After Isi left that night, Frankie joined her dad in the lab again. “I have an idea for what my next invention should be,” she announced. Watzit was already curled up in his bed on the floor of the lab, while Zappit charged nearby.

Mr. Stein looked up, obviously pleased. “You’re really cranking out ideas, sweetheart. What are you going to make this time?”

Frankie smiled. “So, the thing I’ve learned since meeting Isi is that she’s really missing her family. She’s very close to them, and when she’s home, she told me she spends a lot of time in the woods with the animals who live nearby. Today, I was thinking it might be fun to build a pet for her too. She and Zappit hit it off right away, and I think it would help make it easier for her to be away from her family if she had a little critter she could care for.”

Mr. Stein nodded. “That sounds like an excellent plan. Do you need my help?”

“Nope,” Frankie said happily. “You’re such a great teacher that I think I’ve actually got the hang of it this time! Practice makes perfect, right?”

“That’s absolutely right,” he said. He put one hand on her shoulder and added, “You’re proving what a great friend you are, Frankie. It seems as though you’ve gone out of your way to be kind and welcoming to Isi, and she’s lucky to have you around this week.”

“I’m so glad I’ve had her around too,” Frankie agreed. “I don’t know if I ever would have found Zappit without her help.”

“That’s true,” Mr. Stein agreed. “You’re lucky to have each other. It really proves what a special ghoul you are that you would be willing to give up one of your own lab creations to comfort a friend. I’m proud of you.”

Frankie buzzed with happiness. “Thanks, Dad.”

Mrs. Stein poked her head around the corner to see what was cooking in the lab. “How are you two crazy inventors doing down here?” she asked.

“We’re voltageous!” Frankie answered. She invited her mom over, and told her about her plans to create Isi a pet of her very own.

“You sure do seem to be hitting it off,” Mrs. Stein noted. “Is Isi getting along well with your other ghoulfriends too?”

“Yeah. Everyone really likes her. I think she’s going to be such a great addition to our group,” Frankie said. Then she frowned slightly. “The only thing is…”

After a pause, her mom prompted, “The only thing is…?”

“Well, it’s just that Isi seems to be more interested in Twyla than she is in me and my ghoulfriends. She’s really nice to us and everything and we get along great, but it just seems like she’s really connecting with Twyla. I think maybe she prefers Twyla over us.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Mrs. Stein asked gently. “Isn’t it good that she’s becoming close with another ghoul at school so quickly?”

“Well, yeah, I guess.” Frankie chewed her lip.

“You don’t sound so sure,” Mr. Stein said. “Is Twyla nice, or are you worried Isi is spending time with someone who isn’t going to be a true ghoulfriend?”

Frankie gasped. “Oh no! It’s not that at all. Twyla is voltageously nice! And she and Isi seem to have really bonded.” As she talked to her parents, Frankie began to realize something. “It’s just, I sort of thought Isi and I would be beast ghoulfriends. I mean, I am her buddy in the exchange program and all, so I thought we would really hit it off. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to work? Ghoulia and Kjersti act like they were programmed for each other, and Venus and Batsy are like two petals on the same flower. I just assumed Isi and I were meant to have perfect chemistry too.…”

Mrs. Stein tilted her head as she thought about what Frankie had said. “I don’t think that’s the point of the buddy program, Frankie. You’re supposed to be her guide—to help her find her way during her first week. You’re not necessarily supposed to become beast ghoulfriends. That sort of special connection doesn’t always happen, and it certainly can’t be forced.”

“I know!” Frankie said, feeling frustrated. Everything her mom said made sense, but Frankie still felt bad. “I just thought…” She didn’t know how to explain what she thought. That she and Isi would become fast ghoulfriends, and then—what? Frankie already had so many creeperific ghoulfriends including Draculaura, Clawdeen, and everyone on the Fearleading squad. Of course, they always had room for more in their group, but did that mean Isi had to pick them as her main pack?

Mrs. Stein smiled and put her arm around her daughter. “Frankie, I love that you’re so excited to get to know and love every ghoul at Monster High, but you can’t be beast ghoulfriends with everyone.”

Frankie nodded. Her mom was right, of course. She knew she shouldn’t feel jealous about Twyla and Isi spending so much time together. Just because she and Isi weren’t becoming beast ghoulfriends didn’t mean they couldn’t be ghoulfriends at all. “You’re totally right, Mom. And you too, Dad.” Her parents smiled. “I just want everyone to have a ghoulfriend—and I should be happy that Isi has already really hit it off with Twyla! Right?” She grinned.

“Right,” her parents agreed.

Her mom added, “You know you can always talk to us about this stuff, right, Frankie?” Frankie nodded. Then her mom gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and said, “Twenty minutes until bed. Deal?”

Frankie leaned over to give her mom a hug. “Deal.” She felt so much better after talking things out with her parents. She had just been so worried about helping Isi fit in and finding Zappit and keeping Watzit happy the last few days—it was easy to get carried away with all the things buzzing around in her head!

Mr. Stein returned to his own work then, while Frankie got started drawing up the plans for her newest creation. She tried to think about what kind of pet Isi would love most. Since Isi loved the outdoors, Frankie knew she should develop a pet that would enjoy taking walks with her in the woods. She scribbled some notes and began to sketch a few ideas. But she was having a hard time coming up with the perfect pet for Isi. For some reason, her mind kept wandering back to Zappit.

Frankie hadn’t made a lot of progress before her mom poked her head around the corner of the lab again and cleared her throat. “Tonight you both need to get some rest. Last night, you were up until all hours working down here—tonight, I’m forcing you both to take a break from the lab!”

Frankie and her dad looked at each other and laughed. Mr. Stein put his hands up in surrender and said, “Fine, fine. She’s right, you know—all of this will be waiting for us here tomorrow. I suppose it is important to take a break from your work every once in a while to let your mind recharge.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” agreed Mrs. Stein.