Nathan ran into Lucas on his way into the courtyard. "Oh, sorry," he realized who it was. "Oh, I was just coming to look for you,"
Lucas forgot that he was running from Brooke, and turned to face her twin. "Me? Why?" he asked.
"Well you're like my… cousin or something," Nathan smiled.
Lucas frowned. "What?"
Laughing Nathan explained. "Well, your living with Karen, who digs Keith so technically that makes Keith like your dad or something, which brings me to my Uncle; Keith. So, do the math that I spent three minutes trying to figure out, and that brings you and me to a halt at… non related cousins," Nathan smiled proudly.
Lucas just shook his head. "The people here are insane," and he walked off.
Nathan stood there scratching his head in confusion, but broke out of his daze when someone bumped into him from behind. He spun around to face a six foot three FJ, and three of his posse.
"Hey!" Nathan yelled.
"Watch it, murderer," he growled. Nathan shook his head, and was about to walk off, when he heard a girls voice from behind the tall guy.
"Beat it, fag," Brooke said suddenly appearing behind his friends.
"Screw you goth," the FJ mumbled. Anger rose in Nathan, as a clenched his fists and hit him square in the jaw.
"Nathan!" Brooke screamed, as the Jock charged at him, ramming him into the wall.
Nathan groaned in pain as he connected with the wall. His back was stinging, and he couldn't begin to explain the amount of pain his right side was causing him.
"Somebody help!" Brooke screamed, running forward, but the Jock's friends held her back.
Lucas heard Brooke's screams from around the corner, and came running back. He turned the corner and saw a huge guy in a letterman's jacket sitting on top of Nathan, punching him square in the face. He looked to his right and saw three guys holding a struggling Brooke back.
Students stood around them, watching, no-one daring to move or even think of alerting a teacher.
Lucas took a few steps towards him and pulled on the back of the Jock's jacket. He lost interest in Nathan and turned on Lucas. He backed him into a wall, and as he went to swing his first punch Lucas ducked, and his hand connected with the wall, going through the plaster.
Lucas pushed him in the back, and his head hit the wall. He yelled in pain, but Lucas didn't stick around to see him retrieve his hand from the wall. He was too busy trying to get Brooke free. A right hook, jab to the stomach, and a knee in the face later, the score was Lucas 4, Jock's 0. He turned around, and saw Brooke leaning over Nathan, who was obviously in serious pain. He walked over to them, and helped her lift Nathan up.
"Come on, sick bay," Brooke said softly.
Nathan shook his head, but that didn't stop Brooke and Lucas from leading him away.
As the bell went signaling third period, Haley and Jake left the cafeteria laughing.
"I had no idea that basketball was that complex. I always thought you throw a ball through a hoop, and you score," Haley laughed.
Someone walking past Haley couldn't help but comment. "Come on Haley. You know that's not that only way to score," a guy commented.
Jake pretended like he didn't hear it. "Nope it's not that complicated. I'll have to teach you sometime," he opened the door for her, and she walked through it.
"I'd like that," she said, as they reached their lockers. "Oh, I didn't know our lockers were so close,"
"I did," Jake said. "It's kind of hard to miss yours," he laughed pointing to her hot pink locker door.
"Hey, it's hot," Haley smiled.
Jake smiled back, and started undoing his locker combination. He stopped when something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He stopped what he was doing, and took a few steps to his left, stopping in front of Zach Henderson's locker.
Haley watched Jake from her locker, and slowly moved forward. "You guy's where friends weren't you?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah. We all were. Tim was the prankster, you know? Always making us laugh. Zach was the serious one, always worrying about homework and shit like that. Luke, well, he was a lazy son of a bitch, but we loved him anyway, and Jack, you know what Jack was like. He was a ladies man. We all played our own little part, but we were like a family you know?" Jake sighed.
Haley put a hand on his shoulder in support. "I know. I'm sorry Jake, I wish there was something I could say, or do, you know?"
Jake smiled. "You're doing it,"
"Nathan!" Deb Scott ran through the door of Tree Hill High's Sick Bay, and straight to her son, who was lying down on one of the beds while the nurse was examining his ribs.
"Mom," he said weakly.
She took his hand, and stood next to the bed. "What happened? The school said you got into a fight," she kissed his hand softly, and didn't notice Brooke standing behind her.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. But I just couldn't take it anymore," he whispered.
Deb gave her son an encouraging smile. "It's okay. You'll be okay. You just need some rest,"
Nathan and Brooke both rolled their eyes, but Brooke was the only one to express her feelings.
