you of the first time we met?

LScott: alright, alright. I guess sometimes I can be a bit cheesy…my apologies

P*sawyer: well, I never said it was a bad thing

LScott: =)

LScott: Deb should be reappearing in a couple minutes; I'm hiding my computer so she doesn't take away my internet privileges. Will you still be here when I get back?

P*sawyer: I'll wait

LScott: =)

LScott has signed off.

"I'll wait…"