Henry, Ray, Charlotte, Jasper, and Schwoz are all eating and watching a scary movie about a zombie coyote. Everyone is scared except for Henry. He tells them that he doesn't get scared. The others argue against this and complain that he is eating Bro-maha steaks. To prove that Henry can be scared, Ray decides to challenge Henry by putting him in the Story Tank and telling him a scary story, and if Henry got scared, everyone else would get his steaks. Henry accepts, and Schwoz puts Henry in the Story Tank, which would measure Henry's fear levels and allow Henry to enter the Story Zone, where he would be able to see the events that happen in Ray's story. Ray begins the story with Henry in front of his own house, which Ray reveals to be a haunted house

In the story, Henry enters his own house with Ray. Jake tells Henry that he would be leaving for the winter, and he would be leaving Henry and Ray to be the caretakers. However, before he leaves, he warns them that the last caretaker went crazy and sowed together his daughter's clothes. Ray plans to write the Great American Meme, and Henry goes upstairs with his luggage. When he enters his room, he sees Charlotte and Piper wearing a set of clothes that are sowed together. He is briefly startled, but not enough to be entirely scared. The girls in the dream help him organize his things. In the living room, Ray is trying to write his meme when Schwoz appears. He gives Ray a drink and suggests that he break down Henry's door with an ax, Ray a guitar to do it, but Ray suddenly realizes that they were alone in the house. He turns, and Schwoz is gone. Realizing that he has gone crazy, Ray goes upstairs and starts breaking down Henry's door with the guitar. Henry still isn't scared, and Ray starts to make more scary scenarios, making Jasper appear as a ghost, Jake and Schwoz arrive in the room, and then having Henry give a public speech. None of this works, so Jasper decides to tell a new story to Henry. He tells Henry a story of how Henry is in Junk-N-Stuff weaving a friendship bracelet when Charlotte and Jasper burst in. They say there are zombies

Jasper tells the story of how zombies (Ray, Schwoz, and Piper) are trying to get into Junk-N-Stuff. They enter, and then Jake arrives as a zombie from the back. Henry pokes holes in the logic of the story, but then Jasper makes himself and Charlotte a zombie, and they all attack Henry. However, Henry thinks it tickles. Charlotte tries to tell Henry a story of how Piper and Jake came home one day with a doll, but Henry predicts that the doll would come to life and attack him in his sleep. Piper then tries to tell a story of a person who called Henry and asked, "Do you like scary movies?" However, Henry predicts that the call was coming from inside the house, and the caller was a masked man with a knife

Schwoz then tells Henry a story

Well I have a story for you, but it’s not mine” Schowz says with a sly look on his face.

“

Okay? What’s the story? I’m sure that I won’t be scared.” Henry replies with the utmost confidence.

“Charlotte told me a great story earlier this week about a guy.”

“Alright. What’s the story about? This guy a ghost or something?” Henry asks.

“No. Just some guy in her class. And he is definitely alive.”

What’s so scary about a guy in Charlotte’s class? Henry thought.

“Who’s alive?” Ray wonders.

“Just a boy that Charlotte was telling me about. She says that he’s super cool.”

While Henry is in deep thought and not paying them any attention, Schowz walks over to the Story Tank monitor to check on Henry’s Fear-inol levels. The levels were rising slowly.

I

knew that would work! I’m a genius! Schowz thinks to himself.

He looks over at Ray and gestures to the monitor with a slight nod in its direction. Schowz then gives Ray a wink to signal for him to play along. Ray winks back to let him know that he understands.

They’ve both noticed that Henry has been a little more attentive to Charlotte than usual lately. Standing over shoulder while she’s at the console, invading her personal space, bringing her food from the AutoSnacker, riding in the same tube with her when Jasper takes the other. He is not subtle at all. He definitely has a big, fat crush.

T

he entire interaction goes unnoticed by Henry who is still pondering Schowz’s earlier statement. Charlotte thinks that someone is cool? That’s new. She usually thinks that everyone is lame. Including me. Is this a real guy?

“Charlotte said that? What else-” Henry clears his throat and tries but fails to sound nonchalant, “Uh, what else did she say?”

“

Are you guys talking about Brayden?” Ray cuts in. “Because Charlotte also mentioned this guy to me. She went on and on about how handsome he was” Ray adds helpfully.

“Ray, guess what?”

“What?”

“I think that I know someone who could beat you in the Handsomest Man in Swellview Competition this year.”

“Blasphemy! No one can beat this face!”

“Nope, I really think he could win.”

“Oh yeah? Who is this guy?”

“My friend Brayden.”

“Show me his picture.”

Charlotte pulls out her phone to show him.

Schowz checks the monitor again, there was a spike in Fear-inol AND Urinol after Ray backed his play. Ray walked over to the monitor and saw the increase as well.

“

Henry doesn’t stand a chance” he whispers quietly to his shorter friend.

“Absolutely not.” Schowz agrees.

Brayden? Debate team Brayden? Charlotte thinks he’s cool? And handsome? She said that he barely brought anything to the team except for a pretty face. I thought that was an insult to his intelligence. But maybe it was a compliment on his face?

