"I've enrolled in the dance contest!" Zoey beamed.

"Me too! But I need to find a partner." Moze shrugged.

"Same here!" Zoey sobbed. "But those guys who dance well are all jerks. My last dance was with some Glen Davis"[[63]]

Moze agreed. "I fear that it is so."

"But if I don't participate ..." Zoey moaned "my grandparents from Massachusetts won't come and see me. And I haven't seen them in ages."

Moze sighed. "Our dear grandparents ... Chase would give so much if his grandma could have come and seen him here one last time."

Zoey nodded. "Who knows how long mine still have to ... I don't want to miss out on that. Each occasion may be the last."

Moze pondered. "If only Chase could dance. That would solve your problem."

Zoey whimpered painfully at the thought of Chase dancing.

"Maybe he just needs a teacher." Moze concluded.

"Great idea!" Zoey beamed brightly. "But ... hey! Lola said that her little sister was educated in classic and jazz dances?"

"She sings very well!" Moze agreed. "She probably dances, too ..."

Lola passed by.

"Hey Lola!" Zoey yelled.

"Oh Zoey, what's up?" Lola wondered.

Zoey told Lola her problem.

"OK, I'll ask Juana Evangelista ..." Lola chuckled.

Zoey was annoyed because of that long name. "Shut up, Gloria Alejandra Maria ..."

"OK, OK." Lola ran away.

=cut=

=cut=

The boys wanted to get their daily dose of coffee.

Logan was happy because Quinn was gone. "One spaz less. Three, even. Craig and Eric left with her."

Chase shrugged. "Now that she's gone ... I've liked her ... somewhat."

Michael sighed. "I'll miss her, spaz or not. Especially when I know who subs for her ..."

"Paige?"Chase wondered.

Michael shook his head. "I mean who replaces her in her dorm ... oops, there she is ... Eveln Kwong."

"Kiss me, you dork!" Evelyn yelled at Cookie.

"Suddenly, I think she's fun." Michael admitted. "Scary, but fun."

"This long queue does scare me! If only I could be customer of the week!" Logan moaned.

"What's that?" Michael wanted to know.

Chase chuckled. "The customer of the week gets his coffee a lot cheaper, and he doesn't have to wait in the queue."

"I guess we'll have to do something in order to make it there!" Michael replied. "We must impress him!"

Logan and Chase nodded.

=cut=

=cut=

Michael was doing his homework when Juanita bounded in. "Hi Ju, do you want me to play something on your flute?"

Juanita pondered. "Maybe?" She chuckled. "I'm properly here for Chase."

"Hey, Chase doesn't play the flute ..." Michael pouted.

Juana chuckled. "Well, Zoey commanded me to teach him dancing! It's for the contest."

"Oh! Yeah, that's a good idea!" Michael beamed. He pushed the buttons. "Chase, come home, there's some work waiting for for you!"

A few minutes later, Chase bounded in. "What's up?"

Juana explained the situation.

"Me? OK, I don't want to let Zoey down." Chase sighed. He knew that it would be quite hard.

"Coming to think of it ... Michael, may you play something on your flute?" Juana chuckled. "Dance music, that is. I could ask Megan, as well, but while I'm here ..."

Michael sighed. "OK, what do you want?"

"Something simple to start with!" Chase replied.

Michael nodded. "How about Maurice Ravel's Boléro ? The dance of boiling passion and unrestrained love even into a painful death."

Juana nodded. "OK, it's very repetitive."

"I'm not going to fall in love with ..." Chase trembled.

Juana chuckled. "Certainly not. But the repitivity implies that you don't have to learn too much."

Chase shrugged. "OK, that's perfect, if it is so ..."

Michael played a few notes, and Juana swept Chase across the floor.

"Wow, that's fun!" Chase beamed.

"It would be even more fun ..." Logan bounded in and made stupid remarks. "... if you would not stomp on her feet!"

Juana nodded. "He learns fast, though."

Michael started laughing. "I remember when Dana smashed your toe with her high-heeled ..."

