A/N: So this is the next chapter…things are slowly starting to build here and there will be plenty of more drama to come, trust me on that. The Breyton and Saria (Sam and Aria) will come soon I promise. Patience is a virtue.

Chapter Seven: Truths

Samantha sighs as her phone buzzes another time. It was early morning and Sam knew that Brooke was going to make her go to school. Sam didn't like that idea much, but there really was no going past Brooke.

Brooke and Sam had spent most of the night talking about what they were going to do with the whole Rebecca situation. Brooke had asked if Rebecca had ever shown up at school and at that point Sam knew she was screwed because if she had lied and said that she did then they were for sure going to the police, but if she told the truth then she knew school was were Sam was headed. She sucked it up and told Brooke the truth.

Here she was hours later and with no sleep, sitting up in bed and staring at her buzzing phone. She knew it was all from Rebecca, but only one thing was going threw her mind, the one text that scared the crap out of her.

U told the cops!

There were only three suspects on Sam's list as of right now, Brooke, Peyton and Aria. She hoped to god it wasn't Aria, she didn't want to lose her trust in her new friend.

"Sam, you have to get up and go to school."

Sam watches as Brooke enters the bedroom hesitantly. She had said those words outside the door and it took Brooke awhile to step threw.

"I think I should just quit. I'm behind anyway, what's the point?"

Brooke watches as Sam stands up from her bed to look in the full view mirror.

"You are smart Sam. There is no reason for you not to go to school today. Besides, Aria will be there," Brooke grins and Sam turns to face her.

"Did you call the cops?"

Brooke raises an eyebrow to that question. She had debated for hours on whether or not to call. She knew she had to, but at this point it was something she couldn't do.

"No, I didn't. Why?"

Sam shakes her head slowly.

"No reason, just wondering."

Brooke purses her lips and eventually nods her head. Sam was acting funny, but Brooke didn't want to push anything at the moment.

"Come on, I'll see what I can do about those visible bruises."

Sam begrudgingly followed Brooke out the door.

-Complication of the Heart-

After talking with her sister for a good amount of time last night, Haley was set on talking with Sam today. She wanted to get straight answers and she wanted them right away. Otherwise she would tell somebody. She didn't like seeing the ones she loved hurt or injured and it was clear that something was wrong with Sam. She just needed to find out what.

Walking through the halls of Tree Hill high wasn't any different from any other day. Students were standing around talking, laughing or goofing off. Some were going through their books, but one student in particular was leaning against another girl's locker. The girl in question, Haley knew from class. Aria O'Malley. What surprised her was that Sam was the one leaning against the locker.

Haley checked her watch and noticed that it was a good hour before classes began and she decided that it was her time to have that talk with Sam. Her feet started walking. As she got closer her ears picked up the conversation that the two girls were having.

"Aria, what the hell did you do?"

"Sam, I'm looking out for you okay? I can explain everything in better detail later. I promise nothing bad is going to happen."

"It already did. You can't do anything about it."

Haley decided it was time for her to announce her presence.

"Good morning girls," Haley greeted with a smile.

Startled, both girls turned to Haley.

"Hey Mrs. Scott," they both greeted with hesitant smiles.

"Sam, can I speak to you for a few minutes?"

Sam looked from Haley to Aria and then back to Haley. She sighed, but eventually nodded her head.

"Sure," Sam turned to Aria with a stern expression. "I want that talk later."

"Sure thing Sam. I'll see you in class Mrs. Scott."

"Bye Aria," both Haley and Sam watched Aria walk down the hallway with confidence, although Sam's eyes wondered to Aria's ass. Damn those jeans.

"Let's talk in my classroom Sam, come on."

Sam rolled her eyes, but followed Haley anyway. She might as well get it over with.

-Complications of the Heart-

After a long night and without Lucas coming home Peyton knew what she had to do. She needed to end things with Lucas, but she could only do that with Lucas around. Figuring that he would show up eventually Peyton decided to take Sawyer to Red Bedroom Records. She knew Mia was supposed to be recording her new album and she wanted to see her friend.

"Knock, knock anyone here."

Peyton steps threw the door with a smile. Mia was currently sitting at Peyton's desk fixing her lyrics in her notebook. Mia looked up and grinned.

"Oh my god, Peyton, what are you doing here?" Mia's eyes traveled to Peyton's arms where Sawyer was trying to get away. "She's gotten so big."

"I know," Peyton says while placing Sawyer on the ground. "Honey, don't touch anything. Mama will get you something to color in just a minute."

"Kay."

"You don't write, you don't call, and it's been like two years."

Peyton smiles sheepishly at Mia.

