~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~At TrollTree High School~

During A Friday Afternoon Towards The End Of The School Day, It Was A Special Day As Tonight Was TrollTree High School's "Hair-coming" Dance, Where All The Students Would Dress Up In Their Suits And Dresses, With Their Dates Or Just With Their Friends.

Outside On The Courtyard In Front Of The School, The Students Were All Doing Their Part To Help Prepare For The Dance Tonight, Each Doing A Specific Job From Decorating To Snack Preparation.

For Floyd's Job For The Haircoming Dance, He Is The One To Video Record All The Memories That Will Happen In Preparation For The Dance And During The Dance As It Happens.

Floyd Stood Beside His Glow Bug Camera Recorder, Beginning To Record.
"Annnnnd...ACTION!"

Baby Branch Nervously Came Out Of The Building Of The School, For The Video.
"I-I-If You're A TrollTree High Schooler...Today Is The B-B-Biggest Event Of The School Year...The Annual H-H-Haircoming Dance...It Will Surley Rise Your Hair With E-E-Excitment....Yaaay 😁👍"

Floyd Gave The Signal To Stop.
"CUT! Branchhhh, Why Are You Being So Stiff? Like That One Time John Dory Froze On Snow Day! Even His Booger Icicles Were Frozen And Stiff"

Baby Branch Chuckled As He Rubbed The Back Of His Neck.
"Sorry Floyd, I Guess I Have Stage Fright A Little? Even If It's On A Video Camera 🤔"

Floyd Erased The Footage On His Glow Bug's Camera.
"Awe Man! Haven't You Ever Talked To A Camera Before??"

Baby Branch Turned To The Wattpad Camera And Audience.
"If You Couldn't Tell By The Scenery Happening Around Me, Tonights Our BIG Haircoming Dance At School! And We're All Doing Our Part To Make It Special And Memorable! Such As Floyd, Who's In Charge Of Recording The Memories We'll Make For Tonight!"

Floyd Tapped His Chin, Trying To Think.
"Hmmm, What Else Can Be Memory Footage Worthy For Tonights Danceeee.."

Baby Branch Climbed Up On Floyd's Shoulder For A Second.
"How About John And Dora Stealing The Cafeteria's Food Ingredients And Are Now Tip Toeing Away Like Innocent People-"

"Oooo! NOW THAT'S FOOTAGE WORTHY!"
Floyd Turned Back On His Glow Bug's Camera And Began Recording.

Tip Toeing Out Of The School's Building, John Dory And Dora Were Sneakily Carrying Out Different Ingredients That They Stole From The Cafeteria.

"Alright Dora, Since I'm Captain Of The Appetizer Committee For Tonight's Dance, We Need All The Ingredients And Spices Necessary! So Let's Just Carefully And Quietly Get These Over To My Grandma's Pod.."
John Dory Whispered With His Arms Full Of Ingredients.

"Hey There Food Banditssss~"
Baby Branch Blurted Out With A Smirk.

Dora Gasped As She Saw The Glow Bug Camera.
"O-M-GOSH! IS THAT CAMERA FOR A REALITY TV SHOW OF WHEN KIDS STEAL INGREDIENTS FROM SCHOOL'S CAFETERIA! IF SO, HIIIII TV WORLDDDD! ME AND MY BESTIE JOHN ARE LOVINGLY STEALING FOOOOD! 😄👋"

"🤨🤨"
Floyd And Baby Branch Raised Their Eyebrows At The Two.

"......RYAN SEACREST!!! 🏃‍♂️"
John Dory Randomly Shouted Out As He Dashed Away With The Ingredients He Stole.

"Ryan Seacrest? IS THAT YOUR NEW BESTIE?!?!? JOHNATHAN LESLIE DORIANNNNN!!!!!"
Dora Ran To Follow John Dory, While Being A Little Ticked Off By John's Random Name Blurt.

"Memoryyyy Captureddddd!"
Floyd Laughed At That As He Caught The Moment On His Glow Bug's Camera.

Holding Up A Picket Protest Sign, Fawn Marched Around The Courtyard As She Was Protesting The Haircoming Dance For The Use Of "Fanciness Clothing". 🚫

"FANCINESS IS UNFAIR! GIVE MORE LOVE TO HARDWARE! SCHOOL DANCES WOULDN'T ALLOW RUGGED CLOTHING IF THEY DARED!"
Fawn Shouted Out, Holding Up Her Protest Sign.

"Fawn? Why The All Of A Sudden Protest Against Fancy Clothes?....Actually I Take That Back, Since I Met You You've Been Nothing But Dirt And Rugged Clothes...But Why Now?"
Floyd Questioned Her.

"Cry Baby, You Just Don't Get It! Dirty And Messy Kids Like Myself Who Want To Go Have Fun At The Haircoming Dance Shouldn't Be Obligated To Wear Fancy Dresses And High Heels AND FANCY LONDON SHIT OF THAT NATURE!!"
Fawn Explained To Floyd Firmly.

"I'm Sure You Didn't Just Offend A Whole Country With That Saying-"
Baby Branch Said With Sarcasm.

"So I'm Protesting This Stupid Haircoming Dance That Forces Us To Dress Like Hoochimama's In Cinderella Fairytales! MUD IS NOT A CRUD PEOPLE! IT IS A LIFESTYLE TOO!!! 🗣📣"
Fawn Yelled Into Other Student's Faces.

