Flexible Thinking for a Modern Life: Chapter 7

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.

[Story Listing]

[First Chapter]

[Previous Chapter]

CHAPTER 7

Iris had mixed feelings. All she wanted was for this horrible day to finally end. And yet, when the next morning rolled around, she didn't feel much better. The last thing she wanted was to go back to school, after everyone got to see exactly what she was capable of. 

She laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, mulling over her options. If her parents were really serious about pulling her from school... she should at least go and appreciate the little time she had left.

She was unsure how serious they were. Her mother was on the warpath after last night, and was certainly looking into an appropriate alternate school. Iris sighed, looking out the window. Right about now, she'd swing by for breakfast, but she didn't want to so much as look at her mother.

Iris was still wound up tight from the previous night. She just wanted to go to school, and keep her head down. 

"..."

Her eyes drifted to the window. She wondered if she could sneak out that way. She lived on the second floor, so it was a biiiit of a drop. Of course, she realized that even if she fell, it wouldn't amount to much. 

Gently elongating an arm, it doubled in length to reach the window. She undid the lock, sliding it open. Clasping the window frame, Iris rose to her feel and paced over to the window to get a view as her arm reeled her in.

Iris was welcomed with a gentle breeze as she poked her head out the window. Though the view was obscured a bit by a big oak tree's canopy on their front lawn, it was quite a nice view. There was even a little nest of baby blue jays.

"Better avoid the little babies..." Iris muttered to herself, reaching for her knapsack. She glanced back and forth, making sure the coast was clear, before slipping her knapsack on the nearest branch. She had to stretch to close the gap - the tree was a good ten or fifteen feet from the window.

Gripping the windowsill with both hands, she reviewed her options. She didn't wanna make a jump for it. That would draw too much attention. Better take this one quietly. .

"Okay, easy. Just gotta lean forward... little bit more... itty bit further... and then turn and wrap..."

Iris stretched her torso out to snake around the trunk of the tree, making a lap to make sure she was secure. She then made sure that her arms and legs followed behind her. Her whole body was stretched out like a noodle, making a loop around the tree to ensure she wouldn't fall.

It felt great to get her morning stretches off like this. It helped her loosen up properly, and her mind mentally unlocked itself to go through those strange, alien motions. Her body going from loose to taut, and then back again, was rather exciting...

Finding a nice branch to sit on, she restored her proportions as best she could. It was an odd sight. Her lanky legs made the loop around the tree and then stretched downwards to the ground as her hands gripped the branches. She smirked as her feet touched the ground. All she would have to do is slowly lower herself, and she would be good to go!

"Wow! You're really tall!!"

Iris gasped as a voice blurted out from well beneath her. She recognized it, jerking her head around to look below.

"...Ohhh. Heyyy, Louis." Iris put on the best smile she could manage, even if it looked super fake. 

"You could walk in a parade! Cuz you have stilts for legs!" Louis grinned widely, revealing a missing front tooth. 

"Yeaaah! How 'bout that, eheheh..." Iris froze in place, hoping he would just go away.

He was a precocious, friendly little tyke, still in kindergarten. He had a little cap that sat a little aloof on the top of his head, and a messy face.

Iris didn't really appreciate being caught in a vulnerable position... but hey, one could do a lot worse than to be discovered by a little kid. 

"Iris! Iriiis! My ball's on the roof! Can you get it for me? Pleeeeease?" Louis called out, pointing in the direction of his own house. 

"...Oh. Okay." Iris didn't react right away. She glanced down to her elongated legs anxiously. She hadn't tried walking on these things yet. Pushing herself off the branch she was seated on, she staggered forward, every small movement she made dramatically exaggerated by her legs' tripled length. 

"W-whoa!" She hobbled and swayed back and forth, trying to find her balance. She staggered over to Louis' house. Louis was absolutely elated, staring up with wide, astonished eyes as Iris passed over head.

Iris's arms hovered in front of her, trying to feel for anything falling over herself before she collided with the side of his house. The impact rippled through her entire body like a stretched elastic band. 

"...Hoo..."

Iris huffed, blowing her bangs aside. She looked around. There was a red rubber ball caught between two chimneys. She had to stretch her arms out to reach it, but it was no problem. With some finangling, she forced it out.

