Author's Note: This story references the stories God Help the Girls, chapters of Don't Think Twice by AndThatWasEnough, and chapters of Green Light by This Is Melodrama.

Happy reading :)

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The idea came to her when she was strolling through the pharmacy. Bridget had never necessarily had much of a sweet tooth – she liked strawberry milkshakes, strawberry shortcake, raspberry fools, chocolate-covered cherries…generally, pink food was a theme for her – but maybe it was just some sort of premenstrual craving that made her notice the display of Starbursts, Rolos, Lemonheads, and other sweets that would probably just go straight to her derriere. She had come to the drugstore with a clear list in her mind: panty liners, a new tube of pale pink lipstick, Bayer aspirin, and the new issue of Seventeen. Besides – once she'd bought the candy, she probably wouldn't want it once she got home.

But she wanted it now. As in, in this moment now. One of those weird wants that made you ache, even though it was for something completely and absolutely stupid like candy.

And that's what gave her the idea.

"What's all the candy for?" Her father asked her when she got home, as she was handing over his aspirin. He always seemed to peek at her purchases. Bridget looked down into her bag casually.

"Oh. That. I was thinking of having a friend over."

Her father raised an eyebrow and asked seriously, "Which friend?"

Dr. Stevens had formed opinions on each of his daughter's friends. He enjoyed Missy and Cherry and Marcia, certainly. All three of them were very polite and accomplished, he'd noticed. Penny, he supposed, was alright, if a bit duller than the rest. Vickie was…a character, for sure, and he wasn't sure if she was exactly a good influence on his daughter as she seemed rather superficial. Then there were the other girls, the ones that he hadn't really seen much of since the fall. Evelyn was one, and while Dr. Stevens would personally never let his daughter be caught dead in the outfits she wore, she had a good sense of humor and on one of the few times they'd spoken, had made him actually laugh. Then there was Catherine, who had a good head on her shoulders for someone her age. And then Ella – poor Ella, who seemed…quiet. Yes – quiet.

"Um," Bridget took a moment to think. "I was thinking maybe Ella would like to come over Saturday night. She's had a lot going on lately, and I thought maybe she'd like a distraction." Quite frankly, Bridget was looking for a distraction herself. Her father didn't know this, but it hadn't been all smooth sailing for her as of late, either. She just didn't know how to tell him. It wasn't always easy talking to her father about things such as periods and clothing and…and boys. And boys were surely the problem. Didn't that make her feel swell. Always the damsel in distress. Never sure and brave, like Evie or Cathy or Cherry, or even Vickie. "And, well, sleepovers need sweets," she said, smiling. "Would that be alright?"

Bridget was relieved when her father nodded. She knew he wouldn't have been able to say no if she'd said Ella. She could tell he pitied her. And Bridget wasn't acting out of pity, or because she wanted an easy good time and Ella was an easy way to get her father to say yes. She really liked Ella, really and truly, and she had a feeling that she would understand what she was going through. Or, at the very least, wouldn't make such a big deal out of it, or try to ruin her life over it, or tell her she was crazy. Well, Ella might tell her she was crazy, but she wouldn't try to ruin her life. That much she knew for certain.

So that's why she bought the candy. And if Ella couldn't make it, then she would just sit in front of her soaps on the weekend and cry over them while she stuffed her face full of Rolos.

xXx

Ella stared at herself in the bathroom mirror and let out a slow breath. She took both hands and, starting from the part in the middle of her hair, pulled the hair just a bit out of her face, trying to remember what Evie had said about how people wouldn't mind seeing her eyes every once in a while. Gosh, she had Evie to thank for all of this – the hair, the makeup, the…everything. Even the little boost of confidence she had when it came to her appearance. She rummaged through her purse and grabbed her new tube of mascara, then touched up her lashes a bit. Who knew beauty was this much work?

"Oh! Hi, Ella!"

Ella startled a bit, but instantly relaxed once she saw who it was. "Hi, Bridget," she said, smiling shyly. "I was just, uh – "

"Your hair looks so pretty," she gushed. Ella thought to herself that the compliment sounded just like something Vickie would say to her in that fake tone of hers, but Bridget was always so genuine about such things. "Did Evie do it?"

