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A/N: Story four! More characters are being introduced. Love them! Love them I say!

Schoolhouse Blues

By J. Sabo

Slash doesn't ask much from the world. That's partially due to the fact that he is absentminded about what he wants. He doesn't ask for much because he knows that if he gets too want-y that leads to being greedy. No, Slash is pretty content with his life. He has a new house, his parents are well and together, he's healthy, what more could he be given?

There is one thing that Slash has always asked for more than anything from the world. It's a pretty basic thing really. It's the one thing that kids desire and what adults treasure. Granted many people could survive without it, but to Slash that would mean a life of mediocre routine. He has asked the world to grant him this one wish for as long as he could remember.

"Jeesh, that's the last time I wait for that star..." Slash stepped out of his bedroom, bags under his eyes. He yawned ferociously almost so that he could feel his jaw breaking. He yelped at his grinding jawbones. "I need to find a new cliché..."

Slash was getting lazier and lazier each day. Every morning it seemed that he was waking up at ten o'clock. His entire morning was gone in an instant because he was too 'sleepy' to wake up at a decent time. He hated himself for it. There was a lot he could get done in the morning.

His eyes hazy and droopy from his wakeup, Slash cautiously walked down the stairs, clinging to the rail as if he was intoxicated. Luckily he managed to reach the bottom of the stairs without tripping over himself. "You know what I could go for?" Slash asked the emptiness of the living room. "Coffee!"

Slim and Shirna were never fans of coffee. They had never drunk the stuff before. Shirna once explained to Slash that the smell was like grounded up dirt. Slim was a healthier drinker--sticking to iced tea and orange juice. Regardless of his parents' distaste for coffee, they bought Slash a coffee maker for Christmas one year and Slash used it every day since then.

Making his way into the kitchen Slash went to his little coffee maker, measured the grounded coffee, poured it inside along with some water, and turned it on. While it brewed, the aroma of sweet coffee flooded Slash's nostrils and he woke up instantly. "Nothing like a pot of breakfast blend to wire you up." He said to himself.

The coffee didn't take long to brew. In about five minutes, it ringed and Slash hurried to pour himself some. After adding the necessary creamers and amount of sugar, Slash drank it passionately. As he walked around the kitchen sipping his coffee, Slash noticed a note on the refrigerator wall. He looked closer and saw it was his dad's handwriting.

Slash,

Your mother went off to get settled in to her new offices at Down Town Cinemas_. I'll be at work, delivering up in the mountains. Need anything, just call us._

Big Slim.

That's right. Slash had forgotten that Shirna was getting settled into her new place of business. He liked her job. Not every day that your own mother can bring home a movie that hasn't even been out to the theaters yet. Slim's job was driving a semi to stores with beverages he wasn't allowed to drink... yet...

Then a thought finally hit him. Slash had the entire house to himself. In the span of two months, it seemed that his parents were in the house all the time. "But now," Slash grinned dastardly. "The house is mine! All mine!" he chuckled evilly liked one of those Saturday morning cartoon villains he loved to watch.

He went into the living room satisfied to see that it was unoccupied. Happily he sat on the couch, grabbing the controller and turning on the television. Slash had forgotten how much he loved to watch TV in the morning. All the good shows were on.

As he flipped through channels while sipping from his cup, the front door opened slowly. It creaked noisily open, a result of rusty hinges. But Slash wasn't bothered by it; he was too glued to the TV to notice. The door then closed and a pair of feet tiptoed their way behind Slash.

Slash finally had found a channel that he was happy with and sat back, relaxing. "Nothing better than being lazy after you did nothing but sleep for ten hours." Slash said to himself, unaware that he was no longer alone in his house.

From behind him, Slash didn't notice two figures rising up. They opened their mouths and bellowed in unison, "HEY SLASH!"

Shrieking in terror, Slash flung his arms upwards throwing his coffee in the air. He flailed his arms around until his coffee came back down to him. The light brown liquid fell on his head seeping into his fur. It ran down from the top of his head to his shoulders.

Frowning he turned to see the intruders. He was going to give them a piece of his mind. Once he saw who it was he wasn't as angry. "Dux, Kit, what are you guys doing here?" he asked.

Dux and Kit were laughing at Slash's misfortune. Slash mocking laughed with them rolling his eyes.

"Oh we were in the neighborhood." Dux replied.

"Yeah, well you guys could've asked to come in," Slash said. He brushed off the coffee from his head figuring that would somehow clean him.

"Now you know how we feel when you barge into our house unannounced." Kit replied. She saw Slash's cheeks blush. "Hey, wasn't that coffee you spilled?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Isn't coffee supposed to be hot?"

And like a magic word, Slash started to feel a burning sensation on his skin. It was bad enough that the coffee made his fur sticky but now it was hurting him. "Why yes, Kit." Slash said. "It is supposed to be hot... funny how that logic happens after everything is said and done."

Slash then screamed in pain. He ran around in circles, the pain distracting him from thinking. It wasn't until Dux grabbed him and led him to the bathroom. Dux went to the shower, turned it on, and placed Slash inside. "There... better?" Dux said.

He did feel better. The cooling water spraying on him cooled the pain--and cleaned him at the same time. "I do, Dux." Slash said. "Thanks."

"No problem, buddy."

Slash got out of the shower and dried himself off. He and Dux then went back into the living room where Kit had made herself at home. She was sprawled over the couch, hands meshed behind her head and legs kicked up on the arm of the couch. Slash just looked at her. "Comfortable, Kit?" he asked.

"Why yes I am, Slash," Kit replied with a grin. "Thank you for warming up the seat for me."

