Ok, I got this idea from an episode of George Lopez….Yeah, so I'm not the genius behind this, I just changed the names and places and added a few Sailor Moon details to it. No real reason behind this, I just thought it would make an interesting read. It's slightly A.U. as Usagi goes to a different school than Ami and Makoto in this tale.
Usagi sat in at her usual seat at Crown Arcade and fiddled with her milkshake distractedly. She was supposed to meet Luna, Ami, Rei, and Makoto there for a meeting later, but she had made it to school on time that day so didn't get detention and was consequently there an hour earlier than everyone else. Normally, she would be congratulating herself for being on time for once and having a ball imagining the shocked looks on her friends' faces when they arrived and saw her already there. But not today. She had other, more serious things on her mind. Mamoru and Motoki watched the unusually pensive girl from the other end of the counter.
"We should go ask her what's wrong," Motoki whispered to his friend.
"Why? She probably just failed another test," Mamoru whispered back. "And why are we whispering?" Motoki just gave him a dead pan look and shook his head. Then he walked over to Usagi and smiled.
"Well I never thought I'd see the day that Usagi would rather watch a milkshake than drink it," he said kindly. "Is something wrong?" Usagi smiled at her former crush wanly and shrugged.
"I've just got something on my mind," she answered. Mamoru, who had discreetly moved closer, scoffed at the pretty blonde.
"That's a first. Don't hurt yourself, Odango," he teased. Usagi, instead of rising to the bait, just rolled her eyes at him and went back to stirring the half-melted shake.
"Not in the mood, Mamoru-baka," she muttered. Motoki exchanged a worried look with Mamoru over the girl's head.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Motoki asked. Usagi sighed and looked at the two indecisively for a second, chewing on her lip.
"Well, I don't know if I should," she said. "It's kind of personal…It's about a guy." Mamoru's eyebrow's scrunched up a bit and he felt his chest constrict a little.
"Well who better to talk to about guy problems than a couple of guys?" Motoki asked.
"Alright. You know that guy, Seiji I was seeing?" Mamoru frowned. He had no idea she was seeing someone. When had that happened? He had been busy the past couple of months with term papers, projects, and exams and hadn't been spending as much time at Crown Arcade. Clearly he had missed a lot as Motoki seemed to know exactly what she was talking about.
"Sure," he said, nodding his head. "He seemed like an alright guy to me."
"Well…." Usagi said, biting her lip again. "He's….moving to fast."
"What?" Mamoru said suddenly. Usagi jumped and stared at him with wide eyes. "He's didn't try…anything with you, did he?"
"N-no!" Usagi said quickly. "Well, I mean not really. He's wants to go further than I'm ready to. We just started dating a month ago and he's already talking about how he's so in love with me and how special he thinks I am and I'm not sure I believe him." Mamoru and Motoki stared at her in slight shock. "What? I know you guys think I'm just a naïve little baby, but I'm not that stupid. Besides, even if he is telling the truth, I don't feel the same way." Mamoru knew the rush of relief he felt was irrational, but hearing that Usagi wasn't in love with the guy made him feel slightly giddy.
"Maybe you should talk to him about how you feel," Motoki suggested. "Tell him you want to slow down." Usagi nodded and opened her mouth to say something, when…
"Unbelievable! Odango is actually here on time!" Her friends had finally arrived, Luna cradled in Ami's arms. Usagi stuck her tongue out at Rei and went over to join her friends in a booth tucked away in a corner on the other side of the Arcade. Motoki watched as Mamoru's eyes followed Usagi across the room, and smiled.
"You've still got a shot, Mamoru," he said, nudging his friend. "She's not in love with the guy." Mamoru snapped out of his daze and glared at Motoki.
"Shut up, baka!" Mamoru grabbed his books and left the arcade. Motoki grinned and wiped down the counter.
"Someday he'll have to admit it to her," he told himself.
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
A week later Usagi came in to the arcade and was once again not her bright, chipper self. She sat at the counter a few seats away from Mamoru and ordered a chocolate milkshake.
"So, how are you and what's his name doing?" Mamoru asked. Motoki set down the shake and looked at Usagi curiously.
"Oh, I broke up with him," Usagi said. "I talked to him just like you guys said and he was still moving to fast, so I broke up with him."
"And he took it alright?" Motoki asked. Usagi shrugged.
"He's still trying to get back together with me, but …" Usagi was cut off when the doors to the arcade opened and a young man came in and looked around frantically. Usagi gasped and hopped over the counter to hide. Motoki and Mamoru looked at her in confusion.
