Author's Note: Ack! I am so terribly sorry for the lateness of this chapter! I seriously mean to update at least once a week. I just had some issues with this chapter. Like writer's block, for one thing. Plus I've had NaNoWriMo on my mind, which I will be doing this year, so updates in November may be scarce. Anyway, thanks to all who read and reviewed the first chapter. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the second.
Another Important Note: While writing this and the first chapter, I watched the corresponding episodes at least once or twice to make sure I was keeping details straight. Seems I somehow missed a very important detail in Parental Bonding, however. That episode happens over just two days, while I spread it out over five. So... sorry about that. If I ever go back and rewrite this chapter, I'll be sure to fix that.
Disclaimer: Butch Hartman owns Danny Phantom, not me. Any OC's are mine though.
Family Night. One night a month during which my mother, brother, and I stuff our faces with pizza, pop, and candy while playing board games and watching movies until we all fall asleep on the family room couch. This night usually falls on a Saturday when my mom is home before seven, and won't need to be to work the next day until at least after noon. If her schedule will not permit such a night from happening that month, Family Night can be changed to Family Day, in which case we all sleep in one weekend morning, have a large brunch, and go out to see a movie or something.
This particular Saturday was Family Night, and I'd been looking forward to it all month.
The doorbell rang with a loud "Ding-dong!" sounding throughout the house and signaling the arrival of our traditional pizza order.
"I'll get it!" I shouted, jumping up from my seat at the kitchen table and dashing for the front door. It opened with a creak and my eyes rested on the Crusty's delivery boy clad in his red and yellow uniform.
He held his right hand out to me, palm upward. "That'll be $15.25." He said in an uninterested sort of way.
I grabbed the money off a side table in the front room, handed it to him, and took the pizzas with a quick, "Thanks. Bye!" Two seconds later I was back in the kitchen, shoving candy and potato chips out of the way as I set the boxes on the table.
"Mmm… smells good! Let's eat!" My mom shouted, throwing open one of the boxes and removing a slice of pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. Cal and I followed, each taking from the second box that contained a medium deep dish with everything but anchovies.
I picked off the mushrooms and set them on a napkin, then selected several green gummy bears from a pile of candy off to the side of the table and put them in the mushrooms place. Yes, I like gummy bears on my pizza. It's good, okay?
Cal chugged a root beer, while Mom and I went for the colas. She popped the tab on her can, took a long sip, then set the drink back down and said, "Okay, talk time," before shoving another bite of pizza into her mouth.
"Mrs. Layson says she'll bring her pet snake to school Monday. She might even let us hold it!" Cal announced excitedly.
"Sounds like fun." Mom smiled. She took another sip of soda, then continued with her bit of news. "Remember that patient I've been wining about all week? She was finally aloud to go home today."
"That's great, Mom." I gave a weak smile, knowing it was my turn. "I, uh… got a C+ on my last Math quiz." My eyes fell to the half eaten pizza in front of me, not sure of what Mom's reaction would be.
I heard her sigh a bit, pausing to think. A brief moment later she answered, "Well, you'll just have to do better next time." I let my eyes back up to meet hers; finding that warm, motherly smile that just makes everything feel better. "Anything else?"
Considering something for a few seconds, I replied, "There's a big dance this Friday."
"Are you planning on going?" She pressed, the uneasy mood my first bit of news had brought lifting away.
"Well, I don't know. No one's asked me yet."
"Asked you? Like, so it would be a date? Ew, gross!" Cal's voice entered the conversation, slightly muffled from the bite of pizza he was simultaneously chewing.
Mom and I laughed. "Yes, I suppose it could be called a date." I chuckled, rubbing his head furiously for the sole purpose of annoying him. "Just wait three or four years, you'll change your mind about it being gross."
The ten year old made a face, scooting his chair away so his head was out of my reach.
Twenty minutes later we moved our mess of candy and soda down stairs to the family room, settling on the orange-red couch for the first movie. It was Cal's turn to choose what we would watch. I found it hard to focus on his decision, however, and let my mind wander instead.
I'd been avoiding that lately. My thoughts had a tendency to cling to the events of earlier that month, whenever I let them. When I'd gone over what happened the Tuesday morning after the menu change again, my mom half listened to me, and then changed the subject. Any mention of it afterward was ignored or brushed off. I think I really startled her, ranting about giant meat monsters. After all, I have to be the sane one in the family or we'd never get anywhere.
Cal was very interested and excited in the story. However, after Mom made it apparent that she wanted the whole incident forgotten, I refused to tell him any more. I never did mention that I'd seen the thing in the park. Somehow I think that, even if it were real, telling him would only make things worse.
My friends seem to have recovered, making jokes about it all during lunch. Teresa had stayed home the rest of that day as well, but Ben's parents had him back at the school by third period. Lexi had been inside the building during the whole thing. She heard screaming and such, but never actually saw anything (well, except for a whole lot of meat and recyclo veggie stuff all over campus). Brad was late for school, so he saw the same scene as Lexi.
