Chapter 11: Spring Break

There was silence from Peyton's mystery creep for the next few weeks. Whatever he had planned was long forgotten by the teens as they looked forward to their spring break.

Peyton was doing really well in school and she was smiling and laughing more each day. As her smile was growing, her pain was subsiding inside. Each day brought something new for Peyton, and for every emotion she was feeling, the flamed haired girl wrote and played a new song. It was quite soothing to finally turn back to music to help her through everything. But, what also helped was the company.

Though all the boys constantly with her, it was Caleb who seemed to be there for her always. Coming home from school. her usual routine was to play the piano for a while before sitting down the rest of the boys to do homework. Caleb could always be found sitting in the corner of the library, book in hand, listening to the girl of his dreams make amazing music on the black grand piano.

Secretly, he wasn't actually reading. Caleb held the book for an excuse since he couldn't even concentrate on the literature. He was too mesmerized by the beauty that surrounded him. Listening to the keys play, Caleb was beginning to realize that everything Peyton couldn't say in her words was written in her music. One just needed to listen to hear what she was really thinking or wanting to say. Rarely did she sing like she did before, but the melody and sound spoke for her.

After she played for a while, the two would take their time wandering down the long portrait hall to the kitchen or living room to join the other boys to start their endless supply of homework. Normally, thanks to Reid, there was plenty of snack food sitting on the table provided by Bridget the maid or Beatrice herself. They messed around, joking and laughing at each other, hacking around and having fun.

It was a sunny April Thursday afternoon when the group was finishing off their stack of reading for the day at the island table when Spring Break fever broke out a day early.

"Dude. It's almost break baby! One more day and we're free!" Reid was elated at the prospect of no classes, no homework, and no more detentions, even if it was just for one week.

"I know. I'm so psyched.' Tyler was just as excited, mostly because it was a break from all the school work he spent all his time perfecting. 'What are our plans?"

Traditionally, all the boys spent every school break together. Because none of the families ever had to worry about money, the boys were taken on elaborate vacations all together. When they were finally old enough, the parents gave the kids money, the private airplane, and a promise that trouble would not be had and sent their baby boys on their own. This break was different though, only because Peyton was there and had suffered such a loss. Nobody had suggested a trip because of how fragile the situation was and because no one had looked that far ahead. But, with Peyton doing so much better and the need to be happy was becoming a priority for her, a break was a good idea and a vacation seemed to complete that idea.

"There is no plan right now. But if you kids want to make a plan, I'm sure your parents would be fine with it. I certainly am." Beatrice was easy to talk to about these things since she encouraged independence amongst the boys and now Peyton.

"Sweet. Thanks Ma." Beatrice walked by and kissed her son on his forehead as Tyler and Reid watched while making kissing noises behind his back. Any chance Reid had the opportunity to tease Pogue or any of the other brothers for that matter, he took it. This was no exception. They continued the mocking until Beatrice had shaken her head and walked out of the room with a smile on her face.

"I'm thinking Amsterdam, boys.' Reid swung his arms around both Tyler and Pogue, who sat on stools at the kitchen island. A wild scheming plan was engraved on his face. 'Think about boys. Beer. Weed. Hookers." Reid's face smiled wider at each word he said.

"Why's Reid talking about prostitutes?" Peyton had entered the kitchen with Caleb following closely on her heels. Pogue smirked at his cousin in her little uniform and walked over to her to pull Peyton into a big hug. With an arm around her shoulder he brought her to the table and had her take his vacated seat. Caleb had stayed in his place at the doorway, where he had folded his arms and leaned up against the frame.

"Amsterdam for spring break baby girl!" Reid was practically elated with joy for the idea.

"Spring break?' Peyton asked with curiosity. She had realized that it was coming up, but she hadn't noticed how soon it was approaching. It suddenly dawned on her that tomorrow was the last day of school before they had a week off of school. 'We're going somewhere for break?" Having grown up with no money and her mom and her spending every dime they had on music lessons or food, there had been no money for vacations. Hence why the two never visited Ipswich after they left.

"Hell yes baby girl!" Reid chimed and went over to grab Peyton around her waist and swing her around in little circles. When he finally put her down he grabbed her hands and they swung around in more circles. He finally put her down and Peyton looked bewildered and surprised by Reid's reaction. She looked to Tyler for an explanation.

"We usually go away for breaks.' He smiled at the confused girl. 'No parents, endless cash, any place we want...'

