Memories- Part 6-
Disclaimer I don't own any of the Original Higher Ground characters. But I do own Jordan Thomas, his mom and step-dad Kendra and Jackson. His sister Hailey Jade and bother Dillion. His social Worker Max Anderson and Helen Brandon. I also own Jill Trinity, the mail lady and Aubrey, Shelby's friend.
In this chapter- Peter and Sophie are still searching for a clue. Shelby gets a letter from someone she hasn't heard from in a long time. Juliet talks to Jordan again.
PETER'S HOUSE-
Peter and Sophie have been searching for anything about Jordan's past for the past 2 hours. They haven't found anything yet and they are both getting tired and discouraged.
"Maybe there isn't anything here Peter. I mean it does look that way. We've been searching for a while." Sophie said yawning.
"I know. But something's got to be here. Something just has to. It doesn't make sense. None of it does Sophie." Peter said.
"Didn't you once say 'Not everything is in a file' Peter?" she asked as she got up to stretch and put the bowls in the kitchen. "Well maybe that's the case here."
Peter seemed to contemplate that fact, his quote and all. But still, the pieces didn't fit in the puzzle. Not all this stuff was in the file that he had gotten and that was giving him the notion that someone was hiding something. He just don't know who and what. But he kept his feeling hidden from Sophie.
"I know." He said, trying to please her. "We can stop looking. For now at least."
Sophie flopped on the couch again. She was tired. She leaned back and started dozing off and eventually went to sleep. Peter covered her with a blanket and then went to sleep to.
THE NEXT DAY...
Shelby and Scott were sitting at the Piano. Shelby had her hands on the keys and Scott was guiding her fingers. He was trying to teach her to play the piano so they could both play the song that Scott was working on and Shelby was helping him on. Sometimes Scott would make her mess up on purpose. Then they would laugh about it.
"How old were you when your mom started teaching you to play?" Shelby asked as she leaned against Scott's shoulder. Ever since she came back she was warming up bit by bit to everyone.
"I was about 4 or 5." He said smiling, reflecting on a happier time in his life. About as happy as he was with Shelby now.
"Why did you give it up?" Shelby asked. She had been wondering that since she had found out that he had stopped and then started up again.
A sudden coolness filed the room and Scott took his hands off of the piano. He got up. He didn't like to talk about when and why he stopped. He looked at Shelby. The look in her eyes told him he should tell her.
"Well, um... Mom taught me how to play. She was the one that got me to love playing the piano and love music. I always played with her. She'd teach me how to lay new songs, and write music and stuff. Then the divorce happened. Dad got everything, including me. Mom was so upset and had to leave. As you know. And she left me with the skank."
Shelby knew then that it had to have something to do with Elaine.
"Well whenever mom came I had a song for her. To show her that I was still playing. But then she stopped coming for a while. I guess dad told her I needed to "adjust". So that put a damper on it. But if that wasn't bad enough the skank, wanted me to make a song for her. And this is when all the stuff was getting bad. Before the drugs. And writing had always been a special thing for me, between my mom and me. And I couldn't let HER take that away from me to. I mean she took everything else. So I stopped, that was about the same time everything went downhill."
"But when you gave up, wasn't that like she took it away from you?" Sophie asked.
Scott sighed. She didn't understand. He had to explain, and he knew the logic would sound screwed up. "No because I took it away from myself. I had control over it. If I stopped she couldn't take it from me. She did it once, with the sex, and I wasn't going to let her do it again." He said. But luckily for Scott he didn't need to say anything else because they were interrupted with a scream from Juliet.
Auggie was the first to reach Juliet. She was now leaning up against the couch looking like she was about to faint.
"What's wrong Jules?" he asked concerned.
"A mouse." She squealed and then fainted.
Peter came over. He saw that Juliet had fainted and called for 2 Trackers to bring her to the infirmary. The rest of the cliffhangers gathered near Peter.
