Chapter 18: Final Exams and Graduation
At Casper High, the students saw something that scared them more than any monster (ghost or not): Paulina Sanchez was studying. "Could Sidney Poindexter's ghost be overshadowing her?" Kwan asked.
Hearing the question, Danny and his friends were worried since they knew Poindexter was real and it wasn't the first time a ghost had done this to Paulina. Reluctantly, he approached the former cheerleader. "No, no ghosts." He declared.
"Danny, I appreciate your concern but the fact is that I need to study and pass exams now that I can no longer count on the nerds doing homework for the A-List." Paulina said.
"It makes sense." Danny grumbled as he rolled his eyes.
"Danny, do you know if Poindexter would go into my body and do the test for me?" Paulina asked, disgusting Danny. "I hate the idea of a boy controlling my body but I hate the idea of studying even more."
"Sam was right." Danny commented. "You're shallow."
"Have mercy, my ghost boy." Paulina pleaded. "Aren't you moved to see me studying like I'm a nerd?"
"There's nothing wrong with studying, Paulina." Danny replied. "And I'm not your ghost boy."
"Do you think monsters like your girlfriend study anything other than morbid subjects like how many bites it takes to rip someone's arm off?" Paulina asked dismissively.
Meanwhile, at Monster High, the fearleaders were also studying. "How boring." Cleo De Nile complained.
"Speak for yourself." Frankie Stein responded. "This chapter on limb sewing is interesting."
Back at Casper High, Danny has grown apart from Paulina. "Why did it take her parents so long to try to get her back on track?" He asked his friends.
"Better late than never, Danny." Sam said. "Forget that shallow girl."
"It's true, Danny." Tucker agreed. "We have more important matters to attend to. Like showing Clawdia this new script I'm working on." He said and showed it on his PDA.
"The Magnificent Tech Boy and the Monster Girls?" Danny asked, reading the title in disbelief.
"It's a love story." Tucker said. "I play a technology expert who worked in a laboratory until he discovered that they were using monsters as test subjects. Feeling sorry for the monsters, especially the monster girls, he helps them escape and has since used his technology to protect monsters from monster hunters."
"Tucker, Clawdia said that to avoid accusations of plagiarism, she avoids letting unsolicited material." Danny said and suddenly noticed a certain part of the script. "At that moment, the werewolf girl regretted that she was dating a ghost boy who was less attractive than the technology hero." "Really, Tucker?"
"Danny, this is a work of fiction." Tucker nervously said. "Any similarities to real monsters and humans are purely coincidental."
"If this is a coincidence, Paulina is a genius." Sam snarked.
"And Vlad isn't a fruitloop." Danny added.
"Frankly, Tucker, you should be studying for your end-of-year exams instead of wasting time on useless scripts." Sam said.
"As long as he doesn't need to do illustrations, there's a chance." Danny joked.
"Hey." Tucker protested. "I am as talented as I am modest."
"Undoubtedly." Sam said.
"You won't laugh when I release the film." Tucker stated with a frown.
"If you're trying to do a comedy, we certainly won't." Dash said, jumping into the conversation. "Jokes aside, how about putting me as Van Helsing? I want to drive a stake through a vampire's heart while he tries to suck my blood."
"As long as I don't have to figure out the effect of steroids on vampires..." Tucker said.
Dash didn't like the comment. "I don't use steroids. Why do you think I don't plan on becoming a professional footballer in the future?"
"Because you're too lazy to put effort into the only thing you're good at?" Tucker suggested.
"I don't want to be pressured into using steroids, Foley." Dash explained.
"I'm starting to hate him a little less." Danny commented and Sam nodded.
"I still hate him." Tucker commented.
"Me too." Sam added.
"He's my reason why being a jock makes Clawdeen's brother scarier than him being a monster." Danny commented.
"Look." Mikey said. "A nerdy cheerleader. Sorry, she's not a cheerleader anymore."
"We know that a former member of the A-List fell from grace when even nerds made fun of them." Dash commented.
"You said it!" Kwan replied.
Dale decided to get closer to Paulina. "Paulina, I know your high school days are about to end but don't you care about your reputation?"
"I have no choice, Dale." Paulina replied. "If I don't graduate, my parents will force me to get a summer job. I don't want to become a loser like Valerie."
"I heard that." Valerie protested.
"Do you think I care?" Paulina asked arrogantly.
Days later, it was time for Casper High students to receive their diplomas. "I'm sorry, Mr. Baxter." Principal Ishiyama said. "You didn't graduate because you didn't take last week's test."
"Who gives tests during the last few weeks of the school year?" Dash asked in protest.
"It was me." Mr. Falluca said proudly.
"I should have known." Dash grumbled.
"Dash, if you hope to continue living under my roof until you finish college, you better pass summer school and actually try to graduate." His father threatened.
"Yes, Father." Dash sadly replied.
Unlike Dash, Danny, Tucker and Sam received their diplomas. "I can't wait to see the Wicked Witch of the West flunk out." Sam said with a smile.
To their surprise, Paulina also graduated. "Congratulations, Miss Sanchez. You passed." Mr. Lancer said and then muttered "Barely."
