Me: Hmm Hmmm Hmmm ICHIGO LOVES PEYTOOOON Hmmm Hmmm Hmmm-
Ichigo: (whacks me in the head with his cast, then looks innocently at you readers) Rukia's not here. Shh. Enjoy! (cue dazzling smile)
Me: (barely conscious) Lies...His smile is filled with LIES! (passes out)
Ichigo: (eye-twitch) Damn, i hit her a lot harder than i thought...Shit, Rukia's gonna kill me..!
The three days leading up to the trial passed by really slowly for not only Peyton, but everyone involved, including her friends back in Karakura.
Finally, the day arrived. Three long days, two restless nights, five visits, and two crying jags later.
They all saw him and told him they loved him and such before the trial, and then they sat on hard benches for a good three hours.
The benches might've been uncomfortable, but that barely registered to Peyton. Finally, they took a break to let the jury deliberate.
"I'm surprised the case is taking such a short amount of time," Steven was saying as they ate in a nearby fast-food joint. "Usually these take place over several days of trials."
"Well, if you remember, his trial was canceled and rescheduled several times. I'm sure everyone's ready to just get it over with," Karen replied.
"I'm just ready to get home. I mean, of course I care what happens to him, but...you know what I mean," Lindsay stated with a sigh.
It confused Peyton how they could be so casual when, basically, his life was hanging in the balance.
Screaming this out to them wouldn't do any good, though, so she just stayed silent and nibbled on the stupid fries.
Back in Karakura, if someone looked into Ms. Ochi's last period homeroom, they'd see something interesting.
They'd see about five or six students fidgeting anxiously. Rukia was biting her nails, Matsumoto was sighing every five seconds impatiently, Toshiro and Renji were picking apart their erasers and flicking the crumbs at people's heads, and Keigo and Ichigo were bouncing their legs.
They had been doing all this throughout the whole day.
All Ichigo really wanted to do was call Peyton and find out what happened, but he'd have to wait until he got home and looked up some numbers.
He planned on Googling the hotels in that area and calling to see which one she was staying at, and hope he got through.
He was even going to pay the long distance fee with his allowance. Well, he'd probably steal Karin's, but it's the thought that counts, right?
He was THAT dedicated.
Finally, the bell rung, and they were practically airborne as Rukia flung open the classroom door...And their Soul Reaper Phones went off.
All five of them stood staring at each other, and Ichigo sighed rather heavily before unzipping his school bag, ignoring Kon as he gasped for air dramatically.
"Well...THIS sucks."
She had been expecting it. Hoping against it, but expecting it.
She thought those ten to thirteen minutes just sitting on the bathroom sink convincing herself it could happen had prepared her for it, at least a little.
"We the jury, find the defendant, Cameron Cullen...Guilty."
But it hadn't. She felt utterly numb, and stayed upright for about twelve seconds before more or less collapsing back onto the bench.
Lindsay sat down with her so she wouldn't look half as much of an emotional idiot, keeping a death grip on her hand. Cameron looked right as his goddaughter as the judge read out his sentence.
"I hereby sentence the defendant to 22 years in the Austin Correctional Facility without possibility of parole. Once eligible, if the defendant pays the $24,590. 27 due to Miss Lydia Whittaker, he will be given a minimum 5-month parole. Case dismissed. Bailiff, would you please..?"
The officer led Cameron out, and Peyton swallowed hard as her family patted her back. Lindsay dragged her into a standing position and down the aisle, walking so fast that the people nearby were blurs to her sister.
A reporter stood right in their way, looking at them. "One of you happens to be Cameron Cullen's goddaughter, is that correct?"
Everyone looked at Peyton, and Lindsay kept her gaze on the reporter, looking like she was prone to scratch her eyes out at any moment if she said the wrong things to Peyton.
The reporter took this as her answer and stuck a tape recorder closer to Peyton's face. "What thoughts ran through your mind as you heard he was guilty?"
"That depends. My actual thoughts were somewhere along the lines of 'Holy shit, holy shit, someone better catch me if I faint, and why the hell would I leave my charger at home'. But something tells me that's not what you meant."
The reporter was all business, but they both jumped as Lynn smacked Steven upside the head for snickering and attempting to make Peyton high-five him.
"Actually, what I meant was your opinion on the sentence."
"My opinion?"
Lindsay tugged on her arm. "P, you don't have to answer any questions this chick has for you."
"I know..I knew he was guilty already. Obviously. I just thought maybe...Maybe it wasn't too late for some kind of compromise. But I want to make it clear, since I know you're probably gonna run this in the newspaper Lydia reads, that I have no feelings of resentment towards her. She did the right thing, my godfather made some bad choices. We all do. I just...wish she didn't take it to court like this."
