Larry rolled his eyes. "Peyton, we're not going to keep going over this. You're going and that's final," he said sternly, and Peyton knew he was becoming impatient with her constant arguements. With a sigh he lowered his voice. "Listen, Peyton, it's been a long timesince you've gone to see your grandmother and she treally wants to spend some time with you. She might now be here much longer and then you'll regret not seeing her more," he added in an admonishing tone.
Peyton's eye roll matched her fathers. She hopped off the counter where she had been perched, pulling out her cell phone. "I can see I'm getting nowhere. I'm going to go out for a little bit. I need a break from packing," she began typing out a text message as she started to walk out of the kitchen. Her dad called her name and she looked back at him, one eyebrow raised. He pointed to his cheek and she rolled her eyes again before walking back over to him and giving him a peck on the cheek. "Love you, Daddy," she called as she started for the front door once more.
She barely heard him call back, "Pull your skirt down," before she had slammed the front door behind herself. She looked down at her plaid mini-skirt. It was riding up a little, so she pulled it down about half an inch. It went with her black Beetles tank top and her leather jacket. She bent down to make sure her black Doc Martens were tied tight enough as she waited for Jake to text her back.
He did and she jumped into her black Comet to go meet up with her friends. They were all at the river a few miles away from town, where they usually hung out. Not only was Jake there, but so was her best friend, Brooke, Brooke's current boyfriend, and a few dozen other people, including Rachel. Peyton had been friends with Rachel once, but things had changed. They had grown apart and she and Brooke and grown closer and now Rachel and Peyton weren't exactly enemies, but they didn't talk anymore. They generally just avoided each other.
Peyton walked over to Jake and dropped herself right in his lap, dropping a few kisses on his neck once she was settled. "I'm gonna miss you so much," she whispered into his ear before giving it a light nip. Jake's arms tightened around her waist. She gave him a few more teasing kisses, on his neck, ears, nose, and cheeks, everywhere except his mouth. Finally Jake reached up and moved her head so he could meet her lips with his.
Peyton had wrapped her arms around his neck and was sighing contentedly as his lips trailed from her mouth, down her jaw and finally landing on her neck. She had just twisted around so he could reach her neck better when Brooke came up behind them. "P. Sawyer, when did you get here?" she asked, her voice loud so she could be heard over the music. By the way Brooke was slurring her words Peyton could tell she had already had too much to drink. She wondered where Brooke's boyfriend was and briefly considered ignoring Brooke because of Jake's lips and teeth on her neck.
Then she remembered all the times Brooke had been there for her and she reluctantly pulled away. "Sorry," she muttered to Jake as she got off her lap. It was right in time, too, because just as she turned to face Brooke, Brooke tripped and fell into Peyton's arms. Peyton nearly gagged at the smeel of alcohol on her friend's breath. "God, Brooke, how much did you drink? And where's Chase, shouldn't he be the one taking car of you?" she asked, her eyes sweeping the area. She suddenly realized that Chase wasn't around.
Brooke pulled back a little, and stumbled as she tried to catch her balance. Peyton held tight to her arm to keep her on her feet. "Me and Chase are done," she said quietly, slurring just a bit less. Then she remembered the drink in her hand and tried to bring it up to her lips. It had made it almost all the way before Peyton snatched it out of her hands. "Hey, gimme that," she whinned, reaching for the cup.
Peyton sniffed the cup. "Brooke, you're drinking straight Vodka. No wonder you're so shit-faced. We need to get you home," she said, tossing out the alcohol. She looked to Jake. "I'm sorry babe, I'll hang out with you tomorrow, I promise. I need to get her somewhere to sober up," she said in an apoloetic tone, trying to speak not only over the music, but over Brooke's whining too. She didn't want to leave him, but her friend needed her.
Jake stood up, draining his beer. "No, it's okay, really. We can take her to my place, my folks are gone this weekend. She can sober up there and we can still spend some time together," he suggested. He didn't wait for her response, he just grabbed Brooke's arm and started leading her to Peyton's Comet. "You should drive, I've been drinking too. We can pick up my car tomorrow or something," he added as they made their way to the car, Peyton and Jake holding Brooke up.
Peyton drove to Jake's house. A part of her knew what he wanted to do. She wanted it to, God did she want it, but something kept stopping her lately. She knew what was wrong, she just wished it would stop her mind and just let go again. She was glad he was so understanding. Many boyfriends would have left her by now, or started cheating, but she knew he was faithful.
She pulled out her cell phone once they reached the house. "Hey Dad, I'm staying at Brooke's house. Just wanted to let you know. See you later, love you," the answering machine had picked up and she left a message, thankful she didn't haev to lie directly to her dad. Jake had already got Brooke, who had passed out, into the house. So she locked up the car and followed the two. She found Jake in the living room, covering Brooke, who he had laid on the couch, with a blanket.
Jake glanced up at her. Peyton offered him a small smile before going into the kitchen. She poured a glass of water and grabbed a bottle of aspirin. She left the water and aspirin on the coffee table next to Brooke and then took Jake's hand, leading him to his bedroom. Sheleft the hall light on so Brooke would be able to find her way to the bathroom whenever she got up to puke.
