Today, we'll be doing the episode "The Bad Boy Bobby Daniels." And despite what I said in the last author's notes, this wasn't as hard to write as I thought it would be. However, it definitely wasn't as fun to write as some of the previous chapters.
The episode itself is fine. I'm glad they gave Patty a day in the limelight, because she is a cool character. And it's also cool that they made a whole episode based on the one line she said in "Getting the Bandshell Back Together." Like I said, "Molly McGee" continuity is astounding.
But these are the episodes I find the most difficult to write for, because Scratch is shoved into the background and doesn't contribute much to the story, thus the Trio don't get much to do. So, when that happens, I have two options. I can A. write a subplot that involves one of the Trio or all of them like I did with "Goat Your Own Way", or B. I can keep the episode largely the same, but make the Trio react to it with their signature humor. This chapter does the latter, because as hard as I tried, I just didn't think there was much I could add to this episode. That seems to be a pattern with these kinds of chapters, not just for this fic, but for any fic. Where if I don't know how to change the story, I just try to incorporate more jokes to make people laugh. And I'll also attempt to fix and/or address an episode's flaws, like I did with Chapter 28 and here. In this chapter's case, the flaw I address is that throughout the episode, Molly keeps using the word "we" when talking about helping Bobby and Patty, despite the fact that neither of them know Scratch exists and they don't question her about it. It may seem like an insignificant detail, but in a series like this where secrecy is important, it's a huge deal to me.
Okay, enough with my excuses and justifications for said excuses. Let's go!
Also, slight nausea fuel warning for description of bodily waste.
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 30
Bad Boy Blues
"…And this was the time my best friend Linda and I founded the Brighton Skybirds." Molly's elderly friend Patty narrated while showing Molly a picture from an old photo album.
"Cool…" Molly went.
The tween girl had just gotten out of school and decided, in order to make up for the boring lectures she was given that day, to go visit Patty at the retirement home, since she always had fun and exciting stories to tell. The Ghostly Trio tagged along due to the curse, once again, not wanting to be there at all. But surprisingly, the photos in Patty's album were really starting to pique their interest and they found themselves actively listening while she explained each one.
"And here's when the two of us mastered the beautiful yet deadly art of capoeira." Patty gestured to a photo of her younger self taking down a heavyweight martial artist while her best friend cheered from outside the ring.
"And finally," Patty turned the page to a newspaper article displaying a picture of her and Linda riding in a truck that was approaching a tornado. "We briefly became somewhat-famous storm chasers."
"Wow, Patty!" Molly exclaimed. "You really did all that?"
"Oh, I did way more, Molly." Patty winked. "That was just all that happened in 1962."
"Huh." Fatso scratched his head. "I kinda assumed Patty was always old."
"Of course not, dum-dum!" Stretch sneered. "Ya think she was just born in her late 80's?"
"I'm kinda jealous." Stinkie stated. "This gal's lived a full life of dangerous, death-defyin' stunts and is still around to tell the tales. Meanwhile, we ended up dyin' at…uh…hey, how old are we anyway?"
"Whaddya mean?" Stretch scoffed. "We're ghosts! I'd imagine we've been around for at least a few hundred years."
"Really?" Fatso was dubious. "How old were we when we died?"
Stretch opened his mouth to answer and then realized he didn't know.
"Well, we…I mean, I was probably…shut up!"
Molly flipped through Patty's photo album.
"I can't believe how many adventures you had! Diems carpe'd, horns grabbed, yos…lo'd?"
Stretch shook his head. "None of those work."
Patty chuckled. "That's because I live by a simple motto."
She reached out a hand (unknowingly sticking it into Fatso's mouth) and pointed to a cross-stitching that was hanging on the opposite wall. On it was the message "No Regerts."
"I know, I know. I misspelled 'regrets.'" Patty shrugged. "But I wasn't about to unpick all that thread! Heh, heh!"
She removed her hand from Fatso's mouth.
"Blech! So many wrinkles!" he rubbed his tongue.
Patty's smile then faded. "Actually, to tell you the truth, that cross-stitch is a lie. I do have one 'regert.'"
