Puppy Love!

by Sienna Mercer

  ‘Do I look OK?’ Grinning, she twirled around to show off the dress. ‘What do you think – is it acceptable at Pine Wood to come to the Homecoming Dance dressed like you’re going to fight crime?’

  She really is the perfect girl!

  ‘Absolutely,’ Daniel said. ‘If you need a sidekick, I’m there!’

  ‘Oh, yeah?’ She raised one eyebrow, looking him up and down. ‘Superheroes have to be pretty careful when they’re choosing their sidekicks, you know. What would your special skills be?’

  ‘Uh . . .’ Daniel choked. She really does not want to know the honest answer to that question! ‘How about . . . I’ll hypnotise villains with my music?’

  ‘Hmm.’ Debi’s eyebrows scrunched together adorably. Then she smiled and winked at him. ‘OK. I don’t know about you, but Daring Debi and the Hypno-Kid is definitely a comic I would read!’

  ‘Me, too,’ Daniel agreed. His voice came out sounding breathless. He barely noticed his own feet moving, carrying him closer to her. As subtly as he could, he glanced down at his hands. Phew. No wolfiness yet! He was actually comfortable around this girl. ‘Maybe –’

  ‘Hey, guys! I’m here!’ Riley rushed towards them. For once, she wasn’t carrying any clipboards, but the shadows under her eyes were almost as dark as her band T-shirt. ‘Sorry I’m running late! I just had to do the last bits of set-up first. My voice is all warmed up and ready to go, though. I promise!’

  ‘It all looks great, Riley,’ Debi said. She gestured to the tables of food and drink at the side of the room, and the massive banners hanging from the ceiling.

  ‘Debi’s right.’ Now that he was feeling a little more relaxed, Daniel looked around the gym with a new perspective. ‘You’ve worked really hard, and it looks fantastic. Oh, and that nacho dip is the best I’ve ever tasted.’ He gestured at Nathan and Otto. ‘They haven’t been able to stop eating it since we got here! Where did you find it?’

  ‘Oh, that? It’s homemade.’ Riley frowned, peering towards the table where Nathan and Otto had settled. ‘Do you think there’s enough? I made eight tubs, but –’

  ‘Wait a minute.’ Daniel stared at her. ‘Are you telling us you made the food yourself ? At the same time as organising absolutely everything?’

  Riley shrugged, looking uncomfortable. ‘I had some time last night.’

  ‘When? ’ Daniel shook his head in disbelief.

  She frowned. ‘Um . . . I think it was right after midnight, maybe? I was getting pretty tired, so I needed to do something on my feet for a while before I went back to working on the banners.’

  Debi frowned at her. ‘Have you gotten any sleep this week, Riley?’

  ‘Well . . .’

  As Riley shook her head, Daniel felt his stomach sink, and all his earlier nerves return. The big doors at the end of the gym had just been propped open, and students were flooding in, dressed up like movie stars. They were all chattering and laughing with excitement. Within moments, the whole gym would be packed with people. In Sheep’s Clothing was about to perform their first real gig in just five minutes, in front of the entire school . . . and their lead singer looked as if she could topple over at any moment!

  This is going to be even more of a disaster than I realised!

  Then Daniel met Riley’s gaze and saw the stubbornness deep within it like a flame. Her shoulders squared, and Daniel relaxed.

  How could I forget? This isn’t just anyone we’re talking about. This is Riley Carter.

  He’d known Riley since kindergarten, and she had never, ever given up on anything important. She had brought it all for the audition, despite how exhausted she had been then, and she’d bring it now, too, because they needed it.

  . . . and if she could do it . . . then Daniel could, too.

  ‘Looks like show time,’ Debi said. She squeezed Daniel’s arm. ‘Good luck!’

  Principal Caine strode up the steps to the stage, wearing her usual grey suit and looking grimmer than ever. The doors to the gym closed behind the final students – the football team, arriving in a pack – as she stepped up to the microphone, clearing her throat.

  ‘Ahem.’ She cleared her throat again, even as the gym fell silent. ‘Ahem.’ Now everyone was watching and waiting. ‘Ahem!’

  Get on with it! Daniel thought. His muscles were tight, but now it was with anticipation, not fear. I want to rock!

