In my Junior year, I still had not become a member of the Corny Collins Show, but every morning I would wake up and sing. I had several favorites, including one that I wrote that I had dubbed "Good Morning Baltimore". I felt that singing alleviated the pain of having to wake up in the morning and attend school.

I had grown to hate school, everything about it. I hated the blond, skinny girls that boys seemed to love. I hated the teachers, who hated the height of my hair. I hated each mock that slightly drilled itself into my skin, where it stayed, burrowing deeper with each moment that I would doubt myself.

There were three things that would make everything okay, though. The first one was Penny. She continued to be my very best friend. She understood me completely and would be willing to do anything for me if I needed her to. Another, was the Corny Collins Show, which I would watch every day with Penny (who did so behind her mother's back). The last one was Link, who continued to be oblivious to me.

That fateful day began like any other. I danced down the street singing, "Good Morning Baltimore". However, I missed the bus and I had to beg a rid from a truck driver. I got to school just in time. Thinking I was doing pretty darn good, I sat down in my first class, science, to immediately be told that my hair was of inappropriate height.

Stupidly, I told my teacher that you can't just let your hair "hang there like a loose thing on your cheeks". Really, it's no wonder that teachers hate me. And God knows how much I hate them.

That afternoon, Penny and I made it to my house in time to even see the opening credits of the Corny Collins Show. We began to dance and like everyday, I felt my troubles from school melting away. I couldn't help but remember the promise that I had made to Penny when we were both so young that one day I would be on the Corny Collins Show.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Penny's mother stepped in. Penny hurriedly tossed herself over the couch and I continued dancing, hoping that my mother wouldn't say something stupid.

"You're letting her listen to that race music again?" asked Mrs. Pingleton, reminding me why I hated her. My mother made some reply that I didn't hear over the music. I didn't want to stop dancing. This was a new dance called the "Stricken Chicken" and I was really enjoying it (or just enjoying whenever the camera passed Link).

However, I knew that I had to do something before Penny got into trouble. I started waving my arms around wildly and shaking my head. Now, any normal parent would have gotten the idea, right? Well, not mine.

My mother made some totally unfunny joke about me dancing the "wavin' raven" when a look passed over her face. That was when I knew that she was about to blow it. I could hear Penny take a deep breath.

"Tracy Turnblad! Are you telling me that Penny's mom doesn't know about her spending every day after school here?" she asked looking horrified at me. I knew that she was afraid that Mrs. Pingleton would take her business somewhere else, but I knew that she wouldn't. My mother's laundry service was the cheapest in the town.

"Penny's here?" she asked as Penny rose from behind the couch. She was led from my house by her mother. She looked back at me and we both knew where we would meet as soon as we possibly could.

My mother lectured me for a little while and then she sent me to my room. Normally, she would have found it weird that I was so easily giving up Corny Collins, but she was so angry with me that she didn't even notice. As soon as I reached my room, I hoped out the window. This was routine for me, having done it many times in the past.

When I got to the front of the television store, Penny was already waiting for me. We danced along with the rest of the Corny Collins show, though she was nervous, because the owner of this particular store had been known to call her mother. However, we decided to stay until the end.

Just as we were about to leave, there was an announcement that there was an open spot on the Corny Collins Show. I immediately knew that this was my opportunity. The audition was tomorrow, during school. Now, I just had to get my parent's permission.

Penny, in her utter devotedness, swore that she was coming with me and we left to sneak back into our windows.

When I got home, I tried in vain to convince my mother that I should be allowed to go audition. She kept saying that I would get hurt. My father, however, encouraged me and I knew that the next day, I would be skipping school. Tomorrow, for better or for worse, I would determine my future.

As I fell asleep, I thought of Link: how Link would look at me as I danced, how he would ask me out, how jealous Amber (his girlfriend) would be. I looked forward to it.