Higher Expectations

Chapter 17: A Little Walk Down Memory Lane

"You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you." - Eric Hoffer

Scott sat in the back seat of his father's car, a bit angry.

"So you're not even going to talk to me?" He asked in a cold manner. Martin sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with one hand while steering the car with the other.

"Do you seriously think this isn't hard on me as well? Because, news flash, Scott, it is. I practically lost my son through this ordeal, not to mention my wife." He said. Scott grunted angrily.

"That's bullshit, dad!" He yelled, angry that his father would even dare mention Elaine. "It's not like you lost me unwillingly. You had a choice, and you chose her over me, but she just left you anyway. Good choice, dad. Good choice." Martin's ears went pink.

"That was a mistake, I suppose."

"You suppose?!" Scott roared. Martin glared into the rear view mirror at Scott who glared right back with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I will not tolerate you yelling at me!!" He yelled back. He looked back to the steering wheel and spoke after another minute, "Can we just... not fight for once? I want to try and make this work, and it's going to be harder with all that's going to go on at home."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Scott asked suspiciously.

"Do you remember how I told you that your step moth- Elaine," He hesitated.

"Go on..." Scott spat out, still glaring.

"Well, remember how I told you that she left me?" He asked. Scott couldn't believe what he was hearing. She wasn't back, was she? "Well, she came to see me a few weeks ago, and, well-"

"Don't even tell me she's back! 'Cause if you're telling me that, I want you to stop the car and let me out right now. I amnotgoing back to see that skank!"

"Scott!!" Martin snapped. He sighed, a moments silence passed before he spoke again, "I- I think she's changed... now, she needed a place to stay. I couldn't just- I know, I know what she did... but I still love her, Scott. We're going to try seeing a family counselor, work it out. She wants to apologize to you." Scott grunted in disapproval. "She was my wife. I can't help how I-"

"And I'm your son. I thought that was more important, but I guess not." Scott said, lowering his voice, but it still had the same effect. Martin gave up trying to explain this to him. Maybe things would work out, but he knew one thing for sure, he wasn't going to let what happened before happen again. He loved Scott, and never really stopped even though he wanted to pretend he did during that period he was in denial. In some way, he guessed he was still in a type of denial, but it wouldn't hurt them this time.

Jess picked at her Macaroni and Cheese. She couldn't eat, even though the Macaroni and Cheese in the blue box was her favorite. Alice had left an hour before, and she would soon be back, at least Shelby said so. The pang in her stomach got worse, and worse, and she wasn't sure if it was a hunger pang or not. She was a bit fearful, though. What was her mother doing? Why would she ask her daughters home and then not spend every moment with them? It must have been something important.

"Are you okay?" Shelby asked, noticing how Jess had a distant look in her eye, not to mention how she wasn't eating her favorite food. She snapped back to reality and looked at Shelby.

"Oh, oh yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking. Where did mom go?" Jess asked. Shelby pondered this for a moment. It was indeed strange that her mother would just leave them without telling them where she was going. In fact, she never really went anywhere but to work and the grocery store in the past. Even then, she told them where she was going, and when she was going to be back.

A key scratching at the door knocked both Shelby and Jess out of their thoughts. The door opened and Alice walked through the door.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm late... it's just this was important, and, well, sit down. I need to tell you something." She shut the door, and Shelby reluctantly put down the pot of Macaroni and sat back down at the table.

"Yeah?" Jess asked, eagerly. From the looks in her eye, she thought it would be something exciting. Like they would be going to an amusement park the next day or something, but the look on Alice's face was a look of nervousness, and even fear.

"What?" Shelby asked, in a "go on" tone of voice.

"Okay, I know you're not going to like this, but I thought I would bring you guys home so you could get used to it. No, I'm not keeping you home... no way, you still need to be at Horizon... Peter convinced me of that, but it's something bigger. What I'm going to tell you isn't a recent thing. I've been thinking about it, and thinking about it... and thinking about it even more. It's going to be hard on you. I know this, but I can't help it. Now, Walt's been going since even before the trial, to a therapy type thing. Even when he got out of prison after the trial, he kept going. He wants to better himself, I can see that. He's been staying here... Please don't take this badly." Alice explained.

Silence.

"You know, I'm actually kind of speechless. I know, Shelby, the loud, opinionated, cold hearted bitch, always got something mean to say, but for once, mother, you have completely gone over the edge, and frankly, I don't know how to further explain my feelings to you." She looked at her sister, a blank expression on her face. The lively ness in her was gone. At least for now. There would be nothing anyone could do about it, this entire issue would have to wait until morning.

"Jess..." Alice said, looking at her youngest daughter, hoping to get something out of her.

"I'm tired. Can I go to bed now?" She asked, staring down at her plate while talking to her mother. Alice sighed. She hadn't meant to hurt her in any way. This was just the way things were, and she couldn't very well tell them why things were the way they were. She couldn't just say that Walt was blackmailing her into doing this. Either way her children were going to be hurt at her hands again... and she hated it.

Jess traveled to the stairs and walked up them, still looking down toward the floor. She was on the verge of tears, when she bumped into who she assumed to be Shelby. She looked up only to find a man standing in front of her. The tears that had been threatening to fall, finally fell.

"Jess... I know-"

Her eyes grew wide and she bolted towards her room. Once inside, she locked the door and sat down on her bed. She tried to think of a happier time. The only time that came back was the time when she made it to Horizon and was talking with Shelby after not seeing her for such a long time.

FLASHBACK

"I didn't know what else to do. I just... I couldn't take being home anymore, being anywhere near home or school or people. Everything reminded me of him. Everything. There was nobody who understood... Not even the social worker. She didn't even understand. I just had to get away, so I ran. I just kept going -- hitchhiking, buses, walking. I just...I just kept going, and the further away I got, the better I felt, but I ran out of money in Seattle.

