Hey :) So I've been a bit busy the past several days preparing for my classes that started up yesterday. I hate to say it, but there will probably be delays in updates. I wish I could keep them on a timely schedule, but now I'm juggling homework and studying on top of other life responsibilities. Thank you for being patient with me and thank you for following the story. It means a lot to me. You all are great. The reviews I receive continue to bring smiles to my face so I'd also like to thank those who continue to show this story their love on a regular basis. If I didn't hear from you guys, I'd have no clue how much you all are loving the story. So thank you for the support. Mmk, well I'm sorry this chapter isn't very long. It just made sense for me to cut it off where I did. The next chapter has been a bit tedious for me to write, but I suppose that's what makes this whole thing fun. Enjoy!

Emily maintained eye contact with Paige and continued to listen to her every word. She felt as though Paige might actually be opening up to her.

"The thing is, Mark died in a car accident a couple years ago in the middle of my eighth grade year. He was a junior at Jefferson. He had given me those goggles just a few weeks before it happened. They were a gift when I had managed to beat one of my personal best times at a fairly important swim competition. He had a pair just like them that he swam with and he told me that if I was able to beat my time, he'd buy me a pair. I had cut my time by a few seconds and I think it was because he had given me that extra motivational factor."

Emily stayed silent and watched as Paige inhaled deeply, almost as if she was mustering up enough courage to continue her story. She looked down at the bag of melting ice on her knee and shifted it a tiny bit.

"He was my biggest fan. I really looked up to him. And when he died, all I felt that I really had left of him were those goggles he gave me. They're pretty beat up, and I don't use them all the time anymore. Only when I'm thinking of him on a particular day. Today was one of those days. I was extremely nervous about starting on a new team at a new school and I know that if he was still here today, he would have been able to say all the right things to get me to calm down and relax. He was the only person that ever truly knew the real me. We didn't really have secrets. And ever since he died, my parents became even more wrapped up in their jobs. Probably to keep busy so they don't have to think about it. They're hardly ever home and sometimes I feel as though they forget I'm still here. My dad only ever asks me about my grades in school or my times in swimming. I guess it's a good thing I honestly love to swim, because I don't know if I could have continued with it after Mark was gone. The water has a way of making me feel at peace with the world around me. When I'm upset, I swim. When I'm angry, I swim. It helps clear my head. And it sounds dumb, but sometimes I feel as though when I'm in the water, I can see him swimming right next to me."

Paige looked up at Emily. Emily noticed a new look of sadness in her eyes.

"Sorry, I don't know where all that came from. I didn't mean to spill my life story. I just wanted to tell you why I wanted you to bring me the goggles tonight."

Emily smiled softly at Paige and looked at her with understanding eyes.

"You didn't want anything to happen to them."

"Right."

"I understand."

"Thanks. I mean in all honesty, I trusted they'd probably be safe in your possession, but I didn't want to take the chance."

"No, I totally get it. I appreciate you telling me why they are so important to you. That must have been a hard thing to do. Especially hard to tell someone you don't know every very well about something so personal."

"I just figured it was something I should tell you after you made an effort to drive out here and drop them off. I guess I just didn't want you to think that I was super possessive over a beat up pair of goggles."

"Well I'm glad you felt like you could tell me. Loss is a really hard thing to work through; I know all to well how losing someone can affect a person."

Emily, herself, had lost someone near and dear to her heart.

Emily and Paige grew silent for a while. Paige returned her attention to her knee and was now in the process of lifting up the half melted bag of ice.

"I think my knee is all better. It doesn't hurt so much anymore."

Paige stood up. Emily gazed up at her from where she still sat on the floor.

Emily watched as Paige walked out of the living room and into the kitchen. She stayed where she was and took a glance at her watch. It now read that is was after ten o'clock.

Wow, how did the time pass so fast?

She could hear Paige emptying the mixture of water and ice from the bag into the sink.

"Hey, Paige?"

"MMm yeah?"

"I need to get going. My mom didn't want me out very late, and I think I'm pushing it already as it is."

"Oh right, yeah. Okay."

Emily heard Paige walk her way across the kitchen floor and eventually saw her figure in the corner of the eye. She turned her head towards Paige and looked up to make eye contact.

"So is your knee really feeling better now that you've walked on it a bit?"

"It sure is."

Emily looked at Paige with slight skepticism.

"Look if you don't believe me do you think I'd be able to do this right now?"

At that exact moment Paige broke into a very odd, out of rhythm almost-tap dance routine that caught Emily completely off guard. She was waving her arms stiffly in a crisscross motion across the front of her body and then resorted to spirit fingers as she came to a close in her short, but very entertaining routine.

Had Emily been standing at the start of this spectacle, there was no doubt in her mind she would have dropped hard to the ground like a rock because she was so overcome with laughter.

