Breaking Free

Chapter 1: Exactly 32.7 miles from you

"Which is why I chose a school that is exactly 32.7 miles from you." -Troy Bolton 

I watch it again, and again, and again. I have been watching it over and over for years. As I watched my high school diploma appear. Followed by my bachelor, masters, and doctorate diplomas, all in a span of six years. School is all I have ever known. Well that and High School Musical. 

It has always been a next step. Graduate from high school? Go to college. Graduate from college? More college. And I have been stuck in this loop for years now. Even Chad knew what he loved. He just wanted to play basketball, and that's a passion he can have his entire life. 

And sure, I can always believe in higher education, but I eventually need to stop educating myself, and isn't it enough to be Jillian Melbrooks, PHD, at only twenty-four? I have been the youngest graduate in both my masters and doctorate degrees the past four years. 

Crazy when you think about it. I got my bachelors at age 19, in only two years. My masters soon followed at 20, in only a year, and my doctorate at 22, in only two years. 

No one really knows why I excel at schooling. I'm practically a twelve year old at heart. 

Well, a twelve year old with a PHD. 

I've been into high school musical since it came out when I was ACTUALLY twelve. 10 years will fly by like you don't even know! Especially when you spend five of it in college and graduate school. 

Well, when you think about it, most people graduate with a PHD in a total of 9+ collegiate years, so five is quite impressive, but it just means that I worked my ass off. Now I am not a genius. I am not Sheldon Cooper who attended college at age 11, and I don't have an IQ over 130. 

I'm not horrifically intelligent. Like just now, I spelled horrifically wrong and had to go back and change it. OH MY GOD. ONLY ONE F, JILLIAN. YOU ARE A DOCTOR.  GET YOUR LIFE TOGETHER. 

The truth is my life up to high school was extremely ordinary. It wasn't until college when I started to shine. Here's a little back story before we get to the juicy bits.