"Seiji just came in. Get rid of him, would ya?" Motoki nodded at Mamoru and the tall brunette went over to Usagi's ex. Mamoru sized him up before confronting him. He wasn't bad-looking, Mamoru guessed. He was about average height…for a woman… he was much shorter than Mamoru, had dark brown eyes and hair, and was slightly muscular, as if he played sports. But Mamoru could take him if it came to it. Smirking, Mamoru approached Seiji.
"Are you looking for someone?" he asked. Seiji looked at Mamoru surprised for a second then searched the arcade again.
"I'm looking for a girl. Usagi Tsukino," he said. "Do you know her?"
"Yeah."
"Can you tell me where she is?"
"No." Seiji looked at Mamoru in confusion.
"I thought I saw her come in here."
"She left man."
"But, I need to see her." Mamoru sighed and led Seiji to a booth.
"Have a seat. You want something to drink?" Seiji shook his head and Mamoru shrugged. "So, what do you want with Tsukino, anyway? I heard that she broke up with you." Seiji blushed slightly to hear that news of their break up had spread to people he didn't even know.
"I know, but if I could just talk to her, I know I could convince her to give me another chance."
"I have some advice for you, kid. Let her go. No girl likes to be hovered over by her ex."
"I know, but I can't just let her go. Usagi is special." Mamoru snorted loudly, ostentatiously at Seiji's stupidity, but inside he was wondering how this guy thought he had a chance with Usagi. Mamoru had just started talking to Seiji and he was already bored with him.
"Yeah, whatever, special," he scoffed. "I know plenty of girls like Usagi. You'll find someone else." Seiji frowned but nodded uncertainly. He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Mamoru.
"I wrote her this poem. Could you give it to her?"
"Sure," Mamoru said as he took the paper…then promptly ripped it up. "Kid, move on. It's over!" Seiji looked a little hurt but left with little protest. Usagi peeked over the edge at Seiji's disappearing back and looked at Mamoru gratefully. She got up from behind the counter and smiled at Motoki and Mamoru and waved good-bye.
"Thanks guys," she said cheerfully. "Later much!"
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
A week later, Luna watched disinterestedly from under the table as Shingo came downstairs and walked into the kitchen. He sighed heavily, grabbing his parents' attention.
"Is something wrong, sweetie?" Ikuko asked, making Shingo a plate. Kenji looked over the morning paper and raised an eyebrow curiously.
"I know something about somebody, but I don't know if I should tell…" the young boy started. Kenji slammed his paper down outraged, startling his wife and son.
"Shingo, how many times do I have to talk you about being a tattle tale?" he nearly shouted.
"It's not about you, Dad."
"Oh, ok then, tell us." Shingo sighed again.
"Usagi skipped school yesterday, and I heard her crying in her room," Shingo told them. "And last week she used my skate board which doesn't have anything to do with it, I'm just mad about it." Luna's head shot up in shock. Usagi wasn't the greatest student, but even she wouldn't skip school. Or so Luna had thought. Usagi's parents were equally as stunned.
"Ok, we need to think about how we're going to deal with this," Ikuko said, taking a deep breath. "Usagi! Hurry and get breakfast or you'll miss the bell!"
"I'll be down in a second!" Usagi called back. Soon they heard her footsteps on the stairs and she walked into the kitchen a second later, her bag slung over her shoulder. She didn't notice the look on her parents and Luna's faces as they waited for the trap to be sprung.
"So sweetie, I completely forgot to ask, how was school yesterday?" Ikuko asked.
"It was fine, Mom," Usagi answered grabbing an apple.
"Liar!" Kenji shouted.
"What?" Ikuko rolled her eyes at her husband ,then looked at Usagi.
"I was working up to that, but we heard from a person who shall remain nameless that you cut school yesterday." Shingo threw his hands in the air and huffed in frustration.
"You couldn't wait till I left?" he demanded. Kenji looked at his son incredulously.
"Shingo, she didn't say it was you."
"Oh," Shingo said. He looked at his sister and smiled sheepishly. Usagi gave him a menacing glare, promising him a lot of pain later. Shingo edged past her to the back door then bolted. "See ya!"
"So are you going to tell us why you skipped school?" Ikuko asked. Luna hopped up on the chair next to Usagi and looked at her expectantly. She rolled her eyes at all three of them and huffed.
"It's no big deal, alright? I just didn't feel like going," was her very un-Usagi-like response.
"No big deal?" her father said. "Usagi, you're barely skating by as it is! You can't afford to skip a day of school! You can barely afford to blink in school!"
