Author's Note: Sorry that it took so long, school just started back up for the spring. Please, please write a review if you can because I would like to hear your feedback on the story. So I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope to hear what you have to say.
Chapter Seventeen- The Nut and The Scout
It had been an inner battle within himself to handle the blood stained hands but he knew that it was for the bigger picture, the end would all be worth it. Staring over at the shotgun that rested in the passenger seat on occasions where he put the peddle to the metal so that he'd feel he was traveling at a record pace that way the enclosed spaces wouldn't allow the voices to sink in. He was out of his mind and he knew it, but he had to stay focused and eliminate anyone or anything that stood in his way. Hearing the vibration of his phone go into over load, Kaleb began to run his fingers through his hair nervously as he did his best to control the situation instead of the other way around. Pulling into the narrow passage way that lead to the abandoned cabin in the woods of Rosewood, Kaleb was relieved to finally be somewhere that was familiar to him. Getting out of the car he looked around a bit before leaning in to grab his shotgun along with his overnight bag. Opening the worn down door he flicked on the switch to the only light bulb that shed a little light before he put his stuff down. Staring off into the corner of the room he found he couldn't stop himself from what was the most dangerous thing…himself. Looking off in the corner, Kaleb zoned in on the glass that sat on the table.
[Flashback]
Running into the darkened bedroom, Kaleb did his best not to wake his cousin, Toby, but found that his younger cousin was stirring awake. Covering his hand over his mouth he had to make sure that Toby wouldn't make any loud noises because Terrible Tom was on the prowl and was his usual angry self. Earlier that night Kaleb couldn't fall to sleep easily due to the nightmares he had, but felt somewhat at peace since his aunt and cousin had come to visit. Sneaking out of his bedroom he wanted to get a glass of water, but little did he know that he would get more than he had bargained for when had stumbled upon Terrible Tom and his Aunt Meredith in a compromising position through the crack of his fathers bedroom door. Unable to hold his silence he accidentally hit the glass that was resting on the counter top causing it to come to a shatter, immediately scrambling off to his room he found himself in this predicament.
"What are you doing up?" Toby asked once Kaleb let his hand down from his mouth thinking the coast was clear
"I was thirsty….I was just thirsty" Kaleb said unable to stop his trembling
"You shouldn't be up. You know how he gets when we walk at night" Toby scolded his cousin
"I was thirsty" Kaleb reasoned once more before his father kicked open the door to find the two young boys up. Clenching his belt in hand, he quickly grabbed onto Kaleb as Toby screamed out for his cousin
"You break my valuables?" Kaleb's father yelled as Kaleb began to cry uncontrollably
"No" Kaleb cried as his father shook him so hard that he was unable to control his bladder letting the pee drip down his pajama pants. Noticing the pee his father slung him across the room so that he hit the wall
"Stop!" Toby called out
"Stay out this brat!" Kaleb's father yelled
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's my fault…I was a bad boy. I was a bad boy" Kaleb screamed as he rocked himself allowing the voices to come into his head "I was a bad boy!" he yelled as he began to himself
"Make him stop. Please make him stop!" Toby yelled out once he saw his mother peaking her head in at the doorway
"Shut up!" Kaleb's father yelled as Kaleb's cries only got louder "Did you break my valuables you piece of shit?" he yelled again
"No. No. No" Kaleb said gaining control of himself as Toby turned to look at him. Giving his cousin a look, Toby tried to read him as best as possible and knew that he wouldn't like the outcome of this like usual when it came to Kaleb. Getting ready to strike Kaleb with the belt, Kaleb held his hand up in protest "Toby. Toby did it!" he yelled out stopping the strike of the belt from hitting him before his father slowly turned towards Toby
"I didn't. Kaleb, tell him the truth!" Toby screamed as he slowly rose from the bed looking from Kaleb to his mother for help "I didn't do it" he cried
"Stop lying" Kaleb cried "You did it" he sobbed
"No!" Toby screamed causing a piercing noise through the house which sent chills down his mother's spine "Mom, please" he cried out for his mother
"Mer, go back to the bedroom. I'll be there in a few minutes" Kaleb's father turned to tell her as the tears were visibly coming down her face listening on to the boys cry "They have to learn, I'm not raising brats" he said
"I know…do you have to be so hard. I mean it was an accident" Toby's mom tried to plead there case but knew how tough Kaleb's father was
"Go back to the bedroom" Kaleb's father yelled at her before she slowly did as she was told giving one final look at her son as he cried out for her
"You two cause nothing but trouble. You little pieces of shit are nothing but leeches that drink and spend all my damn money. I'll teach you one way or the other that I will not tolerate your bullshit" Kaleb's father said as he tightened his grip on the belt as he kicked the door close. Sobbing in the corner of the room, Kaleb prayed that he wouldn't endure the first of his father's wrath "I believe you, but next time it will be both of you" he told Kaleb
"No!" Toby cried out before Kaleb's father began to strike him continuously in a rage as all that filled the room were the sound of belt to flesh and cries that would bring the strongest of people to their knees in tears.
[Present]
Feeling as if he couldn't breath, Kaleb clenched on to his chest as his breathing had quickened to where he was unable to control in aspect of his body. Walking over to his bag he quickly sifted through his bag before he pulled out a orange pill bottle to pour five pill capsule in hands to swallow quickly. After a moment of two, Kaleb was able to gain control and slowly ease back into the reality. Turning back slowly to look on at the object that had started it all, Kaleb swiftly grabbed onto the glass and for a moment thought to himself what the consequences as if he were that little kid again as so much of him wanted to smash it. Motioning to throw it he was soon caught off guard by what appeared to be the ghost of his cousin, Toby. Dropping the glass, the two of them watched it shatter before Kaleb looked back up at Toby.
