I managed to make it to the homecoming meeting everyday despite the early
time. Keith never got used to waking up so early and complained every
morning.
"It's not my fault you're a light sleeper," I said finally one morning.
"Make me an omelet," he demanded.
"This isn't a diner," I objected. "I'm making bacon and eggs this morning. How do you want your eggs?"
"Omelet style?"
I shook my head. He laughed. "Oh, I don't care. Surprise me." He ruffled my hair as he walked past me to get the orange and cranberry juice from the fridge. He poured a glass of orange juice for himself and half orange half cranberry for me.
I sat down the plates of food and he brought the cups.
"You know that's gross, right?" He asked as I drank my juice.
"Maybe so, but it's yummy." I smiled and licked my lips.
And so went our morning routine. Free of parent child relations. Just two guys living together and getting along. That was how I liked it.
We ate, I got ready for school and went to school, leaving Keith with a "See you at the shop."
"Yeah, have a good day, Luke." He waved at me.
As usual Nathan was being an ass. For some reason he thought he was better than the rest of us slaves, ahem, I mean nominees.
We were painting signs. Nothing good could come of that.
"I don't have art skills." Nathan said, trying to excuse himself from painting.
"You don't have any skills. I don't know why we put up with you." I commented.
"Watch it, Lucas," He warned me.
"Or what?"
"Or I'll kick your ass. That's my skill."
"Stop, boys," Ms. Officer on Duty said. "There's not going to be any fighting. Why don't you both go work on that float?" She gestured toward the float we spent the whole last week gluing tissue paper to.
"No way, I am done gluing." Nathan whined.
"Shut up, Nathan." I said and stood up to go to the float.
"You two need to learn to get along. You are going to keep working on that float until you've reached some sort of middle ground where you don't fight."
Nathan looked outraged.
"Go, Nathan. Lucas."
We dragged our feet over to the dreaded float.
"The sign needs to be painted. It's for the Spanish club," Ms. Officer called to us.
"Why doesn't the Spanish club paint their own damn sign?" Nathan muttered.
"God, Nathan, shut up!"
Nathan did not deal well with being ordered to do anything, much less shut his mouth. He pushed me into the float. Ms. Officer was at our side in seconds.
"Bastard!" I shouted and swung a punch at him. He doubled over with the force of the blow.
"Lucas!" Ms. Officer shouted.
Nathan kicked his foot out to trip me. I landed on the ground next to him, giving him the opportunity to punch me back. Before Jake broke us apart, I had busted Nathan's lip and he made my nose bleed.
There was blood all over the float and half of it was caved in. All our gluing was wasted. Damn Nathan. Ms. Officer didn't see it as one sided as I did.
"Come on, both of you." She took my sleeve in one hand and Nathan's in the other, and indicated for Jake to follow us. She dragged us all the way to the bathroom, where she let us go and instructed us to "wash up. Jake, make sure they don't try to escape."
Jake looked like the last thing he wanted to do was make sure we didn't kill each other alone in the bathroom.
"You idiot, now we're going to get detention," Nathan said when we were in the bathroom.
"Don't, Lucas. Don't respond," Jake whispered to me. He wetted a paper towel and handed it to me.
"Thanks," I said and used the paper towel to clean the blood around my nose.
Nathan scowled at us.
"Maybe if you weren't such a jackass, you'd have friends, too." I said.
"Lucas," Jake warned. "Please."
"Sorry," I muttered.
Nathan touched him lip to wipe the blood and winced. He saw me watching him and stopped wincing. He tried to act all tough. Was it very wrong that I found enormous pleasure in how much I hurt him? Yeah probably, but it didn't stop me.
Jake wetted another paper towel for me while I cleaned the blood off my face.
"It's on your fist, too," he motioned at my hand.
"What do you think she's going to do to us?" I asked.
Jake shrugged. Nathan pretended like he didn't hear me.
Nathan cleaned the blood around his lip, but I noticed that he didn't try to touch his lip again. He definitely looked worse than I did. My nose hurt, but nothing was visibly damaged. Was it wrong how pleased I was by that? Ms. Officer thought so.
