Three
The sound of ball bounced to the ground in a repeating tone.
A thump.
And another one,
And another.
Peyton stood in the gym as she was working her ass off to get onto the basketball team.
Every since last week, she couldn't get the blonde off of her mind and it wasn't intentional because she didn't want to think about her.
It was that stupid kiss that was on her mind.
Every part in her body wished that she would have kissed Gwen. These thoughts weren't as straight as she wanted them to be but it was the truth.
Out of the 17 years of living, Peyton never been this nervous and never even thought of Gwen that way or any girl, really.
"GET READY LADIES!" Peyton heard the voice of Carly James. She was the head of the cheer team.
Carly walked in with the rest of the girls along with Guinevere as Peyton groaned and walked off the court. She didn't have time for Carly and she damn sure didn't have time for Gwen.
—Try outs were today so Peyton knew that she'll have to see Gwen. She was on the cheer team so it only made sense.
Was Peyton ready to see Gwen after their argument? No she wasn't. She wasn't ready to see her at all.
"Okay girls, you obviously know that you are on the team since football season, so make yourself useful and sit down. We are only here to see the boys and girls basketball team try outs and after you can go along with your life." Peyton heard Carly say.
She groaned as she tried her best not to look in that direction. She was scared to make eye contact with Gwen.
She sighed as she got up and walked over towards the locker room and she changed into something way more comfortable.
She hadn't went to the pre-workout's so there's really no telling if she's making the team or not.
After changing, she ran her hands through her hair and went to open the door of the locker room when she heard the voice of Gwen.
—"I'm sorry, you know?"
Peyton looked over her shoulder to see the blonde all dressed in some tight ripped light blue jeans with a burgundy crop top. Her belly ring was noticeable and Peyton thought it was cute. "Sorry about what?" Peyton asked in a whisper.
"For kissing you, again. I didn't ask for your permission and honestly I'm not looking too well. I should have asked for consent and instead I took advantage." She paused as Peyton fully turned around, "I know I'm a messed up person but I thought maybe it would have been like the first time we kissed. Maybe you would have enjoyed it as much as I do."
"You enjoy kissing me?" Peyton asked with her voice leading out to know that she didn't believe the blonde.
Gwen rolled her eyes before turning away. She couldn't look Peyton in the eye when she said things like this. It was weird, she felt weird.
"Are we going to skip pass everything else?" She decided to change the whole topic to begin with.
Peyton shook her head as she ran her hands through her hair, "I said it before. We can't be friends because that's not how things work for us. I can't be your friend or your play thing. I shouldn't even be talking to you right now. As far as the whole you kissing me thing... I didn't pull away because I didn't want it. I pulled away because I do have feelings for Jade. It's like cheating on her if I even had the slightest feelings for you."
Gwen nodded her head as she looked down. "Yeah, it's not like I liked you anyways right? Just teasing. I'm straight so you really never had nothing to worry about." Gwen turned away as she took a deep breath, "I'm just a straight dumb popular girl that only wanted attention from you because you were the only one that didn't give me it. Yeah and I'm also some stuck up rich girl that can't take no for an answer so I tried making you fall in love with me." She scoffed as she now ran her hands through her hair. "I broke up with my boyfriend."
Peyton took a step forward as Gwen stepped back. "Gwen... you knew-"
"No, forget it. Like I said, I'm a straight popular girl that just craves for attention. That's how you see me right?" She turned around and made her way to the exit as she saw Jade with her eyes widened and hands crossed. "Merry early Christmas, I didn't know the grinch was coming early this year." Gwen glared before pushing pass the brunette and leaving out.
"You kissed her?" Jade voice was laced with betrayal as her face read it. She was disgusted and she hated the thought of her best friend and enemy, "you kissed her knowing that I hate her?" She paused as she turned away and Peyton stepped forward to try and calm her down, "and when did you become this thing."
Peyton searched her eyes as betrayal was now in hers. "This thing? What do you mean, this thing?"
"Gay? Why are you gay?"
Peyton shrugged, "women are hot."
Jade scoffed as she shook her head, "so she turned you?"
"This is real life, Jade. This isn't some stupid supernatural life time where I can be turned into something. I've always been this way. Every since I was born, maybe it's just in my genes and I was dumb enough not to figure this out sooner."
The brunette clenched her eyes shut as she was trying to take this all in. "So did she make you realize that you were into girls or are you into both? Did you two have-"
"Calm down, these are way too many questions for a public place. I haven't even came out to my mothers yet." Peyton paused before Jade wrapped her arms around her.
