It was Saturday morning before I saw Brooke again. She had been gone all day Thursday and I let her sleep in Friday. I had gotten off work early and but she was gone, I had left her a subway map and circled all the top stores that I knew she would love. I heard her come in but I was already in my room…exhausted. Stan and I had got into again over her staying and it ended the same way it always did…us not talking until someone apologized and this time it was gunna be him.

I walked downstairs, I needed coffee…bad. Everything in me was hoping that Brooke wasn't awake yet. Not that I don't love her being here, but I don't want her hovering over me to make sure I'm okay. I sighed as I saw her sitting at the counter reading the paper. It was either I sneak back upstairs or I keep going down. I took the latter option…either way I was gunna have to see her today and I figured it was better to get it over with now. "Morning" I said as I walked into the kitchen and over to the coffee pot.

"Morn…oh my god…Peyton what happened?" This is what I was trying to avoid. She leaped off the stool and was next to me a second later.

"Remember how I said I hated New York streets."

"Yea"

"Well this is why" I said gesturing down to the cast on my wrist and the sling holding my arm up.

"Care to elaborate" she questioned as she pushed me towards the stool and poured me a cup of coffee. I waited until she was seated next to me before I spoke again.

"I was coming home yesterday and I went to pick up some stuff from the drug store. Well before I got there some guy tired to grab my bag and run off but I didn't let go and kinda of snapped my wrist. At least I saved my bag" I shrugged as I took a sip of my coffee.

"Why didn't you call me…I would've met you at the hospital"

"Because it's no big deal…I've been mugged before…sadly its normal in New York"

"You must really think I'm stupid Peyton." She grabbed the now empty cup form my hands and threw it in the sink…I heard it break but it didn't phase either of us.

"Excuse me"

"Yeah…you were mugged in broad daylight…on an extremely crowded street…possible…strange and unlikely…but still, possible. What gets me though is the fact that this guy caught you off guard and still couldn't get your bag from you. Not only that…but he tried so hard to get your bag that you broke your wrist and all this time the people on that crowded street just kept on walking and ignored the entire situation." She was standing in front of me with her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"Brooke…let I go." I got off the chair and made my way to the stairs.

"Its that prick you refer to as your fiancé. I stopped by your office yesterday but you had already left…but before I left I noticed that your letter opener has a rubber handle…you would have to hit it pretty hard to bust your lip that way you did. Do you have another excuse for that one…" I stopped in my tracks…I didn't know how to get out of this one. "Why Peyton…how…how could you stay with him"

"Please drop it Brooke" I whispered with tears burning behind my eyes.

"No I will not drop it" She moved to stand in front of me. "Why wouldn't you come home…why wouldn't you say something to one of us. Peyton if you were scared to up and leave him fine but you were in Tree Hill for a week…you could've stayed there. These past three months you could've called one of us and said something."

"I did call Brooke" I shouted before turning my head to the side and looking down. "I called Lucas the day I got home because he told me I could if needed to talk. I tried saying something…you don't know how bad I wanted to…but I couldn't." the tears were unavoidable and they slid quickly down my cheeks.

"Why…Peyton he would've been here in a heartbeat if you said something and you know it, so why didn't you"

"Because how was I supposed to explain to him how I let my life fall apart like this. How I wound up locked in the bathroom at 11 o'clock at night sitting on the floor whispering into the phone so Stan would stay asleep. How the hell do you explain that someone Brooke"

"He wouldn't have asked for an explanation Peyton…he just would've been there 7 or 8 hours later. I'm the one that wants you to explain because I don't get it. I don't understand how the best friend I grew up with my whole life let some guy hit her. But I'm not gunna sit here and wait for you to explain it to me because the only thing I really wanna know is why my best friend felt she couldn't call me." I watched as Brooke shook her head before shoving past me and storming up the stairs. It didn't take long for her to shove past me again…this time with suit cases in her hand.

"Brooke…" I watched her shake her head and walk out the door. I couldn't believe she was leaving. I collapsed onto the couch in the living room and close my eyes. I was too busy crying to hear anyone enter the apartment. When I did finally hear shoes hitting the floor. I sat up expecting Brooke to be back in the apartment but by the time I realized it wasn't her it was too late. Some guy grabbed me tightly and buried my head into her chest. I tired screaming but his shirt was muffling my voice and I couldn't see where we were going and I didn't really care…as long as I got away from him. I few minutes later my arm was killing me from trying to get free. I tired to keep fighting but I was soon sitting in a car with a seatbelt holding me in and the car door shut.

"Thank you" I looked over to see Brooke handing something to the guy that had just carried me out of my apartment.

"What the hell" I screamed as I roughly wiped away the tears on my cheeks.

