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!

12. Chapter 9

Thank you to everyone who enjoyed the filler chapters and had been so patient for this one! I'm so happy that I'm able to post this on the day I watch Planes: Fire and Rescue (hope it doesn't disappoint me because the first one rocked and I pray this doesn't go 'CARS 2' on me...)! Special thanks to my good friend and fellow MU fan victortky from Deviantart once again. A while back we worked on that piece centering around Laura, Johnny, and Squishy, and I'm very happy to be splicing it in here. :)

You finally get some news on how the twins are doing, especially a little flashback that takes place right after the one with that Merida chick who hurt Terry in high school. :(

Also, as usual, new tropes are welcome and the TV Tropes page link for this story is on my profile. ;)

PLEASE READ AND REIVEW!
_

Mrs. Carlton twisted the last curler into her blonde locks before she entered the frat house kitchen. Throwing on the apron that always hung on the hook by the entrance, she set to work preparing the meal. No doubt any of her boys would drop by the house after a class instead of the cafeteria, and she always made sure something was either in the oven or atop the stove to fill their bellies.

Switching the boiler to medium, she glanced over at the kitchen dining booth where laid just a few of the delicious gifts meant for the twins. She had stacked more in the fridge, the freezer, even the cabinet due to needing more storage space, there was still more to count. She presumed the twins wouldn't mind if any of their brothers or mother snacked on a few each day, just to lessen the load. And it was with that in mind that Mrs. Carlton would grab a scone or even a muffin and nibble on it while she was cooking, much like right now as she began to heat up water.

Her husband would grab a few donuts before heading out to class, Squishy and Randall always wrapped some in napkins and put them inside their backpacks for later, but Art and Sulley by far committed the biggest splurges, much to Mike's dismay. The green monster showed great disapproval in this because these were the twins' presents they were consuming, but once someone like Mrs. Carlton tempted him with an eclair or a sponge cake, he eventually gave in. They couldn't let this all go to waste as time continued, and she was more than certain the party Big Red promised would serve even more.

Bless his heart as well as everyone else's for their kindness and generosity. While she was still dismayed by her boys still in a coma, at least she had the entire university behind her. Especially Abigail.

She was especially grateful to dear Abby for negotiating with the CDA agent, approved to receive even the smallest bit of news regarding the twins. While what Katy, Naomi, and Lane had done was wrong, their act of selflessness made it a bit easier for Mrs. Carlton to hear more about her boys. Gaining info passed by Hardscrabble who accessed it through the CDA and doctors, the boys were doing fine. They were getting much healthier with the nutrients given through their feeding tubes.

Once they woke up, she just knew they were going to despise the hospital food and vomit their substances later on. Which was why she planned a menu for the day they would return home, a list of all their favorite foods which would be served at the party. Most significant was tea for Terry and a lot of sugary Blort for Terri, and Big Red to have that ready for them. At least more monsters began to discover and love tea like the elder twin, while Blort had been around even before her boys started college.

She bent down before opening one of the lower cabinets and pulled out a box of noodles she would boil. She planned to make spaghetti and dismember the raw chicken she purchased from the deli earlier.

After all, this was one of Terry and Terri's favorite meals.
_

The yellow slug grinned as he peered down from the very top row as Scaring 101 resumed. While he couldn't catch a glimpse of Laura Sharp's eyes, the back of her head was adorable to stare at as well, especially those ear-like appendages that wrapped around her face.

While he had two semesters worth of work that needed to be made up, followed by the new semester in which he was grateful to have due to a second chance, Theo could hardly concentrate.

After all, his buddy Marbus put in a good word for him when he first met the Sharp girl.

His friend and roommate noticed the expression of awe on his face and rolled his multitude of eyes. He gently nudged him which, despite the lack of impact, could have had the slow-paced slug topple off his seat so easily.

"Dude, what?" Theo hissed while their professor continued speaking to the class.

"Please, oh, please, don't try anything that'll upset her," Marbus told him. "Remember when you tried to flirt with the EEK girls? Like Donna?"

"Hey, that pink hairball was being so uptight!" the slug retorted. "And I was not in the best of moods because, if you haven't remembered, I missed all of last year. Because I don't have legs worth a darn!"

"That's why you got the scooter," Marbus whispered. "Besides, you saw what Laura was like at the first event. You want to be responsible for causing her a panic attack?"

"Hey, you told her about me!" Theo gripped. "I'll have myself a girlfriend by the time she meets me!"

Marbus just rolled his eyes and shook his head. No wonder Donna nearly tried to strangle him!

Laura quietly tapped her pen against her notepad as Professor Knight wore on. Taking her usual place beside Squishy with Randall on her other wing, the lecture resumed like any other as their Scaring 101 instructor drew examples on the board.

Everything seem calm and normal despite the events of yesterday. Katy was accepting her temporary role as maintenance monster alongside Lane Picca and Naomi Jackson, and the Sharp heiress had already shaken off the incident with Johnny. It had all been a blur when that ball hit him, and she had been stupefied by the results. Still, perhaps she shouldn't have acted the way she had, deserting her sorority sisters and fellow Greek neighbors despite their pleas for her to stay.

An hour after she had returned to her dorm and finished writing in her journal, Laura lamented the realization that maybe she could at least try to be more open. But it was a bit complicated right now, especially when MU was nothing like Fear Tech. Not to say that was a bad thing...

At least she found solace sitting between Squishy as well as Randall, the latter's glasses sliding down his snout every now and down. Their writings instruments were laid down the moment the professor paused his lecture and turned to the class.

"Alright then," he spoke aloud as he peered at the agenda on his clipboard. "Today we were going to do Scaring demonstrations today..."

Laura's eyes shrank as her ears lowered. She nearly dropped her pen as her heart stopped beating for a second. Heedless to her, Squishy caught sight of her immediate discomfort as all five of his eyes raised in confusion.

She appeared as if she was on the verge of a panic attack, but for what? True, she had arrived two weeks late, students having proceeded with these familiar class demonstrations long before she arrived, but it was no need to fret over. All they were going to do was line up across the room, stand side by side, and perform the Scarer positions to their instructor and classmates.

Before he had the voice to speak to her, Professor Knight cleared his throat once more.

"However, I don't think we'll be able to do it this week," their instructor announced before lowering his clipboard. "I have meetings to attend to with Dean Hardscrabble, so I guess class is over for the day."

The minute he said that students began packing up their things and ascend from their desks, pacing out the front doors to grasp the opportunity of a big break before the next class. While Squishy was fairly pleased that they were released early, from what he noticed Laura seemed relieved. Her mouth having fallen in an open smile as she slumped back against her seat, wings carelessly drawn to the floor, she had mouthed a 'thank you' to the roof as if she had just been spared a difficult task.

The youngest OK said nothing as they all stood up from their seats and headed out the doorway, he and Randall close behind Laura as she adjusted her shoulder bag. Archie was not with her this time, having been granted more freedom to roam the campus that was to be his new home. It didn't seem like anyone from Fear Tech would barge into their alma mater anytime soon, so nothing was to be concerned about the pig's little adventures on his own.

"Well, that's lucky!" Art commented, his laugh cutting into their silence as he hauled his backpack behind him on the floor. "Would have been cool to show off those techniques again though."

"Mike's been helping me out with my Johnson Growl," Don added as he tentacles gripped his own backpack, "I'm sure if ol' Hardscrabble drops by she'll be mighty impressed!"

Randall turned to Laura. "Boy, I bet you'd do pretty well in class demonstrations, huh?"

The former Fear Tech student flinched at this claim, but she shrugged as she reached a a hand to caress her ears. "Uh, sure..."

Squishy stood up straight, swallowing down his anxiety as he neared her. He coughed quietly as he adjusted his OK hat.

"Uh, so, Laura..." he shuffled his backpack behind him nervously, "maybe you'd want to get a drink...with us?" he finally finished, his smile coming out more like a wince.

When she looked down at him, he felt that same fluttery feeling of exuberance that had been present since the very first time she came to Frat Row. However, it didn't last long the moment her face displayed an expression of remorse.

"Sorry, I can't," she responded quietly, "I have to go find Archie."

Before Squishy could say anything, he felt a tentacle on his shoulder and looked up to his new father.

"Well, how about we tag along and help you?" Don suggested. "Heck, I bet little Scotty here can catch him before you know it! On account of last time." he added with a chuckle as he gave his stepson a gentle squeeze.

Squishy blushed before turning back to Laura, looking rather hopeful.

"That's really nice of you, guys," she replied guiltily, "but I think I'd rather do this on my own." she smiled innocently. "Besides, you go enjoy your break before the next class."

Don's smile faded a bit but he nodded understandingly. "Suit yourself then."

Laura chuckled apprehensively before she felt a small poke on her wing. She turned to Randall, who grinned shyly before holding out a bag of what appeared to be cookies and wrapped chocolates.

"Take it," the former ROR monster insisted, "I have lot in my bag and thought maybe you would want some."

She inspected the bag closely. "Hmm...weren't these for the twins? I think I remember one of the PNKs giving these...Or was it HSS?"

"Aw, they don't mind!" Art laughed aloud. "Heck, we eat their presents every day and there's still more where that came from!"

