Shelby watched as her sister Jess talked to Peter. She knew it was hard for Jess, but she was doing great. She was telling him everything, like she should. Like Shelby never did.
Jess finished up and stared at the floor, ashamed. Shelby squeezed her hand.
"It's OK, Jess," she said. "Don't be embarrassed." Shelby and Jess left Peter's office together. They went back to the cabin, where the other girls were talking.
"Hey, Queenie, think you can cover for me tonight?" Shelby asked. She would have asked Daisy, but she wasn't there. And Katherine was too much of a goody-goody to lie to Sophie.
"Why? Moonlight swim with Scotty?" Juliette asked in a teasing voice. Truth was, she'd do it for Shelby because one day she might need Shelby to cover for her and Auggie.
"Don't call him Scotty!" Shelby exclaimed. "His name is Scott." Scott had told her about his stepmom calling him Scotty. "And we're not going for a swim, we're going for a walk."
Juliette bit her lip to keep from smiling. Since she had come back, Shelby and Scott had become even closer than before. "Well, I don't know," She said, pretending to consider it. Juliette was the best actress here. "What will I get out of it?"
"Come on, Queenie!" Shelby said, getting exasperated. Juliette could be so annoying sometimes.
Before Juliette could answer, Sophie knocked on the door.
"Shelby, you have a phone call. It's your mom." Shelby's happy mood disappeared quickly when Sophie mentioned her mother's name. Scott appeared in the doorway where Sophie had just been.
"What's going on?" Scott asked. Shelby motioned for him to follow, and she walked outside.
"My mom called. I'm on my way to the lodge now," Shelby explained. Scott walked with her.
"Are we still on for tonight?" Scott asked. "I know a great spot to go to uh, talk, if you know what I mean." He grinned slyly at her.
"We'll see," Shelby said. "Depends on what my mom wants from me."
"How do you know she wants something, Shel?" Scott asked. "Maybe she wants to apologize."
"Yeah, right," Shelby said sarcastically. "The only time my mother ever calls is to spoil my day."
"Come on, Shel," Scott said. "Give her a break. She's your mom."
"What, you're on her side now?" Shelby asked, getting irritated quickly. "I'm your girlfriend, remember?"
"I'm not taking her side," Scott said. "I just think that it's nice your mom calls you. My dad doesn't even acknowledge the fact that I'm alive."
Shelby's irritation melted, as well as her heart. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just really think my mom wants something."
Shelby went into Peter's office and closed the door behind her. "Mom?"
"Shelby? Hi." There was an awkward pause. Her mom didn't say anything more so Shelby did.
"Did you want something, Mom?"
"Well, yes. Kind of. I want you to know that I'm not going to stick by my claim. I'm not going to court to say that he molested you and Jess."
"What? Why not! You said he did in front of two police officers!" Shelby couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"I told them that I just said that to save my girls from a foster home," her mom replied shortly. "And I need you or your sister home. Since you called the police, he lost his job. And now he's down in his back. I need help with the income and I need help taking care of him. You two work it out between yourselves who comes home and call me back." With that, her mother hung up.
Shelby slammed the phone down on the hook and stormed out of Peter's office. She almost ran smack into Scott. He dodged her and she took off running. He followed, but she had a good lead and disappeared into the woods before he could catch her.
Shelby stayed in the woods for a good half hour and did nothing but cry. She cried for her, for Jess, and for anyone who never took the time to cry.
She walked back to the cabin slowly, wondering if she was late for curfew. She wiped her eyes and face as she approached the cabin. The other girls looked up as she walked in. Peter was sitting on her bed and Jess was watching her carefully.
"We thought you ran away," Peter said slowly.
"Me? No," Shelby said, forcing a laugh. She couldn't let them know that the idea had crossed her mind more than once in the last half hour.
"Well, get some sleep. We'll talk in the morning," Peter said. Shelby could tell he didn't believe her.
"What did your mom want?" These were the first words out of Scott's mouth as he sat his breakfast tray beside Shelby at the table. Shelby glanced around to see if Jess was anywhere near them. Jess was at the back of the slow moving food line.
