Note:

So, here we are at chapter 9. It does have some sexual themes to it. Just a little warning for those who need a heads up about such things. I truly try to keep the bedroom scenes to a less is more writing mindset. But sometimes you just have to give some detail to give it some depth. It's important to have something in which to picture in your mind. This chapter has a lot of turning points. Enjoy!

And, as usual, thanks to those who review or PM. Feel free to do either.

-Carly

-Chapter 9-

5:09PM

Aimee and Iola reclined back in Aimee's bed looking up at the TV on the opposite wall. Iola took a sip of her wine. Her left leg straddled over Aimee's upstretched right knee, which allowed Aimee to stroke it.

"That feels good." Iola murmured then placed her glass on the bedside table. She edged closer yet to her bedmate to the point where their bare torsos were in full contact. She let her head fall deep into the down pillow. Aimee ran her hand gently along Iola's lower leg which rested firmly between her own legs. Iola turned her head towards Aimee and smiled. "That's so relaxing." She sighed deeply. "Why don't men know how to do this? To take their time and not just go from start to finish in ten minutes or less. They need to learn to be subtle. They are so predictable. The minute your clothes are off they are between your legs." Aimee giggled and gave her a sideways glance.

"Is that why your heel is rubbing against my clit, girl?" She bit her lower lip and grunted briefly at the sensation it caused. "Not that I mind." Iola continued.

"Hmm, feels pretty slippery down there."

"Mmmm hmmm." Aimee purred with her eyes closed. Her right hand left its position along Iola's leg and wandered up along her torso. "And I agree. You are better with your feet than any man's hands." Before Iola could comment, her phone went off.

"Shit." Iola grunted. She paused, wondering if she even wanted to check the phone. Realizing it might be important or concerning her son, she reached over to the nightstand and retrieved her phone. Aimee sighed sadly when Iola's foot shifted from its position. Iola grabbed her phone and looked at the screen. She grunted briefly. "Better be good, Cal." She said and hit the speaker button. She set the phone on her bare chest. "Hey, Cal. How nice of you to call at this time... This very exact time." Callie's stifled giggle was plainly heard.

"Oh my. Sorry about that, girl." Iola rolled her eyes and smiled. She glanced at Aimee.

"It's ok, Cal. The night is young." She said winking at Aimee. "What's up."

"Well, Maddie and I are just waiting for Chet to get out of the shower so we can take off. They are trying to limit their device time, and I wanted to give you a call before we left, so I wasn't on my phone during our quality time."

"Understood. Though I assume you called to tell me more than that? As you have surmised, I'm in the middle of something." Again, they heard Callie giggle.

"I'm sure you were. And I apologize to you both. By the way, Precious, are you talking to me now?" Aimee pursed her lips and then leaned towards the phone.

"Maybe... if you let Iola finish what she started."

"Gotcha. Well, Iola, I just wanted to let you know that Joe dropped by. He was looking for you. And in a rather foul mood. Which didn't get better after he became aware that you knew he wasn't with Frank yesterday. He said you didn't come home last night and he stopped by the farm to see if you might have been there." Iola looked down at the phone and grunted.

"Yeah, well I have news too. I checked our security camera history and he didn't roll in until around 7 in the morning. So, the fact that he said I didn't come home last night is a laugh. He must have also checked the camera log to determine I hadn't come home. Hypocrite. But he did call me a couple times and texted. I never replied. Figured I'd let him stew a while. Sorry if that sent him in your direction in less than a good mood." Callie grunted.

"Interesting. He showed up here pretty irritated. And, uhm, it didn't get much better." Callie was hesitant to go into too much detail as she knew Aimee was listening in.

"Oh?" Iola, now more interested asked.

"Well, yeah. I won't go into the details. But, he did mouth off to Chet and I and, well, Chet belted him in the jaw and knocked him on his butt." Iola's eyes went wide and he glanced over to Aimee.

