𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝙾𝚏 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚢𝚜 | 𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝚃𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝙷𝚒𝚕𝚕 |

𝘚𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥

The phone rang loudly, cutting through the tense silence in the Scott house. Jayden glanced at the caller ID, his expression turning grim.

"Dan?" he asked, looking at Nathan.

Nathan sighed, nodding as he checked the ID himself. "It's him."

Deb's voice was firm from the kitchen. "Don't pick up."

The answering machine clicked on, and Dan's voice filled the room, trying to coax Deb into picking up. "Your father is refusing to cooperate with the attorneys. So, this custody thing may end up in front of a judge. If that happens, things could get ugly. But I want you to know, I'm only trying to protect you both."

Nathan walked over and pressed the button to stop the machine. "How great is it that dad has an off button now?"

Jayden shook his head, turning to their mother. "Look, Mom, I think you're doing the right thing for yourself. Even for him."

Deb's face softened as she looked at her sons. "It's you two I'm worried about."

Nathan placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Well, don't. I get it. You and dad splitting up is a good thing."

Jayden nodded in agreement. "Probably should have happened earlier in my opinion, as long as things change."

Deb sighed, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and determination. "They will, Jayden. They have to."

———

Kat was sitting at her desk, diligently working on her homework when she heard a faint sniffling sound coming from the hallway. It was almost like someone was crying.

She stood up and walked towards the noise, her heart sinking as she saw her sister, Brooke, standing there with red, tear-filled eyes.

"Hello?" Kat called out softly.

Brooke looked up, her face crumpling. "Hug me."

Kat immediately wrapped her arms around her twin, holding her tightly. "What's the matter?"

Brooke's voice was muffled against her shoulder. "Lucas broke up with me."

Kat pulled back slightly, her eyes wide with shock. "What? But I thought things were going well."

Brooke nodded, tears streaming down her face. "So did I, but he said he wanted space. 'It's the best thing right now.'"

Kat took a deep breath, trying to stay calm for her sister's sake. "Okay, okay, just calm down. We can either do two things. We can go to his house and yell at him, or we can go shopping. Remember how you always told me shopping is therapy?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of Brooke's mouth. "Yeah, right. There's this new bag I want—"

Kat grinned, giving her a gentle push. "Alright, alright, you can tell me about it when we get to the mall."

Brooke nodded, wiping her tears as she went to get dressed. Kat watched her go, determination in her eyes. She might not be able to fix everything, but she could be there for her sister, just as Brooke had always been there for her.

———

Haley, Reagan, and Peyton strolled through the bustling mall, each lost in their own thoughts. Haley glanced over at Peyton, noticing her friend's distant expression.

"Hey Peyton, what's the matter?" Haley asked, concern in her voice.

Reagan chimed in, "Yeah, what's up? You're drifting again."

Before Peyton could respond, they found themselves in front of a bench where Brooke and Kat were sitting, looking despondent. Brooke's face lit up slightly when she saw Peyton.