"Really? What's that?" Molly pressed.
"Well…promise to keep this just between you and me?"
"Ha!" Stretch laughed. "Sorry, lady! Any secret ya tell Molly, we get to hear too!"
"And we don't gotta promise not to share it neither!" Stinkie guffawed.
Annoyed, Molly opened the photo album and squashed the Trio within its pages. Patty raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Oh! Sorry! I uh…saw a fly buzzing around." Molly fibbed. "I promise not to tell anyone."
"Well…" Patty started. "Do you remember when I told you about my ex, Bobby Daniels?"
Molly nodded. "Yeah, you brought him up the first time we met."
Patty glanced at the window with a solemn expression.
"He was my one 'regert.'
The senior closed her eyes and began to reminisce on her days of youth. She recalled the time she was walking to class with Linda, when suddenly, the two of them jumped at the sound of an engine revving. When Patty turned around, she was stunned to see a tall, slender man on a motorcycle. Patty knew then it was love at first sight.
With a bad boy biker, I fell in love
(Her heart, her heart was aloft)
His black leather jacket fit like a glove
(His pompadour was perfectly coiffed)
They told me he would make me sad
But I was already in love like mad
With the bad boy, the bad boy of Brighton
After meeting Bobby, it wasn't long before he and Patty started dating. The latter remembered all the fun the two of them had had: sharing a milkshake, riding on Bobby's motorcycle, and dancing in front of the old bandshell. She had enjoyed herself so much, however, that she failed to notice how jealous her friend Linda looked.
Though he acted tough, deep down he was sweet
(So sweet, deep down he was sweet)
Like when he helped a three-legged dog crossing the street
"He's goin' as fast as he can!" Bobby had yelled to a driver.
Then one day, Bobby offered to take Patty away from Brighton to see the world together and naturally, Patty accepted. On the day the couple was supposed to leave, Patty showed up to Bobby's house with her suitcase, excited for all the new adventures she would have with her boyfriend. But as soon as she arrived, she saw Bobby riding off on his motorcycle, leaving her behind. Patty's heart was broken that day, and afterward, she never saw Bobby again.
He swore that we would last forever
That we would run away together
But he left me hurt, the bad boy of Brighton
My only regert, the bad boy of Brighton
Patty did her best to hold back tears in the present day.
"Bobby and I were so happy together." she told Molly. "I wish I knew why he left me all those years ago…"
"Hey, Patty!" Linda came over wearing a pair of baggy pants. "Hurry up! We're gonna be late for senior's hip-hop!"
Patty's smile returned and she got up to join her friend.
"Thanks for remindin' me, Linda! No way I'm missin' that! See you later, Molly!"
Molly watched the older woman leave and she couldn't help but feel pity for her. Even though Patty seemed happy, it hurt Molly to know the love of her life just up and vanished without giving her a reason. At that moment, she reopened the photo album, releasing the Trio in the process.
"So, Patty-Cakes had a bad boy boyfriend, huh?" Stretch observed. "Do tell…"
Molly glared. "You heard that?"
"What? Ya thought some picture book would make us deaf? We may be made of ectoplasm literally, but figuratively, we're all ears."
Fatso pinched his side. "Huh. I always thought I was all fat."
"In that case, this shouldn't hurt!" Stinkie punched Fatso in the stomach.
Later on, Molly and the Trio were at home, the former still stressing about Patty's lost loved one.
"I feel bad that Patty regerts not taking a chance on love." she lamented to the Trio as they laid on her bed with cucumbers over their eyes. "I'm really worried about her."
"I'd be more worried about yer English grade slippin' because of you adoptin' her poor spellin'." Stretch remarked. "But I don't blame the old hag for bein' upset. From the way she described him, that Bobby Daniels fella sounded amazin' and he was probably the last excitin' thing in her miserable existence."
Stretch removed the cucumbers from his eyes and tossed them into Fatso's mouth.
"Ya know, I never told anyone this, but I've always loved the idea of bein' a bad boy." he combed the ectoplasm on his head into a coif. "Vandalizin' property, loiterin' around drug stores, pickin' up chicks…and best of all, escapin' from the fuzz while ridin' your hog."
