Chapter 9 First Day Jitters

"What?" Celia leaned in closer, unsure if she had heard that right. Did Roy...did Roy really…

"Yeah!" Roy exclaimed. "It could be cool! Of course, I would have to get permission from Bowser." His face fell a little. "Plus, it would be a long commute to go to school in the Mushroom Kingdom." His face fell even more. "That would mean I would have to wake up earlier than I normally do."

It felt as if Celia's heart was being squished. "Then don't do it. It would be too much trouble for you."

Roy blinked. "Too much trouble?" He burst into laughter. "Oh, Cee. I spent most of my life trying to keep a Princess away from a plumber, and have gotten some very bad scars as a result." He turned and showed her a scar right below his neck, in a space on his back that one would probably not go looking at very often. "If I can handle that, I can handle this."

Celia gawked. Roy was serious. He was legitimately offering this, putting himself in a position that would be mighty uncomfortable for him. Did he even realize the problem with this? Did he even know how….ludicrous this would be?

"Roy…."

"Shhh…." Roy placed his finger on her lips. "Cee, it's fine. I've always wanted to go to a regular school." He chortled. "I've heard of this thing called a swirly before; apparently, they do it pretty commonly in high schools. I don't know what it is, but I definitely want to try it!"

Celia's face fell. "Roy…" she shook her head and placed it in her hands. "You can't come to school with me."

"Why not?" He did a flex. "Am I too muscular?"

"What? No…"

"Too handsome?"

"Roy?"

"Too insanely dumb that I probably wouldn't be able to grasp even the most basic concepts that the teachers teach to me?" As soon as he finished that sentence, he blinked his eyes in awe. "Huh. Actually, that might not be too far from the truth."

"No!" Celia shook her head at a rapid rate. "Roy, it isn't that; isn't even close to that." She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Roy, a regular school in the Mushroom Kingdom is full of Toads. They'll destroy you! They're like vampires; they'll suck the joy out of you the first chance they get."

Roy's eyes grew wide. "Toads are like vampires?" He grinned. "That's so cool! I wonder if they can turn into a bat for me. Ooh, maybe, when they bite me, I'll become a vampire too!"

"Roy!" Celia slapped him across the cheek. "You're missing the point; wildly missing the point. If you walk into a regular high school as a purebred Koopa, you'll go through a level of hell that you never even thought existed. The Toads will hate you! They'll do awful things to you!"

Roy's face morphed into a somber, sobered expression. "Ohh…"

"And I would never wish that on you. I wouldn't wish that on anybody. I've dealt with that stuff before. It won't be pleasant, but I can survive."

Roy's faced her with a furrowed brow. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, causing Celia to look at him angrily.

"What are you doing?"

"Letting you know it'll be okay." He pulled his hand away. "If those toads are as ruthless as you say they are, then that is all the more reason why you need moral support." He puffed out his chest. "It's settled! I'm coming with you!"

Celia's heart leapt into her throat. "No!"

"Yes! If I can prevent you from getting hurt, then any pain I'll have to endure will be worth it. You can't change my mind about that."

Celia stared at him. She didn't know what to say, nor what to think.

"Roy, i don't want you getting hurt."

"Then we understand each other." He rubbed the back of his head. "It'll be fine, Celia. I can do this for you for as long as you need me to."

Celia hesitated, desperate to find a counterargument tucked somewhere within the folds of her brain. Nothing would come. She knew that she couldn't convince him otherwise, no matter how much she wished he could.

"You...you're such a stubborn donkey."

Roy laughed. "Guilty as charged." He held out his arms, inviting her into a hug but not forcing it onto her. "Please. Allow me to do this. I think I'll like it."

Celia looked at him in uncertainty before letting out a drolling sigh. There was really no point n objecting. If she did, he would just find another way to do it. So, she hugged him back.

…

"Lunch box...pencil case...notebook…."

