Alright readers, here is the thirteenth chapter of this story!
Now, I don't think any of you know this yet, but I've grown very burned out with this story since I lost interest and I didn't think it would become something like this. Still, the story is almost done, so I might as well wrap it up while I can.
Anyway, this time, the special services will be held in the cafeteria for Adam, where alot of stuff is set to occur, hence the length of this chapter. How will this go for Adam? Will anything go horribly for him at the special services? Will Ingrid finally tell him how she feels about him? How will Adam react? And just what is the special surprise that Jake made for Adam exactly? Read and find out for yourselves, everyone!
IN THE CAFETERIA - 1:30 P.M.
In the cafeteria, it was clear that everything was all set for the special services. And from the looks of it, it seemed that they were going to go all out with it. There were balloons, streamers, food on the table, and a big banner tied up to the ceiling that said 'FAREWELL TO ADAM LYON' on it.
It's been known that these kinds of parties don't happen very often at CDMS. There was that one gathering in the cafeteria to celebrate Animas, but that was something entirely different. This was for a special occasion.
All of the faculty and staff were in the cafeteria, admiring the handy work that they put into setting up and preparing for the special services. Principal Pixiefrog, in particular, was admiring the scenery that was set up from the comfort of his scooter, with Mrs. Warthog standing next to him.
"Well Mrs. Warthog, looks like we outdone ourselves this time," Pixiefrog said after sighing at the sight before him. "The student funding we had was enough to supply the faculty and staff with these fine decorations for the special services we're having for Mr. Adam Lyon."
"Tell me about it," Mrs. Warthog deadpanned. "My back is killing me already."
"Well no more worrying Mrs. Warthog, because from this moment on, we'll be able to enjoy the services that we set up here today," Pixiefrog drank from a glass cup. "This'll be a good farewell party for Adam Lyon."
At that moment, Mr. Mandrill approached the principal and commented on how everything looked.
"Well Mr. PF, I must say that the decor that was put into this special service is just groovy," Mr. Mandrill then asked. "Do you think the kids will love it?"
"Don't be silly, Maurice," Pixiefrog waved off. "If there's one thing I know, it's that the students at this school know how to be a party animal."
"Oh, I suppose your right," Mr. Mandrill sighed. "I just hope that the MVP of this gathering; Adam Lyon, will get a kick out of this, as they would say."
"I wouldn't be too worried about him," Principal Pixiefrog proclaimed. "I'm sure Mr. Lyon will be alright with this arrangement. He's been at our school long enough to know what to expect."
"Yeah. You've made your point," Mr. Mandrill simply said.
"I think Adam is going to enjoy this party that we set up for him," Nurse Gazelle said haughtily. "I know I'm looking forward to it..."
"We know Nurse Gazelle. But remember what I told you," Pixiefrog narrowed his eyebrows at her as he said firmly. "None of that naughty creepy stuff that you did to Mr. Lyon the other day. If you do, you'll be thrown out of the services. Understand?"
"Alright. Alright, PF. I get it," Nurse Gazelle sighed. "I won't try anything to Adam Lyon. My fingers aren't crossed."
"I'd ask you how you could do that since you don't have fingers, being a gazelle and all," Pixiefrog deadpanned. "But just as long as we are on the same page, I'll let it slide. But I've got my eyes on you anyway."
"Right," Nurse Gazelle rolled her eyes at that.
"Okay," Pixiefrog moved on from the topic. "Now, where are the rest of the teachers? The only ones present now are me, Mrs. Warthog, Mr. Mandrill, Nurse Gazelle, and Mr. Blowhole, who happens to be in the giant tank near one of the tables."
The area Pixiefrog pointed to happened to be that particular table, which had a giant aquarium tank with a golden rim full of water next to it. And inside the tank was Mr. Blowhole himself.
Mr. Blowhole was revealed to be a large, black killer whale with a white belly that starts with his mouth and ends just above his tail fin. He has red-rimmed glasses that lie below his eyes. His eyes have thick black eyebrows above them and many bags below. He wears an orange jacket and a blue bow tie.
"I'm more than certain that they should be showing up. You did give the students and teachers the announcement to come into the cafeteria after all, Principal Pixiefrog," Mr. Blowhole spoke in a deep relaxed tone, which was accompanied by the sound of whale noises.
"Yes, Mr. Blowhole. I'm aware of that," Pixiefrog said. "But it wouldn't be like the teachers to be fashionably late on us. This is one party they don't want to miss."
Before anyone could say anything else, they heard a familiar masculine voice that belonged to one of the female teachers.
"MOVE IT HORACE! MOVE IT! HURRY IT UP! I DO NOT WANT TO BE LATE FOR THIS PARTY!" The sound of Couch Gills barking at her assistant Horace was heard.
In a matter of seconds, Coach Gills and Horace made it into the cafeteria where Horace pushed Coach Gills' table over to the other staff members. As Horace was panting, Coach Gills decided to speak.
"Alright. Sorry we were almost late," Coach Gills told them. "I didn't want to miss a single second of this party. Oh, and Horace didn't either."
Horace only nodded as he caught himself after panting.
"I'm glad to hear that Gills, because we're almost ready to get started," Principal Pixiefrog informed her. "All we're waiting for is Mr. Hornbill and Ms. Chameleon to show up. And then we'll wait for the students to show up."
"We're here, Principal PF," the voice of Mr. Hornbill was heard as he entered the room, carrying a branch that had Ms. Chameleon on it.
"Mr. Hornbill. And Ms. Chameleon," Principal Pixiefrog said. "You both made it!"
"Yes. We're right on time," Ms. Chameleon told him. "We wouldn't dream of missing a party this large."
"Hey, speaking of which, has anyone seen Mrs. Tusk," Mr. Hornbill decided to ask.
"Now that I think of it," Pixiefrog recalled. "Mrs. Tusk did say that she was going to get the milk and nuts that she was going to be passing around to the other students in the cafeteria during this whole special services we're holding."
"Oh. Well, that's good," Mr. Hornbill sighed. "It's good to know that Mrs. Tusk won't be missing out on all the excitement with these special services."
