DISCLAIMER: I own no
one. I claim to own no one (with the exception of Alex, Connie, Britany, and
anyone else I want to throw in there to confuse the heck out of you guys), and
if I did, Hayden wouldn't see the light of day again. LOL…. I don't own any of the
songs either. The complete list will be at the bottom of the story if you want
it.
(~) Means flashbacks
(*) Means dreams
Any other questions
e-mail me at Darlasfriend@aol.com
~The eyes are the
window to ones soul. ~ Unknown
"And then, Shelby turns to me and huffs:
'I am fully capable of paying my own damn bail.' Then she pulls the entire
fifteen hundred out of the pouch she keeps in her boots and pays the officer."
The group laughed and all turned to face a now blushing Shelby. She looked
around the table at her friends and smirked sarcastically. They had been at the
restaurant for about half an hour when the conversation had shifted to past and
present Shelby. "But the real kicker was after she signed her papers, she
turned to me and said-"
"Now you can buy
me breakfast." Shelby finished for him, looking down at the steak that she had
barely touched. Alex and Daisy both watched her food cautiously. They knew she
wasn't going to finish it, but neither said anything about it. "That was one of
the only nights that I skipped work." She told everyone so matter-of-factly.
"Of course, Alex spent the next week and a half paying my bills and buying me
clothes."
"I'm still trying to
explain the two hundred dollar Victoria's Secret bill to my father." Alex
joked, taking a long sip of his wine. Peter was the only one blushing this
time. He didn't like the thought of Alex knowing Shelby well enough to talk
about her like that. Alex took his mind off Shelby in her underwear and turned
to the rest of the group. "So, anyone else have any good stories?"
Auggie scooted closer
to the table and raised his hand. "I've got an entertaining one." He winked at
both Shelby and Sophie before placing his hand inside Juliet's opened one.
~ Sophie
moved rapidly around the turns in the path that lead away from the ropes
course. She had asked Peter if she could go after Shelby, and now she was
slightly regretting it. The blonde was just too fast for her to catch up
without running. "You have an old soul." She commented just loud
enough for the blonde girl in front of her to hear. She had known many girls
like Shelby, even if she didn't know anything about her.
"Wow."
Shelby spat back at her mockingly; the new girl Peter had brought to 'observe'
them was going to get really annoying really fast. "Gee, Groovy."
"Hard
shell too." Sophie commented. Getting Shelby to talk to her wasn't going
to be easy. This girl wasn't going to give an inch, and she knew it.
"Always a good quality in a woman."
Shelby
didn't want to listen to it. "Do you work here?" She snapped as she
turned to face the woman that was trailing her. "Or are you just giving
this out for free?"
"I'm
a visitor," Sophie started only to be cut of.
Her
feet pounded on the trail as she turned away from Sophie. "From what
Planet?" She barked as she walked away. ~
Taking
a quick sip of his wine, Alex chuckled. "Bitch alert!" He shouted mockingly,
not caring who heard what he said. "Damn Slate, what happened to the girl I
knew on the streets?" He paused for a few moments and handed the wine to Peter
and Sophie. "No, wait…Lemme guess…She-"
"Went
home." They said in unison. It was Shelby's favorite quote every time he had
asked her that question over the past few days.
"Now
that's the thing that I don't get." David said as he took a sip of his iced
tea. "Listening to Alex talk about Shelby, it sounds as though he's describing
a completely other person." He watched Scott's reaction to his statement, and
decided to continue. "I mean what happened to Shelby to make her go completely
postal on the rock until you show up?" He pointed his glass at Alex for
emphasis.
"Life."
Shelby said ironically, thinking about the last time she had said that phrase.
"It's amazing how it just keeps on giving."
At
the point the lights dimmed and the DJ started playing music. David jokingly
put his left hand on Shelby's thigh and gave it a good pat. "Remove it, or I
will." Scott's voice crept into David's ear angrily. Promptly David's hand
removed itself from her leg and Shelby threw Scott a questioning glance. Almost
immediately, Scott looked away.
Alex
took the opportunity to take Shelby's hand and pull it to his lips. "Dance with
me." He said simply.
"Is
that a request or a demand?" Her voice questioned as he stood and pulled her to
her feet. "Fine. Have it your way." He led her out onto the dance floor and
wrapped his hands around her extremely small waist. His chin rested itself on
the top of her head, and he took a deep breath to smell her strawberry shampoo.
That was one of the things he missed about her. She always smelled like
strawberries. "What?" She asked him cautiously as he looked into her eyes.
"What are you staring at?" Alex just shrugged as the music started.
I laid the blanket there on the shoreline
And saw the water shine with the moon.
What kind of fool would fail to notice
The best thing shining was you.
Alex
stood there for minutes at a time, just watching Shelby move to the music. He
just couldn't believe that he was standing there, in the middle of the grand
ballroom in the Madison Hotel, with the love of his life in his arms. If only
she felt the same way. Shelby shifted in his arms, and he saw her blue eyes
staring directly into his. The world stood still for that moment, and
everything just felt right. "What?" She asked him softly, letting her words
drift up to his ears. "Alex, what's wrong?"