"I know I hate Gwen, but I love you. If she makes you happy then I want you to be-"
Peyton pulled away and searched her eyes, "what? What are you talking about? Gwen didn't make me realize I like girls. You did."
—
"what? What are you talking about"
The ball hit the ground in a motion of a pound.
Peyton wasn't thinking straight and she was losing her mind.
Just 5 minutes ago, she was in the locker room with her best friend.
"Gwen didn't make me realize I like girls. You did."
She confessed! She fucking confused like an idiot and what did Jade do?
"P-Peyton, I'm straight."
She rejected her.
Peyton was a fucking idiot and she needed to get over herself. This wasn't some fucking reality show where there was always drama. No this was real life. This meant that she needed to own up to her shit and get her life together.
"I see you as a sister, nothing more."
The dark haired girl pound the ball to the ground before she ran up. The ball still was making contact with the ground as she took 2 steps and curved the ball at her finger tips with her right hand.
The ball went through the net as it made a swish sound. The person guarding her dropped to the floor and she just looked at them with no remorse. She didn't even offer a hand, or anything.
"HARPER!" One of her teammates called her over as the coach called the next play.
Peyton jogged over to the girl and she raised her eyebrow, "what do you want from my life?"
The girl looked her up and down and smirked, "you were doing pretty good out there. I don't know if you're trying to impress coach but you should do that when you actually make the team." They both looked at the coach. "He's only looking for someone with good sportsmanship."
Peyton nodded, "thanks." She says before turning over to the bench. "Mind if I get an air sip of your water?"
"No I don't mind." She assures as she tugs a lock of hair behind her ear. "Just save me some, last person that I let get an air sip, they drunk the whole thing and I nearly had a heart attack."
Peyton gasped, "oh no, I'm not that type of person. I promise I will only take a little bit."
The girl smiled, "it's okay. I know you would."
Peyton nodded before walking over to the water bottle. As she picked it up, Carly was walking by. "Harper, aren't you supposed to be trying out? Giving up already?"
Peyton took an air sip before she glared at the blonde in front of her. After she chugged the water, she smirked. "You don't have anything to do with your life? Don't you have to go help that sister of yours, what was her name... Cantelope? Cady?"
"It's Cleo, you bitch." She crossed her arms as some of her friends were starting to walk up to us. "You don't want to start with me, Harper. Just because you have a chance at making the team, doesn't mean you'll be some popular idiot in our school."
Peyton stepped forward, "don't need to worry about that, you already take up that title." She winked as Gwen watched with a smirk on her face.
Even if she was still a little hurt and mad at Peyton, she still thought Peyton was real badass for what she just said.
The calloway girl hopped down from the bench and she stopped right in between Peyton and Carly, "leave her alone, you're going to mess up her chances of being on the team." She then turned towards Peyton, "just go. I know how hard you were fighting for your spot."
Peyton looked from Carly angrily to Gwen as her eyes softened, "whatever." She says before turning back over and walking to the base line.
—
After try outs, Peyton felt as if she was going to pass out. She couldn't feel her legs and it was for the worst reasons possible.
"Hey mom, I need you to come pick me up. I'm really tired, and Jade and I got into it."
"I can still be your friend but I can't promise to ever show you love in that way."
"What about? You two never get into fights?" Avery pointed out as she seemed to be eating something. "Please don't tell me it's over someone."
Peyton chewed on her bottom lip, "Mom, it's not about anyone. But I do need to talk to you. I really do." She felt as if tears were on the verge of leaving her eyes.
Avery cleared her throat, "what? What happened, bambina, did someone hurt you because I will call up your uncle Tatum, your mother, your uncle Nicolas and whoever else I need to."
Peyton smiled as she sniffled, "No mom, I need to talk to you." She paused, "I haven't talked to you in so long and I'm in the need for a mother and daughter time, no offense to mom but she's not really a sentimental type."
"Of course, Bambina. I'm sending your aunt Emerson to come pick you up and I will be home in an hour, I'm clocking out right now."
Peyton felt bad that her mom was taking off of work for her but she really needed to talk with her. It couldn't wait, either.
"Okay mom, thank you."
She then hung up the phone as she stuffed it into her back pocket. She then saw Gwen making out with Steve right by the front doors.
