Life's a Scream!

by cartuneslover17

Post-MU. A new semester at Monsters University, with the OK gang now back in the Scare Program and Mike and Sulley, despite expulsion, close by them every second of the way, it feels like it'll be a good year. Actually, it becomes interesting: the RENEWED Scare Games. That's not all, when a student transfers from Fear Tech, Squishy's life changes even more. PLEASE FOLLOW REVIEW!

9. Chapter 8

Thanks so much for waiting, guys! I didn't really think I would make the chapter this long, but I was sort of given a template and swapped ideas and roleplays with my good friend and fellow MU fan victirtky from Deviantart. If it wasn't for him this chapter probably would have been done by the end of summer. :D I especially thank him for the Nadya and Carrie scene in here, as well as one featuring Laura, Squishy, Johnny. ;)

If you read closely on this you might be able to catch references to Frozen, Tangled, the Lego Movie, even My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. :D

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!
_

The sun shone over the hospital, most of the grass unable to be greeted by light as vans concealed them and surrounded the facility. CDA agents were on higher alert than before, refusing to allow yesterday's incident to repeat itself. While the human contamination had been extracted of the comatose patients at a higher percentage than it had been days ago, the monsters in hazard suits agreed more time would be accommodated before those students were permitted as "clean". And it would especially take some time before the two-headed monster would awaken after having experienced the traumatizing explosion.

One agent stood beside the sliding glass doors of the hospital, remaining observant as patients and medical workers entered and exited the building. He gripped his weapon with one gloved hand while the other focused on his communicator. The device crackled a bit as he spoke with his superior.

"But, sir, won't we need to retrieve the suit Delta-Theta-Omega?" he asked.

"No need," the voice on the other end drawled, "it's only a suit with minor level clearance. And besides, it was also suppose to be decommissioned."

"What about the monsters that infiltrated the hospital?" the agent added.

"The university will be sent a letter of warning," the voice responded. "In the meantime, double the security inside and outside the hospital."

"Yes, sir," he promised before disconnecting.
_

Sunlight poured through the wide-paned window of the guest room, which slowly blanketed across the floor, over the bedposts, gliding the sheets, before landing over a particular purplish pink face.

Naomi grunted as she felt the sun's rays seep through her eyelids before she flickered them open. With a startled groan she raised a hand beneath the sheets to shield herself from the light. She wanted to rush over and close the curtains, but her body was not functioning instantly. Sitting up groggily, the PNK girl blinked her three eyes while her back pressed against the multitude of pillows scattered around the mattress.

No longer in her PNK sweater but a loose-fitted white shirt, it took a moment for Naomi to realize that she was not within her own bedroom at her sorority house. She finally registered that just yesterday Mrs. Carlton had not only ushered her, Katy, and Lane into the OK fraternity house for them to wash away the smell of the hospital and the CDA, but also insisted they stay for the night.

Looking around the room, this was the first time she had ever taken refuge under someone else's roof, particularly Oozma Kappa's. She had heard from various monsters how, since the frat house had been built, OK had been open to allow anyone a place to rest within their residence. This particular offer astonished the campus, the kindness of the green and yellow fraternity more touching than even possible. They were willing to provide shelter to anyone who needed a place to stay for the night, and enjoyed the company. This was why Mrs. Carlton had many guest rooms installed, because she as much as her little Oozmas enjoyed having "sleepovers" in their house.

The fact that Oozma Kappa would automatically open their doors to anyone, whether a Greek monster or not, was tearfully considerate of them. They would shelter, provide, and even feed to whoever would sleep in their frat house for the night. Because OK was the fraternity who treated everyone like family.

Naomi gazed around the flowery wallpaper and authentic furniture which she knew had been specifically chosen by Mrs. Carlton during construction of their home. The PNK girl was impressed by the designing of the guest room, seeing as any monster who was lucky enough to be offered by Oozma Kappa would get such an experience like this. Leaning back down on the number of incredibly stuffed pillows, her trio of eyes regarded the ceiling.

Recalling how Oozma Kappa would treat everyone like family, she forgot to remind herself that is was most of them. The monster she had been willing to break all the rules for yesterday did not think of her as family at all. He considered her something relevant to a disease.

Naomi's lips tightened as she crossed her arms over her chest. While the rest of Oozma Kappa were kind and very generous to her sorority, Terry would rather catch a cold than interact or even look at any of the PNK girls. She was pretty certain none of OK, save for his brother as well as Mike and Sulley, were aware that the older twin as well as probable second in command to Don harbored immense hatred for her and her sorority. Of course, if the others knew, then Mrs. Carlton would probably force Terry to speak with Naomi and PNK. As good as that sounded, she wanted Terry to speak to her not by the order of his mother, but by his own accord.

But now he could never make that choice, being under a coma while surrounded by medical staff and CDA agents. Naomi wondered if she and the other girls were really off the hook after narrowly making their escape. She was sure none of the hospital staff nor the CDA could remember their faces, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that things were just getting started for her, Katy, and Lane.

She shifted her head to the side just in time to see the door open. Standing across from her bed was no other than the Vocal Music major student herself.

"S'up?" Katy greeted with a wakeful smirk as she rested a hand on the doorframe.

Her usual sleeveless jacket and shorts were not present, and she wore a baby blue night shirt and matching sweatpants that formed creases whenever her lanky legs moved. Mrs. Carlton did mention how she had prepared clothing for whatever monsters would be staying under her house for a night. She always had them in a storage cabinet, with every size for every monster. Fortunately for Katy and Naomi, she had found the right sizes just for them.

Naomi managed a smile, content to see Katy alright and having accomplished a good night's rest. "Hey," she greeted calmly.

Katy watched as the PNK girl threw the covers off her body and she raised an eyebrow as she noticed the furry skirt and leggings beneath the night shirt.

"You're still wearing those?" the aquatic asked, pointing at them.

"Huh?" Naomi peered down at her waist and legs. "Oh, these? Well, they're all natural."

"Natural, huh?" Katy mused. "So the sweater was the only thing that wasn't?"

"Pretty much," Naomi explained as she exited her bed. "Although there's a downside. Like when these things get dirty or when it gets caught. It pulls at the skin, to be honest."

"Ouch," Katy winced. "Well, it's a good thing I don't have fur, huh?"

Naomi chuckled along with her. As if on cue, standing at Naomi's doorway was no other than Lane Picca. She wore a loose black sleeping gown that draped over her knees.

"Well, I slept well," the photographer announced. "Really was nice of Mrs. Carlton to lend us these for the night, huh?

"Morning, Picca," Katy greeted her, "hey, did Mrs. Carlton ever give you back your camera?"

"Not yet," the photographer muttered, "she'll give it back to me at breakfast."

"What could you possible have in the camera worth putting on the Campus Roar?" Naomi asked bluntly as she slid out of her bed, nearly stumbling on her hoof-like feet.

"A bunch on the CDA," Lane began, "then I may have entered some other places like say the nursery..." she added apologetically.

"The nursery?" Katy cried. "Girl, you ain't just crazy! You're every kind of crazy!"

"I thought taking pictures of babies would lighten the already depressing mood this campus has!" Lane quarreled. "I mean, everyone is now more worried than they already are about what's going on with the twins!"

At the mention of the two fallen OK members, Naomi felt her heart twist once more. She swallowed, muffling down the sob that threatened to spill out of her mouth. She had cried a bit before she went to bed last night, feeling like she had failed immensely because she was unable to truly witness the condition of Terry and his brother. She felt so pathetic, especially compared to Katy who was a strong and seemingly rebellious woman in every sense of the word, especially through fooling around with CDA property.

"Look, I may have wanted a good shot," Lane finished, "but I care about those guys, too! And I, uh, kind did want to look for them to see if they were okay."

Naomi regarded her closely. Lane Picca had some of that guff nearly equivalent to Katy, while she wasn't harassing other students and earning herself more restraining orders. Terry would probably worship these two for going so far for him and his brother. And her? Would he think anything of it while he held deep hatred in his heart for her and her PNK sisters?

Before she even had the strength to speak her mind into the conversation, Mrs. Carlton strolled by, her blonde hair in curls and a laundry basket in her hands.

"Oh, good, you're all awake!" she said cheerfully. "Good morning, girls! I hope you had a good night."

"Thank you again, Mrs. Carlton," Lane spoke with uttermost sincerity. "Sleeping over at the OK house is what I needed after nearly getting arrested.

The petite woman beamed. "You're welcome, sweetheart. Now I checked over your camera, there are some pictures that are questionable. But we'll discuss more during breakfast."

She beckoned for all the girls to follow her as they walked across the hall and descended the stairs where the boys in green and yellow were in the dining room. Various types of breakfast awaited the girls, and each of them nearly drooled at the sight of not just sugary cereal but poached eggs and crispy bacon. Sulley sat at the end of the table with Mike, both giving friendly waves as they ate their breakfast. The girls noticed they were dressed in uniform and immediately knew they would be off to work afterwards.

"Morning, girls," Don greeted as he looked up from his paper.

Beside him Art grabbed a handful of bagels before scarfing it down. "S'up?" he spoke while chewing.

"S'up with you?" Katy greeted with a smooth smile before she and the girls found empty chairs and sat before Oozma Kappa.

Lane grinned before reaching a hand toward one of the boxes of cereal, fortunate to have an empty bowl in front of her. Randall leaned in her direction, offering two cartons.

"Milk and juice?" he asked.

"That would be awesome," Lane responded with delight before the lizard poured into her bowl before another one of his four hands shot out and grabbed an empty glass to pour the juice in. "Man, the cafeteria's got nothing on you guys!"

"Dang straight," Katy hooted, popping the yolks of her sunny-side eggs with her fork, "it's a party up in here."

Naomi smiled, slurping up her glass of juice before taking a huge bite of toast. "This is really nice. Thank you for your hospitality."

"Oh, it's our pleasure, Naomi," Don said in a jolly tone. "We Oozmas love having any monster over. And it's a blessing to have you three girls over." He gave a merry laugh. "Maybe next time you can invite your whole sorority over for brunch."

Her smile lessened, although she tried to beam. Don and his fellow OK members loved and adored each and every monster of the Greek community, even showing patience toward their rivals of ROR. The president and his family were so kind and sensitive to Naomi and her sisters. Yet they had no idea that one of their own wanted nothing to do with her or PNK. While the younger twin was sweet and caring toward her team, his brother was the only one in Oozma Kappa who would never forgive PNK for all the emotional pain they suffered since their founding. They were the only team besides ROR that was always being met with his anger and hatred.

The need to mourn ached in her heart, but she still forced herself to appear happy and lively among all these cheerful faces. So she grabbed a piece of orange before shoving it into her mouth, teeth clenching so tightly that juice spilled down her lips.

"Oh, Katy, by the way," Mrs. Carlton began just after wiping Randall's jam-covered face with a tissue, "your suit is hanging out in the yard. I was able to make it smell brand new."

The Vocal Music major gulped down her bacon. "Oh, yeah..." she muttered, "I forgot about that..."

"You think the CDA will want it back?" Squishy couldn't help but ask.

"You kidding?" Art laughed. "It's hers now! She stole it, she's keeping it!"

"I meant to give it back!" Katy protested. "But seeing as now that yesterday is in the past, I guess I found my Humanween costume early."

"Oh, uh, speaking of the putting it in the past..." Mrs. Carlton began with a guilty smile, "I think there's a slight possibility the Dean might find out about this."

All girls looked up from their breakfast, staring at the woman in horror. Naomi nearly choked on her orange while Lane sputtered after drinking her milk.

"You serious?" Katy cried frantically.

"Dean Hardscrabble?" Naomi squeaked, her trio of eyes widening like a human child about to scream.

"Oh, you guys are so busted!" Art laughed, nearly toppling off his seat.

Lane's claws nearly dug into the table as she gritted her teeth with anxiety. "Oh, glob, I really don't want to go to jail.

Art turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, you sound a lot like-"

"Oh, sweetie, relax," Mrs. Carlton comforted as she placed a new carton of milk on the table next to Randall.

"Yeah, it's not like you guys are going to end up like Mikey and I did," Sulley added, spilling a large amount of salt onto his eggs. "There are other things the Dean could do to you besides expulsion."

Mike rolled his eye and scoffed. "Oh, that's really comforting, genius," he snapped at his best friend.

Katy swallowed her breakfast, the food painfully sliding down her throat as her hands shook with fear. "Okay, I've been in trouble a few times in high school," she mentioned, "but this is not high school!"

"Oh, the Dean will understand why you girls did it," Don assured her.

"That's right," Mrs. Carlton stated cheerfully, "While Abigail might get a little upset about this at first, I'm sure she'll handle it very well."
_

Dean Hardscrabble nearly threw the door open off its hinges, which could have resulted in shattered windows and broken drywall. After having finally finished enduring almost an hour with the university president in regards to a letter from a certain organization, she realized that the rumors that had circulated her campus were precisely true. The university president had been outraged, and requested for the Dean of Scaring to take care of this, knowing that she was familiar with these types of situations. Of course, expulsion was not an option, reminding themselves that this was off-campus, and she was relieved for that.

Maintaing the temper, she delicately closed the door behind her. She had concealed her irritation for the duration in that office, having to listen to the president whine and gripe about how monsters were becoming more out of control. And even going as far as to point some of the blame on her former students Wazowski and Sullivan. The Dean of Scaring nearly unleashed her own anger at the president, but she kept calm, knowing that there was no better faculty member to appease this situation than her. She was to meet with someone sent by the CDA, and sort everything out. She especially needed to have the three girls who infiltrated the hospital join her during this meeting.

As her multitude of legs clicked upon the pavement as she wandered down the hall, she massaged her temples, emitting a deep sigh of exasperation. Why was she not surprised by this news? After all, the twins' condition had been on every monster's mind. Especially hers. What astonished her was that it was three of the most unlikely beings of the university, and if she remembered correctly, they were Ms. McCrea, Ms. Jackson, and Ms. Picca, although the latter should have been considered obvious. The Dean had assumed it would have been someone much closer to the twins, perhaps someone in their beloved fraternity, or any individual whose heart laid in agony for either twin, mainly the older one. If she were to guess, then either Ms. Lewis or Ms. Garcia were the likely candidates, among others who were referred to as "fangirls" of the two-headed monster.

"Hey, Abigail."

Her eyes widened in surprise before turning to her side, and was amazed to see it was no other than Derek Knight. The shorter faculty member gave her a placid grin as he walked beside her, his pair of bulky legs keeping up with the multitude of hers. Though she was quite taken by the unexpectedness of this, she couldn't help but feel a bit relieved to see him, particularly after enduring grief in the president's office.

"Have you been waiting here for me?" she couldn't help but ask.

Professor Knight chuckled. "I had a feeling you'd need somebody, especially after what I'm sure you went through." He jerked a thumb behind him. "That bad, huh?"

Hardscrabble sighed, clasping her fingers together as they continued walking. "I tried not to believe it, but alas, it's all true."

"Man, the CDA..." Professor Knight whistled. "This marks the third time our university's associated with them."

"And now I have to meet with one of their own at my office later on," she sighed, "along with the three culprits."

Her colleague stifled a laugh as his eyes glanced from their path to her. "You plan to interrogate them like they do in the cop shows?"

The Dean rolled her eyes while she fought to keep her guffaws within. "I will be firm if they tend to become stubborn," she admitted, "but all I request is for their compliance and I'm sure things will run smoothly."

He nodded. "I'n sure about that. I mean, after talking with you, I doubt they'll try anything again."

She stopped in her tracks before she lowered her head to regard the shorter monster more directly. A thin smile played on her lips as she eyed him.

"Are you saying that because I'm the head of the School of Scaring that can frighten any student into submissiveness?" she teased lightly.

Professor Knight smiled, able to perceive the humor in the tone of even the most somber of faculty members. He gazed up into those sharp brown eyes that had their moments of softening; he was very fortunate that this was one of them.

"Well, you do a good job at it," he joked.

Hardscrabble fought the urge to swat at his shoulder with playful banter. That gesture would have appeared too unprofessional, so she resumed to having her fingers entwined together behind her as they continued walking. Professor Knight watched her from the corner of his eye as they reached the exit of the building.

"You know, I'm not too surprised about this," he confessed, "but I thought it would have been any of their brothers."

She looked down at him once more, raising an eyebrow. They had pushed the doors open before trailing down the steps and into the campus courtyard.

"I honestly even thought Mr. Wazowski or Mr. Sullivan would pull another stunt again," he added. "I mean, they're expelled anyway."

"Ah..." she nodded with acknowledgement, "but instead we have three girls with different motives."

"Hey, I had a hunch Ms. Picca would go as far as to break into a hospital just for a picture," he said, "but the other two, you think they did it because no one had the guts to do it?"

"That seems rather plausible," the Dean agreed, "had this plan been much larger, I'm sure it would have become a full-operation should more monsters have associated with them."

"Then we'd really be in trouble," Professor Knight swallowed.

"Precisely," she sighed. "However, I'm certain that these three girls were not in the best consciousness, with Ms. Picca becoming more risk-taking this semester. I'll see to it from their point of view why they had done such a reckless thing."

The professor nodded once more, allowing all this to sink in while they walked along the cobblestone path. While the Biology department was still under construction with a portion of their students having to be scattered through other classrooms on campus, he was left with the misfortune of only an empty seat in the front row of his class. He recalled too well how there were times he would have to pause in his lecture to break up a tiny argument between those two. He was beginning to miss it.

"You know, thinking about why they did it," he began, "have we even been informed of how the twins are doing?"

Hardscrabble swallowed, realizing that they had received no news of the twins' condition since they had been brought to the hospital. She would drop by Frat Row and witness the heavy state Mrs. Carlton and her boys were in. All of her university were going through a deviating state of depression and concern for the two heads that were undergoing a coma. She would past by students in the halls, overhearing tidbits of their conversation about how the twins' condition could possibly be or there might be a chance that they may never wake up before the semester ended. All this frightened her, and she sent every note and petition to both the hospital and the CDA demanding for the least bit of news, even pleading for visitation for the sake of Mrs. Carlton.

Later would be the Dean's chance to negotiate something with the agent that was to meet her and the three girls at her office. She only prayed she would receive a steady and beneficial answer once the question finally surfaced.

Her eyes hardened as she stared at the ground beneath their feet, feeling the tiniest form of frustration that they had waited this long before having finally be able to confront someone about the issue.

"No," she said finally, raising her eyes, "but I'll make sure that does, indeed, happen."

Her tone was dour, and Professor Knight sensed her impeccable nature lift up once more. He knew these were those times where his boss would refuse to be toyed with, especially with the likes of the CDA. Another thing to admire about her.

"I know you will," he concurred.
_

Naomi's eyes remained glued on the floor as she entered her bedroom. Her entire sanctuary was painted in purple, much representing her trademark fur color. She envied the EEKs for sporting a shade she wished could have been her own sorority's, but they were called PNK for a reason.

After bidding goodbye to Katy, Lane, and the rest of the OK household, Naomi had returned to her sorority house where she was greeted by kind embraces of her sisters. They still scolded her a bit on her reckless choices from yesterday, but they all knew why she had done it.

The last thing she wanted was pity right now, especially when she felt her whole world was crumbling every day she couldn't see him.

Sucking in her breath, not wanting to puke after consuming a hearty breakfast only a mother like Mrs. Carlton could make with such grace, the youngest member reached her bed where laid her books for today's classes. Gathering her shoulder bag, she glumly shoved some of them inside, intending to carry a couple with her.

Nadya would arrive soon so they could go to Biology class. After the former department had been devastated, their classes had to be a carried to temporary spaces in other buildings, completely scattering any monster's route. Luckily for Naomi and Nadya, their class was shifted to one of the empty rooms at the School for Scream Canister Design, a considerably distance from both Frat Row and the School of Scaring.

After gathering all her books, she walked over to her desk where laid the binder containing the most recent notes she had written. The moment her dull claws laid on it, her gazed flickered over to one of the shelves of her desk. In it laid a lone book which was considerably one of her favorites and had been brought from home.

With a trembling hand, she reached over and picked it up. The weight of it was like carrying a boulder in her palm before she laid it on her desk and opened it.

Tears welled in her eyes as she gazed at the flattened flowers that had dried beautifully and thickened like a photo piece. These had been the ones Terry had presented her that special night when they had finally experienced true Greek Life among their neighbors. When he had danced with her and had hoped that there really had been friendships forming that night. Before it all splattered down on him, his brother, and all of Oozma Kappa.

After that night, none of the Greek monsters, minus ROR, felt the least bit exuberant, especially when they feared they had appeared so evil before the presence of the disheartened OK brothers. The moment the monsters in green and yellow ran out of there, the others left minutes later, unable to party any longer as they wallowed in their guilt. Naomi and her sisters had quietly departed to their sorority house, and she kept the flowers tucked under her sweater should any of them dare question why she had it.

They already knew why. They just wanted to ask 'What was the point?'

Flowers would die in time, deteriorating into crumbled leaves and seeds to rebirth. However, Naomi managed to preserve hers by performing an old technique a botanist or florist would do. She placed it carefully in a blank section of her book before gently pressing the cover over it, mashing it until it was well flattened with its vegetative liquids secreted to make it harden in time. It had dried up and was like the printing of a Victorian-style portrait since last semester.

Naomi's legs wobbled before she found a chair and slumped back into it, gazing at the one piece of Terry Perry that wouldn't shun her or think of her as some prissy, cold-hearted backstabber. She whimpered under her breath, wishing she had stayed just a few moments more at that hospital to gain a better look at the operating table.

She should have said something that day the explosion occurred, before the twins had gone to class and met their disaster. Despite Terry refusing to say anything to her let alone even look her in the eye, she should have forced herself to say something instead of keeping her head low while keeping close by Nadya in the hallway.

Maybe it could have saved him...

Rubbing a hand across her cheek, the PNK girl wished she could just skip Biology, class, the mere thought of it like a punch to the gut as it reminded her of that horrid event.

She immediately got to her feet when the door of her room jingled open. She quickly smoothed her face of any more tears before the door swung open and there stood Nadya with her own books in tow.

"Hi!" Naomi greeted, trying to sound cheerful while she felt her nasal passages clogged from her recent crying.

Nadya shifted her feet, regarding her best friend nervously. "Um, hi."

She could tell what Naomi had just been through just moments ago, but she dared not say anything. She watched as the crooked smile remained plastered on the PNK girl's face, sending a chill down the HSS girl's spine.

"Um, you alright?" Nadya asked carefully.

"Oh, sure!" Naomi insisted, forcing a giggle from her puffy lips as she glided over to her bed with feet that felt like they were made of stone. "Why wouldn't I be?"

The HSS girl was honestly getting creeped out by this mask of emotion, but she said nothing as she watched her fiddle with her supplies and stuff them into her bag. It was rather sloppy, and Nadya could see Naomi's hands shaking while her back appeared painfully arched.

"Um, well, you know," she swallowed, "after you just nearly got caught by the CDA and all?"

She almost jumped as Naomi cackled, rather loudly and erratically. And when the PNK girl turned to her, Nadya could see pain and anguish trying to be disguised in her trio of eyes. And that smile looked honestly painful.

"Oh, that?" Naomi winced. "Well, the CDA aren't after us anymore! So I think I'm good!"

As Nadya continued watching her get ready, he felt a presence behind her and turned to see it was the PNK leader Carrie. The moment their eyes met, Nadya could see her feelings were mutual with the situation right now.

"Uh, Naomi?" the president called, eyeing her youngest carefully. "Everything okay here?"

"Oh, super!" Naomi bellowed, forcing an even larger grin on her face as she tossed aside a pencil she had unintentionally broken. "I'm just super!"

And just like Nadya, Carrie was just as creeped out. She knew what the youngest member was going through right now, and she could sense it had just gotten worse since yesterday's chaos.

Glob help them if Naomi needed to actually go to the hospital as well. Maybe even a mental asylum because that smile could frighten a child white whose fear was of clowns.
_

The EEKs were gathered together, practicing their acrobatic maneuvers for the second segment of the Scare Games. That is, if there was still going to be the Scare Games. Still, they would train anyway, just for a steady workout mostly. After last semester's chaotic conclusion for them, the EEKs were hard at work making sure their bridge wouldn't fail them once more. As usual, Debbie was the one to walk across it.

And this time they were trying the maneuver on two adjacent trees, with Brynn holding onto a branch on one side, and Maria holding a tree trunk on the other. Debbie performed a perfect somersault and carefully but quickly walked across her sorority sisters' backs like a tightrope performer.

While the smallest member ventured over her sisters' backs, Maria took the time to observe their surroundings. All around them, there had been quite a number of students watching them from a respectful distance, many in expressions of open awe for the sorority to perform acrobatic maneuvers that would easily rival those of the cheerleading squad. Maria paid no mind, but held a prideful smirk. So far so good, everything was in place and everyone was performing their role perfectly. Debbie was now halfway through, walking along Donn's tail which curled around Carla's tentacle arms.

While Maria held on, her eyes then caught sight of a certain fraternity, hardly training.

Oozma Kapa was a short distance away, sitting in a circle under a tree, their faces rather glum and worried despite trying to mask it in vain. It suddenly dawned on Maria as to why, and her heart ached with mournfulness.

Deep down, she missed them. And questions plagued her mind each day they were absent. Would they wake up soon? How long would the Scare Games' postponing last? Would that second event even come?

But most importantly, would the Perry twins ever return to the OK fraternity safe and sound? That was the question on every monster's mind, and it terrified her even more since yesterday when Katy had described the whereabouts of the twins in the hospital.

As her subconscious poured over these questions, Maria did not notice her grip on the tree branches beginning to loosen.

Debbie was nearly across the bridge when she suddenly felt it start to dip.

Brynn, who was clutching onto the other side, suddenly felt as though her legs, which were held by Donna's bushy face, were suddenly much heavier, and Carla felt her position drop a few inches.

And, just like last semester, they all fell in a heap on the grass. Bottoms and faces slamming upon the ground with a thud, Carla gripped her side, wrapping her tentacles around her while the other sorority members picked themselves up, groaning with pain from the impact.

"Girls?" the EEK leader grunted, slowly standing up. "What was that just now?"

"Don't ask me," Brynn called up, "I was just following directions."

However, Debbie grew furious as her single eye narrowed. Claws clenched, she fumed at all of her sorority sisters that she could have set the grass on fire. The other girls stood clear of her temper, although they had grown immune to this particular attitude since the semester began.

"Holy glop, what the heck?" she demanded angrily. "We actually did it again!"

"Uh, yeah," Violet muttered, eyeing the other monocular monster cautiously, "like the library challenge last time."

Donna bobbed her head similar to a nod while the president regarded from one girl to another. Her eyes were full of question with the slightest bit of annoyance. She wasn't angry, just confused and wishing for answers.

"What happened?" she asked once more.

No one spoke up. But out of mutual understanding, all eyes turned toward their redhead member, who flinched in surprise.

Maria shrugged her shoulders, averting her gaze from the questionable expressions of her sisters. "What? I was also holding on!"

"Are you sure?" Brynn asked carefully, raising two of her three eyes, "not just thinking about, let's say, Terry or something?

Maria's eyes widened at the inquisition before gritting her teeth, turning away once more as her cheeks heated up. "Um...no?

Debbie threw her hands up angrily, startling the others as she wished to just yank those red locks of hers and bring her back to Earth. "Uh! It's him again!"

Brynn casted a warning glare at her before turning back to Maria, her trio of eyes patient and filled with understanding.

"Look, I know you've been thinking about him, and we're all worried here," she spoke directly and sensitively, "but can you please concentrate? The second event is much more complicated than last semester's."

"We could be the first ones out!" Debbie practically screamed, almost scaring her redhead sister white.

"I think you mean second ones out, Deb," Violet pointed out hastily, "EKO is already eliminated."

"Whatever!" the turquoise monster snapped, folding her arms.

"Chill, Deb!" Brynn exclaimed, regarding the other with reluctance. "Man, did you not get enough sleep last night again?"

Before the other could answer, it was Violet who spoke up.

"Maybe if she didn't keep going out late, she wouldn't be a sour apple!" the purple monster proclaimed irritably. She looked toward Debbie. "Almost every night you're gone and you arrive home very late. And angry!"

"Isn't that what most of her dates leave her as?" Donna couldn't help but add.

Debbie bared her teeth, single eye hardening with immense resentment that she just wanted to claw them both out like deli meat.

"Oh, you can just go-"

But Carla cut her off, standing between her and Violet.

"Okay, if you're going to be in a bad mood, save it for when ROR does something stupid, alright?" the EEK leader suggested bluntly.

The infuriated sorority girl breathed through clenched teeth, glaring at all three of them without any regards for the expression of concern on Brynn's face. Loosening her claws, she lowered her shoulders before holding her head high.

"Okay, fine..." she grumbled. "But what are we going to do about her?" she gripped as she pointed to Maria.

Maria pouted her lips, glaring at her. "Hey! You make it sound like I'm some human child you found and trying to keep from the CDA!"

Debbie's glanced at her menacingly. "You're losing your concentration, Maria! This is so unlike you!"

Violet groaned before she palmed her face. "Oy, here we go again..."

"Well, at least Terry won't fail like all your other dates!" Maria shouted.

For the moment, Debbie's eye widened in astonishment by the comeback. But seconds later her face grew almost as red as Maria's before she gnashed her teeth together as if looking for a brawl.

"What is that suppose to mean?" she hissed. "At least I get dates faster than you!"

"True, but at least I found a good one faster than you!" Maria shot back. "Because all your dates stink!"

Debbie's blood boiled, practically feeling the steam rise out of her ears as soon as Maria said that. She had a date tonight, and prayed to glob it would be better than her previous one. The last thing she wanted was some lovesick Terry fangirl making her feel like it was all completely pointless.

"You take that back, Garcia!" Debbie screamed.

"Make me, Gabler!" Maria challenged.

The rest were watched their two sisters bicker among themselves, and Carla's eyebrows were clearly twitching. She didn't want to cast blame on any of them, but she had a good enough feeling that most resulted from Debbie's temper. She had been pulling a lot of late-nights, and as much as she denied it, Maria did have a point about the particular monsters she had been going out with.

But that conversation could be brought up another time. For now-

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" the leader bellowed angrily.

Her voice echoing through the campus, it finally had the two shut up, followed by random students peering in their direction. Carla breathed deeply, glaring furiously at the two before flinging her tentacles up.

"Both of you zip it!" she ordered. "Debbie, stop provoking Maria! Maria, I expect you to put in your 110% effort in the training or you and I are going to have a very interesting conversation later in the evening." Her eyes knitted together as she pursed her lips. "Is that clear, both of you?

"She started it!" Maria whined, pointing at Debbie who stuck her tongue out at her.

"I am ending it!" Carla screeched. "Is that clear?"

Both Debbie and Maria could only glance at the other with contempt as they stood in the ring of fire caused by their leader.

"Yes, crystal clear..." Maria muttered.

"Sure, whatever..." Debbie scoffed.

Carla sighed warily before placing a tentacle upon her forehead. "Oh, glob...this is not what we need right now."

"Oh, really?" Donna nearly chuckled. "How do you think OK feels right now?"

"How are they able to train properly without their "their two heads are better than one"?" Violet added mournfully.

"Mike is doing the best he can," Brynn spoke up, "but it's pretty obvious he's just being a 'perpetual smiler' right now."

"You have to give him some credit though," Violet complimented, "the OK is very strong, especially with his help."

"And Mrs. Carlton?" Brynn gulped.

"Well, she's taking a break now since the rest of the OK gang is helping her with her household chores," Carla informed.

She regarded her sorority, grateful things have calmed down and Debbie and Maria weren't tearing each other's heads off.

"Anyway, back to bridge maneuvers!" she ordered. "We need to get this right before the next Scare Games segment." She looked at Maria. "And this time, put in all of your concentration!"

Maria sighed glumly. "Yes, Carla, I understand."

"If the second Scare Game even comes..." Debbie murmured.

"Of course it would come, once the Perry twins recover," Violet assured her.

"But they're in a coma," the turquoise monster spoke nonchalantly.

"Well, they will wake up eventually," Brynn added. "I hope..." she gulped.

"At least they're getting all the sleep they want," Debbie couldn't help but chuckle.

Maria's head shot up in her direction, unable to believe of what she just heard. "Hey! What are you saying?" she demanded.

"You know I'm right!" Debbie snapped. "It's not like I'm saying them being "somewhat dead" is a good thing...all I'm saying is that they'll be really okay once they finally wake up."

Violet casted her single-eyed gaze toward the redhead who was twitching with anxiety. "Debbie, you know you're just being a jerk, right?"

"Trying to be positive here..." Debbie growled. "She's the one overreacting." she added before jabbing a thumb toward Maria.

The red monster sighed. "I know, I'm just worried."

"We know you are," Carla assured her gently, "and we're all so concerned for their health."

"Hope they don't die by the time they wake up..." Debbie joked darkly.

"Watch your mouth, Deb!" Carla shouted at her, horrified by her words.

"Sorry!" Debbie apologized, holding her hands up in defense. "Just wanted to play some sick drama here for a second, but I'm done!"

Carla could only shake her head with dismay before turning to the others. "Okay, enough chatter. Back to training! I want flawless performance this time!"

"Of course, madame..." Debbie said sarcastically.

The girls returned back to formation, planning to perform another bridge. As Maria stretched her arms out, in the corner of her eye, she could see the OK fraternity speaking to Mike and Sulley, who were obviously trying to cheer them up.

Mentally sighing, she made one last prayer before re-focusing on her team.
_

Carla nearly choked as she took in another gulp of her Blort drink. Johnny smirked at her from across the table as he leaned back in his seat, taking his time with his own beverage and not chugging it down as if he was accepting the challenge at a frat party.

After training had finished and her girls departed to pursue their hobbies and interests for the day, the sorority leader had met up with Johnny and they decided to have some drinks and a chat. They sat in one of the tables parked outside the MU cafeteria, mainly where the tiny cafe was connected. Monsters around them occupied the remaining tables, chatting and consuming what they purchased. Taking a break from their tasks and classes, the two presidents chose to relax and converse. It was enough for students to recognize that they pretty much were "best friends" from differed teams, especially since they were the leaders of the top frat and sorority on campus.

And Carla was practically the only Greek Life president who could handle the ranting and arrogance of the Worthington heir, and not afterwards break his teeth or burn his face off like some of their neighbors would do.

Johnny watched as her cup was nearly empty, his legs crossed while he tapped a claw upon the table.

"Never thought that Garcia girl of yours would be so boy crazy," he spoke.

Carla wiped her lips. "She's not boy crazy. She's Terry-crazy. And you know which twin I'm talking about."

She noticed his expression darken for a moment, and she wasn't sure whether to chide him or sympathize with him. After all, he had done something she never thought he would actually do.

"Bet you wish you spent a lot more money for their gifts than I did," he chuckled as his sharp teeth glinted in the sunshine.

"I can't believe you actually bought them those instruments," Carla commented, gripping her cup.

He rolled his eyes. "Hey, you practically nagged me into doing it."

"I didn't nag you," she retorted, "I was just making you feel bad because, duh, I was right."

He averted his gaze, frowning from the corner of his mouth as he looked down at his drink. "You promise you won't tell anyone, right?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die," she pledged, "kiss my honor and say goodbye." She smirked at him. "Of course."

He scoffed at her little phrase, although he smiled. "Good. That's the last thing I want from Oozma Kappa. Letting them see that I..." His voice trailed off, nearly biting his tongue.

"Care?" she suggested, sipping her beverage.

Johnny wanted to gag, but he knew that he truly did possess the same concern as everyone else on campus. He didn't like Oozma Kappa, the so-called relationship far from a friendship, and he was always bumping heads with not just Wazowski but that older twin as well. But seeing what Terry and his brother were going through, especially in a comatose state, he had to feel this way. Just out of other students' view...with the exception of Carla's.

"Don't make this mushy on me," he nearly pleaded, resting his cheek against one hand on the table.

"I won't," she promised with a silly grin. "But I will say what you did was, dare I say it, sweet."

A smile tweaked at the side of his lips, recalling when the OK mom had returned to Frat Row with the three girls who had dared to challenge both the hospital and the CDA. "You know who else is pretty sweet?"

"Laura Sharp?" Carla guessed, far from surprised as she shook the ice in her drink.

He laughed before crossing his arms behind his head and leaned further back in his seat. "You should have seen the way she looked at me yesterday, Delgado. She wants me."

Carla chuckled before rolling her eyes. "Don't even think about just waltzing to her dorm and just flat-out ask her for a date."

"Easy there," he spoke assuringly, "I'm being careful, aren't I?"

"She had a panic attack at the first event," the EEK leader mentioned, "nearly lost it during that one training session with EZ, and she was practically freaking out when she wondered where Katy was yesterday. Also, she is a bit on the loner side, no offense."

He rubbed his chin at that last part, allowing this realization to sink in. Since the first event, he did begin to notice the newest sorority leader spent a surplus amount of her time being on her own, with the exception of her beloved Scare pig. Frat Row had been keen on making Exceeda Zeta feel welcome much like what they had done with Oozma Kappa since last semester. There had been some questions roaming around the Greek monsters wondering where Laura was or why she didn't seem to open up much, even when she was invited to the OK frat house.

Carla raised her cup to her lips, allowing one of the ice cubes to fall into her mouth. "I do hope she'll fully-adapt to MU," she said as she crunched it against her teeth, "being from Fear Tech and all. She'll have so much fun with us, especially with OK involved!"

Johnny glowered at the mention of his rivals. "What OK does is just insane, Carla."

She raised her eyes at him, unconvinced as she placed her cup down. "Oh, and what about that surprise egg hunt they did last semester for the campus?" she asked firmly. "If I recall, you and your little ROR pals were trying to find all the eggs." She smirked at him. "And boy did you guys fail miserably."

