A/N: Hey guys. Sorry for the lack of updates! I've been real busy, but here's the next chapter!! Enjoy, folks and don't forget to let me know what you think!
"Darkest Secrets Unfold"
An hour has passed, and yet there was no sign of Mr. Smith. Hunter and Dustin came to a conclusion where they've checked everywhere and the long night was getting late. But they weren't going to stop there regardless of how tired they were when Hunter decided to split up and search some more. Once they parted ways, Dustin headed over to the track once again as the dirty blonde took a route that led to Mr. Smith's home. As Hunter rode down on a narrow, darkened street for about fifteen minutes, he found the dirt bike parked in front of his father's home not too far away from where he was. Relieved to see it, he got off his bike and placed it against a nearby tree. He noticed the front door was slightly open, and lights flickering weakly through the windows. Without hesitation, Hunter jumped over the fence and ran across the lawn until he reached the porch. Once he was standing in front of the door, he knocked on it a few times before walking in. "Hello?" He peered his head inside and slowly opens the door wider. "Ed? Are you here?" Hunter circled in place when suddenly he heard vague moaning sounds coming from the other room. He immediately turns around and walked to where it was coming from. "Ed?" Hunter swung the door open and found his father sitting on a grand, tattered chair with an icepack placed over his head. Hunter's eyes grew larger as he went up to him and noticed a black eye and a split lip that has blood flowing from his mouth. "Oh my God. What happened?" He questions worriedly--coming to his aid.
Mr. Smith grunted in pain. "Oh it's nothing, son. Just ran into a little accident that's all." Hunter wasn't exactly convinced with his answer. In the condition he was in, Hunter knew he somehow got beaten up.
"An accident? What kind of accident?"
"It's no big deal."
"But Dad, you're hurt!" He retorts as Mr. Smith look up surprisingly. Hunter, too, was surprised himself but he truly meant what he said with no regrets. The two have grown closer this past week and to actually hear the word 'DAD' come out from his son's mouth meant a whole lot to him.
He smiles. "If I tell you what happened, you have to promise me you'll stay out of trouble."
Hunter groans reluctantly at his wishes. It felt odd to see how at ease he was despite injuries that nearly killed him. "That's not an option. You have to tell me."
He smirks without acknowledging the seriousness in his voice. "Oh boy, you are just like your mother. Stubborn as ever."
"Stop trying to change the subject, Dad. Tell me who did this to you."
Mr. Smith sighs deeply. "Okay. Fine. I uhh...w-was ambushed."
"Ambushed?!" He gasps. "By who?"
"I don't know who it is! All I know is that once I lost you, I turned back around when suddenly this vicious woman came out of nowhere from behind and started beating the crap out of me. And the wierd thing is, she didn't take anything. I mean, I thought she wanted something, but unfortunately, all she was after was to make sure my face was flat on the ground."
"Do you have any idea how she looks like?"
"No."
Hunter nods. "That's it." He lifted himself from off the ground as if he was getting ready to leave.
"Where do you think you're going?" His father questions suspiciously.
"I'm going to find out who did this to you, and make her pay."
"But I told you--"
"Dad," Hunter interrupted his sentence, "I got this. What she did is not right, and I'm not gonna sit here and watch it happen again, k?" As he turns to the corner and exits out the door, Mr. Smith looks off to his direction and grins maliciously.
Hunter worked his way backwards as he got on the bike and entered a neighborhood on the other side of his home. He grabs a cell phone and quickly dials Dustin's number. The dirty blonde filled him in with everything that happened and told him it was alright to go on home now. As Hunter rode down the street in hopes to find a clue of some sort that had to do with his father's ambush attack, he passed my Tori's house and noticed her front door was wide open. He stopped on the middle of the road and became aware of furniture, such as a wooden chair, was possibly thrown out from the shattered windows. Troubled by the things that's been happening lately, Hunter immediately got off his bike and dashed towards the inside of Tori's home. Once he stepped foot in the livingroom, he found Tori balled up with her knees agains her chin, and sobbing uncontrollably on the floor next to a corner.
"Tor?" He softly called out to her while getting on one knee, as she slowly meets his gaze. Her eyes were swollen from endless tears, and filled with horror. He could feel her lips trembling along with the rest of her body once she threw her arms around his neck. She suddenly felt relieved, and safe around him as she continues to cry on his shoulder. Puzzled with her depressing behavior, Hunter began stroking her hair at ease, providing as much comfort as she needed. He pulls away and stares right into her eyes sincerely. "What happened here?"
She struggles to answer between relentless sobs. "I c-can't tell you, Hunter."
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Then what the hell happened?!"
"I can't tell you!" She screamed as she burst out in tears. "He can't hurt me. I wouldn't let him."
