Chapter Two- And Then Reality
Beginning to stir in her sleep, she began to feel the unfamiliar feeling of not being in her own bed. Hanna's eyes began to flutter open as she took in her surroundings. It all looked so uniform to her like there was no personalization of any form in the room from what she observed. A quick shot of pain came to her as she grimaced from the feel of it, her whole body felt like it was in a shell shock and she had no idea as to why. Bits and pieces came to her but she knew that she needed more to go off of to justify why she felt this way. Getting used to the pain in her body, she realized that there was a certain warmth that was occurring on one half of her body or more along the lines of one section of her body as she realized that he was holding her hand. Never had she expected to see him back, a part of her felt like she was dreaming because for so long in her dreams she imagined being in his arms and now here he was with his face burrowed in the space allotted from his arms folded together as he held on loosely but enough to send a sensation through her body from his touch. Extending her available hand, she reached over to caress his face, making sure to run her hands through his shortly cut hair. He appeared to have changed in his physical appearance as he had developed facial hair, not that much but enough for her to realize that he needed to shave. His arms appeared to be far from Screech's upper body strength and seemed a bit toned as if he had been working out, while his tan had come in so that let her know that he had spent most of his time in the sun enjoying the summer sun. Beginning to stir awake, Lucas was surprised to catch her hand in his as both of their hands seemed to be entangled up in the others. Quickly pulling away from her embrace, Lucas motioned to get up before Hanna stopped him.
"Wait. Why am I here?" Hanna asked him
"You were involved in a car accident last night, you and your step sister" Lucas said
"Don't call her that" Hanna quickly replied hating the sound of her even being called her sister
"What else am I suppose to call her" Lucas sighed "When I found you weren't breathing for a little while but I was able to resuscitate you" he told her
"I'm starting to remember now. There was another car, and it swerved into our lane and then….then I tried to avoid it but I guess I forgot about the rails" Hanna said as bits and piece began to come back to her
"Yeah, it was touch and go there for a moment" Lucas said
"You saved me" Hanna said as tears began to well up in her eyes as she motioned to grab his hand once again but they were quickly interrupted by Hanna's parents
"Oh, thank God your awake" Hanna's mother said as she quickly rushed to her daughters side as Lucas got up from his seat so that he wasn't in the way "Are you okay? How do you feel?" she quickly asked her
"Let her get adjusted before you start asking her questions" Hanna's father said
"Sorry. I was just….I was scared" Hanna's mother said trying not to get emotional
"Mom, I'm okay. A little sore but okay" Hanna said "Did I hurt anything?" she asked
"You just got a couple of scrapes and bruises, but they wanted to keep you overnight just in case" Hanna's father said
"But everything is good?" Hanna asked
"Everything is good" Hanna's father assured her "That is thanks to your boyfriend, if he wasn't there I don't know what the outcome would have been" he said as he extended his hand out to Lucas in gratitude
"There's no need for thanks, I just did what I could" Lucas said shyly
"Yeah" Hanna said as she looked over at Lucas before they were once again torn from any personal connection by Emily and Aria, who were more than thrilled to see that their friend was okay
"Oh, thank God your okay" Emily said as Lucas sneaked out of the room trying to leave unnoticed, but Hanna had noticed his sudden departure
Waiting patiently in the car, Alton did his best to block out what Jake had told him but he found it hard to do so as every move that he took all he could think about was what he learned about that night. It became hard to think of something else when Alton had learned that Hanna was involved in an accident, and like it was second to nature to him, he immediately called Spencer to relay the news and had promised to come and get her so that they could ride over to the hospital together. It had finally sunk in what he had done as he sat outside of her house wondering how could the girl who's only priority in life was to plan every second of her existence, be a part of the very thing that began the slander of Toby's name in the town. Gripping on tight to the wheel as if he was trying to prevent himself from punching the window, Alton needed to calm himself down and he needed to be himself because as soon as he turned to look over at her front door he saw her coming out in a rush. Opening the door in a quick motion, Spencer got in and fastened her seatbelt but found herself shaking uncontrollably. Noticing her nervousness, Alton grabbed ahold of her hands and steadied them so that she realized that everything was going to be fine, all in actions, he was able to calm her down and sooth her more than words could.
