Special Chapter - The Miracle 2 Years In The Making!

SUN SHORT #1 - Late Night Driving

This takes place right after the events of 'S2 Chapter 17 - Celebration / One Helluva Homecoming (Finale)'

As the stars in the night sky twinkle, several students from both Seastar & Starlight High are exiting out of the banquet hall. Mesto & Ivory are holding hands as they chat, Crunch is being chased by X for stealing a whole platter of tiny cucumber sandwiches while Suzy slowly follows, & Draco is still in shock from his defeat on the dance floor.

"We'll get going, it was fun seeing ya!" Blanko yells as he walks away in his green suit over a white button-up, red-n-blue striped tie, brown loafers, and black gloves.

Vanessa, in her yellow suit jacket and black leather pants, simply nods as she leaves carrying her black high heels.

"My place is right around here so I'll get going," Sammy says as leaves in her red-off-the-shoulder dress, "I bet he still hasn't gotten off the couch that lazy ass."

"Sorry, you'll have to get my autograph in class," Randy says to literally nobody as he puts on his white helmet with red spikes.

As the man in the pink polo shirt and white khakis rides off on his scooter, the only ones left in the group are Ronnie, Elizabeth, Alex, Marcus, & Selina.

"Urgh, my legs are so sore from dancing I don't know if I can even ride home," Alex groans in his all-black suit as he undoes the bike chain on his little cousin's pink tricycle.

"That was so much more fun than I thought it was going to be!" Selina says as she has her checkered tie around her forehead.

"How come nobody told me these weren't buttoned?!" Marcus blushes as he tries to button the top half buttons on his brown button-up shirt.

"I thought it was a stylistic choice," Ronnie admits in his navy blue button-up and white pants, "Also Selina, you weren't even partying that hard, why do you have the tie up like that?'

"Because it makes me happy," Selina defends as she twiddles with the fedora in her hands.

"Fair enough."

Elizabeth can't help but smile at the shenanigans going on. After the talk on the rooftop it feels like a weight's been lifted off her shoulders. Now she can just sit back and enjoy the company a bit more. Not having to worry about a thi-

"THE TRAINS AREN'T RUNNING?!" Selina shouts as she looks at her phone.

Nevermind.

"What? But I thought they were running 24/7?" Ronnie groans.

"They were, but it's under maintenance for the next few hours," Marucs sighs, "God how are we gonna get home?"

"We can try and all hop on my tricycle," Alex suggests to no fanfare.

"Maybe Amnestor is willing to let us hitch a ride from him?" Elizabeth suggests.

"He's busy with helping clean up the place," Ronnie sighs, "We'd be waiting here for like an hour."

As the group of teens all try to figure out their predicament, Alex's eyes turn to the road as a beige minivan that's definitely seen its fair use comes to a stop next to them. The person rolls down the windows.

"Aye, what's our Little Chulo doing out so late?" The driver and Alex's father, Mateo Smith, questions. 

Mateo's wearing a tropical button-up, khakis, and sandals in the car despite the weather. 

"H-how many times do I need to tell you and mom not to call me that anymore!?" Alex blushes in embarrassment, "And what are you doing Old Man?!"

"What? It's not like your friends know what that means," Mateo chuckles as he puts the car into park, "I came by since I heard the trains were shutting down and figured you kids could use a lift home."

Ronnie, Elizabeth, Marcus, & Selina look towards Mateo as if he was an angel, descending down to bless them with a safe ride back to the North. 

"It's fine," Alex says as he goes to hope onto the pink tricycle, "I can make it home all by myself and so can-"

Alex looks up to see his friends already getting inside the vehicle.

"Come on man, you really wanna go home in that thing?" Ronnie teases.

"I call shotgun!' Selina insists.

Alex laments as he walks toward his father's minivan.

___________________________

Driving down the scenic streets, Mateo Smith has one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the armchair as Selina sits next to him in shotgun reading a book. Behind them in the middle row is Marcus & Ronnie. Marcus is busy playing on his limited edition 3DS while Ronnie makes small talk with the two in the back row; Alex & Elizabeth. In the trunk of the car is the tiny pink tricycle.

"Say, you kids fans of disco?" Mateo asks as he reaches for some CDs.

"I know a certain ginger who'd go crazy for some," Alex remarks, "But he isn't here so no."

"Aw," Mateo fake pouts as he puts away his several 'greatest hits of disco' CDs.

"Dude you brought that to homecoming?" Ronnie remarks impressed.

"Y-yeah, I didn't know if I was going to get bored or not, plus I still gotta finish my nuzlocke of gen 6 before the gen 3 remakes release," Marcus explains.

"I see….what's a nuzlocke by the way?"

In the front, Selina constantly switches the fan from hot to cold again and again.

