Thanks for the support!
I was honestly surprised at the number of reviews and I would like to thank all of you, my readers for the support. I appreciate the reviews on the story thank you all VERY much, I hoped you all enjoyed the first chapter, once again if you notice anything I should improve on or fix let me know. Once again I would like to make a shout out to my beta reader, I couldn't do this without her.
If you have any constructive criticism, opinions, or suggestions I'm all ears, please review to let me know what I can improve on to make this story a more enjoyable read.
I all hope you enjoy chapter 2 as much as you enjoyed chapter 1!
The Outsider:
Chapter 2: The Calamity- Part Two
The welcoming smell of stale wheat and cinnamon greeted Jake as he entered the cafeteria. He took in his surroundings briefly, before tucking his book underneath his shoulder and getting into line for lunch. The various smells of foods made the coyote's mouth water in anticipation for his meal. Unfortunately, he realized he had to grab his wallet, and he placed his book in his teeth and rummaged through his pockets in order find it. He let out a short triumphant grunt upon its discovery before the book his teeth was clenching fell on his foot. Jake cursed himself as he shook off the numbing sensation in his foot.
"Hey little dude, what will it be?" said a vaguely familiar orange puppet. It took Jake a moment to realize that it was his bus driver from this morning.
"I'll just have anything, really. I'm not that picky," said Jake, leaning on the counter and placing five dollars on it as he waited for his meal.
"Long day?" said the puppet, looking out of the corner of his eye at the coyote, who was scratching his head slightly. "You look pretty worn out."
"You could say that," Jake sighed. "Not quite what I was expecting with a new school and all; this place is crazy. And I was caught off guard a bit. This place definitely isn't anything like Winslow."
"You get used to this place after a while. I'm sure you'll fit right in like a place like this," said the orange puppet.
"I hope so," Jake muttered as he grabbed his tray and slid it off the counter and placed it on top of his book. "Thank you, sir."
"Don't get bummed out little dude! And call me Rocky, everyone does," said the puppet, giving Jake a small smile. He saluted him with his ladle, accidentally flinging spaghetti sauce over himself and Jake. "Oops, I'm sorry about that little dude!"
"Right, thanks, Rocky," said Jake, grabbing a handful of napkins to clean off his face, before walking away from the line.
Rocky looked at the coyote as he moved table to table. It sounded like the kid was wearily sarcastic, but he also sounded genuine. "He'll get used to it; I'm sure of it."
Jake found an isolated corner in the lunchroom and plopped down there with his tray. He opened his book and wondered whether he should read it now. He instead set it aside and stared down blankly at his feet in the meantime.
"You think he's alright?" whispered Darwin, as he took a seat at the near-empty table near a pensive Jake. He carefully set his heavily laden lunch tray in front of him, making sure he wouldn't spill any of the contents.
"What makes you think I know?" questioned Gumball, giving Darwin an aggravated glare. "He won't say a word to me! He probably has a lot on his mind."
"I don't know, he's just been quiet the whole time ever since Miss Simian's room," said Darwin, peering at Jake. "I hope he isn't mad at us for getting him in trouble."
Jake was staring down at his lunch not bothering to eat it, his hunger had suddenly dissipated completely. He instead was just prodding it with his fork unenthusiastically. The cafeteria was lively as Rocky dished out lunch to the various students and they took seats next to their friends. Jake was sitting across from Gumball and Darwin, not bothering to lift his head up to acknowledge their presence.
"So Jake, you ready for your next class?" Darwin asked, cheerily. "Gym is always exciting!"
"Huh, what?" Jake said, stirring him from his trance slightly. "Yeah, I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the school."
"You don't seem that thrilled about it," Gumball commented as he gulped down on another bite of his hamburger. "You're about as cheery as Carrie."
"It's just all strange to me, like something out of a weird dream," Jake sighed, as he reluctantly fed himself a spoonful of mashed potatoes. "I don't know, I feel like I don't really belong in a place like this."
"Nonsense Jake! You're the new popular kid, cool, confident, sleek, the new rave of this school!" said Gumball, giving him a cheesy smile and snapping his fingers to point at him.
"Thanks for the morale boost, Slick," scoffed Jake, amused by Gumball's words. "When you put it that way, it definitely helps."
"Come on Jake, don't be discouraged! You'll fit right in," said Darwin. "Just be a bit more friendly and open to other people, and they'll start to accept you as a part of Elmore Junior High."
"Fat chance," said Jake, as he started on his meal. "I'll just stick with hanging out with you two."
