Author's Note: Perhaps I should have done this sooner, but for anyone out there reading this story, I wrote it all out in advance. That's the reason for this many chapters in less than one month's time. I'm just releasing a couple per week. Also, I didn't give any sort of "Read & Review" notice, but reviews would be nice. I would like to thank Even Stevens 20 for your review! Thanks and I hope other people are reading this too! Bye.

7.

Alas, as the final weeks approached, the prom had finally arrived. Louis has spoken with Henrietta on a couple more occasions and they had made plans for the big night, and miraculously she had remained conscious. Twitty had long had a date. Being a band almost guaranteed Twitty a girlfriend. Tom was going stag, as usual. He asked a couple of girls who were in band and a couple who were on the chess team. All negatives, poor Tom. Also, Tawny and Corey were beginning to feel some of their on-stage chemistry. Initially, they thought it would have been too weird to have an actual relationship together. Plus, each of them were going to be leaving Sacramento for college in just a matter of months. It didn't seem to make too much sense. But as Tawny spent more time with Corey, as they did in the time before prom, she grew to learn that he was a nice guy, not just some pretty boy actor-wanna-be.

"Tawny, Tawny, are you there?" Corey asked over the phone.

Tawny needed to be kicked out of her daze. "What? Sorry, I'm just a little preoccupied today."

"This won't take long. I asked if you wanted to eat at Gregorio's tonight before prom."

Tawny bit her lip and said, "That's fine."

"Great. I'll pick you up in two hours, OK?"

"OK. Bye."

"Bye."

Tawny had mixed feelings about the prom to say the least. She turned several guys before finally accepting this guy, and then Louis asked her! Of all people and at all times! Well, that was always Louis's timing, she thought, too little too late. But Corey seemed like a good guy now. He wasn't some shot-hot or some prankster either. He was a good guy. He didn't swear. He wasn't a smoker. He didn't drink, at least to her knowledge. Most of all, this guy was serious. Louis was serious about being a goofball. He was the reigning 2-time class clown. Tawny gave herself a half-smile and thought, yeah, tonight's gonna be fun -- the senior prom.

Back at the Stevens house, Louis was getting ready for the big night . . . with Tom's cousin. Louis had his tuxedo on, minus his coat. He looked in the mirror, and adjusted his cummerbun and his necktie. He ran his fingers through his greasy, always messed-up hair and grabbed his coat and threw it on. He grinned at himself in the mirror and winked. He then turned and winked at his poster idolizing Kramer and he was out the door. The first to see him was his mom. "Louis, you look . . . um, good."

"Thanks, Mom."

Then Louis's dad caught a glimpse of him. "Louis! That's my old blue, disco tux!"

Yes, Louis was wearing a blue tuxedo that obviously belonged in the 1970's. "Nah, Dad, relax. I rented this baby. Yours is still in your 70's closet collecting dust beside all your Neil Diamond records."

"You're really going to your senior prom looking like that, son?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Son, you look like you just walked out of 'Saturday Night Fever' and . . . well, Louis, is your fly down?" his mother asked.

Louis whipped around at the speed of light, checked, and zipped up quick. "Ummm, nope. Everything's fine." Then Louis's dad inspected his wardrobe. "What is it, Dad?"

"Looks fine. I was just checking for a squirting flower or some other absurd gadget you might bring along. I know you couldn't possibly have wanted to go with Tom's cousin in the first place, but be nice to her tonight, OK? She's a very nice girl," Steve said to his son.

"Relax, Dad. I wouldn't pull something like that on prom night. At the homecoming dance maybe, but not the prom," Louis said as he winked at his dad. Louis was in a winking mood. Even though he was going with his undesirable date, he was hoping something big would happen that night. Anything. Something had to happen. He didn't know what, but he knew something was going to happen.

Louis hopped in his Nova and was off to pick up Henrietta. The old blue car sputtered as usual, but Louis stepped out and gave it a couple kicks and it was good as new. Well, good enough to run anyway. He blasted the radio and rolled down his car windows. Then Louis came to a screeching halt because he forgot Henrietta's corsage. Of course. Louis ran through the front door again, grabbed the corsage and the box it was in, and was back out the door. He left the keys in the running car because, who was going to take that car? Whew, almost blew that one, Louis thought.