"It's not a big deal!" Usagi insisted. "What like you never skipped school?"
"I most certainly did not!" Ikuko said, folding her arms.
"Dad?"
"No your mother most certainly did not!" Kenji folded his arms, too. "We want to know why you skipped school yesterday and we want to know now!" Just then Shingo came back in the house and ran towards the living room's sliding doors.
"We've been pranked!" he said.
"Not now, Shingo," Kenji said. "We're dealing with your sister. And you're going to be late. We can only deal with one truant in this family at a time. "
"I just want to see what it says," Shingo said, opening the curtain. "It'll be real…." Everyone froze when they saw what was written on the window in shaving cream.
Usagi TsukinHO
"Who would do something like that?" Ikuko yelled in shock.
"This is all Seiji's fault!" Usagi cried flopping down on the chair across from Luna.
"That guy you dumped last week?" Kenji demanded. "He did this?" He grabbed the phone and started dialing. "I'm gonna call that boy's parents!"
"Dad, no!" Usagi took the phone from her father. "He didn't do it. Yura did."
"Yura? You mean that snob that used to be your friend? She did this?"
"That's her hand writing. I know because she wrote 'Usagi can't say TsukiNO on my locker the other day."
"It's a good thing her last name isn't Tucker," Shingo commented mostly to himself.
"What does Seiji have to do with this, honey?" Ikuko asked, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders. Usagi sighed and put her face in her hands.
"When I broke up with him, Seiji started this rumor that I let him sleep with me then he dumped me because he got what he wanted. Now everyone at school thinks I'm a slut. That's why I skipped yesterday. I couldn't take it anymore!"
"Alright, sweetheart," Ikuko said comfortingly. "We'll deal with this alright?" Usagi nodded. "Now, go to school." Usagi leapt to her feet, knocking over the chair.
"No!" she cried. "You can't make me go! Please? Dad?" Kenji shook his head, telling her he couldn't help her. "Oh this is so unfair!" She snatched her bag off the floor and slammed the door on the way out. Luna crept out to follow Usagi to make sure she got to school ok. It was times like these that she wished the scouts went to school together so they could look out for each other.
"I'll be back later," Kenji said once Usagi was gone.
"Are you going to Seiji's house?" Ikuko asked worriedly, trailing her husband.
"Let me go with you, Dad!" Shingo begged. "I want a piece of this jerk, too!"
"No, I can't tell you I'm going or else it's premeditated!" Kenji said. "Let me go while it's still a crime of passion! Shingo, get your behind to school!" Shingo sucked his teeth and left.
"Kenji, this isn't the way to deal with this!" Ikuko blocked the door and steered her husband to the living room. She turned on the computer and opened a link to the school's site. "We need to talk a conflict counselor at the school about this. I'm going to make an e-pointment with the principle." Kenji rolled his eyes at his wife. He loved Ikuko dearly, but sometimes she had a real knack at picking the most ineffectual, unsatisfying ways of dealing with problems. Why couldn't use her fists like normal people?
"There!" she said. "We've got an appointment for tomorrow at three. Alright, honey?" Kenji plastered a false smile on his face and nodded like a good lad, but made a face at Ikuko when her back was turned. He'd handle this his way.
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
Luna sat in a tree, nearly invisible as she sat still in the shadows. She watched as Usagi - the girl she accused daily of being a crybaby- walked through the hallways with her head up high, despite her classmates pointing and whispering as she passed. Usagi ducked into a bathroom and Luna watched transfixed as a boy followed her in. Perhaps, Luna thought, he went in there by accident. But that sliver of hope was crushed when it was a red-faced Usagi who came rushing out of the bathroom instead of the boy.
If only I could find a way of being in there without being caught, Luna thought. That poor girl shouldn't have to face this alone. Luna wished once more that all the Scouts attended the same school as she went to the front gate to wait for the last bell. Usagi finally exited the building, opting to skip the detention she had gotten for being late. What she had been through that day had to be punishment enough, she was sure. She left the school as quickly as she could without running, completely missing
Luna, who was waiting beside the gate. Luna had to trot a little to keep up with her young charge. She finally managed to catch Usagi at the corner and leapt into her arms.
"How was it?" she asked the girl sympathetically. Usagi opened her mouth to answer when someone else cut her off.
"Hey, Tsukino! How much for an hour?" a boy yelled out of the window of his friend's car. A couple of girls behind her snickered and shoved her as they passed.
"Like that," Usagi told Luna miserably. "I just want to go home!"