I believe I've already told you what the school says about the incident. They blamed it all on the vegetarian menu, despite the fact that there were witnesses who had never even touched the veggies, and that something must have happened for there to be food all over the school grounds (and on the roof).
These are some of the things I pondered as the movie went on. Finally I let my mind drift to other things. Things like the upcoming dance. Teresa and Brad would almost certainly go together. Lexi shouldn't have much to worry about, so long as she doesn't decide to be picky about whom she goes with. Ben, however, might have a problem. Then again, I might as well. I wouldn't be much surprised if we ended up… er… 'together' as friends. It's not exactly the greatest thing, but it's better than not going at all.
An image of A.J. crossed my mind. Who would he take? He seems to be pretty good friends with that one blonde girl. Or maybe that other girl, the sophomore who's so short she gets mistaken for a freshmen. I doubt he'd go for Paulina; many boys tend to lose their voice when trying to talk with her. Of course, boys also tend to do unexpected things when it comes to Casper High's most popular girl.
Thinking about school brought another subject to mind: schoolwork, or more accurately, math. I sighed almost silently as I remembered how terribly I'd been doing in my least favorite subject. Algebra just doesn't seem to work with me. I can't make any sense of it at all, and it's becoming obvious in my grades.
Eventually the end credits of Cal's movie choice began to roll across the screen. As it was my turn to pick the movie, I snapped back to reality and got up to change the disks in the DVD player. Selecting a romantic comedy my mom and I absolutely adore, I took my seat on the couch again and ignored Cal's complaints. I'd had to sit through his movie, and he'd be asleep before this one was half over, anyway.
xxxxx
"I've had eight guys ask me so far." Lexi announced, oblivious to how cocky she sounded.
"That many, so soon?" Teresa asked, slightly surprised.
I shut my locker, ignoring the fact that Lexi had once again been using my mirror. She'd find another in five minutes. "So, have you decided who you're going with?" I asked her, beginning the walk to Teresa's locker. My friends followed along side me.
"I turned them all down." She replied, tightening the ponytail high up on her head. "None of them were my type, and I've still got all week for someone better to come along. What about you two?"
"Oh…" Teresa broke into a small smile. "I'll probably hang around with Brad while we're there, you know?"
Lexi and I both gave her a sarcastic look that said, 'Uh, yeah. We know.' We laughed for a minute, leaning up against the lockers next to Teresa's.
"Well, Kris? Who are you going with?" Lexi turned to me.
I let my eyes wander to the ground. "Well… I'm not sure. No one has asked me yet."
"You are going, though, right?" Teresa stopped organizing her locker to look at me as well. "Because it would totally stink if you weren't there."
"I'm sure I'll find someone by Friday." I assured her, even though I wasn't so sure myself.
As Teresa shut the lime green metal door to her locker and checked that it had locked, Lexi stated, "Well, you'd better find someone quick. You wouldn't want to end up with Foley."
Both girls laughed at the comment. I gave a small, nearly silent chuckle, but hadn't really enjoyed the remark. It was meant as a simple joke, of course, and nothing else. I've just never been interested in joking around that way.
They changed the subject to something else then, as we headed down the hallways in no particular direction. I missed whatever it was they were discussing, however, as my attention was distracted to the trademark blue baseball cap of a tenth grade boy, whose identity you should have already guessed. That's right, A.J.
I stared at him for a while, lost in thought. He was leaning up against the lockers at the far end of the hallway we currently traveled in, talking to one of his friends. We'd pass him in a minute or so, unless we decided to turn or take the stairs. I would have watched him with a ridiculous smile on my face until he was out of site, but Lexi's voice calling my name broke into my mind.
I shook my head a bit to clear it, replying with a dazed, "Huh?"
"I said, 'You're coming, too, right?'" Lexi answered, apparently repeating something I hadn't heard.
"Coming to what?" I asked, my expression revealing the confusion flooding my mind.
"My major slumber party next week! I've only been talking about it all month!" She said, loud enough for to almost be considered a shout. Before I could answer, she added, "What planet have you been on?"
I opened my mouth again, but Teresa interrupted with that teasing smirk. "Planet A.J." She pointed down the hall at the Sophomore I'd been staring at only moments earlier.
Lexi glanced in the direction Teresa had pointed. "Oh. Well that explains it."
The first bell rang then, warning all students that they'd better get to their homeroom classes within the next five minutes, or they would be in some trouble. As Lexi and Teresa began to move off toward their first classes, I finally managed to give my answer to Lexi's first question.
"I'll have to check with my mom, but I should be able to make it next Friday." I shouted over the sound of lockers slamming and kids running. Then I turned for the stairs and began to weave my way through the now crowded, chaos filled hallway.
xxxxx
A blue lunch tray landed across the table from my own, and a moment later Lexi's big brown eyes were staring straight into my own green ones. "So you are coming then?" She asked, joining Teresa and I at the table we'd selected. We were eating outside today.
"I'm sure I'll be able to make it. Don't worry, Lexi." I assured her, taking a small bite of salad.