Alex
kissed the top of her head and leaned to where his mouth was right next to her
ear. "I'm just wondering how long it's been since I was able to enjoy myself
this much." Alex lied, not wanting to tell her the truth about his thoughts. He
knew Shelby well enough to know that she wouldn't be pleased if her were blunt
with her. "I missed you too much."
"Well
stay as long as you want." Shelby giggled lightly as he tickled the sides of
her stomach. She squirmed to get away from him, but his strength held her where
she stood. "I've enjoyed you being here. It's been too damn long since I've
even thought about you and Patty." She pulled him closer to her and fluttered
butterfly kisses on his cheek. "I want you to stay here forever."
"Your
wish is my command." Alex joked as he looked over at the table where Scott sat,
glaring at him from squinted eyes.
Oh I laughed kind of nervous
I felt you move closer
And felt the world unwind
Auggie
leaned over to Scott and smiled an evil grin. "You were the one that didn't
tell her the truth." He said cautiously, before he grabbed Juliet's hand and led
her out to the dance floor. Auggie tapped Alex on the back and smiled as both
Alex and Shelby turned his way. "Somebody's jealous." He laughed in a singsong
voice. His left hand let go of Juliet's and pointed to Scott. Then he looked
back at Shelby. "Can't say I blame him, though." The smirk on his face was
apparent as he pulled Juliet away from them and kissed her on the cheek. "I
love you." He whispered to her softly.
Shelby's
mind was swimming. She couldn't believe that Scott could get so jealous about
one dance. Then again, she really couldn't explain her outburst the other
night, when she began throwing things around when she had heard about Britany. No, wait; now that she thought about it, she
knew exactly why she did it. She was hurt that he couldn't just tell her
about it. But true, he had his reasons. Her mind kept slipping back to the man
who held her in his arms. The way he always smelled like he just got out of the
shower. The one who knew her inside as well as out so well, that he knew what
she was feeling without even talking to her. Did she love Alex? She didn't know
if she could answer that question without hurting anyone. You mean without
hurting Scott. Her mind answered for her. He has another girlfriend.
Her mind reminded her in a voice that sounded too much like Daisy's. He slept
with Britany remember? He doesn't even look at you anymore. Shelby shrugged
and laid her head back onto the shoulder that already knew hat kind of war was
going on inside her head.
Once was a stranger, not quite a lover.
But steadily crossing that line.
Scott
knew that this shouldn't bother him. He wouldn't let this bother him.
Shelby was just going along with Alex because he knew how to make her happy. Happier
then you've ever made her. His mind answered for him in a voice that
sounded too close to Ezra's. It was amazing how he thought these people that he
lived with were his conscience. Ezra especially, he always knew what to say to
get Scott on the right track. Talk to the girl. The voice told him
angrily. Explain yourself to her and you know she'll forgive you.
Somehow he knew his mental voice was telling the truth, but way back in his
mind he could still hear Auggie's warning. "Tell her the truth." He said to
himself, noticing the odd looks he was getting from both Daisy and Ezra.
"Do
you think they know what we think about this?" Ezra whispered to Daisy when she
reached across him to get to the salt. She had been getting closer to Ezra ever
since Alex showed up, and she didn't have to worry about Shelby that much.
Daisy liked the feeling she to whenever she was next to Ezra. He didn't make
her feel like he expected something from her. He just wanted her. "I mean-"
Ezra
smiled at how nervous she was getting with the situation between Shelby and
Scott. "I think they know our minds, yes." He slowly moved his left hand and
patted her on the thigh. "You said yourself that Shelby doesn't come to you for
advice because she already knows what you were going to say. There is no doubt
in my mind that whenever they have a problem, it's our voices that jerk them
back to reality." He watched her smiled then pulled her out of her seat.
"You're dancing." He said as she giggles and fell into his arms. There was
nothing else that could have ever made him feel the way he did at that moment.
Carry me far away
Don't hold back, I won't break
Leave the past behind
All I know, wrong or right
Just the thought of this night
Will get me every time.
Every time
Peter
and Sophie watched as their children danced around the dance floor. With the
exception of Scott, who sat by himself at the far end of their table. David had
asked Jessica to dance shortly after Daisy had left the table with Ezra. Peter
thought this was the perfect moment to fill his wife in on Alex's surprise for
the Cliffhangers. "How do you think this room would look with the Morp
decorations that Jessie and Juliet have created?" He asked a little too
self-confidently, his eyes never leaving the group of kids on the dance floor.
Sophie
turned her head slightly, looking directly at Peter's face. "We don't have the
money for that kind of thing Peter." She watched where his eyes were looking
and realized immediately what he was referring to. "You're kidding me!" She
squealed, watching as he shook his head. "Alex is going to do that…for the
Cliffhangers?"
"Not
for the Cliffhangers," Peter corrected her. "For Shelby." He watched Shelby
grab Alex by the collar of his shirt and smiled. "He's got a major yen for her.
He'd do anything for her." Alex shifted Shelby in his arms and play hit Auggie
in the shoulder. Then Peter's head turned and he was looking at Scott. "The bad
thing is so would Scott. That's probably the worst part of this whole thing. We
have two children that love each other more than life itself, and they're not
going to be together on their Prom night." Sophie nodded and turned her
attention to the girl who was walking up behind Scott.
Well the voice in my head said
"What are you doing?"
