Chapter Six- Better Days
The future is no where To place your better days.
Dave Matthews
"Hey Shelby, wait up!" Ezra shouted as he ran after her down the path to the lake. Shelby stopped and turned around, waiting for him to catch up with her.
"Yes?" She asked pointedly when he reached her.
"I just wanna thank you."
"For what?"
"For Daisy, the advice, everything."
Shelby smiled.
"It was nothing, really, I assure," she threw in nonchalantly.
"No, it was something," he insisted. "If you hadn't told me to stick with it, I think I would have give up and look at me now. Daisy and I are together. I'm so happy, happier then I think I've ever been in my life. And I have you to thank for it. If there is anything, and I mean ANYTHING I can do for you PLEASE let me know."
"There is one thing."
"Name it."
"Leave me alone so I can go find Scott."
"You got it!" Ezra replied laughing. "Thank you though, really," he kissed her on the cheek. "You're the best."
"I know," Shelby said smiling widely. "I get it, now I'm going ok?"
"Yeah, sure, see ya later."
"Maybe," Shelby replied running away and leaving Ezra with himself and a huge grin spread across his face. In less then five minutes time Shelby had found Scott, sitting on the dock, waiting patiently for her. She made her presence known the minute she saw him, by purposely breaking some branches as she walked towards him. He looked over at her and smiled but didn't get up. It was then that Shelby realized he wanted her to join him.
"Hey you," Shelby said sweetly as she sat down next to Scott.
"Hey Beautiful," he said turning to her and kissing her on the forehead.
"That was nice," Shelby replied smiling. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Nothing really, just wanted some company," Scott said attempting to sound nonchalant.
"Nothing?" Shelby asked suspiciously.
"Yup, nothing."
"You're lying."
"How can you tell."
"I can see it in your eyes. I bet not many people can, but I can... they squint a little when you lie."
"THEY DO NOT!" Scott protested laughing.
"Yes," Shelby said quietly yet sweetly. "They do."
Scott looked at her, smiled, then sighed.
"So what was it that Juliette just HAD to talk to you about the other night?"
"It was nothing," Shelby said quickly, attempting to shrug it off.
"Nothing? Ok, yeah, sure, you expect me to believe that. Shelby, you can't stand Juliette and I know that she's not your biggest fan either."
"It was NOTHING. Really Scott, give it up."
"Is something wrong?"
"No."
"Is it me?"
"Scott no."
"Then what?"
"Look I don't want to talk about it ok?" Shelby stood up, unable to finish the interrogation. She needed some air, some room to breathe, she felt like the walls were caving in on her and she was outside... "I... I have to go meet Daisy somewhere. I'll see you later at dinner ok?"
"Yeah, whatever."
Shelby looked down at Scott and waited for him to say, or do something more but he didn't. He just sat perfectly still so she left him there. Shelby walked the long way back to her dorm, where she had intended on hopefully seeing Daisy for some advice, and contemplated her situation. A part of her wanted to tell him, to spill all that had happened with her and Juliette, she was in the hospital room for over an hour after all, but another part of her was afraid. Afraid of what he might think, or say to her when she told him. Afraid of his disappointment, the pain he might feel if she actually told him that when she was out on the streets she was a lot more like Juliette then she cared to let on. Maybe it was one of the reasons she hated Juliette so much, because she saw the parts about herself that she hated come out in someone else, only on a different level. Shelby and Juliette did share one major factor in common. They had both at one point in time been acutely aware that they were killing themselves, and Shelby wasn't referring to the drugs she knew were doing harm to her body, no she had actually inflicted wounds... cuts, as Juliette called them, but in the worse sense of the word. Shelby had once slit her wrists.
