This is my interpretation of what happened leading up to Scott being
taken to Mt. Horizon, and the decision he made that caused him to NOT go to
Horizon.
Scott Barringer smoothly flew in the driveway of his house, parked under the fancy portico and left the car running, knowing their butler, Ian, would park it in his garage behind the house. He walked in and threw down his backpack and gym bag in the main hallway of his house. He wiped the sweat off his face and made his way into the kitchen. Their cook, Serena, was already preparing dinner. It smelled good, but Scott wasn't about to tell Serena that. He opened the fridge door and got out the carton of milk, poured himself a glass, and grabbed some cookies before heading upstairs to his room. He called it the "West Wing," like in Beauty and the Beast, because the Beast had forbidden Belle to enter there, and he forbid his father or wicked stepmother, Elaine, to enter there. Elaine never paid attention though. She did what she wanted. Just thinking about her or hearing the name, made him cringe and turn red with embarrassment. He would never tell anybody. He entered his section of the house and closed the door to his room, shoving his desk chair against the handle. He turned on his music as loud as he could stand, opened his window, and brought out the small bag of cocaine and the joints he had bought at school that day. He thought it was very clever of his friend, Mark, to bring it the day after the drug dogs searched the school. Checking the grounds to make sure none of the yard workers were out there, nor his father, he lit up, sitting in his window and getting high off his ass. Practice was especially bad today, worse than ever. He and Mark missed so many passes, and Mark even passed out. Coach made him run a mile around the track, but that was nothing. Scott could run a mile in 5 minutes. He was afraid coach would take him off the team or bench him the next game, the biggest game of the year, against their biggest rival, which was the following day. He knew he should quit, but he didn't want to. It was the only way he could get away from the shit that happened at home.
Off in the distance, he saw a figure in white coming closer. It was his father, probably on his way back from playing golf on their practice range. He put out the joint and hid it under the sole of his shoe, then hid the rest of the stuff in his closet. He plugged in his air freshener and waved his arms around his window, trying to get rid of the smell. Then he stuffed his shirt in the bottom of the laundry basket and threw on another t-shirt and jumped on his bed.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
"Go away," he mumbled.
"Scott, how many times do I have to tell you? Don't leave your things on the floor." It was his father, probably had the bags with him.
"Then why do we have maids?"
"Scott, just because we have hired help doesn't mean you can leave your things everywhere."
"Isn't that what we pay them for? To clean up after us?"
"You need to be respectful of people besides yourself."
"Tell that to your wife."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Tell her to stop bothering me, talking to me, or even looking at me."
"I'm too tired to get into this with you, Scott. Your bags are by your door. This is the last time I'm bringing them up for you. Dinner is in an hour, please look nice."
"That's what you say every time." Scott rolled out of bed and got his bags, replacing the chair when he closed the door. He went into his bathroom and took a hot shower, despite the fact that he had a hard workout and was sweltering out. He wished everything would just wash off his body as easily as sweat. He got out of the shower and threw a towel around his waist. A few seconds later, the bathroom door opened.
"Scotty?" Elaine walked in. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were in here."
"Right. And the closed door just means I'm brushing my hair," Scott said through clenched teeth.
"You look so cute when you do that," she said, reaching her hand towards the towel. He smacked it away as hard as he could. "Scotty!" she reached to touch his face but he grabbed her wrist.
"Don't touch me. Don't ever touch me again!" he threw her hand away from him, grabbed her by the shoulders, and forced her out of the bathroom. His face was flaming with mixed embarrassment, hatred, and anger. He splashed cold water on his face and took a few deep breaths. Then he got ready for dinner.
He made his way downstairs and sat down at his seat, not looking at Elaine or his father. He didn't speak to anyone during dinner, he just wanted to get out of the room, out of the house, as far away from Elaine as possible. He excused himself, changed into more casual clothes, and went over to Mark's house. His parents were forever away on business trips, and tonight was no exception. They locked the doors, turned on the music, and brought out the cocaine.
Scott took the first, then Mark, and then Scott took the next two. "Whoa, man, Scott! Slow down, there's plenty more where this came from, we don't need to go through it all tonight. You okay, man?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, just need to get away," Scott said, feeling the affects already.
"Everything's going okay?"
"Yeah, its all fine. I hate being home."
"I agree, man, I hate being home too."
"You know, we really sucked at practice this afternoon."