"Got it!" Iris called out, shrinking down to her regular proportions. She kneeled down to give Louis his ball back.

"YAY! You're the best, Iris!!" Louis dropped the ball to the lawn, and then jumped forward to give her a great big hug. She staggered back, raising her arms. Her body seemed to squish a little under his tight embrace.

"Uhh, sure. Thanks, man." Iris tried to be casual about it, but an unseen blush betrayed her bashful reaction. She blinked as Louis squeezed her a few more times.

"Hehe! You're squishy, like putty!" Louis cooed. 

"Okaaaay, that's enough of that, kiddo." Iris removed his arms, shaking her head with a wry grin. She put some distance between herself and Louis. "Got any big plans today?"

"Oh, I'm gonna toss the ball around with the other kids! And then I'll eat, and then I'll take a nap, and then I'll... uh..." Louis wondered. "...I'll throw it around some more!"

"Huh. You got it up there somehow?" Iris whistled, glancing up to the rooftop. "Some arm you got."

"Mmhm! I'm gonna be an ath-ee-lete!~" Louis beamed, bouncing up and down. "Just like Iris!"

"I-I'm not really... I mean, I won a relay race yesterday, technically, but-"

"Then Iris' an ath-ee-lete! Ath-ee-lete!!" Louis cheered once more, hammering on the point.

"Haha, alright, alright! If you say so..." Iris chuckled, holding her hands behind her back. 

"Hey, Iris," Louis tilted his head. "Did you guys have a big fight last night?"

"...You heard us, huh?" Iris turned her head, averting eye contact.

"It was really loud..." Louis commented earnestly. "Did you smash anything?"

"What?? No, no, nothing like that. It... nobody got smashed. Or anything." Iris huffed, folding her arms. "Who needs to know?"

"When my mom and dad fight, they both take a time-out, and talk some more later. And everyone takes deeeeep breaths, like this." Louis demonstrated by puffing his cheeks up. Iris wanted to play dumb, but the silly expression was enough to get her to crack a smile.

"...Good advice." Iris smirked, glancing to the front door. "...I'll think about it. I'll probably go on a walk, or something."

"Oh! School day! ...Aww, I have to go to school too..." Louis whined, kicking his feet. 

"Ahh, it won't be so bad. You get to play, and nap, and stuff like that." Iris nodded. "It sounds really nice..."

"I'd rather be at home with you..." Louis mumbled. Iris' eyes widened, a deep blush coming across her face. Was this what Louis was getting at??

"...Noooot until you're older, kiddo." Iris smiled teasingly, hoping to change the subject entirely. "What would everyone else think if-"

"Iris!?"

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of windchimes rustling as the front door to the Fleurs' house swung open. Celes poked her head out, calling towards Iris. 

Iris glanced over. She really didn't want to talk to her right now.

"Ah! GoingtoschoolnowgottagoBYEMOM!!" Iris tried to make a run for it, but paused in her tracks. She jerked her head upwards.

Crap, my backpack!

She left the damn thing hanging off the branch. Without a moment of hesitation, she stretched her legs so her torso elevated back up into the canopy. She quickly slipped her backpack off and began to hurry off, not even bothering to restore her legs to their normal proportions. 

"Wh- Iris!!" Celes tried to call something out to Iris, but her stilt-like legs were useful in covering a long distance in a short time. Before long, her house was far behind, and she had covered a quarter of a mile in no time at all.

Iris made it to the first right turn she'd have to make out of the suburbs, staggering to a halt. She looked backwards, checking out the ground she just made. She glanced down to the cobblestone pavement below, admiring the sheer length of her legs, and the smooth sheen they had. She must've been a good ten to twelve feet tall now!

"...Heh. That was pretty awesome." 

Smiling to herself, she quietly willed her body to return to normal proportions. Looks like she wouldn't be running late to school after all...

---

When Iris arrived at school, she had a strange feeling. She walked through the hallways, just hoping to get to her locker without any problems. At least, she didn't want to start her day by running into Sherry of all people.

Iris wasn't stupid. The other students were giving her a wide berth. No one really tried to make direct eye contact; even then, she knew they were watching her. There was some whispering behind her back just out of earshot - her morbid curiosity was dying to find out what they were saying.

