Chapter 4

The next day Lucas walked out of the gym and spotted his sister sitting on a bench in the courtyard talking to Mouth and Haley. Cassie noticed the odd expression on her brother's face.

"Luke, you feeling ok?" She asked.

Lucas slowly nodded still trying to comprehend what had just happened. "C..coach Durham asked me to play for the Ravens."

Cassie's face immediately split into a wide grin as she jumped into her brothers arms to hug him. "Luke thats awesome, Coach Durham only picks the best and he obviously spotted something in you. You deserve it."

Haley nodded right along with Cassie. "She's right Luke, you deserve the best."

"I know, its just weird. I mean he's hardly ever even said a word to me then just out of the blue he asks me to play." Lucas said.

"Yeah that is a little weird." Cassie said knowing who was responsible. She had seen her Uncle at the park last night with Whitey. "Look Luke, I gotta go. Tell mom I'll be home in time for supper."

Lucas nodded as she got up and walked away.

Cassie grabbed her bus pass and hopped the bus to downtown Tree Hill where her Uncle's body shop was.

She walked in the back door and into her Uncles office where he was on the phone with a customer. He waved to her as she sat down.

"Yeah Mr. Anderson I'll send someone to tow your truck." He then hung up the phone, called one of the mechanics to get the truck out and then focussed his attention on his niece.

"Cassie, honey what are you doing here?" Keith asked.

"Lucas told me Whitey asked him to join the baskebetball team today. You know anything about that?" Cassie asked and watched as her Uncle's expression turned to one of mocked shock.

"Lucas made the high school basketball team? Thats incredible, what a surprise." Keith said knowing his niece had already caught onto his little game.

"Uh huh. Just as I suspected. It was you at the Rivercourt last night." Cassie said proudly.

"Baby-girl I don't know what your talking about." Keith says.

"Uncle Keith you are very good at many things, but lying isn't one of them." Cassie laughed. "I saw you last night with Coach Durham. You got him to ask Lucas to join the team, admit it."

Keith slowly nodded in defeat. "You caught me. So what do you have to sat about it?"

"I'm fine with it. I think its cool that Lucas is joining to team, my mom on the other hand may be a different story." Cassie said.

"I know, I still need to find a way to tell her. She's not going to like it." Keith said imagining the look on Karen's face when Lucas tells her.

"No, she's not...but maybe she won't take it so badly." Cassie said knowing that was a lie.

"Cas, you know your mom better then anyone what do you think she will say." Keith asked.

"I know your right she is going to be furious but maybe she'll never find out you were the one who got him on the team."

"I can't lie to your mom anymore then I could lie to you or your brother. She is going to find out the whole truth." Keith said.

"Well in the mean time what do you say you come over for dinner tonight. If my mom finds out tonight at least it won't seem like we were trying to keep something from her on purpose." Cassie said.

"Ok, sounds like a plan. Come on, I'll give you a ride home." Keith offered and together they closed up the body shop and drove back to Karens.

Keith and Cassie both arrived home in time to hear Karen tell Lucas to take his jersey off and Lucas yelling that he wouldn't.

"Mom, I'm sorry I didn't want to upset you, Coach Durham left it for me and this afternoon he asked me to play." Lucas said as he followed Karen into the small kitchen where Keith and Cassie stood.

"So I see you couldn't wait to tell her Luke." Cassie said.

"You knew about this Cas?" Karen asked her daughter who nodded slightly.

"I'm sorry mom." Cassie said.

"I'm sorry to Karen, it was all my idea. I thought that if I got Lucas on the team then he would have a chance to finally fit in and maybe then Cassie would too. I did it for the kids." Keith said trying to make her understand.

"You went to Whitey? Keith you know better then anyone how I feel about the Ravens, how I feel about having to go back into that gym." Karen said.

"Mom this isn't about you." Cassie said losing her temper. She didn't want to yell or hurt Karen but enough was enough. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe this could help Luke get into a good college, that maybe not everything is about you. We all understand why you don't want to go back into that gym, but maybe its time to face your fears."

Karen looked at both her kids and then Keith before leaving the room. Keith turned to both of Lucas and Cassie.

"I'll talk to her. You two stay in here and help with supper." Keith instructed.

For the next twenty minutes the only sound that could be heard was the sound of yelling and finally things settled down and Keith managed to convince Karen to change her mind.

"Well Luke, your good to go. Your mom isn't happy with this, but she will try to accept it." Keith said as he patted Lucas on the back.

Cassie walked into the living room with her moms supper and sat down next to Karen.

"Mom, I'm sorry." Cassie stated.

Karen turned to her daughter. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so upset over a game, you were right. This is about you and Lucas and you two doing what is best for the two of you. I'm sorry I got so mad."

"I didn't mean to lose my temper. I just got so worked up. You have to understand, Uncle Keith was only trying to help." Cassie said.

"I know, its just hard you know. In that gym was when he told me he would go to college without me, that he wouldn't be apart of your lives. I just don't know if I'm ever going to be able to step foot in that gym." Karen cried.

"Mom, you are the strongest person I know, you can do anything. You always told me to face my fears head on, not to run from them. Well why don't you take your own advice for once." Cassie laughed and reached forward to wipe a tear from her moms eye.

"Your right. When did you get to be so grown-up?" Karen smiled.

"Hmm I think it was somewhere between third and fourth grade." Cassie laughed. "Come on, lets go eat supper." She said as they walked back into the kitchen together.

Meanwhile...

Nathan was not happy about having Lucas join the team. Something had to be done and fast. He called Tim and waited for an answer.

"Hello." Tim's said his voice groggy as if he had just woken up.

"Hey man, did you hear about Pucas joining the team?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah I heard. It's all around school, how are you dealing with it?" Tim asked.

"Something has to be done to stop it." Nathan said. "And I have a plan."

"Which is?" Tim asked getting excited. He always loved to be involved in Nathan's plans.

"Well first we challenge the loser to a basketball game. If he can survive that and prove he is good enough then he can join the team." Nathan said.

"That's your plan? Man, I thought you wanted to do something cool. I thought you wanted to stop him from joining the team." Tim said.

"I do, which is why if he does make the team we will have to haze him until he quits. And here's the truly brilliant part, to get to know the real Lucas, you know what he fears and use it against him I'm going to get close to those who are closest to him." Nathan smirked to himself.

"And who would that be?" Tim asked.

"His sister...or sorry our sister and Haley that girl he's always with in the hall." Nathan said.

"Thats brilliant. Dude your so called sister is smokin'." Tim laughed.

"If you ever say that about her again, I will kick your ass." Nathan said then laughed and hung up truly proud of himself.