I was so hungry. At first, I thought it was cool, you know? But then it just started to hurt, like, physical hurt, and I went into a store and I looked at all the food, and I picked it up, but I didn't know how to steal. I couldn't... I couldn't steal it. Then I thought, "Well, I'll just beg," you know? But I couldn't. I was just so cold and wet, and... I could have called mom and she could have come and got me, but I was never going back, ever. I was so hungry, Shel. You have to believe me."

Shelby, on the verge of tears replied, "I do, Jess. I know."

"And then... And then this car pulled up, and there was this guy. He wasn't too old, you know? He wasn't too old, not like Walt... And he gave me money right away for...for...you know. It just felt so good to be warm and dry. The car smelled brand-new, that brand-new smell. The guy was gonna take me for something to eat, but I was just so scared... And we were driving, and it was raining and sleeting outside, and I looked out the window and I saw this sign. It was a sign for milk... And it was called Horizon Farms. And the stoplight turned green, and I jumped out of the car. I jumped out of the car. I jumped out."

END FLASHBACK
Daisy walked into the girls dorm and found Jules sitting on her bed with a blank expression. As soon as Jules noticed Daisy walk in she jumped up.

"Oh, Daisy! I thought you went home... you weren't at group." She said, confused.

"Oh, really? Sophie called me in for a personal meeting. All of us are having them during the holidays because Christmas, in my opinion, can sometimes get oh so depressing." She said with her trademark cynical smirk on her face.

Juliette picked up her pillow, smiling, and threw it playfully at Daisy. "Don't ruin the holiday spirit." Daisy looked curiously at her arm, which was bearing long sleeves and a large, newly formed blood stain.

"I may not be the one ruining it..."
Scott looked up at his house and cringed. It wasn't really home... even before Horizon and before Elaine it didn't seem like home it was so large. The library was more of a home type setting than this place. Sure, it had all you could want, a pool, four wings... he even had an entire wing all to himself. This, he was sure, was what some people at Horizon couldn't understand. How such a rich pretty boy was there. If they only knew... Which only now brought Scott back to his fear.

FLASHBACK

"I'm not sure about going home, Peter..." Scott said concerned to his headmaster. Peter thought for a second.

"Maybe this can help. Scott, see, the game of life is a lot like football. You have to tackle your problems, block your fears, and score your points when you get the opportunity. You've hopefully tackled your problems here, now all you need to do is block your fears so you can score the opportunity to make up completely with your dad."

"As corny as that was, Peter... it might have helped. Thanks."

"What can I say? I rule at this." He said, smiling. Scott smiled and laughed at him.

END FLASHBACK

Maybe he could face his fears. After all, he was a lot stronger now. He knew how to deal with what he thought was going to happen.

The next morning, Scott woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside. "How... Partridge Family-ish..." He muttered as he got up to put on some clothes. He could already smell bacon and eggs cooking. Maybe their housekeeper, Emily, had cooked a full breakfast. He hadn't had a home cooked breakfast in so long.

He started to rush downstairs until he realized that he might see Elaine down there. He slowed his pace and eventually made his way into the kitchen, smelling the wonderful smells and taking it all in. He pushed the old western style doors to the kitchen and heard them flap back and forth behind him, but to his surprise, he didn't see Elaine or Emily in the kitchen. He saw his father slaving over the stove himself.

"Oh, good morning, Scott. Do you want some breakfast? I'm trying my best to make some... hah, I've almost forgotten how fun this is." Scott wanted to laugh at his father trying to make breakfast because he had never seen him do it before. He sat down at the bar and poured him some orange juice.

"Where'd you learn to do this?" He asked, curiously. Elaine couldn't have taught him, she was a horrible cook. Everything she cooked was almost worse than Emily's pancakes... boy were those bad.

"Your mother taught me, actually." Martin said, smiling at the memories. Scott wanted to say something mean, but he decided he would give his father a break for once.

"Yeah, I remember her cooking for me." Martin put a plate in front of him and dished some bacon, eggs and grits out. Scott saw some ketchup on the table, but before Scott could reach for the ketchup, Martin already had and was squirting it on his eggs. "How'd you know I like ketchup on my eggs? I haven't eaten them this way in front of you, I don't think."

"You used to love them as a little boy. I remember you wouldn't eat anything unless you had your ketchup to put on it. You were a strange little boy." Martin replied, pondering days past. "Anyway, I just thought you'd like it now." He smiled. Scott was a little bit suspicious. Why was he sucking up to him? Was there something he wanted to tell him? It couldn't get worse than what he had told him the day before.

"So where's your trophy wife?..." Scott asked, changing the subject. Martin sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know, actually. She should have been home when we got home last night, but she hasn't showed up. She only went to the grocery store."

"Sure she didn't run out on you again?" Scott asked. Martin rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure." He said. He was going to say more, but the phone rang. Martin picked it up and answered. His face contorted and his eyes went blank. Scott looked at him strangely.

"Okay... She... Oh, no. Yes, I understand. Okay... thank you, sir." He said and hung up the phone.

"Who was it?" Scott asked.

"It was the police. Ah... we gotta go."

Scott dropped his fork and jumped off the chair. He didn't know what to feel.
Ehe... Okay, this was depressing, dramatic, and almost unreal but it's real. So there. I really hoped you enjoyed!!

Jeez, I love drama. It's horrible. I can't wait until my soaps tomorrow. =P!! It wont let me use my stars anymore for some reason, so I'm sorry that the last chapter was jumbled. I hope it let's me use the editing I've done on this Preview thing.

Thanks.

Flamingteen (Katie)
2004