Silver Creek Academy

Homeless. Without her mother. Frances doesn’t want this heartbreak on her shoulders. She lets out a strangled sob as they lower her mother in the ground. Her best friend, Scott, holds her by the shoulders and whispers that it will be okay. This only makes her cry harder. All the memories come crashing down. No more smelling her mother’s desserts when she comes home from school. No more late-night movies with the only person in the world she loved. “I know you’re hurting, but…” Frances whirls around and shoves him away. “How could you say that? I just need more time. I needed more time before…” Scott pulls her into his chest and swallows hard. He’s had feelings for her since the fifth grade. He never told her and kept his feeling reeled in. countless times he’s had to watch all the guys in their class ogle her. Now that it’s about to be senior year, he’s finally gathered the courage to tell her. But not like this. Not at her mother’s funeral. “Thank you for being here today. I don’t know what I would’ve done this without you.” “There’s no other place I’d rather be right now. As long as I’m with you…” “Excuse me, I hate to interrupt, but I need a moment alone with my daughter.” Scott furrows his brows and looks for confirmation from Frances. Her expression is all he needs to see to know she has a hatred for the man who fled from her life when she was just a baby. “What the hell are you doing here? You…” “I’m here to take you home.” The man says softly. “Scott can take me home.” The man’s jaw clenches and takes a step forward. He yanks Scott away from her and forces him to look him in the eyes. As if Scott’s under a spell, he gets lost in his chocolate orbs. “You will forget about Frances. In fact, you never knew a girl by that name. You will go home and sleep until morning with no memory of what happened today. You drank too much and passed out. That’s all you need to know. Do you understand?” “I understand.” Tears run down Frances’ cheeks as she watches her best friend walk away and out of her life. She rears her fist back only to have his much larger hand wrap around hers. “Don’t do that again. Now, come. We have a long drive home.” “I’m not…” “You can come willingly, or there’s my way. Rest assured, you won’t like it if I have to use force.” “Why have you come? Why now? Mom said you left us because you didn’t love us anymore.” “Sweetheart, I left because I loved you too much. It was for your own good. That’s a story for another time. Right now, we’re running behind schedule.” “How did you make Scott leave? You can’t just magically say it, and it happens.” He cups her cheek and looks deep into her eyes. “Sleep, little one.” Just like Scott, she fell under his spell and grows weaker. She collapses in his arms, and he picks her up and murmurs to the crowd. “Passed out, I’ll take her to the hospital.”