"Let me get this right... Chet hit Joe?"

"Yeah. He was rather out of character, and said a couple disrespectful things." Iola sensed that maybe Callie didn't want to speak in such an open manner at present.

"Wow...that's a lot to absorb." She shook her head, then looked back down at the phone. "Does he know where I am at the moment?"

"No. He inquired, but I wasn't about to tell him."

"Well, thank you for that. Not sure what's going on with him. Hurts my head to think about it to be honest. Which I guess is why I didn't answer his calls. Once I saw he never even came home, I was not exactly in a good mood myself."

"Well, I just thought you might want to know. He definitely has something going on. But I really didn't want to get in the middle of it." Iola exhaled slowly and closed her eyes.

"Well, yeah. I am concerned." She paused thoughtfully, then shook her head. "But I just can't deal with it right now. If that makes me bad, so be it. As long as I know Joey is safe, I really need to take some time and think about my best approach to this."

"I hear ya, girl. Anyway, text me if you need. I might not reply right off. But I am here if you need."

"Thanks, Cal. I appreciate it." Iola glanced over to Aimee, then at the phone. Aimee looked down at it and smiled.

"Callie, I am sorry about earlier. I really hope you have a good night. I mean that."

"That takes a load off, precious. It really does. You also know where to reach me. Hope you both have a good night...well, maybe not too good. Catch you both soon! Love ya! Night."

"Goodnight, girl." Iola said.

"Goodnight, baby." Aimee whispered into the phone. "Love you too."

Iola disconnected and tossed her phone on the night stand. She picked up her glass of wine, then took a long drink. She looked over to Aimee.

"Wow. Sounds like my husband is going off the deep end, huh? He had to have been pretty extreme to have caused Chet to slug him. That isn't Chet's way at all." Aimee took the glass from Iola and finished it off.

"Definitely sounds like a guy who is angry, or stressed out by something." Iola shook her head as she was starting to get overwhelmed. She turned and faced Aimee.

"I don't want to think about it anymore. Please distract me." Aimee leaned over and kissed her.

"Well, I'll do my best. Where were we?"


Frank Hardy looked across his desk at his younger brother with a look of complete disgust. Joe shifted his view down towards the desk. He couldn't take that look. Not that he didn't deserve it. Frank took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He sat back in his office chair and grunted. Finally, he spoke.

"Are you just completely stupid, bro? I mean you have made some poor choices before, but this? Again?" Joe shook his head, then looked back at his brother.

"Frank, I was hoping for some support, pal. This is not helping." Frank sat back up from his reclined position and threw his hands up.

"Joe! You just told me that you took dad's jet for a quick jaunt to Atlantic City and promptly lost over $20,000! Did you expect me to be happy for you?" Joe grunted and rolled his eyes.

"Frank, I know it wasn't the best choice. But I was really hoping for some constructive advice to do some damage control." In spite of the tense mood, Frank managed to laugh.

"Damage control? You mean you want me to help clean up your mess so your wife doesn't kill you. By the way, don't be using me as an alibi to cover you. Because that didn't work." Joe nodded quickly.

"Yeah, yeah. I already know. I should have called you yesterday and gave you a heads up." Frank closed his eyes and shook his head.

"That wouldn't have done you any good, bro. I wouldn't have covered for you. Especially if I had known you were going to borrow dad's plane and was going to go dump half your savings account at the tables! Damn it, Joe. I thought you knew better by now!" Joe's face took on a look of regret as he looked down to the floor.

"Yeah, me too." he muttered. Frank's face relaxed a bit and looked over to his brother with a little more sympathy.

"Ok, well, what's done is done. Is there anything else to the story? I mean you dumped $20,000 in cash, right? You didn't sign any lien or leveraged any other assets?" Joe slowly shook his head, then looked up cautiously making eye contact with Frank. His brother saw that there was something more to the story.

"No, just 20 grand from the savings. But..." Frank nodded.

