Dust till dawn[ ONE TREE HILL ]

CHAPTER TWENTY- TWO

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗬- 𝗧𝗪𝗢
𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗟 -
01𝘅21
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗚
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At 6 a.m., a sharp knock rattled Lucas's door. He groaned, half-asleep, and stumbled toward the sound, muttering under his breath. Swinging the door open, he found Nathan standing there, fully dressed in running gear and looking annoyingly awake.

"We're running," Nathan announced, tossing a sweatshirt at Lucas without waiting for an invitation.

Lucas blinked at him, still trying to process. "Running? It's six in the morning, Nathan. Why?"

"Playoffs," Nathan said simply, smirking at Lucas's obvious frustration. "You need to be in shape. Also, you owe me for backing me up with my dad."

Lucas groaned, pulling the sweatshirt on and grabbing his sneakers. "This better be worth it."

The streets were quiet, the sky still painted in shades of gray as they jogged side by side. The rhythmic pounding of their feet on the pavement filled the silence until Lucas broke it.

"So, Dan said something to me the other night," Lucas started, his voice hesitant. "He told me to ask my mom what really happened back then."

Nathan shot him a sideways glance but kept his pace steady. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lucas shrugged, running a hand through his damp hair. "I don't know. He was talking about being a father, and now I can't stop thinking about it. Was he just messing with me?"

Nathan shook his head, his tone sharp. "It's Dan. Of course, he's messing with you. That's what he does."

Lucas nodded but didn't look convinced, the question lingering in his mind.

Later, Lucas sat across from Karen at the kitchen table, staring at his untouched coffee. The conversation with Nathan had only made the knot in his chest tighter. Finally, he broke the silence.

"Hey, Mom," Lucas said carefully, his voice testing the waters. "The other night, I saw Dan. He said something."

Karen looked up from her newspaper, instantly wary. "What now?" she asked, setting her mug down.

Lucas fidgeted with the edge of his sleeve. "He said to ask you what really happened back then. Do you have any idea what he meant?"

Karen hesitated, her fingers tightening around the handle of her mug. "Who knows? It's Dan."

Lucas leaned forward, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "Come on, Mom. He wasn't just throwing some random jab. He was talking about being a father. Was he just messing with me, or is there something you haven't told me?"

Karen's face softened, but there was a flicker of guilt in her eyes. "Lucas, you know I've always had your best interests in mind. Since the day you were born. You believe that, right?"