Chapter Text
The next day was a bright day,with a soft wind blowing from the direction of the Pacific Ocean. Jon noted this as he dressed Garfield before Brenda picked him up. “At least going to this club will get you out of the house,Garfield. Half of Fifi’s clientele go there regularly.”
”Pretty great to know that,Jon”, Garfield grunted. Jon had dressed him up in a blazer and slacks - cat sized,of course. After a hearty meal of chow/lasagna mix,it was onto the front lawn to wait. The Sun rose higher into the sky,burning off what little fog remained and giving Garfield a clear view of the street. Garfield smiled,as much as a cat can:he had a thing for beautiful days like today.
At 10 on the dot a blue Roadster pulled up. But instead of driving it,Brenda was in the shotgun seat. Driving the car was a man who reminded Garfield of nothing so much as a human version of himself. The man was blockily built with short brown hair hidden under a crushed chauffeur’s cap. “So this is the talking cat you mentioned,Switchboard?”, he said with an incredulous tone to his voice.
”I am. What of it,big guy? First time you’ve met anyone your size?”
Brenda lifted Garfield into the back seat before he could say anything else. “Be nice to Wilshire,Garfield. He’s the one driving us.”
”Where’d you find him,a soup kitchen?” Both Brenda and Wilshire snorted at that.
“He’s actually Bianca’s chauffeur,hired on by the Dupree family,but he kinda chauffeurs us all around depending on where we’ve gotta go. He’s been with us for a while now.”
Garfield straightened up. “Sorry about that,Willy. I just happen to be in a snarky mood today.” Nodding his response,Wilshire drove them into Beverly Hills proper.
———-
To say that Garfield’s first sight of the Teen Club awed him would be an understatement. Despite the pair of dark sunglasses Brenda had given him on the drive,he could make out tennis courts,a golf course,a basketball court,a strip of restaurants,a few boutiques and a huge estate built like the Capitol Building that he figured must be the actual clubhouse. It was like the day he’d arrived in LA for Pet Search all over again. “What a beautiful building. I wonder how much gold they had to mine to make it.”
”I don’t know,Garfield”, Wilshire said. “Probably a lot. It’s a very ornate building.”
Garfield walked up the flight of steps between Brenda and Wilshire. Before they’d gotten far into the building,however,a girl stood in their way. A cascade of dark hair flowed down her back and her green eyes shone with fury.
”Wilshire,you doddering donkey,what’s this about a talking cat? I had to hear it from that southern-fried little bimbo! You’re late!”
”Southern-fried little bimbo? What kind of an insult is that,again?”, Garfield whispered to Brenda. “She’s referring to Tara Belle,one of our friends. She’s from the Deep South.”
Garfield turned to the girl,whom he guessed was Bianca Dupree. “Listen up,Bianca-I’m assuming it’s you thanks to how you addressed Wilshire here. What did he ever do to you that you’ve gotta treat him like that? Back in Indiana,my owner Jon knew local rich folks with more class in their pinky finger than you’ve got in your entire body,and that’s saying a lot. Really,you might wanna step it up,sis.”
Bianca took a step or two backward. “Oh,great,even the cat’s sassy. I like sass in an animal,like my Empress.”
”Empress?”, Garfield asked of Bianca.
”Her pink poodle.” With that,Brenda took Garfield to the Teen Club offices to get him registered as a member,entering him as Garth Arbuckle,and then to see the library. Sitting at a computer in the far corner of the enormous room was a boy who looked like he and Brenda could be twins. Garfield pointed it out to Brenda as they approached him.
”That’s my brother Chester. He’s a technical genius of the highest order. He’s an expert in robots.”
”Do you have robots here,Brenda? I saw a TV show once that featured robots and it was awesome. It was a kid’s show but one of Jon’s cousins is a voice actor in it so we watched it together.”
”We do,actually! They act as waiters and golf caddies here at the Teen Club.”
Garfield didn’t get to properly meet Chester then as Brenda took him to the pool area. The pool was an Olympic-sized affair running off into the far distance,surrounded by what could only be an artificial beach. Brenda steered him to a table where a handsome sandy-haired boy sat. He had been reading a novel but he looked up when he saw Brenda and Garfield approach.
”Hey there,Switchboard. And you must be Garfield. Can’t say I’ve heard of a talking cat before.”
”Who’re you?”, Garfield asked as he looked at the boy. He looked like he could be on the cover of a teen magazine.
”My name’s Troy Jeffries. It’s nice to meet you,Garfield-may I call you Garf?”
Garfield moved to Troy’s feet. “If you want to. Say,may I ask you a question? Why do people call Brenda ‘Switchboard’?”
Troy lifted Garfield onto the chaise next to him. “It’s because she’s gossipy. She’s got her own TV show (if you can call it that) about us Teen Clubbers.”
”What’s the deal with Bianca and Wilshire? Why does she treat him like he’s some dirt she scraped off her high heels?”
”I’m not sure”, Troy admitted. “He’s a little older than us,actually - he’s set to graduate high school this summer. So is Nikki Darling - she’s on the Club staff but she hangs out with us. Hey,wanna watch some surfers?”
