Thanks so much to everyone who stuck with this story. This is the last chapter! It is a bit different to what everyone expected and was waiting for, but I hope you still like it...
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you think you've read, heard or seen before...
Inside the limousine, Nathan, Haley and Peyton were sitting on one side across from Lucas and Brooke. Peyton tried to keep her face neutral as she watched Brooke mould herself into Lucas' side while her hands never remained idle, alternating between caressing his face and playing with the small hairs at the nape of his neck. Haley and Nathan on the other hand didn't see why they needed to hide their annoyed reaction at the obvious PDA in front of them.
"Get a room." Nathan mumbled under his breath, but it was loud enough for Brooke to hear as she held up a hotel room key smiling smugly. Lucas slightly pulled away from her hold, slightly uncomfortable that their actions were making everyone else uncomfortable.
"Oh Haley, I forgot to tell you that you're dress is amazing." Brooke smiled at the brunette across from her. Haley began to smile at the compliment, before Brooke continued. "You almost look as hot as me."
"Thanks, I guess." Haley rolled her eyes. Brooke turned to Peyton.
"Your dress is okay too, Peyton." Brooke offered unwillingly. Peyton ignored the comment as she continued to stare out the window. Haley nudged her slightly, subtly prompting her to say something.
"Yeah, thanks." Peyton grumbled. Peyton noticed as Lucas rose his eyebrows and frown at her mood but she shrugged it off and she threw him a sarcastic smile.
"I have to admit, Peyton, you have been spending a lot of time with my boyfriend." Brooke started.
"Well he was my best friend before he was your boyfriend, so I guess it's just something you'll have to get used to." Peyton bit back.
"Hmm, I guess I can deal with it seeing as he is regularly in my bed." Brooke replied cattily. Lucas blushed at the comment as he tried to warn Brooke with a look that she should be quiet.
"It's not like yours is the only bed he's been in lately. Actually he was in mine just last week." Peyton declared. She knew it wasn't in the same sense that Brooke meant it, but it was still true. Brooke turned to Lucas with a glare.
"Now, now girls. This isn't a "who does Lucas like better" competition." Nathan tried to ease the tension in the car. And anyway, he knew who the winner would be. Peyton crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive manner as she turned back to face out the window.
"So..." Haley tried to start a new conversation, but couldn't think of a new topic.
"so, I suppose you've all heard about mine and Lucas' plans?" Brooke began. Nathan, Haley and Peyton noticed Lucas tense slightly at the question and he lightly squeezed the arm he had wrapped around Brooke's waist, hoping she would get the hint to not continue. Brooke looked over at him slightly confused before Peyton cut in.
"No, what plans?" she asked curious. Brooke couldn't wait to rub it in.
"Well Lucas and I have decided to jet off and travel for a year, after graduation of course." Brooke smiled widely. Lucas shifted uncomfortably while Haley audibly sighed, both fearing Peyton's reaction to the news. Peyton, however, just pasted on a fake smile.
"Well that really sounds great."
"No plans are set in concrete yet though. I still have some loose send to tie up around her." Lucas tried to explain, hoping to soften the blow. Peyton glanced at him and saw he was trying to apologise for not telling her earlier.
"Oh no. It's pretty much a definite." Brooke confirmed, wanting Peyton to know that Brooke had won.
"Yeah, Lucas, seems like you can't wait to get away from here as soon as possible." Peyton replied harshly.
"You know that's not true." Lucas sighed.
"I don't think I know anything anymore, Lucas."
"Peyton." Haley whispered to her worriedly. Peyton ignored the four of them as she tapped on the glass panel that separated them from the driver.
"Please stop here." Peyton demanded as soon as the screen rolled down.
"No!" Lucas, Haley and Nathan all exclaimed at the same time. Brooke sat quietly, a smug smile on her face. Before anyone could react, the driver had already pulled the limousine to a stop and Peyton reached over to open the door. She quickly flew out and slammed the door behind her. Lucas collapsed into the seat, disappointed and upset.
"Why did you have to bring that up?" Lucas turned to Brooke, whose smile slowly faded as she noticed Lucas' mood.
"Well someone had to bring it up to your Precious Peyton. I knew you were never going to get around to telling her."
