Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go—
"Ah! Purachina, come here!"
Dammit!
Purachina, head dangling in shame, sauntered over to the koopa's desk, motioning for Daisy to follow her. She rested her hands on the mahogany desk, head still hanging low—her glossy, black her was covering half of her face. Daisy, however, walked over as if nothing was wrong, which was very unusual.
Before today, if the two got into any trouble, Daisy would be embarrassed, even though she rarely got any bad marks. Purachina, on the other hand, would be completely indifferent towards the matter. Perhaps it was because it was jeopardizing the oncoming event for her?
"Now, girls, you're not in trouble, but…" the Koopa paused, adjusting his glasses. "although it is against my moral beliefs to look at another student's notes, I couldn't help but glance at the writings on the letter…Are…you a Mario Kart Racer, Purachina?"
A small spark of confidence lit inside Purachina's gut. She half-smiled, becoming a just a teensy cocky. "Yeah. We both are."
A warm smile. "Oh! That's wonderful! I am a big fan of the races; I watch them on television all the time! Of course, I've seen Daisy now and then-great job, by the way."
"Thank you," Daisy replied softly, glaring away and clutching her opposite arm. She, on the other hand, didn't like here this convo was going…whenever people found out that she raced or saw her on television, the annoyances just wouldn't stop!
"You're very welcome. But I noticed that there's a possibility that you wont be able to race, Purachina? Is that true?"
The girl's face turned at least twelve shades of red, from her cheeks all the way to her ears. "I...I u-uh…I mean…"
"No, no! I never share personal information with others, don't worry."
Purachina's face was still scarlet and Daisy had to pretend to cough to keep herself from giggling.
"Look, what I'm trying to say is…as a die-hard Mario Kart fan—I've loved it since it first started in '92—I would hate to see you two suspended from the race. Whether by…family issues, or some other reason. So, I'm going to give you some advice. This goes mainly to you, Miss Shiawase…"
I am so going to be late for my next class… Purachina thought bitterly. She fondled one of her earrings.
"I know school is tough. I went through it too when I was a child. I absolutely hated it. But, I still behaved like I was supposed to, and my behaviour alone got me many, many places in life.
"What I'm trying to say is, you want to race in the All-Cup in the next two days, right?"
"More than anything." Purachina replied.
Daisy nodded. "It's like our lives depend on it."
Another smile found its way onto the teacher's face. "Then, please, girls, behave in class. I don't to have to get you grounded at home."
"Bu-But…S-Stop saying that!" Purachina whined, blood returning to colour her face.
Daisy giggled at her friend, then asked: "Does this mean we don't get conduct notices?"
"No. You still get them."
If there was any word in the English language that was worthy enough to describe the girls' faces right now…
Ding…Dong…
"You're late you two," stated the literary teacher—a male, red-shelled paratroopa around the age of twenty years.
"No, no!" Daisy protested, waving a piece of yellow paper in the air. "We have notes."
The girls handed them to the paratroopa, deemed "Mr. Bit" by the students (he received the nickname for his love of retro 8-bit and 16-bit games), seized and read both of the notes. He smiled and set them on the desk when he was finished. "Okay, girls. Go have a seat."
Smiling back and nodding, both of the girls sat next to Peach, who was shaking her head slightly at her friends' behaviour. So typical of them…
Mr. Bit stood in front of the class to explain the curriculum of the period, which—believe it or not—didn't bore Purachina half do death. Mr. Bit was the girl's favourite teacher; they both had love for video games, chiptune, otaku culture, and Internet memes. They both had a sense of humour in their adventurous personalities, and sometimes, Purachina would be allowed to visit him during lunch period and surf the web on his laptop. She loved him to freakin' pieces.
She took out her pack of Black Black Hard gum (she needed all the caffeine she could get right now), pushed the button to make a piece come out, and paid half-attention to the lesson. She didn't need to pay attention to the lecture (in her wondrous little mind) because she was already passing with a 'B+'. That is the highest grade she ever got once she started sixth grade. And she's a junior now.
