In the morning, after eating breakfast, Jake and the Steins were sitting on the couch watching TV. Jake, in particular, was anticipating his hangout with Jackson, Clawd, Gil, Deuce, Heath, Manny, and Slo Mo.
"You excited for your guys day, Jake?" Frankie asked him.
"I sure am! Clawd's picking me up. He said he'll be here in a few minutes." Jake said.
Overhearing the conversation, Viktor and Viveka joined in.
"I hope you have fun, buddy. I remember when I would do these things when I was your age." Viktor said.
"Me too. Now it seems like we don't have the time or energy for them anymore." Viveka said.
"Oh, come on, Mom and Dad, you're not that old!" Frankie said with a smirk.
Jake grinned with amusement and facepalmed while Viktor and Viveka laughed.
"We appreciate your honesty, dear!" Viktor said through giggles. His wife was still laughing.
Frankie chuckled endearingly.
A few minutes later, the 4 were alerted by a loud honk of a horn coming from outside; this was Clawd's car.
"Clawd's here! Welp, I'll see you guys sometime later today. I don't know when I'll be back, but it'll be later today." Jake said.
"I'll walk out with you. I wanna say hi to Clawd." Frankie said.
Jake nodded as he and Frankie stood up accordingly.
"Bye, Jake!" Viktor and Viveka both said.
"Bye!" Jake said, giving a smile and a wave.
Jake opened the door and walked down the driveway with Frankie. They approached Clawd's car as he rolled the passenger seat window down; Jake got in.
"What's up, bro?" Clawd greeted casually.
"Hey!" Jake greeted back while fist-bumping his werewolf friend.
Clawd then looked at Frankie. "Hey, Frankie!"
"Hey, Clawd! How are you?" Frankie asked.
"Eh, just getting by. You?" Clawd asked.
"I'm good." Frankie said.
Clawd nodded.
"So, um, what are you guys gonna do first? Any specific plans?" Frankie asked.
"Not really, we were just gonna figure it out as we went along." Clawd said.
"Oh, I see! In that case, I'll let you be on your way." Frankie said.
"Alright. Tell your mom and dad I said hi." Clawd said.
"I will. Bye, Jake! Bye, Clawd!" Frankie said.
"Bye, Frankie!" Jake and Clawd said at the same time.
At that moment, Frankie went back inside her house while Clawd rolled the window back up and drove off.
"Your car looks pretty nice, dude." Jake said.
"Thanks! I take pretty good care of it." Clawd said, flattered.
"Mine's basic compared to yours." Jake said.
"Nah, Draculaura showed me a picture of it and it looks rad." Clawd said with a smile.
Jake smiled back. "Thanks."
"Anytime. Uh, before we go out and do stuff, we need to stop by my place real quick." Clawd said.
"Why?" Jake asked.
"To get some bottles of water. I remember you said you get really thirsty." Clawd said.
"Oh, yes. It's also pretty hot out here." Jake said, adjusting his shirt collar.
"That's why I have the air turned up!" Clawd said in a matter-of-fact way.
Jake gave a nod.
Clawd changed the subject. "How's living with Frankie going, Jake?"
"It's going good. Her and her parents have just been the best." Jake responded.
"That's good. You guys haven't fought or anything?" Clawd asked.
"No, we haven't fought. Why?" Jake asked, curious.
"Just wondering." Clawd said.
"Oh. Yeah, we've been getting along great." Jake said.
"As long as you have a happy home, then that's what's matters. It's better than being in foster care." Clawd said.
"No doubt about that! I'm glad I left that place when I did. I was going stir-crazy." Jake said with a chuckle.
"I bet. The scratches you had are gone, too." Clawd pointed out.
"Yes! Thank God! They were starting to itch after a while." Jake said.
"I'm still mad that Toralei, Purrsephone, and Meowlody did that to you. Over some stupid reason, no less!" Clawd said, starting to get upset.
"Well, they're suspended from school for three weeks, Clawd. I'll be okay. We'll all be okay." Jake reassured.
Clawd smiled endearingly. After about 15 minutes, he and Jake arrived at his house. The two got out of the car and entered accordingly.
Clawdeen, as well as Clawd's two other sisters Clawdia and Howleen, noticed the boys in an instant, judging by how fast their heads turned.
"What are you doing back, big bro?" Clawdeen asked.
