"Okay," Mandy finally agreed, "I’ll help you find an outfit, but you have to help me with mine too. Is it a deal?"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Alysha said, hugging her friend, "You’re the best. Did you know that?" Mandy managed to get out of her friend’s hold and took a small step back. Sometimes Alysha could really scare her.

"What’s going on," Stephanie appeared in the doorway.

"Alysha’s having a fashion crisis," Mandy explained, "You see, the guys invited us to their gig tonight…and Davy’s going to be there."

"Oh," Stephanie said, "You mean that incredibly short guy from earlier? The one who’s almost as short as she is?" Alysha looked up from her closet.

"What did you say," she asked her friend, "How many times must I tell you? I know I’m short already, you don’t need to remind me about it. How would you feel if you were five foot two?"

"Short," Stephanie answered, "But then I really wouldn’t know, everything looks so different from up here."

"That’s it," Alysha said, "Out, out, out!" She tried to shove Stephanie out of the room, but it didn’t help. "You can make fun of me more when you try to find an outfit. You know, Mike’s going to be there."

"So," Steph answered.

"And you want him to see you in that outfit," Alysha continued, "I don’t think so." Stephanie backed away from the door in shock at her friend’s words and Alysha managed to close the door, "Okay," she said, turning to Mandy, "Let’s get to work."

"What’s taking them so long," Stephanie asked Sara hours later. Sara shrugged.

"You would think she was going to the Oscars or something," Sara commented, "I’ve never seen her this excited about anything before. And not about the Monkees."

"That’s Alysha for you," Stephanie agreed and sighed.

"No," Alysha said, glancing at the latest outfit that Mandy had picked out, "No, no, no!" Mandy sighed and turned back to the closet. There was nothing left.

"Alysha," she complained, "That’s the only one left. There are no more choices. Pick one already!"

"But none of them would look right," Alysha said, "You know I look horrible in anything."

"But half of those would look great on you," Mandy said, "Come on girl! You’re going to see Davy in concert, not go to a wedding."

"Might as well," Alysha complained, "Mandy, if you were half the Monkees fan I am, you would understand. But face it, no one here can truly know how it feels. This has been my dream for years."

"Girl," Mandy said, "If Davy can’t see through your outside image and into the true you, than he’s not good enough for you anyway. If he really cares, he wouldn’t care if you arrived in the worst outfit imaginable."

"I know," Alysha said, "it’s just that I finally found a guy who likes me and I don’t want to lose him. You might not know how it feels to never have a boyfriend, but I do. I never have fit in with the crowd."

"Here," Mandy said, handing her a new outfit, "These don’t go together, but try it anyway. You’ll look great, I promise you." Alysha looked at the outfit in her hands. A dress covered in orange flame and a black jacket is what Mandy had handed her. A weird combination, but it was good enough for her, "And don’t worry, it wasn’t your fault."

"Okay," Alysha agreed, "I can see how I overreacted now. Forgive me?" Mandy nodded, "I’ll be downstairs in a minute, no matter how bad it looks. And I still need to help you find your outfit."

"I can do it myself," Mandy assured her friend, "But if you want my advice, you have to do something with your hair. It looks incredibly too short. Do something with it." Alysha didn’t even react to the comment, "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Alysha told her, "I think I’m doing better than I have in a long time. Thanks."

"What are friends for," Mandy said, smiling and getting one in return, "I’m sure you would do the same."

"I’d fight the clothes disaster anytime," Alysha said, "Now go get ready. The gig starts in three hours." Mandy ran off.

Mandy scanned her closet for the perfect outfit, immediately spotting it in seconds. She pulled out a silver colored skirt and a black shirt. "Perfect," she thought to herself, "I wish finding an outfit for Alysha would be this easy." She quickly put the outfit on and walked back up to Alysha’s room.

Alysha walked into the hallway the second Mandy arrived. She seemed to hesitate when coming all the way out though. "Oh my gosh," Mandy exclaimed, "Girl, that outfit looks wonderful on you!" The flaming dress was just above the knees and fit perfectly. The black jacket hung open and contrasted sharply with the bright orange, giving the impression of a sunset against the dark sky.

"You look great too," Alysha complimented her friend, "I wish I could find a good outfit that fast. I like the colors."

"Maybe we could trade outfits sometime," Mandy suggested, "A ton of my stuff would suit you perfectly."

"Mandy," Alysha asked suddenly, "I told the guys that we were starting a band and I was wondering…if you would like to come up with a name. You’re so good at making them up."

"How about the Flaming Lizards," Mandy suggested and grinned at her friend.

"Seriously," Alysha said, laughing, "We need a name. We could get gigs around town ourselves."

