Benny couldn't deny he found it pretty hot when Fayette pushed him against the wall. Grinning like an idiot when she looked so angry probably didn't help much, but he couldn't help it when she was so dainty and girly, in her little blue dress, pointing her finger into his chest. So naturally, a giggle erupted from him.

"Now you're laughing?" Fayette asked incredulously. "First you write some cryptic note, then cast a spell to send it to my desk. And then you laugh at me for being mad?"

Benny put his hands on her shoulders, still smiling. "No, I promise it's not that. I'm not happy that you're mad. But it was kind of hot when you got angry."

"Still angry here," she said, pointing at her face. "I don't understand you, Benny."

"Not many do," he admitted, taking his hands off her shoulders and removing her finger from his chest. "But I am sorry. I probably didn't go about this the best way."

Fayette scoffed. "Oh, you think?" She shook her head, leaning against the wall beside him and unfolding the note from her hand. "'Fayette, I just want you to know that I won't pry, but whenever you're willing to tell me the truth, I promise I'll understand,'" she read.

"I don't see anything cryptic about it," Benny said, sliding down the wall and taking a seat once he hit the ground. He pat the spot beside him, and Fayette took the hint to sit down.

"Everything about that is just...nonsense. Tell you the truth about what?"

Benny gave her a knowing look, but she just remained at a loss for words. "I said I wouldn't pry, and I won't. But one of these days, I hope you will tell me."

"Yes, but tell you what?"

Realizing she may not actually understand where he was coming from, Benny decided to let it go. "You know what, I will just shut up now."

"But... You didn't... What?" she fumbled. "I should be more freaked out about the magic. The note, and the paper... Seriously, it was in your hand one minute and like blue lightning... I just..." She took a deep breath before continuing, "You know I'm not going to let this go until I get an explanation."

Benny smirked. "I know. So not to change the subject or anything, but I hear there's a dance this Saturday."

Fayette sighed, wanting to press the issue, but she figured that whatever truth he was looking to uncover would eventually give her answers as well. "Yeah, I heard about that. The 'Black and White Ball'. Are you going?"

"Well, it would be an injustice to the world if I didn't let at least one lady accompany me," Benny said smugly.

"Yeah, that'd be a shame. I, on the other hand, need to go through the vast list of guys that have already asked me. Today alone, I think I had five guys extend invitations."

Benny's smile faded right into a look of astonishment. Fayette shoved his arm playfully and laughed. "Gosh, Benny, take a joke."

"Well you act like you're not pretty enough to get asked by a bunch of guys."

"Hmm... no. I think, I act like I only hope for one certain guy's request to the Ball." She took her cell phone out of her bag, and looked at the screen. "Would you look at the time? I've got somewhere to be." She stood up swiftly, taking her belongings with her. "I'll see you around, Houdini." Giving Benny a wink, she strolled down the hallway and through the open doors.

Benny, still sitting on the ground against the wall, decided there was no easy way to lure Fayette in. So if she wanted to start a tango, she had better prepare for him to join in.

Sarah stood in Ethan's bedroom doorway, watching as he shuffled to pick up the mess that had seemed to consume his floor. "You know, it's fine. I don't mind if your room is a mess," Sarah said, just wanting to start the research.

"Well, if you want to go ahead and sit at my computer. I'll grab another chair for me to sit in." Ethan threw a pile of clothes into a hamper before leaving Sarah to herself for moment.

Choosing to go ahead and get a head start, she opened up Ethan's browser. Surprised to find that his desktop picture was of him and Benny, and a spot beside them where she should've been. Jane candidly snapped the photo while Sarah babysat one Friday night. Ethan lounged on the couch, about to put a piece of popcorn in his mouth. Benny was in the middle of knocking over a can of soda. And on the other end of the couch, there she should've been. She wondered what emotions she felt at that time, how her face portrayed those emotions, and if she was happy.

"Oh." Ethan broke the silence, walking into the room with his chair.

"Hey, sorry," Sarah said, clicking away from the picture. "Thought I'd just go ahead and start... Got a bit distracted, I guess."

Ethan brought the chair over beside her and settled into it, observing her. "I remember that night."

Sarah tried to give a smile, her mind still wrapped around her image not being there. "So do I. We were going to watch that one movie about the talking chimps, but we couldn't find it. And then you realized that Benny borrowed it a long time ago and gave it back to you covered in peanut butter. So your mom threw it away."

Ethan gave a light laugh. "Yeah, she always promised to buy a new one. And then we ended up watching that cheesy infomercial for about two hours. I don't even know why. We could've changed the channel. We just didn't."

They sat quietly for a moment, until Sarah declared finally what they both were thinking. "I should've been in that picture."

Sarah usually never got emotional. Ethan knew this about her. He knew how strong and fierce the girl sitting beside him was. He admired her. But for some reason, this really caused her to get a little upset."That's the only reason it's on my computer. I can still picture exactly how you looked." Sarah positioned herself to where she looked directly at Ethan, her legs nearly touching his. Ethan went on, "You wore that pink shirt. The one Jane ended up getting blue icing on. And your hair, which is never up in a ponytail, was that night. And as the picture was being taken, your legs were crossed, and you were smiling. You can't tell really, but I was looking right at you as the photo took. And I remember thinking how pretty you were, even though you couldn't see it for yourself."

Ethan blushed, shocked that he even divulged all that information. Sarah even felt herself trying to hold back a smile. Both of them knew that usually Ethan would never be so honest, or bold. They still sat facing each other, and it felt like forever they just remained that way. Finally, Sarah cleared her throat, and moved her legs back under the computer desk.

"Right. Let's find out who Fayette is," she said, her mouth twitching a bit at the sides.