Sorry it's late. I wasn't on the computer yesterday. Hope I'm forgiven.


Calculus classroom:

It was Wednesday, the Bob-White party over, and Mart had found out that he had passed his calculus test, thanks to April.

Mart and April had met before class.

"Thank you for tutoring me, April. I wouldn't have passed without the benefit and support of you tutelage."

April smiled. "Not a problem, Mart. Next time, though, just ask me for help, okay? Also, tell Diana first."

Mart laughed. "I assure you. Now, is there something I can do to non-monetarily reimburse you, since you have declined financial compensation?"

"I can't think of a thing."

"Why don't you sit with us at luncheon?" Mart invited her.

April nodded. "I've always wondered what your club talked about anyway."


Cafeteria:

Trixie and Honey were already at the table with their lunch when Mart sat down, followed by April. April wouldn't let anyone know, but she was a little nervous sitting with the Bob-Whites when she didn't really know any of them except for Mart.

"Hey, you two. I invited April to sit with us."

"Hi, Mart. Hi, April. You don't need an invite if you want to sit with us," Honey replied.

"Right," said Trixie, with an emphatic nod of her head.

"Where are Diana and Dan?" Mart asked.

"Right behind you," answered Diana.

She sat down beside Mart as Dan sat down beside Trixie. They both said hello to April, then Diana said, "Who's going to the dance on Friday?"

Dan answered first. "Trixie and I will be there."

Honey then said, "Brian and Jim are coming home. Brian and I will be going. By the way, Jim asked if we could think of someone for him to go with so he won't be home alone."

"We're going, too," said Diana, gesturing to herself and Mart. "I think I could think of someone for Jim to take if she wants to and if she doesn't already have a date."

"Who is she?" asked Honey.

"Well," said Diana, drawing out the suspense. "She's sitting at this table."

"April?" Honey asked Diana.

"Huh?" April asked, pretending that she hadn't heard them.

Diana looked at her. "April, do you have a date for the dance?"

April shook her head. "I don't even have a dress."

"Would you like to go with Jim?"

"Jim? Honey's brother Jim?"

Diana nodded.

April stared. "But-but, I don't even have a dress. I can't go with Jim." No one knew it, but April had had a crush on Jim the year before; she had thought he and Trixie were dating. Everyone else she had talked to had also thought the same thing.

Diana smiled. "It's okay; none of us have our dresses yet either. We're going shopping this afternoon. You can come with us."

April blushed. "All right. I'll do that, but only if Honey calls and finds out if Jim actually wants to go with me."

Honey whipped out her cell phone. In seconds, she was talking to Jim. A few minutes later, she put her phone away and reported, "He said yes."

April blushed again. "I guess I'm going shopping then."

Honey and Trixie started talking about how much fun they were going to have while Dan and Mart rolled their eyes. April was barely paying attention to anyone.

Diana was lost in thought. She did say Mart was cute and sweet. I only protected myself by asking if she would go with Jim. If they hit it off, then that will be good for them.


After school in the parking lot:

April met the Bob-Whites at the wagon. "How are we getting to the stores?" she asked.

Diana answered. "Mart is going to drop us girls off at my house, and then Jeeves will take us in the limo."

April nodded and got into the back seat with Honey and Trixie.

About twenty minutes later, Mart stopped the car at the bottom of the Lynch driveway. Honey grabbed April's hand, as she had started to exit the car, and pointed to the front seat.

Diana was glaring at Mart. He pretended to ignore her. "Mart!" Diana exclaimed, frustrated.

Mart finally looked at Diana. "You mean you girls will get all the exercise you need going from store to store, trying things on?"

Diana's eyes darkened. She slapped Mart's arm. "Be very happy I didn't punch you elsewhere!"

"Um, you mean like you did Alexia?" Mart swallowed. He now knew he had gone too far.

Diana eyed him. "Not exactly."

Mart swallowed. "Sorry, Di, I was just teasing."

Diana burst out laughing. "Gotcha!" she yelled.

Mart's face reddened as he drove the girls up to the house. Diana kissed Mart on the cheek, and then the girls got out and went straight over to Jeeves, who had the limo door open.

"Thanks, Jeeves," the girls chorused.

Jeeves smiled at them. "I'm happy to be able to drive you all to the stores. I'm just not happy about having all those packages to carry," he teased.

Everyone laughed, although April's laugh was a bit uncertain.

