Disclaimer: This is a complete work of fiction, there's no resemblance to actual persons or events or places. If so, it is utterly not intended. We do NOT own Monster High, or anything to do with it. Nor do my co-writer, Anonymous Chica and I own ANY songs, lyrics, artists, labels – nothing. Their exposure in this story is completely non – profit and just for fun. I (we) are not claiming to own anything except our own darn story plot. Thank you.

Heartlessly Heartfelt

Chapter Ten

A round of applause was given graciously and Xavier praised the three. "Meow... nice singing, ghouls!"

"Don't try anything." Toralei hissed as Xavier reached out to wrap his arm around her. "Or I'll pounce."

"That's what she said!" The comment made all of the teens in the crowd laugh, while most of the adults shook their heads at the immaturity of it all. "Next up, we've got... yo, man, where's the rest of the sign-ups?" Xavier turned to his buddies, who were messing around the sheets. "Not cool, bros!" He snatched a random paper from one of his friends and shook his head. "We've got Operetta! C'mon up here you scary cute southern belle."

Operetta approached the stage nervously, she knew that she could not sing live or this casual singing gathering would turn into something totally scary – and not in the good way! So she had her voice pre-recorded, she did it alone last night while Jackson was fast asleep. Sure her live singing voice affected monsters, but Jackson Jekyll himself was human (despite his counterpart not being) and it didn't even wake him from his peaceful slumber.

She'd be guilty as charged if she denied that she didn't watch him sleep for a few minutes afterward. It was her way of winding down and of course staring helplessly at the cute normie boy.

One thing she didn't like was phony people. Fakers, but in order to keep everything calm, cool and collected – she had to now lip sync to her pre – recorded voice. She didn't tell anyone, such as staff members of the music camp just yet, but she'd be getting around to it eventually. "I was standing in line at the city bus stop, soaked to the skin from ev'ry rain drop. I see you driving by just like a phantom jet, with your arm around some little brunette. You say you won't be home because you're working late. Honey, I'm no fool, you've been out on a date. The lipstick on your collar gives your game away. It's strawberry red and mine's pink rose."

She proudly proceeded to act to the chorus and she tried her hardest to give a very believable performance without anyone detecting any different. "Have mercy on me, you treat me so bad I'm in misery. It's breaking my heart, can't you see? Baby, baby have mercy on me."

She tapped her foot to get into the southern beat she knew, loved and adored so much. Even if her country music wasn't loved by everyone, they seemed to be enjoying it very much so. "Well I called you up on the telephone; I could hear you was playin' 'Haggard' and 'Jones'. I knew right then that there was something wrong. There's only one reason you play cheatin' songs." Wasting no time, she ran right into the chorus. "Have mercy on me, you treat me so bad I'm in misery. It's breaking my heart, can't you see? Baby, baby have mercy on me."

Approaching the last verse, to be followed by the chorus again, she managed to get the crowd into it by clapping to the obvious beat in her song. Nothing felt better than to get the people watching you, involved in your performance. "Well I went to the bank with my little check book, the cashier he gave me the strangest look. He said, 'You ain't got no money 'cause you're over drawn. Your man took it all and he's a done gone.' Have mercy on me, you treat me so bad I'm in misery. It's breaking my heart, can't you see? Baby, baby have mercy on me." She took the chorus around for another go, especially since the crowd was still into it. "Have mercy on me, you treat me so bad I'm in misery. It's breaking my heart, can't you see? Baby, baby have mercy on me. Woo! Have mercy!"

Just for good measure, she realized that the ending of the song called for the chorus to continue, but fade out. So she went with it one more time. "Have mercy on me, you treat me so bad I'm in misery. It's breaking my heart, can't you see? Baby, baby have mercy on me. Oww!"

A round of applause was given just as it was any other performance. That means no one detected anything to which Operetta was thankful for, but also felt as if she was cheating the audience into believing she had this awesome sound and could perform no problem, when really it wasn't that simple.

She shook the thoughts from her mind, waving at her audience and giving a gracious, 'Thanks so much y'all!' before heading back to her seat quickly where Jackson was seated next to her. "Great job," he complimented sincerely.

She blushed, "Why thank ya sweet pea. Glad ya liked it."

Meanwhile Howleen knew that it was her turn next, simply because she'd been called upon and her new 'punk' friends at their table cheered for her. She needed the boost in confidence to reassure her and that she'd do well. She didn't think she'd do bad necessarily, she just enjoyed the comfort that it created.

