"Honey, I'm home," Scott joked around, opening the door to his house. He laughed at how corny it sounded.

"Uh, okay?" Shelby asked, walking downstairs to meet him. She looked like she'd been sleeping. Scott smiled at how cute she looked with her bed-head. "How was school?"

"Dunno."

"What do you mean? You did go, right?" she asked, suspiciously.

"Yeah, I went, but I didn't pay attention," he said with a shrug.

"How come?" He gave her a look indicating that he was thinking about her. "Right," she said sarcastically.

"Hey, I was worried about you!" he said.

"Why? I stayed here all day," she said, lying through her teeth.

"No, you weren't," he replied.

"What are you talking—"

"Marc saw you walking into the school." Shelby's face dropped. "He said you looked shaken. Like you were gonna cry." Shelby looked away, remembering why she was like that. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Why did you go to the school?" he asked, deviating from that particular question.

"I needed to talk to Daisy." I need to put some truth in there, or he'll know something's up, she thought.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"What is this? Twenty questions? I needed to talk to my best friend, is there a problem there?" she asked, getting very defensive.

"No, but it was in the middle of school. Besides, you forgot something."

"What would that be?"

"That my class is across from Daisy's that period."

"Why would that matter?" she asked, trying to avoid actually answering anything.

"I saw you when you went to talk to her," Scott said softly. "Shel, you were hysteric! I sit next to the door, and only caught one line. I think you yelled it a little too loud." Shelby knew what was coming. "You said you weren't going home." She looked at the ground. "Why not?"

"That… that's none of your business!"

"Yes, it is! I care about you! And something obviously happened at home! Hell! You wouldn't be here if nothing was going on at home!" he exploded. Her face softened.

"You… you care about me?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes," he answered honestly. A faint smile appeared on her lips though her eyes remained sad. "Shel, you have to tell me!"

"I don't have to tell you anything!" she yelled, running upstairs. He ran after her. She was on cracking point, and did not want to crack. She couldn't let him see her… not her mask, but her. She was scared as hell to let anyone know her apart from Daisy.

She ran into Scott's room, the only one she was comfortable in. She sat down on his bed, calmed down and put her head in her hands. What am I going to do, she thought. How can I still hide? Well, there is one way… it's worked before.

He came in the room, and sat next to her. "Shel, you all right?" he asked quietly, rubbing her back comfortingly with his hand. She turned and looked up at him. He could tell she was in some major inner conflict.

Her eyes suddenly glazed over and she leant in and kissed him. He didn't know what had happened, but wasn't complaining. She deepened the kiss. He was a little confused by this, but went along with it.

It was a different matter entirely when she pulled him on top of her and started lifting his shirt up. He lifted himself up and looked at her.

"What?" she asked softly.

"What are you doing?"

"I thought you wanted this," she said seductively. He looked uncomfortable and rolled off her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm holding back. Shel, what happened at home?"

"I don't want to talk about it. You of all people should understand that," she said, mentally kicking herself right after.

"Why should I under—no!" he said, shaking his head and getting up. He began to pace. Shelby just watched it. "It—it happened to you. Walt." Shelby shook her head, getting up and turning away from him. No, he can't find out, she thought. "Shelby, you've gotta tell me! I won't tell anyone!"

"Scott! Just stay out of it! Just leave it!" she yelled.

"No! Shelby you've got to tell me!" he yelled, his voice full of concern.

"I don't have to tell you anything!" she hollered. Her voice was scared, and he picked up on it. He turned her around ever so gently. He looked into her eyes and his heart broke. Her eyes showed such pain, sadness, and anger. He brought her into a hug. She lay her head on his chest and let him hug her.

"Don't worry, Shelb. He can't hurt you anymore." He knew he was right the second he heard her heave a sigh and start sobbing. He hugged her tighter. She slipped her arms around his waist and hugged back. Apart from Jess and Daisy, she hadn't hugged anyone in a long time. Scott was so different. It was almost as though he really cared.

"You won't tell, will you?"

"No, I won't tell, I promise," he replied quietly.

"How long can I stay here?" she asked carefully.

"As long as you want. As long as you need." He could start to feel the tears through his T-shirt.

This is so weird. I think I'm in a relationship. I've never had that. I don't even want the sex. It's not that I don't want her, because I do, but I'll wait, if I have to. Man, I should be checked out by a shrink. They'd have a field day with my mind. I want more with Shelby. I want to make sure she's safe, that she's loved, that she's all right. At the end of the day, I guess I want her happy.

**************************************************************************************

"I'm home, mom!" Juliette yelled through her mansion-like house when she opened the door. Hal Rowe, Daddy #5, as she called him, was big in Hollywood as a writer, and was rather rich, to say the least. Her and her mom moved into this house two months ago, just before the school year began. It was nice not to be pressed for money, especially when you had a mother who was so extravagant, but this was so cold and uninviting. She had to admit, though, Hal was nicer than 3 out of 4 of her other step-dads. She desperately missed her own father, but her mother forbade her from seeing or talking to him.

"Juliette, darling," her mother said coldly, appearing from the drawing room, "do not scream in this house."


"Yes, mother," she answered sadly. She hated how her mother expected perfection from her, but Claire, her mother, had been married five times to date.

"Now, go and make yourself presentable. Change into some proper clothes, and fix that make-up!"

"What's the occasion?"

