The teenagers stood there watching the TV report. Keith and Davis came running down the stairs yelling about the news. They saw their siblings in the living room and stood next to them as the b-roll was showing the flames throughout the building, as well as the fire department trying to control the fire.
"Do you think dad knows?" Keith asked as the rest of the Scott's looked at him. They all shrugged.
"I think mom and dad are already on a plane home?" Davis said.
"They have an afternoon flight. I think they land around 4.." Kieran said as his phone was ringing on the couch. It was Brooke calling. Kieran didn't notice his phone ringing so Brooke tried Lily. Lily looked down at her phone ringing and picked it up.
"Hi mom!" Lily said eagerly.
"Hi honey!" Brooke said into the phone. "Did the house lose power in the storm last night?" She asked.
"Yeah, it shut off a little after dad called Kieran." Lily said as she continued watching the TV. Brooke looked over at her husband who was on the phone with the chief of the fire department in Tree Hill.
"Have you checked the news this morning?" Brooke asked.
"Yeah it woke us up." Lily sighed.
"We are headed to the airport now. We are hoping to hop on an earlier flight but as for now I think we'll get home closer to 5." Brooke said. "Please make sure the house is clean. Your father is pretty upset." She said.
"Yes ma'am, we can do that." Lily said.
"Can I talk to Kieran please." Brooke asked as Lily handed her phone to Kieran.
"Hi mom, what's up?" Kieran said as Brooke got distracted by Lucas. Lucas then reached for the phone from Brooke.
"Hey kiddo!" Lucas said into the phone. "I have a favor to ask of you." He said.
"Sure, anything." Kieran said as he watched the news. They were talking about the damages to the property.
"Uncle Nathan is going to be stopping by the house shortly to pick up a document from my office." Lucas said. "Can you walk in there now?" He asked as Kieran walked into his dad's office. Lucas had instructed him to close the door behind him. "Are you in my office?" He asked.
"Yes." Kieran said.
"Okay, walk over to my desk. I need you to go to the family painting behind my desk. Take it down and there will be a safe behind it." Lucas said as Kieran was a bit surprised.
"Why is there a safe behind a painting?" Kieran asked.
"It's my gun safe." Lucas said.
"You have a gun?" Kieran asked as he got the painting off the wall.
"Yes. It was Keith's. Everything of value from Keith's estate is in the safe." Lucas said. He then gave Kieran a minute to unlock it. Kieran opened the safe and saw a bunch of folders, a gun, and some other random documents. "There are three folders in the safe. Grab all three of them. That's it. Please close it and lock it. Put the picture back up and don't tell anyone about the safe." He said as Kieran did what he was told. He finished and picked the phone back up.
"What are the papers?" Kieran asked.
"They have all the building information for Keith's Body Shop, as well as the deed." Lucas said. "Since I won't be back for at least a couple more hours, and they asked me to come down to the station to give me an update, Nathan is going to do it for me." He said. "He is on his way to the house now."
"Oh okay." Kieran said as he walked out of the office. "Do they know what caused the fire?" He asked.
"Most likely the storm. Nathan is going to go figure that out now." Lucas said. "One more thing son. Can you go grocery shopping for us? I'll throw a little more money on your card for helping us this weekend too." He said.
"Oh yeah sure!" Kieran said. "Can mom send me a list though?" He asked.
"Yes mom will send you a list." Lucas replied. "Thanks Kieran. Love you." He said.
"Love ya too dad!" Kieran said and then hung up the phone. He walked back to his siblings and Charlie. He handed Lily her phone. "So I gotta go grocery shopping before mom and dad get back, but we can still go to the river court if you guys go change now." He said as his brothers ran up the stairs. "Wanna go?" He asked Charlie.
"Duh." Charlie said.
"Lil do you wanna go?" Kieran asked as Lily walked to the staircase.
"No." Lily said and then walked up the stairs. She walked into her room and laid down on her bed. She knew she didn't blow out all the candles but they were old and used. They barely had any wax in them. They couldn't have possibly started a fire, right. She thought as she heard the doorbell ring. Nathan was at the door and got the papers from Kieran. Soon she heard her brothers all leave the house and she was alone. She sighed as she looked at the box on her nightstand. She sat up and reached for the box. She set it infront of her and opened it. She had put the cigarettes in the box that she found. She reached in for the first letter. It said the first letter on the back of it. She gently opened it and pulled out a sheet of stationary. She unfolded it and began to read it.
