Love, Love, Love

by Deborah Reber

  Venus frowned and said, “Wait a minute; they’re crowning a queen of this dance, and it’s going to be Cupid?”

  Laura’s eyes widened, and she realized the chink in Venus’s armor. “You mean Cupidity,” said the mortal, “that’s who she is now. She’s the most gorgeous female on the planet, and she’s also madly in love—from her own stupid arrows. So she’s got that glow thing working. At our Homecoming Dance, we always crown the most beautiful woman in the world as queen. That could only be Cupidity.”

  “More gorgeous than me?” asked Venus with astonishment.

  Laura pondered the question. “That would be hard to say, unless I saw the two of you standing together.” Laura looked up at the clock over the door. “We could still make it to the festival by midnight. It’s only ten forty-five now, and it’s right next door in Ohio.”

  “Ohio?” asked the goddess thoughtfully. “Yes, but Indiana is in the Central Time Zone, and Ohio is in the Eastern Time Zone. It’s an hour later in Ohio—it’s a quarter till midnight.”

  “Oh no!” sputtered Laura, grabbing her wrist. “We’ve got to rush, we’ve got to go!”

  “Let me call my brother,” said Venus, reaching under her gown and pulling out a cell phone.

  After fighting horrendous traffic, crazed football fans, and a person selling tickets who didn’t want to let him in, Mercury finally entered the high school gymnasium. It was just as chaotic inside as out, and he could hardly believe this Homecoming event had been organized by adults. On stage, a rock band blasted music that made his teeth hurt, but the laughter and conversation threatened to drown out the band. Strobe lights, fog machines, and balloons didn’t do anything to help his vision or his mood.

  There were hordes of kids, mostly standing around in large packs and doing precious little dancing. It was so dark that he wondered why any of them had bothered with the fancy outfits they were wearing. The gangly boys looked ridiculous in suits and tuxedos, although some of the young ladies looked fetching in their gowns. None of the girls were quite as delectable as Cupidity, but he couldn’t find the cherub anywhere.

  Of course Chelsea had deserted him as soon as they entered the place, and she had probably run off to warn Cupidity that he was there. Patience, he told himself, I’ll find her. After all, the gymnasium was massive, and the students washed back and forth across the floor like the tide.

  Mercury was dressed well enough to fit in with this exuberant crowd, as long as he kept to the shadows. He stalked the refreshment tables, looking for Cupidity but not finding her. He returned to the entrance, where the couples were having their pictures taken under a harvest archway of squashes, corn, and pinecones.

  The elder asked nicely for Cupidity but was told that she and Cody had gotten their pictures taken earlier. Every couple was automatically entered for King and Queen, but the votes were already counted by now. As Laura Sweeney had told him, there were a great many mismatched couples at the dance, possibly more victims of Cupid’s troublesome arrows.

  The god of punctuality checked his watch and saw that it was ten minutes until midnight. With any luck, Cupidity would be hiding from him when the hour struck, and everyone would be spared having to witness her transformation. How would they ever explain that away? He could affect mortals’ minds but only on a small scale, not a gymnasium crammed with hundreds of people.

  Wincing from the noise, he looked around, realizing that Laura was not going to return with Venus in time to help matters. Well, that had been a long shot, anyway. Such a mess as this was bound to end in disaster. With any luck, maybe it would only be a small-scale disaster.

  The gruesome song ended with a discordant chord that made Mercury grit his teeth. In the silence that followed, he tried to collect his thoughts, but a loud drumroll shattered the brief calm.

  “Fimbrey rocks!” shouted the lead singer to raucous applause. “Students of Fimbrey High, it’s almost midnight—are you having a good time?”

  “Yeah!” they bellowed back.

  “To announce the Homecoming King and Queen, here is your principal, Denise Waterbury!” The singer stepped back to allow a middle-aged woman to take the microphone, and the crowd began to press closer to get a better look. Spotlights bathed the stage, showing that the principal was dressed in a proper business suit, bringing a touch of class to the chaotic proceedings.

  The principal beamed with pride. “Students of Fimbrey High,” she began, “this year’s attendance at the Homecoming Dance is almost double last year’s attendance. It’s wonderful! I’ve seen so many faces I’ve never seen before at any of our events, although I do see you in my office from time to time.”