"I'm sorry, you can't just yet," Luna said apologetically. "We have to meet the girl's at the arcade." Usagi whined in frustration, but headed towards the arcade. Maybe no one from her school would be there.
Mamoru frowned when he saw the miserable look on Usagi's face. It looked so out of place for her, and he wondered if it had anything to do with that boy from last week. She made her way to the table she usually sat at with her friends, which meant she was expecting them to be there, but she was alone for now…well except for the count, but it didn't count. Mamoru debated on whether or not he should go ask what was wrong, but before he could decide, the other three girls arrived, laughing and giggling as they made their way to the table. The laughter stopped immediately when they saw Usagi's tear –stained face. They sat down immediately and began chatting furiously. The tall brown haired girl stood up suddenly and banged her fist on the table.
"WHAT?!" she shouted. "I'll kill the little weasel!" The other two vehemently agreed and Mamoru wished he could hear what they were talking about.
When Makoto, Ami, and Rei arrived at the arcade, they were surprised to see Usagi had once again arrived before they did. She sat with her back to them and her shoulders hunched, as if she were hiding something. Rei was about to comment on her punctuality when Usagi looked up and they saw the tears falling from her eyes. At once, they girls stopped joking and sat down to comfort their friend.
"Usagi, what's wrong?" Ami asked, grasping her friend's hand.
"My life is ruined, and it's all Seiji's fault!" Usagi whimpered. She told her friend's about the rumor that Seiji had spread to save his own face and about how she had been getting harassed about it in school. She told them about the insults the girls hurled at her and the inappropriate comments from the boys, and how the teachers did nothing to stop it.
"I went to him and told him to take back what he said and he just laughed at me and said I needed to let him go. Loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear, so now not only do they think I'm a slut, they think I'm a desperate slut." Makoto stood up and slammed her fist on the table, fury burning in her eyes.
"WHAT?! I'll kill the weasel!" Rei and Ami nodded in agreement.
"We need to make him pay," Ami said. Her friends looked startled at her uncharacteristic show of violent anger.
"Yeah, do you want us to go Sailor Senshi on his ass?" Rei asked. Luna's head perked up, about to chide Rei for suggesting such a misuse of Sailor power, but changed her mind. The little puke deserved to be electrified, burned and frozen, then taken out with the crescent wand. She could turn a blind eye this once. But Usagi shook her head.
"No, I'm sure this'll blow over soon," she said with a certainty she didn't feel. The arcade doors slid open and a group of teens entered, laughing and shoving each other. They caught sight of Usagi and started whispering.
"Hey look, it's TsukinHO!"one of the boys said loudly. Usagi looked back at them, then quickly turned and slid low in her seat, hoping that they would just move on. She had no such luck.
"Are they from your school, Usagi?" Rei asked, glaring at the boys as one sauntered over to the table. Usagi nodded and slid lower.
"Hey, TsukinHo, if you're bored later, the back seat of my car is nice and comfortable," the boy said.
"Hey, wiseass, why don't you leave her alone," Makoto said threateningly. The boy threw a kiss at Makoto and winked as he put his arm around Usagi.
"You want a piece of me, too, baby?" he asked. Makoto, Rei and Ami were preparing to launch themselves at him, when a hand clamped down on his shoulder. The boy looked up and found himself looking into the faces of two, very large, very irate upperclassmen.
"I think you should go before someone gets hurt," Mamoru told him threateningly. He squeezed the boy's shoulder hard enough to make him wince. Motoki tightened his grasp on his mop, as if he were preparing to swing it. The boy's eyes widened in fear for a second, but he composed himself for his friends and jerked his shoulder out of Mamoru's grasp.
"All this over some dumb slut?" he muttered. He was struck twice before he even knew what happened and his friends rushed over to help him off of the floor and out the door.
"And if I ever catch you in here bothering my customers again, I'll call the cops on ya!" Motoki yelled after them. All six sets of eyes flew to Usagi who had her head down so her hair formed a curtain around her face.
"Usagi-chan, are you alright?" Rei asked gently. Usagi slowly clenched and unclenched her hands a few times, then stood.
"I-I going h-h-home," she replied with a shaky voice. Her friends could see now that her face was red with humiliation and despite the effort she was using to hold them back, a couple of tears were making their way down her face. She took a deep breath and half-walked, half-ran out of the arcade.
"We should go with her," Makoto said, standing. "What she runs into those punks again?" Rei and Ami agreed and stood to leave. Luna hopped into Ami's arms and the girls left the arcade following their best friend.
