Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Keepers.

Chapter One

One March afternoon, Dell Philby stood by his locker, smiling contently to himself and reflecting on the excellent day that he'd had. Not only had Philby learned that he'd received an "A+" on a very difficult Biology test, but he'd also been assigned to work with Willa on a presentation for their American History class.

Philby felt a tap on his shoulder and turned, expecting to see Willa. She stopped by often at the end of the school day for a brief chat. It was always the high point of Philby's day. However, Philby soon realized that it was not Willa who'd tapped him, and when he recognized the person who had, all of Philby's happy thoughts faded.

Spencer Randolph was arguably the most popular underclassman at Edgewater High School. He was the star pitcher of the baseball team and the president of the sophomore class. Most of the freshmen and sophomore girls had huge crushes on him, but the only girl that Spencer had eyes for was Willa. It was probably the only thing that Spencer Randolph and Dell Philby had in common.

"Hey, it's Farley, right?" Spencer asked.

"Philby," the younger boy muttered through clenched teeth.

"Whatever. I want to ask you something."

"I don't care how much you pay me; I'm not doing your geometry homework for you. I have enough homework on my own."

"That actually isn't what I wanted to ask. It's…it's about Willa. You're friends with her—aren't you?

"Yes, and I want to be more than friends with her. I also know how to hack into the school's online gradebook so if I were you, I'd keep my bloody distance from Willa!"

Of course, Philby didn't actually say that; he just thought it very fiercely. What he really said was "Yeah, Willa and I are pretty good mates."

"I thought so; I've seen the two of you hanging out before. Well, anyway, I was wondering, do you know if she's planning to go to the Spring Fling?"

Philby felt a sudden surge of contempt for this tall, muscular boy, even though Spencer's only real crimes were being handsome and charming and smitten with Willa.

"I doubt she'd be interested in that sort of thing," Philby lied. In truth, he had no idea how Willa felt on the subject.

It seemed inconceivable that someone as unique as Willa could ever be interested in anything as superficial as a high school dance. She'd probably find it deadly dull after all her adventures with the Kingdom Keepers.

But on the other hand, girls could surprise you every so often. The last time Willa had come over, she'd shocked Philby to the core by beating him six times in a row at Mario Kart Racing. Then, to make matters even stranger, she'd followed this up by suggesting that the two of them make cupcakes, just for the sheer heck of it.

Clearly, Willa was a girl of many diverse interests and talents, and Philby had been foolish to assume that dancing was not among them.

After a brief moment of silence, Spencer spoke again. "Well, if that's the case, I suppose that I could ask her out for dinner and a movie the night of the dance. There's a new Italian place that just opened I've been meaning to try out. I guess I'll just talk to her tomorrow and see whether she'd prefer the dance or the movie. Anyway, it was nice talking to you, Philman."

Philby watched the older boy walk away, the feeling of disgust rising in him once again. It looked like Spencer—revolting perfect Spencer—was going to get what he wanted after all. Philby wasn't sure which of the two images made him the most sick to his stomach: the image of Spencer and Willa sharing a large plate of spaghetti after having spent two hours in a dark theatre or the image of Spencer's brawny arms wrapped around Willa's tiny waist as they slow-danced."

The thought occurred to Philby that he could stop both of these visions from ever taking place; he just had to ask Willa out before Spencer Randolph did.