He loved her sense of sarcasm. Frankly Slash wouldn't know Kit without it. It was like whatever Slash had to say Kit came around and made some kind of remark to it. Slash got a chuckle every time. Watching her lay on the couch gave Slash a great idea. He grinned, hopped over the couch, and sat himself on Kit's abdomen. She grunted at the weight pressing down on her.

"Man this seat is absolutely comfy." Slash wiggled around trying to get comfortable. He just added on to Kit's displease.

"You won't be feeling comfy in about two seconds, Slash." Kit breathed.

Dux wanted in on the fun. He jumped on the couch cannonball style yelling, "Dogpile!" he landed on Slash's knees. The added weight pushed all three of them off the couch onto the floor. Kit still found herself at the bottom with Slash in the middle and Dux out on top. Kit managed to kick both Slash and Dux off of her.

Slash got up from their roughhousing brushing off imaginary dirt from his fur. "So, why'd you guys come over?" he asked them. "I thought maybe I was wearing you out, with going on tours of the town and what not."

"You coming over to our house has become so routine that it wouldn't be a day without you." Dux explained with a big grin across his face. That grin, it could melt a heart of ice with the way his tongue sticks out.

Slash felt a little warm spot in his chest. It was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to him. "Aw, I'm glad you guys miss me that much." Slash said, his heart comically over his heart.

"Yeah... well," Kit almost seemed like she was going to say something sincere. "We got to have that white noise that you give off to fill our day."

Right in the kisser, Slash said with a drop of the shoulders. He'll get her eventually.

"Eh, at least I'm useful for something." He felt his fur on his shoulders stand up. Slash knew that his fur only did this when he was scared. Why would he be scared in his own house? "Hey, you guys ever feel like you're being watched?" he asked Dux and Kit, unaware that a new pair of intruders had entered his house, lowering themselves from the ceiling next to Slash.

Dux and Kit saw the new faces in Slash's house and laughed and laughed quietly. They shook their heads but their smiles deceived them.

Catching on, Slash decided finally to turn his head to his left. He was met with a face of a female bat. Her fur was red orange with blood red hair, her long pointed ears were flopped downwards, and her eyes were faded, almost to the color of grey. Slash then turned to his right and saw a mirror image of the female bat but reversed. He was a male, with the same red orange fur and blood red hair and had a smirk on his face. "Boo." The bat said.

Slash shrieked and fell to the floor. Backing up he saw the two identical bats were hanging from his ceiling. Why did bats hang upside down? He got a better look at what the bats looked like. The male bat was wearing a blue unbuttoned shirt along with light blue jeans, a couple of holes at the knees, and he wore fingerless black gloves. The female bat wore a spaghetti strap shirt, a black undershirt, and clean white pants with musical notes decorating the legs.

They, and Dux and Kit, laughed at Slash's frightened display. Cheeks blushing, Slash stumbled to his feet with an angry frown. He grimaced at Dux and Kit, then turned to the bats. "Who the dickens are you?" he demanded. On other terms, he would've welcomed them but they scared him. All new game now.

The bats lowered themselves onto the floor using their wings which unfolded from their arms. However they didn't need to introduce themselves. Dux ran towards them, specifically the female bat, and wrapped his arms around her. He and the bat jumped up and down laughing like two friend that haven't seen each other in years. Dux then introduced the bats to Slash, "Slash, say hello to Jace and Jazz the Bats, Lampoon Town's favorite twins."

"Lampoon Town's only twins, you goof." Jazz, the female bat, playfully pushed Dux.

Jace folded his wings. That smirk looked fitting on his face now that Slash was observing him closely. He looked a little older than he did. Man did he look cool. Jace just had that smooth look to him, that ambience that would make high school jocks run for their money. He then turned his attention to Slash.

"Hey, you're that new kid, huh?" Jace said pointing his finger at him. "My girlfriend told me about you."

"Really?" Slash asked. "Uh, who's your girlfriend?"

"Arsen--you know, pink wolf, really hot?"

"Yeah, I know... What'd she say about me?"

"Eh, she said you were pretty cool."

"Really!? No one ever said I was cool."

Kit as quick as ever replied, "That's because you're not, you dupe."

Jace walked over to Slash, wrapping his arm around Slash. "Come on, Kitty," Jace said to Kit. "Don't be a sour puss. You keep bashing on him you're gonna drive him away. That's why we don't have any new people in town."

Slash could tell that Kit was irritated by Jace. That's pretty normal for her, though. There hasn't been anyone in town besides Molly Mongoose that Kit isn't irritated by. He noticed her tightened lip and evil glare towards Jace. She then said, "If I stopped with my "bashing" then I wouldn't have hardened my skills to finally get rid of you."

"Heh, you can't get rid of me that easily, Kitty." Jace smirked.

"Don't... call... me... Kitty." Kit growled.

"Now hold on, people!" Slash was overwhelmed. Kind of ironic, as he thought about it--he was usually the one overwhelming the situation. "Why is everyone in my house?"

Jazz flew up and over to Slash. "We're sorry," she said. "We were on our way to Dux and Kit's house and that's when their mother told us that they were over here. I was against it but Jace said we should invite ourselves in anyways. It was also his idea to scare you like that."

"It was funny though, wasn't it?" Jace chuckled. Jazz rolled her eyes.

Slash looked closer at Jazz. Her eyes were strangely different. The faded color--he's never seen anything like that before. He then noticed Jazz wasn't really looking at him. She was staring off into space just in his general direction. "Uh, excuse me if I'm stepping on any toes... but could I ask a question?"

"Yes, I'm blind." Jazz already knew Slash's question and was more than happy to answer it. "Legally since birth."

