Lost In Purple

Chapter 25: Second Chance

Melanie's POV

I wake up in my dorm after another long night of studying and practicing with the RORs. We've been doing that ever since the middle of November, and it's now the second week of December which means it's time for my scare final. Many of my tears have been put into this final so I'm hoping that it won't be in vain because my entire future rides on me passing it. As for specifics, Johnny has been basically retracting me everything he knows about scaring. Everyday has included around 4 to 5 hours of non-stop work, which has left me exhausted every night. Thankfully, I've felt myself improve dramatically since November, so maybe I won't have to do that much studying or practicing in the foreseeable future. I've also noticed that Johnny has slowly regained his rich boy attitude over this last month. I'm guessing he's finally gotten over his lovesickness that he's developed on my accord and can find room to be lion-hearted and charming to everybody again.

In the context of studying however, some nights were even more difficult when I would end up being so tired that I couldn't make my way back to my dorm room without passing out. I would stay at the ROR house and then there would coincidentally be another party happening at the JOX house. The rock music would blare and many drunken shenanigans would cause the whole street to be furious with the JOX. I seriously wonder how they haven't gotten in trouble for all the pain they bring to everybody. I'm also astonished to know that Rosie didn't stomp on over to the house and sucker punch Red, but I think it might be for the best that it turned out this way.

I take a minute to think about everything I've been through this semester. I nervously moved into the dorms and wrapped myself into fraternity drama, obtained a new aptitude for Scaring, went to various school events that I never thought I would have participated in, and met one of the most popular yet eligible monsters on campus and began dating him. I've definitely changed as a monster and I wonder if that was for the better.

I shouldn't be reminiscing about my crazy new life though, and realize that I should be worrying about my scare final. Both Professor Knight and Hardscrabble believe that I won't be moving on in the Scaring Program, but Johnny believed otherwise which gave me more than enough courage to keep trying. Without him I probably would be working at some boring retail store right now, left scared and wondering about whether or not my parents will be able to make ends meet.

I find myself walking towards the Scaring School, near the fountain, until I hear my name be called my none other than Mike Wazowski who's studying with Randall. "Are you ready to bear witness to the next biggest Scarers on campus Melanie? You, Randy, and I will absolutely nail this final!" He hollers.

I smile at him and appreciate his positivity for everything. I wish I could remain as happy and calm as he is during times like these. "Oh, yeah! All the practice I've done with you will definitely prove to be beneficial, so thank you for that," I reply gratefully.

"Ah don't mention it Melanie. I just want you and I to live out our dreams," Mike says with a humble tone, "We can't have you working an office job for the rest of your life."

While I appreciate the sentiment, I don't think I would have the skills to work an office job. I'm incredibly bad at math, and wouldn't dare be some sort of data entry worker. I just pretend I didn't hear that and continue on thanking him. "No seriously, I don't think I would still be in the program if it weren't for you," I add.

"Well... I would be lying if I said I wasn't a scaring genius," He boasts.

I laugh and watch Randall as he flips through the many notecards he's looking over. "What do you think you'll do once your tests are over?" I ask.

Mike looks over to Randall to see if he had an opinion on this, but it seems like he wasn't paying any attention. "I for one will be packing up and going back home to celebrate with my mother. She's only been wishing for me to become a Scarer just as much as I have since elementary school," He responds honestly.

"Aww, she must be really supportive then?" I question.

"Yeah, she's the only reason I ended up attending MU in the first place, so I can't see myself celebrating with anyone else except her," Mike says while grabbing his hat and adjusting it, "What about you?"

"Me? I'll most likely sleep for the next two days straight. Then I'll probably go back home and sleep some more," I answer.

"That's reasonable. You're probably the only monster who came relatively close to studying as much as us so that's deserved," Mike mentions pointing to Randall and himself.

I laugh nervously and say, "I swear I have a life outside studying just like you guys."

A big smile forms across his face and shows his small and rounded teeth. He elbows Randall and starts walking to the Scaring School. "Don't worry, I believe you. I also believe in you Melanie! Good luck!"

"Good luck to you too!" I howl as he begins studying more with Randall and power walking to the Scaring School. It's crazy to see him multitask so easily. He's studying, walking, watching where he's going, and holding several books in both of his hands as he inches towards the steps. I wish I had enough coordination to do that. I woiuld probably fall flat on my face and chip all my teeth if I even tried to do that.

