Hoo boy, we're about to get into the game-changing episodes. The ones that permanently changed the dynamic of the show forever. Words cannot describe how much I love both of these episodes. I love the tension. I love the emotions. And I really, really love the songs. I think the songs featured in these episodes may just be my favorites in the entire show. "It's a Lose-Lose" has some of the best instrumentation I've heard in a song for a cartoon. The lyrics could be better, but it sounds way too beautiful for me to complain too much. And as for "One Best Friend," well...wait until next time...
For now, let's get into this one.
Stretch, Stinkie, & Fatso: Muahahahahahaaaa!
Molly: Can't believe you're all mine
Fatso: Uh, what?
Molly: You and me for all time
Stretch: No way!
Molly: I'm never, ever, EVER gonna be alone again
Stinkie: This stinks!
Molly: It's just you three and me
Fatso: For all eternity?!
Molly: For all ETERNITY!
Stretch, Stinkie, & Fatso: NOOOO!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: It's the Ghost-Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee
Fatso: We've been cursed!
Stinkie: It's the worst!
Molly: Now you're stuck with me
Molly & Ghostly Trio: We're never gonna be apart
Stretch: Is there a way to hit 'restart'?
Molly: Nope!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: We're the Ghost-Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee
Molly: That's me!
Stinkie: Well, that's she. Hee, hee, hee!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee!
Fatso: Oh yeah!
Chapter 19
Soul Searching
It was a Monday afternoon and school had just gotten out in Brighton. Molly rushed out the doors to catch up with her BFF, Libby, so they could walk home together like always.
"Hey, bestie!" Molly greeted.
"Hey, Molly." Libby replied, offering her friend some shrimp-flavored chips. "Boy, that math test sure was rough, huh? I thought I was going to have a fraction-induced panic attack. So, what'd you do this weekend?"
Molly accepted some chips and tossed them in her mouth. "Oh Libby, I had the craziest Friday night!"
She began to recall in her mind the events that transpired, which included her flying through Brighton atop Fatso while racing Stretch and Stinkie, who were riding on a mop and a fish, respectively.
"You see, we-"
Molly was about to tell Libby everything when the Ghostly Trio, who had been floating alongside her the whole time, intervened.
"Whoa, whoa! What the heck are ya doin'?" Stretch demanded. "You know the rules, ya can't tell nobody about us! Not even Libby! Remember?"
Molly nodded and quickly changed course.
"Uh…we, and when I say 'we,' I mean me, my family, and literally no one else, went…"
Stretch held out his arms and acted like he was pushing a cart.
"…shopping!" Molly finished. "See, my mom was trying to find this…um…"
Stinkie sniffed his armpits and stuck a finger in the spot his ear would have been. Molly realized he was referring to "wax."
"Scented candle!"
Libby raised an eyebrow. "Oh. No offense, but that doesn't sound very crazy."
"Well…I'm not finished!" Molly continued. "For one thing, it wasn't just any candle, it was…"
Stretch and Stinkie signaled to Fatso, as it was his turn to come up with something. Fatso, being as clueless as ever, just pointed up at the sky where a rainbow was shining.
"A rainbow ribbon candle!" Molly chuckled. "Yeah, she is in love with those things. But they're super hard to find, ya know? So, we went all around town looking for one. And not just around Brighton, either. We went to…"
Stretch held out a copy of "Midwest Monthly" magazine.
"Oh! Perfektborg…and…"
Stinkie transformed into a cat.
"Mewline…and…"
Finally, Fatso changed into overalls, grew a beard, and brandished an axe, reminding Molly of a Paul Bunyan statue she had seen once.
"Oconohaw!"
Libby was starting to become impressed. "Oh, wow. You traveled quite a bit for that candle, huh? Did you ever find it?"
"Uh…nope!" Molly denied. "Strange, isn't it? We searched all those places and yet, we still didn't find it."
Libby laughed suspiciously. "Wow. That is…"
Molly and the Trio began to sweat, worried Libby was going to call them out on the tall tale.
"Really crazy!" Libby claimed. "Gosh, your family sure does a lot of wacky stuff. All I did this weekend was practice slam poetry. Which is fun, of course, but not exactly what I'd call 'an adventure.' Maybe one day, I could come along on one of your little outings."