"Well? Did she want something?" Scott asked persistently. Shelby was getting irritated quickly.
"What do you care?" she asked angrily. She grabbed her tray and took it to the counter. Scott followed with his tray.
"I care because I love you, Shel," Scott said as she shoved her tray across the counter. He set his down and followed her outside.
"Will you please stop following me?" she yelled at him after spinning around to face him. She turned and started running in the other direction, but Scott caught up quickly.
"Shelby, whatever she said has obviously made you mad," Scott said. "You can tell me." Shelby felt her heart melting at his genuine concern. But she quickly reminded herself that she wouldn't be here for much longer. She had to remain detached.
"Scott, it's really none of your business!" She ran off into the girls' cabin and slammed the door behind her.
"I'll find out, Shel," Scott vowed. "I'll find out what she said."
Shelby sat in class and tried to avoid Scott's stare. It was hard since she felt his eyes on her constantly. She tried to focus on what Sophie was saying. When she went home, would she have to go back to school? Get a job? Have a 'normal' life with them?
Finally Shelby couldn't take it anymore. She whirled around and said to Scott, "Will you please stop staring at me!"
Sophie stopped her lesson abruptly. She was going to say something when Peter stuck his head in and motioned for Shelby to come out. She got up and smirked at Sophie for not being able to give her a lecture. She glared at Scott, then at Queenie. Then she followed Peter into his office.
"Your mom called this morning," Peter said slowly. "She told me the situation. Looks like you have a tough choice ahead of you."
"What choice?" Shelby asked. "I don't have a choice. Jess stays and I go. It's simple."
"Not for Jess. Not for Scott, either," Peter said. Damn. He hit home. Shelby turned her head slightly so he wouldn't see her lip quiver at the mention of Scott's name. No such luck.
"Struck a nerve, huh? I know you love Scott, Shel," Peter said. "He loves you too."
"He'll manage. We both will," she said coldly. "Are we done here?"
"Almost. Have you told Jess? She didn't look like she knew this morning," he said.
"No, I haven't told her. And I won't. Not until a couple of hours before I leave. Otherwise she'll want to go instead. Now are we done?"
"We're done," Peter said with a sigh at her impatience. "Get out of here."
"I got your books for you," Shelby almost jumped as Scott got up from the couch in the lodge.
Shelby took them roughly from his hands. She walked off without saying a word to him. He followed. "Can't you take a hint?"
"Nope," he shook his head and smiled in a way that was so irritatingly cute. "What's this hint?"
"I don't love you, Scott!" The words were out of her mouth before she gave them a second thought. They hurt, but they weren't what broke her heart. What broke her heart was the look on Scott's face.
"But all this time together..." he said struggling to get a grasp on something she wasn't holding on to anymore.
"So we had a little fun," Shelby said, trying her best to sound cold. "That doesn't mean we're in love. You aren't in love with me, are you?"
"No," Scott said. "I thought I was, but the Shelby I'm in love with doesn't exist. Instead, there's you. A cold, heartless bitch who uses everyone in her life. No, Shel, I don't love you." Scott turned and walked away before she could tell him it was a mistake. Tears came to her eyes and she let them fall as she ran through the woods and down to the lake.
Shelby didn't bother going to classes the rest of the day. When Jess came down to the lake before the sunset, Shelby was still there.
"Peter told me about Mom," she said quietly. Shelby cursed silently. So much for making a clean break. "Why didn't you tell me?" There was a slightly accusing tone to her voice.
"I was going to. Tonight," Shelby lied. She couldn't let her sister know she was going to leave without a goodbye again.
"I also heard what happened between you and Scott," Jess said, not pushing the Mom issue any further. She knew better than to push things on Shelby.
"How do you know?" Shelby asked looking at her sister for the first time. Jess noticed her sister's eyes were puffy and red rimmed. Like she'd been crying for hours.
"Scott's telling everyone how much you hate him and to stay away from you. He says you were just using him."
Shelby didn't say anything. Jess knew her sister was burning all her bridges before she left. She knew Shelby loved Scott.
"Let me go home, Shel," Jess said gently. "You love Scott and he loves you. Your life is here. Mine isn't."
