Time for another episode, before I lose focus!
This one will center around our 'favorite' bully, Derek… please hold the 'boos' until the end of the chapter.
Special thanks to my co-author, Mr. Cartoon, for coming up with this idea :D
d~b
*Episode 21*
Say 'Uncle'
…
…
…
Okay, before I begin this intro, is there going to be ANY explosions, screams, crashes, or other extreme sound-effects that would distract from it?
*CRASH!*
"AUGH!"
*KA-BOOM!*
"WHAT WENT WRONG NOW?!"
*ZOOM!*
"YEOW! ZIPPY, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE FLYING!"
…
Just thought I'd ask.
So…it was the typical-type of day at Paradise Towers: Flip was running from Derek as the bully got kicked off the baseball team (yet still had the bat 0_0); One of Robtonik's contraptions spontaneously combusted; and Zippy was doing an insane stunt on her hoverboard (giving Pugs a headache during so).
Let's start with Flip, shall we?
The pre-teen ran through the lobby and into the elevator, rapidly pushing the button as he saw Derek coming at him with the bat. "C'mon, Chan! I just want to practice my swing!" the bully taunted.
The doors closed, making the brute collide with them, and Flip sighed with relief as the elevator moved to the 15th floor.
*Ching*
The doors opened… and Derek stood there, grinning a malicious grin. "Yikes!" Flip screamed.
"Nowhere to run now, squirt!" Derek taunted, grabbing him by the shirt-collar and yanking him out. "Any last words?"
"Yeah…" Flip looked over his shoulder. "A little backup here, Pugs?!"
Derek flinched, letting him go and looking over his shoulder. "Augh! I didn't do anyth-" he paused, seeing Pugsy was absent from the hallway. He turned around, seeing Flip run into his own apartment (no doubt locking the doors behind him). The bully growled in frustration, yelling towards his escaped victim. "YOU'LL HAVE TO COME BACK OUT SOMETIME!"
"Who're you yelling at, Derek?" Uncle Ted asked, stepping out of their apartment.
"No one. I'm going to find something on TV," Derek muttered, going into his uncle's apartment.
Uncle Ted followed. "Actually, I was thinking we could do something together this weekend, for a change!"
Derek, who was flicking through the channels, answered with a bored, "What?"
"I had a whole ton of things listed! We can go see the new Star Wars movie—"
"Not into Star Wars,"
"…Go to the park and play sports-"
"Don't want to go outside,"
"…Hit the Malt Shop for some cheese-burgers,"
"Their burgers suck,"
"…Play a round of videogames,"
"Already played them all,"
"…And ending with a bit of star-gazing,"
Derek scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Unless one of those 'stars' happens to be Faye Valentine, count me out."
Uncle Ted gave Derek a disappointed look. "Aw, c'mon, Derek! It'll be fun! Plus, it's been a while since we've had some bonding time,"
The teen remained nonchalant. "Uncle Ted, the only reason I come over here is to get a break from hearing Mom telling me what to do, listening to my little brothers screaming and whining, and because Dad doesn't trust me alone in the house on weekends. That, and I'm a teenager now- the bonding days ended when I was 12. I like to have SPACE, now!"
Ted's shoulders slumped and he sighed. "Alright, well… if you change your mind, let me know." With that he walked out, leaving Derek to watch TV.
He walked across the hall, knocking on the door to Shaggy, Pugsy, and Flip's apartment. The tall lanky coward was the one to answer. "Hi Ted- man, did you choose the right time to come over!" he commented, allowing his neighbor in.
Ted looked… seeing that for some reason Scratch's head was poking out of a newly-included hole in the floor, Zippy was hanging upside-down by a tangled-up bungee-cord (her hover-board dented in a folded-manner on the patio) with Pugsy glaring at her, and Flip was talking with Shawn K. "…and you're sure I can get him life in prison? He DID come at me with a bat!" Flip was saying to the celebrity.
"Whoa! What all happened here?!" Ted gasped, looking at the mess.
"Derek came at me-/crazy girl here almost took my head off/-exploded again in the basement/-almost tripped over his head/was just flying around till-/Flip needs self-defense-" Everyone began talking at once.
"Whoa, whoa, one at a time, guys!" Ted pointed at Scratch. "Um… Scratch, you first."
"Well, there we were, working down in the lab- I mean, basement, and suddenly the Atom-Splitter9000… er, I mean, this new air-conditioner we had to assemble suddenly started to go haywire! Before we could unplug it, KA-BLAM! I end up blasted through five ceilings, with a pounding headache!"
Shawn and Pugsy exchanged suspicious glances. "I'm sorry, but I heard you say something about an atom splicer?" Pugsy questioned.
"Atom SPLITTER… Er, I mean…! Oh, just get me out of here, numbskull!"
"Certainly," Pugsy, suddenly holding a sledgehammer, walked over.
"AUGH! NOT LIKE THAT! NOT LIKE-!"
*CLANG!*
Pugsy struck Scratch like John Henry hit a railroad nail, knocking the robot's head loose and having him fall through several floors until he hit the basement. "…anyone got some aspirin…?" they could hear him groan.
Shaggy then looked at the hole… and just moved the couch over it. "Well, that problem's solved." He commented.
"O-kay then… Zippy, what's your story?" Ted asked, moving things along.
"Well, I was flying around on my hover-board, practicing some new stunts." Zippy admitted. "I didn't see Pugsy stepping out and almost crashed into him… and the loudmouth felt that was enough reason to grab my bungee-cord and lasso me! It caught me by the arm, I sprung off my board and it crashed into the wall, and I ended up tangled!" she gave Pugsy a glare. "Thank you VERY much!"
"Hey, shouldn't have kept that bungee cord tied to OUR railing in the first place!" Pugsy retorted.
"Pugs, just untie her. And Zippy, make sure you start taking your stunt-equipment home," Shawn sighed, then turned to Ted. "Speaking of the extreme, Ted, I think you need to have a stern talk with Derek. Flip said he tried to assault him with a baseball bat!"
Pugsy, who was trying to untangle Zippy, turned around in alarm. "WHAT?!"he shouted… jerking the rope and instantly untangling Zippy, who fell on her head.
"Like, Derek tried to beat Flip like a piñata?!" Shaggy gasped.
Zippy popped up… now holding a hockey stick. "Want me to go Casey Jones on his hide, Flip?" she asked, then nodded at Pugsy. "Or would you rather have Pugs here hit him with the sledgehammer next?"
"I-I don't think he was going to hit me… otherwise he would have done so when he had me cornered. I think he just wanted to freak me out- before trying to use me as a punching bag," Flip muttered.
"Doesn't matter. You never know what that brute will do!" Pugsy said, crossing his arms. "Let's go over those self-defense moves I told you about-"
"Then you can go Spike Spiegel on him!" Zippy exclaimed.
