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The next day at school, Nathan and Peyton were walking to class when Lucas caught up to them. They all greeted each other but that's where the conversation ended as the threesome walked to the classroom in silence. Nathan and Peyton were still acting like a couple and were holding hands and walking close to each other, while Lucas stood to the side. As they reached the classroom, Lucas expected Peyton to follow him in, but seeing her hesitance, he sighed as he entered alone, leaving the couple at the door.
"So?" Nathan started, looking down at Peyton.
"So what?" she asked back confused.
"Are we continuing this?" Nathan questioned motioning between the two of them with his hand.
"Oh, well, did you and Haley talk about, you know?' Peyton mumbled, refusing to meet his eyes.
"She did." Nathan commented. "But I don't know if I like the idea of Lucas beating me to a pulp."
"What?" Peyton exclaimed loudly, causing a few nearby students to turn their way. Upon noticing the stares, she lowered her voice, "He wouldn't do that."
"Look, I'm not going to have this conversation with you as well. Let's just say I know Lucas very well." Nathan caught Peyton's expression and he quickly realised who he was talking to. "Okay, so that doesn't really mean much when I'm talking to the person that knows him inside-out. Let's just leave it at the fact that I'm thinking about it. I better get to class."
Nathan leant down to kiss Peyton goodbye but she moved her head at the last minute and the kiss landed awkwardly on her cheek. Nathan followed her gaze and saw her looking at Lucas who was sitting at his usual seat but had a girl draped across it, chatting to him. Nathan picked up on the distraction and sighed.
"Bye." Nathan offered as he turned to leave.
"Bye." Peyton replied still distracted as she entered the class and headed to her usual seat.
The lunch bell had rung five minutes ago and Haley was already at a lunch table out in the courtyard, her food untouched beside her as she scribbled furiously in a notebook. Haley jumped in shock as a bag slammed down on the table across from her and she looked up to see Nathan standing there, looking less than happy. Haley sighed as she closed her notebook and motioned for Nathan to take a seat.
"Okay, what's with the look?"
"I'll give you one guess." Nathan huffed.
"Let's see." Haley started, pretending to think. "This couldn't have anything to do with your girlfriend, could it?"
"Could you not call her that?" Nathan pleaded.
"Sorry." Haley wasn't apologetic. "What has she done to your poor fragile heart now?"
"My heart is anything but poor and fragile, thanks." Nathan scoffed.
"Could have fooled me." Haley shrugged.
"Peyton just happens to be the person I want right now, I'm sure the moment will pass." Nathan rolled his eyes.
"Right. So what happened?"
"Well let's see, she took my heart, stomped on it and left it for dead, then thrown it away for good measure."
Haley couldn't help laugh at Nathan's over exaggeration of Peyton's actions.
"Okay, calm down." Haley suggested.
"Calm down? No way. I'm over this whole scheme you cooked up Haley James." Nathan's voice began to rise at every syllable. Haley looked around the courtyard to see a few people glancing there way, shock on their faces.
"Nathan, you better calm down before the entire student body decides to throw you in a mental institution. Now since Peyton is apparently just a "flavour of the week" why are you so upset?"
Nathan glared silently at Haley, but eventually gave in.
"I was all ready to continue your stupid charade this morning, until I saw her and I realised I couldn't do it. I don't want to lose her, even though this whole thing is fake to begin with. But it's just that she doesn't care what I think, all she cares about is me having my nose broken so that Lucas can come off as some heroic figure by saving her. And then all morning whenever she saw him, she was completely distracted and would stare at him, ignoring me even though I thought we were supposed to be dating. So I've thought about it some more, and I say let's start the harassing." Nathan grinned.
"So this is really just about you having your ego bruised because your so called girlfriend ignored you this morning?" Haley questioned incredulously.
"Not entirely." Nathan mumbled unconvincingly.
"Look, I don't think you harassing her when you're worked up like this is such a good idea."
"Why not? I thought that's what you wanted?" Nathan asked confused.