"Oh no!" Molly refused. "Trust me, it's way too exhilarating. You have to have a huge amount of resilience to go on a McGee expedition! I don't think you'd be able to take it."
Libby shrugged, throwing away her chip bag. "Eh. You're probably right."
Once Libby had walked out of earshot, Molly was able to talk with the Trio again.
"Phew. That was a close one." she sighed, still not believing how easily Libby had fallen for the lie. "How'd I do?"
"Not bad." Stretch rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Next time though, don't make it sound as excitin'. The more borin' a story is, the less questions people will ask ya."
"Okay, noted." Molly nodded. "By the way, you guys can just tell me what to say. Nobody else can hear you."
Stretch leaned back in midair. "True, but we think it's more fun to see how ya interpret our motions."
"Yeah," Stinkie agreed. "You could use the improv practice anyway."
Fatso dug in the trash for Libby's chip bag, checking for crumbs. "Plus, we love a good game of charades!"
"Sweet baby corn…" Molly groaned. It tore her up inside having to lie to her best friend. She knew it was for the greater good, but that didn't mean she had to feel good about it.
The feelings of guilt didn't go away when she got home and settled down in the living room to do a puzzle with the Trio.
"Hey, guys?" she spoke up. "I don't know how much longer I can keep lying to Libby. She's my best friend. Don't you think she should know about you?"
"No!" the Trio shouted in Molly's face.
"But, why? It's not fair to keep her locked out of the loop like this. And it's not fair to me, either! Just look! I'm getting stress hives from all the lies I've told!"
Molly rolled up her sleeve, showing the Trio several disgusting red bumps along her arm.
"Gah!" they shrieked upon seeing them. Stretch quickly regained his composure.
"Look Moll, this is just how it's gotta be. Libby can't find out. If she does, who knows how many folks she'll tell?"
"No!" Molly insisted. "She won't tell anyone! Libby can keep a secret, I promise!"
"Even if she can, we don't wanna risk it." Stinkie argued. "After all, the more people there are that know about us, the less scary we'll be to 'em! They could even start to believe we're…" he shuddered. "Friendly ghosts…"
"But you are friendly ghosts." Molly pointed out.
Fatso gasped and poked Molly's nose. "You take that back!" he flinched in regret. "Oh, sorry. Was that too much? Did I hurt you?"
Stretch raised his fist and slammed Fatso's head so that it went inside his body.
"We'll give it to ya straight, Molly." Stretch said. "The Ghost Council has expectations for us. Granted, they ain't high expectations, but they're still expectations. And the bottom line is, if we don't meet those not-so-high expectations, they'll send us packin' on a one-way trip to the Flow of Failed Phantoms! FOREVER!"
Stretch's voice boomed so loudly that the puzzle on the table exploded, sending pieces flying everywhere.
Molly's eyes widened in terror. "Oh…I see."
"Yep. So, no more blabbin', got it?"
"I…got it." Molly promised, taking an edge piece out of her hair.
Just then, the doorbell rang and Sharon came downstairs to answer it. Libby was standing outside, holding a giant, colorful candle.
"Hi, Mrs. McGee!" she wobbled, trying to keep her balance. "Molly told me about how badly you wanted one of these, but the guys at the candle store said they've never even heard of a Rainbow Ribbon candle. So, I made one myself!" she dropped the huge wax stick in Sharon's arms. "What do you think?"
"Oh! It's lovely! Thank you!" Sharon observed. "One question, though. Why-?"
Molly zipped in front of her. "Why, yes Libby! Thank you for this beautiful, handmade candle! Now our house won't smell so stinky!" she emphasized the last word, trying to drop a hint to her mom.
"Huh?" Sharon didn't seem to get it.
"I really love how it stretches to the ceiling, don't you?"
"Oh!" Sharon noticed the Trio floating beside her and deduced what Molly was doing. "Right!" she sniffed. "Mm…smells like…rainbows?"
"Is it really that hard to incorporate my name into common speech?" Fatso complained.
"Well, you've saved the day yet again, Libby! See you later!" Molly shoved the turtleneck-clad gal out the door and slammed it in her face. She sighed, already feeling her stress hives getting worse.