Her voice cracked at the end, and she realized she was dangerously close to crying. Lindsay glared at the reporter as she opened her mouth to ask something else, and she dragged her sister out of the courthouse.
"I think you've got all you need. And if you paraphrase my sister's statement, I will hunt you down and rip the Bump-It right out of your bleached hair from the roots up."
Peyton was still kind of dazed, but told Lindsay "Thanks sis, I love you" about five times on the way to the hotel.
HOURS LATER...
"Hey, is there a Peyton Cullen staying there? You dunno? Oh. How about ANY Cullens? Two rooms?"
Rukia jolted upright, and Ichigo started to show actual interested emotion in his voice instead of the dullness. About time; this was his eighteenth call AT LEAST.
"Yes, please put me through." He put his hand over the receiver before hissing dramatically, "SCOOOREEE! FINALLY! HECK- Oh, hey Peyton."
Rukia crossed her arms, at first impatient to get her turn to talk, but soon became amused with Ichigo's behavior.
She noticed that when he talked to Peyton, he was noticeably calmer, and fiddled with random junk in his room.
"Oh, yeah, I figured. Nope. I just looked up the hotels near the Austin Correctional something-or-other, and called every single one until I got through to you."
Another pause. More fiddling. Cue the smug smirk. "I know, I'm awesome."
Wait. Cue skeptical look? Where'd that come from?
"You didn't contradict my awesomeness. Either you're exhausted, sick, or the trial didn't go good."
Rukia shot up from her chair after Ichigo hadn't talked in over ten seconds, listening intently to his girlfriend's reply. Rukia even counted using Mississippi between numbers, like Peyton had taught her!
"What happened?" She hissed, and her temple throbbed as Ichigo waved her off quickly.
He didn't look very happy anymore.
"That explains why you sound so sniffly. Tell me everything, alright? Just calm down."
Rukia held up a finger in protest, her mouth forming an "O", as Ichigo simply walked out of the room without handing her the phone.
Damn him! He always hogs the damn phone to himself, even when frigging TELEMARKETERS are calling!
She decided to look around his room while he was gone, though she lived there, so there couldn't be too much lying around that she hadn't already seen at one point or another.
But what else could she do? She was bored as hell.
One thing DID catch her eye, though. It was strategically placed between some random sheets of paper on Ichigo's desk.
A slow, evil grin spread onto her face. This was where Ichigo always hid things he didn't want anyone to see.
She dove for it, rifling through the papers as if trying to acquire some crack. Rukia unfolded it, and found a long list.
It was titled: "A Few Reasons I Might, Maybe, Possibly, But Probably Don't Love Peyton".
Ohhhhh yeesss, I have GOT to read this.
A random sampling, perhaps?
4. Her eyes. Damn those big, stupid brown eyes. I blame this on America, because no other brown-eyed girl around here has eyes like hers. Stupid fricking America.
7. She can talk to anyone and become friends with them. Even telemarketers. And usually remembers their names somehow.
9. The spazz-attack she has before she sneezes.
17. I have more actual thoughts about her than perverted thoughts.
18. When I do have perverted thoughts, there are plenty of them, and they are AWESOME.
24. She can beat the crap out of me and rarely says sorry, yet apologizes to inanimate objects and pets.
25. I let her beat the crap out of me even though I know she rarely says sorry.
38. The way she looks at me when she thinks I'm not looking, and how it makes me feel awesome.
47. I accidentally said "I love you" on her voicemail, and as much as I hate to say this...I mean really, REALLY hate to say it...it felt normal until I spazzed myself out over it.
59. It's officially 1:04 AM and I'm still thinking of things I can put on this list. Stupid Peyton, making me lose sleep even when she's across the goddamn ocean...
63. She can't cook, but insists she can. To prove it, even though it's disgusting and she knows it, she will eat the food she attempts to cook. And pretends to swallow it. And spits it out only when no one's looking. JUST to be right.
69. I was so busy writing this next thing down that I didn't even laugh all perverted-like when I realized I was on #69. Heheheh...69. Anyway. I really don't mind dad's Baby-Making Chart that much anymore.
77. The way she does this weird little Happy Dance whenever a song she likes comes on the radio.
89. Speaking of songs, she knows every lyric to every song in the entire world, and sings it almost better than the artists. I am not exaggerating.
91. She knows more Chuck Norris and Jack Bauer jokes than me and Renji combined. Which is really, really, really, really, REALLY saying something.
95. She plays COD. And she's actually a pretty big challenge. And damn, does she rub it in. She also wins tons of money after morons bet against her. They never learn...
99. There are 99 things on this list so far. Fun fact. Enough said.
104. My mom would love her. She'd probably smack me upside the head for even considering making this list to try to prove how much I "don't" love Peyton.
