~At Rosiepuff's Pod~

After School Ended, Inside Of The Brother's Bedroom As They Await The Arrival Of Their Classmates Into Their Pod Before The Big Haircoming Dance Tonight, The Brothers Were All Trying On Their Tuxes For The Evening.

Meanwhile, Clay Was Busy In His Own World As He Was Having Conflicted Thoughts Of Realizing His New Crush In Claire, Whether He Liked The Feeling Or Not.

In His Imagination, Clay Visualized His Devil And Angel Conscience Around His Head, As They Debated On What Clay Should Do.

Devil Clay Poofed Up In Clay's Left.
"Clay My Man, Listen To Me! This Whole Crush Thing And Butterflies With Claire Is Nothing But A Rouge! You Gotta Remember What Kind Of Troll Claire Is! Irritating And Ear-Bleeding! Don't Let No Likeness Overcome That!"

"I Mean That Is True...But All These Sudden Feelings I Have Keep Coming! How Do I Deal With That If I Have To Keep Up My Ego Of Being Annoyed With Her??"
Clay Said To His Devil Self.

Angel Clay Poofed Up On Clay's Right.
"It's Very Simple Clay, You Just Tell And Express To Claire Your Feelings! You Two Can Make Each Other Very Happy! And Here's Another Upside! She May Also Have Mutual Feelings In Return! 😇"

Clay Gasped To Himself.
"You Really Think She Would???"

Angel Clay Nodded With A Beamful Smile.
"I Know So! Having A Girlfriend Can Be Really-"

"HAVING A GIRLFRIEND??? BAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!! Oh Man, I Almost Cussed Out On Yo Mama Boy 🤣"
Devil Clay Interrupted And Said To Angel Clay.

"Hey! You Leave My Angel Of A Mother Out Of This!"
Angel Clay Said With His Arms Crossed.

"Isn't His Mother My Mother Too?"
Clay Thought To Himself For A Moment.

Devil Clay Grabbed Clay's Face.
"LISTEN CLAY! You Don't Need No Girlfriend! Trust Me! Girls Are Nothing But Problems And Headaches! Do You Really Wanna Be Dealing With That At Such A Young Age??? DON'T YOU WANNA BE A FREE MAN???"

"I Do! A REALLY FREE FUN MAN!"
Clay Said.

"THAT'S RIGHT! NO WOMAN SHALL EVER HOLD YOU DOWN IN A CHOKEHOLD! EVER! BE FREE!"
Devil Clay Screamed Out At Clay.

Clay Nodded And Screamed Also.
"FREE!!! I'M A FREE MANNN!!! FREEEEEEE!!!!!!"

"...."
John Dory, Spruce, Floyd, And Baby Branch Were All Staring At Their Odd Middle Brother, Knowing He Had Lost His Marbles.

Clay Paused And Turned Around Awkwardly To His Brothers.
"....."

Baby Branch Turned To The Wattpad Readers For A Moment.
"And They Say I Was Dropped As An Egg 😒"

"You Good Over There Clay? With The Whole Talking To Yourself Thing?"
Spruce Said At His Brother.

"PFFFF- That's An Understatement! I'm More Than Good! Cause I Realized I'M A FREE MAN! FREE MANNNN!"
Clay Shouted Out Again.

"FREE MAAANNN! 🗣"
Floyd Repeated After His Brother, With His Arms Up.

Spruce Put Floyd's Arms Down.
"Don't Copy That-"

John Dory Tied His Bowtie As He Put On His Tux.
"I'm Gonna Go Out On A Limb Here And Just Take A Wild Guess That You Have A New Crush On Claire And Fighting That Butterfly Feeling Of Liking Her Deep Down Inside Even Though In Reality You Enjoy That Feeling, Does That About Cover It?"

"NO!"
Clay Replied Back.

"Yes"
Spruce, Floyd, And Baby Branch All Say Together As A Reply.

"GUYS-"
Clay Said At His Brothers.

"Huh- How Sitcom Like"
John Dory Shrugged And Continued Fixing His Tux.

Clay Went To The Center Of The Bedroom.
"C'mon Guys It's Meeee! Claytonnn! The Fun One! The Guy Who Literally Can't Stand An INCH Of Claire! You Really Think I Would Have A Crush On Her? 😌"

"Yes"
John Dory Said.

"Yes"
Spruce Said.

"Yes"
Floyd Said.

"Yes"
Baby Branch Said.

"Assholes -.-"
Clay Said Back To His Brothers.

Floyd Wrapped His Arm Around Clay's Shoulder.
"Clay, There's Nothing Wrong With Admitting You Have Feelings For Claireee! It's Natural! And Love Works In The Most Oddest Ways! I Mean Look At Grandma, She Fell In Love With Our Ex Manager Who Almost Killed John Off A Roof!"

"Great Way To Compare To Trauma -.-"
John Dory Said With Sarcasm.

