The following day, Ms. Kirk sat at her desk with a smirk on her face when Kimberly and Tommy walked in."Mr. Kaplan says that I must make sure my students get enough exercise," she explained as she was getting her key out of her desk. Ms. Kirk walked over to a door and unlocked it. Follow me! We haven't got all day!"

Tommy and Kimberly followed Ms. Kirk down a long twist stair case. "Tommy, where do you think we are going?" Kimberly whispered watching him pull his hair back. As they walked down the staircase, lights began to come on and they saw a huge pool in the middle of the room.

"Looks like we're in some type of stadium," he whispered back. Tommy looked all around the room noticing there were bleachers on each side of the room and it had a running track.

"Okay, I want both of you to give me 20 laps," Ms. Kirk demanded opening a box. She got out a pair purple speedo briefs, a purple sports bikini top, and a pair of purple bikini bottoms. Then she took a seat in a nice and cozy arm chair. "Then I want you to both to give me 20 laps around the running track-"

"-in our wet clothes?!" Kimberly complained as she got her swim wear from Ms. Kirk.

Ms. Kirk smiled at Kimberly and Tommy. " I think I've had a change of plans," she smirked looking up at them. "Why don't you do your laps around the running track first. And to make things interesting, I want both of you to walk in the same style that I made Mr. Oliver walk yesterday."

Why don't you do the laps around the running track first?" "To make it interesting, I want both of you walk like Mr. Oliver did yesterday."

"With our legs apart!" gasped Tommy squeezing his hands into fists. "That took forever to do, can't we just do it normally?"

"Mr. Oliver, remember what we talked about?"

"Yes, Ms. Kirk. No arguing with the teacher."

Ms. Kirk walked over to the box and got out some rope. "Ms. Hart, I want you to go stand by Mr. Oliver," she instructed. Kimberly quickly walked over to Tommy and wonder what Ms. Kirk was planning. "I want both of you to stand very close together."

Without arguing, they stood as close as they could. "Ms. Kirk, what are you doing?" Kimberly asked as Ms. Kirk started to tie her left leg and Tommy's right leg together.

"When I was kid we used to play the three-legged man race at birthday parties," she explained while she finished tying the rope around their legs. "I want you both to walk 10 laps as the three-legged man and 10 laps walking with your legs apart. If you mess up, you have to that lap over again."

She blew her whistle and they started to walk around the track. "I hate this," Kimberly said in a quiet tone. Tommy wrapped his around her waist to give her extra support. "I've never seen anything like this type of punishment before... well, other than what your mom told us yesterday. Have you even meet Ken and Rita?"

"I have never met them or talked to them before in my life," he stated feeling Kimberly wrap her arm around his waist to help give him little extra support. "I don't even know what happened to them or where they are now. Kim, what was your life like when your parents where living together."

"They got along good until Caroline quit her job for a better offer and Andrew was promoted," she answered. "After that they were always fighting."

August 1990

"I'm home," Kimberly announced as she walked through the door. "I was just made the 6th grade gymnastics team!"

An average height man with Carmel hair walked into the room. "I got a promotion," Andrew Hart revealed taking a seat on the couch. "Mr. White made me the main auctioneer today."

"Wow! That's great, daddy!" Kimberly cried throwing her arms around her father. "I'm so proud of you."

A petite woman with dark brown hair walked through the door. "Guess what everybody!?" Caroline Hart squealed as she walked into the door. "I was given a better job. I am working with Fashion and Style designing clothes."

"Caroline, that's great!" congratulated Andrew watching his wife walk take a seat. "Are you sure that is really what you want-"

"-yes, I'm sure! I've wanted this for a long time ever since my friend got won Ms. California. She won a chance to design clothes at Fashion and Style. But, she decided to take a scholarship instead. I told her I wanted it and she said she didn't know it. She had just gotten married and didn't want it to mess with her marriage-"

"-Caroline, you've got a well-paying job. You're been successful as a news reporter and have had all you ever wanted. If you went to work at Current Fashion Styles, you'd have to come up with a new design every day, attend fashion shows, keep up with the latest fashion, and work late long hours. You would miss spending time with your family."

"Andrew, we'll make this work, you'll see."

