Last chapter - HERE WE GO!
Last time on Groj-Sale: Grojband has finally found their culprit. Now time to take the next step.
"Now we know who Trina sold our instruments to, it time to find him and get them back!" Corey shouts determinedly, prompting the rest of the band to cheer, including the groupies that were with them (and maybe had secretly taken a picture of them).
After a brief silence, Laney asked, "Wait… where could he be now?"
A small pause before Corey yells, "Split up!"
The band quickly went to work (after thanking the groupie for the picture, of course), and asked around the Riffin's garage once again. This time, Corey and Laney search through the garage and keeping their eyes peel for the man just in case he's still around doing who-knows-what.
Meanwhile, Kin and Kon will ask around to see if anyone has seen the fedora man. Now that they have the picture of said man, they hope it could jog the memories of anyone who might have encountered him.
"Have you seen this man?" Kin or Kon would ask while holding the picture to them.
Some of them didn't know who they were talking about, while others have got some interesting comments about him.
"That guy looked sleazy as heck first time I seen him."
"Dude tried to sell me something, even though we're at a garage sale."
"How could that guy carry that much stuff in that coat?"
It was interesting information, but still didn't help the fact that no one has seen the man ever since.
After a while, the band regroup at a table near the stage, hopefully if either of them has good news. But by the looks of each other tired faces, it doesn't seem like it.
"Anything?" Corey asked. Kin and Kon looked at each other before shaking their heads sullenly. The band groan collectively as they all slouch onto chairs of their table.
"Great. We're never going to find that guy." Laney bemoans, almost slamming her head on the table in despair.
Corey sighed. "Guess there is our only other option." he said as he looked over his shoulder to where his sister is stationed. Laney, Kin and Kon tiredly follow their band leader's eyesight, only to groan miserably. Asking Trina was the last thing they wanted to do. But given that she was the one that gave their instruments to that guy in the first place, they had no choice but to try.
Heaving a sigh, Corey and his friends walk toward the table where the two teenagers are. As they got closer, they noticed that Trina was ogling something in her hand. What it was is a mystery as they couldn't see.
"Hey Trina-" Corey starts as he approaches his sister but was cut off by said sister.
"Like, mind your business!" She hissed before going back to looking at the thing in her hands. Being close, he sorts of see what she had in her hands. He still didn't know what it was, but he saw what seemed to resemble tuffs of hair.
Corey and Laney looked at each other questionably, taking note for later, before shrugging and turning to Mina who was still managing the money box.
"Hey Mina, so, have you by any chance seen this guy?" Corey asked.
"You know… the guy who Trina sold out instruments to." Laney said pointedly, as Kon show her the picture of the Fedora man.
Mina peered at the picture before saying, "Oh yeah, he did come by a while ago."
"Really?!" Grojband blurts out.
"Yeah, he somehow manages to sell something to Trina and then left." The teal-haired said. "Not sure what she brought since she won't tell me what it is."
"That because it's NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" she yells at full volume. Grojband and Mina were shaken from her screaming, but only briefly since they gotten used to it by now.
"Any idea where he went?" Kin asked when he popped up next to Mina. She shrugs.
"Don't know, he left a while ago."
Kin sighed at that as he and the rest left the teal-haired girl, but Corey, Laney and Kon were not giving in.
"Come on, guys, we might be able to catch him." Corey declares as he and the rest of the band zoom out of the garage to find him.
TRAFFIC LIGHTS TRANSITION!
Once outside the Riffin's property, the band started their search of the Fedora man. They started looking around the neighborhood, asking any passerby if they might have seen him with the picture to provide them. The search was almost proclaimed futile when an old lady recognizes the fedora man.
"Ah yes, I seen him." she said tenderly, adjusting her glass with the other hand holding her pet dog. "Such an odd man."
"You wouldn't happen to know where he was going, would you?" Laney questioned, eyeing the old lady with laser-eye focus. Kin and Kon were distracted by the dog as they were trying to pet it, but the dog would bite back every time they did so.