"She fainted over a dumb mouse?" Daisy said sarcastically.
"It wasn't a dumb mouse to her." Jordan said defending Juliet.
"Who are you now? Her personal protector." Shelby asked. She had felt hostility towards Jordan since he had come to Horizon.
The cliffhangers looked at him for his reaction.
"You know Shelby, Daisy, you don't have to be as bitter as you are. It isn't flattering." He yelled and then started to walk away.
Scott and Ezra had to hold Shelby and Daisy from going after Jordan. They knew they could be bitter and sarcastic but hearing it from anyone but the two of them was just wrong in their minds. Peter didn't let Jordan get away with the whole argument thing easily.
"Get back here Jordan." He commanded.
Jordan heard the anger in Peter's voice. He tensed, this time it was visible to Peter and the Cliffhangers. He turned around slowly.
"Yes sir?" Jordan said barely in a whisper, his eyes on the ground.
"Jordan. I want you to apologize," Peter started but realized that Jordan wasn't looking at him. "Jordan.. Look at me please." He said.
Jordan looked reluctantly up at Peter. His mind was going crazy with fear. His whole "Don't look in their eyes" theory and defense wasn't going to work. He looked around for an escape and couldn't find one. He looked back at Peter.
Peter saw the fear in the teen's eyes. He wondered why it was there. He had seen that look before. Trying to backtrack where. Then he remembered. Scott when he first came to Horizon and had ran away. He had had that same look.
"Apologize to Shelby and Daisy please. Daisy and Shelby apologize too." Peter said.
"Sorry Daisy, Sorry Shelby." He said. He really was sorry, that and he was still scared.
Shelby and Daisy felt a twinge of guilt. They knew that Jordan was sorry.
"Sorry." They said at the same time.
"Can I go please?" Jordan asked suddenly.
"Sure Jordan, go ahead." Peter said, he needed to check on Juliet anyway.
CLIFFHANGERS DORM
"How could you do that?" Jordan yelled at himself. "You should have held your tongue. Why stick up for Juliet anyway?" he asked himself.
He threw his pillow on the floor and then some other stuff. He was mad at himself and his little fit of emotion.
"Because you like her that's why." He said answering himself. "Ever since you found out she was a cutter too."
Jordan threw his blankets off his bed and then trashed Scott's bunk because Scott's was closer. Then he lay down on his bed. Practically exhausted.
"Why am I talking and answering myself anyway." Jordan finally said. Now he was tired. He yawned. "Now your going crazy." He said to himself.
Jordan turned over. He instantly fell asleep.
************DREAM**********
A young Jordan stood at the side of his father's grave. It was the day of the funeral and Jordan had been allowed to go. Hailey and Dillion were at their grandmothers. They were too young. Jordan was there alone with his mom and all the others at the funeral.
As the casket got lowered further and further into the ground Jordan ran to his fathers casket.
"Daddy no. Please don't leave me. Daddy I love you." 6 year old Jordan cried. He tried to get to his fathers casket because the men had stopped lowering it as Jordan came up.
In his mind he knew his father was gone. But he needed to say goodbye.
"Daddy." The boy said screaming and crying hysterically.
His mom, Kendra came up to him and grabbed him by the arm. She took him behind the groundskeeper's shed where no one could see them.
"What do you think your doing?" She said as she smacked Jordan hard on his butt.
Jordan didn't answer all he could do was cry.
"Answer me." His mom said smacking him across the face. "And stop crying."
But Jordan just cried more. He couldn't help it he was only six. And he missed his dad, he had died so fast.
Kendra kept getting madder and madder. She smacked Jordan hard again and he finally stopped crying. He didn't want to get hit by her again. Even as young as he was he knew not to provoke her anymore.
"Now go to the car." She said janking his arm and practically throwing him into the car.
Jordan sat there crying. His mom wasn't around anymore. But he was still scared.
***********END DREAM***********
MEANWHILE
Auggie, Scott and Ezra walked into their room.
