Handling Things (working title) by CE Dalton

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Chapter 17

Hilda was there to pick up Antonio, smiling when she tapped on Beth's door. "I have a few questions that Antonio was wondering about but wasn't going to ask."

"Sure. I have seats." She pointed at one. "Is he having a problem training? I've been looking up good coaches to get him back into all the dives he might need. One of the college aged ones has a private coach but he'll just give subtle hints, not work with Dala. Said it was a conflict of interest, which we all agreed was a good thing to be worried about."

Hilda smiled. "He could use that. He was thinking about that himself. Did you find one?"

"I was going to give him a list of ones we've worked with in the past." She pulled it up. "I'm still looking over the options of former athletes turned coach."

Hilda looked the list over on the monitor. "I know three of those he loathes. They had fits when he was diving."

"Two of the three have changed a lot. They've quit drinking, they've cleaned themselves up a lot. No more hos in the nightclub to quote one."

Hilda grinned. "He might accept that. When you get it done, forward the list to me as well." Beth nodded she'd do that. "Why don't you file for work credit hours?"

"I tried. They said it wasn't applicable to anything but a PE major. We have to have a sports management degree instead."

"Hmm. Are you paying tuition?"

"I am. I can't get reimbursed for things like books and other needs if I go through the Pell Grant program. Though I do have a scholarship for part of it."

"No loans?"

"No. I don't want them hanging over my head. I checked on the various grants and scholarships I might be eligible for but a lot of it won't get reimbursed if I have to pay the remaining out of my pocket. The center only reimburses for tuition, not books or anything."

"And most scholarships pay tuition," Hilda said. Beth nodded with a grimace. "In some ways that makes sense but in others that's putting a huge weight on you since you have to be taking classes to keep your job."

"A number of us have temporarily quit to do college full time then came back. I thought about that but with the problems I had, I couldn't see me being on campus being safe for me. Plus I really hate the campus there. I'd still have to find a fencing club to work with, and there's not really one around here. I'd have to go to New York City for that. There's only four colleges that they'll accept the programs as good enough; none of them are near any fencing clubs."

"So it was your education or your sport," Hilda said, grimacing.

Beth nodded, smiling some. "I was good enough to go to school on a soccer scholarship but again, safety issues and I wanted to keep fencing. The only good choice I had was continue to work and study at the same time."

"It means you can't become a senior handler for at least five years."

"About ten semesters, not counting extra during the summer. I'll have to take a few extra classes here and there to keep it from becoming twelve semesters. So five years, yeah." She shrugged. "Not a real other choice."

"Can you get another program's degree accepted?"

"A few have tried. They picked apart the athletic department and all the teachers. A few went to other colleges and tried to come in with other degrees, the board made them take some accessory classes on top of their old degree. Gwenny got hired specifically because her minor had been social work, they needed that skill benefit."

"Again, it makes sense to have one here." She considered it. "Are the other three programs any better?"

"One's from a small school near Chicago. One's on the west coast. The other's a small private christian school that would not accept me because they decided me being in sports meant I was a lesbian and let me know that at the end of the interview. They didn't even bother to send a turn down letter."

Hilda grimaced. "That's a very bad standard to set. What if you had been on their team?"

"They wouldn't allow it. A few of the guys went there and Toby graduated from there, but they have a lot of rules that no one wants to follow. Toby nearly got expelled from what he said. Apparently he was holding hands with his fiancé and they had a fit."

"One of those. Okay."

"They apparently had a no dating clause in the student conduct code."

"That seems extreme to me."

"To me too." She grinned. "College would've made it easier to date."

"Much," Hilda agreed, crossing her legs. "I can't believe they're that strict."

"They refused to honor a guy who had done his undergrad there when he got a major scientific award because he came out of the closet after he left."

Hilda grimaced. "Definitely a school I don't want to attend then."

"Me either but some people want that sort of education their financial aid packages paid enough to go there instead." She shrugged. "You do what you gotta do sometimes and hide things from people."

