/0:5/
Do you ever wonder why you do stuff? Stuff that you know is bad but you don't stop? Stuff that could potentially hurt other people? Yeah, well Ethan obviously doesn't think that way. He'd came back at the end of the month with what was most likely the most horrific news possible.
"I've got a semester left anyways, it'd be dumb to not get to know the people paying for my college education." He argued staring at us as we all looked like fish out of water.
"So, you want to move in with your birth parents?" Quinn asked
"Yeah, and before you say I'm just doing this because of this one visit, it's not. My mother, she's having a baby. She already has another son. I have real siblings."
"Real?" I asked, hurt he would use blood as an excuse for the word family.
"Peyton Elizabeth calm down." My father warned.
"Were we reals when helped you with all those science projects? Were we real when we were there for you when Livy fucked your best friend?" I asked anger filling my voice.
"Peyton Elizabeth! That is enough. Go to your room, now!" My father yelled shaking the room we were in.
"You know what? Go ahead and go. Go live with your real family. Better them than me." I said before walking to my room. I dropped on my pillow and closed my eyes. my chest tightened as I cried and screamed angrily. I couldn't be mad at him though. I mostly envied him. We all grew up with these strangers who taught us right from wrong. They abolished any bad thoughts we'd ever had and made it easier for us. They established a rule base but they never fully loved us. We all had to love each other. First it was just Ethan and I. Then we adopted Quinn. Pictures masked to the wall showing what could be called a Kodak family. All smiles with pretty eyes and gorgeousness. It was all a joke now though. It was all a great misunderstanding. If I'd known this whole sibling love thing was a joke I would have stayed platonic.
"Peyton? Can I come in?" I heard Ethan ask. I heard footsteps and then a space near me sunk.
"You know I didn't mean that, you will always be my sister." He said.
"Yeah, I'll always be the girl you lived with until your real family came in." I muttered sitting up.
"I'm going for the kid." He said. I turned my head to face him. His eyes were on the carpet I had laid down years ago.
"The newborn?" I asked unsure of why this was an issue.
"Regina, my birth mother, was talking to a drug dealer last weekend. I can't let anybody know. That baby isn't safe in that house." He said looking up at me. His eyes looked old and tired, his forehead was exposing little likes of stress on it.
"That baby isn't your responsibility. Ethan, you can't take care of that baby alone." I said seriousness in my voice. He ran a hand through his hair.
"You know, sometimes when I'm alone. I like to imagine us in different situations. Ones where we aren't sad like this. This little baby is me. I need to go back and help this boy like others should have for me." He says.
"What about college? How are you going to support him?" I asked thinking about the horrors of raising a kid on my own.
"I don't know. Livy's dad owns a chain of Babies R Us in Vermont. I've got some money saved up from holidays. I'll have enough for the down payment on a small apartment. Livy and I will rotate in morning and night classes. Get jobs." He mumbled.
"Why don't you tell mom and dad?"
"And get Regina arrested? I've already thought about that. If my plan doesn't go like I hope then I don't want that baby in the system." He said harshly rubbing his forehead.
"Okay, I'm supporting. This idea is stupid as fuck, but fosters fight for each other. And if this baby means so much to you then I'll be here for whatever support you need."
"Right now I need you to not tell anyone. Quinn already knows but that's where this lie ends. The three of us. Andrews siblings." He says staring into my eyes.
"It ends here." I said nodding. He let out a sigh of relief and then gently shoved me.
"You're stupid to think I didn't consider you my real family." He smiled at me. I threw my arms around him and squeezed him as close as I could to myself. Family and love felt like this.
~*~
"I don't know why we even have to argue about this. Seth and I like each other." I repeated to Andy as he scoffed in disbelief.
"I don't want to play this card but, you two are from two absolutely different worlds. He likes building stuff and fixing stuff and you enjoy breaking things down. Do you think Seth breaks things?" He asked as we sat by a water fountain in the center of the mall. Andy purchased a smoothie and was now sucking any and all remains from the large styrofoam cup.
"Opposites attract." I said twirling the top of my straw between my fingers.