His cheeks reddened, reminiscing too well on that particular Friday, two days before it had been Easter Sunday. Egg hunting was something any of them had done when they were kids. As grown monsters, for something that was supposedly easy, he couldn't believe how hard it was! And the members of OK had been doing it year after year, even before they arrived at MU!

"Don't rub it in..." he grumbled.

Carla snickered. "You really wanted that golden egg prize, Worthington. You really hoped it would replace the trophy Hardscrabble took away from you."

He glared at her, almost biting his lips as his claws curled into fists. "It was a stupid game anyway."

"We didn't think so," Carla pointed out.

Her eyes glittered, sighing happily as she reflected on that sunny afternoon where all monsters besides those of Frat Row were interested in discovering the eggs OK had spent their time scattering all over the campus. It had been a remarkable experience, making them all feel like children again as they searched and picked up plastic eggs that held delicious candies. She could still taste the jelly beans she found in most of hers. She noticed Johnny still fuming over having lost to something so simple. Smiling, she decided to divert the topic at a different route.

"Remember when Heather Olson tried to steal some eggs from our baskets?" she asked.

His frown vanishing, it was quickly replaced with a small grin as he chuckled at the memory. "Oh, yeah, she seemed so into the game that she just wanted them all for herself."

"And let's not forget how frustrated Big Red was," Carla giggled. "George Sanderson was getting way more eggs compared to him."

"And Chet just kept eating all the candy," Johnny laughed. "Even the leftovers that weren't in the plastic eggs, he just kept eating them."

"I was surprised he had room for the luncheon," Carla added. "Glob, that was a great meal. I can't wait to have another Easter like this next semester."

She saw humor evident in his purple gaze, and she knew too well that he was just as excited for these holiday events. No matter how much he denied it.
_

The Dean's eyes knitted together as she laid her fingers upon her well-organized desk. Before her sat the three culprits who were the talk of the entire campus. She had assumed it was all a rumor yesterday, the declared "fangirls" of the monsters in the hospital having gone on the brink of insanity. However, it was all clear as day the moment she had been informed by both the university president and the authorities of the CDA. And while this had occurred off campus, she was still disappointed by this news.

Her stern eyes regarded at each of the trio of monsters who stood as straight as they could with their clawed hands by the sides of their bodies, maintaining their faces in calm expressions. The Dean was quite sure they knew that this day would come when they have made the fateful decision to infiltrate the hospital premises which was guarded by countless CDA agents. She was terribly disappointed in them, and although two of the monsters were not in her Scaring department, the university had effectively authorized her to "severely reprimand the students involved and discipline them accordingly". Even though she had heard that the trio of female monsters had broken enough rules to fill a book and probably do prison time if the worst happened, she could not believe that they would do such a thing until her desk phone rang when she was in the middle of browsing through a number of student files, especially Laura Sharp's among them. The Dean's eyebrows nearly jumped off her face when she was informed of the incident by the university president as well as the CDA authorities, and the subsequent severe-talking to by the education authorities did not help in her darkening mood either. Only with a long and wary talk with her fellow Professor of Scaring and some extra-gloopy coffee did she manage to conceal her rising anger and maintained her raging temper under control. And right now, looking at the culprits, she could feel her anger rising yet again, and strove to control it.

Dean Hardscrabble eyed each of the three monsters carefully, taking note of each girl who possessed an expression of intense remorse. On her left was the Campus Roar photographer Lane Picca, who was without her trusty camera as the said item was currently in the hands of Mrs Carlton at the moment. The usually bubbly and cheerful photographer was quietly silent as she focused her eyes downward at the carpet in the Dean's personal office. She obviously knew what was going to happen, and was remaining silent as she awaited judgement. Beside Lane Picca was Katy McCrea, the aquatic monster of the newly formed EZ sorority, and she stood straight with her eyes fixed ahead with an expression of neutrality. She seemed calm at the moment, and it appeared as though she was perfectly fine with accepting whatever punishment would be given to her. On the Dean's right was the girl from the PNK sorority, Naomi Jackson. The Dean knew her, of course, since the PNKs were spoken of on campus, their names and personalities hanging on practically every boy's tongue, mostly about their individual scaring skills and character. However, the Dean has noticed a flicker of worry and fear on her facial expression, and her clawed hands moved towards each other to link like a chain as she gazed at the Dean of Scaring anxiously.

Mrs. Carlton waited patiently with both her purse and Lane Picca's camera on her lap as she sat next to Katy. She pursed her lips, but she had expected this from her good friend Abigail. The married woman had intended to inform the Dean of such soon after rescuing the girls from the CDA yesterday. But she felt tending to the three "delinquents" as well as feed and bathe them before offering them a place to stay needed to be done first. Of course, the rest of the student body had unintentionally done the job for her. Rumors spread around faster than she took time to make dinner, and already it had penetrated Hardscrabble's ears.

Names had already been mentioned before the Dean even received notice from the CDA, and that was why Mrs. Carlton was in the office of her friend alongside the three girls. While expulsion was out of the question, she was certain there was so be some sort of punishment involved in all this. The girls had hoped they would put this incident behind them, but they couldn't have hid too easily, and she could see how scared they were at the sight of someone working for the CDA before them.

Quite large he was, almost similar in height and girth compared to Sulley. A bit built as a dark suit held his massive form, although the yellow and black tie was a nice touch, representing who he worked for. Horns protruded from his head almost similar to Rosie Levin's, and Mrs. Carlton must admit that he had a face as emotionless as any HSS girl in the heat of competition. She eyed the suitcase that was cuffed to his wrist as well as a gleaming weapon upon the holster around his waist. CDA members tended to keep things on a serious matter...although it couldn't be so serious as to keep in the dark the current condition her two-headed monster boys were going through. But she held her tongue on that matter, knowing this moment was the perfect chance to bring it up, albeit after the girls were negotiated with first.

Mrs. Carlton had a change of attire for today: a simple green sundress with lace around the collar and sleeves, and a yellow-pearled necklace that clung around her neck. Representing the boys she loved so, she gazed her five eyes at Abigail. The older woman seemed to have gone through quite a day before having called in the OK mother as well as the three girls. Mrs. Carlton only hoped the Dean wouldn't blow her stack; the former had already chided the three students yesterday for what they had done. Still, there was so much to cover, and she was prepared to speak out should things become a little too drastic.

The three students of Monsters University averted their eyes from the representative, who had hidden his own behind pitch black sunglasses and studying then with a calm and emotionless gaze. The Dean noticed a clipped identity card with the CDA initials, and the CDA insignia could be seen on both shoulder blades of his black suit. The aforementioned CDA agent's name read, "Phily Coalson", followed by a string of numbers and alphabets that probably presented as his agent serial number and clearance within the organization. The authorities have dispatched this agent to handle the aforementioned matter, and the Dean had no doubt he would be the devil advocate in the current matters at hand. While the agent appeared to pose no threat, he was well within his given powers to arrest any of the culprits on the spot, which the Dean wanted to avoid under any circumstances. After all, the other two CDA agents standing guard outside her office already spelled trouble.

Dean Hardscrabble steepled her fingers on her desk as she glanced down at the report given to her by Agent Coalson. Most of the wording had been blackened out which the agent had stated to be classified above his clearance, but she had managed to get the gist of what has actually happened. She had heard the story a number of times from the rumors in the university, but she would need to get the truth from the culprits themselves, and then meet out the punishment accordingly.

She sighed before regarding the agent with mild apprehension. "I have looked through the report, Agent Coalson, and I thank you for bringing this to my attention."

"I am merely doing my duty, Dean Hardscrabble," he responded carefully. "A large number of Class 3 and Class 2 offenses have been committed, and the CDA authorities have given me the task to observe the proceedings."

She raised an eyebrow. "And what are these offenses?"

"Infiltration of an area cordoned off by the CDA, stealing of CDA's suit and access codes, deceiving CDA agents to get into the cordoned off area, disobeying direct orders to cease escape and submit to arrest, gross misconduct of behavior within the hospital, plus violations of sections six, eight, eleven, fifteen, and twenty of the Monsters University's student etiquette. And of course, using of mobile phone in a severely restricted area."

Katy grimaced at that last one, and wished that she had shut off her phone before she and Naomi had entered the danger zone of the hospital. Had that have happened they might have escaped out of there no problem and would have made this their little secret. But no, what happened had happened and here all three of them were, like outlaws in some Western film being held before a judge. She glanced over at Mrs. Carlton, who only gave her an reassuring smile. At least since she was present as well, she would make things much easier.

The Dean sighed once more, having expected this much compared to what Michael and James had performed last semester. Although they had defied the CDA indirectly, contrasting with the present three who had dared to challenge their policy with even their own lives.

"I suppose an explanation is in order," she declared.

"Yeah, sure," the agent agreed before looking at the three girls as if analyzing ants through a magnifying glass. "You got any good reason why you did all this, kids?"

Lane turned to Mrs Carlton, who gave a nod and she looked at the stoic Dean and the emotionless CDA agent standing before her. She was personally a little afraid, since she had gotten quite a few restraining orders and had been warned about her photography exploits. Lane prayed that she wouldn't need to go to jail, because she didn't want a criminal record that would do her future photography career a lot of harm. But she had to face the music eventually, so she maintained a calm face and spoke her mind.

"Dean Hardscrabble, and sir..." she began nervously. "I was at the hospital because I was trying to get news updates and perhaps a photograph or two of the Perry twins for he Campus Roar. I wanted to publish something about the twins' medical condition. I was obviously denied entry, so I entered through one of the other exits and hid within a few garbage cans to avoid detection...until Katy and Naomi found me by accident." she added, glancing toward the other two.

The Dean gave a nod but the CDA agent only gave a grunt in acknowledgement. Lane gave out her own account before the Dean gestured for Katy to speak. The Vocal Music major student noticed a kind look from Mrs Carlton who gestured for her to say her piece, and she looked at the Dean carefully as well as the aforementioned agent. Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she finally gave in.

"I was worried sick about the Perry twins," she began carefully, "so I decided to take matters into my own hands and. So went to the hospital as soon as I ended Drama Class. I stole a CDA suit from one of the trucks, and the access code from the list I saw on the computer workstation...and I actually got in." she added with a timid chuckle. "That's when I bumped into Naomi and she assisted me in getting into the restricted area. I managed to get the correct password and clearance code to get us in." She swallowed, tightening her fists upon her lap. "We were only planning to take a quick look and see how the twins were, and then leave. But then things got a little messed up," she spoke with with a grimace expression, " and we were discovered. We really didn't want to get caught so Naomi and I ran, and then we bumped into Lane before getting out of there."

The Dean sighed and rubbed two fingers against her temples as Agent Coalson gave a nod again, and they focused their attention on Naomi Jackson. The PNK sorority girl clutched her hands together and nearly flinched at the unyielding stare coming from the Dean of Scaring, but then she noticed the CDA agent's careful look and she knew that she was also being heavily scrutinized by him. While she was afraid, she had to eventually talk, so she decided to get it over with after looking at Mrs Carlton who smiled gently at her.

"Anything else to add to their confessions, Ms. Jackson?" the Dean asked with a tender calm expression yet her voice remained stern.

Naomi swallowed. "I...I took a nurse's uniform and got inside the hospital, also wanting to see the twins. I bumped into Katy who was wearing the CDA suit, and I helped her get the location of where they were while she used her "borrowed" clearance to get us into the restricted section." She gulped in some breath before she found her voice once more. "I was also worried sick about them, so I made my way to the hospital myself, just hoping to make a quick peek and then leave without anyone noticing. But one thing led to another and I met Katy, and then we both met Lane, and then we all made a run for it when our covers were blown."

Having finished her explanation, her claws gripped the edges of her seat, trio if eyes blinking fearfully. She only hoped her own version would collaborate with Lane and Katy's, and prayed that the punishment would be lenient this time.

Dean Hardscrabble released a strenuous breath she never knew she held in. She regarded the three students, having difficulty in remaining angry at them. Their stories rang true as each held the exact same reason: to visit the ward of the comatose twins. Deep down, she couldn't exactly blame them, although she had expected much from the likes of the remaining OK fraternity. Or, dare she say it, Mrs. Carlton who was the closest thing to a mother of the twins as the Dean had observed since last semester. She could understand why the married woman needed to be among these three young girls: she was the sole witness to the aftermath of their actions. Very honest and easily forgiving, the Dean was certain Mrs. Carlton was not only acting as guardian and supposed "attorney" to the girls' statement, but also hoping to decimate whatever punishment was supposedly in store for each of them. They were already aware that expulsion was not an Dean glanced over at Agent Coalson, his expression as apathetic as hers whenever she was in the most serious matters of her work.

Agent Coalson was silent for a few moments, then peered downward at the three, the light glinting from his shades. "So you broke in just so you could see your little friends..." he declared.

Katy's fists tightened even more against her lap. Her fears began to diminish as she processed his words. He almost sounded indifferent to their concerns, his expression not exactly winning them over either. As if he had some nerve to say what they had done was completely reckless and irresponsible. What they were doing was hiding the facts about what the twins were undergoing. The image of that one hand on the operating table was all it took for Katy's heart to be gripped like a claw to fruit, and her gaze hardened.

"I have no regrets," she nearly hissed. "It's not like you're giving us anything on their condition."

The Dean's eyes rose in shock as well as the other female monsters who regarded her fretfully. The CDA agent himself remained unfazed, however, his gaze appeared to harden a bit behind his shades.

"Young lady," he began carefully, "you are already in trouble with the school authorities. I highly advise that you do not make or say any unnecessary words." He then sighed. "And there is still the problem of the stolen CDA suit..."

Katy was about to retort when Lane held her hand and shook her head. Taking the cue, Katy forced down her anger.

Hardscrabble regarded the CDA agent, coughing lightly as she spoke. "We will talk about that later. Right now, they have given their side of the story, so I presume that is enough for your director?" She gestured at Katy. "And besides, my student has a point. Your agency has rebuffed every single petition from MU authorities as well as the Perry twins' guardian, Mrs. Carlton, to see them. May I ask what is the problem?"

"Dean Hardscrabble," he stated with authority in his tone, "I have a bit of advantageous information on the Perry twins, but I will get to that in a bit. Due to the scale of hydrofluoric acid contamination on them both, my superior has ordered a full decontamination, which at best would take days to finish. And not to mention the emergency medical treatment to save their lives. We have to take drastic precautions to prevent any further contamination to their wounds. As hydrofluoric acid is one of the dangerous fluids to monsterkind, we have further measures in place to sterilize the twins' wounds before the medical staff can operate on them."

He gave everyone present a moment to understand what he had just said, before taking a breath and continuing.

"We are doing our best to save both twins," he stated simply, "but information would come in due time when my director has cleared the it to be released to the MU authorities. What is unacceptable is that students managed to infiltrate the hospital, and into the most restricted of areas where the most essential operation is taking place."

Naomi swallowed, recalling how earlier Carrie and her sorority sisters had exploded in her face about how insane she was trying to challenge the CDA. They had not been angry, just scared out of their minds that their youngest had been willing to put her life on the line. But they knew too well why she had to do it, and after various scoldings they had comforted her because of her somewhat failed mission. The memory of seeing that lone hand on the table in the operating room still scarred her, and she wasn't even sure whose hand it was...

She watched as Dean Hardscrabble continued looking over the complaints written up by the CDA officials themselves. The PNK girl's heart thumped fearfully, seeing that it was quite a number of pages, even more than what she could possibly type for a largely-graded essay.

Naomi's eyes then flickered toward the length of her neck, and took great notice of something glinting beneath the whiter collar that was part of the Dean's suit. The PNK girl could only make out the hint it was gold and that it might have been some necklace the Dean decided to wear. She had never seen Hardscrabble wear jewelry before, but maybe the head of the School of Scaring had been aiming for a minor change to her appearance.

The Dean of Scaring emitted another sigh, unsure of what compromise could be met. It had been struggling enough last semester and it took a good week before the CDA had finally released the campus as well as the door labs as their main focal point of interest. Although she had not seen many agents currently roaming on campus since the biology lab incident, she felt the troubles had just gotten much worse. But hearing these girls explain themselves, she couldn't hold that much against them. However, their performance was still inexcusable, and something needed to be done about it. She turned to Mrs. Carlton, forcing down her pride as she regarded the smaller woman for guidance.

"Mrs. Carlton-"

"Sherry," the other insisted with a smile.

The Dean cleared her throat. "Right, Sherry...What is your say in this, since you are the considered "mother" of the ones hospitalized as well as witness of this incident?"

Mrs. Carlton looked at the trio of girls who tried to remain calm and they returned her gaze, a flicker of worry marring their features as they stood straight and awaited whatever punishment that was about to befall them. The mother of Scott Carlton then gave them a gentle smile before her face turned partially serious and she glanced at Dean Hardscrabble and Agent Coalson with a tedious expression.

"Dean Hardscrabble," she began, "while it was wrong for them to take matters into their own hands, I can clearly see that they were worried with the Perry twins' condition when they were undergoing treatment. They may have good intentions, but anxiety and worry have clouded their judgement and hence made them commit those...unfortunate mistakes." She offered a forgiving smile. "Since they are genuinely remorseful for their actions, and they have not caused any damage to the hospital premises other than some minor inconveniences, I suppose we can impress upon them the need to think through their actions before they do anything rash in future."

The Dean of Scaring gave a nod and a faint smile curled around her lips as she absorbed what Mrs. Carlton said. While harsh punishment would be needed to discipline the culprits, at least Mrs. Carlton was there to soothe the procedure as she had managed to point out some good points about the three students who have infiltrated the hospital. While they may not exactly receive no punishment at all, maybe a compromise can be sought between the school and the CDA authorities.

Lane's fingers clenched and unclenched as she awaited for what was to be said next. She had expected being in trouble for her aspirational job as a photographer, but she never thought it would boil down to this! Jail was something she feared the most when it came to taking the most interesting (or incriminating) photos the Campus Roar could ever post. While she could challenge restraining orders or monsters with short tempers...tinkering with the CDA was not something she had expected. Still, if she was going down...it was nice to know she had friends who would be there for her. Some monsters would assume that because she was a daring photographer who snapped shots at the most embarrassing moments, that she would be something of a loner who would rather be known for her photos than her personality in general. Freshmen thought so, but for as long as she had known her fellow Campus Roar co-workers, as well as the Greek community's true hearts from last semester, she had a world she was thankful for. And while it didn't go exactly nice the first time she met Exceeda Zeta, trying to force the Sharp girl into a photo despite her raging anxiety, she was not heartless. And she was thankful to have met those girls. And it was an honor to be with Katrina McCrea in this office right now, knowing she had someone to lean on, especially for Naomi Jackson.

Dean Hardscrabble turned to Agent Coalson. "What do you speak of this?"

He coughed politely. "I am merely here to represent the "interests" of my agency," he explained, "and submit a report back to them when you have given the appropriate punishment for the three students who have caused this incident. However, there is still the problem of the missing CDA suit Delta-Theta-Omega, which I believe is currently in the possession of Miss McCrea." He looked directly at Katy. "Is that correct?"

Katy bit her lip, but she knew that the CDA agent was speaking the truth. The stolen suit was currently in the OK fraternity house, sitting snugly in the guest room.

She swallowed but remained calm. "Yes. I'm guessing you want it back?"

He shrugged, expression still apathetic. "On the contrary, you can keep that suit, because it has already been decommissioned. All security codes for it have already been deleted. What I am more concerned, however, is the ID chip that was inside the suit. Do you have it?"

Katy remembered the suit's internal pocket, where a security card had been lying inside. She had pulled out that card when she searched the suit, and had placed it in her pocket for safekeeping.

She produced the shiny security card from her pocket and showed it off for all to see. "This is the chip you were looking for?"

He glanced at Dean Hardscrabble. "May I?"

The Dean of Scaring gave a nod, and Katy walked forward and gave the CDA agent the security card.

"Thank you for your honesty, Miss McCrea," he said with a nod.

For the first time since she came into the office, the aquatic smiled. At least there was no jail service involved, just minor punishment. And she would gladly take it, for her actions were worth whatever the Dean of Scaring would throw at her. And at least she had her two friends beside her, and Picca would stop freaking out about her fears of going to jail. Maybe she had learned a harsh lesson in all this, being the campus photographer who needed to educate herself more about personal space.

Mrs. Carlton mentally blew a sigh of relief, grateful that Katy's tampering with CDA property was all forgiven. And she had to admit that the suit she cleaned and polished back home would serve as a great souvenir to the adventure the three had experienced. Still, she knew there was the matter of punishment at hand, and she glanced toward the Dean of Scaring for what would come to mind.

"Well, now that it's all taken care of, what should the appropriate punishment be for the three darlings?" she asked.

The young girls loomed over at the Dean, and Naomi bit her lip, hoping it wasn't something too terrifying or even educationally related.

"As the students are under the review of Monsters University," Agent Coalson inquired, "I can only observe the proceedings. But I am pushing for a harsh punishment, considering the problems and inconvenience caused."

"Your concern is noted, Agent Coalson," the Dean agreed, "I suppose four weeks of community service work and cleaning up duties for some halls in the university would do nicely?"

The three girls grimaced at the Dean's proclamation. Although they were mentally groaning about having to suffer four weeks of picking up garbage and sweeping floors, they were relieved that the punishment had not been worse. Mrs. Carlton smiled, thankful that dear Hardscrabble had taken a more lighter approach to the situation.

For the first time since Agent Coalson had introduced himself, a faint smile played on his lips.

"That'll work nicely," he said.

The Dean nodded with relief. "Would there be anything else?"

The agent produced a number of papers from his briefcase. "I would need the three students to sign some forms stating that they would never speak of what they have been told behind this door, as well as in the hospital. And they would accept their assigned punishment given by MU authorities."

Mrs. Carlton nodded at this. "That would be reasonable."

He turned to the three girls, expression mildly stern. "I hope you all have learned your lesson, and let this be a warning to you all. Don't meddle in matters or the consequences awaiting you would be much worse than you have ever imagined."

Katy merely bit her lip while both Naomi and Lane swallowed the dryness down their throats. Each gave her nod before being handed a form and pen by both agent and Dean. Scanning the typed contents, they felt no trouble in merely signing a few forms. And to keep mum about this was no difficulty, all three having hoped yesterday that it would never be spoken of again. But despite so word still ran around campus faster than a cough. And even without Lane publishing evidential photos they were pretty popular right now, and mixing in with the concerning conversations regarding the twins.

Katy stopped signing for a moment before she glanced at the agent questionably. "Once we do sign our promise to not do this stuff again, you guys will give us word about the twins, right?"

Agent Coalson looked at her, and his expression look softened a little, but the poker face returned quickly.

"Young lady, I can't guarantee anything," he answered, "but unless you all cooperate with us, the treatment for the Perry twins might be delayed. As of last night, I can only say this to you: the Perry twins' condition has been stabilized, but they are not out of danger yet. However, the best medical care has been given to both of them and we would do our best to help them recover."

He paused for a moment and scanned the three students and Mrs. Carlton, as well as the Dean of Scaring.

"We will inform you when we have solid information on their current condition, would that be acceptable?"

"Would a weekly report on the Perry twins be possible?" the Dean suggested. "The university president is pushing for that at the moment."

He nodded. "I will convey your request to my superior when I return to the CDA headquarters."

Dean almost smiled widely at the answer, just relieved to receive something. "Thank you for not pressing further charges on my students." She glanced at the three girls with a frown. "I will make certain this does not happen again."

Although the Dean meant well, the girls could practically hear the chill in her tone. Agent Coalson regarded her for a few moments, before he gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"I certainly hope so, because we wouldn't want your students to be arrested for breaking a variety of rules, would we?"

The Dean of Scaring's face remained tolerant at his reply, wondering if it was an off-handed comment or a friendly warning. He turned and regarded Lane, Katy and Naomi carefully, and the girls could feel his eyes scrutinizing them, taking in every detail and committing it to his memory.

"I also hope you have learned your lesson, students," he added. "Think about what I said, before you make any rash decisions in future."

He tucked in the sheaf of signed papers along with the original copy of the incident report which has been stamped by Dean Hardscrabble's personal seal into his silver briefcase. He then locking it shut with a few sharp clicks.

"I will be taking my leave then to inform my superiors," he concluded. "Good day to you all."

"Yes, thank you," the Dean responded. "Good day to you as well."

The girls remained as silent as they could as the large, hulking figure representing the CDA trudged past them. Grip tightening on the briefcase handcuffed to his hand, he led himself out of the office before closing the door behind them. The girls released the breaths they held in while Mrs. Carlton smiled at Dean Hardscrabble.

"Well, that wasn't so bad, was it, Abby?" she asked cheerfully.

There was a flicker of what appeared like amusement on the Dean of Scaring's face as she regarded Mrs. Carlton, but her face shifted back to its usual expression as she looked over to the trio of students.

"I expected it to be worse," the Dean said, "but since everything has been tidied up and sorted out, I must say this turned out considerably well. You have my sincere thanks, miss."

"You are quite welcome, Abby," the petite woman said. "After all, someone needs to make those agents listen to their side of the story, right?"

The Dean raised an eyebrow. "I have seen the official report, but I personally welcome a fresh perspective from those involved." She looked at the trio of girls once more. "And I hope you have all learned your lesson. The university authorities have been very lenient on you three, and I sincerely hope you all would not attempt anything like this ever again."

Naomi swallowed. "Of course..."

"Sure, don't have to tell me twice," Lane spoke instantly. "No more going there for the perfect shot..."

However, Katy frowned as she leaned back in her chair. Folding her arms, she regarded the Dean the same way she had done with Agent Coalson earlier. While Hardcrabble was fear-inducing in every sense of the word, even for a non-Scare student like her, Katy held her ground.

"And if they don't give us anything on the twins?" she sounded as if taking a challenge. "What if?"

Mrs. Carlton sighed mournfully. "Oh, Katy..."

The EZ girl nearly jumped as the Dean of Scaring inspected her closely for a few moments, before she sighed and rubbed her chin as though deep in thought. Her centipede legs clacked a little on the tiled floor before the Dean looked at Katy again.

"I will see what I can do through other official channels," she answered as best she could. "But I would only ask for your patience a little while more. After all, the university authorities are trying their hardest to get some information on the Perry twins."

Katy felt a light touch on her lap and looked down to see Mrs. Carlton had slipped out of her seat. She had been able to creep up on her without even making a sound; seems Squishy got his Scaring skills from his mother. The shorter woman looked up at her rather pleadingly.

"Katy, please, I'm just as upset as you are about not hearing much about what my boys are going through. But I beg of you, don't try anything like this again."

Katy's face morphed at the sight of the OK mother's face. She was the mother of all of Oozma Kappa, and the wife of their president. The Perry twins meant the world to her. It infuriated the Vocal Music major even more how much this woman was suffering day after day wondering how her sons were doing. Still, she kept herself calm as she looked down at the fingerless hand that strewed over her own.

But she felt a sense of remorse towards making Mrs. Carlton worry, and if it wasn't for her timely rescue, she as well as the others would be most likely have been in CDA custody and probably imprisoned, if they were lucky. So Katy remained calm and looked back at Mrs. Carlton, giving her a gentle smile in return.

"Mrs. Carlton, I promise you, I would never do something like this ever again."

Lane nodded. "Cross my heart, I would also never do something this dangerous."

Naomi bobbed her head with agreement. "Me neither. I don't want to get in trouble again."

Mrs. Carlton gave a tender, motherly smile to the three girls honest and caring. Then she glanced over at the Dean whose claws laid clasped upon her desk.

"Girls, I think you're done here," the petite woman proclaimed. "Why don't you three go on ahead? I need to speak with Abigail in private."

Making nothing of the sort, the students slowly rose from their seats. Without another word, they silently walked toward the door before exiting out, Lane being the one to close it behind them. Once they were officially gone, the OK mother turned to the Dean, who appeared a bit surprised yet awaited for whatever the former needed to speak of.

"I really admire those girls, Abigail," Mrs. Carlton said with a sad smile, "because I honestly would have done the same thing just to see my boys again."

The Dean of Scaring analyzed Mrs. Carlton carefully for a few moments, and her usually stern expression softened a little. She leaned back on her specially designed chair and sighed, rubbing her temples with a few clawed fingers.

"I understand your concern, Mrs. Carlton. With regards to the Perry twins. I have been pushing for petitions on some information on their operation and recovery, but beyond what Agent Coalson has provided us with, he did not show me anything else."

Mrs Carlton looked the Dean in the eyes. "So...what did he show you about them then?"

The Dean picked up a yellow folder on her table and showed it to the other woman.

"Agent Coalson has managed to provide me with a few pages of medical report on them at the moment," she explained. "It's mostly medical history and student records, so I personally think we still have to wait for some concrete information. But the good news is, as he mentioned, the twins are out of danger at the moment."

As Mrs. Carlton glanced at the files, her heart swelled a bit with joy. While it wasn't much, at least she knew her boys were out of harm's way, only suffering a coma. That was all the doctors had ever told her before they announced that the hospital be cleared of visitation. Oh, how she wished she could be in the same room as Terri and Terry, and just hold their hands just for a few minutes.

The Dean noticed the glint of sadness in the petite woman's five eyes, and her heart plunged like a stone tossed into an ocean. While it was not biological, Mrs. Carlton was their mother in the greatest way possible.

"I would personally make sure that you would be the first one to have any information on the Perry twins once the CDA authorities have replied to me regarding their condition," she told her gently. "You have my word on this."

Mrs. Carlton stared at the Dean with gratitude. "That's all I asked for, Abigail. Thank you so much."

The Dean gave a faint smile. "It would be my pleasure to assist you in this matter. You're welcome, Mrs. Carl-I mean, Sherry."
_

Fashion Design 101

Sitting in front of her sewing machine, Colette's eyes narrowed as she angled her fabric. The glittered effect of it was so gorgeous, and she was sure she'd gain a perfect grade if she placed in that Creouture feel to it. She looked up just in time to see Professor Coco Chamel walk down her aisle, her black, tentacled hair bouncing behind her as her eyes glanced from one student to the other.

"Alright, future designers!" she barked. "Please do not limit yourself to the accessories provided on your desk. You have the whole hour to surprise me with whatever you can manage in that time! Hurry now! Let our glamour shine!"

Heart beating for her one passion, Colette turned to the bowls and trays of various tidbit items to extract onto the material, and she was pretty fortunate to have brought some of her own. She was confident it would outshine any other's work, and win the approval of her professor who wore quite the dazzling jewelry that fit her bodice perfectly.

All around Colette, other Fashion Design students were stitching, sewing, adjusting and cutting the cloth required by their dresses and clothing, some even bringing various accessories to make their own unique kind of dresses. Hands and tentacles were a blur, as well as an occasional tail, and students worked diligently and carefully on their pieces of clothing. While this occurred, Coca Chamel walked along the aisles once more, inspecting and commenting on any student she found to either be doing great, or had created an error so small only she could spot it.

As Colette slowly eased her fabric under the needle of her mechanical sewing machine, she thought about what the next outfit she could wear for tomorrow would be. Looking down at today's attire, she had worn a black sweater with pearl designs strewn across her chest. A red beret was placed atop her curled hair to pay tribute to the beatnik students of the university. Although she had not intended it, she realized that the color seemed to almost represent the HSS sorority. And EZ was blue.

Taking a small break from her sewing, she stared out the window, thinking maybe nature could be her guide for a specific design. She wasn't exactly the outdoors kind of monster, however. Despite how adorable little critters were, she had a feeling they were out to get her. That especially being said for birds which she feared would peck at her hair like some purplish pink nest.

Watching various students roam the campus, Colette was about to turn away-

-until her eyes caught sight of a certain dreamboat.

Colette felt her eyes widen as she witnessed George Sanderson, wearing his shiny yellow JOX jacket, actually feeding a group of birds with seeds. He smiled at all the various one or two-headed pigeons that swarmed over and pecked away at the food he scattered for them.

Immediately her heart raced and her cheeks nearly became as red as her beret. She almost drooled at the sight of the muscular monster whose orange fur radiated from the sun. And despite distance, she nearly melted at the sight of his gorgeous amber eyes. They shone with nothing but kindness and tenderness, especially toward his little bird friends.

He could actually handle those things? Well, he did have that special something that made him so immediately likable. Not much for her; she had a bit of a hatred for those little winged creatures...

She wouldn't want those pests accidentally pecking at her skin or damage her precious dresses, or she would scream so loud that a Banshee would be put to shame. Colette just hoped that George wouldn't be put off by her fear of those birds, because that would drive a wedge in their future relationship. At least, she hoped for a future relationship.

However, she was impressed that a muscly monster like him would be so kind and gentle to small animals around him. And that unique smile he had when feeding those birds, Colette swore she could just melt.

She sighed dreamily, recalling nights in her bed when she would think of the handsome JOX member and the little things he did that were so sweet. She would often picture herself in those muscular arms of his, allowing him to hold her close as her hands cradled his perfect face. She could only wonder what that cute mouth of his felt like, especially when she ran her fingers upon his bristled fur. She imagined him saying sweet things to her, holding her closer and not wanting to let go. Telling her how much he loves her...

"COLETTE!"

Forced out of her thoughts, Colette was brought to reality the moment she smelled smoke before staring down at her design. She had bunched it all up at once, resulting in the mechanical needle swiveling it like a crooked zipper. Now the fabric appeared like a glamorously looking rag ball that the needle had gotten itself wedged through. Her machine whirred, the halt in its mechanics driven to near overload.

Colette's eyes widened as she quickly switched off the machine and set about trying to fix her damage, while chiding herself for indulging too much unwanted thoughts in her mind. She swallowed nervously as other Fashion Design students stared at her and their lecturer stomping over, not the least bit impressed by what she just witnessed. Colette swallowed nervously as the other woman stood before her, hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes.

"Now, sweetie," Professor Chamel began, sounding impatient, "I know design involves every form of creativity that comes to mind...but nearly setting my classroom on fire is not one of them!" she added angrily.

The fashionista's skin crawled as she looked up at the former with embarrassment. "It was an accident, ma'am. I, uh, sort of got distracted."

Professor Chamel raised an eyebrow before shifting her gaze toward the damaged dress. "And pray tell what's so distracting outside?"

Colette tensed. "Oh, uh..." She peered out the window once more. "Nature!" she exclaimed automatically. "The look of nature is so beautiful!" She faked a smile. "I thought it could give me ideas!"

The professor narrowed her eyes while Colette was nearly sweating buckets beneath her black sweater.

"Ms. Colette," Professor Chamel began firmly, "distraction is the worst kind of problem for a designer to face. And besides, your dress was nearly ruined." She pointed at crumpled and twisted design on the student's table. "You need to fix that part in the next ten minutes or you won't catch up with the rest of the class."

Colette sat back in her seat. "Yes, ma'am..." she responded glumly.

"Good!" the professor said sweetly before turning back to the rest of the class. "Let this be an example to all of you. Now return to your work."

There were murmurs of acknowledgement as the other Fashion Design students all returned to their work, and the lecturer shook her head and groaned a little as she watched Colette frantically trying to fix her ruined outfit. She then left the young girl to her own devices once more as she strolled off to examine other people's work.

Colette mentally cursed herself, yanking her destroyed material off the worn out needle. She wanted to trash it as she thought there was no use of redeeming and desired to start from scratch. But she didn't want to end up behind her classmates so she worked fervently, adjusting the sewing machine once more.

Thankfully she had another spare roll of cloth she had reserved in her schoolbag for such situations, so she was sure she could patch up whatever was out of place. Glancing out of the comer of her eyes at the window, Colette watched George sitting on the nearest bench, still feeding the various birds which clustered near his feet.

The birds really adored him, and he was looking at each of them with such an expression she could only dream she would receive from him. She started to wish she was a bird...

...so she could look at that handsome view of him all day long adoringly, and maybe get a chance to feed off his clawed fingers with relish while he stroked her head. That would be the ultimate bliss. Colette felt her heart warm at that thought, until she remembered she needed to fix her dress for the lesson she was attending now.

As she started from step one once more, she couldn't help but wonder what outfit she would design if the dreamy JOX member asked her out. She remembered so well that first night in Frat Row when she had worn orange. But that was long before she met George Sanderson. But she had a gut feeling of sorts that he might adore orange since fur was colored that way. And the yellow lines on his body just added to his adorableness. He was like a big cuddly teddy bear, and that would make his girlfriend, very, very happy when being cuddled and snuggled.

Girlfriend. Colette often wondered if he had one, or had just broke up with one, or maybe there was some girl waiting to snatch him from Colette. But one thought eclipsed all of the others, and Colette told herself that the worst would never happen, because she was going to win him over or die trying. Because George Sanderson was definitely worth it. She would rather break heels to fall in his arms a hundred times...and she had more than the given amount of pairs in her possession.

And she would have given anything, anything, to even spend an hour alone with him with no distractions. Not that she only just wanted to make out with him. Although it was a nice thought, she liked him more than his appearance and sweet lips alone. Her own lips puckered at the thought, her cheeks warming with imaginative bliss.

She immediately stopped herself, shifting her eyes back and forth, grateful no one had seen her do such a frisky gesture. Professor Chamel was currently berating a student a few seats away for messing up the pattern on her dress, and that student was near to tearing up as she shook in her seat.

Some fashionistas were overly high-strung. But not Colette, she saw the passion in fashion everywhere. Even to monsters who usually go out with no clothes on. She could fix that whenever she got the chance. After all, she got Laura to wear at least something.

However what she got Laura to wear was actually a scarf of sorts, and Colette sometimes entertained the idea of fixing up a blouse or dress for her, because Laura deserved to wear something attractive once in a while. Besides Laura, she was still trying to create some clothing for Brynn who had agreed somewhat due to her begging for her to try out her latest fashion designs. Although she was still wracking her mind over what Donna could wear...since she was practically a head and a long purple tail.

