Chapter Fifteen- Pull & Push
She haunted him. Plain and simple, she haunted his every thought and every memory so that it seemed nearly impossible for him to think or even sleep. Since returning from Jamestown he found that space was easier when it came to Hanna because he wasn't quite sure what this all meant, the feelings he still had for her but he knew he couldn't just up and declare them to her, not with the past they've had. Just because he made it a habit to stay away didn't necessarily mean it was easy for him, but he knew he wouldn't have it so easy with Hanna's test coming up which almost guaranteed that it would free up some of her time. With his hoodie zipped up all the way, Lucas entered into the diner to find Alton playing with the sugar packets as he waited for him. Glancing up at his friend he found it a bit odd that Lucas looked so emo all of a sudden like he hadn't received sleep for days.
"You really look horrible" Alton told him as he took a seat in the booth
"I feel horrible" Lucas replied as the waiter came over with his cup of coffee "Thank you" he told the waiter as he slid two dollars onto the table
"So is it the baby thing that's been eating you?" Alton asked
"Yes, the possibility that I could have had a child…that tends to stick with you" Lucas replied while taking a sip from his coffee "Charlie would have been a great name for our kid. I mean we probably would have had a boy" he said
"Or you could have had a girl" Alton replied "You could have named her something original and not so cliché like Jenny or Amy" he said
"I can name all the children I want to but the fact remains is that the kid was something I never knew about" Lucas sighed "I just keep wondering how bad could our relationship have been for her not to tell me. We loved each other, that never changed…and she felt like she couldn't tell me" he said running his fingers through is hair
"Well I do think she should have told you but to go into her perspective for a bit…imagine what it felt like for her? The girl to find out she'd be pregnant at age seventeen" Alton said
"And I would have been a father at age seventeen. Look I'm not mad about it, I just wished we could have dealt with this together because now I'm left with all these questions" Lucas said
"Then maybe this is the time you ask her" Alton suggested
"Hey, Hanna. Tell me about your almost pregnancy you had, that sounds like a great conversation starter. I know I need to but I need to gain control of my emotions before I even attempt to go there with her" Lucas said
"So when are you gonna go there? You guys need to go there because this isn't something you gloss over and pretend like it never happened" Alton said
"I've been glad that she's been focusing on her testing but she takes her test today so I figure I should just…tell her we need to talk and then talk" Lucas sighed just as his phone call began to ring. Glancing down at his caller identification he could see that it was Hanna calling
"Pick up the phone!" Alton told his friend
"What do I say?" Lucas asked before Alton reached to grab the phone to answer it
"Hey Hanna" Alton answered the phone
"Uh…hey, Alton. Is Lucas there?" Hanna laughed "Or are you his secretary?" she asked him
"Luke is right in front of me. I'll talk to you later" Alton said handing the phone over to Lucas
"Hey. Hey, Hanna" Lucas replied nervously
"I probably won't get out of the testing center on time, and Kaleb is coming over for the weekend. I was wondering if you could keep him busy until I come home?" Hanna asked
"Oh, all weekend?" Lucas asked
"Yeah, so can you do it?" Hanna asked
"Yes, I'll keep your boyfriend occupied until you come home to see him. I'll be your boyfriend sitter" Lucas laughed nervously
"Thank you so much" Hanna smiled "Oh, and make sure my dad doesn't talk to him too much because it'll just scare him" she instructed
"Will do" Lucas replied
"I'll see you tonight then" Hanna said before she hung up the phone
"What about boyfriend sitting?" Alton asked
"I'll be babysitting Kaleb until she comes in from testing. This should be thrilling" Lucas sighed
"You want to know an interesting thing now that you mentioned Kaleb…I was talking to a few of the faculty members and I mentioned him but no one knew who he was. It was if he didn't even go there" Alton said
"He has to go there or else he wouldn't have access to the dorm rooms or even the campus like he does. Plus he knows Jason" Lucas replied
"Yeah, well…I just found that to be odd that you have practically all of the faculty there and not one knows who he is" Alton replied as he shrugged his shoulders
"I would love to come up with more conspiracy theories but I have to boyfriend sit" Lucas said as he got up to pull his keys out
"Keep hope alive
Pacing nervously outside in the hallway waiting for some sign to know that the tests were done, on occasion he would see students come out of the testing room. Standing out in the hallway like this only seem to give him a glimpse of what it would have been like if he ever would have had kid and the nervousness he felt just made him promise that he wouldn't have kid because he just couldn't take it. Half of him wanted to barge in and see just what was going on but the teacher in him knew that it'd be best if he just stayed outside. Noticing the nervous tap he began to do on his coffee cup he just wanted anxiously to have his hands free so every part of him wouldn't be so occupied. Handing her test in, Hanna felt like she was handing her life over and that she no longer had a say in it. Heading out into the hallway she found it a bit funny that Mr. Smith was more of a nervous wreck than she was at the moment.
