The Amazing Technicolor Love

Flights #11

Peyton's POV

"Hi Nick," I smiled while gazing up at him. He chuckled. "Peyton Logan, I haven't seen you since high school, when you broke my heart and then ran away with that famous guy." I rolled my eyes internally. Nick always had a way of remembering things differently than they actually happened. I smirked. "You're still the same old Nick I see," I commented. He laughed, a sparkle in his eyes. The other guys surrounding us moved away, sitting down on the porch to continue smoking. Nick's gaze softened. "Let's go somewhere quiet, catch up." He suggested, lowering his voice so just I could hear. Thoughts swarmed through my mind. I wanted to go, I did. A part of me wanted to go be with Nick. I hadn't seen him in forever and he once was the boy I was in love with. It could be easy and fun. But what about Jack? I began to think. Just then, a group of clearly drunk girls came up to me. "We're sorry," they stuttered. I furrowed my eyebrows. "What for?" I asked, confused why some random girls were apologizing to me. For the past hour, I had been away from the party, smoking with the boys in the front. 'Fuck,' I thought, 'They broke something in the house.' "What did you do?" I questioned them. One girl spoke up, through slurred words she answered me. "We, we didn't do a-anything," she said, putting her hands in the air defensively. "He did," another girl said, handing me her phone. I looked down at the screen. Anger boiled inside of me the second I saw what she was showing me. Jack was sitting in a bar, two girls hanging all over him. He clearly was drunk but that didn't matter. His hands were on the girls while they sat on his lap. The caption read, "Great night with an even greater guy. Thanks for all the fun ;)" I felt a lump form in my throat and my stomach ached. The girls must have noticed my angered face because they quickly put the phone away and stumbled off. My jaw was tense and I felt angry tears building up. I turned to Nick. He was eyeing me, figuring out how I was going to react. "Boyfriend problems, huh?" He asked, in his normal flirty tone. I didn't even say anything to him. I just grabbed his hand and began weaving us through the mass of people. Finally, I made it to the staircase. Nick's hand was still in mine as I led us up the staircase into my room, closing the door behind us.

Jack's POV

It was late Tuesday night as we pulled into the hotel we were staying in for the North Carolina show the next night. I sat on the bus and stared out the window, somehow my hangover had managed to last all day. I had gone out the night Peyton left in Atlanta and the previous night when we were in Florida. My head throbbed at the thought of the night before. Sam, Johnson, Nate, and I had all gone out to a bar in Miami, Florida. We had gone out late as to avoid dealing with our parents. We tried our best to keep our illegal activities out of their knowledge. As we walked into the bar, girls swarmed us immediately. Sam slung his arm around a slutty blonde, giving her a smirk, while a black haired girl approached me. Sam shot me a look. "I don't approve this." He said sternly. I shook him off. If he could have a girl on his arm, why the hell couldn't I? For all I cared I was as single as Sammy. The night flew by. I wasn't sure how many shots I tipped back but the night was a blur. I assumed it consisted of drinks, dancing, and girls. I don't remember how or when but three girls ended up in my hotel room that night. I shook my head, trying to stop thinking about it. It was bothering me that I was so drunk I couldn't even remember if I had slept with them or not. I didn't have any time to ask them before Nate came in and kicked them out with Johnson. I knew they were all pissed at me but they also knew they couldn't stop it. The bus stopped in the parking lot and we all began unloading. Everyone was excited for the North Carolina show the next night because that meant Nash and Hayes could visit. However, they weren't exactly on my mind. All I needed was another night out. The boys and I carried our luggage up to our rooms. The hotel was somewhat busier than I expected since it was eleven at night. We all piled into an elevator. The ride was quiet. I couldn't figure out if it was because everyone was tired and hungover or if it was because of me. Once the elevator doors opened, Sam and Nate walked into their room and Johnson and I walked into ours across the hall. Johnson plopped down on the bed. "Damn, I'm exhausted," he groaned. I set my bag down. "Yeah, but let's go out." I said nonchalantly. Johnson gave me a shocked look. "You're kidding, right?" he asked me. I shook my head and furrowed my eyebrows. "No...?" I answered him. He rolled his eyes and laughed. "Dammit Jack, I'm done with this. I'm staying in tonight. I'm tired and we partied enough last night to last a while. I'm staying in, I'm taking a shower, and then I'm going to FaceTime Mallory. You should probably do the same. I know you're angry with Peyton but sleeping around and partying is no way to fix anything." He said. I stared at him. "What makes you think I want to fix anything with Peyton?" Johnson's look softened. "Jack, you've been my brother since kindergarten. I've seen you go through girls like they're nothing but Peyton, Peyton was different. Peyton is the love of your life and you can't let that go. You guys have been through so much together and I know you're going to make it through this. But just stop the partying now. She'll be angry enough hearing what you've done the past two nights so just give it up, go fix things with her while you still have the chance." He said. I shook my head and grabbed my flannel. I quickly threw it on and began walking towards the door. "You're not right," I told him while opening the door and walking out. I quickly found a bar, it was smaller and not as rowdy as the one in Miami but I didn't mind. All I needed was a drink and some girls. Right when I walked in, two girls approached me. I smiled. Tonight seemed it would go just as the others had, drunk and surrounded by girls. Girls who didn't know anything about me besides my face. Girls who l wouldn't get attached to. Girls who didn't make me feel crazy because of how I felt for them. It was easy, simple, and exactly what I wanted.

