Her heart fluttered in her chest when she saw Sadie's name. 'Oh my god she answered!' She rushed to open the message only to have her heart hit the floor.
Hey, I was thinking of taking Casey on Saturday. That okay with you?5
Everything in her was screaming to not answer but she knew that was wrong and impolite so she decided to play ignorant in her answer.
Yeah why wouldn't it be? Just give me her directions so I can pick her up. I don't know where she lives.
No... I meant Casey instead of you...8
Peyton could not comprehend the feeling she now had. Her entire insides felt weak and queasy, her hands grew cold and she just saw black.
You don't have to ask me you know. It's not as if we're a couple or anything. You don't need my permission even if we were. Just tell me the truth. You don't want me there. You don't want to be around me. I won't get mad for the truth.
Yeah but I don't want to hurt you.6
You already have.
Peyton could not take anymore. She tried her best but she could no longer hold back her anger. She screamed as she threw her phone to the floor and lost complete control as she began tearing her notebook and throwing and destroying any and everything she could get her hands on.
She was so caught up in her rage that she did not notice when Kimberly and her parents entered her room and tried to get her attention. When that did not work Mr Dexter stepped forward and took hold of Peyton by the shoulders turning her around quickly and wrapping his arm around her.1
Peyton struggled against him as she tried to break free of his hold on her but he was too strong. "Let me go!" She yelled.
"Not until you calm down." He said in an even, caring tone.
It took Peyton several minutes to calm down but she did and when she did Mr Dexter walked her over to her bed and sat them down. Kimberly and her mother joined them.
"What is wrong with me?!" Peyton cried to no one in particular.
"What happened boo?" Kimberly questioned; her voice full of worry.
"Am I that terrible? I thought she would have said yes."7
Peyton was crying now and Mrs Dexter pulled her into her arms as she spoke, "you are speaking of Sadie right?"
Peyton nodded.
"You asked her?"
Peyton nodded once again leaving Kimberly and her father confused.
"Asked her what boo?"
"I... I asked her to be my girlfriend. I'm so stupid! I should not have! I should have left things the way they were. Everything was fine and now I've gone and fucked it up!"
"WOW! The bitch said no?!" Kimberly exploded.12
"Kim! Language!"
Mr Dexter scolded but Kimberly paid him no mind, "how dare she! Just wait till I get my hands on that fucker!"4
"KIMMY!" Peyton screamed to get her attention, "she did not say no."
"So what the fuck happened then?!"
"She did not answer..."
"What? That's just as bad as saying no. As a matter of fact, it's worse!"3
"Leave her alone Kimmy. It's not her fault. I should never have asked her when I did. She has her own shit she's dealing with. I should have waited. I should have given her more time."1
"How much more time does she need?! She has the most amazing girl all to herself and she fucks with you like this?! No! She can't do that Peyton! Not on my watch!"3
"Kimberly! Leave her alone! Please!"
Kimberly knew Peyton would not give in so she did. "Fine. But only because you begged me to."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kimberly ran down the stairs frantically the next morning. "Mom! Dad! Peyton's gone!"
When she got to the kitchen where her parents were preparing breakfast she was in tears. "She left this on her bed."
She showed them a piece of paper with Peyton's handwriting that simply read:
I'm so sorry14
"I should have stayed with her last night! I knew she was lying when she said she was fine. Why am I such an idiot?!"
Her mother hugged her tightly as she assured her that it was not her fault but Kimberly could not believe that no matter how much it made sense. She blamed herself.
"She left her phone. The screen is cracked but it still works and she left it. We're never going to find her!"
"We will find her sweetheart. She probably just needs some time to clear her head a bit. She'll be back don't worry okay?" Mr Dexter said and hoped he hid his worry and concern for Peyton well. He had to convince Kimberly because he did not need her to know that he was worried sick as well.1
Kimberly picked at her breakfast before leaving for school. She could not concentrate on anything due to the sick feeling she had in her stomach that just would not leave.
"Hey baby, what's wrong? You've been so distant all morning." Kirk asked as he wrapped his arm around Kimberly at the lunch table.
