Promises are like Eggs

I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!

Chapter 10

"Wh-what?" Scott stuttered, taken aback by her reply

Shelby just shook her head, "What am I going to do? I can't go back! Scott I can't go back there, it, I just can't!"

"Shh," Scott took her in his arms, hugging her tightly, he tried to clear his mind, think of something that would help her stay while she just continued to cry, "It's going to be alright, we'll figure something out."

Shelby took a deep breath, trying to calm down, she pulled away a little so that she could see Scott's face, "I just don't know what to do." She said sadly

"How about we start from the beginning, what happened first?"

Shelby thought for a minute then said, "My mom was on the phone like Peter said and when I picked up she was pretending to be all happy to talk to me and I knew something was up. Well, I was right, it turns out Walt hasn't been feeling good, and she made him go to the doctor who told him that if he didn't take it easy for a while, he was going to have a heart attack."

"Let him have a heart attack, hopefully he'll die." Scott said angrily

"Apparently my mother doesn't agree with that and now that he isn't working."

"There's no money for the tuition…" Scott finished her sentence

"Exactly." She said as a silent tear fell from her eye

Scott softly wiped the tear away with his thumb, "Have you talked to Peter? Maybe there's something…I don't know there has to be something he can do." He said with certain urgency in his voice.

She looked up at him, "It won't matter, I asked her if there was a way, if I could stay, she said she needed me home," She laughed

Scott still had tears in his eyes and he looked at her in confusion, "What's funny?"

"She…she said she needed me at home…to take care of HIM! She said that she doesn't want him having to do anything, so I'm going to be doing it for him. I'm going to be his slave from now on." Shelby said and again erupted into a fitful cry.

Scott again pulled her to him, "No, I won't let this happen," he said seemingly more to himself then to her, "We need to talk to Peter. We need to tell him, he'll know what to do,"

"Scott there's nothing he can do!"

"Shel, we have to try."

She just nodded into his chest, Scott started standing up, helping Shelby up at the same time, and they slowly made their way out of the dorm, neither letting go of the other.

From across the campus, Sophie watched as Shelby and Scott emerged from the from the girls dorm, the latter seemingly holding and supporting her up. Nervous, Sophie ran to them.

"Scott? Shelby? What's wrong?" She asked as she neared

"Shelby just needs to talk to Peter."

She looked at Shelby for a moment then said, "Ok, well walk her to his office and wait there and I'll go and get him from the ropes course."

Scott nodded and they continued walking while Sophie walked in the opposite direction until she reached the course.

"Peter, could I talk to you for a minute?"

Peter looked over to her, "Yea, sure," He looked over to the group of teens he was with, "Hey guys, I'll be right back, talk amongst yourselves."

When they walked out of earshot, Peter said, "So what's up?"

"Something's up with Shelby, Scott said she really needed to talk to you."

"Ok umm…do you think you can take over the Trailblazer group here for a little while, Jill is out sick today so I'm leading the group?"

"Yea sure no problem."

Peter nodded and headed off in the direction of his office, when he finally got there, he found a sniffling Shelby being comforted by Scott who had a sad and angry look on his face.

"Why don't you both take a seat?" They sat down on the couch and Peter faced a chair towards them, "Now, what's up?"

Scott took Shelby's hand and squeezed it lightly for support, she looked at him and he smiled a sad but reassuring smile.

"Remember when I had a phone call earlier?"

"Yea?"

"Well it was my mom and she told me that my stepfather is sick and that he had to stop working and now we don't have money for the tuition, but even if we did she said she wants me to come home because she needs someone to wait on that ass's every need."

"Language Shelby."

She rolled her eyes, "Peter please, you have to do something!"

Are you sure there's no way she would let you stay if you had the money?"

"Yes, I begged her to let me stay, she said that she "needs" me home, but I can't go home Peter! I just can't!"

"Why not? What's going on at home?"

"Peter please not now, I just need to stay here, please!"

"Shelby, unless you tell me that something is happening at home, there's nothing I can do."

