Afraid (9 page)

T
he first song in the contest was a slow love song, and Donna and Steve did very well. When the song ended, both of them were pleased that they'd made it past the first cut.

“We're still in!” Donna smiled as she glanced around her. All through the song, she'd been expecting the bandleader to tap Steve on the shoulder to tell them they'd been eliminated.

“The dance floor was crowded. Maybe they just didn't see us.” Steve grinned down at her. “What kind of music are they playing next?”

Donna grinned back. “I think they said it was salsa. You'd better not hold me quite so close if you ever want to use your feet again.”

It was a miracle, but Steve and Donna made it past the second cut. When the last note had faded away, Steve turned to Donna with a smile on his face. “We made it! What's next?”

“Retro.” Donna started to laugh. “It's like the disco they used to do in the seventies.”

“Do you think we should leave now, before it starts?”

Donna nodded. “I think that's the best idea I've heard all night!”

Steve took Donna's arm and they walked off the dance floor. They found Jerry, standing on the sidelines next to the bridge, and Steve clapped him on the back. “That old football injury of yours is much better, right?”

“Right.” Jerry grinned. “I've been watching Lisa and Craig, and they're doing great. Let's climb up the bridge and watch from the top.”

All three of them walked up the arched bridge and stopped at the highest point. They were about five feet above the dance floor and they could see perfectly.

“Where's Lisa?” Steve glanced out, over the crowd. There were still quite a few couples left on the floor.

“Right over there, next to the platform.” Jerry pointed her out. “She's got to be tired. Craig had her spinning all over the floor.”

Steve nodded. “I see her, but she doesn't look tired. She's even practicing some steps . . . look!”

They all watched lisa as she practiced a series of complicated steps. And then the band started playing again, and Craig and Lisa began to dance.

“She's great!” Jerry looked proud as he watched Craig and Lisa. “And she really looks good in that outfit. It's perfect with those red shoes.”

Steve turned to Donna in alarm. “Where did Lisa get those red shoes? They look exactly like—”

“I know.” Donna interrupted him. “But don't worry, Steve. Lisa's red shoes were a birthday present. Her father worked two hours of overtime so he could buy them for her. They came from Delano's shoe store at the mall.”

Jerry whistled. “I worked at Delano's last Christmas and their shoes are expensive. The cheapest shoes they carried were over a hundred dollars.”

Steve shook his head. “There's no way Lisa's father could have bought her shoes at Delano's. Tow truck drivers don't make that much.”

Donna felt an icy shiver run right down her back. She'd forgotten that Lisa's father was a tow truck driver.

“Are you thinking what I'm thinking?” Steve looked very worried when Donna nodded, and he turned to Jerry with a question. “Do you know if Lisa's father towed Alice's car?”

“Yes.” Jerry nodded. “I was studying with Lisa when he came home.”

Donna took a deep breath. She hated to ask, but she had to know. “Do you think Lisa's father might have lied about where he got the shoes?”

“Maybe. He might be embarrassed because he can't buy nice things for Lisa.”

“Uh-oh.” Steve looked even more worried when he turned to Donna. “You were standing right next to Tammy when she bought the red shoes. Do you think you could recognize them if you saw them again?”

“I think so. Let's go out there and ask Lisa to take off her shoes so I can look at them.”

“No!” Jerry grabbed Donna's arm. “What if we're wrong? We all heard the rules. If Lisa stops dancing, she'll be disqualified. Let's just watch her and see what happens, okay?”

Donna sighed. Jerry had a point. They all wanted Lisa to win the contest, and they could be wrong about where her father had gotten the red shoes.

“Okay, Jer.” Steve nodded reluctantly. “We'll all keep an eye on Lisa. But if there's even the slightest hint of trouble, we've got to stop the contest!”

 

Lisa was having a wonderful time! Her feet felt like they had wings, and she tapped them impatiently, waiting for the next part of the contest to start. Dancing was simple. She'd been silly to worry about it. Even though she'd never done any of these dances before, her feet just seemed to know the steps. It was a miracle. And it was wonderful to discover that she had a new talent!