In fact, every girl in the Greek community deserved something different to wear. Even Claire Wheeler. That is, if Colette could persuade the Greek Council president to wear something else other than her signature MU jacket.

It almost seemed like everyone was wearing the same thing every day.

Fashion was something that required creativity, and Colette had that in ample supply as she continued fixing another new design from her notebook as she tried to match up to the other students. Why can't her friends wear something else other than their normal clothing every day?

Heck, as weird as it sounded, she had thought that maybe the Dean of Scaring could use some new fashion as well. Although Colette truly admired her sophisticated coat of mahogany red that went well with her natural skin tone. The way she carried herself was full of grace and poise, so much that Colette would admire even how the Dean of Scaring clacked her many centipede legs across the floor; she wondered if she ever considered wearing heels. But other than that, she could imagine perhaps navy blue or some contemporary color would fit nicely for her. That is, if the Dean was willing to indulge her fashionista spirit. And Colette hoped she may have a chance one day, perhaps if she's the top of her class and Coca Chamel recommend her to the the head of the Scaring School.

She looked back to witness George once more, and her heart sank. He was gone.

She watched as birds pecked at leftover seeds on the floor where he once stood. Maybe if she had one of those scary-looking things in her possession, George's attention would focus more on her. Provided if the bird did not bite her or worse, even leave "gifts" on her most treasured of clothing. She would go ballistic if that happened.

It wasn't that she utterly despied those things...but, dear glob, they freaked her out! And George loved them like they were his little girlfriends! And Colette had seen him indulge his bird watching at times, so she knew he would love nature so much, not to mention having heard from other students that he was a volunteer for the "Clean and Green" program in University at times.

And she had a feeling those EKO girls truly "favored" him...

Although she never seen any of them approach him, Colette felt in her heart girls were willing to try, she just had yet to see it happen. And she was glad she didn't.

Whatever the case, she was glad no girl has claimed that handsome male monster, because he was going to be all hers the more she thought about him. And it was definitely worth all the trouble she had gone through so far.

She just prayed she wouldn't have to scuttle with any birds on the way.

Sighing to herself, Colette slotted in the roll of cloth onto the sewing machine and began trying and finish her dress on time.
~

Meanwhile, George was whistling to himself as he walked back to the JOX fraternity house after feeding the birds with seed he always kept stocked up in the kitchen. Having done it outside the Fashion Design class, he had wanted to catch a glimpse of the female monster that that made him feel all bubbly inside. Well, he did catch a glimpse of her, but she was so busy doing her dress for the lecturer he wasn't sure if she had spotted him or not.

He had seen her lecturer scold her for some reason and he had grown worried, wondering if Colette had been struggling. So he quickly fed the pigeons and left, hoping that he didn't distract her too much from her work. Whistling nonchalantly as he strolled across the campus courtyard, George observed his surroundings, drinking in nature's beauty which he usually did on a daily basis.

He overheard from a few monsters that Katy, Naomi, and Lane had been called into the Dean's office. Apparently the CDA could not place yesterday's incident down and now the three girls had been taking into Hardscrabble's office for questioning. They had all "survived" as monsters had informed, just a warning and minor punishments. George was glad for that, unsure what would happen if things had become more merciless.

And he honestly could not blame them for being unable to fight the temptation of seeing how the twins were doing. The entire campus was on edge wondering the condition of Oozma Kappa's beloved members, and the were not being given any information, not even Mrs. Carlton. George was overly worried himself like the rest of the Greek community, even Big Red had mentioned that Terry Perry was the stronger monster compared to him, and often spoke about how he hoped he and his brother would pull through.

The Scare Games would be postponed until then. Because none of the teams, save for ROR, were willing to participate in the events if OK was unable to. And Claire and Brock and even Hardscrabble had thoroughly agreed on this. Oozma Kappa was a blessing to the Greek community, with the kindest and most caring monsters MU had ever obtained. And they were the sole reason why the games were occurring a semester earlier, and not just because the previous semester had ended on a cheated fault. For as long as Oozma Kappa had been a fraternity, those previous semesters long before Exceeda Zeta and even Mike and Sulley had not been good to them. The Greek community as well as MU overall had been anything but kind to them. While George was the more sensitive out of his JOX brothers, he never really did reach out to OK, just respecting them from a certain distance. It had only been last semester did they finally grasp onto the proud and humble fraternity that would do no wrong, bringing them back into their good graces.

Although OK had been easy to forgive them for semesters of pain and exclusion, George knew they still had a long way to go. But he as well as the other Greek monsters would do all they could to make Oozma Kappa feel they belonged. And they couldn't bear to resume the games without the pride and joy that treated the competition like friendly outdoor sports. While Johnny was a bit distraught that the the games would be on hiatus until the twins returned, George had to admit that deep down perhaps the Worthington heir was just as concerned. Perhaps.

George could still recall how during the first event all of OK had wished each and every team good luck, and when the race across the sewer had concluded, they had given their congrats and even comforted the EKO sorority for being the first team eliminated; they had been very kind with their fallen member who suffered the worst from those pesky urchins. Even Mrs. Carlton had offered her services of nursing the poor girl back to health while her swelling was being treated. When everyone had been celebrating in their own respective houses, Mrs. Carlton had taken a moment to deliver soup and a large cake over to the EKO residence. George remembered the expressions on every monster's face, how warmed they were by the kindness of the OK mother, followed by the drool that hit the floor by the beauty that was baked by her own hands.

The JOX monster stopped in his tracks, taking a moment to regard everything. The grass was well-cut and all the trees were healthy, and the birds were flying above the campus with newfound energy. It was a beautiful day.

And it was a day like this that reminded him once more of Oozma Kappa. Those kind-hearted monsters who were above and beyond the most interesting individuals MU has ever witnessed. Just everything about them was original as well as amazing. And that was why the other Greek monster often put down whatever they were doing just to watch what the members of OK were up to. Or, if they were lucky, participate in whatever activity they were experiencing.

OK was all about fun and expression. And while Johnny called their antics childish and unnecessary, the rest of the Greek community referred to them as cool and exciting.

And he only hoped they could resume these precious moments once Oozma Kappa was complete again.
_

Dot rested her head against a fingerless hand as she scribbled on pieces of blank paper atop her desk. Using crayons that appeared as if it came from a pre-school cubicle, she wasn't drawing anything in particular, just forming spontaneous, single-colored rainbows as the crayon streaked across the page. The art class she had managed to sign up for during the week was going to begin in a few minutes and more students were piling into the room and taking their seats.

She didn't pay attention to her surroundings of posters or works from the previous semester taped on every wall. Nor did she pay any mind to her new classmates as she focused on her mundane scribbles and nonchalant blurs of cheap crayon. She especially didn't bother to look up when she heard someone take a seat next to her desk.

"I'm guessing those little puffballs you're drawing are suppose to allegorically protest against consumerism? Or am I thinking too deep?"

A little startled but finding herself smiling a little at the familiar voice, Dot raised her head and glanced to her right. There sat the furry purple pair of legs with the usual quirky look on his face. Undoubtedly the most baffling and interesting monster of the OK fraternity known as Art. He was grinning like a young monster child on his first day in preschool as usual as he sat at his seat, his large legs hunched under the desk. Dot was astonished now that she realized she was sharing the same class with a member of the most jovial of the OK team, and she somehow grateful to be. Guess the lecturer had to combine classes due to his busy schedule, and somehow that rescheduling has caused both their individual classes to be merged together.

Dot found herself smiling a little at the pair of legs. "Well, it's just random drawings, Art," she quipped. "I was trying to expand my imagination."

Art smiled, leaning back against his seat while his large legs plopped beneath his desk. His legs were practically his entire head, so it did appear a bit unusual to some monsters. But Art was definitely not "some monsters"; he was the most unique and conspicuous type Dot had ever witnessed on campus. Should he be among thousands he would immediately be pointed out; the same especially said for any of his fraternity brothers.

He just seemed to be the kind of monster who would be easily pointed out in a heartbeat among MU's student body, especially with his form. Of course, she must have reflected too deeply on cartoons to analyze this way, but it was just the way she felt on these particular things.

But Art Whatever-His-Last-Name-is was completely different, and quite the spontaneous character that reminded Dot of those sidekicks she watched in her favorite shows. To be perfectly, Art pretty much resembled a cartoon in real life. He would probably survive if an anvil fell on him!

"I like random," he chuckled, "and I like imagination. You should see what I do with my food in the cafeteria when I try to enhance my appetite."

Dot absorbed this interesting, and slightly unusual, information. Just so much about him was either mysterious or insane, and she leaned toward the latter. He had a smile and eyes that would only partially shut, almost as if indicating that he was only half-asleep.

"I don't know if I want to see that," Dot responded delicately.

Art just grinned, raising his hands in front of him before waving them around as if conjuring a spell. Dot almost believed he might be one of those monsters who liked to mess with maybe alchemy. Yeah, she had been watching way too many Tinkerblot movies...

"It's fun," he insisted innocently.

Dot couldn't help but smile. "I do like my art messy, but not that kind of messy."

"Aw, so you're suggesting I should clean myself up?" he asked, feigning a pouty expression while his bottom lip pretended to quiver.

The Art major's eyes raised before she averted her eyes back to her desk. This guy could have been given any incredible name in the universe like perhaps Zip or even Buzz. But he just had to have a name that would make any relevance to her major that confusing.

"Well, not 'art' as in you," she corrected with embarrassment, "I mean 'art' as in 'my art'. Not 'you, my art', just my art where you are you're own art..."

She felt she was rambling like that one princess from that one Monstro movie who met that handsome prince who turned out to be evil in the end. Well, she did love her cartoons, though glob help her if she started acting out any of the worse characters known to monster.

"Art," she concluded with an exasperated chuckle.

She smiled sheepishly while Art just laughed. His chuckles were nearly loud, which did attract some attention from other students before turning back to Dot again. "Well, each monster has his or her own unique way of drawing," he insisted blandly, "after all, our minds work in interesting ways, don't we?"

Dot thought over what Art stated, simply amazed by the way his thoughts progressed everything. "I guess so," she shrugged with a meek grin. "Pretty awesome stuff you got out of your mouth their, Art."

"Right back at ya, Dottie!" Art focused his brown eyes on her and grinned, his lips widening to reveal more of his square-ish teeth which appeared like white, round pebbles found on pavements, just without the dirt and grime on them.

A bit surprised by by the nickname, she was sincerely touched by it. In high school she had been referred to that, and it made her feel like a classic Monstro character; her name could trample over that female cartoon monster duck Drizzy any day. It felt good that in her very first semester in college she had only been called by her real name for a short time before finally giving her nickname its freedom. Thinking about it, her nickname was three letters. So was Art's, and she wondered if that really was his real name or it was shortened from something like maybe Arthur. She could tell he was far from an Arthur.

"You sound really confident," she mused, "you done some artwork in your spare time? Maybe drew some cartoons?"

"Not much," he admitted, "although the movie that premiered over the summer gave me some ideas that went green."

Dot grimaced, although her teeth clenched in a smile she forced herself to have as she looked at him.

"Please don't tell me it's that one movie with that overrated song-" she began with bitterness.

"Nah!" He insisted, waving it aside with a laugh. "I'm talking about that one movie where they got everything made out of bricks."

Dot raised a brow, although felt relieved. "The Mego Movie?"

"Yeah, that's it!" he encouraged with his hands in the air. "There's that one astronaut dude who's got some seriously sweet language going on!"

"Oh, that guy," Dot pondered as she tapped a crayon against her chin. "Yeah, he sounds interesting."

"My kind of cartoon!" Art said proudly, leaning deeper against his seat.

Dot chuckled, her thoughts going back to that spaceman and his personality. Somehow he reminded her of Art, carefree and happily reveling in being extremely weird, but was still a monster with a heart of gold. "Well, I do like the movie too, and I find it having an interesting moral and likable characters."

""I love them all so much!" he quipped happily. "It's like someone ate a pound of colored candy and puked it out to make waves of moving inanimate life!"

Dot stifled a giggle. "That's an interesting way to put it.

"You got that right," Art chuckled.

"So you've been in this class since the start of the semester?" Dot asked, deepening the conversation.

"Oh, yeah," he nodded vigorously, "this place is totally the bomb. And the teacher ain't too shabby either."

The classroom began to quiet down as their art professor strolled into the room. Dot immediately sat upward while Art remained relaxed in his seat the moment the faculty member came to his desk.

"Welcome back to another new art lesson, my students!" the professor announced cheerfully. "I'm sure you would all love what I have in store for you today."

"What do we have for class today, sir?" one student asked.

The professor chuckled. "Settle down, guys and gals. I'll need you all to form groups before I can tell you what to do."

His students murmured in agreement before the professor turned back to his board and wrote down the instructions.

"Right, you will all need to form groups of two," he explained. "So find a partner and move your desk to him or her."

Dot smiled at this before having found Art leaning from his desk toward her face.

"He may be giving instructions," he whispered to her, "but just wait until I bring out my inner artistic skill."

Before Dot could say anything she heard the sound of chalk being placed back on the rack and she glanced up toward their professor.

"Okay, first order of business," the professor began as he tapped the board, "cups of paint will be placed on your desks."

He scrawled a few points on the green board using his usual chalk piece while a couple of students were handing out the aforementioned supplies.

"I would like you all to indulge your creative talents and imagination to create a piece of scenery from any place you can imagine, whether it be fictional or non-fictional. Make it as good as possible, showing the surroundings and the inhabitants which lived in that piece of scenery you envisioned."

"Can it be from a movie or novel, sir?" one student asked.

"Especially those!" he stated excitedly with a raised finger. "Those fictional worlds provide excellent sources of inspiration, and I would like you all to use the paints to simplify the painting and make it your own."

Art kicked his feet in both directions as he raised himself on his seat before turning to Dot with a wild grin.

"Show time," he said.

Dot nodded, although unsure what that would mean. At least she would witness the artistic side of this zany character. And what the professor had requested was like a glob-send. Art classes in high school were indulgent and beneficial, but they were a bit boring. For four years she had to learn about asymmetrical and symmetrical, followed by how a tree's leaves needed to be drawn in order to look like a tree. Not exactly any lessons in the cartooning interests, but it appeared that college was finally giving her that chance. She turned to Art with an equal grin.

"Got any ideas, Artie?" she asked playfully.

She giggled to herself, having returned the nicknaming with something that wasn't exactly clever but similar. She did feel slightly uneasy when he smirked, raising one of his eyebrows as if this task was more of a challenge.

"Oh, yeah," he chuckled.

She watched as he reached beneath his desk and pulled out a lunchbox. On its front was a cover of a spaceship with several rainbow and cloud stickers, even one representing his fraternity.

"You have a lunchbox?" she asked in amazement.

Art rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know. It seems too childish and one would think a grown guy like myself-"

"I have one, too!" she almost cried with glee.

His eyes widened before he stared at her in astonishment. Then he beamed that his lips were almost exceeding his face. Dot just smiled sheepishly, her cheeks heating up a bit.

"So, what did you bring that will make our project something worth putting a frame over?"

"Just this," he answered simply.

The moment he flipped the lid, a mountain of ketchup and mustard packets tumbled onto his desk.

He grinned as Dot's eyes widened to see that he has gotten so condiment packets, and she could have sworn she spotted some tartar sauce in there. She wondered if the campus cafeteria was undergoing a bit of short supply due to the exceeding amount he had on his desk.

"I hope you aren't thinking of having lunch right now, Art," she joked.

"Oh, heck no!" he laughed. "I had an inspiration that would involve using this cream stuff to "spice up" our combined artistic piece!"

Dot nodded, simply giggling at his attempts. "Won't our piece smell?"

"At least it'll look delicious, Dottie!"

She allowed this new discovery to sink in. While it was completely absurd, she had to admit it was original. And she did like originality, having spliced all her high school artworks with the tiniest hint of cartoonish personality; that way it would show others how much they represented her. While Art's idea was beyond bizarre, from how he described it could be fun. And it rather appetizing since the thought of ketchup and mustard was making her crave a hot dog and a hamburger right now.

She gave a shrug. "Alright, I'll give it a shot. You do it then, and I'll see if I can follow."

"Awesome, let's get started then!" He picked up one of the cups of paint.

After the Art professor gave them the cue to start, Dot began mixing the to get the colors she needed on a palette, while Art tore open packets of sauce and began to squeeze them onto his own, grinning at the smell that wafted from the steadily growing mound of ketchup, mustard sauce and a hint of tartar sauce. Dot curled her gelatinous arm around one of her paint-brushes, dipped it into her desired color, and began to paint. Art added his own touches, not using a brush but simply dipping his finger into the ketchup and smearing them all over the canvas.

"What are you painting?" she asked, eyeing the canvas.

"Oh, this? These are the leaves of a tree in autumn."

Dot was quite impressed how skilled he appeared improvising without the use of brushes. His fingers were curved and thick, like the skinniest pears she ever seen. And the way he dipped and dabbed the paint onto their paper educated her more about originality. Having known Art for some time since the kick-off, she was quick to assume he was one of those open-minded kind of monsters who would break into spontaneity on the spot. Even that first Scare Games event proved much, seeing how hard he fought the temptation to touch those stinging urchins. Even the way he spoke was something to find so interesting. She watched as that same boisterous and silly grin played on his wide lips as he thrusted both his hands into the paint cups, paying no mind to the small amount of splatter he was making on his side of the combined desk. She watched as he slapped his palms onto the top section of their paper, leaving prints and marks that occupied most of their work.

"And what are those?" she pointed.

"Cotton candy clouds," he replied with a snicker. "Different flavors since they're made from chaos."

"Cotton candy clouds of chaos?" she laughed. "You watch that show?"

He beamed. "Don't you?"

"Well, yeah, although I'm not exactly hardcore about it," she answered bluntly. "I guess you're more or less an avid fan of that show, huh?"

He smeared on another cloud. "Theme song is killer!"

Dot watched as colors of the rainbow fleshed in almost every direction, she even had to wrap her arms around her shirt to make sure none of it would result in stains. Art appeared to be in the zone right now, sticking his tongue out to the side of his mouth as he worked. Not to say he was occupying most of the project, but Dot felt she could hardly top it at the moment.

Her eyes widened when he reached for a ketchup packet from his lunchbox, staining it with paint as he began to open it.

"And that is suppose to...?" she began.

"Nature's manufacturer," he said simply.

And with that he squeezeed it over the painting, allowing the condiment to fall in one big pile of goop like someone would with fries. She could go for some fries right now...

"And what would that represent?" she asked as she forced her hunger down.

"Why, the afternoon sky, of course!" he stated matter-of-factly. "It would be a nice scenery of a countryside in autumn, don't you think, Dottie?"

She managed to paint a number of small town village buildings. "I guess it does seem nice, Art."

"Well, I am glad you think so," he smirked. "The last time I did this kind of painting was outside a government building..."

Her head nearly shot up before she stared at him incredulously. "What?"

He laughed. "Just kidding. It was a country club."

"And why did you do that?" she almost winced.

He rolled his eyes. "Stiff upper crust monsters and their unfair way of playing golf and polo. All that narcissistic stuff that makes me want to barf!"

She nodding slowly. "Okay..."

"So what do you think?" He gestured to their painting.

Dot rubbed her chin. "Well, it looks pretty good. I especially like the smears of red and orange."

"Does have the feel of autumn, doesn't it?" he sighed almost dreamily.

"It could use a bit more orange on the sky though," she suggested.

He squinted at his work. "Ah, you're right, Dottie." He smeared more orange in long squiggly lines. "How about now?"

[The EZ girl stared down at the work that took both their creative minds, more Art than her. It was a mixture of every color provided to them, the ground setting not green but combined with hints of red as well as from the ketchup. The "cotton candy clouds of chaos" were blue and pink that mixed with specks of other colors due to Art not having wiped his hands. And the trees and leaves he smeared in the midsection, along with her little dabs and minor strokes with a brush, were polychromatic. The faint smell of ketchup wafted through her nostrils, but still, she smiled. It definitely was original in its own right.

"Looking good!" she said encouragingly.

Art beamed. "Care to add the finishing touch?"

"Which is?" she asked as she raised a brow.

He only smiled before he reached into his lunchbox and pulled out a mustard packet. He offered it to Dot.

"How about drawing a sun and make it smile?" he insisted.

She giggled once more before she took the packet. "I like the way you think."

"It's just to indulge the young monster kids in our hearts, Dottie!" he proclaimed.

"I guess suns do make some things better," she agreed as she opened her packet.

He grinned. "You're getting hungry, aren't you?" He laughed as she blushed sheepishly. "Hey, relax. After this I'll grab us some greasy grub. Don't have to barter on this like I due with my tuition."

Just as she angled the mustard packet, Dot couldn't help but given him a questioning look.

"Barter?" she asked in confusion.

"My own trading system," he simple answered.

She looked surprised and he had expected that. "Really? What about cash? I heard about this "bartering system" you made since coming here, but we both know that can't work for everything."

"Well, I do get my money somewhere..." he murmured quietly.

"Mrs. Carlton?" she guessed.

He chuckled. "Well, that and I sort of have a job on the side."

The way his voice spoke was so mysterious and intriguing, and Dot knew he was like a comic book series. After finding out one thing, you just wanted to know what happens next. But she kept silent and gave him a comprehensive nod. She smiled a bit as she finally squirted the sun at the corner of their picture, including its face. The yellow of the mustard was completely contrasting to the rest of the piece but it worked perfectly.

Dot grinned. "Now this is art."

"Yup, that's me!" he said happily.

Dot looked around them to see other students nearly finished with their own work. Partners were standing up so he or she could place their paintings on the windowsills of the room. Dot intended to do the same, just when she noticed Art grab a handful of packets. Alarmed, she quickly grabbed the picture off their conjoined desks before regarding him carefully.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He smirked. "Having some me time."

She immediately scooped her seat back as he began to squeeze the packaged condiments. She wasn't even sure if all the paper in front of him was enough to cover up what he was planning to do.

She watched his actions, mixed between concerned yet entertained. "Um, Art? I think it's a bit messy, don't you think?"

He gave a mischievous guffaw, "Well, messy is one thing, but to me I find it a source of perfect inspiration!"

"Pardon me, but what are you actually doing now?"

"Well, I can't waste my extra packets, right? And I have a great idea in mind..."

Dot's eyes widened, before she immediately jumped out of the way the moment Art brought his fists down on the desks. She stood clear as red and yellow flew everywhere. It didn't just splatter on both their desks, but onto the floor and anyone close by. By now her partner was gaining even more attention as he laughed maniacally, slamming his hands repeatedly before he grabbed all his used papers.

She could only watch as he threw them in the air before grabbing a few more packets. Like a cowboy, he shot at each one like a target, hitting them so perfectly she almost thought her eyes were being deceived with photo editing. But there Art was, flinging ketchup and mustard that students were dodging and inching away from him. She was surprised when their classmates were actually cheering and laughing as Art loosened himself like the wild animal he truly was.

"There he goes again," one student chuckled.

Dot watched as Art continued tossing paper and squirting everywhere, the entire room smelling like a hamburger that exploded. She could feel her hunger rise, but not as much as her astonishment as she watched him what some students referred to as "releasing the beast".

She had to smile despite having nearly been hit with ketchup. Oh, yes, random didn't even begin to describe this guy.

And she hoped the Art professor wouldn't reprimand or punish Art with detention, seeing as the older monster himself was a bit disgruntled as he watched the OK member from his desk.
_

Monnie glanced over at Randall, her heart pattering with composed excitement. Lugging her bag over her shoulder, she was more than pleased that the OK member himself had agreed on her offer.

She had heard of the MU Campus Radio staff putting out their posters for auditions of any monster who was willing to showcase their own custom music and take up the duty of reporting significant news around campus, playing for other students to enjoy. And Monnie knew this was too good a chance to pass up. Since there had been a large number of other monsters studying in the same Music Production major class who heard about the audition, there would be undoubtedly many of whom would try to vie for a spot to publicize their own music pieces on the MU Campus Radio airwaves.

But Monnie didn't mind the odds facing her at the moment, because she knew her custom beats on her arsenal of music CDs would easily rival those made by other monsters in the same class as her. She had listened to them numerous times, making adjustments and corrections to perfect those music pieces flow more smoothly. She was certain to impress the MU Campus Radio staff today at the auditions. If she could make it into the top 20 finalists, she would be one step closer to her dreams of every monster in MU hearing her personally-made music whenever they tuned in to the radio wavelengths.

Monnie walked up to The Music Hub with Randall following by her side, a shinning building of steel and glass with a slightly hip-hop outlook. It had colorful curved lines and musical notes drawn and imprinted on its walls, and a large radio mast extended from its top with a flag of MU flapping cheerily in the soft breeze. Located between the Scream Energy school and the School of Engineering, it differed from the other buildings easily due to its unique design and vibrant texture. Sunlight reflected from its shining windows and metallic walls, The Music Hub being the official headquarters of the MU Campus Radio, as well as the place where Monnie went to attend almost every lesson in her Music Production major class.

It boasted the most extensive production and filming in the whole of MU, with large glass doors and well-stocked equipment in each of its individual studios, for both recording and broadcasting campus news and music. Monnie spent quite some time in those large studios herself, her four hands dancing across computer keyboards and disks while having music pour through her ears of her custom-made earphones. This all made new music pieces as well as improvement upon her other older works. She would mostly spend hours in there, until it was time to get something to eat, or when The Music Hub had to close for the day.

Today, as the two monsters walked near the same location, Monnie and Randall could see it was crowded with monsters, all anticipating their chance to show off their music mixing skills to the MU Campus Radio staff. Laughter and chatters filled the air as students talked among themselves, listened to their own music through walkmans and eye-phones, or browsing through their pictures and resumes to make sure they had everything in order. They were all wearing lanyards with numbers on them, and the staff of The Music Hub brought in some more staff to maintain the situation outside the place, with more monsters lining up to get their own lanyards from the information counter at the front door. An aisle of empty classrooms with high-end computers and various music mixing devices extended down both sides of the first floor of the facility.

Monnie glanced over to Randall as he pushed his glasses back onto the rim of his snout. He just looked so adorable, especially in his OK sweater with all four of his unique hands hunched like that! He was smiling, albeit he did seem a bit tense.

"Wow, this is a lot of people," he commented, observing the scene.

"Competition," Monnie referred with a smile. "Easy competition."

"Aren't you nervous?" the newest OK member asked.

Her smile lessened, her green eyes giving her away. "Maybe a little," she confessed. But she grinned sweetly at him, hoping he would not hear her raging heartbeat. "Thanks for coming along with me."

"Hey, thanks for inviting me," he responded cheerfully. "I didn't even know MU had this kind of thing going on. I didn't even know there were these many DJ-majoring monsters."

Monnie chuckled as they walked toward the front doors. "Well, we have a number of classes near here, so I thought there would be a lot of monsters who knew about this event."

He looked at her, almost a bit skeptically. "You would be facing quite a lot of competition, Monnie."

She smiled. "Well, don't worry, Randy," she assured, heart fluttering at his concern, "I'm sure I'll be fine. Besides, I showed you my music beats, right?"

The lizard nodded, recalling how her recent visit to the OK house resulted in having listened to her music together in his room, the beats blaring through her laptop that he was sure it could be heard from outside Frat Row. It had been loud, but overall entertaining and quite enthralling to dance to.

"Uh, of course," he replied, "but I'm not sure what the rest of the monsters' music would sound like."

"You would be hearing quite a few later," she added, "especially the ones chosen to go on to the finalists."

"Well, you have my support then, Monnie," he stated confidently, "I'm sure you'll do great."

They reached the information counter, where Randall assisted his EZ friend with the form signing and issued with their own lanyards. Then they proceeded back to the line and joined in the queue. Since class was still hours away for either of them, both monsters had time to converse among themselves while waiting for Monnie's turn.

"You're still hoping you'll play DJ for a frat party soon?" he asked.

"That's what I'm counting on," she stated with determination. "It'll be a real party once I start playing!"

"I'm sure it will," he responded with a smile. "Maybe your first will be at the ROR's!"

The mention of MU's top fraternity immediately erased the smile Monnie had on her face. Gripping her lanyard with one hand, the other tightened into a fist. While she did have the least bit of respect for most of the aforementioned monsters, her animosity remained with their leader. Katy had often asked her why she needed to hold such a grudge on the Worthington heir when they hardly ever talked to each other, let alone barely introduced themselves the day of the kick-off. While the rest of EZ were uncertain about Johnny, save for both Laura and Dot who had sincere respect for him despite what they heard and learned, they were maintaing some form of courtesy. Monnie couldn't help it. Johnny Worthington just seemed so full of it and while she was no Scare student, she knew how famous his family was; and most monsters born from wealthy, famous families could be arrogant. It didn't take too long during the kick-off to prove he was of that particular category. Even the way he spoke toward Oozma Kappa was enough for her to drive a fist through the wall.

Randall blinked, noticing that familiar callous expression since the day she saved him from the anger of his former frat leader. His expression softened, lips sinking into a sad expression.

"You know...he's not too bad."

She regarded him carefully, wondering if his words spoke truthful or out of fear. "I don't quite like his attitude, Randy. He's such a jerk!"

He thought back to his last experience, sending a bitter feeling down his veins. But he quickly dropped it all as he looked up into those ocean green eyes of hers.

"Uh, you have a point there," he admitted, "but at least he cares about his fraternity members."

"Like how he kicked out Sulley?" she asked, crossing all four of her arms and raising a brow at him.

The mention of the blue monster himself made Randall feel even more bitter, but he bit down his frustration before speaking once more.

"Actually, that was because Sulley was beyond lazy," he informed, a bit comforted as he spoke about the former student's flaws, "and didn't do well in his exams, and so he was removed...I think." Of course, that had been what Johnny told him the day he recruited Randall.

Monnie regarded him tenderly. He was just so sweet and thoughtful, even toward those who were to be considered his enemies. After all, ROR was OK's rival, and it was pretty unfriendly on that side of it from what she had seen so far. Those ROR boys had the nerve to make fun of Randy when he began wearing his glasses at the first event!

"I can see that," she stated nonchalantly.

"But so far I don't think they're bothering my new brothers," he confirmed with relief, "at least not in the worst way possible."

"I'd kick their tails if they tried anything," she grunted almost menacingly.

"I heard that a lot..." he gulped. And it was true, despite the rest of Frat Row respecting the top fraternity, they harbored ill feelings toward the Worthington heir and his crew. Especially if they tried anything to either intimidate or mortify Oozma Kappa.

"Trust me," she said clearly, "I will actually do it if they dare."

"I don't doubt that, but I am more worried for your safety if you do, Monnie."

She looked at Randall in the eyes, heart racing but she still maintained her expression. "Don't worry, Randy, I can take care of myself."

"Just don't offend any of the RORs," he insisted.

Monnie almost scoffed at this. "What would they do anyway?"

Randall nervously played with all four sets of his fingers, then leaned toward her. "They have influences everywhere, especially Johnny. Whatever he wants, he would get it in the end. From what I've heard."

Monnie scowled at this. While these were monsters who had money and power, she doubted the good monsters of MU would allow to be trampled upon. Unless persuaded in the most tempting way possible. But if she knew anything, the Greek community would refuse this instantly. The time she spoke to Carrie Williams of PNK, the aforementioned leader had admitted that they had a long way to earn OK's trust after how much that particular fraternity suffered long before EZ arrived. While all of Frat Row were on good terms with OK, being welcomed like family, the PNK leader had agreed with the other Greek monsters that there was still so much to make up for. And they were honestly trying. Especially where protesting against Johnny and his ROR buddies was involved.

"Influence my tail!" Monnie almost snarled.

Randall, a bit taken by her sudden anger, smiled meekly. "Well, that's what I heard, but I guess now since things have changed, Johnny and his ROR buddies would have less influence now."

"Probably, but they actually misuse their influence, right?" she asked. "Like the time they managed to get the Art Club and Campus Roar stuff to publish that humiliating photograph last semester from what Mike said?"

Being reminded of that made Randall's tail nearly fall limp behind him. But he also needed to remind himself that he had been drafted into this, and his OK brothers held nothing against him about it, knowing Johnny was just that influential.

"Sadly, yes," he sighed. "I did voice my concerns that it seemed a bit too much, but they went along with it."

Monnie regarded him like a nurse inspecting an ill child. "You really didn't want them to do this to Mike and the guys."

He nodded. "I just wanted to die when the photo went public."

Her heart throbbed for him once more that she almost wanted to bring him into her arms in a hug. "Oh, Randy..."

"But, you know, everything's been taken down," he added, "I think the Greek monsters burned them all."

"But you know they tricked many Freshmen and Seniors when they went public with everything that night, right?" she asked.

"You don't have to remind me," he sighed. "I have walked past many a trash-bin filled with caps, posters and mugs of that humiliating poster ever since the OK fraternity won the Scare Games last semester.

"Did they force you to go along with their plan or something?" she couldn't help but question.

He shrugged. "Well, I was pretty much afraid of being kicked out, so I had no choice but to go along. And I was really scared that they could do the same to me."

"No one holds it against you, Randy," she said gently, "you just didn't want to cheese Johnny off.

Randall averted his gaze, sucking in his cheeks. "I know he can be a good monster sometimes, but I can be afraid of him."

Her thoughts burned with images of the Worthington heir's face, his arrogant expression something she just wanted to rip to pieces.

"Well, he's the real coward from what I've seen," she stated firmly. "Now that you and your brothers know what you're really capable of, ROR is really in for it now."

"Well, I hope I can impress them and get back my self-esteem and dignity that ROR took from me," he said.

Monnie gave a nod. "Well, Randy, I'm sure your new brothers would support you every step of the way."

"Seems like it that way, Monnie," he said, smiling.

They walked a few steps as the queue moved forward, and Monnie witnessed only a small number of monsters coming out with paper slips, while the majority mostly exited either nervous or close to tears.

Monnie gulped. Rejection was a normal part of life. Of course, with that came the determination to do better and hope for a new, more relieving outcome.

Randall played with his fingers. "Wow, their reactions could say so much..."

"Well, I am pretty confident I can pass through this audition, Randy" she reminded him. "After all, I've been preparing for it the last few days."

"No wonder I always see you listening to music on your headphones and making notes on the benches in the Quad," he laughed.

She chuckled. "Uh, yeah. I was so engrossed in the music that I once forgot to go for dinner."

"So, did you eventually go and eat?" he asked curiously.

"Don't worry," she said sweetly, "I always keep some food with me in my dorm. And in the worst case scenario, I ordered take-out."

"Wow, I'm really impressed. You're a shoe-in to win!" he said happily.

Monnie blushed, feeling even more overjoyed that he had agreed to accompany her. "Thanks, Randy."

"Boy, if Laura was in this situation, I'm not sure how she would handle it," he chuckled dryly. "I would pretty much have to hold her hand the entire time, and I'm willing." he added with a grin.

A spasm of jealousy poked itself into Monnie's heart, but she forced a calm look and returned a gentle smile to the lizard. Although she had to wonder why the purple monster was so obsessed with Laura instead of her. Monnie was willing to go to the end of the line if she could earn Randall's attention more than ever before, but he so far had only showed some minimal interest, with his attention focused mostly on her sorority leader instead. What was it that she possessed that Monnie didn't?

"Well, I think Laura should be fine," she tried not to grunt, "although I'm not sure what kind of music she listens to."

Randall rubbed his chin. "I think she prefers something classical, and maybe some Jazz?"

Monnie shrugged. "Beats me. She hardly shares much about her interests."

This didn't surprise Randall. He was undoubtedly among many, even her own sorority, who didn't know much about Laura Sharp other than she came from Fear Tech and that her father is the famous Fillmore Sharp.

"Yeah, she has been keeping a bit distant. But then again, she did come late into this semester," he said.

"You'd think she would be a lot more open," Monnie responded.

"I think she still needs time to adjust to the student life in Monsters University," he suggested. "After all, she came in two weeks late."

"At least she's a fast learner."

"Considering how many times she went to the library, I am sure that was to be expected."

By now the queue seemed to be going faster as both monsters neared the doorway. Monnie tensed a bit, but she would make it. After all, Randall was beside her, and that was a good omen, at least to her.

"So, um, why did you want me to come?" he asked curiously.

Monnie stiffened but remained calm, hoping he wouldn't see her blush. "Well, I would like someone to be with me, having someone to talk to and discuss stuff would clear away my nervousness."

Randall nodded at this, touched by the sentimental answer. "I see, Monnie. You want something to eat?"

The EZ girl had barely eaten much breakfast, the anxiety of having her opportunity within reach having her consume little. She realized now she was famished. "Sure, what do you have?"

She watched as he placed down the shoulder bag he had brought along with him for the day. It was green and yellow and she knew immediately that was was designed by Mrs. Carlton due to the stitching work, followed by other sources that might have supported its work. After all, each frat and sorority had their merchandise created from somewhere. She watched as he unfurled the straps on it before digging inside.

Her eyes widened when he took out a plastic bag full of cookies with chocolate chips practically gleaming in the lights.

Randall smiled as he held them out to her. "Baked them just in case."

She eyed the gooey chocolate with hunger. "You baked them yourself?"

"Yeah," he gushed, "with advice from Mrs. Carlton to improve my own baking skills. I'm not just making cupcakes."

This delighted Monnie, who had the confidence that maybe he would consider having his own baking business. If someone were to make a bake sale, it would be him, and Mrs. Carlton.

"So, can I try some?" she asked.

He chuckled. "Of course, splurge on."

He handed one of the larger pieces that contained the most chocolate chips, and the scent was simply amazing. Monnie smiled before sinking her teeth into it, breaking off a huge chunk before it slid within the confines of her mouth. Chewing thoughtfully, she nearly giggled as she absorbed the taste.

"Good glob, these are good," she sighed almost dreamily. "You are a really good baker, Randy."

Randy felt his cheeks redden slightly. "Oh, you are too kind with compliments, Monnie."