Pugsy gave her a look. "You mind? I'm trying to be a role-model here,"
She gave a salute. "In that case, I'm off!" she then ran outside… and grabbed a random vine, swinging away. "COWABUNGA!"
Everyone blinked, but turned their attention back to the subject. "I keep talking with Derek about his harassment. I even told his father about it! He's been grounded, punished with chores, and even sent to see a guidance counselor at school… who took early retirement, for some reason," Ted explained, then sighed. "I think it's because he doesn't get enough attention… but when I try to bond with him, he brushes me off!"
"Maybe it's not talking or bonding he needs, Ted." Shawn stated. "Sometimes, you gotta get a little rough with kids- show them the consequences of their actions!"
Ted cringed. "Yeah, but I'm a pacifist- plus, my sister would kill me if I lied a hand on Derek!"
"Then let ME deal with him," Pugsy said. "I creepify him out,"
"You creep out everyone!" Shaggy scoffed. Pugsy gave him a sharp glare, making the coward flinch. "Gah! See?! SEE?! THAT'S what I'm talking about!"
"Pugs, you just stick with giving Flip self-defense," Shawn stated, then turned to his room-mate. "And Ted, you tell Derek that if he doesn't stop harassing Flip, he's not allowed over anymore."
"I don't think my brother would like that, but alright." Ted sighed, crossing his arms. "Fact is, I don't think he likes coming over anyway! All he does is watch TV and play those games."
"When he's not bugging me, you mean." Flip muttered.
"I tried inviting him to do some activities with me- I had a whole Saturday planned! But…all he wants to do is stay cooped up in the apartment,"
"Let him stay cooped up then. …In fact, use a bit of reverse-psychology on him!" Shawn suggested. "Tell him he's grounded and has to stay inside all day- and that all the things you wanted to do with him you'll be doing with someone else! Then he'll want to tag along…"
"But, you don't let him!" Shaggy added. "Do it often enough, and he'll learn his lesson both ways!"
"That's a great idea! …But, do you think it'll work? I mean, I think Derek knows how reverse-psychology works," Ted inquired.
"Don't treat it like a reverse-psychology lesson, then," Flip suggested. "Just… say you're going to be hanging out with all of us, and Derek isn't allowed to leave the apartment until his dad picks him up!"
"Yeah! We can all hang out this weekend- have a guy's night out!" Shaggy exclaimed.
"I love it!" Ted exclaimed. "What should we do first? Star Wars movie? Playing Fizzball in the park? Stuffing our faces at Speedy's Pizzeria?"
"Ha ha, you really had a schedule booked, didn't you?" Shawn chuckled. "Well, we won't put it to waste! Guy's Night Out will start tonight at 7!"
*Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock!*
Hearing someone rapidly knocking at the door, Pugsy answered… and Zippy raced in. "Is there room for one more?" she asked.
"Uh… it's a GUY'S night out, Zippy, and you're not a guy," Shaggy said, albeit a bit uncomfortably.
"…despite our doubts," Pugsy stated.
"Heck, that's no problem!" Zippy then suddenly grew a mustache! "See? I can blend in!"
"Lose the mustache, Zippy- we'll need someone to make sure Derek doesn't leave the apartment," Shawn stated.
"And since you scare him more than Pugsy does, you'd be the perfect guard!" Flip suggested.
Zippy sighed. "Oh, alright… But only if I can tag along next time!" she stated.
"Deal!" Ted agreed. "It's been a while since I've had a Guy's Night Out-"
*CRASH!*
The front door swung open (smashing Pugsy in the process) as Fangface suddenly arrived. "Did someone say they're having a Guy's Night Out? *grr* I'm in!" he exclaimed.
"…Fangface? What're you doing here?" Shaggy asked.
"Ooh, ooh, I was on my way to visit- that, and I talked the writer into giving me more cameos,"
"You did? How?" Flip asked.
Fangface gave a devilish smirk. "I have my reasons of persuasion…"
*Flashback*
Fangface was following the writer around. "Please make me a recurring cameo?" he was begging.
"Okay," the writer said with a shrug.
"Alright!"
*End Flashback*
"…I wondered how he got a security pass so easily," Shaggy was saying to the audience.
"By the way *grr* where's Pugs? I thought he was home," Fangface asked.
"Behind… the door… nitwolf…!" Pugsy groaned, still smashed behind the door.
"Oops!" Fangface pried the door off the wall… and then pried Pugsy off next. "Sorry about that, Pugs! *grr* You okay?"
"I'll let you know… when I regain consciousness…" Pugsy moaned, before dropping to the floor.
"Er… I guess I'll activate a scene-change, until he wakes up…" Ted stated, walking out.
Flip rubbed his chin. "Maybe I should have Fangface teach me self-defense instead," he said to himself.
d~b
When Ted walked back into his apartment, he saw that Derek was still watching TV (surprise, surprise). "Derek! I need to have a word with you!" Ted stated, a bit firmly.
"Can it wait? I'm in the middle of something," Derek droned, his eyes glazing at the TV in boredom.
Uncle Ted turned off the TV, crossing his arms. "No can do, Derek. I've been hearing that you haven't been lightening up on Flip! Didn't I tell you that if you don't stop harassing him, you can't come over?"
"Nope. Besides, having me stay somewhere else won't solve his problem- the little wimp will just get bullied by someone else, and if he keeps running to his room-mates for help, I have no reason to lighten up until he fights back,"
"Funny you should say that- because Pugs is going to be giving him self-defense lessons!"
Derek only scoffed, using the remote to turn the TV back on. "Yeah, right. Read the past scripts, Uncle Ted- he's brought up teaching the twerp how to fight back… so either he hasn't kept his promise, or he's just a big a wimp as Flip,"
"After hearing that you tried to hit Flip with a baseball bat, he's pretty darn committed now!" Ted then took the remote from Derek's hand, turning the TV back off. "And it's about time I did the same- until you start treating others with respect and stop this bullying nonsense, you're grounded! No TV, no videogames… and you can stay in the apartment while Shawn and I hang around with the guys tonight!"
Derek arched an eyebrow. This was the first time his uncle was acting like an authority figure with him- normally Ted would just inform his father and he'd end up losing his TV access for the week. Seeing that his uncle was serious, however, he had a feeling that his weekend-retreat was getting shut-down.
"Fine. I don't care," Derek sneered, walking to his room.
Uncle Ted sighed. Shawn K. walked in by this time. "Let me guess- he doesn't care?" the celebrity asked.
"Yeah… but I'm sure once he sees how serious I am about his punishment, he'll stop the attitude and show a little remorse," Ted replied.
"Right… (and maybe Shaggy will eat red meat)," Shawn looked towards Derek's room. "So… you made sure he doesn't have any videogames, movies, or whatnot in there before he locked the door, right?"
