2015 ― Tree Hill, North Carolina

Dear Lucas,
Do you ever wonder if you're making the right choices? I just mean in general, I'm not referring to anything specific. Or, do you ever think about what your life would be like if you were brought up in different circumstances? I'm sure throughout your life, you've wondered what life would be like if you were raised by Dan... just like I've wondered what my life would be like if I was your twin and not raised by Dan. It's funny how those things work, isn't it? I guess right now I'm feeling a lot of uncertainty and it's stressing me out, to the point where I'm starting to eat more than normal, and I've never been one to stress eat, but now it feels like I can't stop, and I'm not sure what to do. Do you have a comfort food? My go-to has been chocolate chip cookies.
Your sister,
Logan S.

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Nathan Scott collapsed at the basketball game last night.

Logan learned that he took performance-enhancing drugs because of the pressure their father, Dan Scott was putting on him to beat his scoring record against the team they played. Leading up to the game, Dan kept taunting Nathan, saying he would never beat his record, so Nathan went to the extreme to make sure he could, and he collapsed when he was two points away from beating the record.

Logan had been terrified when Nathan went down. She ran out onto the court as soon as he collapsed, and then the team crowded around her. When he woke up in the hospital, after their parents came and Dan talked to Nathan, he told Logan everything. He said he knew it was stupid and he would never do anything like it again. Then he asked her to sneak him out of the hospital because he needed to see Haley and apologize to her.

On the other side, with her other brother Lucas, a few things had happened. She knew that he and Peyton almost hooked up, but then the night before their game, he went on a date with Brooke, and they ended up making out, and now they were dating.

But after the game, Peyton showed up at his house, confessing her feelings for Luke and how she wanted all the same things he did, but Brooke was there, and she walked back inside Lucas' room, but she hadn't heard what Peyton said to him. Logan was with Haley and Lucas now as they were talking about the situation.

"It's not that hard, alright? Peyton and I just don't make sense as a couple, she said so herself," Lucas said.

"And then she took it back," Haley said

"What are you? Her lawyer?" Lucas asked and Logan laughed a little, but Lucas was right. When did Haley and Peyton get so close?

"I'm just... Look, I've seen Peyton really try to make an effort to turn things around and it just sucks that she got bit the first time she reached out to somebody, you know?" Haley said.

"Haley, I'm not the bad guy here, okay? Peyton's just too... hard," Lucas said.

"Unlike Brooke, who I understand is nice and easy," Haley said. Logan stopped walking. She knew that she didn't always see eye-to-eye with Brooke, and what she did at the basketball fundraiser was horrible, but she still loved Brooke and considered her to be her best friend and she did not appreciate Haley calling her best friend easy. She had been trying to get to know Haley since she's now officially dating Nathan, but she wasn't making it easy. Lucas noticed Logan wasn't walking with them anymore and he stopped.

"Lo?" He asked. Logan wasn't looking at him, she was looking at Haley.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, Haley, but do not ever disrespect Brooke in that way in front of me again. Just because Brooke expresses her sexuality freely and you're a virgin does not give you any right to judge her," Logan snapped. Haley's eyes widened as she looked at her.

"No... I didn't mean it like...-" Logan cut her off.

"...-You called her easy. There was nothing else you could've meant," Logan said and then she turned to her brother. "If you and Brooke are happy, then so am I. I'll see you later, Luke," She said as she turned to walk in the opposite direction, but Lucas gently grabbed her arm.

"Logan, wait," He said and she shook her head.

"It's fine. I'll see you later."

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Later after school, Logan was with Brooke and Peyton at Peyton's house. After Nathan's collapse, Whitey canceled basketball practices until further notice. Since basketball was canceled, Brooke also canceled cheerleading practices until the boys started up again. Logan thought it was nice to have the extra time on her hands.

"What are you doing?" Peyton asked Brooke. She had a Polaroid camera in her hands, and she took a picture of Peyton and Logan on Peyton's bed.

"Documenting. A day without cheer, hour one. There's something wrong with the picture though and I know what it is. I'm not in it. Come here, you two," Brooke said as she wedged herself between her best friends and took a picture of the three of them.

"I love it," Logan said and Brooke smiled before turning to Peyton.

"Would you please draw your freaky drawings later? There is no basketball, we're all young, and gorgeous, and we have all this free time, so let's go do something fun," Brooke said.

"What about Lucas? I'm sure he'd be up for some fun. Probably some polaroids too," Peyton said and Logan bit down on her lip.

