The next morning, Jake woke up and got out of his twin-sized bed. He walked into the living room and made himself breakfast, then sat down at a table away from the other foster kids. He started eating.
A moment later, a social worker came up to Jake with a confused expression on her face.
"Jake?"
"Yes?" Jake asked, looking up.
"Why are you sitting all by yourself?" the worker asked.
Jake swallowed a bite he took. "Because I feel like I don't fit in here. The other kids just ignore me."
"Well, we can fix that! Go eat with them. They might wanna strike up a conversation with you." the worker said with a smile.
"I really don't want to, sorry. I gotta get ready for school anyway." Jake said, and continued eating.
The social worker frowned. "Suit yourself." She walked away.
When Jake finished his breakfast, he put his plate in the sink. Then he showered, brushed his teeth, got dressed, grabbed his car keys, and left. He got in his car, put the keys in the ignition, and drove off.
XXXXXXX
Jake arrived at Monster High and parked his car. He got out and approached the school, where he saw his friends sitting on the steps. He joined them in a jiffy.
"Hey, guys!" Jake greeted cheerfully.
"Hey, Jake!" Frankie greeted back.
Jake pulled out his phone to check the time, then put it away. He then yawned and rubbed his eyes.
"You look tired, bro." Clawd said.
"I am. My bed isn't very comfortable and there's always noise going on outside my room." Jake said.
"Oh, that's right, you live in a foster home. I forgot you told us that yesterday." Heath said.
"Yeah, it's not the best living situation, but I don't have a choice." Jake said.
Frankie thought about that statement and took it to heart as she was waiting to tell Jake the big news.
"But anyway, I'm excited for my second day! Especially Dramarama class. I hate that I have to wait until the end of the day to be in it." Jake said.
"It's so fun! Participating in musicals is the best thing about it." Draculaura said happily.
Frankie, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, Ghoulia, and Jake all swooned.
"I'm glad I'm not in that class. I'm not much of a theater guy." Deuce said.
"That's too bad, Deuce. You're really missing out." Jackson said.
"Nah, I'm not missing anything, buddy." Deuce said while patting Jackson on the back.
Heath changed the subject. "Hey, Jake, you should totally join the basketball team! It would be rad!"
"Eh, I don't know, Heath. I'm too skinny to be on the team, don't you think?" Jake asked.
"That shouldn't matter. Besides, we could use some extra players." Clawd encouraged.
Jake thought about it for a minute. He wasn't big on sports in general, let alone basketball. But at the same time, he's been wanting to try something new and different for a hobby, so there was that.
"Hmmm, I'll think about it."
"Alright! You can sign up in the gym at any time." Heath said.
"Got it!" Jake said accordingly.
At that moment, the bell rang. The gang got up and went inside, heading to Dead Languages. They took their seats.
Frankie looked at Jake with compassion in her eyes, ready to tell him the thing she's been holding in the last 24 hours.
"Jake?"
"What's up?" Jake asked, turning his head.
"I want you to come live with me." Frankie said without hesitation.
Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, Ghoulia, Jackson, Clawd, Deuce, and Heath overheard this. All of them were speechless, including Jake himself.
Jake blinked a couple times in utter disbelief. "I'm sorry, what?!"
"You deserve much better than being in foster care! You need a home, so I talked to my parents and they're more than happy to let you move in with us. What do you say?" Frankie asked.
Tears of joy welled up in Jake's eyes. All those years he spent wishing for a better roof over his head finally came true.
"Oh my God, Frankie, thank you so much!" Jake said, very emotional. He gave Frankie a hug.
Frankie returned the hug and smiled. "You're welcome!"
Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, and Ghoulia couldn't help but get choked up as well, while Jackson, Clawd, Deuce, and Heath smiled happily.
Jake wiped his eyes and sniffled. "I can't believe it! Me and you are gonna be roommates now!"
"I know! It's gonna be voltaigious!" Frankie said excitedly.
"We're very happy for you, Jake!" Draculaura said, grinning.
"Thank you! Man, this is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. I can't wait to get out of that place for good." Jake said, referring to his foster home.
"I'm sure it ain't easy living there." Clawdeen said.
"Oh, you have no idea. I could go on and on about how not so great it is, but I won't." Jake said.
Soon enough, Mr. Rotter stood in front of the class and began teaching, with the students following along.
(1 hour later)
After class was over, the students headed out and went to second period. Jake went to the water fountain to get a drink while the ghouls waited for him. While doing so, they chatted.
"Frankie, letting Jake move in with you is the sweetest thing you've ever done." Lagoona said with a smile.
"It was the least I could do. I couldn't bear knowing he had to live an orphanage. He doesn't deserve that at all." Frankie said.