When I take my focus off of Mike, my eyes trail over to the left and find the RORs standing in front of the Scaring School as well. Sullivan stands in front of the steps with his jersey draped over his shoulder and the rest of the RORs surround him as if he's in trouble. They all watch as Mike and Randall climb the steps and study to their hearts content. Johnny reaches up to Sullivan's shoulder and grabs his jersey, giving it a cautious little wipe. Sullivan turns around in worry and begins speaking with Johnny witha distressed look on his face. I'm unfortunately too far away to hear what they both say to each other, but end up catching Mike excitedly cheering, "Woo-hoo, I'm on a role!"

My attention turns back to Johnny as I creep closer to the school and I'm able to distinguish him toughly saying, "Well then you'll get this back right away! It's time to start delivering on that Sullivan name."

All the RORs walk past Sullivan, who's left standing in shock at the base of the steps, and find me in front of the school as well. I just now remembered that they'll be watching Bruiser, Sullivan and I perform our scares. Realistically, I would like them to only watch Bruiser and Sullivan's scares since they're the ones who are trying to either join or keep their positions in ROR, but they've already told me that they want to watch me scare. I think they'll be disappointed though because I technically can't do paranormal scares of any kind.

"Well, well, well… if it isn't my favorite freshman. Are you ready princess?" He asks while keeping Sullivan's jersey close to him.

I blush as I'm still not used to him calling me a princess out in public. "Y-yeah. Thanks for believing in me John."

His hand moves around my waist and he pulls me close to him as we ascend the staircase. "You know me, I wouldn't leave you behind," he quips.

I hug him back as the rest of the RORs take the lead. I see his cocky smile radiate brightly as we move closer to my inevitable demise. "Do you think I'll do alright? I've definitely mastered all the techniques but I'm not sure if I'm…intense enough," I question.

We find ourselves at the top of the stairs as Johnny says, "I think you'll do decently. The first exam is always the worst after all. Everyone else can attest to that."

I really hope I'll do alright because if I don't, then all of that excruciating amount of studying will have been for nothing.

"Miss Melanie, what scare do you think you'll get?" Bruiser asks while twitching.

"Oh, Um, maybe a cobra hiss. I don't think Knight will want me to do anything to crazy considering I'm not that much of an impressive Scarer," I reply while putting my hand on my elbow. We pass by a bunch of students who are wired on caffeine. They all twitch as much as Bruiser does as they try to keep their eyes open.

"Stay positive Miss Everett. Scaring is just as much a feeling as it is an action," Javier interjects.

Johnny takes his hand off my waist and brings it up to my arm so that he can rub it up and down. "Just breathe Melanie, and remember what I've taught you this past month. You're worthy enough to be Scarer," he consoles.

"That fear of letting everyone down will be the sole killer of your dreams Melanie. Just do what you can," Chip encourages.

I really appreciate that they're all here to make me feel better, and make me feel like I'm important to them. It would be the first time that people have shown that theu actually care this much about me, and also a first that I'll be scaring in front of people. The butterflies in my stomach fluctuate in and out, which unfortunately makes me unable to decide how to feel, so all I can do is just breathe shakily and quietly suffer.

Bruiser and I find our way into class and sit where we usually do, in the middle row. Johnny and the rest of the RORs have to wait outside before they're allowed in which is because of school policy. I guess that makes sense considering they're the best Scarers on campus and could be a way of cheating, but whatever I don't make the rules. Professor Knight grabs our attention by starting class with a powerful introduction while the lights are turned off and a beam of sunlight shines down onto him. "Todays final will judge your ability to assess a child's fear and perform the appropriate scare…in the Scare Simulator."

Everyone's eyes go wide and are surprised to see the sheer magnitude of the simulation. We didn't think it would be so similar to an actual scaring environment. Professor Knight slowly limps up into the simulator and opens a small metal box on the side of the bed and changes it's settings within seconds.

"The child's sensitivity level will be raised, from bed-wetter to heavy sleeper, so give it everything you've got. Dean Hardscrabble is with us this morning to see who will be moving on in the scaring program and who will not. Let's get started," Professor Knight explains menacingly. Everyone stares at Hardscrabble in complete panic because we all didn't think she would be here observing. She must want to know who's moving on and who's not so that she can boast more about running one of the best Scaring Programs in the nation.