"We know Cyrus. We know exactly how you feel. It'll be a real hoot," Pixiefrog told him dryly before clearing his throat. "Anywho, now we just have to wait for the students to show up. Which should be any moment now."
"Which student will we be expecting to show up first?" Mrs. Warthog questioned.
"Who knows? We'll find out when the first student comes through that doorway," Pixiefrog pointed towards the entrance/exit of the cafeteria.
"Whoever it will be, I'm sure he or she will be flattered with the setup that's on display in the cafeteria," Mr. Mandrill pointed out.
"Probably. Though I doubt Adam will be the first to show up," Pixiefrog said. "It could be anyone else. But who?"
"Hey guys," his answer was solved when one of the students came into the cafeteria all alone. He happened to be Jake Spidermonkey. "I made it. Woah! Looks like I'm the first to show up. The others haven't arrived yet?"
"Yes, Mr. Spidermonkey. None of the other students have shown up yet," Pixiefrog told him dryly. "Which reminds me, I'm quite surprised that you showed up first before everyone else."
"Yes. Well, I wanted to be the first one here before the others showed up," Jake proclaimed, keeping a grip on that box. "After all, I didn't want to miss this party for just anything, you know what I mean?"
"Oh yes. We know what you mean Mr. Spidermonkey." It was then that Pixiefrog noticed the box that was in his hands. "Say now, what's with the box? What do you have in there?"
"Oh, this is just a surprise," Jake exclaimed. "It's a surprise that I made for Adam."
"Oh really?" Pixiefrog gave him a suspicious look. "That wouldn't be anything that could cause MORE grief, frustration, humiliation, and problems with Mr. Lyon, now would it?"
"No Principal PF. This isn't anything like that," Jake defended, putting his left hand on his forehead. "This is just a farewell present that I made especially for Adam. You have my word on it. It will NOT cause any problems for Adam at all."
"Well...Okay, if you say so," Pixiefrog added. "But remember, I've got my eyes on you Mr. Spidermonkey."
"Yeah. Yeah. I know you will," Jake sighed as he sat down in an empty seat, with the box on his lap.
"Well, I'm sure that whatever you made for Adam that's in that box, he'll get some sort of a kick out of it," Mr. Mandrill approached him and Pixiefrog.
"I hope so," Jake proclaimed. "I spent all night working on putting it together. It isn't exactly like what I drew in my notebook, but I'm sure it'll be good enough."
"For your sake, it better be good," Coach Gills decided to comment. "Because let me tell you something Mr. Spidermonkey, I do not want to leave this party on a low note! With something bad happening to Adam, or to anyone else at this school!"
"Don't you worry Coach. I've got it all worked out," Jake waved off confidentially.
"I'm sure you do, Mr. Spidermonkey," Mr. Hornbill deadpanned. "I'm sure that you do."
"Ah, I'm not worried much," Ms. Chameleon said. "Despite your previous impairments with your friendship with Mr. Lyon, I'm certain that he'll love whatever special gift you made for him."
"Well that certainly helps me feel confident about this, Ms. Chameleon," Jake said with a smile.
"That's good to know," Mr. Mandrill added. "Because the more confident you are about this, the more likely you'll be back in Adam's better graces if that makes any sense."
"I guess. It makes as much sense as I can make it out to be," Jake said with a slightly confused tone. "Which reminds me, when is everyone else expected to show up?"
"We're about to find out, Mr. Spidermonkey," Principal Pixiefrog told him when he heard the sounds of stampeding students approaching the cafeteria. "And judging from the stampede, it seems they're here right about NOW!"
As soon as he shouted 'now', the rest of the animal students flocked into the cafeteria, and all of them found their place in the lunch room. When they got comfortable, they were all heard talking amongst each other and how nicely decorated the cafeteria was. Principal Pixiefrog and the others were glad that they all made it in time.
"Alright! Alright, students! QUIET!" Pixiefrog bellowed for their attention, which got them to stop talking. "Now I appreciate that you all made it on time. And that you are looking forward to the special services that we're holding today in the cafeteria."
"Okay, children! Settle down! Settle down," another voice got their attention. "There's plenty of roasted nuts and milk cartons to go around for everybody! For $3.50!"
That voice came from none other than Mrs. Tusk, who had some roasted nuts in a cup and several cartons of milk in her possession; on a stand with a strap around her shoulders.
Mrs. Tusk is identified as being an elephant; an African Elephant, to be exact. And she was dressed up like any other lunch lady would be dressed up, complete with the hairnet and everything.
"Well, that's good to know," Mr. Hornbill wiped his forehead. "Glad to see that Eugenia Tusk was able to join the rest of us in the cafeteria."
"Yes. And we most certainly could do this without her," Pixiefrog said. "Especially since she's charging students extra for milk and roasted nuts."
"So what about Adam? Isn't he supposed to show up?" Mrs. Warthog asked.
"Don't be silly. We wouldn't dare start without our little MVP being absent," Pixiefrog brushed off. "He'll be here."
"He better be here," Bull snorted before breathing through those headphones. "Cause this stupid service thing is a drain on my valuable time; time that I could put into bullying any one of you suckers!"
"Uhhh, I wouldn't be worried about that Bull," Windsor spoke up. "Adam was with the rest of us who are in gym class with him and he was getting dressed into his usual attire. My calculations show that he should be entering the cafeteria at any moment."
"Yeah. There's no reason for him to miss out on a bash this big," Slips agreed. "Especially since he's the life of the party, dudes!"
"Oh! Oh! Don't look now people," Lupe got their attention as she pointed her left wing towards the door. "But here comes Adam Lyon now!"
Everyone turned their attention to the door, and they did in fact, see Adam Lyon enter the cafeteria, who noticed that they were all looking at him. Needless to say, they were ecstatic that he finally showed up.
"Hoo wee! A'righty! Now Adam Lyon's in the house," Henry remarked. "Now we can get this here shindig celebration underway!"
"He's here. He's finally here," Ingrid was whispering to herself. "Okay, Ingrid. This is it. This is the moment you've been waiting for..."
"This is it Jake. Don't hold anything back with your apology," Jake told himself. "And I hope he'll love this gift I made for him."