She felt sick to her stomach. Not only was it straight but Gwen lied to her and said that she felt something for her.
Peyton knew that it was best not to ever trust Gwen, and that's mainly why they couldn't ever be friends and sure as hell nothing more than that.
And here she was now, about to finally tell someone what has been going on in her life.
She couldn't tell, Jade. That was out of the question.
"Get in," she heard a voice before she turned around to see 2 brunettes.
Peyton smiled, "auntie Em, and Olivia, it's lovely to see you."
—
Peyton arrived at her house as her aunt and cousin dropped her off.
Emerson Cameron and Olivia Cameron weren't really related to her but they were close friends with her mothers so they were like family.
Same thing with Dana Gomez.
She was her mothers best friend. She was also the mother of her best friend.
Rivers way was a small town and lots of people sure did get around.
People being her whole family.
"Your mother says she will be here in just a little, would you like me and Olivia to stay here with you or do you want to wait until your uncle arrives?"
Peyton's face lit up, "my uncle? Uncle who? Nicolas?"
"Not him but, he's in town. Didn't jade tell you?" Emerson asked as she raised her eyebrow.
Peyton frowned and shook her head, "no actually, me and Jade aren't talking right now."
Emerson eyes widened, "what? You two are best friends? Nothing can come between you two." She paused, "last time me and your mom, spencer, got into an argument was because Ally calloway told her that I liked your other mom, Avery. Don't tell me you are fighting over someone..."
Peyton had a hard hit to the gut, "you know the calloway family?"
Emerson smiled, "sure I do, there's Ally calloway, her daughter Guinevere calloway, Miles and Vince calloway."
Peyton was more than confused now.
Who the hell was Vince calloway? And Miles? Maybe her father? But which one?
"Who's Miles calloway?"
Emerson smiled and shook her head, "that's not his name. Guinevere and Vince took after their mother and Miles denied both of the twins as his kids. So, Ally being the women she is... she named them after her." Her aunt assured.
Vince and Guinevere were twins? Who the hell was Vince?
Why was Peyton just finding this out?
Soon her mothers car pulled up and she saw her uncle sitting right in the front. A smile appeared on her face before she dropped everything and ran to hug him.
It wasn't uncle Nicolas.
It was Tatum.
"Hey kiddo," he wraps his arms around her as he placed a small kiss onto the top of her head. "It's been way too long without my dramatic twin."
Peyton rolled her eyes before pulling back, "I'm not dramatic." He gave her that look and she sighed, "okay, maybe a little but who isn't in the Bailey family? Grandma sure the hell is."
"Hey!" Her mother called, "watch your mouth, Pey."
Pey.
That made her think of Guinevere.
Ugh.
Why couldn't the blonde just leave her alone? Let her live or something. Everyday Gwen was taking up space in her head.
"I'm sorry mother." Peyton apologized before looking over at her aunt's car that was driving away, "how long are you staying for?" Her eyes traveled over towards her uncle.
He shrugged, "I have important business to take care of while I'm down here. I did come to see my favorite niece though."
Peyton crossed her arms, "I'm your only niece, that lives down here." She raised her eyebrow, "and what business? You aren't getting into anymore trouble, are you?"
"You aren't my mother, child." He looked over at his sister in law, "your mother told me that you two have an important conversation to have, so I'm just going to go into town and meet up with my sister, your mother, and I'll see you later." He assured before placing another small kiss onto her forehead.
"I'll see you later." She said as he walked off and over to her mothers car. "Hello mom." Peyton looked over at Avery, "we have so much to talk about."
—
"Wait, so let me get this straight-"
"I'm not."
"I knew this all along." Avery assured as tears flooded her eyes.
Peyton raised her eyebrow, "why are you crying, mom?"
Avery wiped away her tears and she shook her head, "I'm not crying. I promise."
"Mom you're lying. What's wrong? Do you not like the idea of me liking girls?"
Avery scoffed, "what? No." She trailed off, "your mother and I are gay. I don't care about you being into girls, I always really known it's just that means you're going to get into dating and I don't know if I'm ready for that."
"Mom, I'm 17."
Avery shrugged, "you're my only child, Pey."
There is goes again.
"Now I see what my mother meant when she said that I grew up too fast." She sniffled as she wiped her tears. "Listen, if you do get into dating then I hope you know that I'm okay with it. Not that my opinion really matters, I just would like to be more involved in your life... I don't want us to not have trust."