"Can't you just choose something in the middle?" Elizabeth asks, "We're getting hit with an avalanche followed by a volcanic eruption."

"Yeah but who actually puts the air condition on the middle?" Selina questions.

Before Elizabeth can respond back, the car reaches the first stop on its drive; the house where Selina & Marcus live.

"Thanks for the ride Mister Alex's dad," Selina says as she hops out of the shotgun.

"Take care Mister Smith!" Marcus remarks as he exits. 

"You too!" Mateo says.

After waiting to make sure the two teens enter the home, Mateo drives off. 

"So, how's the start of the new semester been for you kids?" Mateo asks, "All Alex's ever told me is that your club got bigger & there was a new student president."

"Oh yeah, we have a few new members which is nice," Ronnie remarks, "And don't get me started on that whole election debacle."

"Are all elections supposed to be so chaotic?!" Elizabeth questions.

Hearing this, Mateo can't help but laugh before responding, "Tell me one that wasn't crazy."

Due to the surprisingly light traffic, the mini-van pulls up to the next stop; the apartment building Elizabeth stays at.

"Thanks for the lift sir," Elizabeth says as she gets out of the car, "If you need to cover gas I can-"

"Hey don't worry about it!" Mateo laughs, "A kid like you should only be worrying about what homework they have due."

"Now that you mention it, I do have a presentation due for Amnestor's class on Monday," Elizabeth recalls before rushing toward her apartment, "I gotta go, take care guys!"

As Elizabeth enters the apartment, Mateo drives off once more causing the only two kids still left in the car being his own son Alex & Ronnie.

"Hey Alex, you wanna hit up the Bistro sometime tomorrow?" Ronnie asks.

"Sure, but only if you're paying," Alex teases.

"Alex we never pay."

"Y'know, if you're talking about free food, I remember a fancy Italian place used to be open where that record store is that had a 'Free Breadstick Tuesdays'," Mateo laughs, "They'd always get so mad when they saw your mom & I come in since that's all we could afford!"

"So that's where you two went on your 'date nights' when I was a kid," Alex remarks as he finally solves a mystery he had long forgotten about.

"It closed down? How come?" Ronnie asks.

"Oh, it was a while ago so I can't recall all the details. I remember the owner lost it and locked their whole staff in the freezer. Luckily my wife & I came in to get some breadsticks soon after and managed to unlock it just in time. Who knows what would've happened if they got rid of that free breadstick deal."

"WHAT!?" Ronnie & Alex shout.

"How is this the first time I'm hearing about this?!" Alex demands.

"You're serious?!" Ronnie remarks, still shocked.

"Wasn't much compared to what I got up to when I was your age," Mateo laughs.

"Dude, I didn't know your dad was so cool," Ronnie whispers to Alex.

Mateo, who overheard that, can't hide his smile as he reaches The Everst Family Home.

"Well Ronnie, it's good to see ya again, you and your friends are welcome to come over any time," Mateo says.

"Thanks a ton for the ride! And see you around Alex!" Ronnie says as he gets out of the car.

As Ronnie enters his home, Mateo drives off toward the final destination of the night. His cheery demeanor softens as he looks in his rear view mirror to his son Alex.

"You've really gotten tall, huh?" Mateo states.

"Huh? Oh yeah, you just noticed?" Alex questions.

"No, it's not that….it's just you grew up so fast I…I didn't realize," Mateo remarks, "You got some nice friends and a strong head on your shoulders. You keep doing what you think is right and you'll make it far, especially with them by your side."

"Yeah yeah, you tell me this all the time dad," Alex remarks. "But they aren't the only people I have by my side."

"I got you, Dad," Alex says, "And Mom, Abuela, Lil Juan, Carmen, Liliana, Uncle Jose, Aunt Lula, Uncle Luis, and Aunt Camila."

Mateo pulls into the driveway of the home he shares with his in-laws.

"True, though the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb," Mateo advises, "That's something I had to learn the hard way."

Curiosity starts to fill Alex, however it's not enough for him to fully ask that question to his father just yet. Deciding to ask him the next chance he gets, Alex steps out of the car.

"I appreciate the advice pops, but as someone who gets to choose who I spend my time with, right now I want to spend it with our family," Alex smirks.

Hearing those words, a proud smile emerges onto Mateo's face as he turns off the car and exits it.

"Then let's do just that."

And even though the homecoming may have ended, for Alex, there still was another celebration to be had at home.

SUN SHORT #2 - Just Like Me

These events occur in the midst of the 'A Tale of Two Best Friends' storyline.

The torrential downpour filled the streets of Starlight City on what was supposed to be a hot summer day. Trying to make their way through this downpour is Sally Everst. With one hand on her umbrella and the other on a bag of groceries, to say she's experienced weather like this before would be an understatement.

And yet, on that day something was different.

