Flexible Thinking for a Modern Life: Chapter 10

Summary: A commission series for Alfalfa. Iris Fleurs, the stretchy daughter of a slime mother and a human father, tries to live her best life and feel comfortable in her own skin. Teenage rebellion ensues.

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Flexible Thinking for a Modern Life

CHAPTER 10

It was getting late at the Fleurs household, and Celes was getting worried. She kept a constant watch out the front window, a concerned look etched upon her face. Sier had already gone upstairs to wash up and get ready for bed.

It was almost lights out, and Iris was running home later than usual. What was that girl up to...?

As Celes wondered this, she noticed a familiar figure hurry up the walkway. Iris was hurrying back home after all. Celes exhaled a sigh of relief, thankful that nothing happened to her daughter. She relaxed, stepping towards the staircase.

Celes stood patiently, waiting for Iris to come through the front door.

...And she waited.

...And she waited a little bit more.

"..." Celes tapped her finger on her elbow. She snuck another glance out the window. Iris had disappeared again...

Clunk. Celes raised her head, hearing the tell-tale sound of a window being opened upstairs. She sighed to herself, turning around to head upstairs. 

She paused outside of Iris' room, listening carefully. She could make out the sound of Iris stepping inside, tossing her knapsack to the side, and then slooooowly shutting the window once more. Now would be a good time.

"Iris?" Celes knocked gently at the door. "Is that you?"

"...Yes." Iris admitted quietly from the other side.

"Is it okay if I come in?" Celes asked cautiously.

"...If I said no, that wouldn't stop you.." Iris replied a little hesitantly. 

Celes opened the door with a careful creak, peering her head in. Iris was leaning against the wall, just next to the window. Celes shook her head quietly, and let herself in. Her arms folded, thinking of how to approach this issue with her daughter.

"You skipped breakfast today." Celes started, raising her eyes to Iris. "Are you going to keep using the window from now on?"

"...I dunno. Maybe." Iris' eyes drifted aside.

"Did you forget that you were grounded?" Celes pressed her further, folding her arms. "What on earth were you out so late for?"

"It was nothing!" Iris blurted, still refusing to make eye contact with her mother. "My friends and I went to see a movie, it just kind of happened, just..." 

Iris hurried over to her dressing, sorting through the top drawers for her pajamas. "Just leave me alone, mom..."

Celes didn't budge from her spot. She stared at Iris' back. The room was thick with tension, and it was plainly obvious that Iris wanted nothing to do with her.

It was like a stab in the gut to Celes, and her steel resolve to lecture her daughter dissipated all at once. She sighed to herself, her arms falling to her sides.

"...I wanted to say I'm sorry, Iris."

"...??" Iris turned her head to face her mother. Her mother was apologizing for something??

"Perhaps I had been a bit... rash, before." Celes sighed, kneeling down to see her daughter at eye level. "But you know that I don't want anyone to hurt you, or take advantage of you, right?"

"Right." Iris replied, a bit reluctantly. "I know."

"Your father and I just want to do what's right for you." Celes commented. "So... we won't be changing schools."

"...Really?" Now this was a surprise for Iris. Her eyes were wide.

"You have friends there, and, well, we know how well you get along with Sarah and Miguel..." Celes smiled. "I don't want to break up a good thing." 

"Wow, um... thanks, mom. I... I didn't think you'd change your mind about this?"

"Well, your mother can be a little flexible too..." Celes muttered sheepishly. "...But I want you to stay out of trouble, okay?"

"..." Iris frowned slightly. She understood implicitly what her mother meant by that. No showing off her superpowers. Her eyes drifted aside, carefully choosing her words.

"...Does this mean I'm still grounded?" Iris changed subjects with a hopeful glint in her eyes. 

"...I... I suppose not. But you have to stop using the window as an entryway, okay?" Celes smiled. "And I want to see you at breakfast too."

"...Yeah. Yeah, I can do that." Iris nodded.

"Good. Now, it's getting late, so get your PJs on, and hop on to bed, okay?"

"'Kay, mom." Iris nodded with a grin. This was enough to satisfy her mother; she began to turn back to the doorway.

"Then I'll see you in the morning." Celes closed the door behind her.

Iris paused, going over the events of what just happened. Was it really that simple? She remembered various times how her parents overreacted to some apparent danger she had gotten herself into. How she had been pulled from summer camp for another incident, how they pushed her into other fundraising avenues that didn't involve running a marathon. Not to mention the time she wanted to go into babysitting.

Time and time again, she was given a little bit of leeway, a little bit of flexibility, only to have it taken away. It was frustrating, and just because of another heart-to-heart, it didn't mean things were about to change. 

