Disclaimer: All of the characters in this fanfiction belong to Warner Bros. Studious, with the exception of Monty's family.
Chapter 6
The First Day of School (Part 1)
29th Nov
Monty scrambled through his school locker, pushing a frustrated scream back in his throat. Calculation class started in roughly five minutes, and he couldn't find his book. Knowing how strict Miss Granny was, he knew she was not going to accept him being late and on the first day of school, nevertheless. The sound of eager students chit-chatting in the hallway only made it harder for him to concentrate on what he was trying to find, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut for a second. 'How the heck do these people have so much energy on a Monday?' he thought.
At last, finding what he was looking for, he slammed the door and made his way through Acme Looniversity. As he pushed others out of his way, Monty wondered how on Earth had this mini vacation flew by so quickly. It should have been a peaceful, longer weekend, yet it had felt as anything but that. His family staying over, the whole mentoring thing and not to mention the events on Thanksgiving made the perfect recipe for a tense atmosphere, one that made it impossible for him, or anyone, to relax. And, on top of that, he couldn't shake off the feeling that it had something to do with him, as well. . . Monty shook his head. No, how could that be possible? He hadn't done anything to get himself in whatever argument his family was having. Whatever it was, he had to stay out of it because it didn't concern him. Plus, his relatives would be gone soon anyway and everything would go back to normal.
"Monty!" Someone excitedly calling him from the crowd pulled him out of his thoughts. Sighing, the boy turned around, knowing very well who he was going to see. He could recognize that voice from a thousand.
Elmyra Duff was making her way through the sea of students, waving frantically at him. He rolled his eyes but remained where he was until she reached him.
"Oh, Monty, I'm so happy to see you!" She said before trapping him in one of her exuberant hugs.
"Hey, hey, get off, dweeb." He gasped, wriggling in her grip until she finally let go of him. After catching his breath a little, Monty glared at her.
"Haven't I told you to not hug me in public?" He growled at her.
"I know, but I just missed you so much, Monty-Wonty!"
"Elmyra, the last time we saw each other was four days ago. And we talked on the phone, too!"
"But talking over the phone isn't nearly as good as talking to you in person. I can't see your pretty face over the phone, and I can't hug you either."
"Don't call me pretty." He said through gritted teeth. Behind him, Monty heard someone snicker, undoubtedly amused by his little 'interaction' with Elmyra. Snapping his head around, he saw two certain bunnies looking at them, while attempting to hide their smirks.
"Something funny, Rabbits?" He snarled.
"Oh, no." said Buster, still trying to contain his laughter. "Absolutely nothing wrong with you or your pretty face."
At that, Babs completely burst out laughing and the blue bunny joined her a second later, unable to contain their laughter anymore. Monty saw red. Rolling up his sleeves, he marched towards them, ready to give the two a piece of his mind (or rather, a piece of his fist). But, before he could act upon his instinct to smash their heads against the lockers, the familiar sound of the bell ringing filled the school. For a split second, everything went still. Then, as if on cue, the students grabbed their books, slammed their lockers and sped off to class, leaving only dust behind.
Monty and Elmyra, along with the two bunnies, were no exception to this. Any dispute they might've had going on was forgotten, replaced by the sudden adrenaline and anxiety every student feels when they're late and they know they are going to get in trouble.
Despite what many people thought, Acme Looniversity was an institution that took education very seriously. Underneath the interactive lessons and fun activities hid an extremely hard curriculum, one fit to prepare the future generation of cartoon characters. Most of the teachers, who were usually friendly, could also be severe if needed. Take Principal Bugs Bunny for example. Most of the students loved him and thought his classes were the most enjoyable, yet everyone dreaded the mere idea of serving detention in his office. And if you ever managed to enrage him, then Avery help you.
