Chapter Seven- The Things We Conceal

His eyes began to flutter open from the sun that peeked through the curtains, moving slowly he soon realized he was laying on the hard surface that was the den of their house. Slowly sitting up on the floor he could see his father passed out on the sofa across the room, but felt a sudden pain strike him as he blinked. The more and more he blinked, the more pain he felt come from his right eye. Getting up from the floor he felt the scrapes of glass that left cuts on his arm, but as he came closer to the mirror he became even more shocked to see that he had a black eye. He wished he could have said that he had no clue as to how he received it but the flashbacks of last night came storming back to him as he observed himself in the mirror. Looking back over at his father still fast asleep, Lucas made his way out of the den and was about to head into the kitchen before he heard his mother scurry around trying to make her lunch for the day. Quickly ducking into the hallway closet he waited until his mother had left before he made his way into the kitchen. Heading over towards the sink, Lucas gingerly gave attention to his scraped up arm as he turned the water on to begin cleaning his bloodied wounds. Overwhelmed with pain, he took a moment to breath before he finally just bit his lip and finished the painful task of cleaning his wounds. Realizing more and more that he couldn't get a clear view of what he was cleaning so he reluctantly pulled out his cell phone and began to dial the number that had become so familiar.

"Hey" Lucas said groggily as if he were hungover or something "Can you meet me?" he asked

Storming the hallways in a rage, he was like a man on a mission and was determined to find his target and hopefully annihilate. He had always viewed her as a challenging person but he never thought that she would actually challenge back in the manner of which she did. For the longest she was unattainable as he was just a mere geek looking upon the beauties and the popular walk the halls with such pride as if they were the human forms of a God. Turning the corner, he was relieved to finally find his nemesis because if he had to look any further, he was almost sure that he would have given up. Making his way over towards her, he quickly made his presence felt but of course she didn't blink an eye at him, and that only made him more upset.

"You're unbelievable!" Alton said angrily "I can't believe you'd really stoop that low" he said

"I see you've talked to Jake" Spencer smiled "How is he by the way?" she asked rubbing it in further

"He's stupidly in love with you" Alton said

"In love?" Spencer asked

"Yes, as in naming your unborn children type thing" Alton replied

"Children?" Spencer said as she nearly confused as to how Jake moved to that step so quickly "Well as long as he see's the light about your little research project than I guess I can live with the fantasy" she said

"Fantasy? You'd really do that to him? You know what, never mind. I can care less what he names your children, how did you even do it?" Alton asked

"It's called flirting and then…" Spencer said before Alton's eyes widened at the thought

"You slept with him?" Alton asked

"God no!" Spencer quickly replied at that notion "We just went out to dinner and I only kissed him on the cheek" she said as Alton seemed a little at piece to know she hadn't taken it that far

"So you did all this to stop me from finding out your little dark secret?" Alton asked

"No, I did this so you could stop wasting your time and opening up a wound that is closed" Spencer replied "Just face it, the only reason you kept up with this ruse was because you wanted to get back at me" she said

"Oh, really? Because my life only exists when your in it. Don't get so full of yourself honey" Alton replied

"But it has truth. Ever since we've slept together that one.." Spencer said so only Alton could hear and not the surrounding people could over hear before Alton cut her off

"Two times. We've slept together two times" Alton replied

"We didn't morph into the couple you wanted so you took it out on me, and that's not fair" Spencer replied

"The sex was good, great even, but I can live with a booty call type of deal. I don't need us walking hand in hand through the park to make my day, what I need is for you to back the hell off" Alton said

"Aw, your too cute for me to do that" Spencer replied sarcastically

"You do know that since you've drew first blood I have no choice but to retaliate, and baby, I'm a challenge you don't want" Alton told her

"I'm a big girl, I can take whatever you throw at me" Spencer smiled before she turned to walk away

Cautiously making her way outside of the gallery towards the dumpster out back, Hanna dumped out the bloodied trash that she had managed to collect all in the matter of an hour, and all she could do was look on in horror as if this was coming straight out of movie. Looking around once more before she made her way back inside to see Lucas looking on at his taped up arm. Staring at him for what felt like forever in the doorway she never imagined that she would see him this way, walking over to her bag she pulled out the long sleeve shirt that he had requested her to bring over. Relieving himself of his shirt her eyes soon widened to the bruises that had formed on his body but mostly on his chest, a chest that she had come to know so well to point where it was horrific to see a new color had been added to it.

