T H R E E
what a feeling to be right here beside you now holding you in my arms
PEYTON LAID HER HEAD ON TOP OF LUKE'S LEG as he played slowly the strings of his guitar. His fingers moved softly, touching every string with patience, creating a beautiful melody.
"Green was the color of the grass where I used to read at Centennial Park. I used to think I would meet somebody there," he sang the lyrics as she closed her eyes, running her fingers through her hair. "Teal was the color of your shirt, when you were sixteen at the yogurt shop you used to work at to make a little money."
Luke glanced at his best friend as she was enjoying his singing. Could you imagine how this feels like for him? He likes her, so much, but he's so scared.
He's so scared of ruining their friendship with a simple moment, a simple bust of confidence could end in atrocity. Could he do it?
"Time, curious time. Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs. Were there clues I didn't see?" He continued to sing as she opened her eyes, looking to the clouds above them.
As he ended the song, he tossed his guitar to the side, looking at the ocean. Peyton also sat straight, looking at the view too. Next to them, some teenagers were playing volleyball, laughing and playing music out loud, but for Peyton's ears Luke's voice was the only one she could hear.
"So... senior year." Luke chuckled, trying to distract his hands by playing with his fingers. "What are you goals for your last high school year, Patterson?"
"Easy," he said, laying back on his arm, watching her do the same. "Success for the band..."
"Clearly," she whispered.
"Maybe pull a cool senior prank. Do something I've never done before. Learn how to draw." Peyton raised her eyebrows. "Hey you can help me with that. You are an excellent artist."
"I am not," she said, looking at her, "I'm definitely not."
"Yes you are, Tay... I've seen all your works, I've seen all of your drawings... You are incredibly talented."
"Ok, there is no need for you to make me blush," she mumbled, looking into his dark green eyes as he stared at her, like she was the only person in the entire beach. "So... band rehearsal."
"It's early, we can still hang out."
Peyton laughed. "Remember we have to pick up Ella, and she's not known for being quick." Luke nodded, picking up his guitar. "Hey, you didn't hear this from me but there's a girl over there who hasn't stopped looking at you since we got here."
Luke turned around to glance at the girl. She waved at him, and he simply nodded, looking at Peyton again.
"You should get her number. She's gorgeous."
"Uhm, I don't know..." Peyton raised her eyebrows. "She's not my type."
"Not your type?" She repeated, making him laugh. "Not your ty— Luke... I've seen thousands looking at you like that and you've always said they aren't your type. What is your type?" He look at her for a few seconds before bitting his lip.
"I don't know, not her. I like... simple..."
"Simple?"
"Yeah. So? I like simple."
"That's not a type."
"What's the big deal?" He asked, holding his guitar. "If you insist so much I'll go get her number, ok?"
"You should... get her number."
"I will."
"You should."
"And I will." He stood up, carrying his acoustic on his back as he walked towards the girl on the beach chair.
Peyton stared at his best friend as he stood next to the girl. He was smiling at her, and she was laughing. He was definitely making jokes.
And was when he gave her his phone so that she could add her number when Peyton realized... she has never seen him in love, or even preparing for a date.
As he walked towards her again, it was the first time Peyton saw Luke as more than her best friend, but as a guy. A guy who goes on dates, kisses girl.. and doesn't spend his entire time worrying about his best friend.
"We should go go the band rehearsal," said Peyton, standing up and grabbing the beach towel. He nodded, helping her with her bag as they walked towards the Jeep.
Both entered the truck, Peyton looking into Luke's old CD's that he kept on the car, looking for what to play.
As Peyton put a mixtape Luke had on the player, the guitarist started driving towards his best friend's house where Ella would be waiting to get on the truck.
As they passed over there, Ella put her skateboard on the ground and hold on to the trunk of the Jeep, letting the car impulse her board.
"Your sister is cool, like Marty McFly style of cool," he said and Peyton nodded. "Hey, Tay."
"What?" She asked as the guy look at her.
"I'm not gonna call the beach girl," he let her know, confusing Peyton.
"Why not?"
Luke parked the truck in front of Alex's driving, and he watched as Ella walked in towards Alex and Reggie, who both greeted her with a smile.
"I'm not ready to be on a relationship."
