She sat with her legs tucked securely underneath her and her sketch pad balanced on her lap. Her blonde curls blew with the wind as the cold nipped her bare legs. The moonlight shined down on her and the stars highlighted the blank white page in front of her. Her hazel eyes set focus on the ground below her as rested on top of her rood. She could see the people walking by and she could hear them talking and laughing. None of them noticed her sitting up there watching her or they just didn't care to give her a second glance. She didn't mind though, she had grown used to it. She always got second place. She was second place to her dad's job and she was second place to Brooke Davis. She always got her best friends leftovers and they were never really interested in her anyway so what did it matter.

She turned her head to look out over the rest of the town. There was a fair up for the week and it was the thing to do on this Friday night. She watched all the people who for one night were oblivious to all the pain and torment carried by life. She couldn't escape that torment though, it always found her. Happiness was not a concept she could grasp. If she ever did receive a sense of bliss it was at someone else behalf. She tried her best to avoid causing that kind of pain, so she was always second place to herself.

"You know normal people just go to the fair…they don't sit here watching it" She looked up at the owner of the smooth masculine voice.

"Yeah well since when am I normal" she retorted, a smile forced to play on her lips.

"You've got a point there" he sat next to her and leaned back against her elbows. He turned his head to look at her and for a brief moment he caught her soul flash through her eyes.

"So what are you doing here anyway" She turned back to look at the crowds of people as soon as the gaze become uncomfortable.

"I don't know…I saw you sitting up here and I figured you could use some company. I didn't bother trying to get your attention… I just came up." He shrugged her shoulders calmly before setting his sights straight ahead, his eyes following the patterns on the house across the street.

"Stalker" she joked with him and for a moment things weren't strange between them, they were just two teenager. The moment lingered and the silence became comforting to both of them. They each had their own problems, from their family to their social lives. On the outside they were perfect and very few knew what their lives were truly like.

"I could definitely fall asleep out here" He laid back completely against the smooth shingles of the roof as his eyes closed.

"It's relaxing, that's why I come out here" She followed his lead and fell back against the roof, placing her sketch pad to the side. "I use this place to get away from everything…but I guess you just ruined that" She turned to look at him and he opened one eye as he gazed in her direction. He sighed and looked up at the sky, bright with starts.

"So how has life been treating you" he didn't change his position, he just waited for her to answer.

"Life is cruel, and I think that should describe things enough for one night." Her voice stayed mumbled as her eyes grew heavy.

"Well I guess we've got one more thing in common then" That was his answer to the unasked question and she somehow expected it.

"It's a sad thing to have in common." She whispered into the air around her. She felt him move but she didn't bother to open her eyes until his body shifted over to her. His fingers wiped the tears that had escaped her eyes.

"So you got a real curve ball this week I guess" He watched her open her eyes slowly. She briefly made eye contact with him before she turned her head away. He shifted behind her and pulled her between his legs. Her head fell comfortably against his shoulder and the tears began to fall. He knew how to help her; he was the only one that knew how to make the pain go away. He always knew when to be there and how to make her forget for a while. It always came back though and she had to fight through it on her own but right about now, when it started to become too much for her to handle and when she didn't know where to turn, he would show up. He would magically be there and he provided her with a shoulder to cry on. But come tomorrow things would go back to what they had grown to accept as normal and the night would vanish.

Peyton listened to the incessant ringing of the phone as it beat in her ears. She could barley hear it, she had finally learned to ignore it now. She stared at her ceiling, her eyes darting back and forth between the miniscule cracks she had found. Her doors were locked for once and her house was silent with the exception of the phone by her bed side. She knew she could plug it out, but she couldn't find the energy to move. Everything she had went into clutching a small sheet a paper tightly between her fingers. She had read it over and over again, night after night. She had every word burned into her memory; she vowed to never forget them.

Hey …you fell asleep outside last night. You looked so calm so I didn't want to wake you. I brought you inside and got you changed, hope you don't mind. Don't worry I didn't do anything wrong, just making sure you were comfortable. I'm glad you let me in last night because I don't want you to ever feel like you're alone. I'm always here for you Pey and I know things have been kind of rocky between us, but I just want you to know that. Please don't keep things bottled up inside and don't ever feel like you not good enough because you so much better then you think. You deserve everything you have Peyton and so much more. You've overcome more then anyone I know and your stronger then anyone I know. I'm here, so don't let yourself fall apart. I'll swing by and pick you up sometime in the morning and we can do something. We'll go out to breakfast or whatever you want because I'm not letting you stay cooped up in the house all day, fresh air will do you good and sunlight won't hurt either. So I'll see you in the morning Pey. –Love Nate

He never did make it to her house in the morning. She woke up and found the note lying on her desk. She read it and a small smile crept onto her face, knowing that she had someone to make sure she was alright. She shook her head, her blonde curls bouncing at her shoulders. She looked over at her cell phone which began vibrating against the wooden desk. She held it lazily to her ear as she stood from her bed.

