Evermore, Nevermore Forget Me Not

Road to Recovery

*Life is Good: Todd Hunter Band*

Setting: beginning of September; Sheldon and Amy have returned to Pasadena California, and everyone just about goes back to their own lives...

Bailey slowly walks through the halls of the local high school with a walker as teens stare and giggle at the sight of her as she makes her way towards the admonitions office. She ignores the students as they take pictures of her and call out rude remarks to her as she enters into the office...

"Excuse me," she says to the lady at the desk

"How can I help y'all Ma'am?" The lady asks, "are you enrolling a student?"

"No," she tells the woman simply, "I'm 'ere fur the G. E. D. test-Bailey Cooper."

"Cooper," she repeats, "it's been quite a long while since we had a Cooper 'ere."

"All my siblings went 'ere," she tells her, "y'all probably remember them: George, Melissa, and Sheldon Cooper."

"..." the woman stiffens at the mention of Sheldon's name and tension seems to grow

"Did I say somethin wrong?" Bailey asks confused

"No, no; of course not," the woman tells her quickly, then her tone changes to a bitter one, "I remember each of yer siblings perfectly."

"Oh?" Bailey asks awkwardly

"Y'all be taken yer G. E. D. test with Ms. MacElroy," she tells her, "y'all sure ya wouldn't rather take the class?"

"No thank ya," she tells her, "I've been studyin and I'm determined ta pass the test."

"Right," the office woman sighs out, not really caring, "the test will take ya seven and a half hours," she informs her, "it consists of two sections: Reasoning through language art-which should take ya bout two hours and a half hours, after which you'll get a ten minute break and then the second part: Mathematical Reasoning-should take you another hour and fifty five minutes and will be over seen by Ms. Ingram-" she explains as she gets the papers together

"I'm sorry," Bailey starts

"What?" The woman asks her with an annoyed sigh, as if she were back dealing with Sheldon again

"I ain't the best at math," Bailey admits, "but I don't think those number add up the way ya thinkin they do."

"That so?" The woman says as she slams a drawer closed

"Well," Bailey starts, "y'all said that it should take me seven and a half hours," Bailey starts explaining out slowly, "then y'all said that the first part would take me two and a half hours plus a ten minute break makes it two hours and forty minutes," she explains, "and if ya add the hour and fifty five minutes Y'all say it'll take me ta do part two,that's still only four hours and thirty five minutes," she tells her, "and still leaves three hours and five minutes unaccounted fur."

"..." the woman scowls at her as she holds the test papers out to her, "just go."

     Bailey take the papers from the woman and slowly makes her way with her walker from the off to the room number that's written on the sticky note stuck to the papers. She finds Ms. MacElroy to be teaching her class and she take a nervous breath before knocking on the door. All attention is now on her as Ms. MacElroy beckons her into the room and she struggles to do so with the walker in her way, but eventually manages it. Her face burns red with embarrassment as some of the teens snicker at the sight of her. Ms. MacElroy silences the class and has Bailey sit down in an empty spot in the back and she quietly starts the test while the teacher goes on teaching her class.