This was a tough chapter to write. It's a bit slower than I wanted it to
be, but please bear with me.
Disclaimer: Just having fun with the characters of the WB's One Tree Hill. They don't belong to me. I don't profit. The WB can have them back whenever they choose to air some new episodes.
Three days had passed since Lucas's mother had returned from Italy, but things were still not back to normal. For one, Keith had not moved back to his place. He and Karen had made a show of propriety, sleeping in separate bedrooms, but Lucas was pretty sure that Keith went to Karen in middle of the night. Before his mother had left to Italy, he would have wanted this for her, but now Lucas wasn't sure how he felt about his uncle.
They had never really talked that night when Keith had dragged him home from the park. Karen had hugged him, asked him if he was all right, but had left it at that. She didn't yell at him for running off. She didn't insist that he apologize to Keith again. She pretended that nothing had happened. It wasn't like his mother and Lucas wondered what was going on. So instead of things relaxing, the tension was in the air. It felt like all Lucas had to do was throw a match and everything would burst into flames.
Lucas still went to the garage after school to work with Keith, but it seemed like the only things they said to each other were related to the job. "Luke, can you find me some break fluid," or "Keith, pass me a wrench." A few times, both had started to say something, but had quickly stopped themselves in case things would blow up out of control. Neither was certain their relationship could withstand another outburst.
Finally, on the third day, when Lucas came home from the garage, Karen dragged him up to the roof of the café, where he and Haley had set up the miniature golf course. She took a club for herself and handed one to him.
"You go first," she said, putting the ball down by the tee.
Lucas wasn't in the mood for golfing, but he knew his mother had taken him up to the roof to talk. She found it easier to talk to Lucas, whether it was to praise, reprimand, or advise, when they were busy doing something else. Lucas looked down at the ball, looked at the hole, and swung his club, aiming badly. The ball didn't even go in the vicinity of the hole.
Karen laughed. "This must be a metaphor for how our lives have been for the past few days."
"How?" Lucas asked, raising his blonde brows at her.
"Well, there are a lot of things we want to say to each other, yet we aren't saying them. I think we're afraid we're going to miss."
Lucas sighed. She usually waited until the second or third hole before starting in on him. He lifted the club, placing it on top of the windmill, and leaned forward, using the club as support.
"Lucas, we can't let things go on as they are."
"Is Keith moving in with you?"
"Moving in?" asked Karen incredulously. "No. My goodness, before I left to Italy we were just good friends. He sublet his apartment, Luke. The people who are staying there have another week to live there before Keith can go back in."
"Oh."
Karen chuckled. "What did you think? Keith was sneaking into my bed in middle of the night."
Lucas didn't have to answer. The red that overpowered his face said it all.
Karen continued to laugh, patting her son on the back. "Lucas, sometimes you're too much. Besides, two months ago, you were all for my dating Keith."
"Dating is the operative word. And that was before we spent the last month together."
Karen sat down on the ground, crossing her legs Indian style. "You make it sound like he did a lot of things wrong. Like you weren't to blame in any of this." She looked up at her son, giving him one of her motherly looks. "Tell me, Lucas, what exactly did Keith do that was so wrong?"
"I'm mostly upset that he called you in Italy and told all. I really wanted this for you."
"Mmmhhmm," Karen said. She plucked at the fake grass. "Yet, you had never stopped seeing Brooke, even though Keith told you to." She waited for Lucas to say something. "Nothing to say? I wonder why? I've never known you to be so unreasonable, Lucas."
"He shouldn't have told me to stay away from her. You never would have done that."
"I wouldn't? You never put me in that position, Lucas. For the most part, you've been a model son. Until you joined the basketball team, my biggest problems were getting you to clean up your room and reminding you to let me know where you were going to be and when you'd be home. How do you know that I wouldn't have told you to stop seeing Brooke if you had come home drunk and with a tattoo? If you had started cutting classes, and getting detention? If you had started sneaking people in the house when you were supposed to be grounded? How do you know how I would have reacted?"
"Because I know you Mom."
