Trashed and Scattered

Peyton and Brian breezed back into the expansive cabin like a hurricane. Their laughter floated up the stairs, encompassing the walls in joy to combat the tension. The scheming women in the kitchen fell into a hush, listening intently to the ringing of adoration that worked to remedy the lurking suspicion.
As Peyton and Brian rounded the corner, opening up the massively awkward layout that housed their group, they fell into an immediate silence. It was as if they’d walked in on an intense conversation modeled around their personas and short-comings. The tension was palpable as it nipped at their ears.
“How was the village?” Matt piped up, casting an apologetic stare to compensate for the thick air they were drowning in.
Brian cleared his throat, “Um, good. Got some shopping done.”
“Shopping for what?” Zach scoffed cheekily.
The guitarist shrugged, “Shit we don’t need. You know, the usual.”
He gestured subtly to Peyton with a swoop of his head. They quietly shuffled down the hallway, their bags crinkling loudly against the dead air. Only once they’d escaped the prying eyes did they let out a relieved sigh.
“Awkward,” Brian smirked over at the brunette carefully setting her bags down with her duffel.
She raised her brows, nodding at him over her shoulder, “No shit.”
“So I guess we didn’t really escape the tension at all, huh?” he half-laughed. “It was here waiting for us all along.”
Peyton frowned, straightening herself out with her hands free, “Great.”
“Maybe we can avoid them,” he offered weakly.
Peyton laughed sharply, “What? Forever? I think Queen Natalie might have something to say about that.”
Brian was disappointed by Natalie’s sudden strange behaviour. A part of him had hoped the women would get along and Peyton would be welcomed into the gang with warm, open arms. Natalie had let Crystal in—and practically every other girl that had been dragged into the lion’s den over the years. Natalie’s attempts at interrogation had opened a dialogue of disdain Brian had hoped Peyton could neglect. But it was clear then that Peyton was shimmying her way up the same hate tree Natalie had climbed.
He breathed, “I’m sorry she was weird...She is a decent person though, I swear. I don’t know what her problem was last night.”
“The same thing it’s probably been for a while,” Peyton shrugged.
Brian pushed his brows together, “And what’s that?”
Peyton bit at her tongue, hesitant to let the truth spiral out from her lips and obligatorily out of control.
He shifted his head forward as if to prompt elaboration from her pausing mind.
“Jimmy,” Peyton finally spoke. “Just not sure how it’s my problem.”
Brian opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a hurried knock at the door. Speak of the devil and she shall appear.
“Hey,” Natalie breezed, “the guys are going fishing.”
Brian raised a brow at her.
“Do you want to go?” she asked like it was obvious. “They’re heading down now. I said I’d ask.”
Brian glanced over to Peyton who was looking a lot like a deer caught in the headlights of a careless car. His voice caught in his throat.
“Crystal and I are going to have a wine afternoon,” Natalie spoke to the pair. “You’re welcome to join us, Peyton.”
It was Peyton’s turn to lose her voice. It was like staring into Ursula’s soul, her voice strapped around her neck like a trinket. She wished she could drown.
“Well, I, um,” Brian tried, “we were—“
Natalie waved him off, “They’ll never let you hear the end of it if you don’t go. You know it.”
He did know it.
“Peyton, you can hang with us,” Natalie said like it was simple.
Brian broke free from his binds, “Is that such a good idea?”
Peyton was horrified by the sheer stench of the dirty laundry Brian had just aired. Natalie blinked at him confusedly.
“Why not?” she challenged.
Brian raised his brows, “Because Peyton seems to lure out an ugly fuckin’ side of you, Nat.”
Peyton stifled a nervous laugh, casually throwing her hand over her smile. Natalie took a half step back, like Brian had slapped her with the truth. It was always more grotesque out in the light.
“Is this about that game?” Natalie replied. “I didn’t mean to offend you or anything, Peyton. I didn’t realize you were sensitive.”
Brian threw his arms to his sides, begging the question ‘what the fuck’.
Peyton cocked a brow, “I’m not. It’s fine. Wine at 3 PM sounds fucking swell.”
Peyton had never used the word swell in her entire life, but somehow in that moment it was the only vernacular that sprang to mind. Natalie smiled, basking in her victory.
“Great,” she concluded. “I’ll tell the guys to wait for you.”
