Trashed and Scattered

“It’s a real shame you didn’t come sooner,” Jonas grinned, casting an embarrassing pink hue into Joanna’s cheeks.
“If I’d known the infamous Jonas was so cute, I probably would have,” she retorted bravely.
Peyton cringed, gagging loud enough to disrupt the flirtation, “You guys are fucking nauseating. Stop.”
“She’s just bitter because she can’t decide on a man,” Jonas smirked.
Joanna shook her head, “Oh, I think she’s decided. She’s just too scared to admit it.”
Peyton rolled her eyes, “What are you two idiots talking about?”
“You know,” Jonas informed her sternly, drawing a sloppy triangle into the air.
“Love triangles are confusing,” Joanna mocked sympathy, unashamedly rummaging through Jonas’s portfolio. “Especially when it’s with your soul mate and your soul mate’s best friend. Awkward.”
Peyton groaned, “There’s no triangle. Jimmy is not my soul mate.”
Joanna grinned, cocking an eyebrow at her best friend, “I didn’t say Jimmy, did I? You got to that place all on your own.”
“Oo!” Jonas hollered with a laugh. “She’s got you there, Pey!”
“On that note,” Peyton declared, clearing her throat as she climbed to her feet. “Let’s get you out of here, Jo. I’ve had enough of this shit for one day.”
Jonas cackled, “What, Pey? One triangle was enough, can’t do a second?”
“Oh my god,” the artist grumbled to herself, swiftly collecting her friend. “See you tomorrow!”
Jonas waved, laughing inwardly as the embarrassed brunette made her escape with the sexy blonde in tow.
Peyton ushered Joanna to her rental car, practically forcing her into the passenger seat. While she was excited to have Joanna around, it wasn’t lost on Peyton that her attention would now be differed. She’d have to entertain her best friend—which meant sacrificing time with Jimmy.
“So, tell me about Jonas,” Joanna grinned the second Peyton pulled the car into motion.
Peyton sighed, “No.”
“Come no!” Joanna pleaded happily. “What’s his deal?”
“You’re not fucking Jonas,” Peyton replied flatly.
Joanna gasped, “Who says that was my intention? God, Peyton. Can’t a girl just appreciate a handsome man without the pretense of sexual craving? Can’t she?”
“Yes, she can,” Peyton nodded. “You can’t.”
Joanna giggled, “Yeah, that’s true. But since when are you such a prude? You settle down with your knight in shining armor and now suddenly promiscuity is a shamed offence?”
“I haven’t settled down with anyone,” Peyton laughed, glancing over at her friend with curiosity. “You can fuck whoever you want—but Jonas is a womanizer. I don’t need you getting mixed up in his bachelor bullshit.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Joanna smiled. “I’m a big girl!”
Peyton shook her head, “He’ll be at my house tomorrow to help finish the renovations. You can shake your ass at him then.”
“Yes!” Joanna cheered. “Another one bites the dust!”
The artist laughed, falling into the same old paradigm of adoration Joanna could pull out of her at any moment.
“Give me the run down of the other contenders,” Joanna instructed. “Who’s who? Who’s cute? Who’s off limits? Give me the dirt, Winchester.”
Peyton smirked, “They’re all cute…Johnny and Matt are off limits.”
“Who are Johnny and Matt?” Joanna asked.
“Friends,” Peyton said slowly, unsure if it was really safe to call them that.
In Matt’s case, she considered him a friend. They’d spent enough time in their childhood to warrant an ease of transition into adult acquaintanceship. She hadn’t spent nearly as much time getting to know the others—there hadn’t been much of an opportunity. She’d preoccupied herself with Jimmy, and then Brian, and more recently, exclusively Jimmy again.
“So what about Brian?” Joanna coaxed. “I’ve seen his picture and he’s hot as fuck. So…Is he off limits?”
What a loaded question that was, Peyton thought to herself. While Peyton had tucked her feelings for the guitarist into her pocket, she still had a flicker of disinterest in Joanna attaching herself to him. It wasn’t that Brian didn’t deserve someone wonderful like Joanna or that she thought Joanna would be hurt by the doe-eyed musician…she couldn’t quite place the reasons for protection over him.
“Um…” Peyton hesitated, crossing the line between Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach. “No…He isn’t…But…”
Joanna giggled, “I would never. I was just trying to see where you’re at.”
“He’s my friend,” Peyton smiled. “That’s all.”
Her best friend grinned from ear to ear, “And what about Jimmy?”
“Don’t say his name like that,” Peyton groaned. “I know what you’re doing.”
“What am I doing, Pey?” she dared. “I’m just asking about a boy. No big deal.”
Peyton half-laughed, “He’s my friend.”
“Uh-huh,” Joanna nodded, wide-eyed. “Your boyfriend maybe.”
She shook her head, “No, it isn’t like that with us…It’s…I don’t know what it is.”
“It’s love, Peyton,” Joanna informed her best friend. “Duh.”
Peyton sighed, “I swear it isn’t like that. We’re just…close. We were best friends for most of our lives…He’s just kind of stepped back into that role.”
Joanna smiled, truly reveling in how naïve Peyton really could be. For such an intelligent woman, strong and capable, when it came to love, she was an absolute moron. She’d mistakenly found love in all the wrong places and had allowed herself to become entirely engrossed in it. But Joanna could tell something profound was happening between Peyton and the mystery boy—and it wasn’t entirely surprising to find Peyton in complete and total denial.
For Peyton to admit she was loved was to admit she was capable and worthy of receiving it. A struggle Joanna had always recognized in her best friend but could never quite work out the origin of.
“You really think that, don’t you?” Joanna asked with a soft laugh.
Peyton furrowed her brows, “There’s nothing to think. It’s what’s happening.”
“Sure, Pey,” Joanna nodded. “If you say so.”
“Oh for fuck’s sakes,” Peyton groaned. “Stop, Jo. Seriously.”
Joanna shrugged, “Well then talk to me. You’re treating me like I’m stupid and I don’t much care for it, my moronic friend.”
