Here's the new chapter, I really hope you like it. It's divided into four parts, each one from one of the girls' POV. I plan on continue writing the next chapters with the same pattern while the chapters from other characters' POV will be Interludes and not real chapters. Beside the part with Payson's POV, everything else is completely new and the Payson part too is modified from how it was before.

Sorry for the wait but I hope the length of it makes up for it somehow. Tell me what you think! Read and Review! And thanks to everyone who read my story after I've changed it once again, whoever review and/or put my stories in the alerts and/or favorites. I really hope you're still with me!

In this story Brian is not Emily's brother but Payson's so he's called Brian Keeler and not Brian Kmetko and he's not in a wheelchair either.

P.S. Some of the lines in this chapter are taken directly from the Pilot episode of 'Pretty Little Liars' and the episode from 'Make it or Break it': 'Blowing Off Steam'.

Characters featured in this chapter in order of appearance: Payson Keeler, Mark Keeler, Kim Keeler, Kelly Parker, Kaylie Cruz, Max Spencer, Alex Cruz, Steve Tanner, Sasha Belov, Emily Kmetko, Heather Whitmore, Jordan Randall, Lauren Tanner, Chloe Kmetko and Brad Weston.

Characters mentioned in this chapter: Brian Keeler, Nicky Russo, Doctor Walker Barnett(played by Gus Buktenica), Leo Parker, Detective Joe Dalton(played by Brad Rowe), Carter Anderson, Razor(played by Nico Tortorella) and Tricia Tanner.

Chapter 2

MESSAGES FROM NO ONE

11 June 2011 - Saturday Morning

"Why when we do our darkest deeds
Do we tell?
They burn in our brains
Become a living hell"

(The Pierces - Secret)

Payson woke up bright and early the next morning. Today she would go back to The Rock and she was more than a little nervous. Going back there, seeing her old friends again but without Kelly… she shook her head. 'Don't think about it. She's gone. You need to accept it.'

The only bright spot in being back in Colorado was her meeting with Sasha. She couldn't stop thinking about him, their kisses, the way he was holding her… it was amazing. And even better he had send her a SMS after dinner: "I miss you already. I hope to see you soon. Goodnight, Sasha". She really hoped they could organize a date soon, she wanted to spend time with him, get to know him. She had never felt a connection like this with anyone before. She didn't want to lose that.

She reached the kitchen and after having drunk her morning coffee, she was ready to face the world. It was still early and her mum wasn't up yet. She decided therefore to go for a run to pass the time. After having put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, she was about to go outside when she spotted her father going down the stairs and she froze. "Payson..." He began hesitantly. Payson looked at him, suddenly nauseous. "Don't worry Dad, I'm still keeping your secret." She told him coldly. While in England she had tried to forget what she had found out about him, pretending it had never happened. After all they had put an ocean of distance away from his crimes, her father had solved the problem he had caused and everything was technically okay. But now, being back here, everything was rushing back to the surface. The disappointment for what her father had done, the sorrow and the guilt she felt towards her mother because she was lying to her since she had promised her father that she wouldn't say anything. It was awful.

"I just wanted to ask you how you were. Being back here must be difficult after what happened." Suddenly her father's voice brought her out of her thoughts. He was looking at her with an evident look of disappointment on his face. Payson sighed. "No, it's not easy. But what can I do? We're here now, aren't we?"

"Payson please...I thought you and I were okay..." Her father pleaded.

Payson shook her head "I don't think you realize what you've done, not really. I think you are just sorry that I caught you..."

"No, no. It's not like that..." He didn't sound so sure of his words though.

"Really? So that's why you decided to return the money to your clients only after I found out about the scheme..."

"Payson, keep your voice down..." Mark said in a whisper, looking around him, afraid her mother would appear out of nowhere.

"Dad, you defraud your clients hundred thousands dollars...and you almost bankrupted us to cover your debts. You took five hundred thousand dollars out of my back account. Don't you think mum should know about this?"

"No. I don't think so. Everything is solved now. I paid the investors back with the money I owned them and with the promotion I got, I'm slowly putting back the money I took from your account".

Payson looked at him astonished because for the first time she realized that her father didn't really care about the fact that he broke the law, he only cared about the fact that he had to use his own money to cover for a debt he, in the first place, had caused.

"You don't care, do you?...What would have happened if I had never found out about the Ponzi Scheme? You would have continued to defraud the people that trusted you with their money?

You're such an hypocrite. You always preach about honesty and justice but really, you're just a fraud. You make me sick"

She didn't wait for him to defend himself, she just rushed outside, her sneakers' covered feet clashing against the ground, the fresh morning air caressing her face.