The old lady hummed, "I think he was heading toward the town."
"Then there's no time to waste!" Corey shouts as he and Laney speed up toward town.
"Thank you ma'am!" Kin and Kon said delightfully as they followed.
Soon, they managed to enter the town of Peaceville. It was only when they entered town that they realized it was going to be a bigger problem. Tired of running around, the band soon stopped by a nearby convenient store to catch their breath.
"We're never going to find him!" Laney said exasperatedly through heaving breath. "He could be out of town as far as we know."
"There he is!" Kin points, as they now see the man on the other side of the street. Just as they are about to cross the street, a bunch of cars zoom past in front of them.
Kin then zoomed toward a nearby pedestrian streetlight, pressing the button multiple times. But the waling sign has not popped up.
"Maybe we should probably wait." Laney said dispositively.
"No time!" Corey cried, "We just have to make a run for it!"
Thus, Kin and Kon grab Laney by each arm and drag her to follow their crazy leader into incoming traffic. There were some mishaps along the way. They had to evade some of those speedy cars that just love to break the speed limits. Corey was ahead of them, either dodging cars with ease or the cars themselves swerving out of the way, reminding the band how got themselves to host that smash up derby for the sake of lyrics. The others weren't having much luck, all due to the fact that the twins were carrying Laney halfway through. After reluctantly putting down Laney, they had a slightly easier time crossing the street. Laney managed to catch up to Corey in record speed.
Though, it can't say the same thing to the twins.
Kin tends to carefully stretch his limbs to somehow try to walk over the cars. Kon just makes a run for it like a manic football player, only to get hit by a car at least twice.
Yet somehow, the band made to the other side of the street on the sideway where the fedora man is.
"Hello sir," Corey starts, quickly huffing for breath. "I think you got something that belong to us."
The fedora man rubs his chin amusingly. "Oh? And what would that be?"
"Oh, I don't know… maybe out instruments?" Laney said blatantly.
The man shrugged, "Not my fault they were on sale."
"They weren't." Laney deadpanned.
Kin and Kon suddenly went on their knees in front of the man as they plead, "Please give us back our instruments?" "We need them, man!"
Laney dully facepalmed at the twin's embarrassing actions as the man rubs his chin in thought.
The man hummed, "Tell you what, I can give you back your instruments – which I may or may not have – if you can give me something in return."
"Like what?"
"Hmmmm," The man contemplates playfully, "How about that toaster your friend is holding?"
All eyes went to Kon as he's standing there and conveniently has the modified toaster in his hand. Once he realized the situation, the clutch the toaster tightly in his arms, away from the group and the man specifically.
"You never gonna taking it!" Kon yells defensively.
"And you took it with you… why..?" Kin questioned, confused. Kon shrugged sheepishly. The twins begin to argue as Laney became the begrudged middleman.
"Soooo…" Corey said, leaning in the con man's face. "I heard you sold something to my sister that was 'Nick Mallory' related." he asked, remembering what Mina told them earlier.
"Haha, is that so?" the man smiled cheekily, adjusting his tie. "You interested?"
"Nah, but I would like to know if it's really 100% Nick Mallory material." Corey said.
"See for yourself." With that, he opens his jacket to present what looks like tuffs of hair and various hair products. Laney joined Corey to see what he was dealing with. She also sees the content as well but has a different insight as she took a whip. It smells funny yet similar.
"Why does I smell like dog hair?" she asked suspiciously. The twin paused their argument to see as Kin pulls a strand of hair from one of the tuffs. He quickly starts analyzing it using various science tools conveniently has out of nowhere. Once he's finished, he came to a conclusion.
"Hm, according to my analysis, this is indeed 100% dog hair." Kon gasped dramatically.
"Look like your sister got scammed." Laney blatantly stated. Corey smirked at the revelation.
"Oh, scammed she was." He claimed.
