Dave Casler
PO Box 98
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
Young Adult Novels by Dave Casler...
I've been told by publisher after publisher that there's no market for Young Adult novels. I think they're wrong! So I'm putting my novels on-line for you. Forget the publisher! Read to your heart's content--it's free! And, I'd like to hear from you, too! Contact Page.
You're reading About Dan. Be sure to check out About Phillip here.
Dan is a normal kid who loves his soccer. Except everything goes wrong. Everything.
About Series Home
About the About Series
Index to All Chapters
Here are all the chapters, disguised as asterisks. Hover your mouse over an asterisk to see the title of the chapter. Click on the asterisk to go straight to that chapter.
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(About Dan Home) (Last) (Next)
The Fall Festival
Peter pulled his dad's nice car up to the front of Park High School. It was the first time Dan had ever worn a tuxedo. He felt classy. He’d opted for jet black, a white shirt and black tie. And, of course, the silly cummerbund, which he'd struggled with for twenty minutes. He looked over at Lisa, across his crutches. He'd never seen her hair this way. Her skin was soft and smooth. She turned toward him and smiled shyly. Dan felt his stomach doing strange things.
Chelsea—the tiny girl whose papers Peter rescued from the wind—hopped out first. Dan was next. Lisa handed him his crutches. He'd just been to see Dr. Jones that morning; he’d urged him to put some weight on the bum leg. So, instead of the usual sock, Dan now wore shiny rented shoes. He'd been testing his bum leg's strength for a few minutes at a time all day; it made his knee ache. It ached now.
Lisa hopped out and swept to Dan's side. She smiled in a way that made him lose his train of thought. Other students were swirling about as they made their way into the school gym. Most of the boys sported formal wear of some sort. Nearly all the girls were decked out in long dresses with corsages. Some carried small bouquets. The strong scent of perfume swirled around the three as they made their way to the door. Fall Festival was a big deal at Park. It was girl's choice and open to all students, freshman through senior.
It was the Friday before Thanskgiving and chilly. Peter drove off to the student parking lot. Dan, Lisa and Chelsea worked their way through the crowd to get out of the cold.
The fine apparel created a festive and surreal air in the lobby. Dan could hear the guys kid each other about how nicely they cleaned up. It was the girls who caught his eye, though; they'd spent the day preparing. Rather than looking at their dates, they were eyeing each other.
Dan studied Lisa more carefully. She wore a long, shiny lavender gown with some lace at the neck. Unlike most of the other gowns, the back was not cut low, but rather went up under her hair, high on her neck. Lisa had mentioned to Chelsea at dinner that it was impossible to find a modest gown at the store. The sleeves were blooming into tight cuffs with more lace. Perfect tailoring. White shoes with half-height heels and pointed toes. Simple white leather purse. Sister Parker had taken pictures as Dan pinned on her corsage, and then she made Dan and Lisa stand together by the stairway while she took more pictures. She'd asked Dan to stand without the crutches. Bishop Parker said a few words about how fast they grow up, and Dan was sure he saw a tear in Sister Parker’s eye as they drove off.
Peter was more colorful than Dan with his tuxedo choice: powder blue with black piping, pink shirt, black cummerbund and black bow tie. Peter told him that since he'd broken up with Tania, he really wasn't all that interested in girls right now. But Chelsea's boyfriend was sick, so she'd asked Peter to the Fall Festival when they'd gotten to her car last Wednesday, and he was just doing this as a public service. He made that clear. Right at dinner.
Some public service. She’s stunning. Her long hair, which he'd seen backlit so beautifully, was done in a bun with two long streamers coming down from either side. She wore a navy velvet gown. And it was cut low in the back. It also showed much more of her chest. Dan compared her gown to Lisa's and thought both were beautiful. Chelsea's gown allowed her to show off her gold necklace with a large pendant. Dan could see that Lisa did not approve of Chelsea's gown.
Chelsea beamed at Peter. And Peter didn't exactly look like he was performing public service, either.
There were tables and chairs everywhere in the gym except in the center, where several students were pretending to dance the swing. The school's jazz band was on a raised platform at the other end of the hall, lit by red and blue spotlights. One of the saxophonists was soloing and some students near the band were applauding. The decorations were in various fall colors. Along one wall parents doled out punch and cake.
Peter spotted an empty table and steered them toward it. Dan felt Lisa's hand take his. He looked at her. He had to bend his head close to hear what she was saying.
"Dan, oh, this is so special. Thanks for coming with me!"
This is juvenile. "I'm glad you like it, Lisa. I arranged it all myself," he replied. Stupid conversation.
She giggled and squeezed his hand. Her eyes were alive and happy. "It was a lovely dinner, Dan. I love you," she said.
Whew! First time she’s actually said that! "Me, too," he stammered. "I mean, I love you too, Lisa." He looked into her eyes. She wanted him to be a knight in shining armor who would sweep her off her feet. I sense disaster in the making.
"Hey, you two," shouted Peter, trying to be heard over the music. "Let's dance." He took Chelsea's hand. Dan watched. Peter is such a show off!
"Oh! Can you dance?" asked Lisa. She put her hand up to her mouth.