Making Our Mark

Chapter 22: Finals

Tuesday brought sunny weather and the first round of final exams for the semester. Mine was one of them – Introduction to Literary Studies – and I was fairly confident about it because, after periods of thorough revision, I was quite familiar with the long list of literary terms that was covered during the course. Plus, despite the numerous pages of notes that I jotted about the books that we read, I could easily predict which subjects would make good essay topics. To be safe, however, I studied everything that Professor Rocasolano mentioned would be fair game on the exam.

Even though Javier's first final wasn't until tomorrow, he surprised me outside my dorm building in the morning just as I was leaving to grab a quick bite to eat before my exam. He had my favourite breakfast wrap and chocolate claw iced cappuccino in his claws, which earned him a kiss for his thoughtfulness. As we crossed the campus, we chatted about our dance lessons and the upcoming gala, avoiding the topic of finals completely. I appreciated this a lot because any last-minute cramming would only create unnecessary stress and probably make me forget what I tried to remember.

"Here we are," Javier announced as we reached the front steps of the School of Liberal Arts and Monstrosities.

Before I could say something, Javier tugged on my arm, pulling the both of us behind the wall of the building, so that we were out of sight of the front door and the stairs leading up to it. I looked up to question his actions, but my eyes fluttered closed as his lips sought mine in a kiss.

Javier snaked a pair of arms around my slender waist while the other pair, specifically his hands, rested behind my head to shield it from the cool and unforgiving texture of the bricks. His chest was pressed intimately against mine as he continued kissing me ardently, as though he was trying to prove how much he desired me. Perhaps that was what he was doing. While I certainly didn't mind it, there was a time and a place for it and ten minutes before my first exam kicked off inside the building behind me did not fit the criteria for such a place.

Breaking the kiss, I pulled back slightly and whispered in a scolding tone, "You're going to make me late to my final."

Javier chuckled, his smile cheeky. "Just wanted to give you a little something for good luck."

I laughed lightly. "Four-leaf clovers work too, you know."

"I'm more unique than a silly clover, amor," Javier pointed out.

I rolled my eyes and asked, "Where are you off to after this?"

"Scaring School," Javier answered as he stepped back and stared off into the distance. "Going to watch Sullivan in his Scare final."

I frowned. Javier usually called Sulley by his nickname even though he barely tolerated him, so to now hear him call the behemoth by his full surname was a clear indication that he wanted nothing to do with him. Seeing my boyfriend furrowing his eyebrows at the majestic School of Scaring that towered above the trees across the campus, I placed a hand on his cheek, causing him to look back at me and his gaze to soften again. "Everything okay?"

Running a claw gently across my chin, Javier said, "Nothing for you to worry about, amor."

I gave him a knowing look. "You're wondering whether or not Sulley's going to fail, aren't you?"

Javier nodded, his gaze hardening again when I mentioned the blue behemoth's name. "Whether he fails or not, I want to be there to see it with my own eyes or I probably won't believe it."

Resting a hand over his on my face, I said, "If he passes, remember what you promised me."

"Si," Javier sighed, "I promise not to kill him until after finals."

"Jav!" I cried, smacking his chest in horror.

"Just kidding, amor," Javier assured me with a hearty laugh. "Just kidding."

I eyed him skeptically. "You better be."

"I am," said Javier before pressing a tender kiss to my forehead. "Bueña suerte. You show that final who's in charge."

"You know I will," I chirped. "I'll see you later. Johnny's been craving Hissaly cuisine."

Javier chuckled. "Is there anything you're not good at?"

"Well, my split pirouettes could use some work," I said jokingly before I turned on my heels and strode back to the entrance of the school with a messenger bag full of pencils and an air of fierce determination.

"Goblin, that's awful," Brynn remarked.

"Oh, I don't know about awful," I said, observing my reflection in the full-body mirror outside the fitting room of a boutique in downtown Monstropolis. "Professor Rocasolano's final followed the same format as the midterm, so I don't think it was too bad."