  There was polite laughter, and the principal went on, “I am truly pleased by the diversity I’ve seen tonight. In fact, the last few weeks. I know we’ve had a few strange incidents around school, but overall problems have been down. And our football team scored a touchdown tonight and only lost by ten points. Let’s give them a big hand!”

  When that got scattered boos, Mrs. Waterbury plunged on. “So let me announce our Homecoming King and Queen. We counted all the votes, but we hardly needed to. It was a landslide! You know them as a perfectly darling couple, and it’s hard to believe that one of them came to our school just a few weeks ago. I can’t imagine Fimbrey without her. Our Homecoming Queen—Cupidity Larraine!”

  The audience applauded wildly as the stunning, fair-haired beauty sauntered toward the microphone. The lights caught her sparkling skintight gown and her shimmering skin and hair. She looked unreal—an apparition concocted by gods. Mercury could understand how all of these people had been fooled, all of them except Laura Sweeney.

  “And the Homecoming King,” announced the principal, “Cody Kenyon!”

  Dressed in an Edwardian tux and looking impossibly rakish, the skateboarder strode onto the stage to wild applause. Mercury had to admit, his brooding dark looks contrasted nicely with Cupidity’s sunny appeal. Who could deny that they were the King and Queen of this rowdy lot of mortals?

  A gaggle of girls and a mob of boys rushed forward to clamp crowns on their heads, and Cupidity giggled into the microphone. The petite blond had to stand on tiptoes to reach the device, and every male in the audience stood on tiptoes to watch her.

  “This is such an honor!” she yelled to much cheering and stomping. “You could have picked Megan and Peter, or Emma and Jake … or so many others. Kisses!” She promptly took time out in her speech to blow kisses at her beaming friends.

  Mercury’s watch buzzed, and he groaned as he turned off the alarm. Already midnight, he thought ruefully.

  Cupidity sniffed back a big tear, and it sounded like a goose honking. “I never thought I would be welcomed so warmly in my new school,” she declared in a hoarse voice. “It makes me forget about all the other places I’ve ever lived … wherever they were! Here I’ve found true love and friendship. I see you, Papa!”

  She waved directly at Mercury, and he tried not to cringe. “Kiss her!” shouted the crowd. “Kiss her, Cody!”

  This was apparently a rite that everybody eagerly awaited, and Cody wasn’t going to disappoint. He scooped Cupidity up in his arms, and all of her hair promptly fell out, showering the first row in silvery strands that glinted in the spotlight. Some in the crowd shrieked, but Cody was oblivious. He pressed home with his kiss, even as her body writhed and twisted in his arms.

  Cupidity’s silky skin turned cracked and hairy, and bits of her perfect body crumbled off. Trying to kiss her, Cody looked as if he were wrestling an alligator, and the audience screamed in alarm. They shook one another in disbelief, and a boy near Mercury fainted and fell to the floor.

  Finally Cody heard the screaming and realized something was wrong. When he drew back, he saw a shriveled, wizened cherub in a lumpy evening dress that was tight only across the belly. Cody screamed louder than any of the girls, and Mercury couldn’t blame him. Grizzled, bald-headed Cupid looked like a lawn statue that had been left out in the rain too long
.

  “What’s the matter?” asked Cupid in a gruff voice. “What’s the matter, Codykins?”

  The skater was clawing his way off the stage, as were most of his friends, when Mercury felt a tug on his sleeve. “Hi, Dad,” said a familiar voice.

  The god turned to see his oldest son. “Pan!” he exclaimed happily. “What are you doing here?”

  “I had to drive the chariot,” answered the satyr, “to get the ladies here. That mortal did it—she talked Venus into coming—but I guess we’re too late.”

  “Where are they?” asked Mercury, peering over the heads of the panicked crowd.

  “Near the stage!” The satyr pointed into the turmoil.

  Laura froze on the steps leading up to the stage, and she didn’t know whether to cry, laugh, or scream like everybody else was doing. They were going to be traumatized for years after seeing the hottest girl in the school morph into a gnarly little gnome. Laura had been expecting it, but even she could hardly stand to look at the creature that was left after Cupidity dissolved. This was like a Japanese horror movie, when the pretty moth turns into an ugly monster everyone wants to destroy.

