A week had passed since the funeral. We were still getting lots of sympathy cards in the mail, but the flower deliveries were decreasing. My school gave me one more week before I had to come back for classes. I would love to say that I was enjoying the time away from school, but it was getting boring. I still slept the majority of the time. Keith dragged me to the shop a few times to get me out of the house.

I went to the river court to shoot some hoops during the day when I knew everyone was in school. I didn't want to talk to any of the river court boys. They made me a video where they passed around Mouth's camera and gave me words of sympathy and encouragement. It took me an entire week to watch it because I kept crying too hard to continue the video. I didn't want the waterfall of tears to start again in their presence. In fact, the only person I'd had contact with other than Keith was Haley. And also Deb, who came every night to make sure we were okay. I always found an emergency in my room that I had to tend to during her visits. For example, my bed needed to be sat in immediantly, or my computer needed to be, um, played with... She made Nathan, I thought that was enough not to like her.

"Your turn," I said quickly to Keith when the doorbell rang again. We were sitting at the kitchen table. I answered the door about an hour before. It was the flower delivery man who didn't speak English. I stood at the door for what seemed like eternity while he told me about his mother, or maybe it was his sister, I really couldn't understand a word. I feigned a dizzy spell complete with hand-on-forehead faint to get out of listening to any more of the story.

We were eating dinner and I wasn't eating. I could tell it was taking Keith a lot of effort not to hold me down and force the food into my mouth, but he had stopped trying to get me to eat. "When you're hungry, you'll eat," he told me, giving me his own sad attempt at reverse psychology. It didn't work. Much.

At least the doorbell got Keith off my back for a little while. Plus, it couldn't be Deb at the door. She had stopped ringing the bell, she just came in. Keith was fine with it. I wasn't. I didn't turn around when Keith opened the door. With any luck, they would drop the food and leave, that way I wouldn't have to reassure anyone that I was fine, when really I wasn't.

"Mom!" Keith exclaimed as the door opened wide. Mom? I turned around. Sure enough, May Scott, or "Mom" to Keith, was standing in our doorway.

"Keith, baby," she embraced her eldest son. He hugged her back. They stood, holding each other, until May spotted me trying not to watch them.

"Lucas," she said, letting her son go.

I stood up.

"Lucas," she repeated, "I'm so sorry about your mom." She came close to me. Too close. It was awkward. She hugged me quickly and let me go, unsure of what to do. I didn't return the hug, nor did I turn away. I wasn't sure how I felt about Grandma Scott. When they still lived in Tree Hill, Keith would take me to visit her. She would take me to the park and their neighborhood pool. I always had a great time. Sometimes Mom would even come and it felt so great having a mom, a dad and a grandma.

One of those visits when I was 9 or 10, Mom was showing Grandma and me her secret recipe for the world's most fabulous cookies at her house when Grandpa came home. Grandma gasped when he came stumbling in the door, smelling like what I now know is the bitter smell of alcohol. Mom grabbed me and we sneaked out the back door.

Grandpa was yelling at Grandma and Keith about me and Mom being in "his house." Apparently we weren't worthy of his love for reasons I didn't understand. Still don't, for that matter. Mom sat with me in the car where I could still hear everything that was going on. Basically, Grandpa was yelling at Grandma for letting us enter "his" house. I didn't hear Grandma's reply. Keith yelled back at him that it wasn't his house and Grandma could have whoever she wanted over... and also that he's a jackass. Mom squeezed my hand and closed her eyes when she heard him say this. She apparently thought it was an invitation for an ass kicking. We heard noises like furniture being pushed around while May screamed. Keith told his mom to come with him and leave the bastard, but when the front door spit him out and slammed loudly behind him, he was alone.

He got into the front seat of the car and slammed the door. Mom looked close to tears. She let my hand go and took Keith's instead. "You can't leave her here," she said quietly.

He shook his head, "She won't come."

"Keith," Mom began, but he jerked his arm out of her reach. She looked away.

"I've spent my whole life trying to get her to leave him," Keith said, raising his voice, "she won't do it." He shook his head, "If she wants to spend the rest of her life as a punching bag, that's her decision, but I'm done. I've been a punching bag for too long."

He started the car. Mom put her hand on his arm again, and he didn't move it away. He turned to look at her for the first time since he got in the car. She gasped. "He did that to you?!"

Keith's left eye was red and puffy, soon to turn into a black eye.

