Chapter One- Welcome Back
Gripping on tight to the rope, he hastily pulled it towards his upper body so that the sails turned to his desired direction, letting out a slight grunt as he began to feel the pain from his constant use of his muscles that he had developed over the course of the weeks, there was only a smile that was painted upon his face as he couldn't help but see the beauty of what life felt like out on the open seas on a sailboat. Given that his last experience on a boat ended in a death of a friend, Lucas felt that now more than ever he was closer to his friend and that he embraced with everything in him. Summer classes were a breeze for him, so it allowed him to have a lot of free time and in that free time he used the Smith last name to his advantage to take one of the family sail boats out and then the rest from there was history as far as how his summer was going. Steadying the boat so that he could just enjoy the scenery of Winthrop, relieving himself of his shirt, Lucas was just about to dive into the water before his cell phone began to ring. Learning to screen his calls before answering, he wanted to avoid any contact with Hanna as much as possible. Glad to see that it was a familiar person, he happily answered his phone.
"It is beautiful out here!" Lucas yelled out in excitement as he answered the phone
"Explains where you are. Do you plan on ever coming back in so we can finish up the details on Il Futuro for its big release?" Mr. Smith laughed at the young boys enthusiasm
"Nah, I figured you could handle it. I can just stay out here and come back for my millions later" Lucas joked
"Not so fast, don't start thinking about money because once you start working for money then it goes down hill from there" Mr. Smith scolded him
"I know, I know. I was joking, you know I can do that now these days. What more do I need to do?" Lucas asked
"How about signing off on your copyright so that no one can steal your idea, then sign off on the university to be the first to have rights to use the software" Mr. Smith listed "That's a few starting points" he told him
"Business. Business. Business. You've got to get your dating life going someway or another because I'm starting to feel like your main chick" Lucas laughed
"Oh, well you mean like your current dating life. I believe Jessica, Amanda, Georgie, and some other girl who's name I can't pronounce has called for you. Glad to see that your missing Hanna much" Mr. Smith said
"I'm not committed to her anymore, so there are no limitations. Besides I am not interested in anyone at the moment, all I care about is school and the open seas" Lucas said "Though it is fun to be chased after" he laughed
"I bet it is" Mr. Smith smiled "So you missin' home yet?" he asked
"At the moment, no. The past couple of weeks, no" Lucas replied "Don't worry, I want to be here" he assured his mentor
"There's a lot of opportunities here for you, and I just want you to take full advantage of them" Mr. Smith said
"I know, which is why I love the fact that I know the Smith family very well" Lucas laughed
"That's what I'm afraid of" Mr. Smith laughed "Try not to bang up the boat, but hurry up and get in, I can only hold off for some time" he said
"All right, thank you" Lucas smiled before he ended the phone call. Taking in a deep breath, Lucas once again felt at ease to be in the stillness once again to where he felt comfortable to breath without the heart ache hurting him
Looking down at her phone, Hanna contemplated over and over in her head on whether or not to call him. She had imagined the conversation they would have, and it always started off good, they would tell each other how much they loved each other and how they were both stupid in their relationship, but most of all how much they loved each other was what mattered the most between them. Of course with the good there also came the bad, where for a split moment she got caught up in the joy of hearing his voice to where she wanted to tell him everything and she had accidentally told him about her tryst with Noel. Immediately she began to protest how it meant nothing to her and that it'll never happen again, but all she could hear was his disappointment in his tone and overall how she hurt him deeply that they could no longer be together and that he couldn't even stomach to look at her, before she was overcome with tears she was glad to know that it was only just her imagination getting the best of her, but deep down she knew that would be a basic synopsis of how it really would go in real life. Coming over to the open doorway, Hanna's mother looked in on the young woman sitting on her bed staring down at her phone.