"Thanks for coming" Lucas said as he winced in pain

"Get out of Math, I was glad to, though I will have to explain to Mr. Smith why I decided to skip" Hanna said

"I'll make up something and tell him" Lucas replied as he took a seat on the sofa bed that had once been so memorable to them before Hanna handed him the shirt "You mind?" he asked wanting her to help him put it on

"Yeah" Hanna said as she walked over towards him to grab the shirt from his hands. Getting a closer look of his bruised up body, Hanna couldn't manage to stop herself from touching the bruises. For a moment Lucas winced in pain but felt somewhat of comfort feeling her hands against him. Closing his eyes trying to not to let her see the pain that he was feeling, Lucas slowly brought his hand up to grab onto hers so that she would stop her curiosity from continuing "Does it hurt?" she asked kneeling down

"Not as much" Lucas replied "I'm fine" he told her

"Luke, I'm not blind. I can see your in pain, so much pain that you can't even put on a shirt" Hanna said "Did your dad do this?" she asked

"He was drunk" Lucas replied as Hanna let out a deep sigh before she sat back on her knees

"You keep using that excuse but then I see this, and I can't muster up sympathy anymore for your father" Hanna said

"Yeah, I know but you know how he is and who he used to be" Lucas said

"Who he used to be would never do this to you" Hanna said "I bet your mom is a wreck" she stated

"My mom doesn't know" Lucas replied "It was late and she was all ready in bed. By the time I came to it was in the morning. If I would have told her we'd be packed up and off to my grandmothers house" he said as Hanna shook her head in disbelief

"So let me get this straight, your dad shoves you around a bit which leads to this" Hanna said pointing to his chest "Causing you to fall to floor that has broken beer bottle glass, then you try to calm him down and he gets antsy and punches you so hard that you have a black eye…your mom needs to know" she told him

"She's all ready worried, and I don't want her worrying about me" Lucas sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair

"What are you going to do tonight when she see's you? Are you just going to avoid her?" Hanna asked

"If I can I would, but I'm hoping with your make up expertise that I can survive a few days without her having to know" Lucas told her

"And your so sure I'd go along with this plan? I should call your mom and tell her exactly what you look like" Hanna threatened

"Why are you being this way?" Lucas asked

"Because someone needs to be. I look at you and I'm scared for you…I'm scared out of my mind that this could turn into something worse if you don't wake up and realize that this is serious" Hanna scolded him

"Will you please just help me? I need your help" Lucas pleaded with her

Being a Hastings had its perks but it also had the downside of living up to expectations. Following in the footsteps of Melissa Hastings had become an all day job that Spencer at times grew to hate, but luckily she found that having friends that do actually care about her balanced out her over achieving lifestyle. Coming into the office, Spencer signed in to see the school counselor before she took a seat in the waiting room of the office. Sitting and observing the decorated walls, she couldn't help but notice a picture of Alton in the outstanding students section of the room, a slight smirk came to her face as she not only bested him at his own game. The more and more she thought about him she couldn't help but smile at the good he did have in him, Alton was insanely smart but you wouldn't know if you were having a conversation with him. It frustrated her at times that he didn't take the future seriously, it was like she wanted him to care about himself more than he cared about porn or Hucas, that seemed to be the fault that came with him. Before she could go any deeper with her thoughts, the school counselor had called her in to her office.

"I was wondering when I was going to see you Spencer" Ms. Dupree, the school counselor, smiled as she took her seat while Spencer took hers

"I wanted to get a jump start on applications" Spencer said

"Well we've hit all the ivy leagues, are there any other school in mind?" Ms. Dupree asked

"Well I was looking at Jamestown, Wake Forest, and UCLA" Spencer said

"Jamestown is an excellent choice. I do believe they have a excelling student dinner coming up. We've actually have one spot left and I'm more than positive you qualify for the spot" Ms. Dupree said

"Excelling Students Dinner? What's the purpose of it?" Spencer asked

"Well the Student Board holds it for future prospects coming in, and they review those interested in the school and give out applications to those who pass the review mark" Ms. Dupree said "I really think you'd make it pass review mark, those who do are almost certain to receive a spot" she said

"Okay. Well when is the dinner?" Spencer asked

"It's tomorrow night, so I suggest you pick out your fancy attire" Ms. Dupree smiled

Was he going to far with this research into that summer? Alton kept questioning himself throughout class as he just sat there staring at the board. It was a good thing he was smart because he knew that the other kids in the class were nearly freaking out with the days lesson plan due to the fact it would be on their upcoming midterm, but all Alton could do was worry about what Spencer had said earlier. Once the bell had rung, he wasted no time making his way out of the classroom hoping to meet up with Lucas but he could tell that since Lucas hadn't been waiting by the lockers that he was probably not going to come to school today, which was odd. Going over towards his locker, Alton began to sift through his book bag to replace the books he no longer needed for the books he'd need for the second half of the day. Just as he looked on at the notes for AP History, Reese made her way over towards him.