"It does not matter to you. Besides, you shall not have to know anything about it, as children should be seen and not heard."

"I have homework, mother," she said matter-of-factly.

"You shall just have to do it afterwards." Claire left to return to the drawing room. Juliette sighed and went to her room.

"Why does she hate me so much?" she asked her mirror. "Maybe it's because I'm fat! I knew I shouldn't have eaten that salad at lunch," she mumbled, turning sideways and looking at her profile. "I can't deal with this! She hates me so much! She can't even be a mother in the tiniest way! She makes me hate myself!" Jules reached for the razor blade she kept under her pillow. "Maybe this'll take away my pain."

She pulled up her sleeve and in the crook of her elbow, she cut two pretty deep cuts. She winced in pain, but did not cry out. Tears started to flow from her eyes.

She wiped the blade clean and hid it. She went into the bathroom that was attached to her room, and went into the shower. Her sighs were drowned out by the rushing of water. The boiling hot water stung her newly formed cuts. Well, I deserve it, she thought. I should be punished for being such a horrible person. That's why everyone's so fake around me. That's why mother hates me. It's the only explanation!

**************************************************************************************

"Hey," Daisy said, coming into the family room where Jess sat. She'd just come down from putting David in her room.

"What happened to David?"

"He got high as a kite," Daisy said, rolling her eyes. "I put him in my room to sleep it off."

"Oh, okay… so, what is this about Shelby wanting me to stay here?" Jess asked curiously.

"Oh, right. Hold on a second," she said. She picked up the phone and left the room. She'd gotten Scott's number earlier that day so she could contact Shelby.

"Hello?" a female voice answered.

"May I speak with Scott please?" Daisy asked. She didn't recognize the woman, and didn't want to ask for Shelby from her.

"One moment." A few seconds later, Scott picked up.

"Hello?"

"Scott, it's Daisy. Is Shelby around?"

"Uh, yeah, but she's a little tired. Can she call you back?" he asked, looking over at Shelby who lay on his bed, half-asleep.

"She can, but just ask her how much I can tell Jess. She'll understand."

"Yeah, hold on," came his voice. He then put down the phone and went to talk to Shelby. Daisy waited a couple of minutes. Finally he came back. "You can tell her what happened with Walt, but not what happened on the streets. I assume she means the cut… though I still don't get it."

"Talk to her about it. I'm gonna say anything she won't want me to," Daisy said sincerely.

"Fine, bye Daisy."

"Bye," she said, and hung up. She walked back into the family room. "Okay, Jess. I have some shocking news for you."

"Is it the reason Shelby wants me to stay here?" Daisy nodded. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Look, it's not that I want to shock you, I just don't know how to say this, so I'll just say it. Shelby's been running for some time now because…" she took a deep breath, "because Walt's been molesting her." Jess looked confused. "Sexually abusing her," Daisy clarified. Jess shook her head, looking horrified.

"No! It's not true! He couldn't have!" she said, tears forming in her eyes. Daisy looked sympathetic. She'd been expecting this reaction. She just nodded and hugged Jess.

"It's true. The reason you're here is because Walt's been threatening to get to you too. Shelby's been protecting you with everything she has. She just couldn't continue anymore, but didn't want you in harm's way. She came to me and asked me to help you out."

"Where is she now?"

"At Scott Barringer's," she replied simply.

"Who?"

"This guy. I think he really like her. He's taking care of her. Don't worry. She's sleeping now, but she'll call me back later, so you can talk to her then." Jess nodded. "Come, I'll show you your room. Shelby got you some stuff while she was at your house this afternoon."

**************************************************************************************

"You have a boy in your room?" Daisy's dad yelled later on that night. He'd come home, hit the booze and, as usual, turned to abusing Daisy.

"No, that's an elf, dad, the alcohol's getting to you!" she said sarcastically.

"You fucking whore! Don't you dare talk to me like that! You're fucking him, aren't you?"

"No, father," she said, rolling her eyes. He was swaying and brandishing an empty beer bottle.

"You are! What's wrong with him? No guy would willingly fuck you!" Daisy looked at him.

"Ouch, dad," she said sarcastically, though it was starting to get to her.

"You're bringing disgrace to this house! You're--"

"And your constant drunkenness is bringing honour. Yep, that's it, daddy," she said, still sarcastic. Rage filled his eyes. He lifted the hand that wasn't holding the bottle and slapped her so hard she fell over. "Fuck you!" she said, looking back up at him. "You bastard!" The rage didn't leave his eyes. If possible, it became more intense.

"Don't TALK TO ME THAT WAY!" he yelled. He kicked her once, hitting her head, and knocking her out. He was tackled to the ground from behind. With one punch, David had him out cold. He turned to Daisy.

"No, no, no!" he said quietly, bending over her. He checked her pulse and breathing, she was alright. He took her in his arms, and carried her up to her room. As her head hit the soft pillows she came round. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, his foot hardly made contact. He fell back, I think," she whispered.

"I tackled him," he explained.

"Well, that accounts for it," Daisy said, touching her head.

"What's wrong?"

"Splitting headache." She winced. David lay down beside her and put an arm protectively around her.

"Don't worry, he's out cold."

"Oh, my knight in shining armour," she said, rolling her eyes sarcastically.

"Yes, my damsel in distress?"

"Nothing," she said. She closed her eyes to sleep, but had a better idea and leant in a kissed him. She then put her head down on the pillows and closed her eyes.