Forever and A Day | one tree hill

twelve.

"Morning mom," Valentina says as she enters the kitchen.

"Morning," Charlotte greets her daughter, as she slides a bowl of cereal in her direction, "I poured it myself."

Valentina chuckles, "Thanks. See how perfect our relationship is? No need for therapy."

"About that," Charlotte says, "I talked to Deb, and she believes that you should join them."

With Dan and Deb's marriage falling apart and Nathan's use of steroids, Deb had suggested that they have family counseling sessions, something that Valentina was hoping to avoid altogether.

"Mom," Valentina whines, "Please don't do this to me. My life is going great, I have a girlfriend, I'm breaking records and I actually spend time with my other brother now. Please don't make their problems my problems."

"But they are your problems," Charlotte says, "Dan is your father and Deb is your stepmother. You spend fifty percent of your life with them."

"Okay while they go through their divorce, I'll spend seventy percent of my time here and thirty of it with Haley," Valentina says with a smile.

"Twenty-five with Haley, save that other five percent for your brothers," Charlotte tells her.

"Deal, just don't make me go to therapy."

"Okay," Charlotte tells her, "But you are, okay? You don't feel the need to take steroids or anything like that?"

"No mom," Val says with a laugh as she leans over and kisses her mom's cheek, "Oh idea, I'll invite Nathan over for dinner, you know give him a chance to breathe."

"That is a great idea. I'll make his favorite."

"Awesome!" Valentina says as she grabs her bookbag, "Love you, mom!"

"Love you too!"

Valentina drives to school and parks in the student lot. She walks into school and heads to her locker as she grabs her books and then makes her way to English. When she enters the classroom and Miss. Grey stops her.

"Your letter."

Valentina takes it with a smile, "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

She heads to her seat and Peyton looks behind her.

"What's that?"

"It's a love letter," Valentina responds with a smile and Peyton snorts.

"What are you, hot for teacher?"

"Something like that," Valentina smirks, "What's up with you?"

"I tried to give Brooke an assist in the Lucas department, and she messed up big time."

Valentina laughs, "What happened?"

"She thought Travis was a guy, not a band."

"Big mistake," Valentina says with a smile that slips away the longer she looks at the blonde, "Peyton, why are you helping her?"

"Why not?"

"Because you like him," Valentina says in a low voice so that no one else could hear, "I don't know, I feel like you're self-sabotaging."

"Thank you for stating the obvious," Peyton mutters.

"I'm going to help you get over this whole triangle situation," Valentina tells her, "I'm thinking – Jake Jagielski."

"He has a daughter."

"Making him a hot dad," Valentina says, "Come on, you'll love it and him."

Peyton rolls her eyes and smiles as she turns around to face the front of the class. Valentina smiles as she unfolds the letter in her hands.