Iris sighed, flopping against the cool cotton sheets. She grimaced to herself. Was this just going to be another round of the same old cyclical garbage? 

She could only hope her mother meant it this time. Now that Iris wasn't grounded, she could at least try to enjoy herself again. 

Besides, this wasn't all bad. She got to upstage that bitch Sherry. That can't be for nothing, right? Iris grinned to herself silently, glowing in that feeling of earned victory. 

She extended her arm across the length of the room, flicking the light switch by the door. Draped in darkness, Iris closed her eyes. It was time for bed...

---

The next day was decidedly normal for Iris. Not much of consequence happened to her on an otherwise average school day. It was almost stifling, in a way...

Iris reeeeally wanted to duck out of her last class for the day. It was so tempting to just sneak out early and head back to the entertainment district, back to that warehouse just off the beaten path. She wanted to see how much further she could push her abilities. She felt like she was just on the cusp of something great.

She dreamily stared out the front window, watching the clouds slowly drift by. She dreamed of swinging through the streets again, seeing how far she could go, how fast she could fling herself in the dead of night...

"Hey, Iris, did you bring your textbook?"

Iris felt a pencil poking at her shoulder from behind. It was Miguel prodding her from the desk just behind her. She turned her head to glance over.

"Yeah. What, you forget yours?" Iris queried with a tilt of her head.

"Lemme borrow yours! I'll pay you back!"

"...That's what you said about my math textbook too." Iris rolled her eyes at him. "Dude, don't worry about it. We're getting a substitute teacher anyway."

"Shit, really?" Miguel blinked, easing back in his chair. "Well, alright! Probably means we get to watch Gilbert Rye the Science Dude or something~"

"Yeaaah, probably." Iris glanced to the front of the room, and then to the clock up front. "...Where are they, anyway?? Shouldn't class have started, like, ten minutes ago?" 

"...Huh. You're right." Miguel leaned forward. "Well, you know what they say. After fifteen minutes, if there's no teacher, we're legally allowed to-"

Slam!

Before Miguel could finish his thought, the door to the classroom swung open, and a woman sauntered in. She had her red hair tied back into a bun, her eyes obscured by a pair of sunglasses. She had a deep tan, short shorts that rode her behind, and a blouse that left little to the imagination in terms of her frontal assets. 

The murmuring of the classroom quieted down upon her entrance... and at the sight of her. From her exaggeratedly luscious lips, the stick of a lollipop shifted from side to side. She leaned forward, lowering her sunglasses to get a better look at the class.

"...Good. You kids know how to behave." The lady winked with her emerald green eyes, shifting her sunglasses backup to hide them. 

"Welcome to Health class. I'll be your substitute for the next month or so, while Mr. Wesker recovers at the hospital. The dumb idiot up and tore his gluteus maximus." 

There was a chorus of snickering that echoed around the class. "That's his butt," one of the students remarked snidely.

"Quiet! The man is in excruciating pain! This is no laughing matter!"

The teacher snapped at the entire class. In an instant, they were coaxed into shushing back up.  Contented with the round of disciplining, she pivoted to face the blackboard, flipping a fresh piece of chalk into her hand. 

Unseen to the students, she couldn't help but smile to herself, stifling a cackle as best she could. Even she had to admit, it was pretty funny...

Her ass jutted out as she leaned forward, scribbling her name upon the blackboard in elegant, cursive strokes. 

Miss Cassandra Monroe

"...What the hell?" Miguel whispered, more confused than anything by the look of the teacher. "D-did they go and hire her from the red light district or something?"

Iris only stared, her finger tapping against her desk. There was something oddly familiar about this teacher. But she swore they never met. Heck, with the body she was rocking, she figures she would remember it. She looked more at home in a bad schoolgirl porno than, well, actually teaching students.

...Iris made sure to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Yup, all clear. Iris eased herself back into her seat, bracing for what was sure to be a bumpy ride...

"Alright, your old teacher left me with a note on where you guys were at before I got here, so let me see here..." She reached into her desk, pulling out a small notecard. She adjusted her glasses to look closely. 

"...Chapter 4. Nutrition: The Fundamentals of Living Healthy and oooooohhhh my god this is awful." She flicked the notecard behind her with a scoff, before pacing around to the front of the desk. She took a seat right up from, crossing her legs. She kicked off her high heels and leaned forward.

"Look, kids, I'm gonna be straight with you. Y'all need to get your money back on these textbooks, cuz they sure as hell ripped you guys off." She tilted her sunglasses forward. "I dunno what useless crap they've been pumping into your head, but I'm gonna do some 'hella knowledge detox' up in this, okay?"