"Why would you ride on a pig?" Fatso inquired ignorantly. "And what can a piece of fuzz do that makes you need to escape from it?"
Stretch responded by smacking Fatso on the head.
"Did I mention beatin' people up for no reason?" he added. "Yep, if ya ask me, Bobby Daniels was the only cool person who ever lived in this tiresome town. Maybe if he had stayed, it wouldn't be the bore that it is today."
Molly beamed. "Well, what if we found a way to bring him back to Brighton? That way he and Patty can be reunited and the two of them can get the happy ending they deserve!"
"Yeah, right!" Stinkie snarked. "There's no way we can pull that off! What are the chances of us findin' the guy? He could be anywhere in the world for all we know! He could even be dead!"
"Well, if he is, maybe the two of us can start a biker gang in the Ghost World!" Stretch hoped. "We could get a pair of matchin' leather jackets, steal a couple of bikes, and cause havoc everywhere we go! We'll practically be blood brothers! Only, ya know, without any physical blood."
Molly pulled something up on her phone. "Sorry to disappoint you Stretch, but it looks like the man is still alive and kicking! I just found his social media profile! And the best part is, it says he's only one town over! C'mon, boys! We're goin' to Mewline!"
"Oh great." Stretch griped. "Mewline. Also known as 'the toilet cake capital of the world'."
Stinkie shot up upon hearing the word "toilet."
"Well, what are we waitin' for? Let's go already!" he dragged Stretch out the attic door.
"Count me in, too!" Fatso followed them. "I've never had a toilet cake before! What is it, anyway? Is it a cake shaped like a toilet? What's the texture like? Is it spongy? Does it have chocolate or vanilla frosting? Wait up!"
After asking Pete for a ride, Molly and the Trio soon arrived at the Mewline Public Library. But not before a quick stop at a gas station to let Fatso learn exactly what a "toilet cake" was.
"So, what'd ya think?" Stinkie nudged Fatso in the shoulder.
"I don't wanna talk about it…" Fatso mumbled.
"Well, at least it was spongy, right? And it did kinda look like chocolate."
"I said, I don't wanna talk about it!"
Molly approached the library's front doors.
"Okay, according to his social profile, Bobby makes regular visits to the library."
"The library?!" Stretch cried out. "This is where the guy hangs out nowadays?! I thought he'd be slinkin' around an alleyway or a motorcycle shop! Or at the very least, a milkshake bar!"
"Ooh, now I wanna be a bad boy!" Fatso insisted.
Pete noticed a sign hanging on the library's front window that read "It's Cool to Read!" and hugged it.
"C'mon Stretch, libraries can be fun too. Especially the Mewline library! I heard they have a legendary zoning regulation section! And I'm gonna go check it out right now!" Pete took a card out from his back pocket and showed it off. "Look at that! My own library card! Am I the definition of 'cool' or what?"
Stretch slapped on a pair of sunglasses to go with the jacket he was still wearing and smoothed back his coiffed hair.
"Lemme guess…Sharon didn't have many other options, did she?"
Pete grumped at the Trio as they followed Molly inside.
"Don't listen to him, baby." he told his library card. "He's just jealous because he has to pay money for his books…well, I guess technically he can't get any books because he's a ghost, but…you know what I mean."
Once the family made it inside, the Trio made themselves invisible.
"Well gang, let's go find our so-called bad boy." Stretch announced. "Who knows? Maybe he just comes here to mug the patrons."
"Right!" Molly agreed.
"Good luck, guys!" Pete called before spotting a huge tome in the middle of the "Zoning Law" section. "Eeee!"
He opened it up, revealing a cobweb stuck on the inside cover, which meant it hadn't been opened, let alone read, in a long time, as well as three tiny ghosts who had been stuck in the pages.
"Yippee!"
"Free at last!"
Fatso watched as the spirits flew away.
"Wow. Now that's what I call 'bein' caught up in a good story.'"
Molly walked up to the counter where a receptionist was reading a book on toilet cakes.
"Excuse me? Do you happen to know Bobby Daniels?"
The receptionist chuckled. "Yes, I'm familiar with him."
