Title: Together and Apart.
Summary: Scott leaves Horizon and meets someone from his past and so does Shelby. Will there love survive?
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from Higher Ground.
Spoilers: Up to Because I Love You.
Rating: PG-13.
Chapter 3.

3 MONTHS LATER Shelby and Dylan have been becoming friends but she will not go to the next level and still does not seem to be getting over Scott.

Peter walks into the cafeteria and sees the Cliffhangers all-eating at their table. I'm sitting next to Daisy. Daisy is sitting next to David. Davis is across from Dylan. Dylan is next to Juliet, Auggie, and Ezra.

"How is everyone?" Asked Peter.
"Good." Replied Juliet Happily
" I came here to tell all of you wonderful Cliffhangers about your new quest." Gosh Peter can just be so damn happy about quest. It's so retarded but I love him for it. Not that I would tell anyone that.

"Peter, can't you just let us rest?" Asked David.
"Nope, I will be putting you in teams of two. You and your partner will make your way to a campsite we have picked out for you. You will stay there for three days. You will have challenges to do with your partner. You will take pictures of them so I will know you did them. You will also ask a series of questions. When you get back, you will write an essay on what you learned about your partner. Got it." He claps his hands together.
"Will you check up on us?" Asked Auggie.
"No. I trust that you guys will make the right decisions." Answered Peter.
"When do we leave?" Asked Daisy.
"Three hours so get ready fast."
"Who are our partners?" I ask. PLESE PUT ME WITH DAISY AND NOT DYLAN. I don't know if I could go three days with Dylan.
"David you are with Juliet. Auggie you are with Daisy. Shelby you are with Dylan. Ezra since your parents are coming to visit you will not be going. Now everyone gets going."

---------WOODS------------

"So how far do we have to go?" asked Dylan.

We have been going up this for about three hours trying to find this campsite and I have yet to have Dylan ask me anything serious. I pray he keeps it at that level for three days but I know he won't.
"About seven miles." I say back to him.

He is walking behind me. I can hear his footsteps get closer to me. I look over and he is standing right beside me.

"Are you mad that Peter put us together?" Asked Dylan.
"No, I'm not mad."

It was half way true. I wasn't mad that I was put with him. I was nervous and scared. It had been about three month since Scott, the love of my life, left and I haven't really been up to talking and opening up to Dylan. We talked a little about school but nothing deep. We just keep a friendly friendship I guess. Nobody knows that had a history together, beside Daisy; I'm not ready for the questions people are going to ask once they do find out. I just want more than anything for things to go back to before Scott left. I want to be happy and in love Shelby.

"Are you mad that you got pared up with me?" I ask him.
"I'm not mad. I am scared but no mad." He answered.
"How so?"
"Well I want to talk to you. I want to know what you have learned here. I want to know what you did while you were away. I'm scared you won't tell me." He answered.

Damn him. He is always out front with his feelings. He never holds anything in. If he is scared, he will tell me. If he is mad, he will tell me. If he is mad, he will tell me. I always feel guilty when he tells me things and I can't tell him things.
I hate the hill I am on. Peter always makes us do hikes. I have to have all these emotions going on and I have to hike through the woods at the same time.

"What do you want to know?" I ask.
"What do you like about Daisy so much that you confined in her?"
"She's my friend. It is easy for me to open up to her."
"Is there anyone here that you want to be with?"
"Dylan, I don't want to talk about my relationships."
"So, there was someone?"
"Dylan…."
"Who is he? I have talked to Auggie and Juliet and they mentioned something about a boy being her that you really had a thing for." He tells me with a hint of Jealousy in his voice.

"Dylan, I don't want to talk about it." I yell.

He grabs my arms and pulls me to him.

"I'm not going to stop asking until you tell me." He says.

He lets go of me and we keep walking.

"I'm not going to get mad. You are my friend before anything. I want to know about your life." He says.

I am not going to tell him about Scott and everything. I know Dylan and he won't stop until he knows everything about him. I'm not ready to open up to another person, I trusted Scott with everything and he just left me. I can't take a chance on Dylan doing that to me again. I will just tell him it was a simple crush, I just hope he doesn't hate me for having that.