So, it was understandable why the four students' hearts viciously pounded in their chests as they rushed to class, hoping beyond hope that they wouldn't be scolded. Or why their knees sank when they entered the classroom and Miss Granny glared at them. Sweet as the old lady might've been, her sternness was well-known by everyone and, just like in Bugs' case, you did NOT want to annoy her. But, for whatever reason, she didn't reprimand them. Instead, with a sharp nod of her head, she gestured for them to take a seat.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Monty, along with the others, hurried to their desks and sat down. As the rich boy opened his book, he felt that someone was watching him. Turning his head to the side, he met Buster's amused gaze and the same mocking grin he had in the hallway. The rabbit pointed with one of his long ears at Elmyra, who was sitting in front of him, and wiggled his eyebrows. Getting the message, Monty gave him the most poisonous look he was capable of, his fists tightening and his face reddening with fury. He pointed at Buster, then dragged his index finger across his throat. The bunny simply stuck his tongue out at him.
By that point, Granny had already started her lesson, which Monty found both good and annoying. Annoying because it meant he couldn't strangle the rabbit without her noticing and good because it prevented him from going to jail.
'I'll get my hands on that rabbit.' He thought angrily. 'And when I do, I'll pulverize him!' However, for now, he continued writing down the math problems dictated by Granny's stern voice, while constantly glancing up at the clock on the wall, waiting for the agonizing minutes to pass and for lunchtime to be announced.
XXX
When the clock struck one, the bell once again filled Acme Looniversity with its jolly cry and the school exploded with energy. Doors were flung open and students ran through the hallways towards the cafeteria, almost trampling each other. After four long hours, either boring or interesting, harder or easier, everyone, even the teachers, needed a long break and some food.
Children lined up at the counter, holding their blue trays, as Mama Bear served that day's specialty: meat with mashed potatoes. While everyone agreed that the ingredients used for the meal were… questionable, at best, none of them had the intention of being picky. Principal Bugs had made it very clear from day one that, although he didn't approve of the food given, that was the school policy. So, they either ate what they were served, or they didn't eat at all. The children picked the first one. After all, eating at least something was better than eating nothing.
But, of course, there was one kid that refused to touch the food. Monty, naturally, had said from the beginning to that he wouldn't be caught dead near that "inedible trash", as he liked to call it. At the end of the day, he was rich! Why should he put up with this and eat the same food as those commoners? So, he told his father. Richard, despite not being too involved in Monty's personal life, was extremely pretentious when it came to the environment his son was learning in. The man hadn't even wanted to send him there in the first place. Richard thought of Acme Looniversity to be a "poor taste school, where poor, lollipop-singing children were taught how to goof around by some sellouts" and he considered Prefecto Prep to be a much better choice. The reason Monty was attending Acme Loo was because of his and Angelina's requests. Monty wanted to go there and be taught by his idol, Yosemite Sam, and his mother wanted to please her son. But, just because Richard allowed the boy to go to his preferred school, that didn't mean he didn't have very high standards. Thus, when he heard what kind of food people ate there, he immediately ordered Eliza to prepare Monty a delicious lunch every day, then Grovely to go to school and serve it to him. Each day, when Monty entered the cafeteria, he found the family's butler waiting at his usual table in a corner, a bit isolated form the others. Nobody else sat there because Monty didn't want anyone around him. Not even Elmyra came to him at lunch time. He had a reputation to maintain, after all, and he couldn't throw it away just because of a girl. Of course, that didn't stop her from sitting as close to his table as possible and, sometimes, smiling or even waving in his direction. Although he would never admit it, Monty didn't find the gesture as annoying as he wished he did and, therefore, let it pass.
Today, however, the boy was in no mood for such things. He didn't pay attention at Grovely saluting him nor at the mouth-watering food on his plate. He ignored the other students, as well as Elmyra's excited "Hi!" when he passed her. As he sat at his table, his eyes roamed across the room, in search for Buster, ready to slap his sneer off his face. No one made fun of Montana Max and got away with it!
And then, he saw him. Emerging from the crowd, the tray with food in his paws, Buster was walking with Babs at his side, both laughing and joking.