"No kidding. Maybe we should quit doing this shit, huh?" Mark said, grinning.
"Ha! No way. It's the only way to get away."
"Well we gotta be careful, James got shipped off to military school when they found out what he was doing."
"We won't get caught. Lets stop talking about stuff."
Mark agreed, and they let the drugs go to their head until they were laughing at anything and everything. Before midnight Scott finally decided to head home. Thankfully, his father was asleep and he snuck up to his room unnoticed.
He climbed into bed and fell right asleep, only to be awakened about an hour later by Elaine.
"Scotty? Scotty, are you awake?" she whispered, walking in. Scott didn't move a muscle. "Scotty, you came in late tonight, I didn't get to give you a kiss goodnight." He could feel her coming toward his bed. "Scotty, I know you're awake." She sat down on the bed next to him. He finally looked over at her. She smiled her disgusting smile down at him and kissed his forehead. He tried to wave her away, but she grabbed his hand and pushed him back to the bed. She lifted her nightgown over her head and dropped it on the ground next to the bed. Scott squeezed his eyes shut.
"Come on Scotty, I know you want to see, to touch."
"No, no I don't!"
"Yes you do, Scott. You can't stop looking at me."
"That's not true!"
"It is, Scott!"
"Whatever."
For some reason, she took that to be a yes. She began to pull down Scott's boxers. Scott tried to fight it, but gave up when they reached his ankles.
"My father's going to find out!" he whispered.
"You say that every time, Scotty, but it never happens," she said as she straddled him. She pushed down on him and began rocking back and forth, and kissing Scott's face, lips, and chest. "Tell me you love me, Scotty!" Scott just lay there, silent, waiting for it to be over. Finally, she collapsed on top of him, the slowly pulled herself up. She kissed his cheek softly, slipped on her nightgown, and went into his bathroom. A few minutes later she left. The second the door closed Scott leapt out of bed and took another scalding hot shower. Then he stripped his bed and dumped it on the floor and remade the bed. He put the chair against the door, wrote what Elaine wanted to hear, sealed it in an envelope, then tried to fall asleep, his body shaking with guilt, fear, and embarrassment.
The next morning the first thing that went through Scott's mind was the memory of the night before. He tried to shake it away and took another hot shower.
When he got to school he couldn't look at anyone and couldn't concentrate on his schoolwork, and he had to force himself to focus during football practice. Finally, school was over and he went home with Mark where they locked themselves into his room again. When they emerged again, the sky was overcast and threatening to rain. They took off to the school and got there a few minutes late. Their coach yelled at them for what seemed like ten minutes and reminded them it was the biggest game of the year and threatened to bench them during the game. Scott knew he wouldn't. Mark was the fastest runner on the team and Scott was the star quarterback. Finally the coach let them go warm up. When they entered the field, it was raining. They started to play anyway.
From the start, the game was horrible. Scott had played in rain before and thought he played well, but he never played in the rain, high, or night after an encounter with Elaine. The ball was a blurry dot that always seemed to be on one side or the other instead of straight at him. He missed nearly all his passes. He even ran the wrong way. The rain didn't help, it impaired his vision. The game was finally over, and they lost - 7 to 61. His teammates wouldn't look at him, his couch didn't speak to him, just gave him this look that made him hang his head in shame. Mark was the only one who tried to cheer him up.
"No more 'get togethers' before a game, huh?" Mark joked. Scott didn't answer, just threw his dirty, wet clothes in the locker. "Cheer up, man, everyone has a bad game, this one was yours. You'll do better next time."
"No, he won't, there won't be a next time," Coach James said, walking up behind them.
"What? Coach, please, keep me on the team. It was just tonight, I promise," Scott pleaded.
"Scott, your performance has been going downhill the past few weeks. I can't risk you screwing up again. This was our biggest game, Scott. You knew that. You let the team down Scott. You let me down. I can't let you play anymore. Get acquainted with the bench Monday, after you do warm-ups double. Mark, I've seen better performances but considering you don't do too well in rain, and you managed to score one touchdown and tried your hardest, I'll let that slide. Goodnight boys, get home. No celebrating tonight."
Scott and Mark looked at each other in defeat. Mark punched Scott's arm in his own comforting way, then left to join his family. Scott followed them out and drove home. When he got there, his father and Elaine were waiting in the living room.
"Scott Anthony Barringer! What the hell were you thinking?" his father roared.