She pranced off the way she’d come, as if Brian hadn’t just called her out.
Peyton’s stony glare turned to the guitarist, still reeling from the confusion Natalie had left in her wake.
“Really?” she asked flatly.
Brian faltered, “What?”
“Did you have to do that?” she groaned. “Now she thinks I’m some weak little thing that can’t handle a casual stake burning.”
Brian laughed softly, stepping closer to the irate brunette and wrapping his arms around her waist. She tried to slink away but his fingers found a grip that would not let go.
“You’re not weak,” he purred down at her, easing the hate in her eyes with the affection in his. “But I’m not going to let her push you around. She’ll be on her best behaviour now.”
Peyton sighed, “I’m a big girl. I can pick my own fights.”
“I don’t doubt that for one second,” Brian grinned. “But it’s never bad to have backup.”
She rolled her green eyes, leaning onto her toes to plant a quick kiss on his waiting lips.
“Go fish,” she chuckled as she pulled away. “I’m going to go do the girl thing.”
“Just imagine you’re talking to Joanna,” Brian suggested cheerfully.
Peyton shook her head as she headed for the open door, “I’ve never considered strangling Joanna. I’ll imagine Natalie’s a human though. That might work.”
Brian snickered as the beauty escaped from view, her steps slow as she closed the dreaded distance between her and her apparent enemy. The women twisted at the sound of her feet, each raising an inquisitive brow.
“Red or white?” Crystal piped up, holding a bottle in each hand.
“Either,” Peyton replied simply. “I’m not picky.”
Crystal nodded, surveying the options, “Red it is.”
She collected three glasses by their stems and headed for the back door. Peyton followed slowly, watching the men retreat just outside the window. Brian was tedious as ever, hanging back in the bedroom.
The afternoon air was warm, the sunshine glistening and bouncing off the surface of the lake. Natalie and Crystal collapsed into a friendly pile on the patio sofa Peyton had taken up residence in the night before. Peyton awkwardly sat herself in a lone chair across from them, feeling the divide deep into her bones.
Crystal set the glasses down, squinting to shield her retinas as the sun shot through the glass. She filled each one, sliding Peyton’s across the table with a screech.
“Thanks,” Peyton spoke softly, bending down to retrieve the peace offering.
“What did you think of the village?” she asked curiously, taking a sip of the cheap wine.
Peyton shrugged, letting her gaze fall away from the women and down to the shore, “It was busy. Some cool shops.”
Crystal nodded, “Yeah. You should see it in the summer, the streets get packed.”
“I believe it,” Peyton managed weakly.
As an act of God, Brian clattered his way through the door. He’d stepped into a thickness he should have known to expect. It horrified him nonetheless. He was lucky, he knew; he could escape it. Peyton was stuck like a prisoner—a prisoner he’d imprisoned with his desire. He felt entirely like shit.
“Catch me something,” Peyton smirked at him as he neared her place on the deck.
He grinned down at her, “I’ll see what I can do.”
He leaned down and planted a hurried kiss on her cheek before sauntering down the steps with a good pace. The guys spotted him and let out cheers for the ‘lazy German’. Peyton made a mental note to ask him about the nickname at the first opportunity.
“You’re with Jimmy!” Matt informed the guitarist smugly.
“What? No,” Brian argued with a huff. “Fuck that.”
Zach laughed, “You snooze, you lose, Gates.”
“Or you win!” Jimmy cackled, pulling his best friend into a headlock.
“He won’t be catching anything,” Crystal chuckled, pulling Peyton’s gaze from the entertainment below and back to the witches of Eastwick.
She smiled politely.
“I’m sorry if I was rude last night,” Natalie spoke abruptly. “I’m a bit of a lightweight and I lose total control of my mouth when I drink.”
Peyton resisted the urge to make some crude comment.
“It’s all good,” Peyton waved her off quickly.
“I’m just so curious about you,” Natalie smiled from behind her wine glass. “We don’t know anything about you.”
“What do you want to know?” Peyton bit into the game Natalie was playing.
She wasn’t prepared the night before. She’d been caught off guard and was hardly at the ready. That afternoon, however, Peyton was feeling surer. She could handle whatever crucifixion Natalie conjured.
Natalie was surprised by Peyton’s will. Crystal took a long, dedicated drink from her glass.