"No! Absolutely not! You need to be here, Jess," Shelby said jumping to her feet. "And Scott doesn't love me. Not anymore." She walked away from her sister and back to the cabin before she was late for lights out again.
When she went in, Juliette gave her a cold glare. Daisy gave her a curious look. Katherine gave her a small smile.
"So you were just using Scott, huh?" Juliette said. "And us? Were you using us too?"
Shelby couldn't handle it. She locked herself in the bathroom. She listened to the conversation outside as the tears began again. How could she leave them? They were her family. Even spoiled Queenie had become family to her.
"Great going, Jules," Daisy said. "You always know how to make a person happy."
They were all saved from Juliette's response as Sophie knocked on the door.
"Lights out, girls," she said, opening the door. "Where's Shelby?"
Daisy glared at Juliette. "Shelby's in the bathroom. Jules made her cry."
Sophie knocked on the door. "Shelby? Can I come in?"
"Can I go to the bathroom in peace?" Shelby hoped that was enough to make Sophie go away. It wasn't.
"Well, when you're done, come out here. I want to talk to you," Sophie said.
Shelby washed her face and checked her appearance in the mirror. Oh well. They already knew she'd been crying. Puffy eyes weren't a problem.
Sophie walked into the lodge about five minutes later. Peter was waiting for her.
"What happened?" he asked when he saw her exasperated look.
"Where do I start? Juliette made Shelby cry. Shelby's being cold to everyone. She broke up with Scott," Sophie said plopping down on the couch. "What's going on with her, anyway?"
"Her mom wants either her or Jess to come home," Peter said. "She's not following through with her testimony in court, either. Shelby's stepdad lost his job and is down in his back. One of the girls needs to take care of him and help with the income."
"And Shelby has taken it upon herself to do this alone," Sophie finished for him. "I understand that she thinks Jess needs to be here more than she does. But she needs to be here, too. She's not ready to live with him again, let alone take care of him."
"I tried to talk her mom out of it. I told her I was working on a scholarship fund. But she said it wasn't the tuition. She needs one of the girls home," Peter said. "Did you know that she made Shelby choose? She called and said that one of them needs to come home. She told Shelby to work it out between them."
"Neither of those girls need to go back to that place," Sophie said, laying her head on Peter's shoulder.
"That's what I said. She got mad. Said that place was her home and I made it sound like a jail."
"For those two girls, it probably is. Do you think Shelby will go back to drugs and running away? Do you think she'll go back to the streets?"
"Hard to say," Peter said slowly. "If her mom threatens to bring Jess home, then she won't. But it's hard to say."
As they switched to another topic, Scott stood outside the open window in the shadows, mouth agape. So Shelby did love him. Didn't she?
Scott pounced on Shelby as soon as she entered the lodge for breakfast the next morning. He noticed Jules giving him a look like he was crazy for talking to her again.
"We need to talk," Scott said, pulling her by the arm outside.
"Scott, let me go! I meant what I said yesterday, you know." As he anticipated, she fought the whole way.
"Why didn't you tell your mom's not testifying? Or that you're going home?"
Shelby paled visibly, but for her part, didn't act surprised. "Jess snitched, huh? Shouldn't surprise me."
"You didn't answer my question. Why didn't you tell me? Didn't think I'd be understanding?"
"Go find another girlfriend," Shelby said suddenly. She got up and calmly walked away, though Scott could see her back trembling ever so slightly.
"Shelby!" Scott wasn't going to let her walk away from him that easily. He grabbed her arm and turned her around, only to find tears streaming down her face. He pulled her close to him. She sobbed into his chest, feeling safe in his strong arms that were wrapped around her body. She never wanted him to let her go.
"Isn't this sweet." The voice belonged to a person Shelby didn't want to see right now. Fortunately Scott sensed this. He turned her slightly so her back was to the sneering David.
"Don't you have anything better to do than watch us make out?" Scott said. He knew Shelby didn't want anyone to see her cry, ever.
Shelby wiped her eyes and turned around to face David. He grinned even more.
"Is the little baby feeling better?" he said before laughing hysterically.
