SHOUT OUTS AND ANSWERS

Bubbly: Here's more.

Keke1: I'm glad that I could clear things up. Glad you're enjoying it.

Melms213: I'm glad you approve. I wasn't quite sure how people would take an ElaineScott friendship.

OthfanAnna: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. I'm a fan of Scott angst myself. I wasn't planning on having Scott delve into any type of self-destructive behavior. He was just going to withdraw from people.

DISCLAIMER

Higher Ground characters are property of Fox Family. I only own Cecilia. I don't remember if they ever said what Jeff's last name was on the show, so I'm just going to make one up.

The following morning, Scott awoke with a groan. He hadn't gotten any sleep the previous night thanks to Cecilia. The boy got out of bed and quickly got dressed. Then, he gathered up his belongings which he stuffed into a backpack and went downstairs. Martin had already left, but Elaine was in the kitchen, making breakfast.

"You want some help?" the boy offered, putting his things down.

"Well, I've got the food part handled, how 'bout you set the table?" Elaine suggested.

"Sure," Scott agreed. "So, Dad already left, huh?" he continued, as he brought down the plates.

"Yeah, he had some catching up to do at the office," Elaine answered.

"He works way too hard," Scott stated.

"Ain't that the truth," Elaine agreed.

"Good morning!" a voice chirped. Scott blew out a tense breath.

"Good morning, Cecilia," Elaine greeted.

"Good morning, Lanie," Cecilia acknowledged. "Good morning, Scotty," she smiled.

"Mornin'," Scott muttered.

"Scotty, is that any way to greet me?" Cecilia queried. Though her voice was sweet, her eyes shot daggers.

"Good morning, Cecilia," Scott quickly amended. Then, "Uh…Elaine, is it okay if I skip breakfast? I'm suddenly not very hungry."

"Are you sure?" Elaine asked.

"Yeah. It must be nerves," Scott lied.

"Okay. Sure, that's fine," Elaine accepted. Scott picked up his backpack, placed it on his shoulders, and went outside. The boy got into his car and drove off. Scott ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a breath. He didn't know what to do. All too soon, he was at school. I wonder if I'll see that girl Shelby again, he thought to himself. Shelby. She was cute. Real cute. Meanwhile, Shelby, Juliette, Auggie, Daisy, Ezra, and David were at their lockers, chattering.

"So, what do you guys think of the new boy, Scott?" Shelby wondered.

"He's okay. I mean, if I wasn't with Auggie, I might be tempted to pursue him," Juliette stated.

"Oye," Auggie protested, sounding insulted.

"Oh, I don't think he's so special. He's just another jock," David dismissed.

"Hey, there he is," Daisy noted.

"Is…it me, or does he seem upset?" Juliette questioned.

"You know, you're right," Ezra commented. Scott maneuvered his way through the group and went to his assigned locker, which was between Juliette and Auggie.

"Something tells me there's a reason for this," Scott deadpanned.

"Okay, so Vice Principal Scarbrow thought maybe Auggie and I were getting a little too physical," Juliette sheepishly admitted.

"'A little'?" Daisy echoed. "You two were together so much, I was starting to think you were Siamese twins," she told her friend. Everybody laughed. Then, the bell rang and everybody went their separate ways. In first period English, Scott took a seat next to Shelby.

"So, what do you think of West Moore High so far?" Shelby queried.

"Well, it's only my second day, but so far, it seems pretty nice," Scott commented.

"Cool," Shelby said. Just then, their English teacher, Jeff Hunter, came in.

"Okay, settle down," he declared. "As you remember, we're studying William Shakespeare," he continued.

"Good old Shakespeare," Scott murmured to Shelby.

"He rocks, " Shelby agreed.

"Glad you think so, Ms. Merrick. But please, try to pay attention," Jeff requested.

"Sorry, Mr. Hunter," Shelby apologized with a sheepish grin. The man let it go and continued on with the lesson. As the day wore on, Scott continued to mingle with the group he had met the previous day. Finally, it was lunchtime. Scott was in line when he saw it: a beautiful seventeen-year old black girl being harassed by some guy with spiky hair.

"Will you move on?" she asked.

"You gonna make me?" the guy sneered.

"No, but I will," Scott answered, stepping in front of the girl. Spiky hair spent a few minutes staring at the newcomer, then took off.

"Thanks," the girl said gratefully.

"No problem," Scott responded.

"I'm Kat," seventeen-year old Katherine "Kat" Cabot introduced herself.

"Scott Barringer," Scott said. They shook hands.

"Oh, you're the new boy," Katherine realized.

"So you've heard," Scott stated.

"Everybody has," Katherine confirmed as they went through the line. "Word around school is that you're going to be our new football star," she continued.

"I think I need to try out for the team first," Scott corrected as they finished the line and headed for a table.

"What are you talking about?" Juliette wondered as they sat down.

"Football," Katherine responded.

"Oye, that's right. You were the quarterback over at Havert," Auggie recalled. "You gonna save our team?" he queried.

"Like I told Kat, I think I need to try out for the team first," Scott replied.

"Mere formalities. If you're as good as I've heard, you're a shoo-in," Juliette dismissed.

"Hey, uh, where's Hank?" Ezra asked Katherine.

"In talking to Mr. Markasian," Katherine responded. "Something about a work schedule conflicting with a class," she continued.

"What does he do?" Scott wondered.

"He's a junior police officer," Katherine answered. Scott fell silent. Then, Juliette brought up the subject of a new dress design and all the boys groaned.

"Please, Queenie. Spare us," Shelby added. Juliette's only answer was to stick her tongue out at her friend and continue with the conversation.

"I think this is our cue to go," David declared.

"For once, I'm with him," Ezra agreed. With that, all of the boys stood up, carried their trays to a table, then left the cafeteria.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I know it's odd to have Kat friends with the others since she's a grade ahead of them, but I always liked their friendship in the series, so…it's here in this book.