“What comes next?” Lisa's eyes were sparkling as she turned to Craig.

“Hip-hop. Do you know how to do that?”

Lisa shook her head. “No, but you don't have to worry. I can pick it up as we go along.”

“I believe you.” Craig gave her a friendly hug. “You're really incredible, Lisa. I've never seen anyone with so much natural talent.”

“Thanks, Craig.” Lisa blushed. She wasn't used to compliments. And then the band started to play again, and she rushed into Craig's arms so that she could dance.

Hip-hop was easy. Lisa picked it up in no time at all. Her feet flew across the floor in perfect rhythm, and she smiled and smiled as the bandleader passed them by to tap someone else on the shoulder.

“Oh, man! I'm winded!” Craig was puffing when the dance ended. “Aren't you tired, Lisa?”

Lisa giggled. “Tired? Of course not I can hardly wait to dance again! What's next?”

“More retro. I don't know, Lisa. I haven't danced like this for a long time, and I'm really worn out.”

“But you have to dance with me!” Lisa began to frown. “Please, Craig—I really want to dance!”

Craig nodded and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. “Okay. I can do it, if they just give me a little time to rest up. This should be the last round. Only two other couples are left.”

“You're right!” Lisa did a little dance step as she whirled around to survey the dance floor. “I think we're going to win, Craig. I really do!”

The panel of judges conferred for what seemed like hours to Lisa, but she was glad that Craig got a chance to rest. By the time the music started again, his color had returned to normal and Lisa was relieved as he took her in his arms.

Retro took a lot of energy, but Lisa was ready. She felt as if she could dance like this all night! One by one, the two remaining couples were eliminated and then the bandleader stopped the music.

“The winners!” The bandleader walked forward with the microphone. “And just in case you're wondering, it was a unanimous decision by our panel of judges! Come on up here, Lisa and Craig.”

Everyone burst into applause as they climbed up the steps to the platform. Lisa did another little dance step, and laughed as she accepted her prize. She opened the envelope and then she gasped as she saw what was inside.

It was a crisp, new hundred dollar bill! Lisa's face lit up in a brilliant smile. It was a whole week's salary for her and she'd earned it by just having fun!

The bandleader held out the microphone and Craig took it first. “I didn't win first prize, my partner did. She made me look good. And that's why I'm giving my half of the prize to the best dancer at Jefferson High, the incredibly talented Miss Lisa Jensen!”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you all so much!” Lisa spoke into the microphone. “I just love to dance, and I'm sorry the contest is over.”

“Encore, encore!” One of the guys in the band yelled out. And then everyone in the whole gymnasium took up the cry for an encore.

“I'm all danced out.” Craig turned to Lisa. “Don't you want to rest?”

Lisa shook her head. “Not me! I'm just getting started. If you're too tired to dance with me, I'll dance by myself.”

Craig put his arm around Lisa's shoulders. “Why don't we just go back to the table? You can show Jerry what you won.”

Lisa's eyes snapped with anger and she shook her head. “But I don't want to go back to the table. I want to dance!”

“Come on, Lisa. Let's get a glass of punch and sit down.”

“Go away!” Lisa pushed Craig's arm away. “I love to dance and I'm going to dance alone!”

The bandleader overheard Lisa's comment and he stepped up to the microphone. “Lisa's going to dance a solo. What kind of music do you want, Lisa?”

Lisa laughed. “I don't care, as long as it's fast.”

Everyone applauded then, and several of the guys whistled and stomped their feet. The band started to play something fast, and Lisa's flying feet carried her out to the middle of the floor.

As Lisa leaped and twirled to the music, an expression of pain crossed her face. What she'd said was true. She did love to dance. But she was beginning to feel the effects of dancing nonstop. Her leg muscles felt as if they might cramp at any second, and her arms were beginning to shake. But she couldn't seem to stop dancing, even though she really wanted to sit down and rest. Something was terribly wrong with her, but she didn't know what it was. It was as if some strange kind of compulsion had taken over her body, and Lisa wondered just how long she could keep it up before she dropped from pure exhaustion.

