Legolas's Plan
I glance over at Legolas, leaning over Leanna. She's against the lockers and he's just standing above her, looking at her. He gets closer to her...then their lips meet. I feel a horrible pang of jealousy. Sure, I was mad at Legolas, but I didn't want him to not like me...and worst of all, he was kissing Leanna in front of everyone!

"Legolas!" I yell. I don't know why I did it. It wasn't like I'd caught him cheating on me.

Legolas turns to look at me. "Can't you go away? You said we were through and ya know what, I don't want you anymore."

I bite my lip and try to keep the tears from falling. What had I done? Had I really lost Legolas for good?

He walks away from Leanna and something comes over me. I run to Leanna, clawing her face and screaming at her. "I hate you! I hate you so much!" I scream at her.

Then her eyes flash red like some evil witch and she grabs my neck with overwhelming strength. Then I see Legolas at the corner of my eye. Watching and smiling. I scream out to him, but he just watches. "No, Legolas! Don't abandon me!"

I wake up kicking and screaming in my bed with Cashdogg laying on my neck. He falls off the bed and jumps to his feet, barking like crazy. I hold him and hush him.

"What happened?" Talim says.

"I had a bad dream," I say quietly. Cash starts whining. "Shh," I whisper. "It's okay."



The next day, all during school is kinda weird. Legolas keeps on looking over at me with this strange look on his face. I try to shrug it off, but when someone you don't want to talk to keeps on staring at you...it's annoying.

I glance out the window during my Sindarin class. It's pouring outside. I look over at Arwen in front of me as she turns back to look at me. "We're gonna have so much fun tonight!" she whispers. My brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, are coming and they're sneaking in some beer."

I smile at the thought of her two brothers. I used to go to parties and balls with them when I was thirteen and they were always causing trouble. I'd never met Arwen till this year because she had lived in Lorien.

"And..." Arwen continues.

"Ms. Arwen, would you please do you work so Emma can do hers?" says our teacher. Arwen grumbles and sticks her tongue at the teacher when she isn't looking.



I have a dressed picked out for tonight. It's a plain pink dress that goes to the middle of my thighs and has little spaghetti straps. This is just a little Spring Fling, and nothing to get fancy for. This is a wealthy school, with rich and important families. Most kids at this school have parents that work for kings, so most time we wear very fancy, frilly things and try to keep most things like old times. I'm glad this isn't one of those times!

"Look at Leanna," Aragorn says as we enter the Ball Hall. "It looks like her mom dressed her." I giggle. Leanna is in like a ball gown with her hair in perfect curls. She has jewel high heels and bows everywhere...she just looks so overly dressed. As her and her friends look around at everyone, they notice that they are dressed wrong, so they leave quickly, their cheeks BRIGHT pink.

Aragorn, Arwen, and I start cracking up.

"I wonder where my brothers are already!" Arwen says, looking over the heads as Aragorn and me try to stop laughing.

Aragorn stops laughing finally. "They'll be here, Arwen! The party has only just started so don't worry about it!"

They start playing music and all three of us dance. "We like the cars! The cars that go BOOM!" Arwen sings. She starts dancing all crazy and embarrassing. Aragorn and me laugh at her, but start doing the same thing, copying every move she does.

I swing my arms over my head. "We like the cars! The cars that go BOOM! We're Tigre and Bunny and we like the BOOM!" we say. I think Arwen is the only one that knows this song, but it's easy to pick up. We must look like complete idiots.

As I look at Aragorn, I notice Legolas from the other side of the room. He's staring at me again! Well, it's better than seeing him sucking face with Leanna. I shudder at the thought, while I'm doing this weird thing with my feet.

"Whoa, Emma! That's the craziest dance you've done yet!" Arwen laughs. Aragorn moves his legs around and shudders, trying his best to imitate me. "Share some of your coolness! Let me try!" Arwen says. Then she does it and the three of us start laughing.

