Okay, fellow readers. This is the tenth chapter of this story.
Now, this chapter is where things start settling in for everyone. Jake speaks to Mandrill about his problems and depression, and how he could find a way to make amends with Adam and try to get back on good terms with him while accepting the fact that he is at fault for this.
Aside from that, Adam will get through gym class outside on the track, as well as get by the rest of the day, talk to Kerry about what he found out, and a few other things will occur. How will this go? Read and find out now!
IN MR. MANDRILL'S OFFICE - 12:56 P.M.
In Mr. Mandrill's office, we see Mr. Mandrill himself along with Jake and the rest of the pack. Jake was sitting on the chair, while the others were standing to the side, while Mandrill had climbed down from his tree and approached them.
It was a little after lunchtime, so Mr. Mandrill was a tad surprised to see the pack members come in to have Jake discuss his problems with him. Then again, considering what has been going on for the past couple of days, such as the prank Jake pulled on Adam yesterday, not to mention the reveal that Adam was getting transferred out of their school, he 'really' wasn't that surprised to see Jake drop by for a visit.
The moment they entered his office, Mr. Mandrill asked the pack members what this was about, while Jake took a seat on the couch. He listened carefully when the others told him how Jake was slowly slipping into a deeper depression after how Adam ended his friendship with him. The longer he listened, the more intrigued he was with handling this case, as he was tapping his chin in amusement.
As soon as they were finished explaining, Mr. Mandrill decided to ask them for clarification.
"Alright, so lemme get this straight," he started. "You guys are saying that Mr. Spidermonkey here has fallen into a deep depressive slump ever since Mr. Lyon told him off and ended their friendship after the prank Spidermonkey set on him yesterday, correct?"
"Yes," they all confirmed.
"And things have only gotten worse for Spidermonkey after word leaked out that Mr. Lyon was being transferred back to his old human school," Mr. Mandrill continued. "Is that correct?"
"That's pretty much the jiff of it Mr. Mandrill," Windsor proclaimed.
"Wow. I see," Mr. Mandrill started pacing back and forth. "To be perfectly honest, I was wondering if Spidermonkey would've fallen into a deep state of sadness as a result of Adam Lyon cutting ties with him."
"Right on Mandrill, dude," Slips stated. "Let's not forget that Jake had an obsession with Adam, which I find to be 'really' creepy..."
"I can see that," Mandrill admitted. "With how Mr. Spidermonkey would always drag Mr. Lyon into his little antics and hijinks, and get Lyon into deep trouble and whatnot."
"Yes. It isn't difficult to see that side of Jake," Lupe agreed. "Especially considering all the photos of Adam that he had in his locker! Not to mention the time he went berserk when Adam was out sick for the day!"
"Mhmmm, I was wondering about that myself," Mandrill stopped pacing back and forth and faced them. "Well anyhow, I am glad that you folks have brought this matter to my attention. Especially since Adam Lyon is going to be transferred to the new school next week, and I'm unsure how Jake Spidermonkey here will adjust to no longer having Lyon around as his gym partner and be dragged into his usual shenanigans."
"Right. So anyway, do you think you can help him out Mr. Mandrill," Ingrid wondered. "I-I mean, from the looks of it, Jake is only getting worse. Just look at him."
They all looked at him and once again, they witnessed Jake sniffling and whimpering about what has happened to him and how Adam was leaving their school for good. They got a good close-up look at his face and saw all the snot streaming and dripping from his nostrils, the bloodshot-looking eyes, the tears streaming from them, with some still forming in his eyes. There was no doubt that he looked devastated and a little gross from that face alone.
"Yipe," Mr. Mandrill couldn't help but flinch at what he saw. "Yeah. I see what you mean when you tell me that Spidermonkey is looking worse for wear right about now."
"Sí! It is hard to look at him with him being all overdramatic about this!" Lupe yelled.
"Uh-huh. Frankly, I am just surprised that you decided to bring him into my office shortly after the lunch period has ended," Mr. Mandrill said in perplex. "But I had this feeling that I'd have to check out Spidermonkey at some point, especially before Lyon leaves our school. And this is a type of case that I've dealt with before."
"So what do you say Mr. Mandrill? Do you think you could give our simian friend a little check-up on that brain of his to get to the root of the problem," Windsor wondered. "Not to mention come up with a resolution for his dilemma?"
"Well, I'll see what I can do to help out your friend Jake Spidermonkey," Mr. Mandrill said thoughtfully. "And besides, if I helped Adam Lyon out with his problems, then sure I can do Mr. Spidermonkey some wonders with his 'own' problems with his depression."
"Alright Mr. Mandrill," Slips commented. "Anything will be better than seeing Jake act like a sad sack all the time. Thanks for stepping in dude."
