A/N: Shout outs to Dmc3387, Blake-Tori88, skimmboardergurl, garnetred, jorgitosbabe, camfan4ever, blueangel07, obstar20, babe7878, & miz greenleaf who reviewed so far! You guys rock, and you could too if you just click on the button, type in a few nice words, and review! lol.
"Lost & Found"
Hunter barely got enough sleep that night. In fact, he didn't really sleep at all. Most of the time he would lie down on his bed and stare at the ceiling, wondering about his parents and how they were like. Hunter couldn't get over the fact that his father just got out of jail. What could have he done to put himself behind bars? No news on his mother just yet, but he was hoping she didn't turn out to be some kind of prisoner like his father. Hunter already felt ashame about it.
Once the clock reached 7:30, he immediately got out of bed, took a quick warm shower, and dressed up for the day. Hunter didn't stop to get some breakfast as he rushed past Shane and Dustin in the kitchen and runs off to his car in the parking garage. The two exchange looks once they heard the door closed shut. "Well that was rude." The goofball thought.
"Where do you think he's going?" Shane wonders curiously.
Dustin shrugs as he takes a sip of his orange juice. "I bet he's going to ask around about where his father lives."
He nods while twirling the left over spaghetti from last night with a fork. "Boy, I wonder how Hunter must be feeling."
"Yeah." Dustin pursed his lips. "It must be tough on him to find out that his own father was put in jail."
"No kidding."
Hunter sped off down a narrow, deserted street as he presses on the gas each time he felt the need to go faster. He was anxious to find the address that led to his father's home, but unfortunately, he needed to get the information from the Blue Bay Harbor Police Department. Without wasting any time, Hunter decides to give them a call and get the address by phone. He places one hand on the steering wheel and begins reaching over to the compartment box for his cell phone. Hunter struggles a bit as he takes his eyes off the road for a few seconds and leans toward the passenger seat to find it. Meanwhile, Tori parks her blue van on the side of a street, across from the beach, as she jumps off the vehicle and grabs her surfboard nearby. The blonde prepares to cross the street, as she looks both ways. Once Tori sees no car coming, she begins walking forth to the beach until she looks down and noticed a five dollar bill on the middle of the road. 'This must be my luck day.' Smiling, she bends down to get it.
On the other hand, Hunter found his cell phone but suddenly dropped it on the floor just when he had a hold of it. "Oh great." He mutters frustratingly as he ducks his head underneath the seat and presses on the accelerator for more speed. Once Hunter picks up the phone, he shifts his eyes back on the road and noticed a familiar figure, a blonde woman it seems, standing in the middle of it. Without noticing right away, he immediately pushed on the brakes. "Ah Shit. Watch Out!" As Tori rises up from the ground with the five-dollar bill in hand, she heard a vehicle coming her way. She turns to the side as bright headlights blinded her vision. Tori's eyes eventually grew larger as she gets on a stance and jumps up before the black truck even hits her. Once the vehicle came to a complete halt, the familiar blonde landed on the hood of the truck and rolled down to the ground. 'Wow. This is sure my lucky day.' Tori thought in sarcasm as she groans in slight pain. While struggling to get up, the driver quickly comes to her rescue.
"Oh my God. Are you okay? I'm so sorry. I didn't see you." The young gentleman panics worriedly as he gives Tori a helping hand. Luckily, there was no sign of severe injuries or else he would be in deep.
"Ugh. Watch where you going next time." Tori grunted angrily, feeling agitated at the moment after a facing a life and death situation. Good thing she was able to spot it in time, or else it would end up to be a tragic result. Wondering who nearly killed her, the blonde turns around and gasps at his appearance. She couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. "Hunter?"
He arches his brow in surprise. "Tori?!"
Her stunned look turned into an evil one. "What the---" She trails off in disbelief as her blood pressure begins to rise with bursting outrage. "Y-You were about to run me over, Jerk!"
"No. No. It was an accident. I didn't see you. I swear I didn't!" Hunter pleaded his innocence, although he refuses to admit that he has taken his eyes off the road for a period of time.
She glares at him. "You do realize that pedestrians have the right of the way right? Unless, you failed driver's ed and somehow got away with it."
