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

A/N: Hey everyone. Thanks again to all the readers and especially reviewers. This chapter is quite longer than most, so if you don't like that, I'm sorry. If you do, I hope you enjoy.

Nathan sighed in defeat as he watched Mouth look over his newly amended essay, highlighting all the necessary corrections with his red pen. By the time he handed it back to him, the page was covered in red markings. He shook his head in frustration. Why had he even bothered wasting so much time on it? He was just kidding himself to think that maybe, just once, he could do well in something besides basketball. But it was just another thing to go wrong, along with everything else lately.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Mouth assured him, seeing Nathan's expression go from hopeful when he'd first handed him the assignment to check, to now disappointed. "It's mostly a few mistakes…"

"A few?" Nathan scoffed in disbelief, frowning at the paper.

"Repeated throughout," Mouth finished. "So basically, you work on one thing, and that covers half of it. Work on another…"

"It covers the other half," Nathan said, indicating he understood.

"Exactly. See? Not as bad as you thought."

"No, I thought you were gonna say, this is perfect, Nate. Don't change a single thing."

Mouth noticed Nathan had used the shortened version of his name when conveying the dialogue he'd hoped for and it made him wonder if Nathan was starting to see him as sort of a friend. "Now, there's your problem," Mouth said, deciding not to comment on it. It was a ridiculous thought anyway. Popular jocks didn't become friends with nerdy tutors. That was simply unheard of. "When you strive for perfection, you're just asking to be let down. There's always room for improvement in anything we do...so in that case x = 1 1/3 and y = 2 ¼."

'Huh?' Nathan wondered, not following, his expression clearly marking his confusion. He was about to ask what he was talking about until Mouth indicated, with a subtle head motion, to the doorway. Nathan looked over to find Dan, who'd previously been outside barbecuing, standing there observing. He wondered how long he'd been standing there and was grateful to Mouth for the quick thinking.

"How's it going?" Dan asked Mouth. "My son getting any smarter yet?"

Nathan sneered and turned back to the books in front of him. He hadn't spoken to his dad since their big fight on Monday.

"His grades are improving every day," Mouth answered, trying not to show his distaste for the older Scott.

Dan nodded his approval. "Good, the team needs him back. They've already blown their undefeated season. Just like I warned Whitey they would." Neither Mouth nor Nathan responded, so Dan continued talking. "Not that Nathan's abilities are anything to brag about lately. Kid can barely make a shot these days."

Nathan gripped the pencil he'd been holding so hard that it snapped in two, but he didn't say a word.

Dan simply chuckled and kept addressing Mouth. "He hates it when I push him, you know? But somebody's got to, otherwise he'd just goof around."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Don't you have steaks to cook?" he asked irately.

"They're fine for a few minutes."

"Well then can you find something else to do instead of standing there talking about how bad I suck?"

"Take it easy, son. I'm just teasing you."

"Yeah well, it's taking time away from my lesson," Nathan shot out. "And then you're gonna complain how long it's taking to get my grades up."

Mouth sat with bated breath, hoping beyond hope that there wouldn't be a repeat of the other night's fiasco. He relaxed when Dan just chuckled once more and left the room.

He debated asking Nathan if he was ok, not sure if it was really his place to do so, but Nathan quickly shot down the idea by delving right back into the books.

Minutes later, Nathan rubbed his tired eyes, as he tried to focus on what Mouth was telling him – something about sentence structure and punctuations. But it was impossible to concentrate. His father's grueling schedule was taking its toll and his inability to get a good night's sleep only made it worse. He was exhausted – physically, mentally and emotionally.

"And you really got to watch your spelling," Mouth continued. "Some words are actual words so spell check doesn't catch it. Tired or bored?" he added, noticing Nathan's eyes were practically closed.

"Both," Nathan admitted. "But mostly tired."

"Partying all night?" Mouth joked.

"I wish. My dad's got me on house arrest," Nathan replied dully. "My punishment for getting suspended from the team," he went on to explain. "Because, you know, the suspension itself wasn't enough."

"So, you're grounded?"

Nathan shrugged. He wouldn't exactly call it that. "Something like that."

"Why so tired then? Whenever I get grounded, I use that time to catch up on sleep since there's nothing else to do."

"My kind of punishment," Nathan said with a smirk. "I'd be doing stuff wrong on purpose if that's all I got. I think my dad knows that. That's why he's made sure I don't run out of things to do. It's wake up, go running, come back, shower, have breakfast, go to school, tutoring, dinner, basketball practice with my dad, weight training, another shower, more school work, then bed. And tomorrow, same thing."