"Too true." She smiled. "Maybe they'll accept a few other programs soon."

"I can only hope that most of my credits would transfer if they do."

"That is a point but they should."

"With the way my year's went....." she said dryly. Hilda smiled at her. "At least they won't want to kidnap me too."

"Probably not. Are you all right about all that?"

"Eehhh. Creeped out and pretty mad. I quit being scared when they took me the first time. I just got really mad at them for giving me such a compliment that I'm that good." She blinked at Hilda then grinned. "It's a great compliment but I'd rather they disappear for good."

"I can see why." She looked behind her. "Hi."

"Solice, this is Hilda, Antonio Dala's former wife."

"Charmed, ma'am." She shook her hand. "Bad news. My mother's demanding I come home for my sister's wedding, even though we don't speak, and it's the day before the ESPY's."

Hilda moaned. "There's no way you can get there."

"We might send her with a guard," Beth said. "Her mother's a bit...of a crank."

"She demanded I come home then went on and on about this young doctor my father knows," Solice said dryly. "At least they haven't planned the wedding but still." She shook her head. "Who was your second choice?"

"I have no idea." Beth leaned back. "I know no one would believe I was more than a hired escort for him."

Hilda stared at her. "You're a beautiful young woman, Beth."

"I'm also nineteen, which is well below his usual range of women, I'm not blonde, perky, or happy. We're supposed to be inconspicuous if we're escorting someone so we don't look like we're obligated or guarding them." She pushed her hair back over her shoulder. "What about Ebony? I doubt he'd mind that she's not blonde."

"She and Dala do not get along. She used to date one of his competitors and hates him," Solice said. "I asked when she hissed at him one day in the hallway. She's still mad that losing to Dala meant her boyfriend went off the deep end of jealousy and started to use drugs for being less good."

"A lot of that is luck," Hilda said.

"We all know that. So does Ebony, but she's not going to give that up. That only leaves one of the younger ones, one of the guys, or Annabeth." Beth shuddered. "Yeah, I doubt she'd do any good there. That's the lady in PR that does all the interview schedules and threatens to fire us if we have breasts. Even if they're not showing."

"She got me one day for showing my throat dip due to a bruise," Beth said. "I had to bring her to the infirmary with me so the doctor could inform her that I was not allowed to wear anything near that bruise until it faded then I went to whine to Bill and he told Annabeth to quit."

"Wow," Hilda said. "That's a bit uptight."

"Yeah," Beth agreed. Solice nodded she agreed. "She got me once for having pants on until I growled and pointed out I actually had to go all around the facility and be able and ready to help my athletes. She quit picking on me when I turned eighteen but I still get the stinky eye for some of my shirts being a bit tight."

"That's way too uptight," Hilda said. "So, Beth...."

She shrugged. "I'm off that week. It's the week between semesters. I have a gown, but it's older. I need to have it cleaned and pressed."

"Beth, your old gown is old," Solice said. "It looks like you borrowed it from your mom."

"It's not that bad. It's tasteful, black, chiffon with some appliques on the lace overlay. Has straps and a sweepy sort of hemline."

Hilda stared at her. "Really?" Beth pulled up a picture of her in it. "That's pretty enough but too old for you."

"It was slightly inexpensive and it fit, it was a last minute buy," Beth said. "I had two weeks to get it done and fitted."

"I've had a few of those but now I keep a spare gown in the closet. I'd let you borrow but you have breasts and I'm a lot more flat."

"And skinnier," Beth said with a smile.

"Bullsnot, you've lost twenty pounds this summer, Beth," Solice said, walking off. "Let me know if you need help shopping since Gwenny's out of town this week."

"She was going to help me look a bit closer to a grown up woman instead of a teenage girl," she called after her.

"You could use it, kiddo."

Beth rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "I could," she agreed. "I look cutesy, not womanly."

Celia walked in, smiling at Hilda. "She dresses like an old maid prude, like Annabeth." She looked at her handler. "Why am I due for an interview next week?"