  Principal Caine smiled thinly as she looked around the crowded gym. ‘Welcome, everyone, to this year’s Homecoming Dance,’ she said. ‘And now it is my honour to announce this year’s Homecoming Queen as . . .’

  She slipped the envelope out of her pocket.

  This is it. Daniel saw Riley grab Debi’s hand supportively, standing in solidarity with her candidate.

  Daniel aimed a smile at Debi. She’d never seemed to care about the results of this competition, but who knew how she really felt?

  He caught sight of Justin’s anguished face across the crowd. There’s one person who really cares!

  On the other side of the gym, Mackenzie Barton was smiling smugly, dressed in a floor-length pink poofy dress and surrounded by followers who looked like they were already busy congratulating her. Daniel gritted his teeth.

  He only realised he was scowling when he caught Debi’s startled gaze. Uh-oh. He tried to adjust his expression, but it was too late. She had already turned back to face Principal Caine, wincing as Riley’s hand visibly tightened.

  She’ll win, Daniel reassured himself. She has to win, for Justin’s sake.

  But if she does . . . He sighed. Would a Homecoming Queen like Debi ever really be interested in a scruffy rock band frontman and secret werewolf like him?

  Principal Caine opened the envelope and withdrew a slip of paper. The whole gym seemed to freeze in anticipation.

  ‘. . . Riley Carter!’ she read. ‘Riley Carter is our Homecoming Queen.’

  There was a moment of stunned silence. Then a voice rang out:

  ‘WHAT?!’

  Mackenzie Barton had turned bright red with fury.

  ‘Uhm . . . Yeah . . .’ Riley said, looking like she’s been shaken away from a dream. ‘What?! ’

  ‘How is it even possible?’ Mackenzie bellowed.

  Principal Caine aimed a stern look at Mackenzie through her glasses. ‘The votes were tallied, young lady, and Miss Carter won. In fact, almost all of the votes were for her.’

  ‘But . . .’ Riley shook her head, still holding Debi’s hand and looking stunned. ‘I don’t understand. I didn’t even know that I’d been nominated!’

  Principal Caine sighed. ‘And that is because you were too busy talking about organising the Homecoming, rather than listening to see if you were a part of it!’

  ‘But I . . . I . . .’ Riley looked as if she might faint.

  ‘This is outrageous!’ Mackenzie spun around, scowling. ‘I refuse to take part in this scandal!’

  She stomped out of the gym, her high heels clicking against the floor, and slammed the doors behind her with a crash. The sound was exactly what Daniel had needed to push him into action.

  Riley had been his friend since kindergarten. He needed to support her.

  Justin must have started moving even earlier. He pushed his way to Riley through the crowded gym even before Daniel got to her . . . but she didn’t seem to notice either of them. All of her attention was on Debi.

  ‘I’m so sorry!’ she wailed. ‘I had no idea, Debi – I promise, I would never have competed against you, not when I was your campaign manager! If I’d only realised –’

  ‘Don’t worry, Riley!’ Laughing, Debi hugged her. ‘Guess what? I voted for you, too! You absolutely deserved to win. Clearly, this whole school appreciates how much effort you go to, to make sure that we all have fun!’

  ‘That’s right,’ Justin chimed in, beaming with pride. ‘We love that about you.’

  At his words, Riley went still, her eyes widening in surprise. Her face flushed pink.

  Debi looked between Justin
and Riley with her lips twitching. As Daniel watched, a wave of red swept across his brother’s face as Justin seemed to finally realise what he had just said. ‘We all love that about you,’ Justin added quickly.

  Oops. Grinning, Daniel stepped in to cover for his mortified twin. ‘No one does more for this school than you do, Riley. And it’s a great day when that gets the popular vote, instead of the self-appointed Queen Bee.’

  ‘Absolutely.’ Debi smiled approvingly at Daniel. ‘I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have as Queen for the next week!’

  ‘But I can’t!’ Riley shook her head frantically. ‘You guys don’t understand. I’m not a queen! I’m an organiser, not a leader!’

  ‘Riley . . .’ Daniel sighed. ‘Who could possibly be a better leader? You’ve always been the Queen of Organisation. Now you’re the Homecoming Queen, too! It just makes sense.’

  ‘Perfect sense,’ Debi agreed, and gave Riley another tight hug. ‘And you’re going to be great. I promise.’

