Peyton Sawyer: Troubles And Doubts
Peyton Sawyer drummed her fingers on her desk, wondering if she'd made the wrong decision.
"Do you think they made it?" Haley James asked. Peyton turned around and shrugged.
"I don't know," she replied.
"So, what happened between you and Nathan?" Haley asked. Peyton smiled slightly.
"Who knows? I got bored, he got bored. End of story." She replied. "Why? Do you have your eye on him?"
Haley shook her head at the suggestion, "No, no!"
"Good," Peyton said, "Because unless you're a basketball, I doubt he'll pay any interest to you."
"I'm not into him!" Haley said far too quickly to be convincing. Peyton let out a small chuckle.
"So, you like Dashboard Confessional, huh?" Haley said trying to change the subject of her and Nathan.
"Yeah, how'd you guess?" Peyton asked. Haley pointed to the shirt Peyton was wearing. The one that had 'Dashboard Confessional' printed across the front. "Oh, right. Do you like them?"
Haley nodded, "Yeah, they're pretty cool."
Peyton smiled; pleased to find somebody she could talk to about her music, without hearing snorts or yawns from Brooke or any of her other friends.
Sometimes she couldn't believe the irony of it all. She was a deep, deep girl trapped in a shallow world.
She didn't want the popularity or the parties that she seemed to be dragged to by Brooke every other week. She just wanted to do the normal girl things. The slumber parties and movie nights that she and Brooke used to hold before they got interested in boys.
Peyton stood up from her desk and made her way towards Haley, sitting in the desk in front of the tutor. Haley seemed a little surprised by Peyton's move, but began to relax when Peyton gave her a reassuring smile.
"So how about Lifehouse?" Peyton suggested, "Are you into them?"
Haley broke out into a smile and the two began an animated discussion on bands they enjoyed.
"Cosy," a voice commented as the door swung open. Peyton and Haley turned to see Brooke, Lucas and Nathan standing sullenly in front of Principal Turner. Brooke had her arms folded across her chest and looking at Peyton and Haley.
"Take your seats," the principal instructed as he made his way to the front. The three standing students did so, and Peyton apologetically moved back to her old seat beside Brooke.
Principal Turner looked at the group and shook his head.
"You all lasted less than twenty minutes. I'm disappointed," he grumbled. "I have no choice but to increase your detention time. All of you."
They all groaned simultaneously.
"You will now leave at three o'clock, instead of noon. And if I catch anybody attempting to leave, then we'll increase it another three hours. Got it?"
Brooke raised her hand.
"Miss Davis?" he said with a slight groan in his voice.
"I have a pedicure booked fo-"
"Reschedule it. Next?"
Peyton was next to raise her hand.
"Principal Turner, Haley and I didn't try and sneak out. Why do we have to stay?"
"Ever heard of 'camaraderie', Miss Sawyer? You're all in this together."
"What about lunch?" Lucas asked, "You can't expect us to stay in here for almost six hours without food. It's unethical."
"I'll allow you access to the cafeteria or order some pizza for all of you. That is if you're all still here at noon when I come and check on you."
"Well, what are we supposed to do for six hours?" Nathan complained, "Brooke got bored after five minutes." Broke shot him a glare.
"I don't know about you, Mr. Scott, but I'd use this time wisely. You could read, talk… finish that English essay you still owe Mr. Hazel," he said pointedly looking at Nathan. "I don't care what you do, as long as you don't leave this room or cause too much trouble or mess. I want the room spotless and you all here when I check on you at noon. If you're all present and correct, maybe I'll consider letting you go."
Principal Turner looked at each one of them again.
"Everybody agree?"
There were various grumbles, nods and grunts that confirmed their agreement and he left the five teenagers alone again.
"This is all your fault!" Brooke complained as she took out her cellphone, "Now I'm going to miss my appointment."
"Cry me a river," Nathan replied.
"Suck it!" Brooke retorted as she punched in the number for the nail salon.
Brooke stuck her tongue out at Nathan, who gave her a look before looking away.
Peyton rolled her eyes. Throughout the time she'd known both Brooke and Nathan, they'd never ever got on.
Even while she and Nathan were dating, he and Brooke always found a way to annoy one another or get in each other's way.
Someone had once said it was because there was too much underlying sexual tension between the two, but Peyton had never been sure.
She knew that Brooke would never try to sleep with Nathan – firstly because he was Peyton's newly ex-boyfriend – but mostly because she couldn't stand the sight of him.