"Great! So, where is he?"
The library worker lowered the book to show Molly his face.
"Right here! I'm Bobby Daniels!"
Molly and the Trio were stunned to the point of being speechless. Stretch's coif deflated and fell over his face, showing how shocked and disappointed he was.
"Um…what?" Molly went.
"Hold up!" Stretch gathered up his hair. "There must be some kind of mistake! This can't be the right guy! He's made of cardigan!"
Stinkie floated under the desk. "He's wearin' bulk shoes!"
"He's ancient! He's ugly!" Fatso recited. "I don't know which is worse!"
In response to this, Stretch split a seam on Fatso's body and insects poured out of his stomach.
"Nooo! My bugs!"
"Seriously, this is the bad boy of Brighton?! He's like the complete opposite of a bad boy!" Stretch continued. "Where's the leather jacket? And the cool hog? And the blatant disregard for the authority?!"
He gasped right as Bobby stamped the inside of a book.
"Oh my gosh…he is authority!"
Molly held out her phone and compared Bobby to his profile picture, which clearly depicted him as much younger.
"I'm sorry, but…this is you?" Molly showed her phone screen. "You're the bad boy of Brighton?"
Bobby peered at his photo. "I've been meaning to update that picture. Boy, I sure looked good in leather. But that's not who I am anymore. I filed my bad boy days in the young adult section of my life."
Stretch gagged. "Even his metaphors are incredibly lame! This is why you should never meet yer heroes…"
"So, what can I do for you?" Bobby offered.
Molly pushed the huge stack of books sitting on the desk to the side and climbed up to face the librarian.
"Well sir, you can tell me why you abandoned Brighton and the love of your life, Patty! You were meant to be together forever, but you left her in the dust! Literally, because you rode a motorcycle!"
Bobby smiled at the mention of his former lover's name.
"Patty? Man, I haven't heard that name in a long time. How is she these days? Does she still smell like cinnamon and gasoline?"
"Among other things." Stinkie snickered.
Molly ignored Stinkie. "She's only gotten better with age!"
"Sure, if ya like floppy skin." Stretch joked.
Molly reached across the desk to grab Bobby by the shirt collar.
"C'mon, let's get you lovebirds back together!"
Bobby resisted. "I don't know. Patty loved the bad boy part of me. If she saw who I am today, she'd be so disappointed."
"Safe assumption to make, considerin' how disappointed I am!" Stretch claimed, despite the fact Bobby couldn't hear him.
"Well, maybe she doesn't have to be disappointed." Molly suggested. "How about we get the bad boy back in ya?"
"Er…we?" Bobby repeated with a raised eyebrow.
Molly backtracked. "Uh, I mean 'we' as in the two of us. Because obviously, there's nobody else here! Nope, nobody at all."
"Cuttin' it close there, McGee." Stinkie warned.
"Personally, I would've made the excuse that I was usin' the royal 'we.'" Fatso admitted. "As in, 'we are named Fatso and we are quite famished.'"
"Oh yeah? Well, 'we' are quite annoyed!" Stretch gave Fatso another bop on the head.
Molly spent the next hour or so trying to reignite Bobby's old bad boy persona. She started by finding the leather jacket he used to wear and making him try it on. However, with all the weight Bobby had gained over the years, he had a hard time buttoning up his old coat.
The bad boy of Brighton will ride once again
(He's back, he's riding again)
His clothes may be tighter, but they'll jam him in
"It's got…no…give!" Stretch struggled.
Molly then gave Bobby a new pair of sunglasses, but he ended up not being able to see and knocking over a case of books.
There's a rebel fire burning in his heart again
Say goodbye to pleated khakis and cardigans
Finally, Molly encouraged Bobby to take a ride on a motorcycle and once again, Bobby proved to be out of practice when it came to being a rebel. As soon as he revved up the engine, he fell off the seat and the bike crashed into a tree all by itself.
They're bringing back the bad boy of Brighton
"Okay…" Molly said after her last attempt at recreating Bobby's image failed. "I was wrong. Bringing back the bad boy of Brighton was a lot harder than we thought."
