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but .. . ”
    “ Then hadn't we better work on it? ”
    It was a sensible request, but for some r eason I hesitated. “ There’s really nothing to it, Gary, ” I told him. “ All you have to do is put your arms around her and sway back and forth. It’s a lot easier than what we've been doing. ”
    “ Maybe so, but it would make me feel a whole lot better if we tried it just once. Isn't there some tape there that we could use? ”
    “ I guess so, ” I said reluctantly. “ Let me look. ”
    I sorted thr ough my collection again until I found a suitable tape, a cassette containing a song called “ No One in the World Like You. ” As I selected the track and pushed the play button, I couldn't help contrasting the slow, romantic ballad to my dance partner. With his shaggy hair and Coke-bottle glasses, Gary certainly fit the title, although he probab ly wasn’t exactly what the song writer had in mind.
    We spent t he first few measures of the in troduction ge tting our feet in the proper po sition and out of each other’s way. Once that was settled, Gary put his arms around me and drew me close. Because of the difference in our heights, the top of my head barely reached his shoulder. I had two choices: I could either rest my head against his chest, or hold it at an uncomfortable angle as far away from him as I could get. I chose the latter. Gary must hav e sensed my uneasi ness, because at that moment he looked down at me and grinned.
    “ I won’t bite you unless you bite me first, ” he said.
    I gl anced up, about to make some re sponse, and found Gary's face only inches from mine. Suddenly my heart was pounding so hard, I felt short of breath. I looked quickly away, confused by my reaction to his nearness. What was the matter with me, anyway? It was all so silly—this was only good old Ga ry Hadley, and I was only a sub stitute for Colette.
    I forced myself to relax, and for the next few minutes we swayed back and forth in time to the music. Neither of us said a word. I figured that Gary was concentrating on keeping his feet out of my way. As for me, I couldn’t have spoken if my life depended on it. It would have been impossible to carry on a conversation while my insides were turning to mush.
    At last the final notes of the song faded away, but for a moment we just stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms.
    Suddenly there was a loud pounding on the door. “ Aren't you guys finished yet? ” Mark demanded from the other side. “ The baseball game I wanted to watch came on TV ten minutes ago! ”
    The spell was broken, and I took a wobbly step backward out of Gary's embrace.
    “ Anyway, that's how i t’s done, ” I said, then hurried to unlock the door.
    Mark strode across the den and headed straight for the television. He turned it on and switched channels until he found his game, then planted himself on the couch
    Gary flopped down beside him. “ Who’s playing? ” he asked, apparently unaware that anything unusual had just taken place.
    I didn’t he ar Mark’s reply. I was too busy puzzling over the strange sensations I had experienc ed during the last dance. Remem bering the feel of Gary's arms around me, I shivered a little, and the thought occurred to me that Colette Carroll—or any other girl, for that matter— could do a lot worse than going to the prom with Gary Hadley.
    But I knew that Colette would never look twice at him, and it really wasn't fair. Gary was such a ni ce guy. It was a shame he was so —well, so geeky-looking.
    I studied him as he sat watching television with Mark. Gary 's clothes were okay, al though he would never be the fashion plate that Steve wa s. Getting his contacts and los ing those glasses woul d be a big improve ment, too. Still, there was one other thing that might make a difference—exac tl y how much of a difference I wasn't sure, but it was worth a shot.
    “ Gary, ” I said i mpulsively, “ have you ever thought about getting a really good haircut?