The work day was over, and although he was in no rush to get home he moved in haste out of sheer habit. The past few days had been so routine that he was beginning to grow accustomed to it. As he gathered the things from his desk and put them into his bag he contemplated on paying someone a visit; ultimately he decided against that and opted to save it for another day. As he grabbed his keys and began making his way to the door he was startled to hear a knock coming from the other side. His heart raced as thoughts of who it might be ran through his head. He quickly made his way to the door and opened it to find Nina Knockers standing on the other side.
* * * * * * * *
"I...I don't know." Natalie said. She and Paula had been discussing the circumstances of recent events for the last forty five minutes or so. "It all just happened so fast...it's as though I don't know my own daughter."
Paula walked around the coffee table in the living room and rested her hands on her living room chair. Her elbows locked into place as she leaned over it.
"That happens to us all, I think." She said. "Children change and we are all so reluctant to realize when they have ceased to be children any longer. It might even be true that they have not been children for quite some time."
"You're right." Natalie said as she paced nonchalantly. "My Nina is blossoming into this undeniable woman...I guess it's time I should accept that."
"Good, Natalie." Paula said. "I can assure you there are times when I think I don't know my own daughter at all. Ever since she came back from her trip it's as though she's become a different person."
Natalie turned and sat down.
"Well, you said yourself that our girls change. It's experiences that make it possible for them to do so. Gretchen was away for a while, so isn't it only natural that she would seem like a whole new person?"
"I suppose so." Paula said. "I mean, there is a certain logic to it."
"You know what really gets me is...she was right."
Paula looked at Natalie with curiosity and slight confusion.
"Nina." Natalie said with clarification. "She was right. I faltered. I was threatened and in no time I found myself doing exactly what they wanted me to, instead of doing what I felt was right. I went against everything our committee stands for."
"You are not to blame here, Natalie." Paula said, reassuring her friend. "Don't forget the committee has been losing its ideals as of late...they are the ones who have lost sight of what we stand for, not you."
"Still..." Natalie said. "Two wrongs don't make a right. I should have known better."
"Yes, you should have." Paula said. "But there is nothing you can do about it now. And, I suppose...I must confess. I haven't exactly been following my heart either."
Natalie looked at Paula now with confusion and curiosity.
"I made Madeline a special batch of StaminaX...against my instincts. It's still in the testing phase and she's...I...who knows what wrongs I may have committed."
Natalie spoke.
"I guess we were both strong-armed. Hasn't it been that way ever since we were inducted?"
Paula nodded as she walked around the chair and sat down in it.
"That's the precise reason you and I have done what we've done for the past eighteen years or so."
The two women sighed as they reached for the mugs atop the coffee table and sipped from them.
"Do you remember when we were girls?" Natalie asked.
"Mm." Paula said as she finished taking a sip of coffee. "How could I forget? You were always the 'star player.'"
"Well...I suppose I did score a few goals on the soccer field." Natalie said. "Kick the ball, score a goal...things were much simpler back then."
"Do you realize that we've almost reached the transition?" Paula asked.
"Oh, I know." Natalie said. "In just a few short years...but who's to say it's actually going to happen?"
"Very true." Paula answered. "And with Madeline running things at the moment who knows what's going to happen anymore."
"I guess only time will tell." Natalie said.
* * * * * * * *
Brooke heard a loud ring. She looked up from the magazine she was reading and glanced at the door of the jewelry shop. She propped herself up from behind the counter and viewed Gretchen as she entered the store.
"Hey." Brooke greeted her.
Gretchen looked around as she leisurely made her way in.
"Hi." She said, looking Brooke in the eye.
"What are you doing here?" the busty blonde asked of her.
"I dunno." Gretchen said. "I guess I was feeling kind of down and I wanted to buy myself something shiny."
Brooke brought her attention back to her magazine.
"You're weird." She said.
Her words resonated with Gretchen. She immediately began burning a hole through the busty store clerk. She viewed her as she had appeared in that video...slutty. She breathed audibly as she found herself disgusted at how Brooke's massive rack was jutting into her halfway-buttoned top. She had her cleavage showing, and the round orbs were threatening to spill free at any moment.
But what really ticked her off was how Brooke had the gall to act as if she didn't know, and still managed to put her down.
"I'm weird?" she said, taking a few steps forward. "What about you?"
Somewhat shocked, Brooke turned her attention to Gretchen once more. Slowly, she moved from her slumped position over the counter to an upright one. She walked around the side and stood in front of it, before Gretchen, with her arms crossed over her heaving chest.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"You're not nearly good enough to be on our first team." Gretchen said. "What did you do?"
"What are you saying?" Brooke asked, her eyebrows furring in anger.
"I know you slept with Coach Blue to get a position on the team." Gretchen accused.
Brooke raised an eyebrow at her brunette friend.
"I've never slept with Coach Blue." She said.
"HA!" Gretchen laughed. "Save it. I know that you and Brittany both have."
Brooked stared at Gretchen with intent. Her eyebrow still raised, she took a few steps toward Gretchen.
"You know," she said with a menacing tone. "Before we all just tolerated you because we knew Nina had your back. But that's not the case anymore, is it? You don't have Nina around to protect you."