p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti had been dreading for this day. She had been told by her Law Professor that Julian had personally asked for her to appear on his new 3 strikes program…"this is going to be fun…" Marti said under her breath sarcastically./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"For the first time in a while now, Marti had actually been early enough getting ready for her day, that she could join her dorm mates at the dining table for breakfast…Even Marti was impressed by the fact that she'd accomplished this./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"After breakfast, she bid her usual farewells to everyone in her own "Marti the Martyr" way and headed to her law class…where only Julian was in the room…and no-one else…/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti took one look at Julian and started angrily gritting her teeth. Julian took one look at Marti and was immediately drenched in guilt and sorrow. Marti fast-walked up to Julian to give him the biggest slap he's probably ever had and as Julian flinched and braced himself, Marti raised her right arm up to bring it back down...but she stopped./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti and Julian both stared at each other for the longest minute or so ever, with Marti eventually lowering her right arm whilst a single tear rolled down her cheek. "You should have told me...that you wanted to see other people..." Marti finally said, trying to keep herself from screaming the place down./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""I'm so sorry, Marti." said Julian in a deeply regretful tone of voice "I really ruined what we both had together...and i'd do ANYTHING to fi-." Marti cuts Julian of by saying "Does SHE know that you and I were together?!"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""No she doesn't...nobody except Morgan, your mom and your cheerleading coach seemed to know..." Julian confessed. Despite feeling relieved that no one knew about their romantic relationship, which would have been an absolute scandal and left both Marti and Julian's lives in tatters, Marti continued to look at Julian with an expression of pure angry contempt./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""That's why I wanted you on a new 3 strikes program that I've organised…" Julian said "…I want to look into how Vanessa got fired." "But why ME specifically?" Asked Marti, still frustrated. "Not necessarily just you specifically, I'm going to be asking Morgan if he can join us…" said Julian, hoping he hadn't offended Marti but still wanting to explain his plan to her./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti thought to herself for a couple of minutes. "I really hate what he's done to me…" Marti thought to herself "…but I really miss Vanessa…what if an injustice has happened here? What if there's more to Vanessa's dismissal than just what we're hearing and seeing…?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti finally agreed to Julian's plan by offering her right hand out for him to shake it. Julian smiled and shook her hand. "I'm still mad at you…but I'm doing this because I want Vanessa back." Said Marti, determined in her new goal. "For now…we're STRICTLY buisness…but maybe we can work back up to being friends…"./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""That is all I want at this point, Marti." Said Julian, hopeful that he can win Marti's friendship back. In that moment, Julian felt relieved albeit still saddened by what he had done to Marti. He still stood by his previous comparison of Marti "being his brand-spanking new Corvette" making it look like he was having a mid-life crisis…but he also didn't truly appreciate that he had something really special in his life…until he lost it just 2 days ago./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Back at cheertown, Dan and Savannah were sat at the table going through Dan's letters regarding payment for his scholarship. James Patch, Dan's Dad, had unfortunately had to break the news to Dan that he was going to struggle to help Dan pay for his scholarship like he had been, because James's business had taken a bit of a dip sales-wise and the company James worked for we're already talking about mass layoffs and budget cuts./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Have you thought about going back to the docks and getting your old job back?" Asked Savannah "Getting a scholarship in directing is the main reason why I quit my job" said Dan, feeling somewhat defeated./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Savannah then remembered the day when Dan jokingly commented about joining the Hellcats squad, she smiled and then asked him "you thought anymore about becoming a Hellcat?" Dan was taken back to start off with…but then seriously thought about it. "If Lewis could go on to become a Hellcat…maybe I could to…" He thought./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Alice was also in the room and had overheard everything. A calculating smirk started to form on her face as she decided to walk over to Savannah and Dan to screw with them both over their conversation. /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Do you really think you've got what it takes to be a hellcat?" Alice scoffed. "Maybe I do…" Dan said confidently, trying to call Alice's bluff. "I think it's only fair that we give him a fair trial don't you think?" Savannah said, trying to defuse any tension that she felt was starting to brew./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Oh please…" Alice said whilst laughing patronisingly "we need ACTUAL CHEERLEADERS, not more "townies" that are prone to fumbling and smart-mouthing off to the captain." Savannah gets out of her seat, starting to become more agitated with how Alice is being./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Why are you trying to antagonise us?" Savannah asked "you were like this when Marti joined the squad…you tried to sabotage her AND us at the same time…but why?