iris | one tree hill

12. crash course in polite conversation

[.....]

When evening came, Peyton had received a phone call. As soon as she heard what it was, she went to see Emma, who was standing next to Brooke, watching Ethan and Luke work on the car.

"Emm's." Peyton called out and everyone looked in the girl's direction.

"News, sis?" Emma asked, but as soon as she saw Peyton's eyes watering, she knew it couldn't be good.

"Our father's transport is missing, Emma." Emma ran a hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face, and Peyton continued. "There were three men in it. And they recovered a body." Ethan hugged Emma while the girl could only imagine that this was a nightmare.

"What did they say?" Lucas asked Peyton.

"We have to go and see if it's him." Peyton explained as he watched his sister hold back tears in Ethan's arms.

Emma and Peyton ran into the house to grab some things, Lucas and Ethan confirming that the girls shouldn't call their grandmother, which the girls denied, saying that it would only stress the poor woman out.

"By the way, it's not going to be our dad, right Peyton?" Emma said and looked at Peyton.

"No, it's not going to be him, Emm's." Emma ran her hand through the girl's hair.

Lucas and Ethan didn't want to let the girls go alone, so Brooke said she would stay at the Sawyer sisters' house waiting for a phone call, Lucas, Ethan and the sisters would go together in Peyton's car.

[....]

Keith was at a birthday dinner for Dan, where his parents were present. Keith even invited Coach Whitey, because he thought it would be funny. Whereas Ethan had screwed him over, because he had spent the whole day at the Sawyer sisters' house with Luke helping with an old car. And Keith wouldn't want to put the boy through all that torture either. When Keith's cell phone rang, he asked for a moment.

"Hey, Ethan. Everything okay, son?" Keith asked and listened intently as Ethan explained that there had been a problem, and he and Luke were going to support Peyton and Emma. They had found a body, and they needed the girls to go and recognize it. Keith volunteered to go, but Ethan said that if they needed any more support, he would call their father right away.

"Okay, be careful." Keith said.

When Keith returned to the table, his father Royal looked at him.

"And why isn't my grandson here celebrating his uncle's birthday?" Royal asked Keith, and Keith really wanted to answer, 'which one?'

As if Dan was nice to Ethan, Keith protected his sons whenever he could from any interaction with Dan.

"Ethan's supporting a friend." Keith said, and Nathan raised his head.

"Emma?" Keith nodded.

Keith didn't know that Emma and Nathan were best friends, Nathan decided to keep quiet and before he could question his grandfather any further Royal went to ask how Ethan's game was going, how many points he was scoring per game, the same thing he was asking about him. Nathan slid his cell phone out of his pocket, texting Emma if everything was okay.