"Don't bet on it Lucas. I don't know what I would do if I thought I could identify the bad influence." She waved her hand, motioning Lucas to sit down beside her. When he did, she took her arm and wrapped it around his shoulders, squeezing him with a side hug. "Personally, I think Keith made a mistake. I think the source of this bad behavior is not Brooke, but joining the basketball team."
"Mom," he started to object.
She put up a hand to stop him. "After you started the team, you got into a fight at school. You engaged in some illegal activity when you took a car away from the scene of an accident. You stayed out all night -"
"Come one Mom," he protested. "The fight was with Nathan and we're getting along fine now. The accident was a similar situation. And as for staying out all night, I told you that Peyton had been drugged."
"I understand. But the real sin that night was that you didn't call home. You just let me worry."
"I said I was sorry then and I'm sorry now."
"I'm not trying to lay a guilt trip on you, Luke. I'm just trying to point out that the bad behavior started when you joined the basketball team. It didn't start when you started seeing Brooke Davis."
Lucas cast his eyes down at the ground. "Are you going to make me quit the team?"
"Should I?"
Lucas shrugged. Again, Karen waited for him to say something. When he didn't, she took his chin in her hand and forced him to look her in the eyes.
"I think that when you joined the team a lot of unresolved issues having to do with Dan and Nathan bubbled to the surface. That's what this is all about. And if we're going to solve all of this, then we're going to have to face our demon - one Mr. Dan Scott.
"Lucas, I want you to see a therapist. Deb recommended one. Nathan has been having a lot of success. And it won't hurt for the two of you to see the same counselor. Perhaps you can even have some joint family sessions."
Slowly, trying not to show how defeated he felt, Lucas nodded his head. "If I agree to this, can I date Brooke?"
Karen shook her head. Lucas tried to hide his surprise.
"You have to do one more thing, before I agree to that," she continued. "You have to work things out with Keith. You're mad at him, because he lied to you. You feel betrayed. But Lucas, you betrayed him a hundred times. You lied to him every time you went out with Brooke and asked Nathan to lie for you. You betrayed him when you behaved badly. You wouldn't have tried half the things you did if I was home."
Lucas hung his head. "Okay. I'll see a therapist and I'll talk to Keith."
"Good," Karen said, triumphantly slapping her knee. She unfolded her legs and stretched before standing to her full height. She offered her hand to Lucas, who took it before standing up. "I'll make an appointment with the therapist and you go talk to your uncle."
"Now?"
"No better time like the present."
Fortunately, Keith wasn't home yet and Nathan called Lucas inviting him to hang out. Karen reluctantly agreed to let him meet his brother. She wanted him to stick around to talk to Keith, but she didn't want to interfere with Nathan and Lucas's tenuous relationship.
So Lucas agreed to meet Nathan at his house to shoot some hoops. They were still focused on breaking Dan's scoring record at their next game against Cove City. It was only days away and Nathan wasn't confident that he would be able to do it.
"You've been scoring well above his record during our practice games."
"I know," said Nathan, bouncing the ball against the pavement. "But this team doesn't have a vested interest in keeping me from scoring. Cove City wants to win against us. Especially since they've already lost to us once."
"You'll do it," assured Lucas, grabbing the ball from Nathan and dunking the ball in the basket. "Want to play a game of horse?"
"Sure. You lead."
Lucas bounced the ball three times, ran up to the hoop, jumped and dropped the ball in the basket. Nathan caught the ball on the rebound and mimicked Lucas's move. When the ball went into the basket, Lucas took possession of the ball, walked to the side of the court and took aim.
"Did your mom come down hard on you because you covered for me?" Lucas knew that Keith had given Nathan his ultimatum the day before. He figured by now Nathan had time to fess up to Deb.
To Lucas's astonishment, Nathan shook his head. "She was annoyed, and made me promised I wouldn't do it again, but she left it at that."
"What about you?" asked Nathan, grabbing the ball as it fell from the basket. "Has your mom had it out about everything that went down while she was away?"
"This afternoon. Guess what. We're both going to be seeing the same shrink."
Nathan rolled his eyes. "Lucky you." He missed the basket and gave himself an H.
He handed off the ball to his brother when Lucas's cell phone rang. It was Karen asking him to come home for dinner. Keith was home.