"Can you believe the whole thing in the lodge?" Ezra asked." I thought Shelby and Daisy were going to kill him.
"But did you see how he reacted Ez?" Scott asked.
Both Auggie and Ezra knodded. They had seen how Jordan had flinched. They guessed that everyone had. As they walked into their dorm they saw all the stuff on the floor.
"What the heck?!?!" Auggie said but stopped as soon as he saw Jordan.
They looked at each other. Then looked where Jordan was asleep.
"Do you think he..." Ezra asked but was cut off by Scott.
"Of course he did it Ez, who else could have. Aliens?" he said.
Scott sighed, as he looked at his bunk. It was as trashed as everything else was. He walked over there. As he got closer he could hear Jordan moaning in his sleep.
"He's having another dream guys," Scott mouthed and pointed to Jordan.
"Should we tell Peter?"
Just as they were thinking Jordan jumped out of sleep. He was breathing hard and sweat was dripping on his forehead. As he looked at the guys he felt sick, and scared. Eventually he caught his breath. Scott, Auggie, and Ezra looked at him worridly.
"So...Sorry guys." Jordan said getting up and picking up Scott's stuff before Scott could get to it.
"What happened Jordan?" Scott asked.
"Nothing." Jordan said flatly.
"Nothing? Our room being trashed and you freaking out is not nothing J." Auggie said.
"I said I was sorry Okay." Jordan said throwing a pillow on his bed. "Can't you just accept that? God."
"Dude, what is up with the attitude?" Auggie said, Jordan's hostility was rubbing off on him. And with his worry over Juliet's fainting attack his nerves were already short.
Jordan looked at him and took a deep breath. "Just leave me alone okay. I can handle myself. I don't need you 3, or Sophie, or Peter on my back all the freaking time." He said and threw down his pillow. The rest of the room he had cleaned up.
He went to the door, walked out and slammed it.
Scott, Ezra, and Auggie looked at each other. As much as they were worried for Jordan they were also annoyed.
"Will you just slap me if I ever act like that again." Scott said remembering his past attitude. He just hoped he never acted that bad.
'Don't worry homes, I will." Auggie said laughing and playfully punching Scott. Scott punched him back.
MEANWHILE IN THE LODGE...
Shelby sat on the sofa in front of the fire. From the pocket of her jeans she pulled out a letter. She unfolded the still unopened envelope. She had gotten it in the mail yesterday but after seeing who it was from she knew she had to be alone when she read it.
Shelby traced the letters of her name in the handwriting of the address. The script brought her back to a time she would have liked to relive, well almost. She carefully tared open the envelope and pulled out the letter. She laughed when she realized how delicately she was taking care of the letter.
She tried to brush off her actions with the excuse that since she rarely got letters the ones that she got were important. But she knew that wasn't true. It was because it was one of Aubrey's letters....
Aubrey was one of her friends from her old neighbor hood. Before she ran away and before coming to Horizon. He was her best friend actually. His mom and her mom had been friends since high school and hadn't lost touch. They had temporarily separated in distance when Shelby's mother had moved to marry Shelby's real father, then when she went to marry _____ their parents and the two of them got back together.
Aubrey had always been there for her. When her step dad started doing things to her it was Aubrey she would run to. He had made her feel safe when no one else could. Aubrey was the first guy she could really talk to. When she ran she knew it had hurt him and he couldn't talk to her for weeks after that. When she went to Horizon he missed her, she knew, but then the first letter came. She couldn't reply to it. It hurt to bad. After the second and third came and she didn't reply, she still couldn't. The letters stopped. But then the letters started coming again. She had finally replied and he sent them to her.
She carefully unfolded the letter. And started reading it silently.