Professor Knight starts calling monsters up in alphabetical order which means I'm going to be one of the first ones to be tested. I silently panic as I see Professor Knight and the other students fly through their tests as if they were professionals already. My heart begins beating aggressively, like it's trying to break out of my ribcage and makes it feel like I'm having more than just a simple meltdown. I try to calm myself by breathing slowly but that barely helps, and I try to cram in some last minute studying but nothing changes.

Bruiser then excuses himself and exits the classroom for a few seconds only to then open the two main doors at the top of the lecture hall and walk back into the classroom with all of the RORs. Johnny looks into the sea of monsters to find Sullivan who's nervously looking back. Johnny lays out Sullivan's jersey across the empty seat in front of him and then sits back down which creates some noticeably loud creaks.

I then hear my name get called and I feel a wave of nausea hit me as I feel my legs violently shake when I walk up into the scare simulator. I look out to the lecture hall and see all the RORs watching me intensely, eager to see what I can do. I also notice Hardscrabble emotionlessly judging everything about me and will soon judge everything I do.

"Alright Miss Everett, I'm a six-year-old boy in Texas afraid of fireworks and lions. Which scare do you use?" Professor Knight asks.

I go over everything I've learned this semester, along with everything I've learned from Johnny, and get that rush of euphoria you get when you know the answer to a question and feel all my stress dissipate. "A stealth roll with a fully exposed roar," I answer.

I was thinking he would have me do either a Cobra Hiss or a Zombie Snarl, but I guess I couldn't have been more wrong. Hardscrabble must have wanted my test to be more difficult in order to prove her point that I didn't have what it takes to be in the Scaring Program because she furrows her eyebrows after hearing the test question.

Professor Knights eyebrow antithetically raises slightly. "Demonstrate."

I quietly move myself in front of the scare simulator door and take a deep breath in. When I exhale, I open the door and shut it without a sound, and follow up with an appropriate crouch. In a real scare, I would never know if another human is in the room so I would have to react by either abandoning the scare or avoiding a human entirely. I do a small jump and roll on the ground to then push myself up onto my feet. I brace my throat for the loud vocalization I'm about to perform and feel my false chords begin to vibrate before anything else. My hands fly out to my left and right while I bear my claws and teeth. Everything comes together smoothly in a matter of a second and I let out a high pitched roar that resonates off the classrooms walls. The child dummy pops up out of the blankets and flails around in the bed for a few seconds, screaming, before stopping and sending its scare measurement to the scare meter on the right side of the simulator. I hear it only go up for about a second, and see many monsters wince as they see my score.

"Results will be outside my office Miss Everett," Professor Knight says while looking unimpressed.

I look up to see Johnny and the rest of the RORs with sad looks spread across their faces. Wow... I guess that's it... it really was all for nothing. I don't really know how I thought I would make it anyways, considering that I come from a family that's considered to be 'not scary.' I don't know why I even thought that I could be like my dad in any capacity either since he's a literal genius who's capable of doing anything. I turn to my left and head towards the stairs, feeling a couple tears well up in my eyes. I try to suppress the sad noises that are building up within my throat and take a step down onto the step.

"Stay up their Miss Everett."

I look back behind Professor Knight and look through the many monsters on the stone floor, trying to figure out who just said that. I finally find Professor King, in his normal black and gold patterned suit leaning against one of the pillars next to the seats.

"That's not necessary Professor King," Hardscrabble says in a dull manner.

"Unfortunately it is considering she's a special case," he counters back with no emotion, almost like he's mocking her.

Hardscrabble subtly growls and takes that as a challenge. "Mister King, with all due respect, we've just proven that Miss Everett is not a capable Scarer and will not be moving on in the Scaring Program. I don't need you try and search for any small bits of potential in all of our students like their kindergarteners showing growth," Hardscrabble sneers.

The slits near Professor Kings jawline begin glowing gold as he looks angrily to his side. I didn't think Professor King would get so angry so quickly. He then looks back up to me, which makes me hope he doesn't notice the tears forming in my eyes, and speaks up intensely. "I'm a 10-year-old girl in the mountains of Switzerland afraid of ghosts, confined spaces, and asylums. Which scare do you use?" He asks.

Hardscrabble flies down from the upper level of the classroom and lands with a loud thud, looking like she's about to explode in anger.

"Mister King, that's way too advanced for Miss Everett to know," Professor Knight interrupts.

