Walking through the halls of her high school, Tracy looked around at all the people she saw. She had already been in school for a few weeks, and she was already feeling kind of overwhelmed by her school year. Still, she was determined not to give up – she had to do all her work; and she'd do it well, too, she told herself. Hopefully, this year would be better. No, she told herself; it would be better.

Now that she was a senior, she was almost an adult. Heck, she would be eighteen before she knew it. And the only one who could decide how her life would turn out was herself.

She was looking down at the ground, thinking, when she ran smack into an open locker. Angry and in pain, she went around the locker, rubbing her forehead and ready to yell at whoever had left their locker open (forget all that happy-feely stuff!), when she looked right into the face of Lil' Inez.

"Oh, hey Inez!" she said, her hand dropping from her forehead. Hopefully no one had noticed the run-in.

"Tracy!"

Her friend gave her a hug, and then they stepped back to look each other up and down. Tracy nodded her approval before laughing.

"Man, this is so cool!" Inez said. "Being all at the same school, and everything."

"I've only got one year left," Tracy said. "Wow… I almost sounded… sad to be leaving school!"

Both girls laughed.

"So, Inez, how's your first month of high school been?"

"It's so much fun," Inez gushed. "I've made so many new friends."

"Does that include a certain boy?" Tracy teased. Inez had a new boyfriend – someone her age, to Seaweed's relief – named Oliver. He was a sweet kid.

"All right, all right," Inez said, "so it does. But he's a real nice boy – I think it'll last longer than me 'n' Jamal." She made a face, remembering her foolish and short relationship with her brother's friend. "And anyway, you've got a boyfriend too, you know."

"Yeah, guess so." Tracy smiled.

Just then, the bell rang.

"Well, I'll see you later, girl. I've gotta run!"

Tracy watched Inez literally run down the hall, pushing through the crowds of people in the hallways. She laughed and shook her head. Poor freshman.

As she sat down in class, Tracy turned to Penny. They still had all their classes together, and they still had classes with Link, Seaweed, Amber, and many of the other council kids. Corny had requested that the kids be grouped together, so they could get closer. That still made Tracy laugh. For as long as he had known the kids, he still hoped – foolishly – that Amber and Tracy would like each other. They didn't, but they were civil, at least.

"So, Penny, did you finish your project?"

"No," Penny gasped, looking pale and bloodshot. "I was up all night last night."

"Really?"

Tracy was shocked. Last year, her friend had always done her homework, and had never stayed up late. Things really had changed since Prudy had left. She was still in the asylum, as far as anyone knew – of course, she hadn't been visited in a while.

"It's not what you think," Penny promised, alarmed. "I was at the hospital."

"Oh, God, Pen, what for?" Tracy gasped.

"Don't worry," Penny soothed her, realizing that no matter what she said would freak Tracy out. She giggled a little. "I was with Seaweed, Inez, and Corny. And Maybelle. And Gloria," she smiled.

"Gloria?"

Penny beamed.

"Maybelle and Corny's new daughter!"

"Oh my gosh! Why didn't Inez tell me?!"

"Because I got dibs," Penny said slyly.

"I should have been there," Tracy sighed. "Was it amazing?"

"It was beautiful," Penny told her. "She's the prettiest baby you'll ever see. She has tan skin, and a little tuft of dark brown hair, a cute little button nose just like Maybelle's, and Corny's eyes."

"She sounds pretty."

"Oh, she is! You should come and see her after school today."

"I'm sorry, I can't – I promised Brenda I'd help babysit the twins."

"Yeah? That sounds like fun."

"Yeah. Her mom is taking care of them now, you know – she should be coming back to school when they're weaned. And her mom was finally brave enough to kick her dad out of the house. They're all really happy."

"That's so nice. Did I tell you that Dad finally got over Mother? He finds our new neighbor a person of interest." she grinned. "The divorce is official now that she's been declared insane."

Tracy tried not to cringe. She knew that this was hard for Penny, but it seemed like she was doing well without her mother around. "You're dad's a good dad."

"That reminds me – how's John?"

"He's good too – a great dad."

Penny grinned. "I knew it. He's a cool guy."

"They're going on a date tonight," Tracy said, arching her eyebrows coyly.

"How sweet. Our anniversary is coming up," Penny added, wiggling in her seat excitedly. Saying this, she looked back at Seaweed – who blew her a kiss.

Penny pretended to catch it and put it to her lips.

Tracy giggled.

"He's getting bolder," she noted. "You'd better keep a hold on that boy, now that his mamma's outta commission, discipline-wise, for the time being."

Penny pretended to be serious. "Yes, indeed."

They both laughed.

Amber came into the class then, late – again – toting a new boyfriend on her arm. Penny and Tracy looked at each other, rolling their eyes, before realizing that Amber's new boyfriend was not new at all. It was Jamal!

"Jamal!" Seaweed called, waving. "Hey, brother!"

Jamal waved back, and Amber smiled demurely, resting her head on his shoulder as he kept his arm protectively around her waist.

"Well, she seems happy," Tracy decided.

"And free," Penny added. "I wonder what her mother thinks…"

"If she's still with him, I don't think Amber cares much. Especially not if she's acting like tha—"

Their mouths fell open in awe as the couple started making out in the back of the classroom. They quickly turned around.

"Let's pretend we didn't see that," Penny said.

"I guess he's over Inez!"

The teacher called the class to attention to begin the day's lecture, and Tracy tried her best to pay attention. Surprisingly, she was interested. U.S. History was actually more fun than she'd expected it to be. Last year, she'd hated Social Studies.

When the bell rang, everybody raced out of class. It was lunchtime!

Link swept Tracy up for a kiss, and they went to go sit with the other council kids. Seaweed and Penny followed.

Amber, Shelley, and Tammy sat down next to each other – as always – but this time they were talking to everybody, and each had made a pact never to steal each other's boyfriends again. They actually seemed like real friends.

The Dynamites were in the mix, with their own boyfriends. For one of the first years ever, black and white kids were sitting together, and actually seeming to enjoy it. Once Amber and Jamal had started going, everything had changed. But, then again, was anything the same as it had been last year?

"I actually have a real class this year instead of detention!" Seaweed roared to his buddies. Penny was leaning on him, laughing along.

Tracy glanced around at the kids she was sitting with, thinking of how everything had turned out. At this time last year, she was stressed out thinking about homework, wishing that she had Link, and wanting badly to be on the show. It seemed, at the moment, like all her dreams had come true. She let out a happy sigh and squeezed Link's hand.

Everybody else was also content. Jamal was with Amber (for good this time it looked like), Inez had Oliver, Tammy had Joey, Penny had Seaweed, Maybelle had Corny, her dad had her mom, Michael had his new neighbor lady, and she had Link. And she had her friends, too. What else did she need?

She smiled, thinking of how much her life had changed. She had never felt happier in her life. Even her hair was feeling great – not a strand out of place. Was it possible for everything to be perfect? She hugged Link, and she realized that it definitely could be. He winked at her, making her heart melt. "You look beautiful, darlin'," he grinned, and gave her a kiss. "I love you."

Life was good, and she was happy. All thanks to a little luck, a lot of love, and, of course, HAIRSPRAY.

♥THE END♥