SECRETS


A/N: This is the seventh chapter, so enjoy!

I still don't own anything of Higher Ground; I wish I did own Scott Barringer, though.

This happens one week after Shelby left.


Chapter 7: Revelations

"Okay everyone, quiet down!" The students turned their attention to Peter Scarbrow who had summoned them all in the cafeteria. Some just ignored him, others were ready to listen.

"Well, if you are all here today, it is because something important happened last week to one of your fellows." Peter stopped to see if he had the attention of the students. He spotted Daisy Lipenowski, one of his best pupils sitting at a table crying quietly. It was the first time she allowed herself crying in front of everyone.

"Shelby Merrick ran away from home and the police want to know if anyone could have important information which could help to find her. Everybody began to talk to each other and soon Peter had to re-establish the calm in the room.

"So, calm down please!" He yelled still very serious.

"Nobody knows where she could have been gone?" Peter Scarbrow asked carefully looking at all of them." Most of them shook their heads, some were even laughing stupidly about the case, and all of this annoyed him deeply. He, of course, knew that Shelby wasn't popular since the incident with Juliet and Scott, but he had hoped that they would pass above this.

"Okay, so that's all I had to say, you can leave now."


"Mister Scarbrow?" Peter turned around and saw Scott Barringer waiting impatiently in front of his office. Peter smiled at the kid and let him enter in his office.

Once sitting, Peter motioned for Scott to talk.

"I, uh, I wanted to know if the police has some information about Shelby." He said hesitantly looking down at his feet.

"I'm sorry Scott but I don't much about this case. I'm not in the police either and they wouldn't tell me a thing."

"Yeah, I understand." That's it they have nothing, they wouldn't have come if they had. Scott thought still sitting.

"Scott, you're okay?" Peter asked concerned.

"Yeah, sure. Well I got to go to practice. Thank you." He said quietly before leaving the office quickly. He wasn't going to go to practice today. He had to find Shelby. But who was he to think he could found her in a city of millions people? Even soul mates couldn't found each other, right?


"Auggie, I need your help!" Scott said spotting him in the streets with his gang.

"Hey, meat, sure what's up?" Auggie looked at Scott, he was still good looking and everything but his face had changed, he looked helpless.

"I know you know the street like no one and I want to find someone as quickly as possible, it's really important for me." He said pleading for him. It was right, he was almost begging him.

"Is it a girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, nice face, your age, …" Auggie who was about to continue stopped when he saw Scott wasn't joking along with him one second.

"You think this is funny? It's been a whole week, Aug!"

"I know sorry. Look, let the police do their job, they're paid for that."

"Please Auggie, she's all I have!"

"What are you talking about? What about Juliet?" Auggie asked somehow interested.

"I don't know how to help her anymore, Auggie. And with Shelby's sudden disappearance…" he trailed of wiping his tears away. "I don't know how to deal; I mean I can't get her out of my head. I saw her just before she left, and now… I keep thinking that if I didn't go out with two girls at the same time, nothing would have happened because I would have seen what was wrong."

"Okay, listen, I'm sure they'll find Shelby. But if you insist we can look in the close streets.

"Thank you." Scott said relieved he would help him. But after all, he was his best friend.

As the two guys were walking in a dark street, Auggie spoke up. "What will you do about Juliet? I mean she's still your girl…"

"I know. Look, I care a lot about her, but things with her never went as intense as it is with Shelby."

"Yeah." Auggie said a little mad at Scott. Those two were his friends, too.

"Hey Auggie, I know you probably think I'm a bastard and everything. I know you care about Juliet, but…" Scott stopped when he noticed Auggie had seconds before. "What is it?" Scott whispered looking around.

"Nothing, I just thought I had seen someone. False alarm, sorry. So what were you saying?"

"Juliet is not the one I like, I moved on."

"Yeah, right. Scott, Juliet is really sensitive you know and she needs a lot of caring and affection, especially with the mother she have."

"Everyone have their problems, Juliet's not an exception."

"How can you say that like this? It seems you really don't care at all!"

"Sorry, but there's a girl out there who is probably dying, a girl I really like!" Scott exploded, he was furious against Auggie. "And what is it with this sudden interest for Jules?" Scott asked suspiciously.

"No…nothing, I just lo…like her a lot. That's all, nothing more." Auggie was very hesitant, and Scott couldn't resist a tiny laugh.

"What?" Auggie asked still confused.

"You love her, don't you?" Auggie only nodded.

"Okay, well let's go find my girl and then we can see yours." Scott said returning serious as they began to walk again.


"They found her, mom!" Jess yelled from upstairs. She was on the phone with an officer who had found her sister in a close city.
"So, how is she?" Sophie asked his fiancé as she went in front of the window.

"Look by yourself." He said cut by the emotion.

"Oh my God, how did all of this happen?" She asked again observing the poor girl laying in the tiny bed.

"She was raped and beat several times by her stepfather, Soph." Peter said sadly looking at the teen through the window.

"Her stepfather? Oh, god poor girl!"

