"This all looks great, Peyton," Georgia stated after a few days of planning. "There would definitely be a job open for you if you ever planned on moving up here."
Peyton smiled brightly at that. It was nice to be recognized for her work. "Thank you, Georgia. I couldn't be doing any of this if it wasn't for G Major."
"Ooh!" EJ squealed as she walked by. "Make sure you say that in front of the press," she added as she scooted off into a different direction.
The two women simply chuckled at the statement. Georgia was used to EJ's enthusiasm, and Peyton was just getting used to her personality. All an all, both of them knew that it was just classic EJ.
Georgia placed a friendly hand on Peyton's shoulder, showing her into a different direction. They started walking towards the railing of the second level, looking down to the busy workers beneath. Some were artists, others technicians, and even the occasional office temp. G Major was getting busier these days, and Georgia couldn't be more pleased. "It's nice to watch… But even better to be in charge of," Georgia stated quietly to Peyton.
Grinning, Peyton let out a light chuckle. "This is all really amazing. To run all of this is way beyond me," she said, glancing up over her shoulder at Georgia.
Simply smiling, Georgia shrugged. "You get used to the craziness," she explained. Still watching everyone beneath her, Georgia took a deep breath. "You just have to have the right mind for this stuff… And your heart has to be in the music." She placed her hand on Peyton's shoulder once more, gave it a little squeeze and remarked, "I'd give you a few more years…"
Peyton turned her body a little more to look at Georgia straight. "You think I could..?" Peyton nodded down towards the first floor.
Georgia's smile grew a tad. She nodded her head twice with a clenched jaw. It wasn't that often that she met someone she had so much confidence in. Part of it could be that "Friends with Benefit" was an extraordinary idea, but the fact that she saw a lot of herself in Peyton made her faith stronger. There was definitely something special. "You have my number, and EJ's, and Tommy's in case you run into any trouble. See you in a little bit, kiddo," Georgia stated as she backed away.
Leaning over the railing, Peyton watched the people work some more. It was almost time for her to leave, but what Georgia said really made her think about doing something like this for her career. She always knew she wanted to be an art student, but maybe there was something more to the music business. Peyton took one last good look at the beauty of G Major, taking a deep breath. She turned and started down the stairs, only to bump into Tommy.
"Sorry," Tommy blurted. He had been looking at some papers as he walked up the stairs, and didn't expect Peyton to be standing at the top of the staircase.
Shaking her head, Peyton insisted, "I'm sorry." She had taken a quick turn to the stairs and hadn't expected anyone to be going up in that same path.
Both let out a chuckle at the fact that neither of them were paying much attention. They hadn't had much alone time together, or talked much for that matter, but they spent a lot of the past week with each other's company. If it wasn't an official meeting, they were running into each other in one spot or another.
They stood awkwardly for a moment before Tommy asked, "So you're leaving today, huh?"
Peyton nodded her head a little glumly. "Yeah." She shrugged slightly and continued, "I miss home, but I don't really want to leave this place either."
With a smile on his face, Tommy nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean. I always felt that way when it came to touring."
Blushing a tad, Peyton grinned. "Your Boyz Attack days…" She giggled quietly before looking up at him again. "Boy bands weren't really my thing, but my friend Brooke was crazy about you guys. I think I have 'Pick Up The Pieces' permanently burned into my brain."
"Then I'm sorry for that too," Tommy replied with a smile. He wasn't too fond of his music career in the past, but he had to deal with it. The only thing he could really do was joke about it.
Peyton laughed. "It wasn't so bad… It just wasn't my sound," she explained. "I think every kind of music has its purpose and its followers, even hardcore boy bands."
Tommy shook his head with a chuckle. "Most people wouldn't even consider us music," he admitted.
Instantly, Peyton shook her head in disagreement. "That's not right," she stated. She noticed people starting to come up the stairs, and moved to the side with Tommy. They leaned on the railing, still facing each other. "There are so many different types of music. I mean, you can't let people judge you and say you aren't musical or whatever because that's bull. Some people just express themselves differently."
"Express themselves?" Tommy questioned. He knew what Peyton was getting at, but he also liked listening to her talk. Time after time, he was able to hear the charisma in her voice before getting a glance at that glimmer in her eye. It was good to know that someone could have so much passion in them.
"Yeah," she remarked with a smile. "You know, some people express themselves best through music, or stories, or paintings, or whatever it may be. Then, they get divided into smaller groups within those other groups… So like, with everyone that uses music, there are going to be some pop artists, some rock artists, even the occasional heartthrob artist." Peyton smiled a little brighter at Tommy, hoping he got the hint.