"They're always adding speakers when they got the ROOM, cause they know we like guys with cars that go BOOM!" I notice Talim singing and bopping all over the place. Can I join your mini-posse for awhile?" she asks.

"Sure!" I say.



I make it to the punch bowl where Elrohir is giving people drinks. "Elrohir!" I say. "What are you doing serving punch!"

"Emma!" he says, giving me a hug the best he can from the other side of the table. "Oh, I'm not serving just ordinary punch," he whispers. Then I see him poor some vodka into the punch. "I know lots of these kids can tell what my secret ingredient is, so they're chugging the punch. Want some?"

I smile. "Sure, why not have some fun?" I say. I've never gotten drunk before, to tell you the truth, and I don't plan to tonight, but getting a little wound up wont be so bad, will it? I take a glass and chug it. "Ooh," I say.

"I'll meet you out there in a few minutes. Go dance, woman!"

I nod and go out there on the dance floor.



Before I know it, tons of the kids are getting crazy and out of hand. Faramir and Eowyn are in a corner, drinking, laughing, and...

Eowyn: *SNORT*!!!!

...and snorting.

"We go to Steak and Shake sometimes and we hang out every night and do the same old thing! Sometimes we fool around too much cause we are a frisky bunch! We get in trouble every day! HEY! Hey! HEY! I know your there for me, give me a high five!" Arwen sings and continues dancing like crazy. How does she know all of these insane songs?

"Emma! Is that you?" I look up on one of three stages, the small one on the left to be precise. There is Elladan playing DJ. "Hey Elladan!" I yell.

"Friends till the end can't you see..." Arwen sings, but then the song gets cut short. "Hey!" she screams, shaking an empty punch-cup. "Who killed the music, buddy?"

Aragorn looks at me and rolls his eyes.

"Ladies and gentleman," I whirl around on my feet to see... "ROME?!" I scream. Rome takes one hand off his guitar and waves.

"Hi, Emma...okay, kids. We're gonna play some songs live for you tonight. What do you say about that?" Everyone in the room screams.

Rome starts playing the guitar and the other join in. He steps up to the mic and looks at me. Tears well up in my eyes. I'd never heard them play it live before!

"Sitting here and thinking 'bout

A face that I remember well

In class on a school day

She didn't mind my hair was green

Didn't care 'bout anything

She was nice anyway"

They start playing without any words for a moment. Then LEGOLAS jumps up to the mic and Rome and him continue.

"And all the times we talked with you

And all the times you stayed here, true to us

Now we'll sing:"

Elise, Rome, Legolas:

"Emma, we'll love you

Always love you

More than you would know

That we could ever show

And we thank you

We'll always thank you

There's nothing I want to...

Say than these words to you

That you're wonderful forever..."

I look at Legolas, whom is looking at me. I wipe the tears before they fall completely off my face. Then the song is done. "Emma Goldring," Legolas says in the mic. "I want you back. I love you. I've been a jerk and I'm sorry." Then he turns to Rome. "We're cool, right?"

Rome doesn't hesitate to give Legolas a high-five. "We're tight, man, we're right," Rome says.

Legolas look back at me. "I need you, Emma. Say you'll take me back."

We hear lots of people shout him. "TAKE HIM! TAKE HIM! TAKE HIM!"

"Listen to the crowd, Emma," Legolas says with a hopeful smile. I smile back, tears coming down. Talim gives me a sideways hug.

"Yes, Legolas! I need you too!" I yell. Everyone cheers. I smile this really big smile and Legolas smiles at me.

"So THIS was Legolas's big plan!" Aragorn says.



Pandemonium keeps on playing and me and Legolas run off outside. He holds my hand and we walk slowly through the grass. "I missed you, Emma. I was being really stupid."

"Me too," I admit. "I'm just glad we're back together." He wraps his arm around me and we walk, our bodies side by side.



-Lauren