She was the first ghoul to actually have her slip ready, which contained the song she wanted to sing ready to go. She hopped off the table, since she was sitting right on it and almost skipped up to the proper music technician and she grabbed a microphone in preparation. She tapped a converse to the beat, her ripped jeans rather tight on her slender legs bouncing along. "I've been lying to keep you from this pain. Now you're crying and to know that I'm to blame and I'll miss you. But it's over now. I'm so sorry, that it had to be this way. Please don't hate me, but there's nothing you can say to change my mind. I've got to go. The guy that I fell for he wanted more."

She jumped up and down a little before going right into the chorus rather fiercely. "Bye bye boyfriend, it's time that I'd be on my way. Bye bye boyfriend, I used to like the way you said, "Baby back it up, lay down and work." It was fun but it couldn't last forever. Bye bye pretty boy, it's time to, it's time to pack it up. Baby 'cause its over now."

In what seemed to be perfect timing, Xavier walked by and Howleen grabbed him long enough to sing directly to him, "Let me tell you how it was when we started off, the tattoos and the lip pierced and raggedy style you used to rock. Lately everything you do and say is messed up. Things have changed, down is up we're outta luck. And baby I'm sorry that it had to be this way. Please don't hate me, but there's nothing you can say to change my mind. The guy that I fell for he wanted more and more."

She tossed Xavier, giving him an appreciative nod of thanks as she continued into the chorus. "Bye bye boyfriend, it's time that I'd be on my way. Bye bye boyfriend, I used to like the way you said, "Baby back it up, lay down and work." It was fun but it couldn't last forever. Bye bye pretty boy, it's time to, it's time to pack it up. Baby 'cause it's over now."

Clawd however let out a deep growl.

"What's your ish?" Clawdeen addressed her brother playfully. "Howls is really rocking this song! Be supportive you big lug."

Clawd chuckled, "She's rocking the hell out of it, I know, I just don't ever want to think of her having a boyfriend."

"What about a ghoulfriend?"

When Clawd growled in response, Clawdeen backed off after playfully swatting him.

"You never put the effort in to the things that really counted. A word here and a kiss there could change the way it's turning out. You work so hard at all the things I never cared about. How hands work and fingers moving, eyes wide shut and baby I'm lonely though you're right in front of me. You controlled me, that was the girl I used to be. Gave up myself, well it's over now. The guy that I fell for he wanted more and more."

Howleen was getting very into the song, it was one that she almost jumped up and down at the fact it was in the books, she just had to choose it. "Bye bye boyfriend, it's time that I'd be on my way. Bye bye boyfriend, I used to like the way you said, "Baby back it up, lay down and work." It was fun but it couldn't last forever. Bye bye pretty boy I'm backing up, baby 'cause it's over now."

Getting the crowd really into it, she gave the last run of the chorus all she had left in her as she threw in some ad libs here and there, remaining true to the chorus in her own way. "Pretty pretty pretty pretty boyfriend. C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon. Baby back it up, lay down and work. It was fun but it couldn't last forever. Bye bye pretty boy. It's time to, It's time to pack it up baby 'cause it's over now!"

Everyone nearly jumped up in response to that clawsome performance given by Howleen Wolf. She gave an appreciative bow and tossed the microphone to the sound technician who gave her a big thumbs up. She skipped back to her table and high – fived her new friends.

"Next we have…" Rochelle sighed deeply as she'd been within her thoughts. Her peers were pretty good at performing and singing, but she wasn't feeling so sure of herself. "Do we have a Rochelle Goyle here? Hello?"

An awkward silence formed throughout the cabin, before a sound of struggling and a few complaints interrupted it. A loud shriek followed and pushed out of the crowd by her two best friends was none other than Rochelle, who managed an awkward wave and walked to the stage; where she was handed a microphone and an upbeat tune began to echo through the cabin, not even taking two seconds to get the audience prepared for what was to come. To be honest, the music sounded like an old fashioned Mauldonna tune, and half of the teens rolled their eyes. Typical for the foreign girl to choose an oldies song. What Rochelle began to sing however, was the exact opposite of old-fashioned.

