Vicki dropped her school stuff on the couch in her dorm and smiled.  
"Grace à dieu c'est vendrede!" she thought in French with pleasure.  (Thank 
goodness it's Friday!)  Yes, thank goodness it was Friday!
        The phone rang.  Running to answer it, she tripped over Nick's 
briefcase.  Drat, she thought.  He forgot it again!  She snatched the phone 
up.  "Hello?"
        "Hi, Vic.  It's Nick."
        "Oh, hi, Nick."
        "What's wrong?"
        "I just got home and tripped --"
        "Oh, well.  I just wanted to ask if you would bring my briefcase down 
to the office.  I forgot it last night."
        "I noticed."
        "What?"
        "Nothing.  I'll bring it down in a few minutes."
        "Great, Vic.  Gotta go, bye."
        "Wait, Nick!"  Oh pooh, he already hung up.  Vicki sighed with 
resignation.  When will Nick stop thinking about himself again and think 
about me?
        Nick and Vicki were both juniors in college.  Nick was studying law, 
planning to be a lawyer when he was out of college.  He was interning at 
Lawyer Enterprises, L.L.C., and was quite good at his practice.  Vicki had 
high hopes for becoming a professional musician in the symphony, playing the 
oboe with a great amount of talent and dedication, but in college, she 
majored in French and minored in math.  The two students studied together 
every night and had gone out on a few dates.  Vicki honestly liked Nick -- if 
only he would pay less attention to himself and more to the others around 
him.  Meanwhile, Nick found Vicki attractive and fun, and he looked forward 
to seeing her every night most often.  He hoped that one day they would be 
more than friends, but he didn't know how that would exactly happen; it would 
take a lot of work on the Lord's part.
        Vicki's thoughts drifted back to the night before when they had been 
studying as usual.  Nick had mentioned a date perhaps on Saturday night.  "To 
the movies and then a trip to Baskin Robbins -- my treat," he had suggested.
        To his utter surprise, Vicki had hesitated.  "I don't know, Nick.  I 
have a major test coming up in French and you know how hard those are.  I'll 
have to study for a while as usual to prepare for it."
        "Come on, Vic.  Relax and have a little fun before a test.  I've 
found that you tend to do better."
        "You might, but I don't," Vicki had replied, a little puzzled and 
upset at Nick's insistence.  "I don't think I'll have any free time other 
than these studying periods for the next few days.  This test is one of the 
biggest she's giving."
        Nick's vain pride had been unsettled.  "I get your point, Vicki: you 
just don't want me around anymore.  Next time just say something." Vicki had 
tried to protest but Nick had already gathered his books and papers.  "Simply 
let me know if you ever want me around again."
        Vicki winced at the remembrance of the loud echoing of the slammed 
door.  Well, this was not the time to think about the fight!  After all, she 
had promised her best friend, Jacqueline, an entire night devoted to 
shopping.  Sadness would only bring the trip down.  
        Pulling on her sweater, Vicki thought, Il fait du vent mais il fait 
beau!  Indeed, the weather, although windy, was simply gorgeous.  She was 
practicing French a lot because there was a major French test coming up.  
Keys jingling, Vicki pulled shut the door to her room and headed down to the 
lobby where Jacqueline was waiting.
        "Let's go, girl!" she exclaimed happily.
***
        "How about this one?" Jacqueline squealed, holding up a slinky red 
silk dress with a low front.
        "That's a good one, too, Jackie," Vicki replied.  "I just wish I had 
as much luck as you at spotting the perfect dress for the Sparkling Summer 
Dance."
        "Don't fret, my dear.  That's why I'm here!"  Jacqueline laughed.  
"Look at that!  I think Mrs. Hurtsins's poetry has been rubbing off on me!  
Save me!  Hey, are you and Nick going to the dance together?"
        "No, actually.  At least, I doubt it; he got pretty steamed last 
night because I wouldn't go with him on a date.  Then this afternoon, he 
treated me rather distantly, asking me to bring him his -- OH NO!"
        "What?!"
        "I was supposed to bring him his briefcase before I left and I 
totally forgot!  Heh heh, I guess now I know we're not going to the dance 
together.  He is probably livid!"  Vicki laughed wryly.
        "Ouch, Vic.  But cheer up, I bet you'll find someone to take you to 
the dance.  I mean, look at how I found wonderful Brent!  If Mrs. Drusinger 
hadn't made him my partner in science, we probably never would have met!"
        "I know, Jackie.  But you always seem to find love in unexpected 
places, oui?"
        "Okay, fine.  But you have to forget all that right now.  Nick's not 
here and you have to find a dress for the dance.  Speaking of which, how 
about this one for you?"
        "I don't know, Jackie.  It's a little more for you than for me."
        "True, Vicki."  As Jacqueline laid the lavender and orange dress over 
her arm, Vicki's eyes glanced carelessly around the store.  Then, her eyes 
caught on a creation that had to be straight from heaven.  With excitement 
coursing through her, she rushed over to the dress with Jackie following.  It 
was a pearly white satin evening gown with delicate lace work.  Vicki knew 
this was the dress she wanted.
        "Jackie, this is the dress I'm gonna get.  I'm gonna try it on.  
Coming with me?"