"Dear Shelby, Hey Beautiful. I just wanted to write to you to tell you how much I miss you. I hope this letter sees you well and that you're okay. Usually I wouldn't write this close to the last letter, you know our 3-week rule :). But I guess I just wanted to talk to you, well to get as close to doing so as I can. You know what this week is don't you? Friday, was our first kiss. We were six remember. First girl I ever kissed. I don't know what made me remember that but mom has a picture of it and all. So how's that Scott guy treating you? Better that I can I hope. Just for the sake of it. I mean he is your boyfriend now right? Guess who I'm going out with know? Jamie Johnson. She called me a couple of days ago. We're going to the school dance together. I hope you're insanely jealous. Hehehehe. Who knows, maybe I'll fall for her like you've fallen for Scott. I know your onto him bad Shelby as much as you tried to deny it when you were home again."
Shelby stopped reading for a minute as she heard footsteps.
"Hey Shel, what's that?" Daisy asked pointing at the letter.
"What?" Shelby said hiding the letter as fast as Daisy saw it.
"The letter. Who's it from?"
"What letter?" Shelby asked trying to be casual. She didn't want to share Aubrey's letter with anyone.
"The letter that you just hid from me. Duh Shelby. I'm not stupid." Daisy said annoyed.
"It's a letter from one of my friends back home okay." Shelby said glaring at Daisy. "Now I would just like to be alone in privacy so I can finish reading it please."
"Sure." Daisy said as she saw Ezra coming up, she wanted to talk to him about their newest project.
'Peace." Thought Shelby as she went back to her letter.
"You sounded sad in your last letter, and then you didn't reply to my most recent one. Last time I checked you were mad at the new kid. Said you didn't want to trust him. Do you feel better about him now? I wish I could see you Shelby. You are such a big part of my life. Mom says she misses seeing your face in the morning, well when you weren't sad and stuff. At least when you're at Horizon I know your safe. Back when you were on the streets and stuff I didn't know, even when you were at home and in that house of yours I didn't know, accept when I was with you. Well enough for blabbing and lecturing I just wanted to write to make sure nothing had happened to you. Well Buh bye, I love you Shelby.. Love, Aubrey."
Shelby folded up the letter and put it in her pocket. A smile was across her face. "Love you to Aubrey." She whispered to the air, knowing he could feel it.
LATER THAT DAY...
Juliet had just gotten out of the infermary. Peter and Sophie and Mary Anne had made quite sure that she was okay before they let her go back to her dorm. As she made her way there she saw Jordan sitting on a picnic table holding his arms. He wasn't wearing a coat. Peter had told her how Jordan had stuck up for her and she wanted to say thanks.
Jordan sat on the picnic table looking at the water. It was cold out but he didn't care. He didn't want to go back and face the guys just yet. He hadn't ment to act like he did. But he had and he knew that he had to do something. Just not yet, that was all. He was deep in thought when he heard footsteps coming.
"Can I join you?" Juliet asked Jordan, still behind him.
Jordan turned around and seeing Juliet he moved over to let her sit. Juliet took a seat.
"Thanks for sticking up for me to Shelby and Daisy." Juliet said warmly.
"Yeah well, No one needs to make fun of other people for things like that." Jordan said, his voice slightly cold and detached.
"Anything wrong?" Juliet asked him innocently.
'What isn't?' he thought to himself, but voiced another answer. "Nothing."
"You sure?" she asked sensing it. She had covered up enough problems of her own to know when someone was hiding something.
"Can I ask you a question." Jordan said looking at her.
"Okay."
"How is it that no one here accepts the answer that you don't have a problem?" he asked almost bitterly, but not too much so because it was Juliet.
"Because they know we all have problems or else we wouldn't be here." She said and then got up.
That left Jordan alone. After looking at the water for a few more minutes he got up and headed to the lodge. It was almost time for group. He might as well be early instead of late. And he had to face everyone sometime or another.
To be continued......
Is the suspense growing enough yet?!?! :). Sorry I said there was a group session this chapter but it became to long. So that is in next chapter. What else? Any guesses? Maybe you'll be right. Not telling ya!!!