"Are you expecting the phone to morph into something?" Hanna's mother laughed as Hanna looked over at her
"I wish it would morph into a plane so it can get us out of Rosewood" Hanna sighed as her mother took a seat on the edge of her bed next to her daughter
"And where exactly would we go on this plane?" Hanna's mother asked
"Somewhere with warm weather. Has to have a great shopping outlet, with affordable prices. A hotel with unlimited spa treatment for free. The biggest thing it would have to contain is that it would reject any possible plea from dad to come visit" Hanna described as her mother just looked at her
"When are you going to stop punishing your father?" Hanna's mother asked
"Uh…when he realizes that you can't just disband a family and then start another one" Hanna quickly replied
"I thought I divorced him, not you?" Hanna's mother asked
"Yeah, well, when he left it felt like he divorced the both of us. I don't get it, why do you allow him so many chances after what he's done?" Hanna asked
"I don't allow him anything because he's not husband, but he is your father. No matter how much I detest the man, I would never get in the way of him wanting to have a relationship with you because I know he loves you" Hanna's mother said
"Oh, you mean the same love that knew I had an eating disorder but just never said anything about it because secretly he thought it was best for me or the love that wanted me homeless? Excuse me if I'm having trouble finding the love" Hanna said
"Watch it, I'm still the adult here" Hanna's mother said scolding her for her tone "Look, I know your upset and you have every right to be. He is your father, he's the only one you have. I can take care of myself, I'm a big girl, I don't need my daughter to fight my battles, I protect you not the other way around, so lets get that clear right now. Hanna, your growing up so fast and you have your whole life ahead of you but don't think for one second that you don't need family because sometimes family is all you have in this world. Your father isn't perfect, he has messed up but he still loves you and wants to be in your life, and I strongly encourage you to take advantage of that before its too late, and trust me, there are no guarantees when it comes to life" she told her
"So what am I suppose to do? Just pretend like everything is fine and go hang out with his new family?" Hanna asked
"That could be a start" Hanna's mother quickly replied
"Are you serious? I can't stand Kate" Hanna replied
"Well here's your chance to learn something about her so you can stand her" Hanna's mother said
"Here's my chance, what are you talking about?" Hanna asked
"Your father called a little while ago, and he wanted to know if you would be able to come over for dinner tonight. I tried calling you from downstairs but I guess you were getting ready, so I told him you would" Hanna's mother said before she began to freak out
"You had no right!" Hanna replied
"I think I did, I believe I own you until your eighteen" Hanna's mother replied
"Own me? Why would you do that?" Hanna asked
"Because we can't just live on the same block and ignore him, you have to start making an effort" Hanna's mother said
"I have to start making the effort. Why can't we do something just the two of us instead of trying to morph me into his robotic stepdaughter?" Hanna asked
"If you need to be reset, then I'll be happy to oblige, but until then, your having dinner at your father's house this weekend" Hanna's mother replied "And if you try anything to get out of it, you'll feel my wrath" she said before she left the room
Shaking his sugar packet up so that all the particles would group up in one place for one good pour into his coffee, Alton couldn't wait to gulp down his drink in hopes that it would awaken him from his slumber as he hadn't gotten use to waking up so early to head to school since being out on summer vacation. Joining Alton at his table in the coffee shop, Spencer couldn't help but laugh at his approach to the first day of school. Since Lucas was gone away at Winthrop, she thought it was funny that Alton had annoyed her full time as opposed to part time like he used to, but a part of her enjoyed the company since she was free at the moment. Sitting in silence for a few moments as he just sipped on his coffee and looked over his class schedule, Alton did his best to remain awake but found his eye lids getting heavier with each second that passed. Feeling a vibration against his leg, he pulled his cell phone out to see that he had got a text from Jake, who wanted to meet up later in the day.
