Haunted School - 3
Open MIC Night
Table of Contents
Before The Event
Megan had of course accompanied Drake and Josh to the OMN at the PCA.
"Are you really coming to cheer for Drake, or are you just going to see the brooks guy again?" Josh asked Megan.
Megan sighed. "I'm always cheering for Drake at public concerts, as opposed to vice versa ..." Megan boomed. "But you're right, Dustin makes me swoon, although he's a year younger ..."
"That's OK, " Josh sighed. "As long as you don't do stupid stuff like making babies ..."
Megan stared oddly. "We don't even think of that! Stupid stuff I leave up to you boobs!"
Drake had got a bad conscience. While Megan always stuck up for him at public concerts, he had downright forgotten about her when she was at the talent shop. Yet, what should he have done ... Lola had made his heart and mind melt away like icecream in the desert at high noon.
Megan had not yet mentioned that she wasgoing to participate in the Open MIc Night with a number on her hown, accompanied by Nevel and Dustin. But she wasn't trying to compete with Drake or most other participants. It was part of her mission she was about undertaking along with her boyfriends.
This time, Cookie was here before Josh. Thus he was going to spend some time with Quinn before the concert. He had come to the event in order to accompany and root for his friend Ned Bigby, a guy who still wanted to become a great rock star and hence had registered for the Open Mic Night.
"So ... is it true that you're a cyborg?" Quinn asked Cookie.
"I wish I was ..." Cookie admitted. "Yet ... no, I'm just a human that uses a lot of technology and draggs it around." He showed Quinn a few more of his gadgets.
Quinn was overtly interested in all the strange widgets. "Some of them could be downright my inventions!" Quinn admitted.
"Great minds think alike!" Cookie remarked. "Talking about great minds ... there comes Josh Nichols!"
"Hi Josh!" Quinn greeted her friend. "Thanks again for your help with Quinndoze QP."
"No problem!" Josh twitched. "Fortunately, we' have still got some time to discuss a few chemical formulae, before Drake enters the stage. How about that gelatineous blue mass that you've used when some ghost attacked the campus ..."
"There are no ghosts ..." Cookie tried to believe.
Quinn nodded. "There must be a scientific explanation."
"And we're going to find it!" Josh boomed enthusiastically.
"Zoey!" Geena Fabiano yelled across the campus yard.
Zoey pondered a moment. "Geena, right?" She smiled. She remembered vaguely the girl that had been interested in her fashion creations.
Geena nodded. "I've made a few patterns and would like to know what you think about them ..."
"OK ..." Zoey chuckled. "So, you really want to join this school?"
"Quite sure!" Geena beamed. "I just have to convince my parents, that can be tough ..."
Zoey nodded. "My little broither Dustin had been at this school before me. Back then, it had been boys-only. When it opened for girls, I was determined to come hereto."
Geena shrugged. "Cool! Too bad I haven't got a little brother."
"Sometimes you would wish that you hadn't ..." Zoey predicted. "Trust me here. I love Dustin above all, but he may be very enervating."
"If you say so ..." Geena shrugged helplessly. "Oh, tonight, I'm here in order to cheer for my friend Addie Singer at the Open Mic Night. She has registered in last minute, that was so close ..."
"Several of my friends are participating ..." Zoey sighed. "including Dustin. Alas, that is not nearly all."
"Tell me!" Geena begged.
Zoey nodded. "One of my oldest friends, Michael Barret, has got an insane crush on Lisa Perkins, a pop singer."
"That Lisa Perkins?" Geena beamed. "I've seen her at Californian Idol, she's cool!"
Zoey nodded. "We're together in the yoga club. I've talked Lisa into sitting in the front row, and Michael is going to sing something in order to impress Lisa. His voice his terrible, but maybe he mey compoensate this with his feelings."
"Maybe ..." Geena shrugged.
The Event
After Dean Rivers, Helen held the opening speech. She thanked the sponsors, especially Kazu - she still wondered about his Chinese accident. Then she announced the first number. "In virtue of the curfews, our first number is by the youngest participants. Applause for ..." She looked around ... "Dustin Brooks and his friends ..."