Tommy smiled as well. He asked for more, and he liked what he got. "So, how do you express yourself?" he asked. "You just organize benefit concerts, or you have some other hidden talents?"
With that boyish grin on his face, Tommy led Peyton a few feet away from the railing. They both took a seat on the colorful sofa next to a glass coffee table. She really hadn't expected on staying much longer, but she couldn't resist the chance to sit down and talk with him a bit more. Even though they had only really talked about music, they had a lot in common, and both of them knew it.
Shrugging, Peyton admitted, "You could say I'm the tortured artist of Tree Hill." She exhaled deeply with a shake of the head.
Tommy looked at Peyton strangely. "So you're tortured, huh?"
Peyton let out a chuckle. She was glad that he could make some light out of a title she didn't exactly enjoy. "Yup! I'm a 'High School Fearleader'," she stated, not expecting Tommy to make anything of it.
"Like the comic strip?" he questioned. Seeing that immediate look of shock on Peyton's face, Tommy felt the need to explain himself. "There used to be an anonymous comic strip, and the artist called herself the—"
"High School Fearleader," Peyton said, finishing Tommy's statement. She still eyed him strangely, wondering what other strange coincidence the two of them might share. "Did you like what she had to say..?" Peyton asked sheepishly.
Nodding, Tommy pulled out his wallet. "I loved what she had to say. I mean, even if I'm not a teenage girl, I could still relate." At that moment, he pulled out one of the comics cut out from the magazine. "I think this one is my favorite. I just wish she hadn't stopped."
Taking the comic from his hands, Peyton held the tiny piece of paper between her fingers delicately. She looked it over and remembered when she drew it. It was the comic she had originally drawn for Lucas. In a crowd of faces and uniform clothing as well as personalities, there was one faceless person that stood out. In an orange shirt, there was a man that didn't fit the rest of them. And in bold letters, the words, "They are not you" was written across the top.
Peyton smiled and looked up at Tommy. "The tortured artist of Tree Hill is the High School Fearleader," she confessed.
He squinted his eyes at her slightly, wondering if she was being honest. It took him a minute before he could see the connection. "Wow…" he finally commented. "You're amazingly talented."
Rolling her eyes and bushing, Peyton was beyond flattered. "Thanks, but I'm not all that great…" She handed Tommy back his comic and looked down bashfully.
"So you're not drawing anymore?" he asked as he put it back in his wallet.
Peyton shook her head immediately. "I draw all the time," she started. She shrugged a little, "I just didn't see any point in publishing them anymore. I mean, other than all my friends that hate High School Fearleader, I didn't know anyone else ever even looked at my comics."
Tommy nodded and leaned back against the sofa. "I don't know why your friends would hate it… Unless they're cheerleaders," he joked.
Pressing her lips together, Peyton gave him a strange look. "My friends, most of my girl friends at least, they are cheerleaders." She let out a light chuckle. "Well, I'm a cheerleader."
Letting out a laugh, Tommy had a hard time imagining such a deep intellectual like her as a cheerleader. Eyeing Peyton strangely once more, Tommy realized that she wasn't kidding, and stopped his chuckles. "Sorry. I thought you were joking…"
"It's okay," Peyton insisted. "Sometimes I think cheerleading is a joke, especially me as a cheerleader…" She shrugged and continued, "But I started because my mom was a cheerleader in high school, and then I stuck with it because my best friend Brooke is a cheerleader too."
Understandingly, Tommy nodded to make up for his judgmental laughter earlier. "So, you're a tortured artist/cheerleader/loyal friend..?" he questioned, trying to get his facts straight.
"Loyal friend…" she repeated skeptically. "We could get into that, but I would probably have to stay for another week."
Tommy grinned and stated, "That wouldn't be so bad."
The two of them stared each other in the eye silently. The absence of sound wasn't so much awkward. It was nearly pleasant, just giving the two a moment to enjoy each other's company.
It was only a minute before Peyton broke the silence by shaking her head. "I've gotta get home and get this benefit going," she put into plain words. "I should probably be on my way right now, actually. My stuff is still at Jude's and Sadie wanted to say bye before I left."
"Sure," Tommy nodded, slightly disappointed. He wasn't sure what he expected, but he didn't want to say goodbye.
Peyton stood with a faint smile on her face, followed by Tommy rising to his feet as well. They gave each other another glance over, not really sure what to say or do. Neither of them knew if they had bonded enough to hug or shake hands, or even whether they needed to give a formal send-off.
They took a step towards each other before Peyton quickly raised her hand and started waving to him. Both backed away sheepishly, realizing that they hardly knew each other.
"I'll see you in Tree Hill, Tommy," Peyton remarked as she started to head towards the stairs.
Watching her take a step down, Tommy called out, "See you…" with regret.