He's never met a blind person before. "So how are you moving around?" Slash figured that's why her brother was with her. Jace could've been her guide or something like that. "Don't you have one of those sticks that you tap on the ground?"

"I get that question a lot." Jazz giggled. "Yes, I can't see to save my life--I don't even know what I look like. But the way I see is with my ears." Her pointy ears stood up making her look taller. "Noise bounces off of the surroundings and my super sensitive ears catch the noise. I make a mental image of where I am and I walk around like everyone else."

"It's called echolocation." Kit noted to Slash.

"Amazing!" Slash said with intrigue.

"It's not all amazing," Jazz humbling noted. She then reached for Dux, pulling him close to her. "I have this goofball to thank for that."

"I used to be a service animal for her when we were little," Dux explained. "I taught her how to see with her ears."

"A gentleman, a scholar, and a service animal," Slash looked at them and smiled. In a way, he envied Dux. He wished that he was liked by everyone like Dux was. He has all these friends, people that Slash doesn't know. It was almost like being back home... "Is there anything that you don't do, Dux?"

"Nope," Jazz wrapped her arms around Dux in a loving chokehold. "Dux is the guy that every town deserves!"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, Jazz."

Jace managed to get Jazz's attention. "Yo, Jazz, didn't you have some business with Kit?" he told her.

Jazz snapped out it and gasped. "Oh yeah!" she exclaimed. "Kit, the slumber party!"

"Hmm, oh yeah, I completely forgot about that." Kit scratched her head.

Slash gave a confused look. Dux walked over to him and happily explained, "Like once every month Kit has a slumber party for all of her friends. Strictly no boys allowed." Sounded a little childish to Slash--why wouldn't she invite him to her party? Not that he wanted to go, anyways. He wouldn't know what to do at a girls' slumber party anyways.

"Should we go get Domino?" Jazz asked Kit. "You know how she gets lost in her work."

"Yeah, we probably should." Kit agreed. "On our way we can grab food and Spunk and Molly."

Kit and Jazz headed towards the front door. Jazz yelled before they left, "Jace, tell Mom I'll be home early in the morning."

"Will do, girl-me." Jace gestured.

Kit and Jazz left Slash's house. Slash only knew that Kit had slumber parties. He just found out that it was a strict girls-only thing. That might explain why Kit never answered his calls on some nights. Then he wondered what Dux did during those slumber parties. He lived in the same house so why wasn't he invited to participate? "Dux," Slash turned to him. "So what do you do while Kit is having her parties? Don't tell me you spy on them."

"No, that's just creepy." Dux retorted. "I just stay in my room, bored. Honestly, it's the most boring hours of my life. Kit starts her parties at six and I'm upstairs in my room, pacing around like I'm in a cage."

"Have you asked if you could join?"

"Does one ask Kit anything without facing some kind of temper tantrum?" Jace leaned over and asked.

"Fair point..."

"And tonight..." Dux sighed. "I'll be bored without nothing to do."

"You and me both, buddy." Slash explained. "My parents are out and they probably won't show up till later anyways."

Jace was hearing them with a frown on his face. They sounded like little girls complaining about nothing. Scratching his chin, he conjured up a way to help these losers. They were teenagers with the whole world ahead of them and here they were slumped by everyday problems. A lightbulb flashed on within Jace's head making him smirk.

He was one for any kind of fun at any given time. Sometimes he was the one making the fun. Jace had no problem causing a little mischief to have some fun. And by looking at Slash, Jace could tell he was up for some mischief too. Jace inserted himself between Slash and Dux. "Boys, why not we make this a guy's night?" he told.

"A guy's night?" Slash's eyes widened. He'd never been on a guy's night before. The closest thing to one of those was in his imagination. "You mean like a night on the town, getting into trouble kind of guy's night?"

"More or less." Jace replied. "You seem pretty cool enough. Why not?"

So many dreams are coming true! "Alright, I'm down." Slash exclaimed gladly. "I've wanted to try on this suit I've had for a while. Add a little swag to the night, you know what I'm saying."

"Hey, simmer down there, it's not gonna be that kind of night."

Dux's brow rose. "Then what is it gonna be, Jace?" he asked. "I know you like to go to the Hang Out. You can show him that."

Jace walked over to Dux and brought him close. They had their backs to Slash. "I don't think Slash is ready for the Hang Out just yet." Jace whispered. Dux didn't feel right by having his back to Slash. He felt like he was ignoring him. Jace turned back to Slash hands clasped together. "I got something better than an old town secret."

Intrigue and excitement had their mitts around Slash, gripping him and suffocating him. It was too onerous to wait. "Well, what's the plan?" he asked with a big eager grin.

"Meet me at the Lampoon Town High School come sun down." Jace explained. "We'll head off from there."

"Back to school, eh? Alright, I'm down."

"Great, I'll see you there." Jace made his way to the front door and left.

Once Jace had left his house Slash made a little victory dance. He didn't know anything about Jace but could tell that he was most likely the coolest guy around. After so many years he was going to hang out with a cool kid. Moments like this don't come around every so often. Slash was going to treasure it as he looked at the clock, counting down the minutes until the sun set behind the mountains.

Dux on the other hand was rather skeptical. He knew Jace. Slash didn't. Jace wasn't really a bad guy; Dux liked Jace in fact. It was just that whatever Jace does there's always a catch. Dux almost compared Jace to online ads that told you have won something but you would have to do something to get the prize. Dux found himself thinking scratching the top of his head. What are you up to, Jace?

"Dux, what do you think Jace has in store for us?" Slash asked Dux. Dux snapped out of his thinking and looked at Slash. "You think he's going to bring girls? I couldn't tell if he was one of the cool guys that have every girl falling for him, you know like the Fonz?"