I slow down my walking speed and so does he.

"There was a guy. He left, the day you came to Horizon." I say
"That's why you were crying." He says.
"Yes and no." I say trying to hide that fact that I really cared for Scott.
"Tell me about him. Was it a crush or love?" He ask with more jealousy rising in his voice.

"I didn't say I was in love with him." I snap at him and walk a little faster. Damn this stupid backpack on me feels so heavy.
"Well, I think you were when you cry over him." He tells me.

"Well, Scott is a really great guy. He was someone who I could hang with and yes we had a fling type thing but nothing serious. I was crying because he was going home and I didn't want anything bad to happen to him once he got there." I say and try to convince myself that what I was saying was true.

"Didn't seem that serious." He says to me and the jealousy in his voice disappears and I feel relief that he bought my kind sort of lie.

"I know." I say and start walking a little slower and finally look him in his eyes.

"Shelby, I thought I would never see you again. I come to Horizon and you are here. That isn't a coincidence." He says to me without my eyes leaving his.

"Dylan, I am glad you're here it's just that I can't be with you. I am not ready. I do want to be your friend. We were always friends." I say. Please believe that and don't pressure me Dylan. "I know. If I can't be with you I will be your friend." He replies.

He stops me from walking and pulls me into a hug.

I don't know what I am thinking but I want to kiss him. I lean in am kiss him. He is shocked. I keep kissing him. He starts to kiss back. I shouldn't be doing this. I am in love with Scott. Scott left me. If Scott and I are supposed to be together, we will. Until then, I am not going to be a depressed girl. Scott wants me to have fun. I finally pull back.

"Shelby, you told me you wanted to be friends." He says.
" I changed my mind."
" Good."

Campsite Night.

I am so tired. I t took us six hours to be here. Dylan is trying to catch a fish, trying. I am taking a chance with this whole Dylan relationship thing. I still love Scott. I just want to have fun. Dylan makes me feel good about myself. Scott makes me feel good about myself. When Dylan makes me feel is good but it is not as passionate as Scott makes me feel. I am confusing myself. I grab the sheet the questions that Peter wants us to ask each other. The challenges he wants us to do are somewhat hard. I hope we can do them. We will start tomorrow, right now I am starving. I want food. I hope Dylan can bring us good fish. I hear a tumbling noise so I turn around and there is Dylan. He is wet and shivering. He has about five fish in his hand. I run over to him and take him over to the fire. He looks like hell.

"What happened?"
" I tried to get a fish." He answered.
" Go get changed and I will start on cooking the fish." I say.

He comes back out in ten minutes. He looks better. I can't believe he got that wet.

"Feel better?" I ask.
"Yeah."

We eat the fish without saying a word to each other. I grab the paper with the questions on it.

"What is your greatest childhood memory?" I ask.
" I was five and my dad came back from a business trip and gave me a basketball signed by Larry Burd. We went outside and played basketball for five hours. At the end of the night my dad put the ball in a case and told me not to ever give it to anyone."
"That's sweet." I say.
" Next question?" He asks.
" Did you ever think you would be at Horizon?"
"No, I didn't even know schools like this excised."
"What do you regret most?"
" Not telling my dad I loved him before he died."

I kiss him.
He grabs the paper from me.

"What is your greatest gift?"
"I don't know. I guess I can dance really well." I say.
"Your are an amazing dancer but that isn't your greatest gift. You always give people the benefit of the drought. You never judge them." He says. Gosh, this boy really hasn't seen me in a couple years.
"Thank you."

He kisses me. His kisses aren't like Scott's. When Scott kisses me, it has passion and love in them. When Scott kisses me, I melt in his mouth. When Dylan kisses me, there is love and innocence of your first love init. I love both of the feelings.

The three days went by fast and Dylan and I are back at Horizon. We are playing cards. Peter walks up to me.

"Shelby your mom is on the phone."

TBC

Please review.
What do you guys think should happen?

Next chapter: Shelby goes away for a week and meets someone.