...🏀...

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓, 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋

𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟒

"Brooke, what's wrong?" I asked, rushing towards the bench in the mall where she sat.

I sat beside her as Brooke opened her mouth but then looked past me.

"Peyton?" she said. I turned my head to see Peyton and Haley walking towards us. "I looked all over for you. You didn't get my messages?"

"Really?" Peyton replied. "Oh, no. My phone's been whacked out all day." I furrowed my brows as Haley rolled her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Not really, no," Brooke sobbed. I placed my hand on her back, trying to soothe her as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Well, I said I wasn't gonna do this, and I said it wasn't worth it, but it is. Lucas broke up with me."

I pulled Brooke into my arms as Peyton said, "I'm sorry."

"I was looking forward to getting a chance to show him how much he means to me," Brooke sobbed. "And he said he just wants to be friends." She sniffed, and I brushed her hair out of her face. "And every idiot knows that that's just code for 'go away.' I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"Look, if Lucas said he wants to be friends, I'm sure he means it," Peyton said.

I nodded, but Brooke sobbed, "How do you do that with Lucas?"

Peyton widened her eyes and looked at Haley, who cleared her throat. "You just, um...just sort of do everything you've been doing without the sex part."

Brooke scoffed. "Yeah. There's a first time for everything, right?"

I glared as Peyton couldn't meet Brooke's eyes, but I turned my gaze back to Brooke. I let her rest on my shoulder, knowing how much Brooke liked Lucas. I could tell from how she talked about him to how she described her feelings. It was nice seeing Brooke care about a guy, not just for the sex but for who they were.

I glanced at Brooke. "Let's go get some ice cream."

"Okay," Brooke sighed, wiping her tears.

I pulled Brooke up and walked away with her by my side. I felt uneasy about Peyton but couldn't put my finger on it.

Something's up with her.

...🏀...

It's late, and Karen's Café is empty, so I toss a rag behind the counter and glance around the deserted space. The refrigerator's soft hum and the clock's faint ticking are the only sounds breaking the silence. My gaze lands on the piano in the corner, and a familiar tune starts playing in my head.

I look around again, making sure no one is coming, and wipe my hands on my jeans before heading to the piano. My fingers brush over the keys, and I sit down, letting my hands move instinctively. The melody flows effortlessly, and soon, I'm singing softly, the words spilling out as if they've been waiting for this moment.

"I wish I could fall back in love like the beginning. We had butterflies and didn't mind the distance. Don't we have it all? But it feels like something's missing. I'm not ready to admit it, so tonight..."

Suddenly, Nathan's voice breaks through my concentration. "I didn't know that you could sing."

I whip around, my eyes wide with surprise. Nathan stands a few feet away, his expression mixed with admiration and curiosity.

I mutter, "No one knows."

I get up from the piano bench, my heart pounding. Nathan walks towards me, closing the distance between us. "Did you write that?" he asks, his eyes searching mine.

I nod, feeling a mix of pride and vulnerability.

Nathan reaches out, and for a moment, I hesitate. But then I give in, wrapping my arms around his neck. His warmth and the familiar scent of his cologne envelop me, and I mutter against his neck, "I missed you."

Nathan holds me tight, his embrace firm and reassuring. "I missed you too," he whispers.

I pull back slightly, resting my forehead against his. His presence is both comforting and electrifying.

He looks into my eyes, and I can see the same longing reflected at me. "I know I'm not supposed to see you, but I needed to see you," he says softly.

A smile spreads across my face, and I can't help but feel a flutter of happiness. "I wanted to see you too," I admit.

The reality of our situation looms over us, but at this moment, it doesn't matter. I'm with Nathan, and everything feels right. We stand there, lost in each other's gaze, the world outside the café forgotten.

Nathan reaches up, gently brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. His touch sends a shiver down my spine. "I should go," Nathan says reluctantly.

I nod, trying to ignore the hurt that feels my chest. "Okay," I whisper.

I watch him leave, the door closing softly behind him. The café feels emptier than before, and my heart aches. I return to the piano, my fingers tracing the keys, and start playing again, trying to fill the ache in my heart.

Understanding the swirl of emotions that filled my chest regarding Nathan took me a while.

I realized I felt something for him and that this feud might come between us because, in the end, it meant defying our families.

I knew what I felt for Nathan; the real question was—

Is defying my father worth the risk?

...🏀...

"I need you," Brooke said, her voice tense as she drove.

I glanced at my best friend, worry creeping into my heart. "You know I'm always here for you, Brooke."

"I know." Brooke sighed heavily, her grip tightening on the steering wheel. "But this thing I have to do, you can't stop me." I shook my head, not understanding. "I need you to have my back even though you don't know the whole story."

We pulled up outside Peyton's house, and I could see the tears welling in Brooke's eyes. I reached over, grabbed her hand, and squeezed it reassuringly. "Okay."

Brooke exited the car, and I followed, shoving my hands into my coat pockets. There was something in the air tonight, a tension I couldn't shake. Brooke opened Peyton's front door, and we stepped inside. It felt different this time like something was about to change, and I didn't know what.

