Read 'Em and Creep, Part 2

After a few more hours, school let out for the day, and everyone went their own way: the popular girls went home while they talked and gossiped with each other, Fred waited for Velma on the front steps, and Norville and his new dog went off to Pizza Potamus...however, Daphne snuck along.

It'd been a hassle getting her clique to bug off, but she'd managed to lie and say she was "going to a new, super-exclusive mall" in Coolsville. Since they regarded the non-Crystal Cove parts of the town with disdain, they wished Daphne luck and went on their way. Of course, she'd stopped by the Drama Club and snagged herself a baseball cap, a red sweater, some sneakers, gloves, and with a few carefully-applied hairpins, she managed to disguise herself as a convincing-looking boy.

Now, the next step was keeping an eye on the skinny kid and his box. She hid behind pretty much every item in her path as she snuck behind Norville and the box as it moved on its own.

"Like, you're gonna LOVE the pizza there," Norville said. "My favorite combo is pepperoni, bacon, chicken, & peanut butter on thin crust!"

From inside the box came noises of eager panting, as well as a trail of saliva that might as well have been a waterfall.

"Y'know, we gotta give you a name or somethin'," Norville stated. "Like, every pup needs a name!"

"My parents called me 'Scoobert Doo'," stated the pup.

"...'Scoobert'?" Norville asked. "Seems like a mouthful—plus it wouldn't fit on a dog bowl. How about I shorten it to 'Scooby-Doo'?"

Scoobert thought for a moment before he responded. "Ri rike that!" he beamed.

"Then it's nice to meet you, Scooby-Doo!" Norville smiled as they shook hands.

"Rice to reet you too, Rorville!" Scooby beamed.

As she watched them, Daphne had to admit that their friendship was really cute—even if Norville's tastes in food were sort of bizarre.

Soon, Norville and Scooby stood in front of Pizza Potamus. To the uneducated eyes, it looked like any other pizzeria represented by a cartoon mascot. But to long-time customers, it was a land of wonder and enchantment.

"There it is, Scoob—Pizza Potamus. Home of the finest pizza slices and arcade machines known to man, boy, or dog!" Norville explained. "I tell ya, I'm the champ at Grape Ape's Great Escape in there!"

"Wow!" Scooby said as Norville opened the door and they went inside—followed by Daphne.

Scooby looked in awe at the various arcade machines in the pizza place, and his nose quickly picked up the delicious scent of pizza!

"Mmm-mm! Rizza! Yyyummy!" Scooby salivated as he wagged his tail.

"He-hey, Shaggy! Over here!" called the man at the counter.

Norville and Scooby walked over as the dog and Daphne thought, 'Shaggy/Raggy?'

"Like, heya, Mr. Daws! What's up?" asked Shaggy.

"Great timing, Shaggy," said Mr. Daws. "We just got in the new Impossibles videogame! Think you'd wanna try it out?"

"Maybe later," replied Shaggy. "How about a pepperoni, bacon, chicken, and peanut butter on thin crust special? For me and my new pal to share!"

Mr. Daws spotted Scooby-Doo sitting next to Shaggy, and laughed a little. "Sure, no problem," he replied. "Y'know, you got some strange tastes, Shaggy, but you're my favorite customer, so I say order whatever you want."

"Sure thing!" Shaggy beamed as Daphne sat next to him. "...I don't think I've seen you around town before. Nice to meetcha!"

Daphne made her voice sound a little huskier. "H-hi. I'm...Blake. I've never been here before." she responded.

"Well, welcome to Crystal Cove!" replied Shaggy. "I'm Norville, but most people here call me Shaggy."

"Why do they call you that?" asked Blake.

"...I guess cuz of my haircut," Shaggy replied. "But that's a maybe. Anyways, this is my pal Scooby-Doo."

"Rello!" Scooby waved.

'Blake' smiled and gently petted the happy puppy, making Scooby wag his tail in response.

"So...you wanna share some of my pizza?" asked Shaggy. "I mean, if Scoob doesn't eat most of it."

"Er, maybe...I'm not really a fan of anchovies..." responded Blake.

"Oh," responded Shaggy. "Well...I could getcha one without the anchovies, y'know?"

"That'd be nice...thanks." 'Blake' said.