Ella nodded. "Yes, and she showed me how so I could do it for myself if I wanted. And, uh" – she held up her mascara wand – "a few tricks with makeup, too."

"I see. That's good, though – I can see your eyes! And that shade of lipstick really looks nice with your skin tone."

Ella almost didn't know what to say. Bridget was her friend, she supposed, but she was so unfamiliar with receiving compliments that she didn't know what to do with them when she got them. "Um, th-thank you. What are you doing in here? Don't you usually sit with your friends during lunch?"

Bridget smiled tightly. "Yes," she said simply. "I just…well, I wanted to do exactly what you're doing – touch up a bit. And it's lucky I found you because I had a question for you."

"Oh?"

"Well, I somehow ended up with all this junk food, ya know?" She started, a bit rushed. "It's really a funny story, but, uh, I was wondering if maybe you would want to help me with it? And shoot, I'm not a half-bad baker, we could just screw around in the kitchen and make even more junk." Bridget allowed herself to look a bit proud. "Actually, I make this killer cherry pie. Or, at least, Dad likes it – "

"Sounds fun," Ella cut in. "But what exactly is your question?"

Bridget looked a bit embarrassed. "Oh! Oh, right! Well, I was wondering if maybe you'd want to come over Saturday night and hang out. You could even stay the night, if you wanted. Unless you have plans," she added quickly. Ella most definitely did not have plans. Ella never had plans.

"I'd love to," Ella shrugged, smiling just a little. "What about the others?"

By the others, she meant Evie and Cathy. And it wasn't as if Bridget was intentionally trying to leave them out – well, actually, she was. But not because of anything nefarious! She just wasn't sure how to say some things to them just yet, especially not this one big thing, and what was wrong with a little one-on-one time anyways? "Oh! Well, I thought maybe it could just be us this time around, keep things simple. Not that they make things complicated!" Bridget quickly amended. "I just…I already told my father it would probably just be you."

Navigating the waters of a complex social life was becoming more and more difficult. And she kept saying oh! Like some sort of dummy.

Bridget would tell Ella the full truth later, if she agreed to come over, but she didn't want to do it right now in the girls' bathroom when anyone could walk in, especially since the four of the seemed to have a pension for running into each other in here, the restroom closest to the cafeteria. Ella pursed her lips and fiddled with her mascara tube, considering. It was a bit odd, and Bridget herself was acting somewhat strangely, but it did sound fun. Ella never got invited to sleepovers. Well, she'd gone to Evie's once, and Cathy and Bridget hadn't been there, so what could be the harm.

"I'd love to," Ella said with a smile. "I have a shift Saturday, but it ends at five, so would you mind picking me up? I don't want to leave my mother without the car."

Bridget looked relieved. "That's no problem," she breathed. "Saturday at five it is."

xXx

The two girls drove from the little grocery store on Sutton to the west side of town, the top down on Bridget's convertible and the evening spring air blowing through their hair. Ella had rarely gotten to ride in convertibles; they really did seem like cars for rich people. So she just sat back and enjoyed the feeling, with the radio on and the cool air hitting her face and the two of them talking to each other over the noise. It felt so girlish. Ella didn't trust it to last. And she was still always a bit surprised when she arrived to the Stevens household, but she supposed she was getting used to it. Ella liked the idea of her having friends on either side of town. Playing the middle had never bothered her much, not in the grand scheme of things.

"My father won't be home until later," Bridget told her as they made their way into the kitchen from the carport. "Here – I'll go put your bag up in my room for later."

Ella handed Bridget her overnight bag. "Does your father still not know about what happened in the fall?"

Bridget halted for a moment, but so briefly that it was almost imperceptible. "No," she admitted. "I just…well, why bother? It would just worry him anyways. And I don't exactly want to tell him that I spent a hundred dollars of his money on beauty products," she said sheepishly. Ella silently agreed that was probably smart; she was no stranger at keeping secrets, herself.