Spruce Moved Floyd Aside And Went To Clay Himself.
"I Think What Floyd Is TRYING To Say Is, If You Have Feelings For Claire, There's No Shame In Admitting To It"

"Oh Ho Ho Ho, YES THERE IS! Claire Is Rude, And Gross, And TOTALLY Annoying! I Rather Lick The Bathroom Floor Than Kiss Her!"
Clay Crossed His Arms And Turned Away.

"And Remind Me Again Why This Is Such An Issue?"
Spruce Raised His Eyebrow.

Clay Rubbed His Neck And Turned Back Around.
"Because...Well...If I Admit To Having Feelings For Claire On THIS Particular Day....Well...That Would Mean She'd Have To Be My Date For The Dance, THEN WE'D HAVE TO STROLL INTO THE DANCE HOLDING HANDS, AND HAVE TO SLOW DANCE AT THE DANCE, AND AND AND AND AND-"

S M A C K !

In The Heat Of The Moment, Rhonda Jumped Up And Smacked Clay In The Face With Her Lower Body, To Get Him To Shut The Hell Up.

"Thank You Rhonda"
John Dory Thanked His Armadillo Pet.

Floyd Grabbed Clay's Face.
"CLAY! Let That Anxiety Emotion Go Of Your Brain Console And Let Calm Take Over"

Clay Inhaled And Exhaled Calmly.
"Hhhhh...You're Right Floyd. Thanks"

Floyd Smiled At His Brother.
"You're Welcome.....And Let The Love Emotion Take Over Your Brain 🤭"

"DAMMIT FLOYD-"
Clay Yelled Out Of Frustration.

Suddenly, The Sound From The Doorbell Downstairs Rang, Along With Some Knocks At The Door, Sounding Like A Bunch Of Trolls Had Arrived.

"BOOOOYYSSS! YOUR CLASSMATES ARE HERE FOR THE PRE-DANCE PHOTO'S!"
Grandma Rosiepuff Shouted Out Loud From Downstairs.

"AH OUR GUESTS ARE HERE! I GOTTA GO-"
John Dory Finished Putting On His Tux And Was About To Rush Downstairs.

"WAIT WHY??"
Clay Wondered Of His Brother.

"I GOTTA MAKE MORE APPETIZERS TO GET OPINIONS IF I'M A GOOD COOK OR NOT FOR THE DANCE! LATER!"
John Dory Replied And Dashed Out The Door To Downstairs.

"I Gotta Go Too!"
Spruce Finished Putting On His Tux And Combed His Hair Straight.

"And Where Are You Going???"
Clay Wondered Of His Brother.

"If I'm Gonna Take That Golden Cupcake At The Dance, I Gotta Beat Sidney Into Getting The Most Snailphone Numbers! LATER!"

"Bye Bro'sss!"
Floyd Said As He Was Heading Out The Door With His Glow Bug Camera.

"AND WHERE ARE YOU GOING??"
Clay Wondered Of His Brother Again.

"Hey, I'm In Charge Of The Video Committee So I Gotta Record And Capture Some Memories! LET'S GO COMPANION GLOW BUG CAMERA! AWAAAAAY!"
Floyd Shouted Like A Superhero And Left The Room With His Glow Bug Camera.

".______. Great, Everyone Has A Subplot Than To Care About My Main One"
Clay Rolled His Eyes And Turned To A Mirror, Struggling To Put On His Bowtie.

"See Ya Downstairs Clay!"
Baby Branch Said With His Blue Tux On, About To Leave The Room.

"Wait Branch! You're A Wise Baby....What Do You Think I Should Do?"
Clay Asked His Baby Brother.

"About?"
Baby Branch Raised His Eyebrow

"....Claire..."
Clay Rubbed His Shoulder.

"Ohhhhhh, Well I'm No Romance Expert But, If I Had A Crush On Someone, I'd Try To Find My Confidence To Tell Them How You Feel! Sure You'd Be Nervous As Heck But At Least It Would Be Out There For The Other Person To Hear And Understand Your Feelings"
Baby Branch Explained To His Big Brother.

Clay Sighed And Rubbed His Hands Together Nervously.
"Hm...Right...And Um, What If Someone Doesn't Want To Open Up About That Feeling?"

"Well, If You REALLY Insist On Not Telling Claire, Then Just Try Acting Completely Normal Around Her And She Won't Suspect A Thing....Even Though Normal Is Our Family's Lowest Quality"
Baby Branch Replied.

"Normal....Huh? I Can Do That! TOOOOOTALLY Normal Clay Incoming! Watch Out Claire! HAHAHAAAA....Haaaa..."
Clay Fake Laughed As He Looked Back In The Mirror, With His Undone Bowtie.