Libby was becoming suspicious. Her love of mystery solving was showing again. She pulled out a tape recorder and began speaking into it.
"Hm…Molly's hiding something…something she doesn't want me to know…but she should know by now that nothing escapes the bloodhound of truth!"
She got on all fours and sniffed the McGees' front porch steps as if she were a dog. Then, she stood up and let out a mighty wolf howl. Her investigation had officially begun.
That night, Molly was up in her room, still regretful of her dishonesty from earlier. So regretful, in fact, that she felt compelled to sing a rather depressing tune.
Molly: What do I do?
Should I tell her the truth?
The Trio, who had been asleep in their hammock, woke up upon hearing this.
"Tell her what now?" Fatso asked.
Molly: Should I just avoid her?
That would destroy her
Stretch: Sure! That'll do!
"Bonus points!" Stinkie claimed, relishing in the thought of getting rid of Libby, along with his brothers.
Molly: I'll be unhappy whichever choice I choose
*sighs* It's a lose-lose…
"Yeah, tough break." Stretch pretended to be supportive. "Anyway, we was thinkin' tomorrow-"
Molly: But she's loving and she's thoughtful
I can't leave her all alone
"Aw…" Stretch swiped Molly's phone.
Stretch: Maybe it's best if we send her a text
Molly: Stretch! Get away from that phone!
I don't want to lose her
I don't wanna hurt her
Fatso: Molly, don't you see?
Stinkie: It really stinks to lose a friend
Stretch: But better one than three!
Molly: I just can't throw away a best friend, I refuse
But I don't know what to do
It's a lose-lose…
Molly laid down on her bed, a solemn expression on her face.
"But if I can't be honest with Libby, that means the two of us can never truly be best friends!"
The Trio had morphed into their pajamas, clearly not concerned about Molly's situation in the slightest.
"Aw, gee. Too bad." Stretch remarked.
"Poor Libby." Stinkie yawned.
Fatso shook his head. "How tragic."
"Oh well!" Stretch shrugged. "Who needs 'er anyway? You got us, remember? The way I sees it, Libby's just gonna have to find a new best friend."
"Yep." Stinkie nodded. "But hey, I'm sure that won't be a problem for her. She's the most popular gal in school!"
"No, she ain't." Fatso corrected.
"Oh yeah. In that case, she's got no hope whatsoever."
"Yep." Stretch agreed. "Pretty sure yer the only one who's able to put up with her extreme dullness, Moll. She may never find a replacement with your level of tolerance. Looks like she'll just have to get used to bein' alone for the rest of her pathetic little life…well, g'night!"
With that, the Trio retreated into their san phra phrom, the little house Molly gave them to live in.
Molly rolled onto her back, processing what the ghosts had said about Libby getting a new best friend. That's when her lips curled into a mischievous smile. She was getting an idea. An awful idea. Molly McGee got a wonderful, awful idea. And she spent the rest of the night mapping it out.
By the time morning came, the entire attic was filled with sketches, diagrams, lists, sticky notes, and long strings of red yarn hanging everywhere. The Trio had just woken up and hadn't taken notice of the mess yet.
"I had the best dream last night!" Stretch recalled to the others. "I was on a date with Ms. Banshee and we scared a couple kissin' in their car!"
"Funny." Stinkie mentioned. "I had a dream about Ms. B and me on a date, too. Except we was rubbin' noses in a septic tank."
"I dreamed Ms. B was on a date with me and then she turned into a dog and started speakin' French." Fatso stated.
"That is so stupid, I-whoa!"
Not looking where he was floating, Stretch ended up getting caught in a tangle of yarn.
"What the heck is this?!" he shouted, removing a sticky note from his forehead.
"Yeesh," Stinkie winced. "Did someone commit a murder or somethin'?"
"Morning!" Molly's voice called from behind the Trio.
They turned around and jumped at her appearance. Her eyes had multiple bags under them from lack of sleep and her hair was practically a rat's nest.
"What happened to you?" Stretch worried.
"I thought about what you guys told me last night and you were totally right!" Molly explained frantically. "Libby needs a new best friend! So…I decided to make one for her!"
