Just a quick note: for those who don't know, PDA stands for public display or affection.
"Oh you guys this is so adorable. Come look." Haley waved her hand at the other two girls and waited for them to come over. Haley and Brooke had talked Peyton into going shopping with them. They each had a handful of baby clothes, because they couldn't stop picking everything up. Peyton smiled when she saw the outfit Haley was holding.
"I think I like that one best so far." Brooke squealed, snatching it out of the other brunette's hands.
"Can you believe someone can actually fit into something that small?" Peyton gasped as she examined the small outfit. After 5 months she still couldn't get over the amazement of certain things and the size of a baby was one of them.
"Peyton I hope you have a girl, it's gunna be so much fun to dress her up" Brooke exclaimed as she picked out a tiny blue dress. Peyton shock her head and looked at all the things she had in her hand. She didn't want to waste money and buy something for a girl and then have a boy or vice versa. She put down everything in her hand that was pink and all the dresses. She figured that all the boy clothes could pass for a girl's so she kept all of those.
Haley looked over at Peyton just in time to see her body cringe. She snatched the clothes from her hand and pointed her in the direction of the nearest bathroom. They had been at the mall for the past 6 hours and that was the second time Peyton went to throw up. At first it scared them all but over time they got used to the 'morning' sickness, which for Peyton never seemed to happen in the morning. Brooke shook her head and sorted through the piles of clothes they had.
"Okay while Peyton's over there doing…her thing… we can pay for this stuff. I think I'm bored of this store and plus we have to get outfits for tonight." Brooke got that devious look on her face as the two girls made their way to the register.
"She is gunna be so shocked. I just hope she lets us put a dress on her." Haley took a deep breath and loaded the clothes on the counter. Lucas was planning a dinner for Peyton and he had invited the other two couples, who graciously accepted. The guys were all hanging out for the day and the only thing they told the girls was to pick out something formal and to not tell Peyton.
"I'll make sure she gets one. I'll just find her one that doesn't hug too much and it'll be black so that it's slimming." Brooke bit on the edge of her finger as she thought about where to go and what she was gunna buy. Shopping had been her sport since middle school, and her addiction had only gotten worse over the years. Haley just rolled her eyes and pulled out her credit card to pay for the things. She knew that Peyton was gunna be upset that Haley spent her money but she didn't care.
Peyton rinsed her mouth and grabbed a paper towel to dry her face and hands. She had learned not to wear make-up during the day because she could never keep it on. She looked in the mirror one last time before heading out the bathroom. She hopped that Haley and Brooke hadn't gone crazy while she was gone because the last time she left them they spent $200 in the store and the only reason she knew was because she found the receipt. As she rounded the corner she felt a hand slide around her waist and pull her back. She closed her eyes as felt the line of gentle kisses that trailed her neck making her smile slightly. She had gotten used to Lucas trying to scare her and at first it worked and she would always jump, but now she welcomed the affection.
"Babe, next time make sure to put Chap Stick on. But anyway what are you doing here?" She turned in his arms but froze when she saw him. Her mouth opened slightly at the sight before her. It was Rick, with his arms growing tighter around her waist.
"Surprised?" He question as he pulled her closer to him. She wanted to run but she couldn't move, her legs felt like cement. "I am. I didn't know you were pregnant Peyton. So I guess Lucas finally screwed you, I'll give him points for that." He smiled down at her, that same smile he used to give when he had her pinned to something. She wanted to throw up but all she felt was constant nausea.
"What are you doing here" Her voice was small and nervous. He shook his head and laughed at her making her feel even more uncomfortable.
"I came to see you. I missed you Peyton and I know you've missed me." He held her back at arms length suddenly and gazed down at her stomach. He let go of her tense shoulders and placed a hand on her stomach, back and forth. "So how far along are you?" He asked, not stopping the movement on her stomach. When she didn't answer he stood and looked down at her. "You're not talking to me Peyton, I can understand that you nervous about confronting Lucas and all."
"Peyton" Rick looked over to see Brooke and Haley running towards them.
"Well you don't worry about Lucas. Whenever you're ready let me know, I'll take care of everything" He leaned down and kissed her lips. "I'll see you soon baby." He said before he took off, just before the other two girls reached their friend.
"Peyton are you okay." Brooke hugged Peyton tightly as the first tear slipped from the blonde's stinging eyes.
"He didn't hurt you right" Haley asked as she joined the hug. Peyton shook her head no but her body wouldn't stop shaking.
"You guys let's just finish up here okay. I don't wanna dwell on this. And please don't tell Luke, he's been really protective lately and I don't want him to do anything that'll get him in trouble." Peyton took one of the bags from Haley and put on the best smile she could. Talking about Rick always made her uncomfortable and she could feel that things still hadn't changed. Haley and Brooke both nodded reluctantly before the three girls went to buy dresses.
Brooke could tell that Peyton was miserable but she also knew that there really wasn't much she could do about it. The brunette picked up a simple but elegant black dress from one of the racks. "Hey, Peyton this would be perfect on you." She handed the blonde the dress and pushed her towards the other racks.
"Brooke you really think I'm gunna put this on." Peyton looked at her quizzically.
"Yes" Brooke smiled at her and then continued looking through the dresses.
"I like this one" Haley held up a deep purple dress and the other two nodded in approval. The only one left was Brooke who soon found a long navy blue dress. The three girls made their way to the dressing rooms to make sure everything fit right. They all came out at the same time and examined each other.
"Haley that is gorgeous." Peyton said as she looked at the long dress Haley was wearing. It was form fitting down to the hip and then it flared out slightly and it had a triangular split right above her ankles.
"I like yours too" She said, referring to the loosely fitting halter dress Brooke had picked up for the blonde. It didn't show her stomach very much and it had a slit in the back. "Brooke you look amazing" Haley exclaimed. The brunette was wearing a long dress that was rounded right below the neck. It the back the thick strap split into 5 smaller stands and crossed to the opposite side. The dress hugged her every curve and hung neatly around her ankles. All three girls complimented each other before going back in and changing.
As they approached the counter Peyton only felt slightly better, but she couldn't get the thoughts of Rick out of her head. "Why exactly are we buying dresses you guys" she asked, trying to think of something else. Haley didn't know what to say but Brooke seemed to have everything planned.
"It's never a bad thing to have a dress handy. One of these days we're gunna treat each other to some fancy occasion and you wanna have something to wear." She said casually as she paid for her dress. They each decided that they had shoes, only because it was time for them to get going.
The ride home was quite even though they tried to get Peyton to talk. All the blonde did was reminding them not to say anything to anyone, especially Lucas.