"Excellent work, students. This flower statue is really coming along," said Principal Celestia as she was observing some students putting together a statue made of flowers.

With Friends and Family Day closing in, preparations were underway to make the campus appealing.

"I can't believe I got roped into this," groaned Zipp.

"It's not about liking it, Zipp. It's about being part of a community. Being part of something even greater. That's the best feeling in the world." Sunny stated as she was glad to be part of a team.

"Whose idea was this again?" asked Zipp.

"Hey, everybody!"

"Nevermind."

The girl turned to where the voice was coming from as it was none other than her sister. Pipp had a clipboard in hand as Jazz accompanied her.

"OMG. I love how nicely the float is coming along. It's #Gorgeous!" said the girl in her singing voice. "Jazzy, babe. I'm gonna new some roses for the left side and sprinkle in some carnations."

"On it," said Jazz as she left.

"You know... you could lend a hand yourself, Pipp. Just saying!" said Zipp to her younger sibling.

"I am helping! I'm supervising. I'm putting together everything Principal Celestia has asked me to do. It took me all night to come up with." Pipp said as she pulled out her phone and began to text.

"Typically, girls. Having us do all the heavy lifting," said Sprout.

"Just shut up and lift," grunted Hitch as he and the boy had to carry some heavy crates to the girls.

"Splendid work, boys. Over there!" said Pipp as they made some sounds while struggling not to drop the box. "This is gonna be the biggest and most glamorous statue of all! Oh, got to tweet about it."

Pipp pulled out her phone and took a picture as she prepared to upload it to her feed. Just then, the girl's nose began to tingle, and a second later, she sneezed. The girl's sneeze didn't go unnoticed as her sister and several others looked at her.

"Oh my. You're not getting sick, are you, Pipp?" asked Dahlia.

"No way!" expressed Pipp as she blew her nose with a tissue. "I never get—"

"Sick!" exclaimed the girl as she had a blanket wrapped around her and a thermometer in her mouth.

The girl was in her room as Nurse Redheart was checking up on her. The woman looked at the teen, seeing her symptoms from outside her room were Sunny, Hitch, Zipp, and Izzy. The woman looked at the girl while writing some stuff down on her clipboard before pulling the thermometer from Pipp's mouth to check it and record.

"Yup, you're definitely under the weather, Ms. Petals. I advise taking it easy for now," stated the woman as Pipp whimpered like a sad dog upon hearing that.

Nurse Redheart exited the girl's room as she saw the others waiting.

"What's the word, doc?" asked Zipp.

"Well, she's not fully sick. A mild fever, coupled with a lack of sleep."

A horse sound was heard inside Pipp's room as everyone looked at the door.

"And a sore throat."

"Knew it," groaned Zipp as she facepalmed herself. "This always happens when she pushes herself too hard. She doesn't take care of herself."

"I would advise she gets plenty of rest if she's to recover," said Nurse Redheart.

The teens saw the nurse leave as Sunny approached the door and opened it slightly to peek in.

"Ugh! I can't be sick! I don't have— [coughs] —time to just lay in bed and— [coughs] —do nothing and—" said Pipp as she was feeling her symptoms.

"Poor Pipp. She sounds super rough," said Sunny after looking at their sick friend.

"Have you seen her lately? She looks even worse!" scoffed Izzy.

"Izzy!" shouted everyone as they looked at her with glares.

"What? Honesty!" stated the girl before gasping at what she had just said. "Ohhhh. Whoopsies."

Mario was in a classroom as he was looking at the computer in front of him. He then rolled away to a microscope and looked through it to see the thing under it. The boy wrote his observations in his notebook before closing it and rolling back to the computer as he printed out the data sheet he was working on.

He went to grab the paper when his phone went off. He looked at it as it was a text message from Pipp. The girl asked the boy if he could bring her notebook from her locker. The teen groaned as it was his turn to look after the girl. He sighed before texting her for her combination and went on his way.

The boy was approaching the Fusion dorm as he entered the place and began to head down the hall to the right. He approached the girl's room when he noticed the open door. He peeked his head in as, to his surprise, well... not really, Pipp was sitting up in her bed with the covers over her and thermometer in her mouth as she was on her laptop. The girl was trying to continue living her life like she was used to, but the sickness and slightly puffy eyes still showed her condition.

"What is... up... my... Pippsqueaks" coughed Pipp as her sore throat sounded even worst.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" said Mario as he made his presence known.

