~ DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of these characters, I'm not trying to make money off of them, yada yada yada~
This is my first Fanfic, Reviews are very welcome
Flashbacks have * in front and behind them
"To thine own self be true." ~William Shakespear
Shelby silently crept back into the girl's bunk. She had gone out after light's out again, forgetting Scott was gone. She did that often. Walking down to the docks and sitting there for a few minutes before remembering that Scott had left. Wordlessly she slid back into bed and cried herself to sleep. That was another thing she did often, unaware that one of the other Cliffhanger girls could hear her.
Daisy sat in her bed silently cursing Scott. He had made Shelby so happy in the days after the Morp, and now that he was gone...She didn't even want to remember what had happened to Shelby a few weeks ago. Finding her in the bathroom, kitchen knife in hand. As the memory swept over her, Daisy cursed Scott again.
* "Shell!" Daisy shouted coming into the girls dorm room. She knew that Shelby wanted to be alone, but hiding from her and the other girls was bad even for Shelby. "Shell, where did you go?" Then she opened the bathroom door. There sat Shelby, on the floor next to a small puddle of her blood, a knife from the kitchen in hand. "Oh my God!" Daisy screamed, pulling the First Aid box off of the top shelf. "JULIET!"
Juliet raced into the bathroom, and stopped as soon as she saw Shelby. "I'm gonna go find Peter." She shouted on her way out the door.
"Don't let Jess find me." Shelby rasped, inching away from the bandage that Daisy was trying to apply to her arm. "Don't let them find me."
After a few moments, Daisy finally got the bandage secured onto Shelby's arm. "She won't." She pulled Shelby half into her lap, cradling her head like a baby. "I won't let her see you like this."
Peter had arrived in record time, coming into the bathroom to see Shelby crying in Daisy's arms. "I'll take it from here, Daze." He said calmly, dropping into a squat and taking Shelby from her. "You go to group." Daisy left reluctantly, promising that she wouldn't tell Jess about what had happened.
Peter scooped Shelby up into his arms, and carried her out of the dorms and down to the Infirmary. He gently laid her down on one of the beds and told Jeff to call Dr. Madison. She was the on call Doctor that Horizon used for all the accidents. After him and Shelby were alone, he calmly surveyed her body for more wounds. Relieved to find only one cut on the inside of her left arm, an inch or two below her shoulder.
Dr. Madison approached Shelby carefully, reapplying a fresh bandage and wiping the excess blood off of her arm. "She'll be okay Peter." She said after a few moments. "She's a little shaken up, but she'll be fine."
Peter didn't know what to say. Shelby had never tried to cut herself before. Why would she start now? He silently thanked her, and she left without another word. Leaving Peter to try to help a girl who had given up on the rest of her life.*
Peter sat in his office thinking about Shelby. He carefully scanned over her intake file over and over until his eyes hurt. He still couldn't understand why Shelby had been behaving the way that she had been the past few months. It's got to be Scott. He told himself over and over again. It just has to be Scott. There was a knock at the door and Sophie entered, carrying a tray holding two coffee mugs.
"Figured it out yet?" She asked solemnly. She knew that seeing Shelby like this was tearing Peter up. Last school year she had done so well. She had opened up to the group, and come out from behind the wall that she had built to protect herself. But in the past four months since Scott left, the wall had been built back up. The only two people that could get Shelby to break down the wall for a few moments so they could get behind it were Daisy and her sister, Jessica.
"Not yet." Peter sipped his coffee and kept staring at her file. "I just don't understand it Soph. She was doing so well."
Sophie walked behind him and slid her hands over his shoulders and onto his chest. "I know, but as you said, Scott leaving after they had become so close made Shelby relapse. It might have made her think twice about trusting anyone. It's not like she was extremely trusting in the first place."
Peter nodded in understanding. He remembered what Shelby was like when she first showed up at Horizon. As the other Cliffhanger's had put it, Shelby was 'campaigning for Bitch of The Year.' He leaned into Sophie's touch as the image of Shelby fluttered into his mind. Not the Shelby everyone knew today, but what Shelby looked like when she first came to Horizon. Her hair was curly then, thanks to the aid of her curling iron and tons of hairspray, and she wore a pair of tight blue jeans with a hole in the right knee. Her tank top was as tight as she could possibly have gotten it, and although she didn't choose to come up to his mountain, Peter saw that she held her head high. On her face, she wore a determined look that Peter had never seen before in an admit.
* Mrs. Blayne stood next to the drivers side door and talked to Hannah. "I just don't know what to do with her anymore." She told Hannah quickly. "We can't keep her at home. Every time Walt and I bring her back, she just sneaks out again. I can't keep doing that to Jess. I can't keep disrupting her life because her sister is a runaway."