He arches his brow once she accidentally spilled out a few things that were meant to keep unsaid. "Him? Who are you talking about?" Tori refuses to say another word after that. From then on, Hunter knew she was hiding something. First, his father was attacked, and now Tori. 'This isn't right.' He thought as he turns his gaze over to her. Hunter sighs. "Tori, I know we don't see eye to eye, but you have to learn to trust me. Let me help you."
"You can't, Hunter!" Her abrupt response made him jump. "No one can..."
"If you just let me try--"
"NO!" She snaps. "It's just too hard okay!" Tori scurried to her feet and brushed past Hunter towards her room. He followed the blonde behind, but she slammed the door right in front of him. Hunter rest his head against the door and sighs.
"Tori, open the door." There was no answer. He twisted the doorknob but found it lock. "Look, I want to help you. Sometimes the best way to get over your problems is to talk to someone about it. In fact, remember that one time when we talked about my father and you told me to give him a chance? Well I did and thanks to you, I felt like I have a Dad to look up to again."
Tori listened carefully from the other side and sighed deeply. "That was a mistake."
"What was that?" Hunter didn't manage to comprehend her last statement when suddenly the door creaked open. He stepped inside and spotted Tori sitting solemnly on her bed. He pursed his lips and took a seat right next to her. "Want to talk about it?"
She looks down and held on tightly to her stuffed toy dolphin. "I never told anyone my deep dark secret before; not even my parents."
He nods. "If I tell you mine, would you exchange it for yours?"
Tori shrug her shoulders. "It depends. I dreamed about my secret nearly ever night and I wake up every morning thinking It was already over, but I just learned it was only the beginning."
He sighs. "Well, I can never forgive myself for what I've done." The sound of his voice made Tori quiver as she looks up at him with deepest concern. "In high school, I was always pressured by other kids. I've tried to fit in with cliques but I was never good enough. So I've tried and tried till this one kid introduced me to drugs. I wanted to be a part of something, and once I was accepted I couldn't let it go. Once I took my first drug, I was already part of the group. Anyway, I started smoking weed with a group of druggies and after awhile I became extremely addicted to it. I didn't have a job or anything and I needed the money to buy myself more of the substance. That's when I came by to this one girl in my Chemistry class who was selling them, not through money but for sex." Tori listens sympathetically to his story as a single tear rolled down one side of her cheek. "We both wanted something so badly, and in this case, she wanted to get laid and I wanted the drug. So we did it. Two months later, I found out that she was pregnant. I hardly knew this girl, and she was only 16."
"Oh God." Tori gasps as she places a hand over her mouth.
"We were both young, and she wanted to get an abortion. But I wouldn't let her. It was just wrong!" The thought made Hunter angry as he looks at Tori and regained back his cool. "Anyway, we didn't know what to do. Both of our parents were completely blown away with what we've done. And you know the worst part about it is? I failed the people who adopted me, and gave me a life, and this is how I repay them." Hunter averts from her gaze shamefully, holding back his tears. On the other hand, Tori felt nothing for him but remorse. She always thought of him as a dark and brooding kind of guy who could be quite a jerk, but in all honesty, she had no idea who he really is. And to find out the things he regretted the most in his life gave her a different perspective of him. Not because of Hunter's mistake, but the fact that he was open up to the one person he perhaps liked the least. This made Tori feel overwhelmed to see a sensitive and soft side of Hunter that she has yet to learn about.
"Grace's parents eventually talked her out of getting an abortion, so she went through it." Hunter stammered as he resumes back on the story. "It was a tough pregnancy for her--for the both of us. Once the school found out that Grace was pregnant, she was forbidden to go back and pursue the education she always wanted. That's when her parents decided home schooling was the way to keep her educated. During the process, I end up going to therapy for my drug addiction."
Tori places a hand on his shoulder for comfort. "You did the right thing, Hunter. Getting help is what you needed."
He looks down and heaves another sigh. For a moment he stayed quiet as the memory slowly sinks in and brings back the agonizing pain that's been tearing his life apart ever since. When Hunter was about to say something, he paused for a second and glances out the open window. After recollecting his thoughts, he turns back to Tori and noticed her hand was placed on top of his. She had the most concern look on her face, which made him feel guilty to share his secret. However, the fear in her eyes that was once there disappeared and what is left is worry.
"To make the long story short, Grace and the baby died after she gave birth. During her pregnancy, she's been drinking, smoking, and doing drugs. Things that Grace was forbidden to do, but she was stubborn! Depressed! Angry! And look what happened." Hunter's voice cracked as tears stream down his cheeks. "It's all my fault that two innocent souls died, and I can never forgive myself for it."
