by Annie Bryant
The room grew silent as Dillon backed away from her, his eyes wide.
Nick, who was standing next to Dillon, said, “Dude, you are toast. Say something nice.” Dillon looked around the room for Avery. But Avery was deep in conversation with Riley.
“Sorry, Maeve…?” Dillon, on the spot, fumbled around and finally blurted. “Your pink dress looks cool with your red hair.”
Maeve eyed him suspiciously. Does he think redheads shouldn’t wear pink? Her vision of a perfect evening with Mr. Popular was starting to look a little blurry.
Lucky for both of them that just then Billy Trentini threw himself on the living room floor as he tried to mimic a classic wave move. Everyone hooted, including Billy, who unfortunately managed to smash his nose in the process.
“That’s bogus, man!” Chase yelled.
Groaning and with blood dripping from his nose, Billy sat up. It was like a scene from Emergency Room Doctors. The girls scattered when they saw the blood. Katani held on to the skirt of her hand-sewn dress, grimacing at the mess, and Maeve let out a scream.
“Everything okay out there?” Mr. Ramsey’s voice echoed from his office down the hall.
“We’re fine, Dad!” Charlotte called back.
“We are?” Maeve didn’t look so sure.
The truth was, Betsy Fitzgerald loved Emergency Room Doctors. She sprang into action just like her favorite physician Dr. Cathi Tidwell did every Thursday night.
“Everyone—stand back,” Dr. Betsy directed with a firm wave of her hand. Then she sat down behind Billy’s head and told him, “Lean your head back. That will stop the flow of blood. Charlotte, please run and get a cold cloth with some ice, if you can, please. Katani, hand me those tissues.”
Betsy grabbed a handful of tissues and held them tight against a grateful Billy’s nose.
“Isn’t my Valentine date wonderful,” a proud Henry Yurt exclaimed. “Let’s give that girl a round of applause.”
Giggling, everyone began clapping, “Woohoo for Dr. Betsy!”
“Sit still, Billy,” Betsy commanded. “You don’t want your nose to start bleeding again, do you?”
“She could probably skip medical school and go straight to the emergency room from eighth grade,” Avery snickered to Katani, who burst out laughing.
“It’s not funny,” Billy sputtered, his voice muffled from all the tissues Betsy still had firmly planted against his nose.
At that moment Charlotte came rushing back into the room with a cold ice pack. Betsy told Billy to hold it on his nose for a few minutes. Then she stood up and pronounced to the group, “My work is done. I want to go to the dance. Henry, let’s go have some fun.”
“Whatever milady wishes.” Henry bowed, then he and Betsy headed out the door and downstairs, promising to see everyone there.
“Dudes, that girl is waaay too much! I don’t think ‘fun’ is in her vocabulary,” Chase said snidely as he watched Dillon and Nick help Billy to his feet.
Betsy heard him and spun around. Her eyes flamed, which actually made her look very pretty in her soft blue dress that flared from the waist.
Folding her arms and lifting her chin, she stared defiantly at Chase. “For your information, Chase Finley, I do so know how to have fun…a lot of fun! Don’t I, Henry?” She looked over at Henry Yurt for confirmation.
“Absolutely!” he responded. “They should give you an honorary degree in fun.”
Betsy looked at Chase with a smug expression, grabbed the Yurtmeister’s hand, and marched downstairs.
For once in his life, Chase Finley was speechless.
Katani glanced at her watch, the one she found at the second-hand shop and had tied to her wrist with a blue satin rhinestone studded ribbon, and announced. “We all better go. It’s getting late.”
Everyone herded downstairs. Charlotte stopped, however, when she heard her dad coming down the steps behind them. Mr. Ramsey was all dressed up in a dark gray suit and tie, and his hair was neatly combed and gelled in a new style.
Chelsea squeezed Charlotte’s elbow. “Wow, Char, your dad looks kind of handsome. Where’s he going?”
“I…don’t…he…”
Chelsea looked at her strangely and walked out the door.
Charlotte couldn’t believe her dad was going out and he wasn’t even going to tell her where he was going. Of course, she already knew where he was going, but that wasn’t the point.
