Toadette's Story: Book 2

Special 1 - The Unseen Friend: Black Soles and Blackmail

The brush snagged in Jasmin’s ebony hair, causing her to yell. While fighting with her hair in the morning was irritating enough, being twenty minutes behind schedule made matters worse.

Sofia’s disappointment loomed over her. Finally she ripped the brush from Jasmin’s hair.

“Seriously, Jazz?” she grumbled, roughly dragging the brush. Jasmin winced as strands broke off and fell to the floor. “I swear, one of these days I’m gonna rip that snooze button right out your alarm clock. Why can’t you just want to go to school? It’s literally the easiest thing.”

Jasmin flinched. “How about you ask a smart question for once?”

“You think Mom and Dad wanted you growing up like Toadette? Like some mindless mushroom?”

“Don’t bring them into this!” Jasmin scrambled away, trying to smooth her greasy hair with her fingers. “I’m doing the best I can!”

Sofia scoffed. “Please. You’re the laziest person in our family generation.”

“That’s not true…”

“Jazz, I don’t just say these things to hurt you—”

“Yes, you do!” Jasmin snatched her backpack. “You act like you’re giving me advice, but you’re just making me feel worse! And now you bring Mom and Dad into this? As if I don’t already have enough fucking guilt weighing me down!”

She spun away, her backpack slamming against the wall, and started stomping towards the stairs. But before she could make it down the spiral staircase, she tumbled. Her cap struck the tile floor, and a pained groan escaped her. She was yanked to her feet before she could process the pain, staring straight into Sofia’s angry face.

“Why couldn’t you just be born normal?” Sofia shoved her away. “You do nothing but cause me problems.”

“Know what?” Jasmin’s lip trembled. “I ask myself the same thing. Why is it that my sister was born as the most uptight, frigid bitch on the planet? And why did I have to lose my parents before I was old enough to move out and live without you?”

With a cry, Sofia kicked Jasmin dead in the chest. It sent Jasmin stumbling back.

“Ungrateful dumbass!” Sofia screamed. “I could’ve let you be in a poor-shack adoption home! I’m the only reason you’re still in the same place you grew up in!”

“Yeah, and still starving,” Jasmin groaned. She clutched her body. “Where are those coins Minh-Minh gave you? The ones that were supposed to go to me?”

“Do you seriously think I’m stupid enough to have spent them all already?”

“Nothing about you can surprise me anymore.” Jasmin turned away before Sofia could see a tear come out her face. She headed for the front door. “That’s a nice two-thousand-coin mink coat you’re wearing, by the way.”

Before Sofia could unleash whatever furious response was bubbling, Jasmin yanked the door open and bolted. Knowing her clumsy movements were no match for Sofia’s speed, she didn’t look back. She fumbled with her bike until she threw herself onto it. Then she cycled against the sub-zero winds like there was no tomorrow.

Of all the things that made Jasmin uncomfortable—unexpected touches, loud noises, crowded rooms—arguing with her family took the cake. It was especially bad with Sofia, her only immediate family left. Everyone else in the extended family seemed to manage the occasional squabble, returning to love and games. Yet no matter how hard Jasmin tried to have a loving relationship with Sofia, she never knew whether she would be met with kindness or cruelty.

A lump sat in her throat the entire ride to Pikari Middle School.

The most embarrassing part of arriving late wasn’t just walking in alone; it was the awkward feeling of interrupting a class already in progress. With her eyes fixed to the floor, she pushed the door open and made her way back to her desk island in her math class.

Nobody surrounded her, just the way she liked it.

And so her day commenced. There was nothing special about her first four classes. She went through the regular motions, learning and instantly forgetting information, receiving boring homework—the regular stuff middle schoolers dreaded.

The bell finally rang for lunch. Desperate to beat the inevitable surge of students and the long line for food, she sprinted through the crowded hallway. Her black moccasins did no favours to her speed. Running in her raggedy sandals would’ve been faster. She weaved through the slower students and, as she reached the second storey, she could finally see the glass doors.

Then she tripped. A foot shot out just as she passed, and she felt her feet fly out from under her. She skidded across the floor, losing a shoe in the process.

Laughter erupted from behind her.

“Why does she run like that?” a large, athletic human boy asked, laughing and imitating a swimming motion. “Hey, sporehead! Why do you run like you’re swimming on land?”

Jasmin scrambled to her knees. Instead of answering, she merely glared at them.

“Don’t give us that look,” another boy added. “You’re not too ugly to avoid getting bent over.”

Oh, go step on a Spiny. First time I’ve heard that threat, Jasmin thought, rolling her eyes. All this confirmed was that Drew was satisfied enough with her previous sexual favours that he still didn’t reveal the way she made small money on the side. As soon as she spun and looked back in the cafeteria, her disappointment grew. A line formed. A long line.

Making sure the hallway cameras weren’t pointed at her, she made a finger gun and pretended to fire it at herself.

“And put your shoe back on!” Her glasses fell off when her shoe struck her. “Yeah, wash your nasty feet. Smells like you bathed in a dumpster.”

After waiting sixteen minutes in line, some of which involved getting her hair pulled, she plopped into her usual empty table. She pulled out her comic, immediately opening it and trying to block out the sounds of the students as she ate. She was reading Pokémon Adventures, in particular the Black & White saga.

A common theme in this comic was the importance of friendship. Even if one tried to ignore it, they couldn’t. Friendship, bonds, truths, being a team…

Jasmin slammed the book shut. She took a deep breath, counting to ten. It’s just fiction, Jazz, she told herself. Completely different world. It’s not reality. She picked the book up again.

“Yo, Jazz!”

Jasmin bit back a groan. Keeping her eyes on the page, she lifted a hand and waved slightly.

