CHAPTER 8
It was late evening by the time Quatre and Trowa arrived home from sopping at the mall. They'd spent tons of money on new clothes for Lina to wear to her new school. Quatre was especially excited over a cute blue sweater set he'd found on sale. He couldn't wait for Lina to wear it.
"Do you think she'll like it?" he asked for the twentieth time as Trowa pulled the car into the driveway.
Trowa sighed, "Quatre, you've asked me that about seven hundred times. I'm sure she'll like it. Now, help me unload the bags."
Duo, Heero, and Lina were sitting solemnly in the living room when Quatre happily burst in. Lordes rushed over, taking the seven bags from Quatre and wrangling them toward the stairs. Trowa followed Lordes, carrying nine bags of his own.
"You would not believe the cute outfits we got!" Quatre chirped happily. "There was a sale on sweater sets, so I . . . ." he trailed off noticing the expectant expression on Lina's face. "Lina-chan . . . what's wrong?"
Lina glanced up, then quickly reverted her eyes to the floor.
Quatre looked to Duo help. Duo shrugged. Heero punched Duo on the arm. Duo hissed in pain. Quatre cocked an eyebrow.
"Lina, sweetie, what's wrong?"
Lina shook her head and continued staring at the oriental carpet.
"Lina . . ." Quatre coaxed.
"Heero!" Lina looked pleadingly at her uncle. "I can't tell him! I-I just can't!"
"Tell me what?" Quatre said quizzically.
Heero drew in a long breath and looked to Duo. Duo pulled his legs up to his chest and just looked back at Heero. It was obvious Duo was playing dumb. Heero growled as he exhaled, shaking his head. "Quatre, sit down."
Quatre looked puzzled, but complied, "What happened today?"
Heero sighed again, "Lina got into a fight and is suspended from her new school. And I won't let her go back. I've decided that I will teach her myself. That way the events of today won't be repeated. Lina's first lesson was the lesson of keeping her mouth shut." Heero looked directly at Lina with those last words. She flushed and looked back at her feet.
Quatre looked flabbergasted. "SUSPENDED?!?! HOW?!?! WHY?!?!"
No one responded. Quatre stood up and paced the room, yanking at his hair. He looked up at the ceiling, "How Allah? How did this happen? Lina is such a gentle, quiet creature! Why are you changing her like this!"
Trowa reentered the room. He looked at Quatre, who was muttering and speaking words he'd never heard Quatre speak before. "Quatre?! What's wrong?"
"Lina . . . . suspended . . . .Heero teaching . . . .why? WHY!!!!!" Quatre left the room, muttering something about needed some really strong tea.
Trowa turned to Lina, "You got suspended?"
Lina nodded, her eyes started to water.
"But. . . . why?"
"They were making fun of you." Lina forced herself to say.
"What do you mean?" Trowa said as he sat down next to Lina.
"They were calling you guys names . . . ." she said as the first tears fell from her eyes.
"Tell the what they said, Lina." Heero coaxed.
Lina sighed and swallowed her tears. "TheycalledyoufagsandsoIpunchedaguyandthenIranawayandDuopickedmeupandIcamehome."
Somehow Trowa caught every word. He inhaled calmly and left the room. The others looked a each other, unsure of how to interpret Trowa's reaction, or lack there of.
"What the hell is wrong with them?"
They all looked to the doorway, where Wufei was standing, looking thoroughly confused.
Duo shrugged and smiled weakly. Lina wiped the tears from her eyes and sat up straight. Heero looked over the other two coolly and said with a smirk, "Lina got into a fight today. Apparently, she broke a kid's nose."
Wufei looked impressed. "Well, Lina, I'm glad you finally got to practice your self defense technique. I can teach you some more techniques if you'd like."
It was late evening by the time Quatre and Trowa arrived home from sopping at the mall. They'd spent tons of money on new clothes for Lina to wear to her new school. Quatre was especially excited over a cute blue sweater set he'd found on sale. He couldn't wait for Lina to wear it.
"Do you think she'll like it?" he asked for the twentieth time as Trowa pulled the car into the driveway.
Trowa sighed, "Quatre, you've asked me that about seven hundred times. I'm sure she'll like it. Now, help me unload the bags."
Duo, Heero, and Lina were sitting solemnly in the living room when Quatre happily burst in. Lordes rushed over, taking the seven bags from Quatre and wrangling them toward the stairs. Trowa followed Lordes, carrying nine bags of his own.
"You would not believe the cute outfits we got!" Quatre chirped happily. "There was a sale on sweater sets, so I . . . ." he trailed off noticing the expectant expression on Lina's face. "Lina-chan . . . what's wrong?"
Lina glanced up, then quickly reverted her eyes to the floor.
Quatre looked to Duo help. Duo shrugged. Heero punched Duo on the arm. Duo hissed in pain. Quatre cocked an eyebrow.
"Lina, sweetie, what's wrong?"
Lina shook her head and continued staring at the oriental carpet.
"Lina . . ." Quatre coaxed.
"Heero!" Lina looked pleadingly at her uncle. "I can't tell him! I-I just can't!"
"Tell me what?" Quatre said quizzically.
Heero drew in a long breath and looked to Duo. Duo pulled his legs up to his chest and just looked back at Heero. It was obvious Duo was playing dumb. Heero growled as he exhaled, shaking his head. "Quatre, sit down."
Quatre looked puzzled, but complied, "What happened today?"
Heero sighed again, "Lina got into a fight and is suspended from her new school. And I won't let her go back. I've decided that I will teach her myself. That way the events of today won't be repeated. Lina's first lesson was the lesson of keeping her mouth shut." Heero looked directly at Lina with those last words. She flushed and looked back at her feet.
Quatre looked flabbergasted. "SUSPENDED?!?! HOW?!?! WHY?!?!"
No one responded. Quatre stood up and paced the room, yanking at his hair. He looked up at the ceiling, "How Allah? How did this happen? Lina is such a gentle, quiet creature! Why are you changing her like this!"
Trowa reentered the room. He looked at Quatre, who was muttering and speaking words he'd never heard Quatre speak before. "Quatre?! What's wrong?"
"Lina . . . . suspended . . . .Heero teaching . . . .why? WHY!!!!!" Quatre left the room, muttering something about needed some really strong tea.
Trowa turned to Lina, "You got suspended?"
Lina nodded, her eyes started to water.
"But. . . . why?"
"They were making fun of you." Lina forced herself to say.
"What do you mean?" Trowa said as he sat down next to Lina.
"They were calling you guys names . . . ." she said as the first tears fell from her eyes.
"Tell the what they said, Lina." Heero coaxed.
Lina sighed and swallowed her tears. "TheycalledyoufagsandsoIpunchedaguyandthenIranawayandDuopickedmeupandIcamehome."
Somehow Trowa caught every word. He inhaled calmly and left the room. The others looked a each other, unsure of how to interpret Trowa's reaction, or lack there of.
"What the hell is wrong with them?"
They all looked to the doorway, where Wufei was standing, looking thoroughly confused.
Duo shrugged and smiled weakly. Lina wiped the tears from her eyes and sat up straight. Heero looked over the other two coolly and said with a smirk, "Lina got into a fight today. Apparently, she broke a kid's nose."
Wufei looked impressed. "Well, Lina, I'm glad you finally got to practice your self defense technique. I can teach you some more techniques if you'd like."