"I can't believe this. I can't believe Hanna was in an accident" Spencer said in disbelief
"It's going to be all right, Hanna is tough and she'll be fine" Alton said as he grabbed the side of her face so that they were staring deeply into each others eyes
"And what if she isn't?" Spencer asked
"She's all right, I feel it" Alton said
"Tell me everything is going to be fine" Spencer said unable to ignore the electricity her body felt at the moment from staring deeply into his eyes
"Its going to be fine" Alton said "Can you tell me something?" he asked her
"Anything" Spencer replied effortlessly as if she felt like she would have done anything he asked at this moment if he did in fact ask her. Studying her eyes, Alton searched for truth like he wanted so desperately to see it in her but the two were quickly interrupted by the vibration of her cell phone. Pulling away from his embrace, Spencer quickly answered her phone "Em, what's the news?" she asked her friend
"Hanna is awake. She's a bit sore but nothing serious. The doctors are running tests to see if she has a concussion or anything, but it looks good" Emily told her friend
"That's great news" Spencer sighed "Well I'll let you go so you can go be with her" she said before hanging up the phone
"Hanna is fine?" Alton asked
"Yeah, she's fine" Spencer said "Everything is fine" she sighed as Alton just turned his attention towards her trying to desperately to see the truth but was unable to do so with the range of emotions he had going on in him
"We should get to the hospital" Alton said before he turned on the ignition and drove off down the road
Glad to see that everything was okay with Hanna, Lucas felt as if he couldn't stay around the hospital any longer than need be because his mind was elsewhere. When he was able to sneak away he did, and made a quick bee line to his house and was glad that there was no other accidents that prohibited his return. Pulling into the driveway, he could immediately sense the difference in the appearance of his household as his father had always prided himself on the gardening maintenance, he knew that was nothing to harp on but it was something that was strange to the young man as he made his way inside the house. Hearing the blaring sounds of the television, Lucas walked into the living room to see his father passed out on the sofa as the tv was watching him more than he was watching it. Turning the television off so he could rest peacefully, just as he left the living room he was met in the kitchen by his mother, who was preparing lunch. Surprised to see her son, she quickly pulled him into a hug and held him so tight that it felt like she wasn't going to let him go.
"What are you doing back?" Lucas's mother asked immediately pulling away from his embrace
"I couldn't stay in Winthrop knowing what was going on here, so I came back" Lucas said
"On what? A vacation or something. Did you get excused from school?" Lucas's mother asked
"I'm going to be attending Rosewood again, and then some on line classes at Winthrop. It'll be a heavy load but I need to do it" Lucas said "How is he doing?" he asked
"He's a good as to be expected" Lucas's mother sighed
"Are you okay? You don't look so good" Lucas said concerned by his mothers appearance
"I'm good, I've just been up all night. I had a late shift, and then I came home an hour ago" Lucas's mother said
"I would have been home sooner but there was an accident. Hanna drove off the bridge or was forced off the bridge" Lucas said
"Oh my God, is she okay?" Lucas's mother asked concerned for the young woman
"She's fine. She's sore but she'll be fine" Lucas said of her condition
"You should be with her, not around the house" Lucas's mother said
"I'm where I want to be, besides we have some business to attend to" Lucas said making his mother sit down on the bar stool as he went to get her a glass of water "So how much in debt are we?" he asked
"We're not discussing this" Lucas's mother quickly replied
"Mom, I deserve to know" Lucas said
"I don't want you to worry about this stuff" Lucas's mother said
"Well I'm worried when you don't tell me so regardless I worry especially when you look like you haven't gotten any sleep" Lucas said "How much mom?" he asked
"We're about twenty thousand dollars in debt" Lucas's mother told him
"Twenty? Why twenty?" Lucas asked
"We took a loan out to repair the house about two years ago, and we make payments on it. With your dad losing his job the interest rates have increased because there's only one income" Lucas's mother said
"Okay, well consider it taken care of" Lucas replied
"What do you mean taken care of?" Lucas's mother asked
"I got an advancement on my software program from the university, and I'll be getting another check in November" Lucas said
"No, no. I'm not taking your money" Lucas's mother said
"My priorities are taking care of my family so I'm going to do this" Lucas said "I'm here to help" he said as he pulled out his wallet and handed his mother a check for ten thousand dollars "Its half but this will work when we pay it down. I have some money in savings from my summer job at the country club" he said
"I'm not taking it" Lucas's mother said
"Take the check, and let me help pay the bills around here" Lucas said "I'll get a job at the country club, I'll get any job, but let me help you" he pleaded with his mother
Gathered in Hanna's hospital room, the girls just kept their friend company as best as they could while trying to avoid the obvious question that was on their mind. Each of them feared that Hanna was the clear target for A's wrath and that they would all have to wait their due time, but with each tragedy they faced together, each feared how worse it could get with each tragedy being a near death experience. Coming in the room baring burgers and fries, Alton knew that he couldn't be in a hospital without having something decent to eat and since he was particular about his coffee, he had to settle for something else to pass the time with. Distributing the food, Hanna was grateful to finally eat real food after all the examination she had to endure just to make sure that everything was okay with her, she was glad that so far all the tests were coming back good and was counting down to the seconds for when she would get the final go ahead to go home this evening. On occasion she found herself staring over at the door hoping that Lucas would come walking through but each time it wasn't him, she felt herself dying a little inside.
