THE TORMENTS OF LIFE
Chapter 3

Two hours after the announcement of Dan's death, Deb was still crying, she had a lot of stuff to think straight. She and Karen were still at the hospital, in the waiting room.
"Deb?" said Karen.
Deb raised her head, her eyes were all red and tears were still sliding down her cheeks.

''yeah''

"I'm gonna call Keith, to tell him about Dan… and if you want… I could also tell Nathan."
"I want to tell him myself…"
"Okay."
"Could you drop me off to the school?"
"Yeah…just let me call Keith."
"Okay."
Karen got to her feet, she took her cell phone out of her purse and walked to a quiet place. She entered Keith's cell phone number on her own phone. She only got his voicemail: "Hey, you've reached Keith Scott's voicemail. Leave a message after the beep."

Keith was in front of his class. He was truly enjoying himself, the kids really seemed to listen to him and they had even laughed to one of his jokes.
At the more unexpected moment he heard his cell phone ring. Life couldn't be more ironic than this, his cell phone was ringing just after he had told them, he wouldn't tolerate the cell phones in class.

"Mr. Scott, I thought you said no cell phone were allowed in here," a student said to him.
"True, and that's the reason why, I'm gonna shut it off."

Keith took his cell phone out of his pocket, just when he was closing it, he saw that Karen had left him a message. He knew she wouldn't have left him a message and would have call him back in any situation unless it was important. He had a bad feeling it was about Dan, his brother.

"Would you excuse me, please, I really have to check the message."
"Sir, you said that you wouldn't aloud to someone to take the message in class either and you said that rule included you too."
"I know, what I said, Josh. I'll come back in 5. You better all behave."

Keith walked out of the classroom. He open his cell phone and listened to Karen's message: "Hey Keith…huh…It's Karen, you should call me back…on my cell phone. It's important…It's …It's about Dan. Please, call me as soon as you can. Bye."
Keith press on the touch that had Karen's cell phone number in memory. He heard the phone ring three times before someone answered.

"Hello?" he heard Karen say.
"Hey, Karen it's Keith. You said you had something important to tell me about Dan."
"yeah…"
"What is it ? and where are you 'cause I can barely hear you."
"I'm in my car…and about Dan, I don't really know how I could possibly tell you this."
"just say it, for god sake!"
"Dan is…Dan is…dead, Keith. I'm really sorry."
"Oh my god! That can't be true!"
"It is… I'm sorry"
"How Deb's holding ? She must be devastated."
"She is, anybody in the same situation would be."
"And Nathan?"
"He doesn't know it yet. I'm dropping her off to his school, so she can tell him."
"Ok. Do you want me to tell Lucas."
"I would appreciate it, if you could."
"Ok, I've got to get going I'm in the middle of a class. Bye Karen."
"Bye Keith"

Keith was shocked. He hadn't really reacted to the news so far, but now he wanted to cry. He tried to take a hold of himself so he could end his class. After this he would go tell Lucas.

Deb walked through the doors of the school and head straight to the reception. A woman, who was probably in her mid-forties welcome her.

"Hi. May I help you?"
"Huh, yeah…I would like to talk to my son"
"It have to be an important motive, if not, we're not aloud to disturb a student while he's in class."
"Believe me it is."
"If you say so. May I have his name."
"Nathan…Nathan Scott."
The woman typed on her computer the name.
"Ok, He's in english. I'll send someone to bring him here."
"thanks."

"…I know you will probably think the year is starting off too fast with the thing I'm gonna announce you, but we have a lot to do this year and if we want to get through the program with the time we have, we have no other choices but to start right now. I'm gonna put you in team of two and before anyone asks, no you can't make your own team. I don't want anyone to come to me after class and ask me for a change of team mate you're gonna have to deal with the person I will put you with. Now, that this point is clear let me come to the task you will have to do. I'm gonna ask you to chose a Shakespeare's play, it doesn't have to be a well known play, just one of his plays. You will have to write a response to what you will read. In this response you will have to tell me what's the meaning of the text, what it represents for you and how it affects the world. Are there any questions?"

The teacher looked around the class, no one seems to have something to say.

"Great, now is the time to team you up: Melina Anders with Jared Anderson, Matthew Atkins with Bobby Baker, Brooke Davis with Kyle Ferguson …"

Brooke stop breathing when she heard the name of her teammate. She wished she had misunderstood.

"Tell me something Peyton?"

Peyton raised her head and looked at her friend.

"What?"
"Did he really say 'Brooke Davis with Kyle Ferguson' ?"
"Yeah, that's what he said"
"Oh god… no!"

Brooke looked towards Kyle who was smiling at her sweetly. He looked like the typical geek with the big glasses.

"Not him… if I ask to Mr. Halliwell in a seductive way to change my partner, do you think he will accept?"
"You heard him, he said he wouldn't change our partner and I don't think that seducing him would be the best solution, Brooke, he's gay and you know it..
"Oh god, why luck is never on my side?"
"Stop being such a drama queen." Said Peyton with a laugh.
"Don't laugh, Peyt ! You're not with HIM." Said Brooke with a disgust look.
"Not HIM, Brooke, it's Kyle"
"Whatever…"

Peyton got back to her drawing while Brooke was still complaining about her team mate.

