"Nathan." " Remember, 20 shots-- no less." " Got it, dad." "Quit yakking and warm up." "Basket by Nathan Scott!" "He really looks sharp out there tonight." "And now a steal by the Ravens." "They'll go on the offensive." "Coach Whitey Durham urges them on." "Tim Smith -- he's got Scott!" "And he hammers it home!" "He's already got 14 of the Ravens' 17 points tonight." "Turn around jumper by Nathan Scott!" "We haven't seen talent like this since his father, Dan, played for Whitey." "Here's Scott again-- another one!" "It's all Nathan Scott!" "And here he is, ladies and gentlemen, Lucas Scott." "What's happening, baby?" " 137 and 3 going into tonight's contest." " He sucks." "And as a special bonus, we're joined in the booth by Junk Moreti." "You don't have a booth." "Actually, he's 138 and 3 " " Lucas." "Jeez, Edwards, but you can't remember to run a bar of soap under your pits?" "You smell bad, man." "You're ripe." "You guys are stinking up the place!" "Time-out!" "Come on, hustle, hustle, hustle!" " Just what in the hell is going on out there?" " Whitey, relax." "We're up by 9." "Tim..." "Go in for Nathan." "All right, let's get out there and act like we've played the game before." "Ravens on 3." "1, 2, 3." "Ravens!" "What have I told you about that?" "I don't care if we're up by 5 or 50." "I'm still the coach." "It's still my team." "Whatever you need to believe." "Lucas Scott with the ball." "And he currently nurses a big winning streak." "Come on. 14-13, game point for team Scott." "And the Hawks pull within one." "And you have to wonder where is Nathan Scott?" "Go on." "Let's go, Nathan!" "Don't bother showering tonight." "For those of you at home, Lucas wears his black shorts tonight with his traditional white high-tops." "He is currently playing without a shoe contract, mouth." "Under 20 seconds to go, and it's all tied up." "Fasten your seat belts, folks." "We're going down to the wire." "Stolen by Nathan Scott!" "The Ravens have it!" "They're gonna hold on 10 seconds remaining on the clock." "Now five!" "Luke flashes in the paint." "Fergie finds one on the wing." " Scott for the game!" " Scott for the game!" "You, tell me we didn't just steal a school bus, 'cause this feels like we just stole a school bus." "Dude, we just borrowed it, all right?" "So, Nathan, where's Peyton?" "Who knows?" "Why?" "Look out!" "Some of your parents see this latest incident as tomfoolery, a little prank." "Personally, I see a little breaking-and-entering." "Chief Wayman sees possession and consumption by minors and a smidgen of grand theft auto." "That said, I think it's time we send a message." "The following players were not involved and will not be reprimanded" "Jake Jagielski, Ruben Gutierrez," "Tim Smith, and Nathan Scott." "As for the rest of you, all players involved are suspended from extracurricular activities, specifically basketball," "for the rest of the season." "So, you just walk away." "Well, well." "Dan Scott." "Half the team suspended, Nathan triple-teamed the rest of the season, and you say nothing." "The inmates will not run the asylum." "You're despicable, you know that?" "Letting the dreams of this team just vanish." "You're full of crap." "It comes with old age, Danny, constipation." "You guys remember Tom Dugan from grade school?" "He used to live next door to you, right?" "Some guy snapped him with a wet towel, and he lost one of his testicles." " Come on." " Okay, junk." " Just saying what I heard." " Anyway, man, what you reading these days?" "Steinbeck-- "the winter of our discontent."" "Let me hear some." " Nah." " Come on, dog." "You know I be reading vicariously through you." "Peyton Sawyer." "You seen her webcam?" "In her bedroom " "I hear she's naked on it, like, all the time." "What?" "I hear things." "You know, I saw her the other night." "She almost ran me over, of course." " Yeah, she pretty fine, huh?" " Ah, she's all right." "Just shoot for teams, all right?" "Hey, mom." "Hey, hon." "It smells good in here." "Did you change your hair?" "If by "change" you mean "dragged a brush through it," then yeah." " Well, it looks nice." " Thank you." "The magazine pages are sticky again." "Little pervs." " Oh, hey, Luke." "You been reading this?" " I don't know, Haley." "Is that the "why do I hang out with these people?" issue, because you're on the cover of that, right?" "No, actually, it's the "my best friend is an