"Lucas, the monkey in the room," Brooke said.

"Elephant," Logan corrected.

"Whatever," Brooke said as she laughed and turned to Peyton. "Look, I came here to make sure there's no weirdness about that. You're my best friend, and I would never cut you out for a guy, okay? No matter who he is, or how happy he makes me," Brooke said and Logan smiled.

"Brooke, I'm cool with you and Lucas," Peyton said.

"Me too! Even though my opinion doesn't really matter," Logan said and Brooke shook her head.

"You're his sister. Your opinion is the second most important one, behind Karen of course, and she's not in town," Brooke said. Logan remembered that her Mom said Karen got into a cooking school in Italy and would be gone for the next six weeks, so she offered to watch the cafe for her. Logan thought that was sweet of her mom to offer. "But, Peyton, are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah, I just wanna draw for a bit. How about a raincheck?" She asked. Brooke nodded and Logan could see right through her.

"Count on it," Brooke said and held up her closed fist to her friends. "Hoes over bros," She said and they all bumped their fists together. "I am gonna borrow this though, in case Lucas is feeling frisky," Brooke said as she kept the camera and left the room. Logan waited until she heard Peyton's front door close, indicating that Brooke left and she turned to her friend.

"Now that it's just the two of us, you can tell me the truth. How do you really feel?" Logan asked. Peyton sighed as she turned to her friend. She knew Logan could see right through her, she was just glad that Brooke didn't.

"I thought I was fine with it, but when I saw them together, I don't know... I was hurt. But I have to get used to it. I rejected Lucas first and Brooke is my best friend," Peyton said and Logan frowned.

"You should be honest with Brooke. You know she won't go out with Lucas if she knows you still have feelings for him," Logan said.

"I know... but you saw how happy she was. I don't want to take that away from her," Peyton said as she shook her head. "Anyways, how was your date with Roman?" She asked. Logan rolled her eyes as she squeezed Peyton's shoulder and then went to the doorway.

"It wasn't a date. It was Brooke's attempt to make herself feel better about the mess she made. I'll see you later."

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Nathan and Logan arrived home at the same time. After Nathan's collapse, Deb kicked Dan out of the house, so he lived at their beach house. When Nathan and Logan walked to the house, they were surprised to see their duffel bags sitting on the ground.

"Hey, how are you guys feeling?" Dan asked when they walked in.

"Okay," Nathan said.

"What is this? Why are our bags packed?" Logan asked. Nathan nodded in agreement and crossed his arms over his chest.

"We're not moving into the beach house with you," Nathan said and Logan nodded.

"Neither of you have to. Your mother and I will work this out," He said and Logan scoffed. She was grateful that her mother finally came to her senses and realized Dan was the problem. She just hated that it took Nathan nearly dying from taking drugs for her to realize it.

"Which brings me back to my original question. Why are our bags packed?" Logan asked.

"We're all going away for the weekend," He said. Logan and Nathan looked at each other and their eyes were saying the same thing, they didn't want to do this.

"Are you kidding?" Nathan asked.

"I already cleared it with your Mom. I've got your golf clubs in the back of the car, we've got a 9 a.m. tee time, and Logan, I got you scheduled in the spa," Dan said.

"Dad, you can't just spring things on us like this, alright? Nathan and I both had plans this weekend," Logan said and Nathan nodded. He had plans with Haley while Logan had plans with Aiden.

"Yeah, I know you guys do... with me," Dan said and then he walked away. The siblings rolled their eyes.

"Unbelievable," Logan said.

"This is so stupid," Nathan said.

"I guess we both have calls to make," She said. Nathan nodded as Logan went upstairs to her room, closed the door behind her, flopped down on her bed, and then grabbed her phone to make a FaceTime call to Roman.

"Bad news," Logan said when he answered the phone. Roman frowned through the camera, and she felt bad because she hated that she had to cancel on him.

"What's going on?" Roman asked.

"I have to cancel our plans this weekend... Dan just sprang on Nathan and me that we're taking a weekend trip," Logan said as she rolled her eyes. Roman laughed a little and she frowned. "It's not funny,"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. It's okay, Lo. We can reschedule for next weekend," Roman said.

"I'd rather not go. I don't know what he's trying to do. He already lives at the beach house. My mom kicked him out after what happened with Nathan and the drugs. I don't even know why she approved of us going on this trip with him," Logan said with a sigh.