"Tori, I swear I didn't--"
"Save it, Hunter!" Tori cuts his sentence off with an abrupt snap. "Next time watch where you going and slow down." The dirty blonde nods. He felt ashamed for what he done, but at the same time relief to see that Tori was alright. For the first time, Hunter was actually glad Tori had the ability to think fast and take action when needed. She didn't freak out like what most girls would do, which surprised him the most. It took Hunter a little while to figure out that Tori wasn't like most girls. She's tough and could hold on her own most of the time without anyone's help. It shows how independent she is compared to the rest of the guys. While they stood on the middle of the road, she places a hand on her hip and plasters a curious stare "What's with the rush anyway? It's not like you have class to go to." Tori stated.
"I'm just excited to see my dad that's all." He looks down with a nervous chuckle. "I guess I got carried away..." She nods. "Again, I apologize."
Tori accepted his apology. "It's okay. You were anxious to find out more about your father. I don't blame you. I probably would've done the same thing, but in a more cautious matter." She giggles.
He looks down in amusement. "Yeah. Well, I promise I'll make it up to you. Dinner? Movie? Anything you want."
She smiles. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Alright. Cool." Hunter forces a weak smile. "I'll see you later then."
She nods. "Drive safely now!"
"I will."
Tori rolls her eyes from behind. "Yeah right."
A few hours after the incident, Hunter finally arrived on a narrow, bumpy driveway of his father's home. He slowly turns off the engine and looks out the window to examine the house. It was fairly small, and built with crumbled bricks. The gray car parked in front of a dented garage door was very old looking with cracks on the rear windows, and faded paint scratched everywhere. The front yard itself was covered with autumn leaves and grass that looked as if it hadn't been lawn for years. Next to a row of bushes stood a little girl's bike it seemed. It was pink, and in bad condition.
Hunter continues to observe the place as he takes a long, deep breath. He was extremely nervous and anxious to meet the guy. The thing that worried him the most was his father's initial reaction, especially someone who just got out of jail. Once Hunter stepped out of the vehicle, he begins to slowly walk down a hidden path that led to the front door of his home. His emotions went running high as soon as he went up the small steps and stood on a wooden porch. A rocking chair stood nearby as the wind caught up and rocked it a little. For a minute, he could feel chills running down his spine at the eeriness vibe he was getting. Hunter felt he was stepping into a world of nowhere and asserting himself to a whole different environment.
Long minutes flew by, and the dirty blonde hesitated to knock on the door. He would either stare at it for an awfully long time, or pace back and forth on the porch, mumbling to himself to just do it and get it over with. But it wasn't easy. After approximately a good ten minutes, Hunter finally loosens up and knocks on the door. He knocks again when there was no answer, and again and again till finally it creaked open. He held his breath when suddenly a man with brown and small streaks of gray mustache and hazel nut eyes sticks his head out the door and examines Hunter closely. "Who the hell are you?" He asked in a weird, southern-like accent. "I'm not here for trouble, boy."
"N-No, of c-course not." Hunter stammers on his sentence nervously. "I'm uhh...looking for..." He trails off as he begins to scramble for a piece of paper and reads from it. "Edward Jay Smith."
The man wrinkles his forehead. "Yeah, that's me and who are you?"
He looks at him and gulps. "My name is Hunter. Hunter Bradley. Y-your son."
Edward studies him carefully as his eyes grew larger every second that passes by. He opens the door wider and stood up the same height as he was. The old man studies his features till he was convinced at what he sees. "Hunter..." He whispers breathlessly. "Oh my God...is that really you? My lost son?"
The dirty blonde forces a weak smile. "Yeah. It's me."
Mr. Smith was in utter disbelief as he plasters a shocking look. "How did you find me, Hunter?"
"Well I live here." He responds. "I've been contacting the adoption agency on information about my biological parents and when I found out you live in Blue Bay Harbor, I just had to come by and see for myself."
Edward slowly nods his head, obviously amazed at what he sees. He still can't get over the fact that his son was standing right in front of him after nearly two decades, and finally they are reunited once again. "You were just a tiny little baby for all I remember and you grew up to become one handsome man." He notices as he continues to observe him. "You remind me so much of your mother."
Hunter smiles in awed. "Really? Do I look that feminine?"
Mr. Smith laughs at the comment. "Boy, you do got a sense of humor too. Please, come in. We got so much to talk about!"
It was a bit awkward for Hunter to see that Mr. Smith was already trusting him, especially coming from a guy who just got out of jail. From what he learned from books and movies, he always thought prisoners were constantly angry and paranoid about things. But that didn't stop Hunter from getting to know his real father as he follows him inside the house.