Pipp gasped when she heard the boy as she quickly put her laptop away and leaned back to pull the covers over her.

"You can stop faking, Pipp. I saw that," said Mario as he closed the door behind him.

"Don't you know to knock," coughed the girl.

"Yeah, but you left the door open. So I let myself in," chuckled the boy as he sat at a table and set his backpack down to pull something out. "Here's your notebook."

"Thank you," said the girl with a raspy throat.

She grabbed the notebook and sat up as she flipped it open. Mario shrugged as he was looking to grab his stuff when he heard a knock at the door. He approached it and opened it, and there was Zipp.

"Oh, hey, Mario."

"Sup," said the boy as he let the girl.

"So, how's my little patient?" asked Zipp as she approached her sister.

"Being sick is the worst feeling in the world!" complained Pipp as Zipp grabbed the thermometer from her mouth to check it. "I just wanna feel normal!"

"Livestreaming 24/7 is normal?" joked Mario as Zipp couldn't help but chuckle at the boy's comment as Pipp glared at her crush.

"Hey, come on. Tough it out!" expressed Zipp. "We all get sick sometimes. It's part of life!" stated the girl as, in the background, Mario sat at the desk where his backpack was and began to pull some things out.

"Yeah, I guess," stated Pipp before coughing.

"Aw, you poor thing. I'm sorry for the tough love. It's what works on me, but clearly not on you." said Zipp.

"Yeah, did you come here to be mean to me until I feel better?" asked Pipp to her older sister.

"I'm all for that idea!" called out Mario.

"No, not totally. I prepared a backup plan to help you recover," confessed Zipp.

"A miracle cure?" said Pipp as she got excited.

"Kinda!"

"What is it?"

"An escape from your nasty cold and entrance into another world!" said Zipp as she set her backpack down and began to dig into it. Soon she began to put book after book in stacks all over Pipp's bed.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked the sick social media girl.

"Yup, it's my favorite collection of books that I used to read. Surprised the library had it in stock," said Zipp as she placed the final book on the very tall stack.

"Gees, how many books did you check out!" said Mario as he was looking at how tall the stack was

"The entire collection of the Chronicles of Chevalia!" stated Zipp. "Including the expanded universe official canonical side adventures novellas and... the official Chevalipedia. Every term defined, every creature species classified, and every map you'll need to find your bearing in this expansive and amazing universe!"

"Aw, yes. Cause if there's one thing a fandom doesn't like, is when the writers don't stick to their own shit they create!" said Mario.

"Well, that-that is a lot," said Pipp looking at all the books.

Mario approached the bed and grabbed one of the books. He flipped it open and began to skim through the pages rapidly as he stopped on a section of the book.

"Hmm. So that's what happens," said Mario as he closed the book, now knowing the main character died and was satisfied with knowing the ending of this entire series without reading any others.

"Thank you, Zipp, um, but how long do you expect me to be sick for?"

"Whether it's two days or two weeks, there's always time to throw yourself back into Chevalia!"

"I do love reading. But for the record, let's hope it's two days," said Pipp as she picked up a book. "I can't take two whole weeks of this!"

"Enjoy the journey, and tell me when you get to the Tree of Fortunica! Don't worry. That's not a spoiler!" said Zipp as she began to head out. "Oh no, saying it's not a spoiler is sort of a spoiler, but not really. Oops... uh, you'll see!" said Zipp to her sister before looking at Mario. "Take care of her, Romeo."

"Really?" groaned Mario at Zipp for making some slick remarks about Pipp's crush.

Pipp looked at the book and sighed. She opened the book and began to read it. Mario returned to his stuff when the door burst again, startling Pipp, who dropped her book.

"Hey, hey! How's my friend feeling?" said Sunny as she decided to drop by and check on Pipp.

Pipp sneezed as she wiped her nose and smiled at her friend.

"Sunny! I've- I've been better. It's just a quick little cold, though. I'll be fine in no time!" the girl smiled before sniffing her stuffy nose. "I just have so much I want to do."

"Oh, I know the feeling but try to relax. Is there anything I can do? Any foods you like when you're sick? Home remedies that help?" asked Sunny.

"Mind getting me an apple pie," stated Mario as he was writing something down as the girls looked at him with looks.

"No, not that I can remember. Hmm..." Pipp was thinking as she gasped when a memory came rushing to her. It was a memory of her mother caring for her when she was younger and giving her some soup. "Actually! There is something. Whenever I got sick, Mom would make this amazing soup. That stuff was a miracle!"

