Disclaimer: Garfield and all related characters are the property of Paws Inc. and Paramount Global/Nickelodeon at the time of this story's creation.
Happy 44th Anniversary Garfield!
Garfield In: Pesky Party Crashers!
"LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"
Loud music blares from the stereo as a huge array of mice infest the Arbuckle household, partying and dancing like there's no tomorrow.
"I oughta hand it to ya, Floyd, this is quite a nice pad you've got here." A mouse lets out a compliment while scarfing his face with a big piece of cheese.
"Yeah, sure was swell of my pal Garfield to let me crash over at his crib." Floyd said, chugging a soda whilst making sure to not tip over the can and spill it.
"I still can't believe that there could ever exist a cat who refuses to chase mice, let alone befriend one." His friend said, still baffled by such an unusual anomaly.
"Yep, goes to show ya that you should never judge a book by its cover." Floyd said, relishing every second of his luxurious new lifestyle, all thanks to Garfield. Though, maybe he should've asked him permission first before inviting all of his rodent friends over for a house party.
"Dudes! Arbuckle's comin home! We gotta bail, like, RIGHT NOW!" A mouse frantically shouts all the way from the living room, for indeed, Jon's car has just turned into Maple Street.
"EVERYONE SCRAM!" Floyd shouts as all the mice scurry out the back via the kitchen's doggie door as fast as possible, leaving behind a huge mess that would be impossible for one lonesome mouse to clean up before it's spotted by the house's owner.
"I really should've asked Garfield to cover for me before throwing this stinkin party." Floyd grumbles to himself, sighing after noticing the soda can tipping over the kitchen counter and spilling all over the floor.
"Here we are, boys. Home sweet home at last." Jon said, his car having just reached the driveway.
"About time." Garfield said, yawning. "I need to catch up with all my shows and naps that I've missed while we were gone."
"This is your home, Garfield?" Arlene asks, amazed by its immense size compared to what she's used to seeing back on the island.
"Yep." The orange cat replies. "I may not be the king of Carlyle Castle, but at least I still rule over this palace."
"Well, it certainly beats living in a tiny, cramped hut, that's for sure." The pink cat chuckles.
"That's for sure." Garfield said. "I mean, how did those Ding-Dongs survive for many years without TV!?"
"One of life's greatest mysteries." Arlene said, sharing a laugh with her orange friend as they both hop out of the car.
"C'mon, Odie, let's get inside." Jon calls for his dog after grabbing the pizzas from the trunk, but doesn't receive a response. "Odie?"
The dog remains motionless, staring out the car window, his mind eluding any words spoken directly towards him.
"ODIE!"
*HUH!?* Odie's mind snaps back to reality upon hearing his owner screaming his name at the top of his lungs.
"Odie, we're home. Let's go." Jon insists, the tone of his voice indicating how irritated he is with his unusual behavior. Not wanting the others to give him anymore unwanted attention, the dog leaps out of the car and immediately heads to the front door.
"Odie, are you okay?" Arlene asks, now more concerned than ever, but was given no answer.
"What's with you today, you little whelp!?" Garfield demands, having grown incredibly frustrated with him. "You've ignored us the entire way back here! Did something happen to you back at the farm? Did Nermal play a cruel joke on you? Did they abuse you!? Cause if they did, I swear to God…
*GRRRRRRRR* Odie growls at him, not wanting to talk to him or anyone else. Right now, he just wants to be left alone…alone to ponder away in his own thoughts.
"This conversation isn't over, Odie. I will find out what's going on in that thick headed mind of yours!" Garfield said, stepping aside from the walkway so that Jon can get through and reach the front door.
"You don't think he's…jealous of me, is he?" Arlene asks, hoping that she hasn't already become the strain that'll ruin their friendship.
"He better not be jealous." Garfield replies. "I don't often say this to anyone, but Odie's my best friend, and no matter who becomes a part of my life, that mutt needs to understand that he'll always be the greatest friend a cat could ever ask for."
"Wow, that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard you say, Garfield." Arlene said, surprised that a cat could devote such loyalty to a dog.
"Yeah, and if you know what's good for ya, you better not say a word of this to anyone else, especially the neighborhood cats, capeesh?" Garfield insists.
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." The pink cat assures him as she follows him to the door, hopeful that her words alone would be enough for him to trust her. "Though, I think Odie would appreciate it if you told him that."
"We'll see." The orange cat mutters, not wanting to further discuss the situation for the time being.
Unbeknownst to both cats, however, is that there's a third cat secretly observing them from the back of the car, having stowed away in the trunk when the owner placed the leftover slices inside.
"So, you little pink bitch, you think you can just waltz your way in and hit on my man!?" Penelope angrily growls, grinding her teeth like never before. "Well, YOU'RE DEAD WRONG!"
"Ahhh, it's good to be home." Jon said as he and his three pets step inside the house.
"Wow, this place actually looks better on the inside." Arlene said, surprised by how clean it looks, save for a few bowls and a disco ball strangely lying around.
"Yeah, Jon doesn't call himself "Tidy Arbuckle" for nothing." Garfield said, curling his paws to make air quotes.
"Gee, and I thought all you men like to live in a pigsty." The female cat said, chuckling to herself.
"Ha, ha. Very funny." The male cat said bluntly, not amused by her sarcastic sense of humor. "Anywho, I'm gonna go grab myself a snack."
"As if your stomach didn't already have enough to eat." Arlene mutters to herself as she follows him through the kitchen door, where upon entering, they see a huge mess of crumbs, empty bags, and spilt soda. Almost as if a party was just thrown here.