"She was right to do that. Don't stress yourself out about it, Logan. Try to have a good time. You still have Nathan. Do you know what he has planned?" Roman asked.

"He's going golfing with Nathan, and scheduled me to go to the spa, so at least I don't have to be with them for that. He's going to make it a competition and remind Nathan why he took the drugs in the first place, I know it," Logan said.

"At least you two will have each other," Roman said.

"Is Josh home?" Logan asked.

"I'm not at his house... I'm at a friend's house," Roman said but Logan raised an eyebrow. She knows all of his friends, and he's not at their house, or Jake's. Something was going on. Roman was looking at something off-camera, but Logan couldn't decipher his look. "I have to go, okay? But try to have fun, and if it really does suck, call me," He said and Logan nodded.

"I'll do my best," She said.

They both ended the call.

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"So, are you and Mom going to get divorced?" Logan asked as they were in the truck with Dan. Nathan was sitting in the front with Dan, while Logan was in the back. She leaned up and placed her head between the two seats and looked at her dad.

"Why? What did she tell you?" Dan asked.

"Nothing... but she kicked you out of the house, and according to every TV show, ever, that's normally the first step," Logan said. Nathan laughed as he turned to his sister.

"Roman could probably attest to that too," Nathan said and Logan nodded.

"Don't worry. Things will go back to normal in no time," Dan said. Nathan and Logan shared a look and Logan rolled her eyes.

"That's the issue, Dad. Normal sucks," Logan said.

"Mom doesn't want things to go back to normal, she wants them to be better than what they were," Nathan said. The fact that Dan couldn't figure that out showed Logan that her mom made the right choice by kicking him out.

"Listen to me, both of you. You both have a great life. A beautiful home, and nathan, you have a basketball pedigree any kid would die for," Dan said. Logan scoffed as she sat back in her seat. Does he really think that means anything?

Yes, Logan understands that they are among the more fortunate ones, and she is grateful for what she has, but having a lot of material things and money to fall back on doesn't make your life great. Logan knew if they had the exact same problems, but had less money, her life would still suck. Money doesn't absolve you from having struggles, it just means your struggles aren't financial ones.

"Yeah, I know... I almost did," Nathan mumbled. Logan frowned and squeezed his shoulder as his phone rang. Logan guessed it was Haley and then she got a text notification.

Roman 🙃:
hey, how's it going?

Logan 🌸:
this is about to turn into either a 1. murder 2. suicide or 3. murder-suicide, honestly

Roman 🙃:
my god, lo 😂
call me when you get to the hotel, okay?

Logan 🌸:
i'm just saying! and i will

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"Welcome back, Mr. Scott," The front desk concierge said when Dan, Logan, and Nathan walked into the hotel. It was a nice hotel, but not the fanciest they've ever stayed in. The lobby had earthy colors and tones. Different shades of brown. In the lobby, there was the regular furniture, a couch, and a couple of chairs. The room where breakfast is served, and there were a few TVs around the lobby.

"Thank you," Dan said as he shook his hand.

"Your room is all ready... and your wife?" He asked as he looked past Nathan and Logan. The siblings looked at each other as they realized what was going on. Their father's original plan was to come here with their mom, but since she kicked him out of the house, that fell through.

"Uh, actually, there's been a change of plans. This is going to be a family weekend. These are my kids, Logan and Nathan," Dan said as he introduced them.

"Oh, well... The suite you requested has a king size. Shall I check for a double room?" He asked.

"I'd hate to give up the view...-" Logan cut her Dad off.

"...-Then don't. He can keep the suite with the king-sized bed. Nathan and I will take a room with double beds," Logan said. Nathan nodded in agreement and then she looked at her dad. "And you can put it on his card," Logan said. The concierge looked at Dan for his approval and Dan sighed while nodding his head.

"Yes, that's fine," He said.

"Very good," The concierge said as he walked away from them. Nathan and Logan turned to their father and neither of them was happy.

"Dad, are you kidding me? This was supposed to be a weekend for you and Mom?" Nathan asked while shaking his head. They were both pissed they had to cancel their plans with Haley and Roman for a weekend trip they weren't even supposed to be on.

"I can't believe I canceled my plans for this," Logan said as she shook her head.

"Well, it didn't work out that way, did it?" Dan shot back.

"So, this whole family weekend thing is just Plan B?" Logan said.

"What difference does it make how we got here? The point is, we're here, and we're going to have a good time," Dan said and Logan rolled her eyes as the concierge said that he was able to find a separate room with two beds for Logan and Nathan.