Garfield accepted a pair of binoculars from Troy. Focusing them on the pool,he saw three surfers. Two were blondes,a boy and a girl,looking so alike they could almost be twins. They were flanking a pretty black girl with a white swimsuit,and all of them looked like they were having the time of their lives. He mentioned them to Troy.
”The blond boy is Radley Coleman,our star surfer. He’d like to win all the water sports prizes the Teen Club has to offer. The blond girl is Larke Tanner. She’s the nicest girl you’ll ever meet. I’d like to go out with her,myself,but I don’t think we’ll ever be more than friends. The black girl is Shanelle Spencer. She got elected Club President last month. They’re all very good at athletics - Larke captains our tennis and soccer teams.”
Garfield watched,overawed,as Radley rode a tall wave onto the beach. “Wow! Just like out of one of those beach movies!”
”You really think so,lil’ dude? Wait until you see my water skis! They’re the best water skis the family greenbacks could buy!”
The blond girl approached. “Hi,there. You must be Garfield. I’m Larke,but maybe Troy already told you?”
Garfield shook her hand as best he could. “You bet he did. I think he’s got a bit of a crush. I always did like sporty girls. They aren’t exactly thick on the ground in Muncie.”
”Once of my uncles,Alec Tanner Jr,is the mayor of Muncie! Does your owner happen to know him?”
”Jon worked for the DMV back home,so maybe he did. I’ll have to ask him tonight. This is a really,really nice Teen Club you’ve got.”
”I’ve been going here for more than a year now. Do you know-Well,speak of the devil,here’s Nikki Darling. Over here,Nikki!”
Nikki looked like a vision,Garfield thought as she came up to them. Her impressive tan ponytail followed her,just barely scraping against the ground. She was dressed in an exercise uniform that emphasized how fit she was. She bent down to look at him. “Why,hey there,Garfield. It’s nice to properly meet you.”
Garfield straightened,taking Nikki’s left hand in his paw for shaking. “Are you alright,Nikki? You sound like you just had a helium injection.”
”That’s how most of us Darlings sound. We’re not quite sure why. You’re not the first person to tease me about it,but you’re certainly the first cat to do so!” Nikki laughed. “So how’d you find out about our little country club anyways?”
Garfield decided to be punny. “You could say a little Switchbird told me.”
Nikki sat next to him,opposite to Troy. “That Switchboard sure gets around.”
”I like her already. What about you guys? Where do you stand?”
”She’s a little annoying,but she’s not malicious or anything“,said Shanelle Spencer. “She just likes her gossip,is all. She’s even put it to a little positive use - she just founded a newspaper for the Teen Club. It’s something like a school newspaper. We call it The Beverline. You might like to visit its office someday.”
”I always did want to work on the news. I’m more observant than you might think”, Garfield said as he stretched out on a mat Larke had set out. But just then he heard an excited female voice from above.
“Is it true,guys? Have you really got a talking cat now?”
”It’s true,Jett!”, Troy called up. “Why don’t you and Gig come on down here and meet Garfield?”
”Be down soon!” A few seconds later saw Garfield looking up into the face of a girl with the biggest,blondest,wildest hair he’d ever seen. It was hard for him to believe that she was an actual human and not some weird hybrid between a human and a lion. She leaned down to see him better.
”Why,hello there! My name’s Jocy Lyman,but you can totally call me Jett! Like,everyone does! This is Gig!”
Gig was a tall,handsome boy with brown hair almost as long as Jett’s and an easy smile. “Hey there,Garfield. My real name is Mike Lyman,but everyone here calls me Gig. It’s an old nickname from back when I used to jam for the other kids.”
Garfield extended his paw. “Good to meet you,Gig,or should I say g’day,mate?”
Gig visibly reddened. “Wrong country,Garf. I’ve got Canadian blood.”
”Sorry,eh?” Everyone laughed in response except for Garfield,who turned to where Brenda stood. “Hey,Brenda,since you’re still here,any chance you could get one of your robots to score me some lasagna?”
”I’ll do it”, Nikki preempted her. She went over to one of the robots to place Garfield’s order. Garfield himself turned to follow the Sun across the sky. A few clouds were in the north but otherwise the sky was clear. While he lounged on the mat the others sat around a nearby table. Soon enough Bianca and Wilshire joined them. They in turn were joined by a tall,handsome boy with raven-dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He took a seat next to Jett just as Nikki got back with the lasagna and almost immediately noticed Garfield.
”You must be the talking cat Switchboard mentioned yesterday.” Garfield straightened up to take a look at the boy. His clothes were certainly of the fashionable type. Was he related to Bianca? They certainly looked similar.
”My name is Pierce Thorndyke III,and my father happens to be rather prominent in Beverly Hills affairs. He’s got his fingers in quite a few financial pies.” Just then,Garfield had a flash of inspiration.
”Is your father Pierce Thorndyke Jr? He’s been on magazine covers before.”
”Yes,he is. He’d be pretty happy to know that he’s famous even among the cats.”
”This cat,at least”, Garfield retorted. He chowed down on the lasagna,and it was better than any he’d had before. He’d definitely have to come here regularly,for the lasagna if nothing else. This was definitely a life he could get used to!