She laughed. "I was only telling the truth, Randy. It is really good! You should bake more of these cookies."

"Oh, I plan to," he said happily.

"Oh, yeah, you doing groceries with Mrs. Carlton anytime soon?" she asked.

"Yeah, helping with dinner again tonight," he answered.

"I hope to taste all those delicious desserts you made, Randy," she grinned.

"Well, I have a few new dessert ideas I'm willing to try out tonight, and I hope you'll enjoy them, Monnie."

Her heart warmed, realizing that all of this was directed at her. She only wished dinner could just be between them. Like a date.

She gave a light nod. "I look forward to it."

She turned just in time to see the queue begin to lessen even more, and Randall noticed as it was near her turn.

"Well, good luck," he stated.

"Well, I feel fine now," she breathed, "and thanks for the little treat, it really helps calm me down."

Randall smiled gently. "You are most welcome, Monnie."

The Music Hub staff in front of her opened the door and gestured for Monnie to go in. She took one last breath before shifting her gaze toward Randall, who returned it with a nod a thumbs up. Smiling at his encouragement, she stepped into the studio, hoping that she would make it to the finals with her skills alone. She deeply wished Randall would join her inside, but he was not a competitor, only a supporter who would be waiting for her when it was all over.

The moment Monnie stepped through that door, she made sure to close it behind her. Every monster's audition was private, and so would hers. She gazed around the studio with various posters representing MU's music department as well as motivational ones that proved how significant the Campus Roar DJ position was. This was followed by the technology scattered among the room, which was separated by a giant glass panel. On the other side were no other than the Senior staff themselves, on her side was the mixer Monnie was to use.

She tensed once more before stepping into the glaring lights of the studio, trying to make out the expressions of the monsters on the other side of the glass.

"Uh, hi," she waved awkwardly, "I'm Monnie Monstre, here to audition."

"Welcome to the audition for The Campus Radio DJ, Monnie Monstre," one of the seniors spoke through a microphone that echoed through the speakers of her side of the room. "Thanks for coming, and I'm sure you're well aware of our requirements and standards?"

Monnie nodded. "Of course, I have read the details about your audition up on the University's notice board."

"Good to hear," another senior's voice rang out. "Now, it's fair to say that many monsters with music backgrounds have expressed certain interest in joining as a Radio DJ for the MU Campus Radio, so maybe you can tell us about yourself and what you can bring to our little group of radio hosts."

"As my friends are saying," another voice spoke, "the floor is yours, Monnie Monstre. Impress us."

Monnie exhaled to calm herself, and she knew that this was either all or nothing.

"Well, for starters, I am majoring in becoming a DJ on account of my mom is one. And some of the beats I've whipped up were inspired by hers," she explained from her heart.

"That's interesting to hear," one of them responded, "and how do you feel about sharing these toward the public?"

"More than anything," she replied sincerely, "it would be a dream come true."

"Interesting," another senior said, "so why not get started and wow us?"

Monnie gave an obedient nod before standing before the record-scratching display. She had practiced with these type of devices before she had arrived at MU, so she was certain she could accomplish this.

She opened up her music disks booklet and pulled out her best custom beats, before checking that everything she needed was in order. Once that was done, she gave a nod and a gentle smile to the senior students and they all nodded back with acknowledgement. Slipping her music disks onto the record-scratching display, Monnie tuned the volume to acceptable levels (apparently the previous monster had switched them all to the highest level) and placed on her own custom-made headphones. She began to scratch out her own custom tunes for the seniors to listen and enjoy. She was putting her best tunes on the line, and she hoped it would be enough to impress them.
~

Randall could see or hear nothing since the audition room's windows were blacked out and the doors were apparently sound-proof, but he was sure that in his heart Monnie must be enjoying herself to impress those seniors of the MU Campus Radio. If the custom tunes she had shared with him were enough to make him smile and give compliments, he was more than certain they would all be impressed by her music-mixing skills overall.

A few minutes later the door swung open and immediately he became alert as the redhead stepped out. A pleased smile played on her lips as she hauled her belongings with her as well as a slip of paper. Randall scurried over to her, adjusting his glasses.

"So...how'd it go?" he asked timidly.

Monnie looked up at him, and pressed the slip of paper into his face as her only response. Randall squinted a little at the tiny wording, and took a few minutes to read it through to confirm what he was seeing. After reading it thoroughly three times, a wide grin appeared on his own face and was mirrored by Monnie's smile. She had done it, and the panel of senior students had given their consent willingly as they were impressed by her music mixing skills. Very impressed.

She nearly hooted in triumph. "I did it, Randy! I'm in the top finalists!"

Randall laughed, having unintentionally held her hand. "That's excellent work, Monnie! I'm so glad for you!"

Monnie beamed, having wished for nothing more than to hear him praise her. Other than wishing to be on the top finalists of course.

Before she knew it, the lizard had surged forward and enveloped her in a tightening embrace. Though she was surprised by this, her heart thumped with excitement, feeling all four of his arms wrap around her own. She gazed down at the fronds atop his head which bounced with giddiness.

Randall looked up at her with a pleased smile. However, his eyes flashed with realization before he quickly loosened himself and created some distance between their bodies.

He rubbed the back of his head shyly. "Uh, yeah, congratulations..."

Monnie smiled back at him, her heart wishing that he would just embrace her again. He felt so warm, so comforting, and despite his scaly skin he was as cuddly as a stuffed animal. Great glob, she swore she felt her heart skip a beat when he had hugged her, but she almost felt a bit sad that he had cut it short. That shy and gentle look on his face with those glasses warmed her to no end.

She looked at him happily. "Well, I guess the first step's been taken. The rest is up to the judges' voting."

"Actually," he declared, "I'm pretty sure they'd choose you to be among the top finalists next week."

Her heart swelled once more, feeling even happier than she had inside that studio. "Thank you, Randy. That's all I needed to hear."

He beamed. "Well, now that we're pretty much done here. How about I treat you to a drink before we head back to classes?"

Although she would have immediately jumped at the offer that this could almost be considered a date, she smiled politely.

"Are you sure, Randy?" she asked. "I can pay for my own drink."

"Well, this is your moment," he insisted, "let's celebrate, alright?"

Her skin shivered with excitement. "Sure, why not? So, any drink I want?

"Of course," he laughed, "I did give you my promise, right?"

Monnie smiled at him. "Thanks a lot, Randy."

He grinned. "You're welcome, Monnie."

They walked out of the busy building together, talking about what they would be doing next before their classes and the upcoming Scare Games as they made their way to the nearest drink kiosk. Monnie couldn't be more overjoyed that she was spending this quality time with the adorable lizard of a kind and passionate fraternity. He was worth it several times over, and she wouldn't trade this moment for anything.
_

The library of Monsters University, which was also well-known among MU students as Bohol Hall, was an excellent repository of thick-binded books on a wide variety of subjects and information known to monster-kind. Student monsters and even lecturers from every known school in the University flocked there for their research studies as well as getting the required details on their individual or group assignments and projects. Shelves fashioned from the finest timber and oak reached towards the ceiling, and held row upon row of books of every known color, arranged according to their subjects, genres and alphabets. Students sat either singly or in small gathered groups, deep in discussion while comparing notes, or typing away on their laptop computers while referencing the information they need from thick reference books opened beside them. They all walked or conversed as quietly as possible, due to the fact that Margaret Gesner was currently on duty at the moment, and the librarian has already made sure to everyone that she would not tolerate any form of noise in her quiet sanctum.

Since she had chosen a small study table in the isolated corner of the second floor, Laura was quite content with her current location as it had the relative peace and quiet she wanted, as well as being away from the attention of other monsters. She had a number of books of Scaring theories stacked neatly in front of her with their contents opened to the pages she needed, while she wrote with a blue pen in her paw on a large notebook as her pair of sky-forest eyes moved quickly and purposefully, committing the information she needed to her mind. Laura sifted through the information she absorbed from the books for the important points she needed to study for the upcoming test. Even though her intelligent mind was hard at work as usual, Laura could not help but feel concern for a certain pair of OK Fraternity brothers who were still receiving their medical treatment at the Monstropolis General Hospital at the moment.

Word had been spreading through campus that the Dean of Scaring had been able to negotiate with an agent the CDA had sent over after Katy's little stunt yesterday. Had the meeting been truly a success, then Laura was certain Hardscrabble had managed to work out something that resulted in gaining more news about Terri and Terry Perry. Laura full-heartedly agreed that MU had a right to know hat exactly was going on in the medical ward the twins were residing in. Out of all who deserved to know what was happening, it was the OK fraternity, especially Mrs. Carlton.

But they still have to wait, as the CDA was the absolute authority in terms of human contamination matters, but at least Mrs. Carlton has been assured that the MU faculty would do whatever they could to petition for news on the Perry twins, who were last heard to be in some sort of emergency operation to mend their wounds and clear away the contaminated fluids on their conjoined body.

While Laura herself was quite worried for them, she had forced herself to stay calm as the twins were in the best hands possible for their condition and were receiving the best medical care in the monster world for their current predicament. She had found it a little hard to believe that a small sibling quarrel would result in such an accident, but sadly it happened and she was equally astonished that the twins were seriously injured and had to be sent to the nearest hospital for emergency medical treatment. Truthfully, she hoped to see Terri and Terry Perry again, and for them to return to their university lives and take part in the Scare Games with the rest of their Fraternity, but all those dreams would have to wait until the Perry twins have recovered from their ordeal fully. And she hoped that they would recover, as this was an unfortunate accident caused by a foolish moment of sibling argument.

As her blue pen travelled across her notebook writing down important points and notes from the passage of words she was reading, Laura felt glad that she was able to get such a secluded spot for her personal study as she appreciated some peace and quiet at times. Somehow, in her heart, Laura felt that she was able to be herself when she was alone, when there was no other monsters to comment about her behind her back or look at her with either eyes of jealousy or yearning. After all, she had plenty of those back in her time studying in FearTech, and the less said about that, the better...as Laura would rather forget about those awful memories to start a fresh new chapter of her life in MU.

At least, just continue her university life for the sake of her education. That familiar sense of fear wedged deep within the pit of her stomach once more. It had been the same feeling she had since she had been forced to find start a sorority, work as a leader during the first event of the Scare Games, the same potent anxiety that clung to her whenever she grew too near toward other monsters. While she held dear to the fact that she had found MU after deciding to leave Fear Tech, the realization that her old alma mater days were gone did not shine any light on the situation.

There was a chance something would go wrong...and she would be thrown into the pit once more.

Breathing through her nose, Laura forced herself to focus on her work, reminded that she was alone in this section of the library. Hardly any monster would drop by here, the Sharp girl having noticed no one seemed interested in this books in particular. Old and classical could still be found within public view where the entrance was.

She was grateful to be among the books that were simply cast aside and forgotten.

As she scribbled down her notes, she failed to notice pair of brown eyes watch her from a shadowed corner. The hard but merciful irises raised in question behind black glasses as the monster reached up to fiddle with piercings that began to itch the horns.

Rosie Levin held back a grunt as she scratched behind one of her hook-shaped horns once more. She made sure to keep her fingers clear of her piercings, feeling a bit frustrated by the sudden weight they were harboring upon her skull. She worked out, was a Chewjitsu professional, yet she couldn't keep her own head straight with all the dang earrings? After their success in the first event, she had her horns pierced once more, adding to the display of silver that dangled and shook with her movements.

The HSS leader always got a new piercing whenever her sorority won an event...or made a grown man cry. However, since the semester started, the latter had been rather eluded, and her earrings consisted mainly on the new Scare Games. Nadya had warned her that more piercings would result in consequences, seeing as Rosie had more piercings than any other girl on campus, and that record had remained standing since before she became the sorority president.

As much as Rosie wanted to accept her sister's advice, piercing was a hobby of hers she just couldn't let go. So she just took it in stride, refusing to allow this become a minor setback when she and her sorority members had already planned their strategy for the second event.

Standing behind one of the book displays, she could only witness Laura Sharp in question, wondering why in the world she was all alone with no other monster in sight. If the HSS president didn't know any better, it almost appeared as if the late student preferred solitude 24/7, even from her own sorority if one analyzed closely. She almost wanted to emerge from the shadows and approach the shy and timid EZ president, hoping to strike up a conversation and perhaps study a bit together. Despite bulk like a wall with fists that could tear down trees, the strong sorority leader was friendly and compatible through her darkly exterior. That's what she had proven to Laura during that JOX party.

Rosie as well as all the other Greek monsters had provided Exceeda Zeta welcome and treated them as one of their own, much like Oozma Kappa. The HSS leader even went as far as to gift the newest sorority leader with a box of chocolates, exemplifying herself after the generous and giving OK monsters. Laura had been the uttermost shy but polite, thanking her gracefully and accepting the token of Greek friendliness. She didn't seem to share much, just merely discussing Scaring classes and the Scare Games. When the latter was brought forth, Rosie had witnessed a trigger of anxiety play upon the skeptical Laura Sharp. After having witnessed her suffer a panic attack, at the first event, the HSS leader did all she could to choose her words carefully and make Laura feel right at home.

She had come from Fear Tech, and Rosie was certain things played much different there compared to MU. There was still so much to learn about the new student, other than the fact they knew she was the daughter of famous Scarer Fillmore Sharp and the caretaker of Archie the Scare pig.

Even Claire Wheeler mentioned how formal Laura had been with her and Brock, going to far as to refer to them as "Ms. Wheeler" and "Mr. Pearson". She even warned Rosie that there's was a chance Laura would do the same for the rest of the Greek community. As much as Rosie appreciated being called "Ms. Levin", it felt too authoritative and dull. And she knew Big Red would really hate being called "Mr. O'Growlahan". No one in the Greek Life wanted to be referred formally and like something out of business. MU was a lively institution where a monster could feel liberated and completely at home. That was what she and the other Greek monsters have strived to prove to Oozma Kappa since last semester that fateful day.

And she could only hope Laura could see that as well. All her sorority sisters were open and sharing themselves among their Greek neighbors.

How come not her?
_

Katy's eyes loomed over one of the higher windows of the dorm building, her brows furrowing in frustration. After having finalized everything with the Dean and working a schedule for her and the other girls to begin their community work, she just wanted to have an outing with her sorority sisters. She turned just in time to see Colette approach her, the former raising a brow at her beatnik-like outfit.

"What's going on?" Colette asked, adjusting her beret.

"I think it's Laura," Katy answered, "I think she's been cooped up in her room all day."

The other EZ girl rolled her eyes. "I know she likes to study and all, but this is beyond...believable!"

"Why do I get the feeling she's just shutting herself in?" Katy couldn't help but inquire.

"That sounds familiar," Colette teased. "Guess you saw the film over the summer as well."

Katy chuckled at this, having watched some good movies before arriving in MU. Although that one in particular was not her favorite, she did have high ratings of her own for it.

"Yeah, okay, but anyway, looks like we got ourselves a queen up in there with some serious "conceal, don't feel" going on or whatever."

Colette nodded. "We should get her out of there."

It was then she noticed the other girl pick up a stone below their feet.

"Maybe I can get her attention," Katy said as she concentrated on the window.

"Wait," Colette interrupted, "don't you think that's a bit rude? Why don't we just knock on her dorm door?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Katy couldn't help but smirk.

Colette gave her a stern look, hands on her hips, until the the Vocal Music major emitted a defeated sigh, dropping the stone back onto the ground.

"Fine," Katy muttered, "let's get her out and see if she wants to "build a snowman"."

"Is that a metaphor for getting hitched?" Colette asked in confusion.

"Are you kidding me?" Katy gripped, eyeing the other is disbelief as they entered the building, taking the stairs.

They eventually reached Laura's door, and Katy lightly knocked on it before she and Colette waited patiently. They heard sniffing and gurgling sounds that belonged to no other than Archie the Scare pig.

"How is it the people who run the dorms haven't done anything about him yet?" Colette mused.

"It's Fear Tech's mascot," Katy pointed out, "we're dominating them the more Archie's here."

There were soft footsteps, and a click was heard before Laura timidly opened her dorm door the slightest crack, her sky forest eyes peering up at Colette and Katy.

"Yes?" she answered quietly. "Oh, it's you two. Is something wrong?"

She wouldn't even fully-open her door, wings tucked as she appeared to be in a hurry, as if something was just so important occurring in her room that she desired no interruptions. Both girls looked at each other before turning back to Laura as if she was the most oblivious monster on campus.

"Yo, Laurs," Katy spoke smoothly, "how's about you hang with us and head to the stadium?"

Laura felt her ears lower much like her wings, and Katy knew she was trying not to appear reluctant while Archie rubbed against her leg.

"Um, gee, I don't know..." the Sharp daughter responded uneasily.

"Oh, come on!" Colette practically begged. "It'll be fun! And there will be a lot of hot guys to look at!"

Laura quickly shook her head. "Really, that's okay..." Her fingers gripped the door as she pushed it further, and the girls were finally able to see light of her room. "Why don't you just go without me and tell me how it goes?" she suggested, forcing a smile.

Katy and Colette glanced at each another in confusion, before turning back to Laura. They were going to get her out of her "dome" even if it killed them.

"We really think you should just come," Katy insisted, "enjoy some fresh air and watch guys slam their heads until their skulls crack."

Colette placed her hand around Laura's shoulder. "Come on! It would be fun to watch!"

Unfortunately for them Laura was that strong. After all, she had carried all four of her teammates in the first event. Laura winced, clinging to the door frame, not budging while Archie watched curiously. The Scare pig gurgled and snorted in amusement and curiosity as his caretaker dominated the tug of war by doing nothing, the other two having a hard time trying to pull her free.

Colette grunted, using both her hands to grip Laura's arm while Katy held onto the other. "It'll be fun!" she spoke through gritted teeth.

"Holy glop, you are a tough one!" Katy muttered as she pulled at the Sharp heiress, only to be met with protest as Laura stayed in place.

Laura nearly clawed onto her door as she tried to push the girls off. She just wished they would leave and she would lock the door. If anyone else came knocking, she would just let them continue so until they gave up.

"And yet Mike was able to get you to the JOX party that easy?" she snorted.

Giving up for the moment, Katy finally loosened herself from Laura and sighed with exasperation.

"Come on, Laura. We're your sorority sisters! We're suppose to be hanging out!"

She didn't notice the agonizing expression on her leader's face the moment she said that.

Colette looked at her, hands clapped together as she offered her the best puppy expression she could master.

"Please, Laura?" she begged, bottom lip trembling.

Laura winced, noticing she was losing the battle. "Really, girls, I don't want to cause any trouble."

"Aw, come, it's no trouble at all!" Katy insisted.

"Please, Laura? Please?" Colette's eyes were wide and even more pleading now.

They really weren't going to step down, Laura could see that. Finally, she took a deep breath and sighed, trying to convince herself that perhaps one outing wouldn't do too much damage.

"Okay, fine..." she groaned. "But not too long, alright?"

"Good enough for me!" Katy beamed.

The next think Laura knew, both her arms were linked around each of her sorority sister's. Soon she was walking down the hall toward the stairs like a group of monsters following a yellow brick road. Archie bounded after them, drafting himself as the fourth wheel to his caretaker.

Laura's wings draped even lower as she allowed the two girls to accompany her, Archie trailing behind them. She mentally took steady breaths, reminding herself that as long as she didn't do anything heinous she would be fine.
~

Johnny leaned against a kiosk as he watched the clouds go by, finding no particular interest in what the rest of the day could bring. Other than the entire university waiting on hands and knees for any news of the hospitalized OK monsters, there was absolutely nothing.

His head swiveled when he heard faint singing and caught sight of a few of the EZ girls. Particularly their leader whose eyes darted back and forth with an unsettling expression.

Beside him, Chet and Chip stood near the kiosk, the latter drinking a cold beverage while Chet was observing their surroundings to past the time.

Johnny's eyes tracked the trio of girls as they approached the stadium, and wondered why they would go there, until he remembered the MU football team was playing a few mock matches there among themselves. Most students would be going there to watch for fun. And that was where the three EZ girls were planning to spend their time from the looks of it.

Chet noticed his fraternity leader's lips curling into a grin, and he felt his curiosity get the better of him once more.

"Johnny?" he asked in an almost child-like tone.

"Hmm?" The ROR president turned to see the smallest of his fraternity staring at him. "Oh, nothing."

His smirk deepened, before abandoning his spot at the kiosk and turned in the direction the girls had headed.

"I got to go meet someone right now," he spoke lightly, almost desirably.

"Okay, do you want me to go with you?" Chet offered.

"No need," Johnny insisted firmly, "just stay here and keep Chip company, alright?"

"Yeah, like I need company," Chip scoffed.

Johnny rolled his eyes as Chet glared at Chip, before he was off. The Worthington heir following Laura's tracks as she squeezed between her sorority sisters. He watched as she held her head high, taking a breath every now and then as she remained composed as possible.

Every little action she did was just so entrancing, and Johnny grinned, hoping to strike big once he had those possible moments with her.

Of course, he had to keep Carla's nagging advice in mind. But he did promise especially himself that he would follow a bit of his own as well.
_

The Stadium

The small crowds of students cheered as the MU football team scored another point, while the other mock team could only groan in frustration at their defeat. Laura followed closely behind her sorority sisters as they found a bench close enough to the game. As they all sat down, she tucked in her wings, hands folded on her lap as she watched, becoming slightly more calm.

The entire MU football team was there, including the famous massive slug player himself that was the talk of any MU sports fan. Laura looked at the row of blue helmets to see if she could pick out any familiar monsters. Big Red was easy to spot, since his size made him quite noticeable, and Laura could also see his girlfriend cheering from one of the lower benches beside her fellow friends. Laura had to smile. They looked so perfect for one another; she hoped she would do no wrong in that.

She spotted another monster who looked like the coach of the MU football team, and as Katy had helpfully provided the name for her, the monster known as Skipper shouted out his orders to the rows of MU players. They instantly switched formations like some kind of choreographed dance routine as replacements were sent out to fill in the blanks of positions. Skipper looked well-muscled, and he had two large navy blue horns which curled from the sides of his face. He had well built limbs, and wore a blue and white jacket with the MU sigil and football team insignia on it. He had a strict expression on his eagle-like face, and that brought no argument or hesitation.

Laura had to admire his dedication to the boys in blue, each member working hard to gain MU another victory. There were also quite a number of cheerleaders who were also practicing their dance routines as the MU football team poured their efforts into getting their formations right and proper. Laura noticed that MU's cheer squad currently had only four members. Despite how little a cheer squad it way compared the mass majority back at her former alma mater, Laura was impressed by such teamwork overall.

"Well, hey there, Laura."

She raised her eyes only to see Johnny smiling down at her from the steps. Both Colette and Katy looked up to see the ROR president beaming at them...or more likely at Laura.

"Johnny?" Laura was only vaguely surprised.

The ROR president could only grin, eyeing Laura flirtatiously while all the EZ leader could do was offer him a shy but seemingly sweet smile, hunching her shoulders as if completely unsure what to do.

"Are you, um, hear to watch the game as well?" she asked, trying not to sound unsettled.

"Sure," Johnny played along, nearing her, "just wanted to see how much we improved since last year."

He practically melted as he witnessed the interesting expression on Laura's face, those eyes of hers gazing at him curiously as her arms crossed over her body, as if blanketing herself. However, he did notice that both Colette and Katy were somewhat reluctant to see him. And suddenly he saw a little of Monnie in each of them. He decided to ignore those two, wanting to just be alone with Laura. That in mind, he reached toward the EZ leader and wrapped his arm around her, taking her by surprise. Although he could see that his action startled her for a moment, Laura did not push away, however she did avert her gaze, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Any chance we can talk in private?" he whispered to her.

He smirked as he saw her eyes widen before she awkwardly smiled, which appeared more like a wince. Such a shy flower.

What he didn't expect was Katy having slapped her hand over his, before shoving his arm off Laura.

"Excuse me," she began sternly, "but who do you think you are trying to separate Laura from us? She's here because we requested her to come along and see the MU football team in action."

Johnny merely raised his eyebrows at her while Laura darted from him toward Katy anxiously.

"Katy, calm down," she reasoned, "it's okay."

"Are you serious?" Colette demanded in disbelief, eyeing the Worthington heir closely.

Katy's eyes hardened as they focused on Johnny. While she wasn't exactly Monnie, she knew too well the likes of Johnny Worthington. Just everything about him spoke the least likely monster one would study alone with.

"And what do you want to talk to her privately about, Johnny?" Katy asked suspiciously, folding her arms.

Johnny frowned, wondering what Katy's deal was as he remained close by Laura, wishing to just hold her in his arms like he had almost done had the aquatic not barged in.

"And why do you need to know?" he responded cooly.

Colette frowned, blue eyes glaring at his purple ones.

"I know what you're capable of," she told him quietly with malice, "and I didn't have to be here last semester to know what you did."

She had almost added "idiot" after that sentence, but Johnny could read it off her expression. He almost scowled at her, wondering why these two had to go all protective on their leader. All he wanted was a nice, personal chat with Laura Sharp; that was key one Carla informed him about. At least, that was what he thought. Had the EEK leader been here with him, she would have tried to reason with these two EZ girls. Had Monnie been among them, it would be just as complicated.

To Johnny's surprise, however, Laura spoke up.

"Girls, it's just a conversation," she almost blurted, "no harm done."

He formed a delighted smirk while the other girls looked incredibly skeptical, keeping close by their leader. Although he was quite unnerved by Archie who was growling softly at Laura's feet. Really, he may be "arrogant beyond compare" as most monsters would describe him, but he did have some fondness for animals, though not bird-crazy like Sanderson.

Katy bit her lip, eyes focused on the EZ president. "Laura, are you sure?"

Laura managed a smile, a little uncertain but still nodded. "I'm fine Katy, it's just a talk." She shyly shifted her gaze toward Johnny, who didn't even bother to hide his triumphant smile.

They heard the cheers of the other students around them as the MU team scored another point, before the referee called for a break for both teams. Laura turned back to Johnny, giving him a shy hunch of her shoulders, permitting him to direct her away so they could speak in private. Katy and Colette could only watch as Johnny led her away, the rapper having to hold onto Archie who wanted to go after his owner.

"Glob help her," Katy muttered.

"Okay, he may be a complete jerk," Colette admitted, "but he seems kind of hot."

Katy just stared at her, nearly gagging with disgust. "Seriously?" she cried.

Colette rolled her eyes. "I said kind of! He's got nothing on Georgie, duh!"
~

Now that they were finally away from those two, Johnny shifted his gaze toward Laura as they walked together, watching as she crossed her arms over her chest and held her back straight, eyes focused in front of her.

They reached one of the lookouts overseeing the stadium which was open for students to watch the football match. Johnny turned to Laura, finally thanking whatever luck that had brought him to her so far. She shyly regarded Johnny with her sky forest eyes, maintaining her position as stood a good distance before him.

"So, Johnny, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked quietly.

Johnny forced his eyes to look at Laura's face after having drank in her appearance, and a faint smile played on his lips. He leaned against the railing, and eyed her coyly.

"I heard EZ's been searching for a place to train for the upcoming Scare Games," he said, trying to sound nonchalant and friendly, "but many of the places you found are taken, am I right?"

She looked at him for a few moments, before giving a proper nod. "Yes, that's true," she admitted, "the Quad is taken by EEK and XOA, and the gym's been taken by JOX and OH. Even the mini-Quad is occupied from I've been told."

While he admired how absolutely adorable she was as she spoke carefully, he was honestly concerned. But he knew just what to say with another charming smile.

"Well, I hope you don't mind, but I have a solution for your problem," he began smoothly.

Laura looked up at him, and her ears twitched, almost as if a bit of weight was finally being removed from her shoulders.

"Really?" Her eyes widened a bit. "You have a solution?"

He crossed his arms a little, regarding her flirtatiously "I submitted a petition to the Greek Council to ask about getting you a temporary training area. It's not much, but it can help your sorority ease the training place problem by this much."

He couldn't help but allow his heart to nearly pound out of his chest as he saw Laura gaze at him, her mouth with an ajar smile of astonishment. She looked so cute like that.

"No, you shouldn't have..." she spoke, smiling timidly yet touched by his support.

"Oh, don't be, Laura," he responded tenderly, "it was my pleasure."

He was enjoying the small praise Laura seemingly gave him. He was sure if Carla had seen him, she would actually nod in improvement that he wasn't acting like a grade-A prideful prick who could just flat out flirt with the girl of his definite choice. After all, Carla mentioned that anything stupid he committed, it would make her look bad considering how close in popularity both their teams were compared to others. Well, he proved her wrong. Laura was eating right out of his hand.

He felt his heart warm with happiness when Laura smiled at him, a gentle and genuine smile that could make any boy fall on his knees and beg to do anything of her request.

"Thank you, Johnny," she said softly, her voice full of sincerity, "that's so kind of you."

Kind. He never been called that before. Of course, this was coming from a girl who was unlike anything he had ever met during his years of MU. Fear Tech not only lost major victory...they lost quite a looker on their side.

He could not help but progress a faint smile on his lips, while trying to act as professional as possible. At least the first step is good, he just needed to capitalize on his success.

"Well, I guess it would make things a little easier for EZ, am I right?" he chuckled.

"Yeah, training..." Laura's voice trailed off, her eyes slowly bugging out at the thought. "Oh, boy, training..."

As Johnny watched in concern as her mind juggled the strenuous doubts before her, his eyes caught sight of something across the field, sitting on the opposite side of bleachers. A certain small monster with an OK sweater.

Why of all places was he here? Johnny wondered angrily, but decided to push it away and focused back on Laura.

Of course, why else would that piece of putty be here? As if he really had a chance with such a fine girl, despite he allowed her and EZ into his frat house anytime. Apparently, the house was open to any monster, becoming immediate guests to Oozma Kappa and their frat mom, especially some team as last-minute-made as Exceeda Zeta.

Johnny eyed Laura playfully, feeling his mouth practically drool when he peered into those gorgeous eyes.

"I just hope we can train before the next event comes out," she sighed, leaning against the rail and peering downward, "it would be quite problematic if my sorority doesn't work well in cooperation."

Johnny almost didn't hear her, too mesmerized by her figure before he shoved the thoughts away and responded.

"Well, good Scare student like yourself shouldn't worry too much," he responded, "because, let me tell you, along with those incredibly good looks..." he winked at her, earning a stunned expression that made the Sharp heiress even more adorable than possible, "...is an incredibly good leader. I should know." He smirked as he puffed up his chest beneath his ROR sweater, hoping she received an eyeful.

Despite feeling quite embarrassed by the compliment, Laura smiled back at Johnny. She had initially been uncertain about allowing herself to be near this monster, as she would any monster on campus because she preferred her distance. Her solitude. Had she been with Katy and Colette right now she would have called it quits and returned to her dorm.

But after what she witnessed Johnny accomplish that particular morning in front of the OK house while everyone was asleep...Laura felt she should approach him and see for herself. And she had to admit that he was very polite.

"Thank you, Johnny," she said calmly, "I just hope I can meet the expectations of being a sorority leader."

She watched as the giant slug player steamrolled across the field, taking out half of the opponent team in the process.

"And I hope they can place their trust in me as well," she added quietly.

Johnny leaned closer to her, arm laying over the railing next to her shoulder. "You know I have faith in you, gorgeous..." he murmured softly, eyeing her with a raised brow.

Laura felt his hand around her shoulder, and she somehow felt a little both shy and somehow accepting at the same time. In some weird way she felt as if she should just allow this, after having seen what he was capable (and compatible of). After all, she allowed Randall to cling to her during Scaring class, and she didn't see too much of a difference between him and Johnny.

Johnny grinned, feeling like he made the real touchdown on the field as he eyed Laura flirtatiously. He was pleasantly surprised when Laura actually allowed him to hold her as they watched the mock match, especially when she was thanking him for his assistance. He was relieved that the Oozma Kappa members didn't see him, and he managed to get a head start more than any other guy could, which was something he had expected from the very start. He congratulated himself internally, and decided to enjoy the moment.

It was a long moment before Laura moved her wings a little, and Johnny gently released his hand from her shoulder as she turned her head and looked at him in the eyes once more. Sky greens which were so beautiful, they could easily put jewels to shame. Johnny couldn't help but smirk, feeling like he won something that would make the Scare Games trophy look like utter garbage.

"WORTHIKINS!"

Suddenly, the next thing he knew, he was tackled to the floor with a large, plump, pink-colored monster on top of him. Laura just stood there, gawking with surprise as she studied who exactly was clinging to him like a leech. A green ribbon tied up her tentacle hair, three eyes with large eyelashes sparkling with adoration, a mouthful of sharp and blunt teeth, and lips so red they appeared like the color of roses which were what Laura witnessed piling atop the Worthington heir. Johnny groaned, finally finding his breath as he laid on the ground, knowing too well who had just "attacked" him.

It was Stephanie Dallmar, the Homecoming Queen and three-time semester Beauty Queen winner. And Johnny's biggest fan.

The tackle she did was so quick that Johnny thought she could have crushed his legs and tail. He grimaced as he looked up into that face that was smiling like a predator that caught its dinner.

Stephanie smiled widely, her bulky hands caressing the backside of the ROR president. "Worthikins! I've been looking for you everywhere! Now I finally found you"

She swooned happily before engulfing him in another hug, her form squeezing atop his chest. Johnny mentally cursed the sky for ruining the moment. Now he had this psycho stalker on him while Laura watched in utter confusion.

"Oh, is this your girlfriend, Johnny?" Laura asked carefully, eyeing the Homecoming Queen.

Johnny tried to free himself from Stephanie's grasp but it was like a vice on his hands, and her weight was pressing him so roughly he thought she would break his back.

"Of course I am!" Stephanie giggled. "I'm his self-declared girlfriend Stephanie Dallmar!" She eyed her closely, smile widening. "And you must be Laura Sharp, am I right?"

She pushed herself off Johnny who was now breathing heavily as he slowly got to his feet. The other girl reached over and grasped Laura's hand, shaking it vigorously, much to the astonishment of the EZ leader herself who did not expect this particular gesture.

"I've heard much about you!" Stephanie squealed. "Congratulations for making it through the first round of the Scare Games."

Laura could feel her hand go numb as the other girl almost crushed it. "Oh, yeah, thanks..."

"I wish you all the best for the Scare Games," she said cheerfully.

"Thank you, that means a lot," Laura responded gratefully. "As for your relationship, Johnny never mentioned a girlfriend. Oh, well, I must have not heard well."

Stephanie giggled, her sharp teeth gleaming. "Oh, don't be. He tends to keep this low profile, as he doesn't like anyone to know about it. Not me though."

She turned to Johnny, who winced as he stared at Laura with an apologetic expression. Stephanie beamed before closing the distance between them, her frame nearly rubbing against his.

"Anyway, I've been looking for him all over campus, until someone told me he was here," she explained.

"Someone?" Johnny asked incredulously.

"Yeah, your little frat brother Chet!"

Johnny Worthington palmed his face and groaned. Chet and his big fat mouth, it would be the death of him! Stephanie grinned her sharp teeth at him once more before clinging to his arm, which was surprisingly strong for someone who didn't actually work out as much as he did.

"Anyway, me and my Worthikins should get going," she told Laura.

Laura couldn't felt but smile, yet managing to suppress a giggle as she regarded the couple. "Well, um, I wouldn't want to intrude on you and your...Worthikins, of course." she chuckled thoughtfully.

Johnny's eyes widened in despair, then tried to free himself from the lovestruck Homecoming Queen. He tried to remain calm, but he was becoming incredibly frustrated as well as beyond peeved over what Chet's stupidity had just cost him "Wait! Laura, we can still talk!"

"It's alright, Johnny," she assured him, "you can speak to me another time. Thanks for your help." She turned to Stephanie. "I won't delay you both any longer, Stephanie. He's all yours."

Johnny could only watch in horror as Laura turned her back on him and strolled off, before he was dragged away by his self-proclaimed girlfriend who squealed with excitement. He was so going to kill Chet for this as the psycho fangirl continued dragging him along who knows where, watching the gorgeous wings of Laura disappear in his sight as she rejoined her friends.

He had been so close...dang it! Dang it all!
~

Meanwhile, Laura cursed herself for getting lost. Within the corridors of the stadium, every one of them looked equivalent, as though they were copies of the same place over and over. She glanced around, trying to figure out where to go to return to her sorority sisters. She had to remind herself this wasn't Fear Tech anymore. Again...

She looked around for directions, and followed arrows wherever she could find them, but there was no map or staircase. Following another blue arrow, Laura set off in different direction she hoped would have an exit.
~

"14, take five! 34, take his place! 45 and 67, I want you both to stack up and shape up!"

Marbus ran back to the benches where Big Red sat with many other football players, relieved for a break despite how intense the mock game was becoming. Big Red wasn't joking when he said that Skipper took every match seriously, no matter whether a mock game or a real game. He reached for his own water bottle, but found it empty.

"Red, going to get a drink," he informed the JOX president, "I'll be back in a bit. Just inform Skipper if he wonders where I am."

Big Red nodded. "Sure. I don't think needs you for the moment, just come back quickly."

"I will," the other player told him before passing off his helmet to Big Red. He then made his way for the nearest vending machine.
~

Laura began to tense as her wings draped to her sides, staring at the wide corridor space she found herself having walked maybe three or four times. If this had still been Fear Teach, it would be no problem. But as a late student, there was still much to learn. She sucked in a few breaths, trying not to panic as she wondered if she was trapped. Even sewer 14 was a children's game compared to this!

"The walls...they all look the same...oh, gosh, I think I'm lost!" she panicked, trying to take steadier breaths, heart thumping as she forced to calm herself. "Okay...okay...Don't panic...don't lose it...not here..."

She did not possess claustrophobia, but she felt so trapped within the interior of the stadium.

"Oh, gosh, where's a door..." she moaned.

She immediately brightened as she spotted one, and dashed for it, throwing it open before bolting inside.