She sighed then, seeming relieved for some reason. "Good, because I'm gonna need you two there to help me out." She said, referring to Teresa and me. "I'm inviting like every girl in school. Well, every important girl, that is."
"Like who?" Teresa asked, taking a sip from the mini carton of milk on her lunch tray.
"Well there's you guys, Star, Celeste, Amanda, Jenny…" Lexi continued to name off nearly a fourth of the freshmen class, and a good portion of sophomores as well. After she'd finished that, she went on to tell us everything she had planned for the party, and what she'd need us to do. A few minutes later the boys arrived with their lunches.
"You ask anyone to the dance yet, Ben?" Teresa asked, partly because she was curious and partly because she wanted to bug him.
He frowned a bit and looked uneasy. "Nah… I don't think I'll be going."
"Why not? You've still got all week to find someone." I reminded him.
Lexi added, "Yeah. Kris and I haven't got anyone yet, either."
"You haven't been asked yet, Lexi?" Brad chimed in, rather surprised.
"Oh, she's been asked." Said Teresa with a small chuckle. "She's just being picky."
"I am not!" Lexi protested. "I'm just waiting for the right person to come along."
"And who might that be?" Brad teased. "Dash?"
"As if Dash would ask me." Lexi laughed. "He'll be after Paulina, I'm sure."
Brad laughed in an odd way, and said, "I don't blame him." He then received an elbow to his ribs from Teresa, who didn't seem to have enjoyed the comment.
Loud laughter arose from behind us. We all turned to see what was going on. By some coincidence, there stood the same Latino girl we'd been talking about. Several people (mostly guys) were around her, and all were laughing at someone standing not far from Paulina in the center of it all. Danny Fenton, looking rather mortified, was the one who had everyone's attention. The reason for all the laughter was that his pants were currently around his ankles. My friends joined in the giggling and chuckling. I tried my best not to laugh as well, feeling sorry for the boy. I couldn't help but snicker silently, however. It was a pretty hilarious scene, after all.
"He's such a freak, sometimes." Brad stated once things had quieted down. He was referring to Danny, who'd just been pulled away from it all by his friend, Sam.
"Nah." Teresa disagreed. "He's just a klutz. There's nothing freaky about that."
"I beg to differ." Said Lexi. "I had him as a lab partner one day a few weeks ago. He kept shivering, and couldn't hold onto anything for more than five minutes. He broke like, six beakers."
My friends continued to discuss Danny for a minute or so more, and then the conversation migrated to other subjects. Eventually fourth period rolled around, and we all went our separate ways for the rest of the school day. Things went pretty quickly up until the last class of the day. I believe I've told you before which class this is for me.
"So the answer is seven over twelve." Mrs. Hanson announced, facing the chalkboard as she mapped out the problem she'd just described.
Groaning silently, I glanced at the clock hanging above the door and mentally begged it to change to 3:25. The second hand clicked as it moved one mark at a time, seeming to become slower with each passing moment. The minute and hour hands both pointed at the three mark, mocking me with the fact that there was still ten minutes of torture left to go.
"Now everyone open your books to page one ninety-one, and I will give you your assignment." The math teacher said, turning around to face the class. Everyone groaned and whined, reluctantly searching for the page number she'd given.
My mind went blank as I stared at the problems printed on the page, something that happened nearly every time I looked at my algebra homework. This over that divided by the other number to the power of something. It made my head hurt. Slowly, I set the end of my pencil to a clean piece of notebook paper, and began to work. I had about three and a half of the equations done by the time the final bell rang. Three and a half, out of fifty. Great.
With a frustrated sigh, I picked up my things and pushed my way out the door.
Luckily I was given a chance to procrastinate on the rest of my homework, and go to the Nasty Burger with my friends instead. We often go there after school to hang out, talk about everything, and ruin our dinner appetites.
After we finished our meals and disposed of the trash, Brad and Lexi went their separate ways, while Ben, Teresa and I headed across the park on our way home. I'd been avoiding the place since you-know-what happened, but I knew simply crossing the park on the way home wouldn't be a problem.
Well, it shouldn't have been a problem, anyway. As we were about half way through, there was a scream coming from the general direction of the small forest. My eyes widened as the three of us turned to see the cause. A lady was running frantically from the woods. A police officer that'd been giving parking tickets nearby came to see what was wrong. As my friends and I got closer, I could here some of the conversation.
"Ma'am, please. You need to calm down." The officer said to the woman, who looked like a nervous wreck.
"I'm telling you, there's something in there! I saw it!" She practically screamed at the cop.
He simply nodded and calmly asked, "Saw what?"
"I don't know what it was!" she answered, almost hyperventilating now.
"Well, could you describe it?" He asked, removing a note pad and pencil to record the info (though, most likely, he only did so to give the woman the impression that the case was as serious as she thought it would be).
"It was green and glowing, with red eyes…" She began to describe what she'd seen, stuttering every once in a while.
