"Hi Monoculo the Magnificent! Hi Giganto! You missed out on all the pre parties. I'm bound to win an award at the Musician's Hall of Fame awards night tonight!"
"Ih, rock'n'roll!" Stitch agreed as Jumba and Pleakley sat next to each other at the table digging into the stack of pancakes, smiles covering up their haziness from lack of sleep. Angel was rubbing her eyes also fighting back her sleepiness.
"Lilo, I told you, it's called a graduation." Nani corrected with a little snap, "It's not some rocker and roller hall of fame."
"It's Musician's Hall of Fame… Even Daniel Adair is going to be there!"
"Who's that?"
"My drummer in my band, who else?"
"She'll be fine…" David put a hand on Nani's back as Nani sighed. "Watch this, this is all she needs to know… What's your name, Lilo?" David winked at her.
"How dare you ex-bodyguard. How could you not know my name!? My name is Chad Kroeger! Hey, hey I wanna be a rockstar…"
"Aye, aye, aye…" Nani shook her head in disappointment as Lilo began to play a make believe guitar.
"Look on the bright side Nani, at least she can still walk in graduation." Pleakley answered catching the sight of his hand. Instead, Mother Pleakley, Bertley, and Pixley were staring at Jumba.
"More like crutch…" Jumba added with a snicker.
"But her brain is lolo!" Nani forked her pancake as the front door creaked and was shut. "You didn't have to put up with her pre-parties last night!"
"Hey, who wants to hear my speech when I receive my award?"
"Meega! Meega!" Stitch and Angel smiled as Lilo started in a dramatic voice. The two little girls clapped.
"Lilo…?"
"Daniel Adair!" Lilo cheered as she stumbled over to the shy young man standing in the kitchen's corridor. She hugged him as he crashed the two cymbals he was holding behind her back in a confused embrace.
"I came over to… what happened to… you?"
"What do you mean? This is how I always look. You should know because we have band rehearsals every week!" Lilo struck a pose as her best friend blushed in her presence.
"Drummer boy needs to clang those things a little harder."
Taking Jumba's advice, the young man accelerated his two cymbals as hard as he could and let them break from each other in a fine gesture. Consequently, everyone fought for their ears, or Plorgonarian quark flanches, in absolute surprise and were left in silence – everything was said by the bang that was gently fading away.
"We… are… TOTALLY GOING TO ROCK THE MUSICIAN'S HALL OF FAME TONIGHT!" Lilo applauded jumping into his arms. He steadied her back into her seat with a worried expression on his face.
"Well, looks like it is time for us to leave this place Wendy, for the better." Mother Pleakley announced still hearing the ringing in her Plorgonarian quark flanch. "Get your last belongings and let's hit the wormhole back… Oh and don't forget your girlfriend!"
"Me thinking not…"
With what seemed like another clang of the cymbals, the four Plorgonarians and one Kweltikwanian broke out into a fit of rage leaning into each other's faces.
"IF YOU TAKE HIM AWAY, HE'S GOING TO FALL INTO ANOTHER COMA!"
"UNTHINKABLE! WHY WOULD YOU BE THINKING THAT?"
"BECAUSE… I CAUSED HIS COMA!"
"WHAT! I KNEW IT!"
"YOU MONSTER!"
"HE'S DEFINITELY GOING BACK TO MOM'S!"
"NO!".
"LET JUMBA EXPLAIN!"
"WE'VE HEARD ENOUGH!"
"IT'S OPPO…!"
"HOLD IT! HOLD EVERYTHING!" Pleakley broke in leaving everyone in silence. Jumba had one of Pleakley's hands and Pleakley's mother had the other. The Pelekai's and drummer boy sat in shock. "Mom, I want to stay here, I'm happy here…"
"I wouldn't stay here even if…" Pixley began as Pleakley shot her a disgusted face.
"You said that last time, son… I don't believe you. That scientist is manipulating with your mind, isn't he?" Mother Pleakley turned her back in shame.
"Mom, in fact, I'm very happy, happiest I've ever been…"
"How could you be? You're not safe here and you're not even mar…"
"But I will be…" Pleakley gleamed as Jumba scooped Pleakley up into his arms. The three Plorgonarians' mouths dropped as Pleakley was flaunting his ring. They thought their single eyes last night and this morning had deceived them.
"Awww!" Angel purred as she put an arm around Stitch.
"Eegalagoo!"
"Big burly guys are so much better than plastic surgery city, huh clowns?"
"Wendy, what do you you mean? Where's the girlfriend?" Mother Pleakley said confusedly.
"And what girlfriend are you talking about mother?" Pleakley said furiously.
"The one that put the kissy marks on the bottom of your evil roommate's bed."
Jumba and Pleakley's faces lurched towards each other – Pleakley in embarrassment and Jumba in surprise then playfulness. "Oh, I think there's been a mistake…" Jumba smirked. "That was my girlfriend! She gets pretty feisty…" Jumba placed Pleakley back on the ground with an embrace – a type of embrace Mother Pleakley had remembered herself doing to her husband years ago.
"So, your're saying that my son is your girlfriend?"
"Yeah. Not girlfriend anymore, my fiancé. You gonna have a problem with that?" Jumba continued to smirk knowing it would.
"Please tell me this is another one of your lies? Where's that annoying lie detector of yours?" Mother Pleakley gasped letting it all sink in.
Jumba and Pleakley both shook their heads back and forth with an excited grin.
"YOU'RE COMING HOME!" Mother Pleakley demanded grabbing Pleakley's hand and starting to drag him out the door. Pixley and Bertley followed.
"NO I AM NOT!" Pleakley threw her hand away and backed the Plogonarians out on the porch. "I AM SICK OF YOU TELLING ME WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO WEAR, HOW TO ACT, HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL, HOW TO LIVE MY LIFE…! ON EARTH, A FAMILY IS A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT ARE SUPPORTIVE AND LOVING OF EACH OTHER NO MATTER WHAT! THIS IS MY FAMILY, YOU ARE NOT! JUMBA AND I LOVE EACH OTHER AND WE'RE GETTING MARRIED! THERE IS NO WAY YOU ARE GOING TO MANIPULATE ME OTHERWISE!" Pleakley ran back inside the house and slammed the door. His "mother" was likely on the other end bawling her eyes out, but he didn't care. He'd had enough for one lifetime.
"Sounds like your mind is under the influence of an evil genius. What happened, my little one?" Jumba laughed as Pleakley collapsed into Jumba's awaiting arms.
"You, Jumba…" Pleakley blushed as they leaned in for a needed kiss.
"Encore, encore! Do another cymbal crash Daniel!"