I thought not listening to you
You see I'm taking a chance
I'm thinking about flying
Over the moon
Britany
took deep breaths as she neared Scott. She could feel his presence the second
she walked into the ballroom. Carefully she smoothed the dress that she had
changed into before she had called the cab to come take her to the hotel. She
wanted to make herself look decent for when she was introduced to the legendary
Shelby. She had no doubt in her mind Shelby would look perfect. So she had to
match the look that Shelby would have. Then again, Britany had been warned
about the fight that had happened after she had called the first time. She
herself had seen pictures of the damage that Shelby had caused to the lodge.
Slowly patting down the skirt to her dark blue party dress, Britany walked up
and tapped Scott on the shoulder.
Scott
whirled around as if he had been shot. What he saw surprised him more than he
thought was possible. Britany looked way too much like Shelby for his liking.
Now he knew why he had been so quick to sleep with her when he was drunk.
"Britany." He whispered barely audible. "What are you doing here?"
"Mrs.
Scarburrow told me that you guys were eating dinner in Seattle, and I haven't
eaten all day, so I thought I'd take a cab here and join you…" She noticed the
look on his face and smiled. "You don't look happy to see me." She frowned.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Scott
hugged her and smiled at her innocence. "No. It's just been one of those days."
He told her, carefully choosing his words. "Come on." He took her hand and
pulled her out to the dance floor. "I haven't danced all night."
And it's crazy to be this out of practice
And have it all come so naturally
Don't you love knocking logic, right off it's
axis
And watch it float far out to sea?
Shelby
wasn't oblivious to the girl that Scott pulled out onto the dance floor. She
noticed right away how pretty the girl was, and the striking resemblance that
she and Shelby had. Scott looked her way right before Alex shifted her in his
arms to where she was looking at a frustrated Auggie. Unlike her, Auggie didn't
feel the need to mask his anger, and it was later said that if it weren't for
the fact that Juliet was holding onto him, he would have killed Scott.
Carry me far away
Don't hold back, I won't break
Leave the past behind
All I know, wrong or right
Just the thought of this night
Will get me every time.
Every time
"Calm
down Slate." She heard Alex whisper in her ear. She could feel his hands move
from her hips to her shoulders as she closed her eyes and leaned backwards, testing
his strength. Alex pulled her back up to him and smiled. "Somebody remembers."
He joked as he moved his hands back to her waist and lifted her up from the
floor. Shelby giggled when he put her back on her feet and Alex rubbed her
lower back with the palm of his hand. "Beautiful," he commented
absent-mindedly.
Scott
turned to watch Alex lift Shelby over his head. She seemed so happy being there
with Alex. All of the stories he told were of a defiant, yet happy, Shelby that
had long since been gone. He looked at the girl he held in his arms and knew
that Shelby was the only one for him. Britany was a distraction. Shelby, now
she was his life.
So, now here I am reading my fortune
In he winding lines of your hand
Oh and I see a lost unwanted orphan
Headed right for the Promised Land
Carry me far away
I won't…I won't break
Auggie
turned to watch Shelby stifle a laugh as Alex made a joke about Connie. She
pulled herself up against Alex and tried to bury her face in his shirt.
Suddenly the hands on his shoulders stiffened, and Juliet's lips brushed
against his own. "You are too wonderful for words?" She laughed at his
confusion. "Don't tell me that you and Alex aren't trying to make this Morp
more memorable for Shelby because of her accident." He feigned ignorance before
Juliet kissed him again and he stopped.
"You
keep doing that and I'm going to wind up telling you his entire plan." Auggie
joked, wrapping his arms around Juliet's slender waist and pulling her roughly
against his body. They had never been like that toward each other, and it
surprised both of them. Auggie had always been gentle with Juliet. It wasn't
that he thought she was 'going to break' or anything like that. She just was a
little more delicate to him than Shelby was. He knew this stage was coming with
them, he just didn't know that Juliet would want them to be that forceful,
especially around the other Cliffhangers.
Juliet
smiled up at Auggie, praying that he couldn't feel her insecurities through her
fake smile. The truth was she was terrified of him leaving her. She was scared
that he would think Britany was prettier than she was and decide to fight Scott
for her. This feeling had manifested itself over dinner when Ezra and Auggie
were talking about how beautiful this girl had to be to get Scott over Shelby.
The thought that he could just dump her like that was just too much for her to
handle. What Juliet didn't know, however was the fact that Auggie had already
talked Alex into getting two-dozen white roses for Juliet. He knew about her
insecurities and he was more than happy to make her forget all about the rest
of the world.
Carry me far away
Don't hold back, I won't break
Leave the past behind
All I know, wrong or right
Just the thought of this night
Will get me every time.
Every time
The music stopped and
Alex pulled Shelby to him once more. "You enjoying yourself?" He asked her
cautiously. Taking a moment to poke her on the nose to get her to smile. Shelby
nodded just as one of the waiters walked up to them.
"Mister Wallace?" He
asked Alex lightly. "Do you wish to order anything else before the bill is
drawn up?"