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Alice scoffed at Savannah's response. "Yeah it's only natural that you'd protect your boyfriend's honour…". Dan looked at Savannah confused before turning to Alice to ask "…and you wouldn't defend Lewis's honour?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Alice, who was now slightly annoyed at Dan for calling her bluff, simply laughed in her throat before saying "I don't need to hide behind Lewis and he doesn't need to hide behind me…" Savannah just looked at Alice completely unimpressed, whilst Dan tried to hide the smirk that was trying to materialise on his face, after successfully getting under Alice's skin./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Y'know there's really nothing wrong with…" Dan gets immediately cut off by Alice who just says "at the end of the day, I'm the NEWLY appointed captain of the Hellcats…so I get final say…but by all means come on down, Dan…it's always good to have a laugh during tryouts…"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"As Alice walked away from the dining room table, Savannah and Dan both looked at each other, before looking back at Alice. Savannah was confused and slightly annoyed at this point as to why Alice acted the way she did and Dan just sat there in his usual nonchalant way.../span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Why is she being like this?" Savannah thought to herself "what is she going to possibly gain from tearing down the confidence and determination of any newcomers wanting to join?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Meanwhile Marti, Deidra, Wanda and Travis all drove up to the address of Rex Perkins's place, that Deidra had given Marti yesterday night. Marti was filled to the brim with anticipation and eagerness…she was about to meet the man, that for the longest amount of time, she had been told was dead./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Deidra was unsure about Marti meeting Rex. She had been ever since the day she met Marti at the guitar shop that she worked at. Deidra just sat there next to Marti, nervously anticipating what state Rex was going to be in when they knocked on his door./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"But Deidra wasn't as nervous as Wanda was though…Wanda had made that very clear this morning after necking half a bottle of vodka. It took Marti, Deidra AND Travis 5 minutes to wrestle the vodka from her and another 10 minutes to calm her down because Wanda was in hysterics about meeting Rex again…nobody could blame her…/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Originally Wanda was going to drive everyone down, but because she was now 7 times over the legal limit, it then meant Travis was driving them and he originally wasn't even supposed to go with the 3 blondes. /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Travis tried to remain neutral about the whole situation just for Wanda, Marti and Deidra but…he was in all honesty pissed about how unfaithful Rex was to Wanda AND how he got high that night and an at-the-time-very-little Marti was just completely neglected and surrounded by used needles and pill bottles./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""So…this is the place." Marti said, opening the passenger door. Marti probably didn't notice at the time, but she was the only person who actually wanted to be there. She walked down the driveway to Rex's house and noticed a metal gate leading into a back-garden. Marti could just barely see what appeared to be a white bathtub, that had just been left there to go rusty and collect mould for years./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti also noticed in the large, white guttering above the windows where the roof started, there were weeds and stinging nettles poking out, implying Mother Nature had just been allowed to somehow get into Rex's drainage system. /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti noticed something odd when she finally got to the front door…she was on her own. She looked round and noticed Wanda, Deidra and Travis were still in the car. She waved at the three to come over but they just looked back at Marti with vacant expressions…/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti knocked on the door. She waited roughly about a minute before someone could be seen coming to the door. The door slowly opened and a man with slightly long, grey hair appeared at the door, wearing a baggy greyish, dark green shirt and light brown leather trousers. /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"He had black lines around his eyes and seemed like he was almost daydreaming or…dizzy from something…Marti had finally met Rex Perkins…her father… /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Who are you, d'ya mind me askin'?" Rex said, unable to recognise Marti…but how could he? He hadn't seen Marti since she was about 5. "…D-daddy?" Marti said softly "I-I-I'm…Marti Perkins…your…daughter…" Rex laughed a little bit before he noticed the yellow Buick parked up outside his house. He managed to make out that that was in fact Wanda, his first wife in the front seat and Deidra, the daughter he could actually remember sat in the back./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Is...is that Wanda?" Rex said, completely taken back "and...Deidra...?" Marti had Rex's FULL attention at this point. "Y-you're the woman i spoke to down the phone the other night aren't you?" Marti nodded her head before wrapping her arms around Rex. She had never felt happier in her entire life./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Back at Lancer University, Julian was just finishing organising his paperwork in his classroom, when suddenly the door opened and Vanessa stepped