Bridget

Character Analysis

Bridget—a.k.a. Bee—is the athlete of the Sisterhood, and she spends the summer at a soccer camp in Baja California, Mexico. While this sounds like a pretty sweet deal, her story is actually pretty tragic. Her mother died when she was younger, and since then her emotions have been a roller coaster of extreme highs and extreme lows. 

Bridget, the Competitor 

Bridget is large and in charge—she is an "amazon" (1.8), with broad shoulders, long legs, and large hands. She is a force to be reckoned with on the soccer field, which is great, since for Bridget, soccer is life. She is "her favorite self with her cleats on" (10.38), and this girl dominates a soccer field like nobody's business. 

Yet her intensity and her "raw, undisciplined talent" (10.38) are hard to control. She is often a ball hog, using her soccer talents to attract Coach Eric. During the teams' first scrimmage, she scores so many goals she gets pulled from the game—it's just a scrimmage for crying out loud. Not for Bridget, though, who sees it as her chance to shine on the field and get Eric to notice her. The next game, Bridget plays defense and still manages to score a goal from midfield. Yup—this girl has a hard time chilling out. 

Part of the reason it's hard for Bridget to control her intensity is that she's such an adrenaline junky. She loves the high that accompanies a good workout (like a six-mile run with Eric), and looks forward to "the exhilaration" that comes "with mounting exhaustion" (6.131). Bridget loves the rush she gets when her body is working at its peak—but unfortunately for her, with extreme highs come extreme lows. 

And when Bridget crashes, her competitive streak is the first thing that suffers. During the championship game, she is "tentative" and "slow" (20.69); she walks off the field. Her heart just isn't in the game (20.69)—or in anything else for that matter. Just like she has a hard time stopping once she starts scoring goals, Bridget has a hard time starting anything once she begins to shut down. 

Bridget, the Sexual Dynamo 

Bridget may look like an athlete, but that doesn't mean she's not feminine. Her "peeled banana" colored hair is an instant head turner and she has a "combination of qualities" (2.34) that make her attractive—and unlike her Sisterhood pals, she is confident and comfortable with her sexuality. Unfortunately for Bridget, though, this winds up biting her in the butt. 

Despite the age difference (and camp rules) Bridget relentlessly peruses Coach Eric. And she is not secretive about her feelings—she writes to Carmen, "He is beyooootiful. I want him" (5.84). And speaking of wanting him, there is no end to what Bridget will do to get Eric to return her feelings. After a six-mile run, she "looked right at him when she pulled off her shorts, revealing her bikini bottoms" (6.46). Yup—that catches his attention. 

And so does her salsa dancing on the Coaches' bar, particularly when Bridget "put her hands at the bottom of his back, matching her hips to his" (9.94). But that's not all—while most campers are nestled in their beds, Bridget wakes up Eric to investigate the "contours of his body" (13.105). This chick doesn't mess around. 

Flirting is one thing, but Bridget doesn't think about what will happen if Eric acts on her advances—and when he does, Bridget feels confused and empty. While flirting has been super fun for her, Bridget isn't aware of what her body really wants, or "how much it was asking for" (16.2). So after she and Eric share an intimate moment, Bridget is left lying on the beach in her sleeping bag, "wobbly, waiting to be taken care of" (17.31). Eric leaves Bridget with regret, and takes her happiness with him. 

Bridget, the Train Wreck 

After the Eric fiasco, Bridget's mood plummets. She loses her competitive edge and zest for soccer, and she drops so much weight that even "her cleats felt too loose" (20.61). Though she reaches out to the Sisterhood, writing to Lena, "I'm very mixed up" (19.13), Bridget generally basks in her feelings of regret and loneliness. 

It's worth noting that Bridget's mother battled depression, and Bridget seems to as well. We're not sure how exactly her mother died, but all that really matters is that Bridget's "mom was gone, and her dad was timid and out of touch" (24.50). In other words, she's a girl pretty much alone with her impulsive emotions, surging like a "reckless fizz in her veins" (9.74)—so it's not too surprising that she ends up making mistakes that make her feel even worse. She's got big feelings, but she's still just a young woman, after all. 

Bridget and the Pants

Bridget's friends might need the Pants for courage, but since courage is pretty much the last thing Bridget needs, she isn't sure what to do with them. In typical Bee fashion, she wants to wear the Pants during her soccer game, but thanks to her teammates, the Pants remain on the sidelines. And from there, they watch Bridget act impulsively and make some stupid mistakes. For the rest of the Sisterhood, the Pants help them find a happy ending, but Bridget's luck takes a different turn—at summer's end, it's Lena, not the Pants, that come to rescue her.