AN: As per usual, my faithful readers, you're all brilliant. Halfpipechick, trust me, you didn't sound like an idiot. You all had really good thoughts about why I chose that particular title. Ashley, once again, you provided a great review; Miss Waffles, you provided an excellent new addition to the reviewing crowd. I enjoyed reading all of your thoughts on the title. So, if you want to provide your insights on other chapter titles in your reviews, I'd be more than delighted to read them. Oh, and to those who actually bother to view my homepage (myspace page), you're welcome to add me as a friend…since, well, you kinda need to so you can even see the profile.

X x X x

Chapter Five: Strike Us Like Matches

From "Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends" by Fall Out Boy

X x X x

It was the time of year for pompoms and make-up and obsessive practicing and perfecting of routines. It would only be a couple of weeks until the annual cheerleading tournament. No time to waste with letting things fall apart. Brooke had shifted into cheer-tator mode.

The brilliant little schemer's mind had kicked into overdrive after being threatened with the idea of her team being dissolved. Not now. Not after all they had worked for. Brooke paced in front of her team, letting the silence press in on them. None of them were exactly thrilled about the way she was acting. After all – Bevin and Kenzie had only gotten in a small fight. It was just bad luck that Whitey saw it.

Lucky for Brooke, Lucas had been putting up posters earlier. Something to do with football – or was it basketball? Ah, it didn't matter. It was brilliant. Hopefully it would keep her girls out of trouble. Hell, maybe they would even keep them from slitting each other's throats, her eyes flitted from Rachel to Peyton.

"Are you just going to glare at us or do you actually have something to say?" Rachel's snippy comment interrupted the silence.

"Well, Rachel," Brooke's eyes narrowed and fixated on her. "I do have something to say." She turned to her squad. "We are going to solve all of our boy troubles right now."

"And how would we do that?" Again, Rachel's voice was annoyed and skeptical.

"I'll tell you," Brooke paused for dramatic effect, "We're going to have a fantasy boy draft." Silence greeted her grand plan. Within the hour she had her group gathered in the locker room. "So, as a final rule, you can trade at any point in the season if you are not happy with your draft picks. Now, count off from one."

Peyton grimaced and waved her little compact. "One." Could she have sounded less enthused about the whole idea? Brooke grinned, happily followed suit.

"Right behind ya with two. Who has three?"

"Oh, I do!" Bevin chirped, raising her hand slightly.

"Four." Haley gave a half-smile, though she was more than a little exasperated. She and Nathan had worked out most of their problems. There wasn't even a question about whom she was going to choose.

"Five." Rachel spoke in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "And, I guess we get to decide what happens with our boys?"

"Of course." The response was followed by a suggestive smirk. Peyton, however, gave her best fake smile and still managed to be the first to leave. A fantasy boy draft? Where did Brooke get these ideas? In any way she could think about it, she couldn't help but feel that this little plot of hers might have some unforeseen aftershocks. After all, she was Brooke Davis. Despite how much she grew as a person, she still had a bit of trouble handling and predicting the consequences to her actions.

Peyton ran her fingers through her hair as she dodged a couple of skater punks and wannabe cheerleaders. Her green eyes searched the crowds for a friendly face. She didn't know why – but she just didn't want to think about the draft. She hadn't seen Melissa all day. It was a strange occurrence now that she thought about it. Usually the brunette took her schoolwork seriously enough to make decent grades. Missing two classes just wasn't like her.

The day progressed rather uneventfully. Brooke happily caught up to her some few minutes after she finally gave up looking for Melissa and started on about something or other concerning her brilliance with settling the guy trouble and keeping her cheerleaders in check. Peyton interjected her own tidbits and assurances when needed, but otherwise zoned out a bit.

She was more than a bit curious as to the location of her friend. She never noticed just how much she had become accustomed to interacting with Melissa throughout the day until she wasn't there. Usually she would get into some type of discussion about a new song that one of them had heard on the radio or a CD they had gotten from a friend. Melissa would surrender her full attention to Peyton and everything she said.

Wow…

She blinked, finally noticing something that pulled at her nerves a little. Just how much did she notice about Melissa? Peyton stopped in her tracks to think. Her eyes trailed along the landscape. Brooke was at home by that time. Her feet began carrying her forward. She didn't know where – but sometimes it was good to just wander.