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
Kenji stalked through the hallways, a man on a mission. He walked by the receptionist's desk ignoring her demands that he come back and get a visitor's pass. When he found the principal's office, he walked in without so much as knocking. The Principal froze with a slice of pizza halfway to his mouth and sighed. Another day, another irate parent. He set his pizza down and looked at Kenji, motioning for him to take a seat.
"Can I help you sir?" he asked.
"Yes you can!" Kenji said. "My daughter's being harassed and I want it to stop."
"Alright, I think we can arrange that. What's your daughter's name?"
"Usagi Tsukino. She broke up with some punk here and he started a nasty rumor about her. Now the other kids are making fun of her and harassing her. One of them, Yura Hachitori, came to my house and wrote on my windows with shaving cream. Her I want suspended." The principal raised his hands to cut Kenji off.
"Hold on. Did you say Yura Hatchitori? Are you sure?"
"Yeah, and apparently it's not the first time something like this has happened. What are you going to do about it?"
"I'm afraid I need more proof. Yura Hatchitori is a star pupil here. She's on the honor roll, she's a softball star, and she volunteers at the animal shelter twice a week. Usagi is…well she's a student. Unless there are witnesses who can vouch for her, I'm afraid it's her word against Yura's."
"Oh so that's it? My daughter isn't the best student in the school so you won't stop her from being harassed?" The principal shrugged his shoulders helplessly and Kenji growled in frustration. "Thanks for nothing! See if I don't bring this up at the next PTA meeting." Kenji stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.
That evening the principal wearily made his way to his car. Two more angry parents had come in after Tsukino-san and he was tired from having to placate them. In the parking lot, he stopped short and looked at his car, not believing what he was seeing. He rubbed his eyes and moved closer to his car. It was completely covered in shaving cream and toilet paper. His face heated up and he threw his keys on the ground and howled in frustration.
"Dammit! Not again!"
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
"Usagi, please just stick it out?" Ikuko gently asked her daughter the next morning. "I know it's tough, but running away is just going to make them think they've won."
"I don't care anymore!" Usagi replied. "I don't want to go back!" For once, Luna agreed with her about skipping school. No education was worth what Usagi was going through. But her parents didn't know about what actually went on, so Luna couldn't blame them for wanting her to tough it out.
"Usagi-chan, listen to your mother sweetheart," Kenji implored. "Sooner or later they'll get bored and move on. Come on, you're a Tsukino. Tsukinos are warriors!" Usagi rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"Dad, you screamed for Mom the last time you saw a spider in the tub."
"I never said we were spider warriors! Stop putting words in my mouth!" Kenji crossed his arms and pouted petulantly. Usagi rolled her eyes again and stood up, sighing.
"Fine," she relented. "I'll go. It's Friday anyhow." Usagi grabbed her bag, squared her shoulders and prepared herself for another day of hell.
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
The day hadn't been as bad as Usagi thought it would be. Oh sure, the teasing went on as it had been for the past week, but she was expecting it now which made it easier to ignore. Yura and her friends had even backed off a little. Probably bored with their little game, Usagi figured. They pointed and laughed and whispered, but they didn't say anything to her outright. The bell finally rang and Usagi got out of the building as fast as she could.
"Usagi-chan!" Usagi stopped and looked for who it was who called her. Yura and two of her friends came over, smiling amiably.
"What do you want, Yura?" Usagi asked with much disdain.
"Oh, don't be that way, Usa-chan," Yura said. "We just wanted you to know we feel really bad about the hard time you've been having this week. I heard someone soaped your house the other day. I was so sorry to hear that!" Usagi rolled her eyes for what felt like the thousandth time that day.
"Is that all, Yura?"
"No, not at all. Me and the girls got you something." Yura handed Usagi a beautifully decorated green bag with purple tissue paper sticking out of the top. Usagi took the bag suspiciously and dug through the paper to find the present.
"A pillow?" Usagi held up a red, brown and gold embroidered throw pillow and stared at it in confusion.
"This is to make sure you're comfortable. You know when you're laying on your back." Yura and her friends started giggling and Usagi shoved the bag at her angrily.
"Screw you, Yura!" Usagi shouted.
"What did you say, Tsukino?" Yura shoved Usagi and sneered at her. Usagi stumbled back a little before she caught her balance. She straightened up and dropped the bag off of her shoulder looking Yura dead in her eyes, then she shoved her back.
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT !"