"Ah. Adam Lyon. Glad to see you've made it," Principal Pixiefrog said as he drove his scooter over to where Adam was standing. "For a minute there, I thought you weren't gonna make it to your 'own' special service party that we set up for you."
"Yeah. I know Principal PF," Adam sighed. "I just want to get this party done and over with so I don't ever have to feel like an outcast at this school again."
"We know," Pixiefrog said rather dully. "That's why we're holding these services in the first place. To let you know how we 'personally' feel about you before you leave Charles Darwin Middle School permanently."
"Yeah," Adam decided to change the subject. "So, when do the festivities start?"
"Right about now," Pixiefrog declared as he looked at his watch and then yelled out to everyone else. "OKAY YOU ANIMALS! DIG IN!"
As soon as he shouted that, the animal students let out loud noises like wild animals. No sooner afterwards, they all started digging into the food, like, of course, animals. Adam wasn't too interested in what they were eating. So he decided to miss out on the food. Instead, he sat at a nearby table, not saying anything to anyone at the moment.
After a few minutes of not saying anything, Principal Pixiefrog hopped over to Adam, with a bunch of slop in his hands.
"Hello there, Mr. Lyon," Pixiefrog greeted him with a mouthful of food in his mouth. "Are you enjoying the festivities? Or as you guys would call it, the party?"
"Uhhh, I guess so," Adam said sheepishly. "Um, no offense principal. But I'm not particularly fond of the food that you're serving here."
"Understandable. Duly noted Mr. Lyon," Pixiefrog told him. "I think we all got the message that one time you changed the menu when we started serving food edible for humans. Stuff like corn dogs and tots for example."
"Yeeeeah," Adam said awkwardly as he tugged on his collar. "I think all of us can remember that."
"Of course we do," Pixiefrog nodded before looking towards Mr. Mandrill. "Hey, Mandrill? Pass me another thing of macadamias."
"Righty-o, Mr. PF," Mandrill gave him a thumbs up before handing him some macadamias.
Pixiefrog took some and started munching on them. Adam just watched him and said nothing else until Mrs. Tusk approached him.
"Ah, Mr. Lyon. What a pleasant surprise," Mrs. Tusk said dryly. "Care for some roasted nuts and milk?"
"Uhhh, no thanks Mrs. Tusk," Adam declined shyly. "I still can't drink milk anyway."
"Meh. Suit yourself, child," Mrs. Tusk shrugged.
"You know, Mr. Lyon," Principal Pixiefrog told him through a full mouth. "It is perfectly alright to let yourself go and enjoy the fun at these parties."
"I know," Adam sighed. "But I'm just not hungry at the moment."
"Oh. Well, that's an entirely different matter," Principal Pixiefrog shrugged, as he brought the subject to an end. "Alright. We can just drop the whole subject."
"Good to know," Adam felt some relief.
"Besides, the rest of us have something to say about you and how we felt about you being at our school," Principal Pixiefrog told him. "For the limited amount of time you've been with us, that is."
"Right," Adam had to roll his eyes at that.
As soon as he was done eating, Pixiefrog grabbed his glass cup, and a spoon and started banging the spoon on the cup to get everyone's attention.
"Attention students! May I have your attention!" Pixiefrog bellowed, getting them to stop talking. "It is now time for all of us to give our final farewells to young Adam Lyon here. And for those who didn't get the memo, speeches are highly recommended."
All of the animal students clapped their hands while facing Adam, as the human student had a blank expression on his face.
"Okay," Adam then sighed. "Let's get this over with."
"I couldn't agree more," Pixiefrog said proudly. "And since I'm the beloved principal, I get to go first."
"Alright Principal PF," Adam said. "Go on ahead and start."
"Very well. QUIET EVERYONE! I've got the floor! So let me start things off," Pixiefrog got everyone to stop chattering before clearing his throat, and then started speaking to Adam. "You know, Mr. Lyon? You are incredibly lucky that your folks managed to correct that bafflingly unrectified clerical error, that brought you into our all-animal school in the first place. Had it not been corrected, you wouldn't have much success in the long run with an all-animal education, as the only career opportunities available to someone with such an education would be a zoo animal, a Russian circus animal, or maybe a TV commercial spokes animal. And of course, most of those are computer generated these days, anyway."
"I see," Adam rubbed his chin.
"With that said, it is a great pleasure to tell you that we're 'really' gonna miss having you around," Principal Pixiefrog continued. "Aside from the student funding that we'll be losing, you have brought a touch of your human-like natural behavior and logic into our fair school. But don't worry. We won't miss you too much. Because as animals, we'll find a way through it all, and we'll be able to move on from not having you around."
"Uhhh, right," Adam said sheepishly. "Thanks for being honest, Principal PF."
"I thought so, too," Pixiefrog turned to face his assistant Mrs. Warthog. "Mrs. Warthog, is there something you'd like to say about Mr. Lyon?"
"Not really," Mrs. Warthog shrugged indifferently. "Although I guess I should say that things will be far different here with Lyon out of our hair."
"That was good Mrs. Warthog. I couldn't have come up with anything better myself," Pixiefrog told her dryly. "If the rest of the faculty and staff would like to say something about Adam, you may say it now."
"If I may, I guess I should be the one to start us off," Mr. Hornbill stepped up and got his attention. "Mr. Lyon, I think I would be lying if I said that your presence at this school has not left behind a significant impact amongst the rest of us animal species. While you may not have excelled at certain topics in our classes, you can excel in others such as human behavior class, and animal safety class. Furthermore, it does me great pleasure to admit, that we will miss having you among the rest of us, Mr. Adam Lyon."
"Mr. Lyon. I must say that having you in our school has been quite a... privilege and an honor, to have a human unlike the rest of us, be stuck attending our all-animal school," Ms. Chameleon proclaimed. "We will use your presence at our school as an experience, of some kind. And that it's one we shant forget soon enough. Thus, I will be quite honest when I say we'll miss having you around, Mr. Lyon."
"Alright, Lyon. I already know that there have been some rough patches between us before, regarding gym class," Coach Gills decided to speak. "But all of that I hope, has been put behind us, especially after being in your place for the day. And seeing how hard you had it at our school, I certainly hope that life at your human school will be far better than what you dealt with here. Isn't that right, Horace?"
