Chapter 19: Dance With the Devil Part 4

(Alright, so before we begin, there are a few things I need to get out of the way.

First off, as of now, I'm putting my FVJ story on hiatus. There are some reasons for this but the main one is that I want to watch more horror movies and build up the plot a little more. I can't say when I'll get back to it but once I start, I promise I'll see it to the end.

Second, this chapter is where things begin to get dark. I'm sorry that the last chapter was so short as this one might be as well. Honestly, I'm just as impatient for the prom as you are so that we can guide the story in the right direction. Don't get me wrong, I like writing romance, being the shipper I am but this story was meant to be a grimdark gore fest, not a high school romance story. As I've said before, once this season ends, I'll work towards bringing it back to its roots and as for the finale, all I can say, is there will be blood. This chapter will hopefully set the mood for that. Remember folks, you are reading a horror story here.

Okay, I've wasted enough of your time. Let's get this mushy crap out of the way already.)

"Snowball!? Snowball!?" Lisa's voice echoed throughout the empty street corner. If anyone was in their homes at that moment, they were either asleep, engaging in a noisy activity, or simply ignoring the young girl. "Snowball! Come here, girl!" She cried out. Once again, she was only met with the breeze blowing through the air, ruffling up the papers in her hands. She sighed as she walked up to the telephone pole and stapled one of the papers to it.

LOST CAT sat over a black and white picture of her missing pet. The text underneath read: Name: Snowball II. Responds to Whistling and Sax Solos. If found, please return to 742 Evergreen Terrance. A reward can be negotiated.

"It's been three weeks already," Lisa thought doefully. "Snowball's wandered off before but never for this long! What if something happened to her? What if-" Before she could stop herself, Lisa harked back to the day that that deranged PETA worker kidnapped Santa's Little Helper and how she had killed him in self-defense. She could still feel the hot sticky blood on her face, hear the frantic barking of her enraged and distressed dog, and see the horrified look on the man's face as he left this mortal coil. The block of slush that resided within Lisa's heart solidified just a little and somewhere in her soul, there was just the tiniest bit of satisfaction because of the deed. That little bit was enough for Lisa to freak out and grip her head in an effort to silence it.

"No!" She whimpered. "Don't think about it. Don't think about it!" She lightly tapped her face repeatedly, trying to chase those memories away and reassure herself. "Snowball is fine! She's just run off! There aren't any more PETA people around to hurt her. They banned them from Springfield after that, remember?" Recalling that the organization that she once trusted was banned from her hometown after the incident relaxed her a bit and she started to calm down. "Snowball is ok," She sniffled. "I just have to find her." She walked away from the corner and continued to search for her missing pet.

As Lisa continued to walk, she heard the rumbling of thunder overhead and looked up to see a storm cloud on the horizon. It was still quite a ways away but approaching fast and Lisa knew it wouldn't be long before it crawled over Springfield. "Guess I'll have to pick up the search tomorrow," She said sadly to herself as she continued on her path home. Before she could turn the corner, however, she heard the sound of bike wheels rolling after her along with a familiar voice wheezing as the pedals moved. She turned around and saw her boyfriend Issac riding up to her on his gray and black bike. He seemed to be out of breath, his eyes wild and darting everywhere. "Lisa!" He rasped. "I'm glad I found you!"

"Issac?" Lisa asked. "What happened to you?"

"I found her!" Issac blurted out. "I found Snowball II!"

Lisa gasped. "R-Really? Where!?"

"In the woods," Issac answered. "I need you to come with me!"

"You mean now?" Lisa looked back up at the approaching storm cloud. "I don't know. That storm cloud looks pretty close."

"Lisa, I can't guarantee Snowball's gonna stay put for long!" Issac argued. "If we lose her now, we might never find her again!"

Lisa gulped. "Well, when you put it that way."

"Get on my back," Issac instructed and Lisa followed through, sitting on the back of his bike seat and wrapping her arms around him. "Hang on tight!" He said as he rode down the street toward the woods. Lisa felt the wet air hit her face and blew through her hair. The houses and trees on either side of the bike became a blur as Issac rode past them

"Don't worry Snowball II," Lisa thought. "I'm coming for you!"

...

"Dammit," Lisa murmured as she lay on her bed, wide awake with her blanket hanging halfway down. Had she bothered to look at the clock, she would have seen it was 4 in the morning, and curled next to one of her bare legs was Aristotle, purring with content as he dreamed of tuna and catnip. "Dammit!" Lisa whispered to herself as she rubbed her eyes. "I broke things off with Clementine but I still keep thinking of Issac. Why?"

"Maybe that's what attracted you to her in the first place," The Beast suggested.

"Do you ever shut up?" Lisa growled as she gripped the right side of her pillow and pulled it over herself. "I just don't understand it! Why won't Issac leave me alone!?"

"Don't forget he's a part of you now," The Beast continued. "As all your victims are."

"Shut up already!" Lisa pulled her head away from the pillow, fighting to push the thought of all those skinless bodies to the side. "I don't need the reminder."

