Chapter Text
A bubble toon was pacing in her room.
Poppy couldn’t believe it. She REALLY couldn’t believe it.
An ordinary toon like her, not even that smart– had passed the exam for the most elite private school in all of Gardenview. “Gardenview Academy”.
Yes, the name could use a little bit more flair, but what it lacked in names, it made up for in its quality. The establishment was described as huge, with a cafeteria serving the finest homemade cuisines, a roomy gym fitted with the latest tech, and dorms for each and every one of the students. Or so she heard. Truly a school for the talented. Not to mention the teachers, who were rumored to be one of the most top-tier educators in the area. Not much was known other than that, since students don’t come out of the building for the rest of the school year, and the educators never leave. The graduates don’t seem very keen to share. Toons come in, none come out. Very mysterious.
Ignoring that ominous fact, it was a great honor to be enrolled. Poppy was never really that exceptional. She wasn’t bad at anything, just… average. Not gorgeous, not athletic, not a brainiac. Just an ordinary bubbly bubble toon with a big personality.
Students who graduated from there eventually became famous. Artists, scientists, and heroes. Poppy couldn’t imagine herself being any of those things. So her? At a place like that? She really didn’t know how she even got in.
Well, no more of that doubt! I’ll do my best to make the teachers proud!
Everyone has to start somewhere, don’t they?
And finishing packing seemed like a decent first step for Poppy. Oops! Totally forgot about that. If she wanted to start strong, she couldn’t mess something up on the first day.
Forgetting something major while at school would be torture. She had a tendency to panic over little things, which were the root cause of some of her most embarrassing moments. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have a trigger to activate her panic while being surrounded by her classmates.
She stuffed a bunch of casual wear into her almost-full suitcase, then carefully fitted her very cute handmade bows into a crevice. After placing all her pink-and-yellow accessories into the bag, she turned to her uniforms. Turns out, they can customize their own uniforms as well. Poppy’s was the standard styled one, but she made sure she added a bit of color in there. After all, it wouldn’t really fit her style if it wasn’t vibrant and didn't have her signature bow, right? She was really grateful that the school allowed customizable attire, and didn’t force her into monotone, dreary colors. Yuck.
Along with the eyecatching colors, she had added patterns along the fringes of her skirt and sleeves as well. Patterns, as in overlapping blue circles, suiting her theme of “bubbles”. It was a nice touch, and she was really proud of herself for thinking up of that one. She MUST be looking her best when introducing herself to her new classmates and teachers, or she’d leave a wrong first-impression, yikes! Really had to be careful not to mess up anything.
She took a moment to marvel at her handiwork. The spark of pride was welcome as she glanced at her custom touches.
She went to grab her uniform, only to stumble and trip on a stray pop can. She sighed. Never bet on her sparks of pride to last more than three seconds. Good thing she didn’t really believe in fate, haha…
Groaning, Poppy stood up and looked at that evil pop can.
“Hey!” She playfully poked the empty can. “Don’t ruin my day, mister!”
As expected, it didn’t say anything.
Well, speaking of pop…
The bubble grabbed a few cans of her soda, “Pop”. The name left room for nicknames, so she had started to jokingly call it “Poppy pop”. It was a fairly simple beverage, with fizz and all that, but there was something about that drink that made people feel less tired and rejuvenated, especially after running where you would be all out of stamina. The bottled version’s effects were especially strong. That strange attribute was the main reason why she had gotten into drinking Pop. Actually, “addicted” would be a better word.
The drinks, and some snacks in this world would have some… weird effects. None of them are bad, mind you, but it would always affect the consumer in some way. Boosting their speed was the most noticeable effect. Stamina was another one. She wasn’t sure about the rest. She didn’t really take the time to research, as speed and stamina were all she needed. Oftentimes, in a friendly game of tag between her friends, she would munch on some speed candies right before she got caught, to help her escape. Thank you, tasty snacks!
Then, as bad thoughts tend to do, a worrying idea popped into her head. Were drinks even allowed inside the building? Oh, well. She WILL persuade them if they wouldn’t let her. Whatever it takes to bring her Pops.
She placed the drinks in the pockets of the suitcase, then got ready to change into her uniform.
After she tugged on her socks, she gave herself a final inspection in the mirror. Her bow sat perfectly on her head. Her skirt wasn’t messed up. Nothing was out of place, or wrinkled, or stained.
Yep, you look great!
This’ll be sure to make a great first-impression.
Well, that’s one thing done. She then turned to her suitcase to check her belongings one last time. Can’t be too careful, right?
toiletries, socks, phone, casual clothes, bows… and her Pop! Yep, everything’s here.
There, she finished. Hopefully she wasn’t forgetting anything…
She closed the suitcase, zipped it up, and carefully started to roll it out of her room.
Whatever waited for her outside of this room, she was determined to live through it. Nothing was going to mess up her first day!
Ugh. For something with light luggage, this was surprisingly heavy. Who knew the first thing to try and mess with her was her own suitcase?
Poppy wondered if she accidentally put a few bowling balls in there. Or her entire collection of pop cans.