"I couldn't see in the rain, I'm sorry."
"Oh you couldn't see in the rain, huh? Or was it because of this?" His father whipped out the bag he had carelessly thrown in his closet.
"I didn't use that."
"Oh, right, I'm sure you didn't. Or did you use someone else's?"
Scott didn't answer. His dad grabbed his shoulders. "Did you?"
"Yes."
"I can't hear you."
"Yes!"
"Yes what?"
"Yes I used someone else's! You happy?"
"No, Scott, I'm far, far from happy. I'm not angry, I'm not enraged, I'm much more than that. You are to go to your room, Elaine will go with you -"
"No, not her! Anyone but her!"
"Scott, calm down. Fine, Jerry will watch you. You will not move from your room except to go to the bathroom until tomorrow night. I can't express how disappointed I am in you, Scott. Now, I have a few phone calls to make." He started to turn away, and something flashed in Scott's head.
"Dad, wait - who are you calling?"
"Its none of your business. Go to your room."
Jerry appeared out of nowhere, grabbed Scott by the shoulder, and hauled him up to his room. Jerry was their yardman and close friend to Scott's father. He wouldn't bend, Scott knew it. Jerry threw him on the bed and pulled up a chair.
"Scott, why did you do it?" he asked softly.
"Huh?"
"You heard me."
"I dunno."
"That's not the answer I'm looking for."
"Everyone is doing it. That good enough?"
"Scott, I'm going to cut you a deal, but you have to tell me the truth, okay?"
"What kind of deal?"
"Tell me the truth first."
***This is the decision he made which changed his life = no Horizon***
"Okay. There's not much to the story, I'll tell you that first. Mark and I met last year, my freshman year. We were the only freshmen on Varsity so of course we hung out and got to be friends. He introduced me to this guy Sean. Sean sold drugs. One day Mark bought some. I didn't do anything until after Christmas. Mark let me try a joint and I liked the feeling it gave me, that I could get away from everything. I got hooked. Then Mark and I tried coke, and it was just as addictive. We took some shots before the game tonight. That's why I did so badly. And." Scott trailed off, not ready to tell anyone about Elaine.
"And what?"
"How do I know I'll like this deal your planning for me?"
"Trust me, Scott."
"I hope your ready for this, Jerry."
"I'm ready for anything."
"Elaine.she." Scott had been ready to spill only moments before, but now he couldn't get the words out. He felt choked up, and tears clouded his eyes. Jerry seemed to understand. "Elaine comes into my room at night. Not every night, but she comes in, and she forces me to."
"Are you telling the truth Scott?" Jerry asked.
"Yes. Why would I make that up? I didn't hate her until she started doing this to me! Why do you think I started with drugs? There wasn't any other way for me to get away from it all!"
"Scott, calm down. Do you want to hear my side of the deal?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. I know where your mother lives. I know what your dad is planning for you."
"You know where my mother lives? What is my dad planning for me?"
"Your father is going to send you to a special school. A special school where you will be away from everything, with people who are dealing with similar or the same situation that you are in. This school will help you get your life back on track. You will live there and do what they tell you to do. These schools are also called wilderness schools. You'll be in the middle of nowhere, forced to run around with backpacks, hiking, and making friends with people you may not want to be friends with."
"Great, just great. How am I going to get out of this one?"
"That's the thing. I know where your mother is. Pack your bags, I'll call the airport and get you a flight for early tomorrow morning. I'll call your mom to wait at the airport for you, and boom, your free."
"Are you for real?"
"I always am. Get packing. I'll make the calls. I'll use your phone, and you can talk to you mom so you'll know I'm not lying."
Scott leapt off the bed and dragged out his suitcases. He threw in all his clothes and personal belongings. He found his shoe with the joint and flushed it down the toilet. If was going to get a second chance, he might as well start now. Jerry smiled at him from the phone and Scott listened as he confirmed a flight to Florida. Then he got on the phone and called his mom. Scott waited on the edge of his bed, filling with excitement when Jerry handed him the phone.
"Mom?"
"Scotty! Its so good to hear your voice!" the woman's voice on the other end was unmistakably his mother.
"Mom!"
"Scott, what's going on? Why are you flying here?"
"I don't have time to explain it to you right now, I will when I get there. I love you, Mom, I can't wait to see you."