"Bullshit! Peyton, talk to me. Why are you doing this? I never imagined your date a science nerd. Science nerds are no fun. They just want to teach all the time!" He exclaimed.
"Seth likes to teach, but only the stuff I'm willing to learn." I smirked at my best friend sipping a vanilla milkshake.
"Ew that's disgusting. I know you don't want to hear this. But I think you should end things with Seth. Before it's the other way around and you get hurt."
"I'm not expecting a long romantic fairytale. Or for us to be someone's relationship goals. I like him and he likes me." I said sipping the last of my drink and tossing it into a nearby trash bin.
"I think you need someone who cares about you just as much as I care about you. I don't want you to get hurt Pey, and if you tell anybody I said this I'll deny it but I love you." Andy smiled at me. His eyes lightened up softening.
"I love you too, Andy." I said ruffling his hair. He swatted my hand away fixing his mess before shaking it out.
"And if that Beverly Hills Steve Urkle thinks he's going to hurt you he's got another thing coming."
"Oh, aren't you my knight in shining armor." I smiled rolling my eyes.
"Yep and don't you forget it." He smirked evil rising in his eyes.
"Okay okay, now why did you really bring me here?" I asked him standing up from the bench we were on.
"Polly Pocket is throwing a party tonight. Everyone will be there. And in all honesty, I've seen your closet and I'm not impressed."
"So this is a shopping trip?" I asked getting slightly excited.
"A few dresses, a pair of shoes. And an outfit for me. I need to woo the ladies." He said.
"So this is really for you?" I asked as we started walking.
"Why do you have to turn everything negative? God hate politician kids." He said walking off.
"Says the politicians kid." I teased following closely behind him. We stopped to find me clothes first. I didn't normally shop at malls. Vintage shops and thrift stores were more my thing. I liked classics. Having an original copy of something nobody cared about meant a lot to me for some reason.
"Sweater or teeshirt?" He asked me deciding between two shirts he held out in front of himself.
"The sweater, makes you look like less of a fuckboi." I chuckled going through a rack of crop tops.
"You're hilarious." He sneers walking to another rack laced with pants. I browsed the racks aimlessly not seeing anything that particularly caught my eye. My mind was actually pretty full. Had I'd known that all this shit was going to pile up I might've made myself more sociably approachable so that I could have more friends to discuss my issues with. But it's hard to be sociably anything when surrounded by incompetent, bird brained, garbage mouthed hominids we called peers. I honestly believe some kudos is due to how long I've held in. It's almost as if high school is a really bad movie and as the characters we move like dummies as the director continues his blasphemy.
"Peyton Elizabeth! What a coincidence! I was just about to run down to your house and invite you to my party tonight!" Priscilla exclaimed basically oozing joy from her eyes.
"That's exceptional, Priscilla. I'd be honored to attend your party." I smiled. She clasped her hands together and smiled widely before placing her clammy little hands on my shoulders.
"You are my most treasured friend." She said. Her phone buzzed and she quickly whipped it out and replied to whatever message was sent to her. "Well darn, gotta fly. But you'll be there won't you? At my party?" She asked walking backwards and swiftly maneuvering through racks and mannequins.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." I promised. She smiled again and turned around rushing out of the store. How could one person make you so tired?
~*~
The party obviously wasn't planned by Priscilla herself. There were brands of alcohol there that even I'd never heard of. But nonetheless it was a pretty great party. I kind of regretted my outfit choice of a sweater. 300 horny teens in a confined space was not what I planned. But I looked pretty badass with my long red sweater tucked into my black skater skirt. I wore lace tights and ankle boots that were sequined. My hair had huge curls all going one way down my back and I had a cute skinny brown belt. I was accomplishing something with this outfit. I had lost Andy the second a drunk Priscilla dragged him to the floor for a dance. I was on my second cup of what they called Fish Tank surprise. It tasted like cherry vodka and peach moscato with a hint of what seemed to be coconut. It wasn't bad. I few guys have drunkenly hit on me before passing out. I was wandering around without a cause. The alcohol pumped through me making everything seem swirled or crooked. I tilted myself trying to straighten things out. I felt a hand on my waist steadying me.
"Excuse me." I apologized bumping into the body.