"I am serious," Mandy said, sounding slightly hurt by Alysha’s comment, "Think about it. And now give a huge round of applause for the Flaming Lizards! The crowds would go wild for it."

"Okay," Alysha agreed, "But if Steph or Sara don’t agree, don’t blame me." They shook hands on the deal and walked downstairs.

"Guys," Micky yelled, looking around the stage, "Has anyone seen my drumsticks?"

"I saw one in the freezer," Peter announced, walking into the room.

"And there’s another one in your boot," Davy said.

"Now how did they get there," Micky asked himself quietly, not noticing Davy and Peter’s grins when he left to retrieve them.

"Falls for it every time," Davy said, "Has he ever noticed how they conveniently keep disappearing right when he really needs them?"

"And always end up in the strangest places," Peter asked, "What do you expect, it’s Micky."

"True," Davy agreed, "you know, we could quit this if we wanted to." Micky walked back into the room.

"Thanks for helping me find them guys," he said, "I don’t know how they ended up there." He walked off again. Davy and Peter looked at each other.

"Nah," they said in unison, enjoying the look of confusion on their friend’s face.

"When do you think he’ll finally catch on," Peter asked.

"Depends," Davy answered.

"On what," Peter questioned.

"On whether or not we get tired of it," Davy replied, "That might take a while." He walked into the room he shared with Peter.

"Davy," Peter walked in behind him, "I need to ask you something. What does it feel like when you think you like a…girl? And how do you know if she likes you back?"

"You mean Sara," Davy asked and Peter nodded, "Don’t worry about that man. I think she likes you."

"Really," Peter asked, "But how can you tell?"

"I just can," Davy replied, "I can tell you immediately that Mandy’s interested in Micky, Sara likes you, and Stephanie is more Mike’s type."

"And Alysha," Peter asked, already knowing the answer.

"Everyone can tell that man," Davy said, "It’s the stars that give it away every time. We went for a walk on the beach this morning you know?"

"On the first day," Peter asked, "I don’t know Davy, that’s a big step for you. Next thing you know, you’ll be showing up at her house every morning for a walk." Peter laughed at his friend.

"You know, I just might do that," Davy agreed, "It’s really the only time we can be alone without anyone around."

"Don’t forget about the gig too," Peter said, "You can go talk to her during the break. Imagine, you finally met the girl of your dreams and she’s even shorter than you." Mike walked into the room.

"He’s picking on me because I’m small," Davy complained to Mike, pointing accusingly at Peter.

"You’re not short," Micky said, walking into the room, "Stand up Davy, and show him how tall you are."

"I am standing up," Davy replied, looking up at Micky now.

"Really," Micky asked, looking over at him, "It looked like you were sitting down from a distance. Are you sure?" Davy nodded, "Man, you are short!"

"Come on," Mike insisted, "Leave Davy alone. It’s not his fault. Besides, we have to get ready for our gig."

"Right," Davy said, and the others walked off. He stopped suddenly, "What does he mean it’s not my fault’?"

"The Flaming Lizards," Sara repeated, staring wide-eyed at Mandy, "Well, it sure is an original name."

"I like it," Stephanie said, "The Flaming Lizards. Sounds very mysterious." Seeing that she was outnumbered, Sara went with it.

"I’ll go for it," Sara agreed, "We can be sure no one can steal our name now. No one will want to." She said this last part to herself.

"Exactly," Mandy said, "So, we have a name, now we just need music and lyrics." They all turned to Alysha now, "We have plenty that Alysha has written already. We need to write some together."

"You know," Alysha said, "Mandy, you mentioned having a song idea before. Why don’t we work on that one first? I read part of it when you wrote it down, and it sounded pretty good."

Mandy was about to answer when she glanced at the clock, "We’ve got to go. There’s only about an hour until the show starts and we have to find this place." Alysha bounded from her seat, as did Mandy. Sara and Stephanie followed less enthusiastically.

The girls walked down the street, wanting to rather enjoy the view then drive over in a car. Besides, it wasn’t very far from their house anyway. Next door, the Monkeemobile was already gone from the driveway. Continuing down the street, the girls soon found the place that the guys had mentioned. The familiar red GTO was parked in front. All four girls quickly checked their outfits before going inside. Sara and Stephanie had even made an effort to look nice for the guys.

Davy looked up as the front door of the club opened. It took him a moment to recognize Alysha among the four girls. She glanced around too before noticing his gaze and waved at him. Davy turned suddenly as Micky’s voice cut into his thoughts.

"Davy," he asked, "Are you just going to stand there all day or are you going to help out? Davy?"

"Yeah," Davy snapped out of his state and looked over at Micky, "Sorry, I was just…never mind. Here." He handed Micky the piece he needed for his set. Micky glanced over his shoulder.

