Part 1
Scott Barringer walked threw the woods holding a handful of yellow daisies. He pulled a green ribbon out of his pocket tying it around the stems of the fresh flowers. He dragged his feet as he made his way towards the girls' cabin. He felt good inside because he finally had what he had wanted he had Shelby again. He loved being with her again and kissing her lips and calling her his girlfriend. He quietly walked up the cabin steps holding the flowers behind his back. He tapped on the wooden door looking out across the campus. There was no answer for a few minutes. Scott shook his head and walked down the steps and to her window. He lightly taped his index finger on the glass window. A red curtain was pushed aside and Shelby's glowing face appeared. She smiled at Scott while opening the window. He handed her the flowers and then kissed her on the cheek.
"Morning!"
"Scott the flowers are lovely, thanks!" Shelby said climbing out the window. Scott helped her noticing her bare feet.
"Shel, you want to put some shoes on?" he asked starting to help her back into her room.
"No, I don't need shoes. I'm going to take you some were that you won't need shoes either." Shelby teased jogging into the woods. Scott smiled as he let out a small breath following behind his love.
Chris pulled his luggage behind him as he made his way to Peter's office. He dropped his bags off at the door knocking on the wooden frame of the door.
"Come on in Chris." Peter called.
"Look, Peter thanks for helping me all this past month but I've decided that I want to go home for good now. Now looking back my sister needs me and I just want to return to my friends and life." Chris said walking out of the office.
"Okay I'll call your mother and father and tell them to come pick you up." Peter called.
"Yea right, they are both at work, I'll get a cab or something." Chris called back. He grabbed his bag's walking towards the main door. Juliet, Auggie, Daisy and Ezra were sitting watching him go.
"Chris wait." Called Daisy.
"What?" he asked in a snide voice.
"Does Shelby know your leaving?"
"No and she picked Scotty so move aside. I don't care about her and she does not care about me." Chris shoved past Daisy walking out the door. Daisy turned around the other way running towards the girls' cabin.
Scott followed Shelby deeper into the woods until she finally came to a stop near a great big lake. Shelby sat down on the ground pulling her over shirt off.
"Shel what are you doing?" he asked.
"What do you think? Come on!" Shelby smiled running towards the water. She looked back at Scott and smiled blowing him a kiss and jumping into the water. Scott smiled pulling off his gray T-shirt and boots and following after Shelby. Shelby looked around in the water for Scott, he was no were to be found.
"Scott? Where are you?" Shelby said looking around the lake. He popped up out of the water grabbing her around the waist. "Scott no don't" she laughed. He pulled her under holding her close to him. Shelby got free swimming to the bottom of the lake. She opened her eyes noticing a picture frame turned upside down. She grabbed it swimming to the top. Scott looked at her as she made her way to the bank flipping the picture over.
"Shelby what is it?" he called swimming over to her.
"A picture. Scott get a look at this" Shelby waved her hand towards him. Scott swam closer to Shelby as she turned the picture towards his face.
"Hanna? Peter?" he asked looking at Shelby.
"Yep and they are kissing." Shelby looked back at Scott then grabbed her over shirt and the picture and started walking towards the trail, with Scott close behind her.
Chris sat out on the front deck looking out for the cab. He pulled out a piece of paper and a pen writing. About five minutes had passed and Peter walked out into the deck he sat down next to Chris. Chris shoved the pen and paper into his bag looking back out into the empty parking lot.
"Chris are you leaving because Scott and Shelby are back together?" Peter asked.
"No, I just want to go back to my normal life." Chris said.
"Seeing your father beat your mother is not normal Chris. Getting high everyday is not normal." Peter stated.
"Yea well this school is far from normal." Chris said standing up as the cab drove up to the parking lot.
"Chris you have to get some help for your mother. I called her and asked her about it and she denied it like nothing ever happened you have to help her."
"Yea I get right on that. Thanks anyway. Oh and could you give this to Shelby?" he tossed a folded up note in Peter's direction and put his bags into the trunk. "See yea." Chris said getting in the back seat.