She and Juliette shared that in common. Although Juliette didn't share it with many people, she had tried to kill herself by slitting her wrists, a while back. That's what had been the straw that broke the camel's back where her parents were concerned. Her incident was, in the long run, what had sent Juliette to Horizon. Shelby never would have shared her incident with anyone if it hadn't been for that day in the bathroom. They were cleaning up for bed and it was just Juliette and Shelby alone. Shelby remembered the day, one of her first days at Horizon, like it was only yesterday. Shelby lifted her hand to stroke her hair and Juliette had caught something that normally no one else would. She turned to Shelby and with a fearful smile said "we match" as Juliette held her wrist to Shelby's. It was a quick yet odd moment. It was at that exact point in time that Shelby had decided to hate Juliette and it wasn't until the other night at the hospital that Juliette had brought it up. The girls spent their time together talking about shame, and guilt and Juliette's urge to do it again. Shelby and Juliette were drawn to each other in a way that no body could understand and it was going to be hard to explain to Scott, as much as Shelby would have liked to. She was worried, worried that her not telling him would result in a fight, or him not trusting her. She would have to come clean sometime, the question was, when?
We'll turn this better thing To the best of all we can offer.
Dave Matthews
"HE SAID WHAT?" Sophie shouted as Peter tried to remain as calm and rational as possible.
"He said I deserved better and he wouldn't be my best man because I wasn't getting married in New York, it wasn't Chloe I was remarrying, AND... oh you're gonna love this one, I get the entire company on my birthday in a few weeks and so far I have no intention of giving any of it to him."
"This is unbelievable."
"It's ok Soph, I knew something like this would happen, I just had a feeling..."
"SO what are you gonna do?"
"I don't know."
"You need a best man."
"Well I don't NEED..."
"PETER!"
"What?"
"This is our wedding, we're going to have a WEDDING party. Now my sister is here all the way from Maine, the least we can do is find a replacement."
"I always thought my best man would be my brother... now he's let me down on not only one wedding but two."
"What do you mean?"
"He wasn't there when I married Chloe either, he was away on business."
"OH Peter," Sophie said coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around his waist. "I'm so sorry."
"It's ok, look we'll just have to go with what we have."
"What about Frank?"
"NO, it's too much stress for him, I don't want him to have to come up here and worry about not only the kids but also the wedding. It's bad enough for him at home worrying, I'd hate from him to have to come up here more then he needed to."
"You have a point... well, what about one of the kids?"
"One of the kids?"
"Well why not, I mean it is a Horizon wedding after all," she said with a smile.
"Any suggestions?"
"Yeah, actually. What about Scott?"
"Yanno, I have always had a soft spot for that kid. He knows it too, I mean we're close... I've always felt that the two of us had a connection..."
"See."
"Where is he?"
"Last I saw he was out on the dock with Shelby but actually..." Sophie stopped to look out the window of Peter's office. "He's right there."
"Hey Scott!" Peter called out lifting up the screen and yelling out the window. Scott stopped his sulking and turned to the building and Peter.
"Yeah?"
"Come up here a second, I've got something to ask you."
You can't have A better tomorrow If you are thinking About yesterday all the time.
Charles F Kettering
"Can we eat alone tonight?" Shelby asked cutting off Scott as he made his way over to the group's table.
"Sure..."
"I've got something I wanted to tell you."
"Good, 'cause I've got something I wanted to tell you too."
Shelby nodded.
"Good."
The two sat down at a small, secluded table in a quiet section of the dinning hall. For a few minutes they just sat in silence eating, but it wasn't their usual natural silence that they often spent hours in, the tension in the air was growing with every bite and finally Scott felt the need to say something.
"Peter asked me to be his best man."
"Really?" Shelby said her eyes lighting up. "You said yes right?"
"Of course."
"Well what about his brother, his family."
"It's a tough situation, his brother doesn't approve and since it's a Horizon wedding he figured why not have ME as his best man."
"Scott's that's great."
"Yeah, so now it's your turn."
"My turn to what?"
"Share your news.
"Oh..."
Shelby nodded slowly trying to arrange the words in her head.
"Scott about earlier..." Scott cut her off.
"Look I'm sorry I blew up at you this morning, I don't need to know what you and Juliette talked about, really it's none of my business," he said apologetically.
"I... yanno, I'm sorry about the way I acted I just... it's a private matter, you can respect that, right?"
"Of course. I don't want to fight with you Shel, I hate fighting with you. It hurts too much."
"Yeah, I know, "Shelby said quietly, more to herself then anything.
"So is that what you wanted to tell me?" Scott asked.
"Yup, I just wanted to apologize, that's all."
"Good," Scott smiled. "SO everything's ok with us, right?"
"Yeah," Shelby said nodding. "Everything's just fine..."
