The girls had dinner ready by the time Dan arrived home. Both bent down and hugged him, and Val handed him a beer, while thanking him for the file he made for Jeff. She described his reaction, saying that she had only seen a reaction like his when Bill and Dana were kids on Christmas day.

Dan laughed, then asked Dana about her day. She said that it went well then transitioned to Matt. Dan just looked up at Val and laughed. He should have known better.

Dinner was quite delicious. The girls made meatloaf, and with the gravy and mashed potatoes, it hit the spot. The one advantage to both Val and Dana growing was there were very little leftovers from any meal they had. They never had to worry about food going bad.

After dinner, Dana went to her room to do her homework, while Val and Dan relaxed on the sofa, with him massaging her feet. It was their new routine. It made her feel good, both mentally and physically, and it allowed them both to spend time together. 

Soon, they were both tired enough to sleep. They made their way to the bedroom, and after undressing, both curled up against one another and fell into a deep sleep.

When Val picked up Dana from school, she noticed a certain look in her daughter’s eyes that screamed puppy love in a deafening tone. She knew what had to be done. So she decided to see where Dana was on the emotional scale by asking small talk questions designed to put her at ease. She disliked the idea of having this discussion this soon, but Dana was so wrapped up in Matt, that she felt it had to be done.

When they arrived home, and before her daughter could disappear into her room, she asked Dana to have a seat. The young girl had no idea what her mom was up to, so she happily did as requested.

Valerie looked her daughter in the eyes, and deciding not to beat around the bush, asked Dana if her feelings for Matt were more than a crush friendship, or puppy love. Dana looked at her mom and said she didn't understand the question.

Val asked her how she felt when Matt wasn't at school, and Dana replied honestly. She said she felt lost, and alone, and was feeling a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She asked her mom why the question.

Val tried to be as delicate as she could, telling her daughter that she was only 12, and that she shouldn't have her life revolve around one person. She should enjoy her last few years of being a child without emotional burden. 

Dana suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She was beginning to get very emotional feelings towards Matt, and here her mom was trying to stop it. She forcefully told her mom that ever since he had arrived at school the previous year, they felt like lifelong friends. They could be themselves, and not have a care in the world.

And since she had started growing, Matt has been there for her, every step of the way, because he really wanted to. Her friends stopped hanging out with her, her classmates kind of avoid her, and the only reason she wasn't upset by things was because Matt made sure that he was always there for her.

She had tears running down her face as she spoke those words. Val tried to reassure her daughter that she was only looking out for wellbeing, but Dana wasn't hearing it. She got up and ran to her room just as Dan walked through the door. 

Seeing his daughter running to her room confused him. He asked Val what was going on, and his wife said that she had “the talk” with Dana, and that was why she was upset. But Val started crying as she was explaining everything to Dan, and he gave her a hug, told her that he loved her, and went down the hallway and knocked on his daughter’s bedroom door.

Dana opened the door, and Dan could see little tears still running down her face. He asked if he could come in, and she said yes. Dan leaned against her bed, and looking up at her face, said that he knew she was upset. He told her that nobody liked being told to slow down when things are going well. But her mother was only trying to point out that she was only 12 years old, she was in the middle of puberty, and she was experiencing a growth that no girl her age had ever gone through, or should go through. 

Dana’s voice began to rise, saying that Matt was her one and only true friend, and that he was special to her. Dan said he understood that, but he was only 12 also, and had no understanding as to how the world truly was. Even he, at 40, didn't know everything. 

But Dana’s voice was getting louder as she said that Matt was her only friend. Val heard the door open, and Dan yelling for his daughter to put him down. Then the door slam shut. 

She came to see what was happening, and saw a look of surprise and fear on Dan’s face. She knew what had happened. She banged on the door, demanding that Dana apologize to her father for manhandling him. But Dana just ignored her. 

Val banged harder, but still no response. She finally put her shoulder down and forcibly opened the door. But Dana was no longer there. In fact, her whole bedroom looked like it had never been used.

Val woke up with tears in her eyes. She looked over at the small body of Dan just laying there, a smile on his face. He was having a pleasant dream, something she wished she had. Laying back down, she kissed him, and closed her eyes.

The alarm went off. Dan saw that Val was still sleeping, so he hopped into the shower. He was totally surprised to find Val joining him. He could swear that she was passed out. 

She never put her dream behind her, and when she stood up, noticed a detectable baby bump had formed. She took his hand and guided it over the area. He smiled, but saw that something was bothering her. He asked her what was wrong, but she didn't say a word. She just wanted to stay there, embracing him as he did the same to her. They just looked into each other's eyes.

Breakfast had a weird vibe and an extremely subdued feeling to it. Dan knew Valerie was troubled by something, but she wouldn’t say what.