"Baby, I can't wait to see you either. Your flight gets in at 8, I'll see you then." She left her cell phone with him to call her when his flight took off. Jerry spoke with her for a few more minutes, then hung up.
"Scott, hide your suitcases under your bed. While you shower I'm going to have Emily bring up a cot for me to sleep on tonight. After everyone is asleep tonight, and you are too, I'll hide your suitcases in my car. Then, at about 3am we'll leave - your flight leaves at 5:30."
All Scott could do was smile and follow Jerry's instructions. He cleaned up but couldn't fall asleep, he was too nervous. Finally, 3am came, and he and Jerry snuck out the fire escape-type exit at his end of the house. Jerry drove about two miles an hour until they reached the end of the drive. Scott was able to fall asleep briefly on the ride to the airport. Jerry got his bags out then hugged Scott, handing him a wad of bills.
"I know you have money on you, but this is my, uh, condolence money for you."
"Jerry, I owe you everything. But isn't this illegal? Breaking me out of the house?"
"Probably, but you are going to another direct family member, so I'm sure you can work things out, and you are nearly an adult. Don't worry about it, we'll figure something out. Good luck Scott. We'll keep in touch, okay?"
"Thanks, Jerry. A lot. Tell my dad I'm sorry, and that Elaine can go to hell. Tell him about Elaine for me too."
"Will do, man. Safe flight."
Scott turned and went in the airport, checked his bags, and waited as the time slowly ticked away until his flight arrived. He boarded and held his breath, not exhaling until the plane was in the air. He couldn't help but grin. His life was about to change. He would live with his mother, with someone who actually cared about him and would believe his accusations against Elaine. With this in mind, he was able to fall asleep, and woke up when the plane landed.
He went down to the baggage claim, and was nearly tackled by a woman with sandy blonde hair that matched his. His mother swept him up in a huge hug and didn't let him go for five minutes. She kissed his forehead, "I'm so glad to see you, honey. I hate to think of what caused you to run away in the middle of the night. Once we get home, I'll call your father and let him know where you are, and that you are staying with me. Oh, I'm just so glad you're here!" She was crying now.
"Me, too, Mom." Scott smiled and kissed her back.
She smiled at him, took his hand, gathered his bags, and took him to his new home and second chance at life.
That's it, please review. Hopefully I'll have the others' stories up soon.
Scott Barringer smoothly flew in the driveway of his house, parked under the fancy portico and left the car running, knowing their butler, Ian, would park it in his garage behind the house. He walked in and threw down his backpack and gym bag in the main hallway of his house. He wiped the sweat off his face and made his way into the kitchen. Their cook, Serena, was already preparing dinner. It smelled good, but Scott wasn't about to tell Serena that. He opened the fridge door and got out the carton of milk, poured himself a glass, and grabbed some cookies before heading upstairs to his room. He called it the "West Wing," like in Beauty and the Beast, because the Beast had forbidden Belle to enter there, and he forbid his father or wicked stepmother, Elaine, to enter there. Elaine never paid attention though. She did what she wanted. Just thinking about her or hearing the name, made him cringe and turn red with embarrassment. He would never tell anybody. He entered his section of the house and closed the door to his room, shoving his desk chair against the handle. He turned on his music as loud as he could stand, opened his window, and brought out the small bag of cocaine and the joints he had bought at school that day. He thought it was very clever of his friend, Mark, to bring it the day after the drug dogs searched the school. Checking the grounds to make sure none of the yard workers were out there, nor his father, he lit up, sitting in his window and getting high off his ass. Practice was especially bad today, worse than ever. He and Mark missed so many passes, and Mark even passed out. Coach made him run a mile around the track, but that was nothing. Scott could run a mile in 5 minutes. He was afraid coach would take him off the team or bench him the next game, the biggest game of the year, against their biggest rival, which was the following day. He knew he should quit, but he didn't want to. It was the only way he could get away from the shit that happened at home.
Off in the distance, he saw a figure in white coming closer. It was his father, probably on his way back from playing golf on their practice range. He put out the joint and hid it under the sole of his shoe, then hid the rest of the stuff in his closet. He plugged in his air freshener and waved his arms around his window, trying to get rid of the smell. Then he stuffed his shirt in the bottom of the laundry basket and threw on another t-shirt and jumped on his bed.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
"Go away," he mumbled.
"Scott, how many times do I have to tell you? Don't leave your things on the floor." It was his father, probably had the bags with him.
