Holding on to the Rooftops- Because



Shelby shoved her hands in her pockets and smiled at Peter. "Nope, not today Peter, I'm just not ready to tell you."

"Shelby, I don't think that I need to remind you that you have to tell me eventually," Peter said looking at her intensely.

"Yeah, but still, I don't want to talk about it today. And anyway, your little "get to know you" assignment is intruding on my "dealing" time. So, you might want to think about getting rid of that crap. I have been living with most of those people for over a year Peter, I mean, come on."

"Yes, Shelby, but do you REALLY know them? And for that matter, do they really know you?" Peter said smiling at her, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Well, to tell you the truth Peter, I don't want them to know me. There's only one person in the world besides myself who knows me, and he's in Hell, so I think I'll be taking me to my grave. That is if you don't mind, oh Captain."

Peter just looked at her and then walked away. Shelby's smile faltered a little and she hung her head; she wanted to tell someone why, but she couldn't. Shaking it off Shelby strode confidently towards the table Aubrey was at.

"Hey Shelby," Aubrey said standing up, acting like the charming Southern gentleman he was.

"Aubrey," Shelby said taking his spot and eyed him as he sat down next to her.

"So, are you ready to get to know me?"

"I don't think it's that easy. You can't just tell someone you're whole past and expect them to know you," Shelby responded arrogantly.

"Well, then I guess I'll just tell you tid bits, my little dew drop. So, I guess we should start with the formalities… Okay, hello, my name is Aubrey Fisk I come from Georgia, well, I lived in Texas for while, but aboriginally," Aubrey gave out a small chuckle at his own dorkiness, took a big breath, and continued. "Anyway, I like to play in the rain, my favorite color is orange, and you're cute as a button on a hot summer's evening."

Shelby stared at him blankly trying to fight the bout of giggles that were bubbling but she couldn't. Shelby burst out laughing, causing stares from nearby tables. Everyone tried to figure out what had happened as tears streamed down Shelby's jovial face. She tried to battle the laughter but instead fell on the ground and began to stomp her feet, trying her best to stop the madness. Once the fit had subsided Shelby stood up and wiped her jeans off calmly as if nothing had happened.

Shelby smiled at Aubrey. "That was fun, I needed that, thanks."

"Anytime. You know, I do enjoy being of assistance to a damsel in distress every now and then," he said looking at her shyly.

Shelby got caught up in his deep brown eyes. She felt herself falling into some sort of trance and before she knew it she was leaning in with Aubrey following her actions. Shelby could feel Aubrey's warm breath getting stronger and the tingling of where his lips would soon be. Just as Aubrey's lips grazed hers, Shelby pulled away quickly.

"I can't do this, I'm sorry," Shelby started to run off when Aubrey caught her arm. Shelby turned around and found herself facing Aubrey's towering figure.

"Shelby, it's okay. You don't have to run away from me, you don't want to do this, that's fine. No ones forcing you into anything," Aubrey's voice came out smooth, and it was calming to Shelby. Shelby looked up at him, her defenses down. Aubrey led her into a small clearing in the woods. "Shelby, just tell me what's wrong, please. You can trust me, I trust you. Just tell me, maybe it will even make you feel better."

"I don't know where to start," Shelby said softly as she looked at the leaves on the ground.

"How about with why you ran."

Shelby took a deep breath in. "Scott. I ran because of Scott. Because, because I was scared for him, and I didn't know how to help him. Because I miss him, because I don't know how to deal with this hole… But mostly, mostly I ran because I knew he needed me, and I knew he trusted me, and I knew he was waiting for me to help him, but I couldn't… I was too scared," Shelby felt her knees give out as all her problems were blotted out by a face that she couldn't get out of her head even if she tried. Shelby had tried to push Scott away, but she couldn't be without him, and she knew it.

Author's Note: Okay, okay, so I should remember to post… I am sorry! But, anyway, I had an awesome Christmas break, and got lots of nice little presents. I hope you all had an awesome Christmas, or if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you had an awesome time away from school. If you didn't- I'm sorry, and if you don't even get breaks- I am EXTREMELEY sorry, I hope this cheers you up.