A/N: I wrote every word of this in the last twelve hours. Which is unusual cause I always spend days mulling over a chapter. But oh well.
To the awesome people that reviewed last chapter- ya'll are friggin cool! and completely the reason I'm posting this so soon after the last chapter. thanks for reviewing!
Chapter Three: Clarity
•••
"Today's going to be different," she whispers to herself as she stares at the school. People litter the benches and the lawn. School isn't due to start for fifteen more minutes. A rumble of thunder comes from overhead.
She pushes the door to the school open, not sure of what to expect. How could today really be any different? School is school. She walks past a group of jocks. A whistle comes out of the bunch.
"Brooke, baby, when're we gonna go out?"
She stops. Nobody calls her baby without permission.
"I don't know. How about after you hit puberty?"
She hears his friends roar with laughter as she starts to walk away. She heads towards her locker when she sees them leaning against it, hands wandering, lips locked. She internally wishes they would get a room. The ring of the bell echoes through the hallway.
A body pushing past her demands her attention. She gives her best death stare to the freshman that ran into her. The fear in his eyes brings a smirk to her face. Kids.
She turns back to find the happy couple gone.
"Thank God."
•••
"Five minutes until this is all over," she thinks.
Nathan's hand has been on Peyton's thigh for the past forty minutes. Class is over in five. She wishes it were five seconds instead of minutes. She's been staring at them for the whole class period, somehow not able to look away for long. He doesn't deserve her. She's too good for him.
A piece of paper flies onto her desk.
She looks to her right. She thinks it came from the right. The same guy that made the comments from before class was sitting next to her. He smiles and winks at her.
She opens the paper and reads. He still wants to go out with her. Surprise, surprise. A noise from the front of the room steals her attention.
He's whispering in her ear, causing her to laugh.
She's adorable when she laughs.
She looks back down to the note and scribbles down a response. She throws it on to his desk. His expression reveals that he's surprised by the answer. Eagerly, he nods at her.
She's not surprised that he agreed. Who would turn down Brooke Davis when she tells them to meet her at her locker after school?
She's able to cast one last look at the couple before the bell rings. Finally.
•••
She pushes the door of her art class open and goes out into the hallway. School's finally over. The hall seems a little louder and a little more crowded than it ought to. After all, it's only Thursday. They'd all be right back here tomorrow. Cursing the thought, she joins the stream of students and goes to her locker.
She stops dead in her tracks.
Brooke's making out with some jock against their lockers, their bodies pressed against one another. Peyton watches as his hands slowly wander down and grab Brooke's ass. Brooke doesn't seem to notice. Instead, she continues shoving her tongue down his throat.
A sharp pain in her chest makes her waver. Her pulse quickens, her breathing catches. Suddenly, it feels extremely hot in there.
She needs out.
Her feet carry her outside faster than she ever guessed they could've. She stops halfway out to the parking lot. The wind brings with it a cool air. She waits for it to calm her down.
The sky is grey. It has been all day, yet it hasn't rained. She's sure rain would be appropriate right now. Instead, the wind slows down its assault.
She glances to a passing couple. Unfortunately, they aren't just any passing couple. She feels herself grow nauseous. She has to get out of here, leave.
Home. She'll go home.
•••
She freezes when she sees a car abandoned in her own driveway. It's his. She sighs, not wanting to deal with him right now. He's not who she wants anyway. She parks and builds her walls up around her again, as if she was preparing for a fight.
He's standing in her room, looking out of her window.
"What are you doing here?"
Smiling, he walks up to her. He tries to kiss her but she walks past him, not wanting him to touch her, not wanting to feel his touch. It's never felt right. She takes his place at the window, keeping her back to him.
"What is it now?"
She can hear the irritation in his voice. She's gotten used to that tone. She knows it well. She hears him say her name. A bird lands on a branch of the tree in front of her window. It ruffles its feathers then cocks its head from side to side. She hears him say her name again, this time even more irritated. She didn't think that was possible.
"It's over, Nathan."
She hears a groan.
"For how long this time?"
"Forever."
"Is this still about last weekend? I said I was sorry, Peyton. It was just a kiss! A drunken kiss!"
She doesn't answer. The kiss never mattered to her. So Nathan had kissed a girl at a party. What else was new?
There's silence for a long time. She's sure he's left. He's never been one to wait patiently for anything. She feels a hand brush over her shoulder. She quickly pulls away and turns towards him. She can't read him, can't see what he's thinking. He stares at her, trying to get inside her thoughts. Her gaze is colder than normal.
"I'll be back tomorrow. See if you've stopped PMSing by then."
He pulls back from her, taking a few steps with his eyes locked on hers. She watches him take the last steps to her door.
"It's over, Nathan."
He freezes in her doorframe.
"I mean it."
He disappears. She returns to staring out her window. His car pulls out of her driveway and speeds down her street. She's not certain if she got through to him. She wouldn't be surprised if he shows up tomorrow as promised.
It won't matter if he does. Nothing will change.