You have no idea."I guess we'll see later tonight." Dux was already thinking of ways to stay out. Bonita really wouldn't approve of going off into the night doing who-knows-what.

The sun inched its way over the sky. Like most things however even the sun must retire. Around the time of seven the sun was slowly setting behind the purple mountains of the Rockies. A reddish fiery glow illuminated the sky--one last show before the sun went to sleep.

The darkness followed the sun's setting shrouding Lampoon Town in its star covered night. The street lamps lit up the town in the sun's absence. The townsfolk scrambled to finish their chores and their work-related duties before they missed their nights. For Slash and Dux however their night was about to begin.

Dux had asked his parents to spend the night at Slash's, just to make up an excuse to travel with Slash to the school. Gomez and Bonita said it was no problem; after all, Slash lived next door. Although he lied to his parents, his gut burning with regret, there was a little hint of curiosity in Dux that craved to know what Jace had in store for them. He agreed to come with Slash and there was no way he was going to go back on that now. He powered on ignoring the lie he told and how bad he felt for it.

"Back to school," Slash said bringing Dux back to reality. "Man, I'd thought I'd have at least a few more months of summer before I'd have to enroll to my new high school."

"You know it's not too late to turn back." Dux mentioned. "We could stay at your house and watch a couple of scary movies. I always liked scary movies during sleepovers."

Slash chuckled. "Dux, I told Jace we'd be there. Say what you mean, mean what you say. That's what my dad always tells me."

The high school was within their sights. Slash was pretty familiar with big schools so the size of Lampoon Town High was no surprise to him. It was a towering building, about three square buildings long and two stories tall. Slash couldn't make out any distinct features of the high school it was too dark for him to see. At times like this he wishes he had vision like a nocturnal animal.

They reached the fence that guarded the high school. They looked at the building through the metal meshes of the fence. The school was like a carcass; with no students to keep it going the place just seemed dead... and quiet. If Slash didn't know any better he would've convinced himself that this place was a giant abandoned shack.

They waited for a while and there was no sign of Jace anywhere. Dux was getting fidgety. As time slowly went by he felt like they were going to get caught. Bad things usually happened like that when Jace planned things. Dux looked up to Old Timer clock tower seeing the time of seven thirty and concluded that was the time to go. "I don't think Jace is coming. Let's go, Slash." He began to walk away but halted when he saw Jace coming in the opposite direction.

Slash smiled at Dux and said, "Patience is a virtue, my friend."

Jace came walking towards them but he wasn't alone. He had brought with him three other people. One Slash recognized: Arsen. She was holding Jace's hand as they walked towards him and Dux. The others Dux named for him: the obtuse guy was Pat Potamus, a hippo who wore brightly colored shirts that always hurt Dux's eyes and the tall guy was Gary the Giraffe, a sporty fellow wearing a high school jersey and a big grin

"You made it," Jace announced. "I didn't have any doubts of it."

Arsen looked to Slash and waved. "Hey, Slash."

"Nice to see ya again, Arsen." Slash bowed his head.

"Okay, we're here," Dux said, forcing a smile. "What now?"

Jace let go of Arsen's hand heading towards the fence. He pointed to the high school. Both Slash and Dux looked at him with confused looks. Shrugging Jace smoothly explained, "You want to hang out with the cool kids, first you gotta do a dare."

"A dare?" both Slash and Dux asked. Dux has known Jace all his life and 'A dare' was a new thing.

"Yeah," Pat said with a deep voice that could rival a full grown man. "All of us did it. Do the dare and you're one of us."

"Okay," Slash accepted. "I figure it has something to do with the school."

"Yep," Jace replied. "All you have to do is sneak inside and grab the only thing in the principle's restricted items box. It's in his office." He turned to Dux and slyly smirked. "Dux can show you the way through the school."

"And doing this will make me part of the cool kids?"

"You know it,"

Arsen managed to come into the conversation. "I think you're cool enough already, Slash." She said.

"But not cool enough!" Gary pounded his fist in the air chanting Slash's name. Pat joined him. "Slash, Slash, Slash!" they cheered.

"Done!" Slash grabbed Jace's hand shook it, sealing the deal.

With a smirk, Jace unfolded his wings and grabbed Dux. He airlifted him up and over the fence. He then did the same for Slash. With those two over Jace instructed, "You have two hours. No big deal. But be on the lookout for the Janitor!"

The way Jace said 'Janitor' was in a theatrical sense to make the Janitor seem scary. Honestly, how scary can a janitor be? Slash wasn't going to let a janitor get in his way. "Hmph, no problem. Dux and I will harness our ninja skills and sneak past him, right, Dux?"

"Yeah..." Dux replied unsteadily. "Sure..."

"Two hours, starting... NOW!" Jace yelled.

Like a gunshot at the beginning of an Olympic race, Slash and Dux rushed off towards the school. Jace and Arsen watched them through the mesh of the fence. Arsen was very displeased with Jace as she turned to him with a frown. "This doesn't have anything to do with your 'special item' and Mr. Periwinkle now, does it?" she demanded in a calm manner.

Jace didn't answer. He was never a good liar to his girlfriend.

All he had to do was get into the principal's office and find what Jace was talking about and he'd be in with the cool kids. Just one job, in a giant school, during summer, no one around to bust him and Dux--what could possibly go wrong? Slash was feeling confident about this. As he and Dux slowed down when they were right at the front door of the school, Slash began to walk with almost a swagger in his step. All he needed now was a pair of sunglasses.

"We can't just go through the front door." Dux exclaimed.

"Sure we can." Slash waved his hand and went to the door. He grabbed the handles and pulled. There was no budge in the door. He tried again and the door still stayed shut. "What the dickens? This usually works in cartoons."

