Luke Chambers

**Luke Chambers** is Megan’s lifelong best friend from a prominent family. Over time, Luke finds himself at a crossroads as he tries to establish his own place in the world, separate from the expectations of his powerful father.

## Early History

Luke was born in Chatham, Washington as the youngest son of real estate mogul Steve Chambers and his wife, Jane. Luke often lived in the shadow of his older brother, who was groomed to take over the family business with Luke expected to follow as a member of the business. As a child, Luke befriended local girl Megan Landry and they became inseparable best friends. In 1991, Luke and his mom drove to get him new cleats. Jane was drunk and died in a car accident that night. Luke survived and his father wanted to protect the Chambers image and told everyone that Jane was distracted by Luke.

## Biography

### Summer 1999

On July 16th, Luke and Megan talk on the docks about her clearing out the air stream for the new arrival - the Landry's exchange student Isabella. Debbie is excited to import a new best friend for her, and Luke jokes it's his job to fill the mysterious best friend role. There's nothing mysterious about him, though. Maybe the import won't be too bad, but Megan thinks the only type of person who would spend time in a foreign country are boring people. She offers to hop in a boat and leave, but he doesn't think she'd last too long in the open seas. She would miss her computer too much, which she agrees with even though it's pathetic. Luke greets Freddy at the boat, excited to head out to the island with his friends. Megan decides not to go last minute, even though she's been dying too and it's the perfect day for snorkeling. Debbie would kill her if she wasn't there for the big arrival. It's their last high school summer and the last time to be officially stupid. He doesn't want her to let Isabella ruin it, and Megan insists that he go without her. He wishes her luck, waving from the boat before they speed off.

Later in the afternoon, Luke and Sheriff Myer get out of his car as they discuss Luke's dad. Myer assures him that this time is all about figuring out what he wants out of life, but Luke isn't sure his dad sees it that way. Myers tells him to keep trying and he'll come around. Megan runs up to him and Myers greets him. Her summer is complicated, but he's sure it's not anything she can't handle. He drives off and Luke assumes it's going well since Isabella isn't in the lake yet. They had an encounter earlier, with him joking about Megan being caught going through her stuff. Megan admits she did and wishes she was kidding too. Isabella walks up and Luke introduces himself. She asks if he just got arrested, but he didn't, he was doing a high school ride-along program. His dad thinks it builds character, and he admits that drunk tourists do have interesting stories. Having been one, Isabella agrees. Luke doesn't think there's anything wrong with the occasional vice, and Megan tries to join the light banter but makes it over serious. Luke asks if Megs gave her the 401 on Bloom that night, but she hadn't. Every July there's a bioluminescence in the water for a couple days. So of course, the town turned a cool natural wonder into an opportunity to sell snow cones and glow sticks. Isabella thinks it sounds fun, and she and Luke exchange a flirtatious look while Megan watches.

The trio walks down the street when they run into his friend group. He introduces her as a visitor from France, most recently. Brent gives a half-assed “bonjour” which isn't the worst accent Isabella's heard. Luke introduces the charmer as his brother Brent, the girl on his arm is Parker, then Kellie, and Amy. Isabella compliments Parker's shirt and she thanks her. One of the boys asks how to say “you're hot” in Isabella's language, which she remarks is English, unless he wants her to translate it into whatever it is he speaks. Jeff introduces himself while holding the camera and she compliments it. He's making cinéma vérité and remarks that she lucked out, as no one could ask for a better host than Megan. He turns the camera to her and she smiles.

That night, Isabella and Megan arrive at the lake and Isabella asks how long she and Luke have been dating. Megan insists they're just friends as he's like her brother. She thought there was a vibe, but there wasn't. They meet up with Luke and his friends and Isabella takes a drink, but Megan turns it down as she doesn't drink. Luke's tried to corrupt her many times, but she's too much of a control freak. Megan jabs back that his drunk ass loves having a designated driver, then laughs as Jeff records. The group laughs and passes around the drink.

Megan gets some punch when Luke runs up to her. He remarks that Isabella is doing fine by herself and is great, but Megan isn't so sure. He points out that she's not the best at letting people in. There's nothing objectively wrong with her, but she doesn't see them ever being friends. She walks away from Luke who opens his drink.

Isabella asks Megan again if she and Luke aren't a thing, and Megan insists they're not. Isabella asks if she would mind if she hooked up with him, then, so Megan tells her to go for it. Isabella's not sure if he's even interested or not, but walks off to find out. They end the night wrapped together and Megan watches as Freddy splashes some of the luminescent water on Luke. They laugh it off, though Isabella starts drying him off with her hands, starting at his chest to stomach. Megan watches solemnly.