"Wow, that's…"

"A real punishment," Nathan cut in. "It sucks but no way in hell am I getting suspended again after this," he admitted.

"Hey, Nate, my boy!" someone said, interrupting the easy rapport between Nathan and Mouth.

Nathan turned, recognizing Tim's voice. With him were Jake, Tyler and Damien. "Hey," he replied. "What are you guys doing here?" They all knew he wasn't allowed visitors until the end of next week.

"Your old man beckoned us," Tyler informed him. "Apparently your game needs…stepping up…according to him, so he called in reinforcements."

Nathan scowled. "When doesn't my game need stepping up, according to him? And what does he think you guys can do?"

"Get a game going," Jake answered. "Three on three."

"Cool," Nathan remarked agreeably, suddenly wide-awake. "Wait…us and who else?" he asked since there were only five of them.

"Your dad, I'm guessing," Jake said.

"Figures," Nathan grumbled. "You play?" he asked Mouth, taking everybody by surprise.

"Uh, no," Mouth replied, feeling intimidated in the face of the larger group, yet secretly thrilled by their king's inclusion of him. Until recently, his conversations with Nathan had been strictly school related and they still took place only at Nathan's house, at Nathan's dining room table. At school they didn't associate with each other, although he couldn't say Nathan was snubbing him either. They simply belonged on opposite sides of the social chain. "My friend, Jimmy, and I like to commentate for the games. Just for fun," he added when they all gave him strange looks.

"Now how cool would it be to have our very own personal commentator, huh?" Jake said, noticing the kid seemed uncomfortable.

"Sounds lame," Damien said dully.

Nathan didn't know why he took offense to Damien's insulting remark toward Mouth, but he did. It was weird because a few weeks ago, he'd have probably said the same thing. Actually he knew he would have. But he was starting to like Mouth and see him as more than just a nerd. "Right," he scoffed. "And bragging about hook ups that never actually happened isn't lame."

Damien knew Nathan was referring to Haley and his claim to have slept with her. "Screw you, man. It happened," Damien replied lightly, using all his might not to haul off and hit the guy. He did still have to act natural around him if he stood any chance of getting revenge, but it was getting harder and harder to keep his cool. "You just wish you could tap that too," he said, seemingly as a joke.

"Like he couldn't if he wanted to," Tyler scoffed, making the gang laugh out loud. Everybody knew there were few girls Nathan Scott couldn't get, and that was without putting forth any kind of effort.

Damien followed suit and chuckled with the guys, but in his pockets, his hands clenched into tight fists. One of these days he would wipe that smug expression off that arrogant son of a bitch's face. "I don't know," he couldn't resist saying, still wearing a smile. "Peyton doesn't seem to have any trouble staying away." He had to hide his own smirk as Nathan's face went rigid.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Tyler wanted to know. "We all lost our fucking bets, so everybody just got their money back."

"Sorry," Nathan muttered. "Blame Peyton. I've been trying."

All eyes went to Tim as he picked up the home phone and began dialing.

"Who you calling?" Nathan asked, receiving just a shrug in response.

"Hello?" Tim said, once someone had picked up. "Is your wife at home? No? Do you know where she is?"

The group of friends eyed each other curiously.

"In my bed," Tim went on with a snicker.

"Tim!" Nathan shouted, grabbing the phone from his hand and slamming it down on the receiver.

"What?" Tim asked innocently. "It was just a joke."

"Use your fucking cell if you want to make prank calls, you moron!"

"I can't. It's out of time. Plus, my name would come up on call display."

"Yeah, much better for it to be my dad's name," Nathan huffed.

As Tim's eyes widened with realization, Nathan found he couldn't be angry. It was Tim after all. What did he expect? A smile breaking out on his face, he shook his head and threatened lightly. "If I get blamed for this, I'm gonna beat your ass."

Tim just nodded, knowing Nathan would never follow through with that threat. And truth be told, he made that call for one reason and one reason only – because he could see Nathan getting upset when the conversation had turned to Peyton.

Ten minutes later, they had a game going. Nathan, Jake and Tim played against Dan, Tyler and Damien. Mouth had decided against staying, feeling out of place with a group whose majority had treated he and his friends, particularly Lucas, so badly. He'd offered to look over Nathan's revised essay, if he got it done, tomorrow since it was the last day to work on it, being due on Friday.