"You'd better run!" Shelby yelled before she launched herself at him. He took off running, but she didn't go anywhere. Scott had grabbed her around the waist and was holding her securely.
"Let go! He needs to be taught a lesson," she said, struggling to break free. Her efforts were to no avail; the strong arms she had found so comforting a few seconds ago now seemed like a major pain.
"He needs to be taught a lesson, but not by you, Shel," Scott said. He pointed to where David was being subjected to one of Sophie's long lectures. Shelby smiled and turned to face Scott.
"It's not gonna work," she said sadly. He gave her a confused look.
"What's not gonna work?"
"You and me. When I leave. I really did mean what I said back there. Find another girlfriend."
"No way! Are you nuts? I love you, Shelby," Scott said meaning every word.
"I love you too," Shelby said. "But promise me if you meet another girl and you want to be with her, you will."
"Not gonna happen, Shel," Scott said. "I'll stay faithful to you always."
The next afternoon a car pulled up the long driveway. "Shelby!" Peter yelled. "Your mom's here."
Everyone was gathered on the front porch of the lodge to say goodbye to Shelby. She was standing between Scott and Jess as she stared blankly at the car. Her mom got out and then her stepdad.
Jess's mouth dropped open. "She brought him," she whispered. "I can't believe she brought him."
Scott stared at the man walking beside Shelby's mom. So this is him, he thought to himself. This is the ass hole that hurt Shelby. He looked at Shelby. She was staring at her stepdad with pure hate in her eyes. Jess turned and ran into the lodge.
Shelby addressed her mother. "Who do you think you are? You shouldn't bring him around Jess!"
"He is your stepfather, Shelby," her mother said. "Call him by his name. Not him."
Shelby shook her head in disgust. She was about to say something else when Peter caught her eye. She turned and followed Jess into the lodge. Her mother started to follow.
"I don't think so," Shelby said, blocking the door. "She clearly doesn't want to see you."
"You can't keep me from seeing my daughter," her mom said. "She's my daughter."
"And what am I?" Shelby asked. She went into the lodge without waiting for an answer.
Jess was sitting on the couch, crying. Shelby sat down next to her and held her little sister, crying herself.
"I'll miss you, Shel," Jess said. "I love you so much!"
"I love you too, Jess," Shelby said.
"Shelby! Come on! We're leaving!" Shelby smiled at Jess and followed her back to the porch. Scott watched her the whole time. She took him aside.
"I love you. You know that, right?" Shelby said.
"Of course I know. I love you too," Scott was close to tears. He didn't think anything could hurt so much in his entire life.
"Take care of Jess for me," Shelby said. She kissed him with a kiss that was filled with so much passion that made him want to follow her home.
Shelby's mom was standing beside Peter. "Shouldn't you stop them?" she asked him.
"Why bother? This is probably the last time they'll ever see each other, so I don't see what the harm is."
"She's gonna think she can do this whenever she wants," her mom said.
"No, she won't. Shelby knows better now," Peter said, watching Scott and Shelby with a pain in his heart. Young love dies hard.
"Are you implying that she didn't know any better before?" Shelby's mother was starting to take offense.
"No. No offense intended," Peter said before walking over to Jess and Sophie at the porch.
Shelby came over and hugged Sophie. She hugged Peter and said, "Thanks."
"For what?" he asked, drawing back from the hug.
"For saving my life," she said quietly with tears in her eyes. "And for leaving me and Scott alone just now. I heard my mom jump on you." Peter just smiled.
"Shelby!" Her mother motioned to the car, which her stepdad was in. Shelby gave everyone one last smile and walked to the car. Scott opened her door for her. They kissed one last time and he shut the door once she was inside. They each put their hand to the glass. He stayed by the car window until it started moving.
It had been four weeks since Shelby went home and no one had heard a word from her. Not even Jess.
There was a new girl at Horizon. Her name was Dawn. She was tall, blonde, and leggy. David took a liking to her right away. All the guys did except Scott. Even Auggie looked at her a couple of time until Jules said that if he did it again, he could be very available to go out with her.