"I took the test, what did you do?" Hanna asked
"Helped you study for the test" Mr. Smith replied
"So you felt like you were a part of me taking the test, you felt an one with me" Hanna laughed as they walked down the hallway
"I put the time in, of course I felt an one. Do you always have to be a smartass?" Mr. Smith asked her
"Thank you" Hanna quickly replied "Thank you for helping me. I wouldn't have been able to do this without you" she said
"Wow! Gratitude from Hanna Marin, I should frame this moment" Mr. Smith laughed as they headed out towards the parking lot where Hanna quickly spotted her father
"And my day just got worse" Hanna sighed as she saw her father walk towards her all ready with the concerned look on his face
"Why?" Mr. Smith asked before he began to notice a man come towards them
"Hanna. Are you done with your test?" Hanna's father asked
"Yeah, I just finished. What are you doing here?" Hanna asked
"Your mother told me you were taking you test, and I just thought we could hang out today because I know your probably exhausted" Hanna's father told her as a moment of silence came between them
"Hi, I'm Hanna's teacher. Mr. Smith" Mr. Smith introduced himself
"I'm her father" Hanna's father said shaking his hand
"Your daughter has worked hard for this test, and just in general with her schoolwork. She doesn't like to have faith in herself all too much but I do believe she did good on this test" Mr. Smith told him
"And you've been helping her?" Hanna's father asked
"Yes" Mr. Smith replied "She wanted to improve in school, and sure enough she has" he smiled on at Hanna proudly
"Yeah, I think I should be heading home. Kaleb should be there" Hanna said "Thank you for coming once again" she turned to tell Mr. Smith
"Yeah, no problem" Mr. Smith smiled "We still have work to do so I'll see you on Monday" he said as he began to walk towards his car
"So are we hanging out today?" Hanna's father asked as he trailed behind her to her car
"I have plans dad" Hanna said
"I was really hoping we could hang out and talk. I just thought we could hang out like we use to" Hanna's father said as she unlocked the door to her car
"I have plans. Now I'll see you at dinner next week" Hanna said before she got in the car
"Yeah, okay. Next week" Hanna's father said sadly before she started the car up and quickly pulled out of her parking spot
Knocking on the door once more, Kaleb began to look around the house to see if anyone was there. Stepping back he pulled his cell phone out to see if Hanna had called but he knew it was as good as anytime to just look around more since it appeared than no one was home. Digging in his pocket he pulled out a pocket knife and began to pick his way inside the house easily. In the entry way he couldn't help but smile in pure delight that it was all becoming so easy to him. Sifting through things as he just walked through the home he soon laid eyes on a colored photo book that appeared to be Hanna's just by the way it was decorated. Flipping through the pictures he felt disgusted to see Hanna smile so happily with her friends back in the days of Alison's reign, his anger seemed to enrage the more he saw Alison's face as if she were haunting him from beyond. Becoming bored with the picture he quickly noticed something familiar to him or more like someone familiar to him as he looked beyond Alison and her followers to one of her victims that she had tortured for years on end. Noticing that the door was open once he pulled up into the driveway, Lucas made his way over to Hanna's house thinking that maybe her mother had came in early. Entering into the house he was surprised to see Kaleb looking on at a photo book, a bit taken a back to see Kaleb in the house seeing as once he came over he concluded that Hanna's mother wasn't home.