Two days later, Isabella goes into the Shoreline and Megan greets her from behind the counter. She gives her the wallet she left at home. Megan asks if she was in her room, and Isabella smirks that she thought it was the Chatham way. Luke walks up in line to order food, greeting Isabella as he does. She was just leaving but asked about his plans for the day. He's going to swim and play video games. Megan warns him about cramping up, but he cites experts who say greasy food is key to a good backstroke. Isabella wants to test that theory and orders a dozen more subs on her since one won't feed an entire party. He invites Megan and she might stop by after her shift. Isabella doesn't want to pressure her, as Megan knows where to find them if she wants to.

Luke asks Isabella about what made her decide to come to Chatham. It was more the people than the place. She's an only child and always wanted brothers or sisters. He always wished he was an only child, but it might be more Brent-specific. The family option really appealed to her, especially when she read Debbie's letter. She loved the pictures she sent and it seemed like a fun palace to spend the summer. He's glad she chose them and hopes they live up to her expectations.

Brent grills while making innuendos to Parker, who sarcastically remarks how great it is when Isabella and Luke drop off more food. The amount of people at the party surprises Isabella, and Luke attributes that to the small-town nature of telling one person and suddenly everyone knows. As the party rages on, Isabella talks with Parker, who gives her the cold shoulder and tells her to put sunscreen on Luke, who is looking red. Isabella finds him by the pool and they start talking.

Luke opens the garage door to help Isabella find something. She's still trying to figure Megan out and asks for tips. It isn't personal as Megan isn't great at letting new people in. It's worth the struggle because once she can get through it, she's the most loyal friend - help you bury a body, loyal. Isabella asks if he's speaking from experience, though a good friend never tells. He tells her to be herself because she's kind of awesome, so Megan will come around. She asks him to put a good word in for her, and he already did. He hands her some tiki torches, leaving the fireworks behind.

By nightfall, Megan plays Marco-Polo in the water while Parker and Brent make out. The sound of fireworks exploding startles everyone at first but they go back to their activities. Isabella and Luke play with sparklers while Megan stares at Isabella. She gets out of the water and Luke hands Megan a sparkler. She's guessing it was all Isabella's idea since she loves the attention, but Luke insists it was a joint idea. He tells her to cut Isabella some slack as she's been in town for a minute and Megan's acting like she's radioactive. It wouldn't kill her to make a tiny bit of effort. Isabella watches them from a distance.

Later on in the night, Isabella is in the pool with Luke. They both love night swimming. His mom used to take him and he remembers the lights casting these shadows that looked like monsters. It was so quiet, and Mom had one rule - not to get her hair wet. But she always got her hair wet. They smile at one another before Isabella realizes her earring is missing, calling it special as her friend Lisa gave it to her. He tells her not to worry as it's probably in the pool. He dunks down to look for it, finding it under them. He gives it back to her and their hands linger. They kiss twice while Megan watches.

Luke and Isabella laugh together at the bar before Jeff tells them it's time for a photo. Megan is in the background, and he tells her to move, though Isabella insists she stays as she's meant to be in it. Luke puts one arm around each of the girl's shoulders, and Luke snaps the polaroid. Isabella asks to do another one and he does, printing out two versions of the Polaroid before the funny one.

The next day, July 19th, Luke is up at the cabin with his friends for their yearly sleepover. They are playing horseshoes when one teases that Luke's girlfriend is there. Isabella and Megan pull up in the latter's car, and Luke greets Isabella with a hug. His friends mock them from the game, and Luke assures Isabella that his friends will get used to having a girl around, then sends a “no offense” to Megan, who is getting the bags out of the car. Isabella assures him that Megan already warned her, and he's surprised Isabella still came. She doesn't scare that easily. Megan asks where Jeff is, and Luke finds him approaching them with a camera through a hockey mask while breathing creepily. Isabella playfully shrieks and curls into Luke, asking him to protect her from the killer. They tease Jeff and then walk off, though Megan notices Isabella and Luke hanging off one another as they walk into the cabin.

Brent walks into the cabin with Parker. He's carrying firewood while joking if anyone wants his wood. Parker jabs that 1989 called and wants their joke back. His presence annoys Luke, but Brent insists that their dad asked him to bring firewood because he didn't want Luke stealing any of Ned's. Luke would catch a bullet in the ass if Ned saw him, adding that the guy gets trigger-happy over anything. Luke tells him he can leave now, and Brent has no intention of staying too long. But he and Parker are going to stay for a beer.

