Disclaimer: One Tree Hill and its characters belong to Mark Schwahn, The CW, etc. I'm simply whoring them for my own amusement.
Spoilers/Warnings: I'm screwing with pretty much everything in the OTH verse. For now if you've seen S1, you're golden.
Summary: AU. A one night stand blossoms into much more than Lucas and Peyton originally bargained for.
A/N: I promise that the focus on Lily will end soon. She's not just filler, but in order to get to certain parts of the story, she's beneficial. That said, Nathan was never meant to make a menace of himself until this chapter. Feedback is love.
—
07. Shameless Use of Charm
Lily was fluffing Dan's pillow when Nathan walked back into the room. She shot her brother a glare. "I thought I told you to leave," she ground out through clenched teeth, annoyed that he hadn't listened to her. Of course, when did Nathan ever take orders well?
"Lucas thought I should stay," Nathan informed her smugly. He ignored his sister and looked at his dad who was preoccupied with the scenery outside. "I'm sorry... about that. Lucas just..."
Dan stopped him with a steely look. "I'm not interested in hearing it, Nathan. This feud with your brother... it needs to end. I've seen Lucas bend over backwards to try to reason with you. He's made his apologies. He knows what he did was wrong and he's paid his dues. You should cut him some slack."
"Wow," Nathan breathed. "I shouldn't be surprised that you're taking up for Lucas."
Dan thundered, "I'm not taking up for either one of you. You both have some growing up to do, but getting back at him, which I suspect is what you have planned, is only going to backfire on you."
"Well that'll be on my conscience, now won't it?" Nathan felt the anger welling up inside of him, the disappointment and resentment that had been building for as long as he could remember. "And, you know, that's funny coming from you considering what happened with Mom and Uncle Keith. I still don't understand how you could forgive them-and you were married."
Lily could see that her dad was reaching his breaking point as he often did with Nathan. He was proud of Nathan's accomplishments and boasted of them until he was blue in the face, but the two were constant warring with one another. She started to tell her father to calm down, to mind his heart and his monitors but he sent her a look that said, "Don't." So, she didn't. She stayed at his side, though. Just in case.
"This isn't you. I didn't raise you to be this way."
"You didn't raise me much at all, did you, Dad?"
Dan sucked in a breath. "That's-"
"You know what? Spare me the melodrama. You abandoned me when you left mom for Karen. You chose her and Lucas over us."
"Your mom and I..."
"I've heard the story. Don't bother explaining. I may be the son able to take your dream of basketball and run with it, but Lucas is the Wonder Boy. I'll try not to hurt him too much." Nathan spun toward the door.
"Nathan!" Dan watched Nathan take a deep breath before facing him. "I never thought... I never thought that you cared about Haley that much. I thought it was just... sibling rivalry, you know? I thought you only went after her to make a point to your brother that you could."
"Seems to me that you made one assumption too many, Dad."
—
Leaving the hospital, Nathan felt so much rage that he had half a mind to go down to the dealership and beat his angelic brother senseless. What good would that do? Lucas still wouldn't know how it felt to watch something he loved ripped away.
Slipping into his car, he slammed the door shut behind himself, smacking his hand against the steering wheel in aggravation, huffing and puffing with exertion. He lifted up the console but didn't reach for the picture that he kept there of him, Haley and Lucas. Surprising as it was, he and his brother hadn't always had this dog-eat-dog relationship.
They'd started off hating each other, sure, but that's because they were pitted against each other, thanks in part to their mother's rivalry. That hadn't been their fault. No one but Dan could be blamed for that, for loving one woman and marrying another.
For as long as he could remember his parents hadn't gotten along and Karen had been thrown around in every argument the two ever had. He remembered the day that Dan was leaving, his parting words to Deb: "She's the one I should have married. It should have never been you." Those words had destroyed his mother. In the wake of a drug addiction and her subsequent hospitalization, he'd had to live with his father and stepmother and the half-brother he never wanted to know.
He was five when Dan had left his mom for Karen and though he had some residual anger directed at her, the two had managed to form a special bond. When his mom had been discharged from her facility and invited him back home, he had declined; he was happy where he was. That didn't make the situation better, but she'd come to accept it. By that time, the family had expanded to include Lily and him and Lucas often fought over their baby sister. Although they had been put off by what a noisemaker she turned out to be.
Throughout middle school and junior high school, he and Lucas had been as thick as thieves-inseparable. In high school, they went their separate ways, Nathan to play basketball, Lucas to dabble in literary works. They led separate lives, but somehow retained their close friendship. There was sports, there was their friends, there were girls... there was Haley.