"Then why do we have maids?"
"Scott, just because we have hired help doesn't mean you can leave your things everywhere."
"Isn't that what we pay them for? To clean up after us?"
"You need to be respectful of people besides yourself."
"Tell that to your wife."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Tell her to stop bothering me, talking to me, or even looking at me."
"I'm too tired to get into this with you, Scott. Your bags are by your door. This is the last time I'm bringing them up for you. Dinner is in an hour, please look nice."
"That's what you say every time." Scott rolled out of bed and got his bags, replacing the chair when he closed the door. He went into his bathroom and took a hot shower, despite the fact that he had a hard workout and was sweltering out. He wished everything would just wash off his body as easily as sweat. He got out of the shower and threw a towel around his waist. A few seconds later, the bathroom door opened.
"Scotty?" Elaine walked in. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were in here."
"Right. And the closed door just means I'm brushing my hair," Scott said through clenched teeth.
"You look so cute when you do that," she said, reaching her hand towards the towel. He smacked it away as hard as he could. "Scotty!" she reached to touch his face but he grabbed her wrist.
"Don't touch me. Don't ever touch me again!" he threw her hand away from him, grabbed her by the shoulders, and forced her out of the bathroom. His face was flaming with mixed embarrassment, hatred, and anger. He splashed cold water on his face and took a few deep breaths. Then he got ready for dinner.
He made his way downstairs and sat down at his seat, not looking at Elaine or his father. He didn't speak to anyone during dinner, he just wanted to get out of the room, out of the house, as far away from Elaine as possible. He excused himself, changed into more casual clothes, and went over to Mark's house. His parents were forever away on business trips, and tonight was no exception. They locked the doors, turned on the music, and brought out the cocaine.
Scott took the first, then Mark, and then Scott took the next two. "Whoa, man, Scott! Slow down, there's plenty more where this came from, we don't need to go through it all tonight. You okay, man?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, just need to get away," Scott said, feeling the affects already.
"Everything's going okay?"
"Yeah, its all fine. I hate being home."
"I agree, man, I hate being home too."
"You know, we really sucked at practice this afternoon."
"No kidding. Maybe we should quit doing this shit, huh?" Mark said, grinning.
"Ha! No way. It's the only way to get away."
"Well we gotta be careful, James got shipped off to military school when they found out what he was doing."
"We won't get caught. Lets stop talking about stuff."
Mark agreed, and they let the drugs go to their head until they were laughing at anything and everything. Before midnight Scott finally decided to head home. Thankfully, his father was asleep and he snuck up to his room unnoticed.
He climbed into bed and fell right asleep, only to be awakened about an hour later by Elaine.
"Scotty? Scotty, are you awake?" she whispered, walking in. Scott didn't move a muscle. "Scotty, you came in late tonight, I didn't get to give you a kiss goodnight." He could feel her coming toward his bed. "Scotty, I know you're awake." She sat down on the bed next to him. He finally looked over at her. She smiled her disgusting smile down at him and kissed his forehead. He tried to wave her away, but she grabbed his hand and pushed him back to the bed. She lifted her nightgown over her head and dropped it on the ground next to the bed. Scott squeezed his eyes shut.
"Come on Scotty, I know you want to see, to touch."
"No, no I don't!"
"Yes you do, Scott. You can't stop looking at me."
"That's not true!"
"It is, Scott!"
"Whatever."
For some reason, she took that to be a yes. She began to pull down Scott's boxers. Scott tried to fight it, but gave up when they reached his ankles.
"My father's going to find out!" he whispered.
"You say that every time, Scotty, but it never happens," she said as she straddled him. She pushed down on him and began rocking back and forth, and kissing Scott's face, lips, and chest. "Tell me you love me, Scotty!" Scott just lay there, silent, waiting for it to be over. Finally, she collapsed on top of him, the slowly pulled herself up. She kissed his cheek softly, slipped on her nightgown, and went into his bathroom. A few minutes later she left. The second the door closed Scott leapt out of bed and took another scalding hot shower. Then he stripped his bed and dumped it on the floor and remade the bed. He put the chair against the door, wrote what Elaine wanted to hear, sealed it in an envelope, then tried to fall asleep, his body shaking with guilt, fear, and embarrassment.
The next morning the first thing that went through Scott's mind was the memory of the night before. He tried to shake it away and took another hot shower.
