Chapter 14 Project Time

The next day, the walk down the hallway felt even lonelier. Sure, Roy was with her every step of the way, but unfortunately, the big brute didn't make the best company. He had a scowl on his face the whole time, and would mutter about the swirly he got the day before at least once every five seconds. Ultimately, though, he was better than nothing (no matter how low of a bar "nothing" was to clear).

Celia firmly gripped the strap of her backpack. She was starting to sweat, and feeling all the more uncomfortable because of it. She wiped her forehead, trying not to let the students' gazes bother her. A lot easier said than done, as their gazes felt even more spiteful than yesterday. She trembled and bit her lip. Now more than ever, she needed the comfort of someone who was close to her.

"Roy?" she whispered.

Roy let out a huffy breath. "Seriously," he muttered to himself. "How was I supposed to know swirlies were so messy? There's no indication in the name!"

Celia reached out and took Roy's hand, wrapping her fingers around his like he was her security blanket. Her heart pumped, speeding up the sweating process like her body had been put on fast forward. "Roy."

Roy did a double take. "Huh, what, huh?" He looked down at Celia, just noticing for the first time that she was holding his hand. "What's going on?"

"Roy, they're staring at us."

Roy blinked. He was silent for a good twenty seconds before he spoke. "Who's staring at you?"

"The students!" Celia directed his gaze to the hallway with her head.

Roy blinked before realization crossed his face. "You're right, they are!" His face fell. "Oh crap, they are." He scratched the back of his head. Sweat beads were forming on his body too. "Dang, we are NOT popular."

"No, we aren't." Celia noticed a Toad giving her an extra concentrated death glare. Her mind flashed to the Toads who had bullied her in the past, causing her to whimper and cover her face with her hand.

Roy chuckled. "Well. I guess my plans to become prom king and rule the high school by my side are down the tubes." His face fell into a scowl. "Similar to my dignity when I got that swirly yesterday." He growled. "Stupid swirly."

Celia let out a breath right as she and Roy stopped at her classroom. When she saw the door, she experienced a feeling that could be described as a type of separation anxiety. The only difference was that Roy hadn't actually left her yet.

"Well…I guess this is where we part ways."

Roy gave her saddened look. "I guess so." He wiped dust off of the hoodie he wore. "But it's okay. The school day is only…" he hesitated before his face fell. "Well actually, I have no idea how long it is." He looked back at Celia. "But it's short enough; I'm sure we'll be fine!"

Celia didn't feel too certain about that, especially after what happened with Roy the day before. "Are you sure?"

Roy smiled. "Sure I'm sure!" He unzipped his hoodie and showed Celia what he had on underneath. "I've got extra protection on me."

Celia blinked. "Roy, that's a plate of armor."

"Exactly!" He chuckled. "I found it in the Castle armory." He tapped on the plate. "No amount of detention slips can break through THIS tough of a shell." He reached into his hammerspace and pulled out a helmet; wearing a confident smirk as he slapped it on his head. "And with this helmet, I get extra protection against swirlies." He pulled down the vizor. "This is an important piece of armor. It's metallic, shiny, and it's got this REALLY cool feather on top!" He swept his hand along the length of the white feather. "Let's see who's going to bully me NOW!"

Celia, despite her original unease, actually snickered. "You're such a nut." She pulled back the vizor and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you."

Roy's face turned pink as his head. "Aww." He put the vizor back down. "Well, I'd better get jousting to class!" He skipped two steps before turning back to her. "Get it? Knights and jousting? I thought about that quip last night and I didn't want it to go to waste."

Celia snickered. "Don't worry, I got it." She waved to Roy one last time before entering the classroom. Now that she didn't feel like she was on the spot anymore, she allowed herself to breathe easy and relax. The sight of Ms. Tish's smiling face was a definite plus.

"Welcome back," she said. She picked up a marker and began to write on the whiteboard. "Who was that guy outside with you?"

"Oh, that's just Roy Koopa."

Ms. Tish paused with writing and turned around with a blink. "Wait. You mean the Roy Koopa? As in the prince of the Koopa Kingdom."

"Yep."

Ms. Tish's jaw dropped. "That's…that's unbelievable! What's he doing at this school?"

Celia slowly slipped into the closest desk. "Well…he wanted to attend alongside me. Provide me some protection as…as my boyfriend."

Ms. Tish did a triple take. "Sweet Eldstar and the six other Star Spirits." She laughed. "You are one lucky girl!"

Celia snorted. Out of all the words that she would think to describe herself with, she didn't see "lucky" being anywhere on that list. "Thanks."

Ms. Tish smiled. She resumed with writing on the board again. When she finished, she turned to face her class of one.

"Well, let's put your status as girlfriend to the prince aside for a moment. It's time we start learning!"

…

Celia had to admit that the class was a lot easier than she thought it would be. Maybe it was because she had already covered up to the fifth grade level with Iggy, but the problems were relatively easy to solve and the pace of the class was relatively easy to follow. Plus, with the added benefit of Ms. Tish being significantly less annoying than Iggy, things were actually borderline enjoyable.

"So, that's what the liver is responsible for," Ms. Tish said. "And with that, I think we are all set with covering basic anatomy." She let out a breath, a loud, happy breath. "Well, I don't know about you, but that was far more enjoyable than high school anatomy."

Celia snickered. "Not that I would know about anything at that level, but whatever."

Ms. Tish chuckled sheepishly. "That's true. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound demeaning."

Celia snickered once more. "Believe me, that is one of the least demeaning things I've had to deal with."

Ms. Tish breathed a sigh of relief before looking back at the clock. "Well, we still have a bit of time left." She looked back at Celia. "I think now would be a good time to tell you about your project."

"Project?" Celia asked with a blink. "We're worrying about that now?"

Ms. Tish shrugged. "Well, it isn't due till the end of the year. That's three months." Her eyes sparkled. "But look at it this way. The sooner you know about it, the sooner you can start working on it and the better grade you'll get in the end."

Celia let out a heavy, long sigh. "I guess." She straightened her posture. "So, what is it exactly?"

"Well…" Ms. Tish smiled with clear enthusiasm. "Remember when I told you about how the seniors talk about what they want to do after graduation at the end of year Mario Kart race?"

A bad feeling was developing in Celia's gut. "Uh huh…"

"Well, I was thinking it would be nice to let you get a jump start on that! I want you to pick a job you could potentially be interested in doing, do some research on it, and create a personal vision statement!"

Celia's heart skipped a beat and sank at the same time. "You…want me to decide what I want to do?" When Ms. Tish nodded, she sunk into her chair. "Oh…yay for me."