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***
Peter ran lightly over the moss, through the trees. His lungs were burning and sweat dripped from his forehead, pooling at the base of his neck. With a quick swipe of his forearm, he wiped his nose and forehead. The early morning sunlight was just filtering through the trees. He glanced at his watch. He had to get back to the campus to wake the students for chores.
He reached the edge of the campus, still under the protective shade of the surrounding forest. Panting slightly, he began to stretch his tired muscles. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something that immediately prompted him to forget about his aching body. He ducked behind a tree, more as a reflex than a desire to hide.
Two blonde teenagers were walking side by side from the direction of the docks. He looked closer, and was mildly surprised to see that it was Scott and Shelby. Noting that Shelby was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing the previous day, he took a step from behind the tree to bust them. But then he stopped to think about what he was witnessing. Scott and Shelby were actually getting along!
He looked even closer. Something had changed between them. Both looked tired and worn out, but there was a sense of peace radiating from them. There was a sort of calmness in their demeanors that he had never seen before. Even the way they regarded each other had changed. Though they maintained a respectable distance between them, Scott seemed almost protective of Shelby, a far cry from his usual disgust and hostility. And Shelby...she seemed almost content, if the small smile on her lips was any indication.
He stared at them in disbelief, wondering what had prompted the changes in their attitudes. He shook his head slightly, clearing his mind. I won't bust them...yet, he decided. Making a mental note to watch the two teens more carefully, he jogged easily toward the center of campus.
Unaware of the punishment they had narrowly escaped, Scott and Shelby walked quickly back to their dorms. Not a word had been spoken since they left the docks, but the silence between them was hardly uncomfortable.
It wasn't until she had tiptoed back into her dorm that Shelby began to feel uneasy. What the hell was she thinking, baring her soul to someone who didn't know her at all? To someone who didn't bother to hide his contempt for her. What would he think if he knew the whole truth, she thought. He'd never touch me again. I feel so dirty...
"Where were you?" asked Juliette, sitting up in bed.
Shelby gave her her best sneer. "I woke up early this morning to take a walk."
"No, you didn't. You left last night and never came back."
"What do you care?"
"I don't. But I think Peter might find that piece of information interesting..."
"You wouldn't dare," Shelby said, her eyes narrowing.
"Oh, wouldn't I?"
"No, you wouldn't. Because if you do, I might accidentally let it slip to your jocko boyfriend who I saw you locking lips with the other day."
Juliette pressed her lips together, glaring at Shelby. Without another word, she flounced into the bathroom, effectively ending the conversation. Shelby allowed herself an uncharacteristic smile.
"Why so cheery this morning?" asked Daisy, emerging from the bathroom.
"Who's cheery?" she said frowning.
"Never mind," Daisy sighed.
Scott let himself into his dorm quietly, relieved to see everyone still asleep. He hurriedly changed clothes and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. By the time he was finished, there was movement in the room. He silently congratulated himself for successfully breaking the rules. No one suspected a thing.
By the time he got to breakfast, the female members of the Cliffhangers were already seated with trays of food in front of them. He slid into the seat between Juliette and Shelby.
"Good morning!" Juliette greeted him with a perky kiss to his cheek.
"Morning," he replied, glancing at the people seated around him.
Shelby ignored him, her attention intensely focused on dragging bits of pancake through the swirls of syrup on her plate. She stabbed at the triangular pieces with her right hand, idly tapping a knife against her plate with the left.
His gaze rested a bit too long on the sullen blonde, prompting Juliette to nudge him with her elbow. He didn't seem to notice and continued staring at Shelby with a puzzled look on his face. Juliette nudged him harder.
He blinked and turned to Juliette. "What?"
"Why the sudden fascination with the skank?" she pouted.
Abruptly, Shelby banged her silverware down. She shot Juliette an icy glare. "Don't talk about me as if I wasn't sitting three feet away from you!" she yelled, then stormed out of the room.
"Jules!" Scott sighed, staring at the door Shelby had just slammed.
"What? She's a skank and she knows it. She was out all night and didn't come back until this morning. What do you think she was doing?"
"Its none of our business what she was doing with who."
"Only yesterday you were the one going off about how much of a slut she is. What the hell is up with you?"
"I just think there's more to her than anyone realizes." He pushed his tray away and left the table, leaving a stunned Juliette.
"What the heck just happened here?" she asked, her eyes wide with bewilderment.
"Old misconceptions give way to new understandings," Daisy replied cryptically. "The cards never lie."
Outside, Scott ran to catch up with Shelby. "Shelby! Wait!"
She pretended not to hear him and walked faster.
"Shelby!" He caught up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
She shrugged him off angrily. "Just leave me alone."
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, stunned to find the walls firmly in place.
"Look, just because you know about my step father doesn't mean that we have to be all buddy buddy now. We're not friends." She stood with her arms crossed tightly against her chest, her body language screaming "stay away from me."
The fire behind his eyes ignited, and his voice rose. "What the hell is your problem? I'm just trying to help!"
"I don't need your help. Go back to the prom queen." She turned on her heel and stalked away, heading for the sanctuary of the forest.
She heard the heavy tread of his footsteps carrying him back to the others, back to her. She told herself she wasn't disappointed that he failed the test. She told her stupid chin to stop quivering, and instead built another wall. She stayed in the forest, a hidden damsel in distress imprisoned in a fortress of her own making, waiting for her knight. But he never came.
