CHAPTER 7

After the Glee Club finished up for the day, Emily attempted to talk to Alexander, but he had already left. Tina had already walked up to her, having anticipated what she was going to do.

"If you want to ask him to the Halloween dance, now is as good a time as any."

"By now, he's left the parking lot."

"He lives in a suburban house behind a local plaza. I can give you a ride."

"No, that's okay. Thanks."

"Come on, the dance is tomorrow. It's now or never. Here's your one chance to try something with him."

Emily knew there was no winning with Tina, but she also knew that Tina was right. Pretty soon, they were on their way to Alexander's home, which was a simple one-story suburban house, complete with a chimney, a beautiful, well-cut and flower-ridden lawn, a brown backyard gate, and a polished exterior. The only tree stood in the backyard, and Alexander's motorcycle was parked along the sidewalk.

"Boy, for billionaires, they sure know how to be fancy", said Tina sarcastically.

"They're probably saving it for the more important stuff", said Emily.

"Look, there he is", said Tina, pointing to Alexander, who was crouched over a flowerbed.

"You know, on the way over here, I've decided that I'm ready to at least try", said Emily.

"That's great, good for you. Go for it, I believe in you."

"What if he says no?"

"Then you can come with me and Sam."

Emily nodded in appreciation and got out of the car, ready to tackle the challenge.

"If you need a ride back, just let me know, okay?" said Tina, and she left. Emily turned to look at Alexander, who was not dressed in his usual business/magician attire, but rather in housework attire. After building her courage, she approached and cleared her throat. Alexander turned to face her, making immediate eye contact.

"Hi, Alexander. How are you?"

"I am well. How are you?"

"Fine. I was just, um, coming over to see if, you know, maybe… you wanted to go the Halloween dance with me?"

Alexander stood up slowly, placed his trowel next to the flowerbed, and approached her, maintaining eye contact with Emily the entire time. Emily couldn't help but feel impressed with what she saw that she hadn't seen before, but nevertheless attempted not to look intimidated.

"It would be a pleasure."

A wave of relief washed over Emily as he said these words, and she exhaled slowly to relax.

"Shall I take you there around seven at night?"

"That's sounds great. I'll see you then."

Alexander smiled briefly and returned to the flowerbed, but then turned back to her.

"Do you need a ride back home?"

"Uh, well, not right now. I was actually going to go look at the plaza… maybe I can help you with the flowers for a while?"

Alexander nodded and allowed her to help him. She picked up the garden hose to help him water the plants, but found that she didn't know how it worked, which Alexander noticed.

"There's a trigger to pull", he said, and as he approached to help, Emily accidentally sprayed him with water, drenching him from head to toe. She immediately gasped at the sight of him, turning bright red with embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

Alexander wiped his eyes and motioned for her to give him the hose, which she did. Then, without warning, Alexander sprayed her back, drenching her as well. She gasped in surprise as the cold water washed over her, and she looked up to see him wearing a rather devilish grin. He then gave the hose back to her and motioned for her to spray him back, which she did, and they took turns playing around until it started to get dark.

"That was fun", said Emily tiredly.

"Here, hang on a second", said Alexander, and he wrapped a blanket around her, which magically dried her in mere seconds, and he did the same to himself.

"Come on, I'll take you home", he said, and they mounted his motorcycle, donned helmets, and took off into the night.

INTERLUDE

Around the same time, Matt had approached Amanda about the Halloween dance.

"So, I understand that you don't have a date to the dance."

"I don't need one. I fly solo."

"Really, because it'll look pretty odd when the head cheerleader shows up at a special event without a date. People might question your popularity."

"It's a stupid occasion marking our so-called respect for this meaningless day. My place in the social status of this school is pretty well-protected."

"If you go, it'll show that you have school spirit. It will tell others that you're not afraid of looking silly over something that comes once a year."

"You're just asking me because you haven't found a date yourself."

"That and I've really come to like you. Plus, I think it'll help you free up a little bit."

"And what makes you think that I need to 'free up'?"

"Because I know how much you like the spotlight. Principal Cooper has asked the New Directions to perform at the dance. I'll make sure that your time won't be wasted."

Amanda sighed loudly and placed her hands on her hips.

"If it will get you off my back about it, I'll go with you. No funny stuff, though, all right?"

"Okay, all right. I'll pick you up whenever you're available to go."

"7:30 at the latest."

"Sounds good. I'll pick you up at that time."

"You know where I live?"

"I live next door to you."

"Oh, isn't that convenient?"

Matt rolled his eyes and left, and all Amanda could do was smirk. She couldn't deny that Matt was cute, nice, and talented, but she was the kind of girl who liked guys to prove their worth. She went home and pulled out her witch costume, figuring that she may as well look appropriate. She then hung the dress on the door and went to finish her homework. In addition to working, Amanda was figuring out a way to ridicule Brittany and destroy her chances of becoming Senior Class President, quickly determining to quickest and hardest-hitting way to do so.