I had heard enough and picked up my pace a bit, hoping my friends would also. My head was swarming, and I was sure my face had gone a few shades paler. I heard Ben chuckle just behind me. "Someone's got a few screws loose." He remarked, referring to the lady. I bit my tongue.
"Are you okay, Kris?" Teresa asked me, a bit concerned.
"Uh, yeah." I said quickly. "I'm just stressing about my math homework."
She nodded at this, as it was a reasonable answer even if it wasn't entirely true.
Actually, the forty-six and a half math problems made an effective distraction from what had happened. After I got home, I said a simple "Hi" to Mom and Cal, went up to my room, and immersed myself in the assignment, blocking out the rest of the world. Of course the distraction only lasted an hour, but anything related to the park incident that hadn't already been forgotten would be by Wednesday. Why? You'll see.
xxxxx
"Finally." I muttered under my breath as the final bell rang throughout the school building. I gathered up my math book, pencils, and notebook, and then headed out the door. Teresa was waiting for me at my locker. "Hey." I greeted her, spinning the combination lock to the same three numbers I turned to several times a day.
"Hey." She answered, smiling. She opened her mouth to say something more, but was cut off by a very frantic sounding Lexi.
"Girls, I've got a problem." Lexi said quickly. I knew something was certainly wrong when she didn't even glance in my locker mirror.
Teresa must not have noticed this detail though. She rolled her eyes and sighed before replying. "What now, Lexi?"
"I haven't found anyone to go to the dance with!" She cried, obviously very upset.
"Well why not? I mean you were asked like, twenty times." Teresa pointed out.
For a moment, Lexi actually appeared regretful. "I turned them all down. I haven't been asked by anyone new since lunch yesterday. I think everyone may have already found a date." She began to pout then, and sighed in exasperation. "What do I do?"
I sighed as well. "Ben and I still haven't found anyone. Maybe the three of us could catch a movie or something."
"But…" Lexi protested quickly. "This is our first high school dance. I really don't want to miss it!"
"You should have thought of that before you turned down every offer you got." Teresa remarked. Lexi just pouted again, unwilling to admit her mistake.
I was about to suggest something else, but before I could say anything someone else's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Hey Kris."
My eyes went wide for a moment as I completely forgot what we'd just been talking about, and then my face broke into a wide, friendly smile. I turned around to greet the speaker. "Hey, A.J. You remember my friends, Teresa and Lexi?"
A.J. nodded, glancing at the two girls standing next to me. "Yeah. How's it goin' girls?"
Lexi gave a quick "Hi," obviously not feeling very friendly at the moment.
Teresa simply waved, glanced at Lexi, and said in an obviously faked tone, "Lexi! There's something in your hair!"
Lexi immediately began to freak, feeling around the back of her head and shouting, "Where? What is it?"
Teresa began to drag her away from A.J. and I while saying, "Come on I'll help you get it out. Over there." She then sent a quick wink to me, and disappeared around the corner, pulling Lexi along.
I laughed nervously, unsure of whether to thank Teresa for the privacy or complain about her leaving me alone. Of course, I could do neither at the moment, as my crush was currently standing right next to me. "So…" He began, reclining against the lockers. "Haven't talked to you since Tuesday morning a few weeks ago."
"Yeah, the protest things." I recalled slowly.
"What do you think happened that day? I mean you saw that… thing… right?" He asked, starting up a conversation, one I wouldn't have been too interested in if it were anyone else talking about it.
"Yeah, I saw it." I answered. "I have no idea what that was. Wasn't it weird?"
"I kinda thought it was cool. You know, after I stopped running and screaming like an idiot." He laughed, and I chuckled a bit as well. I was trying desperately to relax, and was hoping he'd change the subject soon. Fortunately, he coughed a bit to clear his throat instead of going on. It was then that I realized he seemed a bit nervous himself, not like he had the few other times we'd spoken to each other.
"You… uh, going to the dance this Friday?" He asked, trying to sound casual.
"I don't know. I was thinking about it but…" I trailed off, afraid that if I mentioned not having a date I would sound desperate. "Why? Are you going?"
"Probably." He answered, pausing before he continued. "Anyone ask you?"
I hesitated briefly before replying. "No…" I shook my head slightly, glancing at the floor. Through the corner of my eye, I saw him nod slowly. "So, who are you taking?" I asked, dreading his answer.
"Actually," he started, and I could almost hear him smiling. I braced myself for the rest. "I was thinking I'd ask… you, Kris."
I think my heart skipped a beat or two, but I couldn't tell for sure as the rest of my insides decided right then would be a good time to play jump rope. For a moment I couldn't speak, but I knew if I didn't force something out, I'd look really stupid. "Me?" I said with a bit of a laugh.
"Yeah." He nodded some more. "That is, if you want."
"Uh… yeah. Sure, I- I'd love to." I stuttered, seriously hoping I didn't look or sound as excited and shocked as I felt.
"Great." He smiled. "Then I'll pick you up at, say… six-thirty?" He began to walk off, backwards and very slowly.