The future is no where To place your better days.
Dave Matthews
"Hey Shelby, wait up!" Ezra shouted as he ran after her down the path to the lake. Shelby stopped and turned around, waiting for him to catch up with her.
"Yes?" She asked pointedly when he reached her.
"I just wanna thank you."
"For what?"
"For Daisy, the advice, everything."
Shelby smiled.
"It was nothing, really, I assure," she threw in nonchalantly.
"No, it was something," he insisted. "If you hadn't told me to stick with it, I think I would have give up and look at me now. Daisy and I are together. I'm so happy, happier then I think I've ever been in my life. And I have you to thank for it. If there is anything, and I mean ANYTHING I can do for you PLEASE let me know."
"There is one thing."
"Name it."
"Leave me alone so I can go find Scott."
"You got it!" Ezra replied laughing. "Thank you though, really," he kissed her on the cheek. "You're the best."
"I know," Shelby said smiling widely. "I get it, now I'm going ok?"
"Yeah, sure, see ya later."
"Maybe," Shelby replied running away and leaving Ezra with himself and a huge grin spread across his face. In less then five minutes time Shelby had found Scott, sitting on the dock, waiting patiently for her. She made her presence known the minute she saw him, by purposely breaking some branches as she walked towards him. He looked over at her and smiled but didn't get up. It was then that Shelby realized he wanted her to join him.
"Hey you," Shelby said sweetly as she sat down next to Scott.
"Hey Beautiful," he said turning to her and kissing her on the forehead.
"That was nice," Shelby replied smiling. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Nothing really, just wanted some company," Scott said attempting to sound nonchalant.
"Nothing?" Shelby asked suspiciously.
"Yup, nothing."
"You're lying."
"How can you tell."
"I can see it in your eyes. I bet not many people can, but I can... they squint a little when you lie."
"THEY DO NOT!" Scott protested laughing.
"Yes," Shelby said quietly yet sweetly. "They do."
Scott looked at her, smiled, then sighed.
"So what was it that Juliette just HAD to talk to you about the other night?"
"It was nothing," Shelby said quickly, attempting to shrug it off.
"Nothing? Ok, yeah, sure, you expect me to believe that. Shelby, you can't stand Juliette and I know that she's not your biggest fan either."
"It was NOTHING. Really Scott, give it up."
"Is something wrong?"
"No."
"Is it me?"
"Scott no."
"Then what?"
"Look I don't want to talk about it ok?" Shelby stood up, unable to finish the interrogation. She needed some air, some room to breathe, she felt like the walls were caving in on her and she was outside... "I... I have to go meet Daisy somewhere. I'll see you later at dinner ok?"
"Yeah, whatever."
Shelby looked down at Scott and waited for him to say, or do something more but he didn't. He just sat perfectly still so she left him there. Shelby walked the long way back to her dorm, where she had intended on hopefully seeing Daisy for some advice, and contemplated her situation. A part of her wanted to tell him, to spill all that had happened with her and Juliette, she was in the hospital room for over an hour after all, but another part of her was afraid. Afraid of what he might think, or say to her when she told him. Afraid of his disappointment, the pain he might feel if she actually told him that when she was out on the streets she was a lot more like Juliette then she cared to let on. Maybe it was one of the reasons she hated Juliette so much, because she saw the parts about herself that she hated come out in someone else, only on a different level. Shelby and Juliette did share one major factor in common. They had both at one point in time been acutely aware that they were killing themselves, and Shelby wasn't referring to the drugs she knew were doing harm to her body, no she had actually inflicted wounds... cuts, as Juliette called them, but in the worse sense of the word. Shelby had once slit her wrists.
