I stomped my way to the locker room. Stomped. Marched. Every step I took made my temper rise and my fury got hotter. I changed into dinosaur form.

I could feel my tail stiffen, and my lips curling, revealing rows of deadly conical teeth. A growl began to rumble deep in my throat, and it grew into a snarl.

When I reached the room, I punched the door. Punched it hard! It slammed so hard against the wall that I heard the whole building vibrating. There was Tyrone and Larry with about ten or fifteen other guys.

Tyrone had just finished PE. I could tell, because the whole room stunk. Phew! Anyways, I came in, with a murderous glare in my eyes. My teeth were showing, and I was still growling. I could feel my giant claws contracting, begging to dig into his flesh.

"YOU!" I yelled at him.

He looked confused. "Yeah, it's me. Who'd you think I was, King Louis XVI?"

I walked up to him. "When I'm finished, you'll wish you were Napoleon Bonaparte."

His eyes flashed. "What are you babbling about?"

"You know darn well. You're taking MY girl to the dance, and thanks to you, I got stuck with the school's Female Nuisance."

His eyes lit up again. "Oh, is that all?"

"IS THAT All?!" I couldn't control it anymore. Maybe it wasn't such a big deal for him, but it was for me. "All right, you asked for it. Come on, put 'em up!" I showed my fists.

He shrugged and put up his fists. Suddenly, the whole room was filled by voices saying, "Fight, fight, fight, fight…"

We faced each other for several tense seconds. Then, Dimetroodon walked in. He went over to Larry and said, "What's going on here?"

"Oh, can't you see they're about to fight? What are you, blind or something?"

"I know they're about to fight, stupid! What I mean is why are they fighting?"

"Ohhh. Well, it all started last week when Spiny asked Lilia to the dance." And he told the whole story up until that moment. "And that's why they're fighting."

Tyrone and I were still looking at each other. We hadn't even pinched each other. Then he said, "Well, go ahead, Mr. Prettyface! Start!"

"Start? What am I, a car?" When you're in the heat of anger, you don't usually make much sense, but what was I supposed to do.

I was about to beat the liver out of him, when the bell rang. Boy, you should've seen the way all those boys stared at me. Just waiting for us to strike. We were about to when all at once, Dimetroodon stepped in between us. "Wait, wait, wait! What are you doing?! You think punching and hitting will solve your problems? What are you, cavemen? You should be ashamed!"

That room was so quiet, you could've heard a dust particle fall on the floor. All right, maybe I did get a little hasty. Dimetroodon turned to all the other boys and said, "All right, all right, people. Go on, let's go. Get out of here. Nothing to see here. Go on!" Everyone left, leaving me in the room with Tyrone, Larry, and Dimetroodon.

I sat down on the bench in the middle of the room. "I'm sorry, Tyrone. I guess I just got…a little forward. Maybe I just have a jealous streak, you know?"

"Ah, don't worry," he said. He started taking clothes out of his locker. "I mean, I don't even think your Lilia's my type."

That hit me. "HUH? You mean, you're not interested in her?"

He shook his head. "Ah, no. I mean, she's you know sweet, and soft, but that doesn't fit with me."

I sighed. "I wonder what I can do to win her back."

Larry sat down beside. "Well, come on. Let's think hard."

"Well, look at this way," said Tyrone. "The school dance is to have fun and make new friends. That's all."

"Yeah, I guess you're…" I couldn't finish the sentence. He was throwing stuff out of his locker, and he threw his black sports shirt and it landed on my head. Blech! It stunk so bad it had flies and green fumes coming off it.

"Oh, that stinks!" I quickly pushed it away from me. "Here, have my deodorant," I said, handing it to him.

He looked at it. "What are you insinuating? That I smell bad and need to smear this all over my body?"

I stood up and walked up to him. "Yes, that's what I'm insinuating! You gotta a problem with that?!"

"Of course I have a problem! Come on, put 'em up!" Well, here go again with the fists. Larry stepped between us. I guess he was about to lecture us too, but we didn't listen.

What happened next was entirely predictable. I swung a punch at Tyrone, but, um you might say that Larry happened to be in the way. KA-POW! Got him in the left jaw, making spin to the right.

Tyrone tried to hit me, but he also punched Larry, this time in the right jaw, making him spin to the left. I hit back. Tyrone hit back. Then I did. Then he did. What ended the fight was not victory by either part. It was when Larry fell backwards on the tile floor. Oops! I guess, he'd been, um, in the way. The whole time.

