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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Used with her permission....“Let Me In”  © by simpledrama .
 

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Chapter 4
 

"So … where’re we going?" Gaby asked as she walked quickly to keep up with Britney.

"A place called Erin's Cyclery."

"What’s that?" Gaby pressed.

"Duh … a bike shop?" Britney sarcastically replied. "You'll like Aunt Erin!"

"Uh huh … Aunt Erin?" Gaby questioned.

“Not my real Aunt … least I don’t think she is. That’s what I’ve called her as long as I can remember, though. I know she and mom went to high school and college together,” Britney revealed.

They walked to the end of the block and turned up Birch Street, then walked a short distance until they crossed the road and ducked down an alley only to emerge at the corner of a parking lot for a small group of retail stores. At times, Gaby had to jog to keep up to Britney’s hurried pace.

"Where're we going?" Gabs asked again.

“I told ya ... Erin’s Cyclery! It’s in this here strip mall … c’mon … not much further,” Britney encouraged.

From what Gaby noticed in the window, Erin sold mostly mountain bikes, Trek, Cannondale and Marin. She followed her friend through the door into a warm store and a venerable paradise for any bike enthusiast.

"Be right with you!" a woman's voice called from the back of the store.

"Neat huh?" Britney enthused.

"Oh, yeah!" Gaby panted as her attention was grabbed by a very clean Klein hanging on the wall.

"It's me Aunt Erin … I brought a friend!"

"Britney!" exclaimed a tall attractive woman with light brown hair. She was wiping her hands on a rag as she approached the girls.

"To what do I owe this visit … and who's this?"

"This is my friend from England … Gaby Bond!" Britney proudly announced.

"Nice to finally meet you Gaby. Brit here hasn’t stopped talking about you," Erin greeted.

"Hi,” Gaby returned.

"When I first heard your name … I immediately thought of Jenny Bond … then when Brit and Debbie told me who they lodged with last summer I couldn't believe it!

Your Mom doing well?" Erin gushed.

Caught off guard, Gaby replied, “When I left she wasn’t quite herself. She’s back home in Warsop, right now … resting…”

"Cold huh? Gets to the best of us, sooner or later," Erin dismissed. "So … what can I do for you gals?"

"How do you know we want something?" Britney innocently asked.

"Britney … you always want something when you drop by!" Erin replied with a large grin on her face.

"I don't! Well … maybe sometimes," she quietly allowed.

"So what is it?" Erin playfully asked.

"Ummm … you know that Gabs here is … like … a junior cycle champion?" Britney coyly mentioned.

"Come to think of it, you did mention it a few hundred times … but who counted?" Erin grinned.

"Well, I was wondering … would you have a bike and some riding stuff Gabs could borrow while she's here … like … so she can keep training?” Britney sweetly asked while trying to look innocent for her Aunt.

Her friend’s latest scheme finally dawned on Gaby.

"We-l-l … I'm not sure…" Erin replied with some trepidation.

"She'd look after it real well," she turned to face Gaby, "Wouldn't you, Gabs?” Turning back to face Erin, she continued to plead her case, “...And it's only for like … a few weeks!"

Erin's face softened a bit. “Now … just how many weeks we talkin’ about, huh?”

“Six?” Britney weakly squeaked.

"Hmmm … how ‘bout I have a look to see what I've got out back and you guys call around later this afternoon?" Erin suggested.

"Great!" Britney enthused. “That works perfectly! Gabs has to go to this orientation thing … but she should be back by three … if … that’s not too early!”

Gaby? How’s that with you?" Erin asked.

"That would be great … thank you!” Gaby enthused.

"What kind of bike you prefer … mountain or road?" Erin asked.

"A road bike … please … that's if it's not too much trouble."

"I'll see what I can do … okay?" Erin grinned, “So … you two like some hot chocolate?”

“No thanks, Erin … I really have to get back,” Gaby replied as she looked at Britney for support.

“Okay … see you when you get back!” Erin called out as the girls waved ‘bye’ before they left the store.