"Believe me, it's my pleasure. It's in the profession after all," Mr. Mandrill stated. "Besides, it is a far better idea to approach me than to have 'the man' come up with a more complex solution of seeing one of those 'real' therapists."
"Yes. Because it would be horrible to have Jake see one of those human therapists elsewhere!" Lupe told him.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Mr. Mandrill said. "So with that said, I'll tell you guys what? I'll give Mr. Spidermonkey here a good thorough checkup of his head and problems, and you guys can move along and go about with your day. I'll let you know if there are any further complications with your friend. Does that sound good?"
"Well I suppose that sounds like a fair deal to me," Windsor proclaimed. "We might as well let Mr. Mandrill do his work on Jake."
"Yeah man," Slips agreed. "Just let us know if you find out anything else about our good friend Jake."
"Oh don't worry," Mandrill assured them. "I'll be sure to spread the word to you fine folks the moment I find out more from Jake Spidermonkey."
"Good. That's very good Mr. M," said Lupe. "Now, what do ya guys say we vámonos and let Mandrill here check out our monkey amigo for a bit?"
"I couldn't agree more Lupe," Ingrid remarked. "We should give Jake and Mandrill some privacy for the time being."
"Yes. Let's take our exit, my friends," Windsor motioned towards the door and opened it.
"Right on, dude," Slips said as they took their exit from Mr. Mandrill's office, leaving Jake behind to be checked out by Mandrill himself.
"And worry not children. I'll be sure to take good care of observing your little simian friend's issues," Mandrill called out to them.
They could only nod as they then closed the door behind them and walked off. Once they were gone, Mr. Mandrill turned his attention back towards Jake.
"Alrighty then. Mr. Spidermonkey, let's get started," he told him as he approached him.
"Mr. Mandrill, do we 'really' have to do this?" Jake queried.
"Well, your friends have told me that there have been some serious issues going on with you," Mandrill got to the point. "And that there are some inner demons in you that are causing you to act all depressed and whatnot. So what do you say we rap about your problems? Does that sound like a good start to this?"
"I dunno," Jake seemed a little doubtful about this. "I don't feel like talking about what's been wrong with me and how I'm acting like a sadsack."
"Now Mr. Spidermonkey? You and I both know that we are never going to make any progress with this until we know all about the meat of the situation," Mr. Mandrill climbed up onto his tree and explained to him. "You know? The pork fat of the problems that have been clouding you ever since yesterday. So it would help not only me but yourself as well if we can talk about what it is that happened to you."
"Well, okay... I guess I could clear the air and tell you what had happened," Jake relented after thinking about it. "Just so we can get this done and over with."
"That's the spirit, Spidermonkey," Mr. Mandrill encouraged. "Well now, let's hear. Care to tell me everything that happened that resulted in you feeling depressed? And start from the beginning, and leave no details out."
"Well, it all started yesterday after I pulled that prank on Adam," Jake shuffled a bit, twirling his thumbs.
"Alright. Do tell," Mandrill seemed intrigued by this.
"Okay. Now, it all started like this," Jake began to explain to him.
And so Jake told Mr. Mandrill everything about what happened yesterday after that prank was pulled on Adam. From Adam's rant that he gave him, to how he broke up their friendship. And he made sure that he didn't leave any important details out. This was going to take a while...
OUTSIDE ON THE TRACK FIELD - 1:04 P.M.
While that was going on, gym class was being held outside again today due to the gymnasium having been wrecked thanks to Jake's careless and wreckless prank that he pulled on Adam in there. Everyone was in their gym clothes and ready to take part in today's gym class, including Adam. Letting out a loud blow from her whistle, Coach Gills got their attention.
"Alright you animals, listen up!" Coach Gills yelled with her usual masculine voice. "Today we'll be having our gym class outside again. And as you all may remember, it has something to do with one of our most reckless students; Mr. Spidermonkey, and how he pulled off one of his usual hijinks in the gym, thus destroying it!"
Coach Gills observed the class and noticed that Jake was missing. "And speaking of whom, it may appear that Jake Spidermonkey is missing. And thus he will not be taking part in our gym class today. While the rest of you WILL!"
All of the students (bar Adam) talked amongst themselves about the whereabouts of Jake and why he was missing. This was cut short when Coach Gills blew her whistle again, getting them to stop and pay attention.
"And that means I want no slacking off from any of you lemmings today," she continued her lecture. "Now today, you will all be expected to run on the track and keep your endurance up. I expect some sweat to come from the lot of you. Do you all read me?!"
"Yes Coach Gills," all of the animal students yelled in unison.
"And Lyon? I understand that you're getting transferred from our school, and you won't be around for much longer," Coach Gills focused her attention on the human student. "Therefore, I just expect to do the best you can, and uh, put some effort into keeping up with the others. Understand?"