"How'd you get in?" Lucas asked tearing Kaleb out of his trance
"Lucas…you scared me" Kaleb laughed nervously "I…Hanna's mother left quickly but she let me in" he replied as he closed the book "Hanna isn't here. You know if that's what your wondering" he then said
"Yeah, she's on her way. What are you looking at?" Lucas asked as he closed the door behind him to notice scratchings on the door knob before closing it completely
"I was looking at some photos of Hanna. I forget how high school use to be, with the friends and everything. I enjoy seeing her smile like this" Kaleb told him
"Yeah, they're all pretty close" Lucas replied "Best friends forever sort of deal" he said as he rummaged through the fridge to grab a soda
"You've clearly been over a lot, should you consider yourself a best friend forever type of deal thing too?" Kaleb asked as Lucas just laughed at the fact that he clearly didn't know how Hanna and him knew each other
"Something like that….so I was going to head over to the comic book store for the latest and the greatest, do you want to join?" Lucas asked
"Uh, yeah…I thought Hanna was on her way though?" Kaleb asked
"She is but where she took her test at is about twenty minutes from here, so if you don't want to just wait around" Lucas suggested
"I think I'll just hang around…Hanna will probably get back quicker than we think" Kaleb replied "So since you know this place pretty well, where should I place my bags?" Kaleb asked as Lucas felt a bit of anger to get the mental picture of Kaleb and Hanna together in a bed together
"You'd probably be safe putting them in the guest room…downstairs. Away from Hanna's room" Lucas replied "So how were finals?" he asked
"Pretty good, I was just glad to get out. I love Jamestown, but I needed to get a rest" Kaleb replied
"Yeah, school is stressful. Going up to Jamestown I almost started to reconsider it. The campus is amazing and the faculty" Lucas said bating Kaleb into an answer to see if Alton was right about what he said earlier
"The faculty is amazing, they're the best part of the school. Knowing the faculty is a bonus for you" Kaleb smiled
"You seem to be well known amongst the faculty, I mean I was thinking if I went to Jamestown that I'd get away with anything just by knowing you" Lucas laughed
"I do know them all. I could be of help to you when it comes to scheduling your classes" Kaleb said "But you're all ready spoken for right?" he asked "Winthrop has all ready branded you" he then said
"I'm a Winthrop guy, but Jamestown has become appealing to me" Lucas said realizing that maybe there was something to Alton's theory just before Hanna made her way inside the house surprised to see Lucas and Kaleb inside.
"Hey guys" Hanna said as they both turned their attention towards her
"Your back early. Lucas made it seem like you'd be a while" Kaleb said as he walked over to give her a hug and kiss
"Traffic wasn't bad like I thought it would be. Did you just get here?" Hanna asked
"Yeah, your mom let me in" Kaleb lied
"She must've have swung by on her lunch break, meaning she might have brought me something" Hanna smiled at the realization
"I'll see you guys later. I have some cleaning to do around the house" Lucas said as he slowly backed out of the house
"We should hang out tonight? Catch a movie or something. I can call up the gang and make it an event" Hanna suggested as she stepped towards Lucas's direction
"I'm not sure" Lucas replied unable to think of a good lie that would get him out of it
"Well you've got sure plans tonight and that involves all of us hanging out" Hanna quickly replied "I'm not letting my bestie mope around in his all day cleaning, plus you suck at cleaning and we could knock it out together" she told him
"She drives a hard bargain" Kaleb laughed
"Yes, she does. Sure…I'll be over about five or six" Lucas said before he walked out of the house. Turning back to close the door he spotted Hanna and Kaleb in a close embrace leaning in to kiss each other and it just felt like knives be thrown at his stomach as he had to endure her with another guy. Closing the door behind him he took the pained journey home as he knew he had to spend the time until he had to come back over to get him mentally prepared to see Hanna draped all over her boyfriend while he battled his newly discovered feelings for her. Pulling his cell phone out as he headed inside his house he quickly dialed Alton.
"Chello" Alton answered the phone
"We need to meet up. Call Jake as well" Lucas said
"Jake? Why would I call Jake?" Alton asked
"Because Kaleb lied. I asked him point blank and he lied" Lucas told his friend "Meet me at the diner" he said
"Over and out" Alton replied
"What?" Lucas asked him confused by the statement
"That was my cool statement that signals I'm ready. You know the cliché line in the movie where your like oh, shit or you don fu…" Alton explained before Lucas just finally hung up on his friend.
Throwing her keys on to the kitchen counter as she flipped through briefings on cases for the next day in his usual routine of entering after a long day at work, Spencer came prancing down the staircase to see that her parents had made it home. Even though her mother was a solid presence in front of her she knew her father wasn't too far behind. Grabbing an apple from the fruit basket that the staff had put out she went over to sit at the kitchen table just as her father had made his way inside the house with Melissa close behind. Caught off guard to see her sister, Spencer immediately perked up in her seat feeling as if she had to show perfection whenever Melissa was around because she was always the first to point out her imperfections.
