Bridgette had never dreaded school more than that Monday. She didn't want to see Pony. For the first time in her entire life, the idea of seeing him made her want to fake an illness to stay home. She wasn't even mad at him anymore. He was only being realistic and she couldn't fault him for that. Just because she had lost her mind for a moment by getting her hopes up didn't mean she could be mad at Pony for keeping his head.

That was why she arrived in class seconds before the second bell rang and hung around after class to talk to Mr. Schmidt. Pony kept shooting her looks during class but she diligently ignored him. She didn't actually have anything to ask Mr. Schmidt so she improvised and asked if he had any extra credit opportunities.

"Bridgette," he shook his head. "Why in the world would you need extra credit?"

"Just something to keep me busy," she replied honestly.

He watched her closely for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"I don't have anything right now but I'll see what I can do," he offered.

Bridgette thanked him and slowly made her way to the cafeteria. She had no reason to believe Pony would try to catch up with her at lunch but she was still apprehensive. She pulled out her lunch bitterly and took a bite. With Curly and Frankie in the slammer, she was going be eating alone at school for at least a month. Maybe that was a good thing. Maybe things really could go back to normal, back to the way things were before she realized there were other options.

That was probably for the best.

Pony wasn't going to let that happen, though. He waited for her after soccer practice. He had hung around for an extra two hours just to try and catch her on her way home. She was too surprised to think logically.

"Hey," he said cautiously.

"Hello," she replied civilly.

She didn't really know what to do so she started walking home. Pony joined her.

"I heard about Curly," he said. "I'm sorry."

"He'll be out soon," she shrugged half-heartedly.

"Yeah," Pony said awkwardly. They walked a few paces in silence. "Um, I really wanted to apologize for the other day."

"Apologize for what?" Bridgette asked. She was proud of herself when she said it. She sounded like she was actually confused. Like she couldn't recall why he would want to apologize.

"For, you know," he mumbled. "Being kind of a jerk."

"You weren't a jerk," she said.

"I was," he argued. "I'm sorry. I don't really know what got into me."

"You were fine," she insisted. "Nothing to worry about."

Pony looked perturbed. He clearly wanted her to just accept his apology. A few days ago Bridgette would have milked his apology for all it was worth. That was when she was still angry with him. Now she was indifferent. She needed to stop putting him on a pedestal. His opinion shouldn't matter to her and now was a good a time to start as any.

"Are things still going well with Tim?" Pony prodded. Bridgette could see right through him. He was trying to make her feel better. He wanted to show his support, even it was a little too late.

"I haven't really seem him the last couple of days," she shrugged.

"Oh," he frowned. They walked a little bit further in silence. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she allowed.

"Are you okay?"

"I just told you I'm fine. Stop worrying about it."

"Not about that," he said. "I mean in general."

"Yes," she said firmly. "I've been doing a lot of thinking and it's all very easy to see now. I just need to work hard the next year and a half and I can get out of here."

"Wasn't that always the plan?" Pony asked blankly.

"Yes. My resolve wavered for a moment but I'm back on track."

"How did your resolve waver?" he scoffed. "You haven't stopped working hard since, like, ever."

"I thought for a second that things, like, outside of school and soccer were worth a shot," she shrugged. "But now is not the time to lose focus. College applications are due soon."

"What kind of stuff outside of those thing?" he asked curiously. "Nothing too crazy I'm sure. You're not thinking of picking up the bottle now, are you?"

"No," she said, deciding not to acknowledge he was joking. "I mean like friends and hanging out. It's not worth it."

"Not…not worth it?" Pony frowned. "Friends aren't worth it?"

"I've gone sixteen years without them," she smiled warmly to show him she really was okay with the whole thing. "I can survive another year and a half."

"What are you saying exactly?" he asked suspiciously.

"I understand we have a project every month for school and I accept we'll have to work on it together outside of school. But other than that I'm okay with studying in my room alone."

"Are you trying to tell me you don't want to be my friend?" Pony asked slowly.

"Well, it's not like we could hang out outside of school anyway," she said logically. "Tim still rules me with an iron fist, remember?"

Guilt flashed across his face before he settled back on disbelief.

"You can have friends," he argued.

