You Look Pretty Low

[Trinity]

A week passed. It was Saturday night. Neither Peyton or I went to school the past five days. In fact, we just locked ourselves in our room, not coming out for anything apart from to use the bathroom and shower. Peyton was nearly over her catatonic numbness, something which I was grateful for. I’m not complete without my sister.

“Trinity! Peyton! Rian and his friends are here to see you!” Sue called through the door

She did that every day. They came every day. But I didn’t want to see Zack. And Peyton sure as hell didn’t want to see Alex. The only contact we had was through me texting Jack, but even that was sporadic, so the other three boys didn’t find out.

“Tell them to fuckk off!” I yelled

“Trinity…”

“You heard me,” I interrupted Sue

Sue sighed and walked away from our room. I released Peyton from the cocoon hug I held her in, looking down into her big blue eyes.

“Did you want to see him?” I whispered

“No,” she whispered in reply

“Good,” I nodded

“I don’t understand why you won’t see Zack though,” she mumbled, running her hand through her tangled dark locks

I groaned, flopping to lie on my back on Peyton’s bed.

“He tried to stop me from beating up Alex. He knows you are my life, and he tried to defend the person that hurt you. So I don’t want to talk to him,” I said simply

“Still doesn’t make sense. He was trying to be a good friend,” Peyton said softly

I looked up at her, narrowing my eyes slightly.

“ ‘m just being honest,” Peyton shrugged, stretching her arms

I punched her in the stomach, making her laugh slightly as she doubled over.

“You’re going to have to see him at some point. He is your boyfriend,” Peyton giggled

“Eurgh don’t say that word,” I muttered, “you’re meant to be the one with the boyfriend issues, not me,”

As soon as I said that, Peyton froze, making me moan.

“Shit, sorry Pey. You know I didn’t mean it,” I apologised

“Yeaah I know. I’m going to have to talk to him at some point. Just not yet,” Peyton mumbled, tucking her knees up to her chin

“I’m still going to hurt him if I see him,” I scowled

“I know,” Peyton smiled

I laughed, glad she wasn’t offended by that. But seriously, I will hurt him. He hasn’t suffered enough for my liking.

“No putting him into a coma though,” Peyton said randomly, breaking my trance

“Damn it, ruin my fun,” I sighed-mockingly

Damn it, she read my mind.

*

About half an hour later, my phone rang. Zack. I growled, my glance flicking to Peyton. She was asleep on her bed, having decided to take a nap. I moved to my windowseat, and opened my phone.

Me: Fuckk off
Zack: Trinity you can’t keep ignoring me
Me: Yes I bloody well can

I ended the call. Okay, so maybe that was childish. I sighed, looking out of the window. Alex’s car was outside Rian’s house, meaning they would all be there. Then my phone rang again. Jack

Me: Heyy J-Dog
Zack: We still need to talk
Me: Oh for fuckk’s sake, this is low
Zack: What’s low is the fact that you’ve been texting Jack all week without telling me
Me: Why should I tell you anything? And how did you find out?
Zack: You should tell me because I’m your boyfriend. And Jack doesn’t take long to fold under interrogation

I looked out the window into Rian’s house only to see Jack being held up by Alex and Rian, completely bound in duct tape. The worst thing was, it was obvious that Jack had no clothes on underneath the duct tape. I couldn't see Zack anywhere.

Me: You’re sick
Zack: And you’re my girlfriend. Now tell me why you’re ignoring me, or we’ll start ripping it off

Ouch. I could see and vaguely hear Jack’s muffled protests. Ouch.

Me: Don’t rip the duct tape off or I’ll shave your head in your sleep
Zack: Ooh feisty. Fine, just tell me
Me: You tried to stop me defending my sister. That’s all there is to it.

I could hear Zack moving, and doors opening and shutting. Hurry up already! Eventually he stopped moving, after a couple of minutes. Jesus fuckk. Who knows where he is now.

Zack: Are you still there?
Me: Not for long if you don’t get to the point of this fuckking phone call
Zack: When are the two of you coming out of your room?
Me: When Alex decides to mysteriously disappear and never come back
Zack: That’s not going to happen
Me: Then we’re not coming out
Zack: You’re just being childish now. You can’t stay in there forever.
Me: Says who?

“Says me,”

I turned my head, only to see Zack standing in the doorway, paperclip in hand. I scowled, slamming my phone shut.

“Why the fuckk did you break open my door? And why the fuckk didn’t I hear you?” I growled, glancing over my shoulder at my sister

“Ah, a magician never reveals his tricks,” Zack said mysteriously

“Get out,” I hissed

“Not without you,” Zack smirked, folding his arms over his chest

I scowled and swung my fist at his head, only to have him duck and throw me over his shoulder.

Fuckk.

I wasn’t expecting this.

“Let me go! You fuckking asshole, let me go! PEYTOOOON!!!!” I yelled

As Zack cheerfully strode down the stairs with me beating his back, Peyton poked her head out of our room, her eyes going wide with shock.

“I’ll leave the window unlocked for you!” she yelled

“Bitch!” I screamed

Zack just laughed, and opened the front door, casually waving to Sue and Donald. I flipped them off, elbowing Zack in the head. In return, he threw me into the front seat of his car.

