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a little kid. He’s certainly old enough to take care of himself. In my opinion, you ought to be thinking about getting yourself a date for the prom instead of playing cupid for Gary Hadley. ”
    Beth and Jan left the cafeteria fifteen minutes later, leaving me to finish my lunch alone. As always, Jan had made a strong case for her point of view. Maybe she was right. Maybe I was getting too personally involved. That would explain why I’d over reacted, first to Colette's remarks about Gary and then to Gary’s fall. As for my own dateless state, I couldn’t have cared less.
    Gazing across the cafeteria, I saw Colette at her usual table, presiding over a group of the school’s “ beautiful people. ” She looked chic and lovely and totally oblivious of the fact that a s weet, clumsy boy had nearly bro ken his neck in a misguided effort to impress her. I had to admit that Beth was right, too. There was a big difference between building Gary’s confidence and raising false hopes.
    Lost in thought, I didn’t even notice when Eddie and Steve sat down on either side of me until Steve spoke.
    “ Scouting her out , huh, Molly? ” he asked. “ How’s our man doing, anyway? ”
    “ Well, he’s improving, ” I said slowly. “ Of course, that's not saying much—there was plenty of room for improvement. There still is, for that matter. ”
    “ So Mark isn't counting his money yet? ” Eddie asked, grinning broadly.
    I shook my head. “ No. I w ouldn't count mine, either, if I were you. But I’d say the odds are definitely in your favor. ”
    Steve chuckled. “ I tried to warn him, but you know what Mark’s like once he gets an idea into his head. ”
    “ Yeah, I know, ” I said, dismissing Mark with a shrug. “ But listen, guys, I’ve been thinking. Let's assume that you two win the bet and Mark pays up. Then what? ”
    They both looked completely blank.
    “ What do you mean? ” Steve asked.
    “ What happens to Gary? ” I asked ear nestly. “ He's really crazy about Colette—you know that. If she turns him down, he could really be hurt. How about calling off this stu pid bet? ”
    “ No way! ” Eddie said. “ You' re thinking like a girl, Molly. ”
    “ Yeah, Molly, ” Steve added. “ Gary's tougher than that. Guys j ust aren't that sensitive about that sort of thing. ”
    “ Well, I guess you know him better than I do, ” I said. But I wasn't at all sure they did.
     
     
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
    No matter how confused my feelings were, the fact remained that I still owed Mark money for that traffic ticket. Until I paid him off, I’d have to continue with Gary’s tutoring. So when Saturday morning rolled around. I collected my allowance from Dad and paid Mark his weekly installment of five dollars. I spent the next hour or so searching through my collection of cassettes for appropriate dance music, and by the time Gary arrived, I was prepared for our lesson.
    After locking the door of the den against Mark’s prying eyes, I turned on the stereo, popped a tape into the cassette deck, and turned to face my pupil.
    “ Well, are you ready? ” I asked as a pulsing rock ’n’ roll beat blasted out of the speakers.
    Gary shrugged. “ As ready as I’ll ever be , I guess. What do I do first? ”
    So I showed him. Actually, the lesson wasn’t nearly as bad as I had been afraid it might be. Gary's size-fourteen feet did tend to get in the way a bit at times, but they didn’t do any permanent damage to mine, and Gary had a surprisingly good sense of rhythm. I felt sure that with practice, he wouldn’t have anything to be ashamed of on prom night. Of course, he probably wouldn't have Colette Carroll, either, but I certainly wasn’t going to bring that up.
    “ Well, I guess that takes care of it, ” I told Gary half an hour later. “ I think you’ll do just fine. ”
    “ What about slow dancing? ” he asked.
    “ What about it? ”
    “ Don’t they usually have some of that, too? ”
    “ Well, yes,