Alex thought for a
moment. "Yeah, sure." He coughed to himself. "We're going to have two death by chocolates,
one rather large birthday cake, and ice cream for everyone at the table." The
man wrote it all down and turned. "Oh, and I'd like two bottles of your finest
wine, and some sparkling cider." A little startled by this, the man bowed and
practically ran for the kitchen. "I seemed to have missed your birthday, and I
insist that we fix that problem." Shelby giggled again and turned to Scott and
Britany. Her smiled faded as her eyes locked with Scott. "You want to talk
about it?" Alex asked her softly.
"No." Shelby coughed as
she turned and ran for the bathroom.
Daisy stopped dancing
long enough to see Shelby race off towards the girl's bathroom. She let go of
Ezra and tapped Auggie on the shoulder. When Juliet turned to look at her she
pointed at Alex. "Shelby." She said simply, hoping it was enough to excuse both
of them from their dates.
It only took a minute
for Juliet to figure out what she was talking about. She kissed Auggie quickly
before muttering a soft 'sorry' and heading in the direction that Daisy went.
When she found both Shelby and Daisy, Daisy had successfully talked Shelby out
of the restroom and just outside the door to the grand ballroom, Shelby
lighting up a new cigarette and Daisy taking it away from her. Shelby's hands
were shaking as she attempted to light another one. "Daiz," Juliet said softly.
"You go back in to Ezra. I think I can handle this one." Daisy nodded and
dropped the two cigarettes that she had taken away from Shelby onto the floor.
Juliet took the lighter away from her and stood again. "Come on. I'll let you
have as many as you want outside." After a barely audible grunt from Shelby,
both girls were standing and heading for the main doors.
After the doors shut,
Juliet lit one of Shelby's cigarettes and handed it to her. "Now, you want to
tell me what that was about in there?" Shelby shook her head and took a long
drag. The cigarette traded hands easily, seeing as though Shelby wasn't in the
best frame of mind to fight Juliet on it. "Allow me to rephrase," she said
harshly. "What happened in there?"
"I'd like to say it was
temporary insanity," Shelby started, taking her cigarette back from Juliet. Her
head shook slightly. "I'm getting too close to Alex." She explained simply,
wiping the tears from her eyes. "If I get to comfortable having him around,
when he leaves, I'll be crushed."
"And…"
"How'd you know?"
Juliet laughed shortly.
"I have eyes..." She offered helpfully. "Face it Shell, you can hate it all
you'd like, but you know you're in love with the boy." Shelby laughed harshly
and sank down onto the cold stone walkway. "I know you're hurting Shells, but
you have to realize that Scott's hurting just as much. He loves you Shell, he's
just confused."
"Confused, my ass." The
voice sounded more and more like a frightened girl every time she spoke. "I
think he just loves the fact that he's finally free from the skank from Reject
High." She took another puff and stubbed it out with the toe of her boot.
"Let's face facts, Jules. I'm nothing to him. He just wanted me as long as he
knew there wasn't any possible way he could find someone normal. Someone real."
Tears were falling faster than Juliet had ever seen. Shelby's resolve to hold
her tears crumbled to nothing as she buried her head in her hands and just sat there
for minutes weeping.
For the first time when
it cam to dealing with Shelby, Juliet had no clue what to do. She had never
seen Shelby act like this. "Come on Shelby," she wasn't sure why she was still
talking. It just felt better than sitting there, watching her cry. "You know
that's not true." Juliet pulled Shelby half into her lap and stroked her head
slowly, waiting for the tears to subside. She didn't have to wait long. Shelby
sat up by her self and wiped her eyes, trying to get the rest of the wet
mascara off of her face. "Feel any better?"
Shelby slid her
cigarettes back onto her pocket and smiled at the brown haired girl that she
spent so much of her time at Horizon being mean to. "Actually," she began
softly, pulling Jules into a hug. "Yeah, I do." The two girls walked back into
the ballroom, together.
Scott
felt horrible. There was no other word to describe the feeling of anguish that
was echoing inside his chest. After Shelby and Juliet got back, Auggie kept
throwing menacing glances at him and Britany from across the table. Finally he
just could take it anymore. He stood slowly and walked over to Shelby's side of
the table. Shelby stopped mid-sentence as she turned and noticed the look of
hunger in his eyes. "Dance with me?" He asked as sweetly as he could manage.
"I
don't think-" Alex tried to object before Shelby stood.
"Sure."
Shelby's voice wavered slightly, and she looked at Juliet for the strength to
walk out onto the dance floor with the guy she once claimed to love. The music
started quietly, as if the DJ picked the song just for them.
They say in this world
Nothing lasts forever
But I don't believe that's true
"I'm
sorry." Scott said finally. They had been out on the floor for several seconds
now. Both of them were aware of the looks that they were receiving from the
group at the table. It had been the first words that he had spoken to her all
night. He didn't even know why he was talking to her now. The feel of her in
his arms gave him the strength to do the impossible. Her hair fell against his
shoulder as she stopped moving to look at him.
"You're
sorry?" Shelby asked him after a second. She wasn't quite sure that she had
heard him right. "What for?"
"Don't
pretend you don't know." He snapped back at her. Feeling her recall from him
slightly, Scott immediately felt bad for doing that. "I'm sorry for the past
year." He looked around the room, trying desperately not to meet her eyes. When
he couldn't stand it anymore, he glanced briefly. Her gaze held him there.