"He won't be okay mom. Neither of us will. Don't you see what this is doing to us? To our family? Dad can't even look at Nathan, he doesn't want anything to do with him. You and Dad don't even sleep in the same bed anymore," Deb looked down, "Yeah; don't think we haven't noticed Mom. Look, we love you, we really do, but we can't do this. We can't go through this anymore. It's killing us,"
Brooke looked at her mother. She saw tears forming in her eyes, and almost jumped back in surprise when her mother grabbed her in a hug.
"I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry. I love you kids more than anything; I don't want to put you through this anymore. I'm sorry,"
Brooke patted her mothers back as she sobbed, and looked over her shoulder at her brother, who was looking up at the two women in his life that he loved more than anything.
Peyton tried to control her laughing but couldn't help it as she rolled around on her luxurious king size bed. She looked up at the giant plasma TV screen, and continued to watch the latest Jerry Springer episode. Tears of laughter rolled down her face as she watched a mother fight for the brother of her husband.
Deciding she'd had enough of laughing she rolled over twice but stopped so she wouldn't fall off the edge of the bed, and reached under the bed, her hand searching for a familiar surface. She found what she was looking for and pulled out a journal book and pen from under the bed.
Opening to a blank page, she muted the TV, and settled on her bed, ready to write;
Dear Diary,
That sounds lame, but how else are you supposed to start these things? I read back over my other diary entries this morning as I was waiting for my pancakes to get delivered (god I love room service) and I realized that these past few entries seem a lot more positive you know?
I really feel like I'm starting fresh here. I've made a pact not to call home again. That was such a lame ass thing to do. Moment of weakness right? Anyway, Tree Hill seems like the perfect place for me to settle. God, I sound like some old lady. Pfft!
So future plans (and by future I mean the next week) includes finding a new school, and a job. Actually I might start on the new job today. That's a good idea.
Well, I'm off job hunting,
P.Sawyer - Out!
Peyton shut the diary, and put it back under the bed. She got up and walked over to the table and stood there, staring at the newspaper which was conveniently opened on the job section. She smiled.
Lucas stood out the front of the principal's office his head swarming with thoughts about everything that had just happened.
"Lucas, I'm ready to see you now," Mr. Saunders, the young school principal, stuck his head out of his office door, and motioned Lucas to come inside. Taking a deep breath, Lucas walked into the office.
He looked around at all the basketball trophies on the wall. He took a seat opposite the desk, and spotted a photo of the Tree Hill Raven's basketball team, with the Raven's Cheerleaders.
"Mr. Saunders, can I borrow you for a moment?" an old lady came into the office looking rather stressed. "Someone has blocked the boy's toilets again, and it's a mess," she said, walking out of the office.
Mr. Saunders shook his head, and looked down at Lucas. "I'll be right back. Try not to break anything,"
Lucas waited till he heard the door shut behind him, and reached forward, grabbing the photo that he'd been dying to get a closer look at. He spotted Brooke in the centre; next to Nathan who was holding what Lucas presumed was the winning basketball. "They look so happy," Lucas thought. He continued to look at the photo, and spotted a few more familiar faces. Haley, smiling, her arms wrapped around Nathan. Bevin, also smiling, standing next to Brooke in an obvious attempt to look popular.
Lucas then spotted who Nathan was hanging with in the photo. There were at least six guys hanging around him, one scruffing his hair, the other trying to steal the basketball from his hands. He noticed Jake was one of them, and automatically knew who they were. Tim. Jack. Luke. Zach.
Suddenly feeling like he was about to be sick, he placed the photo back on the desk, and waited for the principal to come back. He didn't have to wait long.
"So, Mr. Roe. I love to meet the new students, but most of the time it's under better circumstances," Mr. Saunders smiled, as he took his seat opposite Lucas. "Look, most principals would sit here and tell you that what you did was wrong, you're a bad student blah blah blah, but I wont. What's done is done. Learn from your mistakes, and move on, what do you say?"
Lucas sat there shocked. "Huh?" was all he could manage to say.
"Now, punishment. You'll join Ms. and Mr. Scott in detention after school starting next week, and I will try and convince the parents of the boy you assaulted not to press charges, if you promise me that it wont happen again?"
"Promise," Lucas stated.
"Very well. Now, we've contacted you're… Aunt, and she can't come and get you at this point, but I don't think it would be wise to go back to class, is there anyone else who can pick you up?"
"No," Lucas replied.