"Because your coach said so?"

"Oh, well. I thought I had an event." She let Beth pull up her schedule. "I have almost none of that noted."

Beth shot off an email to the coach with that schedule. She got one back a few minutes later, printing it off for Celia. "He had things I don't."

"I have no time for practice with that schedule. Did he remove an event?"

"Yes." Beth looked it over and pointed. "He removed a professional level event."

"No, that's not suitable." She walked off calling him once Beth had printed both schedules off for her, starting off by calling him a nasty name in Russian in greeting.

Beth smiled. "Sometimes Celia is very fiery. It goes with the red hair."

"I've heard that said." She smiled. "There's a few nice places to look online that aren't expensive." She pulled up a website, showing it to her. "You can sort by color."

Beth pulled it up on her computer, letting Hilda help her shop for something. "I like this cream colored one and it does come in black. Short dress, one arm covered. Lace to make it a tasteful level and below the mid-thigh skirt to make it a formal gown instead of a club dress. Bit of a cutout around the bosom."

Hilda smiled. "Click on that red one with the white skirt. I'm pretty sure we can get that made in a better color than white. The lace with appliques is really pretty, it's long sleeves with a tasteful v-neck and normal back so you won't have to worry about a bra showing." Beth considered that, and opened up another tab with another dress. That one was a black one more like the cream, only it had a single shoulder strap instead of a full sleeve.

Hilda nodded at that. Beth pulled up one that had silver satin up top that was interrupted by a black waist cincher at empire bust level and fell to a simple satin black skirt. Strapped but two thicker straps and very tasteful. "That's a bit more demure and older looking," Hilda said. "I like the first three. Here, go to this site." She pulled it up for Beth. "Input a picture." Beth found one of her. "Now, link to those dresses and it'll show them overlaid on your picture." Beth beamed at her, doing that. "Hmm. You look nice in most of them." She looked out there. "Celia, come help her decide."

She came back, looking at the four pictures, blinking a few times. "The silver and black is one that most handlers would say was tasteful but the red one is fantastic looking and so are the other two. How expensive are they?"

"Under two hundred each." She looked up. "It's the ESPY's."

Antonio leaned in. "I talked to Solice."

"We'll be lucky if we don't have to go save her from her mother again," Beth said. She smiled at him. "So it seems you'll be stuck with me that night."

"I'm sure you're a great escort, Beth, and if I get into a snarling match again you can help me shut them down." He came over to look over her shoulder. "I like the cream and the red ones."

"Should be in black. We're supposed to look demure and be just there like a mannequin." She looked up. "The dress code states a dark color. Both of those come in black and the cream one comes in navy. The red I think comes in navy or chocolate as well."

Celia shook her head. "You don't look right in navy." She took the mouse to look at the available colors. Picking one didn't change the picture any. "I like the silver and black, it looks like a handler's dress code dress. For me personally, I'd love to see you in any of the other three. You should get all four."

"My closet isn't that big. Plus expensive."

Antonio looked down at her. "How big is your closet?"

"Enough for my present wardrobe to be smashed in there so I have to steam them."

Antonio shook his head. "Maybe weeding out the older stuff?"

"It's the size of a standing locker," Celia said.

Antonio shuddered. "My shoe rack is bigger than that. Hilda's purse rack is bigger than that."

"Rent is something I can afford."

Bill leaned in. "Solice's talked to you?"

"She has. We're deciding on what I'm getting for the ESPY's." Bill came in to look, grimacing. "We have the one that would be approved." She showed him that one.

"It's dowdy on you," Bill said. "I really like the other three. Can you try them on?"

"No stores," Hilda said. "I really adore the red and the cream one."

"The red isn't too racy. They come in a darker color?" he asked.

"They all come in black," she said. She showed him the options.

"Pick one of the bare leg looking ones." He patted her on the head. "And get a haircut." He left her to decide. He didn't know anything about clothes.

Beth looked then at Antonio. "Which one will match with you?"