“Did Charlotte tell you about her date with him?” questions Schowz.

D

ate? What date? Charlotte is dating Brayden now? When did that happen? Why am I just hearing about it?

“Um, they’re going out? Like in real life? And she told you this?” Henry asks disbelievingly.

“She suuuuure did. I heard he was taking her out this Saturday” Ray says with a goofy grin on his face.

Fear-inol levels were now reaching the precipice of the Startled Zone but weren’t quite there yet. Schowz motions to Ray to keep going, letting him know that their scare tactics were working.

Henry takes off the helmet and whips his head over to Charlotte who is sitting at the table with Piper talking animatedly. Jasper is now at the auto snacker ordering more candy and popcorn.

I

wonder what they’re talking about. Is it about this so called “date”? Does Jasper know too? Am I the only one who didn’t know? Why didn’t she tell me?

“That-that’s cool. Charlotte has a date. What’s so scary about that?” Henry plays it off but there is a glistening of sweat forming on his brow bone.

“Oh, nothing. I just thought that you’d want to know. Put the mask back on.”

Henry follows the direction without protest. It’s as if he’s in sort of a trance.

“Yeah Henry, isn’t Saturday you and Charlotte’s official Movie Night night?” Ray asks.

“It is.” Henry muttered glumly.

“Weellllll, she’s gonna miss that. I heard that they are going to Nacho Ball.” Schowz adds.

Henry feels sick to his stomach. “She hasn’t cancelled movie night for this weekend, how do I know that you aren’t just saying this to bother me?” Henry questions Ray and Schowz.

“She probably just hasn’t gotten around to it yet. Too busy thinking about her date with Brayden.” Ray mocks.

“Bother you? Does the fact that Charlotte has a date bother you?” Schowz inquires.

“

Uh, no it doesn’t bother me. Why would it?” Henry mutters while scratching the back of his neck.

“You tell us Henry? Are you upset that Charlotte is going on a ?” Ray asks while stepping closer to the tank.

“Psssh, what? No. I’m just upset that she’s going to miss movie night.” Henry says nervously.

“Really?” Ray countered, squinting at Henry in suspicion.

Henry mustered up all his bravado and put it into the next word, “Really.”

“Well I’m sure if you ask her, she’d be willing to reschedule the date for earlier that day.” Schowz suggests as he checks Henry’s Fearinol levels again. The levels are now in the fully in the Startled Zone and creeping to the precipice of Scared. Schowz mouths to Ray, ‘Almost there’.

“Good. And then at movie night, Charlotte can tell you ALL about her date and how great it was.” Ray taunts.

“I wonder if they’ll kiss? What do you think Ray? Think they’ll kiss?” Schowz questions

“Oh definitely. One thing I know about is teenage boys. I used to be one not too long ago! If I was this guy, I’d definitely shoot my shot. Charlotte’s a catch.”

“

True. She’s so smart and pretty. What guy would turn her down?” Schowz adds.

“I don’t know. A chump probably” Ray alleges.

“Do you think that Brayden is a chump Henry?” the foreigner probes.

Right before imaginary Charlotte and Brayden touch lips, Henry rips the helmet off his head. He’s breathing harshly and looks uncomfortable.

“

That’s enough! I-I’m good” Henry rasps out.

Checking the monitor, Henry’s Fear-inol levels were offically in Scared terrority now and steadily increasing. His heart rate is also off the charts.

“Ha! I knew that I could scare you!” Ray gloats.

“I started it. It was my story” Schowz whines

“Yeah, yeah yeah. Give me those sweet, sweet steaks!” he walks over to the table to collect the meat and then goes through the sprocket door.

Henry gets out of the Story Tank while Schowz chases after Ray. “I thought we were supposed to be sharing those!”

S

ighing, Henry looks over at the table to see only Piper sitting there on her phone. It looks like she hadn’t moved in quite some time.

“Where’d Charlotte and Jasper go?”

“They went upstairs awhile ago to help some customers.”

“Oh okay. Nice. So were you on your phone the whole time or....?”

“Yeah, I’ve been in a Twitflash beef with Jana Tetrazinni for the past thirty minutes.”

“

Cool cool cool cool,cool.”

“Still totally heard the fact that you were scared by Charlotte going on a date in a fake scenario.”

“I wasn’t scared! And fake scenario? What do you mean fake scenario? Char’s going out with Brayden this Saturday isn’t she?”

“Uh no dude. The only reason those guys even know about Brayden is because Charlotte was complaining about how he almost made them lose a debate this week. She hates that guy” Piper says as she gets up from the table and walks towards him.

“Oh.” Henry says with obvious relief.

“Yeah, ‘oh’. You need to go and ask her out before you give yourself an aneurysm. I’m not visiting you in the hospital” Piper says sarcastically and pats him on the arm as she passes.

“Ha ha very funny Piper. I don’t see Charlotte like that, we’re just friends.”

“That’s not what your Fear-inol levels say buddy.”

........