  ‘Ahem!’ Principal Caine cleared her throat loudly from the stage just by them. ‘I hesitate to interrupt this . . . ahem . . . “touching” moment . . . but have you forgotten something, Mr Packer?’

  ‘Sorry?’ Daniel frowned up at her. ‘What did I forget?’

  Principal Caine rolled her eyes. ‘You are supposed to be on stage right now with your band. You’re playing the song that the King and Queen dance to!’

  Oh, no. Daniel saw the horrified realisation bloom in Riley’s expression – they were figuring out their biggest problem at the same time.

  Nathan had come up next to him. ‘But how are we supposed to perform with our lead singer on the dance floor?’

  ‘Uh . . .’ Daniel swallowed hard, fighting down panic. ‘Let me just take a minute to figure out how to do that.’

  ‘If you must.’ Muttering to herself, Principal Caine walked down the steps. She was speaking too softly for anyone else to hear, but Daniel’s werewolf hearing picked up her words perfectly: ‘As if it would make a difference who sang those depressing, too-loud songs anyway!’

  Ouch. He winced.

  Riley obviously took his expression the wrong way. ‘I’m so sorry, Daniel. I had no idea. But I can’t sing and dance at the same time! I’d just drop the microphone – and then trip over it!’

  Daniel snorted at the image, his shoulders relaxing. ‘Don’t worry about it.’ Principal Caine’s words had sparked off an idea in the back of his mind. She thought their songs were all depressing, huh? Well, he’d show her just how wrong she was – and give his brother a slow dance to remember.

  ‘You just take your place on the dance floor and don’t worry about anything else,’ he told Riley. ‘I have an idea . . .’

  Maybe he should have felt more nervous. But with Riley appointed Queen – and Debi revealed as a secret comic book fan! – suddenly everything seemed possible.

  A few minutes later, Riley and Justin were in place in the centre of the gym, while Daniel and his other band mates stood huddled on the stage. ‘Don’t worry,’ he whispered to them. ‘You will be able to play the song. Just watch me for the key-changes and try to keep up . . .’

  Putting on a confident smile, he strode to the front of the stage, while Otto and Nathan took their places behind him. The rest of the school was gathered in a half-circle around the gym, making plenty of room for the King and Queen’s first dance. As Daniel stepped up to the microphone, he could feel the tangible tension and anticipation of the crowd hanging thick in the air, making his skin prickle.

  Daniel was relieved that he was wearing long sleeves, as he felt wolf hair prickling and growing on his arms.

  It doesn’t matter. I can do this!

  ‘Hey, Pine Wood!’ he roared into the microphone. ‘We’ve got a new song just for you guys, tonight, and our very own Homecoming King and Queen are going to dance to it.’

  The crowd roared back, ‘Go Pine Wood!’ with happy applause, and Daniel took a deep breath. Here goes!

  With a rock-star howl, he jumped into the air and hit the opening chord of No More Puppy Love. Otto’s drums kicked in behind him, strong and certain, while Nathan soon picked up the rhythm for his guitar. As Daniel played the opening riff, he saw heads all around the crowded gym start to nod in time with the music. Even Principal Caine seemed to be sneering a little less than usual!

  ‘. . . Red like fire, my heart’s desire . . . ’

  It was the moment of truth. Daniel forced himself to glance down to where Debi stood by the stage.

  He found her grinning up at him in pure delight. From the look in her eyes, she knew exactly who this song had been written about – and she didn’t mind one bit!

  What was I so afraid of this whole time?

  As exhilaration flooded him, Daniel sung the rest of the song straight at her. Even though Justin and Riley had the dance floor to themselves, the whole crowd was dancing in place now. When he got to the chorus, hundreds of voices lifted to sing along, sending a thrill racing down his spine.

  No one was laughing. He hadn’t missed a single note. No More Puppy Love did not suck, after all . . . and as Debi beamed up at him he realised that he didn’t either.

  Daniel rocked !

  Justin felt his pulse beating fast against his skin as he stepped up to Riley in the middle of the open dance floor. With sweaty palms, he reached out to take her hand – then dropped it immediately.

  Was I squeezing too hard? I can’t even tell! Danger, danger! He swallowed hard, trying to control his panic. I can’t believe I get to dance with Riley. I cannot mess this up!