"Now I see why I never drive with you anywhere" Alton joked as all the girls just gave him a look "Someone had to break the awkward silence" he justified
"And oddly enough, its always you" Emily smirked
"How do you feel?" Aria asked Hanna
"I'm fine. I just want to go home" Hanna sighed
"You mentioned that Kate was in the car with you, how did she fare in all of this?" Spencer asked
"She got banged up a little but nothing bad, we both were pretty lucky that it wasn't worse seeing as the magnitude of what happened" Hanna said
"Yeah, I'll say. To crash you car and be forcefully tossed into the water but having enough strength to pull you and Kate to the river banks, that's stuff you hear on survivor" Alton said
"I didn't save myself or Kate for that matter. Lucas pulled us out" Hanna said turning her attention towards Alton
"That's right, I knew I saw him but I guess I wasn't thinking clearly to stop and realize he was here" Aria said
"Luke's back?" Alton asked a little stunned to hear the news
"Yeah, if it wasn't for him then I'd probably be dead" Hanna said
"Its just good that he was there on time to get to you" Aria said
"How long did he stay?" Alton asked the girls
"Up until we came" Emily said
"You can go see him if you want, I'm fine and should be getting out soon this evening" Hanna told Alton
"Are you sure?" Alton asked
"Yeah, I'm just glad you came to check on me" Hanna smiled
"Did you need a ride back to your house to get your car or were you going to catch a ride?" Alton asked as he turned to look at Spencer
"I could actually head back with you since Hanna is going to be released today" Spencer said as she got up from her seat "Get some rest" she told Hanna
"I hardly doubt I will but I'll attempt it" Hanna laughed before Alton and Spencer made their way out of the room "Those two are screaming attracted to each other" she laughed
"Glad to see your back to normal. I do have to agree though" Aria agreed
"They bicker all the time" Emily said
"Bickering now is the new foreplay, it only leads to something much more" Hanna said
"How was it seeing Lucas again?" Aria asked
"It was a mind trip. I mean I thought he was gone for good and then I wake up to him, it was like old times" Hanna said
"How did you guys leave things?" Aria asked
"Don't worry, the plan still stays the same. Its just going to suck having to break up with him, especially since I still love him so much" Hanna said
"Are you going to tell him about Noel?" Emily asked
"No because then he'll hate me. I'm just going to break up with him, and chalk it up to we need time to think or some cliché reason to break up. If he knew that I slept with Noel then he'd hate me, and I don't think I can take that" Hanna sighed
"But you only slept with him because you were forced to" Emily said trying to assure her
"Since I can't exactly tell him about A, I think he won't understand the forced to part" Hanna said
"I feel horrible for letting you do this, we all did this and you're the one who's sacrificing" Emily said
"Yeah, well I don't love the idea of letting him go either, but if it keeps him from being the next target for A than I have to do this" Hanna said trying not to get too emotional at the idea "The bigger picture is what I'm focusing on, and that's for him to be safe" she said
"Do you think A did this, put you in the hospital?" Aria asked
"At this point I don't know" Hanna said
Through the help of Mr. Smith's financial adviser, Lucas was able to transfer the money that he had earned for his software into his mother's account for the loan that his parents took out on the house. A sense of pride came over Lucas as he was now able to help his parents out as opposed to watching them struggle, at time when he felt his knowledge was his downfall but he quickly learned that his knowledge would be his ticket out of here. Pulling into the driveway he quickly saw Alton trying to climb the grapevine, he couldn't help but laugh at his friend, knowing that as soon as he found out that Lucas was in town he came running. Glad that he didn't have to go through with climbing the grapevine, Alton ran over as fast as possible to greet his friend.