"You weren't going to leave on your own…at least not anytime soon and we don't have time to talk this out right now. So I paid that guy $100 to bring you ass down here and strap you into my car and now that it's done we can go." As soon as the words left her mouth we took off in the direction of the highway.

"Brooke you can't just do this" I looked over at her in shook and anger.

"Oh yes I can…your clothes are packed and in my trunk…your bag is in the back seat and it has your credit cards, drivers license and all other IDs in it. The only thing you have left in this city if your job and one of us will be calling them on Monday to resign. Now there's only one things left" I looked at her and waited for her to speak as we pulled onto the highway. She didn't though…instead she snatched my hand out of my lap and slipped of my engagement ring. "I don't want any part of that bastard in my car" she informed me as she threw the ring out the window.

"What the hell do you think your doing Brooke"

"I'm not doing anything except helping you. You can't do this on your own so I'm helping you walk away Peyton. You gave me a great gift on Thursday and this is my gift to you…this is your chance to be free again. I already know that once we get into Tree Hill I can't make you stay there. I'm just hoping that you will on your own." Those were the last words spoken between us for the rest of the ride to Tree Hill. She had left my cell phone in New York but taking the phone book with everyone's numbers. She was cutting me out of Stan's life. It was 8 and half hours later that we got off on the exit marked Tree Hill.

"I won't say anything to anyone about why you came home. It's your business and therefore your job to let them know."

"Thank you" I whispered as we pulled into her driveway. We each grabbed our own luggage out the trunk of her car and headed inside. I was grateful for what Brooke did but fear was fueling my anger towards her.

I couldn't sleep that night…instead I wound up downstairs on Brooke's couch watching TV at 3AM.

"Watcha watching" She sat next to me on the couch with a half gallon of double fudge ice cream. She handed me a spoon and I accepted it, moving closer to her.

"I don't know…not really paying attention to it" I shrugged as I dug into the ice cream.

"I'm sorry Peyton. I shouldn't have just ripped you away from your life like that but I didn't want to risk waiting another day and then something worse happening then him breaking your wrist."

"You don't need to apologize for anything Brooke. Its just…Brooke I'm scared…I don't know how not to be" Tears rolled slowly down my cheeks and she set the ice cream down and pulled me into her arms.

"I know…and I'm sorry that you have a reason to be scared. I just really wish you would've called me Peyton…"

"I wanted to…but I couldn't make myself pick up the phone."

"So what made you call Lucas" Her voice sounded hurt and id dint' blame her. I had called Lucas and not her…my sort of ex instead of my best friend.

"Because the last thing he said to me was to call for anything…even if it was just to talk…no matter the time. After that night I just really needed to do just that…talk. I only planned on talking to him…just to hear his voice and remind myself that I had somewhere else I could go, somewhere else to call home, but after awhile I wanted to tell him everything. Every time I tried though I couldn't find the words and after awhile I just told him I had to go."

"Peyton what happened that night to make you call"

"We got home that morning and he said he was jealous of Nate and Luke because of how close I was with them while we were here. I told him there was nothing to be jealous about and I thought he believed me. He kissed me and I kissed him back because it was times like that when things were okay. I let him push my back on the bed but he locked my finger between his and he wouldn't let go. I kneed him and he got off of me. From there we got into a screaming match…then a shoving match and then I made the mistake of hitting him. From there he took control and decided to beat the shit out of me. When he stopped he left and went into work. When he came home that night I expected him to apologize and promise never do it again, because that's what he always did, but not this time. Instead he just started screaming at me. He skipped straight past the shoving and into the hitting part." I laughed bitterly before I continued. "He stopped when I locked myself in the bathroom and he couldn't get the door open. I stayed in the corner until 11 and when I stopped hearing him move around I crawled out to get the phone before locking myself back in. He always left afterwards but when he came back he never hit me again. I called Luke because I was too scared to go back into the room and I just needed to her one of your voices…he just happened to be the first person I thought about and I just called him. I told him I couldn't sleep and I said I was whispering because Stan had to get up early and I didn't wanna wake him. Luke just stayed on the phone with me all night and talked to me because I asked him to. And I tried to so hard to make the words come out…to tell him that I wanted to come home but I couldn't. I don't know why…but every time I tried nothing came out, so I just sat there and listened to him and acted like it was nothing." Brooke hadn't let me go this entire time and by now she was holding me tighter.

"I am so sorry" I could hear that she was crying with me. I don't know why I never called her…I guess I was ashamed of my life…ashamed of what I had let happen. I was scared to be judged by her and everyone else here. Some stupid part of me feared they would abandon me and I let that part of me win out over the truth.