"Yeah, I thought so. Ok, don't make me wait for the other shoe to drop. What else?" Joe exhaled slowly. He placed his hand on his forehead and kept shaking his head. Frank was sympathetic, but also impatient. "Joe!" he promoted. His brother looked up.

"Ok...uhm, I didn't exactly go alone." Frank closed his eyes for several moments. He finally gave his brother a deadpan expression.

"Are you shitting me?!" Joe shook his head.

"No." Frank shook his head for a moment, then slammed his hand down.

"Joe, unless you tell me that your companion was a man, then your worries about the 20 grand will be much less concerning in the overall picture of what you are going to need to do in terms of damage control." He paused and noted that Joe was not jumping up to claim he just went with one of his buddies. "Your continued silence suggests that your companion was of the fairer sex? Let me guess... dark hair, large chest and is not likely to be getting a Christmas card from your wife since they get along so well." Joe nodded slowly.

"Yeah, that would be the girl." He said quietly. Frank was clearly disappointed in his brother. He grunted, then pointed to his face.

"Looks like you got yourself a doozie on the jaw there, bro. Did you either irritate someone at the casino, or does your wife already have an idea of what went down and gave you a piece of her mind?" Joe shook his head.

"No, we haven't talked yet. I got hit by Chet." Frank's eyebrows went up with surprise. He was not expecting that answer. Unless of course Chet had found out somehow.

"Chet? How did he find out? Not that his actions weren't justified." Joe sat back and gave a wry smile while rubbing his jaw.

"Chet doesn't know. He just hit me for another reason." Frank's eyes blinked several times. He held out his hand.

"Well, there's gotta be a story there. What is it?" Joe sighed.

"Let's just say I mouthed off when I went looking for Iola at the farm. I said a couple things I shouldn't have to Chet and Callie, and he basically responded by knocking me on my ass." Frank couldn't help by smile a little bit. He leaned back again.

"Chet is trying his very best to get his life and priorities straight. If you walked into his back yard and knocked him for it, you definitely had it coming." Joe exhaled slowly.

"I did have it coming. I know that. I arrived over there and saw the two of them embracing in the yard. Took me by surprise to see them acting so close and lovey." Frank took on a bit of a surprised expression.

"Ok, well, yeah, I can understand that maybe seeing that could be surprising given their overall tone towards each other for the last year has been pretty cool. But not sure what you did to get slugged." Joe waved his hand in front of his face dismissively.

"It's not important. I deserved it. But more importantly it wasn't because Chet knew I took Vanessa off to Atlantic City." Frank nodded.

"Ok, well, I hope you won't be surprised when the time comes that he hits you again." Joe smirked.

"Well, he will probably have to get in line behind his sister." Frank closed his eyes and thought for a few moments.

"Joe, you know I don't like to pry into other people's personal affairs..." Joe rolled his eyes at this. Frank held his hands out. "Sorry, poor choice of words. But I have to tell you... Iola has always thought that Vanessa was an unprofessional employee. Always flirting with you and such. So, I am sure you will not be surprised by the next question..." Joe held his hand up, gesturing his brother to stop.

"Bro, let's just cut to the chase. The answer is Yes, I have been...kind of...involved with Vanessa." Frank sighed and shook his head.

"Kind of Involved?" Joe rolled his eyes in disgust.

"Sorry, I guess that wasn't plain enough. Ok, how's this...I have been fucking Vanessa."

"Well, I guess it wasn't a poor choice of words after all. Damm it, Joe! What the Hell is going on? You know you are married. You know Iola will be crushed! You have a child! What possessed you..."

"Frank!" Joe interrupted. "Thank you for stating the obvious. You don't think all of these things have run through my mind a thousand times already?" Frank pointed at his brother.

"Well, they damn well bear repeating! You do know you just fucked yourself, but good! You know that, right?" Joe looked over indignantly.

