*Chapter 80*
"Oh, Tessa, there's nothing to worry about," Penny argued in mild annoyance; her, Oliver and Tessa began to clean up their books just seconds after the next hour bell chimed through Academy.
"Easy for you to say," Tessa muttered as she slumped her bag over her shoulder.
She heaved a hard, annoyed breath and let her eyes gloss over the massive, sprawling Academy library. She knew the three were incredibly spoiled to have sixth-hour together, not to mention their subject of study being Study Hall. They straightened out the chairs, in which they were lazily sat at for the last forty five minutes and slowly began to mosey on towards the exit of the library. The school slowly warmed to life, students began to shlep to their last hour class; figuratively the longest of the day. Tessa nervously tucked her hair behind her ears and lingered close to Oliver and Penny in a worried fashion.
"You'll be just fine, why are you so riled about it? You got your class changed from Program Ed. to AP Circuit Structure... Isn't that what you wanted?" Oliver wondered, his black hair ruffled over his forehead in a messy manner typical for a tired Monday school day. His casual, slightly wrinkled grey t-shirt didn't help the fact that he could care less about being awake.
"It IS what I wanted," Tessa grumbled as the three slowly strolled to the lobby, though much to Tessa's dismay, they came to a slow stop, in order to eventually prepare to split three ways. Tessa slumped her arm and hand to her side and nervously peered down the hallway she'd have to brave, "I've been spoiled by having this week's seventh hour off, while my schedule gets rearranged and settled, but now that I have to go into a whole classroom, full of FIFTH years... I'm sure they're going to look at me down their noses."
"Oh, come on, if anything, they'll be surprised a first year was able to snag a position in a fifth year class," Penny wagged her finger, "You know it's nearly impossible for that to happen, right?"
"Right," Tessa uttered as she side eyed the hallway she'd have to endure, she gave it a dirty look, "I was a laughing stock in my last class, because of my teacher... This time, the teacher will likely coddle me while the students laugh me outta there."
"You're going to be stunned with how much you're proven wrong, by all of this nonsense," Penny chimed as she began to lightly step away, "I'll meet you guys here in an hour. Good luck, Tessy."
"I'll need more than luck," Tessa said sadly as her eyes practically begged Penny not to leave, though she flinched once Oliver gave her a loving nudge to her upper arm.
"You'll be fine, chill," Oliver said deeply as he, too, began to step in an opposite direction from his older cousin and sister.
"You guys," Tessa complained lightly, though two looked back at her with sheepish grins and apologetic hand gestures before they both turned heel and head to their respective classes.
Tessa slumped her shoulders and finally turned her head and peered down the gloriously lit hallway she'd have to endure eventually. She inhaled a deep breath and started her journey, though she could begin to feel her hands shake. As she strolled down the foreign hallway, she noticed the gamers began to look more and more mature, not in any physical aspect, though with the way they acted, talked, walked; as if the dewy, deer in headlights aspect of Academy was long gone from their skin. A few gamers quietly talked in small groups, about projects or serious subjects. Tessa raised her eyebrows and felt a nervous pang hit her code, as a few gamers, passing by, gave her almost apologetic looks of sorrow, as if to wonder if a measly first year had sadly lost her way. She furrowed her eyebrows and scolded herself for giving off such a vulnerable vibe. She straightened her posture and changed her footing to that of nervous moseying, to purposeful steps. She head towards her brand new class, though she could swear her heart was in her throat.
Tessa lightly neared the open door of her new classroom. Her larger fingers ever so lightly ran along the cold stones of the wall she lingered by. She hung to the edge of the doorway and curiously peered in. She furrowed her eyebrows and noticed only four or five gamers quietly, though casually, sat about the room; they waited for the final bell to ring, so their class could begin. She let a curious smile just barely grace her face as she dared to step in. Within the split second it took her to feel even an inch of comfort, it immediately washed away once two or three of the students, in the room, drew their curious attention to the new presence. Tessa inhaled a silent breath through her teeth and held it in fear of everyone suddenly pouncing on her, like wild animals, though her ears pricked at the sound of her teacher's soothing voice.
"Ah, a Ms. Tessa Schweetz, you found us," Her teacher chimed in a quite, though happy tone, that could put even the hardest of hearts at ease, she carried on, "My name's Lucky."
"Tessa," She eased, in accordance to her manners; she lightly reached out and shook Lucky's hand.