She pointed to a board that had a sketch of herself and plastered a blue wig sticker on the head.
"Meet Libby's new BFF!"
The Trio stared at her blankly.
"That's just you with a wig." Stretch pointed out.
"Okay, yes, there may be a slight resemblance." Molly admitted, accidentally slamming Stretch against the wall. "But this is clearly my Canadian cousin, Milly! See the flag?" she referred to a mini Canadian flag beside the picture.
"That's the Canadian flag?" Fatso scratched his head. "I always thought it was the flag for maple syrup…"
Molly shuddered when Fatso brought this up. "Blech…don't say 'syrup.' You know I can't stand the stuff. Why Canadians love it is beyond me, but anywho, that's who Milly is. She's Canadian, she has blue hair, she's an exchange student who is staying with the McGees while Molly is…"
She suddenly fell asleep while talking. Fatso pulled out a trumpet and blew it in her face to wake her.
"In Canada!" Molly shrieked, knocking the Trio into the ceiling. "But the most important thing is that Milly and Libby's friendship is 100% lie-free and pure!"
The Trio peeled themselves off the ceiling.
"I mean, sure, if ya ignore the fact ya made up this little character." Stinkie reminded her.
Stretch looked over Molly's diagrams.
"So, let me get this straight. Ya don't wanna constantly keep lyin' about us, so instead yer gonna lie about yerself?"
"Yep! I thought everything out perfectly!" Molly stated proudly.
"Oh yeah? And what happens if Libby decides to visit 'Molly' in America's Hat? How ya gonna get all the way up there?"
"Ghost travel." Molly answered simply.
"As in, ya want us to take ya there?" Stinkie clarified. "Oh yeah, she's definitely sleep-deprived."
"Look McGee," Stretch began. "Just 'cause we're slightly more acceptin' of the idea of bein' your friends now, don't mean we have to agree with whatever ya do. And I think this whole plan is bonkers!"
Molly shrugged. "Well, it's either that or I tell Libby the truth and you guys will get sent away."
The Trio gulped at the thought of the Flow of Failed Phantoms.
"Bring on Milly!" Fatso declared, slapping a blue wig on Molly's head.
A few hours before school, Molly was ready to present her new persona to Libby at the bookstore.
"Okay, let me see if I got this right." Libby started. "Molly is in Canada and you are her uh…cousin? Milly, was it?"
"Yep!" "Milly" put her feet up on the chair she was sitting in. "That's me! I'm Milly, Molly's Canadian cousin! We're totally two different people. I'm practically the opposite of her, in fact!"
"I see. 'Molly' sure has a lot of Canadian relatives, doesn't she? Have you met Jack, Jackson, and Jacques by any chance?"
"Oh! You mean the guys that played the ghosts in that horror movie you guys made? Yep! They're my big brothers!" "Milly" lied. "They didn't come this time, though. They're still traumatized by the incident that happened at the studio. I wasn't there, of course, but from what they told me, it was pretty terrifying."
"Heh…yeah, it was. So…how come you weren't there with them?"
"Who, me? Oh, I'm totally camera shy! I can't stand the thought of people watching me in HD. Unlike Molly, I've never been able to tolerate the spotlight. I'm sure that's something you can relate to."
Libby smirked. "Well, okay then, 'Milly.' In that case, would you like to check out the dystopian fiction section?"
She gestured down an aisle that was devoid of light and even had an intimidating raven perched on one of the shelves.
"Oh, absolutely!" "Milly" insisted. "Because unlike Molly, I have no hope for a positive future!"
With that, she cheerily skipped down the aisle. Once she was out of earshot, Libby retrieved her tape recorder again. Unbeknownst to Molly, Libby had only been playing along with her cheap disguise and secretly wasn't buying it in the slightest.
"A flimsy fake friend? The Molly mysteries are multiplying…"
As Libby talked to herself, "Milly" began to browse through the many depressing novels the dystopian fiction section had to offer, trying to find a book she might enjoy. But titles such as "Secret Liars," "Creepy Paintings," and "Game Over" proved to not be very appealing to her normally optimistic outlook. Stretch poofed onto her shoulder.
