Disclaimer: The characters belong to the WB, I'm just having fun with them.

Lucas stood in middle of the foyer, with Peyton standing before him and Brooke standing behind him. He looked from girl to girl, trying to make up his mind. He had called out to Peyton and told her not to go, but did that mean he was choosing her, even though he liked Brooke? Luke felt like someone had punched him in the gut, and it was making him dizzy as if he was seeing stars.
He looked from Brooke to Peyton and Peyton to Brooke as they in turn looked to him and then at each other. Why did Peyton make everything so complicated? As the thought leaped into his mind, Peyton looked at him again and reached for the door, but before she could open it Keith walked in.
"What's going on?" asked his uncle.
No one said anything. Lucas didn't know how to answer. "Keith," he should say, "I have two beautiful girls standing before me and they both want me. I've just got to make up my mind. Which would you choose?" But no, he couldn't say that. Not in front of the girls.
"Lucas, I told you, you're grounded. That means no guests."
Brooke stared at him open-mouthed. She raised her brows. "Grounded? For what?"
"Whatever," said Lucas. "It's not important." He was not going to tell Brooke of all people that he was being punished for getting drunk and getting a tattoo. He'd never live it down. Not that he'd ever live this one down either.
"The point is," Keith continued, "Lucas should not be entertaining. I'm sorry girls, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Lucas tried to hide the red that was creeping up into his cheeks. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and rubbed his forehead. His head was beginning to throb. "I'm sorry," he told the girls.
"You were a naughty boy," Brooke said coyly, stroking Lucas's cheek with her finger. She started to say something else, but she caught Peyton's look and stopped.
"See you at school Lucas," said Peyton. Brooke grabbed her jacked and followed Petyon out the front door.
"What was that all about?" Keith asked crossly. "I told you this morning that you were grounded. Why are you taking advantage of me?"
Lucas fell into a chair, rubbing his head again, and felt the air rushing out from him. His head was killing. He couldn't believe how grateful he was that Keith had embarrassed him in front of two beautiful girls. But he was and now he had to face his angry uncle. "I didn't mean to," was all Lucas muster. "I didn't invite Peyton over, she just popped in."
"What about Brooke?"
"Her I invited over. I wasn't thinking. I won't do it again."
"You're damn right you won't. You know, when you're mother asked me to move in with you for the next six weeks, I didn't expect this. You're a good kid. But since you got onto that basketball team, you have not been yourself."
"Since I got on that basketball, I have to face my brother and my deadbeat father nearly every day." Lucas got up and stalked to his room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Keith was right behind him, banging his bedroom door open and angrily saying, "You can't hide behind them forever."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. You can't hide behind Nathan and Dan forever. For sixteen years you've all been living in this little town and everyone knew this would eventually happen. My brother is a jerk. His son can be one too, but that does not mean that you can trash your life because of it. They don't matter that much."
"To you maybe, but for me it's different. Your dad did not abandon you. Your dad never pretended that you're not his son that he had nothing to do with you." The heat was rising in Lucas's face. The anger swelled inside of him. He grabbed one of his plastic trophies, one he got for playing basketball at the Y when he was a kid and threw it at the mirror.
"You can never know what it's really like Keith, no matter what you say." A wave of nausea hit Lucas. He ran out of the room, to the bathroom and splashed water on his face. Lucas grabbed his aching arm. He wished he had not thrown the trophy with his bad arm, because the place where he got his tattoo was throbbing.
"You're arm hurting you?"
"Like the dickens."
"I wanted to have it checked out before the game."
"It's fine."
Lucas leaned against the sink, a splinter of glass was in his finger. "You're changing the subject." His right hand was massaging his left arm.

"I am," said Keith.
"Why?"
"Because I don't know what to say." Keith sighed and rubbed his day old stubble. He held onto the doorknob and said, "Karen and I knew this day would come and we knew that it would wreak havoc on your life. Your mother has been preparing you for this from the day you were born, Lucas. She gave you all the love and attention you needed. But frankly, you are not living up to that love and that trust she has given you. Dan is not worth your anger. He only deserves your pity, because he's passed on such a great son."
"What about Nathan?"
Keith did not have a chance to answer. Lucas pushed the toilet seat up and hurled, everything he had eaten came up from the day.
Keith jumped to Lucas's side and stroked his nephew's back. "You're getting your ass in that truck and we're going to the ER. Let's just pray you don't have blood poisoning or something. We'll talk more on the way."
"Maybe we can negotiate this grounding thing." Lucas said, wiping his mouth off with a towel.
"Maybe you can explain why you had two girls practically foaming at their mouths, hoping to get their paws on you."
"If I only could."