"Come in!" Mario calls as he focuses on making his dinner.
"Sorry for barging in." Pauline apologizes.
"You kidding? It's fine." Mario says. "Want some leftovers?"
"No, I'm not hungry." Pauline says.
"Bubbly?" Mario turns around, opening the bottle.
"Sure." Pauline agrees, while Mario pours a flute for her.
"What's the matter?" Mario asks, sliding it over to her.
"Marilyn." Pauline admits, which makes Mario set the bottle down a little too harshly.
"Hey--"
"Don't, okay? I know." Pauline says. "But I really thought we were friends, and now she's not talking to me at all. What am I supposed to do?"
"Can't help you there." Mario pours a glass for himself. "Look at me and Luigi."
"How did it go, seeing Irene?" Pauline asks, to change the subject.
"Awful." Mario replies. "I told her I wanted to help, she told me to go away."
"I'm sorry." Pauline apologizes.
"Don't be." Mario waves it off. "It just made me think how...you never had to worry about your dad being exposed as a liar. Which I'm betting makes you miss him more."
Pauline nods. "It does."
"Pauline!" Mr. Verducci admonishes upon finding her in the principal's office. "Tell me this is a joke. What happened?"
"AP jerks." Pauline says. "They don't like a porca showing them up."
"Watch your mouth!" Mr. Verducci snaps. "They said that to you?"
"They didn't have to." Pauline mutters. "They threatened to tell the teachers I was mooching off of them if I didn't do all the work."
"Just do it and be done with it!" Mr. Verducci says. "Don't be a hero."
"But they didn't do the work, Dad!" Pauline argues. "Different school, different state, same problem. They don't like me and never will."
"Aw, Paulie..." Mr. Verducci pulls her close. "It'll get better, you'll see. And I'm always gonna be here, no matter what."
"That's worse than no friends!" Pauline wails.
"Geez, Mario, ease up, huh?" Pauline laughs as Mario empties the champagne bottle.
"Call it." Mario pulls out a coin.
"There's no heads or tails on a Mushroom Kingdom coin!" Pauline points out, pulling out a quarter, flipping it, then slapping it on her arm.
"Tails. I go, you pay."
Mario's back to heating up his leftovers when there's another knock at the door, so he goes to answer.
"That didn't take long." Mario calls, thinking it's Pauline, only to be met with a rude greeting when two buff guys shove him against the wall.
"You spoke to Irene Masterson." One of them sneers in his face. "What did she say?"
"Who's Irene Masterson?" Mario plays dumb, which only earns him a punch to the gut, before the other guy grabs him by the throat.
"What. Did she. Say?" the first guy demands.
"Get your hands off him!" Pauline cries from somewhere Mario can't see, right as she suddenly sweeps one guy's leg, knocking him down, forcing him to let go of Mario.
Mario takes advantage and headbutts the other guy, making him clutch his face in pain, so Pauline grabs them both and shoves them out the door.
"Jesus, are you okay?" Pauline asks, going to check on Mario.
"All aces." Mario says.
"What the hell happened?" Pauline demands.
"They know I saw Irene. And know where I live." Mario tells her. "They asked me what she told me, I said nothing."
"Good." Pauline says.
"Good? What about you?" Mario points out with a laugh. "You're paying, I'm going from here on out."
"So someone's adamant on you not talking to Irene." Luigi says, already dressed in his Dreamwalking pajamas.
"Or talking to her so they can beat it out of you." Spike mutters.
"Or Spike's deliberately trying to pick a fight." Luigi says tiredly.
"FYI, I just may be the one entire planet who's world does not revolve around you." Spike snarks.
"I think they just want the $10 million forfeiture Irene never paid." Mario says. "Question is what does that have to do with Pearson?"
"Anything useful you wanna tell us, Family Man?" Spike jab at Luigi.
"Will you knock it off already?" Luigi says, exasperated.
"Okay, you can cut the tension in this lab with a knife." Pauline notes.
"Let's get to work." Mario says, trying to stop things from escalating.
But Luigi keeps a hand on his arm, stopping him. "No no. I want witnesses for what I'm about to say next. Please do not make me choose between my friends and my family. You will lose, every damn time."
"Like I didn't already know that?" Spike rolls his eyes.
"Well, Snoozemore's about to consider letting Marilyn join us." Pauline offers up, making them all look at her.
"Seriously?" Luigi asks.
Spike just shakes his head, "I'm gonna back away slowly before I get myself fired.", then walks away.
As everyone else moves to their stations, Snoozemore approaches.
"What's going on here?"
"Nothing." Mario assures. "Just some bad blood."
"Does it have to do with Luigi knowing you told me about your Uncle Tony?" Snoozemore asks.
"No." Mario says, kicking himself. "I've been trying to tell him all day."
"Mario, take my advice." Snoozemore says. "Don't.", and walks away.
"Marilyn?" Spike asks Pauline at her station, but when she doesn't look up, Spike pushes, "Look, I'm sorry, okay? Luigi's mad at me, Steve's mad at me, and now you are too."
Pauline laughs, making Spike note, "Haven't seen that smile in a hot second.", then comes closer. "Is Marilyn still not talking to you?"
"Yes." Pauline admits.
"Guess all you can do is give them time." Spike says. "Steve's not talking to me either, but he'll come around."
"Yeah?"
"Maybe if both of us stop making the same mistakes over and over again." Spike jokes, and they both laugh.
"Inducing REM sleep in 3...2...1...GO!"
YOU ARE READING
Don't Wake Me, I'm Not Dreaming
Science FictionSequel to Past Lives Could Never Come Between Us Okay, so Mario's his brother. Okay, so this conspiracy is more complicated than Luigi could ever have imagined. The real question is how is he supposed to wrap his head around either of them without l...