in./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Hey Julian, little birdie told me you had some kind of plan for me…" Vanessa said, intrigued and hopeful for what Julian had in mind. "Yes Miss Lodge, I do have a plan for you, please take a seat…"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Vanessa reluctantly took one of the seats that faced Julian's desk. "I have reason to believe that Dean Laverne, got to where he is today by being very good, at blackmailing others…" stated Julian "what I need…is a surveyor…someone to spy on the Dean, as he does his usual day-to-day business…"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""And what reason of this "blackmailing" do you have exactly?" Vanessa asked. Her interest suddenly went through the roof, but she felt like she had to ask as she also felt like Julian was dangling a carrot in front of her to…Julian smiled because he KNEW that Vanessa would feel that way./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""A legitimate question…" Julian stated, as he handed Vanessa a medium sized envelope, which inside had photos of Dean Laverne, in situations where he appeared to be pointing whilst shouting at what also looked like women, either interns or other general colleagues./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"One photo even has him appearing to be staring at a woman's backside as she's bent down to pick something up and another one where one woman is clearly in tears and he just appears to be laughing./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Wow...unbelievable..." Vanessa said as she was taken back from looking at those jarring pictures of Dean Laverne. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. The worst part was, Vanessa always thought the Dean was a slime-ball...the way he jokingly arse-bumped Vanessa, that time the Hellcats were practising for their dance routine, at the Breast Awareness event a couple of months ago...Vanessa nearly threw up in her mouth, just like she did back then./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""But surely this will be enough to hold up...?" Vanessa asked, confused as to why Julian still needed her help, despite having quite a large portfolio on the man Julian wanted to trap. "Miss Lodge...i wish all of this would be enough, or else i wouldn't have contacted you..." Julian said regretfully but also with a reassuring tone. "...But unfortunately, at least according to most judges nowadays, things can be modified and copied in photoshop and because we are living in the digital age, it is getting harder and harder to tell apart the legitimate from the phones."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""What, so you want me to spy on the guy?" Asked Vanessa, slightly bolting up in her seat, now concerned as to what Julian's real intentions are. Julian paused for a second, not quite knowing how to break it to Vanessa. He finally caved in by simply replying to her question with "…more or less…"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Although Vanessa felt this acquisition from Julian was...bizarre, to say the least...Vanessa also felt like she could trust Julian to. She felt compelled to go along with Julian's plan, not just to get her job back as the Hellcats coach, but to get even with Dean for herself and everyone he's mistreated…/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Back with Marti, Wanda, Deidra, Travis and Rex, Marti and Rex were both sat down together in Rex's living room, with Wanda, Deidra and Travis still sat in Wanda's Buick outside. Marti was taking in Rex's home, marvelling at all of the memorabilia he had dotted around on his walls, mantle piece and by his stereo. /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Rex had gone into the kitchen to get Marti a cup of coffee out of politeness…but strangely enough, Marti never heard the kettle in his kitchen turn on or any kind of boiling noise be emitted from it…"He must have just forgotten…" Marti thought to herself "…he's probably gone to get me one of those instant coffees that don't require heating up…"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Rex came out of the kitchen…with 2 cans of beer in each hand. He smiled as he passed one to Marti and as Marti looked at him gratified but albeit deeply confused, she opened it out of kindness…/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""So…" Rex paused for a couple of seconds "you're my daughter huh?" Marti smiled and nodded. "…we've got some serious catching up to do…" Rex said, still trying to take in that Marti, his first-born daughter was all grown up and sat right next to him…something he never imagined would happen in a million years…at least not after what had happened that day, in that horrible state Wanda found them in…/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""So I'm studying to become a lawyer" Marti said, in an attempt to break more of the ice. "I'm…currently in-between jobs myself…" Rex said with a sigh. "Did…Wanda say anything about me?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""She had mentioned you from time to time…that you played the guitar…and that you had attended concerts, years after everybody thought you were dead…" Marti stated…she thought about what she had just said and slightly regretted it./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti and Rex sat there awkwardly trying to keep the conversation going…but they both knew it was going to be very hard to do seeing as how, it had been almost 2 decades since the pair last spoke to each other…/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Travis, Wanda and Deidra still sat in the car outside, figuratively praying Marti wasn't going to be any longer. The three had absolutely no intention of talking to Rex and Wanda wanted to get back before she became too depressed and intoxicated to run the bar back at The