Making Our Mark

Chapter 15: Reactions

"Girl, you're in the paper again!" Brynn exclaimed, running up to my table in the cafeteria with a newspaper in hand.

I looked up from my chocolate claw iced cappuccino at the latest edition of the Campus Roar that Brynn flashed in front of my face. My eyes bulged out at the photo of Javier and me on the front page, which appeared to have been taken during our walk the previous morning. A short article accompanied it.

Hooray for Javanica!

By: Chelsea McCay

Junior Javier Rios, a proud member of the prestigious Roar Omega Roar fraternity, has shocked the campus community by going public with his new love, freshman and Latin Fusion dance instructor Danica Worthington.

The Scaring major, 20, and the Spanish Studies and Education double major, 18, were seen strolling across campus Monday morning, presumably on their way to classes. The two shared laughs over a delicious breakfast, oblivious to the inquisitive gazes of the students who passed them by.

Older brother Johnny Worthington, 21, who serves as the President of Roar Omega Roar, expressed his support for the couple, adding that the entire fraternity is delighted by this new development.

Violet Steslicki, 20, a Slugma Slugma Kappa sorority sister and hip hop dance instructor, is thrilled for her co-worker and hopes that she brings the joy that she found with Javier to her lively dance classes, which take place at the campus fitness center every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday night from seven to eight.

A full schedule of dance classes offered this semester can be found on the official Monsters University website.

"Goblin, there is no sense of privacy on this campus, is there?" I muttered in annoyance.

Brynn smiled sympathetically and said, "If it makes you feel any better, you two look absolutely adorable in the picture."

I sipped my drink and studied the colourful photo of Javier and me. He had his arm draped around me and looked to be whispering something in my ear. I, meanwhile, was leaning into his side and smiling widely at his spoken words, completely unaware of our surroundings, including the camera that covertly captured the moment.

"It was nice to read that the entire fraternity is delighted for you two," said Brynn, quoting the article.

"Well, I wouldn't say the entire fraternity," I told Brynn. "In fact, Johnny almost clobbered Javier yesterday when he found out the news."

"Really?" Brynn asked incredulously.

I nodded. "Yeah, but you know he's not going to tell the paper that."

Brynn shook her head. "I figured that he would be happy for you guys. After all, he's your brother by blood and Javier's by fraternity."

I smiled. "He's just overprotective of me, but he's trying to be supportive."

"I think it helps that you're dating someone he knows," Brynn pointed out. "I'm sure he wouldn't be so calm if you were dating a complete stranger."

"Or someone from Oozma Kappa," I added.

"True," Brynn agreed. She knew of Johnny's extreme dislike for the green and yellow-sporting fraternity. "How are the other RΩRs really taking the news?"

"Well, Chip and Bruiser are very happy for us," I shared, "but Chet didn't take the news too well and I think that's just because he lost money on it."

Brynn giggled. "Yeah, thanks for my new soccer cleats by the way."

"Glad I could help," I replied sarcastically, aware of Slugma Slugma Kappa's many contributions to the betting pool after an enlightening conversation with Violet the night before.

Brynn grinned widely and asked, "What does Sulley think of you guys?"

"Who knows?" I said with a shrug. "I haven't seen him around the house lately."

"Oh, well, the important thing is that most of RΩR is supportive or trying to be supportive of you guys," said Brynn and smiled cheerfully.

"Yes, I'm so grateful for that," I said, biting my lip in contemplation, "and I would like to do something for them to show my appreciation."

"Well, that can wait until after class," Brynn informed me, giving me a puzzled look. "Shouldn't you get going?"

Glancing at my wristwatch, I shot out of my seat in alarm when I realized that I only had ten minutes to get to Assessment and Evaluation. Scooping up my messenger bag and drink, I blurted to Brynn that I would see her for lunch and bolted off, knowing that I had quite the distance to run if I wanted to make it to the School of Liberal Arts and Monstrosities on time.

As always, Professor Clark executed another engaging and hands-on lesson by introducing the students to different types of graphic organizers and how they could be used to assess a student's understanding of a topic taught in class. He then presented us with a passage about the Scream Revolution that we had to convert into a graphic organizer of our choice. I ended up leaving the class with a very informative and colourful mind map that summarized the text and gave readers a glimpse into how my mind processed information.