"Just picking up some waters for me and Jake." Clawd replied. He went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, then grabbed 2 water bottles.
"Hi, Jake!" Clawdeen said.
"Hi, Clawdeen!" Jake said.
Jake and Clawdeen greeted each other with a friendly hug.
"How ya doin'?" Jake asked.
"Good. Let me introduce you to our big sister, Clawdia, and our little sister, Howleen." Clawdeen said.
"Hi, Clawdia, Howleen. I'm Jake Wilder." Jake politely said while shaking both their hands.
"Nice to meet you, Jake!" Clawdia said, very jovial.
"Yeah!" Howleen agreed.
"You too! Uh, where are your parents?" Jake asked.
Clawd chimed in. "They're out of town for the weekend. They left Clawdia in charge since she's the oldest."
"We take turns on who gets to be in charge of the house when they're gone. Sometimes it's me, some times it's Clawdeen, and sometimes it's Clawd. In that exact order." Clawdia said.
"I never get to be in charge!" Howleen whined. She pouted.
"You will be when you're older, little sis." Clawdeen said while putting her arm around Howleen.
"Well, that's good to know!" Jake said, grinning.
Howleen looked at Jake. "Hey, Jake, do you go to Monster High?"
"Yes, I do! Have you seen me around before?" Jake asked.
"I think so. My siblings mentioned your name to me before, but there's so many students there that it's hard to keep track." Howleen said.
"I see what you mean. Monster High's a pretty big school, although it's not as big as my old school." Jake said.
"Were you lost when you first started going there?" Clawdia asked.
"I was on the first day, but, um, I adjusted quickly. It helped that I had the same schedule as Clawdeen and her friends." Jake said with a giggle.
"We told him exactly where every class was and everything!" Clawdeen said proudly.
Jake, Clawd, Clawdia, and Howleen smiled warmly. Then, Clawd cut the conversation short.
"Welp, me and Jake are gonna go now." Clawd said.
"Alright. You boys have fun. And try not to get into trouble." Clawdeen warned.
"We heed your warning. Clawdia, Howleen, it was nice meeting you two!" Jake said.
"Nice meeting you, too!" Clawdia and Howleen both said.
At that moment, Jake and Clawd left the house and got back in the car.
"Did you or Clawdeen tell your sisters about my situation with Toralei?" Jake asked.
"No, we decided to keep that a secret from them. We also figured you'd want that, anyway." Clawd responded.
"Thanks. One more question: how come your sisters have an accent but you don't?" Jake asked.
Clawd was amused by the question. "I have no idea, bro. You have to ask genetics."
Jake laughed at that statement. "Okay!"
It wasn't long after that Clawd started up his car and drove out of his neighborhood.
"So, what do you wanna do?" Jake asked.
"How 'bout we go see a movie?" Clawd suggested.
"That sounds fun! I'll text the guys and see if they're on board with it." Jake said.
"Alright." Clawd said.
Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, then opened the Messages app and selected the group chat he recently made that included himself, Jackson, Clawd, Gil, Deuce, Heath, Manny, and Slo Mo. He texted the following:
"Wanna see a movie?"
The guys wrote back with some form of "Yes!"
"Just got your text!" Clawd joked, since he was literally sitting right next to Jake.
Jake immediately started dying of laughter for no discernible reason; it didn't take long for Clawd to join in, too.
The laughter subsided after a few minutes. Once it was decided that Jackson, Gil, Deuce, Heath, Manny, and Slo Mo would meet Jake and Clawd at the Maul (that's where the movie theater was), they headed straight there.
(20 minutes later)
Jake and Clawd arrived at the Maul, parked the car, and got out. They entered the building and looked for the guys; they found them sitting at the food court.
"About time you showed up!" Deuce said jokingly.
"It only took us, like, twenty minutes for us to get here. Don't get your glasses in a bunch!" Clawd said with sarcasm.
Jackson, Gil, Deuce, Heath, Manny, and Slo Mo fist-bumped Jake and Clawd as a friendly greeting.
"Do we know what movie we're seeing?" Gil asked.
"No, we didn't decide before we came here. Clawd's picking, though." Jake said.
Confused, Clawd asked, "Why am I picking?"
"Because this was your idea, was it not?" Jake asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.
"Yeah, it was. Okay, uh, let's all head to the theater and we'll see what's showing." Clawd said.