Jake approached his friends. "Sorry about that. I get really thirsty sometimes."
"No worries!" Cleo said understandably.
At that moment, the gang walked to Mad Science and took their seats. Mr. Hack was sitting at his desk reading a newspaper.
"I don't know about you guys, but Mr. Hack freaks me out." Jake said.
"How come?" Draculaura asked.
"He looks creepy! And look at all those meat cleavers he has. He's insane." Jake said.
"Well, I don't know if I'd classify him as insane, but he's harmless, Jake." Clawdeen reassured.
"Yeah, he's not gonna hurt you." Frankie reassured.
Jake just nodded. "I'll take your word for it."
Mr. Hack put the newspaper away and turned his attention towards his students.
"Alright, class, listen up! Today, we will be practicing mixing different solutions together. Any questions?"
The class shook their heads no in unison.
"Very well then. Let me pass out the solutions and then we'll get started." Mr. Hack said.
Mr. Hack grabbed 3 beakers at a time and passed them out to each of the students. When he was done, he went back to his desk.
"Have at it!"
Jake picked up a beaker with a red solution in it and poured it into another beaker with a blue solution, causing it to turn purple and bubbly.
"Good job, Jake!" Robecca said happily.
"Thanks, Robecca! Maybe this class isn't so bad after all." Jake said, grinning.
After the class finished mixing solutions, Mr. Hack had them read chapters in their textbooks for the remainder of the block.
(1 hour later)
When Mad Science was over, the class headed out and went to third period. Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, Ghoulia, Jackson, and Jake went to Clawculus.
XXXXXXX
It was lunchtime. The gang got in line and waited their turn.
"Jake, did you have fun in Mad Science class?" Robecca asked.
"Yes, I did! Mixing different solutions together was a blast, and thank goodness Mr. Hack didn't chop my head off." Jake responded.
"Told ya he wasn't gonna hurt you!" Clawdeen said in a matter-of-fact way.
Jake giggled endearingly at that statement.
The line moved forward and the gang served themselves, followed by them sitting down and eating. Then, Jackson turned the conversation towards basketball.
"Have you thought about whether you're gonna be on the basketball team, Jake?"
"Not yet. Speaking of which, how come you're not on the team, Jackson?" Jake asked.
"I'm not a sports guy. I'm more into reading, studying, music, and Dramarama for that matter." Jackson replied.
"I'm not a sports guy either, but it seems like Clawd and Heath really want me to be on the team, so I'll play it by ear." Jake said.
"You know, you don't have to join if you don't want to." Cleo said.
"Oh, I know." Jake said.
Robecca changed the subject. "So, Jake, Frankie told me you were gonna be living with her from now on."
"Mm-hmm! We're gonna be roommates." Jake said happily.
"Yup! It'll be so much fun. I've never had a roommate before, it's just been me and my parents." Frankie said.
"You did the right thing, love." Lagoona said with a smile.
"I know I wouldn't wanna live in a foster home. From what I've heard, they're always so crowded and noisy." Robecca said.
"Well, the one I was staying at was exactly like that. The workers are friendly, but for some reason, the other kids ignore me. Not even a 'hello' or anything, they just pretend I'm not there." Jake said, showing despair.
Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, Ghoulia, Jackson, and Robecca's facial expressions turned sympathetic.
"I'm sorry, man. Living there must be hard for you." Jackson said.
"To be honest with you, it's not horrible, but it could be way better." Jake said.
"You won't have to worry about that place anymore, Jake. Once you get settled in with me, you can kiss foster care goodbye!" Frankie declared.
"Yeah!" Jake agreed.
Draculaura chimed in. "Oh, and Jake, you're going to love Frankie's parents! They are totes rad!"
"Absolutely! They're some of the nicest folks ever. And very welcoming, too." Clawdeen said.
That got Jake even more excited. He was always nervous around other peoples' parents, even if he had gotten to know them for a while.
"Alright! I have another thing to look forward to."
After the gang finished their lunch, they put the trays back where they were and went outside, sitting by the fountain.
Moments later, Gil approached the gang and greeted them.
"Hey, everyone!"
"Hi, Gil!" Lagoona greeted back as she and him exchanged a kiss.
Gil and Jake did a friendly handshake and fist-bump combo, as did Gil and Jackson.
"What's happening?" Gil asked.
"Nothing much." Frankie said.
"Hey, Gil, you're on the basketball team, correct?" Jake asked.
"You bet." Gil responded.
"Would I add anything to it if I joined?" Jake asked.
"Um, I mean, you can join if you want to, but we're not short on players or anything." Gil said.