"I know. Things have just been going on and things are getting pretty rough, but Sam needed me so I came down."

"Is Sam okay?" Mia asks concerned for her friend. She hadn't spoken with Sam much these days, but they both have been pretty busy.

"Eventually she will be, but I can't really go into it."

"It's understandable, it's Sam's business and if she has you helping her then I know everything is going to be okay."

"I hope it will."

"Mama, color with me," demands little Sawyer.

Mia and Peyton grin.

"You feel in the mood for some coloring."

"You bet!"

-Complications of the Heart-

"No, I haven't really talked to Peyton yet," Lucas says into the phone as he lies down on his bed. Lindsey had called him a few minutes ago.

"Lucas, you know that I love you right?"

"Of course I do."

"Then I'm telling you now, I can't wait forever and I will have this baby no matter what. No matter if you stay with Peyton and end our thing or you leave Peyton and you come with me. Lucas, I've just been through a lot these past few years. I'm starting to feel like a whore."

"I'm sorry Lindsey. I didn't mean to make you feel like that, honest. I'm just a very confused man right now and I don't know what I want to do. Actually, that's not true. I know what I want to do, but there are too many factors to play out first."

"I know it's my fault for falling in love with a married man. Look, Lucas, I have to go…figure this out and come home. Baby and I will be waiting."

Lucas hangs up the phone and sighs. He was screwed either way he looked at it. Question was what was he going to do?

-Complications of the Heart-

Sam entered Haley's classroom slowly. She really didn't want to talk to Haley about what was going on in her life. She hated the fact that she couldn't protect herself. She didn't want to rely on anybody. But she knew she had to.

Haley takes a seat in front of Sam.

"Tell me what's going on?"

"Do you always try and get into your student's lives?"

"If they are hurting or are being hurt then yes, I do."

Sam shakes her head. Haley always meddled in her life. The first time she did she was glad. She met Brooke that way, but right now she didn't like it at all. It was rather annoying at this point. She already had Aria, Brooke and Peyton on her side. She didn't need anyone else.

"Sam I want to help you, but I can't until you tell me what is going on. You shouldn't even be in this class. You're smarter than this."

"Haley, I appreciate the concern, I really do, but I don't need your help. What I need you to do is leave me alone and move on with your idea of helping me because I don't need it and I don't want, okay?"

Sam gets up from her desk and heads to the classroom door.

"If you don't tell me what's going on then I'll go to Brooke with my suspicions."

"She already knows," Sam states before exiting the room.

-Complications of the Heart-

"Thank you so much for meeting me John," Brooke says in greeting as she enters an office.

"I'm your lawyer Brooke; of course I'll meet with you. Do you want to tell me what this meeting is about? Your business perhaps?"

Brooke sighs and sits across from John's desk. Brooke crosses her legs and smoothes out the invisible creases in her skirt.

"No it's not about my business, but it does involve me.

"Awhile ago I let my foster daughter move in with her biological mother. I gave up my guardianship rights over to Rebecca, Sam's mother. How can I get them back?"

"Brooke you gave your rights away when you let Sam move in with her mom. I feel for you, I do, but in a court of law Rebecca would win. She is Sam's biological mother. You can't beat genes."

"Genes don't make the family John. Maybe by a technical standpoint, but not the world we live in. I took care of Sam for a very long time. I had the adoption papers. I had everything and then Rebecca shows up and takes her away from me."

John looks at Brooke with compassion. He really liked his client. He knew Brooke had an amazing heart and sitting here listening to her he knew her heart was breaking.

"Only under some circumstances would you be able to regain said guardianship from Rebecca. I mean do you have anything on her that proves she's a bad parent."

"She beats on her. I have the proof. I've seen the bruises. Right now Sam is staying at my house, but I want Sam legally out of Rebecca's and bring Rebecca to justice."

"You'll need to report it. That's a given and when Rebecca is arrested I could pull some strings and have guardianship moved back to you and then hopefully a judge will allow that."

"Would some not allow it?" Brooke asks questioningly. She couldn't understand why a judge would place someone in the system unless they didn't have to.

"Well based on your history it shouldn't be a problem. If push comes to shove the judge would ask Sam if she wanted to stay with you or be sent somewhere. But right now, if you have Sam it's kidnapping or Sam's a runaway. We need to do this right Brooke for everyone. Report Rebecca and get your guardianship back."

-Complications of the Heart-

"Okay, it's time to explain to me," Sam demands as soon as the final bell rings. She had caught Aria walking out of her classroom.

Aria sighs and nods her head.

"Not here okay. Come with me to the gym, it's open and I'd like to shoot around a bit."

