I
Ghastly Groove
-Heath-
Heath walked through the kitchen and tossed his backpack onto the bench of the little breakfast nook nestled in the corner by the window. There was a half covered meatloaf on the table with a note that said "Burning the midnight oil-Mom and Dad". So they would be home late, again. Not that it bothered Heath much, he was used to it by now. Sometimes he thought they took the night shift to avoid him altogether.
His sneakers squeaked across the linoleum to the fridge where he dug around for a can of Count Pep cola. He eyed the calendar posted in the kitchen as he felt his iCoffin buzzing.
Track meet on the 13th. He wondered if his mom would even come. His pocket buzzed again. Heath drained the can and crushed it in his palm. Shoot for the hoop, Heath.
"Burns lines up the shot. The whole game is hanging on this moment. He shoots!"
The can held the rim then clattered to the ground.
"He misses!" Heath wrung his hands in the air and dropped to his knees.
"Oh the MONSTROSITY OF IT ALL!" He chuckled to himself as he picked the can up and dropped it into the trash, pulling out his iCoffin on his way to his room.
Heath shut the door behind him and fell backward onto his bed as he checked his messages. His room was littered with laundry, clean and dirty. Who knew which pile was which anymore. The iCoffin screen cast a blue glow across his face.
Holt Hyde's face appeared in a square split with Jackson Jeckyll's. Beneath was the message: "Wutz the buzz, cuz? Spinning a set at the Ghastly Groove. You in?"
"Sure" Heath tapped in reply.
Next message.
Deuce Gorgon. "Meeting Cleo GG. Am I picking you up?"
"Killer, C U Soon."
Heath put is iCoffin back in his pocket and stared up at his ceiling. Posters of bands, like the all girl metal group the Wailing Wonders and Tone Deaf Trolls, were plastered here and there. He wondered who would be there tonight. Cleo and Deuce so by extension also Ghoulia. Frankie wouldn't miss one of Holt's shows. Draculaura takes every opportunity to take Clawd out. If Clawd is going Clawdeen will be there so that means Howleen will tag along.
He wondered if the ghouls would convince Abbey to go. Living with Headmistress Bloodgood made late nights tricky for Abbey. Her parents trusted Bloodgood to keep Abbey safe during the week, safe and studious.
Still, there was a chance. There was a chance that frosty fox would be at the Ghastly Groove tonight. That meant Heath would need to change before Deuce rolled up.
Heath dove into the piles of clothes on his floor. He grabbed at shirts and pants, sniffing to see what would be tolerable. He finally settled on a pair of dark wash jeans and a T that said "All day All night".
He fixed his hair in the mirror and gave himself a wink. What ghoul could resist?
A horn honked outside and Heath threw on his letterman jacket and ran out to meet Deuce.
Deuce nodded as Heath slid into the passenger seat.
"Thanks for picking me up man."
The snakes that were Deuce's mohawk hissed happily at the gratitude. "Couldn't let you walk, man. You need to save those legs for practice."
Heath sunk into the seat as he buckled up. "Don't remind me, dude."
-Cleo-
Cleo stood outside the Ghastly Groove with twelve of her servants and Ghoulia in tow. She was wearing a gold off the shoulder wrap mini dress that went perfectly with her new Stuart Bitezman heels. Her right arm and left leg were bandaged to match and in her opinion-which is of course the most important opinion- She was to DIE for. As usual.
And her boyfriend was not here.
It was this fact, along with the fact that it was too chilly for an August night to be standing on the curb OUTSIDE the hottest teen club in all of monsterdome waiting for a certain boyfriend, that burned Cleo to the core. Deuce was so going to get it when he showed up. Fashionably late was one thing but she had been standing here for fifteen whole minutes!
"Hrrruuuuuuungh" wheezed from Ghoulia, which in zombie meant: "I hear his car coming, based on something technical about sound waves or whatever, he should be here in less than a minute." Well that's how Cleo heard it anyway. When Ghoulia started in on all that science mumbo jumbo Cleo just tuned it out and focused on more important things. Like killing her boyfriend.
Deuce pulled up with Heath riding shotgun. Deuce was wearing a bright green button up shirt, topped with a houndstooth print vest, black jeans, and his usual accessories. He was looking so good it was hard to remember why she was mad at him, then she saw Heath in his wrinkled Howlister get up and remembered. Cleo waved off her servants and tapped her foot, waiting for him to park.
Deuce approached slowly with his winning smile ready for her onslaught with Heath skulking behind him scratching his head.
"You have some nerve, Deuce Gorgon, leaving poor Ghoulia and me out here to freeze while you cruise the streets plucking up riff raff!"
Heath protested meekly but Cleo continued.
"Fifteen minutes I have been here freezing my royal wrapped butt off waiting for you! Explain yourself! Wait, no! Nothing you could say would make this acceptable." Cleo turned from him and threw her nose into the air. Deuce just chuckled and stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her.
"Warm now, babe?"
Cleo blushed and turned, resting against his chest. "I am too good to you, forgiving you like this." She straightened his collar and then pulled him in for a kiss.
Heath made a gag gesture then waved his arms. "Get a room!"
