My Favourite Mistake

Chapter Seven: Game of Love

Genre: Alternate Universe

Summary: This is the alternate origin of how Scooby and the gang met.

Scooby Doo and the Gang belong to Hannah-Barbera. The rest belongs to me. Also I don't know much about what's going on in 1968 so bear it with me, will you?

" The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say an uncommon-place thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars..."

- On the Road, Jack Kerouac

Part One: Chapter 1

~Shaggy's POV~

Wow! There are three things that I, like, can't believe! One, me getting beat up by a couple of jocks and surviving it! Two, me make the Coolsville Senior High Track Team. And finally, three, that Coach Larsen use to be a barber.

" Don't worry about it, Norville." Liberty said as she brushed her right hand against my thigh while driving to whatever-it-is. " It's hair, it will grow."

Okay! Like, there are four things to that I can't believe... Liberty.

I continued to look at my hair (which the coach chopped it off few inches off and given me this raggedy old surfer dude look, make my hair more messed-up than before) from the side-view mirror of Liberty's Beetle. It only takes time getting use to. " I don't know, you guys. I think I like, kinda like it."

I watched Velma smiled, which knocked the wind right outta me! Must be the genetic. Like, considering the facts that Liberty has a similar smile as hers. " I think it looks great on you, Shaggy!" Velma said. I smiled.

" Why is everyone is calling me that name?"

Velma shrugged. " I think its more suits you than Norville."

" Reah, Raggy." Scooby said as he like, licked me on the cheek.

Like, Liberty scoffed. " I think Shaggy is a silly name." She turned to me. " But, whatever floats your boat."

The like, pains in my stomach-aches again. " Man, how funny life is when some meat-headed jocks are beating the living pulp outta ya! Speaking of meat and pulp, where is a great place to eat? We're famished!" I said as Scooby, like licked his chops.

Velma giggled. " Well, that's the facts of life, Shaggy. You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have... [1- INSIDE JOKE ALERT!]" Then, like, Velma trailed off after that.

" 'There you have' what?" I asked.

Velma shrugged again. " I don't know, I thought those words it could make you feel better."

I smiled as I take Velma's hand. " Like, you made me better a little bit."

I could like, swear from the corner of my eye, saw Liberty give me an mean look on that groovy face. Then, I looked down at my pants and notice that Liberty's hand moves closer to my thigh. Like, for some reason, I kinda like, felt uncomfortable.

" So... Norville, have you been into malt shop before?"

I shook my head 'no'. When Scooby and me were in San Fran, we and a couple of our friends went to bars, coffee shops and hippie hangouts. But, like, we didn't drink beer or coffee, fool around with our girls and like their guys, smoke the weed or read poetry like the others. No, we're like your average group of teenagers. Except we, like, dressed less squaresville, and we sing songs, talk about what's going on with our lives and like, such.

I turned and saw Velma smiling at me. " Well..." She said. " You're going to love this place. Me and Liberty came to this place since we're kids and... They have the best food in the world, besides our mom's cooking, of course."

Food? Well, that will change my mind about this so-called "malt shop". If they have the best food like Velma say it was. Well, I'm there! All the way!

Liberty laughed. " Oh, come on, Velma! Do you think that you would bribed Norville with food-"

" I'm there!"

Scooby's head pops up. " Re too!" Velma smiled victoriously at Liberty, who sneered at her sister.

As soon as we made it to the malt shop, like, I suddenly get a big rush of nostalgic when I first saw this. Oh- now I remember! Like, I was 8 years old when my family and me went on a road trip to Yosemite and like, we stopped at this little old diner when teenagers hang out and dance as if they were on American Bandstand. That's why it's so familiar!

When Liberty Velma Scooby and me entered the malt shop, like, people our age were dancing like crazy. Yup, this is like back then!

Then, I saw one of my classmates from my like, theatre class, Daphne-something, I think. And she's dancing with that boy with helped me after I was beat up by that pretty-boy jock. Fred, Ed, Ted, whatever his name is. I was pretty, like, dazed when Daphne introduces me to him.

" Come on, Scooby and Shaggy." Velma said as she pulled my arm to a table that we all sat while Liberty ordering up some food. Scooby and me looked up at the menus on the wall. Boy there's a lot of things to choose from.

" So, Shaggy..." Velma said, happy as a clam. I sat across from her at the table.

Me? I was happy as well- well sort-of. " So, Velma..."

We both including Scooby stood in a like, awkward silent for along time (or at least, like, in my opinion. It's actually 10 seconds).

" You know, Scooby told me that you like music." Velma, like feeling uncozy.

I nodded. " Yup. I like music. Dylan, Joplin, Hendrix." Of course, me and Scooby like the songs back in San Fran like Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and Carlos Santana. But we like jazz the most like Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon and the groovyness of Miles Davis.

" Really. That's nice." Velma replied, like, trying her best to be enthusiastic about this. Boy, she sure fails at that! Besides it's pretty obvious that she's never interested in rock and jazz. She sighed.

Then, I attempt to make the conversation more interesting. " Sooo..." I said, glancing at Velma's dark, groovy eyes that is behind the glasses. There reminded me of Liberty's, but like, more foggy thank to the glasses. " Having you heard of Hemingway?"

Velma's eyebrows went up as she pets Scooby. " As in Ernest Hemingway."

I was like, a bit hurt when she said that, but you can't blame her. She probably never sees me, a hippie, read before? " Hey, don't judge a book by its cover."

" Reah!" Scooby agrees with me on that as he crossed

Like, Velma looks guilty. " I'm sorry, it's just that... " She sounds reluctant as she like, speaks. " I-I never thought that you could, you know, you read Hemingway. You must think that some sort of bigot- but I'm not!"

