Everything Has Changed
Haley and I were hanging beside Luke as he got stuff out of his locker. His new found popularity was strange, to say the least.
One of the sluttiest girls in school twirled her hair and said, "Good game, Lucas."
"All right, I'm going to the tutoring centre so I can feel superior," Haley said, rolling her eyes at the skank. "Oh, they're playing 'Attack of the 50 Foot Woman' tomorrow, do you guys wanna go?"
"Sure," I agreed, always up for a movie.
"Count me in," Luke agreed.
Haley left with a wave.
"So, do you think winning the game is an aphrodisiac for all the skanks at this school?" I wondered.
Luke groaned. "Really?"
"What?" I laughed as I started to head to class. "You're the one who had a cheerleader naked in your backseat."
"Half naked," he corrected me. I had snorted with laughter when he had come home, actually blushing, after the game to reveal he had found Brooke Davis in the back of his car. Luke being Luke, was a gentleman and dropped her off home. I couldn't help but laugh as I headed to class.
"So when's your play?"
Skills made me jump and hit my head on my locker.
"Ow," I groaned. "You're not coming."
"You know they gonna advertise, right?"
I gave him a look. "You fell asleep in the last one."
"Yeah, but…"
"You heard about the bikini scene in this one didn't you?" I said knowingly.
"What?" he acted surprised as I pulled my books out and closed my locker door. "No, I wanted to see future Oscar winner Beth Scott…"
"Yeah, Mouth already told me you guys all know."
"Damn it," he muttered. "Well, plus side. I won't fall asleep."
I grinned at him. "You are so sweet to me."
A random girl approached us. "Hey, you're Lucas Scott's sister, right?"
Skills and I exchanged weirded out looks.
"Yeah," I said, waiting for the inevitable 'bastard' comment or something like it.
"Could you tell him Alyssa Collins thought he played an awesome game?" she said, handing me a piece of paper. "And give him my number? Thanks!"
She beamed before I could respond and bounced away. I stared at her, dumbfounded.
"You know this means you his pimp, right?"
"I'm not sure I want a cut of that," I said, making a disgusted face.
He quickly put his hand in the air. "I'll take it."
"You're disgusting," I informed him sweetly.
"I'll play you for it."
"Lucas pimping rights?" I considered it. "You're on, this afternoon at the River Court."
"So what are you guys playing for?" Luke asked. When he saw I was going to the River Court, he'd offered a lift and we'd picked Skills up on the way.
"Oh you know," Skills said, giving me a quick glance. "Enjoyment of the game."
"And fitness," I added. "Gotta keep fit."
"So this has nothing to do with any kind of pimping rights then?"
"What?" I fake laughed.
"That is ridiculous," Skills said, sounding just as bad as I did when lying.
"Yeah, Mouth told me."
"Damn it," I exclaimed.
"He's really earning the nickname Mouth today," Skills muttered.
"You guys never play against each other unless you're betting anyway," he reminded us. "And you can throw that number out, Beth."
"Why? Finally give into one of the skanks already after you?"
"Yeah, dawg, I heard that Brooke Davis was in the backseat of your car naked."
"Half naked," Luke corrected. "Let me guess, Mouth told you?"
"Nope that was me," I admitted freely. As we pulled up to the River Court, the easy going atmosphere in the car changed. The place had been trashed. We got out of the car silently to survey the damage. The basket was damaged, there was spray paint and trash everywhere.
"What happened here?" Skills asked.
"The team," Luke said, his jaw clenching. "They're hazing me. Keith said just to roll with it, that they do it to everyone when they join."
I crossed my arms, trying to remember that I was going to accept Nathan was a douchebag and not get so mad about it. "Okay," I said. "Got any rags in the car?"
That's how I ended up spending my afternoon, cleaning up the River Court and trying to get my aggression out by scrubbing.
Skills let out a whistle as Peyton Sawyer pulled up beside us. I quickly glanced at Luke, and then sent an amused look Skills' way. Luke's crush on Peyton was infamous in our group. The problem being in a group with your sibling? They found out everything.
"Hey," she said to Lucas, sending a nod to Skills and me. "Heard about this. I hoped it wasn't true."
I didn't trust this girl at all. Anyone who dated Nathan was not someone to be trusted. I was gratified by Luke's harsh tone, "What do you want, Peyton?"
"To finish Nathan's dirty work?" I muttered, and Luke sent a warning glare my way. Peyton looked slightly bothered, but didn't answer.
"Come on, let's go to mine and get more stuff to clean this up," Skills said, leading me away. We got some brooms and trash bags before heading back.
Luke remained silent as we continued to clean the River Court up. I sensed as I was burying my own anger, Luke's was rising. Hazing was one thing. But bringing the River Court into it was something else entirely.
