Summary: After the death of his surrogate Dad Keith, Lucas Scott isn't doing too well. But instead of burdening his friends with all his feelings, he keeps his pain inside. He distracts himself with focusing on basketball. He's doing everything he can for it; even losing weight. A basketball player needs to have the perfect body after all. Restricting calories, starving, overexercising, name it, he's willing to do it all. For basketball. (Brucas)
Will someone be there to catch him when he falls?
TRIGGER WARNING: eating disorders, overexercising
Disclaimer: I don't own OTH or any of the characters.
Rated T
Lucas was running. And he was running as though his life depended on it. He liked the burning feeling in his lungs and the aching in other parts of his body.
The pain of overexercising gave him a type of satisfaction he couldn't get from anywhere else.
Though he would never have admitted that he was 'overexercising'. To him this was crucial.
For basketball.
Doing sports had become his escape from the painful reality of a world without-
He ran a little faster to forget all the depressing thoughts brewing just beneath the surface.
Only a little faster and everything would be alright.
He would improve.
"Yes!" he exclaimed triumphantly as he arrived at the backdoor to their house.
Luckily, it was also an entrance to his room and he wouldn't accidentally wake his mom at such an early hour.
Not that she would talk to him; nothing seemed to get her to leave her room or to recognise that she had a son lately.
He was still panting, one hand against the wall to steady himself, the other on his aching chest.
This would have to improve too. He was going to get better. A determined look crossed his face as he thought: "I'm gonna be a basketball player."
He steadied himself and entered his room through the black-painted door.
As always, this door reminded him of Brooke.
She had been so kind and supportive of him lately. He couldn't wish for a better girlfriend.
But without Keith and his mom, basketball felt all the more important. He felt lonely without the comfort of neither parental figure he had had only a little while ago. Basketball filled that void to some extent. And he wasn't going to lose it. Ever.
But first, he needed to take a shower; he stank.
He made his way to the bathroom as quietly as possible, already taking his shirt off on the way, which caused his upper body to be reflected in the bathroom mirror above the sink as he entered. Lucas didn't pay this any mind, but went straight ahead into the shower.
Only while drying his hair afterwards did he take a look at himself.
Had he lost weight? He turned to examine himself from every angle.
Possibly, but he couldn't be certain since he had never really cared about his weight before.
Maybe he had lost some due to all the exercising he had been doing lately.
That thought made him strangely happy. He had once read somewhere that losing weight helped you improve in athletics.
So, if he was lighter, he would surely be able to run faster and be a better basketball player.
He left the bathroom feeling a little happier than before.
FB
Later, Brooke came to pick him up with Peyton already in the car.
"Hey." Brooke greeted, smiling up contentedly at her boyfriend as he sat down in the passengers seat next to her. She proceeded in kissing him animatedly.
It didn't take long for Peyton to start whining jokingly, "Please!There are other people in the car too! And we aren't too keen on seeing you two naked."
This only made Luke and Brooke more determined to make out like it was their last time ever.
"Yeah, don't mind me." Peyton muttered sarcastically.
But in reality, she didn't mind at all. It had taken her a while to realise this, but they were adorable together. Lucas was a great guy, and Broke deserved the best of the best.
And now, the two of them seemed to be closer to each other than ever before.
"We're sorry Peyton, did we bother 'you guys'?" Brooke asked innocently seeing the theatrical scowl on Peyton's face. She put her hand on Peyton's lap as if comforting her.
"Why didn't you say something?" Luke joined in. Taking Brooke's side.
'Asshole.'
He also turned to look at her.
It was comical how two completely differently built faces could look the same.
"Ugggh" Peyton said in contented annoyance. "We should go before we miss PE."
This caused the other two to burst into laughter, but it also made Brooke finally start driving. No one wanted to make Mrs. Reid angry.
'Honesty can do wonders.' Peyton thought as she watched the couple talk happily the whole ride.
A few days after the 'incident', she and Luke had decided to tell Brooke about 'the kiss', which had been more like a melodramatic goodbye, because Peyton had thought she would die. The kiss made her realise that she loved Lucas as one of her best friends, but nothing more.
They had explained Brooke everything, including Peyton's reasoning. And most importantly they had assured her that it hadn't meant anything, which was the truth.
Brooke had taken it surprisingly well. At first she had been a understandably mad at Peyton, but after she had forgiven her, the three of them had become better friends than ever before.
At school they were known as an inseparable trio nowadays.
And the best part was: Peyton didn't feel left out or jealous. She was happier than ever, despite the incident being only six weeks back.
"Have you guys eaten already?" Brooke asked them both with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
She stopped the car abruptly to park in front of their school.
"No. Why?" Peyton said slowly and carefully.
You never knew with Brooke.
Brooke asked Lucas with a pointed look in his direction.
"Sorry, I've eaten." He said apologetically. It was a lie that left his mouth without even thinking about it.
"No problem. You can still eat..." she paused dramatically while getting a food box out of her bag. "...one of my brownies!" she finished after taking off the lid.
Both Peyton and Lucas eyed her suspiciously.
"I'm sorry babe, but I need to keep my sanity today. An exam in history isn't fun as it is." he said before kissing her forehead affectionately.
"Why do-"
"Because, Brooke. They are yours." Peyton said smartly.
Brooke looked properly heartbroken and ready to defend her brownies, but her outburst was prevented by someone knocking (or more like falling) on the windshield not too gently. This caused all of them to jump.
"Haley! Nathan!"
FB
Later, Lucas entered his room (he rarely used the front door anymore) with a package tucked safely under his right arm. He had been extra careful about carrying it from the car. He had even looked around many times to check if anyone had seen him.
Even though the content of the package was unrecognisable, he hadn't wanted to risk anyone seeing him.
He had even gone to a different town to purchase it.
Having other people know he needed that would have been humiliating.
He didn't even know why exactly.
He removed the item from the card box and placed it next to his bed after double checking if his doors were locked.
Then, he started undressing.
If he wanted to be a basketball player, he had to know about such things. He had to be in shape. He needed to be in control of his weight.
When his clothes were removed, he stepped on the scale.
148.4 lbs.
Was that a lot?
He wanted to know if he had lost any weight.
But how could he do that if he had never really weighed himself before? Even more importantly, how had he been able to live with himself, not knowing? Letting himself live so irresponsibly and uncontrolled.
He hurried to the mirror in the bathroom, completely forgetting his cautiousness from before. He needed to know.
Now.
As he looked at himself, he couldn't see much of the change he had seen this morning.
On the contrary, his body felt... soft.
It obviously needed improvement. He poked the skin on his stomach.
Lucas wasn't stupid, he knew he was by no means 'fat'.
But there were different rules for sportsmen. He would only lose the extra weight he had. It was necessary in order to reach his true potential.
He pondered this on his way back to his room.
He would need to lose it fast; basketball didn't wait.
His time was now.
The rest of the evening was spent on researching ways on how to do exactly that.
He would do it for basketball.
A/N: This story just randomly popped into my head. No plot planned, nothing. It's gonna be a lot of improvising.
Also, this is an alternate universe where the characters are among other differences all a year younger. Most of it still happened the way it did up until the school shooting in season three. It just all happened when they were younger. (Don't ask me why. Maybe I just wanted them to go to school a little longer.) After the shooting many things are completely AU or happen at different times than in the series.
Furthermore, Lucas is obviously ooc and so are some of the other characters.