Toadette's Story

Chapter 65 - Change in My Life

☆ Age 13 - Eighth Grade (Year: 2005) ☆

“Can we please get Stinky Soles over here to put her shoes back on!?”

“For real, Fungal Toes is more like it.”

“Okay, human.”

“I ain’t touching those things with a four-metre pole.”

All I was doing was standing and nothing else. Yeah, my shoes were off, but I was wearing socks that day. I didn’t even take them off yet, and everyone was already running for cover. Were we in eighth grade or first grade?

“Groups of two or three,” our teacher said, fanning herself as she got closer to me. “Someone pick Toadette before I have her decide.”

“I really don’t wanna work with anyone,” I mumbled.

“Not a choice, honey.” She clapped. “If no one’s gonna pick—”

“I’ll work with her!”

“Not much better.”

This girl working with me on this project scared me. The project was easy enough—just painting something on each other’s feet in 45 minutes. But I really didn’t wanna be touching anyone’s feet, especially not hers. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a trivial assignment I could skip. My class grade already teetered between a B and a C, and I had no intention of having it drop to a D. I had to have some standards, right?

But damn it, why Minh T.? The last thing I needed was her to get grabby with me, especially when she did it all the time without permission already.

I sulked to a corner of the room while she cheerfully skipped over to me, holding paints.

“You don’t gotta be a pro or anything,” she reaffirmed, plopping down. “Just gotta paint whatever comes to mind.”

“Piranha Plant chomping off my head?”

“Yeah, no. Something less depressing.”

“Ugh, this is dumb. Why can’t we just paint on our backs or something more normal? Nope, fucking feet.”

“Cheer up.” She took off her sandals. “My feet aren’t even dirty, and well, I don’t see anyone calling me Stinky Soles.”

“Asshole...”

“Seriously though, we gotta get started.”

She tugged off my dirtied white socks one by one, and I immediately looked away. I could feel her hands on my feet, trying to clean off any sock lint. And after a few seconds, I just scrunched my toes in annoyance.

“Paint them!” I snapped.

“Jeez, okay.” She started mixing colours. “Just preppin’ my canvas.”

I sucked at art. I didn’t even know why I ended up in this class. But since I was too unwilling to go through the headache of changing my schedule in the beginning, I’d have to suck it up and deal with it.

Considering just how fat Minh T.’s feet were, I’d have a lot of area to work with. But deciding on what to paint was the challenging part. Whereas she was already stroking my soles with a cold brush, I was staring off into space.

Hmm… Space… And once that idea was in my head, I squirted the black paint into my palette and took the first stroke up her foot. Her toes twitched instantly. She couldn’t quit giggling as I used a wider brush to cover more of her soles. I can’t stress enough how wide her feet were. Maybe I could fit our whole solar system on them.

“Ah!” I jerked my foot back. “Don’t put that thing between my toes.”

“My bad,” she said, nose twitching.

Now then, the Sun came first. Gross as it felt, I used my thumb to make a circle and spread the yellow paint on Minh T.’s left foot. And like a total weirdo, she kept grinning.

I was over here squirming with discomfort while she had the time of her life getting her feet painted. I wasn’t surprised she loved art, given how much she cared for her flowers. With her attention to meticulous detail, it made sense she’d be able to paint for hours without losing her mind.

But I was speeding through the planets, partially because of the time limit, but also because I didn’t want to be touching her feet for too long. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

“Alright, get in a circle, everybody. Let’s see what you’ve come up with.”

There were all kinds of designs to see in this class of 24. One pair of feet depicted Yoshi Eggs, another had a self-portrait, and another reflected the GameCube logo.

“Shocked her feet aren’t melting that paint,” someone snarked.

BAM!

“Toadette!”

“Sorry, I tried to be nice,” I said, arming myself with another paint bottle.

A portable mirror revealed to us what each other had painted. Minh T. chuckled at the space-themed painting on her soles.

“I feel like a giant with the whole galaxy under my feet.”

As for what she painted on my feet, it was the more impressive of the works. I mean, it had better value and texture, and the subject needed a little more imagination. She drew me on my right foot and her on my left foot, each of us holding up signs. My sign said, “It’s not stink!” Her sign said, “It’s that smell of hard work!”

I had no idea if I should be super embarrassed that she acknowledged the bad smell of my feet, or grateful that she tried to put a positive spin on it.