'Cause the way that I feel
When we're together
I know that's the way
I'll always feel for you
"What
about the past year?" She asked calmly, not showing him any of the emotions
that were running rampant throughout her mind. He tore his eyes away from hers
angrily. "Scott?" She asked as she allowed her hand to cup his cheek. "What's
wrong?"
"I'm
sorry that I hurt you like this." He finally managed to get out. The touch of
her hand on his face sent shivers down his spine. "I caused you all this pain,
and you didn't deserve any of it. I-"
"I
understand." Shelby said, more to her self than to him. "I know what you want
to do, and I don't blame you at all." It was coming out now, and there wasn't a
damn thing she could do to stop it. The only thing Shelby felt now was the need
to just let go. She had to make a clean break and never look back. "I know you,
Scott. Or at least I once thought I did." She leaned against him one last time
and felt his breath on her cheek. "You don't have to try to tell me that you
were thinking of me when you slept with Britany. I know you too well for that."
She wiped her eyes and shifted her weight.
From now until forever
That's how long I'll be true
I'll make you this vow
And promise you now
Until forever
I'll never stop loving you
Scott
had no clue what was going on inside her head, nor was he about to pretend he
did. "No Shell, you don't understand. I want you. I love you-"
"You're
kidding yourself." She snapped in frustration. "You said so yourself months ago
that you don't go for used trash. You told me that you didn't need anything I
had to offer-"
"That's
before I knew you." Scott tried to explain. "That's before I found
myself closing my eyes just to see your face." He took her head in his
large palms and kissed her forehead. "I need you more than I ever needed
anyone. I need you more than my mother, more than my father. You're my life, my
world, my everything, Shell." His voice rose slightly, trying to make her hear
him. "Please believe me?" He begged slightly. "Please?"
There'll come a day
When the world stops turning
And stars will fall from the sky
But this feeling will last
When the sun stops burning
All I want to do is love you
Till the end of time
"I'm
sorry Scott," she hung her head long enough to get the image of his face out of
her mind. "You can't make me believe you when you're five minutes away from
walking back to that table and pulling Britany close. I-"
"I
don't want Britany!" He snarled angrily. "I love you."
Shelby
forced her body to move away from him. "Keep telling yourself that." She took a
deep breath and sighed heavily. She had begun to walk back to the table, before
wiping her eyes and turning slightly. "Oh and Scott?" He lifted his head and
their eyes met. "Take care of the cowboy." She sniffled before wiping her eyes
one more time. "He's the best kisser I've ever seen." Scott laughed a little at
that remark, and he too returned to the table.
From now until forever
That's how long I'll be true
I'll make you this vow
And promise you now
Until forever
I'll never stop loving you
Shelby's
world crashed the second she sat down. Every time Scott had ever been there for
her flashed through her mind. Every tear, every kiss; her entire world revolved
around the single fact that Scott was hers and now it had been taken from her.
The tears welled up in her eyes once more and she sighed. Don't, she
told herself calmly. You cry in front of Britany, and you'll never make it
out of this place alive. You had to do this. Her mind kept telling her over
and over. You had to end it one way or that other, and you chose the painful
way. She took a few sips of Alex's wine, knowing that she shouldn't have
but she needed a way to calm down. She tried to recall another time in her life
that she needed the strength that Patty had given her. There was only one other
time that her mind remembered:
~ Patty
always told her that when it came to getting caught, you have to stay tough.
Weakness was never an option when it came to them. And that 's how it was when
Shelby was delivered to her mother. After a short visit at her house, to get
her things and say her 'good-byes' to her friends and Walt, Shelby and her
mother drove four hours to get to the place her mother told her would do
wonders for her. The sign that they passed read: MOUNT HORIZON HIGH SCHOOL, and
by the looks of the woods that they drove through, there was no possible way
Shelby was going to be able to get out of there without some serious planning.
"Diet Coke?" Her sister
Jessica's words jarred her from her thoughts. Shelby looked across the seat at
Jessica and smiled as the younger girl held out another bottle of Coke.
"Shelby?" She asked again before Shelby reached out to take the coke.
"Horizon will be a good
place for you." Her mother said again. She was averaging that sentence three
times and hour, and it was getting old. "There will be kids like you that
you'll be able to relate to. And the constant supervision will help you with
you're problems with authority-"
"Whatever you say Mother."
Shelby took a sip of her Coke and smiled at her sister. Jessica was probably
the only thing she knew she was going to miss from her old life. The closeness
with her sister had to be the only thing worth salvaging from the many years of
Walt sneaking into her room at night. I'm doing this for her. She told
herself again. If I stay up here and don't come back to that house, Jess
will be safe. And that's how we're going to do this. She could still feel
Walt's hug on her skin. Think of Jess. She told herself one more time
for good measure.