Between bursts of laughter and small intakes of air she managed to spit out,

"Ooh n-no you didn't jus- just do that. God. Wh-what did I just witness. Paige, serious-ly. There are just some things I can- I cannot un-see. I'm sa- I'm sorry. But that was awful."

Paige took a small curtsy and smiled cutely at Emily.

"See? All better." Paige affirmed.

"Okay, okay. Fine I believe you."

Paige grinned victoriously at Emily.

"Good. But now I'm going to have to kick you out. I need my beauty sleep." Paige stated with a now very serious face.

How can she switch to a straight face so fast?

"Oh well by all means; don't let me delay that any longer. Besides, it's not like I mentioned I had to leave just a few minutes ago anyways."

"Well I figured this way would make you feel less guilty about ditching me for your mom." Paige winked a couple of times as if she was pointing out that Emily might have been making up an excuse for leaving.

"Alright, alright. Well, it's so kind of you to be so considerate of my feelings. But, come here for a sec."

Paige looked down at Emily curiously but took a few steps towards Emily.

Emily reached up to Paige's still rolled up pant leg and started to unroll it so it could return to it's normal length.

"Oh, thanks." Paige said.

Emily looked up and smiled at Paige before she stood up from her spot on the floor by the couch. She really didn't want to go home, but she knew she'd be hearing from her mom at any minute as to why she was pushing her curfew.

Emily started walking towards the hallway.

"I'll walk you to the door."

Paige seemed to have followed behind her.

"So you can kick me as I leave?" Emily joked as she twisted her head around, followed by her whole body, to look directly at Paige. She was now walking backwards down the hallway towards the front door.

With an overly-exaggerated shocked expression Paige responded with,

"What? Ha, NO. I'm not literally going to kick you out. Goodness, who do you take me for?" Paige lightly pushed her hand into the front of Emily's shoulder.

The push took Emily by surprise, knocking her back a bit. To catch her balance she grabbed for Paige's arm when her hand had made contact with her shoulder. Emily's back slammed into the door and because Emily had gripped onto Paige for support, Paige slammed into Emily.

"Ompff", breathed out Emily as the air was knocked out of her.

The two girl's faces were now inches from each other. With Paige being a couple inches taller than Emily, it made it nearly impossible for Emily not to stare at her lips when they were hovering just slightly above her own. She swallowed hard and took a few seconds to assess the situation.

Emily saw out the corner of her eye that Paige had managed to throw her free arm out in front of her when Emily had pulled Paige forward with her. And now the palm of Paige's hand was resting flat against the door, slightly level with Emily's cheek. Emily realized she still had hold of Paige's arm. Because Paige's arm was still being held by Emily she couldn't move back. And because Emily's back was already pressed against the door and Paige's other arm was blocking her in, she realized what she needed to do.

Even though it was the exact opposite of what she really wanted to do, she quickly released Paige's arm.

To Emily's surprise, there was a slightly longer delay than she was expecting in how fast Paige stepped back from her. It was almost as if she had been contemplating something herself.

"Sorry." Paige whispered out while looking at Emily with worry, almost fear, in her eyes.

Emily also noticed that Paige's face was flushed now.

"Don't be, I grabbed your arm. It was my fault."

"You wouldn't have needed to grab me had I not pushed you." Paige crossed her arms across her chest and turned her gaze down to the floor.

"Don't feel bad about it. I provoked you; I deserved that shove fair-in-square. Besides, you gave me fair warning earlier by the pool. I knew what I was risking spending more time with you. It was only a matter of time before I became one of your unsuspecting victims. And I'm fine. Got the wind knocked out of me. But I'm fine. Seriously. I'm sure we probably looked ridiculous, but we managed to stay upright. It was a nice use of teamwork. " Emily joked.

Paige still wouldn't look up

"Paige?"

Emily took a step forward and poked Paige in the side. This caused Paige to giggle out in surprise and return her gaze to Emily.

"Okay, okay. I believe you."

"Good." Emily smiled at Paige.

Emily turned her attention to the door and started to unlock both of the locks. She pulled the door open and took a step outside. Surprised by the change in temperature her breath caught in her throat. She automatically reached up for her hood and pulled it up over her head. Turning around she smiled at Paige, who was now standing in the doorway and said,

"I had fun keeping you company tonight, we should do it again sometime."

Paige returned Emily's smile with one of her own and replied,

"Yeah, definitely. I'd like that."

Emily reached into her pants pocket and grabbed hold of her car keys. She turned back around, hopped down Paige's porch steps, and ran gracefully to her now unlocked car. Opening her door and sliding into the driver's seat she then guided the keys into the ignition and started up the engine. She pulled out her phone and sent her mom a quick text to let know she was now on her way home. She turned her car around in Paige's driveway and as she was following the darkened road leading further away from Paige's house, she took a look in her rearview mirror, and there was Paige, still standing in the doorway of her house, watching as Emily drove away.

Emily smiled to herself and hoped that maybe, just maybe she had been wrong about Paige.