24 | Keep Breathing
2016 ― Tree Hill, North Carolina
Tonight was the formal.
Logan was out dress shipping with Brooke and Peyton. She knew the boys were going suit shipping later. She told Roman what color she would be wearing so he could match her. "Think of all the taffeta that had to die to make this thing!" Brooke exclaimed as she looked at a baby pink dress. Peyton smacked Brooke with the ruffles on the dress. "Ow! Oooh, look. Oh! Maybe I could just buy it, keep the tags on, and return it the next day. I mean it's a Formal, I'm not going to be wearing it for that long... I hope," She said and they laughed.
"Oh goodness," Logan said. Brooke took the dress off the rack and held it up in front of her.
"What do you think?" Brooke asked.
"No/Yes," Logan and Peyton said together.
"Really?" Brooke asked. Peyton shook her head and Logan watched as the happiness fell from Brooke's eyes as she put the dress back on the rack. "Just as well, it's too much anyway," Brooke said. Logan and Peyton exchanged a look and Logan grabbed the dress from the rack and started to head towards the counter. "You are so not my best friend anymore!" Brooke exclaimed when she saw what she was doing.
"Well... what if I told you that I was buying it for you?" Logan asked.
"You are so my best friend again!" Brooke exclaimed as she hugged Logan's side. After Logan bought the dress for Brooke, the girls walked out of the store and Brooke held the bag happily in her hands. "So, L. Scott, thank you for buying me the dress and if you try and take it back, I'm gonna have to bite you," Brooke said and Logan laughed.
"I might like it," Logan teased with a wink.
"What are the two of you wearing to this thing?" Brooke asked.
"I will probably find something in my closet that's cute and I rarely wear so I don't have to buy another dress," Logan said. Brooke nodded and turned to their other friend.
"Peyton?" Brooke asked.
"Oh, I got it covered. Lo and I came on this little outing just for you!" Peyton exclaimed as she smacked Brooke on the butt.
"Well, you, P. Sawyer are going to be the best Formal date I've ever had since Logan went and got herself a boyfriend," Brooke teased as the girls linked their arms together. The three of them have gone to the Formal together every year because Nathan was never into going. He would normally throw the after-party at the beach house.
"I thought you would be going with Felix," Logan said.
"Against the rules, but Felix... has been kinda sweet lately. I might have to start giving him the benefit of the doubt instead of just the benefit," Brooke said and Peyton laughed.
"Okay... Hey, look. I gotta go to the club and pick up some stuff. But I'll call you guys later?" Peyton asked. Brooke and Logan nodded as Peyton broke off from them and headed in the direction of TRIC. Then Brooke looked at Logan.
"Seriously, Logan. Thank you for buying me this dress," Brooke said and Logan nodded.
"Anytime, Brooke. I know how hard it was for you to sell all your stuff. I'm proud of you, you know?" Logan said. Brooke smiled at her friend, feeling her eyes water at her words. Then the girls were approached by Felix. "This is where I leave you," She said. Luckily the girls had walked by the cafe, so Logan walked a few extra feet and went inside. She noticed Lucas sitting at the table reading a book and Karen wasn't there. "Is there ever a time you don't have your nose in a book?" She asked.
Lucas looked up and smiled when he saw his sister. "Do you ever not go shopping?" He asked and Logan rolled her eyes.
"I didn't even buy anything... well, I did, but it wasn't for me," Logan said and they both laughed. Before Lucas could say anything, the phone in the cafe started to ring. Lucas looked at his sister, giving her a look that he wasn't going to answer the phone. Logan rolled her eyes, walked over to the phone, and answered it.
"Hello? Karen's Cafe," Logan said.
"Hello, Lucas Scott?" A male voice on the other end asked.
"No... I'm his sister, Logan Scott... is everything okay?" Logan asked.
"Well, this is Doctor Mitchell, your father's cardiologist. The doctor I referred your brother Nathan to notified me that Lucas refused to take his HCM test," He said.
"Oh right, um... Lucas is right here, hold on," Logan said. She put the phone on speaker before passing it to Lucas.
"This is Lucas Scott," He said.
"Lucas. As I told your sister, I'm Doctor Mitchell, your father's cardiologist and I was notified that you didn't take your HCM test like your siblings did. Can you tell me why?" He asked. Logan and Nathan got their results back and discussed them with each other, and now they needed to talk with Haley and Roman.