Nathan's game was a bit off for the first while, but with his father's harsh comments, which, for some reason, always seemed to help him improve, and his friends' encouragement, he managed to get it back.

"I figured all you needed was to play an actual game," Dan commented, following a humiliating thirty point defeat. "Still a little slow getting back on defense though. And your crossover's a bit weak."

Nathan rolled his eyes. It was never good enough for his father. "Whatever. We still won. And you're like, all out of breath," he shot back.

Dan smiled as he continued to pant. "I'm not seventeen anymore." He gave his son a manly slap in the back and then went and put the grill, which he'd turned off to play, back on, telling the boys to carry on without him.

The game they played on their own was a much lighter one as everyone felt more at ease without Dan Scott's intimidating presence.

"Nice shot," Tyler said, watching Nathan dunk the ball into the basket. "I wish you were coming to Bear Creek with us on Friday."

"Me too," Nathan admitted. He hated missing any game, but missing the one against his most worthy opponent and friend was so much worse. "Tell Brent I said hey."

"What's the point of even going?" Jake asked. He wasn't a sore loser, by any means, but going out of town to play a game they were sure to lose didn't appeal to him. He'd much rather stay home and spend that time with his daughter. "We're toast against that team without Nate."

"I agree," Tim said. "We may as well just forfeit."

"Whitey would never go for that," Tyler remarked. "He still thinks we can win."

"We can," Damien said in aggravation. These guys took the hero worship to a whole new level and it pissed him off because…well, because he wasn't the hero they were worshipping.

All the guys scoffed at the comment, but it was Nathan who spoke. "What are you, delusional? I even have a hard time guarding Brent."

His words could have easily been taken as egotistical, and in a way, they were, but in reality, it was simply Nathan speaking openly and honestly to his friends, and most of them realized that. But Damien hated what he saw as a superiority complex. Nathan always thought he was better than everyone else and what he hated even more was how everyone else agreed. Did everybody think Nathan was God's gift to this earth?

By the time they left, Damien was seething with rage, especially after Nathan remarked that his grades were getting up there and that he'd be back on the team soon. That was the last thing Damien wanted. He really had to take action and get working on a game plan soon. If only he knew where to begin.

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Friday after school, Haley sat on Luke's bed, as he held up two shirts for Haley's inspection, silently asking her opinion.

"The blue one," she replied casually. It would accentuate his eyes. "Why are you stressing over this anyway?" she asked. "I thought it wasn't a date."

"It's not," he answered. "But I still want to look good."

"Uh huh. Luke…"

"She only sees me as a friend, I know," he acknowledged. "But that doesn't mean that eventually she won't think of me as more. Right?"

Haley shrugged, not knowing the answer.

"I mean," Lucas went on. "I know her and Nathan only broke up recently, but she seems to be fine without him. I think she might be over him already."

"I'm not so sure about that. It hasn't even been two weeks yet."

"But you have to admit, she seems fine. She's not depressed or crying, like girls typically do after a break up. Know what I mean? She looks…happy. I think she's taking the fight with Brooke harder than the loss of Nathan."

"Yeah," Haley agreed. It did seem Peyton had settled easily into single girl status. Yes, she'd said she missed the good times, but her mention of missing the sex and almost letting him kiss her, made Haley think that maybe her attraction to him was purely physical.

"And she blows him off every time he tries to talk to her," Lucas continued. "She's clearly not interested."

"He's still hung up on her though."

"That's his problem, not mine."

Haley gave him a stern look. "I thought you wanted to be brothers. How are you gonna do that if you're out to steal his girlfriend?"

"Hales, they're already broken up. And she doesn't want him back, so if he wants to keep making a fool of himself, then all the power to him. As for being brothers, the hell with it. He's made it crystal clear that he doesn't want that, so why should I keep bending over backwards to try to make it happen?"

"But going after Peyton, when he clearly still wants her…"

"Nathan's an ass, Hales. He doesn't deserve her. If he wanted her, he should have treated her better when they were together."

She stood from his bed with a heavy sigh. She agreed with everything he said, but still she couldn't help worry that he was in for major disappointment. "And if he gets so mad, he decides to beat you up again? Then what?"

"You're not seriously saying you want me to base my decisions on fear?"

Haley threw her hands in the air. "No, but…I'm scared for you, Luke. Nathan's proven how unpredictable and brutal he can be."

"I think if he was going to do anything more, he would have done it already."

"I hope so," Haley said. "So what happens if Peyton only ever wants friendship with you?"

"Then that's what I'll give her," he said. "I'm not gonna push her into anything. Or rush her."

