It was Saturday. The time was 8:30 AM. The Stein household was quiet and asleep, except for Viktor and Viveka, who were sitting at the dining room table drinking coffee and chatting.

A short time later, Frankie woke up and came out of her room, walking down the hallway and into the living room. She joined her parents at the table.

"Good morning, Mom and Dad." Frankie greeted.

"Morning, sweetheart!" Viktor and Viveka both said.

"What's for breakfast?" Frankie asked.

"This morning, we thought we'd let you and Jake decide." Viktor said.

"Whatever you kids want, we'll make it. As long as we have it, that is." Viveka said.

Frankie smiled enthusiastically. "Okay! I'm surprised, you never do that."

"It doesn't hurt to switch it up every once and a while!" Viktor said with a grin.

Soon after, Jake came out of his room and joined the Steins at the table.

"Morning, guys." Jake greeted.

"Morning!" the Steins all said. "Jake, what do you want for breakfast?" Viveka asked.

"Um, the first thing that came to my mind was pancakes." Jake said, giggling.

"Pancakes sound delicious!" Frankie said excitedly.

"Pancakes it is then! Let me see if we have batter." Viktor said, and got up.

Viveka took a sip of coffee. "I haven't had pancakes in forever."

"Me neither. My mom used to make them all the time, then she just stopped for some reason. This was long before she passed away." Jake said.

"Why did she stop?" Frankie asked.

"I'm not sure. I asked her once and even she didn't know." Jake said.

"Well, I'm sure she's flipping those pancakes in heaven...sorry...is that insensitive?" Viveka asked worriedly.

Jake chuckled. "No, it's okay."

Viktor grabbed a box of pancake batter and set it on the counter. Then he poured some in a measuring cup and poured that into a pan, repeating the process a few more times. He turned the oven on and everything was sizzling.

"The pancakes are cooking." Viktor said while sitting back down. He then looked at Frankie and Jake. "Do you guys know when you're going to Cleo's?"

"Um, probably after breakfast, if that's alright with you." Frankie said.

"That's fine! We hope you have fun." Viveka said, smiling.

"Me too!" Jake said excitedly.

"Jake, how many albums does Michael Jackson have?" Frankie asked.

"He released ten albums during his lifetime, and two after he died." Jake responded.

Frankie's face turned sad. "Wait, he died? When?"

"In 2009, but I don't wanna get into that right now." Jake said awkwardly.

"Wow, I had no idea. That's a shame." Frankie said sullenly.

Jake nodded in agreement. He was absolutely crushed when he lost his idol, as was the rest of the world who loved him.

"Yeah, it is. When a beloved celebrity passes away, it's like everything just stops for a moment." Viktor said.

"I know, it's crazy." Viveka agreed.

Viktor went back to the kitchen and saw that the pancakes were done. He used a spatula to put them on 4 plates and brought them to the table.

"Frankie, Jake, what do you want to drink?" Viktor asked.

"Orange juice, please." Jake said.

"Same here." Frankie said.

Frankie, Jake, and Viveka started eating while Viktor poured 2 glasses of orange juice, then set them on the table.

"How are the pancakes? Did I make 'em right?" Viktor asked.

"They're perfect, Vik!" Viveka replied with a wink.

"You guys can be honest with me, I can handle the truth." Viktor said.

"They taste really good, Dad." Frankie said.

"Mm-hmm. They remind me of my mom's." Jake said.

Viktor smiled. "Well, thanks!"

The 4 continued eating their pancakes. When they were done, they put the stuff in the sink. Frankie and Jake showered, brushed their teeth, and got dressed.

"Welp, I think we're gonna head over to Cleo's now." Frankie said.

"Okay! You kids have fun!" Viktor said.

"And say hi to Cleo for us!" Viveka said.

"We will." Jake said.

"Remember, we'll be checking on you two while you're there." Viktor warned.

Frankie smirked. "Okay, Daddy."

"Don't worry, we'll keep you guys updated." Jake reassured. Looking at Frankie, he then asked, "Ready to go?"

"Yep!" Frankie happily replied.

At that moment, the two left the house as Viktor and Viveka said bye to them on their way out. They got in the car and drove off.

"I'll give you Cleo's address so you'll know where to go." Frankie said.

"Okay. I'll put it in my GPS when we stop at the next red light." Jake said.

Frankie nodded.