Mr. Ramsey walked over to Charlotte and gave her a quick hug. “You look wonderful, sweetie.”
She couldn’t help herself. She had to ask. “Thanks, Dad…uh…where are you going?”
Mr. Ramsey straightened his tie. “You’re not the only one going out on the town. I’m heading out this evening too.” He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “But don’t worry. I’ll be back before you get home from the dance.”
Mr. Ramsey walked out on the porch and said good night to all of Charlotte’s friends.
“Have a good time,” they all called out to her dad as he headed down the street.
He’s going out on his secret date with Avery’s mom, Charlotte thought. What is Avery going to think? she wondered. She peeked out the door, but Avery was chatting it up with Maeve and Dillon.
Nick came back in to get Charlotte and took her hand. The gentle pressure of his fingers made butterflies flutter in her stomach. As if by magic, she felt at peace again. What was it about Nick Montoya that made her feel so happy? Her heart started to pound when Nick looked into her eyes. How had she never noticed his long eyelashes and the freckle on his left cheek?
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Because Charlotte couldn’t speak, she nodded.
The two of them walked down the stairs and, hand in hand, followed their friends down the street. They both doubled in laughter when they heard Maeve ask Dillon, “Isn’t it a glorious night for a dance?” and Dillon answer, “Yeah, sure, Maeve. It’s, like, just glorious….”
Dateless and Dorky
Halfway to the dance, Avery stopped to slide on a puddle that had frozen into a delicate web of ice. As she kicked glasslike shards of ice across the sidewalk, she noticed Chelsea trailing behind, lugging her wrapped-up surprise and camera bag.
“Hey.” Avery trotted back to walk with Chelsea. “What’s up? Need help with that stuff?”
Chelsea smiled a little. “It’s not a big deal. I’m fine.”
“You sure?” Avery studied Chelsea’s downturned eyes and decided she was definitely not fine. “Look, this dance is gonna be awesome! Aren’t you psyched?” She spun around, jiggling her arms in an attempt to make her friend laugh. “What’s under all that tissue paper, anyway?”
“I can’t show you yet! It’s really a surprise.” Chelsea lowered her voice. “So…do you think Trevor will be at the dance?” she asked, trying to be nonchalant.
“The T-Dawg?” Avery found another icy puddle and this time smashed it with one fancy black shoe. “I heard Anna asked him.”
“He isn’t going with her, is he?!” The tone of Chelsea’s voice startled Avery.
“No clue.” Avery stopped in her tracks. “Wait, you like the T-Dawg?”
Chelsea paused, setting her package down for a second. “Well…yeah, I do. He’s so cool…he likes photography and every time we talk, he’s really nice to me….”
“He is a cool dude,” Avery agreed.
“But he didn’t ask me to the dance.” Chelsea sighed. “We’re, like, the only girls in our group who didn’t get asked to the dance, Avery! Doesn’t that bother you even a little tiny bit?”
“Not at all,” Avery said. “Besides, Dillon asked me to the dance and I said no.” Suddenly she covered her mouth with one hand, looking around frantically to see if Maeve was in earshot. Thankfully, she was way up ahead of everyone, talking Dillon’s ear off. Oops, Avery thought. So much for not saying anything….
“Really?” Chelsea couldn’t believe it. “Dillon’s one of the most popular guys at school!”
“Yeah, but don’t tell anyone.” Avery held out her hands. “I don’t get it, but apparently Maeve will murder me if she finds out I told him to ask her instead.”
“You didn’t!” Chelsea giggled.
“I did.” Avery grinned. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter! We’re here with all our friends, having a great time, and we’re going to dance all night, right? Boys or no boys!”
Chelsea smiled in spite of herself. Avery was right. The whole point of going to a dance was having fun. It didn’t matter if you went with a boy or not. Still, at least someone had asked Avery….
“Chels?” Avery interrupted her thoughts.
“Yeah, Ave?”
“Don’t say anything about the Dillon thing, okay?”
“No problem.” Chelsea took out her camera and snapped a picture of Avery skipping backward down the sidewalk. “That’s one for the paper!” she declared.