"Was that your phone?" Spencer asked
"Yeah, it was from a friend" Alton said tiredly as he began to massage his head
"Why do you look so hungover?" Spencer asked
"Why are you asking so many questions?" Alton asked her "Its like one after the other with you, this morning it was like blah blah blah blah blah blah blah question" he joked but still couldn't shake his tiredness
"And there's the jackass in you" Spencer said "You forget I know that Lucas has left his sidekick behind, so there is no real reason for us to even talk anymore" she said
"Oh, but there is. You see you happen to like me" Alton teased her
"Like you? I think not" Spencer laughed
"Deny it all you want, but you do enjoy my company, I know you do" Alton said
"Okay, that's company but I don't like you. Your far from my type" Spencer said
"As are you" Alton replied
"Your type is breathing, my type has far more hoops to jump through than yours" Spencer said
"And while they get caught on fire from those burning hoops, they soon begin to realize that your just not worth it" Alton said "Is that what happened to Alex?" he asked realizing that the joke wasn't quite so funny to her, in fact it was hurtful towards her
"You know, we can have the banter and try to knock each other down a peg or two, but when you really are an ass, that's far from charming" Spencer replied angrily
"I'm sorry. I went to far, blame it on the alcohol. Look Spencer, you're a great girl and any guy would be lucky to be with you, you just have to stop putting up these hoops and walls or whatever you think it necessary to shield yourself off. School, is school, your insanely dumb to think that you can schedule time to just enjoy your senior year, so please this year, take a new approach and enjoy the last year that you'll have to get up this early in the morning" Alton said
"Was that your apology?" Spencer asked as Alton just shook his head in disbelief
"And once again, the questions" Alton said
"No, was that your apology?" Spencer asked
"Yes, that was my apology to you Spencer Hastings" Alton said
"It needs work, but it'll do" Spencer said as a smile crept upon her face at the enjoyment of annoying him yet again
"The sad thing is that you are so my type" Alton laughed
"I knew that" Spencer laughed
Since Lucas was just in summer session at Winthrop there were no restrictions of his interactions with faculty, so since he didn't line up a place to stay for the month, he stayed over at Mr. Smith's house or more like his mansion that was about five minutes away from the university. Not too many people knew about his living arrangements which is what he had hoped for because he didn't want people to think that his successes were purely off of the Smith name. Lucas tried to remain as normal as possible when it came to his schooling, so he would usually wake up early and have breakfast then head out for his first class, and by noon he would be out at the marina getting ready to pull out of the port. Making his way inside the house, Lucas was surprised to see that so many people were in the living room with Mr. Smith, who all seemed to be there on business, thinking that this was just another business meeting he had motioned to head upstairs before Mr. Smith turned his attention to him just as he climbed the first step.
"Glad to see you finally made it back, I was beginning to worry" Mr. Smith said as he excused himself from his company
"Sorry for getting in so late, I lost track of time" Lucas sighed "Who are all these people?" he asked
"They are just board members, we're going over a few policies that the university must oblige by or sever sanctions will be put on the school, so nothing fun for you to sit through" Mr. Smith said "I did want to talk to you real quick before you head up to bed about the paperwork" he mentioned
"Oh, yeah. Did you need me to sign anything?" Lucas asked
"Well that's the problem. You know how we sent off the paperwork to your parents to sign since they are your legal guardians and they can ensure that your not being taken advantage of and all that other good stuff, well we haven't received the papers from them" Mr. Smith said
"That's strange because my mom and dad usually sign right away, I mean they just sent in paperwork a few weeks ago" Lucas said
"Yeah, I mean they're pretty quick when it comes to paperwork. Your mom did call while you were out, so maybe she was calling in concern about the paperwork. If she has any questions, I'll be happy to answer them or if she really wants to investigate more then I'll have my attorney go over the legal aspects of what the paperwork entails" Mr. Smith said
"Ok, well maybe she just called to tell me she signed and she put it in the mail or something. I'll call her and get it figured out" Lucas said
"Okay, well I'm not going to rush you on that front because I want your parents to feel comfortable with everything that's going on involving Il Futuro" Mr. Smith said
"All right" Lucas replied
"I'll talk to you in the morning, but otherwise if your hungry and all that good stuff, you know where to find it" Mr. Smith said as he slowly made his way back over into the living room
Heading into his room, Lucas closed the door behind him as he wasted no time in calling his father. The phone rang for a while and eventually went to his voicemail leaving Lucas confused as to why his father wasn't answering his cell phone, in hopes to get a hold of his parents, Lucas had always called his dad for everything he needed to find out right away. Beginning to dial his mother's phone number, Lucas was relieved to hear her pick up the phone.