Dustin jumped on the stage. "OK, fans, I've rewritten the country evergreen Ghostriders by Johnny Cash for megan's oboe and Nevel's piano."
Megan and Nevel grinned enthusiastically.
"My little brother Dustin!" Zoey told Geena proudly.
"Juana Evangelista Martinez will sing the whole thing. Juju!"
Lola's younger sister stepped onto the stage, as well.
Geena shrugged.
Dustin told Nevel to start playing.
A bolt of fear shot through him as
He looked up in the sky,
For he saw the riders comin' hard
And he heard their mournful cry:
Yippee-yi-ya, yippee-yi-yo,
Ghost riders in the sky.
While Juana was singing, a green mass started swirling above the heads of the audience. Many of them starting trembling.
If you want to save your soul from hell
A-riding on our range,
Then, cowboy, change your ways today,
Or with us you will ride,
A-trying to catch the devil's herd
Across these endless skies.
The green mass intensified.
Nevel looked at the audience. "Turn around, or you will rue it!" He looked particularly sternly at Logan Reese, whom he knew as the guy who had stolen a locket from the tomb of Chase Galloway. "You rue it, Logan! You rue it! Just bringing his locket back doesn't undo the curse of old!" His words were not loud enough to penetrate the sighs of panic that kept spreading among the audience, yet his eyegaze and his postures were clear.
Yippee-yi-ya, yippee-yi-yo,
Ghost riders in the sky.
When Juana had finished the song, the swirling green mass dissipated again.
The audience calmed down quickly. Everything appeared under control. Or should they have taken the warning expressed in the lyrics as serious? At least a few members of the audience had been left with a fleecy feeling in their stomach.
Even Juana Evangelista was a bit intimidated, inspite of having been informed in advance. She went to her elder sister. "Take me to bed, please!" She sobbed.
Lola sighed. She had trembled through her sister's performance, even more than the day when Charles Galloway had haunted the campus. She granted Juana's wish. There was still some time left until Drake's performance which, of course, she wanted to miss under no circumstances in this life and any other.
Helen thanked Dustin. "That was ... impressive ..." She tried to hide that she had been trembling and quaking through and through when the scary swirling masses showed up.
Dustin, Nevel, and Megan bowed to the audience before they disappeared behind the stage.
"Our next number is Michael Barret! He has won last year with a comic number, but this year, he's going to sing something seripus for a special lady ..." Helen announced solemnly.
Michael entered the stage. "Hi fans! I'm going to sing a new song. Some of you know it already, some won't, it depends , well ..." He tried to sing, but Lisa's presence made him even more nervous than he had already been. Suddenly, he started vomiting all over Lisa's shoe.
Lisa Perkins was upset. She slapped Michael and walked to the toilets.
Michael stormed out of the hall with panic.
"Lisa deserves better, anyways ..." Dustin remarked, making Megan nod.
Zoey was very disappointed. Maybe it had not been much of a great idea to make Lisa sit in the front row? "I'm going to look after Michael. Maybe he's hiding in his wardrobe."
"Don't you have those curfews? No girls in the boys' dorms after 8 p.m.?" Geena wondered.
C"Damn!" Zoey shook her head. "You're so right, I can't ... Chase!" She called her best friend.
"Zoey ... what's up? Michael was suddenly gone ... " Chase stammered.
Zoey nodded. "Yeah, and you're going to look after him!"
"But ... my own performance will be in just ..." Chase quivered.
"If you're my friend, you're now going to look after Michael!" Zoey commanded.
Chase shrugged and obeyed. Why did he never have the force to contradict Zoey. But OK, Michael was also one of his greatest friends, so it was just fair to look after him.
Zoey stepped up to Helen. "Please, Chase Matthews has an emergency case. Could he please perform more towards the end of the night?"
Hele looked at her list and nodded. "OK, there's one unused time slice towards the end. That will do it."
"Thanks!" Zoey sighed with relief and walked away.
Helen shrugged helplessly. "Attention, our next number is Drake Parker, a semi-professional from San Diego. Applause!"
The audience cheered already in advance. They knew that Drake was one of the greatest.
