Peyton Sawyer had been overjoyed when her fiancé shared the exciting news of his novel being considered for a movie adaptation. Lucas had worked so hard to make a name for himself as a writer, and Peyton was the most proud, supportive partner that a man could ask for. However, her excitement quickly diminished after she discovered that her ex boyfriend would be the one optioning the book.

After a grueling night at the bar with Lucas and Julian, Peyton lay in bed the next morning with a massive hangover, promising herself that she'd never drink again. She felt terrible; Lucas seemed to really click with Julian and she just didn't know how to bring up the fact to him that they'd dated in the past.

It was 2 in the afternoon and Peyton had barely gotten out of bed all day. She was too busy panicking over what Lucas would do when he found out about her secret. She was in the midst of rehashing every old memory she had with Julian when a text from Brooke pulled her out of her thoughts.

You home? Is it cool if Sam stops by to talk for a bit?

Peyton furrowed her brow. She'd only met the teenager once, what could Sam possibly want from her? Curious, she texted back.

Of course! Tell her to stop by whenever.

30 minutes later, Brooke pulled up in front of the Scott residence with Sam fidgeting nervously in the passenger's seat. The two girls had spent the last hour and a half finishing cleaning up Clothes Over Bros, and although Sam had hated every second of it and was dying leave, she now wished that she could be back there. In fact, she wished that she could be anywhere other than outside Peyton Sawyer's house ready to break the news to her.

"Okay, I'll be waiting in the car," Brooke said. "Take as long as you need, I know this isn't an easy conversation to have."

Sam nodded but remained in her seat.

"She's going to be really angry, but don't worry she won't kill you," Brooke sighed. "everything won't magically be fixed after this one talk, but she'll appreciate how upfront you're being."

"Mmhm," Sam mumbled as she forced herself to open the car door and drag her feet up the sidewalk.

"Hey kid!" Peyton exclaimed when she opened the door to her best friend's foster child. She was thankful for Brooke's heads up that Sam was coming. It would have been wildly embarrassing to open the door to a young girl she barely knew with a horrible bed head and the scent of alcohol radiating off of her.

"Hi Peyton," Sam said nervously, her eyes darting around.

"Come on it," Peyton gestured her into the house, trying to ignore the pounding headache that plagued her. "Brooke told me you were stopping by, what's up?"

"Can we sit?" Sam asked hesitantly as she made her way over to the kitchen table.

Peyton followed her, extremely confused as to where this visit was going. "Umm yeah, sure," she pulled out a chair and took her seat across from Sam.

The pair sat in silence for a couple of seconds. Sam's heart was pounding inside her chest so loudly that she swore Peyton could hear it too.

"I threw a party last night… In Brooke's store," she finally blurted. Sam honestly had no idea where else to begin, the words just slipped out of her mouth.

"Oh?" Peyton raised an eyebrow. Why was Sam telling her this? The only interaction they'd had was briefly at the slam ball game yesterday afternoon. She wasn't even aware that she had a relationship with Sam yet.

"I definitely threw a few crazy teenage parties in my day," Peyton chuckled softly. "What did Brooke have to say about this?"

"She wasn't too happy… but listen, something happened," Sam looked at Peyton miserably.

"What's that?" Peyton asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

Sam took a deep breath, and in one long winded attempt explained, "Your wedding dress was displayed on the floor, and I had no idea it was there or else I totally would have moved it, honest! But some kid got a hold of it, and it got ripped up and covered in spray paint, and I am SO sorry, I'm a horrible person, I feel so terrible Peyton I'm sorry."

Sam gulped and stared into Peyton's eyes, desperate for her to say something, anything, but Peyton remained silent, clearly in a state of shock.

"I never should have thrown that stupid party in the first place," Sam offered when after a few more seconds Peyton still hadn't given her a response.

Peyton felt as though the whole world had been ripped out from under her. She was having trouble wrapping her head around what Sam had just admitted. The bride-to-be had been so giddy over her custom dress for her special day, and she couldn't fathom that it was no longer intact.

"Sam…" Peyton began, and her entire demeanor shifted, suddenly becoming eerily dark. "Like I said, I get the whole teenage rebellion 'let's throw a party' thing, but not with my wedding dress in the mix."

"I know I'm sorry! I know you were so looking forward to wearing that dress, and it was beautiful, and Brooke worked SO hard on it. I'll do anything to make it up to you," Sam cried, tears springing to her eyes despite her attempts to remain calm.

