Connor spun two colored, round rings in his hand and asked, “So, is Cassie OK with you going to the dance with Beth?”
Matthew removed what looked like hiking boots from the backpack and replied, “I don’t think she knows I am. I sure didn’t tell her.”
“You didn’t want to hurt her feelings?”
Matthew put the two brown hiking boots on his feet and shook his head. “I don’t wanna hurt her feelings, but I also don’t want her to get mad at me. Cassie and her brother are a wealth of information about the school and Travis.” Matthew pressed the tongue of the boot and observed a small array of light shoot out from the front of them.
Connor asked, “Is it some kind of laser boot? Can they cut down trees or slice steel?”
Matthew jumped up on his bed and pointed his feet to the edge. “Based on what Mr. Wainright wrote, I should be able to walk right off the end of the bed and just keep going without hitting the floor.”
Connor backed up from the end of the bed. “I’ve gotta see this; give it a try.”
Matthew took two steps on the bed and extended his leg. He was hesitant about taking the full step.
“Come on man, take the step. The worst that can happen is you fall three feet and bust your butt.”
Matthew took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He took a step of faith and then another. Connor, mouth wide open, clapped his hands. “You’re floating; that’s awesome!” Walter called them memory boots. The scanning ray that emitted from the boots allowed the wearer to continue along a path started on solid ground.
“Do you really think we’ll need something like that tonight?”
Matthew replied, “Probably not. We’ll leave these here, but we’ll take the snap rings.”
The boys heard the front door of the house open. “It’s Mom; quick, take off the boots and hide the backpack.” Matthew pressed the tongue of the boots and dropped the three feet to the floor of the boys’ room. He threw the boots into the backpack and put it under his bed. Connor threw him one of the two snap rings to put in his pocket. April entered the room and, like any other mom, knew something was up.
“What are you guys working on in here?” April had already told the boys not to mess with Walter’s gadget bag until she had gone through it herself. The boys determined that she was never going to go through the bag. If she did, she wouldn’t let them use anything she found. So far, the boys had found the memory boots and the snap rings.
The rings were no bigger than a ring for your finger but they could pack quite a punch. When used properly, the ring could be used to amplify the smallest sound to that of a sonic blast. Something as simple as a handclap or a snap of the fingers could create a blast strong enough to knock down a door. Both boys had a ring stashed in their pockets.
“We’re just trying to get ready for the dance. Where have you been?” asked Matthew.
April didn’t believe her son, but she let it go because she was so excited about the clothes stuffed in the shopping bags she carried. “I found some things for both of you for the dance tonight and a lovely dress for myself.” April was excited and chatted about all the different types of clothes she had found. “The colors, boys—you just wouldn’t believe all of the beautiful colors of cloth that the stores have.”
The boys pulled out their new shirts and pants and put them on the bed. “Matthew, I bought you some black dress pants and a classic white button-up shirt. I think you look good in black and white.” She held the shirt up to Matthew and smiled.
“For you, Connor, I went with these tan pants and a bright blue shirt. The blue will bring out the color in your eyes.” She held the shirt up to Connor and turned him to the long mirror located at the side of the bed. “Don’t you look handsome!”
The boys both looked into a third bag lying on the bed and Connor asked, “What are these things?” He held up a long, but thin, leathery looking rope and April clapped her hands in excitement.
“That is the part that will bring both of your outfits together boys. That’s what the lady at the store said.” She walked over to Connor and placed the leathery strap over his neck and said, “They call it a bola tie.” Matthew laughed at his brother, but stopped when he realized that his own bola tie was being pulled from the bag. April’s eyes began to water and she turned to a fourth bag.
“These new socks and shoes will really finish off the look. You’ll look just like the mannequins in the store window. Now go ahead and get ready. I need to do my hair and put my dress on.” She walked from the boys’ room and yelled back, “We leave in an hour.”
Connor and Matthew changed clothes and discussed the strategy for the night. Matthew was the only one actually strategizing. “We have to remember to stay close to each other tonight. If we get separated, that’s gonna be the perfect time for Trey and his buddies to pounce on one of us.” Connor buttoned his bright blue shirt and his mind drifted into another world.
“Do you think Amanda will kiss me good-night? I would think after we dance for a while and I show her how much fun I am, she’ll want to kiss me good-night.”
Matthew realized that his brother wasn’t paying attention to him and threw out a ridiculous thought. “Maybe you could run off and marry her right after the dance. That way, she’ll almost be sure to give you the attribute charm.”
Connor picked up on the sarcasm and replied, “I really don’t think she’ll be ready for marriage after just one date, do you?”
Matthew smacked his brother on the head and said, “No, you idiot, but I think if we aren’t careful, Amanda’s gonna think we’re both stupid and we’re never going to get that charm from her. You need to remember why we’re here.”
Connor poked his head out of their door and said, “I think April’s getting sucked into this place. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so happy.”
Matthew agreed, but got back to business. “Like I was saying, we need to stay close to each other tonight.”