She and Juliette shared that in common. Although Juliette didn't share it with many people, she had tried to kill herself by slitting her wrists, a while back. That's what had been the straw that broke the camel's back where her parents were concerned. Her incident was, in the long run, what had sent Juliette to Horizon. Shelby never would have shared her incident with anyone if it hadn't been for that day in the bathroom. They were cleaning up for bed and it was just Juliette and Shelby alone. Shelby remembered the day, one of her first days at Horizon, like it was only yesterday. Shelby lifted her hand to stroke her hair and Juliette had caught something that normally no one else would. She turned to Shelby and with a fearful smile said "we match" as Juliette held her wrist to Shelby's. It was a quick yet odd moment. It was at that exact point in time that Shelby had decided to hate Juliette and it wasn't until the other night at the hospital that Juliette had brought it up. The girls spent their time together talking about shame, and guilt and Juliette's urge to do it again. Shelby and Juliette were drawn to each other in a way that no body could understand and it was going to be hard to explain to Scott, as much as Shelby would have liked to. She was worried, worried that her not telling him would result in a fight, or him not trusting her. She would have to come clean sometime, the question was, when?
We'll turn this better thing To the best of all we can offer.
Dave Matthews
"HE SAID WHAT?" Sophie shouted as Peter tried to remain as calm and rational as possible.
"He said I deserved better and he wouldn't be my best man because I wasn't getting married in New York, it wasn't Chloe I was remarrying, AND... oh you're gonna love this one, I get the entire company on my birthday in a few weeks and so far I have no intention of giving any of it to him."
"This is unbelievable."
"It's ok Soph, I knew something like this would happen, I just had a feeling..."
"SO what are you gonna do?"
"I don't know."
"You need a best man."
"Well I don't NEED..."
"PETER!"
"What?"
"This is our wedding, we're going to have a WEDDING party. Now my sister is here all the way from Maine, the least we can do is find a replacement."
"I always thought my best man would be my brother... now he's let me down on not only one wedding but two."
"What do you mean?"
"He wasn't there when I married Chloe either, he was away on business."
"OH Peter," Sophie said coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around his waist. "I'm so sorry."
"It's ok, look we'll just have to go with what we have."
"What about Frank?"
"NO, it's too much stress for him, I don't want him to have to come up here and worry about not only the kids but also the wedding. It's bad enough for him at home worrying, I'd hate from him to have to come up here more then he needed to."
"You have a point... well, what about one of the kids?"
"One of the kids?"
"Well why not, I mean it is a Horizon wedding after all," she said with a smile.
"Any suggestions?"
"Yeah, actually. What about Scott?"
"Yanno, I have always had a soft spot for that kid. He knows it too, I mean we're close... I've always felt that the two of us had a connection..."
"See."
"Where is he?"
"Last I saw he was out on the dock with Shelby but actually..." Sophie stopped to look out the window of Peter's office. "He's right there."
"Hey Scott!" Peter called out lifting up the screen and yelling out the window. Scott stopped his sulking and turned to the building and Peter.
"Yeah?"
"Come up here a second, I've got something to ask you."
You can't have A better tomorrow If you are thinking About yesterday all the time.
Charles F Kettering
"Can we eat alone tonight?" Shelby asked cutting off Scott as he made his way over to the group's table.
"Sure..."
"I've got something I wanted to tell you."
"Good, 'cause I've got something I wanted to tell you too."
Shelby nodded.
"Good."
The two sat down at a small, secluded table in a quiet section of the dinning hall. For a few minutes they just sat in silence eating, but it wasn't their usual natural silence that they often spent hours in, the tension in the air was growing with every bite and finally Scott felt the need to say something.
"Peter asked me to be his best man."
"Really?" Shelby said her eyes lighting up. "You said yes right?"
"Of course."
"Well what about his brother, his family."
"It's a tough situation, his brother doesn't approve and since it's a Horizon wedding he figured why not have ME as his best man."
"Scott's that's great."
"Yeah, so now it's your turn."
"My turn to what?"
"Share your news.
"Oh..."
Shelby nodded slowly trying to arrange the words in her head.
"Scott about earlier..." Scott cut her off.
"Look I'm sorry I blew up at you this morning, I don't need to know what you and Juliette talked about, really it's none of my business," he said apologetically.
"I... yanno, I'm sorry about the way I acted I just... it's a private matter, you can respect that, right?"
"Of course. I don't want to fight with you Shel, I hate fighting with you. It hurts too much."
"Yeah, I know, "Shelby said quietly, more to herself then anything.
"So is that what you wanted to tell me?" Scott asked.
"Yup, I just wanted to apologize, that's all."
"Good," Scott smiled. "SO everything's ok with us, right?"
"Yeah," Shelby said nodding. "Everything's just fine..."