Chapter Four: We Paint the Walls
("Blood and Bourbon" by SR-71)
AN: As usual, thank you so much for the reviews and your patience. Sorry it's been so long, school's kicking my ass and I finally had to start kicking back.
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Rachel Gattina: absolutely drop-dead gorgeous with flaming hair and fiery eyes to match. Her temperament ranged from calm to irrational. She could be kind or she could be cruel. She was cunning, manipulative and had the same amount of issues as every other girl at Tree Hill High.
At that moment, said cheerleader was awaiting the arrival of a certain brunette at the table. Bevin was talking rapidly and cheerfully to Kenzie and Tamara, both of who smiled, listened and added their own little tidbits at an appropriate time. She ran a hand through her dark red locks of hair, her eyes flitting across the yard. It had been maybe two months since "new girl" arrived.
So far, she hadn't even shown an interest in cheerleading, unlike the last new arrival, which had been her. Maybe Brooke wouldn't clash with her as much as she did Rachel since she wasn't a threat to her squad and boyfriend. Speaking of that certain captain of the Raven cheerleaders, where had she gone this time? Mayhap she was talking to some randomly found cute guy in the hallway. Maybe she was with –
"Hey, Peyton!" Bevin waved, grinning happily as she broke off mid-conversation. Rachel's eyes shifted to the broody blonde. Not exactly who she was looking for, but close enough. She was rather surprised not to see Melissa anywhere close by. As of late, they had been talking and hanging out quite a bit. She would see missy Brooke cast indiscernible looks at them, even if they lasted only for the briefest of moments. A smile crept onto her lips as Brooke came into their midst. The squad had to discuss cheer business.
Rachel Gattina wanted – something. She wasn't quite positive on what it was at that moment, but whatever it was that kept nagging at her mind, she would get it. Getting whatever she wanted was a special talent of hers. It worked for her most of the time. As she listened to Brooke speak to the squad as a whole, her eyes flitted across to the next building. There she was.
Melissa was standing with a couple of other girls and a guy, smiling as they talked to her. She fit in at Tree Hill High and Rachel knew how much that fact bugged Brooke. She didn't know why it bothered her, just that it did. The sly femme fatale was set on figuring out why. Rachel had her suspicions but nothing solid yet. Her penetrating brown-hazel orbs observed Peyton's...friend.
She had dark, soft brown hair, faint freckles that seemed to vanish and reappear and hazel eyes that were either blue or green depending on the light. Her skin was flawless except for the magical freckles with the disappearing act. She was on good terms with Haley and Nathan from what she could tell and also with Lucas. Peyton was a given and Melissa seemed to be friendly with a lot of people, though not really with Brooke. Of course, that was Brooke's choice.
"Rachel…Rachel…Rachel!" The redhead jerked back to reality, her eyes spinning around to focus on Brooke, who blew a tendril of hair from her face, dark eyes rolling irritably.
"Were you even listening?"
"Of course, captain." Rachel smiled charmingly, flipping her hair.
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Peyton yawned, muttering under her breath as she glared at the windows. Two months thus far of being called Bubbles. Two months during which she had found herself spending quite a lot of time with Melissa Lander. She rolled over in her bed – and landed with a thud on the floor.
Usually she was more graceful than that when waking up in the morning. Once again, she was alone. Her room was once more her fortress of solitude. At least for the moment it was. Brooke had hopped out of bed some hours earlier, insomnia and all. It was unusual for her friend to wake up like that. The brunette was one of those people who could sleep like a rock. Lately she seemed to be thinking to herself a lot more and was acting a little out of the norm.
"P. Sawyer." Her dark head poked into the room, looking amused at the sight of her on the floor. Why hadn't she gotten back to her feet again? Oh, right, she wanted to sleep some more. She mumbled and pulled her comforter onto the floor with her, effectively blocking out the sleepy light that peeked in through the blinds. Brooke hopped through the doorway, squatting down next to the lump that was her best friend.
"Peyton—"
"Whaatt? What can you possibly want this early in the morning?" Peyton muttered, curling up tighter in her blankets. Since she was in her cozy cocoon, she didn't see Brooke glance at the clock and shrug. Six in the morning. Not too bad, right?
"Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer – wake up!" Brooke nudged the bundle with her finger, eliciting a sigh and then Peyton's eyes peered out of her blankets, not exactly thrilled. Brooke smiled sheepishly, pushing back more of the blankets.
"Well – it's not me." Brooke began, glancing back at the door. "Some wack-job called for you." Now, that caught Peyton's attention. She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing herself into a sitting position. "I was just downstairs…and the phone rang. So, don't blame me for interrupting your beauty sleep. It's Melissa."
"What the hell—?" Peyton groaned and pulled herself to her feet. Brooke gesticulated at the hall, indicating the location of the phone. Peyton swatted at her hand before sighing and stepping out of the room. Brooke remained stationary for a few moments, listening to Peyton's curious, but amused tone as she spoke. The brunette rolled her eyes and pulled open the closet doors, examining the lists there.