"Bye Chris, remember I'm just a phone call away and there is always a place here for you." Peter said waving at Chris. The cab turned and drove out of the driveway, leaving Peter with a soon to be crying girl (named Shelby) and a bigger problem trying to get Chris back to Horizons.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part 2
The yellow cab pulled up into the quite driveway. It parked and Chris jumped out of the cab looking up at his house, the house he grew up in his whole life the house he watched his mother get beat in. He paid the driver and grabbed his bags from the trunk making his way to the front porch. It was around 7:00 p.m. His mother was still at work and his father was at home drinking again. Katie might be home or at a friend's house. Chris took a deep breath. Did he really want to go back into the nightmare? He could turn around and go back to Horizon's and be safe. He turned around watching the cab driver leave down the road, leaving him alone. Chris got the extra key from under the mat and unlocked the front door. He left his bags by the staircase and walked into the living room were his dad was. Katie was in there to watching TV and coloring in a small book.
"Katie! I'm home." Chris said with a smile, as he spread open his arms to hug her.
"Chris? Where have you been? Mommy said you went to another school what school?" Katie asked hugging her brother.
"Just a regular school, but I'm back now and everything's going to be okay." Chris said holding Katie by the face and kissing the top of her head. She walked with him up to his home as she told her how everyone had been since he was gone.
"You friends called a lot. They really wanted to know where you were but Mom just said you had gone to another school for a while and would be back soon. I'm so happy your back." Katie hugged Chris around the waist and walked off to her room. Chris watched her go then ran to the answering machine in the hallway. He looked at the red flashing light. He knew his friends must have called a billion times. Calling to go partying, to go drink, smoke. He was going to fall right back into his old lifestyle and there was nothing he could do about it. He pressed the play button. A boy's voice came on the machine.
"Yo Chris where you been? Man you have not been to school in over a week what's up? Well, Its Friday want to go to Michelle's party tomorrow, I'll hook you up boy! Give me a call so I know you have not OD." The boy laughed. "Just kidding well talk to you later see yea Chris." Chris rolled his eyes, he knew his friends would be the same he just hoped the next massage was the same.
"Chris how's it going? If you're there pick you. I talked to your Mom a few days ago she said you went to another school, why did you go and do that? Huh? Chris I miss you. Come see me sometime I'll be around or give me a call and we can have a little date at my place. Kisses." Sarah's voice ended. Chris hated her she reminded him of how he really was before he went to Horizon's. He was back in the nightmare for good and there was not way to escape it. A few more messages played, Chris's many friend's all calling to see where he had been for the past month. He started to walk away as a voice played over the machine, a voice he thought he'd never hear again.
"Hey Chris. Remember me? (Giggles) It's Shelby, Shelby Merrick from Horizon's. I got your note, why did you just run off without even saying good-bye. Well, I should talk I did the same a while back, and I missed what I ran away from. I ran away from friends, from my boyfriend from my school! Not that I had a choice or anything. Well, I'm sorry about making my message so long, I just I…. I miss you, I hope your doing okay, I know it's hard to go back to your home life. You're a really great friend; your nice to talk to and you've got a killer smile that some girl is going to go nuts over someday. I'm just not that girl, please come to Horizon's to see me sometime or write me my address is Shelby Merrick…" Chris started walking away from the machine stunned. He smiled a 20-wat smile running into his room. He was so happy Shelby had called but he knew that this would be one of the few months that he would have a chance to smile.
Daisy walked into the kitchen slipping on a white apron and taking her place next to Auggie at the sink. Ezra waved at her and then watched Miranda wall in. He smiled at her as she slipped in next to him between Scott and he. Juliet was sweeping the floors and David was pealing potatoes. Shelby ran to Peter's office not even knocking on the door to see if he was busy. She burst into the office taking deep breaths.
"Peter? Did he call?" Shelby asked hurrying over to his desk.
"Shelby I'm on the phone." Peter said covering the phone with his hand.
"Well," She persisted.
"No Shel he did not call. I'm sorry that was just a student, not about what you were saying." Peter returned to his phone call leaving Shelby. Shelby huffed walking out of the office and into the kitchen. She sped over to Scott kissing him on the cheek and grabbing a dishtowel and a bucket of soap and walking over towards Daisy.
"He did not call." She said just to Daisy.
"He must have just gotten home and maybe he has not checked his messages yet." Daisy said back to Shelby.
"I hope your right. I'm just worried about him, you know like a friend worries about a friend." Shelby said scrubbing at a dirty soup bowl.