“What’cha doing?” Rachel’s scent arrived before she did: something sweaty and grassy. It intensified as she slid right next to Jasmin, their skirts touching as she did so.

Jasmin pointed to her book.

“Obviously you’re reading,” Rachel laughed. “It a good read?”

Jasmin nodded, continuing her silence.

Rachel started tapping her fingers on the table. Her fingers then walked all the way to Jasmin’s arm before lowering to her leg. When they finally got close to Jasmin’s crotch, she grabbed Rachel’s hand.

Her voice was barely a whisper. “Please don’t touch me.”

“And she talks.” Rachel only got closer. “Still stunned I broke into your house?”

“Why are you acting so casual about that? That was so embarrassing.”

“It’s not like I robbed you. About all I robbed was a sniff and little kiss of your cute feet.”

Jasmin felt nauseous. She didn’t need a reminder of that. The ticklish sensation was well burnt into her memory.

“Hey, I’m serious, they smelt fine,” Rachel said, propping one foot, still in its black moccasin, onto the edge of the table. A few students looked at her. “It’s my feet people gotta worry about.”

“I don’t need a demonstration,” Jasmin rushed to say.

“Don’t worry. I’m not gonna mess with you. Yet.” Rachel popped her moccasin off a little, revealing a nylon-clad heel. “Okay, you ever blackmailed someone before?”

Jasmin raised a brow. “No. I don’t really have blackmailable things happening.”

“You know Chad?”

“Chad… The really buff guy? Plays soccer, dates Sana, attracts so many girls?”

“Yeah, waddling like a Thwomp with a body. Get this: during gym yesterday, my DS slipped out my pocket. Didn’t even notice at first.” Rachel held up a pink Nintendo DS Lite, its screens displaying a network of cracked lines. “Instead of picking it up for me, I looked back and saw him stepping on it.”

Jasmin gulped. “The cracks…” She started backing up. “They’re making me feel itchy. Please put it away.”

“Hmm?” Rachel looked at the DS, then at Jasmin, whose chest was rising and falling faster than before. As soon as Jasmin started twitching, Rachel closed the device, revealing it also had a broken hinge. “Anyways! He refuses to pay for a repair. Says it was my fault it fell out. Only about two hundred coins to solve this, which is chump change to that clown.”

“Why don’t you just pay it?” Jasmin asked. “It’s not like you’re poor.”

“It’s the principle of the thing! My carelessness didn’t break it. It was salvageable until his giant foot came down on it.” Rachel leaned close into Jasmin’s ear. “And that’s why I’m getting payback.”

Rachel slowly lifted a knife—a small blade. Jasmin panicked.

“I snuck into the guys’ locker room just as we were switching classes. Snuck right into his locker, easy peasy. Wanna know what I found?” From her other pocket, she pulled out a small strip of photos from a booth. Chad was in the photos, but he wasn’t with Sana. The name ‘Chloë’ was scribbled on the border.

“Oh, that’s that cheerleader girl,” Jasmin realised. “I thought he was dating…”

“Apparently poor Sana wasn’t good enough for Thwomp,” Rachel tucked the photo strip away. “Soccer practice is today. He’s gonna be in that locker room for the first twenty minutes. That’s when I’m gonna strike. He’s not only gonna pay for my DS to get fixed, but he’s gonna…”

Jasmin waited patiently.

Rachel snickered. “He’s gonna lick my toes.”

“Ew, what?”

“Mmm-hmm.” Rachel pulled two small packets from her pocket. One was peanut butter, the other jelly. “Took a couple of these during breakfast. I’m gonna feed him a peanut butter and toe jam sandwich. And he’s gonna eat it, or else this photo is getting spread around.”

Jasmin covered her mouth, feeling as though she might be sick from that horrible combination of words. Peanut butter and toe jam…

“And after your fine other sister told me—”

“She’s my cousin,” Jasmin corrected.

“Then after your super sexy cousin mentioned your feet stinking bad, I got to thinking: what if Jazz and I both gave Chad a little punishment with our feet?” She rubbed Jasmin’s arm. “I’ll even have him compensate you since he tripped you. Yeah, I saw that.”

“That was him?” Jasmin felt embarrassed for not being able to remember his face just minutes later.

“You in?” Rachel asked.

“I don’t really want my feet licked. That’s way beyond my comfortability scale.”

“Fair enough.” Rachel tapped her chin. “What if I made him just smell your feet? It won’t be too long, since we still gotta be out of there before Coach I-Can’t-Fit-in-a-Chair comes in.”

Jasmin resisted her small desire to giggle. She merely nodded.

“Awesome! Just hang near the gym when school’s out, and I’ll be right there.”

***

The fresh scent of acetone hung in the air of the mall. Sofia leaned back in her chair and immersed her feet in the warm water. Various maps of Toad Town were displayed on her laptop. Redundant, but foresight demanded she review them, even if knew she the path to Peach’s Castle was burnt into her mind.

How can you be so lazy about protecting your damn princess? No security whatsoever.

The stretch of road between Decalburg and Toad Town wound its way through the countryside for most of its length. No big diversions. If their goal was to infiltrate the castle and steal the Ethereal Stars, it would be as easy as pie.

Toadette’s the main problem, she thought. Weak as she should be, I’m not stupid enough to underestimate her. Can’t believe these morons haven’t drained her spores yet.

“Between the toes, por favor,” she said softly, wiggling her digits. “Really get in there.”

“Certainly, madam,” the Koopa pedicurist replied, applying gentle pressure.

Sofia refocused on her notes. She agreed with 13-Amp back in Diamond City: no killing unless absolutely necessary. Threats were acceptable. But leaving a trail of bodies was unnecessary. Fear was best served cold and drawn out.

Yet Mona’s so impulsive, she’s gonna paint Toad Town red.