"In any case, I would say give it some time. Human problems never seem to go away overnight."

"On that, we can agree." Lisa laid her head back down on the pillow. As she shuffled into a comfortable position in an attempt to sleep, Aristotle woke up, meowed in annoyance, and jumped off the bed. Lisa gasped quietly, hurt that her cat abandoned her, and decided she deserved it for daring to move in his presence. "Aristotle." She whispered as she watched the animal leap onto her nightstand and curl up on there. Lisa grabbed her phone and read the time as 4:44. "It almost isn't worth it. Almost." Lisa closed her eyes and pulled the covers over herself. She knew sleep would be a hopeless endeavor so the best she could do was enjoy what precious little time she had to rest before she needed to get up. To combat the memories of Issac, she thought of much more positive things such as the day she adopted Aristotle and the fact that she would be going to the prom with Nelson Muntz.

Those thoughts carried a twinge of guilt with them.

This morning was a little rainy but according to the weather, it should only last for the next few hours. After that, it would be a sunny weekend, just perfect for the prom. Lisa and Bart walked down the parking lot, one of the last times the latter would do so, with their hoodies pulled up. Around them, students continued to talk excitedly about the prom and their dates. Every so often, someone would mention giving the prom queen the "Carrie treatment." but from the tone of voice in which they spoke, it seemed to be nothing but an edgy joke with no substance. Lisa shuddered to think of what would happen if someone fell for such a horrible prank. As she was already on edge, she practically jumped out of her skin when Allison's angry voice called from behind.

"Lisa Marie Simpson!"

"A-Allison?" Lisa turned to greet her friend who she could see stomping toward her. "H-How have you been?"

"Don't give me that crap!" Allison shouted in Lisa's face. "Why didn't you tell me what happened with Clementine?"

"W-What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean! You-" Allison stopped as she realized Bart was still standing there, looking unsure as to what he should be doing. "Bart, do you mind?"

"Oh! What! Sorry! Right! I-I should go!" Bart took this opportunity and walked away as fast as possible, whistling a tune that he had heard from an old TV show he'd forgotten the name of.

Once he was out of earshot, Allison continued her beratement. "You rejected Clementine and didn't even tell me!"

"I..." Lisa trailed off as she realized she wasn't sure what to say. She surely couldn't bring up Issac to Allison and mentioning Nelson might make things worse. "I...I gave it a lot of thought but...oh...I just couldn't. The memories I mentioned...They were just too much."

"What memories?" Allison asked.

Lisa shook her head. "I can't tell you,"

"Godammit Lisa!" Allison shouted. "How do you expect people to help you if you can't let them in!?" She growled, pinched the bridge of her nose, and sighed as Lisa rubbed her arm uncomfortably and lowered her gaze.

"I'm sorry,"

"You should be saying that to Clementine," Allison mentioned.

"Have you spoken to her?" Lisa asked.

"Not yet but I've seen her." Allison pointed behind Lisa, prompting her Simpson child to turn around. Leaning against the school wall with a look of forlorn on her face was Clementine. She appeared to not have noticed either of her friends as her gaze was downcast. She didn't look like she had been crying but from her eyes, Lisa could tell she felt defeated, not a glimmer of hope to be seen. Guilt infested her body like a slow-rolling fog, contaminating everything in sight with a black, cold sense of hopelessness.

"I'm gonna talk to her," Allison continued. "Make sure she's ok so she doesn't try anything stupid."

"Oh come on!" Lisa said. "Clementine wouldn't do something like that...right?"

"Better safe than sorry," Allison said just as the bell rang. "Shit! I guess it's off to class then."

"But you'll still talk with Clementine right?" Lisa asked.

Allison shot her a look of annoyance which caused Lisa's guilt to grow but she sighed once again. "Yes. I will. But that should really be your job, Lisa!" She began to walk off." Remember, considering other people's feelings is what separates us from the animals!"

"Ok...I..." Lisa trailed off again as she watched Allison vanish into the crowd.

"Tsk! Some friend she is." The Beast said. "Giving you shit for something that isn't even any of her business."

"Allison is Clementine's friend too. She's only looking out for her." Lisa defended. "Besides, she's right. I should have told her that I rejected Clementine so this could have happened sooner.

"Ugh! This place reeks of guilt and shame." The Beast complained. "You really need to have consideration for me!"

"Shut up," will ya?" Lisa grumbled to herself as she headed for the school. As she entered the building, Allison's words repeated themselves in her head.

"Remember, considering other people's feelings is what separates us from the animals."

Lisa sighed. "And I'm no animal." She walked down the hallway, looking down at the tiles on the floor as they approached and vanished beneath her feet. She was so consumed by her personal guilt that she hardly noticed the other students bump into her shoulder or their shouts demanding she watch where she was going. She hardly even heard them nor saw the floor. She was in a world all her own, a world desperately trying to shut out the life outside the confines of its cold, deathly embrace.