C
raig had come up to join them on the bridge, and he'd told them how weird Lisa was acting. And then Lisa whirled very close to the bridge and Donna was able to see her feet.

“She's wearing the cursed red shoes!” Donna hands were shaking as she grabbed Steve's arm. “Come on! We're got to stop Lisa before the red shoes kill her!”

They ran down the bridge, but a huge crowd of students had lined up to watch Lisa dance, and they couldn't get close to the dance floor. At first they tried to inch their way through, but that wasn't fast enough.

“Hurry, Steve!” Donna tugged at Steve's arm.

Steve nodded, and he turned to Jerry and Craig. “It's like football practice. Let's just sweep them out of the way!”

While Donna followed in their wake, the three guys linked arms and barreled their way through the crowd. Lisa's life was in danger and they had to get to her as fast as they could.

“There she is!” Craig elbowed the last person out of the way and pulled Donna up beside him. Lisa was dancing alone, in the middle of the floor while the crowd cheered her on.

“What is she
doing
?!”

Jerry sounded horrified, and Donna could see why. Lisa was spinning around, leaping and whirling, her feet moving almost too fast to see. The tempo of the music was increasing with every measure, faster and faster as Lisa danced her frenzied solo dance.

“Come on, let's get her!” Steve ran out on the dance floor with Jerry and Craig. “Stop the band, Donna!”

Donna raced up to the platform and shouted for the band to stop. Then she glanced at Lisa, and her eyes widened in horror as she saw that Lisa was still dancing. There was no music, but Lisa was leaping and spinning, faster and faster, like a whirling dervish!

“Stop, Lisa! Stop!” Donna raced across the dance floor, but she couldn't get close enough to Lisa. “Please! You're wearing the cursed red shoes! You've got to stop dancing!”

“I . . . can't!” Lisa's voice was faint as she whirled away, almost knocking Donna down. “Help . . . me! Please!”

“We'll have to surround her.” Steve motioned for Craig and Jerry, and they closed in on Lisa from three different directions. But Lisa was whirling so fast, they couldn't get close enough to grab her.

“Tackle her!” Donna shouted out. “You've got to stop her!”

The three guys ran forward to tackle Lisa and drag her down to the floor. Donna raced up to help, but she couldn't grab the red shoes. Lisa's feet were still moving, flying faster and faster, kicking out wildly in every direction.

“Hold her legs!” Donna's voice was high and frantic. “I have to take off the shoes!”

Lisa seemed to have incredible strength, and the guys struggled to hold her. It took precious seconds, but at last Donna managed to pull off Lisa's right shoe. A few seconds later, she had the left and she held them up triumphantly. “It's all right. I've got them!”

“Thank . . . you . . .” Lisa's eyes fluttered, and all the color drained from her face. And then she collapsed completely, crumpling in a heap on the dance floor.

Donna turned to Steve. “Let's carry her to the ladies' room. There's a couch there.”

Everyone watched in stunned silence as they started to carry Lisa from the floor. But the bandleader did exactly the right thing. He took the microphone and tapped it loudly.

“The excitement's over, folks. And Lisa needs to rest. Let's all calm down and dance to a song I know you're going to like.”

The band began to play a popular love song, and some of the students got up to dance. Others offered to help them with Lisa, but Donna turned them down. Lisa appeared to be sleeping, and Donna knew she'd be terribly embarrassed if she woke up to a crowd of curious faces.

At the door to the ladies' room, Steve turned to Donna. “Do you really think we should go in?”

“You have to. I can't carry Lisa all by myself. But don't worry, Steve. The couch is in the outer alcove. Just put Lisa down, and you can leave.”

“Okay. Come on, guys. Here we go.”

Donna held the door, and the guys carried Lisa to the couch. They'd just put her down on the cushions when Rita Swensen, the head cheerleader, came in.

“What are you guys doing in here!” Rita was angry and the guys beat a hasty retreat. But then Rita saw Lisa, stretched out on the couch, and she rushed over to help. “Is she all right?”

