After school, Jake, Frankie, Viktor, and Viveka were sitting at the table eating dinner while engaging in conversation.
"I met more people at school today." Jake said.
"Who?" Viktor asked.
"These ghouls, uh, Skelita Calaveras, Jinafire Long, and Twyla Boogeyman." Jake responded.
"Cool!" Viveka said with a smile.
"Yep. Twyla has the power to move through shadows but I'm not sure about the others." Jake said.
Frankie chimed in. "Jinafire can breath fire since she's the daughter of the Chinese dragon."
"Oh, that's very cool! I wonder if her and Heath have gotten together since, you know, they both have fire powers." Jake said, giggling.
"He flirted with her when we were in Scaris a few years ago, but, um, they've never officially dated, at least not to my knowledge." Frankie said.
"Ah, okay." Jake said. He nodded.
"Before you came to Monster High, Heath flirted with every other ghoul at the school, including me. It got old really fast, and believe it or not, him and Draculaura used to date." Frankie added.
Jake raised his eyebrows. "Really?"
"Yeah, but they broke up because Heath was such a jerk to Draculaura. She then started dating Clawd and she's been with him ever since." Frankie said.
"Wow! I'm shocked because Heath doesn't really strike me as a jerky and flirty kinda guy. At least from my experience with him, he seems pretty chill." Jake said.
"He used to be so obnoxious and annoying but he's mellowed out over the years, which we were very grateful for." Frankie said.
"I'm sure." Jake said. He then changed the subject. "So, um, I wonder if Mr. Where'll pair me and Lagoona together tomorrow."
"That's what he's been doing the last few days, so I'm sure he'll do it tomorrow, too." Frankie guessed.
"I hope Gil doesn't get jealous." Jake said uneasily.
Viktor chimed in. "Why would he get jealous?"
"Well, he might end up having a problem with me working with his girlfriend. Don't get me wrong, I love working with her, but we've been working together a lot lately and I don't wanna get in the way of her and Gil's relationship." Jake said.
"You two are just friends, Jake. Your partnerships are for class assignments, nothing else." Viveka reassured.
"I know, but why does Mr. Where keep putting us together all of a sudden? Is he scheming something behind our backs?" Jake asked.
"Come on, you know he'd never do that. He just thinks you guys work well together and wants to keep it going." Frankie said.
"You're right, he's a super nice guy, he wouldn't do anything like that. It's just me being paranoid." Jake said with a sigh.
"Trust us, son, you have nothing to worry about." Viktor said, smiling.
Jake smiled knowingly, thankful for the support and reassurance.
(The next day)
Just as Jake and Frankie were about to get in the car and head to school, Ghoulia suddenly pulled up in her scooter and greeted them.
"Hey, Ghoulia! What are you doing here?" Frankie asked curiously.
Ghoulia grunted to tell Jake and Frankie she was offering them a ride to school on her scooter.
"You wanna give us a ride to school on your scooter?" Jake asked.
Ghoulia nodded while smiling.
"That's so nice of you! Of course we'd love a ride." Frankie said happily.
"Let's do it!" Jake cheerfully said.
At that moment, Ghoulia gave Jake and Frankie helmets to wear before they hopped on her scooter; they strapped them on and everyone was ready to go.
When Ghoulia first took off, Jake was caught off guard by the speed.
"Whoa!"
Ghoulia chuckled and spoke zombie, saying that she would try not to go too fast. She then began humming the Zombies' She's Not There.
"Hummin' the Zombies, huh? 'She's Not There'?" Frankie asked.
Ghoulia spoke zombie again.
"They're your and Slo Mo's favorite artist right next to Michael Jackson? Nice!" Jake said with a grin.
Ghoulia smiled appreciatively.
XXXXXXX
When the 3 got to school, Jake, Frankie, and Ghoulia hopped off the scooter after it was parked and went up to the steps where their friends were, sitting down with them.
"How's it going, guys?" Frankie greeted.
"Waiting for you three to show up!" Heath said jokingly.
