A/N Quote of the moment:

Sometimes it's easy to feel like you're the only one in the world who's struggling, who's frustrated, unsatisfied or barely getting by. But that feeling's a lie, and if you just hold on, just find the courage to face it all for another day, someone, or something will find you and make it all OK. Because we all need a little help sometimes, someone to help us hear the music in the world, to remind us that it won't always be this way. That someone is out there, and that someone will find you. – Lucas Scott – One Tree Hill

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 9

Peyton woke up the next morning and stretched lazily.

She looked over at Rosie briefly who was asleep face down on her bed.

She rolled over wondering what she was going to do today. She had a few assignments to do before class started.

She showered and got dressed just as Rosie woke up.

'Hey Peyton! Any big plans for the day?' She asked, unusually good-humored for someone who had just woken up.

'I've got an art assignment to do before Monday, plus other stuff too, I figured I'd just get them over with.'

'Oh come on Peyton. Nobody ever does those until Sunday evening. Come out with me, have some fun!'

'I'd feel better if I just got these done.' Peyton shrugged, reaching for her suitcase.

'Fine. Suit yourself. But on a beautiful day like this, I'm going to the beach.'

'Good for you, now go, get ready or I'll never get anything done!'


First and most important thing: keep your distance. You don't want to scare her, or freak her out more than you already have.

'Hey Luke, you comin'?' His roommate shouted over to him.

'Uhh… Where are you going?'

'To the beach! Now come on! Do you want be to grab you a surfboard.'

Lucas laughed. He had never surfed before in his life. Plus, Peyton might be there.

'Nah, I think I'll pass on the beach, but thanks, maybe another time. I have loads of assignments to do, I figured I'd get them over with.'

'I hear you man, I'm doing some Pre-semester tutoring this afternoon too. We won't be long.'

'Nah, I think I'll pass, Tutor Boy.' He joked.

'Laugh all ya want but we'll see who's smiling when I'm the one with all the cash.'

'Whatever man.'

'Right. See you, Luke.'

'See you Shayne.'


As soon as Rosie left the room she felt guilty. Not for leaving Peyton in the room, but for going to the beach instead of doing her assignments.

Her assignments. She immediately tried to put them to the back of her head.

The day before Peyton arrived she had tried to do her assignments, but to no avail. She was completely confused.

Deciding it was time to deal with that problem, Rosie changed her mind about going to the beach. She would find a tutor instead.


'Hi. My name if Rosie Corbett, I'm looking for an Applied Mathematics Tutor?'

'Of course, and when would you like to start?'

'Uh, as soon as possible.'

'Well, we have a Tutor coming in today at 10.30, you could wait in the waiting room for him to arrive. He's usually early, so he should be here in about twenty minutes.'

'OK'

Rosie walked across the room and sat down on the soft couch.


Peyton flipped uninterestedly through her sketch pad trying to find a picture that best described her mood.

She didn't particularly want to start a new one, but decided she didn't have any choice.

She grabbed her pen and a sheet of paper and stared down at it. She began to scratch lines on the paper, without an idea of what she was drawing, but that's always the way it was. She didn't know what she was drawing until she finished it.

Suddenly, awful music began to blare from the room next door.

She picked up her iPod and blasted it in her ears to drown out the voice of Britney Spears.

The music seemed louder than ever as she tried to concentrate on the page in front of her.

She pulled off her shoe and threw it at the wall across from her.

'COULD YOU KEEP IT DOWN?' She shouted.

The music only got louder.

Peyton grabbed her art stuff and iPod and left the room.


Lucas turned the page of The Grapes Of Wrath slowly.

He did not like this book, and found it uninteresting. He looked down at his booklist. 'Any book by John Steinbeck'.

He picked up his book and put it back in his bag. There was no point in reading a bad novel when he could find another one.

He headed out for the library.


Peyton looked down at her sketch and examined it.

It was a picture of her standing tall and smiling, beside it, her smaller and scared, and beside it, little and crying.

Underneath, it was captioned; Growing Up.

Her iPod was still loud in her ears, so she didn't hear the person coming towards her and sitting down.


Shayne walked into the tutoring center and spotted the small dark-haired girl waiting in the waiting room.

'Uh, hey. Are you here for me?' He asked her.

'That depends, are you the Applied Maths tutor?' She said, looking up at him from her magazine.

'Yeah, that's me.'

'Well then I'm here for you!' She smiled and stuck out her hand. 'I'm Rosie.' She finished.

'I'm –'

'Shayne, right? You were in the student information center. You were trying to hit on Peyton.'

'Uh, yeah. About that –'

'It's not a problem. Just don't do it again. She's kinda… anyway, where do we go?'

'Just right over here.' He motioned to the table in the adjoining room.

They both walked over to it and sat down.

'Great. Not teach me how to do Applied Maths!'


'So you've got that?' Shayne said, closing his book.

'Yeah, totally.'

'Great. I'll see you next Monday. This time-slot won't work, I could only take you today because my other student called in sick.'

'Perfect.' Rosie smiled and stood up. 'You know, it's kinda weird. You seem so different to the last time I saw you.'

'Yeah, well, I guess I can come on a little strong sometimes.' He laughed.

'And what I said earlier, about Peyton, she's dealing with some stuff right now, I don't think she's ready for a guy or anything.'

'Don't worry. I know.'

'You know?'

'Yeah, I guess I've been hanging out with her sometimes. Just trying to be a friend.'

'Yeah, me too.'

'Well, I had better go anyway, don't want to leave Peyton by herself for too long.'

'OK, I'll see you 'round.' He called after her.

'Yeah, you too.'


A/N This story is really annoying me at the moment because I have plans for it, but it's too soon to put them into effect, so I'm stuck about what to put in between. But it will get more interesting. I promise.