Disclaimer I don't own any of the Original Higher Ground characters. But I do own Jordan Thomas, his mom and step-dad Kendra and Jackson. His sister Hailey Jade and bother Dillion. His social Worker Max Anderson and Helen Brandon. I also own Jill Trinity, the mail lady and Aubrey, Shelby's friend.
In this chapter- Peter and Sophie are still searching for a clue. Shelby gets a letter from someone she hasn't heard from in a long time. Juliet talks to Jordan again.
PETER'S HOUSE-
Peter and Sophie have been searching for anything about Jordan's past for the past 2 hours. They haven't found anything yet and they are both getting tired and discouraged.
"Maybe there isn't anything here Peter. I mean it does look that way. We've been searching for a while." Sophie said yawning.
"I know. But something's got to be here. Something just has to. It doesn't make sense. None of it does Sophie." Peter said.
"Didn't you once say 'Not everything is in a file' Peter?" she asked as she got up to stretch and put the bowls in the kitchen. "Well maybe that's the case here."
Peter seemed to contemplate that fact, his quote and all. But still, the pieces didn't fit in the puzzle. Not all this stuff was in the file that he had gotten and that was giving him the notion that someone was hiding something. He just don't know who and what. But he kept his feeling hidden from Sophie.
"I know." He said, trying to please her. "We can stop looking. For now at least."
Sophie flopped on the couch again. She was tired. She leaned back and started dozing off and eventually went to sleep. Peter covered her with a blanket and then went to sleep to.
THE NEXT DAY...
Shelby and Scott were sitting at the Piano. Shelby had her hands on the keys and Scott was guiding her fingers. He was trying to teach her to play the piano so they could both play the song that Scott was working on and Shelby was helping him on. Sometimes Scott would make her mess up on purpose. Then they would laugh about it.
"How old were you when your mom started teaching you to play?" Shelby asked as she leaned against Scott's shoulder. Ever since she came back she was warming up bit by bit to everyone.
"I was about 4 or 5." He said smiling, reflecting on a happier time in his life. About as happy as he was with Shelby now.
"Why did you give it up?" Shelby asked. She had been wondering that since she had found out that he had stopped and then started up again.
A sudden coolness filed the room and Scott took his hands off of the piano. He got up. He didn't like to talk about when and why he stopped. He looked at Shelby. The look in her eyes told him he should tell her.
"Well, um... Mom taught me how to play. She was the one that got me to love playing the piano and love music. I always played with her. She'd teach me how to lay new songs, and write music and stuff. Then the divorce happened. Dad got everything, including me. Mom was so upset and had to leave. As you know. And she left me with the skank."
Shelby knew then that it had to have something to do with Elaine.
"Well whenever mom came I had a song for her. To show her that I was still playing. But then she stopped coming for a while. I guess dad told her I needed to "adjust". So that put a damper on it. But if that wasn't bad enough the skank, wanted me to make a song for her. And this is when all the stuff was getting bad. Before the drugs. And writing had always been a special thing for me, between my mom and me. And I couldn't let HER take that away from me to. I mean she took everything else. So I stopped, that was about the same time everything went downhill."
"But when you gave up, wasn't that like she took it away from you?" Sophie asked.
Scott sighed. She didn't understand. He had to explain, and he knew the logic would sound screwed up. "No because I took it away from myself. I had control over it. If I stopped she couldn't take it from me. She did it once, with the sex, and I wasn't going to let her do it again." He said. But luckily for Scott he didn't need to say anything else because they were interrupted with a scream from Juliet.
Auggie was the first to reach Juliet. She was now leaning up against the couch looking like she was about to faint.
"What's wrong Jules?" he asked concerned.
"A mouse." She squealed and then fainted.
Peter came over. He saw that Juliet had fainted and called for 2 Trackers to bring her to the infirmary. The rest of the cliffhangers gathered near Peter.
