Chapter 6 The truth shall set someone free
Sophie enters the Cliffhanger girl's dorm shining the flashlight on each of the girl's beds. She shines it over Shelby to find that she is awake. Sophie walks over to her bed and bends down.
"Everything okay?" Sophie whispers to Shelby. Shelby shakes her head yes. Sophie doesn't quite buy it. "Tell me the truth Shelby."
"I am telling you the truth Sophie." Shelby rolls over so Sophie wouldn't see the tears building up in Shelby's eyes.
"I'm always here if you need to talk." Sophie stands and shines the light over on the newbie. Except Sophie gets a surprise when she sees that the newbie's bed is empty. Sophie quickly goes and checks out the bathroom. Nobody is there. Sophie shines the light on the other beds making sure that Taylor didn't get into another bed. She counts only three bodies in the beds. "Shelby, do you know where Taylor went?" Shelby shakes her head no.
Sophie comes out of the Cliffhanger Girl's Dorm. She runs over to the Cliffhanger Boy's dorm just as Peter comes out.
"She's gone." Sophie says.
"Who?"
"Alexandra. . .Taylor, whatever the hell she goes by."
"Are you sure?"
"I checked everywhere. She's not in the dorm."
"Okay, I'll get some other counselor's to help look for her. Take this radio and go to channel 2. I'll get the others to start looking. If you find her, radio in. Go ahead and start down by the river."
Sophie takes the radio and jets off down towards the river. Peter grabs some other approaching counselors and tells them of the situation. Everyone takes off in different directions.
* * *
The boat docks; Hour past curfew
Taylor is sitting on the side of the docks; her feet are dangling over the water. She is starring out at the moonlit water. Sophie comes running up to the beginning of the docks.
"I've found her at the docks." Sophie reports into the radio.
"Is she okay?" Peter's frantic voice comes over the radio.
"She's fine, she's just sitting on the docks." Sophie approaches Taylor cautiously. Taylor doesn't acknowledge Sophie's presences. "Taylor. . .it's past curfew. Why are you out here?"
"Can't sleep."
"May I sit?" Sophie gets this woman's intuition that there's more going on than just Taylor being rebellious.
"It's a free country, I don't own the dock." Taylor shrugs her shoulders.
Sophie sits down beside her. The two sit on the dock in silence for a few minutes. Peter has made his way to the dock and stops when he sees the two sitting. He decides to stay back and listen in.
"May I ask you a question?"
"I can't promise an answer."
"What are you running away from?"
For the first time Taylor looks directly into Sophie's eyes. Taylor sees someone who cares and is concerned. This scares the hell out of Taylor. Sophie sees Taylor's eyes go from anger to fear in 0 to 60 seconds, then back to anger.
"Look, you don't have to pull that psychological bull. I'll go back to the dorm."
"It's getting cold out, let's go back to the lodge & talk."
"It's past curfew." Taylor looks out over the water again.
"I don't care." Sophie answers back hoping Taylor would open up.
The two sit in silence again. Sophie watching Taylor, Taylor keeping her eyes out on the water.
"What's there to talk about? You have a pretty thick file on me: Psychological evaluations, school records, police report, my father's reasons for wanting me here, there's nothing more to say."
"Yes we have all that, but nothing really tells why your grades fell. Why your taking barbiturates, why you ran away from school. Why you got kicked off the basketball team. There isn't a file for all the why's."
"What do you care? All you care about is that my father can pay the tuition up front. He probably paid extra to get me in here. You don't really care. When ya'll saw that last name, McPhearson, ya'll just saw dollar signs."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because that's what he does. I get kicked out of one school and he pays double, sometimes even triple to get me into another school. For this place he could pay quadruple the tuition and still not put a dent in his petty cash. Sit there and tell me that I'm not right."
"I'm not going to lie to you Taylor. I think you've been lied to enough." Sophie takes a deep breath and gather's her thoughts. Peter and I talked about things before you were accepted. Peter didn't want to accept you because of the money. He didn't want you thinking that's the only reason you're here. You got accepted because of what was in that folder. We focused on the fact that you need help."
"Well that's were you're wrong. I don't need nor want anyone's help. Before you go trying to save someone's life, you better make sure that they don't like that life. I not only like my life, I love my life."
"If that were really true, then why are you still here?" Taylor gives her a questioning look. "We know you spent sometime at a boot camp. Hiking the 20 miles to camp would be a breeze for you. Why are you still here? If you love you life so much?" sophie watches Taylor move uncomfortably. "So am I right in saying that you're finally ready to talk about things? To talk about why you ran away."
"I'm tired, I think I'll go back now."
Taylor stands and walks away back to the dorm. Peter hides behind a tree so Taylor can't see him. Sophie gets up and follows Taylor to make sure she makes it to the dorm. Peter walks behind her.
"I never thought I'd see another Shelby."
"Neither did I. Both girls are so strong willed and untrusting. I just hope I'm doing the right thing in sending them out on a buddy hike. I hope everyone comes back in one piece."
"I hope so too."
Peter and Sophie walk to their home and call it a night.