"Are you excited?" Jake asked.

"Heck yeah I am! Are you?" Frankie asked.

"Yup! I can't wait for you guys to listen to all of MJ's music. You're all gonna have the time of your lives." Jake said with a smile.

"I can't wait." Frankie said, grinning giddily.

When the car stopped at a red light, Frankie gave Jake Cleo's address and he put it in the GPS on his phone, in which its text-to-speech program told him exactly where to go.

XXXXXXX

Frankie and Jake arrived at Cleo's house within 30 minutes. They got out of the car and approached the entrance.

The first thing Jake noticed was Cleo's house being shaped like a pyramid.

"This is interesting."

"What is?" Frankie asked.

"The way Cleo's house looks on the outside. It's like a pyramid. It's kinda cool." Jake said.

"I agree. It's very unique." Frankie said.

Frankie rang the doorbell, with Cleo answering it right away. She smiled upon seeing her friends.

"Hey, guys! Come on in." Cleo said welcomingly.

Frankie and Jake entered the house accordingly. Jake looked around in hopes of getting a first impression.

"I'm surprised we're doing this this early in the morning. I thought it wouldn't be until the afternoon." Cleo said.

"Well, this whole thing was Jake's idea in the first place." Frankie said with a giggle.

"That's true! By the way, Cleo, your house looks very nice. I love the aesthetic of it." Jake said.

Cleo was flattered. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome!" Jake said, smiling.

Suddenly, Cleo's father Ramses and older sister Nefera came in, noticing the company.

"Hi, Mr. de Nile!" Frankie greeted politely.

"Hello, Frankie. It's good to see you." Ramses said in his distinctive deep voice.

Nefera didn't say a word, she just stood there with her arms crossed and a dirty look on her face.

"Jake, I'd like to introduce you to my father, Ramses, and my big sister, Nefera. Daddy, Nefera, this is our friend, Jake. He recently transferred to Monster High." Cleo said.

"Hello there!" Ramses greeted.

"Hi! It's nice to meet you." Jake said, shaking Ramses' hand.

Nefera didn't even bother to greet Jake nor shake his hand. Instead, she just scowled at him with her arms still crossed.

"Cleo, if you're trying to cheat on Deuce, at least find someone better looking." Nefera remarked snidely, and walked away.

Frankie, Cleo, and Jake were stunned by that comment. Ramses just shrugged and walked away as well.

"What did Nefera just say?!" Jake asked, shocked.

"Uh, you'll have to excuse her. She's a bit of a handful." Cleo replied.

"Pssh, yeah, I'll say! She just insulted me right to my face, and I can't believe she thinks you'd cheat on Deuce with me. We're not dating!" Jake said angrily.

"I know! Cleo, I love you, and no disrespect to your family, but your sister needs to get her attitude in line. I don't know how you put up with her." Frankie said, feeling the same way.

"From my first impression, she's just as bad as Toralei." Jake said.

"Oh, she is WAY worse than Toralei! I never say anything because whenever I do, my dad just shrugs it off and acts like it never happened. There's no winning with my family, there just isn't." Cleo said in a huff.

"Tell me about it." Frankie said.

Cleo sighed, getting herself together. "Okay, well, we're off to a rocky start, but, um, we're still gonna have fun! I assume we're waiting until everyone else gets here before we start, correct?"

"Yeah, let's do that." Jake said.

"Perfect! Exactly how much music are we going to be listening to, Jake? I'd like to know what I'm getting myself into." Cleo said.

"Uh, twelve albums in total." Jake responded.

Cleo blinked. "Wow! We're gonna be here for a long time!" She chuckled.

"That's why I wanted to start in the morning!" Jake said, also chuckling.

All of a sudden, the doorbell rang. Frankie, Cleo, and Jake looked at the door in response to that; Cleo went up to it and answered it. It was Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, and Ghoulia.

"Hey, hey, hey, guess who's here for the party!" Draculaura said cheerfully.

"Glad you could make it, ghouls! Come on in." Cleo said.

The 4 ghouls entered the house and greeted Frankie and Jake.

"Where are the guys?" Frankie asked.

"They'll be here shortly. They said they all wanted to arrive here at the same time." Lagoona said.

"Not only them, but Abbey, Robecca, and Operetta as well." Clawdeen said.

"I see. In the meantime, are you ghouls excited for this?" Jake asked.

