Disclaimer: The characters still don't belong to me. but they do belong to
the WB!
Thanks for all the great reviews!
The next morning Lucas got ready for school. Keith silently watched his nephew, obviously displeased. The elder Scott leaned against the counter, with a cup of coffee in his hand, while the younger one poured cereal into his bowl.
"Keith."
"Lucas," Keith said simultaneously.
They chuckled.
"You can afford another day home from school."
"The doctor said it would be okay. I called him." Lucas slowly chewed on his Crispy Corn Bran. "I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to tick you off."
"I just want you to be safe Lucas."
"I know."
Keith set down his cup of coffee. "If you insist on going to school, then meet me at the café as soon as you're done."
"What if Dan's there?"
"You can't keep hiding from him. This is a small town."
Nothing had changed in school, but Lucas felt like he had aged six years over the long weekend. He walked down the hall, watched the other students talking, laughing, and horsing around. He sat through history class with his mind far away from the Hundred Years' War. Peyton was sitting two rows over from him and the sight of her was intoxicating.
"Mr. Scott," called his history teacher. "Would you care to share with the class some of the roots of the conflicts of the Hundred Years' War? It will be on the test tomorrow."
"We have a test tomorrow?" Lucas asked in surprise.
"Mr. Scott, I know you were out for a day, but the test was announced two weeks ago."
"Oh. Well, I had a very high fever this weekend; it must have affected my memory." Peyton gave him a curious look. Lucas guessed word had not spread as he thought it had. He thought Brooke would have said something to Peyton.
"I'm sorry to hear that. There is a test tomorrow and the question I just asked will be on the test."
"Then I say the war started over land."
"Care to elaborate?"
"I didn't study yet. But I'm sure I'll know it by tomorrow."
The teacher shook his head, trying to hide an amused look on his face, and went onto the next victim. Before Lucas realized it, there was a note on his desk. It was from Peyton. "Fever?" it read. "I thought you were ditching. What's this about a fever?"
"I don't ditch," he scribbled back. "Why would you think that? And if my mother asks, I had the flu."
The kid next to him graciously agreed to play messenger. Peyton looked at him with raised brows as if he should know why he should have ditched. A moment later, another note was on his desk. "You know, because of Friday night," it said.
"What about it?" he wrote back unfeelingly. He suddenly felt irritated. Why on earth would he have to avoid her, because she made a declaration of love? If she knew him at all, she would know that he would not avoid her because of the scene at his house on Friday night.
When Peyton read the note, it was as if a dark cloud passed over her face. She crumpled up the note and tossed it to the edge of her desk, where it toppled to the floor. But she did not move to pick up the litter. As soon as the bell rang, she grabbed her books and zoomed for the door, making sure Lucas could not catch up with her.
"Mr. Scott, may I speak with you a moment?" asked the teacher.
"I'll be late for my next class." Which he shared with both Peyton and Nathan.
"I'll write you a pass. Take a seat," instructed the teacher.
Lucas sat and endured probing questions because of his unusual behavior. Jeez, Lucas was tired of it. Everyone thought he was this angel. His teacher never expected a wiseass comment from Lucas Scott, the "good" one. His mother expected him to be act like an adult half the time, and Keith constantly commented on how Lucas was a straight up kid, who always behaved. Even Peyton expected to be handled with kids gloves.
"I just got tired of being good," Lucas said abruptly, interrupting the teacher. "I need to get to English." He grabbed his backback and walked to his next class. Peyton was waiting for him outside.
She was wearing an olive pair of cargo pants and a black sleeveless top. Her curls cascaded down to her shoulders. Damn, she was beautiful, thought Lucas.
"You had the flu?" she asked.
"Only if my mom asks, but it was really blood poisoning."
"How'd you manage that?" she asked coolly.
"I got a tattoo the other night, when I was with Brooke. I was drunk," he said.
"So what happened Friday night? I thought it was something, but according to you."
"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant, it wasn't a big deal."
"I thought it was. And I've been waiting for you to call, to say something."
"Well, I was otherwise engaged. I had a hot date with my bed and the toilet bowl."
"Okay, sorry. I didn't know that until now. But Lucas, I poured out my heart to you."
"I know."
"And ."
"And what Peyton? I was the first one to open up and pour my heart and you just ran out of the room. You didn't say a word. Then you asked if we could be friends and I said sure. I moved on and so now you're jealous. Isn't that right?"
Peyton chewed on her lips. She hadn't expected Lucas to act this way. She hadn't expected that he would turn her down. She looked at the floor, concentrating hard on the dried gum, hoping the tears would spring out of her eyes.
"I'd like to be friends Peyton, but I think I want to give this thing with Brooke a try." He took a step closer, and put his hand on her arms. "I'm sorry," he said softly, some of the old Lucas coming back.
She shrugged off his arm and ran down the hall. Lucas was about to go after her, when his English teacher poked his head out the door and asked, "Care to join us Mr. Scott?"
