To RPM Shadow: If you check out my rewrite of Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins!, which functions as an origin story for my reboot of SDMI, you'll see that I added five older brothers for Shaggy.
Chapter 2: Back in school
May 14, 2012
The next morning, Shaggy went through his usual routine upon waking up from bed.
He moved quick to fix breakfast for himself, and then brushed his teeth upon finishing his breakfast. Afterwards, he stormed out of the house with his school bag without saying a word to his parents.
He didn't bother heading for the usual meeting point with the gang at the Mystery Machine. Instead, he walked over to his school bus stop and waited for the big yellow bus to show up.
The school bus arrived at the usual time, and the driver raised his eyebrows as Shaggy got on.
"Didn't see you in recent days." He commented. "I guess you were deciding to take the bus to school for a change, huh?"
Shaggy simply nodded before moving to his seat in the middle of the bus.
Eventually, the school bus arrived at Crystal Cove Central High School at the usual time, and Shaggy headed straight for his locker after picking up two copies of the Crystal Cove Gazette along the way.
He knew that Daphne arrives later than him and has guessed that she might have received strict orders from her parents not to interact with him.
Sighing and shaking his head, Shaggy opened his locker door before placing his school bag into it.
Then, he pulled out a notepad and a pen and started writing something after some thinking.
Once he finished writing, he looked around to make sure that no one was around observing him before slipping the note and the second copy of the Crystal Cove Gazette into Daphne's locker through a mail slot-like gap in the locker.
He then checked on his watch, noted the time, grabbed a binder with his notes and a pencil before slamming his locker door shut and headed for his first period classroom.
A few minutes after Shaggy left his locker, Daphne arrived at hers not long after being dropped off at the school entrance by her family chauffier.
She was still fuming about the stern lecture her parents had given her the day before, and like Shaggy that morning, Daphne didn't say a single word ever since she had woken up.
There was a brief flash of moment where she had considered running away from home, but then she felt that she can do better than that and immediately shook that thought off.
Daphne proceeded to work on the combination lock of her locker before opening it, and when she did, the first thing she noticed were a stray note and a copy of the Crystal Cove Gazette inside her locker.
She raised an eyebrow at the note, but then she recognized Shaggy's handwriting on the note.
Figuring that he must've been under strict orders from his parents not to interact with her, Daphne nodded as she picked up the note and read it.
"Hey Daph: Time to pull the Note paper routine if we were to meet during lunch period. From: Shag." She read.
She chuckled when she read the part mentioning the "Note paper routine". It was a routine they developed and have practiced early in their friendship with Shaggy devising it as an emergency means for communicating with each other should their parents forbid them from interacting with each other at school.
Nodding, Daphne carried on with her usual daily routine, humming along the way.
Meanwhile, Fred and Velma pulled up in the Mystery Machine's usual parking spot at the student lot of Crystal Cove Central High School.
"It's not like they will completely forget about meeting with us, Velms." Fred was saying as he and Velma got off the Mystery Machine.
"Not unless their parents have given them an earful, Freddie." Velma reminded him. "You do know how much our parents are very much against solving mysteries, right?"
"Yeah, with your parents and Mayor Dad, that's one thing for sure." Fred nodded as he locked the van and they made their way to the school building.
As they walked to the main entrance of Crystal Cove Central, Fred added, "By the way, Velms, someone got attacked by a vicious gnome at the Royal Knights Faire last night. It's on the news."
"Oh, yes I heard about that." Velma said, tugging Fred's arm in order to catch up to him. "Sounds like another mystery coming up for us."
The morning went by as usual, and then came lunch period.
Shaggy sat at his usual spot in the cafeteria, placing his large pile of food on the table. Fred and Velma soon joined him at the table.
"You look like something's eating you, Shaggy." Fred remarked as he and Velma took their seats. "Something bothering you?"
"Like, guess the one word Willy Wonka had trouble saying in the 2005 Tim Burton film adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Shaggy replied without looking up to his friends.
Fred and Velma turned and looked at each other in confusion.
"Uh..." Fred said. "I've never watched that movie, Shag, so..."
"It's parent's, right?" Velma quickly said.
"You got it." Shaggy nodded after finishing a sandwich. "I honestly have no clue why Mom and Dad have issues with me and Scooby hanging out with Daph and you guys."
"Well, given that the Phantom tried to kill you and Scooby last week, Shaggy, we do understand why they wouldn't let you solve mysteries with us." Velma said.
"Yeah, but why will they not allow me to meet with Daphne?" Shaggy sighed. "Especially when my brother Neville is dating Daph's sister Delilah."
"That's a good question indeed, Shag." Fred said.
"Oh, well." Shaggy said as he resumed eating his lunch. "Nonetheless, Scoob and I are now grounded for the week, though at least Daph and I got plans to deal with this type of situation."
"Like what, Shaggy?" Velma asked.
Shaggy glanced backwards to ensure that no one else was observing him. Then, he slipped a folded sheet of paper onto the vacant seat right next to him.
He then returned to eating just as Daphne arrived. She picked up the note Shaggy had left on her seat before sitting down.
Seeing the sour mood on her face, Fred asked, "Parent troubles, Daph?"
Big mistake mentioning the word. Daphne immediately turned and glared at him.
"Don't you even mention that word again!" She said in a calm but stern tone.
"Relax." Fred quickly raised his arms in a calming gesture. "I was just asking."
"Sounds like both Shag and Daph are having the Willy Wonka trouble when it comes to the word 'parent'." Velma whispered to Fred, who nodded.
As Velma made the remark, Daphne unfolded Shaggy's note, scanned through the words and nodded.
"Anyways, now that we're all here, gang, except for Scooby." Fred said. "I was wondering if you guys are interested in checking out the Royal Knights Faire that is in town for the week. In fact, someone got attacked by a vicious, ghostly gnome while at the fair last night."
"I will like to check it out, though not to get anywhere close to that gnome." Shaggy said, swallowing at the mention of the gnome. "However, I'm grounded by my parents for the week, and I can't say for sure on if they're going to be out of town this week."
"Something's telling me that your parents are going to watch your moves like a hawk after what happened last week with the Phantom." Velma remarked.
"And if they're out of town, then it's my older sisters that will do it for them." Daphne joined in as Shaggy resumed eating.
"Sounds like both you and Shaggy are in some fine mess, Daphne." Fred remarked.
"Yeah." Daphne agreed. "I just wish that our parents aren't that unreasonable."
"Seems like you guys both have mysteries on your hands." Velma remarked. "That is: How to sneak out of your respective houses without getting caught."
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