Disclaimer: Just having fun with the characters of the WB's One Tree Hill. They don't belong to me. I don't profit. The WB can have them back whenever they choose to air some new episodes.
Three days had passed since Lucas's mother had returned from Italy, but things were still not back to normal. For one, Keith had not moved back to his place. He and Karen had made a show of propriety, sleeping in separate bedrooms, but Lucas was pretty sure that Keith went to Karen in middle of the night. Before his mother had left to Italy, he would have wanted this for her, but now Lucas wasn't sure how he felt about his uncle.
They had never really talked that night when Keith had dragged him home from the park. Karen had hugged him, asked him if he was all right, but had left it at that. She didn't yell at him for running off. She didn't insist that he apologize to Keith again. She pretended that nothing had happened. It wasn't like his mother and Lucas wondered what was going on. So instead of things relaxing, the tension was in the air. It felt like all Lucas had to do was throw a match and everything would burst into flames.
Lucas still went to the garage after school to work with Keith, but it seemed like the only things they said to each other were related to the job. "Luke, can you find me some break fluid," or "Keith, pass me a wrench." A few times, both had started to say something, but had quickly stopped themselves in case things would blow up out of control. Neither was certain their relationship could withstand another outburst.
Finally, on the third day, when Lucas came home from the garage, Karen dragged him up to the roof of the café, where he and Haley had set up the miniature golf course. She took a club for herself and handed one to him.
"You go first," she said, putting the ball down by the tee.
Lucas wasn't in the mood for golfing, but he knew his mother had taken him up to the roof to talk. She found it easier to talk to Lucas, whether it was to praise, reprimand, or advise, when they were busy doing something else. Lucas looked down at the ball, looked at the hole, and swung his club, aiming badly. The ball didn't even go in the vicinity of the hole.
Karen laughed. "This must be a metaphor for how our lives have been for the past few days."
"How?" Lucas asked, raising his blonde brows at her.
"Well, there are a lot of things we want to say to each other, yet we aren't saying them. I think we're afraid we're going to miss."
Lucas sighed. She usually waited until the second or third hole before starting in on him. He lifted the club, placing it on top of the windmill, and leaned forward, using the club as support.
"Lucas, we can't let things go on as they are."
"Is Keith moving in with you?"
"Moving in?" asked Karen incredulously. "No. My goodness, before I left to Italy we were just good friends. He sublet his apartment, Luke. The people who are staying there have another week to live there before Keith can go back in."
"Oh."
Karen chuckled. "What did you think? Keith was sneaking into my bed in middle of the night."
Lucas didn't have to answer. The red that overpowered his face said it all.
Karen continued to laugh, patting her son on the back. "Lucas, sometimes you're too much. Besides, two months ago, you were all for my dating Keith."
"Dating is the operative word. And that was before we spent the last month together."
Karen sat down on the ground, crossing her legs Indian style. "You make it sound like he did a lot of things wrong. Like you weren't to blame in any of this." She looked up at her son, giving him one of her motherly looks. "Tell me, Lucas, what exactly did Keith do that was so wrong?"
"I'm mostly upset that he called you in Italy and told all. I really wanted this for you."
"Mmmhhmm," Karen said. She plucked at the fake grass. "Yet, you had never stopped seeing Brooke, even though Keith told you to." She waited for Lucas to say something. "Nothing to say? I wonder why? I've never known you to be so unreasonable, Lucas."
"He shouldn't have told me to stay away from her. You never would have done that."
"I wouldn't? You never put me in that position, Lucas. For the most part, you've been a model son. Until you joined the basketball team, my biggest problems were getting you to clean up your room and reminding you to let me know where you were going to be and when you'd be home. How do you know that I wouldn't have told you to stop seeing Brooke if you had come home drunk and with a tattoo? If you had started cutting classes, and getting detention? If you had started sneaking people in the house when you were supposed to be grounded? How do you know how I would have reacted?"
"Because I know you Mom."