"Does it hurt?" She asked softly.

"It's not the first time, Kare."

"Well it's the last, Keith, don't come back here."

He nodded.

"Come home with us. We can put some ice on it." He smiled and nodded again.

And there was Miss Punching Bag herself, sitting at the table with Keith and me, sipping the cup of coffee that Keith just handed her.

"So you got my message, then?" Keith asked, desperate for conversation.

She shook her head, "I ran into Mrs. Fields at the mall and she asked me if I knew where Lucas was living now. I had no idea what she was talking about."

"I left a few messages with Dad and I left a message on your machine."

She smiled weakly, "I didn't get them."

"Where's Dad?" Keith asked.

She shrugged, "I told him I was leaving, and that, um, didn't really make him too happy."

Keith scoffed, "So...you just...left?"

She nodded with a determination I had never seen before in my grandma. The weakness that had taken over her being for so many years was momentarily replaced by a sense of self pride. It suited her well.

Keith choked, "he's gonna kill you."

"I'm not going back, baby. My stuff is in the car."

Keith smiled, "Good. It's about time...We're kind of out of beds here, though. You can stay at my apartment."

"I'll go stay with Haley and you can have my bed," I volunteered.

"Oh, no, no good has ever come out of your sleepovers with Haley."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said innocently.

Keith let out a disbelieving laugh. "I can remind you later, Luke."

May looked confused.

"Luke has never spent the night at Haley's house without ending up in trouble," he explained.

May smiled at me, "Luke? Nah. I can't imagine this sweet boy in trouble ever." Oh how naïve she was. It was cute in an old person kind of way.

Keith scoffed, "You obviously haven't seen his tattoo."

May's eyes widened, "tattoo?"

"So, you're staying at Keith's apartment, eh?" I said quickly, desperate for a change in conversation. They exchanged glances that said they knew exactly what I was doing, but let it go.

"Actually, honey, I was thinking about staying with Dan," She took an unusually long sip of her coffee and avoided eye contact with Keith.

"Dan?" Keith said, disbelievingly, "But Mom, Dan's an asshole."

Her eyes narrowed and she slapped his hand that was resting on the table. He jerked his hand away and shook it, "Jesus, Mom! OW! I forgot you used to do that."

She watched her son try to rub the pain out of his hand, and the corner of her mouth tilted upwards, "Don't talk about your brother like that."

"Well he is," Keith said defiantly until his mother waved a threatening hand in his direction, "He's living at his beach house now. Did you know that? Deb kicked him out."

"He is? She did?"

Keith nodded.

"Where's Nathan?"

"With Deb," Keith said. May nodded. Keith continued, "For now, anyway. It's only a matter of time before Danny turns him against her."

May sighed. She knew it was true, but she didn't want to believe it.

"What? You're not going to stick up for your precious Danny?"

Her eyes narrowed again and Keith hid his hands.

I laughed. They both looked at me.

"Sorry. Continue." I gestured for them to continue, in case they didn't know what the word meant.

"Dan has become more and more like your father towards Deb. No one deserves that."

"Except you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why did it take you so long to leave Dad?"

"It was a hard decision, Keith, you wouldn't understand."

"Hard? You want to know what was hard? Hard was listening to him push you around all the time. Hard was being the oldest trying to protect you and Danny. Hard was hearing you say no every time I tried to get you leave his drunk ass."

"I did leave him. I'm here, aren't I?"

"Then why did you make us stay with him?" Keith asked quietly, staring intently into his coffee. I wanted to ask if there was something moving in it, but I didn't want to break the tension in the room. It was comforting to hear someone else's drama for a change. Jesus, Luke, that's cold. You need help, I told myself.

She cleared her throat. "Keith, I was scared." Her voice was breaking.

He didn't answer. They both stared at their coffees.

May started to cry.

"Mom, I'm sorry. Don't cry. Please."

She wiped her eyes and smiled an obviously fake smile, "I'm fine, honey."

"Stay here. Stay with us. I'll sleep on the couch," Keith offered, covering his mom's hand with his own much larger hand, the one that wasn't red from having recently been mama-slapped.

"No, honey. I'll stay with Deb and Nathan. You don't have space."

Keith protested some more until May's threatening hand rose again and Keith gave in. "That's not fair, you know that, right?" He told his mom, "I thought you lost the right to slap me when I moved out."

