When Peyton got home she went straight to the bathroom and had herself a nice long, warm shower and began preparing herself for the talk she was inevitably going to be having with Kimberly on Sunday.

When she came out of the shower she went down to the kitchen to get something to eat because she was practically starving. She opened the fridge and rummaged around until she decided on scrambling some eggs and bacon to go with bread. Eggs and bacon in hand, she stood and closed the fridge door only to drop everything as she was startled by a figure looming over her.

"What the fuck Peyton?!" Jason, her older brother by five years exclaimed, "there's eggs all over my fucking shoes!"

"It's not my fault you scared the shit out of me!" She retorted harshly and began to walk away; no longer hungry.

He grabbed her shoulder roughly, "where the fuck you think you going? Clean this up!"

She wriggled out of his grasp, flipped him the finger and continued walking, "clean it yourself!"

Jason proceeded to shout after her cursing and quarreling but she paid him no mind. She was fed up of him and his abusive, controlling ways but there is nothing she can do about it. She just did the most that she can. If she tries anything more than that her parents would be on her ass about it for god knows how long. They would still jump down her throat for this, but not too much. It is worth it as far as she is concerned.

Once back in her room, she locked her door and threw herself into her homework. She may as well start it now since Kimberly wants to meet up on Sunday. Peyton takes her school work very seriously. She lets nothing get in the way of it. The way she sees it, she is going to work her ass off so that she can get a scholarship and her parents would not have to pay for her college; if they had any intentions of doing so in the first place. Once she gets into college, she is going to live on campus, get a part time job, graduate and then get a better job, take care of herself and eventually she'll get her Masters and PhD. She never wants to be dependent on anybody in her life after this.

Before long, it was Sunday morning and to her surprise, Peyton sat on the edge of her bed with her phone in hand, staring at the screen eagerly awaiting Kimberly's call.

Her phone began to ring and she could see Kimberly's smiling face light up her screen. "Hey!" She answered quickly.

"Hey boo! I'm outside. You ready?"

"Yeah, hold on." Peyton hung up, pushed her phone in her pocket, picked up her backpack and flew out her room, down the stairs and out the door.

"Well somebody's happy to see me!" Kimberly joked with a broad smile.

Peyton's only response was to hug her friend tightly. Still in a partial embrace, they walked to Kimberly's car. Yes she has a car but they choose to walk to school. It's a good way to get in some exercise and spend some time together everyday.

When she pulled off Kimberly turned to Peyton, "anywhere in particular you wanna go?"

Peyton gave her signature head shake with the corners of her mouth turned down. Nothing more was said until Peyton turned on the radio and they began to sing along loudly, laughing every so often when they would make a wrong note.

Roughly an hour later, Kimberly brought the car to a stop and Peyton only then realised where they were. It was a quiet little resort-like place by the lake. They came across this place two summers ago when they decided to ride their bikes away from home until they got tired or needed to pee or something.

"Wow... thanks Kimmy. You know how much I love this place." She said with a soft, sweet smile as she gazed out the window.

"Yeah, I think you need this. I packed us some food so we can go down by the water and have a little picnic. And after maybe we can go watch a movie or something."

Peyton smiled and stretched across to kiss Kimberly on the cheek. "Thanks Kimmy."

They strolled down to the lake making idle small talk. When they got situated on a blanket and began eating Kimberly decided to turn the conversation in a more serious direction. "So, how's your weekend so far?"

Peyton shrugged, "same shit, Jason got me in trouble with mom cause I dropped some eggs when he scared me and I refused to clean it up."

"Damn! For twenty-two he's such a freaking baby!"

Peyton chuckled dryly in agreement.

"So..." Kimberly started, "you know this is coming, what's really going on between you and Adam?"

"I don't like him. I never did. And he likes to flirt anything that looks like a girl."

"Okay, so then why did you agree to date him?"

"It's not my choice."

"Come on Peyton, you have to give me more than that. You promised that you'd tell me everything."

Peyton sighed, "yeah I know I did. I'm just... I don't want to lose what we have. I love you Kimmy and you're the only person who understands me and actually wants to hang out with me. Although I don't ever understand why..."

Kimberly frowned although her friend could not see because she was looking off into the distance at the water; typical Peyton. She never makes eye contact when she has to talk about something that is bothering her.

"I love you too Peyton. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me. Even better than Timmy and he's a godsend. And I want to hang out with you because you're an amazing person! You try your best to ward people off with your rebellious demenaour but I know that you're just hiding because you're afraid of getting hurt. I mean, I don't blame you. With a family like yours, you have no reason to believe that people can be good to you."

"But you are." Peyton interjected in a small voice.

"Yes because you deserve it and I never gave you the chance to push me away!" Kimberly said smiling triumphantly. This made Peyton turn to her and offer a small smile. It is true, Kimberly is the one who pushed the friendship in the beginning. She kept dogging Peyton until one day she gave in and talked to her. Ever since that day, the have been friends and after the incident with Peyton being locked away, they became best friends.

"Do you know how beautiful you are Peyton?" Kimberly asked suddenly.