"There's your lazy ass" Alton greeted his friend
"Lazy wouldn't be the word" Lucas replied "I see you found out, how long did it take?" he asked
"I just came from seeing Hanna, and I heard the grand ol' news. How did Mr. Smith handle his young protégé leaving once again?" Alton asked
"He was surprisingly supportive, but under the circumstances he really had no opinion in the matter. I had to come back" Lucas said
"I knew you two couldn't stay away from each other. It was only a matter of time before you would get all love sick" Alton laughed
"I didn't come back for Hanna. If anything that would have been a reason for me to stay at Winthrop" Lucas said
"Okay, that makes me feel awkward. What's going on with you guys?" Alton asked
"Nothing" Lucas replied
"No, its something because one minute you two love each other, then your upset with each other, then you leave, and then you kind of sort of break up, what's going on?" Alton asked
"We're just….things changed Al. We grew apart" Lucas said
"Okay well something had to have happen for you to grow apart so quickly?" Alton asked
"I…I just realize that she may not be the girl for me. I was in love with the idea of her and couldn't get past that" Lucas said "Look don't think that just because Hanna and I aren't us anymore that you have to stop talking or hanging out with her" he said
"Do we really have to talk like this? I mean come on, I'm a big boy. I don't need the separation speech" Alton said
"Just want you to know, for future references" Lucas laughed
"So….welcome back then" Alton said
"Yeah, welcome back" Lucas shrugged
Putting her overnight bag down in her chair, Hanna was more than happy to be home than spend another night in the hospital. Getting a full glimpse of the damage done to her father's car as she made her way inside the house, a piece of Hanna felt like it was poetic justice for him to get what he had turned their family into, damaged beyond repair. Slowly climbing in to bed she could feel every bone in her body tense up and a shooting pain go up her spine. Stopping dead in her tracks to get adjusted to the pain, she began to breath heavily as it was a pain she had never felt before. Finally getting so she was comfortable in her bed, she glanced up to hear the familiar sounds of Lucas's car pull into the driveway. Unable to ignore the excitement it sent to her heart she instantly got up from her bed to make her way downstairs, suffering through the pain of her sudden movements. Grabbing what was left of the groceries from his car, when he looked up from the car, Lucas was surprised to see Hanna standing in his driveway.
"A part of me thought that you were a mirage or something, but your real, your really back" Hanna said nervously as she was trying to search for the right words to say to him "How was school?" she asked
"It was school" Lucas replied coldly as he continued to pull out the groceries from his car to put on the hood of his car
"Yeah, well school is school. Are you on break or something?" Hanna asked trying to get his interest
"Are you all right?" Lucas asked quickly turned to her, annoyed with the questions
"What?" Hanna asked confused as to where this question was coming from until it dawned on her that she did have an accident
"Did the doctors say you were fine? No remaining effects or anything?" Lucas asked her
"No, I'm good. The doctor cleared me, which is why I'm home. Thank you by the way, I don't know how you do it but you always seems to be there" Hanna laughed nervously
"That's me, always there Lucas" Lucas laughed at the irony of also being there to witness her cheating on him as well
"So, I've been thinking…I think since its clear that you want to go to Winthrop and start over out there….I think we should call this relationship what it is, you know since we're starting senior year and all, there's no need to draw it out to where we both end up resenting each other" Hanna said nervously as she squeezed her fists so that she would prevent herself from crying
"And what exactly are we calling it?" Lucas said with a slight laugh across his face at how she could even think to make this a mutual fault that they didn't work out "Just so I'm clear" he added
"Luke, you up and left without as much as a word for a month. I can't be in a relationship where your half in and half out" Hanna told him
"Oh, you can't?" Lucas laughed
"I'm glad that us breaking up is hilarious to you, just another reason we should break up" Hanna said "We've morphed into different people, and I don't think the love is still there anymore" she lied trying to be cold so that he wouldn't try to protest her request
"Aw, so I get it now. You don't love me anymore? Is this one of the reasons?" Lucas asked as he moved in closer towards her so that they were inches a part from each other
"You've changed" Hanna replied softly to where she was trembling from being so close to him all the while trying to maintain her cool. Looking deep in to her eyes, Lucas maintained his cold attitude which confused more and more by the minute where she went back and forth thinking that he had got so damn sexy or he was just detached from the world at this moment. Capturing her lips with his, he made sure to attack every form of privacy she had at the moment and take it as his own. Her body erupted with sensations as he savagely kissed her like he was a man on a mission and his goal was to take her. Letting out a slight moan, Lucas broke the kiss as he took his hand to turn her face to the side so that he could kiss her neck "You can't do this" she whimpered
"Just answer me one question?" Lucas asked in between nibbles on her neck while Hanna couldn't manage to pull herself away from him
"Uh huh" Hanna softly replied
"Was it good?" Lucas asked as she flashed in and out of her reality to be confused by what he was asking
"What?" Hanna asked
"Was he good? Better yet, did he screw you the way you wanted him to" Lucas said as he slowly backed away from her to reveal how angry he was. Her mind went racing not wanting to give up what she knew in fear of that he was talking about something else
"What are you talking about?" Hanna asked as Lucas moved in close once again to whisper in her ear
"I saw you have sex with Noel Kahn" Lucas whispered angrily as tears began to stream down her face "Now, I have some reasons as to why we shouldn't be together. One, I will never trust you. Two, the sight of you disgusts me. The last and final thing, I want nothing to do with you" he said making sure that at the end he was looking her dead in the eyes. For a moment he stared at her with all the anger in the world in his eyes as all she could do was cry. Deep inside of her she ached to tell him about the circumstances that lead her to sleep with Noel, she was willing to confess it all so that she could erase the pain and anger he had in his eyes when he looked at her. The eyes she grew to love because they looked at her adoringly and lovingly were now gone. Turning back towards his car, Lucas grabbed the groceries and made his way inside the house as all she could do was watch him leave.
