Elizabeth sighed. "This is going to be a looong night," she thought to herself.

She checked the mirror once more. A short strand of golden hair hung loosely in front of her ear. She nervously tucked it behind her ear. Her sorority sisters had convinced her to chop off her hair. It seemed cute at the time, but now she was worried. "Will anyone even recognize me?" she seemed to ask herself. She hadn't grown much since her junior high days. And her outfit. It was far from the loud prints from so long ago. She tried to convince herself that it was sophisticated. What if he showed up? She needed to impress him. If only he knew.

"Who am I kidding?" She wanted to laugh, but she choked on her words. "He would never care about a girl like me," she said to herself. She almost cried. "No. I can't cry. I won't cry. Not tonight. Not ever."

It didn't help that thoughts of her old friends from junior high kept popping back up in her mind. It had been nine years since she last talked to them. The three of them had started high school together. But then, mid-year, she realized what she wanted to do with her life: act. She had always had a passion for performing. And her bit in "Rosen's Deal" didn't hurt, either. What she really treasured was fame. Maybe if she was famous, he would care.

Elizabeth sighed once more. "Him again. Why can't I stop thinking about him?"

After only about a month of searching, she found an agent. Her name was Mrs. Applebee and she looked more like a Kindergarten teacher than an agent. She found some decent jobs, but she never thought that she was quite "right" for those roles. Until one day at the end of January. Mrs. Applebee called the McGuire residence screaming "I'VE GOT THE PERFECT ROLE FOR YOU!" It was a fairly main character named Juliet in a romantic comedy titled "Over The Mountain". The only problem was, she had to move to New York City. She promised her best friends that she would be back in about 8 months, and they couldn't have been happier for her. But after the movie was all done and over with, Mr. and Mrs. McGuire announced the horrible news. "We've decided to stay here in New York, honey." She begged and pleaded for days on end, but they wouldn't budge. She'd have to start a new life in this big city

It hurt her to think about what her friends would say if they knew that she had lied to them. She even convinced herself that she didn't need them anymore. She could start a new life. New friends. New...everything.

"And here I am." She was back in Hillridge. What would she say? What would she do? Would they still hate her?

Elizabeth bit her lower lip, grabbed her purse, and ran out the door.