Gumball looked at Jake, crossing his arms on the table and leaning inwards towards Jake. "This place is a big amazing world; don't spend your life isolated! Socialize!"
Jake's eardrums rang at how loudly Gumball had shouted the word. Part of the cafeteria noticed the outburst as well and looked at the table they were sitting at. "Just talking to my friend over here."
"Okay, thanks, guys. I guess it wouldn't hurt to make a friend or two around here. You can be a very persuasive dude." Jake shrugged as he stood up from his seat and flattened his ears against his head. "Where to?"
"Let's start with Penny, she's nice and caring, so you'll be able to get along with her not problem," said the blue cat, getting out of his seat and leading Jake to the girl's table.
"You sure this is a good idea?" asked Jake, still skeptical. "I'm sure we could go somewhere else."
"Of course," said Gumball, trying to convince Jake. Instantly after arriving at the girl's table Gumball zoned out, getting transfixed by Penny. "Uh... H-Hi, Penny."
"Hi Gumball, and Jake, I believe?" asked the glowing orange fairy, noticing the dusty brown coyote standing next to the blue feline.
"Jake Wiley at your service," said the coyote, giving a small courteous bow to Penny. Several of the girls at the table snickered at this, not doubt amused by the coyote's first impression as he grinned.
"It's nice to meet you, Penny. Gumball here recommended that I should get to know my classmates, and he's trying to show me the ropes of Elmore Junior High. As you can probably tell he isn't one-hundred percent in the zone right now," said Jake, waving his hand in front of his friend's face.
"Yeah, sure I'll go on a date with you, Penny, and then we'll kiss under the moonlight and it'll be perfect," said Gumball subconsciously, as he continued to stare at Penny.
Penny blushed at this and let out a small giggle. "I can tell he's a little distracted. You must be having a rough day; it was really unfair for Miss Simian to do something like that! She's been like that with all the newcomers. Just the way she treats other people is atrocious."
Jake simply shrugged at this. "I mean, I can't change anything. I just hope my parents understand and all."
"Worried that they'll believe you misbehaved?" asked Penny, looking sympathetically at the small coyote.
"Well, I'm sure they'll understand, but what really concerns me is how busy they are all the time," Jake said, considering how his parents would react.
"It must be moving into a new town. I'm sure things will ease up for your family," said Penny. "My family is pretty tightly knit and caring, and I'm sure your family cares about you very much."
Jake thought about what Penny had said. "It just doesn't add up," he thought to himself. Jake shook his head, "You must be right. I guess I'm just used to being less busy than I am now."
Gumball finally managed to stir from his trance. "So Penny looking forward to gym class?"
"Sort of, it all depends on what were doing," said Penny. "I'd prefer something like basketball. What about you Jake? Do you have a favorite sport?"
"Not really, but out of all sports, I like swimming the least," Jake said, bashfully.
"You come from the desert, so I take it you don't have that much experience doing that," said Gumball.
"That's part of the reason. Anyways, thanks for showing me around, Gumball, I've got some things to take care of..." said Jake as he tightened his backpack strap and walked away.
Gumball watched Jake walk away, and turned back to Penny. "He seems quite civil," said Penny, friendlily waving goodbye to Jake.
"He's a bit taciturn, though, but I'm sure we'll get to know him eventually," said Gumball, glancing over towards Jake.
"Why do I get the feeling he's going to get dragged into the crazy adventures you guys have?" asked Penny, eyeing Gumball and arching an eyebrow.
"Well, it seems to happen to anyone who manages to stay around with us for a while," said Gumball, defensively. "Besides, Darwin and I have his back."
"That's comforting," said Penny, as she kissed Gumball on the cheek. He responded with a dumbfounded love stare.
"Are you going to head to your next class Gumball?" asked Penny, as Gumball was still standing in front of her like a statue.
"Huh? Oh right, class! See you later, Penny," said Gumball, giving a goofy smile.
"Hey, Gumball, are you coming?" asked Darwin as the school bell let out the familiar metal clattering.
"Just a moment, Darwin," said Gumball, blushing as he ran over to the open door to head to the gym.
"So, what's with you making googly eyes at Penny?" asked Jake, as Gumball passed into the hallway.
"It's nothing," said Gumball hastily, as he smoothed back his fur to look more presentable.
"If I'm not mistaken, there's a little bit of history between you two, and perhaps a little chemistry..." said Jake, giving a sly look.
"It's true, Gumball goes head over heels for Penny," Darwin blurted out. "He really has a thing for her."