A zephyr of thick, warm air brushed her face and molded around her body. It was one of those annoying days that was of above-average temperature even when it was supposed to be colder. Her mind skipped from one thing to another. She had become so used to everything about Melissa. The way the sun made her skin glow. How her hair flipped over her shoulder and fluttered around her face in the wind. How her eyes sparkled every time they talked about music.

It wasn't just that – smaller things too. Little habits. Whenever Melissa was tired or bored her handwriting would start becoming more scratchy and uneven. Her eyes would gleam just a little less than they usually did. When irritated with something during class, she would start playing with her hair on her left side, never her right.

A familiar swish of silken dark hair in the corner of her eye drew her attention elsewhere. Peyton's brow furrowed as she observed the object of her musings standing outside of a foster home. She hesitated and then made her way across the street. What was she doing at this place? Something made her stop as she neared the steps leading up to the front doors.

A luminous smile lit up Melissa's face. A woman had come out holding the hand of a small girl. The child had soft dark brown hair and bright, happy hazel eyes. Melissa knelt down, holding her arms open to the girl. She walked away from her initial chaperone and into Melissa's waiting grasp. The high school student literally glowed as she lifted the girl into her arms, talking rapidly and saying something to elicit a laugh.

Peyton automatically started backtracking her steps, trying not to be noticed. She felt strange, like she had intruded on something extremely personal. Who had the little kid been? Many thoughts raced around in her already busy brain. A fleeting memory of Jake and little Jenny fought its way up, only to be swept away by the current of noise that clouded her mind.

As such, she failed to notice the second individual who had seen the same thing she had.

X x X x

"One, two. Three, four. Five, six. Seven, eight." Brooke's voice echoed throughout the gymnasium as she paced in front of her squad. As usual, they were practicing and perfecting until their feet bled.

Actually, Bevin had to sit out for a few minutes to wrap her foot in bandages. The normally happy cheerleader winced as a certain brunette helped her out. Bevin was actually pretty tough, even if no one else noticed. Not a single complaint out of her yet.

Melissa smiled sympathetically as she finished with her foot. Brooke clapped her hands, albeit a little unenthusiastically, and granted her group of girls a generous five minute break. Most of her squad immediately went to check on Bevin.

"Are you sure you should be cheering? I don't know how it happened, but that's a pretty nasty cut." Melissa voiced her thoughts hesitantly. Cheerville. Unknown territory for her – at least to be right in the center of it all. She caught Peyton's eye for a moment before turning her attention back to Bevin. The girl was sweet and almost abnormally happy. Maybe it just came with the cheering territory.

She had hardly been planning to show up to watch cheerleading practice – but she hadn't seen Rachel or Brooke or any of them for long periods of time. Hell, she hated to admit it, but she missed them. Lately she'd been too busy with more personal business. While not seeing the rest of the little squad was one thing, not seeing a certain broody blonde was another.

Peyton, at that moment, was standing back a little with Brooke, discussing something or other. Peyton was officially the unofficial co-captain after all. More than likely they were talking about formation or pompoms or…something. She really knew nothing about cheerleading.

Next thing she knew, Bevin was hugging her tightly before springing to her feet (hiding a slight flinch as she did) and heading to the middle of the court. A couple of the other girls gave her an uncertain look before following suit. Rachel remained behind the longest, lingering next to Melissa. Her hazel eyes were sparkling with glee about something, though she wore her usual smirk on her lips.

The cunning vixen flipped her red hair over her shoulder, sitting next to the brunette. Though her gaze was seemingly focused on the posse of pompom waving gymnasts before them, she wasn't really thinking about cheerleading. Brushing a crimson tendril from her face, she leaned in and said a single word in a tone barely above a murmur. It caught Melissa's full attention.

"Blackmail's an ugly word." Rachel casually announced to her companion as she got to her feet once more and prepared to rejoin her group.

"What do you want that I could offer?" Melissa asked skeptically. She wouldn't take Rachel lightly. Without any affirmative idea of how much she knew and what she could do with the information, it would be stupid to be too rash.

"Nothing right now. Don't get me wrong, I'll think of something. No need to worry." With those final words hanging in the air, Rachel turned and strode languidly to where her squad-mates waited for her. This was a situation that could either be passive or volatile. She hadn't yet made up her mind. Right now she would just go along with whatever it was Rachel asked for. The eighteen-year-old ran her hands through her dark hair, her green and brown orbs following the movement of the current routine.