"Good, I found you" Reese replied as she came up to him

"To what do I owe this disturbance?" Alton asked

"I wanted to get your confirmation on Revis's spot tomorrow night?" Reese asked

"Revis?….Oh, you mean for that Excelling Dinner crapfest tomorrow night. What exactly do I have to do?" Alton asked

"Oh, your actually going to do it? I thought I would actually have to bribe you" Reese said

"Well I'm not looking forward to it, hence crapfest in the earlier statement, but I heard through a little birdie all ready on the board that you get credit on your application for sitting on the board. A detail you forgot to mention by the way" Alton said

"Well I figured you'd do it out of the goodness of your heart instead of for a price" Reese said

"You really don't know me then" Alton laughed "So what exactly do I have to do? Or what would Revis be doing if he was going?" he asked

"We basically go over the applicants who want to apply and decide whether or not we extend an application to them" Reese said

"That sounds easy…why couldn't Revis do it?" Alton asked

"Because Revis has to cover a seminar that night, and I figured since your currently enrolled in classes there and happen to be a fave with the faculty" Reese smiled

"So basically they asked for me and you just had to deliver me. I love the fact that you have to basically kiss my…" Alton laughed before Reese cut him off

"My first choice was Lucas but he's been missing in action" Reese said as Alton just shook his head "Where is he by the way? He didn't come to second period" she asked

"He probably just slept in" Alton said before a silencing came over the usually talkative hallway. Looking over at Reese, Alton could see that she was looking elsewhere and all he could do was follow her gaze to where he soon had the same surprise to see his friend walk down the hallway looking more banged up than usual. Hanna did her best to act normal so that it would effect Lucas, but she could tell that he was clearly becoming agitated with all the attention. Glad to see that Alton wasn't too far away she quickly grabbed Lucas's hand and walked over to Alton.

"I know we have eyes on us, but I need you to make a scene" Hanna whispered to Alton who looked at her with confusion "Will you two just stop being stubborn" she said loud enough for people to hear as bother Lucas and Alton looked at her strangely while Reese looked on like it was fresh entertainment

"What the hell are you doing?" Lucas asked her in a whisper

"Al, do this" Hanna whispered as Alton took one more final look at his friends face before he knew that what Hanna was saying was best. Looking at Hanna once more before back at Lucas to say with his eyes that he had no choice just before he shoved Lucas to the ground "I'm tired of this! I kicked your ass before and I'll do it again if I have to" he yelled at Lucas who did his best not to let the pain over come him. Realizing that a fight had occurred between the two boys, everyone went back to their usual chatter knowing that nothing good would come from a fight in which a geek had won. Alton motioned to help Lucas but Reese had stepped in front of him.

"Your suppose to be pretend mad" Reese whispered to him before he realized

"And on this note I will storm off….angrily" Alton said before he awkwardly left them as Hanna kneeled down beside Lucas

"Are you all right?" Hanna asked him

"Yeah, I just want to get this day over with" Lucas sighed as she helped him up

Being new into a small town like Rosewood was far from fun because it seemed like everyone had all ready found their group of friends and were in no need for newcomers. Kate had gotten use to doing the school route, watching a bit of the football teams practice, then the lonely walk home, and if she was lucky she'd get the quiet dinners at home in which Hanna would come over just to appease her father's constant begging to spend time together. Life in Rosewood was far from entertaining, and she missed home more than she realized. Heading out of the girls locker room, Kate was quickly caught off guard by a dark haired girl.