"You have to be kidding me; come on Peter, Shelby needs you!" Scott raised his voice slightly

"Scott calm down, I'm sorry, I really am. I wish there was something, but the only way I can get you adjudicated to the school, is if something bad was going on at home. Shelby, do you want to tell me anything?"

"No," she said shaking her head, "I just don't want to go home."

Peter sighed in frustration, "Then I'm afraid your mother is aloud to take you out of horizon."

Tears began falling again, "Then I guess that's it." She stood up and walked out of the room. Scott stood up to follow her, but Peter called him

"I'm sorry Scott, but if you know anything…"

"No," He said not looking at Peter, "I don't." And Scott walked out of sight, looking for where Shelby had gone.

When he found her, she was picking up her clothes and putting them in the suitcase by her bed.

"Shelby, you can stop this, you know it will be ok."

"How Scott? How? And don't even suggest what your thinking, there is NO way I am telling Peter."

"Why? All you have to do is tell Peter and you'll be here; safe."

"Scott you don't understand, I…there are things you don't know."

Scott walked up to her and stopped her from the shirt she had folded and refolded eight times, "Then tell me."

"Scott!" She cried into his chest "Please don't!"

"Shel, it's just me. You can tell me."

She nodded and they both sat on her bed. Shelby took a breath and said, "The reason I can't tell them, the reason I have to go home and face him again…it's…he promised."

"Promised what?"

A tear fell, "He said that if I didn't tell anyone, if I never said anything, that he wouldn't touch Jess! I can't tell because I have to protect her, if I tell, he'll get to her!"

"Shelby, if you tell, they'll stop him, he won't be able to do anything to either of you."

"I'm sorry Scott, but I just can't." She stood up and finished packing when she was done, she turned to Scott, "I'm going to take a shower, do you think you can just tell Peter that I'm not hungry, but that I'll be at group?"

He looked up with a horrible sadness in his eyes that made Shelby break down once she entered the bathroom, "Yea, sure." And he walked out

An hour later at group, Shelby had decided not to tell everyone she was leaving, hoping that it wasn't really going to happen.

"Guys this is going to be a short one, just how your feeling."

"And why?"

"No, not tonight, but why don't you start?" Sophie said

"Ok, I'm fine I guess, Auggie?"

"Annoyed, Daisy?"

"Nervous," She looked at Shelby and Scott and felt the sad aura around them, "Jules?"

"Hopeful, Scott?"

"Hopeless, Ezra?"

"Good, Shel?"

"Nothing…absolutely nothing."

Sophie looked at her sadly, "Alright well that's it for tonight, everyone needs to get to bed in 20 minutes."

The group departed, and Shelby went directly to her bed and laid there pretending to be asleep, not wanting to answer any questions, eventually they all went to sleep, even Daisy who knew Shelby was asleep. She figured that tomorrow was another day…

At 1:30 the next day, Shelby and Scott stood next to the station wagon that was her mother's. They were saying their final goodbye and neither had dry eyes.

"So this is it?" She asked, "This can't be it, I can't believe it."

"This isn't it, I promise you Shelby Merrick, I WILL think of something!"

She nodded sadly looking towards the ground, Scott lifted her chin with his index finger, "Shelby you are strong, stronger that anyone I know and you can beat him, you can win. And if you ever need me, I'm just a phone call away."

"I know you are," She whispered, "I'm just so scared."

Scott hugged her tightly, "I know," He had never seen her so openenly, "But you just have to believe."

"Shelby it's time to go." Shelby's mom walked out of Peter's office and into her car waiting for her daughter.

Shelby nodded that turned back to Scott, "I guess…"

"No it's not goodbye, so don't say it."

"I'll see you later then I guess," She smiled sadly

Scott leaned down and kissed her lovingly, it was a kiss that in no way would last them until the next time they would see each other. They hugged once more, and Shelby tried to take everything about Scott in, she hoped she could remember this moment when things would inevitably get bad, but she could only hope…

a/n- Hey I hope you liked it! I thought that it was funny that in the show Shelby didn't say goodbye and Scott was upset, but that here he wouldn't want her to say goodbye, but I think it also makes sense. Please Read and Review with whatever you think!