"I just… you can't be so irresponsible and careless like that, Sam!" Peyton scolded. "You're right, that dress was perfect, and now it's ruined because of your stupidity!"

"It was an accident, I-"

"I don't care if you intended to damage my dress or not," Peyton cut her off as she continued to reprimand. "You need to understand that your impulsive behavior affects other people too, and actions have consequences."

"I understand, I do! I regret last night so much and I wish that I could take it all back," Sam sorrowfully told the adult across from her.

Peyton swallowed. "So is it beyond repair entirely?"

Sam slowly nodded, tears clouding her vision. "I tried to fix it but it was no use. I can't get it back to the way it was."

Peyton pursed her lips as she tried not to cry herself. "I am so disappointed in you," she said after a moment, her voice no longer raised. She was surprised at how firm she was being with the teenager.

Sam felt as though someone had taken a knife straight to her heart. She wasn't even close with Peyton, but those six words cut so deep. She hated herself at this moment, and the guilt that she had already been feeling all day increased drastically.

"I'm sorry," Sam repeated quietly with tears continuing to fall. "I know you and Brooke hate me now and I deserve that. I'm sure Brooke'll ask me to leave soon anyway so you won't have to deal with me anymore," she said sadly.

Silence took over once more and Peyton stared at the fragile girl in front of her. As angry as she was, she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit sorry for her.

"Sam, Brooke and I don't hate you," Peyton said, studying her face. "And she's not going to ask you to leave."

"Why wouldn't she?" Sam scoffed. "You weren't there, she's so pissed at me."

"Well of course she is," Peyton rolled her eyes. "And honestly so am I. But making one horrible mistake doesn't make you a horrible person."

When Sam said nothing and just stared at the table, Peyton continued, "I've known Brooke since we were seven years old and she has the most genuine heart of anyone I've ever known. I promise that you don't need to feel threatened around her. You're lucky to have her."

Peyton's words rang in Sam's ears as she used the back of her hand to wipe away the last of her tears. She hated how vulnerable and childish she was acting in front of this woman who was practically a stranger to her, but maybe Peyton was right. Brooke did seem kind and understanding, and she seemed like a good mother figure so far.

"Okay," Sam whispered. "Are you ever going to be able to forgive me though?"

Peyton looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Yeah, just not right now, I need a little bit of time. I know you didn't mean to cause any harm though."

Sam felt like sobbing. She understood why Peyton wasn't ready to forgive her yet, but she wished that everything could just be okay between them.

"I understand," she replied dejectedly. She cleared her throat before continuing, "Well I should probably get going… Brooke's waiting in the car."

Peyton sighed, "Alright. You be extra nice to her, okay? And don't throw anymore wild ragers."

"Kay," Sam got up from her seat and headed for the door as Peyton followed her.

"You're gonna make this up to me somehow," Peyton asserted.

"Of course, anything you need I'll do it," Sam promised. She opened the door and turned to Peyton once more. "I'm sorry again, Peyton."

"I know you are. Bye Sam, I'll see you."

Brooke was reading a magazine that was kept shoved in her glove box reserved for times like these. You never know when you'll be waiting in your car with nothing to do, was her thought process. She was so lost in her reading that she didn't notice when Sam approached the car and opened the door. Startled, Brooke set down her magazine and looked at her foster daughter, noticing her tear stained cheeks.

"How'd it go?"

"Fine. She was a lot nicer to me than I would have been."

Brooke pursed her lips, "I'm sure. Peyton's pretty forgiving, you're lucky."

"Mmhm."

"I'm proud of you for confronting her. I know that wasn't easy for you," Brooke said quietly.

Sam's heart sped up and she felt a strange feeling wash over her. Hearing Brooke say that she was proud of her, even when she was clearly still furious, felt nice to hear. She'd never been told those words from anyone else.

Brooke started the car. "Do you have anything else on your agenda today?"

Sam glared at her, "Okay, you don't have to mock me. I know I'm not allowed to go anywhere or do anything fun, so no, I'm gonna sit in my room and do absolutely nothing, Brooke."

"Jeez, okay!" Brooke said defensively, smirking. "It was just a question, sorry I asked."

The girls rode home the rest of the way in silence and Sam stared out the window, lost in her thoughts. She couldn't picture herself not feeling horrible ever again. She only wished that Brooke and Peyton would forgive her soon. It was weird; she actually wanted their approval, something she'd never sought after from anyone else.