Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything except Bella Phillips.
She drove down the dirt road, paralleled on either side by trees, humming "Somewhere over the Rainbow." She always hummed when she was nervous. She glanced down at the directions in her hand and made a left at the next break in the road. About three miles into the road, she pulled up in front of a cabin and shut off her car. Looking around, she remembered when she came here for the first time. She was too scared to see him then, so she left - but she wasn't scared anymore. Stepping out of her car, she sauntered up to the cabin. Tentatively, she knocked on the door; it opened and she stepped inside. As she did so, a man appeared. He looked as if he was in his late twenties, early thirties; the kind of man that has "rugged good looks."
"Can I help you," he said, his deep voice bringing her back to the moment.
"Um, yes, I hope so," she replied uncertainly. The man chuckled as the girl glanced to the ground below and asked her to take a seat. She began again, "I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Bella Phillips." Extending her hand, the man reached out and shook it firmly.
"Peter," he said, "what can I do for you?"
"Well, actually I am here to see someone - Scott.Scott Barringer."
"Oh I see, and you have permission from his parents?" Peter questioned.
"No," Bella fiddled with the sleeve of her sweater, "I wasn't aware I needed permission, but if you call his parents, they will give me permission."
Peter looked at her skeptically as he opened his file drawer. He pulled out a file on can only assume it was Scott's and picked up the phone to dial.
"Mrs. Barringer, hi, this is Peter Scarbrow from Horizon," (pause) "Scott's fine, his is doing very well. Actually the reason I called is he has a visitor and she didn't know she had to have permission." (pause) "Her name is Bella Phillips." (pause) "Yes okay, yes thank you."
"Well Bella, Mrs. Barringer says 'Hello' and "Scott will be so thrilled to see you." Bella laughed.
"One down, one to go," started Peter. "Mr. Barringer, Peter from Horizon." (pause) "He hasn't done anything. He has a visitor, she didn't know that she needed permission." (pause) "Yes, Bella Phillips," (pause) "Yes sir - I will."
"It seems as though you are very highly regarded by the whole Barringer family."
"Well, I try," she said smiling.
"Mr. Barringer sends his regards and wishes that you would pay a visit before you leave for college. Where do you plan on going?" Peter inquired.
"I was accepted a bunch of places," she said avoiding the question, she changed the subject. "So does this mean that I have clearance, or do you need to fingerprint me and take a mug shot," she asked as her mouth twisted into a wry smile.
" Well." started Peter, but as a mile crept upon his face he finished, "you can see Scott. I will take you to see him.he is at lunch now and after that he is free." He informed her of this after looking at his schedule, "So, lets go." He got up from his chair as Bella followed.
Bella glanced nervously around as the entered the lunchroom.
"Hey Shelby, do you know where Scott is?" Peter asked.
"We didn't do anything Peter."she began. Bella took in Shelby's appearance. About 5'9'', blonde hair, blue eyes, thin - perfect. 'She must be Scott's girlfriend,' thought Bella.
"He has a visitor." started Peter.
"Who has a visitor?" Bella knew that voice. It was deep and soothing. She remembered when they would talk for hours.when they would sing together.
"You do," she said stepping out from behind Peter.
Scott looked at her, she looked so different. "Bella.? Bella!" Scott shouted dropping his tray on the table, he ran around and picked her up swinging her around. She felt so good in his arms. 'God I missed her,' he thought. Shelby's eyes narrowed as Bella laughed. He even missed her laugh - it was genuine and throaty.
He set her down and stepped back. "Wow you look different." He shook his head in amazement. Goner was the thick glasses, replaced by contacts. You could see her emerald green eyes now - the freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her hair was long now and hung loosely in chocolate spirals down her back. 'She lost weight too,' he thought looking over her toned figure.
"Scott," Shelby hit his arm.
"Ow.what?" Scott fining hurt asked.
"Are you going to introduce us?"
"My bad, yeah. Everyone this is Bella Phillips, my best friend in the whole world. Bella this is Auggie, Daisy, Ezra, Juliette, David, and this here is Shelby."
Bella cut him off, "Your girl," she finished.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
She looked at him as if that was an insane question. "Blonde and blue Scott, blonde and blue," she stated.
"Oh yeah," Scott remembered putting his head down and playing with his fingers.
"I don't get it. Mind letting us in?" asked Daisy.
Bella looked at Daisy and began to speak. "When we were younger, Scott used to tell me his dream girl had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and was thin." Bella tried to hide the pain with a smile, but Scott saw it in her eyes. "Then, being the jerk he is, he would finish by saying, someone the exact opposite of me," Daisy glanced down sorry that she asked, but then Bella added, "Except, he'd want her to be able to make my super secret oatmeal cookies." Everyone laughed. Peter thought it was nice to see everyone happy again. He turned and left.
"Thanks, you had to tell them that part." Scott playfully punched her on the arm. She tried not to scream in pain as he hit the already bruised section of her arm. She grimaced and he looked at her clutching her arm.
"What's wrong, I didn't hit you that hard," he looked worried.
"Nothing," was all she said.
"Excuse us," Scott said. Grabbing Bella's hand, he took her outside. "Let me see it," he stated firmly.
"Let you see what?" she asked quizzically.
"Don't play stupid, you're not that good." He grabbed the sleeve of her caramel sweater and yanked it up to reveal a bruise the size of a grapefruit. Purple, green, and yellow; as if it happened not too long ago.
"Damn it!" Scott shouted and pulled her close. For the first time in two years, Bella allowed herself to cry. Tears soaked his shirt as a desert would quench its thirst. "It will be all right baby girl. It will be all right," he whispered into her hair.
