Chapter Two

"The More You Talk, The Less I Hear."

"Their words are flying over my head. I try and hear, but I'm somewhere else again. You laugh and I smile back to humor you. If it's good for you, it's good for me too." Brooke listened to the lyrics playing in Peyton's room as she stood in her doorway with tears in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked without so much as a hello.

Peyton looked up at her friend and put her drawing down. "I'm sorry." Was all that could escape her mouth. She knew she was talking about Aubrey. "I didn't think you should hear it from me."

"Did you think I should hear it from that skank Aubrey when I went to Karen's café" she asked. "Brooke, you're Lucas' ex." Brooke imitated.

"I'm sorry." Peyton sighed. "I wanted to tell you. I just didn't want to see your heart get broken again."

"At least it wasn't you." Brooke sighed. She fell on the bed next to Peyton. "Why does my life always get this way?"

Peyton shrugged. "I don't know."

"I'll scream till I bleed. I'll scream stay away from me. You can't keep me back, keep me back. I'll scream till I bleed, I'll scream stay away from me. You can't keep me back, keep me back. What did I say? Why do you give a shit?" the song played in the background.

"Who is this?" Brooke asked Peyton about the song.

"Armor for sleep." She told her. "The more you talk the less I hear."

"I like it." Brooke told her. She fell asleep while Peyton drew a picture of her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Peyton sat down in front of her computer and typed an email. Brooke was still sleeping on her bed. She hadn't even been back for a whole day and already she was crashing at Peyton's. "I love you Jake." She signed the email and pressed send. She knew he wasn't going to reply but she made every attempt to try and keep in touch with him.

She had told him about the woman who claimed to be her mother. She had been struggling all summer with her thoughts about the woman. She hadn't told anyone. She finally emailed it to Jake. Part of her knew he would never get the email but she wanted to try.

The woman had sat on her door step only three months ago, telling her the story of how Peyton was her daughter. She told her the woman buried only miles from her house was her aunt. It didn't make sense to Peyton. Apparently her father got the woman, Ellie, pregnant. Ellie wasn't ready to raise a baby, so after she had Peyton she gave her to her father. Her father moved on, to Ellie's sister, and from then on Peyton thought she was being raised by her birth parents.

She had quickly dismissed Ellie from her life. She wanted nothing to do with her. If anything she said was true it didn't matter to Peyton. Her mother passed away years ago. Weather she gave birth to her or not, that was her mother.

Peyton wanted to ask her father but every time she saw him she was too happy to bring something like that up. So she let it be. She buried the woman in her thoughts and would never speak of her again, to anyone but Jake, if she ever saw him again.

Brooke stirred from the bed and saw Peyton typing. "Whatcha doin?" she asked. "How long have I been out for?"

"I was just sending Jake and email. You've been sleeping for a couple hours. You looked so peaceful. I didn't want to wake you."

"P. Sawyer. I have an amazing idea." She exclaimed. She grabbed Peyton by the arm and brought her out of the house and to her car.

"Where on earth are we going?" Peyton questioned grabbing her purse from the table on the way out.

"It's a secret." She smiled. "I promise a night full of fun though."

"Brooke, its Thursday. There is nothing to do on a Thursday." Peyton protested.

"Oh, that's what you think." She smiled driving quickly. "It's the last weekend of summer Peyton. There is always something to do."

The two girls pulled into Nathan's not too long later. "Nathan's?" Peyton rolled her eyes. "Brooke, what the hell?"

Brooke smiled at her friend and made her get out of the car. She banged on Nathan's door until finally he opened it.

"Twice in one day. To whom do I owe this honor?" Nathan asked rolling his eyes at Brooke. "Hey Peyton."

"Hey." Peyton smiled. She hadn't seen Nathan all summer. He had gotten back from High Flyers less than a week earlier. "This was Brooke's idea. I promise."

Nathan laughed. "Imagine that."

"So I was thinking. Since Peyton is mourning the loss of Fugitive boy and Jenny, and you're mourning the loss of dearly beloved. And well, I'm not mourning, but I got to meet Cheater boy's girlfriend Aubrey today. We should all get wasted and have our own party."

Nathan laughed. "Only you Brooke."

"Well, it's the truth isn't it?"

Peyton glanced at Nathan. "I guess she's kind of right."

"I'll get the beer." He sighed opening the fridge.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nathan took the last shot of tequila and threw the bottle to the floor. "I win." He smiled.

Brooke threw her bottle on the floor and cried. "That's not fair, I only had one more shot left!" she giggled holding a lime in her hand.

Peyton shrugged. "I guess I'm just slow." She muttered at her bottle which still had quite a few shots left in the bottom.

Brooke giggled again. "Oh P. Sawyer, I love you." She smiled. She attempted to hug her but ended up putting her in a head lock.

"Hey!" Peyton cried pulling Brooke off of her. Both girls collapsed to the ground. "No more army moves."

Nathan laughed at them. "You two cannot handle your alcohol." He stood up to go to the kitchen and fell on top of both of them.

"Ha!" Brooke yelled. "Get off of me!" she cried.

Nathan laughed looking down at the two girls under him. "Well if this isn't the best fantasy ever, come true."

"Ew!" Brooke cried. "No!" she pushed him off of them.

"And we can't handle our alcohol." Peyton laughed.

The three of them sat on the floor drinking and laughing for hours until they fell asleep. Brooke had been right. It was exactly what they needed.