"Darwin!" said Gumball, turning a bright shade of red. Jake couldn't help but laugh at this. His concern for his predicament melted away and was replaced with a lighthearted spirit. The feline responded to this by whacking Jake upside the head with the coyote's own book after snatching it from his hands.
"Okay, I won't bring it up again," said Jake, hoping to calm Gumball down. He rubbed the back of his head with his paw to sooth the pain and to ruffle his fur.
"Let's just get to gym and forget about this," Gumball said agitatedly as he stomped towards the gym.
As the trio entered the gym they were greeted by dead silence; the majority of the students were sitting on the bleachers and arranged into small groups, talking amongst themselves. The only sound Jake's ears were attuned to was the sound of Darwin's sneakers squeaking as he walked across the newly waxed floors. Gumball and Darwin flopped down on the bleachers and Jake took the seat behind him, detaching his backpack from his shoulder and closing his eyes and relaxing.
"What are you doing Jake?" asked Darwin, as Jake opened one eye to catch a glimpse of the person who was addressing him.
"Killing time," said Jake, stifling a yawn as he stretched his limbs.
"Hey sleepyhead, you just going to sit like that for the rest of class?" asked Gumball.
"Yeah Blue's Clues, that's the general idea," said Jake, tugging his bandana up so it covered his mouth and nose. "Wake me up when something interesting happens."
"Darwin, flick him in the nose," said Gumball.
The goldfish followed Gumball's orders and slapped Jake in the snout. The coyote shot up out of his seat at this, alert. Jake noticed the large cube-like coach lumbering up to the class, a bored expression on her face.
"Alright class, today you'll all be playing dodgeball. Miss Simian will organize you into two teams," said the coach in a long drawling voice, as if uninterested in her job.
"This can't be good," said Gumball, wide-eyed as he looked over at Miss Simian letting out a gleeful smile. The elderly baboon was wearing her gym clothes, which consisted of a red baseball cap and a whistle draped around her neck.
"Alright class line up," said Miss Simian, blowing the whistle she had around her neck and letting out a silent cackle to herself. Miss Simian then grinned as she purposely sorted the teams, on one side of the gym where the jocks and the bullies, and on the other was Gumball, Darwin, and Jake with mostly the geeks, and nerds.
"The rules are simple, if you get hit, you're out. If you catch a ball that was thrown at you, you're out. Now, I know a certain some of you are ill-prepared for this challenge but don't worry, it will hurt a lot," the elderly baboon snickered, no doubt anticipating the moment for her least favorite students to get pounded by dodgeballs. "As for the losers that fail at this, well a sufficient extra amount of homework should suffice."
"We're going to get pulverized," said Jake nervously, as Tina Rex bared her teeth into a horrid grin that made the hair on the back of Jake's neck stand up. "Also as an insult to injury: homework, she can't be serious right?"
"Don't worry, I bet it'll be only a quick bludgeoning and then it'll be over," said Gumball, taking shallow frightened breaths.
"We're history!" said Darwin, rubbing his fins together nervously.
As if right on cue, Miss Simian blew the whistle and volley of dodge balls came soaring at them.
"Take cover!" shouted Gumball, diving behind Bobert's metal chassis. Several dodgeballs bounced off the robot, managing to force him to fall backward.
Jake did his best to weave past the other team's fire; he dived and leaped instinctively. Several dodgeballs zipped past him and the dusty brown coyote let out a sigh of relief, but this was short lived.
"Stay still, runt!" growled Tina, lobbing another ball at Jake, who ducked down. The ball skirted his head by a few inches.
"Close one," said Jake, laughing timidly before rolling to the side to avoid another dodgeball. "I'm not surprised your aim is so terrible, with your dinky arms and all."
"Shut it!" roared the t-rex in anger, causing the ground to tremble unsteadily, almost causing Jake to lose his balance.
"Jake, catch!" said Darwin, tossing a dodgeball towards him.
Jake caught it and used the ball to deflect one that was whipped at his head. "Thanks for the assist."
"Don't mention it," said Darwin, tossing one at Jamie. The bully easily caught it and threw it back at him hitting him square in the legs causing him to topple over.
"Darwin!" Gumball exclaimed, instantly running over to his brother and crouching down next to him.
Miss Simian merely grinned at this, "Watterson, get off the floor, you're out and you've once again proven you are a loser!"
"How bad is it, Darwin?" asked Gumball, concerned for his brother.