Luna arrived just in time to see the principal pull Usagi off of Yura and asks them some questions. Yura was holding her nose, screaming and pointing at Usagi. Yura's friends nodded in agreement and the principal shook his head and lead the blonde inside. Another official lead Yura inside, presumably to the nurse's office. Yura's friends waited until she was inside before they left the school, giggling and whispering. Luna cast one more look at the school where Usagi was before taking off after the girls.
"Did you see the look on Usagi's face when she pulled the pillow out of the bag?" the brown haired girl asked. Her friend giggled.
"It was classic! Oh, but Yura's face when the stupid skank punched her in the nose? That was priceless!"
"How bad do you think Fujio-sensei will chew her out?"
"I don't know, but he nearly turned purple when he saw what Usagi did to Yura!"
"Well, there goes her perfect nose." The girls cracked up behind this thought. Luna looked at them in disgust and shook her head. These girls were Yura's friends? Ami, Rei, and Makoto were planning Yura and Seiji's downfall at that very moment and these girls were laughing at the fact that Usagi may have very well broken Yura's nose. Luna couldn't help the rush of pride for Usagi. The girls' conversation had switched to some boy that Luna didn't know, so she headed back to the school to wait for Usagi. She sat there for about twenty minuets, until the principal came out and Luna realized that Usagi had left already.
"Oh that girl!" Luna huffed as she headed off to the arcade.
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
"Usagi!" Rei yelled when she saw her friend finally enter the arcade. "You're late again. Where have you…"
"Oh my gosh! What happened?" Makoto got a good look at Usagi's face and cut Rei off. Ami and Rei gasped when they saw the damage. There was a large purple bruise forming over her right eye and three scratches on her left cheek. None of it looked like lasting damage, but someone had hurt their friend and that was something they just couldn't let slide.
"Motoki!" Ami called, grabbing the attention of the two upperclassmen at the counter. "Motoki, we need an icepack…and some peroxide." Mamoru and Motoki's eyebrows shot up to their hairline
when they saw Usagi. Motoki ran to the back to grab the first aid kit and ice while Mamoru went over to find out what happened.
"What happened to, you Odango?" he asked, not even trying to mask his concern.
"I got into a fight," she said. She pulled away from her friends who were fussing over her face.
"Usagi-chan there's blood on your shirt," Rei said, inspecting the stain. Mamoru looked over her shoulder anxiously, mentally assessing the damage to Usagi. To his irrational relief, there didn't appear to be any broken bones.
"That's Yura's," Usagi told her friends. "I punched her in the nose." Mamoru laughed and slapped the petit girl on the shoulder.
"Nice job Odango!"
"What happened? How is she?" Motoki asked anxiously. He carried a bulky first aid kit and ice wrapped in a clean dish towel.
"Odango is a scrapper," Mamoru told him.
"She decked this girl in the nose," Makoto said excitedly.
"That girl'd better hope I don't get to her," Rei said darkly.
"I'm glad you're all so happy about it," Usagi muttered. "I got suspended for it."
"Oh, Usagi-chan, that's awful!" Ami tsked. "What happened?"
"Yura and her friends….it doesn't matter what they did. Yura pushed me, I pushed back. The next thing I know the principal is yanking me off of her and I got blamed for the fight. I'm suspended and Yura's probably still bleeding in the nurse's office."
"You mean, she didn't get suspended, too?" Makoto asked incredulously. Usagi pulled away from the peroxide soaked cloth Motoki had pressed to her face and shook her head.
"No. She said I started the fight and her friends backed her up. Motoki, cut it out! That hurts!"
"Sorry, Usagi-chan, but I need to clean those cuts out." He tried to clean her wounds, but Usagi pulled away again.
"I've got to get home," she said, grabbing her bag. "I need to tell my parents what happened. I'll see yall later."
"I have to go to," Mamoru said. He left and went the same what Usagi went. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the four friends couldn't help but smirk at each other.
"They'll be dating in a month," Motoki predicted. The girls snickered and sat back down in their booth.
"At any rate, she'll be safe enough with him," Ami said.
"Yeah, no one'll try anything with him around," Rei added. Makoto nodded and turned to Motoki to order a shake. Luna came in a few minuets later and hopped up on Rei's lap.
"Luna!" she exclaimed. "Where have you been?"
"You just missed Usagi," Makoto informed her. "She went home a few minuets ago."
"Oh!" Luna moaned. "Why is she moving so quickly today? She got into a fight and I need to know if she's ok!"
"She's fine," Ami said. "It's the other girl we need to be worried about apparently."