She let Jake go back to the meeting, but took me and Nathan to the principal's office. Mr. Andrews was getting a cup of coffee from the teacher's lounge and whistling back into his office.
"What? Scott boys? So early?" He groaned.
"They were fighting," Ms. Officer informed him.
"I can see that." Mr. Andrews gestured toward Nathan's lip. Nathan scowled and looked away. Mr. Andrews considered us for a minute. "Come in, boys." He opened the door to his office and indicated for us to sit in the chairs facing his desk.
I sat first and Nathan took the seat farthest away from me.
"Oh, grow up, Nathan," I said.
"Lucas, don't start," Mr. Andrews pointed his hand holding the coffee at me.
"Sorry," I muttered.
"So, what do you two have to say for yourselves?"
Neither of us spoke.
"Ok then, I'll just call you parents."
"Our parents? Why?" Nathan hesitated.
"They have to come get you. You two are suspended. This is your second fighting offense in one semester. We do not allow behavior like this in Tree Hill."
We still didn't speak.
"Ok, who wants to call first?"
Nathan called Dan at work. This could be interesting.
"Dad, I'm in the principal's office." Nathan explained. "You have to come meet with the principal," he sighed and looked at the ceiling. "I know, I'm sorry." Nathan hung up. "He's on his way." He told Mr. Andrews.
Mr. Andrews handed the phone to me. I called Keith at home.
"Keith, hi, it's me."
"Luke? What's wrong?"
"Um, you busy? You need to come meet with the principal."
"Why?! What did you do?"
"I sort of got in a fight with Nathan."
"Lucas!"
"I'm sorry. Can you come to school now? Please."
"Luke!" he sighed. "Fine. You owe me."
"Bye Keith."
Nathan looked pissed.
"Wait that's not fair. Keith is my uncle, too. I want him to take me home, then."
"Lucas, we really need you mom to come," Mr. Andrews said.
"My mom is out of town. Keith is staying with me."
Nathan apparently did not know that. He looked jealous. Ha!
"What about Dan?"
"He's not my father." I snapped.
Mr. Andrews sighed. "Fine. Keith is fine."
"It's not my fault you're a light sleeper," I said finally one morning.
"Make me an omelet," he demanded.
"This isn't a diner," I objected. "I'm making bacon and eggs this morning. How do you want your eggs?"
"Omelet style?"
I shook my head. He laughed. "Oh, I don't care. Surprise me." He ruffled my hair as he walked past me to get the orange and cranberry juice from the fridge. He poured a glass of orange juice for himself and half orange half cranberry for me.
I sat down the plates of food and he brought the cups.
"You know that's gross, right?" He asked as I drank my juice.
"Maybe so, but it's yummy." I smiled and licked my lips.
And so went our morning routine. Free of parent child relations. Just two guys living together and getting along. That was how I liked it.
We ate, I got ready for school and went to school, leaving Keith with a "See you at the shop."
"Yeah, have a good day, Luke." He waved at me.
As usual Nathan was being an ass. For some reason he thought he was better than the rest of us slaves, ahem, I mean nominees.
We were painting signs. Nothing good could come of that.
"I don't have art skills." Nathan said, trying to excuse himself from painting.
"You don't have any skills. I don't know why we put up with you." I commented.
"Watch it, Lucas," He warned me.
"Or what?"
"Or I'll kick your ass. That's my skill."
"Stop, boys," Ms. Officer on Duty said. "There's not going to be any fighting. Why don't you both go work on that float?" She gestured toward the float we spent the whole last week gluing tissue paper to.
"No way, I am done gluing." Nathan whined.
"Shut up, Nathan." I said and stood up to go to the float.
"You two need to learn to get along. You are going to keep working on that float until you've reached some sort of middle ground where you don't fight."
Nathan looked outraged.
"Go, Nathan. Lucas."
We dragged our feet over to the dreaded float.
"The sign needs to be painted. It's for the Spanish club," Ms. Officer called to us.
"Why doesn't the Spanish club paint their own damn sign?" Nathan muttered.
"God, Nathan, shut up!"
