Bridget got up early the next morning so she could get herself made up. In the beginning of the trip Eric had said 'she didn't need to dress up to look pretty for him'. Now, she knew that she would have to if she were to keep him. The thought brought a single tear to her eye.

She quickly put on a dash of blue eyeshadow and just a hint lip gloss the way she had done in high school. Then, she put on a blue shirt that said 'Soccer is my game!' in faded-out red letters. Lastly she put on a pair of khaki capris. She admired herself in the mirror. 'I haven't looked this way in a long time' she thought happily and drearily, as she thought of the reason why she was getting up so early.

"Hey Eric" she said simply then sat next to him at a table with him, Jezabel, Joe, and two other dudes. They all looked at her for a moment, then looked at Jezabel, to make sure no fighting would take place, and when neither Bridget or Jezabel moved they started talking again. Eric hugged Bridget around her waist then started talking.

"So, I hear that there's a new club replacing the old one we went to last time [there was a scene in the 1st book where bridget went to a club to follow eric

"Yeah, I hear its totally hot!"

"Yeah, the music is the bomb! You guys wanna go together?" Jezabel asked.

"Sure! That's a great idea!" Eric said, then warily looked at Bridget. She nodded and smiled.

"Okay, we'll meet up tonight at 8, k?" Joe said, then got up. "Sorry, I have to go. Mickey gets mad if I'm late. See ya!"

Bridget got up too. "I really need to meet Greg. Bye!"

Greg was her own partner, and he was hot, but she never thought about it. He had the same tanned skin as Eric, almost the same nice smile, and he was just a little bit less in shape than Eric. Greg always invited her to run with him after practice but she always said she had something to do. She didn't want to get close to Greg because she already had Eric.

Eric watched her leave then turned back towards Jazzy (she had told him to call her that). "Whats up with her?" Jazzy asked. "She seems so….out of it all of a sudden."

Eric shrugged. "I don't know. I think she's even been gaining weight ever since we got here. Its just not like her." Then he reddened as he realized what he was implying.

Jazzy smiled sympathetically. "It's alright. Sometimes I say stuff too that isn't supposed to be known to the world."

They sat there staring at each other as if having a staring competition and then Eric flinched first. "Aw man! Oh crap, we gotta go! Almost late for the kids!"

"Race ya there!" Jazzy yelled, and was already out of the door before Eric could get up.

"Right behind ya!" Eric yelled.

Jazzy was a very fast runner, almost faster than Bee, but Eric was used to running with fast people. She pointed to the left for a shortcut they had been taking if they were late (that was often) and they detoured together. But then Jazzy slipped on a loose rock and fell, then Eric tripped over her legs. He fell on top of her and they stared at each other for a small moment. Then, Eric leaned down to kiss her and she leaned her head up. They stayed like that for a minute before they had to pull back to catch their breath. "I love you" Jazzy stated, and Eric stared at her. "Come on, we better get going" He got up and then helped her up, and they just walked as if nothing happened.

"Ring, ring!" Bee hurried into the as she heard her cell phone ringing. She was getting ready to go to the club and barely had any time left. "What the hell?" she said when she saw that Tibby was calling.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bee, um, I just wanted to say-"

"No Tibs, I'm sorry, I used your car and misused our friendship. Can you ever forgive me?"

There was a frog in Tibs throat when she answered "Yeah, we can." She cleared her throat. "So, what's going in between you and Eric so far? Carma told me about it."

Bridget filled her about their problems and Tibby sighed. "I think this is serious. That's why I'm coming out to see you with the girls in two weeks."

Bee screamed and then started thanking Tibby over and over. "Oh, Tibby, thank you! I love you guys so much! Oh, this is terrific! I can't wait to see you! Oh-"

"So I see you guys have made up." Eric said as he stood in the doorway to her cabin. She turned around faking as if she were scared, and then ran to Eric. "Oh, Eric, Tibby and the girls are coming out here in two weeks to see us! Isn't that great?!" Eric smiled as he returned her hug. "I love you" he said, and kissed her lips. She returned it back and said, "You know, we haven't had our own night in a long time. My roommate is gone and…" she wiggled her eyebrows. Eric laughed.

"Well, the club isn't THAT important." That night Bridget and Eric spent the night in each other's arms.

"So, Eric, where were you last night?" Jazzy asked as she and Eric were pulling out the ropes for the kayaking. Eric cleared his throat then answered, "We decided to stay together last night." Jazzy sighed. "Eric, don't two-time me. Either have Bridget or have me. I can't be your rebound girl every time something goes wrong. Which one is it?" She looked straight at him as he lowered his eyes. "I don't know" he whispered. He then got up and walked away to his cabin.

Bridget was there sitting on the bed. "Eric, we need to talk."

"Yes, we do" Eric replied as he made his choice.

"I don't like you hanging around Jezabel. There's something about her I don't like."

Suddenly Eric's face changed. "No! Not you too! So you believed those rumors too? There's more to her than people say. She was married but her husband died in Iraq. He left her with the little boy. She was FORCED into human trafficking when she was only fifteen years old. She-"

"Eric, I'm sorry!"

"Prove it! Jazzy and I go running after dinner every day. How about you join us?"

'Anything to keep you' she thought, then nodded her head. "Alright, I'll give her a chance." 'Yeah right' she thought.

The run started out slow as Eric, Jazzy, and Bridget started their run. They barely made any conversation, one girl on each side of Eric. "So, Jazzy" Bridget said, trying to make it sound like her normal voice, "where do you come from?"

"New Hampshire. Been there since a little girl."

"Really? That's not far from Maryland is it?"

"I believe not."

Silence for a few minutes.

"What's your son's name?"

"Kevin. He's named after his father, who died in combat while in Iraq."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"No big."

Silence for another few minutes.

"What type of work do you do?"

"I work as a baker actually."

"Oh really? I can barely bake, so we always had to have the fire department on hold after the third time I tried."

All three of them laughed, and then continued on in silence. Bee could feel herself slowing down from the extra weight she had put on and thought 'oh no you don't!' and caught up with them. Eric glanced at her worriedly.

"Jezabel-"

"Please, call me Jazzy."

"And me Bee. Everyone does."

"Alright, Bee, I have a question for you. When did you first meet Eric?"

Bridget felt her face whiten. "I met him when I was fifteen. I had come here…my… first…year." She was running out of breath.

"He told me about it. Just like to get a woman's point-of-view on the matter."

"Yeah…" Bridget slowed down, then came to a complete stop. "You guys go on. I might catch up later."

Jazzy nodded, but Eric stayed behind. "Are you sure? You look pale Bee."

"As if you care" and then she turned in the other direction and found new energy she thought she didn't have to run the fastest she could away from him. But what she kept listening for didn't come. She was listening for Eric to call her name. He never did.