Baby Branch Jumped On Clay's Shoulder And Fixed His Bowtie.
"If You Need Anymore Advice, You Know Where To Find Me Bud"

Clay Got Impressed Of How Well Baby Branch Fixed His Bowtie And Smiled.
"Thanks....Lil Bud"

With A Smile Back, Baby Branch Nodded At Clay And Walked Out Of The Bedroom To Head Downstairs, But Would Be Available If Clay Needed His Help Some More.

Straightening His Tux, Clay Fixed His Hair And Proceeded To Walk Out Of The Bedroom, Trying To Act Completey Normal About Claire.

"Branch Is Totally Right! I Just Have To Act Normal Around Claire And There Will Never Be Anymore Suspicion That I Like Her! 😁 It's All Good!"
Clay Stood Tall And Firm With A Grin.

Suddenly, With The Thought Of Claire Again, Clay Began His Stomach To Feel All Fuzzy And Warm Inside Just Like Earlier Today, Having More Butterflies In His Tummy.

"Argh! Urgh! No...No No No! Not Again!"
Clay Shook His Head As He Held His Fuzzy Feeling Stomach.

In His Head And Imagination Again, Clay Visualized Butterflies Coming Out Of His Mouth And Singing To Him About Claire And What She Likes Again.

🦋 If you like
pina colada's! 🦋

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"
Clay Screamed Out Loud As He Covered His Ears.

🦋 Getting caught
in the rain! 🦋

Clay Began To Backup From His Imaginary Singing Butterflies.
"NO! NO! GET AWWWAAAAA- WHOA WHOA AH!"

From Backing Up Too Much, Clay Accidentally Fell Down The Staircase, Hitting Every Stair Floor Until He Hit The Floor On His Back, And Breathing Heavily.

Everyone In The Living Room Had Seen This, As Clay Got Embarrassed By This And Glanced Around On The Floor At Each Person Who Had Seen Him Fall.

"....."
John Dory, Dora, Spruce, Sidney, Floyd, Fawn, Baby Branch, And Boo Blankly Stared At Clay.

"....."
Grandma Rosiepuff And The Classmates From School Blanky Stared At Clay.

"...."
Claire Stared Down At Clay Confusingly And Blinked.

Clay Immediately Got Up Awkwardly And Went To John Dory's Plate Of Food.
"OH WOW! ARE THESE THE FLUFFLEBERRY BROWNIES I HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT?? HA HA SO NICE, I'LL ENJOY THEM IN THE CLOSET- 🏃‍♂️💨"