Lola was back in time.
"This song is dedicated to a very special girl." Drake announced. "It is named Hollywood Girl[ 22] "
Lola jumped on the stage and threw her arms around Drake.
"Aw baby, let's wait until after the song?" Drake suggested.
"Oh, sorry!" Lola went back to her seat.
Cheered by Josh and Megan, Drake started to sing. It was a very sad song, and Drake sure didn't wish Lola to get lost in the Hollywood world, but through this song, he showed that he was always going to be there for her.
Then Lola jumped into Drake's arms and awarded him with a lingering French kiss that lasted until Helen had to send them off the stage because the next number was due.
Chase Matthews returned from his and Michael's dorm. "OK, Michael's still very sad, but he has calmed down and is going to sleep. Tomorrow it will be much better ..."
Zoey smiled. She had already taken Megan to bed and was now back."OK, I've asked Helen to look for another time slice for you. It should be soon."
Chase cheered. He had almost supposed Zoey to do something like that.
"And our next number is Chase Matthews!" Helen announced.
Kazu intervened. "Sorry, but according to my plan, the slice is reserved for some Addie Singer." Kazu objected.
It had been a last-minute registration, and for that reason, there hadn't been any time left to synchronise the plans.
Two rows behind Zoey, a sarcastically cheerful voice was heard. "Burn!" Three high-fiving girls thundered simultaneously.
Zoey Brooks had never seen those girls at the school.
Alas, Geena knew them. "Those are Maris Bingham, Cranberry Sinclair, and Patti Perez. They are the three most arrogant spoilt bitches of my school!"
Zoey looked at them. "They disgust me!"
Geena nodded. "You're right. Better ignore them and let's concentrate what our good friends are doing ..." She sighed. "Unfortunately Cranberry has registered for this event as well. I guess she's going to sing after our friends ..."
Zoey sighed and nodded. "I hope they won't kill each other as their time slices collide."
Chase and Addie entered the stage at the same time.
"That's my very good friend Chase Matthews ..." Zoey told Geena.
"And that's my best friend forever, Addie Singer!" Geena explained.
"Oh oh ..." Zoey sighed when she noticed that there was obviously some collision.
Geena felt a bit dazed, as well.
Chase took his guitar. "Oh, I see that you've goy a guitar on your own ..." He asked Addie playfully.
"Er ... yeah ..." She smiled.
"Oh Addie ... wasn't it your guitar that Drake has used in order to cheer for Zoey at the wrestling event?" Chase remembered.
Addie nodded. "Yeah. Of course I may play it myself, I just suck at composition, tthus the tune ..."
"Don't feel bad ..." Chase sighed. "I totally flunk tunes. Usually, Michael, my best friend, makes the tunes for me, but today ..."
Addie chuckled. "OK, it seems we have to share a time slice." She smiled.
"Oh tyeah ..." Chase stammered clumsily. "Maybe we should try and make the best of it ..."
"OK ..." Addie agreed timidly. Then she started singing: [ 23]
Day after day Life's Unfabulous.
Everyone around me's unbearable.
I wanna be the one unforgettable.
It's better unfabulous.
The audience had no idea where this was going to. But they applauded carefully, nothing withstanding.
Chase smiled, clamped his guitar, and sang his number. [ 24]
You're just another kind of girl.
And I want to be your squirrel.
Come on, let's ride away.
Obviously, for two colliders, Addie and Chase got along nicely.
Fits of jealously emerged inside Zoey's mind. Alas, she wasn't one to judge, given that she had made out with Danny [ 25] and a few other guys.
Addie and Chase continued their unplanned joint presentation, and it worked out quite smoothly for that.
"Sorry that I wasn't perfect ..." Chase sighed.
"That's OK ..." Addie admitted. "I haven't been perfect, either. But then again, I wouldn';t be myself if ..." she stammered timidly.
"Maybe we can work togethert some other timne?" Chase asked in a shy manner. "Only if it doesn't bother you to much ..."
"Er ... sure ..." Addie coughed. "Why not?"
Many mambers of the audience noticed the spontaneous respect and affection between the two victims of a scheduling error.
