It was on Friday afternoon. Early afternoon. It was around, oh, 3:19 pm. I was in the Palace. In my Personal Study Room, going over some reports. Larry wasn't with me. I'd send him out to go on expeditions to the Sky Valley Caves.

I know I've said this before, or maybe I haven't. In any case, that's where we get our sapphires, rubies, emeralds, diamonds, etc. We find all sorts of minerals found nowhere else on Earth. And that's where sometimes find super-power potions in their natural state. You can see why have a lot of enemies, right?

So, there I was, sitting at my desk, going over these routine reports. I was in dinosaur form. I was minding my own business, doing nothing out of the ordinary, bothering no one at all. In other words, what happened next was completely uncalled for. Totally uncalled for. What happened?

Don't laugh 'cause it wasn't funny.

You're used to people knocking on doors before coming in, right? Even people you know have the decency to knock at least once. Once. Anyways, all at once, the door burst open, slamming against the wall. I looked up and…this might be hard to believe, so just bear with me.

I looked up and saw, not someone from the family. Not a government official. And, unfortunately, not Lilia.

Description: five feet, six inches tall. Eight feet long from nose to tail. Arms with five terrible claws. A horrible face, with large teeth that had saliva and blood dripping. And did I mention two horns above the eyes? Yep.

My tail shot straight up and I felt my muscles get tense. My legs got wiggly and I, uh, squeaked. Okay, I got scared. And in the process of hiding under the desk I managed to bang my head against the cabinet file and almost broke my ankle. I heard…laughter?

I looked up and saw…guess who? Yep. Larry. He had a disguise on, and not being able to resist his constant childish temptations, decided to scare the liver out of me. After he was done laughing, he said, "What you doing, Spiny?"

I was so mad I could've made a hole right in the middle of his back! I would've settled for a hole in the middle of his head, but it was already empty. If you opened Larry's head from the top, there'd be nothing but an empty hole.

"Why you little…"was all I could say. I was too mad.

I finally thought of a word, but I won't say it 'cause this is intended for readers of all ages. Let's just skip it.

Still angry, I said, "What do you want?"

"Oh, right. Someone wants to see you."

I walked back to my desk and sat, still tense. You don't recover from scares that easily. "Who is it?"

"A close friend of yours. And of Kathy's."

"Then that means that you can't be the visitor, right?" Hee hee. His face looked as if he had just sucked on a lemon. "That's not funny," he said.

"Well, there's nothing funny about you." Got him again!

"Want me to bring her in?"

HUH? It was a girl?! But before I could even think, Larry said, "No, it's not the Future Queen of Amarkia." That was his nickname for Lilia. I searched through my memory for some other girl who might be a friend of mine…or Kathy's. Couldn't come up with anyone.

Well I didn't want to bother myself with details. I quickly changed to human form, combed my hair, straightened my clothes, and told Larry to let her pass. Don't get me wrong, here. My love is only for Lilia. But I guess it's just natural for a guy my age to want to look good for any girl.

Well, I waited and finally the girl came in. It was no ordinary girl. It was a tomboy. There's only one tomboy I know. "Darla?" I said, astonished.

"Hey, Spiny!" She ran over and hugged me. Kinda surprised me. She almost suffocated me. Her full name is Darla Baker. She's about five feet, 6 inches tall. Has blonde/light brown hair. Black eyes. Age: fourteen. Never wears make-up or dresses. Wears hats almost all the time, mostly baseball caps. And she always has her skateboard strapped to her backpack.

Oh, and she plays the synthesizer. Look that up in your spare time.

"What brings here?" I said. "How was your trip in Paris?"

"Oh, I wish you could've seen it. It's so amazing. It's just SO cool! They have the best skateboarding places anywhere on Earth!"

I shoved my hands into my pockets. "I assume you brought souvenirs?"

"Oh sure." She had been carrying a large duffel bag over her right shoulder. She brought it over to the desk. Larry and I looked as she unzipped it and started taking stuff out. "Oh, we took lots of pics. My Instagram account is, like, really full. I brought Patty a beret. And I got a straw flower hat for Kathy, a French art kit for Robert and a French model car for Greeny."

