School was closed the next day due to snow.
Lucas woke up early that morning, feeling uptight, nervous, and deeply mistrustful of everyone except a certain blonde girl that kept entering his dreams throughout the night. His chest hurt like hell and his stomach kept giving him unpleasant lurches.
Nathan had fallen asleep on the floor in Lucas's room. Haley had gone home, while Peyton spent the night. She was in Nathan's room, asleep.
Dan had come home late the night before, drunk, and in a pissed off mood. He was still upset with Lucas for planning on overdosing.
Flashback
Dan was coming down the stairs to get something from the kitchen, when he saw Lucas's bedroom door open. He took this as a sign that his first-born, illegitimate son was in a good mood. He peered in and was shocked at what he saw.
Lucas was sitting on his bed, tears falling down his white face. He had a lot of white pills in his hand, more than the doctor's prescribed amount.
End of Flashback
Peyton woke up at the first sign of movement coming from the room below. A door creaked open and footsteps could be heard moving across the hall. Peyton slipped off the bed and out of the room. She headed down the stairs and came face to face with Lucas.
"Morning," he grumbled. "I think Nathan's still asleep."
"He hates mornings," Peyton said. "He can be a real bear sometimes."
"Most of the time," Lucas muttered, limping down the second flight of stairs to the kitchen. Peyton followed him.
"You okay?" she asked as he slumped into a chair in the kitchen, staring out the window.
"I haven't seen snow since I was five," Lucas murmured, not answering her question. "My mom and I went out and played in the snow for hours, just the two of us. She closed the café for the day, just to hang out with me. I repaid her by throwing a temper tantrum later that night because I wasn't allowed to get a book I really wanted. I was such a selfish brat then. It's no wonder why my mother wanted me aborted."
"What?" Peyton gasped, shocked by this newest revelation.
"So Nathan didn't tell you? I thought he told you everything, the jerk. He must not have known." Lucas let out a cold laugh that didn't suit him. "My mother considered having me aborted. She was at the clinic, but got cold feet at the last minute."
"That's horrible, Lucas!" Peyton exclaimed quietly. She impulsively reached out and took his pale hand in hers. He looked up at her, surprised by the friendly gesture.
"My own mother didn't even want me," Lucas said quietly. "My father sure as hell hates me, he abandoned me and didn't even care. He just went and knocked up someone else. My brother only pretends to care, while my best friend only wants to think of ways to hurt me."
"Lucas, that is not true," Peyton protested. "Your mother obviously wanted you, she decided to keep you, didn't she? And Nathan really does care. He stood up for you, didn't he? And Haley really loves you! She just had the misfortune of telling you bad news, that's all. None of this is her fault."
"Sorry," Lucas muttered. "I didn't mean to dump everything on you like that."
"Lucas, I don't mind," Peyton said softly. "I really don't mind."
"Thanks," he said quietly. He pulled his knees up to his chin and stared out the window as the snow continued to fall in heaps.
Nathan came down the stairs a while later, to find his best friend and his half-brother talking animatedly to each other. Lucas was smiling and waving his hand avidly as he described something Nathan managed to decipher as playing basketball.
"And then this guy came out of nowhere, trying to block my shot. He was twice my height, so I ducked around him easily and then dribbled backwards to the three-point line and did this shot called a fade-away. I sunk it easily and it was the winning shot," Lucas said. Nathan detected a hint of pride in his brother's voice.
"That's totally cool," Peyton said enthusiastically. She, too, was smiling. Something seemed to have happened between them when Nathan was asleep. They were sitting closer together than even good friends were supposed to, and they were holding hands. It was strange, in a good sort of way.
"Yeah, and then my mom and I celebrated by going out for ice cream with Haley," Lucas said, his smile slipping off his face slightly. "It was one of the few times my mom and I didn't end the night in a huge argument."
Peyton stayed silent, not sure of what to say. Nathan took this moment to make his entrance. His brother seemed to be in a more relaxed mood.
"Morning, Peyton, Lucas," he said. Lucas tensed slightly as Peyton said good morning back. "How you doing?" Nathan added to Lucas.
"Wishing for once I could get through an entire day without someone asking me that," Lucas said, his tone noticeably colder. "If you don't mind, I'm going to take a shower."
