THE CURE ▶ NATHAN SCOTT [1]

SIX

crash into you // pt.2

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(Warning: mentions of rape and drug use in this chapter.)

Lucas walked outside to clear his head after what Nathan had said to him. He noticed Carly sleeping peacefully on the porch swing and couldn't help but grin down at her. His grin faded when he realized that he might have been too harsh on her the other day in the hallway. She couldn't help who she loved, even if it was his ass of a brother.

He gently stroked her cheek, attempting to wake her up. But, when that didn't work he quickly went inside to grab a water bottle before coming back out and trying again. He dipped his finger into the bottle and poked her cheek. The coolness of the water made Carly shiver.

She opened her eyes, squinting at the porch light. Her gaze fell on Lucas. He quietly sighed and handed her the water bottle. She took it from his hands and continued to sit in silence.

"Look, Carly. I'm sorry for what I said the other day. I was just upset about what happened that night and I took it out on you." Lucas walked towards the edge of the porch, leaning on the railing and observing the ocean.

"It's okay. I understand. Nathan and I are complicated, but that's all we are. He's my best friend and nothing more. He's with Peyton and I am trying my hardest to respect that even though she totally screwed me over." Carly muttered. Lucas approached her, kneeling down in front of her.

Inside, Nathan had been searching for Carly for the past 10 minutes. He went to walk outside but the sight he was met with was anything but satisfactory. Lucas was knelt down in front of his girl, leaning entirely to close for his liking.

"Is it bad to say that I still love him after everything he's done to me?" She asked, suddenly. Lucas looked at her with such intensity Carly swore she couldn't breathe. "Nathan's awful to you...and you're one of my best friends. I just don't know what to do anymore because I'll always be caught in the middle."

Peyton soon opened the sliding door before walking outside. She noticed Carly and Lucas sitting out on the porch and went to walk back inside. Carly rolled her eyes and stood up.

"It's fine, P. I was just leaving." She stumbled over to the side door. She walked back inside to the kitchen and began making herself another drink. Cole was walking past the kitchen when he saw Carly by herself. He smirked and approached her.

"Hey, gorgeous. How are you doing?" He asked. Carly looked up at him. She noticed how he leaned on the counter like he owned the place. Carly brought her focus back to her drink she was making.

"I really have to pee but I don't want to leave my drink unattended." She pouted. Normally, when she had to go to the bathroom Brooke or Peyton would watch her drink and seeing that Brooke was nowhere to be found After an incident last year, Carly didn't take her drink with her into the bathroom anymore for everyone's safety. Cole smiled at her.