"WHICH SCARE DO YOU USE," Professor King raises his voice.

I feel a large amount of pressure rest atop my shoulders as his scowl delves deep into my soul and scares the daylights out of me. I try to clear my throat to the best of my abilities in order to keep my self from being embarrassed, and take a quick deep breath once again. I think about the singular book I read back in October about paranormal scares after learning about my banshee-esque abilities, and the answer instantly comes to my mind. "A stage 5 Phantasmal Cry and Wail with a slow Bedside ascension," I answer somewhat quietly.

"Then please demonstrate how both of your Professors have neglected you and your learning these past few months," Professor King announces aggressively.

I see both Hardscrabble and Professor Knight look angrily at Professor King as he crosses his arms and carefully watches my every move. A feeling of pure excitement fills my body as I swiftly walk back over to the door and twist it open once more. I silently walk in and shut it, only to fall down to the ground crawl discreetly over to the far side of the bed where nobody can see me, and begin feeling the warmth of the blue glow that shows itself in between my scales. I start fake sobbing behind the bed which makes the dummy open it's eyes, but stays down on the bed as if it's trying to figure out what's happening. My fake cries echo off the classroom walls and create this creepy, stuffy atmosphere that nobody else has been able to create so far. I stop crying for a second and I slowly push myself to my feet and stand all the way back up, while crying again, to see the child dummy with its eyes closed, waiting for it to turn its head towards me. When it's eyes open and it turns it's head, I let out a powerful high pitched wail that makes half the class cover their ears once it reverberates into their ear canals.

The entire simulator shakes and glows a bright blue when the child dummy sits up and flails around again for an extended period of time. I stop my wail, see the simulator go back to its normal darkness, and hear the scare meter rise for a solid 3 seconds. All the eyes that were once wincing just a few minutes ago have changed to complete bewilderment.

"As a matter of fact Dean Hardscrabble, Miss Everett can scare. But it seems like you didn't care…did you," Professor King says pointing to the scare meter.

Hardscrabble and Professor Knight look at the scare meter with wide eyes and then look back over to him. "…Y-Yes, I'll admit that I had lost hope in you Miss Everett," Hardscrabble says with a growing smile on her face. "Please accept my dearest apologies. I hope to see you exceed expectations next semester."

I nod my head and keep myself from saying anything since I did understand what she meant when she said that I wouldn't make it. Everything was pointing to me not performing scares very well so I empathize with her and just walk off the simulator so that everyone can have their chance at being tested. Hardscrabble flies back up to the upper level and puts her hand behind her back as if nothing happened.

Professor King walks beside me and says, "Meet me outside whenever you can."

I agree and watch him as he rapidly leaves the classroom in a matter of five seconds. I really couldn't possibly repay him for what he just did for me. He technically just saved my career, more specifically the entire rest of my life with just a handful of small sentences. I'll be sure to see him when I leave the classroom in just a few minutes.

When I find myself walking up the aisle, I see many of my classmates looking at me as I pass them and whispering to their friends.

"That was insane."

"Nobody will be able to beat that."

"You think HSS will pick her up?"

All these whispers make me blush and I try to ignore them. When I make it to the middle row where all my stuff is, I'm stopped by Johnny and one of his amazingly comforting bear hugs. He holds me tight and spins me around one time before setting me back down and not letting go. Tears start running down my face as I finally realize what just happened in the past ten minutes and watch my tears begin soaking into Johnny's jersey.

"That's my girl! You did it!" He whispers loudly.

I say nothing and hug Johnny back as he radiantly smiles down at me. "Just breathe Mel, take a few minutes to relax. Bruiser and Sullivan still have to go, so we'll be here for a little while longer."

I nod and let go of him so I can return to my seat. "By the way, your first scare was still technically a pass. We were just hoping it would be higher than half way," He quietly adds.

I still passed?! I must have been right on the cusp of failing then. Seeing everyone's faces and winces made it seem like I did infinitely worse than everybody else. That's totally not mildly infuriating or anything. I find all my belongings that remain untouched, and take my time putting all of them away into my backpack and handbag that have been with me since the start of the semester. I never would have thought that things would have gone the way they have all the way back in August, but I'm glad that all of it did happen. Things might have been a lot more depressing if I didn't pull through.

