Whiz of a Friz

Disclaimer: Ms. Frizzle and the related characters are from the Magic School Bus franchise. The spells and the way magic works are from the Harry Potter franchise. Sadly, I own neither, or I would be much richer than I am now.

Hahaha. Poooooor Frizzle. XD

Chapter 2: Boredom

Frizzle was bored out of her mind.

She'd tried to keep her promise to herself, she really had. Which was why, between classes, she'd gone to the library and pulled stacks of books from the shelves to try to find something that piqued her interest. She need not have been concerned; everything piqued her interest. Her plan had worked far too well. Now she was dying to experiment and explore to see if the things in her Potions theory and Sarah Good Academy: Designing the School were really true.

Valerie sighed, carefully put aside the books, and dropped her head into her hands. There was just so much she could be doing with her time. She hadn't been this inactive since she'd had dragon pox when she was seven, and then she'd been so tired that sleep had been a sweet relief.

She ran her hands through her hair, making it frizz even more. Val wasn't in the mood to read science fiction. She had to do something with her hands or else she would surely explode.

The freshman sighed again, replaced the books, and walked slowly back to her room to avoid falling into any potholes the magical building might decide to put in her path. Her mood soured when none appeared. She could have run back to the common room to burn off some energy. Her caution had been for naught.

When she walked into the communal area, everyone there was shocked. Never had they seen the energetic, bubbly, admittedly insane but always friendly Friz in such a terrible mood. They could almost sense the black cloud filling the air, just waiting to flash with lightning and send a downpour that would spare no one from its wrath. People kept shooting her anxious glances and edging away nervously, which only irked her further.

After only a minute or so she couldn't take it anymore. "Stop looking at me like I'm going to blow up!" she exploded, stomping her foot. Her hands balled into fists and her eyes flashed dangerously, going wide with anger bred from acute frustration and boredom. The entire room jumped, alarmed by this new development. There were several people who suddenly realized that they were late for class despite it being a free period, but most watched with mouths ajar. They fervently hoped that the girl would keep her hands away from her wand, because if she started using it only the few seniors present would be able to stop her. She would quickly become the proverbial bull in the china cabinet, wreaking havoc wherever she looked. Though she was unlikely to throw out something truly dangerous, Frizzle did know many spells with nasty effects that would necessitate a stay in the nurse's office.

The one person who was brave enough and a close enough friend of Valerie's stepped forward. "Calm down, Val," Murph said from behind her cousin in a soothing voice that nevertheless had an edge of command to it.

"Calm down? What do you mean? I'm perfectly calm and composed!" Frizzle said in a near-yell, going wild around the eyes and tugging at her hair. Her mind told her she was being immature, throwing a tantrum like that, but she was just so frustrated with the entire world at the moment. She needed something to do. Desperately. So that she didn't end up tearing out chunks of her own flesh out of sheer boredom.

"Give your wand to me, Friz," Katrina said softly. A hush had fallen over the room.

Wand? Valerie hadn't even remembered pulling it out. "Why?" she asked, the word taking a slightly hysterical undertone. The freshman looked at the piece of willow in her hand, puzzled. It was official; she was crazy. Not just laughably so, either. She was thoroughly, certifiably, dangerously insane.

A slow grin spread across her face.

Murph's eyes widened and she stumbled back a step, then narrowed once again as she mustered the remains of her courage. "Frizzle, you okay?"

"Never better," Friz replied, still smiling maniacally. "I was just really bored, that's all. But I'm sure I can change that n—"

SMACK!

"Ouch!" Valerie yelped, her eyes filling involuntarily with tears. She tenderly held her hand to her cheek, which was already turning red where her cousin had slapped her. "What on earth was that for!"

Katrina breathed a sigh of relief. "Val, don't you dare do that again. That was terrifying."

"Sorry...I know, I don't know what came over me. I'm just so bored, I'm going out of my mind...wait, what are you doing? Ow! Let go of me!" she protested, for her pretty red-headed cousin had grimly grabbed her wrist and all but dragged her out of the common room, much to the massive relief of her fellow students.

"No. I won't. You're coming with me. You being bored is dangerous." The sophomore's face was set into a mask of determination.

"Oh, c'mon, Murph..."

Katrina finally stopped pulling at Valerie's arm, only to turn around and scream in her face. "I mean it! You scared everyone in there half to death! You're the smartest witch in the school, you know advanced spells that even some of the seniors can't cast, and what I saw back there was NOT my kind, caring, energetic cousin!" And with that, she whirled around and resumed her tugging.