Horace didn't say anything as he simply nodded. Just because it was a special service being held doesn't mean he could start talking whenever he pleases. So he remained quiet, much to Coach Gills' chagrin, who groaned at this.
"You know, Mr. Lyon? After seeing everything that you had gone through at our fair school, I can't 'really' blame you for wanting to break free from our education system," Mr. Mandrill stepped up and took his turn to speak. "Still, I think I speak for almost everyone that SOME of us are sad to see you go. But just as I told you a couple of days ago, you being stuck here was not a banishment for that mistake involving your last name. It was a tiring experience; one of several trials that you must be able to empower and fight your way through, in which it has finally come to an end. You made it this far Adam. The 'man' never did stop you from moving in this direction. You should be proud. I wish you the best of luck in your future, Adam my man."
"Ahem. If I may say something to Mr. Lyon 'really' fast," Mr. Blowhole cleared his throat and got his attention. "Now, Mr. Lyon? Although you weren't in the Advanced Class for very long, from what I had witnessed, your academic skills are phenomenal. Especially during most of the spelling bee. Even though you failed to spell the word 'peppercorn', I guess it would hurt to overlook everything else that came out of it. Therefore, it is customary for me to say that I wish for the best of luck, for your future."
"Well Mr. Lyon, I might as well say something about you," Mrs. Tusk got his attention. "I have to say, you always were the unique and different one of the bunch, child. Never ordering our school lunches unless you had to, not making a fuss out of what everyone else was eating, and most importantly, you weren't afraid to say how you 'really' felt about the lunches. But I guess I appreciate the time when you introduced us to corndogs, which was good while it lasted. And your little lactose intolerant routine was a classic comedy act for a while. I certainly do hope that you'll find your success elsewhere, at that human school of yours."
"Well now my little hot tootsie roll, I-" Nurse Gazelle started to say to him.
"Nurse Gazelle!" Pixiefrog cut her off with a loud croak, getting her to look at the stern glare that was on his face; warning her to rephrase that sentence carefully.
"Uhhhh, right. I-I mean...Mr. Lyon," Nurse Gazelle corrected herself, cleared her throat, and continued. "I'll admit, I never had a human specimen attend our school, let alone one that needed a checkup or was feeling sick. But I'd like to know that despite being in contact with other animal diseases and ailments, you are the healthiest student I ever met. You don't come into my office with any sicknesses. You keep away from other animal diseases that could spread around. Shucks, even the time you got transformed into that gorilla student thanks to being injected with a monkey booster, you barely caught anything after being shot by that antidote. And aside from the how hypo-allergic bubble fiasco, I don't recall ever seeing anything wrong with you to send you home."
Nurse Gazelle took a deep breath and then said. "What I'm trying to say is, you were a wonderful student here, being a pride and joy to everyone here. And I guess I'm gonna miss seeing you around. I hope that human school does you some wonders, Adam Lyon."
"Uhhh, right...T-Thanks Nurse Gazelle," Adam smiled sheepishly and awkwardly as he tugged on his collar before speaking normally. "'In fact', I'd like to thank all of the faculty and staff for what they said to me today, on my last day at this animal school."
"That's very touching Adam. But now the students would like to say a few words about your presence here," Principal Pixiefrog informed him before looking at the students. "Alright, students! Who here would like to be the first to say something to Adam Lyon, about what they felt about him while he attended Charles Darwin Middle School?"
"Oh! Oh! I'd like ter be the first to say somethin' about him," Henry got his attention before clearing his throat. "Ahem. Adam Lyon, it's been a mighty fine pleasure havin' y'all in our school while ya were here with the rest of us. Always willin' to help out those with mediocre talents, seemingly supportin' the underdog, and not bringin' any bad things onto the rest of us. I guess what I'mma sayin' is that y'all managed to bring out the best in all of us, Adam Lyon. Guess we'll all be missin' ya once you go back to yer human school. That's the best I could do with all the speech makin' and stuff, ya know?"
"Terrific Mr. Armadillo. We'll be sure to write down everything you wrote so we'll always remember it," Pixiefrog said wryly in a deadpan tone. "Okay! Who'd like to go next!?"
"Principal PF, if I may, I'd like to say something," Bull Sharkowski decided to go next as he took a deep breath through his headphones. "Now, if there is something that I will miss about that Lyon prey there, it ought to be the fact that he claimed I'm a better bully than he is. He is also easy prey to take away lunches from. And I get a lot of satisfaction from bullying that dumb Lyon."
Bull breathed through his headphones for a second before continuing. "And he helped me with passing human behavior class, I guess," he said that part softly where no one heard him before suddenly yelling. "BUT MOSTLY, I'LL MISS HAVING AN EASY PREY TO BULLY AND MESS WITH, WHICH HAPPENS TO BE ADAM LYON! That's what I'll miss."
"Alright Bull. Easy does it. No need to get too detailed about Mr. Lyon," Principal Pixiefrog told him. "Alright, who else has something to say about Adam Lyon?!"
"Ah-Dumb is such a complete joke amongst the rest of us. And we'll miss making fun of him for it," Phineas commented before letting out that dolphin chirp and then he and his Spiffie henchmen did that trademark snort that they're known for doing.
"Adam has the beeeeeest jokes and pranks around," a sheep student proclaimed.
"What can I say? Adam Lyon is the coolest kind of kid that you can get advice from," James Ant added. "And not step on you, of course."
"By Joe, Adam is a jolly good boy, that he is," Dickie said calmly.
"Adam is so cute," Margaret Rhino gushed.
"And handsome," Joanie Ox squeed.
"AND AWESOME!" Latanya Hippo shouted with that demonic tone of voice.
"He's a great dancer. I'll give him that," Donna Dorsal, a dolphin cheerleader student stated.
"He's pretty interesting...for a human," another animal student called out.
It was then several other animal students aside from Jake, Windsor, Slips, Lupe and Ingrid made comments that were similar to what was said previously. Others made remarks about how Adam was an outcast, but once he left, that'll make whoever was the second weakest in the school would become the new outcast. Which according to those students would either be Ingrid or Henry.
