"Tabi? Are we still friends?" Belle asked as the girls looked through dresses.

"Yeah." Tabi assured her. "Really the thing that bugs me the most is that…he kissed me. And he was kinda my first kiss. Not my first kiss but my first real kiss."

"Really?" Belle asked a bit surprised.

"Yeah. First boyfriend actually. Dammit why am I looking for a dress? I don't have a date, I hate dresses and I hate dances!"

"Because you love us?" Chloe joked, coming out of the dressing room. "Well?"

Tabi wrinkled her nose. "I don't like it." She admitted.

"I don't either." Mimi piped up coming out in her own. "What about mine?"

"Oh, that looks so great!" Belle squealed.

"Yes!" Mimi laughed. "I have the ultimate approval so I'm done!" She went back to change out of it.

"I'm not going." Tabi stated as Chloe changed again.

"Yes you are!" Belle said then went to try on her own dress.

"No. I'm not tagging along with all of you." Tabi insisted.

Chloe came out again. "It wouldn't be tagging along. Do you like this one?"

"Yeah."

Mimi finished changing and came out as well. "Me too."

"Hey so do I." Belle added. An idea was forming but she'd keep it to herself for now.

It seemed to Tabi about eighty years later but it was only four hours that they finished. She'd been roped into getting a navy blue dress by the other three, though she still insisted she looked horrible in it. "It'll be fun. I swear." Chloe said as they walked upstairs.

"Right. Fun." Tabi plopped on Chloe's bed as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Chloe? Hey it's Belle. Look, I've got an idea. Remember how I told you Eric was in town?"

"Yeah…"

"Well he's chaperoning the dance, right? And I was thinking, what if he and Tabi went together."

"He's older than Brady."

"So? Besides, it'd just be for fun." Belle said.

"If she wants…"

"Great. Don't tell her. I will tomorrow." Belle said hanging up.

Chloe stared at the phone, slightly confused. "What was that about?" Tabi asked.

"I'm not totally sure. It was Belle being…Belle." Chloe shrugged.

"Right."

"So you know the plan then right?" Belle asked Mimi one more time as she saw Chloe and Tabi walking up. "And you won't tell?"

"I promise. I don't have that big of a mouth!" Mimi said. "Hey Tabi? Are you still helping me today?"

"Yeah. Where do you wanna meet?"

"Well actually. Belle's got a piano…we could go to her house. She said we could."

"Oh…okay cool." Tabi shrugged.

Tabi was happy by the time she got to drama, finding it by far her favorite class. She sat next to James and Sasha once more. "Are you going to the dance?" Sasha gushed.

"Probably not."

"Why not?"

"No date, no desire to go even if I had one."

"Oh. Well I don't have a date either." Sasha frowned. "What about you James?"

"Naw. I was actually going to ask someone today but I changed my mind. Do you maybe wanna go together?" He asked Sasha.

"Sure." Sasha said, a bit confused, as was Tabi. "Who were you going to ask?"

"No one." James said.

Tabi, Mimi, and Belle headed over to Belle's house after school. Tabi had her music books with her and hoped she'd be able to help Mimi find the perfect song. She herself was doing a song called "Stars and the Moon" from the off-Broadway show Songs for the New World. She actually had one in mind for Mimi but first had to gauge her vocal range and ability. The girls gathered around the piano in Belle's living room and Belle quickly ran off in a mysterious manner to a room upstairs, leaving Tabi and Mimi alone. "Okay…well then…I actually have a few songs in here I think you could do well." Tabi said after running Mimi over a few scales. She sat down at the piano and opened the book to "Can You Find It In Your Heart," a song from the show Footloose.

"I'm no good at sight reading. Can you maybe sing it first?" Mimi asked. She could see Belle bringing Eric downstairs.

"Sure not a prob." Tabi played the intro and began to sing. Can you find it in your heart, to forgive her? Can you stop and see there's more of her she's trying to convey, while part of her is trying to run away. Can't you hear what she's trying to say? Tabi sang softly, giving Mimi the melody.

Eric stood watching the young girl at the piano bench. "Who's that?" He asked his sister.