"Say no more! I'm on it, in it, and around it!" said Sunny as she pulled out her phone, twirled, and tossed it about before catching it. "That means I'll get it. So, what was in this magic soup?"

"Oh, there was um... Uh... I don't remember! It was just this, um, this soup. You know, good soup! The yummiest, like a warm hug for your taste buds. Oh! Wow, I feel better just talking about it!" sighed Pipp blissfully as she hugged one of her pillows.

"Gees, that was a very helpful description of what it is," snarked Mario from the desk.

"Thank you so much, Sunny."

"A warm hug... uh-huh. For your taste buds. Okay. I'll get that, then." said the girl, still unsure what Pipp meant about her mother's soup.

She began to walk away as Pipp laid back in bed and daydreamed about her mother's soup. "I may have no idea how to make this soup, but that's never stopped me from doing something before."

"Just make some regular soup, Sunny. She won't tell the difference," stated Mario as he addressed the girl so that only she could hear him.

"Right. On it," stated the girl as she left.

"And while you're at it, bring me a bowl. If I'm gonna play doctor, I need some food!" shouted the boy to the girl as she left the room.

Mario returned to work on his assignments as Pipp opened the book and started reading again. When...

"Hey!" said Hitch as he came in to check on the girl.

"This is going a be a recurring thing, isn't it?" said Mario as he knew where all this was going.

"Oh, hey, Hitch. What's going on?" asked the girl, wanting some privacy.

"Well, pal. I thought you might be bored in here all by yourself! So..."

"I actually haven't been by myself yet," stated Pipp with a straight tone and expression on her face.

"That's why I thought I'd cheer you up!"

"Oh, that's so sweet! But nothing would cheer me up like being outside on this beautiful day," said Pipp as she looked out her window.

"Hey! Is outside more interesting than some fascinating nature facts?" asked Hitch as he pulled out some flashcards with writing on them.

Pipp giggled at her friend's question, "Um, I guess not."

"Oh, god," groaned Mario as the two looked at him when he made that response.

"And that's why they're called, say it with me, pine cones!" said Hitch as he wrapped up his lecture.

Pipp was on her bed, nearly falling asleep from all of Hitch's talking. Mario had his head down as all the speaking from his buddy made his eyes start to doze off.

"Oh, wow," responded Pipp with a bored tone.

"Aha! Thanks for stopping by, cuties! But now it's time for holistic healing helping hand, Izzy!" said the girl as her head peeked in before bursting through the door. "Izzy, Izzy, Izzy." the girl repeated her name to make it sound like an echo was happening.

"Right on time," scoffed Mario. "So, let me guess, my sister is gonna be after you, huh, Izzy?"

"Oh, no. She said she had some homework to work on. So she sent me in her place."

"Oh, bless you, Roll," said Mario as he was thankful his little sibling wasn't partaking in this like their other friends.

"Don't worry, Pipp. I have many more nature facts to share," said Hitch as he grabbed his backpack and headed out. "I'll be back."

"Oh, Pipper! Once I work my magic, you'll be back to your old chipper, sparkly, singing self in no time!" stated Izzy as Hitch left.

"Uh, okay, Izzy, but-"

"My cards reminded me of the ultimate tea brew for your flu!" said the girl as she skipped away and didn't let Pipp finish her sentence. "Here it is, my Ultimate Remedy Tea: guaranteed to cure what ails your voice. And the rest of ya."

The girl poured a cup of tea and gave it to the sick girl. Pipp took it and brought it to her lips. Izzy zoomed over to where Mario was and poured the boy a cup as well.

"Thanks," said Mario begrudgingly as he grabbed the cup. He brought it up to his nose as the scent resonating from it smelled good. The boy brought the cup up to take a sip as the liquid was tasty. "Not bad."

"Wow, I was skeptical, but it's delicious. Thank you so much," said Pipp to her friend as she liked the tea. "And it's a magic cure?"

"What?" shouted Mario as he didn't buy that.

"I can feel it working!" said Pipp as she took even more sips. Just then, she sneezed. "Okay, maybe not."

"Oh yeah, oh no," responded Izzy calmly while looking at the tea. "I forgot to actually add the magic!" stated the girl with a carefree attitude before letting out a burst of laughter. "Yeah. I just made a tasty tea. But I can fix it. I'll be right back! Keep resting! No moving!"