"Aren't Technically You Doing Something Fancy Right Now?"
Baby Branch Questioned.

"What Are You Yapping About Smurfy B? 🤨"
Fawn Said Towards Baby Branch.

"Well, I Don't Wanna Be THAT Guy But In A Technical Sense, Protesting Is A Fancy And Elegant Way To Prove A Point To A Bunch Of People Sooo In A Way...You Could Say....You're Being Fancy Right Now"
Baby Branch Smirked At Fawn

"Pffft! That's A Load Of Cockaroach Puss! I'm Pretty Sure I'm Getting My Point Across In The Most Reckless Way To These Heathens! Besides, What Do You Know? You're A Baby"
Fawn Snickered To Herself.

Aspen Came Up To Fawn And Glanced At Her Protest Sign.
"Oooo! Love Your Fancy Sign Against Fancy Clothes Fawn!"

"WELL SUCK YOUR FACE IN IT ASPY BOY!!! UGRAH!"
Fawn Slammed Her Protest Sign On Aspen Furiously.

"GA-DOI-"
Aspen Yelped Out As He Got Slammed And Flopped To The Ground.

"I'M GOING TO GET MORE RECKLESS PROTESTING STUFF!"
Fawn Marched Away With Her Fists In A Grip.

"Another Memory Captureddddd!"
Floyd Chuckled As He Tapped On His Glow Bug's Camera, Showing It To Baby Branch.

Baby Branch Gazed At The Glow Bug's Camera, With The Technology Of It.
"Oooo~ I'm Sure Stuff Like This Won't Ruin A Society In The Near Future.."

"Alright Buddy, Imma Get More Footage And Interviews With Some Of Our Friends! Let's Go Glow Bug! MEMORIES AWAIT!"
Floyd Said As He Walked Off With His Glow Bug Camera.

Baby Branch Smiled To Himself As He Faced The Wattpad Readers.
"Yep! As You Can See, All Of Us A Pretty Hyped For This Dance! It Should Be Nothing But Good Vibes And Energy All Through The-"

"OH YOU'RE SO WRONG COMIC BOOK BOY! YOU'RE WRONG SHORTCAKE!!!"
Two Familiar Voices Were Heard Agruing With Each Other Nearby.

Baby Branch Knew Who It Was And Shook His Head Playfully.
"Except If You're Clay Or Claire That Is"

Over In A Corner Of The School's Courtyard, Clay Anc Claire Were Agruing Over A Common Debate, Which Was Stupid, But It's Part Of Their Dynamic To Bicker Over Anything.

"Ugh, How Low Of Brain Cells CAN YOU BE CLAY?!?! A HOT DOG IS A SANDWICH!"
Claire Said As She Debated With Clay.

"YOUR HEAD IS FILLED WITH HOTDOGS CLAIRE! EVERYONE KNOWS HOT DOGS are indeed NOT A SANDWHICH! IT'S JUST A PIECE A MEAT IN BETWEEN TWO BREAD BUNS!"
Clay Said As He Also Debated With Claire.

"Uhm, Hello? THAT'S A SANDWICH!!!"
Claire Yelled In Clay's Face.

"NADA SENORITA! IT ISN'T! IT'S JUST A COMBINATION OF FOOD INTO A HORIZONTAL AND SOMETIMES VERTICAL ANGLE!"
Clay Said.

"FALSA! Which Is Latin For, WRONGO! Most Common Sandwiches Have Meat In Between The Bread, And A Hot Dog Has Meat in Between Its Bread So IT👏 IS 👏 A👏 SAND 👏 WICH! 👏"
Claire Clapped Her Hands With Sass To Prove Her Point.

"........Do You Know How Annoying You Sound Right Now?"
Clay Said To Claire.

"The Only Thing Annoying Is That Bright Ass C On Your Hoodie. Which Is Ironic Cause We Both Know You Aren't The Brightest In BroZone. But If Only Your Very Dark Blue Nose Was Bright To Give You More Of That FUN Color ✋️"
Claire Held Up Her Hand With Sass.

"WHY DO YOU HAVE TO GO THERE WITH THE NOSE-"
Clay Said Frustratingly At Claire.

Baby Branch Snickered As He Glanced At The Wattpad Audience.
"Pff- Ha! Get A Load Of These Two Huh? Clay And Claire Always Had It Out For Each Other Since We Bro's First Met The Girls! But I Don't Know, Maybe There's A Deeper Feeling Between These Two? Eh?"

"WHY ARE FEMALES ARE FRICKIN' COMPLICATED! Listen Pinkie McShawty, Monkey's And Apes Are Two Different Things Right?"
Clay Said.

"Like You Have A Monkey Brain, But Go On"
Claire Allowed Clay To Finish.

"Soooo Then That Means Hot Dogs And Sandwiches Are TWO DIFFERENT Things! Correct? 😁"
Clay Said With A Sassy Grin.

"Mmm, You Wish That C Stood For Correct 💅"
Claire Replied Back, As She Checked Her Nails.

"YOU- I- FUCKIN- DAAAAAHHH!!"
Clay Grabbed His Hair And Pulled In Frustration.

"Now That I've Won This Useless Debate, I'm Gonna Be Useful To Help With The Dance! Later Comic Book Boyyyyy~"
Claire Laughed At Clay As A Tease And Skipped Away.

