Broken Hearts and Broken Noses
Chapter 1(Sawyer)
I brushed my blond, curly hair out of my face with a curse. This drawing was turning out really good if my hair would just cooperate. Drawing was the only thing that really helped these days anyways. It got my demons out of my head and onto paper, if only for a few fleeting moments.
"Hey Peyton." Luke's voice pulled me away from my artwork. He sat down in the chair opposite me at the table. I wanted to yell at him, even though it wasn't really his fault. Also, we were in the school library and yelling doesn't go over well.
"Hey Luke."
"Peyton are you going to ever talk to me? Like ever? I said I was sorry about Nicki." He kept his voice soft but I could hear the emotion in it.
I tried to keep my voice soft and it ended up coming out in an angry hiss, "It's not what you say Luke. It's what you do. First we start this whole thing behind Brooke's back, crushing her might I add, and when I finally pull my head out of my ass and tell you it's not right, you go and sleep with some random bitch."
"Peyton, I'm sorry about Brooke, really I am. She's still not talking to you, huh?"
I sighed and closed my sketchbook. Brooke Penelope Davis. My best friend…well my used to be best friend. What was I going to do without her? I think that's what upset me most about Luke's bad behavior. It's not like we had actually been dating or whatever we were doing when he slept with Nikki. It was the fact that he'd fed me all this stuff about how he "felt it in his heart" and that we were meant to be and I'd fallen for it. Hook, line, and sinker. I was such a dumbass. I'd hurt Brooke, the one person who'd been with me there through it all. My mom dying, Nathan being an ass, my constant depression. What had I done to repay her, stabbed her in the back and smiled in her face. Not only that I'd betrayed her…oh no that wasn't enough for a screw up like me. I'd betrayed her for some guy who ran out two seconds later and slept with Nikki, a girl I absolutely detested.
I hopped up out of my chair, suddenly revolted by Lucas' very presence. I blamed him but mostly I blamed myself. I shoved the chair back under the table.
"Luke, whenever you can pull your head out of your ass and stop hurting the people you 'love' then maybe we can talk."
I stalked away, almost feeling his hurt resonating behind me. Sure, I knew that I was being unfair. It takes two to cheat and I'd been kissing him right back. I didn't care, he was partly the reason that I'd hurt my best friend. He should accept at least some of the blame. God knows I was piling enough on myself. I rushed through the hallways of Tree Hill High, wanting to leave Luke behind. He might've got up to follow me, that's something that Lucas would do. Take it on himself to fix me, to fix everyone really. He was one of those people that tried to solve everyone else's problems. I wanted to leave him behind and everything he was reminding me of. Even though, really if I'm being honest with myself (which I almost never am) I gotta say I never really could forget. Rushing around as fast as my legs would carry me; I turned a corner and bumped right into someone. My books and their books scattered together on the floor. I mumbled, "sorry", and bent down to help them pick up. That's when I looked into her eyes and that's when I realized…it was Brooke.
I tried to smile and said,"Um…hi?"(The lamest thing in the world that I could've said) She glared at me. Her brown eyes that usually were warm with love and laughter were cold as they looked into mine. She finished collecting her books and stood back up. I stood up too. I scuffed one of my Converse tennis shoes on the polished, tiled floor.
"So…Brooke…"
She cut me off briskly, "Peyton, watch where you're going next time. And when I turn around to walk away, it'd be great if you wouldn't stick another knife in my back." With that she brushed by me and continued down the hall.
I remembered the last time I'd seen her that up close. It was at that party where she'd brought Nikki and her and I had gotten into a fight. That night when Nikki slapped me, Brooke had defended me. She'd asked me if I was ok. She looked concerned but at the end of the night she'd walked out Haley's door and hadn't looked back. I laid in bed that night, hoping and praying against hope that she'd come into my room and lay down next to me and talk, like we used too. I wished she say that she was mad but she could forgive me. I wished I deserved her forgiveness.
I heard her heels click hollowly as she walked away from me now. Again, she was walking away. I stood there wanting to cry. Well…next period wasn't going to happen. I needed out, right now. I turned and shoved through the first double doors I saw. The sunlight blinded me but I welcomed its warmth. I was too cold.