She had made them herself. Underneath her name were lifeguards, half of the Ravens basketball team (Fede, Daniel, Narrayah, Zach and Jabbak), Mouth, Cooper, and Larry (hot dad fantasy…even though he told her to find a new one). The name Dave Growl had been painted over and replaced by Anna. Her eyes shifted and focused on the opposite door.
Peyton held claim to all of the Foofighters (a small note confirmed that Dave Growl was included), the remaining half of the Ravens team (Kempus, Mike, Dustin and Brandon), Nathan (with an asterisk by his name because of Haley), Jake, Skills, Fergie, Junk (she still hadn't fixed his name even though she had listed him as Garbage), and Dan Scott. Brooke stepped closer to the door, tapping a slender finger on the wood. She mused over the idea of updating the list to include others now. For Peyton – as annoying as she found it and as clueless as her best friend was – she might as well add Melissa to the list.
And…
Well, she was pending judgment. Brooke felt another jolt rush through her system at the sound of Peyton's soft laughter in the hallway. Well then… She picked a pencil from Peyton's desk and crouched down, sketching in a new name under Peyton's list first. The light silver words stared up at her, not noticeable enough to be caught by a casual glance. Melissa Lander.
She moved over to her own list and knelt down. After casting a look back at the doorway, she etched in the name of the one to be added to her own list. Her handwriting flowed lightly and neatly underneath Anna's name. Truthfully, she wasn't sure that she could trust this other girl – let alone date her. But, hell, if Melissa was going to make a move on Peyton…and Peyton didn't protest…
Brooke stood up, replacing the pencil on her friend's desk next to the computer. With that, she rolled onto the bed and pulled a pillow over her head, grumbling darkly into its cushiony softness. She'd just have to wait for Peyton to stop talking to her little friend and go back to sleep. After running around the house restlessly and walking up and down the block three times, she was ready for sleep once more.
It took about ten more minutes until Brooke finally heard the click that signaled that Peyton had placed the phone in its cradle once again. There was a moment of silence before Peyton, smiling lightly, reentered the room and fell on the bed next to her friend. They shared a glance before Peyton pulled her comforter up to her.
"Are we gonna talk?" Brooke broke the silence, turning onto her side to face the blonde artist. What was Melissa doing calling Peyton that early in the morning?
"Oh—" Peyton stretched her arms above her head, intertwining her fingers. "She just wanted to know if I could show her around Tric and maybe talk to Karen about giving her a job. She says she needs one…but she wouldn't say why."
"That's all you talked about?" Brooke asked skeptically, her eyes lowering towards the doors. Peyton hadn't yet noticed the small additions at the bottom of each list. It wasn't likely that she would anytime soon. Brooke closed her eyes for a moment, rolling onto her back.
"What's on your mind, B. Davis?"
Brooke Davis had decided something while Peyton was on the phone. It was something she knew subconsciously, and now she was actively thinking about it. There was a time to tell the truth. It was when you said exactly what was on your mind – no sugarcoating it or anything. And then, there was the time when you smiled and said, 'Hey, it's all okay.'
She propped herself up on one elbow and just breathed for a few seconds. The lips slipped into that reassuring smile she spoke.
"Nothing. It's all okay."
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"Le Morte D'Arthur. Can anyone give me a overview of what occurs in this novel?" Hands raised, some tentatively and others not so much, into the air. The woman observed the willing participants before finally choosing one. She gestured to Julia Volk, a dark-haired, dark-eyed girl most commonly known around the school for her singing talent.
"It's about love and deceit and betrayal. It has the rise and the eventual fall of King Arthur, Guinevere and Sir Lancelot." Julia voiced confidently. Their teacher nodded and continued.
"Now, give me your thoughts on Guinevere and Lancelot; how they managed their adulterous relationship."
"Lies." Eyes flitted over to the speaker. "Like Julia said, deceit aided them the most with their relationship. When Arthur asked Guinevere to attend a joust with him, she said she was sick. Just so they wouldn't be talked about, she told Lancelot to go. When he left and ended up wearing a token of another woman, she was livid. What they had – their love and their lust…was the ultimate betrayal. Lancelot betrayed his most trustworthy, closest friend for a lover that wasn't his in the first place."
The bell rang, interrupting the silence. The usual scuffle of chairs against the floor and books being closed filled the room with a low rumble of voices. The teacher turned and started writing on the board, preparing for the next class.
Brooke stood by Peyton's desk, waiting loyally for her friend. The blonde smiled as she packed up and rose to join the brunette cheerleading captain. It had been a rather odd class – especially with that rather…painfully insightful explanation. Rachel remained by the door for a minute, as though debating something internally. In the end, she ended up slipping into the crowds of students streaming down the hallway. Melissa brushed her dark hair from her face, holding her books against her stomach as she shifted around a desk corner.
Each thought along the same general topic track. Love, lies, betrayal.
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AN: To those who review, if you don't mind, I'd like to get your thoughts on why you think I chose the title "We Paint the Walls" and what you think it means. I just want to get whatever readers I have thinking about all of the lines and in between.