All of the ghouls responded with, "Yeah!"

"We were gonna bring snacks and stuff, but then we figured Cleo already had those, so." Draculaura said.

Ghoulia chimed in by speaking zombie and rubbing her stomach, giving an indication that she was hungry.

"You skipped breakfast, Ghoulia? Why?" Frankie asked, a little concerned.

Ghoulia spoke zombie again, shaking her head and shrugging.

"Don't worry, I have plenty of snacks in the kitchen to hold you over until lunchtime, Ghoulia." Cleo reassured.

With that being said, Ghoulia ran into the kitchen and immediately came back with bags of chips, popcorn, and cookies, stuffing her face with each. Her friends looked at her with astonished looks on their faces.

"Dang, Ghoulia, you must be starving if you're eating that much!" Jake exclaimed.

"That, and she's probably just excited because of the party, her metabolism must be really high." Lagoona said.

The gang let Ghoulia eat until she let out a big burp. She blushed coyly and spoke zombie, as if to say, "Excuse me!"

Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, and Jake laughed. Keep in mind that they weren't making fun of Ghoulia, it was all in good fun.

"Ghoulia, if by some miracle you gain the ability to talk, please tell me how zombies' digestive systems work." Jake joked.

Ghoulia giggled and patted Jake on the back.

A moment later, the doorbell rang once more. Cleo walked up to the door and answered it. Robecca, Abbey, Operetta, Jackson, Clawd, Deuce, and Heath finally showed up.

"Hey, guys! Come on in." Cleo said.

The 3 ghouls and the 4 mansters came in and greeted the rest of the gang.

"I'm actually really excited to do this. I've been spending my last few weekends cooped up in my house." Deuce said.

"Really? You haven't been spending time with Cleo or hanging out with your bros?" Jake asked with his eyebrow raised.

"He has, just at his house." Clawd said.

"Oh!" Jake said.

At that moment, the gang sat down in a circle on the floor. Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out a bluetooth speaker.

"What's that?" Frankie asked.

"My bluetooth speaker. I'll be connecting my phone to it so we can get the best experience." Jake said.

"That's funny, I like to listen to music the old-fashioned way." Operetta said.

"On vinyl?" Heath asked.

"Yep. There isn't really a difference in sound quality." Operetta said.

Jake opened the settings app on his phone and turned on bluetooth; within seconds, his phone was connected to the speaker. Then he opened Musi and selected Michael Jackson's debut album, Got to Be There.

"Alright, everybody, this is it. The Michael Jackson listening party is now in session!" Jake declared.

Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, Ghoulia, Robecca, Abbey, Operetta, Jackson, Clawd, Deuce, and Heath all hooted and hollered.

"We'll be starting off with his first album released in 1972 called Got to Be There. He was thirteen years old when it came out so his voice is gonna sound very different. You guys ready?" Jake asked.

"Let's do this!" Draculaura excitedly chanted.

Jake pressed play and the first track, Ain't No Sunshine, began. As soon as the song started, Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, and Ghoulia were taken aback by the vibe, while Robecca, Abbey, Operetta, Jackson, Clawd, Deuce, and Heath moved along to the beat.

"This is totally different than Thriller!" Frankie said.

"This is early Michael Jackson. He started out by doing R-and-B and soul music before transitioning to dance-pop stuff." Jake clarified.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting this, that's for sure!" Clawdeen said with a giggle.

Clawd was enthralled by the music. "This is pretty smooth, I ain't gonna lie."

"Michael's voice is really good for his age. I'm impressed." Robecca said.

After Ain't No Sunshine ended, the gang listened to the rest of the songs off the album: I Wanna Be Where You Are, Girl Don't Take Your Love From Me, In Our Small Way, Got to Be There, Rockin' Robin, Wings of My Love, Maria (You Were the Only One), Love is Here and Now You're Gone, and You've Got a Friend.

Jake was anxious for his friends' thoughts. "What'd you guys think?"

"I really liked it! For a debut album, it was pretty good." Frankie said.

"It wasn't amazing or anything, but it was still solid." Jackson said.

Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, Ghoulia, Abbey, Robecca, Operetta, Clawd, and Deuce were all in agreement with that.

"Can I give my honest opinion?" Heath asked.

"Of course you can, Heath! All opinions are welcome here." Jake said.

Heath hesitated for a minute. "I didn't care for the album. That type of music just isn't my cup of tea."

