Only two more chapters to go, and this next to last chapter was a pretty fun one to write... why is that? You'll see! Anyway, enjoy!
The lights immediately turned back on as all attention was turned towards the stage. Three spotlights were set on three figures, two masked figures that looked almost like kids, and one other kid that was in the center of it all. Most of the kids recognized the kid at center stage right away.
"Isn't that Curly?" Lorenzo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Who?" Rex III and Alan asked in confusion.
"What the heck?" Rex said in confusion.
"Who are these crazy kids?" Sammy Redmond was set aback in confusion.
"Oh God..." Rhonda groaned as she held her head in frustration. "Just as we have a fun time, of course. Of course he had to butt his nose in our business!"
"Uh, Rhonda... what exactly is going on?" Arnold asked.
Buckley and Brooke, on the other hand, frowned as Buckley said, "Excuse me, kids, do you have reservations for this party?"
"We do now!" Curly smiled as he pulled out some invitations and threw them over at Buckley Lloyd. "Ladies and gentlemen, the band that has been invited to perform for this wonderful party, Bones and the Cross-Walkers, will not be seen tonight, due to a little incident involving knockout gas."
"WHAT?" Buckley said in shock as he glared at the kid.
"Now, now, daddy in-law, don't get your feathers in a truffle!" Curly gave a chuckle.
"Daddy-in law?" Buckley protested as he turned to Rhonda, who was holding her head. "Rhonda, do you have any idea what this kid is talking about?"
"I know him, but I have never seen him act like this in my life, I swear to God!" Rhonda groaned.
"Don't lie, sweetheart, you totally have!" Curly smirked as Rhonda winced. "Anyway, I hate so much to crash a party like this, but I'm doing this to prove my point, to prove to everyone that I'm just as capable of being Rhonda's just as much as the football head is!"
Arnold's eyes widened, before narrowing at Curly as he nodded. "So, let me dedicate this first number to the girl I love, and the boy she SHOULD be going out with! Bucky, Pudding, hit it!"
The two others with him only gave a nod as they started playing some music as a radio came on, playing some music as everyone just watched this display in utter confusion and anger. Curly gave a nod as he said, "Rhonda, pay attention, because this will be OUR song!"
"Oh God..." Rhonda held her head.
"Rhonda, sweetheart..." Brooke said in confusion.
"And now, a parody of an Elton John classic! Let's do this!" Curly pumped his hand as he started to sing.
(To the tune of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart")
(Curly)
Don't you go with that guy!
You have better options!
Oh Rhonda, you are so reckless,
Don't get into corruption!
Sammy Redmond, Mrs. Lopez and Rex Harrington I could only stare with mouths agape as Alan pulled up his camera and took a picture in confusion. Rex and Lorenzo just looked lost in this scenario as Arnold held Rhonda protectively, with Brooke and Buckley looking angry at the boy that was currently wrecking their party with HIS recklessness.
Don't you go with that guy!
He has eyes for one more!
Compared to all the other guys,
Arnold is a big snore!
Arnold couldn't help but look offended at that last statement as Bucky, Pudding and Curly collided their heads and harmonized together.
(Curly, Bucky, Pudding)
Oh, oh!
What a big mistake!
Curly separated for a moment as he pointed to Arnold.
(Curly)
Your parents know that,
He's a dumb brat!
Curly then put his back with his two friends to harmonize again.
(Curly, Bucky, Pudding)
Oh, oh!
She made a mistake!
A very big mistake!
Curly then went back and danced around as he started to sing beautifully, pointing to Rhonda, then at himself.
(Curly)
Look with your eye,
I am your dream guy!
Ohhhhhhh, oh,
I am the right guy!
Curly then started breakdancing as Pudding and Bucky started making sound effects like a DJ does.
Don't you go with that guy!
Just don't go with that guy!
Curly then spun around the room like a ballerina and stopped short as he turned to Rhonda.
Don't you go with that guy!
"Rhonda, sweetheart, what is going on here?" Brooke asked. "Who is that kid making a nuisance of himself?"