"Well, it is, but not like this. I mean it has to look like you're harassing her, not that you actually are. I don' think she would appreciate you abusing her in front of the school."
"Oh come on, where's the fun in that? I mean it would get a better reaction from Lucas."
"No, Nathan. You're just mad right now, you might let something slip."
"It sounded like a good plan in my head." Nathan grumbled as he hung his head on the table.
"It always does." Haley commented with a small shrug.
"So, what now?" Nathan asked.
"You just have to do what I tell you to, no improvising." Haley instructed.
"Peyton!" Nathan called out as he approached her at her locker.
"Oh, hi." Peyton smiled as she turned to face him. She watched as Nathan swallowed hard and knew this wasn't going to end well, especially when he walked up to her and stood just a little too close, so she was forced to step back and pinned between him and her locker.
"Nathan?" Peyton asked slightly confused. Nathan leant to whisper in her ear.
"I'm just doing what Haley told me too, so just go along with it." Nathan returned to a standing position as he leaned dangerously close over Peyton.
"I want the truth." Nathan demanded sternly.
"The truth? About what?" Peyton tried to play along with the charade but was genuinely confused about where this was going.
"Don't play dumb with me, you know what. I saw you with some guy after school yesterday." Nathan raised his voice hoping to gain attention from the nearby students, and also hoping Lucas was somewhere nearby and would catch the show.
"Who? I don't know what you're talking about." Peyton said, trying to keep her voice calm. The only guy she really hung out with was Lucas and she hoped Nathan wasn't about to bring him into the fake fight.
"Yes you do!" Nathan yelled. "Max, is it?"
"Max, from the record store, Max?" Peyton was shocked.
"See, you do know what I'm talking about. You're always over there. Just tell me the truth."
'The truth about what, Nathan? There's nothing going on between Max and I. You know who I love." Peyton chose her last words carefully, they weren't exactly untrue.
"Well maybe I just can't believe you anymore. I don't know what's going on inside that head of yours. Maybe I'll never know." Nathan went to walk away and end it there. It was hurting him to say these things to Peyton but she grabbed his arm and continued.
"What are you trying to say to me? I did nothing wrong and this is what I get?" Peyton turned on fake tears for effect, causing Nathan to look away never being able to stand seeing any girl crying. As he faced the small crowd around them, he realised why Peyton was making the fight look so real. Coming fast through the onlookers was Lucas, an unreadable expression on his face. Nathan turned back to Peyton.
"I just can't do this anymore, Peyt. It hurts too much, just let it go." Nathan felt the emotion building as he realised the true meaning of those words and how they applied so much more than just to this fake relationship. So much for not improvising. He turned to walk away but was stopped again, only this time it wasn't Peyton holding him back. Lucas had made it to the front of the crowd and with one glance at Peyton's tear stained face, he pushed Nathan hard into the nearby lockers.
"Don't-" was all Nathan managed to get out before Lucas' fist connected with his jaw. Quickly recovering from the shock, Nathan threw a punch into Lucas' stomach, who threw one back into Nathan's stomach. Lucas managed to hold Nathan in a head lock s they tousled.
"Lucas! Nathan!" Peyton shouted as she moved towards them, pulling Lucas by the back of his shirt. Lucas glanced over his shoulder, momentarily releasing his hold on Nathan who immediately pulled away and stormed out of the school, ignoring Peyton's sympathetic gaze. Peyton watched him go before turning to Lucas, hands on hips.
"Lucas, what were you going?" she asked, truly mad at him.
"I don't know, I just heard him yelling and then saw you crying and I had to do something." Lucas tried to justify it.
"But you've known Nathan for years, why hit him?"
"I just told you. You were crying and I figured he had something to do with it, so I got angry."
"I guess I didn't realise you cared that much." Peyton sighed as she shook her head.
"What?" Lucas asked doubtfully. "How can you say that? You know I care for you like I would my own sister. How could I not do anything if I saw you upset." At Lucas' use of the word sister, Peyton had to leave, realising that even the recent display of testosterone meant nothing.