107. It's 2:25 in the morning and I just now have to actually think a little on what the next thing on this list might be.
108. I actually made a list to convince myself I probably don't love her. It's not working.
Rukia read every single thing on the list. All 115 things. And then she stuffed it into her pocket.
Knowing Ichigo, he would probably burn this very soon, and she would NOT allow it. Peyton had to read this.
EARLIER...
"P?"
Lindsay's voice made her jump; it had been more or less quiet except for her sniffling. She had had another crying jag, and was currently hidden in her castle of covers and hotel beds.
Peyton poked her head out, taking the earphones out of her ears, and Lindsay held up their hotel room phone. "Someone wants to talk to you."
She sighed. Great. It was probably the people on the other side of the wall, calling to beg her to stop making noises.
"Hello?"
"HECK- Oh, hey Peyton."
She shot upright, and ignored the wide grin on Lindsay's face. "Ichigo? But...I lost my phone."
"Oh, yeah, I figured."
"How the HELL did you get this number? Did I tell you? I don't remember.."
"Nope. I just looked up the hotels near the Austin Correctional something-or-other, and called every single one until I got through to you."
"Awwww, is he serious?" Lindsay asked.
Peyton glanced up at her. "I think so. He's using his serious voice."
Of course he heard them. "I know, I'm awesome."
"Mm."
There was a catch of breath on the other line. "You didn't contradict my awesomeness. Either you're exhausted, sick, or the trial didn't go good."
Dammit, why did he have to know everything she was feeling even when he couldn't see her expressions?
Lindsay noticed how quickly her sister's face fell, and inched towards the door. "Say no more, I'll leave you guys alone for a while."
Peyton nodded appreciatively, then decided to answer Ichigo. "Y'know, I was doing pretty damn good with keeping myself composed until you asked me that. No, it didn't go well. Actually, I feel exhausted and sick, too," she said quietly, feeling her eyes getting wet again.
She heard movement, and Rukia hissing something to him nearby. "That explains why you sound so sniffly. Tell me everything, alright? Just calm down."
So she told him everything. From the trial, to how crappy the food was, to the prison visits, to the reporter, and finally, to her emotional breakdown.
"It just amazes me how casual and calm everyone can be. His life was at stake here, and in the end, he pretty much lost it. Can you imagine? Going to jail for unpaid child support, nine days before Christmas. I'm not gonna be able to see him for such a long time, when usually I see him at least six times a year. It...It just doesn't seem fair. I can't even blame Lydia, because I would've taken some kind of action too, but at the same time...ugh! You see my problem?"
She had tears of frustration running down her cheeks by this point.
"Yeah, I see your problem. What makes it even worse is the fact that I can't come over there and hug you, or anything. It's killing me. But anyway, we're talking about you and your godfather here, not me. How about this? Your mom was a flight attendant, right?"
She nodded, then smacked her own forehead distractedly after remembering he couldn't see her nodding. "Yeah."
"Well, you could fly over there every once in a while to visit him, then come back. And maybe you could send him a Christmas tree or something, I saw it on Bones, like, a year ago."
"I love that show."
"I know, so do I."
She heard him sigh heavily on the other line. "You have to go, don't you?"
"Yeah, who knows what the hell Rukia could be doing to my room right now...But I'm not gonna hang up, okay?"
"Well, you can't stay on much longer, long-distance costs a TON of money now," she stated matter-of-factly, wiping her nose with a random tissue before throwing it half-heartedly towards the trash can in the corner of the room. She missed. Shocker.
"I don't care. Here's what we're gonna do. You're gonna get in your bed and put the phone by your ear, and I'm gonna stay on the line and talk to you until you're asleep. So there."
"But Ichigo-"
"I'm using Karin's money anyway."
"She's gonna maul you."
"I'll use dad's money, then. You KNOW he won't mind."
Peyton sighed and slid into bed, plopping the phone onto the pillow dramatically. "There. Your wish is my command, sir. Talk away."
"Hi Peyton."
"Yo."
"How's your life?"
"It's getting better."
"You're welcome!"
She yawned rather loudly, then smiled. "Thanks, Ichigo."
"Ahhhh, my bed feels so good. Oh, and you're welcome."
"You sure you wanna do this?"
"Peyton, Peyton, Peyton. You always ask the stupidest questions."
Hours later, they both ended up falling asleep with the phones still on until Ichigo rolled over and pressed a random button.
But at least Peyton slept without any nightmares for the first night in a while.
Ichigo: Ha! She's still out cold! ...Well, Mandy anyway. I dunno about Peyton. So not only did i get to tune out this chapp, but i also pigged out on both my share of cake AND her share! (turns ninja as footsteps are audible on the random stairs)
Still Ichigo: Oh SHIT! I must hide Mandy's body! REVIEW, and these two broads might spare me!