The following night, I walked to the movie theatre, script in hand as I mumbled to myself, trying to memorise the lines as I walked.
"Hey," Haley called with a smile as I arrived. She was always early to everything.
"Hi," I said, putting my script away in my bag. "Luke not here yet?"
"No, not yet," she said with a grin. "Maybe he's out with one of those not at all skanky young ladies who have been hitting on him all week," she gave me a sly look. "Have you or Skills managed to pimp him out yet?"
I laughed. There really were no secrets around here. "Not yet," I said. "Though did you hear about Brooke Davis in the back of his car?"
"Yeah," she said. "Class all the way. Though I did hear about the River Court, it really sucks."
I sighed. "Yeah, well, hopefully this hazing crap stops soon. I think Luke's hitting Beth level of angry about it."
"Yikes," Haley said, well aware of my anger about the situation. Though Haley was better friends with Luke than with me, she was around so much she was like a sister.
"Yeah, well, I'm trying a Zen approach," I shrugged.
"How's that working out for you?" she said wryly.
"Well I haven't bitch slapped any of the team," I said. "So there's growth."
She laughed. "Yeah, some of them definitely deserve it," she said. "So how are rehearsals going?"
"Good," I said. "How's tutoring?"
Her face went slightly red. "Oh, yeah, fine," I gave her a puzzled look, wondering what she was hiding. She checked her watch. "Luke's running late."
I checked my own watch and frowned. "That's not like him," I said. We all tried to get prime seating and snacks when we caught a movie.
We chatted for a bit, but gradually got more and more worried. We didn't consider going in to see the movie without him. Eventually, we were half an hour late for the movie and decided to head home.
"I'll let you know what's going on," I promised her as I headed home. My stomach clenched. What had Nathan done know?
"Is Luke here?" I asked Mom when I got home.
She looked up from her book. "I thought he was with you and Haley?"
"He didn't show," I said, and she looked at me with worry. "His phone's going straight to voice mail."
We both wandered the house for a bit, unsettled, until we found ourselves in Luke's room waiting.
"Where have you been?" Mom asked with concern when Luke got home.
"Luke," I exhaled. His clothes were covered in mud. He looked like he'd been through hell.
"Nowhere," he muttered.
"What happened to you?" Mom asked.
"I had a little run in with the team," Luke said.
Mom sighed. "I am sorry that this so hard for you."
"Not as sorry as Nathan is going to be," I muttered.
"Beth," Mom said warningly.
"Mom, I tried to take the high road," Luke said seriously. "And I want to make you proud, I do. But Beth's right. There comes a certain point when you have to fight back. And I'm at that point."
I refrained from cheering. I knew Luke wouldn't want his sister fighting his battles for him, but that didn't mean I couldn't say, help him out with some revenge, right?
For once, Mom didn't argue. I sent Haley a text letting her know Luke was okay and what happened. She replied, I know you have his back, especially with revenge. But let him know I've got his back too.
She was up to something. But as I pulled out my script and tried to concentrate, I had other things I had to worry about.
The Burning Boat Festival was a highlight of the year in Tree Hill. Throwing things from the past into a burning boat was supposed to be therapeutic. Every year, I threw my diary of the previous year into the flames. I didn't want anyone reading those thoughts, but I liked the process of writing them down. Skills used it as an opportunity to clean out his room of junk he no longer wanted.
"I feel cleansed," he sighed as we threw our stuff in.
"You feel cleansed from throwing old textbooks and mouldy food in there?"
"They weighed down on me," he said defensively and I laughed. We joined my mom and brother on the hill and cheered as the boat was lit and the flames blazed.
"New year," Mom bumped me, and I leaned against her as she wrapped an arm around me.
"New year," I repeated softly. "A better year," I decided.
Brooke appeared at my brother's side.
"So you my date tonight, Luke?" she asked, linking her arm through his. I rolled my eyes at her.
"You know Brooke, you don't have to act like this," Luke said.
"I know that," she said. "But you're the first guy to ever say it."
That was interesting. Maybe there was something more to Brooke Davis than hanging around in guy's cars half naked.
Skills tugged me away from Mom and said, "Next year, fireworks."
"Deal," I agreed, fist bumping him. We both quickly checked Mom hadn't heard, and laughed with relief when we saw her attention remained on the flames.
I turned and noticed Luke and Brooke were gone, and I wondered if it was together.
"Fergie and Junk want a rematch," Skills informed me. "You in?"
"Tonight?" I checked and he nodded. "Sure."
I spotted Luke over with Haley and sighed in relief. Luke hadn't changed that much to go off and hook up with Brooke. There was a comfort in that.