Louis cruised through neighborhoods and bypasses and finally reached Henrietta Gribalski's house. The house was not especially appealing. It had an exterior that maybe needed a new paint job, and maybe a new color. Pink was not the color Louis wanted to see. He pulled up the drive way and went up the walk. He adjusted his bow tie, held the box with as much pride as he could, and rang the doorbell. The doorbell didn't work of course, so Louis began pounding on the door with his fist until it hurt. But after that second pound, Louis heard an assortment of giggling on the other side of the door and became rather curious. Mr. Gribalski, the brother of Tom's dad, answered the door and said, "Well, hello there. You must be Louis. Please come in." Louis entered. "Henrietta has been telling myself and Gertrude quite a bit about you. You're quite a remarkable young man." Louis grinned and held a fake, distinguished looked on his face. Then Mr. Gribalski continued, "I never would have thought that a 4.0 student would have time for all those charities and fund-raisers for underprivileged children. . ." The smirk left Louis's face because he was beginning to figure out that Henrietta had most likely told her family about Ren, not Louis. ". . . And that full scholarship to Stanford Univerisity and that perfect score on the ACT must have made your parents very proud!"

Louis began, "Oh no, that's my si. . . um yeah. Yeah, it was hard at first to maintain my high academic standards with those extra-curricular commitments, but many people depend on me. I don't like to brag, but I'm rather proud of my accomplishments at James K. Polk High School." Louis finished with a bang. Yeah he lied, but at least this Henrietta girl flattered him. It was a nice change. But once Louis had finished his tall tale of what it's like to be Polk High's most distinguished pupil, he heard the scamper of many feet. "Oh boy," Louis mumbled to himself. The rumbling was the feet of the seven younger Gribalski sisters and the one Gribalski brother: Gwendolyn, Eustacia, Gloria, Judith, Darby, Eunice, Helga and Grayson. All the girls, who were all under the age of 10, started jumping up and down on Louis. By this point, Louis was quite uncomfortable. He had a painful expression on his face as he was struggling to get the crowd away from him. Mr. Gribalski whistled and the girls were silent and arranged in a straight line. "That's impressive," Louis sputtered out.

Now Mr. Gribalski had a camera in his hand as it was time for the official placements of the corsage and the boutinere. Louis took the beautiful corsage out of the box and carefully slipped it onto Henrietta's wrist. Whew, Louis thought, didn't screw it up. Now it was Henrietta's turn. She needed to place the boutinere on Louis's disco jacket. However, Henrietta was not so careful. She removed to pin to place it on his lapel, but when she pinned it on, "Oh my gosh!!" Louis welped in pain. Yes, Henrietta had struck flesh. Louis was biting his lip in pain.

"Are you okay?" Henrietta asked as she placed her hand on Louis's wound.

"I'm fine!!" Louis screamed, still in obvious pain.

"Let me help you!"

Louis shoved her arm aside. "No! No thanks. I think I can handle it." Louis grabbed the boutinere and stuck it on himself. He figured he couldn't hurt himself anymore than Henrietta could. Still irritated, Louis announced, "Come on! To the car!" He was also holding his hand over his wound and was grimacing.

Once in the car, the Gribalski parents waved goodbye to their eldest daughter and her bleeding date. "Where are we going now, Louis? Your house?"

"No. We're going to meet Twitty and Amy for dinner. We're eating at The House of Ribs."

"Um, Louis?"

Irritated still, Louis said, "What is it, Henrietta?"

"I'm a vegetarian."

Great, Louis thought. ". . . but if I still get to eat with you, Louis, I'll eat there."

As upset as Louis was about going with Tom's geeky cousin, and as upset as he was that she stabbed him with a pin, what she just said was kind of sweet. Even Louis was able to figure that out. Struggling to find the right words, Louis said, "You know, Henrietta, I'm sure they've got salads and other stuff besides ribs and steaks. I imagine Twitty and I will have our faces buried in a plate of barbecue sauce tonight, and I'm sure you and Amy can chat over your salads and stuff. You'll have a good time there." She grinned and nodded her head.

Some 20 minutes later they arrived at the eating establishment. Louis and Henrietta walked in just in time to see Twitty and his girlfriend Amy walking out. "Hey man. What's goin' on? Whacha leavin' for?" Louis asked.

"Dude, I told you, we'll eat at 6:00."

"No, you said 7:00, Twit."

"No, because I have to eat at six because my band is playing at prom and we need time to set up and warm up. That's why I needed to eat at 6:00."

"Oh, I see," Louis said. "Well, I guess I'll see you there in a bit. But wait a minute, prom doesn't even start until 9:00!"

"Dude, remember? We need the extra time to set up."

"Oh yeah. Well, I'll see ya there."

"Later."

Louis turned to Henrietta and said, "Well, I guess it's just you and me then." She grinned again.