Chapter 16 Super Teacher

The light on her nightstand lit up the dark bedroom, casting shadows all over the walls. When she was a little girl, these shadows used to scare her. A lot of things scared her actually; being out in public, monsters under the bed, some of the people she went to school with. In some ways, things had changed for Celia. In others, they had stayed exactly the same.

Celia sighed and tilted her head back, balancing on the back legs of her chair as she tipped it. She contemplated what she could do. Both of her parents were currently running errands. Should she call Roy? Maybe. Then again, he might not be in the best mood considering that he had gotten the "all you can flush" experience at school. Probably best if she let him cool down. If it was her that had gotten swirlied, she knew she wouldn't be in the mood to talk to people.

Let alone comfort them.

Celia pursed her lips. She STILL couldn't get that project out of her head. It was like a splinter dipped in poison; not only did it hurt when it was first lodged into her brain, but the worry of it was only increasing every second. She shuttered just thinking about it. Sure, it was nothing in comparison to getting into a fight with someone and coming back with both physical and mental scars. But still, it certainly wasn't pleasant.

She looked over at her bed. Might as well go to sleep. There was no use worrying about tomorrow's problems today. If she got a good night's sleep, she could wake up with a fresh start. She could have a new perspective. That was certainly appealing, as was the fact that she would feel much better in the morning.

So, she got in the bed, turned off the light, and fell asleep.

Celia breathed in deeply. It was morning now. The sun rays wrapped around her, providing her with the right amount of warmth. The blanket covering her complemented the sunlight like peanut butter and jam. This warm, cozy feeling…it was like Heaven.

Brrrrr!

Celia snuggled deeper under the covers. Nothing to worry about, nowhere to be…she could get used to this. She could live in this eternally blissful state. She didn't have to worry about school, or…

Wait. School!

Celia bolted upright. She had to get ready! It was a school day; she couldn't just stay in bed! She glanced over at the clock, praying that she hadn't overslept. Please, please, PLEASE don't…

SHIT! IT WAS SEVEN THIRTY!

Celia bolted down the hallways. It was almost first bell, and she was still nowhere close to her classroom. She hadn't stopped to eat breakfast, hadn't stopped to chat with Roy; she hadn't done any of that. As soon as her feet walked into the building, she was ready to go. She sprinted with the speed of a rabbit, the seconds ticking away with frightening degrees of malice. She would get to the classroom! She wasn't going to be late; she couldn't!

She ran and ran. She didn't even care that there was a no running in the hallway rule. Ms. Tish was expecting her. Sure, she barely knew the woman, and did hold at least some semblance of a grudge against her for assign that cursed project. But even then, Celia didn't want to be late to her class. She wasn't ready to let anyone down, especially seeing how it was only the third day she had been at the school.

"Come on, come on!" She was coming up to the corner. She would get there within no time at all, sit into the desk and get out her workbook, all before the bell even rang. At least, that was the hope. She just had to get there. She just had to….

WHAM!

Celia shrieked as her front made contact with a solid surface. She fell straight on her butt, dropping her unzipped backpack along with all of her supplies. Her heart beating extra fast, she scurried to pick up her belongings. Once she was all set, with even the very last pencil present and accounted for, she zipped up her backpack and let out a breath. However, she sucked that breath back in when she saw what she had run into. Or, rather, who.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?!"

Celia's breath caught in her throat. A…a…guy! An angry guy! An angry guy with the burliest build possible for a human, teeth barred like a predatory animal, and hate-filled eyes focused directly and entirely on her.

Celia froze. Oh no.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" The boy, or rather, young man grabbed her by the shirt and hoisted her up. Celia could barely breathe. His body reeked of hormones. His teeth were sharp as tacks.

"I'm sorry…" she tried to say it, but the expression fizzled out with the last word. She sweated bullets, every last fear receptor in her body going off like a fire alarm. The fear only increased as the boy rammed her into the lockers.

"You think you're SOOO special, don't ya?" The student said. His tone made Celia envision a bull running right into her.

"N…no!" Celia squeaked. Tears sprung up in her eyes as this…person stared her down. His breath reeked, his fists held her down like the jaws of a chain chomp.

"You…little…BITCH!" The student prepared his fist. Celia was just inches away from bursting into tears. She mentally prepared herself for the blow, for the scar on her head that would match perfectly to the one she had gotten when in preschool.

"Hey!"

She barely heard the voice. She barely saw her coming toward them. All she knew was the sensation of being dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. She cried, not even caring that she was in a public building. Her body shook as the tears slid down her face, and she held herself in a feeble position as Ms. Tish faced down her teenage attacker.

"Physical violence is not permitted anywhere on this campus!" Ms. Tish said. She appeared unfazed by the student's massive size. She faced him down, her expression either completely brave or entirely fearless. "That's a good way to wind up in the principal's office!"

The brute seethed. "You…koopa!" He spat out the last word, spraying it all over Ms. Tish's face in the form of spittle. "You people shouldn't even be here! You belong in the Koopa Kingdom!"

"And right now, you're sounding like you belong in detention," Ms. Tish said. This caused the brute to shrink back a little bit, but not nearly enough to cause him to back down.

"I ain't taking orders from a koopa!" he exclaimed.

Ms. Tish sniffed. "Well then, why don't we march down to the principal's office so you can take orders from a toad?" She stepped closer. "I don't care how big and mighty you might feel. You do NOT have the right to beat up other students!"

The burly student heaved and huffed, his breathing slow enough to give Celia the jitters. She hugged herself even tighter, part of her expecting him to do something else to her.

Fortunately, the brute just groaned. "Whatever." he marched away, mumbling under his breath about things Celia was glad she couldn't hear. Ms. Tish knelt down to her and offered her hand. Celia gingerly took it, her tears still flowing like a faucet.

Ms. Tish pulled a tissue out of her hammerspace. "It's okay now. He's gone." She gently led her to the classroom, taking careful steps as the hybrid battled the unhealthy amounts of fear. Celia flashed back to the times when she was bullied in kindergarten. Even though fist hadn't made contact with face this time around, she still trembled and whimpered like she was five all over again.

When they got to the classroom, Ms. Tish gently opened the door. She patted Celia on the back, her brow furrowed. "It's okay. I promise you, it's okay."

Celia sniffled. She tried moving toward her desk, but she was unable. So, Ms. Tish led her into the room. As she did, she spoke with a soothing, gentle voice.

"They aren't all like that," she said. "I promise you they aren't all like that." She helped Celia sit down, her eyes shining with empathy. "It'll be okay, sweetie. Just take deep breaths."

Celia did as she was told, albeit not perfectly. She sat there, taking in as much oxygen as she was able. Finally, she felt better. Not perfect, but better.

"Thank you," she finally said to Ms. Tish.

The koopa nodded and patted her on the shoulder. "You're welcome." She went over to her desk. "I'm going to call the principal. We do not tolerate bullying of any kind, and that behavior he displayed shouldn't go unpunished." She cast Celia a smile. "It's going to be alright."

Celia took in a breath. It's going to be alright. Maybe it was the way she said it, but hearing those words come out of Ms. Tish's mouth brought comfort to her. She felt less like an outsider and more like…well, like an actual person.

"I...hope so." This saying got a reassuring smile out of the koopa woman, which further helped Celia recover.

Ms. Tish wasn't that bad. She really wasn't.