“Hurry up Gabs! We’re supposed to be outside to meet the bus in about twenty minutes!” Jules urged as the two girls arrived back in the Walters house.

Gaby ran upstairs to their shared room and quickly changed to a presentable pair of jeans and a turtleneck, since temperatures were still on the cool side.
Later, both of the Walters sisters escorted Gaby and Jules down to the corner of their block to await their school bus transportation.

“See you guys later!” Britney smiled when Jules and Gabs climbed aboard after a short wait. As the two took their seats and waved back, George closed the doors and put the bus in gear.

“One more stop, kids … then … it’s on to Augusta High School!” George called back to his passengers.

After picking up one of the senior students in their group, George headed the bus out of town for a short ten-mile drive west, past the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport to a town called Fort Defiance.

About twenty minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of a very modern and a very large school where Gaby noticed several other buses already in the lot. Upon disembarking from George’s bus, Gaby and the others joined the rest of the British exchange students that were already assembled with Miss Cowlishaw and Mr. Pilling, near the main entrance to the school.

They soon saw Miss Bell heading towards them and after greeting the two escorts, she soon had the visitors started on their tour of the school. Before she led everyone inside, Miss Bell began the tour by informing the kids that Augusta High School was actually situated a mile outside of Fort Defiance and that it served all of Augusta County.

Once in the school, Miss Bell and Mr. Fredericks informed the British kids that a block of lockers had already been assigned for their use and proceeded to show the kids where they were. The entire group then assembled in a classroom and from what Gaby noticed around the room, she concluded that it probably belonged to Miss Bell. They were joined a short time later by the school’s Guidance Counsellor, Mrs. Jones and the Principal, Mr. Roberts. After a few words of greeting and short introductions about themselves, they departed to return to their respective offices.

Miss Bell then took to the floor, telling the students what they could expect.

“Like the American kids did when they visited you in Warsop, each of you will ‘shadow’ your host for the three days of the week that you actually attend classes. The remaining two days have been set aside for field trips. Like our visit to Warsop last year, one field trip per week will include your hosts. The weekends are considered to be ‘free time’, allowing you to spend time with your host families and get a glimpse of life in America.”

“Now ... since Augusta County is primarily rural, Augusta High services the entire county and as such, it naturally has a much larger student population than what you are used to at Warsop College. Therefore, due to the number of students we have ... our lunch hour is scheduled in two relays depending on a student’s class schedule. Unfortunately, what this all means for you coming from a smaller school, is that depending on your host’s class schedule, you may not be able to see your friends at school as much as you did in Warsop. However, I’m sure that between you and your hosts, that won’t stop you lot from getting together.”

“Our day begins at eight o’clock with ‘homeroom’, for morning exercises and taking of attendance. Final dismissal is at three. Any extracurricular activities like sports and cheerleading will be done after that time. The buses you took today will be your transportation to and from the school. If I remember correctly, two of you are paired with hosts that have their own cars ... so you won’t have to worry about bus schedules. Now, when I call your name, please come up and get your ‘survival package’. This contains your bus schedule, your individual weekly class schedule, locker number and a combination lock and finally, a mountain of various forms to fill in for our office staff.”

As Miss Bell called out the names, the kids went up to the front of the room and received their packages before returning to their desks and completing the forms. Once all the paperwork was collected, the British kids were taken as a group, to their assigned block of lockers where they each took possession of their own piece of Augusta High.

While they had some spare time before re-boarding George’s bus for the ‘county tour’, the ‘gang’ got together for the first time since arriving, comparing notes on their host families and otherwise just catching up with things.

Seeing all the ‘gang’ in one place, Miss Bell took the opportunity to quietly say a few words to them in private and after giving them something to think about, she went off to organize the next part of their orientation.

“Come on you lot … time to go and get on the bus!” Mr. Pilling cheerfully announced.

Once everyone was on board, George headed back into Grottoes and Miss Bell acted as tour guide as he drove past any and all points of interest in the town and the surrounding area. After the tour, George once again turned the bus back to AHS where the kids were dismissed along with the rest of the school and allowed to get on their designated buses for the trip home.