"Hey mom" Lucas quickly greeted his mother
"Hey Luke. What's wrong?" Lucas's mother asked right away in a frantic tone that had Lucas more than concerned
"Nothing. I was just calling to ask about something, is everything okay?" Lucas asked
"Yeah bud, everything is okay" Lucas's mother said but was unable to convince her son otherwise
"Mom, your voice is contradicting everything your saying. What's wrong? Why didn't dad pick up his phone? He always picks up his phone" Lucas asked
"Its nothing Luke, your dad is just a little sad right now" Lucas's mother said
"Sad about what?" Lucas asked
"Luke, its okay. What did you want?" Lucas's mother asked
"I'm not going to tell you what I want until you tell me why dad is upset" Lucas said
"You know the best way to end this back and forth, is for me to just end the call" Lucas's mother said "Now what did you want?" she asked
"I'm sorry mom, but I need to know what's going on? I'm still a part of the family, am I not?" Lucas asked "If you don't tell me, I'm just going to call grandma and find out, then if she doesn't know, you know she's coming for a visit to find out" he said using his biggest threat in order to gain the information he wanted
"That's below the belt Luke" Lucas's mother said realizing that he was right about his grandma "Damn you" she said under her breath causing Lucas to realize that he had won this battle with his mom
"So what's wrong with dad?" Lucas asked
"Your father lost his job" Lucas's mother said
"What? He's been working at the factory for years, why did he lose his job?" Lucas asked
"The factory is getting all these technological upgrades and less humans are needed" Lucas's mother sighed "He's been out of a job for about two months now" she said which caused Lucas to be completely shocked
"Two months? How was dad out of a job for two months?" Lucas asked
"Don't get so upset Luke. Look we were able to hide most of this from you because you were with your friends, and your uncle would help out" Lucas's mother said
"So you kept this from me for two months? I don't understand this? What did my uncle help with? Bills?" Lucas asked
"We were a little afraid that we were going to lose the house, and then we had other bills that needed attention" Lucas's mother said
"So your having money problems?" Lucas asked
"Luke, everything is going to be fine" Lucas's mother said frustrated
"Let me talk to dad?" Lucas asked
"No, your not going to stress him out" Lucas's mother said
"Why are you doing this? Why is everything now becoming such a struggle?" Lucas asked
"Because this is nothing for you to worry about and nothing for you to press your father about" Lucas's mother said
"That's easier said than done" Lucas said "Is this the reason why you didn't sign the papers?" he asked
"I will sign the papers, I've just been busy these past couple of days" Lucas's mother said "I will have them in the mail in the next ten minutes" she said
"All right. Mom, I love you. Please keep me in the loop" Lucas said
"I will. Just enjoy yourself up there, and stay focused" Lucas's mother told him "I love you more than life itself, and know that we'll always out your first" she said trying to comfort him but only had the opposite effect on him. Hanging up the phone Lucas couldn't help but feel upset about the fact that his parents were keeping such a huge secret from him and felt it was okay to hide this.
The first day of school jitters were always interesting to see as Seniors because not only did you watch freshmen wander about the campus in search of classes, but freshmen were just about eager to do anything to be popular. Hanna, Emily, and Aria were all gathered around their lockers looking on at the new blood coming in hoping that Mona wouldn't storm the halls spreading havoc early on in the day. Weird glances had been exchanged between Hanna and Noel as he made his way down the hall with his usual crowd but nothing on Hanna's part showed any interest in Noel as Emily looked on at the two. Hating the fact that Hanna had to deal with this, Emily did all she could to keep her friend in good spirits, but nothing made Hanna smile more than to see the sight of Spencer and Alton bickering the whole time they were walking over towards the rest of the group. For a moment they all just took in the fact that they were seniors and would only have to endure a year worth of high school.
