Nathan slammed his door shut and sat back down on the couch, holding his head in his hands. Things were getting to be more than he could handle. He didn't want to lie to Lucas, he really didn't, but he couldn't exactly tell him that a loan shark threatening both he and Lucas decided to rough him up as a "gentle reminder" of Nate's debt. If he hadn't missed Luke's party, this little conflict between them probably would have been avoided. He felt terrible for missing the celebration, he had only meant to rest a minute before heading out, but the exhaustion of his last few weeks poured down on him at once. He stood up in frustration and began futilely kicking at the couch, until one blow sent a shock into his toe. He then proceeded to storm into the bedroom, and after about an hour of thrashing around, he eventually drifted into an uneasy sleep.

When Nate woke the following morning, the events of the night before immediately rushed back into his brain. He was wrong, and he knew it. Lucas had the right to be upset. Nathan did miss his birthday party and then lie to his face about why. The brunette was brainstorming a way to apologize to his hurt friend without revealing what happened with Dante, when his train of thought came to a crashing halt with a knock on the door. Lucas poked his head in, and spotted Nathan sitting on the couch. He entered the apartment and offered Nate a coffee as a peace offering. The blonde smiled when his friend accepted the gift with a smile of his own.

"Look man, last night," Luke began before Nate cut him off.

"Don't apologize Lucas. It was my fault, I missed your party and I lied," Nate justified Lucas's reaction.

"No man, I was being totally overdramatic. You don't have to tell me every detail of your life or anything. And don't worry about the party. You already got me," Lucas began but Nate cut him off.

"Do not thank me again or I'll hit you," Nate joked. "I didn't want to lie to you Luke, I just…don't want to talk about it."

"That's fine Nate, that's all you had to say," Lucas said in a tone that absolutely exuded understanding. Nathan wondered how such a fantastic person could stand to be friends with someone like himself, who had put the older teen through so much.

"So, do you want to head over to the River Court, shoot some hoops?" Nate asked Lucas, glad that this little feud was over.

"Yeah," Luke smiled. The two hopped into Nathan's car and the younger teen was caught up on the major events of the previous night's party, such as a slightly intoxicated Brooke winding up in the men's room, or mouth tripping over the wires and disrupting the concert. The two laughed together and eventually made it to the court. After a few matches of one-on-one Nate was clobbering Lucas. The brunette was getting ready to make a shot, but Luke suddenly slowed down. He was breathing deeply.

"You alright man?" Nate asked concerned.

"Yeah…the HCM…I…" Luke panted. Nate approached him, and Luke stole the ball, ran it down the court, and made a slam dunk, laughing and his friend.

"That was low Roe," Nate said, pretending to be upset.

"Yeah, I know," Luke smiled, "but I really do need to rest." The two boys took a seat on the bleacher and sat watching the boats on the river (A pastime of Luke's). After sitting in silence for a few minutes, the blonde finally spoke up again.

"Eric called me last night." He said staring out at the water. Nate peered over at him, suddenly understanding Lucas's heightened state of emotion. Though right now it was impossible to gauge how he felt about the situation, so Nate waited for him to continue. "He wanted to wish me happy birthday and…" He paused, seeming to consider if he wanted to continue. "He wants me to go stay with him for a week or so, to get to know each other." Nate still was unable to pick up any sort of vibe.

"Do you want to?" He asked Luke.

"I…don't know. He's making an effort, but it's almost too late. How can I face someone who waited almost eighteen years to acknowledge my existence?"

"You gave Dan a second chance. Of course he messed it up, but he's far worse than Eric. Maybe Eric is worth it. Look at Peyton; her mom came back, if only because she was dying. But still, she was glad for having met her."

"Maybe your right. I don't know…"

"It's not like you need to decide right now Lucas, you can see him when you're ready."

"I know," Luke smiled at him. After sitting awhile longer, Nate informed his friend that he had to get home in order to prepare for work.

"Want me to drop you off?" Nathan asked?

"Nah, it's nice out, I want to walk."

"You sure you're going to be alright with the whole heart thing…"

"Nate, I'll be fine," Lucas told him. After saying goodbye, Nate got into his car and pulled away. Luke began the not-too-long walk home, enjoying the day, and the fact that he managed to completely make up with Nathan. He pulled out his iPod, on which he had loaded Nate's birthday CD, and cranked the volume, which would prove to be one of the worst decisions of his life, for had Lucas not done so, he might have heard the sound of a certain black sedan approaching quickly from behind.