"… Andrea Ross with Clark Sanders, Peyton Sawyer…"

Peyton raised her head form her drawing at the mere mention of her name. She listened carefully.

"…Peyton Sawyer with Nathan Scott…"
Nthan raised his head immediately when he heard that his name was following Peyton's name.

"Now that I've made the teams you can go see your partner and decide what you will be working on."

Peyton start to raise from her seat but was pull back down by Brooke's hand.

"I have a plan to escape from this. I'll say to Mr. Halliwell that I don't feel too well and he will send me to the nurse and I will ask him if you can come along with me because I'm not sure I will be able to hold on thus far. This way we won't have to work with our disgusting partner, even if I don't know who's your partner, and it will be a good way to cut the class. What do you think?"
"I think that Mr. Halliwell won't buy your crap. Remember, we had him last year and by the end of the year he didn't believe in a single thing you were saying."
"Right…"
"Look, go see Kyle and you will probably have one of the best grade of your life."
"Are you saying I'm dumb?"
"Not at all. Listen, work with him or don't, I don't really care 'cause I have a partner to see and I have to work with him on our project. Bye"
"Wait…Who's your partner?"

Peyton raised from her seat, looked at her friend and said: "Nathan."

"Nathan as Nathan Scott ?"
"The one and only."

Peyton started to walk toward Nathan desk.

"Hey" said Nathan to Peyton.
"Hey, sorry if it took me a long time to come. It's Brooke she's freaking out because she's with Kyle."
"I see. At least she's sure to have a good grade."
"Yeah…So do you have any idea for our project?"
"Not really, I'm sure everyone will take Romeo Juliet."
"Yeah… so we're going for something else."
"Well, it depends do you want to work on something everyone knows and will be real easy to work on or something a little less known and will be a little harder."
"Anything, it doesn't really matter, you?"
"I'm going for the easy one."
"So Romeo and Juliet it is."
"Ok."

While they were discussing a woman knocked on the door and the teacher answered her.

"Can I do something for you?"
"Yeah, I would like Nathan Scott to come with me to the reception."
"Ok, Nathan Scott?"

Nathan and Peyton turned their heads toward the door, where the voice was coming from.

"You have to go to the reception."
"Ok."

Nathan started to pick up his things.

"Do you have any idea, why they're asking you to go there?" Asked Peyton.
"No, not at all."

Nathan arrived to the reception with the woman and saw his mother sitting on a chair. It was obvious she had been crying.

"Mom, what's going on?"
"Nathan…" She said raising to her feet and taking her son in her arms.
"Mom ?"
"Your dad…he…he passed away"

Nathan was under shock. He didn't know what to do, he couldn't think clear. He hold his mother tighter, a single tear sliding down his left cheek.

Keith was walking through the halls of Charleston High, He was looking for Lucas, but he was nowhere to be seen. At an unexpected moment, he felt someone put his hand on his shoulder. He turned around so fast that he barely hit that person.

"Hey! Easy Keith !"
"It's only you , Lucas. You kinda scared me"
"I realised that. You seem nervous, is it your classes ?"
"No, I'm fine on that side."
"That means something's wrong."
"Yeah…and it's something I have to tell you."
"Ok, then spill."

Keith looked around the halls full of students.

"Not here, let's go to my classroom, it will be more private."
"Ok."

Keith led Lucas to his classroom. Once they were there, Keith stayed silent. He was trying to think of a way to break the news to Lucas, but none seemed to be appropriate. How could you tell to someone who hated his father and barely knew him that he was dead? Really, there was no appropriate way for this kind of situation.

"Keith, you said you had something to tell me, so spill, 'cause you're making me nervous when you're all silent like this."
"I do have something to tell you, I just don't know how to phrase it"
"That must be something real big. Is it about Dan?"
"Yeah…You remembered after his heart attack he went into coma…"
"Oh…I got it…don't tell me he's …dead."

Keith just looked at Lucas, saying nothing.

"wow…not "wow" as " wow!", but it's unbelievable, it can't be true…I mean he's supposed to be strong and in health and…"
"Stop Lucas, you're babbling."
"God! Tell me it's a joke."
"Lucas…I'm sorry, but it's true."
"I need to sit"

Lucas sat on the desk that was closer to them and stayed silent.

"Lucas, you gonna be ok?"
"I don't know…I don't know if I feel bad or relieved. How should I even feel ? I never thought something like this could happen. He was my dad and I've never had a real relation with him and now he's dead. It's so confusing."
"I understand."
"I should ask you how do you feel? I mean, he was your brother it must be hard even if you had your differences."
"It is hard, but somehow, I am as confused as you are. The last weeks, between me and Dan, before his heart attack, were more complicated than ever."
"I see."

They stayed in silence for a couple of minutes before Lucas spoke again.

"I think, we should let down everything here and go back to Tree Hill"
"I think so too, but after everything that has happen in Tree hill, I'm not so sure I want to go back forever."
"I suggest, we go for the funeral and everything and decide after what we will do afterward."
"Ok. You're really mature Lucas, you know that? It's a great thing you're there 'cause I would have been reluctant to go back there without you."

To be continued...