"Pony, you said it yourself," she said impatiently. "Tim keeps me on a tight leash. I was mad about it at first, but it's true. There's no point denying it. And it's not going to change. Why should I delude myself into thinking Tim will let me hang out with people without a chaperone? It's not going to happen so I am going to stop pretending. Besides, it really isn't so bad. Kind of comforting in a familiar way."

"I can't believe what you're saying," Pony shook his head. "I didn't mean what I said. You know Tim better than anyone and if you think things were looking up, then things are looking up. You shouldn't give up now when you've managed to move forward. Come on, Bridgette."

"You're contradicting yourself," she said simply. "Besides, why do you care so much? I'll still be able to talk to you in school, like always. You're leaving soon anyway."

"We're only two months into school," he reminded me. "I still have a ways to go before I'm done." He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his tuff hair. "I just don't want you to give up now. Not when things are looking up for you."

"I'm not giving up," she rolled her eyes. "I'm accepting things for how they are. You should try it. You did it pretty well on Friday."

"I was frustrated," he defended. "I didn't mean half of what I said."

"Well, maybe you didn't, but you were still right."

"Will you stop that?" he groaned. "We're going in circles."

Bridgette opened her mouth to respond but decided against it. They really were going in circles and it was getting old.

"Look," Pony said. "I want something better for you. I never really thought about what life was like for you, but now I am starting to understand and I want things to be different."

"They will be," she promised him. "When I go to college."

"I meant sooner than that."

They had reached the block that she lived on and she increased her pace subconsciously.

"You need to stop worrying," she said. "I'm fine. I've been fine. I'm going to continue to be fine. So thank you for your concern and for your apology, but save it for someone that needs it."

They reached her house. She smiled kindly at him and walked into her house without another word.

Bridgette did her homework first, as was her routine. Her parents returned home from wherever they had been that weekend looking tired. Her mom didn't even bother asking to see her homework. She just snapped her fingers until Bridgette brought it to her.

"Did you change partners?" she asked stiffly.

"I did," Bridgette said.

"And?" her mom prodded.

"We aced our first project. Highest grade in the class," Bridgette said. That wasn't even a lie. "But I've already talked to my teacher about extra credit."

Her mom looked at her suspiciously. Bridgette always considered herself compliant but she was never one to go above and beyond without being prompted.

"Good," her mom said slowly.

Her dad had gone straight to his room so he didn't grill her about soccer. Tryouts were on Thursday and Friday. Wednesday was Halloween. Bridgette was surprised by how quickly the year was moving.

Bridgette excused herself and went to her room. She decided if she was going to commit to being a recluse, she should consider all of her options in school. She had already skipped to advanced senior math and was doing well for herself. Maybe she could skip ahead in a few other subjects. Maybe she really could get out of town sooner than expected. It didn't even matter that she would have a tougher workload because there would be nothing to distract her.

She made a mental note to talk about it with James the next day.

"This is a nice surprise," James said when she walked into his office at lunch. Pony tried to talk to her some more but she ducked into James's office before he could say much. She knew what he wanted to say and she didn't feel like hearing it again. She had made up her mind.

"Hi," she smiled. "I had a question, if you don't mind."

"Don't mind at all."

Bridgette took her usual seat and pulled out her lunch.

"Do a lot of other people come in to talk to you?" Bridgette asked.

"Uh," James said slowly, clearly taken aback by the question. "Not really. Only if they have questions about classes or colleges. Why?"

"I don't know," she said, looking down at the wood grains in his desk. "I just don't want to monopolize all of your time."

"You are not monopolizing all of my time," he smirked. "I enjoy our visits."

"Me too," she admitted. She fell into deep thought as she nibbled on her sandwich. She really did enjoy his company. He was nice and thoughtful and he made her feel special. Not many people made her feel that way. Why did Pony have to make their relationship seem tainted?

"Is everything okay?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Yeah," she said casually. She took another bite and smiled. "My brother just went back to jail."

She didn't see the point in hiding it. She was sure someone new like James even heard about Curly's record with the law. It wasn't exactly a secret.

"Sorry to hear that," he said, his brow knit on concern. She waved off his words with a chuckle.

"It's fine," she insisted, wondering how many times she had used that word in the last couple of days. "I just don't have any lunch plans for awhile."

"Were you eating with him?"