"Well, Heath said it would be rad if I joined, and Clawd said the team could use some extra players, so I don't know. I'll think about it." Jake said.
Gil nodded. "Okay."
The gang continued to chat until the bell rang. They went inside the school and endured fifth and sixth period.
XXXXXXX
At the end of the day, all the students piled out of Monster High. Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Cleo, Ghoulia, and Jake walked out while conversing.
"Draculaura, Clawdeen, I have a random and kinda weird question I wanna ask you guys. It might make you uncomfortable, and you don't to answer if you don't want to, but I'm just curious." Jake said.
Draculaura and Clawdeen looked at each other suspiciously.
"What's the question?" Draculaura asked.
"If you two were to bite me, would I turn into a vampire or a werewolf, too?" Jake asked.
Totally stunned, Draculaura and Clawdeen looked at the other ghouls, who didn't know what to say.
"Uh, yeah, I guess so..." Clawdeen said awkwardly.
"Okay. That's all I wanted to know. Don't get me wrong, I don't want you to bite me, I was just wondering what would happen if you did." Jake said.
"Alright then." Draculaura said.
"Sorry if I made you both uncomfortable. That wasn't my intention." Jake reassured.
"No, no, it's okay! We were just caught off guard by your question." Clawdeen reassured.
Frankie, Lagoona, Cleo, and Ghoulia stayed out of the conversation as they didn't know what to say.
"Anyway, um, we'll see each other tomorrow!" Lagoona said, finally speaking up.
At that moment, the gang said bye to each other and left. Draculaura and Clawdeen went with Clawd, Lagoona went with Gil, and Cleo went with Deuce.
Frankie and Jake approached Jake's car and got in.
"The inside of your car looks nice!" Frankie said happily.
"Thanks! I vacuumed it yesterday since it was getting pretty filthy, and I didn't want you to sit in filth." Jake said.
Frankie chuckled endearingly.
"Do you mind if I put on some music?" Jake asked.
"No, go ahead." Frankie said.
Jake pulled out his phone, opened up an app called Musi, and selected Beat It by Michael Jackson, then started up his car and drove off.
Once the song started, Frankie began lightly tapping her foot to the rhythm and bobbing her head.
"I've never heard this song before. Who sings it?"
"Michael Jackson, the best singer in the world." Jake said with a smile.
"Never heard of him! He must be amazing, though." Frankie said.
"He's known as the 'King of Pop'." Jake said.
"Oh, cool! I like this song, it's very catchy." Frankie said.
"It's one of Michael's most famous songs, and one of my favorites, too." Jake said.
Frankie and Jake listened to the song until it was over. Unfortunately, Jake's phone died before the next song could come on.
"Aw, man!" Jake exclaimed in disappointment.
"What happened?" Frankie asked.
"My phone died. Eh, I'll charge it later. Anyway, I, um, have to stop at the foster place to get my clothes and stuff before we head to your house." Jake said.
"Okay. I'll help you unpack." Frankie said.
"Oh, thanks." Jake said.
"No problem." Frankie said with a smile.
Several minutes later, the two arrived at New Salem Foster Center. They got out of the car and entered.
Frankie looked around. "This place doesn't look very big."
"It's adequate enough. Come on, I wanna get my stuff and get out of here as fast as possible." Jake said.
Frankie nodded as Jake led her to his room. The two stepped inside and turned on the light.
"How much stuff do you have?" Frankie asked.
"Well, there's my clothes, my TV, my Marvel posters, um, I think that's it. But I'm only gonna bring my clothes. I don't feel like bringing my TV and posters with me." Jake said.
"That's okay. We have a TV in the living room anyway." Frankie said.
At that moment, Jake unzipped his suitcase. He and Frankie began packing his clothes, which only took about 10 minutes in total. After that, Jake put the suitcase on wheels and double-checked if he forgot anything.
"Okay, did we forget anything?" Jake asked.
"I don't think we did." Frankie guessed.
"I'm lookin' around...alright, I think we got everything! Let's get the heck out of here." Jake said.
Jake and Frankie left the room and headed out of the foster home, then put the suitcase in the trunk of the car. They then got in and drove off.
"Jake, does the foster place know you won't be living there anymore?" Frankie asked.
"No, and it's too late to tell 'em now. It's okay, though. They'll be fine without me." Jake said.
"Oh, okay then. Since you've never been to my house before, I'll tell you exactly where to go." Frankie said.
"Gotcha." Jake said.
Frankie gave Jake the directions to her house, in which he followed. It took a while to get there since it was in a neighborhood filled with monsters. When the two arrived, they got out of the car. Frankie knocked on the door while Jake grabbed his suitcase out of the trunk, then closed it and locked it. He approached the house.
