After two years at Horizon's it was finally over. Looking out into the crowed street that lay below the tall massive buildings Scott Barringer tapped his pen on a long sold wooden desk cluttered with text books and paper. He'd left it all - even Shelby, she had gone home to attend college and he had gone to NYC. After being here for a little less than a month it already felt like home to him. The never empty streets, the different people and even the loneliness he felt all seemed normal to him. Juliet had called a few times - happy, with Auggie in some east coast college they both had been excepted into. Auggie for his art, Juliet for her brain. Scott sighed pushing his chair back and getting up stretching his arms way above his tall blonde locks. He spend most his days in his apartment that he shared with some guy that he hardly new or cared to know. Not going out much, except to buy a few thinks here and there. He'd asked Shelby to marry him and she'd said yes, her answer hadn't changed until the beginning of August when she'd decided it best they wait until they finish school. She was pregnant and expected the baby in a little less than a month, his baby. Scott wanted to see her so bad but there lives were just so different now, he felt that they just should be apart for a while. He'd always love her, and she'd always love him - it just wasn't going to work - not now anyway.
"Scott." A distant voice called.
"One minute." Scott said looking away from the window from the first time and walking towards the voice.
"Man Scott, shit open the door." The voice came again louder now.
"Sorry, geez don't break down the door. Where you been?" Scott asked slipping the chain lock from the brown door and opening it, now face to chest with a shorter, dark hared boy with cold gray eyes.
"Out, getting food for my girl. She's coming over later tonight. Do you think you could you know get lost some where so we can be alone?" the boy asked thrusting a brown bag full of food at Scott.
"Sure whatever." Scott said in a dull voice, knowing he had nothing to look forward in life - in the sense of love anyway. He followed the boy into the kitchen sliding the heavy paper bag onto a near by counter.
"Scott, you should get out more often. Your always in this apartment wasting away the young years of you life. Go out meet some girl's party have fun. Forget about Shelby." He said walking over to Scott. When Scott had first met him he thought they would never get along. They were both so different, one a jock one a brain who loves to party.
"Yea well, retaining information with a glance is not one of my strong points, so I have to study to keep my butt at this college." Scott said laughing softly at his friend.
"Ah, but man you got the looks that makes girls go crazy, live a little. Me and Becca are going out later to a party after we have a romantic dinner here. Do you think you'd want to join us? I'm sure Becca's got a girl friend that she can hook up with." Scott smiled, knowing he was never going to give up.
"Jace, I don't know..." Scott's voice trailed off as he looked out past Jace, past the open window in down into the street below. "Hang on." Scott said hardly letting the words slip past his lips. He ran to the window, pushing aside a confused friend. Scott stuck his head out looking down into the massive streets and roads.
"Man, what's up with you?" Jace called joining his friend by the window.
"Nothing... I, nothing." Scott muttered walking back over to the kitchen and rummaging threw a cabinet for a soda.
"Like I said, you need to get out." Jace said unpacking the two bags of food. "Okay I'll make a deal with you man, if you go out with me and Becca tonight then I'll leave you along the rest of college, and you can become a hermit." Jace chuckled slapping Scott on his strong back.
"Okay, deal." Scott finally said after a few minutes of silence.
It was around ten o'clock and Shelby was waiting outside a small restaurant tapping her food on the wet pavement. She glanced at her wristwatch then resumed to looking at the ground. 'Where is he?' she thought now pacing back-and-forth. Shelby's hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun. It was streaked with light brown color and had a little life to it. Her body was still large from the baby but she still looked lovely as ever. A stylish black coat draped over her body lined with small fake fur around the collar was the only thing keeping her warm from the cold night air. A simple tan shirt flowered out from under the bottom of the coat and cute high-heeled shoes held onto her feet by satin straps. She went back to pace in front of the old door spinning around just as the door slid open.
"Hey, I'm sorry I took so long, I was having to clean up Ross left sooner than we'd expected and I was left to run this place by myself, oh and if you want to count the cooks in the back." The man laughed taking Shelby by the hand. "Thanks for waiting." He said placing a soft kiss on her lips.
"It's no problem, so what do you want to do tonight?" Shelby asked talking between kisses.