CHAPTER 17
Sorta-Kinda Like Romeo and Juliet
The BSG and all of their friends arrived at the dance to find the Abigail Adams Junior High gymnasium transformed into a pink-and-red explosion of lights and sound. Couples were spinning, music was blaring, and a kaleidoscope of twirling fancy dresses created a dizzying effect.
“It’s absolutely magical!” Maeve cried, her eyes shining. “Like something right out of a dream!” She grabbed on to Dillon’s arm, who for once looked equally dazzled.
“Maeve,” Katani exclaimed, “we hung every single one of these decorations a few hours ago.”
“I know. But with the lights and everything, it looks different…better!”
When Katani looked out at the dance floor, she, too, had to admit that the gym looked transformed—into a festive ballroom filled with fairytale dancers. The only thing that reminded her of the old gym was the pair of basketball hoops hanging from the backboards. But even they were decorated with pink and purple streamers.
“Wow! You guys did an amazing job,” Nick commented as he tried to take in the sudden blast of color and activity. He stood right next to Charlotte, where she could just barely feel his arm against her jacket. Charlotte felt her heart began to beat to the rhythm of the music. Oh, yes, she tapped her foot. This is going to be one incredible night.
“Leave your coats on the rack, here!” a jubilant Betsy, who appeared out of nowhere, directed them. And then, with a wave of her hand and a smitten Henry Yurt following behind her, she disappeared into a group of decorating committee friends milling around by the entrance.
Most of the boys in their group peeled off too, rushing to the far wall where the refreshments were. The lure of Party Favors cupcakes and pepperoni pizza proved irresistible. Dillon was about to follow when Maeve tossed him her coat. She almost knocked him off balance when she threw her arms up in the air with a dramatic flourish and trilled, “Let’s dance!”
Dillon, Charlotte thought, looked like a deer in the headlights, while an oblivious Maeve clasped her hands below her chin and spun around. “This is the part of the movie where a really cool song comes on and then suddenly all the kids in the room break out the same dance, hitting all the moves, and then a space opens up, and the star enters! Fashionably late, of course.”
Avery jumped up, trying to see over the crowd of taller kids into the middle of the gym. “I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to be any kind of late! Let’s get this dance thing going!”
Katani smiled at Avery. “That’s right, girl!” Then she motioned to Reggie. “Want to dance?”
“You coming, Chels?” Avery asked as Katani and Reggie wove their way to a clear spot, followed by Charlotte, Nick, Maeve, and Dillon.
Chelsea clutched the wrapped-up frame she’d lugged all the way to the dance and looked around for Trevor one last time. Why isn’t he here? Her spirits fell a little more every minute that passed. She’d worked on her surprise late into the night, hoping he’d be here to see it. “I’ll meet you out there,” she mumbled.
“No way!” Avery was not about to abandon a friend feeling down. “Aren’t you just a little psyched to be here? I mean, look at all of this…hey, if you don’t want to dance, let’s go get some cupcakes.” Avery pointed in the direction of the refreshment stand.
Chelsea shook her head. “You go, Avery. I have to put this down somewhere.”
“Chelsea. We’re here with all our friends…we’re going to party all night, and have a great time…Trevor or no Trevor,” she whispered.
Just then, the door swung open, letting in a blast of chilly air. A boy in a stocking cap stomped in, rubbing his hands together. “No one told me Boston was in the Arctic Circle.” He took off his cap, and Chelsea almost fainted.
“Trevor!” she managed to squeak. He was wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt under his parka, and his hair was just as cute as ever, even all sticking up from his hat.
“Hey Chels, A-Train.” He bumped fists with Avery, then pointed at Chelsea’s bundle. “What’s that?”
“She won’t tell anyone—” Avery started, but Chelsea held up a hand. This was the perfect moment for the big reveal. Trevor was here.
“It’s for everyone at this dance!” she explained. “Since the newspaper doesn’t come out until next week.”
Chelsea carefully unwrapped the package she had been hugging since she left home. A crowd of kids began to gather. When she finally took a large, framed piece of poster board out of its wrapping, everyone was really quiet.
Then came the oohing and ahhing. It was a collage—but what a collage! Chelsea had laid out all the photos from her “Love Is in the Air” project on a pink canvas covered with hearts of all colors and sizes. Some of the photos were blurry and dreamy looking while others were bold and graphic.