"Yeah, but I was talking about that pink monstrosity," said Brynn, eyeing the ballroom dance dress on my body and looking absolutely repulsed by it. It was a halter-neck number of sparkles and shocking pink that was fitted down to the knees. Pieces of ruffled pink and white taffeta flared down from my knees to my ankles.

"That bad?" I asked with a grimace.

"You look like the Python Nu Kappas threw up on you," said Brynn, looking completely sickened by the garment.

"Gee, Brynn, thanks," I replied sarcastically before walking back into my fitting room through its curtained doors.

"Hey, you asked me to come along to give my honest opinion on your gala dress," said Brynn defensively. "I'm just doing my job."

I couldn't argue with her on that. By this point in our friendship, I knew that Brynn was not a monster to sugar coat anything, so she was the best person to tag along in search of a ballroom dance dress that I could wear to my family's annual Clawsmas charity gala. Dmitry and I were rehearsing a little waltz number for the big night, so I wanted a gown that would suit the style of dance, match the theme of the number, and blow Javier's mind.

The sound of paper crinkling told me that Brynn went back to flipping through her study notes for her Scaring classes. "So how many people attend this gala of yours?"

"Well, last I checked, about a hundred monsters bought tickets in advance and reserved tables this year," I said as I slipped out of the pink gown, "but there are always monsters who buy tickets at the door the night of the event as well, so I expect a big turnout."

"A lot of the big name families usually go, right? I always see a lot of them on the society page of the Monstropolis Gazette."

"Yeah, the Gundersons are always there," I mentioned, pulling on a simple black number that I had stripped off of a rack earlier on during the visit to the boutique. "So are the Thompsons, the McCays, and the Sullivans."

"Guess it reflects poorly on them if they don't show. They don't want to look less generous than another family."

"I guess so," I snickered, "but hey, everything goes to charity, so I'm okay with them trying to outshine each other with their donations."

Brynn wolf-whistled and said, "Hey, if I wasn't going away for the holiday break, I'd pay to see Sulley in a tux."

I gagged as I stepped out of the fitting room. "And if I was willing to cough up the money, I'd pay for him not to go."

Brynn glanced up from her notes and gave me the once-over with her trio of eyes.

"What do you think?" I asked, turning to study my reflection in the mirror again. This gown – also a body-hugging garment that flowed from the waist down – was much simpler than the last one; it was comprised of elbow-length sleeves and a round neckline that was bedazzled with silver rhinestones.

"You look like you're going to a funeral," said Brynn frankly.

My shoulders sagged at this, instantaneously killing the aura of elegance that the gown brought.

"You're going to be dancing for a good cause, not crying over someone's death," Brynn reminded me, pointing a claw towards the fitting room. "Next."

I groaned and dragged myself back behind the curtains again to try on another dress.

"So Sulley's still hitting on you, huh?"

"Not really," I admitted, shimmying out of what Brynn referred to as mourning attire. "He's pretty much kept his distance since I threatened to unleash the Worthington Wrath on him."

Brynn's giggles lightened the mood immediately. "What is the Worthington Wrath?"

"Don't piss me or Johnny off and you'll never have to find out," I responded with a laugh.

"Noted, sister."

"As long as he keeps his distance or keeps things cordial, we'll be good," I declared, sliding into a fluffy white number that had been hanging on one of the several hooks within the enclosed space. "I don't need a fight or something worse making the front page of the Monstropolis Gazette and giving a bad name to a charitable cause."

"Knowing Javier, he'll make sure Sulley doesn't try anything funny. He makes it clear that the only monster who is allowed to hit on you is him."

"No kidding," I said, grinning at the memory of him and me from earlier that morning behind the School of Liberal Arts and Monstrosities. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"I can't imagine you would, honey."

"Okay, I can see myself freely moving in this," I announced, breezing back through the curtains to show Brynn.

Brynn gaped at me in horror rather than in delight and the sound of her papers hitting the floor was the first thing to break the silence that followed. "Oh, you can't be serious!"