"We'll there's this party I was thinking about taking you to, if your up to it?" The boy asked walking down the long street with Shelby. They twined their fingers together, and walked in silence for a few minutes. Shelby thought about how her life use to be so perfect -- back in Horizon's. She was better now, pregnant but better. She missed Scott and thought about calling him every day, but then she didn't and another day passed by and then months and then it started to slip her mind -- forever. It wasn't till now that she'd thought about him. Juliet had called her wanting to get together and asked if she and Scott were still together. After Shelby explained there situation Juliet said she'd heard that Scott was living in NYC. Shelby laughed at the thought -- just the place for Scott, fast paced, huge, fun, perfect for the father of her baby she thought. "Shelby?" The man asked stopping her at the corner of the street and pulling her around to him.
"I'm sorry I just kind of dazed off I'm sorry Brandon, I just, I'm not feeling to well." Shelby said running her hand threw her messed up hair.
''Shel, maybe what you need is to get out and have some fun. I know the baby's on the way but won't it do you some good to be social, you know meet a few people. Please for me. We'll stay an hour or two tops." Brandon had the prettiest eyes Shelby had ever seen they sparkled with a tint of blue and gray mixed with a dark shade of blue almost black. Shelby loved his eyes; it's what got her attention when she first met him at college. They had drama class together, Shelby was kind of lured into by Daisy, they had attended the same college and Daisy had coaxed Shelby into doing drama, with little to none experience in less you counted the Bobbie Jo and Jillian play back in Horizon's Shelby laughed. Brandon was a nice guy; he was the lighting guy for the play a junior in college, with a degree in running his own business someday. Shelby thought he was prefect at the time, and not much had changed about him -- it was her, the baby was coming and it wasn't his it was Scott's, and that made her uneasy.
"Okay." Shelby said as the continued to walk down the street. How did she end up in this city? Shelby asked herself as they shuffled by the many people. Will I one-day pass by Scott and not even recognize him? Shelby and Brandon had ended up in NYC after they decided to take a small trip. Brandon had got a job at some near by restaurant and Shelby had mostly stayed in their one bedroom apartment looking out the window -- wondering if she'll one-day spot Scott. She shook the thought out of her mind as she and Brandon reached a house filled with people, lights and beer. Shelby rolled her eyes, great just what her baby needs a nice tall class or beer or maybe being slammed in to other people. "One hour top!" Shelby said to Brandon as they got in line.
"Okay, but if you start to have fun I'm going to keep in mind that you only wanted to stay an hour. Okay?" Brandon laughed taking Shelby by the hands as they walked into the door. Shelby was only 19 years old but Brandon was 21 and with Shelby being pregnant and all he assured the man at the door that she would not be drinking to night.
Scott sat his glass down at the long bar as he let out a small sigh and looked around the huge room filled with drunk people. He'd only had a few glasses of various things but felt like a ton of bricks was lifted off his shoulders. He slid the empty class towards the bar tender as another shot was slid his way. "Thanks man." Scott nodded at the guy picked up the shot and downed it, placing it back on the bar and walking out into the crowd. He spotted Jace and Becca dancing away, Jace was not who he thought he'd be a brain with the urge to party and a beautiful girlfriend.
"Scott," Jace called waving his friend over. "May why don't you dance with Becca for a while, come on." Jace said softly pushing the to together.
"It's fine, I'm just going to go get my coat its by the door, I'm a little tired, I'm just going to go home." Scott said slapping hands with Jace and smiling at Becca.
"Okay man later." Jace called over his shoulder as he continued to dance with his girlfriend. Scott walked over to the coat rack near the door. His jacket was now pilled under a massive heap of coats and jackets.
"Shit," Scott muttered to himself as he walked over to the pile digging and tossing things behind him. "Mental note to self, never leave coat by the door." Scott said under himself. "Also never come to a..." Scott said as he faced the door in shock. There stood Shelby Merrick, the girl he'd thought he'd never see. "Shelby?" he said to himself as he darted behind a group of people. Scott realized his face was plastered with a huge tooth grin and he was unable to stop it. He noticed she was hand in hand with another guy. "Great..." Scott said to himself as he slipped past the door looking back into the party.
Shelby looked back at the door seeing a flash of blonde hair and a tall frame leave in a rush. "Scott?" she said to herself as Brandon dragged her threw the sea of people.
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