Bridget took her phone out of her back pocket and took a quick selfie showing the exhausted look on her face She posted it to SocCircle her favorite social networking site She added a note So tired Up late writing bout R J Anyone else Bridget wished Ms Kaufman her English teacher would accept papers electronically like many of her other teachers But Ms Kaufman was old-fashioned She didn’t even allow e-readers She thought a book needed to be made out of paper to be a real book Bridget showed her post to Eric Yikes he said You’re set on your Halloween costume You look like a zombie Thanks Bridget grumbled So did her stomach You got a granola bar or something I didn’t have time for breakfast Eric swung his backpack to one shoulder and dug in the small front pocket He pulled out a blueberry and granola snack bar and tossed it to Bridget 6
Thanks Bridget said She could always count on Eric to be prepared for the unexpected I’ve just been busy with Palette Bridget explained Palette was Blue Lake Junior High’s art club There’s a lot of work to do for the showcase that’s coming up Tech Club and homework have been really crazy too Sounds like you’re barely keeping up Eric said as they turned the last corner toward school Why are you in two clubs anyway I want to get Blue Lake Honors this year Bridget said My dad says he’ll get me a new Lingo tablet computer this summer if I get the award It comes with a totally cool laser-projected keyboard To get Blue Lake Honors students had to participate in at least two school clubs play at least one sport earn a B average or higher and display leadership and cooperation at school It wasn’t easy But for a laser-projected keyboard it was more than worth it Bridget thought Still Eric said after a moment Seems like a lot of work to me 7
Did you not hear me say laser-projected keyboard Eric It’s so awesome You can project the keyboard onto a table or desk or even your lap Bridget imagined how cool it would be to have such a futuristic gadget Some of her teachers probably had never even heard of it and she’d be the first at school to have a tablet like that Eric laughed I heard But it still seems like a lot of work to me I’m fine I’ve got it all under control Look Bridget pulled up the calendar app on her smartphone She showed Eric how she’d carefully scheduled all her activities and homework assignments Any time for fun in there Eric asked Bridget rolled her eyes Who said I’m not having fun An alert message popped up on Bridget’s phone Bridget’s best friend Emma had posted a comment about Bridget’s selfie on SocCircle 8
Looks like a good pic for our art project Gadget Emma had given Bridget the nickname Bridget Gadget a long time ago Because of Bridget’s love of all things tech it was a fitting name But she usually just called her Gadget for short Emma and Bridget were working on an art piece for Palette’s showcase It was a slideshow of selfies they’d taken They’d used different filters to give each selfie a special effect and added text to them There was a selfie of Bridget hugging her dog Sunny with a caption that read puppy love a selfie of Emma looking bummed after a bad grade on a science test with the word grrrrrr in the space above Emma’s head and even a couple of snaps with Emma and Bridget together 9
