She finished wiping down the counter at the TT and untied her apron at the back. She picked up her notepad and blackberry and signed out, finishing her shift. She made her way to back room and pulled out her backpack that she had hidden behind a cushion. Sitting down she pulled out the tips from the apron and the roll of cash that had been secured with a rubber band from inside her backpack. She snapped the band and counted the cash. Her heart stopped. In her hands was enough money to send her back to school. She counted it again. She'd gotten it right. No mistakes. She'd done it. She'd saved up enough to enroll. She quickly grabbed a new rubber band and secured the money, kissing it and stuffing it deep into her bag. She wiped a tear that escaped from her eyes and stood up too quickly for her mind to process and flew out the door and down the hallway. Her legs were aching, her stomach growled and her boobs had been stuffed and pushed up all night in her tiny Playboy Bunny outfit she wore for new years. But she didn't stop. She was running now. She ran outside the club and stopped at the curb, waving her arms frantically for a cab. Her heart was racing. I did it. I really did it. What actually took 2 minutes felt like an hour, but a cab finally pulled up and she jumped inside. "Columtreal" she said, almost bouncing in her seat. She was ecstatic. Glowing almost. The cab drive couldn't have taken longer, but they finally pulled up. She was really doing it. It was really happening. She was going to go back to school. Get the education she needed. And, hopefully, finally be able to pull her life back together.

She stumbled into her new dorm room with her only crate of belongings and shut the door behind her with her heel. She placed the crate on the floor and looked around. It was just a simple dorm room, smelly, shit stained, and in definite need of a new paint job. But it was home now. She shut her eyes and breathed in an easy breath. This was the chance she needed. The chance she'd been dreaming of. She prayed that this would be just the spark she needed to start again. To create a new life for herself. A better one. She opened her eyes and looked around again. It was time to change. Time to turn her life around. And what perfect timing. Happy New Year Lizzy.