The car stopped in
front of a huge wooden lodge. The campus was fairly large, with plenty of trees
and fresh air. The teens that were loitering the yard were dressed warmly, with
no visible holes in their jeans or shirts. The group of girls sitting on the
steps of the lodge wasn't wearing any make up either. Suddenly Shelby knew this
wasn't a good idea. She would have to find someone worth staying here for, and
for Shelby Merrick- correction, Slate Harding, it wasn't going to be an
easy task. Her mother got out of the car and walked into the lodge. Shelby
turned to look at this one guy who was standing with people that could pass as
his parents. He looked like he was having as much fun as she was. His black
button-down shirt was opened showing off his muscular chest underneath a white
wife-beater, and his pants were baggy enough so Shelby could recognize him as a
guy who just recently got pulled from some gang activities. By the color of the
bandanna he wore, she would have thought him from someplace out of the region,
Atlanta maybe, or at the very least Chicago.
The boy turned to face
her and he smiled. He didn't seem all that bad. His look was a little too bad
boyish for her tastes. But if he were the only one that she could get to, he
would do just fine. By then her mother had returned with two counselors. A male
and a female. The woman introduced herself as Hannah. She was kind of short,
almost as tall as Shelby, with light red hair, and a funny shaped nose. The man
on the other hand had the look of a high school teacher to him. He was about as
old as her mother, with short brown hair, no facial hair what so ever, and an
almost caring nature. He introduced himself as Peter.
"I just don't know
what to do with her anymore." Shelby heard her mother tell the woman,
Hannah quickly. "Walt and I can't keep her at home any longer. Every time
the police and I seem to bring her back, she seems normal for a few days, then
she's back to climbing out her window. We can't keep doing this to Jess. I
can't keep disrupting her life because her sister is likes to run away."
Her mother ran a well-manicured hand through long blonde hair and sighed
heavily.
Hannah nodded in
agreement. "I know how troublesome that can get, Mrs. Blaine. 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. He could tell just from the
look of her that she was going to be a tough nut to crack. Her eyes were bright
blue, yet they held a sort of age to them that he wasn't used to seeing from
the kids that was brought in by their parents. Whatever her demons were, she
knew what they were and how to keep them there.
Peter walked around to
the passenger side of the Honda Civic and opened the rear door. "Why don't
you come on out here Shelby? This concerns you." He decided that with this girl
he was going to take a different direction. "We won't hurt you here." He
saw her dark eyes exchange meaningful glances with her mother's before climbing
out of the car into the open air, her little sister, Jessica in tow. "I
know how hard this must be on you-"
"You know nothing
about me." She snapped, her voice heavy with anger and weariness. Her eyes
shifted to his, challenging his gaze. "Don't try to pretend that you can
understand my and my life. You'll only be disappointed." She slid her hands
into her pockets and smiled sarcastically. That's when Peter finally got a good
look at her. 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 an easily mistaken look of determination
that Peter had never seen before in a female admit.
"Shelby Elizabeth
Merrick," Mrs. Blaine snapped, trying to cover her embarrassment.
"You do not talk to them that way!" She turned her head away from her
daughter and smiled at Hannah.
Peter held up his hand
to silence her. "We don't keep anyone from expressing their opinions here,
Mrs. Blaine." He watched, as Jess was always one step behind Shelby, no matter
what she did. "Shelby can say whatever she wants to. As long as it is only said,
not carried out." He looked Shelby over again. She was strong and
confident. She held herself like any other teenage girl that thought she could
handle everything would. That just reassured him that this girl would take some
time.
"Well we should be
going now." Mrs. Blaine said smoothly, pulling Shelby into a quick hug. "I love
you baby." She said quickly, climbing into the car. "Jessie give Shelby a hug
and a kiss and come on." She instructed her youngest daughter.
Jessica grabbed onto Shelby
and refused to let go. "I love you Jess." Shelby said into her sister's hair.
She had to be strong up here. She had to fight, for Jess's sake more than her
own. "You'll be okay now. I promise." She held on to her sister until her
mother honked the horn of the Accord. "Get going Jess, before she starts to get
upset."
"Take care of yourself
Shell." Jessica coughed into Shelby's shoulder. "Stay alive up here." Jessica
let go of her sister and walked to the passenger side door. "I love you Shell."
Jessica wiped her eyes and climbed into the car.
"You'll be okay."
Shelby said to her mind. "Walt won't touch her. He only wanted you." She turned
back to Peter and Hannah and tried to smile for them. Screw it. She told
her mind. They have to find out about the nightmare sooner or later. "So
how hard is it to score a cig around this place?" She asked Peter as seriously
as she could. Peter looked like she had just tried to shoot her. It was going
to be a good day after all. ~
It's going to take more than a lifetime
To give you all the love
All the love I feel for you tonight
"Shell?" Scott asked, as
his face flushed with worry. "You okay Shelby?"
Shelby turned her face
to him and smiled. "Just remembering a time where everything was easier." Scott
gave her a strange look and she smile. "At least a time where bugging Peter was
the highlight of my life."
Scott nodded
understandingly and recalled in his mind the first time he realized that Shelby
might be strong enough to handle him; Or at least strong enough to look after
her own heart.
From now until forever
That's how long I'll be true
I'll make you this vow
~ Scott pulled Shelby into a passionate kiss as the thunder rolled through the heavens. The rain fell out of the sky like tiny droplets of clouds, which soaked the Earth. He pulled her onto the bunk that had been dubbed his and she moaned into his mouth. The kiss lasted a few minutes before Shelby broke it off. She took few deep breaths before turning and looking into his desire filled eyes. "See?" She asked him as if she were talking to a little kid. "Was that so bad?"