Her eyes drifted across the room. Across from her, a Hammer Bro and a Toad were getting dual pedicures. They exchanged smiles, the Bro pinching the Toad girl’s cheeks. Sofia’s jaw clenched.

On second thought, couples can be open season. Especially the more obnoxious their love is. Blech! Look at those idiots, just trying to piss me off when I wanna relax.

“I can feel a lot of tension in your feet today,” the pedicurist observed.

“Believe me, it’s stress throughout my whole body,” she chuckled faintly. “Family problems. Sister problems, specifically.”

“Family means everything. No matter how difficult they become, you never turn your back on them.”

“It’s just…” Sofia leaned her head back. “I thought raising her was gonna be easy at first.”

He shook his head. “Never easy the first time around with children. Especially when they hit the double digits. You have to expect some drama, child.”

“I lived those years myself. I love her, I really do. But I wish she could stop being Jasmin.”

“Be careful, Sofia. You want her normal now. But trust me, should she suddenly become normal the next day, you’d yearn for the sister you once bemoaned.”

“I don’t know. I had a specific life planned out,” Sofia sighed, thinking of the future she’d imagined.

Being married by twenty-four, raising her litter in a grand house, having her parents close by, Jasmin growing into a respectable young lady… All of that was shattered. Well, except for Jasmin. There was still time for her, right? She was just a child, after all.

“None of this was supposed to… Ah… Right there, around the arches. Sí, I need this…”

***

As the last students left the middle school, Jasmin sat on the frigid ground outside the silver gym doors. Every time she heard footsteps approaching, her heart jumped.

She practised her lines, which amounted to ‘Okay’, ‘Sure’ and ‘Please hurry up’, for that was the extent of her planned contribution to Rachel’s scheme.

Hesitantly she slipped off her right shoe. She brought her foot up slowly, biting her lip for what she was about to attempt. Her nose dove right into her toes, and she took a faint sniff. Immediately she dropped the foot. While the smell wasn’t as bad as it had been with her sandals or other footwear, the pungent odour was still very apparent. She quickly shoved her foot back into the shoe and didn’t look back.

And I’m about to have some douchebag rubbing his nose all over me… I’d rather just force the nylon up his nose and make a beeline for home.

As her lungs recovered, the sound of sneakers pounding against the floor could be heard around the corner. Decked out in her loose basketball shorts and practice shirt, Rachel halted beside her.

“Phew, glad you stuck to your word,” Rachel giggled, stretching her legs one by one.

“We’re really doing this, huh?” Jasmin mumbled.

“He tripped you, he called you a sporehead—what more motivation do you need?” Rachel put her hands on the door. “I ain’t forcing you. It’s your call.”

Jasmin thought of it. It would be simpler to just hop on her bike and go home to read some more. At the same time, the prospect of light revenge drew her closer to the door. Along with the desire to not see Sofia for as long as possible.

“Awesome.” Rachel pushed the door open and strode into the hallway. Before connecting to the gym, it eventually split into two sections: a male room and a female room.

Rachel pulled the smaller door open by a few centimetres. Peeking inside, she saw someone at the far end of the room wrestling with a combination lock. It was Chad, who was shirtless and bottomless and ready to put on his soccer kit. Rachel snickered at Jasmin before kicking the door open.

Chad whirled around, his posture stiffening. Rachel just grinned, flashing him the peace sign.

“Yo, soccer boy! Why do the guy locker rooms have better air systems than the girl ones? That room’s still cooking with the stench of me hours later.”

“Rachel! The hell do you think you’re doing in here?” He eyed Jasmin. “Her too, whatever her name is.”

“Her name is Jazz, and we’re dropping by for a nice little business meeting.”

“Business meeting?” Chad squinted. “You’re coming in here way too hot, lemme tell you.”

“You’re right.” Rachel yanked out the photo strip, waving it. “Recognise these?”

Chad’s jaw dropped. His face turned pale when he saw himself and Chloë. He looked in his locker and, sure enough, the picture was nowhere to be seen.

“You… You overcooked sack of spores! You broke into my locker?”

Rachel nodded, ripping the strip in half. She tucked one half into a place Chad wouldn’t touch: her bra. The other half went into Jasmin’s bra, with Jasmin flustered from feeling Rachel grope her breast.

“Funny what I can find sometimes. Almost as funny as finding my perfectly good game system that someone decided to use as a stepping stone.”

Chad gulped. “That’s what this is about? You dropped that thing.”

“And it was barely dented until your monster-sized foot went and Thwomp’d it up. Assume we have bigger brains in these caps, ‘kay?”

“Look, I already told your stupid ass that I ain’t paying for that!”

“Yep, he’s block-headed,” Rachel said to Jasmin, sighing dramatically. “Jeez, imagine how heartbroken Sana is gonna be when she learns she’s being played.”

Chad’s eyes widened.

“Say, Jazz, how much do you think Sana’s dad funds the soccer team?”

Jasmin shrugged. “Ten percent.”

“Try forty percent. Very rich, very much a supporter of our Poshley sports.” Rachel eyed Chad, smirking deviously. “Though he has pulled support if someone unquestionably wronged his daughter, like when there were issues with the archery team a year ago. Coach had to get rid of the ones who kept picking on Sana, basically making sure they never get on a school team again. I mean—”

“You can’t do this to me!” Chad bellowed, wishing he could snatch that photo strip away. “This team’s in the water without my strength!”

“Then I guess you’d better buy them floaties.” Rachel turned around. “Let’s go, Jazz. My sporehead self will read about the downfall of the soccer team on my DS once I fix it.”

Chad’s teeth gritted. The girls were almost out the room when he screamed, “Wait!”

Rachel spun on her heels. “I’m listening.”