"We as in the two of us, right?" Bobby clarified.
"Uh…yes!" Molly laughed nervously. "Again, I don't see anyone else around. Heh, heh…"
Bobby sighed. "I'm really sorry, Molly. I tried, but let's face it. I'm not the man I used to be. I just can't face Patty like this."
"C'mon, don't say that." Molly tried. "Maybe Patty will like the new you."
"Right…" Stretch scoffed. "And maybe pigs will start flyin', too!"
"I thought pigs were for ridin' on, not for flyin'." Fatso claimed ignorantly, earning yet another smack from Stretch.
Bobby shook his head sadly. "I don't think so…"
Molly's face fell at his rejection. "Okay. I understand. I guess I'll just have to accept that not all love stories have happy endings. Sorry for wasting your time…"
Molly solemnly walked out of the library and the Trio followed suit. Before leaving, Stretch gave Bobby one last look of disgust and threw his coiffed hair onto the floor.
"Kinda fittin' he ended up in the toilet cake capital of the world," Stinkie commented on the way out. "Considerin' how much his life has gone down the toilet."
"I still don't wanna talk about it…" Fatso shuddered.
The next day, Molly went to visit Patty again, feeling regretful, er, regertful, that she hadn't been successful with convincing Bobby to come back. And even though Patty kept acting like she was fine, deep down, her aging heart was aching every minute. Meanwhile, Linda tried her best to keep her bestie distracted to the point where she wouldn't think about Bobby.
"Get your head out of the clouds and back into the game, Patty!" she encouraged in the middle of a game of checkers. "You don't want your winnin' streak against me to end, do you?"
Patty chuckled. "Linda, I promise you that'll never happen! You haven't beaten me in 72 years!" she moved one of her red pieces and captured three of Linda's black ones.
Molly and the Trio watched the game from an armchair.
"Man, if only we had gotten through to Bobby…" Molly lamented. "He and Patty sounded like the cutest couple. They could've lived happily ever after forever."
"Oh grow up," Stretch lectured from the top of the chair. "Life ain't a fairy tale, ya know."
"Yeah, take it from me, Moll. Love stinks!" Stinkie belched a heart-shaped cloud toward Molly.
"Well, Bobby may be out of her life," Molly coughed. "But at least she still has her best friend by her side."
"Right. 'Cause who needs to feel the wind in their hair on the back of a hog when they can just sit in a retirement home playin' checkers all day?" Stretch quipped sarcastically.
"Again with the ridin' on pigs?" Fatso remarked. "What is it with bad boys and farm animal transportation?"
"Ya know, at this rate, we're gonna need a counter for all the times I've hit you in this chapter!" Stretch snarled, hitting Fatso again.
"Hello?"
Molly and the Trio turned to see Bobby stepping inside the building, a piece of paper in his hand.
"I'm here with an urgent inter-town loan request from someone named…This-Is-A-Real-Name?" he frowned, realizing he had obviously been tricked. "Daggumit! Those pranksters got me again!"
Patty's eyes widened at hearing his voice.
"Bobby?"
Bobby fixed his gaze upon her, recognizing her instantly. Both of them stared into each other's eyes and slowly walked toward the center of the room to meet.
"Wait…what's happenin' here?" Stretch was confused.
Molly gave him a smug smirk. "C'mon, you should know by now that I am not one to give up so easily. Especially when it comes to bringing people together. Guess life's more of a fairy tale than we thought, huh?"
"Bobby…" Patty reached out her hands and Bobby took them.
"Patty?"
"Yes!" Molly squeezed the Trio in excitement. "The love is strong in this one!"
"So's yer grip!" Stretch choked.
Reunited at last, Bobby and Patty spent the afternoon reliving their favorite memories with the help of Molly and (secretly) the Trio. First, the four of them got Bobby an electric scooter, so the couple could go riding again. However, Molly felt that the pair were a bit too old for the adrenaline rush, so she just had them sit on the scooter while blowing a fan in their direction to simulate the feeling of riding. Stretch even pretended to ride alongside them.
"Hey, I was thinkin', do ya think Bobby could use a new windbreaker?" Stinkie asked Molly.