Freddy shoots a shotgun at targets while Brent, Parker, and the guys sit on a picnic table nearby. Brent makes a lame joke about sharpshooters and then wrestles with Freddy. Luke hands a gun to Isabella, who's never held one before, waving it around recklessly. He quickly stops her to give her the first lesson - never wave a loaded gun around, just keep it pointed at the gun until she's ready to shoot. She has diplomatic immunity so she could kill everyone and get away with it. He doesn't want to test that theory and helps her aim and fire. She misses all the targets, leading Luke to think she just needs more lessons. She can't wait and walks off. Luke goes up for his turn, but Megan takes it from him, teasing him if he's going to teach her how to do it too. She shoots the first can perfectly, asking if he and Isabella are together now. She knows labels are stupid but wanted to know what was going on since Megan is his best friend and Isabella's landlord. Isabella walks over with drinks, and Megan shoots a beer bottle. Isabella is impressed, reminding herself to stay on Megan's good side.

That evening, everyone sits around the fireplace and Isabella starts a game of two truths a lie so she can get dirt in case she ever needs to blackmail any of them. Luke decides to start: his mom was going to name him Xerxes but his dad said no, he's had a pen pal in San Diego since the third grade, and he's been to three of the seven wonders of the world. Megan tells him LegoLand doesn't count, and Megan asks if Xerxes is true, which it is. Jeff goes next; raw chicken legs freak him out, he dislocated his shoulder once and if he tries really hard he can do it again, and he was in a commercial as a kid. Isabella asks if the chicken legs are true, and Luke is sure the commercial is bogus because he would have mentioned it already. Megan can't believe he can dislocate his shoulder. Isabella decides to go next; she saw NSYNC at a tiny club in Brussels right before they got famous, she broke her leg in three places while skiing in the Swiss alps, and she has severe somnambulism - she sleepwalks like crazy. She does weird stuff, as a couple nights ago, Debbie found her in the backyard practically naked. She looks to Megan to back up her story, and Megan pauses and then supports it. Isabella winks at Megan from her chair.

Jeff talks about the *Blair Witch Project* that he's going to see, and Freddy calls him a freak. Megan calls him out for having eaten a bowl of dog food on a dare. It starts to rain so everyone hurries inside, including Luke, who asks for help carrying some of the stuff in. Megan and Isabella stand in the rain for a while and by the time they look into the cabin windows, the boys are roughhousing inside and playing stupid games.

On July 23rd, Isabella and Megan sit on the beach while Luke and Jeff play frisbee. Megan wants to do something different and fun tonight. Isabella suggests a club and the closest thing they have is the Brownsville Pub, but that's a dive bar that cards. Luke knows Brent has a fake ID but he'd never let Luke use it. Jeff is good at Photoshop and offers to figure something out. He thinks Megan can help as the computer genius, though it is risky. She eagerly agrees to do it, which surprises Luke.

Megan and Jeff makes the fake IDs and that night, the group drives to the bar. They practice their fake IDs in front of Isabella who grills Jeff, Luke, and Megan about the lives they've created. The boys give in-depth answers while Megan sticks to the fact, which pleases Isabella. They head to the door eagerly. The bouncer lets Megan and Isabella into the bar. He asks Luke what his Zodiac sign is, but Luke doesn't know it. The bouncer makes both him and Jeff leave.

Jeff and Luke wait in the car but Luke is bored. Jeff teaches that the situation is on Luke as he could never take direction. They'll just have to wait for the girls. Luke asks if he and Megan have been hanging out and they have. They used her computer for the IDs. She has an impressive setup and mad skills. Luke teases that it must seem that way to Jeff, who sucks at numbers. Jeff retorts that he's dyslexic, and even then, Luke still copied him in math. Luke laughs as he got pretty good grades, too. They laugh for a moment before Luke tells him it's cool that he and Megan are hanging out or whatever.

After a while, Isabella and Megan run up to the van laughing. They tell Luke to floor it as Sheriff Myer is in there. Jeff asks Megan if she was drinking, and she was, which shocks Luke. He would have liked to see that, her first time. She insists there's plenty of time left for that.

The foursome reconvenes at the Chambers' house for beers. They toast to Isabella being the best cocktail sensei she could ask for her. Luke asks who Megan is and what she's done with his friend. She's still the same person she's just living in the now. Jeff asks her to go for a walk, and they head off. She teases him about not getting into the bar. He's happy someone else knows who Raymond Chandler is. She's bummed they didn't get to use his fake ID because it was perfect. It was perfect for him because he got to spend time with her. They kiss over the tennis court divider. Over on the patio, Luke stares at the new couple while Isabella gushes over the bar. She wishes he would have gotten in, and he does too. She smiles as they had a lot of fun, so he kisses her.