"Him and his friends," she nodded. "One of his friends is in jail, also. The other one doesn't particularly like me. Though I like to think I've grown on him."

"If you don't mind me asking, what did your brother do?"

"I honestly have no clue. They don't tell me about stuff like that. I'm surprised he invited me to hang out with him at lunch at all. But that's just Curly. Tim—my oldest brother—would never let me hang out with him and his buddies."

"I see," James said slowly. He leaned back in his chair. "Well, you're more than welcome to join me for lunch whenever you want."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "You make good company."

She wanted to make a comment like, "Mind telling the rest of the world that?" but instead settled on, "Thank you."

He nodded and pulled out leftover pasta in a small Tupperware container.

"Was that what you wanted to ask me?" he asked as he pulled off the lid. Bridgette was watching the pasta accusingly as the memory of pasta left on her bed crossed her mind.

"No, actually," she said. "I wanted to ask you about school stuff."

"You came to the right place," he said.

"I'm already ahead in math," she said. "Thanks to you. I'm doing pretty well if I do say so myself."

"I think that's safe to say," he grinned, pulling a plastic fork from his desk drawer.

"I wanted to know if I could skip ahead in any other classes," she winced. He looked up from his food with polite interest on his face. She didn't know if that was a good sign or not. "I don't see the point in denying it: I want to get out of here. I want to be done with all of this sooner rather than later. I want to be in college. I know I'm already ahead for my age but…I don't know. I need to get out of here."

She sat back in her chair in defeat. He studied her closely and she felt like she could take that moment to admire his good looks. He looked too young to be a counselor. He couldn't be much older than Tim. She wondered what kind of neighborhood he grew up in and if he could even begin to fathom what really happened in that town.

"I understand why you might want to get out of here," he said slowly, as if choosing his words very wisely. "I know you're smart and capable, but I don't want to overwhelm you."

"I won't be overwhelmed," she assured him.

"You sound confident."

"I am confident," she said. "If I'm confident in anything, it's my abilities in school. I can do this. Please let me prove it."

"You don't need to prove anything to me," he said. "You just need to prove it to the district."

"How?" she asked eagerly.

"Some subjects require you to take a test before you can progress to the next level. They're placement tests, technically, but they go on your record. If you can pass the junior level chemistry and English class, you can advance to the senior level."

"Really?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yes," he said stiffly, as if he were telling all of this against his better judgment.

"What kind of information is on the test?" she asked.

"All of the reading material required for English," he said. "So you'd have to make sure to read all of those before—"

"I've already read all of those books twice," she said enthusiastically. James looked amused but not altogether surprised. "What about for chemistry?"

"I think the best thing to do for that is to read your text book," he shrugged. Bridgette nodded emphatically. James walked over to a cabinet and pulled out her file. He flipped through it before stopping on a page. He stared at it for a long time and looked extremely focused.

"You need two hundred units to graduate," he recited. "As it stands right now, you have…" Bridgette waited impatiently for him to calculate the number in his head. "You have one hundred and eighty units. If you pass the English and chemistry test, you'll have one hundred and ninety-four units by the end of this year." Bridgette felt her heart sink into her feet. Even if she skipped ahead in a few other subjects, she would still have to stick out an entire year for only six units. "But…if you took summer school you could be done by August."

"You…are…joking…" Bridgette panted, suddenly unable to breathe properly. "I can be done by August? I can…I can be out of here by August?"

"If it all works out," he said sheepishly.

"Tell me now if you believe there is any reason it wouldn't work out," she said. "I don't want to get my hopes up."

"Honestly?" he asked and Bridgette held her breath. "No, there is no reason it shouldn't work out." Bridgette squealed but tried to control herself as James started to talk again. "Bridgette, I know you can do it, but I want you to really think about if this is what you want. Senior year is supposed to be the best time of your life. It's where most people make their fondest memories in high school."

"Trust me," Bridgette said gravely. "I won't be making any fond memories with my brothers watching over me. I can't even work on school projects without a chaperone. Next year won't be any different."

"I wish you would stay another year," he confessed. Bridgette looked at him in surprise. "You have so much potential. You have so much to look forward to, even if you don't believe you do. Besides, the soccer team will fall apart without you."

Bridgette laughed appreciatively.

"True," she joked, though it wasn't really a joke. "But I need to do this. For my own sanity."

