Chapter Six
Someone To Love
The rest of the week had gone relatively well for Haley considering. Her and Peyton had spent a lot of time together. For some reason the two girls clicked, in some way they got each other. Maybe it was because they were both dealing with absent parents and older brothers, but they both knew it was deeper than that. One of the perks of hanging out with Peyton was that Nathan was often just hanging around.
"Knock, Knock" Peyton said to announce her presence. She had walked into the house through the unlocked door, and up the stairs, and Haley hadn't even noticed. She was deep in thought.
"Hey. I didn't hear you come in." Haley sat up on her large bed, and patted the spot next to her to get Peyton to come sit.
"Ya." Peyton sat down as Hely had asked and looked down at her lap.
"Why so gloomy?"
"um- well I was thinking today and I just- I realized that we haven't really talked." Haley knew what Peyton meant. They had never spoke of deeper things than just the things on the surface.
"I know what you mean." Haley paused, trying to gather her thoughts. She wondered what if Peyton had come over for something specific or if she was just having one of those days. "Do you want to talk about something?"
"Today was the day my mom died." Peyton blurted out.
"Oh. Do you mind if a ask you something?"
"Shoot. This is supposed to be a deep conversation, remember?" Both girls laughed whole heartedly at Peyton's sarcasm.
"Why- why aren't you with Nathan? Why me." Haley couldn't for the life of her understand why Peyton had come to her, a girl that she had only know fro a week. Opposed to a boy she had known all her life, who had helped her thought everything.
"Nathan has been coddling me all day. He acts like I'm going to break or soothing and its driving me up the wall. But- I figured that maybe you could talk to me; ya know take my mind off things. So…tell me about Jake."
"Oh boy, oh boy! You like my brother!" Haley couldn't even find the words the thought of her brother 'being' with someone made her want to throw up. Ew.
"Well, it's ok since your totally crushing on mine!" Peyton screamed as she hit Haley with the pillow she was resting on. "Ya know out of all the pillow fights I've had none of them ever burst open like they do in movies. But back to the topic of Jake. Now I know ha has a girl friend but- I just want to know about him." Peyton stared up at the ceiling from her position on the bed. Haley had a huge skylight in her vaulted ceiling, you could see the tops of the trees, the clouds, everything. Maybe my mom is watching me?
"Jake doesn't have a girl friend. Believe me, there is no woman in the picture. Why would you think that?" Haley positioned herself on her king size bed so that the top of her head was touching Peyton's.
"The other night her said he needed to worry about Jenny. So- I don't know I guess I jumped to conclusions."
"Ok well I guess you want me to tell you his life story?" Peyton nodded "Ok well Jake's 17, a year older than me. We are really close, I mane the closest. Prolly because all out other brothers and sisters were never around." Peyton gave her a look of confusion. "We're two of seven. There's me, Jake, Taylor, Vivian, Quinn, Mark, and Jason. Well when he was 15 he met a slut, sank, bitch combination, but Jake liked to call her Nikki, she was a year older than him. Anyways they dated for a year or so. Then when he was sixteen he got her pregnant. Jenny was born a month early; Jake was there during the whole thing. And to tell you the truth he would come in here sometimes and tell me how exited he was to be a dad."
"I thought you said you were new here?"
"Oh, no I'm new at school, I've lived here my whole life. I went to the private school in the next town over. Anyways, after Jenny was born Jake stayed there for like three days. Then one day he left to shower, then her was going to go back to bring Jenny and Nikki home. But when he got back Nikki was gone. She just up and left, and she left Jenny with Jake. Then eight moths later she came back. She said that she wanted to be 'in her daughter's life, because Jenny was her bunny'. Jake was a mess, then one day she came here looking for him. She told me that she ha a court date set, she was trying to get full custody of her daughter. So I punched her, actually I think that I broke her nose. So…I told Jake what Nikki said, then I woke up the next morning and he was gone, with Jenny. Once in a while he comes back, to check on me. But it doesn't change how much it hurts. It was just us for so, so long and then one day he leaves me." Haley was looking down at her lap, remembering. Remembering the morning he left.
"What's the deal with your parent's? Where are they?" Haley made sure not to look at Peyton's face. She wondered why she told her all of that. Wondered how, how had it just come out?
"Oh, I don't know. Sometimes if I'm lucky I get a postcard." Haley shrugged, she had gotten used to it over the years but that didn't mean the ache in her heart go away. She heard Peyton's cell phone ring, she looked at her friend telling her to answer it. Reluctantly she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. The caller ID said it was Nathan.
"I told him I had to go to the bath room. I 'escaped' thought the window." Both girls laughed. "I better get going he prolly thinks I committed suicide. But do you wan to go to Tric with us tomorrow?" Haley nodded and smiled. "Pick you up at nine!" Peyton yelled as she slammed the door to her house.