Oh, he was all right. Just a little, um, bruised. Maybe a few minor cuts here and there.

Well, anyways, I left. I was feeling mighty low, mighty blue. I was ashamed at myself for falling for Kylie's trick. I mean, any idiot would've figured it out. I know you probably would. You would, wouldn't you?

Anyways, I was ashamed of myself. But I was also, well, outraged. I was angry at Kylie for ruining my blossoming relationship with Lilia. I was angry at Lilia for not listening to me and jumping to conclusions. And angry at myself for allowing myself to be duped and framed.

I went home, showered, changed, did my homework, then went down to the office to sign those insurance renewal forms. Larry and William picked up Patty and Kathy after I left. Robert and Greeny went with our Royal Doctor and his family to go watch a movie and go bowling. And obviously, Tyrone picked up Lilia.

After all that, it was 6:30 pm. I was pacing back and forth in my office, my new suit freshly pressed. I had thought of everything and tried everything, but I had found no solution. I was still trying to think of new ideas, when the intercom buzzed. "Yes?" I said.

"Spiny, there's a young lady here to see you."

I got excited! Maybe it was Lilia! "Be right there."

I ran out the office, ran up the stairs, jumped through several hallways and doors, got to the lobby and…prayed that the Earth open up and swallow me into a pit of magma. It wasn't her. It was her rival.

She had a black dress with a small pink scarf around her…neck, obviously. She a bow in her hair and was wearing nine tons of make-up. She looked like a zombie. Oh, and did I mention high heels? Yes, sir. The highest heels that exist in the market.

She ran up to me, and grabbed my shoulder. "You look super-cute, cupcake!" Yeah, so cute I feel like throwing up.

I tried to cool my fury. I breathed deep. "Thanks."

"Well…shall we go? Dance won't go without the school Princess and Her Date."

HER?! The school princess? Ha! HA! HA! I wanted to laugh. To gloat. Right in her face. I felt so much like pulling her hair until she was even balder than Fal.

I did my best to put those violent thoughts out of my mind. I "walked" her to TIV. Not happily. I only opened the door for her because it weighs more than two hundred pounds. Anyways, I drove to the school. We arrived at around 7:15. The place was packed, the decorations were in place, the food and fruit punch was out, and the music was playing.

Let me tell you something, dear reader and amigo. Or amiga. I was mi-se-ra-ble. Miserable. There was Larry, Dimetroodon, Darla, Kathy, and Patty all standing by the fruit punch. Kylie said she'd go to look something to eat fit for a handsome young king.

I quickly took advantage of that to run over to join The Gang. That's what I call Kathy, Patty, Larry, Darla, Dimetroodon, and Rudy. Except Rudy wasn't there. He goes to another school.

I walked up to them. They were laughing about something. I didn't know and didn't care to find out. They all looked at me.

Larry said, "What's up, dude?"

Kathy said, "Well, my, it's Mr. Heartthrob."

"Aw, shut up!" I said. I shoved my hands into my pockets and looked down.

"Oh, you mean…" Darla pointed to Kylie who was talking with other cheerleaders.

I nodded. I wanted to cry. I actually wanted to cry. Then I turned to look and…there she was. My love. She was wearing a bronze-colored, knee-long dress. She'd combed her hair to one side. Her beautiful light brown-hazel eyes shone so wonderful. I felt my heart flutter…then I felt it sink when Tyrone appeared.

But he wasn't even close to her. First thing he did was to go start stealing the other kids' food. Lilia waved at Kathy. Kathy waived back. Lilia walked over to us. I felt too ashamed. Too humiliated. I walked away to the other end of the table and stood there, looking away. I heard them chat a little.

I was playing around with a bowl of chocolate pudding, when I suddenly heard the chatter die down. I looked and everyone had left except Lilia. She was standing about four feet from me, also looking uncomfortable and fidgeting.

Come on, Spiny. It's now or never. I looked up to her. She was looking down. And if I'm not mistaken, I saw her eyes get foggy. I…took a deep breath, and hoped what I said next would come out as I wanted to.

"Lilia, look, I have to tell you…"

She looked up quickly. "We don't have anything to talk about, Spiny."