"You're positive," he said, more as an observation than a question. She nodded. "Well, who am I to stop you? Let's sign you up for those tests."

Bridgette couldn't take it any more. She leapt from her seat and ran around to his side of the desk. She hugged him tight and this time he returned it.

A million thoughts swam around her head and she headed home that day. She felt truly happy for the first time in a very long time. She was taking control of her own life. She was making decisions—big decisions—that would impact the rest of her life. She loved the power.

She decided not to tell anyone about her plans until she passed the test. There was no point in getting anyone overexcited about something that may not even happen.

But it would happen. Bridgette would make sure it would happen.

She was getting out of there. Things really were changing.

She was scheduled to take the tests that Monday. James tried to convince Bridgette to give herself more time to study but she was ready to get her plan into action.

Bridgette finished her homework and then pulled out the college brochures James had given her. She had always planned on attending the University of Oklahoma. That was where her coach went to school and he said they had a great soccer program. He even convinced some recruiters to come out and take a look at Bridgette, even though she had awhile before she meant to go to college. When they were discussing schools and what they had to offer, James had asked her what career she wanted down the line.

As much as Bridgette loved to read, there weren't currently careers that paid people to read. However, people were paid to be good at math and Bridgette felt math was one of her strongest subjects. So after a lot of digging, Bridgette decided she wanted to be an actuary. James told Bridgette that OU had a strong math program and she was sold.

She decided to write to them to ask for an application. She also decided to request applications from a few other schools just in case. She dug around for some stamps and then put them by the mailbox.

The next couple of days were a whirlwind for Bridgette. The next day was Halloween and just about everyone that wasn't a greaser dressed up for school. Everyone talked about all of the parties going on that weekend and Bridgette eavesdropped on their conversations because she would never be invited. That was how she found out there was going to be a party at the Curtis house. Pony invited her in math class but he did so already knowing her answer.

The next two days were overshadowed by soccer tryouts. Bridgette was still the best person on the field but she was confident there was enough talent on that field to carry on the legacy the next year. The coach posted the team list after tryouts on Friday and Bridgette was flabbergasted when her name was at the top of the list, next to the word Captain.

She was the captain of her soccer team?

Everyone was genuine with their congratulations which was a relief. She couldn't wait for her family to hear about this. Her dad was going to wet himself.

The coach pulled her aside after she saw the list and told her James had informed him of her plans. He also tried to convince her to stay another year but she was adamant about leaving. He nodded as if he had expected this and then told her he would get the recruiters to come back around to take another look at her.

She walked home in a daze but snapped out of it. She had a lot of work to do before she took those tests. It was easy to ignore the sounds of people partying that weekend when she had something worth staying indoors for.

Bridgette took her tests at the time she was meant to be in the corresponding classes. She took her chemistry test first and walked out feeling confident. The member of the school board that had proctored her test wouldn't stop staring at her as she took the test and she wondered if that was part of the test. Maybe he was trying to psyche her out. The English test only took her half of the allotted time.

The tests had to be graded on sight by the two proctors so Bridgette went about the rest of her day anxiously. Pony asked her what was wrong with her but she was too nervous to respond. Instead she listened to him go on and on about the party at his house. Tim was there, apparently, and he was dressed as Elvis. Bridgette had a hard time picturing that but Pony swore by it. He said the party was a lot of fun but he wished she had been there. She appreciated it and smiled.

Bridgette ran to James's office during lunch, leaving Pony confused and offended. It didn't go unnoticed by him that Bridgette was spending a lot of time with James lately.

"So?" Bridgette asked anxiously. She tossed her bag into her chair and paced around the room.

"I have some bad news," he said slowly and she felt her world slowly crumbling around her. "Our soccer team is going to fall apart next year. You passed both tests with flying colors."

"I did?" she squeaked.

"You did," he beamed.

"Oh my god," she whispered, falling on top of her bag. The weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. She was really doing this. She was really getting out of there.

"I've already got you signed up for European history for summer," James said. "After that you're all done."

He tossed a piece of paper into her lap. It was her new schedule. She was now scheduled for senior English and physics at the same time she would have had her other classes.

"Oh my god," she repeated.

"And I do believe some praise is in order, captain."

"Oh," she grinned shyly. "Yeah."