"Hey Milhouse, what's shaking?" Bart greeted as he approached his first class of the day. His blue-haired friend was already standing next to the doorway, looking far more chipper than he had since...well...since Bart could remember. He supposed having his first serious girlfriend since childhood would do that to a guy and the fact that his workout sessions with Nelson were finally appearing to pay off didn't hurt, even if it mostly amounted to his arms being slightly less scrawny.

"Hey Bart!" Milhouse greeted. "You ready for prom?" He said this with a twinge of challenge in his voice as if expecting Bart to have to sheepishly confess to not having a date.

This caused Bart to smirk "As a matter of fact, I am! Even got a date lined up!"

Milhouse gasped quietly. "Really? Who?"

"J-"

"Hey dinguses!" Nelson spoke from behind. Bart practically jumped out of his skin as the quarterback for the Springfield Pumas walked past him.

"Sup, Nelson!" Milhouse wiggled his eyebrows "Do you have a date for the prom?"

To the surprise of both Bart and Milhouse, Nelson's eyes widened as he gulped. "Umm...Yeah! Totally."

Milhouse raised an eyebrow. "Than who is it?"

"Uh..." Nelson gulped again. "You know, I'm pretty thirsty. I think I'll take a drink from that water fountain down the hall before class starts." Nelson pointed to the water fountain at the far end of the hall. It was quite dilapidated with the metal rusted and the water continuing to leak out despite no one pressing against the fountain.

"Doesn't that water fountain connect to my Dad's power plant?" Bart asked as he pointed to the fountain.

"Boy, you sure said it!" Nelson replied as he sped toward the fountain. "BRB!"

"BRB?" Milhouse asked. "That's popular girl talk!" He gasped. "You don't think Nelson's seeing Jessica again do you?"

"Don't be stupid Milhouse!" Bart said. "That's impossible!"

"Oh yeah," Milhouse challenged. "How would you know?"

Bart suddenly realized he had backed himself into a corner and gulped as his face became red. "I know because...because..."

"Go on..." Milhouse said.

Bart took a quick glance over his friend's shoulder to make sure Nelson was out of ear shout and then pulled him closer. "Because I'm taking Jessica to the prom."

"WHA!?" Milhouse shouted right as Bart clasped his hands around with his fingers. "Dude! Keep it down!"

Milhouse nodded and waited for Bart to let his mouth go before whispering "what!? Are you serious?"

"I know how stupid it sounds," Bart said, "But yesterday I found her crying to herself in the library. You should have seen her Milhouse. Ever since Nelson dumped her, she's been a shell of her former self."

"But Bart, her former self was a mean conniving girl who played you for a fool!"

"I know, I know!" Bart said. "But I mean it man, she was so pitiful! Plus...she...She said sorry."

"What!?" Milhouse shook his head. "Ok, now I know something's up! A popular girl like Jessica would never apologize! She's setting you up again Bart and you're letting her!"

"I understand where you're coming from Milhouse. I really do but I don't think that's the case this time. I really don't." Bart replied. "Besides, is it really that impossible for someone to change? I mean, look at Janey!"

"I guess you have a point," Milhouse said as he thought back to how not only Janey but her friend Alex had improved so much since stepping out of Jessica's shadow. "Still, I'd be careful, Bart. Just watch your back!"

"I will Milhouse, I will."

"Are you going to tell Nelson?"

Bart was taken aback and gulped a little. "Yeah. I guess I should do that huh?"

"Sooner rather than later," Milhouse said. "Now I think I've done enough meddling in your affairs but if you don't talk to him soon.."

"I will Milhouse!" Bart promised. "There's no need to bring Janey or Room 216 into this!"

"Okay," Milhouse said just as Nelson came up. "So what are you dinguses talking about?"

"Oh. We were just discussing our dates for the prom, right Bart?" Milhouse said, trying to initiate the conversation that needed to take place.

"Oh uh..." Bart began to panic. "You know, I'm feeling pretty parched myself now! I think I'll take a drink of water!" He pushed Nelson aside as he raced toward the water fountain.

"What's his problem?" Nelson asked as he pointed his thumb at Bart.

"I...I don't know. To be honest, he wouldn't say much about his prom date. I guess he's just nervous." Milhouse said, cooly. "You know how it is"

"Actually, I think I do." Nelson agreed, taking on a nervous demeanor once again

Milhouse became concerned. "What do you mean?"

Nelson turned to make sure Bart was out of earshot before returning his attention to Milhouse. "Okay, what I'm about to say, you don't speak a word of it to Bart or I'll pound you like back when we were kids!" Got it!"

Weirdly enough, Milhouse didn't feel threatened much by Nelson's words and he couldn't tell if it was because he had gained more confidence since his training or if he was simply too used to being pushed in a locker at this point. Nonetheless, he nodded.

"Alright," Nelson cleared his throat. "The truth is, I'm taking Lisa to the prom."

Milhouse stood completely still and didn't say a word. Then he reached into his backpack, took out a water bottle, and took a sip, all so he could do a spit-take. "What!?"

"It's true," Nelson said. "I asked Lisa and she said yes!" There was excitement in Nelson's voice as he spoke but upon seeing Milhouse's forlorn gaze, he dialed it down. "Oh, I'm sorry. I guess-

"No, it's ok," Milhouse said as he held his hand to stop Nelson. "I get it!"