"Your drunk." The voice said. It was stern and rather angry sounding.
"I'm guessing you aren't." I slurred leaning on the voice.
"Come on, I'm taking you home." He said. The voice moved and I fell to the floor groaning and huffing loudly reaching for help. I was swiftly lifted off the floor and carried in a cradled position. I didn't feel horrible just unable to function. Like I could move but I couldn't control it. I was kinda frightened.
"You could have been seriously hurt." The voice says.
"You can save the speech for your daughter, I know what I'm doing."
"Do you know who I am?" The voice asked. I hesitated to answer. I had heard the voice before. It was the kind that sent shivers through me. "Ha, getting into a car with a stranger. You obviously know what your doing." The voice mocked me laughing humorlessly at me.
"A stranger wouldn't have cornered me at a crowded party, witnesses." I said trying to sit up but failing. I couldn't tell if we were driving or walking but I knew that whichever the voice had intentions.
"What are you thinking about?" The voice asked. I hesitated.
"Nothing, I'm thinking nothing." I responded stretching out to give myself the proper room needed.
"You can go to sleep. Sleep it off." The voice said. My stomach twisted and turned and hotness built itself up in my chest up to my throat until it was released everywhere. I coughed trying to catch my breath.
"God damnit." The voice muttered as the residue continued to spew out. Coughing once more my mind clicked off.
~*~
My head hurt, not like a normal headache like the type that was sensitive to breathing. I held my breath but my head throbbed more. I gave up and reached for my aspirin that I kept on the windowsill. Nothing. No windowsill, no medicine. I sat up noticing the grey walls and black bedspread. How decorative. I ran my hand down my body, patting my legs and my chest. No bra, huge shirt. I looked around the room. It was fairly clean. Clothes strewn in random places on the floor and a couple abandoned socks and balled up paper. I slid off the bed wincing as my feet touched the cold hard wooden floor.
The walls were bare except a painting of the Eiffel Tower and a mosaic of what looked to be Greek gods and goddesses. I knelt down wrapping my fingers around a ball of paper. I walked it over to the desk that was adjacent to the bed. It was a blurry sketch. It looked like one of my teachers. It was an older one. The picture made her look beautiful. She had wrinkles and tired eyes. She was distraught. I felt a pang of guilt for her.
"Life doesn't give justice to those who have endured immense pain." I heard someone say. I turned around and a shirtless Asher stood leaning against the door frame. My eyes scanned his body and I courageously kept my eyes leveled with his own.
"Pain endured is wisdom shared." I said taking the paper and crumbling it in my palm. I liked this kind of art. Not good enough yet at the same time to good.
"How are you feeling?" Asher asked walking toward me his hands tucked in the pockets of his sweat pants. He looked tired and actually quite concerned. His eyebrows were knit together with worry as I hesitated to answer.
"I'm fine, thank you." I said backing into the desk. He stopped a foot away from me and his eyes dropped to my legs.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked. His eyes slowly traveling up to mine.
"Well enough." I said. He chuckled ever so lightly as his eyes connected with mine.
"Don't be afraid of me. If I wanted to hurt you I would have already." He said backing into what I assumed was his bed.
"I'm not afraid of you." I said stiffly.
"Yes you are. You're terrified." He smiled eyes lighting up.
"You sadistic bastard." I mumbled.
"What was that?" He asked cocking an eyebrow ever so swiftly.
"Can I assume you changed me?" I asked placing a hand on my hip.
"With no intent to offend. And I wasn't worried about your body as much as the vomit you left all over my mother's favorite carpet." He said crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm prepared to pay for it." I said before thinking. Mrs. Greene spent millions of dollars on nail polish, I could only imagine how much she'd spend on a foreign silk carpet.
"Don't worry about, you need to rest. Not worry about my harebrained mother mourning a stupid carpet." He said standing up from the bed and walking to the door.
"Don't get in cars with strangers, Peyton Elizabeth." He said before walking out and shutting the door. I could feel my pulse pushing through my small body. I really needed to get out more.
a/n
I just wanted to thank everyone for commenting. And I wanted to also say this chapter went from planned to free write so quickly.
Comment you fave character so far.
Mine is Andy 😍💖