Her mind returned to a conversation she had had with Kelly not long after she had found out what her father had done, not even a month before her disappearance.

"What do you intend to do?" Kelly had said to her while locked up in Payson's room and alone in the house.

"What do you mean?" Payson had asked her, not understanding.

"Your father is basically a con man. You need to tell your mother about it...and the police"

"What?" Payson had shouted in anger and disbelief "He's my father and you want me to what? report him to the police?"

"I know he's your father Payson but what he has done is wrong and illegal and he shouldn't get away with it"

"Do you even realize what you're saying? Our family could lose everything and my father could end up in jail. And a scandal like this could ruin forever my chance at the Olympics..."

Kelly sighed. "I know Payson. But it's the right thing to do. And if you won't do it, I will"

Payson glared at her in anger and almost hatred "Why are you doing this to me? You're my friend."

"It's because I'm your friend that I want you to do the right thing".

She returned to the present when she found herself in the trail that crossed the only public park present in Boulder and she noticed in that instant a familiar figure running in the opposite direction. It was Kaylie.

When they were three feet away from each other, Kaylie finally noticed her and stopped abruptly.

"Payson? Is that you?" Kaylie asked, widening her eyes.

"Hey Kaylie!" Payson greeted her, a little awkwardly.

"Oh my god." Kaylie went up to hug her quickly before releasing her soon after. "When did you get back? I almost didn't recognize you. Didn't you have dark hair the last time we saw each other?"

"Yeah but I decided to go back to my natural color. I arrived just yesterday evening by the way. How are you?"

"Oh I'm fine. You should have called. It's a little weird, running into you here."

"We kind of lost touch Kaylie, remember?" Payson said a little sadly, shrugging her shoulders.

"Right." They exchanged another awkward look then Payson broke the silence."I saw a poster of Kelly yesterday..." she began but she didn't know how to continue her sentence.

"Yeah. It's awful, what happened to her. I mean, we all know she's dead right?" Kaylie exclaimed with a sad expression on her face.

Payson looked at her, a little surprised by her bluntness, but nodded. "I've just never heard anyone saying it before."

Kaylie smiled a sad, little smile and then asked her: "So, how was England? Everything you thought it would be?"

Payson smiled for real at that. "Yeah. London is… amazing. What about The Rock? What have I missed?"

Kaylie frowned at that and immediately told her about Marty's sudden decision to leave The Rock. "Not the best time to come back here Payson, I have to tell you."

"Wow. I can't believe it. And Lauren and Emily? I can just imagine their reactions."

"Hum… I actually don't know." Payson looked at her questioningly and Kaylie explained further. "We didn't just fall out of touch with you Payson. We all fell out of touch with each other. I mean, we see each other every day during training but…"

"So you're friendly but not friends."

"Yeah." Kaylie shrugged, an expression that looked almost like guilt painted on her face.

Payson nodded at that. Already when she had left Boulder, they had started to drift away from each other, she couldn't really say she was surprised to hear it.

"I bet that if you see Emily outside practice you won't recognize her." Kaylie continued.

"Why?" Payson asked curiously, a slight frown on her face.

"Well, her hair are longer, she wears make up and she dress fashionably. She and Heather are best friends now, besides having become the It Girls of The Rock." Kaylie said, putting emphasis on the two words that were used to describe the five of them together.

"Heather? Heather Whitmore?" Payson asked surprised. "That geeky girl who used to follow us around?"

"Yep. Except that now she's the farthest from geeky you can imagine."

"Wow. Talking about a makeover...".

After chatting some more, they continued on their morning run, knowing that they would see each other later at the gym anyway. Payson returned home and showered quickly. She wore one of her many blue leotards and after having fixed her hair in her usual bun, she was ready to go.

Payson reached the kitchen and found her mother already up and cooking breakfast.

"Good morning mum!" Payson greeted her with a smile.

"Hey honey, are you going to the Rock?"

"Yup. Where's Brian?"

"He left about ten minutes ago. Lacrosse tryouts it seems."

"Of course." Payson smiled thinking about her little brother's love for the sport. It rivaled her love for gymnastics. "He's going to make the team for sure."

"Are you okay honey?" Her mother asked her then, probably noticing her nervousness.

"Yeah" Payson shrugged her shoulders in reply but her tone wasn't really convinced.

"It's going to be fine Payson, relax." Her mother tried to reassure her. "You five were inseparable. Those feelings don't just go away."

Payson smiled, not really reassured but knowing that she had to face her old friends sooner or later. "Yeah except that I saw Kaylie earlier while running and it was more than a little awkward. I felt like we were more like strangers then girls that used to be best friends."

Her mother looked at her with a sad smile but didn't reply.

