Frozen in Ink

Chapter 2: Real World

"This is the real world P. Sawyer. You've got to fight back."- Brooke Davis

Peyton woke up, in her bed. Her dress was half zipped, her hair a mess, and with the worse pounding headache she had ever had in her life. Peyton sat up and scratched her head. "Brooke!" Peyton yells putting her head in her hands. "Yes, P. Sawyer." Brooke said in a sing-song standing in her doorway. "UHH! Don't do that!" Peyton said covering her ears and collapsing back on her bed. "Sorry, Peyton. But it is one o'clock in the afternoon. I let you sleep all day." Brooke walked over to the bed and lay down beside her. "How did I get home?" Peyton asked rubbing her eyes. "Nate. I think. You were both pretty drunk." Peyton sat up, trying to remember what happened last night. "I need coffee, and aspirin. I need a hell of a lot of aspirin." "Peyton, what is it?" Brooke asked, sitting up too. Peyton shook her head. "Nothing, nothing." "Don't lie to me, Peyton." Peyton tried to gather her thoughts, and fill in all the black holes in her mind. Peyton took a deep breath. "I think… I think… I think Nathan and I slept together."

Nathan stood outside of the apartment door, he closed his eyes trying to block out the throbbing in his head. Today he had to ask his friend, if he could stay with him. He thought of Haley and Jamie. They were probably up and getting ready for the day. Jamie was probably sitting at the island in the kitchen eating frosted flakes, his favorite. Haley was probably packing his lunch. Nathan frowned. He should be there. Haley and Jamie are his family. But instead he was standing outside of Mouth's apartment door, about to ask him if he could stay with him. Shaking his head he firmly knocked on the door, he waited until Mouth opened the door, and saw the suitcase next to him. "What's up Nate?" "Do you think I could stay with you for awhile?" Mouth smiled and opened the door wider. Letting Nathan in, not even knowing the sin on his skin.

"What?" Brooke wanted nothing more than to slap her in the face, but she held back and looked at her best friend confused. "Nathan and I had sex." Peyton said looking down. "Peyton…" "We were both drunk B. And pretty upset." Brooke shook her head still confused. "P. He's married." "Haley asked Nathan for a divorce, Brooke. Not that it makes what I did right, it's just that… Well I feel bad about it, but it was one night and…" "It's okay Peyt I understand. I've messed up too." Brooke wrapped her arms around Peyton and they hug. Letting go is stupid. Because if Peyton did, she'd just be letting go of the only thing she has left anymore, her best friend.

If Haley James Scott knows anything it is that Lucas Scott, her best friend, will be giving her a call in the next hour. He'll ask her about life and boy will she have some news to share with him. She wondered if one day Lucas would wake up and began to resent Lindsey. If one day he would wake up and see that it was a mistake marrying her when he was in love with Peyton Sawyer, and probably would be for the rest of his life. Haley wasn't the kind of girl who thought true love didn't exist. Even though her marriage crumbled up in front of her, like one of those paper balls her students toss into the trashcans across the class room, she still believed that what she had with Nathan was real. In fact Haley James Scott knew that Nathan Scott was the love of her life. This was why she asked for a divorce, because in a weird way she didn't want to have to one day look back on her marriage and resent him. Haley would always be in love with him, so she choose to let him go, deal with his issue. Her heart would always be opened to him, ready when his heart was healed, when his addiction no longer needed to be fed. In that way she would always be like Peyton Sawyer. Waiting for her comet to find its way back to her. The light was dimming in her universe, and all she needed was her one.

"So, here is the guest bedroom, Nate. I don't know what's going on. But you're welcome to use it as long as you need." Mouth said as he showed Nathan the spare bedroom in his apartment. Skills use to stay here but he told Marvin a few weeks ago he found his own place, and had overstayed his welcome. "Thanks a lot man." Nathan said and set his suitcase at the foot of the double bed. "Well I gotta get down to the station. I'll see you later." Mouth waved and walked out the door. Nathan was alone now. He was really alone. His best friend and older brother would probably turn his back on him once he found out. Haley and Jamie were gone for good. Peyton, he'd blown that last night, by sleeping with her. Nathan knew it was a mistake. He was drunk. He should've had more self control. But these days, that didn't matter. Anything with womanly parts that moved attracted him. His love for Haley couldn't even hold him back. After his accident the drugs helped his pain, physical and emotional. Then they were taken away and he had nothing but a bruised ego and a depression that wouldn't brake. He tried the alcohol which worked for awhile but it turned Haley against him. He cleaned up with a little help from Nanny Carrie and soon he and Haley were again a couple. You know, they had sex. It amazed him what a high it was. It was mind blowing. Then the attention from Nanny Carrie came, and well he made a few too many mistakes after that.