My afternoon classes were nothing short of typical either: Introduction to Literary Studies was full of lecturing and note-taking while Philosophy of Education was boring as hell; the discussion content during the latter was either common sense ("Yelling at a student is not a recommended form of classroom management.") or something that I already read in my textbook ("Pull the student aside, away from peers, to address the misbehaviour.").

Once I was done with my classes for the day, I made a quick trip to the oriental market across campus and then headed down Frat Row. By this point in the semester, I was a frequent presence in the Greek community and that, coupled by my appearance on the front cover of that morning's Campus Roar, caused many heads to turn my way. While many smiling faces greeted me as I passed by, I also received some scowls from a few Argma Slugma Argma sorority girls who, according to Brynn, had a thing for Javier and likely weren't too pleased after having read the Campus Roar earlier. Their sourness, however, was nothing to concern myself with.

Crossing the porch of the RΩR house, I reached for the doorknob and smiled when I saw that it was unlocked after turning it. I opened the door and was only able to take a few steps inside before I flew against the wall to avoid a flying remote control from hitting me.

"I got a strike!" Chet announced happily, waving his bare claws in the air enthusiastically.

"And I almost got a black eye," I fired back at the crab by the television. "Watch where you fling that thing."

"Wouldn't have happened if you had just listened and strapped the damn thing to your wrist before playing," Johnny told the crab from his spot in the armchair. Shifting his attention to me, he asked, "What's up, sis?"

"The ceiling," I joked as I shut the door and continued, "I thought I would come by and see a smiling face."

Johnny smiled charmingly, his large tusks glinting in the sunlight that shone through a nearby window.

"Sorry, bro, I was talking about Javier," I clarified, smiling at said monster who came out of the kitchen as our conversation was unfolding.

"Of course you were," Johnny mumbled loud enough for me to hear.

Taking me into his arms, Javier said, "I thought I heard the voice of a lovely señorita."

I cast a confused look over my shoulder before shrugging at Javier. "Nope, just me."

"They're one in the same," said Javier before planting a brief kiss on my lips.

"Well, here comes my lunch from earlier," said Johnny, collapsing wearily against the back of his armchair.

I shook my head and said to Johnny, "You know, I really appreciate you trying to be happy for us."

Johnny gave Javier and me a plain look. "Hey, I know you two are going to do what you guys want no matter what anyone else says. As long as neither one of you hurts the other, I'll deal with it."

"Well, to show my thanks, I thought I'd agree to your suggestion from a few weeks back to make dumplings," I shared, holding up my packed paper bag.

Johnny grinned at me. "Just for that, I'll keep trying to be supportive."

"Dumplings!" Chet cheered after picking up his remote control from the floor.

"After that spaghetti and those gyros, I can only imagine how good your dumplings will taste," said Chip, smiling warmly from the couch on which he was reading a textbook.

"Aww, well, I better get started then," I declared.

"I'll help you out," Javier offered, following me to the kitchen.

"No funny business in there!" Johnny called to our retreating backs.

Ignoring Johnny, I entered the kitchen where I placed the bag of groceries onto the counter next to the microwave. A melody with strong percussions and light whistling, accompanied by the powerful voice of Katy Liz, filled the kitchen and I turned to see Javier had cranked on the radio sitting in the corner of the counter.

"Just something to keep us working," Javier proposed.

I smiled as I began unpacking the bag full of assorted ingredients and laying them out across the counter. I had decided to make four different kinds of dumplings – pork, chicken, shrimp, and eel – each mixed with its own combination of diced ingredients such as carrots, onions, and my secret spices. I figured that the variety would allow everyone to try something different and not get sick of one particular filling.

"What do you want me to start on?" Javier asked, approaching me from behind.

I paused to contemplate all of the tasks that went into making dumplings. "Can you wipe down the island and then set up the flour, the dumpling wrappers, two small bowls of water, and a large plate?"

Javier nodded before heading over to the sink to wash up.