"How was tennis today Spence?" Mr. Hastings asked his daughter
"It was good. My backhand is getting stronger" Spencer replied as she took a bite out of her apple
"Your backhand? Spencer you should all ready have a strong backhand as long as you've been with Bryant. What are you doing in these sessions because its clearly not improving" Melissa laughed
"Let's not forget who lost in both singles and doubles against me" Spencer smiled at her sister knowing she got the upper hand in that come back "What are you doing home anyways? I thought you were in school?" she asked
"Finished up finals. Besides I've been asked to speak as the representatives for the youth group at the mayors ball" Melissa said
"Have you wrote your speech yet?" Mrs. Hastings asked
"I'm just about finished with it. Took me hours to come up with enough compliments that aren't exactly true about the mayor" Melissa replied
"Who cares if its true, just as long as we keep up appearances. Are you bringing Troy to the dinner?" Mr. Hastings asked
"Yes, daddy. Troy is coming in an extra day because he happened to mention you calling him about a golf tournament" Melissa said
"Really? Your participating in that again, last time you did that you complained a whole week about losing" Mrs. Hastings groaned
"Which is why I want Troy to come. Troy is a good golfer and will be a big help" Mr. Hastings replied
"Golfing is just not your game dad. Now tennis would be more of your sport" Spencer replied
"Well the tournament is for golf and I'm going to golf" Mr. Hastings said as the girls just laughed to themselves
"Is that Alex boy going to come with you?" Melissa turned to ask Spencer
"Alex and I broke up, you know that" Spencer replied
"But I'm sure your dating again because lets face it…you are Spencer Hastings" Melissa replied but not in a good way "Who is the lucky chap?" she asked
"Stop bating your sister" Mrs. Hastings told Melissa
"Spence, if your bringing someone than you should tell us so we have the right amount of tickets" Mr. Hastings said
"Yeah, I'm planning to bring a date" Spencer replied
"A date? As in boyfriend?" Melissa asked
"Yes a boyfriend" Spencer replied as her mother turned her attention towards her
"You have a boyfriend? How come we've never heard anything about it?" Mrs. Hastings asked
"Like you two are home long enough to mention that" Spencer said
"We're here now, so why the secretive about the boy?" Mr. Hastings asked
"There was no secrecy. I just haven't had the chance to sit down and tell you about him, let alone invite him over for dinner" Spencer said
"Is it Kaleb Berkins? I've heard he's been back in town a lot lately" Melissa asked
"No, Kaleb is dating Hanna" Spencer replied "They've been together for about three months, I think" she said
"Hanna and Kaleb, that's an odd relationship. I mean I never saw Hanna dating a guy like Kaleb, I always kind of figured you'd date him" Melissa said
"Why would I date Kaleb? I don't really know him that well besides through our family" Spencer replied
"He's got an Abercrombie and fitch feel about him" Mrs. Hastings said as they each turned to look at her surprised that she'd use that language
"That's disturbing. Who is the beau, Spence? I'm dying to know" Melissa said
"You'll see" Spencer replied
"Yes, we will" Mr. Hastings said before his cell phone began to ring again before he let out a groan just before answering "Yes!" he answered annoyed as he walked out of the kitchen with Mrs. Hasting following behind as she headed upstairs
"Let's hope daddy will approve. We both know how he felt about Alex, and with all the social events coming up…I'd hate for him to be disappointment in his little pride and joy" Melissa said before she got up from her seat and headed outside towards the barn house leaving Spencer to think
Dragging the boy into the diner with his lap top in hand, Alton couldn't believe this was the lengths he had to go to just to get Jake to the diner. Lucas looking on at the scene hoped that no one else would notice but he knew once they sat down that it would be official that they were all together. For a moment Jake looked from both Alton and Lucas as if he were held under hostage by the two of them. Realizing that they weren't playing with him, Jake reluctantly opened up his lap top and began to pull up the items that Alton had requested from him. Finally turning the screen around to show Lucas, Jake sat back just waiting for his services to come to an end.