"Uh oh" Toby said before Kaleb fell to his knees as he had overwhelming sound of the screams of that night when they were young of Terrible Tom brutally beating Toby.
Standing in the doorway, Hanna looked on strangely at the inside of her house as she was trying to regain some sort of memory of what had happened that day, something that would make sense to her. Earlier on in the day she had tried to call Kaleb to break up with him, but like usual this past few days he had been unreachable. She didn't want to end things over a phone but the alternative of seeing him freaked her out especially since she had no idea as to why he even came in her life in the first place, and the fact that he was connected to Toby only scared her. Feeling a slight pain in her sprained arm, she began to adjust sling hoping that it would make things better. Slowly entering the house noticing the blonde standing motionless in her own home, Lucas cautiously knocked on the door not wanting to scare her in her moment. Turning around to see that it was Lucas.
"So your not avoiding me. Yipee" Hanna said not phased by his presents to even let her mood change
"I see those pills are kicking in" Lucas replied as he handed her a brown bag "Here" he said
"What is this?" Hanna asked
"I got you some stuff to help the recovery process. Your mom wanted to spruce up the place but didn't have time to get you everything that you might need since you'll be lounging" Lucas said as Hanna pulled out her favorite magazine along with her favorite candy
"Only you know this is my favorite" Hanna said holding up her favorite candy, Goobers
"Yeah, well I didn't say that I didn't add my own things that I thought you'd like" Lucas said "I even made you a mix" he said
"Lucas, why are you doing this?" Hanna asked
"I thought we were friends. I mean friends do this, right?" Lucas asked her
"But your not trying to be my friend, your trying to be my boyfriend…there's a difference" Hanna sighed
"Yeah, and in both of them I still love you" Lucas said
"But I don't love you" Hanna replied as Lucas just looked at her
"I get that" Lucas said
"Then why do this? Why make me a mix and buy me my favorite candies?" Hanna asked "Let's make it easier for the both of us" she said
"Okay, I will. I'm officially making it easy for you" Lucas said "I'll be heading to school, oh I forgot something" he said quickly remembering something
"What?" Hanna asked
"I love you" Lucas smiled before he turned to leave closing the door behind him leaving Hanna frustrated as she wanted to melt at the sound of hearing him say that to her once again like he use to but couldn't because she had to remain cold hearted for his own sake. Pulling out the mix, she couldn't help but have tears well up in her eyes as she read the title of the disc
"Songs that Made Me Realize I Loved You and Still Loved You" Hanna read to herself "Your not suppose to do this crap!" she yelled at the door hating that Lucas was making it so hard for her
Tramping through the woods like the one time wilderness boy that he was, Alton swore that he'd kill Jake for even suggesting this idea but at this point helping Lucas was all he could think of doing. He'd be lying if he didn't still feel guilty for not being there for Lucas when he was dealing with his dad's drinking problem, so this opportunity to help him with the person he knew he loved more than anything there was no way he was turning him down for any other alternative. Adjusting his ear piece he could hear the rumblings of Pokemon in the ear piece causing him to stop in annoyance at his counterparts help or lack of help to the situation.
"Really? Your watching freakin' Pokemon while I'm out here like a damn girl scout" Alton said grabbing Jake's attention
"Sorry. You took to long to get there" Jake replied
"Uh, because the woods is a big ass space of trees" Alton said "It's not something I can go into and just navigate like I'm on a street" he said
"If you were ever a boy scout you would have sucked" Jake said
"Yeah, well good thing that I wasn't" Alton said before his cell phone began to ring
"And now your phone is ringing, yeah don't screw with my Pokemon" Jake said
"You know your like a grown ass kid still watching Pokemon, right?" Alton said before he answered his phone "Hey" he answered
"Where the hell are you?" Spencer asked him "You were suppose to help me with my transition of not having any friends" she said
"I'm camping, sort of, and what exactly happened between you girls?" Alton said
"Nevermind that. Camping? Stop screwing with me, where are you?" Spencer asked him
"Somewhere that won't allow me to go to school today" Alton said
"So your missing school for camping. Tell me your not serious?" Spencer asked
"Look, I had to do this because Jake got these new toys that he's trying to test out and I wanted to help him" Alton sighed knowing he was going to catch flack
"A toy? Alton you've got to be freakin' kidding me!" Spencer yelled
"I will explain later, but I need to be at one with the woods and the big ass trees that block the way to any path visible" Alton replied before Spencer just finally ended the call
"She sounded mad" Jake said
"Yes, we're in love" Alton replied "How much further do I have to go?" he asked
"Another twenty yards" Jake told him as he looked on at his computer to track Alton's movement
Standing by her locker trying to pretend like he had just stumbled upon it, Lucas waited patiently until he saw Jenna making her way over. It had been a while since they spoke, but he always felt like Jenna was more up front with him than anyone he had known. Reese had her moments of being a straight shooter but she waned a couple of times due to her want of becoming and beating out Spencer Hastings. Realizing that Lucas was standing by her locker through her sixth sense she had going on, Jenna gave him a big smile as she stood in front of her locker.