"Just don't tell Mike," Randall chuckled as she took the bag from him, "he's already having words with Sullivan."

Laura gave the emerald-eyed monster an appreciative smile before turning to the remaining OK members. Part of her just wanted to remain with them and socialize like she had been contemplating about doing during lecture, but she felt that maybe it wasn't the best time.

Right now her pig needed her. And her food.

"Thanks," she told Randall before slipping the contents into her bag. "I'll, uh, see you all later."

"Oh, sure!" Don said cheerfully. "Drop by our house anytime you want!"

They all had to take a step back the moment she released her wings which resembled sails under a moonlit sky. She gave them a small twitch before she lifted herself off the ground.

Squishy could only watch as she ascended higher before she was clearly above the trees, her ears flapping in the wind as she continued on without even looking back.

So much for an opportunity...
_

Heads shifted toward the main entrance of the theater where the university's Glee Club was having their meeting. Although the voices were inaudible behind closed doors, monsters could discern the possibility that an argument was occurring.

Students nearly jumped in surprise when the doors were violently flung open, and a fuming aquatic stormed out, her bag in tow. Katy McCrea made eye contact with no one as the words of the professor leading the Glee Club shouted after her.

"Shenanigan!" the elderly monster known as Heimlich erupted after her, his voice echoing straight out the entrance. "That's what you are!"

The Vocal Music major merely rolled her eyes at the obscure word as her lanky legs carried her away from the dullness that was her Glee Club professor. If he couldn't respect her kind of music, then why in glob's name should she respect his? Heck, why was she even in Glee Club at all if it was nothing but a waste of time and cutting into her dignity of modern music?

Because how else could she be heard?

After pacing a good distance away from the theater, Katy stopped in front of a kiosk that was littered with various posters. Some were for selling old books, others for renting apartments, then her eyes fell on a certain flyer taped gracefully onto the top center.

The one for the talent show.

She swallowed, all fury washing away in a heartbeat as she gazed at the familiar text. That event wouldn't occur for a while and she had plenty of time to practice. But how could she when her conjoined friends were in the hospital and had no idea what was going on?

She could only wonder how they were holding up, both comatose and painfully missed by the monsters of their alma mater. She would break into that hospital again if she could, but that would mean breaking her promise to Hardscrabble, Agent Coalson, and even Mrs. Carlton. Like them, she was going to have to wait. But if the twins weren't back by then, not only would she be incredibly miffed off and perhaps brood like some overgrown goth (no offense to HSS or Claire), then she would have to consider dropping out of the talent show altogether.

She just couldn't do it without Terri and Terry...

Yesterday had been a whirlwind of events for her, Naomi, and Lane the moment they had been personally called by the Dean of Scaring herself. Despite the trouble they had caused, at least both Hardscrabble and Agent Coalson had been merciful, understanding why they had broken so many rules. Given the punishment of community service for a few weeks, Katy realized she was due in an hour or so along with the other girls.

Groaning to herself as she turned away from the kiosk, she sulked toward the direction of the MU cafeteria. Maybe grabbing a cold one and some greasy foods would pacify the animosity that was growing toward the old and stubborn Glee Club professor.

He could just shove his baton up where the sun don't shine because Katy was on the brink of doing it for him...
~

Katy claimed a table all by herself inside the eatery, and she was grateful it was hers for the time being. A tray consisting of fries, a sandwich, and a can of Blort laid in front of her as she picked at one of the ketchup packets on the table. Dot had mentioned the little art project she and a fellow Oozma Kappa member had done yesterday, and the Vocal Music major had to admit it sounded pretty fun. She could probably pay that crazy pair of legs to pull a stunt involving condiments right where her Glee Club was having their meeting, just to tick off the professor. Katy would do it herself, but last thing she wanted was to be called to the Dean's office for "shenanigans" or whatever.

She lifted her blue eyes the moment a tray clattered in front of hers and her lips tweaked in a sly grin toward the photographer across the table from her.

"How're you doing, fellow rogue?" Lane Picca greeted informally before taking her seat. "Thought you could use the company before we all have to do cleanup."

Katy chuckled before squirting some ketchup over her fries. "Well, before you got here I felt like glop after getting in a fight with that moron Heimlich. But it's all good." she added sensibly. "Whose personal space did you invade this time, Picca?"

"Oh, ha ha..." the other girl responded dryly. "I got nothing right now, and so nothing's exactly juicy on the Campus Roar."

"Yeah, I hardly read the paper," Katy spoke bluntly, "sorry."

"No problem, you're not the first," Lane replied flatly.

The EZ girl peered over Lane's shoulder before her smile broadened.

"Yo, Jackson!" Katy hollered, waving one of her hands upward. "Yo, over here! Got a spot for you right here!"

The PNK girl was momentarily surprised by the offer, having assumed she would eat in solitary silence before arriving for her community service. She didn't expect to see both McCrea and Picca at the same placement, but it was a comforting realization. And, after all, they were her friends and fellow "co-rulebreakers". She threw them a sweet smile before approaching their table and placed her tray right beside Lane's. Compared to the photographer's tray that consisted of just an apple and yogurt, Naomi's was relevantly greasy to Katy's, her tray stocked with a burger, chicken fingers, and a tall bottle of milk. The McGrowlnald's kind of meal.

"This is interesting," she commented, folding her arms. "I guess we're all 'super excited' about later, huh?"

"Oh, sure," Katy remarked sarcastically, "as exciting as a pop quiz or a a root canal. Give me a break..."

"Please tell me something interesting's going on in MU right now," Lane practically begged. "I'm seriously desperate for a new story here!"

"Well, Brynn Larson started a fund for the twins," the PNK girl answered, swallowing as her smile tightened. "How...how's that?"

"Old news," Lane sighed as she rested her chin upon a claw. "What about anything on the twins?"

It was getting harder for her to smile, but Naomi forced it to remain as her dull claws tightened on the edge of the table. "I...I got nothing..."

"Of course not," Katy intervened. "The only person who's going to get anything is Hardscrabble, and let's hope this Coalson guy kept good his promise." Her eyes narrowed a bit. "Because I was not born a patient girl."
~

Carrie glanced across the cafeteria from where her table was, eyes filled with relief to see her sorority sister occupied and not anywhere close to sobbing her brains out. There were times where the youngest PNK would give a sincere smile, but after recently, the leader knew when she could be faking it for the sake of her social life. At least Naomi had her "partners in crime" present, thus drawing attention away from him and more focused on getting through with her community tasks later on.

Nadya sat in front of her as they had been conversing over a plate of nachos, discussing important matters regarding last night at The Growl. It wasn't that Carrie thought she was insane...but the whole outline of what the goth was offering sounded completely dubious.

"You know, my little friend can come any day you want," Nadya commented as she picked a chip and scooped some cheese into it.

Carrie turned to her, lips pressed together in a thin line of doubt. The conversation last night had been a complete blur to her now, and she couldn't even recount half the things she discussed with her HSS friend.

Just everything that had been thrusted toward her that night at The Growl made her feel skeptical. And moderately intimidated.

"Trolls, Nadya?" the PNK girl blurted out. "I'm sorry, but all this just seems so-"

"Crazy?" the other girl suggested. She appeared unmoved by this response as she rested her cheek against a hand while continuing to drown her single chip in gooey cheese. "I didn't expect you to believe me right away."

"I don't even know why I think this would be good for Naomi in the first place," Carrie sighed.

"Because we both know she'll explode any day now," the goth pointed out, her expression a mix of concern and defensiveness. "Hey, I'd talk to Terry, but he's not exactly talking to anyone right now, is he?"

Carrie averted her trio of eyes. "But still, this all sounds kind of movie-ish if you ask me..."

It was then Nadya smiled, a confident yet teasing one as she eyed her PNK friend closely.

"They say some movies are based on facts," she declared calmly. "Facts only depend on what we're willing to believe."

Carrie observed her carefully, a bit chilled by those words. Nadya just continued smiling as she popped the chip into her mouth.

"You just let me know when you want this to happen," she spoke indifferently, "and I'll take care of the rest."
_

Katy mentally groaned as she slumped back in her seat, wishing she could put her feet atop the chair in front of her.

She had dealt with her community tasks to the best of her ability alongside Lane and Naomi, having picked up trash, sweeping and mopping hallways, even assisting in rebuilding the recently destroyed section of the Biology department. They had sweated their skins out, and Katy's dull claws still felt raw and disjointed after so much handwork. It had been overall exhausting, but it was better than any other punishment Hardscrabble might have initially considered.

They had all finished before their next classes, and the Vocal Music major had almost decided on retreating back to her dorm instead of attending her English class. The main focus of it was creative writing as well as understanding every famous writer's backgrounds. Right now their hipster-wannabe instructor was showing them a documentary on the projector about some cranky, old-aged guy named Charlie Buttowski or whatever and how growing up in some nowhere town had given him strength and all that cliche junk.

Katy was already regretting her decision to come to class the moment the film began, with its lack of color and definition as well as being taken place in the boring "grandma and grandpa times".