Once my hands and the vegetables were clean as well, I fetched a cutting board and some bowls from a nearby cabinet, as well as the chef's knife from the wooden block on the counter. Bobbing my head to the catchy beat playing, I busied myself with dicing the vegetables and preparing the necessary fillings for the dumplings. It was hard not to be productive with music playing and I found myself moving more than just my head as I worked.

Javier's hearty laugh brought me out of my zone. "Do you always dance whenever you cook?"

"Only when there's good music playing," I admitted, looking over my shoulder at him.

"Well, keep moving those hips and I won't get anything done," said Javier with a saucy grin.

"Then I guess we'll all starve tonight," I quipped, winking at him.

Javier gazed at me admiringly before returning to his tasks.

The radio station that Javier had tuned into was in the middle of its commercial-free hour, so we were treated to the latest hits topping the charts in Monstropolis while we worked diligently. The whole activity put me in a really good mood and made me smile. There was so much to be happy about – I was doing well in school, I was making lots of friends, I reignited my love for dance, and I was dating a pretty awesome monster – and I thanked my lucky stars for all of the blessings that life had graciously given me.

By the time Javier finished setting up what I affectionately called 'dumpling central', the filling for the pork dumplings was ready to go. Grabbing two spoons from the utensils drawer, I strolled over to the island and placed them in the middle along with the marinated pork filling. Reaching into the open bag of flour, I scooped up a handful and sprinkled it over any part of the island that was exposed.

"What's that for?" Javier asked, watching the flour fall like delicate snowflakes.

"So the wrappers don't stick," I explained, picking up a pair of wrappers from their packaging and spreading some flour over them as well. Passing one to Javier and then taking a spoon in hand, I asked, "Ready to do this?"

"Let the lesson begin, Miss Worthington," said Javier with the air of one announcing the start of a sports tournament.

I laughed and said, "Okay, first, we'll put a teaspoon of meat in the center of the wrapper."

Javier watched my little demonstration before he took the other spoon, scooped a small ball of the pork filling, and placed it carefully in the middle of his wrapper. He then left his spoon in the bowl of meat like I did with mine.

"Now, run some water along the edges of the wrapper," I instructed, dipping a finger into one of the bowls of water that Javier had set out. "This will help us seal the dumplings."

Javier nodded and dabbed the circular border of his wrapper with water, being careful as to not tear the wrapper with his sharp feelers. Given how lengthy they were, it could easily happen if he wasn't careful.

"Next, fold the wrapper into a half-moon shape and crease the edges by making pleats along the top layer of the wrapper, not the bottom," I continued once Javier completed the second step.

Javier studied my actions carefully and followed along the way, sealing his dumpling with pleats, so that it resembled mine. He frowned at the end product, which was coming apart at the edges and revealing the filling inside. "It's opening up again."

"It can do that," I informed him, "but just add a little bit more water to fully seal it."

Javier took my advice; he coated the dumpling's edges with water and softly pressed them together to close it as much as he could. When he was finished, he held up his dumpling to compare it with mine and looked immensely relieved at not only how similar they looked, but also at the fact that his finally remained shut.

"You did it!" I proclaimed proudly. "Well done."

"Only because I had a wonderful teacher," said Javier, giving me a light nudge.

I smiled and asked, "Think you can do it again?"

Javier nodded confidently. "I know I can."

Placing my dumpling on the large plate before us, I suggested, "Why don't you keep going with the pork ones and I'll get started on the other fillings?"

"Will do," Javier replied promptly as his dumpling joined mine on the plate.

Once I rinsed my hands of the flour and dried them, I took my spot in front of the counter again and began to ready and mix the other fillings. Although it was just the two of us working, thank you wonderful but oh-so lazy brother of mine, I was hopeful that we would finish it all before the sun went down, so we could enjoy a delicious dinner with the entire fraternity.

A voice from the doorway spoke up and caused a shiver to run down my spine. "Sup, Jav?"

Spinning around, I saw Javier nod silently at Sulley to acknowledge his sudden arrival, the former's cold expression telling me that the relationship between the two was still as rocky as ever. I watched the latter's eyes travel to me and he smirked widely, leaning against the doorway in a manner that he supposedly thought was sexy.