She kept digging through her stuff. "Ah, here we are. This is for Spiny," she said, taking something out. It was, medium-sized, black, heavy, and had long, wide glass lens. "A camera?" Larry said. I recognized it. It was a Canon EOS 70D. The best for landscape photography.

"Not just a camera. I was told that this is the best kind of camera to take pictures of landscapes and even of the sky." She handed it to me. I looked it all over. Wow. It was really something. "Oh, thanks, Darla."

"And for Larry…" she started going through her bag again.

"A retirement form?" he said.

"You wish!" I replied.

She took out an archery set. "This is for you," she said, handing it over to him.

Boy, you should've seen Larry's eyes. Ever seen a little girl when she gets a Cinderella dress? Or when a puppy gets an oversized bone? That's how Larry was.

He was looking at it all over. I said to Darla, "Aw, but really Darla, you didn't have to give us these gifts."

To which Larry said, "Yes, she did."

"And, I, uh, also brought something for Lilia."

That made my ears jump. "You did?"

She nodded, smiling. In case you're wondering, yes, Darla knows that I'm in love with Lilia. They're close friends. Anyways, turns out Darla brought her an alligator bag. No, that's not a bag in the shape of an alligator. That's a bag in the shape of a bag made with alligator skin. Just in case you get smart with me.

It doesn't really matter to me. Anything that helps rid the world of alligators, I'm for it.

"By the way, Patty tells me you're taking Lilia to the dance next week," Darla said.

I nodded. "That's right."

"That's nice."

"It's sweet," I said.

"It's icky," said Larry.

I stared at him. Look who's talking. Well, that wasn't my problem.

Speaking of which…I looked at my watch. It was 3:38 pm. "Say, speaking of my possibly future-girlfriend, I need to take a quick shower and change." Remember my, uh, musical lesson?

"You have a date with her?" Darla asked.

"No, I'm going over to give her guitar lessons."

"Oh," she said, nodding.

As I walked out the room, Larry said, "Hey, Spiny."

I turned around. "What?"

They both had crazy smiles. "Dootle-lee dootle-lee do do do!"

I squinted my eyes. "Oh, grow up, will you?!" Ignoring their snickering I went upstairs to shower.

I decided to use my watermelon-scented shampoo. After all, Lilia said she'd liked it, right? After I'd showered, I made sure to use plenty of deodorant. Made sure I washed my face, combed my hair just right, and brushed and flossed my teeth. And I gargled Listerine. Never can have your mouth too clean.

I also, got my cologne and sprayed some on my shirt and on my hands, where I rubbed them in. I put on a collared shirt. Not a formal one. It was a long sleeve collared tee shirt. White background with red and dark and light blue squares all over it. And also, a new pair of jeans I'd bought.

As I looked at myself in the mirror, I thought…hmm, no. No jeans. I put on some light-brown khaki pants, instead.

Anyways, I grabbed my guitar, which was inside its black leather case. I swung the strap over my right shoulder and started walking out. I was going down the elevator to the first floor, and when the doors opened, I bumped smack into my sister.

At first she didn't notice, but then she started looking at me all over. "Well, my goodness, what do we have here?" I braced for laughter. But all she did was grin.

I rolled my eyes. "All right, go ahead. Laugh. Get it out of your system. Go on. Just laugh." She just stood there, grinning and looking. And sniffing. Guess she smelled the cologne. Then she laughed and kissed me on the check. "You're growing up so much, you know." Then she ran off, and I thought I caught a tear in her eyes.

That was odd. Huh. Guess the sniff wasn't the cologne.

Anyways, I left Patty in charge, and walked outside. It was really nice outside. Partly cloudy. Around 64 degrees. Light cool breeze.

I walked down the large driveway that led to the Palace Doors, walked outside the Gates, across the street, and up to Lilia's house. I sure hoped the deodorant would do its job, 'cause I could feel the sweat ready to come.

