Chapter 27
Later that day, after their disciplinary hearing, Mike and Sulley returned to the OK fraternity house. The other Oozmas were eager to hear what had happened.
“Expelled?” Don gasped.
Mike nodded. “Yeah, we really messed up.” He looked at his Oozma brothers and said, “I’m sorry, guys. You’d be in the Scaring Program right now if it weren’t for us.”
The Oozmas stared at Mike and Sulley awkwardly, as if they knew something else. “What?” Sulley finally asked them.
“Well,” Don began, “it’s the gosh-darndestthing. Hardscrabble’s letting us back in the Scaring Program.”
“She was impressed with our performance at the games ... so she invited us to join next semester!” Terri and Terry continued.
Sulley started laughing. “Congratulations, guys!”
“And that’s not the only good news,” Don said eagerly. “Sheri and I are engaged!”
Mike and Sulley looked at each other in confusion. “Who’s Sheri?” Sulley asked.
“She’s my mom,” Squishy said, embarrassed.
Ms. Squibbles suddenly waddled up to the group. “Well, if it isn’t my two favorite fellas!” she said, beaming at Don and Squishy. Ms. Squibbles nuzzled up to Don, smiling. “Come here and give me some sugar.”
Squishy looked like he was ready to die. “So uncomfortable ...,” he muttered.
“Aw, come on, Scott,” Don said to Squishy. “I don’t want you to think of me as your new dad. After all, we’re fraternity brothers first. Just think of me as your big brother who’s marrying your mother.”
“This is so weird,” Squishy said, cringing.
Mike and Sulley packed their bags and said their farewells to their Oozma brothers. “Promise you’ll keep in touch,” Don said, handing Mike his business card. The word “sales” was scratched out and the words “scare student” had been written in.
Mike smiled. “You’re the scariest bunch of monsters I ever met,” he told them as they hugged their last good-bye. “Don’t let anyone tell you different.”
“So, what now?” Sulley asked as he and Mike walked toward the campus gate.
“You know, this is the first time in my life I don’t really have a plan,” Mike replied.
But Sulley wasn’t worried. “You’re the great Mike Wazowski!” he said. “You’ll come up with something.”
Mike shrugged as his bus arrived. “I think it’s time I leave the greatness to other monsters. I’m okay just being okay. So long, Sul.” He shook his friend’s hand and climbed aboard the bus.
Sulley nodded. “So long, Mike.”
The bus pulled away. Mike stared out at the university he was leaving behind.
Suddenly, two blue hands reached into the window. “Wazowski!” Sulley yelled, and then fell away.
“Stop the bus!” Mike yelled. He jumped off and ran back to see Sulley lying on the ground. “Are you crazy?” Mike asked, rushing up to him.
Sulley sat up and looked his friend in the eye. There was something he needed to say. “I don’t know a single Scarer who can do what you do,” Sulley said. “I know when everyone sees us together, they think I’m the one running the show, but the truth is I’ve been riding your coattails since day one. You made the deal with Hardscrabble, you took a hopeless team and made them champions. All I did was catch a pig. Mike, you’re not scary, not even a little ... but you are fearless.”
Mike stopped in his tracks. He’d never thought of himself, little Mike Wazowski, as fearless.
“And if Hardscrabble can’t see that,” Sulley continued, “then she can just —”
“I can just what?” Dean Hardscrabble said, approaching from behind him. Sulley and Mike gasped at her. “Careful, Mr. Sullivan. I was just beginning to like you.”
“Sorry,” Sulley said quickly.
Dean Hardscrabble held up a copy of the Campus Roar. “Well, it seems you made the front page again.” Mike and Sulley sheepishly looked at a photo of the CDA hauling them away from the shattered door lab.
Dean Hardscrabble couldn’t help but smile a little as she handed the paper to Mike. “The two of you have done something together no one has ever done before,” she said. “You surprised me. Perhaps I should keep an eye out for more surprises like you in my Scaring Program.” She began to walk away, then turned around. “And, Mr. Wazowski? Keep surprising people.” Then she f lew off.
Mike watched as she disappeared into the sky. Then he looked at the newspaper she’d left behind and noticed something on the back page. Suddenly, he smiled at Sulley. “There’s still a way we could work at a scare f loor,” he said, holding up the Help Wanted section.
第 27 章
當(dāng)天晚些時(shí)候,學(xué)校進(jìn)行了紀(jì)律聽(tīng)證會(huì)。會(huì)后,麥克和毛怪回到OK會(huì)會(huì)所,大家都迫不及待地想要知道會(huì)議結(jié)果。
“被開(kāi)除了?”老唐倒抽了一口氣。
麥克點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭說(shuō):“是,這次我們確實(shí)做得太過(guò)了。”他看著所有兄弟們繼續(xù)說(shuō)道:“抱歉各位,要不是我們闖禍,你們已經(jīng)回到驚嚇學(xué)院上課了。”
大家奇怪地盯著麥克和毛怪,似乎想要說(shuō)什么。“怎么了?”毛怪忍不住問(wèn)道。
“哦,”老唐開(kāi)口了,“這事兒你肯定想不到,郝刻薄院長(zhǎng)已經(jīng)準(zhǔn)許我們回到驚嚇學(xué)院了。”
泰瑞和泰銳兄弟倆接著說(shuō):“她說(shuō)我們?cè)诒荣愔械谋憩F(xiàn)令她刮目相看……所以她請(qǐng)我們下學(xué)期去上課!”
毛怪笑了:“那恭喜你們啦,兄弟們!”
“還有更讓人高興的消息呢,”老唐激動(dòng)地說(shuō),“雪莉和我訂婚了!”