Natalie wanted to know if she was staring into Lexi’s soul. She wanted to know if those piercing emeralds were the same ones that had memorized the look of Jimmy’s heart. She wanted to know if this was the woman her boyfriend had loved.
Instead, she mused, “I don’t know. Um...”
“What’s your favourite colour?” Crystal volunteered with a snap of energy. “Mine’s red.”
Peyton tried not to laugh, “Um...Blue, I guess.”
Natalie snarled internally. Of course it was blue. Why wouldn’t it be.
“Nat?” Crystal encouraged.
“Purple.”
Peyton smirked, “How noble.”
“Noble?” she caught with offence.
The brunette shifted uncomfortably inside her skin, “Yeah...Purple is a colour of nobility.”
Natalie looked to her friend for confirmation but Crystal could only shrug.
“Really?” Natalie finally asked, intrigued.
Peyton nodded, taking a swig of wine, “Really.”
“Why?”
Peyton was a bit confused by the question but figured playing nice was probably more reasonable than throwing Natalie over the railing.
“The price for dye to make purple was astronomical,” Peyton explained casually. “Only the royals could afford it.”
Natalie was interested by the history, “That’s neat.”
“Why do you know that?” Crystal half-laughed.
Peyton shrugged, “I’m full of useless trivia. But I learned that in one of my first year design classes. It was offered as some interesting digression...”
Realizing her sentences were entirely too long for the situation, she let her thoughts trail off. Keep it simple, Peyton.
“First year?” Natalie caught. “You went to college?”
Peyton took a deep, quiet breath, “Yeah.”
“Oh,” she replied. “Where?”
“Yale.”
Crystal choked on her wine, “You’re an Ivy League girl?”
Peyton laughed nervously, “Yeah, I guess.”
“That’s impressive,” Crystal noted genuinely.
“So you must be smart,” Natalie stated, feeling more and more threatened by the second.
The awkward brunette shrugged her shoulders, “It’s not necessarily about intelligence...”
“To get into an Ivy League school?” Natalie challenged with a scoff. “I think you have to be smart for that.”
Crystal grinned, nudging her friend, “You’d never get in.”
“I went to UCLA,” Natalie whined like her tone might somehow make the schools equivalent.
“Right,” Crystal laughed pointedly. “That’s the same as fucking Yale.”
“I wasn’t born with a Mensa IQ,” Natalie shrugged off—she’d learned the word Mensa from Jimmy.
She still didn’t really understand what it was or what it meant.
“Neither was I,” Peyton argued gently. “I worked really hard...It takes dedication, not natural intelligence.”
Natalie tilted her head, “What did you study? Art?”
Peyton nodded.
“Oh,” she smirked. “I guess that doesn’t take much smarts.”
Crystal was as appalled by the statement as poor Peyton. She let her jaw hit the wooden planks of the deck with a cracking thud.
“Natalie,” she warned with a gasp.
Peyton shifted uncomfortably.
Natalie hated that Brian had been right. Peyton really did bring out an ugly side of her. She did her best to rope it in.
“What was Yale like?” Natalie moved on, trying to keep her tone friendly. “Is it as intimidating as it sounds?”
Peyton grit her teeth with irritation, “No.”
While Natalie wasn’t necessarily surprised by Peyton’s sudden hike in hostility, it did bother her. It validated her in the most unsettling way.
“Did you live in the dorms?” Crystal asked, still shooting warning daggers at her friend. “I went to Stanford and lived in the dorms. It was fucking terrible.”
Peyton half-laughed, thankful for Crystal’s apparent middle ground, “No, thankfully. I lived with my uncle for the first two years. My best friend lived in the dorms though. We got a place together to save her from the torment.”
“Good friend,” Crystal smiled, raising her glass.
“Who’s your best friend?” Natalie asked curiously, figuring it a safe subject to broach.
She disregarded that sinking feeling that Peyton’s answer would have once been Jimmy. She couldn’t shake that suspicion that hung around like a snake in the grass.
“Joanna,” Peyton said simply, a small smile tugging at her lips from the mere mention of her other half.
“How’d you meet?” Natalie asked.
Peyton glanced around for an exit, feeling another interrogation coming on.
“School...”
“Is she an artist too?”
Peyton was reluctant to offer up anything about Joanna to the likes of Natalie. Even as a caricature, Peyton didn’t want to sacrifice her best friend as a punch line.