Haley James had been a part of their lives forever, but it wasn't until the latter part of their junior year that Nathan took notice. He remembered it as if it was yesterday, sitting in class, listening to Haley give a speech about phylums, of all things. Rapt, her soft voice filtered past all the bullshit and bluster to settle warmly in his heart. Lucas, Haley's best friend, hadn't been too keen when he'd confessed his attraction-and convincing Haley to go out with him was no walk in the park, either.
Lucas warned him not to hurt Haley, otherwise wishing him luck. They dated for two years and were happy for the most part. They had any young couple's problems, but basketball became their biggest obstacles. That and the girls.
He never sought out to cheat on Haley. The first time was a fluke. The girl had broken into his hotel room and he hadn't the heart to show her the door. It became an obsession after that, to hook up with a girl during his away games. In the beginning, he'd been discreet, but as time went on he got careless and news of his activities after the games reached campus, then Haley.
The first time she confronted him he'd managed to flirt his way out of it, saying that rumors were rumors, that he'd probably hurt a girl's feelings when he'd rebuffed her. But the seed of doubt had already been planted and when Haley kept on hearing the rumors, saw the way that girls flashed her sympathetic looks, she knew the truth. Yet she didn't break up with him. She just...ignored it. She cried to Lucas, yes, and the two of them had it out more times than he liked to count, but she never broke up with him. That's when he knew he didn't deserve her.
Then came that night.
Haley had plans with her girlfriends so he'd made plans for a hook up at his dorm. He'd told her he'd be studying all night, so he was surprised when she walked in while he and Vicki (or was it Micki? Ricki?) were in the throes. She'd called him an asshole, and then bolted. It took him five minutes to process what had happened before he went after her. He knew she'd run straight to Lucas.
Dan had had his first heart attack that year and Lucas had left school to fill in for him at the dealership. He was living at home again, working on becoming a published author in his spare time. He was shopping his first novel to several publishers and everyone was waiting expectantly for news. Including Nathan. He was proud of his brother and didn't begrudge him his success. Hell, they were both successful in their own right.
When he'd walked into Lucas's room, he had expected to find Haley in Luke's arms, crying, cursing him lower than dirt. What he hadn't expected was to get VIP seats to see Haley fucking his brother-he hadn't been prepared for that. Nothing had felt worse, before or since.
Never before had he been able to say he knew how his Dad felt. Now he knew.
He'd forgiven Haley because he had let himself believe that they still had a chance. He could forgive her for her lapse in judgment in regards to Lucas. In return, he hoped that eventually she would forgive him for everything he'd done, all the lies, all the women. They'd discussed reconciling, trying to put their tattered relationship to rights, but then she said she couldn't... that she was confused. That there was Lucas to consider. He'd realized it then, what he'd been so blind to before. Haley was in love with his brother. Maybe she was in love with both of them. He didn't know, couldn't be sure. He sure as hell wasn't going to be stupid enough to ask. Truthfully, he didn't really want her answer.
After that, he knew he could never forgive Lucas.
The plan had begun to take root in his head. It wasn't just about making Lucas pay, he wanted Lucas to feel the same pain he'd felt. He knew Lucas would fall in love one day, but he'd anticipated it happening sooner, to be honest. However, he'd played his hand too soon, warned his brother of his impending retribution and Lucas had outsmarted him. He'd engaged in meaningless one-night stands to prevent himself from getting involved too deeply. That's what he didn't understand. Why this girl? Why Peyton? What made her different from all the others?
Leaving the hospital, Nathan found himself heading in the direction of Lucas's beach house instead of the property he'd leased on the other side of town. He parked in the lot of the apartment complex across the street and waited to glimpse Peyton. She had to come out of the house sooner or later, right? He was curious as to who this woman was that had miraculously managed to capture his brother's black heart.
He was there almost an hour and was about ready to forget about it when the mail carrier approached the door with a package. He sat forward, waiting for when she would open the door. Was she blonde? Brunette? Short? Tall? Was she a writer like him? He'd intended to pump his kid sister for information at the hospital but then Dan had started harping on him and he'd totally forgotten, having left in a tiff.
At first, he couldn't see much. The mailman was standing directly in front of her, blocking his view. They were awful chatty, he mused, growing more annoyed the longer the two carried on their conversation. What could they be talking about anyhow? The weather? The indomitable Lucas? The damn package? At long last, the mailman stepped away from the door. "Lucas, you lucky dog," Nathan murmured to himself.