My Darling Baby,
What are you like? Do you have your father's eyes? Is your smile a little crooked? Do you have my qualities? Do you cheer? Do you play basketball? Do you love Tree Hill the way your father and I loved it? I hope you live in this town. The place we called home. I'm sorry I had to leave you. I wish I was there to watch you grow. I found out today that my pregnancy is going to be harder than I thought. I haven't told anyone but I have cancer. The doctors think it might cause complications in birth and that I should make arrangements if there is an accident. I love you my darling baby. You are so loved. I know you will have the greatest support system. I know one day you will discover the truth about your father, and I wish I could be there to wipe your tears. One day you will start to question why I left and the choices I made before I left. I hope you are understanding with Lucas. I can't imagine what it is like to lose people the way you both lost Keith and I. I am truly sorry I am not there to tell you all about your father, but that is why you have Lucas. He was fortunate enough to be raised by the greatest man I've ever met. He was so very loved, so I know he will show you the same love he received. But I am sorry that you have to grow up without your parents. Lucas had to grow up really fast, please keep that in mind as you age. The day he graduated high school, he had lost his mom and gained a new responsibility. I know he is doing the best job he can, don't let him blame himself. I know he will, but it could never be his fault. My darling baby I hope you are patient and kind, loving and understanding. I hope you never lose your sense of wonder. I hope you are doing alright. When I found out I was pregnant it was the greatest day of my life. I was in a dark place because we had just lost your father. It gave me hope when I found out I was carrying a little piece of him inside me. He would be so proud of you. Today when I found out I had cancer, the first thing I wanted to do was write you a letter. A letter every day. A letter about me, a letter about your father, letters about Lucas. Letters for you to hear your mom's perspective. I can't wait to find out if you are a little girl or boy. I love you my darling baby.
-Mom
She set the letter down in the box and laid back on her bed. She was crying a bit. She wiped her eyes and set the box back inside her nightstand. She then stood up and turned her music on. She started to clean the house for her parents.
Kieran was chasing after Charlie on a break away. Charlie noticed Davis standing in the paint. He went up to shoot the ball but quickly passed it to Davis. Davis turned and made the basket. "GAME!" Charlie shouted as Kieran glared at him.
"That was a walk." Kieran said pointing with both hands to Charlie's feet.
"Naaahh, just jealous that Davis and I creamed you and Keith." Charlie said as Davis laughed.
"Whatever." Kieran said as he walked over to his phone. "It was a walk." He said and then wiped his face on his shirt. He picked up his phone and read through some texts. "Charlie, Heather is looking for you." He said as Charlie ran over to his phone. He had a couple texts and a ton of calls.
"Maybe now she won't ignore me at the next party." Charlie replied as he texted her to come over to his place in 20 minutes.
"That's some toxic ass shit." Kieran stated as he looked over at his brothers. They were playing one on one.
"Says the guy who called his girlfriend a slut in front of half the school, and all her friends." Charlie said.
"How is that toxic?" Kieran scoffed.
"Because come Monday morning you will be chasing her down the hall, begging her to forgive you. Just like you have been since we were freshmen." Charlie laughed as he put his shirt back on.
"Not this time." Kieran stated.
"I've heard that before too." Charlie laughed.
"Whatever." Kieran scoffed again. He unlocked his jeep and then looked at his brothers. "Mom and dad will be home soon and I told them I would go grocery shopping before they got home. We gotta go!" He said as they both took off to his jeep. Both teens started walking to their vehicles.
"So you're really done with her?" Charlie asked as he noticed Samantha's name pop up on Kieran's phone in his hand.
"Ehhh…" Kieran shrugged as he opened his door. Charlie laughed as he opened his door.
"I'll text ya later. Maybe get on legends later?" Charlie questioned as Kieran nodded.
"Yeah for sure. Later!" Kieran said and then got into the jeep. He closed his door and started driving to the grocery store. "What do y'all want for dinner?" He asked.
"I don't know. Mom normally makes it." Davis said.
"Well she is going to be tired when she gets home. Plus they have to deal with some shit. I thought it might be easy if we made them dinner." Kieran said.
"Couldn't we just order pizza?" Keith asked.
"No. Mom and dad aren't 11. They want real food." Kieran said.
"Pizza is real food." Both boys said in unison. Kieran shook his head. It was always weird when the boys were in unison.
"Why didn't Lily come?" Davis finally broke the silence as Kieran pulled into the local grocery store.
"Uhh I don't really know. She loves grocery shopping." Kieran stated.
"I think she's sad." Keith said as Kieran and Davis both looked at him.
"Why?" Davis asked.
"Oh I don't know. She cries a lot." Keith shrugged. "I mean like a lot, but if you try to ask her about it she just yells and tells you to get out of her room." He said and then got out of the car. Kieran thought to himself what Lily could be sad about. Did something happen he didn't know about, probably not, but now that's all he could think about. Well that and the fact he would eventually have to tell his parents that he ditched school to see Clark get out. They all walked inside and Kieran grabbed a cart. Davis and Keith both took off, finding different things and bringing them to Kieran to ask if they could have it. Kieran shook his head to most of it, but let a lot slide. He was crossing things off his mom's list and came across ground beef. He knew how much Lily loved spaghetti so he decided that he would make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. He proceeded to get things off the list as well as things to make dinner. He was close to finishing and got in line.