Peyton ground her teeth and looked away. All her life her parents and brother have always told her that she is ugly and they think they may have mixed her up with their rightful child in the hospital when she was born and all other related insults. Now, Kimberly comes with this statement. What is she trying to do?

"Look, Kimmy, I know you're trying to cheer me up and all but don't push it okay!"

Kimberly sighed, "Peyton please! I'm not lying to you. When would you believe me?! Look at yourself Peyton, you've got style too."

Peyton, by reflex, looked down at herself. She wore a band t-shirt with not too tight skinny jeans and a pair of converse. She doesn't wear much jewelry, just a wide leather band with silver grommets on her hand and a pair of plain black stud earrings. As for her hair, she's never happy with it. She wants to do something with it but she just doesn't know what so she just ends up pulling it back into a low ponytail. Typical teenage girl she thought. "What's so stylish about this?" She said while gesturing to herself.

"You're so punky! It's cool! I could never pull off that look. But back to what I was saying, you are beautiful there's no two ways about it. Who are you going to believe, your fucked up family or your best friend?"

"Could we just drop it? Please?" Peyton pleaded now.

Kimberly knew better than to push her when she gets like this so she changed the topic, "what do you mean that being with Adam is not your choice?"

"Like I said before, my parents made me date him."

"Wait what?! You were serious about that?! I thought he asked you out and you said yes and then he asked you to be his girlfriend and you said yes? That's what you told me. That's what he told everybody."

"Yeah, well, I lied to you and he lied to everybody."

Kimberly just sat there, staring at her best friend. This made no sense to her. Peyton always tells her the truth! "But you always tell me the truth!"

"Are you mad at me?"

She shook her head, "no, but please explain it all because I know you have to have had a very good reason to lie to me about all this for so long. You've been with Adam for two years!"

"I will..." Peyton looked away now, focusing on a tree way off on the other side of the lake. "It's a long story... it goes all the way back to when we were thirteen..." Kimberly remained silent because she knows that if she only says anything Peyton will close right back up and who knows how long it will be again before she decides to talk about this; if ever.

"Remember I told you that my parents grounded me because I was 'growing into the wrong kind of person'?" She waited for no response. "Well, what they meant was that I came out. And apparently a lesbian is 'the wrong kind of person'. So they locked me up to think about the abomination I was choosing to become and the damnation I was bringing down on the family. That's why they don't like the idea of me hanging out with you. They think that I have 'lesbian relations' with you and that I'm trying to corrupt you or that you're corrupting me..."

Peyton paused for a moment, taking in a few deep breaths to try and push the threatening tears away a bit longer.

"They only let me out because one day when my mom came to give me the food I blurted out: 'you're right. I was wrong. I see the error of my ways now. Homosexuality is wrong and an abomination. I want to be with a boy. And make babies with him.' She opened the door and looked at me. I was crying and she saw that as me being honest and genuine. I was really crying because I felt that I had betrayed myself to the highest degree. Anyhow, a year had passed, we started high school and I was still single and made no move to prove to them that I meant what I had said. They started harassing me about it and accused me of being in a relationship with you behind their backs then you got together with Timothy and that seriously helped me out. Then guys started asking me out and I said no, as you know." Kimberly nodded although Peyton was not looking.

"Then apparently word got around about my 'pickiness' so by the time we started sophomore year, the guys at school had started a bet to see who would get me to say yes to them. Adam did ask me and I said no as accustomed but you know Adam, he hates to lose so, he did what nobody else did. He went to my parents and 'asked their permission to date their daughter'. Of course they told him yes and so I was forced to go out with him for the last two years. I am not allowed to dump him and he never will dump me because he is in it all for himself. Always sucking up to my parents. And of course they love the little asshole."

There was a brief moment of silence before Kimberly spoke, "why did you keep all of this from me boo?"

Peyton's head snapped around and she stared at her friend in slight shock. "You're not mad at me?"

Kimberly shook her head, "why would I be?"

"Because, I kept all of this from you..."

Kimberly gave her friend a smile, "you didn't do anything wrong boo. I mean, I wish you had told me long before this, but you did now and I know you have good reasons for staying silent I just want to know why. If you don't mind."

Peyton sighed and looked away once more, "I just... I didn't want to lose you. And... I know that if you know the truth you wouldn't let me give in to my parents. You'd make me stand up for myself and I don't have what it takes to do that. I may be rude to most people including my parents here and there to show them that they can't get to me but overtly defying them? Especially after those two and a half months because of this same thing... I would never dream of it."

"So when did you intend to do what you want? Be with who makes you happy?"

"College I guess. But I don't believe in the whole love scene anyway. So I decided that I'd just dump Adam and stay single. I have you. You make me happy. You really don't mind that I'm a lesbian though?"

This caused Kimberly to burst out into laughter. She crawled across to her now embarrassed friend and embraced her tightly before going back to her spot and saying, "you know, nobody would believe how soft and sappy you actually are! I wouldn't care if you are attracted to motorcars. You are still the Peyton I know and love. And being attracted to girls is part of what makes you who you are."

Peyton let out a breath she had been holding since she asked the question.