STATUS; “IT’S COMPLICATED”

(post by request: HaiyjhLy27)

They were not friends, they were not even classmates. They were just simply schoolmates turned cheer mates, turned text mates, turned friends, turned....,OOPS!

                Cheer dance practices days three years ago, these two strangers had crossed each other’s path; they were Nathan and Peyton. It all started with just a simple crush, a simple crush that grew stronger, stronger and stronger with each passing days. Months, weeks, days have passed; another year for cheer dance competition is coming once again. But sadly, Nathan was not there anymore. A ‘newcomer,’ a girl who was a stranger for Peyton’s eyes overheard her talking about Nathan with her friends. Then this stranger turned to face Peyton and asked, “Uhhm, excuse me, that Nathan you were talking about, is he Nathan Scott?” Peyton half-smiled and hesitatingly answered “yes.” The girl smiled as she introduced herself, “I see. By the way, I’m Brooke, Nathan’s cousin.” Peyton smiled as she blushed. She didn’t know what will she say or how she’s going to react. Of all the people in the world, why, why Brooke, Nathan’s cousin was the one who heard about it?----that she has a big crush on him. Peyton and this ‘used to be stranger’ Brooke turned to be best of friends. Sharing crazy things, secrets and full-packed stories (of course, included on those stories were mostly about Nathan). Considering the fact that Brooke is Nathan’s cousin, she can’t help it but make stuffs and ways (well to be exact, ‘stupid’ sometimes) craps for her best friend to be closer to her cousin. And luckily, Brooke has Nathan’s brother Clay as her ‘business partner.’ So eventually, Peyton and Nathan slowly became close to each other. Unfortunately, there’s one thing obstructing their way into love. A ‘wall’ that separates them from each other, that even how much Nathan wants to be CLOSER to Peyton, he can’t. Hmm, nope, he SHOULDN’T----Nathan has a girlfriend and they were already three years in their relationship. Peyton knows it, that’s why she’s already contented with what she is to Nathan----a friend. Just friends.

                But no one can tell when love will strike whether it’ll be an easy or a complex one. No one had a clue that this night will come. A night when all those witticism turned into earnest facts, when all those concealed feelings that were long kept revealed. It was just a warm boring night, yeah, a perfect milieu for a ‘cause-effect tedium’ of an almost two and a half hour of conversation slash bonding for cousins Brooke, Nathan and Clay. A conversation-bonding session that centred to one topic (or should I say to just one PERSON?), to just Peyton. It was all jokes at first, as Brooke and Clay teased Nathan; “come on, break up with your girlfriend now! It’s been three years, ‘contract expiration’ already!” “Yeah, Clay’s right! Why don’t you just tell Jane (Nathan’s girlfriend) that you found somebody else? That you found someone you think will love and understand you better than she does, like you said. See what’s going on right now? Aren’t you tired of those nonsense and ‘same old brand new’ reasons of your arguments? Plus, if you’ll tell her right now, it’ll lessen the pain she might feel. What’s the difference if you’ll break up with her right now than with the other days? It’s just the same, now or the other days she’ll still be hurt, so why protract her woe?!?” Nathan then teasingly answered, “what if Peyton and me really get into a relationship? Does that mean that after three years, there would also be ‘contract expiration’ for us?” “Oh, make it at least four years! By that time, maybe when I came back here from Tree Hill, I can already bring her along there with me. At least I would have reason for doing it, that I’m taking my best friend away from you for her to move on because you might be breaking her so badly with that ‘contract expiration’ thing my dear ‘heartthrob slash Mr. Perplexed’ cousin!” Brooke answered exasperatingly. A moment of silence shed the atmosphere before Nathan was able to give his serious comments; “It’s not that easy to break up with Jane with just those simple reasons. Like you two said, it’s been three years. I still love her somehow. But yes, I’m already starting to have feelings for Peyton. Hmm, nope, I do feel something for her now. Because she’s really different from Jane. Someone sweeter, someone more understanding, someone more forgiving, someone who will love me better despite of my imperfections. Yes, someone who’ll get me into a relationship with less arguments, that it may seem that those stupid arguments are almost impossible to interfere with us. I want to know Peyton better, I want to be closer with her but I can’t. I shouldn’t. Because I’m afraid that I’ll just be hurting her. I’m afraid we’ll seriously fall for each other. Fall for each other right at this time that I’m caught in between her and Jane, right at this time that I’m still in state of confusion, right at this time that I still don’t know how am I going to fight for her, for the feelings I have for her. Those were also the reasons why I was not communicating with her anymore. That was a hard thing for me to do, pretending that I was just ignoring her, when the truth is I was always longing for her messages again. That if only given a chance, I would love to see her again, but I know that I shouldn’t.