The corners of her lip tilted upwards in a slight smile, "You thought wrong, Keith." She kissed his hand, patted it, and set it back down on the table. "There, honey. That'll make it better," she said in a babying voice.

I laughed. May smiled at me and laughed too. "Now you're grounded, Luke." Keith told me without any real conviction, trying to hold back a smile. I laughed louder, just to spite him. He punched me in the arm, playfully.

"So, um, have you talked to Dan lately?" Keith asked, while blocking my return punch.

May shook her head.

"He, um, gave me Lucas."

She looked up from her coffee. "Gave him?" she choked, "Like you get to keep him forever?"

Keith nodded and ruffled my hair. I felt awkward. I wanted to get out of there.

May smiled, "That's great. I know how much you two love each other."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Maybe I should stay here then. Do you have any idea how to raise a child?"

"He's hardly a child, Mom. Plus, we've been doing okay."

I wanted to leave. Badly.

"Um, can I go?" I asked awkwardly, interrupting my grandma's rebuttal.

"Uh, yeah, go work things out with Peyton," Keith said, slightly taken aback.

"Peyton? What makes you think things are not okay with Peyton?"

"You. You're a terrible liar."

"Yeah... so I'm going to Haley's then."

"Take a coat and call if you're not coming home for dinner."

"Okay."

"Seriously, Luke. Don't stay out all night."

"Okay, I won't stay out all night."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Keith?"

"Yeah?"

"Chill. I'll be fine."

"Yeah, Luke," he smiled, "I know."

I seriously contemplated going to Peyton's house. I actually walked in that direction for awhile, until I realized that not only did I have absolutely nothing to say to make what I did to her go away, but that her father might be home. If she had told him anything about what happened with us, I would not make it out of the house alive, and that might upset Keith a little bit. I promised myself that I would buy her lots of chocolates and flowers and make it up to her the minute I got home, and turned around toward Haley's house.

I knocked on the door and opened it without waiting for an answer.

Mrs. James was writing lesson plans. She was the director of the Tree Hill daycare. That's how Mom and Julia met, and also how I met Haley.

"Hi, Lucas, how are you feeling?" she asked me sweetly. Too sweetly. At least she didn't offer me any chocolate cake.

"I'm fine," I offered, without sounding convincing. She didn't buy it. She tilted her head slightly. I couldn't stand seeing her feel so sorry for me.

"Well, okay, not fine, but you know... as fine as I can be."

She smiled slightly, in a pitying sort of way. That had to stop. I started to turn around, but she kept talking, "Listen, Lucas, you are welcome here anytime. If you ever need anything..."

"I'm fine," I said again, "Really."

She nodded.

"Well, okay, honey. Haley's in her room."

I nodded thanks and started up the stairs. "Luke?" I turned around, "I could use your help with something if you can pry Haley out of that room of hers. Honestly, I'm starting to think she's injecting pot into her veins. I'm searching for needles next time she leaves it." I laughed. I couldn't decide if it was more from the fact that Mrs. James thought you could inject pot, or the thought of Haley doing drugs. It wouldn't happen.

I played along, "If I see any needles, I'll let you know."

"Please do, she won't let me in there. And if she's hiding any boys in there, she's in big trouble."

"I will check for boys," I said.

"And don't you try anything, Luke. I know how charming you can be. I don't know if Haley can resist the allure of Lucas Scott," she said, grinning.

"I promise not to try anything," I crossed my heart. Try anything? With Haley? Gross.

I knocked on the door and tried to open it without waiting for an answer, but it was locked.

"I'm not hungry," Haley called through the closed door. She sounded sad, not the Haley I knew at all.

"Hales?"

I heard her moving and the door opened just enough for me to slide inside. She yanked me in.

"What's going on?" I asked her. Her eyes were red and puffy, like she had been crying.

"Well, um, my second mom just died, what's going on with you?" She grinned slightly, although it did nothing to make her look happier.

I took a deep breath, "Weeeeeell, on my way over here, I found a lottery ticket on the ground. It turns out it was the winner. So, I ran back home and bought a '68 Mustang convertible."

"Your dream car."

"Exactly. I also bought an Escalade to park next to Nathan, and a Z3 in every color, just cause it's a sweet car."

"You need to tone down the testosterone a bit, Luke," she was really smiling now. Making her happy was enough encouragement to continue.

"So then I ordered a farm for you, so you can have all the pets you want."