"Good idea," Peyton said, in a teasing voice. "No offense, but you stink!"
"Thanks," Lucas said, rolling his eyes. He smiled slightly and limped back up the stairs, leaving Peyton and Nathan alone.
"He seems to accept you more than anyone else," Nathan commented as soon as his brother was out of hearing distance.
"I'm the only one whose not related to him, not been his friend forever, and doesn't have some twisted desire to hurt him," Peyton said. "I also understand what he's going through."
"I just wish he wouldn't be so distant from everyone though. Dan, I can understand, but Haley? She doesn't understand why he's so angry with her," Nathan said, thinking of how his new friend left in such a distressed manner the night previous.
"She drew the short straw in this mess," Peyton said ominously. Relenting to Nathan's confused look, she added, "Haley had to tell Lucas that his mom died. He thought it was some plot to hurt him, until the doctors told him otherwise."
"But that's stupid!" Nathan protested. "Lucas should know that Haley wouldn't do that to him."
"Would you be thinking to clearly if you had just lost your mother?" Peyton snapped, getting aggravated by her best friend's thick headedness.
"Even still, I wouldn't tune out my friends like that!" Nathan argued.
"I did," Peyton said softly. "Remember, when I was nine and my mom died? I didn't talk to you at all for weeks, and you thought I was mad at you."
"I just wanted you to talk to me," Nathan said in his defense.
"I knew that, I just didn't want to talk to you," Peyton said.
"Why not?" Nathan asked, looking confused.
"You wouldn't understand until you lost your own mother," Peyton said, brushing off an explanation. Truth was, she wasn't sure why she did it, it just kind of happened.
"Oh," Nathan said, looking slightly ashamed of himself. "Haley's on her way over with breakfast." He didn't want to talk about losing his mother anymore. The thought was just too unbearable.
"Haley is here with breakfast," a voice announced. Haley came over to the kitchen table and plopped down next to Peyton, taking off her gloves and scarf. She set a large brown paper bag down on the table. "Where's Luke?"
"In the shower," Peyton answered, opening the bag. To-go cartons and boxes were piled high inside it. "Err, what all did you bring?"
"Lucas's favorites," Haley answered. "I hope it will persuade him to eat something."
Soft footsteps came down the stairs and Lucas appeared in the kitchen. He looked at Haley, uncertain of what to say or do.
"Come sit down," Peyton said, motioning to the chair on her other side. Lucas nodded, his still-wet hair sending droplets of water everywhere. He limped over to the table and sat down next to Peyton.
"How are you-?" Haley broke off at Nathan's glare to silence her. 'Don't say another word,' he mouthed. Haley shut her mouth instantly.
"I'm fine, Hales," Lucas said, sounding resigned to answering the question. His voice was distant and lifeless, not at all like it was when he was talking with Peyton.
"What's for breakfast?" Nathan asked, changing the subject again.
"Well, umm, it's not really what people consider breakfast food, but I brought over a carton of chocolate chip cookies, an entire chocolate cake, and some toast, some eggs, and a couple pieces of fruit," Haley said promptly. Nathan looked at her like she had just grown a third head, while Lucas looked down at the table top, a tear sliding out of his eyes.
"You want some?" Peyton asked, taking out one of the boxes and opening it. It was the chocolate cake.
"I'm not really hungry," Lucas mumbled. "I think I'm going to go read a book."
"Mind if I come?" Peyton asked instantly.
"Not if you come alone," Lucas murmured, getting up from the table. He limped up the stairs without really looking to see if she was coming or not.
"I'll persuade him to eat," Peyton promised, grabbing a couple paper plates, some plastic ware, and a couple of the boxes of food. Haley looked downcast at the table.
"You okay, Haley?" Nathan asked as Peyton disappeared up the stairs. Haley shook her head, tears sliding down her face.
"Lucas hates me," she said sadly. "And I don't think that's ever going to change."
"He's going through a lot right now," Nathan said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Take it from someone with experience; he'll come around and welcome you back with open arms. Trust me."
"I think I should leave," Haley said, getting up and putting her gloves and scarf back on.
"Stay," Nathan said suddenly. Haley looked surprised at him.