“See you kids tomorrow morning!” Miss Bell called out as she saw the exchange students head for their own buses.

Gaby noted with some envy that both Maddy and Em wouldn’t have to endure the bus each day. Since Maddy’s host was Miss Bell, she naturally got a ride with her and Em’s host, Sandy Jones, was an eighteen year old who had her own car.

It was just after three thirty when Jules and Gaby returned to the Walters’ place.

“C’mon Gaby! We have to go!” Britney enthused as she grabbed Gaby’s arm when she entered the house.

“I only just got in!” Gaby exclaimed as she physically stood her ground.

“We told Erin we’d be back when you guys finished up … ‘member?”

“I'm sure Erin won't mind you being a few minutes late!” Mrs. Walters admonished.

“But mom!” Britney whined as she threw her arms up in the air in frustration.

“Let Gaby get changed if she wants,” Mrs. Walters firmly restated her position.

“Go on then!” Britney was being a bit of a pain.

Gaby didn’t need to be told twice. She was up the stairs and in her room in a flash. In truth, a change of footwear and a chance to freshen up was all she needed. After few minutes, she re-joined an impatient Britney Walters at the bottom of the stairs.

“While you’re there … invite Erin back for dinner!” Mrs. Walters called out as the girls ran out of the house.

As soon as they entered the Cyclery, Britney sought out her ‘Aunt’.

“Did you find anything Erin?” she impatiently asked.

“I think so … c’mon out back!” Erin suggested.

Once they entered Erin’s workshop, she pointed to a very well maintained cherry red GT road frame outfitted with a Campag Chorus. It didn’t take Gaby long before she identified it as Erin’s old bike, despite the concocted story Erin told the girls.

“You got any kit with you Gaby?” Erin asked.

“No ... I didn’t think I’d have a chance to ride,” Gaby explained.

“That’s okay. I think I may still have some of my old kit back at the house that should fit you. Think you can watch the store for me, Britney? I want to take Gaby here, back to my place and see if I can rustle up some kit for her. Hopefully we won’t be too long!” Leaving Britney in charge of the store, the two drove out to her place to see just what she had.

“C’mon in, Gaby … or is it … Drew?” Erin cautiously mentioned as they got out of her truck after pulling up to her house.

“Drew,” Gaby quietly replied. She was surprised that Erin knew about Drew but remembered she was supposed to be Drew, pretending to be Gaby, anyway.

“I thought as much,” Erin replied with a knowing look.

How did you know?” Gaby asked.

“Well … I try to keep up with things over in Europe and I know that it was Jenny Bond's son that took the National title last summer,” Erin revealed as they walked into the house.

“You gonna tell?” a frightened Gaby wondered.

“I dunno,” Erin softly mentioned after seeing Gaby was worried. “Somethin’ like this sound’s like one o’ Britney’s ideas … is it?”

“Sort of…” Gaby weakly admitted.

“Care to tell me about it?”

While Erin collected her spare kit, Gaby told an edited version of her story, right up to Britney’s departure from Warsop.

“I have to admit ... from what you told me, it sounds like Brit and her sister are only trying to make the best of a bad situation. While I don’t agree with it, I can see possible trouble all around if’en I mention this to Donald and Jocelyn. However, you and your sister seem to be comfortable enough with it ... so I’ll tell ya what. I won’t say a thing to anybody ... providin’ you promise to come to me if’en you ever wanted out of Britney’s little game. I’m not promising anything, but I might be able to help.”

It was almost six and quite dark when they finally returned to the shop.

“I was about to start calling … I thought something happened to you guys,” a worried Britney exclaimed as Erin and Gaby entered the shop.

“Just talking about Drew's cycling career,” Erin emphasized.

“Oh…” a devastated Britney whispered.

“I’m not the least bit pleased with your little scheme, young lady! It’s only because of Drew here, that I’m not hauling you in front of your mom ... but ... if I ever hear of you backing ‘im into a corner with your schemes or he tells me things have gone far ‘nuff ... I’ll be a-talking with your mom ... is that clear?” Erin lectured.

“Yes, m’am,” Britney meekly replied.