"No problem!" Shaggy responded. "Hey, Mr. Daws? How about you minus the anchovies from my order?"

Mr. Daws gave a thumbs-up. "Consider it done, Shaggy!" he replied.

Nearby, another employee grumbled to himself as he was sweeping up. Shaggy, 'Blake' and Scooby seemed to take notice of his dissatisfaction.

"God, I hate my job..." the employee, Artie, muttered. "Bad enough I gotta be sweepin' up, but I gotta put on that dinky costume and entertain a bunch a screaming, sticky-handed, nose-dribbling brats! Happy Birthday, nuts to you..."

"Zoinks," Shaggy murmured. "Like, he sure is grouchy."

"Reah, but who could be grouchy here?" Scooby wondered.

"'Who' is right!" Shaggy responded before turning back towards his redheaded friend. "So, Blake, you got any hobbies?"

"Oh...er, um..." Blake started, as she tried to wrack her brain for any hobbies she had that Shaggy wouldn't find suspicious. "I guess I'm into theatre and journalism."

"Really? That's pretty cool," said Shaggy. "I'd wanna get into culinary stuff...or maybe catering. Honestly? I just like working with food!"

"Rand ris rood is relicious!" added Scooby.

"Okay..." nodded 'Blake'. "Also...on an unrelated note, what do you think of that Daphne girl at our school?"

"You mean Daphne Blake?" inquired Shaggy. "Like, she's pretty much the queen bee at school. I don't think anyone can get near her with all those popular girls around her...; come to think of it, I don't think anyone knows what she's like..."

'Blake' blinked in shock, and made a mental note to ask if she seemed unapproachable. "...well, maybe she feels sort of a pressure to keep up the role of queen bee because it's all she knows?" she suggested. "I mean...theoretically speaking."

Shaggy shrugged. "Maybe..." he replied. "I mean, I know everyone sees me a certain way. Beatnik...weirdo...dork...gross. I've heard it all...but, like, I'm proud of who I am."

"...that's actually pretty inspiring," responded 'Blake', feeling her cheeks turn pink.

However, they were both being watched by a red-headed kid named Bill Macklemore.

"No way... Shaggy's with a girl?" he muttered. "And not just ANY girl!" Quickly, he took out his phone and snapped a picture of 'Blake' and Shaggy.

"Well, well, well...the esteemed Daphne Blake herself," he chuckled. "I think the rest of her little clique would be VERY interested to see THIS."

And off he went, snickering to himself.

Meanwhile, Fred and Velma were at the Crystal Cove Public Library, looking around for clues. Velma had consulted several internet sources for information on old Miss Shusham, not to mention found several books about the old library which happened to mention the librarian in question. She made sure to print every scrap of evidence she could find online.

"So! What are we looking for?" asked Fred as he walked with her. "What kinda clues could a ghost leave behind?"

"I have a feeling it's someone posing as the ghost," replied Velma. "But it wouldn't hurt to check all our bases on the subject."

"So we look for prints, got it," Fred responded as he took out a small squeeze bottle. "Good thing I brought along some talcum powder!"

"Why do you have talcum powder?" inquired Velma.

"Dusting for prints," replied Fred. "Plus if someone steps in it, we could follow their trail back to wherever they're hiding out! A Crystal Cove Shard Scout prepares for EVERY eventuality!"

"Fred...we're at the regular library, not the haunted one," stated Velma. "She hasn't been sighted here."

"Ohhhh," said Fred. "So what are we doing here, again? I thought we were gonna check out the old library."

"We need to look up information about the librarian and the old library before we go investigate over there." explained Velma.

"Whoops! I guess that makes sense," responded Fred sheepishly as he put the powder back in his backpack. "Better to be prepared! Good looking out, Velma."

"I'm just using basic detective skills I've gained from reading," said Velma.

"It's STILL impressive," said Fred. "Not to mention—"

"Hey!" hissed the librarian. "Be quiet!"

Fred and Velma instantly shut up.

"Geez, that librarian sure is crabby..." Fred pondered, his voice quieter this time. "Maybe SHE'S the culprit?"

"Seems a bit too obvious," stated Velma. "A librarian dressing as a librarian ghost? Not likely."

"Good point," commented Fred. "I guess that rules her out. But SOMEBODY'S got to be up to something."