"Hey," Brooke said, her voice strained as we entered Peyton's room. Peyton was sitting on her bed, her notebook and pen in her lap.

"You're both out late," Peyton said with a smile, looking up from her writing.

Brooke nodded. "Lucky thing you finding Lucas like that." I leaned against Peyton's wall, watching the exchange. "If you hadn't come along, who knows what might've happened?"

"Everything turned out okay," Peyton said, avoiding Brooke's gaze momentarily.

"No, not really," Brooke said, shaking her head. Peyton's brows furrowed in confusion. "I don't know what hurts worse, you and Lucas sneaking around behind my back or lying about it to my face."

"They did what?!" I exclaimed, shock hitting me like a tidal wave. Peyton moved, but I glared at her. "Don't." She stopped moving, and I looked back at Brooke. "Brooke, I didn't know."

Brooke scoffed bitterly. "Well, neither did I." She turned her piercing gaze to Peyton. "The next time you want to steal my boyfriend, turn that thing off."

My eyes snapped to Peyton's webcam, still on and recording. I couldn't believe it. Lucas had cheated on Brooke, and Peyton had broken the ultimate girl code.

Rage coursed through me.

"I went into his room to check on him, and his computer was on," Brooke explained. Peyton's eyes filled with guilt, while my veins filled with fury. "I know you two were together."

"Really, Peyton?" I said, my voice cold.

"He meant everything to me, Peyton," Brooke said, her voice breaking. "I was ready to be his friend if that's what he needed."

I watched as Peyton tried to look remorseful, her eyes pleading for Brooke's forgiveness. But how could Brooke forgive her for something like this? It would be a long road to regain Brooke's trust even if she did.

"Now, I don't really care if I see either of you again," Brooke said, tears streaming down her face. She turned to me. "I'll wait for you in the car."

I nodded as Brooke left the room. I turned to Peyton. "Peyton."

"I know," Peyton sighed. "I didn't mean for it to happen."

I scoffed. "That does not make what happened any better." Peyton glanced at the door where Brooke had just left. "She loved him, Peyton. How could you?"

"I liked him first," Peyton defended. "He liked me first. I backed off because of Brooke, but in the end, he wanted me."

I stared at her, incredulous. "Then you should've told Brooke how you felt."

Without another word, I left Peyton's room and house, angry and disappointed. I got into Brooke's car, and she didn't ask any questions. She just grabbed my hand as she pulled out of the driveway.

We didn't speak, letting the heavy silence fill the space between us. I knew that Brooke would get through this betrayal, but I couldn't believe a person I started to view as a friend would be capable of giving up years of friendship over a boy.

...🏀...

I shut my locker with a loud clang, the noise echoing through the emptying hallway. When I looked up, I saw Lucas standing there with his arm in a sling. Anger flared up inside me, and I glared at him, unable to hide my frustration.

Lucas noticed my expression immediately. "What's that look for?" he asked his tone a mix of curiosity and defensiveness.

I raised an eyebrow, feeling the heat of my anger. "Brooke," I said, my voice heavy with accusation.

Lucas sighed, his face falling. "Oh."

Without thinking, I hit his uninjured shoulder, frustration boiling over. "Are you trying to be a jerk?" I demanded.

Lucas winced and rubbed his shoulder. "I love Peyton," he muttered, almost as if he was trying to convince himself as much as me.

I shook my head, feeling a pang of sorrow. This wasn't the Lucas I knew, who always put others before himself. "This isn't you, Luke," I said, my voice softer now but firm.

Lucas looked down at the floor, unable to meet my eyes. My words had hit him hard, and I could see the guilt weighing him down.

Taking a deep breath, I continued, "I know you're not a bad guy, but you're not the same Luke I grew up with. You're better than this."

I reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. "You know that too," I whispered, hoping to reach the part of him that still cared about doing the right thing.

After a moment, I let go of his hand and walked down the hall, leaving him looking lost. My heart ached for both him and Brooke. I hated seeing my friends hurt each other like this.

As I made my way to class, I saw Nathan coming out of his classroom. Our eyes met, and for a moment, everything else faded away. His dark eyes locked onto mine, and I felt a flutter in my chest, a mix of longing and confusion. His gaze was steady, filled with something I couldn't quite decipher, but it made my heart race.

But I couldn't deal with that now. I broke the connection, looking away, and hurried into my classroom.

Staying away from him was becoming harder.

...🏀...

𝐀/𝐍: ANOTHER UPDATE!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 115K READS.

Yes, I updated again.

Nathan is back in this chapter, and Brooke learns of Peyton's betrayal.

Mostly, this chapter is filler with cute Nathan and Mylah moments.

THANK YOU TO 924 FOLLOWERS.

Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter.

𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒: What did you like about this chapter? How do you feel about Mylah singing and Nathan finding out about it? How do we feel about Peyton?

𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆: 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐞

-𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑎𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