Ted paused, then slapped his forehead.
d~b
Derek sat on his bed, messing around with his DS. "Sheesh, what was with Uncle Ted?" he said to himself. "The way he was talking, it's like he thought I was trying to kill that shrimp! And since when did he start acting like a disciplinarian? Saying I can't hang out with him and the guys- what makes him think I want to hang out with those losers anyway? …and why the heck am I talking to myself?"
*bzzt! beeeoooooop!*
Said sound effects were the result of the DS's battery going dead, and the teen grumbled, shutting it and hooking it to the charger. He then dug under his mattress, pulling out some DC comics. "I've got enough stuff to do here. I don't need to go hang out,"
~Barely 10 Minutes Later~
Derek lay sprawled out on his bed; comic books littered the floor, as he read through them- having each story committed to memory and the next issue wouldn't be released for another week; his DS was only at 3-percent power, and he wished it were possible to play it while it was charging; the small TV in his room didn't have cable, and he only had 3 movies- Terminator, Terminator 2, and The Goonies, all which he had watched hundreds of times; and he had already spent most of the day sleeping in class so he didn't feel like napping the rest of the day away.
In other words, like most modern-teenagers today, Derek became bored with the things he had, and wanted to do something else.
"Meh, I'll go eat something. Maybe I'll figure something out on a full stomach," Derek said to himself, then paused. "...as well as figure out how to stop stating my ideas out loud- sheesh, I feel like I'm in one of those cartoons from the 70's,"
He exited his room, walking through the living room where he saw Shawn K. working on the television; Uncle Ted himself was loading a few things into a cooler. "Alright, I've got energy drinks, root beer, every flavor of Fanta, Pepsi and Cola products… and diet-sodas we can play 'Fizzball' with," Ted said to Shawn. "Did I forget anything?"
"Lets see… sodas of every kind, chips of every kind, dip of every kind, all 31 flavors of ice-cream- Shaggy will be ordering every kind of pizza under the sun- and one bucket of fried chicken. Yup, I think we've got everything we'll need for a movie marathon and videogame tournament," Shawn replied, looking inside the cooler and checking the inventory.
"Geez, guys, did you leave anything in the fridge?" Derek scoffed, walking over to the kitchen area.
"Don't worry, Derek- there's some snacks in there for you," Ted replied.
Derek opened the fridge… seeing celery stocks, carrots, low-fat yogurt, milk, and water. "What the…? What is this?!"
"It's what you can munch on for tonight," Shawn told him. "We figured you've been eating too much junkfood every time you visit, and decided it was time you built up your health. …That, and it's part of your punishment,"
Derek gawked. "You mean you were actually serious?! Normally you just shrug it off after five minutes,"
"Well, I guess life is full of surprises," Ted said with a shrug, as he closed the cooler and walked out with Shawn. "We're heading out now; remember, you're not allowed to leave the apartment, and no inviting anyone over while we're gone!"
"We'll be back late tonight. Don't wait up!" Shawn added, and they left.
Derek sneered, then walked over to the television. "Whatever. At least I've got the TV to myself," he muttered, turning it on…
…seeing all the channels required a password for access; the only ones available were Disney Junior, Nick Junior… and the weather channel.
Derek's eyes bugged out and he tried to hack the password, but to no avail. "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"
Outside, Ted and Shawn listened to the teen's shout. "…You think this will teach him a lesson?" Ted asked Shawn.
"We'll see. If going through a whole weekend without TV access or hanging out doesn't cure him… we'll have to try brain-wash and electrotherapy."
Ted's eyes widened. "Shawn!"
The celebrity laughed, patting him on the back. "Kidding! I'm kidding!" they continued on… and he turned to the camera and mouthed the words 'No I'm Not', before walking off-screen.
d~b
Meanwhile with our title-characters…
*Thud!*
…Flip was hitting the ground, landing on some pillows that were laid out. "Oof!" he grunted upon impact.
"C'mon, Flip, you're not even trying!" Pugsy stated, helping him up. "I told you- focus on blocking, and hit when the hands are low,"
"Pugs… you're three feet taller than him, your hands won't be low until he hits 18!" Shaggy scoffed.
"Maybe they should have practiced before he finally hit his growth-spurt," Fangface joked.
Pugsy shot them a glare. "Watch it, nitwolf!" he groused. "The kid needs to learn to fight against someone twice his size, anyhow."
"Yeah, but lighten up on him! He's still a beginner," Shaggy said.
"I'm doing fine!" Flip retorted. "If Pugs takes it easy on me, I won't stand a chance in a fight!"
"Ha! See? He's learning," Pugsy said in approval. Shaggy only rolled his eyes while Fangface chuckled.
Shawn and Ted entered the apartment by this time. "Hey, guys, are you ready to start our Guy's Night Out?" Shawn asked.
"Answer quick- this cooler's heavy!" Ted grunted, holding up the cooler.
"*grr* Here, I'll take it," Fangface said, grabbing the cooler…
*THUD!*
…and dropping to the ground due to its weight. "Ooh, ooh! What did you guys put in here? *grr* Concrete?!"
"Looks like the weird-wolf has been slacking in his body-building," Pugsy teased.
Fangface gave him a glare. "Oh yeah?! YOU pick it up then!"
Pugsy shrugged then walked over to the cooler to pick it up… only getting it an inch off the ground before dropping it down. "Oof! Geez, guys, we only needed a few snacks- we're just hanging out tonight, not going on a survival trek!"
"Want me to carry it?" Shaggy asked, walking over.
"Shag, if Ted, Fangface, and Pugs can't carry it, how could you-" Shawn began to ask.
Shaggy picked up the cooler with ease… even carrying it on his shoulder. "Like, let's go, guys! The weekend's a-wasting!"
Everyone blinked. "I forgot- his entire fitness regime involves carrying food," Pugsy commented.
As they walked out, Derek peeked out from the doorway, watching them head down the hall until they entered the elevator-
*ka-thunk!*
...only to walk out again. "Okay, okay, so we'll have to carry the cooler downstairs!" Ted was saying as he and Shaggy hauled the cooler out towards the stairs. "…maybe next time we'll just eat as we go…"
Once everyone was out of sight, Derek walked out. "No way I'm staying in some apartment bored, all weekend!" he said, and paused again. "…Man, I've got to stop doing self-narration," He began walking…
Only to bump into Zippy… who was holding a hockey-stick. "And where do you think you're going?" the psycho-girl questioned him.
"None of your business, psycho!" Derek scoffed, trying to walk past her, but she held out the hockey-stick, blocking him. "Hey!"
"'Fraid you're not heading out tonight, kiddo. Your uncle wants me to make sure you stay in that apartment, bored out of your mind while he and Shawn go out."