"I'm not allowed to cry." Peyton told herself. When people mourn the ones they've lost they are usually allowed to cry, but that person is normally not alive and well on their honeymoon. Peyton cuddled up on the couch, The Way We Were was on the TV but she wasn't paying much attention. The movie didn't have a happy ending, which didn't give her very much hope these days. Brooke had gone off to the store. She had to live and Peyton couldn't hold her back. Customers liked to shop on the weekends, and the store was too busy to for Millie to handle on her own, so Brooke left. People always leave. The thing that hurt Peyton must have been the fact that he was well gone; he had the guts to kiss her, he the guts to propose to someone with the ring he bought her, he the guts to write another book about how much he loved her. But he didn't. There was no way in hell he ever really loved her. Do you really hurt people that you love? Or is it that hurt that makes your love real, stronger?

Haley sat at home on the couch. She was absently staring at her TV screen. Jamie was playing in his room. Lucas was supposed to call her soon, so boredom was setting in. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, what she was going to say, but she had to tell Luke about her and Nathan. He needed to know. The phone rang and she picked it up quickly.

"Hello." "Hi Hales!" Lucas answered. "Luke! I was expecting your call hours ago." "Haley, it's my honeymoon. If I remember correctly you didn't call me for the first 3 days of yours." Haley frowned at the memory. "Luke, I need to tell you something." He could hear it in her voice. Something happened. His mind jumped around with concern and the only face he could see was Peyton's. "Yeah Hales. Anything." Haley took a breath and put a weak smile on her face. "Well…"

Brooke walked into the house to see Peyton sitting in the same spot she left her. A bottle of wine was sitting on the coffee table as well as an empty glass. "Hey there baby girl. How you doing?" Peyton nodded. "Awful, if you must know. I'm racked with guilt, my head is pounding, and right now I'm deeply saddened that the love of my life married someone else" "And more wine is supposed to help, how?" Peyton chuckled making Brooke smile. "It's not." Brooke sat beside her on the couch and propped her feet on the coffee table. "It was a hard day at the salt mines." "Mhmm. What happened, Brooke?" "Just a shop lifter. But it's all good now." Peyton's eyes were now glued to the ground. Her eyes were sad and tired and honestly Brooke couldn't take it any longer. "P. Sawyer, you cannot let this get to you. You hear me?" Brooke cupped Peyton's face so she was looking at her. "You are strong and beautiful. You know?" Peyton nodded as tears steamed down her face. "Peyton, in life things don't always work out. This is not a damn fairytale. But we do try." Peyton laughed softly, still crying. "Sweetie I know you love Luke. He knows it; everyone in this god damn town knows it, including Lindsey. I'm not praying for a break up of a marriage or telling you to do that but I'm telling you that if it's meant to be, which god knows it is, it'll be." Peyton and Brooke hugged tightly. "This isn't a fairytale, Peyton." Brooke whispered into her hair. "You're not in the mercy of some writer. This is the real world P. Sawyer. You've got to fight back."

Nathan lay awake in the bed staring at the ceiling. It was late and his recent case of insomnia was bugging the hell out of him. It all trickled down to his wondering mind, really, but that was just as bad. He had a basketball in his hand and tossed it up, and caught it. He continued to do so until he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He looked up and saw Luke's name flash on the screen. He was a little surprised that he called but picked up anyway.

"Hello." "Hi, Nate." "Big Brother. How's the honeymoon?" Nathan asked "Fine man. Look I talked to Haley today." "Oh well how is she doing?" "Nathan, where are you staying?" "Mouth's." Nathan said firmly. Lucas knew about everything and he was in a shit load of trouble. "Nathan. Why don't you stay at my house? I mean I'm not there and I just think it'd be better that way." Nathan was shocked he expected Lucas to make a scene, call him an asshole. "Lucas, you don't have to. I'm okay." Lucas paused and Nathan heard him take a deep breath. "Nathan, please, let me help you." He didn't want to be charity case for his brother but figured maybe Haley would see he was striving to be better. Maybe she wouldn't file the papers. "Okay Lucas." "Good. Key's under the mat." Lucas said and with that hung up.

TBC

AN: Hey guys. I hope you are feeling the story. Like I said it's different. Some parts of this chapter I really liked. Like that final Peyton/Brooke scene. The chapter header was written way before I wrote that scene and I was going to change it entirely until my brain suddenly came up with the words and I really liked where I went with it. :D Also if you noticed Haley thoughts appeared for the first time, I figured she had to make an entrance sooner or later, as well as Mouth. They are going to be steady characters. Lucas was in this chapter but if you noticed I didn't tell you what he was doing. That was on purpose. (Yes, I'm mean!) I'm not really sure how I feel about the POV. I feel like I write so much better in first but I don't know. Also if there is any problem in the format and it's hard to read, let me know. Please Review. I hope you like. I also just posted the first two chapters but anyway I hope I get a bigger response. I have a lot of this already written so I'm trying to space posting out. Want more than comment! [I'm not doing this for comments but they are soo nice] -Kelsey