"Kim, I'm so sorry," Tommy apologized as they struggled walked on the running trail being careful not fall. "Did they try to make it work?"

"They did," she confessed wrapping her arm tighter around him. "It worked for a while. But, Caroline got increasingly involved with her career. She wasn't as home as much. Eventually, it leads into fights and arguments because my parents weren't getting to spend enough time together. My father tried to go to her fashion shows and my gymnastics completion. But, his job got to be demanding and he wasn't as home much either. He was away a lot too. Eventually, it leads into fighting and they started saying divorce a lot. Within six months they filed for divorce."

"Sounds like your mother took her marriage with your father for granted," he responded while he was getting tired. They had already finished their 10 laps as the three-legged man and they were on their sixth lap as walking with their legs apart. "That's something, I'd never do with you or anyone else that I care about."

Ms. Kirk blew her whistle and they stop where they were at on the track. "Why don't you both change into your swimsuits and do your laps in the pool?" she suggested walking over to them and handing them their swimsuits. "There are changing rooms down here." She walked over to them and untied their legs.

Kimberly noticed there was some black marks on her pink jogging pants. She noticed there was red lip prints on her pant leg. Before she could get Tommy's attention, the lip prints disappeared. Well, she could ask him about it later. Kimberly walked into the changing room and quickly changed into her swimsuit. "I wish I was wearing a pink swimsuit instead of purple," she sighed folding up her pink pants and pink tee shirt. Kimberly stepped out of the changing room and sat on the bottom bleacher to wait for Tommy.

Meanwhile, Tommy was in the changing room staring at himself in the mirror. "I wish I could wear something better," he told himself. Tommy felt like he was walking around in only his underwear while he wore those speedo briefs. He assumed Ms. Kirk gave him those to purposely make him feel uncomfortable. "I know Kim won't laugh when she sees me like this." After folding his khakis and white Henley up, he pulled his hair back and stepped outside.

Ms. Kirk began to laugh when she saw Tommy step out in his speedo briefs. "Mr. Oliver, did anyone tell you how muscular you look?" she laughed watching Tommy's face turn red. "You've got big muscles. Are you trying to be the next Hercules? You could even be a body builder if you want to!"

Tommy quickly took a seat next to Kimberly and noticed her face was red. "Are you okay?" he whispered taking hold of her hand. "Did she insult you too?"

"She did," Kimberly confessed watching Ms. Kirk role around the floor laughing. "She said I was tiny, didn't have strong muscles, and I didn't have the prefect figure-"

"Beautiful, your prefect just the way you are," he assured her feeling her tiny arms wrap around his waist. "I love you just the way you are."

Ms. Kirk got up off the floor and walked over to them. "Both of you get in the pool and give me five laps," she instructed snickering as Tommy and Kimberly headed to the pool. She sat back and watched them swim their laps. Both were swimming slow and looked tired by the time they were done.

They walked over to Ms. Kirk with water dripping from their suits. "Ms. Kirk, we're finished," panted Kimberly trying to catch her breath. "What do you want us to do now?"

Ms. Kirk thought for a little bit before answering. "Hmmm, why don't you have some free time in the pool for a while," she answered walking over to a closet and brought out some float lounges, inter tubes, and some giant mermaid tail floats.

Tommy got in the water and laid flat on his back in the water, allowing his limbs to think for him. The was so refreshing to him. Allowing it to take all his worries away, he stretched out his arms, opened his palms and released all his bodily tension. Kimberly sat at the edge of the pool with her feet in the water. "Come in, Beautiful," encouraged Tommy as he floated past her.

"I was thinking about something," she hinted as she got up. "I'll be right back."

For some reason she was being drawn back to the changing room. Kimberly stepped in the changing room and walked over to her book bag. She unzipped it and got out the box and slowly began to unwrap it.

In the meantime, Tommy got out of the pool and headed to the changing room to see what was taking Kimberly, so long. Was it possible that she opening the box? If so he didn't want to miss it. He had waited for that moment for a long time. His fingers were crossed that she says yes. As he walked closer to the room something grabbed him from behind. Before, he could do anything, he was blind folded, and a hand grabbed him by the mouth.