She didn't realize it was the men's locker room.
~

Inside the men's locker room, Marbus was relieved to have a break and get a cold drink and perhaps even a rest before he was called back by Skipper (inevitably) into the mock game again. He walked down the rows of lockers until he came to the main aisle, where his own stood. He was about to turn into the smaller aisle when someone bumped against his powerfully built body, sending the slightly smaller monster tumbling onto the floor and sprawled on the side.

Marbus mentally groaned, the impact doing little to his physique. Why was it no one can watch where they are going? He didn't mind being bumped into, but he feared for any damage if any other monster smaller than himself suffered because of his massive body. He looked down to offer a hand to help whoever up. He felt his four eyes widen considerably when he saw who, or rather, what gender, the monster who bumped into him was exactly.
~

Laura had no idea where she was going, realizing she had stepped through a locker room; she prayed it wasn't the men's or she would feel incredibly embarrassed. If it was, then she was fortunate she hadn't come across any males as she searched for another door that could lead her out of there. The next thing she knew, after her eyes scanned through the row of lockers, she had bumped into something so rock-solid and smooth, which made her lose balance before falling.

She landed on her knees before she tucked them close to her form,wings splayed out as she rubbed her head. Looking up to owe whoever an apology, her eyes slightly widened when she saw who it was.

He was a tall monster, muscles rippling from head to toe with skin so vibrant even in the locker room lights. His multitude of eyes stared into hers with wide concern, but she was too busy gazing into such sparkle that stars could envy him. Strong, well-built, and quite a face, Laura couldn't help but consider him a bit on the term of attractive. And his draconic features were astounding, as to be said from one to the former!

She then realized it was, indeed, a male, and she had stumbled into him in his territory.

She sucked in her cheeks, trying not sulk with humiliation as she forced a painful smile. "Uh, hi..."

Marbus was quite surprised to find a female monster in the men's locker room. He knew that it was strictly off limits to them, even though there wasn't any signboard to warn off those who would break the rules. He peered down at the smaller monster who looked up at him rather nervously. Judging from her body shape, posture and how she handled herself, Marbus could instantly see that she was undoubtedly a female, and considerably a draconic one at that judging by the wings and ears. He vaguely remembered seeing this midnight-colored female somewhere before, and realized that she was the leader of the newly formed sorority. He had been there at the games to witness with his roommate at the school fountain, and at the kickoff when it was hastily formed.

He had to admit, she had quite the blossomed figure, with curves at all the right places, beautifully muscled arms and legs, wings big enough to help her take flight, and sky-forest eyes that could hold even him in her sight and not let go. He would have whistled in approval at such a monster, but Marbus was definitely not rude.

What she was doing here, he didn't know, but he had a gut feeling that she might have been lost and wandered into the wrong room by mistake. That actually happened to him quite a number of times, until he managed to remember the corridors by heart and where to see the maps of the whole stadium.

So, being a gentleman he was, Marbus went down on one knee, surprisingly delicate for his immensely muscular body, and reached out a clawed hand towards Laura, palm facing up and claws opened wide.

"You shouldn't be here," he mentioned. "Hey, did you lose your way?"

She felt her heart pause and her lips purse simply at how gentle this draconic monster was despite being so huge and muscular he could probably bench press a large house for a workout if he so wanted to. Those eyes of pure gold, with black irises that looked like ink wells, were kind and understanding, instead of being proud and arrogant for someone who possessed a physique of his size. Everywhere she inspected on him was horns, claws, great thick chorded bunches of muscles that bulged and rippled with a life of their own underneath his yellow-orange scales. His horns and claws were so sharp they could shred steel like paper, and the horns on his head faintly resembled a crown. Two large wings jutted out from his back, as large and and muscular as any other part of himself, and they flared with enough might to assist him to fly when necessary.

As Laura reached out her paw and touched the male monster's own, she felt the simmering but massive amounts of strength rubbing through his limbs. Such might, how did he manage to contain such power within himself? She felt his golden eyes bore into her as his claws gently closed around her fingers. And with a small tug he was able to pull her upright, without wasting any excess of strength. She watched in disbelief as the male monster opened his claws again to allow her to retract her hand, and she witnessed him bare his dangerous looking fangs in a rendition of a gentle smile.

"I am guessing you got lost, am I right, Miss...?"

He wrapped his massive forearms around himself, and Laura felt her eyes widen at how his muscles moved on his bulky form.

"Where are my manners?" he chuckled. "I'm Marbus Dagon, and you are...?"

Laura blinked, before finally finding her voice, wrapping her paws together. "Sharp. Laura Sharp." She bit over her lip after stating her name, feeling even more awkward than she did earlier.

"Hey, the famous Scarer's daughter, am I right?" He noticed Laura's face turned to a heat of embarrassment at the mention of Fillmore Sharp. "I mean, no offense, Laura. Can I ask what are you doing here in the men's locker room?"

He watched as she sucked in her cheeks, ears twitching as she shuffled her feet.

"I, uh, I got lost," she admitted lamely, "but I thought this room was the door to the main staircase..."

"Well, sorry to say you made a wrong turn," he informed her.

"You weren't going to change, were you?" she asked uneasily.

Marbus shook his head. "Just here to grab my money for a cold one."

"Oh!" Laura sighed in relief. "Okay..."

Despite the assurance, she still felt so ashamed that out of all the places she could have accidentally wandered into, it had to be the men's locker room. And had there been more guys other than Marbus, she would be in the most uncomfortable situation of her college year.

Marbus regarded her casually. "Maybe I can escort you out of here before any of the other guys see you?"

He could only imagine his teammates' reaction to seeing such a girl having stumbled into their domain. They would most likely tease him about breaking the rules, and probably won't ever let him live it down, and of course, they would be barging in among themselves to see this beauty and possibly flirt with her.

Laura swallowed. "Oh, sure, if it's not bothering you."

Marbus took his coins before closing the door of his locker. "Want me to grab you a cold one, too?"

"Oh, uh, thank you," she responded shyly, "that's very nice of you."

"It's my pleasure, Laura," he told her with a sincere smile before leading the way out of the locker room.

As Laura trailed beside him, she took the time to observe his features. His design was utterly fascinating, and quite possibly he would contribute well to a Scaring career would he consider it. Walking in silence, she decided that perhaps she could speak a bit more with him, seeing that there would be no harm in casual talk.

"So, I've seen you around a lot, you and those other two," she spoke.

"Oh, you mean Sephira and Theo. Yeah, we're a three-crowd. We like watching your team compete. Sephira was so relieved you made it in the first event."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, that...that was my fault."

Marbus turned his shoulder, squinting two of his golden eyes at her smaller form.

"It was a small accident," he assured her, "don't blame yourself for something that actually wasn't your fault."

She could only gaze at how huge and muscular Marbus was compared to her own, despite the fact she can lift a decent amount of weight and could carry her own sorority on her back. She was strong, yes, but looking at Marbus made her doubt that she was anywhere close to his level. His claws were so sharp that were tapered with hook-like ends, and everywhere she looked she could see veins and blood vessels riddling the flesh underneath his strong scales. Each leg looked like it can accommodate her and maybe three other girls comfortably, and she was pretty sure a thousand pound weight to Marbus would be like lifting an empty box.

She could feel his strength, which was considerable amount due to his size, through the palm of his hand when he held hers. And with only a gentle tug he could bring her to her feet. It must have taken him years to gain control of his strength levels.

She decided to quickly change the conversation, trying to put the Scare Games behind her.

"Pardon me for asking this," she began, "but what major are you?"

Marbus smiled, wringing his claws a bit as they walked. "Scaring major just like you. We're actually in the same class."

Laura raised an eyebrow. "We are?" She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, I never knew..."

He waved it aside. "It's okay. After all, you came late into the semester."

She bit her lip, pushing away the fact that her former alma mater had kept her in their possession until her transfer had finally become valid. She thought back to his Scaring major, and she couldn't help but assume that it all seemed familiar to her.

"You mentioned you're a Dagon," she said carefully. Her eyes widened. "Are you the son of Bob Dagon?"

"Yes, I am," he responded casually.

Laura felt her hands fly to her mouth as her mind filled in the blanks, and her heart pounded a bit faster.

"He's a friend of my father's!" she exclaimed. "They work in the same Scare floor together! "

He grinned at her. "Yeah, I'm his son."

The heir of a Scarer who was a dear friend to Fillmore Sharp. Like Bill Sullivan and especially Frank McCay. Laura couldn't help but smile, feeling actually excited she had met the offspring of the good and well-known Bob Dagon. She found herself surprised she didn't piece it all together the moment Marbus mentioned he was a Scaring major; she could practically see his father's image before her.

She then cleared her throat, smile thinning as she remained as composed and courteous, breaking away from her sudden enthusiasm. The last thing she wanted was appearing like some obsessed fangirl, as seemingly demonstrated by Johnny's self-proclaimed girlfriend.

"Well, it was a pleasure," she told him maturely. "Thank you for your assistance in the duration we've been here."

Marbus smiled, shrugging his shoulders, just as happy to have met the daughter of the famous Fillmore Sharp. "It's my pleasure, Laura. It's been a fine and very interesting conversation with you."

"Good to hear," she stated. "Should we return to your team before they wonder where you are? I'm sorry for taking most of your time. I'm sure your coach will not be pleased."

Marbus thought about it. "Well, you might be right. I think I might have overstayed my break. But first, let's grab us some cold ones, alright?"

Laura could only nod, feeling parched herself. "If that is still alright with you."

He just grinned, before leading them both out of the locker room and toward the nearest vending machines. He would later accompany her out of this confusing labyrinth and hope she would be able to return to the bleachers where her friends were probably waiting.
_

Clutching a few cans that Marbus had generously purchased for her, Laura scanned among the stands, hoping to spot her friends while the mock match resumed. But her eyes caught sight of a small monster with a single horn, wearing a green sweater standing alongside his plump step-father.

She smiled. It was Squishy and Don from Oozma Kappa, both encouraging their alma mater's football team. They cheered with pride whenever the MU football team scored a magnificent touchdown, Don waving his tentacle arms about and Squishy bouncing in the air.

Laura peered down and perceived the unmistakable figure of Marbus walking briskly along the player stands, before receiving his helmet from Big Red and sitting down again. Her smile could not get any bigger as she watched three of those special monsters she had met since coming to MU provide their pride to their university. She watched as another interesting formation by the MU football team sliced through the opposing mock team like a hot knife through butter, scoring another point with the students on the stands hooting in exhilaration.

Laura smirked at their victory, knowing that this time her former alma mater may have bitten more than they could chew, until she heard Katy and Colette calling her name. She turned her head and saw two of her sorority sisters sitting atop the bench closest to the match where Johnny had met her and strolled over to them. They greeted her cheerfully before waving her over to sit down, which she did as she took one beside Colette.

"Where's Worthington?" Katy asked.

"Oh, Johnny? Well, I let him spend time with his girlfriend," the Scaring major explained.

Katy and Colette regarded one another in confusion before turning back to Laura, who lovingly stroked Archie's ear.

"Bullboy has a girlfriend?" Katy almost scoffed.

"Well, according to her, "self-proclaimed" girlfriend," Laura informed, "but I'm sure the feeling is mutual."

"With one side rather wanting to jump off a bridge than get in that kind of relationship," Katy snickered under her breath.

"Anyway, I'm guessing I didn't miss much," Laura murmured, focusing all of her attention on the Scare pig.

The two other girls watched as she inserted a straw into one of the cans she brought before lowering it down to Archie, who happily sipped it as if he were a monster himself.

"Oh, that's cute," Katy gushed, "somehow I almost think you'd do what mama birds do and just puke it into his mouth."

She chuckled as Colette jabbed an arm against hers while Laura appeared stunned by the comment, Archie continuously drinking.

"Where'd you get the drinks?" Colette asked, gesturing to the un-open cans laying on the bench. "Some cute guy, I hope?" she giggled as she batted her lashes playfully.

Laura flushed. "Um, well, it was a guy, actually," she corrected, "and it was that one right there." She pointed toward the football players that were seated during the match.

"I thought so," Colette cooed, almost enviously. "So which one?" She followed where Laura's paw was directed until she noticed the correct monster. "Wait, Big Red?"

Laura rolled her eyes, holding back a chuckle. "No, the one next to him. The one with wings."

Katy felt her eyes widen as she drank in the sight of the powerful wall of muscle. "That guy?" she exclaimed. "Whoa, he is righteously huge, dude!"

"He's cute!" Colette squealed, hands on her hips as she watched him.

Laura chuckled nervously. "Uh, yeah, I guess so."

"So," the fashionista eyed her teasingly, "is he willing?"

Laura pretended she didn't hear that, averting her gaze as she returned her attention back to Archie. "Well, he's very nice, and I found out he's the son of one of my dad's co-workers. We're compatible from the looks of it.

"Very compatible, I'm sure," Katy snickered.

Laura gritted her teeth. "It was a simple meeting..."

"With that hunk?" Colette scoffed. "Please, I bet you guys were flirting with each other!"

The former Fear Tech student reached up and pinched her temples, sighing warily. Her wings twitched with immediate anxiety, her muscles tightening with the need to just leave at that moment.

"Well, I, uh, sort of verbose during the moment, and he calmed me down," she explained unwillingly." Her ears began to lower, feeling anxious all of a sudden. "It's only plausible that that instincts first speak of providing some sort of gentle but strenuous negotiation with feelings and honesty that comprehension is admittedly distributed between us. Not that I was offended by his gesture or words or anything, but it's safe to realize that he was doing what was best in both our interests that I did honestly feel a little "skeptical" but "assured" because he's a gentleman, something like Johnny, I suppose, but minor differences, of course-"

Katy and Colette watched as she began to ramble out of nervousness, unable to catch every word but very much understanding what exactly Laura was trying to imply.

"Is there a snooze button on her?" Katy whined. "She needs to calm the heck down."

"Don't look at me," Colette snapped, "I barely listen to my own professors."

Katy rolled her eyes before she reached over and gently poked Laura in the arm. It, ironically, seemed to work like a snooze button as the aerial monster slowly calmed down, breathing a bit.

"Okay...alright..." Laura coughed. "I went full-blown verbose there" She eyed the other two girls. "But the feelings are considerably ambiguous in a sense between us."

Colette's head began to ache from just listening to her speak, while Katy merely gave a nod, only half-aware of what Laura was actually referring to.

"Speaking of ambi-whatever," Colette said as she gazed around the stadium, "has anyone seen George? After all, JOX boys love sports, right?"

"I thought that guy liked other things," Katy said.

"Well, hopefully one of those things will be me," she said bluntly as she smoothed sweater before fishing a compact mirror out of her pocket and inspected her face. "You think I should have added some purple eyeshadow to go with this? And my hair...

"Sorry to burst your fashion-licious pride," Katy said sarcastically, "but I don't see the dude."

"Mrs. Sanderson..." Colette sighed dreamily, stars in her eyes. "Oh, Colette Sanderson...even his last name is so perfectly perfect..."

"Keep dreaming, princess..." Katy mocked.

Colette glared at her with beady eyes before turning to Laura. "Have any tips? Like how you would approach that big guy you were talking about?"

"Yeah, and what's his name?" Katy asked. "Sounds like an interesting guy."

"Oh, he's Marbus Dagon," Laura explained. "My approach was kind of accidental..."

"What do you mean?" Colette asked curiously.

"I kind of bumped into him in the boys' locker room and-" Laura began without thinking.

She immediately slammed her mouth shut, her eyes widening in horror as she witnessed the stunned expressions of her sorority sisters.

"What?" Both girls exclaimed in astonishment.

"Seriously?" Katy cried.

"Seriously?" Colette repeated, sounding more excited than shocked.

Laura groaned bitterly, gazing up at the sky as her hands shook with even more uneasiness. She really wished she was back in her room right now.
~

Don Carlton and his stepson Squishy cheered energetically for the MU football team as they scored another touchdown, this time slamming home by another of their star football players. Don had brought Squishy out after class to brighten the little one's spirits from their fraternity brothers' hospitalization, hoping the mock football game could at least divert Squishy's brooding emotions for the moment.

Don placed his tentacle on Squishy's shoulder as he pointed toward the players. "See, Squishy? A mock football game like this is an excellent way to brighten one's day!"

Squishy beamed. "Yeah, you're right, pa. It does feel very exciting."

"Why, back in my day when I was your age, I pretty much had the old team to victory myself!" Don exclaimed proudly.

Squishy's eyes enlarged as he stared at him. "You were a football player?"

"Heavens, no!" Don chuckled. "I was a cheerleader!"

He noticed the surprised yet uncomfortable expression on his son's face, and Don smiled apologetically.

"Of course, boys can be cheerleaders, too, son," he insisted. "My cheers encouraged the boys in blue so well that they referred to ol' Don as "The Lucky Pom"." He raised a tentacle up with pride. "But now," he said as he watched a small group of cheerleaders practice their routine, "well, looks like there aren't any guys in your time, in fact, not many cheerleaders at all."

"Not many are interested in cheer or the fraternity life, dad," Squishy explained sadly, "even the Freshmen want to just do clubs."

Don wiped his head with a sigh, before his gaze caught sight of three girls and a pig across from where they stood.

"Well, looky there!" he spoke happily, nudging his stepson. "If it ain't a few of our friends from EZ!"

Squishy followed the direction in which Don pointed and his multitude of eyes widened when he caught sight of the leader, hardly noticing her two sorority sisters beside her. He was completely captivated by Laura's beauty, those sky forest eyes making him weak. He felt his heart pause and his throat went completely dry. The way the afternoon sun reflected off her skin, she seemed to sparkle like some kind of exotic jewel, lying among the rocks for someone to find her.

Don smiled as he watched his stepson gawk, before nudging him once more.

"So how's about we mosey on over to them and give a howdy-do?" he suggested. "You can go say hi to little Laura, buddy!"

"Oh, uh..." Squishy blushed. "Yeah, sure..."

Both watched while some random male monster in the mock football team whistled at Laura, who actually never noticed.

"I think we better mosey on a little faster," Don stated before he gently gave Squishy a push.

Squishy tried to breathe and smile normally as he and his new father finally closed in on Laura and her friends.

"Howdy there, girls!" Don greeted with a wave. "And hello, you little biter!" he chuckled as he eyed Archie. "Fancy seeing you guys here !"

"Oh, hello, Don," Laura greeted politely as she rubbed Archie's head, "nice to see you, too."

"You hoping these guys wipe out Fear Tech again this year?" Katy asked them.

"Well, don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty certain they'll get the orange knocked out of them yet again," Don chuckled.

He looked down at his stepson, who shyly regarded Laura while her eyes mainly focused on the OK president.

"Isn't that right, son?" he asked before pushing Squishy forward in front of him.

Squishy swallowed hard as Laura's eyes met his, those pools of blue and green mixture making his stubby legs nearly give out.

The smallest member managed to squeeze words from his mouth as his heart pounded. "Uh, yeah, dad. I'm sure they'll beat Fear Tech again. No offense to your former university, Laura." he added nervously. He could not tear his eyes away from Laura's own. They were so, so beautiful.

"Oh, well, no offense taken," she assured him in a mature tone. "I'm no longer part of the FT system, so my consideration ranges from either against or neutral."

"Good to hear," Don said before turning to Katy and Colette. "Say, you girls want to grab some refreshments?."

"Oh, heck yeah!" Katy exclaimed before lifting to her feet.

"Ew, keep the pig away from me, will you?" Colette ordered as she moved away from Archie whose tongue flopped out of his mouth.

"I got him," Don offered before picking up the calm hog and steadying him away from where Colette sat.

He patted Squishy on the back, then gave him a wink, which just made his stepson flush with embarrassment.

"Keep her company while we're gone, son," Don told him.

He smiled as Squishy shot him a look of apprehension, before the young boy nervously shifted over to Laura, who just smiled at the other three.

"Um, sure," he gulped.

"Excellent! Come on, girls, ol' Don will treat ya!" he said as he beckoned for them to follow him.

Squishy said nothing, feeling the sweat accumulate under his knitted sweater while his father took the other two girls away, leaving him with one in particular that made the sweat produce even faster. He shifted his gaze toward Laura, who sat on the bench, her posture composed as she watched the game. He felt his hands unconsciously move towards Laura's paws on their own accord, and he quickly wrenched them back before they could try anything.

Darn, the Scare Games were nothing to the turmoil happening in his heart right now. Squishy could not tear his eyes away from Laura's whole character, those beautiful irises, such an eye-catching body, and wings that were so sleek and well-muscled, and such a vibrant personality. He felt she was the epitome of a perfect girl in anyone's eyes, especially Johnny's!

Squishy was relieved to see that the Worthington heir was nowhere in sight, and he was alone with the Sharp heiress. Although he did wonder if she ever did think between him and Johnny.

While Oozma Kappa was one of the top choices for a fraternity, and there were girls who liked them for who they were, mainly Terry, none of those girls' judgments would compare to what Laura could possibly think of him.

It made Squishy quite envious of his fellow frat brothers, who got so much girl attention that they can each have their pick. If they had enough hands to hug them all. Terry had so many girls worshipping the ground he and his brother walked on, yet the older twin took no notice. And what had gotten into him during that night of the first event when he acted so mean toward the PNKs? Squishy wondered if Terry had become more competitive for their second Scare Games as a fraternity.

Squishy knew the rest of his frat brothers had such should they ever find their significant other...but what of him? Especially when his secret crush was beyond what he could hope for in his arms, especially when they were just so tiny? He really wished Mike was here, but he was out of campus right now along with Sulley.

He could not even stand up for himself, no matter how his own pride forced itself to the surface of his heart. All the larger monsters had to do was to push him with a single hand and he would most likely down for the count. His single horn was no better than ornamentation. And his body, although fast, was not strong or blocky, but more like soft and putty in the hands of others. One could just squeeze gently and his whole body would most likely change shape like dough.

Squishy sighed gently as he continued to stare at Laura. And when he watched the football players playing on the field, he sincerely wished he possessed any of their bodies. He played football with his friends, but to be tackled like a bull would probably kill him should it not just flatten his pudgy exterior. Not exactly heart throbbing.

His eyes caught sight of one of the football players winking at Laura, and immediately turned toward said beauty. To his relief, Laura was more focused on where the football was going between both teams than focusing on any of the other players checking her out, but Squishy was sure she had caught quite a large amount of attention. He focused on where her eyes were going, and mentally joined the dots to the correct player on the field.

If his assumptions were correct, she seemed focused on the hugely muscular draconic monster decked in the colors of MU, who threw the football to Big Red who smashed through four of the opposing team's players, inciting another cheer from the crowds of students.

It was Marbus, one of OK's nicest fans. The fraternity had officially met him during the party at Big Red's that fateful night, and he had been every bit as friendly as every other monster during that event. Kind, sensitive, and had been respective of OK even before they had participated in the Scare Games.

Even Squishy had to grudgingly admit, he was nowhere near Marbus's level. Those sharp claws, that unbelievably powerfully built physique that would make any of the JOX fraternity members green with envy, large mighty wings that could probably create strong winds if he so wished, and enough horns, spikes, and fangs to earn him a place in the "Fangs Challenge" hands down.

He watched as Laura's eyes softened with amusement, a smile playing on her lips as she watched Marbus run with the ball. And she actually smiled and cheered whenever he managed to get through the opposing player lines and pass the ball over to the other MU players. Her cheers were faint, nearly quiet and shy as she didn't want to draw too much attention.

He wondered if she already knew Marbus had a girlfriend.

Squishy was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice her turn to him.

"Are you enjoying the game?" she asked.

Almost flinching, the small monster smiled, cheeks nearly red, as he looked up at her.

"Oh, yes," he responded, trying to sound casual, "our football team sure has the championship trophy in the bag if they're this good now."

Laura smiled at him, her ears lowering while he eyes glittered with such lush color.

"I'm sure the team will honor your alma mater once more, Scott," she told him.

Squishy's heart nearly stopped when he looked into those eyes of jade and blue. So beautiful that they could put jewels to shame.

"Oh...um...I am sure they will, Laura," he murmured dreamily.

"Of course, I am telling that to someone who's fraternity is so full of confidence and positivity," she chuckled. "I'm sure you're very proud of your team as well, Scott."

"Gee," he almost giggled as he scratched his head, "thanks for all the compliments, Laura. I really appreciate it."

"You are always welcome, Squishy."

Squishy noticed her eyes widen, and he was afraid something was wrong.

"I realize I keep calling you by your real name," she stated.

"Oh, it's okay," he told her, "monsters usually call me by Squishy, but then sometimes I'm called by my real name."

"Scott "Squishy" Squibbles Carlton," Laura announced to herself. "I've honestly never heard of a more original name."

Her voice was soft, sweet like honey, barely a whisper, and it made his heart throb beneath his little chest. Squishy felt warmth seep into his heart, and it was better than drinking hot cocoa brewed at home.

"Thanks, Laura," he sighed happily. "I like my name."

She regarded him closely. "Why don't you tell me how you got your name, Squishy? "

His eyes widened, not having expected Laura would gain some interest in him that would strike up yet another topic to the hopeful conversation. His heart raced, and he gulped down his anxiety while his cheeks heated up.

"Oh, well, see..." he began as he rubbed his neck, "it all started back in Freshman year after I got kicked out of the Scaring program. Nobody took notice of me, nobody wanted me around. Then I met my new dad, Don, who came up with the idea for a fraternity. And that's how we met the others. They called me Squishy because of, well, I was squishy and considered me an original."

He shared this story with many monsters since last semester after the games, but to share it with Laura Sharp was like a child-like fantasy coming true. He watched as she processed everything he explained, her expression calm as she looked at him.

"I guess it's because your body is like jelly and easily malleable, isn't it?" she asked. Her paw shifted to her mouth as her eyes widened at her remark. "Oh...I am so sorry...I meant no offense."

Squishy could only mentally sigh, so entranced by the little movements Laura produced, looking so beautiful without even trying.

"No, no, no offense at all..." he muttered. "I'm really glad you think so..."

"I see so much confidence in you," she said. She then raised an eyebrow. "You seem entranced for some reason. Something of your interest?"

Squishy closed his mouth, gulping. "Uh, no, that's just my usual stare..."

Laura nodded. "By the way, your mom mentioned this. She made your OK sweaters, right?"

He blinked, processing her question before he looked down at his own attire. "Oh, yeah, mom knitted and sewed everything. Even the OK caps. Before, we just bought green ad white striped ones, which weren't all too great now that we think about it." he added with a light chuckle.

"Well, I like it," she stated sincerely. "They're so vibrant and colorful. I'm sure you could be so easily spotted among a stadium of thousands."

Squishy had to laugh at this. "Gee, now that you put it that way, it's kind of true."

"Speaking of your mother, she seems to be doing alright now," she added.

"Yeah, she's still worried and really wishes to see the twins," he sighed, "but you know..."

"It's understood," she told him gently. "But of course, some are willing to take risks to be close to the ones they love." She eyed him inquisitively. "Have you ever done that?"

Squishy remembered how Katy and the other girls had resulted themselves in trouble with both the CDA and Hardscrabble. He had to admit that he and his friends had done worse if not similar. Should he have committed the same acts the aforementioned female monsters had done, he wouldn't regret it one bit.

"Actually, if I could get through those CDA guards," he confessed, "I would try my best to see them."

Laura nodded, able to distinguish why Katy had done such a thing as well. "Wow, you're so brave, Squishy. Fearless, just like Mike."

He felt his face flush red as he stared at her, heart pattering. "Gee, thanks Laura. I try to be my best."

"And you're doing great," she added. "One of the things I really love about your team is how much you like to share the credit with those around you, especially to Mike."

Squishy smiled, knowing they were definitely not cocky or arrogant like their opposite rival ROR. The entire Scare Games competition itself was not about the trophy for them, just honored they could compete alongside their fellow frat neighbors. Something they had hoped for since his first year in MU.

"Well, we wouldn't be here if it weren't for Mike and Sulley," he replied with gratitude, "even though they started badly with us at first."

He watched as Laura's ears lowered, and for a moment, he thought he caught remorse in those eyes of hers as she looked away.

"Yes, I recall what I was told," she spoke carefully. "I will be honest, I was disappointed in mostly James for the way he treated you." Her lips tightened, but then they melted into a smile. "But, he really is a good monster, you know that."

"He's a better monster now," Squishy agreed heartily, "and that's what counts as an improvement if you ask me."

"I'm sure. And you guys are truly the thing that was needed to morph him into the better monster he is today."

Just the way she spoke to him set his heart on fire, and he felt the heat rise up his body that he took a moment to wipe the sweat off his forehead. Laura noticed this and immediately grabbed for an open soda can and offered it to him. A straw was already waiting for the young OK member, and he felt his heart set even more ablaze. She was just so kind.

"You should drink," she insisted, "you seem so hot. It must be the weather."

Chuckling nervously and not wanting to offend her good intentions, Squishy took the drink and sipped, feeling the beverage wash down his throat and cooling him down.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

Squishy nearly let some of the liquid seep out of his mouth, watching her adoringly as all her attention fell on him.

"Oh, I really am..." he murmured as he continuously gawked at her before sipping again.

He watched in confusion as Laura's eyes suddenly widened.

"Oh, my gosh!" she cried. "I forgot! Archie drank from that straw!"

Suddenly feeling stupefied and revolted at the same time, Squishy felt the fluid shoot back up into his mouth. Grabbing a helpful paper bag from Laura who found it beside them, he chucked his beverage back out. Laura winced as he gargled into the bag, its bottom soddening as he tried not to wretch his entire breakfast and lunch. Archie merely sat beside her, wagging his tail as he stared aimlessly at the flabbergasted little monster.

"Oh, Squishy, I am so, so sorry!" She clutched herself as though she was diseased. "I didn't mean to do this! I took the wrong drink by mistake!" Beside her, Archie snorted in questioning and amusement.

Despite feeling his insides turn at the realization that he had drank out of a straw that had just been in the lips of a pig, Squishy held no offense. It had been a simple mistake, and didn't blame Laura one bit. It wasn't like she had done so on purpose; he could only assume someone of the ROR fraternity would do such a deed for cruel laughs.

"No...no..." he sputtered. "It's okay! I mean, you didn't know-"

But Laura barely heard him, shaking her head with unsettlement as she gripped the bench.

"Oh, I am such an idiot! I am so sorry!"

Squishy's eyes widened as he swore he saw tears beginning to leak out of Laura's eyes. He wanted to reach toward her, although touch was a failure as she unintentionally kept her distance. Despite feeling slightly sick within, he budged enough to comfort her. He didn't reach out to touch her paw, just breaking the distance, although he found himself blushing more than feeling ill.

"It was an accident," he assured. "You didn't mean to."

"But that was so irresponsible of me!" she cried.

"It's fine, really," he told her, "I mean, I'm feeling okay now."

He was almost afraid she would give herself another panic attack, and he wasn't sure how long it would take to call a medic although he was sure there was always one at hand for the football players. But he did remember what Mike as well as Carla had done when her body convulsed and her eyes were nearly dilated.

"Easy, easy..." he told her gently. "Breathe...breathe..."

He smiled with relief as Laura, clutching her chest, followed his instructions. She took calm, cleansing breaths as her ears flickered like antennas. Finally, she began to relax, her entire body loosening. Squishy couldn't help but reach over and gently pat her back, earning a wary smile that nearly made him faint.

"Thanks," Laura sighed.

"No problem" Squishy said shyly.

"Okay, that was unexpected," Laura murmured, running a hand down her neck.

Squishy kicked his tiny feet up and down as he sat beside her, and he racked his mind for anything else to direct them away from the awkwardness of what just occurred.

"So, um, I heard EZ is having a problem with the places for training, right?" he finally asked.

Laura tilted her head, resting a paw on her chest. "Is it that obvious? Well, yeah, because of the various sports teams, frats and sororities taking over the best places to train for hours to end." She lowered her gaze to the ground. "I guess it's pretty hard for us to get a place to continue our training for the second event."

Squishy looked at her nervously, his cheeks heating up before he finally took a deep breath.

"Well, see..." he began carefully, rubbing the back of his head, "the reason I brought that up...I, uh...I sent a petition to the Greek Council building that maybe you'll get some temporary space."

When he looked at Laura, his heart nearly popped out of his chest when her eyes widened, those luscious pools of hers sparkling with astonishment. That heartfelt moment would embed in his head forever as he felt his insides flip with amazement.

"Oh, Squishy!" Laura exclaimed with joy. "You didn't have to!"

He felt his heart thump even harder, the smile spreading on his face as the girl he secretly crushed on gazed at him with such adoration he had only dreamed of.

"That's so nice of you!" she almost cooed.

He blushed. "Well, uh, just really wanted to help."

"And I appreciate what you've done," she stated, "You and Johnny."

Squishy smiled giddily, cheeks flushing once more. "Oh, the pleasure is all- Johnny?" All five of his eyes shot up in alarm at the mention of the Worthington heir.

"Well, yes," Laura explained. "He informed me he sent a petition to the Greek Council as well." She smiled. "He was very thoughtful."

The balloon of joy which was swelling in his chest deflated almost immediately, as though being toyed by a playful child. Squishy thought he was the one who had thought up of the idea of getting Laura's sorority some assistance in getting a place for them to train for the next segment of the Scare Games. But it appeared someone else also produced the same idea. And of all monsters, Johnny had to be the one who did it. Squishy felt a spasm of pain jab into his heart like a nail being hit by a hammer, and he fought to keep his emotions in check.

He forced a grin on his face, his teeth aching. "Oh, I see..." he muttered. "I guess I'm not only one then."

"I feel very lucky to among such generous monsters," she stated. "I will admit that while, at first, I was so unsure about Johnny, as well as a number of monsters here, I had the feeling there was more than meets the eye."

"Oh?" he asked timidly.

"I mean, the way I see it, they all seem so relevant to you and the rest of Oozma Kappa," she clarified, "I'm really starting to see how how much in common you and Johnny seem to have."

"Oh, I see," he followed, "since you put it that way, I am sure there should be no problems at all. I'm just glad you settling fine into MU's student life, Laura."

She beamed at him. "Well, I have my heroes to thank for that. And I am grateful for both you and Johnny's help." She lowered her shoulders, hands clasped over her lap. "I think I feel quite at home."

His heart warmed, witnessing the even more tender side of the beautiful monster who entranced him since that night. He just wanted to reach something from within himself and tell her clearly, but he didn't want to stutter and look silly.

"You have a nice home, by the way," Laura spoke, "especially the one on Frat Row."

"Yeah, our mom decorated most of the place," he murmured, watching her dreamily.

"I can tell. It's like you never left your original house in the first place."

"Well, there was the first night we stayed at our new house," Squishy mumbled, "we were pretty homesick while mom was back in the other one."

"I'm sure you did," she observed, "so I presume you went back to your mom's house?"

"Well, yeah," he chuckled nervously, "but we had an accident of sorts along the way."

"What sort of accident?" she asked.

He winced although he did smile at her as he reflected on that night. "Well, we tried to sneak out, but then everything went wrong. With all the noise we made, we woke up all of Frat Row!" He laughed. "I'm betting we woke up the whole city as well!"

Laura's eyes widened when he explained, and she tried to stifle her guffaws, slapping a hand over her mouth, puffing air into her cheeks as her giggles muffled. Squishy watched her, amazed and feeling his heart flutter at what sounded almost like bells. She looked so adorable!

"I'm sorry," she tried not to snort, "it just seems pretty funny when I think about it."

"Well, it pretty much was," he tittered. "Everyone was annoyed, confused, and sleepy. They really didn't understand why we left that night, all of them wondering why we would leave our new house. But they began to understand, since they all know mom."

Laura tried to contain her giggles, but it proved too much for her and she eventually laughed, and thankfully only Squishy could hear her voice because the cheering of other students drowned her out. Squishy's smile widened as hers evolved into a massively open grin as her tone echoed through his ears. She had such a nice laugh.

"Gosh, I haven't laughed that much in a long, long time," Laura sighed as she steadied her voice.

"Really?" he asked, astounded. "I didn't know about that. I'm glad I can make you laugh." he added with child-like gesture.

"Well..." She blushed, smile fading. "I've been keeping myself...intact. For good measure, honestly."

"Intact?" he questioned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

He was surprised when she suddenly shifted her head, averting her eyes from his. He also took note of how her fingers tightened against each other, pressing firmly against her lap.

"Please, Scott," she almost pleaded. "Don't budge on this. Please, just don't..."

While questions were growing in his head about what could possibly have upset Laura so suddenly when she was beginning to cut loose, he knew barging into it was not the best way. Squishy was a patient monster, much like his stepdad and mother. He wanted to reach over and hold one of her hands in his, but decided not to. He was too scared to even do it.

"It's okay," he affirmed, "you don't have to talk about if you don't want to."

When she finally turned to look at him, he nearly tumbled out of his seat as those glittering irises shone in his view. Heart throbbing, he just chuckled lightly and offered her a comprehensive smile.

"Oh, thanks for understanding," she murmured gratefully. "You really are a sensitive guy."

Squishy felt his grin widen as he shrugged. "Thank you for thinking so," he told her. "I do hope you feel welcomed here at MU."

"That's what I've pretty much felt since coming here," she confirmed,

"although, becoming a sorority leader was the biggest surprise."

"Well, with us OKs around, I am sure we can make it a memorable experience for you," he promised.

"Well, meeting you was goal number one," she informed with a soft smirk, "so consider yourselves already a success."

His cheeks almost became rosy. "Well, that's a great start, I think. And I hope you can have more life-changing moments here on campus."

"Oh, I'm sure I will, Squishy."

Both returned to the game, Laura's smile merely a thin line of her lips while she kept her eyes on the mock teams rushing at each other. From the corner of his five eyes, Squishy could only watch her with adoration, his heart pounding continuously as her presence sat beside him.

