The reception to this story wasn't quite what I would have liked. Maybe it's because I tend to push the envelope with my stories and it puts some people off. Or maybe it's because there might be a little history thrown in. In which case, I assure you, I'm not trying to teach history. Any history incorporated is purely for story enhancement purposes. The last thing I want to do is learn during my summer break and I'm sure it's the same way for those of you that are still attending. Anyway, I do appreciate the comments I got.
alysef- I'm the exact same way when it comes to history lol. And thanks for the great review =)
The same goes for AmethystLily89 and dianehermans, who consistently reviews my stories.
Short chapter, but I hope you guys enjoy it nonetheless.
Staring at the gravestone brought back unresolved feelings of sorrow. It made him feel like a failure.
Keith Scott had died early on in the boys' lives. Neither had a good recollection of the man and instead, relied on their mother's stories. She spent most of her life making sure that her sons grew up with a proper head on their shoulders and never once forgot to remind them of how great a man their father was. She never found it in her heart to marry another man. It made it all the more harder to raise two boys, but she never complained. About six years back, Karen Scott was killed in the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, leaving Lucas and Nathan to fend for themselves.
When she died, Lucas was forced to assume the role of parent and older brother. It wasn't until then that he realized how hard it had been for his mother. He had no idea how to be a parent. Maybe that was where he failed. His main concern was keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table. Add that to the grief that consumed him following Karen's death and he was virtually hopeless. Nathan walked off on his own and now he was involved with a gang.
There wasn't much Lucas could have done. He could barely take care of himself, let alone another human being. The only thing he managed to do right was fake the physical for both his brother and himself. The Great War wasn't for them. If they ever saw combat, they would've been killed in a moment's notice.
He tried his hardest to maintain the ideals that his mother taught him, but it didn't stick with Nathan. It became too easy, too fast to lose that sort of baggage, especially when there was another whispering in your ear. The promises of women and riches were hard to resist. Lucas only avoided it because he spent all his time by the docks, working day and night. He was never given the opportunity. It instilled in him a hatred of things that came easy. What man wasn't looking for a free pass? The only problem was free passes never came free. And unfortunately, it was a mistake Nathan would have to make. The kid never listened to others.
Lucas made it a point to visit his mother every Sunday. He tried countless times to drag his brother along, but Nathan always made an excuse.
He placed the poorly tied bouquet on the ground and remained crouching.
"It's Sunday again, mom. I know our conversations carry themselves the same way, but I think it's time we start talking about something else. Life is hard, that certainly hasn't changed. If you're really up there and you haven't listened to anything else I've said, listen to this. Nathan… he's changed. He's been hanging around the wrong crowd and the way he walks around town is going to get him into trouble. I know that deep down he still remembers what you taught us, but he's thrown it aside. I don't know how to keep him from getting himself killed. The kid, he's grown now. I'm too busy taking extra shifts. I can't watch what he's doing at every turn. I need your help, mom." He sighed as he was received only by the cool air. He took off his gloves and brushed his fingers along the engravings on the stone.
Without a goodbye, he left.
As Lucas was walking back, he spotted a boy, blond hair, shivering in the cold while a bag of newspapers weighed him down. That was him a few years back. He remembered how the unforgiving cold touched upon his cheeks and the heavy load he carried all in the name of earning money.
He had no schooling. Mother couldn't afford it and he had to help around the house. His mother did, however, teach him to read. In his early days, he got his hands on any reading material he could find. One of the benefits of being a newspaper boy was he got to read the new issues free.
He ran up to the little boy and handed him a nickel. The boy handed him a paper and tipped his hat in gratitude.
Lucas quickly made his way home.
Nathan had just gotten up, as evidenced by his eyes. He was stuffing himself with the leftover loaf of bread and a glass of scotch. "Where you been?"
"Around." He threw the paper on the table.
The brunette turned it around and started flipping through it. "You don't have money to spend on drinks, but you have money to spend on the fucking paper?"
Lucas walked to the sink and began washing his hands. "You're reading it, are you not? Pour me a glass."
Nathan walked into the kitchen and took a glass, in which he poured the scotch. He set it on the table just as his brother made his way out.
"You doing anything tonight?" Lucas asked as he took a sip. His hands kept around the glass as he went in search of food.
"Kelly's throwing a party at the club on the east side. You want to come?"
"Can't. Jake's out because his kid is sick. I promised I'd pick up his shifts so I've got an early day. The farthest I can go is O'Halloran's downstairs. There's bound to be some broad I can take home tonight," he raided the kitchen for food, "Oh come on Nathan, you eat like a fucking pig. You're covering groceries for the next week."
"No way. Lou hates me. As soon as I walk into the store, he's ready with a shotgun."
"He's traditional. You nearly gave him a heart attack, thinking you could charm his daughter. I would pull a shotgun on you."
"Scotts always have women falling at their knees. It's a curse."
Lucas found himself down at O'Halloran's. There was something comforting about the pub even though there must have been a dozen like it littered on the block.