Hannah nodded in agreement. "I know how troublesome that can get, Mrs. Blayne. I can assure you that we will do everything in our power to make sure Shelby stays safe." Peter looked through the windshield at the two girls in the backseat. The older one he presumed was Shelby. From the look of her, she was going to be a tough one to crack. Whatever her demons were, she knew what they were and how to keep them there.
Peter walked around to the passenger side and opened the back door. "You can come out Shelby. We won't hurt you here." He saw her exchange glances with her mother before climbing out into the open, her little sister in tow. "I know how hard this must be on you-"
"You know nothing about me." She snapped, challenging his gaze. "Don't pretend you can understand my and my life. You'll only be disappointed."
"Shelby Elizabeth Merrick," Mrs. Blayne snapped. "You do not talk to them that way!"
Peter held up his hand to silence her. "We don't keep anyone from expressing their opinions here. Shelby can say whatever she wants to. As long as it's just said in words." He looked Shelby over. She was strong and confident, that just reassured him that this girl would take some time.*
"Peter?"
Sophie watched as Peter's mind came back to the office. "Where'd you go?" She moved across the room to the couch and faced him.
"You didn't see her when she first showed up, Soph."
"I'm assuming you mean Shelby?" Sophie didn't exactly see where Peter was going with this.
"Yeah," He closed the file and slid his chair over to the filing cabinet. Replacing the file, he slid over to the couch. "She was as tough as nails. All the girls tried to get her to talk, but the only thing she would tell them is that she was a habitual runaway. Nothing more, nothing less. Then when it finally came out, Scott was there to help her through it. I just don't get how she can hide from everyone after all that she's done."
Placing her hand on top of Peter's, Sophie looked deep into his eyes. "She's scared Peter. You would be too if the only person you ever let get to close to you left you as soon as they had gotten the chance." She knew that Peter understood the truth of her words. "She really loved him, and he left her. She's afraid to make that commitment again."
"I just wish she would open up to someone." He scooted his chair back over to his desk. "Anyone would do." Then the phone rang. Peter lifted the receiver on the second ring. "Mount Horizon High School, Peter Scarborrow speaking." He listened for an answer.
"Hey Peter." Scott Barringer said slowly, taking time to think about his next sentence.
This is my first Fanfic, Reviews are very welcome
Flashbacks have * in front and behind them
"To thine own self be true." ~William Shakespear
Shelby silently crept back into the girl's bunk. She had gone out after light's out again, forgetting Scott was gone. She did that often. Walking down to the docks and sitting there for a few minutes before remembering that Scott had left. Wordlessly she slid back into bed and cried herself to sleep. That was another thing she did often, unaware that one of the other Cliffhanger girls could hear her.
Daisy sat in her bed silently cursing Scott. He had made Shelby so happy in the days after the Morp, and now that he was gone...She didn't even want to remember what had happened to Shelby a few weeks ago. Finding her in the bathroom, kitchen knife in hand. As the memory swept over her, Daisy cursed Scott again.
* "Shell!" Daisy shouted coming into the girls dorm room. She knew that Shelby wanted to be alone, but hiding from her and the other girls was bad even for Shelby. "Shell, where did you go?" Then she opened the bathroom door. There sat Shelby, on the floor next to a small puddle of her blood, a knife from the kitchen in hand. "Oh my God!" Daisy screamed, pulling the First Aid box off of the top shelf. "JULIET!"
Juliet raced into the bathroom, and stopped as soon as she saw Shelby. "I'm gonna go find Peter." She shouted on her way out the door.
"Don't let Jess find me." Shelby rasped, inching away from the bandage that Daisy was trying to apply to her arm. "Don't let them find me."
After a few moments, Daisy finally got the bandage secured onto Shelby's arm. "She won't." She pulled Shelby half into her lap, cradling her head like a baby. "I won't let her see you like this."
Peter had arrived in record time, coming into the bathroom to see Shelby crying in Daisy's arms. "I'll take it from here, Daze." He said calmly, dropping into a squat and taking Shelby from her. "You go to group." Daisy left reluctantly, promising that she wouldn't tell Jess about what had happened.
Peter scooped Shelby up into his arms, and carried her out of the dorms and down to the Infirmary. He gently laid her down on one of the beds and told Jeff to call Dr. Madison. She was the on call Doctor that Horizon used for all the accidents. After him and Shelby were alone, he calmly surveyed her body for more wounds. Relieved to find only one cut on the inside of her left arm, an inch or two below her shoulder.