"Would you remember their names?"

"I could hire someone to remember them for me," I offered.

"That'll work."

"And then I hired a cleaning staff to clean my room."

"Is that all?"

"Oh, and I bought an island. That's all."

She wrapped her arms around me, "I love you, Lukey."

"What did we discuss about calling me that in public?"

"Not to. But we're not in public."

I hugged her back, "I love you, too, Hales."

"How are you so together?" she let me go, "I mean, she's was your mom and you're fine. Why am I such a mess?"

"I'm not fine. I just pretend that I am so people will leave me alone."

"It's not healthy to keep it bottled up inside."

"It's not bottled up inside. I just deal with it differently, that's all."

She nodded and wiped her eyes.

"I had a dream about her last night," Haley told me.

"Really, about what?"

"Do you remember when she took us to the water park for your 9th birthday?" I nodded, "We were there, you, Karen and me. But then we went on the lazy river and we got off, but she didn't. She just kept going and we couldn't find her, so we just left her and kept riding rides without her and having fun."

"Did we find her?"

"I woke up. Weird, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I don't want to forget her, Luke."

"We won't."

"I feel guilty trying to have fun. Like I'm leaving her behind."

I nodded. I knew exactly how she felt.

"How's Keith holding up?"

"He's okay. We haven't really talked. He loved her a lot, too."

We both looked at our hands.

"I had a dream about her, too."

"Tell me about it."

"It was a memory actually. When I was 4, only I didn't remember that I remembered it." I shook my head, that sounded stupid. Haley just nodded. She knew what I meant, and she never thought I was stupid.

"Keith and my mom lived together until I was 4. Keith cheated on her. That's what my dream was about, when she kicked Keith out."

"That sounds traumatic."

"So why wouldn't I remember it?"

"Maybe you repressed it."

I shrugged, "Keith didn't want to leave me, and I didn't want him to leave, but Mom couldn't live with him anymore."

Haley watched me without saying anything.

"And Mom sort of lost it...on me, but Keith rescued me."

"Your mom wasn't the type to lose it."

"I know. Maybe that's why I repressed it." I shrugged.

Haley sensed that I didn't want to talk about it anymore and looked at her hands. I followed her example.

"Your mom needed help with something," I gestured toward the door. Haley didn't react. I continued, "She's worried about you, Hales. She wanted me to check for boys and needles."

Haley's closet made a noise before she had a chance to pronounce her innocence for smuggling any boys.

Her eyes widened as she looked up at me. I would have been more suspicious if I didn't know Haley, and if the closet wasn't saying "mew" in the most pathetic voice I had ever heard.

"Don't tell my mom, okay, Luke."

"You got another cat?" I said, disbelievingly.

"Yeah, but Mom said I couldn't get anymore pets after Tigger. Tigger is the fat one," she said quickly, more mocking my inability to remember her pets' names than for actual explanation purposes. Tigger, the fat one, was the baby of the James pets and somehow outweighed all of them, even the dogs. For three years, Haley's mom actually stuck by her statement and didn't allow any new pets, it was a record.

"So you're keeping it in your closet?"

"She just drank her bottle, and I was trying to get her to sleep." Bottle? The hell? "Now you woke her up, Luke."

"Bottle?"

"Yeah, she's a baby. But listen, I actually just ran out of formula and I've been looking for an excuse to get out of here and buy her formula." Her eyes lit up like she had an idea. This was never a good sign. It usually meant that Haley had come up with another genius plan to get us in trouble, and somehow I always ended up in more trouble than she did. Haley had four siblings to distract her parents for her infraction, while I was the only one at my house. Needless to say, I was skeptical to hear her plan.

"Luke, I need your help."

"No way," I shook my head.

"Come on, Lucas. I'll be your best friend," she grinned broadly, temporaritly disguising her tear streaked face.

"You already are my best friend."

"Please?"

"Is this going to get us arrested?"

"No."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Ok, what?"

"Alright, so you go downstairs and distract my mom. Be sure to make lots of noise, while I take the car keys from her purse and-"

"Hales?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you just ask to borrow the car?"

"Ummm... yeah, that might actually work better." She grinned sheepishly. "Let me get her out."

She disappeared into her closet and came out with what looked like a really fluffy beanie baby in her hand.

"That's a cat?"

She gave me a dirty look. No one insults Haley's children- I mean her pets.

