Episode 5: Schooled Out

Tom and Jerry had been enjoying a peaceful Thursday with their new routine of chasing each other outdoors for exercise and then taking time indoors to bond as friends should. They tried running through the sprinkler while giving the garden a dose of water, and then Jerry helped Tom get his tail out of the fridge when the door closed unexpectedly on it after Tom returned the milk carton.

It was three in the afternoon now, which meant that Robyn was on her way home from school. At the mansion, Tom and Jerry were out on the balcony relaxing over a glass of lemonade. The cat and mouse duo made small talk about their favorite things about being Robyn's pets when they heard the school bus arrive on the block. They enthusiastically hopped from their sun chairs and went inside to greet their owner. However, when they got to the first floor, Tom and Jerry were sorry to see that Robyn didn't look like her usual happy self. She hung her head and sniffled sadly as she went to sit on the couch. Tom and Jerry hopped up beside Robyn and they got her attention when Tom nuzzled her leg.

Robyn looked down at her two pets and said, "Hi, Tom. Hi, Jerry."

"Are you all right, Robyn?" asked Jerry. "We can't help but notice that you look a little blue."

Robyn rubbed her eyes and replied, "Today wasn't a good day for me at school. Some other kids in my classes have been bullying me."

Tom and Jerry couldn't believe their ears. They knew Robyn had been abused and neglected by her Aunt Figg, but they had no idea that such a nice girl like her would be bullied by anyone. Tom asked, "What happened?"

"Some big boys at school don't like me just because our family has so much money thanks to Daddy's business," sighed Robyn. "Today they said I only try to be nice so I can take money from people, at lunch they said I deserve to lose everything, and then…" Robyn nearly sobbed. "Th-they broke my locket!"

The distraught little girl showed Tom and Jerry what those bigger kids had done to her beautiful locket. The golden casing was scratched and chipped, the hinge had been snapped, and on the inside, the glass was cracked as if it had been stepped on.

The cat and mouse duo were shocked at this. That locket had been Robyn's only comfort when Aunt Figg took over the house, and to hear that some mean boys had broken it just because they didn't like her for being a wealthy businessman's daughter. Jerry climbed into Robyn's hand, and she pressed him to her face to let him give her a hug. Tom curled up in Robyn's lap and let her run her hands over his fur.

"We're sorry this happened, Robyn. We really are," said Tom to his owner. "I only wish we could help you more."

"We'll think of something," Jerry assured her.

Robyn gave a weak smile and continued holding her two little pets close. She knew that they would want her to tell her father what had happened, and she would. She got the opportunity to let her father know when he returned from his company's headquarters, for as he was coming into the living room, he noticed his lovely daughter sitting with Tom and Jerry with her broken locket on the table.

"What happened to your locket, Robyn?" Mr. Starling asked with concern.

Robyn looked at her father and explained, "Some bigger kids broke it today at school."

And she proceeded to tell her father everything. When Robyn had finished her story, her father took her in his arms and let Robyn cry on his shoulders. Mr. Starling knew how much this golden locket had meant to Robyn, as it had been the only thing to comfort her when Aunt Figg had taken over the house. It had also been Robyn's only reassurance that her father would always be there for her when she needed him, and knowing that Aunt Figg had harmed and even put his precious child in danger when he was away in Tibet made his daughter's hurt cut him deeper.

"I'm sorry, Robyn," lamented Mr. Starling. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't there when you needed me most. I know that I should've at least postponed the expedition to protect you from Figg and Lickboot."

Robyn looked up at her father and said, "It's not your fault, Daddy. If you didn't know what would happen, then how could I? I'm just happy that you're home."

Her father ruffled Robyn's hair, making her giggle, and he said to her, "Spoken with the wisdom beyond your years." Then Mr. Starling added, "Don't you worry, Robyn. I can have your locket fixed up as good as new. In the meantime, you just handle your homework and then enjoy yourself, okay?"