"Yea I know what you mean." Daisy said slowly watching Ezra and Miranda go at it again. Daisy had, had enough she threw down her scrubber and walked over to Miranda and Ezra.
"Okay who's it going to be Ezra? Her or me? I mean it you have to choose and I mean it this time. No more looking at me while your flirting with her or looking at me while your thinking of her I'm tired of it and if you don't choose now then you'll lose me forever." Daisy let out a breath and placed her soapy hands on her hips.
"Go Daisy." Auggie called watching the little incident. Shelby walked up next to Juliet and Auggie, the three kids watched Daisy in aw. Scott walked over to Ezra, Daisy and Miranda.
"Okay guys you going to have a cat fight lets just end it here. Walk away Daisy." Scott said.
"Scott I have to deal with this I'm sick and tired of not dealing with it." Daisy pushed past Scott, she was not staring Miranda straight in the face. "Well, Ezra?"
"Daisy this is stupid." Miranda said backing away.
"I don't think it is Miranda, I want him to choose."
"What about David and me huh Daisy? You're always going back in forth between us why don't you finally pick who you want out of the to and I'll tell you my decision.
"Okay guys I have an idea." Juliet said walking to the middle of the kitchen. "Someone get me a piece of paper and two pens." Juliet commanded. Shelby handed her the needed items. Juliet ripped the piece of paper in half and handed a piece to Daisy and a piece to Ezra along with a pen. "Okay guys, you to are going to write down the person you're in love with and I know it's someone in this kitchen. Daisy is it Ezra you want or David? Ezra is it Daisy you want or Miranda? Pick now or lose both of them." Juliet folded her arms across her chest smiling at her speech. Daisy looked at Ezra as he returned her look. The both bent down and wrote their answer. "Okay hand over the answers." Juliet said taking the pieces of paper.
"Wait a second don't Miranda and I get a say in this?" David asked.
"No!" Juliet and the other cliffhangers said in unison.
"Okay here are the…" Juliet stopped in mid sentence when she noticed Hanna Green standing at the doorway. "Hanna? Oh my God, Hanna your back." Juliet squealed running over to hug her. All the other Cliffhangers did the same except Miranda.
"Okay guys, dinner time hit the lunch room." Peter called walking into the kitchen. "What are you all? Hanna? What are you doing here?" Peter was speechless as he hugged her. Hanna smiled her red locks were not cut to her shoulders and her usual jeans and a T-shirt get up were now traded in for a cute yellow sun dress with strapy sandals. Peter walked with Hanna into the lunchroom as every student that had known her greeted her. "What are you doing here?" he finally asked
"Well, Peter I missed the kids and you so I decided to come for a small visit. If that's okay?" Hanna smiled.
"Yea its great, I'm just so surprised to see you. I thought you'd be happy away from Horizons for good." Peter said.
"Well, my husband and I got a divorce and well I'm staying with my cousin in the next town and well I missed you."
"You said that already." Peter laughed.
"Yea I know."
"Hanna, Peter looked what Scott and I found um in the woods." Shelby said walking over to Hanna and Peter holding a wrapped up package. She handed it to Hanna as Scott walked over.
"Why were you guys in the woods without my say so?" Peter asked.
"Well, we went for a morning swim but if we had not we would have never found this!" Shelby smiled. Hanna pulled off the golden string that was tired around the brown paper. Then she tore into the present like a kid does with their gifts. The paper fell to the floor as Hanna's eyes widened and Peter's mouth dropped. They started at the picture of them kissing. Sophie walked into the lunchroom heading over to the group.
"Hey Peter what you got there?" Sophie called. "Hey Hanna, I heard you were back. Did you get Peter a gift?" Sophie said as she took the picture away from Peter's hands.
"No exactly…" Hanna stuttered. Sophie's smile turned into a frown once the image on the frame sunk into her head.
"Peter? You and Hanna?" Sophie asked.
"Yea, Hanna and I." Peter said a frown across his face. Scott watched as Sophie dropped the frame running out of the room. Everyone watched her go everyone but Hanna. She was gone the other direction, heading for the nearest taxi. Peter was standing looking down at a broken frame, a memory of something he thought he had forgotten, a bunch of confused kids and a love he might not be able to get back.