"I would have!' Lucas exclaimed. "I just had to find the right time, and telling her on the way to prom while we're driving down the back streets of Tree Hill was not it."
"Lucas." Nathan quietly interrupted as he motioned his head towards where Peyton had left.
"Haley?" Lucas pleaded as he looked over at his friend.
"You know I'm not the one she wants to talk to right now." Haley explained as she leant into Nathan, indicating she wasn't going anywhere. Lucas sighed as he turned to a fuming Brooke. She wouldn't meet his stare.
When Peyton had exited the limousine, she had no idea what she was doing or where she would go. Hell, she didn't even know where they were when she had asked the driver to stop. That didn't stop her from breaking into a run as soon as she stepped out, never looking back to see if anyone had come out to try and stop her. After a few steps, Peyton realised she shouldn't even attempt to run in the heels Haley had made her wear and as she stopped, she turned to where the limousine had been, only to find it gone and no one in sight. Great, she was stranded on a deserted road all alone with no idea where she was. Sighing, she started walking further down the road, hoping she was heading in the right direction. Peyton began talking out loud to herself
"Oh, who cares right? I'm fine, really. This is all just completely fine. I didn't really expect anyone to come after me. I mean, why would they? They don't care enough about me to miss their prom. Besides, I'm sure I can find my own way home. I don't need anyone rescuing me, I'm no damsel in distress. I am fine on my own." Peyton's rant turned into a mumble as she stopped and took in the emptiness that surrounded her.
"Oh god. I have no idea where I am. I am not fine on my own." Peyton felt her eyes well up with tear and as they started streaming down her face, she reached up and undid the clips holding her hair out of her face, letting the curls tumble around her shoulders.
"What am I supposed to do?" Peyton yelled towards the sky as she started walking again. In response, Peyton heard a loud crack of thunder before the sky opened up and the raindrops fell around her.
"This is perfect, thanks! You really know how to top off the worst evening ever!" Peyton continued yelling towards the sky. Walking faster now, Peyton continued down the lone road, constantly jumping at the distant sound of thunder. Suddenly she stopped and whirled around to look behind her, certain that she had heard something. She couldn't see far because of the darkness and heavy rain around her. She shrugged it off and turned to start walking again when she heard the noise again. Whirling around she called into the darkness.
"Okay, um, whoever is out there just show yourself now. I mean I am already having the worst night so if you want to end it for me, by all means go ahead. I promise I won't even try to stop you. So just come out... whoever you are."
Peyton searched the darkness with fear before she noticed a shadow at the side of the road. Peyton swallowed as she waited for the mystery person to reveal themselves and was shocked as she watched Lucas step out of the shadows. His clothes were soaked while his hair fell limp as it was matted against his head from the rain. Peyton sighed in relief, but the feeling quickly turned to anger and she turned and started walking quickly away from him. She could hear him running after her, so she attempted to run as well. She didn't get very far as he easily caught up to her and grabbed her arm, swinging her around to face him. She was furious with him as she ripped her arm away from his grasp.
"Don't touch me! What do you want? What are you doing out here?" Peyton yelled as she motioned to the space around them.
"I could ask you the same thing."
Peyton ignored his question as she turned away from him.
"Well?" Lucas prompted.
"Why were you following me like that, like some crazed stalker? Why not just show yourself?" Peyton asked her own questions.
"I was curious to see if you would make any more interesting outbursts." Lucas laughed. Peyton remained silent. "You don't need anyone rescuing, do you? We don't care enough, do we?" Lucas threw back at her. Peyton cringed as she remember her words from earlier.
"I don't know, Peyt, maybe it was because I didn't want to get my head bitten off." Lucas admitted.
"Now why do you think I would do something like that?" Peyton asked him sarcastically, turning to face him again.
"What is going on here?" Lucas asked desperately, pulling her closer as he lay his hands on top of her arms.
"You don't want to know." She whispered, looking down refusing to look into his eyes.
"You're right. I just left our best friends and my girlfriend in a limousine and sent them to our prom without us, just so I could come out here in the pouring rain and ask you a question I didn't want the answer to."
"Trust me Luke, you don't want to know." Peyton tried again.
"Does this have anything to do with Nathan?" Lucas asked suspiciously. Peyton laughed out loud.