Nathan did not deal well with being ordered to do anything, much less shut his mouth. He pushed me into the float. Ms. Officer was at our side in seconds.
"Bastard!" I shouted and swung a punch at him. He doubled over with the force of the blow.
"Lucas!" Ms. Officer shouted.
Nathan kicked his foot out to trip me. I landed on the ground next to him, giving him the opportunity to punch me back. Before Jake broke us apart, I had busted Nathan's lip and he made my nose bleed.
There was blood all over the float and half of it was caved in. All our gluing was wasted. Damn Nathan. Ms. Officer didn't see it as one sided as I did.
"Come on, both of you." She took my sleeve in one hand and Nathan's in the other, and indicated for Jake to follow us. She dragged us all the way to the bathroom, where she let us go and instructed us to "wash up. Jake, make sure they don't try to escape."
Jake looked like the last thing he wanted to do was make sure we didn't kill each other alone in the bathroom.
"You idiot, now we're going to get detention," Nathan said when we were in the bathroom.
"Don't, Lucas. Don't respond," Jake whispered to me. He wetted a paper towel and handed it to me.
"Thanks," I said and used the paper towel to clean the blood around my nose.
Nathan scowled at us.
"Maybe if you weren't such a jackass, you'd have friends, too." I said.
"Lucas," Jake warned. "Please."
"Sorry," I muttered.
Nathan touched him lip to wipe the blood and winced. He saw me watching him and stopped wincing. He tried to act all tough. Was it very wrong that I found enormous pleasure in how much I hurt him? Yeah probably, but it didn't stop me.
Jake wetted another paper towel for me while I cleaned the blood off my face.
"It's on your fist, too," he motioned at my hand.
"What do you think she's going to do to us?" I asked.
Jake shrugged. Nathan pretended like he didn't hear me.
Nathan cleaned the blood around his lip, but I noticed that he didn't try to touch his lip again. He definitely looked worse than I did. My nose hurt, but nothing was visibly damaged. Was it wrong how pleased I was by that? Ms. Officer thought so.
She let Jake go back to the meeting, but took me and Nathan to the principal's office. Mr. Andrews was getting a cup of coffee from the teacher's lounge and whistling back into his office.
"What? Scott boys? So early?" He groaned.
"They were fighting," Ms. Officer informed him.
"I can see that." Mr. Andrews gestured toward Nathan's lip. Nathan scowled and looked away. Mr. Andrews considered us for a minute. "Come in, boys." He opened the door to his office and indicated for us to sit in the chairs facing his desk.
I sat first and Nathan took the seat farthest away from me.
"Oh, grow up, Nathan," I said.
"Lucas, don't start," Mr. Andrews pointed his hand holding the coffee at me.
"Sorry," I muttered.
"So, what do you two have to say for yourselves?"
Neither of us spoke.
"Ok then, I'll just call you parents."
"Our parents? Why?" Nathan hesitated.
"They have to come get you. You two are suspended. This is your second fighting offense in one semester. We do not allow behavior like this in Tree Hill."
We still didn't speak.
"Ok, who wants to call first?"
Nathan called Dan at work. This could be interesting.
"Dad, I'm in the principal's office." Nathan explained. "You have to come meet with the principal," he sighed and looked at the ceiling. "I know, I'm sorry." Nathan hung up. "He's on his way." He told Mr. Andrews.
Mr. Andrews handed the phone to me. I called Keith at home.
"Keith, hi, it's me."
"Luke? What's wrong?"
"Um, you busy? You need to come meet with the principal."
"Why?! What did you do?"
"I sort of got in a fight with Nathan."
"Lucas!"
"I'm sorry. Can you come to school now? Please."
"Luke!" he sighed. "Fine. You owe me."
"Bye Keith."
Nathan looked pissed.
"Wait that's not fair. Keith is my uncle, too. I want him to take me home, then."
"Lucas, we really need you mom to come," Mr. Andrews said.
"My mom is out of town. Keith is staying with me."
Nathan apparently did not know that. He looked jealous. Ha!
"What about Dan?"
"He's not my father." I snapped.
Mr. Andrews sighed. "Fine. Keith is fine."