————-
After a while,Nikki offered to be Garfield’s tour guide for the afternoon. She led him through the East Wing of the Teen Club and into a gym area in which was scattered some of the most advanced exercise equipment this side of Los Angeles. The room’s smell was surprisingly fresh for the amount of use it had to have had over the years.
”I lead most of the exercise classes here and at Beverly Hills High”, Nikki said to Garfield. “When I was younger I was actually considered for the US gymnastics national women’s team. Maybe I could have some cat-size equipment specially ordered for you,since Larke tells me you’re now a Club member.”
Garfield paced the floor in front of Nikki,considering,and came to his decision. “Sure. I can get Jon - he’s my owner - to pay for it. He’s always on about how I need more exercise.”
Nikki laughed,sounding a little bit like a villain from a kids’ cartoon with her amused cackle. “I can see why! You’re a roly-poly little dude! Just like my little cousin Scott!”
“Ten points to cousin Scott”, Garfield retorted playfully as Nikki led him through the exercise room. At the other end of the room a girl was just entering. She was a little shorter than Nikki and her thick dark hair flowed gracefully down to her shoulders. She stopped short when she noticed Garfield.
”Is this the talking cat Switchboard told me about yesterday,Nikki?”
”He is,Liz. Garfield,I’d like you to meet Elizabeth Patterson. Her dad’s John Patterson - you might see some of his billboards about town.”
”Oh,yeah,the dentist guy. I’ve seen his TV ads too. He’s everywhere.”
”You don’t know the half of it”, Liz huffed. “He’s always either at work or working on his model planes,Mom’s endlessly redecorating our mansion,Mike just hooked up with an old girlfriend of his,April’s negotiating elementary school,and me? I’m just stuck in the middle.” She made some sort of resigned gesture with her arms. “What were you guys doing?”
”I was giving him a tour”, Nikki replied. “Wanna join us,Liz?”
”I haven’t got anything better to do,so yeah.” The trio went down a richly appointed hallway with a gilt ceiling that according to Nikki illustrated the history of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. The hallway was quiet enough that their shoes echoed as they walked. Garfield could smell something good cooking in the distance so he asked Nikki to lead him that way. They came to a set of doors which Nikki flung open.
Garfield could’ve salivated at the sight that was now before him. Said sight was a restaurant,obviously of the five-star variety,with about forty tables and walls done up with Renaissance-style artwork. Soft music,composed in a vaguely romantic style,was playing from loudspeakers mounted someplace he couldn’t see. Only one table currently had a customer at it. The customer was a pretty brunette girl with curly bangs who was evidently awaiting her order. She smiled at the trio as they walked over to her.
”Hello,y’all! Won’t you join me for lunch? I could use the company!”
”Sure thing,Tara!”, Nikki rasped. Once she and Liz had sat down she set Garfield on her lap. The girl noticed him instantly. “So you’re that talking kitten I’ve been hearing about from everybody today!”
”Sure am,princess.”
The girl laughed merrily. ‘It’s ever so nice to meet you. I’m Tara Belle Nicollier,resident fashionista of the Teen Club.”
”So she’s a Southern Belle?” Garfield asked Nikki this but it was Liz who replied. “Like you wouldn’t believe. Her family moved here from Mississippi when we were in grade school and it’s like she never left.”
”Lizzie Patterson,I do declare you’re just a bit jealous of us civilized folk!”, Tara said as she playfully waggled her fork in Liz’s direction. Liz reddened. “Don’t take her too seriously,Garfield. She’s also our resident comedienne. And have you heard about our Club newspaper,the Beverline? She’s its arts editor.”
Garfield told her how he knew of the Beverline. “Do you work on it too?”
”My friend Shawna-Marie does - she’s sick but you’ll probably meet her soon. She’s the shopping correspondent.”
”And a good one too!”,Tara interjected. “Why,if it wasn’t for Miss Shawna-Marie Verano,Miss Shanelle Spencer,Miss Stacey Farber,and yours truly,the paper wouldn’t exist at all! You remember that,Lizzie!”
”Miss Stacey who?”, Garfield asked.
”Another of us Teen Clubbers”, replied Nikki as their meals arrived. “She’s an actress. That’s her over there.” She pointed to a table where a redheaded girl sat,checking one of those new miniphones that had a flat screen.
Garfield remembered something Gig had told him. “Say,Gig’s got the same last name as Jett does. Are they cousins?”
”Brother and sister,fraternal twins to be exact”, came Liz’s reply. “A few of us in the Teen Club are related. You should meet Larke’s cousin Blaise,she’s really sweet and good with horses. Say,that’s her coming in right now.”
Garfield followed Liz’s gaze to the doors,where a pretty girl dressed in coveralls was entering the room. Her hair was a similar shade to Larke’s as were her eyes,but her clothing was definitely distinctive in its appearance. She held the door open for a shorter girl with brown hair.
”That’s Maria Santelli”, Nikki said. “She’s the Teen Club treasurer,and darned good at it too! Her family’s in banking so I’m not surprised.”