  When she tore her eyes away from the stage, Laura saw the horrified faces of Peter, Megan, Emma, and Jake. She wanted to run to Peter’s side and comfort him, but they all probably figured they were losing their minds.

  “Where’s Cupidity?” wailed Cody, dropping to his knees and shaking his fists at the cherub. “What have you done to her?”

  “Get a grip, dude!” ordered Cupid, scowling. “Everyone, settle down. I’m not done with my speech!”

  “He still has no memory,” said a voice behind Laura. She turned to look at the impossibly beautiful Venus, who now would have no problem being elected queen of this terrified mob. “Damn, I’m going to have to step in here, aren’t I?”

  Laura looked pleadingly at her. “If you do a good deed, I promise never to tell anyone.”

  Venus gave a hollow laugh. “You’d better not—that would ruin my reputation. First we have to break the love spells. Hand me an arrow.”

  “You have to be careful with them,” warned Laura, feeling possessive about her magical weapon.

  “Don’t argue with me, mortal!” snapped Venus. “Who’s the goddess here? I’ve done this before, okay? So hand me an arrow.”

  This time Laura quickly obeyed, fishing an arrow out of Cupid’s quiver and handing it to the raven-haired goddess of love. With pandemonium, screaming, and shouting all around them, Venus held Cupid’s arrow between her two clenched fists and chanted in an ancient tongue.

  Maybe it was the fog machine or the strobe lights, but the room began to spin. Strange flashes sparkled in the air, and Laura felt dizzy. She eased herself onto the steps as other students knelt in dazed confusion. Through blurry vision, she looked for Cupid and saw the grizzled cherub stagger and fall down. He was also under Venus’s spell.

  With a loud yelp, the goddess snapped the arrow in two, and the shaft disappeared in her hands. Laura still felt dazed, but the spinning went away. She staggered to her feet and looked at the goddess of love, who was breathing heavily.

  “Mama!” yelled a raspy voice. “Mama!”

  “Yes, my baby!” Venus leaped to her feet and ran up the stairs to embrace her frightened son, even though he was a shriveled cherub wearing a sparkly evening gown. “It’s all right, baby, I’ll take you home!”

  The cherub pointed accusingly at Laura. “Mama, she’s got my bow and arrows! She took them without asking!”

  “No, you let Laura play with them,” said Venus. “That’s your friend, remember? But she will have to give them back now.”

  “Is that it?” asked Laura, taking the bow and quiver of arrows off her leather-clad shoulder. She felt oddly naked without them. “Everything is back to normal?”

  Venus gave Cupid back his bow. “What’s your definition of normal?” she asked. “I don’t know how much they’ll remember, but Cupid’s spell is broken. Anyone in love now is honestly in love.”

  With those words ringing in her ears, Laura searched the area for Peter Yarmench. She spotted him backstage, arguing with Jake, and the two boys were almost back to blows as they had been on that afternoon so long ago.

  “I caught you looking at her!” accused Jake. “You stay away from my girlfriend!”

  Peter looked in confusion from Megan to Emma, and the girls gazed back at him. “Which one is your girlfriend?” asked Peter.

  “Why, it’s—” Jake paused, pointing first at the head cheerleader, then at the pale goth chick dressed in a spider-web black dress.

  “It’s me, dummy!” declared Megan, putting her hands on her hips. “I was only with Peter to … to make you jealous.”

  Emma just shook her head in confusion and looked as if she wanted to hide. “I don’t know, Jake. I thought we had something … but it’s up to you.”

  “Tell this ghoul to get lost!” insisted Megan, staring daggers at Emma.

  Jake seemed to come to an epiphany, and he shook his head. “I don’t think so. I need to look outside the box, like Cupidity told me. I’m with Emma.” He rushed to the goth’s side and put his arm around her waist. “See ya, Megan.”

  “Ack! Ack!” The queen bee could barely talk, and she started hyperventilating in shock.

  Laura gazed in amazement at Jake and Emma as they hugged each other happily. Cupid’s arrows made no difference to them—they were really in love. In fact, most of the mismatched romances at the Homecoming Dance seemed to be genuine.

  Laura found herself gravitating to Peter’s side. Did he really like her, or was he still lovesick and confused? He had just lost his date for the evening, and she knew how that felt.