Derek sneered, crossing his arms. "You're not the boss of me! I'm going out, and there's nothing you can do to-"
*Trip!*
*Thud!*
*Ker-whack!*
*CRASH!*
Within a blink, Zippy tripped Derek with the hockey-stick and made him land on his face and knees, then struck his rear like a hockey-puck and sent him flying back into the apartment! "Why don't you teach yourself some manners while you're in there, so none-guardians don't whoop your butt?!" she scolded, before slamming the door shut. She then leaned against the wall, coolly.
Derek growled, standing up and looking out the door- seeing Zippy was suddenly wearing a shirt that read 'When I Snap, You'll Be The First To Go!' as a warning. "…how did she change her shirt so fast?" he asked himself, then shook his head. "Ah, forget it. No TV, no leaving, no videogames? No problem. I can deal with this!"
With that in mind, he sat down on the couch and began to read a sports magazine.
d~b
Meanwhile down in Robotnik's lab, there was yet another smoking crater in place of some sort of machine…
How the villain can afford these things on a low budget, we will never know.
"Boss… no offense… but you think we could take a break from building hazardous machines for the weekend?" Horace asked as the lackeys cleaned up the mess. "Not that it's a waste of time, what with them always exploding and all, but…"
"Oh, shut up, Horace!" Robotnik snapped, as he was going over the blue-prints to see what could have possibly went wrong. "What I want to know is how it could have possibly blown up this time! Are you sure you followed the instructions right?!"
"Double-checked everything, Robotnik," Jasper replied. "The wires were hooked in the right places, the surge protector was plugged in right, no one spilled coffee on it…"
"Then how in the world did it explode?!"
"Boss, we found the problem!" Grounder called from inside the crater. "Someone jammed the machine!" …He then held up a jar of grape jam.
"What?!" Robotnik grabbed the jar, then looked at the others. "Alright, who's the numbskull who decided to take a lunch-break by the machine!?"
(Meanwhile on the roof, the Black Alchemist was eating a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich; he gave a wave to the audience).
Scratch then stumbled down the stairs, having a dent in his head. "Hey, Robotnik, any chance I can take my vacation early…?" he groaned.
"Scratch! What took you so long?!" Robotnik responded instead.
"Kinda hard to find the way back downstairs with a concussion, sir…"
Robotnik ignored him. "Listen, you nimrods! I plan on taking over the city this weekend! I don't want any intrusions, disruptions, interruptions, or contusions interfering! Understand?!"
"Um, not really… can you repeat that last part in English?" Grounder asked.
"Just get to work rebuilding the machine! And I am staying down here to make sure it's done right-"
*Ring! Ring! Ring!* went a phone in the lab.
Robotnik answered. "What do you want!?" His anger turned to surprise. "Oh! Mother! I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you! …What? …But, mother, I have evil plans to fulfill- …Yes, I know it's been months since I've visited- …yes I know I missed the last family reunion- …okay, so I didn't send you and dad a card for Christmas, I'm a villain what do you expect?! …sorry, mommy… *sigh* Yes, I'll come down…" he then hung up, turning to the henchmen. "Alright, change of plans. We're taking a weekend off-"
"YAY!" The lackeys cheered.
"BUT, I want a new machine ordered by Sunday! No exceptions!"
The lackeys slumped. "Awww…"
"Er, say, boss? How can you afford these machines and manage a building anyway?" Jasper asked.
"Simple- I just raise the rent and cut your salaries! Now finish cleaning up OR YOU'LL BE SIX FEET UNDER, MONDAY MORNING!" With that, Robotnik left to go visit his parents.
The lackeys looked at each other. "…Anyone up for the movies first?"Horace asked.
"Yeah!" The others agreed, deciding to clean up the mess later.
d~b
Back with Derek…
…he was bored out of his mind.
The bully lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling, groaning. "So bored… nothing to do… DS only at 30-percent…" he moaned. He then looked at the door. It had been two hours- maybe Zippy had gotten bored and left.
He opened the door…
Seeing the crazy tomboy standing there, holding a dragon cane/sword. "Going somewhere?" she asked.
Derek, a bit freaked out, closed the door. He then looked towards the window. Smirking evilly, he decided to climb out and go down the fire-escape. "Ha ha, they think they thought of everything…" he chuckled to himself, climbing out the window.
The Black Alchemist leaped down in front of him, holding his bo-staff and looking menacing in the moonlight. "Whatcha doin' out late, punk?" he said, darkly.
"YIPE!" Derek exclaimed, diving through the window, shutting, and locking it- and closing the blinds. "I forgot about the weirdoes that hang around here…"
His stomach grumbled, and he walked over to the phone. "Guess I could call for a pizza- that whack-job probably doesn't know I'm on a forced diet," he then dialed. "Hello, Pizza Hut…?"
*30 Minutes Later…*
Derek looked out the peep-hole of the door, seeing the pizza guy arriving. "About time… I'm starving here!" he muttered to himself, preparing to open the door…
Zippy dropped down in front of the pizza guy. "Can I help you?" she asked.
"I'm here to deliver a pizza at this apartment," the pizza-guy replied, nodding at Ted and Shawn's apartment door.
Zippy shifted her eyes to the door, suspiciously. "Reeeaaallly?" she then gave the pizza-guy $30, grinning. "I'll take it, thank you!"
The pizza-guy looked at the money, then at Zippy, then the apartment. "…'kay, whatever." He said, before walking away. (…how responsible).
Zippy then turned to the door, so that Derek could see her. "Nice try, Generic!" she said.
Derek clenched his fists, growling. "Stupid, rotten, pizza-stealing…arrgh!" he snarled.
By this time, Ted, Shawn, Shaggy, Pugsy, Flip, and a newly-transformed Fangs came walking up… drenched in diet soda. "You think we should've hosed off outside?" Flip asked, wiping arm. "I'm starting to get all sticky,"
"Considering Robotnik sealed up the outdoor faucet due to our water-balloon fight last Sunday, I don't think it would've been possible," Shaggy said.
"Like it's our fault- he was the one who wandered into the war-zone!" Shawn scoffed.
Fangs chuckled. "Ooh, ooh, I didn't think 'Fizzball' would be so awesome! I never had so much fun since Pugsy got his nose caught in a revolving door!" he exclaimed.
"Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut about that?!" Pugsy sneered.
"I see you guys had a fun night out," Zippy stated, munching on a piece of pizza. She looked at her watch. "Though, it's only 9 PM… I figured you'd all be out until at least 11,"
"Well, we went to a late-night baseball game in the park; then we decided to lighten the load on the cooler and play a bit of Fizzball… then someone called the cops on us when a can hit a car windshield, and we were ordered to come home- after paying for the damages," Shawn replied with a shrug.
Zippy noticed something amiss. "…so where's the cooler?"