Frankie's parents, Viktor and Viveka Stein, answered the door with delight.
"Frankie, darling! We're glad to have you home. We were starting to get worried." Viktor said with a chuckle.
"Well, at least I got home in one piece!" Frankie joked.
Viveka stepped forward and smiled at Jake. "Hello there! You must be Jake. Frankie's told us a lot about you."
"Oh, yes, I'm sure she has." Jake said, giving a nervous giggle.
"Put it there, son!" Viktor said happily. He and his wife reached out their hands, in which Jake shook both of them.
"It's nice to meet you guys. Once again, I seriously can't thank you all enough for taking me in. Truly." Jake said with gratitude.
"It's our pleasure. Come on in." Viveka said.
Frankie and Jake entered the house accordingly. The living room was a science laboratory with a couch and TV.
"Wow, this place looks so cool! And there's so much technology." Jake said.
"Thank you! I was put together right on that table over there. Ah, the memories." Frankie said.
"It seems like such a lifetime ago." Viktor said.
"It sure does. By the way, Jake, you can put your suitcase in the guest room. It's right down the hallway." Viveka said.
"Alright." Jake said, and left to do just that.
Frankie and her parents sat on the couch in the meantime.
"Jake seems like a nice young man." Viktor said.
"He sure is, Daddy. He's very easy to talk to." Frankie said.
"We're glad you made a new friend, honey. And it's very gracious of you to give him the opportunity to move in with us." Viveka said.
"When you told us he was an orphan and was living in a foster home, my mind was made up right away." Viktor said.
Meanwhile, in the guest room, Jake unpacked his clothes and hung them up in the closet. He then looked around to get a first impression of what he was getting himself into.
I think this could actually work!
Jake went back to the living room and sat with the Steins on the couch.
"Did you get all your clothes unpacked?" Frankie asked.
"Yep. Good thing the closet already had hangers." Jake said.
"Was it easy to navigate the guest room?" Viveka asked.
"Oh yeah! I love the way it looks. It looks so futuristic." Jake said.
"That's good. Oh, and Jake, let me give you a friendly warning. If you're going to be staying with us, you must abide to the same rules as Frankie." Viktor warned.
"Yes, sir!" Jake said obediently.
"Great! Well, um, I'm going to start on supper now." Viveka said, and headed to the kitchen.
"What are you making?" Jake asked.
Viveka grinned mischievously. "It's a surprise."
"Oh, I see." Jake said, nodding.
Viktor went to the kitchen to help his wife, while Frankie and Jake sat on the couch.
"Do you guys need any help?" Frankie asked her parents.
"No thank you, honey, we got it!" Viktor responded.
Frankie nodded, then looked at Jake. "If you wanna watch TV, Jake, you can."
"Alright." Jake said. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV on, then flipped through channels. "What do you guys like to watch?"
"Usually family sitcoms and cartoons. Sometimes we rent movies." Frankie said.
"Nice! I watch all kinds of stuff, or anything that appeals to me." Jake said.
"Do you have a favorite show or movie?" Frankie asked.
"Um, well, my favorite show is X-Men: The Animated Series, and my favorite movie would be The Empire Strikes Back." Jake said.
"That's cool! I've never seen those before." Frankie said.
"I'll show them to you and our friends one of these days." Jake said.
"Okay." Frankie said, smiling.
Jake continued to flip through channels before turning off the TV, unimpressed.
"Nothing on, huh?" Frankie asked.
"Nope. It was all stuff I've never heard of plus the news." Jake replied.
"Oh. I hate watching the news unless there's something important going on." Frankie said.
"Me too! My grandparents used to watch the news all the time when I would spend the nights at their place. The worst part was that they HAD to watch it. I wasn't allowed to change the channel or anything. It drove me crazy." Jake said.
"Wow! That must've been so boring!" Frankie exclaimed in astonishment.
"It sure was, Frankie, it sure was. But at least I had my phone to distract me." Jake said.
"Yeah. What were your grandparents like?" Frankie asked.
"They were awesome! They were more lenient with me than my parents. Like, Mom and Dad never let me stay up until midnight when I was younger, but, uh, my grandma and grandpa did." Jake said.
"Oh, sweet! What were your mom and dad like?" Frankie asked.
"They were strict but loved me unconditionally." Jake said.
"That's good." Frankie said.
Talking about his family made Jake sad all of a sudden. He always thought them day and night since the tragedy.
Frankie tilted her head, noticing Jake's shift in mood.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. I just miss my family so much." Jake said with a little break in his voice.
Frankie placed her hand on Jake's shoulder, sympathetic.