Lucas and Brooke walked onto the plane and sat down in their seats. Brooke was sitting by the window and Lucas was next to her. They were in first class seats. Brooke sighed as she sat down. Lucas looked at her with a smile. Their flight took off and she turned to her husband.
"Did you ever get to take the kids to the body shop?" She asked.
"Just Keith one time, when he was five." He sighed. "That was the last time I went there. It was just too hard to go there when he's not there. You know?" He said and she nodded.
"Do you want to sell the property?" She asked as he sighed.
"No. I just can't." He said. "I know it won't look the same but that's okay. It's not Tree Hill without Keith's Body Shop…" He trailed off. "It's not really Tree Hill without Keith." He said as she placed her hand on his thigh. He smiled at her hand and reached for her hand. She smiled back at him.
"Whatever it takes we will rebuild." She said as he smiled.
"I should have taken Lily there more. She asked all the time but I just couldn't bring myself to go." He sighed again.
"Don't beat yourself up about it Lucas." She said as he nodded. He pulled his manuscript out and started to read it. As he did this Brooke reviewed her emails that she missed. She came across one from Harrison and she opened it. She knew Clark was out of prison but just got the official email from the case worker. Harrison informed them that there is still a restraining order on Clark that prevents him from coming 500 feet from Kieran. She continued to read the email and it had listed where he was working. She looked at Lucas and he was highlighting a line in his book that he thought he could rewrite. She tapped him and he looked at her. "I got the official email about Clark." She said as he grabbed her phone from her. He started to read it over.
"He's working rather close to the high school, don't you think?" Lucas asked. He was reading the location and then thought about the town map. While the 2nd Chance Gym that Jason, Clark's brother, ran was outside of the town, it was closer to the high school that also sat close to the town limits.
"It's technically not in Tree Hill." She said as Lucas read further in the email. He noticed where Harrison mentioned that while this is close to the high school, Clark's work and home address do not reside in Tree Hill. He rolled his eyes with this technicality. He continued reading and then handed Brooke her phone back. "We should probably talk to Kieran about this sooner than later." She said.
"When we get home, let's discuss it with him." He said.
"Maybe not right when we get home." She said as he looked at her. "We weren't there for the kids' first week of school. I mean we were but we didn't get to talk to them about how their first week went. I don't want the first thing we do when we get home is have to deal with Clark." She said, he sat there and tilted his head back and forth as he thought about it.
"I'd still like to discuss this with him today." He said as he thought about the fight between Kieran and Bryce. "I don't want him going to school Monday and hearing something from Bryce, or anyone else at school. You know how this town works. It's so small, everyone knows everyone's business." He added.
"Okay, but not right when we get home Lucas." She said as he nodded.
"I promise I won't bring it up." He said as she smiled. "Can I read that email again? My phone is in my bag." He said as he pointed to the overhead bin. She nodded and handed her phone back to him. "Does your dad have any information on Clark that we don't know? He knew before Harrison that Clark was getting out. Maybe he knows more?" He suggested.
"He might, but I doubt it." She said, "I told him I didn't like that he was prying into Kieran's birth family anymore." She added and Lucas made a face.
"But I want him too." He stated.
"I don't think it is healthy for him to be so hyper focused on Kieran's adoption case." She said as he shook his head.
"If he wasn't, then we wouldn't have known that Clark got out. We wouldn't have known he was up for parole. We wouldn't have known when his uncle got out of prison, or even the fact Kieran had an uncle in prison." He said as he looked at his wife.
"Lucas…" She said.
"Brooke I need to know." He said. "I'm sorry that you don't want to know information about Kieran's birth family, but I do." He said and then looked down at his hands. "It kills me that Kieran grew up in this town and had such a terrible start to his childhood. I know it's not healthy for me or your father to be fixated on this. I do understand that it's bad. But I can't help it." He said and then paused. "I think about it alot. I think about how it affects him. We're going to have to sit down with our son and tell him that it is a very real possibility that he will see Clark at some point in the town. 500 feet isn't that far, if you really think about it. It's about a football field and a half. It really worries me. Who is to say that Clark doesn't care and will come in contact with Kieran." He said as she slightly smiled at her husband. He sighed. "I just worry. I worry about all my kids, all the time. All the time." He said.