When they were having supper back at the Walters, Britney kept nervously glancing at Erin every time it looked like she’d say anything to her mother. Both Erin and Gaby knew exactly what she was thinking and they were enjoying every minute of it.

The following morning found the four girls waiting for the school bus, under a clear sky with some wind swept snow swirling around.

“Cold or nervous, Gabs?” Debbie asked.

“Bit of both … I guess,” Gaby replied as she glanced at the other two.

When the bus finally arrived, they quickly climbed on board in search of some heat. Gaby instantly noticed two things different from the previous day. George wasn’t driving and the bus was already fairly full of AHS students, making the task of locating seats together all that more challenging. Once at Augusta High, the girls parted company to head off to their lockers. Having quickly got her books, Britney met Gaby back at her locker to help her sort out the things that she’ll require for her first two classes. After that was done, the two went off to find her friends in the remaining time before homeroom.

A short time later, the first bell cleared the halls of students as they all retired to their homerooms for attendance and morning exercises, including the Pledge of Allegiance. Miss Bell had mentioned the previous day that as British citizens, the exchange students were not required to stand and participate in that particular exercise.

During the morning exercises, Gaby noted that any announcements or school news the principal had to convey was delivered to each classroom by a P/A system.
Once the announcements were over, Miss Jackson introduced her only exchange student to the rest of the class. Gaby was politely received by her new classmates, but she couldn’t help sense more than a bit of disinterest from several of the kids.

She initially thought this as nothing more than being the new kid, but when walking with Britney to their first class, the reaction from a few of the kids they passed could only have been described as a ‘cold shoulder’.

Gaby’s situation was a bit different than the rest of the gang. Although the lower level exchange students were scattered over three Grade 9 homerooms, Gaby was the only one to be on the early lunch rotation. As she found out, it also meant she was on a different class rotation schedule than the others. Her only common weekly classes with the rest of the gang were P/E or Gym, as Britney called it and Health. She soon started to feel the first pangs of her unintentional isolation.

Gaby’s first Friday class was a double period of Home Ec. with Mrs. Pryce. While Britney and the rest of the class worked on their current ‘dressmaking’ project, Mrs. Pryce strived to learn just how much Gaby knew about the subject. While her experience allowed her to keep a tidy home, Gaby admitted her sewing skills were almost non-existent, much to Mrs. Pryce’s dismay. She was ‘old school’ and a firm believer that all girls by their teens should know how to sew. As they completed their talk, Mrs. Pryce took Gaby back over to where Britney was working and instructed her to get Gaby started on her own ‘dress’ project.

“I’ve never sewed in my life!” Gaby whispered after she left the pair to work on their own.

“Don’t worry … I’ll help you!” Britney hissed.

The rest of her first day went better. In Math, Gaby was back in her comfort zone. She was surprised at how far advanced in Algebra she was compared to the rest of the class. After English, there was lunch followed by Science, Geography with Miss Bell and finally a double of Art with Miss Cowlishaw helping out in the classroom.
After dismissal, as the kids waited in the cold wind for the bus back into town, Gaby realized that unlike Warsop College, most of the cars in the huge parking lot actually belonged to students.

Later that evening after helping Mrs. Walters clean up, Gaby went up to her room to freshen up. A few minutes later, she came back downstairs and joined the others in the living room, to await her dad’s call.

“Well, don't you look purdy,” Mr. Walters commented as Gaby walked to one of the cushy chairs in the living room.

As she sat down she unconsciously tucked a leg under her. Jules gave Gaby a smile while Britney looked perplexed at Gaby’s feminine mannerisms.

“Daaaad! Now you've got her blushing!” Debbie mockingly berated her father.

Except for some small talk, both the Bond girls remained silent and shared an expression that told the elder Walters that their thoughts were elsewhere. Debbie and Britney both followed their parents lead and found themselves sitting in front of a TV that was showing a program that no one was really watching.
Gaby had the nagging feeling their host family had been warned of their mum’s cancer, judging by the way everyone was behaving that evening.