“No,” she breathed. “She’s, um, studying to be a shrink.”
She was keen to avoid the discussion about the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist. That debate was reserved for Brian and Brian alone.
“Oh wow!” Natalie gasped.
Crystal snickered into her wine, “Maybe you should introduce her to Natalie.”
Natalie whipped around to scold her friend silently. If looks could kill, Crystal would be a puddle of blood dripping through the cracks of the wood.
“I’m just saying,” Crystal chuckled.
“What about you guys?” Peyton piped up, sensing an opportunity to shift the focus from herself.
“What about us?” Natalie asked as she slowly turned away from the traitor by her side.
Peyton pointed back and forth between the two, “Are you guys friends outside of being girlfriends to a band?”
Crystal smiled, “Most of the time.”
“We’re the only ones to survive the curse of Avenged girlfriends,” Natalie smirked.
“The curse, huh?” Peyton laughed.
Natalie nodded slowly, “Oh yeah. It’s a doozy. We’ve seen it all. The boys have brought home some...questionable beings.”
Crystal was in agreement, “I think you’re the most drama free of them all.”
Give it time, Peyton thought to herself.
“Remember Carrie?” Natalie groaned.
Crystal snarled, “She was fucking awful.”
“Who’s Carrie?” Peyton asked curiously.
“She was Zach’s last girlfriend,” Natalie informed the newcomer. “They dated for exactly two months and then she went squirrelly.”
“She showed up at Brian’s birthday after Zach had broken up with her,” Crystal half-laughed. “She made the world’s biggest scene. She was hysterical, crying inconsolably. Brian had to literally scoop her up and remove her from his house. It was crazy.”
Peyton couldn’t help but laugh, “I promise I won’t show up crying to a party.”
Crystal chuckled, “You’re a few big steps up.”
“Oh and Lauren?” Natalie gasped with wide eyes.
Crystal half-pouted, “I like Lauren.”
“Yeah but she’s so desperate,” Natalie groaned, rolling her eyes as she sank her back into the cushion.
“Look at how Matt treats her,” Crystal argued. “She isn’t desperate. She’s in love.”
“Same thing,” Natalie griped.
Peyton had a sneaking suspicion that Natalie would gossip about any female stepping into her den, whether it was warranted or not. She wondered briefly what Natalie had said about her—until she realized she didn’t care. It didn’t matter in the slightest what Natalie thought of her. Natalie didn’t matter.
“Well you’d know,” Crystal caught snidely. “About both love and desperation. Wouldn’t you, Mrs. Never a Sullivan?”
Natalie was horrified.
The confusion was written all over Peyton’s face, which Crystal was happy to work her through. She figured it served Natalie right for being such a callous town gossip.
“She’s been begging Jimmy for a ring for over a year,” Crystal explained. “He’s not budging.”
Natalie was mortified. Peyton was the last person she wanted privy to that sort of secret. She fell into a humiliated silence.
“Oh,” Peyton replied softly. “I’m sorry...”
“It’s fine,” Natalie rushed, downing the rest of her drink and hastily refilling it. “And I haven’t begged.”
“Sure,” Crystal scoffed.
Peyton shifted her spine to handle the weight of the air with more efficiency.
“What about you, Peyton? Are you picturing your white ball gown like this psycho?” Crystal asked nosily.
Natalie grunted, “She’s known Brian for, like, two seconds.”
“I didn’t necessarily mean Brian,” Crystal offered.
Peyton sighed as both sets of eyes fell onto her, “um...”
“Sorry,” Crystal laughed. “Too personal?”
Yes.
“No,” Peyton replied slowly. “And no. I’m not picturing a wedding dress.”
Natalie caught this with disbelief, “You will when you find the right guy.”
Peyton shook her head, “No...I don’t really believe in marriage.”
As the words passed through her lips, Crystal let out a giddy laugh. She slapped at Natalie’s knee as her friend’s heart sank. Peyton wasn’t sure what she’d said to elicit such a reaction but she found herself wishing she hadn’t.
“I guess you won’t be recruiting any new team members,” Crystal grinned at her irritated buddy.
Peyton raised an inquisitive brow.
“Jimmy doesn’t believe in marriage,” Natalie said quietly, as if the words might concrete a pain in her heart as reality.
“Oh,” was all Peyton could think to say.
