Sorry this took so long to post! Ive been working on another fanfic and have also just been kinda busy on top of that lol.
So a pretty short chapter at only about 2k words. we're also a the halfway mark in terms of chapters. I never noticed before but this story goes pretty quick, doesnt it? I remember it being way longer. Maybe because i had it broken up in much smaller chapters before.
Anyway, one last hing: i feel like here in the story michaelas personality sort of does a complete 180. But if you look at mike in the movie his personality also does a bit of a one 180 too. You know, happy and cheerful and hopeful at the beginning and then sort of self centered and bitter in the middle. Its completely warranty though, and he even admits he was being a total jerk. So just remember that with michaela. She'll also admit to acting like a jerk eventually. Like all she cares about atm is getting back into the scare program, she doesnt care about making any friends. And to top it all off sulleys there too, and thats seriously bound to make her grumpier than usual since she has to interact with him. So just keep all that in mind guys!
TLDR for the above paragraph: michaela is generally a happy and friendly person, if a little bit self-centered and snarky (sometimes). she is just prone to severe grumpiness and is kind of a jerk when under stress
Also! A ref for michaela has been made, so if you wanna check that out the details of how to find it are in the second chapter, but i'll go ahead and tell you again how to find in case you don't feel like going back to check.
since i cant post links or just outright embad a picture, you'll need to go to the ao3 version of this story and check the second chapter. its under the same title and my name there is Potent_Dog_Energy. sorry if its too much of an ordeal to go through just to see a picture, you of course don't HAVE to to do it. anyway i will be making 2 more for both sulley and randall eventually. probably. unfortunately i'll be posting them to the ao3 version of this fic too btw since obviously i don't recall have a way to put them on fanfic other than maybe set it at the cover art, which i kinda of don't want to do lol?
anyway onto the chapter! enjoy!
That evening Micheala pulled up into a quaint neighborhood in the back of a taxi, grabbing her luggage and paying the cab driver before struggling out of the vehicle with both her suitcases in hand, her backpack slung over her shoulders, and her white canvas messenger bag stuffed with her notebooks for classes.
Sulley was already standing outside the house on the sidewalk, staring down at a sheet of paper that the eldest member of Oozma Kappas, Don, had scrawled out directions on for him back at Frat Row.
Michaela came to a stop next to him, giving him a light glare. "Why are you just standing there?"
"I wasn't sure I had the right place," Sulley said, looking up at the house—A prim little home with a covered porch, lace curtains hanging in the windows, and a yellow and green wooden plaque with the letters "OK" hung above the entrance. "This is a fraternity house?"
"Greek house." She corrected, "It's co-ed."
"Fraternity can be used to describe co-ed houses," Sulley said, glancing at her.
"It can?"
He nodded, "Yeah."
"Huh."
The door opened, Don stepping out excitedly and calling out to them from the porch.
"Hey there, team-mateys!" He shouted as he waved at them, "Come on aboard!"
Michaela and Sulley shared a dubious look as the man scurried out and ushered them inside the warm house that looked like it belonged to somebody's grandmother. The living room was filled with knickknacks and needlepoint pillows, family photos of the rosy-cheeked boy with a similar-looking woman lining the cream-colored walls.
"As the president of Oozma Kappa, it is my honor to welcome you to your new home!" Don gestured over the room happily. The members were standing awkwardly in the cosey room, smiling earnestly at the two.
"We call this room party central." The rosy-cheeked boy said.
"Technically we haven't actually had a part here yet." One of the heads belonged to the other boy quickly explained.
"But when we do," The second head chimed in, holding out a remote "We'll be ready!"
He pressed a large button in the center of it, two small doors swinging open on the ceiling.
Michaela waited for something to happen, standing there next to Sulley silently. She opened her mouth to ask when a disco ball promptly dropped out, crashing against the carpeted floor.
The disco ball's pieces picked up, Michaela sat down over a floral print couch with a sigh, setting her luggage down to the side by Sulleys massive rolling suitcase as the boy looked around.
"Woooh! Hot-cocoa train's comin' through!" Don cried as he exited the kitchen with a tray of various colorful mugs, coming to a stop in front of Michaela who was closest. "Next stop, you!"
She took a mug, setting it down over the coffee table in front of her as she snapped open the buttons of her puffy jacket and shrug it off, folding it up her lap and leaving her in a long-sleeved turtle neck. She took the mug back in her hands, gingerly blowing on the steaming liquid lightly before taking a hesitant sip.
Listening as the conversation wandered, she drew the mug away from her lips, deciding now was as good a time as any to get things on track by addressing the small group.