"It's like common knowledge that schools lock their doors during summer." Dux scratched his chin. He was against breaking into the school but it was too late to back off now. "Wait, I know how to get in!" he said with glee. "The back windows--the janitor opens them up when he's working at night."

Slash smiled and pointed towards the end of the school. "Then that's our entry point. Good thinking, Dux." he patted Dux on the head. He liked how Dux thumped his foot happily for anyone who did that to him.

They headed around the corner of the school meeting the playground. It was odd for a high school to have a playground. Slash didn't quite understand it; maybe his future schoolmates just liked playing on the swings. Even though he was on a mission Slash took a moment to take in the eeriness of the playground. The structures in the dark looked like morphed versions of their happy selves. Creepy... why are playgrounds so scary?

"There!" Dux pointed upwards to three open windows. They were small and they were open only a good sized crack and up about a floor. Dux knew he would never be able to fit through it. But Slash's slim figure would do the job. "You can squeeze through and open the backdoor for me."

"Can you lift me up that high, Dux?" Slash looked at the height with doubt. "We're going to need a ladder for this."

"No ladder required," Dux grinned, his tone full of confidence. "I can give you a boost up by tossing you upwards."

"You're going to throw me?! Dux, this isn't X-Men; my bones aren't made of steel."

"Trust me, Slash." Dux held out his hand. "I wouldn't let anything like that happen to you."

He sounded so sure of himself. No... he was sure of himself. Slash didn't know if it was overconfidence but he had no reason to doubt Dux. Ever since meeting him, Dux has stood by his side no matter what. Maybe it was the fear of falling down and breaking an arm that made Slash uneasy, but he pushed the fear down and grabbed Dux's hand.

Grabbing Slash's hand firmly, Dux used his other hand to grab Slash's back. With a mighty surge of energy Dux thrust his arms upwards sending Slash up towards the window. Slash screamed as the window neared him but never touched him. Dux saw from the ground Slash completely slip through the window.

"Are you okay?" Dux shouted.

"I can't believe that!" Slash screamed from the second floor. "I made it through the window! Like a glove!"

"Told you I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you." Dux wished Kit was here. She would've said something snarky. She would've told him that it was just luck and that he had no skill. "Now come downstairs and open the door."

"You got it!" Slash announced.

Dux waited, sitting on the steps to the backdoor. Though he couldn't tell what Slash was doing, his ears caught Slash's movements. He could hear Slash moving down the second floor hallway and his hands running along the lockers guiding him through the hallway. It must've been a little too dark, Dux figured. Loud thumps then came to Dux's ears. It sounded like a ragdoll being tossed down the stairs. He could only imagine how much pain Slash was in right now.

Moments later Slash had opened the door for Dux. Slash's fur was out of place and he seemed doozy. "Oh captain, my captain," he spoke with a drawl. "School is in session."

The place was way different at night. Dux felt like stepping into a whole new world as he closed the door silently behind him. During the school year Dux found the school enjoyable. Now he felt like he was walking into a haunted house. All of the lights were out, except for the green and red glowing EXIT signs, and the silence was gut-wrenching. Dux couldn't hear a thing in the school, and that scared him.

"Alright, Dux," Slash managed to regain his senses. "All we need to do is find the principal's office and I'll be in with the cool kids."

Finally some noise came from the silent building. But it was so sudden and loud that it startled Dux and Slash. Dux's mind tried to envision what his ears heard: the dropping of several brooms and mops; the squeak of wheels; the heavy footsteps of the school's only inhabitant.

"And I think we better step on it if we don't want to be the janitor's next victims." Slash backed away from the direction of the noise.

"Yeah," Dux replied. "The principal's office is just upstairs, follow me!"

Slash followed his friend through the hallway towards the stairs that he embarrassingly fell down at. Flashlights, next time--flashlights! The squeak of wheels became stronger and echoed through the school. Slash only imagined how scary this janitor was. Shoot, it was sending Dux in a small panic. Was he that scary? His mind raced with images of horrible, beastly monsters, some with a million appendages and eyes, all wearing a grey jumpsuit with a nametag that read 'Janitor'.

He followed Dux up the stairs and around the corner of the second floor. He stayed close to Dux for his ears picked up the janitor's quickening footsteps. It wasn't a run but more of a fast walk. It was enough to make Slash dash into a sprint and hiding behind Dux like a shield. "Where is this guy's office? Who even has an office on the second floor? That makes no sense." Slash started rambling.

Dux looked behind him and saw the silouhette of the janitor emerging from the stairwell. The janitor's eyes hauntingly glowed, like little spotlights searching for something. Dux saw the janitor's eyes look in their direction. That's when Dux rushed down the hall dragging Slash with him. He passed by door after door until he came upon a door with PRINCIPAL scribbled on it. Opening the door, surprised that it was not locked, Dux shoved Slash and himself in the door and closed it as silently and as fast as he could.

While Slash and Dux hid with their backs against the door, the janitor searched for them. His heavy footsteps were getting closer to the principal's office. There was no pause in his footsteps; it was like a ticking clock as it kept a steady pace. Slash and Dux held their breaths. The footsteps abruptly came to a stop at the principal's door. At this moment Slash and Dux thought they were caught and they'd have to face the consequences.

A squirt of a spray bottle startled them. They kept their lids shut in order not to yelp at the sudden sound. The janitor's footsteps went onwards away from the door. Cautiously Dux opened the door only a crack and looked out. The janitor turned the corner and was out of sight. Dux gave a thumbs up and closed the door.