“I don't know.” Donna stuck the red shoes on the shelf under the mirror, and hurried over to the couch.

“I'll take her pulse.” Rita sat down and reached for Lisa's hand. “I learned how, last summer.”

Donna was quiet as Rita took Lisa's pulse. It seemed to take a long time and when Rita looked up again, she was frowning. “I did it twice, just to be sure, but I got the same count both times. Her pulse is weak, and it's much too fast.”

“Can you stay with her while I call a doctor?” Donna was even more concerned than she'd been before.

“Of course.” Rita picked up Lisa's wrist again. “I'll monitor her pulse while you're gone.”

It didn't take long for Donna to reach Doctor Weston, their family doctor. When she'd explained what had happened to

Lisa, he said he'd be there in less than ten minutes. Donna hurried back to the alcove and waited while Rita took Lisa's pulse again.

“Her pulse is stronger.” Rita didn't look quite as worried as she'd been before. “And it's slowed down a lot.”

“That's good, isn't it?”

“That's very good. It's still on the high side, but her heart rate is returning to normal.”

About five minutes more ticked by in silence. Then the door to the ladies' room opened, and Doctor Weston came in. When he saw Rita, he smiled. “How's my patient, Rita?”

“Better, Doctor Weston.” Rita turned to Donna to explain. “I work for Doctor Weston every summer. I'm just his receptionist, but I've learned a lot.”

Donna listened while Rita rattled off a series of numbers which Doctor Weston seemed to understand. Then the doctor took out a stethoscope, and listened to Lisa's heart.

“She's going to be all right, isn't she?” Donna asked, her voice shaking.

“She's going to be fine.” Doctor Weston gave Donna a reassuring smile. “But it's a good thing you stopped her when you did. Another few minutes of exertion, and it might have been a different story.”

Donna gave a huge sigh of relief. “Will she wake up soon?”

“That's not likely.” Doctor Weston shook his head. “She'll sleep until morning, and then she'll need a few days of rest. I'll call for an ambulance to take her down to the clinic. I want to run a few tests, just to be on the safe side. If they turn out all right, she can go home in the morning.”

Donna jumped to her feet. “I'll go with her. Lisa shouldn't wake up, all alone.”

“There's no need for that. My nurse is there now. And I'll call Lisa's parents if you give me her number. You can stay with Lisa until the ambulance comes, and then I want you to go back and enjoy the dance.”

Donna jotted down the Jensens' number for Doctor Weston and the ambulance was there in less than five minutes. Everyone went along as they carried Lisa out on a stretcher and put her inside.

“Come on, Donna.” Steve draped his arm around her shoulders. “Let's go back to the dance. You heard Doctor Weston. Lisa's going to be just fine.”

Donna nodded. She didn't really feel like going back, but Steve was the class president and they couldn't leave yet. Perhaps dancing with Steve would take her mind off what had happened to Lisa, and how the red shoes had tried to kill her.

Steve noticed the expression of panic that crossed Donna's face. “What is it, Donna? What's wrong?”

“The red shoes! I left them in the ladies' room!”

Donna ran back to the ladies' room as fast as she could, almost bumping into several people. She pushed open the door, and then she gasped as she saw that the shelf was empty!

“Oh, no!” Donna stared at the shelf under the mirror in utter dismay. The cursed red shoes were gone!

The inner door opened, and two girls came out. Donna had never seen them before, but several guys from the senior class were dating girls from other schools. One girl had short, dark hair, and the other was a redhead. Both of them were giggling at something they found terribly funny.

“Did you see anyone else while you were in here?” Donna's voice was shaking slightly.

“Did we ever!” The girl with dark hair nodded, and they both started to giggle again.

“Who was it?” Donna tried not to sound too impatient.

“I don't know, but she was really weird.” The redhead looked very amused. “She looked just like a big black crow.”

Donna felt her knees start to shake. Could it have been the old woman from the Magical Footwear booth? “This woman—was she dressed in black, with a long skirt and a cape?”

“That's her.” The redhead nodded. “Don't tell me she's one of your teachers?!”