Peyton was tall and gorgeous with a creamy complexion and hair that was somewhere between blonde and brunette. Her hair was in one of those floppy buns that girls sported on their lazy days and she was wearing a shirt that Nathan recognized as belonging to Lucas and a pair of very short shorts. He shamelessly ogled her as she returned to the house and he got to see the back of her.
"Well, won't this be fun."
—
Returning to his office after resolving a dispute between two employees, Lucas was settling at his desk with a mid-afternoon snack when his phone beeped, signaling a new text message. Smiling, he reached into his pocket for it, figuring it was Peyton. His smile faded when he saw that it was from Nathan. His thumb hovered over delete. One click and it would be gone. He would never know what his brother said. Curiosity got the best of him, prompting him to open it.
She's pretty, Luke. Enjoy her while you can.
Lucas fisted his phone between his fingers, somehow resisting the urge to fling it across the room. Nathan was declaring war. If it was war his brother wanted, then war it was.
—
Peyton had been ecstatic to receive the call from Karen that morning to help at the café. Three of her workers had come down with a nasty stomach flu and she was short handed. Eager to get out of the beach house, Peyton had quickly complied, showing up at the diner during the middle of the lunch rush. Now, as it neared three and only a handful of tables were occupied, Peyton was able to take a breath.
"I really appreciate this, Peyton," Karen told her.
"I was happy to help. Happy to get out of the beach house, too. I was ready to pull out my hair, I was so bored," Peyton said, leaning back against the counter.
"I hate to ask but do you think you can handle things by yourself for about a half-hour? I need to go make a deposit at the bank and I want to swing up the hospital and visit Dan." Lily had called to tell her about the confrontation between her brothers, going on to say that Dan hadn't said much after his own exchange with Nathan. She wanted to check up on him.
Peyton looked around at the deserted tables and assured Karen, "I'll be fine. Go ahead and do what you need to do."
Karen grabbed her purse from beneath the counter. "If you need me just call. My number's taped to the side of the register." She rounded the counter, waving to Peyton as she disappeared out the door.
An hour later Peyton was still by herself. Dan was undergoing tests and Karen was waiting for him to be returned to his room. Peyton assured Karen that she had the café under control and to take her time. She'd just hung up with Karen when she heard the bell above the door jingle, announcing a new patron.
Peyton turned to her new customer, and though his eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses, she recognized him instantly. She'd never met him, but she'd seen a dozen pictures of him. Nathan Scott stood before her, almost as handsome as his brother. Almost. Good looks ran in the family, didn't they?
"Can I help you?" she asked, watching as he slid onto a stool at the counter, his eyes never wavering from her. Did she have something on her face? Oh, God. Were her nipples showing through her shirt? It was a little cold...
"You know who I am," he said, slipping his glasses atop the beak of the baseball cap he wore. "Now the question is, is it because you're a basketball fan or because you know the family?"
Apparently, he wasn't the only one staring. Repentant, Peyton deadpanned, "Do I look like a basketball fan?"
Nathan gaped at her quite shamelessly, amused at how she fidgeted under his scrutiny. "Not in the least," he admitted freely. "That can only mean, then, that you know my family." Nathan didn't allow her the time to answer before he went on to ask, "So how long have you been working for Karen?"
"Not long," Peyton answered automatically. She wondered if she should be talking to him, carrying on this conversation. Maybe she should just take his order and leave him be. She knew that Nathan and Lucas didn't get along, that something had happened with Haley. If he found out that she spoke to his brother, he may not be happy. Regardless, just because Lucas had an ongoing spat with his brother didn't mean that she was going to be rude to him as well. What purpose would that serve? Besides, he was a customer.
Nathan smiled on the inside, but kept his reaction shadowed on the outside. He leaned forward. "Since you're familiar with the Scott family you wouldn't happen to know this girl that my brother is dating, would you? My brother and I... we don't get along, but I'm curious about her. It's not every day that a girl steals his heart." Nathan watched a blush color her skin.
Had she stolen Lucas's heart? She couldn't be sure of that. He was a hard one to decipher, keeping everything all bottled up inside. She informed Nathan, "Um, that's actually... me. I'm dating Lucas."
Nathan feigned surprise. "You don't say." Giving her another onceover, he said, "Forgive me for saying so, but you don't seem his type."
"He has a type?"
"If brunettes are a type."
