Disclaimer: I don't own Higher Ground or the characters from the show. I do own Jen and Uncle Doug, but you can use them if you want…
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Peter had finally stopped running after Scott. He would have Curtis and Roger help him search through town. Scott wouldn't get far. The kids never made it very far when they ran.
Scott, however, wasn't worried about how far away he could get. He would stay in the woods. It would take them longer to find his body that way. He'd let them think he had wanted to run to avoid going to jail. But Scott had other reasons: He was tired of running from his problems, from the thoughts in his head, from the memories of his last visit home. He was weary.
He was planning his demise now as he rested. With all the trees he thought that hanging would be the easiest. He could find a vine and rig it up to a tree branch that would give him just enough clearance off the ground. He started searching for a vine that would be strong enough.
As he searched, a thought crossed his mind – Shelby. What if she were the one to find him? She knew him better than any person on earth. She would know where to look. "No. Shut up. Don't think that way. This is the only solution." He imagined Shelby's face. He saw her crying. He pictured her at his funeral. "This is the only solution," he told himself again. "This is how it has to be." He would save Shelby a lot of pain in the long run. She deserved better than him.
Scott had found a vine. He sat down and began to work it into a noose. He wanted to make sure this would work. He would not fail. He couldn't. He had to do this right on the first try. As his hands worked the vine, he couldn't stop the memories in his head.
***Flashback***
Peter was standing over Scott while he studied. "Scott, phone call. You can take it the lodge."
Scott followed Peter to the lodge and picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Scott, this is Cindy, your father's secretary. He wanted me to give you the message that you mother was involved in a car accident."
Scott's heart was in his throat, tears welled in his eyes. "Is she okay?"
"Scott, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your mother was seriously injured. The doctors tried, but they just couldn't save her…"
Her voice faded into the background. His mom was dead? It couldn't be. He was going to live with her when he got out of Horizon. She loved him. She believed him. She trusted him. He had just talked to her a few days ago. She was going to visit him soon, she promised….
***End Flashback***
Scott's hands were dry. The vine was proving to be difficult to work with. He took a deep breath and started again, trying to blank out his mind. He didn't want to think. He just wanted to be done with this. But still…his mind wouldn't stop racing…
***Flashback***
"Scott? Is that you?" A familiar voice called to him from behind.
Scott turned around and came face to face with his best friend Adam.
"What are you doing here? I thought they sent you to jail or something?"
Scott smiled uneasily. "Just visiting for awhile." Adam sat down next to him. "What have you been up to?"
Adam got a huge grin on his face. "Just on my way to a party. You game?"
Scott considered the offer. "Sure." He followed Adam to a familiar house.
There weren't many people there, and he recognized everyone. Especially Jen. Scott wished he hadn't come there after all…
Later that night…
Scott had too much to drink. Jen was all over him.
"I've missed you Scotty."
Scott flinched at the old nickname. He looked up at Jen who had sat down on his lap and begun caressing his hair.
"What's that new school of yours like anyway?"
Scott shrugged.
"What are you doing home?"
He thought about his mom – how he would never see her again. The pain was so ruthless; it felt like a knife slashing through his heart. A lump formed in his throat. He grabbed her face and kissed her to keep from crying in front of his friends.
***End Flashback***
Scott wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. Why had he gone to that party? Why? He had betrayed Shelby. He didn't deserve to live. He had ruined too many lives.
***Flashback***
The liquor on Uncle Doug's breath was so strong it knocked the wind out of Scott. He had finished hitting Scott and pulled him up by his neck. He held him close to his face and hissed in his ear, "She was coming to see you, you know. She's dead because of you. You did this to her. It's your fault your mother's dead. Don't you ever forget that." He dropped Scott back to the floor…
***End Flashback***
Scott had made her promise to come visit soon. His uncle was right. It was his fault. If it weren't for Scott his mom would still be here. What was the point of living anymore?
He had finished with the noose. He stood up to tie the other end to the tree branch, but he couldn't stand the pain any longer. He felt himself falling to the ground, and could do nothing to stop it. His tears were uncontrollable. The grief and hurt had taken over. There was nothing left to numb the pain. He succumbed to the suffering and wept, alone, on the forest floor.