Ouch. That hurt. It really did. I felt like someone had dropped a brick on my head. I turned away again. I felt my throat closing up and my eyes got watery.

I exhaled again, wiped my tears, and looked back at her. I wasn't going to let it go. "Look, Lilia. I am going to say something. I don't know how this all happened. I would never go to this dance with anyone else besides you."

She looked at me. "Go on."

"I didn't want to come with Kylie. I wanted to come with you."

Her eyes brightened, ever so slightly. Then, a slow, romantic ballad started playing. Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought I saw a heart-shaped disco drop down from the ceiling. I don't remember what the song was.

I looked at Lilia. "Would you dance with me? Please?"

She nodded. I took her hand in mine, leading her to the dance floor. I put my other hand on her waist and she put her other hand around my shoulder. Then we started dancing to the slow music.

"Spiny?" she said.

"Yeah?"

"If you weren't going to dump me as your date, why did say you were going to be late?"

I sighed. "I was going to be late, because I needed to attend some business at my office. That's why."

She stayed quiet, meaning that she'd probably believed me.

"Lilia."

She looked up. "Yes?"

"I wanted to dance this one with you because I wanted to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"I wanted to tell you that I…that is…well, if it's all right with you…if you would like to be my g…"

Talk about worst timing. Guess who arrived. Yep. Kylie. She pushed Lilia away from me, and threw her arms around my neck. "Oh, thanks for taking care of him, Lilia. Now, do just like mosquitos do, and get outta here! Now!"

Lilia walked away, looking extremely hurt.

"Wait, Lilia!" I was about to go after her, but Ms. Never-Satisfied-With-Anything got in my way and started dancing.

At that moment, Patty appeared behind her. She crept up to her and…poured green slime down her back! Ha ha ha! Oh, I wish you could've seen it. Oh, it was so great! Kylie shrieked, and looking magenta, ran out of the dance room.

I looked at Patty and ran up to hug her. "Thanks."

She smiled at me. Then, patting my on the shoulder, she said, "Now, go get your girl!"

I was in the process of searching when…out of nowhere a strange object came flying and landed in the fruit punch bowl. Then I saw…sparks? Coming from the dance floor?

I looked and…oh my gosh! Larry and Kathy were…they we're being electrocuted! I ran up Larry. "What's going on?!"

In a not-so-normal tone of voice, "T-th-the-the-the c-c-c-c-con-contr-control!"

"Huh? What control?"

"I-in th-the f-f-f-fruit punch!"

I ran over to the fruit punch. The control that Larry had invented for his dancing suit! Somehow it had ended in the punch. Maybe that's what I saw flying by. And when it landed in…well, what happens to anything electrical that lands in liquids? Yep. Sparks.

I grabbed the control and, ouch! Got a shock.

I dropped it on the floor and…BOOM! A huge explosion of sparks. Made me fall back on my head. Let me tell you something, that floor is hard! But that wasn't the worst. The control had exploded, right? It was connected to the suit, right? So it's only logical to conclude that the suit also went BOOM!

And that's exactly what happened. Larry looked like a scar on a tree struck by lightning. And Kathy…well, her hair was up and in all directions, shall we say. With little electric impulses still going off of it.

What happened next was entirely and completely unpredictable. Kathy grabbed by the tail, swung him around like a lasso, and sent him flying to the northeast at point blank range at a speed of three hundred inches per second.

CRASH! He hit the the wall with his nose and landed on two students, a plate of food, and banged his arm against the floor and a big fat dinosaur kid landed right on it. CRUNCH! Sounded like a whole of celery stalks.

I'd never seen so much screaming since a friend of mine told his wife that his mother was going to their house for dinner.

Anyways, it was quite a sight, let me tell you. Hadn't seen anything funny since…something extremely embarrassing happened to someone I know. I won't discuss it. Sorry, but I won't.

Well, as you might assume, I managed to get Larry out of there and to a hospital.

A few hours later, around 9:30 or so, I was already going through the dessert. Triple chocolate fudge cake and ice cream. I'd danced with Patty, Darla, with two cheerleaders, and about three other girls.

So, there I was, going through the dessert, trying to get a piece of cake which had extra fudge before someone else did, when I felt someone tapping my left shoulder. Or maybe it was my right. Who cares!

Anyways, I turned and...ah, never mind. It wasn't anyone. It was Kylie. "Come on, let's dance, sweetie."