Rat…/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"For the first time in a while now, Marti had actually been early enough getting ready for her day, that she could join her dorm mates at the dining table for breakfast…Even Marti was impressed by the fact that she'd accomplished this./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"After breakfast, she bid her usual farewells to everyone in her own "Marti the Martyr" way and headed to her law class…where only Julian was in the room…and no-one else…/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti took one look at Julian and started angrily gritting her teeth. Julian took one look at Marti and was immediately drenched in guilt and sorrow. Marti fast-walked up to Julian to give him the biggest slap he's probably ever had and as Julian flinched and braced himself, Marti raised her right arm up to bring it back down...but she stopped./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti and Julian both stared at each other for the longest minute or so ever, with Marti eventually lowering her right arm whilst a single tear rolled down her cheek. "You should have told me...that you wanted to see other people..." Marti finally said, trying to keep herself from screaming the place down./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""I'm so sorry, Marti." said Julian in a deeply regretful tone of voice "I really ruined what we both had together...and i'd do ANYTHING to fi-." Marti cuts Julian of by saying "Does SHE know that you and I were together?!"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""No she doesn't...nobody except Morgan, your mom and your cheerleading coach seemed to know..." Julian confessed. Despite feeling relieved that no one knew about their romantic relationship, which would have been an absolute scandal and left both Marti and Julian's lives in tatters, Marti continued to look at Julian with an expression of pure angry contempt./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""That's why I wanted you on a new 3 strikes program that I've organised…" Julian said "…I want to look into how Vanessa got fired." "But why ME specifically?" Asked Marti, still frustrated. "Not necessarily just you specifically, I'm going to be asking Morgan if he can join us…" said Julian, hoping he hadn't offended Marti but still wanting to explain his plan to her./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti thought to herself for a couple of minutes. "I really hate what he's done to me…" Marti thought to herself "…but I really miss Vanessa…what if an injustice has happened here? What if there's more to Vanessa's dismissal than just what we're hearing and seeing…?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti finally agreed to Julian's plan by offering her right hand out for him to shake it. Julian smiled and shook her hand. "I'm still mad at you…but I'm doing this because I want Vanessa back." Said Marti, determined in her new goal. "For now…we're STRICTLY buisness…but maybe we can work back up to being friends…"./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""That is all I want at this point, Marti." Said Julian, hopeful that he can win Marti's friendship back. In that moment, Julian felt relieved albeit still saddened by what he had done to Marti. He still stood by his previous comparison of Marti "being his brand-spanking new Corvette" making it look like he was having a mid-life crisis…but he also didn't truly appreciate that he had something really special in his life…until he lost it just 2 days ago./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Back at cheertown, Dan and Savannah were sat at the table going through Dan's letters regarding payment for his scholarship. James Patch, Dan's Dad, had unfortunately had to break the news to Dan that he was going to struggle to help Dan pay for his scholarship like he had been, because James's business had taken a bit of a dip sales-wise and the company James worked for we're already talking about mass layoffs and budget cuts./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Have you thought about going back to the docks and getting your old job back?" Asked Savannah "Getting a scholarship in directing is the main reason why I quit my job" said Dan, feeling somewhat defeated./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Savannah then remembered the day when Dan jokingly commented about joining the Hellcats squad, she smiled and then asked him "you thought anymore about becoming a Hellcat?" Dan was taken back to start off with…but then seriously thought about it. "If Lewis could go on to become a Hellcat…maybe I could to…" He thought./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Alice was also in the room and had overheard everything. A calculating smirk started to form on her face as she decided to walk over to Savannah and Dan to screw with them both over their conversation. /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Do you really think you've got what it takes to be a hellcat?" Alice scoffed. "Maybe I do…" Dan said confidently, trying to call Alice's bluff. "I think it's only fair that we give him a fair trial don't you think?" Savannah said, trying to defuse any tension that she felt was starting to brew./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Oh please…" Alice said whilst laughing patronisingly "we need ACTUAL CHEERLEADERS, not more "townies" that are prone to fumbling and smart-mouthing off to the captain." Savannah gets out of her seat, starting to become more agitated with how Alice is being./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Why are you trying to antagonise us?" Savannah asked "you were like this when Marti joined the squad…you tried to sabotage her AND us at the same time…but why?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Alice scoffed at Savannah's response. "Yeah it's only natural that you'd protect your boyfriend's honour…". Dan looked at Savannah confused before turning to Alice to ask "…and you wouldn't defend Lewis's honour?