"But Hunter--"
"No butts, Tor! None of this would have happened, if it weren't for me!" He yells furiously. "But no, I put myself first. I wanted to fit in and belong. That's all I ever wanted, but unfortunately, I turned to the wrong people and in the end, all I did was hurt the people I love. My parents wouldn't even look at me after what happened! At one point, I remember Blake feeling ashamed of having me as a brother. That hurts so much, Tor. You know, I look at myself in the mirror everyday hoping to never see the person I was back then but I can never surpassed what I've done."
"But you've changed Hunter." Tori assures him. "You're not that person anymore."
"What do you know?" He questions all of a sudden. "You don't know anything about me."
She sighs. "You're right, I don't know anything about you. At least not that much, but I know the kind of person you could be. Don't let the past determine your true values."
"What values do I have? I'm everything you say I am, and after this conversation is over, you're gonna think differently about me. Worst perhaps."
"Not true!" She exclaims. "I'm glad you told me all this. I know it's hard to open up to someone that you're not exactly close to, especially when it's something this deep, but it means a lot that you could trust me on this one without ever questioning yourself. And I don't think differently about you, Hunter. In fact, I have more respect for you than ever." Tori looks down to catch her breath. Hunter raises his brow, surprised with her response. He was afraid to tell her--to anyone at least for the only people that knew were his deceased parents, Blake, and Grace's family. It's been six years, and the memory remains clear in his head. "Now it's my turn." Tori whispers as a nervous sigh escape from her lips. Hunter could easily tell that she was ill at ease. She had her head tilt to the side, and eyes wandering on the floor. The blonde began fiddling with the fins of her stuff dolphin nervously, trying to find the right words to start off with.
"My parents hired different babysitters to watch out for me when I was a little girl. Many quitted on me due to scheduling problems and the fact that I was an obnoxious little kid." She smiled a bit as Hunter releases a small chuckle at the statement. "Well anyway, my parents began working overtime, so they needed someone who was willing to sleepover till they come back the next morning. That's when they hired this man." There was a long paused after her last sentenced as she trails off to recollect her thoughts. Hunter sensed that she stopped for a reason. He noticed her lips moving with no words coming out of it, and her eyes beaming on the floor. Once Tori came back to the real world, she hesitated to look back but found sudden comfort in Hunter's appearance. She shuts her eyes and takes a deep long breath. "T-The guy--" Tori trembles nervously. "H-He would put his hands on me. I tell him to stop several times, but he threatened to hurt me!" Tears begin to form in her sea blue eyes. The dirty blonde sighs as he nears himself closer to her and took out a strand of hair away from her pale, and distraught face.
"Oh no, Tori." Hunter whispers sadly as a look of disapproval plaster all over his face. He felt sick, and appalled by the jerk that tormented her life; the vile acts made him feel tremendously angry.
In the meantime, Tori struggles to continue as she parted her lips and let out a sobbing cry. "The bottom line is, I was sexually molested by this man. And I--" Her voice cracked once more. Hunter stares sincerely at the hurt Tori and becomes sympathetic with her despair.
"Why didn't you tell anyone about this? Or your parents?" He questions curiously in an angered tone.
"Because I was scared, Hunter. He threatened to kill my parents, and himself for that matter." Tori exclaims as her whole body begins to shiver in fright. "Not only that, but the secret would destroy my parents. Do you have any idea how much it would hurt them? I didn't want my parents to think that they failed me." She broke out and swallowed down her tears.
Tori's secret made Hunter completely speechless. After sharing her past, he didn't know what to think or what to say in return. He watched her cry it all out until she got to the point where she couldn't take it anymore, and all was left were uncontrollable sobs. Hunter slowly wraps his arm around her as she collapsed and buried her face into his chest. "Shh..." He whispers calmly while stroking the back of her head. "It's okay. I'm here now."
Tori gradually pulls away from Hunter's embrace and quickly wiped her tears away. "Can you stay here with me tonight?" She asks almost pleadingly. "I don't want to be alone after what happened."
He nods in agreement. "Of course. Hey, Tor?"
"Hmm?"
"This guy…do you have any idea how he looks like?"
She bit her lip and transits herself down to memory lane the day before when she had a conversation with Hunter. Something important was mentioned during their little talk, and it reminded her so much, which made her hesitate a bit to answer his question.
"He is totally awesome, Tor! You were right. There's always room for second chances, and you know the best part about it is? So much crap has happened to me in the past; things that you would never imagine. After losing my parents, I thought my life would remain empty forever, but I was wrong. Mr. Smith turned out to be a great person, and he definitely gained my respect not only as a person but as a father."
"Tori?" Hunter waves a hand in front of her as she snaps out of it with a shake to the head. "Do you remember anything at all?" He asks worriedly.
Tori pursed her lips and stayed in that position for a moment as if she had to think about it before answering. She slowly looks up and in response nodded. "No."
A/N: Reviews/Feedback will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!