"Excuse me, miss," a voice gently asked.

Sally, against her better judgement, turned to look at the voice to see it coming from a young boy, only a few years older than her own son. His black hair was greasy, his clothes had holes and smelled bad, and there were a pair of month-olds in his arm that he was shielding from the rain.

"Can I get your fucking money?" the voice asked politely.

_________________________________

As the rain continues to pour outside the young teen manages to find himself blowing on a spoonful of soup before feeding it to one of his two twins. He repeats the action for the other twin and then goes back to the first one.

As the boy continues to feed his kids inside the shelter, Sally Everst stands talking to some of the volunteers at the center.

"It's always a pleasure to see you here Sal'," Cedro Garcia remarks as he serves another cup of soup to another hungry person, "Seems like you brought with you quite the character."

"Yeah, it's a good thing you did," a volunteer by the name Melanie Dicesare comments, "Those poor babies were gonna get sick if they stayed out in the rain long enough."

"Yeah, I can't imagine what he must have gone through."

After hearing those comments, Sally decides to walk over and sit next to the teen. As she does so, he instinctively puts a hand around his bowl, making sure it's not snatched from him.

"What do you want?" The teen asks.

"Just felt like having a quick conversation hon'," Sally explains, "Is that bad?"

"What, you gonna tell me how I should've thought ahead? That I shouldn't have had them?" The teen remarks as his twins are now fast asleep.

"No no, I of all people can't judge someone for having a kid early."

The teen looks at the tattooed woman with confusion.

"I had mine when I was 17," Sally laughs, "Now he's just a few years off to being as old as I was when I had him. I haven't exactly been in the same shoes as you, but I know a bit about how they feel. So if you have any questions you can shoot them out to me."

The teen is hesitant for a bit before words start to spill out from his mouth.

"What's the best way to change a diaper? What's the best brand of formula? How much should you let them crawl around and how much should you carry them? How do you stop them from crying so late at night? How do you make sure they don't eat anything they shouldn't? How do you shower them properly? How do you make it through all this?!"

Finally running out of words to spew, the teen breathes heavily as if a crushing weight has been lifted off him.

"How about we take this one at a time?" Sally offers.

"I…," the teen tries to say as tears begin to drip down his face, "I'd like that!"

Over the next few weeks, Sally would stop by the shelter and help the teen with any trouble he had. Her and Misses Dicesare would be the ones who'd offer him all kinds of parenting advice, with some of the other homeless people in the shelter pitching in to share portions of their food so he wouldn't go hungry. One of the volunteers, Francisco Champion, introduced him to the gym he worked at as a way to help him build up some more strength. Out of everyone though, it seemed like he took a liking to Cedro Garcia the most as Sally would often find him learning and helping out with preparing meals in whatever way he could.

Eventually though, life had to go on and Sally had to spend a few weeks away from the shelter in order to properly finish the tattoo job she promised for Marcus before the next school year began. By the time she had the opportunity to go back to the shelter, she couldn't find the teen there anymore. Apparently he was offered a permanent place to stay.

That was already two years ago, and as Sally made her way down the streets after closing up her shop for the night, she couldn't help but wonder what became of that young teen she met not too long ago.

However, a new thought came to her mind as she walked down the streets.

She was hungry, and hadn't had dinner yet. Looking for a place to eat, Sally's eyes wandered to the still open 'Burrito Bistro'.

"Burrito Bistro? When's the last time I went there?" Sally wonders aloud as she finds herself entering the restaurant.

DING!

Sally looks around to see the place is completely packed with people as Cedro Garcia is in the kitchen making the food as fast as he can while a waiter with dyed blonde hair tries to serve as many tables as he can by himself.

"I'll be with you in a sec!" The waiter yells without looking at who entered before setting a plate down on a table, "Here's your order Miss, it was made with lots of love."

"TH-th-thank you! Say, can I have your number?"

"Sorry, I'm taken."

Gliding from table to table, the waiter eventually made his way to the front, still not making eye contact with Sally.

"Sorry about that wait," the waiter remarks as he grabs a menu, "My name's Mesto-Presto, how can I help you-"

As Mesto finally takes a look up at Sally, recognition fills both of their eyes.

"It's good to see you again hon'," Sally remarks, "Looks like you've been doing good for yourself."

"Y-yes I have," Mesto remarks, "Say, order whatever you'd like Miss. It's on the house."

"Why thank you," Sally compliments as she sits down at a table.

As Mesto goes from table to table, Sally can't help but smile after rediscovering an old friend of hers.

All the while at a table nearby, Ronnie wonders how the hell his mom knows Mesto while he, Alex, Elizabeth, & Marcus enjoy their regular order of free chips & free salsa.