I stopped twirling in front of the mirror immediately and just shot Brynn an exasperated look. "Really? I think it's very flowy and would really suit the wintery theme of –"

"You're wearing enough feathers to choke a horse," Brynn interrupted frankly.

I opened my mouth to object, but decided against it and dragged myself back into the fitting room. There was no point in starting an argument with Brynn because she would use every last breath of hers, no matter how long it took her to do so, to convince me that she was right about something. It was times like these that made me question if she should consider going to law school after she graduated and become a criminal defense attorney.

"Remember, you're officially meeting Javier's parents as his girlfriend during the gala," Brynn reminded me. "You want to be known as a great catch, not an animal murderer."

"Okay, okay, it's coming off!" I assured her, tugging the feathery ensemble off of me with great speed. Groaning again in frustration, I said, "Goblin, at this rate, by the time we decide on a dress, it will be time to graduate."

"Trust me, you'll thank me later for being this critical," Brynn promised.

"Or I might kill you," I merely chimed.

"Love you too, honey!" Brynn replied with a mirthless laugh.

I just shook my head with a laugh and draped a red number over my head. As it slid down over my body, so did a wave of warmth and another feeling that was difficult to put in words. The dress molded to my curves from my neck down to my waist. Volumes of red taffeta flowed out around my ankles. Even though my feet were firmly planted on the ground, I had the sensation that I was floating.

A yelp of pain snapped me out of my thoughts. Scurrying out of the fitting room in concern, I spotted Brynn sucking on a digit. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a paper cut," Brynn replied, her eyes flicking up to look at me. The minute they did, they widened in astonishment and her wounded finger fell out of her widened mouth.

I sighed at her reaction to me and toyed with the pieces of taffeta, "Let me guess, another atrocity?"

"Far from it," Brynn assured me breathlessly.

A glance back to the mirror left me completely stunned at my reflection. The gown that I had on was strapless and A-line. A long-sleeved see-through overlay with silver accents, crystal beading, and a high neckline, rested over the top half of the dress, going down to just underneath my breasts.

"Oh, yes, that's it!" Brynn declared as though she was picking out my wedding dress. "That's the one!"

Doing a quick spin, allowing the taffeta to fly around and tickle my ankles, I beamed and said, "I think you're right."

"Of course I am," said Brynn matter-of-factly. "You absolutely glow in that gown."

"I really like the overlay," I mentioned, fingering the embedded crystals, which reminded me of a matching headpiece sitting back at home that would match perfectly with the gown. "This is like a fusion of armour and elegance with the Clawmas spirit. I feel like a Queen again."

"Danica, if Javier doesn't faint when he sees you, you need to go find yourself another monster," Brynn told me, jumping to her feet to examine the gown up close.

I laughed. "If I ever have to do that, don't worry, I know Chip is off limits."

"What?" Brynn cried, her head popping up from my dress. Her smile faded instantly. "He's taken?"

"No, but he is quite taken with this adorable little freshman in Slugma Slugma Kappa," I mentioned, winking at her, "but you didn't hear that from me."

Brynn blushed, the deepening pink contrasting the sky blue of her skin.

"Is it true?" Johnny barked at me within moments of him stepping foot into the kitchen of the RΩR house late that afternoon.

"Hello to you, too, bro," I greeted dryly, looking up from the sizzling stovetop pans that I had been closely observing.

"Sullivan hit on you?" Johnny questioned, his bushy eyebrows furrowed.

I was about to answer when I noticed that Javier was right behind him. His four eyes fell on me the moment he entered the kitchen and they looked far from friendly. I was silently hoping that I was not the source of the anger that boiled beneath his plated armour. I mean, I had no reason to be, right?

"Did he?" Johnny pressed when I did not answer right away.

Ignoring Johnny, I kept my gaze on Javier's and said, "I thought you said you were going to tell him after his finals were over."

"They are over, amor," Javier informed me gruffly. "He's done for."

I cocked an eyebrow at the vagueness of Javier's explanation. "I'm confused."