Celia placed the items in the backpack her Mom bought her. It had been three weeks since her conversation with Roy, three weeks that had consisted of nothing but preparing her for school. Her stomach had been doing flip flops more often than an acrobat on a balance beam during that time. More than once, she had to forcibly prevent herself from throwing up.

Once she zipped up her backpack, she pushed her hair out of her face and stood up. She bit her lip, chewing on it like it was a piece of bubblegum. She swept some dust off of her outfit, which consisted of a tight fitting fuzzy red sweater and a pair of blue jeggings. Her mom had wanted her to dress as best as she could for her first day. She said that "dressing like a million coins will make you feel like a million coins." Her dad had backed that statement up by saying "fake it til you make it."

Not bad advice, but still advice that Celia didn't know if she could follow. Even while she was wearing clothes that were drop dead stunning, she still felt as if she was going to puke. After all, it wasn't just her that was entering the school building today.

"Cee!"

Celia turned and saw her mom enter the room. She smiled, eyeing the outfit that her daughter wore. "Oh, now that is just beautiful."

"Thanks," Celia said. She looked down at the sweater, wishing that it could magically make her feel less like a horrible person.

"Do you want me to do your hair?" asked Ruby.

"I...I suppose."

So, Ruby got a brush and a ponytail holder. As she did Celia's hair, there was a silence in the air. Ruby probably didn't think much of it, but to Celia, it was uncomfortable.

"Mom…" she whimpered. "I'm scared."

"Of school?" She sent another stroke of the brush through. "I understand, but at least you'll have Roy there."

Celia sighed. "Hooray."

Ruby held the ponytail holder and twisted Celia's hair through it. "I won't tell you it'll be just fine, because I don't know if that's true. However…" she turned her around and smiled at her… "I will tell you that you do have support."

Celia lowered her head, preventing herself from making eye contact with Ruby. "Okay."

"Hey," Ruby said. "Come here." She wrapped Celia in a hug and stroked her back. "You're a smart girl, Celia. You just have to believe in yourself."

Celia felt bile rise to her throat. Believe in herself. That was the exact thing Iggy had said to her.

"I'll...I'll try."

"That's my girl." She released her grip. "This is an opportunity. You'll be able to catch up with all the stuff that you missed."

"I know." Celia felt like crying. "Believe me, I know."

"Good." Ruby walked toward the door. "Just...don't stress it."

Celia nodded as Ruby left. She stood in one place, thinking about her mom. Ruby had said that, before she had Celia, she wanted to become a doctor. Seeing how her life fell to crap right after Celia was born, however, that obviously hadn't been possible.

Although...well, Celia now couldn't help but think about the conversation with her dad that one night. He had said that he didn't mind giving up his dream for her. Did Ruby think the same thing? Probably, on some level.

At this point, Celia didn't know if that knowledge brought her comfort or guilt.

Pushing that thought to the side, she made her way to the front door, gripping her backpack strap as if it were a life preserver. She hadn't worn a backpack in so long; it almost felt alien. She saw her father doing the dishes with a...snicker fire flower shaped scrubber. Her mom was watching TV in the family room; a soap opera called Heart to Heart of all things.

"I'm ready," she said.

"Good!" Singe exclaimed. He set down the dish washing materials as Ruby turned off the show. "We'll walk you out."

Celia nodded, unable and unwilling to say no to them. The led her out the door, where surprisingly, Roy was already waiting with his koopa clown car. He wore a black leather jacket of all things, and had shades that matched. It would have looked cool if it wasn't for the fact that it was studded with sequins.

"Look, Celia! I'm the cool kid!"

Celia actually snickered. "Yeah, you are." She turned back to her parents and gave them both a hug.

"Have a great day, sweetheart," said Singe.

"Kick those Toad's butts!" Ruby exclaimed with a twinkle in her eye. She pulled away. "Academically, of course."

"I'll..I'll try." She turned toward Roy, who was gesturing for her to hop in the clown car. She wanted to bolt; she would have given anything to bolt from this.

But, in the end, she got in the copter. Her days of running away were over, whether she liked it or not.