SUN SHORT #3 - Keeping The Peace As Best Can Be

These events occur in the midst of the season 2 storyline 'Surviving The Seniors'

Sitting in The Moore Family Apartment, Elizabeth is staring daggers into the wall, trying to ignore the situation that's happening in front of her.

In front of her, her soon-to-be-9 sister Nhung Thi Moore is watching TV with a friend she brought over from the school she goes to. Usually that'd be a thing she didn't have to worry about. The only problem being who her friend is related to.

"Jude, how is this guy everyone's uncle and their grandfather. That doesn't make any sense," Nhung giggles.

"I don't know, but the pizza dude is funny," Jude Jackson giggles before turning to look at the couch, "Don't you agree?"

Sitting on complete opposite ends of the couch are Elizabeth Moore and the person that is causing her this discomfort….an equally uncomfortable Hunter Huntingson.

"Y-yeah" Elizabeth remarks as she tries to look at the wall some more.

"You said it," Hunter awkwardly laughs as he looks straight up at the ceiling.

Jude & Nhung glance at the two before looking back to the tv.

"Why is your brother so weird?" Nhung asks.

"I don't know, I just met him last month," Jude responds.

Hearing this, Elizabeth raises an eyebrow as she turns to look at Hunter.

"Foster care!" Hunter whisper-explains as he lifts his arms up, "What did you think it was?"

"I don't know but why are you here? You weren't invited!" Elizabeth whisper-yells.

"He needed someone to take him home you-," Hunter begins to whisper-argue before remembering who is near him and changing his tone, "Why are you here? If you don't want to talk to me can't you just hang out with that club?"

"My brother & mom are trying to help my dad out of a laundry basket upstairs so I have to stay with you guys until they get back."

"Why is your dad in a laundry basket?!"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

As the two glare at one another, they eventually are interrupted by Jude tugging at them and holding up a box of 'Go Fish' cards.

"Wanna play?" Jude asks.

___________________

Sitting on the floor in a circle the group of four all are holding up cards. Nhung glances over to Hunter.

"You have any goldfish?" Nhung asks.

"Go fish," Hunter says before asking Elizabeth, "You got any Stingrays."

"No but I do have this cool friend of mine named Marcus, ever heard of him?" Elizabeth retorts.

"Uh sis, I don't see a 'Marcus' on the cards-," Nhung tries to say.

"I have actually. Say, you have any clubs you're in?" Hunter asks, "You look like someone who would be in them."

"Hunter club cards are in regular decks not-" Jude tries to say.

"I am! Wow what a good guess. Say, you ever carry around a weapon everywhere you go?"

"You ever slept in a tent in this city for a few weeks and one day wake up to see an army of rats chewing through your tent and now you gotta run away from them as your home goes up in rats?"

".....Go fish," Elizabeth laments.

Hunter leans forward to pick up the cards and as he does so, Nhung & Jude set their cards down.

"You guys are no fun," Jude laments as he walks away with Nhung.

"There isn't even a 'rat' card," Nhung sighs.

Hunter & Elizabeth glance at one another before realizing they messed up. All their fighting led to them forgetting who this day was really for. It was for Nhung & Jude. Elizabeth couldn't even think of any friend Nhung had invited over before now. 

"Hey, sis," Elizabeth says as she crouches down to get on her younger sister's level, "Sorry that I was acting like a total jerk just now. A lot of stuff's been on my mind recently and… whatever you wanna do today, let's do it."

Nhung, looking at her older sister, can't help but smile and hug her, "It's all okay. How could I stay mad at you?"

Hunter, looking down at Jude, doesn't know quite what to say to him yet. He barely even knows the kid and if there's one thing Hunter's never been good at it's been knowing what to do. 

But, as a dear friend of his told him, its easier to do something when you see someone else doing it.

"S-sorry," Hunter mumbles under his breath while looking away from Jude. It was a small step, a very tiny one, but one that doesn't go unnoticed. 

"Thanks Hunter," Jude smiles before turning to Nhung, "But did your sister say we can do anything we want?!"

A wicked idea sprouts into the two younger kids' minds as the two teens try to imagine what they could be planning.

_______________________

A while later, the door to the apartment opens as Mister Moore, Misses Moore, and their son Hai enter.

"Why did they even put you in that laundry basket to begin with?" Hai asks his father.

"Apparently they were arguing with a neighbor about some music when I intervened. The neighbor tried to swing at me and that big guy tried to protect me by tossing me in," Mister Nolan Moore laughs, "Though it's not like I couldn't handle a fight just by myself."

"Sure honey," Misses Lan Pham-Moore remarks.

Though as they enter their apartment, their conversation shifts over as they see in the living room a giant fort made up of pillows, blankets, chairs, and some fairy lights. Inside the fort are a laughing Nhung & Jude and a trying-to-act-like-statues Elizabeth & Hunter.