“I’ll pay for your DS. You just gotta give me until tomorrow to get my stuff together.”

“A good start. But that’s not all I want.”

Rachel’s grin widened, exposing all her teeth. She pulled out the packets of peanut butter and jelly dramatically.

“See these? Mandatory health snack. And you see these?” She kicked off her right shoe, wiggling her toes as she peeled off her black sock. “Also a snack.”

Chad stared at the packets, then at her toes, then back at the packets.

“Peanut butter and toe jam,” Rachel said, her voice dropping to a growl. “You are going to lick this stuff fresh off my toes, soccer boy.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Chad yelled. “That’s disgusting.”

“I’d argue it’s disgusting smashing a classmate’s expensive DS. Disgusting is cheating on sweet Sana with a generous six-out-of-ten slut like Chloë.” She popped off her left shoe. “Lick my toes, beg for forgiveness, and once I get the money, I’ll happily give you back the photo.”

He shot a glance at Jasmin. “Why is she here?”

“Oh yeah, you gotta sniff her feet. Y’know, an apology for tripping her when she was minding her own business.”

“You bitch,” he growled. “Not a word of this will leave this room, right?”

“Unlike you and relationships, I actually have a sense of commitment.” Rachel, assuming the deal was made, walked over to one of the benches.

Each step was a deliberately slow grind against the gritty floor of the locker room. She wanted to feel every speck of dirt clinging to her soles.

She ripped the peanut butter packet first. Lifting a foot, she squeezed. A thick rope of peanut butter oozed out, glopping mostly around her toes. For some flare, she smeared a line of it towards the ball of her foot. Next came the jelly. There was the sound of glugging as a purple blob landed squarely between her toes. The sticky mess growled and mixed with the existing grime. And she repeated the process with the next foot.

Jasmin audibly heaved. Chad did a double take.

“Alright, Chad,” Rachel snickered, planting both her heels on the ground. “Eat that slop.”

A wave of dizziness hit Chad as he reluctantly got on his hands and knees. The faint smell of the jelly mingled with the distinct, vinegary odour emanating from Rachel’s toes.

“Do you ever wash these things?” he asked, shuddering.

“Who seriously washes their shoes?” She waited patiently. “Thought so.”

He leaned in. Stretching his tongue, he tapped the edge of Rachel’s big toe with the tip, where a glistening glob of peanut butter sat like bait. He recoiled instantly.

“Don’t chicken out now,” she snapped, folding her arms. “Lick those sexy toes!”

Summoning every ounce of strength, Chad leaned closer again. He flicked his tongue out further and slid it along Rachel’s big toe, scooping up a heavy layer of the sticky peanut butter. It clung to his tongue in uneven clumps. Embedded within the peanut butter were hints of sock fuzz and dust. The peanut butter slid down his throat with a sickening gulp.

“Good bitch,” Rachel said. “Now there’s loads more to go, so you’d best get comfortable.”

“Oh no…” He gazed helplessly at her toes. After lapping at them like a dog, realising the peanut butter and jelly combo wasn’t going anywhere, he resorted to desperate measures.

One by one, he took the smaller toes into his mouth, all at once feeling the heat radiating from her skin mix with the cold stickiness of the jelly. At least three of her toes fit in his mouth. Rachel wiggled them in delight, sweetening the deal by spreading them apart and allowing the jelly and peanut butter to drip into Chad’s mouth.

The cold, lumpy jelly combined with the foot gunk, creating a sharp, unpleasant flavour.

“That’s it. Go to town on them.” Rachel flashed a look at Jasmin. “Start flexing your feet. Your turn’s not far away.”

As far as Jasmin was concerned, her turn could wait. Though she couldn’t deny the mild satisfaction she felt seeing Chad deeply uncomfortable.

He manoeuvred his tongue through the sticky mess, pushing it between Rachel’s toes. His eyes widened when Rachel squeezed his tongue, applying enough pressure to crush it. All at once a suffocating slurry of peanut butter erupted in his mouth.

Between the toes were like murky swamps oozing with hot slime. His stomach churned the longer he had to remain in those salt pockets.

Compounding the discomfort was the sharpness of Rachel’s toenails. They felt harder than the average person’s nails, as if she were neither animal nor human. As Chad swirled his tongue around her big toe, he cringed when he ran into the nail’s edge. Sturdy as fibreglass, it prided itself on being a new obstacle for him. Yet he couldn’t ignore them if he wished, for the nails carried their own stash of blackened PB&J for him.

Rachel snickered upon feeling his tongue dig into her nails.

“Could’ve been worse, Chad. I could’ve made you eat this peanut butter straight from my ass.” She licked her lips as she looked at Jasmin, who didn’t notice. “Oh yeah, peanut butter, jelly and asshole sandwich. Yum.”

“Are you trying to make me sick?” he moaned.

“Well, yeah.” She dared to touch Jasmin’s hand. “Yet you’d probably be terrible at eating me out. If I paid Jazz to do it, she’d clean me to perfection.”

Jasmin shuddered as Rachel caressed her fingers.

Finally he licked at the last stubborn smears of peanut butter clinging to the ball of Rachel’s foot. He gagged, pulling back. Unfortunately the aftertaste of vinegary foot wasn’t going anywhere, but at least her foot now sparkled from his saliva.

Her left foot’s toes tapped against the floor, dust flying up to the peanut butter mixture.

“Before you get to my other foot,” she announced, pointing to Jasmin, “it’s time you start taking a good whiff of Jazz’s feet.”

“The mangy chipmunk looks like she hasn’t seen a shower in days.”

Jasmin, rolling her eyes, raised her right foot. In contrast to Rachel’s exposed, grimy foot, Jasmin’s appeared spotless in its nylon shield. Yet as she gave Chad a better glance of it, a thick odour began to seep out. Chad’s nose twitched involuntarily. It was distinct, heavy and quickly began to overpower the fading tang of Rachel’s feet.

