A Glimmer of Hope

Chapter 1: No Luck

New year, new school. For Peach, this would be her third in the past three years. However, this was her first time in a school so far away from, well, anything really. All she really knew was what she'd heard from her parents. Needless to say, her hopes weren't very high. As she made her way into the building, a tall young man in a tidy pair of overalls made his way over to her. His long hair fell into his eyes a bit, and his well-groomed mustache twitched as he smiled at her.

"Hello, I'm Luigi, and I'll be your teacher for the next year." Peach blushed, forgetting what she had wanted to say.

"Oh-um, well I-I'll be in your care then." Peach murmured, staring at the floor in an attempt to hide her bright red face.

"Good!" Luigi exclaimed, "Let's make this year a good one!" Outstretching his hand to Peach, he smiled at her reassuringly. She took it gently and did her best to shake off the embarrassment.

"Yeah!" Peach replied.

Maybe this school won't be so bad after all...

Luigi eagerly led her to her classroom, it wasn't very often that they got new students there after all. Entering the room, the first thing Peach noticed was how loud it was! Students were climbing on the desks, play fighting, even throwing wads of wet paper around. It was so loud, she could hardly hear her own voice.

"Quiet down everyone! And get in your seats, or I'll mark you late!" Luigi yelled, and the room instantly grew silent. Peach was amazed; even though she had been through many teachers and schools before, she had never once seen a teacher as talented or as handsome as him. In her eyes, he was like an angel who had come to save her from this horribly bland yet chaotic school life. As Peach watched Luigi in awe, he continued on with the introductions.

"Good morning class. Today is a pretty big day for us here in class 1-C, as a new transfer student will be joining us. Please welcome... Peach!"

"H-Hello, um, I'm Peach." Peach choked, trying not to focus on the wide-eyed stares her classmates were giving her.

"Peach, why don't you tell us a little about yourself?" The class all nodded in agreement.

"Well, I moved here recently because of my mother's job, so I don't know the area well. Um, anyway, please take good care of me!" The class applauded for a few moments before Luigi interjected:

"Alright Peach, would you like to sit next to Sonic or Miku?" Peach scanned the classroom, and as her eyes met with Sonic's, he winked at her and smiled slyly. She then continued to scan her classmates until she came across Miku, who smiled and waved at her. It was hardly even a question.

"I'll sit next to Miku then." Peach retorted curtly, although she couldn't help but crack a smile when she saw Sonic's astonished face. He must've thought there was no way she wouldn't choose him, and she knew that there was no way she would. She walked smugly over to her desk and sat down.

"Hello Peach, I'm Miku. I hope we can get along from now on! By the way, I'm kind of similar to your designated guide, so feel free to ask me anything!" Miku grinned as
"Thanks, Miku, I will. Also, do you mind sharing your textbook with me? I haven't gotten mine yet."

"Of course, and don't forget to ask any questions you might have!" Miku exclaimed cheerfully as she pulled out her textbook.

The class went really well thanks to Miku. She was very smart and helpful so that Peach never had to worry about misunderstanding anything. And it was her enthusiasm and vigor that had helped Peach take her mind off Luigi and focus on her studies. After class, Peach finally got a chance to ask Miku some of the questions she'd been having, and got introduced to several of her other classmates as well. She tried not to pay attention to Sonic and his group who were peering at her from a distance.