Jeeves closed the door, got into the driver's seat, and drove to town.

At the first store they shopped at, April found her dress. It was dark green with gold trimming around the bottom hem and neckline. The other girls weren't so lucky.

After April bought her dress, they went to the next store, where only Honey was lucky. Honey had found a light green dress that looked great with her hair and eyes.

Only after the third store did all the girls have dresses. Diana had found a lilac-colored dress she liked, and Trixie had found a dress in black.

Diana remembered that they needed shoes and directed them to the closest shoe store. There, they all found shoes. Then Diana noticed that Jeeves, who had followed them from place to place, was looking tired.

"Jeeves, why don't you put everything in the limo and then meet us at that little café?" Diana asked.

Jeeves nodded gratefully, more than happy to put the packages away for a while. He was so happy about it that he didn't even mind meeting four giggling teenaged girls at the café, where he had heard that one or more of the girls thought the busboy was a hottie. He just wished he knew what a 'hottie' was.

After Jeeves got everything put away, he walked up to the café and stood outside the door, waiting for Diana and her friends. He was surprised when Diana waved her arm, motioning for him to go inside.

Diana had not only noticed Jeeves getting tired, but had also bought him a cold drink. She noticed his surprise when he accepted it from her. "Jeeves, why are you so surprised? You have been a wonderful sport and deserve a drink at the very least."

"Thank you, Miss Diana," Jeeves replied.

She smiled at him. "I should probably ask Daddy to give you a bonus."

"That's quite all right, Miss Diana," answered Jeeves, embarrassed.


Lynch Estate:

Diana did go to talk to her father after dinner.

"Daddy? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Mr. Lynch put down his newspaper. "What is it, Diana?"

"I think Jeeves deserves a bonus for taking four teenaged girls shopping."

Mr. Lynch looked up. "He survived four girls shopping? He will definitely get one this week." Mr. Lynch gave an emphatic nod to back up his statement.

Diana kissed her father on the cheek. "Thanks, Daddy." She left to go to her room.


Cafeteria:

The next day at lunch, April felt comfortable enough with the girls to sit at the B.W.G.'s table. Everyone said hi to her and then Honey spoke.

"April, would you like to come get ready at my house tomorrow night? Lindsay, Regan's girlfriend, offered to help us with our hair."

"Who's Regan?" April asked.

"He's our groom," Honey replied.

April nodded. "I could use some help with these curls."

Trixie shook her own curls. "I know exactly what you mean, April."

Everyone laughed when Trixie's long hair fell into Dan's macaroni and cheese. "Ugh!" Trixie exclaimed. "Now I have to go get it out before my hair falls out from this toxic crap!"

"I'll go with you," April volunteered.

"Thanks, April. I'd appreciate it."

When April and Trixie left, Diana practically jumped at Honey. "Is Jim excited about going to the dance?"

Honey replied. "He remembers April and he thought she was cute then. So, yeah, I guess he's excited."

Diana smiled. "I hope they like each other. April is so sane and Jim needs that now." The four Bob-Whites nodded. At that moment, April and Trixie got back. Unfortunately, the bell chose that time to ring, reminding them that they had classes.

After school, they decided to go for a horseback ride. Dan and Trixie reached the stable first and entered.

"Oh," Trixie exclaimed, stopping so suddenly she caused Dan to bump into her. He put his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. Trixie elbowed him. Dan jumped and looked up. What he saw made him drop his arms from around her waist.

There, standing right in front of Jupiter's stall, were Regan and Lindsay, obviously caught during their supposed-to-be private embrace. The part that surprised Dan was that both Regan and Lindsay were blushing madly. Dan started laughing, joined by Trixie when Jupiter snickered.

Dan tried to stop laughing. He managed to say, "I knew you both loved horses, but I didn't know you loved them enough to give them a show!" before laughing again.

Regan looked at him. "Dan, don't you have somewhere to be? Like at Mr. Maypenny's?"

"Nope!" Dan answered cheerfully. "I'm going to help exercise the horses today. Besides, I'm not the one trying to get it on in a semi-public stable, now am I? I think you and Lindsay have elsewhere to be." Dan jerked his head in the direction of Regan's apartment.

Regan coughed. "Quite right," he said, dragging a blushing, beet-red-and-getting-darker Lindsay with him. "Don't forget to clean the tack," he called over his shoulder.