John Dory Smirked To Himself, Feeling Proud Of His Brownies.
"Ah, People ARE Talking 😌"

~~~

~Later On~

As Most Of The Classmates From School Were At Rosiepuff's Pod For The Pre-Dance Photos Before The Haircoming Dance, Floyd Was Capturing All The Behind The Scenes Action With His Glow Bug Camera.

Floyd Stood In Front Of The Camera.
"As You Can See, TrollTree High Is Really Getting Into The Haircoming Spirit! Everyone's All Dressed Up Nice In Their Tuxes And Dresses, With Not One Bad Outfit Insig- AH!"

Standing Right Behind Floyd, Fawn Was Covered In Mud With Flies Flying Around Her Stinky Self, As She Was Still Protesting Against Fancy Clothing For School Dances.

"DRESSES ARE UNFAIR! THEY ARE BEYOND REPAIR!"
Fawn Shouted Out Loud Obnoxiously, Holding Up Her Protest Sign.

"🤢🤢🤢"
Some Of The Kids Were Almost Barfing And Gagging From Fawn's Stinky Mud.

"FAWN! SERIOUSLY??? You're Ruining My Shot Of Everyone's Outfits!"
Floyd Said At Fawn.

"Well Those Quote On Quote oUtFiTs Are Stink-Shaming MY Mud With It's Fanciness! We Been Through This Earlier! Just Because It Looks Sharp And Glamorous, DOESN'T MEAN MUD SHOULD BE OVERLOOKED AT DANCES!"
Fawn Told Floyd.

"The People At The Video Committee Don't Wanna See Stinky Mud And Flies During My Haircoming Documentary! They Wanna Se Fashion!"
Floyd Said.

"WRONG CRYBABY! This Haircoming Dance Is Just Dirty-cist And I'm Here TO STOP IT! IT'S BEING FAWN-COTTED!"
Fawn Shouted With Her Hands Up.

"Fawn-Cotted? 🤨"
Floyd Raised His Eyebrow At Her.

"Boycotting Was Lame. IT'S TIME FOR THE FAWN REVOLUTION OF RENAMING WORDS! And It Starts With Protesting This Haircoming Dance! AIN'T THAT RIGHT RICKROLL?....Rickroll?"
Fawn Looked Around For Her Armadillo Pet For A Second.

On The Carpet, Rickroll Was Dressed In A Armadillo Sized Suit And Held Out A Rose To Rhonda, Wanting To Take Her To The Dance. 🌹

"Awwwww"
The Kids Around Were Watching This Moment Unfold.

Rhonda Growled And Ate The Rose, Letting Out A Burp And Walked Away.
"🙄✋️"

Rickroll Was Stunned By That And Let Out A Seducing Whistle, As He Was Lovestruck.
"😍😮‍💨"

Fawn Glared Down At Rickroll.
"Youuuuuu Weakling -.-"

Floyd Patted His Glow Bug Camera.
"Moment Captured!"

Nearby, Spruce And Sidney Had Already Begun Their Competition To Win The Golden Cupcake, By Seeing Who Can Get The Most Snailphone Numbers By The Haircoming Dance.

Spruce Slid Over To Sidney.
"Well Madam Of Purple Web, How's Losing Coming Along?"

Sidney Rolled Her Eyes At Him.
"I Was Just About To Ask You The Same Thing"

"Yeah Well- Wait, What?"
Spruce Said.

Sidney Held Up A Piece Of Paper.
"Check It! I Already Got 7 Snailphone Numbers! Hope You're Ready To Spend Tonight's Dance Cupcake-less And Golden-less, Loseruce!"

"HEY! Only John Let's To Call Me Loseruce! -.-"
Spruce Glared At Sidney.

"Figures"
Sidney Shrugged Her Shoulders.

"But Don't Get To Cocky, I Got 7 Numbers Too! Looks Like We're Even And Balanced"
Spruce Held Up A Paper With Snailphone Numbers Listed.

"Well I'm Gonna Break That Balance, Watch This"
Sidney Shoved Spruce Aside.

Sidney Smirked As She Came Up To One Of The Kids, Named Dennis.
"Hey Dennis!"

"Oh Hey Sidney!"
Dennis Replied With A Wave.

"Do You Have A Girlfriend?"
Sidney Questioned Him.

"No"
Dennis Shook His Head.

"Doooo You Have A Credit Card?"
Sidney Questioned Again.

"Sometimes I Borrow My Parents Card....Why?"
Dennis Said.

"Well, Why Don't You Call Me Sometime~"
Sidney Wrapped Her Arm Around Dennis's Neck.

"R-Really? 😳"
Dennis Said As He Blushed Rapidly.

"Mhm~"
Sidney Said, Coming Closer To His Face.

"OKAY! I'LL BUY A SNAILPHONE! 🏃‍♂️"
Dennis Dashed Out Of The Pod.

"SHABOOM! That's Another Point For Me!"
Sidney Wrote On Her Paper.

"That Doesn't Count! He Didn't Even Give You A Snailphone Number!"
Spruce Said.

"It's An Upcoming Number Sir-"
Sidney Said As She Wrote On Her Paper.

"You Wanna Play Dirty? FINE! YO ASPEN!"
Spruce Went Over To Aspen.

"Sup Man!"
Aspen Turned Over To Spruce.

"You Know, I Always Thought Of You Like...An Extra Brother"
Spruce Said, Wrapped His Arm Around Aspen's Shoulder.

"Oh God-"
Sidney Said With A Slight Groan.

