Peyton Sawyer

Peyton Elizabeth Scott (née Sawyer) was originally a rebellious cheerleader who first met her husband,, during their junior year, when she was the girlfriend of the popular jock , who also happened to be Lucas's half-brother. Following their encounter, Peyton slowly fell for Lucas, but they soon faced much difficulty in their on-off relationship which spanned high school and beyond. She also had a deep relationship with her, him being a single parent, and , to whose she became like a mother and shared a meaningful relationship with. Peyton struggled through the death of both her and  mothers, but overcame the hardship and emerged a stronger woman from it. She was known for her strength and independence.

Portraying her emotions through art and music, Peyton established a after a miserable start of her career in the music business with a big label. Through this label, she found and signed, and they soon become good friends. After her wedding and the birth of her daughter,, Peyton and her family moved away from , leaving the label to be run by , one of Peyton's best friends along with. Brooke and Haley constituted Peyton's life and have been her greatest support system after all her grief she went through.

Peyton was always best friends with, a friendship that overcame many troubles during high school and managed to survive even after graduation, despite a vast geographical separation.

Early life
Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer was the only child born to and  on June 19, 1988. Due to their inability to be able to cope with a newborn child, they gave her up for adoption, choosing and  to become Peyton's parents. Peyton shared many happy memories with her adoptive family and grew close to them both, especially her adoptive mother Anna. Anna died in a car accident when Peyton was eight, leaving her to be mainly brought up by her father; who was frequently absent due to his career.

Unfortunately in 1997, Anna got caught in a tragic car accident when she ran a red light, going to pick up an eight-year-old Peyton from school. The accident that cost Anna her life made a large impact on Peyton's life, as it drove an unintentional wedge between her and her father as she grew. She became closed-off and expressed herself through art, music and words. Dealing with the grief of her mother's death, Peyton soon found a friend in the form of, who constantly visited her to see if she was all right, and spent most of her days with Peyton underneath a bridge in Tree Hill. Unknown to both of them, her biological mom was watching them from a distance. To deal with his grief, Peyton's father Larry began working away from home in an effort to make more money on a trudge boat, forcing Peyton to live alone for long periods of time.

From the start of their friendship, Brooke and Peyton's relationship only strengthened. Since Brooke's eighth birthday, the two friends had made it a tradition for Brooke's birthday to go to the mall together right before closing time. Brooke would then point out the present she'd like, and Peyton would steal it. However, unknown to Brooke, Peyton later always went back to pay for it. They attended eighth grade cheerleading camp together, and stuck together in high school when they both joined the Ravens cheerleading squad, a hobby that Peyton felt she never really fit into, but committed to nonetheless in loving memory of her late mother, who had also been a cheerleader for the Ravens basketball team. Consequently, Peyton started up a relationship with high school star basketball player,. Their relationship was mainly physical and argumentative, shifting constantly between on and off. One of these arguments got so heated that it even drove Peyton to punch a wall, leaving a permanent scar on her knuckle.

Unlike most cheerleaders, Peyton nourished an interest in art and music. She listened to rock and punk, and constantly drew to represent her emotions, which were more deeper and darker than those of the stereotypical cheerleader. This was a side of her to which Nathan never paid attention to, nor understood. Peyton had the idea of starting an all ages club, some sort of safe haven where underaged people could go to listen to great music; she accomplished this dream (she started ) with the support of, Lucas's mother. Through her love for music, she developed a close relationship with Haley James.

Character arc
Season 1