Here it was, the first time I was ever face to face with an actual ghost, and it was clear as clear could be: She was afraid of me.

Could somehow Maisie and her mother *both* be right in some way? Could Maisie have exaggerated? Could Maisie have misunderstood?

I sighed. Why do people have to be so complicated?

"It's never hard to know what boys are thinking," Maisie said.

"Or what they're looking at," Susan added.

Maisie cut me off. "Listen to me. I know that Ida seems like a nice person. Maybe she is nice to you and your mother... and to everyone else on earth except me." At this point, Maisie was fighting back tears. She dropped the wrench, balled her fists, and swore. "I'm NOT going to cry...," she said, gritting her teeth.

Maisie was full of surprises. I knew she was rich, that she'd always been rich, and that she didn't clean her own house, let alone her own room. She didn't even make her own bed! Yet, here she was digging through trash with me, and she seemed to find it less disgusting than I did.

"Look at this, though!" I said, pointing to a comment in italics. It read The "evil twin".

"Whoa! What does that mean?" Maisie asked. "Mrs. Wix, evil? I don't believe it. It's impossible."

Mom paused and looked at me for a moment. "I don't understand why that girl can't talk to her own mother."

"I can't speak for Maisie," I protested.

"I guess I didn't think about it because there weren't any boys around."

"Oh, my," Maisie commented. "Aren't you a woman of the world!"

The PA crackled to life, and said, "Will Marcella Donner please report to the principal's office? Marcella Donner to the principal's office."

As we walked away from the school, Mom said, "I think that went very well."

I looked at her in astonishment.

"I never thought I'd complain about this, but Mom, the skirt's too short."

"No it's not," she replied. "It looks fine."

"When I saw the way you wiggled in the parking lot, I just had to meet you. You had some serious moves going on out there."

"Oh," I replied, reddening just a little, "Aren't you the bold one?"

"Marcie, before you get carried away, you have to consider a few things."

"Uh-oh," I said. Already I felt the money slipping away.

"Gosh Stella, maybe you should be reading this, not me." I said in true humility.

"Letter to the Corinthians 13:1," I had to learn the frigging thing by heart because I threw a tampon at Maisie Plummer."

"You what?" I gasped before erupting with laughter.

Easy As Falling Off A Bike.
by Angharad
part 201.

"Clearly we have some problems with the past. What about the future? How does Cathy see her future?" Stella tried to assert some control over the proceedings. "Do you still want to marry Simon?"

He'd said he was okay with it, knowing that I was off the hormones and also that it wasn't stuck out the way. I could have quite happily cut it off there and then and had done with it. It had never been any use to me, I couldn't even win peeing contests when I was a kid, all the other boys seemed able to pee further or higher up a wall than I could.

Easy As Falling Off A Bike
by Angharad

Without looking back, I was squirting WD40 down inside my cable covers, I said, "Hi Des." I continued bent over my bike.

"The view from here is terrific."

"Ha bloody ha. Does my bum look big in this then?" I jibed back, still playing with my gear and brake cables.

"No it looks absolutely perfect."

"I thought you were going to cook us all dinner before you went." There were times when I could cheerfully thump Simon, this was one such.

"No way, I have to save my energy for Des." I smirked back at him, the look on his face was probably more satisfying than a slap.

Stella giggled then said, "I hope you have your sexiest lingerie."

Easy As Falling Off A Bike.
by: Angharad.

"No, I'm an ordinary woman who came to womanhood by a more tortuous path than you, but my world is as boring and mundane as yours. I'm not into any secret worlds except that of The Mammal Society and Portsmouth university cycling club." It was a slight fib, but I felt my cowardice wouldn't allow her to tar me with any brush, except that of normality.

I was in the kitchen making some tea, I badly needed a cup of its life giving waters. I took us out a tray of tea. We sat in the lounge, Tom and Stella jabbering away and me trying to calm down after the afternoon's trauma. I closed my eyes and what seemed like minutes later opened them, it was dark

Easy As Falling Off A Bike
by Angharad,
part:190

'N Esmwyth Fel Yn Adfeilio Off Beic.
Gan: Angharad.
Pennod: 189.

Simon had showered and gone before I really came to. I didn't sleep that well and woke worying about Stella, Stevie and my own forthcoming ordeal. I was and wasn't scared of getting the plumbing job done, but I knew it wouldn't be that pleasant and dilation afterwards would literally be a pain.

"My tattoo would give it away," I sighed.

"What tattoo?" gasped Simon.

"What, you have seen me starkers and didn't notice my tattoo?" I said pouting.

"No I haven't. What is it?"

"Who was that?" asked a male voice behind the glass panel.

"A nice lady, I mean a proper Lady, who offered to get me a choccie croissant."

"Slut, I wouldn't touch my foreskin for anyone."

"You idiot, it's forelock, you'd touch your foreskin at any opportunity."

Easy As Falling Over A Bonz.
by Angharad.
part 200-15.

She didn't answer, so I pitched it anyway. "You are an amazing woman who has looked after me like a big sister and Simon, like a second mother. You have a very busy and important job, to which you are dedicated. In doing it you are helping hundreds of people every year. You are one of the kindest people I know. At this moment your world is under threat of change, especially if I marry Simon. There is also all sorts of things going on affecting your father and his commercial empire. You are under a lot of stress and I think you have to accept that things you do might be seen out of perspective. You did what you thought was for the best. I think it would be a good idea to let it rest there until you have had some time to recover and a chance to talk it over with someone better qualified than I am. So stop crying and give me a hug."