Chapter 4 :
It was still cold outside,dewtrops were shining like little crystals on the leaves of the plants,the first sunbeams fought their way through the cloudy sky and in the distance you could hear the sporadic cries of some mantabirds.Dolphy was half-awake,thinking what she was always thinking in the morning : damn school!Pulling her blanket closer around her,she decided that sleeping the whole day would be much better than walking from lesson to lesson...Okay,she would sleep in the lessons anyway but a bed was definitely more comfortable.She buried her face in the pillow,trying to ignore the annoying sunbeams which were shining through the window when she suddenly heard a strange noise.It sounded like chirping but it didn`t came from outside,it was in the room!Dolphy opened her eyes sleepily and saw a weird-looking pink little thing right in front of her face,which looked at her with big curious eyes.From one moment to the other she was wide-awake,couldn`t say anything else except of a frigthened cry and tried to hit the little creature with her pillow.That`s when Jim woke up,too,and stared at the „fight“ with a sleepy but slightly amused look.
„Well,I guess you already know Morph,huh?“
Dolphy turned towards him and gave him a confused look.
„What`s a Morph?“
At that moment the pink blob flew straight towards Jim and cuddled against his cheek.
„This little guy here is Morph.“ he said while stroking the little shapeshifter`s belly. „Morph,this is Dolphy.“
„Uhm,hi Morph.“ she said,still a bit irritated.
The little blob suddenly appeared next to her,licked her cheek and cuddled against her like he had done it with Jim just seconds ago.
„Heh,he`s cute when he doesn`t scare me to death.“ Dolphy said with a smile. „But I thought pets weren`t allowed here?“
„Well,they ARE not allowed,that`s why I have to hide him in my room.Believe me,he would cause a complete chaos if I let him out of here just for 5 minutes.“
„I can imagine that...but it would be funny!“ she grinned.
„Yeah,but only until the teachers find out whose pet it is.“
"Ya mean if they find out?“ grinned Dolphy.
Jim gave her a questioning look.
„Hey,Morphy here could help us a lot with our pranks for revenge-misson!“ she said as the little shapeshifter began to chirp excited and flew around Jim`s head.
„Pranks for revenge!Pranks for revenge!“
„Hhm,okay,let`s give it a try.“ he agreed when he suddenly heard the ringing of the school-bell.
Jim and Dolphy quickly stared at each other and jumped out of their beds almost at the same time.
„Damn,the lessons!!!“
Minutes later they were both running down the hallway to their classrooms.
„See ya at lunchtime!“ yelled Jim as he headed to his math-class while Dolphy raced to the chemics-room.
„Yeah,see ya!“ she called back and stormed into the classroom where she was immediately the center of attention.
„Well,Miss Dolphers,I`m glad that you finally decided to take part in this course.“ the teacher said with a reproachful voice while he demonstratively looked at the clock on the wall :
8.25 am.Great,25 minutes too late!
„I`m sorry.“ she muttered. „But-„
„No ´buts` Miss D.!“ interrupted the teacher and pointed to her seat. „Sit down and try not to disturb the lesson anymore!There are students who want to learn something,if you believe it or not.“
Dolphy wanted to defend herself but soon realized that fighting with a teacher wouldn`t have any use except of getting even more unpopular.So she went to her seat which was right behind Stella.
„Oh joy“. she thought as the canine faced her and gave her a menacing look.
„Where have you been!?“ she wanted to know while the teacher scribbled some strange formulas on the blackboard.
„Turn around,you`ve got a terrible bad breath!“ Dolphy said matter-of-factly.
„Miss Dolphers!“ shouted the teacher. „Stopp talking and pay attention!“
Dolphy just rolled her eyes and stared at the ceiling.
„Is that clear?“
„Yes,Sir.“
He turned his back on the class one more time and continued writing one formula after the other on the board,not noticing that he was the only one who was actually interested in them.
Stella grinned at Dolphy and said with a smirk :
„Now be a good girl and don`t disturb the lesson.Just tell me where you`re hiding from us!“
„I`m NOT hiding from you!I`m simply fed up with your slimy behaviour!“
„We`ll find you,you know that!“
„How?Will you press your nose against the floor and follow my track?“
„You little-„
„Shut up!“
„Miss Dolphers!Don`t be so rude towards Miss Broscow!“
„But-„
„As I said before,no `buts`!I`m sure you`ll be happy to do some extra homework,look at page 34 of your chemics-book,there are really nice exercises for you!“
„But-„
„But nothing!“
Dolphy had the sudden urge to kill at least two people in the room.She wished that the lesson was over before she would do something she`d regret afterwards.Then,finally,the noisy ringing of the bell interrupted her murder-thoughts.She checked her timetable.There were only two lessons in which she would see her former roommates.No big problem since she was sitting quite far away from them.The only things she had to put up with were the mean looks and the pointings in her direction but she tried to ignore that as well as she could.She wasn`t worried about what they were saying about her during the lessons...she was worried about what they would do in the lunchbreak.After two apparently never-ending hours of boredom and suffering in the math-course Dolphy went to the canteen,being extraordinary excited.It was weird,she hadn`t seen Jim for not more than 5 hours and already missed him.