"The cops confiscated it for 'evidence'," Ted replied, then crossed his arm. "…though I bet the real reason was so they could get their hands on those hot-wings we had leftover. …Anyway, did Derek give you any trouble?"
"Eh, he tried to pull a couple things, but I think I persuaded him-"
"Persuaded?!" Derek shouted, storming out and pointing at Zippy. "You beat me up with a hockey-stick, threatened me with a cane, stole my pizza… and I'm pretty sure you hired some whack-job in a mask to stand outside the window!"
Shawn looked over, seeing the Black Alchemist giving him a thumbs up from the window, before taking off. "I'm pretty sure that last one was just karma's way of telling you to stay inside when it's dark out," he commented.
"Oh, so Chan got to go out after dark but I couldn't?!"
"He was with a group of friends… and wasn't grounded for attempted assault," Pugsy retorted.
"That… and we had to come back early," Shaggy added.
"Too bad our night out was cut short…" Flip sighed.
"We can continue it tomorrow night, guys! …only this time, we'll do things within legal boundaries," Shawn assured.
"Can I come this time?" Zippy begged. "Having to discipline a kid via scarring them for life gets pretty old,"
"I suppose it would keep Derek out of therapy when he's 19. What do you think, Ted?"
"I guess I could see if someone else can keep an eye on him while we go out," Ted replied.
"WHAT?! Are you kidding me?! I'm a teenager, not a little kid!" Derek snapped.
Ted crossed his arms. "Well, when you've proven you're responsible enough to be left alone for a couple hours and stop giving attitude, maybe we'll lighten up on you,"
Derek clenched his fists. "Forget it! This night's been a pain in the neck- I'm going to bed!" he then stormed off.
Zippy tuned to the audience. "And that, people, is why you discipline your kids," she said.
Fangs followed her gaze. "Who are you talking to?" he asked; the camera view shifted, as we see they're facing a wall.
"…never mind, just go shower, Sherman." Zippy then walked off. Fangs shrugged and left.
d~b
~The Next Day~
Ted walked through the lobby, coming up to Stanley Ipkiss. "Hey, Ted, how's it going?" he asked.
"Good- sort of. The guys and I are heading out tonight, but I need someone to keep an eye on my nephew, Derek, so he doesn't try to sneak out. He's grounded," Ted replied.
Stanley gawked. "You finally grounded Derek? …wow, about time, Ted."
Ted sighed. "I know, I know, I let him off too easy in the past- but no more! …problem is, I may have to stay in tonight. No one else wants to abandon their plans and hang around with him,"
Stanley rubbed his chin. "I'd do it- but I don't do well with kids, especially the ones with attitude. Maybe we should find someone with no plans for the weekend- or at least want to procrastinate from something,"
"Nah, the author said he wouldn't do it, either."
(A/N: Okay, who wrote that in?!)
By this point, Jasper, Horace, Scratch, and Grounder were coming in. "You think it's time we cleaned the basement?" Horace asked. "The boss would be miffed if we slacked off without a good excuse,"
"Well, unless we have a solid alibi we'll-" Scratch began, then paused. "…ever have a feeling we're about to be used as a quick solution?"
Ted walked over. "Hey, guys! What are you up to?" he asked.
"Being like the author and procrastinating from getting something accomplished," Grounder answered, then squinted at something off-screen. "…Did I read the cue-card right?"
(A/N: Very funny, guys T_T)
"Hmm… how would you guys like a way out of doing your job, for the night?" Stanley suggested.
"I think we've got ourselves an alibi, boys!" Jasper whispered to the others, then turned to Stanley. "What's the job?"
~That Evening~
"Some alibi…" Scratch sneered as he and Jasper sat in the living room, listening to Derek complain.
"Going to the movies, going to Good Burger, having a late-night videogame tournament… they're all going out to have fun on a Saturday night, and I'm stuck hanging around the custodians/lackeys of this rat-hole!" Derek griped, pacing around. "I can't believe it! So I tried to beat a kid up- it's part of life! He's going to get his butt kicked no matter what! When I have kids, I'm not going to punish them like this…!"
"Cleaning the basement is sounding good, right about now," Horace muttered as he sat at the kitchen table, playing cards with Grounder… who was defying all sense of logic and holding the cards right, despite having drills for hands.
"Taking orders from Robotnik was less annoying than this," Grounder agreed.
"…and blocking the R-rated channels is going too far! No one learns anything from those stupid toddler channels, except how to lose brain-cells-!" Derek kept going (and if someone doesn't shut him up, this narrator is taking early retirement!)
"ALRIGHT, SHUT YOUR YAP!" Jasper shouted, standing up and walking over to Derek, ceasing his complaining. "Look, kid, complaining about this thing isn't going to get you out of being punished."
"Well, I'm not stopping- I'm going to keep griping about it until it convinces everyone, including my uncle, that I'm not going to break!" Derek sneered.
"See, there's your problem- if you complain, that convinces them that you hate it and they figure the punishment is working!"
"So, what should I do? Pretend I don't mind?"
"Nah, they'd never buy it- everyone's familiar with reverse-psychology these days," Scratch replied.
"Yeah, Robotnik uses it on us all the time… and it works every time too," Horace said with a sigh.
"If you want to teach THEM a lesson about teaching YOU a lesson, you have to be crafty- maybe trash the place, sell their things… give their address to rabid fan-girls, even! Do something that will spoil whatever good time they had without you!" Jasper suggested.
Derek thought about it, then grinned. "Or… trash their night out, instead!" he exclaimed, going to his room and packing a bag full of prank supplies. "I'll make their attempt at reverse-psychology fall flat, by ruining their Guy's Night Out!"
Jasper beamed with pride. "Now you're talkin'!"
"Er, hold it, Jasper- Ted told us to make sure Derek doesn't leave the apartment!" Horace pointed out. "If he finds out, it'll be our necks!"
"No- he told you to make sure I don't leave the apartment ALONE… If you guys help me out, we'll have a loophole," Derek scoffed.
"I don't know, what if he comes home, sees we're not here, and gets mad that we used a loophole?" Grounder asked.
"We'll just say that Derek was being a major brat, and we decided to put him to work cleaning the basement," Jasper stated.
"So are we going through with it, or are we just going to hang around the apartment and watch Doc McStuffins?" Scratch demanded, thumbing at the kiddy-show on TV.
"Let's go!" Derek exclaimed, and they left the apartment.
d~b
With our heroes, they were waiting in line to see the new Star Wars movie. As they waited in line, Pugsy showed Flip a few more self-defense techniques, teaching him how to block punches; the pre-teen was getting better, managing to block a hit and punch his friend in the gut at the same time. "Oof! Nice shot, Flip," Pugsy grunted, giving a thumbs up… while hunching over. "…maybe too nice… ow…"
"No need to drag out the act, Pugs- the kid can't hit that hard!" Fangs scoffed.