At that moment, the 8 friends approached the escalator and rode it to the second floor. They then walked to the movie theater and looked at the posters on the wall.
"That science fiction movie looks pretty cool!" Jackson said, pointing to it.
"Jackson, you are such a geek." Manny snarked.
Jackson frowned. "Okay, Manny, let's hear your suggestion."
"I was thinking an action movie with lots of suspense and thrills!" Manny said while huffing from his nostrils.
"I like action movies as long as they're not too violent. They make me nervous when they get to that level." Jake said.
Clawd interjected. "Hey, hey, I thought I was picking the movie."
"Oh, right. Sorry, broski." Heath said.
"Let me think for a minute." Clawd said. He looked at the screen that showed the movie titles and times intently. "Um...I know! Let's check out the new Monster Wars. It's the sequel we've been waiting for for years."
Jake, Jackson, Gil, Deuce, Heath, Manny, and Slo Mo were down for that. However, it was clear to Jake that Monster Wars was a direct parody of Star Wars. This amused him to no end, partially because there was so much stuff he knew about that his friends didn't.
"Monster Wars, huh? Oh boy, if only you guys knew the stuff that I know." Jake said, chuckling.
"What do you mean by that, Jake? Are you saying you're hiding stuff from us?" Deuce asked suspiciously.
"Have you seen the movie before? You better not spoil anything!" Manny said.
"I'm saying that all these parodies of famous media are hilarious to me. In my world, there's Justin Bieber and the Jonas Brothers. In your world, it's Justin Biter and the Jaundice Brothers. In my world, there's Star Wars, but in your world, it's Monster Wars. That's why I was saying if only you knew the stuff I know." Jake explained.
Jackson, Clawd, Gil, Deuce, Heath, Manny, and Slo Mo just now realized what Jake was talking about, even if they've never heard of the things he mentioned that were in his world.
"Oh! Thanks for the clarification. At first, we thought you've already seen the movie and were gonna spoil it for us." Gil said.
"Nah, I would never do that. I hate spoilers as much as the next person." Jake said.
The gang got in line at the ticket booth and waited their turn. When it was their turn, they stepped forward.
"Eight tickets to Monster Wars: Episode VII, please." Clawd said politely.
The guy in the booth printed 8 tickets and handed them to Clawd, who paid for each of them.
"Enjoy your movie." the guy said with a bored look on his face.
After getting tickets, the gang stepped in line for the snack bar. While waiting, they looked at the menu and decided they were getting the usual popcorn and soda.
"I'll pay for the food and drinks." Jake said.
"Oh, that's not necessary, man." Jackson said, feeling guilty.
"Hey, I paid for Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, and Ghoulia's pizza last Sunday. I can pay for this, too." Jake said.
"You sure?" Heath asked.
"Yes." Jake responded.
"We just don't wanna gouge you for money, since you used to be orphan and everything." Deuce said.
"You don't need to worry about that! I worked in fast food for a couple months, so, uh, I have enough money saved." Jake said.
Slo Mo spoke zombie, admiring Jake's resillience.
"That's right, Slo Mo, he sure is a hard-working guy!" Manny agreed.
Jake smiled endearingly at that comment, appreciative of the compliment.
Unfortunately for the gang, the line was moving rather slowly, presumably because of the hype for the new Monster Wars film.
"We should've went to the theater by our school. This line is a slog to get through." Clawd said.
"Is that where Draculaura saw that movie featuring Elissabat and she complained about how it was all fake?" Jackson asked.
"Yeah, we were there. It was an interesting experience." Heath said.
The line began moving a little faster much to the gang's relief. When it was their turn to order, Jake ordered popcorn and soda for his friends and himself; since they all got the same size, it was the same price for each!
After getting the food and drinks, Jake, Jackson, Clawd, Gil, Deuce, Heath, Manny, and Slo Mo grabbed napkins and headed to the auditorium they were assigned. They took their seats and started munching on popcorn.
"Mmmm, this popcorn is so good, you guys! It tastes exactly how movie theater popcorn should: buttery and rich." Jake said with gusto.
"If you think that's good, then try the soda." Gil said.
Jake took a drink of his soda and gulped it down. He was quite refreshed to say the least.
"Refreshing!"
The guys silenced their phones just in time before the previews started. The previews themselves were nothing to write home about, just the usual advertisements for other movies.
"This movie's gonna be awesome!" Heath whispered excitedly.