With the coast clear Slash jumped to his feet. "Alright, now that our late-night fright is over with, let's find this thing for Jace. This place is giving me the creeps." Slash didn't like to go to school in the first place and after tonight he was certain his dislike of school was justified.

"Right, uh..." Dux looked around the office going to the desk to the bookshelves. "Uh, Mr. Lance has a 'restricted items' box hidden in here somewhere." He explained. "Find that and we find what Jace wants."

"Know what it looks like?"

"It's a pirate chest looking box."

"Clever," Slash said.

And so Slash and Dux searched through the office. Slash was imagining a gold box with a bunch of skulls engraved on it. That's what he was looking for. It might be all in vain--for all he knows the box might look like something a kid made in art class.

"Hey, Dux," Slash broke the silence in the room. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure thing," Dux said never taking his attention away from searching. "What's up?"

"I don't want to sound insensitive or anything... but it's been on my mind. Are you... adopted?"

A chuckle came from Dux. "What gave it away?" he said with a smile.

Slash snickered and vaguely gestured with his hands. "When a mommy cat and a daddy cat love each other very much, I don't think they make a dog."

"You got me." Dux responded. His tone had not changed.

"Does it... you know... bother you in any way?"

Dux suddenly stopped searching. His head dropped and so did his shoulders. Then he picked himself back up. "I sometimes think about it, when I'm alone. But no, it doesn't bother me." The smile on Dux's face was true. Slash could see it in the dimmed light of the room and could tell that it wasn't a façade.

"Did your parents ever tell you?"

"No, I knew." Dux explained. "Mom and Dad adopted me from an orphanage in Down Town: Madame Lynn's House. I was... five... four... I don't remember. So I always knew that Mom and Dad, Bonita and Gomez, weren't my birth parents."

"Adopted..." Slash ran his hand across his head. "I don't even know how I would feel if I knew I was adopted..."

"It's no different to me if I didn't know I was adopted or not." Dux explained right off the bat. "No matter what, Bonita and Gomez are my parents. They've treated me like a son for all my life and never did it for profit. They love me, and that's all I care about."

"Yeah... hey I'm sorry if I was treading on anything bad." Slash said. He was embarrassed and ashamed. What if that topic was a tragic one? He could've set Dux off in a rage if Dux wasn't as cool as he was.

"It's no problem. You were curious so I educated you." Dux smiled and he returned to searching for the box. "Since we're getting into personal stuff, can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, fire away, buddy."

"Where'd you live before moving to Lampoon Town? Kit and I asked you the first day you arrived but you never answered."

Slash halted his searching. Dux turned and looked at Slash. Just like before Slash was motionless. He seemed to be in state of deep thought, or reliving a memory. Whatever it was Dux saw Slash just stand there. Dux was about to say that it was okay if he didn't want to talk about it but Slash said, "You know, since you were cool to tell me your life story, I guess I should return the favor and tell you mine."

Taking a deep breath, Slash told his story. "I'm actually from Nevada, from Sin City itself." He explained. He saw Dux's expression of shock on his face. "Yeah, I know. I was raised in the gambling capitol of the world. Weird how I survived, huh?"

"Did you like Las Vegas?" Dux asked.

Slash nodded his head slowly like he was unsure how to feel about it. "It wasn't like here that's for sure. It was hot! All the darn time! And it was noisy too."

"Is that why you moved to Lampoon Town? To get away from the noise?"

Again Slash fell silent. His head dropped and his eyes were staring at the floor. His lip lowered into a sad frown. "Actually, that's not the reason why we moved." Slash explained with a saddened tone of voice. "It all started with school. Believe it or not, I wasn't really liked in school that much. I was always the kid in the back of the classroom just lost in his daydreams. Maybe I was too weird or I was too goofy for my own good, but I didn't make any real friends... Teachers had to pair me up with someone every time the class did something."

"Oh man," Dux replied sadly.

"I think that's why my parents moved us here. They probably got it in their head that if I went to school where they did I could make some friends... I was kinda sad all the time back in Vegas anyways."

"I'm sorry, Slash."

"...Life happens I guess, huh?"

Dux was determined now more than ever to find that box. He wanted to help Slash gain more friends. Nobody should go their lives without any friends. That's just a life not worth living in Dux's opinion. He picked up the pace and searched hastily.

"Ha! I found it!" Slash exclaimed. He was looking from underneath the bottom of the chair's seat. He found the box taped to the seat. That was weird, but kinda genius. No one would ever find it underneath the chair. Slash took the box and placed it on the desk. "Oh man, it's just like opening a treasure chest. I'm all giddy with excitement!"

"Come on, open it." Dux said.

Slash grasped the lid of the pirate themed box and peeled away the lid. Slash was expecting a lot more items in here like rubber bands, hackie sacks, something that teenagers like and then get taken away. Instead he and Dux found one pair of sunglasses. Slash grabbed the sunglasses by the rim and just stared at it. "Is this it?" he asked. "Jace wanted a pair of sunglasses?"

Why would he do that? Dux tried to recall the previous school year and if there was anything that happened to Jace or to the teachers. Then it finally struck him. "That's right," he exclaimed. "Last year he was wearing his sunglasses in Mr. Periwinkle's class and Periwinkle took them away. Jace must've forgotten to grab them at the end of the year."

"But this is what he wants, right?"

"More than likely."

"That's good enough for me," Slash closed the box and placed it back in place under the chair. He flashed the sunglasses in front of Dux with a grin. "We got what we need now let's get outta here."

"Agreed."

They went to the door cracking it open ever so slightly and scanned the area. There was no sign of the janitor. That was good news. Dux was the first one to exit the office followed by Slash. Slash did his best to shut the door quietly but, as every door tends to do with him no matter the situation, the door creaked and squeaked till Slash closed it. The squeaking echoed through the school and was loud enough to even fool Dux to think that it was over the intercom system. Dux looked back at Slash with gritting teeth.