"YEAH WELL GOOD RIDDANCE YOU LOONEY IN A BAD SKIRT!"
Clay Yelled Back At Claire.

Baby Branch Walked Over To His Older Middle Brother.
"Another Yelling Match With Claire Huh?"

"Yeah, I Tell You Branch That Girl Gets Annoying As Much As He Gets More Pinkier. Stay Away From The Pinks Baby Bro"
Clay Told To His Baby Brother.

"Um, Sure?"
Baby Branch Replied Awkwardly.

Clay Suddenly Held His Stomach.
"Urgh! Ooh! Ah...There It Is Again.."

"What's Wrong Clay? Tummy Ache? I Told You To Stop Licking Swing Sets Before! It Won't Give You The Super Power To Fly"
Baby Branch Said.

"Not That! It's Just, Lately, Whenever I'm Around Claire, My Stomach Gets All...Bubbly And An Odd Feeling"
Clay Said As He Held His Stomach Some More.

"Hm...Maybe Her Perfume Makes You Sick?"
Baby Branch Thought.

"Branch, ALL Of Claire Makes Me Sick -.-"
Clay Replied Back.

"Well I'm No Scientist! But One Time, If I Remember Correctly, When I Was In My Egg, Spruce Taught Me The Feeling Of Liking Girls, And One Of The Things He Said Is That Your Stomach Gets....BUTTFLIES! 🦋"
Baby Branch Explained To Clay.

".....What Are You Tryna Say Branch?"
Clay Crossed His Arms.

"Well, AGAIN NOT A SCIENTIST, Butttt...Maybe You Have Butterflies In Your Stomach Cause Of....Claire?"
Baby Branch Told To Clay.

".....PFFFFFF- HA HA HA HAAAAAA! 🤣 I'M SORRY SORRY- That Just Tickled Me Funny...Phewwww Man...Branch, Are You Really Indicating That I Might Have Feelings For Claire Cause Of Possible Butterflies In My Stomach?? That's So Mushy Gushy!"
Clay Laughed Some More To Himself With A Scoff.

"I Mean Maybe! Once Again, Not A Scientist"
Baby Branch Said.

"Branch, Trust Me With Every Fiber In My Fanfiction Body, I Do NOT, Let Me Repeat, NOT Like Claire. She's Rude And Gross, And TOTALLY Annoying! Pff- I Rather Lick The Bathroom Floor Than Kiss That Weirdo 😌"
Clay Proudly Stated.

"Okaaay....But Have You Considered The Facts Though? I Mean Think About It! You Two Are Always Teasing At One Another, And Spruce Told Me That's Another Hint Of You Liking Someone!"
Baby Branch Said.

"Teasing? Nahhh, Those Are More Of Well Rounded Debates That I Always Win In"
Clay Replied.

"And You Two Are ALWAYS Together! Whether You Like It Or Not!"
Baby Branch Mentioned.

Clau Scoffed To Himself.
"Pffft- We're Not ALWAYS Together.."

~Flashback~

Inside Of Their Culinary Class TOGETHER, Clay And Claire Were Sitting Next To Each Other As The Lesson Was About To Begin.

Clay Raised His Hand, As He Held His Cook Book.
"UM! EXCUSE ME! QUESTION! How Is Dessert Making Classfied As An Educational Activity?"

"OH HERE WE GO! Professor Banana Pudding Here Needs EVERYONE To Know What A Genius He Is! Newsflash, NO ONE CARES!!"
Claire Shouted Towards Clay.

"Well I'm Sure You'd Like To Make Desserts ALL Day To Keep The Cotton Candy IN YOUR HEAD COMPANY!"
Clay Said Back.

"YOU'RE THE ONE TO TALK JAWBREAKER BLUEBERRY HEAD-"
Claire Said Back.

"Braaaaah...Do They Likeeeee...Fight Like This All The Time Braaaaah?"
Toby Whispered Over To John Dory.