Hai walks past the fort only to get roped into the shenanigans by his little sister & her friend.

"Well I'd say they all seem to be having fun," Nolan Moore remarks.

"Yeah, we should have those two over some more!" Misses Moore thinks aloud.

And so, even if they didn't know it yet at the time. That day would mark the beginning of an unexpected not-quite-friendship-yet-not-quite-acquaintance-ship dynamic between Elizabeth Moore & Hunter Huntingson.

A dynamic born out of a mutual agreement of keeping the peace.

SUN SHORT #4 - We Can Get Spooky

These events occur during the start of the 'Study Buds' storyline from season 2.

Standing in the east side of town, Vanessa Deli can't help but question what even got her to this place as she stands outside of the banquet hall she had her homecoming at. Only this time it's being used for a haunted house attraction.

"I haven't been to these since forever!" Blanko remarks in anticipation, "Aren't you excited?"

"Not really, I don't see the appeal," Vanessa says as the two are stuck in line, "Most of these aren't even that scary-"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

The blood curdling scream rings out as a pair of people come running out of the banquet hall completely terrified. The pair just so happens to consist of Hammer and Nail, two fellow members of Dirty Fang.

"We're free! We're free!" Hammer yells as she carries Nail in her arms.

"You can let me down now!" Nail screams.

Oh yeah, now Vanessa remembers why she's here.

After their trip to the West Side, Andy heard about a haunted house being hosted in the east side and Makinsley liked the idea so much that he invited everybody from Dirty Fang that went to the West to go with.

Of the group, Harvey didn't attend due to not being interested leaving the members that did go being herself, Blanko, Hammer, Nail, Mason Makinsley, Andy Nibble, Purple, & Graham Dirt.

"If they got Nail scared you know it's gotta be intense," Andy comments as he stands in line ahead of Vanessa & Blanko with Makinsley.

"Be careful Andy," Makinsley playfully teases, "Get scared enough and that bucket hat of yours might go flying."

"I doubt it, but who knows, I might just get the chance to see 'The Most Feared Man In Starlight City', crying like a baby," Andy playfully teases right back.

The two continue to playfully riff on one another as they hand the person collecting tickets, Ivory Dutchingson, theirs before entering the haunted house.

"You think they'll actually get scared?" Purple asks Graham as the two stand in line behind Vanessa & Blanko.

"Not a chance," Graham agrees.

Blanko & Vanessa try to get in some comments however they can't say much before they get called up by Ivory to enter the banquet hall.

"Remember to breathe and happy halloween!" Ivory tells them before letting the two enter.

Hesitantly, Blanko & Vanessa walk into the banquet hall. The first room is a spooky graveyard filled with fog.

"W-well, let's just get this over with, right?" Blanko remarks.

"Sure," Vanessa calmly agrees as she puts her hands in her pockets.

The two walk throughout the spooky graveyard and make it to the end to find…no scares.

They then enter the next room, a butcher shop with several slabs of meat being hung on hooks. Vanessa grimaces as the memory of her last fight comes to mind.

The two walk through the butcher shop and….still no scares.

"That's odd, I guess they saved the best for last?" Blanko questions.

The two make their way through the final room which is a dark and dreary hallway and despite spooky music playing on the loudspeaker….nothing happens.

Confused as to what occurred, they only find their answer when stepping foot out into the sunlight once more.

A crowd of actors have huddled around a profusely apologizing Mason Makinsley and a hysterical Andy Nibble. Next to them is one of the workers, Crunch Backson, who was dressed as a zombie and has a bloody nose. Two other workers, Mesto & Suzy, are also dressed as zombies and are trying to stop Crunch's bloody nose.

"I'm so sorry!" Makinsley apologizes, "I guess my fight or flight instinct kicked in."

"Dude, you were totally freaked out, you flinched and were like 'oh'," Andy snickers.

"It's all good man," Crunch remarks, "I guess I shouldn't have jumped out directly in front of you and try to eat your brain."

"I told you somebody was gonna punch you for doing that," Suzy scolds Crunch, "Just be glad you were only knocked out for a few minutes. Don't you agree Mesto?"

Mesto silently nods, not trying to draw attention to himself from the two men that are standing next to him. 

"I guess even our boss knows fear, huh?" Blanko jokes.

"Does being startled count as being scared though?" Vanessa questions.

"We're not having this debate."

SUN SHORT #5 - Confessions From Starlight High

These events occur during the 'Study Buds' storyline from season 2.

During the midst of midterms week at Starlight High, an unknown student created a mailbox for students to write their name and put in confessions from whatever they were feeling at the moment.

Unfortunately, another anonymous student going by the alias 'Surge' took the mailbox and leaked the confessions for all to see. 

These are just some of those confessions…

Ronnie Everst - I'm responsible for the school no longer selling those blueberry muffins….technically.