"Yeah, Frank. I am well aware of it." he growled as he raised halfway out of his seat. He paused, then flopped back down into his chair and put his hand on his head. "But you know..." he said weakly. "I'm not really sure I care anymore." Frank studied his brother for several minutes. Joe was apparently exhausted and the lack of sleep and stress were clear.

"Joe, how long has it been since you have actually slept?" Joe tossed up his arms, unable to recall.

"Hell, I dunno, Frank. Maybe two days." Frank nodded.

"Ok, bro. That is the first order of business. Go home and get yourself a good twelve hours. I am pretty sure that Iola is probably not going to be there, so you should just go rest." Joe nodded, realizing he could barely keep his eyes open. "And I mean alone. You have cameras all over the place and the last thing you need Iola to see is that you have a house guest." Joe looked up with a beleaguered expression.

"Too tired for that, bro." Frank rolled his eyes and pushed a button, then spoke into the telephone on his desk.

"McShane, can you come in and give my brother a ride home." He released the button. A moment later a voice came back.

"Sure, Frank. Give me about five." Frank rubbed his temple and glanced at his brother. Joe had given him ample reason to be very disappointed in him. But Frank realized that any further berating would be useless for the time being.

After Joe had been escorted out of the office, Frank sat back and pondered the bombshell that his brother had laid at his feet. After a good five minutes Frank sat back up and picked up his phone. There was only one thing to do at this point. Frank took a deep breath and dialed as he held the receiver to his ear.

"Hello, dad? It's Frank."


7:07PM

Bayport Bowl-N-Skate was a large entertainment center on the west side of town. About ten years ago it had undergone a major renovation from its original form, which had been a much smaller bowling alley and bar that had been established some fifty years prior. The current building was vast in size to accommodate the heavy weekend traffic from families who lived in Bayport, as well as appealing to those traveling through on the nearby interstate.

That evening found the facility at about half capacity. Or roughly 120 persons. Some bowling and some skating. Others were patronizing the built-in arcade area. While still others were just there to have a drink. The bar was a spot for locals of the working class, as well as those who were just driving through. The motel across the road was an attractive stopover for individuals and families who wanted to end their travel for the night as well as have something nearby to do. Each facility complimented the other in targeting the weary traveler who needed to get off the interstate, and provide them with lodging, entertainment and refreshments.

Callie and Chet sat back in the seating area of lane 15. They watched their daughter prepare to bowl her last frame.

"You got this!" Callie shouted at her daughter. Maddie hefted the ball in her hands and lined herself up. She lined up her arm and made a deliberate walk towards the foul line, stopping just short she released the ball. All three watched as the ball hit home and knocked over the remaining pins. Maddie jumped up and clapped.

"And she got her last spare!" Chet exclaimed and glanced over to his wife. "She just literally kicked our butts, didn't she? I don't know about you, but I was doing my best and still came up 80 points less than her." Callie nodded and smiled back.

"Same here. She has focus for sure." Maddie came back to the seats to give high fives to both her mom and dad.

"Got ya both good again!" Maddie boasted with a broad smile.

"That you did, baby!" Chet marveled. Maddie flopped back into her seat. She grabbed a bottle and emptied it of remaining soda.

"Two impressive games, sweetie! And you beat both your mom and dad with room to spare." She looked at Maddie, who seemed to also have energy to spare. "So, what would you like to do now? Another game?" Maddie looked at her parents.

"Well, I'd just beat you guys again, so maybe..." her eyes shifted across the building to the side where the skating rink was located. Her eyes broadened. "Can I skate?" Chet and Callie looked at each other with some hesitation. Not for Maddie, but for themselves. Neither had been on roller skates since their teens. And their experience at that time was not exactly memorable. Chet chuckled a bit.

"Well, baby, I think the operative question may be does your mom or I have to skate? Or is it cool if we just watch?" Maddie grinned.

"Oh, its ok if you just watch." Callie gave an inward sigh in relief. She had balance issues when it came to skates and skis.