"I have a black tux, Beth. It'll go with anything. You could do the red one in that color, or the cream in that color."

"Not in the dress code."

"That's stupid."

"We're there to be no more than an escort. We're supposed to fade into the background so you athletes are focused on." She pulled up that dress code. "Hmm. They changed it. Nothing strapless and no one-shoulder gowns." She called the director. "It looks like I'll have to go with Dala to the ESPY's but the gowns we're looking at are one shouldered, but black." She listened to why that was changed. "I'm not going to fall out of them. They're all tasteful. I can forward you what I'm looking at."

Hilda took the keyboard, logging into a program. "Have him log into this as well," she ordered. Beth read the address of the meeting site. "There we go," she said when the director's face popped into view. Beth hung up the phone and they went over the four choices. The director decided on the red dress in black so she ordered that. "Do you get reimbursed for that since it's work related?" Hilda asked. Beth shook her head. The director hung up. "That's weird." She logged out, letting Beth close out the windows. "That'll help." She smiled. "And later we can work on the other stuff you'll need to deal with." She smiled at her ex-husband. "She's looking up coaches to refine your problems."

"So have I. I saw Jorge was coaching."

"He gave up the hos and the clubbing from what he told a few reporters," Beth quipped.

"He needed to before it killed him," Antonio said dryly. "It's probably made him more grumpy to be around too. He was tolerable while drunk but an ass while sober."

"Should I even mention...." Hilda muttered, looking up. Antonio walked around the desk to hug her around the shoulders. "Thank you."

"You changed me for the better." He looked at Beth. "Travel the day before?" She nodded. "I'll pick you up. I'll be out there until then unfortunately." Hilda smirked. "Thankfully I have my own gym at the house." He strolled off.

Hilda shook her head but smiled. "It'll be fine."

"I've had to go twice before," Beth admitted. "With a teenage athlete." Hilda smiled. "It happens, I know. Okay, so ordered, and then...." A new email popped up. She opened it. "I didn't know we had an internet monitor." She sent back an email about that being work related shopping since she had to go to an awards event. She rolled her eyes and forwarded that email to Bill as well. "Sorry, they complained I was shopping on work time."

"Some people are that uptight," Hilda said. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm good. I actually got some real sleep last night. Which is probably why I look tired." She smiled. "Thank you for worrying. And for the womanly advice."

"Not a problem." She shook her hand and left, going to take Antonio to dinner. They had things to talk about.

Al leaned in a few hours later. "So, a red dress?"

"Against dress code and you know it," she said with a smile. "Black."

"Pity." He winked. "Dinner? Then you sleeping again?"

"I slept last night."

"I can tell, you look exhausted." She smiled, logging off and sending in her time card. They went to the caf to eat dinner then to workout in the gym together. It was good for both of them, even though muscles weren't really required in their fields. It also wore Beth out so she could sleep on top of Al after a quick round of squealing.

***

Beth walked into an office, staring at the older woman there. "You wanted to see me, ma'am? And who are you?"

"You were shopping...."

Beth held up a hand. "I was doing necessary, for work, shopping because I have to escort an athlete to an event. I also conferenced in the director to make sure I was within dress code regulations." The woman scowled. Beth stared back. "Frankly, I was not aware we had an internet monitor in this facility. Considering I spend a quarter of my day looking things up for my athletes, making their travel plans, and doing other miscellaneous paperwork for them I probably would've been aware of you before this. So until the director tells me that you have authority for anything, have a great day and welcome to the Reed Center, ma'am." She walked off.

"You won't last here long, you uppity young slut."

Beth came back to the doorway. "I've been here now for four years, ma'am. I'm also not a slut considering I was a virgin until about a month ago. I don't know where you get your information or who you have me mistaken with, but take it to the director if you have a problem with me or any handler. That is the proper procedure." She walked off. She sent an email up to the director, carbon copying it to Bill. Within minutes she had a 'get up here' from the director. She walked in after a quick knock. "Yes, sir?"