"That's called being a father, Lucas." She said, "I worry about them too. We give our kids a lot of free range. We never see Kieran on the weekends anymore. If we do it's because he is grounded. Davis and Keith have been busy all summer with their friends now that they are in middle school and we let them ride their bikes all over town. Lily is the only one who stays around the house, but I think that will even change now that she is in high school. I worry about them all the time. There's not a minute that goes by that I don't think of our children. But Lucas, I focus on the good. You can't keep harping on Kieran's past. It's not good for him and it's not good for you. He has done the therapy. He is open with us. Dr. Harper said we shouldn't keep bringing up his past, you know that."
"Well it's different now. The past will be out and around him." He said as he took a deep breath. They were just circling their conversation back and forth. He finally let his breath out and looked at his wife. "Can we please talk to Kieran tonight. After the boys go to sleep." He said as she nodded.
"Of course." She said as he smiled. He leaned back in his chair and let out a breath. They would be landing soon. He started to read over his book and look at his wife. She had her eyes closed.
Nathan walked into his house after talking with the police department. He set down the documents he had picked up from his brother's house on his desk. His house was a bit quiet so he walked through the kitchen and into the living room. He saw Haley was outside with Allison. Haley was running around the yard with Allison. He smiled and walked towards the stairs. He walked up the stairs and could hear music coming from Lydia's room. He knocked on the door and heard a voice say 'come in.' He opened the door and saw his middle child sitting at her desk.
"What are you doing?" Nathan asked.
"English homework. We have to read this book." Lydia said as she held up 'Where the Red Fern Grows.'
"Oh I remember that book." He laughed. "There's a movie about it! Maybe we can watch it after you read it." He suggested.
"My teacher said a lot is left out of the movie." She said.
"Most movies do leave out a lot of details." He said as she nodded. He continued to talk and finally Lydia cut him off.
"Dad, I'm trying to read this. We are supposed to have the first three chapters read for tomorrow." She said as he nodded. He walked out of her room and closed the door. He walked to Jamie's room and saw that he was playing a video game. He waved at his son and then walked back down the stairs. He walked to his office just as he got a text from Ted. He had asked Ted to look into when Jason had gotten out of prison. Ted had just sent over the email from his PI. Nathan sat down at his desk and pulled open the email. He started to read it over and was mumbling some of the words aloud.
"Jason Jones was released on March 15th of 2011." He started. He was speaking in such a hushed voice that you couldn't make out what he was saying. He continued to read quickly. "He served time after aggravated assault and battery during a robbery." Nathan continued to read on as he came across something that made him pause and think. "Jason reached out to the Scott Family in the Spring of 2012, and again in the Fall of that same year. He continued to reach out until contact was made with Lucas Scott in the winter of 2015." He said as he thought about how old the kids would have been. 'Well Jamie and Lily would have been 10 which means Kieran would have been 12. Two years after Kieran had asked about Clark.' He continued to read as he thought about other things. He came across a bolded note. He started to read it. Jason had tried to contact Kieran multiple times and Lucas had the police and social worker step in to get him to stop. Nathan sat back in his seat after finishing the email. He knew at the time it wasn't the best idea to take Kieran out of school on Friday but now he knows he screwed up. He let out a huge sigh and shook his head. He was picking up Lucas and Brooke in two hours. He rubbed his face and then stood up. He walked out of his office and into the kitchen. When he got to the kitchen, Haley was already starting to prepare their Sunday dinner.
"Oh you're home!" Haley said with a smile. He half smiled. "Do they know what caused the fire?" She asked.
"They are still investigating, but they believe the storm caused it." He said. "They aren't too sure though because the chain that kept the building locked was on the ground." He added.
"Well if the building burnt down wouldn't it be on the ground?" She asked.
"No." He laughed. "Most of the structure is still intact. Like the door frames." He added as he walked to the door and watched Allison play on the swingset. He looked at his wife as she was starting to prepare dinner. Haley looked up at him and he half smiled.
"What are you thinking about?" She asked. He tossed his head and then signed. He sat down at the bar seats across from her.
"I did something stupid." He said.
"What did you do?" She asked, already getting annoyed.
"Ted and I…" He trailed off and looked at his wife. She loved the turn around in Ted after he moved back to Tree Hill, but Ted and Nathan together never make the wise choices. She wiped her hands off and sighed. He let out a deep breath. "We found out that Clark was getting out of jail through Ted's PI. We let Lucas and Brooke know but…" He said and then finally finished his sentence. "I checked Kieran out of school, drove him to the prison and we watched as Clark became a free man." He said as her mouth dropped.
"Nathan Scott!" She boomed. "How could you do that? That is not your decision to make." She stated as she shook her head. "Why would you do that?" She asked. "Why Nathan!" She said as she bit her lip. She was furious.
"He wanted to." He said as her face turned more red.