Apsen Gasped Softly To Himself.
"REALLY? 🥹"

"That's Right! More Than A Friend! More Than A Pal!....A Real Brother 😔✊️"
Spruce Patted His Fist On His Chest.

"Wow! So All Of Those Times You Stole My Lunch Cookies And Called Me Dork-a-tron Were Signs Of....Brotherhood? 🥹"
Aspen Said With Happy Tears In His Eyes.

"Yeah Sure Whatever Kid- SO, If You Can Just Slide Me Your Snailphone Number, We Can Kick It On Day! Whaddya Say Eh?"
Spruce Nudged Aspen's Arm.

Aspen Nodded Rapidly.
"SURE! The Number Is-"

Sidney Suddenly Came And Stood In Front Of Aspen.
"Oh Aspen~ Have You Ever Known How Lonley I Am?"

"Lonley??? 😳"
Aspen Began To Blush.

"Mhmmm~ And Soooo Aloneee~"
Sidney Rubbed Her Hand On Aspen's Cheek.

"Oh Man 😳"
Aspen Said As He Was Feeling Speechless.

"And You Know What's Bothering Me?"
Sidney Got Closer To Aspen's Face.

"Tell Me Baby, I'll Kill It!"
Aspen Replied.

"Not Having Your Snailphone Number~"
Sidney Smirked At Aspen.

"OKAY I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU!"
Aspen Said With A Big Smile.

"OH C'MON!!!"
Spruce Yelled From Behind The Two.

"Great! Thankieeessss!"
Sidney Handed Aspen Her Paper.

Aspen Sniffed The Air.
"Oh My, Your Hair Smells Like Purple Daisy's! 😍"

Spruce Tried Shoving His Hair In Aspen's Face To Smell.
"SMELL MINE, I'M OCEAN FRESH-"

"There You Go!"
Aspen Handed Sidney Back Her Paper.

"Thanks! Later Loseruceeee!"
Sidney Skipped Away.

"Mmmmm -.-"
Spruce Glared And Crossed Her Arms.

"So About That Hang Out Spruce! What's Your Snailphone Number So We Can Meet Up??"
Aspen Took Out A Piece Of Paper.

"Uh Sure It's Uhhhh 954-R2D2-Triangle-Blue"
Spruce Made Up As He Tried To Get Away.

Aspen Wrote That Down.
"Okay! 😄.......Wait- 🤨"

Also In The Living Room, Clay Was Leaning Against The Wall As He Watched Claire Talking To Some Of The Other Kids In The Pod, Debating If He Should Talk To Her.

Devil Clay Poofed Up On Clay's Left.
"Don't Do It Clay! Don't Give Into Her Darkness Of Affection! Ya Don't Need It!"

"I Know I Know I Hear You But She Looks....Nice In Her Dress"
Clay Said, Having A Little Smile Upon His Blushing Face.

"SHE LOOKS WHAT????"
Devil Clay Shouted.

Angel Clay Poofed Up On Clay's Right.
"Oh Would Ya Look At That! He's Embracing His Feelings! Atta Boy Clay!"

"I'm Getting So Damn Sick Of You Angel Clay -.- HE DOESN'T NEED THIS GIRL! Clay Remember! Free Maaaan~"
Devil Clay Whispered Into Clay's Ear.

"Free Man.."
Clay Told To Himself.

"But Clay Remember! If You Express Yourself To Claire, You'll Get Something Special Between You Both, Wouldn't That Just Make You Feel All Good Inside?"
Angel Clay Said To Clay.

"Something Special.."
Clay Told To Himself.

"Whoa Whoa Whoa Hang On! What Are We Doing? We Look Alike Angel Clay! We Shouldn't Be Debating! How About We Do Something Different This Time And Let Clay Make Up His Own Mind"
Devil Clay Suggested.

"You Know, That Is A Good Idea! Clay, I Believe In You 🙏"
Angel Clay Played His Harp And Poofed Away, Along With Devil Clay.

Devil Clay Poofed Back Up As He Menically Laughed.
"BUAHAHAHAHA- What A Sucka! Now Go Make Me Proud Clay 😈"

As His Devil And Angel Conscience Poofed Away, Clay Decided To Go His Own Route And Talk To Claire Completely Normally, Putting His Feelings Aside.

Clay Nervously Tapped Claire's Shoulder And Spoke.
"AYYYY CLAIREEEEE! BUDDY-OOOOOO HA HA HA.."

Claire Turned Around And Gave Clay A Warm Smile.
"Clay! I'm Glad To See You!"

"Glad?! GLAD?!?! WHY GLAD?!?! CERTAINLY NOT GLAD CAUSE WE'RE HERE TOGETHER IN THIS VERY SPOT RIGHT??"
Clay Said He Got Anxiety Of This Moment.

Claire Blinked Awkwardly.
"Well More Of Glad Cause I Get To See You In Your Tux Before The Dance, Cause Ya Know, Glamorous Is My Thing"

"....RIIIIGHTTTTT OF COURSEEEE! Your Trademark! Ha Haaa Yeahhh.."
Clay Cleared His Throat As He Laughed.

"And Don't You Look Handsome In It~"
Claire Said As She Checked Clay Out.

"Handsome?? 😳 UHHH THANKS! PAL-OOOO YOU LOOK....HANDSOME...AS WELL..?"
Clay Said, Trying To Find The Right Words.

Claire Stared Blankly At That, Confused And Shrugged.
"Um, Thanks?"