Alex Smith - I was the one who put that piece of gum on top of the flagpole outside.

Marcus Veridan - I usually only study for my tests the night before.

Elizabeth Moore - I may have accidentally broken one of the water fountains…twice.

Selina Gulvonac - I tried to sell a kid my pencil and he told me "we don't do that here anymore". THE FUCK YOU MEAN 'ANYMORE'?

Sammy Becken - I used to be one of the people who were stuck being inside the costume of Seastar's School Mascot.

Randy Buzz - I listen to girly music when nobody is near.

Carli Kim - I like to imagine random classmates as couples and almost all of them are not good together. Do better.

Christopher Wrinkle - I can't cut onions because I always cry. I don't know why but I just do. Maybe I'm allergic?

Rebecca Jenksin - I got an offer to work at a really huge company.

Hamster - Bennet's technically a rescue. He was born in a shelter so that kind of counts.

Crunch Backson - I'm the one who TPed the principal's house. Was it wrong? Yes. Would I do it again? Yes.

Hunter Huntingson - Detention here isn't as bad as its made out to be.

Suzy Dark - In kindergarten I kicked someone down the slide because they stole my lunchbox. Worth it.

Georgia Gibson - I think I saw Bernard & Evan making out in the west stairway last week.

Bernard Ginger - gingerbread men are the best types of cookies and if you disagree you are wrong.

Evan Dixon - this school would be ten times better if I was still student council president.

Victor Dunnerman - Trisha is the best person in this whole school.

Trisha Bernstein - My boyfriend can beat up your boyfriend.

Zesti Champion - a kid tried to bring homemade milk to class once. That was not a fun parent teacher conference.

Ray Ramirez - I know I have a reputation of disliking this job but…it isn't too bad.

Sam Penningberg - I don't have any favorite students but I do have least favorites.

Aken Amnestor - I used to be a dark roast type of guy but now I lean more towards light roast.

X Locke - I forgot to do my homework one day for Jefferson's class and my excuse was I was too busy looking at the stock market. He bought it and is now asking me for financial advice on where he should invest but I have NO clue what stock is good or not so I just keep saying nonsense and he keeps believing it. Someone please send help.

SUN SHORT #6 - The Three Ts Break Up?!

These events occur in the midst of the season 2 storyline 'Surviving The Seniors'

"So yeah, there I was with 16 pudding cups opened when-" Tom tries to tell Archer Flick when the door bursts open.

Standing in the door are the other two-thirds of The Three Ts, Tim & Tim-Tom.

Tim gasps as he covers his mouth while Tim-Tom stands shocked.

"How dare you," Tim gasps, "You're cheating on us?!"

"What? No, I can explain-" Tom begins to defend.

"Can it, save your excuses for those that'll believe your lies," Tim-Tom hisses, "I can't believe you'd betray us and join The Vignette! And why The Vignette?! They're the least cool crew in the city! You could've chosen Dirty Fang, The Massachusetts Boys, even The Carmine Manifesto! But instead you chose the one led by a guy who looks like he can still order off the kids menu!"

"We're The Three Ts, we're a team & a team sticks together no matter what Tom!" Tim yells, "If this dude is forcing you to join through hurting you, we'll take him down!"

"Okay, I'll let that comment about Joel slide but I think there's a massive misunderstanding here," Archer tries to explain as he holds a pair of scissors next to Tom's head.

"Zip it meathead, I'm gonna give you a headstart on your exit out of here," Tim-Tom hisses, "If I see you around here again then- hell, you saw what I did to my last punching bag."

"I literally haven't-" Archer tries to say.

"WELL YOU'RE ABOUT TO FIND OU-"

"Guys, chill out!!!" Tom yells, "He's my barber!"

Tim & Tim-Tom glance at Archer to see he's wearing a black apron which has a comb and electric razor hanging out of it.

Tom also has a black hair cutting cape around him.

"Oh-" the two remark as they lay down their fists.

The silence in the room is loud but deafening as Archer slowly goes back to trimming up Tom's afro.

"So….we may have jumped the gun a bit," Tim-Tom begins to say, "Sorry about that."

"It's okay," Archer remarks, "Just be glad Graham's appointment was canceled."

"Graham goes here too?" Tim remarks as he takes a look at the wall of the barber shop.

"Yeah, he's actually a really good soap carver," Tom remarks.

"So that's why the shower's been looking so pretty recently," Tim-Tom remarks.

"How did you even find me?"

"Ah, Tim installed one of those couple tracker apps on your phone the other day."

"Why?"

"Well we are in a risky business."

"That's fair," Archer agrees.

Tim spots a picture of a much younger Archer trying to cut gum out of a much younger Elias' hair while a much younger (yet still looking the same as he does now) Joel Cooper trying to calm the panicked Elias.