John Dory Nodded Casually.
"Yep"

~~~

At The TrollTree Market, Clay And Claire Were TOGETHER As They Had An After School Snack To Share The Jumbo Size Trolli-Slush Slushie From T-Slush.

"Volià! I Call It, The MEGA Slush!"
T-Slush Placed The Mega Slushie Cup On The Table For Clay And Claire.

"Ooooo!"
Clay And Claire Gazed At How Big The Slushie And The Cup Was.

"And It's On The House!"
T-Slush Told Them.

"Really?! YAY!"
Claire Said, As She Took Her Straw.

"Thanks Mr. Slush!"
Clay Thanked As He Took His Straw.

T-Slush Put His Hand Out At Them.
"That'll Be $36"

Clay Stopped Sipping The Drink.
"What?? But You Said It Was On The House!"

"Oh The Slushie's Free! But That's A 36 Dollar Cup"
T-Slush Told Them.

"Pay The Weirdo"
Claire Told Clay.

"No! What Cup Is Worth 36 Bucks?!?"
Clay Said.

"THAT'S JAMAICAN PLASTIC!"
T-Slush Gestured At The Cup, Letting His Jamaican Accent Come Out.

"I Don't Even Know What That Is! FORGET IT!"
Clay Pushed The Cup Away.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE BEING SO CHEAP-"
Claire Said.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE BEING SO PUSHY-"
Clay Said Back.

T-Slush Still Had His Hand Out.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I STILL DON'T HAVE MY 36 DOLLARS-"

~End Of Flashback~

".....Yeah We're Totally Not Always Together"
Clay Finished Off His Sentence.

Baby Branch Shrugged To Himself And Walked Off.
"If You Say Soooooo.."

Clay Laughed To Himself.
"Ha! Me? Having Feelings For Claire? Getting Butterflies? Branch Sure Has His Diaper In A Bunch Cause I Could Never Be Seen Caught Liking Someone Like Claire! GROSS! This Stomach Is Probably Just My Hunger! In Fact, Imma Get A Snack!"

Going Over To Grab A Bag Of Chips, Clay Went To Choose The Chips He Wanted, Until He Noticed Claire Also Going To Get Some Chips As Well.

"Cornhead -.-"
Claire Insulted As She Took Her Chips.

"Diva -.-"
Clay Insulted Back At Claire.

"Whateverrrr~"
Claire Teased As She Pulled Clay's Hoodie Over His Head.

"UGGGGH!"
Clay Flipped His Hoodie Off And Straightened His Hair.

Suddenly, Clay's Stomach Started To Get That Bubbly And Warm Feeling Again After Claire Was Around Him For That Brief Moment.

Clay Held Onto His Stomach.
"Argh! Ugh, There It Is Again! Right After Claire Just....Left..."

Thinking About What Baby Branch Mentioned About Clay Having Butterflies Whenever He's Around Claire, It Got Him To Wonder If He Might Have Caught Feelings For Her.

Clay Rapidly Shook His Head.
"No...No! NO NO NO! Branch Is Wrong! There Are ZERO Feelings For Claire! Absolutely Not! Never Gonna Happen! And If I Do Have Feelings For Her, LET ME BE STRUCK BY.."

⚡️ R A N D O M
T H U N D E R C L A P ⚡️

"....A Flying Pick-Up Truck! 😌....😳...AND LIVE!!!!!!"
Clay Realized What He Said And Tried To Take It Back.

Randomly And Out Of Nowhere, A Pick-Up Truck Came Down From The Sky And Slammed Down On Top Of Clay. 🚚

Coming To Check On The Preparations For The Haircoming Dance, Principal Crank Came Out To Give An Announcement To The Students.

"Attention Students! Hello! Everyone! Listen Up! EYES ON ME DELINQUENTS!!!!"
Mr. Crank Yelled Loudly At The Students.

"👁👄👁"
The Students Paused What They Were Doing And Faced Their Reluctant Principal.

"Just Wanted To Say Thank You To Everyone Who's Been Helping To Contribute To Making Tonight's Haircoming Dance A Fun One! You All Should Be Having A Fun Time Tonight As Well!"
Mr. Crank Told The Students.

"YAYAYAYAYAYAYYYYY!!! 🙌 🙌 🙌"
The Students Cheered With Excitement For A Moment.

"I SAID SHOULD BE HAVING FUN!!!"
Mr. Crank Said.

"☹️ 👏...👏.."
The Students Stopped Cheering And Slow Clapped Awkwardly.

"Anyboo, I Guess We Should Also Give A Round Of Applause To Our Very Own BroZone, Who Has Allowed You All To Be At Their Pod Tonight Before The Dance To Take The Pre-Dance Photos"
Mr. Crank Mentioned.

"YEAAAAHHH! WHOOP WHOOP FOR MY FAMILY'S NICENESS!"
Floyd Shouted Out Loud.

"Don't Rub It In Earring McEmo -.-"
Mr. Crank Glared Over At Floyd.

"Awe ☹️"
Floyd Frowned For A Moment.

"It's Okay Floyd, I'll Always Appreciate Your Earring! Emo Or Not!"
Baby Branch Said As He Held Onto Floyd's Back.

"Thanks Branch! Another Memory! Click-Click!"
Floyd Took A Photo Of The Moment With His Glow Bug's Camera. 📸

Mr. Crank Took Out A Bowl Of Cards.
"Now Before You're All Dismissed From School Today, I'd Like To Announce The Winner Of Who Will Be Earning The Golden Cupcake At Tonight's Haircoming Dance! Remember, The One Who Won Is The One Who Guessed The Right Number Amount Of Kids In The School"