### Winter 1999

On December 15th, Megan runs through the yard holding Luke's hand. They kiss happily and he expresses his pride in her for crushing that scholarship. He hopes she'll remember all the little people when she's a famous coder. He's stoked for her as she deserves it. She's pinching herself to make sure she's not dreaming, but pinching is his territory. She notes that he's getting possessive, and he asks if it's too much, but it's not. They kiss again.

Megan and Luke make out in the Chambers cabin and then fall onto the bed. He can't believe they're going to different colleges. She giggles as they'll only be an hour apart and will see each other every weekend. He doesn't know if he can wait that long, kissing her again. A gunshot scares both of them. They head outside to find a man shooting off his gun at a flock of birds. The freak was employee number 12 at Apple, basically coder royalty worth millions. Luke heard him going on at the hardware store about how the world is going to end on Y2K, wondering what he'll do when it comes and nothing happens. He wants to go back inside, but Megan lingers to stare at the shooter before heading inside.

The next day is the Chambers Christmas party. The young couple spends the party laughing and cozying up. Jeff walks over to Luke, Isabella, and Megan with his video camera rolling. Isabella talks about the cool, hot bartender that goes to school in France so she scampers off. Megan knows she's irresistible when she wants something, and Luke remarks it sounds like someone he knows. As they kiss, Jeff walks away with his camera down.

Luke shakes hands with Principal Bowers, who heard from his dad how excited he is to be following in his and Brent's footsteps at Branson. Luke eyes his father when he says it's the Chambers way. Steve is sure Luke will love their great business program. Debbie interrupts to take Steven and Bowers away, so Megan and Luke walk a few paces. Every time he hears “business program” he wants to eat a gun. She asks if he's tried telling his dad that, but he's sure his dad's head would explode into a million pieces. If he ever wants to try, she's there for him. He loves her and she stops walking, and it takes him a few seconds to realize what he said. She smiles widely at him and then returns the sentiment. Isabella runs up as the bartender is the dumbest person she just met, but Megan asks if he's hot enough that she doesn't care, and he is. Luke calls them ice cold, but Megan knows guys are the same way - they're just honest about it. She loops an arm through each of theirs and they walk off. Later, Megan and Isabella sing and dance together in front of Luke and their friends. Megan watches Isabella and Luke laughing together, having fun. She keeps a loose smile.

Steve calls everyone's attention to thank them for coming. When he and his late wife Jane started throwing the parties, it was just a handful of friends with Brent and Luke as babies. Brent is now at Branson and Luke is following in his footsteps this fall, raising his glass as he expresses his pride. Megan rubs Luke's arm supportively. This year's Christmas movie is one of Jane's favorites and one that holds a special place in Steve's heart as well. The movie starts and Megan asks Luke if he wants to go inside, which relieves him. The sounds of gasps and moans distract them, pulling their attention to the screen where a sex tape is projected. It features a girl that everyone realizes is Isabella. The boy in the video isn't seen for a while, and Steve shouts to turn off the film while everyone murmurs. The boy in the video lifts his head, revealing himself as Luke. Megan looks at her boyfriend while Isabella raises her eyes. Steve shouts at Luke to turn it off and he runs over to the VCR, ejecting it. Megan rushes after him and then turns to stare at Isabella, while Kelly sneers to Isabella that she's some best friend.

Megan runs out of the house, crying, while Isabella and Luke chase after her. She grabs her hand, but Megan pulls away. Megan stares at both of them and then walks away, sobbing. Isabella glances back at Luke.

Three days later, on the 18th, Megan watches the rest of the sex tape and learn that it's her on the tape, not Isabella. Megan worries that Principal Bowers will find out it's her on the tape and she'll lose everything, including her scholarship. Isabella offers to keep it a secret, to make sure no one finds out the truth. She'll be gone in a few months anyway, so it doesn't matter if people think she slept with Luke. She can handle people calling her a slut. She's not going to let Megan, who is like a sister to her, lose her scholarship over this.

The girls tell Luke their plan to let everyone think that it's Isabella on the tape. He's not sure he's okay with everyone thinking he cheated on Megan, including his dad, who is throwing a family meeting because of it. Brent will deny any involvement and his dad will buy whatever bullshit he's sold like always. Isabella still thinks Jeff made the tape, but Megan doesn't think so as Jeff's stuff looks more professional. Luke thinks it reeks of Brent. He just got a video camera for his birthday and is always bringing girls to the cabin. Megan isn't convinced he would play it at the party, not in front of Steve, leading Isabella to think it was a team effort. Jeff and Brent working together. But either way, they have to talk to both of them. Luke isn't convinced, agreeing to go along with whatever they want, but will handle his brother himself. Isabella doesn't think that will ever happen, and Megan cuts them off when she notices Deputy Hardwicke staring at the trio. Isabella thinks Luke owes Megan and threatens him if he doesn't make things right, angering him, as he's known Megan all her life. Isabella's known her for five minutes and is just a tourist. Megan separates them, but Hardwicke calls Luke over. He tells the girls to lay low until he talks to Brent. The last thing they need is to make things worse.