"Your Hanna's sister, right?" Mona asked

"We're more like step sisters" Kate said correcting Mona's earlier statement

"Surprised to see you all lonesome all the time, I thought you'd be riding your sisters fading popularity?" Mona asked

"She doesn't quite like me" Kate replied "But it's okay, I mean having siblings is over rated" she said

"I've seen you watching the football team a few times, anyone special you have an eye on?" Mona asked

"I'm sorry…how exactly do you know Hanna?" Kate asked confused as to why the girl was now her best friend

"We're party friends" Mona said

"What is that?" Kate asked

"We're only friends at a party" Mona replied "So are you crushing on anyone from the team?" she asked walking closer towards her

"Uh…I think Lucas is pretty cute, but apparently Hanna and him had this thing" Kate said

"Hanna and Lucas?" Mona said before she laughed "Hanna and Lucas were never a thing. Hanna obsessed over him, but they were just screw buddies…you do know what that is right?" she lied

"Yes, I do….so they just had sex?" Kate asked "Hanna makes it seem like she's in love with him or something" she said

"Hanna just wants Lucas because the boy she was in love with dumped her then moved on. Lucas just wanted to bump up his popularity status and got more than he bargained for with her" Mona said

"Wow, I never knew" Kate said "I mean every time I try to talk to Lucas she seems to be upset" she said

"Because she's a cock block. If you like Lucas than you should make a play for him" Mona said "With the football team winning, he's actually relevant now" she said

"Maybe" Kate said "I just wouldn't know how to even really talk to Lucas. Half the time when I talk to him he seems bothered" she said

"Spare me the problems, just go for Lucas however you have to…he loves playing hard to get and all that other nonsense" Mona said becoming annoyed with Kate's boring drama before she quickly turned to leave

"That was strange" Kate said to herself before she continued on her way to class

Going their separate ways before class, all Hanna could think about was Lucas and the trouble that he was in. He had so much faith in his father, but she worried that his father had lost the faith within himself. The memory of Lucas's father yelling at his mother still remained with her so much so that she feared that Lucas had caught the wrath in protection of his mother. So much was going through her head, and so many solutions she thought she had but she knew that Lucas wouldn't see any other way to take care of his father if it didn't involve him living at home and him taking care of him. Once the final bell rang, Hanna slowly gathered her things before Mr. Smith had made his way inside the classroom to hand paperwork to the teacher but had noticed Hanna. Unable to pretend like she didn't see him, Hanna knew that he had some questions for her so she didn't even try to flee the room.

"Do you have a minute?" Mr. Smith asked as he walked over towards her

"Yeah" Hanna replied as Mr. Smith waited for the other students to leave the classroom

"Luke missed class today, well his English class, and he's been doing pretty bad in school these days….are you two having any teen angst problems or something?" Mr. Smith asked

"I forget that you have this straight talk attribute" Hanna laughed to herself "No, Lucas and I don't have anything stirred up. We're broken up" she replied

"Broken up? But is he having some lingering effect of it though that may be causing the behavior" Mr. Smith asked

"I really don't know. We broke up and I'm giving him his space….he's not telling me anything" Hanna lied

"So you two barely even talk? Your just done with each other…I thought you two lived close together" Mr. Smith asked

"Look I know that Lucas is struggling, and I've made it more than clear that I'm here for him but he's shutting me out, Alton as well" Hanna said

"Is everything okay at home?" Mr. Smith asked

"Yes, his family is great. They're like the Cosby's incarnated" Hanna lied

"If something was wrong with him, would you tell me?" Mr. Smith asked

"If something was wrong then I would tell you, if he wanted me to" Hanna said "I have to respect his privacy" she said

"But I'm trying to help him…Hanna, is Lucas in some sort of trouble?" Mr. Smith asked questioning her further

"No. Lucas is just…enjoying popularity. Can I go?" Hanna asked as a moment of silence came between them

"Yeah, you can" Mr. Smith obliged "Lucas is a smart kid, insanely smart. But he can be incredibly stupid when it comes to the real world. He has this habit of being naïve, so I hope that there is someone looking out for him" he said as all Hanna could do was take in what he was saying before she left the classroom.

Cleaning up the mess that his father had left behind, Lucas kept getting flashbacks to the night before and each time he thought of it, it just seemed to get worse. Shoving the rest of the empty beer bottles into his black trash bag as he proceeded on with his task just before he heard the front door open. Feeling a bit unease as he wondered if it were his father coming in from another job interview with a rejected ego, Lucas had no idea what he was going to get and that seemed to be the feeling he got all the time these days. Noticing the mess as he entered, Alton seemed a bit confused to see Lucas's house look like this let alone his den that had been known to be his father's relaxing area.