"Nathan do you have any idea how much therapy that kid went through, and how in just an afternoon you probably undid months if not years of progress. Nathan." She stated. "You are not his father. You can't go around making decisions like this for him. He's a kid Nathan. It does not matter if he wanted to see Clark or not. Until Kieran is eighteen Lucas and Brooke want him to have NOTHING to do with Clark"
"Haley…" He started as she shook her head.
"No Nathan. Nothing you say can justify doing this. How are you going to tell Lucas and Brooke?" She asked. "How are you going to look your brother in the face and not say anything? Why would you make this type of choice? Brooke and Lucas don't go around making decisions that affect our children, so why are you doing it for theirs?" She asked.
"He's my nephew." He said.
"He's my nephew too, and I want what is best for him. What is best for him is what his parents have decided. We do not get to make these choices. I don't care if you think it would help him." She said.
"That's just it. I don't think it did." He sighed. "He asked me to look into Jason."
"His uncle?" She asked.
"Yeah apparently he got out of prison back in 2012." He said. "He came looking for Kieran."
"And you know what you will tell Kieran." She said as he looked up from his hands. Her face was red and her hands were on her hip. "Not a thing. You will tell him that Jason never came and looked for him because that's what Lucas and Brooke want him to believe. If they wanted Kieran to know they would have told them themselves."
"I'm not going to lie to him." He said as she shook her head. "We would lose our relationship. He trust me."
"Because you do stupid shit like this Nathan. It was not your place to check him out, and take him there. Are you stupid?" She asked as they heard running down the stairs. "This is not over." She said with narrowed eyes. He nodded as Lydia came running into the kitchen. She was excited to tell her parents all about the chapters she had just read.
Kieran walked inside with his brothers. They were all carrying a couple bags. They set them down and noticed that everything had been cleaned while they were gone. They could hear music coming from upstairs and started to put the groceries away.
"Do either of you have homework?" Kieran asked as they both nodded. "Oh well yeah me too. So uh get that done before mom and dad get home." He laughed.
"What's your homework?" Davis asked as he looked at Kieran.
"Oh I have some calculus homework, and chemistry." Kieran said.
"What about you two?" He asked.
"We have to read a couple chapters in 'Where the Red Fern Grows,' oh and I have some math homework too." Davis said.
"Do we have to read it?" Keith asked Davis. "I heard there's a movie." He said as Kieran laughed a bit.
"The movie is never the same Keith. Trust me, I've tried it." Kieran said as Keith sighed. They finished putting away the dishes and all made their way up the stairs. Kieran walked to the end of the hall and knocked on Lily's door. He opened the door once he didn't hear a voice. He found his sister organizing her messy room. "Hey we're back!" He said as she looked over her shoulder.
"Oh okay." Lily said and grabbed the dirty clothes around her room to put them in the hamper. She smiled as she walked by her brother.
"I was going to make dinner for mom and dad tonight. " He said. "Since they are getting home ya know." He shrugged as she laughed.
"So do you feel guilty about throwing a party or skipping school to go see Clark?" She asked as she looked at him. He shrugged again and then sat down on her bed.
"Both I guess." He shook his head. "We'll honestly skipping. I throw a lot of parties without them knowing."
"You know mom and dad are going to be pissed. You're going to be grounded forever." She said as he glared at her.
"You aren't helping." He stated. She half smiled and then thought for a moment.
"Why'd you do it?" She asked and he shrugged. She rolled her eyes. "This is a two way street Key." There was a long pause and she rolled her eyes again. He watched as she started cleaning her room. They were quiet and only the music played.
"It's hard to explain." He finally said. "I just…I umm…" he sighed as Lily stopped cleaning and looked at her closet. She had moved the box with the letters to her closet. She then looked at her brother.
"Wanted to know." She said.
"Yeah. I just wanted too." He said. "I know I went about it the wrong way. I know mom and dad are going to be pissed but that's okay. They should be pissed. It was stupid. I should have just said no and waited to talk to mom about it. But I didn't." He looked at his sister and she was staring at her closet. She finally looked back at him.
"I get it. " She said. "There's things I want to know too." She started to clean again. Kieran sat there for another ten minutes and finally stood up. He was walking out of her room and he turned back around.
"Thanks for listening." He said as she smiled.
"Always Key." She said.
"I'm always right next door ready to return the favor." He said as she smiled again. He walked out the door and into his room. Lily was finishing the final touches to her room. As she finished making her bed, her phone rang. She picked it up and sat on her bed.
"I hate him!" Spencer yelled into the phone. "I hate him so much!" She said, catching Lily by surprise.
"Who?" Lily asked
"My dad." Spencer said as she then slammed her door to her room.
"What happened?" Lily asked
"He's dating! And he brought her home!" Spencer yelled. "What is my mom going to think! Doesn't this woman know he's married!"