"Tabitha Cole, my friend Chloe's sister. You know, Brady's girlfriend."

"She's pretty."

"I know. So you know that dance you said you'd chaperone? Well she's not going, she has no date because um…Shawn and I got back together…but he'd been dating her…"

"How old is she?"

"17, almost 18 though."

Eric looked at her dubiously. "I'm 22. That's kind of an age difference."

"Well Brady's only a year younger than you and he's dating your sister. Come on Eric! You said yourself she's pretty."

"She is. But Belle, I've had bad relationships and I don't think getting involved with a highschooler is the best thing for me."

"You don't have to get involved!" Belle huffed. "Fine, nevermind. But I bet Brady'd do it if it weren't for Chloe." She knew this would get to Eric who always felt a bit inferior to Brady in the big brother department.

"Fine. But she'll probably think I'm a weirdo."

"I'm sure she won't. She'll be awestruck by how handsome you are."

"Hey Tabi." Belle said as she finished the song. "Come meet my brother Eric."

"Here, look at this and I'll be right back." Tabi said to Mimi, leaving her at the piano and turning to see Belle and a guy even more gorgeous than the others she'd met in Salem. "Hi." She said smiling as she took in his beautiful blue eyes. She decided Chloe'd definitely chosen the wrong brother of Belle's to date.

"Hi." Eric said shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you. Belle's told me a lot about you. You have an amazing voice Tabi."

"Oh…thank you." Tabi smiled shyly. "I'm um…gonna go back to helping Mimi…" She smiled once more at Eric and sat back down at the piano.

Eric looked at Belle. "She's really hot." He commented before going back upstairs.

Belle had to hold back her squeal of delight and occupy herself until Tabi and Mimi were done. Finally Tabi closed the book and handed Mimi a recording of the accompaniment. "Okay so do you think he's cute? Do you like him?" Belle immediately drilled.

"What? Who?" Tabi asked, confused for a second. "Oh, Eric. Yes he's cute but if you're trying to set me up please don't. I know you feel guilty but it's okay. And he's like…old."

"He's only twenty-two. A year older than Brady. And your sister is dating him."

"Do you always set your friends up with your brothers?"

Mimi laughed. "NO! I never got one."

"Look, he's not interested in a highschooler."

"What if he was? Would you go out with him?" Belle asked.

"No. Leave me alone!" Tabi laughed. "I'm not dating anyone right now."

"Would you go to the dance with him?"

"Belle will you stop?" Tabi was amazed at the other girl's insistence. "I don't want to go to the stupid dance. I hate dancing, I hate people, and I'm not letting you talk your brother into a pity date with me because you feel guilty about you and Shawn. Yes I think your brother's just about the hottest guy I've ever seen but I know nothing about him. And come on, he'd never be interested in me." Eric stopped at the top of the stairs and stopped to listen.


"Will you stop with the self-pitying thing? You're pretty, you're nice, and you're down to earth. Guys do find you attractive but are probably intimidated by your personality sometimes. I'm just trying to help."

"I know." Tabi smiled at her. "I just, I'm not used to this dating thing or anything. I'm sorry I went off on you. You're just trying to help."

Eric walked to the bottom of the steps. "It was actually my idea to take you to the dance." He interjected. So it was a little white lie but he did think she was cute and she seemed too stubborn to go for it any other way.

Tabi blushed. "It was? Oh…um…well then…uh…"

"Is that a yes? I can't tell."

"Sure…yeah…" Tabi laughed nervously. "Um…right…I need to go."

Eric laughed. "You can call me here or whatever." He went back upstairs, feeling flattered by her inability to talk.

"Oh my God he's so hot." Tabi whispered. "Belle…I can't believe you're doing this to me! I can't talk to him! He's older, and…well he's hot!"

"Hell, you can have Jason, I'll go with Eric." Mimi laughed.

"You'll have fun. I promise." Belle said. "PLEASE!"

Tabi rolled her eyes. "Fine. But I'm going to talk to Chloe about it first okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow." Tabi said, and with that she left, not wanting to deal with it anymore."