Brooke and Nathan loved to antagonize each other. They'd done it all the way since they were younger.
If it wasn't pulling each other's hair in kindergarten, throwing each other's lunch out of the school bus, or refusing to work with one another because 'girls have cooties'; it was spreading rumors, trying to show each other up, or just making snide remarks about one another.
It didn't help when Brooke found out about Nathan's illegitimate brother, and she reveled in the opportunity to make it known to the whole school, and keep reminding Nathan of that fact.
Peyton sighed as she saw Brooke check Lucas out from the corner of her eye. She shook her head as she realized that if Brooke tried going after Lucas, then it would only incense Nathan more, which is what Brooke would have wanted anyway.
Although Peyton suspected that Brooke really did have a crush on the younger Scott brother, which just screamed 'messy situation' to her.
"So what were you and," Brooke cocked her head in Haley's direction, "Tutor Girl whispering about?" she seemed a little bitter about having found her best friend talking to someone who'd never be in their social circle.
"Oh, just some bands," Peyton said. "Why, did you expect me to sit here and mope through this whole detention?"
"Like a certain ex-boyfriend of yours?" Brooke said casting a glance at the sour-looking Nathan who slumped down in his seat.
"Okay, you and Nathan have got to stop this... power struggle or whatever, because it's getting a little old."
"Oh, come on, Peyton, you know that I can't just stand by and watch him go from girl to girl after what he did to you."
"You are aware I broke it off with him, right?" Peyton reminded Brooke, "And you know as well as I do that the two of you have been fighting since you were in diapers."
Brooke just rolled her eyes, resting her chin on her left hand and letting out a deep sigh.
"Do you want to go to Bevin's party tonight?" she questioned Peyton, who shook her head.
"Nah, my dad is supposed to call tonight. I don't want to miss it," she told her friend. Brooke nodded in understanding.
Peyton's dad spent long periods of time abroad working on an oil rig. Though it brought in money for the family, it resulted in Peyton being alone for the duration of his trip – and since losing her mother; Peyton needed companionship more than ever.
"Mind if I drop by?" Brooke asked. She liked Larry Sawyer; almost a substitute father for her. When Peyton's mother was alive, Brooke would often drop by and relish in the atmosphere of being with a family.
When the girls were much younger, Larry used to tease both of the girls by chasing them around the garden. During the long, hot summer months, he used to blow up the paddling pool and Peyton and Brooke used to watch impatiently as the water slowly filled up with the hose.
While Larry would battle the two girls and play board games with them, Peyton's mother would make cookies and other food for them. There was a rule in the Sawyer house that all members of the family would eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together. And that didn't exclude Brooke.
Peyton couldn't remember a time where she wasn't with Brooke. Though almost chalk and cheese, the two had a bond that nothing could penetrate. Even through their changing tastes in fashion, boys and music; they remained together through everything.
Brooke had supported Peyton through her mother's death and during the time Larry was away. While Peyton was there for Brooke whenever she needed to escape from her own neglectful parents.
While most people would wonder why two very different girls would be such friends, the truth was that both were alone. One through the death and absence of her parents, and the other simply through the abandonment of them.
"Sure," Peyton replied, "If you want we could order some Chinese food and rent a couple of movies. That is unless you want to go to Bevin's party."
Brooke sighed again. Peyton's offer was tempting to say the least, but she'd already promised Bevin she'd be there.
Plus, she'd just bought the perfect dress…
"I'll think about it," Brooke replied. She was the type of girl who made spontaneous decisions. She knew that she'd only really decide moments before she had to be somewhere.
If she chose to go to Bevin's party; chances were that she'd much rather be at Peyton's. But if she decided to go to Peyton's, she'd probably feel the urge to go to Bevin's.
"Okay," Peyton replied patiently.
Peyton looked around the room. Haley was invested in some math homework, Lucas had taken out his iPod and begun reading a book, and Nathan was still moodily slouched in his chair.
Peyton grabbed her notebook from her bag and pulled out a pack of art pencils and a black fine liner. Maybe she could pass the time by drawing. Brooke had already pulled out a gossip magazine and was busy looking at that.
Peyton paused as she poised her pencil about a blank sheet of paper. Nothing seemed to come to her.
Looking out of the window, all she saw was another block of the school. Nothing inspirational about that. Peyton let out a sigh as she let her eyes wonder around the room, trying to find something she could draw.
For a few moments she was disappointed before she glanced around the room once more.
She smiled as she realized she had five perfect specimens.
With one final look around, Peyton begin to draw.
To Be Continued…