Dr. Madison approached Shelby carefully, reapplying a fresh bandage and wiping the excess blood off of her arm. "She'll be okay Peter." She said after a few moments. "She's a little shaken up, but she'll be fine."
Peter didn't know what to say. Shelby had never tried to cut herself before. Why would she start now? He silently thanked her, and she left without another word. Leaving Peter to try to help a girl who had given up on the rest of her life.*
Peter sat in his office thinking about Shelby. He carefully scanned over her intake file over and over until his eyes hurt. He still couldn't understand why Shelby had been behaving the way that she had been the past few months. It's got to be Scott. He told himself over and over again. It just has to be Scott. There was a knock at the door and Sophie entered, carrying a tray holding two coffee mugs.
"Figured it out yet?" She asked solemnly. She knew that seeing Shelby like this was tearing Peter up. Last school year she had done so well. She had opened up to the group, and come out from behind the wall that she had built to protect herself. But in the past four months since Scott left, the wall had been built back up. The only two people that could get Shelby to break down the wall for a few moments so they could get behind it were Daisy and her sister, Jessica.
"Not yet." Peter sipped his coffee and kept staring at her file. "I just don't understand it Soph. She was doing so well."
Sophie walked behind him and slid her hands over his shoulders and onto his chest. "I know, but as you said, Scott leaving after they had become so close made Shelby relapse. It might have made her think twice about trusting anyone. It's not like she was extremely trusting in the first place."
Peter nodded in understanding. He remembered what Shelby was like when she first showed up at Horizon. As the other Cliffhanger's had put it, Shelby was 'campaigning for Bitch of The Year.' He leaned into Sophie's touch as the image of Shelby fluttered into his mind. Not the Shelby everyone knew today, but what Shelby looked like when she first came to Horizon. Her hair was curly then, thanks to the aid of her curling iron and tons of hairspray, and she wore a pair of tight blue jeans with a hole in the right knee. Her tank top was as tight as she could possibly have gotten it, and although she didn't choose to come up to his mountain, Peter saw that she held her head high. On her face, she wore a determined look that Peter had never seen before in an admit.
* Mrs. Blayne stood next to the drivers side door and talked to Hannah. "I just don't know what to do with her anymore." She told Hannah quickly. "We can't keep her at home. Every time Walt and I bring her back, she just sneaks out again. I can't keep doing that to Jess. I can't keep disrupting her life because her sister is a runaway."
Hannah nodded in agreement. "I know how troublesome that can get, Mrs. Blayne. I can assure you that we will do everything in our power to make sure Shelby stays safe." Peter looked through the windshield at the two girls in the backseat. The older one he presumed was Shelby. From the look of her, she was going to be a tough one to crack. Whatever her demons were, she knew what they were and how to keep them there.
Peter walked around to the passenger side and opened the back door. "You can come out Shelby. We won't hurt you here." He saw her exchange glances with her mother before climbing out into the open, her little sister in tow. "I know how hard this must be on you-"
"You know nothing about me." She snapped, challenging his gaze. "Don't pretend you can understand my and my life. You'll only be disappointed."
"Shelby Elizabeth Merrick," Mrs. Blayne snapped. "You do not talk to them that way!"
Peter held up his hand to silence her. "We don't keep anyone from expressing their opinions here. Shelby can say whatever she wants to. As long as it's just said in words." He looked Shelby over. She was strong and confident, that just reassured him that this girl would take some time.*
"Peter?"
Sophie watched as Peter's mind came back to the office. "Where'd you go?" She moved across the room to the couch and faced him.
"You didn't see her when she first showed up, Soph."
"I'm assuming you mean Shelby?" Sophie didn't exactly see where Peter was going with this.
"Yeah," He closed the file and slid his chair over to the filing cabinet. Replacing the file, he slid over to the couch. "She was as tough as nails. All the girls tried to get her to talk, but the only thing she would tell them is that she was a habitual runaway. Nothing more, nothing less. Then when it finally came out, Scott was there to help her through it. I just don't get how she can hide from everyone after all that she's done."
Placing her hand on top of Peter's, Sophie looked deep into his eyes. "She's scared Peter. You would be too if the only person you ever let get to close to you left you as soon as they had gotten the chance." She knew that Peter understood the truth of her words. "She really loved him, and he left her. She's afraid to make that commitment again."
"I just wish she would open up to someone." He scooted his chair back over to his desk. "Anyone would do." Then the phone rang. Peter lifted the receiver on the second ring. "Mount Horizon High School, Peter Scarborrow speaking." He listened for an answer.
"Hey Peter." Scott Barringer said slowly, taking time to think about his next sentence.