When the phone rang, the tension in the room was such that the girls visibly jumped. After it rang a few times, Mrs. Walters finally answered it. Following a few hushed words, she quietly handed the receiver to Jules as she was the closest.

“It’s your father,” Jocelyn softly mentioned.

“Hi Dad…” Jules nervously greeted.

Like her sister, she wanted to hear news of their mother, but at the same time dreaded what she might hear. Both girls knew Jenny may be in surgery if they decided to operate. After several minutes of ‘okay’ and ‘uh huh’, with the odd ‘yes’ thrown in, Jules slowly handed the phone to Gaby.

As she took the receiver, Gaby noticed the clock on the fireplace mantle said it was past seven o’clock. That meant it was past midnight back in Warsop.
Once she slowly put the phone down, Jules walked up to her sister and hugged her.

“They operated, sis…” Gaby solemnly whispered into her sister’s ear.

“Dad said it went well … but … they won’t know for a few days if they got it all. He also said that even if they did get it all … she may not be cured.”

“I know Gabs … all we can do is wait … and pray … like Dad,” Jules replied, the tears starting to roll down her face.

“He’s gonna call tomorrow,” Gaby quietly mentioned as she let go of her sister.

Instead of heading back to join the others, both girls said their ‘good nights’ then slowly went up to their room. When Britney heard their door close, she started to get up and follow the girls upstairs.

“Where do you think you’re going, young lady?” Jocelyn quietly asked.

“Upstairs…” Britney replied.

“Leave them be … they need to be alone,” Mrs. Walters advised.

Next morning Gaby awoke minutes before her clock radio went off. As she turned off the alarm, she got up and headed for the bathroom. While in the shower, she heard Jules come in for a wee.

“You still going for a ride with that Erin woman, sis?” Jules asked. It was clear to Gaby that her sister was anything but awake.

“That’s the plan!” Gaby shot back. Jules shook her head and headed back to bed. She thought it was depressing to see anyone so awake and cheerful at that hour.

After she emerged from the bathroom Gaby saw that her older sister was back under the covers and fast asleep. She was soon dressed in her borrowed cycling kit and following a light breakfast with Mr. Walters, left the house while the other girls were still sleeping. The overcast skies foretold of the promised snow, while the temperature remained on the cool side.

Gaby was a bit surprised when she exited the alley-way and entered the parking-lot of the strip mall and Erin’s Cyclery. She thought she would be riding alone with Erin, but instead saw several other cyclists patiently waiting outside the store. Gaby hung back a few doors, observing the small group and waiting for Erin to show. All the time, the others either didn’t notice her or decided to ignore her.

To Gaby they looked like a typical group of club cyclists from back home. She saw three older men talking with a lad of about 17 or 18 who clearly wasn’t one of the cyclists and a couple of what her mum called ‘boy racers’, they looked better than they could ride. She recognized one boy from homeroom and after rolling a few names around in her mind, she recalled his name was Aidan.

Just then a pickup drove into the parking-lot and Gaby recognized it as Erin's when she drove past her and went down a small side lane that went to additional parking at the back of the stores.

A few minutes later she returned to the storefront pushing a mint Colnago. As she approached the group, she looked towards Gaby and gave a faint smile.
“Sorry I'm a bit late, guys. We just need to wait for one more,” Erin explained.

“Someone new joining us?” one of the riders asked.

“Yeah … h …she's just visiting for a few weeks,” Erin replied as she again looked at Gaby and with a wave of her hand, motioned her to join them.

“Gaby … what’re you doing over there? C’mon ... don’t be shy. We won’t bite!” Gaby carefully pushed her borrowed GT along and joined Erin at the centre of the group.
“Everyone … this young’un is Gaby Bond and she's here from England for six weeks as an exchange student at Augusta High.”

Following Erin’s introductions of the group, Gaby shyly returned the greeting of everyone that welcomed her.

“Be gentle with her. She's not used to our style of riding … so look out for her, okay?” Erin extolled as she gave Gaby a wink. Since she knew about ‘Gaby’, it was obvious to her that Erin had something up her sleeve, so she just played along.