Spruce Chuckled To Himself.
"And We All Know I'm The Winner Of This. As I Am The Smartest One In My Family, I Have A Clear Shot Of Winning"

Sidney Rolled Her Eyes At Spruce.
"Boy, Keep Dreaming. My Sass Comes With Intelligence So I Obviously Won"

"You Think You Guessed The Exact Number Of Kids In School? Oh Pleaseeeee, Don't Humble Yourself Sid. It's Okay To Take One Loss In Your Life....Or Multiple For This Matter"
Spruce Shrugged With A Smirk.

"Like Your Loss Of Fashion With Your Jock Jacket?"
Sidney Raised Her Eyebrow.

"Would You Stop Shaming My Jacket?! Chicks Dig Guys Who Dress Like 80's Jocks!"
Spruce Gestured At His Jock Jacket.

"Too Bad It's The Late 90's Soooo You're A WHOLE Decade Late"
Sidney Said.

"RETRO STILL SWOONS THE LADIES AWAY! Point Of The Matter Is, I'm Winning That Golden Cupcake And Savoring It's Tasty Rich Flavor Of Frosting!"
Spruce Licked His Lips As He Daydreamt Of The Golden Cupcake.

"Aw Don't Worry Spruceyyyy, You Can Nipple On The Wrapper When I'm Done With It"
Sidney Smirked To Herself.

"Now Before I Say Who Guessed The Right Number, I Feel Obligated To Say The Worse Answer Cause I'm Just Cruel Like That, Which The Worse Answer Was, 5"
Mr. Crank Held Up One Of The Card Guesses.

"I Won?! I WON THE CONTEST!!! 😄"
Boom Said As That Was His Guess For The Number And Got Excited.

"No...No Boom, You Didn't Win. In Fact Your Guess Was So Far Off...I'm Calling Your Dads And Having You Tested"
Mr. Crank Said.

"Again?! ☹️"
Boom Said Back.

"SAY THE WINNER ALREADY!!"
Spruce Said, Losing Patience To Know The Winner.

"ALRIGHT!!! The Winner Is....Ugh...Spruce"
Mr. Crank Announced As He Held Up Spruce's Card With The Right Number.

"HAZZZAAAAAA!!! WOOOOO!!!"
Spruce Immediately Cheered To Himself For Winning.

"He Guessed The Right Exact Number Of Students In Our School, Which Is 2,016 And Will Recieve The Golden Cupcake Dessert At The Haircoming Dance Tonight"
Mr. Crank Added.

"AAAAAHHA! TAKE THAT YOU PURPLE HEADED SASS DEMON!!! 🫵"
Spruce Pointed In Sidney's Face.

"-.-"
Sidney Glared At Spruce As She Just Wanted To Snap His Neck.

Mr. Crank Realized Something And Made Another Announce.
"Oh Wait Hold On Students, There's Been An Additional Error"

"Huh? 😃"
Spruce Said, Having His Smile In Disbelief.

"Apparently, Checking Again Through The Card Guesses, There Is Someone Else Who Has Answered The Correct Number Of Students In Our School"
Mr. Crank Said.

"👀 😏"
Sidney Gained A Smirk As She Wrapped Her Arm Around Spruce.

"Oh No.."
Spruce Started To Get Nervous Of Who It Could've Been.

"And That Student Is, One Of My Very Own Nieces, SIDNEY!"
Mr. Crank Announced To Everyone.

"AW YEAH! UH HUH UH HUH UH HUH IT SURE IS ME! YAHOWWW! WOOOO! 💃"
Sidney Danced Around The Disbelief Spruce In A Circle.

"Sidney Has Also Guessed The Correct Number Like Spruce And Will Be Sharing The Golden Cupcake At Tonight's Dance"
Mr. Crank Added On.

"Oooooooh! 🫢"
The Students Gasped At That, Knowing Drama Would Ensue Between Sidney And Spruce.

Spruce Turned Around To Sidney.
"There's No Way In Hell I'm Sharing That Golden Cupcake With You -.-"

"I Diddo To That, So I've Already Formed A Wager In My Head As I Was Dancing Mockingly At You"
Sidney Replied.

"Well I Hope It's A Wager I Can Easily Beat You In! Cause Chicks Dig Guys Who Eat Golden Cupcakes! And I Need ALL That Attention At The Dance"
Spruce Said.

"Since Your Head Is Filled With Hormones, I Have A Competition In Mind.."
Sidney Stroked Her Chin.

"Elaborate"
Spruce Said.

"We Compete For The Rest Of The Day To See Who Can Get The Most...Snailphone Numbers 🐌 📞"
Sidney Gave A Mischievous Grin.

"Snailphone Numbers? HA! You Must Wanna Lose! Girls Can't Resist A Heartthrob Like Me. I'm Bound To Sweep Everyone Off Their Feet!"
Spruce Crossed His Arms.

"How So?"
Sidney Said.

"Girls Want Me, And Boys Want To Be Like Me! Plus, Literally In A Boyband! Imma Get Everyone's Snailphone Number"
Spruce Said Optimistically.

"Well, Boys Want Me, And Girls WISH They Wanted To Be Like Me. Everyone Will Fall Head Over Heels To Give Me Their Snailphone Numbers"
Sidney Ensured To Herself.

"Alright, Then It's Settled! Who Ever Can Get The Most Snailphone Numbers By The Dance Tonight, Let's The WHOLEEEE Golden Cupcake To Themselves!"
Spruce Explained.

"Deal~ 🤝"
Spruce And Sidney Shook On It To Make Their Competition Official.

"I'm Gonna Call You Eggs....Cause You're Gonna Be So Easy To Beat~"
Sidney Said With A Competitive Grin.

Spruce Gave Sidney A Competitive Grin Back.
"And I'm Gonna Call You Sidney Cause....That's Your Name~"