"Yes, Coach Gills. I understand," Adam told her while nodding. "I'll do my best."
"Good. That's what I'd like to hear," Coach Gills then said to everyone. "Okay, team! Let's get running! Stand at the starting line, and go when I yell the signal!"
All of the students rushed over to the starting line and got in position to run the track.
"Okay, you animals! On your mark! Get set! And GO!" Coach Gills yelled before blowing their whistle for them to start running.
The students wasted no time as they all started running the moment Coach Gills blew her whistle, including Adam. Of course, Adam was in last place as usual. But for his part, it seemed that he was attempting to put in some extra effort in running and keeping up with the others this time around.
Meanwhile, Coach Gills decided to have some small talk with her assistant Horace. And she decided to discuss what has been on everyone's minds today.
"You know something, Horace? I've been feeling conflicted about how one of our students is leaving our school," Coach Gills started. "Do you know what that feels like Horace?"
All Horace could do was shrug his shoulders and shake his head, indicating that he doesn't know.
"Yeah. I knew that you wouldn't," Coach Gills deadpanned in slight annoyance before getting back on track. "Bottom line Horace, a part of me is going to miss having that human Lyon in our school. True, he was a lousy athlete on the field and was always slacking and lagging in keeping up with the pack. But he's still a good kid aside from that. The way he uses his human brain to come up with strategies with helping our team win some games; like the time he and Spidermonkey teamed up and helped Charles Darwins's Mad Cows take down Chester Arthur's Semi-Pros. You know what I mean, don't you?"
Horace nodded slightly, showing that he did understand what she was getting at.
"And that's the thing! It's clear why Adam is struggling with gym class! Not only is it because he's a human having difficulty fitting in with our school of diverse animal students! But because he has to conserve his energy EVERY day to survive in our school! Not to mention the fact that he's also been avoiding the possibility that some predatory student will make him into their lunch for the day," Coach Gills proclaimed. "The time Lyon and I switched lives with each other to give ourselves a better perspective of what we go through showed me that."
Horace nodded once again, showing that he understood what she was getting at.
"Which reminds me...ALRIGHT YOU ANIMALS! KEEP UP THE PACE! WORK IT, YOU LEMMINGS! REMEMBER, THIS IS SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!" Coach Gills yelled at her students while blowing her whistle before speaking more casually to her assistant. "So yeah, a part of me is going to miss having him around. I already made it clear that I don't have any friends in this school or elsewhere for that matter."
Upon hearing that, Horace could only frown and scoff at that comment. Coach Gills wasn't too thrilled about this though, as she reacted.
"Oh come on Horace! You already know where we stand professionally," she yelled. "But if it would make you feel any better, then fine! I suppose we are friends! Does that make you happier!?"
Horace stopped frowning as he just nodded, and sighed in relief.
"Okay. Good. Now, back to Adam Lyon, I would like to think that we have established some kind of friendship. Or at the very least, we are acquaintances," Coach Gills continued. "Sure, we had our differences and conflicts with one another. But I'd like to say that that's all water under the bridge, wouldn't you agree?"
The only thing Horace did was cross his arms and started thinking about it for a bit.
"Right," Coach Gills groaned and rolled her fish eyes as she looked towards her students again, blowing her whistle and yelling at them to keep moving. There was no doubt that gym class was going to last for quite some time. This was going to go on for a while until gym class was over...
BACK IN MR. MANDRILL'S OFFICE:
"...and that's how Adam ended our friendship," Jake was wrapping up his explanation. "And why I've been so depressed since then."
As soon as Jake was done, Mr. Mandrill took the next few minutes to take in everything Jake revealed to him. He had to admit, everything that Jake told him today was pretty much consistent with what Adam told him the other days about his 'own' problems with the school and how Jake has constantly gotten him into trouble.
He was certain that there was some sort of connection, and that there could be an easy solution to this, even though Adam was going to be transferred from their school soon.
"Hmmm, I see," Mr. Mandrill rubbed his chin. "So it seems to me that everything upsetting you has something to do with the fact that Mr. Adam Lyon no longer wants a friendship established with you and that you feel like you are nothing without him. Is that right?"
"Uhhh, yeah. It's true," Jake said shyly. "I do have a strong fascination for Adam. And I'm 'really' fond of him..."
"That's what I thought," Mr. Mandrill told him. "You know something, Jake? Adam Lyon had talked with me the other day about why he hates this school so much, and that you were part of that problem. I suppose your obsession over him was one of the key factors in Adam finally snapping at you."
"I suppose so. But what does my unhealthy obsession have to do with Adam cutting ties with me?" Jake decided to ask. "And why I'm feeling sad?"