        "No, actually, Vic, I saw this simply to-die-for dress made of 
sparkley sequins over black.  I have to find it!"
        Smiling, Vicki nodded.  Jackie's style was so weird that even Vicki 
had to raise her eyes in disbelief sometimes.
        She headed towards the dressing rooms, picking up a pair of white 
sandals, high-heeled, of course, in her size, and stepped into the dressing 
room.
        Ten minutes later, Vicki emerged.  "Jacqueline, are you there?  
Jackie?"  Suddenly, she stopped.  Sitting on one of the cushioned seats near 
the door was a guy.  A cute guy, too: he had long blond hair, a braided 
rattail and an earring (how Vicki loved guys like that!) and a smile on his 
face that took her breath away.  He looked vaguely familiar, but Vicki 
couldn't quite place who he reminded her of.  Suddenly she felt extremely 
self-conscious of her long, white, spaghetti-strapped dress showing off her 
evenly bronzed skin, her high-heeled white sandals, and her long blond hair 
cascading down her shoulders.  She had worn pearl earrings to school that day 
and they happened to match as well.
        "Hi," the cute guy said easily.  "You look really nice."  Vicki 
blushed and started to walk out the door, but the cute guy put his (also) 
tanned hand on her arm.  "Wait!  Don't go; I haven't learned your name yet!"
        Vicki liked his old-fashioned romanticness.  "Vicki," she replied, 
feeling her knees turn to water.
        Suddenly a pretty girl came out of another dressing room.  "TayMan, 
do I look okay?"  She smiled at Vicki.
        Vicki's heart sank.  The cute guy already had a girlfriend, it 
seemed. She quietly walked out to the store to find Jackie.  Behind her, she 
heard the guy reply, "Oh, Jess!  That dress is perfect for you!  It really 
shows off your -- wait!  Where'd that girl go, Jess?"
        "Who?" the girl asked.
        "The girl who was just here -- Vicki!" the cute guy exclaimed.
        Vicki listened, puzzled.  "Oh, she left," the pretty girl replied.
        Vicki heard soft, quiet footsteps come rapidly toward her.
        "Wait, Vicki!" the cute guy called.
        Vicki turned around slowly.  "What?" she asked, confused.
        "Why'd you leave?" the guy asked.
        "Well, your girlfriend came out and I thought it wasn't really my 
place . . ."  Vicki trailed off.  "What are you laughing at?"
        "That girl isn't my girlfriend.  That's my sister," the boy chuckled. 
 "Hey Jess, come meet a friend of mine, Vicki."
        Vicki's face burned.  The pretty girl came out and shook her hand; 
now that she knew, she could see how the girl and the cute guy looked quite 
alike.  "Hi!  I'm Jessica!" the girl said warmly.  "My big brother here 
volunteered to take me shopping, which is the only reason he's in this 
department."  She laughed.  Vicki smiled and laughed, too.
        Jessica eyed her brother and Vicki with a humorous looks.  "I have to 
go look for some more dresses," she said with a wink at her brother.  Away 
she went.
        Suddenly a surge of a totally new feeling flew through Vicki: 
courage.  Feeling bold, she asked the cute guy, "Do you live here in Tulsa?"  
The guy nodded.  Feeling even more spunky, she decided to totally blow her 
old self away: "Willyougotothedancewithme?"
        "What?" the cute guy asked, looking confused.
        Vicki took a deep breath and said more clearly, "There is a dance at 
my college in several weeks.  Will you go with me?"  Her voice quickly faded 
and all the courage she had experienced vanished.
        However, the guy broke into a heart-melting smile.  "Sure," he 
replied.  "By the way, my name is Taylor."
        Jessica breezed by.  "Hanson," she explained.
        Vicki felt her world go spinning.  She had just asked the famous 
celebrity to go to a college dance with her?!  Her vision began to fade.  The 
last thing she saw was Taylor Hanson's face become alarmed.  Then the world 
faded into blackness.
        When she awoke, she tried to remember what she had been doing.  I'm 
in a mall with Jackie, I tried on this fantastic dance dress, and -- oh!  
Vicki's eyes snapped open and stared right into the baby-blue eyes an inch 
away from her own.  Taylor Hanson's eyes.  She began to sit up, but was 
unable to.  She realized that Tay was holding her carefully near the floor.  
Searching for anything to say, she blurted the first thing she thought of: 
"Uh, salut!"  Stupid!  You said hi?  And in French of all languages!  What 
was I ever thinking?
        Taylor's eyes widened.  "Tu se parler Français?"  (You speak French?) 
 [A.N. -- Okay, I don't know if he speaks a foreign language, but I can 
dream! :) ;) ]
        "Oui," Vicki replied, unbelieving.  She was speaking French with one 
of the world's biggest celebrities who had just saved her from hitting the 
floor after fainting!  Ever since eight years ago when Hanson had first 
released "MMMBop", Vicki had secretly admired Hanson.  (Everyone she knew 
hated Hanson and anyone who liked them.)  And now she was speaking French, 
taking to her college dance, and falling in love, with baby-blue-eyed, 
piano-playing, French-speaking Taylor Hanson!  Well, if that was how fate 
intended life, she wasn't going to argue!