A cell phone started to ring, and they all pulled out their phones to see which one was ringing. Nathan looked up. "It's Haley," He said and Logan sighed. She was trying to give her a chance because she could tell Nathan really liked her, but the comment she made about Brooke was still rubbing Logan the wrong way.

"She's got you on a short leash," Dan said and Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Yeah," Nathan said as he walked away from them to answer his phone. When he was gone, Dan turned to his daughter.

"Why are you so mad at your mother and me?" Dan asked.

"I'm not mad at either of you... anymore. I also don't care to be in the middle of whatever problems you two have with each other. You're the adults, at least, you're supposed to be. Act like it," Logan said as she shrugged and Nathan came back over.

"Shall I send your bags up to your rooms?" Another employee asked when he approached them.

"I have some golf clubs in the back of the car, too. I'm taking my son to school on the links tomorrow," Dan said and Nathan rolled his eyes. Logan immediately felt bad for her brother, because she knew golfing with their dad wasn't going to be fun.

"They'll be waiting for you on the tee in the morning," He said and Dan smiled.

"Perfect."

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The next morning, Logan went to her spa appointment and let herself relax. She sat in the sauna, then got a message, then went to the steam room, and then got a mani-pedi, and facial. By the time her spa treatment was over, she felt completely relaxed. She checked her phone and saw that Nathan had texted her multiple times, asking her to come to the golf course because he was close to going off on their father.

She and Nathan had each other's locations, so it didn't take her long to find them.

"Logan. Are you here to join us?" Dan asked when he saw his daughter approaching.

"No, I'm just watching," She said.

"Well, if your brother sinks this one, he might actually break 100," Dan teased as he laughed. Nathan didn't find the joke too amusing. He rolled his eyes. "Alright, focus. Square your shoulders. Loose grip. Line it up. Good," Dan said. Nathan took a full swing, but purposely hit the ball right past Dan's head and into the water. Dan's eyes widened as he looked at Nathan. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Never up, never in, right Dad?" Nathan snapped back. Logan understood the other reason why Nathan asked her to come. He needed moral support as he stuck up to Dan.

"Hey, watch it," Dan snapped.

"You know, this whole thing is just another chance for you to pick me apart and show me how much better you are. Well, there you go, Dad, you just kicked my ass. Congratulations," Nathan said as he started to clap his hands, loudly. Other people started to look in their direction. "It was great, really," He said.

"Don't make a scene," Dan said and Logan rolled her eyes.

"Actually, I think he should make a scene," Logan said.

"I almost killed myself for you. Did you know that?" Nathan asked.

"What are you talking about?" Dan asked.

"Drugs, Dad! I took drugs for you," Nathan snapped as he raised his voice. Dan started to look around to make sure the people at the other parts of the golf course weren't watching or listening to them.

"No! My son would never take drugs," Dan snapped and now Logan was fed up.

"Well, your son did! Are you kidding me? Nathan almost died, but of course, you find a way to make this about yourself. Do you wanna know why Mom kicked you out? It's because you're a bully, and you don't give a damn about anything or anyone unless it satisfies your own stupid ego!" Logan yelled at him.

"Would you both keep your voices down?" Dan hissed at them.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Are we embarrassing you?! Do you not want your golf buddies to know how horrible of a parent you are!?" Logan yelled even louder. Dan looked as if he was about to combust.

"You know what you should do? Give Mom a divorce," Nathan said.

"He's right. You'd be doing her and both of us a favor. She's never going to be happy with you. None of us are," Logan snapped. The siblings looked at each other and Logan nodded. Nathan wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she wrapped hers around his torso and they left their father standing on the course alone.

"Thanks for coming to back me up," He said.

"Of course, Nate... Can we order a Lyft and go home now?" Logan asked. Nathan laughed as he kissed the top of her head and nodded.

"Of course, let's go."

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Nathan and Logan got back to Tree Hill and they went to the cafe. They took their duffel bags inside and Logan saw Roman sitting at the counter, so she walked over to him and stood behind him while putting her bag down. "Ah... that bitch never called you back, did she?" She asked. Roman turned around and smiled when he saw her. "Believe me, you didn't want to talk to her anyway," She said.

Roman stood up from the stool and pulled Logan into a hug. Logan smiled as she embraced him back and let out a deep breath. "What are you doing here? I thought you guys weren't coming back until tomorrow," He said.