idiot" issue, and there you are." " Haley, would you like to join us?" " Hell, yes." " So, honey, how was your day?" " Good, thanks." "" Good" is relative, considering a third of the world is starving, which does not change the fact that I am clumsy as hell." "Did I tell you that I fell down today?" "Yeah, slipped off the curb, face down, butt in the air." "Too graphic?" "Sorry." "I'll just be quiet." " So, I got something for you, Lucas." " Actually, I found it." "Sorry." "Not that I was looking for something specifically, which implies some hideous sort of "Joey loves Dawson " scenario and completely creep me out, but, you know, we saw it, and..." "Give him the book." "Wow. "Julius Caesar."" ""There's a tide in the affairs of men" -- or something like that." "Nice." "Thank you, guys." "Thank you very much." "Whatever." "That's what you're into." "Well, well, Keith Scott." "What do you know?" "How you doing, Whitey?" "Take a load off." "You... you got a second?" "Oh, I got a lot of seconds." "Or haven't you heard?" "Oh, yeah, I heard." "Just a little." "A little more." "That's good." "That's good." "I saw your little brother today" " Danny." "He called me "despicable."" "Said I crush the dreams of young men." "Was he talking about himself or Nathan, do you think?" "Both, I suppose." "Hey, what did you average when you played for me?" "Oh, about 5,006 beers a night." "Well, at least you were consistent." "Yeah, you gotta give me that." "Hey, you know..." " Lucas plays." " Lucas?" "Oh." " Oh, Dan's other son." " Well, Karen's son." "Dan's on the birth certificate, but they never got married." "Where does he play?" "Uh..." "This park down by the river." "Oh, come on, Keith." "If the kid had any promise, he'd be in the gym with the real players." "Like Nathan, you mean?" "Come on, coach." "Just take a little drive with me." "Luke is on fire tonight." "How do you say "hot" in French?" " Flambé." " Luke is flambé." "Fergie finds Luke, who takes out junk again." "They never learn, mouth." "See, that's what I'm talking about." "All right, lets say I'm interrested, and I'm not saying I am." "Why put him through that?" "Because he should know that he's good-- not just playground good, but good, period." "He could use that in his life." "We could all use that in our lives." "Yeah." "But we had our chance." " So, you and Karen-- are you..." " Friends." "You know, I'm the kid's uncle, and I'm in their lives." "It is what it is." "I remember when Dan told me Karen was pregnant right after their senior year in high school." "I told him he should honor his scholarship and go to college." "I'll tell you one thing-- you did Karen a favor." "And Lucas, too." "Now maybe you can do me one." "What are you wasting your time at now?" " I didn't hear you come in." " Oh, imagine that." "You know nobody listens to this crap." "So, I waited for you tonight." "Yeah, the guys wanted to tip a few." "And you didn't even think to let me know?" "That's why I came by." "You want to come?" " With the guys?" " And me." "And the guys." "You know what, Peyton?" "I'm getting really tired of this." " I came here to spend time with you." " Yeah, me and half the team." "Whatever." "You want to be a bitch?" "That's cool!" "Just listen to your loser rock, and I'll see you tomorrow." " How about you don't see me tomorrow?" " Fine by me." "Like I don't have other options." "Look, I'm sorry." "Peyton, I'm really sorry." "It's just a lot of these guys got suspended, so it's like this stupid bonding thing." "Look, I wish it was just you and me." "But I was hoping you'd come anyway-- make it a lot more bearable, okay?" " Scott." " What's up, coach?" "Not you." "You." "You read a book or something." "Nice, isn't it?" "A lot of people like their gyms loud." "I like mine like this-- quiet, clean..." "Kind of like a church." "A lot of praying done here, anyway." "You played ball in grade school." "Why'd you quit?" "I didn't." "What, four guys in the park?" "That's not exactly basketball." "Then what do you think we're doing out there?" "I don't know." "Planning a bank job?" "Look, I've got an opening in my lineup, varsity." "Chance for a lifetime." "What do you say?" "I say those people that pray here are wasting their time." "God doesn't watch sports." "Were you gonna tell us, man?" "It's nothing." "Whitey asked you to play on the team, and it's nothing?" "It's nothing 'cause I'm not playing-- not