THE CURE ▶ NATHAN SCOTT [1]

TWELVE

life in a glass house pt.2

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Carly found a spot next to Lucas right before Dan began his speech. It may have been childish of her, but she wanted to avoid Nathan as much as possible because of the things Brooke had said to him. She wanted to talk to Lucas about it before she did anything; she figured he would have the most level head about it.

Dan Scott took the stage and began to tap on his glass, signaling the crowd to silence themselves. Carly only grabbed a chair and sat down, knowing that this speech would most likely be the longest one in years.

"Spirit – the vital principal and animating force within every human being. Of course, for some of you, spirit simply means alcoholic beverages." The crowd erupted with laughter, some nodding in agreement.

"But this Ravens basketball team has a surplus of spirit. It's an incredible team with an incredible group of young men. Except for their crushing defeat by the fathers this year, this team has been on a roll." More laughter erupted from the crowd. Carly grabbed an energy drink from the cooler next to her.

She huffed when she saw there weren't any straws nearby. She had always used a straw when she wore lipstick, which was pretty much all the time. She sat patiently, waiting for the rest of the speech to finish.

"But Raven team spirit also includes the parents and the local businesses, whose financial support make this team great. Tonight's for you. Enjoy." He raised his glass, prompting everyone to do the same.

Carly went to get up to go inside, when Nathan blocked her entry. "Looking for something?" He teased, handing her a straw and taking the drink from her. He popped it open and placed the straw inside. She looked down in embarrassment, "thank you." She muttered softly, taking the drink from him and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

She walked to go find Lucas, who stood awkwardly in the kitchen. Carly walked in to find that his eye contact was fixed firmly on Peyton Sawyer. "You know, there are some states that could arrest you for what you're thinking about right now."

She teased. He spun around quickly, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw it was only Carly.

"Hey, Carls. Ready to leave yet?" Lucas questioned. Brooke walked into the kitchen during those exact moments. "I might be, very soon." Carly observed. She pulled Lucas closer to her as Brooke neared. "Can we talk privately when you get a chance?" She asked, eyes pleading. Lucas nodded immediately, turning to leave the room when Brooke blocked his way.

Jake had joined them in the kitchen a few moments earlier, striking up a conversation with Carly.

"Hey, Jake. Lucas. Two handsome boys for the price of one." She flirted. Carly rolled her eyes at her attempted compliment. Lucas grabbed Carly's wrist tightly. "Hey, Brooke. Listen, we were just-" Lucas moved to walk out of the kitchen, Brooke abruptly stopped them from exiting.