To do this just seemed not like something Karen Brewer would do. Hannah and Nancy want me to go up and ask Buddy Barrett to go to the dance with me.

But if you ask me to describe myself, I'd say: fun, talkative, smart, cute, nice, generous and tough. Did I mention the word 'bold?' I didn't think so.

So I switched back into jeans and a sweater. I put away my gym clothes in a plastic bag and went to my locker. Not one minute after I start packing my bag to go home Melody runs over! "Hey, Karen…….Hannah told me what happened."

"What happened?" I put on a surprised face.

She nudged me playfully. "Boy stuff….."

"Oh, that!" I pretended to just remember. "Will you believe that they want me to ask Buddy Barrett to the dance? How ridiculous!"

"Come on, don't be that way, Karen! We all have dates but you! I have Brett, Hannah has Rodney Swenson, Nancy has Steve Carter, Margo has Roy Norman, Maria has Ricky, of course, and……"

"And Audrey Green has Norman Hill. Big whoop!"

"Just—do you want me to ask him for you? Are you just shy?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "Um….maybe we could slip a note in his locker."

"Yeah, uh—"Her voice was interrupted by the usual 'Please dismiss all bus students at this time.' Melody ran off. Today I was walking home with Nancy, Danny and Andrew.

I ripped a sheet out of my notebook.

Buddy—will you go to the dance with me? You're the hottest guy ever to walk the earth. Slip reply into locker #552 A.S.A.P.

After I slipped the note in his locker I finished putting my things in my bag and leisurely waked towards Nancy's locker as if nothing was going on.

"Ready to go?" Nancy slammed her locker shut.

"Ya, let's work on some homework on the benches until they come out." It was 2:15. SMS got out at 2:45 and SES gets out at 3:15. We cracked open our math books on a park bench.

Okay, no boring details included. All we did was work, pick up Andrew, sit around then pick up Danny.

We left Andrew at Nancy's house and went up to meet the others in my bedroom. Jessica and Jordan were having alphabet soup with Mom.

Melody, Maria and Margo were already there. Suzi, Jen and Claire were walking straight to my house from SMS. Bill drove Melody and Maria and Linny was supposed to drive Hannah. "Did you guys bring your costumes?" I asked when everyone had arrived.

Everybody's costumes were in their backpacks except for mine which was in a box by my bed. We dressed into our costumes, taking turns in the bathroom and finally looked at each other, laughing.

I was "Prom Queen." My hair was half up. I had a cheap, short sleeve hot pink dress and a ribbon tied from the shoulder, wrapping aroound my waist pronouncing my title.

Margo and Hannah had worked together on theirs. Hannah was a ballet dancer, borrowing Margo's ballet outfit because she was broke (well, so was Margo.) So she had a black leotard, pink tights and tutu with a silver tiara. Her hair was in a bun.

That meant Margo borrowed Hannah's softball outfit. A huge green tee and black cap were the main parts of the outfit. The green shirt had "Bears" on the front and "Papadakis, 68" on the back. So obviously, the cap said Bears. Margo's ponytail stuck out of the cap and all of her equipment was white.

Melody was a cat. Yes, black sweats and cat ear headband thing. She had painted on whiskers.

Suzi and Claire were twin hippie people. I would say their outfits were scary, in a good way. The following were matching: huge sunglasses, big tie dye tees, holey jeans, four colored beaded necklaces and big, scruffy hair dos.

Nancy was a ghost (how original, right?) The usual---white sheet, small little circles cut for eyes. She borrowed black stretch pants from her mom, and she painted her (very old) Etnies totally black.

Jen and Archie was a pioneer couple. What a cute idea! I mean, imagine two twelve year old kids in a straw hat, plaid shirt with patched overalls and a long dress sprinkled with tiny flowers. Jen's hair was in a bun, even her bangs were slicked back.

Maria is a '40s girl. She had a knee length, flowery skirt and a white blouse too. Maria wore matching white knee socks and black toe shoes. Her hair sort of looked like Jen's.

Lastly, Myriah was Johnny Damon. She had a batting cap, red Red Sox Shirt with a long sleeved blue shirt underneath. She wore white American eagle pants and Champion sneakers. Her hair wrapped in front of her mouth and was tied right there. Myriah did look unkempt!

"Ha, ha," Melody grinned. "You guys look stunning!"

"Right back at you," I replied, adjusting Hannah's tiara for her.

"Who's going to the dance?" asked Hannah, stepping away from me. I frowned. Sometimes she has the biggest mouth.

"We're having a dance, too," Suzi spoke up. "We're having a seventh and eighth grade dance and a sixth grade social."

I tried to totally get off the subject of our dance by saying, "Oh, really!" I remember those. Andrew hasn't told me yet…….what is you wearing?"

"Mom's making me wear a suit," Archie complained. "Shea and Jackie are driving me. They don't have to wear suits." (Jackie and Shea are fifteen and seventeen.)

"Who are they going with?" Hannah persisted.

"Charlotte Johansen and Haley Braddock," Archie replied uneasily.

"Well, this is your first dance, right? You just do the Cotton Eye Joe and stuff and there's a few dances for you serious couples, too."

My god! Hannah sure knows how to say the wrong things sometimes. Jen and Archie were both blushing!

I flipped my hair over my shoulder as I walked towards my locker. "Holy crap," I mumbled. It was a surprise. A note was sticking out of my locker!

Karen, meet me by the fountain during recess.

---Buddy

After lunch I ran for the bathroom. I checked for food in my teeth, brushed my hair and applied more pink lip gloss. All systems go!

Buddy was waiting there, staring at the ground. "You wanted to talk---"I started.

"About—your note. I--- we----"

"Oh, it's not going to work out!" I jumped to conclusions. "I'm sorry I just pounced on you about that."

Buddy shook his head. "No---it's not like that. I---kind of have liked you for a while. Do you---want to go?"

"Like, boyfriend and girlfriend or just going to the dance?" I tried to sound calm.

Buddy nodded, "Bf and gf. Uh, my mom is bringing Lindsey, me and Taylor because they're meeting their dates there, but ya. You'll have a ride."

WE talked about things w had in common, such as liked movies, then the bell rang. Buddy gave me a questioning look and held out his hand. I nodded and took it.