Michael and Chase were still disappointed because Logan had been thrown out of the PCA for importing illegal movies and phones. More than that, Toon Juice, a site that spread cartoons, had offered them a new contract over several thousands of bucks, but the deadline for a probatory work was already so close: Only 8 days to go.

"I still think we should do something with dolphins ..." Michael suggested.

"Dolphins are so not drippin'!" Chase replied. "They are downright flumby!"

"Hey! These are my words!" Michael complained. He had tried to spread a few words as new slang expressions. At first glance, this appeared doomed to failure, but now everyone was using his words without crediting Michael. This was disgusting.

Chase laughed. "Can you prove it?"

Michael shrugged, hanging his head in shame. "No, I can't"

Chase grinned.

"That's so not fair! I bet that another toon maker would sue us if we used his toons!" Michael complained.

Chase shrugged. "That's life! But maybe we should ask Claire Sawyer?"

Michael shrugged. Could a future lawyer really help him?

Suddenly, the door went open, and Mrs. Burvich thundered in. "Matthews! Barret!"

Chase and Michael were dismayed.

Mrs. Burvich looked sternly. "This room is occupied by two pupils only, right?"

Michael and Chase looked sadly.

"And you know what that means ... a new room-mate is due!" Mrs. Burvich looked like a green-eyed monster.

"I hate new roomies!" Michael sighed with despair. "They are flumby!"

Mrs. Burvich looked sternly at Michael.

"Do we get to choose our roomie?" Chase asked, stammering nervously.

"I want Olivary Biallo!" Michael squealed.

Chase poked Michael.

Mrs. Burvich rembered when Zoey Brooks and Nicole Bristow had requested to choose their own roomie.[[81]] Nicole had destroyed some valuable collection, which was beyond forgiving. "No way!"

Chase and Michael looked consternated.

Mrs. Burvich lead James into the dorm. "This is James Denifer Garret from New Mexico!"

Chase closed his eyes and shrugged. He imagined people from New Mexico looking like Mexicans, just a bit more modern, whatever that meant. Then he dared opening his eyes. James was a tall blond guy that didn't look at all like a Mexican.

"Hi guys!" James greeted friendly. "I'm Jake Crandall's elder cousin James. When I visited him just a few months ago, he persuaded me into joining him here."

Michael and Chase looked grimly.

"And I don't want to hear a single complaint about you!" Mrs. Burvich looked diabolically at Chase and Michael. "Or you will go the same way as Logan Reese!"

Michael sobbed. "I don't want to go Logan's way! My grandma will kill me!"

Chase and Michael agreed silently on one thing: Not to talk to their new roomie, James D. Garrett. Never ever! They went back to their laptops and tried to concentrate on their cartoons.

James tried to talk to them, but in vain. "OK, I'm going for lunch! Byebye!" He waved in a friendly way and tried to disappear, but he bumped into Lola Martinez.

"Oh hi, you must be Denifer?" Lola grinned sweetly. She remembered James D. from the video Megan and Dustin had made when Zoey and Lola werre quarantined.

"Yes, that's me!" James chuckled. "Should I know you?"

Lola smiled seductively. "Oh, that depends ... are you a good kisser? Then you definitely should get to know me!"

James shrugged helplessly.

Lola grabbed James and pulled him in a passionate probatory kiss. "Really not bad, but Drake kisses way better." Lola sobbed.

"He does? How good for him!" James declared without envy. "Back at middle school, I've been namecalled Freaky Jimmy, because I wore glasses and was in the chess team. I hate chess, though."

""Lola has been a bit depressed since Drake Parker had not got as much time left for her as he used to have ..." Michael declared."

"OK, Chase and Michael! Zoey is about committing the gravest mistake in her life ... she's going on a date with Lance Rivers - in a limousine. A whole night in Hollywood ...!" Lola stammered.

"She does?" Chase stammered.

"Lance has bribed the runners of the tombola into awarding Zoey's coupon number. He's such a jerk, Jenifer and Addie have confirmed that, but Zoey doesn't believe us girls!" Lola sighed with despair.

"Wait!" Chase sighed. "James, would you please help Michael with the toons? I have to dissuade Zoey from the biggest mistake in her life."

"Who is Zoey?" James wondered.

Michael was going to tell James a long story while they started to make more cartoons.

"Zoey!" Chase yelled at his friend. "Don't go with him on a field trip! He's a charlatan!"

Lance Rivers was upset. "Stop it! Or I will tell my dad and you will get expelled!"

Zoey refused to understand Chase.

"He has manipulated the tombola, so that the two of you could ..." Chase was disgusted when he imagined what as probably going to happen in the limousine, on their way to the star cinema in uptown Los Angeles.

"You can't prove it, Matthews!" Lance yelled pathetically.

Chase fainted. He had no idea how to prove it, making Lance smile triumphantly.

Along came Megan Parker. "Hi Chase ... have you got a problem?"

Chase trembled all over. Now he had probably to watch Zoey falling for a ruthless charlatan, and to get expelled by Dean Rivers.

"Cool! Maybe Zoey and Lance want to watch that DVD while they are in the limo. It's a long road!" She whistled innocently.

"Or we may watch it now!" A voice boomed behind Lance and Zoey.

Zoey turned around, and she saw Dean Rivers and Dustin.

"Dad?" Lance stammered.

