Hurry Up, Get Happy (a Beetlejuice: the Musical Fanfiction)

Ground Decision

Early the next morning, Lydia woke up to find Betelgeuse draped across the end of her bed and snoring away. The teenager let out a few stifled giggles and that woke the demon up.

Betelgeuse awoke immediately, sitting up and looking over towards Lydia, his eyes blurry. Lydia motioned for him to get off her bed and he did so, sitting himself on the floor next to Lydia's bed. He had to scoot out of the way though as Lydia was getting out of bed herself.

"Betelgeuse?" Lydia asked nervously. "Do you mind turning around? I need to get dressed."

"Not at all," Betelgeuse said with a sigh and spun around so that he was facing away from the teenager.

"Thank you, Beej."

Lydia grabbed her favorite Black dress and threw it over her head before sitting herself down on the floor and pulling on her combat boots. She sighed and refocused her attention back towards Betelgeuse.

"Okay," she finally said with a laugh. "You can turn around now, Bj. I'm done getting dressed."

Betelgeuse turned and watched as Lydia began to exit her bedroom. "Where're you going right now, Lyds?" he asked, confusion appearing in the tone of his voice.

"Downstairs," was her reply. "To get some breakfast. I'll be back up in half an hour. okay?"

"Okay," responded Betelgeuse. He turned and began to look at what her pet insect was doing at the moment, giving Lydia just enough time to head out of her room and go downstairs for breakfast.

She crept down the stairs, a bright smile on her face, and entered the kitchen area of the house, giving all four of her parents a greeting each as she sat herself down at the kitchen counter.

Barbara placed a bowl of Lydia's favorite cereal and a glass of orange juice down in front of her and the teenager began to slowly eat. She focused her attention onto Barbara and let out a sigh, bringing concern to her ghost mother.

"Is something the matter, Lydia?" asked Barbara.

"Nono," Lydia said. "It's just...am I still grounded from sneaking out with Betelgeuse again last night?"

Her dad chose to answer that question for Barbara, relieving the female ghost.

"Yes," he sternly told Lydia. "You are. I went upstairs to your room because I needed to talk to you last night and you weren't there...again. I'd also like to remind you that you are never ever allowed to go out and look for lost ghosts with Betelgeuse again unless you let any of us know." He gestured to himself, to Delia, to Barbara, and then to Adam all while keeping his gaze focused on Lydia. "Do you promise," he finally spoke.

"I promise," Lydia said sadly, looking down towards the kitchen floor. "Does that mean I'm grounded for less time?"

"You're only grounded for a couple days, Lydia," Adam said, resting an ice cold hand on the teenager's back.

Lydia smiled, finishing her breakfast as quickly as she could and heading back upstairs to her bedroom to check up on Betelgeuse.

"Where are you going in such a hurry!" Adam shouted up the stairs after Lydia.

"Back upstairs to my bedroom!" she shouted back down to him. "I'd like to make sure that Beej is okay."

"Okay!" Adam shouted back. "But don't take too long. Charles wants to show us some videos of you when you were younger."

Lydia let out a groan and turned, heading straight to her bedroom.

She pushed open the door to her bedroom and walked inside, catching sight of Betelgeuse once again fast asleep and draped over her entire bed this time. She turned and saw that the roof of the plastic cage she kept her pet insect in was open and her pet was not in it. With a sigh, she refocused her attention back over towards Betelgeuse and shook her head.

She crept over towards Betelgeuse and poked him, waking up the sleeping demon almost immediately. He shot up with a start and turned his head to look at a now fuming Lydia.

"Lyds?" he asked, unaware of what the teen was about to ask him. "How long have I been asleep for?"

"Where is my pet worm?!" Lydia ask-demanded, folding her arms and glaring angrily at Betelgeuse.

"What?!"

"Where is my pet worm?!!" Lydia repeated, even louder this time.

"Oh," Betelgeuse said sadly. "It was looking rather dry so I opened the lid and let it out, placing it on your window sill and opening your window. Then a bird flew up to your open window and took it."

"You let a bird take my pet worm!" Lydia was exceptionally furious right now. She leapt at Betelgeuse, tackled him to the floor, and the two began to play-fight.

Her four parents, concerned with all the noise that was happening upstairs, all rushed up together to see what exactly was going on. Adam and Barbara phased through Lydia's closed bedroom door first and then Charles opened the door and he and Delia rushed in.

"What is going on up here?" Adam asked as he, Barbara, Charles, and Delia turned and focused their attention onto the two play-fighting best friends.

They put a halt to their play-fighting and sat upright on the floor of Lydia's bedroom, turning their heads and focusing their attention onto all four of Lydia's concerned, worried parents.

"Nothing, dad, Delia, Adam, Barbara. We were just play-fighting," Lydia said out of honesty. "Betelgeuse decided to allow a bird to fly up, grab my pet worm in its mouth, and fly off with it after he left my pet worm on my window sill and opened my window."

"In my defense," Betelgeuse said softly and quietly to Lydia. "I didn't allow the bird to fly up to your window and take off with your pet worm. It simply flew up because it wanted to."

"WHY do you have a pet worm!?!?!?!?" all four of Lydia's parents chorused.

"I found a worm in the backyard three days ago," Lydia calmly explained. "It looked lonely so I picked it up and brought it inside."

"Why don't we get you a real pet," Charles said, kneeling down on the ground in front of Lydia. "Like a dog or a cat or something."

"Or how about a small handheld pet or a hamster," Barbara suggested. "Those are easy to take care of."

"I'll think about it," was all Lydia could say.

"Great. Now, do you mind joining us downstairs?" Charles asked his daughter and Betelgeuse. "I was just about to show Delia and the Maitlands some videos I had of you when you were a child when we heard you and Betelgeuse play-fighting upstairs."

"Fine!" Lydia grumbled in agreement and Betelgeuse nodded.