I'd rather get a shot right under the heart I thought. "Uh, no thanks, Kylie. I'm exhausted. My legs won't serve me anymore except to climb into my bed. I'm really tired."

She insisted. I HATE insistent girls. "Come on. Before Ms. Weed comes and takes you again." Weeds. I hated it that she called Lilia. I'd had it with Kylie. I'd played Mr. Nice-Guy, and look at all the trouble it's gotten me into.

So, just for a few seconds, I decided to play Mr. Mean-Guy. Heh heh. I pointed to the door behind Kylie and said, "Hey, look. There's Chris Prine!"

Whoa! You should've seen the way Kylie's eyes widened. They got as big as plates. Empty plates. She squealed in delight and turned around. "Where?!"

While she was looking away, I...hee hee…took the fruit punch and…ha ha ha…took the bowl over her head and delivered about 2 quarts of fruit punch on her head.

Oh! You should've seen the way she looked. It was too good. I was laughing so hard I might've needed stiches, because I was just falling to pieces. The way she looked at me, I thought she'd kill me.

When I finally stopped laughing, I stood up and said, "And that's what you get for making me lose a potential girlfriend! Next time I won't let you off so easy."

She muttered something under her breath. Then, with about a hundred students pointing and snickering, she marched out of the room.

Anyways, I was about to laugh again with a cup of coke when I turned and saw…oh no. Lilia. I braced myself for another round of "no's" and yelling.

But all she said was, "Spiny…" The way she said it made me think that she wanted me to more or less her sentence. She did want to talk to me.

"Lilia…" I said, taking a step closer to her. I took a deep breath and finally said it. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

A tense silence lingered. Like on a battlefield when the two sides arrive and see each other from the distance. That tense moment just before the battle begins and they begin running towards each other.

She looked down and said, "No."

My lungs closed up and I felt my heart cracking and bleeding. "No?"

"Well, Spiny, all these things that happened made me think over it all. And, well, I think you're cute and really nice and I'm sure you're a great guy."

I waited for her to keep going. She said, "But, we don't really know each other. I mean, we've lived across the street from each other for 5,600 years, but we never really talked. We never got to be friends. So, I'd feel better if we got to know each other first."

I should've felt bad. But I didn't. I smiled and said, "Yeah, you're right. I think that we do need to know each other first." I stuck out my hand. "Friends?"

She nodded and smiled. "Friends." She put my hand aside and hugged me.

Well, a short while later the party ended and we all left. I managed to sneak away some cake and ice cream for Robert and Greeny.

I drove Lilia to her house. All we said was a casual goodbye. Patty was sitting behind the passenger seat. As you might recall, her, uh, date suffered a terrible accident and was incapacitated to drive. Kathy was also there, but she was asleep.

I stayed there in Lilia's driveway for a little while longer. I'd told Patty what had happened. Especially about the part where Lilia asked me to be just her friend. "Well," Patty said. "Maybe it's better that way. For both of you."

"Yeah, I know," I said, looking out the windshield. "But I'm not sure I'll be able to make myself like her only as a friend."

Patty shrugged. "Well, you never know. Maybe deep down, she wants to be your girlfriend, too. But, like she said, you don't know each other too well, even after all these years."

I grunted. "If only I'd paid attention to her when they first moved in."

"Don't blame yourself for what happened in the past. Think of the future. You never know. Maybe you two will end up couple."

I shrugged. "Who knows?"

I started TIV's engine and drove out of Lilia's driveway, across the street, through the Palace Gates and parked out in front of the doors. We all stepped inside and up to change into our PJ's. Robert and Greeny asked for permission to stay over at their babysitter's place. They've got two kids they're age. Respectively.

Anyways, I went to bed thinking about all that had happened.

Well, you know, this life can sure trick you. Like I said, handling all the responsibilities I have isn't easy. Ruling a country, raising a family, doing school work, home chores, and well, being a teenager.

It takes great courage, iron discipline, self-confidence, determination, perseverance, lots of patience, and a sense of constant responsibility, trustworthiness, and love for all those you care for.

But you also learn to enjoy life. You get friends, family, admirers, acquaintances, and you learn to have fun and a sense of humor. You have so many unforgettable experiences and meet all sorts of great people. You discover, explore, and adventure. But that's what makes each of us who were are?

Don't you think so?