~~~

~At Rosiepuff's Pod~

In The Living Room, Grandma Rosiepuff Was Doing Her Own Thing As She Was Continuing Writing In Her Own Novel She Started A While Ago, Writing About The Lives And Misadventures Her Grandsons Go Through, Hoping To Publish It One Day.

As Grandma Rosiepuff Wrote An Entry About Her Grandsons In Her Novel, She Suddenly Heard Some Noises Going On In The Kitchen And Got Up To Check It Out.

Peeking Into The Kitchen, Grandma Rosiepuff Spotted John Dory Cooking Up Some Appetizers, Along With Dora, Rhonda, And RickRoll For Assistantance.

"Little Bit Of Thissss, Little Bit Of Thaaaat!"
John Dory Mixed Together Some Of The Spices And Ingredients.

"Mixing Up Some Of Batterrrr! Mix Mix Mix!"
Dora Stirred Some Of The Baking Batter Together In A Bowl.

John Dory Used His Finger And Tasted Some Of The Batter.
"Hmmm...Needs More Egg!"

"You Got It! Rhonda! RickRoll!"
Dora Called Out For The Two Armadillos.

Rushing Out Of The Fridge, Rhonda And RickRoll Brought Out A Carton Of Eggs For Dora To Use, As They Cracked Open The Eggs And Poured It Into The Bowl.

"Thanks Guys!"
Dora Thanked The Armadillo Pair.

RickRoll Felt Romantical And Drew Him And Rhonda Kissing, On The Flour That Was Poured Onto The Kitchen Counter.

"🙄✋️"
Rhonda Lifted A Leg, As She Wasnt Interested At All.

"👀 🥰"
RickRoll Bounced His Eyebrows At Rhonda, As He Stared At Her With Googly Eyes.

"Perfect! Now I Just Need More Fluffleberry Frostingggg.."
John Dory Opened Up The Fridge To Search.

"John-"
Grandma Rosiepuff Appeared Behind John Dory All Of A Sudden.

"EEEEAAAAAAAA!!!! Oh! Grandmaaaa Ayyyyeee Wassuppp Grampssss! 😁"
John Dory Tried To Act Casual, As He Tried To Hide The Ingredients On The Counter.

"What Are You And Dora Doing Home An Hour Early From School?"
Grandma Rosiepuff Questioned.

"Oh We Were Just Ummm....Ya Knowww...Desperate To See Your Smiling Pretty Old Face! 😁"
John Dory Said, Smiling Innocently.

"Hm 🤨"
Grandma Rosiepuff Raised Her Eyebrow In Suspicion.

Dora Scratched Her Head.
"Really? I Thought It Was Cause You Were Anxious To Make Appetizers For The Dance Later Without Your Grandma Knowing?"

"What?!?!"
Grandma Rosiepuff Reacted By Shock.

Dora Remembered Something.
"OHHHHH! This Is What I Wasn't Supposed To Say, I Made Another Oopsie Bestie 🥺"

"JUST-....Go Get The Fluffleberry Frosting -.-"
John Dory Instructed For Dora.

"FROSTINGS AWAAAAY!"
Dora Skipped Over To The Fridge For The Fluffleberry Frosting.

"You're Making Snacks For The Dance John? And You Didn't Want Me To Know?? You Know You Get Your Cooking Genes From Me!"
Grandma Rosiepuff Said.

John Dory Sighed A Little.
"I Know Grandma....And It's Not Cause You're Not A Great Cook Is Why I Didn't Want You To Know! It's More Of...You're Too Much Of A Great Cook That You'll Try To Change And Criticize My Recipes.."

"Aw Johnnnn, I Would Never Try To Change Your Recipes! A Cook's Greatest Strength Is Trusting Their Own Recipe"
Grandma Rosiepuff Told To Her Grandson.

"Really?"
John Dory Said Up At His Grandmother.

"Really! Now Tell Me More Of What You're Making"
Grandma Rosiepuff Said.

"Well Since In A Few Hours Our Classmates Are Coming Over To Our Pod For Photoshoots Before The Dance, I Thought I'd Make Appetizers To Get Everyone's Opinion On It!"
John Dory Explained.

"Ooo! And What Did You Decide To Make?"
Grandma Rosiepuff Asked.

D I N G !

As The Oven Went Ding! John Dory Opened The Oven And Took Out A Tray Of His New Creation Appetizers, Of Fluffleberry Brownies.

"TADAAAA! BEHOLD! The World's First And The Squariest, Fluffleberry Brownies!"
John Dory Held Up The Tray, Showing Off His Appetizers.

"OOOOOH! These Look So Fun And Creative John! May I Be The First Test Taster?"
Grandma Rosiepuff Asked.

John Dory Nodded.
"Yes You May! You're About To Witness History Of-"

"-WHAT TWO SQUARE HEAD BESTIES MADE TOGETHER! WOOOO!"
Dora Said As She Stood Close Next To John Dory.

"Yeah That-"
John Dory Said.

Taking One Of The Fluffleberry Brownies, Grandma Rosiepuff Ate One Of Them And Tasted The Flavor In Her Mouth To See How It Tasted.

"Well Grandma?"
John Dory Waited With Anticipation.

"It's Delicious My Peachfuzz! Mmm...Hm...How Much Egg Did You Put In This?"
Grandma Rosiepuff Asked.

"How Much Egg?! IS IT TOO MUCH EGG?!?!? I OVERDID IT DIDN'T I?!?! AWE CRAP-"
John Dory Began To Freak Out.

Grandma Rosiepuff Rapidly Shook Her Head.
"NO NO THAT'S NOT WHAT I-"

"THIS BATCH MUST BE DESTROYED! BEGONE!!!!"
John Dory Grabbed The Tray Of Fluffleberry Brownies And Threw It Out The Window.

Mrs. Henderson, The Neighbor, Got Hit In The Eye With One Of The Brownies.
"DOIWEE- MY EYE!!"

"Oops, Sorry Mrs. Henderson!"
John Dory Shouted Out The Window.

"N-NO WORRIES...M-MAYBE MY FELON HUSBAND CAN PAY FOR MY BROWNIE STUCK-IN-EYE SURGERY WITH THE CASH HE PRINTED OUT.."
Mrs. Henderson Said In Aching Pain To Her Eye.

