` this turbulance is beautiful, open.

[Peyton Sawyer]

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Almost every table on the quad situated a clique; or a group of people. Why everyone had to be labelled, Peyton guessed she would never know. If they tried to put a label on her, would she end up as just another cheerleader? She knew anyone who knew her should know that she was far from just that; but that was the thing, a lot of people around Tree Hill High didn't take the time to get to know her, or anyone else. Senior year seemed to have snuck up on Peyton Sawyer incredibly fast, almost to the point she sometimes doubted this was reality at all. The mind of Peyton always had worked in strange ways.

Whereas, yes, she had noticed the many different groups surrounding her, it made no difference to Peyton. She was sat alone, and that's how she wanted to stay, unless someone she actually classed as a friend came over. And, there weren't many of them, that was for sure. It sparked doubt in her mind as to why everyone thought she was so popular; Lucas. Haley. Nathan. Those were her core friends, no-one else mattered, not at the moment in time. Every now and then, she wished she could still lump Brooke in that category, but she wasn't sure if and when Brooke would ever speak with her again.

Infront of her, as per usual, was a sketch book; open on a blank page, her pencil poised above the page. She had an entire packet of artists pencils sticking from the top of her bag, but she'd currently chosen to work with one which was made with fine graphite, making sketching along the page easy. For once, she was stumped as what to draw. A memory? If so; happy or miserable? Recent or distant? She rarely drew anything that didn't express how she was feeling, but currently all she felt was frustration towards the lack of ideas. In annoyance, she ran the pencil sharply across the page, snapping the top of the graphite sharply off. Sighing heavily, she tore the page from the book and scrumpled it up, dropping it lazily onto the table.

She knew there was a reason for this, there always was. Recently; Peyton had been struggling to come to terms with all of her conflicting emotions. The main reason for this? Lucas Scott. It was confusing, when the guy you'd seen to be your best friend over the last few months, the one who'd helped you through everything suddenly needed to be more than that, again. She knew she was in love with him, once more; and had she ever really stopped? She'd kept her feelings on hold because Brooke had been dating him...And now she wasn't.

Frustration, guilt and sheer annoyance overwhelmed Peyton as she shoved her sketchbook back into her bag, tapping her short-nailed fingertips melodically against the table. Unsurprisingly, her head was on permanent juke box mode; song after song playing through her mind. Sighing, she lifted her thumb to her mouth, her teeth tearing at the skin around the nail bed as her mind wandered off into a world a million miles away from Tree Hill.

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Word Count - 556.

[Nathan Scott]

Nathan walked through the halls to get to the quad he had a lunch bag in hand, but it wasn't like he really wanted to eat what was in it. Nathan pushed the doors open and looked around at a crowd of people he could choose to sit with anyone of them and they would all be happy to have him at their table, but today he didn't want to sit with someone that would consider him something great because truth was he wasn't.

Nathan looked around and not seeing Luke or even Brooke. Haley was in the tutor center today, so sitting with her was out. Nathan pressed his lips together after taking a deep breath he stuck his hand in his jacket pocket and played with the keys to his truck that were in his hands. He thought about just leaving for the rest of the day and pick up Haley after school yeah that would be good. As he turned to leave he spotted someone that he hadn't had notice just a few seconds earlier. He pulled his hand out of his pocket leaving his keys in his pocket and approached the familar face.

Nathan sat down from across from her and held a smile, "Hey Peyton, what's ya drawing now?" It had been awhile since him and Peyton had gotten to talk it would be nice to talk with her again even though they had been together all weekend it was still not like they really took the time to talk.

[Peyton Sawyer]

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Although the mind of Peyton Sawyer was, almost quite literally, thousands of miles away from the school; her hearing was still quite clear, and it only took her a few moments to register that someone else was there, and that someone was speaking to her. The voice was familiar, though for a long time; it hadn't been, exactly. Peyton recalled the months, when to her Nathan had been just another guy to avoid at school. Her ex-boyfriend, someone to avoid at all costs.

However, over the months and now years since he'd been with Haley, Peyton had found she had less and less problems with him. He was less of an ass, and Peyton had grown to actually like the guy. Although she hung around him more now, due to him and Haley; and her burning desire to be with Lucas, she didn't recall the last time they'd had an actual conversation - If they ever had. "Hey, Nate." She responded; her green eyes drifting slowly to lock on his face.

Keeping her gaze on his face for several seconds, she glanced towards her back where the corner of the sketchbook which she had just replaced stuck out. "Nothing. I couldn't think of anything to draw." She admitted, with a frown on her face. The fact she'd given up midway through a drawing sparked doubt in her mind; that wasn't like Peyton, not at all. Deciding not to bother with the whole wondering why thing, she instead focused her attention back on Nathan, half wondering why he'd bothered coming towards her at all. "What're you doing here?" It was direct; and to the point, without sounding even remotely like 'Go away'; which, in some cases would have possibly been her choice of wording.

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Word Count - 323.

[Nathan Scott]

Nathan nodded at her he pressed his lips together and could sense that there was something up, but he wasn't sure if it was good or bad...something just seemed off with her. "Come on, Peyton since when do you couldn't think of anything to draw...when we were together you could never stop drawing." Nathan cocked his head to the side as he waited for her answer.

Nathan pressed his lips together and shrugged at her question at first. "Haley is tutoring during lunch today...was thinking about going and getting my own lunch when I spotted you...What are you doing here all alone? Where's Brooke at?" Nathan arched an eyebrow at her.