Chapter four- Crash.

Whitey's team talk at half time did nothing to inspire the teams issues with Lucas to go away. But when they were down by 12 in the third quarter, no matter what Nathan told them to do, they had to play as a team to win. Lucas was part of that team. Tim Smith, the captain of the Ravens started taking the initiative, he started to pass to Lucas. This inspired the other members of the team to do so. No sooner had they started doing this, than the deficit soon turned into a 7-point lead. With Lucas scoring 21 of the teams last 30 points. He finished the game with 28 points, the teams top scorer on the night, despite only having the ball 3 times in the first half, all from his own good work on stealing possession. Lucas was not lying when he told Nathan he wanted that scoring title.

After the game, Dan was doing his usual. Ignoring Nathan, for not playing well enough, thankfully his mother Deb had returned to town from a business trip. She gave him encouragement, not that it made his fathers hurtful comments go away. After the game there was to be a party at Nathan's family's beach house. Nathan personally invited Lucas after the game, he knew it was an attempt to screw with him, but he would not run from him. He would take Haley as back up.

They arrived at the party, and Nathan greeted them at the door. Nathan said he wasn't sure if he'd come, Lucas replied he wasn't sure either. They all made their way inside and Nathan introduced himself to Haley to make it look like he had never met her before in front of Lucas. When they made it inside, Lucas and Haley just stood and looked around, the house was huge. So many rooms and balconies, with a sea view.

'Have you guys seen this?' came Teresa's voice, one of the cheerleaders. She passed the copy of Thud magazine to Brooke. High school fear leader, was the comic strips name. It was Peyton's, but nobody knew that, and that was the way she liked it. Brooke felt scandalized at the thought of somebody exposing her world for what it was, at least from the outsider's perspective anyway. Brooke analysed it, along with a couple of her friends, and the third picture was of a cheerleader having sex with a guy with his hat on. When Brooke made a comment about this, Nathan looked at Peyton, he knew it was her strip, he wears his hat during sex. Peyton realised Nathan knew and tried to cover her tracks.

'Its just a stupid comic strip, who cares right?'

'Its more like sucky, whoever it is doesn't know the first thing about it. They make it seem so…' As Brooke spoke, Peyton looked toward Lucas, he looked back. She knew he would know what to say, he always does.

'Shallow.' Lucas finished the sentence for Brooke.

'Where's the keg?' Peyton said, to get out of there.

Haley and Lucas walked off, Haley went to find a bathroom and Luke found a game of I have never to part take in. Nathan patronized him by trying to explain the game. Soon enough it was Nathan's turn.

'I have never had a father that wished I was a stain on the bed sheets.' Lucas looked at him and his eyes bore through his flesh and bone right to his soul, if looks could kill, Nathan would have died. Lucas sighed deeply, not taking his eyes from Nathan. Peyton looked worried and appauled Nathan could say something like that to Lucas. Lucas walked over to Nathan, staying calm and put the cup down in front of him.

'Then your welcome to mine.'

Peyton left the game after Nathan's turn, she'd had enough. She saw Haley and got talking to her about Nathan.

'Maybe you could teach him to stop being such a jackass.'

'I will put that on the list of things.'

'Just be careful, ok?' Peyton paused, then it hit her.

'Does Lucas know you're helping Nathan?' Haley looked all around the room but couldn't find any words to speak. Peyton smiled

'You say a lot when you keep your mouth shut, its ok though, I can keep mine shut too.'

Lucas caught up with Haley at a cabinet with photos of Nathan, Dan and basketball on it.

Lucas slammed a photo of Dan and Nathan face down.

'What happened?' Haley asked

'Oh same old crap, he thinks if he keeps hammering me I'll quit the team.'

'What'd he do this time?'

'Made some feeble comment, not gonna let it get to me.'

'Yeah, obviously that's working out for you' Haley said in a sarcastic tone.

'Luke have you guys actually ever talked?'

'Yeah sure we've traded emails too!' Yet another sentence dripping with sarcasm.

'I'm just saying your so hypersensitive around each other and I get it, I just think that maybe everything he says you take the wrong way and vice versa.'