"Yeah... but it's Dan Scott. He can never let anyone be happy outside of his circle of control," Logan said as she shrugged.

"At least he doesn't live there anymore, right?" Roman said and she nodded.

"Lo, Nate. I thought you guys weren't getting back until tomorrow. What happened?" Deb Scott asked her children as she approached. Nathan had walked over to Haley. The siblings turned to their mom.

"He was keeping score, Mom... What do you think happened?" Nathan asked and Deb sighed.

"Oh, honey... I'm so sorry. I should've known," Deb said as she shook her head.

"Whatever... Nothing we're not used to," Logan said as she shrugged. She and Roman started to walk outside, but she noticed there was an open mic night going on, and Jake was on stage, with a baby carrier next to him, and a baby inside. Logan's eyes widened.

Jake has a kid?

Logan and Roman stood outside, talking to each other to reschedule the plans they originally had for the weekend, then Nathan and Haley walked outside and joined him. "I swear... I try to appreciate my Dad because I know how it is for you with yours, and I don't want to seem ungrateful, but he makes it so hard," Nathan said and Roman shook his head.

"Abuse is abuse, Nate. Whether it's physical, verbal, mental, or emotional, it's still abuse. You don't deserve it any more than I do," Roman said. Logan frowned as she looked between the two of them. Then Lucas walked outside and walked over to the group.

"Listen... some of the guys and I are going down to the River Court. I wanted to know if you two and the team wanted to come," Lucas said and Logan smiled.

"Why?" Nathan asked.

"Because it's fun... don't you remember?" Lucas asked. Logan smiled as she nodded at Nathan and Nathan agreed. Together, they all went to the River Court, the rest of the basketball team meeting them there.

And they had fun.

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Dan Scott returned to Tree Hill and he went to Karen's Cafe after he saw the open mic night was starting to wind down and people were starting to leave. He was thinking about what his children had said to him, trying to pretend they had no effect on him, which in a way, they didn't. He didn't care if Logan and Nathan didn't want them.

He didn't want Deb to have them either.

"Busy night?" Dan asked as he approached. Deb had been cleaning, but she didn't look up when she heard the bell ding. But, once she heard her estranged husband's voice, she turned around.

"What happened today, Dan?" She asked. She wasn't in the mood for small talk. She wanted to know why her kids came back even more upset and pissed than they were before.

"Oh, you know, we were going to spend the weekend, but we all missed you too much," Dan said sarcastically and Deb rolled her eyes.

"I asked you to make good with your children and instead you made it worse," Deb said.

"He flipped out on the 18th hole, and Logan was speaking nonsense. It was embarrassing," Dan said while shaking his head.

"And did you badger them into it? You have a problem, Dan. You're competitive and controlling. Why do you think Logan never branched out into any other competition outside of cheerleading and gymnastics? Because you have no experience with it and can't bully her into being better. You need help," Deb snapped.

"Since when did you become Mother of the Year? The last I knew, you were out of sight half of the month and out of mind the rest," Dan snapped back.

"You're right. I have a lot of catching up to do with Nathan and Logan, and it's already hard enough as it is to connect with her, but at least I'm trying to help. You, on the other hand...-" Dan cut her off.

"...-What about me?" He snapped.

"I want you to see someone. A therapist. We'll go as a family," Deb said and Dan scoffed.

"Forget it," He said. Dan didn't want to see a therapist, because he didn't understand that he was the problem. His children said it to his face, Deb had just said it as well, but Dan still didn't believe the problem was him. He thinks Nathan doesn't work hard enough, Logan is ungrateful, and Deb isn't a great parent.

Textbook narcissism.

"It's not a negotiation, Dan. You either get some help, or you're not going to see Nathan or Logan," Deb said. Dan laughed, coldly and callously as he looked at Deb.

"Do you really think you're going to stop me from seeing my son and daughter? My daughter, who is not yours?" Dan snapped back. This time, it was Deb who laughed.

"Would you like to go to court and tell them what you did 17 years ago instead?" Deb shot back. Dan opened his mouth, but quickly shut it back. Karen signed Logan's birth certificate, as did Dan. Legally and biologically, she is their child, and since Karen never signed away her parental rights, what Dan did was technically kidnapping, and that is how the courts would see it.

Deb pointed to the door as she looked at Dan. "That's what I thought. You can show yourself out."

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oooh, deb finally fighting back.

don't forget to vote/comment. 

xoxo.