"Yeah. See you then." I waved, also smiling. He nodded once more, turned, and left. I sat staring at the place he'd been for what felt like an eternity. The halls were nearly empty now since most of the students had left for home. I just stood there, staring at nothing with a big grin on my face, locker still wide open and math book still in hand. I hadn't yet gotten around to putting it away.
Eventually I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder and saw Teresa's long black hair covered head in the corner of my eye. "So?" She asked.
"He asked me to the dance." I answered without moving anything but my mouth.
"And you said…?" She pressed.
Now I moved, turning to look her in the eyes. "What do you think I said? Yes! I said yes. Duh!" Finally I was aloud to reveal just how excited I was, as I practically shouted my answer at her.
She smiled and snickered, flashing that teasing smile of hers. She opened her mouth to comment, but was stopped by Lexi.
"Oh great! Now I'm the only one without a date!" Lexi cried, almost shouting herself.
I gasped. "Lexi! I'm so sorry, I completely forgot. I…"
"Where've you guys been?" Ben's voice cut me off. He was running down the hall toward us three, carrying his backpack. "We've missed the bus home!" He added and slowed as he reached us.
Before he could say anything else, Lexi grabbed him by the shoulders and held him up against the lockers. "Have you asked anyone to the dance yet?" She said, her face inches from his.
He gave a startled, "No" and stared at her with a very shocked expression.
"Good. You're taking me." She told him, letting go of his shoulders and walking over to my open locker door to check the mirror. "Pick me up at six fifteen. I want to be here early. You'd better wear something nice, and use some hair gel or something." She added.
Ben just stared at her, still in shock. Teresa gave a chuckle and an eye roll. I shook my head and giggled under my breath. Ben hasn't known Lexi as long as Teresa and I have, and so he hasn't had many chances to see how tough she can be when she's desperate.
He recovered a few moments later, his attention returning to the reason he was there in the first place. "Guys, we missed the bus. How're we supposed to get home now?"
"Relax, Ben." Lexi said while applying some lip-gloss. "I'm sure my mom can give us a ride." She added, whipping out her cell phone and dialing the number.
It wasn't until after everything was arranged and we were about to head out for the parking lot to wait for Mrs. Burks that I realized I still had my math things in my hands. "I'll catch up in a second, guys!" I called after my friends and turned back to my still wide-open locker. As I shoved everything onto the shelf and removed my backpack, I let myself giggle in excitement. He'd actually asked me! It was almost too much to believe.
"Kristina!" Someone said from behind me, with an almost flirtatious tone.
I didn't need to look to know who it was, I just swung my backpack onto one shoulder, shut the locker, and began to walk down the hall saying, "Sorry, Tucker. I'm taken."
I heard a disappointed "Ah man" as I turned the corner and headed for the door.
xxxxx
Due to lack of important events, we're going to skip ahead to Thursday afternoon. Lexi, Teresa, and I were at the mall searching for something to wear Friday night. We'd gone through several stores so far. Teresa had purchased an orange sleeveless dress with a matching set of elbow-length gloves, but she was the only one who'd found anything. I was having difficulties finding something that would work for me, and Lexi was just being her regular picky self.
I sipped my grape slushie and listened to Teresa recalling an incident with her mother that morning (something about doing her chores or whatever) while we both waited for Lexi to get out of the dressing room. She'd gone in there about ten minutes ago with seven different dresses. Every once in a while she would call out that she hadn't liked one and toss it out the door for us to put back.
"So, now I'm banned from using the detergent." Teresa finished with a laugh.
Lexi's voice came from under the changing room door. "This one's color is all wrong. It doesn't match my skin tone." A moment later a light green, spaghetti strapped, sparkly dress flew out at us. Teresa rolled her eyes, snatching the rejected garment off the ground and hanging it on the rack meant for clothing that had been tried on.
"Come on Lexi, there's got to be something you like." I shouted through the door, letting my own gaze drift up to the ceiling. As I glanced down again, I spotted an Asian boy in red approaching us. No, it wasn't Ben. This guy was built much larger, and wore a letterman jacket rather than the red hoodie Ben likes so much.
"Hey gals. Lexi here with you?" Kwan asked as he came closer.
Teresa and I exchanged glances, looked back at the dressing room, then at each other again, and finally at the football player in front of us.
"She'll, uh… be back soon. Why?" Teresa asked, though she and I both had an idea of what he wanted.
"I was just wondering if she'd like to go with me to the,"
"She's already going with someone." We interrupted; knowing that Lexi would drop poor Ben in a heartbeat if she knew Kwan was interested in taking her Friday.
"Oh." He said, looking slightly dejected. He considered something for a moment, then his face brightened a bit as he asked, "I don't suppose either of you would like to,"
Teresa again cut him off with a quick "No thanks."
"I'm taken." I answered immediately after she did, and then asked, "Weren't you taking Valerie?"
"Uh… yeah." Kwan responded reluctantly. Then he turned and left, and not a moment too soon as Lexi stepped out the door the moment he was gone.
Teresa and I exchanged another glance, silently agreeing not to tell Lexi about the whole thing.