Scott had become depressed the day after Shelby left. The place just wasn't the same without her. He no longer looked forward to getting up in the mornings because she wasn't here to sit with at breakfast. He no longer looked forward to going to class because she wasn't there to pass notes to. And he no longer looked forward to finishing dinner and the late night because she wasn't there to sneak off with. Scott hadn't realized how big a part of his life Shelby was until she was gone.
Dawn sat down next to Scott at the breakfast table. As usual, he was sulking. The other girls said it was over Shelby, a girl she'd never met. The girls didn't say much else about Shelby. They didn't say much to her at all. They didn't like her. And she knew why.
She wanted Scott. Plain and simple. Dawn would do whatever it took to get Scott.
"Rough day, huh?" she said to him. He stared blankly at the table as if he hadn't heard her. She was going to say something else when Daisy came over.
"I got a letter," she said. Ordinarily, she never showed much emotion, but now she was all excited. Scott leapt up and followed her over to her table, leaving Dawn alone. She scowled at his back and followed.
Daisy was reading the letter aloud to Jules, Auggie, Scott, Ezra, and Jess.
"Dear Daisy,
Have you ever noticed that when you think things couldn't get any worse, they do? I thought my life was hell before, but it's nothing compared to what it is now. He was mad. Very mad. His arrest will be on his record for the rest of his life. He doesn't think he will ever get a good job again. That's good and that's bad. That's good because Mom will get tired of him being around our house and hopefully kick him out. The bad part is that until she does, I have to take care of him. I know I promised Peter and Sophie that I wouldn't start the drug thing again and I haven't. But it's hard, Daisy. Really hard. What else are you gonna do when everything else fails you? Tell Scott I love him.
Love,
Shelby"
Scott had tensed up with the first words of her stepdad's anger and he was still tense. He was going to go off on someone. Dawn could just see it. Daisy took the letter to Peter while Jules and Auggie talked. Ezra and Scott just kind of looked at each other. Dawn sighed. She had some work to do if she was going to make Scott and everyone else forget about Shelby. But she was always up for a challenge.
It has been two months since Shelby's letter. She sent two more the next week, but that was it. Dawn has been working very hard. She got Scott to come around and they're going out now. Scott, Juliette, Ezra, and Auggie were scheduled for solo treks in the woods. Scott walked until it was about sunset. He found a cave just before it started to pour. He saw something at the back of the cave.
"Shelby?" he whispered in disbelief. She was wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts. She looked like she was freezing. And she looked like she was in pain.
Scott knelt beside his former love. He felt that familiar feeling in his heart, but pushed it away. He was with Dawn now.
He touched her face. She moaned and opened her eyes. She saw it was him and she clung to him. He took off his flannel shirt and wrapped it around her. It was a good thing he knew it would be cold and brought the extra shirt to put over his tee shirt.
He held Shelby as she sobbed, not asking any questions until she had calmed down. When she did, he had plenty of them.
"What happened?" he asked stroking her hair, as she lay safe in his arms. "Did he do this, Shel? Did your stepdad hurt you?" Shelby nodded and shivered. Scott wrapped his arms tighter around her body, noticing for the first time the horrible bruises that covered it.
"Did he hit you, Shel? Did he hit you?" Shelby nodded. Scott cupped her face in his hands. "Did he rape you?" Shelby didn't need to say a thing. The fear he saw in her eyes said volumes. He gently eased her to the ground and settled himself in beside her. In the morning they would go back to the lodge. But tonight they would have to stay here.
Scott awoke to the sound of birds chirping. It had stopped raining sometime during the night. Shelby was still asleep beside him, her now deathly small body as close to his as she could get it. He picked her up and started for the lodge. She laid her head on his shoulder and stirred slightly.
Ezra was already at the lodge. His eyes widened when he saw Scott carrying Shelby. He opened the door and Scott went in. Dawn looked up from her book and called to him. He ignored her and went up the stairs to Peter's office, still carrying Shelby. She was waking up now. She should be able to tell Peter what happened to her.
The door was closed halfway, but Scott didn't care. This was important. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. Peter was there, talking to Jules.
"Scott-" Peter cut himself off when he saw Shelby. He came out from behind the desk and took her out of Scott's arms.