A few minutes pass and I finally calm myself down enough to be able to function normally. Bruiser ends up being called up and does his scare flawlessly like we all expected he would. His scare meter rises to about three - fourths of the way full which seems about right for a freshman of his caliber. He finds his way back up and all the RORs start congratulating him and patting him on the back. I'm glad he made it through as well.

After watching the RORs for a about another minute, an intense scare performed by one of the other students somehow moves my focus to Sullivan. He knocks over Mike's books and materials which causes him to angrily speak up. Sullivan now speaks to Mike quietly in the front row and provokes him by aggressively growling at him. Mike accepts the little duel and they start going back and forth which gives me a kind of second hand embarrassment, so I look back up to Johnny and see him angrily observing Sullivan like a hawk within his seat. He crosses his arms and furrows his brow. He even frowns heavily which reminds me of my father when I did something bad as a kid. Before I'm able to turn my head back towards my notes, I hear Sullivan and Mike get louder and see everyone in the class stare at them in confusion.

Sullivan takes a step back and trips over a book on the ground which causes him to lose his balance and fall towards the head bust statues that line the sides of the classroom. He hits the wooden pillar in front that holds Hardscrabble's scream can, and we all watch as it graciously clangs to the stone floor in front of him.

Everyone gasps in unison and stays impeccably frozen as Professor Knight halts his assessment of one of students and looks over in consternation. I'm terrified of the repercussions and lectures both Sullivan and Wazowski are about to receive and my empathetic nature kicks in as I start to feel the humiliation, fearing what they must be experiencing right now. The silence is then broken when the scream can rockets up to the ceiling and shoots back down towards a group of students. With every second, the scream that's stored in that can causes the spotlights around the classroom to dim and then instantly regain their initial brightness, which makes it seem like we're in some sort of horror film. The scream can flies past Professor Knight and then curves around towards the RORs who all brace or duck and cover. Chip throws his hands up and ducks, Javier lowers his head into himself almost like a turtle, Chet sits there with a smile on his face, and Bruiser and Johnny move their bodies away from the can before it hits them. The scream can ricochets of the walls a couple more times before crashing down onto the middle of the classroom and rolling back in front of the two culprits of this disaster.

The scream can sits there silently for a second before bursting open and revealing the mechanics within. Sullivan and Mike look like their both processing what just happened, and don't move until Dean Hardscrabble collides with the ground and picks up the destroyed scream can. What the hell is going on today? Like seriously this has to be the most disastrous day of testing this campus has seen since its' construction.

However, I couldn't care less about what's going to happen next because my mind keeps thinking about the RORs and whether or not they're hurt. I hear Sullivan and Mike apologizing as I shimmy out into the aisle and rush towards the RORs with all my stuff to see if they're all ok.

"Are you boys alright?" I ask while taking Johnny's hand.

They all nod, but stare inaudibly at Hardscrabble who raises her voice and says, "Let's continue the exams! Mister Wazowski, I'm a five-year-old girl on a farm in Kansas afraid of lightning. Which scare do you use?"

We all watch as Mike mumbles nervously and is then interrupted by Hardscrabble. "Which scare do you use?" She asks once more while noticeably getting less patient.

Mike mumbles his answer and is then asked to demonstrate. He winds up his scare but is then stopped by Hardscrabble. "I've seen enough," She announces.

Hardscrabble turns towards Sullivan and says, "I'm a seven-year-old boy…" before she's rudely interrupted by Sullivan with a loud and earthshaking roar. His hands are above his head and the back of his throat is most likely visible from in front of him.

"I wasn't finished," she adds monotonously.

"I don't need to know any of that stuff to scare," he stupidly mentions with a dumb smile across his face.

"That 'stuff' would've informed you that this particular child is afraid of snakes. So a roar wouldn't make him scream, it would make him cry, alerting his parents, exposing the monster world, destroying life as we know it, and of course we can't have that," she explains while circling him. "So I'm afraid I cannot recommend that you continue in the Scaring Program, good day."

All the RORs stand up and find their way out of the aisle and open the main classroom doors. Johnny takes my hand and growls, "Come on. That's all we needed to see."

I start walking with him and look back to see Sullivan recoiling in confusion. "Wait what? But I'm a Sullivan!"

Hardscrabble keeps her back towards him and says, "Well then, I'm sure your family will be very disappointed."