“You know,” she said to the class, “I had those things in front of me the entire time, and guess what? I’m standing. I’m perfectly fine. We know I’m not the strongest around here, but what does that say about you guys ready to black out?”

As we walked home, her with a 90/100 and me with an 84/100, I struggled to thank her.

“No prob. If anyone calls you Stinky Soles again, own that name. Be proud of that smell, Toadette.”

“I will definitely not do that,” I said.

“Now, I gotta ask, is your mom ever gonna take you guys back?”

“Great question.”

“I mean, my parents are fine with you and Dane T. staying with us for the time being, but it’s been a long while now.” She looked down. “You’re doing fine, but he’s really starting to miss her.”

“Who knows when that bitch is coming back to Toad Town. Says she’s still looking for a job over in another city. One, she’s not getting it. Two, if she does, it’d better be some work-at-home stuff, ‘cause I’m not—”

“You’ve only said it 30 times, I know.” She pulled her key out. “I keep saying, if her getting a well-paying job means you and Dane T. are better off, she’d be smart to take it.”

I hated every time she gave me that opinion.

DT was always out of school earlier than us, so he’d always be the first thing we saw when we entered Minh T.’s house. Based on the fact he only had one bag of cookies in his hands, looked like the boy finally learnt to resist the temptation of raiding their pantry every single day.

Just as if I were in my own house, I took off my shoes and socks at the front door before going in to hug the little cutie. Gosh, he looked precious with that hair blocking his eyes.

“Alright, DT, where’s your test?”

“Do I have to show you it?”

“Come on, let’s go.” I grabbed his hand, walking him to his backpack and yanking out his math folder. “If I spent all night going over those times tables with you, I’d better see nothing less than a B.”

If only you could see how shocked I was. 65. D+. DT took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, TT. This stuff is dumb! Why do we even learn it?”

“Lemme see.” Minh T. took the paper. “Mmm-hmm, you’re gonna loathe areas and perimeters when you get older.”

“DT, this is…” I paused. He was already stepping back, staring at my feet with his pupils shrunken. “We can fix it. And quit moving back before you bump into something. You don’t gotta visit the cheese factory today, ‘kay?”

“Yay.” His nerves finally calmed, albeit slowly.

Now that Minh T. had mentioned it, yeah, I noticed that DT’s grades were slowly declining since we moved in with them. Nothing changed with how I tutored him. Hell, it was better since now he had two girls helping him. But he’d gone from getting A’s and B’s to bringing home a D for the first time.

I sat him at the dining table.

“You miss Mommy?”

“I get a little sad when you’re at Minh T.’s house for just three days, TT. Mom’s been gone for so long now.”

“I’m sure she’ll be back sometime this week.”

“You said that last week. And the week before.”

“You told me you’d ace this test, but what am I looking at here? Sometimes we Toads just get things wrong.” I kissed his cheek. “Come on, let’s work that mighty brain out.”

While I helped him with his problems, Minh T. would rub his shoulders. Her family did this a lot, chalk it up to her mother being some kind of massage expert. When they came from her mother, I accepted them, aside from the foot massages. DT didn’t care whatsoever. Minh T. quietly sat under the table, giving him a massage like some creepy monster able to nibble off his toes.

But her position allowed me to turn it into a fun mini-game.

“If you get an answer right, I’ll give you one of my chips. And if not…” I kicked Minh T. in her cap. “She gets kicked. You don’t want Minh T. getting hurt, right?”

Of the 30 problems we went over, DT got 21 right and nine wrong. He looked surprised with his own knowledge.

“So the numbers times nine always have the digits of the answer add to nine…”

“Until you get to the super high numbers, yeah,” Minh T. said, still rubbing the boy’s little feet.

“See, you’re not stupid,” I said. “Just homesick. Like I said, DT, everything’s gonna go back to normal soon.”

***

“You’re out of your mind!”

“TT, this is gonna be better for all of us. I mean, I’ll have enough coins coming in monthly to—”

“No, you won’t!”

Just one week later, when we were back in our normal home, my mom just had to drop this bombshell on us. Moving? Seriously!? Who the hell even hired her out there!?

“Look, it’s not like I wasn’t considering you or DT in this. I tried looking. Mushroom City is a bigger place with more opportunities, and so that’s where we’re going.” She got closer as I broke down. “I know you don’t wanna go. I get it.”