I tried to stop her before she goes berserk on me. I shook my head as I grabbed her hand. " No-no, Velma." I said, cool as a cat. " Like, it's not your fault. And besides, it's sorta groovy that you reduced me to a cultural stereotype."

Velma pulled a very shameless, but radical smile. " Jinkies, I never notice that you're one happenin' cat."

I don't know what's happening to me, but suddenly have this new sense of karma in me. I don't know what's it is, but I guess this what Buddhist calls 'nirvana' because that's what it feels like.

Zoinks! A soft hand suddenly lands on my hand and spooks the living daylights outta me. I jumped out of my seat as Scooby and Velma stood stiff. " WELL! What do we have here?" A familiar voice boomed. Like, I turned around and saw Liberty standing next to me with a big smirk on her face. " I'm glad you two are like, gettin' along." She crouches down to my level and put her hand on my shoulder and clenches it.

" Norville." Liberty said in a sugary as like, sweet voice. " I'm going to the little girls room, so would you wait for our order for us."

I couldn't help but nodded as I tried to shallow a big lump in my throat. As Liberty left the room, I help but checking her out as she walked to the chick's bathroom as if she's walking like a hippie goddess. I walked over to the counter where I see a foxy chick named Daphne.

" Like, hey, Daphne!" I said waving 'hello' at her. " Howsa going?"

Like, the groovy redhead turned to me and smiled. " It's going... Oh, great. It's Jack." Daphne said as a red, shiny car came to the malt shop parking lot, the one who like, driving it is a tow-headed jock- wait a minute! That's the jock that scared and beat the living daylight outta me! No wonder Daphne broke up with him! He's bad egg! " If I don't do something quick, I'll never take him off my hands."

I scratched my head as the waitress handed me order. "Gee, Daph. I wish I can help, but what can I like, do?" Daphne gently grabbed my hand and like, made a mischievous smiled. Man, I don't like the look on her face.

" Don't worry, Shag." Daphne said. " You're a good actor. Just play along."

As Jack walked to the malt shop, Daphne out-of-the-blue, like, grabbed me by the ears and pulled me down into one like, explosive kiss. I looked at Jack, who stopped dead at his tracks and his mouth gaping wide open in like, shock. To make the kiss more like, real and convincing I pulled her into a embrace as Daphne did the same. Man, we should get an Oscar for this!

After Daphne and me ended this little charade, Daphne smiled at Jack and asked him, " Hiya Jack, how's a going?"

" Who is THAT?!" Jacked said, pointing at me.

I smiled as I pulled my arm around Daphne. " I'm her like, newest boyfriend. You?"

Like, I could've swear that steam is coming out of Jack's ears. " You know what, Daphne Blake! You're right! We are so through!" He hissed as he stormed out of the malt shop.

Daphne smiled. " I knew that he would see it my way." She said to herself, then she notices that our arms are still around each other, which we later and quickly remove it. Then, a big applause roared from our classmates, who seen our, like little performance.

" Thanks Shaggy." Daphne said. " I owe you one."

I looked at her. " I think you just already did, you save my life from those crazy jocks, remember?"

Daphne giggled. " Oh yeah, I forgot, but still I should've owe you one." She gasped when a groovy idea pops into her head. " Hey, maybe you could with come me this Saturday!"

I was reluctant to answer that. Like, come on, me- a hippie hangin' out with a go-go girl like her. That is not right! Until Daphne said something that would changed my mind. " I could make you some cookies."

Like, my face lit up like a Christmas tree, " Can I bring Scooby too?"

Daphne face lit up as well while batting her eyes. " Would you?"

" Gee, thanks Daph." I said to her.

" Don't mention it. Here's my house." She said as she gives me like, a napkin ball with something written on it, then skipped back to her preppy friends and Fred. Her groovy red-gold hair bounces like a rubber ball as Daphne moves.

Like I said, Daphne isn't my type. Of course, she's so groovy and foxy. But the kiss we had is fun, but no fireworks and it's sorta like kissing Maggie. Besides, I think Daphne is more suitable if she's with Fred. I think they made a very cute couple.

As for me, I like, got myself a pair of beautiful dark eyes implanted in my brain. But the strangest thing is that they're not Liberty's, but they're similar to it. Wacky huh?

" Shaggy?" Velma's voice rang from behind. Like, I turned to her as she looked up at me with those groovy dark eyes behind those thick glasses. Then I look at Scooby (next to Velma) who has given me like, a very sneaky, 'I know something you don't know' smile. " Are you going to bring the sodas to us?" She asked.

A/N: [1]: It's an inside joke that revolves around Mindy Cohn, the voice of Velma from What's New Scooby Doo? who is also from the popular 1980s sitcom, The Facts of Life (listen to the theme song and you get the idea).

Since, there's a big debate on Shaggy's clique; is he a beatnik or a hippie? So I decided to make him both, who that makes Shaggy a bohemian! Clever, huh? That's explains the Hemingway's, the Kerouac's, the San Francisco origin (the capital of both hippies and beatniks), the grooviness, the jazz, folk and acid rock! And I'm going to shut up now...

11.19.2002

Well, guys. It's been fun, but my Scooby-Doo batteries have fallen off and I need to leave the nest. But feel free to continue this story where it left off! I'll probably finished it when I'm inspired again by Phantom Shaggy (who is out of a Scooby Doo musing job!)... The origin of the Scooby Snacks, how the gang got the Mystery Machine, how Shaggy gone from a stereotype hippie to a nonconformist and their first mystery! Don't worry, my upcoming SD stories Haunted and A Scooby New Year is just around the corner and it's going to be my last stories.

But in the words of Bilbo of LOTR Radio Drama, "... this is the end. I'm leaving, I'm going... now! Good-bye."

Queen of Flames

PS: If you want to know WHY read the few entries of my weblog and see why.