Sam nods her head and follows Aria into the gym. Aria goes to the ball rack and picks up a ball and starts dribbling it. Sam watches her the whole time.

"Are you going to start explaining or what?"

Aria shoots the ball into the net, runs and grabs it.

"Growing up, my dad and his brother used to be best friends," Aria turns to Sam with the ball in her hand. "They are only a year apart. In high school my dad was a sophomore and my uncle Justin was a freshman. Their home life started to get bad. Their parents divorced and my dad went to live with his whereas Justin stayed with his mom. Justin and my dad stopped getting along. They didn't even go to the school anymore. As they got older they just drifted apart. My Uncle Justin went into the police academy, got married, and had kids only spoke to his brother every so often. My dad went school, got married, had me and he beat me. My mom ignored it," Aria walked to sit down on the bench where Sam was seated. "The moment I couldn't take the beatings anymore I went to see my Uncle. Despite him not having a good relationship with his brother he always made it a point to get to know me."

Aria drops the basketball on the ground and rubs at her face.

"I told him everything that went on and he couldn't believe it, but he looked into it anyway. It ended up being true. He helped me get emancipated."

"Didn't he turn your dad in?"

Aria nods her head.

"Yeah, but my dad got off. Judge was a personal friend. That's why we did emancipation. I have dinner with my uncle and his family every Sunday. It's as if my parents don't even exist."

"I don't even know what to say."

Aria shakes her head.

"Don't say anything. Sam, I trust my Uncle okay. I'm only trying to protect you because I've been there. I didn't have anybody to help me like you do with me. Sam, I don't want anything bad to happen to you and I'm sorry if I crossed a line, but if that means losing your friendship to keep you safe then I'm sure as hell going to do it."

-Complications of the Heart-

"Brooke, how come you didn't tell me about Sam?"

Brooke looks up from her laptop startled by Haley's voice. Brooke was going through every option available to get Sam back. She didn't even know Haley was coming over.

"Excuse me?"

"I went to talk to Sam today during school because she didn't show up yesterday. She has bruises Brooke, clear, visible bruises. What the hell is going on?"

Brooke closes her laptop and pushes her hair behind her ears.

"Rebecca beats Sam. It's been going on for awhile. Sam doesn't want me to report it, but in order for her to come back and live with me, I'm going to have to."

Haley was afraid that it was something like that. Sam didn't deserve anymore hurt.

"What are you going to do? What can I do?"

"You can't do anything Haley. I guess just be her teacher. I think that's all she can handle right now."

"That girl doesn't deserve anymore hurt in her life."

"I know Haley. I feel like I failed her and all I want to do is make it right."

Haley grabs a hold of Brooke's free hand and squeezes it. Being the motherly type, Haley needed to console a sad looking Brooke.

"Everything will be okay Brooke. I believe that."

"I hope you're right Haley because I don't know how much more I can take."

-Complications of the Heart-

"Peyton, we need to talk."

Peyton and Sawyer had gotten home a few minutes ago and Sawyer had gone straight to her room. Lucas was sitting on the couch staring at the blank TV screen.

"I think you're right."

Peyton sits down next to Lucas.

"Why did we get married?" Lucas questions softly. "You don't love me Peyton. You didn't love me then either."

"You're right maybe I wasn't in love with you, but I did love you. I was confused."

Lucas glares.

"You were always confused Peyton. All through high school you were confused both you and Brooke. You didn't know what the hell you wanted."

Lucas stands up from the couch and starts pacing in front of his wife.

"I'm not stupid. You and Brooke were always together and I know why. It was because you were sleeping together," Peyton bites her bottom lip. She honestly didn't think Lucas knew about it. "Admit it. You married me because you were pregnant with Sawyer or you were getting back at Brooke for trying to move on from you. Just admit it."

"Is that what you want me to say Lucas? That I only married you to get back at Brooke or because you knocked me up? Well I can't because I don't know. Maybe on some level I did, but Lucas once I married you I wasn't with Brooke. I wasn't with Brooke when we were engaged or when I was pregnant. I was with you."

Lucas turns to Peyton and shoves his hands in his pockets.

"You were with me physically, but emotionally, you were with Brooke. I saw it every time you looked each other. I saw that love and it pissed me off. I can't do it anymore Peyton. You came here to help Sam and to see Brooke, but I can't do it anymore. My life isn't here anymore, it's in New York."

"With Lindsey?" Peyton questions.

"She's pregnant and the baby is mine. I love Lindsey. I fell out of love with you."

"Go to New York then Lucas. Do what you want, but don't hurt Sawyer in the process!"

"I'm sorry Peyton."

"Me too."