"…who's acting?" Pugsy drew in a deep breath. "He's getting better!"
"Keep it up, Flip- though, try not to land your mentor in the hospital, alright?" Shawn commented. He then noticed Shaggy was suddenly looking around. "What is it, Shag?"
"Like, I don't know why… but I feel like we're being watched," Shaggy replied.
Ted gasped. "That's great! Our ratings are getting better!" he replied.
"No, I mean I think someone might be spying on us! I have this weird feeling we're being stalked…"
"I'm with Shaggy- someone is probably following us," Fangs added, shaking a bit.
Pugsy pointed behind them, at the rest of the line. "That's because there's more people behind us. Now, c'mon! The line's movin'," he sneered, and they began making their way into the theater…
…not noticing that a few movie patrons behind them were Derek and the lackeys- wearing trench-coats, hats, and sunglasses. "Are you sure no one will suspect us in these?" Grounder asked.
"Classic cartoon logic, guys- when you see someone in a trench coat and hat, you question nothing." Jasper replied.
Once inside the theater, they sat behind our heroes as the movie began. "So, what's the plan to spoil everything?" Scratch asked. "Put itching powder down their shirts? Laxatives in their Milk Duds? Making shadow puppets in front of the screen?"
Derek grinned. "Just wait until they're comfortable…" he whispered.
Everyone was settled in their seats, watching the opening credits as the movie began. They were all enjoying their snacks and sodas, while watching the special effects in awe, and feeling at ease knowing Jar Jar Binks hadn't shown up to kill the movie.
About ten minutes in, Derek decided to make his move, seeing them all engrossed in an action-packed scene. "Time for some spoilers," he chuckled to himself, then stood up and shouted, "HANS SOLO D-"
"ARROOOOOOOOOOO!"
Derek's shout was cut off by a howl, as Fangs- upon seeing the moon in the movie- transformed into Fangface… and began to harass Pugsy. "Get off me, nit-wolf! You're spoiling the movie!"
"Hey! Down in front!" Someone in the back shouted.
Fangface then saw popcorn… and whenever he saw food, he shoves Pugsy in his mouth, and he did just that. "Let me out!" Pugsy snapped.
"Would you two pipe down?!" Zippy sneered. "…And Fangface, spit him out- he's high in cholesterol."
Before long, an usher came over to the aisle. "I'm going to have to ask you all to leave," he said.
"Oh, c'mon! What did we do?" Shaggy griped, as they had to walk out.
"Nice going, Fangface," Shawn muttered, rubbing the werewolf's foot and making him spit Pugsy out.
"Yech, and I just showered…" Pugsy sneered, wiping wolf-drool off himself.
"Really? I couldn't tell," Fangface remarked.
Derek and the lackeys sat there in disbelief. "Well… um… at least their movie night was a bust, right?" Horace commented.
"But I wasn't the one who busted it!" Derek griped, then began walking out. "C'mon, they had a whole night planned- we can still ruin something!"
"Can't we wait until after the movie?" Grounder asked.
Derek gave him a deadpanned look. "Hans Solo dies,"
Grounder and Horace gasped… then fell on their knees in a dramatic fashion. "NNNOOOOO-" they began to wail, until Jasper and Scratch clapped their hands over their mouths.
"No one wants to hear that old joke! C'mon!" Scratch snapped.
d-b
Everyone decided to go to Good Burger for a bite (provided Fangface wouldn't eat Pugsy again); Derek and the lackeys followed them in, and sat down at a booth far across the room. Derek reached into his bag, pulling out a jar of cockroaches. "Okay, here's the plan: they all sit down to eat, and we throw these cockroaches onto their food. They get grossed out and leave, spoiling not only their appetites but also their night out!"
"But… what if they just go somewhere else to eat?" Grounder asked.
"Then we just follow them and keep doing the same thing until they decide to go home!"
"Never thought of that," Horace commented.
"They're ordering now," Jasper whispered, and they watched.
"Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger, can I take your order?" The cashier, whose nametag read 'Ed', asked Shawn.
"Yes, can I get a Good Burger with nothing on it?" Shawn asked.
"Oh, sorry dude- I have to get it. Only employees are allowed over the counter,"
"No, I mean I want a Good Burger,"
"Then you have to order one,"
"Huh boy…" Pugsy sighed. "Just give him a plain burger!"
"Dude, I can't just GIVE one to him! He has to pay!"
Pugsy slapped his forehead. Shawn shook his head. "Listen- I'd like a plain Good Burger please. I'd like YOU to get me one, and I'm happy to pay for it,"
"Oh! Well, you should've said so, ha ha," Ed then walked off, returning and handing Shawn a tray.
Shawn looked at the tray… seeing only a bun on it. "Um, this is just a bun. Where's the meat?" he asked.
"Uh, you said you didn't want anything on it, remember?"
Shaggy walked over to the counter, holding up a malt he had ordered. "Hey! Can I get a new milkshake?!" he demanded.
"Dudes- I have to get these things! …And uh, we don't have any new milkshakes- we still only have 3 flavors,"
"What's wrong with your milkshake?" Shawn asked.
Shaggy reached in… and pulled out a sock! "For one thing, there's a sock in it!" he replied.
"Whoa-ho! Hey, I was looking for that!" Ed exclaimed, taking his sock. "Yeah, I lost it when I got in the machine to fix it! …I lost my trousers in there too, but I'm sure they'll turn up-"
Zippy, Flip, Ted, and Fangface- all who had also ordered milkshakes- spewed them out with a round of "SPPPTTHHHHH!"s.
"All in favor of never eating here again, say 'Aye'!" Flip exclaimed.
"Aye!/Aye!/Aye!/I think I'm going to hurl…" Fangface, Ted, Zippy, and Pugsy all responded, and the group left.
Derek and the lackeys watched; the bully face-palmed. "…you gotta be kidding me- again?!" he muttered, leaving.
"…I think it's time we stop coming here on lunch breaks," Jasper whispered to the lackeys.
Ed waved farewell to all of them. "Come again soon!" he called.
d~b
Everyone decided to head down to the beach and hang out; Shaggy and Ted had swung by a mini-mart and packed a cooler full of snacks (though were careful not to overdo it like last time), and sat on the edge of a pier, deciding to do a bit of 'night fishing'; Zippy decided to have a round of volleyball with Fangface; Shawn was roasting hotdogs over a fire-pit, watching as Pugsy was showing Flip some karate moves.
"Since when did you take up karate?" Shawn asked, after re-reading that last sentence carefully.
"Since I started getting harassed in fan-fiction," Pugsy replied… and somewhere a wall crumbled.
Shawn blinked. "…I see."
Pugsy turned to Flip. "Alright, Flip, I'm going to run at you now- you dodge my attack and strike anywhere that's unguarded, got it?"