"Who is he dating?" Lily asked.
"I don't know, I barely caught her name. She was here during the storm. Just me and her. My dad was stuck at the hospital. It was the literal worst. And now I'm grounded because apparently I'm ungrateful. " Spencer added.
"What did you do?" Lily asked
"I in what I thought was an appropriate manner told this woman to leave me alone and I slammed my door. She called my dad. Can you believe that?" Spencer said as she sat down on her bed. "Anyways. Did they find out what caused the fire?" She asked
"No idea." Lily said.
"Oh well, let's just say you did cause it. What are you going to do?" Spencer asked.
"I can't tell my parents I set a building on fire! Are you nuts?" Lily yelled.
"It's not like you did it on purpose." Spencer said. "Like yeah you're dumb for not blowing out the candles. But you didn't pour gas on it and light a match."
"Yeeeah I guess." Lily said.
"I mean I guess you could have just told your dad about the letters. He probably would have taken you to the body shop." Spencer said.
"And wanted to read every letter. He had eighteen years with her and my dad. I just wanted one thing that was only mine." Lily sighed.
"Eighteen years isn't that long Lily." Spencer stated.
"It's better than my zero!" Lily argued back. "Whose side are you on?" She questioned.
"Yours always. I get it. I mean I don't but like I support you." Spencer sighed as there was a knock on her door. "Hey I'll text you later. I think my dad is coming to his senses." She said as she hung up.
"Bye" Lily said as there was a knock on her door. It was Keith. "What do you want?" She asked as he frowned a little.
"Are you still mad at me?" Keith asked.
"What do you think?" She stated with an eye roll.
"I am sorry. I already told you that." He said as he walked into her room.
"And I told you whatever." She said as he sighed. "Now again what do you want?" She asked as he walked over to her and gave her a hug. She was surprised. She hugged him back.
"I'm sorry I annoy you so much." He said and let go. She hugged him one more time.
"It's okay dude." She said with a smile.
"Umm I was wondering if you wanted to do something with me?" He asked. He was wearing a pair of black basketball shorts and a blue raven's hoodie.
"What did you have in mind?" She asked.
"What are those things you always try to get us to do but we say are too girly?" He asked as she laughed.
"You wanna do a face mask?" She asked as he nodded
"Yeah!" He said as she skipped to her bathroom and grabbed a bunch of face masks. She set them out all over the counter. She looked over her shoulder and motioned for Keith to join her at the sink. He walked over to her sink.
"Okay so put this on!" She said as she handed him a headband with ears on it. He put it on and started copping his sister by washing his face. "You should do that one! Followed by this and this" she said as she handed him a bunch of masks. He looked at it and then at her. "Okay sit sit. I'll put it on you!" She said as he sat down. She started to put it on his face.
"Ew it's cold! You find this relaxing?" He asked as he squirmed in his chair. She laughed and finished his face mask. She walked to her bed and sat down.
"Come sit!" She said as he followed his sister. He sat down next to her on the bed and smiled at her. "Thanks for doing this with me!" She said as he smiled again. "So tell me how's middle school? Any cute girls?" She asked.
"It's only been a week." He said as she laughed.
"And?" She asked as he laughed.
"Actually there is a pretty cute girl that just moved to Tree Hill. Her name is Dylan. We have a couple classes together. Like a bunch of classes actually." He said as she smiled.
"Oh?" She asked. "Have you asked her to eat lunch with you yet?"
"No." He said with a smile. "Should I?" He asked.
"Duh! How else will you get to know her!" She said.
"I guess I could do that tomorrow?" He asked as she nodded. "Is my face supposed to feel like this?" He asked as she nodded.
"It's relaxing." She said as he shook his head. They sat there and continued to talk until the face masks hardened. Lily stood up and Keith followed her. He watched as she started to peel off the mask.
"That looks painful." He said as she nodded. He started to peel off the face mask with his sister and they continued to talk. As they finished and threw away the face masks. "What are you going to do now?" He asked.
"Well I cleaned the house, and already did my homework. I think I might take a nap or watch a movie. You?" She asked.
"I did my math homework but I have to read a book." He said as he rolled his eyes. "Did you ever read 'Where the Red Fern Grows?' It's a book about some kid who buys hunting dogs." He said as she nodded.
"I know the book, but there's a movie." She said. "Just watch it. I even think we own it on prime."
"Kieran said the book is never the same. They leave details out in the movie or something." He said as she shrugged.
"So what you miss is a little dialog and probably him walking around." She said as she rolled her eyes. "I mean I guess you could read the book, or just watch the movie and have more time to do other things." She said.
"Is that what you did?" He asked.
