I'm Sorry to say that I'm quite sad to see that I haven't really been getting any reviews. Is this because people have lost interest or just don't like the story? Please give it a chance, make my day and review…. I need it with all this gloomy English weather!
Aside from that, to my reviewer Seventhprincess (who was also the first person to take a guess about the real life fact and love her for it!)- you're not quite right but you we're close!
Anyway, on with the next chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill.
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Haley snapped her fingers repeatedly infront of her friends' face for the second time in the past 10 seconds. She was getting agitated. She had accepted the fact that her best friend wasn't constantly on the same planet as her, and everyone else for that matter, due to his constant brooding but this was getting ridiculous!
"Lucas!" she yelled yet again, flicking the side of his head.
Drawing him out of his gaze, Lucas shook his head and turned his focus to Haley.
"W-what… yeah…. I think that's a great idea Hales," he stammered, his attention once again turning to where it was a matter of seconds ago.
"I didn't ask you a question," Haley's voice came out dripping with impatience.
"What?" Lucas questioned, this time his eyes not leaving the spot where they were fixed.
Haley followed his gaze, wanting to know what the big distraction was until her eyes landed on the jocks and cheerleaders, more importantly Sarah, forming a huddle at the lockers located not too from down the hall. Even more importantly than that, Nathan and Sarah. Talking. Laughing. Touching.
Over his short life, Lucas had thought that he had gained the ability to cover his true emotions and feelings with a stone cold façade, never letting people know what he was truly feeling from fear that all his troubles and secrets would come spilling out. However, he was proven wrong when he felt Haley soothingly rubbing his arm.
"What did she do this time?" she asked, her tone not frustrated, but filled with compassion and worry.
Damn. He was going to have to work at burying and controlling his emotions more. He hated hearing people's pity. He didn't need it. There were surely thousands of people out there in the world that were in a lot more of a worse situation than he was.
"Who?" playing dumb, seemed like the best choice at this point.
"You know who," again her voice filled with hurt over her best friend. She waited for his gaze to leave his girlfriend, but it didn't. Reaching up she placed a friendly hand on his cheek, and turned his face in her direction. His eyes burned into hers and Haley felt herself wince and how much pain and anguish expressed with one single look.
"Lucas…"
Lucas let out an exhausted sigh, blinking in an attempt to wipe away his apparent look of torment.
"Haley…."
"Lucas." Haley stated again, this time as a firm statement, due to the fact that she knew what was coming next.
"Nothing happened."
Yep, there it was. Avoidance of the truth just as Haley had predicted. She rolled her eyes, not even bothering to hid he agitation from the boy infront of her.
"Really Hales," Lucas continued, this time a little more convincingly, "nothing happened, I'm just really tired." He leant up against his locker, closing his eyes and exhaling sharply for effect, gritting his teeth as a sharp pain erupted from his side, his broken bone complaining from the heavy breathing. He opened his eyes again moments later to find Haley looking up at him. Frowning more like.
"Really," Lucas repeated noticing he wasn't doing that good a job at covering up the drama that ruled his life, "look, Sarah had another bad attack last night that lasted well past 4 in the mourning."
Lucas saw the instant worry that so suddenly covered Haley's delicate features before he continued.
"Don't worry Hales, She's fine now," he reassured her, "I waited 'till she fell asleep and checked on her again at 5.30. My mom's looking after her right now. She's taking the day off school to be safe."
He wasn't lying. That had, in fact happened the previous night, but telling Haley this would surely overwrite what info she was trying to get out of him about Sarah. He hated himself to death for it, but he needed less focus on his problems right now.
Haley let out a relieved sigh upon hearing the news. She had known about Lucas' little sister having numerous and very dangerous health problems since she had visited Lucas just over a year ago and she had had an attack right there infront of them. Her admiration of Lucas as an individual had grown so much in that instant, seeing him nurse his sister back to health, and knowing he had to do the same thing every day, sometimes more than once. Lilly's attacks occurred on a daily basis, but sometimes they would become severely dangerous…
"You're sure she's o.k?" Haley asked, genuinely concerned for the little girls' health.
"Yeah," Lucas reassured her, "I'm gonna go check on her again after practice. I was gonna skip but mom was pretty insistent about me not completely halting my life and that she'd call me if anything happened."
He forced Haley a smile. Hearing the bell ring, Haley linked her arm into Lucas' and began walking towards the lunch hall, something that they always did together.
"You're mom's right Luke," Haley smiled, "sometimes you need to put yourself first in your own life, God knows you deserve it,"
"Well can I put myself fist in this lunch queue?" Lucas joked, stepping infront of her, "you always seem to get the last slice of chocolate cake!"