With jittery fingers, I rang the doorbell. The door opened. It wasn't Lilia. It was her older brother Micah. He's a senior at Sauropolis High School. He's about five feet, eleven inches tall. He's got green eyes, brown hair, wide shoulders, and is in the Top Ten in his class. "Hey, Spiny, dude!"

"What's up, Micah?" I answered.

"My sister's kinda expecting you, huh?" he said, winking.

I nodded and laughed, "Yeah, you could say that."

"Come on in, then."

"Thanks."

I went inside. I should mention that they have a rather large and luxurious mansion. Not as luxurious and large as the Palace, but still. It's one those multi-million dollar places.

I went into the super-sized living room and sat down on the couch. "I'll go get my sister," said Micah.

"Oh, thanks."

He left the room and me to myself. I saw dozens of family pictures. There was one of Lilia's parents at their wedding. They got married in their mid-twenties, I think. Mrs. Woods, Lilia's mom, looked so blissful and happy in the picture. And Mr. Woods looked very elegant and, well, he looked like a guy in love. Both had huge smiles.

I was still looking at the pictures, when I heard footsteps. I turned around ready to…it wasn't her. It was Lilia's sister, Rebecca. She's a sophomore. Age: 16. Hair color: black and brown. Eyes: brown. She was about two or three inches shorter than Lilia. She came walking over to me, carrying a large, metal tray.

"Hi, Spiny," she said. I didn't exactly get thrilled at the suggestiveness in her voice. She sat down the tray on the table. "Lilia and I made you some fudge brownies and cookies."

I didn't really like Rebecca. She could get a little…I don't know. Provocative. She wasn't the beautiful and innocent Lilia. She was…well, let's just say that sometimes, she thought she was a soap opera actress.

But, it was a nice gesture on her part. And, I had to act like a gentleman. And, I have to admit she's cute in her own way.

"Oh, thanks, Rebecca." I sat back down, and grabbed a cookie.

Rebecca sat on the other end of the couch. She rested her elbow against the couch, like this…oh, right. You can't see. Anyways, she rested her elbow against the couch, and rested her head on her hand.

Then she just stared at me. I mean, she just froze. It looked like she was in a trance. I tried to ignore it.

Then, I heard the voice that makes my heart racing and sends shivers all over me. "Hi, Spiny."

I sturned around and looped. No, I mean, I stood up and turned around.

There she was…glowing with the glory of the sun, shining like the stars of the night. Her smile sparkling, her eyes…oh, her eyes, her face, her hair, her lips…getting carried away here.

I blinked my eyes, and answered. "Hi, Lilia."

She had her in braids. I think it's micro-hair headband, or something like that. She looked awful cute with her hair like that. She was wearing black jeans and a red blouse. I could barely stand to look at her.

"Well, you could stay standing there, or get on with the music lessons," said someone. I turned and saw…it was Lilia's mom. She was carrying a basket of laundry under her arm. I walked over to her and shook her hand. "Hello, Mrs. Woods. How are you?" I tried to sound as polite as I could.

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Well, come on, Spiny," said Lilia, walking up the stairs.

"Can I trust you two alone up there?" said Mrs. Woods. I'm sure she was just kidding, but I don't think Lilia appreciated it. "Mom!" she said. Her face turned red. Maybe from embarrassment, but mostly anger.

I tried to smile, but I think it came out lopsided, and I felt my face burning. Anyways, Lilia walked up the stairs, and I ran up after her. Well, walked. Didn't want to drop my $800 guitar. We went to the side of the house. Or mansion. Anyways, that's where her room was.

Finally, we got to her room. It was actually kinda big. And neat. Very neat. Pink and yellow walls. Purple ceiling. White furniture. And of course, lots of mirrors. She sat down on her bed. Guess she was waiting for me to say something. "Nice room," I said. Congratulations, genius. I could've thought of something else.

"Hey, guys!" I looked at the entrance. There was Rebecca, carrying the tray. "You forgot the brownies and the cookies." She set it down on Lilia's night desk. Lamp desk. Whatever it is. The one beside the bed where you put the lamp and the alarm clock.

"Thanks," I said.

