Jasper was walking down the hallway quietly, just wanting to go home but he knew he would be forced into something in the next few minutes. He heard the sound of someone singing floating down the hallway. His smell filled with sweetness and his bones felt light. He followed the sound to an old classroom.

Inside the classroom, Operetta, Marklin, and Holt were playing the (almost) same instruments from yesterday except this time, Marklin was singing.

Jasper watched from the hallway quietly, starting at the siren singing into the air. Suddenly his bone filling fell to the floor and clattered loudly, the band stopped, well mostly, as Holt played another few moments before noticed the rest stop playing, for a split second he pulled one headphone away from his ear to listen.

Jasper picked up with bone filling and looked up at the band. He then ran away.

"Woah! Hey!" Operetta ran out the door. "Come back! We aren't gonna hurt ya!"

Holt voiced something in the same ballpark, Marklin was quiet. Fully flush he jittered a little, biting his claws. Holt glanced to Marklin as Operetta chased after Jasper. Jasper sadly, or unsadly for Operetta, tripped over his own bag after dropping it.

Operetta held out her hand to help him up. "You alright?"

"Y-" Jasper started to cry. He sat on the floor crying, he then slowly went from sobs to laughs. "P-please leave me alone."

"What's wrong?" Instead of leaving him alone, she sat beside him, looking concerned.

Jasper tried to scramble away but slipped on the floor, his bone fill popping out again. "I-I" Jasper finally calmed down his laughing. "He's really nice and I panicked and then you chased me and you're so scary and nice and cute, but he's just so nice, and nice, you know he sings really good-" Jasper finally got footing and was gone down the hall at top speed. Operetta frowned, but let the skeleton go, walking back to the rest of the band.

"What was that all about?" Holt questioned as she walked in. She shrugged before looking to Marklin. Marklin was picking at the strings on his guitar with a flush tone over his scales.

Operetta gave an understanding look. "Ah, I see what's goin' on here." She walked over to Marklin, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You like that boy, don't you?"

"NO!" Marklin jumped. "He's cute that doesn't mean I like him or anything, he's just really really cute, and sweet, and nervous, and he wears a hyoid for Posiden's sake."

Operetta put a hand on her hip. "Uh-huh. Sure thing, sugar."

Holt glanced between the two before rolling his eyes and groaning. "Can't we just focus on the music?"

"Aw, I recall you being the same way about Frankie." Operetta grinned, causing Holt to flush and shut up.

"I just need a second to air out, guys, I'll be right back." Marklin put down his guitar.

"Be safe, sugar." Operetta waved. Holt just silently nodded.

Marklin skipped into the hallway and looked around, deciding on a bublr to get a drink. As he walked he saw a little shiny piece of heavy plastic. Marklin picked it up and looked around, recognizing what it was and who it belonged to.

The hall was dark, quiet, and lonely.

__________

Valentine sat alone, eating his lunch. Suddenly, Holt burst out of the cafeteria with a boombox. He laughed as he skated around the courtyard, singing along to the song playing. Valentine glared at the fire elemental but angrily just ate his sandwich.

Holt grinned as he skidded to a stop, looking around. He put on his headphones and turned off the boombox, noticing Valentine alone. He walked towards the vampire. "Somebody's looking gloom here."

"Go away," Valentine moaned, he took another bite of his sandwich.

Holt simply shrugged. "Okay, man. I thought you'd want a tip on where your little pen pal is, but that's cool." He grinned as he turned away.

"Wait!" Valentine dropped his sandwich with a 'subtle' voice crack.

Holt set his boombox down as he stepped off his skateboard. He turned around with a grin. "Oh so now you wanna talk."

"It was the reason that I came to this filthy little school again."

"I heard." Holt rolled his eyes. "I do actually know who your pen pal is." He crossed his arms. "But what exactly do you want with them?"

"I just want to finally know the face and touch of the person I've grown to since I found myself broken." Valentine sighed.

Holt sighed. "Alright man. I don't think I can tell you exactly who they are 'cause I know he'll- uh- they'll be mad at me." He coughed, realizing that he just gave something away.

"They a, he's a-" Valentine stood and started to freak out. "You better tell me more or else!"

"Or else what?" Holt grinned. "You gonna yell at me? Joke's on you, 'cause I can't hear past these." He pointed to his headphones.

"What these!" Valentine lunged over and took off the elemental's headphones.

And Holt fell to the ground, his features changing until he was Jackson. The normie looked up, rubbing his head slightly. His eyes widened as he saw Valentine.