"Tons of hot babes and absolutely no parental supervision!" Reid interrupted him to add in his favorite aspect of this tradition.

"Sounds fun.' Peyton smiled getting up from her place and walking to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. Caleb moved at the same time she did, walking towards the other side of the kitchen island leaning on it towards the boys. Peyton took a spot next to him as Pogue stole his seat back. She took a long sip from the bottle and then twisted the cap back on. 'So what are you doing this year?"

"You? You mean us, baby girl." Reid smiled.

"Yea you too." Pogue smiled. He couldn't help but notice how close Caleb sat to his cousin. She seemed calm around him, less anxious and more herself. They stood close, and Pogue could see the small looks each gave the other when they thought they weren't being watched. The exchange of looks was cute, something crushes did when they thought the person they liked wasn't watching them.

"I don't want to impose.' She looked down at her water. 'I mean, it's bad enough that Aunt Beatrice and Uncle Wayne pay for everything I have and need. I don't want them to pay for everything..."

"Enough Peyton.' Pogue silenced baby girl with a hand up and a nod of his head. 'You're part of this family. You're more of a sister to me than a cousin. You're more of a sister to all of us.' He smiled at her without a glimmer of argument. There was no fighting with Pogue when he was in this mood. 'You're coming with us whether you like it or not. And you're going to have fun whether you like it or not."

"So where we going?" Peyton recognized defeat and sighed heavily as she gave in.

"Well I say Amsterdam..."

"No Reid, no on Amsterdam." Caleb finally spoke, making his word final.

"New York?' Reid suggested but a shake of heads said no. 'Miami?' Again a no. 'Mexico? Hawaii?Italy? France? Spain?" All answers were no's. Rules were they all had to agree on a place to go, so one saying no ended the idea.

"I don't have a passport, so leaving the country is out for me."

"Peyton. No passport?' Reid was awed. 'How do you live?" Her answer was a roll of her eyes. Laughs went around the table before Tyler's eyes went wide with a new idea.

"Hey!' He was clearly excited about this idea. His big blue eyes read excitement and fun. Tyler was proud of what he had thought of and obviously couldn't wait to share his idea. 'What about California? We can go see San Francisco, drive down the coast, hit up Los Angeles...we can even visit Peyton's old haunts and friends!"

"Sounds brilliant Tyler! What do you guys think? Peyton?" Reid was so gun hoe for this trip. Never having been to California, he had seen enough television programs to know that L.A. girls were smoking hot.

All the boys nodded in agreement, then they looked to Peyton. She was looking down at her water, both hands clasped around the bottle and her thin little body shook a little. Caleb moved a step closer and timidly put his hand on her back and then around her shoulder in a comforting little side hug. She finally got a hold of herself, and looked up at the four faces of the boys who loved her most with tear shining in her eyes and a wide smile on her face.

"I'd love that. I'd love that very much."

"Alright then! Let's book it baby!" Reid was so excited he ran off sprinting to the computer to book their vacation.

o0o

It was Saturday evening when the kids were flying in the Simms private jet to California. The trip was taking them to San Francisco for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. They would drive down Tuesday night to Disneyland where they'd spend Wednesday at the theme park before driving to Los Angeles for the remaining 3 days. They'd decided to stay in hotels in all places (5 star hotels of course).

They watched the sky go from light to dark as they flew across the country in the night. Reid and Tyler had taken over the couches that were against the sides of the plane while Pogue being such an engine fiend was up talking with the pilot, learning the mechanics of flying a plane. This left Caleb and Peyton alone.

The two sat in the love seats that faced away from the couches. Caleb sat next to the window, his hand resting on his face while his elbow rested on the arm rest and leaned his head on the window. Caleb's other arm was resting at his side, having put the armrest up giving more space between him and Peyton. He looked out at the lights below, admiring the sight as they flew.

Suddenly, a head was slowly being lowered onto his shoulder. When he looked over, Peyton's bright fire colored head was perched on his shoulder as she lay asleep. Her long ebony lashes stood out from her pale face and tiny brown freckles but matched the black hooded sweatshirt that she had stolen from him when they had boarded the plane. She was beautiful, lying there asleep on his shoulder.

Carefully and slowly, Caleb lifted his arm from his side and tenderly wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her in closer to his warm body. Peyton didn't wake but stirred as she moved her head to his chest, and moved her other arm to hug Caleb around his waist while the one neared the seat was curled at her side.