"Nice to see you again, Danica," said Sulley, eyeing me like a starving Bruiser would eye an all-you-can-eat buffet.

"Sulley," I greeted simply before going back to dicing carrots.

The shrill sound of a phone repeatedly ringing echoed throughout the house. After a few rings, it stopped and was followed by Johnny's voice yelling, "Jav, it's your dad!"

I watched Javier put down his half-made dumpling, dust off his hands, squeeze past Sulley through the doorway, and re-enter the living room, leaving me alone with the blue behemoth. I went back to dicing rather loudly, hoping that the noise would eliminate any opportunity for further conversation between him and me.

"So," Sulley spoke up after a prolonged moment of silence, "I heard you and Jav are a thing now."

So much for ignoring him, I thought as I reluctantly met Sulley's eyes. I disliked the idea of making small talk with the wannabe RΩR but, sadly, I guess I had to for the sake of keeping things cordial in the house. "You heard right."

"You know, you can do so much better," Sulley told me, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

That remark irked me, but I kept my tone neutral in my response. "I don't think so. In fact, I'm fortunate that things turned out the way that they did."

"Is that right?" Sulley asked, his question laced with doubt.

"Oh, yeah," I replied, seeing the conversation that we were having as a chance to shut him up. "It means a lot that the rest of the RΩRs and the Greek community are so supportive of us."

"Yeah," said Sulley slowly, "but have you ever considered going for someone else?"

"Not once," I responded easily.

"Someone who can live up to their name?" Sulley tried, his louder voice telling me that he was now closer in proximity to me.

I kept running my knife through the carrots rather harshly, miffed by what Sulley was implying about Javier. I could feel my blood boil and my heartrate quicken in preparation for defending him in his absence. "I never cared for names, believe it or not."

Sulley scoffed and said, "You're dating a Rios."

"No, I'm dating Javier," I corrected, roughly snatching another rinsed carrot from the counter. "He just happens to be a Rios. Nothing would be different, even if his last name was."

There was a pause, and there was a glimmer of hope that Sulley finally got the hint, but then he opened his mouth again, "I'm just saying – "

"Oh, I know what you're saying and I don't appreciate what I'm hearing," I snarled lowly as I whirled around to show him that I was livid. "I also don't think it's wise of you to offend someone who isn't in the room, especially someone who outranks you in the fraternity in which you're trying to get officially initiated."

Unfortunately, Sulley was as persistent as he was foolish because he said, "Look, if you two ever call it quits – "

I cut him off by slamming my knife onto the cutting board, startling him and causing some bowls on the counter to rattle. Glaring at him, I said, "Okay, first of all, I would like for you to stay out of my personal life because you have no say in it."

Sulley straightened up immediately, clearly stunned by my gradual change in demeanor.

"Second of all," I continued, jabbing a claw accusingly at him, "I would like to remind you that I'm welcome here to do as I please, whereas your presence in this house is conditional pending the outcome of your final grades this semester. Should you somehow manage to earn the grades necessary to secure your membership in this fraternity, I will remind you that my brother and my boyfriend are full-fledged RΩRs and they probably won't react too well if they find out that you have been speaking ill of one of them and harassing me."

Sulley took a step back in either defeat or fear; it was clear that he wanted to obtain and keep his membership to Roar Omega Roar and knew that doing anything to upset the two highest-ranking members on the fraternity's chain of command would cost him that.

"And lastly," I mentioned, narrowing my eyes evilly at him, "since names matter so much to you, it would be in your best interest to hold your tongue or you will find out firsthand, from me, in a long and excruciating way, what the Worthington Wrath is all about."

By this point, Sulley's face had paled considerably and that told me that he finally knew that I meant business. If only my father could see the behemoth's face now, that his Worthington daughter, a non-Scaring major, had managed to instill fear in a Scaring major and a Sullivan to boot without unleashing a single roar. He would be so proud.

"Are we clear?" I asked sternly for confirmation.

Sulley gave me a strong nod, but didn't say a word, praise the Lizard.