Jake, Frankie, and Ghoulia laughed at that comment collectively.
"So, Lagoona, are you excited to work together in Dramarama later today?" Jake asked her.
"You bet, mate! I wonder what Mr. Where's gonna have us do." Lagoona said.
"We'll see when we get there." Jake said.
Gil chimed in. "You two are still working together?"
"Yeah. You don't have a problem with it, do you?" Lagoona asked.
"No, I'm just asking." Gil said.
"Hey, Gil, you should've seen yesterday's performance. There was a part where Jake fell into Lagoona's arms, it was insane." Jackson said.
"The acting from them was superb!" Cleo said happily.
"Some of the best we've ever seen!" Clawdeen added.
"Really?" Gil asked, weirded out.
Slo Mo responded to Gil's question by speaking zombie.
"Hm." Gil simply said.
The others noticed Gil's abrupt change in demeanor and became curious.
"I don't know about you, but I'm getting jealous vibes from Gil." Clawd whispered to Draculaura.
"So am I." Draculaura whispered.
"I heard that! I'm not jealous, I just wish I was told about these things. Jake, what exactly are you and Lagoona doing in your Drama class?" Gil asked.
"Well, uh, lately we've just been doing improv." Jake responded uneasily.
"Meaning you just make up stuff on the spot?" Gil asked.
"Exactly! Mr. Where tells us to do whatever comes to mind." Jake said.
Frankie chimed in. "It's kinda hard to think of stuff now that I think about it."
Gil just nodded. "I see. You two haven't doing anything romantic, have you?"
"Gil, cool your jets, bro. Lagoona and Jake are just acting, they're playing characters. None of this is real." Jackson reassured.
"You might think it's real, but it's not. Relax, babe." Lagoona added, placing her hand on her boyfriend's hand.
"Nothing is going on between me and Lagoona." Jake said.
Gil's expression softened. Even though he wasn't 100% convinced, he still believed what his friends were telling him.
"Alright, I believe you. If you say there's nothing going on then I'll take your word for it." Gil said with a smile.
Meanwhile, Clawd, Deuce, and Heath could feel the awkwardness around them; they were almost cringing in a way.
"Now I'm really glad I'm not taking Dramarama this year. Heath, Clawd, do you feel the same way?" Deuce asked them.
"Yeah, dude, totally!" Heath replied.
"For sure, man!" Clawd responded.
At that moment, the bell rang and Jake, Frankie, Draculaura, Clawd, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Gil, Cleo, Deuce, Ghoulia, Slo Mo, Jackson, and Heath went to first period.
In Dead Languages, the gang wondered why Gil was acting like he had an issue with Jake and Lagoona working together in Mr. Where's class when he didn't before.
"Is it just me, or was Gil acting super weird out there?" Clawdeen asked.
"No, he was definitely acting weird. He didn't have a problem with Lagoona and Jake working together before and now all of a sudden he does? I don't get it." Frankie said, confused.
"Maybe it's because he thought it wasn't gonna be continuing on for as long as it has." Jake guessed.
"That could be it. Or maybe it's because of some other reason we don't know about and he won't tell us." Lagoona said.
"I think he's just jealous, plain and simple. He knows you two can act really well and can clearly see the chemistry you have together, he just wants to be a part of it." Cleo said.
"That's the only thing that makes sense to us." Draculaura added.
Jake made a face. "Well, if he's jealous, then maybe he should enroll in the class and come watch us perform and see there's nothing happening between us."
"That's a little far-fetched, don't you think, Jake?" Lagoona asked worriedly.
"Lagoona, Gil knows I would never steal you from him if that's what he thinks I'm gonna do. You and him were made for each other." Jake told her.
"Besides, you're not the kind of person to do that." Jackson said, chiming in.
"Exactly." Clawdeen agreed.
Ghoulia agreed by speaking zombie.
Their friends' support eased Jake and Lagoona's feelings of uncertainy a little bit, if not at all. Clawd, Deuce, and Heath, however, stayed out of the whole conversation as they didn't wanna get involved in any drama.