"Mm-hm," Robyn replied simply.

"That's my girl," smiled her father.

And with that, Robyn went upstairs to her room to handle her homework, and then she and Tom and Jerry watched television in her room while her father made a call to the local department store to have Robyn's locket mended.

…

On Friday, Tom and Jerry decided to follow Robyn to school as companions to see how bad the bullying was and if they could do something about it. Knowing that they would be booted out if they followed Robyn into the building, the cat and mouse duo wisely stayed outside the fence. For a few hours, they just waited for any sign of Robyn's agitators while sitting in the grass and talking the matter over.

"I just don't get it," sighed Tom. "Who would pick on a nice girl like Robyn?"

"Those kids whom Robyn described must be jealous of her because she has so much to enjoy and so much to give," surmised Jerry. "Either that, or they just don't like her for no reason."

"Either way, we've got to do something if Robyn ends up cornered by these guys again," Tom added fiercely.

It wasn't long before Tom and Jerry got their chance, for they soon heard Robyn calling for help. They hurried along and saw their beloved little owner cornered by three particularly rough boys. Robyn tried to look small, but this only made her aggressors bolder. They crowded around her, calling her names and mocking the hurt she went through under Aunt Figg, and Robyn's cries for help couldn't reach the instructor who was out on the playground that day.

As Tom and Jerry watched, they felt the urge to defend Robyn's honor rise within decided to scare those good-for-nothing miscreants in a way that would hopefully stick. While the cat and mouse duo got to business with their plan, they also kept watch on poor Robyn, who was now being bullied in a physical manner.

One of the bigger boys sneered, "Let's see how Little Orphan Annie likes being dragged into the streets!"

And with that, they grabbed Robyn by her arms and tried to force her out of the schoolyard. The poor girl struggled and kept shouting "Let me go!" even when one of them pulled her hair and kept trying to make her move. Tom and Jerry looked at each other and gave a brief nod before running to find some items at the school to carry out their plan.

A moment later, as the boys who had been bullying Robyn continued trying to drag her out of the schoolyard, Tom and Jerry crept up behind them and tapped the lead boy on the shoulder. He turned with a rude "Yeah, what?!" and then jumped and shrieked loudly when he saw that the thing that had tapped him was someone (or something) under a curtain wearing a creepy Halloween mask and using tree branches for arms.

"Hey, guys, looky here!" the lead bully sneered. "The snooty rich girl thinks she can spook us with some wimpy friends in disguise! We can beat them up now, and then we'll give Precious here the treatment!"

And the three big boys tore at Tom and Jerry's disguise, trying to feel if anyone was inside it. But Tom and Jerry had already snuck out of their little disguise and. By the time Robyn's bullies had torn the curtain to pieces, all they found was empty air. Now of course, they had no idea that it was Tom and Jerry who helped Robyn, so they were convinced that the thing that had threatened them was a ghost.

It was then that an instructor came over saying, "What's going on here?!" Then she saw Robyn on the grounds and then looked between her and her bullies, quickly piecing the puzzle together. Before Robyn's bullies could say anything, they were immediately told to go straight to the principal's office for making a mess on school grounds and for harassing Robyn.

Tom and Jerry came out of their hiding place and were instantly swept up in a hug. Robyn cooed, "Was it you two that just helped me?"

"You bet your little converse high-top sneakers, Robyn," chuckled Tom.

"After all, what good is a pet to their owner if that pet can't keep their owner safe once in a while?" added Jerry.

Robyn giggled and hugged her two pets even more and said, "You two are the best friends ever."

Tom and Jerry nuzzled Robyn, and then promised to meet up with her when she came home from school. They kept their promise, and then they and her father gave Robyn a big surprise- her locket, all mended to perfection!

A/N: I hope this chapter wasn't boring at all. I'll think of something for Chapter 6 that might involve more excitement. Until then, this is Mr. ManyWorks signing off. See you all soon.