"Well, great! How about your dad and I get some food ordered while you skate, and judging by the amount of people here it may take a while for the order to be served." Maddie nodded her agreement.

"Sounds great!" Chet smiled at having dodged the bullet of having to wear skates.

"Ok then. What would you like us to order?"

"Pizza and fries? Oh, and a chocolate shake!" Callie put her arm around her daughter.

"Chocolate shake? Girl after my own heart!" Chet took some money out of his wallet and handed it to Maddie.

"Here you go, baby. Rent yourself some skates and we will move over to those tables on the right side of the rink." Maddie accepted the money and smiled.

"Thanks, dad!" She ran off in the direction of the rink. Chet raised his eyebrows in amusement and glanced at Callie.

"Where do they get the energy? After lifting fence posts and two games of bowling, I think my back and arm are out of alignment." Callie shook her head.

"I don't know. But I am glad we didn't have to fall on our butts in front of our eldest! I think the last time we were on skates we were about her age." Chet shook his head.

"Yeah, that would have been a bit embarrassing." He sighed as he watched his daughter sit on the far end bench near the rink putting on skates. "Wow. She seriously looks about five years older than she is." Callie nodded soberly.

"Yeah. Saw some boys checking her out earlier by the drink counter. They looked like 23-year olds. They probably had no clue Maddie was pushing 15." Chet's eyes shifted suspiciously.

"Which boys?!" Callie giggled as she watched her husband overreact.

"Relax, babe. They didn't make any approach. Though they were circling. And yeah, her growth spurt is pretty much making her an easy pass for an 18 year old. Which scares me a bit. When you consider her intellect is clearly over the age of 14 in many ways, it would not be unreasonable to peg her as legal." Chet sighed deeply at the thought of it.

"Please, don't even go there." He pleaded. "She's still my baby." Callie leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Mine too." Chet looked down at her.

"Much as I love you doing that. And as much as I love smelling your perfume, I guess we best order. Looks like the service here is lacking in the food prep area." Callie sighed.

"Yeah, I guess your right. Let's go. We can order and then sit closer to the rink." Chet nodded.

Chet studied the overhead menu board and gave a sideways glance to Cal.

"I'm good with anything on my pizza." Callie nodded and looked down to the server behind the counter.

"Can we have an extra-large pepperoni and mushroom. Two large fries. A large coke..." She looked to Chet. "What do you want to drink, babe?"

"I know I'd like a beer, but I am driving. So, how about a large Sprite?" the server nodded.

"And to drink for you, ma'am?" Callie shot Chet a glance.

"As I'm not driving, do you think it would be ok if I had a drink drink?"

"Doesn't bother me, Cal. Is Maddie ok with it?" Callie nodded.

"In moderation. I just need to take the edge off all the stimulating music and noises going on." She looked back over to the server. "Can I get a Bushmills on the rocks? Oh, and a large ice water?"

"Of course." They tapped away on the register. "$38.82 please." Callie tossed a $50 down.

"Keep it."

"Thank you, ma'am." The server said, then slid over a plastic table sign with the number 19 on it. "They will find you when your order is up." Callie grabbed the small sign.

"Thanks." She and Chet made their way to a bank of tables that sat on the right side of the large rectangular shaped rink. Callie pointed down to a table that had a reasonably unobstructed view. "This work for ya?" Chet nodded affirmatively.

"Yep." He said taking a seat next to Callie. They watched as about fifty mostly young people of varying degrees of experience circled the rink. They watched for a good five minutes before Callie finally pointed. "There she is!" Chet and Callie watched as their daughter kept a steady path along the outer edge.

"Better than I am." Chet said with pride.

"Me too! I'd have fallen on my ass by now." A few minutes later they were interrupted by a server stopping before their table.

"I have a Coke, Sprite, ice water and a Bushmills on ice."

"You got it." Callie said with a gesture of her hand. The server placed the drinks before them.