"CAUSE THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS DO RIGHT! Complimentssss And Junk"
Clay Swung His Arms Up And Down.

"Yeahhhhh...Well! I Hope You're Ready To Dance Tonight!"
Claire Said.

"DANCE?!?! TONIGHT?!?! CERTAINLY NOT TOGETHER OF YOU AND ME...I MEAN IF YOU DID, IT WOULD BE JUST FRIENDLY RIGHT???"
Clay Said As He Was Freaking Out.

"....First Off, Why Are You Yelling? Second, Dancing As In General"
Claire Replied.

"RIGHT! Of Course! Makes Sense! Besides Dancing Is For Lovers! Pfft"
Clay Scoffed Playfully.

"Are You Sure It's Just For Lovers? I Mean, What's The Problem If It Is Hm?"
Claire Beamed At Clay With A Little Grin.

"Causeeeee...I'M A FIGHTER! YES! A Fighter, Not A Lover! Ya Know! HI-YAH! 👊 BAM! 👊 HA! 👊 JAMES FROND PUNCH WHA-TAH! 👊"
Clay Punch The Air Playfully Until He Accidentally Punched Gia In The Neck.

"ARGH-"
Gia Yelped Out As He Neck Cracked.

"Oooohh.."
The Kids Reacted As They Witnessed The Incident.

"I'M SO SORRY 🫢"
Clay Said, Covering His Mouth In Shock.

"T-T-That's Okay....I'll Just Take Neckless Photos At The Dance Then.."
Gia Weakly Said As She Fell To The Floor.

"Smooth"
Claire Blurted At Clay.

Floyd Brought His Glow Bug Camera Over To Baby Branch And Boo.
"Alright Branch, Tell Us What You're Doing At The Haircoming Dance!"

Baby Branch Straightened His Little Blue Tuxedo.
"Hi! I'm Taking Boo To The Haircoming Dance, As A Friend, Cause I'm Trying To Desperately Prevent Her From Ka-Booming The Place-"

"I See, Boo, Can You Comment On This?"
Floyd Moved The Camera To Face Boo.

"😑 🧨"
Boo, In Her Little Dress, Snatched Out A Lit Dynamite Stick, Ready To Strike At Floyd And His Glow Bug Camera.

"WHOAAAAAA! DOWN GIRL!"
Baby Branch Snatched The Dynamite Stick And Threw It Out The Window.

B O O M ! 💥

Mrs. Henderson, The Neighbor, Screamed In Horror From The Explosion.
"WHAT THE YUCK-"

"SORRY MRS. HENDERSON!"
Baby Branch Yelled Out Loud.

"🖕"
Boo Flipped Baby Branch Off For Ruining Her Destruction.

Floyd Blinked At That And Moved The Camera Over To Clay.
"Alrighty Then Uh, CLAY! How About You, Who Are You Taking To The Dance?"

Clay Cleared His Throat And Spoke Towards The Camera.
"I'm Actually Going Solo To The Dance!"

"And I Think That's Very Cool"
Claire Said, As She Smiled At Clay For Saying That.

Clay's Brain: 🧠 "See That? She Thinks I'm Cool! Wait....Did She Mean Cool In A Friendly Way Or Cool In A Flirty Way?! OH GOD, SHE'S FLIRTING WITH ME! I GOTTA MAKE THE MOMENT LESS COOL! SAY SOMETHING LESS COOL CLAY!" 🧠

"I'M TAKING MY GRANDMOTHER TO THE DANCE!!!"
Clay Randomly Blurted Out For Everyone In The Pod To Hear His Embarrassing Statement.

"....."
Claire, As Well As The Other Kids In The Pod, Didn't Know How To React To That.

"Okaaaaay...?"
Claire Raised Her Eyebrow At Clay.

"....WHICH IS LESS COOL! Cause Less Cool Guys As Myself Who Can't Possibly Be Admired Would Say! 😌"
Clay Proudly Told Claire.

"....Allllrrrighty Um, I'm Gonna Go...Elsewhere Less Weird"
Claire Awkwardly Walked Off To Talk To Other Kids.

Clay Groaned Softly To Himself As He Sat On The Couch.
"Ugggghhhhh...This Is Frustrating!"

Seeing Their Brother Frustrated, Floyd And Baby Branch Exchanged A Look Knowing They Needed To Help Clay With His Dilemma.

Baby Branch Sat Up On The Couch, Next To Clay.
"Still Contemplating How To Act Around Claire Huh?"

"I'm Telling Ya Guys...I Never Felt This Way Before...And Claire Being Here Hours Before The Dance Tonight Is Making It Worse! AND IT'S MAKING MY BUTTERFLIES FLAP UP A CULT IN MY STOMACH!"
Clay Used A Pillow And Stuffed His Face On It.

Floyd Thought To Himself.
"Hmmm, Just A Suggestion But Since You Tried And Obviously Failed To Push Down Your Feelings For Her....Why Not Try To Express Them? Just Once"

Clay Lowered The Pillow From His Face And Thought About It.
"Mmmm...I Mean....BLeUgH But It Wouldn't Be The End Of The World To Try...Right?"

"Nope! It's Worth A Try!"
Floyd Nodded Happily.

Clay Sighed Deeply To Himself.
"Uuuuuuuuggggggghhhhhhhh....Fine, But I'll Need Branch's Assistance For Practice"

Baby Branch Turned To The Wattpad Readers.
"It's Always Gonna Be Me To Help .__."

