A/N: My author's notes seem to say the exact same thing. I have no excuses except for real life getting in the way of my writing. It's hard sometimes, but I did write half of this chapter last week so I was writing. I just never got it finished, until today.
Chapter Twenty-Nine: World on Your Shoulders
Julian knocks on the door hard. Melissa answers with a huge smile.
"Julian, what a surprise?"
"Cut the crap, Melissa."
"That's no way to talk to me Mr. Baker."
"I don't care. I just need you to answer me this one question," Melissa sighs in boredom. "Did you kill Sara?"
"Why would I answer that question, Julian? Why would I know anything about Sara?"
"The only reason I can think of why you won't answer is because you are guilty of something and I swear to god if it's true Melissa. You are going to wish you haven't been born."
Melissa starts laughing and shakes her head before slamming the door in Julian's face. Julian turns away in a huff. He needed to get to the bottom of this. Julian walks down the stairs and pulls out his phone.
"Kadyn, we really need to talk."
-What's Left of Me-
"Are you serious?" Kadyn asks as she sits on the couch not wanting to believe what Julian was saying to her. "This doesn't sound right at all."
"Yeah well I'm not exactly sure of anything anymore. Plus things are bad with Sam right now."
"What's wrong with Sam?"
"I can handle it Kadyn. I'm her father."
"You didn't answer my question Julian."
"Sam's doing drugs."
"I'm coming to Tree Hill. Julian it sounds like you can't handle things over there. Maybe Sam needs to see a familiar face that isn't you."
"No, I need you to talk to the police that handled Sara's case. Try and get it reopened or something. I need to know if Melissa is behind all of this."
"Fine, I'll do that, but then I am coming to Tree Hill. Sam needs a good ass whopping."
"Thanks Kadyn."
"No don't thank me yet Julian. I'm going to yell at you too."
Kadyn hangs up the phone and her head falls into her hands. She couldn't believe that this was happening. How did their lives get so screwed up? Sara died in a car accident only now it seems like it was murder and Sam had turned into a druggy. None of this was going well.
-What's Left of Me-
"I'm lost Peyton. I don't know what the hell I should be doing. Julian's going crazy. Sam's into drugs. I am barely keeping my head above the water. I'm not equipped for situations like this."
"It's all a part of being mom, Brooke."
Brooke throws her hands up in the air.
"You keep saying that Peyton. You have no idea what I am going through right now!"
Peyton stares at Brooke incredulously.
"Excuse me? Are you forgetting that I was around Sam for two years before you even met her?"
Sam walks into the house with a yawn and Peyton and Brooke stop arguing with each other. Instead, they turn their angry glares to Sam.
"Where the hell have you been?" Peyton yells angrily.
Sam looks up from her shoes and shrugs her shoulders.
"I can't remember," Sam says as she makes her way to the couch and lies down.
"Are you high again?" Brooke questions softly, worried about her soon to be step daughter.
Sam doesn't answer. Brooke and Peyton hear a snore from the teen girl.
Peyton and Brooke look up from the girl and then to each other.
"She needs help," Brooke states.
"I know," Peyton agrees.
-What's Left of Me-
Julian walks into the house and sees his daughter sleeping on the couch. He shakes his head and walks into the kitchen to where Peyton and Brooke were talking quietly. Their blow up before had been forgotten.
"I thought she was in her room," Julian mentions.
"She wasn't apparently. She came home high again though."
Julian shakes his head at Brooke.
"Things are going to change soon. I talked to Melissa though."
Brooke and Peyton's heads snapped up.
"I think she did it," Julian says seriously. "I think she really did kill Sara. I called Kadyn. I told her to try and get Sara's case reopened and I told her about Sam's problems. She said she's coming. Besides Sara, Kadyn was the other constant in her life. I think maybe she can help."
"How do you think Sam is going to handle that?" Peyton questions as her gaze goes to the sleeping girl on the couch.
"I don't really care what Sam thinks. She put herself in that position and I just don't care. I've had enough. This is it. I'm done," Julian declares before walking out of the kitchen and into his room.
"He's upset," Peyton states.
"You think."
-What's Left of Me-
Julian lies on his bed with a sigh. His emotions were all over the place and he honestly had no idea what to do anymore. He didn't want to give up, but he knew that if he was going to make things right that it was going to be extremely hard to do so. He knew that Sam had a problem and more than likely she was going to have to go into some program. If Melissa had really murdered Sara then it was going to be hell to prove it, but Julian owed it to everyone to find out. He just didn't know why everything seemed to suddenly land all on his shoulders.