A/N: Once again, thanks to all who are reading, and especially to all the reviewers. Your feedback really makes my day, so I appreciate each and every one, good or bad. I absolutely love reading them so thank you so much. You guys are amazing.

I really hope you all like this chapter. I stressed over it a lot so hopefully it was worth it.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

Lucas grabbed his basketball and left the house, intent on shooting a few hoops before getting ready for school. Normally he would cut through the alleyway as a short cut, but since his attack, he avoided it. It had certainly made an impact on him. He wasn't afraid to leave the house or anything, but he did pay much closer attention to his surroundings as a safety measure. The bruise on his eye wasn't as painful as it had been three days ago, but the purple color hadn't faded at all either.

Rumor had it that Tim Smith had been the one who attacked him. That didn't surprise him. It seemed like something Tim would do, although Luke didn't really know him well enough to say for sure. That didn't stop the guy from hating him though. It seemed Tim hated him as much as Nathan did, although he had no idea why. Luke's guess would be that he was just following Nathan, as so many seemed to do.

Lucas had been quite glad to learn that he'd been correct in his assumption that his brother wasn't responsible. Although he sure made no pretense of hiding how amusing he found the whole situation. At last night's practice, Nathan had mocked him by covering one eye with his own hand and proceeding to run, exaggeratingly lopsided, and then remarking that it was no wonder he sucked so bad. Lucas had just shaken his head at his brother's juvenile actions, while the rest of the team roared with laughter. Lucas had to admit, even he would haave found it comical had it not been a direct jab toward him. Had he seen the same thing in a movie, he'd have definitely laughed too. Nathan had continued as such until Whitey had noticed and yelled at him. After that, he'd gotten into serious practice mode and ignored Lucas altogether.

Luke threw the ball, making the shot easily. He was worried about tomorrow's game. It would be the first one they'd play since Nathan had thrown him the ball and he'd made the winning shot – the first game since Nathan's advice to loosen up and quit over thinking. Lucas chuckled to himself as he thought of how he was doing just what Nathan had told him not to do – stressing over it. But he couldn't help it. Apparently Bear Creek was the hardest team of all to beat, and he'd barely scored on the easy teams. He sighed deeply. He hoped he could relax enough to make at least a few shots during the game. He continued shooting hoops as the game occupied his mind.

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"Peyton, wait," Nathan pleaded.

But Peyton paid no heed to his request. She'd seen the evidence, all the proof she needed to conclude that, once again, Nathan was cheating on her. If she were honest with herself, she'd have to admit that she'd already known. With good reason, she was always suspicious, but deep down she knew it was more than mere mistrust. She knew he still had others, but as long as she didn't see it she could push it to the back of her mind and pretend otherwise. It would work for a while, until the truth practically slapped her in the face. Like today. Damn, why hadn't she just stayed in bed?

Nathan was thinking the same thing as Peyton quickly dried herself off and dressed, ignoring his attempts to talk to her. He too, stepped out of the shower, dried off just enough to slip on a pair of boxers, and touched her arm to stop her from leaving. When her cold stare went immediately to his chest, he grabbed his t-shirt and hastily put it on. His skin was still damp, but he knew he'd never get through to her as long as she focused on those damn scratches.

She took the opportunity to bolt into his bedroom from the adjoining door and began packing up some of the various things she'd accumulated over time.

"Peyton," he called once he had his shirt on, but she continued to ignore him, so he walked right over to her and stood between her and her bag. "Would you stop for a second?" he asked, reaching for her arms.

She pulled away as though she'd been burned. He noticed the tears pouring from her eyes and attempted to reach for her once more, but again she jumped back.

"Don't touch me," she spat out as she furiously tried to wipe away her tears. Admittedly she'd known the truth all along, but it didn't make this any easier.

"Ok, I won't," he said, lifting both hands in surrender. "But will you just listen to me?" he pleaded. "It's not what you think, alright?"

She crossed her arms and stared directly into his eyes, waiting for his excuse.

"I was at Tim's," he began, "and his cat jumped on me, but then it slipped," he continued, thinking this wasn't half bad for just coming up with it off the top of his head. "Hence the claw marks," he stated firmly.

Peyton rolled her eyes and pushed him away. Because he hadn't expected it, he stumbled just a bit.

"I can't believe you just said that with a straight face," she replied flatly. "But, you know, I thought you'd at least come up with a half believable lie," she added.

"You don't believe me? Fine. Just ask Tim." He knew his friend would back him up.

Peyton frowned at him. "Tim's cat was de-clawed last year," she contradicted. "You want to try again?"

Damn. How come he didn't know this? "Well, so it was his neighbor's cat. Whatever," he amended with a shrug.

She whirled on him, his words infuriating her beyond belief. "Damn it, Nathan! Why don't you tell the fucking truth for once?!"