This was also the class the twins attended as well. Before the accident their presence and enthusiastic attitudes made it much easier for Katy to deal with the aggravating classwork and washed up films offered to them. She would also rely on them to take most of the notes for her when she didn't feel like moving a pencil in her hand. Not to say she was sluggish, but the only reason she took the class was because it was one of her Freshman requirements. And the twins were as understanding as they were willing, and Katy would often snooze in the back row behind them while they filled up an extra paper just for her. They only needed one paper, and they had four arms, so it was a win-win.

It was pretty evident that she wasn't exactly on board like her classmates, and that she would rather be sleeping on her bed than watch a boring documentary.

That or probably think of ways breaking into the hospital again. News traveled pretty fast since yesterday.

"Uh, hey."

Katy lazily turned her head to the side, and her eyes met a pair of stalks that stared at her carefully. She twisted her body until she was completely face-to-face with the other girl who smiled politely. She was another aquatic by the look of her cephalopod-like appearance as her multitude of legs tucked under her seat with her tentacles resting atop her desk. Her flesh was a brisk orange with soft, gleaming lips and lovely eyelashes that complimented her beauty.

Katy studied her closely. Out of anyone in the class besides the twins, this girl struck her as someone who could easily be remembered. Too bad Katy had no idea what her name was.

"Hey, you look familiar," Katy said as her blue eyes concentrated on the other girl's stalks. "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

"I watched the Scare Games," the girl who was her classmate explained. "Of course, who doesn't?" she added with a snort. "But I was close by when your team came out of the sewer that night."

Katy had seen many faces the moment they emerged from that nightmare of a challenge and faces in the audience seemed like a blur to her. While she was trying to figure out what could possible make the PNK girls stand out from each other as well as determine who was who among HSS, Katy did recall this girl who had waved her tentacles in celebration for EZ's victory.

And she did remember seeing her at the JOX party, and she had been in the very front the moment Katy and the others had emerged from the hospital to give the bad news.

"Yeah, I think I know you..." Katy murmured. "What is it? Tanya? Timberley?"

"Tammy," the other student corrected with a chuckle. "Tammy Collins."

"Collins girl, okay..." Katy mused as if she had known the name the entire time. "And you know my name, right?"

"Well, yeah, you're my classmate," Tammy replied, "you're Katy. People know you from Exceeda Zeta...and what's being said about you right now." she added slyly.

"Oh, don't bring that up," Katy grumbled, "I'm still exhausted from working my fins off earlier and should have skipped this class in the first place!"

Tammy chuckled. "I almost thought you were going to jail after you got called into Hardscrabble's office."

"I thought so too," Katy responded sourly. "But it would be worth it. I have no regrets with what I did."

The squid-like monster regarded her quietly, then played with her tentacles. "So...are you scared?"

Katy stared at her in confusion. "Scared? About what?"

Tammy gulped. "Well, they're in a coma, right?"

The other aquatic's eyes widened before she frowned. "Okay, I freaked out after
I escaped that hospital, but I ain't scared!"

At least not all the time...she thought angrily.

"Hey, I get it," Tammy assured her. "It's just that after all Oozma Kappa's been through, it would break my heart if anything worse happened to them."

Her tone sounded remorseful, her eyes peering downward at her stationary like a criminal having been verbally forced into confession. Katy remained silent for a few moments, observing the girl before her. Tammy had known the twins before the Freshman came to MU, and no doubt she had witnessed the living heck the aforementioned fraternity formerly endured those previous semesters since its founding.

"Were you one of those monsters who used to hurt them?" Katy asked quietly.

Tammy stared at her, stalks widening in shock by the question.

By now Katy's eyes were narrowing. "Did you used to make them feel like they never belonged here?"

She could have very well broken down by the accusation, but who was she to blame Katy? Tammy had been a Freshman herself when OK first made themselves known in the Greek community as well as to MU. But no one cared. No one wanted them around. They just didn't seem like the kind of monsters even a non-Scaring student like her would associate with.

And that hurt them. Time and time again they tried to reach out to their Greek neighbors despite having been thrown out of the Scaring program, but they were always pushed away.

She would never forget last semester how one day could result in so much humiliation, and she just had to feel awful for them. Whether or not she laughed at the posters, there was nothing funny about breaking the already broken hearts of a group of monsters who cared nothing about competition as they were about love and acceptance.

And when push came to shove the day after the final Scare Games event...when Johnny Worthington couldn't keep that massive jaw of his shut...she knew that had been the final straw.

She had never thought anyone from OK could be so angry, let alone Terry whom he and his brother were in her English class from last semester.

He had refused to associate with his own alma mater after telling off the Worthington heir. Terry and his tight-knit group had refused to approach their own Greek neighbors or even anyone on their campus during the remaining aspect of the Scare Games.

If Big Red hadn't tried to reach out, then they would be the ones shunned.

Tammy bit her lip as she breathed through part of her face where a nose would be present. She didn't want to dwell on everything before, having put it behind them much like Oozma Kappa, thankfully, had. She looked back at Katy, who was awaiting an answer.

She sighed. "Look, I did not partake in the "bullying" if that's what you're saying," she spoke rather defensively. "I just kept my distance and ignored them. I didn't point, joke, or have anything to do with that stupid prank if you didn't already know."

Katy's blue eyes stared into her stalks for some time, and Tammy was almost afraid she wouldn't believe her. However, the former's frown lessened to a thin line of her lips.

"Just checking," the Vocal Music major said indifferently.

Tammy mentally sighed in relief and did her best to appease her with a smile, although it came out as more of a wince.

"Now that that's cleared," Katy stated as she crossed her legs and draped her arms over her seat, "how did you officially meet OK? Heck, how did you officially meet the twins?"

Tammy then blushed. "I, uh, I hugged them after the Scare Games."

Katy snorted, trying to stifle her guffaws while the documentary droned on from the projector. "Going a little fast there, aren't you?"

The other aquatic's skin nearly became a mixture of hot orange and red as she wrung her tentacles nervously. "I just wanted a picture with them, that's all!"

"I'm betting you wanted more than just a picture," Katy said slyly.

Tammy grumbled under her breath while the other girl snickered. "Okay, so the twins are cute." She paused for a moment. "Well, hot, actually." She paused again. "Okay, super hot that none of the RORs can come even close!"

"I should have known you were one of their little fangirls," Katy rolled her eyes.

"Well, mostly for Terry," Tammy corrected.

"Which one? They have the same name."

"Twin with a Y," Tammy sighed dreamily as she thought of the older Perry whose pair of horns and gorgeous smile were the talk of any girl who swooned for him and/or his brother.

"Oh, Terry," Katy nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I guess he's pretty cute."

"I just really hope he and his brother will wake up soon," she said worriedly. "I don't want my flowers to die before they come back to MU."

Katy raised an eyebrow. "Flowers?"

Tammy lowered her head. "One of the gifts meant for them..." she explained sadly.

Mike had just passed the latest gift for the Perry twins, which was a box of homemade pies from George Sanderson, to Squishy when the umpteenth knock sounded at the door. The youngest OK member tried not to salivate at the delicious smell wafting from the box's cover as he carried the aforementioned treats to the kitchen.

Opening the door, Mike was greeted by the bulky, muscular, draconic form of Marbus, and right beside him was the slender yet remarkably beautiful form of Sephira, followed by the smaller jelly-like body of Theo, and finally the octopus-like shape of Tammy.

He expected the rumbling voice of thunder to emerge from the fanged mouth of the winged monster facing him, but Marbus handed him a wrapped box of assorted chocolates so large that the one-eyed monster had to strain under the weight of it all.

"For the twins, hoping they get a speedy recovery," Marbus quipped in his normal tone, winking two of his four golden eyes at Mike, who grimaced while trying not to get crushed by the latter's gift.

Sephira came next, bearing a wrapped book of scripts that looked as thick as those reference manuals one might use in writing a thesis paper for any of the Scaring modules. From its appearance alone, Mike could guess it was a script book compiled of many famous English drama plays and writing tips for creative works.

"A little something from me that the older one would love when he wakes up," she spoke in her melodic voice that could practically soothe a monster newborn to sleep.

The slow yet quick-witted slug monster known as Theo inched forward on his scooter and passed a sizable carton of assorted BLORT drinks that encompassed all known flavors that the company had released so far in their wide variety of fizzy beverages, adding to the weight of the previous two gifts that Mike was carrying in his hands.

"Tell Terri and Terry to hang in there, man!" Theo said cheerfully. "Marbus and I wish them well!" He smirked as he placed his short hands back on the hips of his jelly-like body, his buck-teeth easily seen on his smiling face.

Tammy came last, and Mike saw she had a modest bouquet of many forms of flowers with an attached card at its bound stalk. She placed it in his arms.

"I don't have much to say," she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, "but please convey to the Perry twins that I wish them nothing more than to recover and come back to MU, as well as to give my love to them."

The reddish orange octopus monster's eyes began to brim with tears as she clenched her tentacles together in complete anguish. Sephira quickly placed a comforting hand around her roommate and held the latter as she wept softly on former's cobalt blue-scaled shoulder.

The green monster could only stare at awe at the four before him. They were among many who had immediately sought to provide the proud fraternity with gifts for their fallen brothers.