"Yeah I never read the book." She said, "Like we have to read 'The Great Gatsby' for my English class. There's two movies out so I'm just going to watch both of them." She said as he nodded. They continued to talk for a bit and Keith finally left to finish his homework. Lily laid down on her bed and curled up with her put on a movie and within minutes was asleep.
Nathan pulled up to his brother's house. He didn't mention what he had done with Kieran while they were gone. He helped them with their bags to the door, and they thanked him. Lucas watched Nathan drive away and then went to unlock the front door.
"So how messy do you think it's going to be?" Lucas asked with a smile.
"With a storm I'm sure they made a huge mess." Brooke said. He nodded and opened the door. To their surprise it was so spotless it almost sparkled. They both smiled. There was a nice Italian smell coming from the kitchen, and the house was quiet. They walked to the kitchen and saw the crockpot was out with sauce and meatballs. Brooke had the biggest smile on her face. Her kids rarely helped her in the kitchen, let alone make them dinner. Lucas walked to the back door and saw all their kids and Teddy. Lily was sitting in a chair by the pool while the boys were all playing basketball. He slid open the door and Teddy came running up to him. He pet Teddy as his kids all looked at him.
"Oh you're home!" Kieran said as the twins ran up to Lucas to give him a hug. The kids followed their dad inside and Brooke was starting to make the noodles on the stove. Kieran saw this and quickly walked to his mom. "I got it." He said as he gave her a hug. She smiled and gave him a hug back.
"Did you do all this?" Brooke asked.
"No. Lily cleaned the house, Keith and Davis helped me in the kitchen." Kieran said as Lily was talking to Lucas. The family started preparing for dinner. Lucas walked their bags to their bedroom and then walked out. He walked back into the kitchen as their plates were being made. Each person picked up their plates and walked to the dining room that Kieran had Keith set up. Kieran had picked out a wine for his parents to enjoy. Lucas noticed the bottle and picked it up.
"Did you pick this out Key?" Lucas asked.
"Yeah. Is it wrong?" Kieran asked.
"No it's what I would have picked." Lucas said with a smile. The family sat down and began to talk and eat. Lucas looked across the table at his wife with a huge smile that she matched. They were at their happiest when they were home with their children. Davis was sitting next to Lily on one side of the table with Keith and Kieran, and of course the conversation was basketball.
"Do you know the schedule yet?" Kieran asked.
"Uhhh I don't know exactly but I do know our first three games are on the road." Lucas said as Kieran shook his head.
"Dang really. That sucks." Kieran said as Lucas laughed a bit.
"How about school? How was the first week for everyone?" Brooke said trying to get the subject off of something that already rules most conversations in their household. "Lily?" She asked as she watched her teenage daughter shrugged.
"I'm sure the school called you." Lily said with a shrug.
"Yeah we heard you had lunch detention." Lucas said as Lily looked at him. "Something about being in the bathroom for a whole period?" He asked.
"Spencer and I were talking and making TikToks." Lily said as Lucas shook his head.
"That's what lunch is for, alright?" Lucas said as she nodded. "What about class?" He asked.
"Oh there's not a whole lot going on there with it only being the first week. We start reading The Great Gatsby this week, and I think we'll be reading it for a month or two. I don't know. Ummm…" Lily said as she ate some of her dinner. "On Monday we have that club fair after school. I think they set up a bunch of tables around the school to show all the clubs, sports and school activities they have to offer." She said as Lucas nodded.
"It's the last hour of school that they do it." Kieran said. "I'll be at the debate club table." He added.
"Not the Decathlon table?" Lucas asked.
"They aren't having a table this year. They are doing some type of invitation after the first six weeks." Kieran said.
"Are you still on the team?" Brooke asked as Kieran nodded. "Oh good!" She added and then looked over at Keith. He had already finished his meal. "What about you Keith?" She said.
"Uhh we didn't do much at school." Keith said.
"Well we have something similar this week at school too! All the clubs meet in the gym so you can listen to what the school has." Davis said.
"Oh yeah I forgot." Keith said.
"We have to have the first three chapters read in the book we are reading in English too." Davis said. Keith looked at Lily from across the table and she smiled.
"Oh yeah that too!" Keith said.
"Have you not gotten your homework done yet?" Lucas asked as he looked at his younger sons then at the teenagers.
"I did." Davis said.
"I did too. I just forgot." Keith said.
"I have just a little bit of math homework to do." Kieran said.
"I'm finished." Lily said as both adults were nodding their heads. They continued to talk for a while until one by one they got up and went about their night. Kieran went to his room to finish his home while the boys went outside to shoot hoops with their dad. Lily and Brooke hung out together in the living room watching their TV shows. Soon Keith and Davis went to their room to go to sleep. Lily was sitting in the living room with her parents as they watched a random show on the TV. Soon she stood up to go upstairs. Lucas, who was reading his manuscript and making notes, looked up.
