Day 3 – Pitstopped – part 3
Marcie jumped out of the car before Velma parked it. Velma ran after her friend, and they arrived at the Malt Shop while the Hex Girls were singing "Earth, Wind, Fire and Air". The place was full of Crystal Cove High School kids, and Velma had to squeeze between them to get to the stage. There, she shouted Thorn's name several times, but the music was so loud that she was not heard. Then, Velma threw her purse at Thorn and shouted her name as loudly as she could, however, the vocalist quickly dodged the object and responded to Velma's attitude with a grimace – and giving her the middle finger. Thorn's response made people laugh, and Velma got angrier. Marcie was more sensible and pulled her friend by the arm towards the dressing rooms.
Marcie: Come on! Their show is almost over, let's wait in their dressing room, Thorn won´t escape!
Both girls squeezed between the crowd again and walked through a maze of corridors until they reached the dressing rooms. Velma entered the Neptunes' dressing room by mistake, and soon she closed the door. Then, she mistakenly entered Josie and the Pussycats' dressing room and she saw Alexandra there, so she stayed for a moment.
Velma: Alex, darlin´, I need to talk to you! NOW!
To Velma's surprise, Alexandra was completely different. She was wearing an animal print t-shirt with the Pussycats´ logo, and she was sitting on a couch between Josie and Valerie. The three girls were talking and laughing a lot.
Josie: Sorry, Vel, I won't lend you Alex now!
Valerie: She's our new roadie!
Josie: Rrrrroar…die!
The three girls started doing ridiculous imitations of a jaguar's roar, and that irritated Velma even more. Marcie tried to intervene before Velma´s reaction, so she called Alexandra again.
Marcie: That´s serious, Alex, stop with this shit! We´ve discovered the cause of all changes: it was Thorn! Thorn has bewitched us and we need to break the curse right now!
The four girls looked at each other, and the moment Melody imitated a ghost and said "Boo" in a sarcastic manner, they started laughing. Velma just rolled her eyes and sighed. She threatened to leave the dressing room, so Alexandra walked towards her and agreed to talk about it. Outside the dressing room, Velma quickly explained her discovery, but Alexandra interrupted her.
Alexandra: Look, Velma, don't get me wrong, but... I think I don´t want to be who I used to be... not anymore… I'm much happier being this new Alexandra... now I have friends, and people don't hurt me 24h/7d with jokes…
Velma: BUT YOU KNOW THIS NEW VERSION OF YOU IS NOT REALLY YOU, DEAR! THE NEW ALEXANDRA IS A LIE!
Alexandra: What if I want to be a lie? What if this lie is much better than the reality? Look at you! Aren´t you happy with new friends, new skills and a new appearance? Weren't you happy to be invited to Judy's party?
Velma: DO I LOOK HAPPY? Look at me, I'm hurting people who love me! I´m doing shameful things all the time! There is no skill, appearance, or wealth in this world that is worth the relationship I had with Shaggy! You are so selfish, dear, how dare you to think about your happiness while Marcie, Madelyn and I are suffering?
Instead of a response, Alexandra let out a forced laugh and made fun of Velma's anger.
Alexandra: AM I SELFISH? You were in a scary mansion, you weren't sure if there was a killer or a vengeful ghost there, and instead of leaving, what did you do? You called us! You didn´t even thought about the risks we would take there... then, you didn´t let us leave just because YOU were scared, and YOU wanted to earn 3 thousand dollars...
Velma: ALEXANDRA, YOUR PERSONALITY IS CHANGING! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT THIS IS PART OF THORN´S SPELL? YOU ARE NOT YOURSELF ANYMORE, THAT'S WHY YOU NEED OUR HELP!
Alexandra: Your help? You´re in trouble with the psychic girl and that´s why WE ALL got cursed! Is this the kind of help you can give me?
Velma: No, darling, I want to help you to be who you really are, instead of suffering the horrible consequences being this new person...