  “Peter, are you okay?” she asked with concern.

  He looked appreciatively at her skintight leather ensemble. “Wow, that is some hot outfit! Do you always go to dances dressed like a biker babe?”

  She smiled. “I didn’t have a date, so I crashed this place with my motorcycle gang.”

  Peter looked around and whispered, “Would you hate me forever if I ditched my date and hung out with you?”

  “No,” she said with a grin, “but this is the last time you get to do that.”

  “Where’s Cupidity?” yelled a forlorn voice. “Where did she go?” They all turned to see Cody Kenyon shuffling through the crowd of people, a dazed look on his face and a lopsided crown on his head.

  “Dude,” said Jake, “she bailed on you after you kissed some ugly little guy.”

  “Yeah,” replied Emma. “I don’t blame her.”

  In sympathy, Megan grabbed Cody’s arm and escorted him away from the others. “Come on, Cody, let’s ditch these losers. I’ll take care of you.”

  “More music!” yelled the principal, trying to get the dance back on track. “Rockers, can’t we have some more tunes?”

  “Yes, Mrs. Waterbury,” responded the lead singer, trying to gather up his band. “Come on, people, everyone off the stage but the musicians!”

  Peter grabbed Laura’s hand and led her down the stairs and across the dance floor, where they ran into Taryn and Chester. “Laura!” shouted Taryn with a delirious squeal. “I knew you’d make it to the dance, and you’re here with Peter. See, I told you everything would work out!”

  “Are you guys okay?” asked Laura with concern.

  “Never better,” answered Chester, gripping Taryn by the waist. “Laura, you have to wear kinky leather more often—you look hot.” He gave Peter a playful thumbs-up sign.

  Suddenly the band started playing again, and it was impossible to talk over the din. Hand in hand, Peter and Laura wound their way through the throng of people until they were outside, and the brisk night air felt like a welcome dash of cold water in Laura’s face.

  “Make a wish,” said Peter, touching her arm. “There’s a shooting star—a big one.”

  She looked up to see an impressive light flash across the night sky, although she knew it was too big and t
oo bright to be a meteorite. “Apollo’s chariot,” she answered with a wave. “Good-bye, friends.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” said Peter, putting his arm around her. “I’m happy right here.”

  “Me too,” agreed Laura, nuzzling his shoulder.

  As Peter leaned down and gently brushed his lips against hers, Laura felt a shiver leap through her body. As they kissed for the first time under the glimmering sky, she realized that love didn’t just come from a bow and arrow. Sometimes, it was written in the stars.

  About the Authors

  Deborah Reber is a writer, speaker, and recovering teen (not necessarily in that order). When she’s not flipping through her tattered high school yearbooks and diaries for inspiration for her writing, she’s running, gardening, hanging out with friends, or spending time with her family. She lives in Seattle with her husband, son, and big white dog. Visit her online at www.deborahreber.com.

  Caroline Goode is a pseudonym.

  Turn the page for a peek at

  another sweet and sparkly romance:

  Endless Summer

  Jennifer Echols

  Sean smiled down at me, his light brown hair glinting golden in the sunlight. He shouted over the noise of the boat motor and the wind, “Lori, when we’re old enough, I want you to be my girlfriend.” He didn’t even care the other boys could hear him.

  “I’m there!” I exclaimed, because I was nothing if not coy. All the boys ate out of my hand, I tell you. “When will we be old enough?”

  His blue eyes, lighter than the bright blue sky behind him, seemed to glow in his tanned face. He answered me, smiling. At least, I thought he answered me. His lips moved.

  “I didn’t hear you. What’d you say?” I know how to draw out a romantic moment.

  He spoke to me again. I still couldn’t hear him, though the boat motor and the wind hadn’t gotten any louder. Maybe he was just mouthing words, pretending to say something sweet I couldn’t catch. Boys were like that. He’d just been teasing me all along—

  “You ass!” I sat straight up in my sweat-soaked bed, wiping away the strands of my hair stuck to my wet face. Then I realized what I’d said out loud. “Sorry, Mom,” I told her photo on my bedside table. But maybe she hadn’t heard me over my alarm clock blaring Christina Aguilera, “Ain’t No Other Man.”