When Bridget got back from putting away Ella's bag, both girls put away all talk of last fall or any drama that had happened since then and focused on the important task of preparing their sustenance for the evening, which included: a batch of chocolate chip cookies that didn't graduate past the cookie dough stage, all the candy that Bridget had picked up, a bag of potato chips, and popcorn. Ella thought she had never seen so much junk food in all her life. But this was just what people did at sleepovers, she supposed, and Ella figured that one night of binging on crappy food wouldn't kill her, even if it did make her feel a bit sick.

"And this is a lean night," Bridget told her. "When I'm with my other friends, you should see the crap we eat. Cherry loves delivery pizza."

Ella felt like she'd just been made privy to a huge secret. Bridget had all these other friends, girls that everyone knew the name of, and yet – Cherry Valance loved pizza. There you go. Ella wanted to ask her more, but she needed to find a delicate way to do so. "Do you have a lot of sleepovers with them?"

Bridget shrugged. "I guess. I mean, not all the time. And mostly we just sit around talking and eating like we're doing."

Oh, how Ella loved the idea of her participating in something socially normal.

"C'mon – let's grab this stuff and head upstairs."

Ella took half while Bridget took the other half, and the two carefully made their way upstairs, careful not to spill anything (Ella almost dropped the cookie dough, which just made Bridget giggle, so Ella did, too), and dumped all the stuff on Bridget's bedroom floor. While Bridget changed, Ella pulled out the pop she bought at the store, her contribution for the evening. Bridget came back in and the two picked out a bunch of records to play and then settled into gorging themselves, which seemed to be the main objective here.

"It's a lot easier with just two people," Bridget said. "There are six people in my friend group, and we all kinda split off when we're together. Ya know?" She shoved a spoonful of cookie dough in her mouth and Ella just frowned as she crinkled up a Lemonhead wrapper.

"Not exactly. I don't really go to sleepovers."

"Oh. Well, that's okay. Did you ever go to summer camp? Dad used to send me to this one up in Maine when I was younger. It was all-girls. There was stuff like canoeing and swimming and singalongs. Horseback riding. Stuff like that." Bridget put on a snobbish air. "Because even refined young women need to get outside." She giggled. "You really never did anything like that?"

Ella shook her head. "No. You can ride horses, though?"

"Not really," Bridget hissed. "Not like Cherry and Marcia can. It was really more for fun. I liked the water activities, and then there was always a big dance with the boys camp near the end of camp. I had my first kiss at one of those."

Ella's eyes widened, wanting to know more. She loved girl talk, mostly because she'd been exposed to so little. "Really? What happened?"

"Well," Bridget drawled, "I was twelve years old, and I remember they had taught us all to waltz. It was really formal, like they'd given the girls dance cards and everything, and the fifth boy on my card was a boy from Brooklyn named Henry. He had these really nice dark brown eyes, like chocolate or something. So he ended up being my waltz partner, and I remember it went really well – for a couple of twelve-year-olds, that is. And I liked him, and I saw him after the dance right before he headed back across the lake to his camp, and we talked a bit – and then he kissed me!"

"That's so sweet," Ella gushed. Bridget held up a hand.

"But it gets worse. See, I had braces at the time."

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes. Long story short, he accidentally cut his lips on them, and then it got so awkward…I felt really bad because they were bleeding and everything! I guess it was his first kiss, too, because he said that sort of ruined it."

Ella wrinkled her nose. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Bridget sighed. "But I didn't kiss a boy again until I met Jerry." She pursed her lips. "Ella, you have kissed a boy, haven't you?"

Ella wasn't sure if she should feel offended by her friend's question. On the one hand, the question came across as a bit of an insult. On the other hand, maybe Bridget was just that worried that Ella hadn't been "socialized." Then again, it seemed Bridget hadn't really been either, until this year. "Of course I have," Ella said. "I kissed Craig. And that was all!"

Bridget made a face. "I'm glad you're not with him anymore. He seemed real sweet around homecoming, but now…" She sighed and shook her head. "Well. I'm just glad, is all."

"So am I," Ella whispered, but she couldn't help but sometimes feel stung by him and they way he used her, even if all she wanted was to move on.

"Got your eye on anyone new?"