"It's simple Jake. There's this thing that they tend to call boundaries," Mr. Mandrill explained to him. "And from what I've heard, it seems that you haven't been respecting Adam's boundaries or privacy at all."
"What do you mean? Of course, I respect him," Jake tried to argue. "I mean sure. I get a little carried away with my antics, as well as my obsession with him. But what's wrong with that?"
"Well Jake, why don't you tell me," Mr. Mandrill crossed his arms and saw the confused look on his face. "Let me elaborate for you. You see, Adam is never able to enjoy the things he loves doing, nor is he able to live his life as a human being without the fear of predation caving in on him. All of which isn't possible because you kept dragging him into your 'own' little world, and making him feel and look like a laughingstock."
"Really? Is that why he hates it here?" Jake queried.
"Yes. That's precisely what had been getting under his skin for so long since he's been transferred here," Mandrill told him. "Let me lay it down with you and give you an example as to what I'm talking about. Do you remember the school dance that we had here a while back?"
"Yes," Jake nodded.
"Well you see, Adam was 'really' looking forward to bringing his human friend Kerry to the dance," Mr. Mandrill said. "And you had to do everything you could just to ruin the experience for him."
"Don't remind me," Jake frowned as he crossed his arms.
"Hey, don't take it personally Jake. I'm not trying to be a 'stick in the mud' as most would call it. I'm just laying down the truth is all," Mandrill continued. "I mean, Adam wouldn't have had his friend Kerry dress up as a giraffe to attend the dance if you hadn't tricked him into believing that such an addendum existed."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember," Jake sighed. "I wrote it out that only human students that attend Charles Darwin Middle School could attend the dance."
"And if that wasn't ungroovy enough, you then got Ingrid Giraffe dragged into it," Mr. Mandrill continued. "And you had Ingrid and Kerry take part in that giraffe competition, just so you could expose Kerry and have Adam get told off for bringing her to the dance. Does that mean something to you Jake?"
"Yes. Okay. Okay! I get it! I was a big jerk for tricking Adam like that," Jake confessed. "But can you blame me!? He was my best friend, and I was jealous that he wanted to bring a girl to the dance with him!"
"Look Jake, my man, it's perfectly alright to be jealous," Mandrill told him. "But what wasn't perfectly alright was for you to go and disrespect his boundaries, as I mentioned earlier, and ruin the dance for him."
"Okay fine! I admit it! I ADMIT IT!" Jake cried. "I've been nothing but a lousy rotten friend to Adam! And I always treated him horribly! Why did he have to end our friendship!?"
"Well Jake, Adam just had reached his boiling point, and didn't want to be stuck in a toxic friendship anymore," Mr. Mandrill exclaimed. "What I'm saying is that had you been far nicer to Adam, treated him with respect, respected his boundaries, and allow him to do his 'own' thing, then maybe he would've considered remaining friends with you."
"I understand," Jake whimpered. "Is it too late to do anything about our friendship Mr. Mandrill?"
"Honestly Jake, I can't be the one to tell you, for I don't know the answer," Mr. Mandrill said honestly. "You, my friend, are the only one who knows if it truly is the end of your former friendship with Adam."
"I...to tell you the truth Mandrill, I don't want this to be the end of our friendship," Jake sniffed. "I refuse to believe that there isn't any hope for me to repair our strained and broken friendship."
"Then you gotta convince yourself of that," Mr. Mandrill remarked. "You gotta tell yourself that it isn't hopeless, and not let 'the man' put you down like this. You gotta show Adam that you are truly sorry for how you treated him and that you are willing to make the extra step and that you can be a better person."
"That's great and all, Mr. Mandrill," Jake then decided to ask him. "But how am I even going to do that when Adam no longer wants to acknowledge my existence?"
"Well Jake, that's up to you to decide," Mr. Mandrill insisted. "All that I can give as advice is that once you know you can do it, you will be able to do it for sure."
"Do you mean that Mr. Mandrill?" Jake wondered.
"Absolutely," Mandrill nodded. "You can take my word for it. It works every time."
"Oh, I guess so," Jake said. "I suppose I could think of something..."
"Yeah," Mandrill then thought of something. "You know? I had given this suggestion to one of my previous pupils. But if it may help, you can always use a journal and write out all of your personal feelings and struggles."
"Uh, why would I want to do that?" Jake asked.
"Well, it's just a suggestion my man," said Mandrill. "From what I've heard, it does wonders to those who just want to let out their inner demons and struggles to build up inside of you."
"Uhh, no offense Mr. Mandrill, but why would I want to write how I feel in a journal when I'm a monkey," Jake argued. "I mean, aren't journals something that humans use? Like you know, a diary?"