She grunted as she dragged the suitcase down another step. Seriously? Another step and I might just pop.
She chuckled, but then stopped herself. That was a sensitive topic in the family. Popping was equal to death, so no matter how funny the joke was, she was strictly forbidden to talk about it. Being a bubble toon had some downsides.
At long last, she lugged her trunk down to the last few steps of the stairs. Then, her foot missed, and she proceeded to crash down the rest of the way downstairs.
So much for “careful”.
What awaited her on the first floor was a floor to the face, the suitcase almost landing on top of her, and a very bemused mom.
Mom, or Mrs. Bubble, was a bar of soap. Well, she had a gleaming bar of soap for her head. With her long blue dress, and elegant posture, she looked nothing like her daughter. However, underneath that elegance, she had that same peppy energy and positive attitude. Some things just ran in the family.
“Oh, my! That surprised me. Are you okay, Poppy?” Ms. Bubble asked, helping her up.
“Yep!” The younger bubble toon squeaked. “Doin’ great, mom!”
Ms. Bubble looked at her skeptically. “You sure?”
“Okay, maybe not great…”
The pair walked into the kitchen.
As Poppy served herself some cereal, her mom kept the conversation going.
“So! You’re going to that School!”
“‘Gardenview Academy’, mom! It’s the best in this area!”
“Okay, okay. Well, I’m so proud of you! Never thought that my little bubble would grow up to go to an elite school!” Ms. Bubble grinned. “You’ll be someone big someday.”
“Yep! I’m SUPER excited! Just watch, mom, I’ll be a celebrity just before you know it.”
Having finished her bowl of cereal, Poppy then reached for a stray can of Pop. A little sugar rush couldn’t hurt.
Before she could pop open the can, her mom snatched it away.
“Nuh-uh! That’s mine. Also, who’re you, downing a can of pop in the morning? Do you want cavities?”
Sigh. Her mom is nice, but sometimes her parental instincts kick in and ruin her fun. “No, mom.” Since she can’t have her beverage, she’ll have to settle for fruit instead.
While Poppy busied herself with an apple, Mr. Bubble came out of the doorway.
Mr. Bubble was a water drop toon wearing a long-sleeved shirt underneath a simple blue vest. Like his wife and child, he was fun-loving and kind, but a bit more serious. The Bubble family had to have someone to balance them out, so Mr. Bubble was the perfect water drop for the role.
“Hey, kiddo! Glad to see you’re awake. I went outside for a walk, and your friend Boxten was waiting for you so that you guys could ride that train to school together.”
Poppy choked mid-bite. “Seriously?! He didn’t say anything about that last time we met!” She chewed faster, not wanting to keep him waiting.
“Hah! I think he forgot to tell you that time. He’s a good friend, that music box.” A sly smile creeped up on his face. “Good thing the school has a prom. Anyone in particular you want to ask?”
Poppy choked, again. “DAD! No - I don’t think of Boxten like that! He’s just a friend!” She half-heartedly punched his arm. “Stop teasing me, you jerk!”
“Oh, you knew I was messing with you?” He makes an innocent face.
Her mom laughs. “Stop it right there, Dalfon. You know our daughter isn’t interested in her friend romantically.”
Poppy laughs, too. “Two against one! You lose, dad!”
After breakfast, she exited the kitchen.
Not going to lie, after that conversation, she was feeling a bit embarrassed. Her Dad didn’t have to do that… Ugh. She knew in her heart that her relationship with her best friend was platonic. No amount of teasing was going to change that.
Mr. and Mrs. Bubble followed, rolling the suitcase along.
“I’m going to miss you, kiddo. After you leave, I’ll only have Soaphie to keep me company!”
“Hey! Aren’t I good company?” Mrs. Bubble pouted.
“Yes, dear. I’m just joking.” Mr. Bubble turned to Poppy.
“And Poppy, I’m sure you’ll do good at this school. You’re the brightest, friendliest kid I know! You’ll have fun.”
“I know. Thanks, dad.” She hugs both of her parents. “I’ll call you sometimes, too! So don’t be lonely.”
“You know I won’t do anything you don’t approve of.”
“Really, dad? Then how about you stop teasing m—”
“Nope! Anything but that.”
“Hmph!”
The trio got to the door.
As Poppy pulled on her shoes, Ms. Bubble started to get… uh, sentimental. The prospect of not seeing their daughter for a long time must’ve awoken some tears.
“Look at Poppy, Dalfon! She’s all grown up… seems only yesterday she was born…”
“Hey, Soaphie, you promised to stay strong until she leaves!”
Poppy rolled her eyes. “You guys know I’m RIGHT here. Stop talking as if I don’t exist!” She then got up and reached for the door handle.
Ms. Bubble started to tear up, then quickly composed herself. She brushed away her tears, causing bubbles to form. (water + soap = bubbles.)
Mr. Bubble pushed the door open.
“Yes, yes. You’re right, Poppy. Now, let’s skedaddle! You don’t want to be late for your first day at Gardenview academy!”
Poppy scoffed as she exited the house.
“Yeah, we should totally leave. I mean, who’s late for their first day at the most elite school in the city…”