~~~

~In The Kitchen~

On The Table In The Kitchen, John Dory And Dora Were Continuing To Prep The Appetizers For The Kids At The Pod To Try, Before The Haircoming Dance.

One Of The Kids There, A Baby Trolling Named Jonas, Tried One Of John Dory's New Fluffleberry Scone Pastries, As John Dory Anxiously Watched Him Chew To Hear An Opinion.

Jonas Chewed And Chewed Until A Final Verdict Of An Opinion.
"Mhm...Mhm...Mmmm...This Is..."

"😬😬"
John Dory And Dora Awaited For A Response, Holding Onto Each Other.

"....THE BEST SCONES I'VE EVER TASTED!"
Jonas Blurted Out Happily.

"I KNEW IT- LET'S END HIM!!!"
Dora Shouted Out As She Held Up A Frying Pan.

John Dory Quickly Stopped Dora.
"NONONO DORA WAIT- HE SAID THE BEST!"

"Ohhhhh, YAAAAY! 😄"
Dora Cheered With Glee, Dropping The Frying Pan.

"Freaks 🙄"
Jonas Told Them As He Walked Out Of The Kitchen.

John Dory Took Out A Card And Wrote Down The Quote, Proudly.
"Beeessssttt Sconeessss Everrrr Tasteddddd ✍️"

"So Bestie Um, I'm Having LOOOAADDDSSS Of Fun Helping You With The Food And All But Ever Thought Of, I Don't Knowww, Just Getting siLlY Here, Of Who You'll Dance With At The Dance?"
Dora Asked John Dory.

"I'm So Busy Thinking Of Everyone Else, I Don't Even Have Time To Worry About That"
John Dory Said As He Took Out More Cards To Write On.

"That's Fair But I'm Just Curious If You Could Decideeee....Who Would It Be?? 👀"
Dora Said Close To The Side Of John Dory's Face.

"I'll Tell You Who It'd Be"
John Dory Said.

"YEAH YEAH???? 🤩"
Dora's Eyes Sparkled At Him.

"It'd Be Youuuuuuu-"
John Dory Was About To Finish His Sentence.

"YEESSSSSSS???? 🤩 🤩"
Dora's Eyes Became Sparkly Like The Stars.

"-To Pass Out These Cards To Everyone So I Can Hear Their Thoughts On My Scones! APPRECIATE IT BESTIE!"
John Dory Handed Dora A Bunch Of Cards.

Dora Sighed And Frowned, But Kept Up Her Smile.
"Sure Bestie...No Problem Heh.."

Picking Up All The Cards, Dora Felt Bad Inside Due To Wanting John Dory To Not Be So Anxious About People's Opinions And Just Have Fun At The Dance To Dance With His Best Friend.

Grandma Rosiepuff Came Inside Of The Kitchen, To Check On Things.
"Hey My Peachfuzz, How's The Snack Committee Coming Along?"

John Dory Gulped And Tried To Move Away.
"Uhhhh- GREAT! NEVER BETTER- GOTTA GO!"

Grandma Rosiepuff Grabbed John Dory's Arm And Pulled Him Back.
"Whoa Whoa Park It John! Have You Been Avoiding Me?"

"What Pffftt? Noooo! Of Course Not! I Pretty Much Live Here So- BYE!"
John Dory Tried To Walk Away Again.

"Wait Wait! Is This Cause You Don't Want My Opinion On Your Snacks And Cooking?"
Grandma Rosiepuff Question.

"It Doesn't Matter! JUST- Let Me Handle This Myself Grandma Okay? Like You Said, We're Becoming Boys 2 Men And Gotta Deal With Things Ourselves!"
John Dory Tried To Escape Again.

"Floyd Said That And Why Don't You Want Me To Tell You How I Feel About Your Cooking Or Baking??"
Grandma Rosiepuff Said.

"Just Forget It Grandma Okay???"
John Dory Said, Starting To Get Annoyed.

"But Why?? Your Snacks Look Great! Like I'll Try One Of Your Scones!"
Grandma Rosiepuff Went To Grab A Fluffleberry Scone On The Table.

John Dory Immediately Snatched The Fluffleberry Scone And Ran Off.
"NO! STAY AWAY GRANDMA!"