The Dean was downright upset. "Lance! What you have done is ... irresponsible! You've ruined the good image of our school!"

Lance chuckled. "And so? What do you want to do? Expell me?"

"Oh yes, I may ... and I will!" Dean Rivers thundered. "Get your belongings together and go to your mom and your sister! I expect you out by tomorrow sunset! Do you understand me?"

Lance Rivers went totally pale. He finally passed out. Dean Rivers dragged his son away to his office in order to preach more to him.

"Dustin! You are spying on my boyfriends?" Zoey was not happy.

"Fortunately he did!" Chase sighed with relief.

Dustin nodded. "And do you know who else is on the video? His two best friends ... who have incited him to corrupt you!"

"Who?" Chase wanted to know.

Dustin breathed ."Glen Davis ... and ... Rebecca!"

Zoey and Chase stared with dismay.

"Dean Rivers considers expelling them as well." Dustin announced.

Zoey sighed. She had saved Chase from Rebecca, or at least she had tried to. Now Chase had saved her from Lance Rivers. Thus they were even.

"Not a pronblem! Don't forget Lola who has informed me ... and without Megan and Dustin, I would be the one to be expelled!" Chase sighed deeply.

"I don't know what to do this evening ..." Zoey sighed deeply.

Dustin scratched his head. "Are you still mad at me, sis?"

Zoey shook her head. "You're the best little brother in the world!"

"Sushi rocks?" Megan asked.

Everyone agreed, but before that, they had to invite James, Michael, and Lola.

"Chase!" Michael squealed with delight. "We've finished over 50 cartoons while you've dealt with Lance. And guess what we've made: Dolphins in fear of being run over by a motor boat, dolphins swimming in a giant cup of coffee , dolphins ..."

"Good for you. Do you need me anymore? I mean, now that James Blond is your new best pal ... and a pack of dolphins ... why would you need me any longer?" Chase sighed with despair.

Michael shrugged with despair. "But Chase, that doesn't mean that ... besides, you have suggested James and me to work together!"

"So you're Zoey Brooks?" James asked the perfect blonde.

Zoey nodded. "That's me, why?"

"I've heard a lot of good things about you ..." James replied.

"Oh, really?" Zoey scratched her head. "From whom?"

James pointed at Michael.

Zoey shrugged while she glared at Michael.

"Er ... maybe the two of you should date?" Michael stammered carefully. "Now that Lance Rivers is history ..."

"Why not?" Chase shrugged. "It's time for Zoey to have some fun!"

James and Zoey stared oddly at Michael and Chase.

"Yeah, why not?" James asked Zoey. "Unless you're a cotton swab freak like my former date Stacey Dillsen. She trashed me because I've come too close to her favourite swab, without asking her hours in advance."

"Typical Stacey!" Michael chuckled.

Unable to reply, Zoey gave in. "OK, James and me, we are now dating, is that what you guys wanted?" She shrugged helplessly.

Chase and Michael applauded.

Alas, Dustin and Megan were not sure that this was going to end well. They decided to keep their opinion for themselves though.

Lola was a bit disappointed because Zoey had grabbed a potential date from her. Alas, she knew that she would come back to Drake as soon as possible, for Drake was the way better kisser, thus he wouldn't have stood a chance on a long run. Alas, the situation was funny: A bit over a year ago, Lola had obtained Zoey's permit for dating Chase, now she saw Chase giving Zoey his permit for dating James. She wondered where this was going to. Did they feel compelled to prove unto everyone that they weren't a couple?

"Wow! We've won the award for the most original toons of the year!" Michael jumped up and bounced around. "Go, dolphins!"

Chase sighed. If he had submitted his idea, two bpins being afraid of a bowling ball, he might have been sued by the competition for having used their toons.

Claire Sawyer bounded in."Michael, it's important ..."

Michael looked up to the future lawyer. "Yeah, what is?"

"The competion used the words drippin and flumby ... your words ... in their cartoons!" Claire remarked. "Dustin Brooks and Megan Parker have recorded the proof that you have invented those slang words. Do you want to sue them? I think 50,000 should be enough for ..."

Michael beamed. "Sure I will!" he bounced around even more. Finally, his linguistic innovations were going to be officially acknowledged. He huggled the hell out of Claire Sawyer.

"Egad!" Claire shuddered with downright disgust. "If you don't het your hands off my suit, I'll have to sue you for psychic cruely, Barret!"

Michael sighed.

The future lawyer took her cellular phone and called the competitors. She talked on the phone for half an hour, maybe even longer than that. "OK, Michael, they offer 20,000 bucks without a law suite. I think that should do it. Are you Ok with it?" She watched Michael's eyes whose shape changed into that of a pair of dollar signs.

"Yeah, sure!" Michael bounced around. "But cash!"

Claire Sawyer forwarded Michael's answer. "They are going to send someone over here in order to bring you the bucks, by tonight."

Michael beamed even more.

James sighed. "My grandma has got only one foot. She had forgotten to feed her cat, so ...[[82]]"

Michael sighed. "How much do you need for a second foot? My grandma will be proud if I help yours out ..."

"Still 5000 bucks missing ..." James sighed.

"You may have them!" Michael comforted James. An old woman who forgets to feed her cat? Egad ... maybe that was something for their future cartoons!

[[81] ]cf. Back At PCA

[[82] ]cf. iCarly Show : iLike Jake