Gurgling came from Bruiser who had slid into the kitchen from behind Javier and made a beeline for the refrigerator, causing my ears to perk up at the bombshell that he just dropped so casually on the way.

"What?" I exclaimed, looking back to Javier in disbelief. "Sulley got kicked out of the Scaring program?"

After shutting the refrigerator door closed, revealing a can of Blort in his hand, Bruiser nodded and waddled back into the living room without so much as an explanation about the event itself.

I wasn't sure which had me more floored; the fact that I understood Bruiser through his signature slobbering after only a few months of knowing him or the fact that Sulley got booted from the Scaring program. I expected the latter to fail an exam, sure, especially given his lack of drive and work ethic, but to be completely removed from the program? Just what did he do that merited a drastic decision to be made such as that?

"Sullivan is a disgrace," Johnny remarked with disgust. "He doesn't even deserve to carry that name after what he did."

"What happened?" I asked, not directing the question at either of the RΩRs in particular, yet expecting a story from one of them.

Rubbing his forehead with the tips of his claws, Javier said, "I don't even know where to start."

"Oh, Goblin," I mumbled, knowing that I was in for a whirlwind of a tale.

Finally able to find the words, Javier told me, "Sullivan and this little beachball got into some sort of argument, which caused them to knock over Hardscrabble's record-breaking scream canister and it exploded. Damn thing nearly hit me as it rocketed around the room."

"Wow," I breathed, "that's unfortunate for the can."

Johnny and Javier both shot me a glare for that comment, probably questioning why I seemed to lack a concern for their safety.

"Sorry, just trying to diffuse the tension," I insisted, holding up my hands defensively.

"Anyway, there's more," Javier added bitterly. "Sullivan roared before Hardscrabble could fully present him with a scenario. Of course he was wrong, so she couldn't recommend that he continue in the program."

"That makes more sense," I said with a nod. From what my father and Johnny have told me time and time again, clumsiness and impulsivity were two qualities that were frowned upon in a profession that required carefully-executed movements and the utmost attention to detail. "What happened to him afterwards?"

Javier shrugged. "Don't know, don't care. We left as soon as Hardscrabble told him how much of a disappointment he would be to his family."

"Ouch," I muttered, somewhat empathizing with Sulley's situation. He, like me, came from a good family. If the expectations that his parents have of him are as high as those that Johnny's and my parents have of us, then he was probably going to be disowned the minute he breaks the news to them. Predictions of family dishonour and disownment began to cross my mind.

Javier sighed in frustration. "So much for him being ROR material. We told him that he had to live up to his family name, but he didn't listen. Shame that we wasted all our time on a monster who wasn't serious about the profession after all."

"Even if he was serious about it, bro, he would have been out of RΩR sooner because of other things he did," Johnny spoke up, his look to me a reminder that he was still in the room, "which brings me back to my earlier question: did Sullivan hit on you?"

I sighed, knowing that there was no way I could avoid the subject any longer. "Yes."

"How many times?" Johnny questioned angrily.

I shrugged my slender shoulders. "I never bothered to count."

Johnny dragged a hand down his face. "And you never bothered to tell me why?"

"It wouldn't matter," I confessed. "Besides, it's not like I couldn't handle him."

"Like hell it wouldn't matter," Johnny huffed. "Sullivan or not, no one messes with my sister, especially when she's the girl of another RΩR."

I smirked in amusement. "This is a nice one-eighty. Two months ago, you were chewing out Jav for hitting on me and look where we are now."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Still don't know how that happened."

"Neither do I," I said, reaching for one of Javier's hands and squeezing it tenderly, "but it happened and I'm grateful."

For the first time since he first arrived in the kitchen that afternoon, Javier smiled at me.

"Well, since Sulley is no longer in the Scaring program nor in RΩR, things should be less tense around here," I said in an attempt to shed some optimism on the dour mood that lingered in the kitchen.

"That'll be great," said Johnny as he opened the refrigerator door. "In fact, I'll be happy if I never have to see him again."

