Chapter 5: Kids at School so Cruel

Four more years had gone by. Marvin was now 6-years-old; was a first grader at the cartoon elementary school, and was in Mrs. Nala's class. Z9 was working, repairing some of the Martian centurions. Tyranhee dropped Marvin off at school. Marvin was wearing a red shirt with golden buttons; blue jeans with rockets sewing into the material; white sneakers with luminous green lights and straps; a pair of golden gloves and the same helmet he wore as a toddler, only in a larger size. "Have a good day sweetheart." Tyranhee said, cuddling Marvin and kissing him on the cheek.

"Mom, you're embarrassing me," Marvin giggled, playfully pushing his mom off him. Once Marvin had been released from Tyranhee's grasp she handed him his crimson Scooby Doo book bag which contained this week's completed homework and his lunch and waved off her skipping six-year-old into school.

Marvin skimmed the playground until he found who he was looking for, his best friend Lilly Cunningham. Lilly was Marvin's age and was in his class. She was wearing a long pink dress with daisies on the bottom; blue sparkly tights; white trainers with pink butterflies sewing into the leather and a blue hairband with a lily in it. Marvin ran up to Lilly and Lilly started the fad which had swept over the entire first grade. "How do you do?" Lilly sang.

"Fine, how are you?" Marvin sang back, in his high pitched and adorable six-year-old babble.

"How you come on?" Lilly sang again.

"Pretty good sure as you're born." Marvin sang back, giggling and hugging Lilly his eyes glowing red with pride. The red reflected the thick snow red. Lilly and Marvin stared at each other, even at the tender age of six, there was love in their eyes.

"Out of the way, you red eyed reject!" Yelled a lispy child's voice from the side, pushing Marvin down to the side, into the snow. "Lilly is my girl!" The spiteful young duck added.

Marvin glared up angrily at Daffy. Daffy was another one of the children in Marvin's class. He was wearing a blue base-ball jersey with a red number 1 painted on it and a red cap backwards.

"Go away Daffy you spoil everything!" Lilly yelled, pushing Daffy into the snow. The duckling landed flat on to his back. Lilly then lent a hand to pick Marvin up, his eyes went from glowing with fury to glowing with joy once again. The school bell rang a gentle and relaxing chime. It was time for Marvin, Lilly and Daffy to get to class.

Marvin and Lilly went into the class together and each placed their book bags into their cubbies, the pair of them pulled out their homework and placed it in a neat pile on Mrs. Nala's desk. They then sat at their own desks, next to each other in the room. Daffy stomped past them, all wet down the back. "You're despicable." He spat at the two Martians before stomping to his seat at the back of the class. The rest of the first graders soon piled in.

Mrs. Nala's classroom was beautiful. Painted a relaxing peach and caked with the children's art work from top to bottom. The centre of her room being her cleaned and well-kept blackboard with colourful chalk. At the front of Mrs. Nala's classroom was a sparkly, silver, beautiful Christmas tree which was sometimes reflected a luminous pink by Marvin's eyes, depending on what mood Marvin was in. The tree was decorated from top to bottom in African style Christmas baubles and was topped with a home-made fairy, created by Nala's 8-year-old daughter Kiara who was currently studying in the 3rd Grade under Miss. Velma Dinkly.

Nala strode into the classroom and sat tall at the front of her class. "Good morning children." She greeted.

"Good morning Mrs. Nala." The class sang back.

"Role call." Nala smiled and then began her register. "Daffy Edger Scalawiches Duck."

"Here Miss." Daffy spat with his lisp, spraying the poor student (Little Critter) in front of him.

"Lilly Cunningham."

"Here Miss. Nala"

"Marvin Martian."

"Present."

"Kion Lionheart."

"Here."

"Rani Night."

"Here Miss. Nala."

"Diesel Dalmatian."

"Who's that?"

Nala rolled her eyes and marked Diesel off her list, she expected him to still be in her class the following year. "Little Critter Spike."

"Here."

"Lola Loud"

"Present."

"Lana Loud."

"Hiya Mrs. Nala."

"Fievel Mousechitz."

"Here."

"Furball Cat." Furball raised his hand. Nala looked up and smiled at him and ticked him off her list, Furball had never spoken since the incident in the toy factory when he was two. Nala and the rest of the students treated him with kindness and care, as they understood his trauma. Marvin considered himself very lucky that Bender protected him that day; Marvin did not remember the incident, but Z9 had told him about it when he asked why Furball never spoke last year in Kindergarten when Mr. Shaggy Rodgers would not tell him. "Koda Bear." Nala continued.