Sophie enters the Cliffhanger girl's dorm shining the flashlight on each of the girl's beds. She shines it over Shelby to find that she is awake. Sophie walks over to her bed and bends down.
"Everything okay?" Sophie whispers to Shelby. Shelby shakes her head yes. Sophie doesn't quite buy it. "Tell me the truth Shelby."
"I am telling you the truth Sophie." Shelby rolls over so Sophie wouldn't see the tears building up in Shelby's eyes.
"I'm always here if you need to talk." Sophie stands and shines the light over on the newbie. Except Sophie gets a surprise when she sees that the newbie's bed is empty. Sophie quickly goes and checks out the bathroom. Nobody is there. Sophie shines the light on the other beds making sure that Taylor didn't get into another bed. She counts only three bodies in the beds. "Shelby, do you know where Taylor went?" Shelby shakes her head no.
Sophie comes out of the Cliffhanger Girl's Dorm. She runs over to the Cliffhanger Boy's dorm just as Peter comes out.
"She's gone." Sophie says.
"Who?"
"Alexandra. . .Taylor, whatever the hell she goes by."
"Are you sure?"
"I checked everywhere. She's not in the dorm."
"Okay, I'll get some other counselor's to help look for her. Take this radio and go to channel 2. I'll get the others to start looking. If you find her, radio in. Go ahead and start down by the river."
Sophie takes the radio and jets off down towards the river. Peter grabs some other approaching counselors and tells them of the situation. Everyone takes off in different directions.
* * *
The boat docks; Hour past curfew
Taylor is sitting on the side of the docks; her feet are dangling over the water. She is starring out at the moonlit water. Sophie comes running up to the beginning of the docks.
"I've found her at the docks." Sophie reports into the radio.
"Is she okay?" Peter's frantic voice comes over the radio.
"She's fine, she's just sitting on the docks." Sophie approaches Taylor cautiously. Taylor doesn't acknowledge Sophie's presences. "Taylor. . .it's past curfew. Why are you out here?"
"Can't sleep."
"May I sit?" Sophie gets this woman's intuition that there's more going on than just Taylor being rebellious.
"It's a free country, I don't own the dock." Taylor shrugs her shoulders.
Sophie sits down beside her. The two sit on the dock in silence for a few minutes. Peter has made his way to the dock and stops when he sees the two sitting. He decides to stay back and listen in.
"May I ask you a question?"
"I can't promise an answer."
"What are you running away from?"
For the first time Taylor looks directly into Sophie's eyes. Taylor sees someone who cares and is concerned. This scares the hell out of Taylor. Sophie sees Taylor's eyes go from anger to fear in 0 to 60 seconds, then back to anger.
"Look, you don't have to pull that psychological bull. I'll go back to the dorm."
"It's getting cold out, let's go back to the lodge & talk."
"It's past curfew." Taylor looks out over the water again.
"I don't care." Sophie answers back hoping Taylor would open up.
The two sit in silence again. Sophie watching Taylor, Taylor keeping her eyes out on the water.
"What's there to talk about? You have a pretty thick file on me: Psychological evaluations, school records, police report, my father's reasons for wanting me here, there's nothing more to say."
"Yes we have all that, but nothing really tells why your grades fell. Why your taking barbiturates, why you ran away from school. Why you got kicked off the basketball team. There isn't a file for all the why's."
"What do you care? All you care about is that my father can pay the tuition up front. He probably paid extra to get me in here. You don't really care. When ya'll saw that last name, McPhearson, ya'll just saw dollar signs."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because that's what he does. I get kicked out of one school and he pays double, sometimes even triple to get me into another school. For this place he could pay quadruple the tuition and still not put a dent in his petty cash. Sit there and tell me that I'm not right."
"I'm not going to lie to you Taylor. I think you've been lied to enough." Sophie takes a deep breath and gather's her thoughts. Peter and I talked about things before you were accepted. Peter didn't want to accept you because of the money. He didn't want you thinking that's the only reason you're here. You got accepted because of what was in that folder. We focused on the fact that you need help."
"Well that's were you're wrong. I don't need nor want anyone's help. Before you go trying to save someone's life, you better make sure that they don't like that life. I not only like my life, I love my life."
"If that were really true, then why are you still here?" Taylor gives her a questioning look. "We know you spent sometime at a boot camp. Hiking the 20 miles to camp would be a breeze for you. Why are you still here? If you love you life so much?" sophie watches Taylor move uncomfortably. "So am I right in saying that you're finally ready to talk about things? To talk about why you ran away."
"I'm tired, I think I'll go back now."
Taylor stands and walks away back to the dorm. Peter hides behind a tree so Taylor can't see him. Sophie gets up and follows Taylor to make sure she makes it to the dorm. Peter walks behind her.
"I never thought I'd see another Shelby."
"Neither did I. Both girls are so strong willed and untrusting. I just hope I'm doing the right thing in sending them out on a buddy hike. I hope everyone comes back in one piece."
"I hope so too."
Peter and Sophie walk to their home and call it a night.