About half an hour later, Payson was getting in the car and after a ten minutes drive, she was finally in front of The Rock. Payson took a deep breath, trying to find the courage to leave the comfort of her car and go inside.

A few seconds later she finally got out of the car and crossed the gym entrance. The little corridor that separated the entrance from the parking lot outside was deserted. Everyone was already inside.

After a last deep breath, she pushed open the glass and the many voices of a gym full of people assaulted her senses. She reached the locker-room in long strides and after having taken off her clothes, she was ready to begin training.

She didn't have any idea how they will get going without a coach but she imagined the assistant coaches were going to have their hands full the next few days, until a new Head Coach was found.

She reached the mat and began stretching. Suddenly she felt three pair of eyes watching her and she realized at once that Lauren, Emily and Kaylie had spotted her.

She turned her head and noticed first Lauren, saying hi with her hand at her and then Emily that smiled at her warmly - a blonde girl next to her who was probably Heather -. Kaylie waved at her with a smile on her face, a black girl next to her that Payson didn't know. None of them tried to come closer to Payson though.

She returned their greetings briefly and then returned to stretching. She didn't expect anything else really. Kaylie had warned her that morning after all.

Suddenly a voice coming from her left brought her out of her thoughts. "Payson Keeler. I thought you were supposed to be in Island or something. Wherever you were, it did you a lot of good." Max Spencer said to her, a flirty smile on his face. He looked at her from head to toe, his gaze lingering on her breasts and hips. It wasn't just her mentality that had changed during the past year, she had changed a lot physically too, thanks to her ballet lessons. Max didn't need to make it so obvious though.

"Hum, England actually. And I just came back yesterday." Payson looked at him, mentally rolling her eyes and wondering why she used to like him so much in the past.

"Didn't you use to have a crush on me?" He asked cockily.

"I don't know. Did I?" She got up soon after, ignoring his stare and leaving him hanging.

The moment was soon interrupted by a commotion taking place at the gym's entrance. Steve Tanner had just entered inside the gym with his usual look of smugness firmly in place. Some things never change.

Payson decided to find out what the fuss was about and reached the little crowd that had formed around him.

Alex Cruz was suddenly standing near him, a big, satisfied smile crossing his face.

"I know that Marty's sudden defection to Denver left all of you in a grave state of distress but I was fortunately able to find a more than suitable substitute even with such a short notice. Without further delay, may I present you your new Head Coach?" Mr Tanner was saying.

In that moment a handsome, blonde figure that Payson recognized all too well, made his way inside.

'No, please. This is not happening.' Payson thought to herself, instantly beginning to panic.

"The four times Olympic Gold Medalist as well as the ex Romanian National Team Coach, Mr Sasha Belov." Steve finished pompously.

Payson gaped in disbelief. "Oh my God!" She whispered to herself, trying to process what was happening. She realized suddenly that she had been a complete idiot. During her meeting with Sasha yesterday, he had mentioned the fact that he had just accepted a job as a coach but at the time she had thought that he was going to train in Denver since she had heard that their coach was retiring. But when this morning she had talked to Kaylie and she had find out that Marty had left, the fact that Sasha was going to train at The Rock should have been obvious. But she had had so much to think about that the idea of him being her new coach hadn't even crossed her mind.

She looked at him, waiting anxiously for him to cross her gaze. Sasha's serious look was browsing from one athlete to the next, his behavior very different from that of last night.

When finally his gaze clashed against hers, his stern façade melted away instantly and he paled, looking at her in disbelief. "Bloody Hell!" She heard him mutter. He kept looking at her, not believing his eyes. Suddenly everyone else was looking at her too, probably trying to understand what was going on between the two of them.

Her cell phone beeping interrupted the awkward moment. Payson made her way to her purple and black bag, grabbing quickly her phone from it and reading the text message that she had just received.

Why not introduce your boyfriend to the family? Sasha and your dad have so much in common already, both lawbreakers and all, they will get along just fine. -K

Payson looked at the SMS in disbelief. "Kelly?" She whispered, now more than a little freaked out. After all there was only one person except for her who knew about her father and that was Kelly. Was it possible that she was back? That she wasn't dead after all?

"Miss Keeler, using phones during practice is not allowed. Turn it off. Now!" Sasha's angry voice reached her.

"Yes. Of course Mr Belov… I mean Coach Belov." She stuttered, hurrying to turn it off and put it back in the bag.

Kaylie, in the meantime, had reached her side, maybe noticing her troubled look. "Are you okay? Who texted you?"

"What? Oh, it was… it was nothing. I'm fine." She smiled at her, trying to convene her sincerity. Kaylie looked at her a little doubting but she let it go.

