A/N: I honestly have NO clue where this came from. I've written so much in the future and present, that I decided the only place to go was the past. So this takes place when Peyton & Brooke are eight, when Peyton's mom dies.
Disclaimer: One Tree Hill belongs to Mark Schwann & the CW.
People Always Leave
Her small, round, pale face seemed to glow as she sat silently under the bridge, her tiny feet dangling. Only eight years old, but even her beautiful, flawless face could no longer mask the pain she felt. An ache in her heart, that was so persistent, she began to think it would stay there forever. She would never be free of this constant hurt she felt. And she hated it. All she wanted was to release all this weight that she had been carrying around on her chest.
Her usually bouncy, soft curls, hung around her face in a almost depressing manner. She had let herself go, forgotten about the way she looked, because it was the last thing on her mind. At just eight years old, she was attempting to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. And here she was collapsing underneath it. With no one there to watch, or even care. It seemed like they had all abandoned her.
Her father had become completely self consumed. He had every right to be that way, considering how he was grieving the loss of his wife. But it had gotten to the point where his own daughter had been set aside, ignored. She just wanted to be remembered, noticed. She too had lost one of the most important people in her life; her mother. But the moment Anna ran that red light, was the moment Larry Sawyer fell apart. And Peyton had almost been forced to fall apart along with him, because there was no one left to keep her together.
Her dress was wrinkled, and bunched up around her thighs. Plain and black, it was nothing special. She would never be able to wear it again, knowing how much pain it had caused her to wear it to the funeral that day in the first place. She pulled it down, attempting to smooth it out, but it just seemed to become even worse, the more she tried. So she abandoned her attempts and left it to bunch up. It was a mess, just like she was and always would be now.
Her eyes held so much sorrow. The green not quite so vibrant, or piercing as normal. There was far too much sadness in there for any eight year old girl. Peyton hung her head, in shame of how she felt. Her mother would not have wanted this for her. She had always been tought to live life to the fullest, and not let anything get to you. To move on, forgive and forget. But no matter how hard Peyton tried, she couldn't forgive her mother for running the red light, and she was never going to forget her mother. Not in a million years.
Her best friend came up behind her, taking a seat, wordlessly next to her. She didn't need to say anything. Just the fact that she was there was enough for Peyton. Listening to the brunette girl breathe, and watching her sit there was enough to keep Peyton sane. Brooke reached out, taking her hand gently. They sat there for what seemed like years, but it can't have been more than a few minutes. There was nothing but birds chirping softly until the blonde haired girl said quietly,
"Why did she have to leave?"
Brooke sat there a moment, looking for the right answer. But at the age of eight, there wasn't anything more she could say than,
"People always leave."
That, however, seemed to be enough for Peyton.
If you liked it, if you didn't... whatever. Just leave a review. They mean the world.