"Did you get into a pissing match with her?"

"No. I corrected her faulty assumption, sir. Including that me shopping for an event I'm going to for the center wasn't personal shopping and that as far as anyone in the staff knows we don't have an internet monitor. Then she called me an uppity slut so I corrected that one as well."

The director looked at her. "Beth is not uppity or a slut. She never has been. She's uptight, but properly so." He looked at Beth. "The board hired her."

"Then the board can set down what appropriate rules are, sir. I'm not dealing with things until they officially come down as a memo or a rule change."

"Good point. They're going to change a few things."

She snorted. "I've seen a few of those wanted changes. I'm sure it'll enhance me not getting anything done for weeks on end. I don't really think I can wear a pencil skirt and button up shirt in the ice rink helping Celia or in the firing range helping Al. Or, God forbid, running drills with my soccer team in heels."

The director blinked then nodded. "That is dumb. Where did you hear that?" She pulled up the email to hand over. He read it then shook his head. "No. Not reasonable. I find you reasonably dressed most of the time, even if you don't look too exciting."

"I tried to shift it up some but I'm not making it right now." She shrugged. "I'm able to do my job well enough in knit pants."

"You are," he agreed, handing the phone back. "She's right, there's been no rule changes. She is allowed to shop for anything that her athletes or she needs for center events or competitions."

"I have ordered my next jacket while at work but I also had no lunch that day," Beth said.

The matron glared at her. "Why would you need a new jacket?"

"My fencing jacket, ma'am. Most of us around here are athletes as well. Some of us still compete." The woman sneered at her. "I'd amend your research about me. I don't care what you think about me or anything I do. You are not my supervisor."

"You slutty young things are bringing down this facility, Amanda!"

Beth burst out laughing. "Oh, you're one of the stupid ones. That figures." The director winced. "Ma'am, I am not Amanda. She is fourteen, and still a virgin as well because she has no time to date between work and her own training schedule, the same as I didn't. She is a trainee I'm working with so she learns how to handle team sports." The woman took a swing at her so Beth slugged her back, knocking her down and out. "Hmm, you obviously went to a prep school. You hit like the society brats I went to high school with." She looked at the director. "Would you like me to warn Amanda? And is her real job what we got from Annabeth before I turned eighteen, sir?"

"Possibly," he admitted. "And please do."

She called her. "Amanda, it's me. Come upstairs please. There's a board poison arrow here that just accused you of being a slut and got us confused. Director's office. Thanks." She hung up and tucked her phone back into her pocket, humming as she sat down. "Hope you don't mind, sir, but new shoes."

"I'd rather you sit. It'll make it harder for you to hit her again." He stared at her. "You're suspended for two days."

"Thank you." She smiled. "I can do some homework."

The director rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Amanda tapped on the door and walked in. "Director, is there a problem?"

"Do you remember me telling you about Annabeth and the teenage handlers?" Beth asked. Amanda grimaced but nodded. "The board hired a second one to look over our internet usage. She called me an uppity slut and thought I was you."

"Screw her," Amanda said. "I don't need this stress. I have a test this week to get into college."

Beth smiled, getting up to hug her. "You will do magnificent on your SATs. I know you will. Bill knows you will. We *all* know you will, Amanda. You have a higher GPA than most of us have ever had." The girl smiled, blushing some. "Take the day before off."

"I tried."

"I'll arrange it," the director promised, pulling up the schedule. "Oh, you have that luncheon."

Beth looked. "With?"

"Hernandez and you're still going to be suspended that day."

"You got suspended?" Amanda demanded. Beth pointed at the groaning lady on the ground. "Did she start it?" Beth and the director nodded. "Then that's self defense and a badge of honor. I won't tell Celia on the way down. She's a bit mean today."

"She has those days. Her coach took her from a pro level event to do an interview instead."

"That's a bad move," Amanda said. "Well, if your people need something while you're off doing homework I'll have them come to me instead. Al's a sweetie and Richard's a neat guy." She looked at the director. "Anything else you need me for, Director? I have to go back to making travel plans for my other two athletes."