'Ok, there is no misunderstanding what he said, and why are you defending him?'

'I'm just trying to bring some perspective, I mean it's a really screwy situation and I am sure that having you around isn't any easier for him than it is for you.'

'Ok, tell me I'm not hearing this?'

'Then what are you doing here Lucas? Obviously you're looking for something, right?'

'I'm not gonna let him win'

'Fine, don't let him win, I'm gonna go home.'

'Haley!'

'Nope.' With that Haley turned and went to leave. On her way out she saw Nathan

'Are you leaving?'

'Nathan, we had a deal, you promised you would be nice.'

'I am nice, I invited him to this stinking party didn't I?'

'What for, so you could pick on him in public? What did you say anyway?'

'Oh man is that what…I made a lame joke, I mean the guys sometimes get kinda rowdy with each other, I was just trying to include him, he took it the wrong way.'

'Well maybe you need to rethink your approach.'

'Well you're his friend, how do I handle this?'

'It's easy, stop being such a jerk.'

Lucas made his way onto the balcony at the back of the house, Peyton was sitting on a swing.

'He really slammed you.'

'I don't care what he thinks.'

'Neither do I'

'Oh yeah, why are you drinking?' Lucas bent down in front of her.

'So I'm confused, you wanna be anonymous, but you let the world watch you on a webcam.'

'The world isn't watching me, though I guess you are?' This made Peyton smile. He was watching her. Lucas smiled too.

'Ok, the point is you wanna express yourself but you don't want people to know it's you.'

'I guess I'm just a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a bitch..'

'Or maybe just a tortured artist.' Peyton really didn't like the way he could do that at this moment in time, he could read her like a book, because he was very much the same.

'Look I don't need you defending me and my work, I don't need you analyzing or interpreting me either, in fact I'm pretty sure I don't need you at all.'

'Pretty sure?' Peyton took a swig of her drink, damn why does he always know what to say. She may not need him, but she sure as hell wanted him. He understood her like nobody else, he knew what to say, he was hot, kind and so sweet as Brooke put it.

That was when he heard it, the tape of his mum's prom. Karen and Dan were there at their prom, king and queen that year. They were being asked about their future, marriage and kids.

'Who's the girl?' Somebody asked. By now Lucas had tears in his eyes.

'My mum.' Nathan was looking at Lucas with a look of glee in his eyes, Lucas had a mixed expression, pain and hurt combined with anger and hate.

'At least the dreams came true for one of em' Nathan said in Lucas' direction.

'Yeah, except for the happy part right?' He responded.

Lucas couldn't stay here to be humiliated any longer. He looked to the ceiling, why did he come here? Peyton for the 4th or 5th time that night looked scandalized, her boyfriend was a jackass, and she hated him right now. Brooke's feelings were pretty much the same.

Lucas was hurting, exactly as Nathan had planned. Lucas walked toward the door and as he was passing Nathan he stopped and stood still. Nathan turned his head towards Lucas. The room was silent. Lucas shoved Nathan against the wall making sure he put maximum force into it. Lucas didn't turn back. He left without another word. Nathan laughed to himself with many of the other jocks in the room, Brooke and Peyton didn't seem to be amused.

Nathan was looking out onto the beach half an hour later, when he spotted somebody sitting on his or her own at the end of he pier. He walked out, and realized it was Haley, hadn't she gone home already?

Well it turned out that the cab she had ordered never came, she told Nathan she didn't think it was a good idea that she continued to tutor him, it was causing friction between her and Lucas even though he didn't know about it, and Nathan was still being a jerk to him. Nathan opened up to her about the fact he sometimes thought it would be easier to quit the team, to get his dad off his back. If she stopped tutoring him like she wanted to at this point., then it might be doing him a favour anyway. Haley was still contemplating what to do, when she thought she'd better find Lucas and smooth things over with him. Nathan told her he'd left, neglecting to mention the fact it was his entire fault that he had.

Haley started to leave but Nathan couldn't let her walk, even thought he was a jackass most of the time, he was different around Haley, he felt like he could open up more. Eventually Haley agreed and Nathan drove her home.