When he got to school he couldn't look at anyone and couldn't concentrate on his schoolwork, and he had to force himself to focus during football practice. Finally, school was over and he went home with Mark where they locked themselves into his room again. When they emerged again, the sky was overcast and threatening to rain. They took off to the school and got there a few minutes late. Their coach yelled at them for what seemed like ten minutes and reminded them it was the biggest game of the year and threatened to bench them during the game. Scott knew he wouldn't. Mark was the fastest runner on the team and Scott was the star quarterback. Finally the coach let them go warm up. When they entered the field, it was raining. They started to play anyway.
From the start, the game was horrible. Scott had played in rain before and thought he played well, but he never played in the rain, high, or night after an encounter with Elaine. The ball was a blurry dot that always seemed to be on one side or the other instead of straight at him. He missed nearly all his passes. He even ran the wrong way. The rain didn't help, it impaired his vision. The game was finally over, and they lost - 7 to 61. His teammates wouldn't look at him, his couch didn't speak to him, just gave him this look that made him hang his head in shame. Mark was the only one who tried to cheer him up.
"No more 'get togethers' before a game, huh?" Mark joked. Scott didn't answer, just threw his dirty, wet clothes in the locker. "Cheer up, man, everyone has a bad game, this one was yours. You'll do better next time."
"No, he won't, there won't be a next time," Coach James said, walking up behind them.
"What? Coach, please, keep me on the team. It was just tonight, I promise," Scott pleaded.
"Scott, your performance has been going downhill the past few weeks. I can't risk you screwing up again. This was our biggest game, Scott. You knew that. You let the team down Scott. You let me down. I can't let you play anymore. Get acquainted with the bench Monday, after you do warm-ups double. Mark, I've seen better performances but considering you don't do too well in rain, and you managed to score one touchdown and tried your hardest, I'll let that slide. Goodnight boys, get home. No celebrating tonight."
Scott and Mark looked at each other in defeat. Mark punched Scott's arm in his own comforting way, then left to join his family. Scott followed them out and drove home. When he got there, his father and Elaine were waiting in the living room.
"Scott Anthony Barringer! What the hell were you thinking?" his father roared.
"I couldn't see in the rain, I'm sorry."
"Oh you couldn't see in the rain, huh? Or was it because of this?" His father whipped out the bag he had carelessly thrown in his closet.
"I didn't use that."
"Oh, right, I'm sure you didn't. Or did you use someone else's?"
Scott didn't answer. His dad grabbed his shoulders. "Did you?"
"Yes."
"I can't hear you."
"Yes!"
"Yes what?"
"Yes I used someone else's! You happy?"
"No, Scott, I'm far, far from happy. I'm not angry, I'm not enraged, I'm much more than that. You are to go to your room, Elaine will go with you -"
"No, not her! Anyone but her!"
"Scott, calm down. Fine, Jerry will watch you. You will not move from your room except to go to the bathroom until tomorrow night. I can't express how disappointed I am in you, Scott. Now, I have a few phone calls to make." He started to turn away, and something flashed in Scott's head.
"Dad, wait - who are you calling?"
"Its none of your business. Go to your room."
Jerry appeared out of nowhere, grabbed Scott by the shoulder, and hauled him up to his room. Jerry was their yardman and close friend to Scott's father. He wouldn't bend, Scott knew it. Jerry threw him on the bed and pulled up a chair.
"Scott, why did you do it?" he asked softly.
"Huh?"
"You heard me."
"I dunno."
"That's not the answer I'm looking for."
"Everyone is doing it. That good enough?"
"Scott, I'm going to cut you a deal, but you have to tell me the truth, okay?"
"What kind of deal?"
"Tell me the truth first."
***This is the decision he made which changed his life = no Horizon***
"Okay. There's not much to the story, I'll tell you that first. Mark and I met last year, my freshman year. We were the only freshmen on Varsity so of course we hung out and got to be friends. He introduced me to this guy Sean. Sean sold drugs. One day Mark bought some. I didn't do anything until after Christmas. Mark let me try a joint and I liked the feeling it gave me, that I could get away from everything. I got hooked. Then Mark and I tried coke, and it was just as addictive. We took some shots before the game tonight. That's why I did so badly. And." Scott trailed off, not ready to tell anyone about Elaine.
"And what?"
"How do I know I'll like this deal your planning for me?"
"Trust me, Scott."
"I hope your ready for this, Jerry."
