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picked out the songs is SERIOUSLY out of touch with what kids are listening to these days.
    [Image: Children sitting and listening to the radio.] The caption reads: "EXIT
    YOU DO THE HOKEY POKEY AND YOU TURN YOURSELF AROUND..."
    For the first fifteen minutes or so, no one moved a muscle. Then Mr. Phillips, the guidance counselor, and Nurse Powell walked to the middle of the gym and started dancing.
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    I guess Mr. Phillips and Nurse Powell thought if THEY started dancing, all the kids would come down onto the floor and join them. All they REALLY did was GUARANTEE that everyone stayed in their seat.
    [Image: Two people dancing.]
    Finally, Mrs. Mancy, the principal, grabbed a microphone and made an announcement. She said that everyone in the bleachers was REQUIRED to come down onto the floor and dance, and it would count for 20% of our Phys Ed grades.
    At that point me and a couple of other boys tried to sneak out to go down to Mr. Ray's room, but we got caught by some teachers who were blocking the exits.
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    Mrs. Mancy wasn't kidding about the gym grade thing, either. She was walking around with Mr. Underwood, the Phys Ed teacher, and he was carrying his gradebook with him.
    [Image: Two boys dancing as the teachers look at them.] The caption reads: "SNAP"
    SNAP"
    I'm already close to flunking Phys Ed, so I knew it was time to get serious. But I didn't want to look like a fool in front of the kids in my class, either. So I just came up with the simplest move I could do that would technically qualify as "dancing."
    [Image: A boy trying to dance to the steps.] The caption reads: "STEP PAUSE STEP PAUSE"
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    Unfortunately, a bunch of guys who were worried about THEIR Phys Ed grades saw what I was doing, and they came over to where I was. And the next thing I knew, I was surrounded by a bunch of bozos who were stealing my moves.
    [Image: Four boys dancing.] The caption reads: "STEP STEP STEP STEP"
    I wanted to get as far away from those guys as I could, so I looked around the gym for a place where I could go and dance in peace.
    That's when I spotted Holly Hills across the room, and I remembered why I even bothered coming to the dance in the first place.
    Holly was dancing with her friends in the middle of the gym, and I started doing my step-dance thing, moving slowly toward them.
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    All the girls were lumped together in one big pack, and they were dancing like professionals, probably because they spend all their free time watching MTV.
    [Image: Girls are dancing.]
    Holly was right in the middle of the group. I kind of danced around the outside of the circle for a while, trying to find an opening, but I couldn't.
    Finally, Holly stopped dancing and went to get a drink, and I knew it was my big chance.
    [Image: A boy looks at the girl who is cooking.] The caption reads: "STEP"
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    But just when I was about to go up to Holly and say something witty, Fregley came flying in out of NOWHERE.
    [Image: A boy is scaring the other boy as the girl looks at him.] The caption reads: "BOOGIE BOOGIE BOOGIE!"
    Fregley had pink frosting covering his face, so he was probably all hopped-up on sugar from the cupcakes they were serving at the refreshments table. All I know for sure is that he TOTALLY ruined what should have been a great moment between me and Holly.
    A few minutes later, the dance was over, and I missed my chance to make a good impression on her. I walked home alone after school, because I just needed a little time by myself.
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    After dinner Mom told me there was a Valentine's card out in the mailbox with my name on it. When I asked her who it was from, she just said, "someone special." I ran out to the mailbox and got the card, and I have to admit I was pretty excited. I was hoping it was from Holly, but there are at least four or five other girls at my school who I wouldn't mind getting a card from, either.
    The card was in a big pink envelope with my name written in cursive. I ripped it open, and here's what I found: a