Grandma Rosiepuff Went Over To John Dory And Held His Shoulder.
"John, You Didn't Need To-"

"SORRY GRANDMA, I GOTTA MAKE A NEW BATCH BEFORE THE KIDS FROM SCHOOL COME OVER! C'MON RHONDA AND RICKROLL! LESS EGG THIS TIME!"
John Dory Rushed Through The Kitchen, To Try To Make A New Batch.

Dora Snickered And Leaned Her Arm On Grandma Rosiepuff's Shoulder.
"Yeesh, Good Thing I'm Not That Crazy Or Demented! Amrite Puffy Puff?"

Grandma Rosiepuff Stared Blankly Over At Dora.
".....Riiiight Sweetie...Keep That Mindset.."

~~~

~Back At School~

On The Courtyard, As The Students Were Finishing Up Their Preparations For The Haircoming Dance, Claire Was Trying To Think Of Ideas Of What To Add To The Colorful Banner.

Claire Tapped Her Chin.
"Hm Let's Seeeeee...What Else Could I Add To This?"

"How About A Face Drawing Of Me! Courtesy Of Me! 😁"
Clay Popped Up Beside Claire.

Claire Giggled A Little At That.
"No Thanks Comic Book Boy, We Want People To Actually Come To The Dance, Not Scare It Right"

"RIIIIGHT! OF COURSEEEE! AHA That's Such A Good Point!....Friendooooo 👉"
Clay Did Awkward Finger Guns.

"Uh Huh....Right 🤨....Anyways Ummmm Hmmm...Oo! Maybe Some Lavender Color!"
Claire Went To Reach For The Lavender Paint Brush.

As Claire Went To Get The Paint Brush, Clay Moved At The Same Time As Her, Accidentally Making Them Bonk! Their Noses Into Each Other.

"OH! UM HEH HEH...UM..SORRY...EXCUSE ME...Ha Ha.."
Clay And Claire Say At The Same Time, Moving Away And Straightening Themselves.

Clay Cleared His Throat.
"Yeah Well, Ahem, ANYWHOOOOO, SINCE WE'RE SUCH PALSIE WALSIEEESSSSS....I Was Thinking That We Can Cut Back On Our Agruing And Focus On Being Nice As We're JUST THE FRIENDS We So Happily Are! How About It?"

"You? Be Nice To Me? That's Been A Failure For The Past 2 Months"
Claire Scoffed At That.

"I'm Serious! Like Let's Get To A Deeper Level! To Show Our JUST FRIENDDDDDDDDD-ship 😁"
Clay Grinned Happily.

Claire Blankly Stared At Clay, Like If He Was Crazy.
"Like....Hobbies?"

"YES! GREAT! Tell Me Some Of Your Hobbies Friend! What Do You Like? What Do You Like To Do?"
Clay Asked Claire.

Claire Giggled To Herself.
"Hm, Okay I'll Play Your Little Weird Game, Ummmm...Well Other Than A Trolli-Slush, Virgin Pina Colada's Are My Go-To! And Normally I Wouldn't Tell Someone This But Since We're Getting Closer....I Like Getting Caught In The Rain Too! Odd Hobby But I Love It!"

"Wow Really? I Thought You Wouldn't Cause It Creates Mud And It's Messy"
Clay Shrugged.

"Well There's A Lot About Me You Don't Know And...You Can Find Out A Whole Lot More As We Get Closer~"
Claire Stepped Up Close To Clay's Face.

"C-C-Closer..?"
Clay Gulped As He Was Trying Not To Feel Any Likeness To Claire.

Claire Giggled Again As She Pulled Down Clay's Hoodie Again, And Left.
"Later Comic Book Boy"

After That Interaction, Clay Pulled Off His Hoodie Again, But He Caught Himself Feeling A Smile Coming Onto His Face But Tried To Fight It Off.

"NO! NO NO NO NO SMILING CLAY! KNOCK IT OFF! WE MUST NOT SHOW LIKENESS TOWARDS HER!"
Clay Tried To Make His Smile Turn Into A Frown.

As Clay Tried To Fight Off The Smile, He Suddenly Felt His Stomach Having That Warm Fuzzy Feeling Again, And He Went Down On His Knees To Hold His Stomach.

"Clay! Clay! You Won't Believe How Much New Footage I Got For The Video Committee I'm Part Of For The Dance!"
Floyd Came Over Happily With His Glow Bug Camera.

"CLAY! CLAY! YOU GOTTA HELP ME OUTBEAT SIDNEY IN A MATCH TO GET MORE SNAILPHONE NUMBERS THAN HER!"
Spruce Said As He Came Over To His Two Brothers.

"ARGH...AH..NONONO.."
Clay Said As He Was Kneeled On The Ground, Holding His Stomach.

"....."
Spruce And Floyd Didn't Know How To React To Whatever Was Going On With Their Brother.

"Uhhh, Clay? You Good?"
Spruce Tapped On Clay's Back.

"Must....Not....Feel...BUTTERFLIES!!!"
Clay Screamed Out As He Stood Up From The Ground.

"Butterflies?"
Spruce And Floyd Say Together In Sync.

"OH! 😳 UHHHH HEY GUYSSSS! EVERYTHING'S GOOD WITH ME! NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY! NOT FEELING SPECIAL FEELINGS! OR BUTTERFLIES!!"