"I'll send Sanya with Hernandez." Beth shook her head quickly. "Problems with that?"

"She needs table manners. She also has a bit of social anxiety. Gwenny has been working on her anxiety but I'm not sure how far she's gotten."

"All right, I can ask Gwenny that. Did you want to go?"

"No!"

The director smirked. "You sure?"

"You know I hate attention."

"I do." He smiled at Amanda. "Go back to work. I'll make sure she realizes that you're not ...." He cleared his throat.

"Like the bimbos they had to fire?" Amanda asked with a grin. "Definitely not, my mother would be ashamed, sir. Thank you." She left.

The director looked at Beth. "You know better than to hit," he said, talking down to her.

"She tried to hit me first. I'm not going to take a punch, sir. If she tries again, I'll gladly take a few extra days off to sleep and finish homework."

"Don't get smart, DeSandra."

"Sorry, sir." She looked at the woman on the ground. "As you can tell, I'm not Amanda. Who is a very nice young woman with a great future. She's won a full ride scholarship already based on academic merit. She has a brilliant future doing whatever she wants to be doing." She looked back at the cleared throat. "Annabeth, have you had any problems with Amanda?"

"No. She's a brilliant young woman who I hope finds a career outside this center so she does more than sports. The same as I had hoped for you."

Beth shrugged but smiled. "I like sports. That's why I'm still competing."

"That's reasonable. The dress code changes, sir?"

"I've seen an email. Did they make it official?"

"Yes, and they want the girls to look like slutty secretaries."

"I'm wondering how they expect me to help my soccer team in heels and a pencil skirt," Beth said.

"No, that's not reasonable," Annabeth said. She stared at Beth. "Sophia?"

"Her father decided her being in sports was what made her brother stab her because he wasn't being spoiled for her wins. The same father they had to pull out of here by his hair last year."

"I remember that," she said with a grimace. "Some parents have no skills at it."

"Gwenny had a talk with them," Beth said with a smile. Annabeth shuddered. "Bill's doing wonderfully as her adoptive uncle. I even gave her some of my old posters."

"That's sweet of you, dear. Are you all right?"

"This one who is apparently our internet monitor decided I was an uppity slut and Amanda. I've corrected both. Then she tried to hit me. So I have a few days to do homework."

"They need to take that pressure off you. There's no way you'll stay healthy if you're wearing yourself out this way." She looked at the director, who flapped a hand. "Who should I complain to, Director?"

"Ambersolm it looks like."

"I can definitely do that." She strolled off. "Have a good few days off, Beth."

"Thank you, and let me know if Celia's coach is going to cause her more stress please."

"I've already talked to her and him. She straightened him out." She smirked back at her. "She's very forceful." She got onto the elevator, heading back to her office.

Beth looked at the director, who stared at her. "Her coach took her from an event for an interview."

"Great." He looked at the woman sitting up. "I was wondering if I should call the infirmary for you." He looked at Beth. "Five days, and no working!"

"Yes, sir. May I finish up today?"

"Fine. I'll be checking."

"That's fine. I'll let Amanda finish my travel arrangements for the team for me." She nodded and left. She went to Bill's office, which was up the hall from Amanda. "I have five days of suspension for hitting the woman. He just told me I can't work." Amanda leaned out to look at her. She smiled. "I'll hand you any travel arrangements I don't have made by then."

"Gee, thanks."

"It'll be after your test."

"Thanks."

"Use it to teach the other young ones." Amanda grinned, calling them together to do that. She looked at her adoptive father, who was glaring at her. "She took a swing at me. She hit like a prep school girl." She leaned on the doorframe. "So I'll have time to finish all my homework but the director said he'd be checking me for doing real work."

"Wonderful."

She smiled. "It means I get everything done."

"Uh-huh. Finish up for the day." She strolled off. He sighed, sending out a text message to her athletes. They could help her with all that resting mess.

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