"Hence our investigation," stated Velma.

"Right," nodded Fred, his voice going quieter. "Sorry. So what did you find out about this Shusham lady?"

Velma handed Fred a sheet of paper from the research she'd gleaned.

"Elizabeth Shusham, born 1926 and died 2003," he read. "Started her librarian career in 1949, and since then she bore a crabby, bad-tempered disposition. She was insanely strict and enforced her rules with an iron shushing finger. Sheesh, no wonder people made up a ghostly legend about her!"

"Are you talking about that Miss Shusham character?" asked a brunette woman nearby as she poked her head out from a nearby shelf.

"Indeed we are," replied Velma. "Who would be asking?"

"My name is Bernice Bindenschwartz," responded the woman. "I'm a bookstore owner and a connoisseur of rare literature, and as a former patron of this library, I can tell you I had my fair share of encounters with Old Shusham when I was your age."

"Really?!" Fred said in excitement. "Do go on, Ms. Binder—Bindo—Bindenala...Ms. B."

"She'd always fly off the handle at the slightest violation of her rough rules," explained Ms. Bindenschwartz. "And if she ever caught you damaging a book? Oooh-wee, were you in TROUBLE!"

Hmm...sounds like the librarian that shushed us earlier, thought Velma.

"So, why do you think she's come back?" Fred asked.

"Probably to punish kids who haven't returned their library books, or treated them with respect," replied Ms. Bindenschwartz. "It wouldn't surprise me...she was more like the library Krampus when she was alive. But, I've probably wasted enough time in here. I've got a business to run!"

And Miss Bindenschwartz raced off as Velma wrote down everything she said.

As Velma jotted down the notes, Fred noticed a small scrap of red cloth where Ms. Bindenschwartz was standing.

"Velma?" he spoke up. "I think I may have found something important."

"And what would that be?" Velma asked.

Fred pointed to the leftover scrap of cloth. "She left THIS behind," he pointed out.

Velma raised an eyebrow. "...intriguing..."

"We should probably keep this," said Fred as he picked up the cloth scrap. "Just in case!"

Velma nodded. "For evidence," she agreed.

"Whoa, what a rush!" Fred exclaimed as his hands were tingling. "So this is what detective work is like? It feels...awesome! It's kinda like all my brain cells are totally focused on accomplishing this!"

Velma couldn't help but chuckle.

"Thanks, Velma," smiled Fred as he scooped her up in a hug. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you!"

Velma felt her face growing warm and her heart beating like a hummingbird's wings.

"Oh!" Fred realized as he put her down. "Sorry, Velma...I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable! I just got so happy, and I got a little carried away—"

"I-it's okay, Fred," insisted Velma, her face still a bit flush.

"Right...so we'd better go," suggested Fred. "Unless there's anything else we need while we're here?"

"I don't think so," stated Velma. "...sure, let's go."

And so, they both left the library and headed to their respective homes.

MEANWHILE, BACK AT PIZZA POTAMUS...

Shaggy, Scooby and 'Blake' were finishing off their pizzas—and 'Blake' found herself surprisingly enjoying the odd combination. Who knew peanut butter could make for a good pizza topping?

"Pretty good, huh?" asked Shaggy as he licked his fingers clean and wiped them afterwards.

'Blake' nodded with a smile.

As Shaggy and Scooby were already scarfing down their next pizza slices, they noticed something a bit odd.

That employee from earlier, Artie, was grumbling to himself as he brought a bulging black garbage bag into the restaurant via the back door. Whatever was inside the bag, Artie looked very protective of its contents.

Shaggy, Scooby and Blake glanced warily at one another.

"They're gonna be in for a REAL big surprise this week," Marty smirked to himself as he stuffed the bag into his work locker. "Everyone might've made a monkey outta me last time...but this time, I'M gonna be top banana, no doubt about it!"

The trio was definitely confused by the monkey talk.

Finally, Marty dusted his hands off and got his locker shut. "I've been rehearsing, planning, working this out for months..." he declared to himself. "...and now, things are gonna change for me!"

Marty's words sounded awfully suspicious to the three of them.

"Like...do you guys think Marty could be up to something?" asked Shaggy.

"Rure reems rike it!" nodded Scooby.