Clay Screamed Out At Them In A Panicking Tone.

"Okay, What's Going On?"
Spruce Crossed His Arms.

"Are You Feeling Alright Clay?"
Floyd Asked With Concern.

"YES!....Errrmmm Nooo....Um...Maybe?....I DON'T KNOWWW 😭"
Clay Sobbed A Little For A Quick Second.

"Pull Yourself Together, And Tell Us What's Going On"
Spruce Said.

Clay Nervously Rubbed His Arm.
"Okay Well Um...Let's Just HYPOTHETICALLY Say This Guy Who HYPOTHETICALLY Is Starting To Feel Bubbly Aches In His Stomach To A HYPOTHETICAL Girl Who He Might HYPOTHETICALLY Have Caught Feelings For....IN A HYPOTHETICAL WAY!"

"Then That Would Mean He's Getting Butterflies In His Stomach For A Girl He's Having A Crush On"
Spruce Shrugged.

"WHAT?! I DON'T HAVE A CRUSH ON CLAIRE!!!"
Clay Blurted Out And Screamed At His Brothers.

"😧 😧"
Spruce And Floyd Slowly Dropped Their Jaws At What Clay Said.

"I MEAN UH.....Hypothetically? 😁"
Clay Tried To Grin Nervously.

"YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON CLAIRE?!?!?"
Spruce And Floyd Said Loudly.

Clay Immediately Shushed Up His Brothers.
"SH SH SH! NO I DON'T! I JUST- Ugh! Recently Whenever I'm Near Her, My Stomach Gets All...Fuzzy And Warm! It Feels Like....Like..."

"Butterflies?"
Floyd Said.

"NO!!!"
Clay Shouted At Floyd.

Spruce Smirked As He Chuckled.
"Oh Ho Ho Hoooo, I Know What He's Got....The L Word~"

"Oooooh, Yeahhhh~ Leprosyyy~"
Floyd Played Along With Spruce, Incorrectly.

"No Floyd No, It's 4 Letters. Starts With L....Ends With E~"
Spruce Explained.

Floyd Thought To Himself.
"Hmmm...AH HA! LICE!"

"NO! Clay, Our Brother, Is In Love~"
Spruce Bounced His Eyebrows.

"OH YEAHHHH! Loooovveeee~"
Floyd Bounced His Eyebrows As Well.

"WITH CLAIRE?! NO WAY!"
Clay Refused To Believe It.

"Claire Has Gotten Under Your Skin Clay! All That Teasing You Two Do Comes Full Circle Now! The Love/Hate Relationship...It's ALL LOVE NOW!"
Floyd Said.

"WRONG! WRONG! DEAD WRONG!"
Clay Crossed His Arms And Turned Away.

"DENIAL IS THE BIGGEST HINT! YOU'RE IN LOVEEE FUN BOYYY~"
Spruce Teased At Clay.

"GUYS ENOUGH! Look, Claire Is RUDE, And GROSS, And TOTALLY ANNOYING! I Rather Lick The Bathroom Floor Than Kiss Her!"
Clay Told His Brothers.

"Clay & Claire, Sitting In A Tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! 👀"
Spruce And Floyd Sung Together In A Teasing Manner.

"UGGGGGGGGHHHHH!!"
Clay Turned Away And Pulled His Hair In Frustration.

Spruce Shouted Towards His Brother.
"Admit It Clay, You've Caught BUTTERFLIES! 🦋"

"B-B-Butt....B-Butterflies? 😦"
Clay Repeated The Word To Himself.

Hearing That Word Again, Clay Froze As He Fell Into His Own Mind Of Thought And Imagination, Getting The Worse Feelings Of Claire And His Possible Crush On Her.

With That Word Deep Into His Mind, Clay's Imagination Kicked In And Made Him Throw Up The Butterflies That Were In His Stomach, For Him To Visualize His Butterflies Singing A Love Song To Him About Claire.

"W-W-WH- WHAT THE.."
Clay Backed Up From The Three Butterflies He Imagined In Front Of Him.

🦋 If you like
piña coladas! 🦋

🦋 And getting caught
in the rain! 🦋

"NO...N-N-NO!"
Clay Began To Run To Get Away From His Singing Butterflies.

🦋 If you're not into yoga,
if you have half a brain! 🦋

🦋 If you like sharing love at midnight in the
dunes of the cape! 🦋

🦋 Then I'm the love
that you've looked forrrr! 🦋

🦋 Write to me
and escape~ 🦋

"STOP STOP STOP NO NO THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!!!"
Clay Shouted As He Ran Far To Get Away And Block Away His Butterflies.

* r e c o r d
s c r a t c h *

"D'OH! Damnnn.."
Clay Accidentally Ran Into A Rock And Flopped Back On The Ground, Kicking Back Into Reality.

"...."
Spruce And Floyd Glanced Down At Their Brother, Who Was Rubbing His Head.

Clay Rubbed His Head And Nervously Spoke To Himself.
"P-P-Pina Colada's?....G-G-Getting Caught In The R-Rain?....BUTTFLIES?!"

Spruce Kneeled Down To His Brother.
"Clay, I Think It's Time To Face The Facts"

"I Have A Crush.....On Claire 😧"
Clay Told Himself As He Was Faced With The Reality And To Realize That He Has A Crush On Claire, Whether He Likes It Or Not, And Has Caught Butterflies. 🦋 💛