Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters nor have I ever claimed to. I am just borrowing them temporarily for my own enjoyment to create something for your enjoyment.
This is my first fan-fic, so please leave your reviews, either positive or negative, as well as ideas on where you would like to see the story go in the future. I'm also looking for a better title so if you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to let me know.
This story picks up where the last season ended.
"OK, great. We'll see you when you get here." Peter said before hanging up the phone. Sophie had come in while he was on the phone and was waiting patiently in a chair on the other side of his desk for him to get off the phone.
"Was that Kat? Is she coming back already?"
"No…that wasn't Kat."
"Oh," she said, "is there any word on when we should be expecting her back?"
"I think she has one more week of training and then she is going to go home for a week and then she is coming back here."
"That's good. She certainly has been missed around here. Who would have thought that Kat would want to become a counselor here? I would have thought she would have been looking forward to being out in the real world."
"She's an amazing kid. More so then anyone has ever given her credit for and I think she was grateful for everything that Horizon has done for her that she wanted to give something back. Heck, she has been in the position that many of these kids are in right now and she felt that there was really something she could offer them."
"I think it is a great opportunity for her to grow even more then she already has. So, who was on the phone?" Sophie asked.
"What? Oh, the phone. That was Scott's dad."
"When is Scott coming back."
"His dad is bringing him up tomorrow."
"Have you told anyone yet that he is coming back?"
"Nope. I asked Jeff to find Shelby and ask her to come here. I thought I should tell her first considering that she and well, you know. But after I told her I figured I would let the rest of the Cliffhangers in on the little surprise."
"Then I guess I will get out of here and let you get back to work and try and plan out exactly how you are going to tell her. Besides I've got group to conduct soon."
"OK, but do me a favor and hold off the start of group for a few minutes. If this thing doesn't go too badly, I don't want Shelby to be left out."
"No problem." Sophie said before getting up from the chair and heading for the door.
"Hey Soph," Peter called to her at the door.
"Yeah," she asked turning back to face him.
"Was there something you needed?"
"Nothing that can't wait until later. You have plenty of things to worry about right now. Anyway, Good luck with Shelby."
"Thanks. I think I am going to need all the luck I can get."
"Do you want me to stay to offer moral support?"
"No. I think this might be easier on Shelby if we do this one on one. You know how she hides her emotions in a crowd. Besides, you need to get to the rest of the Cliffhangers."
"OK, but I wasn't worried about how Shelby needing moral support. I was talking about you." She said with a slight giggle before she left.
Peter wasn't alone for more then a few minutes to ponder how he was going to tackle telling Shelby the news when he heard a knock on the door jam. Looking up he saw Shelby standing there looking rather confused.
"Hey Peter, you wanted to see me?" Shelby asked, standing in the doorway to Peter's office.
"Yes I did. Come in and sit down." He said stepping out from behind his desk and directing her towards the couch.
"OK, but I've got group in like five minutes," she said gesturing towards the lounge where group is normally conducted.
"Don't worry about it. Sophie knows you are here and she is holding group until you show, so don't worry about missing anything."
"Trust me, I wasn't worried about missing group," she said with a laugh.
As the two sat on the couch Peter tried numerous times to tell her about the phone call he had received this morning. While it was not school policy to share these things with students, he felt that she had a right to know considering that she was the one in the group that would be most affected.
"So, did I do something wrong?" She asked confused about why she was called into Peter's office and his inability to tell her what was going on.
"No, nothing wrong at all. I didn't call you in here because you are in trouble. In fact, I wanted to let you know that we have noticed a change in your attitude lately for the positive and I am glad you are finally making some improvement. I realize the beginning of summer was rough for you, but you have really turned things around."
"Thanks Peter. I have tried really hard not to let the thing with Scott continue to consume my life. He left. He did what any one of us would have done in his position and I hope that things are working out well for him. He deserves to be happy and he deserves a relationship with his father."
"That is a very mature way for you to look at things. Anyway, I wanted to let you know about a phone call I received this morning."
"It's not Jess again is it?"
"No, Jess is fine. It's just…it's well," Peter fumbled around before blurting out, "Scott's coming back."
Shelby just sat there for a few moments, speechless, looking as though she had been run over by a truck.
"Are you OK Shel?" Peter asked moving closer to put an arm around her, but she managed to move away from him just in time.
"I'm fine. What do I care if he comes back or not."
"Come on Shelby, let's not go there."
Getting up from the couch, she made a beeline towards the door at which point she turned around to say "I've gotta get to group but thanks for the heads up about Scott." And then she left.
By the time that Peter got up from the couch and made his way to the hallway, Shelby had disappeared from sight.
Back in the lodge the rest of the Cliffhangers were getting restless. "Hey Sophie," Ezra called, "are we having group today or not?"
Glancing down at her watch, Sophie realized that group was to have started 35 minutes ago. She could not help but wonder how Shelby had taken the news, or if Peter had even gotten around to telling her yet considering she wasn't here yet. As she was deep in thought, she was snapped out of it and brought back to reality by Daisy when she heard her calling "Earth to Sophie, come in Sophie."
With her attention back on the Cliffhangers, Sophie decided it was best to cancel group for today. It only took her a few moments before she realized that by canceling group she could go help Peter with Shelby who was probably taking the news pretty hard. "OK, we are not going to have group today. Instead I want you guys to stay here until dinner and work on your essays."
"What essays?" Juliet asked.
"The ones I am about to assign to you if you would stop interrupting. 300 words. The thing I fear most in life is … due Friday." With that Sophie took off from the lodge and headed straight for Peter's office.
Back in the lodge, Daisy could be heard muttering, "Geez, I wonder what her issue is. You would think that someone just committed suicide the way she took off running out of here."
"God Daisy, do you always have to be so grotesque?" Auggie asked. "Anyway, I think it must have something to do with the fact that Shelby didn't show up for group today."
"I heard she was called into Peter's office. I'll bet she's in big trouble," Juliet said in a sing song voice and a big smile on her face.
"Chill Jules, you don't always have to take such joy in Shelby's pain." Auggie said.
"I can't help it. It just comes naturally to me."
Desperately searching for a way to change the subject, Auggie turned towards Ezra and asked, "So, E-Z, what's your biggest fear in life?"
"The thought of writing this paper."
When Sophie arrived at Peter's office he was back sitting behind his desk only this time he had his face buried in his hands rubbing his temples.
"Tired?" Sophie asked coming behind his desk and chair where she began massaging his shoulders.
"It's been a tough afternoon. So, how's Shelby?"
"You tell me. I thought for sure I was going to find her in here with you and I came to provide some moral support."
"You mean she didn't show up for group?"
"No," she said as she managed to maneuver him around so that she could sit on his lap. "I assumed that you two were in here talking the whole time and that she was taking it harder then we imagined that she would."
It was weird Soph. After I told her, she just sat there for a few moments and then she got up and left claiming not to want to be late for group.
Getting up from his lap, "how long ago?" she asked?
"About 45 minutes ago, maybe an hour."
"I'll go check the dorms. You don't think she'd run, do you?" Sophie said with a sense of urgency.
"No. I don't think running is really Shelby's style. Horizon has always been her safe haven from the world. I'm guessing that she just wants to be alone for awhile."
"I hope you're right." Sophie said and then she was gone leaving Peter to deal with his worst thoughts. The only thing running through his head was the same thing running through Sophie's: God I hope she didn't run.