(1 hour later)
Jake, Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, Ghoulia, Jackson, Clawd, Deuce, and Heath walked out of class after they were dismissed and headed to second period.
While on the way to Mad Science, Jake was greeted by Hoodude, Skelita, Jinafire, and Twyla, the 4 most recent monsters he met.
"Hey, guys! How's it goin'?" Jake asked.
"Good! We just wanted to say hi to you real quick." Hoodude said with a smile.
"What class are you headed to?" Skelita asked.
"Mad Science." Jake said.
"Heh, I have been saying this for three years, but Mr. Hack is one strange man." Jinafire said.
"A very strange man. It's a wonder what he does in his spare time." Twyla added.
"Yeah, he's an odd fellow alright. Listen, I'd love to talk but I gotta go, I don't wanna be late to class. I'll see you guys at lunch." Jake said swiftly.
"Bye, Jake!" Hoodude, Skelita, Jinafire, and Twyla all said, waving.
Jake waved back as he caught up with his other friends and entered Mr. Hack's classroom.
(Afternoon)
When it was lunchtime, the gang sat at their new spot outside conversing as usual and having a good time hanging out.
"So, Twyla, I heard you met Jake yesterday." Howleen told her.
"That's right, bestie! He's sweet." Twyla said with a smile.
Jake was flattered. "Aw, shucks!"
"Jake, have you been enjoying your time here?" Hoodude asked.
"Mm-hmm. There have been times where things got rocky, but, uh, it's mostly been amazing." Jake responded.
"We're glad." Skelita said, grinning happily.
"I love the variety of monsters that go to this school. I mean, you got your usual vampires, werewolves, zombies, and ghosts, but there's also werecats, um...I mean, Frankie, you were created in a lab, Lagoona and Gil, you're both sea monsters, there's just so much variety here and I love it!" Jake exclaimed.
Jake's friends were flattered and touched by his sentiment since no one's ever really said that about them before.
"I also love how everyone, well, except for Toralei at first, accepted me for who I am. You have no idea how terrified I was on the first day when I walked into the building and how I thought I was gonna be picked on for being a normie. But nope, that wasn't the case. And Jackson, you being in my all my classes and just being around me in general really helps a lot." Jake said.
Jackson felt a lump in his throat; his first day at Monster High wasn't exactly pleasant, but he decided not to tell Jake about that yet out of not wanting to alienate him.
"I know you're part monster, too, man, but still." Jake said.
"Hey now, let's not get too mushy here, hehe." Jackson said with a nervous laugh.
"I'm not trying to get mushy, I'm just telling you how much I appreciate you as a friend." Jake said, a little confused.
"Well, I appreciate you, too." Jackson said sincerely.
Jake smiled. "I appreciate all of you. I love you guys so much."
"Awww, that's so sweet, Jake! We love you, too!" Spectra said, very joyous.
The gang's close bond with one another continued shining through with moments like this.
After finishing lunch, everyone their food scraps away and went back inside the building for fifth period.
(1 hour later)
It was time for sixth period, the last block of the day. Jake, Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, Ghoulia, Jackson, and Slo Mo headed to Dramarama and took their seats.
"Good afternoon, everyone!" Mr. Where greeted with usual cheeriness.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Where!" the class greeted back.
"You'll be continuing your improv activities you've been doing the last couple days, and, uh, that's all I have to say so good luck!" Mr. Where said.
Lagoona raised her hand.
"Yes, Lagoona?" Mr. Where asked.
"Are you going to pair me and Jake together like you've been doing?" Lagoona asked.
"That was the plan, yes, but I won't if you're not okay with it." Mr. Where said.
"No, I'm okay with it, sir. I was just asking." Lagoona said with a smile.
"Oh, alright. Anyway, who wants to go first?" Mr. Where asked.
Jake looked over at Lagoona and told her, "We might as well get ours over and done with first."
"Might as well." Lagoona said.
At that moment, Jake and Lagoona got up and stepped on stage, starting off nervous like they often did during their performances; support from their friends steadied them.