Javier waits for me to exit before him and then follows closely behind me. Johnny's the last one to leave and lets the doors close abruptly behind him. Anger envelopes his entire face and he looks down at the ground with Sullivan's jersey draped over his forearm. I stop and wait for him as we find our way to the exit of the Scaring School. "Johnny?" I ask with worry.

"…Sorry Mel. That just could not have gone worse for Sullivan and I'm frustrated that we didn't just kick him out when we had the chance," he responds with slow and deep tone.

I'm surprised to see him beat himself up like this when he's wanted Sullivan out of the fraternity for months. I figured he would be relieved if this happened. I wrap my hands around his right arm as we find the exit. "It's ok. Just remember that you don't have to deal with him anymore," I say while feeling suddenly drowsy.

Johnny chuckles as we find ourselves greeted by the cloudy December day and descend the staircase. "Yeah you're right. Now I get to deal with the shenanigans of you and Bruiser," He jokes.

I elbow his side which causes him to laugh a bit more. "I'm just joking Mel. If anything, I'm happy that you and Bruiser are replacing Sullivan."

"I'm replacing him?" I question.

He gives me a toothy grin. "How about it princess? You can brag to everyone on campus that you're part of the best fraternity on campus and also get some Scaring Scouts heads turned your way," he offers.

All the RORs turn around to me and Johnny, looking at me with smiles. "We've all seconded the decision, so it's up to you if you'd like to join," Chip chimes in.

"Wait wait wait, you all want me to join ROR…isn't that against the rules or something? For a woman to join at least?" I ask in surprise.

"No! It's just really rare for girls to want to join fraternities. That's why they all join sororities instead!" Chet answers with a couple giggles and waving his claws in the air.

"So you want me , a woman, who's also an inexperienced and antisocial monster, to be a legitimate member of the most impressive fraternity on campus? Not like an honorary member or something, but an actual member?" I continue questioning.

"Well…I'd say you would be more like what's considered a 'fraternity sweetheart,' but with more benefits. I also wholeheartedly disagree with you when you say you're inexperienced at this point," Javier responds while watching Sullivan storm out of the Scaring School. We all turn our heads to see him rush down the sidewalks and towards Troll Bridge.

"Good riddance," Chip scoffs.

"Hey, cool it," I reprimand. I don't know where that came from but I feel more confident for some reason. Chip smiles and so does everyone else.

"I like this. When did you become all badass?" Johnny says pulling me close.

"I don't know, but I don't need you guys talking like that to others, nor do I need you all starting fights again," I respond emotionlessly.

They all stand their laughing at each other with surprised looks on their faces. "Yep, fraternity sweetheart," Javier elucidates.

"What is that exactly?" I ask while crossing my arms.

"They're basically the female faces of fraternities. They tend to volunteer for certain activities or projects like fundraising for charities, decorating the house for parties or events, and speaking as their representative. However, we'd like you to just be a normal member since we think of you as one already," Johnny explains.

"Fraternity sweethearts are also always happy and selfless, respect everyone they meet and help them with whatever situations they might be in, and are patient and speak calmly. You check off every requirement anyways, so it's a no brainer," Chip adds.

I still can't believe they even want to offer me this position. I never would have expected something like this would have happened in high school because of how unimportant I am in the grand scheme of things. Have a really changed that much within one semester of college?

"The only downside to this would be that you'll most likely be seeing Faust a lot more than you have been. We see him at least 10 times a day," Johnny mentions with a frown.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot about him. "You know, the benefits outweigh the costs. I'd also enjoy embarrassing him and his fraternity anyways, they all deserve it," I sigh.

"Really? You'll join?" Johnny asks in excitement. His smile is so large that it's basically pummeling my heartstrings. I look to see everyone else reacting the same way, and Bruiser is even panting heavily while jumping up and down slightly.

"I don't really see a reason why I shouldn't," I reply while smiling back at Johnny.

He picks me up off my feet and hugs me tightly. Javier and Chip join in as well, leaving Chet and Bruiser laughing. I've never been so embarrassed in my life; The amount of people who are probably watching this makes me want to crawl up into bed and stay there for a couple of days. The three seniors eventually let me go and let me take a deep breath in. "We'll set everything up for you and Bruiser after winter break," Johnny says.

Oh yeah, it somehow didn't cross my mind that I'm technically done with my first semester of college. It's all thanks to this big purple monster who won't let me go and has adamantly refused to leave me behind. I do hope things will be a little smoother next semester, because these past few months were one hell of a catastrophe.