Popping the piece of gum in her mouth and smiling contently, she stared at Mr. Bit as he wrote on the Smart Board. The words he spoke entered Purachina's ears in a faint jumble; her mind was going other places again. At least she wasn't sleeping—gotta love caffeinated gum.
I wonder what it will be like, going all over the Mushroom Planet for the first time, she thought to herself, humming in a barely audible volume. God, it'll be the first time I'll be away from home for that long. I've never been that far either… Thoughts of traveling in Peach's pink private jet swam though her brain. She's only been inside of it once…And she was too nervous the entire time because she thought it was going to crash. But that was when she had a phobia of heights. She (barely) matured overtime, so that scenario didn't bother her the slightest.
Well…a little bit, maybe.
Purachina's body quivered as she silently chuckled. Her thoughts went back to the day she first got her license. The cold, hard, and shimmery blue plastic card that she held in her hands showed up in such a clear memory. Her heart skipped a beat as she recalled the card being completely blank, save for one silver (and heavy-duty adhesive) sticker under the 50cc Mushroom Cup. She loved it so much, that she would carry it in her pocket and take it out several times a day, just gazing at the no-longer-bare card.
Oh, and Purachina could never forget when she first got her bike. She was shown a list of twelve bikes and karts total that were recommended for her size and weight. She tried all six karts on a closed Mario Circuit 3, with both the bros watching over her. She remembered her slight pink colour dusting on her cheeks as she bashfully admitted that she found none of the karts to be satisfactory. Mario and Luigi waved it off, however, and walked her back to the garage, where she could try the bikes. There were six of those also, and Purachina's big, green eyes lit up at the sight of them. Heh… she thought. The dolphin one looked cool. She tried the Dolphin Dasher first, hoping, praying that would drive as well as it looked.
Unfortunately, Purachina had a terrible time handling it. The speed and acceleration was perfect for her experience level, but accidentally drifted off-road or bumped into a wall a bit too much for her patience.
Her next choice was Standard Bike M, recommended by Mario. She was a bit skeptical at first. It just looked so…plain. Nevertheless, she tried it anyway, and her mind was blown. The vehicle had perfect speed, acceleration, and handling—she only drifted off-road once, which was okay considering that she never really raced yet. And when she did happen to stray off-road, she was surprised at how fast it went! Even in dirt, she didn't feel like a snail trying to get across some train tracks! So, she just had to have that bike, even if her life depended on—
"Purachina~ you alive, hun?" Mr. Bit lightly thonked her on the head a few times with the Smart Board eraser.
"Yeah…" Purachina replied, blushing. She stared at her blank page of her notebook, slightly embarrassed.
"Well, can you prove you're not a zombie by correcting the sentence on the board?" Mr. Bit smiled at her. Purachina nodded as she stared at the projection. It read:
"Frank would like a baloney sandwich instead of ham."
"Heh heh, Frank," Purachina giggled. She snapped back to attention and answered. "Uh, the 'baloney'. The way you have it spelled is used when calling a statement false. It should be spelt…" Think, Dammit! "B-O-L-O-G-N-E."
"Ahh, close," Mr. Bit hissed, still smiling. "But you're half-right. No one wants a fake sandwich." The class giggled for a few seconds, then the paratroopa continued. "Princess Peach, would you like to take a crack at it?"
"Yes sir." Peach stood up and proudly declared: "While Purachina was on the right track," her friend nudged her jokingly. "…it should be spelt B-O-L-O-G-N-A."
"Yes! You are correct! Here, free invisible lollipop."
The three smiled. They loved his joking demeanor so much. If only all teachers were like him.
The rest of the class went on normally: Daisy talking a bit too much, Peach being attentive and studious, Mr. Bit joking and teaching at the same time (miracles!), and Purachina just…being herself. No surprises there.
When the PA system chimed for the afternoon announcements, the entire class cheered.
"Yay!" some called. "Spring break is here!"
"No books! No lessons! We're free!" Yelled others.
"Two weeks to ourselves!"