“Oh, my gosh,” someone gushed. “This looks like something from a magazine.”
A proud Chelsea beamed. Out of the corner of her eye she tried to read Trevor’s expression as he stared at her presentation.
Kids clamored to see if their pictures were there. Avery found the Trentini twins posing by the lockers, Katani with a shirt she designed, Isabel with a painting, and a great picture of Maeve kicking in the final soccer goal…before her face-plant in the mud.
“Wow, Chels, you made this?” Trevor moved in closer to scan all the images. There was even one of him with a map of California.
“Nick wrote the captions,” she explained, reddening with pride at Trevor’s expression. “But I put it all together last night.”
“We’ve got to hang that up where everyone can see!” Avery bounced closer to Trevor and Chelsea. Then she realized they weren’t really paying any attention to her. Trevor said something about light depth, and now Chelsea was explaining exposure settings.
A rocking hip-hop beat blasted from the gym, calling Avery into the action. “See you photo dweebs later!” she yelled as the crowd erupted into a frenzy of shouts and jumps. Avery got right out there in the middle of it, flailing around and making everyone laugh with her latest dance moves.
Dance with Me
“Dude,” Dillon said, and turned to Maeve. “Ave just totally broke out Kelley Washington’s touchdown dance—check it out!”
“Kelley who?” Maeve racked her brain for recent reality TV stars, hip-hop stars, but she came up blank. Also, she couldn’t believe Dillon had just called her dude. She was going to have to work on that.
“You know, the New England Patriots? Wide receiver?”
Maeve shook her head as she pulled off a perfect move she had learned from Dancing with the Stars. Dillon wasn’t even watching. He was wielding his tie clip like a tiny football and making faces at Avery.
A slow song came on, and Maeve reached out one hand palm down, fingers extended, just like she’d seen in all the movies. “Dillon Johnson!” she gushed. “I’d love to dance!” He still hadn’t asked, but Maeve couldn’t wait any longer. This was the moment she’d been dreaming of!
Dillon reached his hand out so slowly, Maeve thought the song was going to be over bef
ore they even started dancing. Finally, he touched her fingertips, and she curtsied just like she imagined Princess Diana would have done.
As they danced Dillon stared squarely at the far wall while Maeve rested her palms lightly on Dillon’s shoulders and swayed. If she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend he was pulling her in close, not locking his arms out straight and leaning back.
As the song crescendoed, Maeve got lost in her imaginary Hollywood rose garden, singing along, “Love comes walking in…” Suddenly, there were no shoulders under her hands. “I’m gonna get some cupcakes before they’re gone, Maeve. I’ll catch you later.”
Before she could say anything, Dillon ran off toward the refreshment table.
“I’ll catch you later!” Maeve fumed. Charlotte and Nick were off in their own little world, and Katani and Reggie had joined a group of science whizzes, so only Avery heard.
“What’s up?” Avery asked, watching Dillon shuffle away.
“Everything!” Maeve dragged Avery out into the hall as the speakers started booming out YMCA. “First, he’s wearing a T-shirt with his tie clip on the sleeve. Second, he won’t even look at me. Third, all he wants to talk about is sports!”
“Uh, Maeve,” Avery said, fidgeting, “that’s what he likes.”
“He likes sports more than me?!” Maeve ran her hands through her hair.
“Well…yeah, maybe,” Avery said matter of factly. “You can’t have Dillon magically become a copy of you that you can dress up and drag around.”
“You get along with him,” Maeve pleaded. “Can’t you tell him to behave? I’m really not having any fun with him!”
“Geesh, Maeve!” Avery folded her arms. “Dillon’s just being himself. Why can’t you be happy? He asked you to the dance, didn’t he?”
Maeve nodded. “But, Avery, he’s acting like he didn’t even want to come with me! I mean, why would he ask me if he didn’t want to? Do you think he wanted to?”
Avery gulped. How could she say yes? That didn’t feel like a white lie anymore. It just felt like a big fat fib. “Well”—Avery played with the sash on her dress again, tying and untying it—“maybe if you talked some sports with him…or something?”