"I'm sure you wouldn't. But you'll be crushed."

"Don't worry, ok. I'm a big boy."

"Well, in that case, just so you know, Peyton invited me to hang out with you guys after my shift."

"Oh."

"She doesn't see this as a date, Luke."

He nodded. "I know. And that's fine. Really."

"I told her I'd think about it, but if you don't want me to, I won't."

"No, it's fine. You should."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Ok good," Haley said excitedly. "Because otherwise I would have been so bored."

Lucas smiled at her. Yeah he was disappointed that Peyton had invited a third party, but he couldn't say much. She'd made it clear it wasn't a date and if she wanted Haley there, then so be it. She could still get to know him with Haley around. Plus they had hours of alone time until Haley finished work.

She gave him a friendly pat on the arm. "You know, I don't know why you didn't just start the evening right after school, since she got a ride with you anyway."

"She said she had a few things to do."

"Oh. Anyway, I'm off. Try not to have too much fun without me while I'm slaving away over a hot frying pan."

Lucas could only laugh as she made her dramatic departure, and continued getting ready for his evening with Peyton. As he did so, he couldn't help think back to the scenario at school and one of his reasons to think Peyton was over Nathan. Nathan had, not surprisingly, stopped her to talk, and she'd completely brushed him off and went directly to Luke's truck. He smiled smugly to himself as he pictured Nathan's face when he'd watched Peyton pick his brother over him. It was about time Nathan was the one to feel inferior and it really served to increase Luke's confidence. Maybe Peyton wasn't ready for a relationship right now, but at least Nathan was no longer the main obstacle in the equation.

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Nathan went home Friday, feeling sullen and hopeless after yet another failed attempt to get through to Peyton. She was always so cold toward him now. She didn't even seem angry anymore. Just…cold. And watching her get into Lucas's truck, for the third day in a row, was almost unbearable.

He'd at least expected her to come over to get her Autumn Effect CD. She loved that CD, which is why he'd stressed that she be the one to pick it up – because that way maybe they could finally talk. He hadn't made good on his threat to throw it away. He hadn't even planned to. He'd just been angry that she wouldn't listen to him, and yes it was a way to get her to his house. But so far she hadn't come.

He went through the motions during tutoring. They worked on math today since the English essay was done and handed in, with Mouth's assurance that the paper warranted an A.

Dinner was silent. He still wasn't really speaking to his dad since the incident on Monday.

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Brooke slipped into her skimpy black dress – the one Peyton had tried to dismiss on Monday, determined to have a great time on her date tonight. Peyton and Nathan still weren't speaking to her, despite her several attempts at apologizing, but she wasn't going to let that bring her down tonight. She'd made her move, acknowledged her mistakes and they weren't budging, so she was done apologizing. Yes, it hurt to lose her two best friends, but there wasn't anything more she could do. Tonight she would have fun watching clean teen Chase Adams try to keep his hands off of her in her barely there dress.

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Peyton sat in the passenger's side of Luke's truck, after sharing a meal at Karen's café. She'd insisted they give his mom their business rather than her competition. After that they'd decided on renting movies and going back to her house to watch them. She was having a good time. She really enjoyed Lucas's company and it was nice to let go of everything clouding her mind these days. Nathan, Brooke and her birth mother had taken over every thought lately. She didn't know what to do with the knowledge that her mother had been lurking around in her life. And she didn't feel comfortable confiding in Lucas or Haley about it yet, even though Haley had been there when the realization of the woman's identity hit her. She didn't know them well enough yet to fully express her feelings. If Nathan and Brooke were still a part of her life, she could open up to them, but that wasn't the case. She was still extremely angry with Brooke, despite the fact that she had tried to apologize to her several times. She just couldn't deal with that right now. And Nathan. He wasn't giving up. Every day he was pressing her to talk, and every day she told him the same thing. Why then, did he not get the picture? Her mind instantly went back to her conversation with Haley, who had once again stayed over the previous night.

Flashback

"Are you sure you want to stay?" Peyton asked. "Chances are Nathan will be showing up in the morning again. Because he really doesn't get that we're actually over this time."

"I'm sure. But you know, if you really don't want him to come, there's a simple solution to that," Haley said walking over to the front door and locking it before heading upstairs.

End of Flashback

Of course she didn't want Nathan to come. And just because she'd gone behind Haley and subtly unlocked the door, didn't mean she did.

