House of the Bakers
The call came around midnight when I was already in bed and about to fall asleep. It was Davis, barely able to talk in an articulated voice, because apparently he was too drunk. It wasn't the first time he had drunk at a party and usually my parents picked him up and looked after him. This time it was my job because they had spontaneously decided to stay for a week longer in Paris. And everyone had agreed with it. I got up reluctantly, dressed again and went downstairs. Grandmother Sylvia was still awake, watching TV in the living room. As I passed by the living room door, which was slightly ajar, she called me back.
"Where do you want to go so late, Justin?"
She took her duty of supervision really seriously, so I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was old enough and didn't need supervision anymore. "Davis called," I said curtly. "I'm going to pick him up from a party."
"Fine, then... see you later."
I smiled as she turned to her television program and quickly left the house. The road to the house where Lydia Scott lived wasn't very far, and I was surprised that everything was dark as I turned into the driveway. Confused, I looked at the clock. Usually those school parties always lasted much longer than midnight. But since everything was already dark and I couldn't hear any sound, I decided to go straight to the garden. There he was. He was sitting at the edge of the pool, holding a bottle of alcohol in his hands and stared with a blank look into the clear, blue water below. I quickly went to him and sat down. "Hey!" I approached him carefully. "Why are you sitting out here alone? Where are the other guests?"
"Gone." He jerked his arms. "All gone."
"Then the party didn't last very long", I noted.
He shook his head as he continued to stare into the water.
This kind of behavior was very different than the usual when he was drunk, which made me really worried. "What happened?" When he suddenly leaned forward without warning, I instinctively grabbed his arms so he couldn't plunge into the pool. "Hey, what are you doing? Do you want to kill yourself?" He began to laugh hysterically, and I began to seriously doubt his sanity. "That's not funny!" I snapped, pulling him away from the edge of the pool. But he didn't seem to notice me, just stared at the bottle he had dropped and which was now sinking to the ground of the pool. "Come on, let's go," I said, when I suddenly realized that we were no longer alone. Lydia's mother had appeared in the garden and she glared at us angrily.
"Didn't I tell you to leave?" She said coolly. "You aren't welcome here."
Confused I looked back and forth between them, wondering what he had done. But I wouldn't get any information from my brother today. He was completely wasted. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Scott," I said quickly. "I didn't want to invade your privacy. I..."
"I didn't mean you, Justin," she cut in. "I mean your brother. And he knows exactly what I'm talking about." She raised her eyebrows meaningfully.
I glanced at Davis, but he was still sitting on the floor next to the pool, staring to himself with glassy eyes. "What happened?" I asked her.
"My daughter almost drowned today!" She exclaimed. "And that's his fault!" She pointed to Davis. "Lydia was never drunk before and she never had any secrets from me. And as soon as she's with him, those horrible things happen! I always told her to stay away from him. But she didn't want to listen to me." She clenched her hands into fists. "But for the future I will prevent that they meet again. Lydia is grounded until further notice!"
I could only stare at her. I didn't know that she could be so harsh. And as much as I wanted to know what had really happened, I also knew that it was better to retreat for now. I grabbed Davis and pulled him up. "I'll take him with me now," I said to her. "He won't cause any more trouble."
"I hope so. And if he sets foot at our property once again, I'll call the police!"
I looked at her, frowning. Would she really go that far as to get him arrested by the police just because he had accessed her property? What happened between him and Lydia? I wondered. I picked Davis up and flung him over my shoulder. I was grateful for the fitness training that I practiced frequently, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to carry him. Somehow I managed to get him into my car. I hoped I would learn more when he had slept off his intoxication and was sober again. Sighing, I started the engine and drove home.
House of the Scotts
"You will leave Tree Hill! I've already asked Aunt Quinn and she agrees that you can live with her and Uncle Clay for a while."
I stared at my mom in sheer shock. She could not be serious! She wanted to send me away? Just because I fell in the pool? "Mom, please don't do that!" I begged "What about school?"
"I'll talk with the school principal. But if I tell him what happened, I'm sure he agrees."
"What did I do?!" I exclaimed desperately. I already knew the answer, because before she had threatened to send me away she had given me a lecture about how bad Davis Baker's influence on me was and that she would forbid me to see him again. I had told her that my drinking and falling into the pool had nothing to do with him, but of course she hadn't believed me. If she was already so furious now, what would she do if she found out I was pregnant? I didn't want to think about that and decided to keep it a secret a little longer. If I had to leave Tree Hill anyway, I would take my little secret with me.
"How can you ask me that?" Her eyes narrowed to slits. "I thought I had already expressed myself clearly enough." She took a deep breath. "You got drunk and then fell into the pool. Not only did you make a fool of yourself in front of all your guests, no, you also risked your life! And to blame is Davis Baker. Since you are with him, you have completely changed. Maybe you don't notice it yourself, but that's a fact. He has a bad influence on you. And since I know that you would disobey my orders on seeing him anyway, I have decided to resort to take more drastic measures."
"But why Santa Barbara?"
"Because your aunt and uncle live there. And I know that they will take good care of you. Besides, you have someone who's your age right there."
I rolled my eyes. She meant my cousin Breanna, Aunt Quinn's and Uncle Clay's youngest daughter. She was 16, and I couldn't imagine making friends with her. And there was still the fact that I was pregnant. "But I don't want to leave," I said in despair. "Here are my friends and my home. You can't just send me away!"
"I can and I will," she replied stubbornly. "You are underage, Lydia. And until then, you do what your father and I want."
"How long am I supposed to stay there?" I asked softly.
"Well, there are only about four weeks left before the school summer holidays begin. So you won't miss that much at school. Plus, you're a good student and can catch up on all this until the new school year starts in September."
"September?" I stammered shocked. "I should stay in California until fall?"
"We'll see. Until then, we still have a few months left." She went to the closet and opened it. "And now pack some things together. The plane leaves in a few hours."
"Mom please...!" Tears suddenly formed in my eyes. "Please don't send me away!" I had suddenly realized what it would mean if I had to stay in California for three months. Although I didn't know how far along I was right now, I was sure my condition would be apparent to everyone until then.
"I have no choice, Lydia," she said exhausted. "Now pack your things."
"What does Dad say about this?" I tried to stall time.
"I called him at work and he agreed with my decision."
How simple it was for my parents to decide about my life, I thought bitterly. And I couldn't do anything about it! I grabbed my cellphone. "I'm calling Sawyer," I said quickly. "I have to tell her that I'm going to leave Tree Hill."
"No!"
"No?" I echoed confused. "You also want to forbid that I call my best friend?" I asked in disbelief.
"She'll find out later," she said curtly. "Now give me the phone, Lydia!"
I was too shocked to argue with her. What was going on with my mom? That's not how I knew her. Reluctantly, I handed her my phone.
"Aunt Quinn and Uncle Clay are waiting for you in the living room. So hurry up with the packing," she said before she left the room.
I watched her stunned. I still couldn't believe what just happened. But it was not a nightmare I would wake up from, it was the reality. My parents really sent me away. Thousands of miles from Tree Hill! I had never felt so helpless in my life and wished I had succeeded in my attempt to drown myself. I wiped away the tears, then went to my closet and began to pack.