Flip rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, okay, I'll try-" he said, a bit nervously.
"Don't try- do! Here I come!" Pugsy then rushed him, making a move as if to punch him.
"Augh!" Flip panicked at the last second and swung his leg up…
*crunch!*
Shawn cringed; Fangface paused in mid-air while spiking a ball, looking over; Shaggy gawked; Ted covered his mouth; and Zippy… was trying not to burst out laughing. "Oooh… that's gonna hurt in the morning," Ted hissed.
"I think it's hurting now," Shaggy replied.
Zippy hit the ground, biting her fist, trying not to lose it.
Pugsy was on the ground too… but for the obvious reason. "I-I'm sorry, Pugs! I didn't move fast enough, I panicked, that was the only part unguarded… are you okay?" Flip stammered.
"Yeah… let's put the lesson on hold… for about a week…" Pugsy replied- in a high-pitched voice. He looked up at the pier. "Shag! Get me some ice, would ya?!"
"BWAHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Zippy lost it, tears running down her face as she laugh. "I-I'm sorry! I c-c-can't help it! I mean… It's just… I didn't think we'd be using that joke!"
"We weren't," Shawn deadpanned, looking at the script. "Flip was supposed to karate-flip Pugsy, not… that."
"I'm sorry, I thought there was going to be another line!" Flip apologized, as Shaggy brought Pugsy an ice-pack.
"It's alright Flip… ow… at least we know you can defend yourself… just, ah, don't use that move unless you really have to…" Pugsy grunted, his voice returning to normal, as he stumbled back to his feet. "Makes me wonder why Derek's not afraid of ya…"
"I'm wondering why no one yelled 'Cut'!" Ted pointed out. "Where was the director on that one?!"
Shaggy looked offscreen, giving a deadpanned look. "He's laughing alongside the camera guy, writers, producers, the go-for, and the custodian," he replied.
"You think we should just do this scene again?" Fangface asked.
"…I'm pretty sure they'll just use this one, anyway," Pugsy muttered.
"Um… l-let's head back to the apartments," Ted suggested, as he and Shawn helped Pugsy walk.
Up in the parking lot, Derek and the lackeys were just now arriving. "Okay, so we're going to go down to the beach, and use Robotnik's 'Anti-Gravity' ray-gun he left lying around to send a giant boulder into the water, drenching everyone and-" Derek was saying.
"They're coming over!" Scratch warned, and everyone ducked down.
"I knew sooner or later I'd suffer for something in this story…" Pugsy was muttering.
"Again, I'm sorry!" Flip apologized again.
"Just walk it off, Pugs, walk it off," Ted encouraged.
"Well, there's another bust for the night," Shawn sighed.
"Yeah, too bad it was Pugsy's-" Zippy was saying.
"ZIPPY, SHUT UP!" Pugsy snapped.
Derek and the lackeys watched as they left. "Oh, COME ON!" the bully roared… and they all ducked down again as our heroes looked over, wondering where the shout came from.
"Ever get the feeling you're being followed?" Fangface asked.
"Only for the entire night," Shaggy scoffed.
d~b
Everyone went back to the apartment complex, deciding to have a videogame tournament (and praying nothing goes wrong). "Oh, hang on guys, I want to check up on Derek," Ted said, walking down the hall to his apartment.
…meanwhile, Derek and the lackeys were coming in through the window. "Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Derek hissed as they climbed through.
"Didn't we have an alibi?" Horace questioned.
"Forget the alibi! Just act casual!" Derek sat on the couch reading a magazine; Horace and Grounder went back to playing cards (holding a few backwards); Jasper was pretending to look in the fridge, and Scratch was pretending to talk on the phone.
…Just as Ted came in (wow, great timing). "Hey guys, how's it going?" he asked. "Any trouble tonight?"
"Hold on, darling, the kid's uncle came in," Scratch said into the phone, and turned to Ted. "Nope, no trouble,"
"None/Nada/No," Jasper, Horace, and Grounder replied innocently.
"How's the night out going?" Derek asked, casually.
"Ehh, hit a few bumps, so we're just going to play videogames. …I hope you've been thinking hard about what you've done," Ted replied, a bit firmly.
"Oh, yeah, a ton."
"I see… Well, since things are going so well, I'm going to go hang out with the guys a little longer. See ya in a couple hours!" With that, Ted left.
Derek turned to the lackeys. "Alright, lets go sabotage their gaming experience!"
"Really, Derek? Considering things have been going wrong for them all night, I think we don't have to do anything," Grounder pointed out.
"It's not revenge if I'm not the one causing problems!" he began to pace. "Question is, how can we do it without them seeing us?"
Scratch grinned. "I have an idea…" he said.
d~b
Everyone stood in a room located beneath the floor of Shaggy, Pugsy, and Flip's apartment… where there was still a gaping hole in the ceiling… and a few in the rest of the floors down below, clear to the basement. Scratch pointed up at the hole in the ceiling. "They put the couch over it. We can use that hole to get up there and mess with them!" Scratch told them.
"Good plan, Scratch- which is something I didn't think I'd say, ever," Derek commented.
"Excuse me- but could you guys keep it down?" the resident of the apartment stated, as he sat in a lounge chair, watching football. "I can't here the game! Either pipe down, or get to work fixing all these holes!"
Derek rolled his eyes, then turned to the lackeys, swinging his bag over his shoulder. "Alright, lift me up!"
"What?!" Jasper questioned.
"Lift me up so I can ruin their game-time!"
"Why do we have to be the ones lifting you up?" Grounder demanded.
"Because I'm the lightest and there's no way I can hold your bowling-ball butts up!"
The lackeys crossed their arms.
Derek held up a phone. "That, and if you don't do what I say, I'll call Robotnik and tell him you're slacking on the job!"
Their eyes widened in horror. "…I really hate this kid," Jasper sneered, and they all stood on each other's shoulders- Grounder and Horace on the bottom on different sides of the hole in the floor, Scratch standing on their shoulders while Jasper stood on his back and Derek climbed up to his shoulders. "Ouch! Watch the cleats, you brat!"
"Shut it and stop wobbling!" Derek snarled, standing up straight through the hole in the ceiling.
He peeked out one of the couch cushions, seeing that everyone was playing Smash Bros. multiplayer. "I got dibs on winner!" Flip was saying as he, Fangface and Zippy watched Shawn, Ted, Shag and Pugs compete against each other.
"I got dibs on loser!" Fangface added.
"C'mon, Zelda, put that sword to good use already!" Shaggy was yelling at his character.
"Eat barrel, Mario!" Pugsy was shouting, playing Donkey Kong and pummeling Ted's character.
"Whoa, hey, take it easy guys, I'm still new at this!" Ted exclaimed.
"Pikachu GO!" Shawn exclaimed, electrocuting everyone's game-character.
