"Why so alone?" Kylie said.

Because I have a right to be alone, you flirt! I didn't say that out loud, of course. All that came out was, "Oh, I'm not alone. I'm waiting for Larry. We're working on our science project." I pointed to the papers on the table.

Kylie made a face and said, "Oh, why bother with school? Life's too short for that, Spiny. You gotta learn to live the life."

I didn't know what to answer to that. I guess I'm better at handling nice girls than mean ones. "So, who's your date for the dance?" Kylie asked.

I answered quickly. "Oh, I asked Lilia. And she said yes." So don't even dream of going with me.

Yikes! The face she made, you would've thought someone had broken her phone. Which she claimed it was her god. "Oh, PLEAZZE! You want to go with her? Spiny, darling, you've practically hated her since you were seven! She chased you everywhere. Don't you remember?"

I felt my temper rising quickly. I tried my best not to raise my voice. "Look, Kylie. Don't even try win me over with your…ways of talking. I am going to that dance with Lilia and nothing and no one stand in between. Keep that in mind."

She laughed and said, "Oh, sure, sure. Don't worry. I won't do anything to interfere." Somehow I wasn't convinced.

She turned to the others and said, "Scram!" The other cheerleaders dispersed and went to annoy other guys in the restaurant. That left Kylie and me alone at the booth. At that moment, Larry came back from the restroom. "Say, Spiny, I was thinking…"

"Who cares?" said Kylie.

Larry gave her the eyes of steel. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

Larry sat down beside me. Then Kylie said, "Whatever! I was on my way anyway. I don't associate with social trash."

Larry turned to me. "I thought the cheerleaders associated with Kylie."

We both burst out laughing. Then Kylie's face turned red. Deep red. With hot anger. "You'll pay for this. You'll both pay for this. You'll see."

She stood up and yelled. "Let's go girls!" They all left, giving me dark glances. Sigh. I'd rather have Kylie angry at me than to be at an international concert having millions of fans crawling all over me.

Well, Larry and I finally decided to make a large diagram of an animal cell for our project. He said he was going to practice his keyboard. He plays the electric keyboard, you know. And the drums. He and I were considering forming a band with our other friends.

But I guess we never got around to it. Plus, in a band you don't just need instruments. You need singers. And I don't sing well. Maybe one of these days.

Anyways, we biked back to the Palace. Obviously, we came in view of Lilia's house. While we were entering the Palace Gates, I thought I saw a blur in front of her house, but I didn't dare to even look, much less stop to see.

Once inside, I put away my bike, and went inside up to my room and took a quick shower. When I came out, Larry was there at my desk. Well, our desk. We more or less share the room. Anyways, he was there, connecting his portable keyboard to the wall outlet. He turned it on and started playing random notes. He played a little with the sound effects and rhythm and tempo.

Then he started playing The Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. He messed up only like three times and played through the whole thing twice. "You've been practicing," I said, putting away my dirty clothes.

He looked up. "Huh? Oh yeah. I've had a little more spare time lately, and I've been able to more or less play around with this thing." He got back to his keyboard, and started going through some other tune I've never heard of.

Once in a while he invents some short twenty-second melody or mixes the beginning of one with the end of another. He's the only guy who can start playing "Row, row your boat" and end up playing "Billie Jean." Or he might start with something like "This Old Man," and end up switching to "Chopsticks."

It amazes me, really.

This is how we spend most weekend afternoons. He either listens to music or practices the keyboard. Or reads some science or social studies book. Like the CIA World Factbook. While I take a nap or read or write in my journal. Once in a while I write poetry. Not too fancy. Just regular poetry.

Anyways, it was a few days later. It was actually the day of the dance. It was around, oh, 9:25 am. It was my day for going to school. It was during the mid-morning break between classes. I was at my locker with Larry and Dimetroodon. We were just discussing what desserts to avoid when, the principal's voice sounded over the speaker system.

"Attention, all students! Just a final reminder that the School Dance is this evening from six to midnight. If you haven't already, get your dates so you won't be stuck sweeping and picking up trash afterwards. Oh, and this year, we have installed special sensors into the school's plumbing system, so we won't have another SITUATION like 7th grade. Got, that Larry?"