Scott looked directly into her eyes. He sighed and smiled half-heartedly. "Shelby?" He asked her curiously.
Shelby smiled into his lips. "Yeah?"
The thunder clapped in the sky as Scott said the next words. "Stop talking." He commanded softly, his mouth turning upright into a mischievous smile. He kissed her again. Pulling her into him with his strong arms. He felt her lean back onto the bed before she pulled away.
"Make me want to stop." She challenged him softly, biting his lower lip.
He shut her up that time with a kiss. Sweet and sensual, both of them knew that the kiss would wind up meaning more than life itself. The kiss intensified, becoming more passionate than either had hoped it would be. But still, Shelby couldn't resist proving to him that she was right about them getting together. "Nice."
Then
she noticed that he pulled away from her, a strange look spreading across his
face. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. In reality though, his mind
returned him back to his own bedroom, in his own house. The night was exactly
like this one, wild stormy, a little unruly. The door opens and his stepmother
Elaine enters, wearing a white negligee. The footsteps can be heard throughout
the house as she walks over to the bed. Scott tries to shake the visions of
Elaine off as he kisses Shelby once more. The thunder claps outside and this
eyes snap open as lightning flashes. Instead of staring into Shelby's eyes, he
looks directly at a picture of him and his father. It was a picture of father
and son during happier times. The lightening struck again and he heard Elaine's
voice throughout his head. This is nice Scotty. Scott tries to block the
visions of Elaine by clamping his eyes shut so tightly, as Shelby's arms slowly
wrap around his neck. Although his body is there, on the bed, with Shelby, his
mind is still on Elaine, or rather what Elaine did to him. This is our
secret. "No." He said softly, letting go of Shelby and forcing her away
from him.
Shelby dropped her arms the second Scott broke contact
with her mouth. "What's wrong?"
She could barely make out his response. It was as soft as
a pin drop, but Shelby heard it. "You said never again." His eyes were closed,
and she knew he was somewhere else, but his reaction to her kiss surprised her.
"What are you talking about?" She asked him strangely.
She had never seen this kind of reaction to something like this. To tell the
truth, she wasn't quite sure what she should do. Whether or not she should go
to Peter and Sophie about this, or just leave it alone.
Shhh, he'll hear us. The voice in his head said
cautiously. He forced Shelby as far away from his as he could get her and
shouted at air. Shaking his head, he turns back to the picture. "Leave me
alone!"
Now Shelby was definitely scared. It was like he was in
the same kind of trance she used to get when she worked on the streets; only
his made him lose all thought patterns. "Earth to Scott?" She tried to joke. It
helped her more than she thought it did him.
But the only thing Scott could hear in his head was his
stepmother's voice Scotty? He turned harshly and Shelby almost fell off
of the bed. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" He shouted angrily at nothing in
particular. Shelby froze. She didn't even try to breathe right. Scott focused
onto the end of the bed. The lightning flashed again and illuminated his eyes.
She was there. Standing near the foot of Scott's bed was
Elaine. Her white negligee was flowing around her body in the storm. She seemed
to be shivering. "I'm scared of the storm, Scotty." She told him sadly.
"Don't call me that." He snapped at the image of the dark
haired woman near him. He was terrified of what would happen if he actually let
himself go. What might happen if he decided that he could live with what he had
done?
Shelby allowed her eyes to move from Scott's face to the
foot of the bed. But unlike Scott, she saw nothing but the bunk across the
room. "Whatever you took just kicked in." She attempted to joke. He didn't even
acknowledge that she was in the room with him. All he saw was whatever was at
the end of the bed.
"You make me sick." Scott snickered at whatever he was
seeing. Elaine reached out to him.
"And it's a bad trip to boot." Shelby tried again. She
thought if she could only get him to talk to her. Maybe, just maybe he would
tell her what the hell was going on.
"Be honest." Elaine said sweetly. "You like how I make
you feel."
Scott never wavered. "I hate you." He tried to say evenly.
The vision of Elaine sat on the bed next to him and he convulsed unconsciously.
"Don't touch me." He tried to say through the shakes. His body was reacting to
something that Shelby didn't know if she wanted to see. Slowly she stood and
headed to the door, which had by now swung itself open with the help of the
winds.
"You asked for it, remember?" Elaine reminded him
harshly.
"That's a lie." Scott shot back. He just wanted her to go
away so he could get back to his life. The one he wanted to live, not the one
that revolved around the secret that he was certain to take to his grave.
"I saw how you watched me." Elaine tried again to get her
Scotty to see the error of his ways.
Scott shook his head harder than the rest of his body.
"You said no more." He reminded her viciously.
Elaine's hand touched his shoulder and he slumped
backward. "I never said that, Scotty." She leaned in to kiss him, and suddenly
she was gone. Scott pulled his knees up into fetal position against his chest
and began to rock back and forth. He was trying so hard to make the dreams go
away. The tears started down his face harder than anyone thought possible.
By this time, Shelby had made it as far as the large
wooden door that swung itself shut again. She reached out to open it when she
heard Scott crying. "Shelby?" He asked sorrowfully. He couldn't believe that
this had happened when she was in the room with him. She didn't turn to
acknowledge that she heard him so he tried again. "Shelby please?" He pleaded
with her back.
