Everyone may wonder if high school love stories might be long-lasting or not. Well, in most cases it couldn't. After high school, people move on and interests change. But there are some cases in which high school sweethearts stay together for many years, marry and have children.

This is what happened to Wren and Hudson Calter's parents. And this is also what is happening with Hudson himself and his girlfriend, Raeah Harlan.

But, don't forget that Hudson and Raeah don't have as much experience as his parents, and that they are only 22. Nobody can ever pretend to know what will happen next, if they stay together for life or if they ever separate. After all, neither the Calters nor the Harlans have ever experienced separation or divorce in their lives.

People who don't know them may believe this is just a happy story, with no worries and no responsibilities.

They are wrong.

Not that theirs is a sad, unhealthy story, but they do have responsibilities and worry about their future. Not that they are poor, but they finished college just last year, they got married just six months ago and are just doing quite ordinary jobs. Nothing special that makes them rich.

They may not be rich in money, but they are rich in affection. Affection for their families, for their friends, for their little dog. And, most importantly, for their three-week-old daughter, Leanna.

That child is the only thing Hudson has ever loved besides Raeah.

And she is the only thing Raeah has ever loved besides Hudson.

Basically, the three of them make a perfect family. Well, not exactly perfect, but a very good one.

So, what do you expect from them, apart from attempting to stand out from any random ordinary families?

Maybe something extraordinary, maybe nothing, maybe... Who knows?

Anyway, what Hudson Calter and Raeah Harlan are learning is that family life is a dream only until a certain point. Then, they have to work hard to avoid it becoming a nightmare.

***

It's a nice, sunny, shiny day in town, but the Calters' house is still dark. There are no lights on. Nobody is awaken yet. You must imagine why.

It seems as Hudson and Raeah have spent a sleepless night trying to calm down their daughter with every single mean: rocking her, feeding her, changing her... Whatever they could to calm her and get her back to sleep.

But, now, fortunately, the baby is having her nap, and, therefore, her parents can get proper sleep. There are no noises at all, apart from the breeze, but that's barely noticeable.

However, something is quite suspect, according to Hudson, to the point that he can't even think of sleeping anymore. Something is tormenting him, but why? Unfortunately, he has no-one he can vent his thoughts to: Raeah is currently sleeping and his brother probably has too much else to do.

Suddenly, he hears a strange noise. Oh. Footsteps. Someone must be walking towards his house in a suspicious manner. But why should they? And, most importantly, who hates him and Raeah enough to stalk them?

At this point, it's quite obvious that Hudson isn't going to sleep anymore. Instead, he gets up and goes to check the door, to remember, much to his horror, that he forgot to lock it the previous night.

When he opens it, he finds out a bad surprise waiting for him. In fact, the girl who's always hated him most and was also hated back, Presly Linna, and her not-that-kind (to put it in a nice way) boyfriend, Westin, are the ones who have been pestering him with their steps for several minutes, before coming.

She grins in satisfaction, making Hudson become pale. "Haha. Do you remember the pact?" He shakes his head, still confused for being sleep-deprived, not only because of his daughter, but also because of that psychopath.

At the same time, Westin smirks, rejoicing his girlfriend but also angering his rival, who dislikes his arrogant attitude. Presly restarts talking, this time in a more sensual way. "You know, that pact, the one we made long ago, do you remember?" Her attempts to persuade him to pay attention to her seem quite coarse and disrespectful, like she's trying to flirt with him. Hudson wouldn't accept her courtship anyway, as he's since made a promise to his loved one and wants to stick to it.

"That pact," she insists, furrowing an eyebrow as a sign of disapproval of his attitude, while Wes is now throwing dazzling glares. "You give us five thousand dollars and the house, and then we'll stop pestering you. Otherwise, the consequences would be hard to deal with, you know?"

Hudson doesn't know what else to say. He'd like to denounce Presly's threats, but he also knows he may end up dead the day immediately after doing so. Telling Raeah also sounds a bad idea, as she would be highly disappointed in him not being able to face that woman and her boyfriend.

Luckily for him, Presly seems to be reasonable and wants to give him some more time to collect the needed money before someone pays the hard consequences of the undone payment. "Okay, Calter. I'll give you two weeks to collect the bucks. Two weeks. Fourteen days. Remember. On the fifteenth day, I'll claim the money. If I don't receive it, you'll pay for that, okay?"

He just nods and then becomes startled as Presly and Westin leave the house. At last! Now, it's time for him to come up with a plan, before it's too late. But who can help him? It doesn't seem as Raeah has a solution, as she's also scared by those fags. The only ones who could truly help him are his brother, Wren, and the latter's girlfriend.

'I need to call them. They must have a solution. I know they have it.' He clears his throat and then picks his phone to call Wren. To his dismay, he doesn't answer. 'He could be at work, as of now. I'll try later.'

As of now, Hudson has to find a solution by himself. He must tell his loved one the truth, and hope to earn more money with his job as well as be able to rely on the police.