[video]

[fearleads]

*Frankie is in her cheerleading uniform with the other girls from her school, hanging in the wings behind what looks to be a wooden stage set up outdoors. They look around the edge, watching a group of vampire girls performing a cheerleading routine in front of a crowd. One of the girls in Frankie's squad gasps.*

Aren't those...

Your moves?

*The girls all turn around to see a laughing werecat or bakeneko about their age, backstage where she hadn't been before.*

That's right! Your routine, "scientifically designed to win", in the hands of the enemy! I wonder how that happened? *She gives a falsely innocent smile, and two more cat girls appear out of the shadows.*

*Frankie's eyes widen.* My video! *She goes to hold back a growling teammate.*

Told you to watch your back.

*The cats stand in formation and do some mocking cheerleading moves.*

Monster High wants the spirit staff, yes you do!
But we stole your routine, boo hoo hoo!

*Clawdeen wrenches free of Frankie and growls at the werecats, chasing them off as they laugh and jump over the side of the stage into the lake -- or rather, into a rowboat they had waiting for them.*

Good luck! You'll need it.

*The cheerleading squad slumps.*

It's over...

After all my hard work! *The rest of the squad looks at Cleo unimpressed, and she coughs.* ...Our hard work.

*The MC's voice cuts in from the stage.* And now, Monster High.

*Frankie looks pleadingly at Cleo.* What are we gonna do?

...We can improvise.

(Frankie, Clawdeen, Cleo, Toralei. She'll be replying later.)

Comments

[Video]

[oddfairy]

Did you win the pom poms?

[video]

[fearleads]

Uh... you mean the competition?

[video]

[oddfairy]

That too!

[video]

[fearleads]

Somehow. I can't believe Toralei would trick me like that!

[video]

[oddfairy]

Is she a meanie?

[video]

[fearleads]

I thought she'd gotten better.

[video]

[oddfairy]

She's sick?

[video]

[fearleads]

...no.

[video]

[oddfairy]

But she got better.

[friendcontracts]

You okay?

[fearleads]

Yeah! Well, sort of. *She stitches on a loose hand.*

[friendcontracts]

Good.

[fearleads]

We came up with a last-minute routine based on all the chores Scary Murphy put us through. Barely escaped the chopping block on that one!

[friendcontracts]

Well, thinking on your feet's important. Good job, I guess.

[fearleads]

I can't believe Toralei did that.

[friendcontracts]

Some people are like that.

[fearleads]

I shouldn't have trusted her with my phone, but even if the other ghouls didn't trust her, I thought everything was fine.

[friendcontracts]

It sounds like they had a better idea about her.

[fearleads]

She and her friends used to be on the fearleading squad, but they left to hurt Cleo when she got too demanding. But when we qualified for Gloom Beach, they came back and tried to ask to get back on the team. I guess Cleo said no and they wanted revenge.

[friendcontracts]

I guess they would want revenge for that.

[fearleads]

I thought they would just be okay...

[friendcontracts]

They probably don't like Cleo that much, huh.

[fearleads]

Or any of us, now.

[friendcontracts]

That's their own fault.

[fearleads]

It is?

[friendcontracts]

I believe it is. They couldn't stand Cleo so they left. When you gained success they wanted back only because they wanted some of that success, too. It should have been obvious that they wouldn't be allowed back in.

[fearleads]

Yeah, I guess...

[friendcontracts]

It just seems like they're blaming the rest of you for staying with it when they quit.

[fearleads]

Maybe they really aren't that good.

[friendcontracts]

I can't really judge them--I never met them but sometimes people just aren't that good.

[fearleads]

I guess we'll be more careful later. Or I will.

[friendcontracts]

Don't give up on this cheerleading thing, alright?

[fearleads]

We won't! We managed to pull through this, didn't we?

[friendcontracts]

You did well, getting this far.

[fearleads]

Thank you! We're definitely not dropping dead before Mashionals.

[friendcontracts]

Keep going, kid.