"I know! Episode seven is finally here!" Manny whispered, equally as ecstatic.
A vampire turned around and whispered, "Shhh!" to the gang in an annoyed manner; they giggled cheekily.
Once the previews ended, the movie finally started. Jake, Jackson, Clawd, Gil, Deuce, Heath, Manny, and Slo Mo were on the edge of their seats as they stuffed their faces with popcorn and soda.
After the opening credits, the main plot of the movie unfolded. It was basically the same as Star Wars, just with monsters in place of the humans.
"This movie rocks!" Jake whispered to his friends.
"It does!" Jackson whispered.
There were space battles, frightsaber duels, blasters, etc. The villain's name was Ghoul Miser (instead of Darth Vader) and he was the source of conflict in the film.
"I hope Ghoul Miser gets defeated." Clawd whispered.
"We all do." Gil whispered.
"How do you guys think he'll be taken down?" Deuce whispered.
"I'm sure somebody will strike him down with their frightsaber." Heath whispered.
The same vampire from earlier turned around and faced the guys, although he was way more irritated this time.
"Will you morons be quiet?! I'm trying to watch the movie and I can't hear it over your constant babbling!" the vampire whispered angrily.
"Mind your own business, chump!" Manny retorted in the same angry tone.
The vampire scowled. "Alright, that's it!" He stood up and clenched his fists.
"You wanna fight?! 'Cause I'll fight you right here in this theater!" Manny threatened.
Jake, Jackson, Clawd, Gil, Deuce, Heath, and Slo Mo became worried.
Jake intervened. "Hey, hey, hey! That's enough! Manny, sit down. That guy isn't worth your time. Just leave it alone."
Manny begrudginly gave in and sat back down, huffing in derision. The vampire marched out of his seat and stormed out of the theater.
"Good riddance!" Manny yelled.
"Manny, calm down. Let's just enjoy the movie, okay?" Heath asked, trying to placate him.
"Okay." Manny whispered. He was calm now.
Despite the mini-confrontation, the guys were still able to enjoy the movie, all 2 hours of it.
XXXXXXX
When Monster Wars: Episode VII was over, Jake, Jackson, Clawd, Gil, Deuce, Heath, Manny, and Slo Mo walked out of the theater. They were exhilarated and felt rushes of adrenaline coursing through them.
"That was the best movie I've ever seen!" Jackson declared.
"Without a doubt, episode seven is the best Monster Wars movie, period." Clawd said.
"Absolutely! What did you think of the movie, Jake? Since it was your first time seeing it and all." Deuce said.
Jake had his answer ready. "It was friggin' awesome! I loved it all the way through, and it might be my favorite movie of all-time now, but we'll see. It was extraordinary."
"That's a pretty bold claim to make, dude. Saying a movie you've just seen for the first time is your all-time favorite." Gil said with surprise.
"I don't know, man, I'll have to see it again to truly decide. But as of right this minute, it's my favorite movie." Jake said.
"Well, we're glad you loved it, Jake. About how much of it were you expecting it to be like Star Wars?" Heath asked.
"All of it. It was pretty much the same, except the normies were replaced with monsters and the likes. But that doesn't take anything away from it and it is not a criticism of it at all, I'm just pointing it out." Jake said.
"Yeah. Maybe we'll check out Star Wars sometime." Manny said.
"Alright. But I'll have to show you the movies myself since, well, I don't think they exist in your world!" Jake said, chortling.
"They should exist since we were able to find Michael Jackson on FrightTube, but we'll see." Jackson said.
Clawd nodded. He then changed the subject towards food.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry."
"Me too. The popcorn and soda didn't really fill me up." Gil said.
"I'm with y'all. Are we eating here or somewhere else?" Jake asked.
"We might as well eat here. We're already here anyway." Deuce said.
Jake, Jackson, Clawd, Gil, Heath, Manny, and Slo Mo nodded in agreement.
At that moment, the 8 friends rode the escalator back down to the first floor and headed to the food court. They looked at various restaurants and eventually decided on tacos.
"What kind of tacos are you guys getting?" Manny asked.
"The only kind they have: hard." Heath replied.
"I meant what are you getting in them?" Manny asked.
"Oh! That I don't know. There's so many options to choose from." Heath said.
Gil chimed in. "If the menu didn't change screens every five seconds, I would know what to get on my taco!"
