A month had passed since Karen left. Things had been going pretty well for the Scott family. Cassie had been doing well since joining the team and had even had a few dates with some of the basketball players...nothing lasted though. Brooke and Lucas had officially started dating and were getting along really well. Brooke was trying to bring out Lucas' wild side, and he tried to bring out her intellectual side. Nathan and Cassie were growing closer as brother and sister, they both found they had a lot of common interests. Lucas and Nathan on the other hand still ignored one another, however the hazing had stopped as promised. Nathan and Haley began dating soon after Brooke and Lucas started. Peyton found herself falling for a guy who was Nathan's total opposite. Jake. Jake was sweet, kind and compassionate and had interests outside of basketball. The fact that Jake and Peyton shared an interest in music, only added to their budding relationship.
Deb and Cassie had managed to keep the cafe running without any grief and Keith helped when he could. Keith found himself growing even closer to Cassie and Lucas then ever before, he really felt like their father now. He had even insisted on meeting all the guys Cassie went out with. For the most part he seemed to be ok with them.
It was now 8 p.m. on Tuesday night, exactly a month after Karen had left. She had called every couple of days to check up on things and was happy to learn things were running smoothly. Cassie had closed the cafe when Lucas entered looking slightly disoriented.
"You ok?" Cassie asked looking her brother over, concerned with his appearance. His face was pale as a ghost.
Lucas nodded. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?" He said.
Cassie shrugged. "Oh, I don't know maybe because you look completely out of it. Seriously Luke, what'd you do?"
Lucas glanced at his arm, not sure if he should tell her. "Well Brooke said she wanted to do something completely crazy, and that I owed her for making her read The Great Gatsby."
Cassie winced at the thought. "And why would you make her sit through that book? And what'd you have to do in return?"
Lucas gave her a look. "Ok A) It's a great story, you just don't appreciate great literature."
Cassie rolled her eyes. They had had this argument one to many times. "And you don't appreciate good music." Cassie shot right back.
Lucas ignored her comment. "And B) She said she'd read the book if I did something fun with her." Lucas used airquotes to embellish the word fun.
"And again I ask what did you do?" Cassie asked.
Lucas reluctantly took off his sweater and revealed a bandage on his right arm. Cassie gasped as she walked around the counter that separated them and gently touched the bandage.
"Oh my god, Lucas tell me you didn't." Cassie cried. "You got a tattoo." She looked him in the eyes and watched him slowly nod. "Why would you do this? Are you completely psycho?"
"Cass..." Lucas tried to get her to stop talking, knowing it would never work. Once Cassie was on a rampage, nothing could shut her up.
"No...I want to know why." She said sounding more and more like Karen.
Lucas sighed, happy to finally be able to get a word in. "Like I said, Brooke wanted to do something completely crazy and well this was what she came up with."
"The only thing she could think of that would be fun to do was to permanently scar your body for life?" Cassie asked. "Are you that brainless? What are you going to do when mom and Keith find out? Keith will flip out but mom well lets just say you'll be lucky if you ever see the light of day again"
"Mom and won't find out." Lucas said.
"And why not?" Cassie asked.
"Because neither you or I are going to tell them. Unless they find out on their own somehow, they'll never know." Lucas explained.
"Never know what?" Keith's voice said from the entrance way. He caught sight of Lucas' arm and his jaw dropped to the floor. "Luke, tell me that isn't what I think it is."
Lucas looked down and eyed the big bandage, muttering a silent curse word under his breath.
"Lucas Scott, I'm going to ask you one more time. Is that a tattoo?" Keith practically yelled.
Lucas kept looking down before nodding, not able to face his uncle. "Yeah it is."
"What the hell possessed you to do this? Are you nuts? Your mom is going to have my head for this." Keith screamed at his nephew.
"Well if you think this is bad, you should see what Cassie did." Lucas darted a look at his sister who just glared at him. She knew what he was referring to, but didn't know how he knew.
"Cassandra Marie Scott." Keith glared at his niece using her full name.
Cassie didn't know how to get herself out of this mess, so she tried the puppy dog eyes and her most innocent voice that she could possibly use. "Yes Uncle Keith." She said.
"What is he talking about?" Keith asked.
Cassie again glared at her brother and then turned back to Keith, knowing she couldn't lie her way out of this. She pulled the front of her shirt up a little the reveal a belly button ring. Keith's eyes went wide and a blood vessel in his forehead suddenly became visible.
He pointed at the two of them. "You and you, straight home, NOW!"
It took all of about ten minutes for the three of them to get home and for Keith to really lose it.
As soon as Cassie and Lucas walked through the door, neither speaking to the other, Keith made them sit down at the table.
"What am I going to do with you two?" Keith started.
"Pretend nothing ever happened?" Lucas suggest us.
"Ground us and forget the lecturing?" Cassie asked.
"Neither sounds like a viable option, although Cassie is close. For the next two weeks you two will go to school, work and the cafe. No friends over or no going to friends houses." Keith said.
But what about cheerleading?" Cassie asked.
"And basketball?" Lucas added.
"Since those are school related activities, you can still go...but nothing else. When your mom gets home I will let her deal with the two of you."
"So no lecturing?" Cassie asked.
Keith looked at her as if she had two heads. "What are you crazy? Tell me how the two of you have managed to complete disobey me in so many ways. Your mom left me in charge for two weeks and now she's going to come home and find Lucas scarred for life."
"What about Cassie?" Lucas asked.
"She will be removing that thing immediately." Keith said. "Like right now young lady, move it."
Cassie rolled her eyes. "This is totally unfair." She said as she took the ring out.
"It's plenty fair." Keith yelled. "What's not fair is the two of you going behind my back and then lying to my face. Why'd you do it?"
Both were silent.
"Again I ask. Why, Lucas?" He glanced at his nephew.
"Because..." He tried to think of a good reason. "Because I was sick of always being the guy on the sidelines, the guy everybody thought of as the book worm. I wanted to do something that would make people think I was something other than Lucas Scott, straight A, bookworm/ basketball player."
Keith shook his head. "That doesn't even begin to become an excuse. What about you?" He looked at Cassie.
"I'm not going to lie to you and tell you some lame ass excuse like Luke just did. I did it because everyone else was getting one and because they looked cool." Cassie explained.
"So you were being one of the girls? A follower?" Keith asked as Cassie shrugged. "Cass, that really is not like you. You've never been one to care what others think, you to Lucas."
"I know. I guess for once I just wanted to fit in." Cassie said. "I'm really sorry Uncle Keith." She said sincerely.
Lucas nodded in agreement. "Me too. But don't you think I've suffered enough? I mean like you said I'm going to have this thing for the rest of my life."
"Oh this is only the beginning for you guys." Keith laughed. "Wait till your mother gets home."
"Uncle Keith, is there any possible way you might not tell mom about this?" Cassie asked.
Keith shook his head. "I don't lie to your mom, sorry baby-girl, you can give up the Miss. Innocent act."
Cassie nodded and then looked at her brother. "So what kind of tattoo did you get anyways?"
"I'd like to know that too." Keith added.
"I got a chinese symbol. I think Brooke said it means fun." Lucas said.
"Wow, you really are pathetic." Cassie laughed as they heard Keith's phone ring. He looked at it and then shook his head.
"Sorry guys, its the shop. Somebody probably forgot to close up properly. You two better be in bed by the time I get home." Keith said as he walked out the door.