"I can't wait for this year to be over" Aria smiled happily
"Speak for yourself on that note" Hanna replied "Senior year means no more dances and parties" she said
"You have to grow up some time" Emily said
"Which is why there is always college" Alton said
"Can you get any more immature" Spencer quickly replied
"Oh, and the stick is back" Alton said in reference to the stick that he believed was up Spencer's ass as the girls just laughed at their banter
"You know you two do this all the time but we all know what that means" Aria teased
"Yeah, it means Lucas needs to come back" Spencer replied forgetting the effect Lucas had on Hanna at the mere mention of him "Oh, I'm sorry" she then apologized
"No, its okay. I mean I'm sure he'll be back by tomorrow, it is the beginning of the school year" Hanna said
"Not necessarily" Alton said hoping that Hanna wouldn't kill him off the information that he knew
"What do you mean?" Hanna asked
"Luke went to summer session at Winthrop and had the opportunity to stay then have the classes count for high school credit classes to graduate and college credit" Alton said
"So Lucas may not come back?" Hanna asked
"Its senior year, I'm sure he will" Emily said
"Al, will Lucas come back?" Hanna asked zeroing in on him
"At this point Hanna, I don't know" Alton said just as Hanna's biggest annoyance in her life right now had interrupted the discussion
"Hey Hanna" Kate smiled "Hi" she said to everyone as Hanna just shook her head in disbelief
"What are you doing here?" Hanna asked "I thought you were going to Dalton Academy?" she asked
"It was too late to get in so my mom and your dad thought it would be best if I just went to Rosewood. I was trying to catch up with you this morning" Kate said
"Because I had the assumption that you were going elsewhere, so why wait for someone who is going elsewhere" Hanna replied as an awkward silence came
"So who do you have on your schedule?" Aria asked breaking the silence
"That's why I came over, I was wondering where I get my schedule" Kate smiled
"Well Spencer and I can show you and take you to your first class" Aria said as she walked over towards Kate before Spencer and her took Kate to go get her schedule
"What's the deal with you and her?" Alton asked
"That's my dad's new daughter…but don't think your changing the subject" Hanna quickly told him
"And on that note, I will see you in class" Emily said knowing that Alton was about to get verbally abused by her friend before heading off to class
"Let me just say this, I felt like I was in the middle, so in all fairness I couldn't exactly tell you stuff that Luke told me because I had no idea what was going between the two of you. I mean are you broken up or together but separated?" Alton asked
"You knew I was worried about where the hell he was, I mean I figured he'd go back out to Winthrop to see Mr. Smith but not completely move out there" Hanna said
"Well his girlfriend would know that, so what does that make you?" Alton asked
"We've broken up, I think" Hanna said "Its confusing but we're going to break up" she said
"Why?" Alton asked
"Uh, how about the fact that my supposed boyfriend is in Winthrop and has officially moved away as of two minutes ago, and for other reasons I don't care to share" Hanna said
"Does it have to do with Noel Kahn?" Alton asked "I've heard the rumors" he said
"Nothing is going on with Noel and I, things are just complicated" Hanna said
"Complicated enough to make him leave?" Alton asked
"I don't know Alton, but it would help if I knew where his head was at?" Hanna asked him "So what has he told you?" she asked
"Luke doesn't intend to come back, and I just thought you knew" Alton said
"No, I didn't" Hanna said as she did her best to hold back the tears that were forming
"I'm sorry" Alton said trying to comfort her
"No, its fine. I mean it is my fault in the end, and you were being loyal to him" Hanna said before she quickly walked away so that he would see the tears that were streaming down her face as she ran into the nearest restroom
Sitting in on his first meeting to discuss the future of his software, Il Futuro, that was slated to be the new Windows 7, Lucas did his best to pay attention to what was being said but he found his attention to be elsewhere as to the conversation he had with his mother the other day about the problems at home that was news for him. Mr. Smith for the most part had handled everything but worried about his young student as to where his head was at, the past couple of weeks Lucas had been on cloud nine at Winthrop but all in a matter of 27 hours it seemed to have changed drastically. Finishing up the meeting earlier than intended on account of wanting to discuss further information with Lucas about the little things, it was official that Il Futuro was set to be released by Thanksgiving and that Winthrop University would be the first to gain rights to have the software installed on all campus servers. Inside Lucas was thrilled to be a part of something so groundbreaking and at such a young age, he could feel his life changing before his very eyes but his heart just wouldn't allow him to feel the joy that he knew was there in the moment.