"I guess I'd rather... risk a short full life than to have a long empty one," Lucas said. Logan wanted to hit him in the back of the head because of how selfish that sounded.
"Well, with the right treatment, you won't have to do either one. Look at your father," He said. Logan didn't get how that was supposed to make Lucas feel better. Her Dad is still dependent on her Mom to take care of him.
"Yeah... he practically needs a 24-hour babysitter," Logan said.
"Well, that's not true. He's had a clean bill of health for weeks now; and passed every test with flying colors. Lucas, I urge you to reconsider and take the test. Please think about it," The doctor said before hanging up. Logan and Lucas exchanged the same look when the call ended.
Dan has been lying about his recovery?
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"Hey!" Logan exclaimed when she walked into Peyton's room. Nathan was planning a surprise for Haley for the Formal, so Logan wanted to get ready with Brooke and Peyton like they do every year. She was going to leave her car here and Roman was going to pick her up from Peyton's house. Logan set her dress and makeup bag down on Peyton's bed and then she noticed the light green dress hanging up. It was a bit frilly at the bottom, but you could tell it was made of silk. "P. Sawyer, is that your dress?" Logan asked.
"Yeah, it was my mom's. She wore it to her Formal," Peyton said and Logan smiled.
"Ah, so your Mom was wearing vintage in the eighties," Brooke teased and Peyton shook her head.
"No," Peyton responded while laughing.
"Oh, I know she would've been overjoyed to see you in it, Peyton. You're going to look beautiful," Logan said. Peyton gratefully smiled at her friend. It seemed Logan always knew the right thing to say.
"Thank you," Peyton said and then she paused. "At least some part of her will be with me tonight," She said.
"It's going to be a great night. Just the two of us, and sometimes Lo... if we can pry her away from her boyfriend," Brooke teased. Logan rolled her eyes, but she still smiled. She knew she would never be the girl who abandoned her friends just because she had a boyfriend. Peyton and Brooke are just as important to her as Roman is, in a different way, of course, but she would never abandon anyone she cares about. The girls heard another knock on the door and turned their heads to the side to see Anna walking in. Logan raised an eyebrow.
"Hey!" Anna exclaimed.
"Or not," Brooke mumbled about her having fun comment.
"It's Anna's first formal, so... I thought maybe we could all get ready together?" Peyton said as she looked at her best friends. Logan shrugged. She doesn't talk to Anna, she doesn't have anything against her. She doesn't really interact with the Taggarro twins at all. Brooke is the one who has the jealousy problem, and it's very obvious she's jealous that Anna is dating Lucas.
"Cool," Brooke said.
"Besides, Felix is at home, hogging the mirror," Anna said as a way to diffuse the tension and all the girls did laugh. Peyton sat down on her bed while Anna put her dress on the bed and she walked over to Peyton's mirror.
"I could use some help with my hair. What do you think Lucas prefers? Straight or curly?" Anna asked. Logan watched in amusement as Brooke, with her straight hair, and Peyton, with her curly hair, went and stood on either side of Anna. Logan couldn't hold it in too long, she started laughing. The other three girls were not laughing, but Logan couldn't help it.
"So, what do you think then, Anna?" Logan asked between her fits of laughter. Anna gave a sheepish smile to Brooke and Peyton through the mirror.
"Half and half?"
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The theme of the Formal was 'Dreams Do Come True,' which for some reason, Logan thought was stupid. She was never super heavy into dances and formals. She looked forward to Prom because that was a staple of senior year, but formals and homecomings, she didn't care much about. But Brooke loved them, and she loved Brooke, and she always had fun.
"Dreams... do come true," Logan said as she and Roman were walking inside. Her arm was linked through his as they approached the entrance.
"Well... one per ticket," Roman said as he looked down at his ticket and they laughed.
"I guess you better be careful what you wish for," Logan said. As they approached the entrance, Logan saw Mouth standing there. She didn't know if he was waiting for Lucas, or maybe even Brooke to get there, since he's friends with both of them. Logan stopped walking when they got closer to him.
"Hey, Mouth. You coming in?" Logan asked and he nodded.
"Ah, in a sec. Felix told me to wait five minutes before going in so we don't look like a couple," Mouth said. Logan and Roman immediately looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Logan had no particular feelings toward Anna, but she did not like Felix.