She turned away, no doubt hiding her reaction from him. He'd thrown down the gauntlet on purpose, intending to taunt her about Haley. He had no way to know if Lucas had told her about what had happened a few years ago, but if he knew his brother, Lucas hadn't said a word. That was good for him. It left him with more ammunition.
Peyton was confused as their last few exchanges sank in. "If you don't speak to your brother, how do you know about me?"
"My sister," Nathan supplied helpfully. "She's quite a Chatty Cathy." Nathan would always be grateful for his sister's loose lips. Lily had been so ecstatic that Lucas was back in town that she hadn't censored herself. Sure, once the damage was done she had begged and cajoled him to forget every little tidbit that she'd disclosed. As if.
Lily. Of course. That made sense. "And what did your sister say about me?"
"Believe it or not Lily didn't say much. She said that you were nice and that Lucas seemed to like you. A lot."
"I would be insulted if he liked me only a tad."
Nathan liked her. Not just as a possible conquest. Not just as redemption. He genuinely liked her. Yes, he may need to get to know her a little better, but he was a good judge of people. His instincts hadn't betrayed him before, he doubt they would now. "Do you love my brother?"
Peyton blew out a breath and took a step back. "Wow. You just fast-forward to the hard questions, don't you?"
"I don't see the necessity in beating around the bush. You don't get the answers you desire if you tiptoe around the subject."
"Still it's personal and we just met."
"So you like my brother a lot, eh?"
Peyton glanced up at the door, wishing that a new customer would walk in. When her wish wasn't granted, she returned her attention back to Nathan, answering, "I like him a lot."
"Touche."
"Did you come here to eat or just to get the goods on your brother's girlfriend?"
Nathan replaced his glasses on his face, countering as he stood up, "Do you flirt with every guy that sits here and talks to you?" With an abashed grin, he disappeared out the door, leaving Peyton gaping behind him.
—
Peyton was setting the table when Lucas returned from work. He was still seething from his brother's deriding text message, but he masked it, putting on a smile as he closed the door behind himself. He pulled off his jacket as he made his way into the kitchen, dinner's sweet aroma teasing his nostrils. "That smells wonderful," he greeted Peyton, pressing a kiss to the cheek she gave him.
"Are you hungry?"
"Starved."
"Weren't you able to get away for lunch?"
"Not today, no," he said tightly, remembering the altercation with his brother at the hospital. Why he let Nathan get to him like that, he didn't know. It just needed to stop.
"Then it's a good thing I cooked," she said, rather happily. She pushed a beer bottle into his hand and continued dancing attendance on her food.
He leaned against the counter, taking a sip from the bottle. "How was your day at the café?" When he'd stopped by the café to pick up his dad's lunch his mother had told him that she'd called Peyton, begging her for help. He knew that Peyton would turn his mother down but for the life of him he didn't understand why his mother didn't put Lily to work, seeing that she had the week off school.
"It was really great," Peyton answered giddily, pushing oven mitts onto her hands. "I was so ready to get out of the house. People around here are really, really nice. I wasn't expecting that."
"What, did you think they'd pull you out into the street and start throwing stones at you?" he smirked, amused. He didn't know Peyton was so insecure. It was humbling.
"No. Just...people know you. I thought they'd view me as an outsider."
"Honey, this isn't L.A. People don't think less of you because you weren't raised here. They'll just grill you endlessly on where you were."
Peyton took the chicken out of the oven, placing it, carefully, on the stovetop. She pulled off her mitts, throwing them on the counter. She debated telling him about her meeting with Nathan, the hour they'd spent talking. If you consider their exchange a talk, it was more like an inquisition. The brothers were estranged. Did she want to be the cause of further strife between them? In the end, she decided that she had no desire to keep secrets from Lucas, regarding his brother or otherwise. Facing him, she saw that he'd moved to the back door and pushed open the French doors. Leaning against the doorjamb, she told him, "I have to tell you something."
Lucas took his eyes off the sunset to set them on Peyton. He turned around fully, setting himself against the railing, crossing his arms over his chest. "Okay."
"I met your brother today. He came into the café while I was working. We talked."
Lucas swallowed, a feat considering the lump that had formed in his throat. "What'd he say?" he finally managed.
"He wanted to know about me."
"Of course he did," Lucas muttered under his breath. Apparently, he had said it loud enough because Peyton was looking at him strangely.
"I thought it was strange since the two of you don't speak, but he said that Lily told him about me. He was curious. You can't fault him for that, Luke," she insisted, perturbed to find herself in Nathan's camp. Truth was if her and Derek were on the outs and she'd found out that he was dating someone new she would've gone to the same extremes as Nathan.
