High-School Problems (Smash Bros Fanfic)

Chapter 24- Pauline's POV

You don't have to tell me that you hate me. I already know. 

It's never been a secret that I liked Mario! I mean, come on. He's a really sweet guy. And yeah, I could just find someone else, but...

There's just something about that Peach that I don't like. Maybe it's because she's rich and everything was spoon-fed to her. She never had to work hard for anything. Not even love. And me? I had to work my butt off, always. It's not fun. Sure, it's rewarding every now and then, but it straight-up hurts to see someone get all the things you were working for without even trying. 

Okay, so I'll admit that I only want to get with Mario for some very strategic reasons. I really don't have any romantic feelings for him. I just want to get Peach to finally work for something, and I want Mario to boost my music career.

I love singing. I always have. But nobody ever pays attention to it when I do sing. I needed someone, someone famous and popular, to bring me up there where people will finally want to listen to me and my songs. Who better to do that then Mario? Everyone likes him, so if I got with him, people would like me, too, or at least notice me. 

Sure. I've handled things a little differently than I should have. But all I'm trying to do is teach someone a valuable lesson and make things better for myself in the process. 

So, you're probably wondering: why exactly am I telling all this to you? Well, this is exactly what I told Mario. I have the feeling people think I threatened or blackmailed him into being with me, but that's not it at all! We're old friends, and he's just being considerate.

Although sometimes he can be a little...impatient.

"Can we 'break up' now?" he asked, making finger quotes at the term "break up". Because we were never together to begin with. 

"If you're so desperate to get back to Peach, why did you even agree to this in the first place?" I snapped. I've been hearing this question every day, every hour, every 20 minutes. It gets annoying. 

He sighed.

"You could have easily just advertised me instead, Mario. Instead of betraying Peach the way you did," I explained. I've been starting to feel a little guilty about this. Sure, the girl had to learn a lesson, but I'm almost scared I took it too far.

He sighed again. "You're right." He looked sad. "It's just...recently she's been distant. I don't know why. It was almost like we weren't even together anymore."

This was a first. Mario, telling someone his weaknesses? Rare, I say. Very rare.

"I feel guilty all the time about this," he continued. "But it's almost like I...want her to like me again."

I gave him a comforting pat on the back. "Hey, she still likes you. If you can't tell by the texts she's been sending." I showed him the numerous messages on my phone. 'I want Mario back'  and 'How could you threaten him?!' are the main themes of the over 100 texts I've got from her. I don't even know how she got my number.

He still looked sad. "You know why I love her so much?"

I shrugged. "Because she's your princess?"

"Because I was lonely, Pauline. And she was the only one who understood me."

For a second, I almost considered the idea that Peach has gone through a lot. That I should just tell her the truth and get over it. I almost thought she was innocent, despite us being enemies before this. 

"When I saved Peach that one time," Mario explained, "I barely talked to her. It was a raffle, after all. The school chose me to find her and that's the only reason I went." He took off his hat. "I honestly didn't expect all the backlash I got after that. It started with the attention I got from the royal family. They wanted to thank me and whatnot. For something that wasn't even that amazing. Everyone else thought they could have done it too. If it weren't for the raffle, I wouldn't have gotten so much recognition." He sighed. "I hate to admit it, but they're not wrong."

"But Mario..." I started. He signaled for me to stop talking. He was going to finish his story.

"People began to turn their backs on me. The only one I had for support was Luigi. And I can't believe I did it, but..." Mario's eyes watered up. "Sometimes I... took out my anger on him. Maybe that's why Luigi and I aren't close anymore." He scoffed. "Who am I kidding? Of course it is. I shouldn't have said all those hurtful things and treated him like I was always the better one."

I felt my eyes sting. Who knew Mario's story could be so emotional?

"Peach was the one who really saved me then. She was getting some backlash about the kidnapping too. That it was her fault. That she was weak and always wanted attention. When she came to me and told me about it, I couldn't believe I could have so much in common with someone. Slowly," he said with a smile, "we fell for each other."

I smiled. "That's...that's so romantic, Mario."

"And the thought that she'd become distant from me, the only person that I could really just not be a hero for... I just can't stand that. So I guess I wanted to see if..."

"...If she still loves you?" I finished.

He wiped his tears away and put his hat back on. "I'd like to think so, but I don't even know anymore."

I clenched my fists. I hate Peach, but Mario made it pretty clear. They love each other, a lot. I don't want to separate them. If anything, I almost want them to get together. 

"Let's end this, then."

He looked up. "Huh?"

"Let's tell her the truth, Mario." I smiled. "Maybe I'll write a song while we're at it."

***

A/N: Blast to the past! Let's take a look at an author's note from my first story:

Wow. I used to apologize for not updating for three days. How do I explain not updating in more than a month? Well, I'm going to blame it on school for now. It's getting rough. Finals are coming soon and my classes are getting hectic. But still! I'm going to persevere and update!!! I'm so sorry you all had to wait for so long. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Thanks for reading, and I hope to update soon! Have a great day!