While waiting for Brooke and Lucas to pick her up, Peyton decided to sit down in one of the empty booths and order some coffee. Almost immediately after she sat down an old, wrinkled woman with bright red hair moseyed over to her.

"Why, I don't think we have ever seen such a lovely young woman in this joint for a long time. The fellas over there were talking." The lady moved over an inch so Peyton could witness such talk.

"Well, I am taken." Peyton tried to smile like nothing was wrong.

"I will let them know and their wives." She chuckled and then whipped out her notebook to take an order. "What are we having tonight dear?"

Peyton closed the grimy old menu and looked up at her, smiling the smallest smile she could push out, "Just coffee."

As the waitress wrote a coffee down Peyton pulled out her cell phone to check her voicemails; sadly there were none. Instead of tucking it back in her messenger bag, she laid her phone on the table and sighed.

"Something wrong sweetie?" The lady asked sweetly while taking a seat across from her in the red booth.

Peyton looked at her nametag that read Gladis. "Well Gladis, everything is just wrong. Okay maybe not everything but one thing."

Gladis nodded that she understood. "I know exactly what you mean."

Peyton usually would scrutinize people whom she never once met let alone into her life that claimed they knew how she felt, but this lady, she seemed different.

"Let me go get that coffee for you. I will be right back darling." Gladis scurried off to the far side of the café.

Peyton crossed her legs and leaned over to grab her iPod out of her bag. Putting the ear buds in her ears and browsing through her many playlists. She came across one that was title 'Fear', she clicked it and relaxed into the booth. "Hopeless" by Train filled her ears and mind as she closed her eyes. She felt something being sat on the table and opened one eye and saw the waitress walking off, and then the cup of coffee. Smiling, she grabbed it putting some sugar and creamer into it. She remembered when her and her dad would go out for breakfast and she would put so many creamers into her coffee that he would always say 'Want some coffee to go with your creamer?'

Her dad.

Oh God, she thought to herself before she started to cry.

&--

Brooke was looking through her CD collection, any kind of noise would help the intense silence in her Volkswagen Beetle. It wasn't the awkward kind of silence, just the deafening king which was killing Brooke. Satisfied with a Backstreet Boys CD she slipped into the player and sat back, crossing her legs.

Lucas was brought out of his thoughts from the early 90's pop music blaring through the car, he snuck a look over at Brooke then focused back to the highway. They just past a mile marker that read they had only a few more miles till they would reach their destination.

"The last time I saw her dad it was the day after our sophomore year was over. He took us to get our licenses." Brooke said while looking out the window. "Afterwards he bought us lunch and dropped us off at the mall, giving us each forty bucks as a reward for not wrecking his car and passing the test." Brooke looked over at Lucas who was looking at her. "He was like my dad Luke, he can't die." Brooke broke out into tears.

Lucas brought his arm over to Brooke and pulled her closer to him, allowing her rest her head on his shoulder. "Shush, Brooke, it will all be okay, shush…" Lucas whispered as he took the exit off the highway onto the diner.

"We are here, come on." Lucas whispered as he killed the ignition and got out of the car and walked over to Brooke's side and opened her door as well.

"Thanks, okay, let's go save our friend." Brooke said, trying to be strong.

"Are you sure you don't need a minute?" Lucas rested his hand on her shoulder and stared at her.

Brooke wiped her face and smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I am fine."

They walked into the diner and immediately saw Peyton in the back, crying. "Peyton," Both of them said out loud and rushed over to her, ignoring the waitress who was asking them "Booth or a table?"

"Peyton, what is wrong, hunny?" Brooke sat down next to her best friend enveloped her in the biggest bear hug she was pretty sure she ever gave anyone. She thought that is maybe she held her tight enough that she could just squeeze all the pain out of her best friend.

Lucas watched this in awe and sat across the two of them and absent mindedly took a sip off Peyton's coffee.

Peyton looked over at him and smiled reaching out her hand, he took it and gave it a squeeze. "Sorry guys, I was just thinking about my dad and started crying like a baby; I am such a baby!" Peyton laughed nervously and wiped her eyes while Brooke ran her hand over Peyton's hair and hugged her once more.

"You have no reason to apologize Peyt, we are here for you and we know this has got to be hard." Lucas said sincerely. Peyton mouthed 'Thank You'.

Gladis walked over and witnessed this scene in worriment. "Sugar you going to be okay?"

Brooke and Lucas looked the waitress over and then looked back at Peyton who was pushing a small smile through her tears. "Yeah, these are my friends; Brooke and Lucas this is Gladis."

"Hey." Lucas and Brooke both said.

Gladis nodded her head towards Lucas, "Is this that boy you were talking about?"

Lucas looked over at Peyton confused and Peyton blushed. "Yeah, that's him…" Peyton looked down, while Brooke giggled, loving this scene.

"He is a hottie," Gladis swooned and took out her notebook. "Now what can I get you too? Coffees as well?" Gladis cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, to go though. And can you get us a to go cup for hers as well?" Lucas said.

"Sure thing sweetie." Gladis walked off.

"She is nice." Brooke randomly said.

"Yeah, she is." Peyton mumbled and leaned into Brooke's embrace more. She jumped when her phone rang.

"Hello?" Peyton answered uneasy, knowing who it was.

"This is Georgia State Morgue, this is Peyton Sawyer correct?"

Peyton swallowed the huge lump in her throat and nodded her head, after she felt dumb, knowing they could see her. "Y-yes…"

"We have some news for you…"

&--

Yeah, there's that! Hope you liked. I know there wasn't much anything else other than…that…but the next chapter you will find out what happens to daddy Sawyer and then there WILL BE SOME NALEY AND BAKE! Promise!! Now….REVIEW LIKE THE CRAZY PEOPLE YOU ARE! Ha-ha.