She looked again at the room. There were neon-colored balloons scattered over the floor. To the side were long tables with zebra-striped tablecloths covered with trays of cupcakes and a bowl of pink punch. A huge brown-paper

banner at the center of the gym floor read “Welcome to the 80's!” painted in pink, yellow, and green letters. It was all bright and garish and perfect.

“May I have this dance?” he asked.

“Okay,” she said because it seemed to be the only word left in her brain.

Peter turned and shouted, “She said yes!”

A crowd of cheering people spilled out from either side of the stage where

they had been hiding. Most were dressed in various eighties clothes—suits with

skinny ties, piles of poofed-up hair, multicolored sweaters, jackets with giant shoulder pads, pouting girls wearing sunglasses and torn shirts that were hanging

off their shoulders.

Peter came forward, elbow still extended. She kicked off her heels and

slipped her arm through his as he guided her to the middle of the floor.

“What do you think?” he asked.

She couldn't think. “You did this?”

“With a lot of help from some friends.” He nodded past her shoulder at someone.

Lucius was approaching from the punch bowl holding a plastic cup. Kate

doubled over in laughter. He looked like he had just walked out of a Miami Vice

episode. Pink pastel t-shirt under a shiny blue-gray jacket. And on his head, an

incredibly fake blond mullet that coursed down his shoulders.

“I don't think she likes my outfit,” he said, looking at Peter.

“You look…you look…” was all Kate could gasp, hands on her knees she

was laughing so hard. “Where in the world did you get these clothes?”

“I don't know. You'll have to ask my date.”

A hand squeezed her arm. She turned.

It was Carol, wearing hot pink shorts over a lime-green leotard, with purple

leg warmers and black-and-white checkered tennis shoes. Her hair was teased and piled on her head, and she was wearing a t-shirt that said “SAVE FERRIS.”

Kate almost fell to the floor, snorting. She thought she was going to pee her

pants.

“Radical, dude,” Carol said with a smile.

Kate grabbed Peter by the arm and tried to stand. When she could finally speak again, she said, “So the raccoons and the noise and the fire…it was all just to get me here, right?”

“Pretty much,” said Peter. “Penny helped too. She scheduled your meeting for the afternoon so the band could be here to set up. They couldn't be here until school was out.” He waved to a group of kids at the edge of the gym floor, bouncing to the music. On the stage behind them was a pile of band instruments.

“We accidentally dropped a cymbal into the Sousaphone. Don't tell the band director.”

“Radical, dude,” Carol said again.

“Um, Lucius, now might be a good time for you and Carol go get some

punch or something,” Peter said.

“C'mon, baby,” Lucius said, taking the hint. “Let's, like, totally go get some

gnarly punch.”

“Bodacious,” Carol said, taking his arm. “Bye, Katie.”

“Bye,” Kate said and watched them go. “That has got to be the funniest thing

I've ever seen.” She turned back to Peter and laughed again. “I'm sorry, I don't

think I'm going to be able to handle that hair.”

“You don't like the hair? I spent all of two minutes working on this hair.”

She reached up with both hands and tousled it. “I like the new Peter better.”

He nodded. “Have it your way.”

The music continued to bounce along. Students and even a few teachers

were milling around. It was now officially a party. “Peter, why did you do all this?”

“It was a fair amount of work, believe me. We had to save the decorations

from the dance last Saturday. I had to have Dale Schwarz convince the square dance club to practice tomorrow afternoon instead of today. Not all the students

could be here, mostly just the seniors.”

“No, I asked why did you do this?”

“You promised me a dance.”