Owen Morello was on shift on Sundays. He was about the Scotts' age and was their favorite bartender as well. Occasionally, he would throw a free drink their way. That occasionally came today.
"Scott." Owen nodded.
"Morello." Lucas copied. "How's business?"
"Slow to start, but it's picking up. The broads are easy on the eyes and it doesn't hurt to be the one behind the bar. There's always a few that'll flirt to get a free drink."
Lucas chuckled, "Can't hurt."
He agreed. "Nope. Speaking of, there's one waiting for you upstairs."
"Oh yea? What's she look like?"
"Lips are sealed. She left me a good tip."
"Alright, at least get me a martini for the road."
"That I can do."
Her back was faced towards him, giving him the element of surprise. He supported himself using the hand placed on the wooden chair and leant forward. His pointer and middle finger trapped the stem of the martini glass as he set it down in front of her.
He whispered into her ear, "Say in the odd chance I didn't come here. What would you have done?"
"It wouldn't be a problem." She took the glass from him and puckered her lips against it as she slowly tipped it back. The single move drove him crazy.
"I'm not going to ask why you're here since I have a pretty good idea. What I'm going to do is tell you how it is."
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Really? You're going to tell me how it is?"
He nodded. "We had a great night and that's all it's ever going to be. I don't mess with another man's woman, regardless of whether I know the man. I'm going to save you the humiliation and let you know that we can't happen again."
Clearly, she was pulling out all the stops to get what she wanted. She brought the olive from the glass to her mouth in slow motion, a move meant to be seductive in every way.
"I guess you found out about Julian Baker." He nodded. "So you're telling me that we can't have another night or nights of pure bliss because you're afraid that he'll find out and kill you?"
Lucas chuckled. "No, no, no. I'm not afraid. I meant it when I said I don't mess around with taken women."
"The only reason you're so calm is you know that our night has remained under wraps and Baker hasn't a clue. And that means that I've been discrete about the matter. You can either continue having your way with me and no one knows. Or we stop this right now and he'll definitely know."
He furrowed his eyebrows. "Let me get this straight. You're using me for sex and in return, you'll keep the secret. Sounds like you hold all the cards. That's not something that sits well with me."
"You see the men in this room?" Lucas looked around and one thing resounded: all eyes were on the brunette sitting next to him. "I want you to carefully consider what you're rejecting."
"I want you to carefully considering what you're requesting. Do you really want to slum it with a lad like me?"
Their arrangement carried itself 3 weeks and counting. They both revealed little facts about themselves here and there, but for the most part, they could hardly claim to know each other. The first week or so, Nathan refused to speak to him. Lucas never bothered to explain that it was Brooke's idea. Nathan would have called his bluff. No one ever forced Lucas to do something he didn't want to do.
When he was 11, Jerry McCulloch tried to stick him with a robbery over on 5th while McCulloch took the spoils. Lucas had something else in mind when he pounded the boy black and blue and practically threw him at the front door of the store.
When he was 16, James Hinds and a couple of Klan members tried to lynch a kid his age. It didn't mattered he was outnumbered. He drove those racist bastards away with a cut over his eye and a bleeding lip to show for it. That kid he saved was Antwon "Skills" Taylor, one of his best friends to this day. Lucas visited him at the club from time to time.
In all honesty, Brooke Davis wasn't hard to be around. Even Nathan warmed up to her after she put him in his place. She hung around their home an awful lot these days. Makes one wonder where Baker's been.
Since Jenny got better, Jake came back to work. With the extra time, Lucas was able to do… anything, really. It was nice to have a consistent lay and he didn't have to worry about getting up early in the morning. Jake's fifth was considerably helpful this month. Things were going well, too well even.
"Where's your girl?"
"She's not my girl and she's in my room, sleeping." Lucas took a seat at the table.
"Well, I've got to head out. Early start today."
"Bullshit. You're telling me the mob starts early?"
Nathan shrugged. "Ask Kelly. He's meeting some big shot from Jersey. Enoch Johnson, I think his name was? I'll see you tonight." He closed the door behind him.
"Why do you Scott brothers wake up so early?" Brooke groaned. She wrapped her arms over his shoulders and kissed him full on the lips.
Lucas kept a hand on her right arm. "You want coffee? Nathan made a pot."
"I should get going. It's daylight, people are going to notice I'm gone."
"You've been gone every other night. Baker has yet to notice."
"My, is someone jealous?" she teased.
He scoffed. "Not jealous. Never jealous."
She shrugged. "I think he's starting to notice. You should start to be a little more careful, babe." Her hands cupped his cheeks while she leant in for a farewell kiss.
"My, is the Brooke Davis actually concerned about my well-being?"
"Not concerned. Never concerned," she said, mocking his earlier words, "I mean it. Be careful."
It was not until she was long gone that he gave his reply. He smirked. "Never."
I had most of this chapter typed up by the time I uploaded the first chapter, so I thought it fair to upload the second part. I cannot stress this enough: Go trigger happy on the review button, the story alert button, the author alert button, whatever. It'll put a smile on my face. See? =)