"Uh…was there a party here that I didn't know about?" Alton asked observing the mess

"Party?" Lucas asked before he realized what Alton meant "No, there wasn't a party. My dad and I were just celebrating me being on the football team and all" he said before Alton flopped down on the sofa

"I'm starting to think that was a direct insult towards me" Alton laughed as he picked up the nearest plush toy "I feel like we haven't hung out in a long time, like we're strangers or something" he laughed

"Strangers? We just went to the comic book store this past weekend" Lucas replied

"Comic book store is like school for us, where we're forced to see each other regardless. I'm talking our all night Wii sessions or something mindless…we should play that drinking game again" Alton laughed as Lucas tensed up

"Drinking isn't as fun like we think it is" Lucas quickly replied

"Isn't as fun…you sound like Spencer there. I almost felt like I was going to get a public service announcement after that statement" Alton joked

"Football just takes up so much of my time, and with my mom working crazy hours it's just been a little insane" Lucas said

"That's right. How is your dad doing? I mean I know he lost his job and all" Alton asked

"He's doing good. He's been interviewing, and even makes a few side bucks here there down at the marina" Lucas lied

"Oh, well that's something. I mean people underestimate how much you can earn down at the marina. Look how much we earn in the summer" Alton said "And the amount of money you'll earn for the software, lets just say I'm glad to be your friend" he said

"Yeah" Lucas laughed weakly

"So how'd you really get the shiner? I know Hanna had us pretend to be upset with each other, in which I got to say I kicked your ass, which is an ego booster" Alton said

"I got it at football practice. I thought I was all fancy trying to catch a ball without my helmet on" Lucas said

"So you basically got hit in the face?" Alton said before he busted into laughter "I wish I could've seen that" he said

"Yeah, you would have laughed" Lucas sighed as he continued on with his cleaning before Lucas's father walked into the den causing an immediate silence in the room

"Hey, Alton" Lucas's father said somberly as he looked on sadly at his son and what he had done to him

"Hey, , I was admiring your partying ways. Next time you should call me up when you start up another rave?" Alton laughed

"Rave? What has Lucas told you?" Lucas's father asked trying to fake a laugh but hoping that Lucas hadn't said anything

"Alton thinks we threw a party, but I told him we were just celebrating my success on the football team" Lucas told his father to reassure him that he hadn't said anything

"Oh" Lucas's father replied "How are you doing?" he asked his son

"I'm doing good. Football will do this to you, nothing for you to worry about" Lucas told his father as Alton began to feel the weirdness in the room

"Well I'll let you two hang out, I'm sure Alton has something crazy for you two to do" Lucas's father said before he walked away

All throughout the day she prepped herself on possible conversation topics that would come up and how she would respond, to her every conversation was a possible interview and she needed as many chances as possible. Dressed to impress as she usually did, Spencer entered into the glamorous party filled with possible classmates and faculty members who were the best in their fields. Walking over towards the sign in table, Spencer checked in and was immediately lead to her table where she sat amongst other classmates from Rosewood and others from the neighboring schools. Taking her seat, Spencer began to go over her cards before she felt a finger brush up against her neck. Turning slowly, Spencer was surprised to see Alton sitting behind her dressed in a suit and tie.

"I see we meet again" Alton smiled

"What are you doing here?" Spencer quickly asked

"I thought I'd just stop in on the festivities, you know since I'm so obsessed with you" Alton laughed "What are you doing here?" he asked

"Because I'm appearing before the Student Board for an application, you know something that pertains to the future" Spencer replied

"And you still manage to take shots at me. When will you stop the hate?" Alton asked

"When you drop the….well I think I all ready handled that for you" Spencer smiled realizing the mini victory she had over him

"Oh, well. I would celebrate just yet, I do owe you a payback" Alton said as he rose from his seat

"Where are you off to?" Spencer asked

"I'm off to salvage my pathetic life that doesn't have you in it. I just hope I can make it through the night without you, but then again if you ever have an itch that needs scratching" Alton said

"We're enemies" Spencer replied

"Nemesis's" Alton said "You know you should stop being so rigid, live a little" he said before he walked off

Looking over his artwork, Lucas stood amongst the sea of work that he had collected and even made himself as if he found peace being here. Anything that meant him not being home between the hours that his mom was at work was always a welcome get away, he knew that his father would be at home most likely drowning his sorrows in a beer bottle and last thing he wanted to do was watch his father get drunk. Making her way inside she could see him looking on at the artwork, for a moment she smiled remembering all this place had meant to them, remembering their re-do first date in which she was first brought over here. Turning, Lucas was glad to finally have seen her and in that moment she had seen that he took off the make up that she had put on his eye that concealed some of brutality behind the look of his eye.