As for Adam, he 'really' wasn't surprised by most of these comments, considering how he had been treated by the majority of the student body at CDMS since day one.
Several minutes later, Principal Pixiefrog decided to break it up and get them to stop chattering.
"ALRIGHT! QUIET STUDENTS! QUIET! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Pixiefrog bellowed, getting them all to shut up. "Alrighty, you all made some rather interesting comments about Mr. Lyon here. Now, who has yet to say anything about Adam Lyon of the sort?"
"I believe we would like to have a few things to say to Adam Lyon," Windsor's voice was heard as he, Slips, Lupe, and Ingrid made their way through the crowd until they were standing right in front of Adam. "I presume that it would be alright if we all did that as a group, Principal PF."
"Oh, sure. Sure. Go ahead Mr. Gorilla," Pixiefrog waved. "You and your pals take all the time you want to say something to young Adam Lyon."
"Very well then," Windsor nodded before facing Adam. "Adam Lyon, I believe that since I issued this decision to be made, I should be the first to say a few things about your stay here."
"That's alright Windsor," Adam said. "Go right ahead."
"Precisely what I'm about to do," Windsor cleared his throat and then started. "Adam Lyon, for as long as I could remember, I had observed everything that had gone on here with you since you were metaphorically imprisoned in this foreign middle school not meant for humans. And all I can say is that I did feel some pity. Pity for the fact that the sublimely comical bureaucratic error that got you transferred here in the first place, up until this very moment.
Windsor took a deep breath before he continued. "Of course, I never said anything to you about the matter due to your rather 'narcissistic' attitude towards this school, as to how you griped about the problems you faced about being stuck here and not fitting in, as they call it. But now looking back, it would appear that you didn't have much of a choice, considering how the majority of the student population made you feel more like an outcast than anything."
"Yeah," Adam uttered softly as Windsor continued.
"With that fact aside, I can safely assume that I will miss having you around," Windsor admitted. "I will miss the fact that you come up with a proper solution to any non-academic problem that comes into play at our fair school, regardless of whether it's emotional, psychological, or physical. The mishap with Teddy Truman. The MASA scenario. These were moments that I looked back onto and realized that we all have taken you for granted here. And so, it is slightly depressing to see you go. Lastly, out of all the humans that I've gotten to know, you are one of the better ones within your species. I just want you to know that."
"Wow," Adam said with a slight smile. "Thanks, Windsor. I appreciate that."
"It was an honor to do so," Windsor bowed slightly before saying. "Anyway, it is about time that I cease my 'own' chitchat and allow the others of our group to step up and say their part. Uhhh, which one of you would like to go next?"
"I'll go next," Slips volunteered. "Just don't expect anything long from me dude. I like, suck at long speeches and stuff."
"That's fine Slips," Adam didn't seem bothered by that. "Go right ahead."
"Gotcha Adam, my man," Slips said as he slithered up in front of him, Windsor stepped back to the side and stood with Ingrid and Lupe, allowing Slips to get a turn. "Alright. I'm just gonna come out and say that you are the coolest human I ever met, dude! I know I've never known about other humans and all that, but the other ones I've seen aren't half as cool as you, Adam. You know how to throw a good party. You go around solving things with your human way of doing things. And you had the coolest pad too. I guess I should say that things won't be as cool with you gone. And this crib won't be the same with you out of our school, man."
"Gosh. That was pretty neat," Adam said slowly after blinking. "Thanks Slips. Will that be all?"
"Yes, Adam. As I said, speeches aren't my specialty," Slips told him. "But I'm sure whoever would like to go next would give you one that might be 'totally' bogus, dude. Or not, I guess."
"Aye, aye, aye. I guess I'll go next," Lupe sighed and decided to step up. "Since I got nothing better to do now, I might as well get this done and over with. Or however, this disparates goes."
"Alright, Lupe. Glad to see you step up to the plate," Slips proclaimed. "Are you sure you can handle sure."
"I'm as sure as the colors on my beak," Lupe yelled. "Now move it or lose it, Slips."
"Alright. Gotcha dude," Slips slithered away to join the others as it was Lupe's turn. Adam just stared at her, as he waited for Lupe to start speaking to him.
"Adam, Adam, Adam. I'm gonna be completely honest with you, there have been days where I thought you were completely loco with your way of doing things," Lupe told him. "But then there were times when you were a very decent hombre to the rest of us! I may never know much about the way of the human, and if there are other fascinante things that I have not witnessed. But for most of your stay at our school, I'd say you were pretty excelente in my book! I hope you can accept the fact that part of me is gonna miss having you here. And I'll accept the fact that you are better off at your old human school. Comprende?"
"Yes, Lupe. I understand," Adam nodded. "Thank you for that. That was pretty nice."
"Good. Because I was practicing rehearsing all morning as to what I should say to you," Lupe informed him.
"I can see that," Adam tugged on the collar of his shirt.
"Sí. And now that we got that out of the way, ahem...INGRID! COME OVER HERE!" Lupe yelled towards her giraffe friend. "IT'S YOUR TURN TO SAY SOMETHING TO ADAM!"
"Wuh? Is...Is it my turn, a-already..." Ingrid stuttered. "I...I didn't think my turn would come..."
"Well guess what, sister? We all went, and now it's your turn," Lupe informed him. "After all, you have something that you gotta tell him!"
"I-I dunno..." Ingrid was hesitant. "I mean... I don't think I'm ready for this..."
"QUIT STALLING ON ME INGRID! YOU ARE READY!" Lupe shouted in her face. "You've been waiting a long time for this, and now it has come! So pull yourself together and just TELL HIM ALREADY!"
"You're right. Okay. I-I'll do it," Ingrid said shyly.
"That's the spirit, girlfriend," Lupe proclaimed as she pushed over to Adam. "Now go on and tell him!"
"Right," Ingrid gulped as she found herself right in front of Adam, looking down at him while Lupe went to join Windsor and Slips on the sideline.
"Okay, Ingrid. You wanted to tell me something earlier that's been on your chest since I've been here," Adam encouraged. "So, what do you want to tell me?"
Oh, Adam, you are always so encouraging with your words... Ingrid thought with a slight blush as she shook her head and got right down to business. "Well, Adam...We've known each other for quite a while...Since you first got here...right?"