“You don’t get anything,” I whimpered, feeling a heavy lump in my throat.

“I’ve moved at least three times in my life.”

“Can’t I stay with Minh T.?”

“No.”

“Why not!? Why the hell not!?”

“They’re not your family! I know they’ve been nice and all, but I’m not gonna burden them with another kid to look after. Especially you.”

“What if they say yes?”

“Then I say no. I’m not gonna have you living somewhere I can’t watch you,” she scoffed. “You’re 13; you’re growing actual tits. How am I supposed to protect you if you’re at Minh T.’s house?”

“What’s that supposed to imply?”

“She might be this sexually pure angel, but you, you’re trouble.”

I threw a punch at the wall. Stupid thing didn’t even break, just hurt my hand.

“You can complain all you want, TT. I’m sorry you have to switch schools. But if it’s either leaving or being unable to provide for my children, then I choose leaving.”

“I hate you so much.”

“Let that hate make you more productive then. We’re leaving at the start of December.”

“December!?” That was only one month away. “Why? Why!?”

“You need to calm down.”

Screaming, I hurled my shoe at her, striking the woman dead in the face.

“Fuck you.”

She immediately lunged at me, slamming my back against the wall. For four painful seconds, I could barely breathe before I dropped to the floor like a doll.

“TT, I’m sorry.”

I didn’t even have the energy to go up to my room. I just sat on the stairs, crying with my head buried in my knees. And watching the entire scene play out was DT, so stiff that he could’ve passed for furniture. My mom scooped him up in a hug, while I was left alone to wallow in my own despair.

No matter how much time passed, I couldn’t calm down. Night came, and I was still shaking. Morning came, and tears continued to stream down my face as I brushed my teeth. When I finally told Minh T. during gym class, she was stunned.

“You’re actually going, huh?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Hey, this is a good thing, Toadette.” She rubbed my shoulder. “You guys are gonna make more money out there. Of course, it’s also way more expensive to live there, but if things work out—”

“You’re way too positive about this,” I groaned.

“Because I’m not short-sighted. I got family back up there; I can come see you whenever. Plus, we’ve got phones, and you’ve got fingers and a mouth.”

“Not the same.”

“Better than nothing.” She looked at me from top to bottom. “I mean, I’m definitely gonna miss looking at you.”

“Faggot…” That was the closest thing to bring a smile to my face.

“I’m serious. There’s no point in fighting it, Toadette. Just accept it.”

I covered her mouth immediately.

“Wait. What if I were to come back here without her knowing?”

“Not happening.” She backed up, looking dumbfounded. “Especially if you’re trying to go to the same school. Good luck trying to avoid them talking with her. And do you really think your mom is so stupid that she won’t assume you’re back in Toad Town?”

“Duh.”

“Toadette… If you even try this, you will be the stupidest girl I’ve ever met.” She waited anxiously for a response, and I was gritting my teeth so hard that they nearly broke.

“If you don’t wanna help me, then kindly fuck off.”

Speechless, she stormed off as if she was the one who was wronged. Didn’t bother talking to me for the rest of the day. But when the next day came, I decided to talk with someone else who’d probably give me a hand. If he could get his nose out of those books.

“What do you mean you won’t help me?”

“You overestimate what I’m capable of,” he said in his nasally voice.

“You’re smart. Do that geek magic you’ve got.”

“Such a simplified view of the world, T. Ana Junior.”

“Don’t call me that! I wish I could just throw away that dumb name, just like I wish I could throw away my stupid mom. Just have her rotting in a landfill somewhere all chopped up into pieces.”

“Yeah, definitely no personal problems there.” He flipped a page. “I hate to be the bearer of…”

“Bullshit. You’re ecstatic.”

“Regardless, my suggestion is to accept that you’re moving. Even if you stay in Toad Town, what stops your mom from coming here and finding you?”

“She rarely returns to places she’s moved from. Heard enough about that growing up.”

“You’d need to figure out how to stay in school without them telling her. And if Minh T.’s parents found out you were here, you’d better believe they’d informed your mom.”

“Ugh!” I dug my nails into my face. “Please. There’s something you can do to help me, I know it.”

He lowered his book, staring intently at me. Before he could utter a single word, I put my hand up.

“No way.”

“And I’m the only one who would’ve offered to enter you with a condom.” He shut his book, handing me his tray. “Check out Mushroom City before making such a rash decision. And if you somehow make it back to Toad Town without your family finding out—an impossible task—maybe I’ll consider lifting a finger to help you.”

