got a lot going on." Crystal scoffed "No kidding." Lucy's eyes suddenly widened. "Uh-oh....." Crystal whirled around. "What!" she said, not knowing what in the world could upset Lucy on such a nice day. "That." Lucy said tersely, flicking her ears toward a pretty blond husky accompanied by a large, black, dog with a blue bow. Crystal gaped "Is that.....Kelsey, Steele's daughter? With Riana?" Lucy looked confused. "Who's Riana?" She asked. Crystal kept staring. "My best-......I mean ex-best friend...." Lucy snarled as the two dogs spotted them and sauntered over. "What-" Crystal whispered. Kelsey giggled. "Lucky-" (Lucy growled angrily.) "And is that.....Crystal, with the luckiest dog in town?" Kelsey spat bitterly. Lucy lunged, and Crystal grabbed her by her light blue bandana. Then, Crystal noticed Riana, who had been watching this with the utmost fascination. Crystal, feeling it was safe to let go of Lucy, said to Riana, "Riana....I'm sorry about this morning-" but Riana flicked her tail. "Shut up, Crystal." She said. "Look, I don't wanna be friends with a popular freak like you, so save your breath. From now on, I'm gonna hang with my best friend, Kelsey." Crystal  was surprised at how rude Riana's growling voice could sound. Crystal smirked. "Then, it's payback time!" She lunged at Riana. "NO, Crystal!" Lucy shrieked, but too late. Crystal had already snagged Riana's light blue bow and kicked Riana in the ribs. Lucy grabbed Crystal's turquiose bandana. Kelsey and Riana doubled up laughing. "The dynamic duo!" Kelsey giggled. Riana snorted. "You two clearly need each other.......to control each other's tempers!" She and Kelsey started laughing even harder, and wobbled down the street like a pair of drunks. Crystal and Lucy stared after them, and then Crystal turned to Lucy. "How in the world did you manage to make an enemy out of Kelsey?" Lucy scuffed her paws. "Well...... You know, um, Cody, the, uh, famous racedog?" Lucy began hesitantly. Crystal nodded, so Lucy continued. "Well....um, the, uh, first day I, um, was here, I um, met him, and, um, well, uhhm, you know how Kelsey, um, kinda likes, um, him? I........um.....well.......kinda like, um, him, too. Kelsey, and....um, I kinda, um, fought to be, uh, his mate." Crystal widened her eyes. "And who won?" she asked. Lucy's paw-scuffing had cleared the snow so that two brown streaks showed up clearly against the white snow. Lucy straightened her bandana awkwardly and mumbled, "I did." so softly Crystal could barely hear her. Crystal thought she had misheard. "You......won? Against.......Kelsey? B-but Kelsey is a really good fighter!" Lucy looked panicked. "I knew you would take it like this! I bet you like Cody, don't you?" "I-" Crystal began, but Lucy interrupted. "I'm sorry, but he looked so strong, and handsome, and I-I think he likes me, too, and oh no......" Lucy looked embarrased that she had said so much, but Crystal was laughing. "No worries, Lucy, no worries. I think it's great. And I don't like Cody, I like Linder!" Now it was Lucy's turn to look surprised. "But, I thought he was annoying and he is always trying to show off for you and ends up messing up big-time!" Crystal laughed again. "Yeah, he does, but I think it's kind of cute! That's why I felt so bad for hurting his feelings."

Linder lay with his head on his paws. He had always known that was how Crystal felt about him, it was no surprise that she had ripped...him apart....." And, for the first time in his life, tears fell from Linder's eyes.....Crystal would never, ever mate him....why was he thinking like that?...........it would always be a fantasy....... never reality.... Then, Crystal's scent filled the bush. Linder sat up. What was she doing here? A white muzzle poked throught the foliage, and Crystal emerged. Linder curled his lip. "What are you doing here?" he asked coldly. Crystal laid her ears back. "Linder......I-.....I understand if you don't want me here, but I just came to say.....I'm sorry for what I said, this morning, you know?" Linder wanted more than anything to sink into the snow and dissapear, but that was a pleasure he would probably never have. "Well," he said. "It's, um, OK." Crystal turned to leave the bush, and suddenly stopped, turned, and said hurredly, "I understand if you don't want to, but, maybe you want to come, tonight, with...me around........midnight?" Without waiting for an answer, she hurried on. "I'll be waiting on my porch." Sure that he had just sprouted wings and could take off through the air, Linder gave her a small smile.

