The sun slanted lazily through the window as I rested my head on one hand, watching clouds crawl across the sky like they had no care in the world. My other hand doodled something abstract in the corner of my notebook but my mind was blank.
And then—RIIINNGGG!
The classroom erupted into cheers. Our teacher, a middle-aged guy with a mustache that probably deserved its own zip code, clapped his hands together and beamed at us.
"Well, that's it, class! You've survived! Go on and enjoy your summer!"
Chairs scraped, papers flew, and bags zipped up. My classmates were practically stampeding for the door with the kind of energy that could power five inventions on their own.
I stood up slowly, slung my bag over my shoulder and followed the wave of students out. A quiet sigh slipped from my lips.
"This is really crazy..." I muttered.
Yeah, no kidding.
It's been just one week since I woke up in this world. A world that, by all logic should not exist. And yet, here I am, trapped or maybe gifted with the body of Dexter. Not just anyone but as Dexter freaking Laboratory.
And it wasn't just the body.
When I first woke up here, It wasn't just me, I had his memories too, his childhood, his inventions, his daily chaos. Everything, it all flooded into me like a USB download straight to my brain. One moment I was me normal, alive, and watching cartoons and the next, I was him.
At first, I thought it was a dream. Or maybe a coma fantasy. But no... the heat from the sun, the smell of the old classroom, the feel of the backpack strap on my shoulder... Everything was too real.
Honestly? For a lifelong cartoon fan like me... this was a dream come true.
But—
As I stepped out into the bright school courtyard, I noticed a huge crowd had gathered near the front gate. Phones were out. People were yelling, asking for pictures, autographs some were even waving little signs like it was a concert.
Curious, I tilted my head and looked toward the gate.
And there they were.
Three girls walked side by side, heads high, clothes sharp, presence louder than any rock band. People were going crazy over them, and honestly? I could see why.
'This world is fucking complicated...'
Their names echoed in my memory like a warning bell: Bubbles, Buttercup, and Blossom.
Yep those three where the Powerpuff Girls.
Except now, they weren't the stubby, big-eyed heroes from my childhood. They had grown up into actual teens and apparently into superstars. Literal super-powered icons walking down the same school hallway as me.
Just as I was about to look away from the walking celebrity parade, I felt an arm sling lazily over my shoulder.
"Ooooh, is my little brother crushing on those superheroes?" a sing-song voice teased right into my ear.
I didn't even need to look. That voice was burned into my brain like a bad ringtone.
"Oh shut it, Dee Dee."
Yup, Dee Dee. My self-declared tormentor and apparently still an unstoppable force of chaos in this world.
But of course, she didn't stop.
She never stops.
She leaned in closer, poking at my cheek with her finger like I was a stress ball. "So? Who do you like, huh? Bubbles? Or maybe you're more into Blossom, huh? Huh?"
I rubbed my temple with a sigh. Dealing with her as a viewer was one thing. Living with her was an actual suffering.
"Look," I said flatly, pointing toward the nearby science building, "It's Mandark."
She froze.
Her head snapped in the direction I was pointing so fast I swore I heard a crack.
"WHAT?! Where?!"
And without even verifying, she bolted, just zoomed off like she was being chased by a radioactive clown. I don't even think she waited to see if Mandark was actually there. Her hair bounced with every panicked step as she dashed into the crowd and disappeared behind a few groups of upperclassmen.
"Say to him you didn't see me!" she called over her shoulder.
I blinked slowly.
"I didn't even see him," I muttered.
Classic Dee Dee.
I adjusted the strap of my bag and started walking toward the exit gates again. With the summer sun shining too brightly and my mind still catching up with the sheer weirdness of my new reality, I let out another sigh.
A world of cartoon characters aged-up, coexisting, and somehow living regular teenage lives. My dream come true, right?
But this dream has too many moving parts... and Dee Dee is just one of them.
"I need to find a place to think," I muttered. "Before my brain short-circuits."
Home sounded like a good place to start.
---
As I approached my street, the quiet hum of suburbia filled the air. Trees rustled, lawnmowers buzzed in the distance, birds chirped like everything was normal.
Then came the sound of tires squeaking onto the driveway next door.
A small, beaten-up hatchback pulled in beside our house, looking like it had been through one too many heroic car chases. The driver's side door popped open, and out stepped a massive guy who looked comically out of place in such a tiny vehicle.
He took one step forward and immediately slipped on a stray skateboard.
"Darn kids!" he muttered as he nearly fell, only to catch himself on the car door.
A loud CRUNCH echoed as his hand left a dent the size of a dinner plate. "Oh, great..."
He tried to shut the door once. Twice. The third time he slammed it hard and the window shattered into a million glittering shards.
And then he turned red. Like… literally red.
Before he could Hulk out and throw the car across the yard, his eyes met mine.
"You okay, Mr. Bob?" I asked casually, standing a few feet away with one eyebrow raised.
The man blinked, composed himself, and lowered the car which was halfway above his head at that point.
"I'm all good, Dexter! Haha!" he laughed awkwardly, brushing off his shirt and glancing toward his front door like it might rescue him. "Uh, you just get back from school?"
"Yeah. I am."
"I–I see. Well! You have a good day, kid!"
And just like that, he power-walked into his house, still red-faced, leaving the shattered window and bent frame behind him like it was totally normal.
I shook my head.
"Yep. Totally normal…"