Monster High: Fright On! | Monster High Fanfiction

Burning Bridges

"Frankie," Draculaura whispered softly so that she wouldn't wake a snoring Cleo on the other side of her. She's had enough sleepovers with the ghoul to know that she only snored on her back, but knew that trying to tilt her over would probably wake her up and she'd be treated to a sleepy glare. Frankie, however, she knew wasn't asleep. She'd been staring at the back of her head for the past twenty minutes since they had crawled onto her large Howlifornia King size bed. She was stiff, as she had been ever since Draculaura had gotten into the backseat of Deuce's car. The ghoul could barely keep eye contact with her, much less talk to her.

The conversations over the night had been fueled mainly by Cleo and Draculaura as they dutifully filled out the Gloom Beach Fear Camp forms, only finishing a few hours after midnight. Frankie'd stood awkwardly in a pair of her cotton pajamas (she'd forgoed the 100% spider silk that Cleo had snatched up happily) before finally getting into the bed when Cleo had snapped at her. There was more than enough room in the Dracula mansion for them to have their own suites (with an entertaining room, powder room and walk-in-closet), but Cleo had declared that it wouldn't have been a true sleepover.

The de Nile had knocked out as soon as her head hit the pillow, leaving a worried Draculaura and a too-tense Frankie, her tight frame illuminated by the rays of moonlight shining into the room. That too, was immensely annoying, but her body was too tired to get up and close the curtains on her windows.

"Frankie," Draculaura hissed a bit louder when she didn't reply. Her shoulders stiffened even further. She poked her back, right between her shoulder blades, causing the ghoul to jerk at the sudden contact.

"I knew you weren't asleep," she whispered triumphantly. "Now, what's up? You've been acting weird all night."

"Nothing," Frankie mumbled despondently.

Draculaura rolled her eyes at the blatant lie. "I thought we both agreed that you weren't very good at lying, Frankie."

"I'm not lying - I just haven't been feeling so good."

Draculaura puckered her mouth in concern. "Is there something wrong with your bolts or stitches or something?"

"No," Frankie sighed gruffly, burrowing further into the thousand-thread comforter.

"Is it a circuit issue? Do you even have circuits?" Draculaura mused.

"It's nothing, okay? Don't worry about it."

Draculaura frowned, and nudged her with her foot. "I'm always gonna worry about you."

"It sure seemed like it tonight," Frankie said lowly, a note of sarcasm to her voice.

"I-What?"

"Nothing," Frankie muttered.

Draculaura perched herself up on one elbow, looking down at Frankie worriedly. "Is this about how much time I spent with Clawd? I'm sorry - I thought that Cleo would-"

"-be enough," Frankie cut her off, finished her sentence.

There was a moment of silence. "If you just told me what was wrong, I could-"

"I don't have to tell you everything, okay," Frankie snapped, her sharp voice ringing around the silent room. "You're not my keeper."

Draculaura couldn't keep the hurt from her voice. "I know that . . . I just thought that-" her mouth suddenly became dry even as her eyes began to betray her by turning dewy. She couldn't lose another friend, not after what Clawdeen had done only a little over twelve hours ago, "-I just thought that that was what we did, listen to each other, help each other."