Logan sighed. "I've registered for the dance contest. I posted at the bulletin board, looking for a dance partner. And who do you think ..."

Dana bounded in. "Logan? You?" She sneered and pouted.

"Give it up, Logan!" Michael chuckled. "Dana is your destiny! I have wanted to participate with Olivary," Michael said. "But same-gender partners are not allowed."

"Poor Michael!" Logan remarked sarcastically.

"But I've just polished the cofffee cart." Michael beamed. "This will make me the customer of the week!"

"You wish!" Logan boomed. "A few bucks will fix that."

"I will fix you!" Dana thundered when she pushed Logan against the wall.

Logan moaned with pleasure.

"I give it up!" Chase sighed. "I have to learn dancing for Zoey, which means that I've got no time to become customer of the week!"

"Good for us!" Michael smirked.

"Not that you would be a serious competitor, anyways!" Logan remarked.

Dana poked Logan in the ribs.

"Ouch! That's my sensitive spot!" Logan feigned pain, but he felt pure pleasure upon Dana's sadistic touch.

=cut=

=cut=

Michael and Logan were sure that one of them had been selected Customer of the Week.

"And this week's award goes to ..." Calvin, the owner of the cart, made the audience tremble anxiously. "Amber Tate![[64]]"

Michael was downright disappointed. He had polished the cart each evening, and who had been chosen customer of the week? Some snobby tweenie actress who even beat Ashley Blake at that! Unlike Ashley, Amber worked for TVS, not for Malcolm, but arrogant bitches may be everywhere ... "That's so not fair!" he yelled at the top of his lungs and started weeping piteously.

Logan didn't say anything. His feelings were obviously quite mixed, something Michael could not make much sense off.

"The customer of the week gets her coffeee cheap, and I may make out with her from time to time ..." The cart owner smirked.

These words seemed to have pushed Logan over the edge.

"Logan, what are you doing?" Michael couldn't hold his friend back.

Logan stepped up to Calvin, shoving the queue rudely aside. "You will not, I repeat not! make out with Amber!" Logan thundered right into the owner's face before slapping him swiftly.

Thereupon Logan got banned from the coffee cart, for good.

Dana had never seen Logan that angry. "I like that!" She smiled secretly.

=cut=

=cut=

"You should have seen Logan at the coffee cart!" Michael told Chase.

Chase shrugged. "I couldn't. I had to practise dancing with Juana ... and listen to Nevel playing the piano. That was terrible, I tell you ... but what wouldn't I do for Zoey!"

Michael admitted that Chase was right. "But Logan really bullied Calvin."

Logan bounded in.

"What was up with you?" Michael asked Logan.

"I don't want to talk about it, OK?" Logan boomed.

Dana followed Logan and poked him in the neck.

"OK ... if you really want to know it ..." Logan sighed. "I should never talk about it, but ... Amber Tate is a step-sister of mine."

"That bitchy actress?" Michael replied.

Logan grabbed Michael by the armpits. "Don't call her those names again, will you?"

"OK! OK!" Michael whimpered.

"You've got a step-sister?" Chase wondered.

"Probably a whole bunch of them Dad was married four times, mom was married even more often, and stuffs ..." Logan sighed.

Dana concluded: "He's very protective of Amber!"

Chase didn't quite get it. "Why did you never tell us about her?"

Logan moaned. "If things were that easy ... my mom hated dad since their divorce. Thus she made her second husband send Amber to a different producer, TVS. Dad doesn't want me to have to do anything with the competition, so he would never approve of me caring about Amber and even being proud of her." He sobbed and started weeping.

Dana took Logan in her arms. "I'm so sorry for all that. It must hurt you."

Michael pondered. "Dana? What are you doing?"

"It's just an exception!" Dana declared. "Logan should not get accustomed to that ..."

"I won't!" Logan promised.

"We'll keep it a secret!" Chase suggested. "Malcolm won't hear about it."

Michael and Dana chimed in.