Connor shook his head. “I have one of the snap rings and you have the watch; we’ll be fine.”
Matthew looked at the second button from the top of his watch and said, “I’ve never even tried this thing. It may not even work.”
Connor closed the bedroom door and stood in front of Matthew. “There’s only one way to find out; let’s try it.” Connor pulled his hand back and said, “I’m gonna hit you square in the nose unless you use that watch to stop me.”
Matthew begged his brother, “I don’t think we should do this. We’ll just try it out if we need it.”
Connor began the countdown, “Three, two, one.” Connor’s fist came flying toward Matthew’s face and Matthew reacted to it. He touched the second button from the top of his watch and placed the watch between Connor’s fist and his own face.
A resounding thud resonated as Connor was flung back into the boys’ closet. Books and papers fell onto Connor’s head as Matthew rushed over. “Are you all right?”
Connor wobbled his head and stood up. “Well, that seems to work just fine.”
That button was known as the reflector. Based on what Walter described, it would deflect or project back any force that it came into contact with. The force of Connor’s punch was deflected by the watch, and that force propelled Connor back into the closet. “That’s a really cool button.”
Matthew responded, “The only bad thing is how long it lasts. Walter says that it can only stay activated for a couple of minutes, and when it dies, it takes half an hour to recharge.”
The boys cleaned up what they could in their room and started to the car for the short trip to school. April heard on the radio that the football game was over, so the dance should be starting shortly. April called to the boys, “Load up!” The boys saw their mother for the first time in her new dress and were amazed.
April Chance emerged from her home wearing a blue silk dress that only came down to
her knees, with a small slit up the side. Sparkly blue high-heeled shoes and a plethora of jewelry finished out the look. Connor was the first to speak. “Wow, I didn’t know you could wear something like that, Mom.”
Matthew asked, “What is that on your shoulders?”
April explained that they were shoulder pads. “This is popular in this time and I want to make sure I fit in.”
Connor asked, “What about the shoes? Can you even walk in them?”
April looked down and explained, “I have been practicing for the last hour in my room. The lady at the store said that I needed them. She said that you have to make sacrifices for beauty.”
Matthew chuckled. “I guess your gigantic teased-up hair was the lady at the store’s idea, too.” April walked to the driver’s-side door. She could feel the sarcasm that oozed from her boys.
“You both shut up and let’s go.” The boys climbed into the car and they were off. They only stopped on the way twice for April to readjust her shoulder pads. The boys made a joke about her using their football equipment next time.
They reached the school and several kids had already streamed into the gym. It was a gorgeous fall evening in West Tennessee. A full moon lit up the night sky and a slight nip of falling temperatures was felt on the tip of their noses.
April dropped the boys off and they strolled to the front door and waited on their dates. April parked the car and realized that her new shoes were not a good option for walking long distances. She made her way into the gym and staggered toward the chaperone corner at the far end of the building.
The boys studied their peers while they waited on their dates. They wanted to know how they were walking, talking, and acting with their dates. One of the juniors had his arm around his date. One of the seniors had his tongue down his date’s throat. One of the freshmen looked scared to look his date in the eye. Matthew and Connor had never been to anything like this and they would have to learn on the fly.
Since both Amanda and Beth were cheerleaders, Matthew and Connor expected them to be two of the last to show up, but that turned out not to be the case. They got their first glimpse of the girls walking up the sidewalk and began to panic. “What do we say?” They both turned around and acted as if they hadn’t seen them.
“So, are you two ready to tear up the dance floor?” asked Amanda. The boys turned to see Amanda Curry and Beth Perry standing in front of them, their cuteness on display.
Connor stumbled as he tried to reply. “Sure…we…can…tear the floor up…if you want.”
Amanda looked to Matthew. “What about you? Excited for your first ever Eastview Fall Fling dance?”
The four of them looked odd standing with each other. Connor was eye to eye with his date, due to her high-heeled boots. Matthew was a good two inches shorter than his date, due to her high-heeled boots.
Matthew looked to Beth, who was wearing a tight white cotton dress, and replied, “Absolutely.” To be honest, Matthew had a hard time taking his eyes off of Amanda as they walked through the front door of the gym. He couldn’t believe that a girl could look that good in pink leg warmers. They shot out from under her neon miniskirt and baggy top.
Beth tapped Matthew on the shoulder and asked, “Are you not even listening to me?”
Matthew replied, “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”
She put her hands on her hips. “You didn’t even bother to get me a corsage?”
Matthew panicked and asked himself, “What’s a corsage?” Beth showed him the pretty ones on the other girls in the gym. “See, look at Brittany’s corsage; it’s beautiful.” Matthew apologized for the error and asked if she wanted any punch.
“I bet Austin would have gotten me a corsage. His mom always remembers those things.”