Izzy then grabbed the teacup from Pipp as she was reaching out for it. She also grabbed Mario's and zoomed out of the room.

"There's no such thing as a magic tea cure!" shouted the boy to the girl as the door closed.

Pipp sighed in distress.

Some time had passed as Mario was still at the desk in Pipp's room reading a book. With Pipp, the girl was lying on her bed with her phone as she attempted to sing to improve her vocals. However, when she sang, it was rather raspy.

"What's that sound? It's the sound of the... thundercloud," said Pipp before letting out a huge cough and turning onto her back. "Crash! You've gotta believe in the-" she coughed again as Mario looked up from his book to see the girl.

The door opened as Zipp's head popped in. The girl wanted to check on her younger sibling as she was surprised to see what she was doing.

"Hey! You're supposed to be resting!" stated Zipp. The girl went to her sister and swiped her phone away from her. "Vocal resting!"

"No! Not Bestie! Give her back!" Pipp pleaded with her older sibling. She tried to lunge at Zipp, who merely put her arm out to cover her sister's face and held her back with a sly expression as Pipp waved her arms about. "I thought you were keeping an eye on her."

"You know as well as I do, rich girl. Your sister is BFFs with that phone. I couldn't get her to look away or put it down for even a second even if I tried." said Mario as the girl looked in his direction before returning to reading his book.

"What are you even doing, anyways?" asked Zipp as Pipp was still trying to reach for her phone and pleading with her sister to return it.

"If I gonna be stuck as the babysitter, I'm getting my shit done," stated Mario as he'd been working on his school assignments while occasionally seeing if Pipp was still breathing.

Zipp rolled her eyes at her friend before removing her arm from her sister's face and pocketing the phone.

"No more secret singing! No more clips! No more livestreams! You can have this back later. Give yourself a break for now! Sheesh." said Zipp as she left.

Pipp sighed as she fell back onto her bed. Mario smiled as he got a bit of enjoyment out of seeing this. Pipp groaned before grabbing a book from one of the stacks on her bed and began to read it.

After a while, Mario finished all his assignments, even those due next week. The boy pulled out the Rubik's Cube he grabbed from his room and slid the whole thing until it was mixed up from all sides. He then began to work on solving it as the sounds of the columns and rows of the cube were heard. It got the attention of the social media girl as she looked up from lying in bed to see the boy fixated on solving the thing.

Mario slid a row to the left as he lined up a side. The boy then rotated another side as all sides of the cube matched when he did that. He then stopped the timer on his phone as he recorded how long it took him to solve it.

"A minute and 15 seconds. That's a new record," said the boy as he prepared to reset and start again.

"What is that thing in your hand?" asked Pipp.

"It's a Rubik's Cube. You've never heard of it?" responded the boy as the girl shook her head.

Mario rolled his eyes before getting up and approaching the girl's bed. He tossed the thing to her as she fumbled but caught it.

"So, what's the purpose of this strange device?" asked Pipp as Mario couldn't help but chuckle at how obsolete the girl was without the world of social media to dictate her life.

"While the thing was designed as a teaching tool to help students understand 3D objects, the actual purpose was to solve the structural problem of moving the parts independently without the entire mechanism falling apart," said Mario as Pipp raised an eyebrow. The boy rolled his eyes before speaking, "Let me speak English," Mario said using air quotes, "It's a tool used to improve your cognitive skills. You know, speed up your thinking, and sharpen your skills. Think of it as another way of doing those Duel Puzzles that I taught you how to solve in the library."

"Oh, see now, that makes total sense," stated the social media girl as she began to rotate the columns and rows to match the sides.

Mario watched Pipp as she seemed fascinated by how the cube moved and functioned. The boy admitted it made her look cute trying to solve such a complex device. It took a few minutes, but Pipp was able to catch on to how the thing worked as she managed to match one side.

"Easy. Now for the others," said Pipp.

She went to solve another, but when she rotated a row, the side she completed was now messed up. The girl noticed that and returned to fix it, but it backfired, and now she messed up the side she had just completed. Panic began to instill in the girl as Mario smiled at how worried the girl was. Pipp tried to recreate the side she completed, but it was challenging.

"Oh, come on!" said the girl as she fell back. "I give up!"

"Not easy, huh?" said Mario as he stood over the girl.

"I don't know how you solve this so fast."

"Tons of practice and failing," chuckled the boy as he grabbed the cube and, without looking, began to move his hands quicker than Pipp could keep track as one final spin and the cube and all its sides were complete.