"Well now, it looks like you've made a valid point there Jake," Mr. Mandrill admitted. "And unfortunately, it's one that I can not counter with another suggestion."
"Listen Mr. Mandrill? I don't think I need a journal to use as a diary," Jake then made a suggestion. "But if you like, I can use one of those notebooks to write down ideas that I can come up with to fix things up with Adam."
"Why Jake, that is a terrific idea," Maurice commended him. "And may I say that I should commend you for coming up with something brilliant that could be the answer to all your problems? And 'the man' can't put a stop to your plan."
"I sure hope not," Jake sighed. "Anyhow, you got any spare notebooks that I can borrow?"
"Why, as a matter of fact, I do," Mr. Mandrill proclaimed as he got down and searched for a notebook in his working area. "And you are more than welcome to borrow it however long you may like to."
"That'll be great Mr. Mandrill," Jake remarked. "I just need to use it to come up with ideas as to how I'm gonna fix this."
"That's perfectly fine by me," by then, Mandrill found the right kind of notebook that he was looking for, and he pulled it out. "Alrighty Jake. I think this notebook should be the perfect one for your liking."
The notebook that Mr. Mandrill showed to Jake was just a typical yellow-orange notebook with a spiral binding keeping it held together. There was nothing special about its appearance. But Jake was pretty fascinated by the notebook Mr. Mandrill took out for him.
"It's perfect! I'll take it!" Jake yelled in excitement. "Thank you, Mr. Mandrill."
"Believe me, Jake, the pleasure was all mine," Mandrill told him, as he gave Jake the notebook. "By the way, do you happen to have a writing tool you can use for that notebook? Like a pencil or a pen or something?"
"'Actually', I think I happen to have one of those somewhere," Jake mentioned as he took off his cap and dug his right hand into it until he found what he was looking for. "Ah ha! Found it!"
Jake then took out what appeared to be a pen. There was nothing special about its appearance since it was just a regular black ink pen.
"This is my lucky pen," the spider monkey proclaimed. "I assume this writing instrument is perfect for writing in my notebook, isn't it Mandrill?"
"Yes. I say that's the perfect pen for you to use for your notebook," he remarked.
"I'll say," Jake then went ahead and wrote on the front cover of the notebook 'JAKE'S PLANS AND IDEAS TO MAKE AMENDS WITH ADAM LYON'. Once he looked at the title, he was satisfied. "Ta-da! The perfect title. Jake's Plans and Ideas to Make Amends with Adam Lyon."
"Very inspiring Jake," Mandrill praised him. "I sure do hope that whatever ideas you come up with can work on patching things up with Adam Lyon."
"Believe me, Mr. M, I feel the same way," Jake then put the pen back into his hat as he held the notebook under his left arm. "Anyway, I better get going. I'm gonna think about what you told me today and keep it under consideration. And maybe it might help with knocking on my noggin with ideas that I can come up with and write down in this here notebook."
"I wish you the best of luck too, Mr. Spidermonkey," Mr. Mandrill told him as Jake headed for the door. "And I was glad to discuss with you everything we talked about today, especially with your depression with how Adam cut ties with you. And I hope that you can fix things up with Mr. Lyon with whatever plan you come up with."
"Will do," Jake opened the door and walked out. "Catch ya on the flip side, Mr. Mandrill."
"Right. I hope to hear more from you soon about your plan to make amends with Adam, once you have something," Maurice called out to him. "And I hope you choose the right path to happiness and maturity."
"Yes. I'll have something before the week is done," Jake hollered. "See ya!"
"Right. See you soon," Mandrill called back, followed by Jake closing the door behind him. "Boy, it does me proud to see my handy work get through two of our students in one week. That is remarkable. The others are gonna want to know about this."
With that said, Mr. Mandrill stretched his arms out before walking for the door and leaving his office. He had some stuff that he had to tell the other pack members. And there was no doubt they would be interested in knowing what he and Jake discussed today...
BACK OUTSIDE ON THE TRACK FIELD:
"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT, YA LEMMINGS! THAT'S ENOUGH OF THE LOT OF YOU!" Coach Gills bellowed after blowing her whistle. "You can give it a rest! This gym class session is over!"
By then, all of the students stopped running, including Adam. And after catching their breath, they decided to head back over to where Coach Gills and Horace were standing. As soon as they were front in center of their coach, the goldfish decided to get to the point.
"Okay you animals, I'll admit, you all weren't half bad out there this time," Coach Gills admitted. "But you better keep it up for our next gym class. Is that clear?!"
"Yes coach," the animal students said in unison.
"And Lyon? May I say that you at least put in an extra effort by participating in today's gym class," Coach Gills told him.
"Right. Thanks, Coach," Adam said sheepishly.
"And I hope that you'll have better luck with your gym class at human school," Coach Gills admitted.