"Yeah, we're getting worried now." Casey added. "Did you and Peyton have a fight or something? Because I noticed she isn't here."
Kimberly shrugged and glared at Sadie, "why don't you ask her?"2
"Huh?" Justine asked confused. "What does Sadie have to do with this?"3
Kimberly got up out of her seat and walked around to stand next to Sadie, "I promised Peyton I would leave you alone but I can't. Not when you're fucking with her like this!"1
"Wow! What the fuck Kimmy?!" Sadie exclaimed as she too stood.
"It's Kimberly to you!"5
"Fine! Kimberly! What the fuck are you talking about?!"
"In case you've forgotten, Peyton is MY best friend. I know her and I know that she's been suffering all week because of you!"
"Me?! What the fuck did I do?"3
"You know damn well what you did! And in case you were wondering, I do to. Why are you doing this to her?! Just fucking give her an answer!"
Sadie was taken aback and it showed in her voice, "she... she told you?"
"Not exactly... it kind of just came out last night after she talked to you and flew into a murderous rage!" Kimberly was not entirely certain of that fact but she was almost positive that Peyton did speak to Sadie just before she lost her temper.
Sadie's knees suddenly grew weak and she practically fell back down to her seat. "I... I never meant to hurt her. I... I just... I'm confused..."2
"Confused?! Confused about what?!" Kimberly was dumbfounded by Sadie's apparent stupidity.
"It's complicated okay!" Sadie said defensively as she felt herself being brought to the verge of tears. "Where is she?" She practically whispered.
"I don't fucking know!" Kimberly was in tears now and Casey stood and guided her to sit as she rubbed her back.1
Casey, Kirk and Justine said nothing because they were truly lost in the situation. They had their suspicions of what was going down but they did not know for sure and in fear of making anything worse, they kept silent.
"This is all my fault..."
Sadie meant her words to be to herself but Kimberly heard and retorted, "you're damn right! I may never find her now!"
"You think she's run away?" Casey asked concerned.
Kimberly shrugged, "she just left a note saying that she is so sorry and she's gone. She didn't even take her phone."
"Is there somewhere she might go? Maybe you guys' last town or something?" Justine asked in a very worried tone.
"She won't go back there. I know she always has some place she goes when she's upset but she never tells me where it is. I just hope she comes to her senses soon and doesn't hurt herself before she does."1
Kimberly's words hit Sadie hard and she only just grasped the gravity of the situation. She remembered what Peyton had told her about overdosing on pills and being suicidal. 'Fuck! What did I do? I've got to fix this!'6
She stood from her seat quickly and ran to her locker where she got her bag and began heading for the door but not before Casey stopped her. "Where are you going?"
"I know where Peyton is."
"You do? How come Kimmy doesn't?"
"Becaus
e she never showed Kimmy her secret hiding place but she showed me. That has to be where she is. I'm going to make things right Casey. I just hope I am not too late."
Chapter 42
"Oh god..." Sadie whispered as she saw the sight of Peyton.1
She was right. Peyton was in her hiding place.
She rushed to Peyton's side and exhaled in relief to see that Peyton was breathing. She gathered and checked the bottles surrounding Peyton. There were two empty bottles of cough syrup, three empty beer bottles as well as an empty card of some medication. Sadie checked the medication to see that it was paracodeine.4
"Fuck!"
Sadie was in full blown panic but she knew she could not let that control her. She had to do something to help Peyton. She called her and shook her but that did nothing to wake the girl.
"Fuck! What do I do?" Sadie asked herself out loud as she paced. She pulled out her phone to call the ambulance when a thought occurred to her.
She rushed back to Peyton and pulled her limp body up into a seated position leaning her against the tree. After a deep breath, Sadie used one hand to open Peyton's mouth and with the other, she stuck her fingers down Peyton's throat until she began to gag. Sadie pulled out her hand just as Peyton's stomach contents came rushing out of her mouth.4
After several convulsions and bringing up what Sadie was sure had to be everything in her stomach, Peyton's eyes struggled to open.