"Food will probably be at least another 30-45 minutes I'm afraid." Chet nodded.

"It's ok. Thank you." Callie pushed the Sprite before him, then took her glass.

"Thank you for letting me have a this without judging." Chet gave a casual shrug.

"You're entitled." He said simply and took a drink. Callie downed half her drink and cleared her throat.

"That's better." She said, then looked back at the rink searchingly. a few moments later Maddie passed again with what appeared to be a little more confidence. "She will learn."

"That she will." Chet observed. "She is sticking pretty close to the rail. She will be pretty confident by the end of the night I suspect." Callie nodded.

"So, I hear that you have an active ticket again. Have you formally opened a practice yet, or taken any jobs?" Callie smiled.

"Well, I am flying solo right now. I have put my name out in the usual places. But I haven't really been actively seeking a case. I figure one may fall into my lap when the time is right. Start out with something not too exciting when it happens. Fenton advised I don't go out looking for a case. Or as he eloquently put it, a new cause."

"Cause?" Chet asked curiously. Cal gave a half smile and nodded.

"Fenton broke it down for me after all that happen in Pennsylvania. Basically saying that I found a cause, rather than a case. Meaning, I broke the main rule of an investigator by getting personally involved. While he understood my passion, he reminded me that whenever possible, it is a much better idea to not have misplaced feelings." Callie shrugged. "Still not sure I really did anything really wrong. But I suppose Fenton was just offering his usual advice from someone with pretty much more expertise than most in the field." Callie finished her drink and started sipping on her water.

"Well, Cal. I really love that you can be so passionate about your work. I remember when we use to..." Chet's words ceased as he became distracted. Callie noticed her husband roll his eyes slightly.

"What's up?" Chet sighed and gestured towards the rink and pointed towards their daughter.

"Looks like someone removed that button-down shirt they were asked to wear." Callie raised an eyebrow and waited for Maddie to pass along their end of the rink. She heaved a sigh when she saw their daughter who was now just sporting a very tight and skimpy crop top.

"Yep. Guns a blazin'." She shook her head for a moment.

"Well..." Chet gestured. "It is pretty stuffy in here. I kind of figure she is probably just hot." Callie chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, that's the problem. She's hot."

"Sorry, that was a poor choice of words. I just meant that I don't think she was really trying to defy us." Callie nodded.

"I know. It is kind of stuffy in this place. So, I can't say that I blame her." She looked over the crowd of skaters. "Well, at least the majority of them are female. I guess momma won't toss a fit over it. As long as she gets another drink so she can better deal with it." Chet chuckled and stood up.

"Well, Momma, allow me to get that for you." Callie smiled.

"Thank you kindly, sir."


A young girl of about 16 sat at a rink side stool and small table. She was very attractive with flowing brown hair and piercing green eyes. She wore a tight knit dark green top with hemmed denim shorts. She watched the skaters diligently while she nursed a soda.

A moment later a phone in her back pocket buzzed. She pulled it up and looked at the screen. A text message appeared consisting of a single emoji. A thumbs down. A moment later the phone buzzed again. Another text from the same sender. Again, a single emoji. This time it was an angry face. The girl shuddered a bit after seeing it. She took a deep breath. She flipped her camera app open and studied the skaters as they passed. After closely scrutinizing skaters passing by, she casually took her phone and set it on her table with the lens pointed towards oncoming skaters. A few moments later she snapped a photo of a girl that was rounding the rink near her. The girl had red hair and looked about 15. She was thin and pale and wore black tights with a yellow t-shirt. She pulled up the photo she just took and cropped out other skaters that were around the girl. She fiddled with her phone nervously as she pulled the text message back up. She closed her eyes for a moment and again paused to take a deep breath. She swallowed hard and then attached the photo to the text message and hit the Send button. With a simple whooshing sound the text sent. She placed the phone on the table. She seemed to stare off into space. Her mind was quite clearly in another place.