"Here. Hey Miss. Nala, you'll never guess what me and Keynai did this weekend…" Koda began. Nala raised her paw to stop the cub talking any further, she knew once you got Koda talking, it was very hard to get him to stop. "Tell me at recess Koda." Nala smiled, giving the young bear a wink. Nala then continued with her register. "Nemo Clown."

"Here!" Nemo called, popping his head out of the tank.

"Squirt Sydney."

"Here!" Squirt called from his tank. Unlike Nemo, he could breathe out of water, but he still needed a tank.

"Franklin Turtle."

"Here Mrs. Nala."

"Beaver, Beaver."

"Present."

"Bear, Bear."

"Here."

"Fox, Fox."

"Here."

"Goose, Goose."

"Here."

"Otter, Otter."

"Here."

"Skunk, Skunk."

"Here."

"Snail, Snail."

"Here!" Snail balled as loud as he could from his tiny, specialised desk at the very front of the classroom in a yellow circle, separating it from the rest of the green carpet.

Nala often wondered why Franklin was the only character from Woodland whose parents had bothered to give a decent name to. This was something, of course she was not allowed to enquire about. "Scrappy Cornelius Doo."

"Here miss, up and ready to learn!" Called the lively Great Dane pup.

"Bugs Bunny."

"What up Mrs. Nala."

Nala giggled at Bugs' response. "Tasmanian Devil." Taz spat and growled, raising his hand. Taz was another child which Nala predicted would still be in her class the following year.

"Tweety Pie."

"Here Miss."

"Penelope Pussycat."

"Yes Mrs. Nala."

"Porky Pig."

"H-H-H-He-He-I'm in."

"Foghorn Leghorn."

"I say, I say, I'm here Mrs. N."

"Pepe Le Pew."

"Oui Madame Nala."

"Hazel Witchburn."

"Here." Cackled Hazel, laughing as she answered. Nala rolled her eyes, knowing she'd have to wait until Hazel had calmed down until she could continue with the lesson.

"Ok children let's review what we have been learning in History…" began Nala as she wrote the word "History" on the board in yellow chalk. "Who can tell me how Aladdin picks the Christmas flyers for his team?" Nala asked. Lilly raised her hand. "Lilly?"

"Every year Aladdin hosts games for toons when they turn 21. Every 21-year-old competes in the games and if Aladdin notices you, he will ask you to join his Christmas team." Lilly answered correctly, Marvin looked at her dreamingly, only half paying attention.

"Very good Lilly." Nala praised. "As you know children all flyers wear the medal of valour, but you can tell me what the medal of valour stands for?"

"Courage, character and a heart that's true!" Marvin yelled, practically climbing on to his desk with excitement.

"That's correct Marvin, but next time raise your hand."

"Yes Miss." Marvin agreed, his eyes staring down at his desk, slightly ashamed.

"My Godfather, Lord Shen, says I was born to be a flyer, just like him!" Boasted Daffy.

"That is not how it works Daffy!" Nala corrected.

"I can be a flyer too, and I will be the best flyer ever." Stated Beaver.

"Me too!" Called Little Critter.

"So will I!" Added Marvin, leading to the entire class looking at him in shock and disbelief. "Not with those eyes!" Daffy pointed out, pointing his black, feathered fingers at Marvin. The whole class then erupted with malicious laughter.

"Order! Order!" Shouted Nala, trying to control her class.

"Hey Marvie try the circus instead!" Laughed Lola Loud.

Marvin felt his face fall and his body heat up immensely as Daffy jaunted. "Marvin the red-eyed reject aint never going to be a flyer!"

The class continued with their cruel laughter. Marvin felt hot tears stream down his face as his eyes glowed red with sadness, only encouraging the class to laugh more. Marvin deliberately leapt from his seat and pushed his chair to the ground with a high-pitched clang, shocking the entire class.

His face soaked with tears Marvin ran to the door. "You bullies!" He screamed, still distraught and in a fit of sobs and impulsively ran out of Nala's classroom. Marvin only just heard Nala shout down the corridor, "come back here this instant!" Before calming down.

Marvin opened the school door and slammed it with an abrupt bang. "Poor Marvin." Lilly sighed sadly as Marvin was already on the edge of the playground, at the school gates. Nala had now calmed down and noted the seriousness of what had happened. "Marvin!" She called worried down the corridor. Too late, Marvin had already left the school grounds. Nala decided that she had to call Marvin's mother. She announced that the whole class would stay behind after school for 1 hour to write a 1-page essay on what they had done to Marvin and how it made him feel, with the exception of Lilly, the only child who did not laugh. She also added that as the ring leader Daffy would have to stay in for two hours and his parents would be called in for a chat. Nala was very sick of Daffy's poor behaviour this academic year.