Rebecca stood beside me, smiling. And yikes, Lilia looked annoyed. I guess she was hinting for her to leave. She finally got the message and left, slowly closing the door behind her.

My heart started racing again. This was the first time I was alone in a room with a girl. In her own room. I felt uneasy. How was I supposed to act?

My deep thoughts were broken when Lilia said, "Won't you sit down?"

I looked around. There were no chairs, no seats, and no couches. She patted the spot at the end of her bed. "You can sit here." Gulp! Sit on a girl's bed? Didn't sound right. But, I did. Funny, when I sat down, the uneasiness faded down.

I cleared my throat, and readjusted my collar. "Well, why don't we start?"

She nodded.

I grabbed my guitar case, unzipped it, and took the guitar out. It was glossy and shiny from how clean it was. "That's a nice guitar," Lilia said.

I chuckled and shrugged. "Well, I try to keep it clean. Number One Rule is to keep your guitar clean."

"Keeping the dust off?" she asked.

"The dust, the mites, the Rebeccas, and of course, the Larrys."

She giggled. "Larry? What did he do?"

"Once, I caught him trying to pull off the wood to make a crate."

"Oh, wow."

Anyways, I showed her the basic guitar positions. How to handle one sitting down, while on a stool, and while standing up. All at once, she seemed eager. "Can I try it?"

I handed her the guitar, while she was still sitting down on her bed. She grabbed it all right. Handled it right. But then she said, "Could you show me?"

"I just did."

"No, but I mean, in person? Could you show me while I'm holding it?"

"Well, I…"

"Oh, please?" She was looking at me with those big, soft brown eyes. I couldn't help but smile and said, "Sure."

I sat down beside her and, well, put my arms over hers. Just so to, um, show her. You know. When I put my arms around her, trying to show her some chords, I got so close that my chin bumped against her left shoulder.

Made me jittery and tremble all over. I was about to show her how to do a C and G chord together, when she looked at me. I felt my body freeze. My mouth got dry and my palms got wet. Like the time I had to tell Robert about the, uh, facts of life, shall we say.

Anyways, she looked at me. She got so close that when she whispered, I could actually feel her words. She smiled a small smile. She blinked her eyes. What she said next would remain for me the rest of my life. "Spiny…you have the most beautiful, captivating, and dazzling blue eyes I ever saw."

My heart froze. It just froze. I felt kind of dizzy and overheated, like when you exercise too much on a hot, humid day. And I felt a pressing sensation on my stomach. I…gulp!...tried to moisturize my mouth.

I stood up quickly and ran to the window. I'd been waiting to, you know, make my move, but apparently Lilia had decided to start first. I tried to clear my head. I heard her set down the guitar and walk up to me. I felt her grab my hand. That sent electricity through my arm.

Her face was turning pink. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I guess I just lost control for a second…" she was talking fast.

My mind raced at a hundred miles per second. Not per hour. Per second. I finally thought of something to say. "Don't worry about it. I don't really mind."

She shrugged and started walking slowly to the other side of the room. Then she said, "Spiny, I invited you here because I wanted to be with you. Like this. Just the two of us. I don't really care a whole lot for music. I just wanted to be alone with you."

Huh. Guess she didn't want for me to see her face. Maybe that's why she wasn't looking at me.

I walked up to her, and grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her so I could see her face. That pretty much froze my brain. I touched her cheek with my hand. It felt so soft. A full-grown rose couldn't have been softer. As I caressed her face, she closed her eyes, and put her hand over mine.

Then it started happening again. I felt myself pulling towards her. We closed our eyes, leaned forward, and…knock! Knock! Knock!

It was Mrs. Woods' voice. "Spiny? Kathy wants you to go over to the Palace."

"Oh, uh, thanks, ma'am. I'll be right over." Then I turned to Lilia. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

I grabbed my guitar, stuffed it in its case, zipped it up, and threw it over my shoulder. "Well, I'll see you." She nodded sadly.

What happened next was a blur. Just before opening the door and leaving, I walked up to her and…well, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Then, I went running out of that house like greased lightning.