"I found her in a cave last night," Scott said. "She said he hurt her." He didn't have to add that last part. It was pretty obvious. Juliette stood beside Scott, her eyes wide with fear.
"Scott, go tell Sophie to call a doctor," Peter said.
Scott shook his head. "No way. I'm not leaving her. There's no way I'm leaving her."
Peter was about to say something when Juliette spoke up.
"I'll get Sophie," she said and ran downstairs.
The doctor came and examined Shelby. Her prognosis was not good.
"Shelby has been severely beaten and raped, several times I'd say. She's in shock. She also has a fever, but that's nothing serious. That just came from being in the cave," she explained.
Peter laid Shelby in the medical wing of Horizon. Scott stood in the doorway, watching her sleep fitfully. He loved her. He needed her, and right now she needed him more than she ever had.
"Scotty," Dawn said from behind him. He cringed. He hated being called Scotty. "Why did you ignore me earlier?"
"I was busy," he said shortly, focusing his attention on Shelby. She was moaning incoherently in her sleep, but Scott knew what she was probably saying.
"I hope it isn't going to be this way from now on, Scotty," Dawn said. Scott turned and gave her a blank look. "I hope every time she acts helpless, you're not going to humor her. Don't let her control you, Scotty."
"If anyone is controlling me, it's you, Dawn," Scott said bitterly. "Shelby's hurt. She's not putting on an act. And I'm not humoring her. I love her, so this is the right thing to do."
"Scotty, don't say that!" Dawn said, getting hysterical. "I don't know what I'd do if you left me. I'd kill myself, Scotty!"
"I'm not going to leave you," Scott said, not knowing whether it was true. "I won't leave you."
"Good. Let's go get you something to eat," Dawn said pulling on his arm. Scott followed, but not before one last glance at Shelby. Daisy stood outside the door, listening to every word. She started thinking about a plan.
"That's it! I've had it! If you want to look at other girls, then look at other girls! Even better, go be with other girls!" Juliette shouted at Auggie. Auggie had once again been staring at Dawn longingly and Juliette had had enough.
"Fine! You know what, maybe I will!" Auggie shouted back at Juliette. Jules could be so unreasonable sometimes.
"What's going on out here?" Peter asked, coming outside the dining hall. The kids had just finished dinner, with the exception of Shelby, who wouldn't eat.
"Nothing that wasn't just fixed," Juliette said, glaring at Auggie. "Can I sleep in the lodge with Shelby tonight?"
"Well, Jess, Katherine, and Daisy already asked," Peter said. "I don't know if the room is big enough."
"We can put Shelby on the couch in front of the fireplace. We can start a fire and the rest of us can lie on the floor. Kind of like a slumber party," Juliette said.
Peter considered her suggestion. He noticed that everyone seemed a little closer to Shelby since she had came back. He wasn't about to stand in the way. "Sure, Jules," he said. "I think we can manage that."
"Now don't stay up too late," Sophie said, bringing extra blankets into the lodge for the girls. "Shelby needs her rest," she said, leaving the girls alone. Shelby rolled her eyes.
"So, who's the new girl?" she asked Juliette. Juliette looked at Katherine, then at Daisy.
"Her name is Dawn," Daisy said. "She's, uh, dating Scott."
Shelby's eyes widened. "What do you mean, she's dating Scott? How serious are they?"
"Not nearly as serious as you and Scott were, although if Dawn had her way, they would be," Juliette said to Shelby.
"Do you guys like her?" It was a question that wasn't hard for the four girls to answer.
"Yeah, right," Katherine said. "She acts totally sweet and nice around Scott. But around everyone else, she's a total witch. She even told Sophie where to stick her whistle." That surprised Shelby. Kat liked everyone. She was silent for a few minutes before asking another question.
"Does Scott love her?" She asked so quietly that they almost didn't hear her.
"It's possible, Shel," Jess said. "He's been with her for a couple of months now." Shelby closed her eyes to stop the tears from falling on her cheeks.
"I know I told him to find someone else," Shelby said. "But I didn't mean it." She started to sob. Surprisingly, it was Juliette who comforted her.
"As long as we're sharing boy troubles," Jules said as she hugged Shelby. "Auggie and I broke up."
