I stood over Bridget, watching that strange girl fall asleep on my couch. Just like that; from a thousand miles an hour to asleep in a second. I was surprised by the sudden urge to lay down beside her and sleep. Not like what I do with the house wives, not even have sex; just sleep in the most innocent sense of the word. I shook that though out of my head. I didn't even like her! But she looked so much softer when she was asleep.

I let my eyes rest on her face; the defiant set of her jaw went slack and her lips parted slightly , her eyelids jumped with her dream and I was once again struck by a seemingly gravitational pull to curl up next to her.

In the end, though, I turned off the lights and walked alone to my bedroom because she was beautiful and I was deformed, and I was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating. As I crawled into my cold, lonely bed I thought that if people were wind; I was a breeze and Bridget was a hurricane.

/

Bridget was gone when I woke up the next morning. She had folded the blankets I had given her up and stacked them on the edge of the couch. I was simultaneously relieved and disappointed by her absence. There was something different in her last night, like she was too tired from carrying her heavy armor and had let it fall away for a rest. I didn't know what it meant that I was there to see it.

I stretched and made my way to the picnic area for breakfast, hungry and eager to see what Eve had prepared for breakfast. I grew more concerned the closer I got; there was no smell of frying bacon or coffee in the air. My stomach grumbled in protest.

"These damn Matinee's." Eve muttered as she came up beside me, Ma Patit in her arms, "I haven't had time to even think about breakfast." I looked at her, she looked exhausted. I smiled and took Ma Patit from her arms.

"Well, why don't we go out for breakfast?" I asked suddenly, surprising even myself. I was hungry, really hungry and there was no food at camp. The only solution was going to the diner.

Eve and Ma Patit giggled like I had just told a joke, "What?" I asked, my heart slamming against my ribcage, pumping adrenaline into my limbs.

"Jimmy, you're not serious." Eve rolled her eyes and took Ma Patit back into her arms.

"I'm serious as a heart attack," I answered my deformed fingers in the air like a boyscout. Eve's jaw dropped and I continued, "Eve, why not? We are people, we are hungry, and it's breakfast time. People are never going to accept us unless we make them!" I was almost shouting with excitement. It felt good to be doing something.

Eve bit her lip as she considered, "Elsa wouldn't like it..." I could hear her resolve dissipating. I almost had her.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her." I shrugged, pressing her.

Eve sighed, "What the hell. Let's see what happens." A small smile played on her lips and Ma Patit clapped.

I grinned, "Let's go invite the others."

/

Nearly everyone had accepted the invitation and were excited to get going. I was nervous but I would feel better knowing I had my family by my side. Bridget was the only one left to ask.

I found her on her usual perch; sitting on the top of the far picnic table with her bare feet on the bench, her sketchbook balancing on her knees and a cigarette in her hand. The slight breeze lifted her hair off of her shoulders. Was it just a trick of the light or did her hair look lighter? Sleeping last night and Sitting her, sketching was the only time I ever saw her sit still.

I tried to make my footsteps loud as I approached Bridget, so as not to startle her, but I'll be damned if that girl didn't jump a foot in the air when I said her name, "Bridget."

A small yelp of surprise escaped her lips as she jumped to her feet. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her standing facing me, her eyes wide and her hand fluttering near her heart. I bent down to scoop up the sketchbook and charcoal pencil that had fallen to the ground.

Bridget glared at me and I tried to stop laughing, turning my attention instead to the leather bound book in my hands, "What exactly are you always scribbling in here?" I asked, opening the cover. I was distracted by a sharp pain in my foot.

"Ouch!" She stomped my foot! I was surprised by how little my cheep boots did to protect my toes from her bare heel. I dropped the book and her hands shot out, quickly catching it before it hit the ground. I would have been impressed by her quick reflexes if I hadn't been for the pain radiating in my toes.

"It's not done yet." Bridget's face was stoney but her eyes flashed. I jumped on one leg grabbing my throbbing foot. She held the book to her chest and crossed her arms over it as though it were precious metal.

"Ow, Jeeze, I just wanted to invite you to breakfast." I whined. Her eyes widened and she took a step backward. I wanted to swallow my tongue. She thought I was asking her on a date, "No! Not like that a bunch of us are going!" I clarified, trying not to stumble on my words.

"A bunch of us?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah, from the camp."

Bridget cast her eyes downward and frowned, "Oh." She said simply, not meeting my gaze. She looked like she was trying to chose her words carefully, "I don't think that's such a good idea." She looked up at me then and bit her lip. I narrowed my eyes at her. How could I have been so stupid. She would never, could never understand. She may look like one of us but underneath those tattoos she was as normal as ever.

I felt like all the breath had been punched out of my lungs, anger replaced excitement, "What do you mean?" I challenged.

She flinched under the weight of my words. If I hadn't been so angry I would have recognized how hard that must have been for her to say, Bridget wasn't one to flinch. She said nothing.

"You chose this." I accused. She snapped her eyes back to mine. Gone was the uncertain Bridget from moments before, replaced by the tough one, "I didn't, my mom didn't, Paul, Eve, Meep." I took a shaky breath, "None of us chose this. I'm hungry, I want to have breakfast in a diner, in public." She just stared at me, I could see her cheek twitching as she ground her teeth. "You're still beautiful." I spat. It was not a compliment, but an accusation; she knew that.

"Looks don't interest me." She said, her voice was low, full of poison and challenge.

I sighed, all of the fight left me. "That's easy for you to say; you've never been ugly." I couldn't look at her. I hadn't meant to say that out loud. I didn't want to see the look of revulsion on her face or worse, her pity. I turned and walked away. Leaving Bridget the way she seemed to want to stay: alone.

A/N:

Hello! Yes, I am still alive. I'm really sorry guys, but I bought a ton of new books and used the time I would normally have been writing, reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! And I hope you forgive me for neglecting 'Red Letter Day' for SO LONG.

Thank you guys for your amazing reviews. I love them, they brighten my day! I'll be back soon with Chapter 8!

xoxoxoxoxox