"Yeah," Adam said awkwardly. "We sure have."
"Adam, I also want to ask you something," she started. "Have I been nothing but nice to you?"
"Now that you mention it, you have," Adam had to admit. "You have never treated me like an outcast like most of the students here. You never treated me unfairly. And I guess you always keep me under consideration whenever something happens."
"Aw, Adam. It's always nice to hear you say those things about me," Ingrid told him, almost to the point of gushing. "Which reminds me, I think it's best if I tell you how I feel about you, Adam."
"Well, I'm all ears Ingrid. Let's hear it," Adam encouraged her to come out with it.
"Oh, Adam...You see... For as long as I can remember...I always feel these...f-fuzzy feelings... when near you... And I always feel happy, when you are acting all like a human you are..." Ingrid told him shyly. "And with that said...I...I... To tell you the truth... I got...I..."
"I what, Ingrid?" Adam was curious about this as he wondered where Ingrid was going with this.
"Okay, Adam. The fact of the matter is that I...I...I..." Ingrid gulped before she immediately came out and said it quickly. "I have a crush on you."
"WHAT!?" Adam yelped, unable to register what she just told him.
"NAILED IT! I KNEW SHE LIKED ADAM!" Lupe yelled. "I CALLED IT!"
The rest of the animal students were in a catatonic shock by what Ingrid just confessed to Adam. Did she 'really' have romantic feelings for the only human to have attended CDMS? Then again, most of the female students, as well as several of the female faculty and staff had the hots for Adam as well. So they shouldn't be surprised by this.
Then there was Adam, who was unable to find his voice for several minutes as he registered what she had just said. He had no idea what to say. Should he be flattered that a giraffe 'actually' had a romantic crush on a human? He knew that deep down it wouldn't have worked out, even if he wasn't already dating Kerry.
After a few minutes of complete silence, Adam finally found his voice. "I-Ingrid...Is...Is this true?"
"Yes, Adam. Yes. It's all true," Ingrid nodded shamefully. "I do have a crush on you. I dunno how long I've felt this way about you. For as long as you have attended our school. I always thought you were the cutest human I ever met. I get butterflies in my stomach whenever you're near me. I even wanted to ask you to the school dance when you brought your human friend Kerry here in a giraffe costume."
Ingrid took another deep breath before she continued. "I-I know that I'm not the best soul mate in your book. And that you wouldn't think of me as anything more than a platonic friendship with benefits. But I'm gonna miss seeing your adorable face around this school here every day when you're back at your human school. I couldn't keep it hidden anymore, so I wanted to confess to you before you left our school forever. I'll miss you, Adam. I just wanted you to know how I felt about you. I...I hope you understand..."
Adam could only take all of this in as he could've sworn tears were forming in her eyes. Upon hearing this revelation, things start making sense to him. It explains why she shyly awkwardly looks at him. It explains why she occasionally talks to him in a flirty tone. And it certainly explains why she seemed upset when she saw him with Kerry.
And now I am feeling more disappointed in Jake for using Ingrid's feelings for me to his advantage... Adam thought in bitter disappointment before shaking his head.
"Wow Ingrid," he finally said. "I...I dunno what to say. I'm just surprised that you came out and told me that you have feelings for me."
"Yes. It's a lot to take in. I know," Ingrid said sadly. "I hope that I didn't put too much pressure on you."
"It's not that Ingrid. It's just that..." Adam sighed as he paced back and forth. "I hope you understand that this would never work out between us."
"I know," Ingrid frowned deeply. "I'm a fool for having fallen for you in the first place, Adam."
"No Ingrid. It's not that at all. 'In fact', I thought it was sweet that you confessed about how much you like me," Adam assured her. "It's the fact that, well...if it ever came time for it, we wouldn't be able to mate, since we're two different species. I'm a human, and you're a giraffe. We're... incompatible."
Adam had to take a deep breath before revealing. "And besides, I'm already dating Kerry..."
All of a sudden, the female animal students had to gasp in shock at the horror that was revealed. Now they have no chance of mating with Adam at all, and Ingrid is no exception.
"I understand..." Ingrid said softly with a forlorn tone in her voice.
"Now look Ingrid, don't take it personally," Adam tried to lift her spirit. "I still like you. Just not in the way you had hoped. And the memories we shared at this school will be ones I'll always be fond of. You are a very special friend of mine, Ingrid. Even if we'll always remain on a platonic level, I'm sure that you'll be happy someday."
"Huh?" Ingrid looked at Adam while blinking her eyes. "You mean that?"
"Uhhh sure," Adam said slowly. "I will miss you too. And I'll be sure to think of you as a special friend of mine that I had when I attended this school. And for that, I'd like to say, thanks, Ingrid."
"Awww, thanks Adam," Ingrid wasted no time in scooping him up and holding him in her hooves in an embrace. "I-I know that we'll never mate, but I'll always remain fond of you. No other human could be as sweet and attractive as you."
"Right. Good to know," Adam yelped hastily as he was getting the stuffing squeezed out of him. "Would you mind letting me breathe Ingrid?!"
"Oh, right. Sorry," Ingrid realized her mistake and let go of Adam. "I forgot that I didn't know my 'own' strength."
"Right," Adam dusted himself off. "It happens to all of us."
"Alrighty. Now that we got that tension out of the air," Pixiefrog cleared his throat. "Has everyone gotten a chance to say their piece to Adam Lyon here?"
"Wait!" Jake Spidermonkey called out. "I haven't gotten to say anything to him!"
"Ah yes. Mr. Spidermonkey. What a surprise," Pixiefrog was pretty wry and sarcastic with his comment. "How could I possibly forget about him?"
Jake cut through the crowd of students, with the box in his hands until he came face to face with Adam. An awkward silence followed for several moments until Jake decided to break the ice.
"Hey Adam," Jake greeted him rather sheepishly and nervously.
"Hey Jake," Adam had no emotions in his voice as he said that.
Jake was 'really' having trouble saying something else to him as Adam turned away, not wanting to look at Jake at the moment. Silence clouded the cafeteria for a couple more minutes, as the others were just waiting to hear what Jake had to say to his former best friend.