"Slash!" he shouted quietly.

"It's not my fault, I swear!" Slash whispered back.

The echo of the door had caught the attention of the last person they wanted. "Hey!" a gruff voice shouted in the emptiness of the school. "I knew I saw something in here! You better hope you get out of my school before I get my hands on you!"

"Busted!" Dux yelped.

"And like Charlie Chaplin always said..." Slash paused for comedic affect. "Nothing... he never said anything. He kept his mouth shut and ran!" Slash galloped into a sprint.

Dux followed after Slash, panting. He wondered if he was drinking enough water throughout the day. After this ordeal he'll add two more cups to his daily recommendations. His ears were picking up the janitor's footsteps and they were coming up on them. Reluctantly Dux looked over his shoulder and saw the janitor's outline. Tall, heavyset in the gut region, a ragged old hat made him look taller, and a bushy tail was what Dux saw.

He wasn't paying attention. Dux was too focused on the janitor following them to notice that following Slash through the school wasn't a very bright idea. When he returned his gaze to Slash, Dux was stunned to see that Slash had led them to the cafeteria. How did that happen? The cafeteria is on the other side of the school.

"I might have made a left turn at the biology classroom." Slash said.

Dux heard the janitor closing in on them. One of them was going to get caught. But Dux was sure that it wasn't going to be Slash. He went to Slash and pointed to the other door of the cafeteria. "There's an exit to your left. Go on and get going." He instructed.

"Wait, aren't you coming?" Slash asked.

"I'm going to slow the janitor down, give you time to get a clean getaway."

"I appreciate the heroics but this is a little much, isn't it?"

The doors of the cafeteria swung open with a bang as they smashed against the wall. Adrenaline kicked in, feeding Slash's fight-or-flight responses. The flight option was getting more attention because Slash bailed as soon as the doors opened. He bolted to the other doors, leaving Dux to deal with the janitor.

Slash found the exit Dux was talking about and ran after it. He barged through the doors like it was a shower curtain. He was out. The chill of the night air was almost welcoming. He made it out scotch free.

A little victory dance was needed. He moved his hips and walked with a swagger. His fingers snapped to a rythim in his head. He was thrilled to be out of that place. "I can't believe we made it, Dux." Slash turned to his side but found no one, just empty air.

That's when his conscious began to weigh him down. How could he have left Dux in there alone to face the consequences? It didn't matter if Dux willingly gave himself up to the consequences. He and Dux were together on this, and if one of them got caught then both went down. "No wonder you don't have any friends, Slash," Slash told himself. "You're gonna let your buddy take the heat just because of a pair of sunglasses!"

Slash didn't throw the sunglasses. He put them away and decided what the right thing to do was. He turned back to the school exit, luckily swinging open, and reentered the school. "Hold on, Dux, Imma coming!"

He was about to slam through the cafeteria doors but he couldn't help but overhear the janitor talking to Dux. Slash looked inside the cafeteria and finally got the full picture of what the janitor looked like. It was a squirrel wearing a puke-green vest and he had a bushy mustache that covered most of his face. He listened to what the squirrel had to say to Dux as Dux just stood there.

"I thought you were different, Dux," the squirrel said. "Out of all the delinquents in your generations: all of the crazy dresses, the twerkers, the wrecking balls... disgusting makeup... I thought you were the most decent teenager here, in school, in town!"

Dux didn't say a word. Slash saw the defeat on his face. It just hurt so much more knowing that Dux didn't do anything but he was paying the price for this stupid venture of theirs.

"I guess I was wrong," the squirrel added. "I thought at least you listened. You know I don't like anyone here after hours or during the summer at least. Seriously, this is something those supposed 'cool kids' would do. You're one of my favorites, and that's saying something, Dux."

"I'm sorry, John." Dux said somberly.

"Sorry is a five letter word unless you mean it, Dux." John the Squirrel said. "I mean seriously what were you doing here?"

That was enough. Slash couldn't take it anymore. This needed to be fixed now. He entered the cafeteria making as much noise as he could. He got John and Dux's attention. "Oh, there you are, Dux." Slash acted. "I told you that the getaway car wouldn't go because I dropped the keys." He joined Dux at his side.

"Who's this?" John asked.

"The mastermind being this operation, Mr. Janitor sir," Slash shook John's hand. "New kid in town, Slash the Ferret, small time crook in training, fulltime magician in my spare time. You see, sir, I'm new around these parts, and I have yet to know anything. Dux, boy, he's an angel, isn't he? He was nice enough to show me everywhere in town and he couldn't help but take me inside the school. I do love school and just couldn't wait to see what it looks like."

John's head went askew as he took in the ferret's ramblings. He heard him go on and on about nothing. He turned to Dux. "Do you know this guy?" he asked.

Without hesitation Dux replied, "Yes, sir, I do. He is my best friend."

That phrase made Slash shut his mouth. Did... did he just say best friend?

John fell silent. He studied Slash more and more. He didn't take the ferret seriously and believed he needed some help. He was the troublemaking type; the type he doesn't like. But Dux was always on his good side. "So, by what you're saying, Dux was in no way involved?"

"That's right, sir," Slash replied. "He was just tagging along because I'm an idiot and I think doing stupid things is cool... he just got caught up because he's my friend..." Slash looked at Dux expecting some kind of disapproving face. No, Dux's smile was still there and a comforting sign for Slash.

