Karen decides to make Lucas's life as miserable as possible till he takes the heart test and asks Andy over while his house is in a contractor's hands. Brooke needs a job- the Crab shack hires her, but not as waitress, just 'PR' in a crab suit; she quickly makes friends with the other underpaid girls but is the only one to develop a militant labor union attitude. Lucas confronts Dan about Jules, and is told about Debs adultery with Keith, who cannot deny it and swears Jules is his true love. Taylor sees Haley's tattoo and bugs her and Nathan about not following big sister's own advice in the past; when Nathan warns her to stop hinting at their first night she bitches back the full truth can hurt him more- so he tells Haley himself, who needs a cooling off period but then understands it was before they knew each-other; all three make up. Lucas confides about Jules to Anna, now he knows her lesbian secret. Keith offers Luke to take the HCM-test together, now Jules wants him to. Dan hosts and even cooks for a dinner with Keith and Jules, constantly getting at their and Deb's nerves, and afterward warns her Keith won't forgive her if he tells him their dirty secret; Keith tells Lucas Jules just accepted his wedding proposal. After researching regulations, Brooke starts hard action- they are all fired, and threaten to tell the public about his inferior crab supplies, and get a raise, but quits anyhow and turns her attention to Felix and running for student council president. Karen gives up forcing Lucas- and hears he just took the test.

Jamie and Haley really worry that Nathan might being injured at Slam Ball, although he scores well and Owen protects him even against the most feared adversaries. Brooke is so stressed out by Sam's misbehavior that Owen's efforts to win her back, exposing himself only to get overexposed cruelly, seem wasted. Lucas agonizes over whether and how to write the key script scene Julian demands, Keith's death. Peyton puts off telling him about her LA affair too long.