"Can you ask Kieran to come down here?" Lucas asked.
"Sure. Good night, love you." Lily said to both her parents. She walked up the stairs and down the hall. She stopped at Kieran's door. He was still working on his homework. "Dad wants you." She said as he looked over his shoulder. He finished the last problem of his homework and went downstairs. When he walked into the living room, the TV was off and both adults were now sitting up in the chairs. Kieran sat down on the couch as both his parents stood up. Brooke sat down next to Kieran as Lucas sat on the coffee table.
"We found out that on Friday, Clark was released from prison." Lucas said. "If we would have known sooner we would have told you, but that's when Grandpa Ted told us in the afternoonish. We did hear from Harrison earlier today with more details." He said as Kieran sat there and nodded. Kieran was looking down at his socks. He didn't know what to say to his parents. He sighed.
"Honey, it's going to be okay." Brooke said as she put her arm around her son. Lucas put his hand on Kieran's knee and continued to talk.
"He is going to be living out of the town but not very far out. He is going to be working at the 2nd Chance Gym near the high school. I want you to stay away from there. Okay?" Lucas said as Kieran nodded. "Clark will be working and living there. He does have to stay up to 500 feet away from you, but you also need to respect areas you can't go. That is the only one. Okay. Please just stay away from it. For your safety." He said as Kieran nodded again. It was quiet for a minute and Lucas stood up.
"Are you okay?" Brooke asked. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked as Kieran shook his head.
"Are you sure?" Lucas asked as Kieran nodded.
"Thanks for telling me." Kieran said as Brooke side hugged her son again. It was quiet again. Kieran was thinking about Clark. Lucas looked at his son and then sat back down across from him.
"Kieran, we want you to know how proud of you we are." Lucas said as Kieran shook his head. "We are! You did so much for us this weekend. We really are so proud of you." He said as Brooke agreed. Kieran then mumbled.
"You shouldn't be." Kieran mumbled as Lucas looked at his son.
"What?" Lucas asked.
"You shouldn't be." Kieran said as he looked at his dad. "I did something really stupid." He said as Lucas looked at Brooke.
"What did you do?" Brooke asked.
"I went to the prison on Friday." Kieran said as both parents shot up. They were now standing in front of him behind the coffee table.
"What do you mean you went to the prison?" Lucas asked angrily.
"Well…" Kieran started as he looked at his parents. "I just uh… I wanted to see him." He said as both his parents were looking at him. Neither of them could hide their anger.
"So you mean to tell me that you skipped school to go watch Clark leave prison." Lucas stated as Kieran nodded. "Do you know how incredibly stupid that is?" He asked as Kieran nodded again.
"Why would you do this?" Brooke asked. "Why?" She said as she got a shrug as a response. "No you are not just going to sit here and shrug your shoulders. Clearly you made the decision to skip school and drive yourself out to the prison. How did you know he was getting out?" She asked.
"Uncle Nathan." Kieran responded.
"What?" Lucas asked.
"Uncle Nathan picked me up from school and gave me an option to go see Clark get out and I wanted to see it for myself." Kieran mumbled. This made Lucas and Brooke even angrier.
"Gio to your room." Lucas said as Kieran nodded. He got up from the couch and walked up the stairs with his head hanging down. When he got up the stairs his siblings had been listening to the whole conversation. He walked through his siblings and to his room. He shut the door and laid down on the couch in his room. Lucas looked at his wife and then pulled his phone out. He called Nathan and began to yell at Nathan over the phone. "You had no right to make this decision for my son. I don't care if you gave him the option to not go. You dangled the choice to go. You should have kept your nose out of my business, Nathan." He yelled into the phone. He continued to yell at Nathan on the phone. He finally hung up the phone and looked at his wife again.
"He's grounded." Brooke said with anger as she walked up the stairs with Lucas following her. She walked to Kieran's room and opened the door. Kieran sat up on his couch and watched as his mom and dad started taking his electronics. "I need your car keys, phone, video game controllers, laptop, and TV remote." She said as Kieran watched Lucas unplug his Xbox.
"Yes ma'am." Kieran said as he stood up. He grabbed his keys, tv remote and phone from his desk and handed it to his mom. He then grabbed his laptop and handed it to her.
"One month. School then home. That's it." Brooke said as he nodded. He sat back down on his bed. "You can have your laptop when you go to school, if it is needed for class but that is it." She said.
"After school you can help out at the body shop, cleaning out all the debris." Lucas said as Kieran nodded. Brooke sighed as she walked out of her son's room. She walked downstairs with his things and set them down in Lucas' office. Lucas was right behind her. He normally decided the kids punishments, but couldn't think about anything other than Nathan making this choice for him. Brooke turned to her husband and he hugged her.