We both turned to look at him. He smiled feebly. "Who knew that avocado dip and chocolate would make such a thick substance on the way through the sewers?"

"Larry, you're disgusting!" I said.

"Yeah, you're disgusting!" said Dimetroodon. Then he had a worried look. "Uh oh. Speaking of which. I think I need, to, um, ah…" PFFT! Yech!

"Oh, that's disgusting!" I said.

"Oh, seriously, you need to see a doctor about that, digestive problem, shall we call it," said Larry.

Dimetroodon giggled. "Sorry. I guess fried beans and scrambled eggs aren't the best breakfast." Eww!

"But, anyways," I said, "As I was saying, I'm taking Lilia to the dance. And, on the first slow song, on the first ballad, I'll dance with her and…confess my feelings for her." That's right. You may be surprised, but, I had finally decided to tell her how I feel about her and I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend.

"Are you really decided to ask her that?" Larry said. I nodded. He shrugged. "Well, I don't understand anything about love and I personally think it's icky." Then he smiled at me. He patted me on the shoulder. "But I'm glad you've decided to take the big step and have the initiative."

"Yeah," said Dimetroodon. "I can't even look at girls. Much less talk to one or ask her to date me."

I looked at my two goofy-looking, fairly naïve, yet goodhearted friends. "Hey, I get nervous, too. But, you just need to have confidence and you know, just be sure of yourself. But, you gotta be humble. Never get too overconfident."

I had just closed my locker and was about to go with the guys to our next class when Ms. Always-Around-When-She's-Not-Wanted. She was with one of the cheerleaders. A tall, pony-tailed, red-head.

"Hey, Spiny," they both said.

I smiled. A polite smile that said "Hi, and bye, now get outta here!" Instead, I said, "How are you, girls?"

"Listen, Spiny? Can we speak to you about something?"

"Look, I already told you, I'm going to the dance with…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. This isn't about Lilia. This is not about you either. It's about, uh, someone."

I turned to Larry and Dimetroodon. "Why don't you guys go ahead and wait for me? This won't take long." I turned to Kylie and…Rachel! That's the other cheerleader's name. I looked at them and said, "This won't take long, right?" I hoped she detected the firmness in my voice.

She laughed assuredly. "Oh, no! Of course, not! Just a few minutes."

I nodded and turned back to the guys. "Go ahead and leave."

They both nodded and started leaving. "It's a pleasure to get away from…certain peoples," he said, looking at Kylie and Rachel disgustingly.

After Larry and Dimetroodon left, Kylie said to me. "Listen, since you're, you know, really high on the social mark, we were wondering if you can help us with a little problem."

I shrugged. "Sure, go ahead. What's up?"

"Well, Rachel had invited a guy to the dance. But, she changed her mind at the last minute. Now, she wants to go with someone else. How do you go about uninviting the first person and go with the new choice?"

I ran that through Data Files. That's a fancy word I use to describe my mind. Just sounds more…you know. Techy. Anyways, I ran all what she's said through my mind. Took me a little processing.

I finally came up with an answer. "Well, I'd say it was important to know who the first someone was, and also the second choice."

She thought for a little while. Then, "How about you show us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, how about you play the guy who wants to dump the first girl for the second and I'll play the second one. The one whom you prefer." HUH? Somehow that didn't strike me as a good idea. I mean, I'm not a bad actor, but, people might get the wrong idea.

"Uh, well, I, uh…" I looked around to make sure nobody was… "Sure, all right."

Kylie looked at Rachel and said, "Take your phone out." She did. Then, Rachel said, "Take one of scene in which cute boy dumps uncool girl for super-cool girl. Ready? Action! Camera rolling."

I more or less stammered at the beginning. Well, I had to act right? So I said my line to Kylie. "Do you want to go with me to the dance?"

She pretended to be astonished. "Oh, Spiny! This is so sudden! But, I thought you'd invited someone else." Hmm. Hmmmm. The way she said "someone" really disturbed me.