“Kidnap, niiiiice,” Rian snickered from his front porch

“Take the duct tape off Jack without hurting him or I’ll hunt you down, cut off your penis and shove it up Alex’s ass,” I spat, punching Zack in the jaw as he started the engine

“Mm kinky. You’re going to have fun tonight,” Alex winked to Zack

Zack just grinned, before speeding off down the road

*

[Peyton]

It had been quite a few hours since Zack had stolen Trinity, and to be honest I was bored out of my mind. I’d relocked the door, after raiding the kitchen, and I’d grabbed a few movies too. I was in the middle of The Notebook now. God, I love this movie. It does get me ridiculously emotional though.

Not what I need at the moment.

Outside was pitch black, so when the window started to slide open, I smiled, not bothering to attempt to see my sister. But when I heard the thud of a guitar being pushed into the room, I knew Trinity wasn’t home. Springing to my feet, I launched myself over to the window, grabbing Alex by the throat and pushing him away slightly so he was barely hanging on by his fingertips.

“Nice to see you too, baby,” Alex choked

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t let go and watch you fall to a mush?” I snarled

“Baby, I want to apologise. No, I need to apologise,” Alex begged

I squeezed my grip harder, making his face go a bit red.

“I don’t want to fuckking talk to you. You cheated on me, Alex! Why the fuckk should I even let you in!” I scowled

“Because I know you want to forgive me, in the bottom of your black and shrivelled heart you want to hear what I’ve got to say,” Alex gasped, struggling to breathe

I started to shake with anger, furious beyond belief. Unfortunately, this meant my grip loosened and Alex dove into my bedroom, panting for air. I dragged him up from the floor, before punching him square in the face.

“Easy! My nose is still not healed from where your sister broke it!” Alex begged, backing away

“I don’t think the broken ribs are either, but I’m quite willing to try them out too,” I spat

Alex just closed the window, paused my film, and looked me in the eyes.

Shit.

He knew I couldn’t resist his eyes. Slowly he walked towards me, eventually getting close enough to take my hands.

Why wasn’t I pushing him away? Why wasn’t I beating the living hell out of him?

“Trinity wants you dead, by the way,” I whispered shakily, mentally cursing myself for sounding so weak

“What do you want?” Alex asked, softly, pulling my body against his with a hand on the small of my back

“I w-want you out of my life,” I stuttered

Alex smiled, shaking his head.

“No you don’t,” he mused

“Yes I fuckking do,” I sneered, pulling away from him

Come on Peyton, be strong.

“If you did, you would’ve pushed me out of the window by now,” Alex replied with a shrug, reaching for his acoustic guitar

I scowled, forming my hands into fists. Alex saw this and smiled again.

“Before you break my nose again, I want you to hear something I wrote. For you,” Alex said softly, “please, just sit down and listen,”

I don’t know why I sat down on my bed. I don’t know why I let him sit on Trinity’s opposite me. I don’t know why I wanted to hear the song.

But I let him. Alex cleared his throat, his eyes flicking to me, before he opened his mouth:

You left me hanging from a thread we once swung from together
I lick my wounds but I can’t ever see them getting better
Something’s gotta change
Things cannot stay the same

Her hair was pressed against her face, her eyes were red with anger
Enraged by things unsaid and empty beds and bad behavior
Something’s gotta change
It must be rearranged, oh

I’m sorry, I did not mean to hurt my little girl
It's beyond me, I cannot carry the weight of the heavy world
So goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight
Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight
Goodnight, hope that things work out all right, yeah
Whoa

The room was silent as we all tried so hard to remember
The way it feels to be alive, the day that he first met her
Something’s gotta change
Things cannot stay the same

You make me think of someone wonderful, but I can’t place her
I wake up every morning wishing one more time to face her
Something’s gotta change
It must be rearranged, oh

I’m sorry, I did not mean to hurt my little girl
It's beyond me, I cannot carry the weight of a heavy world
So goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight
Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight
Goodnight, hope that things work out all right

So much to love
So much to learn
But I won’t be there to teach you, oh
I know I can be close
But I try my best to reach you

I’m so sorry, I did not mean to hurt my little girl
It's beyond me, I cannot carry the weight of a heavy world
So goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight
Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight
Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight
Goodnight, hope that things work out all right, yeah
Whoa, oh…
Yeah

Alex finished the song with a simple chord. Tears watered in my eyes and I clasped my hands to my mouth, determined not to let him see me cry.

But it was no use.

As the tears poured thick and fast down my cheeks, Alex laid his guitar down on my bed, and moved to kneel in front of me. He lifted my hands away from my mouth, pressing soft kisses over my fingertips, palms and wrists, whispering ‘I’m sorry’ after each one.

"You hurt me so bad. Seeing you with that girl," I whimpered

"I am so sorry. If I could turn back time and take it back, I would in a heartbeat. I was so drunk that night. I never wanted to hurt you," Alex said softly

“I hate you so much, Alex fuckking Gaskarth” I whispered, tears choking up my voice

“And I love you, Peyton Hayes,” Alex smiled

My eyes went wide with shock, but before I could say anything, Alex pulled me down to his level and pressed his lips to mine. This kiss was…unbelievable. My emotions soared as he tenderly embraced me, his fingers tangling through my hair as I clutched him tight against my body. This kiss was not one of lust, or any kind of roughness. It was slow, sweet and gentle. It was one of love.

And I knew immediately what I felt.

Breaking away, I rested my forehead against Alex’s, breathing heavily.

“Alex,” I whispered

“Yeah?” he smiled

“I-I love you too,” I stammered

Alex’s smiled got wider and he pressed his lips to mine again. Definitely a lot different to our previous one. I grinned and pulled him back up to my bed.

Well, if I couldn’t beat him up to let out my frustration, I might as well do it another way, huh?