Chapter 4

Saturday came around all too soon. It was five, and Mandy was running around, trying to get ready. She slipped on a soft, red top with red, ruffled, shoulder straps that hung right below her shoulders. Mandy snatched a black, ruffled skirt and pulled it on. Mandy looked beautiful, almost too beautiful. She didn't really go to parties in Ohio, so her going out in eye-catching clothes was exciting.

She ran into the bathroom and admired her hair. It was curled into perfect, individual locks of hair, which took a load of hairspray to perfect. She smiled and slowly put on some sparkle-pink lipstick, being careful not to mess up.

Mandy looked at the clock. It was five twenty. Ten minutes until Chase picked her up. She sighed. Luke was the most wonderful guy she had ever met, but he hadn't been able to beat Chase at asking her to the party. She looked in the mirror, smoothing out every wrinkle on her shirt. At least she would be able to see him at the party. Even if he wasn't able to make it, Mandy loved to dance so she would have a great time either way.

Mandy heard a beep from outside. She ran to the window, and looked outside. It was Chase. He was in a minivan. How embarrassing! He didn't expect her to go to a party in a minivan did he? Mandy promised herself that she wouldn't mention the car. She ran downstairs, slipped on a pair of black flip-flops and grabbed her purse. As she walked out the door, Chase was waving to her excitedly. He hopped out of the van and smiled as he walked towards her.

"Ready to go?" He asked, seeming thrilled to see her.

"Yup. Ready to go." Mandy smiled politely as Chase opened the car door for her.

"The party's only about five minutes away. So you won't get bored. At least you won't get bored on the way there. Because you might get bored at the party, and I'm not saying that parties are boring I just…" Chase jabbered.

"Whoa! Slow down! Don't worry, I'm not bored!" Mandy giggled. Chase seemed relieved. A few minutes later, they reached the party. Mandy was so excited. She wanted to show off her dancing and couldn't wait to see Luke. As they got out of the van, Mandy noticed some people giggling as they walked by. She frowned and kept her head low.

"Come on! Let's go!" Mandy called.

Chase locked his minivan and ran to catch up with Mandy. As they entered the building, Chase grasped Mandy's hand, claiming their togetherness. The music was loud, and Mandy loved it.

"You want to dance?" Mandy asked Chase.

"Dance?" Chase looked around.

"That's what I said." Mandy waited for a reply.

"Oh. I don't really dance." Chase said plainly.

"What? You don't dance?" Mandy almost yelled. Chase shook his head.

"You can go and dance if you want, though." Chase suggested.

"Really? Thanks!" Mandy smiled.

"I'll go get us some drinks or something." Chase said. Mandy hugged him and walked over to the dance floor. Was Luke here? She wondered. She looked around, searching for him, until she felt someone tap her on the back. She turned around and Luke was standing right there.

"Luke! I was looking for you!" Mandy exclaimed.

"I was looking for you too. Guess I found you first. Hey, where's Chase?" Luke asked looking around.

"Oh. Chase doesn't dance. So he went over by the food." Mandy said, sounding disappointed.

"Well, I'll dance with you." Luke offered.

"Oh! Really? Thank you so much Luke!" Mandy said, throwing her arms around his shoulders. Luke hugged her back, and then pulled away slowly. He led Mandy to the dance floor and just as they got there, a slow song came on.

"Will you be my dance?" Luke asked, knowing the answer already.

"Of course I will!" Mandy said.

Luke placed his hand on Mandy's waist. His hand fit into hers, and she placed her hand on his shoulder. Mandy let her head rest on Luke's shoulder. They swayed to the beat of the music, and Mandy thought that they must have looked wonderful together. Luke gently ran his fingers through Mandy's hair, feeling every strand fall from his fingers.

"I love you Mandy." Luke whispered into her ear.

Mandy drew back her head from Luke's shoulder and looked at him. Luke smiled and leaned in to kiss Mandy when Chase walked up.

"Mandy, I got us some drinks because I thought that you might be…" Chase stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Mandy and Luke. Luke's arms were wrapped around Mandy's waist, and Mandy's arms were wrapped around Luke's neck. They pulled away from each other and faced Chase.

"What's going on!" Chase yelled.