“I don’t get it,” Natalie thought aloud with a hint of frustration. “How can you not believe in it? It’s real. Millions of people swear by it. What’s the put off? I don’t get it.”
Peyton was horrified as Natalie’s eyes settled on her, apparently looking for answers. Unfortunately, Peyton couldn’t read Jimmy’s mind and she knew her reasons could never match his. She wasn’t sure if Natalie was asking for her own thoughts on the matter or if she was simply looking for a sounding board to voice her heartache against.
“I, um,” Peyton started weakly.
“You don’t have to answer her,” Crystal assured. “She’ll get over it in a minute.”
Natalie insisted, “No, I’m curious. What is so wrong about marriage?”
“Nothing is wrong with it,” Peyton answered cautiously, eager to settle the mounting tension. “It’s just not for me...My parents had a pretty shit marriage. I’ve seen the sacrifices you’ll make for your spouse...I’m just not into it. I’m too selfish for that.”
“There!” Natalie caught like a bullet in her teeth. “Selfish! That’s what it is!”
“Easy, girl,” Crystal smirked.
“What if your boyfriend wanted to get married?” Natalie challenged, leaning closer to the beauty looking back at her. “You’re saying you’d say no?”
Peyton pursed her lips, “I would never date someone who wanted that...that’s a big deal. Those are very different values than mine. It sounds like a recipe for disaster.”
She’d briefly considered sugar coating her words but sought sweet revenge through honesty. It was a happy coincidence that her feelings hit Natalie with such brute force.
“I don’t get it,” was all Natalie could muster up.
Crystal laughed, “You don’t have to.”
“Jimmy will come around,” Natalie informed the group.
Peyton looked between the girls, sensing Crystal’s judgement through Natalie’s determination.
“Would you—“ Peyton started but stopped.
“Would I what?” Natalie grunted.
Peyton shook her head, “Nothing, never mind.”
“No,” Natalie insisted. “Would I what?”
The brunette took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she willingly stepped into the pit of Hell fire, “Would you really want to badger someone into changing their beliefs? Just to get what you want?”
Crystal gasped, sucking all pleasantries from the air. Natalie’s jaw clenched tightly as her hands bawled into loose fists.
“I hardly think it’s badgering,” Natalie hissed.
Peyton raised both hands by her chest, “Maybe you’re right. I don’t know your situation.”
“Yeah, well, you know Jimmy, don’t you?” Natalie snapped pointedly. “You know he isn’t one to be badgered.”
“Natalie,” Crystal warned.
Natalie shook her head, climbing to her feet in a fit of dramatics, “No. Jimmy wouldn’t marry anyone, despite all the badgering in the world...Right, Peyton?”
Peyton faltered, “I—I don’t know. Like I said—“
“Unless her name was Lexi,” Natalie snarled. “So I guess that means I’m screwed.”
Crystal snapped her gaze up at her teetering friend, “Natalie! Jesus! Enough with the Lexi shit!”
“My sentiments exactly,” Natalie growled, heading for the door. “Excuse me.”
She slammed the glass panes behind her, shaking the cabin with her fury. The remaining women winced from the sound, ducking into themselves to avoid taking blame. Peyton never should have let Brian leave her behind.
“She’s got some problems,” Crystal joked nervously. “She’d kill me if she knew I told you...but you intimidate her.”
Peyton sighed, “Why? I haven’t done anything to her.”
Crystal nodded, “I know that...but she and Jimmy have been working through some problems...I’ll save you the details...but you showed up and everything went from bad to worse. So I think she’s just looking for someone to blame.”
Peyton rolled her eyes, “I don’t see how I’m responsible for their problems.”
Crystal sized up the artist across from her, doing her best to survey sincerity. With a slow wave of gusto, Crystal found some loose courage.
“Peyton,” she spoke sharply, waiting for Peyton’s eyes to settle on her. “I feel fucking crazy asking this...but...you’re...you’re not Lexi, are you?”
Peyton’s self-control put on its best show. She maintained her composure despite the anxious kicking in her chest.
She forced a grin, “I’m Peyton.”
The response caught Crystal off guard for a second. But as it breezed by like the insanity of the accusation, Crystal laughed.
“Right,” she nodded. “You look like you could use a refill, Peyton.”
The brunette smiled, extending her arm out to the bottle in Crystal’s palm.
Another half-truth: Peyton’s speciality.

Notes

xx