Anyways, I said, doing my part, "Well, yeah, but I changed my mind. I don't want to go with her anymore. Now, come on, just say yes."

She did her "oh, my gosh" routine again and said, "All right. I'll go. But only, because you asked me."

"Cut!" said Rachel. She stopped the camera. "Came out perfect!" she giggled.

Suddenly, something in my mind said Get out of here. Now! You need to get away from her. FAST! I obeyed. "All right, girls! Gotta go! See you at the dance."

As I ran away as fast as my legs would take me, I heard someone say behind me, "Oh, don't worry. We will."

Something in those words made me feel a sense of…something. Dread. Mounting fear. Impending doom.

Anyways, I went to my next class. Then, during the third period break, Mrs. Maggie, the Grammar teacher asked me to take some books to the library. I said, "Sure, ma'am, anything I can do to help."

I really like Mrs. Maggie. Sure, she's got gray hair and is probably 64, and might have a short temper, lousy ears, and sleeps in the middle of teaching. But she's like a sweet, funny grandmother to me.

Anyways, to get to the library, I had to get through the cafeteria. I was going through the cafeteria. It was empty. Or so I thought. Imagine my surprise when I saw Lilia! Yeah, she was there.

She was just standing there, alone. Huh. She didn't look too happy. Almost hurt. Hmm. Anyways, I walked up to her and said in my most joyful voice, "Hey, Lilia. What you doing?"

She looked at me. "Spiny, is it true?"

I blinked my eyes. "What's true?"

"That…you'll be late for the dance?"

Huh? Oh, yeah! You see, Larry had told me to stop real quick at the office right before the dance, because he needed me to sign some legal form. I think it was to renew my family's life car and life insurance plans.

But I hadn't mentioned it specifically to anyone else. Wonder how she found out. I assumed Lilia knew why so I said, "Oh, yeah! That's right. I was going to tell you about it, but, um, I guess I was embarrassed." I mean, I'm not a queasy person, but like a lot of other people, I get uneasy talking about life insurance. Even with my family.

I was hoping Lilia knew what I meant, but yikes! Her beautiful eyes suddenly lit up with anger. "How could you do this to me?!"

"HUH? Lilia, what are you talking about?"

"If wanted to go with someone else to the dance, why didn't you just come to me and say so? You didn't have to go saying stuff behind my back!"

"Behind your…didn't want to…but, but, but…"

"I wish I never met you. You, you, you…imbecile!"

HUH?! I felt as if someone had hit me in the chest with a metal pole. I'd never seen Lilia angry. About anything or with anyone. I mean, I'd seen her sad sometimes. A few times I saw her cry from far away. But never angry.

"But, that's all right! Because I don't need you. I'm going with Tyrone! Have fun with your cheerleader!" Then she slammed the books out of my hand and they…OW! …landed on my foot. I was still limping ten minutes after she left.

What. Had. That. All. Been. About!

Where did she ever get the notion that I didn't want to go with her? I loved her with my heart and soul and mind. I would NEVER choose anyone over her. I mean, it just didn't make sense.

Wait just a minute! Hold it. Stop, halt! Let's think back through the events of the past six hours, shall we? Let's go through several points one by one. First, I invited Lilia to go as my date. Second, Kylie hates Lilia and vice versa worse than sin. Third, Kylie was a very sly person. Fourth, Kylie duped me into "acting" as if I had dropped Lilia as my date, even without mentioning names. Fifth, once Kylie had "evidence", she showed it to Lilia, who reacted by dropping me. Sixth, Lilia was going with the school bully, and now my new rival. Seventh, I was stuck with Kylie when I'd rather be stuck with a female Nazi spy. And eight, I don't have an eight point, but seven is plenty.

How could I have…I fell for the oldest trick in the book! I'd been duped! Framed!

I looked at the clock. It was 2:45 pm. I had around three hours to come up with something. After thinking, I came up with a solution. A short-term one, anyways. I left the books at the library and marched over to the boy's locker room, where Tyrone, most likely was.

He didn't know it, but I was about to give him the beating of his life.