The Rack was relatively crowded when Lori arrived with the rest of the after school crowd. As she waited to place her order she scanned the patrons, looking for Mark. She found him sitting at the table next to their usual one. She waved to him and he waved in return. After she got her smoothie, she went to join him.

"I forgot how crowded this place gets after school," Lori said. "Have you been waiting long?"

"About half an hour," Mark shrugged. "It was fine. I've been able to grade some homework." He indicated his laptop. He added, "And you're worth waiting for."

Lori smiled and leaned over to kiss him. She sat down, pulled out her folder of songs and spread them out on the table. "I've been working on these."

Mark looked at the array, "You've been really busy. You must be inspired by having your own night at 'Pockets'."

"Terrified is more like it," Lori admitted. "I have this image of running out of music too soon."

"You don't need that many new songs," Mark assured her. "It's perfectly reasonable to use the six you've already practiced. Then probably another five or six and you'll be able to fill forty five minutes. Keep in mind you need to allow some time for intros and to give the audience time to applaud before you start the next number."

"And if they sit there staring at me, what am I going to do?" Lori asked.

"That's not going to happen, Lori," Mark smiled. "People like your work."

Lori said, "Well, I have to get them written soon. We're at the beginning of the year and there isn't a lot of homework yet, but soon that's going to take up my time."

"Let's get started then," Mark said. "Show me what you've got."

Lori picked up the first paper, "Here's something that's rather quiet, it has some phrasing I really like…"

They spent the next half an hour going through the various songs that Lori was working on with Mark making comments. At the end Mark told her, "You probably have enough here. Obviously some of them need work, but I think they're all very nice. You're going to have some variation in quality. Even professional albums can be hit and miss."

"Well, as long as they aren't all misses." She changed the subject, "Remember when I nagged you to invite me to a dance at UDub?"

"I wouldn't call it nagging," Mark smiled. "I'm looking forward to it. I'd like the semester to start settling in first. It won't be long."

"Actually I was going to invite you to one of my dances," Lori said.

"You want me to go to a high school dance?" Mark asked with amused scorn.

"Why not," Lori spread her hands. "You're not that much older and you said you felt awkward dancing. This would let you practice without worrying about what people thought. After all, what do you care what a bunch of high school students think of you?"

"I care a lot what a certain high school student thinks of me," Mark protested. "But you do have a point. When is this dance?"

"This Friday night after the football game," Lori explained, "We always have a dance after our home games to help the guys burn off their testosterone. It tends to keep the mischief level down."

"I don't have any commitments for Friday night," Mark admitted. "As I told you, the dance scene at UDub hasn't gotten going yet. I suppose I could come."

"Good," Lori smiled conspiratorially, "There's a secret mission involved."

"Well, you know I specialize in secret missions," Mark returned her smile. "What's the mission?"

"Jessi has a date with the quarterback," Lori said. "It's the first time someone's asked her out on a date and I want to be there to keep an eye on her. My mother asked me to help make sure she successfully deals with the high school social scene."

"Jessi's dating the quarterback," Mark raised his eyebrows. "Now that's a surprise. I thought she was completely stuck on Kyle. What happened?"

"Well, she's still stuck on Kyle," Lori admitted. "But Kyle's still stuck on Amanda. He's mooning over the fact that she's away at the conservatory for the fall semester. Jessi was pining away and Raymond saw her in her red Corvette and asked her out. I told her to give it a try. Now I'm worried I may have gotten her in over her head. Dating the school quarterback is pretty high profile for a first date."

"So we are going to be there to catch her if she falls?" Mark asked.

"Well I don't think that her falling will be a problem." She smiled to herself and continued, "I just want to keep an eye on her. We can dance. It will give us a chance to practice together before we go to one of your dances. And it will be fun."

"It sounds like fun. It's a date," Mark agreed. "I like being undercover with you."

"Well, that's probably more appropriate at Jessi's apartment," Lori blushed. She paused for a moment and said, "But you know, I still don't have much homework. I could get away for an hour or two after dinner."

"I can make time," Mark said. "Likewise my schedule is still relatively light. And, I got my homework grading done while I waited. Meet you there?"

"I have to be home early," Lori said. "It sounds juvenile to say it, but it's a school night."

"That makes it deliciously naughty," Mark assured her.