  Up onstage, his brother began to sing. The sound hit Justin like a ball on the football field. He and Riley should be dancing right now, not just staring at each other.

  Come on, cub! You can do this! Make the play!

  ‘Justin?’ Riley’s whisper sounded almost as panicked as he felt.

  Immediately, concern took over. ‘What’s wrong?’ Justin stepped closer, leaning in to keep their conversation private.

  Her eyes glimmered with unshed tears. ‘I can’t do this! I can’t dance in front of everybody!’

  Justin frowned. ‘Riley . . .’ He shook his head, baffled. ‘You can do anything. Everybody knows that!’

  She looked down, biting her lip. ‘Just look at me! I dressed to perform with the band, not to be a Homecoming Queen.’

  ‘So?’ Justin looked from her shining blonde hair, which was ornamented by a sparkling black fascinator, to her tight black band T-shirt and her sleek black trousers. ‘You look great to me,’ he said. ‘And almost everyone in this gym voted for you, remember? That means they all think you’re pretty cool, too.’

  ‘But . . .’ Riley closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Then she looked directly at him with obvious pain in her eyes. ‘Justin, haven’t you ever noticed the fact that I’m a little bit . . . clumsy ?’

  That did it. The last of Justin’s panic disappeared, swept away by a wave of protective pride.

  ‘Riley,’ he said, ‘I have never thought that about you. And you are going to dance just fine.’ When he reached for her hand this time, his palms didn’t sweat. He closed his fingers around hers like a promise.

  Ever since he’d first met her all those years ago, Riley had always been so confident and in control. Now, though, she finally needed someone else’s help. And Justin was not going to let her down.

  Maybe he hadn’t ever danced with a girl before, but he’d seen movies and TV shows. He knew how it was supposed to go. He stepped in closer, arranging their arms in the way he’d always seen dancing couples fit together. He felt her breath catch as he put his hand on her back. His heartbeat quickened as she laid her own hand on his shoulder.

  This is Riley. I’m really dancing with Riley!

  He’d never been so glad of all the footwork that he’d learned from playing football. He moved them back and forth in a slow, dreamy circle, guiding Riley in time with the ballad his brother was singing on stage. At first,
Riley held herself stiffly, obviously afraid of making a mistake, or falling over. Then she met his eyes and smiled, and he felt her relax in his arms, leaning into him.

  ‘Thank you,’ she mouthed.

  Justin shook his head, smiling back at her. ‘Nothing to thank me for,’ he whispered. ‘I’m happy.’

  We’re dancing, he thought, knowing he was grinning goofily and not caring one bit. And no one can call this NOT-a-date!

  However goofy his grin was, he knew it became the officially Stupidest Grin Ever as Riley – can this really be happening? – laid her head on his shoulder.

  His twin’s music swept through the gym, and Justin felt as if he’d been swept right along with it into a dream. And it had to be a dream. Real life was never this good!

  Even as he thought that, he noticed a shift in Riley’s movements. He wasn’t just guiding her steps any more – he was moving her still body. In fact . . .

  He choked on a silent laugh as he looked down at her peaceful face, her eyes closed.

  I guess Riley really is dreaming now!

  It was no wonder she’d finally fallen asleep. This was probably the first time she’d relaxed this whole week.

  Come to think of it, now that all his own nerves had gone, Justin’s own legs were seriously starting to ache from all that faking-werewolfness that he’d been doing lately – not to mention his big play in the Homecoming Game. He could quite happily take a nap of his own.

  In the meantime, though, this felt amazingly good. Maybe he’d just lean on Riley for a second . . . and it couldn’t hurt to close his own eyes, just for just a moment . . . he’d just rest his face in her soft hair . . . for a minute . . .

  Daniel had never expected to break out laughing at his first real gig. But as he looked down at the couple in the centre of the dance floor, he had to fight not to crack up in the middle of his own love song.

  No one else seemed to have noticed that Justin and Riley were doing anything different from a very slow slow-dance . . . but Daniel’s hearing was wolf-sharp and couldn’t be fooled. From their rhythmic breathing, it was obvious that both of them had fallen fast asleep. In fact, they would have both fallen over . . . were it not for each other.