to all fantabulous chapter six reviewers: thank you thank you thank you. without the reviews, i would keep this story to myself, so thanks for taking the time to read and review. it means a lot to me.
Chapter Seven: A Sunday
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Peyton got home around five the next morning. She and Brooke had gone to the apartment of the two guys they had been dancing with. She left Brooke making out on the couch with her guy and had gone into John's bedroom with him. She had somehow thought that sleeping with him was a good idea at the time. When she heard John snoring next to her two hours later, she had decided it was a really bad idea. Especially when she hadn't been able to find Brooke anywhere.
She had gotten dressed and slipped out of the apartment unnoticed. When she had gotten out of the building, she was grateful she had made sure to drive her car over there instead of riding in the guys' car. She wanted to make sure she and Brooke had an easy escape if they needed it.
She sat down at her desk, still in disbelief at what she had just done. She looked at her computer. Her web cam was running. She quickly threw a t-shirt over it to give herself some privacy. She sat back in her chair and became consumed with her thoughts. Thoughts of parties, and drinking, of Brooke, of John, of mistakes, of cocaine, of school, and of Haley.
She sat thinking until the sun started coming up. Her thoughts were overwhelming. She hated mornings; they always brought out the worst of her thoughts. She wanted them to stop. She didn't need reminding about how much of a failure she was. She knew it already. It had to stop. She had to make it stop. She could feel her breathing passage constrict and she inhaled sharply. She opened one of the drawers of her desk.
She did a few lines that morning, using up the remainder of the cocaine Rick had given her a few weeks ago. She had remembered the relief it had brought her from her thoughts the last time she had done it, how it had helped her forget about the crap that had been going on. How it was the cause of all of the crap that had been going on. She wondered how long she could go without it now that it was all gone.
Brooke came in a half an hour later and began asking questions about the previous night. Peyton forced herself to listen, even though one thing occupied her thoughts. She could feel herself already coming down.
"Did you sleep with him?" She heard Brooke ask.
"Um. Yeah." She answered as she tapped a pen on the arm of her chair. Brooke squealed her name.
"Why, Peyt?"
"Oh, please Brooke. You're not really one to give lectures about this." She noticed that Brooke seemed to be offended by her statement. "You're not." She repeated.
"Still. You're not one to go whoring around with guys you've just met." Peyton nodded.
"This is true."
"What's going on? You're acting strange." Peyton looked over at Brooke, who was a little fuzzy. She blinked her back into focus. "Seriously, Peyton, what's going on?"
"Nothing. I just decided to have a little fun. God, what's up with the third degree, Brookie?" She said and stood up. She walked over to her bathroom and looked in the mirror. She hated what she saw. She splashed some water on her face and looked back up at the mirror. She resisted the urge to throw a fist at her reflection. She walked away and went back into her bedroom. Where she saw two people where one had just been. "What are you doing here?" She asked him.
"I came to see you, baby." Rick said.
"Baby?" Brooke said as she got up off of the bed. "Peyton, who is this..." She resisted the urge to say jerk. "...guy?" He looked over at her then back at Peyton.
"Brooke, this is Rick." Neither of them looked at the other. "Brooke, weren't you just leaving?"
"No-"
"Yeah... yeah, I think you were." Peyton said as she grabbed Brooke by the arm and escorted her out of her bedroom door. "We'll talk later.
"But, Peyton-"
"Bye." She said and gave Brooke a little push towards the stairs. When Brooke got halfway down the stairs, she turned and looked back up at Peyton. Peyton waved goodbye and forced a smile. Brooke looked at her for a second before continuing down the stairs. Peyton watched as Brooke left out the front door. She went back into her room where Rick was now sitting on the bed.
"She gone?" Peyton nodded. "So you need any more?" She nodded again. "You under now?"
"A little."
"That's what I thought. She know?" He asked, referring to Brooke.
"No. And she's not going to." Peyton stuck out her hand, wanting what she thought he had brought her. He waved his finger at her.
"Not so quick, Peyton."
"What?" She asked impatiently, irritated that he came here without warning and then wouldn't deliver.
"You gotta give me something."
"Rick, I'm outta money right now. I can pay you in a few days." He shook his head no.
"That's not good enough, Peyton." She raised an eyebrow.
"I gotta have it today. I don't think I can get through the night tonight without it."
He looked as though he were thinking for a minute before saying, "I think there is something you can do for me that would count as payment."