Her cursing alone was a clear sign that she was angry, since she seldom did, but he got the picture even more when she started pounding on his chest repeatedly, pushing him backwards in the process, and throwing a whole string of foul names at him. He lifted his arms, protecting his body, only to have her go at his face, not really aiming anywhere in particular, just striking wherever was open.

"Peyton, quit it!" Nathan warned her as he tried dodging her blows, his temper rising with each one she delivered. He had to finally grab her wrists to subdue her. "Calm down!" he thundered.

"Let go!" she ordered, trying in vain to escape his firm grasp. "And don't fucking tell me to calm down!" she added, kicking him hard in the shin when he wouldn't release her. To her satisfaction, he grunted in pain, but still he kept hold of her, so she did it again.

"Damn it, Peyton!" he hollered, tightening his grip on her.

"Ow, Nathan! That hurts!"

Just like she knew he would, he immediately dropped her wrists at the mention of pain.

"I'm sorry. Just stop hitting me, ok," he said in warning.

"Stop lying to me," she countered. "I know you were with someone else."

Nathan closed his eyes momentarily and sighed in defeat "Ok, you're right," he finally admitted. "But it didn't mean anything, ok. It was just sex."

"It means something to me."

He nodded his head. "I know. And I'm so…"

"Sorry. I know," she replied icily. "That you got caught," she spat.

"No," he denied. "That it happened. It's just, she came over and…"

"And what? You had no choice but to fuck her?"

"I didn't say that."

"No, you're not saying much of anything. Oh, except to deny the whole thing, of course."

"Because I knew you'd freak out."

"Good judgment call," she replied bitingly. "Cheat on your girlfriend and then lie about it. Yeah, that's the way to go. And don't think I'm stupid enough to think it was a one time thing."

"I don't think you're stupid, Peyton."

"No? Well I do. Stupid to believe you, stupid to trust you, stupid to think I'll ever be the only girl." Her tears fell freely down her cheeks as she spoke. She'd given up trying to wipe them away. It was no use. "Just stupid period."

He spoke her name softly and reached over to pull her into his arms. "You are the only girl, ok. You're the only one I love."

"Don't," she said, putting her hands up to keep him at bay. "I can't do this anymore, Nathan," she practically whispered. "You're never going to change."

"I can, Peyton. I will. I promise."

She shook her head. "I've heard that a gazillion times. You always say that, you always promise there'll be no one else, but your promises aren't worth anything, because you just keep breaking them." She picked up her bag and faced him. "It's over, Nathan. We're done."

"Speaking of something being said a gazillion times," he pointed out sarcastically.

"I mean it this time," she told him.

"Well so do I," he informed her. "Let's just talk about this, ok?"

She headed toward the door. "What's the point?"

"I ended it with her," he told her before she reached the knob.

Peyton turned around to look at him. "Well, it must have been very recently considering those marks she left on you are extremely fresh."

He nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. It was last night. I'm really sorry, Peyton. I didn't mean…"

"Last night?" she interrupted, ignoring his apology. "She was here last night?"

His guilty expression said it all.

"She was here when I called, wasn't she? Is that why you rushed me off the phone? So you could get back to screwing her?" she asked in disgust.

"No! I…"

"Now I get it," she said as realization hit her. "That's why you took a shower before I got here. And changed the sheets. So, five minutes before I came, you were fucking her! Wow, I really am stupid."

"No, Peyton, you're not. And it wasn't five minutes, ok."

"Oh right, you had to have time to dump her and then change the sheets and shower, so, what, twenty minutes then? Is that more like it?"

"Don't do this, ok. She doesn't mean anything to me. I'm in love with you."

She started to laugh, not a humorous laugh, but a bitter one. "You don't even know what love is. All you care about is sex and how many hoes you can get to spread their legs for you."

He shook his head in denial but she continued before he had a chance to respond.

"But damn, being your girlfriend, I must really get in your way sometimes."

"Peyton…"

"So I'll do you the biggest favor and step aside." She opened the door, but before walking out, she gave him one final glance. "Now you can go screw any skank you want." She slammed his bedroom door shut, wanting nothing more than to just get out of there.

She passed Dan on the stairs as he made his way up. He seemed concerned and asked if everything was alright, but she thought of the teasing he gave Nathan last night about the shower and the beddings, and couldn't help feel like he'd been making fun of her somehow. She didn't say a word to him as she continued downstairs and went out the front door.

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Dan didn't bother knocking, just walked in to his son's room, finding him sitting on his bed, looking quite upset. "What happened there?" he asked.

Nathan didn't even look up. "None of your business."

"Point taken," Dan said. "But, call me nosy," he joked.

Nathan shrugged. "We got in a fight," he said simply.

"I know that. I could hear the yelling from downstairs."

"Well then you already know," Nathan said pointedly.

"I heard raised voices, no specifics. But I know you're both upset. You two break up again?"