"I'll be fine, it's just a little disorientating that's all," said Darwin, rubbing the top of his head as he got up.
Jake noticed that Jamie was about to toss another ball in Gumball's direction. Jake realized Miss Simian had never blown the whistle so Darwin could get off the floor. The coyote moved in a blur of speed and caught the ball in mid-flight. The ball knocked the wind out of him, Jake's very ribs seemed to bend backward for a brief second. In a brief instant, Jake went airborne for less than a second before colliding into the ground painfully and skidding to a halt on the slippery floor.
Gumball and Darwin noticed the thudding sound and looked over to see the coyote curled up in a tight ball on the floor. Miss Simian, this time, blew the whistle, only to get a clear view of the coyote on the floor and reveling at the sight of the little coyote in pain.
"Whoa, dude you alright?!" asked Darwin.
"Yep, never better. Just a little bruised, I think," said Jake. It looked like the room was spinning uncontrollably as he lifted it up from the hardwood gymnasium floor. The searing pain of sliding across the floor made the coyote grit his teeth in pain in the hope of some dull sensation, but this only made his headache worse.
"Hey, how many fingers am I holding up?" asked Gumball, clearly holding up one of his light blue four-fingered paws.
"Uhh... I see... twelve?" said Jake, weirded out by the shifting and images in his brain as he tried to make sense of them, but the coyote maintained his sense of humor. "Is that normal?"
"Here," Darwin offered his fin to Jake and ignored his question altogether. Jake reluctantly grabbed ahold of it, only to slip again, but managing to catch himself as Darwin pulled him back up to his feet.
Jake shook off the pain and grabbed a dodgeball from the floor. "Okay, ready for more."
Darwin glanced at the coyote and the blue cat. "Hey, guys, be careful out there."
"Don't worry Darwin, we'll be fine," insisted Gumball, "we always come out unscathed in these sort of things." Darwin just gave him a glare at this. "Right, most of the time. Fine, near none of the time. But this time it'll be better than the old days, we got Jake this time!"
"I hope you're right. Give it all you've got," said Darwin, walking backward over to the bleachers.
"We will," responded Gumball simply.
Jake's face was completely drenched in sweat as he leaped to avoid another ball that was launched at his feet. Only Jake and Gumball were left standing on their team, while Tina Rex was their sole opponent. And the truth of the matter was they were no match for the t-rex. Gumball was running around like a mad man just trying to stay in the game, while Jake focused on keeping his composure. Jake's limbs were screaming for a rest as they tried to support his already battered and weary frame. Jake was once again forced to wipe away the sweat from his dripping forehead with the back of his arm.
"Come on, going to take a stand against me?" said Tina, jeering at the coyote. "You can hardly play this game, let alone win. Ready to feel the pain, runt?!"
Jake's blood was boiling: at this point, he was tired of being insulted and being shot at with dodgeballs. The coyote charged at the t-rex, with dodgeball in hand. He dashed to the left as a dodgeball whizzed by and then launched himself into the air over another one. However, the coyote landed clumsily and wiped out on the floor. Jake's exhausted body protested as he climbed back up.
"You're making mistakes, desert fox, it won't be long before you slip up," said Tina, gleefully.
"Oh, will you please just shut up!" said Jake, firing the ball at the t-rex, overshooting the large dinosaur by a few feet.
"Jake, please reconsider this: we can beat Tina if we work together," said Gumball, running up and tugging on his shoulder.
"And how do you suppose we do that?" said Jake, grabbing the blue cat and pulling him out of harm's way as several balls hit the wall where they were standing.
"If you can get her close enough to you we should have no problem," said Gumball.
"I'm loving it so far," interjected Jake, causing Gumball to hold up his hand to silence him. "Up close and personal with the Queen of the Monsters."
"We don't really have many options on this, you're just going to have to trust me on this one. Are you sure you're up for this?" Gumball glanced hurriedly to his side. "And figure it out fast, because there's a t-rex we're going to have to take down."
"I guess I don't have a choice," Jake said, getting ready. So, Jake followed Gumball's instructions and charged the t-rex. Tina focused on Jake as she launched several dodgeballs in his direction, the coyote nimbly dodged them and kept on coming. Tina lost her patience, roaring and then charging the coyote. Jake ducked and rolled underneath the t-rex.
"Gumball, now!" shouted Jake as Tina turned around snarling at Jake. The angry t-Rex then tried stomping on the small coyote and Jake had quickly dodge her foot. Before Jake could be trampled underfoot, the snarling t-rex was hit with a dodgeball in the hind leg from a well-placed shot by Gumball. The t-rex whirled around and growled at Gumball before moving over to the bleachers.