"That's great! Maybe you'll get your own version of a senior year after all," he said. "I'm happy for you."

"I can't believe this," she laughed. She shook her head as she tried to clear it. She was just…so happy. Without thinking she said, "Maybe you can go to college with me. You're a good luck charm, apparently."

He laughed lightly and swiped at the air as if dismissing her compliment.

"You did this all yourself," he said.

"Wrong. You played a pretty large role," she said.

"You're right," he said. "I'll take all the credit."

They laughed and fell silent.

"I'm proud of you, Bridgette," James said quietly. "I don't think people tell you that enough."

"Or at all," she said with a good natured eye roll. "I can always do better in my parents eyes. Though, I have to say, they'll have a hard time finding a way I can improve this."

"I mean it," James said, frowning and scrunching up his face in disapproval. "You work so hard and you are so intelligent and I want you to know that people admire it. You have a lot to be proud of."

"Thank you," she blushed crimson, suddenly focused on her shoes.

"I know you work hard. I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I won't miss you when you're gone, but I know what kind of pressure is put onto you and I am glad you'll get away from that. I am."

Since he was saying really nice things to her, Bridgette didn't feel weird about saying really nice things to him.

"You know, I don't think I could have gotten through this year without you," she said. "You've really turned things around for me."

"You did that for yourself."

"No," she shook her head. "I may have taken the initiative, but you're the influence. This…this might sound stupid, but you're the closest thing I've ever had to a friend." As soon as she said she, she wished she could take it back. He could easily see that her life was a joke without admitting she didn't even have friends. What was she doing?

He didn't reply so she looked up in defeat. She had made it weird. She had ruined the only friendship she really had simply because she couldn't keep her mouth shut. But he didn't look uncomfortable when she met his gaze. He looked sad. Very sad.

"I wish so badly I could have met you sooner," he said. She smiled appreciatively at him. She cleared her throat and quickly excused herself. What she really wanted to do was hug him and thank him but there was a line and she was already dancing too close to it.

Her first day as captain couldn't have gone any smoother. She was riding on a natural high and it made it easy communicating with her teammates. The new girls looked at her in admiration and the girls that had been on the team with her smiled proudly.

Bridgette ran home because she couldn't contain her euphoria. She hummed show tunes as she did her homework. Bridgette waited for her parents in the living room that day and they both looked at her like she was a stray animal in their home, like they didn't mind it but they weren't sure what to make of it.

"I have some big news," Bridgette said. She had already planned out her speech. She decided to start small and build it up. Her parents took a seat and watched her with narrowed eyes. "First, I made captain of the soccer team."

"Captain?" her dad said. "As a junior? That's rare, isn't it? That doesn't happen often?"

"Not often at all," Bridgette smiled. Her dad cracked a smile and Bridgette swelled with pride. "And the coach told me he was bringing recruiters around to more games this year for scholarships."

"They better be from those good schools," her mom barked.

"They will be," Bridgette said. "And…it's a good thing because I might…be going to college sooner than expected."

Everyone stared at her as if waiting for the punch line.

"I talked to my counselor," she explained. "I figured I was ahead in math so why not see if I could get ahead in other subjects." Her mom looked at her as if trying to figure out if it was really her daughter standing before her. "I took tests in English and chemistry and now I'm ahead in both, so I'll be in the senior classes the rest of the year. Mr. Midland told me that if I took European history in summer school, I'd be able to graduate by August."

Once again, they stared at her with varying degrees of confusion.

"Can…can you do that?" her mom asked.

"I can," Bridgette nodded. "And I did. I'm going to college."

Bridgette wasn't expecting anything special. If anything, she was expecting her parents to push even harder with the finish line in sight. What Bridgette was not expecting was for her dad to stand up, walk over to her, and squeeze her shoulder. It was the most physical contact she had had from her parents for as long as she could remember. It wasn't a hug or a cry of praise, but it was better in a way. Affection wasn't easy for her family so this was a huge step.

"You really might save this family," her mom said quietly.

Bridgette didn't know what she meant by that but she didn't care. She had made them proud. She knew she had. And that felt pretty damn good. Her parents left to the back of the house and Bridgette wondered if they were talking about her. She wondered what they were saying.

For the first time in a very long time, she felt like she was doing everything right in the eyes of her family.