'They're laughing at you.' A voice in his head told him and Monty's fists clutched once more. His father had told him numerous times to never let others walk all over him and he wasn't intending to start that now.
Getting up, he made his way towards the two rabbits, who sat down at the same table, along with Plucky, Shirley, Hamton and Fifi. The boy ignored the yelps and the reproachful glares he received as he pushed the others out of his way, his gaze fixed upon the six friends. When he got closer, he and Buster made eye contact and the bunny stopped for a moment, probably not expecting to see Monty marching towards them. Overcoming his shock, the bunny stood up and took a few steps forward, ready to greet the rich boy.
"Hi, Monty. Need something?" He spoke. His tone wasn't exactly aggressive, it sounded quite friendly. However, there was a graveness in his voice that made it clear he wasn't about to be intimidated by him.
"Don't you 'Hi, Monty' me!" The human toon shouted. "You don't get to laugh at ME, the richest boy in Acme Acres, and get away with it! Now you're in it big time, Rabbit!"
"Gosh, like, chill out, Monty." Said Shirley, levitating near them.
"I'm not talking to you, Loon!" He yelled at her, then turned back to Buster. "And you are done for!" The boy reached out, his intention to grab the bunny. Buster, however, was much quicker. He stepped aside and Monty stumbled forwards. After regaining balance, he looked furiously in his rival's direction and – SPLASH!
Monty couldn't even process what was happening before the pie hit him in the face. Mocking laughter echoed in his ears, making his insides burn with rage. He wiped off the cream from his face and Buster's frame gained contour in front of him once again, the same sarcastic smirk plastered on his face and his dark eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Is this how you wanna play, Rabbit?" Monty sneered as the snickering continued. "Fine! Let's have it your way then!" Grabbing the nearest plate filled with mashed potatoes on the table, he threw it at the bunny. Buster, not expecting it, was hit right in the head. Monty let out a cackle, which was quickly ended by another hand of mashed potatoes hitting him.
"Take that, you snobbish cash-cow!" Babs shouted, her hand covered in her own food.
Glaring at the pink bunny, Monty took Hamton's lunch and, ignoring the piglet's "Hey!" as a sign of protest, hit Babs with it, making her fall on the floor.
By this time, the other tables were watching their dispute with either amusement, curiosity or worry. Monty and the two rabbits were starting to get extremely annoyed. They all grabbed whatever food remained on the table and started launching it at each other.
Then, out of nowhere, Plucky stood up on his chair and, being the mature 14-year-old duck that he was, shouted for the whole cafeteria to hear, "Food fight!"
The next moment chaos erupted. Some students, more mischievous, immediately took a hand food from their plate and threw it at others. This caused more kids to join the fight and reply in the exact same way, while others hid under the table. Soon, food was flying everywhere, and no one was spared from being hit at least once. The worst ones were undoubtedly Buster and Monty. However, neither of them seemed to care, too caught up in their fight.
The fight continued for another few minutes. The cafeteria was now a mess, with the walls, the floor, the tables and even the ceiling covered in food. It didn't look like it was going to end soon, until –
"WHAT IN TARNATION IS GOING ON HERE?!"
Like a cartoon being put on pause, everyone and everything stopped. The children all glanced in the direction from where the thunderous voice had yelled and saw Professor Yosemite Sam standing at the cafeteria's entrance, looking not exactly happy.
"A'right, ya no good troublemakers, whose bright idea was to do all this?" Sam growled.
"They started it!" Said all the kids at the same time, pointing in the same direction.
Following to where they were all pointing at, Sam laid his eyes on Monty and Buster, both covered from head to toe in mashed potatoes, pie and had bits of meat in their hair and fur. The teacher narrowed his eyes at them and both boys gulped. Everyone knew that Yosemite Sam was NOT someone to mess with and getting him mad was one guaranteed way to earn your ticked to Heaven.
"You two. My office. Now." He snarled, then exited the cafeteria.