"Am I done here?" Jake asked
"What does this all mean" Lucas asked as he looked on at the information
"Seriously? I thought you guys were smart?" Jake asked them in disbelief before Alton hit him in the back of his head
"We are! Explain this crap…it looks like just a bunch of names" Alton said
"That's because it's the incoming freshmen lists for Jamestown for the past four years. Your guy isn't on neither" Jake said
"Which I was right about" Alton replied happily to know his investigative skills "So how did he have that much access to the campus if he's not a student?" he asked
"Well I ran a search with just his name and nothing seemed to come up, so then I ran a photo identifier search which is like using his name in a search engine" Jake explained
"How'd you get a picture of him?" Lucas asked
"I took a picture of him when Hanna and him first started dating…he looked like the Abercrombie and fitch guy. I thought he was famous" Alton said
"Moving on…he did attend Rosewood high about four years ago, apparently he was best friends with Jason DiLaurentis" Jake said
"I thought he didn't know Jason that well, I mean I know they know each other hence the reason why he got invited to the party, but best friends?" Lucas asked
"They were in comic book club, photo club, and rotary club" Jake named off
"That's a lot of clubs" Alton commented "So they were high school buddies, who kind of fell of in college" he said
"Not quite, Kaleb took a year off from school. I hacked into his parent's bank accounts and there were large transactions made to Levingston Institute" Jake said "Apparently he was treated for hearing voices…basically he flipped his lid" he said
"Levingston, the same place Toby was sent to" Alton said almost as if he were drawing on past researches of all things Toby in his quest to know the truth "After Jenna's accident he was sent there, did a month or two then got moved" he said
"So everything we know about Kaleb is a lie" Lucas said
"What if he's a guy with a sketchy past…nothing else. I mean everyone has their secrets in this town, its how you survive out here" Jake replied
"Maybe, but why would he present himself one way when its clear he's something else" Alton said
"The question is what is he hiding?" Lucas said "And I want to know what" he then said
"Whoa, wait. What is it with you two and digging into people's past? The guy hasn't presented fact but that's his business" Jake said "Nothing about this guy seems off…just the voices, but c'mon we all hear them" he said
"Yeah, if we're half crazy" Alton replied finding his defense to be shotty
"Just look into this for me? Please" Lucas asked him
"To find what Luke? If he has good hygiene" Jake replied
"You can do that?" Alton asked
"Just do this for me. I'll compensate whatever way you choose" Lucas said
It was like being in his worst of nightmares, where he just had to sit there and endure the pain of seeing her with her Abercrombie and Fitch boyfriend. The gang had ended up going the local bowling alley, which should have been somewhat of a sign to him seeing as its always the bowling alleys where couples get all affectionate with each other. Escaping the love fest, Lucas headed to the concession stand to order a large batch of cheese fries and a large pitcher of root beer or in his mind the g-rated beer, but boy what he would have done for the real thing. Noticing the boy waiting for his order, Maya made her way over to go sit with him while he waited as she had noticed through out the night that he wasn't having such a great time.
"Aw…the g-rated beer. Alton explained that one to me" Maya laughed remembering her conversation with Alton
"It spreads" Lucas laughed "So congrats are in order, I was by the office the other day and I came across your commitment school" he said leaning in to give her a hug
"Thank you. NYU has always been a dream school for me, so you can imagine how excited I was" Maya smiled "But my excitement is wearing thin because I'm noticing you" she said
"Why Maya, I respect Emily way too much to do that her" Lucas laughed as he teased her "I'm good. I real good" he said
"No, your not. You forget I'm the one who can see all even when people try to portray a different picture" Maya said
"This picture is happy and tired" Lucas said
"This picture also looks like he's miserable here tonight. I mean I know your not miserable because of me because we always have fun together so it leads me to think it may be because of Hanna and Kaleb" Maya said as she could see an uneasiness in him before she turned to look back to see what the rest of the group was up to before she linked arms with Lucas "How about we take these cheese fries for a walk?" she asked him
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want Em to get upset with me" Lucas laughed as Maya grabbed the cheese fries that the waiter put out then handed it to him before they walked off
"Tell me the truth, what's going on with you? I can tell when your not being yourself" Maya asked him
"I really don't know what I'm suppose to say at this point. I mean Hanna is with Kaleb and they're happy…nothing is wrong with me" Lucas said trying his best to convince Maya
"Lucas" Maya said looking him dead in the eyes as they both stopped dead in their tracks to look at each other
"What do you want me to say? I mean do I think about her, yes. Do I enjoy seeing her with Kaleb, no. She's my best friend" Lucas said
"Then why do I get the feeling that there is something more there Lucas?" Maya asked
"Because" Lucas replied "I'm just grumpy. I'm stressed and tired" he then said
"Lie" Maya quickly said "Your not fooling me Luke. There is something more than that" she said
"Because I'm still in love with her!" Lucas quickly declared feeling as if his secret was finally out "That's what is going on with me. I still love her and now I have to watch her be happy with some other guy" he said trying to gasp for air like the more he talked about it felt like he was just losing every ounce of breath in him "I don't want to feel this because I know the pain and hurt that came from having these feelings for her the first time but I can't stop them….I've tried and I can't do it" he said
"You know why you can't get rid of those feelings so easily?….it's love. It's something you can't shake so easily or decide to get rid of…it's like that gum on the bottom of your shoe that just keeps sticking" Maya said as Lucas just began to play with his hair "If it makes any difference to you…I'm team Hucas" she smiled as Lucas couldn't help but laugh before he pulled her into a hug
"Thanks. I really needed to get that off my chest" Lucas whispered to her as he just held her close
"You owe me though" Maya laughed
Wrapped up in his embrace as they lay together on his bed her eyes began to flutter open once she heard her alarm go off on her cell phone. Leaning over to grab her phone with his free hand he turned the alarm off before tossing it back on the nightstand. Giving him a few quick kisses before she sat up in the bed she quickly noticed college letters that were sitting on his nightstand. Not wanting to make it obvious she tried to make it seem like she was trying to wake up but all the while she looked on to see that it was the schools he was currently enrolled in. Reaching over to grab the letters, Alton rolled over onto his stomach to continue his nap while she just looked on at the letters.