"I'm ready for anything."
"Elaine.she." Scott had been ready to spill only moments before, but now he couldn't get the words out. He felt choked up, and tears clouded his eyes. Jerry seemed to understand. "Elaine comes into my room at night. Not every night, but she comes in, and she forces me to."
"Are you telling the truth Scott?" Jerry asked.
"Yes. Why would I make that up? I didn't hate her until she started doing this to me! Why do you think I started with drugs? There wasn't any other way for me to get away from it all!"
"Scott, calm down. Do you want to hear my side of the deal?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. I know where your mother lives. I know what your dad is planning for you."
"You know where my mother lives? What is my dad planning for me?"
"Your father is going to send you to a special school. A special school where you will be away from everything, with people who are dealing with similar or the same situation that you are in. This school will help you get your life back on track. You will live there and do what they tell you to do. These schools are also called wilderness schools. You'll be in the middle of nowhere, forced to run around with backpacks, hiking, and making friends with people you may not want to be friends with."
"Great, just great. How am I going to get out of this one?"
"That's the thing. I know where your mother is. Pack your bags, I'll call the airport and get you a flight for early tomorrow morning. I'll call your mom to wait at the airport for you, and boom, your free."
"Are you for real?"
"I always am. Get packing. I'll make the calls. I'll use your phone, and you can talk to you mom so you'll know I'm not lying."
Scott leapt off the bed and dragged out his suitcases. He threw in all his clothes and personal belongings. He found his shoe with the joint and flushed it down the toilet. If was going to get a second chance, he might as well start now. Jerry smiled at him from the phone and Scott listened as he confirmed a flight to Florida. Then he got on the phone and called his mom. Scott waited on the edge of his bed, filling with excitement when Jerry handed him the phone.
"Mom?"
"Scotty! Its so good to hear your voice!" the woman's voice on the other end was unmistakably his mother.
"Mom!"
"Scott, what's going on? Why are you flying here?"
"I don't have time to explain it to you right now, I will when I get there. I love you, Mom, I can't wait to see you."
"Baby, I can't wait to see you either. Your flight gets in at 8, I'll see you then." She left her cell phone with him to call her when his flight took off. Jerry spoke with her for a few more minutes, then hung up.
"Scott, hide your suitcases under your bed. While you shower I'm going to have Emily bring up a cot for me to sleep on tonight. After everyone is asleep tonight, and you are too, I'll hide your suitcases in my car. Then, at about 3am we'll leave - your flight leaves at 5:30."
All Scott could do was smile and follow Jerry's instructions. He cleaned up but couldn't fall asleep, he was too nervous. Finally, 3am came, and he and Jerry snuck out the fire escape-type exit at his end of the house. Jerry drove about two miles an hour until they reached the end of the drive. Scott was able to fall asleep briefly on the ride to the airport. Jerry got his bags out then hugged Scott, handing him a wad of bills.
"I know you have money on you, but this is my, uh, condolence money for you."
"Jerry, I owe you everything. But isn't this illegal? Breaking me out of the house?"
"Probably, but you are going to another direct family member, so I'm sure you can work things out, and you are nearly an adult. Don't worry about it, we'll figure something out. Good luck Scott. We'll keep in touch, okay?"
"Thanks, Jerry. A lot. Tell my dad I'm sorry, and that Elaine can go to hell. Tell him about Elaine for me too."
"Will do, man. Safe flight."
Scott turned and went in the airport, checked his bags, and waited as the time slowly ticked away until his flight arrived. He boarded and held his breath, not exhaling until the plane was in the air. He couldn't help but grin. His life was about to change. He would live with his mother, with someone who actually cared about him and would believe his accusations against Elaine. With this in mind, he was able to fall asleep, and woke up when the plane landed.
He went down to the baggage claim, and was nearly tackled by a woman with sandy blonde hair that matched his. His mother swept him up in a huge hug and didn't let him go for five minutes. She kissed his forehead, "I'm so glad to see you, honey. I hate to think of what caused you to run away in the middle of the night. Once we get home, I'll call your father and let him know where you are, and that you are staying with me. Oh, I'm just so glad you're here!" She was crying now.
"Me, too, Mom." Scott smiled and kissed her back.
She smiled at him, took his hand, gathered his bags, and took him to his new home and second chance at life.
That's it, please review. Hopefully I'll have the others' stories up soon.