"What's the plan?" Hanna asked "Are we going to continue to put more make up on?" she asked

"Is this another rant?" Lucas asked as he sighed

"No, this is another question as to if you really know what your doing here?" Hanna questioned him "Mr. Smith asked me about you today and I had to lie to him about what's really going on with you. I told him that you were just basking in your popularity….he knows I was lying" she said in frustration as she paced the floor

"I'll talk to him" Lucas replied

"And tell him what? What lie are you going to tell him that I all ready haven't?" Hanna asked

"What do you want from me?" Lucas yelled "What do you expect from me? I never wanted you to know because I knew you'd be like this" he yelled

"Be like what? Concerned about you. I'm sorry that I give a damn about you" Hanna said

"No you just feel guilty about what you did. Don't think I don't know what your doing. You probably purposefully came over that night just to insert yourself into this mess" Lucas accused her

"So I did this because I feel guilt…don't flatter yourself because although I feel guilty for what I did, I wouldn't put myself in this situation voluntarily" Hanna replied angrily

"Then go? You act like I'm forcing you to be here! I don't want you here. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want you anywhere near my family, and I sure as hell don't want you" Lucas yelled at her as he got closer with each word he said so that he could get a clear view of the tears welled up in her eyes

"You think your tough?" Hanna asked "You think your handling things and taking care of things?" she asked

"I'm taking care of my family" Lucas replied "So yeah, I'm tough" he said

"You're an ass" Hanna said as she shoved him unable to stop the tears

"I'm being honest" Lucas replied

"If I didn't care about you so much then I would have left because do you honestly think this is easy for me?" Hanna asked him before she quickly grabbed a hold of his face "I worry. I worry that the next day I wake up that you might be hurt. I worry that your mom might be so scared that she might hurt your father. I worry that you may lose your cool and end up doing something you regret. All I do is worry, and I can't stop worrying because I know that I'm helping you cover up what's really going on" she cried

"Everything is fine" Lucas said breaking away from her embrace

"Then call it what it really is Luke" Hanna said

"No! you don't know what the hell your talking about" Lucas told her angrily

"Your father is…" Hanna said before Lucas cut her off

"Shut up!" Lucas yelled as the tears streamed down his face

"Your father is and has…" Hanna said wanting him to feel in the blanks

"Go! If you don't want to help me then get the hell out of here, but I will not say that!" Lucas yelled

"You can't help him at least not the help he needs, and the sooner you realize that then this weight you feel will all be gone" Hanna cried

"Are you finished?" Lucas asked after a moment of silence fell upon them

"Yeah. I am" Hanna said before she threw down her make up kit on the floor before she turned to leave. Quickly grabbing the nearest object in his presence, Lucas threw it with as much anger as he had stored up in him.

"Dammit!" Lucas screamed

Waiting anxiously out in the waiting room with everyone else, Spencer had felt somewhat confident that she would receive an application just due to her last name. She didn't want to think like that but she knew most of the people that were in the room with her and each of them hadn't surpassed her success, even Melissa hadn't achieved as much as Spencer had managed to. Coming out with the final list, the clerk posted the list up on the board and people immediately flocked to the board. Standing back not wanting to get caught up in the madness of upset kids mixed with those who were overjoyed. Once the crowd had dwindled down, Spencer walked up to the board with much anticipation, she scrolled down the list with her eyes and again then again but nothing. In total shock she found that her name wasn't on the list. Leading the way outside into the hallways with the rest of the student board, and immediately she knew that this was all Alton's doing. Storming up to him in a complete rage, Alton was caught off guard to see her.