"What is this?" Spencer asked as Alton looked over towards her with one eye open
"Letters from schools" Alton sighed
"Yeah, the schools you happen to be enrolled at. Why are they sending you letters?" Spencer asked "Sending letters don't always equal good things Al, so don't bs your way out of it" she said
"I'm not trying to bs my way out of it. I've decided to free up some time is all" Alton said as he flopped his head down on the pillow yet again
"Free up time? What does that mean?" Spencer asked confused by what he meant by that statement "You took your tests right? I thought you passed them all" she said
"And I did, but I still need some time off…I feel like my mind is turning into mush with all this school" Alton said in a muffling tone as he gripped on tight to his pillow
"Al, you take one class at each school. You know this stuff…I don't see the reason why you need to take a break when you haven't even done anything" Spencer said
"Okay when you have to take three classes on top of the classes you all ready take at high school then come talk to me" Alton replied "Can we just change the topic? Come back to bed, you don't have to be home until late so lets just relax" he said
"I would love to relax but my boyfriend is too damn busy being lazy. Al, this is your future and your just screwing with it" Spencer replied as Alton quickly sat up in his bed
"We're not doing this right now! Stop worrying about the future and mine, just enjoy now woman" Alton replied
"So what's the plan? You take off for a semester and then you do what?" Spencer asked
"Spencer, is this really a topic we have to discuss. I mean I just want to spend some alone time with you, I've had to share you with friends at the bowling alley but now I just want to hang out with you" Alton said as he reached over to pull her towards him making it extremely difficult for her to be mad at him
"We never even discussed it Al" Spencer said as he could tell her tone was starting to change and that he was winning
"We will for now on. We'll tackle the future together" Alton said before he wrapped her up in his embrace which Spencer hated because that's all she needed to calm her down whenever she wanted to over analyze the news
It was early in the morning when she found herself climbing up the very grapevine that had started it all. She had begun to go through the front door but she always felt like it took away from the essence of who they were, when she finally made up she could see that Lucas was still fast asleep with his bare chest showing. When they first use to sleep together he'd always sleep in his graphic t-shirts but ever since returning from his month long get away he had changed up. He had gained more muscles from his once Screech like look, but she did like the change it made him more appealing to the eyes not that he all ready wasn't. Walking over to the bed she snuck in to his bed and did a very seductive pose that way when he rolled over he would be surprised. Beginning to stir, Lucas's eyes began to open slowly as he rolled over to see Hanna on his bed.