Speaking of moms, Matthew glanced over to April to see how she was doing with the rest of the chaperones. It seemed that April might have slightly overdressed for the occasion. The other parents and teachers wore blue jeans, track suits, and the occasional cotton dress. Her silk power dress and heels stuck out like a sore thumb with the rest of the adults. She stood to the side of a snack table and had not spoken to anyone. She was looking around the gym when she was startled by a wayward voice.
“Wow, I wish I woulda put on my tux.” April spun to see a tall man wearing a police officer’s uniform coming toward her. “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I was admirin’ your dress there and just wanted to come over and introduce myself.”
April reached her hand out to the young officer and said, “My name is April, April Chance.”
The officer grabbed a small cheese and cracker from the table and asked, “You must be new to town cause I know just about everybody who lives here and I can’t say that I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet an April Chance.”
April was mystified by the officer’s southern twang and ease of conversation. She was glad that someone had taken the time to talk to her. There was something about this man that seemed familiar to her, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. April explained to the young police officer that she and her sons had just moved to Travis and she was looking to make a permanent home for her family.
“Well, my name’s Danny Charles, or Officer Charles, if I ever pull you over for speedin’.” He explained that he was asked to cover the local school dances, just to make sure there were no fights or altercations among the students.
“So April, is your husband here too or did he leave it up to you to cover the whole dance?”
April responded, “Oh, I’m not married. It’s just me and the boys.”
The young officer asked April if she would like to get some air. “It’s kinda stuffy in here, maybe we could talk outside.” April agreed and the two went out the side door of the gym.
Connor found Matthew and asked, “Did you see where Mom went?”
Matthew responded, “Not really. I’ve been a little more focused on the dance floor.”
“What do you mean?”
Matthew pointed to the floor and said, “Haven’t you noticed that no one on the floor is dancing like April showed us last night? They’re barely moving out there.”
Connor pointed to Amanda and Beth, who were talking by the punch table, and said, “I’m a little more worried about our dates. I’m running out of things to talk about. They keep talking about some music video with a zombie in it. Sounds like the zombie dances around and turns into a big cat or something stupid like that. I have no idea what they’re talking about.”
The boys backed away from the dance floor as one of the songs they had practiced dancing to with April came over the speakers. Amanda and Beth ran up to them and grabbed each of their hands. “We love this song; you have to dance with us.” Connor and Matthew looked at each other in terror as their dates dragged them to the center of the gymnasium floor.
The boys looked at the streamers tied to the crossbeams of the gym and the posters on the walls of all the popular music acts of the time. The beat was pounding, the rhythm of the music was intoxicating, and as Amanda and Beth looked to the boys to make the first move, it just began to flow through them.
Matthew and Connor gyrated to the music, arms thrashed, quick starts and stops, just as their mom had shown them. Both boys had their eyes closed as they prayed that they weren’t making fools of themselves. They took a peek at their dates and realized that they were both laughing, but not necessarily at them.
Amanda grabbed Connor’s hands and they began to move around the gym. “Wow, Trey would never let loose like that. You guys know how to have fun.”
Beth grabbed Matthew’s hands and said, “You guys look ridiculous, but at least you’re trying. Here, put your hands on my waist.”
The boys and their dates danced around to the next three songs and had a great time doing it. It wasn’t the most impressive dancing in the world, but it got the job done. Matthew gl
anced over to his brother and Amanda as they jumped up and down on a number one tune. After one exaggerated jump, he noticed something pop out of the top of Amanda’s shirt. It was a square charm, yellow in color, hanging on a small gold chain.
The music died down and Connor led his date toward the front door of the gym. Matthew began to follow, but Beth grabbed his hand. “Come on, I need a drink.” Matthew reluctantly followed his date back to the punch table.
“That is so much fun. I can’t believe you and your brother don’t mind looking like complete idiots out there just so we can have a good time.”
Matthew responded, “Anything to help you have a good time.”
Beth looked to the punchbowl and asked, “So, do you have something to spike the punch with? That’ll really get the dance going.”
Matthew pulled his pockets out and replied, “No, must have left it in my other pants.”
The gym was packed with kids and the music was so loud that you could barely hear the thud of feet that slammed onto the basketball court. The DJ had started the strobe light and it covered the entire dance floor. Matthew listened as Beth went on and on about the difficulties of her hairdo. “Can you believe it takes my mom an hour every night to roll my hair?”
Matthew shrugged. “That must be a lot of rollers?”
Beth agreed and was about to explain her issues with cheerleading when she saw Cassie Jenkins running toward the punch table. She asked, “I wonder what the supergenius is up to?”
Cassie called out to Matthew, “Matthew, I need your help! Matthew!”
Matthew and Beth made their way toward her. Matthew asked, “What’s wrong?”
Cassie stopped and caught her breath; she wasn’t used to running. “You have to come with me. Jack and your brother are getting beaten up in the parking lot.”
Beth rolled her eyes. “Those idiots are back at it. Go on with her. I’ll try to find Officer Charles.”
Matthew raced out of the gym with Cassie on his tail. As they exited the door, Matthew could hear Cassie asking, “So you came to the dance with her?”
Last Chance Page 16