"This is it!" Lexi announced excitedly, modeling a simple rosy pink dress that hugged her form tightly. Honestly, I'm not sure how she managed to breath in the thing.
"Looks great." I commented, while Teresa sighed at the same time.
"Finally." She muttered under her breath.
Lexi inspected herself in a mirror once more, and then ran back into the dressing room, saying, "I'll just change back into my clothes, and then we'll find you something, Kris."
Easier said than done. We searched the rest of that store, and then moved on to the next (and last store in the mall that even sold dresses). After looking through ten different racks and displays, I finally found something that I thought might work.
It wasn't anything extremely fancy, just a light blue, silky sort of thing. It tied around the neck, had no sleeves, but came with a scarf like thing worn around the shoulders. I came out of the dressing room to show my friends, with a timid, "Well, what do you think?"
"It's perfect!" Teresa exclaimed.
"Yeah, that one's great, Kris. You're definitely a winter." Lexi added, and though I don't completely understand what she meant, I thanked her anyway.
Since we'd all had success in finding something to wear, the three of us decided to celebrate and headed for the food court. The moment we left the store's doorway, we were met with screams, shouts, and several people running from the general direction of the food court. We decided to go and find out what had happened, even though that probably wasn't the best idea.
There wasn't much to see by the time we'd made it to the food court. Several tables and chairs had been smashed and thrown around; the nearby Abyss store was a mess as well as a hot dog place; but other than that there was no sign of whatever had caused so much screaming and panic.
"What do you think happened here?" Teresa asked the same question that was on my mind. Already some mall security officers where inspecting the area, while a couple janitors began to clean up and people filed back in.
We watched for a moment more, and then Lexi shrugged and said, "Whatever. Let's get something to eat, I'm starved!" She and Teresa headed for a burger place.
I followed close behind them, but at a slower pace. My mind was still dwelling on the subject of what might have happened only a few minutes ago that could have made all this mess. I glanced around slowly, taking in every detail I could and searching for anything that might seem out of place. That's when I noticed several large scratch marks in the tile. I stopped to study them a bit longer, and overheard someone talking to one of the security officers. I only heard a little, but I think they mentioned something about a dragon. Once I'd heard this the first things to pop into my mind as I examined the marks on the ground were the words, "Claw marks?"
My friends called me over then, and I shoved the thoughts into the back of my mind. I had more important things to think about right then.
Which brings us to Friday night.
"Oh! Kris you look lovely!" My mother cooed, nearly in tears as she snapped several pictures of me with her camera.
"Uh, thanks Mom, but I'd really rather not go to the dance blind, if you don't mind." I remarked, laughing as I shielded my eyes from another series of camera flashes. I hadn't had the chance to move from the bottom step since I came down from my room, because of my mother and her camera.
Finally, she stepped aside. "I'm sorry sweetie, you just look so beautiful!" A few tears managed to press their ways down her cheeks. She lifted the camera to her eyes again in a failed attempt at hiding the wet streaks on her face.
After she'd taken that last photo, I stepped away from the stairs and into the front room, laughing almost inaudibly. "Mom" I groaned playfully as she wiped her face. She always gets emotional when I dress up. I was in my new dress; my hair was curled, pulled up, and coated in hair spray. "So, uh… when's this boy getting here?" My mother asked.
The doorbell rang before I could answer her. "Now!" I said excitedly, smoothing out my dress and checking my hair in a hanging wall mirror.
I then headed for the door, but before I'd come within three yards of the entry, Cal was there with his hand on the knob. "I'll get it!" He announced, flinging the door wide open.
"Hi."
"Hey. I'm here to pick up Kristina. Is she here?" I heard A.J. say, though from where I stood I could not see him through the doorway.
Calvin smirked. "Of course she's here. Going to the dance with you is all she's talked about all day."
I went to grab my brother, but Mom got there first. She smiled warmly out the door while shoeing Cal away and motioning for A.J. to come in. "Hello. I'm Ms. Carey, Kris's mom. You must be A.J."
My attempts to keep from blushing were forgotten the moment A.J. stepped inside. The blue baseball cap that usually occupied the top of his head was absent; his hair combed and gelled to perfection. The navy blue suit he wore looked amazing, and made his eyes more… eh, I'm sorry. You're not all that interested in this sort of thing, are you? We'll move on.
"Hey, Kris. You look great." He greeted me, smiling.
I felt my face heat up. "Thanks. You too." A nervous chuckle escaped my mouth.
"You both look adorable!" Mom said. "Here, let me get a picture of you two together, before you go." Quickly she pushed us closer together and pulled the camera back to her eye. I forced a smile, hoping the picture wouldn't reveal how annoyed I was with my mother.
"Well, our ride is waiting. We'd better get going. Nice meeting you Mrs. Carey." A.J. said, leading me out the door.
I gave a short wave to my family, and then followed him out to a dark green car parked in front of the house. "We're riding with a couple friends of mine. Okay?" He told me as he opened the front passenger seat door and motioned for me to get in. I slid into the car to find A.J.'s blonde friend at the wheel.