At the party, Peyton was sitting on the stairs, wondering about her relationship with Nathan and about Lucas' mum, Karen. Brooke came stumbling down the stairs from the bathroom in her inebriated state. Peyton asked her if she thought they would all end up like Karen. Brooke couldn't remember who Karen was due to the amount of alcohol she'd drank. Peyton informed her who she was, and Brooke understood the question to be about having a child that early on in life.

'Not with the proper birth control we won't' was her response. Peyton didn't mean it like that and said so before stating what she did mean.

'She was our age when that tape was made Brooke, in a lot of ways were just like her. Don't you think it's awful how she just let Nathan's dad treat her like crap.'

'Yeah, but honey that doesn't mean we're like her, maybe it means you're like her.' Brooke got up and gave Peyton a friendly pat on the leg before walking off to find more alcohol. Peyton thought about what Brooke had said, she was right, she let Nathan treat her like crap all the time. But tonight was the night that would all stop. Brooke had helped her make that decision.

When Nathan drops Haley off, he explains the full situation with his dad, basketball and him. If he loses basketball, then he wont get into college and his dreams are over, his grades are so bad that he is nearly ineligible to play. If he cant play ten his dad will lose his dream too, and he'll destroy Nathan as well as himself. Haley is the one person who can change that. She decides against her better judgement, that she will continue to tutor him if he lays of Lucas.

Nathan tears off in Peyton's car, and in passing one of the junctions on his way home, Lucas sees somebody driving Peyton's car like a lunatic, and is worried. So he starts to follow. The next thing he sees is Peyton's car crash into a lamppost. He stops his truck and jumps out, only to find out that it was Nathan who was driving.

'Peyton, you ok?' He starts as he jumps out the truck.

'Yeah she's fine, can't say the same for her car though.' Nathan paused to grab a bag of beer he had in the back of the car

'And what the hell were you doing, following my girlfriend'

'I wasn't, look I thought she was driving and she was drinking' Nathan turns his back on Lucas and starts to walk away.

'Where are you going?'

'Back to the party, dumbass.'

'What and you're just gonna leave her car like this?'

'Yeah, and if you're standing there you can watch me.'

'You know this is a crime.'

'So call the cops.'

'Nathan, you can't walk away from this. I saw you do it.'

'No, you didn't see me do it. Cos I was with Tim the whole time, which is exactly what he's gonna say if anybody asks him, he owes me. So looks like it's your word against ours man. You can guess how that's gonna go down.' Lucas knew he was right, Lucas had witnessed it but Dan would worm his way into the scenario and clear Nathan's name.

'So you're just gonna lie and walk away. What about Peyton? You know, you're girlfriend?' Nathan just sighed to himself, with a smug grin on his face.

'The cars registered in her name.'

'Yeah and you know what, come to think of it, like you said. She was really drunk last time I saw her. Maybe she did this. But then again all I see is a wrecked car, and you.'

Lucas knew he couldn't get through to Nathan about what he'd done, just like he knew Nathan couldn't get him charged with it, but Peyton on the other hand could get tied up in this and Lucas couldn't let that happen. He towed the car with his truck back to Keith's garage, and called Keith. He met him there. Keith was quite pissed off, he could lose his licence, even though in his heart he knew that Nathan shouldn't be allowed to get away with it and Lucas had done the right thing. Keith knew better than anybody what Dan was like, he would get his own way with this just like he did with everything else. Lucas said he'd pay for the work on it, Keith was struggling as it was. He drove Luke home after they covered the car. What Lucas had done was a crime too.

Karen was just packing up at the café when Deb walked in, the atmosphere wasn't pleasant. Until Karen broke the ice by accusing Deb of spying or threatening her on Dan's behalf. Deb defended herself and told Karen she did not care what had happened in the past between her and Dan or Lucas and Nathan. She hoped it wouldn't effect the two of them.

The party at the beach house was over, and Peyton was struggling to believe what Nathan had done to Lucas. She was watching the tape again, Nathan walked past her and was standing behind her when she spoke.

'You reinvented cruel tonight.'

'It was a joke.'

'Funny how you were the only one laughing.'

'Like you and your stupid comic strip?' Nathan sighed

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean that.'