"Don't worry, Jake, you have us now. It'll be okay." Her tone was soft.
Jake smiled knowingly. "Thanks, Frankie. You're a great friend."
"That's what I'm here for." Frankie said, smiling back.
Meanwhile, Viktor and Viveka overheard the whole conversation from the kitchen. They were quite happy to say the least.
"Look at those two getting along." Viveka said with a grin.
"I know. They're gonna grow up to be very close with one another." Viktor said.
"I think they already are." Viveka said.
As soon as Viktor and Viveka finished preparing dinner, they grabbed bowls from the cupboard and set them on the counter.
"Kids, supper's ready!" Viktor announced.
Frankie and Jake plopped up from the couch and sat at the dining room table, ready to eat. Viktor and Viveka poured four ladles of chili into the bowls and placed them on the table as they sat down.
Jake looked at his bowl with gusto. "Ooh, we're having chili! I love chili!"
"Me too! You're gonna love my mom's chili, Jake. She's the best at making it." Frankie said with a grin.
"Awww, Frankie, you're too kind!" Viveka said, flattered.
"It's true, though." Viktor agreed.
Viveka smiled and blushed.
Everyone started eating. As soon as Jake took his first bite, he was already enthralled by it.
"Your daughter's right, Mrs. Stein! You are the best at making chili!" Jake said excitedly.
"Thank you so much, Jake! I'm glad you all love my cooking." Viveka said.
"Of course we do, sweetheart! Why wouldn't we?" Viktor asked.
"Yeah, Mom, you're cooking's amazing." Frankie reassured.
"I'm just making sure." Viveka said.
Viktor changed the subject. "Jake, do you mind telling us more about you? Apart from what we already know, that is."
"Sure thing. Now, I don't know if Frankie told you guys this already, but I have a car and I'm only fifteen." Jake said.
"That's interesting! How were you able to get one early?" Viveka asked.
"Well, uh, shortly after my family passed away, I wanted to start driving so I took lessons and eventually got my learner's permit, then I got my license. I told the DMV I was orphan and they understood, so that's why they gave me my driver's license a year early!" Jake said.
"I see! When you were first learning how to drive, were you nervous?" Viktor asked.
"Yeah, I was nervous at first, but I pushed on through." Jake responded, taking another bite of chili.
"Good. Is it weird for you being a normie going to Monster High?" Viveka asked.
Jake took a sip of ice water. "Not at all! Everyone there is very accepting of me. And I love hanging out with Frankie and her friends."
Frankie couldn't help but smile, while also blushing.
"We love hanging out with you, too, Jake."
"You know, Jake, we're glad you made a friend in our daughter. She's the kindest ghoul we know." Viktor said, grinning.
"She's been such an amazing friend to me, Mr. Stein. I don't where I'd be without her. Without any of you. Not to sound like a broken record, but I truly appreciate everything you've done for me." Jake said.
"It's our pleasure, honey. We're always here for you no matter what." Viveka reassured.
"We're your family, Jake." Frankie said.
"And we're glad we took you in." Viktor said.
Jake smiled as a sense of camaraderie was forming between him and the Steins.
After everyone finished eating, they put their bowls and glasses of water in the sink and sat on the couch.
XXXXXXX
Later in the night, Jake was sitting in the guest room playing a game on his phone. Suddenly, he could hear familiar music coming from the room next to him. Curious, he approached Frankie's room and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Frankie yelled from inside.
Jake opened the door and grinned slyly.
"Hey, Jake." Frankie greeted while also looking at her iCoffin.
"Hey. Are you listening to 'Beat It'?" Jake asked.
"Yep! I was able to find the music video on FrightTube. Michael Jackson sure knows how to entertain!" Frankie said.
Jake sat next to Frankie on her bed. "He sure does. I love that video, it's so iconic."
"It's very well-made, I gotta say." Frankie said. When the video ended, she closed out FrightTube and locked her phone.
"If you want, I could play the entire Thriller album for you. Maybe you'll like it." Jake said.
A bright smile formed on Frankie's face. "I'd love that, Jake! You can play it for me and our ghoulfriends tomorrow at school, maybe in the morning or during lunch."
"Okay! I can't wait to show you guys what's in store on that album. I think y'all will dig it." Jake said.
"I'm looking forward to it." Frankie said. She then yawned. "Well, I'm gonna go to bed now."
"Me too." Jake said, also yawning. He got up and stood by the bedroom door. "Good night, Frankie!"
"Good night, Jake!" Frankie said.
At that moment, Jake closed Frankie's door and went to his own room. He hopped on his bed, got under the covers and closed his eyes, ready to sleep.