"Huh. I never thought about that. Maybe he does." Molly suggested.
"Okay!" Stinkie got in front of the fan and aimed his rear at Bobby and Patty.
"Oh no you don't!" Molly pulled him away. "He doesn't need that kind of windbreaker!"
Later, Molly brought the elderly sweethearts to the ice cream parlor to share a milkshake. But when she brought it to the table, she was shocked to find that it was already empty.
"Fatso!" she seethed.
"Hey, why do ya always gotta assume it was me?" Fatso persuaded, licking a bit of whipped cream off his lips.
For the final part of their date, Bobby and Patty went to the Brighton Bandshell for a dance. And despite it not being the exact same place they went to in their youth, they still felt the exact same way as when they first danced together. At one point, Molly and the Trio could swear they looked like their younger selves, especially when Patty lifted Bobby into the air and twirled him around.
"Well, it's official." Bobby said after the dance. "The bad boy of Brighton is back!"
"Yeah, baby!" Stretch fist pumped.
"That's right!" Molly cried. "See? You didn't need your awesome leather jacket, cool sunglasses, or perfectly quaffed hair!"
Bobby did his best to ignore what she was implying.
"I didn't?"
"Of course not!" Molly pushed him and Patty together. "It was inside you this whole time! All you needed was the power of love to let it out again!"
"Blech!" Stretch retched. "Way to turn a happy moment into a sappy moment!"
"I think it's about to get worse…look!"
Stinkie pointed at Patty and Bobby. The two of them had their eyes closed and were leaning in for a kiss. The Trio covered their eyes.
"Old people kissin'?! No thanks!"
"And everyone says I'm disgustin'!"
"Forget violence on TV! This is the kind of stuff kids shouldn't watch!"
Molly just shook her head and smiled at their reaction. But just as Bobby and Patty's lips were about to touch, Patty stopped suddenly.
"Wait a minute! What am I thinkin'? I can't just up and forget about how much hurt you caused me by leavin' me behind all those years ago!"
Molly cringed with worry at the outburst. The Trio, on the other hand, were intrigued.
"Ooh, drama! Now that's somethin' I can get behind!"
"If only we had a laugh track!"
"Pass the popcorn!"
Bobby was surprised and confused. "Left you behind? But…I thought you were done with me. You said so in your note."
"What note?" Patty inquired.
Bobby reached into his coat pocket and took out a piece of paper.
"This one. You wrote that you wanted to end things between us and that I should travel the world without you. To this day, I still don't know what I did to make you want me out of your life so bad."
Patty began to read the note out loud.
"'Dear Bobby, I regret to inform you that I will not be coming with you.'" she gasped. "I didn't write this! It says 'regret'! I only say 'regert'!"
"Sheesh, this lady really coulda used a spell checker back in the 20's…" Fatso observed with a mouthful of popcorn.
"Wait…but if you didn't write the note, who did?" Molly wondered.
Before anyone could come up with any guesses, Patty realized that Bobby had disappeared.
"Bobby?"
Peering ahead, she noticed a biker with a spiked helmet holding Bobby hostage on their scooter. They took out another helmet and slammed it over Bobby's head.
"Hey! What do you think you're doin'?" Patty demanded.
The biker didn't answer and sped away, with Bobby strapped to the back of the bike.
"Oh no you don't!"
Patty hopped onto Bobby's scooter and revved it up.
"I won't let him leave me again!"
Molly and the Trio stood back as Patty zoomed after Bobby and the mysterious rider.
"Whoa! First a misunderstandin,' then a kidnappin', and now a bike chase?" Stretch exclaimed. "It's like a scene out of some blockbuster action flick! Molly, I am impressed!"
"Yeah, it's kinda counterintuitive, since yer plan was to get 'em back together, but at least the entertainment factor is high!"
"Guys, this wasn't part of my plan!" Molly corrected them. "I have no idea who that person on the other scooter is, and even if I did, I wouldn't make them kidnap Bobby!"
"Oh." Stretch was disappointed. "So…you are still borin'."
"I am not bor-" Molly tried to argue, then shook her head. "Never mind! We gotta catch up to Patty and see if she needs any help!"