The entire team on their side of the bleachers roared and the various kids jumped off the benches in droves. Before Jake knew it, he was being patted on the back and having his hand shaken. "You almost had me worried back there, Gumball," said Jake, giving him a firm handshake. "Once again I owe you one."
"No big deal, and thanks for putting your neck on the line. I couldn't have done it without you," said Gumball, playfully pushing the sweaty coyote. "And you could use a shower!"
Jake felt triumphant he was able to beat the odds and he did a small heel click on his way to the bleachers to celebrate, only to find his path blocked by Miss Simian. "You know, you can gloat all you like in your victory, but remember I still have the last laugh. Three hours detention after school!"
"Right," said Jake, as the coyote was brought back to reality. Three hours detention with Miss Simian was going to be like his morning all over again. The bell rung and Jake reluctantly dragged himself after Miss Simian to her room. Before he left the gymnasium Darwin hollered, "Jake, you're forgetting something!"
"Huh?"
"Here," said Darwin, handing Jake his book back. "Gumball took it from you and forgot to return it back to you. I just figured you'd like that to help you kill time during the detention."
"Thanks, Darwin," said Jake, slipping the book into his backpack. "Hope you enjoy your afternoon, and it's been a fun first day, to be honest."
The walking goldfish smiled at the coyote and held out his fin and Jake high-fived him. "Mr. Wiley, do you want to see how 'generous' I can be with handing out detentions?" shrieked Miss Simian, causing Jake to rush to catch up with the old baboon.
Jake walked out of detention, feeling scot-free as he strode over to his mother's car. His mom was standing outside the car, leaning against it with her arms crossed. "Detention. Really? What did you do now, Jake? I thought I told you to be on your best behavior-" as Jake approached Brooke, her expression seemed to soften. "Jake, are you okay?"
"Yeah... I'm fine, why?" asked Jake, not understanding his mother's concern.
His mother walked over and carefully inspected her son's unkempt and messy look. Dried sweat left his fur stuck in a spiky messy appearance and Jake had a minor black eye. Brooke gingerly pressed her fingers against the purple ring around Jake's eye, causing the coyote to shudder.
"What happened Jake? Was it some rowdy hooligan who did this to you?" said Brooke, her mood instantly becoming angry.
"Mom, calm down let me explain," pleaded Jake, but Brooke was already on a tangent.
"On the first day of school, for a new student too! The nerve! Who did this to you, Snuffles, and don't be afraid to tell me! I'll sort this all out," said Brooke furiously.
"Mom, it's okay! It's nothing; we were playing a game of dodgeball and one of my friends accidentally nailed me in the eye. It wasn't intentional, mom," said Jake, making it up on the spot.
"Oh, sorry, sweetheart, how was your first day? It sounds like you made several friends," said Brooke, hugging her son tightly and causing him to wince slightly.
"Yeah, a few, there's Gumball and Darwin Watterson, and they're pretty likable," said Jake, reserved for the most part.
"Maybe you could invite them over! I'm sure your father and I would love to meet them," said Brooke, walking over to the driver's side of the car. "Now hop in, we can talk about your first day on the drive back. And you might want an ice pack for that bruise."
"Thanks, mom," said Jake, as he hopped into the front seat and set his bag down. He slid into the comfortable seat and put his head back. 'This school wasn't quite like what I expected, but maybe I might like it here after all?'
Sorry, for the long wait for this chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it. Anyways if you have any ideas or opinions on what should happen in the story or where I should go for future chapters let me know. I hope this chapter was better than the first one, if not let me know what aspects of my writing I can improve on.
Next Chapter: The Grump
When Jake meets the Watterson family for the first time he also is pressured by Gumball and Darwin into meeting their grumpy neighbor Mr. Robinson, leading to a crazy chain of events set off the careless duo.
Author's Notes:
-I might put a few twists and turns into the story that you might not see what's coming in order to keep the story interesting.
-For the voice of Brooke (Jake's mom), I would imagine Sumalee Montano voicing her as she could bring the stern, but caring character to life.
-I forgot to mention that NeoNimbus helped me come up with the character of Brooke (specifically the name), thanks once again Neo for the assist!
-Speaking of which if you like this story check out The Newcomer and The Awakened by NeoNimbus, both are great stories, and if you like my story you'd definitely like his and I implore you to check it out.
That's it for this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. Anyways, I will see you in the next chapter!