"12, 32, 06, 15" Jenna told him as Lucas opened up her locker to put her books away "To what do I owe this visit?" she asked
"I wanted to talk to you about something" Lucas said as he closed the locker door and assisted her out on to the common grounds of the campus
"Talk about what?" Jenna asked before Lucas looked around to see that they were alone before he helped her grab a seat
"About your step cousin, Kaleb" Lucas said as Jenna began to tense up
"I heard rumblings that Kaleb was in town but I thought nothing of it" Jenna smiled "What has Kaleb done now?" she asked
"Nothing, that I can pin point now on him. I was hoping that you could fill me in on Kaleb as in background" Lucas said
"Kaleb, he's a long story. A story that has many twists and evil outcomes along with evil intentions…do you really need to hear a story about him?" Jenna asked
"I need to for the sake of someone I love" Lucas said
"Aw, and we always come back to Hanna. Tell me what crisis are you trying to avoid happening to her?" Jenna asked
"She's oblivious to Kaleb, and the fact that he's lying to her. I found out that he had told her that he was attending Jamestown, we even went up to Jamestown for Jason DiLaurentis party" Lucas said as Jenna just laughed
"He's far from Jamestown material" Jenna laughed "He could buy a paper better than he could write one" she said
"So is he dishonest, a crook…give me something?" Lucas asked
"Kaleb is disturbed. This town crucified Toby for being so crazy in the head when really Kaleb was the only crazed one in our family" Jenna said
"Crazed? What do you mean? are talking about his stint in the institution?" Lucas asked
"You've done your homework" Jenna smiled "Let's just put it this way, Kaleb deserves a lot more blame than he's received" she said
"But what does that mean? What has Kaleb done or could do?" Lucas asked her as Jenna just let out a deep sigh not wanting to dig into the past but knew that Lucas would only keep pushing
"Something is wrong with him, I mean seriously wrong with him but he's got this ability to act as if he's perfectly fine. Toby tried to be a friend to Kaleb because of all the craziness that's in our family but the closer he got to Kaleb, the darker her got and ultimately I believe that while Alison played a part in Toby's end, Kaleb played a part as well" Jenna warned the boy
Walking around the house feeling like she was a stranger in her whole house, Hanna just looked for something interesting to do as she got bored in her own home. Heading into the kitchen she began to pick at leftovers but she couldn't really enjoy that all too much because all she kept thinking about was if the food was going to make her fat. Even though she had accepted herself and her body she still couldn't help but worry about getting fat, usually that would have lead to her puking her guts out but now she found a healthy way to deal with it. Putting the food back in the fridge to switch for a bottle of water, Hanna headed over to the sofa before she was torn from her path by the sound of the doorbell. Turning the volume down on the television before heading over to answer the door, Hanna was surprised to see Aria standing on her front porch.
"Nice sling" Aria laughed nervously
"School let out early" Hanna sighed not wanting to let on how excited she really was to have company other than People's Court
"No, I just got out early. I had a meeting with the counselor and they just wrote me a slip to get out early since it was during the last period. How are you?" Aria asked
"Good. You?" Hanna asked her
"I'm doing good. I'm just finalizing some stuff for my trip to London and all" Aria smiled "Have you gotten the results yet from your test?" she asked
"No, I haven't yet. I'm sure when they do Mr. Smith will come running" Hanna said
"Do you miss us?" Aria asked "I miss us" she said sadly
"Aria, this…this really isn't the time" Hanna said
"We're best friends. Yes, we've had to deal with some messed up crap but we're best friends" Aria said
"Look, I didn't want this but this is what it has come to. I can't keep pretending like I love being the sacrificial lamb who has to put her life on pause for the good of the group. So in order to spare the group we shouldn't be a group" Hanna said
"Then be with Lucas if you want to" Aria said
"It's not that easy. I have to look out for him and as much as I love him, I still want him alive even if we're not together" Hanna said
"Then what? I mean you want to be with Lucas than be with Lucas, and whatever happens will deal" Aria said
"Wow! That sounded reassuring that I'm making a good decision. That was like if Lucas gets hit by a car then we'll just deal when we reach the hospital" Hanna replied
"I didn't mean it like that" Aria replied
"Do I hate how this turned out, yes. But I can't deal with anything else right now involving the over dramatic world that is about us" Hanna told her
"What does that mean?" Aria asked
"Nothing, I just….I'm sorry but I don't want the group back together. I just want to forget" Hanna said before she slowly began to close the door as Aria began to protest
"Hanna" Aria said just before the door closed on her. Rushing over to her mother's room, Hanna found that it was harder to stop the tears that were coming down than it was to conceal them as she flopped onto her mother's bed wanting some sort of comfort at a time in her life where everything felt so confusing to her. In a quick motion she sat up in the bed before she pulled her cell phone out to dial a number that was once so familiar to her.
"Hanna, surprised to see you calling me" Mona answered the phone
"I need an escape. Know any good parties for tonight?" Hanna asked
"Do I know any? Hanna, this is me your talking to" Mona laughed amused that she would even think to ask a question like that with a straight face "Be ready in an hour. I'll take you out for a real good time" she said proudly as Hanna just took a deep breath
Pacing the floor, Kaleb did his best to gain control of himself but found that seeing his step- brothers presence made it hard to do so. Running his fingers through his hair he began to hear the voices come in and out like it was on constant replay. Standing in the corner of the room all Toby could do was laugh to himself as he just couldn't help but enjoy the sight of his brother being tormented by his ghostly appearance. Turning towards Toby, Kaleb looked at him closely trying to make out if he was real or not or if this was just a figment of his imagination but as he could see the cocky smile on his brothers it only became so real to him. Walking over towards the shot gun, Toby picked up the gun and began to look on with much intrigue as to what Kaleb had planned for.