"I haven't named her yet." She looked around the room frantically. Then she looked at me, smiled a very suspicious smile and put the little "cat" in the pocket of my hoodie.

"What?! No way, Hales. I draw the line at keeping animals on my person."

"What? Isn't that what that little pouch thingy is for?"

"No! Maybe for kangaroos, but I, Haley, am not a kangaroo."

"Thanks Luke," she grabbed my wrist and led me out of her room.

"You owe me so big!" I hissed at her.

"Shhhh..."

"HiMomwe'regoingoutandtakingyourcarbye!" Haley said in one breath.

"Ok, honey, but wait!" We both froze and turned around slowly.

"Luke, come here for a second," I was sure we were busted, but I walked slowly toward Mrs. James, silently sending telepathic messages for the kitten to be quiet.

"Yes?"

"Did you find anything?" She whispered?

Find anything? Oh! "No boys or needles."

She smiled.

"Do you need anything? At home, I mean."

I shook my head.

"What are you two hiding?" She asked slowly, looking at us sideways.

"Nothing." We said together.

"You really need to work on those lying skills. You can ask any one of your brothers, Haley, I don't know how they got to be so good at it and you can't even leave your room without making me think you're up to something."

"I'll be sure to improve my lying skills, Mom. Thanks."

We bolted out of there before she had a chance to question us anymore.

"So what is this thing?" I asked Haley, pulling the beanie baby out of my hoodie.

"Oh shut up, Luke. It's a cat."

"Its eyes aren't even open. Can it walk?"

"She is sleeping and yes, she can walk."

"How did you find her?"

"Actually she was in my backyard. I was walking Max and Cookie and they started barking like crazy at our stack of firewood. Then when I went out there later, she was still there. It's going to snow soon, so I didn't want to leave her there."

"When did this happen?"

"Three days ago."

I decided not to ask her why she didn't tell me. I didn't want to risk hearing a lame excuse. The little kitten slept in my hand the whole car ride. In fact, she slept in my hand as I got out of the car, followed Haley to the formula aisle, waited in line, payed for the formula, got back in the car, and rode all the way back to Haley's house. And by in my hand, I mean the entire body of the cat fit in my hand, with room to spare. She fit in Haley's hand, too, which was quite a bit smaller than mine.

"How old is she?"

"The vet said she's 4 weeks old."

"Are you sure she's alive?" I poked her side. No reaction.

"Yeah, she's alive. She just sleeps a lot."

"And how long are you thinking your mom isn't going to notice that you're boarding an illegal hostage in your room?"

"I was thinking that when she gets too big for my room, I could move her into the boys' rooms and close the doors. It's a bunch of space and by that time, I can just let her go in my house and Mom won't notice that she's new."

"Genius plan, Hales," I said sarcastically.

"What?"

"What about when the boys come visit?"

"They only come for Christmas."

"Right, which is like two weeks away."

"Dammit."

"Is everyone coming for Christmas?"

"Yes, Lucas, Aimee and her breasts will be here for Christmas," she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I said nothing about your sister's breasts."

"Right. You were just salivating at the thought of her."

"Was not!"

"Repeat after me, Luke: Aimee is in law school. She does not date high school boys."

"I refuse to repeat that."

She laughed, "That doesn't make it less true."

"Does too."

"Does not."

May/Grandma/Mrs. Scott was gone when I came home from Haley's house. What was I supposed to call her? I made a mental note to ask Keith.

"Lucas, I need a favor," Keith said timidly. Why did I get the feeling this was not something I wanted to agree to?

"What is it?" I asked, skeptically.

"Listen, my mom hasn't had anything good happen for her, like, well, ever."

"Ok..."

"And her birthday just passed." I was waiting for the favor. "It would really mean a lot to her to have dinner with her family."

"Like me included in that?"

"You included."

"Ok...no, wait, you mean Dan too."

"Right. You, me, Dan, Deb and Nathan."

"Nathan?! No way! Sorry Keith, I can't- no way- no!"

"Please, Luke. You don't have to sit with them, or talk to them, or make any contact with them whatsoever."

"Then why do I have to go?"

"Cause you're part of the family."

"And what do I get?"

"The satisfaction of knowing that you made your grandma and me happy?"

I still wasn't convinced.

"More?" He knew I wasn't going to agree with just satisfaction as my reward. "Come with me." He took his keys from the table and grabbed his coat.

"Where are we going? The dinner's not right now, is it?"