"Hi!" She smiled. "Kris, right? I'm Nicole, and the goof ball in the back is Josh." Nicole introduced herself, and then pointed to the back seat at a Latino boy I recognized as someone A.J. was often with.
Josh leaned closer and held out a deck of cards. "Hey Kris! Wanna see a card trick?" He began to fan out the cards, but A.J. shoved him back in his seat.
"Just ignore him. We all do." A.J. told me, laughing at his friend.
Nicole started the engine. "Buckle up, everyone!"
I pulled my seat belt down across my shoulder and clicked it into place. "Hey, Niki, how about you let me drive?" Josh asked as the car began to pull out.
Her answer was a short, sarcastic burst of laughter followed by silence.
We were soon at the school. People were filing into the building through the gym entrance. A large banner hung above the doorway reading "School Dance 2 Nite." Everyone was dancing, or chatting with friends, or getting some punch. The gym was decorated with streamers and balloons and fancy lights. Everything was just amazing, and exciting.
"Well, come on boy, let's dance!" Nicole said after a brief moment of observing the activity. She grabbed Josh's arm and practically dragged him out into the middle of the dance floor.
After laughing at the two of them, A.J. turned to me. "Well, shall we?" With one hand he motioned toward the center of the gym, and the other he held out to me. I accepted happily, following him through the crowds to a clearer spot where we began to dance.
The night went by quickly. Eventually we decided to take a break, and I met up with my own friends for a bit. Teresa and Brad where enjoying a little punch and looked like they'd been busy. Ben and Teresa may not have been very enthusiastic about going together, but looked liked they'd had some fun as well.
"There you are Kris! So, how's it going?" Teresa greeted me.
I gave a big grin. "I'm having so much fun. How about you guys?"
Everyone answered with "Yeah" or "This is great" or something like that. We were all standing near the punch table. Just then, Danny Fenton walked by, took a couple glasses, and brought one to Paulina.
"Does anyone else find it immensely odd that Paulina agreed to go with Fenton?" Brad spoke up, eyeing the two.
Lexi, being the one who usually knows all about this sort of thing, answered, "She must be getting something out of it. She'd never even think of going with him, otherwise."
"I honestly thought she'd end up with Dash." Said Teresa.
"Actually," Lexi began, "Dash seems to think he's here with whoever he wants to be here with. He's hit on nearly half the girls here tonight. The half that aren't losers, of course."
"Speaking of losers, can you believe Foley actually found a date?" Brad continued the conversation, pointing out Tucker who was standing with Sam Manson.
Ben joined in, "I heard he was going with Valerie, but I haven't seen her here tonight."
"I thought Kwan was taking Valerie." Lexi stated.
"He asked someone else at the last minute." Ben replied.
"Well, gosh. If only I'd known he was still looking." Lexi said with a slightly disappointed tone. Teresa winked at me and smirked.
A slower song began then. Lexi dragged Ben out to the floor, Teresa and Brad disappeared, and I was left standing at the refreshment table. Fortunately, I was only alone for a moment.
"You ready to start up again?" A.J. asked, offering his hand once more to lead me back out to the dance floor.
"I sure am." I answered as we made our way through the couples and began to dance.
"So, are you enjoying yourself?" He said after a minute or so.
"Oh yeah. How about you?"
"I'm having a great time." There was another moment of silence as he glanced around the room, as if searching for something to talk about. "So… your mom seems cool."
I nodded. "Yeah. She's… a nurse at the hospital." I answered, trying to keep the conversation going.
"Really? Sweet. So what does your dad do?"
My stomach tightened, I looked down at my shoes, and simply answered with, "Uhh… actually I don't… really… uh."
He must have gotten the idea, because he quickly replied, "Oh, uh sorry. Never mind then." Fortunately, he left it at that, and changed the subject to something else.
Another couple songs later, and we decided to take another break. We both sat down on some chairs near the wall. Lexi and Ben joined us.
"Where are Teresa and Brad?" I asked them.
Before either could answer, Brad and Teresa where standing in front of us. Both were out of breath. Brad was wide eyed and shaking all over, while Teresa was pale and looked like she was about to pass out. I immediately went to Teresa's side, taking her hand and placing one arm around her back to help keep her balanced.
"Whoa!" Ben remarked. "What happened to you two?"
Holding onto me, Teresa replied through gasps for breath, "Out… in the foot ball field… big glowing thing!"
"Big?" Brad started. "It was huge! And blue, and glowing, and its claws were bigger than I am!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up! What are we talking about here?" Lexi said before they could go on.
"A dragon!" Teresa and Brad answered at the same time.
There was a moment or so of awkward silence and blank stares. I led Teresa to the chairs and sat her down. "Okay." I started, fairly concerned. "Now, from the beginning, what happened?"
Teresa took a deep breath before answering. "We were hanging out on the bleachers, by the field. Then this big, blue, glowing, dragon thing…"
"HUGE, blue, glowing, dragon thing." Brad corrected.