"What's going on with you?" Mr. Smith asked as he closed the door to his study so that the two could talk in private
"Nothing, I'm good" Lucas replied quickly as he began to massage his forehead
"Nothing is what you said during the meeting, now talk to me" Mr. Smith said
"I'm happy about everything and the opportunity I've had here at Winthrop, I'm fine" Lucas said
"Had, why does it sound like your flip flopping on me?" Mr. Smith asked
"Because I don't know anymore" Lucas replied frustrated with everything
"What do you mean you don't know? Luke, I thought you were happy here?" Mr. Smith asked "I thought we had discussed you going here in the fall and receiving college credit as well as high school credit" he said
"I know what we discussed, believe me, I do. Things just have taken a turn though back at home, and I'm not sure I can just stay here and live it up while things could potentially be bad back in Rosewood" Lucas said
"Does this have anything to do with Hanna?" Mr. Smith asked
"No, Hanna and I are over. I've told you that" Lucas said
"Look I don't care who you date, I know how you feel about the girl. I just need to know that I'm sticking my neck out for you because you want to be here" Mr. Smith said
"And I thank you for everything you've done, but like I said, things have changed" Lucas said
"What does that mean?" Mr. Smith asked
"It means that my dad lost his job and my parents are having problems with the bills" Lucas replied
"Why didn't you tell me?" Mr. Smith asked
"Because I barely just found this out myself and frankly I don't know how I feel about the situation either" Lucas said
"So are you thinking about leaving?" Mr. Smith asked
"My dad lost his job, and my parents are struggling. I just don't see how I could even stay here while they're struggling" Lucas said
"Okay, I just have one question. What in your heart do you want to do?" Mr. Smith asked looking him dead in the eyes
"I know what I have to do, but there's something else I need your help on" Lucas said
"Luke, anything you need, I got you" Mr. Smith told him
Sitting in her chair as Isabel scurried around the kitchen to prepare the perfect dinner table, all Hanna wanted to do was be at home right now instead sitting in the room full of awkwardness. Hanna could tell that her father was trying to think of every possible conversation starter that he could think of so that he could at least appear that he had a good relationship with his daughter in front of Isabel, but Hanna wasn't about to make him look good in the slightest. Prancing down the stairs after finishing up her homework like the perfect step daughter she strived to be, Kate joined everyone as they began to gather around the table. Scanning the bowed heads, Hanna found it strange that her father now prayed before his meals when all he used to do when she was growing up was quickly scarf down his meals, but then again she also knew that her mother wasn't the have it hot and ready meal maker when they would get home so she could understand his gratefullness now. Confused as to what she should do all Hanna could do was just sit there and look at them go through the motions before they began to distribute the food.
"So how was the first week of school? Was it everything you thought of?" Isabel asked both the girls
"It was good, I like all of my teachers. I'm hoping to get into some AP classes, but I have to wait to get that signed off" Kate said
"And Hanna?" Isabel asked
"It was great" Hanna replied really not that enthused to answer as Kate was
"Do you have a good schedule?" Hanna's father asked
"Its as good to be expected, I mean its English, Math, Science, and the all important lunch" Hanna replied
"You're a senior this year, how are you liking that?" Isabel asked
"Its not that big of a deal" Hanna replied
"Your very popular at school, everyone seemed to know who you were" Kate said
"I guess, I mean I had a friend who was popular and I guess it was just handed over to me. Popularity is something I live for" Hanna said
"That's a great perception. It matter how you treat people, not how many people you know" Isabel said trying to turn this into a life lesson
"Well dinner was fantastic, and I have to say I'm anxious for dessert" Hanna's father said as he rubbed his stomach "Did you whip up anything?" he asked Isabel
"I didn't have a chance to, I got out of work a little late. I was hoping that the girls could go pick up something to eat" Isabel said turning towards the girls
"Actually I have to get home to see my mom, we're having our annual hang out night" Hanna said as she got up from her seat "Dad, do you think we can talk really quick?" she asked as he slowly rose from his chair
"I'll be right back. You two can decide what will be for dessert" Hanna's father said before Hanna and him stepped off into the foyer of the household "Don't leave yet, there's still dessert coming" he told her
"Yeah, I heard the great announcement" Hanna said not sold on dessert as a good reason to stay "What's with you trying to send Kate and I out for a dessert run, I don't want to be here, the only reason I'm here is because mom made me, so please stop" she said
"Would it kill you to at least be nice to her?" Hanna's father asked
"Are you being serious right now? I don't want to be here. I don't want to get to know her or be nice, I want to go home" Hanna said
"Look I know your still pissed at me, and I fully understand that, but I'm trying Hanna. I'm really trying, could you at least make an effort" Hanna's father pleaded with her
"I don't owe you anything" Hanna replied
"Okay, fine. If you two will just go and get the dessert, even its ice cream from downtown, she doesn't know Rosewood so I don't want her to get lost. You can go home after that if you want" Hanna's father said
"How about this, I go get your family their dessert and you stop forcing this on me all together. No telling mom that I wasn't your perfect daughter, what lack of relationship we don't have is between you and I, mom stays out of this. I get that you're my biological father but your not a father by any means to me, so lets stop pretending" Hanna told him as her words began to feel like knives stabbing at him but deep down he knew he deserved the daggers "Do we have a deal?" she asked
"Yeah, we have a deal" Hanna's father said trying to stop the hurt from being conveyed in his voice as Hanna went back into the dining area
"Are you ready Kate?" Hanna smiled as she happy to know that this would be the last she would have to deal with her father and his family forcefully
Heading inside the café, Alton was glad to see that Jake was sitting off in the corner of the café so that no one would hear them talking about Toby and his case that they were working on. It had been a whole month worth of digging and they had managed to run into a few roadblocks but Alton was confident that Jake would be able to pull through and figure out a way to get the information he needed. Grabbing a cup of coffee before joining Jake at the table, a part of Alton felt like each time he came to see Jake that he had to prepare himself for a let down. He wanted so much to find something, but he knew he had to prepare himself for the fact that he killed Toby and there was no mistaking that as anything but his fault. So much of him transferred his energy into partying or trying to figure out what caused Toby to flip, but he knew he was ignoring the biggest issue and that was that he had Toby's blood on his hands. Jake focused in on his computer as Alton just played with his sugar packets.