"Are you done chit-chatting now?" Payson winced at his tone. He was furious. "Good. Please all of you, sit down. I have something to say. And Mr Tanner, Mr Cruz, I'd appreciate if, from now on, you and all the other parents could follow practice through the viewing area. I want only the athletes on the floor." He winced at his choice of words but nobody but Payson noticed. Payson blushed slightly at that and almost burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation. She still couldn't believe that the man she was making out with last night, was now her coach. Laughing actually seemed like a good idea because if she did think too much about it, she would probably cry or scream in frustration. Payson shook her head, defeated. Why her? She had never felt a connection so strong with anyone before. Yesterday evening, the meeting between the two of them, had just been so perfect and passionate. Damn her but she liked him, so much. She knew it was wrong, to still want him but she just couldn't turn off her feelings. She wanted him like she had never wanted anyone before in her life and maybe if they were careful, no one would find out about them. It was more than a little risky of course but he was worth it. But how to convince him to give the two of them a chance? It was going to be difficult but she had to try. Maybe wait until later that evening. He was just so angry now. He couldn't even look at her.

While immersed in her thoughts, she followed Kaylie until the two of them sat on the mat, ready to listen to Sasha's speech.

"You are all very special. You've chosen to do something very few people are capable of. Look at each other!" When none of them move, he encouraged "Come on look!"

Payson looked first at Kaylie and then at Emily and Lauren, the two of them sitting away from each other behind her, but her gaze returned immediately to Sasha. Sasha though was determined to look at anything but at her.

"No one but your peers can understand what it takes to be the best gymnasts in the World! No one!" He continued to say, pointing towards the viewing room. "Which is why you need each other, but mostly you need me!

"I have a few simple rules: work as hard as I do, care as much as I do, sacrifice as much as I do! You will live, breathe, eat, sleep, bleed gymnastics and nothing else!"

Payson watched him, captivated. She bit her lower lip, observing the muscles in his arms and chest - barely visible through his clothes - tensing while he moved. His accented voice washed over her, making her shiver. He was so passionate. And thinking that that passion was directed at her just yesterday. She couldn't lose him, she just couldn't. More determined than ever to convince him to continue whatever they had started yesterday, she spent half of practice trying to catch his attention but Sasha was equally determined to ignore her. Not to say that he wasn't looking at her routines but always from a distance and he merely nodded his head from time to time to let her know that she was doing well but not once looking her right in the eye. Payson sighed and then decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Coach Belov!" She shouted to attract his attention. Sasha turned his head instinctively and Payson, taking advantage of the moment, executed her last tumbling pass on floor, the one she had been working on the last few months. It wasn't perfect yet but she was determined to have it ready for Nationals. It was a Double Arabian piked, one of the most difficult elements on floor and the only F level tumbling pass present in her floor routine. She was hoping to impress him and make him pay attention.

It was her best attempt so far and she turned around with a smile. Sasha though merely nodded his head at her and turned around once again, checking Lauren's new beam routine and going back to ignore her. Payson was ready to burst out crying now, hurt and angry by his behavior. She understood where he was coming from of course but they couldn't go on like that. She shook her head and decided to stop her attempts for the moment, not wanting people to pay too much attention to her. 'This is far from over though Sasha.' She swore to herself, gazing fixatedly at him for a moment more and then deciding to concentrate on her training for the moment.

The rest of the day passed slowly. She couldn't remember a time she had desired practice to end like she did now. She had always loved her time at the gym but right now all she wanted was for practice to be over so that she could talk to him. Of course she couldn't just talk to him right after practice, it would attract too much attention to herself, especially after their little scene of before. No, she needed to be patient and wait until later that evening. She was sure Sasha was going to stay late today, working in his office and maybe preparing a plan of action to make the best possible use of the little time they had before Nationals. It would be the perfect opportunity. But patience wasn't one of her best qualities.

Finally, finally, they were free to go home. She gazed at him one more time and for a fraction of a second their eyes clashed for the second time that day, blue against green, but he immediately looked away. Payson sighed once more and then she went outside. 'See you later.' She thought as a promise before getting in the car and driving towards the Spruce Juice. She really needed time to herself and that place had really good memories for her, no matter what had happened.

She ordered a strawberry smoothie and sat around one of the tables outside. Suddenly voices to her left attracted her attention. It was Emily - fashionably dressed like Kaylie had warned her she would be and with straight hair reaching her mid-back - with a blonde girl that Payson recognized as Heather, if only because Kaylie had told her that her and Emily were best friends now. They were obviously about to sit at one of the tables too. Heather had the same blonde hair as always but that was where the similarities ended to the girl Payson used to know. She didn't wear glasses anymore, her clothes were completely different and even if her hair were still kept short, they were in a style that suited her very much.