"Do you even know how to use this thing?" Toby asked
"Your not real. You are not here right now!" Kaleb yelled
"I'll take that as a yes" Toby laughed "So what was the plan going to be for this bad boy? Just shoot em' up style" he asked
"Why are you here? I mean this isn't real and your not real….nothing is real!" Kaleb yelled "So go!" he demanded
"You've really lost it. Look at you, you just look pathtic" Toby laughed "I use to think that I was pathtic but looking at you my mind has just been put to ease over it" he said "So what's A got you doing now?" he asked
"None of your business" Kaleb fired back
"The hell it isn't. You ruined me, made me the scapegoat for the mess you made…I deserve to know, hell I all ready do" Toby said
"Then why ask the freakin' question?" Kaleb asked him
"I just want to hear from your own mouth. I want to know if my dear old brother can really go through with this. Pull the trigger" Toby said
"Of course I can pull the trigger. Those bitches have it coming to them and I'm not sparing them any mercy" Kaleb said
"Yes, because they're the ones to blame for my death, for my hell on earth. They're the ones to blame" Toby said "The one to blame is dead, they have nothing to do with this" he said
"They did this! They made you like this" Kaleb said "What happened that summer was those bitches and you had to suffer…I will make them pay" he said with much anger in his voice
"For what? Kaleb, what did they do that has to come to this" Toby said as he held up the gun
"What did they do! Are you being serious now? You can't be real because the real Toby would be right along with me ready to blow their brains out for all the crap they put this family through" Kaleb said
"No, I was the one that had to endure the hell. I was the one that shipped off to the institute, I was the one that had to walk the halls hearing the whispers, and I forgive them. If I can forgive for the hell then you can just drop it because it was my battle, not yours. If you really want to be angry about something than you should be upset with all the flack I caught because of you" Toby said as a moment of silence came between them
"I'm trying to make amends for what I've done" Kaleb said
"You won't do it by killing people" Toby said
"How can you forgive? They were mean to you, they knew what happened that night and they just let you suffer for it. Alison made your life a living hell! And you let her get away with it, you let them get away it" Kaleb said
"Yeah, well my life was pretty crappy all the way around. I died in a boat, not the ending I pictured for my seventeen year old self" Toby replied
"And we can fix this. Let me help you, I can make all the pain go away if you just let me help you" Kaleb pleaded as the tears began to well in his eyes "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I did, but I want to help you. I need to make amends and this is the only way I know how. I wanted to apologize and fix things but they took that opportunity away from me" he said as tears streamed down his face
"You made mistakes, we all make mistake but putting blame on others won't solve anything" Toby said "You've got to let it go, and get out the trouble your in because this A is nothing but trouble" he said
"I can't. I'm too far in to just walk away" Kaleb said "Think about what she did to Mona, how she treated her" he said
"Mona? that's your example for eye for an eye?" Toby asked "You really need think about this because your about to make a mistake that you can't take back" he said
"Well, I guess this is a mistake I'll have to make" Kaleb said "I want payback and I won't stop until I get it. Those bitches deserve what's coming to them and I sure as hell will be there to watch" he said with a menace smile on his face
Looking up at the sky, Alton could soon tell that night time was coming upon him and that he wouldn't have long before it'd be close to impossible to find what he was looking for now. Rolling his sleeve up once more he looked on at his arm where he wrote down some of the stuff that Jake had told him on the ear piece figuring that Jake would lose concentration once again now that Sailor Moon had caught his attention. His mind just kept feeling boggled as he kept looking on at the worn down cabin a ways up. He had heard old stories about that cabin but for the most part he always knew that it was just an abandoned cabin that hadn't manage to reach the scrap pile when the land was surveyed a few years back. Feeling a bit tired he walked over towards a tree stump and pulled out his water bottle to take a break before he got a loud frequency noise come through that caused him to wince in pain before removing it from his ear.
"What the hell are you doing?" Alton asked angrily
"Sorry, I put the phone up to the speaker. Have you found anything yet?" Jake asked
"No. Just some worn down cabin" Alton replied before taking another sip of his water
"Cabin? That old cabin where old man Gifford got his head cut off?" Jake asked
"Okay, that just made Rosewood sound like a ghost town…yes, where old man such and such lost his head…literally" Alton replied "There's has got to be another location for Kaleb's house. I mean he's related to Jenna so maybe they lived close to her house or in the vicinity?" he asked
"Nope. The coordinates I gave you were the ones that were listed on every document they signed for under home address" Jake said
"Well that cabin is not a home, its barely a space. This makes our town officials look pretty stupid because somebody had to have known that his so called address was a run down cabin" Alton said
"There is another address but its when he was at the institute" Jake said
"Then we have our answer…the institute" Alton replied
"Yeah, really? They won't tell you anything less in case its urgent and you're an adult. Then if you ask questions they might alarm his parents that someone is asking questions leading to a can of worms that we don't want to open" Jake said
"Well then what do I do because its starting to get dark and I'm out in hundred acre woods. I don't know how Winnie the Pooh put up with all this damn woods stuff" Alton complained
"You really hate the woods, don't you?" Jake asked
"If you hear me cursing more than usual its not because I'm overcome with blissful joy. Help me get out of here because I don't even remember how to get back to my car" Alton said
"What about the cabin?" Jake asked "You should check it out" he suggested
"And see possible snakes and other slimy creatures, no thank you" Alton replied
"And Spencer loves you. I would have done it" Jake said
"Spencer doesn't love me, yet. You wouldn't have done it because you didn't even come out here with me so save that crap for someone who will listen" he told him "And stop bringing up my girlfriend, emphasis on my girlfriend" he then said before he got up to head back while Jake began to type away at his computer to get a trail going back to Alton's car. Walking just a few steps, Alton soon heard a car engine start up.
"Okay, I got you a route" Jake said as Alton turned around suspiciously
"Did you hear that?" Alton asked him cautiously
"Hear what?" Jake asked
"I heard a car engine. It sounded like it was coming from that cabin" Alton told him
"Did you see the car?" Jake asked
"No, I just heard it" Alton said as he walked up further towards the cabin to see the car driving through the woods and it appeared to be a nice sports car "Who the hell would drive a car like that through here? Let alone to that cabin?" he asked
"Maybe it was high school gets getting their freak on. Reference to Missy E by the way" Jake joked
"Okay, I'm in what could possibly be the set of Winnie the Pook and every movie they did about that wart hog…" Alton said before Jake interrupted him
"You mean piglet" Jake said
"Yes, piglet. I need you to focus here" Alton scolded him
"You're the one making reference to a beloved Disney character" Jake quickly stated "Clearly Spencer doesn't love you for your smarts" he then said
"Hey, hey. My girlfriend. She's off topic. Spencer and me, not you…so no more reference to her or the big ass bear" Alton said becoming annoyed with Jake
"Again, you brought up the big ass bear" Jake said
"Whatever!" Alton said angrily before he began to walk towards the cabin cautiously "If you hear me scream or hyperventilate, to both call 9-1-1" he instructed
"I've seen the Blair Witch Project enough times to know what to do when someone is screaming like a little bitch" Jake said
"Nice to know" Alton said as he began on his journey over towards the cabin.