Peyton let out a weird chuckle, "since when didn't we have trust?"
Avery ran her hands through her brown hair, "I don't know but our relationship hasn't been too great with the whole me being at work a lot, and same thing with your mother."
The dark haired girl smiled and shook her head, "things are great mom. I do sometimes wish that we would have fun like old times but it's not enough to break our trust and our bond, I love you guys." She assured as she frowned.
—Avery leaned forward as she brought her daughter into a hug. "I'm so happy that we are on the same page with this, and I promise to be around more. It feels like I'm an absent mother and that's not what I want for you or your mental health, trust me, I know how that feels." She assured with a sigh.
"Can we get over this sentimental stuff and get to what I really wanted to talk about?"
"And what did you really want to talk about?" Avery asked as she got up from the couch. She was going to go get some ice cream until she heard the next words that left her daughters mouth.
"I think I like someone."
Avery turned around in a hurry as she felt completely lost.
—
Peyton's mother had been standing and looking at her for about 5 minutes now, after she was told that her daughter liked someone.
Peyton didn't see the big deal with being overdramatic but obviously Avery did.
—"mom, can you say something? You are making me nervous and you know I don't do well with being nervous. I get anxiety for god sakes."
"Who is she? Is it jade? I knew you had a thing for jade! Wait until me, your mother and aunt plan this out, it'll be the best wedding in history." She says before she ran into the kitchen to grab her phone.
Peyton frowned. If her mother would have said this a while ago then she would have been happy. She would have loved the fact that her mother knew but she wasn't happy.
She didn't know why but her feelings for jade wasn't exactly there anymore.
Although she did feel something for the girl, her feelings weren't as strong.
Maybe she wasn't in love with her anymore. But she did still love her. She was her best friend for so such a long time.
"Mom!" Peyton called after Avery as she got off of the couch and ran into the kitchen, "mom, it's not jade."
Avery smile dropped as she placed her phone back down and onto the counter top, "oh." She paused before walking over to the fridge, "so who is it?" Avery asked as she ran her hands through her hair.
—"Guinevere calloway."
Avery jaw clenched, "a calloway? You like a calloway?"
Peyton shook her head, "I don't know. I know I feel things for her but I don't know if she's playing with my feelings or not. One minute she's trying to make me see that I'm gay and then the next she's kissing on her boyfriend and claiming she's straight."
Peyton's mom sighed, "well that is her boyfriend. You can't be mad that her boyfriend is kissing her. That's what happens in relationships."
"No mom, you have to understand. She told me that they were broken up and then I see them kissing right in front of the school building. I don't know what to feel or what to think but she has my heart beating so fast that if I see her for just a second then I'm sure I'll explode."
"This doesn't sound like just a little crush."
Peyton opened the cabinets as she grabbed her a snack, "it is a little crush, even if we hate each other, something in her makes me not want to." She paused as she turned around to face her mother who was now closing the fridge. "I used to like jade. That's one of the reasons why the two have trouble getting along. Jade hate Gwen because she's rich and Jade hate all rich people. Gwen hates her because she thinks that jade is using me."
Avery took a sip of her water, "what do you mean? Do I have to call Dana and get things straight with her about her daughter?"
"No mom, Jade isn't using me. She just doesn't know how to love. I wanted to show her how to but I don't even know how to love. The only knowledge I know about love are from romcoms and cheesy romance novels." Peyton assured before walking and sitting onto the chair.
Avery sighed, "when me and your mother got together, I didn't know what I was doing. I was just getting out of a relationship with Miles and I wasn't even sure if I was gay-"
"Miles? Miles like Gwen's dad?"
Avery turned around and nodded, "yeah, the dirty old bastard started to date my best friend. Which was Ally. Which is also why she isn't your aunt ally. She's the enemy."
Peyton nodded, "yeah that would be weird, anyways."
"She actually tried to get with your mother and your aunt Emerson. Let's just say she was the hoe of the high school back then." Avery admits.
"Wait so what did auntie Kenzie do when she found out that Ms. Calloway was going after her wife?"
They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening, "hey girls, are you guys in the mood for something to eat?" Spencer asked as she walked in with a bag full of food.
Avery walked over and placed a small kiss to her wife's lips. "We were just talking about you."
"Oh really? All good things, I hope."
Tatum then walked in with some groceries bags. "Mom was telling me about you and Ms. Calloway's fling."
Spencer eyes widened, "oh no. Not this again."