She learned an easier way to deal. Instead of getting drunk often, she just stayed drunk. She was only on day three, but it seemed to be working for her.

Piper was so disgusted with her that she couldn't stand to be around her. Plus, her stepsister had her hands full trying to stay ahead of the man hunt pack. Apparently, there were many ho hos in their school.

Laughing at herself, she looked up and caught Mr. Rivera's eyes on her.

Oops. He was starting to look at her entirely too much. She giggled again.

When the bell rang, he asked her to stay.

While he saw everyone out, she smoothed down her hair and applied lipstick. She didn't plan on marking Mr. Rivera off her list, but if he fell into her lap, she wouldn't pass him up either.

When Mrs. Seaford joined them, Quinn chuckled. He was smart. He had to know about the contest, and he was being even more careful than usual. Guess when you looked like him and you were surrounded by sex crave girls, you couldn't be too careful.

"Quinn, I'm sure you know Mrs. Seaford? She helps with the theater club."

"If this isn't important, then I need to_."

"Quinn, this is about the assignment you turned in on Monday."

"Well, I'm doing better than I thought because I was quite sure I didn't do Monday's assignment."

"You didn't. All week you've been less of a participant than normal. You didn't do the assignment, but you turn in something on your flash drive that I found very interesting." He took some papers off his desk. "I took it upon myself to print it out and let Mrs. Seaford have a look at it. Quinn, this story is very good. The way you weaved the history and the characters together. The dialog, the relationships. I couldn't put it down. Your humor was surprising. Even the subjects that were serious and tragic you still found a way to bring laughter to the subject."

Mrs. Seaford smiled. "He's right. I've read through it twice. The fact a Jr in high school wrote it amazes me, and it couldn't come at a better time. My students and I have been searching for this season's screenplay and this is it. We've never had a student be spotlight like this. It could be a tremendous success. You would need to work with some of the other students to come up with songs and music, but I'm sure you'll have no trouble. You're a natural born writer. This has the chance of being our best play ever."

Quinn picked up her new bag and put it over her shoulder. "I will have to pass. No one was ever meant to see that, and Mr. Rivera, you had no right to show it to anyone."

When she stumbled a little getting up, Mrs. Seaford frowned at her, but Quinn just smiled back at her. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have big plans for next hour."

"Quinn, this could be a big opportunity for you. This isn't something you were just doodling and came up with. You can tell how much hard work you put into it. No one can make a character come alive like that unless they actually breathe life into every word."

"You're funny, Mr. Rivera. That's why you're my favorite teacher. You breathe life into everything you teach us, but you're also crazy. The only reason you ended up with that is because I was too drunk to realize I gave you the wrong stick."

"Quinn."

He stopped her at the door. She thought about walking on, but for some ungodly reason, she didn't.

"You're smart and talented, Quinn, and all without trying. Imagine what you could do if you tried."

"I have no reason to try."

His eyes held kindness. "If ever a girl needed something to turn her life around, it's you. This could be that for you."

She couldn't help it. She laughed. "If you decide to offer me some one-on-one time so I can make up some of my work, then you let me know, Mr. Rivera." With a wave and a wink, she walked away.