Stretch re-coiffed his ectoplasm and scooped Molly off the ground.
"Hang on, Bobby! Your saviors are on the way!"
As Molly and the Trio took to the sky, the unidentified biker had reached the main road with Bobby still helplessly hanging off the back of the vehicle. Looking behind them, the stranger spotted Patty getting closer and closer, so they tried making several sharp turns in an effort to lose her. But Patty proved to be too smart and stayed on the kidnapper's tail the whole time. So, the biker tried to slow her down by throwing a handful of candy into the road. Luckily, they threw it too far and it ended up flying past Patty and landing in front of Molly and the Trio.
"Ooh, piece of candy!" Fatso picked one of the wrapped treats up.
"No time for snacking, Fatso!" Molly tugged the biggest ghost along. "We gotta catch up before they get too…far…away?"
It was then the girl and ghosts realized that Patty and the motorcyclist were actually moving extremely slow and were only feet apart from each other.
"Huh." Stretch noted. "Ya know, from above, it looked like they were goin' a lot faster."
"It really did." Molly agreed.
Patty gritted her teeth with determination. "Almost there…"
Unfortunately, the moment she was about to reach Bobby and his kidnapper, a beeping sound came from her ride, signaling that its battery was dead. She then came to a stop, allowing her adversary to get away, albeit very slowly.
"No!" Patty slammed her fist against the dashboard in frustration. "C'mon! This dang scooter's got no more horse power! Where's a charging station when you need one?"
Molly scratched her chin in thought. "Hm…hey, Stinkman?" she nudged Stinkie in the arm. "I think Patty could use the other kind of windbreaker right about now…"
Stinkie grinned. "About time! Don't worry, Pat! Unlike most vehicles, I never run outta gas!"
He took possession of the scooter and with one powerful blast from his rear, Patty shot across the road at incredible speed, leaving behind a smelly smoke that covered Molly, Stretch, and Fatso.
"Woohoo!" Patty whooped. "That's what I'm talkin' about!"
"Well," Molly gagged. "Brighton's air quality will suffer a bit, but at least we saved Patty 50 cents a kilowatt-hour."
"As if the pollution in this town weren't bad enough!" Stretch wheezed.
The masked motorcyclist had soon reached a sign that read "Now Leaving Brighton," and that's when their bike stalled. They tried hitting it repeatedly to get it to start again, but to no avail. With no other option, they picked Bobby up and dragged him across the road on foot. But right as they were about to step over the Brighton border for good, they got a whiff of a nasty smell. Suddenly, Patty flew over their head and landed in front of them, thus blocking the exit. When the vehicle screeched to a halt, Stinkie fell out of it, unintentionally releasing another gas cloud over Bobby and the kidnapper.
"Man," Bobby held his nose. "Smells like a skunk got caught in the exhaust pipe! Wait…there is no exhaust pipe!"
Patty stepped off the scooter to confront her adversary.
"Listen here, you," she began. "I don't know who you are, but I ain't losin' Bobby again! Prepare to face the pain of capoeira! HI-YAAH!"
With one swift kick below the legs, Patty knocked over the biker and they fell to the ground.
"Ha!" Stretch guffawed. "So much for Mr. Stuntman!"
"Yeah, beat up by an old-timer? How embarrassin'!" Fatso chortled.
"Patty," Bobby stood up. "You came back for me."
Patty took his hands and looked him in the eyes lovingly. "It's what I should have done in the first place…" she glared at her defeated opponent and reached for their helmet. "Now for you…"
The removal of the helmet revealed gray hair being held up by a headband and a wrinkly-skinned face. Everyone gasped.
"Whaddya know?" Stinkie sneered. "Mr. Stuntman is actually Mr. Stuntwoman!"
"Linda?! It was you?" Patty was shocked. "How could you?"
"Yeah, you're Patty's best friend!" Molly pointed out.
"Backstabbed by the BFF…the ultimate betrayal!" Fatso declared.
"Yes, I took Bobby from you." Linda explained. "Just like I tried to do all those years ago when I wrote that note to him. I was hoping to run him out of town today before you found out…"
"But…but why?" Patty whimpered.