Ghoulia rolled her eyes in agreement and sighed: "Uuuuuuuuggggnnnnn". Which in zombie meant: "Yes, please get a room."
Cleo finally broke the kiss when she realized her public was waiting for her. After all no party can really start without a de Nile present. She slipped out of Deuce's arms and hooked her finger into his belt loops, leading him toward the club. "Come on now, there will be time for that later."
Deuce arched his brow and smirked. "Cool."
The inside of the club was scary fabulous. Holt was spinning in a DJ booth that overlooked a smoky dance floor. Laser lights shot through the crowds of monsters dancing to Holt's mixes. He really was one of the best DJs around, it was such a shame he was part normie. Even more of a shame that normie was Jackson, such a quiet, nerdy type. Oh well, Frankie seemed to like them both so that was good enough for Cleo.
The Wolf clan was hanging out in a booth on the side and Draculaura was with them, of course. Frankie was dancing right beneath the DJ booth. Over by the water bar Lagoona was talking to Gil and Abbey was with them. Before Heath could slink off toward her Cleo grabbed his collar and pulled him down to look her in the eye.
"Listen up, Burns. I know you like to hit on anything in skirt and right now you have Abbey in your crosshairs but know this: No one messes with my girls. I am watching you."
Deuce leaned in and put his hand on Cleo's shoulder. "Babe, go easy on him."
Cleo huffed and waved Heath off. He whimpered and walked off. Cleo pulled Deuce to the dance floor as Ghoulia slumped off to meet Slow-Moe.
-Toralei-
Toralei Stripe leaned against the back wall of the Ghastly Groove and watched Purrsephone and Meowlody argued about which one of them was going to go dance with Romulus. It was a tiresome conversation and ultimately pointless because she knew they would decide to just dance with him together anyway. She scanned the club looking for something more interesting to grab her attention. The disco ball was particularly shiny tonight and she was itching to dance but no one seemed to be worth dancing with. What this club needed was a little patented Toralei chaos. The question was which domino to knock down to send the whole club up. Heath Burns was about to go skirt chasing, the Wolfs were huddled in a booth, Cleo de Nile was bossing her beau around on the dance floor, and little miss purrfectly impurrfect Frankie Stein was front and center for her on-again off-again boyfriends show.
The disco ball! It was a purrfect plan. Toralei felt like a kitty in a catnip store.
Toralei snapped her fingers to get the twins attention. Meowlody was immediately at her side but Purrsephone wavered. "Purrsephone...come on." Meowlody pulled her over.
"Alright ghouls, what say we shake things up a bit?"
Meowlody's ears perked up. "A prank? Is it a good one?" Her tail twitched in the air with excitement.
Purrsephone glanced back into the crowd for Romulus, who was dancing with some other ghoul now. "You ghouls don't want to just dance? I mean. Holt's really on tonight and there's lots of cute monsters out."
"If I'm right about this-and I usually am-it will be the purrfect prank. But I need both of you." Toralei stared down Purrsephone. Meowlody joined her.
Pursephone's ears flattened in defeat. Maybe she would get to dance another time. "What do you need us to do?"
Meowlody let out an excited squeal and clapped her hands. "Yes!"
The three werecats huddled together as Toralei explained her most ingenious plan.
Purrsephone climbed into the rafters of the club where the sound was throbbing in her ears. Toralei kept a watchful eye on the club and her two cohorts. Meowlody was making her way over to Cleo and Deuce, dancing with any stray monster on the floor to not draw too much attention to herself. Now it was Toralei's turn. She made her way without notice to the fog machines and carefully turned them up to full blast.
As the fog started pumping out thicker and thicker into the club she bolted to a more secure location where she could watch the fun. Toralei nested herself in a booth behind a support beam and prepared for chaos.
When Meowlody was finally close enough she stretched out her tail, tripping Deuce. "Oops! Clumsy tail. Sorry." She demurely commented just before she made herself scarce. Toralei had taught her well. When Deuce hit the ground his shades clattered to the fog covered floor. He tried to keep his eyes shut but other dancers kept running into him. With each bump came an "Ow!" a shot from his eyes and a "Sorry!". Cleo was on the ground too trying to help him find his shades but spending most of the time shrieking and dodging his stone stare.
In the midst of the commotion Purrsephone found her moment and cut the disco ball loose, sending it crashing to the ground. The mirror shards caught the beam of Deuce's stare, multiplying it and sending it out in all directions. Heath jumped in front of Abbey, letting himself get stoned instead of her. Frankie, who was practically underneath the ball, dove for cover in the fall, losing her hand in the process. Holt jumped down from his DJ booth, dodging the stone beam and running to Frankie's rescue, but he ended up tripping over her mid "FRANKIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEE".
By the time the three werecats were settled in their booth, crouched down overseeing the fruits of their labor, Frankie's hand had made its way to the Wolf booth. The hand hit Howleen on the back of the head causing her to flail her arm knocking Draculaura's tomato juice all over Clawdeen's outfit. The two sisters began squabbling about whether or not it was on purpose. Clawd rose to intervene but this knocked Draculaura out of the booth and onto the floor.
Purrfectly Purrfect.