Sighing, Lucas told her, "Nathan can't be trusted."
"He seemed harmless," she remained adamant.
"Well he's not," he roared, hating himself afterward. He was taking his anger out on her when it wasn't her fault. None of it was her fault. Nathan was the one who deserved to be on the receiving end of his tirade, not her. "He's charming, Peyton and he'll use that charm to do whatever and get whatever he can. Even if it's you."
She rolled her eyes. "Your brother is not after me. You're being ridiculous."
"Am I? Nathan and I have fought over everything. Our father, our friends, our sister. Girls were just the tip of the iceberg. He blames me for the dissolution of his relationship with Haley. I interfered when I shouldn't have. He never forgave me for that."
Peyton slid away from the door, joining him out on the patio. "You were never clear as to how Nathan mistreated Haley. Did he..." She found that she couldn't voice the question. Part of her didn't even really want to know. She didn't want to feel sympathetic for Haley.
He jumped in, "Hit her? No, no. Nathan would never. They were talking marriage before scouts started paying attention to him. He never proposed-it didn't get that far, but Nathan always had girls fawning all over him. It didn't matter that he had Haley or if she was around or not. He lapped up the attention, reveled in it. It became the subject of many arguments between them. I think the first time he cheated it was a mistake. He swore to it. That the girl broke into his hotel room. Then later... Haley heard the whisperings and the rumors. She tried to ignore it but when she walked in on him with someone else, she couldn't take it anymore." Then she came to me and we both forgot about Nathan. Until he walked in.
"Wow. I can't believe a brother of yours would treat the woman that he claimed to love like that."
"People love yet they have no idea how to show love. Nathan's one of those people."
"I can't believe the two of you couldn't find a way to overcome that. It seems inconsequential."
Of course, it does, Lucas thought, I'm not telling you the whole story. Here was his chance to lay it all on the line. He could tell her right now, unburden himself, admit to the lies and half-truths he'd told her. He opened his mouth to start confessing, but instead, he said, "Stay away from him, Peyton."
Something niggled at the edge of her conscience, that there was a better reason for Lucas and Nathan's estrangement, something that was much more than Lucas's desire to protect his best friend from his brother. She felt something was remiss and wondered why Lucas refused to confide in her. Her hands behind her back, fingers crossed on one of them, she promised, "I'll stay away."
—
"Nathan's completely off his rocker, Lucas. You have to do something," Lily exclaimed as she burst into her brother's study.
Lucas flashed his sister an irritated look. This was what he'd warned Peyton about, the constant presence of his family. Specifically, his sister. Thankfully, Peyton was helping his mom at the café so there was no chance on her eavesdropping.
So much for stealing some time to write, he thought to himself. He hadn't done much writing since he'd been back from Europe, but he'd been tossing some new ideas around in his head. There was nothing that he wanted to run with yet, but writing for him was as essential as breathing. He loved seeing his words come alive on the page, watching the characters become real, the story unfold. Storytelling would have to wait, for now there was Lily to reckon with. He shut his laptop as Lily fell onto the ottoman in the corner. "What happened now?" With Nathan, there was innumerable possibilities.
"Nathan totally went off on Dad after you left yesterday. I've never seen Dad look like he did. So... defeated. Like he finally realized that Nathan's going to do whatever he can to get back at you, no matter the price. Why'd you have to go and boink Haley anyway? You screwed everything up!"
"Boink?" he repeated, frowning at such a distasteful word coming out of his sister's mouth. He shook his head. Mulling over his sister's vocabulary wasn't pressing now-Nathan was. "Things aren't always simple and nice, Lily. Things happen. People make mistakes. Including me. I'm not perfect."
"Peyton will be so disappointed to learn that. Because she thinks you are." She scowled at her brother, slowly realizing, "You haven't told her yet, have you, Luke?"
Lucas shook his head. "No, she doesn't know and you better not tell her."
"I'm not getting involved. That's your mess. Besides I don't think it's me you're going to have to worry about." She quieted for a moment, staring hard at her brother. It was evident that Lucas was not taking Nathan's presence in town as a good thing. At least he was prepared. "He's going to do whatever he can to hurt you, you know that, right?"
"I'm well aware, Lily. He's been threatening me for years. Before I didn't care. That was before Peyton."
"Then you better figure out what you're going to do. Nathan won't think twice about telling Peyton about you and Haley and you can bet that he'll make it out to be your fault. Which it was."
He was amused, despite the severity of the situation. "You're so helpful."