"Mom, Dad... you know that dry cleaners you go to?" Rhonda asked. "That's the dry-cleaner's son."
Brooke and Buckley's eyes widened as Buckley said, "That's Thaddeus?"
"You know, his mother said that he was a special case... but not what I was expecting..." Brooke said before turning to Arnold. "Thaddeus seems to have a hateful eye for you, though..."
"He doesn't usually care unless he gets whatever he wants... and because I'm going out with Rhonda, he wants her for herself..." Arnold groaned. "I should have realized this from the beginning..."
"It's my fault for not reading the obvious signs..." Rhonda sighed as she turned to her parents. "Mommy, Daddy, I meant to tell you this before, but Curly... Thaddeus, he is a psychopath, he sort of blackmailed me into being his girlfriend for a week..."
"WHAT?" Buckley growled as Curly was still singing the rest of his song in the background. "Did that boy harm you in any way?"
"Forced me to wear shirts, forced me to follow his lead, and tried to kiss me by force!" Rhonda shuddered.
Buckley and Brooke narrowed their eyes towards the kid as Brooke said, "You should have told us right away! We'd happily file a restraining order!"
"Fortunately, he hasn't done the... bad stuff yet..." Rhonda said.
"But from the looks of this man, he may grow up with this intent!" Buckley frowned. "Forget a restraining order, maybe some time in juvie!"
"Arnold, stay with our daughter and we'll be right back! We're phoning his parents!" Brooke said as she and Buckley ran off.
"Right!" Arnold nodded as he turned to Rhonda. "I'm sorry, Rhonda..."
"It's not your fault, Arnold. I chose this. Curly just can't seem to accept that!" Rhonda frowned as she turned around... and her eyes widened. "Uh, what's happening to the other adults?"
Arnold turned as his eyes widened to see Mrs. Lopez, Rex Harrington I and Sammy Redmond beginning to brawl with each other as they started shouting heavily.
"What the heck?" Arnold asked as he turned... and groaned as he held his head to see Lorenzo, Rex III and Alan joining Curly in the singing. "GUYS! What are you doing?"
"Sorry, he requested we joined in the next verse!" Alan shrugged.
"It's kind of catchy!" Rex III pointed out.
"What is going on with your parents?" Arnold asked.
"I don't know. They were a little glazed and all of a sudden, this brawl started. We would have stopped them, except Curly told us to join in!" Lorenzo said.
"And you listened to him?!" Rhonda said in shock.
"Just a moment, it's our cue!" Lorenzo said as Curly pointed to them.
(Lorenzo, Rex III and Alan)
Don't you go with that!
Don't you go with that!
(Curly)
Don't you go with that guy!
(Lorenzo, Rex III and Alan)
Don't you go with that!
Don't you go with that!
(Curly)
Please don't go with that guy!
Don't you go with that guy!
The song ended as Curly held a pose, expecting big applause. He frowned as he noticed two adults missing, three adults turning their attention to each other and having a big brawl in the middle. But he didn't particularly care for the adults... he turned to Rhonda and Arnold as he gave a smile. "So, Rhonda, what do you think of my song?"
"I think it's pointless drivel!" Rhonda bared her teeth.
Curly's eyes widened in surprise behind his glasses. "What? But I worked so hard on this song parody! Do you have any idea how much blood and tears went into fully changing the lyrics into something original. All this work... and you STILL won't go out with me?'
"Why would I? You're a creep! The only reason I went out with you that one time was because you blackmailed me into going out with you! Other than that, you have done nothing but become creepy and tried nothing to hurt me!" Rhonda growled. "And those derogatory things you said about Arnold aren't true at all, and you know this! You're just angry because I chose to go with him and not you!"
Curly just paused as he looked to the side. "Huh... well, I guess you raised some arguments. You have eyes for the football head and I can't stop that..."
Arnold paused as he put into his mind the way Curly said 'football head', wondering about something. Before he could wonder any further, Curly sighed, "Well, I guess you can't say that I made an attempt at pouring my feelings out for you... which is why I'm going to do this!"