"You mean you're not mad or sad or anything?" Nelson asked.

"I mean, I can't say it's not a little upsetting knowing the girl I loved for years is going to prom with the guy who used to hospitalize me every week but Lisa's made it clear that she doesn't share my feelings and when it comes down to it, she deserves to go out with whoever she wants." Milhouse sighed with contentment. "Besides, I've got Janey now, and with graduation coming up, it finally feels like everything's coming Milhouse, you know?"

"Wow Milhouse, I've never seen you act so...mature," Nelson said. "It's kinda creepy, not gonna lie."

"Regardless, I think you should tell Bart before prom arrives. You guys just patched things up and you don't want him thinking you've been keeping secrets, do you?"

"No, I guess I don't," Nelson said as he watched Bart approach them. "I'll tell him today."

"See that you do," Milhouse said as the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class. "See that you do."

All three boys entered the classroom with Bart and Nelson exchanging a nervous glance as they each thought to themselves the same thing.

"How am I gonna tell him?"

Lunchtime had rolled in and the cafeteria was practically crawling with students. As usual, Lisa had taken her lunch to the library, leaving Clementine sitting by herself on the last table next to the fire exit. Her expression was hard to read. Not happy, not sad, just a constant state of focus as if she was looking at something further away than anyone else but her could see. The only part of her face that was moving was her mouth as she munched through her sandwich. Her bites were almost robotic, occurring at intervals of 50 seconds each. She was about halfway through the sandwich when Allison showed up and sat herself before her. "Hey Clementine!" She greeted.

"Oh. hey." Clementine said casually, her eyes moving to meet her friend's gaze while the rest of her body remained still. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Allison said. "You?"

"Been better, to be honest," Clementine replied.

"I know," Allison said as she scratched the back of her head. "Lisa told me what happened the other day. I'm sorry."

"What's to be sorry for?" Clementine asked. "I shot my shot and I missed. That's all there is to it."

Allison couldn't help but feel nervous. "You know, you seem a lot less upset about it than I thought you would be."

"Oh I'm upset alright," Clementine confessed. "But that doesn't mean I have to burn the school down or anything." She swallowed the food in her mouth and put the sandwich down. "I just hope Lisa's taking someone decent."

"I'm sure she is," Allison replied.

Clementine looked up. "You mean you don't know who it is?"

Allison shrugged. "I forgot to ask, not that Lisa would tell me." She took a sip of her milk. "She didn't even tell me she was still going but I could tell from the look in her eye."

"I see," Clementine sighed. "You're really perceptive, Allison."

"Well, my father is a professor." Allison chuckled. There was a brief moment of silence as Allison thought of what to say next, during which Clementine took another bite of her sandwich. "You know, if you want, I could skip the prom, and you and I could hang out together."

"Don't even joke about that," Clementine said bluntly. "What about your mystery date?"

"Honestly, I could convince him to come with us." Allison's face drooped as she realized what a horrible idea she was proposing. "Um...wait scratch that! I'm sorry."

Clementine shook her head. "I get it, you want to help me but you really don't need to, Allison. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Allison inquired worrily.

"It sucks but I'll pull through. There is more to life than just prom you know?" Clementine swallowed her mouthful. "Besides, it'll give me time to work on some projects I've been putting off."

"Well, that's good." Allison took a bite of her own sandwich and swallowed it quickly. "But listen, if you need anything, just let me kn-huh?" As she was speaking, Allison felt something tickle the side of her foot. She looked down to see a huge cockroach crawling onto her shoe. She screamed as she kicked the insect off under the table. "Gross!"

"What's wrong," Clementine asked calmly.

"There was a roach trying to get into my shoe! Ew! Ew! Ew!" Allison cried as she ducked under the table and watched the insect, now with a busted leg, crawl toward Clementine's legs. "Clementine! Look out!"

Clementine looked down and saw the cockroach limping toward her. She collectedly got to her feet and stepped back, allowing the roach to crawl out from under her seat into the open air. As the insect began to turn back toward the safety of the table, Clementine picked up her left foot and carefully stepped on the roach's lower half, crushing it completely. The squishy innards of the roach seeped from either side of the tip of her shoe as the insect feebly pushed against it with its middle legs. She pushed her foot down, severing what little connection remained between the roach's upper and lower halves, and watched as the bisected insect desperately crawled away. She was so focused on the roach that she hardly noticed Allison climb over the table and gasp quietly once her eyes landed on the poor creature.

"Uh...Clementine?" She whispered.

Clementine paid no heed as she watched the roach scamper away, leaving a small trail of colorless blood behind it. Right as it was about to crawl into the relatively safe shadow of the table seat, Clementine calmly picked up her other foot and gently pressed it down on the roach, ending its prolonged misery. She felt a chill of excitement run through her body as she heard the crunch.

"Oh my God!" Allison uttered. "Clementine, what the fuck?"

"What?" Clementine asked. "Weren't you about to squish it yourself?"