"You were saying, mister tidy cat?" Arlene smirks.
"Oh, shut up." Garfield said as their owner steps into the kitchen.
"*GASP* WHAT HAPPENED TO MY KITCHEN!?" Jon furiously shouts, almost dropping the leftover pizza upon seeing the mess that was made.
"Hey, don't look at me, I just got here!" The orange cat said.
"Hold on, I hear something." The pink cat said, her cat ears picking up a squeaking noise coming from one of the kitchen cabinets. Upon opening it, she spots a mouse trying to hide behind some of the alliances that occupy it. "I think I found your little party crasher behind this mess."
"Uh…hi there, toots." Floyd greets nervously, praying that she doesn't eat him right there and then. Instead, another cat stomps over to him and furiously grabs him by the neck.
"Floyd, would you happen to know why the kitchen looks like a hungry bear just rummaged through it?" Garfield asks in a calm, yet infuriated tone of voice.
"Oh, h-hey Garfield. Uh…w-who's the new girl? She looks kinda cute." Floyd said, trying to deviate from the subject.
"Garfield, get that mouse out of my sight right now!" Jon demands.
"Normally, I don't like to chase mice out of the house, but I'll gladly make this one an exception." Garfield gives the suffocating mouse one more glare before walking out the doggie door and tossing him outside of the house.
"And don't ever let me catch you throwing another party in here without inviting me ever again, if you know what's good for you!" The orange cat angrily shouts before heading back inside.
"Wow, Garfield. I didn't know you had it in you." Jon said, impressed by his cat's actions.
"Yeah, well that twerp had it coming." Garfield said, heading towards the fridge to see if there's anything in there that's still edible. "The nerve of that guy, throwing a house party without me!? Who the hell does he think he is!? I mean, I give him a nice house to live in, and this is the thanks I-"
Opening the fridge, the cat gasps in despair before he could finish his rant. Upon taking one good look inside for a mere second, his eyes can no longer process the horrible site that lies within. It was a disaster area of crumbs, spilt drinks, and small pieces of leftovers that are most likely infected with Leptospirosis, Salmonellosis, or any other deadly diseases that mice like to carry around with them.
"FFLLLLLLOOOOOOOOYYYYYYDDDDDDDDD!" The infuriated cat lets out a scream so loud that it can be heard from miles away from the house.
"I don't see what he's complaining about. The fatass can just order his master to get him more food." Floyd grumbles to himself, wiping the dirt off his chest before heading out to find another house to crash at.
"Well, looks like it's back to square one. Fate has once again decided to make a little guy like me go up against the big, cruel world." Floyd said to himself, pondering as to why life has dealted him with a very unlucky deck of cards. "How can this day possibly get any worse!?"
*STOMP* The mouse suddenly finds himself crushed under someone's paw. Upon getting himself back up from the ground, he shoots an angry glare directly at the cat who stepped on him without a care.
"HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU ASSHOLE!" Floyd angrily shouts.
*HISS* The white cat unleashes a loud hiss towards the mouse, making it crystal clear to him that she's not in the mood to deal with anyone's crap at the moment.
"Geez, what's your problem, toots? Cat got your tongue?" Floyd jokingly asks, earning him another vicious glare from the cat.
"None of your business, rat!" Penelope angrily shouts. "And if you ever make a joke like that again, I'll bite your tongue right off your mouth before I swallow you whole, you get me!?"
"Okay, okay. I get ya. Yeesh." Floyd said, nervously stepping away from the aggravated cat. "Say, aren't you Garfield's girl?" He asks, only now recognizing her.
"That's what I thought, until that pink slut came around!" The white cat said, furiously grinding her teeth.
"Seems we both have a bone to pick with Garfield." The mouse points out. "Or in your case, a boner."
Just for that, Penelope grabs Floyd by the neck and proceeds to start choking him.
"I-I was just j-joking! *ACK*" The suffocating mouse cries out before being dropped back to the ground.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." Penelope said as she turns her attention away from him. *SIGH* I guess I really am just a friend to him."
"Yeah, and what a great friend he turned out to be." Floyd said sarcastically, having also felt betrayed by his so-called friend. "Why, I oughta get back at him for leavin me out here in the cold like this!"
That's when a devious idea stows away into the mouse's train of thoughts.
"Say, toots, I've got a proposal for ya." Floyd said.
"Oh, and what's that?" Penelope asks half-heartedly, only willing herself to listen to the mouse just this once.
"You help me get even with Garfield, and I'll help you get rid of that pink bitch for ya. How does that sound?" The mouse offers.
The conflicted cat gives herself a moment to ponder his offer. On one hand, Arlene did seem rather nice to her when they met at the pizzeria, and Garfield seemed happy to be with her. On the other hand, Garfield was her man! She met him first! And if that slut thinks that she can just waltz her way into his life and call dibs on pouring tomato sauce into his heart, SHE'S GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!
"So…uhh…do we have a deal or not!?" Floyd asks, impatiently waiting for an answer. After pondering about it for a few more seconds, the white cat finally makes her decision.
"Alright rat, you've got yourself a deal." Penelope replies, shaking his hand.
"Excellent." Floyd said with an evil smirk. "You better watch out Garfield, for I shall have my revenge! Muahahahahaha…Hahahahahahahaha…AHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Okay, seriously, stop laughing." Penelope insists.
"Oh, sorry." Floyd chuckles nervously.