Thank you all so much for your reviews and alerts as always. I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Chapter 37

Mattie did her best for the first few days. She went to school on time, stayed out of trouble and even did her homework as soon as she got home. She was a model child, determined to prove to Harm and Mac that she could be trusted.

"What ya doin Chlo?" she asked the younger girl who was staring intently at the computer screen.

"Seeing what's on at the movies on Friday night," she said.

Reality hit Mattie and she winced. She'd promised Chloe that she'd go to the movies with her and her friends on the coming Friday evening. Harm and Mac allowed them to go in pairs but now she couldn't go because she was grounded and there's no way Chloe would be allowed to go on her own.

"What's wrong?" Chloe asked.

"I can't go." Mattie said quietly. "I'm sorry Chlo, I'm grounded remember?"

"But that's so not fair! I knew you were grounded but I kind of thought it wouldn't count! Why should I get punished because you're in trouble?"

"I know." Mattie said. For once she agreed with Chloe. It didn't seem to be very fair at all. She chewed her lip guiltily as disappointment washed across Chloe dramatically. "I know...we'll ask Josh if he can go with you."

Chloe brightened somewhat but she wasn't entirely convinced that Josh would be interested.

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

"Sorry Chloe, no can do." Josh said. "I have a game."

"You don't even play football!" Chloe said with disgust. "You just don't wanna take me."

"Well CHLOE as great as you bratty attitude makes me feel, I have already said I'd go to the game with some friends."

"Well this is just great!" Chloe said. "No one is ever there for me. I thought having a brother and sister would be great but y'all just care about your own stuff and no one cares about me!" she turned on her heel and stomped up the stairs leaving Mattie and Josh staring at each other in the aftermath of her tantrum.

"That girl needs to go work for Disney." Josh said.

"Uh huh." Mattie said. "I do feel kind of bad though."

"There isn't much you can do about it."

"I guess not."

"No seriously there isn't." Josh said. "You know what will happen if you can't stay out of trouble."

"It wouldn't be the first time I was spanked." Mattie said weighing up her options.

"There's that but that wasn't what I meant. It's the trust that matters and if you sneak out...yes I know that's what you're thinking... and you get caught...and you will get caught...it'll be a really long time until they are gonna trust you again."

"I know." Mattie sighed.

"Just something to think about."

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

Chloe stomped into the room she shared with Mattie and flung herself onto the bed. Life just wasn't fair. Stupid rule anyway. As if Chloe could protect her if anything went wrong. She could look after herself, afterall, she'd slept out on the street hadn't she? Well Josh was there, and it hadn't ended well when she'd been caught but still...it wasn't fair.

"I am sorry Chloe," Mattie said opening the door.

"Sure you are."

"No really. Why don't you tell your friends that you can't make it on Friday and then hopefully I'll be able to go with you the next week."

Chloe sat up and wiped the dampness from her cheeks. "I guess I could."

Mattie smiled. "It won't be so bad."

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

The next day Chloe closed her locker and found her friend grinning at her. "You scared me." she said.

"Sorry." Amy giggled. "You got your history homework?"

"Yep." Chloe said. "You?"

"Most of it. I couldn't get the last two questions."

"You wanna borrow mine?"

"Sure. That'd be great." She took the paper that Chloe passed her and lent it up against a locker so she could copy the answers. "Thanks. I'll owe you one."

"I'll remember." Chloe grinned. "Um...I have a problem."

"What?"

"I can't go Friday," she said.

"How come?"

"Long story. I just can't. I can go the next week though."

"Aww you sure you can't make it? I can't go the next week. I have to go to my Dad's."

"No..." Chloe said, her tone not even convincing herself. "I...leave it with me. I'll let you know ok?"

Amy smiled. "Thanks Chloe."

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

Chloe sat out in the backyard petting Daisy and waiting for a solution to drop in her lap. It didn't, well not exactly. A leaf fluttered down form the heavens and dropped in her lap. Daisy barked.

"Just what I was thinking." Chloe said to her ugly little friend. The tree that had sent her a sign had a branch that was right outside her's and Mattie's window. It was perfect. She could make a body in the bed and shimmy down the tree and no one would even miss her. Well Mattie might but Chloe really didn't think she would tattle on her. She felt guilty enough, after all this was all Mattie's fault.

Chloe tapped a message to Amy telling her they were back on. "Ok it's all or nothing now." she told Daisy.

The little dog looked at her with her most loving crooked tooth smile...or grimace, Chloe was never sure and then her tail started to wag and she knew her friend was happy for her.

JAGJAGJGJAGJAGJAG

Harm and Mac were so happy with Mattie's efforts that they decided to order pizza for dinner Saturday night.

"I have to go by sis thirty." Josh said through a mouthful of pizza.

"Just let me swallow my pizza and I'll be with you." Harm said. "I have to go see Bud anyway about something so I'll drop you off and pick you up after the game."

Chloe nibbled her pizza and looked at the two through narrowed eyes. So Josh was getting a lift? Why couldn't she get a lift? She thought. Maybe because she didn't ask. But how was she supposed to know she could ask? Still it was a bit late now. Amy would be waiting for her. She couldn't risk asking and having them say no cos it was late notice or something lame that parents always managed to come up with.

"Earth to Chloe!" Mac said.

""Huh?" Chloe said, suddenly dropping back into the room. "You say something?"

"I asked if you wanted some more pizza." Mac said.

"No...no thank you." Chloe said. "I'm tired. I think I'm gonna turn in."

"On a Friday night?" Mattie asked suspiciously.

"Yes, on Friday night." Chloe said. "My brain doesn't know what day it is."

"I'm not touching that." Josh said with a chuckle.

Chloe poked her tongue out.

"Ok, I'm done." Harm said getting up and taking his plate with him to the sink. "Let's go Josh."

"May I be excused?" Chloe asked with her best manners. Maybe she could score a few points before the act of defiance she was about to try and get away with.

"Yes you may." Mac said.

"I hope she's not coming down with anything." Mac said to Mattie when they were the only two left at the table.

"Hmm." Mattie said.

"We're so proud of you Mattie." Mac said. "Really, I can see how hard you've tried."

"Thanks Mac." Mattie said.

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

Upstairs, Chloe wasted no time getting changed and settling her stuffed sleeping bag into her bed for a good night's sleep. She grabbed an old doll of her with dark brown hair and poked it inside the top of the sleeping bag, sprawling just enough hair across the pillow to look real. Pleased as punch with her self she propped up the window and inched out onto the branch. Five minutes later she was out on the street and running.

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

Mattie walked into her room and flipped back the covers. She wasn't fooled for one minute by the dead looking hair. "Oh Chloe." she said. She couldn't have been gone long, she mused. Hopefully she could get her back before she got herself into trouble.

She had one leg on the branch when a hand clamped down tightly on the leg she was about to lift.

"Shit." she said. "Ow!"

Mac smacked the airborne bottom sharply and dragged the escapee back into the room.

"Mattie!" she said shaking her head.

TBC