“I like a challenge,” I said with a smirk.

Now I had time to plan my escape. I knew what I wanted to do: go to Mushroom City with them, then sneak away on the very same night. I’d have them thinking I was running super far to some place they’d never bother searching. But once I got back home and started playing with DT, those waterworks returned. My emotions that day had been one hellish rollercoaster; sometimes I was happy, and other times I was depressed.

“It’s okay, TT,” DT said, trying to wipe my tears.

“You don’t get it. You’ll never get it.”

“Won’t get what?”

“Just…” I gulped. “Oh, I really wish we didn’t have to go.”

“I mean, I’m gonna miss my friends here, but I’m just gonna have to make new ones again. It’s gonna be a way bigger place, too, TT.” He rubbed himself against me. “You always said you were scared we’d be taken away from Mom and split up. But now we won’t because she’s getting better.”

Those words froze me. The poor kid… How could I dare leave him by himself under her care? Even if she always gave him the preferential treatment, there was still the fact that she was incompetent. She couldn’t guarantee she’d keep whatever job Mushroom City was offering her.

With him still pushed against me, I turned on the TV, trying to find anything that could distract me from what was becoming of my reality.

“…no concrete idea of what plan this is, but the idea is that it could involve explosions the likes of…”

Skip. Skip. Skip. Man, was anything good on today?

“Feels a little funny that we’ll be so far away from Princess Peach,” DT noted as an image of her faded on the TV. “I never even got to meet her before.”

“I think I could be in Toad Town my whole life and never personally have a talk with her, DT. Royalty in general is like that.”

“I wouldn’t mind working for her one day,” he said, yawning. “When I’m older… Maybe be a guard. What do you think?”

“Never considered that.” I rubbed the sleepy boy’s head until he let out a second yawn. “I’d probably go for a less demanding job.”

“Hehe… Means I’m gonna be stronger than you when we’re older, right?”

“You wish.” I flicked his nose. “Alright, let’s get you to bed before you drool all over my dang arm.”

As chipper as that conversation ended, all I could do in my room was weigh options with blood-red eyes.

If I stayed here, I’d have to struggle to stay hidden from my family; Minh T. would be very angry at me; Russ T. would likely charge me something insane; and I’d never have a chance to step foot inside of Mushroom City, if I ever wanted to.

If I left, I’d be able to stay with DT. I’d be able to comfortably eat, in theory. But I’d also be far away from Minh T., unable to hang out with her.

Damn. Was staying with her really worth all the negatives that’d come with that…?

When our last day in Toad Town arrived, I tried to spend every moment with Minh T. She sat with me as they packed the truck with the remaining furniture. Honestly, it was hard to imagine that our house would soon be up for sale like so many others. It wasn’t the best dwelling, not by a long shot, but it was my home for 13 years. Just like how this had been my town since I was born.

“Keep your head up,” she said, composed, in contrast to my trembling state.

“I…” Before I could respond, she kissed me out of nowhere. I managed to barely avoid her lips, but she was holding onto me so tightly that it was suffocating. When she finally released me, she licked her crimson-tinted lips.

“Call me,” she giggled.

Her homo advances were welcomed in my fragile state. I embraced her in a hug, beginning to quietly cry as I thought of all the things we had done in Toad Town together. Since she forced her way into my life. So many smaller adventures that sometimes got us in big trouble, so many things she managed to teach me and vice versa… Who would’ve guessed this initially creepy girl would have had such a large place in my heart?

“TT, we’re set.” My mom stepped out the house with DT, locking the door. “I’m going to give you two a minute, okay?”

DT squeezed Minh T. in his arms, thanking her for all she and her parents had done for us.

“I love you,” he said.

“I’m flattered to feel like a member of the family,” she responded with a giggle, rubbing the brown hair that covered his eyes. “Won’t be the last you see me, believe that. I’m letting your sister know that, too.”

He scurried away, and I was left to give my final in-person words to Minh T.

“I’ll come back.”

“I’m down for visits. The first thing I’m gonna do when I see you again is leave another mark on your face.” She puckered her lips. She then looked at my feet, my chest and finally my face before sighing and embracing me one more time, rubbing her hands all over my back. “See you later.”

I nodded, my smile hiding a whirlwind of emotions.