with those guys." "Luke, man, I've been guarding you almost every night since we was 12 years old, right?" "And I won how many games?" "It just seems like a waste to me, man." "Well, it doesn't to me." "Don't you guys ever think that maybe we belong here?" "No." "We belong here." "You've never belonged here." "Thanks a lot, skills." "Just shoot for teams." "Yo, luke, man, you know you're one of my best friends, right?" "Ain't nothing never gonna change that, man." "But keep it real." "We ain't shooting for teams." "We're shooting to be your excuse." "And I ain't about to be a part of that, man." "Somebody left it at the door." "Take it off." " Mom, you okay?" " Yeah." "Do you know who left it?" "Coach Durham, probably." "He asked me to play." "Maybe you should." "You sound like Skills." "Those guys refused to play today." "They said they didn't want to be my excuse." "How'd you feel about that?" "Honestly?" "I was pissed." "Those guys are supposed to be my friends." "They are your friends." "Do you remember that?" "My first leather basketball." "That was the year that skills' father told us there was no Santa Claus." "Yeah, and I tried to talk you out of it." "Then you said something I'll never forget." "You said you felt bad for the kids who never figured it out, because when they grew up and had kids of their own, there wouldn't be any gifts on Christmas morning." "You're a good kid, Luke." "But sometimes I feel like you're sitting out your life on account of me, and I don't want that for you." "My past is not your future, okay?" " What are you slinging?" " About 160." "Give me that." "Your mom called." "She won't be back until next week." " What do you know about Whitey inviting..." " Your son to play?" " Don't call him that." " He's got our last name, dad." "The fact that he shares your last name is only wishful thinking on his mother's part." "We were young-- summer after high school." "We made a mistake." "You made a mistake, all right." "I mean, this guy's a zombie." "Okay." "Look, it's kind of screwed up, all right?" "People talk about it." "Get out of there." "I want you to go to this kid, encourage him not to play." " I'm not afraid of him, dad." " Well, you should be." "We've worked too hard to have anyone coming in now, disrupting the offense, taking away shots." "Anyway, this has more to do with Whitey and me than you." " Why do you say that?" " It's a long story." "If you want, I'll tell you someday." "But for now, I want you to go to this kid and talk to him and trust me when I tell you, Nathan, there's a bigger picture here-- your picture, and this kid's not in it." "So, your pops finally mentioned the bastard spawn, huh?" "They say he's got game." "Maybe we could use him." "Please." "I can get us to the state championship with three blind guys and a cripple, which is practically what I got with you and what's left." "Nice." "So, where are we going?" "Let's go to the park." "Nice shot." "Think you can hit that against a double team, down by 2, packed house telling you you suck?" "How about just two people telling you you suck?" "What do you want?" "What do I want?" "What do you want, man?" "I mean, other than my girlfriend and my spot in the lineup, huh?" "None of us want you on the team, man." "I don't want you." "The guys don't want you." "My girlfriend sure as hell doesn't want you." "But here's the deal." "You and me, one on one." "You can name the time and place." "If you win, I'll quit the team." "If I win, you crawl back in your little hole and you remember your place in all this." "Time and place, baby." "Time and place." "So, Nathan challenged you." "Are you gonna play him?" "I don't know." "It's not like I have anything to prove." "Yeah, I guess." "But don't you just want to show him sometimes-- oh, damn!" "What's up?" "!" "I was attacked by a flock of crows last week!" "I'm totally serious!" " By the way, it's a murder." " What?" "More than one crow is a murder" "I don't know what the hell you're talking about." "A parliament of owls, an exultation of larks, a murder of crows." "I think that is why people think you're weird, right there." "Ah." "I would like to show him sometimes, though, what a mistake he's made." "Dan?" "Mostly for mom..." "And... sometimes for me." "So, Luke, what are Ravens-- I mean, more than one?" "An unkindness." "Why wouldn't you play?" "I do play-- every night." "It's not the