Cursing the cheerleader mentally, Melissa muttered wearily as she thought over the whole situation in her mind. She didn't like the fact that Rachel had somehow found out that name. Maybe she saw it in some file or heard it somewhere. Hell, maybe she didn't even know the significance of it. Then again, maybe she did. Melissa couldn't decide which of the two options would be the lesser evil.

In any case, it gave her a whole other problem to worry about. For now she just needed to focus. The simple thing that was supposed to be luring Peyton into a fling wasn't working too well for her. They talked a lot about music and such, but no official date-date yet. Melissa wanted that to change. Even as she pulled up the idea in her mind, she felt her stomach clench out of guilt. Peyton…

She was a good person. She had a good personality, mind and heart. Not all that common, especially among the high school royalty. Peyton Sawyer was definitely part of that crowd whether she liked it or not. Something told her it was the latter rather than the former. Her chest constricted uncomfortably. Peyton really deserved to have someone who actually wanted her chasing her – not something pursuing her just for a one-night fling.

Then again, no matter how much she attempted to convince herself that a single night with her was all she wanted, everything else told her otherwise. Peyton had changed from the object of her attraction to that of her affection and lust. She wanted to kick herself for what she was undoubtedly going to get herself into.

And then Brooke was bracingly announcing to her squad that practice was over for the night and she wanted them to rest up for the next day. From what she could tell, they would be holding their little fantasy boy draft the following evening. It didn't have anything to do with Melissa. After all, there was a certain little girl that she would be going to see for the duration of their draft making.

Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer.

Melissa sighed, rose to her feet. It had been a very long day. She had to make a couple of phone calls and she needed to increase her income. Tric was nice and all, but not exactly the best job economically. A pair of hazel eyes bore into her own, the characteristic smirk curling the lips of the other. She pulled her eyes away and just waited for Peyton.

Peyton smiled as she approached the brunette. The reluctant teen queen was happy she had decided to stick around and hadn't just upped and left. She liked her a lot. Melissa was charming in her own way and had a flawless face adorned with bright, gleaming eyes. She couldn't help it; she just kind of smiled every time she was around her.

"You're coming to our competition, right?" She asked innocently as the pair made their way over to the exit doors. Melissa rolled her eyes and pretended to contemplate over her answer as though it were a serious question she had been asked. Drama queen. For a moment, she remembered the look on her face when she had picked up that little girl. Such a gorgeous kid. Her eyes had been open, welcome windows into her innocent young heart. It was a heart not yet tainted by life's harsh realities and murderous brutalities. Peyton recalled that dark hair so much like Melissa's and felt that guilty jerk in her gut.

"Of course, I'll go. Not as though I have a choice in the matter, right Bubbles?" Melissa gave a playful half-smile, holding the door open for Peyton briefly. The cheerleader was pulled from her reverie. The cool night air swirled around them lazily. The trees offered no resistance and danced along under the moonlight.

"That's right." Peyton ignored the Powerpuff Girls remark. Melissa felt the need to use that name at least once every twenty-four hours. "I've been meaning to ask you this, but what things to you do? I mean, sports and hobby wise."

"Gymnastics and soccer. And – obviously – you do cheerleading with your ultra cool pompoms." The brunette earned herself a suspicious look for that remark. She raised her hands into the air innocently, "Hey, I was so not picking on the pompoms if that what you were thinking."

"Of course not." Peyton rolled her eyes and smacked Melissa on the head with her sparkly little pompoms. She batted with a sheepish smile at the blonde. Her assailant paused by her car. "So…Good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Actually, powderpuff." Melissa caught her hand and spun her around lightly. It definitely caught her off guard. Peyton blinked and her brow knitted together in confusion. She felt her heart flutter nervously in her chest. She and Melissa had been dancing around each other precariously since she arrived. Now what they were avoiding exactly, she couldn't say.

"I was wondering if you'd let me take you to lunch on Saturday." The offer was delivered with a light smirk and gentle squeeze of the hand. Peyton's face flushed a bit. This was not a giant revelation. The whole girls thing with her – not a big "ohmigod" surprise. And yet…

"Sure." The words slipped from her mouth unbidden, though not entirely unwelcome. She reprimanded herself quickly for being so stunned.