Alexandra: Oh, now I finally got it, you didn't like the curse you´ve received, so I have to be my old self and be bullied again, so that you can be who were, right? After all, I'M THE SELFISH ONE, RIGHT, VELMA DINKLEY? ASK MARCIE IF SHE IS SUFFERING HAVING UNLIMITED MONEY AND NOT WORKING FOR IT! WHAT ABOUT MADELYN? EVERYONE KNOWS SHE ONLY DOES THIS STUPID MAGIC TO BE FRIENDS WITH A TOTAL FAILURE LIKE LUAN! NOW THAT SHE GOT RID OF LUAN LOUD, SHE WILL BE MUCH HAPPIER!
The moment Alexandra raised her voice, the Neptunes passed the girls in the hallway and greeted them. Instead of continuing the argument, Velma just turned her back on Alexandra and ran towards the Hex Girls' dressing room. Alexandra didn´t accept Velma's silence, so she grabbed Marcie by the wrist.
Alexandra: Come on, Marcie, don´t be so submissive, tell that cheap Penelope cosplay that you're enjoying your new life!
Marcie sighed, removed her own wrist from her friend's hands and answered.
Marcie: I'm loving my new life, Alex. Really! It´s a dream come true! But I know it's not the right thing to do. I can't be happy at the expense of my parents' suffering. Neither Velma wants to be someone new at the expense of losing Shaggy, nor Maddie wants to leave Luan behind. A "failure" or not, that's what we are! It is the most precious and true thing we have: the truth. A true love, a true friendship. So, yes, I love this lie I'm living, but I can't feel good knowing it's just a lie. And honestly, you should do the same. Josie isn't worth your real self.
Marcie ran towards Velma and left Alexandra with tears in her eyes. At the Hex Girls' dressing room, she found Velma rummaging through drawers and cupboards, looking for clues. Marcie joined her, and they were only interrupted when the door suddenly opened by itself. The girls froze for a moment, but seconds later Luna and Dusk appeared carrying their instruments, and they calmed down.
Luna: Sorry, girls, we don't do Meet & Greet...
Velma: That´s a shame, honey, because I would pay millions just to kick Thorn's ass! WHERE IS SHE?
Dusk and Luna widened their eyes in surprise and looked in Velma's direction. Then, they looked at each other for a moment, and after, looked at Velma and Marcie.
Velma: WHERE IS THORN?
Luna: I don't know! Hmm… I think she is getting something to eat…
Luna and Dusk looked completely uncomfortable, and they didn't dare to say anything else. Suddenly, Velma heard Thorn's laugh and looked around, looking for the origin of the sound. She didn't find Thorn anywhere in the dressing room, so she left the room in a hurry, and Marcie followed her. At the main hall of the Malt Shop, Velma saw Shaggy and Googie arriving together, hand in hand. That scene destroyed all her motivation and sadness made her paralyze. When a tear ran down Velma's face, Marcie pulled her friend by the arm to the exit of the Malt Shop, and at the sidewalk, Velma broke down in tears.
Marcie didn´t know what to say to her friend, so she just hugged and comforted her while she cried uninterruptedly for a few minutes. When a loud sob ceased Velma's crying, the girls heard Thorn's laughter again, and the noise infuriated Velma. Looking around, she didn't find Thorn, but the anger made Velma run to the convenience store across the street to search for Thorn there. Marcie followed Velma recklessly and without looking both ways before crossing the street. Velma only stopped running when the loud sound of braking tires echoed around the block. Soon after, a dull impact noise made her look back and see Marcie lying on the street. Velma desperately screamed her friend's name and ran towards her, while the driver left at high speed, without providing help. Velma's screams for help made a small crowd gather around Marcie's body. A few minutes later, they heard the sound of an approaching ambulance siren, and Marcie finally opened her eyes.
Velma: DON'T MOVE, DEAR! STAY EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE, THE AMBULANCE IS COMING!
Instead of moving, Marcie started crying due to the pain she was feeling. While the paramedics put the girl on the stretcher, Alexandra approached.
Velma: SO, DARLING, DO YOU STILL THINK MARCIE IS LOVING THIS NEW LIFE?
Velma got into the ambulance with her friend and held her hand while the nurses provided first aid. Alexandra tried to enter too, but she was stopped by paramedics. The last thing Velma saw when the ambulance left was Dusk and Luna horrified, looking at each other.