"I read that one." he said, pointing to "Creepy Paintings." "Disappointin.' There weren't nothin' creepy about any of the paintings in that book. Not unless you're freaked out by cubism."
"So, tell me, 'Milly,'" Libby suddenly appeared next to them, a knowing smile on her face and the raven sitting on her shoulder. "What part of Canada are you from?"
The raven cawed, making "Milly" even more nervous.
"Oh! That's a fantastic question. And it's a question I can totally answer! But first, I need to take a quick trip to the little mounties' room. Gotta go, bye!"
She zipped away, leaving Libby even more suspicious.
"A bathroom break?" Stretch asked once he and "Milly" were alone. "That's the best excuse ya can come up with? How much more cliche can you get?"
"No time for criticisms, Stretch!" Molly scolded. "I need your help to convince Libby I'm not me! So, when we go back out there, find a book on Canada and read it to me so I can tell her where 'Milly' is from. And I mean actually read it! Out loud! No funny business this time, okay?"
"And what if I don't wanna?" Stretch threatened.
"Oh, so you're saying the Flow of Failed Phantoms would be better?"
Stretch groaned. "Fine. Y'know, your blackmail skills have gotten better. I'm impressed."
"Thank you."
Molly exited the bathroom and returned to the table where Libby was.
"Sorry about that," she apologized, making sure to pronounce the words as "sore-y" and "a-boot." "Anyway, you asked where in Canada I live. It's…uh…"
Stretch took possession of a book labeled "Let's Learn About Canada, Eh?" and flipped to a page.
"'Nepean, Ontario.'" he read.
"Nepean! Which, as I'm sure you know, is in Ontario."
Libby nodded. "Yes. I'm familiar with Ontario. Isn't that close to Toronto?"
"Uh…"
Stretch found a map on another page.
"273 miles northeast!"
"It's actually 273 miles northeast of Toronto to be exact."
"Miles?" Libby repeated smugly, thinking she had caught Molly in a lie. "I thought Canadians used-"
"It's kilometers!" Stretch corrected her.
"Oh yeah, we do use kilometers!" "Milly" chuckled nervously. "I just converted it to miles because that's what you Americans use…eh?"
Libby scratched her chin in disbelief. Molly had certainly gone all out for this character.
"Hm…you do seem quite knowledgable about Canada."
Molly secretly gave Stretch a thumbs-up, knowing she had passed the test Libby had set up for her. But what she didn't know was that Libby was far from done with putting "Milly" to the test. If Molly was really serious about this sudden personality change, Libby was going to make her prove it. Big time.
That afternoon at school, Libby and "Milly" sat with each other at lunch, the latter having ordered a cheeseburger and fries. Fatso, meanwhile, was helping himself to whatever the other students had on their trays.
"Ah, a good old-fashioned American cheeseburger and fries!" "Milly" noted. "We don't have these where I'm from, that's for sure! In Canada, we only eat…uh…" she quickly glanced at her right palm, which was scribbled with various Canadian facts. "Poutine!"
"Milly" then picked up the burger, about to take a bite until Libby stopped her.
"Hold on. I noticed earlier how you couldn't stop talking about the Great White North and figured you must be feeling homesick. So before I left, I brought you something for your lunch that might make you feel more at home." Libby reached into her backpack and slammed a huge brown bottle onto the table. "Everyone knows how much Canadians loooove maple syrup!"
The students in the cafeteria gasped, for they all knew how much Molly loathed the sticky substance. Fatso also became worried.
"Oh boy…this is a rather unpleasant call-back…"
Molly gulped, but tried to play it cool.
"Yep! You're right! Canadians do love their maple syrup! Eh?"
Libby lifted the big bottle of syrup with her arms and proceeded to pour a huge glob all over Molly's burger, much to her disgust.
"There you go! A little taste of home!" Libby added a bit more from a smaller bottle. "And a bonus. Just for you…"
Molly reluctantly picked up the slimy sandwich with both hands, earning "eww"s from everyone in the cafeteria.
"Ugh…I can't…" Molly retched, before realizing Libby was watching. "…wait, I mean! Yeah, I can't wait! Yum…"
She opened her mouth and slowly drew the burger closer to it, her lips trembling as the syrup almost touched them. But then, to Libby and the students' shock, Molly managed to devour the whole thing in a single gulp.