"Well yes but you didn't have to drag it out like that!" Allison shouted. "What if Lisa saw you?"

"Lisa," Clementine whispered as she sat back down, the remains of the roach still stuck beneath her show. "Yeah, she'd be very cross with me wouldn't she?"

"Clementine?"

"Yeah, I don't think she would have wanted me to do that, not even to a roach." Clementine continued. "She wouldn't have wanted that at all,"

"Clementine? Are you ok?" Allison asked worriedly. It was unnerving enough to see her friend torture that creature in poor blood but something about how she was acting now made it worse. Her face betrayed a look of elation and satisfaction and her cheeks were flushed. There was a certain longing in her voice as she spoke about Lisa. It was as if she was lost in her own little world, high on a drug that Allison had never heard of, or perhaps, it was more like the end result of a se-

Allison stopped her train of thought right at that moment, warmth on her own cheeks and a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure exactly what side of her friend she was seeing, only that it was a side she had never wanted to see. She wanted to leave. She wanted to excuse herself from the table and find somewhere else to sit. Anywhere else would have been fine, even if it was the floor, as long as it was away from Clementine. But she knew better than to excite her friend's suspicions and so she forced herself to spend the rest of lunch with this girl.

"I wonder if Lisa noticed this too," She thought once she allowed herself to think. "Maybe that's why?" Every so often, Allison would steal a glance at Clementine as she continued enjoying her lunch. Somewhere within those contented eyes, there was an aura of dark malice.

Recess is supposed to be a time of joy and for most of the students of Springfield Elementry, that's exactly what it was today. The air was alive with the sounds of children laughing as they bounced balls around, skipped over nylon rope, and skipped across numbered blocks etched onto the concrete with colored chalk. A few of the less playful students were more inclined to chat with their friends or read library books underneath the great oak tree that had been there since before the school existed. However, one student refused to participate in any of the folly. Sitting by herself on the swing set was little Maggie Simpson.

"It's hopeless," Maggie thought. "Mom and Dad are gonna split for sure." She sighed. "What's gonna happen to us after that? Is Mom gonna take us or Dad? What if I have to move in with Aunt Patty and Aunt Selma?" Maggie shuddered as she imagined herself sitting before her obese aunts, their hoarse breaths bleeding into the oxygen masks they both wore which were connected to a single machine between them. The fact that a lifetime of smoking had done this to them was enough to put even the rebellious Bart off of cigarettes.

"Maggie," Slema wheezed. "Be a dear and scrub my feet!" She shoved her disgusting bare soles in Maggie's face.

"Mine too," Patty added as she copied her sister. "And don't forget to pick the toadstools!"

"Gaggh!" Maggie forced away the horrid fantasy, fighting to not vomit over the disturbing visual she had put herself through. "But then, what if I don't even get that?" Maggie thought. "What if, because it's my fault, they just throw me in an orphanage and leave me to rot?"

She found herself in another nightmarish daydream, this time one where she found herself in an orphanage. Of course, to actually call such a place an orphanage would be putting it nicely for the giant dark building Maggie found herself being herded into looked and felt much more like a maximum security prison. Her clothes had even been replaced with a dark purple jumper, matching the other boys and girls that led the way and trailed after her all at once. As they gathered into the main room, they were greeted by a woman with a dress so black it was as if a giant hole had opened in space-time where her body should be. One of her eyes was blind and had a scar running down it and her jowls were like those of a bulldog, her wrinkly skin the texture of a dried toad.

"Welcome to your new home, boys and girls." She said with an icy, compassionless voice. "From now on, you will know nothing but chores, church service, and Disney movies."

"Disney movies?" Maggie said hopefully. "W-Which ones?"

The woman chuckled. "The live-action remakes!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Maggie gasped as she pulled herself away from that nightmare. She wobbled as she nearly fell out of the swing, gripping the chains as hard as she could with her sweaty palms. Once she fixed herself in place, she took a few moments to catch her breath. "I really have to stop letting my imagination run wild like that." She whispered to herself as a shadow loomed over her. She looked up to see one of the bigger girls in her grade, Brandie Milkes, standing in front of her with her hands on her hips. "Hey," She croaked. "Are you gonna be doing any actual swinging on that thing or are you just gonna keep moping?"

"Honestly, I just don't have the energy," Maggie confessed. She was just about to point out that there was an empty swing next to her only for Brandie to grab her by the shoulders and toss her into the sand. A handful of the rocky sentiment slid into Maggie's open mouth as she screamed. She coughed and sputtered as she fought to expel all the sand in her body. She got to her hands and knees only for Brandie to knock her back down with a kick in the butt. Maggie growled as she got back to her feet and walked off the sandbox before Brandie could kick her again, all while glaring at the heavy-set girl. "Someone oughta sell you to the butcher, you fat hog." She whispered under her breath.

"What was that," Brandie asked.

"Nothing." Maggie walked toward the school entrance and waited for the bell to ring. She ended up waiting for 20 minutes and was able to duck into the building before the other students reluctantly herded around the door. She had been fighting the looming sense of doom and failing miserably, tears forming in her eyes as she wiped them off one after another.

