by Hilary
�I�ve got mono Rach. I�m going to miss the dance.�
�You�re joking right?�
�No, I�m not. I can�t talk long. I�m really tired.�
�Ok, well, I was just worried about you. Feel better soon.�
�Thanks. Tell everybody I said hi.�
�I will. Bye Mel.�
If Melody couldn�t go to the dance, that meant Mark didn�t have a date. After Rachel turned him down, he had asked Melody. Rachel was hoping Matt would ask her but he didn�t, so she had planned on not going at all. Rachel wondered if Mark knew Melody wasn�t going.
�Yeah, she phoned me. Now I don�t have a date to the dance.�
�That sucks.�
�Tell me about it. I�m going to luck like such a loser going without a date. Who are you going with Rachel?�
�Me? Nobody. I decided not to go.�
�Why did you decide not to go? Because Matt didn�t ask you?�
�No, because I don�t want to go.� He was starting to make her mad again. They had actually been getting along well since the night they walked home together, but Mark was starting to push Rachel�s buttons.
�You don�t have to get so upset. I just wondered why you weren�t going. I thought girls lived for dances.�
�Well not all girls do. Some girls have real things to think about.�
�Oh, and you are one of those girls. What �Real things� do you think about Rachel?�
�Stuff.�
�Yeah, stuff is really important,� Mark said with a laugh.
�It�s not funny Mark,� Rachel said. �Keep this up and I�ll leave.�
�Don�t get mad at me Rach. I didn�t mean to upset you. So, you really don�t want to go to the dance?�
�Even if I did, it�s too late now. I don�t have a dress. And I wouldn�t want to go without a date.�
A smile grew on Mark�s face. �Well, I don�t have a date, and you don�t have a date.�
�Mark, I can�t go.�
�Why not? We�ll have fun.�
�What about Melody?�
�What about her? It�s not like we�re dating.�
�She thinks you are,� Rachel said.
�She does?� That surprised Mark. He had only gone out with Melody once, and that was the night they all went to the cinema. �Why would she think that?�
�Because, I don�t know. But she does. And I�m one of her best friends. I couldn�t go to the dance with her boyfriend.�
�But I�m not her boyfriend.�
�Mark, I think I need to go,� Rachel said as she started to get up.
�Please don�t go Rachel,� Mark said as he reached for her hand. He wasn�t about to let her leave until she agreed to go to the dance with him.
Rachel looked down at Mark. There was something in his eyes that was begging her to stay. �Fine, I�ll stay for a little longer.�
Mark smiled. �Good, now, how can I convince you to go to the dance with me?�
�You can�t Mark. I told you I�m not going.�
�What if I call Melody and ask her if it is ok? I�m sure she�ll say it is.�
Rachel could tell he wasn�t going to give up until she said yes. �You don�t have to call her. I guess I�ll go.�
Mark startled Rachel when he threw his arms around her and gave her a hug. �You won�t regret this Rachel, I promise.�
�Why am I such an idiot?� Rachel asked herself that night as she lied in bed. She couldn�t sleep. All she could think of was the events of the night. She finally got her chance with Matt, but it didn�t live up to her expectations. And why couldn�t she get the image of Mark asking her to the Christmas dance out of her head? She wanted so badly to call him that instant and say she changed her mind, but she knew that would only hurt Melody. Melody had her heart set on Mark. Rachel sighed out loud. Why was life so complicated?
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Two days before the dance Rachel phoned Melody. Melody hadn�t been in school for the past three days and Rachel was worried about her. �Melody, why haven�t you been in school?�
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Later that day Rachel and Mark had one of their biology lessons. �So, did you hear that Melody was sick?� Rachel asked out of the blue.