He held it out to the girl as she grabbed it and looked at it.

"Show off," mumbled Pipp as Mario heard that and chuckled.

"Here's a little trick I learned," said the boy as she sat on the girl's bed and began to show Pipp.

"Okay, Pipperoni and Cheese, this time I think I've got it," said Izzy as she returned.

Pipp was lying on her bed, hugging her pillow as Mario had left a while ago to use the restroom.

"The magic tea to cure your bug and bring you back to maximum sparkle!" stated Izzy.

"Ohh, I'll try it!" said Pipp as she sat up. "The last one really was delicious. Notes of cinnamon, and ginger, and... cotton candy?"

"Oh, you noticed, aw! Okay, here you go! Bottoms up!" said Izzy as she poured a cup and handed it to her friend.

"Alright, I'm back," said Mario as he entered the room just as Pipp sipped the tea.

"Again, delicious," said Pipp as she gave her thoughts of the tea, but... her voice changed. It sounded like... Izzy's.

"What the?" said Mario as he noticed that.

"You want one?" asked Izzy as she offered a cup.

"No, thank you. I'll pass. What's in this stuff?" asked the boy while pushing the teacup back to the girl.

"Wait, why do I sound like this?! I'm you, Izzy! I mean- I'm like not you but like, I have your voice! Oh no!" said Pipp as she noticed her voice sounding different.

"What? Let me try!" said Izzy as she took a sip. "Mmm, tasty!" The girl enjoyed the tea as her voice wouldn't change because it was her voice, but she did notice something. "Huh? That's new! Must have been the bumbleroot."

"Bumbleroot?" questioned Mario, as he didn't know what the girl was saying and how weird she was sometimes.

"How's your voice now?" asked Izzy with a gasp.

"Fa la laa-" coughed Pipp, her voice still sore but now sounding like Pipp. "Still the same."

"Oh, rats! But I'm not gonna give up yet. Tea magic is real! I'll be right back!" exclaimed Izzy as she turned to leave.

"There's no such thing as tea magic!" proclaimed Mario.

Pipp was over where her makeup bottles and perfume were as she was organizing them and stacking them according to her liking. Mario had gotten a text from Sunny and went to retrieve the soup she had made for the girl. The door to Pipp's room opened as Zipp came, wanting to check on her sister.

"Sis, you won't be better for days if you're not-"

"Don't say resting. Please!" said Pipp as she pointed with a nail polish bottle. "Please, don't say resting! I'm so sick of resting." whined the girl as she put the bottle down. "I've been resting for hours! I'm done!" stated the teen as she flopped onto her bed.

At that moment, Mario returned with Sunny's soup for the girl as he overheard the conversation between the sisters and hid behind the door.

"I feel crummy, but doing nothing is making it worse!" exclaimed Pipp.

"I'm sorry! I just... Never mind. I'll go." said Zipp as she let out a sigh.

"I'm just so over being treated like a patient. It's not you. I'm sorry!" said the social media girl.

"It's okay. I'll give you your space..." said Zipp to her younger sibling as she began to head to the door.

Mario sighed before raising a hand and knocking on the door to pretend he had just arrived. Zipp grabbed the door handle as she saw the boy holding the bowl of soup. She walked past the boy as he saw her leave with a depressed look before turning his attention back to Pipp as the girl groaned.

"Here you go. Sunny made this for you," said Mario as he approached the girl. "I'll just... leave it here." The boy set the bowl on her nightstand to allow her to get it independently.

A while passed as Pipp read one of the books Zipp had given her. Meanwhile, Mario was minding his business as he was currently on his phone. At that moment, a voice called out to her.

"Hey, Pipper-saurus!" said Izzy as she was shown walking in.

Pipp looked up from her book and turned her head as her friend entered her room. She closed her book and sighed.

"Ugh, Izzy, I know you're really trying here, but-"

"Just taste it, silly. I promise I got it right this time," the girl told her sick friend.

Izzy handed Pipp a cup of tea as the girl drank it. Immediately her eyes went wide at how tasty the drink was.

"I love it! What is it?"

Izzy took a deep breath as if to reveal that the tea had some secret ingredient.

"It's just chamomile tea," answered the girl honestly.

"Really?" said Mario as the girl handed him a teacup. He took a sip as she told the truth. "Huh, so it is."