"Oh forget that. Come on, Mouth," Roman said. The three of them walked in together and there were string lights set up all around the area. There were some bushes, that Logan figured were fake, but they were also decorated in lights. There was also an Eiffel Tower replica. Food was everywhere, and Logan was feeling ready to dig in. Especially since she knows both of her parents are chaperoning tonight.
"Okay, let's get a table and do a laugh," Logan turned around when she heard Brooke's voice, and when Brooke spotted her best friend, she smiled.
"Well, don't you two look cute," Brooke said. That time Roman turned around because Logan squeezed his arm.
"Thanks, Brooke. You and Peyton look beautiful," Roman said and Brooke smiled wider.
"We know," Peyton said and they all laughed.
"So, speaking of a table... I wasn't exactly sure where to sit. I don't see Nathan or Haley anywhere," Logan said.
"Oh, well... Anna's saving us seats at her table, if you want to sit with the other brother," Peyton said and Logan laughed.
"That'll be cozy. Did you forget who she's here with? Do you want to sit with him?" Brooke asked.
"Brooke, the real question is, do you want to sit with him?" Logan asked. Peyton nodded in agreement. Brooke scowled at her best friends, and Logan knew her answer.
"We're gonna have to if we're hanging out with Anna!" Peyton exclaimed and Brooke glared.
"Keep this up, P.S., and I might get jealous," Brooke said.
"You mean more than you already are?" Logan teased. Peyton laughed while Brooke hit her friend on the arm. "Oh, you bitch," She teased and they all laughed.
"You deserved that," She said.
"Maybe, so," Logan said as she shrugged. The girls walked off and that's when Logan noticed Nathan walk in. She tapped Roman and brought his attention to her brother. The two of them walked over to Nathan, who was standing alone.
"Hey, Nate," Roman said as they did their handshake.
"Lo, you look beautiful," Nathan said. Logan smiled at her brother.
"Nate!" They heard Tim's voice before Logan could respond. "Where's the whip and chain?" He asked and Logan shook her head.
"Ball and chain, Tim," Logan corrected.
"And she'll be here," Nathan said.
"Whatever, so how long do we have to hang here until operation 'Reets the Beach?'" Tim asked. Nathan, Logan, and Roman all gave Tim the same confused look.
"Until you finish operation, what the hell are you talking about?" Nathan asked.
"The party... your parents' beach house?" Tim asked.
"You're throwing a party at the beach house? I thought because of surprising Haley you were taking a night off?" Logan asked.
"Yeah, well... things changed," Nathan said. Logan looked at Roman when she heard the snippiness in her brother's voice. Roman chuckled a bit before kissing her forehead to calm her down. Then Nathan turned to Tim. "You gotta get the key first. You remember the plan?" He asked and Tim nodded.
"You know it!" Tim said and then he looked over Nathan's shoulders and saw Dan and Deb approaching. "Uh, oh. Phoenix and Psycho... on your twenty," Tim said. Logan looked over Nathan's shoulder and saw who was approaching.
"Tim, just say our parents are here," Logan said as she rolled her eyes. Nathan turned around and backed up until he was standing next to his sister as their parents approached.
"Nathan... Logan... Hi Tim and Roman. You boys look very handsome," Deb said, which made Tim smile and then she turned to Logan. "Lo, you look beautiful, honey," She said. Logan smiled as she nodded.
"Thanks, Mom," Nathan and Logan said simultaneously. She noticed that her Dad was just looking around, but he hadn't said anything to them. She didn't know who would speak first, but she knew it wasn't going to be her. She was still upset he was lying about his recovery, and she was wondering if he was doing it to try and manipulate her Mom into not divorcing him since they were about to divorce when her dad had his heart attack.
"Dad," Nathan said.
"Nice corsage... where's the girl to go with it?" Dan asked and Logan rolled her eyes.
"Haley's... recording some music right now. She'll be here soon," Nathan said. That came as a shock to Logan. Was she recording music with Chris again? Did Nathan know that she was recording with Chris?
"Well, I'm sure she's making an effort," Deb said and Nathan nodded.
"Which means my first dance is with you," Nathan said to Deb. She smiled as she nodded.
"I'd be delighted," Deb said as she handed her purse to Dan and followed Nathan onto the dance floor. Logan noticed her Dad looked at her, hoping she would ask him to dance, but she wasn't going to. She couldn't believe he was lying about his recovery, and it was probably his attempt to manipulate all of them back to him.
Logan decided she was done being manipulated by Dan Scott.
