The gym at the high school was too large to decorate. People would break their necks trying to hang streamers. So the tradition was that all the dances were in the large cafeteria. Gathered there after school that day was Twitty, Louis, Tawny, Tom, Ren, Monique, Ruby, Larry, Ivan and Todd. One thing Ren was satisfied with that there was a lot of man power, though she didn't know how much power was behind her brother, his friend and Ivan.

With a clip board in her arm and a check list on it, Ren told everyone to sat down. Everyone sat down except Larry. "This is a team, correct?"

"A team!" Ivan said, standing up quickly and crossing his arms, while behind Larry. Larry looked at him and he quickly sat down.

Ren sneered and ignored him. "Alright. I'm glad all of you came. I'm sure we'll have this place done in no time. If you have any friends you want to bring, thing please feel free." She sighed and looked around, "We also have a lot of work to do."

Louis cleared his throat and raised his hand. Ren rolled her eyes and said, "What?"

"What kind of work are we talking about?"

"Louis, this is punishment. I am going to work you like a drill sergeant. And that goes for you too Alan." Louis and Twitty exchanged a glance. "She's cranky…" Louis muttered. Twitty nodded.

"So what are we exactly doing today?" Larry said with a little bite.

"Yea. Exactly what?" Ivan repeated.

"Don't you say anything for yourself, mimic boy?" Ruby snapped, leaning forward to look at him.

He frowned, "Yes! You're just too busy talking to hear anything."

Ruby's mouth dropped and Monique went in for her, "Don't insult my friend, you mindless idiot!"

"Ivan has a mind!" Todd retorted, sticking up for also his lackey.

"Yea! A mind!" Ivan repeated. Larry merely rolled his eyes while Louis and Twitty laughed.

"CUT IT OUT!" Ren yelled, holding up her hands in irritation. "Ruby and Monique, you are in charge of making the tickets and posters for the school. Ivan, Todd, Alan and Tom, you're in charge of setting up as soon as we have things to set up with. Louis and Tawny, you two are in charge of the sound equipment and the stage for the sound stuff." Ren took in a deep breath and said slowly, "Larry and I will be in charge of you and getting everything we need. We will all be cleaning up the day afterward and…" she paused, "meet here after school on Wednesday. Tomorrow, I am going shopping."

Larry cleared his throat, "Don't you mean 'we'?"

"What was that all about?" Twitty wondered out loud as he and Louis drove to the Steven house. Ren had work, and was too frustrated to talk to anyone after the meeting.

Louis shrugged, "I can never figure her out. But I have a feeling it's not me."

Twitty stopped at a light, "Who else could it be?"

"The only other person would be Larry."

"She doesn't give him the time of day! Never has!"

Louis frowned, "Only on rare occasions. I once thought they liked each other…but today…she seemed like she hated him."

"Dude," Twitty started, going through the green light, "what if they're secretly in love and hate each other during the day to keep it secret?" Louis gave him a look, Twitty caught it and shrugged, "I saw it on a movie."

Louis looked out his window as his home drew close. "Something's up. She's acting…weird."

"This is how she always acts."

"No…With Larry it's more…aggressive. Like she's really trying to drive him away."

"So?" Twitty asked, parking by the curb, "Sneaky brother time?"

"No…More like Frenchie and Honeytoast."

Ren was still fuming when she slammed the front door after getting home from work. Twitty had left awhile ago, the Stevens' monarch- Steve Stevens- was in the in kitchen making dinner, with help from Eileen Stevens. Louis was sitting in the living room, watching one of his favorite movies, The Wizard of Oz.

"Ren?" Eileen called out to her daughter. Ren came through the house still in uniform and sat on a bar stool. She had had time to collect herself, because the young woman Eileen was looking at, was anything but mad.

Yet, with a smile plastered on her face she said, "Hi mom…hi daddy."

"Hey sweetie." Steve said, totally oblivious to his daughter's feelings.

"How was your first day of school dear?"

Louis snorted from his seat on the couch and Ren resisted the urge to throw a shoe at his head. She took in a deep breath and said, "Well Mrs. Norman has once again put her faith in me. She has assigned me to coordinate the Homecoming dance…" she paused, "She just happened to pair me with Larry Beale."

Eileen nodded, "So is that a good thing?"

"No mom! Larry Beale…" she paused, watching her mother's face, "Is… insufferable."

Eileen nodded again, "And you don't think you will survive?"