"So that’s what you were staring at," he teased Davy, "You’re serious about her, aren’t you?"

"She’s different," Davy replied, "Most girls just like me for other reasons, but we talked for about an hour this morning. She’s someone I can talk to. She doesn’t just see the outer appearance."

"Get ready guys," Mike called from the opposite side of the stage, "We’re going on in five minutes." The two returned to checking their instruments and then started playing.

Alysha heard the start of the song ‘Last Train to Clarksville’, which was immediately followed by ‘Saturday’s Child’, ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You’, and ‘I’m a Believer’. Her friends all watched her during this time, making sure she didn’t begin singing along again. There was no way they could use the same excuse twice.

"This is actually pretty good," Mandy said, "I never imagined that I would have fun at a Monkees gig. You were right Alysha."

"Is it just that," Alysha asked her friend, "or is there something else that helped you make that decision? Maybe…I don’t know…a certain drummer?"

"Maybe," Mandy admitted, "But they do have a good beat and the songs are nice. Micky has a good voice."

"Duh," Alysha told Mandy, "Do you think they would make someone who couldn’t sing go up there? I always thought they hired people who already could sing."

"I know," Mandy said, "But it’s just better than I thought. When we listened to them before, it just didn’t seem as good."

"I think you just got good taste in music," Alysha replied, "Finally, someone else who appreciates the kind of things I like." Sara and Stephanie groaned, now having to deal with two Monkee fans, "We need to work on them still, but don’t worry, they’ll be singing Monkee tunes in no time." The girls groaned again.

The four looked up as a commotion near the front of the stage caught their attention. Davy had been trying to move towards their table when a swarm of girls had circled him. The girls laughed as he tried to push his way through them. Davy suddenly looked up and saw the four watching, amused at his useless fight, "Alysha," he called, "Help." She waited for a second before walking up to the crowd. She grabbed his hand and pulled backward. With her help, Davy pushed through and made it to their table.

"Gosh Davy," Alysha commented, "I didn’t know you had so many fans in the area. And all of them girls." Micky, Peter and Mike joined the group.

"Hey," Micky said, turning to Davy, "Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friends?"

"We already know you Micky," Mandy said, laughing, "You don’t need to be introduced."

"Let me reintroduce myself then," Micky responded, taking her hand, "Over here. I want you to meet the dance floor as well." Mandy eagerly got up and smiled excitedly at her friends. They motioned for her to go on.

Stephanie dragged Mike to the dance floor as well. Davy and Alysha glanced at each other and headed over. That left Sara and Peter. They sat quietly for a minute, each of them too nervous to say anything. Finally, they both looked up and glanced at each other.

"Do you want to dance," they asked at the same time and laughed a little nervously.

"Sure," Sara answered both his question and hers. They stood up and joined the crowd of dancers. Alysha smiled at her as Sara passed her up. This night couldn’t get more perfect.

Davy noticed Alysha’s gaze travel over to Sara and Peter. He turned to watch them too and looked her straight in the eyes when she turned back to him, "Davy," she asked, "Thanks for inviting us to your gig. You were really good."

"I’m glad you thought so," Davy replied, "You look really nice tonight, you know?"

"Thanks," Alysha answered a little shyly, "It took Mandy a full two hours to help me pick it out. I wanted to look nice."

"She did a good job," Davy said, "You have really good friends. Not many people have the sort of relationship you have with them."

"We are pretty lucky," she said, looking up, "We’ve been best friends for years. This whole California thing was totally unplanned. But I’m really glad we came here." She was telling him as much of the truth as she could.

"So am I," Davy said, "We haven’t had neighbors in the longest time. And definitely not girls…four of them."

"Alysha," Mandy suddenly ran over, "We have to go now. Come on!"

"Why," Alysha asked, grabbing her friend by the arm, "What’s going on?" Mandy glanced over at Davy, who reluctantly backed off.

"One, the guys have to get back on stage," she said, looking at Davy, "And second, I need to talk to you. This was the greatest night of my life." Alysha looked disappointed to leave and looked apologetically over at Davy.

"Can we stay for one more song," Alysha asked desperately, "I’ll leave after that, I promise."

"Fine," Mandy agreed, "but we have to leave right after it’s over." Alysha walked back to Davy.

"Well," he asked.

"We have to go," she said, "but I got them to agree to stay for one more song."

"I understand," Davy said, "but only if you promise to come to lunch with us tomorrow with your friends."

"Agreed, " Alysha said, "Now go play." Davy walked off and the guys spoke briefly. Then they moved to their instruments. They played ‘You Just May Be the One’. Then the girls left.