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)
Lisa Disappears
"Where's your date?" Dan was suspicious.
"She's gabbing with some of her girlfriends. She just brought me to have an excuse to come. We haven't danced yet, except once. I don't really know her that well, but, you know..." His voice trailed off.
"Uh, sure," said Dan. I’ve seen Lisa and Justin together a lot lately. He might as well let it happen. Lisa was obviously miserable. "Go ahead," he said finally.
Justin looked relieved. Dan slumped in the chair and folded his arms. He dared the band to play. On cue, they started up a rock beat. Justin took Lisa by the hand out onto the dance floor—she didn’t hesitate.
"Did he just steal your date?" asked Peter.
"I think he might have done just that," said Dan through clenched teeth.
"So what gives?"
"She's mad ‘cause I can't dance."
"Oh, dancing's fun and all, but surely she can understand your situation," said Chelsea.
"Yeah," agreed Peter.
"I don't know," said Dan, slowly. "She's always been a bit funny since I busted up my leg."
"Oh, come on. She'll be fine. She just wants to dance a bit," said Chelsea.
"You heard the woman," said Peter. "She's an absolute expert." Chelsea giggled.
"So why aren't you two dancing?" asked Dan.
"Cake, my good man. There is uneaten cake on the table," said Peter.
Peter solemnly handed cake to Chelsea and then to Dan. Dan ate in silence, watching Lisa and Justin on the dance floor. Chelsea's giggle brought Dan's attention back just in time to see her feed Peter some cake. He sighed.
When the music ended, Lisa did not return. Peter and Chelsea were up and down, clearly intent on spending most of the evening on the dance floor. Dan played with the crumbs on his plate, mashing them together with his fork.
"Dan! You look glum." It was Cheryl, as happy as ever. Her dress did a good job of disguising her plumpness. She wore a fake pearl necklace and some clip-on earrings. But, as usual, the prettiest thing she wore was her smile. She'd tied bits of lace to her crutches and grinned when Dan pointed it out. She plopped down into the chair beside him. She reached down deftly to unlock her brace so her knee could bend.
"Did your date run off with another guy?" she asked.
Dan pointed to the dance floor. "There she is with Justin. He says his date doesn't want to dance."
"Well, you can't just sit here and mope, dummy. Get up!" she commanded. She jumped to her feet, reached down deftly to lock her brace and motioned Dan to follow.
Dan wasn't sure what she had in mind, but followed her onto the dance floor anyway.
"Don't just stand there like a lamp post, Dan, you have to have some fun," she shouted over the music. "Like this." She waved one crutch in the air, then put it down as she was just about to fall. Then the other crutch went up over her head. Then she circled herself around. "Now you try it."
Dan wasn't sure. She kept encouraging him. He warmed to the idea. At one point they even had a crutch fight. Cheryl was laughing and Dan was too. They circled around each other, reversed directions, and circled back. The music ended just as they touched crutches high in the air.
"We should do this again," he said.
"Well then, let's do it again. Stay here until the band starts again. I'm too tired to go all the way back to the table," she said, pretending. They didn't have to wait long; they did their makeshift dance again. Both were laughing and congratulating each other.
"Look, Dan, I have to get back over to the front. I'm part of the dance committee and I have to clean up. Gotta get started," she said.
"Hey, wait. I'm having fun!" Dan protested.
"No, really, I do have to go. Keep smiling, kid." She reached over and pinched his cheek. Before Dan could protest, she was working her way down the tables, smiling and laughing with everyone she met.
"Way to go!" said Peter and Chelsea together. Peter slapped Dan on the back as he sat down. He realized he was breathing hard. His knee was so sore it was singing to him. But he grinned nonetheless. He grabbed what was left of his punch and drained it in one gulp.
"That Cheryl's something," he gasped at last.
The band director announced the next number was to be the last. Peter grabbed Chelsea and off they went. Dan watched them and was happy for Peter. Chelsea seemed much more his type than Tania. She clearly adored him and enjoyed his sense of humor.
Lisa sat down next to Dan. She tried to look apologetic.
"Sorry to be gone so long. Justin kept asking me to dance, and, well," she looked down, "you, well," her voice trailed off.
"Oh, no problem," he lied. " Did you see me and Cheryl?"
"Yes, you looked like you were having fun."