Upon reaching their destination, everyone thanked Ben for the ride before the Anderson boys led Julie Stovall to their place.
Alex Ramsey said he'd pick up Nate at 5 for their date that evening before walking through the Andersons' backyard to go over the hill to his house on its other side.
Alone in the house, everyone got comfortable as Nate turned on the stereo.
"Okay," began Nate, turning to face his younger brother Eric and Julie as radio station KMLC finished their 4 PM news update, "soon as Moon Lake College radio starts playing some music, begin dancing and we'll see how you're doing."
"Ready my Jewel?" asked Eric, staring intently at the were-mermaid of his heart.
"Yes," replied Julie with a smile, before giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
As the opening notes of The Monkees' Pleasant Valley Sunday began to play, Eric took Julie's hand as the young couple began to dance around the clear space in-between the living room and the dining room as Nate stood and watched.
"Just let yourselves feel the music and go with it," suggested Nate. "There are literally hundreds of known dances in the world, but not every song has an established dance. Unless you try to do something obvious like waltz to a rock and roll number, there's no one to say with complete authority whether you're right or wrong in how you dance to what."
"What do you think honey?" Julie asked Eric, as the teenagers continued to dance.
What I think is that I'd rather just hold you in my arms until the end of time, he thought, but Eric's actual answer was, "While I'm enjoying myself, I don't think we'll be winning any dance competitions before we graduate high school."
"Hey! No negativity!" chastised Nate, before Julie could speak. "You dance because you enjoy the music. You dance because you're at least interested in, if not actually liking or in love with the person you're dancing with. I know how you two feel about each other. Let's see more of that within your dancing. At least on a G or PG level," he quickly clarified.
"Your brother's right," said Julie as the music changed, the end of the Monkees tune was quickly followed by FUN's Some Nights.
"If we get a slow number, I'd love to hold you close and show you how romantically I feel about you dear," admitted Eric. "Mom and I watch a lot of those old musicals together, so I lean more toward the slow dances anyway."
"That I already know," said Julie with a smile. "It feels great when you're holding me, but we need to practice for Saturday night," she pointed out, feeling her body sway with the music. "Say Nate, do you and Alex dance?"
Truthfully, Nate realized that he and Alex had yet to actually dance together, unless you counted the classic "horizontal mambo". But while everyone present was also sexually active weres, all Nate said was "Yes. We'll be at the Halloween dance Saturday night too." But I still lack a costume.
MEANWHILE...
Coach Katherine "Kat" Johnson followed Martha Anderson from Moon Lake Junior High and was now parking at the curb in front of the Anderson house while Martha parked the family car in the driveway.
She had no way of knowing when they'd be able to afford a second vehicle, but at least Martha knew her husband William had a ride home tonight from college, which is why she had the car.
As the two ladies met in the middle of the front yard, Kat whispered in Martha's ear, "I could smell your arousal the moment you got out of your vehicle."
"Same here," admitted Martha. In truth, the bi-werecat had been thinking about the Junior High's Girls PE coach since finding out Kat was a lesbian weretigress who had a growing interest in her. "Once we get inside and upstairs to the bedroom..."
Kat just smiled and took Martha's hand as she started walking to the front door of the Andersons' house.