"Yeah, I finally stopped looking for a cure and decided to settle on something to just make you feel nice."

"Aw, that's exactly what I needed! Thanks, Izzy, you're the best!" said Pipp. "You sure this won't mess with my voice?" stated the girl as she gave a skeptical look.

"This one is just 100% chamomile flowers, honey, and water. Oh, and love," said Izzy.

"Now, this is some magic I can get behind!" expressed Pipp.

Mario smiled at seeing the two girls when he got a call.

"Hello? Yeah, what's up, Roll? No, I think I should be done here." said Mario over the phone as he saw Izzy wave goodbye and leave. "Well, I'm starting to pack up. I'll be there in a bit."

The boy ended the call with his sister as he grabbed his bag and slung it over his backpack. He was walking past Pipp's bedroom when the girl noticed he was leaving.

"Okay, my job as a babysitter is done. So... I'm gonna check my-"

"Actually... can you stay?"

Mario had his hand on the open door as he stopped when he heard that. The boy turned his head to look at the girl in bed.

"What?" asked the teen.

"I said can you stay for a bit longer with me? I'd appreciate the company," confessed Pipp as she hugged her pillow.

Mario had to raise an eyebrow at that statement.

"I'd figured you'd want some privacy. You know, since everyone has been butting in and checking up on you like you're a little girl," explained the boy.

"Yeah, but you haven't done that. You've done something that I've wanted for the whole day. Someone to hang out with." smiled Pipp. "So, you can stay, and we can just chill?"

The boy put his hand over his face as he contemplated whether to fall into the girl's trap. With a heavy sigh, he made his choice.

"Roll, you there? Yeah, looks like Pipp needs me just a bit longer. You know who to call if I don't come home, right? Alright." said the boy as he hung up.

The boy groaned as he begrudgingly made his way to the other side of her bed as Pipp clapped her hands together and giggled. The boy sat in a chair beside the bed as the girl handed him a book.

"Read to me."

"Yes, your highness," groaned Mario as he replied sarcastically. The boy opened the book, and Pipp got all cozy as she looked at her crush, who began to read to her.

"After a fierce battle..."

After finishing the first book, Pipp had Mario read another as she was sucked into the storytelling. Once the boy finished the book, Pipp suggested they play a game. And it was a game that Mario was rethinking.

"Truth or Dare?" asked Pipp.

Mario sat in silence as he thought of which to answer. Either one seemed bad for him if Pipp was the one asking.

"Truth."

"Okay, why did you come to school?"

Mario was relieved to hear that, as Pipp wasn't making him do anything embarrassing or reveal something personal.

"I dunno, I guess just because."

"You sure?" said Pipp as she felt like that answer wasn't honest.

"You already asked your question. Now it's my turn," stated the boy.

"Fine," sighed the girl. "Go ahead and ask me."

"Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

"Alright. I dare you to go ten seconds without your phone."

"I don't even have it."

"Oh, really?" said Mario with a smug smile as he pulled his hand out of his unzipped hoodie pocket and showed he had the girl's phone.

"Bestie!" called out Pipp as she saw her phone. "Where did you get it?"

"Zipp gave it to me on her way out," smiled Mario smugly as he placed the phone near the girl. "Ten seconds that you can't survive."

"Easy," scoffed Pipp.

The girl crossed her arms as she looked at her phone. The sight of her phone lay there as being reunited with her Bestie was too much to bear. Sweat began to run down her face as she looked at her device. The phone just stayed there as every second passing seemed to take forever. Finally, she snapped.

"I need my Bestie!" shouted the girl as she lunged for the phone and turned it on. The screen came on as she smiled before hugging it tightly. "I missed you."

"3 seconds," said Mario.

"What?" said Pipp as she sat up.

"It was only three seconds."

"Okay, fine. I need my phone. It's my life." whined Pipp as she put on a set of puppy dog eyes. Mario chuckled at how the girl admitted she needed her phone like it was a part of her breathing. "Alright, it's your turn!"

"Fire away," said Mario as he felt like there was nothing Pipp could do after that massive embarrassment she displayed.

"Truth or Dare!" shouted the girl, annoyed at Mario for mocking her.

"Truth."

"Who are your parents!"

Mario's laughing ceased immediately. Like that, he stopped chuckling. The boy looked at the girl as he had a matching glare like her. Pipp's glare softened as she saw Mario's face hint at something. As if asking about the boy's parents was like a sin she committed. The boy's fist curled up as the girl noticed that and feared what he might do.