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Alice, who was now slightly annoyed at Dan for calling her bluff, simply laughed in her throat before saying "I don't need to hide behind Lewis and he doesn't need to hide behind me…" Savannah just looked at Alice completely unimpressed, whilst Dan tried to hide the smirk that was trying to materialise on his face, after successfully getting under Alice's skin./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Y'know there's really nothing wrong with…" Dan gets immediately cut off by Alice who just says "at the end of the day, I'm the NEWLY appointed captain of the Hellcats…so I get final say…but by all means come on down, Dan…it's always good to have a laugh during tryouts…"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"As Alice walked away from the dining room table, Savannah and Dan both looked at each other, before looking back at Alice. Savannah was confused and slightly annoyed at this point as to why Alice acted the way she did and Dan just sat there in his usual nonchalant way.../span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Why is she being like this?" Savannah thought to herself "what is she going to possibly gain from tearing down the confidence and determination of any newcomers wanting to join?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Meanwhile Marti, Deidra, Wanda and Travis all drove up to the address of Rex Perkins's place, that Deidra had given Marti yesterday night. Marti was filled to the brim with anticipation and eagerness…she was about to meet the man, that for the longest amount of time, she had been told was dead./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Deidra was unsure about Marti meeting Rex. She had been ever since the day she met Marti at the guitar shop that she worked at. Deidra just sat there next to Marti, nervously anticipating what state Rex was going to be in when they knocked on his door./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"But Deidra wasn't as nervous as Wanda was though…Wanda had made that very clear this morning after necking half a bottle of vodka. It took Marti, Deidra AND Travis 5 minutes to wrestle the vodka from her and another 10 minutes to calm her down because Wanda was in hysterics about meeting Rex again…nobody could blame her…/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Originally Wanda was going to drive everyone down, but because she was now 7 times over the legal limit, it then meant Travis was driving them and he originally wasn't even supposed to go with the 3 blondes. /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Travis tried to remain neutral about the whole situation just for Wanda, Marti and Deidra but…he was in all honesty pissed about how unfaithful Rex was to Wanda AND how he got high that night and an at-the-time-very-little Marti was just completely neglected and surrounded by used needles and pill bottles./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""So…this is the place." Marti said, opening the passenger door. Marti probably didn't notice at the time, but she was the only person who actually wanted to be there. She walked down the driveway to Rex's house and noticed a metal gate leading into a back-garden. Marti could just barely see what appeared to be a white bathtub, that had just been left there to go rusty and collect mould for years./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti also noticed in the large, white guttering above the windows where the roof started, there were weeds and stinging nettles poking out, implying Mother Nature had just been allowed to somehow get into Rex's drainage system. /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti noticed something odd when she finally got to the front door…she was on her own. She looked round and noticed Wanda, Deidra and Travis were still in the car. She waved at the three to come over but they just looked back at Marti with vacant expressions…/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti knocked on the door. She waited roughly about a minute before someone could be seen coming to the door. The door slowly opened and a man with slightly long, grey hair appeared at the door, wearing a baggy greyish, dark green shirt and light brown leather trousers. /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"He had black lines around his eyes and seemed like he was almost daydreaming or…dizzy from something…Marti had finally met Rex Perkins…her father… /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Who are you, d'ya mind me askin'?" Rex said, unable to recognise Marti…but how could he? He hadn't seen Marti since she was about 5. "…D-daddy?" Marti said softly "I-I-I'm…Marti Perkins…your…daughter…" Rex laughed a little bit before he noticed the yellow Buick parked up outside his house. He managed to make out that that was in fact Wanda, his first wife in the front seat and Deidra, the daughter he could actually remember sat in the back./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Is...is that Wanda?" Rex said, completely taken back "and...Deidra...?" Marti had Rex's FULL attention at this point. "Y-you're the woman i spoke to down the phone the other night aren't you?" Marti nodded her head before wrapping her arms around Rex. She had never felt happier in her entire life./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Back at Lancer University, Julian was just finishing organising his paperwork in his classroom, when suddenly the door opened and Vanessa stepped in./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Hey Julian, little birdie told me you had some kind of plan for me…" Vanessa said, intrigued and hopeful for what Julian had in mind. "Yes Miss Lodge, I do have a plan for you, please take a seat…"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Vanessa reluctantly took one of the seats that faced Julian's desk. "I have reason to believe that Dean Laverne, got to where he is today by being very good, at blackmailing others…" stated Julian "what I need…is a surveyor…someone to spy on the Dean, as he does his usual day-to-day business…"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""And what reason of this "blackmailing" do you have exactly?" Vanessa asked. Her interest suddenly went through the roof, but she felt like she had to ask as she also felt like Julian was dangling a carrot in front of her to…Julian smiled because he KNEW that Vanessa would feel that way./span/p
