Title: Shall We Dance?

Author: Alan Hitchen

Email: darkmere2000@yahoo.co.uk

Disclaimer: Popular is the property of Touchstone Television

Pairing: None as such

Rating: PG-13

Based on: Hope in a Jar

Quote from episode: Lily: (sarcastic) Wow, this is a fun dance where nobody dances.

Lily left the hall by herself. The Sadie Hawkins Dance had turned out to be pretty much a disaster for all concerned, except for Carmen, who had snagged Josh out of Sam's grasp, and April Tuna, who had astonished everyone by landing Stone Cold Fox, the catch of the day. She caught sight of April's sister sitting alone in the corridor eating dirt as usual. She sat down next to the redhead with a sigh.

"Hey, May, that's a nice dress, why aren't you dancing to show it off?" May shrugged and continued to eat. Then, as her curiosity got the better of her, Lily added, "I've always wanted to ask, why do you eat dirt?"

May stopped in mid-mouthful to consider her response before swallowing and replying to Lily. "In simple terms, I eat dirt for the same reason Carmen eats chocolate bars. It's comfort food, but at least mine is low-calorie. Want some?" She offered her container to Lily.

"No, thanks. Is it just regular dirt or something special?"

"Regular, straight out of the garden. We have a chalky type of soil I particularly like. I microwave it first, so it's perfectly harmless to eat. It has no nutritional value, it just passes straight through you."

"Hmm," Lily replied, trying hard not to think about that last image, "but isn't it a childish thing, like sucking your thumb? Shouldn't you have grown out of it by now?"

"Perhaps. We terraphages, that's the latin term for us dirt-eaters, are a variable lot. Some grow out of it, some don't. I haven't."

"But don't you think... don't you think it might be better if you kept it private?"

"Why should I do that?"

"It'd make you more popular."

"And why would I want to be popular?"

"Okay, fair point, but don't you think it puts the boys off you?"

"Maybe it does, but I don't see the boys flocking around you either, Lily. And where's your date for tonight? You blew him out didn't you?"

"Yes," Lily replied quietly. She was embarrassed by the whole Emory Dick affair, now even her victory over Nicole seemed hollow.

"You should have asked the one you really wanted."

"I couldn't."

"You could, but you feared the answer. You knew she'd turn you down, nicely of course, but she'd say no."

"She.." Lily choked and blushed furiously as she realised her secret was no longer a secret.

"Sam McPherson. I may eat dirt but I'm not dumb. That's the one you spend all your time with. That's the one you want."

"Yes," Lily admitted, "she's the one. But she's straight, she doesn't want me, she wants Josh."

"If that's what she's told you then she's kidding herself," May opined. "She wants Brooke, she just hasn't the courage to tell her. She should, Brooke would say yes in a flash."

"Oh?" said Lily angrily, but knowing in her heart May was right. "And what makes you the expert in other peoples love lives?"

"That's easy. I'm the dirt-eating, chess-playing, geeky outsider. We unpopular folk have plenty of time to observe the social behaviour of Alphas like Josh, Sam, and Brooke, and all you Betas scurrying around them, hoping to get a scrap of attention thrown at you now and again."

"You sound bitter," Lily replied in a kinder tone.

"Do I? I'm not really, it's just a game after all. It just happens to be a game I'm no good at. You see, I'm just like the rest of you, worse even. I'm in love with someone who doesn't even know I'm alive. Or didn't, until tonight." May gave Lily a small smile then looked away to eat some more dirt.

"Me?" queried Lily.

"Yes," May confirmed.

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the music wafting out of the hall. Lily stood up and extended her hand to May. "Shall we dance?" she asked. May gulped, inelegantly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stood up to join her date. "I like your dress," she said, echoing Lily's earlier comment, "why don't we show it off?"

So they danced together, and that night both Tuna girls were very happy.