"Yeah. Look I have to make some phone calls to these friends of her.

"Okay, I'm staying here."

"Good." He planted a kiss on her forehead and left quickly.


"Hello?" A voice woman responded the phone.

"Good morning, Mrs Barringer, I suppose?"

"Yes, may I ask who's on the phone?"

"Yes, sorry. I'm Peter Scarbrow, Scott's principal. I need to talk to him about something. Is he here?" Peter asked politely.

"Of course." Elaine put the phone and entered Scott's bedroom. He was playing piano, so he didn't hear coming behind him. When he felt her arms around his neck, he took them away quickly.

"What do you want?" He asked walking away as far as possible from her.

"Someone's on the phone. I hope you didn't do anything wrong at school…" She handed him the phone and stood up. Scott didn't bother telling her to leave, he knew she would protest.

"Hello?"

"Scott, it's Mr Scarbrow, I'm calling to tell you they found Shelby. She's actually in the hospital, but visits are allowed."

"That's good!" Scott said excited.

"Yes it is, but she's not in the best condition physically."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry but I can't tell without her mother's consent. Could you tell her other friends? I already called Daisy but I really have to go."

"Okay, sure. Thanks for calling me."

"You're welcome."


"Hey Shel." Scott said when he entered the room she was in. She was talking with Jess on the phone and hadn't heard him knocking. She bit her lip and finished her conversation with her sister. Scott sat on the chair next to her bed patiently and waited for her to end.

"How are you going?" He asked looking carefully at her. She still had a lot of bruises everywhere and was weaker than ever.

"I'm okay, I guess." She said with a hoarse voice, looking into his eyes. Scott scooted closer and took her hand in his. He kissed the top of it and smiled slightly.

"You would never know how worried I was. Who did that to you Shel? I talked to Scarbrow but he didn't want to tell me saying it was your mother's wish."

"Scott, I can't talk to you about this, you wouldn't understand."

"Shel, I care about you a lot, you know it. Just tell me."

"I don't want you to think less of me." Scott looked into her eyes and leaned down to kiss her lips slightly. Even if she didn't push him away, he could feel she didn't really want to be kissed by him at this time.

"I'll never think less of you, I promise. You can tell me." He assured gently kissing her again just as sweetly.

"Okay. Well I don't know where to start…"

"What about what happened after you left my house?"

"Yeah; so I came back home and nobody but Walt was there, and I…" She explained everything to him, how Walt was always doing things to her, how she hated him, how she couldn't tell the truth to someone, how her mother didn't believe her the day she had tried to tell her, how she was ashamed and how she felt dirty. Scott absorbed the info without saying anything, but knowing how she couldn't be feeling.

"I understand that you didn't tell me. But why didn't you tell Daisy or Juliet?"

"I was afraid they wouldn't believe me as well." She said quietly. "Scott, I'll understand if you didn't want to talk with me again."

"Why wouldn't I want to talk to you?"

"Because that's not all that happened. I did more."

"What are you talking about?"

"When I was in the streets, I didn't have anything with me and I met a girl, she was nice and showed me how to earn money. She was turning tricks and I did the same once. My stepfather isn't the only one who beat me. The guy I had, he was so violent, and he knew it was my first time; he beat me and left me unconscious where the police found me." She bit her lip and started to cry. Scott had moved back on his chair and couldn't look at her in the eye.

"Why?" He asked quietly. Shelby just shook her head and closed her eyes.

Soon, she felt his fingers on her chin and opened her eyes. Scott was crying too, but he was still here.

"Why didn't you come over at my house after what Walt did to you?"

"I was so ashamed, you can't understand. He had been doing this for years now…"

"I could have helped you Shel. And don't tell me I don't understand, because I do."

"What are you talking about?" she asked carefully.

"I'm talking about what I live with my stepmother."

"What?" Shelby said not quite understanding but figuring Scott's story had something in common with her.


"She is used to come into my bedroom, telling me she's scared of the storm and everything" he cried softly.

After a good twenty minutes, Scott had calmed down, but was still in his girlfriend's arms. Shelby stroked his hair with her fingers, gently accenting his short curls. Scott continued crying a little but was feeling so much better now that he had told her. Shelby took his face into her hands and wiped his tears away. She approached her mouth to his ear and whispered. "We'll go through together, I swear." She promised him, but also herself as they sat in each other arms.


What will happen in 8th Chapter?

"Don't touch me Scott" she said coldly, pulling him away from her.

"I don't understand girls!" he said sitting down next to his friends.

"So, I'm not the only one!" Ezra said laughing.

"I don't like you David."

"And what are you going to do? Beat me up?" he grinned stupidly.

"I love you Shelby, and I'll help you through this."

"I have no other choice but to leave this house, my mother won't testify against her hero!"

"And where are you going?"

"To Scott's."

"And what about Jess?"

"He promised me that he wouldn't touch her.

"You won't have Barringer as last name for a long time now."

"We'll see little whore. You better do not settle down because you'll leave before me."