"God, Luke, you will never be ready to be in a relationship if you don't even try to be in one at least. Listen from me, I've been on ten of them." Luke laughed. "You'll have Monday and the rest of your senior year days to worry about relationships. Right now, you promised me a crazy weekend, and it's just Saturday."
The guy laughed, both getting out of the car and walking towards Alex's garage, where the guys were waiting for them.
"There they are!" Yelled Alex as Luke grabbed his electric guitar.
Peyton sat next to Ella on the couch, taking from her bag her sketch book and opening it on a blank page. Her sister glanced at her before whispering.
"How was your beach day?"
"Oh, well, normal. Luke played his guitar, I built a sand castle, Luke asked for a girl's number."
"He did? Really?"
"Yeah, so that proves your theory that he likes me wrong, by the way."
"It does not, actually. I mean it's Luke we are talking about, you should know that he's not going to call that girl, is he?" Peyton stared at her sister for a few seconds before remembering what Luke told her about not going to call the girl. "What are you drawing?"
Peyton glanced over to her drawing. It was just a sketch of what it looked like a rose.
"I don't know, some doodle," said Peyton.
"Looks like the rose in Luke's Gun N' Roses shirt." Peyton looked up to see her friend's shirt, which indeed had the drawing of a rose under the band's name. "Are you sure you don't like him?"
Peyton glanced over to Ella, who couldn't contain her smile.
"Yes, I'm sure." She looked at her best friend one more time as he sang the new Sunset Curve he's been writing all week. "What is there to like anyways?"
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
The party in Carrie's house was getting out of control. Sunset Curve was playing, everyone was dancing, having a great time, someone broke Carrie's coffee table.
Rest of it, totally fine.
"Hey, Julie," said Peyton as the girl arrived. "Why aren't you singing with the guys?"
"Not you too," she exclaimed over the loud music. "I've said it before and I will say it again, I have no plans on joining Sunset Curve any time soon. Besides, they appear to me that they are doing pretty well on their own."
"You are way better. You guys together sound incredible. You should think about it."
"I've already thought about it, still not convinced. It's fun to sing some songs with them, but Luke takes the band full time. We don't have the same motivation, that's all."
"Hey..." Peyton raised her arms, giving up. "Whatever you say, ma'am. I saw Flynn over there with Nick, by the way, go rescue her."
"Good call."
Peyton laughed as she saw her best friend walking away. This was the first party the group was going to assist, since they were doing this thing, as Luke calls it, "hitting every party in Malibu till we see the sunrise at the beach". Apparently a lot of people booked Sunset Curve on that Saturday night and they, dumbly, said yes to every request.
As the band ended their third song, they quickly began to disconnect their instruments, making Peyton laugh and run towards them.
"You are really taking this seriously," she said as Reggie gave her his bass while he grabbed his amp.
"We have another gig in like thirty minutes," explained Luke, turning around. "Julie! Flynn! Go go go!"
The duo ran towards the band and helped with Alex's drums as all of them walked towards Luke's truck, leaving the instruments on the trunk. Ella approached them, taking from the car her skateboard. The entire group tried to sit with the instruments on the back of the jeep while Peyton and Luke sat on the front.
"Is this what we are going to do all night?"
"Mostly, yeah," he answered. "Crazy Saturday!"
Peyton chuckled, putting play to the music as Luke drove towards the next party on the coast of Malibu.
And that was their entire night. By the eight and final party, the entire group was exhausted, them all walking towards the beach at six in the morning, watching the first dashes of sunlight appear on behind the Hollywood hills.
"That looks beautiful," whispered Flynn with a smile.
Luke hugged his best friend by the shoulders, and Peyton smiled, leaning on to him. Both watched the sunset with a smile.
"That's a Sunset Curve," commented Reggie, only making Ella laugh. "It was funny, wasn't it?"
Peyton chuckled, turning around to glance at Luke, who's eyes were glowing because of the beautiful sunset he was in presence of.
"What do you have planned for today, Ferris Bueller?" She asked, making him smile.
"I just hope you aren't afraid of sharks," he whispered to her, making her shake her head as he laugh.
"You wouldn't dare, Patterson," she mumbled under her breath, making him laugh out loud. "You are joking, right? Tell me you are joking right now."
"You'll just have to wait and see." She rolled her eyes as he turned around, still hugging her. "Hey! Let's all crash at Peyton's, what do you guys think?"