"Yes, yes, I know she broke the girl's nose," Luna shook her head dismissively. "I want to know what happened after that!" Luna jumped off of Rei's lap and took off out the door. The girl's shrugged at each other and started plotting the avenging of their friend.
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
"Hey, Odango!" Mamoru called as he ran after the girl. Usagi stopped and looked back at Mamoru. He slowed a bit, taken aback that even bruised and battered, Usagi was still more attractive than any girl her age had any right to be. If anything the bruises gave Usagi a fighter's air, and made the girl seem stronger than her fragile frame allowed. She looked at Mamoru expectantly.
"You probably shouldn't walk home yourself," he said at last, falling into step with her.
"I'll be fine, Mamoru. I highly doubt anyone'll try to jump me on my way home," she said. Her shoulders slumped forward wearily and Mamoru could see her eyes were slightly puffy, as if she hadn't gotten any sleep.
"Are you ok, Odango?"
"Peachy. At least I get a four day break from all of this."
"Been a rough week for you, huh."
"Huh. You could say that." Mamoru furrowed his brows and fell silent. He wasn't used to seeing Usagi looking so…defeated.
"Hey, Tsukino, lining up more Johns already?" a girl called from a passing car. Usagi froze stared after the car before she threw her bag down and let out a frustrated scream.
"What the hell is wrong with them!" she cried. "I don't even know them!" She started sobbing and Mamoru tried to calm her.
"Please stop crying, Usagi," he implored gently, ignoring the stares they were getting from passers-by.
"No! I can't take it anymore! Why can't they just leave me alone? What do they freakin' want from me?" Mamoru wrapped his arms around the sobbing girl and let her cry on his shoulder.
"It'll be alright. Come on let me get you home, ok?" Usagi nodded and let Mamoru lead her towards her house, his arm still wrapped around her shoulders.
"Why are you being so nice all of the sudden?" she asked after she had calmed down. Mamoru's face flushed and he stuttered a little.
"Well, I-I just can't stand to see you getting picked on someone who's not me. You're a good person, Usagi. You don't deserve what they're doing to you. I don't want to see you suffering like this because your classmates are idiots." Usagi smiled a little at this and looked around.
"This is my block. Thanks for walking with me, Mamoru," she said. She reluctantly left the safety and warmth of Mamoru's arms and headed towards her house. She looked back one more time and waved to him before disappearing inside the house.
"Usagi! What happened?" Ikuko grabbed her daughter's hands dragged her into the kitchen and sat her down on a chair. "Kenji! Kenji get in here now!" Usagi's father ran into the kitchen and looked around worriedly.
"What? What is it?" he asked. Ikuko said nothing, just turned Usagi's head so Kenji could see the cuts and bruises. Kenji stopped short for a second and assessed the damage. "Who did this to you, Usagi?"
"Yura," she told them. She told them about the 'gift' Yura and her friends had given her, and about how she was going to leave until Yura shoved her and started the fight.
"Oh my gosh, honey, there's blood all over your shirt!" Ikuko exclaimed.
"That's hers. I punched her in the nose."
"Haha! That's my girl!" Kenji said, pumping his fist. Ikuko shot him a dirty look.
"We are not supporting this," she said. "But I hope you broke that nasty girl's nose." Usagi shrugged.
"So you believe me about Yura starting the fight?"
"Of course, honey," Ikuko said, smoothing back Usagi's hair.
"Good, 'cause Fujio-sensei didn't. I'm suspended."
"What?" Kenji shouted, leaping to his feet. "That bastard! Don't worry, sweetie. I'll go down and straighten him out. I'll get you back in school and have that little brat suspended so fast their heads'll spin!"
"No!" Usagi cried, leaping to her feet. Her parents looked at her in surprise. "Please don't , Dad. I don't want to go back!"
"Usagi-chan," Ikuko said, gently putting a hand on Usagi's shoulder. "We talked about this. You can't let them get to you."
"You don't understand! I can't take it anymore! You don't even know what I've gone through! People have been talking and whispering about be all week. Everyone believes that stupid rumor that Seiji started. I'm the school slut now."
"Honey, I'm sure it's not that bad," Ikuko tried to sooth her daughter. Usagi looked at her parents and walked over to the answering machine.
"Hey, we were told to call here for a good time," a boy said. There were others in the background, snickering. "Is this the school slut's house?" Usagi hit the stop button and looked at her parents beseechingly.
"Who is that?" her father demanded. "We'll have them kicked out, too!"