"No school for the win!"
Purachina chuckled. How cute, she thought to herself, smirking proudly. They're excided about their two weeks while the girls and I get a whole month…
"Good Afternoon boys and girls, faculty and visitors, it is time for our afternoon announcements!" The principle spoke. The class was so loud that you could barely hear her.
As the announcements were spoken, Daisy poked Peach the shoulder, making her turn in her direction.
"So, you excided, cuz?" she asked, a smile stained on her face. Of course she knew the answer—the gang has been practicing and talking about it for at least three months.
"Of course I am, Daisy," the princess giggled. "The excitement of racing in the All-Cup Tour never fades away. I bet you're looking forward to it too, am I right?"
"Yup, heart's practically pounding at the thought of it. And I agree with you completely, Peachy. It never gets old… Oh, so I was thinking, what's the track you're looking forward to racing?"
"Peach Gardens, of course. It takes place right behind my home—I know that track like I know the back of my own hand." She waved a pale hand with pink, perfectly manicured fingernails for emphasis.
"Tch. I wish they would make a track in Sarasaland so I'd have that advantage." Daisy smiled and stretched. "But…the one I'm looking forward to racing might be Maple Treeway, I love, love, love that place!"
"Oh, I know! It's so calm and peaceful…we should totally go for a picnic while we're there."
The orange princess sighed. "That would be lovely, and a great way to deal with the stress of going round Mushroom Planet…"
The two looked at Purachina, who was humming a Vocaloid song, oblivious to the world around her. The girl was all smiles. She waved her feet in rhythm to the song she was humming.
"Heh, you think Purachina's excided too?" Daisy whispered, giggling some more.
"What is up with you and obvious questions today dear? Of course she is! She wouldn't stop rambling about it last night." Peach gestured toward the rebel, who was still unaware of the conversation about her.
"Bless her heart, Peach, I feel sorry for her." Princess Daisy shook her head. "Underneath that happy-go-lucky mask of hers, she might be crumbling apart from the stress…" That was, of course, true.
"I understand—remember how she almost trembled when we described Rainbow Road to her? She must have been terrified."
"I'm right here, guys…"
The royal cousins whipped their heads to see a smiling Purachina, who was shaking her head. "I thought you two weren't the kind to gossip."
"We're not, Pura," Daisy protested. "Talking about you once doesn't make us gossipers." Peach nodded, laughing.
"Whatever. But you're right, I am scared of this whole thing, especially the 'Racetrack that shall not be named'." She folded her arms across her chest and closed her eyes, sighing and blowing a bubble. "Sometimes I worry…what if I get last place?"
Daisy laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Well, with your talent, you won't lose. You've been amazing at racing ever since you first started. Hell, even if you do lose, someone's gotta get last place. I mean, you know how precise they measure the times of each racer. No one's ever tied. Not since '92."
Just as Purachina opened her mouth, the principle on the PA proudly declared: "And that is all for our afternoon announcements. I want all of you to have a fun and safe—"
"She was paid to say that…" Pura mumbled.
"—spring break. And a great big 'good luck' to the three racers who are taking part in the All-Cup Tour. You know who you are! Race safely, and see you next month!"
"Whores!" Someone called from the class. Purachina wanted to punch him in the face.
"Teachers, please dismiss ninth and tenth graders. Ninth and tenth graders, please. Eleventh and twelfth will be dismissed momentarily."
Click
Purachina grabbed her books and shot out of her seat. She ran to Mr. Bit, giving him a big glomp. "God, I'm going to miss you bro!" she said, fake crying. Mr. Bit hugged her back.
"Me too, Purachina. But hey, the month will go faster than you think. Just be safe, and don't crash. Don't want to harm that bike of yours."
"Hey!"
"Jokes! But seriously, don't hurt yourself. I'll be watching on television. Have fun Purachina. You too, girls!"
Peach and Daisy waved as Purachina caught up with them. "We will!" they called in unison. And with that, all three went to their lockers for the last time, until the big event.
Oh God…here we go…