...But if she called them out directly, she risked some kind of confrontation. And the last thing she wanted was to draw even more attention to herself. So, with a sigh, she turned her back to most of the other students, trying to make it to the end of the hallway. 

Thankfully, she made it to the end without a problem. Her locker was flanked by Sarah and Miguel's lockers - the two of them seemed to be having their own conversation. 

...Why was Miguel holding a set of blueprints? Iris was concerned.

"...and it's spring-loaded! You can pack it in anywhere, and it'll go, like, whippow!" Miguel grinned.

"You must be very proud." Sarah commented, rearranging her locker a bit. 

"Aww, don't be like that..." Miguel deflated slightly. 

"Be like what?" Sarah turned with a deadpan expression. 

"You gotta show more enthusiasm!" Miguel blurted out, all fired up. "Passion, energy, like..." 

"Like this?"

Iris stepped behind Sarah, pinching her cheeks to pull her face into a smile. Sarah's half-closed eyes looked as unamused as ever.

Miguel smile, showing his teeth. "Yeah! Like that! It's a good look!~"

"Thanksh." Sarah muttered, a little slurred due to Iris' grip. Even then, she didn't seem altogether bothered.

"Miguel, what's this about?" Iris tilted her head, releasing her grip on Sarah. "Another prank plotted out...?"

"Yuppers!" Miguel nodded. "I got the schematics mapped out here, but I still need to get the right parts... and they're gonna be expensive. Imports, probably..."

"Man, Miguel. If you tried half as hard in your classes as you do for these pranks, you'd be on honour roll, you know?" Iris lectured Miguel gently with a tilt of her head.

"Ugh, you sound like Mom..." Miguel rolled his eyes. "Look, until they start offering a clown college advanced placement, it's not worth my time!"

"Are they difficult to get into?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah. Hard work too, there're big shoes to fill..." Miguel folded his arms, looking a little forlorn.

Silence fell upon the three of them. Iris' eyes widened upon a cruel realization.

"...Miguel."

"Ihihihi!~"

Now Miguel was cackling like a ninny, covering his mouth. 

"I understood the joke." Sarah explained with a nod. She turned to Iris with the same look as always. "Hey, Iris, what happened with your folks? Everything okay?" 

"Yeah! We were gonna get a pizza together!" Miguel piped in, clutching his blueprints close to his chest. 

Iris paused, her eyes drifting to the linoleum floor. She rubbed her arm anxiously, trying to choose her woods carefully. 

"...About as well as expected." Iris sighed. "Mom wants to pull me from school."

"WHAT!?" Miguel blurted, jumping nearly a full foot.

"What?" Sarah also chime in, albeit not nearly as abruptly. Such was her general attitude...

"Yeah. I don't think it's gonna go anywhere, cuz my Dad doesn't like the idea either." Iris glanced aside. "And he's not a pushover about this sort of thing. ...Mostly."

"Awww, what a shame. If you ask me, packing up and shipping off would honestly be for the best..."

The three of them cringed as an obnoxiously familiar voice made their presence known. Sherry, with her venomous smile, had wandered back up to the group.

"Well, no one asked for your opinion." Miguel muttered. While Miguel and Sarah gave Sherry dirty looks, Iris didn't want to make eye contact.

"Everyone knows your dirty little secret now, Iris." Sherry sneered. "And they're all dying to know what you'll end up doing next. Especially since normal people morals don't seem to apply to you."

"Hey, she won the race fair and square." Sarah corrected Sherry, which only invited a roll of her eyes.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, bitch." Sherry groaned. 

"Where's the rest of your posse, anyway? Bet you went and ate them whole." Miguel chipped in.

"...What? No, that's disgusting. I fired them, they couldn't win a race against a bunch of losers." Sherry shrugged.

"...You can do that?" Iris muttered, astonished.

"Wouldn't be the craziest thing someone's done in this school. Friends can be replaced~" Sherry leaned in closer. "Everyone's eyes are on you now, Fleurs. Do put on a show for them, and show them what kind of freak you really are-"

"No one wants you here. Buzz off."

