Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia

18: The shattered King

"Mary," Toby said, leaning against the locker next to hers. "Can we be real for a moment? A woman like you deserves anything she wants. And what you want is me as your date to the Spring Fling. It's okay, you don't even have to ask."

"I'd rather choke to death," Mary said, closing her locker and walking away.

"Your loss."

He saw another girl and went over to her. "Darci..."

Jim looked over at Claire who waved at him. He waved back and struggled to close his locker. Toby walked over to him and leaned his forehead against the locker next to Jim's. "Well, I asked out every single girl."

"They all said no?"

"Of course not. I got a few 'as ifs', a couple of 'not in a million years'. One actually gagged. I took that as a 'not interested'."

"You actually asked out every girl in school?"

"Nope! Saved Claire for you, buddy. I don't wanna promblock you."

"Thanks."

"You haven't asked her yet, have you?"

"I-I'm working up to it, okay?"

"Is that what they're calling wussing out?"

"I'm just waiting for my moment."

"That's what they call wussing out these days, wussy!"

Blinky appeared in front of them, still stuck in his human form. "He's correct, Master Jim," he said. "I have spent the afternoon in the school library, and you are, apparently, a popular topic of gossip."

"Blinky," Jim said. "What are you doing hanging out at our school?"

"Well, that's an interesting story," Blinky said.

"Wait, you said people are gossiping about Jim?" Toby asked.

"I didn't hear much, but the words 'wussing' and 'out' were frequently invoked."

"Why were you in the library of our school?" Jim asked.

"I exhausted all of Trollmarket's resources, pertaining to the mysterious mark Angor Rot painted on your forehead. Then, a thought occurred to me. What about the library in Arcadia Oaks High?"

"And?" Toby asked.

"Sadly, all I learned was that Master Jim is a wuss when it comes to the fairer sex."

Toby turned around and saw the purple mole mascot. "Look at that hypnotic, bewitching allure of that swaying mole," he said. "Excuse me, seems I was wrong about asking out every non-Claire girl in school."

He walked over to the mole mascot and Blinky looked at Jim. "Does he even know if a female is, in fact, beneath that costume?"

"I really don't think it matters," Jim said.

Toby walked closer to the mole mascot and saw it walk into the girl's bathroom. He looked at Jim. "Yes! I knew it!"

"Hey, you!" Coach Lawrence said from behind Jim and Blinky. "You have a visitor's pass?"

"My dear sir," Blinky said. "I dare say, my humanity is my pass."

"Yeah, that's not gonna work," Jim said. "You might wanna run."

"Why on Earth would I—"

Coach Lawrence grabbed him before he could finish. "Alright, alright," he said, dragging him out of the school. "Let's go, stranger. Stranger danger!"

***

Jim walked through Trollmarket until he reached one part with orange walls and an orange ceiling. "Master Vendel?" He called.