When they made it to the bedroom Peyton looked at him. He didn't say anything, just went to his dresser. He pulled out a big tee-shirt and a pair of boxers for her to sleep in and a pair of pajama pants for him to sleep in. As he began taking of his shirt, Peyton bit her lip. She looked down at the clothing. Ever since it had happened she hadn't liked changing in front of anybody, not even Brooke, really. She slipped out of the bedroom and into the bathroom to change.
When she re-entered the room, he was already in his bed. She pulled back the covers on the right side and climbed in next to him. She scooted close to him, resting her head on his chest. He took one his her hands tenderly in his, using his free hand to carefully play with her hair. She loved how gentle he was. She lifted her head to give him a chaste kiss.
Jake quickly deepened the kiss, and Peyton got lost in it. He moved so he was partially on top of her, his hands reaching up under the shirt. It happed quickly. One second Peyton was kissing him back, her fingers playing in her hair, the next second she felt like he was crushing her as the memories washed over her. She quickly pushed him off with a cry of, "No!"
Her breathing had quickened and she fought to calm it down, to force the memories away. As she was taking her dep breaths she realized she had pushed Jake onto the floor. He stood up and sat down on the bed next to her. Once she had her grip on reality back she apologized. He tried to act as if it was no big deal and she loved him for it. "No, Jake, I really am sorry. I mean, not many guys would put up with this, with me," she said, snaking her fingers through his and giving them a squeeze.
Jake sighed, pulling his hand back and running his fingers through his hair. "I just wish you'd get over it already. I mean, it's been over a month, Peyton, and you're still freaking out. I can't even touch my own girlfriend because she freaks out on me every time I try," he said, his frustration leaking into his voice.
Peyton stood up, building up her walls. "I didn't know I was such a burden to you. If you feel that way I'll leave," she was hurt. She had thought he was different. She gathered her clothes and ran out of the room before the tears could fall, not even waiting for him to say anything else. She threw her clothes into the passenger seat and started her car, pealing out of the driveway as the tears blurred her vision. She couldn't even see if he had followed her or not.
She drove for a while, but she didn't want to go home. She went back to the river. She didn't see anyone, so she got out and sat on the river's edge, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them so she could stare out at the water. A few minutes later she felt a presence sitting next to her. She looked over and was surprised to see Rachel. She expected a biting remark, and was surprised when she saw the look on Rachel's face.
Rachel had seen Peyton pull up, the tears in her eyes. Normally she would find some insult to throw at her, but she had seen the broken look in Peyton's eyes and she was reminded of the friendship they had once shared. She wasn't sure what compelled her to go and sit next to Peyton, but she knew that what Peyton needed right now was a friend, and they had been that, once. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Peyton wasn't sure what was going on-Was Rachel trying to mess with her mind?-but somehow she sensed Rachel was sincere. She also really needed someone to talk to, and Brooke was indisposed at the moment. She briefly explained the situation. "It's just,I thought he was different, you know," she finished, her voice breaking.
Rachel opened her arms and let Peyton lean into her for a much needed embrace. "Listen, Peyton, you may not want to hear this, but you might be overreacting just a little bit. I mean, he is a guy, all guys would get a little frustrated in this situation. You're actually kind of lucky he is upset," Peyton looked up at Rachel, her eyebrows raised. "Yes, well, if he weren't at least a little upset that would mean he was getting it from someone else," she reasoned.
Peyton thought about that for a minute. She was surprised to find that Rachel was actually making sense. She smiled. "Thanks, Rach, I think you may be right. I guess I need to go talk to him then," she said as she stood. She was about to leave when she heard Rachel speak up again, but she didn't quite hear the words. "What was that?" she asked, turning to face Rachel again.
Rachel turned to look up at Peyton as she repeated the question. "What happened to us, Peyton? We used to be such good friends, then Brooke came along and all of a sudden we hate each other. What happened?" she asked.
Peyton's eyes softened. She shrugged. "I really don't have an answer for that. I'm sorry. I don't know what happened, it just did," she was about to leave, when she turned to face Rachel again. "Just so you know, I never hated you. I didn't understand why you all of a sudden hated me, but I never, ever hated you," she said softly before turning and leaving.
Rachel stared after her. "I never hated you either," she whispered, thinking Peyton couldn't hear her. Peyton did hear, but pretended she didn't as she got into her Comet. She drive right back to Jake's house. She walked right in without bothering to knock. She heard noises coming from the living room. She slowly walked in,a feeling of dread in her stomach. Somehow she knew what was coming, but she had to see it to believe it. She didn't want to believe it. Part of her wanted to turn and run in the other direction.
She bracedherself as she walked into the living room. Her insides disappeared as she readlized what she was seeing. Her boyfriend, with her best friend. "I thought you were different," she muttered before turning and running, back out of the house and into her car. They had both heard her, though, and she saw Jake in her rear view mirror as she left.
This time Peyton did go home. Jake hadn't been able to follow her because his car was at the river, along with Brooke's. Peyton quietly sneaked into the house and into her room, collapsing onto her bed, silent sobs wracking her body. She realized she was still wearing his clothes and she smelled like him. She pulled the blankets up over her, buried her face into the pillow and kept sobbing, until she was finally able to drift into a deep sleep.
A/N: So, here's an idea that just came to me. I will soon be writing the sequel for Can't Stop Destiny, but I want to do some other stuff first. Tell me what you think.
Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill.