Hello readers,
I know that I said that I was retiring from fan fiction, which I am. This is more of a continual piece from a movie I love. Now don't get me wrong, I love the new Monsters University movie, I just watched it again today. I really just wanted to see how Sulley and Boo's relationship would be like after Monsters Inc. Please enjoy!
-Lizzy S.
When Sulley Said Boo
By Elizabeth Paulson
The cool suburban night air bumped against the closed window. Toys that had once littered the girl's room were replaced by colorful socks, striped tights, pairs of jeans, and t shirts with monsters ranging from cute and cuddly to creepily detailed. Pictures still decorated her pink wallpaper. The scribbles and round shapes hardened with dimensions and the lines were refined with time and practice. The quilt on her bed transformed into a blue cover with green pillows. The whole room had changed with milestones and changes in taste. Except the closet door, it remained the same. Like a mysterious stone structure, the white door with pink flowers withstood the stand of time. For the past fourteen years, it was used as a gateway once every year Mary Gibbs and her best friend, James P. Sullivan or as they were known to each other, Boo and Kitty.
The junior in high school glanced at her Cthulhu clock. One green tentacle was pointed at eleven while a shorter tentacle was between the eight and nine. He should be here soon. She looked down at her painting. I should be excited, especially since he hasn't visited for the entire year, but I have this freaking picture to finish. Why would a teacher, especially an art teacher, have the final project due a day before school gets out? On top of that, have it be worth a third of our grade? God, what's wrong with my school? Head aching and stomach churning, Mary lightly shaded the subtle blue in black that was midnight in Monstropolis. The young artist leaned closer to her painting and breathed in its scent and tried to remember what the city smelled like for inspiration. Her headache worsened from the fumes and she sat up in her chair.
Mary studied her painting. Two monsters, Mike and Celia Wazowski, sat atop a roof top at night. A red table was between them and a Venus flytrap was in the center of it. The bright lights of the city lit up the darkened sky and illuminated their eyes. In the pictures Sulley showed me, Mike and Celia were sitting in a grand dining hall for their engagement party, but I think a rooftop party would have been better. I wish I could have gone, but Sulley said that it was too dangerous. Then again, I was seven at the time so he was right. Mary looked at the picture once more. Maybe once it's finished, I'll print a copy and have Sulley give it to Mike. Mary bit her lip. Maybe… if it's good enough.
The young artist rubbed the sleepiness out her eyes that had begun to weigh down her eyelids. Why is this due tomorrow? She looked at her clock. It was one minute after midnight. Well, due later today. A yawn broke the silence. I think I've earned a small break. I'll just rest my eyes for a moment, then finish the painting… I still need to paint in the flytrap.
Her eyes snapped open. Mary looked at her clock which read 4:45. I only have two hours to finish this thing. My art teacher, Mr. Ratched said 'Paint a picture that conveys emotion, due date to be determined.' Do you know when he told us the due date? Last Thursday. It's due this Thursday, today.
Mary signed.
And I don't even know if he gave all of the information. He'll tell one class one thing and he'll tell another class something else.
"Why is high school so difficult? At least my birthday is tomorrow," she reassured herself. "And I'll see Kitty! I really have missed him…"
Studying her picture, the young artist glared at the unpainted flytrap center piece between the two lovers. She looked at the clock. It was fifteen minutes after five. Boo sighed. Picking up her paintbrush, she carefully painted the deadly plant.
:E
The bell sounded and signaled that it was time for lunch. The monsters set down their props, the doors were lifted away, and the lights were turned on. Sulley smiled at his employees as they walked to the cafeteria. With a final wave, he walked down the other end of the hall to his office.
Silver pieces of fur shined in the fluorescent light. His purple spots faded a shade like a shirt that has been through the spin cycle too many times. His blue coat had thinned, however he was still the same electric blue that matched his eyes. Though he wasn't a scarer anymore, he still maintained his bulk with intense workouts before and after work.
"Hey Sulley," said a cheery voice behind him.
Sulley looked behind him. "Hey Mike."
"Why aren't you going to lunch?" Mike's aging process was going more smoothly that his friend's. No crow's feet surrounded his gigantic eye and his scales were slightly darker than when he had his great adventure.
"I have some business I need to take care of with the canisters." Sulley winked at Mike.
Mike's one eye widened. "Oh yes, the canisters. I'll walk down with you."
Years ago, Sulley and Mike used the word canisters as code name for Boo, mainly because of where her door was kept. Somewhere no one would ever look for it. The C.D.A had investigated Randall's secret room and sealed it. When Boo's door was pieced back together, Sulley and Mike wanted to make sure that no one would ever find it. They unsealed the secret room and placed a station with Boo's door inside.
Sulley and Mike looked down each hallway. Cautiously, then walked in the direction of the secret door.
"So, it's really been a year?" Asked Mike as his lunchbox swung beside him.
"Yep," replied Sulley. A large grin was on his furry face. "I can't wait to see her."
Mike began to sweat, but forced a smile. "I bet. How old is she going to be this year?"
"She'll be seventeen."
Mike paused. "Wow, she grew up fast. It just seems like yesterday that we saved her from Randal."
"I know, it's so weird. Hey are you okay, Mike?"
Stopping, Mike stared up at his best friend. "Who me? No, I'm fine. Perfectly fine. You're the one who should be worried. What did you get her this year?"
Sulley held up a small blue sweatshirt with a large MU logo on the front. It was especially tiny compared to his large frame. "Isn't it nice?"
Mike lifted his eye brow. "Oh I forgot we graduated from there… oh wait. No we didn't we were expelled!"
"She doesn't have to know that. Anyway, it's still a nice sweatshirt."
"So you're lying to her? Your building your relationship on lies?" Mike asked with a smile.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Sulley chuckled.
"I'm just messing with you, big guy. I'm sure she'll love it."
Sulley continued to smile as they reached their destination. He pushed up the wrench. The door opened with a hiss. Sulley and Mike descended down the dark slope.
Cracks were etched in the white and pink of Boo's door and reminded the monster of what it took to be here. The government shred the door, but friendship pieced it back together. The door rested in the frame, patiently waiting to be opened. The round light above it was dull and dormant. It's eleven forty in the morning here. So it would be eleven forty at night in the human world.Sulley pressed the button to power the door. The light came to life with a whoosh.
Sulley turned to Mike, who sat in an old office chair staring at the door. His large lunchbox rested on the floor.
"I take it that you're not coming?" Sulley asked with soft eyes.
"Sorry pal, I would love to, but I can't. I can hang out with you every day, but with Boo, well, that only happens once a year."
Sulley slowly smiled as he straightened his purple and pink stripped tie. I hope she's fine. Of course she is fine, what am I talking about? With the small sweatshirt in hand, he opened the door. His smile flipped, turned upside down when at the sight before him.
Mary was standing in the doorway. Face stained with tears, her shoulders heaved up and down as she sobbed. Her cries echoed in the cold room. The lights began to flicker, answering her woeful call.
Without a word, Sulley dropped the sweatshirt, picked her up and walked into her room. Anger began to rumbled and fumble with his insides. The closet door quietly shut behind them. Sulley sat in front of her bed. The monster held his friend like she was three years old again, close to his chest, in the crook of his arm and tightly without crushing her.
Boo cried into his fur while trying to form words in between bursts of sobs.
Sulley patted her back. "Sh, sh, sh. It's okay, calm down. Don't cry." Fur nearly covered her entire body as he held her. Blue covered her red face. Boo clutched him as she cried. He rocked her from side to side and he shushed her.
Sobs became whimpers and single syllables became sentences. "He- he- embarrassed me."
Eye twitching, Sulley tried to remain calm. "What happened?"
Boo lifted her watery brown eyes to meet his comforting blue ones.
Taking a deep breath, she began to tell her story.
:E
The black leather folder that held her painting was clamped in Mary's sweaty fingers. Eyes kept low to the ground, she walked to her last class of the day, Drawing and Painting. Her blue flats were a single raindrop in a storm of students. Next to her was an umbrella in the rain, her friend Ash.
His speech was rushed and optimistic. "Mary, I swear I had the same joke last night. An orange furry monster came through my closet with a hammer and a watermelon and-."
Mary turned to him. "Can we please talk about this later?" She frowned at her friend's hurt expression. His dyed lime green hair brushed his blond eyebrows which were furrowed in offensiveness and his grey eyes were softened with sadness. "I'm sorry Ash. I'm just really worried."
Ash grinned and put his arm around her. "Don't worry. I put a good word in for you last night at dinner."
"What did he say?" Mary blushed and her voice went up an octave more than she wanted it too.
"You know my dad, he didn't really say anything. All he said was, 'I'm going to have to see the picture'. But I wouldn't be too worried. I mean, it's only a third of your overall… never mind."
Pulling away from Ash, Mary scuffled down the hall. The art room's door was wide open. I do not want to go in there. She looked at her folder. But I have to. With her back straight, Mary walked into the classroom. If I can fight a purple lizard thing, an art project shouldn't be too hard.
The long rectangle black tables, which were usually positioned in a lazy game of Tetris, were now lined up against the white wall of the classroom. Four wooden chairs were adjacent to the tables. Mary took a seat in the corner between two tables, Ash sat next to her.
Slowly, the class filled with other students and every seat was taken, except for one. The red cushioned chair that was stationed in front of the white board was empty. A mysterious murmur accompanied the students in the classroom. It was silenced by the slam of the door.
Mr. Ratched stomped into the room. His blond greased hair was out of place like a ball of twine being pulled apart. His cold coffee sloshed around his in paper cup and there was a large red stain on his yellow shirt like he had gotten into a food fight with Chef Boyardee. The teacher threw his dirty cup into the trash can with a loud thud. It struck a numbing fear through Mary's sweating skin. Her black slacks and white buttoned shirt were confiding and uncomfortable. She wriggled in their grip.
"Today's paintings have been disappointing, let's hope you've done better than your peers." Mr. Ratched made eye contact with every student, but his gaze lingered on Mary. He smiled. "Ms. Gibbs, as one of the more artistically inclined students in the class, why don't you set the bar?"
The young artist gulped. She looked to Ash, who smiled and winked at her. Smiling, Mary held her portfolio tightly against her body. She walked to the canvas stand at the front of the room. Slowly unhooking the metal clasp, she was greeted by the scent of freshly dried paint. This isn't so bad. She placed her finished painting on the pedestal. The dark tone of the piece contrasted with the brightness of the room which also illuminated the picture. Every inch of the picture was carefully colored and fine-tuned like smooth apple skin. My picture turned out better than I thought it would. Grinning, she stepped to the side.
"Wow, look at that great picture!" Ash gave a thumbs up, his face ecstatic and open. Mary looked down at her shoes, a small smiled on her pink face.
"That's enough Ash," said Mr. Ratched in annoyance. On the wheeled chair, he scooted in front of the painting. He held his clipboard loosely as he jotted down notes in red ink.
Mary studied the looks of her classmates. Some smiled at the picture, others were desperately trying to finish theirs, and others stared blankly ahead. Okay, so no one is yelling, 'Burn it with fire.' That's a good sign. The young artist did her best to smile as the teacher finished writing on the rubric.
Mr. Ratched shrugged. "It's okay."
Mary's face fell. She stared at her teacher. "What?"
"The shading and use of colors is great. But it's the message. You chose you emotion to be love, correct?"
Mary nodded.
Mr. Ratched stared at the painting. "I just don't feel love when I see this picture. They're monsters. It kind of reminds me of dogs playing poker, a gimmick. Not as tacky, but still a gimmick."
Mary felt her eyes water. "Sir, what's the gimmick."
"The gimmick is that they're monsters acting like humans. I mean the roof, the lights, and the 'clever' Venus flytrap at the center of the table. It's too fictional to be considered real love." Mr. Ratched began to wheel away. "I give it a C."
"A C?" Mary could feel her cheeks become red hot and her blood turned cold. "Too fictional? Romeo and Juliet were fiction. Carl Fredricksen and his wife are fiction. Even Annie Hall and Alvy Singer were fiction! And they all were deeply in love. One sided or otherwise…"
"That's enough Mary!" Mr. Ratched roared. "The C will bring your A down to a B- and you will just have to deal with it."
Ash stood. "C'mon Dad, that's not fair. That's a great picture, you just can't-."
The teacher jumped to his feet. "Quiet! Ash even though Mary is your girlfriend, doesn't mean that she gets special treatment from me. Mary earned her grade and now she has to deal with it. Now sit down, both of you."
The room burst into laughter as Ash sat down. Green hair covering his red face, he kept his gaze to the ground.
Mary's mouth opened in disbelief. Oh God did he really just… no. We're just friends. A tear ran down her hot cheek. Absently, Mary reached for her painting.
"Leave it; I need to finish grading it." Mr. Ratchet called out the next name.
They snickered at her as she walked past with her empty portfolio pressed against her shaking form. Awkwardly taking her seat next to Ash, Mary wiped her face with her knuckle. Do not cry. I can cry when I get home. Sulley is coming by tonight, I can tell him. Just don't cry now.
:E
Mary leaned her head on Sulley's chest. "And then the bell rang and I ran home." She hiccupped as more tears ran down her face. The monster dried them with his furry forearm.
"Stop crying, it'll be okay," whispered Sulley. He stared at the closet door. "How badly will this bring down your G.P.A?"
"I don't know," Boo wept. "A lot probably. And I don't know if Ash will ever talk to me again. He was my only friend besides you, Kitty."
The monster squinted in anger at the white flowered door.
Sulley rocked her back and forth. "Don't cry. It will be alright." Sulley glared at the door. Standing, Sulley looked down at his young friend. "Things will work out in the end." He gritted his teeth as he grinned. "I promise."
Looking up, Boo sleepily nodded.
He walked them to her bed and lifted back the blanket. Gently placing Boo in her bed, he said, "Just try and get some sleep. Your last day of school is tomorrow and then you can relax." He smiled as he tucked her in, doing his best to hide the rage that was rising in him.
Sulley patted her head. "Good night."
"Good night," Boo whispered.
He walked towards the closet door. That man will pay.
:E
Mike sat straightly in the stiff chair. Ignoring the disheveled state of the file room, his large was focused on his friend. "Sul, you can't."
"Why not?" Folders were like dead soldiers lying on the floor. Papers crunched under his large feet as he stomped over to another file cabinet.
Mike crossed his arms. "Because it's against the rules and it's dangerous… You haven't scared it years!"
Sulley shut the mental door. "I exercise every morning and night. I run the old routine. I'll be fine."
Slamming his hands on a nearby cabinet, Mike shouted, "That's not what I mean." Mike breathed heavily. "We're not in college anymore! We can't be messing around in the human world. We got lucky the first time. I'm surprised you haven't been caught visiting Mary."
Sulley turned to Mike. "Exactly. I'm careful."
"You let your emotions get the best of you. You always have. We were just going to put Mary back in her door and that was it. But no, you had to become a major part of her life. And now you're going to go into her art teacher's room and scare him, for what, giving her a bad grade?"
"It's not just that Mike. He embarrassed her. He ruined the one day a year we have. And… wait." Sulley stared wide eyed at his friend. "Do you think that I shouldn't have visited Boo all these years?"
Mike stood. "No, that's not what I'm saying. I pieced the door back together because I saw how upset you were by not being able to see her. I know you love that girl, but you can't get this involved in her life. Having a mean teacher is a part of growing up."
"You didn't see her face, Mike. She was in tears and sobbing." Sulley sighed. "After her father's death, her mom works all the time and doesn't have time for her. Boo was telling me that her Mom's has been meaning to talk to her teacher but didn't have the time. What am I supposed to do? Schedule a parent teacher conference and talk about the problems Boo's been having?"
Mike walked up to his friend. "Sulley, you're not her parent."
"I know that but I love her like a daughter Mike and I'm not just going to sit and do nothing while she suffers."
Mike groaned. "Alright, fine. But Sulley, this is the last time you do something like this. You need to let her deal with things on her own. She's not two anymore and you're not as young as you used to be either."
"Okay, I will." Sulley flexed his muscles. "But you've got to admit, I've kept myself in shape."
Mike rolled his eye. "Yeah, yeah. Now what's this kid's name?"
"Ash Ratched." Sulley turned back to the file cabinet and opened it. "I've looked everywhere for it and I can't find it!"
"That's probably because it's already on the laugh floor." Mike froze. "That means we don't have much time."
Sulley picked up Mike and bolted for the office door. "Wait!"
Freezing in this place, Sulley put Mike down. "What?"
"We need a plan." Mike crossed his slim green arms. "I'll create a diversion as you get the file. Sneak behind everyone. The folder should be on a desk, you just need to find the right one."
"How will I know which file is the right one?"
Mike gave him a quizzical look. "How do you not know this?"
Sulley put his hands on his hips. "It's been a while, okay! Anyway, are we really going to do this now?"
"Alright, alright." Mike put up his hands defensively. "Give me three minutes. Then you can come out and do your thing."
Sulley nodded. "What are you going to do?"
"Relax, I've got it taken care of." Mike smiled and walked to the door. With a final thumbs up, he turned and opened the door.
Sulley shook his body as he psyched himself up. You are scary. You are the boss. The big scary boss. Breathing deeply, the monster rolled his shoulders. Sulley slowly undid his tie. It landed silently on the floor. He looked at the clock. Show time. Sulley lowered himself. Scary feet. He gingerly walked to the door. The door knob was loose in his blue paw to avoid making a sound as he twisted it.
The hall was dark. The laugh floor's lights were dimmed, except for a single spot light that was focused on Mike. Both the scarers and the assistants crowded around him. Some even wiped tears from their eyes as the small green monster sang.
"He was afraid it was the end," Mike sang a capella. "It was time to say goodbye to his friend." He slowly nodded. "To the girl he fought to protect. In a destiny he did not select."
A lone cry broke the somber ambiance from a random sobbing monster. "So beautiful," the monster whispered.
I didn't know there was a spot light in here. Flattening himself against the wall, Sulley crept onto the main floor. He tiptoed behind the row of doors and knelt behind one. Five feet away he saw the first desk. He somersaulted across the ground. Pain shot through his body. He bit back a yelp as he clenched his side. Age is catching up with me. Crawling to the desk, he squinted to look at the folder. Years of scaring had trained his eyes to see well in the dark. The name read Benedict O'Connor. Sulley closed the folder and set it down on the table. He rolled to the next desk. He froze. A sweeping sound made his heart pound. Don't get caught by the parents.
"George, where are you going? You're missing it," whispered a monster.
The orange, fuzzy monster smiled, "I thought I heard something. I don't want the kid to check his closet. He's sixteen years old and still laughs at my jokes, can you believe it?" George and the other monster, a long clawed yellow monster, walked back to the small gathering.
Mike's voice echoed in the large factory. "The door to that world, the door to that girl."
Sulley's eyes widened. George's desk! Looking down the aisle, his eyes landed on the forth desk down from where he crouched. He wriggled on his stomach like an army man and pushed himself forward. When he reached the desk, he opened the folder. Ash Ratched was clearly printed under a picture of a green haired boy with a cocky smile. This is Boo's friend? I'll have to talk to her about this later… Sulley placed the folder back on the desk. He looked up. The red light glowed in the dark like a notorious nightlight. He looked to the crowd. Everyone's attention was still focused on Mike.
"He felt so glum, when he put her back where she came from." Mike's lower lip quivered as he continued to sing.
He swiftly ran forward. I don't have much time. Like he was twenty seven years old again, he towered at the door, blood hot and mind focused on one thing: scare. Sulley twisted the knob, stepped into the room, and closed the door behind him.
Moonlight carved shadows into the sharp shapes in the messy room. Clean and dirty clothes mingled in mile high piles. Comic books were carefully packed in plastic and peacefully sat on top of tattered text books. A sleeping teenager slept soundly in his bed, mostly. His face and matted green hair brushed his dusty floor while his torso and waist generated heat under his comforter.
Sulley carefully maneuvered his large feet around the cluttered room. His claws itched as he inched towards the bedroom door. The moon mirrored itself on his face, half in darkness, and half in silver light.
There was a click. Light brightened the dark room.
"I'm right here, monster man," said the teenager.
Sulley turned, shocked.
Ash sat up and leaned on his bed frame, hands behind his head. "I need a good joke after today. Something bad happened to a good friend of mine." The teenagers frowned, but immediately perked up again. "Anyway, you're a comedian bear or yeti monster thing, not a therapist. Let's get this show on the road!"
Sulley was stood like stone, frozen in place and solid. The guys are always telling jokes in the lunch room… crap. The monster faced the human. "What do monsters put in their coffee?"
"What?" Asked Ash as his face slightly bent in discouragement.
Sulley smiled, "Sugar and scream." He waved his hands at the wrist and he giggled nervously.
Ash was silent, and then he let signed. "Not going to lie, but that was pretty bad." Ash started to giggle. "I mean, really bad."
Sulley nodded in agreement.
"Better luck next time, I guess." Ash switched off the lights and rolled onto his side. "Good night, mister monster."
Sulley looked at the sleeping figure in surprise. Wow, I didn't expect that. The monster walked out of the bedroom door.
The knob twisted closed with a click. The monster tuned out the laughter which was muffled to mumbles by the wooden door. He focused on any noise that would give away another human living in the house. Then he heard it. A long low lingering snore echoed from the door directly at the end of the hallway.
Sulley glared into the darkness. He lifted his large foot and then set it onto the hardwood floor. With every step his breath became deeper, his body became heavier, and his feet became heavier as he stomped down the hallway. Keep calm… just don't kill him. It would be bad for the company.
He stopped at the bedroom door. With a flick of the wrist, the knob turned and the door opened slightly.
:E
Hair tangled and eyes burning, Mary slowly sat up in her bed. Her face was sticky with tears. Several pieces of blue fur clung to her pink pajama shirt. Mary lazily reached over to her nightstand opened the drawer. In short swift motions, she dragged the lint roller over her sides and front. The sticky circle landed with a thud into the wooden drawer.
Mary ran her hands over her sore face. Is this really happening? Without this grade, I can't get into California Institute of the Arts and then… Mary's eyes tighten with tears. No… Think, Mary, think. What can I do to make this right? She anxiously looked around the room for the answer. The assignment was to paint something that will invoke emotion. Mary looked at a family photo that peacefully rested on her desk a few feet away. My dad's death, I could be looking down at his casket, but that's too much what George did with his grandpa. And his grandpa was a veteran! The American flag was in the background and George was saluting his grandfather's corpse…. My dad was just an accountant.
Mary placed her head in her hands. What other emotions have I felt that I could put into one picture? What happened today made me sad, angry and… scared. The artist's head shot up. Her closet door was partly covered in darkness and half illuminated with moonlight. I was so young… but I remember. He roared and I was afraid. Mary smiled. This could work. Kitty.
:E
The door silently shut behind Sulley. His silhouette covered the man sleeping peacefully in his bed. The monster first checked the floor. No socks, shoes, or any other articles of clothing stood in his path. Sulley curled his toes as he took another step forward; his long toe nails scraped the floor as he walked forward.
The figure remained sleepily snoring. Arms lay paralleled with his body. Everything about him was strait and in place, except for a perfectly round belly, like a beach ball on an undisturbed bed of sand.
Sulley pressed his foot deeper into the floor.
The snoring stopped. The monster froze and then ducked low. Leaning up against the bed frame, Sulley thought. There's no going back now. He slowly ran his claws diagonally down the wood work. A creak in the bed told him it was time. Boo's red face flashed in his mind. He bared his sharp teeth. The monster flipped onto his knees and jumped to his feet. He glared at the man who sat scared before him.
"Boo," Sulley growled.
The monster breathed in deep, every scary cell in his body has been gathering in the pit of belly, waiting for the day to be used again. Sulley roared. It shook the shingles on the roof and overpowered the screams of his victim. The roar lasted for a few more seconds before it died into a stuttered cough. It has been awhile.
Sulley leaned in as the man stopped screaming.
"What are you?" Mr. Ratched said in a quivering voice.
The monster leaned in closely. Fur brushed the man's hairy arms. Hot breath tackled cold shivers. "You need to reevaluate your grading system," the monster said harshly.
The teacher continued to scream as Sulley ran out the bedroom door. The pictures in the hall bounded with his heavy jogging. Sulley threw open Ash's door who stared at the monster in fear. "Bad comedian, scary monster," Ash whispered.
Sulley smirked as he flung the closet door open and stepped into the darkness of the scare floor. The door quickly shut behind him as he reached over to the panel and cut the power. The monster leaned against the deactivated door and giggled. It has been awhile. The look on that kid's face when I… wait a second. Sulley stared at the door. I have to destroy this door.
The lights flipped on. Sulley quickly got to his feet as a few monsters walked up to him.
George Sanderson was at the front of this group. Concern was etched on his orange fuzzy face. "Is there something wrong, Sulley?"
Sulley's eyes flickered to Mike who was busy flipping the switch on the bottom of the microphone.
"Well, I came in here to watch the show and I noticed that the light was on under the door. So I um… turned off the power to avoid any… incidents." Sulley nodded and internally smiled. That wasn't so bad.
George smiled in relief. "Okay. So if you don't mind, I'd like to get some laughs in before my shift is over."
"There's another thing, I've been wondering about," Sulley interjected.
"Wondering?"
"More like worrying, actually."
"What is it boss?"
"Well, don't you think sixteen is a little old… for our purposes?" Sulley crossed his arms.
George shrugged. "Maybe, but as long as he laughs, right?"
Sulley started to shake his head. "Well, yes if he was ten years younger."
"What are you saying?"
"We need to shred the door." Sulley ignored George's dejected face and continued. "If the lights were on we couldn't have seen the lights were on under the door. Now George, I'm not saying that this is any of your fault but we need to take certain precautions."
George his sad face by looking at the ground, "No, I understand. He wasn't laughing that much anyway last time."
Sulley put a large arm around his employee's shoulders. "Don't be sad George; we're getting a whole new shipment of doors tomorrow. That means fresh faces, fresh laughs everyone!"
The entire floor began to nodded and mumbled in excitement. Sulley gave a final slap on the back to George which nearly knocked the wind out of him. "Cheer up! This is a laugh factory after all."
Sulley walked through the group of monsters with a huge grin on his face. At the sight of the door shredder rolling down the aisle, he gleefully stepped aside and rocked on his toes. He smiled even wider at the crunching sound of the door being shredded and dismissed the whispers that followed him down the hall.
The pattering of familiar feet made him stop and turn around. "Hey, Mike."
His green friend handed him something. "Here, you forgot your tie."
"Thanks," replied Sulley as he put his tie around his large neck. The monsters walked silently on.
Mike jogged to keep up with his friend's large stride. "Sulley, wait. Where are you going?"
"I'm going to go check on the canisters." Sulley continued his strut down the hall.
Mike was right on his heels. "Sulley, you can't!"
Sulley slid as he rounded a corner. "Why not, Mike?" Adrenaline pumped through his veins and moved his muscles.
Mike slipped in front of Sulley to block his path. "Do you realize what time it is?"
"Does it matter?" The blue monster asked. "It's still early."
"Here it is. But it's very late in… other parts of the… factory," explained Mike as he nervously shifted his eye.
Sulley signed as his shoulders dropped and his knuckles brushed the clean floor. "Why does this kind of thing always happen to us?"
The green monster lifted his eyebrow then relaxed it. "Because you care so much about that little girl, pal."
Both monsters smiled and began to laugh.
Sulley jumped in realization. "Wait a minute! Where did I put the sweatshirt?"
Mike patted his friend's furry arm. "Calm down. It's hanging on the chair with the canisters."
Suddenly George Sanderson walked by the pair. "You know, if you're trying to hide something, you should change up the secret word one every ten years."
:E
Boo sat on the edge of her bed, waiting. Her hair was in two loose buns on the sides of her head, purple tights wrapped around her legs and she wore an oversized pink sweater. Absent mindedly she played with her new blue and green charm bracelet. The giant eye charm stared up at her smiling face. I can't believe that he got me this! He is so amazing…. I can't wait to tell Kitty about my birthday. If he shows up… of course he will! This is James P. Sullivan, the nicest ex-scarer ever… He would never let me down.
Slowly she saw the door knob twist. The closet door opened.
Boo ran to meet her friend. She threw her arms around his blue torso and smiled. Looking up, her brown eyes met with his blue ones.
"Happy Birthday, Boo." Sulley groaned as he lifted her up over his head.