"O-okay," she stammered, sitting back down again. She looked nervously at him and Nathan looked right back at her, the same expression visible on his face.
Peyton knocked lightly before walking through the open door into Lucas's room. He had his headphones on already, and was completely absorbed in The Great Gatsby.
"That's a hefty book for a fourteen-year-old," she teased, sitting down on the bed next to him. Lucas looked up from his book and smiled slightly. He took of his headphones and shut his book.
"That's a pretty hefty load of food for someone to eat by herself," he retorted. His blue eyes were bright and lively, like they had been when he was talking to her downstairs earlier.
"I was hoping you would eat some with me?" Peyton asked slyly. Lucas looked revolted at the mention of food.
"I really wasn't lying when I said I was hungry before," Lucas said, looking, as he was about to be sick.
"Oh, well, forget the food then," Peyton said, pushing the stuff off the bed. She was thankful the take-out box didn't spill its contents all over the floor.
"Can I ask you something?" Lucas asked, sounding nervous and frightened.
"What is it?" Peyton asked, feeling Lucas's mood shift from relaxed to super-charged and tensed. She tensed slightly; was she about to get the real reason behind Lucas's stupid idea to overdose?
"How did you get over your mom dying? I mean, you talk about her without wanting to cry or kill yourself, you seem happy, and you got on with your life," Lucas said, feeling embarrassed for rambling like he was.
"I never truly did get over it," Peyton said softly, not expecting this. "Some memories, even now, make me want to cry, because I know I will never get to experience those things with her, ever again. But even though it seems impossible now, Lucas, it gets easier. The abyss of pain goes away after awhile. I promise you that."
"I've been thinking about that," Lucas said softly. "And I don't think it ever will. My mom was all I had, Peyton. I don't have a father. You know that."
"What happened yesterday, Lucas?" Peyton asked, feeling on edge for the answer I was about to receive. "What did Dan do to you?"
Instead of answering, Lucas set his book down on the bed and stood up, his back facing her. Then he pulled off his soaked tee shirt and slowly turned around.
Black and blue bruises dotted Lucas's muscular torso. Some were fading, some were brand new, and some were just there. The worst was on Lucas's chest, were it was obvious a fist connected with it. It was dark purple and swollen; it looked as though a rib might be cracked.
Peyton reached out and gingerly laid a hand on Lucas's chest, feeling him wince underneath it. She stared at the bruise, and then at Lucas's face. His blue eyes were contorted with pain, anger, and fear; his mouth pulled into an ugly grimace.
"I'm sorry, Lucas, for everything that's happened to you," she murmured. Fresh tears began to fall from his face, making him look more vulnerable than ever. Why does all this bad stuff happen to him? Peyton thought, while staring at the blonde, unable to think of something to say to him. He's only fourteen and he's already lost his mother, his father is abusive towards him for no reason, and he overdoses. And I thought I had it bad when my mother died.
Lucas sat on the bed, every muscle tense and ready to spring back up at the slightest provocation. He bowed his head and let his tears fall, something he hadn't done since the night at the hospital when Haley told him that Karen was dead. Lucas cried for his mother, cried for the way his father treated him, and cried for having no one to love him unconditionally, and to be there for him, the way Karen was when she was alive.
"It's okay," a faraway voice was telling him. "It's going to be okay." The voice was rough, but also gentle and kind. For a moment, Lucas thought he was back in his mother's arms, and she was telling him that she would be there for him, always.
For that briefest second, Lucas was truly happy. And then everything came crashing back down on him, making him feel even worse than he had been. His emotions were out of his control all of a sudden, and now Lucas was on his feet, throwing things and yelling things that he himself couldn't understand.
Peyton could only watch in fear and horror as Lucas flung everything in his reach across the room.
"Why does everyone always leave?" he screamed. "Why does everyone have to take things from me? Why me? Why?"
Peyton couldn't do anything for him, in fear that she would be thrown out of the room, in fear that he would hurt her. She shouldn't have, though, for the next moment, he was on his bed again, crying even harder than he had been.
"Luke?" Peyton said softly. He looked at her, his blue eyes dark and depressed, void of any real feeling other than darkness and fear.
