It Doesn't Do Well to Dream

Chapter 15

Peyton pulled slowly to a stop in the driveway and turned a smug grin to Lex who returned the look with a humoring bemusement.

"And that's how it's done," she said. "Not one ticket the entire ride. I know it's a crazy concept."

"I'm an excellent driver." Lex argued. "Barring the incident on the bridge. And there were extenuating circumstances."

It was a relief to finally be well enough to hurry out and get her driver's license. Or, at least, a license for this universe. Already being a regular driver made passing the driving test a breeze, and she couldn't help but feel a bit smug at the way she parallel parked without hardly thinking and got to watch the DMV employee grip the chair in apprehension.

But the mention of the bridge sent a brief twist in her gut. Her fingers twitched before she stopped herself from reaching up to touch the spot on her head where the bruise was. She swore, sometimes, that she could picture Clark's face through the windshield as they careened over the side.

But that obviously was some hallucination. A false memory induced by the trauma of the crash. Because Clark was alive and well. Still. She didn't like thinking about it much, so she didn't.

They stepped out of the car and Peyton stretched an arm over her chest as she breathed in the fresh air. Her headaches and eye strain were mostly gone and now she could drive, legally, and it felt good. It made her feel like she could start taking steps forward instead of being stuck living in a weird sort of limbo.

"I do think the guy at the DMV was a little suspicious of me though." She said to shift the conversation. "You should have seen his face when I parallel parked without even thinking about it. He asked me several times if I'd never gotten a license before."

She laughed and Lex grinned.

"You're an heiress in a small, country town," he said. "He was going to be suspicious of you no matter what."

Peyton rolled her eyes and followed him as he headed for the mansion.

"I'm not an heiress."

"It doesn't matter what you weren't in your dream world." He argued back. "Here, you're Peyton Woods, heiress to the Woods corporate enterprise."

Lex opened the front door and stood back to let her pass first. She shot him a sharp glare as she passed by him, something in her prickling at his choice of words.

"It's not a dream world. It's my world. And I will get back."

He held up a hand in acquiesce but she saw the look on his face. He didn't believe her. Peyton wasn't sure if it was concerning her world being real or that she'd get back to it, but either option irked her. She stiffened and jutted out her chin as she passed him, intent on not letting his opinion sink in. Of course, she hadn't forgotten that he could be irritating. Or just the tad bit selfish. Even if she wasn't going to hold his past actions against him didn't mean she was going to forget.

"Hey, I believe you; I'm sorry." Lex trotted up to fall instep with her. "You just have to adapt your thinking a little if you don't want to draw people's attention. That's all I'm saying."

She swore there was a hint of amusement to his words, and she cut her eyes to look at him. Definitely a sparkle to his eye.

"Hm."

They found themselves back in the large office room and it seemed to be the regular gathering place. Peyton supposed it could be considered a living room, though the desk in the middle of it would always be a little unusual.