The Chambers house is vandalized that afternoon when someone throws a vase through the glass paned window. The intruders then destroyed several VHS tapes by jumping on them, leaving the mess around the house. Steve kicks aside the ruined tapes as he steps over the glass, confronting his sons who are on the couch. The tape is the gift that keeps on giving. He demands to know what comes next if someone will burn his house down. He asks if it's the only tape. Luke suggests Steve ask his number one son, and Brent starts to complain about Luke until Steve shouts to ask if that's only tape. Brent says it is though Luke calls it a lie. Steve tells him to stop talking and to clean up the mess. He's done cleaning up their messes. Luke stops him from leaving to say he's sorry. Steve suggests he says that to Megan. They have no idea what it might cost their family.

Brent comes downstairs to talk with Luke now that their father left. They haven't seen him that angry in a while. Luke scoffs over Brent and his tapes, but the elder sibling insists they weren't his. Someone else made Luke the celebrity. From what Luke hears, Brent has a whole collection, asking if he even cares about the girls. Brent takes a seat and insists the skanks love the attention. He got the idea from a girl named Jenny that he dated freshman year, who recorded everything they did together. Luke calls him an asshole, but Brent stops him from passing him on the stairs. These girls love being small-town famous, and when Isabella is forty, she'll look back on these as the best days of her life. The pathetic part to Luke is that so will Brent. Brent can't understand why Luke is being a little bitch about this. Those girls have him by the balls. Luke gets that he doesn't give a shit about the girls, he does, but he can't believe Brent would humiliate their dad like that. Brent insists he doesn't have a death wish. He doesn't know who put that tape in, but it sure as hell wasn't him.

That night, Megan and Luke lay on her bed together. He lets out his frustrations about Brent getting away with everything while he's a constant disappointment. His dad might technically love him but doesn't like him very much. He's not a jock, has no interest in business, and was on a sex tape at Steve's big party. The only worse thing is that he, and everyone, thinks he cheated on Megan. Megan knows the truth and that's what matters. She kisses him and then asks if Brent knows it's her on the tape, but Luke assures her that he doesn't. He stopped watching when he saw Luke on it and still thinks it's Isabella. Brent might be a creep but he can't keep a secret. She rests her head on his chest. He's the most important person in the world to her, and she's not going to let anything, or anyone, get between them. Ride or die. Unbeknownst to either of them, Isabella eavesdrops from the top of the stairwell and leaves angrily.

On December 19th, Sheriff Myer talks to Luke who is filing at the station. He's had better weeks, but Myer knows he's a good kid and it'll all work out. He's made his share of mistakes and apologies. He advises Luke to just trust his heart and he'll be fine. Later, Luke stands at the end of the dock looking out at the river. After a long moment, he skips a stone and then walks back toward land. Deputy Hardwicke is on the phone watching a football game when he hears the door to the station close. He heads to the front desk where a shoebox has been left with a note saying “Attn Sheriff Myer”.

Megan serves a customer his food and then sees Isabella sitting at a booth with Lily. Luke comes in and she pulls him aside, asking why he's there. He wants to see her and asks if she's okay. She feels like an animal in a zoo, and he kisses her. He tells her to let them talk as he took care of the tapes. Everything is going to be okay.

Luke comes home to his father sitting at the table, calling him over. When Steve was in the army they called guys like Brent Delta Sierra's. Luke guesses it means dipshits, which is close enough. They'll probably have his back when push comes to shove, but anything less than a crisis, they tend to let people down. But Luke is straight-up, honest, and wears his heart on his sleeve. Along with his size eleven Converse, Luke realizes his shoebox gave away that it was he who dropped off those tapes at the station. Luke starts to explain but Steve cuts him off. Brent is Delta Sierra, dipshit, and what he did was reprehensible, but he would never intentionally humiliate the family as Luke did. Luke wanted to see him get punished. Steve reminds him their business is private and he doesn't litigate it in public ever. He gets up and walks away with his briefcase.