Lily grinned happily, holding her hands wide. "I try."
Lucas watched as Lily started fumbling with the silver bracelet around her wrist, recognizing it as the gift he'd gotten her for her last birthday. Speaking of, her birthday was coming up in a matter of weeks. He hadn't been around for the day in years, not since he and Nathan had become bitter enemies. "Your birthday's coming up," he said, eager to veer the subject away from Nathan. His brother occupied enough of his thoughts as it was.
"Yep."
"Do you have any plans? A party?"
Lily shot him a disgruntled look. "Lucas, I'm too old for a birthday party." More to the point, there was no way she'd be able to outdo Marissa's Sweet Sixteen. Her dad had not only surprised her with the Mustang Convertible that she now drove around in, but with a party on a yacht. At exactly 11:21PM, the time Marissa was born, fireworks had lit up the sky over the harbor. It sickened Lily to think about it, actually. There was no way that she could top that. Not that she had a desire to anyway.
Lucas wasn't giving up that easily. "You're never too old for a party. Besides, you're turning sixteen. That's a big deal for girls." She glared at him. "Why don't you want a party? Is it because of dad?"
She shied away from him, not wanting to admit that that was part of it. Her dad had been at every birthday, unlike Lucas, since she was born. It made her not want to celebrate, knowing that he'd be rotting away in a hospital bed, miserable, while they partied it up. She wasn't so naïve to believe that by some miracle the hospital would discharge him.
"He wouldn't want you to miss out on celebrating your birthday just because he's laid up in the hospital." Lucas watched her take a deep breath and could tell that she was getting frustrated with him. He knew when to shut up. "You don't have to decide about the party now. We'll talk about presents. You love presents. If you could have one thing, what would it be? There's got to be something that you want."
Lily started to tell him that, no, there was nothing she wanted. She wanted a million things. Not to have to go to school again. A date with Adam Erickson. Her brothers to reconcile. Instead, she found herself saying, "Yeah, there's something I want and you're the person to get it for me."
—
"No. Absolutely not!" Peyton exclaimed, grimacing at Lucas over the counter after he'd poised the question. Had he lost his ever-loving mind? Obviously, he had or else he wouldn't have made such a ridiculous request. Mumbling to herself, she turned around and headed toward the storage room. Maybe by the time she returned Lucas would have gone and she could forget their conversation.
She wasn't that lucky.
Lucas followed Peyton as she moved to the back of the café, completely ignoring him. Entering the backroom, watching as Peyton reached onto a shelf for napkins, he told her, "It's for Lily's birthday. I know it's a big favor to ask for someone you barely know, but do you really want it to be on your conscience that you could've gotten her favorite musician to play and didn't?"
Peyton groaned, facing him. He was playing the guilt card, damn him. "Lucas, you don't understand. I would do this for Lily in a heartbeat, but this is Chris Keller we're talking about. He's the most annoying thing to come around since reality TV. Plus, ex-boyfriend, hello or have you forgotten?"
"It's pretty much seared into my brain, thank you. I wouldn't ask but, this is the only way she'll consent to having a party."
"It's her birthday, shouldn't it be her decision?"
"She's doing it because my dad can't be there. They have a whole ritual that they do every year on Lily's birthday-breakfast, a marathon of Friends. I know my sister and I know that it's disappointing to think that he won't be there to celebrate this big day with her." He knew he wasn't getting any headway, so he changed tactics. "Did you have a Sweet Sixteen party?"
She nodded. "Yep." Where were the bendy straws? She couldn't find them for the life of her.
"Well, was it memorable?" he inquired, leaning against the shelf beside her.
She leveled a stare at him. "I lost my virginity that night. Anything else you would like to know?"
"Huh. I didn't expect that."
"When did you expect I lost my virginity? Senior prom?"
"That's not what I meant and you know it."
She grinned, conceding. "If you drop this line of conversation, I'll call Chris and see what I can do."
"Consider it done," he said, quickly, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Thank you."
Peyton watched him saunter out of the room with a promise to call her later. She pulled out her cell, groaning to herself as she flipped it open and began scrolling through her contacts for Chris's number. Unsurprisingly he answered on the first ring. "What did I do now?"
Grinding her teeth was all Peyton could do to keep her temper in check. She hated the thought of Chris coming to Tree Hill, but looked on the bright side-if Chris was in town she could unleash some of her aggression and give him those smacks that he justly deserved. Swallowing, she told him, "I have a favor to ask and, no, you're not allowed to decline..."