The next morning I felt so awful, Lucas had tried calling me all night. I had about fifteen missed calls from him on my cell and four messages on the answering machine. I had ended up walking home; Lucas had followed me the whole way, not walking beside but behind me, calling me, breaking my heart the whole way.
We'd reached my door, and he stopped, facing me. "Let me in," he touched my chest "Let me in Peyton, please." His voice was so quiet. He seemed so weak compared to the Lucas that I knew.
"Lucas," I breathed, I leant toward him and fell into his chest. His strong arms wrapped themselves around my body. "Everyone that I get close to leaves." I whispered. I felt his hold tighten around my body.
"Peyton, I promise you, I'm not going anywhere." I looked up at him, his head slowly came toward mine and I perched up on my toes and then felt his head smack against mine.
I screamed there was so much pain. Luke fell into my arms and I fell to the floor. He quickly turned in the direction of the thing that had smacked him in the back of his head. Nathan, Tim and the other idiots from the basketball team stood there gawking when they saw me.
"Peyton, get over here." Nathan ordered me. I stayed where I was, at Luke's side, where I belonged. This was just the thing, awful though it sounds, that I needed to happen to prove that Lucas and I were meant to be. I held onto Lucas' arm as his eyes squinted at Nathan. "So now what man? You steal my girlfriend?" Nathan shouted, shoving Lucas in the chest.
"You can't steal something if it wants to leave." Lucas stated, making a few of the other members of the squad snigger, which annoyed Nathan even more.
"I'm neither of yours to steal" I added, "I want to be with Lucas, I love him" I stated looking up to Lucas' face, he smiled at me, the biggest smile I had seen for ages.
Nathan grabbed my arm and pulled over to him, while Tim and some other idiot stood in the way of Lucas coming over to me. I could hear him trying to get past them. I shot him an apologetic look. "Look Peyton, I don't want to our relationship to end. But if you go off with him," he shot Lucas an poisonous look. "Then there is nothing left for us."
"Nathan, the only we have left is drama. You think that threatening us, that threatening me and Lucas, is going to stop us being together?" I slammed my hands against his chest, and he smirked.
"If that's the way you feel." He laughed. "Take care of it guys," he told Tim, and the other idiot, I think his name is Drew, something like that. They grabbed Lucas and dragged him off somewhere. I screamed his name, but Nathan just laughed and held me while my body shook with anger. I raised my knee, hard and fast up to his crotch. He doubled over and I ran indoors locking the door behind me. I know I should have gone looking for Lucas but I was so scared.
I woke to my cell ringing again, it was Lucas. I picked up and spoke his name. "Lucas? Is that you? Are you okay?"
"Hey Peyton," he sighed. "I'm okay; Tim was too much of a girl to hit me. They just dragged me away from you."
"Where are you? I'll come and meet you?" I asked pulling on some tracksuit bottoms. I leant my phone against my shoulder as I yanked them up my legs.
"I'm right outside your house." He said. I hung up and ran downstairs. I flung the door open and wrapped my arms around him. He laughed and hugged me closer.
"Oh, Lucas, I'm so sorry. I just got so scared." He smiled at me and brought his face closer to mine, his arms were rubbing up and down mine, leaving sparks of electricity wherever they went. The wind blew my curls over our faces and he laughed. He let his face fall so that his nose swept over my forehead.
"You're lucky I love…" he stopped and stepped back remembering the episode we had experienced the last time he'd expressed his feelings. I smiled, feeling deflated that I'd made him hide his feelings from me.
"Lucas Scott, I love you." I smiled. His smile was so big that it reached his eyes. He held me close and I reached up, grabbing his hair and pulled myself up to kiss him.
I woke up, stretching in my bed and rolled over. My bed was empty; I began to wrap my head around things. It was all just a dream, the fight, me telling Lucas I loved him, everything. The only that was real was the party, and that I had walked off ruining anything that could possibly exist between us. I needed to put this straight, I needed to tell Lucas that I loved him, because after waking, I realised that I did.
And now I just needed to tell him. I love you Lucas Scott.