Everyone nodded as they walked tiredly towards Luke's jeep. Peyton look at her best friend with a serious glare as he chuckled.
"You have the biggest house, it is law."
"I want to see that on writing."
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Luke was on the kitchen when Ella scared him from behind, making him scream.
"God, you're like a pop-up book from hell," he whispered, leaving the orange juice on the table. "What do you want, Cinderella?"
"You asked for another girl's number in front of Peyton, Don Juan?" He rolled his eyes.
"So what, cupid? It's not like I'm actually going to ask her out. I just did it because your sister wasn't exactly being Miss Congeniality," he explained, drinking the orange juice. "Why are you up? Everyone is asleep."
"I needed to study."
"It's seven in the morning on a Sunday, go sleep, vampire."
"I'm pretty sure vampire do sleep."
"Not Edward Cullen, he doesn't. Would you leave me alone now?"
Ella stood in front of him with a mischievous smile.
"That's scary, you look like you just got out from a Tim Burton movie, stop doing that," he asked. "What's the big deal?"
"It's actually good... I'm pretty sure she has a thing for you, Luke, and I'm going to prove it."
He laughed.
"Really appreciate your effort, Nancy Drew, but I think you are wrong on this."
"I'm not wrong, and I have prove."
Ella took from her books a piece of paper, giving it to Luke who looked at it confused.
"Care to explain?"
"That's what Peyton draw yesterday at the band rehearsal," replied Ella.
"A rose, sure, this makes a lot of sense, Ella— could you be more specific, Ella, please?"
"That's the rose from your Gun N' Roses shirt, you dummy." He looked again at the drawing, noticing that it indeed was the rose of his shirt. "This is the first step, Pattinson."
"It's Patterson..."
"That's what I said."
"You said Pattinson. Like Robert Pattinson. Twilight Pattinson. My name is Patterson... Luke Patterson."
"Same thing," she grabbed the drawing again. "Have hope again, little Padawan—"
"Not Star Wars again—"
"—this is your time," she continued before leaving. "I expect Reggie updates soon, Pattinson!"
"It—It's Patterson!" He yelled, but she had already left. "Whatever...."
POP CULTURE REFERENCES GUIDE
chapter 3
"Your sister is cool, like Marty McFly style of cool."
Marty McFly is the main character of the film series Back to the Future. The character is portrayed by Michael J. Fox. One of the characteristics of this character is that he would hold on to the end of cars on his skateboard and let them carry him, just as Ella does in this scene.
"Looks like the rose in Luke's Gun N' Roses shirt."
Gun N' Roses is an american hard rock band from California formed in 1985. The members of the band have variated over the years. One of their famous singles is Sweet Child o' Mine, which is the band's only single to reach number one on the Billboard 100.
"Hitting every party in Malibu till we see the sunrise."
This phrase is actually and indirect quote from Ke$ha's famous song TiK ToK.
"What do you have planned for today, Ferris Bueller?"
This famous movie character is named around the story very often. Ferris Bueller is the main character of the 80s movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, where he calls sick to school and plans a crazy day for his best friend and his girlfriend. I would explain it with more detail whenever it's mentioned.
"God, you are like a pop-up book from Hell."
This expression is a direct quote from the american teen drama Gilmore Girls. Rory Gilmore tells this exact line to Paris Geller when she scares her in the hallway.
"Not Edward Cullen, he doesn't."
Edward Culllen is Robert Pattinson's character in the film series Twilight, inspired by the book saga from the same name. Edward Cullen and the Cullen family are vampires, which are mentioned in the book that aren't able to sleep.
"You look like you just got out from a Tim Burton movie."
Tim Burton is a famous filmmaker, animator and artists. He is best known for his gothic fantasy and horror films, such as Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Corpse Bride (2005) and Batman Returns (1992).
"Really appreciate your effort, Nancy Drew, but I think you are wrong on this."
Nancy Drew is a fictional teenage character created by Edward Stratemeyer. She is a genius detective who spends her teenage years solving mysteries.
"You said Pattinson, like Robert Pattinson."
Robert Pattinson is a british actor. He played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005, but is better known as Edward Cullen in the film adaptations of the Twilight Saga.
Fun fact: It's Peyton's celebrity crush.