"That might be easier said than done," I warned him uneasily.

"What do you mean by that?" Johnny questioned, narrowing his eyes at me suspiciously.

Thankful that I was still holding Javier's hand (his touch was very comforting), I swallowed and said, "He's going to be at our gala in a few weeks."

"He's going?" Johnny roared thunderously.

I nodded, unfazed by his abrupt reaction and a bit surprised that the windows of the house were still intact after a roar of that caliber. "You know, Johnny, if you helped Mom out with gala logistics every year like I do, you would be aware of things such as this."

"He never goes," Johnny muttered. "If he's going because you'll be there, I'll – "

"Leave him alone," I finished for him. "As you should. Glad we agree on something for a change."

"But – "

"Relax, I purposely seated his family way across the hall from ours," I assured him, grinning evilly as I pictured the seating plan that I had graciously offered to draw up for my mother as part of my duties. "They're going to be sitting with the O'Growlahans."

"Big Red's family?" Johnny snorted.

"Hey, you don't like either of the sons of those families and they both have tried to mess with me on more than one occasion," I reasoned. "I figured, why not stick the two pigs together? Given that Roy is probably still holding a grudge against Sulley for picking the RΩRs over JθX and Sulley probably regretting that decision given recent events, it should make for a very, shall we say, interesting dinner."

"You're heinous," Johnny chuckled, his gaze on me radiating with pride. "I'm proud of you."

"Yeah, well, I try my best," I said with an immodest curtsy.

"Oh, speaking of trying my best, how did your final go?" Javier asked me. "I meant to ask but, after all the craziness from earlier, I forgot. I'm pretty sure it went better than Sullivan's."

I shrugged. "Well, it felt like I knew most, if not all of the vocabulary. Plus, I believe that I knew what I was talking about in my essay, but who really knows until Professor Rocasolano posts the marks?"

"You studied like crazy," said Javier, giving my hand a soft squeeze, "so I'm sure you did great."

The sound of the front door opening and closing caused the three of us in the kitchen to shift our attention to the doorway leading into the living room and, sure enough, Chip strolled in.

"Sup RΩRs?" the sophomore greeted, grasping Johnny's free hand and pulling him into a brotherly hug.

"What am I, yesterday's meatloaf?" I joked, making my presence known to him.

Chip laughed as he broke free from Johnny and said to me, "Hey, Danica. You definitely aren't yesterday's meatloaf." He took a whiff of the savory aroma that floated around the kitchen and added, "Neither is whatever is in those pans."

"Sí, amor, that actually smells awesome," Javier commented, watching me turn back to the stove. "What is it?"

"Thanks, it's chicken involtini," I explained, turning over the stuffed meat with a pair of tongs to ensure that all sides were evenly seared. "I couldn't find any string around the house, so I skewered it with some of the rosemary that I bought."

"Smart," Javier praised, resting a hand over my shoulder.

"I can't wait for dinner," said Chip eagerly. "When will it be ready?"

"Soon," I promised. "All that's left to do is to prepare the mixed greens." Turning to Johnny, I asked, "Can you make yourself useful and toss the ingredients for the salad? They're on the island."

"At who?" Johnny asked, his eyes gleaming with malicious intent.

I rolled my eyes and said, "I will toss it at you if I have to mix it all myself."

Johnny growled, but walked over to the island anyway to fulfill his given task. He knew better than to anger me while I was preparing food for him. The last time he got on my nerves when I was cooking, finely chopped pieces that made up a whole Scotch bonnet 'accidentally' found their way into his meal. He ended up draining the entire refrigerator of milk just to soothe his fiery taste buds.

"Thank you, Johnny," I sang as innocently as I could.

"You know, you're really annoying sometimes, sis," Johnny grumbled.

"No, I'm heinous, remember?" I shot back at him, earning chuckles from the other two RΩRs in the room.

"And brilliant and beautiful," Javier murmured in my ear, "and mine."

"Of course, how silly of me to forget all of that," I whispered back sarcastically, gazing at him playfully over my shoulder.