                But sometimes, fate will play up on you. One typical Saturday at the mall, as Peyton and Brooke were waiting for their friend, Brooke left Peyton for a while and headed to the restroom. While she was on her way there, she saw Nathan with his girlfriend. That was also the first time that Brooke saw Jane in person. So Nathan introduced his girlfriend to his cousin, “hey Brooke, this is Jane. My girlfriend.” Brooke hypocritically smiled and said, “Finally. Nice meeting you. I didn’t expect you to be that prettier in person,” when in fact, the real words in her mind were “ERRRR! She looks like a levelled up maid! What the hell Nathan?!? You chose this ‘ewwww girl’ over my best friend?!? Really!?! Well, your lost my dear cousin. My best friend is still prettier than that Jane. Hmm, nope, I guess this is more apposite—my best friend’s good-looking, Jane’s not!”  When Brooke returned to their place, the only thing in her mind was “Peyton shouldn’t see them. I know she’s aware that Nathan has a girlfriend, yes, but of course, actually seeing them together is a capital O-U-C-H Ravens!!!! So she told Peyton, “Hey best! Shall we go elsewhere, please?” And she also asked her not to look at the direction where she saw Nathan and Jane (which was kinda lame because of course, it was getting obvious that she’s hiding something!) They went somewhere just like Brooke suggested so that Peyton won’t see them. But crap, as the two of them were about to go down to the next floor, Nathan and Jane were on their way up! “Nice one! Earth calling to fate! You really want my best friend to see them, aren’t you??” Brooke was secretly freakin’ out already so she just made an excuse and told Peyton, “Wait best, I forgot, I have to look for something at the record bar (Gaaaadd! Panicked much!).”

                Brooke succeeded keeping that secret to Peyton; that she saw her cousin with his girlfriend. What she didn’t know, Peyton already had a clue with what was really happening that time. One night, Peyton asked her best friend, “best, I want to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me regarding this. I know you saw something or someone that day. Who or what is it best? If you’re already sleeping right now, I want you to answer that tomorrow, okay?” But still, Brooke didn’t tell Peyton and just let that thing fade away. Until one day: Peyton and her classmate also went to the same mall where Brooke saw Nathan and Jane. They were just walking around, as Peyton turned back and....”BOOM!!!!” Nathan was there. They got to see each other face to face, as in face to face! Yes, imagine that moment and picture it! As shocked as she was, it took Peyton how many seconds to be able to move again and recover from being shocked when she realized that....,Uh-oh, he wasn’t alone, he was with the ‘moment wrecker’ again!----Jane! So Peyton just hesitatingly smiled (even if she wasn’t sure if Nathan noticed that smile) and walked away. See how fate could be so playful sometimes? That whatever you do to shun something or someone, if it’s bound to happen, it will happen.

                From perfect strangers to friends, from nothing to a hidden feelings that have been built up between them....two hearts that beat for one common feeling, but in different ways on how to show, or maybe fight for it. But whatever the differences and similarities present in this love of theirs, there’s only one, one pair of factors that will never be expunged; COMPLICATION-WAITING.

COMPLICATION, that if Nathan chooses one, the other will get hurt so badly. WAITING, for both Nathan and Peyton;

                “If I’ll ask her to wait, will she really wait for me until I’ve fixed everything okay? Will she still wait and stand for the feelings she has for me, like the way she’d waited until before we’ve known each other for real?”

                “If I’ll wait for him, will it worth it? Will it really worth the wait and pains with it while I’m waiting? Or I’ll just end up broken into pieces, that I’ve just waited for nothing?”

                “If we’ll both wait for the right time for us to be together, will it guarantee us a ‘happily ever after?’ No hindrances, no more ‘significant other,’ no more villains? If we’ll wait, will it be no longer ‘Status: It’s complicated?’”