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"These sketches are amazing," Lucas said as he stood in the middle of Peyton's room, looking at the walls. He'd never been in her room before and she'd originally brought him up to show him her music collection, which he'd been amazed by as well. He'd gone through some of them, amused and intrigued that she had them all in order, but it was nearly impossible to look at them all. There must have been thousands of albums there, but his attention was now focused on all the drawings pinned to the wall and they were too mesmerizing not to comment on them.

Peyton smiled at him. "Thanks. I like to draw."

He'd known that already, even before they'd become friendly. She was always drawing. "You ever submit them anywhere?"

She shook her head. "No. My art's kind of personal. Just a hobby really."

"That's too bad," he said. "You've got serious talent. It's a shame to hide it from the world."

She thought back to the several occasions when Nathan had said the same thing. 'Why do you waste your time on this when all you're gonna do is hide it in your room or stuff it in a drawer where no one else can see it?' Well, ok, he hadn't put it quite as eloquently as Lucas, but it meant the same. "This isn't all of them," she told him. "I have all kinds of sketch books in my drawer." She gave him a few of the less personal ones to look over.

"This seems more like a passion than just a hobby," he commented as he flipped through the pages. "Are you sure you wouldn't want to get these out there?"

"At one point I thought of submitting some of them to Thud magazine," she confessed.

"You should," Lucas told her confidently.

"I don't know," she said. "I don't think they'd really mean anything to anyone besides me."

"I disagree. I think you could touch a lot of hearts with your art."

"Thanks," she replied, smiling at him again. "So, what about you, huh? You miss basketball?"

He nodded. "Playing yeah, all the hassle that goes with it, no."

"The team will settle down after they see you're not going anywhere," she said matter of factly.

"I hope so. I have a feeling there's gonna be an uproar next week though."

"Why?" she asked in confusion.

"Whitey took me in his office today and asked me if I wanted to co-coach until my arm heals."

The first thing that popped in her mind was Nathan wouldn't like that. He was always the one that went over the plays with Whitey. "That's great, Luke," she said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "Are you gonna do it?"

"Well he gave me the weekend to decide, but I think I'm going to. It would get me involved in the game in some way."

She nodded, but remained silent.

"I know Nathan and Dan won't like it," he said, as though he'd read her thoughts.

"It's not their choice," she said truthfully. "It must be hard for you…having to face your dad," she said, just realizing how awkward it must be for him.

"He's not my dad," Lucas denied.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."

"No, it's fine. He's just not my dad, you know?"

"Yeah."

"And it's harder on my mom than me. I never knew him, but she loved him at one point. I just don't understand how a man can abandon one child and be a father to the next one three months later."

She thought about opening up about her mom at that point but decided against it. "He's kind of an ass," she said with a small smile.

"So I've heard," he replied, returning her smile. "So we gonna watch the movies?"

"Yeah, absolutely. I just thought we'd wait for Haley."

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"Watch this part," Luke said excitedly. "The guy goes into the tunnel and…"

"Luke!" Haley reprimanded. "Just because you've already seen it, don't ruin it for us."

"Sorry," he said sitting back. But a few minutes later he was pointing out certain scenes again.

"Dude, you're just like Nathan," Peyton said with a laugh. "He does that too."

Lucas once again sat back, not sure what to think of the comparison to Nathan.

"I think all guys do that," Haley remarked.

"Probably," Peyton replied. "Bunch of big kids."

They returned to the movie and it was during the second one that Peyton's phone buzzed. She flipped it open and checked the display. Chase Adams. The name sounded vaguely familiar but she couldn't place it. "Hello?" Her face fell as the person on the other end spoke. "What? Is she ok? Ok, I'm on my way!" she said in a panic, already rising from her position on the couch.

Lucas and Haley looked at her with worry.

"It's Brooke. She's in the hospital," Peyton informed them shakily.

"What happened?" Haley asked.

"I don't know. He said they were walking out of the movie theatre and she just collapsed. "I gotta go!" she said, searching for her keys, forgetting in her panic that her car was still in the shop.

"I'll drive you," Lucas offered.

"I'll go with you," Haley said in concern.

So the three of them jumped in the truck and headed to Tree Hill District Hospital.

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It was later in the evening and Nathan had just finished his shower after a vigorous three hour basketball and weight training session, and had settled himself on his bed to do homework – or at least pretend to be, when Dan walked in and sat on the edge of the bed.

"What's eating you, son?" He could see the boy was upset and surly these days, but today he was especially so. Following the silent dinner, he'd gone through the entire physical routine, following each and every instruction his father had given him without so much as an eye roll.