"Well thanks I guess, but I should really go and see how Nathan is."Peyton began to walk away.
"But you guys aren't dating anymore." Lucas called after her. Peyton thought she heard some relief in his statement but chose to ignore it.
"Doesn't mean he isn't still my friend." Peyton replied not looking back as she continued out the doors Nathan had left through.
Lucas stood there shocked, trying to figure out exactly what just happened between the three friends. Peyton was right, he never would have hit Nathan over anything else but he had felt a strong urge to protect Peyton in that moment. Lucas groaned inwardly as he tried to remind himself that he was dating Brooke and trying to get over Peyton, not to be her knight in shining armour. It was times like these Lucas thanked the powers that be that Brooke chose not attend THH and attended a private school near the states border. Lucas looked down the hallway following the path Peyton had just left. He hoped she wasn't picking up on the feelings he was trying so hard to hide because he didn't know if he would be able to say no to her if they were suddenly reciprocated. Lucas chuckled. Like that would ever happen.
Peyton wandered outside and glanced around the grassed area, hoping to spot any sign of Nathan. Coming up empty, Peyton realised there was only one place he could be, without actually leaving the school, and headed towards the gym. Sure enough when she entered, the gym was empty and silent, save for the lone figure shooting free throw after free throw causing a soft swish to sound from the net.
"Nate?" she called to him quietly, approaching his rigid form. Nathan dropped the ball at his feet as he turned to face Peyton.
"Come here." Nathan offered as he held his arms open for Peyton. Peyton gladly took the embrace, wondering how Nathan could be so caring in that moment when the whole thing was her fault. Nathan led the two towards the bleachers and they took a seat.
"Sit down, we need to talk." Nathan suggested as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"I'm so sorry Nathan." Peyton mumbled as she lightly traced the quick forming bruise that was appearing on his jaw.
"Don't worry about it." Nathan laughed quietly. "So how is your prince doing?"
"He's so far from being my prince right now." Peyton rolled her eyes. "He's more of an apologising coward."
"He hasn't come and apologised to me." Nathan commented confused.
"No, but he apologised to me, seeing as he hit me and all." Peyton joked. "But seriously, he is sorry and he really doesn't know what came over him."
"I know what came over him. He was trying to protect you from big bad me because he loves you." Nathan stated simply.
"Well you got the protecting bit right, but what big bad you failed to notice was that he only thinks of me as his sister."
"Maybe he's into the incest thing." Nathan joked, pushing Peyton playfully.
"Stop it. He told me straight out – I care for you like I would my own sister." Nathan groaned frustrated.
"That boy is deaf, dumb and blind. What do we have to do, kill you?"
"Gee thanks." Peyton swatted him.
"Hey it was just a suggestion." Nathan shrugged away from her. "Look, I don't know what to tell you other than he's lying. I've known both you and Lucas for a while now and he does not only think of you as a sister."
"Right, the look. Scary!" Peyton mumbled sarcastically.
"Fine, don't believe me. But I'm telling you that us guys, we all pretty much work the same. When we like someone we want to kill every guy she's with and will probably really kill any guy who hurts her."
Peyton moved back into Nathan's embrace as she leant her head on his shoulder.
"What am I going to do?" she pouted.
"Do you really want to be with someone who can't see what's right in front of them?" Nathan asked.
"Would you think less of me if I respond with a strong yes?"
"No, I was just wondering." Nathan admitted. "So since we're being all honest here, do you think Haley likes me?" Nathan sheepishly asked. Peyton sat straight up, turning to face him.
"Hell no!" Peyton exclaimed shocked. Nathan's face fell at her answer.
"Oh no, I don't mean hell no as in she doesn't like you. I mean hell no as in I can't believe you like Haley." Peyton corrected. Nathan shrugged.
"You so have to ask her to prom."
"I don't know. I'm sure she already has a date."
Peyton waved him off. "Nope, she and I were going together but this is so much better. You can take her. I probably won't even go anyway."
Nathan still looked sceptical about the idea.
"Dude, it's prom!" Peyton laughed, pleased with her idea.