All of a sudden, Curly grabbed Arnold and pushed him down to the floor as he grabbed Rhonda and flung her over his shoulder as she screamed. "H-hey!"
"I didn't want to resort to this bit, but if we're playing this straight, I guess there's no other alternative!" He then turned to Arnold and laughed, "As for you, Arnold, you should probably thank Helga for my attempt."
Arnold's eyes widened in shock as Curly ran out of the door. Arnold then shook his head as he growled. "HEY!"
With that, Arnold quickly ran out the door, running after the two kids. Pudding and Bucky could only watch as they turned to the other rich kids.
"So... what do you think happened with these adults?" Pudding asked.
"I... may have had something to do with that..." Lorenzo chuckled nervously.
"What did you do?" Bucky said in interest as the others turned their eyes towards him.
"Well, Mom was being a bit uptight lately, and I wanted to have her loosen up a little, so I may have spiked the punch a bit..." Lorenzo chuckled nervously.
The other kids's eyes widen in surprise as Bucky said, "Really, you spiked the punch, with what?"
"I only put in one little touch of this bottle I found... something that was labelled 'vodka'. I know it's something adults drink." Lorenzo explained... as he looked down. "In hindsight, it probably wasn't a good idea."
"That just goes to show you... adults can be pretty loose when it comes to one little drink." Rex III explained as the others nodded.
Curly gave a laugh as he was running, carrying Rhonda out the door as she was growling angrily, beating up his back. "This is your last resort? Kidnapping?"
"Like I said, you forced me to take drastic measures!" Curly argued as he suddenly noticed Buckley and Brooke standing near the door. "Hey, parents- in-laws! I'm taking your daughter out and you'll never stop me!"
Curly gave an evil laugh as he turned to where Rhonda's parent's were facing... before coming eye-to-eye with a lion.
Curly's eyes widened in shock as he dropped Rhonda down to the ground. Rhonda gave a growl as she got up. "You lit- EEK!"
"Rhonda, shush! Don't say a word!" Brooke shushed her daughter as all three Lloyds and the kid that attempted to kidnap their daughter was staring face-down at a lion.
Rhonda's eyes narrowed as she turned to Curly, "Really? Was the lion part of this too?"
"Uh... I wish I could say it was... but no, I was not aware of a lion in this house." Curly whispered back frantically.
The lion stared them down as the adults stood in fear, Rhonda and Curly looking nervous as Curly whispered, "I read about this in my zoology books one time... if you confront a lion, make sure to keep eye-contact and stand your ground. Slowly back away, and never turn your back. Above all, do NOT show fear!"
The Lloyds just fearfully nodded as they looked directly at the lion, who was growling angrily and marching around, looking directly at the four humans as all four of them slowly started to move back slightly... until they felt a wall. Rhonda then whispered, "Now what?"
"Er... I wish I could say..." Curly whispered back.
From nearby, Arnold caught up and his eyes widened upon seeing the lion cornering the Lloyds and Curly as he gasped. He remembered hearing about this lion before going downstairs to his grandfather. His eyes widened as he remembered the number the radio gave before he turned it off. Slowly, he reached for the phone nearby and began to dial the number as he whispered, "Hello? Is the lion still missing? Because I found him... yes, he's in the house, but he's not doing anything yet. He's currently cornering the family of the house and a boy who attempted to kidnap the daughter... it makes sense in context... it's the Lloyd household, 333 Truffle Lane. Hurry, please!"
Once Arnold got the confirmation, he hung up the phone and paused as the lion growled, looking towards the family in fear. Arnold frowned as he knew he needed to do something. He then noticed something on the ground that was near the door the lion entered through... a beef jerky wrapper. Getting an idea, he carefully snuck out towards the kitchen.
"Oh, darling, this is simply horrific!" Brooke sniffled.
"I did not think I would ever come across this scenario myself..." Buckley said nervously as he looked over at the lion, who was growling ferociously.
"Oh, Mommy, Daddy, this is simply terrible..." Rhonda cried. "Why is this happening to us?"
"I could think of good reasons, I have to admit, a lion attack was something I didn't see coming, though." Curly gave a warm smile.