Tessa furrowed her eyebrows in kind curiosity and immediately noticed that Lucky was of the Sonic universe. She was that of a jungle cat-anthro breed, with clean, dark grey fur and a long, white striped tail. She wore a casual shirt and shorts, and her gentle green eyes pierced Tessa's with growing curiosity as her fang-full smile was strangely un-intimidating.
"We're so fortunate to have you, we've been wondering when the approval for your schedule change would come through," Lucky smiled as Tessa handed her a few papers from the front office.
"Took 'em long enough," One student chimed kindly, in loo of Tessa's week-long wait, "Give us that job, we'd have it done in an hour!"
"Not everyone moves at our pace," Lucky reminded with a smirk of a smile as she glanced at her outspoken student, "No harm done. We're glad you've joined us. You can have a seat next to my daughter," Lucky gently gestured her hand to a spot behind Tessa and next to her suspecting, new classmate.
Tessa lightly turned around and caught eyes with Lucky's daughter; she was about Tessa's height, though her fur was a gentler light grey. She had the same features as her mother, though her eyes were a sharp yellow and the stripes on her tail were not as prominent, that eventually faded into a cream gradient. She sat casually hunched at her desk, she quietly chewed on a piece of gum. Her large, cat ears were laid gently flat. She gave off a tom-boyish appearance, though Tessa immediately felt at ease because of it. She gave her new, suspecting friend a humble smile and softly sat down at the two-seat countertop desk.
"You guys just hang out for a second, I've got to get these assignments ready," Lucky eased to the five or six calmly waiting students in her class. Amongst their teacher approaching her desk, everyone quietly began to converse. Tessa inhaled a nervous breath and set her stuff down, as she got comfortable.
"I'm Otto," said Lucky's daughter. She gave Tessa a kind smile and held out her human-like paw, though her stand-offish, tomboy demeanor held true. Tessa gently shook her hand and nodded once.
"Tessa," She repeated, though she tried to avoid giving Otto a curious smirk; she felt her heart sink as her plan failed.
"Otto's just a nickname... My real name is Odessa, but everyone calls me Otto," She clarified, her ears only lightly raised, to hold attention to Tessa.
"Gotcha," Tessa eased as she nervously crossed her arms.
"We've been wondering this all week, but..." Otto lightly glanced at a few of their other classmates before she fixed her sharp, yellow cat-like eyes on Tessa's in a fit of curious excitement, "How did a first year manage to squeeze into an AP class meant for fifth years?"
"Oh, it's... It's a long story," Tessa heaved through a sigh as she rolled her eyes, though she chuckled and gave Otto an annoyed smile, in loo of her previous situation.
"Y'fight administration for it?" Otto quietly laughed as she put up her clawed fists and pretended to prepare to box; Tessa beamed and shook her head.
"No, I... I sort of got kicked out of my Program Ed. class," Tessa said sheepishly, though she furrowed her eyebrows once Otto's look of delight dropped to nervous confusion, "Well... I sort of kicked myself out, I guess."
"What in Arcade did you do?" Otto furrowed her dark grey eyebrows and let her ears rest flat, as prior.
"User forbid you jump ahead, in the book," Tessa said in a dull tone, though she began to feel more and more at ease in her nervous situation, "I had a perfect score in the class, so I curiously looked to the back of the book, for what we were going to learn later on... She humiliated me in front of the whole class, so I walked out."
"She humiliated you in front of everyone?" Otto gawked, "Pretty sure teachers aren't supposed to do something like that..."
"Yeah, well... Surely rocked the boat in all aspects of my life," Tessa muttered, though Otto tilted her head curiously.
"Why did she humiliate you? Just because you skipped ahead?" Otto wondered in annoyance.
"Uh... Well," Tessa felt her face get hot; she knew these students likely wouldn't tease her for her curious standing with Zed, though she tread lightly anyhow, "Y'see... I-I'm dating a user-made gamer."
"What!" Otto hissed quietly as her ears perked higher than Tessa thought was possible; Otto ducked her head down and kept her eyes glued to Tessa's, "That's suicide... Why would you jump into that pit of lava?" Otto chuckled as she finally relaxed her stance, ran her fingers through the fur atop her head, and lightly chomped a few times on her gum with her short, cat-like fangs.
"Call me crazy," Tessa rolled her eyes and smiled, "I-I... I was looking in the back of the book, on the opposed-code swap section. She made me school the class on what I learned, while I was reading ahead. It was so embarrassing."