"Don't bet on it Lucas. I don't know what I would do if I thought I could identify the bad influence." She waved her hand, motioning Lucas to sit down beside her. When he did, she took her arm and wrapped it around his shoulders, squeezing him with a side hug. "Personally, I think Keith made a mistake. I think the source of this bad behavior is not Brooke, but joining the basketball team."
"Mom," he started to object.
She put up a hand to stop him. "After you started the team, you got into a fight at school. You engaged in some illegal activity when you took a car away from the scene of an accident. You stayed out all night -"
"Come one Mom," he protested. "The fight was with Nathan and we're getting along fine now. The accident was a similar situation. And as for staying out all night, I told you that Peyton had been drugged."
"I understand. But the real sin that night was that you didn't call home. You just let me worry."
"I said I was sorry then and I'm sorry now."
"I'm not trying to lay a guilt trip on you, Luke. I'm just trying to point out that the bad behavior started when you joined the basketball team. It didn't start when you started seeing Brooke Davis."
Lucas cast his eyes down at the ground. "Are you going to make me quit the team?"
"Should I?"
Lucas shrugged. Again, Karen waited for him to say something. When he didn't, she took his chin in her hand and forced him to look her in the eyes.
"I think that when you joined the team a lot of unresolved issues having to do with Dan and Nathan bubbled to the surface. That's what this is all about. And if we're going to solve all of this, then we're going to have to face our demon - one Mr. Dan Scott.
"Lucas, I want you to see a therapist. Deb recommended one. Nathan has been having a lot of success. And it won't hurt for the two of you to see the same counselor. Perhaps you can even have some joint family sessions."
Slowly, trying not to show how defeated he felt, Lucas nodded his head. "If I agree to this, can I date Brooke?"
Karen shook her head. Lucas tried to hide his surprise.
"You have to do one more thing, before I agree to that," she continued. "You have to work things out with Keith. You're mad at him, because he lied to you. You feel betrayed. But Lucas, you betrayed him a hundred times. You lied to him every time you went out with Brooke and asked Nathan to lie for you. You betrayed him when you behaved badly. You wouldn't have tried half the things you did if I was home."
Lucas hung his head. "Okay. I'll see a therapist and I'll talk to Keith."
"Good," Karen said, triumphantly slapping her knee. She unfolded her legs and stretched before standing to her full height. She offered her hand to Lucas, who took it before standing up. "I'll make an appointment with the therapist and you go talk to your uncle."
"Now?"
"No better time like the present."
Fortunately, Keith wasn't home yet and Nathan called Lucas inviting him to hang out. Karen reluctantly agreed to let him meet his brother. She wanted him to stick around to talk to Keith, but she didn't want to interfere with Nathan and Lucas's tenuous relationship.
So Lucas agreed to meet Nathan at his house to shoot some hoops. They were still focused on breaking Dan's scoring record at their next game against Cove City. It was only days away and Nathan wasn't confident that he would be able to do it.
"You've been scoring well above his record during our practice games."
"I know," said Nathan, bouncing the ball against the pavement. "But this team doesn't have a vested interest in keeping me from scoring. Cove City wants to win against us. Especially since they've already lost to us once."
"You'll do it," assured Lucas, grabbing the ball from Nathan and dunking the ball in the basket. "Want to play a game of horse?"
"Sure. You lead."
Lucas bounced the ball three times, ran up to the hoop, jumped and dropped the ball in the basket. Nathan caught the ball on the rebound and mimicked Lucas's move. When the ball went into the basket, Lucas took possession of the ball, walked to the side of the court and took aim.
"Did your mom come down hard on you because you covered for me?" Lucas knew that Keith had given Nathan his ultimatum the day before. He figured by now Nathan had time to fess up to Deb.
To Lucas's astonishment, Nathan shook his head. "She was annoyed, and made me promised I wouldn't do it again, but she left it at that."
"What about you?" asked Nathan, grabbing the ball as it fell from the basket. "Has your mom had it out about everything that went down while she was away?"
"This afternoon. Guess what. We're both going to be seeing the same shrink."
Nathan rolled his eyes. "Lucky you." He missed the basket and gave himself an H.
He handed off the ball to his brother when Lucas's cell phone rang. It was Karen asking him to come home for dinner. Keith was home.