"And...begin!" Mr. Where said.
It took a minute of thinking, but Jake and Lagoona decided to do a scene where one of them played a lawyer and the other played the client. The class and Mr. Where loved how funny it was, as well as the facial expressions.
"Well done!" Mr. Where said, laughing.
Jake and Lagoona bowed and went back to their seats, with Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Cleo, Ghoulia, Jackson, and Slo Mo telling them they did an amazing job.
After that, the rest of class performed their respective improv bits; Frankie paired with Draculaura, Clawdeen paired with Ghoulia, Cleo paired with Jackson, and Slo Mo paired with Herbert. Mr. Where complimented all of them on their peformances.
(1 hour later)
When Dramarama was over, the students left in unison, the gang included. After telling their friends they were going to tell Gil about their performance, Jake and Lagoona found him and approached him to do just that.
"Hey, Gil!" Jake and Lagoona greeted.
"Hey, guys! What's up?" Gil asked.
"We just wanted to tell you about the improv we did in Dramarama." Jake said.
"Oh, okay. What'd you perform?" Gil asked.
"We played the roles of lawyer and client. Jake was the lawyer and I was the client." Lagoona replied.
"Nice!" Gil said with an impressed grin.
"We also made it funny to make it more interesting. Like, Lagoona got arrested for the most outlandish crime you could think of, and I was able to get her out of it." Jake said.
Gil giggled. "Okay then! Well, thanks for letting me know."
"No problem! You, uh, ready to go?" Lagoona asked.
"Yep. Lagoona and I will see you tomorrow, Jake." Gil told him.
"I guess we're all hanging out tomorrow?" Jake asked, making a face.
"Yeah, we can. I forgot tomorrow was Saturday, but that doesn't mean we can't hang out. You can invite our friends, too, if you want." Gil said.
"Alright! I'll ask 'em when I catch up with 'em." Jake said with a smile.
"Great! See you tomorrow!" Gil said happily.
"You too! Bye, guys!" Jake said, and left.
"Bye, Jake!" Lagoona and Gil said while waving to him.
As Jake caught up to Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Cleo, and Ghoulia, they were curious about Gil.
"What did Gil say?" Frankie asked.
"He thought our performance was cool and funny, and that was all he had to say about it." Jake responded.
"At least he didn't get mad." Draculaura said.
"Yeah, judging by how he acted this morning." Clawdeen added.
"I still think he was jealous, I mean, nobody acts weirdly for no reason." Cleo said.
Ghoulia groaned in agreement.
"Hey, Ghoulia, are you giving me and Frankie a ride home?" Jake asked her.
Ghoulia groaned again, saying, "Of course!"
"Thanks a lot!" Frankie said gratefully.
Ghoulia smiled welcomingly.
When the 7 friends made it outside, they said bye to each other and left to their respective homes; Jake and Frankie hopped on Ghoulia's scooter and she drove off.
XXXXXXX
After arriving home, Jake and Frankie hopped off Ghoulia's scooter.
"Thank you for taking us to school and bringing us home, Ghoulia." Jake said.
Ghoulia spoke zombie to say, "You're welcome!"
"We'll see you later!" Frankie cheerfully said.
That being said, Ghoulia waved to her friends as she drove off.
"Bye!" Jake and Frankie said, also waving. They then entered their house and were greeted by Viktor and Viveka; the two asked about their day at school and got a positive response back, bar one exception.
"Gil acted kinda strange this morning." Jake said.
"Why?" Viktor asked.
"I guess he got jealous when he found out me and Lagoona were still working together in Mr. Where's class." Jake replied.
"We don't know for sure, but that's our best guess." Frankie added.
"Huh. I thought he was okay with you and Lagoona working together, Jake." Viveka said, confused.
"So did we. He claimed he wasn't jealous but we could tell from his body language that he was, so I don't know what's going on." Jake said.
"He'll get over it hopefully." Viktor guessed.
"We hope so." Frankie said.
After getting settled, Jake and Frankie sat on the couch while the elder Steins began preparing dinner.