So sweet, yet so shy. Laura Sharp was unlike any girl he had ever seen. There was just so many surprises about her, as well as secrets. Perhaps the secrets weren't that big a deal, maybe Laura was just trying to adapt to her "new world". After all, she had arrived two weeks late into the semester, that would be a stress ball over any monster's head.

But she had persevered and was now pretty much coping well with university work, and proved to be quite the intellectual girl in Professor Knight's class, who praised her on her efficient answers and doing her family name proud. That only served to increase his admiration for her, and Squishy felt his heart warm again.

Although, her insecurity about roaring out was something to question. Her insistence of not doing what a Scarer must do raised every monster's eyes, and most wondered if she was willing to be a Scarer at all.

He actually was curious to see Laura roar, and the one he heard at Frat Row when he first met her was simply stunning. The sound produced was like those of the legendary draconic monsters who worked in the Scaring companies, and it was definitely terrifying to the maximum. Squishy wondered what kind of roar would Laura produce if she was completely serious and was confident enough to allow her true skills to show.

Still, roar or not, he was just pleased as well as overjoyed to be sitting with her. With the exception of Archie he leaned against her thigh as he plopped on the bench, they were alone.

"Hey, angel wings."

He had hoped for too much as he looked up to witness Johnny Worthington himself hovering over Laura. She was mildly surprised but greeted him with a mannerly smile. Immediately Squishy's heart ached as the ROR president's sharp teeth gleamed in Laura's view, and he wouldn't doubt that Laura would be fascinated by the display. He did notice that Archie was not the least bit impressed, his minus-shaped eyes narrowing as he gave a low growl at the Worthington heir's presence, but the monster didn't even notice or hardly cared.

"Oh, hello, Johnny," Laura greeted casually.

Johnny merely grinned, eyeing her wonderfully before he casted his gaze over to Squishy. The smaller monster flinched, his insides squirming as Johnny's eyes mocked his set of five. That expression seemed to say, "Beat is, loser. You'll just make yourself look more of a fool in front of her now that I'm here."

Intimidated as well as lacking self-confidence, the Carlton son slowly slipped out of his seat, earning a stare from Laura.

"I, um..." he stumbled on his words as he stepped away from them, "I'm going to go to my dad."

Although Laura was a bit puzzled that he would leave, she gave a nod.

"Oh, sure. Go ahead."

He felt ashamed and self-remorseful to leave her like this, especially when they had spoken to each other like a dream come true. But with Johnny looming over them both, Squishy feared he would play the miserable third wheel, bearing witness to all of Laura's attention falling on the larger monster as of right now. Had Mike been with him, perhaps he could brave himself and speak out about Johnny's intervention. But Mike was at work and he felt utterly unsure of himself.

With that, he quickly dashed out of her sight, realizing even further that he just made Laura an "open target" once more as the ROR president himself spoke with her, smirking vividly as he gazed at the unsuspecting EZ leader.

As soon as the little guy was gone, Johnny's eyes fell on Laura before he took to the seat Squishy had been on moments ago.

"Thought I'd find you here again, Sharp," he chuckled.

Laura studied him carefully, wondering where his "self-proclaimed" girlfriend was or why he had come back to the EZ president of all monsters. She watched as he lifted one leg and crossed it over his other one, leaning against it as he eyed her with that usual glint of something combined with a smirk. His purple eyes glimmered in the daylight, and his horns gleamed like an antique mahogany table found in a wealthy monster's home. He barely paid mind to Archie who leaned protectively against her.

"Saw you talking to the OK kid over there," he couldn't help but say.

"Oh, you mean Sco-I mean, Squishy? Yes, and he mentioned something about helping me out."

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, he mentioned he also sent a petition to the Greek Council to help my team out," she explained. "Just like you did."

Johnny's mind immediately processed the facts, and he was surprised that the smallest OK fraternity member copied what he had done to earn Laura's approval. He felt a little frustrated by this, but he kept his emotions well-hidden as he gazed at Laura, drinking in her beautiful face and gorgeous form at close range.

"Well, ain't that a coincidence..." he muttered, forcing a smile.

"Yeah, I guess in some way you two are similar," she couldn't help but point out.

Johnny nearly scoffed at the thought. Him and the baby-looking piece of dough? There was absolutely nothing he had in common with the likes of him or anyone in OK in general.

With the exception of...

He eyed Laura once more, drinking in her beauty and curves. Maybe the runt was somewhat a worthy opponent, but not even close to Johnny's standards.

And besides, he knew Laura would make the right choice in time. He was a full-packaged Scarer as Johnny often boasted about himself, and the smallest OK member can hardly measure up to him, better yet even reach to the height of his waist.

He grinned to himself, knowing that Laura was all his for the moment. So he decided to play the kind gentleman she saw him as.

Laura was stunned the moment Johnny reached out and carefully held one of her paws, gently rubbing it in his own clawed hands like some spa treatment worker.

"Um, Johnny," she asked, voice nearly caught in her throat, "what are you doing?"

The way his matted fur rubbed against her bare flesh was quite assuring for some reason, and she could not tear her eyes from his purple ones somehow.

Johnny smirked even wider, finding no surprise that she couldn't stop staring at him as he caressed the soft skin of her hand. She felt so smooth and almost silk-like, and he congratulated himself that he had gone this far without actually taking most of Carla's advice. She was a fine helper, he honestly knew, but that didn't mean he couldn't improvise.

"You've been so tense lately," he said gently as if he was speaking to a monster child.

He watched as he saw a flicker of embarrassment in her eyes before her ears lowered, making her even more attractive to him than even possible. He never let go of her hand, holding it in his claws, allowing his "material" to connect with hers like a message inscribing to her how he was everything she desired in a monster. Of course, she didn't understand, only assuming he was, in his own Worthington way, comforting her. But it was a likely progress.

Laura felt even tenser as he held her hand. A voice in her head told her to just pull away, lightly chide him for being too "touchy". But she couldn't; she just didn't have the guff. But still, this was out of the kindness of being a good Greek neighbor. At least, that what she assumed it was.

"Um, where's Stephanie?" she asked.

Johnny thought back to his self-proclaimed girlfriend, and quickly pushed that thought out of his mind. She wasn't deserving of his attention, and she was merely obsessed with him rather than loving him, being stalker as well as a pain in the tail.

"Well, let's just say she's busy right now, Laura," he said.

That was rather a lie. The moment the Homecoming Queen had dragged him out of the stadium, he made up a story about having to run an errand for one of his frat brothers. Of course, Stephanie was naive enough to believe it, her heart beating for his. And she promised to see him very soon, hoping they would "catch up" on important matters. Johnny shivered at the thought, thinking about taking a hot, bubbling bath after having had some of her drool leak onto his sweater which moistened the fur beneath.

Well, Stephanie was gone now, and here was the midnight beauty he knew was destined to be his. He smiled at her as his claws carefully rubbed her palms.

"You seem rather tense, do you need me to make you loosen a little?" he asked with as much charm as he could add into his tone.

Laura gave him a confused look, unable to process what exactly he meant by that. She looked from his eyes to his hands, his sharp claws holding her paw ever so gently as if it had been wounded after training. He didn't seem like he wanted to let go anytime soon. She raised her eyes back to him, seeing those purple irises gaze intently at her. She shivered for some reason.

"Uh, what do you mean by that?" she questioned uneasily.

Johnny continued to look into her eyes, those beautiful gems that could captivate any man. He found her unsteadiness rather adorable, and felt he was winning the Scare Games already.

"You're breathing a little faster," he analyzed with a chuckle, "your hands are getting a little. And you almost look like you're panting." He smirked. "If that's not a sign of being tense, I don't know what is."

He eyed the expression of realization drawing across her face as her ears lowered even more, her teeth clenched with anxiety he actually did expect.

"I look awful, don't I?" she gulped.

Somehow, seeing her seemingly submissive served only to add to her beauty in Johnny's eyes. She was so beautiful, so adorable, and was practically begging to be comforted and protected by someone. Like him.

"No, you don't look awful," he murmured, his tone carrying much more charm. "You look beautiful."

Johnny felt Laura's grip tighten a little, her eyes almost as large as her wings as she nearly gawked at him. His smirk deepened, mentally patting himself on the back as he regarded her flirtatiously. He watched as Laura opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Of course, he had expected her to be speechless. He knew she couldn't resist although she probably wouldn't admit it, simply allowing him to care for her at the moment.

"Johnny..." she almost squeaked.

He chuckled, rubbing his palm atop hers as he gazed into those sky forest eyes. He knew Carla would probably chide him for not taking her nagging advice and just go slow. But the way he saw it, his own advice was pretty much working, but he did appreciate every effort Carla provided him.

He leaned a little closer to her. "Hey, Sharp, maybe if you're really relaxed you and I could-"

He did not hear that shout of warning, one of the opposing football team members having just been tackled by Big Red. And in the process his aim went awry, football flying straight into the crowds. Students pushed past each other or dived out of the way to avoid it, but Johnny had been too focused on Laura to realize anything else, not even Archie's alarmed snorts.

The football slammed against Johnny's head, tipping him forward and onto Laura herself, both monsters crashing into the ground.

Johnny groaned, feeling a sharp pain jabbing into his skull. Grunting at the throbbing agony beneath his massive horns, he opened his eyes, noticing he was laid on the grass in a tangle of limbs...with Laura Sharp.

It took him a few minutes to realize his arms were wrapped around her waist, his hands having flailed out during the impact in order to grip something. And his eyes widened in disbelief, and stared at Laura who laid opposite while on her side facing him. She moaned and shook her head, momentarily concussed. The moment she witnessed her arms in his and how close they appeared, her jaw fell in shock, unable to utter her surprise.

The students around them gasped of shock and amusement, and so did Don, Katy, Colette, and Squishy, the former three just returning with their cold drinks, while Squishy just walked back from the nearest restroom. All of them gawked at the sight of Johnny on the grass with Laura practically glued inside his arms, the football rolling beside them.

Don and Katy spilled the contents of their drinks onto the ground as they stared in disbelief, while Colette hands flew to her mouth. Squishy only stared in horror, wondering what had suddenly occurred after he left.

If his heart hadn't been squeezed like a lemon so far, every curve of its strength had been finally crushed into a withering prune as Squishy saw Johnny almost wrap Laura in his big, muscly arms. However, from her expression alone, it was almost as if Johnny had thrown himself on her. The youngest OK member nearly gagged at the thought.

Laura didn't know what had just happened, only to see that Johnny's face was inches from hers, and she knew he could feel her heart pounding with anxiety, questions rushing through her as to why they were in such a position and how was it even possible? When she looked at Johnny, for a moment she thought she saw something flicker into those irises that possessed surprise at their current situation...among other emotions.

Johnny slowly lifted his head from the ground, having felt smooth skin within his grasp despite it all having been so sudden. Although the football player who threw a ball at him needed to pay...Johnny felt he wanted to reward the guy handsomely for a "perfect accident". That was what Laura assumed it was as he laid beside her, hands having unintentionally wrapped around her whose eyes flashing with question and traces of nervousness.

His first instinct was to get off and apologize and make insults about what idiot drove them to do that. But the sight of her beautiful face and being so close against her curves made his tail nearly stick up on end. He couldn't stop the smirk from playing across his lips as he looked at her, managing to finally get off and lay on his knees while she brushed herself, her fingers stroking her chest and hugging herself as if having been incredibly exposed after being caught in a dressing room.

He couldn't suppress the the humor on his face as he watched her produce another beautiful expression of uncertainty, and he had a feeling his tongue was wagging out, nearly panting like a dog desiring water.

"I got to say, Sharp," he chuckled, "you feel pretty nice." His smirk broadened as he saw the flushed expression on her face.

Suddenly, Johnny was yanked by his collar, forced to stand away from Laura. He thought it was someone from the field, maybe the football coach or maybe even Big Red.

However, his eyes raised in astonishment when he saw it was no other than Don, aka Grandpa. The mature student himself held an expression of disapproval, his tentacle possessing a tight grip on Johnny's collar. The Worthington heir had to admit that for someone way past his age, the old guy sure had some strength.

Don quickly tore his tentacle away from him as soon as the ROR president was a suitable distance away from Laura, whose sorority sisters stood by her protectively. He glanced over at his son, whose expression was unreadable but understandable.

"Excuse me, Mr. Worthington," Don began sternly, looking up at the younger monster, "but what in the name of the Great Mountain of Slime are you doing to Laura here?" He gestured to the nervous girl who stood up, her face as red as Johnny's sweater.. "For glob's sake, keep your hands to yourself! Or I will have to report you to the Dean."

Katy and Colette stood closer to Laura, their faces plastered with concern and alarm, both of them inquiring whether she was hurt, if Johnny had tried anything, and how was she doing emotionally right now. Squishy merely stood by his father's side, glancing from Laura to Johnny. The young member hovered over Archie, holding him steady as the Scare pig almost seethed with anger.

Just as Johnny's adjusted his collar, trying to smooth out the marks where Don had gripped it, Katy got right in his face.

"Yo, Worthington!" she bellowed angrily, poking him in the chest. "You better explain yourself before I dish out a whole lot of pain on you!"

Colette crossed her arms as she glared at the ROR president. "That's was quite rude and a darn un-gentlemanly way to behave, Johnny!"

Johnny merely sighed and held up his hands, wanting to explain himself before things got too far and taken out of context. He turned to Laura, whose hands tightened around herself as she regarded him. She wasn't angry, just appeared completely unsure yet sympathetic.

He sighed before turning to the set of four faces in front of him. "Okay, look," he began hesitantly, "I wasn't trying anything. If you want to blame someone, blame one of the football players that nearly knocked my skull out with the ball. I was just talking to Laura until I got hit, landing us right as you saw us seconds ago."

Johnny could see the other student spectators looking at them with interest, intent on seeing how this incident would turn out. Even the players of both teams in the mock match ceased in their motions, as though a switch flipped for them to turn off, and focused their attention on what was happening on the stands.

Colette appeared unconvinced. "Really, Worthington? A hit on the head? Sounds like something you would get after going at Laura!" She jerked toward said EZ leader whom Don held a protective arm around.

The ROR leader rolled his eyes. "Hey, believe it or not, princess, some members of the football team can actually stink on occasion. I was a hapless victim."

"Victim?" Katy retorted. "Look what you did to Laura!"

Johnny feigned his distress, merely rolling his eyes at the accusation. "What? Look, just because she's unbelievably hot doesn't meant I'd just go at her."

He turned to Laura, who lowered her head shyly, feeling a blush creep on her face. Glob, she looked so good even now. He counted his blessings twice that football hit him at what had become an impossibly incredible moment for him.

"Well, Jonathan," Don began carefully, "a likely believable story. Plus I know your fraternity aren't those kind of monsters, however..." He shifted his eyes toward Laura. "I'd like to hear the truth from the, ahem, victim."

Squishy turned sadly toward Laura, a little hopeful maybe her words could bring Johnny to fault. Not to say Squishy was malevolent or anything, but pray for something that would make Johnny a little less better than him, if that was possible. The ROR leader glanced at her, purple eyes broadening with a bit of skepticism as her eyes flickered toward him for a second, hands still crossed over her chest.

"Well, um..." Laura gulped. "Guys, it's not his fault, actually." She stared Johnny right in the eye. "A football really did hit him. And we lost balance and the rest, well, you already know."

"Are you sure?" Katy questioned before she eyed the Worthington heir with disapproval. "Because if he did tried anything, I will make sure he will pay!"

Laura quickly shook her head, biting her lip. "I'm sure. It was just a misunderstanding and an unexpected accident."

Don rubbed his mustache. "Since you put it that way..."

Johnny felt his heart swell with even more liking for Laura now if that was even possible, since she actually stood up for him. Carla would definitely be surprised when she eventually learned about this. And she thought he would have to wait for something like this until after he and Laura started dating!

Squishy felt his heart crushing to bits and pieces like a machine destroying an unwanted car when he heard Laura speak those words. He caught a glance at Johnny, who threw him a triumphant grin, mentally mocking him and leaving him even less hopeful for any chance.

"See? I told you, I am innocent." Johnny didn't even hide his cockiness as he raised his chest with pride. "It was just an unfortunate accident. I did nothing wrong-"

The rest of his words were cut off when Katy's arm shot out and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him close, her face obviously in a rage. Johnny was getting annoyed with monsters touching the collar of his authentic sweater. He was proud of his collar!

"Let me tell you one thing, Worthington," Katy hissed, "You may be the popular boy on this campus, but I know what you're made of, and it ain't cool. Don't let me catch you trying anything like this again, or you will be on your way to the Dean of Scaring, Worthington boy or not. Am I clear?"

Johnny held up his hands for Katy to calm down before shrugging her grip off him. "Lady, please chill. I got it, crystal clear." He turned to Laura. "Sorry about that gorgeous. I'll see you later, alright?"

He winked at her before he turned and left, leaving Laura in the crowd of protective monsters, with two watching the ROR president with hostility.

"My, glob!" Katy cried before throwing her hands up. She turned to Laura. "Are you sure he didn't try anything with you?"

"Of course," Laura spoke sincerely, looking pale and uncomfortable. "Look, Johnny may be a ...um...specific kind of monster...but he wouldn't do that. What monster would ever think he would?"

"Any monster who wants his team to back off," Colette muttered under her breath.

"I'll have to agree with Colette," Don mentioned, "although I don't hold that much spite against ROR in general but..." He looked up at Laura, holding fatherly concern. "Sweetheart, if he really tried anything-"

"I assure you, Don," she intervened, "he did nothing. He was just being...sweet." she added with a timid smile.

Squishy continuously stroked Archie as he stared at Laura, his heart withering little by little at these words that were spoken with complete honesty.

"Anyway, look, I think I had enough for one afternoon," Laure said anxiously. She turned to Don. "I'm sorry, but I think I'm going back to my dorm."

"What?" Katy sounded almost heartbroken.

"Laura, come on, you can't be serious," Colette whined.

"Oh, I'm serious," the EZ leader chuckled nervously, "I should really be going..."

"Okay, if that's what you want," Don spoke gently. "Do you want me to follow you?"

Laura quickly shook her head. "No, I think I'll be fine by myself." She smiled warily at Katy and Colette. "Thank you for bringing me out today. I appreciate it." She then turned to Squishy, peering into his multitude of blue eyes. "Take care of yourself, Scott. Thank you for the nice conversation."

Squishy managed a smile, holding up the football that had been the cause of all this. As well as the reason for Laura having to leave.

"Sure," he responded quietly, "I hope to see you again, Laura."

Laura gave him a gentle smile, before unfurling her wings and took off into the blue cloudy sky like a bullet fired from a gun, and vanished beyond the walls of the Stadium.

Marbus, walking alongside and comforting Big Red who was blaming himself for what happened, looked up to see the fluttering of wings, and witnessed Laura flying off. He blinked his many eyes as he watched her disappear behind the stadium wall, and he thought back to what she had mentioned to him. Perhaps he can contact her again after some time, get to know one another more. And maybe she would get along well with both his girlfriend and his roommate, hopefully the former.
_

Having returned to the ROR house after the little incident at the stadium, Johnny couldn't keep silent about what had occurred between him and Laura that the moment he went through the door, he bragged aloud about what a lucky guy he became today. The only ROR members present in the household were both Chet and Chip, with Reggie and Javier out pursuing their own interests for the day.

The president himself laid against the couch, arms crossed behind his neck while legs rested atop the coffee table in front of him. At the end of the couch sat Chip was who watching the giant television while serving half his attention to his leader. Chet was centered in the middle, legs tucked beneath him, giving all his attention to his "hero". The proud grin had been on Johnny's face since he arrived, and the image continuously repeated through his mind as he spoke once more of the "moment" he shared with the leader of EZ.

"You should have seen the way she looked at me," the Worthington heir chuckled, "seriously, I could tell she wanted a piece of the ROR president right here."

Chip glanced over to him, partially grinning while he leaned against the arm of the couch. "Seriously, all that from a football?"

"You sure you're alright after experiencing a blow like that?" Chet asked worriedly.

"Chet, relax," Johnny laughed. "I'll let myself get hit with a baseball if it means repeating that again."

Chip rolled his eyes as he changed the channel. "Then you might end up in the hospital like those OK twins are right now."

"Then Laura will feel so sorry for me that she'll have to visit me every day," Johnny responded with an impish smirk.

"Speaking of those Oozmas," Chet added, "heard about the little fundraiser going on?"

The smile then vanished from Johnny's lips. "Fundraiser?"

Chet scoffed as he leaned back against the couch. "Yeah, Brynn Larson spit in my face about it..."

"Spit in your face?" Chip repeated with confusion. "Like literally?"

"Since when was there a fundraiser for Oozma Kappa?" Johnny almost demanded.

"She and her little princesses in purple organized it!" Chet explained angrily. "I asked them what the point was of it and Brynn nearly knocked me out before she told me it was a "just in case" fund for the twins."

"It's always about the twins..." Johnny grumbled, staring up at the ceiling, "always about Oozma Kappa..." And he had been in such a good mood just moments ago.

Chip glanced over at his leader with concern. Since last semester, he feared ROR's status as the top fraternity was being challenged by no other than the monsters in yellow and green. Semester after semester ROR had dominated the former doormats with the entire campus behind them. Now things were different, and the campus adored those misfit guys! And said monsters braved themselves before ROR, refusing to be stepped on any longer.

That was the case the day the older Perry twin had nearly thrashed his leader, calling out on everyone and almost refusing to go to a fraternity party dedicated to his team. Of course, since the night of that prank, the other Greek teams had began feeling a little...guilty. But, hey, it was their own fault as well.

Now the Greek community as well as the entire campus, and, dare he say it, Hardscrabble, practically worshipped Oozma Kappa, even their mom. He couldn't blame Johnny for being envious no matter how much his leader denied it. Those monsters were always the talk of the university, their kindness and patience as well as brotherly love was what made hearts melt, not to mention they were responsible for what was perhaps the biggest celebration in MU history! And Chip thought he hated weddings...

With the twins in the hospital, it seemed like the entire campus just...fell. He can't even take a walk through the courtyard without hearing a bunch of fangirls ask each other desperately about the "adorable twin Oozmas" and if they would ever receive the gifts they brought at their door. Those lucky guys hit the motherload in the gifts department, and it only got better when he heard a guitar and drum set had been delivered to their house. Whoever did that must really care about them that much if he or she was willing to spend a heaping amount of cash for them.

And for someone to really care, he was incredibly surprised that the three girls, McCrea, Jackson, and Picca, had actually challenged the CDA just to see those twins. Now Lane Picca he could understand since she had so many restraining orders to fill a book, and that Katy girl was going to compete in the talent show with the twins so it was a strong friendship from what he observed. But Naomi Jackson? Well, true that the entire Greek community was waiting on hands and knees for any news on the twins, he never did think any of them would go so far as to break the rules as well as break into a hospital. Maybe Jackson wanted to set an example or something...

A loud knocking sounded from outside their front door. It almost seemed violent, the wall nearly shaking as hard thumps echoed from where the three sat.

"I got it," Johnny sighed before getting up.

He strolled over to the door and nonchalantly turned the knob. He barely had time to open it before it swung open and the next thing he knew he was being gripped by the collar again.

"What were you trying to do, Worthington?" Carla demanded as she shoved her face right at his, seething beneath her glossy lips.

Although Johnny had been momentarily surprised, he realized that the little incident earlier was not letting him off that easy. Especially where Carla Delgado was involved. Still, he maintained a placated yet irritated expression as he tried to shrug her off his collar which was probably in need of ironing just to rid the creases.

"So, I guess you heard, huh?" he asked, completely unfazed by her sudden temper.

"What have I told you, Johnny?" Carla almost screamed, giving a hostile shove after releasing him. "Now you're just going too fast!"

Johnny groaned loudly before glaring at her. "Okay, look," he began steadily, "I don't know what you were told, but it was all a complete accident because someone on the football team is lacking in coordination right now."

"Oh, really?" Carla folded her arms. "That's not what Marbus told me."

The mention of that draconic monster from the football team sent a bitter feeling down Johnny, and the Worthington heir scowled with resentment.

"That guy has had it in for me since last semester," he growled. "But seriously, Delgado. Would I ever lie to you?"

He immediately held his hand up before she could even speak.

"On second thought, don't answer that," he snapped.

"Okay then," Carla began calmly, "Marbus told me that Laura left as soon as you did. She's a bit shaken from what he told me."

"She's always shaken," Chet hollered from the couch. "She'd panic if she forgot to bring a pencil for class!"

He immediately buttoned up the moment his leader shot him a menacing glare, his sharp teeth glinting in warning should Chet dare make one more joke about the Sharp heiress.

"Anyway," Johnny grunted before turning back to Carla, "it was all an accident. It's not like I fell on top of her. And FYI, ask Sharp yourself. She defended me when her little sisters were hoping to shove the football down my throat."

Carla's folded tentacles tightened against her chest as she regarded him carefully. Out of any Greek monster, she was the only one Johnny was actually willing to consult with other than his ROR brothers. He had permitted that he would seek advice from her whenever it involved Laura, but she knew he would most often rely on his own instinct. Maybe she was being way over her head due to having stopped Laura from suffering another panic attack that time at the Troll bridge. And Johnny, well, she knew he was willing to try just about anything for some decent alone time with the former Fear Tech student. Carla was enough of a "best friend" to him to see and understand that, while most of Frat Row was warning him to not try anything that would cause Oozma Kappa to form a rift against their university like before.

"Okay, Johnny," she said, a sly smirk playing at the side of her face. "You're starting to sound decent. Maybe I was jumping ahead of myself."

"You think?" he scoffed, brushing his sweater.

"But really," she added with a stern expression, "don't hope for that again. Then people will just begin to wonder."

"Yeah," Johnny chuckled, "wonder why Sharp and I aren't dating yet."

"Zing!" Chet exclaimed laughably from the couch.

"Oh, glob, Worthington," Carla rolled her eyes although gave a light chuckle, "you are just impossible."

"True," Johnny smirked, "but getting Laura, that is as easy as the Scare Games."

She didn't bother to hide her frown. "Then you're going to have to follow my instructions a bit more if you want that to happen."

It was his turn to frown. "Yeah...your instructions..." he grumbled.
_

MU Student Dorm Room 1020

Laura reached her own personal dorm room after landing near the steps of the building. Archie gurgling in her arms, she unlocked the door before pushing it open, closing it and locking it again. This time she hung a "do not disturb" sign on the knob informing anyone that she requested to be alone for the moment. Looking around her neat room, she placed down the snorting Scare pig who trotted over to his bed and laid down against the soft cushion, watching his caretaker proceed over to the chair near her desk. She took a seat with one paw on her chest where her heart pulsate, and her mind whirling with thoughts on what had just happened moments ago at the stadium. Of all the things to happen, she did not expect and incident between her and Johnny Worthington to occur in such a manner, especially by a football thrown awry.

While she knew it had all been an accident, she still couldn't help but feel as if her space had been invaded. As a late comer and serious student, she preferred some distance between her and perhaps the student body. The last thing she wanted was actual closure. And apparently she did feel a little uncomfortable when the fraternity leader himself actually managed to get quite close to her, and she didn't know what to feel or say when he held her paw in his own clawed hands. While that was polite, Laura could not shake the feeling that Johnny might have overstepped his bounds a little.

Well, as of today everyone seemed to have had done so. Katy, Colette, dare she say it Marbus, even the friendliness that was emitted from the Homecoming Queen herself made Laura feel various types of anxiety.

Still, Johnny had honestly been so sweet to her. They had all been so sweet to her since she showed her face in MU, from the Smile Squad to the entirety of Frat Row. Even when she desired to only be a face in the crowd at a party, almost every Greek monster was trying to fish her out and converse. Get to know her more.

What more do they need to know about her? She was a Scare student who transferred from Fear Tech. Oh, and that her dear Archie meant the world to her.

She glanced around her room. It was bare and simple but worked. Her eyes then fell on a few boxes beneath her desk that had been narrowly missed by her sorority sisters the first time they had set foot in her room. She had only unpacked the essentials. What these boxes contained were items that she felt would be unnecessary. As well as a bit intimidating to her at the moment. Should any monster unexpectedly come into her dorm, the last thing she wanted was a certain item catching his or her eye which would result in questioning.

Luckily, none of her Sorority sisters had noticed those boxes and its contents due to the small number of times they had been in her room. And since her dorm door was locked most of the time, no one else would have the chance to accidentally open it and touch her things out of curiosity. She was determined to shed her past self in Fear Tech and enjoy MU like every new student who came in to study in the various schools in the university, and it seemed that her plan was working. But Laura noticed that it worked a bit too well.

Deep down Laura wondered if bottling all this would result in hurting herself. While the panic attacks were still ranging from abnormal to nearly severe, it did prevent her from showing her true insecurities. Those boxes, they contained the things that meant dear to her. That represented her. But thinking about this particular "her" felt as if she would come out completely a dud to her student body should she reveal it.

Don't let it show and keep to yourself. When you're alone you won't look like a fool...or hurt anyone because of what a fool you can be. Those were words Laura stood by the moment she arrived at MU.

While she did want to forget about her time in Fear Tech, bits and pieces of those memories did return to her in her dreams, and many a night she woke up feeling unsure about what a new day in MU would bring for her. After all, she had unintentionally become a sorority leader, forced to bide by a team in the Scare Games that were nothing like what she experienced back in Fear Tech. Every moment the mere thought of it overwhelmed her, which made her more relieved each time she reminded herself that the events were postponed for the time being. Still, even when the games were not occurring, that didn't stop the monsters in her campus from approaching her, especially the ones of Frat Row. While Laura did appreciate their comfort and protection, even the motherly actions of Mrs. Carlton, Laura still kept to herself, desiring only to be on her own when she could or when her EZ sisters were not dragging her somewhere.

Conceal your feelings so that others would not know, don't feel about anything you don't want to be involved in. Keep an eye out for anything awry...and be ready to get out of the way to avoid being implicated by others in something you didn't do. Those were words she reminded herself day after day, especially that one moment when she first met Big Red's girlfriend Flora, the Sharp heiress have made herself completely foolish in her eye.

A soft snort broke through her thoughts and she shifted her head and watched as Archie laid soundly upon his bed. His many legs twitched, and his ears flickered, as if he was experiencing a nice dream. The little sweetheart really knew how to enlighten Laura as a small smile formed on her lips. Archie was pretty much an icon of MU, every monster familiar with the Scare pig as well as aware of who he belonged to. Dorm officials stated that no pets were permitted within the building, yet there had been no notice for Laura ever since she brought Archie to his new home. Perhaps that RA Ray was lending a hand and making this an exception.

It had been some time now since Archie was brought to MU, and there had been no reports of Fear Tech students on campus. Perhaps they were too busy to bother about Archie being missing, and assumed that he had wandered off somewhere on their own campus. After all, the Fear Tech Student Council staff always assumed that Archie would be either napping in his house or wandering around the FT campus most of the time. And since no one wanted to take care of him except Laura, they apparently didn't even bother about The Scare Pig at all. Even though Laura was glad that Archie behaved himself most of the time now, since he was back with his favorite monster caretaker, she knew it would only be a matter of time before a group of FT students would come into MU and demand for him.

She could be wrong. After all, it had been weeks. And Fear Tech monsters usually "traded up". Although she would never regard Archie like a clothing line that was in season.

She reached into her drawer and pulled out the familiar book she had taken out on occasion. Opening it to the next blank page, she began to write.

In times like this I wish I at Monstroland. All by myself, and BE myself. But I'm here at MU, and to "escape" would either leave the others confused or result in a search party for me. I know the monsters of this campus would do that should any of Oozma Kappa be missing.

Her pen paused for a moment, recalling how concerned the entire student body was while two of OK's beloved members were still being hospitalized. There was hardly any news save for someone from the CDA being sent to Dean Hardscrabble, which resulted in Katy and the girls eventually being called upon. At least they got out with a beneficial punishment. Still, the medical staff was providing the campus nothing on Terri and Terry Perry as of right now.

She recalled the sullen expressions on both Squishy and Randall's faces that time in Knight's class. She had fought against her caution and reached out to them. And when they reached back, it honestly did feel good.

She could only hope the twins would be alright. The campus was willing to sacrifice so much just for their return, such as when she discovered that the Greek community had put together a little fundraiser for Oozma Kappa. Although she wasn't sure whether or not said fraternity knew. It must be a surprise then. The twins were going to be welcomed back with not just the gifts that kept arriving at their doorstep, but a party provided by no other than Big Red himself. He had personally told her that he would rather lose instantly than to continue the Scare Games without Oozma Kappa. All of the teams would.

That was definitely a change of spirit from the past semester, according to Squishy who told her how they were treated before Mike and Sulley arrived. While Laura could understand competitiveness between the fraternities and sororities, she personally frowned upon such harsh treatment, because it was degrading and insulting. After all, the monsters of the OK fraternity were also monsters themselves, and they also have their own unique skills to show others, and they can be scary if they wanted to, just under the right circumstances, like what Mike had taught them before the finals of the Scare Games as she so learned.

Thinking of the games that were under hiatus, Laura shamefully had to admit that she was relieved to be temporarily released from the stress of experiencing yet another terrifying event. Not to say she didn't believe in her girls, but she had a hard time trying to believe herself. Had the games been just different individuals pinning against each other, this would be relatively easy. But alas, she was not in Fear Tech anymore.

She couldn't believe it but maybe a small part of her was starting to miss her old alma mater.

But of course, she would have to wait for the Perry twins to return and for the Scare Games to get back on track. She was currently doing well in terms of her assignments and mild sorority training (which was assured by no other than Mike Wazowski himself), thanks to Professor Knight's assistance and Carla's "recommended" training routine (for beginners). So everything had gone well for now. Once everything returned to normal, she would put in her best effort to train up her own sorority, hopefully speed things along, equivalent to how Mike produced with the OK fraternity. That would be something that she could use to keep herself focused. Maybe.

Laura reached down to pet Archie again before deciding to lie on her dorm bed for some much-needed rest. After all, her assignment deadlines were still far away, and it would do her some good if she rested for a while before going out to get a snack from the nearby vending machines. Hopefully, no one familiar would notice her by then.
_

Monstropolis, The Flynn Rider Buffet

Mike smiled at the beautiful form that sat across from him on the booth, her single eye just as dazzling as his. They were both so fortunate that they could finally find the time to go out together without any thoughts or obligations to the monsters they knew. The green mono-eyed coach felt grateful that he could break away from the chaos that was frequently occurring at his alma mater, while Celia was relieved to be away from complicated studies and boring lectures. Both were delighted to be alone with each other in the beautiful city, their hands entwined on the table as they conversed and complimented each other. A couple of frothy drinks laid between them, followed by a few plates of the choices sought out from the buffet table. Of course neither paid mind to the simple delicacies that were accommodated the taste buds of the establishment; they were far too busy gazing into each other's single eye with their hearts elated.

His grin deepened as he held her fingerless hands in his claws, drinking in the sweet face and single eye that was Celia Mae herself. She wore an orange dress that fell to her tentacles, followed by a black and orange jacket that sported the Fear Tech insignia on the back. Despite wearing the designs of MU's biggest rival, she was a sight to behold. Even her snakes looked adorable as each pair of eyes wandered in different directions. Her single eye looked into Mike's own with such love and affection like the first time they had dated, and he was seriously thinking that what he was feeling now with Celia was true love. Of course, he had read it in novels and the like, but the real thing was completely different. And he hoped to build upon the strong relationship he had with Celia as much as possible, since he was very sure she was his "one" since the moment he first saw her at that ice cream shop.

"Oh, Michael!" she cooed while her snakes chirped and sighed. "It's so great that we could have this time together!"

Mike chuckled. "Yeah, sorry I couldn't book us something a little more extravagant than this," he responded sheepishly. "If I had more time I would have gotten us seats at some nice sushi house."

"Oh, sweetie, don't worry about it," she assured him affectionately, "this is a really nice place."

He gazed at her adoringly, feeling his heart swell even more. "You mean that, Cel?"

She giggled softly, bobbing her head in response which gave her snakes a bit of a ride. "Of course, and I'm really enjoying everything right now.

Mike smiled warmly, claws enveloping her hands even more as he gazed up into that wonderful eye with a shade that matched his own.

"Well, that's just great," he spoke happily. "Here we are in Monstropolis. Just you, me-"

They both nearly jumped at the sound of a large belch that nearly reverberated through the walls before they turned to the booth a few feet across from theirs. Sitting all by himself with heaping plates of food in front him, Sullivan gave a friendly wave as he drank from his glass.

"And Sulley..." Mike sighed with a hint of reluctance in his tone.

Celia giggled once more, sensing how extremely annoyed her boyfriend was, but she knew both monsters meant well. She found it fun that they included Sullivan in their little date. After all, the blue behemoth certainly enjoyed a good buffet, and he did make the evening much livelier and even humorous. As long as he kept his burps to himself and did absolutely nothing that would throttle another tender-loving moment like she and Mike just had, then she was sure things would resume smoothly. She may not have read the ideal term on "wingman", but she was sure Sulley would doing a good job at it.

"So how's training at MU?" she asked, directing the focus away from his best friend.

Only half a smile remained as his hands slid out of hers before resting the palms atop their table.

"We kind of hit some bumps here and there," he sighed sadly, "we just can't focus that well without Terri and Terry."

Celia watched him sympathetically, a hand resting over her chest which ached for her boyfriend's sake.

"Oh, Mikey..." she murmured, "still postponing the games, huh?"

"Seems that way," the shorter green monster replied with faint confidence. "After all, they're still in the hospital. So the games will be on hold until they've finally recovered."

"Would there be a chance that the games would be cancelled?" she dared to ask. "Their condition looks pretty serious."