Dana, meanwhile, took the silence from her parents as her cue to talk about one person, a certain boy named Matt. 

Once breakfast was done, and Dan had cleaned up, Val and Dana finished getting ready for their day. Both girls bent down and hugged him goodbye, and Dan gave his wife a kiss on the cheek, telling her that he loved her. She gave him a half-hearted smile, and went out the door with her daughter. 

Val dropped Dana off at school, then went on to the office. With Bertha, Tiffany and Jeff in a conversation about the next court session, she just went to her desk, sat down, and immediately got to work sorting through files. Once the three finished their discussion, they came over to say high to Val.

But they immediately sensed her mood was not a good one. Bertha cautiously asked her how she was doing, and Val replied with a curt yes. Tiffany and Jeff knew better to try and ask again, so they turned and went to their desks.

Bertha remained. As office manager, it was her responsibility to make sure that there were no issues that could cause a problem for the office. 

She let Val know that if she ever needed to talk, her door was always open, especially for her. 

Val looked at the lady who was not only her boss, but also her friend, and explained the dream she had that really upset her. Bertha offered sympathetically that people cannot control their dreams. And she was confident that it was just stress related, because the way she had described Dana, she seemed like the sweetest girl who ever lived. And she had always been her little girl, except she was now her “big” little girl.

That made Val smile. She told Bertha that Dana was only 12, and she was emotionally head over heels for a boy. The boy was sweet, and always a perfect little gentleman with her, but deep down, she was afraid that something would happen and her daughter would be hurt tremendously. And it worried her more than she cared to admit. 

Bertha reminded her that they were both twelve year olds once, and were discovering boys, and they both ended up doing alright for themselves. Val agreed. By then, Tiffany and Jeff had come back over to her desk, as well as a visitor.

A delivery man arrived, carrying a flower for “The Most Beautiful Goddess in the World “. It was from Dan. He had sent it to brighten her mood, as he wasn’t sure what was wrong.  

Val took the flower, and her three co-workers noticed the baby bump now showing. Tiffany and Bertha made a fuss over it, while Jeff found something to do, as he felt awkward staring at her belly.

But Valerie felt better, thanks to her three friends, and her ‘Knight in Shining Armor’. She would have to explain everything to him later.

Dana arrived just before Matt’s bus. She was at her locker when the familiar voice said hi. She looked down into his eyes and smiled, and said hi in response. 

He followed her into the classroom, watching as she ducked her head down in order to avoid the top of the door frames. He would have to ask her if her parents had talked to her about doing remote learning, since she was quickly outgrowing the school building.

They made their way down to the bathrooms. Dana was finished before Matt, and was waiting by the stairs when he came out.

He wanted to know if he could ask her a question, and she happily said yes. Matt mentioned that the school was quickly becoming too small for her, and he was wondering if her parents were going to have her do remote learning? 

Dana got a funny look on her face. She hadn’t even thought about it, and yet, as the possibility started running through her mind, all she could think about was not being able to see him during the week, unless he came over after school.

Now, her naturally upbeat personality had suddenly become one of insecurity, because she had become so used to him being there with her, that it allowed her to handle the stares of curiosity she had gotten from the other students. But if he wasn’t there with her, she would suddenly be very alone. 

Dana sat down on the stairs. Matt could see she had become upset by his question, and immediately walked closer to her, taking her giant hands in his, and apologizing. She just looked at him, and felt like crying. 

Matt just held her hand and talked about what a wonderful, beautiful girl she was, and was stronger emotionally than she gave herself credit for. But he apologized again for his question. She just looked at him and gave him a little smile, telling him that he didn’t do anything wrong. It was just the question took her by surprise. Matt just held her hands until her mood improved, and escorted her to the classroom.

It was fly out day. The football team, plus the cheerleaders, were to meet at the front of the stadium by 8am. Roll would be taken, and buses would take them to the airport. They had a game on the west coast, so leaving on a Thursday would allow everyone to get adjusted to the time difference.

Bill went to Donna’s room about 7:30. Opening the door in a white dress, she was the definition of pure beauty, and he felt something stirring down below his waist. But they had a deadline, so he settled for giving her a kiss.

Bill found himself standing on the very tops of his toes, and crane his neck up, while Donna bent down slightly so their lips could meet. It was strange for him at first, but he quickly adapted. He found himself totally smitten with her, and her beautiful personality was just the icing on the cake.

Once their kiss was over, they both walked to the stadium, meeting up with their respective squads. Since she started growing, Donna had become the object of many guys' attention, but her only concern was that of Bill. She told them that she was flattered, but she had a boyfriend. And when they would ask in disbelief who her boyfriend was, she would tell them Bill Johnson, and realizing that he was the star quarterback, would apologize to her, and walk away with a tinge of envy.  But that was her new life.