"She fainted over a dumb mouse?" Daisy said sarcastically.
"It wasn't a dumb mouse to her." Jordan said defending Juliet.
"Who are you now? Her personal protector." Shelby asked. She had felt hostility towards Jordan since he had come to Horizon.
The cliffhangers looked at him for his reaction.
"You know Shelby, Daisy, you don't have to be as bitter as you are. It isn't flattering." He yelled and then started to walk away.
Scott and Ezra had to hold Shelby and Daisy from going after Jordan. They knew they could be bitter and sarcastic but hearing it from anyone but the two of them was just wrong in their minds. Peter didn't let Jordan get away with the whole argument thing easily.
"Get back here Jordan." He commanded.
Jordan heard the anger in Peter's voice. He tensed, this time it was visible to Peter and the Cliffhangers. He turned around slowly.
"Yes sir?" Jordan said barely in a whisper, his eyes on the ground.
"Jordan. I want you to apologize," Peter started but realized that Jordan wasn't looking at him. "Jordan.. Look at me please." He said.
Jordan looked reluctantly up at Peter. His mind was going crazy with fear. His whole "Don't look in their eyes" theory and defense wasn't going to work. He looked around for an escape and couldn't find one. He looked back at Peter.
Peter saw the fear in the teen's eyes. He wondered why it was there. He had seen that look before. Trying to backtrack where. Then he remembered. Scott when he first came to Horizon and had ran away. He had had that same look.
"Apologize to Shelby and Daisy please. Daisy and Shelby apologize too." Peter said.
"Sorry Daisy, Sorry Shelby." He said. He really was sorry, that and he was still scared.
Shelby and Daisy felt a twinge of guilt. They knew that Jordan was sorry.
"Sorry." They said at the same time.
"Can I go please?" Jordan asked suddenly.
"Sure Jordan, go ahead." Peter said, he needed to check on Juliet anyway.
CLIFFHANGERS DORM
"How could you do that?" Jordan yelled at himself. "You should have held your tongue. Why stick up for Juliet anyway?" he asked himself.
He threw his pillow on the floor and then some other stuff. He was mad at himself and his little fit of emotion.
"Because you like her that's why." He said answering himself. "Ever since you found out she was a cutter too."
Jordan threw his blankets off his bed and then trashed Scott's bunk because Scott's was closer. Then he lay down on his bed. Practically exhausted.
"Why am I talking and answering myself anyway." Jordan finally said. Now he was tired. He yawned. "Now your going crazy." He said to himself.
Jordan turned over. He instantly fell asleep.
************DREAM**********
A young Jordan stood at the side of his father's grave. It was the day of the funeral and Jordan had been allowed to go. Hailey and Dillion were at their grandmothers. They were too young. Jordan was there alone with his mom and all the others at the funeral.
As the casket got lowered further and further into the ground Jordan ran to his fathers casket.
"Daddy no. Please don't leave me. Daddy I love you." 6 year old Jordan cried. He tried to get to his fathers casket because the men had stopped lowering it as Jordan came up.
In his mind he knew his father was gone. But he needed to say goodbye.
"Daddy." The boy said screaming and crying hysterically.
His mom, Kendra came up to him and grabbed him by the arm. She took him behind the groundskeeper's shed where no one could see them.
"What do you think your doing?" She said as she smacked Jordan hard on his butt.
Jordan didn't answer all he could do was cry.
"Answer me." His mom said smacking him across the face. "And stop crying."
But Jordan just cried more. He couldn't help it he was only six. And he missed his dad, he had died so fast.
Kendra kept getting madder and madder. She smacked Jordan hard again and he finally stopped crying. He didn't want to get hit by her again. Even as young as he was he knew not to provoke her anymore.
"Now go to the car." She said janking his arm and practically throwing him into the car.
Jordan sat there crying. His mom wasn't around anymore. But he was still scared.
***********END DREAM***********
MEANWHILE
Auggie, Scott and Ezra walked into their room.