Hearing Her Grandson Shout Like That, Grandma Rosiepuff's Ears Went Down And Feeling Unwanted Around John Dory From Giving Her Honest Opinion Of His Cooking.

~~~

~In The Bedroom~

Back Upstairs, Deciding It Was Best To Practice How To Tell Claire How He Felt First, Clay Made Up A Script In His Head Of How It Would Go.

Clay Stood In Front Of Something.
"Heyyyy Claire! It's Me Clay! But Of Course You'd Know That Cause I'm Right In Front Of You- HA! Anyways Ummm...😓...Okaaay Here's What I Need To Tell You...I REALLY Like You And Was Wondering If Youuuuu...Would Like To Dance With Me...? 😁"

"No -.-"
Baby Branch, Dressed Up As Claire, Responded to Clay's Horrible Words.

"Okay That's Not Helping .____."
Clay Replied And Sighed To Sit On The Bed.

Baby Branch Stood Up.
"I Know I Said I'd Help You Clay But I Didn't Think It'd Result To Me Dressing As Claire!"

"Although, I Do Look Hot In Makeup And A Dress, I'd Totally Date Me If I Was A Girl 😏"
Baby Branch Said At The Wattpad Readers For A Second.

"BUT STILL!"
Baby Branch Said Back At Clay.

"You're Right....And The Fact We Even Have Clothes Of The Sisters Is Insane Enough"
Clay Said.

"Hey! It's Just Incase One Day If We Ever Have To Cover For Them Like They Did For Us Before"
Floyd Said, Putting Away The Costumes In The Room.

"UGGGHHH THIS IS HOPELESS! I'm Never Gonna Get This Right....Maybe It's Not Worth It! I Should Just Shut Up And Forget This"
Clay Said, Sighing Into His Hands.

Floyd Sat Beside His Brother.
"Don't Give Up Yet! There's Still One Thing We Can Try!"

"And That Is?"
Clay Looked Up At Floyd.

"Being Honest And Truthful With Her! 😄"
Floyd Suggested.

"....You Lost Me At Honest"
Clay Replied.

"I'm Serious! Why Not Try Being Truthful With Claire? Say What You Really Want To Say, Regardless Of How It May Sound Or Come Out!"
Floyd Explained To Clay.

"Floyd Does Have A Point"
Baby Branch Said, Taking Off His Claire Wig.

Clay Thought About It.
"Hmmm...That Might Just Be It! I Just Have To Say Whatever I Want! BOOM! I FINALLY UNDERSTAND WOMEN NOW!"

"Wait What-"
Floyd And Baby Branch Say Together.

Clay Stood Up With A Plan.
"Imma Need Your Help With This, And Wait For My Cue For The Dramatic Spotlight! The WHOLEEEE Truth Is About To Come Out!"

~~~

~Downstairs~

Heading Back Downstairs To Everyone Else, Clay Had A (somewhat) Good Mindset Of What He Was About To Tell Claire How He Truly Felt.

Meanwhile, Spruce And Sidney Were Still Competing For Their Snailphone Number Tournament, And Still Coming Even Every Time With A Score.

Spruce Winked At Some Girls Behind Him, Using His 90's Rizz Game.
"😉 ✨️"

"Hhhhhh~ 😍 🥰 😍"
The Girls Sighed Dreamily As They Handed A Paper With Their Snailphone Numbers To Spruce.

"Thanks Ladies~"
Spruce Said As He Smirked Over At Sidney.

"Cute -.- But Not Skillful"
Sidney Told Him.

"Don't Hate The Player, Hate The Game"
Spruce Said As He Wrote His Score.

Coming Down The Stairs To The Two, Floyd And Baby Branch Went Over To Sidney And Spruce To Fill Them In Of What's About To Happen.

"You Guys Might Wanna See This"
Baby Branch Told Them.

"Why?"
Sidney Asked Him.

"What's Going On?"
Spruce Wondered Also.

"Clay Is About To Open Up Honestly To Claire"
Floyd Whispered To Spruce.

"OOOOH DRAMA!"
Spruce And Sidney Say, Getting Intrigued Together.

Looking Around The Living Room, Clay Finally Spotted Claire, And With Enough Confidence, Was About To Tell Her Off With Honesty.

Claire Turned Around With A Smile.
"Oh Clay! I Was Just Looking For-"

"ENOUGH CLAIRE!"
Clay Blurted Out Loudly.

In Fact, It Was Loud Enough For Everyone In The Pod To Hear And Stopped What They Were Doing To Get Quiet And Listen.

Clay Went Up To Claire And Told Her Honestly Of What He Feels.
"I DON'T Like You Claire! I Just Don't! You're Rude, And Gross, And TOOOOTALLY Annoying! I Rather Lick The Bathroom Floor Than Kiss You Or Better Yet Hang Out With You At The Haircoming Dance Together!"

Without Any Words To Say, Leaving Her Speechless And Heartbroken, Claire Couldn't Bare To Let Out Any Response To Clay's Hurtful Truth Of His Feelings.

"I Hope This Clears Everything Up! 😁👍"
Clay Said With A Thumbs Up, Thinking He Solved His Issue.

"Geez Clay....I'm Sorry To Hear That...As Much As I Am Wasting My Feelings On You"
Claire Told Clay As She Went To Walk Off Towards The Door.

As Claire Told Clay That And Began To Leave, Clay Realized To Himself That Those Weren't The Right Words And Shouldn't Have Been His Approach To Begin With.

* C U E
D R A M A T I C
S P O T L I G H T *

To Make The Moment Worse For The Timing, A Random Spotlight Shined On The Hurt Clay, Making The Atmosphere More Awkward And Uncomfortable.

"-.-"
Floyd, Spruce, And Sidney All Glared Down At Baby Branch For That.

"What? He Said To Cue A Dramatic Spotlight 🤷‍♂️"
Baby Branch Shrugged To Himself.

Regardless Of The Spotlight On Him, Clay Couldn't Take His Focus On The Heartbreak He Caused To Claire, And Seeing Her Leave The Pod, Left An Impact On Him That Would Get Rid Of The Butterflies In His Stomach, To Just Leave An Emptiness Feeling. 💔