Nearly halfway asleep there was nothing Lucas wanted more than to just forget this whole day even happened. Pulling the covers up over his head so that he was surrounded with darkness that made sleep his only option, Lucas was pulled from his possible slumber once he heard a loud noise from outside of his room. Jumping out of bed practically, he ran out of his room to find his father stumbling up the staircase. Rushing to his side he immediately went into rescue mode to help his father from yet another restless night. Not wanting to wake his mother up seeing as she all ready wasn't getting enough sleep, Lucas helped his father in to his room. Laying him on the bed, Lucas covered him up so he wouldn't be cold while his father drifted in and out of sleep. Looking on at his father he couldn't help but feel bad that his dad had to go through this after all the years he worked at the factory. Grabbing a spare blanket from his closet, Lucas prepared to leave the room so that he could sleep downstairs but was stopped by the sudden sound of his father's voice.
"Luke, is that you?" Lucas's father asked in a drunken tone
"Yeah, its me" Lucas replied "Go back to sleep, we can talk in the morning" he said
"Back so soon" Lucas's father laughed "You always were a momma's boy" he continued to laugh
"Yeah, that's me" Lucas obliged his father's joke
"Why would you come back to dead ass Rosewood. I mean look at this place, its so….its so…..stupid" Lucas father declared
"It has its moments, but I wanted to come home to be with family" Lucas said
"Family? Luke, you should have ran when you had the chance, because all you'll ever have in Rosewood is the should have's and the could have's. You'll be a townie….like your mom and I" Lucas's father said as he could barely keep his eyes open
"I know pop, I know" Lucas said sadly as he hated seeing his father like this "I'm going to get some sleep, you should to" he said just before his father passed out asleep on his bed
Laughing and talking in Emily's room, Spencer hadn't enjoyed being the latest target of Aria and Emily's tease fest about her current state of relationship with Alton. Spencer couldn't deny that something was there but she also knew that a relationship with Alton would never work. Getting caught up in the fun of the teasing the girls were torn away from their humor by the sudden entrance of Hanna. Noticing how frantic Hanna looked Emily quickly rushed to her side to aid her friend who looked like she had just returned from hell. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to find the words to tell her concerned friends but the only thing that came to mind was a single letter, by that of A. She was ruined, A had flipped her world upside down and now all she could do was sit back and watch it all fade away, at least the thing that matter the most to her.
"What's wrong?" Aria asked
"Lucas and I just got into a huge fight" Hanna sobbed "Its really over" she said
"Forgive me for being mean, but I thought that's what you needed to do in order to keep him safe, break things off with him" Spencer said
"Yes, I know Spencer!" Hanna said annoyed with Spencer's need to always be prompt "But I never intended for him to find out" she cried
"Wait, how?" Aria asked
"Was it A?" Emily said
"Lucas saw us, he came to the party that night" Hanna cried
"Which explains why he left" Spencer pieced together
"I can't do this anymore. I have to tell him" Hanna said becoming desperate
"No, you can't tell him. Your only going to put him in danger more than help him" Spencer said
"He hates me! Hear that Spencer, the guy that I love hates me because he thinks I'm some skank that just slept with Noel" Hanna yelled at her friend
"And I'm sorry but you have to look at the bigger picture, and that is the reason why you did this in the first place and it was him….this, all of this, its for him. So yeah, I don't understand how bad it hurts, but then again I don't know how it feels to love someone like that and I would give anything to love like that" Spencer replied
"Yeah, well I think my chances are running out" Hanna cried
"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it will get better. He'll forgive you, but he needs time" Emily said as all Hanna could do was break down into tears as her friends just hovered around her