Laughing, Haley grabbed Lucas' arm, pulling him back.
"Luke, I love you and all….. but my love can only stretch so far!"
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"Luke, Honey, what are you doing here so early? Aren't you meant to be in class right now?"
Lucas laughed and stood up to face his mother, paranoid as usual that he'd start acting out and skipping lessons.
"I have a free period after lunch, mom," he bent down to pull the thick, yellow duvet up further over his sleeping little sister, and smiled when she snuggled into it, "I just thought I'd check up on her you know?"
His voice was just above a whisper, yet Karen could still sense the undying devotion he had to Lilly.
"She's fine, really she is," Karen reassured her son, "in fact she spent the whole day listening to her Brittany Spears CD,"
Lucas winced jokingly as he heard the band name, thinking of how may times he'd had to listen to Hit Me Baby One More Time, penetrating his bedroom walls.
Hearing a knock on the door, Lucas straightened up again. Matt had locked himself out again, just like he did yesterday, and like the numerous times previous to this when he had stumbled home from the bar drunk.
"I'll get it mom," Lucas sighed, turning to exit the room, "you stay here with her, look after her."
If Matt was going to come bursting into this house again, out of his mind and drunk, he was not letting his mother, and most of all his sister to be subjected to his violence, he would not let him near them when he was like this.
Swinging the door open, Lucas took a deep breath, "Look Matt, mom and Lilly are just in the other room and-"
His breath stopped short when his eyes fell upon the rugged man standing before him
"Hey, Luke,"
"Uncle Keith!" Lucas gasped happily, not sure what to do next, or how to act. It had been three years since he had seen him last, and both his uncle and mom hadn't left things on the best of terms.
"You just gonna stand there after not seeing me for so long or are you gonna give you're uncle a well overdue hug!"
"Uh…. Yeah, sure!" Lucas stammered, as Keith stepped towards his young nephew, embracing him in a manly hug.
"Oh God it's good to see you," Keith smiled, roughly rubbing Lucas' back, deepening the hug.
"Yeah, you too!" Lucas laughed, genuinely happy to have someone he knew and cared about back home, where he belonged. After all this Matt drama, both he and his family needed a welcome change, and a welcome face in their lives.
Stepping back a bit, Keith grabbed Lucas' arms and shook him a little, jokingly.
"Look at you Luke!" Keith cried, "Look how much….. I just can't believe how much you've grown! You've actually outgrown me!" He shook his head in disbelief, " the last time I saw you, you were half the size of the other kids your age….. including the girls! I swear you had dwarfism or something!"
Lucas' cheeks burned a bright red as embarrassment over his former stature overtook him.
"Yeah….. I …yeah…..," his cheeks burned even redder, if that was possible as he failed to conjure a sentence. Breaking away from his uncle, Lucas wrapped one arm around himself, half to try and soothe away the dull ache making it's way up his side. But this way also a subconscious habit that he'd picked up over the years, forming a makeshift barrier between him and protecting himself from other people.
"Seriously Luke, did you're mom feed you fertiliser every night or something!"
Lucas scratched the back of his head nervously, still not sure how to act around a guy he hadn't seen since he was 13.
"More like-"
"Keith!?" Lucas' sentence was cut off when Karen stepped into the hallway, trying to see who was holding her son up at the door so long. He couldn't tell how his mother's tone came across. Was she angry? Happy? Or just plain surprised?
"Lucas, shouldn't you be getting to basketball practice?" Karen's voice came, he eyes not once leaving Keith.
"Really?" Lucas asked, confused, "I mean, I can stay if you want?"
"Lucas," Karen stated, her voice forceful this time, eerily bearing a resemblance to Haley's tone earlier that day.
"O.k," Lucas replied, still unsure about the situation happening infront of him, "but I'll be back in 2 hours O.k?"
"Sure," this time Karen forcefully pushed he son out the front door, in turn dragging Keith on the inside.
Lucas' eyes remained on the door for a good full minute before he finally started to head to his car, one question occupying his thoughts……
What the hell was going on?
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Lucas slammed his car door closed, frustrated with how practice had once again turned out. Yet again, his injury was preventing him from performing to the best of his ability, which meant that Nathan and the rest of the team had even more material to hold against him.
Dragging his feet up the driveway towards the front door, he cursed himself for being so weak. He was going to have to train harder and suck it up more if he was going to have any chance of getting better.