"So what do you have for me?" Alton asked
"I think I have a break through for you, something that could point us in the right direction" Jake said
"Okay, I'm dying here, what is it?" Alton asked
"Well I looked into the police records of what happened to his step sister, Jenna, and everything looked pretty clean on that front but I just looked into each other statements made. I saw that this Alison chick gave a statement, basically putting Toby at the scene at the crime. I followed the trail and took a look at Alison's record as far as when she went missing and then was pronounced dead. The thing I found interesting though was the fact that Alison's brother, Jason, made a statement in regards to what his sister told him about Spencer" Jake told him
"Spencer? What does she have to do with things?" Alton asked
"Jason made a statement that Alison feared Spencer and her control" Jake said
"Control? Okay, Spencer has to do with Alison being dead, but I fail to see the connection with Toby" Alton said
"On the night of Jenna's accident, there was a witness that backed up Jason's claim on what Alison told her, and that's the fact that they saw Spencer and Alison arguing. The witness was Toby" Jake said
"If Toby witnessed Alison and Spencer arguing, who's to say he actually hurt Jenna" Alton said beginning to piece it together
"Exactly, if Toby hurt Jenna and was mortified by what his parents would do, why would he hang around the scene" Jake said
"So at this point, we're looking at three people as suspects in what happened to Jenna, I mean this goes all the way back to Jenna. Toby, Alison, and Spencer" Alton said feeling like a fool that the person who could have started all of this drama for Toby, he could have been befriending all along
"How about that as a breakthrough" Jake laughed
"Yeah, it's a breakthrough all right" Alton replied sadly
Happy that Mr. Smith was nothing but supportive to him, Lucas could now focus on his parents and doing whatever it took to take care of them. There was no available trains out to Rosewood at the time he had wanted because as soon as Lucas was able to get the advancement on his first check for his software, all he wanted to do was come home and get to work on helping his family, so Mr. Smith allowed Lucas to borrow his car and he would come down to get it. Since Mr. Smith lived the so called double life, he had to get a few things figured out at the university which took two weeks to get done before heading back to Rosewood for his teaching job in Rosewood. On the final stretch of highway 54 that would lead him into Rosewood, Lucas became more anxious by the minute to get home. Reaching the final bridge that would put him into downtown Rosewood, he immediately spotted a car caught up in between the rails. Pulling over to the side of the road to access the situation, Lucas felt a sense of familiarity of the car as if he had seen it before. Running over to the side where the car was, he could tell that it was hanging off on one side, looking over the edge he could spot someone flailing within the water. Relieving himself of his sweater before he dove into the water to rescue the girl. Pulling her over to side of the river bank, the girl immediately gasped for air.
"Who else is in there?" Lucas immediately asked once she became aware of her settings
"My step sister, she's still in there" The girl said frantically
"Okay, go up to my car at the top of the bridge, my cell phone is on the passenger seat and call 9-1-1" Lucas instructed the girl as he made his way back inside the water.
Swimming around for what felt like hours, Lucas desperately did all he could to try to find the other girl. Delving down deeper into the water, he quickly saw the blonde hair of the girl as she sunk to the bottom of the river. In a mad dash to get to her, Lucas knew he was racing against time to save her if she was all ready sinking to the bottom of the river. Just as grabbed on her arm he immediately was taken aback to realize that the girl in which he was pressed to save happened to be someone familiar. The girl that was lifeless in his grasp was Hanna.