“I’m sorry that Raggy Doll had to steal your french fry. She can sometimes be a meanie without realizing it..” Darla said apologetically, despite the few junks of her hamburger taking up the insides of her mouth.

“Wait, they have names?!” Bruce exclaimed as he simultaneously kept his voice down to not bring the attention of commoners in this stupid, fast food place. 

“Heck yeah! Who do you think we are, poopheads?” Raggy Doll then laughed at her own corny joke, patting her belly as if it’s peak comedy! 

The cartoony puppy playfully rolled his eyes as he spoke, “Anyways, I’m Puppy Clown!”

Something suddenly popped up out of Bruce’s dark-chocolate hair, a playdoh noodle-haired toy that can stretch its body to an extreme however it wants. It jumpscares him as he looks her in the eye, finding no words to say as he panics.

“W-Who are you?!” Bruce softly stammered. 

“I’m Stretchy Stacy! I see that you met our bff Darla, by the way, no need to be a scaredy cat. We ain’t gonna bite you on the bum!” Said the stretchy toy, simply dressed like an acrobat in blue and red.

Bruce resisted the urge to scream and closed his eyes to calm down, whispering something along the lines of: “This is probably just your imagination messing around.” When he opened his eyes, the main three of them are still here… Puppy Clown, Raggy Doll, and Stretchy Stacy. But to him as he calms down a little, they don’t seem to be the type of “creatures” to bite. They’re just nice. 

“I suppose our little date is over.” Bruce stated calmly as he started sweating like today’s a hot day. Even though there’s air conditioning inside, and the outdoors aren’t even that hot to begin with. 

“Wait! But it hasn’t–”

“I’ll talk to you later.” He dismisses her as he leaves her all alone at the table, inside of the fast food place that he quietly considers for peasants.

Bruce couldn’t handle what he had just seen, walking back to the black car where his stoic butler was waiting. Two cartoony thingies and a playdoh-looking toy in his sight earlier were surely something. He quietly realizes that if he were to tell anyone–especially his mother or father–about what he had seen when being with Darla, then… nobody would believe him! Seems like it’s just between him and her. Hopefully, on the next day, he’ll get answers. Before that, he’ll probably apologize to her.

Finally, Monday came. 

Walking down the school hallways, ignoring every girl that said “hi” to him, Bruce spots Darla leaning against the wall next to a window. As usual, she’s drawing something in that mini sketchbook of hers.

“YOU!” He called out to her.

Darla looks up innocently, “Oh hi Bruce-!”

He immediately grabbed her shirt collar to pull her close to him, gritting his teeth with his eyebrows furrowed, “Give me answers. Were they demons from the underworld?!”

“The circus friends aren’t demons! T-They've been my best friends since I was in diapers!” Darla stuttered, her eyes rapidly darting around only to see that everyone is staring now. Blushing nervously, she has a bad feeling about this…

“Don’t GIVE me that crap! Tell me the truth, who exactly were they?!” Bruce yelled.

“I did told you the truth! They are my best friends! I’m sorry, please don’t hit me! PLEASE DON’T HIT ME!” Darla begins to shed tears, her heart beating so fast that she couldn’t think straight. She remains helpless like she always is.

“HEY!” Stretchy Stacy stretched her arm to grab Bruce by the back of his hair, “Pick on someone who ain’t helpless!” She exclaimed as she held him back by wrapping her long arms around his waist.

Puppy Clown jumps onto Darla’s left arm, hugging it until she calms down, “There, there, we’re here for ya!”

Raggy Doll stands in front of her, her back facing the human girl while ready to use her claws.

“Oh no, everyone is looking at us weirdly!” Darla thought to herself. In everyone’s eyes, there’s no circus friends to spot. That’s because they haven’t gotten to know Darla by stepping into her life. Even Silver is looking!

“I’m sorry for offending you! Come on guys!” Darla said as she dashed on her way to the girls bathroom with her circus friends, embarrassed and hurt.

“Wait!” Bruce yelled out with his hand reaching for her, but she’s already gone out of his sight. He looked at the same hand that harshly gripped the collar of her shirt, his eyes now full of shame for how rude he was... When he looked around, he was relieved that everyone went back to minding their own business and nobody recorded what happened.