same, Luke." "Why?" "What makes it less of a game if people don't see it?" "I'll tell you why." "When I was a kid, my father took me to Raleigh to see David Thompson play." "I was 9 years old." "I couldn't have cared less about basketball." "But when Thompson stepped on the court, he was so young, so quick, and just so graceful that I was mesmerized." "I couldn't take my eyes off him until late in the game, and I look up at my dad, and he's got tears in his eyes." "14,000 strangers and my father's crying because he's so beautiful." "He played with such poetry that he made us feel like we were a part of it." "You have a gift, Luke, and it's a crime not to let people see it, to hide it in the park." "It's a damn shame." "That's why." "Keith's body shop and towing." "That's me inside your head." "What?" "NOFX." "That's me inside your head." " It's the lyrics from..." " I know the song." "Nathan..." "It's me." "Listen, my car broke down." "You're gonna have to come pick me up." "So leave the gym." "Listen, it'll take you, like, 10 minutes." "I'm on River Road around the curve." "Well, sucks to be you." "Listen, are you sure you got a ride?" "I mean, I can wait if you want." "Yeah, that's what I want." "Listen, have your dad call me with an estimate." " My uncle?" " If that's your story." "Can I ask you a question?" "It's a free country." "Why are you a cheerleader?" "No offense or anything, but you're about the least cheery person I know." "Keith!" " Hey, how you been, big brother?" " Not bad." "How about you?" "Good, good." "Dealership's good." "I sent you some business not long ago." "Oh, yeah, I..." "I meant to call you and thank you for that." " Yeah." "Well, we're all busy, right?" " Right." "Come on." "Let me give you a ride." "I'll let you insult me." "First of all, you don't know me." "Second of all, you don't know me." "God, why are guys such jerks?" "!" "Guys or Nathan?" "Him." "You." "I don't know." "We share the same father." "Yeah, I heard that." "He's kind of an ass." "So that must suck, having to see him around." "For my mom." "I never knew him." " But she told you he was your dad?" " Yeah, eventually." "We used to play in junior leagues together-- me and Nathan." " Basketball?" " Yeah, and I loved it, and I was good at it." "You ever have something that you knew that you were better at than almost anybody else?" "Sex." "Joke." "Anyways..." "Guys kept teasing me about it, about how Nathan's dad was my dad, too." "So I asked my mom, and she said he wasn't." "But I get home, and I hear her crying in her room." "I knew it was true." "So I never went back." "I told my mom it was because I didn't want to have to see his face." "But... it was mostly because..." "I didn't want her to have to." "So, why'd you just tell me all that?" "I mean, we don't even know each other." "Maybe that's the point." "Nathan's got a shot here, Keith-- a real future." "A real future." "Let me ask you something." "Do you ever even think about Lucas' future?" "Do you ever think about that?" "I can't change the fact this kid exists." "If I could, I would." "The truth is, I told Karen I'd take care of it." "But she" "Tomorrow night, at midnight, at the riverfront." "But if I win, I'm gonna want something else." "I love that car." "I love that car." "My wife's got that car." "I'm guessing you're not car shopping." "He's a boy who wants to play basketball, reluctantly." "I find it horrifying and amusing, then after all this years, it takes something as simple as that to bring you around." "I'm only thinking of the kid." "You have no right to think of him, not today or any other day of his life." "How dare you?" " Are you finished?" " I haven't even started." "We've asked nothing of you, and you have delivered in fine fashion." "I'll expect that to continue." "If Lucas decides to play, you'll do nothing." "Anything else might make me angry and detract from the pleasant, cordial side you see now." "You know, I know your son doesn't exactly fit in, but Nathan is all-state, and I'm not sure why you'd want to humiliate your kid like that." "You're right, Dan." "I'd rather not humiliate him." "You've done that enough." "Nathan." "What's up, dad?" "If I wanted a daughter, I'd adopt one." "So you could abandon her, too?" "Just a joke, dad." "Yeah." "And this bet tonight-- is that a joke, too?" "Or would you really quit the team?" "You have everything to lose here and