"He was talking all shady-like," stated Blake.

"Shady like a tree in the park," Shaggy nodded.

"Reah!" Scooby agreed, before a tiny alarm went off.

Shaggy glanced down at his wristwatch, which was beeping with a tiny light flashing. "Like, we should probably get home," he said. "I haven't introduced Mom and Dad to Scoob yet, so we gotta make sure he wows 'em. You know any tricks, Scoob?"

"Ri can play the drums!" Scooby stated.

"That IS pretty good," Shaggy nodded. "I think we got a drum set in the attic, so we can work with that. Anyways, maybe we'll see you around, Blake?"

'Blake' blushed. "Y-yeah! M-maybe. See you around, Shaggy...it was nice meeting you, and Scooby too!" she replied.

And so Scooby and Shaggy headed home.

Meanwhile, Daphne removed her cap and undid her hair tie, letting it fall free. Of course, she didn't see Bill snapping a few more pictures for proof.

Once he was done, he took off into the evening. There was so much he had to do before tomorrow...

"I'm hoooome!" called Shaggy as he unlocked the door and got into the house. Scooby was right behind him, and he looked very nervous.

"Mom? Dad? Maggie?" Shaggy called out as he took his shoes off and put them away.

He and Scooby made their way to the kitchen. Inside was Paula Rogers, with her toddler daughter Maggie, finishing up a painting.

"Mom...I brought a friend home," Shaggy said as he cleared his throat.

"Is this one imaginary like that 'FangFace' person you brought home?" asked Paula

"Uh...no," Shaggy responded. "Like, he's plenty real."

Paula and Maggie turned to see Scooby peaking out from the doorway. "Rello!" he waved.

"Mom...Maggie..." Shaggy stated. "I'd like you to meet Scooby-Doo."

"Cute doggy!" babbled Maggie.

Scooby beamed. "Awww...thank you!"

"I know what you're thinking, and yes, he's had his shots, he's housebroken!" Shaggy responded.

Scooby immediately sniffed out the bathroom and went inside. After a few minutes of noises, Scooby came out after flushing the toilet.

"See?" pointed out Shaggy. "He'd also be good at watching over Maggie, and he can do some neat tricks."

Scooby proceeded to balance on a unicycle while carrying some plates, then he bounced on his tail, before he started doing a little tap dance [think GENE KELLY or FRED ASTAIRE], before finishing it up with a drum solo on the drum set Shaggy had gotten down from the attic.

"So...can I keep 'im, Mom?" asked Shaggy, as Scooby finished up his little set. "Pleeeeease?"

Shaggy's mom began to think it over for a few moments. Scooby and Shaggy looked at each other, sweating bullets.

Finally, the response came. "...okay," said Paula. "But you're responsible for him."

"WA-HOO!" Scooby and Shaggy exclaimed in joy as they hugged each other.

"C'mon, Scoob! I'll show you my digs!" Shaggy said as he led Scooby upstairs.

"Rokay!" Scooby beamed as he followed behind.

Mrs. Rogers watched as her son and his new companion dashed up the stairs, and couldn't help smiling. It made her happy to know that Shaggy was finally making friends; sure, the friend in question was a hairy, slobbering quadruped, but at least it was a genuine friend.

MEANWHILE, AT STATELY BLAKE MANOR...

Daphne had returned home, and put her shoes to wash.

"Welcome home, Miss Blake," greeted a dark-haired butler with a bow.

"Thank you, Jenkins," Daphne replied with a smile.

Daphne began making her way to her room, eager to relax after the day she'd had. Although she stopped, and turned around, remembering something that she'd made a mental note to do.

"Jenkins?" Daphne asked. "...be honest. Do I come off as 'unapproachable'?"

"Do you want me to be honest, Miss Blake?" asked the butler. "And if I am honest, I will not be fired?"

"You may speak freely," replied Daphne.

"Well, I have noticed a lack of 'true' friends in your life due to your status as a Blake," stated Jenkins. "And the people you associate with at your school..."

Daphne rubbed her chin in contemplation. "...thank you, Jenkins," she replied, her voice quiet as she continued on her way to her bedroom. What her faithful butler had said really made her think about her social life.

She sat on her bed and wrote about her experiences in her diary, little realizing that things were going to change something fierce for her the next day.