Logan sighed in relief. "Thanks, guys!"

=cut=

=cut=

"PCA Sports Channel. This is Jeremiah Trottman. Tonight, we're reporting about the annual PCA Dance Contest. My co-commentator ..." Jeremiah moaned, coughed and choked , just as usual.

"Hi!" Lola greeted the viewers cheerfully.

"I'll introduce you to our dance orchestra ... Nevel Papperman at the piano, Megan Parker at the oboe, vocals by Juanita Martinez ... unfortunately, Quinn's trombone is no longer among us, but her replacement is ... Lola?" Trottman was confused.

"Samantha Puckett!" Lola added cheerfully.

"Do we get snacks after playing?" Sam asked.

"Of course!" Lola smiled. "The price for the best hair goes to Zoey Brooks!"

Megan handed Dustin and Tyler a sack of drie peas. "OK, if you need to manipulate the outcome of the contest, you know what you have to do!"

Dustin smirked.

"Unfortunately, some participant has to give up even before the contest starts ..." Jeremiah stated.

"Ouuuuuch! My butt bone!" Stacey whimpered with pain. "I always get all the bad luck!"

Nevel started playing a slow waltz.

"I hate that music! Don't you hate it too?" Nicole and Nicholas squealed at each other.

=cut=

=cut=

Trottman announced: "Four couples have made it into the finals: Zoey Brooks and Chase Matthews ... Michelle Barret and Olivary Biallo ... Dana Cruz and Logan Reese ... Rebecca Noname and Glen Davis!"

Zoey choke when she heard the last names.

Rebecca and Glen smirked viciously at Zoey.

"A last dance is going to decide ... La Habanera[[65]]"

"I've bribed the jurors into choosing this dance!" Glen whispered sweetly in Rebecca's ear. "Revenge will be ours!"

Rebecca smiled sweetly.

Nevel, Megan, and Juanita started their performance.

L'amour est un oiseau rebelQui nul ne peut apprivoiserEt c'est vain qu'on l'appelleS'il lui convient de réfuser.Il n'a fait rien menace ou prièreL'un parle bien, l'autre se taît.Et c'est l'autre que je préfère.Il n'a fait rien mais il me plaît.Amour! Amour![[66]]

"I hate Rebecca!" Dustin declared. "And Glen!"

Tyler nodded. "We need to use our pees!"

"We can't aim across the floor!" Dustin sighed.

"No problem!" Diego Cruz interjected. "I can ..." He produced his rubber tape and took some of the peas. "Fire! ... Oops! I've hit Michelle's head!"

The wig slipped from Michelle's head, reveiling Michael's.

"Disqualified!" Dean Rivers declared at the top of his lungs.

Diego aimed again. And again. Finally, Glenn and Rebecca floundered, reeled, and slumped to the ground.

Juana concluded:

L'amour est enfant de BohèmeIl n'a jamais connu de loi!Si tu m'aimes pas, je t'aime,Si je t'aime, prends gard a toi![[67]]

Dana ended up in Logan's arms.

"And the winner is ..." Lola breathed anxiously ... "it's a tie!"

Amber cheered emphatically for Logan, and nobody knew why.

Dustin, Diego, and Tyler highfived like nobody's business.

Dana and Logan walked away with half of the trophy. "Don't think that I like you just because ..." they boomed unison. Then they grabbed and pulled each other into a kiss.

Zoey sighed. "I knew that I may rely on you, Chase."

"You've been the best! I just don't understand why Rebecca and Glen slipped all of a sudden ..."

Dustin whistled innocently.

=cut=

[[63] ]cf. School Dance

[[64] ]from iCarly Show : iCarly Saves TV

[[65] ]from the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet

[[66] ]Love is a wild, untamable bird. Calling him is pointless as he conveniently refuses. Prayer and threat are for naugt. One talks well, the other doesn't. I prefer the latter. He hasn't said ,zilch, but I like him.

[[67] ]Love is a gypsy child, not bound to law. If you don't love me, I love you, and if I love you, beware!