"Did you not notice Nathan and Haley sitting across from you in the limousine just now? Trust me, this has nothing to do with Nathan."
'Than what?" Lucas asked, getting frustrated.
"It's Brooke." Peyton sighed.
"Brooke?"
"I just don't like her okay."
"You don't like her?"
"Are you just going to repeat everything I say?' Peyton looked at him questioningly. Lucas made a motion of zipping his lips and throwing away the key.
"I don't like her." Peyton confirmed. "And I also kind of envy her."
"You're jealous?" Lucas asked in amazement. Peyton shrugged, but Lucas could tell that the answer was yes. "Why would you be jealous of her? It's not like she has anything that you don't have. You're beautiful and amazing and you have so many great friends that would do anything for you. What's missing?"
"You." Peyton mumbled.
"I'm here right now, aren't I?" Lucas stated confused.
"But you're not here the way I want you to be. We're not the way I want us to be." Peyton explained truthfully before shaking her head and walking away from a stunned Lucas.
"Oh."
"When did this happen exactly?" Lucas questioned as he shook himself from his frozen state and ran up to her.
"I don't really want to talk about it right now." Peyton deflected the question, not stopping in her speed walk.
"Well that's too bad, because I do want to talk about it right now."
Peyton suddenly stopped and turned, running into Lucas who hadn't noticed and continued walking into her. Lucas took a half step back.
"Does it really matter? Would it make any difference at all?" Peyton yelled.
"It might." Lucas replied softly, causing Peyton to soften her tone as well.
"It just did, okay?" Peyton answered his earlier question.
"You don't have a better answer? Something more specific?" Lucas tried.
"Specific? I don't know, maybe that day after we went to the beach and you spent all of our lunch period telling me about Brooke, or it could have been before then." Peyton shrugged. "We've always been so close, I can't pinpoint it. It just happened."
"And I didn't notice because..." Lucas prompted, urging her to finish the sentence.
"Because you're a dumb ass?" Peyton suggested with a smile. "I guess because you had Brooke and you were finally happy and probably really glad to be rid of me and around a real girl. I don't know, you answer that question." Peyton waited, but seeing Lucas' blank face she didn't expect him to answer so she started walking again. Lucas followed and walked quietly beside her. Upon noticing Peyton shivering, Lucas took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. Peyton smiled in thanks as she pulled her arms through the sleeves. As they walked the two noticed that the rain had settled into a slow drizzle around them.
"Maybe I didn't see it because I didn't want to see it." Lucas finally answered.
"That could be it." Peyton replied simply, trying to hide the hurt thinking his answer meant he didn't want her.
"Not that I didn't want to, because believe me I did, so badly." He confessed, shocking Peyton. "That day we went to the beach, I was still so in love with you that it hurt, so it was that day that I decided to try and get over you, and that's when I met Brooke. Trust me thought, getting over you is a lot harder than it seems. It didn't work." Peyton couldn't stop the blush rising in her cheeks. "I thought I had to though which is probably why I missed any signs of your new feelings because it would have made getting over you that much harder."
"But you wouldn't have had to!" Peyton laughed at his backwards logic.
"I didn't know that at the time."
"You're very strange, Luke."
"You know, no matter how happy I was with Brooke, I would have been so much happier to be with you, if you had just told me."
"I don't know. Maybe Brooke was exactly what you needed, and you would have just gotten mad at me." Peyton shrugged. Lucas stopped Peyton with a hand on her arm. She turned to face him as the two stood in the middle of the road.
"You are what I need. I'm sorry I just got sick of waiting." Lucas told her.
"I'm sorry." Peyton hung her head as she realised the pain she had unintentionally inflicted on him. Lucas moved his hands to Peyton's face, lifting it so they were eye level. Gently cradling her face in his hands, Lucas leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips.
"What about Brooke?" Peyton asked once they had pulled away.
"I think Nathan and Haley may have filled her in on a few things when I left them in the limousine alone. Besides, she was already kind of annoyed because I was always talking about you, spending time with you, thinking about you." Lucas smiled. "I think the last straw was when I came out here to chase you down. I don't think she's going to be waiting for me after this." Peyton laughed at his explanation.
"I'm glad I got you laughing again." Lucas admitted.
"I'm sure you are." Peyton sighed as she pulled him towards her for another kiss.
The End