"That's alright. To tell you the truth, I wasn't crazy about the album the first couple of times I listened to it, but it's grown on me a lot over the years." Jake said.

"Michael's vocals were great for him being small child." Abbey said.

"You think so? To me, they sounded pitchy. I know he was only a kid at the time, so I guess I can't complain too much." Deuce said.

"Yeah, Got to Be There isn't his best work, um, he's only gotten better and better as he went on." Jake said.

"I can't wait to hear the rest of his stuff and see how he improves upon himself!" Lagoona said excitedly.

XXXXXXX

For the next few hours, the gang listened to the rest of Michael Jackson's discography: Ben, Music & Me, Forever, Michael, Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, HIStory: Past, Present and Future: Book I, Invincible, Michael, and Xcsape (the two posthumous albums). The kids' families checked on them throughout the day as well. They also had bathroom breaks, a lunch break, etc.

Jake closed the Musi app and disconnected the bluetooth from his speaker. Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, Ghoulia, Abbey, Robecca, Operetta, Jackson, Clawd, Deuce, and Heath had so much fun, although they were tired, too, as they did listen to 12 albums all in a day.

"Alright, we're finally done! Phew. Did you guys have fun?" Jake asked.

"Jake, 'fun' doesn't even begin to describe the experience I had. Today was something else." Cleo responded swiftly.

"I had the time of my life listenin' to the king of pop! I'll never forget this day." Operetta said.

"I am definitely a Michael Jackson after this, dude." Clawd said, grinning.

Jake was very glad his friends loved listening to his favorite singer. Now he was excited to find out what their favorite album and song was.

"I'm glad you all had fun! What's your guys' favorite album or song if you have one? We'll go in a circle." Jake said.

Heath spoke first. "Off the Wall is my favorite album by far! That one was fire!" His head lit on fire as he said that.

"Same, that's my favorite, too." Deuce said.

"Bad is my personal favorite. I love it because it's a darker than MJ's previous works." Clawd said.

"Um, I'm gonna with Thriller as my favorite album. I feel like that one had the songs that I enjoyed the most." Jackson said.

"Me too!" Operetta said.

"Me personally, my favorite was HIStory: Past, Present, and Future: Book I. The songwriting on that album was immaculate." Robecca said.

"Interesting! People usually don't have that one as their favorite. I'm glad you loved it so much." Jake said.

It was Abbey's turn. "This might be controversial, but my favorite album was Invincible. It was quite, uh, how you say, experimental in its sound and writing."

"Wow, okay! Some more hot takes, I like it!" Jake said with a smile.

Ghoulia spoke zombie, explaining that her favorite Michael Jackson album was still Thriller even after her first listen.

"I have to agree with Ghoulia. Thriller just can't be beaten." Cleo said.

"What can I say? It's a timeless classic!" Lagoona said happily.

"I can definitely see why it's Michael's most successful album." Clawdeen said.

"It's not only his best-selling album, but the best-selling album of all-time if you can believe that!" Jake said.

"I can totes believe that! Maybe we're a little biased because it was the first Michael Jackson we ever heard, but I truly believe that Thriller is his magnum opus. Bar none." Draculaura said.

"Oh, absolutely! All of his albums are fantastic in their own right, but Thriller is just on a whole another level, both on a musical and quality standpoint." Frankie said.

Jake nodded accordingly, taking the gang's thoughts and opinions to heart. He loved hearing their 2 cents.

"Well, thank you all for sharing your honest thoughts and feelings on all the albums we listened to today, uh, and more importantly, thank you guys so much for doing this with me! I had a blast these last few hours and I hope we can do something like this again sometime." Jake said, his face showing content.

The main 6 ghouls, Abbey, Robecca, Operetta, Jackson, Clawd, Deuce, and Heath not only showed their appreciation for the listening party, but Jake as a person as well.

When everybody wrapped things up, they all went back to their respective homes. This day was truly a day they will remember for the rest of their lives.


I'm sorry for not updating in awhile. This chapter was difficult to write because I wasn't sure how long to make it and I didn't want to make it too short or too long either. I also had a lot going on the past few days that interfered with my writing, but I hope to get back on schedule soon. Thank you for all the support on my story so far! A special shoutout goes to DragonEmperor999 for regularly reading and reviewing each time I publish a new chapter. It means a lot!

Enjoy! :)