Complex sentence: Though Maddie seems to be a few years older than Laura, she quickly befriends Donna Hayward and James Hurley, Laura's closest friends, and helps them in their investigation into Laura's death.
Split into simpler sentences: Though Maddie seems to be a few years older than Laura, she quickly befriends Donna Hayward and James Hurley, Laura's closest friends. Maddie helps them in their investigation into Laura's death.