She brandished an extending wand in her lap, tugging it for some extra length. She brandished it for all the class to see. The kids were stunned into silence.

One student rose their hand. They were near the front, their uniform straight-laced and properly tended to. Miss Monroe pointed them out.

"Um, Miss Monroe... nutrition is important, isn't it? Because, eating well prevents diseases and-"

"OH I'M SORRY! Are you teaching the class now!? I didn't realize you were qualified!" 

"N-no, no, that's not it at all, I-"

"Detention! After class!" Miss Monroe swung her baton through the air, decisively cutting the student's words down to size. The girl's face went pale, and she lowered her hand.

"Okay, we're gonna skip ahead to sex ed, cuz I'm taking one look at you kids and it's clear to me that y'all need some schooling." She got up on her feet and began to pivot back and forth. "Now, the Department of Education wants me to 'impart the virtues of abstinence~', pah..." Her words were dripping with sarcasm as she parroted their words.

"...But you kids are damn horny little shits. Sex is going to happen, and you gotta know the facts, okay? Can't live up in Lala Land forever in your dumb little bible circles. So we're gonna talk about sex."

As she said this, she lowered a bowl onto the table, and filled it to the brim with what appeared to be... condoms of various sizes. She went down the aisles. 

"Now, sex is like car insurance. Some people like living dangerously, going in rawhide, but if you're sensible and normal and not a sex goddess, you're gonna want protection. So take a couple of these, stow them in your bag. Don't poke holes in them, they're like balloons, they don't fuckin' work if you do that..."

As she passed Iris' desk, Miss Monroe snuck her a devilish little wink. Iris shrunk slightly at her desk, feeling a little undressed. She had definitely seen that look before...!

As Miss advanced up and down the aisles, Miguel scooched forward.

"W-what was that, Iris!?" Miguel stammered. "Did she just come on to you!?"

"...God I hope not." Iris gulped, still staring at Miss Monroe from behind. The way Miss Monroe's ass bounced, Iris was deeply hoping it wouldn't leap out at her like a velociraptor. 

"Dude, if she starts hitting on you for real, call the cops, okay? That shit's creepy..." Miguel shook his head. 

"...It's her first day. I think she's just... trying to settle in. And trying way too hard to be cool." Iris commented. "Just... wait it out."

"Okay. Let's stick together on this one, though." Miguel nodded, settling back into his seat.

---

"...And remember, kids, you have to be attentive to their needs! Show you care about them, but don't be too needy. People can smell fear and desperation a mile away. It's like bad B.O."

For the next hour, Miss Monroe made herself comfortable at the front of the class, covering all manner of subjects that none of the students were properly prepared for. 

"...Hey, Iris," Miguel leaned forward again. "Is any of this actually in the textbook?"

"Nnnnnooooope." Iris croaked.

"...What the hell, man?" Miguel groaned, bringing his palm to his face. "It's like we're in a whole separate class now..."

"Well, it's not like you were getting much out of Mr. Wesker's lectures anyway." Iris shrugged. "Miss Monroe is just, uh... passionate?"

"Passionate... hoo boy. Not the word I would use. More like hor-"

Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!

"...Tch, already?" Miss Monroe looked up at the clock. "Alright kids, you're free to go. Your homework is a two-page report on any of these movies on the board."

"...What if our parents don't let us watch them?" A male student asked aloud towards the back. 

"What? You still need your parent's permission for this crap?" Miss Monroe sighed, shaking her head. "Dude, just hit up a bootlegger on the street, he'll hook you up. I know a guy over on Bronson and Riverside..."

Miguel rose from his desk, rubbing his head.

"Man, Sarah's not gonna believe any of this actually happened in class... can't believe she went into Outdoor Ed." Miguel sighed, burying his head on the desk.

"I mean... that class is pretty hardcore." Iris muttered. "They carve entire canoes out of oak trees or something. And go hiking up the mountains for their finals. Uphill. Both ways."

"...Yeah, this is easier." Miguel laughed. "Anyway, class is finally over!! Iris, you gotta check out the arcade, they put in a virtual reality game!"

"...Really? What's it about?" Iris tilted her head.

"Oh it's so hype, man!! You're in this space suit, but it's also a spaceship, and you have to fly through fleets of enemies, just blowing stuff up! To, like, save Earth and stuff!"

"...Sounds pretty awesome, actually." Iris blinked. "I was gonna check with someone first, but I think I could make time for-"

"Fleurs! Iris!" Miss Monroe called out from atop her desk. Miguel and Iris came to realize that the class around them was emptying quickly. 

"...Um, yes, Miss... Miss Monroe?" Iris turned sharply to face her, her cheeks filling with a pink tinge. 