"Curly, shut it! You attempted to kidnap me!" Rhonda growled at the boy.
"He did what?" Buckley's eyes narrowed, but knew he couldn't turn to Curly due to the lion eying them. "Oh, I knew you were a bad seed from the start!"
"Hey, a bad seed can turn into a beautiful tree once in a while." Curly chuckled nervously.
"You, young man, are forbidden to EVER go near our daughter if we ever get out of here alive!" Buckley said.
"And I can easily back that claim!" Brooke frowned. "What you've done is no way to win our daughter's heart!"
"Uh, say, can we have this argument elsewhere, in-laws..." Curly said nervously.
"In-laws, our rear ends! You are not marrying our daughter when you grow older!" Brooke yelled.
"We will NEVER let you!" Buckley joined in.
"Go, Mom, go Dad." Rhonda gave a warm smile.
"Oh come on! Really? You guys always warm up whenever I-" Curly turned around, keeping his eyes off the lion for a second. But then he heard the growl as Curly yelped, turning his attention back to the lion as the lion focused on him. "Okay, look, can we not say anything more to make the lion charge at us?"
"That is a good idea, the first good, SANE idea you had in a long time!" Rhonda growled... before shutting her eyes. "Oh, the others at the party will get scared out of their wits..."
"The others at the party!" Brooke gasped. "Oh no! If they go out and see this lion... well, we may as well chalk this up to the 'Worst Party Ever' list."
The lion growled as Brooke looked down. The lion bent his head down, looking ready to charge as Rhonda gasped. "Mom, mom! The lion! Keep your eye on the lion!"
The lion looked ready to charge before everyone heard a whistling sound. The lion's ears wiggled a bit before turning its attention towards Arnold as he was near the door, holding what seemed to be a couple of sticks of beef jerky.
"Here, boy! Over here!" Arnold frowned.
"Arnold, no!" Rhonda whispered in horror as the Lloyd parents gave a gasp.
"Yes, eat him! Eat him!" Curly give an eager nod... before realizing what he said was out loud as he felt the angry eye roll of the Lloyd family was being directed at him. "Oh come on! It's better him than us, right?"
The lion gave a lowly growl as he bent down towards Arnold and noticed the sticks of beef jerky in Arnold's hand. The lion walked towards the football headed kid with the beef jerky as Arnold stared him down bravely. The lion slowly, but surely crept towards the boy as he sniffed the jerky in his hand. Arnold stood firmly, waiting.
The lion opened its mouth as Arnold threw the beef jerky at the lion as he ate the two strips whole. Arnold took a deep breath as he stared down at the lion as the creature looked over at the boy. Finishing the beef jerky as quickly as possible, he growled as his attention was turned towards the football head... before his eyes widened in shock as he suddenly felt sleepy. The lion instantly fell down as a tranquilizer dart was now on its butt. The boy gave a sigh of relief as some animal control officers and a few cops came in as the Lloyds sighed in relief, and Curly took a deep breath.
"Oh man, that was stressful!" Curly said as the Lloyds came over to explain the situation to the animal control officers and Arnold joined in to tell them everything.
Curly could only watch the tranquilized lion as some officers were attempting to lift it over to a nearby cage. Curly gave a slight frown as he said, "Though I never knew you... such a majestic creature like you didn't deserve to be in a cage..."
"Officers, arrest that boy!"
Curly's eyes widened as he turned to see Brooke and Buckley pointing angrily towards the boy as Rhonda crossed her arms in disapproval. Curly smiled nervously as he said, "Maybe I should have made that time to escape instead of looking at the animal, huh?"
Arnold could only shake his head as Rhonda held his hand. Arnold could definitely say that this was a pretty interesting night... not only for the fact that he confessed his love for Rhonda, not only for the fact that he and her started dating officially... but for the fact that he managed to save the Lloyd family from near danger.
And this chapter has come to a close! How did you guys like it? Well, next time, we'll be going straight to the final chapter of the story! At last, this tale will be completed, and I couldn't be any more happier to do it! We'll see what happens with the others next time! Anyway, read, review, criticize and suggest, folks!