"Payson!" Emily exclaimed when she noticed Payson. Payson smiled at her and asked her and Heather to join her.

"Hey Em, Heather!"

"Hello Payson!" Heather said in a slightly high-pitched voice. "How are you? It's so good to see you. How was England? When did you come back?"

Payson looked at her a little in astonishment since Heather was talking to her as they were long lost friends but Payson smiled at her anyway and said "England was good. I was even able to see the gym where the Olympics will take place."

"Oh, wow. Imagine how it would be to compete there, one year from now." Heather said, her gaze awed, obviously daydreaming about it.

"We will compete there one year from now, Heather. There's really no one else who can hope to beat us Rock girls. And now that Payson's back, our team is complete." Emily explained with a tone of voice that Payson had never heard from her before. It was obvious that Emily had not only changed the way she dressed, her behavior was very different too. Gone was the shy girl of one year ago, replaced with someone completely different. But Payson couldn't really hold that against her. Payson herself had changed a lot in the last year.

"You can bet on it!" Payson said with a smile. Their moment was interrupted by Max Spencer who was walking around, handing out fliers. When he reached their table he stopped and smiled at them. "Hey there, lovelies!" he said before passing a flyer to each one of them.

"BLAST OFF! What's that?" Emily asked with a flirty tone that Payson had never heard her use before.

"Oh, just the keg of the year!" Max boasted. "Music, dance and all the beer you can drink...My family cabin, tonight. Party starts at ten."

"It sounds awesome." Emily continued with the same tone. "We'll be there for sure!" As soon as the guy was out of earshot Emily turned to her. "Are you going tonight, right? It would be the perfect way to celebrate your return in Boulder."

"I don't know. I kind of have a... thing planned already for tonight." Payson answered, thinking about Sasha. "But if I'm able to get free early then I'll come for sure!"

"Great! See you tonight then." Emily and Heather left soon after. Payson remained seated on her table for a little while before she stood up too, retrieving her gym bag from her seat. She reached her car that was parked just around the corner and she went back home. 'Tonight' she thought one more time.


11 June 2011 - Saturday Afternoon

"Thanks for driving me home" Jordan said with a smile as soon as Kaylie had parked in front of Jordan's house.

Kaylie smiled back with a shrug. "It's no big deal" She answered shyly. "So, what do you think of the new coach?" She asked just to keep the conversation going.

"He seems rather strict. But, I don't know...I mean...it's not like I can make a comparison with Marty..." Jordan commented and Kaylie almost kicked herself. Of course Jordan didn't even have the possibility to have Marty as a coach for a day.

"Right" Kaylie said a little embarrassed. "I heard he's a great coach though...and I mean...he's Sasha Belov, if he's as good as he was as an athlete..."

"Yeah. I still can't believe Mr Tanner convinced Sasha Belov to train at the Rock...he's basically a legend." Jordan said, excitement in her voice now.

"Steve Tanner can be very persuasive...he's a lawyer you know. If there's something he's good at, it's to use words to his advantage..." Kaylie couldn't help but add.

"It looks like you know him well..." Jordan asked in a obviously curious voice.

"He's Lauren's dad...and I was really close with Lauren once so..." Kaylie tried to explain.

"Oh right. 'The five of you' you were talking about when we met...so it was you, Kelly Parker, Lauren Tanner and...Payson Keeler I guess..." At Kaylie's startled look she added "I saw the way you two looked at each other..."

"Yeah." Kaylie agreed before adding "And Emily Kmetko too. It was the five of us against the world once upon a time..."

"You miss them don't you?" Jordan asked in a compassionate tone.

Kaylie sighed "Sometimes. But after Kelly's disappearance, last summer...everything was different and being friends with them without Kelly was...difficult."

"That must have been awful for you. I can't even imagine what it means, losing a person who used to be your best friend like that...having no idea what happened to her..."

"I used to think if I didn't talk about her, I wouldn't think about her."

"But you still do..."

"Yeah" Kaylie said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry." Jordan said before asking "Is that why you are not friends anymore? Because spending time with each other reminded you of Kelly?"

"Why so many questions?" Kaylie asked a little irritated.

"Sorry. I'm just trying to get to know you..." Jordan replied apologetically.

Kaylie shook her head "No, I'm sorry. It's just...difficult, talking about it, that's all."

Jordan smiled at her. "All right, no more questions about your friends. But I have another question"

"Yeah?" Kaylie asked with a smile, having noticed immediately Jordan's lighter tone. "What's that?"

"There's this party tonight... at Max Spencer's cabin. He basically invited all the gym so, he invited me too even though I don't know him but..whatever. What I want to ask you is if you're going to be there?"

