Rain Soaked Tears
By: DemonClowSorceress
Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater.
"Maka Albarn?" She looked up from her work to see Sid-sensei waving for her attention. "You've been asked to go to the principal's office. Family emergency."
It was still two hours before final bell. The school day passed too quickly for Maka's liking, and she was still trying to figure what she wanted to say when she saw her father. It was actually a lot harder than she'd thought it'd be. Every other time he'd messed up, Maka had just scolded him out and left it at that. But now, after three days of not seeing the man, Maka was coming to grips with just how big this fight had been.
Panicked, Maka looked three seats over to Black*Star. He met her eyes and mouthed I got it, whipping out his phone and quickly sending the mass text. Then he raised his hand and said, "Yo Sid, I gotta take a leak. Can I take the pass?" Thankfully their teacher didn't see through this weak ploy, so Maka was able to walk to Mr. Reaper's office with her childhood friend.
"Old Man Albarn's got balls," Black*Star remarked, folding his hands behind his head nonchalantly. "Calling you outta class like this."
"He's throwing his weight around again." She couldn't keep her breathing regular, and the thought of facing her father unprepared was not helping. The beginnings of her argument were already getting lost in the panic.
"Hey." A hand rested on her shoulder, stopping her thoughts and feet in their tracks. "Maka, deep breaths. It's gonna be okay." His eyes met hers with a small smile. "Remember, if the great me says it's okay, it will be."
This was his own way of comforting her, however weird it was. Again Maka was thankful that he was acting normally. It wasn't a complete act, but when there was no audience, he could tone down his entire god spiel to manageable levels. "Thanks Black*Star, for coming with me."
"No prob. Want my opinion?" When she nodded, he scowled. "Rip him a new one. That ass really crossed the line this time."
"He's my dad, Black*Star. I can't just - "
"Yes you can. You're one of the toughest chicks I know. You gotta be a hardass with him." The blue-haired boy took his hand off her shoulder and turned away, folding his hands behind his head again. "When you're sad cuz of him, it really sucks." Suddenly he straightened up and looked back at her. "Hey. You got Soul's digits?"
Maka blinked, surprised at the sudden change in conversation. "Um. No."
"Here. I'll text the number." He completed the task in seconds. "Just in case something else happens. He'd get there the fastest, anyway."
She snorted in disbelief. "I doubt he'll go halfway across town if I sent him a text."
Black*Star smirked. "Betcha he would."
"I know better than to bet against you." The conversation ended once they arrived at the door of the principal's office. "Well, here I am."
Impulsively, the two friends hugged each other for a brief second. Then Black*Star coughed and mumbled what sounded like a goodbye and good luck rolled together and trotted off back to class. Fixing her uniform and putting on her scowl, Maka took a deep breath and opened the door.
Principal Reaper looked up from his desk. "Hello Maka," he said in greeting, his smile identical to his young son's. "Would you please come in?"
"Is something wrong, sir?" she asked, closing the door behind her and sitting in the chair offered. "Sid-sensei only said that it was a family emergency."
"Your father has called and asked that he be allowed to pick you up early from school. He says it's important." Golden eyes bored into her. "Is he exaggerating again?"
About to confirm, Maka felt her pocket vibrate. She checked the screen of her phone and saw a text from an unfamiliar number. Frowning, she opened it.
It's Soul. Stay tough. You can do this.
For some reason, those eight words gave her the fortification to think Well, no time like the present. Maka shook her head. "No sir. Something important has come up."
"Very well. You may pack your bag and leave the school. I hope this emergency resolves itself peacefully."
"Me too, sir. Thank you, sir."
The ride home from Death City High was more silent than a graveyard at midnight, but Maka didn't feel like breaking it. Better to let her father squirm uncomfortably in the awkward quiet. She wasn't about to make this easy for him.
When they arrived at her house, Maka grabbed her bag and made for the front door. Spirit came up behind her, anxiously calling her name. She didn't face him until her bag was thrown into her room. By that time, she knew how she was going to proceed.
This last thing wasn't just him going at it with another woman; Maka was too smart to think he'd been a saint after the divorce. And it wasn't because he'd come home later either; that was his perogative, and she had no say over that.
He'd brought home a woman without calling ahead to tell his daughter. Yes, she'd overreacted. Badly. But he'd still brought the slut home with him.
Boundaries would have to be made.
"Papa, we need to talk - "
"MAKA, MY DEAREST ANGEL!" he bawled, throwing his arms around her and squeezing her tightly. "I WAS SO AFRAID SOMETHING HORRIBLE HAD HAPPENED TO YOU!"
"So why didn't you just call me?" she choked out, pushing out of his embrace.