Sarah slid in between Iris and Sherry. The height difference between Sarah and Sherry was rather pronounced, but even as Sherry towered over Sarah, she could tell that Sarah wasn't about to ask a second time.

"...Tch." Sherry scoffed. "Everyone knows exactly what kind of backhanded freak you are. Remember that." Sherry uttered the last word, and then whipped around to storm off before allowing a retort. 

Iris was silent, staring at her locker. She had a look of dread on her face.

"You alright, Iris?" Miguel leaned in, trying to get a read on her expression.

"...Fine." Iris muttered. "Just... whatever. It doesn't matter."

Iris dismissed the conversation, leaning over to fuss with her locker padlock. She seemed agitated, groaning as she continued to mess up the combination.

"She's talking out of her ass, Iris." Sarah reassured her. 

"Yeah..." Iris lowered her head. "It's not a big deal. I'm different, I get it. Just..."

Iris sighed to herself, returning to the desperate attempts to get her locker back open. With a successful click, she got it open. 

She opened it, only to find something she didn't expect. Inside was a pink sealed envelope, sealed with a wax heart. 

"...Huh? What the hell?" Iris took the envelope in her hands, turning it around to examine it on all side. 

"Whoa! That's mysterious!" Miguel cooed, leaning closer. "You got a secret admirer??"

"I-I dunno. First time something like this happened..." Iris replied, her thumb drifting along the crease. 

"Well. Open it." Sarah urged her on. Iris nodded, the paper rustling as she did away with the wax seal. 

Unfolding the paper, Iris read the letter just loud enough for her friends to hear:

Hello there darling!

I've been watching you, and I think you're a very interesting person. I would love to meet face to face. Come see me after school  between 10 and 12 Whitaker Street.

XOXO

"...Is it signed?" Miguel squinted.

"If it was signed, it wouldn't be much of a secret." Sarah commented. 

"...Isn't that in the middle of town?" Iris wondered. "Why not just meet out back after school?"

"Yeah, and getting a letter before school starts? Is it from a teacher?" Miguel wondered, rubbing his chin. "...Ohhh, if it turns out to be a creepy janitor guy."

"And who calls people 'darling' anymore?" Iris blinked, her mouth flattening. 

"My mom. My dad. My auntie." Sarah listed off people she knew one by one.

"Iris, are you gonna look into this?" Miguel wondered. "It looks a little skeevy.

"...I dunno. I don't think my parents would approve of me doing anything like-" 

Iris' eyes widened. Something occurred to her then, and a big smile came across her face.

"...Actually, yeah. Hell yeah, let's do this. It sounds adventurous~" Iris grinned, folding the letter up to put into her knapsack.

"You sure about this??" Miguel prodded her. "It could be some kinda, uh, sexual predator deviant sort." 

"Dude, I'm practically invincible. I'll manage." Iris rolled her eyes. "If it's some creep, I'll back out. Besides, you guys are coming with me, right?"

"Yeah, probably." Sarah confirmed with a slight nod.

"Wh-what!?" Miguel stammered, glancing between the two. "I never signed up for anything like that!"

"Well, no, but you weren't about to let a helpless girl go in over her head now, were you?" Iris nudged Miguel. "You can be my knight in shining armour!~"

"N-no! I'm more of a, a court jester, yeah??" Miguel backed up a bit. 

"It probably won't be a big deal. We'll check it out, make sure Iris is okay, and then we can head over to the arcade or something."

"But what if something does happen?" Miguel asked anxiously.

Crack. The sound of Sarah cracking her knuckles was the only response afforded to them. Miguel sighed, clearly getting the message.

"If you're sure..." Miguel shook his head. "This is probably a bad idea."

"We won't know until we try." Iris shrugged. "Thanks for sticking with me guys..."

Iris slung her arms around their shoulders, drawing them in for a group hug. She was glad they were there for her. Even if Sherry was looking to turn the entire school against her... and even if her mother opposed everything she did.

"I'm glad you guys are in my corner." Iris muttered, patting their backs.

"No problem." Sarah smiled.

"Y-you'd do the same for us, yeah?" Miguel laughed, a little awkwardly. "Still have a bad feeling about this, but-"

"Nah. Let's do it." Sarah nodded conclusively. She had her game face on.

---

[Next Chapter]