Brent confronts Luke in the kitchen about giving over the tapes by ratting him out to his sheriff daddy. Luke likes that it wasn't him, but Brent jacks him against the fridge as he doesn't believe his brother. Luke is glad someone did but insists it wasn't him. Brent claims their dad didn't give a shit. He bitch slapped Myer and flexed on him pretty hard, so Brent is in the clear. But if it wasn't Luke, it must have been his little “side skank” and will have to give her what's coming to her. He slaps Luke lightly on the cheek and then leaves.

On or around December 23rd, a pipe bursts at the Landry house so the Megan, Debbie, and Isabella plan to stay at the Chambers house. The girls arrive at the Chambers' house. Megan and Isabella recap that they won't mention the tape or anything that happened, leaving them little to talk about it. Isabella tells Megan she should have taken the money, which upsets her. Isabella quickly says she was joking, but doesn't think it should be that complicated. Megan knows, but money always complicates things. Steve lets the girls inside and Debbie explains that Lily is at a sleepover. Luke slyly tells Megan to sneak into his room for a sleepover later. Steve calls for Brent to come down and greet their guests, but the boy doesn't show. The kids head upstairs.

Megan, Isabella, and Luke head to the kitchen where the sliding glass door is already repaired. Luke warns the girls that Brent is on the warpath because Steve is making him work for the company next year instead of going to college. That excites Megan, and Luke grins that he promised he was going to handle it. She kisses him and then asks to use his shower and he lets her know where the towels are, and that Alma made up the guest bedroom. She also made the crispy potatoes that Isabella loves, which makes her smile, as she missed her.

Later, Megan joins Luke by the grill as she vents over Isabella just having five grand to hand out. It makes her feel like her family is a charity to Isabella. Luke knows that's the last thing Isabella intended because they talked about it. Megan accuses him of doing it behind her back, though he insists it's not like they and it's not a big deal. They talk sometimes about everything, not just Megan. They're friends and he asks her not to worry so much as it's all gonna work out. Megan accuses him of sounding like Isabella as she can't expect either of them to understand. She works her ass off all year and in a second that's gone when a piper bursts, and it's not even enough for the repair. He gets it but she doesn't see how when a window gets smashed at the Chambers's house and it gets fixed overnight. It's the same for Isabella - something goes wrong and someone writes a check. He asks what's going on and she tells him to forget it, stalking off.

Brent, Luke, Isabella, and Megan talk before dinner about him being grounded because of his pitiful snitch of a brother. Luke calls him out for the pervy shit he did. As they argue over the table and he makes a crude remark to Isabella, Megan shouts that she used to make excuses for him. That he was just damaged but he went too far this time. He tells them to get over it as it's not that big of a deal. He accuses Isabella of being a slut and banging Luke behind Megan's back. Steve and Debbie enter the room and Steve shuts down the fighting, telling everyone to sit.

The awkward dinner continues in silence until Debbie admits to thinking Brent owes Isabella and Luke an apology. Steve instructs Brent to do that, and he does apologize for what he did. Megan urges him to keep going, though Steve cuts her off as he did apologize. Debbie thinks some genuine remorse would be great. Luke just wants to have a nice dinner, something Steve seconds. Megan refuses as she wants Brent to admit to filming those girls without telling them. Luke asks Megan if they have to do this now and Debbie realizes there was more than one tape. Megan tells him there is and that Steve must be so proud. Debbie is horrified to learn that Steve knew and tells Brent his mother would be so ashamed. She can't believe Steve isn't more upset. He admits Brent made a serious lapse in judgment but has been punished - end of story. She rebuttals that he filmed those kids without their knowledge without consent. That is more than a lapse in judgment that is criminal. Steve doesn't want her to critique his parenting in front of his kids. She accuses him of letting Brent coast for a few months, so Steve offers to talk privately. She refuses as the kids can handle this. Steve had Jack back off so it wouldn't go on his permanent record. Debbie thinks real lasting consequences might just be what he needs. Steve coldly asks when she became the morality police since Keith got her pregnant and she didn't marry him twice. Isabella stands up for Debbie, telling Steve not to talk to her like that. The trio bickers and Debbie accuses Steve of sweeping things under the rug to protect his social status. She knows reputation is everything to him, but this is what he gets when he prioritizes the Chambers name over his family, hoping it's worth it. She leaves the table as Megan smirks proudly.

### Summer 2000

On July 16th, a fisherman finds an unidentified body in the lake and the local police call in the coast guard. Megan stares out at the water where the paramedics are moving the body, now in a bag, into an ambulance. Sheriff Myer oversees the event, and Megan watches as the officers escort the body ag to the ambulance. Steve arrives with Brent and pushes past the crime scene tape despite Sheriff Myers trying to stop him. He unzips the bag, pausing before identifying Luke. The paramedics take the body away and Isabella stands next to Megan to tell her they have to get their stories straight.