"I hope so too," Adam remarked. "Thanks, Coach Gills."
"Yeah. Sure. No problem," Coach Gills waved off before saying to all of her students. "Okay you animals, go and get changed up, and get ready to head out to your next class! Gym class is just about over, so GET MOVING!"
As soon as she blew her whistle, all of her students rushed off to the building and headed for the locker rooms to get changed back into their usual outfits. They didn't waste any time in getting changed, not even Adam. The next bell was going to go off soon, so they had to make sure they were ready before then. After that, they would get by the rest of the school day, until the school day was over...
Plenty of time had passed since then. And eventually, the school day was just about up. Nearly all of the students took their leave from the school and were set to head home.
Adam Lyon, in particular, was more than eager to get back home. Even though today was an improvement compared to most of his time at the school, there was no doubt that Adam wanted to get home and relax for a bit. He also had planned on telling Kerry the big news about what he found out from Principal Pixiefrog today. She was going to be ecstatic.
Meanwhile, the other members of the pack were relieved to be going home for the day too. Mr. Mandrill had already informed them about what Jake revealed to him, and that Jake was going to be using a notebook to write out ideas and plans as to how he would be able to repair things with Adam.
While they were pretty glad that he was making the first step, they were also a bit worried and concerned about what Jake was planning to make amends with Adam. Because his prank caused this mess in the first place, they had every right to be weary about whatever it is Jake has planned.
Nonetheless, the pack members decided to let him do his thing while keeping an eye on him so he doesn't try to do anything too drastic again, and pretty much ruin things with Adam permanently. All they could do was wait and see how things will go from there.
And as for Jake Spidermonkey? Well, for the most part, he's been feeling better. While he continued to stay clear of Adam, he was a bit more confident about how he could patch things up with Adam. 'In fact', he managed to write down a few good ideas that could work with getting Adam to forgive him.
When he saw everyone leave school, Jake remained behind, knowing that he had a punishment to fulfill; courtesy of Principal Pixiefrog. His plan will have to wait until later. For now, he had to accept his punishment and do whatever it was that Pixiefrog needed him to do.
Once all the students were gone, Jake headed straight for PF's office, stepping into Mrs. Warthog's office before knocking on his door.
"Come in," Pixiefrog hollered from the other side. "The door is unlocked!"
With that, Jake stepped into his office and closed the door. This got Pixiefrog's attention as he looked up.
"Well, well, well, Mr. Spidermonkey. You 'actually' made it on time," Pixiefrog put down his mug. "I was just about to send Mrs. Warthog out to come and get you. Glad to see you decided to make things simple for us for a change."
"Yeah, yeah. I know PF," Jake sighed. "Look, I'm ready to receive my punishment. And whatever you have for me to do, I'll be sure to do it."
"Oh? What's this?" Pixiefrog raised an eyebrow at what Jake just said. "Your 'actually' willing to accept your punishment for once, and not blame someone else? I don't understand. What's the catch, Spidermonkey?"
"There's no catch this time," Jake revealed as he frowned. "I just want to accept my punishment for once. Everything that had happened was all my fault, and now we're losing Adam Lyon as a student because of me. So I'll just get going with whatever punishment you have for me."
Principal Pixiefrog was surprised, to say the least. He couldn't believe it. Was Jake 'really' taking responsibility for what he had done? Was he not gonna argue or retaliate against what he had for him to do? It was so shocking that he had to take off his glass, fog them up, and wipe them with his shirt for a second.
As soon as they were clear, he then put them back on and realized that this was 'really' happening. But he needed to get him to confirm it, just to be sure.
"Well, I shouldn't be surprised by this. And yet, I am. The last thing I expected from you Mr. Spidermonkey was that you'd admit that you messed up and that you are willing to receive your punishment like a man, err...I mean, a grown monkey," Pixiefrog said before asking. "But let me double check, are you 'really' telling the truth with what you just said to me right now?"
Jake didn't say anything. All he did was nod his head slowly to confirm that this was true. Pixiefrog was convinced, as he decided to move forward with this.
"Oh. Well, in that case, you better get started," Pixiefrog got out a long paper with a long list on it. "And the first thing you can do is perform some janitorial duties. Which means mopping the floors. And then you can move on from there with this long list I have for you."
"Okay Principal PF," Jake said as he took the long paper from the principal's hands. "I better get started with this right away."
"That's right. Now you better skedaddle," Pixiefrog waved his hand towards the door. "Those janitorial duties won't clean themselves you know. So get cracking!"
"Okay dokey Principal Pixiefrog," Jake opened the door, taking the paper with him. "I'll get started right away."
And with that, he stepped out of the office and shut the door behind him to get started with his punishment. Once he was gone, Pixiefrog wiped his forehead and pressed a button on the intercom speaker.