At Kaylie's startled look, she added a little embarrassed "It's just that I don't know anybody but you and...I would feel rather awkward going to a party where I don't know anyone..."

"Yes, yes, I'm going." Kaylie replied with a laugh "With my boyfriend. You can come with us if you want. We'll come pick you up at your house at...say...9:30?"

Jordan smiled at her "Yeah. Sure. I'll see you later then" She went to kiss Kaylie's cheek but in just that moment Kaylie moved and she ended up almost kissing her mouth. They moved back from each other embarrassed.

"Sorry" Jordan apologized immediately. Kaylie looked at her lap, feeling her cheeks burning but shook her head "No, it's okay".

"So, see you tonight" Jordan said before leaving Kaylie's car. "Yeah" Kaylie replied with a wave, watching her go up the driveway and then inside the house.

Kaylie revved the engine and was about to start the car to drive towards home when she heard her phone beeping from inside her bag. She retrieved it quickly and noticed that it was from an UNKNOWN sender. She opened it curiously and frowned at what she saw written on it.

Friends don't kiss friends Kaylie, I already told you once! Wonder what your boyfriend would do if he ever finds out -K

Kaylie was brought back to that day in the locker rooms, almost one year before Kelly's disappearance. They were the only two left that day, everyone else had already left the gym. Kelly had just gotten out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her body until she had simply let it fall to the floor in front of Kaylie before starting to get dressed.

Kaylie had watched her because she just couldn't help herself and when Kelly had turned around, Kaylie had started to kiss her neck slowly, sweetly. Kelly had become rigid immediately before turning around in a fury.

"What do you think you're doing?" Her eyes had been cold, angry. Kaylie had looked at her confused. "I thought..." But Kelly hadn't given her the chance to continue. "You thought what? That just because I kissed you, we're...what? Together?" Her tone had been derisive and had hurt Kaylie deeply "That kiss we shared the other day didn't mean anything. It was just practice for when I'll kiss boys. Because I like boys Kaylie, not girls. We're friends Kaylie and friends don't kiss other friends..." And with that said, she had dressed quickly and had left the gym in a hurry.

Kaylie almost screamed when someone knocked on her car window, bringing her out of her memories. She turned around and saw Lauren looking at her concerned. She rolled down the window and Lauren asked her immediately "Hey, are you okay?"

Kaylie smiled at her "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" then to change the subject she asked "So, great move your dad made today, bringing Sasha Belov to the Rock..."

Lauren smiled and shrugged "Right? I was just as surprised as everyone else was..."

"Really? You didn't know?" Kaylie asked surprised.

"No. I don't even know how my dad found him in the first place, or how he found the time to contact him since he was supposed to be at a meeting in California..."

"And you didn't ask?"

"You know how my father is. He starts to talk and talk and in the end you don't even remember what it was you had asked him to begin with..."

"Yeah, that does sound like your dad..." Kaylie said with a laugh. They smiled at each other for a moment then they became serious and awkward again.

"Well, see you on Monday I guess" Lauren said with a sad smile.

"You're not going to Max Spencer's party tonight?" Kaylie asked curiously.

Lauren looked even sadder. "No, my dad is bringing me to the Privilege tonight".

Kaylie looked confused for a second before widening her eyes in understanding "It's your birthday today. I'm so sorry Lauren, I don't know how I managed to forget it. Happy Birthday!"

"It's okay" Lauren said with a shrug "And thanks! See you then!" Lauren walked away without giving her the time to answer and Kaylie cursed herself for having forgotten something so important. Sure, they weren't as close as they used to be but actually forgetting her birthday?

She shook her head and finally drove towards home, trying not to think about what had almost happened with Jordan, about the strange message she had received and about what had just happened with Lauren. All she wanted to think about was finding something sexy to dress in for tonight's party so to finally convince her boyfriend to have sex with her. It was time, she was ready and she didn't understand why he wanted to wait. Weren't guys the ones that were supposed to want to have sex while the girls the ones that wanted to wait?

Tonight was the night she would lose her virginity with Nicky and she wanted to make sure nothing would stand in the way of that.


"I ran into Kim Keeler today. Why didn't you tell me Payson was back?" Chloe Kmetko asked Emily as soon as the two of them had sat around the table to have lunch.

"I didn't think it was important for you to know." Emily replied with a shrug while playing with the salad on her plate "We're teammates but...it's not like we hang out together outside of practice. We're not friends anymore"

"She didn't know Walker and I are divorced. I hate telling that story"

"What? That he was a jerk who cheated on you and thought he was smart enough that you wouldn't find out about it? At least you got millions out of him thanks to the prenup he insisted you signed...and Steve Tanner as your lawyer". Emily said with scorn.

"Emily..." Chloe reprimanded her slightly.