"She's gone," he said quietly, his voice cracking. "She's gone and she's never coming back. She left me here with that bastard, knowing what monster he is, knowing what would happen to me if anything happened to her. How could she? How could my mother do that to the one thing she claimed mattered most to her in the entire world?"
How was she supposed to answer that? Lucas only had one parent that he could trust, one parent that was there for him, and one parent that he knew. When Peyton's mother died, she had her father who was there for her. More than Dan would ever be there for Lucas, that Peyton was certain.
Footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. The floor creaked and then door was flung wide open.
Expecting Dan, Lucas jumped to his feet, turning around to greet the person at the door with fists. He was surprised to see Deb standing there, her eyes red and puffy from crying.
"What has he done to you, Lucas?" she asked quietly. Lucas winced, and glared at her.
"Why do you care?" he asked coldly. "Why don't you go on to work and leave me the hell alone?"
"Lucas, I want to help you, I really do," Deb said, still speaking quietly. "Why won't you let me?"
"I don't want or need your help," Lucas spat, making Peyton flinch beside him. "Or anyone else's for that matter. Just leave me alone!"
He shouted the last word, before storming out his bedroom door, not as showy as he liked because of his stupid cast. Lucas stomped down the stairs, ignoring frightened looks of Nathan and Haley, who were still sitting at the kitchen table, and outside.
Lucas heard voices calling his name from the door, too scared to come after him. Lucas ignored them, breaking into a lopsided jog. He had no clue as to where he was going; all he did know was that he had to get away.
Lucas became aware of the biting cold and the pain in his ankle, just as he became aware of his surroundings. He was at the River Court, an old basketball court that he used to play ball on with his friends.
The court was empty and covered with snow, but Lucas felt at home. He limped to the icy bleachers and sat down, ignoring the shivers that racked him as he did. Lucas lifted his ankle that was in a cast and began to pick at it, not really realizing what he was doing. As Lucas tore at the cast, he thought about all the good times he had had at the basketball court. He remembered killing his friends in the basketball games they had held, and once beating Nathan to join the middle school basketball team.
Footsteps crunching in the snow made Lucas look up. Two people were crossing the basketball court, both of them obviously looking for him. As they drew closer, Lucas recognized one of them as Skills Taylor, one of his good friends from before the accident that had taken his mother's life. The other person was hidden by the hood of their jacket, but Lucas had a feeling he knew who it was.
"Hey, Lucas!" Skills called. "What up dog? Long time, no see!"
"Hi Skills," Lucas said, smiling slightly. "Not a whole lot."
"Would 'not a whole lot' include you tearing your cast on your ankle to shreds?" Skills asked dryly. Lucas looked at his ankle, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks as he saw the white hospital cast in pieces on the ground. "What's up?"
"It's nothing," Lucas grumbled. Skills rolled his eyes.
"Well, Mr. It's Nothing," Skills began. Lucas didn't give him the chance to finish. He sprang to his feet and swung his arm around, connecting it with the side of Skills' face.
"Don't ever talk to me again," Lucas growled, limping away as fast as he could. Skills stayed on the cold ground, stunned.
The other person who was with Skills made sure he was okay before darting after Lucas.
"LUCAS!" she yelled. It was no one Lucas had ever met before, so he spun around in surprise, nearly falling over.
"Brooke?" he asked, surprised. Brooke Davis was Haley's cousin and friend, and the first girl Lucas had ever kissed.
"You really shouldn't do that to people, Lucas. We only want to help you," Brooke said, wrapping her arms around her middle in an angry stance. Lucas glared at her.
"When is everyone going to stop saying that and realize I don't want or need anyone's help? Not even yours, Brooke Davis," Lucas said coldly. Brooke glared at him. If looks could kill, I would be so dead right now, Lucas thought.
"When are you going to realize you need help, whether you want it or not? I've talked to Haley and she's been saying you've been treating all your friends like crap. I didn't want to believe it, because I know you're a good guy, Lucas," Brooke said, her tone sounding disbelieving, even to Lucas's ears. "I can't see why I liked you before. You have turned into someone you swore you never would turn into."
"Whose that?" Lucas challenged, dreading the answer.
"You've turned into your father," Brooke said quietly.
Okay, the next chapter is in the process of being written. I will have my wonderful new beta, Stormstar, read and edit it before posting it. Hope you guys like!!