A loud crash followed by a scream pulled him out of his current state of mind. What was possibly going on in his house at this hour? Instinctively dropping his training bag, his feet began pounding over the pavement, carrying him towards his front door.
"KEITH! MATT!! STOP IT NOW PLEASE!!"
The hairs that covered the back of his neck stood straight up on reflex and he recognised his mother's voice.
"STOP IT PLEASE!"
Grabbing the handle to his front door, it was flung open, and the overpowering smell of alcohol penetrated Lucas' nostrils, making him feel sick to his stomach.
His eyes furiously darted around the room, noting the broken glass, spilled alcoholic beverages, broken furniture and paper that had been strewn everywhere, certainly a disgusting change from the extremely tidy, upkept room that it once was, not that many hours ago.
"Mom!" Lucas cried when he noticed Karen, a sobbing mess on the floor. She was using her body as a shield, as she huddled over a panicked Lilly, crying her eyes out as she watched the various acts of violence occur around her.
Running to her side, his heart ached as he saw the look of hurt, panic and fear in one single look.
"Mom, are you o-"
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE YOU BASTARD!!"
The angry and aggressive threat sounded from the opposite side of the room, making Karen flinch under her son's touch before gripping harder onto an even more distraught Lilly.
Lucas pulled his attention away from the two on the floor as his eyes searched for Matt, the culprit behind the voice. However, they doubled in size, widening in horror when he noticed the other man who was responsible for half of this current state of chaos.
Keith.
They were both stood there, merely metres apart from each other, both breathing heavily and both clearly as blindly drunk as the other. They were sizing each other up. For round two it seemed, from the appalling state of the living room.
"Keith!" Lucas cried, barely loud enough for the two men to hear, "w-what are you doing!"
He didn't seem to hear. He stood there, still facing off against Matt, blood dripping from his lip.
"Keith." Lucas repeated, standing up from kneeling besides his mother and sister.
Again, his words gained no attention, only fury as Keith landed the next punch, blasting his fist with all his might as it connected with Matt's right eye, obviously wanting to match the other eye and Lucas noticed the discoloured left eye socket. The two collapsed into a ball of fury, fists flying as the constant barrage of breaking possessions and cuss words once again filled the room.
Turning his attention back to the two at his feet, Lucas rapidly grabbed his mother's arm, pulling both her and Lilly off the floor.
"Mom get out of here NOW!!" he yelled, attempting to push her across the room.
"N-no, Lucas… I…. I can't…." she cried in between sobs, her legs threatening to give way beneath her.
"Mom, you need to get Lilly out of here! She's sick she doesn't need this!"
Karen took one more look toward the street fight that was currently occurring in her living room and nodded, admitting defeat to her son.
"O.k" Lucas began pushing hem both out, the two older men unaware of the people exiting the room, "take my car to the café or something, just get away from here!"
Karen was sobbing too hysterically to respond as Lucas shoved her and Lilly out of the house and closed the door behind them, leaving him inside the house.
The slamming door seemed to bring the two fighting men to the realisation that two certain people had left the house.
Kicking a partly disorientated Keith off from on top of him, Matt clambered to his feet.
"KAREN!!" an extremely angered and bloody Matt screamed, pulling himself off the floor and stumbling towards the door.
"Matt don't." Lucas stated calmly, his protectiveness for his family drowning out any form of fear, despite the man twice his body mass making his way towards him.
"GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY WAY!!" he shrieked when Lucas stood between him and the door in protest. Virtually tossing the already injured teen up against the wall, he tore open the door…. Only to be met with the screeching of tyres as the car took off, taking the two females to safety.
"KAREN!!" he screamed again taking off after the car on foot, his drunken state preventing him from running straight.
"HEY!!" came a second gruff, slurred voice from inside the house as Keith struggled to gain control of his legs.
Gaining his composure, Lucas hauled himself up from the floor, gritting his teeth in pain. Letting his determination take over, he slammed the front door shut, locking it. He was NOT letting this man get away and cause even more trouble.
"Keith." Lucas said firmly, putting his hands on Keith's shoulders, holding him back.
"Lucas don't" came the reply. Lucas wasn't sure if it was his intention, but the words flew out of his mouth with such venom that it actually made his shudder.
"Keith," he started again, "look, you're a bit drunk and I don't want you around mom and Lilly when you're like this."
Keith shook his head to get rid of the ringing in his ears, "Don't," he replied again, this time his eyes burning into his nephews'. It scared him. When Lucas had left a couple of hours Keith was the friendly, loving caring guy, just like he was 3 years ago. But this Keith was….. different. He had never seen Keith like this, and just for a split second, Lucas wished he was that little boy again, the one that played with his uncle down and the Rivercourt. The boy, where nothing else, but the magic that was happening at that precise moment in time even mattered.