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, ok. She dumped me. Again. But it doesn't even matter. We'll get back together in a few days," he said knowingly. "We always do."

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Lucas was just about ready to head home when he turned and saw a car pulling into the lot. His breath caught in his throat when he noticed who it was. Peyton Sawyer. She didn't notice him, nor did she even get out of the car. She just buried her head in her hands and her body started shaking slightly. He could tell from where he stood that she was crying. His heart constricted at the sight of the beautiful girl, whom he'd admired from afar for so long, broken down in tears. He wondered what was wrong, but wasn't sure if he should ask her.

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Peyton parked the car and turned off the ignition, unable to drive any further with her tears blurring her vision. She would just stop in this empty lot, have her cry and then continue home. That was the plan. She didn't expect to hear anyone start talking.

"Hey, are you ok?" Lucas asked softly, his heart beating a mile a minute at the first words he'd ever spoken to her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he said when she jumped.

Peyton wiped her dampened cheeks and glanced at the boy speaking. Lucas Scott. "You make a habit of jumping out of nowhere?" she asked irritably.

"No, I just noticed you're upset, and…I wanted to make sure you were ok," he told her honestly.

"Why?" Peyton asked him.

"Why?" he repeated.

"Why do you care if I'm ok? You don't even know me."

"I know. I just wondered if you needed help with anything."

"Did I ask for help?"

"Uh, no," he replied uneasily, having not really expected such hostility from her.

"Well then, I don't need it," she said with annoyance.

"Ok, well, sorry I bothered you then."

Neither said another word. He just walked away, completely taken aback by her attitude.

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When Peyton finally made it home, she headed straight to her bedroom and found Brooke rummaging through her closet.

"Can I borrow something to wear?" she asked before taking a look at her best friend.

"Why? You have tons of clothes."

"I know, but I want something different. Like this," she said, pulling out a black mini skirt and stepping out of the closet. "Peyton, what's wrong?" she asked as soon as she took in her appearance. "You've been crying."

"Nathan and I broke up," she said honestly. "He cheated on me again."

"What?" she said, disappointed in her other best friend. "Oh, I'm gonna kill that guy."

"Don't bother. We're over," Peyton said dully.

Brooke wrapped her arms around her friend. "Don't worry P. Sawyer. You guys will work it out, like you always do."

"No. I'm done, Brooke. For good this time."

Brooke didn't dare speak the words out loud, but she doubted it was over for good. She'd heard those words far too many times to believe them.

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"How could you do that to her again, Nathan!" Brooke yelled angrily. She'd seen him in the hallway at school and had pulled him into an empty classroom – ironically enough the very same one he'd pulled Peyton into the day before.

"Look, Brooke, this is between me and Peyton, ok. It's none of your business."

"The hell it's not. You're both my best friends so it damn well is my business."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Just because we're friends doesn't give you the right to butt in to our relationship whenever you want."

"You just don't want to talk about it because you know you fucked up."

"No, I agree I fucked up, but I don't have to answer to you for it."

Yelling at him was getting her nowhere so she put her hand on his shoulder. "What's going on, Nathan?" she asked softly. "I know you love her, so why do you keep doing this?"

"I-I don't know," he answered honestly, sitting on top of one the desks.

Brooke stood in front of him, both hands on his shoulders now. "You're gonna have to figure it out, because you can't keep putting Peyton through this. I won't let you."

Her comment made him chuckle. As if she could stop him from doing anything if he really wanted to.

She was about to comment when the door opened, and once again, like yesterday, Mouth and Jimmy walked in. However, this time Nathan refrained from making any rude comments or gestures. Brooke however, didn't take kindly to the interruption.

"Excuse me, we're in the middle of something here," she said snidely. "Could you maybe wait in the hall?"

"Actually, we were just finished," Nathan contradicted, getting up on his feet and exiting the room, Brooke close behind.

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"Peyton yesterday and Brooke today," Jimmy mentioned, having mistaken Nathan and Brooke's close proximity for an intimate gesture.

"How much better could life get?" Mouth joked enviously.

"Word has it him and Brooke have been sleeping together behind Peyton's back the whole time they've been together," Jimmy repeated the rumor he'd heard.

"I heard that too," Mouth admitted. "But it's rumors, you know. Not a real reliable source of information."

"Yeah. I wouldn't doubt it though. They both seem the type," Jimmy said. "And what we just witnessed, confirms the rumor."

Mouth shrugged. He agreed it looked suspicious, but he wouldn't go so far as to say it confirmed they were lovers, and in fact, what he gathered from his people watching skills, he had a feeling that Brooke would never betray her friend like that. Nathan, on the other hand, he wasn't so sure. He was a hard one to read. He came off cocky, rude and arrogant – all ingredients of a pure jackass, but Mouth had a feeling there was a lot more to Nathan Scott than met the eye; more than he let the average person see.