When the stable door closed, Dan pulled Trixie closer. "We're finally alone," he said, right before kissing her.

"Mmmm," Trixie moaned, melting into the kiss.

At that moment, the stable again flew open. Jupiter snickered a second time as another couple was caught.

Unlike Regan and Lindsay, Dan and Trixie didn't seem to notice the new visitors. Since they were right in front of his stall by then, Jupiter nudged them apart. Dan tripped over Trixie, knocking her down and then falling on top of her.

Honey, Diana, and Mart were laughing so hard they couldn't breathe. Dan glared at Jupiter, who looked smug, as if he was very proud of himself for making everyone laugh.

A few minutes later, the horses were saddled and the teens were riding into the preserve. The boys were forced to listen as the girls yet again talked about the dance. Dan and Mart were going to be tired of that dance before they even got to it.

After they returned to the stable, they cleaned and put away the tack. Then they all left for their respective homes.


Friday after school at Honey's:

The four girls had taken turns getting their showers, washing their hair, and generally primping. They ate dinner in Honey's room while wearing robes so as not to mess up their dresses. Right after dinner, Lindsay knocked on Honey's bedroom door.

Lindsay smiled. "I see you girls are chomping at the bit." They laughed and Lindsay noticed April. "Hi, you must be April. I'm Lindsay. Why don't I do your hair first?"

April nodded. "All right."

Lindsay told April to sit down. "How do you want it to look?" she asked.

After Lindsay had finished each girl's hair and they had gotten dressed, she took pictures. "My best customers," she grinned. She gathered up her things. "I'll check to see if all your dates are here yet."

A few minutes later, she poked her head back in the door. "They're here. Hurry," she whispered.

Not even five minutes later, the girls came downstairs. Honey was glad that Brian and Jim were standing together. It gave her an excuse to walk the full way with April, who seemed to be very nervous. Trixie and Diana also walked straight to their respective dates.

They took two cars to the Sleepyside Junior/Senior High School gym. Dan and Trixie rode with Mart and Diana in Brian's car while April and Jim rode with Brian and Honey in Jim's car.


In Brian's car:

Dan and Trixie were talking softly in the backseat while Mart and Diana held hands in the front seat. Mart glanced back at Dan and Trixie and laughed. He was happy that his best friend and sister had found happiness. He had given up his misgivings about their relationship when he saw how they interacted together. Mart was sure Dan would never try to talk Trixie into doing anything she didn't want to do. Mart looked at Diana. She was gorgeous. He couldn't believe she had chosen him out of every guy in Sleepyside.


In Jim's car:

Brian and Honey were happily holding hands when she realized April had been silent since she had gotten into the car. "April, how is Mart doing in calculus now?"

Brian looked at April sharply. "Mart's having trouble? He never said anything to me about it."

Honey rolled her eyes and pushed Brian back into the seat. "He passed the last test, thanks to April."

"What did April have to do with it?" Jim asked.

Honey nudged April. "I tutored him," April said quickly.


School parking lot:

"Glad to see you can get here even with your eyes on Diana," Brian said to Mart.

Mart shrugged. "No problem. It was easy when I knew I could stare uninterrupted at her once we got here."

Everyone laughed, even April, who had loosened up during the short drive.


In the gym:

The seven Bob-Whites plus April claimed a spot on the bleachers, the whole floor having been claimed for dancing. The girls were talking while they waited for the guys to bring their drinks.

"April, I noticed Jim's arm around your shoulders as we walked inside," Trixie commented, a knowing gleam in her eye.

April nodded happily. "Do you think he likes me? We talked a bit during the ride."

Honey looked at April seriously. "What's not to like? If he doesn't like you, then my brother is a dumb duck." Trixie and Diana nodded, backing up Honey's words.

The guys came back right then with the drinks. The girls thanked their respective dates.

About twenty minutes later, they were all on the dance floor. Dan asked Jim if he could dance with April per Trixie's request.

When Jim was dancing with Trixie, she asked, "Jim, how do you feel about April?"

"I like her. She's really sweet, smart, pretty-"

Trixie laughed. "I get the idea. Just try not to hurt her, okay? If you like her the way she likes you, that's great."

Jim nodded. "You all like her, don't you?" Trixie nodded. "That's good, because I think I really do like her that way," Jim concluded.

A slow song came on just then and Dan came back to reclaim Trixie while Jim asked April to dance again.