"You ass!" Spencer said shoving him causing him to be confused with her outrage

"What the hell is your problem?" Alton asked

"Uh, we'll catch up with you later" One of the members said catching Alton's attention

"Yeah, I'll see you later" Alton said before the rest of the members walked away leaving Alton and Spencer behind "You want to explain your little outburst?" he asked angrily

"You messed with the review. You did something so I wouldn't get the application?" Spencer asked

"And like always, this is about school and you" Alton laughed to himself

"This isn't funny. This is my future. You may not care about yours but I care about mine" Spencer replied

"Oh, I care. I care so much that I was on the board for school credit on my applications. The same board in which I voted you in to receive an application. The same board in which I voted for you based on your resume you presented not because of personal issue, but you always seem to throw it at me" Alton told her

"So you were just on the board just because? I bet you pulled some strings" Spencer said

"I was on the board because I'm enrolled online to Jamestown and I happen to have a good relationship with the faculty" Alton said

"You had nothing to do with me not making it?" Spencer asked

"If it were up to me then you would have received an application because I think your work speaks for itself, but what do I know…I'm just a perv who doesn't care about his future" Alton said before he walked away as all Spencer could do was watch him walk away

On the way home, Hanna had managed to receive her mother's text message just in time to stop by the grocery store to pick up the milk she had requested. The fact that her mother was even requesting a possible cooking ingredient worried her a bit, but then she knew her mother would never stay up this late to cook any item, even if it were for an overnight visito that she thought she knew nothing about. Although the thought of her mom getting her freak on in the same house made her cringe a little, Hanna was just happy that she wasn't letting her father's sudden move with his new happy family affect her. Coming out into the parking lot after purchasing her item, Hanna was caught off guard to see Lucas's mother in the parking lot putting away groceries. Unable to just walk away to pretend like she had never seen the woman, Hanna found herself walking towards her.

"Mrs. Gottesman" Hanna said shyly making her presence known to the woman

"Hanna, surprised to run into you here so late at night" Lucas mother smiled

"My mom needed milk, so I got milk" Hanna replied

"Milk is a necessity. I happen to love milk" Lucas's mother laughed

"Yeah, my mom is quite odd, but I love her" Hanna said

"So I'm guessing this visit has more to do than just milk?" Lucas's mother asked "It's okay to ask, I mean I'm sure Luke is keeping his emotions locked up like a fort" she said

"Is it my place to ask?" Hanna asked her

"You've seen the worst, and I know how you feel about Lucas….so yeah, its your place" Lucas's mother replied

"I just…I just don't understand how he got like this? Mr. Gottesman" Hanna said

"Lucas doesn't know this, but Lucas's father had always had a little drinking problem. I never thought much of it because we were young and stupid, half the times I'd be halfway buzzed myself because that's was just having fun. When Lucas was born the drinking wasn't important to us, Lucas was. Lucas's father thought the world of Lucas, he'd have such big dreams for him and would come up with any idea that would give Lucas the finer things in life….Lucas's father is his biggest fan. Lucas's father worked in worked at the factory for twenty years, and that had always managed to take care of us, even in the worst of economies" Lucas's mother told her as Hanna began to piece it together

"And with the factories closing down this summer….he lost his job" Hanna concluded

"From then on he tried to be optimistic but he just turned to alcohol. It got worse while Lucas was away" Lucas's mother said

"This happened before Lucas left?" Hanna asked

"Yes, we tried to keep it from him thinking that it would all be solved but it just got to a point where Lucas could tell something was wrong so he came home" Lucas's mother said

"Do you ever think if Lucas's father never lost his job then Lucas would have stayed?" Hanna asked a bit sad

"Yes. I think about that every day, how much Lucas has walked away from and it breaks my heart" Lucas's mother said teary eyed

"That's Lucas for you…always sacrificing, never expecting anything in return" Hanna replied as the two of them just laughed "I'm just really afraid that Lucas will get hurt in the end" she sighed

"As much as I fear what his father will do at times, I know that he'd never lay a hand on Lucas" Lucas's mother said a bit proudly feeling a bit of comfort in what she had said as all Hanna could do was try to play off the fact that what she believed to be true was completely false. Doing her best to avoid his mother's eye contact as Hanna herself became emotional, Lucas's mother began to detect Hanna's weirdness and became somewhat worried. "He hasn't hurt him, has he?" she asked

"I really can't say" Hanna lied

"No, no. He hasn't touched him?" Lucas's mother said as tears began to stream down her face as if she herself was trying to force herself to believe that what she originally stated had to be true "He wouldn't" she cried

"I'm so sorry" Hanna cried as Lucas's mother nearly broke down in to tears

"He touched him? He touched my child?" Lucas's mother said in complete disbelief before she fumbled around to search for her keys

"No, let me take you home. I can take you home" Hanna said not wanting Lucas's mother to drive while upset

"No. I can…I can" Lucas mother said before made her way over to the drivers side of the car and quickly got in to turn on the engine

"Mrs. Gottesman!" Hanna called out for her as the woman pulled out of her parking spot and sped out of the parking lot. Tears ran uncontrollably down her eyes as she had a gut feeling that something could go terribly wrong, make a quick stride back to her car, Hanna pulled her cell phone out and quickly began to dial Lucas's number.

