Will Work for Prom Dress by Aimee Ferris Page A

was this poor shepherd. A couple of guys came over and he didn’t want to be rude to his guests, so he killed his only animal, an ox, to feed them. He didn’t know it, but the guys were really gods, and they rewarded his generosity by offering him anything he wanted. What he wanted most was a son. So they told him to take the hide from the ox and bury it. And every day for the next nine months, he should go out and, well … urinate on it—”
    “Ewww!”
    Zander sat up. “See? I told you!”
    “No, no. Go on,” I said.
    “So anyway, a boy was born in that spot—”
    “So much for boys being made from frogs and snails and puppy-dog tails.”
    Zander laughed. “I suppose at this point in the story, you’ll tell me you’re an animal-rights activist and vegetarian.”
    “Well, I do love animals. But I also love bacon cheeseburgers, so you’re probably safe.”
    “So the kid was this awesome hunter.”
    “Thus the bow …”
    “Thus the bow. He was so good, the king hired him to kill all the beasts on his islands. And he kind of got too into the animal slaying and announced he would kill all the animals in the world.”
    “Uh-oh.”
    “Yep. Didn’t go over so well with the goddess of the animals, so she sent a giant scorpion to sting him to death. Giant scorpions trump swords and strength, so Orion made a run for it. And there he is, running today.” Zander lifted my hand, pointing at Orion, and then shifted to the right a bit. “And come summer, there’s where the scorpion will appear in his place, still chasing him.”
    “That’s so cool,” I said, wondering what summer would bring and hoping that Zander was more “Fallen Star” than “Orion.”
    “You, my dear, are easily entertained.”
    “So what
don’t
you know?” I asked.
    We cranked our seats back to upright. I considered faking trouble with my twisty-knob thing to smell his cologne again, but I didn’t want to seem desperate.
    “Hmm. Well, I don’t know how to draw very well, thoughI am diligently working on that with the help of a very talented tutor. And I also don’t know how to ask this without making the last half hour seem like a pathetic attempt to disguise my ulterior motive.”
    “Ask what?”
    “Which I swear it’s really not.”
    “Ask what?”
    Zander squeezed my hand and looked up. “Quigley, do you think I could maybe kiss you?”
    I couldn’t really breathe, so I just nodded. Zander’s hand smoothed the wisps of hair over my ear and gently pulled my face toward his. Our lips touched so softly I almost couldn’t tell we were kissing until he leaned in against me. I felt his mouth curve into a smile against my cheek, which he also kissed, and then rested his forehead against mine for a second. “Thanks,” he whispered.
    I still wasn’t doing so great with the breathing and talking thing, so I just nodded again.
    He stared at me for a minute in the dark. I could see his smile as he turned the ignition. “We’d better get you home before Ms. Parisi calls to check how you’re feeling and your parents freak out.”

Chapter Ten

    Click. Click. Click .
    “Quigley?” Mrs. Albertt raised one eyebrow and looked pointedly at my shifting stool.
    “Oops, sorry,” I said.
    “You’re on duty supervising the developing lab after school. You might want to work on your focus,” she said.
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    I’d been staring at the same spot on the floor in front of me for most of class, avoiding David’s attempts to catch my eye. When Anne and T-Shirt sat down at lunch, their company made it easy to scam my way out of dealing with the David talk, but in three short hours we’d be alone in the lab.
    “I thought I showed all of the slides, but it appears there is one more,” said Mrs. Albertt.
    The titters from the class made me jump. I glanced at thewall and then almost fell off my stool. The 5×8-foot image of David’s smiling face above what looked like a dozen roses would have been shock enough had the