Two days after Luke's body is discovered, Deputy Hardwicke delivers the coroner's report to Sheriff Myers, who learns the cause of death is drowning. There's an abrasion on his ear just above a gunshot wound, but it's more of a surface nick. Someone took a shot at him but the toxicology report says there was a serious amount of benzodiazepines in his system at the time. It could be pain meds or muscle relaxants. Whoever killed Luke wanted to make sure he was severely impaired before he went into the water, as they didn't want any chance of him coming out alive.

A memorial for Luke is arranged outside the Chambers home, and Isabella muses that he'll have a million new best friends soon enough, just like Princess Diana. People who never cared when she was alive suddenly started crying at her memorial, as they loved her.

Isabella and Parker arrive at the station. Freddy snidely asks if she killed Luke to have Megan all to herself, with Jeff commenting on the bizarre love triangle. Parker tells her to ignore them as their assholes, but Isabella knows they're just saying what everyone thinks.

Sheriff Myer asks Parker about the last time she saw Luke. It was at the New Year's Eve party when he wore the 2000s glasses. He seemed fine and happy. Kellie thinks that Luke and Megan got past the stuff with the tape and were all over each other, it was really cute. He asks if she saw Luke leave, and Jeff, now in the interview, saw Luke leave with Megan. They seemed really chill when they left like things couldn't be better. As for Isabella being there, Amy saw her fighting with Megan so she left early. They used to be besties, so close, the whole town saw her and Luke together on tape. She could never forgive them if it was her. Tim didn't know what the fight was about but was bummed because Isabella was his resolution for the day. Another teen called it dope as people thought the world was going to end but it didn't. Sheriff Myer doesn't think Luke would see it that way.

Isabella takes a seat across from the Sheriff, Debbie to her left, as he asks her about her relationship with Luke. How they dated then broke up before he dated Megan. Then came the illegally recorded tape of them having sex. He muses about how things changed after that. She scoffs - she's a minor and thinks he should be more concerned about who made the tape. Debbie asks what his question is. After all, he's been through, he asks why she's still in town. She corrects his question as being why she didn't let herself get run out of town. Debbie stands up to leave, but Isabella tells her to sit as she's got this. When he talked to her back when Luke disappeared, she was ready to leave town once school ended. That's true, but Debbie got sick so she decided to stay and help out. He calls it kind of her but also convenient, given her situation before she came there. She went to three schools in three years and didn't even finish her junior year, having left before she could finish. She asks if that's all he has on her, and it is, for now. It's kind of hard not to notice a pattern of trouble following her wherever she goes. She stands up, but he's not done. She insists they are and won't be saying another word without her lawyer. The women leave and Deputy Hardwicke emerges from the observation room. He asks Myer what seventeen year old knows to ask for a lawyer. It's one who had to ask for one before.

On July 19th, Sheriff Myer learns that the ballistics came back from the gun that shot Luke. It's registered to Steve Chambers, and there were three pairs of prints on the gun - Luke's, Isabella's, and Megan's. Meanwhile, a news report about Luke plays at the Shoreliner Café. The reporter talks about how narcotics were found in Luke's system at the time of his death, leading authorities to suspect foul play. A search in the Chambers cabin found a stray bullet in the wall, leading investigators to believe he died at the cabin.

Sheriff Myer asks Megan when she first learned Luke was missing. She learned the same day as everyone else, the day after the party. Isabella also talks to Myer, who asks if she had any contact with him up to that point. She claims she didn't, as they weren't that close then. He asks Isabella why her fingerprints were on the gun; Luke had taught her how to shoot because she'd never held a gun before. Megan used the gun last summer when a bunch of them went out to the cabin. He asks why everyone else's prints weren't on the gun, and Rebecca advises Isabella not to answer. He asks Megan if she was mad at Luke after the Christmas party, though Tom answers with no comment. Myer asks if Isabella wanted revenge for betraying her, or if Megan wanted revenge for him breaking her heart. The lawyers both respond with no comment.

Megan talks about the last time she saw Luke for the tenth time. They left the party just after midnight, parked near the beach, and she dropped him off at home later. An eyewitness confirms seeing them leaving the party, but as far as her dropping him at home, Myer shows security footage from the Chambers home from midnight to seven AM. He fast forwards through the VHS, though Megan never appears, nor does Luke. Myers questions Isabella about not being in the cabin since last summer, which she claims is the truth. He leaves the room and then returns with a backpack. He asks her to explain why they found her bag stashed in a crawl space at the cabin, the scene of Luke's murder. He opens the bag and removes a wad of fifty-dollar bills. He asks what all the money is for.