This was dangerous territory. Ella's first instinct was to lie to her friend because that would have been so simple. Just tell her that there wasn't anyone else who had caught her eye, or that it was still too soon for her to be shopping around. Which, it was. Also, Ella wasn't exactly confident that even if she did have her eye on somebody and was ready for another relationship that anyone would want her. Craig had used her, and had lied about every nice thing he'd said to her, or nearly so. The horrible truth, however, was that Ella was very slowly coming to terms with the fact that maybe there was someone she had her eye on, and that person being who he was made it quite the shock. She wasn't sure how Bridget would feel about it. Evie had already caught on to her, so what could it hurt?

"I don't know," Ella said timidly. "Maybe."

Bridget perked up. "Really? Who? If I know them, you know I'll put in a good word."

Ella knew Bridget would, and she did know who it was, but Ella knew that once she found out, her eagerness to help out would change. "I don't know if I should tell you."

"Oh, c'mon, Ella. Whoever it is can't be that bad. What happened with Craig wasn't your fault. I'm sure you have good taste in men."

Bridget was being so sincere, and Ella just sort of froze. Oh, goodness. Goodness, goodness. What a mess this was all about to become. "I know," Ella said, even if it felt like her fault, what with everything that happened after. "You have to promise not to tell, Bee."

Her friend blinked. Bridget still didn't know how she felt about people other than Two-Bit calling her that, but this was Ella, so she let it slide. And she had sounded so earnest, too. "Cross my heart."

Ella sighed, gathering her courage. This had been so much easier with Evie. But Evie had figured it out for herself. They did spend more time together, after all, and Evie knew Dallas better. Bridget had her own friends, friends that didn't associate with girls like Evie or Ella, or even Cathy. And they certainly didn't associate themselves with the likes of boys like Steve or Two-Bit or Dallas. Even poor Ponyboy, who had been through so much. Ella swallowed roughly. "Well, it just sort of happened, you know?"

"Okay…"

"But, I think, maybe Dallas…?"

Both girls froze. There was really no need to finish that sentence; the message was clear. Bridget put a hand to her cheek and stared at her friend. She didn't know which was worse; Ella dating Craig, or Ella dating Dallas. In her eyes, both of them were horrible. But they weren't talking about dating yet! Were they? They were just talking about attraction, physical attraction. Bridget didn't think Dallas Winston was the least bit attractive, with his towheaded, wispy hair and leering, sneering expression. His eyes were perhaps his best feature, but that was still a stretch. Bridget didn't even want to get started on his character. He was – no. She didn't even want to get started.

"Ella," she breathed. "Oh, my."

Ella blushed. Maybe this had been a bad idea – but she hadn't wanted to keep any secrets. "I know he's not always the greatest guy, and he hasn't always had nice things to say about you – " Bridget raised an eyebrow. Ella figured that maybe she hadn't known that. "But some things you can't help. I'm not happy about it either," she admitted. Bridget just shook her head.

"I know," she sighed. "But what if…what if he hurts you? Like Craig?"

"We're not talking about dating," Ella grumbled. "I just…I can't help it, Bridget," Ella sighed. Bridget nodded.

"It's…it's alright, Ella." She offered the other girl a small smile and sang, "I figure I owe you a secret, now!"

Ella looked at her with interest. "What's that?"

Bridget suddenly remembered one of the reasons she had Ella over in the first place. It was to talk about this exact sort of thing. Seems they were both up a creek without a paddle in the love department. "Ella, I think I'm in love."

"With Jerry?" Ella asked. She felt happy for her friend. But Bridget shook her head.

"No…no. Someone else. Ella," she started again. It seemed like she was having trouble with getting this out. "Ella, it's Two-Bit," she whispered.

Ella's eyes widened. Bridget went on to tell her how he kissed her on New Year's Eve, how they'd been hanging around the school after hours to meet up in private, how just last weekend or so they had gone and parked at the city overlook. Nothing had happened, but they ended up, in her words, "coming to a real understanding about each other." Ella was floored. She was having trouble explaining her own feelings towards Dallas, but Bridget seemed to have this all figured out. Bridget, prim and proper Bridget. Two-Bit, wild and crazy Two-Bit. It didn't make sense on paper, but neither did Ella and Dallas. There was so much hanging out there between the two of them now. This was all a revelation.