But Shelby couldn't take anymore of this on again off
again weirdness. She needed to be out there in the storm to calm her thoughts.
"I'm out of here." She said quickly, hoping to get out the door before he
changed her mind.
"Please don't go." She heard from behind her. He sounded
so weak to her. He was so different from the Scott that he had been half an
hour ago, back when he wanted her and no one else.
"You're scaring me." She warned him gently, moving to the
door again.
"I'm scared too." He finally admitted to someone other
than himself. "Please," he tried pleading with her again. "Shelby . . . don't
go." It took her exactly three seconds to change her mind, then another four to
turn and move to his side. She sat on the end that Elaine had been at; the end
that he was so scared to turn to.
Scott calms himself to the point where he can sit up.
Shelby still sits across from him, but she made no move to further her body
away from him. Though she made no move to him either. "She would come to my
bedroom - - say she was scared and stuff." Scott explained sheepishly. He wasn't
sure what made him more self-conscious, the fact that Shelby found out what
Elaine had done to him, or the fact that it happened as he was trying to make
out with her.
Shelby sat there silently. Just listening to him. "How
long has she been your stepmother?" She asked him cautiously.
"A year."
As much as she didn't want to hear what his answer would
be, Shelby began to ask the question that she knew would help him get her out
of his system. "And when was " She started to feel her cheeks turn a light
shade of pink. "Like . . . the first time?"
Scott turned away from her now. "Couple months after she
moved in."
Her mind recalled the vision of her own stepfather. "Don't
get mad," she said after a second. "Cause I know this is gonna sound really bad
. . ." She stopped and looked at his form. Deep in her heart she knew what he
was going through, but she couldn't see it through his eyes, so she just tried
to lighten things up and hear it in his words. "I kind of thought guys always
wanted it."
His remark was silent, but it was there. "Me too."
"I thought this stuff only happened to girls." She said
as she scooted closer to him. He placed his hand around her waist and she
leaned into him.
"Which makes me even more of a freak."
"You're not the freak." Shelby almost shouted at him. She
had tried to understand, but him pitying himself only made it worse. "Elaine's
the freak." She leaned away from him and turned to look into his eyes. "See.
That's what I hate." She tried to sound a little more understanding, and a little
less pissed, but she couldn't do it. "This jacked up thing happened to you, and
you act like it's your fault."
"I never stopped her." He explained sadly.
Shelby was persistent. "But you tried."
"But I still-" He leaned into his bed and sighed. "You
know..."
"Maybe because it felt good." Shelby put her realization
into his head and sighed.
Scott's face
contorted strangely as he took in her words. "What?"
"Is she pretty?" Shelby put her sentence another way.
Scott spoke a little too quickly. "She makes me sick."
"Yeah, I know, now." She looked deep into his eyes
and smiled at what she saw there. "But think back to the first time you saw
her. Like, when your dad first brought her home. Was she pretty to you?"
The picture of Elaine popped into his head again. "I
guess…"
"So maybe that's why you flipped out." Shelby
rationalized for him. "You feel like you fantasizing about her or whatever
makes you guilty." She took his face in her hands and forced him to look into
her eyes. "I don't Scott." She told him bluntly. "It doesn't make you guilty-"
"But she's my dad's wife!" He protested strongly, pulling
away from her. "He loves her."
"She's the one playing the head games and lying and making threats." The words on her lips sounded too much like Peter for her taste, but if it was going to help Scott, then she had to say them. "She's the one who should be carted off to some…psycho ward." That was when they both noticed that the rain had stopped pouring and turned into a heavy drizzle. They had spent a little over two hours in the boys bunk. "Are you gonna tell these guys here?" She asked slowly, not knowing what to say to anyone if they asked her what happened that night.
Scott shook his head a few times before stammering: "I
don't know…"
"If you did," she started slowly, allowing her voice to
carry throughout the room. "They would have to tell, you know."
"My Dad?"
"Everybody." The single word hung in the air like an axe.
"Your Dad. The cops. It's the law of the school or something." She watched as
Scott's face paled. "It happened to another girl who was here. In Group she
told that her Dad was abusing her and they had to report it."
"What happened? "
"He came and took her home." She said more to herself
than to him. She was reminding herself that she had to stay here for Jess's
sake if not her own; And that's what she would do. She would stay at Horizon as
long as it took for that sick bastard to hurry up and die.
Scott looked at her as if she was about to shoot him. "You
won't tell, will you?" He asked her earnestly, trying to read her answer off of
her face.
"No." She thought again of Walt at her home, watching
television and throwing glares at her sister. "I won't tell." She stood and
headed for the door when Scott's voice called her back.
"Hey!" She turned and again he caught the desire in her
eyes. He wanted her now. More now than before, and this time it wasn't
physical. It was purely for what she had inside. "Thanks."
She threw a sidelong glance at him and smiled. "Yeah well," She laughed to herself as he smiled. "We'll see what you say when you get my bill." ~
Shelby watched Scott for a long moment before smiling. "You
still here, Cowboy?" She asked him, the smile in her eyes reflecting in her
voice.
Scott shook off the memory and smiled back at her. Whatever
it takes. He vowed to himself, I will have her back in my arms.