“And while you’re sniffing that,” Rachel continued, leaning back and flexing her left foot’s toes, “you can get started on cleaning this one.”

With a miserably sigh, Chad reluctantly lowered his head to the foot. The smell intensified rapidly now.

He took the feared deep sniff.

The blast hit him like a wall of cheddar. His huge nostrils flared, his eyes watered, and his cheeks burnt as though seared by acid.

The smell alone was enough to make Chad’s confidence sink, but the dampness of Jasmin’s foot added insult to injury. The nylon barrier did nothing but amplify the discomfort. The wetness seeped through the cheap fabric. Whereas sweat would normally evaporate, here it was fully absorbed into the nylon, turning it into a damp, vinegar-laced foot blanket. The combination of clamminess and stench created an atmosphere so suffocating that it turned him blue.

Hearing his whimpers, Jasmin felt something of sympathy. But soon her lips twitched, and she felt a warm feeling in her chest. Her neutral face warped into a small, undeniable smile. One of pure smugness.

“Sniff harder.”

“What?”

“Harder.” Jasmin raised her voice. “Harder!”

“You heard the girl. Give her foot a nice, hard sniff!” Rachel snapped her fingers. “And again, you’ve still got some mushroomy toes to suck clean here.”

Chad roared internally. He took slow, agonising breaths, deliberately deepening each one. He sounded as though he were on the soccer field rather than sitting in the locker room.

His humiliation grew as he forced his mouth open. The shimmering jelly taunted him. The instant the first toe made contact, the cold taste made him groan. Having lingered for so long, it was even more sour than the jam from the right foot. The greasy substance stubbornly stuck to his tongue and the roof of his mouth the further Rachel’s toes breached him.

His tongue tried to protest, but it was merely curled back. As Rachel continued to wriggle her foot into his mouth, his jaw ached. And then her nails started digging into the roof of his mouth. He choked on her foot for ten agonising seconds before she yanked it out, splaying and scrunching her toes.

“Oh yeah…” She then jammed them back in his mouth. “Nope. You’re not done.”

While Rachel shut her eyes, relishing the experience of having her rotten feet pampered, Jasmin went from silent to snickering. She then burst into full-blown laughter, clutching her sides.

“What’s so funny? You ticklish?” Rachel asked. Jasmin then pointed down, leading Rachel’s eyes to something stunning. “Whoa!”

During all this licking, Chad was pitching a tiny tent in his underwear. It definitely wasn’t an erection of love, but one of pure embarrassment. Shirtless and bottomless at the feet of these two inferior mushroom girls, he was at his lowest point.

“What kind of fucking boner is that?” Jasmin chortled, squinting hard. “I have little cousins with bigger dicks than that!”

“Can’t you fungal brains just stuff it for one second?”

“How about you stuff it with the insults?” Jasmin kicked him in the head. “Don’t you have a picture to worry about?”

“Listen, sporehead, I’ve sniffed your hobo-scented feet long enough! Just fuck off already!” He gagged as Jasmin tried to push her foot in his face again. “How’s your mom still alive with your feet smelling so revolting? Is she just as dirty, or are you just that worthless that she feels sorry for you?”

Rachel gasped. Jasmin went into shock for a second. However, it was only a second.

Growling like an animal, she delivered a powerful kick that flipped Chad over. She rushed up to him and stomped on his face with all her weight. Her other foot joined in the attack, and now she stood tall with him beneath her crusty heels.

“One, two, three!” Each number represented a different stomp. “I know how to count to one hundred, by the way.”

And she did exactly that, leaving Rachel surprised. All Rachel could do was wiggle her clean toes while Jasmin’s trample attack stole the show. Her feet might have been small, but they were powerful enough to make Chad desperate to try and flee when she was angry.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Rachel said, slamming her foot on his chest. “Jazz hasn’t reached her big number yet.”

“Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine…” Jasmin crouched and sprang into the air, her pose stiffening as she dropped down. “Hundred!”

“My fucking face!” Chad whined. As Jasmin stepped off of him, he had two red marks from his forehead to his chin.

Rachel whistled. “Look at those steamy footprints. You satisfied yet, Jazz?”

“Stay on him.” Jasmin marched over to Chad’s legs, her eyes focused on the small-sized bulge in his briefs. She kicked his legs to the side, baring her teeth in a predatory snarl.

Chad looked up, his head swimming. As he saw Jasmin raise her right foot, he shrieked.

Jasmin brought her foot down at full speed, aiming straight for Chad’s tiny cock and balls. He let out a sharp shout, which quickly transformed into a sickly moan. His screams returned and escalated in intensity as Jasmin applied more pressure. She twisted his penis in every direction with her nylon-clad toes. Her heel crushed his testicles until they were on the brink of exploding. She ground her heel into them until his crying reached a satisfying volume.

Rachel lit up. Now this was a new display from Jasmin. This passion, this anger.

On the other hand, Jasmin also wasn’t quitting. She slammed her foot into his groin again, then slid it slowly up and down over his stomach. Chad thrashed around on the ground, begging for mercy. Jasmin, tasting the power, grinned and leaned into the pain. She upped the pressure.

“Yo, Jazz, we don’t wanna kill him now,” Rachel said, poking her arm.

“Be quiet!” She spat a long stream of drool onto Chad’s face as she burnt his flattening cock. “I’m pathetic ‘cause I’m a Toad? ‘Cause I smell funny? You’re the disloyal jock with a dick so small I need a microscope to see it, just squirming under my foot like the inferior little worm you are!”

The sensation was maddening to Chad. It was as if his body were an ironing board, his cock a piece of fabric being scorched by Jasmin’s relentless foot. Each pass was a new wave of burning friction.