nothing to gain." "Sometimes what you call "everything", I call "nothing."" "I just think it's best if you don't do this, Nathan." "We'll find another way." "No." "Dad, I do a lot of stuff for you-- almost everything." "But I'm gonna do this for me." "Hi, Mr. Scott." "So, I would have preferred a warning shot on this one-- something to let me know what was coming with Lucas." "Yeah, that's fair enough." "But you should see him play, Karen." "I mean, it's like-- it's like poetry, you know?" " And he's gonna be fine." "Yeah, I know." "Do you ever wonder about it, Keith-- how we got to this?" "Hanging out in the old cafe, lamenting the past, Haley listening in from behind?" "I am not listening." " Okay, I was." "I am." " Right." "I just wondered how we got here so fast." "I don't know." "When I see Lucas in high school, it all seems like a blink of an eye." "But otherwise, it seems like it's been forever." " Wow." " Yeah." "This place looks great." "Thanks." "I just finished putting up the lights." "Miniature golf is never going to be the same." "Your mom is worried." "She's downstairs with Keith picking through her past." "Do you think I'm being selfish playing Nathan?" "Do you?" "A little bit." "I mean, if I walked away, then my mom wouldn't be downstairs worried about it now." "You know, I don't say things like this very often 'cause it sounds weird, but... you're a really good guy, and I'm glad we're friends." "But you and your mom worry too damn much." "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to an historic night of basketball." "I'm Mouth McFadden, along with my gamey partner, Jimmy Edwards, and, Jimmy, we're in for a treat tonight." "And who doesn't love a treat, Mouth?" "I know I do-- s'mores, ice cream, cake." "So, if you're not doing it for your dad, then why are you doing it?" " You wouldn't get it." " I guess not." "So what if this guy plays?" "Are you really that threatened?" " I'm not threatened by anyone." " Well, then, why do it?" "To prove I'm the best." "Okay, so, what if he wins?" "What does he get?" "He gets you." "Just moments before the stroke of 12:00, and still no Nathan Scott." "The natives are getting restless, Mouth, judging by the crowd that envelops our booth." "You don't have a booth." "Junk Moreti joins us now." "Junk, you care to make a prediction?" "I predict you guys will be the two biggest morons out here." "And it looks like Nathan Scott has arrived, driven by car right onto the court." "By the way, I hope you don't mind, but I told a few people." "Come on, let's go, babe!" "Let's go, Nathan!" "Okay, folks, here we go-- 15 by ones." "Make it, take it, win by one, and you can feel the intensity in the air." " You ready for this?" " Why not?" " It's your life." " Yeah." "It is." "Oh-ho!" "A 25-footer rips the silk like Jimmy Edwards in a size 3 dress." "Go ahead, man." "I'll give you that all night." "What happened to all night?" "Is that all you got, man?" "If that's all you got, this is over." "Yeah!" "All right!" "This looks to be a battle, mouth." "No foul." "Basket counts." "Besides... you won't score again." "Oh, the basket counts, and it's 14-12, game point for Nathan." "He could win it all right here." "Nathan for the win." "Holy crap!" "Did you see that?" "!" "Someday men will write stories about that block." "Children will be named after it." "Argentinean women will weep for it." "Luke gets a basket, and he's down by one." "You're down by one, man." "Don't choke now." " Another dagger, and it's all tied up!" " I think I'm gonna puke." "Come on, Nate!" "Come on, shut him down, Nathan!" "This is it, folks-- no going back now." "The next basket wins it." "He's never mentioned you, man-- not once in all these years." "This is for my mom." "Luke for the win!" "It's good!" "Lucas Scott takes it 15-14, and there is bedlam and delirium and felicity for all!" "So, what did you bet?" " I win Nathan stays on the team." " Why?" "Because it's the last thing he wants." "And anyway, it's not about him." "Peyton." "I'll be seeing you." "There is a tide in the affairs of men..." "Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune..." "Don't worry, dad." "Your dreams are still safe." "But omitted, and the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and miseries..." "On such a full sea are we now afloat..." "And we must take the current when it serves..." "Or lose the ventures before us."