Helen thanked the teenies again before she went on to the next numbers.
After a disappointing presentation by Ned Bigby, a wannabe rock star who had not yet the hang out of the scale, let alone some basic accords, Helen came to the last number.
"Ladies and gents, last but not least, I'm proud to announce Ms. Stacey Dillson."
The audience moaned with agony, consternating clueless Helen.
"Hello, I'm Stacey Dillsen. I come from Massachusetts, but I also like Mississippi." She lisped along. "My mom said that I've got a wonderful voice, thus I've given that song a try ..."
The masses booed fanatically.
Stacey started singing, her lisp voice making it a bit confusing. [ 26]
Sip it in the morning
Sip it in the evening
Even at a quarter to three.
I like sassafras, you like sassafras, we like sassafras tea.
Stacey waited for the applause, but she harvested nothing but resounding boos. She sobbed and limped away. First, she had strained a muscle in her backside during yoga classes, and now that. If Mose hadn't tried to cheer her up ...
Moze caught her. "Sorry, Stacey! They are so mean."
Stacey whimpered painfully. "I always get all the nbad luck ..."
Helem's ears had recovered from Stacey's performance. Now she had to end the event. "OK, ladies and gents ... I think we've got a winner. There were many good presentations, but only one of them was professional: Drake Parker!"
A wave of applause thundered across the hall, making Stacey even more sad. Fortunately, Moze stood right by her side.
"Anyways, the atmosphere at this school is fantastic!" Helen thanked the audience, and she had to announce something. "I've decided to run the campus cinema, and make it headquarter of my cinema chain!"
The audience cheered for Helen.
Josh cheered for Drake. "And you haven't been eaten by a ghost!" Josh chuckled.
Alas, maybe it was better not to talk about ghosts like this.
After The Event
Logan strolled into the cafeteria. There he saw three girls sitting at a table. One of them he recognised immediately as Cranberry who had sung at the Open MIC Night. She had made a great impression unto him. Not her voice, though - Logan Reese had a very poor understanding of good music - but the jewellery she had been wearing. It had proved unto Logan that Cranberry showed a lot of style, and that she had the bucks to afford it. Her two friends made a similar impression. "Hi dolls!" Logan said to the girls. "Do you have a free seat here?"
"If you aren't a proletarian, sure ..." Maris replied arrogantly. "I've heard there are a lot of wealthy kids at this school, such as the son of some Hollywood producer, a certain ..." Up to now she had not seen who had been talking to them, but now she was realising that it had been no other but ... "Logan Reeeeeeeese!" She smiled and screamed with ecstasy.
Patti Perez and Cranberry joined into the cheerful choir. They pulled a chair away for Logan to sit on.
Logan sat down by the girls' table. "The one and only! May I invite you to something?"
The girls nodded vigorously. "Whatever!"
"A real producer's son ..." Patti smiled triumphantly. "And Addie only met that bushy head ..."
Maris Bingham and Cranberry Sinclair smiled. They highfived with patti Perez, yelling "Burn!"
Logan grinned. "I know that bushy head too well. His name is Chase Matthews."
"Oh, how is he?" Maris wanted to know, hoping that he was as deprecable as he had appeared at first glance unto the three glamour girls.
"He has been my room mate for over four years by now." Logan explained. "And he's a loser."
"A loser?" Patti asked.
Logan nodded. "Being together with Chase for four years has made me learn everything about him. And thus I know he's a loser. I could tell you stories, especially about him and that blonde named Zoey Brooks ... he has had a crush on her esince girls are allowed to the school, and he has never been able, and will never be able, to express it appropriately."
Maris smiled. "Cool! What a dork!"
Logan smiled triumphantly. "I've a running bet with Chase. He beat me at a car racing video game, but I'm going to beat him into oblivion in a real cart race. Then he'll be humiliated over and over! " Logan grinned sadistically. "Do you want to make a flash tour with my cart? The finest I could buy, as opposed to Chase's rusty lawn mower ..."
The girls agreed cheerfully.
"How's Michael doing?" Zoey asked Chase as soon as he arrived for breakfast.