While she hated for Mike's alma mater to be terminated like that, she had witnessed enough anguish in MU's Greek community to realize that the possibility of the games abruptly ending was the last thing on anyone's mind. From what her boyfriend had informed her over the summer, her university's rival had not been all that kind to the fraternity known as Oozma Kappa. They had been shunned, pushed around, mocked, and furthermore humiliated. The mere thought of it made even her snakes hiss with fury, but she had been relieved when Mike mentioned how far OK's Greek neighbors had gone to earn their forgiveness. And, boy, did she wish to see what a frat house looked like splattered with chocolate fondue.

And to compete in the Scare Games with the sweetest fraternity in all of Greek Life, she knew that their neighbors would rather quit ahead than to continue on not have Oozma Kappa in the events.

Mike looked down at his plate of pastries, having chosen a to eat a bit more dessert before moving toward the more greasy deletables. "Not at the moment..." he muttered. "The good news, from what I've heard, is that both twins are in stable condition."

However, Mike was unable to convince himself that "stable condition" would be considered the best news in the world. He was worried out of his mind for the ones he referred to as his friends as well as his brothers. He could barely concentrate on his work let alone the training he managed to sustain for the remaining members. But it just wasn't the same without those two heads either forming as one unit or bickering for all to witness.

Celia noticed this and she reached over to grasp his hands once more, giving them a tight, affectionate squeeze.

"Don't worry," she nurtured, "I'm sure they'll be fine and return to MU."

He looked at her lovingly, feeling incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful and sensitive monster for a girlfriend. Celia truly did know how to help ease the emotional pain.

"I hope so," Mike murmured, "because I don't want to see them lying in the hospital for months to end."

"Oh, Mikey..." she cooed, "it's so sweet how concerned you are."

He chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I'm trying not to let it get to me. But still, I'm just really scared here, you know?"

He shivered a bit when one of her hands slipped out of his before resting atop his head, just barely above his larger eye. She gifted him a tender smile, expression filled with determination.

"Well, don't be," she spoke a bit firmly, "they're under the best care right now and I'm sure the CDA will give us some news very soon."

"I guess you have a point there, Celia," Mike mused.

As if one cue, their waitress arrived at their table before placing a basket or freshly-baked bread between the couple. The young woman of dark orange skin and three eyes especially placed a new set of napkins right in front of Mike.

"Oh, thank you," the green cyclops said politely, "we needed this."

"My pleasure..." the waitress responded in a sultry tone, her trio of eyes regarding Mike with flirty look, "...handsome.

She gave the former MU student a wink before sauntering off, her hips swaying as if she hoped Mike would keep his eye on her all day. Yet it was Celia who managed to catch the supposedly enticing glance of their server, and she bit over her lip to keep from scowling. Her snakes began to hiss almost protectively, willing to bite should that waitress try anything that would allure her boyfriend. Despite a bit short, Mike had those special attributions about him that just made him so adorable and attractive. And a few girls did find him quite handsome with his large, gleaming iris and perfectly set teeth. That last thing Celia wanted was some prissy waitress with more eyes making a move on her boyfriend, especially on their date...

Mike noticed the irritable look on her face. "Hey, you alright?"

She quickly shifted her head back to see him, and she threw him a promising smile. She just hoped that he didn't see the signs of her recent envy.

The moment the waitress neared Sulley's table, the Scaring heir leaned back against his seat, grinning at her.

"S'up?" he called flirtatiously.

Unlike his best friend, he was shot with a rather annoyed look before the waitress scoffed and moved on. He watched her leave in total confusion.

"This must be an off-day for me..." Sulley pondered, scratching his neck.

"Oh, I'm fine," she brushed it off like it was no big deal. "Let's have some bread!"

He smiled, those were the words he was hoping to hear. "Sure thing. I'm starving!"

As they dug into their pastries first, Celia giggled as she watched the crumbs scatter over his Granny Smith apple green skin as he chewed.

"Don't you get enough pastries at home?" she reminded, recalling that the OK frat house was becoming a storage bakery due to the amount of gifts and treats they were receiving by their campus.

Her boyfriend chuckled, coughing a bit as he gulped down his food. "Well, I don't touch the twins' gifts. It's mostly Sulley and Art who do it no matter how much I scold them not to. Shamefully, Mrs. Carlton takes a bit as well."

Celia giggled, before looking over her shoulder to see the blue monster himself digging into another plate on his table across from them.

"Well, can't have it go to waste," she giggled. "It sure was nice of your campus to do all that for the twins. It'll be like their birthday once they come back!"

"Exactly," he said with a knowing grin. "And hey, thanks for dropping off that gift. I'm sure Terri and Terry will love it."

Celia waved is aside, her cheeks a hint of red upon her purplish pink skin. "Thanks, although I'm not sure if a stationary set will ever measure up to that tea set."

"I just hope we won't get a tea set table," he joked, rolling his eye.

"But wouldn't that be awesome with the tea set?" she questioned.

"It would," Mike chuckled, "but the twins' room is already being filled to the walls with gifts, especially with the new instruments taking up all the available space. Really, this is nice and all, but I think we got more than enough, and I know the twins appreciate it all the same."

"What instruments?" Celia asked, her single eye blinking curiously.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that!" he laughed. "My glob, Celia, someone left the most expensive-looking instruments right at our doorstep!" He was overcome with excitement now, replaying that morning in his head as he explained.

Her eye lit up with astonishment, and she gasped softly. "Oh, honey, that's wonderful! The twins do love their music! Did you ever find out who gave them?"

"No, actually," he replied, sound a bit deflated. "No note, nothing. Just left it their and scrammed."

Celia rubbed her chin, allowing this all to sink in. "Well, that's strange."

"Yeah, if we had a detective kit we could try and figure this out," he joked.

"Did the twins get that as a gift?" she countered playfully.

He laughed. "No, but we might get lucky."

"Speaking of lucky," she began, "you think Katy and the others are on easy street now? You know, after their little..." Her voiced trailed off, biting over her lip to stifle her giggles.

"Oh, yeah, the break-in..." Mike winced.

"Oh, glob, I wish I saw that!" she remarked.

"Sulley and I wished we saw that too," he agreed, "but it wouldn't be funny for long."

"You would have stopped Katy and those girls, right?" she questioned.

"I would have," he answered, "because their safety would be my most important concern. Sulley...I am not so sure." He scoffed, knowing what a complete "party animal" his best friend could be.

"He would encourage them?" she asked, knowing the larger monster too well.

Mike groaned softly. "Most likely, Celia. I can't doubt that."

"Well, I only hope they didn't get punished too badly," she said.

"Don't worry," he laughed, "just a few weeks of doing community service and all that jazz. Just doing stuff around MU, of course." He looked at her. "Sorry, I'm not sure if our Dean of Scaring is anything like yours."

Celia waved it aside. "Don't be. I don't really pay attention to who's who at my campus. I just want to get through the week until Friday and goof off." She smiled calmly, sitting more comfortably in her seat as she picked at her food.

"Doesn't everyone?" Mike chuckled.

"Well, if I recall," she smiled coyly, "all you wanted to do was study."

The green monster could not disagree. After all, he had spent the first semester of his first year more in the books than the activity around him. Even when he was hanging out with Randall his face was usually in a textbook than in a cupcake his former roommate would bake for him on occasion. Despite no longer no college, he did enjoy reading from time to time, and even study on whatever would benefit his mailroom job as well as coaching his fraternity.

"I still focus on my work," he explained, "especially OK, but I've mellowed a bit."

"Well, I hope you can make some time in your busy schedule for me," she said sweetly, batting her single eye.

Mike felt his heart surge, completely enamored by his girlfriend's saccharine personality.

"I always have time for you, Celia," he spoke lovingly."

Her heart nearly gave out, delighted by his sincere words and genial attitude.

"Aw, thank you, sweetie!" she cooed. "I'm always so happy whenever we get the chance to have these moments together! Although I do like it when I hang around with you and your friends on campus," she added with a giggle.

"Good to know you'll be able come to the twins' "Welcome Back" party," he said.

"I'm really excited for that," she squeaked. "Speaking of the twins, seeing how big their fanbase is, I think we should have ourselves either a double or triple date." She smiled at the thought. "Who knows? Either Terri or even Terry could have themselves a girlfriend once they get out of the hospital."

The image of the older twin at the library suddenly came to mind, and Mike had to force a smile, not daring to correct Celia on her assumptions. He still couldn't believe how infuriated Terry had been, having exploded like that at poor Naomi Jackson. Though it was not the first time, calling out on Johnny and the entire campus the morning of his and Sulley's expulsion. Then there was the moment after that when he seemingly threatened Big Red when the latter wanted to apologize for the way OK had been treated all those semester even before Mike and Sulley came to MU.

Terry Perry, the most pragmatic of the twins, the second most mature and supposed second leader of OK. And yet Mike had witnessed a side that revealed him as this brooding, grudging beast who had yet to release everything that had been concealed. Some of him was a bigger mystery compared to Art, but who was Mike to ask what had been bugging him when he indirectly heard it out of his mouth that moment in the library? After all, isn't that what he and his brother had argued about before the incident? And he must have been that upset to just bluntly tell his brother off like that. For as long as he had known him, Mike realized that he could be, indeed, terrifying.]

"Uh, yeah, maybe..." he muttered uneasily.

Celia noticed the flickering look of concern on her boyfriend's face. "Michael, what's wrong? You looked zoned out for a moment there."

"What?" He quickly drew out of his thoughts. "Oh, I was just thinking about when the twins would return."

"Oh, sweetie, it'll be okay," she reminded him soothingly.

He gave her a proper smile, holding her hands in his. "Thanks, Celia, it means a lot to me that spending time with you can make me forget about what's really happening."

"Then I hope we'll spend the rest of today together as well," she added. "I know our schedules really kill our time, but still, every second I spend with you makes up for it."

He looked up at her, his smile almost too big for his mouth. What he felt could only be described in the same way when he first met her at the ice cream shop. Just the way her single eye twinkled in the lights of the buffet establishment made his heart pound excessively. If only Terry could understand this feeling, then maybe he could become as lucky as Mike.

"Aw, come here..." he murmured softly.

He leaned close and planted a gentle kiss on Celia's lips, and she squeaked in surprise and blinked joyfully at him. Her snake hair hissed gently and lovingly, and they all focused their eyes on Mike, who hoped that he would not be accidentally bitten by them should he get a few more kisses.

She pressed against his much wider mouth, and sighed with content as their lips mashed together. She always loved it whenever her boyfriend took her by surprise like this. Of course, Mike Wazowski was always full of surprises. That's what Dean Hardscrabble had stated one.

After slowly breaking the kiss, Mike smiled up at her, chuckling as even her snakes blushed at his little action. He would wink but that would appear rather awkward being a monocular being.

Celia smiled, placing a hand over her lips where he had just kissed her. "Oh, Mikey!"

"It's just you and me, sweets," he said warmly.

"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that," she sighed, almost with exasperation. "I've been so exhausted by boring classes and homework junk!"

"School of Business not looking too hot for you?" he asked, recalling her major.

"It's so hard for me!" she cried. "And I HATE math! I thought it would be about writing and just writing! I'm no Creative Writing major, but even their English department is so difficult!"

"Huh, guess we can't exactly call them Fear Tech dummies right now..." He chuckled. Then his eye widened before he looked at her apologetically. "Not that you're one of them!" He gave her a skittish smile.

"Don't worry, I get it," she said. "Still, everything's just so "upgraded" and hard, I'm actually lucky I made a C on that one exam."

"Yeah, I studied really hard when it came to this stuff," he added.

"Oh, but you always get A's. I envy you on that!" she snickered.

"Well, let's put the grading scale behind us now, sweets," he told her, caressing the hands that laid in his. "It's all about fun from here on."

She gazed at him adoringly, even her snakes were in complete awe. "Oh, thank you, Michael."

"Hey, Mikey!"

Both immediately turned back to Sulley's table. The blue-furred beast waved to them, an empty bread basket in his large paw.

"You going to finish your bread there, guys?" he called.

Mike just groaned at yet another heart-tugging moment being intervened while Celia just laughed.
_

The gym was almost empty when Sephira arrived and pushed opened the doors before stepping in, looking around for her boyfriend Marbus. She had earlier tried his bunk room and Theo had politely informed her that Marbus had gone off for some weight training, and so she made her way to the gym to hopefully find him there. Her eyes flicked everywhere as she saw some monsters doing aerobatic exercises, and some training with small weight sets or running on treadmills, but she knew where Marbus spent most of his time at: the largest workout benches connected to weight machines, perfect for him to bench enough heavy weights to earn his name "Mr. Press".

It was early in the evening and Sephira had hoped she and Marbus could go out for a last-minute date and enjoy each other's company. The week was alright for the both of them, save for the amount of concern and anxiety scourging across campus due to the conditions of two very special OK members. She, like Marbus, was a respective fan of Oozma Kappa, having cheered for them since the Scare Games last semester...followed by the brooding frustration and contempt she possessed when she realized how ill-treated they were by every other team, especially her favored EEKs.

But that was in the past and OK was treated incredibly well like true brothers to the Greek system...while ROR could just endure the fact that their popularity was challenged by the boys in yellow and green. Now she only hoped that the aforementioned monsters would cling on, and that there would be still be the Scare Games. Especially since that last minute sorority came in that would make everything so interesting for MU.

As she searched for Marbus, she knew immediately he would be bench-pressing beyond even the strongest monsters of the university. She should know, she had just returned back from a sparring match with the champion Rosie Levin, and Sephira had actually risen as the winner. Had this been Rosie last semester, she would have kicked her butt through the roof after all the harsh treatment she and her fellow HSS sisters have thrown at the innocent Oozma Kappa. But the new Rosie was kind and more sensitive, but still tough as nails but overall a good sport that did meet the hearts of men who could see past her hard exterior. And Sephira was satisfied she managed to win in a sparring match with her, and the HSS president playfully informed her that she would want another one soon, much to the delight of Sephira who felt her skills improving.

Sure enough, she found the unmistakable shape of Marbus's immensely muscular form resting down at one of the largest workout benches, his wings splayed by his sides and his long, bulky tail curling around the workout platform, followed by the clanking of weights being lifted. And whatever was being lifted, it sounded incredibly heavy. There was no other monster around, so she could clearly hear his rhythmic breathing in and out as he lifted the weights, and the repeated clatter as Marbus wrapped his clawed hands around the largest weight bar he could find, with hundreds of pounds of weights stacked on each side to give him enough for a workout.

The muscles on his scaly form bulged and rippled as he did so, benching the impressive amount of weights and ripping out reps while grunting in effort, trying to push himself harder to improve his strength levels. If Sephira inspected closely, she was certain she could see large veins riddling his flesh, pumping blood to all the muscle groups that were helping him to keep the weight he was benching up and down constantly. Looking around the area, she noticed that Marbus's signature MU jacket was placed by the line of weight racks, and she walked in after stopping to see Marbus, admiring how much he had grown the years they had grow up together. Her soft footsteps were easily covered by the clanking of weights that were surprisingly loud in the cavernous section, and she stopped a small distance from the training draconic monster that was her boyfriend. She crossed her finned arms while gazing at him in both adoration and a little awe.

Marbus breathed in steady rhythm as he counted how many times he raised the bar. He knew a few girls were watching close by; he was used to it is. But it annoyed the heck out of him whenever one of them approached, flirting with him as if he was some store they could just waltz right into.

But no girl could even come close to his precious Sephira, the mere thought of her making his muscles build up as he raised the bar even higher than he expected. The weights felt like mere feathers as he pumped up his muscles. His biceps rippled with every lift, and he felt a little parched as he breathed with pattern. Grunting, he let the bar fall down on its little brackets before he laid back down on the bench, breathing heavily. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he heard the sound of footsteps overcoming the noise of weights being lifted and monsters stretching loudly before shifting his gaze. He smiled as he saw the lovely form of Sephira, and she looked rather excited.

"Hey, Marbus," she greeted sweetly.

Her sapphire eyes glittered in the gym lights and her cobalt-blue scales flowed like a sea of blue treasure on her skin as she watched from the side, waiting patiently for Marbus to push himself up from the workout bench, dressed in a pair of workout shorts that clung to his body. Gently breathing, Marbus glanced at his precious girlfriend, who had blossomed into a gorgeous female draconic monster that turned heads whenever she went, and a personality that fit his own criteria perfectly like a hand to a glove.

His muscles rippled and twitched after benching so many weights, and he gently unclenched his clawed fists and felt the veins appearing on his flesh disappear a little. But nevertheless he didn't shrink, but maintained his rather impressive musculature. He wiped sweat from his face and neck, feeling the veins there pop and pulse, and his heart beat a little faster than normal. There was also a warm feeling within his heart, and Marbus wondered if it was regarding Sephira's presence close to him. Looking out of the corner of his eyes, Marbus could see the other monster girls still looking at him, but when they saw Sephira they obviously knew they had no chance, so they stared wistfully at him even though they knew the answer.

"Hey, babe," he greeted her flirtatiously.

After wiping his face with a large towel, Marbus gestured for Sephira to come over to him, and when he looked up at her and met her rather excited expression, he knew she must have achieved something interesting.

"You seem proud," he teased, "what, you got something above an A+?"

Sephira giggled before resting a claw on his jutted shoulder. "I beat Rosie Levin in Chewjitsu!"

His eyes widened in disbelief before his lips broke into a grin. "Are you serious? The Brickhouse?"

"I'm serious!" she nearly squealed. "Oh, my glob, it was so hard but I actually pulled through!"

"That's really cool," Marbus chuckled supportively, "how did the reigning champion take it? Was her pride dented?"

"Um, a little," Sephira snorted, "but she's alright. Asked me for another match."

"Awesome," he grinned, "I'll be there watching who gets her butt kicked.

He laughed when his girlfriend playfully shoved him yet it caused little effect due to his bulging muscles and strong biceps.

"I was hoping we'd get out of here and grab a drink," she insisted. "My treat."

Marbus smirked as he locked the weight bar into its restraints and stood up, stretching his pumped muscles which popped and rippled with every movement he made. "Really? You sure are generous tonight, Sephy. But I don't mind." He winked at her.

She winked back. "Call it a little celebration for me."

"Sounds good," he said smiling playfully. "So that means you'll be also buying dinner the next time we go out?"

He felt Sephira gently punch him in the arm, and winced playfully even though he felt only a small bump on his hardened flesh.

She gave a mock pout upon her muzzle. "Don't push your luck, Marbus. You still promised to buy me dinner last time we were together."

He rubbed his arm where she jabbed it. "Uh, good point. I was just pulling your tail, Sephy."

They both beamed at each other as they walked out of the gym and retreated to the cool evening air. Other monsters strolled around the lit-up campus, enjoying the night or heading of to their destinations.

"So what happened earlier?" she asked. "Well, besides the fact that Hardscrabble had a meeting with one of the CDA and the three girls got in trouble," she added with a snort.

Marbus laughed and scratched his head. "Well, I had football training, but something interesting happened."

She looked at him. "What do you mean by interesting?"

He scratched that back of his head once more, unsure how to explain to her. But she was his girlfriend, maybe she would understand.

She gazed at him carefully, sensing something adrift. "Don't worry, whatever it is, I'd like to hear it."

He sighed. "Okay, so I was having football training with Big Red and the others today at the stadium," he began, "and in comes Johnny Worthington trying his luck with you-know-who."

Sephira grimaced. "Glob, still going at Laura Sharp? Seriously, she already had about two panic attacks!"

He nodded. "Then something weird happened, and it happened during a tackle. The ball just went flying. It hit Johnny from behind..." he winced as he continued, "and he fell on Laura, both falling down together. It was a complete accident, but I think Johnny didn't mind it at all if you know what I mean."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "That seriously happened? What did Laura do? I mean, did she try anything? This is Johnny we're talking about..."

"She forgave him so easily and did nothing more," he explained. "Two of her sorority sisters wanted to beat him up. And Don just wanted to have a stern talk like any middle-aged monster would give a jerk."

She crossed her arms and thought about it. "I hope it was an accident, but knowing Johnny, I somehow had the gut feeling that it's the complete opposite."

"It was not a pretty sight for me," Marbus sighed.

"And Laura just let him go like that," she asked incredulously.

"Somehow I think either she's too good a heart or she was too afraid to voice anything," he suggested.

"Seeing how she normally kept to herself most of the time," Sephira added.

"Yeah, and Johnny likes that," Marbus gulped.

"No, duh, Mr. Obvious," she rolled her eyes. "And Carla's trying to help him."

"And why would she do that?" Marbus asked in surprise.

"It's a sister thing," Sephira scoffed. "And she doesn't want him to make her look bad, because, you know, ROR and EEK, top frat and sorority on campus."

"I get it," Marbus chuckled. "And she's practically his best friend in a weird way."

"Sometimes I wonder if Carla even knows what exactly she's doing," Sephira sighed. "I mean, this is Johnny we're talking about."

It was his turn to scoff. "Dude, no way. I know Laura would never date a guy like him, no matter how hard he tries."

Both draconic monsters mulled over their individual thoughts for a few moments while they walked along the gravel pavement, Marbus's heavy footsteps in tune with Sephira's slightly lighter ones.

She then looked at Marbus. "I'm curious, how do you know so much about Laura?"

An alarm went off in Marbus's mind about the unexpected meeting in the locker room, and he thought about how to phrase it properly to his girlfriend. He played with his fingers nervously, wondering how he was going to explain himself as Sephira regarded him in question.

"Well?" she asked, voice sounding slightly more firm.

"Um, see, Sephy..." he muttered, "...the thing is...I kind of bumped into Laura before going back to practice."

"Oh? So you met her somewhere in the stadium?"

"Well, in a way yes..." he answered reluctantly.

Sephira observed him closely, suspicions rising. "You don't seem to be telling me everything." She leaned closer to him, cobalt eyes narrowing a bit. "Where exactly did you two meet?"

He winced, wishing he could just fib, but he was always honest with her and vice versa. He had to take it like a monster and expect the consequences. Taking a deep breath, he looked at her once more.

"Um...it was in the...um..." He winced."...the locker room..."

Just as he had feared, Sephira's eyes shot open and her jaw fell.

"THE LOCKER ROOM?" she practically screeched.

The drastic change of attitude from his girlfriend was quite horrifying, from the calm demeanor to the slightly fuming expression on her face. Marbus saw that her blue scaled cheeks were colored hotly red and her eyes were all as wide as they could go. And he was quite uneasy from the bearing of fangs she just showed as Sephira clenched her fists.

Marbus held up his clawed hands, open and in a placating gesture. "Geez...Sephy...easy! I can explain...I can explain...it's not what you think it is!"

He swallowed visibly as he watched Sephira stare at him, her own muscles tensing and jutting out from her body, her six azure eyes glaring into his own four golden ones as though searching for any deception. Her finned clawed hands were slowly clenching and unclenching, and for a moment Marbus thought she was going to dish out a world of pain on him. Well, even though Marbus knew he was as tough as rock, Sephira knew where to hit him because she could take down monsters significantly bigger and stronger than herself, and if he could last at least thirty seconds against her he would be considered lucky. She was, after all, skillful in the art Chewjitsu, and if she could take down Rosie Levin, he feared how she could take him down as well.

In a tight, fuming voice that brooked no delay, she grunted in warning toward her boyfriend. "Explain. Now. Marbus."

Sephira felt her mind, which was filled with anticipation about what she would be doing with Marbus after they got together, slow to a stop abruptly when he mentioned that he met Laura in the locker room. Her heart spasmed a little as her mind screamed in alarm, and all the irrelevant thoughts were shunted away and she was instantly filled with shock, anger and a little puzzled. But mostly shock and anger. She had so many questions to ask Marbus, like how in the world did Laura manage to get into the locker room, and a male's one at that, and able to bump into him. She crossed her arms, glared at her boyfriend and tapped her feet impatiently as Marbus frantically tried to explain.

"Well, I was going to get some coins to buy some drinks in there," he explained frantically, "and when I was in the aisle to get to my locker, I turned round the corner and felt someone bump behind me. I thought it was one of the smaller football players, but when I looked down I saw Laura on the floor. She told me she went through the wrong door while looking for the exit to the stands, so I did what any good-hearted monster would do and helped her up. I took her out of there and told her where to go. And she thanked me before leaving." He bit his lip. "That's all, Sephy. You have to believe me!"

She raised an eyebrow, still frowning. "Anything else you didn't mention?"

"I, uh, bought her some cold ones too?" he added innocently.

Sephira searched his face for any deception, and her heart reminded her that Marbus would never lie, even to her face. In fact, he would never hurt her. Good glob, what had gotten into her? It seemed like a plausible explanation, and from what Marbus described, Sephira wasn't entirely surprised about Laura Sharp having gotten lost. She was, after all, still vividly new to the campus; perhaps Fear Tech's directory was still embedded in her head.

"And that was it?" she asked, her glowing decimating a bit.

"Well, yeah, I helped her get back to the stands on my way back to the team," he said.

He tensed, never having assumed Sephira could get so easily worked up over something as mundane as a girl accidentally walking in on a guy in the locker room. Okay, maybe not totally mundane, but even to Sephira, it was better than bumping into Johnny.

"If you want a bright side to this, I put in a good word for Theo." His best friend really could use some girl in his life, and while he was peeving off the EEK girls, Marbus hoped that someone as patient and understanding as Laura might suit him. If he didn't screw that up as well.

Sephira looked at him for a few moments, lips tightening. "Okay, Marbus, I believe you. But you told me everything that happened right?"

He sighed in relief and his chest rumbled. "Of course! I would never lie to you, Sephy. I am completely honest when I talk with you every single time we chat, remember?"

She blinked her eyes and her fins twitched. "Fair enough, you have a point there, Marbus."

Relieved to see his girlfriend relax from her tense state, he wrapped an arm around her. "Thanks. It was just so unexpected. But at least I tried to help Theo find someone who can talk with him."

She chuckled. "I'm not sure if he could work for Laura. I mean, you've seen what he did with Donna last time."

He rubbed his horns. "But at least he could try, right?"

"That's true," Sephira's voice trailed.

"And come on, so Theo is a little rough around the edges. Laura's not the picky type. I mean, if she's patient with Johnny, what difference does that make for Theo?"

"Hmm, that's a really good point," she pondered.

"Exactly!" he exclaimed, almost excited. "And who knows? Maybe he and Laura will hit it off, and we could actually double date instead of making Theo feel like a third wheel!"

"You know that would really make them an odd couple right?" she giggled. "And what about his previous relationship with Brynn?"

He smiled apologetically. "Uh, that wasn't really a relationship as it was a little kid peeving off his big sister."

"Oh," Sephira almost laughed. "I knew it."

"At least it wasn't as big a mess as it was before," he added.

"What about Donna?" Sephira asked curiously.

"I really don't want him to get strangled by her again," he cringed.

"Good point," she said, "he still thinks her eyes are in her hair."

"Exactly," he muttered, "so let's hope for the best."

"And that he doesn't give Laura a panic attack as well," Sephira chortled.

Marbus shuddered at the thought, but he had to agree. Theo was a compatible slug, but when it came to women, he was as rude and insensitive as even the likes of Reggie Jacobs if that ROR guy could speak in full sentences.

"Yeah, that too," he muttered as he breathed in the evening air.
_

The squid-like monster known as Sonia Lewis chuckled to herself as she doodled yet another of her wonderful tattoo designs, indulging her artistic skills which she took as a hobby in the Art Club.

Of course, she was of the advanced level of artistic talent, unlike some students in the Art Club who just dunk their heads in the paint and slap it against the canvas repeatedly. Artwork was to be delicately drawn and inked, and then colored if the artist was satisfied enough, until it truly became a worthy piece of art to be displayed in an art gallery for other monsters to appreciate, such as her unique tattoo designs. And she was definitely putting all the effort she had into the one she was currently drawing on specially-made canvas paper in front of her on the table.

A droplet of black gooey ink oozed from her grayish blue skin naturally when Sonia willed it to come, and she used another of her tentacles to pick it up and place it onto the ink well beside her. The HSS girl smiled as she swirled her naturally produced ink and curled her tentacle around a small paint brush. Dipping it into the ink well, she brought it over to the canvas and gently drew the head of her crush, Terry Perry.

Swirling the paintbrush around and about like the careful artist she was, Sonia smirked at her excellent skills that had catapulted her to fame among Frat Row as one of the best tattooists on campus. Of course, she had accepted commissions before from the student body, earning some extra money to purchase some much-needed art supplies or a few boxes of expensive sweets she sometimes indulged herself in when finishing her assignments from Scaring class. The raven-haired monster would generally spend most of her time with Nadya, who was one of those monsters who appreciated her artwork and tattoo designs the most, and even had her tattoo one of her beautiful designs on Nadya's personal diary, earning a large tip with a box of exotic chocolates which laid beside the table where the squid-like monster was working on her tattoos.

As she drew the look of the elder Perry twin in a meditative pose, his fingers curled in the image of a student in the New Age Philosophy class, Sonia almost felt herself lick her lips in hunger.

Terry Perry was so perfect, the epitome of a male monster who she desired, especially with his dominant attitude as revealed when he first stood up for his friends toward Johnny Worthington. That was just the type her heart pounded for. While she had plenty of offers thrusted at her since she arrived at MU, Sonia was a bit dissatisfied by the majority of males un the university. None of them didn't appear to even come close to what she preferred in a boyfriend. And with HSS having the reputation of being tough as nails and incredibly mysterious, dates had been difficult. But somehow they just managed to see the soft center in all her sorority sisters, although they would pay a heavy price should they offend any of them.

Sonia didn't even need to mention the last time someone asked her sorority president Rosie out. Needless to say, Rosie stomped back into their sorority house after the date, her face in a mask of fury, and the rest of the girls including Sonia herself knew better than to inquire what had happened.

Grinning as she drew the Y-horned Perry twin and added some shading to his look, Sonia wondered if the gift she sent to the OK house would be a sight to behold by Terry and his brother. It was something she had poured a substantial amount of her pocket money into purchasing, which were deliciously-tasting chocolates from a famous shop which imported chocolates from Scaris, also known famously among monsters as the City of Love. Those came in extremely small quantities, and getting an entire box was nothing short of a miracle. Most monsters would have paid lots of money to get even a single piece, and here she was, giving an entire box for the twins to eat to their hearts' once they left the hospital. Of course, she hoped that Terry would remember her once he did wake up, because she simply adored him more than ever now.

Terry was such a kind soul, and he certainly knew how to treat a lady right. As Sonia drew his eyes and buck teeth, she felt a certain warmth in her heart that she only knew could belong to admiration and affection. No other boy had ever made her feel that way, except Terry Perry. While she knew she would be facing competition from the likes of Maria Garcia and other fangirls who wanted not just one but perhaps both of the twins, she was willing to fight.

As she finished drawing the picture of Terry Perry mediating on a bench in a lush garden of beautiful flowers, finishing the image of his tentacles coiled and his fingers in a yoga pose. She then added the finishing touches by inking specific sections and shading others, before finally using her tentacle to sign her signature on the right hand side of the canvas. She smiled and breathed a little easier now, wiping away her sweat as she moved her eye-stalks back to admire her latest creation.

Great glob, Terry Perry would love it to pieces for sure, and Sonia admitted to herself that she may have made him a little too divine in the picture, like a sacred deity. But she knew most women felt that way when it came to the most handsome monster of Oozma Kappa, his brother pretty close.

A click of the door knob captured her attention and Sonia turned, regarding the monster who entered her room. She stood up from her chair and tucked the newly designed tattoo piece away, giving a nod of acknowledgment to her sorority president Rosie Levin. Known as the Brick House in the university's wrestling field, the HSS president was definitely someone not to be trifled with. Her light orange eyes regarded Sonia's purple ones as the latter regarded at her calmly.

"Rosie, is there something I can help you with?" Sonia asked with a smile. "Let me guess, a new tattoo commission?"

She chuckled at Rosie as she crossed her tentacles and maintained a calm and relaxed gesture. The HSS leader grunted, before glancing at the table, which was scattered with canvas paper depicting various tattoo designs and patterns, as well as her paintbrushes and ink well. She was an excellent Scaring student, but she especially had excellent skills in tattooing and drawing, and Rosie herself had been impressed by the squid-like monster a few times before, coming up with excellent tattoo designs that would have won awards hands down. She didn't dismiss that hobby as girly when Sonia joined the HSS sorority, and instead encouraged Sonia to continue, as that was quite interesting and original.

Rosie regarded her sorority sister again and sat down at the adjacent chair close to Sonia, placing her hands on her lap.

"Sonia, I would like to talk to you for a while, is that alright?" she asked.

Sonia raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Sure. So, what are we going to talk about, Rosie?"

She noticed her stare at her carefully for a few moments, giving Sonia a slight chill before Rosie sighed. "I see your tattooing skills are still top notch, Sonia. I got to say your pieces of artwork sure have improved."

Sonia chuckled in reply, and she gestured to her drawings on the canvas paper. "Well, they did give me a clarity of mind at times, so I indulge myself."

Rosie managed a faint grin as she glanced at Sonia's art pieces, knowing that her sorority sister showed incredible tattooing skills. The leader herself even requested for a number of commissions. Of course, the other HSS sister was more than happy to do so, often gifting each of the HSS girls a unique tattoo design made to their aesthetic tastes which they all cherished greatly. After all, Sonia has poured her efforts into making them, and the expressions of joy and content on their faces the moment they received their own individually commissioned tattoo designs were worth the work.

"Have you done anything new lately?" Rosie inquired.

Sonia grinned widely, before passing her a canvas paper of her own artistic depiction of the Perry twins. The sorority president raised an eyebrow at the intricate lines and patterns on the canvas paper, showing the members from the OK fraternity dressed in formal clothing, holding their respective instruments: Terri with drumsticks, and Terry with his own guitar. Their expressions in the image appeared as if they were about to sing in a music concert. While she was impressed by Sonia's impression, Rosie personally felt it was a little too...flashy.

For some odd reason she could have sworn she heard Sonia slip out a dreamy sigh when she took back the canvas piece and gazed at it with a slightly flirtatious grin. Rosie knew that look, and she was not surprised at all.

"Speaking of tattoo designs, I have noticed quite a number of them depicting Terry Perry, Sonia," the sorority president stated. "If you don't mind me saying, we need you to be more focused in the next Scare Games event. Is that fine with you?" She spoke calmly, but the gruff tone still lingered.

She watched as Sonia looked at her in the eyes and gave a nod, before. "I understand. Just wondering, is there something wrong with going hard for Terry Perry, Rosie?"

The bulkier monster waved a hand dismissively. "No. Other than wishing you all the best, Sonia."

There was a faint smile on the gray "Brick Wall" 's face as she regarded Sonia closely and carefully. The squid-like monster promptly voiced her thanks, which Rosie accepted with a nod.

However, the smile didn't last long, having been replaced by a downcast frown as Sonia averted her gaze for the moment, eyes fallen to the image in despair.

"You know, we haven't been treating Oozma Kappa very well in the past, Rosie," she murmured glumly. "I really hope this semester we can hopefully make it up to them...because I don't think the JOX party was enough."

She swallowed the lump in her throat as she uncoiled her tentacles and raised one to gesture a point, glancing at her leader once more.

"We want them to be happy, to feel that they are being accepted by the rest of us despite what that stupid Johnny and his stupid ROR brothers think," she added, bitterness far from subtle in her tone as she thought of said fraternity. "I mean, we never really thought of them that way since they were, like, founded. Then reality suddenly just hit us after, well, you know...the incident."

Rosie grunted in reply, feeling the guilt in her heart as she reminisced the night the where they had completely shattered OK's perception of them. They had been so heartbroken and confused, all standing in the center with paint clinging to their bodies, watching as the monsters they thought were their friends pointing and laughing at them. The HSS leader knew what pain was like, even emotional. What the proud monsters in green and yellow endured was more painful than anything that could knock even her down.

She tapped a finger on the table to gather her thoughts, breathing deeply. "You weren't the only one ashamed, Sonia. We all were." She felt her tongue grow dry, her face heating up as the memory burned into her skull once more. "We screwed up big time," she grunted, tightening her fists, "and none of OK would look at us after that night."

She sighed for a moment, then her eyes softened as she gazed at Sonia, who bit over her gloss-covered lips as she peered back at her.

"But the JOX party did ease some of that guilt away," Rosie insisted. "And I'm sure this semester they will really see that we changed for the better."

And whether or not Johnny approved of it, he could just shove it up his tail. Those were the words Terry had threatened him with that particular day.

"The most important thing is that they forgive us," she reminded, "and that was really cool of them. Now we got a second chance, Sonia. I expect our entire sorority to treat them fairly and equally, and not screw up this chance like any of our Seniors. It'll be a long way to get back into their good books, and I don't want to waste it." She gave her an intense gaze. "Is that understood?"

Sonia nodded, taking every word to heart. "Crystal clear, Rosie. I understand your point completely."

The HSS leader gave a gruff grunt, and averted her eyes at the pinned tattoo drawings Sonia had pinned on the wall, admiring their designs for a few quiet moments before returning her attention to Sonia again.

"Good. Then I expect your full cooperation in the next meeting we'll be having later. I got some important things to talk about that involves the second event of the Scare Games. New plan, that's what it's about."

Sonia chuckled politely. "Sure, Rosie. I'll see you in a bit then. I have a few more tattoo commissions to finish."

Rosie gave a nod, before pushing her chair back and getting up to leave, before Sonia quipped another question.

"Rosie, I was just wondering, do you have any recent news on Terry Perry's condition?"

The gray brick wall of a monster paused, before turning to face her sorority sister once more. "Sorry, Sonia. I got nothing. But I'm sure Mrs. Carlton will tell us something soon enough. After all, the Dean made a deal with that CDA guy that came to her office this morning." Rosie truthfully did not know anything, so she hoped her honest reply would placate Sonia's query for the moment.

"Thanks, Rosie," Sonia responded with a sad sigh before turning back to her study table.