"Mm…" she rubbed her belly. "Delicious! Tastes just like home!"
"Hm…" Libby gave her one more look of skepticism before getting up to throw her trash away.
What Libby didn't know was that Molly hadn't eaten the burger at all, instead only making it look like she stuffed it in her mouth when in reality, she had stuffed it into Fatso's.
"Phew…that was close." she admitted after Libby left. "Sorry for making you eat that, Fatso."
Fatso licked some syrup off his face. "Don't be! I'd eat another one in a heartbeat!"
"Eww…"
After school, the girls went to the park for a surprise activity that Libby had in mind for her "new BFF."
"I'm so excited!" "Milly" exclaimed. "Come on, Libby! Tell me what we're doing here!"
"Oh, you're going to love it, 'Milly'." Libby smirked, gesturing to the area across from the two.
"Milly" gasped upon seeing where Libby was pointing. Right in front of the Brighton Bandshell was a magic stand set up by none other than Irving the Illusionist.
"Which cup hides the ball?" Irving asked. "Is it under one or under all?!"
"Magic…" "Milly" hissed.
"Oh c'mon, Milly." Libby forcefully dragged the fake bluenette toward the stand. "Pick up a cup. There's no way you could hate closeup magic like your cousin, Molly. Right?"
"Milly" put on a fake smile. "Of course not! That would be ridiculously coincidental! Hey, wow, it's under that cup." she pointed at the middle cup before grumbling under her breath. "Stupid…"
Irving lifted the middle cup, revealing nothing underneath.
"Okay, this one." "Milly" pointed to the cup on the right.
There was nothing under that one either. "Milly" was growing frustrated.
"Fine! This cup!" she pointed at the remaining cup on the left.
Irving picked up the last cup, but still, no ball.
"Aha!" he tossed all three cups in the air and they began to float on their own. "It's as if the ball has disappeared…like magic!"
Suddenly, a stench cloud came out of the floating cups, knocking Irving out cold. Stinkie phased out of the cups and dug through the unconscious magician's pockets.
"Yep." he retrieved the ball. "He had it in his shirt the whole time."
"Milly" slammed her hands on Irving's table.
"Magic! I love magic! It's so…fun!" she dug her fingernails into the purple tablecloth furiously. "And so…whimsical!"
Libby giggled. "Just like you, Milly. You know, you may even be a better friend than Molly!"
"Ha, ha!" "Milly" laughed maniacally. "What a nice compliment! For Milly…who is me! I love it!"
Later, when Molly got home, she immediately went upstairs to her room where her dozens of plans were still hung up. She found the picture of Milly and angrily crumbled it up.
"Milly's gotta go!" she told the Trio, tossing her wig onto Fatso's head.
"So, what's the new plan?" Stinkie wondered.
"Hopefully to kick Libby to the curb for good." Stretch commented. "I mean, c'mon! What kind of best friend forces you to endure the things ya hate the most for their own amusement?"
Fatso admired himself in the wig. "Seriously? Do you not remember our last installment?"
"I'm running out of options, you guys!" Molly fretted.
"Don't worry!" Fatso continued, shoving Molly in front of a mirror. "'Cause while you were out, I workshopped a backstory for Libby's new new BFF…Mally from Tallahassee! Or as I like to call 'er…Mallyhassee!"
He put a poofy brown wig and green Hawaiian shirt over Molly's reflection.
"What do ya think? Clever, huh?"
Molly stepped away. "No, Fatso! I can't take any more lies! And neither can my skin!"
"Aww…but you would get yer own talkin' cockatiel!" Fatso held out a white-feathered bird. "His name's Paul."
"I said, no!"
"Eh. Your loss. Sorry, Paul."
The bird flew out of Fatso's hand and out the window.
"Bye, Mally!" it called.
Molly slumped into her bean bag chair.
"Ugh…what am I gonna do now?"
Stretch leaned beside her. "I know this is uncharacteristic of me to say, but I'm startin' to feel bad for ya. After all, you're only goin' through all this for our sake."