"Thank you...thank you all..." he murmured as he strained under the weight of all those gifts, and for a fleeting moment he wished he had the musclebound physique of Sulley.

Each gift was given with pure hearts of love and care, and Mike was touched by the sincerity and affection each student that had knocked on the door of their house to present their own gift for the Perry twins.

"I'll...I'll make sure that they get your gifts, and appreciate what you've done for them," he added, trying not to sniffle.

The four differed monsters smiled in return, and Mike inwardly felt even more overjoyed that things certainly changed for the better since the beginning of the new semester.

Tammy watched her bouquet flowers one last time before Mike quickly rushed back into the house to set everything down. She only hoped the remaining OK members would find a vase for it and that their hospitalized brothers would see it soon.

Katy just stared at her, open-mouthed and astonished by the memory Tammy Collins had just shared. The latter's bottom lip quivered, and she sucked in the tears, refusing to cry in class.

"I'd buy them a dozen sets of flowers if I could," Tammy murmured miserably as she lowered her head, "because even if they weren't in the hospital I'd still do it." She then looked up at Katy. "Because they are the nicest monsters MU is lucky to have."

The Vocal Music major was silent as she continued gazing at Tammy, the sight of her just enough to break one's heart. Glop, her wanting to cry was going to make Katy tear up on sight!

Tammy raised her head the moment Katy reached over and rested a hand on her shoulder. The latter was smiling, her blue eyes twinkling and sincere.

"Hey, you want to grab a cold one after class?" the EZ girl asked. "You know, hang out and talk? And I'll start remembering your name for real?" she added good-heartedly.

The tentacled monster raised her eyes at her in question, but then it all sank in and a smile slowly spread across her face that equally matched Katy's.

"Let's grab some ice cream while we're at it," Tammy suggested meekly.
_

Squishy ventured into the campus store, hoping to purchase a new binder before his next class. Having departed from his stepdad and fellow OK brothers to proceed with their separate classes, he decided to take this moment to do a little school supply shopping.

Trailing his padded feet over to the supplies section, he was greeted by a wave of blue, representing his university's insignia as he neared the various tools and agendas. He stopped right in front of the display where there was a wide assortment of binders he could choose from, each mentioning the alma mater with different slogans and phrases. As his five eyes scanned one binder in particular, two or three of them caught sight of something sticking out from the other side of the rack. Curiosity claiming the best of him, he slowly eased around and his heart about stopped.

There, wings unleashed to fall gracefully to her sides, was his secret crush. Eyes glittering even in the dim lights of the campus store, Laura appeared so serene as she regarded the various supplies on her side of the rack. There was a faint smile on her face, which proved she was in calm spirits.

Squishy could feel his knees go weak at the sight of her, drinking in the appearance of Laura Sharp just standing a few meters away from him. Every instinct in his mind screamed for him to go up and greet her, but his heart was pounding so rapidly that he had difficulty breathing as his hands trembled. What could he even say? How would she react? He hardly even had much to say when Scaring class ended earlier!

He immediately hid behind his side of the rack when Laura's eyes fell in his direction. Grateful she hadn't spotted him, he felt his cheeks warm, his small hands gripping the metal shelves as he tried to keep himself steady.

He gulped. "Just go over there and say hi...just say hi...oh, just say hi, glob..."

He dared a peek once more, and his heart nearly sank.

Strolling just behind Laura was no other than Johnny Worthington, that arrogant smirk making the youngest OK member shiver with fear.

Laura didn't appear to notice the towering presence behind her, Johnny merely regarding her with obvious interest, her eyes focused on the display while his focused on her. For a moment, Squishy thought Johnny would just feed his eyes and leave.

He bit his lip when Johnny leaned an arm against the top metal shelf, nearly cornering Laura before she noticed a shadow overcoming hers.

"Hey there, gorgeous," the Worthington heir greeted casually.

Laura shifted her head and glanced in his direction, and was nearly startled. But she remained stable, wings tucked in like a mild-mannered monster as she regarded him with polite eyes.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Worthington," she greeted uniformly.

"Seriously, none of that 'Mr.' stuff, alright?" he chuckled. "Just Johnny."

"Johnny, right," she nodded, her tone unruffled as she adjusted her shoulder bag.

Johnny grinned at her, his expression making Squishy's blood run cold as he watched the Worthington heir nonchalantly flex his muscles.

"Any reason you're here, Johnny?" she asked carefully.

"Just browsing around," he replied with a playful smile, "taking a good look at the best thing out there."

Unfortunately for Squishy, Laura made no assumptions by the double entendre of a comment as she just stared at him. The corners of her lips tweaked in a shy smile, one that could bring a man to his knees with such a look.

"Well, what would it be specifically?" she asked maturely, tone almost deep as she turned back to the rack.

For a moment, and judging by the sound of her voice, Johnny almost assumed she was becoming bored of his presence, but then she was not like other girls. Sometimes she could almost remind him of Hardscrabble, only less fearful and a little more focused on courtesy.

True to his word with Carla, he was steadying his approach but to his own standards of flirtation. And he prayed that no distractions would happen to him this time round, and should anything happen, he hoped it would be like what happened at the stadium. Taking a quick glance around, Johnny noticed there were only a small number of students in the MU bookstore, focused either on reviewing the latest textbooks or engrossed in magazines, or purchasing stationery and writing supplies, with no one paying any particular attention to him. The Worthington heir smiled to himself. No one was definitely going to bother him. They were pretty much alone.

Although he felt a little disappointed that Laura took no notice of his well-built physique that greatly benefitted his Scaring major, and despite giving enough of a cue by casually flexing his muscles in front of her, she didn't even bat an eyelash at the ROR insignia across his chest. The few hours of weight-pumping he did in the frat house gym had been all for nothing. Heck, he had been trying to give her the eye-full every moment he could be right next to her without Carla scolding him or Chet bringing up some gross or childish topic!

Judging by Laura's posture as she felt the shelves for more beneficial items, she was more focused on her work at hand. He wasn't too surprised, after all, they shared a class together, and she did excellent work alongside Carla.

However, an idea came to mind...

Flickering his eyes toward the shelf Laura was basing her attention on, a sly grin played on his lips as he watched her ears bounce a little as she searched the hard copies.

"Oh, can you get the red book on 'Advanced Scaring Positions'?" he asked casually.

Her sky forest eyes turned toward his purple ones, and her head raised a little before giving him a pleasant smile.

"Alright then," she answered before turning back to the shelf, "which one is..." Her fingers trailed across the row of books.

Her eyes fell on the bottom shelf, ears perking up.

"Oh, here it is..." she said aloud before bending down.

To Squishy's horror, the moment she lowered Johnny's eyes drank in the sight unintentionally presented in his direction. He could see those sharp teeth glinting under his smile while Laura was searching the book he requested. According to Big Red, this was a move some guys would pull this trick to get a "nice view". And Squishy had no idea what that meant until now...

To his relief Laura immediately stood up straight before presenting Johnny with the book he requested, and gently pushed it into his hands. The ROR leader had broken out of his trance the moment the hard cover lightly traced against his claws and he was a bit disappointment it was all over.

"Anything else?" Laura asked, turning back to the shelf.

She didn't seem to find anything interesting in sight right now, believing that maybe the store didn't provide what she needed at the moment.

"That is a very thick book," she complimented as she looked over her shoulder back at Johnny. "You must love reading as much as I do."

Those eyes could stop traffic as Johnny grinned, tucking the book under his arm. It would cost him thirty bucks but it was worth it for her to regard him like that. Her smile was just so polite and casual, and seemed to be much calmer today.

"Well, of course," he laughed, "I mean, I'm a grade-A student when it comes to Scaring."

"I know you study very well, Johnny," she told him sincerely.

Squishy watched as she provided him another breathtaking smile, obviously showing interest in Johnny's well-established studying that had made him even more well-known in the Scaring program long before the OK monster came to MU.

"I also know the best Scaring techniques," he added quietly, winking at her.

"How am I not surprised?" she stated with a manneristic chuckle. "You make your family very proud, Johnny."

This is what he hoped to hear from her. Being the heir of a famous and wealthy Scaring family truly did have its perks, and the best thing about it was being given praise by the beautiful daughter of Fillmore Sharp.

"Oh, I shouldn't get all the credit, sweeyheart," he smirked, "after all, the heir of the Sharp family is here, that's something."

Laura flushed, rolling her eyes. "Oh, you don't have to say that..."

"But I'd like to, Laura," he said quietly, eyeing her tenderly.

Squishy watched as Laura calmly stepped back, wings slightly erect as she averted her gaze with embarrassment. Her hands reached behind her to hold onto the shelf that met her waist for support. He noticed that familiar glint in Johnny's eyes once more...

"Oh, hey, could I just..." Johnny spoke carefully as he neared her.

To Squishy's horror, Johnny snaked his arm across Laura's waist, curving around it to pick something that was behind her on the shelf. He had seen Mike perform this move on Celia before, and the later part of it was a little too personal to bring into detail

He nearly let out a strangled cry but thankfully he managed to silence it within throat. Seeing the Worthington heir standing so close to Laura and flirting with her was torture...and a little bit of his blood began to boil for some reason. He held onto the shelf as he watched Johnny lean his arm around Laura's waist apparently to grab something, but he knew knew too well that it was an easy excuse.