As she made it to her classroom, wanting to take her place in line as she waited for Mr. Peacock, she couldn't help but notice a small box on her desk. She had to do a double-take to make sure it was really there. It was a purple shoe box, clearly dug out of someone's closet. It wasn't even closed right, the right corner of the lid handing away from the actual box. One name came to mind as she walked toward the desk to investigate further.

"Oh no," She thought. "What had Gerald done now?"

All matter of horrible theories as to what could be in the box crawled through Maggie's mind and she slowly reached for the lid. A dead rat? A pile of dog poop? Another one of his craptastic artworks? She gulped as she grabbed the lid and pulled it off.

Inside the shoe box was a small blue teddy bear.

"Huh?" Maggie looked around to make sure her arch-nemesis wasn't watching and picked the bear up. She kept it at arm's length as she investigated it, turning it and twisting it, shaking it and squeezing it, trying to get some sort of reaction to indicate that it was some sort of a prank. But no matter what she did, nothing happened. It was just an ordinary bear.

"Huh," Maggie said to herself. She looked back in the box and found a small piece of paper that had been resting underneath the bear's butt. Cautiously, she picked it up and unfolded it, gulping as she expected the message or picture on it to be mean-spirited.

You'll be ok.

Maggie stared at the note for a minute or so before turning it over and over again. She even held it up to the light to see if there was some sort of secret message but there was none. There was nothing more to the note. Just the words, "You'll be ok."

Maggie gripped the bear and note in one hand and looked over the box with the other. "No To-From sticker." She said. "I wonder who sent me this. Well, it can't be Gerald, that's for sure." She scoffed as she examined the bear again, its black glass eyes reflecting Maggie's face back at her. Her skeptical expression softened, first to quiet surprise as she realized whoever gifted her this bear was genuinely trying to cheer her up, then she started to sniffle as she looked back at the note and read its message again and again.

You'll be ok.

She didn't bother wiping her tears away this time. She let them fall as she held the bear close, planting a kiss on its snout. She was too emotional at that moment to notice a pair of eyes peeping at her from out in the hall.

"Man, she's such a baby." Gerald chuckled to himself as he slid back behind the wall. "Maybe I should record this and post it on YouTube. I bet it'll get millions of views!"

"Oh come on. Like you'll do that."

Gerald yelped in surprise and zipped around to see Violet standing behind him, a smug look on her face. "V-Violet? When did you show up?"

"Same time as you, you dumbass! I was right behind you!" Violet walked past Gerald and peered inside the classroom to see Maggie cuddling her new comfort toy and weeping softly. She smirked as she turned back to Gerald. "I have to say, Gerald, I never expected you to do something this nice for her."

Violet's amusement grew exponentially as Gerald's face turned as red as a fire hydrant. "W-W-What are you talking about!?" He blubbered. "I-I didn't give her that stupid bear! One of the bleeding heart teachers must have done that!"

"Oh sure!" Violet rolled her eyes. "I'm sure one of the teachers left her a bear in a shoebox."

"Shut up!" Gerald growled. "I'm warning you."

"Hey, I'm not saying anything bad." Violet held her hands up in mock defense. "Look, I won't say anything if that makes you feel better." Violet walked back behind Gerald to take her place in line. "But sooner or later, She's gonna find out for herself she was you." Violet sighed as she leaned close to Gerald, her hands clasped together and her eyes fluttering. "I think you've got a kiss in your future." She said in a sing-songy voice.

One would think it would be impossible for Gerald to somehow blush harder than he was already was but nature finds a way and the red on his face darkened to a terrible crimson. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" He covered his ears and looked down, trying not to attract attention to himself, all while Violet was giggling uncontrollably.

Maggie never heard any of this. She was too busy drinking in the tiny bit of comfort she had been given in this dark time of her life. As she nuzzled the bear with her nose, she started to believe in what the note had said.

"I'll be ok." She thought. "I'll be ok."

It was the intermission period before the final class of the day and Bart and Nelson's minds were racing as they walked down to their shared class. Bart was preoccupied with thoughts of Jessica whom he had spoken to once today after lunch. Her mood and attitude seemed to have improved slightly but she had yet to make amends with her friends. Bart suggested she could do so at the prom which seemed to consider. Aside from that meeting, nothing much of consequence happened to Bart on this day aside from what Milhouse had told him. Even now, he found himself trying to conjure the words he would say to Nelson. "Man, how am I supposed to do this?" Bart thought. "Hey Nelson! Hey buddy! How's it going? By the way, I'm taking the girl who used you and played us both for chumps to the prom! Hope you're cool with that!" He gulped.

Nelson was not fairing much better. Like Bart, he too had a small talk with his would-be prom date. It didn't amount to much more than an exchange of pleasantries but, even as dense as he could be, Nelson could tell that Lisa felt happier, less stressed than she usually did. That in turn helped to improve his own spirit but as he walked down that hall and pondered Milhouse's words, his spirit began to darken. "What am I so scared of, huh?" Nelson thought to himself. "Bart and I are pals! There's no reason he wouldn't approve of me taking his sister to the prom right? right?" He sighed as he realized what a hard time he was having in convincing himself of this.