"Oh, uhh." Valentine dropped the headphones. "Erm, sorry?"

Jackson didn't say anything as he quickly bolted back into the cafeteria, leaving Holt's skateboard and boombox behind.

Valentine watched the boy run, he then swore to himself.

________

Kathie sat on a bench, annoyed. Jackson was sat beside her, glancing to her every now and again, as he wasn't there for the past few days when she joined.

"Yeah?" Kathie glanced at him. "Is it the ears or the fins messing you up."

"Wh-What?" Jackson jumped slightly, not having expected her to talk. "I wasn't even thinking about that.... I have no right to judge anyway."

"You're cute for a boy, if it's anything to you, I have no right to judge you either. Name is Kathie." Kathie sighed.

"I-I'm Jackson." he simply replied back.

"So why are you on the sidelines?"

He looked down. "Nobody wants to play with a normie...."

Kathie laughed. "Tell that to my mom's."

Jackson let out a small chuckle before looking at the other monsters playing casketball.

"You know, it's not fair that we aren't playing, even if it's just practice. Fine if we suck and they don't use us in games but you know, at least try and be nice." Kathie blurted.

"Heh, try telling that to anyone other than Clawd." Jackson rolled his eyes. He then sighed. "Even Heath vis sort of against it. I can't even tell if that's just what Manny has been telling him, or if he actually believes that...."

Kathie snorted and stood, she yelled. "Hey, team, if I can even call you that."

Jackson tensed up a bit in fear as Clawd stopped the game and walked to her. "What's up?"

"You know every member of this team has been up for practice this last couple days but me and the Human, and honestly I do not think that is very fair." Kathie crossed her arms and glared out to the team.

Clawd was about to speak up, but Manny interrupted. "Why should you play? A girl and a normie, sure that'll get us the win at our next game."

Kathie snorted angrily, she stomped over and grabbed Manny by the shirt, pulling him down to her eye level. "I have spent 15 years of my life waiting for my chance to just be able to play this dumb sport let alone be on a team for it while being told I was not anything more that a dumb girl, and I am not a 'girl', if anything, to you I am a threat."

Clawd's eyes widened. "Woah, hey. We can settle this without that."

Jackson froze for a moment in shock before looking down and picking at his shirt.

Kathie looked at Clawd and put down Manny, "I just think if we tried out and got in, we at least should have something to do with actually playing it."

"Look, I completely agree." Clawd said earning a surprised yelp from Manny, who was definitely not on board with this. "We are not really use to having other players around, especially when Jackson can't be around during practice due to Holt." Jackson sighed after hearing that, agreeing. Clawd turned to the rest of the team. "I really do think that we should let them play. I use to think the same way as you all do, but after the Skultimate Roller Maze last year, I thought we all changed our minds."

The team was silent. Heath glanced awkwardly around before speaking up. "He's kinda right...." Manny gave him a look and he shut up.

Kathie smiled just a little bit. Clawd turned around, hands on his hips, grinning proudly. "Ready to play, you two?"

"Totally." Kathie called, she looked at Jackson.

Jackson looked between them all, shocked, before he stood up and smiled. "Yeah!"

"Great! Manny, Slow Mo, you two sit out." Clawd gestured to the bench. The zombie just slowly moved to sit, but Manny wasn't having it.

"Are you kidding me!?" He huffed.

"I think you're forgetting who's captain here." Clawd shot back.

"I'm not giving my spot up! Especially not for a normie!" Manny picked up the normie in question, who scrunched up.

"Jackson's done nothing to you." Clawd looked slightly alarmed, but kept his cool. "Just put him down, Manny. He has every right to play, and he's actually pretty good."

"Unlike some monsters." Kathie snarked.

Manny glared at Kathie. The rest of the team looked clearly uncomfortable with the current argument. Heath looked as if he was caught between a rock and a hard place. Jackson glanced around, trying to act like he wasn't scared by the bull who was literally picking him up.

"Manny, put Jackson down now or you're off the team." Clawd crossed his arms.

"What do you even gain by attacking a Human who was raised by monsters, around monsters, to be a monster. It makes no sense that any of you even dislike him." Kathie shifted on her heels. "Isn't what makes us different what brings us all together."

Manny huffed before dropping Jackson and stomping out. "I quit."

Clawd sighed before looking to Jackson, who was sort of just laying on the floor. "You alright?"

Slowly, Jackson got up, nodding. "It's not the worst that's happened to me."