A few minutes passed. The alert sounded once again, nearly causing the girl to jump. Hesitantly, she picked the phone up again. This time the text had two emojis. The familiar thumbs down and angry face. The girl dropped the phone on the table and bent down placing her head in her hands. Her pulse rate had increased and her hands fidgeted nervously. She looked at the clock on the wall and knew time was running out. He was already mad.

She returned to an upright position and started scanning the skaters again. She took another swig of Coke and watched intently. A few moments later her eyes caught sight of a striking blonde teen with blue eyes. She was wearing a tight pair of low rider jeans and a very small crop top which afforded an easy view of her very ample bosom. The girl appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen. She glided along at a slower pace. She seemed unsure of her skating and appeared to prefer being close to the outside rail. Once again, she opened her phone app and waited for the blonde to circle the rink. She pretended to appear as if she was typing a message with her thumbs, but in reality, was making sure the camera was focusing on a specific area. A few more moments wait and the blonde girl came back around. To make sure she got the picture, the girl hit the burst mode. The phone made a soft rapid clicking sound while multiple photos were captured. She immediately lowered her phone to seem less conspicuous. She looked in the gallery and retrieved the best photo of the blonde girl. After cropping the image, she looked back and forth to ensure no one was watching. She opened the text message again and attached a photo of the blonde girl. Another deep breath and she hit the send button. Once again, the whoosh sound came, indicating that the image had been sent. She set the phone down and picked her drink back up.

She sat pensively. Counting down the seconds when she knew the phone would again beep an alert. She wondered if this would finally be the one. She tapped her fingers on the table nervously. Another minute passed. Finally, the alert tone sounded! She picked up the phone like she had done at least a dozen times before that evening. She looked down at the screen. This time, the message consisted of three emojis. Thumbs Up...Drooling Face...Heart. These symbols told her what needed to happen next. She felt a sickening feeling in her stomach. But she knew if she objected at all there would be dire consequences.

She got up off the stool and made sure her skates were still tied. She tucked her phone into her back pocket. She took a few deep breaths and edged closer to the nearest rink opening. She watched from the corner of her eye as she saw the blonde girl coming back around, still close to the rail. She started counting so she could time it right. A moment later the girl entered the rink. A split second later a skater ran into her partially extended foot, which caused her to promptly trip over it and fall to the ground. With a resounding thud the blonde girl landed on the floor near the edge of the rink. The blonde appeared dazed for a moment and tried to gain her composure. A moment later a girl with long brown hair and a shocked expression bent over her.

"Oh my God! Are you alright?! I am so, so sorry! I am not very good at skating and I'm afraid I entered right in front of you. Please, let me help you up!" She said offering an extended hand to the blonde girl. The blonde girl blinked several times and then regained some focus. A slight smile creased her lips and she reached up to accept the assistance. She pulled her up to a standing position. The blonde again blinked rapidly as she gained her equilibrium. She focused in on the other girl.

"Uhm, it's ok. I think I'm alright." The brunette gestured towards the opening of the rink.

"I think you should come sit down for a minute. Oh my. I am such a klutz. Are you sure you're alright?" The blonde nodded slowly as she grabbed the side rail and followed the girl out of the rink. She followed her to the table she was at earlier. "Please, sit down." she offered. The blonde smiled shyly.

"Thanks." The brunette looked at her with a concerned face.

"I am sorry about that. I guess it's easy to see that I don't go skating much. are you sure you feel ok? You really took a dive on my clumsy foot!" The blonde nodded.

"Yeah, I'm ok. It's very nice of you to be concerned. I am pretty new at skating myself. So, don't feel bad." The brunette's face formed a smile.

"I'm relieved to hear that." She paused and rolled her eyes. "I am sorry, I didn't even introduce myself. My name is Jaime." The blonde offered her hand.

"Hi Jaime! My name is Madeleine Morton. But you can call me Maddie!"