As soon as Crystal was a safe distance from the bush, she squealed with delight. Linder had smiled at her! He had actually smiled at her! "Step one..." she said to herself......then giggled. What in the world was she thinking? Then, suddenly, Crystal realized something: her path had been cleared. A few simple words was all it had taken. Linder was hers, and hers alone! Whatever else happened, nothing mattered, excpet for she and Linder. Opportunity unexplored!

Linder sighed. What was he thinking, smiling at Crystal? That invitation for a midnight walk was....... whatever......he'd turn up.................. Crystal likes me! Score!

As Sara did her homework, Crystal's thoughts wouldn't drift from Linder...... the expression on his face when she'd invited him on a walk......... the way he pranced along the street when he spotted her...... his embarrased grin when he fell flat on his face...... Crystal giggled to herself. Then she realized Sara had gotten up and gone to dinner. Crystal followed, sure that she smelled hamburgers. When she arrived at the table, Kyra, the dalmation mix who lived with Crystal and always had more energy than Crystal had ever had in a week, was slobbering all over Mom, who was sitting at the table bunning hamburgers, looking disgusted. Keefie was following Dad wherever he went, because Dad had a plate of lettuce and Tomatoes. Keefie loved produce. The cat was reclining in the middle of the kitchen, his belly taking up more space than his body. When the family sat down, Crystal made sure she was sitting closest to Dad. He was the one who gave tidbits. Sure enough, five minutes into the meal, a chunk of hamburger descended in Dad's hand. Mom cleared her throat loudly. Dad turned red and said hurredly, "What were you saying, Sara?" Sara giggled and said, "I made a new friend today at school. Her name is Hannah. She's new here, from Anchorage. She's really nice. Plus, she has a dog named Lucy!" Crystal perked her ears. Sara was friends with Hannah! She and Lucy would be able to see each other more often! See each other........She couldn't wait till midnight, when she and Linder would go on a stroll........would he turn up?......What if he didn't like her, and this was all a joke?.......

Linder swallowed nervously. What if Crystal had forgotten? What would he do then? He shook his head. If he chickened out, would Crystal be mad? Then Linder realized something: he had no idea when midnight was! He would have to just have to go now and wait under Crystal's porch until she came out. He set off, the cold night wind whipping in his face. When he reached Crystal's dark house, he curled up under the porch and waited. An hour later, he yawned. Panicked, he got up and ran a lap around the house. He must not fall asleep! But running around a big house top speed had tired him. He lay down under the porch again, thinking: I can't fall asleep. I can't fall asleep. I can't fall asleep. I can't fall asleep. Over and over and over and.......... Sniff, sniff......"Linder?" He was awoken by Crystal's voice in his ear. He started and leaped up, banging his head on the ceiling. Crystal laughed. It was a different laugh than he remembered. Kinder? More Sincere? "Crystal!" he said. "I'm sorry! I didn't have any way of telling when midnight was! I didn't mean to fall asleep-" Crystal grinned. Linder wondered how could she be so relaxed. They walked out from under the porch, and when Crystal's tail touched his shoulder, a shiver ran through his body that had absolutely nothing to do with the cold. Crystal suggested they take the route that led to the beach. Linder followed her in a trance. How would this turn out?

Crystal shivered as she led the way. It was so cold. She was about to ask Linder if he wanted to turn back, but something inside her told her not to break the silence. There was something in it.....not a tense feeling.....the silence seemed so.......heavy. She slackened  her pace so that she was alongside Linder. He flinched, and Crystal looked at him nervously, but he seemed to enjoying himself. His step looked relaxed, almost sloppy, and his muscles weren't so tense. Suddenly, Crystal realized that he was shivering, and she was, too. She almost turned back, but something inside her said, 'Wait'.

As Linder walked on the dry sand of the beach that they had now come to, he thought his feet weren't really touching the ground, that he was floating. Then, he noticed that he was few steps ahead of Crystal, and when he looked back, she was shivering and stepping heavily. He slowed his step and hesitantly pressed his fur into hers. She visibly relaxed and retaliated by sighing and slowing down a little. Then, Crystal stepped in sandcastle moat that one of the children in town had probably made that day and was sent sprawling. Linder rushed to see if she was OK, but when he reached her, she was laughing. He began to laugh, too. Crystal had a hard time getting up, but Linder then noticed that was because she was laughing so hard. When she managed to get to her feet, she knocked into Linder, and he began to chase her down the beach. She was faster than he was, but he would notice shortcuts to take faster than she did. Finally, they collapsed in a heap. They laughed. "Thanks for inviting me," Linder said. Crystal smiled,