"Can you believe the whole thing in the lodge?" Ezra asked." I thought Shelby and Daisy were going to kill him.
"But did you see how he reacted Ez?" Scott asked.
Both Auggie and Ezra knodded. They had seen how Jordan had flinched. They guessed that everyone had. As they walked into their dorm they saw all the stuff on the floor.
"What the heck?!?!" Auggie said but stopped as soon as he saw Jordan.
They looked at each other. Then looked where Jordan was asleep.
"Do you think he..." Ezra asked but was cut off by Scott.
"Of course he did it Ez, who else could have. Aliens?" he said.
Scott sighed, as he looked at his bunk. It was as trashed as everything else was. He walked over there. As he got closer he could hear Jordan moaning in his sleep.
"He's having another dream guys," Scott mouthed and pointed to Jordan.
"Should we tell Peter?"
Just as they were thinking Jordan jumped out of sleep. He was breathing hard and sweat was dripping on his forehead. As he looked at the guys he felt sick, and scared. Eventually he caught his breath. Scott, Auggie, and Ezra looked at him worridly.
"So...Sorry guys." Jordan said getting up and picking up Scott's stuff before Scott could get to it.
"What happened Jordan?" Scott asked.
"Nothing." Jordan said flatly.
"Nothing? Our room being trashed and you freaking out is not nothing J." Auggie said.
"I said I was sorry Okay." Jordan said throwing a pillow on his bed. "Can't you just accept that? God."
"Dude, what is up with the attitude?" Auggie said, Jordan's hostility was rubbing off on him. And with his worry over Juliet's fainting attack his nerves were already short.
Jordan looked at him and took a deep breath. "Just leave me alone okay. I can handle myself. I don't need you 3, or Sophie, or Peter on my back all the freaking time." He said and threw down his pillow. The rest of the room he had cleaned up.
He went to the door, walked out and slammed it.
Scott, Ezra, and Auggie looked at each other. As much as they were worried for Jordan they were also annoyed.
"Will you just slap me if I ever act like that again." Scott said remembering his past attitude. He just hoped he never acted that bad.
'Don't worry homes, I will." Auggie said laughing and playfully punching Scott. Scott punched him back.
MEANWHILE IN THE LODGE...
Shelby sat on the sofa in front of the fire. From the pocket of her jeans she pulled out a letter. She unfolded the still unopened envelope. She had gotten it in the mail yesterday but after seeing who it was from she knew she had to be alone when she read it.
Shelby traced the letters of her name in the handwriting of the address. The script brought her back to a time she would have liked to relive, well almost. She carefully tared open the envelope and pulled out the letter. She laughed when she realized how delicately she was taking care of the letter.
She tried to brush off her actions with the excuse that since she rarely got letters the ones that she got were important. But she knew that wasn't true. It was because it was one of Aubrey's letters....
Aubrey was one of her friends from her old neighbor hood. Before she ran away and before coming to Horizon. He was her best friend actually. His mom and her mom had been friends since high school and hadn't lost touch. They had temporarily separated in distance when Shelby's mother had moved to marry Shelby's real father, then when she went to marry _____ their parents and the two of them got back together.
Aubrey had always been there for her. When her step dad started doing things to her it was Aubrey she would run to. He had made her feel safe when no one else could. Aubrey was the first guy she could really talk to. When she ran she knew it had hurt him and he couldn't talk to her for weeks after that. When she went to Horizon he missed her, she knew, but then the first letter came. She couldn't reply to it. It hurt to bad. After the second and third came and she didn't reply, she still couldn't. The letters stopped. But then the letters started coming again. She had finally replied and he sent them to her.
She carefully unfolded the letter. And started reading it silently.