Velma was in that hospital chair for so many hours that her back was hurting. But the emotional pain she was feeling was worse than the physical pain: Shaggy didn´t care about her anymore. He didn´t even send her a message asking if she and Marcie were ok. Her parents were also strangely unconcerned: when she sent her mom a message telling what happened, she replied: "I'm glad she survived, be more careful next time". That was definitely not the kind of relationships she wanted for her life. In fact, that was not the kind of life she wanted to have: closer to people she didn´t even know, but distant for the ones she loved. She tried to stay strong and not express any of the horrible feelings she was feeling, but when she saw the image of Mr. and Mrs. Fleach in the hospital hallway, she broke down. Mrs. Fleach greeted her with a tight hug, and repeated several times "it's okay, dear" while stroking her dyed blonde hair.
Mrs. Fleach: Calm down, sweetheart, she will be fine! She has only some fractures, she won´t die!
Velma felt better when she heard that her friend's life was not at risk, but even so, she couldn't stop crying.
Mrs. Fleach: Plus, luckily, we'll be able to pay for her treatment and rehabilitation... we'll use the money we earned selling the park... there's nothing to worry about!
Velma sobbed and cried more, this time, due to pure anger. The curse had already made Fleach family lose their own business, and right after doing it, it made them to lose all the money on medical expenses. Mrs. Fleach didn't know what to do to calm Velma down, she continued to comfort her for a long time, until she was interrupted by Alexandra Cabot. Seeing her, Velma broke the hug and released all the anger she was feeling.
Velma: JUST TAKE A LOOK AT HOW MARCIE IS LOVING HER NEW SELF! HER BONES ARE IN PIECES AND HER PARENTS WILL SPEND ALL THEIR MONEY IN THIS FUCKING HOSPITAL!
Alexandra: Hey, calm down, I'm not enjoying my new life either, ok? I'm sorry. I was an idiot… you are right, this is not the right thing to do and we will lose everything if we continue…
Velma calmed down and accepted Alexandra's apology. Then, she noticed Alan Mayberry approaching them, so she glared at Alexandra, suspecting her intentions.
Velma: What the hell is Alan doing here?
Alexandra: Oh, he gave me a ride…
Alexandra tried to hide her shyness, but she blushed when Alan approached them and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. After asking the Fleach couple about Marcie, he said he would wait for Alexandra outside. Velma was in shock when she saw that scene, and Alexandra blushed again.
Velma: Oh, no, don't tell me that... that you... ALEXANDRA!
Alexandra: What? Is it a crime to get a ride with a handsome boy?
Velma: A HANDSOME BOY WHO IS YOUR CRUSH AND IS ALSO JOSIE'S BOYFRIEND!
Alexandra: But Josie cheated on him with Peter!
Velm: Oh, of course, just because she cheated on Alan, it is totally ethical to make him cheat on her too?
Alexandra: Come on, Velma, it's just a ride! He didn't even know I existed before this curse, let me enjoy a little before the spell ends! Furthermore, I thought about my actions and decided to come here because of him... when Alan started noticing me, I realized that things really were bizarre, and even if I had fun with all of this, the consequences would be horrible...
Velma's cell phone rang and interrupted Alexandra. Through the call, Daphne asked about Marcie. When she heard that she was out of risk, she asked Velma to return to the mansion as soon as possible. Velma asked if Alan could take her to the Malt Shop, where her car was parked, but the request sounded like an insult to Alexandra.
Alexandra: Are you really going to ruin my ride?
Velma rolled her eyes when she heard the answer and she called a taxi.
In front of Pitstop mansion´s gate, Daphne scolded Velma again for not being at the mansion, and she spent five minutes talking about the car Velma had used to go to the Malt Shop. Velma just sighed and handed the car keys to Fred Jones. Then, Daphne introduced Velma to Tinker, Fred's friend, who knew a lot about cars and he would repair the Compact Pussycat. While the young man was working on the rare car, Velma told Daphne everything that had happened in the last few hours – and she felt that her friend didn't believe hera t all. Velma was interrupted when Fred Jones arrived, driving the missing car, and that made Daphne not pay attention to Velma´s words anymore – Daphne only wanted to check if the car was ok. Just few minutes after returning the car to its place, the couple finally left the mansion, leaving Velma and the mechanic there. Velma walked to Penelope´s room and there she sent messages to Madelyn and Alexandra, but received no answer. Before 11pm, she received a text from Marcie saying that she was fine. Exhausted, Velma decided to sleep, since she would have classes the next day – plus, she would have many challenges and many people to face at that school.