“No, she's not. Did you see which way she went?”

“I did.” The girl with the dark hair nodded. “She grabbed her things from that ledge under the mirror and went straight out the door to the parking lot.”

“Her things? What did they look like?” Donna felt her heart leap up to her throat. If the old woman from Magical Footwear had the cursed red shoes again, she might sell them to somebody else!

“I'm not sure. She just grabbed them and went out the door. All I know is they were red and kind of shiny.”

The redhead stared at Donna for a moment, and then she looked concerned. “Is something wrong?”

“Yes.” Donna didn't bother to explain. She just turned around and went out to find Steve. The cursed red shoes were gone. And somehow, they had to find a way to get them back!

 

“It's all right, Donna. Just give me a minute to think.”

Steve and Donna were out on the dance floor again, dancing to a long, slow song. It was one of Donna's favorites, but she was much too worried about the old woman and the cursed red shoes to enjoy it.

“I've got an idea.” Steve danced Donna close to their table and motioned for Jerry to cut in. “Dance with Jerry while I check on something.”

Although Donna tried to pay attention to Jerry, her eyes followed Steve as he walked over to the big faculty table. He talked to Mr. Simon, the principal, for several minutes, and then he moved on to talk to some of the teachers. Steve's conversation with Miss Adams seemed to last a long time, but eventually he headed back to the dance floor. There was a big smile on his face, and Donna felt her hopes rise. Had Steve figured out what to do about the cursed red shoes?

“You can stop worrying.” Steve grinned as he took Donna in his arms. “I just talked to Miss Adams, and she wants you to write another section for your article. You're supposed to describe exactly what happened to Lisa, and how the old woman took the shoes.”

Donna nodded. “I can do that, but it won't help. Everybody saw what happened to Lisa, and even if they don't believe in the curse, they know that the red shoes are dangerous. No one in Jefferson City will buy them, but the old woman could sell them somewhere else.”

Steve nodded, and Donna frowned slightly. He didn't seem at all concerned. “Steve—this is important!”

“I know, but we've got it all figured out. One of Mr. Simon's college classmates owns a big newspaper chain. When you're all done with your article, he's going to publish it in every one of his papers.”

“What?” Donna could hardly believe what Steve was saying. She'd never been published in a real newspaper before!

“And Coach Harrison has a friend who works for UPI.”

Donna nodded. “United Press International?”

“That's right. And Miss Adams knows somebody at Associated Press. They're going to make sure that every newspaper in the country prints your story.”

Donna didn't say anything. She just took a deep breath, and hoped she wouldn't faint. But Steve was still grinning and she had to ask. “There's something else, isn't there?”

“Just one little thing.” Steve said. “One of your jobs as the new editor of the
Gazette
is to send copies of your article to every other school in the state. That way you can warn them, too.”

Donna's mouth dropped open. “The new editor?! But Steve . . . the contest hasn't even been decided yet!”

“Yes, it has.” Even though Donna had thought it was impossible, Steve's grin grew even wider. “The faculty committee was so impressed with your article, it was a unanimous decision. You won the contest, Donna. And Miss Adams thinks you'll be the best editor the
Gazette
has ever had.”

“Oh, Steve!” Donna was so excited and so happy, tears started to roll down her cheeks.

“What's wrong, Donna?” Steve looked worried. “Why are you crying?”

Donna wasn't sure what to say. Her best friend, Lisa, was going to be fine, she could stop worrying about the cursed red shoes, and she was the new editor of the
Jefferson High Gazette.
And to make everything even more perfect, she was going out with the guy of her dreams!

“Donna? What is it?” Steve held her tightly. “Please tell me why you're crying.”

“I'm crying because I'm so happy!”

“But that's nothing to cry about.” Steve smiled down at her.

“You're right,” Donna said, as she threw her arms around Steve and gave him a hug, right there on the dance floor. Steve hugged her back and then he kissed her, a light, friendly kiss that promised much more. And then they started to dance a long, slow dance, and neither one of them even realized that the band had stopped playing.