"What? It's the truth. Just say that he asked for your forgiveness and that you basically told him to shove it and that you were the one who asked for the divorce and, to prove that nobody can do to you what he did and get away with it, you fleeced him of a lot of money as compensation for all the crap he put you through..."

"Well, I have to admit, it does sound a lot better than the truth. If it wasn't for Steve who convinced me to use what he found out about him thanks to that PI he hired, when Walker asked me to divorce, I would be penniless as well as humiliated".

"See? Nobody needs to know that we got dumped" Emily added with fake cheer.

"'We' didn't get dumped. I did" Chloe corrected but Emily shook her head.

"He left the both of us" Emily said in a hard tone. The moment was interrupted by the bell ringing. Emily looked at her mother with a shrug before standing up from the table to go open the door.

When Emily opened the door, she found herself face to face with a police officer. She gulped.

"Emily Kmetko?" The man asked her in a formal tone.

"Yes, why?" She asked him, trying to cover her nervousness.

"Is your mother home?" The man asked without answering her question. Chloe arrived in that moment and asked "What's this about?"

"We received a call from the Boulder mall security. They have your daughter on tape Shoplifting a pair of sunglasses." The policeman replied in the same stern voice.

Chloe looked at her daughter for a second, startled, before turning towards the police officer "I'm sure there's been a mistake".

"I don't think so" The man replied with an emotionless voice "Can you please turn around?"

Emily looked towards her mother in panic but turned around, allowing the officer to put her in handcuffs.

After a humiliating drive in the backseat of a police car like a common criminal, she was at the police station, waiting outside the room of 'Detective Joe Dalton' - like the plate on his door stated - waiting for the verdict and hoping her mother would find a way to get her out of trouble.

In that moment she received a text message on her phone and with a startled look, she checked what was written on it.

Don't worry Em, being arrested is just another bump in the road for you, and you should be used to that, right? -K

Emily reread the text at least three times before the full meaning of its words hit her completely. How did they know? Nobody knew about that except...but no, she was dead, wasn't she?

She was immediately brought back to about two months before Kelly's disappearance. She had called her in a panic because that's what she was used to do when something went wrong, asking Kelly for help.

Kelly had reached her home fifteen minutes later and after having explained the situation to her, Kelly had frowned and her eyes had become dark and haunted.

"Did he hurt you? Did he force you into it?" She had immediately asked Emily.

Emily had looked at her confused before shaking her head in denial "Of course not. Why would you think that?"

Kelly had looked at her for a long minute before smiling her 'commercial' smile "It's my brother. I don't ever know what to expect from him." Then, after a long pause, she had added "What are you going to do now?"

Emily had lowered her gaze, her eyes filling with tears. "I don't know. It all happened so fast and I don't even remember most of it. We were both drunk, him more than me." She couldn't keep the tears at bay, slowing descending down her cheeks. "Please Kelly, tell me what to do".

Kelly's gaze had become suddenly cold before answering "There's only one thing you can do and you know it unless you want to lose everything you've worked so hard for".

"Let's go" Her mother brought her out of her thoughts, her voice cold like Emily had never heard it before.

"Really? I can go just like that?" Emily asked surprised.

Her mother didn't answer her, walking quickly towards the exit with Emily struggling to keep up with her steps.

As soon as they were encased inside her mother's car, Chloe turned towards her in fury. "What the hell were you thinking? In a small town like this, what people thinks about you matters. And if it comes out that you've been arrested by the police, your chances at the Olympics are over, done"

Emily looked at her lap in shame "I know".

"Then why would you risk it all to steal a pair of sunglasses? Emily, I buy you everything you wish, it's not like we can't afford it now." Chloe's tone was more worried and disappointed now than angry but that didn't make Emily feel better.

"That's not why I do it." She tried to explain in a small voice.

"Then why? And wait, this is something you do often?"

"Sometimes" Emily said with a shrug without looking at her.

"This is about Walker isn't it? And Marty?" Her mother asked her, this time with understanding.

"I feel like so much has been taken from me already and I...I don't know, maybe this was my way of taking something back. I know, it's twisted and...stupid. I'm sorry, I made a mistake."

Chloe sighed but didn't appear angry anymore. "You can't afford to make mistakes, not in this town and not one year away from the Olympics".

"I know. I'll fix it somehow. I promise" Emily swore, feeling smaller and smaller with each passing second.

"No. You will deny that you've done anything wrong. It was a misunderstanding"

"But..." Emily tried to protest, looking confused.

"I'm taking care of it" Chloe said with finality. Emily looked at her a long second before nodding. She didn't know how her mother would take care of it but Emily trusted her.