'I'm sorry is getting a little old with you Nathan.'

'I know, I just can't remember a time when things were this bad.' Peyton turned around to face him.

'Where have you been for the past two hours?'

'I went on a beer run.'

'To where? Canada?'

'Nathan I wanna go home, but I cant cos it seems my car's missing. You wouldn't know anything about that now would you?'

'Err, I think Tim took it.'

'You think.'

'Well, he wanted to take Brooke home so I told him he could borrow it.' Peyton looked at him, disbelieving what he'd just said.

'I didn't think you'd care.' was Nathan's response to her facial expression. Peyton picked up a cup near her.

'I never told a ridiculous lie to my girlfriends face, drink up.' Peyton paused. 'Brooke got a ride home with Teresa after you disappeared. Wanna play again?'

'Ok so then it was some other girl. I don't know. What's the big deal anyway? I knew you were gonna stay here.'

'So you gave away my car?'

'Look whatever. I'm going to bed, are you coming?'

'Yeah, that what I'm gonna do! I cannot believe you just asked me that with a straight face.' Peyton turned away from him, she was pissed at him, big time. He'd shown his true colours for all to see.

Lucas was at home when his mum came in, both of them had interesting nights. Karen could tell Lucas was in a bad mood, so se tried to lighten the mood by telling him about a water main that she needed his help to fix in the café. His mood didn't alter, so she asked him what was wrong. He explained all about how he knew Karen and Dan talked about marriage and about the beach house. He was angry with his mum for the fact she didn't make Dan give her what she was entitled to. He voiced this, before storming off to bed.

It was morning, and Peyton had slept on the couch. There was a knocking on the door, and she yelled for Nathan to answer it. He didn't come, so she rolled over to see it was Tim at the door. Perfect, maybe he'd bought her car back. She asked him where her car was, and he was completely oblivious to where her car was. Nathan had appeared and Tim had looked at him and then back at Peyton, Peyton wasn't stupid and saw his expression change, she knew he hadn't had her car. She turned back to Nathan and asked him where her car was? He had no way out this time.

Back at Lucas', he apologized to his mum for what he had said, and she told him that if Dan had given her money he would have felt like he was entitled to have a say in how Lucas was raised, and Karen didn't want that. Lucas told Karen about his antics of the night before, before leaving to find Keith.

At the Scott household, Nathan was the topic of conversation. Keith had called and told Deb about the hit and run Nathan had been involved in, in Peyton's car. Dan tried to brush it off, but Deb wasn't having it. Nathan came home right in the middle of their argument.

Lucas was at Keith's garage when Nathan walked in, this surprised him, but Keith told him he'd phoned Deb. Nathan offered to pay for the damage but Lucas refused, he just wanted him to leave him alone. Nathan left the garage and went over to Peyton's to try and sort things out, but she was pissed at him and explained how she saw him clearly last night, he was an ass to everyone and she had had enough of it, they were finished, for good.

The morning came, and Lucas made his way over to see Haley, hadn't spoken to her since the party. He stepped into the café.

'Hey, I was beginning to think I'd never see you again. You're avoiding me right?'

'A little.'

'Luke, I was just trying to help. You just like jumped down my throat. We've always been able to talk about stuff, you know. I just had this idea that if you could see things from Nathan's side.' Haley looked up at Lucas, his expression hadn't changed. 'You're just a real pain in the butt sometimes.' Haley picked up the cleaning agent she was using to clean the counter and sprayed some at him, Lucas smiled.

'Yeah well at least we can still be honest with each other.'

'Yeah, at least.'

'So, if anything was going on with you, anything important or weird, confusing. You could still be honest with me about that right.'

'Yeah, of course.' Lucas sighed as he dropped Haley's hat onto the counter.

'You left that in Peyton's car.'

Lucas looked her in the eye before turning around to leave, why had she lied to him? More over, why was she with Nathan? Haley felt herself go numb, he knew she'd been with him and she'd lied to him about it, that was going to hurt him a lot, but he still didn't know that shed been doing it for him. She didn't know what to say. Lucas was pissed. He left without another word. The two brothers worlds had entwined over a matter of days and neither one of them were liking the consequences.