Laura tried to move out of his way only to feel slightly crowded at the moment, and she could only stare at Johnny's bicep in confusion as it lightly brushed under her own.

"You know, you could just ask me to get it for you," she spoke rather indifferently.

"I almost got it," he assured her, confiding the meekness in his tone.

Squishy swallowed the huge lump in his throat as Laura only slightly shifted, falling for yet another false claim made by the Worthington heir. He could see the satisfaction in Johnny's eyes as he leaned a little more forward, chest nearly rubbing against hers as his hand fondled the shelf for another book.

Johnny's fingers scrambled along the shelf, desperately trying to grab anything before more seconds ticked by and she would grow suspicious.

If Carla had witnessed this, not only would she drag him off and away from Laura, she would definitely box his horns and angrily remind him of what she just advised. Thankfully, she wasn't around campus at the moment, having taken herself with a few friends outside the university to enjoy some exercise at the park. It was those moments she wasn't around that Johnny could have as his advantage.

And right now, he felt the opportunity was just within reach (no pun attended). He hid his grin to the best of his ability, having only lightly brushed his hand across Laura's waist as he reached behind her. Luckily, she detected nothing, so he enjoyed the moment while it lasted, making sure not to take forever should she be alerted.

Laura's shifted her eyes over to where he was reaching, and she squirmed a bit, but kept her feet in place as she hoped her wings wouldn't pop out in surprise. She gave him a thin, timid smile.

Finally, Johnny felt another hard cover and slowly pulled away from her the moment he grasped it. He smiled sheepishly at her while her eyes fell on the title of what he found.

"I didn't know you were interested in art and crafts, Johnny," she spoke rather humorously.

Johnny's eyes widened before they loomed over the thick book he had picked up out of a moment's notice. Krazy Krafts was written in wide font of colorful letters, followed by a small description of 1,000 different ideas for the imaginative mind. He mentally winced, being the kind of monster who had no desire in art or the likes. However, he maintained a pleasant smile to Laura's ongoing gaze, and she seemed intrigued by his new "interest".

"Uh, well, yeah, I...kind of have this thing for these kind of knick knacks...you know, macrame, anything with glue..."

He watched as she shifted a bit, returning to her upright position as her bottom brushed against the lower shelf. Lucky shelf...

"I, uh, do like the Art Club," he lied. "Are you in any clubs?"

"Not really," she responded quietly, "I'm not exactly a club person. I'm more to myself."

"Okay," he nodded, "well, uh, if we have any projects together..." he held up the book, wincing a smile, "then we're prepared then."

"You're very meticulous about you work and studies," she observed.

He smirked, despite realizing that was another thirty bucks going to be spent. But at he could give the book to Chet to keep him more occupied, and glob help him the youngest ROR member doesn't make a mess in his house.

"Yeah, I mean, as the leader of the top fraternity on campus," he bragged, "I study just as well as my frat boys to make sure we stay the best Scarers on campus."

"Oh?" Laura asked, shifting her legs to the side as her hips jutted in the opposite direction.

The way she was positioned was rather...enticing. And both Johnny and Squishy couldn't help but stare for some time. And her eyes were raised, smile softening that it practically glowed in the lights of the store.

"So, as frat leader of Roar Omega Roar," she commented, "it's your duty to make sure all your brothers are okay, right?"

Her tone crooned so delicately, and Johnny felt his tail rise at the sound of it sifting through his ears.

"Well, yeah," he chuckled, "I got to keep them in line."

"Is that so?" she asked, her smile slowly fading. "Is that why you released Sullivan as well as lost Boggs?"

Johnny's smile vanished, having not expected that. And he began racking his mind for a suitable answer. Sullivan was a sloth of himself and hardly did the job done when he had been an MU student. And since it was tough at the top, Johnny couldn't allow one monster who flunked his exams to affect his whole fraternity's reputation. So he had to make a choice. But he personally felt it was a right one.

As for Boggs, the Worthington heir was still bitter about how he just left them like that, hardly a word from him since the final event last semester. The boys of ROR had been willing to give him a second chance, and he just closed the door on their faces. Especially Johnny's.

And since the kick-off when that lizard openly announced to the student body he was now a member of the OK fraternity, it was another affliction to Johnny's already dented pride. And no monster would let him or his brothers forget about it, always bringing up stuff like how ROR was beginning to lose its touch or it was bound to happen as stated by Carla herself.

As if they weren't humiliated by OK enough on a daily basis...

He looked at her carefully. "About James, I did what I had to do as fraternity president," he explained. "It wasn't to my liking, but I had to do it, and my brothers had voted for him to be removed."

Squishy had to scoff at this. Sulley may have screwed up with his studies and partied until later mornings, but the fraternity president himself could have been more emphatic with him instead of just crushing his spirits like that. The moment Sulley had failed his exam, Johnny didn't even bat an eye at him, just up and left for Sulley to wallow in misery. Had that been Squishy that day, he would have paid Sulley every ouce of sympathy he could provide, lead him away from his failure and try to lift his spirits. Even though it had been a rough start in the beginning between him and OK, between him and Mike, Squishy accepted him in all standards. Johnny was just feeding Laura just a fragment of his story, wanting to appear like the good role model he claims to be...while making those who actually admire him feel pity about themselves.

"As for Boggs," Johnny continued, "the responsibilities of being a frat leader can be stressful, and all I'm aiming for is to put my members into shape. All I've honestly tried to do was put Randy into that role so he could realize his true potential."

Squishy actually scowled at this. The Worthington did, indeed, have Randall "shape up", but that involved sacrificing his own personality just to please his leader. That involved pressuring him into doing things he knew was wrong. And he would kick any member out in a heartbeat if any of them really slipped up, such as Randall's little incident of somehow winding up with heart printing as his new coat that fateful night. Had he been in OK during that time, Squishy and his brothers would sympathize with him, not curse him out and call him a failure. True, they wanted each brother to give it their all, and to just do their best. Real honor was working as a team no matter what the results were. For Johnny, teamwork meant never disappointing him or suffer the consequences.

Laura looked at Johnny, quite astonished by the somber tone he provided. He didn't sound at all prideful or self-absorbed, his tone reminding her of Mike's when he gave his boys a serious pep-talk before training.

"I see," she said.

The way her voice mulled with a tone softer than clouds, Johnny kept his tail from twitching. While he honestly felt as if she was calmly interrogating him at first, at least his answer seemed to appease her. And she looked incredibly hot the way her eyes stared into his with her head held high and her lips in a tightened but comprehensive smile.

"Thank you for answering my question," she murmured softly, her voice rich that he almost felt shivers up his spine.

Johnny grinned, baring his sharp teeth to her. "Thanks for the interesting conversation, beautiful."

Laura gave him one last glance before she turned around and peered toward the middle shelf in front of her.

"Excuse me for a moment," she said, "I remembered I needed to grab something here."

The Worthington heir gestured for her to do so before she lowered her head beneath the shelf as she searched for a particular item. Unfortunately, the title of her choice didn't seem to be present anywhere, so she decided to call it quits.

Johnny snapped himself out of his mesmerization as Laura began to rise. However, that resulted in slamming her head against one of the shelves above her that she hadn't noticed. Laura grunted through clenched teeth, gripping the shelf as she remained down, sinking into the pain that throbbed through her ears.

Before Johnny could do anything, he witnessed something small running forward and catching a rather thick book that would have landed on Laura's back if he had not caught it.

Squishy gripped the book in his hands, breathing heavily as he strained under its weight. He wasn't sure he had been thinking at all, simply wanting to rush forward the moment Laura hit her head. He dared to glance up at Johnny, the ROR president scowling at him as his fists tightened enviously. Squishy smiled nervously before shifting his gaze toward Laura who rubbed the top of her ears, wincing before her eyes met his.

"Squishy?" she question in surprise. "Oh, hey..."

He blushed as he clutched the book. "Uh, hi..." he greeted shyly.

Johnny growled under his breath before he came forward, gently but firmly pushing the small monster behind him as he bent down to aid Laura whose ears lowered from the impact.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked in a tender tone. "That was some impact right there..."

She waved a dismissive paw. "I'm fine, just a little concussed," she said sheepishly. She turned back to Squishy. "Did you just...save me?"

Squishy shuffled his feet. "Uh, well, you hit your head and the book was going to fall on you..."

His heart could have popped with elation as she smiled gratefully at him, while he was met with a menacing glare from his rival who knelt closer to her.

"Oh, you saw that?" she said with embarrassment. "Wow, you're so fast..."

He blushed. "Just...just helping..."

"Still, that's so sweet of you to do," she almost cooed.

Johnny ground his teeth while Squishy's face nearly became as crimson as his sweater.

"Um, it's nothing," Squishy muttered. "I mean anyone would have done it if I wasn't here."

I would have done it if you hadn't barged in! Johnny thought angrily.

Laura groaned quietly, rubbing her head as she forced her knees to try and stand.