"What?" Lucas asked still upset from their previous encounter

"Get home. Your mom knows" Hanna told him before he dropped the phone before Hanna ended the call knowing that he was on his way back to his house.

Grabbing his cup of coffee to head back to his table, Alton loosened up his tie as he let out a sigh of frustration. Coming into the shop, Jake spotted his friend and happily made his way over like a school kid in love. Sickened by the sight, Alton did all he could to hold in the inner disgust at the fact that Jake really thought Spencer would go for a guy like him, hell Alton didn't even know if Spencer went for a guy like him. A few times Alton had ran the sexual encounters in his head thinking that at one point what they truly felt for each other had been exposed in order for them to carry on the deed, but he couldn't manage to pin point a moment where he could clearly see that she liked him as more than the perv he had perceived. Alton knew he was far from what he had let people believe of him, but it was his outer wall, the thing that he could control that others couldn't, but deep down he did care about his friends and even for Spencer. Torn away from his thoughts by Jake's whistling of love tunes, Alton knew he had to squash this once and for all.

"Okay, I'm really glad you decided to come because we really have to set some things straight" Alton said

"I'm not helping you take down Spencer. She's not the girl you think she is" Jake replied

"Take her down, I never wanted to take her down. I just want to know what she's hiding" Alton replied

"In due time she will tell you" Jake said

"In due time…what the hell is that? Look I know you have this crush on her but she's playing you" Alton said

"No, she likes me" Jake replied

"Like I like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich…that's how she likes you. Like I like McDonalds, but you want to know what's the kicker? I also happen to like Burger King, so technically my like for McDonalds is not the like that will stop me from going to Burger King or even Jack in the Box" Alton said "This like word is not strong enough for you to lose what the point is of our union" he said

"Yeah, basically searching aimlessly for what ever happened to Toby. It's becoming useless even if I'm not head over heels for Spencer" Jake said

"Useless? I paid you" Alton replied "That wasn't useless when you went to the bank to deposit it into your account…yeah, I can hack as well genius" he said

"What happened to Toby sucked but you can't bring him back from the dead nor change the ending" Jake said as Alton looked at him with much anger and frustration all rolled up into one death defying stare before he was quickly torn away by the vibration of his cell phone

"Hello" Alton said not tearing his stare away from Jake

"I need you to come over to Lucas's house" Hanna said in a frantic tone

"Why? What's wrong?" Alton asked

"Just get over there" Hanna said in between tears

"Hanna, are you okay?" Alton asked becoming concerned

"Alton!" Hanna yelled

"I'm on my way" Alton said before he quickly ended the call and got up from his seat

"Where are you going?" Jake asked

"Leave Spencer alone. Whatever feelings you may have is fine, but trust me, she doesn't like you" Alton told him before he ran out of the café and began a mad sprint to Lucas's house.

They all showed up at what appeared to be exact timing as if it were suppose to be like this. Running up towards Hanna in a complete worry, Alton feared what was going on but still hoped that it would all turn out to nothing in the end. Lucas looked on as his two friends before they all turned their gaze over towards the darkened house he had called home for the longest. It was unusual to see it so dark at night because someone was always up doing something, but the fact that it had been so dark only added to each of their worry. Slowly making his up to the house like he had plenty of times before, Lucas cautiously walked up the steps with Alton and Hanna close behind. Opening the front door, they all immediately saw broken glass all over the floor along with destroyed picture frames on the floor. Each looking off in different directions taking in the sight, Hanna's heart nearly sank to the pit of her stomach. A squirmish sound came from upstairs and immediately they all took off upstairs. Once they had made it upstairs they immediately saw Lucas's father sitting on the ground sobbing uncontrollably before their eyes followed over to Lucas's mother laying on the floor off in the corner. Rushing over to her side, Lucas did all he could to tend to his mother.

"Call 9-1-1!" Lucas yelled out as Alton quickly pulled out his cell phone while Hanna looked on in horror at the sight.