She noticed his body jerking and spasming. Curious, she raised her foot. She blushed with confusion upon seeing a big wet stain radiating outward from his briefs.

Rachel whistled, wiping sweat from her brow. “Damn, you actually made him bust a nut.”

Jasmin scoffed, giving him one more kick to the dick before straightening up, suddenly embarrassed. She took the photo out her bra, handed it back to Rachel and put her moccasins back on with a sigh of relief.

“Okay, Chad,” Rachel said, pinching his cheek with her slimy foot. “Don’t pass out now. You’ve got practice.”

“Our deal… C’mon, man, I did what you wanted.”

“A formal apology still? Nothing too hard.”

“Fine. I’m sorry, both of you, for everything I did. I’ll… I’ll fix the Game Boy or whatever, I’ll deal with Chloë on my own, and you won’t have to worry about me messing with you ever again. Just… Oh fuck…” He grabbed his beaten cock. “I think you broke it.”

“The photos are yours, but only after I get my DS money tomorrow,” Rachel said, putting her stinky sneakers back on. “Ciao.”

Just before the coach entered the male locker room, Rachel and Jasmin scampered back outside the gym. A number of things were flying through Rachel’s head. Was Chad’s penis really broken? Would he commit to Sana after this meeting? And most importantly of all…

“When were you ever this aggressive?” she asked Jasmin.

“I…” Jasmin approached her bike. “It’s a curse from my sister.”

“I see.” Rachel put a hand on Jasmin’s back. “Say, you can always come over to my place if something wrong is happening there. I’m not trying to mess with your family life, but—”

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

“You sure? I mean, of course, I can still come over to your place.”

Jasmin shook her head.

“But… Okay.” Rachel still reached out to hug Jasmin. Jasmin hopped onto her bike to stop it. Before she could pedal off, Rachel hopped in front of her. “Thanks for this. See, your feet being stinky isn’t that bad.”

“It’s gross.”

“Yeah, and that grossness gave Chad a taste of his own medicine. Heck, someone out there might even like that smell.”

“Only a freak with that…foot fetish thing.”

“No clue what that means, but hey, why don’t we exchange our clothes?”

“Hmm?”

“Y’know, like a memento of this awesome tag-team blackmail.” Rachel took off her socks, giving them a sniff. Her face scrunched up, then she placed her socks in a sealed bag. “Probably some toe jam still yeasting in there. Now come on, don’t leave me hanging, Jazz.”

Jasmin, unsure of what to make of these gestures, clumsily stripped from her nylons. Rachel sniffed them, her eyes widening like plates. She nodded very slowly.

“Okay, you definitely weren’t lying…” She bagged them up and pocketed them, handing her drenched-yet-crusty socks over to Jasmin. “If you ever wanna feel I’m nearby, just give those babies a sniff.”

“Yeah, I’ll totally do that,” Jasmin lied, placing the socks in her backpack.

Rachel beamed. “Jazz…” Then she heard a familiar ringtone on her phone. “Oh crap! I’m late!” She ran towards the basketball courts, waving to Jasmin the whole way. “Bye! See you on our ass-licking day again!”

Jasmin’s expression remained as neutral as ever. At most, the corner of her lip dared to curl up slightly. She swallowed her drool and took the long trip home.

***

By the time Sofia stepped into the mansion, the sky was well into its dusk stage. Her cold sandals clacked against the tiled floor. She kicked them off at the front door and admired her brand-new emerald-green toenails.

Fabulous, yet they didn’t get anyone staring at me today.

“Sofi, is that you?” her grandmother asked.

“Didn’t mean to stay out so long,” Sofia replied, walking to the dining table. “Got some fancy coffee, showed off my pedicure to all the guys ‘n’ gals, you know how that goes.”

Grandma and Jasmin were seated at the table, eating bowls of chilli. One was already laid out for Sofia, right next to Jasmin. Jasmin froze upon seeing her, her spoon motionless.

Sofia’s expression softened. “Jazz, how was your day?”

“Fine.”

“You can do better than that. I’m serious, was it just boring?”

Jasmin still didn’t make eye contact. “It was one percent more interesting than usual.”

“Hmm. How so?” Sofia wiped some sauce off Jasmin’s neck.

“I… I….” Jasmin flipped through a bunch of pages in her mind. “Somebody thought I had nice feet today. That’s all.”

“You mean Rachel? Y’know, the girl who tries to come hang with you every week?”

“No, not her. Someone else. A guy.” Jasmin poked at her food. “He thought they were so cute he just had to…massage them.”

“He’s a real gentleman,” Grandma said.

“Or he’s trying to butter you up.” Sofia took her first bite. “Say, you’d better hop on that opportunity before he runs away. Especially with how your feet tend to…”

“Oh no, he got a whiff of them. We’re not gonna be an item.”

“I feel your pain, trust me, I do,” Sofia sighed. She set her foot on Jasmin’s thigh, scrunching her toes. “You see why it’s important to get your feet treated?”

Jasmin’s eye twitched. “They’re so glossy… Sofi, how much did this cost?”

Sofia simply lowered her foot, returning to her food. Jasmin let out an audible groan.

Hours later, the mansion was quiet. Jasmin was in her bedroom, back in her state of wandering in circles, lost in her thoughts. Occasionally she let out a word unintentionally, or she’d make a sudden heavy movement. So was her mind when she was alone and able to do anything without anyone looking.

Fresh in her mind was the strange satisfaction she felt when crushing Chad’s cock and balls. His cries of pain, the feeling of his meat flattened under her feet—all of it had her mind racing. In a sense it was therapeutic: the perfect way to relieve stress.

She truly was Sofia’s sister, whether she liked it or not.

“Jazz.”