"You've been cutting hair for a while?" Tim comments, "How about giving us a-"

"No," Archer responds.

"Fair enough."

SUN SHORT #7 - The Only Way

These events occur during the 'Study Buds' storyline from season 2.

Six Weeks.

That's how long the doctor said he'd have to keep his leg in a cast.

To Hunter Huntingson, he didn't mind too much. He got his bat back, Worcester is out of the picture, and everything is back to normal. Well almost normal.

Some broken bones were all that it cost? Sounded like a fair deal to him.

Those thoughts crossed Hunter's mind as he sat in his foster family's kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal while light from the rising sun seeped in from the blinds. He was the first one up in the house, and save for a leaky faucet, there weren't any other sounds in the house just yet.

However, that wouldn't be for long as another person entered the kitchen. Chao Huang.

Unlike Hunter who still had a case of bedhead and was wearing a white t-shirt & pajama pants, Chao looked ready for the day. He had on a cozy pastel color block hoodie, black sweatpants, and his old beige high top shoes.

The two stayed in silence as Chao opened the pantry and grabbed a roll of bagels out from it.

"You want one?" Chao offers as he twists the bagel into two pieces.

"I'm good," Hunter remarks.

"Okay."

Chao puts the two bagel slices into the toaster and lets them cook.

The tiny ticking of the toaster as it slowly heated up the bagel being a newfound source of sound amongst the two teens.

Hunter, nearing the end of his cereal, looks up toward Chao Huang, the person he thought he knew well enough about until a few nights ago. The person who he now knew as the third-in-command of The Massachusetts Boys, Cambridge.

"You didn't have to lie about my foot," Hunter tells Chao.

Chao, his back facing away from Hunter, stays mute for some time before breathing, "Yes I did. You saw how Mister & Misses Lynch reacted to that fight you got into right outside our patio. Saying you went off and got into another fight would've been a disaster."

"A disaster, huh?" Hunter remarks as he shoves a spoonful of cereal into his mouth, "You sure you aren't saying that because then they'd know about your 'little secret'."

Chao pauses before quickly turning around and marching up toward the kitchen table.

"You have no idea what you're talking-"

POP!

The bagel has finished toasting.

Chao lets out a sigh he didn't know he was keeping inside of him as he turns around to grab the bagel. He places it on a paper plate and then takes a knife to a container of cream cheese.

"So, you not going to explain what all that was?" Hunter asks, "Why you were working with the same people who tried to harm Jude?"

"I…we all have our talents in life," Chao remarks, "Ever since I was a kid, I've always been good at fighting. Of course that knack of mine always resulted in me being tossed around foster home to foster home. Nobody wanted somebody that they saw as a 'danger'."

"...."

"But then, that's when I got taken in by Mister & Misses Lynch. They were different from the rest. They weren't afraid of who I was. Sure they got upset when I got into a fight, but it was out of concern for me."

Chao spreads the cream cheese across his bagel as he continues, "Well, because of my attitude at the time, I got involved with the wrong crowd. People who wanted to hurt my family because they couldn't hurt me. So I sought out the only help I could get. I sought out Boston. And sure enough, he helped get rid of that 'problem' for me."

Chao sets the knife he was using down into the sink.

"That's how I got to be a part of The Massachusetts Boys. Before I knew it, I became their number three," Chao explains as he sits down at the table.

"Do you-"

"Regret it? No, This was the only way I could've protected the only people who cared for me, I would do it all over again if I had to. "

Chao lifts the bagel to his mouth and is about to eat it when Hunter finishes what he was going to ask.

"Do you think they'd be happy knowing all you do to 'protect' them?"

Chao hesitates, his lip quivers as he tries to think of any other response than the one he knows to be true.

"I…" Chao begins to plead when.

"Aw sweet, breakfast!" Jude Jackson shouts as he races down the steps toward the kitchen.

As the youngest member of the household enters the kitchen, the two adults soon arise from their bedroom to join them. Illiana Lynch is currently rushing to get ready for work on time while Lennon slowly brews some coffee.

Jude, seeing the bagel on Chao's plate, asks, "Can you make me one of those?"

Abruptly, Chao stands up from the table and begins to walk away.

"You can have it," Chao tells him, "I'm not hungry anymore."

"Oh…okay."

"Did he not sleep well?" Lennon wonders aloud.

As Chao walks away, Hunter can't help but look toward his older foster sibling and sees something in him.

To Mister & Misses Lynch, they see a kind and reliable young man ready for adulthood.

To Jude, he sees a cooler confidant older brother that can do no wrong.

But to Hunter. He sees something else. He sees a lost and confused child trying to make it in a world he's unsure of.

A child that sees the path ahead of him as the only way forward.