“I’m not treating you like you’re stupid,” Peyton argued lightly, taking a sharp left onto Main.
“Tell me something,” Joanna tried. “Just humor me.”
Peyton breathed, “What?”
“Do you want to come home?” Joanna asked.
The artist hesitated, “Yeah.”
“It doesn’t really seem like it,” she noted. “When we talked last, you seemed pretty upset that you’d be leaving soon…I won’t judge you if you want to stay here, Pey. I’ll support your happiness at any cost.”
“Joanna, stop,” Peyton instructed lowly. “I’m…I’m so fucking tired of people suggesting that to me like it’s something I’m even considering. New York is my home. That is where my life is. I was never supposed to be in California forever so I’m fucking tired of being crucifyied for leaving. I’m fine with going back because that’s where I fucking live.”
Joanna’s jaw cracked as silence sewed up her tongue.
Peyton was the calmest and most collected human being Joanna had ever met. It took a lot to light her fuse, and it usually consisted of constant ignition efforts. For her to spark alight in any fashion with such vigor meant she was struggling with something deeply embedded into her skin. Joanna hadn’t seen a quick flare-up like this since Peyton had first considered leaving Jared.
It had been a loud conversation—spearheaded by Joanna’s observational skills and lack of filter. Jared was entirely undeserving of Peyton’s wonderous personality, and Joanna wasn’t afraid to inform her best friend as such. It was an added, bittersweet, bonus that Jared turned out to be an abusive psychopath. If he’d hidden it for another year, Joanna was sure Peyton would have ended up with the man for life. A bullet dodged.
“I know that,” Joanna replied slowly, quietly. “But I just think—”
“There’s nothing to think,” Peyton interrupted impatiently. “He doesn’t want me here forever. I don’t want to be here forever. I’m going home on Saturday and there’s nothing else to say about it.”
Joanna narrowed her eyes, “Who doesn’t want you here forever?”
Peyton tilted her head, glancing over at her best friend as she slowed to a stop against the curb, “What?”
“You said he doesn’t want me here forever,” Joanna regurgitated cautiously. “Who doesn’t?”
Peyton gave her head a shake, “You misheard me.”
“Did I?” Joanna challenged.
The artist sighed loudly, “Jo, I swear you misheard me. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get off this dead horse fucking topic and move on with our day.”
Joanna nodded politely, “Sure, Pey.”
Peyton climbed out from the car and waited for Joanna to collect her bag from the back seat. The blonde followed her friend up a walkway, her eyes dancing between the two neighboring houses trying to work out which one belonged to the infamous Wiley. Joanna knew she’d stepped into a piece of Peyton’s history and she was aggressively curious about the shape of it all.
As Peyton stepped into the house and Joanna reluctantly followed her, the blonde was surprised by the beauty of the home. She’d half-expected a ghoul-infested manor with skeletons piled in each corner. Instead, the walls were freshly painted and the floors pristine and vibrant. The house was undeniably beautiful, which seemed an odd fit for Peyton’s gruesome childhood.
“Welcome to my house of horrors,” Peyton joked lightly. “Coffee?”
Joanna smiled, “Always.”
The blonde took it upon herself to peruse the house while Peyton brewed a fresh pot. After successfully exploring the main floor, much to Peyton’s amusement, Joanna set off up the stairs. She pushed each door open with the palm of her hand, peering inside with sheltered curiosity. That is, until she reached the final bedroom at the end of the hall. Peyton’s scattered belongings was a dead giveaway that this was the room her best friend had hidden away in.
Joanna meandered into the room, instantly placing herself against the window. She peered outside, across the rooftop to the house next door. She knew then that the white house belonged to Wiley—and she could almost picture Peyton’s youthful escape through this very same window. It was like being introduced to Peyton for the very first time; no secrets, no lies.
She nodded to herself oddly before turning on her heel, quickly examining her best friend’s state of living. Her sketch book was nestled on the bed, cracked open which seemed like an obvious invitation for investigation. Adjusting her detective hat, Joanna perched herself on the bed and pulled the book into her lap.
A dozen versions of the same face peered up at her as she sifted through her best friend’s work. It was a testament to Peyton’s talent, really. Joanna knew without question that each figure on each page was one and the same. She could only imagine who this creature was to Peyton—not that Joanna didn’t have a pretty good guess at his identity.
“You’ve got it so bad, Pey,” Joanna whispered to herself fondly.
She flipped through a few more pages before she felt she might be infringing on Peyton’s nerves. Peyton wasn’t exactly a closed book and she’d never held objections about Joanna rifling through her art work—but this felt somehow…personal. Joanna promptly flipped the book closed.
“Jo!” her best friend’s voice echoed happily up the stairs. “Come down!”
Joanna sighed, setting the book down into its previous resting place. For such a little thing, it held a lot of weight. Glancing one last time out the window, Joanna excused herself from her curiosity to meet her best friend’s request.
As she descended the wooden stairs, Peyton stood at the bottom, an unfamiliar look churning the pigment in her green eyes. Joanna shifted her gaze to the door, where an unnaturally tall human being stood.
“Joanna,” Peyton started lowly, as if to hide her excitement.
Before Peyton had time to finish her thought, Joanna already knew. This was the boy from the drawings. This was the boy pulling hard on Peyton’s heartstrings. And as his blue eyes fell over the artist, Joanna knew this was the boy that loved her best friend.
Peyton smiled, “This is Jimmy.”

Notes

JOANNA THOUGH

And Pellivan ;)

xx