"In that case," John turned to Dux. "I want you to keep a close eye on this troublemaker. He's going to be more trouble than he's worth and if I find him in my halls showing off or making a mess I'll hold you responsible for it. Got it?"

Dux nodded.

"Now get out of my school." John growled at them.

Slash and Dux dashed off in a hurry. Once they were safe outside, Dux finally breathed a sigh of relief. He hand his hand on his chest and bent over huffing and puffing. "Slash," he breathed. "I'm so glad you came back."

"I couldn't let you take the blame for it." Slash explained. "I'm sorry that I ran on you. I'm such a coward."

"It's okay, I forgive you."

"Hey... uh, did you really mean what you said?"

"What?"

"When you said I was your best friend?"

"Yes, I know you're my best friend after coming back for me. Not a lot of people would do that."

Slash's chest felt warm. He started thinking of all those nights he was wishing upon a star hoping that his wish would come true. It took a while, but it came true nonetheless. "Thanks, Dux." Slash said with all sincerity.

Dux only smiled back at Slash. Dux admitted to himself that he thought Slash wasn't going to come back for him. There was that hint of doubt at the moment and he felt guilty for that. Slash trusted Dux, but he didn't return the trust. But none of that mattered because Slash did come back and took the blame for this adventure of theirs.

After a pause they went around the school and made their way back to the fence. There they saw Jace, Arsen, and the rest of them waiting. Jace was the first one to react to their presence and told his friend that Slash and Dux was coming.

"Hey, do you still got the sunglasses?" Dux asked.

"Yeah, they're with me." Slash replied.

"What are you waiting for? Go give them to Jace. He'll be happy to see them back and that's your golden ticket to getting in with the cool kids."

Yes it was. He's been waiting all night to get in their good graces. Once he's in with them then life, at least school life, will be a breeze. However Slash was slowly dwindling on the thought of gaining their affections. It didn't really bother him anymore. He and Dux climbed over the fence and rejoined Jace.

"Well, did you get it?" Jace asked.

"You mean the shades of power?" Slash pulled out the sunglasses and held them up high in the air.

Jace gawked at the sunglasses with wide eyes. Once Slash handed them to him, Jace immediately placed them over his eyes. "Oh yeah!" he cheered. "Awesome to have you guys back on my face. Hey, I wear my sunglasses at night, am I right?" he waited for someone to reply but he got nothing but silence. Arsen giggled at him. "Come on, it's a great song!"

"So Jace, are we gonna let him hang with us?" Pat asked.

Jace turned to Slash and shrugged. "I don't see why not. After getting my shades back, you're in!" he said with two thumbs up.

It was exactly what he wanted to hear. Slash wanted to burst into a dance and start bragging that he's part of the cool kids now. Then he started thinking about Dux. "You know what, I think I'm just gonna hang with Dux tonight." Slash respectfully said. "I appreciate the offer though."

"Slash, I thought you wanted this," Dux nudged Slash.

"Are you sure, man?" Jace asked. "I mean, you're one of us now."

Slash nodded but still refused. He place his arm around Dux and said, "I think I'm just gonna have a two-man guy's night at my house. You know, watch a few scary movies and stay up till the crack of dawn." He turned to Dux and saw nothing but pure joy on the dog's face.

"Alright, man," Jace shrugged. "You ever want to hang out, come find me. You're cool in my book. C'mon, babe." Jace held out his hand and Arsen grabbed it.

Arsen began walking away with Jace but stopped and turned to Dux. "When are you going to tell your sister to invite me to her parties?" she asked. "A party is pretty dull if it doesn't have a creature of the night to spice it up." She gestured to herself.

Dux replied, "I'm still trying, Arsen."

Arsen then turned to Slash. She smiled and said, "I'm sorry for my boyfriend's behavior, Slash. Sometimes he can be stupid," she nudged Jace in the stomach giving him a stern look with a pouted lip. "He doesn't understand that you're new in town and should be treated with respect and not sending you to get his stupid sunglasses."

Dux and Slash laughed at Jace. He was getting told off like he was a child. "We know who takes the lead in this relationship." Slash leaned over to Dux and said loud enough so Jace could hear.

"That's fine with me, boys," Jace replied. He slid behind Arsen and wrapped his arms around her. His wings blanketed Arsen's body. "I like to be behind her anyways."

"Shut up, Jace." Arsen whispered. Her cheeks were blushing.

Slash and Dux didn't reply at all. They were uncomfortable and darted their eyes away from the couple.

Slash watched as Jace and Arsen walked away hand-in-hand catching up to the rest of the cool kids. Frankly he was glad he turned down the offer. He began yawning furiously. He was not accustomed to the nightlife. Eyes heavy, he turned to Dux and asked, "What do ya say, best friend? Want to watch some horror movies?"

"I would love too!" Dux replied. "I like the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. You wouldn't happen to have them, would you?"

"Now we're talking about the eighties movies, right?" Slash asked.

"Oh yeah," Dux answered quickly. "The remake was horrible! There were more scares in a kid's show than that!"

"Me, I'm a Friday the 13th guy. The first one paved the way for boogiemen everywhere."

"Freddy could still beat Jason regardless."

"Freddy Krueger makes worse puns than the Crypt Keeper. He looks like a pizza that was made by a sick guy and thrown out for the scavengers. Plus he wears Christmas colors. How is that terrifying?!"

Slash and Dux went on with their bantering about the two horror icons as they left the school and returned back to the suburbs. Back at Slash's house, Slash was determined to shove his logic in Dux's face by showing him the movie monster mash up Freddy vs. Jason. That would settle the score. Dux was up to the challenge. Slash and Dux took a seat on the couch and watched the movie.

At least Slash isn't watching a movie alone.

SEEYA LATER FELLAS!