The lights suddenly went out. Even the music stopped playing. Suddenly, someone yelled, "Hey, this is great! We can make out on school property and not get caught!"

Someone replied, "Or more, as long as it's over before they get the lights back on."

Trixie recognized the first voice as Mart's, but she didn't know the second voice. Still, she just couldn't resist yelling, "I'm staying away from the Minute Man!"

Dan was laughing so hard his whole body was shaking. He clutched at Trixie to remain standing, but accidentally pulled her down, too. When the lights came back on, Dan and Trixie were sitting in the middle of the dance floor.

Honey walked over and said, "It seems like you two are having trouble staying on your feet lately."

Dan and Trixie both laughed with Honey and Diana, Mart, and April, who had also walked over, joining in. They were all remembering the day before in the stable. Brian and Jim looked confused. "Are you two tripping a lot or something?" Brian asked. Honey tried to explain, but she was laughing too hard at the situation and at the looks on Brian and Jim's faces.

Finally, April caught her breath and turned to Jim and Brian. "You see," she began, "Dan and Trixie were making out in the stable, right in front of Jupe's stall-" April couldn't go on because she started laughing again.

Mart continued. "We came in, then Jupe snickered--sounded like he was laughing--and they didn't notice at all!" He had to stop then, too. Jim and Brian were seriously thinking of having their laughing hyena friends committed.

Diana took over the story. "Jupe head-butted Dan in the back and Dan knocked Trixie down and fell on top of her!" Diana was talking on a laugh.

Honey finished the story. "Then Jupe nodded his head and he looked so smug!"

Brian and Jim laughed in a way that said they clearly didn't get it and were afraid their friends were crazy.

Everyone calmed down as the music came on and groaned when Principal Stratton announced the last dance. The group paired off into their original arriving couples.

After the song was over, they all made plans to meet back at the Manor House, because Miss Trask had offered to have a house party after the dance. They decided to keep the previous passenger arrangements.


Manor House:

The first thing the group did was head into the kitchen to 'raid the icebox' as Jim put it. They discussed the happenings at the dance. They decided that the lights going out had to be a prank. After eating their fill, they went upstairs and separated, the girls to Honey's room and the guys to Jim's room.

The girls took turns sneaking across the hall to listen at Jim's door. Honey went first. She came back quickly. "April!" she yelled in a whisper. "Jim thinks you're really nice and really pretty!"

April blushed with pleasure. "I think he's such a hottie," she said.

April decided to go next. When she came back, she looked slyly at Trixie. "Your brothers are telling Dan that if he ever acts on what the look he had on his face was when you came down the stairs, with or without your permission, they will personally geld him and put him in the barn with Jupiter."

The girls laughed. "I guess it's my turn," Trixie said, getting up from the floor. In minutes, she was back, this time with news for Diana. "Mart is very happy you two are together," Trixie told Diana. "He now thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread."

Diana gracefully stood. "By process of elimination, I think it's my turn to go hear about Honey." Diana was right and she proved it when she got back. "Honey, your brother is currently threatening your boyfriend about liberties not yet taken. Jim is adamant about those liberties, and says they will never be taken."

"Quick!" Trixie yelled. "Break up with Mart! You're starting to sound just like him!"

Diana grinned. "Where do you think I got those words from? Mart was doing a running commentary as if he thought he was a sports announcer or something. Only thing is, he was kind of like those translators on TV. He was saying almost exactly the same thing in a different language."

The girls laughed and talked for another hour before someone knocked on Honey"s door.

"Come in," Honey called.

Jim poked his head inside the door. "We're going to bed. Mart and Dan already went to their room. Don't forget we have to get up early to help Regan with the horses. "Night." He closed the door.

Trixie groaned. "He's right."

Diana got up from Honey's bed. "April and I better get to our room then. You know how much I hate getting up early."

"You don't snore, do you?" April asked, teasing Diana.

Diana snorted. "I surely do not. Do you?" Diana teased back.

"Nope," April declared.

Any further conversation between the two was missed by Trixie and Honey as April closed Honey's door. Honey and Trixie got into bed and fell asleep almost immediately. Trixie's last thought was Who would turn off the power to the gym, even as a prank?


Thanks to the real April and Lindsay for their approval, and to great betas for editing! I can't do it alone! Especially without the characters that are borrowed from Random House. No money is being made off them.