***
Peter ran lightly over the moss, through the trees. His lungs were burning and sweat dripped from his forehead, pooling at the base of his neck. With a quick swipe of his forearm, he wiped his nose and forehead. The early morning sunlight was just filtering through the trees. He glanced at his watch. He had to get back to the campus to wake the students for chores.
He reached the edge of the campus, still under the protective shade of the surrounding forest. Panting slightly, he began to stretch his tired muscles. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something that immediately prompted him to forget about his aching body. He ducked behind a tree, more as a reflex than a desire to hide.
Two blonde teenagers were walking side by side from the direction of the docks. He looked closer, and was mildly surprised to see that it was Scott and Shelby. Noting that Shelby was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing the previous day, he took a step from behind the tree to bust them. But then he stopped to think about what he was witnessing. Scott and Shelby were actually getting along!
He looked even closer. Something had changed between them. Both looked tired and worn out, but there was a sense of peace radiating from them. There was a sort of calmness in their demeanors that he had never seen before. Even the way they regarded each other had changed. Though they maintained a respectable distance between them, Scott seemed almost protective of Shelby, a far cry from his usual disgust and hostility. And Shelby...she seemed almost content, if the small smile on her lips was any indication.
He stared at them in disbelief, wondering what had prompted the changes in their attitudes. He shook his head slightly, clearing his mind. I won't bust them...yet, he decided. Making a mental note to watch the two teens more carefully, he jogged easily toward the center of campus.
Unaware of the punishment they had narrowly escaped, Scott and Shelby walked quickly back to their dorms. Not a word had been spoken since they left the docks, but the silence between them was hardly uncomfortable.
It wasn't until she had tiptoed back into her dorm that Shelby began to feel uneasy. What the hell was she thinking, baring her soul to someone who didn't know her at all? To someone who didn't bother to hide his contempt for her. What would he think if he knew the whole truth, she thought. He'd never touch me again. I feel so dirty...
"Where were you?" asked Juliette, sitting up in bed.
Shelby gave her her best sneer. "I woke up early this morning to take a walk."
"No, you didn't. You left last night and never came back."
"What do you care?"
"I don't. But I think Peter might find that piece of information interesting..."
"You wouldn't dare," Shelby said, her eyes narrowing.
"Oh, wouldn't I?"
"No, you wouldn't. Because if you do, I might accidentally let it slip to your jocko boyfriend who I saw you locking lips with the other day."
Juliette pressed her lips together, glaring at Shelby. Without another word, she flounced into the bathroom, effectively ending the conversation. Shelby allowed herself an uncharacteristic smile.
"Why so cheery this morning?" asked Daisy, emerging from the bathroom.
"Who's cheery?" she said frowning.
"Never mind," Daisy sighed.
Scott let himself into his dorm quietly, relieved to see everyone still asleep. He hurriedly changed clothes and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. By the time he was finished, there was movement in the room. He silently congratulated himself for successfully breaking the rules. No one suspected a thing.
By the time he got to breakfast, the female members of the Cliffhangers were already seated with trays of food in front of them. He slid into the seat between Juliette and Shelby.
"Good morning!" Juliette greeted him with a perky kiss to his cheek.
"Morning," he replied, glancing at the people seated around him.
Shelby ignored him, her attention intensely focused on dragging bits of pancake through the swirls of syrup on her plate. She stabbed at the triangular pieces with her right hand, idly tapping a knife against her plate with the left.
His gaze rested a bit too long on the sullen blonde, prompting Juliette to nudge him with her elbow. He didn't seem to notice and continued staring at Shelby with a puzzled look on his face. Juliette nudged him harder.
He blinked and turned to Juliette. "What?"
"Why the sudden fascination with the skank?" she pouted.
Abruptly, Shelby banged her silverware down. She shot Juliette an icy glare. "Don't talk about me as if I wasn't sitting three feet away from you!" she yelled, then stormed out of the room.
"Jules!" Scott sighed, staring at the door Shelby had just slammed.
"What? She's a skank and she knows it. She was out all night and didn't come back until this morning. What do you think she was doing?"
"Its none of our business what she was doing with who."
"Only yesterday you were the one going off about how much of a slut she is. What the hell is up with you?"
"I just think there's more to her than anyone realizes." He pushed his tray away and left the table, leaving a stunned Juliette.
"What the heck just happened here?" she asked, her eyes wide with bewilderment.
"Old misconceptions give way to new understandings," Daisy replied cryptically. "The cards never lie."
Outside, Scott ran to catch up with Shelby. "Shelby! Wait!"
She pretended not to hear him and walked faster.
"Shelby!" He caught up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
She shrugged him off angrily. "Just leave me alone."
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, stunned to find the walls firmly in place.
"Look, just because you know about my step father doesn't mean that we have to be all buddy buddy now. We're not friends." She stood with her arms crossed tightly against her chest, her body language screaming "stay away from me."
The fire behind his eyes ignited, and his voice rose. "What the hell is your problem? I'm just trying to help!"
"I don't need your help. Go back to the prom queen." She turned on her heel and stalked away, heading for the sanctuary of the forest.
She heard the heavy tread of his footsteps carrying him back to the others, back to her. She told herself she wasn't disappointed that he failed the test. She told her stupid chin to stop quivering, and instead built another wall. She stayed in the forest, a hidden damsel in distress imprisoned in a fortress of her own making, waiting for her knight. But he never came.