"Could one of you help me up?"

Before Squishy could even offer his hand, despite being incredibly small, Johnny pushed him out of the way. The Worthington heir smiled in triumph as Laura, eyes blinking to allow the pain to sink away, gripped firmly onto his strong claws as he assisted her.

"Oh, thank you, Johnny," she told him gratefully.

Squishy could only stand there, book feeling much heavier in his tiny hands as Johnny held Laura close, merely "assisting" her while she paid no mind.

Laura slowly shook her head, pain still lingering. She groaned softly in frustration.

"Glob, I hate it when that happens..." she muttered.

She was breathing through clenched teeth so much she didn't realize that one of her hands had rested on Johnny's chest to better support herself.

Johnny's eyes widened as he felt Laura palm his sweater. It wasn't what he had expected, but thank glob for another "accident"! The grip of her paw was not tight nor constricting, but with the right amount of strength needed to hold, and Johnny couldn't more delighted as one of his clawed hands was on Laura's waist.

"You okay?" he asked, hiding his smirk behind a mask of concern.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she assured him before easing out of his grip. "Thanks...thanks a lot..."

She broke away from Johnny, smiling gratefully at Squishy who slipped the book back onto the shelf.

"Thank you. You've been a big help, Squishy. "

Squishy chuckled shyly as he shifted his feet. "Aw, well...anything for a friend."

Johnny growled under his breath before turning to Laura. "Hey, uh, Laura, maybe I could take you back to my frat house? I could check that head for you." He then smiled. "And probably talk about giving you a tour there sometime."

Laura looked at him, smiling guiltily. "Um, I'll think about that last part..." she answered slowly. "And that's okay. I'm fine."

"If you say so," Johnny replied, "as for the tour, just drop by the house and let me know." he added with a wink.

"Thanks, but I really need to get going," she told him. "Archie's waiting for me outside and my next class starts very soon."

She turned to Squishy giving him an apologetic expression as well.

"Also, Johnny," she turned back to him, "I bumped into Stephanie earlier. She said she's looking for you."

A sickening feeling lurched within his stomach as he thought of that curvy but crazy Homecoming Queen who had been vying for him since the day she was crowned. For a moment he thought he saw a teasing grin on Laura's lips before she stepped away from him and past Squishy.

"Thanks again, Scott," she told him quickly before leaving the two.

Squishy looked over his shoulder, heart racing as he sighed dreamily after her. However, it was short-lived when he found himself face-to-face with the Worthington heir whose expression was far more terrifying than a vicious roar.

"You don't stand a chance with her, Carlton," Johnny growled. "Why even bother?"

The youngest OK member said nothing, holding his ground despite scared he would be pummeled into a pale-faced pancake.

"You may have the program and popularity," Johnny hissed, "but there's one thing you definitely won't ever have."

And with that said, the ROR president stomped past Squishy who immediately stepped out of his way.

His heart was racing even more, but somehow he felt it had been all worth it.

Just for her.
~

Archie trailed beside Laura as the latter hesitantly fingered one of her ears. Once she was at her next class, the Scare pig would be free to roam the campus once more. She only hoped he wouldn't get himself into any kind of trouble. She still felt incredibly embarrassed by the incident at the Greek Council office.

And what happened at the store was even more embarrassing compared to having been hit with a ping pong ball!

"Hey, Laura!"

She turned and spotted no other than Dot who raced toward her on those three small legs of hers. The moment the latter stood before her, Laura noticed blotches of paint on her cheeks and a wrapped canvas under one arm. No doubt she had been painting in one of her Art classes.

"Oh, hey, Darla," Laura greeted comfortably.

"Dot," the artist insisted. "Anyway, what's up? Anything exciting happen just now?"

Laura chuckled dryly. "Um, not exactly..."

Dot raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"Oh, nothing much," Laura explained rather sarcastically, "just hit my head, got saved by Squishy, and Johnny asking if he could give our sorority a tour of his house." She groaned as she palmed her cheek. "Nothing at all."

"Wait a minute," Dot's eyes widened. "Johnny wants to give us a tour of his frat house?"

"Well, uh, that's what he told me," Laura responded dispassionately.

Both looked down as Archie began to snort, before he leaned over and nudged her leg. Laura grimaced, almost bouncing on her toes as her wings twitched.

"Okay, I'm going to be late!" she cried bashfully. "I really got to go, Dot!"

The taller girl watched as she sped off down the courtyard. The moment she left, Dot placed her canvas down before pulling out her eye-phone. She began texting, a wide grin on her face.
_

The knife was a complete blur on the cutting board as Javier chopped up the rows of onions into tinier pieces. Much like ping pong, Javier Rios' hands were swift yet precise when it simultaneously handled four different tools. While two of his upper hands worked on dicing raw vegetables, the lower pair were unfurling corn out of their husks.

Tonight he was going to make dinner for his fellow frat brothers. Out of anyone, besides their president, Javier was voted the best choice for chef should they tire of ordering their meals. No one in Frat Row knew he was quite a master with herbs and spices, but all focus and culinary fame dotted on Mrs. Carlton herself. And obviously Randall Boggs was the king of confectionaries, and baking was not something the RORs could relate to like Scaring.

And besides, how could his family's chili recipe compete with roast stew and chicken macaroni soup? He never bothered to cook anything for frat parties, his cooking skills would merely be one-upped by even something as greasy as Pizza Planet. Still, he cherished the praise provided by Johnny and his fraternity, and especially Chet who would devour his Hispanic-style cuisine in seconds.

Johnny was in the kitchen with him as well, offering to whip up whatever he could in addition to Javier's cooking. Of course, unlike Javier who was born into a family who adored food as much as preparing it, the Worthington heir relied on the recipe book, which he was still searching for.

Javier chuckled as he finished chopping the last of the onions before scooping them up and placing them on the plate beside cut tomatoes and celery. He watched as Johnny bent down and peered into the bottom drawers, muttering to himself about how doomed he was if he was unable to find that recipe book.

"Honestly, I doubt potato skins are that hard to make," the insect monster commented as he continued removing husks.

The ROR president rolled his eyes. "You kidding? I'll be lucky if the whole thing turns into cheesy mashed potatoes by the time we're finished with all this!" Then he gave a sly smile. "And who knows when Ms. Sharp comes over here. At least I have something ready for her to snack on."

It was Javier's turn to roll his eyes. "I don't remember ever giving tours of our house."

Johnny chuckled. "A first time for everything, Rios. I already know Laura will be very impressed by what she sees." He flexed his arms a bit. "After all, she gets an eyeful every day."

Javier suppressed his scoff when a loud knocking echoed from the front door.

"I got it!" Chet hollered from the living room.

Johnny barely heard him as he leaned against the counter, his frustration of being ill-perfect in culinary preparation compared to Javier fleeting just a little. He merely fingered one of the raw vegetables that was placed on the table as extra ingredients with a dull expression on his face.

"Hey, Johnny!" Chet called as he poked his eye into the kitchen. "Someone's here to see you!"

"And who would that be?" the Worthington heir asked unenthusiastically.

Chet grinned. "The cute EZ girl."

Johnny's eyes immediately expanded as his mouth dropped open. He quickly stood up straight, an excited smirk tweaking at his lips. He quickly smoothed his horns with the palm of his hand, feeling the shine against his claws before adjusting his sweater. Javier just sighed and shook his head as he continued cooking while Chet observed in confusion.

"I knew she'd say yes," the ROR leader chuckled.

He was about to exit the kitchen, but then gained a thought before wheeling back toward the counter. Javier barely blinked before his president quickly grabbed the bowl of tortilla chips he was going to crush into toppings for his chili.

"Bait," Johnny explained before dashing off past Chet.

He paced his feet, clutching the bowl under one hand while the fingers of his other caressed his brows. Smiling toward his reflection in the hanging mirror of the living room, he casually strolled toward the door where his midnight beauty was waiting for him. He cleared his throat and puffed out his chest before reaching toward the knob and hurriedly opened it.

"I've been waiting for you," he commented as he checked his claws like some expert know-it-all. "I had a feeling you'd want to see the most popular monster on campus so-"

However, his face fell in distraught the moment his eyes met the EZ girl standing before him.

"Hey, Johnny!" Dot greeted in a bubbly tone as she waved a teardrop hand in his direction.

He stiffened. "Oh...Darla..."

"Seriously, call me Dot!" she giggled. "Anyway, Laura mentioned about how you'd like to give our sorority a tour of your place!"

"Uh..." the Worthington heir was unsure what to say, disappointment engulfing his words.

"Well, I texted the other girls," she continued happily, "although Monnie was the hardest to convince..." she added sheepishly, "but still, they said it would be alright. I mean, I'm all in for it!" Her smile elongated across her orange cheeks. "And it'll be pretty cool for us to hang out in here! Well, me of course!" she laughed.

Johnny tried to smile, but it came out like the lips of a fish being gutted out of the water as he continued staring at her.

She spotted the bowl of chips under his arm. "Ooh, snacks! Let me have some!"