So lost in their own thoughts were the two friends that they never realized they were staring at the tile floor until they happened to smack right into each other. They both groaned as they fell on their asses in front of their next-to-last class. "What the fuck!?" They both shouted in unison as they rubbed their noses and behinds. They both opened their eyes at the same time and all thought of their aching bodies and anger vanished as they realized who they had crashed into.

"Nelson?"

"Bart?"

Both boys quickly picked themselves up and dusted themselves off, mentally convincing themselves that they still retained the air of coolness they believed they had when walking down their respective hallways. They stood in front of each other as the other students walked past them, each waiting for the other to speak.

"H-How are you doing man?" Bart asked.

"G-Good! How about you?" Nelson asked as well.

"Pretty good. Pretty good."

"That's goo..That's great!"

They resumed saying nothing as they stood in the hallway. Both of them considered what they needed to say no words would leave their lips. They felt frozen in place as the seconds continued to tick away and their chance to talk began to slip away.

"Well, we really should be getting to class now!" Bart said. "Or Ms, Kavner will have our butts!" He turned to enter the classroom, probably the first time he had ever felt eager to do such in his life when he felt Nelson's hand gently grip his shoulder. He stiffened up.

"Actually Bart," Nelson said. "There's something I have to tell you first. Can we go somewhere a little more private?"

Bart gulped as sweat peppered his skin. "Shit!" He thought. "Did he find out about me and Jessica?" Is he going to go back to his bullying ways and string me up on the flagpole by my underwear?" Bart exhaled. "Alright Bart, calm down. Let's just see where this goes. You could always fake a heart attack if things go south. Just ask Homer!"

"Alright," Bart followed Nelson back to the hallway where the former came from. By now, the main bustle of students had dispersed, leaving hardly any ears to over here their conversation. There was one more awkward bout of silence between the boys as they prepared themselves to speak. "Alright Nelson," the football captain thought to himself. "Don't be a pussy. Just tell Bart that you're taking his sister to the Prom. In the words of the great Tallahassee from Zombieland's 1 through 3, it's time to nut up or shut up!' Nelson opened his mouth, ready to get this heavy burden off his chest when-

"NELSONI'MTAKINGJESSICATOTHEPROM!" Bart suddenly shouted in one breath, his eyes wild with fear.

By now, there was no one left in the hallway, nothing in the area with the two boys aside from a single lonely tumbleweed that rolled by. Nelson eyed the tumbleweed with fear but decided to ignore it for the time being as he refocused his attention on Bart. "What?"

Bart took a deep breath and further explained himself. "The other day, I found Jessica crying in the library and I tried to ignore her and...and I just couldn't. We talked. She apologized, believe it or not, and...I said I'd take her to the prom." Bart clasped his hands together. "Look man, I know how it looks! Especially since I was seeing her behind your back while you were dating but I swear I didn't plan this!"

"Bart," Nelson said.

"But if you feel the need to beat me up, that's fair and fine. Just please don't hospitalize me. Mom's still paying for Dad's last stomach pumping." Bart gulped.

"Bart."

The eldest son of the Simpson clan held his face close to Nelson, teeth clenched and eyes closed. "I just hope you can forgive me and-

Then Nelson hit Bart. Not with an angry punch like the Simpson boy was expecting but with a light slap that hardly hurt so much as it surprised Bart. He stepped away from Nelson as he rubbed his cheek.

"Listen dingus!" Nelson said. "Jessica and I are ancient history. I don't care who or what she's seeing anymore." He put and hand on Bart's shoulder. "Just riddle me this one thing Simpson." He stared right into Bart's eyes. "Do you trust her?" Like really trust her?"

Bart quietly gasped as he realized his friend's main concern with the situation wasn't that he was taking his friend's ex to the prom but that she might have something sinister up her sleeve. Bart pondered for a moment as he knew Nelson had a point. There was almost no reason to assume that Jessica had less-than-noble intentions in getting Bart to take her to prom. Except...

(I'm sorry!)

"I...I do." Bart finally said. "I know it's dumb and maybe I'm just walking right into a trap of some kind but when Jessica apologized, it was like she was genuinely swallowing her pride to say that. I think getting humbled the way she did might have set her straight and if there's a chance I can make sure she stays on the right path, I wanna take it."

Nelson stared at Bart for a few moments before cracking a smile and laughing his ass off. "Dude, you sound so gay!"

Bart chuckled as well. "I know," The laughter continued for a few moments, the conversation continuing once both boys were out of breath. "But I'm serious man. I really think Jessica just wants to go to prom and that's it. I...I just wanted to let you know."

"Well, it's not like I'd have any say anyway," Nelson replied. "But just watch your back man. And if she does end up screwing you over, just come to me and we'll get drunk or something, alright?"

Bart nodded. "Thanks man. Although I have to say you're taking this a lot better than I figured you would."