"I thought you hated him," Ella said, confused. "Why do you like him all of a sudden?"

"Why do you suddenly like Dallas Winston?" Bridget shot back. "Like you said – we can't help it. That's just how it is," she said helplessly. "We don't see these things coming, El. They just happen."

"They just happen," Ella repeated.

There was silence for a minute or two where they didn't say anything, just picked at their bounty and let The Byrds fill the air. It was early still, and they'd already hit a lull. What did these revelations mean for the rest of the night? Ella just wanted to take it all back and never tell Bridget about Dallas, not because she thought Bridget thought her a lesser person for it, but because she felt she'd dampened the mood with it, and she'd made Bridget feel forced into telling her a secret of her own, even if it was similar in nature. Ella just felt awful. And she was tired of that feeling, she really was.

"Ella, you can't tell anybody," Bridget whispered. "I mean…yeah. And I trust you, and I trust Evie and Cathy," she said hurriedly, "but…I guess I know now that you understand, ya know?"

"But it's worse for you. Isn't it?" Ella asked. "You have a reputation and everything."

Bridget rolled her eyes. "I know I should say that reputations aren't a big deal, but they are. Sometimes, they're everything. I know how you feel, when you say you don't know how it is to really have friends. That was what it was like for me before we moved."

"So maybe it's not all bad that you came here," Ella tried. "You miss your old home, but now…now you have friends. We're friends. You and me and Cathy and Evie. And you have all your other friends now. Everyone likes you."

"Not everyone," Bridget said with a conspiratorial smile. "I'm not so sure how Vickie Harper feels about me right now."

"You mean…you're not friends anymore?"

"I don't know. Let's just say I know something about her, and she knows something about me, and one of us wants to ruin the other's life." Bridget pursed her lips, tried to hold back, but she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up. "Wanna know something funny?" Ella did. "Vickie and Cherry? They have things for Dallas, too. Must be the whole bad boy image," Bridget said haughtily. Ella allowed herself a small smile.

"Everyone likes a bad boy," she shrugged nonchalantly. "Even you."

Bridget laughed out-right. "Maybe I do," she agreed. "Ella, let's make a promise right here and right now. One – we keep this to ourselves for now."

"Evie already knows about me and Dallas."

Bridget blinked. "Right. So, maybe between the three of us. Maybe Cathy."

"What about you with Two-Bit."

Bridget sighed. "Well. It wouldn't be fair if I made you tell them and I didn't. So here's what we'll do – we'll have another sleepover next weekend where we'll tell them," Bridget said with a decisive nod. "And then we'll be done with it, and have fun, which is what we should be doing right now."

"So what do you wanna do?" Ella asked.

Bridget stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and thought. "You've never had a sleepover before?"

Ella shook her head – but then: "Well. One at Evie's house. She gave me a makeover and we drank fruity wine."

"Well, I don't have any wine – don't drink, sorry. But I think it's time you had the full sleepover experience, Ella," she grinned. "Dress-up, makeovers, more junk food, more music. I've got Mystery Date and Life and a deck of cards, and all the gossip and fashion magazines you'd ever want to read. And we'll stay up late playing truth or dare. Sound okay with you?"

Ella didn't even really have to think about it. "Sounds good to me."

"That brings me to the second promise," Bridget continued solemnly. "This is going to be the last thing either of us says about Dallas Winston or Two-Bit Mathews tonight. Got it?" Ella nodded. Bridget took a deep breath. "Okay. Ella – we can't help who we like. So if we want them, and they want us, we should go out and get them. We deserve to be happy, Ella." Ella wasn't sure if Dallas would ever in a million years want her, but it seemed to her that Bridget and Two-Bit wanted each other, and Bridget sounded so sure, even with the shake in her voice, that Ella had to agree. "Alright, then. Now," she stood up, "let this slumber party officially begin!"

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AN: Thanks for reading!

- Abby, Cat, and Lulu