My fists automatically ball into fists. What is SHE doing here?

"Hey Heather. Can I help you with something?" Hiccup asks surprised to see her too.

"No. I just came to watch your practice." she says innocently. "I see you are giving the new girl a tour. How sweet."

I roll my eyes going around her, mounting the stage and plugging my guitar in. I sit down with my legs crossed, leaning back against the wall of the garage. i play different cords trying to get the right beat. i jot it down every now and then. I hum the words once I get the sound I want.

"Working on the new song?" Hiccup asks brushing my bangs out of my face with his fingers.

"Yeah." I catch Heather staring at us. "I don't think your girlfriend likes me."

He shrugs. "She doesn't like anyone."

"Are you kidding? She LOVES you."

"I'm not exactly sure thats true. I think she just loves the attention I get and that I'm popular. Before the band, she didn't even acknowledge that I even existed." He stares down glumly at his hands.

"I think you're cool. But not for the reasons your friends and girlfriend think." He smiles at me, his eyes shining.

"Um, Sweety? Hiccup, what are you doing?" Heather asks standing at the front of the stage.

"Talking." he responds.

"I think the tour is over Astric." Heather spits at me elongating the 's' sound.

"Actually, I'm apart of the band now." i retort smiling sweetly at her ignoring the fact she got my name wrong. Most likely on purpose. "Yeah, it's the Big 5 now." She rolls her eyes going back to sit with the others.

"OMG! Eret just asked me to the Homecoming dance!" Merida shouts running into the garage. Elsa and Punzie leap up hugging her.

"Triple date!" Punzie squeals.

"Quadruple if Kristoff asks Anna." Elsa adds.

"Ugh." Heather grunts looking at them with a disgusted expression on her face.

"So how did he do it?" Punzie questions.

"Well, after school, he asked if he could walk me to practice. So, on our way he grabbed my hand and was asking me questions about the band, practice, stuff like that. Once we got to the drive way, he kissed me pulling me into a hug." Merida says.

I stare down at my guitar beginning my song over trying to ignore the conversation and the boy I'm in love with beside me, the best I can. the other girls scream in excitement once Merida finishes her story. I brush a tear away that's just begun forming, hoping no one noticed.
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I close my my locker door, slowly walking down the wide hallway, thoughts of the dance consuming my mind. I grimace remembering when I got home from school yesterday. My friends kept going on and on describing how they wanted Friday night to go and how it was going to be the most romantic night of their existence. It was driving me nuts. I mean, just becuse you have a date, it doesn't mean rub it in my face! As soon as I got home, I plopped down on the couch, arms crossed, glaring at the TV screen in front of me.

"Asty? Is that you?" Uncle Finn calls coming out of the kitchen.

"No It's a burglar who just happens to have a set of keys to the house." I retort.

He comes around the back side of the couch and sits down. "What's the matter?" he asks rubbing my thigh.

"Nothing." I pout. He looks at me knowing that's obviously not true. "It's just that all my friends have dates to the dance. Not only am I the new girl, but I"m the ONLY loner." I pull my legs up to my chest, resting my chin on my knees.

"I doubt you will be the only teenager there without a date." my uncle reasures me.

"You know what I mean. How awkward it will be while my friends are all slow dancing to a romantic song; I'll be the loser standing in the corner draining the punch bowl."

Uncle Finn stays quiet for a momment, thinking.

"Hey, I could be your date!" He says suddenly. I look at him hoping he's not serious. The expression on his face though tells me that he is.

"Thanks Uncle Finn for the offer, but that would just make the situation worse."
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"Astrid!" Merida calls running to catch up with me. Punzie, Elsa and Anna trailing behind her.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Well, we were going to go dress shopping for the dance before all the good ones are taken. So... we were wondering if you wanted to come?"

"Um..." I hesitate. "I don't know..."

"Come on, it will be fun!" Punzie says pulling me by the arm.
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I sit in Punzie's white convertible as they blab about dress designers I've never heard of. I'm not really a dress, kind of girl. I don't know why I'm so mad at them. it's not their fault I don't have a date. I need to just stop thinking about that and enjoy myself. Besides, this is my first dance. Sad huh? It's my junior year and I still haven't been to a single school dance. It's never to late to try and go to one right? I've got nothing to lose. Just school wide humiliation when I'm the only one there alone. Call me the BERK High wall flower.