"Mrs. Warthog? Please bring me a fresh cup of latte," he instructed his assistant through the speaker. "Something tells me that I'm gonna need it for the next couple of hours when I'm dealing with Jake."
"Yes, Principal PF," Warthog deadpanned through the speaker before it turned off.
Now all that Pixiefrog could do was sit back and wait for this to blow over, so that he can see that Jake seriously is taking his punishment and that he doesn't goof off or foul up on anything. This was going to be a stressful couple of hours for him...
AT ADAM'S HOUSE - 5:36 P.M.
"THEY 'ACTUALLY' DID WHAT?!" Kerry yelled in Adam's living room, unable to believe what Adam just told her.
"Yes, Kerry. It's true," Adam nodded, confirming everything to her. "At first, I didn't believe it either. But my parents did call the school board and got them to fix the clerical error with my last name. I'm not gonna be a student at CDMS for much longer."
Kerry had to blink three times before shaking her head. She had to get her focus together as she then started asking him. "Wait, so does that mean...?"
"That's right," Adam nodded and answered for her. "I'm gonna be going to Chester Arthur Middle School again, starting next week."
At first, Kerry was shocked. She had assumed that Adam would likely never be able to go back to human school because the principal wanted to hold onto student funding and the fact that his parents seemed rather oblivious to most of what was going on. Until last night, that is.
And now, thanks to a call to the school board, Adam was going back to CAMS; the same school she goes to. And that means they'll be seeing each other more often, even hanging out outside of class periods.
After a few minutes of silence, Kerry got out of her shocked state and decided to speak.
"Wow, Adam. I never expected this to happen. I was wondering if you had wanted to come back to CAMS, and you 'really' wished you could," Kerry explained. "But now that things have been straightened out, looks like we'll be attending the school again, beginning next week."
"You said it, Kerry," Adam smiled. "I'm pretty glad that we'll be spending more time together at CAMS. Cause to tell you the truth, I 'really' do miss hanging out with you more often."
"Me too Adam. Me too," Kerry smiled back as she placed her hand on his right shoulder. "And now since we're a couple, things are gonna be even better for the two of us at school."
"I couldn't agree more," Adam proclaimed happily.
"So anyway Adam, are you gonna miss some of the students that were your classmates at CDMS?" Kerry felt like asking him.
"Well, I guess I'll miss a couple of the students. Mainly the ones that I was associated with most besides Jake; Windsor, Slips, Lupe, and Ingrid," Adam admitted before frowning. "I can't say the same for everyone else though, especially those that have been giving me a hard time at that school since I was first transferred there."
"I see..." Kerry said slowly. "Well, even though you won't be able to see them at school again, you could always see them at the Zoo Aquarium, right?"
"Pretty much. That's where all the students who attend CDMS live," Adam nodded and proclaimed. "'In fact', if it wasn't for me going to that school, their bus would only need to stop at the zoo and head straight for the school."
"That's a good point Adam," Kerry agreed. "And after this week, they won't have to waste time making one extra stop before heading for the school."
"Exactly," Adam grinned. "And it's gonna be great for the two of us to be students together at the same school again."
"Trust me. I can hardly wait either," Kerry smirked and pecked Adam on the cheek before wondering. "What do you think we should do now, big boy?"
"Weeeeeell, we have quite a night ahead for us. So there's plenty for us to do," Adam proclaimed proudly. "My parents will be working late again, so it should be cool."
"I hear ya loud and clear," said Kerry. "My dad shouldn't be home until 8:30, so we can hang out again at your place until then."
"Sweet," Adam sat on the couch and turned on the TV. "So let's make the most of tonight together since it's just the two of us Kerry."
"Oh, I have something special that we can do together," Kerry said sweetly.
"Oh? What would that be?" Adam asked while skipping through channels on the TV.
Kerry then started smirking as she leaned closer to him with her hands on her hips. "I think we should practice some dancing together."
"Zuh?" Adam thought he misheard her. "Did ya say...dancing...?"
"That's right Adam," she nodded. "And I was hoping we could dance together."
"Uhhhh...I-I dunno," Adam stuttered, absentmindedly skimming through channels. "I mean, I'm not sure if I can do it..."
"That's not what I saw when you were a part of the Jungle Squad that one time," Kerry reminded him with a teasing tone. "You were a great dancer there."
"Right..." Adam said while gulping. "B-But I don't think we have anything to dance to..."
Right before Kerry was about to say something, the TV was now showing a dancing channel, and they both heard what was being said.
"And now we're back to this dance programming," the announcer said. "And today's style of dance is ballroom dance."
It then showed a young couple doing a simple ballroom dance. This got Kerry to smirk as she found what she was looking for.