Frizzle was too shocked to complain. She hadn't been herself, she knew that. But had she really scared people that badly? Wasn't she allowed to have just one bad day?

Then she realized where her cousin had taken her when Murph called, "Dr. Vaidya? Dr. Vaidya, can you come here, please?"

The Indian woman bustled out. "Hello, Katrina. What can I do for—oh for heaven's sake!" she snapped venomously, catching a glimpse of who else was there. "Honestly, I think this is a record even for you, Valerie! I just fixed up your hands not twenty hours ago! What havoc have you managed to wreak now?"

It was all too much for the girl to bear. She may have been the brightest pupil Sarah Good Academy had ever seen; she might have been naturally bubbly, and mature, and always collected. But even she had a breaking point, and she'd just been pushed past it.

She burst into tears.

Kat and the doctor could only stare in shock for a few seconds; then, as if to some unseen signal, they both sprang into action at once.

"Come here, come on, you're okay. Just sit here. Come on, Valerie, sit on the bed now. What's the matter? Are you hurt?"

"Friz, look at me. You're okay. You're okay."

The nurse had only once seen the bright young girl cry, and that had been different. When she'd come to her office with a fractured cheekbone from doing Merlin-knows-what, the freshman's eyes had teared up, and that was it. She could deal with pain. She had to; she was clumsy enough. So what had caused her to sob like this?

Friz shook her head, massive sobs racking her body. "N-n-no," she stuttered, hiccuping. "I tried, I really did. I w-w-w-was on my b-best behavior. I d-didn't do anyth-th-th-thing dangerous s-so I'd only have to come here once next w-w-week, and n-not in the next th-three days. B-but I was so bored, I went crazy, I can't d-d-d-d..." She sobbed again, then drew a shuddering breath. "Can't do it. I h-have to d-d-do something."

The Indian woman's eyes widened. "Valerie, you are the strangest person I've ever met. And that's saying something." She shook her head. Frizzle just nodded. That, at least, the girl was used to. "You break bones on at least a weekly basis and always come to me ready with smiles and jokes and tales of your adventures," the doctor continued. "You self-diagnose extremely well and have no fear. The one time you start bawling, it's because of boredom..." Dr. Vaidya sighed. "What are we going to do with you?"

"Find her something to do," Murph suggested. "A bored, frustrated Friz with a wand's terrifying. No wonder she keeps busy."

"Teach me," Frizzle said suddenly.

"W-what?" Both her cousin and the nurse looked shocked and confused.

The Friz's eyes were rimmed with red, but there was something else there too: a desire, a hunger for knowledge. It burned hot and bright, causing her self-pitying sobs to die down. Her breathing was still erratic, but steadying. "I don't want to cause you trouble this semester. But I'm also bored out of my mind and am going crazier than I already am." The freshman even cracked a small smile, but there was a desperation in her gaze. "So teach me everything you can. I'll come here and help out. I already know the basics, I've been here enough to pick stuff up."

"That's...not in school policy," Dr. Vaidya said reluctantly. "I'd love to have you help out, but I'm not sure about the principal."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Frizzle seemed to have almost forgotten her former frustration and was bouncing on the bed in delight.

"I can't promise anything!" the Indian woman said, panicking. She didn't want to get the girl's hopes up, only for the principal, Mr. Ruhle, to dash them. He was a fairly young man and quite modern, so there was a chance that he'd agree to it, but it was nowhere near certain.

"I'll take care of Mr. Ruhle," the frizzy-haired girl said confidently. "He'll let me. I'm sure of it."

"Tell 'im your health would be compromised otherwise," Murph muttered under her breath. Friz elbowed her. "Ow! It's true though," she continued, dancing out of harm's way before her cousin's bony elbow could find her ribs again. "Come on. You get injured doing anything else, and you remember what almost happened when you tried not to do anything."

"I might tell him that," she admitted with a slightly watery smile. The freshman stood, wiped her tears away, squared her shoulders, and prepared to leave.

"Where are you going?" Dr. Vaidya demanded.

Frizzle raised an eyebrow. "To talk to Mr. Ruhle, of course."

"Now?" Murph practically squealed.

"No time like the present!" And with that, Valerie was gone, her curly red hair bouncing on her shoulders.

The Indian woman and the Southern girl just stared after her before Katrina cleared her throat. "I almost feel bad for him."

The nurse nodded, then went about her business, shaking her head at the thought of what the injury-prone girl was going to do. She got points for sheer audacity if nothing else.

Hope you enjoyed it!