At that moment, Javier waltzed back into the kitchen, instantly diffusing the tension with his return. He noticed that Sulley and I were facing each other and asked, "Everything good?"

"Oh, yes," I said with an air of feigned innocence. "Sulley was just wondering what we were having for dinner."

Sulley nodded swiftly and opened the refrigerator to grab a can of Blort. The sight of me casually running my knife along a sharpening stone, once he was finished, was enough to make him profusely excuse himself and disappear into the living room for the remainder of the afternoon.

With Javier and I working as a team, the lengthy process of wrapping and pan-frying dozens of dumplings took several hours as opposed to the rest of the afternoon and part of the evening. While I removed the trays of cooked dumplings from inside the oven where they were keeping warm and sorted them onto plates by filling, Javier cleaned up the island, set up some plates, and was even able to produce enough unused chopsticks from previous takeout orders to make the dining experience more authentic.

Dinner around the island was enjoyable and full of pleasant conversation and laughs; topics drifted from how our classes were going to the upcoming Howlaween party that Eta Hiss Hiss would be hosting. Noticeably silent throughout the entire meal was Sulley; he avoided all eye contact with me and only spoke whenever someone addressed him. Since the relationship between him and the other RΩRs was still on shaky ground, no one really said anything directly to him.

Before I knew it, I had a bunch of stuffed RΩRs hunched over on their bar stools around the island. As full as I felt, I forced myself off of my stool to arrange the many uneaten dumplings onto paper plates that I had found sitting inside one of the cabinets and cover them with sheets of aluminum foil. Javier saw to it that the used dishes and cutlery ended up in the sink.

"Man, those dumplings were tasty!" Bruiser exclaimed, patting his bulging belly.

"Can't argue there," said Chip, looking over to me. "What was that dipping sauce? My mouth is still on fire."

I laughed lightly and answered, "Spicy chili oil."

"It was hot, but a nice touch," said Chip, giving me an okay sign with his thumb and index finger.

"As great as the dumplings were, sis," Johnny began, "I don't want to see another one for the rest of the semester."

"Too many," Chet uttered, appearing to have no desire to move any time soon.

"What are we going to do with all of the leftovers?" Chip mused.

"Do you think any of the frats or sororities would be interested?" I asked the group as I put away the roll of aluminum foil into a nearby drawer. "I don't think they will say no to free food."

"You can try," Johnny suggested, resting his head and arms on the island, "but don't expect me to help you."

"Too full," Chet muttered lazily.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Fine, I'll do it myself. I have to head back down Frat Row on my way back to my dorm anyway."

"I'll help," Javier volunteered, coming to my side.

"That would be great, thank you," I said gratefully as I began carefully stacking the plates into two separate piles.

"Thanks again for dinner, Danica," said Chip, sounding sated.

"Yeah, thanks a lot!" Bruiser chimed happily.

"You're welcome guys," I replied amicably, taking a stack of plates into my arms.

Once Javier had a firm hold on the second pile of plates, we exited the kitchen, stepped out of the warm and toasty RΩR house and into the cool and crisp evening. Once on the well-lit street, we split up with Javier dropping by the houses on the left side of the cul de sac (those belonging to Jaws Theta Chi, Python Nu Kappa, Slugma Slugma Kappa, Slugma Oozma Python, and Gamma Roar Roar) and me stopping by the ones along the right (those of Slugma Kappa Theta, Eta Hiss Hiss, Argma Slugma Argma, Chi Phi Argma, and Omega Howl). Going from house to house was tiring and repetitive, but definitely helped to burn off all the dumplings that we ate. Plus, I felt good doing something nice.

"All good on your side?" Javier asked me as we met up again on the road.

"Aside from an Argma Slugma Argma cussing me out, just dandy," I answered in amusement.

Javier smirked and said, "She's probably just pissed that you took me off the market and not her."

"I wasn't trying to," I jested in amusement.

"You didn't have to," said Javier tenderly.

I smiled bashfully and asked, "Everything good on your side?"

Javier nodded. "Sí, but you should have seen how violently JθX came at me to get their hands on a plate. They acted like they hadn't eaten in years."