"Good, Bubbles. I'll call you." She wore that pretty little smile on face and lightly brushed her thumb across Peyton's knuckles. With that she was off again. Peyton remained stationary with a hand on her car door for a moment. She just needed to think and clear her mind. Peyton inhaled slowly, pulling on the handle at the same time.

She had a date. Not just any date, no. She had a date with none other than Melissa Lander. Should she tell Brooke about it? Did she really need to know? Maybe it would just be weird if they started talking about it. Peyton shook it off as she jerked the door shut behind her. The car growled to life, though it hardly registered in her mind. She had a date. It wasn't with Lucas…or Nathan…or even Jake.

Not a male at all, in fact. Melissa. A girl. Her mind settled around the idea. She felt light. That was an understatement because, oddly, she felt lighter than air. She suppressed her smile and eased the car onto the road. Melissa was gorgeous to say the least. Peyton couldn't deny that she was excited about the date. Seemed like such an odd word to use, even in her mind.

The car pulled out of the lot and the taillights faded from view of the school. The night air was mostly silent save for the chirrups of the crickets and the various other nocturnal creatures that only now decided to show their faces. Brooke remained just inside her car, fingers tapping lightly on the steering wheel. She had seen the whole exchange between Melissa and Peyton. Both seemed rather pleased with the outcome of the conversation.

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.

Love is everything it's cracked up to be…it really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. When Carl Jung and Erica Jong said those things respectively, who were they talking about? Was it the random couple thrown together by conditions beyond their control? Were they standing back and watching someone they loved? Was the person with someone else? Or maybe they wrote and spoke from personal experience.

Brooke sat back, stoic. As usual, she knew what she wanted and did absolutely nothing about it. Melissa hadn't been afraid to make her move and had jumped at the chance to ask out her Goldilocks. That window had been slim to begin with. But, ever since Melissa arrived, it had been rapidly shrinking into nonexistent. And so it had closed with the conversation she had observed. Her eyes closed for a moment, calming herself down. Peyton would be expecting her to arrive and for nothing to be different.

There was a glimpse of red hair in the side view mirror and then it was gone. Brooke blinked and rubbed her temples irritably. Trick of the light. It had to be. She yawned and started the car. It was only moments before she was on the road and retracing the steps of a supposedly lost love. She could only assume it was love and not just some continuous lust that would flutter away.

X x X x

"Well, welcome to Charlotte. Now, first things first, girls." Rachel paced around in front of the cheerleading squad. Missy Brooke wouldn't be arriving until later because of some fashion thing or other. But, it wouldn't be too long.

Just a few hours.

Melissa waited in the background, watching the new substitute cheer-tator as she gave instructions out to her squad. Well, it was hers until Brooke arrived. Peyton looked rather annoyed by the entire thing. She tapped her finger on her leg as she waited for the redhead's rant to be over. The boys had already gone up to their rooms.

After their date some couple of weeks previously, they'd been extremely close. Not exactly dating, but not exactly at the just friends stage of the mess. It was confusing, but they'd had no trouble yet. An isolated disagreement over something tiny was the only bump in an otherwise smooth path. It took almost twenty minutes, but Peyton joined her. She wore a half exasperated and half amused look on her face.

Melissa grinned and nudged her with her elbow playfully. She caught Rachel's eyes and the smile vanished briefly. The redhead brushed her hair back and smirked with a peculiar look in her eye as she watched the pair of them. It bothered her a great deal. Rachel Gattina was brewing something…and couldn't bode well for those involved. Whether by pure luck, or by a couple of kindly inputs on Karen's part, Melissa and Peyton had ended up in rooms…across from each other. Unfortunately for them, since Melissa wasn't part of the cheerleading squad, she couldn't be assigned a room. So, she was there purely for moral support. Either way, there was no way that they could avoid having fun on this trip.

"So, Bubbles what do you have planned today?"

"Relax time. Brooke always let's do what we want as long as we don't get too hung over to perform in the tournament." Peyton informed her companion. Melissa arched an eyebrow at what she had just heard. How…interesting. At least Brooke wasn't in cheerleading dictator mode 24/7. "But…while Rachel's in charge, who knows what she's decided. Though, she would like the free time just as much as everyone else would."