Walking through the crowds of people that seemed to be jam packed in the house, Hanna only had one thing on her mind and that was to be drunk out of her mind. A part of her wanted to have some bit of control in tact but she knew that if her thoughts got the best of her no matter how much restraint she would show that she would eventually end up drunk anyways. It was a bit weird to go back to talking to a few of the girls she thought highly of when she was Hefty Hanna only because her demeanors on life had changed while the so called popular girls only cared about landing in the next athletes bed to keep their popularity status up. Once Hanna grew bored with the shallow conversation she needed to escape out side. Pulling out her cell phone she couldn't help but look on at the goofy pictures of her and the girls when times were somewhat less complicated but then again it just always felt complicated to her. Closing her phone she was soon surprised to see Kate coming up towards her.
"I see you've healed nicely" Kate smiled at Hanna
"What are you doing here?" Hanna asked in somewhat of over protective big sister mode "You shouldn't be here" she then said
"Relax. I just came by to drop off my homework for Mona, she has problems in history" Kate laughed "But I think she just wants to take it to claim as her own. I didn't even know there was a party because I wasn't invited" she said
"Yeah, well its best that you weren't here" Hanna sighed "I'm glad your figuring out that Mona is only using you" she said
"You almost sound relieved. Were you worried there for a second?" Kate asked
"No, I just think its pathtic when Mona tries to use people as her little flunkies" Hanna said "I don't mean to say your pathtic" she then corrected
"I know. I get what you mean" Kate replied "Glad to be out of the hospital?" she asked
"Yes and no. I mean the bed wasn't so bad and the food was horrible except the pudding and jello, but being home…it feels different" Hanna said sadly
"But your friends don't have to come between certain times to see you and they can be loud as they want with no regards to anyone else. Then there is Lucas" Kate told her
"Lets not talk about Lucas. I'm still reeling from the fact that you wanted him to take your virginity, what was that about?" Hanna asked
"You know what it was about, it was a desperate move and a desperate time to fit in at this school" Kate told her
"You shouldn't try to fit in. You ever think that maybe if you be yourself that you might actually get friends who like you just the way you are. If you pretend to be something your not that you'll have to continue it like your some actor or something….trust me, it's a lot of work to do that" Hanna said
"Which is why I have accepted my loner role" Kate smiled "Your dad was really worried about you. He hadn't come home for like three days in a row because he was up at the hospital" she said
"Another topic I want to avoid" Hanna said "Look I'm somewhat enjoying our little talk here but lets not ruin it with other people" she said
"Normally I would oblige that request but you've got to realize that these two guys your clearly trying to avoid, they love you. They love you for just the way you are and your just shrugging it off" Kate said
"See, you don't know what your talking about" Hanna said "Let me clue you in on the facts of life, essentially my life. My dad and I will never have the Little House on the Prairie relationship. I appreciate him being there, but it doesn't change things. Lucas and I are just friends, that's all we can ever be to each other because anything else will just…it will get complicated. So as you can see the two men in my life I have complicated relationships with that would force the average girl into a depression but by me not talking about it keeps me light spirited and eager to drink" she said
"It's not going to solve anything" Kate warned Hanna "Drinking" she then said
"Its not meant to" Hanna replied "Go home before your mom gets all paranoid that I'm corrupting you" she said before she made her way back inside the house leaving Kate outside alone. Looking on at Hanna go over to grab another beer, Kate knew that Hanna wasn't in the best of moods and that she was bound to do something stupid. Pulling her cell phone out she immediately called Lucas.
"Yeah, hey. I can't…" Lucas said before Kate cut him off
"Luke, its Hanna" Kate told him
Coming out of her tennis lesson, Spencer felt light as a feather as she really needed to release the tension she had piling up on her from school, the girls, and even Alton's missing in action status. For the past few days she felt like an outsider trying to survive at Rosewood since the girls had called it quits on their friendship. After the first day she had thought they'd all come to their senses and make some lame excuse to hang out but when the second and third day passed she knew she was on her own since then. Alton has pressed her a few times to see what went down between them but she wasn't eager to tell him in fear that he would only ask more question. She had to admit that since she stopped spending so much time with the girls it forced her to look at other things such as how lazy Alton had become with school as of late. Deep down she didn't want to worry about that but she couldn't help it because it was clear that he wasn't all too worried about it. Going over towards the dining area of the country club she ordered her usual salad so when she would finish with her shower and getting dressed it would be ready and waiting for her. Heading towards the locker room she spotted Melissa ending a meeting with a few of the country club board members, too late to make a detour after making eye contact Spencer had to go over and talk with her sister only to notice that Melissa had requested a guy stay behind as Spencer walked over towards her.