"It seems that being kicked off the A List was a blessing in disguise." Danny commented.
"Tell me about it." Valerie, who was sitting next to Danny and his friends, said.
"I protest!" Dash shouted. "No way Paulina is smarter than me!"
"Smarter maybe not but definitely less stupid." Sam said and Danny and Tucker laughed.
"I doubt Monster High's graduation ceremony will be that much fun." Tucker said.
Meanwhile, at Monster High, Toralei was complaining. "You can't make me study in the summer!"
"Miss Stripe, your parents have already agreed." Headless Headmistress Lovegood responded.
"I'm so recording this for posterity." Cleo De Nile said while filming Toralei's humiliation with her iCoffin.
"Cleo, will you send me a copy?" Clawdeen asked. "I want to show this to Danny before I move to Scaris for my summer internship."
"With pleasure, Clawdeen." The Egyptian Princess said.
The next day, when Danny and Clawdeen met, she showed the video of Toralei humiliating herself. "Hahahaha." Danny laughed. "I see that things in monster schools aren't much different from human schools." He commented.
"What do you mean?" Clawdeen asked, not understanding her boyfriend's comment.
"Dash complained about not graduating." Danny said, showing the video recorded by Tucker. "He missed last week's test."
"He wouldn't dare if your school had a teacher like Mr. Hackington." Clawdeen said.
Danny gulped at the thought of having such a scary teacher. "He definitely wouldn't dare."
"Anyway, we better make the most of this date as I'm leaving for Scaris tomorrow." Clawdeen said.
"The City of Frights waits for no one, right?" Danny asked.
"You said it, Danny." Clawdeen said with a tone of approval.
"I'm going to Florida to train to be an astronaut." Danny replied.
"Walk on the moon for me, Danny." Clawdeen asked.
"I'll probably go to Mars instead of the moon but I'd love to walk the same soil as the Apollo 11 astronauts." Danny replied.
"The important thing is that we are following our respective dreams." Clawdeen commented.
"How about we watch a movie in the human world?" Danny suggested. "The monster experience at Casper High made the people of Amity Park more open to the idea."
Reluctantly, Clawdeen accepted the invitation. The film Danny chose was a love story. "Did you like the movie, Clawdeen?" Danny asked his girlfriend.
"Yes, Danny." Clawdeen responded. "I rarely stop to think about the kind of lives normies lead when they're not chasing monsters with torches and pitchforks."
Danny knew that there were monsters that feared humans but he rarely remembered that aspect despite that time Vlad traveled back in time to the time of John Fenton Nightingale. "I hope peace between humans and monsters finally becomes a reality." Danny commented.
"It's a good thing Manny's parents didn't send him to Casper High during the exchange program." Clawdeen said. "We'd have to keep an eye on him."
Yeah, that would cause problems..." Danny was interrupted by his ghost sense. "What is it now?"
"BEWARE!" The Box Ghost said as he revealed his presence. "I am the Box Ghost."
"And I'm in the middle of a date." Danny replied.
"SORRY!" The Box Ghost said and left.
"Honestly, is there really anyone who is afraid of him?" Clawdeen said. "Apart from the time he stole Pandora's Box, I mean."
"Probably not." Danny replied.
"BEWARE!" The Box Ghost said to some people who ignored him.
"I find it hard to believe that Deuce's Mom couldn't catch him." Clawdeen commented, making Danny think about how much easier things could have been if he had already knew Deuce back then.
"The Box Ghost has some lucky breaks." Danny said. "They are rare."
"Hey!" The Box Ghost protested. "I have feelings."
"And what are you doing here?" Clawdeen asked the Box Ghost. "Didn't the Observants order you and Danny's other enemies to leave Amity Park alone during the truce established when Casper High accepted monster students?"
"They said I'm more of a harmless prankster than a threat and that showing up in front of humans and saying "BEWARE" won't change their minds." The Box Ghost complained. "Can you believe this?"
"I can." Danny said.
"Whatever." The Box Ghost said and walked away.
"Danny, I need to go too." Clawdeen said and they kissed goodbye.
Danny went home and made a video call to talk to Sam and Tucker. "Is Clawdeen really going to Paris?" Sam asked, still disgusted by the idea of a monster being more interested in fashion than being terrifying.
"No, Sam." Danny replied. "She's going to the monster version: Scaris, City of Frights."
"What next?" Tucker asked with a mocking tone. "The monster version of Kentucky being known as the Boograss State?"
"With all the puns so far, that wouldn't surprise me." Danny commented. "Ghoulia's boyfriend is called Slo Mo. Your question, however, makes me wonder what monster horses are like."
"Where was that truce when the wolf ghosts attacked?" Sam asked.
"The Observants declared those ghosts to be wild animals and will not consider the attack a violation of the truce unless someone intentionally set them loose." Danny answered.
"Fair enough." Sam muttered.
"Anyway, this respite is a relief since I can spend this summer in a space program." Danny said. "My parents, Valerie, the Blasters and the Guys in White can keep the city safe."
"And I can prepare for law school." Sam added.
"MIT, here I come!" Tucker declared proudly.
End chapter