The crowd roars as Peyton and Brooke look at one another over their poms. Luke's got the ball. Mouth narrates, "Luke Scott alley-oops to Nathan!" Nathan slams the ball through the net. "The birds have taken flight! They look a lot sharper now but something tells me Masonboro isn't going away!" The boys race back to the other end of the court. The crowd, including Keith, is on its feet; the only one who seems to remain sitting is Karen, which can only mean one thing.

That's right, we're back in time again, and Karen's crying when Luke asks if she's okay. She shakes her head and says, "I am having a problem letting you go. You're just a kid, Luke. Part of me says that you are too young for this, I am too young for this." Are these two married? They have strange conversations for a mother/son pair. Case in point: "You know this isn't about wanting to leave you, right? Because it's not." Karen turns toward Luke and raises her voice: "Then what is it? Explain to me again why you want to leave?" Luke stands in the door, and leans on the frame with his arms crossed. He's so lanky! The Chad's actually kind of hot now that he's cut his hair and shaved. Oh, but wait, now that he's "acting," that glimmer of hotness has now escaped the room: "Remember when I first joined the team, and the Boosters treated you poorly." He shoves his hands deep into his pockets and continues, "You wanted them to see who you'd become, and they could only see who you used to be, or at least who you they thought you were." Pause. "I need a chance to start over and I don't want Keith to be alone either, at least for a little while."