"Well Adam, looks like we have something to dance to," she told him. "So what do you say? Would you care to dance with me?"
"Well..." Adam was still uncertain about it.
"Oh come on Adam. You don't have to be embarrassed to dance with me," it was clear that Kerry's voice was growing more seductive with each passing second. "After all, we are dating now and we're a couple, right?"
"Right," Adam nodded.
"And we should get some practice in for when we go to the Debutante Ball together at CAMS, right?" Kerry asked softly, leaning her face into Adam's.
"R-Right," Adam gulped while sweating.
"And you would do anything for little ol' me, right?" Kerry teased in a flirty tone.
"Y-Yeah. I would," Adam smiled at her.
"Then let's stand up and dance together. Just the two of us," with that, Kerry leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, leaving a red kiss mark on his face.
The moment she did that, Adam felt a spark surge through his body. His eyes swirled until they became wingding heart-shaped eyes. He also had that goofy grin on his face.
Moments later, his heart-shaped eyes turned into half-lidded eyes; a sign that he was love-struck. Kerry couldn't help but giggle at this.
"Oh boy! Wow wow wee woo," Adam stood up. "Yes. I'd love to dance with you Kerry!"
"Attaboy, Adam," she smiled in satisfaction. "Let's just do exactly what is shown on TV. And don't worry about dressing up. I'm not dressed for the occasion either."
"Got it," Adam stretched his arms and saw how they were dancing on TV.
After seeing how it was done, Adam went ahead and grabbed Kerry's right hand with his right hand, while his left hand was placed underneath her left armpit.
Kerry blushed lightly before following suit by having her right hand grip Adam's right hand, while her left hand was placed right onto Adam's shoulder.
Before either one of them knew it, they started dancing like it was being done on TV, with them dancing in circles and sidestepping every so often. This lasted for several moments.
"Wow Adam, this is some dancing," Kerry said with a smile. "I never knew you were great at ballroom dancing. Let's hope we can do something similar to this at the Debutante Ball together."
"You said it Kerry, my darling," Adam said with a slightly lower pitch tone as he stroke his left hand through her ponytail and the bangs that were covering her one eye. "Let's make this a dance to remember."
"You got it," she returned the favor by stroking his red hair with her left hand before they resumed dancing.
A few minutes later, the dancing was done as the people on TV were issued to stop.
"Alright, that's a wrap. So there you have it," the announcer on TV said. "That was our program on ballroom dancing."
At that moment, Adam and Kerry stopped dancing, separated from each other, and sat back down on the couch.
"Wow. Great dancing Adam," Kerry complimented him. "I was glad to get in some dancing with you."
"Me too, Kerry," Adam agreed. "I didn't think I had it in me. Then again, considering how you encouraged me to do so, I would say that you helped me with dancing like a natural."
"Oh yeah. It isn't the first time I encouraged you like this," Kerry laughed. "We make quite a pair."
"We sure do," Adam grinned as he changed the channel. "So, now what?"
"You know something? All this dancing has worked up an appetite," Kerry said with a suggestive tone. "What do you say we have some dinner together again? Just the two of us. Hmmm?"
"Oh boy! That would be great," Adam beamed. "I've been getting used to having nights like this with you Kerry. They are always the best."
"No doubt about that. It's especially worth it when we're doing things together," Kerry said slyly. "Love having you around Adam. And as my boyfriend too."
She then went ahead and kissed him right on the lips, getting Adam a bit overjoyed.
"And I love having you around too, as my girlfriend, Kerry," Adam admitted in a lovestruck tone. "So, let's go make some dinner together, toots."
"I'm right behind you, handsome," Kerry said with a giggle as they both got up from the couch and headed for the kitchen.
And so the two of them were planning yet another dinner date together, happy that they'll be going to the same school again soon, starting next week. Until then, they made the most of their night together as they had loads of fun at Adam's house. This was going to be quite another eventful night for the two of them...
END OF CHAPTER 10...
Well, that's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it.
Now like I said, this is where things start to unravel as Jake tries thinking about ways on getting back on Adam's good side, as well as patching things up with him. And Adam grows closer to Kerry than he has been before.
Additionally, the rest of the pack members will attempt to let Adam know that they will miss having him around their school, particularly Ingrid. And if you are all wondering, I've given Coach Gills some depth as to how she feels about Adam currently.
Anyway, the next chapter will probably be about Jake coming up with some ideas to make it up to Adam for what had happened, and a few other things will occur. How will this go? Find out next time, readers.
For now, only if you like, you can leave a review, and tell me what you thought about this chapter overall. Nothing more to say there.
Otherwise, that's all that I have for now. So until next time, take care of yourselves. And on that note, thanks again for reading everyone!