On July 23rd, Sheriff Myer interrogates Megan again and shows Megan the letter that Luke left his dad. It says he's running away and seeing family in Virginia. They found Megan's fingerprints on it, though she always said she didn't know Luke was planning to leave. Megan admits he did tell her about him running away. Yet all the times Myer asked, she lied. She lied about dropping him off at home, lied about knowing he was leaving, and now about the letter. Megan insists it was to protect him. She didn't know why he ran away, just that he was scared, but she didn't know of what. Myers snaps at Megan so Tom decides it's time for them to leave.

Debbie confronts Megan about knowing that Luke was running away, yet letting Steve suffer. Megan insists she was trying to protect Luke. He was really freaked out and wouldn't tell her much, just that he had to get away for a while. Luke showed her the letter while they were at the cabin. She was supposed to put it in Steve's mailbox after she dropped him off at the train station. When she got back to the cabin after work, he wasn't there. For months after he left, every time the phone rang, she thought it would be him.

During another interview between Myer, Megan, and Tom, Myer turns on a tape recorder in an interrogation room with Megan and Tom. He just received information that sheds new light on things. She's been playing fast and loose with the truth since Luke disappeared. He paints her a new picture. On January 1st, Luke disappeared without a trace, and Megan was the last person to see him alive. Megan insists he ran away, but Myer calls it her version of events. The letter backs her up, but Myer points out that it has her fingerprints on it. She was helping him, but he questions that or if it was just part of a cover-up. Tom asks if he has a point or if it's just a fairytale. Myer continues that Luke was the love of Megan's life. But by all accounts, their relationship was never the same after the sex tape. Too many secrets, too many lies, and it all got worse when she found out she was pregnant. Tom wants to talk to his client, but Myer presses that he believes Megan and Luke went to the cabin, and she told him he was pregnant. He rejected the idea of a baby with her, of a future with her. So she killed him.

## Personality

Luke is a charming teenager with a sharp wit, quick sense of humor, and kind mannerisms. Luke is loyal to his friends; his swift thinking often gets them out of trouble. He is sarcastic, caring, and intelligent; he can be goofy and witty. Luke is known to be sweet-natured, awkward, kind, honest, and charming. Luke expresses a lot of care for Megan very much as her friend and as her boyfriend. He's a lovable guy with a heart of gold and the knack of getting himself into harm's way. However, his kind heart and excellent social skills made him lie when he found it convenient, leading to him guarding the lie with more lies and further spiraling down the path of darkness, which is possibly what led him to his death.

## Physical Appearance

Luke was a seventeen year old teenager with black hair, a thin face, tall and lean build, with brown eyes.

## Autopsy and Investigation

Luke Chambers died on January 1, 2000. His cause of death was officially ruled a homicide by drowning. He suffered an abrasion on his ear just above a gunshot wound, though the bullet didn't pierce his head. It was a surface nick. His toxicology report revealed a large amount of benzodiazepines in his system at the time of his death. The medication was unidentified, but ruled to be either pain medicine or muscle relaxants. it was Sheriff Meyer's opinion that whoever killed him wanted to ensure Luke was severely impaired before he went into the water.

After the police examined the Chambers cabin, they found a stray bullet lodged in one of the walls. They concluded that Luke had been killed, or at least attacked, at the cabin. The ballistics report confirmed that the gun was registered to Steve Chambers and there were three sets of fingerprints on the gun - Luke's, Isabella's, and Megan's. The girls fingerprints were easily explained away by the trio having used the gun at Luke's sleepover party in the Summer of 1999.

However, Sheriff Myer uncovered Megan's fingerprints on the note Luke left for his father the night he allegedly "ran away". He also knew that Megan didn't drop Luke off at home the next morning as she always claimed. Things got worse for Megan when Myer learned she was pregnant last Winter.

## Notes and Trivia

* Luke's death was revealed at the end of the Season 2 premiere, after his body was found in the lake by a fisherman.
* In the finale, it is revealed that Brent and Luke got into an argument on January 1, 2000, and Brent pushed Luke where Luke hit his head on a metal ladder before he fell into the water. Brent assumed he had killed Luke, unaware that his brother surfaced and was found by Isabella. She held his head underwater then kicked his lifeless body into the river.

## References

1. ↑ Luke uses this alias for his fake ID in 2.04 - "Springing a Leak".
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 As seen in his official obituary.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 2.01 - "Welcome to Chatham"
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 2.02 - "Ride or Die"
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 2.03 - "Bloody Knuckles"
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 2.04 - "Springing a Leak"