I laughed at the scene that I was picturing. "Aww, you poor baby."

Javier grinned and added, "But you were right; no one turned down a plate."

"Same here," I revealed, showing him my empty hands.

"What do we do with the extra?" Javier asked, holding out the last plate to me.

"That's Oozma Kappa's," I said, accepting the plate from him and checking the time on my wristwatch. "It's not too late. I'll stop by their place and drop these off before heading back to my dorm."

"Isn't their place off campus?" Javier questioned with a hint of concern.

"Yeah, but it's only a few blocks away," I told him. "Thank you for all of your help tonight. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh, no, it's dark out," Javier stated the obvious as I spun on my heels to walk off. "I'm coming with you."

I smiled back at his thoughtfulness. "Thanks, but I know the way even in the dark. I'll be fine."

"I know," said Javier, "but I would be beating myself up if something happened to you and I wasn't there."

"Unless Johnny got to you first," I reminded him.

"Oh, yeah," said Javier with a grim nod, "and I would like to live, so I'm coming with you whether you like it or not."

I relented and took his arm. "Come on then."

Even though it was nine in the evening, the lights that illuminated the interior of Oozma Kappa's house and the open windows told me that at least one monster was awake. I was hoping that Terri and Terry were still up; their absence from my dance class the night before worried me and this visit was a good way for me to make sure that they were okay.

As Javier and I got closer to the house, I could hear the voices of some of the frat brothers floating out the window. Rather than walk right through the opening in the stone fence, I stopped in front of it and pressed a hand to Javier's chest to have him do the same.

"Something wrong?" Javier asked me, perplexed by my actions.

"No, but I think it's best if you wait for me here," I told him with a serious look. "They don't like the RΩRs and they might get mad if they find you on their doorstep."

Since Roar Omega Roar was notorious for picking on the Oozmas, thank you again fantastic brother of mine, Javier nodded understandingly and wordlessly passed me the last plate of dumplings.

With the plate in hand, I stepped onto the well-maintained property and travelled up the path to the porch. Reaching the front door, I knocked several times and waited for someone to open it. I hoped it would be the twins.

The door opened to reveal a chipper Don Carlton. "Good evening, Miss Worthington!"

"Just Danica, Don," I corrected kindly. "May I come in for a moment?"

"Certainly," Don replied, sliding aside. "We're just having hot chocolate."

Upon entering the house, I spotted Squishy lounging leisurely in the armchair while Art was perched on the ottoman. They both looked up at my arrival and seemed surprised to see me.

"Hey, Danica," Squishy greeted, his voice almost a whisper.

"Hey," I responded, noting his sudden meekness around me. "Where are the twins?"

"Who's at the door, Don?" Terri called, exiting the kitchen with his brother and a platter with four cups of steaming chocolaty goodness.

The minute I met their eyes, I could tell that they were not happy to see me like they usually were whenever they showed up to my dance class. While Terri looked at a loss for words, Terry looked extremely angry, outraged even.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Rios girlfriend?" Terry snarled venomously.

I sighed, realizing then why he was so upset. "You read the paper, didn't you?"

"We read it every day," said Terri as he and his twin slid the tray of cups onto the table next to today's issue of the Campus Roar. Its cover story and accompanying image reflected back at me.

"Now that you're dating a RΩR, I suppose you're here to mock us like they do," Terry guessed, scowling at me.

I shook my head, astonished that they would think such a thing. "No, you're my friends. I would never do that."

Terry sneered, "Yeah, right, you're the sister of one RΩR and the girlfriend of another. It's only a matter of time until they rub off on you and you turn on us."

I frowned at the idea. "Do you honestly think I would do such a thing?"

Terry shrugged. "Well, we didn't think you'd date a RΩR and now that you are, I suppose anything is possible."

Exhaling to maintain some composure during this tense situation, I said, "That same RΩR didn't object once when I said that I planned to bring you guys these dumplings tonight. In fact, he's outside right now waiting for me."

"What?" Terry roared, causing Squishy to bury himself deeper into the armchair. Whether the undeclared major was frightened by the knowledge of Javier being outside the house or by Terry's escalating anger, I was unsure of. "You brought him here?"