"I didn't know you had a meeting today" Spencer said to her sister
"Hello to you to Spence" Melissa greeted her sister with her usual fake plastered smile going from ear to ear "Spence, I would like you to meet Dimitri. He works for the mayor office" she introduced
"Not quite. I just overlook the scheduling of events for our proud Mayor. I've worked with your mother a few times" Dimitri said as she shook Spencer's hand
"Oh, well I'm sorry for the experience" Spencer teased
"Dimitri was just telling me how he doesn't have a date for the Mayor's Ball, which is a shame seeing as you work for the mayor" Melissa laughed
"Yeah, my work keeps me tied up. I'm young but I don't have a life besides the politics and all" Dimitri smiled
"Well you should go regardless if you have a date or not. The key note speaker is amazing, I love her works" Spencer told him
"Emily Raschantel. She's my favorite author and her views on our economy and educational values are superb" Dimitri smiled
"It's rare to find a Raschantel fan" Melissa smiled "Spencer loves her work, and practically begged to meet Emily during the ball" she said
"I didn't beg Melissa" Spencer told her sister "I merely stated" she then laughed
"Well maybe we could meet her together" Dimitri said
"Oh,…yeah. My boyfriend would love to meet her as well" Spencer replied nervously fearing that he thought she was flirting
"I hope to see you and your boyfriend then" Dimitri smiled "I'll see you two ladies around" he said before he walked away allowing Melissa the perfect opportunity to hit Spencer on the arm
"Your boyfriend? Way to scare him off" Melissa told her
"What it's the truth. He probably thought I was flirting with him" Spencer said
"And would that be a bad thing?" Melissa asked
"Yes, because I have a boyfriend" Spencer said
"Oh, you mean the ever so clever Alton. Yes, I've done my research on him and he's not so impressive" Melissa stated as she took her seat
"What do you mean you did your research?" Spencer asked
"Like I said, I did my research. He's smart I give him that but seems…not you. Not to mention I've heard he's a fan of female skin flicks" Melissa said nearly disgusted by the end part
"Porn. What guy doesn't watch porn? I bet Dimitri does" Spencer said
"No, a guy like Dimitri is making a name for himself on the political front. A front that would be a huge advantage for our mother" Melissa said
"Then you date him" Spencer said
"Like to, but he's not my type. Spencer, your kidding yourself with these little high school boys. I mean c'mon, I bet this Alton boy doesn't even know about Raschanel" Melissa said
"Why do you even care about Alton?" Spencer asked "This has never been a topic before so why now?" she asked
"Because our father will not like the fact that his little perfect princess is slumming it with a boy who has no aspirations about his life" Melissa said "He's accepted at M.I.T., Jamestown, Yale but he still remains in Rosewood…why is that Spence?" she asked
"Because he's still in high school. He's brilliant for his age" Spencer replied
"Or lazy. If he's brilliant then he'd challenge himself instead of staying in Rosewood remedial high" Melissa said
"Who cares? At least he's applying himself in his education" Spencer said
"So much so that he's attending four schools, yeah, that's applying all right. What would dad think about this? I mean I now get why you weren't eager to tell mom and dad about him" Melissa said
"Look, I don't need to flaunt my boyfriends to mom and dad like you because I actually care enough about them to not want to put them in the Hastings spot light of perfection. Newsflash, we're not perfect" Spencer said
"But we damn sure try to be. Dad would not approve of this and you know it, that's why you didn't bring him because I think deep down inside your truly wondering if he is your little walk on the wild side. Let's face it, Alex was just your charity case" Melissa said
"I can't believe you" Spencer said in total disbelief by the things her sister was sayin
"You can. Think twice about this boy, and think twice about bringing him to the Mayors Ball because you will not only be embarrassing yourself but this family, and I for one don't need you bringing me down" Melissa said before she hand Spencer a piece of paper
"What is this?" Spencer asked confused
"Dimitri's number. If you come to your senses you should call it and invite him. Dad will most than likely fall in love with him and beg him to join him in the tournament" Melissa said
"And if I don't. If I decide to bring my boyfriend?" Spencer asked
"You know the number for emergency because that'll be the number you call for when our father falls over due to a heart attack" Melissa said before she walked away leaving Spencer to ponder as she looked on at the piece of paper.
Walking up the steep driveway taking in the sight of drunken teenagers passed out on the lawn of the selected house of the week or this case of the day. Having no luck with Jenna on specifics about Kaleb, Lucas was a little happy to turn his attention towards Hanna. For the past couple days he had given her the space she needed to process her thoughts over his recent revelations. A piece of him wanted to be upset that she didn't just admit that she still loved him and end this doubt of if they will or will not get back together, but after everything they had gone through he was glad that they found their way back to each other whether it be through friendship or unrequited love. Going inside the house he scanned the room for a few moment before his eyes finally landed on the blonde off in the corner of the room nearly passed out with a guy drape all over her. Making his way over towards them he felt his blood boil at the sight of this guy taking advantage of Hanna in such a drunken state that he was almost sure that this was going to be an all out dog fight.