With that, everyone prepared to set off and in just a few minutes they were speeding out of town towards the Regional Airport, two abreast at a steady fifteen mph. Gaby decided she better stay with Erin.

A couple of miles in, Erin signalled a turn onto Battlefield Road and continued through Piedmont and New Hope, until they came to Crimora Road. Again Erin signalled a turn. This time they followed the road right into Crimora where they caught Route 340 into Waynesboro.

“So … how far are we going?” Gaby wondered.

“It depends on the weather. I’ll make a decision at Waynesboro, but if the weather looks okay … we'll catch Route 250 and swing down to catch Skyline Drive and come back through the National Park … otherwise we'll just turn around and take this here Route 340 directly back to Grottoes,” Erin stated.

“I thought it would just be the two of us,” Gaby mentioned.

Erin smiled. “We’ve been doing these rides just about every Saturday, year ‘round, for a few years now. These are my best customers. Now, take this bunch here ... they’ll ride with me all winter. Later, when it gets warmer ... we usually pick up a few extra bodies … sometimes twenty … twenty five … in the summer.”

The two soon fell into conversation about Gaby’s impressions of the area and the bike. As she had guessed, the GT was Erin’s old bike. By now, she and Erin had rotated to the front of the bus and Gaby pushed harder to keep the pace up. They made good time and the pace quickened a bit, but not uncomfortably so. When Waynesboro appeared in the distance they were slipping along at a steady 20mph. Erin moved along the bus to chat with her friends and make a decision on the rest of the ride. Gaby took the opportunity to talk to Diane and Derek, both in their early twenties, as well as some of the other riders. Despite the accents and some strange terminology, she concluded cyclists were the same everywhere.

From what she'd picked up so far, Gaby figured that only Erin and Diane were of a level that might best her. Aidan would give her a ride for the money, but she didn’t figure he had the staying power if it came down to that and unless the others were talking themselves down, they’d fade pretty fast in a race. Erin drifted back to Gaby as they came up to the Waynesboro sign.

“It's looking pretty good … so I figure we'll go through the park and after a stop at Turk Mountain, head on home.”

“Mountain?” Gaby asked in a slight panic as visions of her Mum in the Pyrenees last year, flooded her mind.

“Don't worry … the climb is long but it's a steady grade ... then once we get up there ... it rolls up and down some but nothing too bad,” Erin mentioned in a reassuring voice.

The route into the park reminded Gaby of a cross between the Pennines and the area where Apollinaris is based in Germany. The traffic, while not heavy heading south, was even lighter now with one or two huge trucks loaded with timber heading downhill. Still the group of cyclists climbed. The pace had dropped back to a steady 15 mph.

“We usually have a bit of a race from the next summit to the cabin, you up for that?” Erin asked after checking on Gaby’s condition.

“Sure!” Gabs confidently replied.

“Okay then … Frank will shout ‘go’ … then we'll show this lot some real riding huh?” Erin enthused.

Before Gaby could reply, Erin had removed her cell phone from her jacket and was talking to someone. As she replaced the phone, Erin glanced over to Gaby and cheerfully explained, “Just ordering coffee.”

Gaby had just barely passed a sign proclaiming ‘Jarman Gap 2175 feet', when a shout of ‘go!' went up, followed by a bit of a free for all. The two ‘boy racers’ quickly broke away as the pace climbed to over twenty five mph. Gaby tucked herself in behind Erin and Diane and left them to do the work while she sat in their draft. The road twisted about a bit and then started to climb once more. The breakaway pair soon faded and Derek, Frank and Rob took up the slack. Gaby noticed that Aidan was watching things carefully as Diane eased forward.

Gaby was carefully, but discretely, watching things around her, including passing a small sign for a footpath that said ‘Turk Gap 3mi’. Erin’s glance to the rear telegraphed her intentions, causing Gaby to drop a gear in preparation for her move. No sooner had she switched gears did Erin decide to make her move!
She stayed on Erin’s wheel as they went through the pack, picking up Diane and Aidan in the process. Despite being waved through, Gaby remained where she was, feigning exhaustion and instead let Diane and Aidan pass leaving her at the end of a four person break-away.

