Chapter Text
Jim still hadn’t fully gotten used to being a troll. It had been 3 months since the battle with Gunmar and Arcadia was mostly back to normal aside from everyone knowing about the existence of trolls.
It had taken a while for Jim to be able to sleep with his horns comfortably, eating with his tusks had taken some getting used to. His armor finally wore off 2 weeks after the battle and Jim couldn’t believe how sore he was. Turns out, sleeping in a suit of armor for 2 weeks will do awful things to your back.
Barbara had insisted he go back to school when it started back after summer break despite Jim’s protests. He was terrified of how everyone at school would treat him now that he was half troll. A million different thoughts flooded his head as he got dressed for his first day of school. What if everyone thinks I’m a freak? What if I accidentally get too close to the sunlight? What if every one hates me now? What if they are scared of me?
Though Barbara was understanding of her son’s situation, she still insisted that her 16 year old son go to school, especially seeing as he had missed so many classes the previous year due to his troll hunting. When Blinky had argued that it would be more beneficial for a troll his age to be training and building his strength, he had gotten a lengthy lecture from Barbara about how Jim was still half-human and human or troll, he needed an education.
Jim woke up extremely early on the morning of the first day of his junior year. (not needing much sleep as a troll could have its advantages.) He groaned as he got out of bed, rubbing his eyes as they adjusted to the dark room.
Since his recent transformation had occurred, the Lake house had gotten a bit of remodeling done to accommodate Jim’s inability to be in the sunlight. Blackout curtains held shut with magnets had been installed all throughout the first floor of the house, ensuring that no sunlight could get in unless wanted. As for Jim’s bedroom, Blinky had helped him install a shutter to cover the window, meant to be more secure than the curtains.
Jim made his way to the bathroom across the hall, as he was about to grab his toothbrush he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He flinched slightly at the sight. Even though it had been months, Jim was still adjusting to his new body, he still had difficulty accepting that the troll he saw in the mirror was him, not just one of the trolls from Trollmarket, but him.
Jim sighed and continued with his morning routine, he brushed his teeth, taking extra care to brush the two tusks that protruded out from his lower jaw. He tried his best to tame his unruly mane of bluish-black hair but no matter what he did it refused to stay neat so he gave up. Having messy hair was the least of his appearance related concerns today.
Jim walked over to his dresser and began rummaging through the now overflowing drawers. After his armor came off, he realized that none of his old clothes from when he was human fit him anymore. The day after Barbara had left early in the morning and arrived hours later with a whole new troll sized wardrobe for him.
Even though he could no longer wear them, Jim still hadn’t gotten rid of his old clothes. Whenever he attempted to dispose of them, it just felt like another piece of his humanity that he was getting rid of, which resulted in his shoving them all into the corner of his dresser in an attempt to make room for the new stuff. After getting dressed in a navy blue hoodie and jeans, Jim made his way downstairs and saw his mother, Strickler, Blinky, Aaarrrggh, Claire, and Toby standing in the living room.
“Hey guys..” Jim said awkwardly. “What are you all doing here?”
Blinky spoke up. “We just wanted to make sure that you are alright to go back to school. We are aware that your recent changes have been…difficult.”
“I’m fine.” Jim said. Claire walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re sure you're fine?” Claire asked. Jim gazed into her deep, brown eyes. “Positive.”
Jim kissed Barbara on the cheek and grabbed an umbrella from beside the door. “You promise you’ll be careful?” Barbara asked. “I promise, Mom.” With that Jim, Claire, and Toby left the house, with Jim hiding under an umbrella to avoid being burned by the sunlight.
The trio arrived at school without any incidents. Jim looked around him, It had been a while since he had been to Arcadia Oaks High and it hadn’t changed a bit. Jim on the other hand had changed quite a lot. He felt like a million pairs of eyes were watching him as he walked up to the front door. He looked down and saw that Claire was holding his hand. She looked at him and smiled, reassuring Jim that everything was going to be okay.
They walked down the halls and Jim felt everyone staring. It wasn’t every day that the weird scrawny kid saves the world and comes back to school with blue skin and horns. Jim hunched his shoulders slightly, hoping to seem less tall than he actually was.
Toby munched loudly on a Diablo Maximus Breakfast Burrito, drawing even more attention to the trio. Students whispered as he walked past them. Jim needed to get out of sight. He hated having everyone stare at him like a freak. Jim panicked and dove into the nearest supply closet, locking the door behind him.
Jim was breathing heavily, his eyes darting around him uncontrollably,
Jim started stress-eating the cleaning supplies much to his dismay. As a chef, he hated how delicious the broom handles were. Toby knocked on the door, startling Jim and causing him to choke on a dustpan.
“Jimbo? Are you okay in there?” Jim unlocked the door and peeked his head out slightly.
“Yeah, I’m great. Never better!” Claire shot him a disapproving look.
“Are you sure? We can always take you home and try again another day.” She said.
Jim sighed. "No, no. I'm fine. I can do this."
Jim slowly stepped out of the closet. A group of new students walked past on their way to class, as soon as they noticed him their eyes went wide. Jim waved awkwardly, a big, fake smile plastered on his face, revealing his tusks. As soon as he realized how exposed they were, he quickly dropped the smile and shut his mouth, moving his hand up to cover the exposed teeth that made him feel like even more of a freak. The students hurried off and Jim sighed loudly.
“Crap! We are gonna be late for class!” Toby exclaimed. The three rushed down the hall and burst into the classroom. Coach Lawrence stared at them disapprovingly.
“Late on the first day huh?” Then he noticed Jim, standing behind Toby and Claire, his shoulders hunched over slightly.
Coach stared at him in awe. “Hey Lake? Have you ever thought about joining the basketball team?”
“Uhh, no, not really.” Jim answered, still standing in the doorway. Toby and Claire had already begun to walk into the classroom and take their seats. Sunlight poured in through the windows, prompting Jim to instinctively step back slightly.
Claire noticed this and raised her hand. “Coach could we close the blinds a bit? Jim is…sensitive to sunlight.”
Coach Lawrence snapped out of his sports induced trance. “Oh! ‘Course!” Coach jogged over to the windows and closed the blinds. Jim let out a sigh of relief and walked over to the back of the classroom, furthest away from the windows.
He looked around the classroom nervously, suddenly wishing that he had a blanket to cover himself with. He had been out in Arcadia a few times since the battle but really only at night. It was easier to hide at night, his blue skin was harder to see, his horns were much less noticeable.
Being out in the daylight make Jim extremely nervous, He found that using a large umbrella shielded him from the sun for the most part but the slightest breeze and he was doomed which didn't bring him much comfort to think about. After the battle with Gunmar, Blinky reminded him of the stone for his amulet that allowed him to walk in daylight but that had still yet to be recovered from Trollmarket, which had been heavily damaged in the battle.
Jim knew that it was going to be a long year.