Jasmin gasped, stopping her mock stomping on a cock that wasn’t there. Sofia was already in her nightdress, the hem of which reached the floor. Before she could say anything, Jasmin had already hurried to her mattress. She grabbed her shield, a thick pillow, under the sheets.

Sofia shut the door. “I just wanna talk with you.”

“I’m ready to go to bed, please.”

“I always got top essay grades without adding fluff to my works.” Sofia sat on the high mattress. She waited for Jasmin’s posture to soften, but Jasmin held her guard for many moments. “Look, about this morning—”

“Not interested.”

“Jazz, you’re not making this any easier for me. You know how hard it’s been having to be both Mom and Dad?”

“Considering you’re doing a crap job at it, no, I don’t.” Jasmin buried herself further under the sheets. “It’s not like they ever hit me. It’s not like they ever called me worthless.”

“You never listen to reason. It takes me being angry to get you to do anything smart.”

“I listen to people who don’t abuse me.” Jasmin’s grip on her pillow tightened hard enough to crush it.

“Abuse?” Sofia shook her head. “Nothing I’ve done is anything close to real abuse.”

Jasmin poked her head out. “Let’s go through the list: insulting me, hitting me, letting me starve all so you can get a stupid pedicure and coat, forcing me to just work on school and nothing else… Can I add more?”

“Going to school is not abusive.”

“Oh, it is when it’s human-dominated and they really don’t like Toads. But no, it’s rich, it’s prestigious. Clearly it’s worth sending Jazz there just so she can have an impressive grade card.”

“Report card.” Sofia grabbed Jasmin’s shoulders. “It’s not supposed to be easy, okay? You weren’t even born to see how much Mom and Dad pushed me to be the best, and look how I am now. Intelligent.”

Jasmin couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Intelligent? The girl who spent up to thousands of coins for a coat and a trip to the salon in under a week was intelligent?

Sofia knew she wasn’t getting through to her. “I just don’t want you growing up and being so pathetic.”

“We’re getting nowhere with this,” Jasmin sighed, flipping onto her side. “Same talk we’ve had before. You’re gonna tell me you did all this to support me, when in reality you’re just concerned about me making you look bad. Just say so! At least you’d be telling me the truth.”

It was obvious Sofia couldn’t convince Jasmin to see things her way. She never wanted to hurt her. However, she knew that the world was a battlefield where only the best thrived. Therefore it was her responsibility to prepare Jasmin for it in the only way she knew how: through rigorous education, strict discipline and superb social skills. Jasmin’s refusal to follow this path would be her downfall.

She ran a hand along Jasmin’s shoulder. “I care about you.”

“I wish I could believe that, because I know I’ve done nothing but love you.”

“Why don’t we go shopping tomorrow after school? The two of us.”

“How many coins do you have to spend?” Jasmin asked. “Roughly.”

Sofia paused. She eventually coughed out an answer. “One thousand.”

“It’s the middle of the month, and we’ll still need more groceries,” Jasmin lamented. “And you don’t get paid until the last day…”

“It’s not my fault prices in Poshley Heights are so extravagant.”

“Except that we still live in this mansion. I know it’s Mom and Dad’s, but we could always just move to somewhere affordable like Toad Town.”

“Absolutely not,” Sofia snapped. “We are not on the same level as those commoners.”

“Sure, because you’re so much better than Minh-Minh,” Jasmin mumbled. “I’ll only go shopping if you’re not buying anything. Let me actually use that money Minh-Minh gave me.”

“Fine.” Sofia gave another look to her own nails. “I won’t need much more this month.”

There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute. Jasmin twisted and turned, waiting for Sofia to get that hint that she could leave. When she didn’t, Jasmin finally gave her a small kick.

“Sorry,” Sofia said, looking up. “Look, Jazz, related to this second job I have, they’re trying to find something amazing. And if we end up finding it, I promise you that we’ll have more than enough money to keep us afloat for the rest of our lives.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t tell you. Just give it some time, within the year. If all goes well, who knows? A miracle might happen, and we can see Mom and Dad again.”

Jazz sat up. “If you’re joking, that’s not funny.”

“I’m dead serious.” Sofia slid closer to Jasmin. “Envision this: the four of us getting to do those beach trips again. The ones where I’d bury myself and pretend to be trapped, giving you a chance to tickle my feet.”

Jasmin nodded, remembering them vividly. “And now I know I’m lucky you didn’t kick me.”

“Nah, just kicked boyfriends. Though I did always get ‘revenge’ in the form of this.” Unprovoked, Sofia began to tickle Jasmin’s sides. Jasmin laughed uncontrollably. She thrashed around until she finally got a successful kick on Sofia; her foot hit her square in the mouth. For a second she froze, terrified. Then Sofia merely pushed her foot to the side and resumed tickling her on her stomach. “And you still laugh the exact same as you did as a toddler.”

“You’re gonna make me pee!” Jasmin cried, panting as she felt the fingers go up and down her body. “Sofi!”

“Alright, I don’t want this mattress soaked. Again.” Sofia backed off, letting Jasmin catch her breath. “Tomorrow we’ll head to the outlets directly after school, ‘kay?”

“Okay…” Before Sofia could leave, Jasmin rushed out the blankets to grab her and kiss her. Per usual, it was lip-to-lip contact. Though it was a brief kiss, not one of those long and extended ones she’d give Minh. She pulled back with a pop.

Sofia smiled. “I love you.”

Jasmin’s smile faded, though she nodded. “One thousand coins. Spent only on me this time. Right?”

“I…” Sofia gulped. “Yeah, that’s doable.”

Sofia left the room conflicted. On the one hand, she was elated that she was going to have more proper bonding time with Jasmin. On the other hand, clearly Jasmin still distrusted her. How would she fix that? Although she knew her actions were justified, she couldn’t deny that she spent less on Jasmin than she did on herself.