"What are you doing?" Lucas asked
"I'm being your wildest fantasy" Hanna said as she began to strike a pose before she laughed not having the slightest effect this was having on Lucas
"Where is Kaleb?" Lucas asked
"He's gone to get some coffee for us. My mom has him running errands to make him earn his stay at the house" Hanna said
"That sounds like something your mom would do" Lucas said "Shouldn't you have gone with him?" he asked her
"I was barely even awake when he told me, but I figured I should come over and talk with you because you were acting weird last night. So….what's up?" Hanna asked as she laid back in the bed
"Nothing. I've just got a lot on my mind" Lucas replied
"Is it about your dad? Your mom told me that he's starting to realize the damage he's done, and I know how hard that was for you to realize he had a problem" Hanna said
"Yeah, he called while we were up at Jamestown. He did a lot of crying and walks down memory lane" Lucas said
"Aw, I'm glad you two had your moment. I feel like I've helped piece this family back together and that warms my heart seeing as my family went straight to hell" Hanna sighed
"My grandma knows" Lucas quickly replied
"Oh, crap! She's going to kill me, huh?" Hanna asked scared out of her mind that Lucas's grandmother would make a surprise visit up just to address the fact that Lucas and Hanna kept such big secrets before Lucas let out a laugh
"No, I don't think she'll be coming…yet" Lucas replied
"But I am happy for you" Hanna smiled as Lucas just looked at her before she cuddled up close to him "I'm proud of you" she smiled
"How'd your test go?" Lucas asked her
"It went okay. I mean its out of my hands now, I just hope that it all works out but I'm prepared if it doesn't" Hanna sighed
"It will. Think positive and it will" Lucas told her "I'm more proud of you now that I think about it, I mean you handled this in a way that I've never seen you handle anything. When your dad doubted you, I was so glad that you shut him up because I wanted that so bad for you" he laughed
"Why? What was my dad saying?" Hanna asked
"He just came to me and wanted me to see what was going on with you and school. To see if you were doing your apps" Lucas told her as she looked at him with a surprised look
"So he goes to you. Why not come to me? His daughter" Hanna said
"Because its not like your welcoming to him" Lucas laughed
"Luke, you've seen how he is. I didn't just make this up out of the blue, my dad just likes to be a father when he feels like it" Hanna said
"Yes, I do. But at some point you've got to burry the hatchett with him just for your sake not for him. Your going to be successful, I know you will but I just want you to feel like your okay with everything" Lucas told her as she just took a moment to think "He's on the outside looking in and he'll always know that he caused that, but you're the better person in all of this and I think you can do better" he said
"And how exactly do I do that? With everything that he's done, how do I do that?" Hanna asked
"You start by being better, which your more than capable of being" Lucas said
"Yeah, well…I'll think about it" Hanna sighed
"I missed this" Lucas said unable to take his eyes off of her "I'm glad that we're back to what we used to be" he said hoping she wouldn't read between the lines but secretly hoped that she would and would share the same feelings as well
"I was a little scared that we wouldn't get back here, but we grinded it out and now we're back to being in each others life. You're my best friend and I don't want to know what this world is without you" Hanna told him as she began to play with his hair
"I feel like we're avoiding something" Lucas said
"What do you mean?" Hanna asked him
"I asked you a question back in Jamestown…" Lucas said before Hanna cut him off
"Luke, lets leave Jamestown back in Jamestown. I hate that we fought like that, and I just really want to chalk that up to school getting to us" Hanna said
"But its something I need to know. It's something that's been bugging me for the longest" Lucas said
"And what would that be? The Noel thing?" Hanna asked
"No. Are you telling me everything? Have you told me everything that I should know or deserve to know?" Lucas asked her
"I don't get what you want?" Hanna asked as Lucas quickly sat up in in the bed ready to reveal his what he knew before Hanna's cell phone began to ring. Reaching over to grab her phone she could see that it was Kaleb calling her "It's Kaleb…can we talk about this later?" she asked
"You'll just pretend you don't even know what I'm talking about again" Lucas sighed
"What? No. No, I wont. I promise. We will sit down and talk about whatever you want to talk about. Kaleb is in town until tomorrow so we can talk" Hanna said "But until then I want you to come over tonight for my dinner party that I'm throwing" she said
"Dinner party?" Lucas asked her "You can't even cook" he laughed
"I'm going to attempt. Your mom has taught me a few things and I want to implement them. Your mom is actually coming so you have to come" Hanna said as she got up from the bed "You'll have more fun than you did last night" she said before she made her way over to the window to climb down the grapevine while all Lucas could do was look on at her leaving. From his window he watched her every movement as she headed back over towards her house where Kaleb came out to meet her until his cell phone began to ring. Walking back over to grab his phone he quickly answered hoping for some sort of a distraction.
"Hello" Lucas answered the phone
"I think I may have something. Can we meet tonight?" Jake asked as Lucas walked over towards the window to look out at Hanna and Kaleb outside.