"What happened?" Kat asked. She and everyone else were surprised. Auggie and Jules were usually inseparable.
"Dawn," Jules said. That one word said it all. "Auggie is starting to look at her more and more, and I couldn't take it. So I told him to go be with her."
"We both lost boyfriends to that witch," Shelby said, only half joking.
"Yeah, we sure did," Jules answered her. "We sure did."
Shelby awoke the next morning and she was so stiff. Jules was waking up too.
"Want to go for a walk?" Shelby asked Jules. She nodded, and the girls dressed quickly.
"Who needs men?" Juliette asked this question after they'd been walking for about 5 minutes.
"Not us," Shelby replied, linking her arm through Juliette's. "We don't need men."
"Nope. Just each other," Jules said. "Just each other." They walked along in silence until Jules spoke up again.
"What happened with your stepdad? I mean, it was pretty obvious that he roughed you up, but why?"
"He was just so mad at me. One day I told him and Mom I wanted to come back here. They didn't want to hear it. I started running away again. When they found me this last time, he was furious."
"I'm sorry," Jules said. "You should talk to CPS or something about this. They can help."
"No," Shelby said. "I don't want their help. It's done. It's over."
"I think Scott is regretting being in a relationship with Dawn," Juliette said cautiously.
"I don't really care what Scott thinks anymore," Shelby said, starting to jog. Juliette followed suit to keep up with Shelby. "It's just that he wouldn't leave you. He even said he wouldn't." Shelby stopped.
"I don't care about Scott anymore. It was a mistake caring about him in the first place. I knew when I came up here that I would get hurt if I got involved with anyone. If I connected with anyone. And I was right. I did get hurt."
"Shel, you took a chance," Juliette said. "And, looking back at all the fabulous time you and Scott had, don't you think it was worth it?"
"I don't know," Shelby said. "I just don't know anymore, Jules."
Over the next few days, Shelby moved back in with Jess, Daisy, Kat, and Juliette. And, although she did her best to hide it, she missed Scott. A lot. It was extremely hard to watch Dawn throw herself at him.
"Come on, Shel," Kat chirped early one morning. Shelby groaned inwardly. Kat had been very supportive of Shelby, but sometimes her Little Mary Sunshine act could be very annoying. Especially eary in the morning.
"Go away," Shelby groaned from under her blankets. "I'm still sleeping."
"Come on, Kat," Daisy said. "We'll try again after breakfast." Shelby held her breath as they left the room, hoping to go back to sleep. Shelby must have gone back to sleep because when she woke up, Peter was sitting on the edge of her bed.
"You've missed breakfast, morning classes, and now lunch," he said. "What's up, kiddo?"
Shelby yawned. "Sorry," she said dryly. "I had no idea I was missing so much."
"Shel, you know that whatever it is, you know you can tell Sophie and me" Peter said.
"Yeah, well, nothing is wrong," Shelby said getting out of bed. "I'm just tired. Is that a crime?"
"No, Shel," Peter said. "But I can tell something's wrong with you. Something that has to do with Scott?"
"Scott has nothing to do with it," Shelby snapped. "If he wants to be with that slut, then that's fine with me!" She stormed out of the cabin and toward the dining hall. Jules and Daisy were at the table and Jess was in line. Shelby sat down next to Juliette and looked at everyone. "What?" she asked loudly. Everyone at the table was watching her.
"Nothing, Shel," Kat said coming over. "We're just worried about you, that's all."
"Why should you be worried?" Shelby asked irritably. "I'm fine."
Jess set a tray down in front of her. "Then eat and prove it," she said. "Prove us wrong."
"I'm not hungry," Shelby said, pushing the tray away. "What's everyone's problem with me anyway?"
"I know what you're going through, Shel," Kat said. "I know what it's like to be depressed. All you want to do is sleep. And you never want to eat. Trust me, I know."
"You must be mistaken," Shelby said coldly, getting up. "I was tired, I'm not hungry. I'm not depressed!" She walked out of the lodge.
Dawn, across the room, was watching her. She said something to Scott and followed Shelby outside. Scott waited until Dawn was out of site and then followed.