Aidan then chose to remain where he was, allowing Diane to launch a premature attack for the finish, which was more than two miles away. Her lack of experience meant the small gap she’d managed to open, remained a small gap. Meanwhile, both Erin and Aidan concentrated on watching each other, convinced that the new rider was tired and out of contention. As if to verify their conclusion, Gaby dropped back a bike length, but not far enough to fall out of their combined slipstream.
They rounded a bend and their destination came into view about half a mile away across a small valley. Gaby saw it was closer to a mile by road. It had a slight rise for the last half-mile, so seeing that Diane was quickly tiring, she prepared for her own move. While the other two were sizing each other up, Gaby chose a small dip in the road to go for it. Her plan was to power through the dip, while hoping her new friends would be like most riders and free-wheel in the descent and add power on the climb out.

Quickly checking the traffic behind and ahead of her, Gaby dropped another gear and remained out of the saddle while speeding past the others. Assuming the traditional tuck position as she entered the dip, she dropped yet another gear to power through the descent. Now committed to her plan, Gaby waited until she came out of the dip before she risked a glance back and saw her companions far back behind her.

Settling down and getting comfortable for the last hundred meters, she already had her bike parked outside the restaurant when a minute or two later Aidan rolled in, quickly followed by Erin and then Diane.

“That was fun,” Gaby mentioned in a disinterested voice.

When the others caught their breath, Erin ushered everyone inside.

“Punctual as always, Erin!” a woman's voice cheerfully called out. “First agin?”

“Nope … not this time Paula … got beat by these young’uns!” Erin replied loudly.

“You Diane?” Paula asked turning her attention to the young woman.

“Not me Paula,” Diane replied, “Young Gaby here!” Aidan moved and Paula finally noticed Gaby.

“How did a small thing like you take these three? These two…“ Paula swept her hand towards Erin and Aidan, “…Ride for the State teams … and Diane hopes to try out this summer!”

“It’s in her genes, Paula. Never guess who her mom is,” Erin challenged.

Paula studied Gaby for several minutes before Erin provided a clue. “She's English!”

Aidan’s expression brightened as if he had won first prize on a game show. “Jenny Bond!” he offered in a loud voice.

“What about Jenny Bond?” Derek asked as entered with the rest of the group.

“Gaby’s her daughter!” Aidan announced.

“Geez … if I'd known we had royalty with us,” Frank started, “I'd have cleaned my bike!”

Gaby blushed as she joined in the laughter that was sparked by Frank’s remark.

Paula quickly had everyone grab a seat while she served up breakfast to the cyclists. Talk predictably enough, centred around Gaby’s victory and how she accomplished it.

With everyone listening in, Erin stated, “Today is the first time this winter anyone has beaten me up here. Aidan has almost done it once or twice … but … this morning you annihilated the both of us ... and not because you’re stronger than us … but because you used your head. Somehow … you knew what we would do … before we did.”

“Not hard to figure out … really…” Gaby started, “…everyone normally eases off through dips like that…”

“But you didn't,” Aidan pointed out.

“I saw it as an opportunity … you and…” Gaby continued to explain to the others how she accomplished what she did. Erin also revealed Gaby’s national titles to the others.

“Hey, Erin! I just spoke with Marty up at Blackrock. He says it's snowing like crazy and the road back to town is already closed,” Paula announced as she brought another pot of coffee out for everyone.

“Dammit! I thought we'd be back long before it hit,” Erin stated. As they weighed their options, the first flakes of snow started hitting the window behind where the group was seated. Derek wanted to start back immediately, but was out voted by Paula.

“Now y'all finish up that food! I ain't slaved over the stove for you to up an leave it all … the bus is out back … now when you finish up … y’all kin take that down and one of y'all kin bring it back up when the weather clears … okay? Good! Now finish up!”

The bus was an old school minibus that seated twenty. After packing in ten bikes, they climbed in and with Frank at the wheel they set off back to Grottoes via Waynesboro through an already white countryside. Back in Grottoes, there was a little blowing around when they got back to Erin's shop just after one in the afternoon, but nothing like it was up in the hills.