~

"You may now kiss the bride," the pastor said. Everyone around me looked so happy, many had tears in their eyes as they watched the couple at the altar. I followed their gaze. My heart stopped. I saw Peyton, Peyton and some other man. A man I recognized but whose name I didn't know. Everything froze. I screamed and screamed but no one heard me, nothing escaped my lips. I opened my mouth and no words came out. Angry hot tears began pouring down my face. "Peyton!" I yelled. "Peyton! No! I love you! I"m in love with you!" I yelled. I tried to run to her but my feet wouldn't move. Everything was frozen. I was stuck. The scene changed. I was in a forest. It was dark and damp and I was laying on the cold mud. I seemed to be in a clearing but surrounding me were large Redwood Trees. "You chose this," I heard a familiar voice whisper through the air. I looked around frantically. "Peyton?" I asked the air. I would recognize that voice of hers anywhere. "You let me go," she whispered again. I spun in a circle, searching for her in the trees. "Peyton, are you there?" I questioned again, more urgency in my voice. "I'll never be there again...you let me go," she said again before the whisper faded away and I was left alone in the darkness.

I stirred in my sleep. I felt like my cheeks were stained with tears. As I began to wake up, my dream vividly came back to me. I shot up in bed. "Get out," I croaked, my voice still half asleep. "Get out," I said again, more force in my voice. The two girls laying on either side of me still didn't wake up. I began shaking them with my hands and quickly yanked the covers off. "Get the fuck out!" I yelled. They stirred and looked at me confused. "Baby, whats the matter?" The blonde to my right cooed, I had forgotten her name but it didn't matter. "Don't call me that." I said. She chuckled. "Do you need me to make you feel better?" she said in a seductive tone, her brunette friend on the other side of me sitting up to join in. "No. I do not want you here at all. Now get out!" I yelled again, getting up from the bed to find their clothes. I forcefully tossed the clothing at them and then walked to the hotel door. I held it opened. "Let's go, get out of my hotel room!" I said again. They looked offended and mad as they quickly put on their clothes and walked out. They both gave me dirty glares while they passed. Finally, I had the room to myself. I slammed the door and went back to bed. 'Dammit.' I thought to myself while I rubbed my temples. 'Dammit, what the fuck have I done?'

Peyton's POV

My head ached as I woke up the next morning after the party. Gracie and I had stayed up to all hours cleaning before we crashed in my bed. She was still asleep next to me as I thought about the events of the previous night. I remembered me leading Nick up to my room. We had walked in and closed the door. "Damn, it's been a long time since I've been in here," Nick said, pausing to look around. I chuckled while walking over to my bed. Nick followed me with his eyes, a smirk growing on his face. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to me. "How have you been?" He asked in a hushed tone. "I've been fine," I lied. He stared at me hard. "No you're not, you know, I once was the guy that was hurting you so I can tell when you're lying." I smiled and looked down at my lap. I was shocked to hear Nick admit to hurting me. The past few years since Nick and I split, all I ever did was avoid thinking about our relationship. He was my first love but he had also destroyed me. I hated the place he brought me to. Yet here we were, sitting on my bed in a dark room, just the two of us, years later. It was a position I never expected to be in. I looked back up at Nick. We looked at each other for quite some time, silence resting between us. "You're beautiful, Peyton." He whispered. He then gently picked me up from sitting next to him and placed me on his lap so I was straddling him. He laid back against my pillows. I wrapped my arms around his neck, running my fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck. He looked at me for a while before he leaned in. Next thing I knew, his lips were on mine. I froze. It felt odd to have someone other than Jack kissing me. Nick's touch used to be so familiar but now it felt like a stranger. He deepened the kiss, pulling my face against his as his hand began to travel up my back beneath my shirt. I felt a lump in my throat form and a pit in my stomach take root. I pulled away. "Nick, I can't," I said against his lips as he attempted to continue the kiss. "Shh, Pey, it's okay." He said, attaching our lips again. "Nick, no. I can't." I said again pulling away forcefully. He groaned and moved me off of him. "Then what did you bring me up here for?" He asked, annoyance in his tone. I pushed my hair out of my eyes. "I-I don't know..." I said, feeling a bit dazed from what had just happened. "Whatever, Peyton." With that, Nick walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. I sat alone in the darkness. Nick was still the same douchebag he always had been but why hadn't I been able to just make out with him? Clearly Jack was fine being with other girls so why the hell couldn't I be with someone else? I sighed. 'Fuck,' I thought. 'What I have I done?'