Eventually, Jake cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and finally said something. "Adam? There's something important that I've gotta tell you..."
"What do you want, Jake?" Adam still had no emotions in his voice other than indifference as he asked that question.
Jake then got straight to business. "Listen, you may not believe me when I say this. But I've been thinking about everything that you said to me that Wednesday afternoon; after I pulled that prank on you. And I have gotten to the point where I realized, you were right. About everything. Everything you said about me was true."
Jake took a deep breath before he shakenly continued. "I've been nothing but a horrible friend to you. I never kept your feelings under consideration when I wanted something. I use our friendship to get you to do what I want. I've taken you for granted. And I never take any responsibilities for everything I do; where I pin them all on you."
Adam didn't say anything at all as he kept his back turned towards Jake. Of course, Jake wasn't finished yet as he kept going.
"All those times you've helped me out because you wanted to do the right thing. And what do I have to show for it?" Jake asked rhetorically before going off. "Nothing but constantly throwing you under the bus and screwing you over for something I did. Acting like I never have to be responsible for anything I've done, and have you take the blame. Kept disregarding your feelings in favor of something I wanted, as well as making you give up the stuff that you enjoy doing for something I like to do. And worst of all, I've been a lousy person to you and a horrible friend."
It was becoming clear that Jake was having more and more trouble talking without crying with each passing second.
"Adam I...I can't blame you for not wanting anything to do with me...or hate me, even. After all, I'm the reason you're being transferred from this school...Because my stupid prank went way too far with humiliating you. Now I wish I never pulled that prank on you in the first place," Jake uttered while sniffing as he finished up his apology. "I don't think you'll ever forgive me for what I've done to you during your stay here Adam. But all I want to say is...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've made your life WORSE while you were here. I'm sorry for never being a better friend to you, and taking your feelings and well-being into consideration. And I'm sorry for driving you to the point where you hate this school. That's all that I want to say to you."
As soon as Jake was finished, he was then heard sniffing his nose as if he was fighting back tears. Adam still didn't say anything as he took in everything that Jake said to him. Then after a couple more minutes of silence, Adam decided to say something to him for the first time since that Wednesday afternoon.
"You hurt me, Jake. You 'really' hurt me and ruined our friendship that day," Adam said sharply, still keeping his back turned towards Jake. "All the bad stuff that you got me into since I've been at this school was bad enough as it is. But the prank you pulled on me that day 'really' left me betrayed. It 'really' showed me how much you valued our friendship."
"I know. And I feel horrible for doing such a thing," Jake had his head down in shame. "I now wish that I never pulled it off in the first place..."
"And if that weren't enough," Adam slowly turned around to face Jake, with a stern and disappointed look on his face. "I then find out that Ingrid has feelings for me. And that revelation makes what you did at the school dance WORSE than I thought, since it showed me that you would use Ingrid's feelings for me to your advantage, just to get what YOU want."
"Yes. I know it was terrible of me to lie to you like that at the school dance," Jake said sadly. "And now that I know how Ingrid feels about you, it makes me feel worse than I did..."
"And that's not getting into the time when Zira Cornelius came to our school and was shooting a documentary film focusing on one of us," Adam continued. "And you decided to throw me under the bus by shooting the film of me for Zira just for 5 bucks. And then getting me publically humiliated by everyone in Glendale!"
"OKAY! I GET IT! I've done some horrible things to you!" Jake cried. "And I just wanted you to know how sorry I am. And that it's my fault that you're leaving our school in the first place."
Adam closed his eyes and sighed. "Look, Jake. I 'really' wish I could believe you, but I'm not sure anymore. I just can't remain in a toxic friendship when you're the only one getting the benefit. I...I just don't know anymore..."
"Wait, Adam! Before you leave our school...forever...There's something I'd like to give to you," Jake got to the point.
"Like what?" Adam raised an eyebrow.
"I have a present here for you," Jake held out the box. "I made it for you myself."
"You made me a present," Adam asked before getting suspicious. "Wait a sec, this isn't another one of your pranks, is it?"
"Trust me Adam, all my pranks have left the building ever since Wednesday. This is no joke," Jake pledged. "You can take my word for it. This is an actual gift."
Adam was still a little apprehensive about this as Jake held the box out for him to take. He wasn't sure if he could trust Jake anymore with anything. However, from his tone and gestures, it seems that Jake may be telling the truth and that he wasn't pulling any more antics on him.
Everyone else was curious about this, except for the pack members. They were the only ones who knew what Jake made for Adam but kept their mouths shut to avoid spoiling the surprise.
After a few minutes of thinking, Adam finally caved in. "Okay, Jake. I'll open the box. But this better NOT be a prank that you set up for me."
"Trust me. It isn't a prank at all," Jake promised. "You're gonna love it."
Adam could only roll his eyes at that as he was still feeling doubt. Nonetheless, he decided to open the box for himself. He used a pair of scissors that he had to cut off the tape and peel back the flaps on the box.
As soon as he opened it, he saw brown paper covering over the surprise. After gulping, Adam took it out of the box and tore off the paper to see what it was for himself. What he saw next left him speechless.
It was a Princess Ballerina Snow Globe. Except it wasn't. What it was, was a handmade version of one. From the looks of it, it was made of leftover toothpicks, broken pencils, and whatever other loose junk Jake was able to salvage from the mess in the gym to put this gift together.
The princess ballerina doll in the center of it looked almost exactly like the real deal. Finally, what was being used for a dome looked like some kind of glass material that Jake found somewhere, like an actual glass dome.
Adam was unable to say anything for a few minutes until he finally found his voice.
"Jake...? Is...Is this...?" Adam was barely able to get out.
"Yes, Adam. It is," Jake nodded. "It's my homemade version of that Princess Ballerina snowglobe."
"But how? How could you have made this?" Adam queried.
"Simple. I had it all sketched out in a notebook that I got, where I drew some ideas for a gift that I wanted to make for you," Jake answered. "And then I gathered some stuff that I could use to put it together. All the stuff I used was from this school. It was just some junk I found lying around when I cleaned up the school last night, especially the debris that I found in the gym."
"Ah. So that's what happened to all the debris that went missing," Principal Pixiefrog said thoughtfully as he stroked his chin.