She drove down the dirt road, paralleled on either side by trees, humming "Somewhere over the Rainbow." She always hummed when she was nervous. She glanced down at the directions in her hand and made a left at the next break in the road. About three miles into the road, she pulled up in front of a cabin and shut off her car. Looking around, she remembered when she came here for the first time. She was too scared to see him then, so she left - but she wasn't scared anymore. Stepping out of her car, she sauntered up to the cabin. Tentatively, she knocked on the door; it opened and she stepped inside. As she did so, a man appeared. He looked as if he was in his late twenties, early thirties; the kind of man that has "rugged good looks."
"Can I help you," he said, his deep voice bringing her back to the moment.
"Um, yes, I hope so," she replied uncertainly. The man chuckled as the girl glanced to the ground below and asked her to take a seat. She began again, "I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Bella Phillips." Extending her hand, the man reached out and shook it firmly.
"Peter," he said, "what can I do for you?"
"Well, actually I am here to see someone - Scott.Scott Barringer."
"Oh I see, and you have permission from his parents?" Peter questioned.
"No," Bella fiddled with the sleeve of her sweater, "I wasn't aware I needed permission, but if you call his parents, they will give me permission."
Peter looked at her skeptically as he opened his file drawer. He pulled out a file on can only assume it was Scott's and picked up the phone to dial.
"Mrs. Barringer, hi, this is Peter Scarbrow from Horizon," (pause) "Scott's fine, his is doing very well. Actually the reason I called is he has a visitor and she didn't know she had to have permission." (pause) "Her name is Bella Phillips." (pause) "Yes okay, yes thank you."
"Well Bella, Mrs. Barringer says 'Hello' and "Scott will be so thrilled to see you." Bella laughed.
"One down, one to go," started Peter. "Mr. Barringer, Peter from Horizon." (pause) "He hasn't done anything. He has a visitor, she didn't know that she needed permission." (pause) "Yes, Bella Phillips," (pause) "Yes sir - I will."
"It seems as though you are very highly regarded by the whole Barringer family."
"Well, I try," she said smiling.
"Mr. Barringer sends his regards and wishes that you would pay a visit before you leave for college. Where do you plan on going?" Peter inquired.
"I was accepted a bunch of places," she said avoiding the question, she changed the subject. "So does this mean that I have clearance, or do you need to fingerprint me and take a mug shot," she asked as her mouth twisted into a wry smile.
" Well." started Peter, but as a mile crept upon his face he finished, "you can see Scott. I will take you to see him.he is at lunch now and after that he is free." He informed her of this after looking at his schedule, "So, lets go." He got up from his chair as Bella followed.
Bella glanced nervously around as the entered the lunchroom.
"Hey Shelby, do you know where Scott is?" Peter asked.
"We didn't do anything Peter."she began. Bella took in Shelby's appearance. About 5'9'', blonde hair, blue eyes, thin - perfect. 'She must be Scott's girlfriend,' thought Bella.
"He has a visitor." started Peter.
"Who has a visitor?" Bella knew that voice. It was deep and soothing. She remembered when they would talk for hours.when they would sing together.
"You do," she said stepping out from behind Peter.
Scott looked at her, she looked so different. "Bella.? Bella!" Scott shouted dropping his tray on the table, he ran around and picked her up swinging her around. She felt so good in his arms. 'God I missed her,' he thought. Shelby's eyes narrowed as Bella laughed. He even missed her laugh - it was genuine and throaty.
He set her down and stepped back. "Wow you look different." He shook his head in amazement. Goner was the thick glasses, replaced by contacts. You could see her emerald green eyes now - the freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her hair was long now and hung loosely in chocolate spirals down her back. 'She lost weight too,' he thought looking over her toned figure.
"Scott," Shelby hit his arm.
"Ow.what?" Scott fining hurt asked.
"Are you going to introduce us?"
"My bad, yeah. Everyone this is Bella Phillips, my best friend in the whole world. Bella this is Auggie, Daisy, Ezra, Juliette, David, and this here is Shelby."
Bella cut him off, "Your girl," she finished.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
She looked at him as if that was an insane question. "Blonde and blue Scott, blonde and blue," she stated.
"Oh yeah," Scott remembered putting his head down and playing with his fingers.
"I don't get it. Mind letting us in?" asked Daisy.
Bella looked at Daisy and began to speak. "When we were younger, Scott used to tell me his dream girl had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and was thin." Bella tried to hide the pain with a smile, but Scott saw it in her eyes. "Then, being the jerk he is, he would finish by saying, someone the exact opposite of me," Daisy glanced down sorry that she asked, but then Bella added, "Except, he'd want her to be able to make my super secret oatmeal cookies." Everyone laughed. Peter thought it was nice to see everyone happy again. He turned and left.
"Thanks, you had to tell them that part." Scott playfully punched her on the arm. She tried not to scream in pain as he hit the already bruised section of her arm. She grimaced and he looked at her clutching her arm.
"What's wrong, I didn't hit you that hard," he looked worried.
"Nothing," was all she said.
"Excuse us," Scott said. Grabbing Bella's hand, he took her outside. "Let me see it," he stated firmly.
"Let you see what?" she asked quizzically.
"Don't play stupid, you're not that good." He grabbed the sleeve of her caramel sweater and yanked it up to reveal a bruise the size of a grapefruit. Purple, green, and yellow; as if it happened not too long ago.
"Damn it!" Scott shouted and pulled her close. For the first time in two years, Bella allowed herself to cry. Tears soaked his shirt as a desert would quench its thirst. "It will be all right baby girl. It will be all right," he whispered into her hair.