Caleb was radiating happiness at the feeling of the girl he loved curled up against his side. He felt like the protector, the knight in shining armor, there to protect this beautiful, warm, and vulnerable girl. Secretly, he was elated at the feeling of her body so close to his. She fit perfectly at his side, like a puzzle piece that had found it's niche to fit into.

Gently to not wake her, Caleb leaned down and put a tender and loving kiss on her smooth and soft forehead. A little smile appeared on his face as she continued sleeping. Caleb took in that smile and was overjoyed at the look on her face, happy that in that moment, maybe Peyton felt the same way he did.

o0o

Their trip to San Francisco was a dream. The kids stayed at the Saint Francis Hotel, right in the middle of Union square. It was one of the nicest hotels in the entire city, the nicest place Peyton had ever seen besides the Parry Manor (or the other boys' homes). She felt like a princess staying in the hotel and she loved the city. It was nice to be back in a place where people didn't stare at her wild colored hair. California had so many wild people that she fit in just fine.

Pogue, Peyton, Tyler, Reid, and Caleb played tourists in the city, visiting the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island and Prison, Pier 39, Chinatown, and Berkeley (mainly for Reid and his fascination with hippies and pot). At night, they gave in to Reid's need to party and hit up some clubs. There were few under 18 clubs, but they enjoyed their nights.

The drive down the coast to Disneyland was beautiful. Peyton had always loved the beach and enjoyed watching the waves rise and then crash on the shore as their car sped down the highway. Wayne had ordered the kids a large suburban to use, and unfortunately, Reid had reached the drivers seat before any of the others could. While there was a scare that came with Reid's driving, they also were able to reach their hotel in record time.

Disneyland was a dream to Peyton. In all her years of living in Los Angeles, Peyton had never been the 'Happiest Place on Earth" and was elated at all the rides and shows the park offered. They were able to meet every Disney princess and some of the other characters as well. Reid enjoyed meeting the princesses, though it was unsure if any of the princesses felt the same way.

The went on many rides and each boy took a turn riding with Peyton, though the majority of the time she rode with Pogue. Everytime she rode with Caleb, Peyton felt more scared of his closeness than of the speed of the ride. She had never been a fan of fast things and though they thrilled her, Caleb holding her hand as they rode on the coasters was more shocking than any drop the ride could throw at her.

Wednesday night, while lying in her bed Peyton was extraordinarily nervous. Tomorrow she would be reunited with the only friends she had ever had besides the boys. Norah and Kevin were her two best friends, the only other people in the world she trusted besides the boys and her aunt and uncle.

Kevin was the first friend she had ever made. He was tall, muscular, and had sandy brown hair. He was lean, cute, and had a beautiful smile to match his green eyes. He attracted a lot of giggling girls wherever he went but he never paid them any mind since his eyes were always on the hot surfer guys strutting along the beach. Kevin was the perfect best friend for Peyton to have. He was a good listener, always thinking of other people, protective, talented, funny, and had great fashion taste.

It had been Kevin who introduced Peyton to Norah, his oldest friend in the world. While Peyton and Kevin had spent a year getting to know each other, Norah came home after being away with her father (a military officer) abroad. She had immediately taken Peyton under her wing.

Norah was a beautiful half African half Cuban wild child. Her mocha colored skin was envied by Peyton who constantly compared it to her milky white flesh. She had wild brown hair that curled into a perfectly fashionable afro. Her coffee colored eyes were large and round, hardly able to contain her even larger personality within her short and curvy body. Norah was a fashion queen, always looking at the latest trends and wearing them before any one else knew they were popular.

The last time she had seen her friends was at her mother's funeral. They had stood beside her, holding her hands while the preacher had gone through the motions of the event.

They were more than friends, they were family. And why she was nervous, Peyton wouldn't know. She had told them all about the boys, but after months of being apart, Peyton was worried things would have changed. Seeing Norah and Kevin was something she needed and the need made her scared, a feeling she was becoming more and more familiar with the more she spent time with Caleb.

With her head spinning in different directions, caught up in different ideas and a mix of feelings, Peyton finally fell asleep in the hotel bed where she slept unmoved for the remainder of the night.

o0o

Readers please review! I'm thriving off your reviews and know that the story can only get better with your comments. I want to thank Alexsierra, Mirrorsinthestreet, Sixthson, and Cityoffire101 for their reviews. You don't know how appreciative I am to have read your thoughts on the story. Please review again! Chapter 12 should be up within a day or two, so keep ready and review this chapter to get another one up soon!

xoxox Ash

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