Rosie left after she stepped out of Sonia's room and closed the door. As the squid-like monster turned back to her tattoo designs she saw one of her half-finished pieces sticking out of her drawing booklet. Gently pulling it out, it was a picture of Terry Perry playing a rock guitar, something she had fantasized about in her mind at some point while browsing through music magazines. Perhaps it was time she finished that piece and allow it a place of honor among her own tattoo designs. Maybe she could present this to Terry Perry when he returned with his younger brother from the hospital. That cheerful thought made her smirk, and Sonia picked up her paintbrush again, gently inking Terry's face on the canvas with a soft giggle escaping her lips.

She lifted her head up once more as the door opened. She was surprised to see it was Rosie again as the latter poked her pierced horns through the crack of the doorway, a questionable expression on her face.

"By the way," the HSS leader began, "have you see Nadya?"

Sonia gave a nonchalant shrug before returning back to her work. "She said she was going to grab a drink at The Growl. Said she was going to meet someone there."
_

The Growl

Dirk glanced from across his booth, clutching a glass of syrupy Blort. His eyes landed on a lone monster who was focusing on drinking her own beverage through a straw.

Seeing that Violet Steslicki was in The Growl tonight, Brynn was sitting with her, perhaps short break between from evening jogs to enjoy a drink before making a trip to the university gym as their usual evening routine. The way her curled horns shone in the glow of bar's lights, Dirk could have sworn he witnessed Violet's single eye twinkle like the perfect star. She simply looked gorgeous, especially the way she was seated with her sorority sister, relaxing as they talked among themselves.

Swishing his drink around, Dirk wondered when was the best chance to approach her. After all, judging from the interior of the bar, many familiar faces were present tonight. And since his fellow JOX member George had gone off to play some arcade machines at the gaming corner of the establishment, he was pretty much on his own for the time being. Alone and the monocular beauty just a few feet away from him. Dirk knew that this had all been a strike of possible fate.

After watching Brynn excuse herself to go talk to another few other monsters, he seized his chance and made his way over to the EEK monster who was quietly having a cold drink to herself. Violet glanced up from her beverage just in time to notice the friendly smile of no other than Dirk Pratt. His flaming orange hair appeared even more fiery in the dim lights of the bar. He grinned at her, gesturing to the empty seat where Brynn had just sat on moments ago.

"Hey, care to chat for a bit?" he asked smugly.

"Dirk?" she began with a smile. "I didn't quite see you just now."

"Well, George and I had been here for some time," he explained.

"Se where is George now?" she asked.

"What else?" he chuckled. "Playing arcade games. Mind if I join you?"

Violet indicated the empty seat in the booth she was in. "Not at all," she said with a smile. "Go ahead."

Dirk sat himself across from her, his glass nearly clinking with Violet's as he placed it on the table. He offered another grin as he leaned back in his seat, tusks gleaming in the dim lights as Violet had found herself glancing over.

"So what's going on right now with you?" he began nonchalantly. "Besides the training?"

Violet regarded at him for a few moments, before taking another sip from her straw. Judging from the color of the drink she was having, the EEK girl was having Blort as well. Of course, Blort was the most popular drink in any college campus, even high school students.

"Well, the usual exercise routines of course," she said blandly. "Earlier our training sort of hit a few bumps."

"Let me guess, something to do with Oozma Kappa?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Dear glob, I don't know how much more I can take the waiting as well," she sighed.

"Easy there," he told her gently. "Okay, let's pull our minds away from the fact that two of our OK friends are in the hospital. Let's talk about something else." He searched his mind for any topic that would steer the conversation in a different, more light-hearted conversation. "Maybe tell me what you like?"

Her smile could have made him melt on the spot but he merely regarded her as he held a steady grip on his drink. Violet was honestly pleased by the question, feeling grateful to share a pleasant talk that had nothing to do with working out or even the Scare Games. And the university was already in a worried, depressive state as is.

"I do like to go to collectible stores," she mentioned.

Dirk nodded at this, his mind cataloguing the bit of information he had just received. Collectible stores? He knew some monsters who always liked to go to those places to either get new Scare cards or find something they could only see on the computer and hope to bargain for it. MU monsters such as those from the Greek community also adored swap meets and shopping at the Monstropolis mall when it came to these particular things. Violet was a good example, and he was astonished she was willing to go so far to search for what she desired.

"I guess you go there to get the things you want for a cheaper price?" he asked.

She nodded. "You would be surprised by what I find there. I simply adore finding things I never thought would exist."

"The usual pop culture stuff?" he suggested.

"Even the stuff that was made before any of us were born," she added meekly. "I love those things."

"Like MC and Scarvel?" he brought up, feeling a bit like the rabid comic fan.

"Those and anything Monstroland related," she added with a smirk.

"Yeah, I like that stuff, too," he said, "and I keep a number of them myself."

"I especially enjoy the books that Monstroland produces," she added happily. "So colorful and vibrant! I love them all!"

"The books cost a pretty penny," Dirk stated.

"Ah, yes, and Dot has so many of them!" Violet said excitedly.

He raised a brow. "Pressler? Really?"

"She is a complete fanatic," she explained politely, "and draws those characters so well."

Dirk thought back to the tallest of the Exceeda Zeta sorority, knowing that she was quite an interesting girl. Besides the fact the logo on her shirt was the logo for the USB cord, and that she usually carried art supplies in tow most times she was out, he had to admit she was pretty cute. And he remembered times when she always brought mentions of favorite cartoons into conversations, such as back at the JOX party. She was a great monster to speak with, and her mind was particularly set on animation.

"Yeah, she's quite the cartoon lover," he said simply.

"I just recently learned from her that she outdid my bid on Eekbay," Violet stated, reluctance evident in her tone.

"Outbid in what?" he asked curiously.

"An art book for a Monstro film that showed years before we were born," she answered with a sigh.

Dirk held back a chuckle, eyeing her pitifully. "And you and Pressler talked about this?"

"She promised to let me borrow it as soon as it arrives on campus," she added, feeling a bit more exuberant for the moment.

"Oh, yeah, mail call," he said, "you expecting anything as well? Like maybe a care package. I'm hoping for mine as well."

"Just waiting for my parents to send more cash," she replied with a mischievous glint in her eye, "and some new clothes."

Dirk's eyes rose at this, and he couldn't keep from grinning.
"Never really seen you in anything other than purple."

"I do like to wear different colors every now and then," she admitted.

"You wear an outfit that's the same color as your sorority at the wedding, may I remind you."

"Ah, that was because Mrs. Carlton wanted us to be dressed in our sorority colors," she explained.

"Oh,just like our fraternity in bright yellow," he recalled, realizing he had also worn his JOX jacket during that celebration.

"We all still wore our Greek clothes over our wedding attire," she giggled.

"You'll never see me in a bow tie," he said with a scoff.

"Of course. I will admit that Oozma Kappa looked very good in their tuxedos, even Sulley."

Dirk fought to not hint any envy on his face as he temporarily averted his eyes. "Yeah, they looked pretty good..."

"That was a really nice wedding," she sighed happily. "What a great way to start the semester. I had so much fun dancing in the stadium."

"Danced with anyone in particular?" he couldn't help but asking, nearly biting his tongue.

"Not really," she shook her head. "Just my girls."

"Did Debbie bring a date?" he couldn't help but bring up.

He was surprised when her lips loosened from her straw, her single eye appearing downcast for a second before she looked back at him once more.

"I'm curious," he began unsteadily, "is Debbie alright? I mean, I know she's fine but, well, she seems to be always going out."

That was more than the truth. In fact, a good number of their Greek neighbors had noticed the turquoise monster herself seemed to be walking out of Frat Row, excited for that "special someone" to pick her up and take her on a night of the town. And then she would come home with a horrid mood that would make Big Red's temper appear placid.

Violet bit over her lip, her heart sinking.

"Dating scene," she said quickly, "that's all I can give."

He sensed there was more to the story, but Dirk didn't dare push it. It was between EEK girl to EEK girl, and despite he often invaded privacy like he would with George, he wouldn't dare do it with the girl he had the absolute hots for.

"Well, best of luck to her," he murmured. He then looked at her carefully. "And you?"

She appeared surprised for a moment. "Me? Oh, I don't know. Just want to enjoy this semester, especially with our friends Oozma Kappa."

"Yeah, they have become quite a riot this semester," he added with a smirk.

"Art's Scaring skills are improving," she declared with sincrity.

Dirk's eyes fell. "Let's hope he'll be able to use that...if the games will come back."

"I'd rather quit now than to play the games without OK," she insisted, knowing what Oozma Kappa was going through for days now.

"We would as well," he confessed. "It just wouldn't be the Scare Games without those guys!"

"I have come to the same thoughts too, Dirk," she nodded.

"Still, it's only been a few days. We might get something by then, right?" he asked hopefully.

She sipped her drink. "I hope so. Or someone else might do what Katy, Naomi, and especially Lane did."

He watched as she finished her drink, and felt his heart flutter a little. They were alone, their friends doing their own interests at The Growl. Time to put a little charm.

"Hey, let me get you another one," he insisted with a friendly grin. "On me."

She stared at him, surprised by his generosity. He did remind her of her cousin, and not just because they were in the same fraternity. She gave a faint smile and nodded to him, feeling thirsty once more.

"Sure, if you want to. You have my thanks, Dirk."

He smirked back at her. "Well, you're welcome, Violet."

"Boy, I could really use another drink after all this talk," she laughed. "Thanks again for paying."

"Sure," he murmured as he stood up from his seat. "I'll be back as fast as possible."

The JOX brother hid his smile from her view as he picked up both their glasses and strolled toward the bar strip where the bartender himself always tended to. It wasn't a date, but he could pretend it was one. And he mentally raised a fist in triumph before requesting for more Blort.
~

Javier rested his chin against one of his many claws which laid on the bar strip. Tapping the polished table with another hand, he waited patiently for his ordered beverage. He was alone for the evening, his frat brothers out of their home doing what they liked best; Reggie was training for his next wrestling match, Chet was out of campus looking for the next issue of his favorite comic, Chip went to play basketball, and Johnny was probably with Carla somewhere in MU discussing "president stuff"...or the EEK leader trying to convince the Worthington heir that being the "object of surprise" toward the panicky Laura Sharp would not earn him quicker attraction.

The insect monster had to admit that the former Fear Tech student was quite cute, and he could not imagine any other monster better suited for her than his own leader. Men could drool at Laura's feet without her being aware, but none of them stood the chance that Johnny possessed. Javier had been a ROR member long enough to understand that his frat brother usually got what he wanted.

And not to say that Laura was a fool or anything, she was making herself an easy target for Johnny. While the rest of the Greek community usually spat or threatened the Worthington heir, only should he dare try anything to hurt Oozma Kappa that would destroy the bridge they had worked so hard to fix with the said fraternity, Laura and her little sorority seemed innocent. Well, she and Dot appeared so, the rest were questionable. Well, that Monnie girl was obvious; she hated Johnny's guts period. As for Katy and Colette, one sounded like "a call from the 'hood" while the other was ten times the drama queen compared to Carrie Williams or even Big Red.

Dot Pressler was the only one Javier felt his leader should not be concerned with. She had a little "Sharp-ness" inside her, and she was quite compatible with everyone; not to mention from the recent discoveries about how she loved to watch cartoons and carry a great number of character keychains and pins on her backpacks, she was pretty much a child grown up. And Javier thought all of Oozma Kappa was childish.

She was a cute one, Javier had to admit as well. But although he had witnessed many attractive faces since the semester began, unlike his leader he wasn't much interested in pursuing a relationship. Or date for that matter. He would rather enjoy his alone time reading or strumming his guitar in practice for his club (which was shared with the older Perry twin who pretended he didn't exist). And it was not like everyone he knew was throwing his or herself into the dating scene-

The moment the bartender past Javier his drink, the door of the bar swung open. Although it was drowned by the upbeat noise of the establishment, the insect monster's antennae felt the vibration of the door as it struck the wall of its doorframe. Cocking his head toward the entrance, he was vaguely surprised to discover it was no other than Debbie Gabler.

The EEK girl did not wear her trademark sorority jacket but rather a stylish black coat that buttoned over what may have been a dress, although Javier did notice a hint of red that was above her knees. Her face held nothing but contempt, indicating that she must have experienced a horrible evening.

The ROR member watched as she stomped into the bar, her eye narrowed and her teeth gritted. A random monster whistled at her flirtatiously, only to be responded with a hiss that made Rosie Levin's sound like a puppyish squeak. Javier noticed that she was making her way toward the bar strip, and immediately swiveled his head back, focusing all four of his eyes on the table. The last thing he wanted was his calm, perfect evening being disrupted by someone whose anger competed with Big Red's. Or Terry Perry's from what Javier remembered.

He heard a low groan next to him, alerting that the bar stool beside him was now occupied. He was unable to battle his curiosity and snuck a glance over at the EEK girl. Debbie was fuming, both her claws clenched atop the table.

"Give me a Blort," she ordered angrily, "extra gloppy!"

"Sorry, sweetheart," the bartender called, his back to her as he polished his glass cups, "already gave the last helping."

Debbie let out an infuriated groan before swinging her stool around. She took steady breaths as she leaned back against the strip, nails nearly curling their indentations onto the wood.

"Great..." she muttered, "just great..."

Javier gulped, gripping his glass. He had ordered the last one, although Debbie didn't know that, so he would probably survive if he just consumed it all before that eye stalk of hers noticed. He was just about to raise his glass, however...

He braved one more glance toward Debbie Gabler. Whether or not she had noticed him, she was far too busy brooding over whatever had brought her down tonight. He couldn't lie that he had witnessed her like this coming back late to her sorority house most nights almost every week. Not to say he was interested in whatever she did in the late evening, he had noticed that she would leave the campus with a hopeful smile on her face, then come home with a scowl equivalent to the one she had right now.

He couldn't help but wonder if Debbie was taking late shifts at some other establishment that left her overworked and stressed, or she was dealing with worst monsters than she would at MU. Under that dark coat could be a uniform for the restaurant of her choice, although that was only his assumption.

He also noticed that the sclera of her eye appeared rather red around the edges, as if she had either been crying or lacking the proper sleep. Well, maybe if she didn't keep pulling late-nights, she wouldn't be having that. But perhaps Debbie loved her supposed outings too much to care what it did to her.

Maybe tonight had been so unbearable that she was in a sour mood. And only a beverage from MU's favorite hangout could appease that.

Glancing over at his drink, he realized that his lips never tampered with the rim of the glass. He then glanced over at Debbie, whose fury could roast marshmallows.

With a silent sigh and certainty that he might later regret having done this, he pushed the glass toward the EEK girl. Debbie immediately drifted out of her thoughts the moment she heard the base of a cup scrub against the table. She glanced over her shoulder to see the liquid she assumed would not be her taste tonight. Then she raised her eye and it enlarged with surprise at who the generous monster was.

"Rios?" she spoke in disbelief.

Javier merely shrugged, his upper pair of hands crossed over the strip as he regarded her carefully. No smile, just the expression most monsters would refer to as his poker-face. He couldn't imagine what his frat brothers would think or even say if they had witnessed what he had just done. He wasn't trying to be charitable, just being the least bit courteous for the sake of his own evening...and pray to glob that Debbie will finally calm the heck down after consuming her desired beverage.

Debbie slowly shifted her seat until her front was facing the strip once more. She almost assumed Javier had poisoned the drink, opting to prank her like he and his ROR buddies had done to OK. While Johnny had "assured" the Greek community that he would not try anything that would cause a rift between Oozma Kappa and MU once more, Debbie had to keep cautious. After all, Javier was a ROR. And RORs were, indeed, popular but despicable. True, the other Greek monsters had interacted with said fraternity on a daily basis, although they were reluctant. Carla, however, appeared to be the only one out of the EEK sorority who was willing to spare her time for the RORs, especially Johnny. Although Debbie could tell Carla could get exasperated at times with them, especially the Worthington heir.

Javier Rios was the "silent knight" of the ROR fraternity, but if Debbie had learned from cliche television shows, the silent ones were guised as the true villains. And it was pretty obvious that ROR was labelled as the "bad boy fraternity" of the campus despite their popularity.

She inspected him closely, lips curving in a suspicious frown. "You serious?"

A low grunt from him was his only reply before averting his gaze. She saw no mischievous smirk, no impatient tapping of his claws for her to down the entire thing already. He didn't seem to be plotting anything.

Regarding the glass that had been pushed toward her, Debbie nervously licked her lips. She was so thirsty right now, and her mind was further from caution the more she stared at the drink.

Finally, cursing away her doubt, she grabbed the cup before chugging it. Her head arched backward, the feel of the cool, energizing liquid trickling down her throat was a glob-send. All her frustrations were slipping away as the Blort oozed into her system.

Javier watched as she gulped up the drink that originally had been meant for him. Boy, she must have really needed that. Her expression of contempt was slowly vanishing and replaced with one of what could be described as bliss. Javier almost smiled at this. Almost.

Debbie gasped with relief as she drank every last drop. Placing the glass down with a rather loud clunk against the table, she brushed her fist against her lips before sighing. She turned back to Javier, who couldn't help but peek at her.

"Well, this was unexpected," she snorted, "but still...thanks, I guess?"

Javier then re-focused his eyes on the table, giving a firm nod. He held his tongue back, having almost replied. Thankfully, Debbie understood this as she smacked her lips of the taste.

"I'll do something even more unexpected just to be fair," she insisted as she dug into her coat.

From the corner of his eye, Javier became stunned when she placed a rather large-amounted bill on the table. He made no movement as she slid it toward his claw. Observing the money, he couldn't help but gaze at Debbie, unable to hide the surprise that shone in his four eyes. The EEK girl just gave him a sarcastic grin, before hopping off her stool.

"Grab yourself something as well," she said before wandering off, "it's on me."

He watched as she disappeared among the crowd of college students, before returning to the bill that barely touched the tip of his claw. He could really go for something to drink right now, having watched her down his beverage making him even thirstier than he had initially been. Shifting his arms, he plucked the bill off the table before inspecting it.

Well, at least his evening could resume smoothly.
~

Nadya Petrov idly fingered the expensive glass containing a small measure of licorice cider as her trio of mascara-darkened eyes took in the somewhat lively and energetic surroundings of what was considered the most popular dining location outside campus.

The Growl was famed for its casual dining experience among campus students of Monsters University, and hence it was no surprise that large numbers of students from all schools within MU came there to dine and have fun. This evening was less crowded than most days, but a considerable number of students were dining in small groups or talking among themselves on whatever topics that were occupying their mind at the moment.

The HSS girl was seated at a rather secluded location on the second floor between two gargoyle-topped pillars which extended to hold up the roof of the cafe eatery, and she had managed to get that spot after managing to book it one week in advance due to how popular the seat was. Due to the privacy it offered and a nice view of the entire lower floor of The Growl, Nadya wasn't surprised that the seat she had taken was on practically every monster's mind (and especially couples) when they entered the aforementioned cafe eatery.

While Nadya would love to kick back and enjoy a goth-themed drink while savoring the evening after a long day in many classes, the she was here for more than just a drink. She had chosen this place to be the meeting point with another sorority monster from Frat Row. Specifically with someone who needed her help urgently due Naomi Jackson's deteriorating mental and emotional condition.

She had known about Naomi's emotional problem after that spectacularly heart-breaking moment when she witnessed the confrontation at the university library. The elder Perry twin could care less who was watching, not counting the Librarian who normally threw students out for making the slightest amount of noise. Terry just released himself with the ranting about how badly they had treated by other the fraternities and sororities. He even coldly rejected Naomi before she could even utter a significant apology from her clammy lips, the older twin having shouted out how much he hated her and what he thought about the PNK sorority as a whole. Needless to say, the youngest PNK girl ran out of the library in tears, and the elder Perry twin did not even bat an eyelid in her direction before abandoning the library himself, not caring who had witnessed it.

As Nadya had talked with a couple of students she was rather "close" with besides her sorority sisters (or as much as a HSS sister was willing to trust), they had all agreed with her that Terry Perry had been quite harsh on Naomi, who was rather young and naive among the PNK sorority. This innocent personality was pretty much exploited by those who wanted to do the OK team moral crushing harm. The ROR fraternity had played them all for fools that fateful night, roping all them into something that Johnny had overly proclaimed as a "harmless prank". In a moment of foolish choice, every student group in Frat Row had darned themselves in the eyes of the kind-hearted fraternity by laughing at them, creating that rift that could have resulted in losing OK's trust forever.

The goth girl's clawed hand tightened on the cold glass of cider, and somehow she relished the burning sensation the drink offered her at the moment. It provided clarity for her thoughts and a small measure of penance for what she had done with the rest of her sorority sisters that horrific night. Taking another sip of her ordered beverage, Nadya swirled the ice cubes inside as she fiddled with the strap that sealed her book of forbidden lore which was gifted to her by Rosie Levin when the former was inducted into the HSS sisterhood. Most of what she read in that book alone would make life extremely unpleasant and horrifying for her enemies, if she ever had any to begin with. She was also forbidden from repeating any of the things she read to anyone else, because her life would be disastrous for all eternity if she ever did utter a word from the book. It was sealed with a "particle" of her body in the sacred "Oath of Binding" contract in the front page alone.

Knowledge is power, as their renowned alumni who later became the Dean of Scaring had taught, and Nadya Petrov had lived by those words.

Her mind brought back another flash of horrible memory from the hated ROR party as she rolled the sweet yet burning fluid on her tongue. While most of the Freshmen and Seniors simply joined in ridiculing the OK monsters just to save face in front of the top fraternity on campus, a number of monsters were considerably uncomfortable with that kind of distasteful treatment. Among them were a pair of draconic monsters who normally treated everyone with respect, and had even been considered potential frat and sorority choices due to their sociable personalities and skills. Nadya remembered their names very well: Marbus Dagon and Seya Sephira. That fateful night changed their opinion of the ROR fraternity forever, and before they left both draconic monsters delivered quite an uncomplimentary speech that left the remaining frats and sororities speechless as well as even more guilty than they ever had in their lives.

Those words had cut them in more ways than just mentally and emotionally, and worst of all, everyone present knew that both Marbus and Sephira's words were right. Oozma Kappa gave their best effort to match up to the other monsters on Frat Row, and that deserved respect, not ridicule.

Ever since they were founded, they had reached out to the rest of Frat Row in the hopes of being accepted by them, but sadly they had been ignored and ridiculed instead throughout the previous semesters. But they took it in stride, and kept on trying, hoping to keep the tiny glimmer of hope that flared within their hearts. However, their faith in the Greek community had been shattered that night as well, and only time would tell if any of them would give the their so-called Greek neighbors another chance. Whatever the outcome would have been, Nadya prayed that both draconic monsters would forgive them, as they had all been deceived by ROR, and were genuinely remorseful of their actions.

And while the JOX party for OK's acceptance had repaid some of emotional debt they had owed since its founding, Nadya had to admit that she did feel warmth and happiness for the monsters in green and yellow. They surely enjoyed themselves in friendship and camaraderie that night at the aforementioned party. Just seeing them happy made her happy, although she didn't show it due to her poker face. She did allow herself a faint grin when no one was watching.

However, she still personally felt that they still had a long way to win back the trust and friendship of the monsters who made up the kind and understanding frat. They were, no doubt, the cornerstone of Greek Life in MU for as long as she could remember, and especially in the memories and thoughts of the Seniors who had been here longer than her.

Hopefully, this semester would see some significant changes in the Greek system as the OK settles into Frat Row. And truthfully life had become far better with them around.

Turning her attention back to the current problem at hand, Nadya took another sip as she heard footsteps nearing her booth. She gave a curt nod of acknowledgment when Carrie Williams of the PNK sorority slipped into the seat opposite hers, and the president returned her gesture politely.

"I suppose you have a very good reason to call me to meet you here at The Growl instead of at our sorority house?" Carrie Williams tapped her clawed fingers on the table as her trio of grayish-blue colored eyes met Nadya's own.

The goth girl sipped her own drink again. "The noise here would cover everything we would talk about, Williams. And besides, this booth is also way out of range to other students. I know it'll be very private if we talked here."

Carrie crossed her arms and tilted her head, acknowledging that the HSS girl did have quite a good point.

"I'm guessing you're are here to talk to me about Naomi Jackson."

The red-haired monster girl gave nod. "Yes, and since you know why I'm here, I'll cut to the chase then," she said simply. "Since Naomi's your best friend, she seeks your advice when it comes to trying to get Terry with a 'Y' not to hate her. But things are really cropped up and I could really use your help, Petrov." Her trio of eyes watched Nadya closely as the PNK president spoke, as though searching her face for something.

Nadya raised all three of her eyebrows in response, although her look was still in the typical poker face her own sorority favored. She was provided emotional support and sometimes a little nudging for the youngest PNK Sorority member to be truthful with her feelings and hopefully approach Terry Perry again, but even she had to admit Naomi's efforts at best were completely ignored no matter how hard she tried. Of course, that didn't do Naomi's emotional problem any good. The so called "betrayal" was apparently the final straw for the elder Perry twin, and he had become quite bitter when it came to anything that involved the PNK sorority overall.

"So, what's wrong with Naomi now, Williams?" she asked carefully, concern sinking in for her best friend.

Carrie sighed. " Naomi thinks she's okay, but let's be honest...she isn't. And she's becoming worse than any of us have expected recently. Terry Perry totally thrashed her so bad, it's like some psychological distress on her. We hear her crying for hours in her room." Her trio of eyes held a pleading expression. "This is serious, Nadya. And now both twins are in the hospital, and we got no news of them at all. I'm really worried about her. I've never seen her so miserable before."

The HSS girl absorbed the given information for a short while, gulping as she had witnessed her best friend forcing a smile on her face when she was in public. Every smile was painful, not to mention creepy. And whatever she saw that day in the hospital, Nadya knew it just made things for for her already heartbroken friend.

"I think Naomi might need to see a psychiatrist," Nadye suggested. "Or at least a relationship counselor, Williams. Not me."

The glare Nadya received from Carrie upon hearing her answer was was completely acceptable as the HSS girl knew that was not the best answer. And she was Naomi's best friend for crying out loud! But that glare vanished as quickly as it came. The PNK president tried to remain calm.

"Look, Nadya, can you at least help me out here? A psychiatrist or a relationship counselor would do more harm than good to Naomi right now. We are running out of options here. And to be honest, I'm a little desperate for solutions." There was a hint of pleading in her voice as Nadya had detected.

The short-haired monster regarded Carrie for a few moments, gazing carefully into the other female monster's trio of eyes, and seeing that she was practically begging on hands and knees.

"Okay, I'll see what I can really do."

Carrie's lips curled a little toward Nadya's answer. "Glad we think the same way. So, do you have any solutions that can help Naomi's current problem? And please, skip the black magic and dark rituals, because those make me queasy." she added with a sarcastic grin.

It was Nadya's turn to shoot a momentary glare at Carrie. "If you're thinking about any dark spells or rituals, you can forget about those, because I would never betray the trust of my sorority sisters. Naomi's problem requires another more...delicate approach."

The PNK girl rubbed her chin and then returned her gaze back to Nadya. "I expected nothing less, Nadya. But what do you have in mind?"

The look Carrie received from Nadya was chilling to say the least. "We would have to heal her mind. I know someone who has the power to do so, and I also know who to get to help smoothen the healing process."

Carrie nodded her head in understanding, although there was a flicker of doubt on her face for a fleeting moment. She was honestly a little confused by this "healing process".

"That sounds good to me," she responded, only half-doubting, "but how would you perform that mind-healing thingy on Naomi anyway?"

Nadya could see that Carrie was slightly confused by what she had to offer, and she honestly couldn't blame her. This was big. And perhaps an endangerment to certain lives.

"Who said anything about me doing the healing?" Nadya asked cooly.

She fixed Carrie with an even more serious look, and leaned close to her almost conspiratorially. The next few words she spoke sent a chill down the PNK girl's spine as her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

"Tell me, Carrie Williams...what do you know about the subject of trolls?"
_

The twins emerged out of the public restroom, although the older Perry made sure Mrs. Squibbles and their friends didn't see them. Terri was a bit confused when his brother forced their single body in a different direction, mainly toward a specific building.

No one was present outside the registration hall, but Terry himself didn't need them to enter anyway. Installed in the particular kiosks representing the building were various forms. The older twin's single eye hardened as he forced his brother to move his side of their legs near the specific location.

It wasn't until the younger twin noticed Terry grab a transfer form did he finally realize what his brother was up to.

"Terry?" the younger Perry began nervously, watching as his brother laid the form in his pair of hands, analyzing it over.

The older twin said nothing, his expression unreadable before he jerked their single body forward to reach for more forms. It was then Terri wanted an explanation immediately and laid his share of their legs firmly against the pavement, holding his brother back. Terry noticed this and eyed him questionably.

"What are you doing?" the older twin demanded with a frown.

"What am I doing?" Terri asked. "What are you doing?" He gestured to the form in his brother's own hands.

Terry sighed, his gaze hardening as he stared down at the floor. Gripping the paper, Terri could see his fingers grow white as his hold tightened.

"I'm done with this place, brother," the older Perry growled. "I'm done with Frat Row, and I'm done with Monsters University."

Terri's eye widened at his declaration, but he wasn't exactly surprised either. Just moments ago his brother had delivered Johnny Worthington, as well as the entire student body, the verbal blow he had been obscuring since, well, since perhaps the day after the incident at the party.

Or perhaps held it since the day their fraternity had been founded after each had been booted from the Scaring program.

As the second most mature member of OK as well as the considered "second-in-command" to Don, Terry could take regards to things in the most civil but serious manner. But when he had become furious at the ROR president, he had been a raging fire hose that would blast anyone who dared insult him or his friends. Especially Mike.

Terry had always been critical yet calm, not usually a fighter but more of a pacifist like the rest of his OK brothers. He would rather discuss things over tea than to allow offenses bring out the worst in him. But that moment Terri and the others witnessed his more violent side, they realized that enough was enough.

Terri and his brother grew around monsters as malicious and mean-spirited as the ones they faced in Frat Row as well as the student body. Yet his brother always managed to find the bright side of things much like the younger twin himself.

Yet he couldn't exactly blame him for possessing this much contempt for the majority of monsters who made their college lives miserable since their first year. Time and time again he and his fellow OK members had kept reaching out to their Greek neighbors, even, dare he say it, Johnny and the rest of ROR. Despite having not been in the Scaring program, the boys in yellow and green had been avid in making friends among their Greek community as well as their alma mater. They even hoped to strike up something with Claire Wheeler and Brock Pearson.

But time after time, they had been rejected, mocked, shunned, and refused to join in the activities in the community they adored and cherished.

Today was perhaps the last straw. Mostly for Terry.

The rest of OK, they just weren't sure at this point. All that mattered was that they had Mike and Sulley back, and that was times better than being allowed back into the Scaring program.

Terri swallowed, fearing the frown that deepened upon his brother's face. "Terry...

Terry let out a shaky breath, his fingers forming sweaty creases on his form as he refused to look at his twin.

"For years, Terri..." he muttered. "For years even before this place...we've been treated like garbage..."

The younger Perry blinked, before he discerned what exactly he was referring to. "It reminded you of what happened to us back then, huh?"

His brother still didn't look at him, although his frown lessened a bit.

"I hate this place..." he snarled, "I hate everyone in it..."

"Brother-"

"Glob darn it, Terri! Don't you see?" Terry practically roared as he swiveled his head in his brother's direction.

Terri flinched, incredibly frightened by the loud, booming tone his brother possessed. It was just like back in the quad. Except this time Terry appeared even more angry than possible, eye twitching as if he just wanted to break something.

"Don't you see?" Terry repeated, his voice becoming hoarser. "All these monsters are fake and stuck-up, and they have the nerve to think of us nothing more than worthless doormats when all we wanted was to invite them over for dinner at our house!"

Terri swallowed, practically feeling the spit fling right at his face since he was unable to bring his head farther away from his brother's. He thought he saw redness in Terry's eye, almost as if he just wanted to sob his feelings out. Terri would cry with him if he wanted to.

"They don't care about us!" Terry practically shouted. "All they care about is themselves! They don't even know what a real team is suppose to be! Heck, I doubt they ever reached out to any other monster that's not on their team!"

"Terry, calm down," Terri pleaded, laying a hand on his brother's side of their single chest. "Maybe if you just looked at it a different way-"

"Oh, don't deny it!" Terry spat. "You and the others know just as well that we had it with these...monsters!"

Terri clamped his mouth shut, unable to disagree on his statement. After all, that night they returned home from their unexpected misery at the ROR party had them all talking. And questioning the matters of what their Greek community truly stood on.

And Terry took it the hardest out of all of them. Because he had been through this before.

The older Perry quickly turned away, eyes staring aimlessly at the kiosk in front of them.

"Forget about these people," he glowered. "Forget about dreams of being among a Greek community like we know we deserve. They're awful, horrible, stupid..." He seethed for a moment. "Glob, even the Greek president and vice-president are a bunch of heartless jerks! One a complete mope and the other a complete idiot who's never heard of volume!"

Terri raised his eye at him. Okay, maybe it was pushing it a bit with Brock and Claire...even though they had their doubts about Oozma Kappa as well.

Terry coughed lightly, trying to keep his breathing under control. He dare not shed a tear in his brother's presence as he looked at the crumpled transfer form in his pair of hands.

"I just want to leave this place, Terri," he spoke quietly. "Start our college lives anew...where we'll be with monsters who can accept us from the very moment we show our faces."

The younger brother remembered Terry vaguely mentioning this the night they had returned to their bed after Mike's little "field trip". While they had been rejuvenated of their self-esteem from the outstanding motivation, his brother did comment about how Fear Tech would love to have a monster like their green friend.

Terri didn't think his brother had actually been serious. But judging from that night as they trained and avoided the monsters they felt had hurt them, it appeared Terry had been thinking deeply about this.

From the first time they actually trained, to the beginning and end of "Don't Scare the Teen", the beginning to end of "Hide and Sneak", even the night of the final event, he had thought it over. Even after they had claimed their victory, even when Terry had been smiling during a photo with a monster girl by the name of Tammy Collins who congratulated them on their win.

Whether or not OK had fans (or if they still were at this point), his brother wouldn't care. He felt they would just return back to worshipping ROR and all those other Greek monsters.

Because Terry felt fans were nothing but fickle malarkey as this point.

Terri said nothing, but reached over and laid a gentle hand over his brother's, trying to hide the text of the transfer form from his view. Terry's grip on his paper lessened, before he stared at his twin, who gave a sad but sympathetic smile.

"I understand, brother," he told him quietly. "But...do you really want to leave MU?" His expression dropped. "I mean, going here is what we had been dreaming of our whole lives."

Terry allowed his words to sink in, and he sighed miserably. "Maybe like Mike some dreams take a turn in a different direction." He stared back at the paper. "Maybe we can pursue our Scaring majors differently. Because, well, I doubt things could ever change in this place."

"You don't know that," Terri responded.

The older twin shook his head. "None of know that, but I'd rather we play it safe than sorry."

He looked over his shoulder, knowing they had been gone for some time and Mrs. Squibbles would wonder if everything was alright in the restroom where the others thought they were still in.

"I'm going to try and convince the others to transfer out of here," Terry declared. "We're brothers. And I want us all to be happy and be in a university that won't hurt us."

Terri wished he could tell his brother that they were happy in MU, that maybe they could try and make changes like they had before. After all, they had Mike and Sulley, those two the reason for their hope, of course. But the younger twin kept his mouth shut, not wanting to offend his brother when he had already calmed down.

Terry smiled down at his twin, his expression full of affection that warmed the younger Perry's heart.

"I especially want you to be happy, brother," he admitted. "That no one will hurt you as well."

Terri's lips quivered in a pained grin, eye glistening as he gazed up at his brother. "No one will hurt me, Terry," he promised. "I mean, I have you, don't I?"

Terry managed a chuckle, reaching over and playfully rubbing the top of his brother's sole horn. "I'm your brother," he said, "and while we're conjoined by fate, we're together by choice."

His younger brother just beamed. "That's some great poetry there, Terry."

"Thanks, brother," Terry replied sweetly. "Come on, we better get back before the others wonder where we really are."

Terri nodded before they turned on their tentacles and proceeded away from the building. He couldn't wait for Mrs. Squibbles to take them all out to lunch, putting the day behind them so they could celebrate Mike and Sulley's immediate return. He glanced over at the form that his brother had just tucked under their sweater. There was a chance they might leave Monsters University and go to Fear Tech, but Terri clung to hope that maybe things will turn out much better than any of them could wish for.
...

How long had this darkness been here?

There were those rare moments when he could see just the faintest bit of light. But it either came out just another shade of black...and sometimes very, very dark gray.

But somehow his mind could wander when he could actually tell it was functioning. Other times it would just shut down and the vision would actually disappear from the darkness.

But right now he managed to hear faint noise. It wasn't much, not even audible, but he could hear what may have been breathing. Sometimes he could hear a faint ticking noise but maybe the darkness was just overwhelming him.

However, for a moment he saw a fragment of light crack through the extremely thin line of what could have been eyes opening. But the consciousness was holding it all down, and he couldn't even move. It had been this way for who knew how long and he wasn't even sure whether time was passing by or time stood still. It was all just dark.

Suddenly, he thought he heard talking. Murmurs and whispers that made him want to just run through the darkness and find where they were coming from. But he was stuck.

"Is he going to be okay?" one voice echoed.

"Poor kid..." another one murmured. "How am I going to break the news to them?"

And everything just shut down from there.
_

A few things to mention:

1. Like Lane Picca, Stephanie Dallmar is NOT an OC. She's an actual character of Monsters University. If you have the Fearbook you'll find a page dedicated to her, just like Lane.

2. Charlie Day voices Art. I'll leave to you to figure out why exactly I mentioned that. :D

3. Marbus and Sephira ARE OCs, but they're not MY OCs. They belong to my good friend and fellow MU fan victortky. :)