But just like the second he had wished for it, it was gone.
"Dammit Luke! Just get outta my way! I need to talk to her! She's seeing HIM isn't she!?" Keith was practically foaming at the mouth, his fists shaking with rage.
"You can't see her!" Lucas persisted, "not like this! You're scaring her and Lilly! You're going to make your own child scared of you!"
Keith snapped. The boiling temperature in his ears frothed to an all time high and he felt like blood would soon erupt with them from all the built up pressure. Rearing back a thick, heavy fist, with all his might, he sent it colliding with his nephew's jaw, causing his young body to follow direction, and fly to the left.
Lucas had been caught off-guard. His hands, entirely by chance, found their way to the hallway table, preventing him from crumbling completely to the ground. He didn't move from that position. Leaning on the table, his head bowed, he breathed heavily trying to regain use of his lungs, as his breath hitched in his throat out of shock.
With Matt, it was different. It was inevitable. Getting beat by him was something he had gotten used to….he actually expected it. And it was something he took because he needed to protect Lilly and his mother's heart. But with Keith, it was different. Keith was family….he loved Keith. Keith loved him- or so he claimed- but he had to, as Keith was who Lucas considered his father.
And that's why it hurt so much.
Matt's blows to his body had come at such a force that he had actually started to physically break his bones. Keith hadn't gone as far as that, but Lucas loved him so much. That's why this was the most unbearable agony he had ever felt in his life.
Lucas' shoulders rapidly tensed out of reflex and mentally prepared himself for the next blow, when he felt his Uncle grab his shoulder.
His ears were met by a sobbing noise.
"Lucas," Keith strained out his nephews' name, "Lucas…. I don't know what to say…. I'm just so…so sorry!"
Lucas felt Keith pull his body around so the two were facing each other, Lucas' two blue pools, that showed so much pain, met with the eyes of the person who was responsible for some of it.
"Please just – please forgive me!"
All Lucas could do was nod slowly, as his focus travelled to the floor, too ashamed to look at Keith any longer.
"o.k," came the mumbled reply.
Keith embraced the boy, sobbing hysterically, his hot tears hitting the flesh of Lucas' neck as he cradled him like he was 5 again, back when nothing like this ever happened.
"Oh God!" Keith cried, "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"
The 3 words were repeated over and over again into Lucas' ear as he forced himself not to show any emotion.
"Do you believe me?" came a whispered question.
After a few seconds, Lucas nodded again, causing Keith to break down again.
Hesitating at first, Lucas began rubbing comforting circles on Keith's back, soothing his uncle.
"It's O.k Keith."
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Walking up the driveway to his girlfriends house, Lucas frantically tried to think of an excuse for the current swelling on his jaw.
Basketball.
That was always a good excuse. Sarah had seen first hand how rough the game could sometimes get, so if he gave that as an excuse, she HAD to believe him.
He needed this. This break from the chaos that occupied his life. Sarah could always ALMOST make him forget his troubles, even if just for a few minutes. All he needed was her, to talk to her, to hold her, to kiss her and she would make it all better. All he needed was her.
Opening the door to her house, which was never locked, her entered her house. He loved that smell. He could smell her Davidoff perfume in the hallways and it made him smile. Things were looking up already if she was making him smile and he couldn't even see her.
Rounding the corner, however, he would have given anything to be back in the his house with both Matt and Keith, throwing ungodly punches to his body…… because that would of hurt a hell of a lot less than this.
Caleb Summers. All round popular person and jock was on top of her. Sarah…. his girlfriend. It didn't take a genius to know what they were doing. Anger didn't even come into the equation, because he wasn't. only one emotion would register. Hurt. But it was the next thing he heard that made his heart nearly stop beating altogether.
"See, this is what Lucas never gives me!" Sarah groaned, "you know he's yet to even sleep with me!"
Caleb's muffled laughter came as a response, "I herd him say 'I love you', and what's more pathetic… he does!"
Lucas didn't know how much more he could take. With everything that had happened, especially with tonight, for the first time on his life…. He actually, for a split second, prayed for his heart to break for real.
Not a flash of remorse graced Sarah's features.
"I know but… I could never love him."
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Please review because I need them to make me continue! I just love reading them. Just give your opinion on the story and what you feel, or even what you might want to happen! What d you think of Lucas, Karen, Sarah, Keith anyone! You get the idea!
Much love! xxx