"I went out last night; I'm going out tonight again. Anything to capture your attention..." The crowd, mainly the boys, cheered as she began to sway her body to the eighties-type tune, her nervousness fading away with each catchy beat. "And she's a real sweet ghoul and you know I got a boy, details we both forgot to mention. And you," Rochelle pointed to a random werewolf boy in the back, even though that wasn't who was on her mind right now. "I always know where you are and you," Winking at a vampire by the DJ booth, she twirled around, all innocent like. "Always know where I am, we're taking it way too far but I don't want it to end!"

The crowd clapped along to the electronic drum backbeat as Rochelle stepped off stage, making her way past the tables of campers; singing her lungs out.

"This kiss is something I can't resist, your lips are undeniable. This kiss is something I can't risk, your heart is unreliable. Something so sentimental, you make so detrimental and I wish it didn't feel like this, 'cause I don't want to miss this kiss..." She spun around, with a laugh. "I don't want to miss this kiss!"

The crowd could not help but bob their heads, tap their feet, clap and cheer as Rochelle kept singing. "You know you're just my type and your eyes are lock and key, to my heart, tempting my confession." she bat her eyelashes playfully, causing most of the crowd to laugh and cheer even louder. "And you're a real hot thing, but you know I've got a boy... somewhere. So, can you feel the tension? And you, I'm dancing near where you are and you're dancing near where I am. We're taking it way too far, but I don't want it to end!"

With a sly smile to the crowd, Rochelle ran back to the stage, a few boys playfully yelling after her, "Get back here!"

She couldn't hold back a giggle before belting out the chorus once more. "This kiss is something I can't resist. Your lips are undeniable. This kiss is something I can't risk. Your heart is unreliable. Something so sentimental, you make so detrimental and I wish it didn't feel like this. 'Cause I don't wanna miss this kiss..." The music intensified and there wasn't a single monster in the crowd who wasn't rocking out to the killer tune. "But if you ask me to, I couldn't, I couldn't, I... You're leaning closer and I shouldn't, I shouldn't, I... But if you ask me to, I couldn't, I couldn't, I... I shouldn't, I shouldn't... I don't wanna miss this kiss!" She blew a kiss to the crowd and winked right before the final part of the song.

"This kiss is something I can't resist, your lips are undeniable. This kiss is something I can't risk, your heart is unreliable. Something so sentimental, you make so detrimental and I wish it didn't feel like this... 'Cause I don't wanna miss this kiss, I wish it didn't feel like this... I don't wanna miss this kiss..."

The crowd still had the catchy tune stuck in their heads nonetheless, they clapped and cheered for Rochelle and if she were able, she would've blushed. The spotlight was never hers, ever. Guess all that singing at her old cathedral in Scaris really did pay off?

Whispering a quiet, "Merci." into the microphone and placing it back on it's stand, she rushed off the stage; getting several whoops and cheers even winks and flirts from the guys.

"And you said that you were going to break the stage." Robecca laughed as her best friend made her way over.

"You two forced me to get up there." Rochelle pouted, collapsing in a chair that thankfully was steel; the only thing that would hold her.

"Aw, come on, you totally rocked it!" Venus assured. "We didn't even know you sang!"

"I told you both in the cabin!" Her French accent sounding so thick and luscious whenever she spoke.

"I mean in English." the plant girl said simply, getting an eye roll from Rochelle.

"However we know that you directed that song to somebody didn't you?" Robecca questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Get off my back." the female gargoyle snapped. "It was not directed toward anyone." However, out of the corner of her eye, she managed to notice a certain Gorgon boy gave her the 'Rock on!' symbol and this caused Rochelle to let out a content sigh.

"You're pathetic." Venus sing-songed.

"I will tear the vines off you." Rochelle sang back through gritted teeth, causing the plant girl to hid her arms behind her back and glare at her friend.

Robecca laughed at the sight of it all, only to soon freeze as she noticed almost every monster in the room looking her way.

"I guess you're Robecca!" Xavier laughed from the stage once he noticed her. "Get on up here, ghoul!"

"It's how you say? Karma." Rochelle whispered with a laugh.

Venus rolled her eyes and gave a shy smile to Robecca, "Go on. You can do it."

Smiling back, the robotic ghoul for the first time ever before performing, felt extremely nervous. This just wasn't some aerial stunt where she wouldn't really have to do anything but an activity she was practically programmed to achieve, this was actually showing off who she was. Everyone knew Robecca liked to show off with her stunts, but no one would really ever guess she'd be able to sing.

Thank you so much for the continuous support with this story! It's absolutely clawsome ;D

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