Molly perked up. "Does that mean I can tell Libby about you?"
"Heck no! We don't feel bad enough to let ya do that!"
Molly sighed. "Then I guess I have no choice…I can never see Libby again…"
"Good decision, Moll." Stretch commended her. "We'll do ya the honor of burnin' yer memorabilia. I'd imagine seein' somethin' that reminds you of her is way too painful, so better to get rid of it so ya won't be cryin' all the time. Right, boys?"
Stinkie and Fatso nodded as they prepared to torch a box of Molly's most treasured possessions from Libby, including her handmade friendship bracelet and a photo album of old memories.
"Don't worry," Stretch went on. "Once Libby's outta yer head for good, she'll never be able to get between our friendship-uh, I mean, make ya miserable ever again."
Before Molly could reply, the doorbell rang from downstairs.
DING-DONG!
"What the heehaw?" Stinkie said, surprised.
Fatso phased his head through the floor of the attic so he could see who was at the door.
"Hi, Libby." Sharon greeted. "Come on in."
Fatso returned to the attic in a panic.
"It's Libby! She's here! We're doomed!"
"Okay, okay! Calm down!" Molly ordered. "We'll just hide up here until she goes away!"
A knock on the attic door proved that this plan would be ineffective.
"That's it!" Stretch shrieked. "I'm bailin'!"
"I'm splittin'!" Stinkie added.
Fatso morphed into a pot. "I'm a little teapot!"
"Put a lid on it!" Stretch demanded, literally slamming a lid on Fatso's top.
The Trio were about to fly out of the house until Molly grabbed onto Stretch's tail.
"Wait! Take me with you!"
The ghosts phased through the wall, causing Molly to smack into it.
"Ugh…" Stretch whined. "What is with you fleshies and makin' everything difficult?"
He lifted Molly by the arms and together, they flew out the window right as Libby was coming in.
"Hey, Molly? Uh, I mean 'Milly'? I just wanted to talk to you about…Milly?"
Libby paused as she got a good look around Molly's room. She took notice of the charts and diagrams that detailed Molly's master plan. She spotted a sketch of the Trio on the easel. But what caught her attention the most was the open window, where a strange, glowing substance was sitting upon the sill. Libby touched some of the slime and became intrigued as she felt it in her hand. She then looked out the window for any sign of Molly, but the giddy girl was up on the roof with the Trio and thus, completely out of Libby's line of sight.
While Libby kept looking, the Trio picked up Molly and carried her far away from the house, in a desperate attempt to keep the two besties apart. But no matter where they went, it seemed, Libby was hot on their trail. So, they hid in any conceivable place they could, including behind a tree, in a garbage can, and even in a display window. After a few close calls, Molly and the Trio eventually made it to the park.
"Phew…" Molly sat down on a bench with relief. "I think we lost her."
"I don't think so!"
Molly yelped as she failed to notice Libby was right beside her and she fell off the bench. Fatso quickly slapped Molly's blue wig on her head before Libby could get a second look at her.
"Nice try, Molly!" Libby continued. "But once the bloodhound of truth gets your scent, there's no hiding!"
Molly sat up. "Molly? No, no, no! I'm her cousin, Milly, remember? I understand though, our names are very, very similar. Also, 'the bloodhound of truth'? Is that what you call yourself?"
Libby got in Molly's face. "I'll ask the questions here! I know what you're hiding, Molly. Your big secret…"
Molly became worried. So did the Trio.
"You do?"
"She does?!"
"Aw, buffalo patties!"
"We're dead! Well…technically, we are already, but you know what I mean."
Molly took a breath. "Okay, I can explain. See, the truth is…I'm not Molly or Milly! I'm actually…uh…Mally from Tallahassee! Mallyhassee, if you wish."
"Ha! Nice!" Fatso complimented. "Paul can be here in five minutes."
Libby stood up. "No. More. Lies! I know the truth! And the truth is…you…have…"
Molly and the Trio flinched with horror as Libby got out her notepad and revealed a sketch…of what appeared to be a slug sitting on top of a brain.
"…an Eastern Canadian brain slug!"
Molly stared blankly. "…A what?"
"Wow." Stretch told Molly. "And here I thought she was the more sane out of the two of ya."