The teenager squealed. Sulley loosed his grip and she fell back onto him. The monster wrapped his arms around her and carried her to the middle of the room. He gently set her down. Soft blue eyes stared down at her.
"What?" Boo giggled as she looked away.
The monster chucked. "Nothing, I just… I just can't believe you're growing up so fast."
Mary's smile shrank.
Sulley frowned. "What's wrong?"
"What did you do to my teacher?" Mary's eyes were like her voice, soft and relaxed like a summer breeze.
Shifting his eyes, Sulley nervously looked for the answer. He bit his lip.
"Hold on." Mary stepped away and walked to her desk. She lifted a medium sized paper and the image against her. Her socks patted the hardwood floor. Mary stared at her friend. "I drew this after you left a few days ago. I really need that grade so I changed the emotion. I picked fear." She sighed. "The last time I felt fear was with you." She flipped the picture around. The dark background mixed with the subtle color of the monster's fur. But a mysterious light source illuminated the most terrifying parts, the mouth, the eyes, and the claws.
Large, white, sharp teeth carved out the majority of the blue fur. It looked coarse and spiky like a bear. Claws were adjacent to the morbid center piece. Blue orbs sat upon a snarled snout as the monster's face was stretched open in a ferocious roar.
"Boo…" Began Sulley as he stared at the picture in disbelief.
"I showed this to my teacher and he screamed. Then he ran under his desk. What did you do?"
"Nothing," replied Sulley.
"Really? You didn't go through Ash's closet, tell him a bad joke, and then go and scare his dad, my teacher?"
Sulley's heart beat quickened. He slowly nodded.
Boo grinned. "Thank you."
His eyes widened in disbelief. "Why?"
Boo dropped the picture and stretched her arms as far as she could around him. Her brown eyes peeked through the tall grass that was the monster's fur. "Well, said he would give me an A if I never showed him that picture again. I promised I wouldn't so he changed my grade! But that's not even the best part." Boo began to blush. "Ash said he has had a crush on me for a while and asked me to be his girlfriend."
Sulley forced his smile at the last comment. I wish I hadn't shredded his door… then I could really tell some bad 'jokes.' The monster's eye twitched. "That's great, Boo!"
"Yeah…" Mary's smile drooped. "It's just… please don't ever do that again." Pressing her face into his fur, the teenager sighed. "I don't want to see my best friend made into a rug."
A large paw rested on the brunette's head. Cool realization washed down the monster's nerves. I could have been seriously hurt. What if I had gotten a cramp or if he had a gun… Boo would have been alone. A tear welled in Sulley's eye. With his other paw, he drew his young friend closer to him. "I'm sorry. I didn't think that… I was just so angry."
Mary patted his back. "It's okay."
For a moment they simply held each other. This was an unspoken ritual they had because before they knew it, they had to say goodbye again.
Sulley ruffled her hair. "Hey."
She looked up, eyes bright and curious like she was two years old again.
"I got you something." Sulley let go of Boo and silently walked to the closet. He picked up the navy blue sweatshirt that had fallen to the floor. Hidden in his paw, he walked back to Mary. "I know you're going to college soon so I picked up something from my college days." He held up the sweatshirt, the MU logo shining brightly in the lamp light.
Mary's mouth fell open. "I love it!" The material was soft in her hands. She quickly pulled it over her head and marveled at how well it fit her. "Thank you!" She hugged him again. "Wait; didn't you get expelled from Monsters University?"
Sulley chuckled. "Yeah, but it's still a nice sweatshirt."
"Hey Kitty?"
"Yes Boo?" Sulley gazed down at the teenager who eyes were fixed on his.
"I really do appreciate everything you do for me." Mary leaned her head against him. "I really don't know what I would do without you."
Sulley lifted her to his chest and held her. "Don't worry about it, Boo. I'll protect you for as long as I can."
Mary giggled. "So, tell me, how loudly did Mr. Ratchet scream?"
"Enough to make the canister fill," replied Sulley with a big grin.
Mary laughed and so did Sulley.
"Happy Birthday, Boo," said Sulley.
Boo smiled at her best furry friend and thought of how lucky she was to have a monster in her closet.