"Nobody needs to know," answered the boy.

"But I..."

"Truth or Dare!" shouted Mario with a bit of volume as he wanted to move on.

"Truth," sighed the girl in defeat.

"Why are you and your sister enrolled here?" asked Mario.

"Our mom. She discovered this place is very friendly and open to all its students. She wants Zipp to take over the family business and find a potential suitor. As for me... well, I don't know what I'm gonna do. Maybe... maybe that's why I'm here. To find my purpose on what I want my life to be." confessed the girl, letting out some hidden feelings she kept locked away.

Mario sighed as he seemed to understand what Pipp said. In a way, he could relate.

"Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Have you ever been in a relationship?" asked Pipp.

Mario let out another deep sigh as he ran his hand through his hair and rubbed his neck while looking away. The boy was lost in thought as Pipp leaned closer, waiting for his answer.

"Yes," answered the boy.

"O-Oh," responded Pipp as she felt disheartened to hear that.

She didn't know why this disheartened her, but it did. The girl felt it shouldn't have mattered if the boy she had a crush on was in a prior relationship. She certainly had her fair share of relationships, so why was this different.

Mario saw the girl was a bit put off after his response, and he sighed.

"Alright, I think we're done with this game," said the boy trying to move forward.

"Y-Yeah," said Pipp as she saw Mario zipping up his backpack and putting some of his stuff away, almost like he was preparing to leave. "C-Can I ask for one last thing?"

"What?"

"Can you and I have a duel?"

Mario looked at the girl as she was shown reaching for her nightstand drawer and pulling out her deck of cards. Pipp held them close as she wanted to have some practice rounds with Mario. The boy merely looked at her before having his arm unclip the deck holder on his side and pulling out his cards. He sat on the edge of Pipp's bed as he looked at the girl. Pipp curled up and hugged her legs as the pair shuffled their cards.

Night time had fallen as indicated by the moon high in the sky. Light entered a room, and it showed Mario hunched over. The boy was shown in a chair as his head rested on the edge of Pipp's bed. The teen was starting to stir as his eyes slowly opened. He let out a yawn and blinked as his field of vision slowly came to him. It cleared up as the boy turned his head to see Pipp sleeping peacefully in bed. The boy looked down as he noticed he had been holding her hand while watching the girl get some rest.

The smile on Pipp's indicated she had a pleasant dream. Mario quietly removed her hand from holding his and gently placed it down. He silently packed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder as he prepared to return to his dorm, as he still had time before curfew. He prepared to walk when he looked back at Pipp's sleeping form. The girl tossed to her side as the smile remained on her face.

Mario approached the side she was looking at as he sighed. He brought a hand to her forehead and ran it through as Pipp seemed to enjoy the touch.

"Sweet dreams... princess," spoke the boy softly as he gazed at Pipp's cheek. He took a deep breath before leaning his head in and planted a soft and quick kiss on her forehead before retracting.

Mario then quietly shut the door behind him as Pipp's smile grew. The boy returned to his room just in time as he headed to bed. Mario was at his locker the next day, retrieving supplies for his next class. He closed the door, and standing there was Pipp. The girl felt much better as her fever was gone, and her sleep deprivation wasn't showing.

"Hey," said the girl as she was hugging her books.

"Hey. Feeling better?" asked Mario.

"Check this out," stated Pipp as she cleared her throat and sang.

"Glad to have you back to your old self," said Mario with a smile.

"Well, I'm glad you were able to watch over me. And being able to hang out with me when I was sick and keeping me company. I'm glad it was you." smiled Pipp as she hugged her books even tighter. "And the rest of our friends who were concerned about me. It means a lot."

"Don't mention it," said Mario.

Pipp smiled as she leaned in and put one of her hands on Mario's left arm. The girl tilted her head and kissed the boy's cheek swiftly. She pulled back before winking at him and then turning to leave while humming cheerfully. Mario brought his hand up and felt his cheek as he registered Pipp giving him a kiss. A small smile appeared briefly before he cast it aside and went to his next class.

Author's Note: So I actually had this idea awhile back. Now at the time, all I had to go off was the Tale your Tell episode of Pipp being sick. But with Chapter 4 having an episode where Pipp is stuck in bed, it allowed me more stuff to add to my idea. Plus, we get to see a little more interaction between her and Mario given she had a crush on him. But the biggest thing, was that small tense moment he had about the mention of his family which almost set him off.