She turned to her boyfriend and held out her hand. "First dance?" She asked. Roman smiled as he took her hand and started to lead her to the dance floor.
"I'd love to."
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Logan was now dancing with her brother. She saw Roman dancing with Peyton, which she thought was sweet. Apparently, Brooke ditched her for Felix, so when Roman saw her sitting by herself and she looked sad, he asked her to dance, which made Logan fall for him all the more. "So the dance with Mom was just a ruse for Tim to get the keys to the beach house?" Logan asked.
"Yeah, and it worked. For the most part," Nathan said.
"Why didn't you just ask Mom for the keys? Ever since she blew our lives up with this switched-at-birth crap, she's been trying to do anything to get back in our good graces. If you would've asked her for the keys, she would've handed them over," Logan said. Nathan shrugged. She could tell he was distracted, he was still looking around for Haley. "Still no Haley?" She asked.
"No... She said she would be here an hour ago," Nathan said as he frowned. Logan frowned too, mainly because she was sad for Nathan. He put a lot of effort into making this night special for Haley, something he never did for Peyton because he didn't care enough too.
"I'm sorry, Nate. I really am," Logan said and he nodded.
"It's not your fault," Nathan said and she nodded. She knew it wasn't her fault, but she still felt bad about it.
"Can I ask you something?" Logan asked.
"Yeah. Is everything okay?" He asked.
"Yeah... I hope. Um, I was just wondering if we were okay?" Logan asked. Nathan was confused on why Logan would ask that. They live together, go to school together, they see and talk to each other all the time. He didn't know why they wouldn't be good.
"Of course. Why?" He asked.
"I guess... ever since we found out about what happened, it seems like we've been distant from each other. It's not either one of our faults, and I know we live together, you're married, we kind of share Roman," Logan said as she laughed and Nathan laughed too. "I just don't know if the information we know subconsciously created distance between us," She said and Nathan sighed.
"Yeah... I've felt that a little bit too, and I hate it. I don't like feeling disconnected from you," Nathan said and Logan nodded in agreement.
"So, how do we fix it?" She asked. Nathan was about to answer, but then they heard Karen speaking in the microphone.
"Everybody, if you could gather around," Karen said.
"I'm starting to freak out a little bit," Nathan said. Logan looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"Why?" She asked.
"I may have rigged this a little to make sure that Haley and I won... It was part of the whole night, she was so excited to come and now she's not here," Nathan said and Logan frowned more.
"The votes are in for Tree Hill High's king and queen. As you know, over the last week, the student body was asked to cast vote for one king and one queen," Karen said.
"Nathan! I'm so sorry I'm late. I just...-" Logan decided to excuse herself from the two of them. She found Roman and Peyton in the crowd.
"Haley finally made it," She said to them as she took her place between them. She looped her arms through both Roman and Peyton's.
"This years Tree Hill High King and Queen are... Nathan and Haley Scott!" Karen announced and everyone smiled and clapped as they made their way to the stage. As they made their way up, an unfamiliar song started playing, but then she heard Haley's voice. Haley let her listen to a bit of the song she recorded with Chris, but not too much because she said it wasn't finished yet. Logan's eyes widened.
"Uh oh," She said.
"What?" Roman and Peyton asked.
"This is the song Haley recorded the weekend you guys went to Charlotte and we had the sleepover. Before the sleepover, she was in the studio with Chris... the part she didn't tell Nathan about," Logan said. Peyton's eyes widened.
"Wait, what?" Roman asked.
"Nathan is not going to be happy when Chris' part starts," Logan said. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the stage, waiting for the scene to happen before her. There was nothing that could be done. As Karen placed the crowns on their heads, Chris' part of the song started. Logan watched as the smile and happiness completely drained from Nathan's face, being left behind by a stoic, blank look.
"Oh, crap," Roman said as he noticed it too.
This wasn't the night Nathan had in mind at all.
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Logan wasn't in much of a partying mood. There was a point during the night at the Formal where Logan snuck some snacks into the bathroom, ate them all, and then purged them out. She listened closely to the door to ensure nobody came in, and she timed herself to ensure she wasn't gone for too long so people didn't come looking for her. She felt bloated and uncomfortable and just wanted to lie down. She and Roman were in her room at the beach house. They already changed out of their outfits from the Formal.
As Logan lay down on her bed next to Roman, she could hear the partying raging downstairs. She locked her door behind them, and she made sure Nathan's room was locked, so drunk students didn't attempt to hook up in either room.