"No, just come. You'll see."

I wasn't sure about this, but Keith was grinning, and he didn't do that very often anymore, so I followed him to his car and got in."

We ended up at the shop.

"You're not making me work, are you? This is a trick."

"Oh, shut up, Luke. Just come in."

In the garage was the most beautiful car I had ever seen. Granted it was rusting and it was very doubtful that it actually ran, but it was a 68 Mustang. A classic. My dream car, as Haley put it earlier.

I'm sure I looked like a kid on Christmas morning, because Keith was looking pretty pleased with himself.

"Where did you get this?"

"Mr. Jackson had it sitting in his garage for years, always planning on redoing and detailing it, but the car he actually drives broke down and I traded him this baby for free service, um, well, forever."

"It's awesome!"

"I thought you'd like it."

"Does it run?"

"Not yet."

I looked at the interior. It definitely needed some work, but all the seats were there and the same color, so it was a start. There was a tape deck but no CD player...that could be fixed. The carpeting sucked, but again, that was fixable. My eyes drifted from the steering wheel, the fact that there was one was enough for me, to the gear shift.

"It's a standard," I said.

"All good sports cars should be," Keith said. And then he added, "Don't worry, Luke. I'll teach you how to drive a standard," he grinned, probably remembering the incident in which I lost the right to ever learn how to drive a standard.

Mouth's dad had an old firebird in his garage that was in perfect working condition, he just never drove it. One day Mouth got the genius idea to teach me how to drive it. I was 15, 3 weeks from my 16th birthday. I had my permit, as did Mouth, but neither of us had licenses.

Mouth taught me in an empty parking lot. I was doing well. Clutch, pedal, gas, clutch, pedal, gas...but as I pulled the car into the intersection, I did something wrong and the car peeled out in front of a cop. The fact that it was past city curfew and neither of us were legal drivers didn't help our case any. Two permits should equal a license. Unfortunately the cop did not seem to agree with our simple equation.

The cop called our parents and delivered us safely home. Mom was pissed to say the least. I wasn't allowed to drive for a month, which meant I couldn't get my actual license on my 16th birthday as planned. She also banned me from ever driving with Mouth, or learning to drive a standard. In Mom world, apparently, standard cars are synonymous with danger, because no one ever gets in trouble in automatic cars. Somehow, I still felt like I shouldn't be driving a standard because I knew she wouldn't let me.

Keith read my thoughts, "She wouldn't care."

"Yeah she would. You didn't see how pissed she was when the cop brought me home."

Keith laughed. "I know. She called me still fuming after she sent you to bed."

"See?"

"But she's been looking for a car to get you for awhile. It was going to be your birthday present, but I think she'd want you to have it now."

"She was going to get me a standard?"

"She could only afford a standard. She just hadn't found one yet. She wouldn't have said no to this car, though."

"Oh yeah?"

"Okay, maybe she would have said no, but I would have overridden it. This car is yours."

I grinned broadly. Keith was lying and I knew it. Mom and I had been looking for cars since I turned 16, something she made me promise not to tell Keith. "He'll want to get you some gas-guzzeling, mega-dangerous sports car." She said sports car like it was a bad word, or like someone might say, poisonous spider. She was right. When it was up to Keith, he got me a sports car. Mom would have said no. That didn't mean I had to. I wasn't about to refuse a free Mustang.

"So what is this? A pity gift or are you trying to buy my love?"

He laughed, "Both. Does that mean you don't want it?"

"No way! Like you said, this car is mine."

"On one condition."

"What's that?" I asked, back to inspecting the interior.

"You have to go to your grandma's birthday dinner."

Oh. In my excitement the car brought, I forgot about the dinner.

I looked at Keith through the window without glass, he was looking hopeful, yet desperate, he didn't think I'd agree. "Fine."

"Really? You'll go?"

"Do I really have a choice?"

"No. If you want the car, you come to dinner."

"Alright, alright, I'll go. When is this dinner taking place?"

"Tomorrow night?"

"Terrific," I said, sarcastically. It was hard to be enthusiastic about the prospect of spending an entire meal with Satan, I mean Nathan. It couldn't be a coincidence that the names rhymed.

"Would it kill you to sound the slightest bit enthusiastic?"

"Terrific!" I said, feigning enthusiasm.

"That's better," he said, matching my sarcasm, and adding a playful punch to my shoulder.