Monty glanced worriedly around him, as if searching for a way to escape. But all that he could see were dozens of pairs of eyes watching him and Buster, as if waiting for them to follow Yosemite. It was like having an audience to his execution. From within the crowd, he spotted the way too familiar orange hair. He could just imagine Elmyra's freckled face staring at him curiously, as if asking him what happened. He didn't look her way. Instead, he marched along with Buster out of the cafeteria and into the hallway, towards the former cowboy's office.
When they entered, they were a bit surprised to see Bugs standing there too. The grey rabbit gave his pupil "a look", then waved his hand as a gesture to follow him. "Come, Buster. We're going to my office." He said, a note of seriousness in his usually happy tone. Buster looked as white as a sheet, yet he followed his mentor outside and the door closed behind them.
Monty smirked. "I wouldn't wish to be in Buster's shoes right now." he thought amused. From behind, he heard someone clearing their throat and he turned to see his favorite teacher eyeing him venomously. His face dropped. "Actually, I rectify that thought."
Monty took a seat in front of Sam's desk, trying to make himself as small as possible and avoid his rebuke-filled gaze.
"Okay, Imma make this easy for ya, varmint." Said Sam after a pause. "Tell me the truth, the WHOLE truth, and maybe I'll soften mah punishment."
"What's there to explain?" Monty grumbled. "He was being a prick, I fought back, and the result was what you saw."
Yosemite groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Monty, I've told ya, over and over, to control your temper. Here, you ain't in a cartoon, you're in school, where ya supposed to learn things, not have fights with other varmints!"
"Well, what do you want me to do?! Let him laugh at me?!"
"What I want from you, Max, is what I've told ya numerous times! When at school, BEHAVE! Is that so hard?!"
Monty didn't answer. Instead, he crossed his arms and glared at the floor. Why was he the one that always got in trouble?! True, he played a part in turning the cafeteria into a complete disaster, but Buster had started it! And now, the man he viewed as a second father was blaming him as well. "Whatever, just give me detention and let's get it over with."
Meanwhile, Yosemite watched his pupil with mixed emotions. It would be a lie to say he wanted to get the boy into trouble. After all, he did care for him. All the time spent together and not to mention how closely Monty resembled him was enough to create a bond between them. However, he still wanted the lad to learn his lesson and, apparently, the countless detentions Monty had received over the years weren't enough. It seemed like the only solution was a more drastic approach.
"I'm calling your parents."
Monty's eyebrows shot up. "Wha- What?" He muttered, in complete bewilderment.
"Ya heard me! If detentions ain't enough to teach you a lesson, then maybe they are!"
Horror spread across the boy's face. He wasn't too worried about his mom, since she could be softened easily, but his dad was a completely different story. If he found out what happened… Monty didn't want to imagine the severity of his punishment.
"Sam, please, you can't do this to me! I'm your favorite student!"
"And that's exactly why I'm doin' this! I don't want ya to end up gettin' expelled 'cause of your behavior and throw your whole future away! Trust me, kid, if you continue the way you've been these past two years, I'm not seeing you well!" Sam shouted.
Monty couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did his own mentor - the person he admired and looked up to the most - just insinuate he was a failure?! He tried to protest, but it was as if his tongue was tied. The only thing that came out were incoherent and stuttered words.
"But- but-..." He tried to argue.
"No buts, Monty!" Sam yelled. "I'm calling your parents and that's that! Now get back ta class and don't cause any trouble on your way back!"
That shut Monty up completely. With a defeated look on his face, he mumbled a quiet "Yes, Sir.", then slumped his way out of the office.
As the door closed shut, a twinge of guilt blossomed in the cowboy's chest. "Maybe I was too hard on him" He thought. Still, Max needed to learn a lesson and it seemed like this was the only way it could be done.
Sighing, the man went back to work, trying to ignore the horrible sensation in his gut. "What am I going to do with you, boy?"