"What are you thinking about?" Roman asked. Logan was lying on her back because her stomach was always sensitive after she purged. Roman was lying on his side with his arm draped over her torso and she was holding his hand.
"I feel bad for Nathan... I mean, you know he's never really been into going to the Formal. Then he goes all out to make tonight special for Haley because she was excited to go, and I don't know... I don't know if she blindsided him, but," Logan trailed off, not really sure how to finish her thought.
"I understand what you're trying to say. I feel bad too. When we went tux shopping earlier with Lucas, he was really excited about tonight, and now he probably wishes he never went," Roman said and Logan nodded.
"The song... especially the damn song," Logan said as she sighed.
"So... that night we left, you knew she was going to the studio with Chris when she told Nathan she was just going to hang out with you and Brooke?" Roman asked and she nodded.
"Yeah, but I didn't want to lie to Nathan... That's why when she asked for backup, I didn't say anything and Brooke did. I love Haley, I do... I just don't agree with all the decisions she's been making lately, but they are her decisions to make," Logan said.
"What else are you thinking about?" He asked.
"How do you know there's something else?" She asked.
"Because... I know you, and I know you have something you want to tell me, but you're not sure how to go about it," He said. Logan turned to face him with a scowl on her face.
"You're not supposed to know those looks yet," She said as she shook her head. "I don't wanna talk about it," She said as she leaned in and kissed him. She was glad that he didn't reject the kiss, instead, he gently pulled her on top of him as he deepened their kiss. Logan laid her hands at the bottom hem of his shirt, and she was about to lift it until Roman's hands stopped hers and he pulled away from their kiss with a smile on her face.
"Now that I have your attention, what's up?" He asked. Logan shook her head and leaned back in, trying to kiss her boyfriend again, but this time, Roman didn't receive her. He stopped her and shook his head, which made her sigh. She was still sitting on his lap, and he sat up so they could be face to face.
"Okay, I'm sorry," She said and Roman nodded.
"Is it about the HCM test results?" He asked and Logan nodded. "What were they?" He asked. Logan sighed as she stayed quiet and Roman started to think the worst. "Lo...-" She cut him off.
"...-I don't have HCM," She said. Roman let out a deep breath of relief before wrapping his arms around his girlfriend and hugging her close.
"It sounds like there's a 'but,' in that statement," He said.
"But... they did officially diagnose me with arrhythmia," Logan said.
"What does that mean?" He asked.
"Well, you know a few times when I've gone to the hospital, my heartbeat has been irregular and they've always been monitoring it... but now it has developed into arrhythmia, and my heart beats a bit too fast sometimes. He wrote a prescription, I already went and picked it up," She said.
"What are the risks?" He asked.
"Ro...-" He cut her off.
"...-What are they?" He asked and she sighed.
"If my heart starts to beat too fast, ventricular fibrillation could happen, which means the lower chambers of my heart would quiver and fibrillate instead of beat. That means my heart wouldn't be pumping blood to the rest of my body and I could go into cardiac arrest," She said. Roman sighed as he shook his head and ran his hand down his face.
Logan got off his lap and sat on her bed because she could tell Roman wanted to stand up. Which he did. "And...-" Logan cut him off.
"...-Baby, it's not going to happen. That's a rare risk. An irregular heartbeat is very treatable. I'm not going to forget to take my medicine and the doctor said I don't have to stop cheering or being active. I just have to take my medicine and everything will be fine," Logan said. She was now on her knees at the edge of her bed, holding Roman's hands as he stood in front of the bed.
"Have you told your Dad? Either of your Moms?" He asked.
"No," She said while shaking her head.
"So, who all knows?" He asked.
"The two of us, and my brothers," Logan said. Roman sighed as he looked at his girlfriend with a frown. Lucas and Nathan also weren't happy that she had a heart condition, but Logan was just grateful it wasn't a degenerative one.
"If I lose...-" Logan cut him off again.
"...-Stop. Come here," Logan said as she started to pull him closer. Roman let her bring him into her embrace. Logan laid her head down on his chest while Roman wrapped his arms around her and laid his head on top of hers. "Stop panicking, okay? I already have my medicine, and the side effects haven't been too bad... and remember what you said? No matter what happens, we'll get through it together," Logan said as she tilted her head up to look at him. Roman leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips as he nodded.
"Together."
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our girl does NOT have hcm, woooo!
don't forget to vote/comment.
xoxo.
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