She cleared her throat, "I would like to start us off first by—"
"So... " Sulley interrupted her, turning from where he had been looking over a china cabinet to eye the Oozma Kappa members skeptically. "You guys are in the scaring program?"
"We were," Don replied with an easy chuckle, setting the tray down over the coffee table, the members each taking a mug as the balding man grabbed the last one and handed it to Sulley, "None of us lasted very long. Guess we weren't what old Hardscrabble was looking for."
He reached into the breast pocket of his green polo shirt, pulling out a business card and handing it to Sulley as he sat back on a cushioned chair.
"Don Carlton, 'mature' student. Thirty years in the textile industry, and then ol' dandy Don got downsized. Figured I could throw myself a pity party or go back to school and learn the computers."
Sully nodded blankly. He and Michaela's attention turned to the two-headed boy when one of the heads cleared his throat.
"Hello, I'm Terry with a Y."
"And I'm Terri with an I!" The shorter head said, "I'm a dance major!"
Terry laughed before his face fell into a flat, humorless look, "And I'm not."
"Five-six-seven-eight!" Terri snapped his fingers as he counted before energetically breaking down into a series of dance moves as Terry gave him a look of anguish. "Seven-eight-TURN!"
Terri attempted to spin around, nearly spilling their hot chocolate over the rim of their mug when Terry refused to move with him.
Terri looked at him, "Why didn't you turn?"
"Because we never agreed to do this!" Terry hissed lowly.
"You said this was going to be cool!"
"No one said this was going to be cool."
"Now I'm embarrassed."
"Now you're embarrassed!?"
"Yes because it's in front of people!"
"You should wake up embarrassed."
The two continued to bicker as a tall boy whose height was almost on par with Sulley's came bounding down the stairs, His long purple dreads pulled back into a loose bun as he looked between the newcomers.
"Heh-heh-hey! I'm Art. New Age philosophy major. Excited to live with you and laugh with you," He paused, then suddenly drooped, "And cry with you..."
He perked back up almost immediately, throwing two colorful notebooks at Michaela and Sulley with their names written over them in sparkly gold glitter glue, "Thought you might like to keep a dream journal!"
"Guess that leaves me." The rosy cheek boy popped up behind Sulley, making him jump. "My name's Scott Squibbles! My friends call me Squishy." He said, sitting down over a rocking chair and rocking back in it slightly.
"I'm undeclared, unattached… and pretty much unwelcome anywhere but here."
"Well now that we've all been introduced," Michaela said, setting her mug down to tie her thick jacket around her waist, trying again to take control of the group, "As captain of our team—"
"So basically you guys have no scaring experience? " Sulley interrupted once more, ignoring the glare Michaela sent him at being spoken over once more.
Squishy laughed a little hysterically, "Not a lot! But now we've got you!"
"You're about the scariest feller I've ever seen, even with them pink polka dots!"
"Aw, thanks," Sulley shrugged his shoulders casually, smiling as he preened under the attention.
Michaela tried to speak up again, "Well actually I think I bring the whole package—"
She stopped mid-sentence as she realized no one was listening, Squishy taking Sully's large hand was holding it against his face.
"You're hand is bigger than my whole face!" He exclaimed.
"He's like a mountain!" Terri added.
"Oh come on," Sulley said, waving at them dismissively despite the wide grin on his face, "I don't even work out."
"Yep, me neither," Art said, flexing his arm, "I don't wanna get too big."
"And we thought our dreams were over," Don said, "But little miss Michaela here said that if we win, they're letting us in the scaring program!"
"We're gonna be real scarers!" Terri cried, his brother smiling with him.
"Uh, yeah," Sulley said, doing a good job of hiding the doubt in his voice. He shot Michaela a look, but she merely forced a smile and nodded along.
Later that night, Don led Michaela and Sulley up the stairs to what Michaela assumed would be one of their rooms.
"And here's what you've been waitin' for, sir and madam—Your very own Oozma Kappa bedroom!" He said, switching on the light. The two glanced around the tiny space, mostly empty aside from a bunk bed with barely any room between the two bunks and a few spare pieces of furniture including a desk and chair.
"Ah, great!" Sulley attempted to smile, nearly tripping over the girl in front of him as they both attempted to enter at the same time. He looked around once more before glancing at Don with a strained, unsure smile, "We're sharing this room?"
"That won't be a problem, will it?" Don said, "I understand you're both two hotblooded teens, but the bunk bed should take care of that."
Michaela stared at him for a moment, a slow grimace making its way onto her face.
"Um, that's not—" She tried to say.
"We'll let you two get settled." Don said cheerfully as Sulley pushed his massive suitcase up onto the top bunk, "Anything you need you just give a big holleroony."