"Let's meet sooner" Lucas replied "Let's meet up at the diner" he said before he hung the phone
Heading inside the diner like he usually would, Lucas walked over to the counter to grab a cup of coffee before he finally spotted Jake sitting off at their usual booth. Grabbing his coffee once it was brought out to him, Lucas headed over to where Jake was and took a seat. It was a moment of silence that came between the two before Jake had finally looked up from his lap top to see Lucas sitting there. He could tell that Lucas was very anxious to hear what he had found out but then he wondered where all of this was going because from what he had learned it all seemed to be leading towards a bigger picture.
"So what do you have for me?" Lucas asked becoming impatient
"Just tell me one thing, your not secretly trying to kill anyone or anything? Because I think I'd be an accessory" Jake said as Lucas just shook his head in disbelief
"Your not going to be an accessory because I'm not going to murder anyone. What did you find?" Lucas asked
"I remembered the fact that Alton wanted to find out some information on Toby and what happened to him, then you come to me about Kaleb. So I was just playing around and thought both of you were crazy with this whole theories coming out of nowhere so I tried to find the connection between Kaleb and Toby" Jake explained as Lucas looked at him intently wondering just what he came up with "There is a connection" he said
"Kaleb and Toby? How can that be? I mean I've met all of Toby's family" Lucas replied "We were best friends growing up" he said
"Well there is a connection. Toby's biological mother had a son with…Toby's uncle" Jake said
"What? So there like cousins and step brothers?" Lucas asked
"It appears so. I'd be willing to guess that the time they both went to Levingston that they were both well aware of the fact that they were related, which might explain the fact that they went away to the same institution" Jake said "You two might be on to something here, I mean what if Kaleb came back to avenge his step brothers death or something" he suggested
"And then there is Hanna. It's no secret that Hanna was amongst Alison's covenant and then we all know how Alison felt about Toby" Lucas said in a trance like state
"So it all stems back to that summer…with Kaleb and with…Toby. So the question really is what is Kaleb's motives?" Lucas asked himself aloud. Picking up the phone Lucas thought to himself on what he should do, wondering what he should do with this information because just the link to Toby made him concerned more than anything. Unable to control himself he knew had to just put it out there and get to the bottom of it and he couldn't go around Hanna. Going to his text screen Lucas began to text Hanna.
Lucas: We need 2 tlk abt Kaleb. I have some ?'s abt him
Pouring himself a cup of coffee as he looked on at the morning news he began to feel a sense of home almost to the point where it disgusted him. Like clockwork Hanna had got up early to take her morning shower before she would head over to Lucas's to investigate the reason as to why he didn't come over last night. She had become so predictable to him that he could bet money as to where and when her every movement was, which would be helpful in the near future with the plans that were coming. Making his way back upstairs to get changed out of his pajamas, Kaleb couldn't help but notice the crack into Hanna's room. He almost felt the need to walk away but he knew that this was the perfect opportunity to snoop around while she was probably blow drying her hair. Slowly entering the room he began to look through a few of her things when he began to notice that her cell phone had one unopened message. At first he chalked it up to Hanna just talking to one of her little friends but his curiosity just seemed to get the best of him. Opening up the message he could see that it was from Lucas but what came next shocked him. For a moment his heart raced as his trail that he thought was conveniently covered was beginning to leave tracks as he read the message.
Lucas: We need 2 tlk abt Kaleb. I have some ?'s abt him
Closing the phone up, he could hear that she was done blow drying her hair. Feeling as if he had to act quick he quickly scurried across the hallway. Coming out of the restroom trying to towel dry her hair, Hanna looked over at her bedroom door to see that the door was opened.
"Kaleb" Hanna called out as she looked over to see that the guest room door was opened as well with no one inside. A moment of silence came which caused her to believe that everything was fine "He must be downstairs" she said turning towards the staircase, placing her first foot down she was soon thrusted forward unexpectedly and was unable to grab control as she found herself tumbling down the staircase. Finally coming to a halt, Kaleb stood at the top of the staircase looking down at the lifeless body before he walked back into her room to grab her cell phone along with his. Deleting Lucas's message from her phone he took took a moment to control his emotion knowing that her lifeless body at the bottom of the staircase could mean that she was dead but he knew he had to protect himself because it took too long to get where he was just to have it all taken away from him. Throwing the phone against the wall downstairs so that it shattered, Kaleb quickly grabbed his stuff from his room and made his way downstairs and kicked the pieces of his phone over towards her body. Looking at her once more to see that her eyes were closed shut, gripping on tight to his bag he then turned to leave.