"Hello…" She cleared her throat after hearing her hoarse voice.

"Peyton…" Brooke had been crying, Peyton could hear it in her voice. In fact, Peyton knew that the girl on the other line was still crying and she could picture the tears sliding down her face.

"Brooke what's wrong" Her stomach flipped inside of her knowing that it took a lot to make her best friend cry.

"It's Nathan…." The blonde listened as words flew through her head. None of them made any sense to her. She heard the brunette whisper that he had been driving, she mentioned speeding, she mentioned another car and a stop light, and the last thing she heard before she crashed to the floor was that he was killed on impact. She could hear her name being called through the speaker, but she just stared ahead.

"I have to go" she whispered into the receiver before she closed the phone and let it slide from her now numb fingers. Guilt was the only thing she could come up with. She knew why he was in the car, she knew where he was heading. It all could have been prevented if it wasn't for her. He wanted to make sure she was alright and now he was gone. Tears silently slipped down her cheeks, staining her pale lips.

She sat like that for most of the day, the only time she got up was to go downstairs and lock all her doors. She didn't want to see anyone. In seconds her life had crumbled just a little more and now no one was there to help her pick up the pieces. She had spent the last week curled up on her bed, letting loneliness overtake her.

She could still hear people knocking on her door but there was no way for them to get in, she had sealed herself off from everyone and everything. She was scared to hurt people and scared of getting hurt. She barley noticed the shift in time anymore but when she looked out the window it was dark. Her feet carried her out of her house for the first time in a week and she just looked ahead. She didn't know where she was going and she didn't care, she just went.

She stopped walking and her feet rested in the grass. She didn't go to the funeral that had taken place two days ago, she couldn't make herself get out of bed. She just cried for hours, she cried until she couldn't find anymore tears and then she laid there in one position until more tears came. It was an endless cycle until she finally fell asleep. For the first time she was looking at the polished rock with the letters neatly engraved.

She sat on the ground and just gazed at the grey slab that represented what was left of him. Her hands reached for the jersey that had been laid neatly atop the stone. She inhaled the scent of him, which barley lingered over the red numbers. The tears slowly began to fall from her hazel eyes. She neatly placed the jersey back in the right spot and before she sat back down she kissed the cold marble. As she sat with one legs wrapped underneath her and the other bent, he chin rested on her knee. Her hands came together around her nose as she closed her eyes and let go. She wanted to do what he asked of her, so she didn't' hold it in anymore.

She felt the warmth of his body slid behind her and his arms wrap tightly around her. She looked up into his eyes briefly before burying her face into his sweatshirt, letting the thick fabric dry her tears. He had spent most of his life hating his brother and now all he could do was regret all the time they had missed together. He rested his hand on her head, his fingers getting lost in a sea of golden curls. He kissed the top of her head gently as he pulled her closer up.

"It's okay Peyt, I'm here" The words raced through her mind. His words were like his brother's, with the same genuine meaning to them and the same comfort. He would be there for her, she knew he would, but she still felt just a little more empty then before as they rocked back and forth in front of his lost brother and her shattered rock.

You in the dark
You in the pain
You on the run
Living a hell
Living your ghost
Living your end
Never seem to get in the place that I belong
Don't wanna lose the time
Lose the time to come

Whatever you say it's alright
Whatever you do it's all good
Whatever you say it's alright
Silence is not the way
We need to talk about it
If heaven is on the way
If heaven is on the way

You in the sea
On a decline
Breaking the waves
Watching the lights go down
Letting the cables sleep

Whatever you say it's alright
Whatever you do it's all good
Whatever you say it's alright
Silence is not the way
We need to talk about it
If heaven is on the way
We'll wrap the world around it
If heaven is on the way
If heaven is on the way

I'm a stranger in this town
I'm a stranger in this town

If heaven is on the way
If heaven is on the way
I'm a stranger in this town
I'm a stranger in this town

I hope you guys enjoyed that…the song was "Letting the Cables Sleep" by Bush. Thanks for reading.