"Relax, he knows he's not welcome here," I assured him as calmly as I could, "but he didn't want me walking by myself in the dark, so he's just outside the fenced area."

Terry sniped, "Of course, he wouldn't want anything to happen to his precious Danica, his trophy girlfriend. What number notch are you on his belt again?"

"Terry," Don cautioned warningly.

Terry's eyes narrowed at the plate in my hands. "How do we know those aren't poisoned or something? Goblin knows your brother would be happy to be rid of us and what better way to do that then send his seemingly sweet and innocent sister to our house with a toxic plate of food?"

I gaped at the accusation and said, "Well, Javier and I made these for our dinner, so if it was poisoned, I wouldn't be here right now."

"And that's how we want it to be," Terry spat bitterly. "Go back to campus and take that sorry excuse of a monster with you."

"Terry!" Don chastised like a father would to a misbehaving son.

Terry ignored his frat president and stormed up the staircase with Terri, who shot me a look of regret as he was unwillingly strung along. Silence fell onto the house before a door slamming shook it, causing some of the fine china belonging to Ms. Squibbles to clatter within the display case.

"I apologize on Terry's behalf, Danica," said Don gently.

I blinked rapidly to fight the tears that were threatening to fall. I hated crying in front of other monsters because I saw it as sign of vulnerability and that terrifies me. Holding the plate out to him, I said, "These are filled with either chicken, shrimp, pork, or eel, but no poison."

Don nodded knowingly and gladly accepted the plate. "We know, Danica, and we thank you. I'm sure they're delicious."

Squishy looked from Art to me and asked, "You would never hurt us right?"

"Never, guys," I vowed sincerely.

Don took my left hand and patted it gently with his right tentacle. "You have a good head on your shoulders, Danica. We know you wouldn't give Javier the time of day if he didn't treat you right."

I smiled at the mention of the monster standing outside the Squibbles property. "He does."

"And that's all that matters," said Don. "As long as Javier is good to you and you're happy with him, we're happy for you."

Squishy and Art nodded to show that they stood behind Don's statement.

I smiled appreciatively and said, "I fully planned on telling you guys about us."

"We know," said Art with a soft smile.

"Terry just needs some time and space to think," Don explained. "Eventually, he will accept it too."

"Wanna stay for hot chocolate?" Art piped up. "I'm sure Ms. Squibbles wouldn't mind whipping you up a cup."

I politely shook my head. "Thank you, but I should be heading back to campus. It's getting late."

Don nodded. "We understand. Thank you for stopping by."

"My pleasure," I replied, reaching behind me for the doorknob. "I'm sorry if I did anything to hurt either of the twins, but please know that I'm not sorry for who I chose to date."

Don smiled reassuringly. "You don't need to apologize for anything. If anyone needs to apologize, it's Terry. He's your friend and he should stand by you and your decisions. Once he realizes that, all will be well between you two again."

I inhaled and said, "Well, he knows where to find me."

"Have a good night, Danica," Don told me.

"You guys as well," I said. With one last look at the three frat brothers, I opened the door and walked out onto the porch. As soon as I heard the click of the door closing behind me, I let my face drop into my hand in anguish. My day, from beginning to end, did a complete one eighty and I wondered how it had gone downhill so quickly.

Javier, who was still waiting on the sidewalk, looked worried as I made my way back towards him. "¿Qué pasa?"

I sniffled, wiping a stray tear that slid down my cheek before Javier could see it. "I knew that there would be monsters who would not approve of us, but I never imagined that one of them would be someone whom I consider a friend."

Javier slid an arm around me and pulled me against him in a comforting embrace. "If the Oozma doesn't come around, whoever he is, you don't need him."

As blunt as Javier was when he spoke, I knew that he was right. Curling into his side, I really hoped that Terry would come to terms with my relationship with Javier and try to be happy for me. It would break my heart if he didn't, but I would respect his decision to walk away from our friendship if he felt the need to do so. Goblin willing, it wouldn't come to that.

Kissing my temple, Javier said, "Let's head back."

I nodded against his chest and we headed out into the night and into the unknown.