Libby put her notepad back in her sleeve. "It all adds up! Your impeccable Canadian accent? That's the slug's native tongue!" she held out Molly's arm, which was still covered in stress hives. "The red bumps? Obviously an allergic reaction to slug mucus. I found some on your windowsill. And your super cool, very fashionable wig? You're using it to hide the slug itself! Come out of hiding, slimy puppet master, and leave my friend alone!"
Libby yanked off Molly's wig, surprised to see only Molly's normal hair underneath and no slug in sight.
"Yeah…" Molly looked down sheepishly. "I don't have a brain slug. I don't think they exist, actually."
"Oh…" Libby set the wig aside and sat back down on the bench. "I was really hoping it was a brain slug…"
Molly raised an eyebrow. "You…were? Why?"
"Well…because the only other possibility is…you don't wanna be my friend…"
"No! Libby, that's not it at all!"
"It's okay." Libby sighed. "This isn't the first time someone's tried to get out of a friendship with me through elaborate lies. I just thought you were different…"
With that, the socially-awkward gal stood up and began to walk off.
"Libby, wait!" Molly pleaded, but was ignored.
"Good riddance!" Stretch called after her.
"Guys, I have to tell her!"
"Forget it!" Stretch refused. "That 'only sayin' no' curse may be over, but that's still our answer!"
"But I can't keep living like this!" Molly began to cry. "I don't want you three to have to go away, but I don't want Libby to either. Maybe there's a way we can make it work, without you getting banished! We won't know unless we try, right? Please?"
Stretch stared into Molly's tear-filled eyes and groaned in defeat.
"All right, all right. You win. But just Libby, got that? You tell anyone else, and we'll find a way to make the Ghost Council send you to the Flow of Failed Phantoms with us! Not sure how that'll work, but I'm sure it'll be a relevant plot point later on, so keep it in the back of yer mind!"
"Yay!" Molly squeezed Stretch into a hug. "Thank you!"
Stinkie and Fatso approached their eldest brother after Molly had run away to catch Libby.
"What'd ya do that for?" Stinkie questioned.
"Yeah, we coulda been rid of that Molly-stealer." Fatso claimed. "Why'd you give in so easily?"
Stretch smirked. "'Cause I'm Molly's best friend. I gotta look out for 'er, y'know."
"Whoa, time out!" Stinkie argued. "What do ya mean you're Molly's best friend! I'm her best friend!"
"Nuh-uh!" Fatso disagreed. "I am!"
"You wish!" Stretch snarled.
"Guys!" they heard Molly shout to them. "Are you coming?"
Stretch gave the other two ghosts a harsh glare.
"This ain't over. We'll deal with this in the next chapter."
The Trio then turned invisible and flew in front of Molly and Libby, as the former caught up to the latter.
"Libby, wait! Don't go! You were right! I am hiding something! It's not exactly a brain slug, but it's probably just as mind-blowing…"
Molly turned her head towards the sky, prompting Libby to look in the same direction. And then, for the first time ever, the Trio revealed themselves to her, albeit with unenthusiastic expressions.
"Boo…"
"We're ghosts…"
"So scary, right? Whatever…"
Libby was absolutely stunned. So stunned, in fact, that she fainted on the spot.
"There." Stretch said to Molly. "Ya happy now?"
"We'd better get a ton of reviews for this." Stinkie grumped.
"I miss Milly already." Fatso sulked.
To be concluded…
Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee!
To clarify, "to be concluded" in this case refers to the conclusion of this particular story arc, not the story as a whole. Nope, we still got 20 more chapters to go by my count, and that's just in season 1.
Speaking of which, I know it's still a little early, but please let me know if you would like me to continue with season 2 and possibly season 3. I know the show ended with two seasons, but there are plenty of leaked scripts for unused episodes on the internet archive that I think make great fanfic potential. Not to mention, I'm sure you guys have some ideas of your own you'd like me to do and I definitely can. All I ask is that you leave your ideas in a review (and also tell me what you think of the story, of course ;) )
Okay, that's all. Until next time...
(PS: Seriously, writers. "Alone" and "phone"? Easiest rhyme ever.)