"Then suspend everybody!" Usagi yelled. " That's not the worst thing that's happened this week! Some guy followed me into the bathroom the other day and asked me if I wanted to do him. Another guy lifted my shirt up when I walked by him in the hall. People keep yelling things at me from cars that I don't even want to tell you about. People I don't even know have asked me if I wanted to sleep with them. Daddy, please don't make me go back! Please!" Usagi threw her arms around her father's waist and sobbed into his shirt. Kenji shook his head helplessly and patted her back.
"It's alright, Usagi. We'll handle this ok?" he promised. " Go on upstairs and get some rest." Usagi let him go and ran up to her room. Ikuko and Kenji sat down at the table at a loss as to what they should do.
"She's not wrong, you know," Ikuko said. "She's never going to get her reputation back. And I don't want her in a school where boys are sexually harassing her."
"I know," Kenji nodded. "I don't want her back there either. But what school is going to take her this late in the year?"
"We have to try." Ikuko grabbed her husband's hand and let a few tears slide down her cheeks.
"We'll figure something out, sweetheart. I won't let her go back to that school."
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
In her room, Usagi sobbed quietly into her pillow, not noticing when Luna slipped silently in through the window.
"Usagi-chan," she whispered. "Usagi-chan, are you ok?" Luna stumbled back a bit when she saw the bruise on Usagi's face. "Oh, Usagi-chan, I'm so sorry. I wanted to be there for you."
"Forget it, Luna," Usagi said. "There's nothing you could've done." She scooped Luna into her arms and cried into her fur. "Luna, I can't go back there. I just can't!" Luna had heard what she had told her parents about what she had been through that week and she agreed.
"I understand. Usagi, why didn't you tell me or the scouts what was going on?"
"What could you have done? Scratched them? Bit them? The girl's wouldn't have been able to do anything either. They go to different schools. They can't be with me all the time."
"I know, but we could have thought of something. I had been watching you, but I had no idea it was that bad."
"It doesn't matter anymore," Usagi said. She wiped the tears from her face and sat up on her bed. "Its Friday and I'm suspended so I have at least six days before I have to see any of them again. And if Mom and Dad agree with me, I won't ever have to go back." There was a knock at her door then and Usagi's parents walked in.
"Sweetie," her mother started. "We've talked about it, and we've decided we're taking you out of that school."
"I have some friends who work for the Juban school, so I'm going to ask if they can pull some strings and get you in," Kenji said. "Is that alright for you?"
"That's perfect!" Usagi exclaimed. "Ami and Makoto go to that school, too!"
"Good, then you won't be alone," Ikuko smiled. "Now, it may take a couple of days, but you should be in school by Wednesday, ok?"
"Alright. That works. I can't wait to tell Ami and Makoto!" Kenji and Ikuko smiled and kissed Usagi on the forehead. "Get some rest, sweetie. I'm going to start dinner soon." Ikuko left the room and Kenji waited till she left before he grinned at Usagi.
"I always knew you were a fighter. You get that from my side of the family," he said proudly. "Guess we can't call you a crybaby anymore."
"Thanks, Dad…wait! You call me a crybaby?" Kenji fled for the door.
"Gotta go, I think I heard your mom calling me." Usagi glared after her father, then down at Luna who was trying to smother her laughter.
"Shaddup!" she growled, hitting the cat with a pillow.
"Good to see you're back to normal," Luna said, dodging the pillow. She looked over her shoulder as she made her way out of the door. "I'm proud of you." Usagi grinned at her and laid back on her bed. Things looked like they were going to be a lot better from now on.
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
Usagi walked into the arcade with her arms linked through Ami and Makoto's. She had on the same uniform as her friends' and had her beaming smile back on her face. It had been a week since she started at Juban school and she was happier than ever. There had been a couple of her new peers who tried to hassle her about her reputation, but rumors of Yura's broken nose and a few threats from Makoto kept it from spreading. Even if it had, Usagi was sure she could handle it this time with Makoto and Ami having her back.
"Hey, Odango," Mamoru called from his usual seat at the counter. "You flunked out of any of your classes yet?"
"For your information, no I haven't , Mamoru-baka!" Mamoru just smirked over his coffee.
"The week's still young." And so began another Mamoru/Usagi battle. Rei leaned over to whisper into Motoki's ear.
"Still want to bet on them getting together in a month?" she asked him. Motoki scowled.
"Fine, six months. But it's gonna happen." The four friends laughed as the couple continued their argument, happy that things were finally back to normal.
Well, there you have it. I hope it was an entertaining read for all of you. Now to get back to my other stories. Hit that smexy purple button and tell me what you think, kay.
Luvz u!!
Ladyhawk89