This is dedicated to the fact that I finally saw my first ep. of One Tree Hill last week—and that I got my permit. Yay me!

As requested, more of Nathan's reaction to Peyton's statement.

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em.

--

"Lucas?" When Lucas turned to face Nathan, his face was curved downward, almost trembling. "What does she mean, 'I'm your half-brother?'"

Luckily for Lucas, the bell rang, saving him from further explanation. He turned in his English homework, wondering how on earth he was going to explain that Nathan was his half-brother. He wondered why Keith had never bothered to tell him, or his dad, for that matter.

He was allowed to breathe until class got out. "Lucas?" Nathan demanded, his face having a scared look on it. "What does she mean about me being your half-brother?"

"Come on, Nathan," Lucas replied with a sigh. "Let's grab lunch and talk."

"Let's not grab lunch—I want to know what the fuck she's talking about!" Nathan demanded angrily. Keith always used 'lunch' as an excuse to avoid talking about something. Or, when he was drunk, had fun shoving Nathan into the closet, saying, 'I'm bigger than you—what now?'

"I'm not avoiding it, Nathan, I'm just hungry," Lucas replied, standing in the lunch line. Nathan followed, still furious, his face still red.

---

"Who's the new kid?" Brooke asked Peyton with a grin, her smile edging upwards for the first time in what seemed like days.

"That's Nathan—he's Lucas' half-brother," Peyton replied with a frown as she looked around for Jake. "Although I think I wasn't supposed to tell him that detail..."

"Nice going," Brooke responded as she watched the two brothers move into the courtyard. "Say, is he single?"

"Brooke!" Peyton slammed her lunch tray down in exasperation. "You can't hit on him!"

"Why not?"

"He's Lucas' half-brother, for one," Peyton explained, "and I think you should talk to Lucas about why Nathan is suddenly living with him. I don't think he's ready for a girlfriend, yet."

"Did his family get rid of him?" Brooke questioned, looking around to try and see him.

"Brooke!" Peyton protested, nearly spitting out her soda. "God, don't you let anyone have any secrets? Give the guy a break—he just got here, for crying out loud."

"What happened to his arm?" Brooke asked, sitting on the edge of the table, not bothering to use the chair.

"Why don't you ask him?" Peyton demanded, furiously setting down her glass. "Never mind—never mind—dammit, Brooke!" she got up and followed the brunette outside.

---

"I'm sorry," Lucas apologized as he took a long drink of his milk. "I thought Dad told you."

"No, he didn't. He never even mentioned it, and neither did Keith. Dammit, Keith always pretended to be my real dad, you know? Said I should call him dad—when I was allowed to speak at all, that is," Nathan replied as he rubbed his arm self-consciously.

"Does it hurt?" Lucas questioned as he looked at his half-brother with concerned eyes.

"No," Nathan lied, leaning back against the tree.

"Don't lie to me, Nathan. If it hurts, we can get it looked at by the nurse."

"Hey, guys!" Brooke exclaimed as she raced out to the courtyard. "How are you, Luke? And what's your name? Are you his half—"

"Shut up, Brooke," Peyton ordered, grabbing Brooke by her T-Shirt. "Sorry, Lucas."

"Let go of me, Peyton, I can ask the kid what I want," Brooke replied, pushing against her best friend. "So, what's your name?"

"Nathan," Nathan replied hesitantly. "What's yours?"

"Brooke. Care if I sit?" she asked, sitting down next to the tree.

Lucas rolled his eyes and motioned for Peyton to sit down, as well, hoping to avoid upsetting Nathan even more. "Brooke, be nice to Nathan. It's his first day here, don't scare him away."

"Shut up, Lucas," Nathan retorted angrily. "I don't need babied."

"I never meant that--," Lucas replied, then groaned as Nathan kicked his tray and stormed off. Lucas quickly followed him as the teenager ran towards the trees.

"Nice going, Brooke," Nikki complimented, smiling as she moved from behind the trees.

"Shut the hell up, bitch," Peyton replied, giving Brooke a tenderhearted hug. "And leave Nathan alone—he doesn't need any mind games from you. Remember, you already had a baby."

"It's not mine," Nikki responded with a dismissal of her hand. "Jake already won custody."

"Good, keeps her away from you," Peyton sneered. "And leave Nathan the hell alone."

"Why should I? He's fair game—just like every other guy at Tree Hill." Nikki laughed devilishly. "Let the games begin," she added, disappearing into the shadows once more.

"I'm sorry, Peyton," Brooke replied as she collapsed on the ground. "It's my fault."

"No, it's not," Peyton said, even though she wasn't happy with her. "Look, Nathan is just a little sensitive right now, okay? Give him a chance to get adjusted."

"Seriously, though?" Brooke questioned, looking at her best friend to see if she'd tell her the truth. "What happened to his arm?"

---

"Hey, Nathan, take a chill pill, man," Lucas replied, panting as he ran after the teenager.

"Shut up," Nathan replied as he moved through the underbrush. "Leave me the fuck alone. First you can't tell me that I'm your half-brother, then you can't tell me that your BFFL is the most obnoxious person on the planet?"

"She's not my BFFL," Lucas replied, catching Nathan's sore arm before seeing the sling and remembering it was sore. "Sorry, Nathan, just—she's always like that, okay? She's got her problems too."

"Oh, yeah, I suppose her dad uses her as an ashtray," Nathan sneered, walking back dejectedly towards the school, leaving Lucas to wonder what Nathan meant.