Peyton stood by the dresser, looking thoughtfully into the mirror. The door was wide open since their entry only seconds before. Hazel orbs held a mischievous gaze behind her. Melissa lightly pressed a palm against the door, pushing so that it closed silently. And then she was standing behind Peyton again, a hand on her bicep.

"Let's just have some fun, alright?" She murmured, her breath against her neck. Peyton sighed and turned around. On her part, she could interpret those words several different ways. Each time she ran it through her mind, it seemed more intimate than the last idea she had. The cheerleader felt a chill run down her spin as their eyes met. It was brief.

The next second, Melissa had gone to a bag and retrieved a bottle. Vodka swished around innocently within its container. This was going to be a bad idea, yet Peyton could find no way to honestly protest against such an offering of alcohol. She finally just relented her brainstorming and took her place on the edge of the bed. The brunette handed her the glass and was interrupted by a knock on the door.

She groaned, stood and answered the awaiting visitor. Rachel Gattina. Just the luck she needed. Cold flames licked at her heart and nerves as she waited for the reason for her intrusion. The redhead still had her luggage with her. She entered with that body language that clearly said that she was the one in charge. Unfortunately, Melissa was in no place to protest.

"Change of plans. Bevin told Theresa to switch rooms with her so she could have a room to herself. So Theresa swapped with Bevin to room with Tamara who had dropped Kenzie who ended up rooming with Haley who said that I was now rooming with Peyton here. Any questions?" She turned on her heel after dropping the bag on the bed nearest the window. Melissa began to say something, but fell silent at a flashing glare from Rachel.

"Peyton, I'll…see you later, okay?" She smiled bracingly before taking her leave. Pausing in the hallway with a hand on the wall, she quickly scanned over the situation. The last thing she needed was for Rachel to tell Peyton about her little situation. She just couldn't tell if it was a bluff or if she actually knew all of the details. Either way, she didn't need her going around and advertising it. Melissa ran a hand through her hair, attempting to settle on something to do with herself. For starters, it would probably be wise to unpack.

Within the confines of the room, Peyton surveyed her new companion. She had a feeling that something had happened between Melissa and Rachel, but she had no idea what it was. She sighed and grimaced a bit after downing the vodka in her glass. She could only assume that Rachel was up to something with the way she was acting. The redhead was more collected and retained a level of civility when she was planning something. Nevertheless, Peyton gestured to the bottle of alcohol in an open invitation to the other. She couldn't even begin to guess what she was in for.

X x X x

Bright light…

Bright light was bad. Very, very bad. There was an early morning bustle of people in the hallway. The migraine thudded dully against her skull. It felt as though her head was going to split in half. This is always what came from drinking so much alcohol. Excessive vodka intake.

A hand brushed her dark hair from where it lay on her face, obscuring her vision effectively. It took her a full minute to realize that it hadn't been her just being reflexive. It wasn't her hand. It was that of another. Now that she thought about it, the bed was just a bit too…occupied.

Yet, she could hardly remember anything that had happened the night before. There was a warm body lying next to her, an arm wrapped around her waist languidly. Fingers lightly traced up her stomach, trailing over every muscle in her abdomen.

"Morning, babe." Brooke yawned and froze, her breath catching in her chest as she realized where she was. This wasn't right. The person next to her wasn't blonde. It wasn't Peyton, obviously. This was strange. It took her more than a few minutes to fully wrap her head around the situation she had gotten herself into.

"Oh…damn." A pair of hazel eyes stared right back into her stunned gaze. Well, neither of them had been expecting this. Brooke had arrived in Charlotte sometime around ten-thirty the previous night. At that time Haley directed her to another room. She had paused by the room that Rachel and Peyton were rooming in and then continued to her designated room.

"This is so wrong. What the hell happened last night?" Her companion groaned and rolled off the bed. She emerged from the side of the bed…only to reveal that she was completely naked. Brooke gaped and hugged the comforter to her chest, realizing that she was also wearing her birthday suit. The other brunette ducked into the bathroom and them reappeared with a towel wrapped securely around her body.

"Did we…?" Two pairs of confused eyes gazed into each other, both searching for answers or recollection. Brooke closed her eyes and buried her head in a pillow. This was a nightmare…just not in her head. It was actually happening. She let off a round of expletives in her mind. This could not turn out well.