And she reached forward and scooped some up in her fingerless protrusion before munching on them rather loudly. She giggled some more as she tried not to speak with a mouthful of fried tortilla. While she rambled on about how it would be great to know more about the ROR residence and hoping she'll get to know Johnny and his brothers a lot more like EZ had done with the rest of Frat Row, he barely listened.

Glob, this was not what he had desired at all...

He had hoped for some privacy regarding Dot's sorority leader, but now he had to cater to four other girls, three of them not exactly appreciative of him right now.

But at least Dot was polite.
_

"Look at that! You finished eating another present!"

Sulley rolled his eyes, ignoring the angry green monster next to him. He leaned back in his chair, snacking the crumbs off his sausage-sized fingers with an unwrapped and empty box next to his plate. That present either came from someone of the JOX fraternity or from Drama professor Madame Foster. It had a red ribbon on it, but then there's George to think about...

Evening grew late in loving cul-de-sac of Frat Row as the neighborhood emptied of its students and visitors. The rest of the frats and sororities were now inside their houses, probably sitting around the dinner table and enjoying a meal together as well. Too bad one team had no house to enjoy food under the same roof, the members of EZ back at their dorms probably snacking on what they purchased to go from the cafeteria. Sulley had a feeling Laura was probably by herself at her dorm, save for Archie who was apparently now her little roommate, perhaps sleeping in right now after finding nothing else to do.

The thought of that former Fear Tech student who had went all Bad Cop on him not too long ago made him shiver for a moment, but he knew Laura meant well. Honestly, he hoped to see a different side to her other than being Little Miss Solitaire. Mike was unable to believe him at first when he described to him the terrifying details that had taken place behind the kitchen door, but then the green monster finally felt it was true.

And he openly stated how he envied Sulley for seeing this temporary side to the EZ president.

Envy, his fur! She nearly scared it right off him!

"I seriously need to limit you guys to how many you eat a day!" Mike bellowed as he furiously cut his chicken. "Soon the twins might not have anything to have for themselves at all!"

The remaining members of OK glanced at one another humorously before Art reached across the table to pick a scone right out of another open box. Mike was nearly red in the face as he gripped his knife and fork tightly.

"See what I mean?" the mono-eyed monster whined.

"No use just letting it sit here, Mike," Don insisted as he swiped a napkin across his batwing mustache. "Besides, the twins will have a feast when they come home!"

"They won't mind," Squishy added, licking chocolate frosting from his lips after cleaning off another donut. "Plus we still got a whole lot left."

"Yeah, I ate a box of chocolates earlier," Art stated guiltily, "you think Sonia gave us another one? Because those were pretty expensive..."

"The Mudiva ones?" Randall gasped, eyes growing even larger behind his glasses. "Mike said those were suppose to be off-limits!"

"Thank you, Randy!" their coach cried out in exasperation.

Music jingled in the dining room before Don's eyes fell on an eye-phone left on an antique table beside the kitchen doorway.

"Honey, your phone's ringing!" he called.

The door opened and a hand shot out before grabbing the device and bringing it inside the kitchen. Mrs. Carlton quickly flipped it open before placing it to her ear, multi-tasking as she stirred another bowl of mashed potatoes for her boys.

"Hello?" she sang cheerfully into the receiver.

She nearly dropped her things the moment she was informed on the other line.
~

The sorority stared uncomfortably at the pot of what could have been charred marinara sauce while beside it was a large container of half-uncooked spaghetti noodles. Carrie hovered over the table, doubtful of her culinary skills once more but nevertheless forcing to keep a stiff upper lip.

This was exactly why most of their groceries consisted of microwaveable family dinners. She could have cooked a whole stock of nuggets and fries in less than ten minutes! And without even having to slave over the kitchen sink four times just to kill off the fires that threatened to emerge from her hardened meatballs. That or she could have sent a couple of her girls to a nearby fast-food place and bring back a good load!

But no, after Art had complimented her cookies last semester at the apology party, Carrie felt determined to surpass her culinary insecurities and try to be at least a quarter of the chef Mrs. Carlton was.

"Alright, girls," she sighed, hands on her hips. "Dig in and tell me what you think."

Taylor's trio of eyes glanced at undercooked noodles scooped onto her plate before shifting her gaze toward the meatballs that looked like charcoal meant for the barbecue grill.

"I think we should order Pizza Planet," the tomboy suggested with revulsion as she pushed her plate away. "Or go to one of the other houses and have some of their dinner! Heck, I can smell another feast from Oozma Kappa's!"

The other girls muttered in agreement before pushing their plates away as well. Carrie seethed a bit, although she had expected this reaction.

"We can't just waltz over there and ask them if we can join in!" she exclaimed. "That would be rude, and we already had dinner with the EEKs a few days ago!"

"I'd rather walk up to OK's house and beg to be fed instead of getting food poisoning," Taylor murmured as she poked at one of her meatballs, which emitted a quiet thump against her fork. "No offense."

"Oh, this is coming from someone who mixes shredded cheese with ravioli and pork rinds!" Heather spat.

"It's a multi-meal!" the less lighter pink-haired girl argued.

"That looks like dog food to me!" Britney, the lighter pink-haired girl, added.

Naomi just rolled her eyes as she folded her arms across her chest. While Carrie's cooking made her stomach flop, her sorority leader was honestly trying. And the girls really did appreciate her efforts. Still, she would rather give her plate to Archie the Scare pig if he was roaming around campus. And it wouldn't hurt to have pizza again tonight...

Loud cheers disrupted the ongoing argument between Taylor and the rest of the girls. They glanced at one another in confusion before hurrying out of their seats to see what in the world was going on during dinner time.

Naomi was the first to open and step out the door before her eyes caught sight of the unmistakable OK frat residence. The loud hoots and hollers substantially reminded her of the night they first received their house, yet this time the members were not running amok around their yard or climbing up the walls. But she and her sisters could spot them waving their arms in the air while all were dancing around in their living room.

She could see Squishy and Art hugging the life out of Randall who welcomed it nevertheless, Mike being noogied just above his eye by the powerful paw belonging Sulley, followed Don and Mrs. Carlton embracing one another. The latter was smiling with tears evident in her five eyes.

Carrie and her girls watched in surprise as well as enjoyment. "What's gotten into them tonight? It's not even close to Humanween."

"It seems Mrs. Carlton has finally received the call."

Startled, the PNK girls turned to see a smiling Hardscrabble beside them. Hands behind her back, the Dean's gaze focused on the frat house before them as she witnessed the joy upon Mrs. Carlton's face.

"Call?" Naomi asked carefully. "Call for what?"

The head of the Scaring program turned to her. "Why, the hospital permitting them to visit the twins tomorrow. I received the call earlier and told them to inform Mrs. Carlton of the news."

The youngest PNK girl's eyes widened before her mouth laid ajar in an overwhelming smile.

"So the twins...?" she asked attentively.

Hardscrabble smiled thoughtfully. "I believe they are well, don't you think? Not awake, I'm afraid, but very much in good health from what I was informed."

Naomi's gaze darted back toward the house, her heart lifting momentarily.

"Hey, what's going on?"

The girls of PNK turned to see it was no other than Big Red with a bowl in his hands and followed by his frat brothers. Taylor's eyes fixated on the container which was filled with moist noodles and gleaming red sauce that smelled oh-so divine.

"Is that spaghetti?" the tomboy asked, her mouth practically drooling at the scent.

The JOX leader chuckled. "It's known as sketti," he explained. "Copied the recipe from a Sweetie Chew Chew has Arrived episode."

Without a second thought, the tomboy moved away from her sorority president and sidled close to Big Red.

"Please give us something to eat, we're starving!" she begged without consideration.
_

The doctor's eyes loomed over the twins in bed, a relieved smile on his face that had been there since the night before.

The burns had been washed away and all the hazardous chemical they had been exposed to in the impact of their incident had been cleaned off. The two were fine.

And despite the surgeon's admonishment about his proposition, the doctor insisted they be put together. And here they were in bed now. They were no longer in any danger, despite the incident that took place a couple of days ago.

Contemplating the incident, his staff had finally reached the agreement with the CDA. That the twins' family and supposed mother could finally be permitted the visit they had been desperate for. Last night he had informed Monsters University's Dean of Scaring of the news, and she asked for him to inform Mrs. Carlton.

The woman had been screaming with joy on the other line the moment he told her the good news.

While the twins still needed a bit more time in the hospital, at least they could finally be granted the visitation despite still experiencing their coma.

And with that, the doctor informed one of his nurses to refill their feeding tubes before exiting out of the room to greet the family.
~

The darkness was surprisingly calm despite it felt like he had seen it for an eternity...

But it didn't last long.

He could see color.

He could see pictures.

He could see his brother's face.

Terry blinked for a few moments before he peered at their surroundings, then stared down at their single body.

Of course.

They needed to get rid of all the white paint. They looked like a two-headed ghost with their blue eyes fighting away the hurt feelings.

And his terminated heart.

But even though Merida had hurt him and the laughter still rung in their ears even after they fled the humiliating scene, what mattered most was his little brother's feelings.

And she had hurt him as well. And nothing killed Terry more than seeing his own brother being picked on like that.