"Okay. So I guess you used toothpicks, broken pencils, and other loose debris to put this together," Adam then decided to ask. "But what did you use for the glass dome?"
"Oh. I had found a small abandoned mirror ball that was lying around in the basement when I was cleaning it out," Jake revealed. "I thought it would work best, so I used it for that snow globe."
"What about the doll?" Adam queried. "Where on Earth did you find it?"
"That? Well, I don't think you knew this, but they 'apparently' have a 'lost and found' section somewhere in this school," Jake told him. "Anyway, I found that doll in a lost and found box that was right behind one of the bookshelves in the library."
"So that's where it was," Pixiefrog mused. "I thought that the lost and found box had gone missing..."
"And the snow?" Adam wondered, raising an eyebrow.
"I decided to use some old white dandruff that was lying around in the bathroom," Jake proclaimed. "No one was using it, so I decided to use it for snow for that snow globe that I made for you, Adam."
"Alright," Adam sighed. "But why did you make this for me?"
"Well Adam, I felt so ashamed from how I put that Princess Ballerina snowglobe that I won onto online auction, and that you never got it, that I decided to do the next best thing; make one by hand," Jake exclaimed. "I know that I wasn't a great friend to you. But I knew how much you love those Princess Ballerina snowglobes, even though everyone else thinks they're cheesy. I'm aware that I haven't been the bestest friend to you, and I've been lousy. So I decided to make this for you, to make up for all the times that I've driven you crazy and made your life miserable here. So what do you say? Do you love it?"
Adam didn't say anything at first as he continued observing it for a few more minutes or so. He had to admire the craftsmanship, the design, the quality of it, and just how beautiful it looked. He had to admit that Jake 'really' did a fine job of putting something like this together. There was something about it that ended up making him smile a little.
After some more silence, Adam finally voiced his thoughts on it.
"Yes, Jake. I do love it," he said softly. "Thank you..."
"And?" Jake noticed that Adam had to say something else to him.
"And, I forgive you, Jake," Adam told him.
"You do," Jake beamed as Adam nodded. "Does this mean you'll be staying at CDMS!?"
"No Jake. I can't," Adam told him, which got the spider monkey to frown. "All the arrangements have been made. All the corrections with my last name have been corrected. There's no reason for me to stay at this school anymore. It's time for me to head back to my human school."
"But..." Jake whimpered. "But will we ever see you again, Adam?"
"Look Jake, and this goes for the other students that I was close to," Adam announced. "I know that you all live at the Zoo Aquarium. So maybe sometime, when there is no school in session, I might drop by and visit you guys."
"You'd 'really' do that?" Jake wondered.
"Only when I have time," Adam added.
"That seems to be the most consistent idea that he could go with, considering that he's no longer attending our school," Windsor proclaimed.
"I'm all for that one, dude," Slips remarked.
"Sí! I think it's excelente too!" Lupe added.
"I'd love to have that too," Ingrid stated.
Most of the other students who DIDN'T hold any ill manner toward Adam said something similar to that.
"Alright! Alright, students! We know that you'll love it when Adam stops by the zoo when he has some time off," Principal Pixiefrog got their attention. "Now if I'm correct, the school should be just about over in a couple of minutes. But before we go, Lyon, we just want to say that it's been a thrill having you here. And sometimes it wasn't such a thrill having you stuck here. But the point is, we all hope that whatever you go for or aim for next, you'll have all the fullest potential that any human student should have. And this school won't be holding you back."
"Wow. I guess that's some nifty advice Principal Pixiefrog. Thanks," Adam then said to everyone else. "And thanks to the rest of you for your comments, even if SOME of them did creep me out. But more importantly, I do hope you'll do better off at this school without me here holding you back and being viewed as an outcast. So, that's about it."
"Very well then. That works perfectly for us," Windsor told him as it was almost time for the school day to be over. "Adam Lyon, even with the amount of time that you spent here at our school and the fact that it'll be sad to see you depart from our humble education system, we are obliged to let you go. So from all of us, we bid you adieu."
"Yeah, bro. Happy days, Adam," Slips commented. "See ya around dude, and catch ya on the flipside any time, my man."
"Uh-huh! Adios amigo," Lupe yelled. "Good luck with life at your old human school!"
"Yeah. I really will miss you, Adam," Ingrid said. "So take care, and farewell!"
"Well Adam, I guess this is it," Jake said with his hand out. "Goodbye, pal."
"Right," Adam returned the gesture. "Goodbye Jake."
Thus they shook hands and hugged for possibly the last time. By then, the school bell had rung, which signaled all the students to get going to their lockers and gather their stuff before heading home, except for Jake, who stayed behind with Pixiefrog to serve some more of his afterschool punishment.
Adam had already returned all the school books he was given when he first came to the school to each respective teacher. So that wasn't a problem. All he needed from his locker was his backpack, and nothing else.
As soon as Adam Lyon got his backpack, he made sure the locker was emptied since all of his stuff was put into his now empty backpack, along with the Princess Ballerina snow globe that Jake made for him, he then closed it, like he never even owned it in the first place.
With the now emptied abandoned locker behind him, Adam approached the door, which he stepped out of and walked away from the building. The school billboard under the sign said in all capital letters; GOODBYE ADAM LYON!
Seeing that he was officially no longer a student at CDMS, Adam could finally look forward to a better future that was in store for him. He only had one last thing on his mind regarding CDMS as he headed home.
Goodbye, Charles Darwin Middle School. You'll be better off without me being trapped here...
END OF CHAPTER 13...
Yeah, I decided to cut this chapter short because it's already wicked long. Still, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, even with how long it took me to get this chapter written.
So with that said, there's one more chapter left in this story, and it'll be the epilogue. Then the story will be finished. I hope that I can finish it without my burnout making me give up on it.
So next time, Adam will tell Kerry what he had at school today, what he went through, and some other stuff will happen. How will it go? Find out next time, readers.
For now, only if you like, you can leave a review for this chapter and tell me what you think. It doesn't matter to me since this story is almost finished.
Otherwise, I have nothing else to say. So until next time, take care of yourselves. And on that note, thanks again for reading everyone!