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p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""A legitimate question…" Julian stated, as he handed Vanessa a medium sized envelope, which inside had photos of Dean Laverne, in situations where he appeared to be pointing whilst shouting at what also looked like women, either interns or other general colleagues./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"One photo even has him appearing to be staring at a woman's backside as she's bent down to pick something up and another one where one woman is clearly in tears and he just appears to be laughing./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""Wow...unbelievable..." Vanessa said as she was taken back from looking at those jarring pictures of Dean Laverne. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. The worst part was, Vanessa always thought the Dean was a slime-ball...the way he jokingly arse-bumped Vanessa, that time the Hellcats were practising for their dance routine, at the Breast Awareness event a couple of months ago...Vanessa nearly threw up in her mouth, just like she did back then./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""But surely this will be enough to hold up...?" Vanessa asked, confused as to why Julian still needed her help, despite having quite a large portfolio on the man Julian wanted to trap. "Miss Lodge...i wish all of this would be enough, or else i wouldn't have contacted you..." Julian said regretfully but also with a reassuring tone. "...But unfortunately, at least according to most judges nowadays, things can be modified and copied in photoshop and because we are living in the digital age, it is getting harder and harder to tell apart the legitimate from the phones."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""What, so you want me to spy on the guy?" Asked Vanessa, slightly bolting up in her seat, now concerned as to what Julian's real intentions are. Julian paused for a second, not quite knowing how to break it to Vanessa. He finally caved in by simply replying to her question with "…more or less…"/span/p
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p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Although Vanessa felt this acquisition from Julian was...bizarre, to say the least...Vanessa also felt like she could trust Julian to. She felt compelled to go along with Julian's plan, not just to get her job back as the Hellcats coach, but to get even with Dean for herself and everyone he's mistreated…/span/p
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p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Back with Marti, Wanda, Deidra, Travis and Rex, Marti and Rex were both sat down together in Rex's living room, with Wanda, Deidra and Travis still sat in Wanda's Buick outside. Marti was taking in Rex's home, marvelling at all of the memorabilia he had dotted around on his walls, mantle piece and by his stereo. /span/p
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p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Rex had gone into the kitchen to get Marti a cup of coffee out of politeness…but strangely enough, Marti never heard the kettle in his kitchen turn on or any kind of boiling noise be emitted from it…"He must have just forgotten…" Marti thought to herself "…he's probably gone to get me one of those instant coffees that don't require heating up…"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Rex came out of the kitchen…with 2 cans of beer in each hand. He smiled as he passed one to Marti and as Marti looked at him gratified but albeit deeply confused, she opened it out of kindness…/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""So…" Rex paused for a couple of seconds "you're my daughter huh?" Marti smiled and nodded. "…we've got some serious catching up to do…" Rex said, still trying to take in that Marti, his first-born daughter was all grown up and sat right next to him…something he never imagined would happen in a million years…at least not after what had happened that day, in that horrible state Wanda found them in…/span/p
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p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""So I'm studying to become a lawyer" Marti said, in an attempt to break more of the ice. "I'm…currently in-between jobs myself…" Rex said with a sigh. "Did…Wanda say anything about me?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1""She had mentioned you from time to time…that you played the guitar…and that you had attended concerts, years after everybody thought you were dead…" Marti stated…she thought about what she had just said and slightly regretted it./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Marti and Rex sat there awkwardly trying to keep the conversation going…but they both knew it was going to be very hard to do seeing as how, it had been almost 2 decades since the pair last spoke to each other…/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1"Travis, Wanda and Deidra still sat in the car outside, figuratively praying Marti wasn't going to be any longer. The three had absolutely no intention of talking to Rex and Wanda wanted to get back before she became too depressed and intoxicated to run the bar back at The Rat…/span/p