They sat in complete silence, Peyton staring off into the same nothingness as Brooke, whose head lay heavy in the blonde's lap. Slender fingers ran through auburn locks with ease, not even this movement breaking the silence. Brooke didn't move, even to shift her shoulders, and stared mindlessly at the shadowy wall through black and swollen eyes. She didn't even have to exert an effort to keep from crying; she had shut down days ago and was unable even to do something as simple as this. Peyton sighed, her fingers never becoming still in Brooke's hair, before she opened her mouth.
"I wish you'd tell me what happened, Brooke," she said quietly. She hadn't even moved her gaze from the wall. "Cause I know, even if you did fall down your stairs, they wouldn't do this kind of damage to your pretty face." Brooke grew even more still, her face flattening completely and all of the light faded from her eyes.
"I don't wanna talk about it," she said, her voice barely audible over its own huskiness. Peyton sighed again, her fingertips unmoving in Brooke's hair only for a moment. She looked down at the brunette, finally, not sure what to do or say.
"Brooke, sweetie, you gotta tell someone, whoever it is, what happened-"
"Why?" Brooke snapped, or half-snapped. If she weren't so emotionally numb her response might have had a more ferocious quality to it, but being in such a state as she was, she couldn't hardly even phase her friend.
"Because you're deserve good things to happen to you because you're a good person and a great friend…." There was a silence, both young women thinking seriously about how they were feeling.
"And what do I get out of it?" Brooke asked finally.
"Great friends… A great life, good karma." Peyton said the last two with a small smile, looking down at her damaged friend.
"I don't believe in karma," Brooke answered darkly, quietly. "I try and be a good person and bad stuff happens anyway."
"Like, what kinda bad stuff? Like fallin' down the stairs?" The corner of Brooke's mouth twitched, almost a smile.
"Something like that…" she said. Peyton's brow furrowed, trying to figure out what the hell was going on and trying to figure it out fast.
"You missing Angie?" she asked. There was another silence, a shorter one, before Brooke answered.
"I don't really wanna talk about it, Peyton."
"Okay…" Peyton whispered. She started stroking Brooke's hair again, gently, not sure how many, if any, bruises were sitting on the brunette's scalp. She swallowed hard. "Well, lemme ask you somethin'; if you don't believe in karma, what do you believe in?" Brooke's eyes remained trained on the shadowy wall in front of the two of them, not moving even a fraction.
"Justice," she said, and the dark tone returned to her quiet voice. Peyton's mouth popped open slightly, her emotions clear on her face. She looked down at Brooke again, her whole hand gentle on the back of the brunette's head, and she at once was at a loss for words. She bit her lip, hard, and swallowed thickly, collecting herself.
"You know you can tell me anything, Brooke…. I know you know that." Brooke was silent and still again, this time only for a few seconds, before nodding. She sighed.
"I know…." She turned onto her other side abruptly, without warning Peyton, and buried her bruised face into the blonde's stomach. The sudden movement was alarming to Peyton, but she recovered immediately, and replaced her fingers in her friend's hair, her other hand on Brooke's shoulder. Although she wasn't crying, Brooke's heart was on fire and she found it hard to breathe. She clenched her jaw, snuggling as close to Peyton as she could, before exhaling. "I was attacked….."