"Just lean against the tree." Sadie instructed as she dug around in Petyon's pockets.2
She found what she was looking for and rushed off to the water by the brook to soak Peyton's bandana. She hurried back to Peyton and cleaned her face.
Sadie left to rinse the bandana and when she returned Peyton was giggling with her eyes closed. Sadie's heart ached at the sight of the girl. She blamed herself all over again for causing Peyton to feel the need to do this.1
After much struggle, she managed to get Peyton away from that spot where all her vomit was and to another tree.
"I'll be back." Sadie said as she left for the brook again.
This time she took off her school shirt - leaving her in her bra - and soaked it since that was all she had to work with. When she returned to Peyton, she pressed it lightly against Peyton's forehead and neck. "I'm so sorry Peyton..."
Sadie's head snapped up when Peyton spoke through her giggles, "I can see your boobies. They're cute. Can I touch them?"4
Sadie suddenly grew nervous. "Peyton..."
Peyton continued to giggle, "boobies... boob... boobie... what a weird word. BOOBIES!!!! Boobie boobie boobies!!!"8
Sadie left to rinse the shirt and when she returned Peyton took off her shirt and was looking at her chest while poking at her breasts. "You wanna touch my boobies?" She giggled and Sadie turned red.4
"Peyton, put back on your shirt. Nobody is touching anybody's boobies."2
"Okay. You wanna see them then?" Peyton said as she reached around her back.
"Peyton stop!" Sadie yelled as she yanked Peyton's hands away from her bra. "Leave your bra on."
Peyton proceeded to giggle as Sadie continued to sap her head with the damp shirt.
"I'll be back." Sadie said firmly as she left a giggling Peyton to go rinse the shirt again.
When she returned Peyton's demeanour had completely changed as she was now crying. Sadie rushed to her side, "what's wrong?"1
"I... I'm sorry..." Peyton sobbed. "I fucked up."2
Peyton crawled to Sadie and wrapped her arms around her. Sadie immediately returned the hug as she passed her fingers through Peyton's hair.
"It's not your fault Peyton. I'm the one who fucked up and I am sorry. This never should have happened. I did the last thing I ever wanted to do. I hurt you."
She got no response from Peyton.
"Peyton?"
Nothing.
"Peyton!"
Still nothing.
Sadie sighed as she pushed Peyton off of her and realised that she had fallen asleep. "Dammit!"1
Sadie put Peyton's shirt back on and leaned against the tree again before pulling out her phone. She called a taxi and within ten minutes the driver had arrived.3
"This is a strange spot." The driver commented as he stopped the car.
"I know." Sadie muttered. "I need your help. I'll pay you extra. My friend is back there but she's drunk and unconscious. Can you help me lift her into the car and then up to my apartment?"3
The driver nodded, "sure thing. Why's your shirt all wet?"
"That's none of your business." Sadie said shortly as she led the driver through the bushes to Peyton.
They worked together and soon Peyton was in Sadie's bed. She paid the driver handsomely and thanked him as she saw him out and locked her door securely. "Thank goodness he was not a creep..." She breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned against the door.
She sent a quick text to Kimberly letting her know that Peyton was safe and in her apartment. Naturally Kimberly called her and demanded to speak with Peyton but eventually Sadie was able to convince her that Peyton was fine and sleeping.1
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sadie jumped at the sound of Peyton clearing her throat. She sat up on the couch and looked at Peyton who seemed to be in all of her senses now.
Slowly and wordlessly Peyton made her way to sit next to her and after a couple seconds she turned and looked at her, "what am I doing here?" There was no denying the fact that she was confused.1
"You don't remember?"
Peyton shook her head. "Last thing I remember is..." She thought for a moment. "I remember texting you and then I lost my temper and Kimmy and her parents had to calm me down. I don't remember anything after that."
Sadie pouted as she pulled Peyton in for a tight hug. "I'm so sorry Peyton. I failed you."