The Ethereal Stars she was helping Wario to collect… If Wario permitted, they would be able to help her out a ton. In more ways than one. But if Toadette, and unfortunately Minh, collected them all…

Minh-Minh, you are determined to get in my way, aren’t you?

Jasmin flicked off her light. As she snuggled up, she flashed through her day. From arguing with Sofia, to torturing a jock with Rachel, to reconciling partially with Sofia, it had truly been an eventful day.

***

Weeks Later

Jasmin walked towards the entrance of Princess Peach’s castle.

The Life Shroom she’d received days earlier had worked wonders, healing her from her critical injuries on the outside. But on the inside, things remained broken. Nightmares regularly woke her up, bringing back horrifying pictures from that day: the chatter in the cafeteria, the deafening roar of the jetliner getting closer and the desperate escape from the building.

Despite not considering Rachel a friend, Jasmin was determined to get her out the building. Jasmin made it out alive. Rachel hadn’t been so lucky, for her injuries caught up with her.

Minh walked beside Jasmin. As Jasmin somewhat listened to Minh’s explanation of how to act in the castle, she thought about why Minh had gone adventuring with Toadette in the first place.

Ethereal Stars, Jasmin thought. If they’re really these wish-granting things, then I wanna see them in action personally.

They reached the castle bridge. “I’ll pick you up at six,” Minh said. “Wait for me right here.”

“Bye-bye.” Jasmin gave a slobbery mouth kiss to her older cousin. She then stepped into the warm hallway, and immediately she found her. “How long were you waiting there?”

“Half an hour,” Penelope giggled, beaming and looking as if her legs were going to collapse. She reached out and took Jasmin’s hand. “Welcome to my castle, Jazz!”

That afternoon was a blur of activity. Penelope took Jasmin to all sorts of nooks and crannies in the castle. They played tag in the garden, and Penelope got to show off just how impressively sized her room was. They were now in the castle’s library, where Jasmin was relaxing in one of the big, comfy chairs. She had her bare feet propped up on a table, permission given by Penelope. She hadn’t even noticed that Penelope was now staring at her dirty soles.

“That second-floor lobby looks cool with all those paintings,” Jasmin said. “Shame we can’t really run around there.”

“Yeah, those jerks. Still don’t get why the bomb just warped everything instead of, y’know, ripping things apart like in a game.” Penelope took a light sniff of Jasmin’s feet before she could see her. “Probably shouldn’t talk about that…”

“It’s okay.”

“Can I ask you something?” Penelope got one more sniff in before sitting in her own chair. “Why are you so picky with who you talk to?”

“Just how I was born.” Jasmin looked down. “Easier to talk to some people more than others.”

“So I’m easy?”

“You forced yourself onto me.”

“I don’t think so,” Penelope giggled. “You were the one who said we should stick together in Neon Heights. I actually wanted to explore alone, be all brave like Miss Toadette.”

“Well if she’s getting constant help from Minh-Minh, clearly you can have constant help from me.” Jasmin leaned back. “Am I helpful?”

“Oh yeah, a ton.” Penelope felt her heart race further as she saw that familiar spit leaking past Jasmin’s lips. “I… It’s fun being around you.”

“Thank you.”

Back in her uncle and aunt’s home, Jasmin changed into her pyjamas. As she reflected on her day with Penelope, she felt like an idiot. She had spent all this time rejecting people from getting close to her. Being open, inviting even, was invigorating.

She reached for her school backpack. Digging past notebooks, she grasped a familiar plastic bag. Inside were Rachel’s socks—those vile, black socks that Rachel had given Jasmin as a “memento”.

Now Jasmin unsealed the bag. A strong, musky odour filled the air: stale sweat, sneaker stench and a unique scent that was distinctly Rachel’s. Jasmin brought the socks up to her face. Shutting her eyes, she breathed in deeply, letting the soggy, athletic aroma fill her lungs. While becoming dizzier, she rubbed the fabric against her cheek. A mixture of revulsion and something else took over her emotions.

Appreciation.

A sigh escaped Jasmin’s lips. Smiling, she kissed each sock one by one.

“Thank you, Rachel,” she whispered. “If I ever see you again, I promise to hang out with you like you wanted.”

She carefully placed the socks in the bag and sealed it, ensuring they remained in her backpack. The smell lingered on her face, but it felt a slight bit less sickening. Now it was just a catalyst: a reminder of Jasmin’s inability to make friends, and a motivator for her to make new ones.

----------

Author’s Note:
I treated this as a special chapter for various reasons. Firstly I wanted there to be more time of Jasmin and Rachel bonding so that the latter’s tragic end in Chapter 102 wasn’t cheap. I also just wanted to explore Rachel’s feet; we got some brief ass worship in Chapter 93, but many athletes have stinky feet.

The problem is that there were no good places to put a foot worship scene, definitely not one of length. Later chapters were already mostly finalised and translated, and the pacing would’ve been too slow with another school chapter. So I isolated this one.

While a special, it is canon to Toadette’s Story. If I ever make a special that is simply for pure fun, I will clarify that.

It being a special is also why I decided to make it so long. The extra length let me better explore Sofia and Jasmin’s relationship too, something I also wanted to do after Chapter 92. Oddly enough, short stories are considered to be anything under ten thousand words.

I can’t cram in another story with Rachel, considering this is all within a week. And while she considered Jasmin a friend, Jasmin was so antisocial so that she didn’t recognise any of the signs. It wouldn’t make sense for them to keep interacting much outside of the ass worship. At most I could do a special dedicated to that, but I don’t see it happening at the moment.

Cross your fingers that Jasmin will be able to make a wish on the Ethereal Stars.