"Dear Shelby, Hey Beautiful. I just wanted to write to you to tell you how much I miss you. I hope this letter sees you well and that you're okay. Usually I wouldn't write this close to the last letter, you know our 3-week rule :). But I guess I just wanted to talk to you, well to get as close to doing so as I can. You know what this week is don't you? Friday, was our first kiss. We were six remember. First girl I ever kissed. I don't know what made me remember that but mom has a picture of it and all. So how's that Scott guy treating you? Better that I can I hope. Just for the sake of it. I mean he is your boyfriend now right? Guess who I'm going out with know? Jamie Johnson. She called me a couple of days ago. We're going to the school dance together. I hope you're insanely jealous. Hehehehe. Who knows, maybe I'll fall for her like you've fallen for Scott. I know your onto him bad Shelby as much as you tried to deny it when you were home again."
Shelby stopped reading for a minute as she heard footsteps.
"Hey Shel, what's that?" Daisy asked pointing at the letter.
"What?" Shelby said hiding the letter as fast as Daisy saw it.
"The letter. Who's it from?"
"What letter?" Shelby asked trying to be casual. She didn't want to share Aubrey's letter with anyone.
"The letter that you just hid from me. Duh Shelby. I'm not stupid." Daisy said annoyed.
"It's a letter from one of my friends back home okay." Shelby said glaring at Daisy. "Now I would just like to be alone in privacy so I can finish reading it please."
"Sure." Daisy said as she saw Ezra coming up, she wanted to talk to him about their newest project.
'Peace." Thought Shelby as she went back to her letter.
"You sounded sad in your last letter, and then you didn't reply to my most recent one. Last time I checked you were mad at the new kid. Said you didn't want to trust him. Do you feel better about him now? I wish I could see you Shelby. You are such a big part of my life. Mom says she misses seeing your face in the morning, well when you weren't sad and stuff. At least when you're at Horizon I know your safe. Back when you were on the streets and stuff I didn't know, even when you were at home and in that house of yours I didn't know, accept when I was with you. Well enough for blabbing and lecturing I just wanted to write to make sure nothing had happened to you. Well Buh bye, I love you Shelby.. Love, Aubrey."
Shelby folded up the letter and put it in her pocket. A smile was across her face. "Love you to Aubrey." She whispered to the air, knowing he could feel it.
LATER THAT DAY...
Juliet had just gotten out of the infermary. Peter and Sophie and Mary Anne had made quite sure that she was okay before they let her go back to her dorm. As she made her way there she saw Jordan sitting on a picnic table holding his arms. He wasn't wearing a coat. Peter had told her how Jordan had stuck up for her and she wanted to say thanks.
Jordan sat on the picnic table looking at the water. It was cold out but he didn't care. He didn't want to go back and face the guys just yet. He hadn't ment to act like he did. But he had and he knew that he had to do something. Just not yet, that was all. He was deep in thought when he heard footsteps coming.
"Can I join you?" Juliet asked Jordan, still behind him.
Jordan turned around and seeing Juliet he moved over to let her sit. Juliet took a seat.
"Thanks for sticking up for me to Shelby and Daisy." Juliet said warmly.
"Yeah well, No one needs to make fun of other people for things like that." Jordan said, his voice slightly cold and detached.
"Anything wrong?" Juliet asked him innocently.
'What isn't?' he thought to himself, but voiced another answer. "Nothing."
"You sure?" she asked sensing it. She had covered up enough problems of her own to know when someone was hiding something.
"Can I ask you a question." Jordan said looking at her.
"Okay."
"How is it that no one here accepts the answer that you don't have a problem?" he asked almost bitterly, but not too much so because it was Juliet.
"Because they know we all have problems or else we wouldn't be here." She said and then got up.
That left Jordan alone. After looking at the water for a few more minutes he got up and headed to the lodge. It was almost time for group. He might as well be early instead of late. And he had to face everyone sometime or another.
To be continued......
Is the suspense growing enough yet?!?! :). Sorry I said there was a group session this chapter but it became to long. So that is in next chapter. What else? Any guesses? Maybe you'll be right. Not telling ya!!!