Peyton pushed Sadie off of her to look her in the eye, "hey, what are you talking about? You didn't fail me."
Sadie was crying now, "yes I did! I hurt you so bad that you did it again!"
"Did what?" Peyton was confused but as she watched Sadie cry from her soul she put two and two together and then it slowly came back to her. "Fuck... I'm sorry Sadie. I lost it for a minute and gave in. I'm so sorry. I never wanted you to see me like that."
"Were you trying to kill yourself?"
"I honestly don't know. I don't think I was."
"So why'd you do it then?!"
"I warned you about this Sadie. I told you I am weak and that is my escape."
"Yeah I know. I just don't understand why you'd do that."
"I just wanted a break. I wanted peace in my mind. I didn't want to think or feel for a while. I just wanted some rest. Let my mind float away and forget about all that troubles me. It's blissful."
Sadie slapped Peyton on the shoulder.
"Oww!" Peyton held her shoulder, "what the fuck Sadie?!"1
"You could have died! You could have gotten brain damage or damaged your liver or kidneys or something! I don't know what would have happened if I didn't find you when I did!"
Sadie cried as she yelled at Peyton and began lashing out at her again. Peyton caught her hands and stopped her lashes causing Sadie to just break down and fall into her. Peyton held her tightly as she rocked her.
"I'm so sorry Sadie. I really am. I hope you can forgive me."
After what seemed damn near an eternity, Sadie sat up and looked Peyton in the eye. "Yes."9
Peyton was confused. "Yes what?" She asked as she thought about what Sadie could be referring to. Then it occurred to her, "oh, you forgive me?"1
Sadie sighed, "of course I forgive you Peyton but that's not what the yes was for."
"Oh? Well what then?"
Sadie rolled her eyes, "are you seriously clueless or are you just making me suffer?"
Peyton's eyebrows creased, "huh? I'm lost Sadie."
"Ugh! Stay here." Sadie ordered as she got up and went into her bedroom.
She returned moments later and stood with her hands behind her back looking down at Peyton
with a smile on her face. Peyton could not help but smile too. "What's up with you girl?"1
Sadie shook her head, "and to think you tell me that I am the naive one. You still don't know what I'm talking about?"
Peyton shook her head slowly.
"You asked me a question Peyton and I am answering it."
"What question?"2
"For fuck's sake Peyton!" Sadie cried as she pulled her hands from behind her back and showed Peyton the dark blue velvet box.
Peyton stared in disbelief as she stood and took Sadie's hands in her own. Her eyes welled up as she looked at Sadie, "really?"
Sadie smiled broadly, "yes Peyton. I would love to be your girlfriend."
She handed the box to Peyton and stuck her left hand out. As Peyton removed the ring she questioned, "don't you want to put it on your right hand?"
Sadie shook her head, "I want people to know that I am spoken for. I know it's just a promise ring but I hope it's a promise that one day you'll propose to me. So, it goes on my left hand."7
Peyton could not contain her joy as she gently slipped the ring onto Sadie's left ring finger. "It fits perfectly..." She whispered.
"That it does." Sadie smiled as she pulled Peyton in a hug.
When she pulled away Peyton noticed a hint of sadness in her eyes, "what's wrong?"
Sadie sat and Peyton followed, "I'm sorry Peyton. I'm sorry for putting you through what I did this week. I was just afraid to answer because I wanted to say yes from the moment you asked me but I was afraid that if I did I would not be good enough for you. You deserve the best and I don't think I can give you that. I'm afraid of hurting you and disappointing you. You are the most important person to me Peyton and I realised today that I cannot live without you. So I would rather have an imperfect relationship with you than none at all. I hope you can forgive me for my inconsideration and stupidity."1
"There is nothing to forgive. I feel the same way about you and I don't want to hurt you either that is why I took so long to ask you in the first place. I love you Sadie and nothing and no one can ever change that."
They shared a brief moment of silence before Sadie exhaled loudly and said in a low, almost strained tone, "kiss the fuck out of me Peyton and make me beg for more."12
I Stole Your Girlfriend Page 22