"Uh, Gil, there's a paper menu on the counter." Jackson said.
Gil looked at the counter and saw said menu laying there; he now felt silly.
"Oh...I didn't see that, heh."
After deciding what they wanted, the guys stepped forward and ordered their food one-by-one, each paying for their own. When the tacos were ready, the guys grabbed them and sat down at a table; there were already napkins placed on it.
"Alright, let's see how these tacos taste." Jake said, picking his up. He took a bite and liked it.
"How is it?" Clawd asked.
"Good! I really like it. It's not too dry, either." Jake responded.
"That's the reason why that place has the best tacos in town. They're almost never dry." Deuce said.
"I hate soft tacos for that exact reason. The ones I've had over the years were always dry and flakey and I couldn't stand it." Jackson said with his mouth full.
"Maybe it was the tortilla? It could've been corn instead of flour." Manny guessed.
"Maybe." Jackson said.
Slo Mo spoke zombie, giving his two cents on the matter.
"Corn tortilla sucks! I agree with you on that, Slo Mo, I don't know how people love it." Jake said.
"People love different things." Clawd said.
"Oh, I know. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with people liking corn tortilla, I just personally can't stand it." Jake said.
"That's valid." Gil said.
Deuce changed the subject and looked at Jake. "Do you have a girlfriend, Jake?"
"No." Jake replied.
"Do you want one?" Heath asked, adding to the conversation.
That question threw Jake off. "Yeah, eventually, but not right now. Why?"
"You and Frankie would make a great couple." Manny said.
"You think so?" Jake asked nervously.
"Yeah! The two of you have great chemistry." Jackson said.
Jake set his taco down. "Frankie's more like a sister to me. I mean, she's cute, but I think it'd be weird for us to start dating since we're living together and everything. I wonder if she likes me, though."
"I'm sure she does judging how protective she is of you." Clawd said.
"Not to mention the way she looks at you." Gil said.
"Hm, I've never really thought about that. Whatever the case, I'm not in a hurry to be in a relationship right now. I've got bigger things to worry about." Jake said.
"Fair." Heath said, nodding.
Jackson swallowed. "Hey, Jake, I don't know if you knew this already, but me and Frankie used to have a thing."
"Really? When?" Jake asked curiously.
"Five years ago. I had just started at Monster High, and, um, she and I started crushing on each other. She was the one who convinced me that me and Holt were the same person underneath." Jackson said.
"Wow! How'd it work it out for you two?" Jake asked.
"It didn't really go anywhere. It didn't bother us in the least, though. We were able to stay friends." Jackson said.
"That's good. It's better to be safe than sorry." Jake said.
"Right!" Jackson agreed, grinning.
The guys continued talking until they finished their food. When they were done, they threw their scraps away and left the food court.
XXXXXXX
Jake, Jackson, Clawd, Gil, Deuce, Heath, Manny, and Slo Mo did all kinds of stuff for the next few hours. The highlight of the day was them going to the local bowling alley and getting strikes.
"I had so much fun today!" Jake said happily.
"Me too! We should do this again sometime." Clawd said.
"Totally!" Heath said.
Clawd pulled out his car keys. "Ready to go, Jake?"
"Yeah, I'm ready. I had a nice time today, I really did." Jake said.
"Good. Thanks for suggesting this idea to us. It was a nice change for once." Gil said.
"Of course!" Jake said with a smile.
At that moment, Jake and Clawd said bye to Jackson, Gil, Deuce, Heath, Manny before getting in the car and leaving. The two headed straight to Frankie's house.
"Thanks for bringing me home, Clawd." Jake said.
"No problem. See you on Monday." Clawd said.
"Alright. Later, man!" Jake said.
"Later!" Clawd said.
Jake fist-bumped Clawd before getting out of his car and entering the house.
"Hey, guys!" Jake greeted the Steins.
"Hey, Jake!" the Steins greeted back. "How was the guys day?" Frankie asked.
"So much fun! Me and the guys had a blast today." Jake replied.
"What'd you guys do?" Viktor asked.
"First, we went to the Maul and saw Monster Wars: Episode VII, then we ate tacos at the food court and talked about this and that. After that, we went bowling, and, um, that's pretty much the gist of it." Jake said.
"Awesome! Glad you had a good time." Viveka said, smiling warmly.
Jake joined the Steins on the couch and kicked back.