麥克和毛怪面面相覷,沒(méi)聽(tīng)懂老唐在說(shuō)什么。“雪莉是誰(shuí)?”毛怪問(wèn)道。
“是我媽。”史乖寶回答道,他有些不好意思了。
史太太忽然搖搖擺擺地走了過(guò)來(lái)。“現(xiàn)在我有兩個(gè)寶貝了!”她笑瞇瞇地看著老唐和史乖寶,又笑著用鼻頭蹭蹭老唐的臉蛋說(shuō):“來(lái)給我一個(gè)甜甜的吻吧!”
史乖寶看起來(lái)尷尬極了。他咕噥道:“這也太不對(duì)勁了……”
“別這樣,史乖寶,”老唐說(shuō)道,“別把我想成你的新爸爸。別忘了我們可是做兄弟在先的。你就把我當(dāng)成娶了你媽媽的大哥哥吧。”
“這太奇怪了吧。”史乖寶說(shuō)道,依舊感到很難堪。
麥克和毛怪裝好自己的行李就開(kāi)始向OK會(huì)的兄弟們告別了。“一定要經(jīng)常聯(lián)系。”老唐說(shuō)著,遞給麥克一張名片。名片上的“銷(xiāo)售”兩個(gè)字已經(jīng)被畫(huà)去,重新寫(xiě)上了“驚嚇專業(yè)學(xué)生”。
麥克報(bào)以一個(gè)微笑說(shuō):“你們是我見(jiàn)過(guò)的最會(huì)嚇人的怪獸。不管別人說(shuō)什么,別當(dāng)回事。”說(shuō)完大家都圍上來(lái)?yè)肀麄儯退麄冏鲎詈蟮母鎰e。
毛怪和麥克拖著行李朝校門(mén)走去。“現(xiàn)在該怎么辦呢?”毛怪問(wèn)道。
“說(shuō)實(shí)話,這是我人生中第一次不知道該干什么了。”麥克回答。
但毛怪一點(diǎn)兒也不擔(dān)心。“你是偉大的麥克·華斯基!”他說(shuō),“你一定能想出來(lái)。”
這時(shí)麥克要坐的公共汽車(chē)來(lái)了,麥克聳聳肩對(duì)毛怪說(shuō):“‘偉大’這個(gè)詞應(yīng)該留給其他怪獸。我想我可能就是個(gè)普通怪獸吧。再見(jiàn)了,毛怪。”說(shuō)完,麥克和毛怪握了握手就跳上了車(chē)。
毛怪點(diǎn)了點(diǎn)頭:“再見(jiàn)了,麥克。”
汽車(chē)開(kāi)動(dòng)了。麥克一直凝望著越來(lái)越遠(yuǎn)的怪獸大學(xué)。
突然兩只藍(lán)色的大手伸進(jìn)窗戶。“華斯基!”原來(lái)是毛怪。他大喊著麥克的名字,又掉了下去。
“停車(chē)!”麥克大喊道。他急忙跳下車(chē)往回跑,看見(jiàn)毛怪躺在路面上。“你瘋了嗎?”麥克一邊問(wèn)一邊向毛怪跑去。
毛怪坐起身,直直地盯著麥克。有些話他不得不說(shuō):“沒(méi)有哪個(gè)驚嚇專員比你更優(yōu)秀啦。我們?cè)谝黄鸬臅r(shí)候,別人都以為我才是領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者,但事實(shí)上從第一天起我就在沾你的光。是你跟郝刻薄打賭,是你帶領(lǐng)這個(gè)爛隊(duì)贏得了冠軍。我只是抓了一只小豬。麥克,你是長(zhǎng)得不可怕,一點(diǎn)兒都不可怕……但你無(wú)所畏懼。”
麥克愣住了。無(wú)所畏懼,他從沒(méi)這么想過(guò)自己,那個(gè)小小的麥克·華斯基。
“如果郝刻薄連這點(diǎn)眼光都沒(méi)有,”毛怪繼續(xù)說(shuō)道,“她還不如——”
“我還不如什么?”郝刻薄院長(zhǎng)從毛怪身后走來(lái),令他倆目瞪口呆。院長(zhǎng)繼續(xù)說(shuō)道:“別放肆,蘇利文先生,我剛對(duì)你有點(diǎn)好感。”
“抱歉。”毛怪趕緊說(shuō)道。
郝刻薄院長(zhǎng)舉起一份校報(bào)說(shuō):“看來(lái)你們又上頭條了啊。”麥克和毛怪不好意思地看著報(bào)紙上的照片,上面是救援隊(duì)拽著他們離開(kāi)傳送門(mén)實(shí)驗(yàn)室的場(chǎng)景,周?chē)黄墙濉?br />
郝刻薄院長(zhǎng)最終還是沒(méi)有忍住,輕輕地笑了一下。她將報(bào)紙遞給麥克說(shuō):“你們倆在這里所做的一切,之前從沒(méi)有發(fā)生過(guò)。你們讓我瞠目結(jié)舌。也許在驚嚇學(xué)院,我應(yīng)該試著去欣賞你們這些令人驚訝的‘特殊’學(xué)生。”說(shuō)著她就走開(kāi)了,可是沒(méi)走幾步又轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身說(shuō)道,“華斯基先生,繼續(xù)創(chuàng)造奇跡吧。”說(shuō)完,院長(zhǎng)張開(kāi)翅膀飛走了。
麥克望著院長(zhǎng)消失在天際。接著,他重新翻開(kāi)院長(zhǎng)留下的報(bào)紙,在背面發(fā)現(xiàn)了一些信息。忽然,他笑著對(duì)毛怪說(shuō):“我們還有一個(gè)途徑去怪獸電力公司的驚嚇層工作。”說(shuō)著他將報(bào)紙的招聘版面舉到毛怪面前。