"Hey there" Lucas interrupted the love fest
"Do I know you?" The guy asked as he looked over at Lucas
"No, you probably don't but I really don't care about that. What I do care about is the fact your all over the lady and she's clearly drunk" Lucas replied
"She kissed me" The guy said as Hanna just smiled at Lucas
"Yeah, I kissed him" Hanna told Lucas proudly
"You have a boyfriend, at least that's what you told me" Lucas said
"Apparently I cheat on my boyfriends so I'm continuing the streak. This guy here loves me for me and doesn't care if I cheat" Hanna said drunkenly
"I bet he doesn't even care to know your name as well" Lucas said as he tried to pull Hanna away from the guy
"The lady doesn't want to go with you" The guy quickly replied as he tugged on Hanna
"The lady is leaving with me, so I suggest you back off" Lucas said
"Or you'll do what?" The guy asked as he approached Lucas
"So your just going to throw your size and height in this, your clearly invading my space" Lucas babbled before he turned towards Hanna who sized the guy up to see that he clearly was taller than Lucas
"What's it like up there?" Hanna asked the guy as she stood on her tippy toes to tell him "Luke he's really tall. I mean like Shaquille O'neal tall" she began to laugh
"I can see that" Lucas laughed to himself nervously "Look, I'm her friend and I just want to take her home so she's safe and sound" he said
"And she will be, but that's when she's ready to go" The guy said
"Yeah!" Hanna declared happily
"Okay, your not listening to me. I'm her friend…I care about her so I have no bad intentions when it comes to her so its within her best interest to come with me" Lucas said
"And I enjoy that but she doesn't want to go with you" The guy said
"You know your really starting to piss me off! The girl is leaving with me dammit!" Lucas yelled causing a scene as all Hanna could do was laugh
"Your so funny when your mad. Your nose flares up when you yell" Hanna laughed "She's coming with me dammit!" she said impersonating him
"You can't make fun of me when I'm trying to defend you honor" Lucas told Hanna
"Why?" Hanna asked "Your nose flare" she said
"Because I'm trying to….protect you. You know flex my alpha dog skills in front of this huge guy right here" Lucas said still a bit intimidated by the guys size
"Oh, so your trying to be the alpha dog. You should call him a little bitch or something. Or, or…a rhino" Hanna suggested clearly into the name calling as the guy just turned to look at her
"Your not suppose to insult him, that's my job…you know, me alpha male and trying to protect damsel" Lucas explained to her
"Says who?" Hanna asked
"You two are confusing me" The guy said as he looked from Lucas and Hanna trying to figure them out
"Ssh! He's going to explain why I'm the damsel and he's alpha male" Hanna told the guy as she patted him on the chest only to realize the guy was extremely in shape "Oh, wow! You've got abs for days" she said lifting the guys shirt up "It's like the Jersey shore has stopped by" she laughed to herself "Luke, feel his abs" she asked him as Lucas just shrugged
"I'm not touching his abs…that doesn't fit into what I'm trying to accomplish here" Lucas replied "You know it'd be better if you weren't touching him because then that distracts me….okay, and your still touching" he said as Hanna continued to touch the guys abs while the guy just looked at Hanna and Lucas confused
"There not even spray tanned in. These are amazing" Hanna described as she continued to touch him "Lucas you've got to feel them" she said again
"I'd rather not" Lucas quickly replied "Look as you can see she is drunk out of her mind and if you feel like being harassed any longer than its within your best interest to let her come with me" he told the guy
"You two are the weirdest people I have ever met" The guy said as he tried to pull his shirt down out of Hanna's grip
"I'm not done" Hanna replied "Luke, tell him I'm not done" she turned to tell him
"Yeah, you are" The guy said quickly moving away from the two of them
"Can we go now?" Lucas asked her before Hanna quickly stormed off while he trailed behind her. Grabbing her jacket angrily, Hanna made her way outside doing her best to put her jacket on and walk at the same time but found it hard to do so. "Do you need help with your jacket?" he asked
"No! I can put a damn jacket on!" Hanna turned to yell at him before she continued to walk
"How did you even get here in the first place?" Lucas asked her as she tried to catch up to her
"How did you even know I was here?" Hanna fired back
"I've got little spies watching you. Will you wait up?" Lucas asked her before he ran in front of her once they reached the streets "I can drive you home" he then said
"I don't want you to drive me home, I want you to leave me alone" Hanna said
"Well that's not going to happy because….I don't want to leave you alone" Lucas said
"When will you realize that I don't love you anymore!" Hanna turned to yell at him "We're over" she said
"Probably never" Lucas smiled causing her rage to kick in as she began to hit him with her loose sleeve. Hunched over trying to block her hits, Lucas did all he could to avoid the hits but found she was much quicker than he pegged her for than the first time she had hit him. "Crap! You got stronger than the last time you hit me" he said
"Leave. Me. Alone" Hanna said as she hit him "I. Don't. Love. You" she said before he finally grabbed ahold her
"You keep saying it and I keep not believing you" Lucas told her getting her to calm down "You can say it as much as you want to but you don't believe it. So hit and punch me all you want but don't think for one second that your fooling yourself into believing that you don't love me the way I love" he told her before she pushed away from his embrace. Running her fingers through her hair, realizing how drunk she really was she just couldn't stop the thought process that was running through her head of why everything had to be so damn hard between them.
"You weren't suppose to love me. You were suppose to be mad and never forgive me" Hanna said as tears welled up in her eyes "That was the plan…it was suppose to happen like that" she cried
"Things don't always go as planned and we're a living testament to that, but some things when its right its right" Lucas said "I was mad, I was hurt, but most of all I felt lost without you…nothing felt right without you. So yeah, nothing went like it was suppose to but its because love never does what its suppose to do" he said
"That was the dumbest piece of crap I've ever heard!" Hanna yelled at him "Go off to college. Do something with your life instead of loving me because I guarantee you I will let you down and I will hurt you because that's just what happens with me" she told him angrily
"Your not the boss of me!" Lucas yelled "I can make my own damn decisions and I choose to love you so sue me" he told her
"Have you even thought about what it would be like if we got back together…I mean take off the rose colored glasses and seriously think about what it would be like if me and you got back together. We'd probably screw like bunnies for the first week because we're so overcome with joy, then plan the perfect night for prom in which you'd double stock on the condoms because you'd be afraid of knocking me up for real this time, then you'd be happy to finally get out of Rosewood to go off to your dream school but would be ashamed to tell me because you have no idea as to where I'd go, I'd be worrying my ass off if I even get into college because lets face it…it just recently came on my radar while I'm trying to convince myself that regardless if I get into a college or not we'd work doing the long distance thing, then we'd plan our trips to when I would come up to see you because we'd be that delusional to think it'd work because deep down I'd be worrying if you were banging Beth, which will all lead to us having another life check of things just don't work out even if you want them to" Hanna told him as he just stood in disbelief
"So you really think we'd end up like that. You've clearly been thinking about us" Lucas laughed to himself before Hanna just sighed in frustration before turning to walk away "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You just caught me off guard with the detailed description" he said cutting her off
"Yes, I've thought about it but they were just thoughts. Luke your traveling at a hundred miles per hour and I'm barely running on any gas because there is always a detour on my path that I have to prepare for…and I just don't see how we could ever be together in a relationship like that" Hanna said
"Because I just can't ignore how I feel, I can't just pretend like what I feel doesn't exist. It will be tough but you can't change how you feel" Lucas said
"Yes, and I have. Your living in a fantasy world of what we could be as opposed to what we are" Hanna replied angrily as tears began to well up in her eyes as she gasped for air "Just let me go. For your sake, and for mine…just let me go" she pleaded with him as they both took a moment to access each other as it just became gut wrenching for Lucas to hear those words while Hanna realized that she might have lost the love of her life, but being strong was hard to do.