"Okay, thanks buddy!" Sulley smiled down at him weakly, quickly slamming the door and shooting a glare down at Michaela, voice low, "Are you kidding me."
"Look, they don't need to be good!" She began in a hushed tone, "I'm gonna carry the whole team!"
"Really? And who's gonna carry you?" Sulley said in a mockingly sweet tone.
She stared up at the tall boy, "Hey, you wanna go back to can design, you know where the door is!"
Sulley crossed his arms, huffing as he looked away. "Fine. I'm taking top bunk—"
"Oh no, you aren't." Michaela interjected, "You'll collapse the whole thing and kill me!"
He scoffed, "I will not."
"You will! You'll kill me!" She insisted.
Sulley glared at her, "Look, I'm not that heavy. I—"
Just then, the lights flickered out, bathing them in darkness. Sulley flicked the light switch, groaning when nothing happened.
"Great," He muttered.
The two exited the room, feeling their way down through the hall and down the stairs of the darkened house.
"Uh, guys?" Michaela called, "Anybody home?"
A door to their left slowly cracked open when they reached the bottom step, revealing the stairs to the basement where a dim light was shining up.
She peeked out through the door, looking into the basement a little apprehensively, Sulley close behind as she began making her way down.
"Um, hello?" She said, "Fellas?"
A tall candelabra was flickering with the light of two candles, standing in the center of the room.
She and Sulley approached it, glancing at one another briefly before a cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows.
"Do you pledge your souls to the Oozma Kappa fraternal society?" The robed man—Clearly Don, asked solemnly. The hood fell back slightly, revealing his mustache and only further confirming his identity.
Michaela yelped when a sharp pain suddenly erupted over her butt as it was slapped with a wooden paddle.
A second robed figure, this one with two very obvious heads, stepped up from behind them.
"Do you swear to keep secret," One head began—Terri's.
"All that you learn here?" The other added—Terry's.
"No matter how horrifying?" Art finished as he stepped into the light.
Sulley was swiftly slapped across the butt too, making him jump with a "Hey!"
Squishy emerged from the shadows dressed in a black cloak just as the others were, holding a paddle in one hand and a book in the other.
"Will you take the oath of the—"
The lights suddenly flicked on, temporarily blinding the basement's occupants.
A woman with blonde hair rolled up in pink curlers waddled down the first few steps of the stairs carrying a basket of laundry.
"Sweetie, turn the lights on while you're down here! You're going to ruin your eyes!"
"Mom!" Squishy cried, looking toward the older woman at the top of the stairs, "We're doing an initiation!"
"Oooh, scary!" She said, flicking the lights off and leaving one on by the washing machine and dryer, making her way down the stairs with the laundry basket pressed into her hip, "Well, carry on! Just pretend I'm not here!"
Squishy looked at Michaela and Sulley, embarrassed.
"This is my mom's house." He explained as the woman began loading the washer behind him. The boy sighed and started again.
"Do you promise to look out for your brothers and sisters…" Ms. Squibbles loudly cranked the washer dial, "...no matter what the peril?"
His mom threw a pair of sneakers into the dryer and turned it on, the shoes thudding louder and louder, as Squishy attempted to speak over the sound.
"Will you defend Oozma Kappa, no matter how dangerous, no matter how insurmountable the odds may be?" He began raising the volume of his voice with the increasingly loud thudding of the shoes in the dryer.
"From evils—Both great and small—In the face of unending pain and—" The thudding continued to grow louder, "Oh forget it!" He cried in exasperation, pulling his hood down, "You're in!"
"Look, we know we're no one's first choice for a greek house, so it means a lot to have you here with us!" Don said over the incessant noise of the dryer.
"Can't wait to start scaring with you… sister." Squishy said, holding out a green cap to Michaela, who took it with a grateful, if strained, smile and set it over her head between her horns. He looked to Sulley.
"Brother." He said, offering him a cap as well.
Sulley sighed but snatched the hat from his hands after a moment, slapping it over his blue hair.
The small group cheered, Terri and Terry slapping Sulley across the butt with the paddle once more. Sulley snatched the wooden paddle and quickly snapped it in half, holding eye contact with them as he did so.
They laughed nervously, slinking away behind him.
"Time for a celebration!" Squishy called as the members rushed up the stairs behind him, whooping excitedly and apparently knowing the drill for whatever they did to celebrate new members. "Grab the couch cushions, lady and gentlemen, 'cause we're building a fort!"
Michaela and Sulley watch blankly as he raced up the stairs after the other members, shouting down to his mother, "Mom! Can we stay up late tonight?"