When she finally fell asleep, Velma dreamed that she was talking to Tinker about cars. As he finished fixing the Compact Pussycat, she took him to the mansion's garage to show him all the cars she had. In the next dream, Velma knew Tinker so well that she was in his car on the way to a seedy roadside bar. In the other dream, she was singin loudly and laughing a lot while toasting a very strong drink with several strange, evil-looking men. In the last dream, she won a poker game against three delinquent dwarfs, but before getting her alcoholic prize, her cell phone woke her up. To her despair, again, her dreams hadn't just been dreams, and Velma found herself again in a strange place, surrounded by strange people.
Madelyn: Where the hell are you now?
Velma: Maddie, I don't know! I… I… I'm in trouble! Help!
Madelyn: Well, you're not in danger, you´ve just destroyed your reputation… based on the shameful things you've been posting, you've committed social suicide and you´ll have to move away from this city... maybe away from this state…
Velma: Maddie, help! Stop judging me and help me!
Madelyn: Why do you think I´ve called you? I'm helping you to stop doing stupid things! Now, find a way to get out of this bar ASAP, I can´t rescue you this time by bike, its too far!
Velma turned off her cell phone and the bartender handed her the alcoholic prize, and her poker buddies shouted a toast once more. Awkwardly, Velma dodged them all and left the bar. However, outside, the scene she saw was even worse: a deserted road, an old mechanic shop, an abandoned gas station and total darkness. While walking among the old cars parked around the bar, Velma recognized the car that had run over Marcie. To make things worse, there was no mobile signal anywhere, and Velma was unable to make calls and use the internet. In panic, she returned to the bar – and was once more greeted by the hillbillies there – looked for Tinker, but couldn't find him anywhere. Returning outside, she felt despair and started to cry. A few men approached her, but she dismissed them one by one, knowing they had no intention of truly helping her.
With no other option, Velma walked a few meters down the dark road, and slowed her steps when she noticed that the light from the bar was getting further and further away. Suddenly, Velma felt that she was being followed, and when she looked back, she noticed that a big, fat, hairy dog was walking right behind her. She was so fragile that she felt no fear, she let the dog approach her and comfort her by licking her hands. His attitude brought more tears to Velma's eyes, because she remembered Scooby-Doo and, consequently, Shaggy. However, as she stroked the dog's back, he made a noise pretty similar to a laughter and ran away, taking Velma's cell phone with him. Furious, Velma ran a few meters after the dog, screaming and crying with anger, but tiredness, fear of the dark and the high heels of her shoes soon made her stop. Velma decided to return to the bar, after all, it was better to be with delinquents in a bright place than to find a delinquent alone, in the dark. To her surprise, halfway back, a strange car left the bar and came towards her. Without turning off the car, the driver just opened the window and handed her the cell phone stolen by the dog – and, again, the dog, who was in the passenger seat, made a strange laughing noise.
Dick Dastardly: My stupid dog brought me this, but I think it belongs to you...
Velma: Oh, thank you, honey! I… I was…
The sobs prevented her from speaking, and the dog again "laughed" at her.
Dick Dastardly: You're the girl who's taking care of Penelope's house, right? Velma Dinkley?
Velma was afraid to say yes to a stranger. Not only because of the strange appearance of the young man and his car, but also because he was one of the well-known-delinquents who were at that bar – and, to her dismay, he knew that she was taking care of the Pitstop mansion. However, at that moment, she had no choice but nod her head and trust him.
Dick Dastardly: Get into the car, I'll take you there.
Before Velma´s response, he opened the passenger door and roughly pushed the dog out, leaving the passenger seat free for Velma. This time, the dog made a noise similar to a grumpy murmur, and he only stopped when the man opened the back door and let him into the car again. Velma sat down on passenger seat and closed the door with fear. As the car sped into the darkness, she texted Madelyn, "If I go missing, look for a man with a thin moustache and a fat, hairy brown dog in a black 1969 Impala." And she begged her weak mobile signal to deliver her last words before she died.