"Yeah," Bobby stepped forward. "I never did anything to you."
Linda scowled at him. "Yes, you did! You were trying to take my best friend from me and leave me here all alone. I knew it was wrong, but I was young and afraid…"
"Of course!" Fatso facepalmed. "We should have known that from the look of jealousy she had in that flashback!"
"Oh, right…" Molly concurred, even though she didn't have a clue what Fatso was talking about. "Flashback…totally…"
Linda got back on her scooter.
"I'm sorry I never told you, Patty. It's been my lifelong regret…"
She started to drive away sadly.
"Wait!" Patty interrupted. "You know I don't do regrets or regerts! And I also don't give up on friendships, especially ones that have gone on for 70 years."
Linda brightened up. "Really? So…you forgive me?"
"I didn't say that." Patty shook her head. "You have a lot to make up for before that'll happen. Now go home. We'll talk about this later."
Linda frowned and nodded, before riding off for real this time.
"Wow, I can't believe Patty's bestie would do that to her." Molly said to the Trio.
"I can't believe she's still willin' to be friends with 'er after all that." Stinkie stated. "I guess if Patty is so easy to forgive, then you will be too once we inevitably sabotage your love life."
"Oh no." Molly disagreed. "If you do that, you'll find yourselves in the after-afterlife. Got it?"
"Please!" Stretch scoffed. "What are the chances of you even findin' love? Your friends barely tolerate ya, so what makes ya think a boyfriend can?"
Molly squeezed Stretch and Stinkie by their necks.
"I said…got it?!" she smiled creepily.
"Okay, okay! We got it!" Stretch begged. "How did a 12-year-old girl accumulate so much arm strength?"
After releasing the ghosts, Molly watched Patty and Bobby share a kiss and ride into the sunset on their scooter.
"Aww…true love is so beautiful, isn't it?"
Stretch sniffled. "Yeah…if you're into that sort of thing…"
"Stretch…are you crying?" Molly teased.
"No! Stinkie's fumes are just makin' my eyes water!"
"Gee, I always thought wannabe rebels like you were too tough to show weakness." Stinkie snickered.
"Keep makin' smart remarks like that and the only one showin' weakness will be you!" Stretch threatened while wiping away a tear.
The three of them continued to survey Patty and Bobby from afar.
"Man, those scooters run slow." Stretch claimed.
"Yeah, it is taking them a while to get down that road." Molly replied.
"Is it me, or is it goin' backwards now?" Stinkie wondered.
"Actually, I think it's not moving." Molly peered ahead. "Oh. Yep. It stopped again. Hold on! We're coming! We can help!"
"'We'?" Patty and Bobby called back.
"Uh, 'we' as in the royal 'we'! Like, we are Molly McGee, the enhappifier of Brighton! Heh, heh! Obviously, I don't mean the plural 'we' because I'm the only one here! I mean, we are the only one here. Uh, just hang tight. We are coming!"
Stretch and Stinkie stood back as Molly ran down the road to assist the elderly couple.
"Huh. She took Fatso's advice." Stinkie told Stretch. "That's when ya know she's out of ideas."
Stretch looked around, realizing their youngest sibling wasn't with them. "Hey, where is Fatso anyway?"
"Hey guys!"
Stretch and Stinkie turned their heads and saw Fatso sitting on top of a pig.
"Check it out! I'm a bad boy! I got my own hog and everything!"
He made motorcycle noises and then the pig kicked him off its back, sending him flying into a tree. Stretch and Stinkie only shook their heads and floated away.
"Uh…a little help here, fellas?" Fatso requested. "Fellas? Yoohoo! Fellas!"
Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee!
Well, we're down to the last ten chapters of Season 1 and only now am I thinking about adding a cover image to this. Let me know if that's something you guys would want to see. And while you're at it, tell me your thoughts on this chapter and which of the remaining ten you're most excited about. I think I can probably guess it's the finale for most of you, but you may change your minds when I say there will be a surprise character making an appearance two chapters from now, specifically one people have been asking me to put in. If you read the reviews, you can probably make a guess.
See you guys later!