„I should go to the doctor.“ she thought to herself. „...or a psychiatrist.“
She had never understood how girls could be so obsessed about their boyfriends,all this senseless gossip about how great they were and what luck they had to have them as their friends and so on.Dependence from other people (especially from men),that was something Dolphy couldn`t stand.And although she was glad to live with Jim she felt uncomfortable at the same time.It was weird,really weird.
„Hey Dolph!“ she heard somebody shouting behind her.
„Hi Jim!“ she answered and waited for him to catch up.
„How was your day till now?“
„Oh,nothing special,I was allowed to do some extra stuff for my chemics-course because of pitbull-face.“
„Who?“
„Stella.“
„Oh,I see.Anything else?“
„Yes,I attacked the teacher and attempted to kill him.“
„WHAT!?“
Dolphy burst out into laughter and patted him on the shoulder.
„No,no,just kidding!Hehe,just wanted to see your reaction!“
„Very funny!“ Jim said with a faked offended voice but couldn`t prevent himself from smiling.
In the canteen they sat together on an empty table,away from the loudly talking other students.
Dolphy told Jim to turn around inconspicuously.
„What`s going on?“ he asked dumbfounded.
„They seem to talk about us.“ she said.
Not far away from them were Vivian,Meena and Stella sitting on a table with Carren and some of his friends,who kept throwing quick glances at Dolphy and Jim.
„Don`t bother.“
„They talk about us,I know it!“
„Uhm,Dolphy,don`t you think you`re suffering from persecution complex?“
Suddenly he heard steps coming nearer towards them.He didn`t have to turn around to see who it was.
„Persecution complex,huh?“ whispered Dolphy as Carren and his gang were standing right in front of them.
„Well,well,seems that our two friends here have joined to a loser-pair or am I mistaken?“ grinned Carren to one of his friends.
Dolphy would have gotten angry if she hadn`t seen Carren`s black eye,caused by the incident with Jim.She couldn`t do anything but grinned.
„Oooohhh,what a beautiful eye you have!And even the same colour as your teeth!Cool!“
Everybody glared at her with mean or shocked looks,even Jim.
„Does she wanna die!?“ he thought to himself.
„You`ll get the same one if you don`t shut up!“ yelled Carren furiously.
„I`m already trembling of fear!“ meant Dolphy sarcastically.
Realizing that threatening her wouldn`t lead to anything Carren decided to attack her weak point : her self-esteem.
„I really can`t understand why you`re wasting your time with that girl,Hawkins.“ he said to Jim. „Of course,you haven`t ever had a girlfriend but don`t you think it would be more honorable to stay completely alone than being seen with her?“
Dolphy had a lump in her throat.She had thought she had heard all possible mean things in her life but this guy always managed it to hit her even harder.
„Maybe I enjoy being seen with her!“ said Jim aloud and interrupted Dolphy`s thoughts.
„Aww,come on!“ yelled Carren. „You and I know exactly that she`s nothing but a boring freak,I spent one evening with her and it was terrible!“
„Why?`Cause she kicked you,big boy?“ Meant Jim with a smirk.
Carren,not prepared that Jim knew the true story,gritted his teeth and glared sinisterly at Dolphy.
„Wait until she kicks YOU,she doesn`t like men,ya know?“
„I don`t like stinking jerks like you are,you idiot!“ snarled Dolphy.
„Sure,and I assume that you`re living together with him now,eh?“ asked Carren jokingly.
As he saw Jim and Dolphy darting quick looks at each other he tried to fake a shocked reaction.
„Oh my God!You let her move into your room,Hawkins!?Man,and I thought she was braindead!“ he laughed.
Suddenly Dolphy`s three roommates came towards them and stared at her horrified.
„You`re living together with a guy you haven`t known for longer than a day!?Whoa,that`s so sick!“ shrieked Vivian.
„Hey,what`s your problem!?“ yelled Jim more than angry. „Yes,we don`t know each other for very long and yes,we`re living together,get used to it and finally mind your own business!“
„Carren,do you allow them to speak with us in such a tone?“ asked Stella with a faked shocked voice.
„Of course not,sweetheart!“ meant Carren and just wanted to beat Jim when he suddenly let out a painful cry.
„What!?“ cried Meena.
„Something has bitten me!“
„Maybe your brain was bored and wanted to play a trick on you.“ grinned Jim who did exactly know what was going on.
„Shut up,Hawkins,or I-OUCH!!!“
Carren hastily turned around but saw nothing.Was he starting to have hallucinations?But how could hallucinations hurt that much?
„What the hell is-OUCH!!!“
He was so busied with hunting for ghosts that he didn`t notice Jim`s and Dolphy`s loud laughter.
„Help me,ya fools!“ he yelled to his gang,who also didn`t know what the fuss was all about.
„Make it stop!“ demanded Vivian.
„Stop?What?“ asked Jim dumbfounded.
„You know what I`m talking about!“
„Huh?Me?“
„Yes,YOU!“
Vivian went to him and raised her clawed hand to strike him as hardly as possible when Dolphy suddenly slammed a plastic tray against her face.
„Don`t you dare to touch him!“ she snarled,her eyes burning with fury.
But then she saw her roommates and Carren`s gangmembers glaring at them and being ready to cut their throats.
„Uhm,change in plan,RUN!“ she called to Jim,took him by the arm and stormed with him out of the canteen.
Nobody noticed the small pink blob which quickly followed them outside.
„Shall we catch ´em?“ asked one of the boys.
„No.“ meant Carren coldly. „I`ve got another idea...“