CHHAPTER 1

Link Larkin sat in the chair just across the table Tracy Turnblad was sitting at with her best friend Penny Pingleton as they tried to dissect their frog. So far, they weren't getting very far. He sighed when he stared at Tracy. He loves her so much.

"Hey cracker boy! I need help here!" Seaweed Stubbs groaned as he put the dissecting scissors firmly in Link's hands. Since the whole fiasco about Miss Hairspray and all that stuff ended, the two boys had started to hangout.

"Oh sorry," Link sighed as he turned to the icky frog and started to pick at it.

"hey, you think I'm not thinking about Penny? Course I am! She is gorgeous!" Seaweed told Link. He turned to face Penny and when she caught his gaze, he winked at her. She squealed quietly and whispered things to Tracy. The girls talked as they dissected the frog, not even knowing what they were doing. Then the bell for the end of class rang.

"YES!" Link cried as he jumped out of his seat. The whole class stared at him as the teacher looked at him crossly.

"Can you please explain to the class why you had your little excitement, Mr. Larkin?" Ms. Zigieon asked.

"Um…I'm just so excited for the opportunity to go home and do homework?" he said trying to act mature, his cheeks growing a dark pink.

"Nice save, you can all go now," Ms. Zigieon said shaking her head at Link. The class rushed out of the room and ran to the exit of the school. Link waited for Tracy to come out, but he got pulled away by one of his friends. His name was brad and he had brown hair, hazel eyes, and he was a jock.

"hey, are you coming with us to the party today?" Brad asked Link.

"Can I bring Tracy?" Link asked.

"the whale? No! There will be girls there and they're way hotter!" Brad laughed.

"But I can't just ditch her," Link said.

"Dude, she's cramping your style! Just say you have an emergency!" Brad exclaimed.

"I guess," Link sighed.

"Good. The guys and me will pick you up at around four so be ready!" Brad practically shouted as he ran off. As he got nearer the doors he turned the corner and stuck his hand out at his employer.

"My five bucks," he said feeling kind of guilty.

"fine, but she better not show up!" a familiar voice snickered. It was Amber Von Tussle the not so nicest girl in school.

"She won't! Link said he would make up some excuse!" Brad groaned grabbing his money out of Amber's hand and shoving it into his pocket.

"Good, now go!" Amber snapped as Brad scurried out the doors of the school and caught his bus. She smiled her fake smile and walked out the same time Link did. Tracy was right next to him, but she shoved her to the side and took her place.

"link, going to the party tonight?" she asked whispering.

"Yeah, you?" Link answered.

'Please say no! please say no!' he thought to himself.

"Yep, see you there!" she hissed happily and skipped off. Tracy joined him again, a confused look on her face.

"What was that about?" she asked him as they walked out the doors and over to his car. They got inside his car and hooked on their seatbelts.

"oh, she was just bugging me, doll. Nothin' to worry about," he said as he kissed Tracy's forehead before putting the car in drive and started down the road.

"It didn't seem like nothin'," Tracy said imitating his voice.

"Just relax. Hey, I need to a…tell you something doll," he said as he drove toward her house.

"Yeah, Link?" she asked.

"I have this emergency and won't be able to make it for our study date so just invite Penny or somethin' ok?" he explained to her.

"sure, it's fine with me. Go ahead," she said as he pulled up to her house.

"Love ya' babe," he said.

"Love you too," Tracy said trying to smile. He had never cancelled on her! What was his problem? She quickly got out of the car and ran into her house. She stormed up the stairs and into her room. Then she picked up the phone and dialed Penny's number. Penny immediately picked up her phone.

"Hello?"

"Penny, its me Tracy."
"oh, hi!"

"Can you come over and study with me? Link had an emergency."

"Sorry, but im going to the party with Seaweed."
"What?"

"Yeah, everyone will be there. Hey, want to come?" Tracy finally realized what Amber had talked to Link and his excuse about the "emergency."

"Yep, pick me up right away."

"Okay, be right there!" Penny hung up her phone and Tracy did the same. Then she ran over to her closet and picked out the same outfit she had on when she sang with Link at the Miss Hairspray pageant.

"Please let me be wrong," Tracy told herself as she slipped on her dress to get ready for the party.