The next morning Lucas got ready for school. Keith silently watched his nephew, obviously displeased. The elder Scott leaned against the counter, with a cup of coffee in his hand, while the younger one poured cereal into his bowl.
"Keith."
"Lucas," Keith said simultaneously.
They chuckled.
"You can afford another day home from school."
"The doctor said it would be okay. I called him." Lucas slowly chewed on his Crispy Corn Bran. "I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to tick you off."
"I just want you to be safe Lucas."
"I know."
Keith set down his cup of coffee. "If you insist on going to school, then meet me at the café as soon as you're done."
"What if Dan's there?"
"You can't keep hiding from him. This is a small town."
Nothing had changed in school, but Lucas felt like he had aged six years over the long weekend. He walked down the hall, watched the other students talking, laughing, and horsing around. He sat through history class with his mind far away from the Hundred Years' War. Peyton was sitting two rows over from him and the sight of her was intoxicating.
"Mr. Scott," called his history teacher. "Would you care to share with the class some of the roots of the conflicts of the Hundred Years' War? It will be on the test tomorrow."
"We have a test tomorrow?" Lucas asked in surprise.
"Mr. Scott, I know you were out for a day, but the test was announced two weeks ago."
"Oh. Well, I had a very high fever this weekend; it must have affected my memory." Peyton gave him a curious look. Lucas guessed word had not spread as he thought it had. He thought Brooke would have said something to Peyton.
"I'm sorry to hear that. There is a test tomorrow and the question I just asked will be on the test."
"Then I say the war started over land."
"Care to elaborate?"
"I didn't study yet. But I'm sure I'll know it by tomorrow."
The teacher shook his head, trying to hide an amused look on his face, and went onto the next victim. Before Lucas realized it, there was a note on his desk. It was from Peyton. "Fever?" it read. "I thought you were ditching. What's this about a fever?"
"I don't ditch," he scribbled back. "Why would you think that? And if my mother asks, I had the flu."
The kid next to him graciously agreed to play messenger. Peyton looked at him with raised brows as if he should know why he should have ditched. A moment later, another note was on his desk. "You know, because of Friday night," it said.
"What about it?" he wrote back unfeelingly. He suddenly felt irritated. Why on earth would he have to avoid her, because she made a declaration of love? If she knew him at all, she would know that he would not avoid her because of the scene at his house on Friday night.
When Peyton read the note, it was as if a dark cloud passed over her face. She crumpled up the note and tossed it to the edge of her desk, where it toppled to the floor. But she did not move to pick up the litter. As soon as the bell rang, she grabbed her books and zoomed for the door, making sure Lucas could not catch up with her.
"Mr. Scott, may I speak with you a moment?" asked the teacher.
"I'll be late for my next class." Which he shared with both Peyton and Nathan.
"I'll write you a pass. Take a seat," instructed the teacher.
Lucas sat and endured probing questions because of his unusual behavior. Jeez, Lucas was tired of it. Everyone thought he was this angel. His teacher never expected a wiseass comment from Lucas Scott, the "good" one. His mother expected him to be act like an adult half the time, and Keith constantly commented on how Lucas was a straight up kid, who always behaved. Even Peyton expected to be handled with kids gloves.
"I just got tired of being good," Lucas said abruptly, interrupting the teacher. "I need to get to English." He grabbed his backback and walked to his next class. Peyton was waiting for him outside.
She was wearing an olive pair of cargo pants and a black sleeveless top. Her curls cascaded down to her shoulders. Damn, she was beautiful, thought Lucas.
"You had the flu?" she asked.
"Only if my mom asks, but it was really blood poisoning."
"How'd you manage that?" she asked coolly.
"I got a tattoo the other night, when I was with Brooke. I was drunk," he said.
"So what happened Friday night? I thought it was something, but according to you."
"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant, it wasn't a big deal."
"I thought it was. And I've been waiting for you to call, to say something."
"Well, I was otherwise engaged. I had a hot date with my bed and the toilet bowl."
"Okay, sorry. I didn't know that until now. But Lucas, I poured out my heart to you."
"I know."
"And ."
"And what Peyton? I was the first one to open up and pour my heart and you just ran out of the room. You didn't say a word. Then you asked if we could be friends and I said sure. I moved on and so now you're jealous. Isn't that right?"
Peyton chewed on her lips. She hadn't expected Lucas to act this way. She hadn't expected that he would turn her down. She looked at the floor, concentrating hard on the dried gum, hoping the tears would spring out of her eyes.
"I'd like to be friends Peyton, but I think I want to give this thing with Brooke a try." He took a step closer, and put his hand on her arms. "I'm sorry," he said softly, some of the old Lucas coming back.
She shrugged off his arm and ran down the hall. Lucas was about to go after her, when his English teacher poked his head out the door and asked, "Care to join us Mr. Scott?"