"Let me walk you home" Lucas said shaking off what she had said like it never happened but knew it was a topic he wanted to let go
"What about your car?" Hanna asked
"I'll come back for it" Lucas said as he walked towards her. Putting her hand up as if to stop him from coming any further, Lucas looked at her strangely as he face began to contort. In one sudden motion she hunched over and began to puke while all Lucas could do was look on at the blonde spilling out everything that was in her "Oh, that's disgusting" he commented
Pulling out his flashlight as the night made it hard for him to see, Alton slowly checked around the cabin to make sure that no one was inside or lurking around before he made his way to the front of the cabin. Saying a silent prayer to himself, he slowly opened the door to see that it looked like a little wood shed as opposed to a studio sized cabin made for one person. The images posted throughout the cabin disturbed him more than he could imagine, nearly covered on one side of the wall were crossed out pictures of Alison. Walking up closely he looked on intently as the counters were covered with miscellaneous tools. As he looked on further he soon caught the attention of a picture of Alison, Hanna, Spencer, Emily, and Aria all together. It appeared as if this picture were the centerpiece of it all. Before he could look around further his cell phone began to ring, looking on at the caller identification he saw that it was Spencer calling
"Hey, I can't talk right now" Alton quickly told her as he talked softly
"Okay, what are you doing?" Spencer asked annoyed that he didn't want to talk
"I'm still camping" Alton replied
"Really? Alton, you missed school to go camping by yourself, and now you won't talk to your girlfriend, who needs to talk to you" Spencer said
"I know. I know. I really just can't talk right now" Alton told her
"When will you be able to talk?" Spencer asked him "My day sucked since the girls and I aren't exactly talking anymore, then Melissa…" she said before Alton cut her
"I'll call you, now Spence please" Alton begged her "I promise I will call" he said
"Fine" Spencer sighed before she hung up the phone. He hated that he had to end the phone call with Spencer but he figured that it was strange that a picture of his girlfriend and her friends were hanging up on a random wall. The mere fact that it was all plastered with all things Alison lead him to believe that there was more behind this, that maybe Alison's killer had resided here instead, but what seemed to sink in more to him was that maybe Toby had killed Alison. Kneeling down he quickly noticed that Toby's identification was lying on the ground and that was all the information he needed before he quickly ran out of the cabin knowing that Toby was back in Rosewood and was dangerous.
"Get me back. Tell me how to get back" Alton yelled as he ran through the woods
"Why are you yelling?" Jake asked
"Because we have some nut job on our hands" Alton said as he continued to run
All day long he couldn't help but worry about his daughter and how she was doing. He knew that what had happened between them at the hospital had been a huge step for them but he still had a ways to go before his daughter would start to forgive him. Letting himself in, Hanna's father walked in the darkened house with the mail in hand as he flipped through them like he had always done when he was living there. Looking up towards the top of staircase he had figured that Hanna had gone to sleep since he couldn't hear any noise coming from the rooms and since her mother would be in shortly he knew that she had probably just called it a night. Walking further into the living room he flicked on the switched and was instantly taken aback to see Kaleb sitting on the sofa.
"You scared the crap out of me" Hanna's father gasped as he held onto his chest to make sure his heart was still in tact
"Sorry. I just…I was just eager to see you" Kaleb said
"So much so that you had to sit in the dark" Hanna's father said a bit confused
"What can I say, I'm dying to meet the parents" Kaleb said before he grabbed ahold of his shotgun and quickly fired a shot that made Hanna's father drop to the floor instantly as his blood formed a pool around him. Slowly walked over towards the kitchen to pull out Hanna's mother who was tied up to a chair so that she could look on at her ex-husband laying in his own blood. Pulling the gag off of her mouth, Kaleb kneeled down next to her. "Now, tell me where Hanna is or you'll be lying in your own blood as well" he whispered to her as she continued to cry. Her tears rang loudly in his ears as the voices within his head began to pile up and before he knew it he quickly slapped the woman so hard that it knocked her out. Pulling his hands up to his head as he looked on at the scenery beginning to hyperventilate. Beginning to lose his mind, Kaleb was quickly brought back by the vibration of his cell phone.
"What!" Kaleb yelled
"I've been trying to reach you all night" Mona said angrily on the phone
"What do you want!" Kaleb asked annoyed
"Hanna left. I thought she was still here, but I guess she took off" Mona said before Kaleb began to yell out in anger
"You had one simple task and you mess that up. Your useless to me" Kaleb yelled "I'll find her myself" he said
"This is not a part of the plan. A, is furious" Mona said
"Do I look like a give a damn what A thinks. I'm going solo" Kaleb said before he hung up the phone. Turning around he looked on to see the damage that he caused knowing that he had done all he could do for tonight and would have to finish soon. Grabbing his gun, Kaleb made his way over to the door and grabbed his coat "Have a nice evening. I'll be back tomorrow" he said before he made his way out of the house.