Chase sighed. "Better than last night, but he's still too sad for breakfast."
Zach,Addie, and Geena pitied Michael.
"So, Chase ..." Addie wondered ... "As you like to write lyrics, are you going to be a poet?"
Chase shrugged. "If I knew ... I'm certainly inclined towards that, but maybe more towards a playwright."
Addiue nodded. "OK, I can't decide either ... I just like poetry ... and music, but composition isn't my thing, so ..."
"Have you got a favourite poet?" Chase asked Addie.
"Edgar Allan Poe ..." Addie nodded vigorously.
"Not bad ..." Chase admitted. "Though there are others I like as well, such as Milton, Lord Byron, ..."
Zoey wondered how long Chase and Addie could talk about it without getting tired.
Zach sighed. "Until a few days ago, I've thought that kids at a prep school like this were all spoilt brats." he admitted. "But most of them seem to have feelings like everyone."
Chase nodded. "Yeah, it isn't that terrible. I had to get accustomed to it, as well, and Logan, my long-time room mate, didn't make it easy. But I have learnt to get along with guys like him, as awakward as it has been from time to time."
"Isn't that Logan Reese?" Zach muttered with disgust when he looked a few tables away.
Zoey nodded solemnly.
"By the way, I've defeated Logan in a video car race, now he wants revenge ... with a real cart race." Chase explained. "I've already accepted. "
Zoey choked hard. "You've what?"
"Hey! Don't worry!" Chase tried to calm Zoey down. "I'm not going to lose this time. Logan may buy himself an expensive cart, but I'll simply ask Quinn to upgrade my lawn mower ... And then Logan will get humiliated."
Seeing how much fun Logan appeared to have with Maris, Cranberry, and Patti, Addie slammed her fist against the table, thundering "Beat him, Chase! Humiliate him!"
Zoey shook her head. "It isn't about winning or losing!" She sighed deeply. "Races are dangerous and illegal on the campus."
Chase sighed. He felt deeply misunderstood by Zoey. If he withdrew from the race, Logan was going to win by default, and, according to the bet, Chase was going to be forced to cross the campus dressed with a girl's gown. He walked over to Quinn's table. "Hi Quinn ... could you do me a favour?"
"Depends!" Quinn shrugged.
Chase explained his running bet unto the geeks.
"Sure!" Quinn cheered enthusiastically.
"I'm going to assist!" Cookie promised.
"I've repaired a beach cart [ 27] once upon a time, but ... let me tell you, it's so dangerous. Drake almost broke his neck riding the buggy. "
Quinn sighed. "Sorry, Chase, as much as I'd like to sock it to Logan ... this car race thing is too dangerous. Please try to defeat him in another way!"
Chase was bitterly disappointed. He already saw himself running around in a girl's dress, becoming the laughingstock of the whole school.
Zoey calmed down. Addie ceratinly wasn't at all like Rebecca. She didn't try to seduce Chase, nor did Chase have to be persuaded into showing respect and affection towards her, as had been the case with Rebecca whom Chase had dated almost exclusively for parental arrangement. [ 28]
Zachariah Carter Schwartz looked at his watch and sighed bitterly. "OK, we've got to return to Rocky Road now. See you soon again!" He was now voluntarily considering enrolling at PCA, as it was a really great school and not only infested with snobby brats like Logan Reese.
"See you!" Zoey waved especially at Geena. And she wasn't opposed to Addie and Chase practising more songs together, as they had appeared to be a great combination on the stage, given that it had been a mere accident. But was there anything accidental at the PCA? Or was there some mysterious plot at work? Zoey kept refusing for the moment to think about it any further. Alas, some future events might have been going to force Zoey into reconsideration ...
Chase swooned slightly because Addie was approximately sharing his humble gifts. Yet he didn't want anyone to notice that. He waved sadly when the teenies from Rocky Road left the campus for the time being. But he knew that they were about coming back ...
Juju sat down by Michael's site. "You play the flute very well ..."
"Do you think so?" Michael sobbed.
Juana nodded. "I've heard you several times already. If you want, I may sing something to it."
