Oh. My. Gosh. Call someone. Karen is carrying a bag of groceries. Quick! Doesn't she need any help? And what time is it anyhow? I thought she was meeting Keith at seven, and it looks like it's dark outside already. Anyway. Luke is listening to Marco from the Culinary Institute, who's left a message on the answering machine. It's still playing when his mom comes in the door. He asks, "Is that that school you've been talking about forever?" Karen stops the message and tells him that it's not a big deal because she's not going to go. Luke hops up and says, "It is a big deal, Mom! Come on, it's a huge deal." Karen starts unpacking the groceries and says, "Well, maybe I'll just go some other time." Luke: "No, Mom, now's the time. Come on, you put your whole life on hold for me." Man, how'd he get so sensitive? He's such a momma's boy. "Every choice you've made, it's been about me." Karen keeps unpacking the groceries, and if he's so intent on making his mother happy, why the heck doesn't he help her? She says, "That's the way it's supposed to be, I'm your mother." He says, "And I want you to have this -- it's time for you to do something for yourself." She tells him that she'll think about it. Luke comes back with a little don't-think-about-it-just-do-it-inspired advice. Then he walks away. Never helping with any of the groceries. What's up with that?

Brooke and Peyton show up at the party at Duke. It's hopping! Or, well, it's just a bunch of kids standing around in a dark dorm room with plastic cups. Hell, this sure as heck isn't any Old School-inspired Mitch-a-palooza. Where's Snoop Dogg? Brooke's breasts are sucker-punched into that top. I'm surprised she can breathe. As they enter the room, she says, "We're young, we're fine, let's do some damage." Some girl offers her a cup of beer, but she declines, because she's the designated driver. Brooke scopes out the boys. The first, "too desperate." The second, "too geeky." The third, "hello, Abercrombie." And she's off to the races. What the heck time is it anyway? What self-respecting college party gets going before seven? It's barely past dinnertime and there are hoards of people drinking and the keg's almost gone? Peyton leaves Brooke to gobble up her Abercrombie as she cases the party. She comes upon a fellow sitting all by himself in his room, listening to very intense music and painting his fingernails black. Now, if that doesn't say "party!" I don't know what does. She says coyly, "Wow, Fugazi, Sparta, and on vinyl. Do you mind?" Colin from Everwood has apparently recovered from his coma, grown his hair out to a natty length, and shown up at Duke in an even worse mood than he was ever in from that damn head trauma. Peyton walks into his room and starts looking through his record collection. She pulls out an album by the Descendents called "Milo Goes to College." She tells him "it's a great album." Ah, girls talking rock and roll; it always sounds like a come-on, but I understand Peyton's attraction -- I doubt her interest in Fugazi makes her the hit of any Tree Hill b-ball party where P. Diddy and Beyoncé are far more likely to show up on the turntable. He says, "You know the Descendents?" She says coyly, "Yeah." Pause. "I'm Peyton." He puts away his nail polish -- yes, his nail polish, and if that isn't a symptom of something gone wrong with this kid, I don't know what is -- and introduces himself as Gabe. He asks if she wants to hear the Descendents album. She smiles and nods. He gets up off his bed and puts it on the stereo.