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bone steak, which is the most expensive item on the menu, and Rowley got the same thing even though I was trying to signal for him to order something cheap. When our food came out, my hamburger had lettuce and tomato on it, because at Corny's they ALWAYS get your order wrong. I took off the lettuce and tomato, but there was mayonnaise on my burger, too. When our waitress came around again, I told her I'd ordered a burger with nothing on it. So she took a napkin and just wiped the mayonnaise off, then left the napkin right in the middle of the table.

I lost my appetite after that. But even if I WAS hungry, I probably wouldn't have finished my meal anyway. If you clean your plate at Corny's, there's a picture at the bottom that I really can't stand. I just sat there and waited while Abigail and Rowley ate their stakes, and when they finished I signaled for the waitress to come over so I could pay the bill. But then Rowley and Abigail said they wanted dessert. The whole reason we came to Corny's in the first place was for the dessert bar, which comes free with your meal. But of course Rowley and Abigail each wanted to order a special desert off the menu, which costs extra.

I got up and found our waitress to tell her it was Rowley's birthday, because I knew then he'd get a free dessert. So a few minutes later the waiters and waitresses all came out and sang "Happy Birthday" to Rowley and gave him his free cake. Abigail still ordered a triple-layer chocolate cheesecake, which she only took two bites out of. When the bill came, I couldn't BELIEVE how much it was. I had to use all the money in my wallet, and I even had to pull out the five dollars I was keeping in my sock in case of an emergency.

The waitress wouldn't take the money I had in my sock because it was a little wet, so I had to go out to the car and ask Mr. Jefferson if he had a five-dollar bill he could trade. When I got back to the table, Rowley and Abigail were in the middle of a conversation and it seemed to me like they were sitting a little closer than when I'd left. I thought about giving Abigail a heads-up that she might want to keep her distance from Rowley, but I was afraid she'd bail on the date if she found out about the chicken pox.

The three of us got back in the car, and Mr. Jefferson drove us to the school and dropped as off at the front door. He gave Rowley a big hug, which I'm sure seemed pretty weird to Abigail if she thought he was really a professional driver. The theme of the dance was "Midnight in Paris," and I have two admit the Dance Committee did a pretty good job. The gym was decked out to look like a street in France. There was a long table set up with punch and snacks, and there was even a chocolate fountain with strawberries for dipping.

We handed over our tickets and then got in line for photos. Each couple had their picture taken in front of a backdrop of Paris. When it was our turn, I stood with Abigail and the photographer snapped our photo. But I wish I'd known Rowley was gonna get in the picture WITH us, because I would've just skipped it.