The man was now sweating as he was exposed to the secret. "Well…. This seem bad, isn't it?" He tugs at his collar nervously. "Is there anything I could resolve your disappointment?"
Corey hummed thoughtfully. "As a matter of fact, there is!" He smiled gleefully. He just has a plan that just might work.
TUMBLE HAIR TUFFS TRANSITION!
"UGH, this is like, taking forever." Trina complained about the 100th time of the day. As she thought, the garage sale was so slow and mundane… even though she didn't do much and left her work to her friend.
"Thank gosh it's like, almost over." She said relieved. Having to order Mina to do all the work was exhausting, she could have broken a nail. At least she and anyone left here doesn't have the chance to listen to his brother and his lame band's awful music.
Just as Trina's about to order Mina to wrap it up, the light suddenly goes out.
"Ladies and gentlemen…!"
Trina gasped when she heard Corey's voice. She whips her head at the large stage to see it covered in fog. Then a large, shadowy mass is lifted from the stage floor.
"Are you guys ready to ROCK!?"
The light on the stage came on and Trina stared in shock to see her brother's band in stage – with their instruments back in their possession.
"Like, WHAT THE WHAT?!" Trina screeched, almost breaking her phone in the process.
"Hey sis," Corey called, sliding himself next to his sister for a brief second. "I see you have that Nick Mallory hair."
Like, WHO TOLD YOU THAT!" Trina hissed accusingly, holding the tuff of "Nick Mallory" hair close to her chest and away from her brother.
"Hm I don't know," Corey hummed amusingly, ready to strike. "But what I do know – from a certain someone – is that what you're holding is actually dog hair. I'm surprised you have caught on to it."
Trina's eyes widen as she stares at the tuffs of hair in her hand. She then rives in heated anger, clutching the false hair (or fur, in this case) in her hand before setting it on fire. It turned to dust soon after. Trina was furious.
Corey smirked. "We have liftoff."
*Cue Diary Mode*
After Trina's meltdown, the girl felt drained – only to fall into a pile of garage junk. Meanwhile, Corey seamlessly catches the pink, fluffy diary in his hand.
"Time to rock this garage sale." Corey said confidently. He rushed to the stage where his friends were eagerly waiting for a song to play with their returned instruments. He nodded at them; he got the lyrics ready to go.
"Let's rock!" Corey said. Kon count them in.
"One, two, three, four!"
*insert song lyrics here 'cause I can't write music*
The crowd (or whoever's left for the garage sale) cheered loudly as the band finished off with a bombastic chord. The pyrotechnics went off on the stage as their performance was a success for them and the crowd.
"WOOOOOOO!"
"YEEEAAAAAAA!"
"LET'S GOOO!"
Assume to say, the crowd is pleased.
"Thank you, WE LOVE YOU!" Corey shouts as he and the rest of the band are glad that this turned out great.
WICKED COOL TRANSITION!
The garage sale has finally wrapped up with the last few customers leaving the Riffin's garage. The manage to make a ton of money with what junk and hand-me-downs they were able to sell. It was only a matter of time whether their dad was gonna do with the money.
While Trina is being hauled into her room by Mina, the band are still on stage talking to the Fedora man for the last time.
"Glad doing business with you." Corey said, shaking the man's hand.
"Glad of doing service," he replies, "And this toaster." He said pulling out the modified toaster. Kon was weeping in the background with Kin trying to comfort him.
With that, the man left.
"Look like the garage sale was a success." Laney tells Corey.
"Maybe, but was it worth it?" Corey inquired, as a spotlight flashed onto him. "They say that one man's trash is another's man's treasure. But that trash was once a treasure to who once owned it. Even so, whoever own that trash is now that precious treasure to them. And that what's matters."
"… could have thought of that before starting this in the first place." Laney said after the spiel.
"I mean… It was still dad's idea?" Corey shyly answers, prompting Laney to facepalmed.
"Thanks for coming out everyone!"
And that's all folks! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!