"If we're lucky…we just got really drunk, took our clothes off and then passed out." The voice pulled her from her cogitations. Brooke covered her face with her hands, mumbling pathetically to herself. This was just great. All she could hope for was that no one would come in and see them in this condition. "I'm just gonna get dressed."

She could deal with this mess later. Hopefully one of them would remember something more about what had happened and she could only pray that it wasn't what she suspected. The usually gregarious young woman exhaled shakily, pulling a pillow over her head. Absolutely nothing beneficial could come of this, even if they hadn't done anything on an intimate level.

But, for now she had a cheerleading competition to win.

X x X x

"'So, you wanna know what things were like 50 years ago. Well, the truth is, there's not a single person in this place worth remembering in 50 years. So don't believe any of the other crap you're hearing, everyone at Tree Hill High is a liar…'" Those words were more than enough to cause a complete and total halt in the hallways. Students were gathered anywhere there was a television.

Melissa frowned, looking perplexed as she observed the activity on the screen. Her eyes landed on Peyton and Brooke for a moment before going back to the boy talking. He was angry, obviously, and his tone was as sincere as it was callous. It was obvious that there was something very wrong about this situation. The reaction it was eliciting from every occupant of the school was a clear giveaway.

There were a couple of angry murmurs behind her as the boy took a shot at a guy named Hodney, someone that Melissa had exchanged words with. Apparently the wrestler was big on slipping Rohypnol into drinks to get what he wanted. Then there was another spread of whispers upon the mention of a certain 4.0 student named Kaite Radisson. Melissa's lips parted slightly at the cruelty with which he said the next words of 'Gang Bang Abortion'.

"'…stoners are medicated, the honor students are afraid, and the jocks, well…they're jocks, man. They'll peak at 17, and their cheerleader girlfriends will be fat and lonely by 21. Losers. Everyone here is a loser…'"

More hostile words spoken in low tones around her. Who the hell was this guy anyway? She had thought that she knew most of the people at the school. Yet, she had absolutely no clue who this surly, dark haired, dark eyed person was glaring at her from the screen above.

"'…everyday I have to come to this school, is one less day I have to come back…'" Next up on the bizarre television showing was a dark haired girl. Her skin was tan and held that natural shading that gave away the fact that she was of Latin descent. Melissa cocked her head to the side a bit. She announced herself as Anna Tagarro. The girl was actually very pretty and definitely held her attention. It only helped that she openly proclaimed herself as a lesbian.

Then came Nathan Scott. Her hazel irises searched the sea of people, eventually finding the subject of the current showing. His dark-haired head was pointed in the direction of himself. His wife, one Haley James Scott, stood at the opposite end of the hall. Peyton and Brooke flanked either side of her.

"'People think that if you love somebody hard enough then everything is just gonna work out. People are wrong. 50 years from now, I hope you got what you wanted Haley, but getting married to you was the worst mistake of my life. Here's a little advice, never get married. In the end, you're only be miserable.'" She definitely knew that she was missing something at the dark tone in his voice and the cold ice in his eyes. As far as she knew, Haley and Nathan were really happy together. Apparently, they hadn't always been like that.

And then…

There was Brooke Davis. After the first initial minutes, the cheerleader began doing something rather unorthodox at best. Slowly, but steadily, she began the removal of her clothes. At least the ones that covered her torso. That was pretty much the cue for Brooke to panic and begin pushing through the throngs of people. Most of the guys were catcalling and wolf-whistling.

As she fought to retrieve a chair to smash the television with, the power died. There was brief disappointment that was followed immediately by hoots and hollers as the lights flashed to life again. Brooke moaned and leaned into Peyton for reassurance and comfort. No doubt something would follow these events. Positive or negative, one could only venture a guess. Melissa felt someone push past her and caught sight of the boy that started off the presentation.

Who was he? Why didn't she have a clue about his identity? Melissa nudged her way through the crowd, feeling only relief at hearing the principal announce that school would be letting out early. What good could possibly come of these rather brutal and personal revelations in front of the entire school?

X x X x

AN: I'm really sorry it took so long. Also, if it seems rushed and a little lower quality than usual, I apologize for that. I've been having so much trouble with this chapter because I have so much to cover. But, read and review, as always.