Nathan glanced quickly at his dad and then back to the book in front of him as though he were completely engrossed by its content.

But Dan knew better than that. Nathan had never been into books. "You know, you'd give your mother a run for her money with this silent treatment of yours. She's got it down to a science. When she's home, that is."

No response. Just another quick glare.

Dan sighed. "Ok, we can play this one of two ways here. We can handle it like men or like children. I'll leave the choice up to you. What's it gonna be?"

Nathan glanced up, a scornful expression marking his features. "You hit me right in front of someone," he said irately, still feeling the humiliation of it, though it was five days later.

Dan nodded in acknowledgement. "I apologize for that, Nathan. Unfortunately, you're not the only one to inherit the Scott temper."

Nathan went back to his book, not happy with the reply.

"Look," Dan said. "I know you're mad, but I didn't mean to. You were being mouthy and I just lost it. I'd think you, of all people, could understand that." Nathan still didn't answer him, but he could tell by the way he seemed to relax that he was getting through. "How are things going with Peyton?" he asked.

Just like that, Nathan tensed up again. "They're not," he responded dejectedly. "She won't talk to me."

"Again?"

"Still."

"She will. Give her time."

Nathan looked up at his father with sad eyes and, for some reason, he felt the need to talk to him. Maybe it was because his dad had asked or maybe because he wasn't talking to Brooke lately, but whatever the reason, he needed someone to open up to. "It's been almost two weeks," he told him. "It's never been this long."

"Two weeks is not that long, son."

"It is for us," Nathan countered. "I don't think I'm gonna get her back this time. It's like she doesn't even miss me."

'I know the feeling,' Dan thought to himself, but to his son he said. "I'm sure that's not true. Have you tried talking to her?"

"Every day."

"Maybe that's where you're going wrong," Dan suggested. "You're not giving her time to miss you. Why don't you give her a little space?"

"I can't!" Nathan nearly shouted. "Then she'll forget about me."

"No she won't."

"Yes she will. She already is. She's always with Lucas now."

Dan's brows creased in wonder. "Is she dating him?"

Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "She says she's not, but then why is she always with him?"

Dan sat silently for a moment, unsure of how to reply. Finally he spoke again. "Well, if she says she's not with him, I see no reason to believe differently. Do you?"

"So I don't beat the hell out of him again," Nathan answered with the faintest of smiles.

Dan chuckled, but grew serious again within seconds. "My advice is still to take a step back and see what happens."

"And if she ends up getting with Lucas?"

"Then what can you do? Son, if it's meant to be, it'll be. Just back off a little bit."

Nathan looked down, knowing the advice sounded good, but he didn't really like the odds. He was saved from having to reply by the vibration of his phone. He checked the caller ID. Chase Adams.

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Peyton sat frozen in the hospital's waiting room, Lucas on one side and Haley on the other, waiting on some kind of news. Across from them were Chase and Rachel, whom he'd also called. Chase hadn't known any of their numbers but he'd found Brooke's three closest friends' numbers in the phone book. Not knowing what else to do or how to get a hold of her parents, he'd called them, figuring they would know. The hospital wouldn't tell them anything since they weren't immediate family and though Rachel had tried to contact Brooke's parents, she had yet to get through.

No news was driving Peyton crazy. But, unlike Rachel, who was openly crying, not a single tear had fallen from her eyes. She just sat there in shock, waiting, while Lucas and Haley tried to comfort her. The best friends' eyes locked as they wondered why Peyton seemed so cool. Hesitantly Haley stood up and moved to sit beside Rachel. The girl had been a bitch to her, but right now she needed comfort and Haley couldn't ignore that part of her that instinctively wanted to offer it. She threw Chase a smile of understanding, knowing he was worried too, but, like Peyton, he was holding it together. Rachel leaned right in to Haley's consoling arms, letting go of everything that had transpired between them two days before.

Lucas tried to get through to Peyton with soothing words and his arm draped over her shoulder. He thought this must be a brave front she was putting on for show and he didn't want her to think she had to be strong for anyone. Brooke was her best friend and she had every right to let her feelings out.

A few minutes later she did. Nathan walked in, followed by Dan, and worriedly made his way to the group, wincing when he noticed Luke's arm around Peyton. Peyton's head had been down so she hadn't noticed him come in, but the second she heard his voice, asking how Brooke was, she looked up, jumped out of her seat, and went straight to Nathan's arms. And then finally her tears came, spilling down in torrents as she clung to the familiar body for dear life.