"Hmm, that's a problem. One I can fix. Let me just go see…" Mr. Saunders disappeared out into the corridor.
Lucas shook his head. "This school is--"
Nathan looked at his mother hopefully. "Lucas- he'sguy who saved my ass, come on mom it's the least you can do,"
Deb looked between a very good looking Mr. Saunders, her beaten up son, and hernow very quietdaughter. "Fine, I'll give him a ride home," she finally gave in.
"Thank you," Mr. Saunders said politely. "I'll just go get him. Nathan your feeling okay?" he asked, slowing backing out of the room. Nathan nodded. "That's good. I'll send Lucas right in, and then I think you should go home and rest. Next week is going to be very big for you guys,"
Brooke frowned. "What do you mean?"
Mr. Saunders smiled. "Well Ms. Scott, fighting at school… there has to be some punishment for that. It's my personal favorite. I like to call it "After School Detention"," and with that he was gone to get Lucas.
Both Brooke and Nathan groaned, but there mother seemed happy with that punishment. "It could be a lot worse," she said.
Nathan groaned in pain as his sister helped him get into the front passenger seat of the car. "Mom, next time you buy a car from Dad, make sure it actually fits people in it," Brooke said grumpily as she leaned across her brother to reach his seatbelt.
Nathan smacked her hand away. "I can do it myself,"
Brooke held both hands up in defense, and slammed his door shut. She opened the back door, and slid in with ease. She tried her hardest to avoid looking at Lucas, who was sitting to her right, but she couldn't help but glance his way every now and then.
"So Lucas, where do you live?" Deb asked, backing out of the school car park.
"Uh…," he thought about it for a minute. "I don't know,"
Brooke smiled. "What?"
"Well, I just moved here, I don't really know the streets or anything," he said sheepishly.
Deb looked to her right, then her left, checking for traffic. "Well that's a problem,"
"Mom, I'm hungry," Nathan whined.
"You're always hungry," Brooke muttered.
"Shut up," her brother threw back at her.
Brooke smiled. "Wow, that was original,"
"Lucas just ignore my two babies here," Deb smiled as she listened to her kids bicker. "So is there anywhere I can take you that you actually know of?"
Lucas thought for a moment. "Uh, yeah. Karen's Café,"
"Yeah, good idea! They have really good food there!" Nathan exclaimed.
"Why there Lucas?" Deb asked, pulling into the left lane.
"Uh, my Aunt is… well… she's Karen," he said.
"Oh, that's nice," Deb smiled. It took her a while to make the connection. "Oh! Oh! You're Lucas! Keith's... wow! Well, it's a small world,"
There was silence for about ten seconds. Deb couldn't help herself.
"So Lucas, where are you from?" she asked.
Brooke turned to him. "Yeah Lucas. Where are you from?" she repeated her mothers question in a harsh tone.
He felt the glare of Brooke's stare, but didn't look her way. "Uh, around. You know… here and there," he answered. "Prison for two years," he laughed on the inside at what his answer should have been.
Deb smiled. "That's nice. So why are you here with Karen? Shouldn't you be with your mother and father?"
"Well my dad is in prison, has been since I was born, and my mom can't stand to look at me," "Uh… well, my parents aren't really…," he took a deep breath. What could he say? "My parents… they're dead," he finished.
Brooke's eyes softened. "Poor guy,"
"Sorry man," Nathan said.
"Lucas, I'm so sorry. Teach me to ask questions like that. I really am sorry," Deb gushed.
"It's okay," Lucas looked at his hands, then up at Brooke.
She couldn't stand to look at him any longer. The pain that she saw in his eyes, finally had a reason, and it wasn't one she was expecting.
Lucas frowned when Brooke looked away from him. He looked down at the seat, and spotted her mobile phone in between them. While she wasn't looking, he quickly added his number to her contacts list.
"Well as much as I hate breaking awkward silence… we're here," Brooke said, pointing out her window to Karen's Café.
"Thanks for the ride," Lucas said, getting out not at all too fast.
"Your wel--" Deb started, but he was gone.
"Mooom" Nathan whined. Deb sighed.
"Brooke there are some notes in my purse in my handbag back there," she motioned behind her seat. "Go in and get your brother something to eat,"
Brooke rolled her eyes, but did as she was told.
Next up; A WHOLE lot of Brucas, and possibly some Naley... or Jaley... not sure yet. Also a bit of Leyton.
So even though it was REALLY horrible, I'd love to hear that it's really horrible. So, any questions, comments, and even better... REVIEWS... just push that little purple button. Thanks for reading guys.