Derek chuckled, reaching over and grabbing the remote while keeping low. "Heh heh, let's see how they'll play their tournament if they can't see the game!" he whispered to himself, then paused. "…okay, seriously, I gotta stop talking to myself." He then aimed the remote, and changed the channel!
"What the jumping ignorpotomases?!/Hey, who flicked the switch?!/Is this a bonus level?/Who has the remote?!" All the guys shouted.
Derek chuckled, then started flicking through the channels.
Flip looked around. "Is someone sitting on the remote?" he asked, standing up and looking.
"Either that or someone ticked off the cable company," Zippy commented, watching the channels change, and suddenly the TV shut off!
"Okay, who's the joker behind this?!" Pugsy demanded, looking around.
By this time, Vincent came in. "Hey guys, what's up?" he asked.
"Someone's sabotaging our videogame tournament!" Ted answered, pointing to the TV as it was flicked back on and switched to a sign-off pattern.
Vincent heard snickering, noticing a lump in the couch. "Hmm, that is pretty peculiar," he commented… then sat down on the couch- right where Derek was hiding!
"Yeow!" Derek grunted as he was knocked down through the hole, landing on Jasper, causing the lackey-ladder to sway. "Oh, crud!"
"Gah! T-T-Timbeeeerrrrrrrrrrr!" Scratch cried as they fell through the series of holes in the floors, landing in the basement with a *CRASH!*
"I told you morons to keep it down!" the resident in the lounge chair snapped.
Meanwhile, Vincent dug under the cushion and pulled out the remote, changing the input back to the videogame. "There we go! The remote was wedged under the cushion," he said.
"Thank God- for a minute there, I thought the rest of the night would be shot! *grr* Shot," Fangface stated.
"Wanna jump in, Vince?" Shawn asked.
"Sure!" Vincent replied.
d~b
Down in the crater in the basement, the lackeys crawled out, Derek following. "So… what's Plan E?" Grounder asked.
Derek moaned. "You know what? Forget it. I give!" he whined, storming up the stairs. "I don't care anymore! I'd rather be bored out of my mind than face failure all night! …I'm going to bed,"
"Hmph, teenagers. They never go through with any-" Jasper was saying.
"WHY IS THIS PLACE STILL A MESS?!"
The lackeys froze… seeing that Robotnik came home early. "B-B-Boss! W-w-we thought you were going to be gone all weekend!" Horace stammered.
"Well, it's a good thing I wasn't, otherwise nothing would get done! You all have 5 minutes to get this place spotless, otherwise YOUR NECKS ARE MINE!"
With a jolt, all the lackeys quickly got to work.
d~b
~The Next Day~
Derek lied in bed, staring at his DS which finally fully charged… unfortunately he had beat his videogame 9 times that morning. "Ughh…" he groaned, tossing his DS and hanging over the side of the bed.
There came a knock, as Shawn entered. "Still bored?" he asked.
"What's it to you? Don't you guys have plans for the day or something?" Derek muttered in disdain.
"Nah, everyone's taking a leisure day- mostly because the console caught fire 5 hours into our tournament last night,"
Derek only groaned.
Shawn sat down on the bed next to him. "You know, Derek, sometimes it's better to swallow your pride and admit your mistakes. I mean, what's worst: Sitting around in bored rebellion, or accepting responsibility for your actions and being free?"
"Hmph," was Derek's response.
Shawn shrugged. "Have it your way. Just know that, as long as you keep up the attitude, all you'll get here is a lockdown- if we even allow you over again," With that, he left.
Derek groaned, pacing around the room. He looked out the window, seeing Flip meeting up with Holly out front. He turned to the audience. "Let me guess- I'm supposed to learn my lesson, change my attitude, and make everyone proud?"
The camera moved in a 'nodding' position.
Derek crossed his arms. "…don't see why I have to give in to such a cheesy ending-"
"Do it or you don't get paid!" the writer called from off-screen.
Derek sighed, rolling his eyes. "Fine… the 'bully' running gag was getting old, anyway…"
d~b
"…And that's why Pugs is having me take self-defense classes every weekend- he's paying," Flip was telling Holly.
"Wow, so your night out must've been a let-down, huh?" Holly asked.
"Well, it's like what they say: 'Today's mishaps are tomorrow's funny stories',"
"Who says that?"
"Fangface- he posted it on his Fakebook page, next to a photo of the flaming game-conso- oh, crud… here comes trouble,"
They looked, seeing Derek walking over. "Don't worry, Flip- if you can take on Pugs, Derek will be no sweat!" Holly whispered.
"Yeah- except Pugs actually shows mercy!"
"Hey Chan, hey hot-stuff," Derek said, bouncing his eyebrows at Holly. He tuned to Flip, taking in a really, REALLY deep breath, before letting it out. "Look, I was thinking, and I decided… I'll leave you alone from now on. I was too rough for a weakling like you, and in order to avoid trouble (…much less get my paycheck…) I'll lighten up."
Flip blinked, looking around. "You're serious? No one's making you say this?"
"…no one but the writer… *ahem* Just don't get used to it! I may be laying off, but if you try my patience I'll put the hurt on you!" he cleared his throat. "So, yeah. Sorry, and stuff."
"Apology accepted, I guess,"
"Good. Now ya mind telling my uncle all this so he believes it? If I have to spend one more weekend supervised, I'm going to crack!"
"Uh, sure. …Maybe, if you're turning a new leaf, we could hang out and play videogames- er, once we get a new console,"
"Pfft, don't push it, Chan!" he then smiled at Holly. "At least, not unless Holly here is joining,"
Holly rolled her eyes. "Don't push it, Generic," she scoffed, and the three kids walked off.
Ted stood around the corner, smiling in pride before walking towards the apartment…
…just in time to see Fangs running out in a panic. "Gah! Pugs, I swear, I-I-I don't know how that video got on my Youtube account, honest!" he screamed.
"Just hold still- I just want to make a sequel to it!" Pugsy threatened, chasing after him.
Ted sighed. "Well, there's another roughneck we have to discipline…"
"I'm on it!" Zippy exclaimed, swinging down on a rope and chasing after Pugs with a hockey-stick. "Back off the lanky stud, ya loudmouth!"
Ted blinked, looked at the audience as a circle closed around him, and he gave a shrug as it closed out.
d~b
A/N: *face-palming, chuckling* I… am SO sorry for Pugsy, really! XD
So, yeah, the whole 'bully' running gag with Derek won't be occurring anymore (he'll be a jerk, still, but this time Flip won't be getting beat up). Apologies if I forget this element :P
Hope the wait was worth it, guys. I've been backlogged with stuff lately and inspiration has been lacking, but hopefully my knack for rapid updates will return- in better condition!
Until then, leave great reviews, but don't flame. Those who send flames are nothing but losers seeking to feel superior.