Once the brothers are unpacked, they start looking for internships.
"None of these are paid or open to freshmen." Mario points out. "And I mean absolutely none. Unpaid, unpaid, juniors and seniors only...how are we supposed to save Brooklyn if no one will let us? How is anyone ? Be rich and just donate to the local fire department?"
"Mario, we're in America." Luigi points out. "What do you think?"
"Holy..." Mario's eyes go wide. "I think I just found my golden ticket. Irene Masterson is taking freshmen."
"Wait, you mean..." Luigi asks, and Mario nods.
"Yes! The woman that's revolutionizing infrastructure and sustainable water systems. The woman I've sworn to model all my systems after."
"And she's accepting freshmen?" Luigi says excitedly, and when Mario nods, Luigi says immediately, "Please tell me you're gonna go for it."
"Excuse me, are you forgetting I have nothing to show for my talents?" Mario reminds him. "At this point, you're several steps ahead of me, with all your little engineering projects."
"All the more reason to apply!" Luigi points out. "All those other freshmen aren't you. They don't have what you do."
"All true." Mario says despite himself. "But..."
"If you don't apply, I don't apply." Luigi crosses his arms and leans back.
"What? Weegee that's--"
"Stupid? Ridiculous?" Luigi cuts him off. "I don't care. We didn't come here just to throw away every opportunity the universe is gonna throw at us. And I sure as hell didn't come here just to watch you give up so easily. I am not doing this without you, period. Are you really gonna be so selfish as to—""
"Alright alright!" Mario stops him exasperatedly. "Geez, Lu, you know how to lay on the guilt better than anyone I know."
"Can I stop now?"
"Yes, you can stop." Mario rolls his eyes, but he's still smiling. "I'll go for it, but that means you gotta find something too."
"Oh no need." Luigi turns his computer around. "I found one right when you started your whole spiel about being rich."
Mario's mouth drops open, "Why you--"
"Hey, come on!" Luigi throws up his hands in mock surrender. "I wasn't gonna rub it in my brother's face I found something first."
"I'm not talking to you." Mario hunches over and starts typing away. "Here's my academic resume and done. Applied."
"Already?" Luigi asks. "No cover letter?"
"Cover letter?" Mario looks at him. "It didn't say anything about a cover letter!"
"I thought you weren't talking to me."
In reply, Mario reaches out and pulls Luigi's cap into his eyes.
❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
"WAKE UP!"
Mario and Luigi startle awake at the sound of their dad banging on the door and shouting.
Mario rubs his eyes and checks the clock, then groans.
"It's 7 in the morning!"
The door opens, and Gio says condescendingly,
"Aw, whatsamatter? Don't like being woken up this early in the morning when you don't have anywhere to be?" he knocks on the door. "Come on, get up. Start looking for schools."
YOU ARE READING
Best Days We'll Never Know
General FictionOn the eve of high school graduation, Mario and Luigi's life diverges into two parallel realities: one in which they get accepted and move into Cornell's dorms to pursue their careers, the other in which they don't get accepted into Cornell and must...
