Terri was excitedly telling everyone about Amber's birthday. She was laying out her elaborate plans, even though Paige continually brought her back to down to earth. Paige often squashed Terri's plans by pointing out what could go wrong and what wouldn't work. This left Terri a bit downtrodden, but she would start zealously explaining some other ideas of hers.
Craig and Spinner had both heard Terri's ideas. They each pounced upon one important fact: Amber's birthday was Friday.
They each started their own plans. Their ideas, however, were a lot more sensible than Terri's. Their plans had to work, and both of them grinned at the thought of what Amber's reaction would be.
Craig decided he would have to go on a little shopping spree. But first, he realized, he would need some cash. Time to go to Joey for funding.
Spinner already had what he needed: Amber's locker combination.
Each of the boys understood that this was a wonderful opportunity, and they were going to take advantage of it.
Meanwhile, Amber was in the middle of a conversation with Jimmy. She was trying to ignore Terri, who was still telling everyone about Amber's birthday. So, although she was quite aware of Terri's scheming, she was completely unaware of Craig and Spinner's plans.
Amber and Jimmy were talking about basketball, and they discovered that they both rooted for the same teams and admired the same players.
"So, what do you think of this guy's stats? He's horrible, isn't he? I think I could do just as well as him!" As an afterthought, Jimmy added, "You're pretty good, too."
"Thanks," Amber replied. "You are good, though."
"Compared to that guy, maybe. But check out this guy's stats..."
"Amber, there's a committee meeting today after school," Paige informed her.
Reminded that she was on the committee, Amber audibly sighed, and said, "Okay, thanks."
Amber sat down in her seat and looked around distastefully at the other committee members. They were all guys. To make it worse, they were Craig, Spinner, and Jimmy. The Jimmy she didn't mind that much. Actually, she rather liked Jimmy. But the prospect of having to work with the other guys made Amber dread any upcoming meetings.
Jimmy cleared his throat, and in doing so, adopted the role of leader. "Well, we better get started. Everyone's here..."
Spinner interrupted, "I don't see why we have to start on a Valentine's Day dance when it's the middle of November."
Though that had been Amber's thoughts exactly, she glared at Spinner and responded, "Well, we need a lot of time to work. Otherwise, we won't get anything done." Amber's accusatory tone showed that, clearly, Amber had no faith in the rest of the group.
Craig cut in, "Nah, I think we'll be fine. How hard can it be, anyway?"
"Well, whether we need the time or not, we're going to start planning the dance right now." Jimmy, in a commanding voice, said. This ended the arguments for the moment. They were productive for the rest of the meeting; only a few, small conflicts arose.
Craig came home from the meeting, massaging his head. He got a migraine from the arguments, and he was extremely glad it was over. He had made a complete fool of himself in front of Amber, and it seemed as if Amber had a crush on Jimmy. The day couldn't get any worse. Craig rubbed his head even harder as he walked in the door.
Craig must have looked terrible, because as soon as Craig had shut the door behind him, Angela concernedly asked what was wrong.
"Nothing."
Angela piped up, "Craig, I can tell something's wrong. Tell me!"
"Okay. So there's this girl..."
Joey walked in. He had apparently overheard, because he questioned, "Is this the same girl as before?"
Craig sighed, "Yeah." He sat up. "That reminds me. Joey, I was wondering if I could borrow a little money."
Joey was suspicious. "What for?"
"For the girl."
Understandingly, Joey said, "Oh, I see!"
Craig promised, "I'll do anything! If you give me some money, I'll work at the lot until it's paid off. I'll do anything! I promise!"
Joey chuckled, "Wow. You really like this girl." Craig nodded.
"Okay. How much?"