But Terri seemed okay, more concerned about his big brother since he had the worse of it all. Whether or not he had approved of Malicestorm, his brother's happiness was far too important for him to thrash on it. A tiny part of him had hoped maybe she did have a heart under that orange skin of hers.

They both were too worried about the other, and kept thinking on their twin as they silently walked home. Forget the bus, they had enough people remembering this night at school!

But they managed to make it home. If they could even call it that...

Now they were in their bedroom, wearing a single bathrobe after a long, hot shower and soap. Sitting atop their bed with the cheap radio crackling atop their dresser, they merely sat in silence.

Terri's eye loomed over his brother. His sad, pained, heartbroken brother...

With that he reached over and rested one of his hands over Terry's side of the shoulder. The latter looked to him, unable to smile despite the one glinting across his brother's cheeks.

"It'll all be okay, Terry," Terri encouraged. "I mean, maybe this'll all blow over by tomorrow."

His brother's eye hardened before shrugging him off him. "I don't want to go back tomorrow. I hate it there."

Terri bit his lip, regarding the hardened expression on the older twin's facial features. "Well, um...you know what...I kind of feel the same way as well..."

"I was stupid!" Terry roared, alarming his brother as he flung his set of arms in the air. "So stupid that I fell right into that stupid trap of hers!" He stared at Terri. "Worse of all, I brought you into this..."

"Oh, come on, brother!" Terri spoke gently. "You didn't know-"

"But you knew!" Terry cried. "I should have listened to you! Now look at us!" He gestured to their single body. "As if we don't get enough abuse from our peers!"

"Well, I wouldn't say abuse..." Terri muttered skeptically.

"Look at us, brother!" Terry screamed. "Ever since we started high school, it's been a living nightmare! No matter what we did, how much we tried, they just pushed us away!"

He breathed heavily, his bottom lip quivering.

"She pushed me away..." he murmured tearfully.

Terri just stared at his brother, knowing that this night had definitely scarred him. While the younger twin was upset, it was nothing compared to the emotional toll it placed on his brother.

For as long as he could remember, they were each other's only friend.

The younger Perry sighed before averting his gaze to the floor. "Now that I think about, Terry, I'd rather not deal with her or our classmates any more...It's too late to even think about trying to get back to where we started from. I mean, where we really started from stunk big time..."

Terry said nothing, one of his own hands bunching up the sheets under his fist as he stared at the wall.

"But you know..."

The softer, passionate tone of his brother caught him off guard before he turned to him. Terri was smiling.

"Things are going to change," the younger twin insisted calmly. "I mean, sure, let's keep it on a low when we just transfer out of that school, but still...think about what's going to be ahead of us."

And with that, his eye shifted toward the wall his brother was facing. However, his gaze fell on something in particular. Terry followed and peered.

Among the various posters and recycled pictures they would cut out of magazines, laying atop a few representing Captain Slugger was no other than a flyer they found at the school's filing office.

Which stated welcome to high school graduates who choose to register for Monsters University.

Terry sucked in his cheeks for a few moments, then the corners of his mouth just had to tweak the tiniest grin. He and Terri had talked about attending that college since their Freshman year, excitedly conversing about making some real friends, parties, and becoming the dynamic Scaring duo once they joined its program.

A better life than the one they were living right now.

Terri smirked, seeing the expression of awe on his brother's face. "There we go! See? There's still the bright side!"

Terry chuckled quietly, feeling just a teeny bit better at the moment. "Yeah, I guess I can handle two more years of high school before we can finally leave this place..."

Terri gave his brother a hopeful smile. "And who knows? They're might be someone that'll make you forget about Merida."

The older twin's expression sank for a moment, reminded of the painful realization that occurred hours ago.

"Love can just shove itself down the toilet for all I care right now..." he muttered.

The younger twin winced, sensing the bitterness that was beginning to linger from the not-so-happy results of a hopeful romance. He cleared his throat, tapping his fingers quietly upon his side of their lap as he waited for the heat to die down for a moment.

"Okay, um..." Terri began uneasily. "Think about the Scaring program. How many two-headed monsters are out there that we know are scaring kids?"

By then Terry succeeded another small smile. "None, I think."

"Exactly!" Terri beamed. "We'll be the talk of the campus! Our social lives will be much better once we go to MU! We'll be swarming with real friends the moment we become Freshmen there!"

His twin sighed dreamily at the thought, knowing that once they attended college, they would no longer be alone. He felt that a university would give them the attention they had hoped and prayed for since they were children. At least at MU they knew no one would deny them, reject them, or even humiliate them!

Terry felt in his heart that their future alma mater would immediately accept them.

What was there to prove his belief wrong?

By now, the entire Malicestorm heartbreak began to sink away as he smiled at his younger twin.

"Man, what would I do without you?" Terry spoke affectionately, reaching over and nudging his brother's sole horn with the tip of his fingers.

Terri laughed and pushed his hand away. "You'd probably be a wreck without your smart, dashing, talented, majestic-"

"Okay, don't ruin the moment," the older twin cut in, frowning.

-"loving little brother!" Terri finished, smiling innocently. "But still, we're two heads on one body! I doubt we can actually do without each other even if we tried!"

"Yeah, you're right," Terry nodded. "What was I even thinking?"

Terri just smiled at him, before balling one of his hands and holding it toward his brother.

"Conjoined by fate..." he phrased.

Terry grinned, heart rising as he offered his fist and lightly bumped it against Terri's.

"...together by choice," he added.

Together...

...by...

...choice...
_

Mrs. Carlton gripped Don's hand with anticipation as they followed the doctor down the hallway leading to the twins' room. They had made a rather large announcement of the news last night, and all of Frat Row as well as Monsters University could not be more overjoyed.

While it was clear the twins were still suffering their coma, at least she knew that it would not, in any way, harm them as they resumed their continuous slumber. Students back home begged her and the rest of her family to inform them as soon as they returned how the twins were doing, what did they look like, and did surgery do anything to them as Katy had claimed. Maria and Sonia were specially insistent upon receiving news. Hardscrabble as well, who reminded her little Oozmas that the Scare Games would remain postponed until the twins were in perfect condition.

The blonde monster's heart thumped excitedly as she listened to the doctor whose eyes glanced at his clipboard.

"As you've been told last night, the twins are doing much better now that we've rid them of their contaminated state," he explained.

"So they're okay, right?" Squishy asked as he trailed beside Mike.

"Of course," the doctor responded, "if not, you wouldn't be here right now about to visit them, would you?"

"How soon do you think they might wake up?" Don questioned skeptically.

"Hard to say," he doctor answered. "Maybe later, maybe next week, maybe a while. We don't know."

Mike swallowed at the thought as he tried to keep his mind positive. He wouldn't care how long it would take for the twins to finally rise from their comatose state. All that mattered was that they would be there when they finally woke up. All of MU would.

His grin deepened as they neared what was possibly the twins' door, and he only wondered how they would react to seeing them in bed and not realizing that their family was with them right now. Last night he had called Celia and informed her of the good news as well, promising to keep her updated once their visit was over. She was just as relieved as everyone else.

He nearly jumped when a few medical workers rushed past them, one of them carrying an IV while another had what appeared to be defibrillators. His single eye widened when one of them threw the door open and hurried inside.

"Doctor!" one of the nurses approached him without any mind to the visitors. "We need you in there right away! This is urgent!"

Mrs. Carlton's eyes widened in fear as she gripped onto Don's hand. "W-what's happening? What's happening to my boys?"

"One of them is suffering a nervous breakdown!" the nurse explained quickly before she ushered for the doctor to follow her. "Doctor, we need to go now!"

The OK mom and her terrified boys watched as their doctor followed behind her, racing into the room that belonged to no one other than the twins. Mrs. Carlton was about to follow behind them when one of the medical workers blocked her from the doorway.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but no visitors right now," he told her.

She gawked at him in disbelief. "But the doctor just said-"

"Ma'am, please understand that right now we're trying to save your sons or whoever they are to you from neurological disorder. So I suggest you give us some space."

"Well, hold on there!" Don intervened, stunned by the immediate change of promise they had received last night. "You can't just-"

But the monster already fled from their presence as he rushed back into the room, slamming the door behind him. Mrs. Carlton could only stand by with her boys as voices rung out from the other side.

"Check the heart monitor!"

"Blood pressure is incredibly unstable!"

"Everyone clear!"

Art's eyes nearly bugged at what he overheard, and it terrified him completely. He then wheeled around just in time to see both Randall and Don cling onto Mrs. Carlton as she began to crumple to the floor.

Her sobs echoed through the hallway as the voices continued yelling in the room belonging to two of her precious boys.
_

I made a lot of references here if you could tell:

1. McGrowlnald's=McDonald's

2. Charlie Buttowski=Charles Bukowski (that was actually a famous author that I learned and read about in my English class last year. And yes, my teacher was a hipster-wannabe as well. :D)

3. Sweetie Chew Chew has Arrived=Here Comes Honey Boo Boo (and yes, 'sketti' is actually a real recipe made by Mama June. :D)

Also, much like Big Red's girlfriend Flora, Tammy is another canon character who appeared in the movie. Her role took place right after the final event when she was taking a picture with the twins and hugging them. She's really cute. :)