Chapter Sixteen: Slutty Brunettes
"Haley!" said Peyton in surprise, upon opening her front door. Haley dropped the bag she'd been holding and threw her arms around her best friend.
"I missed you," she said. Peyton comfortingly rubbed her back.
"I missed you too. Was it awful?" she asked.
"No. Not really. It was just a mistake. I heard about Davis and Jake. I'm sorry," she said, as Peyton led her into the house.
Upstairs, in Peyton's bedroom, Haley allowed her eyes to roam over the photographs stuck to the mirror. Many of her, Brooke and Peyton in their cheerleading uniforms, many of the three of them with Jake and Chris hanging out. Several of Peyton and Jake, of Haley and Chris. Haley smiled as her eyes fell on a picture cut out from a tabloid-her and Nathan at the movie premiere, their hands intertwined. Haley's hand instinctively went out to trace his image, cheaply reproduced.
"Chris still isn't back," said Peyton, joining her at the mirror.
"Oddly enough I find myself not caring," said Haley.
"It's about time."
"Speaking of which. Why are you so bothered by Davis? Does she threaten you that much?" asked Haley.
"No. Not exactly. I'm not in love with him," said Peyton.
"I know. But he's in love with you," said Haley gently.
"No he's not. He just thinks he is," said Peyton in disgust, her own eyes lingering over her best friend's image.
"What? Are you serious? Pey, Jake's been in love with you since the fifth grade and it's been painfully obvious to everyone. Don't you remember how he was when you fell for Chris in grade eight? And how he broke up with his girlfriend, the slutty brunette, after you broke up with that guy when we were sophomores?" asked Haley.
"I'm beginning to suspect that "slutty brunettes" are his type. Not artistic blondes," she said.
"Come on. No guy on Earth could prefer Davis to you," said Haley gently. Peyton glanced at Haley and Nathan, smiling at the camera.
"Or to you," she agreed.
XxxxxxX
After Haley had left to go to her own home and see her parents, Peyton found herself feeling restricted in her dark empty house, and went out.
Quickly she found herself at her most commonly frequented record store. She'd hoped to find Lucas inside, or Brooke, and was quite disappointed to find it empty except for an old guy in the corner making a desperate attempt to be young and hip.
Her mind was elsewhere as she began to flip through vintage records. Everywhere she saw Jake. Everything smelled of him, every voice was his. He haunted her. She missed him. She needed him.
She zoned out to the extent that she didn't notice when a hand began flicking through the records in the pile beside hers. A slim, elegant hand with perfectly painted dark red fingernails that she should have recognized in an instant.
"Space out much?" asked the owner of the hand eventually. Peyton's head snapped up and she frowned when she saw who it was.
"What do you want, Ryan?" she asked in disgust.
"Ryan? We're on last name basis now? Aren't you bad," teased Davis. Peyton rolled her eyes.
"Do you have a point, besides being here to torture me?" she asked.
"I was actually thinking about making peace. You're Brooke's best friend and it occurred to me that she's my only friend around here and it's probably a good idea to be friends with her friends," said Davis.
"Wow, how very big of you. Find someone who cares," said Peyton.
"Ouch, you cut me deep. I'm extending like an olive tree here, hello," said Davis.
"I'm pretty sure it's an olive branch. And people are supposed to be nice, at least when they're apologizing," said Peyton.
"In what, the "World According to Peyton"?" asked Davis.
"Whatever! The point is, either find something nice to say or find something else to do!" demanded Peyton. Davis rolled her eyes and almost smiled.
"You want to get out of here?" she asked. Peyton rolled her eyes yet again but left and allowed her new "friend" to follow her.
XxxxxxX
"So this is what you do all day?" asked Davis in unveiled interest as she wandered around Peyton's bedroom.
"When I'm drawing," said Peyton.
"Or brooding," suggested Davis.
"I guess. You're welcome to leave any time," she said sarcastically.
"I love Travis. And your room's really cool," said Davis, speaking first of the music coming through the stereo.
"Thanks. The five of us decorated last summer. It was fun," she said.
"I don't get why you refer to it as the "five" of you. I haven't spoken to Chris once since the day I got here," said Davis.
"He's away right now," said Peyton vaguely.
"Where?"
"Hell. Or at least, hopefully," she said bleakly. Davis laughed.
"Does he make Haley happy?" she asked.
"God no. But why would you care? Don't you hate Haley?" asked Peyton curiously.
"I nothing Haley. She didn't break up Nathan and I, because Nathan and I were never really together. She probably brought me down slightly in my world, but I've always enjoyed a challenge," said Davis reasonably. Peyton nodded, surprised at how warm the one time ice queen had become.
Ice Queen was a kind term. Frigid Bitch was much more accurate.
"So she took your boyfriend and lessened your all important status and you feel nothing at all for her?" pressed Peyton.
"I don't feel anything, for anyone, ever. My image to the world is fake, but so is everything. I live life like it's a game, and I'm completely cut off from it. I don't feel anything," she repeated. Peyton slowly walked to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
And Davis did feel something.
Warmth.