"Well, Nelson rubbed his fingers as his gaze slid toward the other end of the hall. "It does make me feel better about what I have to tell you."

"Oh?" Bart raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

Now it was Nelson's turn to take a deep breath. "Ok, I can't beat around the bush like this so I'm just gonna come out with it." One more sigh. "Bart, I'm taking Lisa to the prom."

Another moment of silence passed between the two friends with that same damned tumbleweed passing by them yet again. Nelson tensed up again but relaxed as he realized it was going in the opposite direction.

"Nelson...That's awesome!" Bart beamed.

"What? Really?" Nelson asked in surprise.

"Yeah, man! Do you have any idea how excited Mom's gonna be to hear Lisa's actually going to a social gathering for once? I thought I'd never see the day. How'd you convince her huh? Agree to sit through some foreign documentary afterward huh?"

Nelson shook his head. "No man! I just asked her out and after waiting a day or two, she said yes on her own!"

"Well, that's great man." Bart's smile faded a little. "I just hope Milhouse takes it well."

"Oh he already knows," Nelson said. "It's hard to believe but I think he's actually moved on thanks to Jamie." Nelson stepped closer to Bart. "Are you really serious about this man? Are you ok with me taking your sister to the prom?"

"Hey, better someone I know than some weirdo loser I've never met," Bart said. "But fair warning, I highly doubt you're gonna get any that night."

Nelson scoffed. "I'm not that kind of man, Bart. I just want to dance with Lisa and maybe shoot the shit with you guys during the awkward parts where we're not dancing!" He sighed and smiled as he gave Bart a coy look. "Although if anything does happen, you'll be the first to know."

Bart gagged as he fought against the mental image of his sister and Nelson...doing things together without clothing. "Oh god! Don't you dare put that in my head!"

"It might happen," Nelson laughed.

"Dude, shut up!" Bart demanded through his own laughter. This exchange would have continued had the bell not rung, signaling that class was about to begin.

"Crap!"

"D'oh!" Both boys rushed to the classroom, their secrets out in the open and their minds all the more at peace for it.

Another school day was drawing to a close as the final bell rang. The students were heading for their lockers to pick up their belongings and head for home or for the town. Walking among the horde of fleeting youth was Lisa Simpson, her backpack hanging haphazardly from her shoulder and a bright smile plastered on her face. Sure, this morning had been a little rough with the guilt trip that Allison had given her and the Beast complaining about the state her emotions apparently had on the Slaughterhouse (not that either was really ever welcome in Lisa's psyche in the first place) but as the day trudged forward, Lisa decided to take a page from her mother's book for once and focus on the positive things in her life, one of those things being the fact that she was going to the Prom with Nelson. Not even the Beast's remarks or insults could put a damper on that simple fact and while it carried an air of sadness with it given the connection with Clementine, Lisa still felt somewhat better. Her small chat with her future prom date certainly didn't hurt matters.

"It's finally happening," She thought. "I'm finally living like an ordinary teenager! And I'm going to savor every little moment of it I can." She waited for the Beast to say something but only heard silence. She wasn't sure if this comforted or disturbed her but as she caught sight of her locker, she figured it didn't matter. "I feel bad for Clementine but I'll just have to make it up to her later." Lisa started on the lock. "Yeah, I will make it up to her later. Maybe help her find someone new! But for the moment, I need to focus on the now." The locker clicked and Lisa opened the door. "My no-

Her words died in her mouth. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung agape. All the voices and laughter from the other students in the hallway with her vanished from her ears and the color in her vision began to fade. She stood there with her hand on the locker handle, staring at the inside of her locker as if it were some eldritch tome she had dared to open or a creature standing over a foggy hill staring right back at her and waiting for her to make a move. Inside her head, the Beast, who had been mostly silent today, began to chuckle warmly.

"My my, what do we have here?"

Inside Lisa's locker was a bunch of dead animals. Frogs snakes, mice, and a baby piglet as well as several insects. They all reeked of formaldehyde, telling Lisa at once that they came from the science lab meaning they had been dead a while which would have given Lisa some relief...

... if it wasn't for the fact that they had all been crushed beforehand.

Lisa covered her mouth and forced herself not to scream. She didn't want to cause a scene, not when she was so close to normalcy. She would wait until everyone cleared out of the hall and then go find Groundsweeper Millie. Yeah, that's what she'll do. She would worry about who committed the terrible deed and how they got into her locker later but for now she-

She found a note. A bloodstained note draped over her books.

Gulping, Lisa lifted a trembling hand toward the note and picked it up. It was wet from the formaldehyde and one of its corners tore just from Lisa touching it. Carefully, she lifted the top half of the paper and read the words she saw. There were only two of them but they alone were more than enough to triple Lisa's already intense fear to the point of her breaking into a cold sweat.

I KNOW

(And with this, we've finally set the groundwork for the prom two-parter coming up next! Are you guys as excited about it as I am? I'll do my best to make it worth the wait but until next time, I'm BSC, and remember, licking doorknobs is illegal on other planets. (Except Canada) Bye-bye!)