"Pretty sure she could get in trouble for singling you out," Otto side-eyed Tessa, "And for something so touchy and personal."
"Alongside my mother, Vanellope, in Sugar Rush, I run the code room," Tessa stated gently, "It was like daycare, being in that class... So I was bumped to a class that was at my level."
"Your mom is Vanellope Von Schweetz?" Otto shook her head and chuckled in a stunned way, "Wow, I'm surprised they didn't place you in this fifth year class to begin with. What were they thinking?"
"You tell me," Tessa heaved a hard sigh and kept her gaze to her new friend, "I'm just glad I can finally start learning, instead to having to skip ahead to learn stuff."
"So tell me who this secret, user-made boyfriend of yours is?" Otto pressed gently, though in a tone that lead to suggest this called for girly demeanors and googly eyes, though Otto remained true to a cool, calm air about herself, all while still presenting herself as interested in their conversation.
"Zed, of Dead Zed," Tessa eased, though she furrowed her eyebrows in hard confusion as Otto's calm demeanor switched to horrific confusion.
"Zed?" Otto coughed, "... I thought that guy was a total ass. How did someone like YOU land someone that hardly ever comes out of his own game?"
"Well, it's kind of a long story, really," Tessa laughed gently and shrugged, "Since he's the game's final boss, and is technically a 'bad guy', he felt hated and rejected... He went under cover, under a new alias, and lived a normal life. I met him through my older cousin, actually. We just were really good friends, and, he asked me to the Academy ball... Things sort of went up from there."
"Wait, he disguised himself?" Otto wondered, her eyes fixed to Tessa's in pure wonder, "How did you find out he was Zed?"
"He finally told me, after struggling with it, inside himself... It was really hard for him to switch it up, just because of his poor reputation, I guess," Tessa explained, "He went by Zane, with his old alias."
"Zane?" Otto said in a confused tone as she tilted her head up and gave Tessa a contemplative side-eye, "...We had someone named Zane in this class, last semester. He dropped out of Academy, altogether... No one knew what happened to him."
"Really?" Tessa furrowed her eyebrows, "Well, he DID used to attend Academy... I guess, under his alias."
"Did he have messy, pointy black hair?" Otto gawked in growing surprise, "Blue eyes, liked to surf?"
"That's him," Tessa beamed a proud smile, though Otto slumped her arm to the counter and peered about the classroom in disbelief.
"You're kidding me!" Otto hissed with a widening smile, "That guy was hilarious, we loved having him in this class. He was Zed all along?"
"Yeah, sort of shocked us all, as well," Tessa chuckled, Otto shook her head in surprise.
"Poor dude probably got kicked out of Academy for faking his identity!" Otto laughed, though she made sure to keep her eyes glued to Tessa's, "Small world!"
"Yeah, this whole first few months, at Academy, has been a bit of a rollercoaster! But, everything is back to normal, now," Tessa smiled into Otto's eyes, as if she had somehow gained a new level of friendship with a mutual friend of Zed's.
"So, how'd you avoid deletion?" Otto blurted out with an eager smile, though she flinched and shook her head nervously, her ears perked in curious attention, "Uh... S-Sorry, if you don't mind me asking."
"Well," Tessa sighed, though she looked away with a bashful smile, "Zed and I haven't swapped codes... Sort of tip toeing around it, I think."
"Baw, he always was a shy fella," Otto kindly chuckled as she shrugged, "I guess... Your situation is sort of taboo. No one really knows about it. No one talks about it... No one knows how to make it work."
"W-we sort of have an idea, but," Tessa trailed off; she knew talking about Zed's personal issue, with the coding additive in his brain, was touchy, so she side-stepped it, "I think we're both just biding our time. No harm in waiting until the time is right, I guess. He's a great guy."
"No kidding," Otto smiled curiously at her, "I would have never thought he was Zed... Are you seeing him after Academy?"
"Yeah, we meet up with him in Game Central Station every day," Tessa's eyes grew wide with girly curiosity, "You wanna come with us?"
"Do I!" Otto laughed, "I want to beat the crap out of him for keeping such a huge secret from the world!" Otto said in kind sarcasm, which caused Tessa to laugh in an agreeing way.
"I'm sure he'll be shocked that we have a class together, now," Tessa chuckled as she crossed her arms and relaxed in her seat, "What a small world."