"Wow!" Michael had been feeling ashamed because of his skills as a flautist in a time of unrestrained hardcoe rock music. Never ever had anyone wanted to sing along. He started to play Felice Rio by Pietro Antonio Metastasio.
Vanne felice rio!
Vanne superbo al mar!
Ah potessi cangiarti sorte ...
Ora, or tu bagnerai
Nei vezzicosi rai[ 29]
Juana Evangelista Martinez sang like an angel, soothing Michael's hurt soul.
Michael relaxed. Maybe Lisa wasn't really worth all the troubles, there were so much nicer girls at the PCA ...
Dustin, Nevel, and Megan had heard about the insane bet.
"Verily, I tell you ..." Nevel thundered. "many haven't learnt the lessons of the ghost by now. They will rue it until the days of dystopia!"
Dustin sighed. "We must prevent Logan from humiliating Chase!"
Megan nodded. "Hey ... aren't races illegal? Just tell Dean Rivers, and ..."
Dustin shrugged. "Chase might get detention for that ..."
Megan sighed. "Too true ... still better than becoming the laughingstock ..."
Nevel had an idea. "Our invisible friend may enshroud Chase while he is crossing the campus. Thus he won't be seen in the gown ..."
Dustin and Megan looked at Nevel. "Yeah! That's fantastic!" They beamed cheerfully.
"How's Juju doing?" Dustin asked Megan.
"She's over the whole shock ..." Megan explained. She had seen Juana Martinez before breakfast. "Now she wants to comfort Michael, whatever that means, as he had been hit even harder by his weak stomach ..."
Dustin and Megan wondered what had, so far, been Nevel Papperman's theory about the curse at the PCA.
"If I really knew that ..." Nevel sighed. "But only two peoples have developed magics powerful enough to impose and lift ancient curses: We Jews have got the Qabala, and the Polynesians have got Kahuna."
Dustin and Megan listened with great interest. "Kahuna, Qabala ... that sounds interesting ... but when did Jews or Polynesians touch California? In ancient times?"
Nevel shrugged. "The Polynesians were great navigators, they have even made it to Madagascar. The Jews weren't a nautic people, but the Phoenician neighbours might have been, and they've learnt a lot from the Jews."
Megan and Dustin were astonished.
"Alas, an ancient local impact isn't really necessary ... " Nevel continued explaining. "Curses may be transported and transplanted at any time."
"So, basically, we must find out about the history of this place since ancient times until recently?>" Megan tried to sum it up.
Nevel nodded solemnly.
Dustin shrugged. "I've gone through the annuals of the PCA, way beyond the time that Charles Galloway had been enrolled. Only 100 years, though ... I might have found hints. The Bradford family who had founded the PCA ..."
Nevel scratched his head. "The Bradfords ... maybe it is a family curse that got attached to this place since they have founded the school ... I'm not sure, but we have to consider it."
Drake and Josh were ready to go home to San Diego. They fetched Megan who waved goodbye to her boyfriends. "See you soon again!" Of course Drake and Josh were equally interested in coming back to this school asap: Quinn and Lola were two powerful reasons for that ... And there was soon going to be another great occasion.
Nevel and Dustin stood in front of a lot of research that was left to do before they were going to be able to lift the dread curse form the school and put the ghost of Charles Galloway to eternal rest.
Logan was going to explode in anger the day when Chase, who had withdrawn from the bet and hence lost it automatically, crossed the school park, dressed in a gown that nobody was going to be able to see because of some swirly green mist entouring Chase completely.
[ 22] by Drake Bell, which I don't own either
[ 23] Unfabulous by Emma Roberts which I don't own.
[ 24] Come and Play Today by Britney and Jamie Lynn Speares which I don't own either
[ 25] in Zoey 101 : Quarantine
[ 26] The song is sung multiple times by Stacey in the show. Author unknown, and I don't own it.
[ 27] in Drake & Josh : Dune Buggy
[ 28] Zoey 101 : Chase's Girlfriend
[ 29] Flow along, happy river, flow along, superb one, down to the ocean. I'd like us to switch destinies. Now you're going to bathe ...