Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill.

Chapter 17

The next morning Peyton walked through the doors of TRIC, exhausted from lack of sleep. This gloomy morning followed yet another night without Lucas. Peyton was starting to re-think her relationship with him.

How can I be in a relationship with someone who is not being honest and open?

Did this really constitute as a relationship considering the fact that Lucas was absent in said 'relationship'?

Peyton shook her head to rid herself of these thoughts. She had been up almost the whole night over-analyzing and over-thinking and she decided that she was not going to start a brand new day with a self-inflicted headache. She needed a distraction, a project to work on. And as she maneuvered past the bar to get to the studio, she found it.

Peyton peeked inside the studio and saw Mia, the keyboard player from the band that she just signed a few weeks prior. Mia was a quiet and shy girl. She always wore a hooded sweatshirt with her zipper zipped up so high as if she was trying to keep the world out. She was so different from the band's leader, Jason. He was rude and obnoxious.

What surprised Peyton though, was that at this very moment, Mia wasn't quiet or shy. She was sitting on a bar stool with a guitar in her lap, singing her heart out.

It's so hard to tell,

What's in your heart

What you keep to yourself,

Is tearing me apart

And should I be afraid,

To dream about you?

And if you feel the same,

What you gonna do?

…

Something about that song resonated Peyton's feelings for Lucas.

Maybe I should call him. Peyton thought as she walked inside the studio, and Mia stopped abruptly.

"Wow Mia! That was really great!" Peyton told her.

"I'm sorry for trespassing." Mia's voice was small as she apologized and gathered her things. She felt embarrassed that she had gotten so lost in her song that she hadn't noticed Peyton.

"It's okay, you can stay. I was enjoying the song. Did you write it?"

"Oh, umm, it doesn't matter. Jason writes all our songs." Mia nervously stumbled over her words. She wasn't supposed to be there without the rest of the band. Well, to be more accurate, she wasn't supposed to be there without Jason. And if he knew that she was singing her own songs, he was going to kill her. He already had her on a short enough leash.

"Has the band ever played it?" Peyton asked, hoping to get Mia to stay.

"Umm, really it's nothing. Jason writes all our stuff so…" Mia said again, and then she quickly left the studio.

Peyton felt that Mia has a lot of potential and she was going to do something to help her. But first, she decided to call Lucas. She wasn't upset when he didn't answer and it went to voicemail. She kind of expected it and she needed to vent all of her thoughts to his voicemail before she talk to him in person.

"Lucas, it's me…Baby I don't know what's going on. One minute we're together and everything is good, and the next minute you're avoiding me. Did I do something wrong?"

Peyton paused for a minute to gather her emotions.

"Lucas, I love you and hopefully you still love me. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Whatever it is, whatever is bothering you, we can fix it together. Please just talk to me, please come home. I love you."

Peyton ended the call. She was really hoping that her voicemail would send Lucas running home to her.

…

"Creative writing comes in many different forms. Today we are going to talk about haiku. Does anyone know what a haiku is?" Haley asked her class. Everyone seemed disinterested, like they would rather be anywhere but here. One of her students was actually sleeping. Haley took a closer look and noticed that it was Sam.

"Samantha." Haley called to wake her up, but Sam didn't answer. A student threw a paper ball at her to wake her up. Sam jolted awake.

"Samantha," Haley started.

"It's Sam." She told her as she rolled her eyes.

"Sam, can you tell me what a haiku is?"

"5-7-5." Sam muttered.

"Can you explain that? And can you explain why you are sleeping in my class?" Haley asked.

Sam huffed and gave Haley a 'you asked for it' look. "This class is a pain. Like a bullet to the brain. Pow! Pow! Bang! Bang! Ouch!"

The entire class erupted into laughter. Haley thought Sam's comment was inappropriate, but it did consist of the haiku standards and it was very creative with a hint of rhyme scheme. Haley made a mental note to make Sam participate more in class because it was obvious that she had potential.

Haley regained control of her class. "As Sam so eloquently put it, Haiku is Japanese poetry which consists of three lines of five, seven, and five syllables respectively." Haley continued her lecture until she was interrupted again.

"Who's the hot milf at the door?" One of the guys asked.

Haley looked towards the door. "Oh my gosh, Karen!" She stopped in the middle of her lecture and rushed to the door to give Karen a hug. The she remembered that she was teaching, so she told her class that she would be back in a few minutes. She stepped into the hall and closed her classroom door, and of course the students began talking.

"Oh Haley, it's so good to see you!" Karen exclaimed.

"I'm so happy that you're here!" Haley said as she hugged her again. Then she noticed a little girl standing there. "This must be Lily." She reached down and hugged the 4 year old. Haley remembered the day Lily was born, which coincidentally happens to be the same day her son was born.

Lily looked at her mom with a confused look. Haley seemed familiar with her but she didn't quite know her.

"Lily say hello." Karen encouraged her daughter.

"Hi." Lily said shyly.

"Hi Lily, I'm Haley."

Then it dawned on her. This was her brother's best friend. Lucas always told Lily about the silly things they did. "You're Hales?

Haley laughed at the nickname. "Yes, that's me."

"My brother talks about you all the time. Did you and Luke used to play golf on mommy's roof?"

Haley thought about the countless times she and Lucas played mini golf on top of Karen's Café. "We sure did and your brother used to cheat."

Lily giggled.

"Well, we're going to go. We just stopped by to say hello." Karen said.

Haley glanced back to her unruly class. "Yeah, I should probably get back to them. How long are you in town?"

"I was only planning to stay for a few days, but since I'm a grandmother now, I figured I should stay a little while longer."

Haley let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I am so glad you know! I felt so nervous to bring it up, so I'm sure Lucas was scared out of his mind to tell you."

Haley heard a big crash from inside the classroom. "I really need to go, we'll talk later?"

"Okay, we'll see you later." Karen assured her.

"Bye Haley." Lily waved.

"Bye Lily." Haley waved back and then she hurried into her classroom.

…

Karen held Lily's hand as they walked through the halls of Tree Hill High. The halls were filled with school spirit. The blue and white school colors covered the walls alongside "Go Ravens" banners. They enter a hallway and Karen stops immediately. She looks around and her body shakes as her breath catches in her throat. Without noticing, she squeezes Lily's hand tighter.

Lily looks up at her mom and she sees tears streaming down her face. "Mommy, why are you crying?"

"I'm just thinking about your dad."

Lily looks around, hoping that her dad will magically appear. When he didn't show up, Lily tugs on her mother's hand. Karen looks down at her.

"Daddy is still in heaven isn't he?" She asked, the innocence very real in her voice.

Karen looked in her daughter's eyes, which was so much like Keith's. "Yes sweetie, he's still in heaven, but he is always watching over us."

"Hi daddy." Lily smiled and waved upward.

Karen cried harder as she hugged her little girl.

Lucas was jogging through the halls, trying to catch up to his mom before she left. He had heard that she was in the building and he wanted to talk to her. He was surprised to see his mom knelt down on the floor, crying and hugging his little sister. Then he looked around, instantly recognizing where they were. They were in the same hall where his Uncle Keith died. He knew how hard it was for his mom to be there. Sometimes he would avoid walking through that hallway.

He jogged over to them and helped his mom off the floor. Then he picked up his sister and hugged them tight.

Next Chapter Coming Soon.

Side Note: The song Mia is singing is "How Strong Do You Think I Am" by Alexz Johnson.