"I THOUGHT YOU WERE LOST OR KIDNAPPED OR DEAD! NOBODY WOULD TELL ME WHERE YOU WERE!" His tears dried up instantly as he held her shoulders and demanded, "Where you at a boy's house?"
The sheer hypocrisy of his anger made Maka's eyes narrow. "Yes," she said spitefully. "A classmate. You don't know him. And he lives alone." The horror in Spirit's eyes gave her a small beat of satisfaction. "I was at his place all weekend."
Spirit recovered from his horror quick enough. "Have I taught you nothing about boys?" His eyes quickly looked over her, as if checking for bruises or hickies or another type of injury. "Did he - "
"It hurts, don't it Papa?" Maka interrupted, fixing him with her emerald stare. "Thinking that I'm doing sort of thing? Imagine if you walked in on me doing that." His jaw dropped, but she pushed on to make her point. "You brought home a woman, Papa. And you were halfway to doing it when you stumbled through the front door." Her voice dropped to a whisper, too disgusted to yell. "No call, no warning, nothing. Just so you could get laid by some half-drunk, makeup-slathered floozy."
"Maka, I - "
She shook her head, cutting him off. The litany bubbled from her lips like the froth of a witch's cauldron. "I don't expect you to not date. I don't expect you to be a saint. But geez, Papa, our couch? You couldn't even wait til you got back to your own room? I live in this house too!" Her voice rose in volume steadily, but she maintained her calm.
His hands reached for her in supplication, but when she flinched away, he stopped mid-reach. "Maka, I swear it was just a moment of weakness," he pleaded with her. "I'll never do it again, I pro - "
"Don't. I know you won't keep this promise like you haven't all the others." She took a deep breath. "There's going to have to need some rules. You can't come home plastered at all hours of the night, bringing home any woman that suits your fancy, and expect me to just let it slide without a word. Call me first so I can go to Tsubaki's or the Thompsons' place. And I don't care how hot she is, there's no way any of those floozies are ever staying the nigh - "
The look on Spirit's face had her stop in mid-tirade. It was the same look he had when he came home reeking of booze and saucy perfume. The same look he had when she'd find the phone numbers of his "informants" written on cocktail napkins stuffed in his pants pockets while doing laundry. The same look he had when Maka's mother had called him out on his cheating.
The look of guilt.
She had to swallow hard to force her throat to open up and say, "Papa, don't tell me she's still here."
"Spirit? Are you back?"
Maka closed her eyes as she heard the female voice emanating from her father's bedroom. Turning slowly, she saw the blonde woman standing in the doorway, her busty body wrapped in one of the bedsheets. She rubbed her eyes sleepily as she said, "I took a quick nap, so I'm raring to go again if you - " Seeing Maka staring at her agape, the woman giggled nervously and said, "Who's this plain-looking girl? Is she staying long?"
Suddenly Maka couldn't breathe right. Her body locked up in equal parts rage and disgust, unable to fully comprehend just how entirely wrong this situation had just become. "I'm his daughter," she spat at the tramp.
And that was when the thought hit her. I can't keep doing this anymore.
He wasn't going to change. Her mother had known that, and foolish as it was, Maka had wanted to prove her wrong. But now she knew it would never happen. The thought gave her the clarity to understand what her mother had done, and the strength to do the same.
Looking back at Spirit, she gave him the flattest glare of disgust and said, "I'm going for a walk, Papa. You two should talk."
His eyes widened almost comically. "What? Maka, wait!" Spirit tried to call after her, but Maka shot out the front door and hit the ground running. Her phone was out and ringing as she rounded the corner and ducked into a Starbucks coffeeshop, watching her father race down the street calling her name.
He answered in less than two rings. "Maka?"
"Soul, come get me." The tears were starting to come, but since she was in public, she fought to hold them at bay. "Please. I'm at the Starbucks on the corner of Garrote and Sickle - "
"I know where it is. I'll be there in ten."
Nine minutes and ten seconds later, Maka was standing on the sidewalk as he pulled up on his motorcycle. "I take it the conversation didn't go so well," he remarked, idling by the curb as he rested his elbows on the handlebars.
"You think?" she replied shortly. She threw a leg over the motorcycle and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Let's go."
"Running again?"
The sound of "MAKA!" being screamed down the street made both teens jump in shock. Spirit stood at the far end of the street, his clothes disheveled and his chest heaving, his eyes wide in horror as he took in the sight of his daughter astride a motorcycle with an unfamiliar boy. That look quickly changed to rage as his hand moved towards his hip. "Freeze! Kidnapper!"
She tightened her grip around Soul's waist. "Get us out of here!"
"Got it!" Soul swung the bike around with a squeal of tires and burning rubber and rocketed down the street.
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