Teresa glared at him, "Whatever! It came out and started tearing the place apart!"
"Did you say it was glowing?" Ben asked.
Brad and Teresa nodded. Ben, A.J., and I were silent. I'm not sure what they were thinking about right then, but I was recalling a couple recent incidents with other oddly glowing creatures.
Lexi, however, looked annoyed. "Very funny guys." She said sarcastically. "I suppose the giant meat people came out then and they all had a tea party?" Obviously she was referring to the meat monster of a few weeks ago. "Maybe you two should stay away from the veggies for a while."
"We didn't imagine it! It was real!" Teresa protested.
I could see that tension was rising between my friends, and figured I'd better do what I could to calm everyone down. "Come on, Teresa. Let's just get you cleaned up. It'll be easier to figure things out once you're relaxed." I took her arm and led her away to the girl's bathroom. "We'll be right back." I called over my shoulder to the others.
"You believe me, right Kris? You know I'm not crazy?" Teresa asked as we weaved our way through the people.
I wasn't sure whether I believed her or not, or if I even wanted to. Right then the important thing was to calm her down. So I said, "I'm sure you saw something, Teresa. We'll figure out what it was later."
We walked in through the bathroom doorway, and froze after letting our jaws drop. The bathroom was a complete wreck, and I'm not talking about toilet paper wads stuck to the ceiling. Actually, there was no ceiling; something had crashed straight through it. A few piles of rubble dotted the floor, the only light in the room came from the moon outside, or from some sparking exposed wires.
"Suddenly, I'm feeling perfect." Teresa said, dragging my shocked self back out of the room.
"Did you find your sanity, Teresa?" Lexi asked when we returned.
Teresa ignored the comment. "No, but we did find the bathroom in ruins."
Ben chuckled, "What? Toilet paper wads on the ceiling again?"
"The bathroom would need a ceiling for that." Teresa answered, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow.
Everyone was silent for a moment more. Finally Lexi said, "Oh come on guys! Enough is enough. The dragon part wasn't even funny in the first place, now you're saying the bathroom has been destroyed!"
"It has! Go and see for yourself." Teresa insisted.
"Fine! I will!" With that, Lexi marched off to inspect the restroom. She was quiet the rest of the evening.
"Should we tell someone? I mean, do you think the faculty know?" A.J. asked, just as confused as the rest of us.
"What could have done that?" Asked Brad.
"Probably your dragon friend." Ben said.
Things were beginning to wind down everywhere else. People were leaving, a janitor had begun some early clean up, and the amount of couples dancing was gradually becoming smaller. Nicole approached us, dragging a dazed Josh behind her.
"Josh here has had too much punch." She told us, looking at A.J. and I. "I need to take him home. You two coming now, or you wanna stay a bit longer?"
A.J. looked to me, silently asking what I wanted. I thought about it for a moment, and then replied, "As fun as this night has been, I think it'd be a good idea to go now."
"Sounds good to me." He agreed.
We said goodbye to my friends, and headed out the door. The ride home went by quickly. A.J. walked me to my porch, and we said goodnight. I went inside and watched him and his friends drive off down the road.
"How'd it go? Tell me everything!" My mom demanded excitedly when she saw me in her bedroom doorway.
I paused for a moment, thinking about the strange things that had happened near the end of the dance. Remembering her reactions to previous incidents, I just shrugged and smiled. "It was great. I had an awesome time. We danced, and chatted, and danced some more. Nothing big, you know?" Then I said goodnight and went off to my own room, planning to tell her what had really happened some other time.
I went to sleep quickly and felt very relieved that it was all over. Though something in the back of my mind seemed to tell me that there was much more to come.
Author's Note: sigh Kay. That actually ended up being longer than the last chapter. Honestly, I was afraid it would be too short when I started. As I mentioned before, I had a lot of writer's block on this one, and I'm not very fond of how it turned out. Hopefully the next will be better.
Now, to reply to all myawesome reviewers:
CelloSolo2007- Thank you! I'm trying hard to make it all work out, and that is a bit of work. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Oh and Maternal Instincts is one of my favorite episodes.
fubukis-wraph- Thanks for the hug, I needed that. I'm sorryI didn't update sooner. I'll try harder with chapter 3!
venusgal100- You were going to write something like this? Guess I beat you to it. :P Thanks for reading!
Dreamer for lyf- Wow, coincidence! oO I'm trying tokeep thepersonalities of each characteras different as possible. Sometimes it's harder than it sounds. Thanks so much for your review. (Oh and, I'm on someone's favorite! Yay!)
Anne Camp aka Obi-Quiet- Thank you! I got Kwan in this one, and there should be some Star in chapter 3. If I stick to earlier plans, there'll be even more interaction in chapters 4 and 5, but I'm not positive if I'm sticking to those plans or not. We'll see how it goes I guess.
GhostGirl008- Well then, I hopeI can keep youguessing for a while. Thanks.
Thanks to anyone who read but didn't review, though I'd be extremely greatful if you would. I'll try my hardest to get chapter 3 up by next Sunday. See you then!