"I need to speak with you. For your, ahem, private lessons. Mr. Perrera, you're excused." Monroe sauntered over, shoving Miguel towards the door. "Go on, shoo."

"Wh- but- Miss, we were in the middle of a conver-"

"Now, Perrera! And don't dawdle!" She snapped, smacking her baton on her desk. Miguel flinched, shooting Iris an uncertain look. 

"...I'll see you later, Miguel." Iris tried to smile encouragingly. Miguel's eyes drifted between the two, before sighing, defeated.

"...Okay then. Take care." Miguel nodded, heading for the door. Miss Monroe made sure to follow closely behind, escorting him out the door, before shutting the door behind him.

"...Now then, Iris, where did we leave off?" Miss Monroe unbuttoned the top button of her blouse. "Hoo, it gets so stuffy in here."

"...So, uh, Kamika? What's with the teacher get-up?" Iris wondered aloud, folding her arms. 

"Oh! You saw right through my disguise! My my, you're a clever little cookie after all~" 

Chuckling, she snapped her fingers. Pink streams of light danced all around the teacher's body, bathing her in light, cupping her entire figure. Her modesty, for however little remained, was preserved - it was too bright for Iris to look dead-on, and she shielded her eyes.

...And when the light died down, she was left to witness Kamika's visage, her devilish tail whipping back and forth, her wings aflutter and outstretched, and her trademark bikini hugging her curves. 

"I just wanted to keep a close eye on my protege! And the school had an opening, so I decided, 'why the hell not'?" Kamika laughed with a fluttery cadence. "Ohhh, the seedy underbelly of the teacher's lounge is unexpectedly exhilarating! I could tell you all sorts of juicy gossip about the rest of the faculty~"

"...Weeeell... maybe some other time." Admittedly, Iris was a little curious. She wished she could be above petty rumours, but she was a bad girl at heart. She grinned, holding her hands to her chest.

"So! Kamika! Last night was incredible! I, I was actually gonna swing by after school to keep practicing my techniques!" Iris bounced up and down giddily. "A-and I wanted to thank you for everything too..."

"Ahhh, think nothing of it! I think of you like my apprentice, after all! And it takes the artisanal touch of a master to mould that potential into something truly incredible..." Kamika kneeled forward, looking into Iris' eyes. Her tail swished back and forth.

"I feel the same way as you, darling. We can go back to our quarters, and go over the basics once more. And then, very soon, you'll be ready for-"

Knock knock knock!

"Shit."

With a poof, Kamika resumed her mild-mannered(?) disguise, rising up to readjust her sunglasses. Iris staggered back as well, her eyes locked onto the door.

"What is it!?" Miss Monroe snapped, her head jerking to the door. The door slowly creaked open, and a student popped their head into the door.

"...Miss Monroe...?" The student's voice was wispy, quiet, barely above a whisper. She had thick-rimmed glasses that exaggerated her blue eyes, and a pale, freckly expression. She looked like she'd blow over if you looked at her funny.

"Can't you wait!? I'm in the middle of an important conversation!" Miss Monroe snapped, clearly unphased by the girl's soft, harmless exterior. 

"...Debbie?" Iris recognized her by name. There were more than a few rumours about her, like how she was pulled from school for personal reasons. Rumours about those reasons swirled around her, overshadowing the poor girl herself. 

"I-I-I'm sorry, I... I can wait, I just..." Debbie's eyes lowered to the floor. "I-I wanted to talk to you, about something... secret."

Miss Monroe's eyes lowered to a small envelope that Debbie was cradling in her hands. It was sealed with a pink heart as a sticker. 

"...Tch. One look at you, and I can tell this is going to be a project..." Miss Monroe groaned, glancing to Iris. "I suggest you run ahead. It looks like I'm going to be staying after hours for this one." 

"...Really?" Iris' eyes drifted between Miss Monroe and Debbie, before shrugging. "Ooookay. I'll just... be leaving now."

Iris made her way past Debbie, brushing slightly past her. Debbie recoiled slightly with the contact, but said nothing, clutching the envelope closer to her heart. She gasped silently. 

Iris made a memo to herself to just head over to the warehouse early. Not like Kamika would mind. She seemed to have her hands tied up over here.

Kamika, meanwhile - or rather, Miss Monroe - leaned back against her desk, folding her arms. 

"...God, you're a sight for sore eyes. Are you lovesick, or what?" Monroe muttered, a tinge of impatience in her voice.

"...I-I dunno who else to talk to, and... and you were talking about what people want, i-in love, and..."

Debbie squeezed her envelope tightly.

"...I-it's about a girl."

---

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