Lauren was relaxing in the sauna after a long morning of practice, eyes closed and sprawled on the bench with only a towel to cover her body. She thought she was alone in the house when she heard the door opening and a familiar male figure entering inside. She sat immediately and tried to cover herself at best she could, suddenly embarrassed. She looked at Brad who was also wearing a towel and nothing else and she blushed slightly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know someone else was here. Maybe I should go..." Brad said a little shyly.

"No, it's okay. You just startled me, that's all. You can stay" Lauren replied without looking at him. Brad went to sat on the opposite bench, probably feeling uncomfortable too.

"So, how was practice? Training hard for the Olympics?" He asked her with a smile, just to break the awkward tension.

"It was okay" Lauren replied with a shrug, feeling the towel slipping slightly. She readjusted it quickly before adding "We have a new coach since the old one bailed on us".

"Yeah?" Brad asked her curiously. "How is he?"

"Strict" Lauren replied with another shrug "but good. He's Sasha Belov, the four times Olympic gold medalist so it's like we hit jackpot as far as coaches go..."

"That's good then" Brad replied awkwardly.

"Yeah" Lauren agreed back and the conversation stalled. Lauren tried to relax again and closed her eyes, trying to find a comfortable position while sitting down.

She touched her sore shoulder almost on autopilot, trying to ease the pain. She had twisted her shoulder slightly while on bars that morning and now it hurt, though it was nothing serious fortunately. An injury this close to Nationals would be disastrous.

"Does your shoulder hurt?" She heard Brad's voice close to her ear and opened her eyes with a startle. Brad had moved beside her and she hadn't even notice.

Lauren smiled at him before replaying "A little. It's just sore, with a little ointment and some painkillers, tomorrow I'll be as good as new"

Brad looked at her a little uncertainly before saying "I could help, if you want. I'm really good with massages..."

Lauren looked at him unsure for a few seconds, her consciousness telling her that this was a really bad idea but she nodded in agreement at him before turning around. She could feel his warms hands releasing the knots on her shoulders and neck.

"Oh, this is really good" She said in a slight moan.

"Yeah?" She heard his voice very close to her ear, his warm breath caressing her neck. She hummed in approval before turning around again to face him. Their faces were so very close together, their lips a breath's away from touching when suddenly they heard Tricia's voice calling for Brad.

They sprung apart guilty and Lauren didn't lose any time in leaving the sauna without looking behind her.

After a long shower to calm herself down, she was sitting at her desk, completing some math homework her tutor had assigned her when she noticed her phone lightened by an unread message.

She opened it curiously and widened her eyes in fear when she read it.

Poor Lauren, always wants what Tricia has, boyfriends included. But remember, if you kiss I tell -K

Lauren remembered immediately that day at her house, when she had invited Kelly for a sleepover. They were sitting on the sofa in front of the TV, watching some black and white movie and eating junk food in their PJs when suddenly Tricia and Carter had entered the room hand in hand.

Kelly had immediately sat up straight before looking directly at her "You should tell Tricia" in a voice loud enough for both Tricia and Carter to hear.

"Tell me what?" Tricia had immediately asked her.

"Nothing" Lauren had glared at Kelly forcefully before grabbing her arm, basically pulling her out of the room.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lauren had asked her in an angry voice.

"She's going to find out" Kelly had simply replied back.

"No, she's not" Lauren had denied immediately. "Because I'm not going to tell her and you won't either".

"Oh yeah?" Kelly had asked her in a challenging voice. "And how do you plan to stop me?"

"Simple. If you tell Tricia about me and Carter, I will tell the police the truth about Razor".

"You wouldn't" Kelly had said, anger obvious in her voice.

"Yes, I would. Tricia doesn't need to know because what happened between Carter and me is not going to happen again. So promise me you won't tell anything to anyone"

Kelly had glared at her but then she had slumped in defeat, a petulant pout on her face "Fine". Then with a smile she had added "You're almost as mean as me Lauren. I knew there was a reason I picked you".

Lauren smiled back and the argument was forgotten.

Lauren returned to the present when she heard a knock at the door.

"Hey sweetie" It was her father. Lauren smiled at him immediately. "Hey daddy."

"Have you not started to get ready for dinner yet?"

"Oh? Uhm..." She said a little distractedly "I was just doing some homework but I'm finished now, so I will get dressed"

"Great" Steve said excitedly "Tonight is a special night and I want everything to be perfect"

Lauren looked at him a little confusedly but also happy for his consideration "I'm sure it will". Steve nodded at her with another big smile before leaving the room.

Lauren got up from the desk and started to get dress after one last look at her phone. Two hours later, wearing her new light blue dress paired up with high heels and a touch of makeup, she was ready to go, the strange text message she had received very far away from her thoughts.