SUN SHORT #8 - Late Nights

These events occur during the 'A New Home' storyline from Season 2.

Some nights at the Everst Family Home, Ronnie finds himself awake in the middle of the night.

Sometimes he ends up staying up without realizing, other times he just wakes up at a random hour in the early morning. 

Regardless of how he finds himself here, he ends up doing the same thing to make himself fall back asleep.

He heads over to the VHS player in his room and inserts a special tape into it and watches it on his box tv at a volume low enough not to wake up his mom. Sometimes he watches through the whole thing, other nights he just skips through half of it.

Regardless of how much he watches, the one line from the tape he always hears is…

"You're going to be someone special. You're going to be you."

Once the tape finishes, he takes it out of the player and turns off the TV. He then sets it back in the box where he keeps his other tapes and then get back into his bed.

Before drifting to sleep however, he would say two words.

"Night dad."

And thus, the late night Ronnie would spend awake would finally come to an end.

SUN SHORT #9 - I Hate My Name

These events occur during the 'Study Buds' storyline from season 2.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The laughter of one rang out for all to hear in the west side of town as C.J. stood embarrassed, looking down at the howling-with-laughter Kimberly "Lowell" Overton.

"I-It's not that funny-" C.J. tries to defend himself which only causes Kimberly to laugh even louder. 

As her laughter continues to erupt out of her from the parking lot of the Heartbreak Motel, two other members of The Massachusetts Boys, Parker 'Plymouth' Duggar, & Quinn 'Quincy' Overton walk over. The two still have bruises and bandages on from their fight against Tim-Tom.

"Hey C.J., what's up with the new 4?" Parker grumbles as he rubs his hurt nose, "She's acting more insane than usual."

"I don't know," C.J. lies, "And my name isn't C.J.! It's-"

Finally calming down enough to speak, Kimberly snorts, "So you know how Boston went to the North to go find some allies? Well, before he did I got our favorite bitchboy in front of him so he could finally get his title."

"Ah, so what did he decide to call bitchboy?" Parker leans in to ask.

It's as this that Kimberly tries to hold back a laugh as she squeals out the answer.

"Water Town."

Hearing the answer, Parker can't help but join in on Kimberly's laughter as the two rejoice in C.J.'s newest given name.

"It's not that bad," C.J.- I mean Water Town pleads.

"Aye Quincy, he says it isn't bad! What do you think?" Parker giggles.

Quincy, who was listening to some vocaloid music on her ipod, turns and looks at C.J. dead in his face. 

"It's a pretty stupid name," Quincy agrees.

Quincy pops her headphones back in as Kimberly & Parker continue to laugh at C.J.'s new name.

"Honestly would've preferred if you sticked to C.J.," Water Town sighs defeatedly, "I'd even take BitchBoy."

SUN SHORT #10 - Quick Camping Trip

These events occur after the 'Study Buds' storyline from Season 2.

The crackling of a campfire rises up into the night sky. A figure in a gray hoodie under a green denim jacket, ripped jeans, & worn out shoes watches the fire burn as he holds a bottle of apple juice in one of his hands.

Sitting on the other side of the fire is the person's handler, Logan Stewart. A man with light brown skin, curly dark brown hair, gold eyes, a chiseled jawline, and tattoos from the neck down. He's currently wearing some camo gear.

"I take it you heard about what's going on with Dirty Fang & The Massachusetts Boys," Logan remarks, "MSA is trying to plan some sort of deescalation meeting but I'm sure we both know how that's gonna turn out."

The person holding the apple juice is silent before standing up and cracking open their bottle of apple juice.

"I guess you're sick of all the chitchat, huh?" Logan questions as he stands up, "Or is it that we have company?"

Logan glances behind him to see someone walking out of the car they all took to get here.

"What is it?" Logan asks.

"It looks like they have a job for The Phantom to take care of," their driver remarks.

The Phantom, midsip of their drink, looks over to their driver stunned.

"But wasn't the agreement to wait until-" Logan begins to ask.

"Plans change Mister Stewart," their driver remarks, "It's not even that long of a drive from where we are at."

As the driver of the vehicle walks closer to the fire, it illuminates his features. He's a tall, somewhat muscular man, with white skin, black hair in a two-block style, a goatee, brown eyes, and a pair of glasses with a gold rim. The chauffeur is wearing a white button-up underneath a black suit jacket, black pants, and black dress shoes.

"Okay fine, but you mind helping out this fire Kyle?" Logan asks.

"It's Mister Veridan to you kid," the chauffeur retorts.

As the two begin to put out the fire, The Phantom makes his way closer to the vehicle. Once he does he manages to get a clear view of the night sky. A night sky filled with all the stars one wouldn't be able to see in a big city.

The Phantom takes out his phone and aims it at the night sky.

SNAP!

See You Next Chapter!~