Ren straightened her back, "I didn't say that…it's just a challenge."

"RUN TOTO, RUN!" Mother and daughter turned to see Louis hugging a pillow and making a distraught face, seeing Toto run from the Wicked Witch's castle. They both turned back to their conversation and Eileen said, "You'll do fine. I'm sure you will."

Ren sighed, and only hoped that would be the case for the next day. Larry wasted no time that day after the meeting to make plans to go shopping. "I will pick you up tomorrow at noon, okay?" Ren recalled him saying.

"Why don't I just meet you there?" she had asked.

"Because I want to make sure this will stay a partnership."

The conversation was the real reason why she was still upset. Larry's words kept repeating themselves over and over in her mind and all she wanted to be rid of them. She glanced back to Louis and decided a movie might be good. She went and sat in the chair and watched the rest of The Wizard of Oz, but then she quickly popped in one of her favorite movies, What's eating Gilbert Grape.

"What's eating Ren Stevens?" Louis asked as he stayed to watch the movie.

Ren merely rolled her eyes, "Shut up or leave, Louis."

He sighed, and made a small note of the movie and her mood before leaving for his room.

The second day of school had been full of nothing but irritation for Ren. She spent most of the morning worrying about the afternoon, but then the rest of the day, being irritated that Mrs. Norman put her in such a situation.

"You'll be fine…everything will go smoothly…" Ruby assured her friend as she, Ren and Monique walked to the parking lot where Ren was supposed to meet Larry.

"Right. Nothing to fret about…" Monique agreed.

Ren rolled her eyes as the parking lot came into view. The girls stopped walking and Ren straightened her back. She saw Larry leaning against a cherry red '76 Camero. He looked her way and didn't move a muscle, but kept eye contact. She took in a deep breath and started for him, waving a slightly to her two friends.

When she got close, Larry walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. Ren was so stunned, she stopped walking. He stared at her, "Are you coming or what?"

She narrowed her eyes and got into the car. He shut the door and ran around to the other side, getting in quickly and starting the car. Immediately, her senses were overtaken by the wonderful smell, of what she could only assume to be, Larry's cologne. She decided she would try to ignore it; unfortunately Larry didn't do the same, "You smell great…"

"So where are you taking me?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Home Depot?" he suggested.

Ren paused, "We'll find more stuff at a store, Larry. Try Wal-Mart."

"Wal-Mart?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I assumed we were on a budget. Do you intend on spending your own money?"

Larry shook his head and grumbled to himself. Ren rolled her eyes, thinks he knows everything… she thought to herself.

She thinks she knows everything! Larry thought to himself. He made a few turns and they were quickly to the Super Wal-Mart.

"So…? How did it go?!" Ruby asked later that night. She had called Ren right after dinner, and Ren had taken the call up to her room. Unfortunately the person who answered the phone, didn't hang up.

Ren sighed, "How do you think it went?"

"That bad?"

"Ruby, the man is insufferable! We couldn't agree on anything!" She sighed, "This is becoming more of a chore than anything."

"So nothing went right?"

You smell great…

"Well he was polite…he opened a car door for my twice, but that's about it. And I don't think he was too happy about it either."

"Hmm Mmm…" Ruby said, a slight smirk playing on her face.

Ren rolled her eyes, "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure."

Ren and Louis hung up the phone at practically the same time and Louis looked over at Twitty. "Getting a speaker phone was definitely a good thing…" Twitty said.

Louis merely shrugged, knowing the genius of his plan of listening in on Ren's phone conversations. Tom had helped him get the proper equipment and phone lines without his parents knowing about it. "We need more information though…this is child's play."

Twitty nodded, picking up his guitar and starting to strum different chords. "How long has she known Larry?"

Louis shrugged again, "Since 7th grade…maybe before that…he's even come over to the house a couple times- but nothing big."

Twitty hit a D and sang, "No-thing biiiiig!"

Louis stared at him blankly for a moment and then went back to his computer screen that he was sitting in front of. "Who would know if it was something big or not?"

"Her friends…duh."

Louis paused, "They haven't known her the whole time…she's had like twenty million different friends…"

Twitty shrugged, "Then let's talk to them."

"How would we find them?"

His friend hit a C and then sang, "H-er ph-one boo-k!" Louis' eyes enlarged as the sheer genius of that suggestion sank into his system. Now the only problem was how he was going to get it.

Author Thanks:

A Depp Girl

Pixie03

Peachy15