Gaby was barely in the door at the Walters residence when Britney started to accost her.

“Hurry up ... shower and get dressed! Mom’s taking us shopping at the big mall in Harrisonburg.”

“Cor! I only just got back!” Gaby protested.

“Gabeee!” Britney went into her customary whine.

“Britney Walters! Let the poor girl catch her breath!” Mrs. Walters warned her youngest.

“Yes, mom...” Britney sheepishly replied. Turning to Gaby, she hissed, “Hurry up! Now, git!”

Removing her shoes and running up the stairs, Gaby stripped off her cycling togs as soon as she got into her room and then made a dash for the adjoining bathroom and a quick shower. After drying herself, she passed on the idea of wearing a dress or a skirt for shopping, favouring warmth in the form of jeans and a layered look.
She was able to catnap during the thirty-minute drive and once they pulled into the parking lot, the ladies decided they’d split up, agreeing to meet in the mall’s food court two hours later.

“So Gabs … we need to get you some clothes!” Britney declared.

“I’ve only got so much … an’ that’s got to last. I’ve still got prezzies to get for everyone back ‘ome,” Gaby mentioned.

“Look, Gabs … a girl needs more clothes an’ things than you got … an’ Deb and me got you into this … so we’re going to help get you through it!” Britney offered.

“What Brit is trying to say, Drew … is that we got you into this girl thing an’ although we can’t bring Drew back ... we can help Gaby look good while she’s here.

Please ... let us help?” Debbie pleaded.

“Okay, but…” Gaby started to reply as she looked at Jules for support.

“Tell you what, Gabs … let’s go shopping and take it from there … okay?” Britney proposed.

Gaby and Jules agreed and soon the four girls set off in search of things for Gaby. They hadn’t gone very far in the crowded mall when Debbie led the others to a ‘calm spot’ away from the other shoppers.

“Uh … Drew? Just to make sure we’re on the same page … we are only shopping for Gaby … right?” Debbie nervously whispered.

“I already told you two. For as long as I’m here … I’m Gaby … 24/7,” Gaby quietly replied.

“Jules?” Both of the Walters sisters looked at Jules for her reaction.

“You heard my sister,” Jules replied with a grin. Britney squealed her thanks as she embraced each of the Bond girl’s in a hug.

With Gaby’s reassurance, they hit many of the clothing stores offered in the mall; Sears, JC Penny’s, the Gap, Aeropostale and Banana Republic. It was Gaby’s idea to also look for dress shoes.

"You wanna pair of heels?” a surprised Britney asked.

“Sure! Lookit the girls around here. I like the way they look with jeans,” Gaby allowed.

“What’s Mum gonna say?” Jules whispered. “She won’t even let me wear heels.”

“So? Mum didn’t let you get your ears pieced until Maddy did mine,” Gaby quietly pointed out. Jules eyes lit up as she followed her sister’s logic.

“You know what, Jules? Even if Mum gets mad when we get ‘ome … it’ll be nice to hear her yell at me,” Gaby quietly mentioned. Jules’ eyes glazed over and she immediately threw her arms around Gaby in a tight embrace.

“I know, sis … I … know,” Jules breathed as her eyes started to get wet. Even Debbie and Britney could feel their eyes getting moist.

“C’mon … let’s go get us some shoes, before…” Debbie suggested. She didn’t need to complete her thought, they all knew what she meant.

When they met Mrs. Walters two hours later, each of the four girls was laden with a few bags. With some of her own money and the generosity of Walters sister’s, Gaby had acquired a new pair of jeans, a few tops, more underwear and hosiery, an LBD that Britney said was to die for, two skirts for school and a couple of nightgowns. Some new cosmetics, earrings and a pair of black dress pumps with 3” heels, topped off Gaby’s purchases.

The drive back to Grottoes was uneventful until they were about five miles from town when they hit the heavy snow. According to the weather on the car radio, it was expected to continue throughout the night.

 
 
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To Be Continued...