A/N: I'm back again. I hope you guys like this so far. It had come to my attention that Baton Rouge is spelled with only one 't.' My apologies go to anyone who lives there. Also, to anyone who's wondering, this takes place sometime after Kikoutei
A Fine Line Between Love and Hate
KiahWMConnie
Chapter 2: Who is She?
Rowen walked down the sidewalk, deep in thought.
'What was Maria talking about? Rhonda was a total ice cube,' he sighed, 'Americans… they're so weird.'
When he got home, he plopped onto his bed. Thank goodness he didn't have any homework tonight. He was about to go to sleep, but his stomach said otherwise as it growled. Rowen sighed.
He went to the refrigerator and took out a frozen TV dinner. He set it in the microwave and pressed the buttons.
Rowen chuckled to himself and thought, 'Rowen, old boy, when you get married, you'd better find yourself a good cook. If not, you'll be eating this crap for the rest of your life.'
Rowen took in a deep breath, 'This little apartment has gotten so quiet. Dad's been at work more than usual lately.'
The dinner was still icy in the microwave. Rowen might as well check the answering machine.
beep Hey, man. It's Ryo. Me and Cye were lookin' for ya after school. You left your math folder in my locker. Talk to ya later! beep
beep Rowen? It's Maria. Listen, I think I made you mad today. I'm really sorry if I said anything wrong or hurtful. Heh, you know me. Always talking before I speak! I'll see you tomorrow if you're not mad at me. beep
Rowen smiled. How boring would life be without his friends?
beep Rowen, honey? It's me, your mother.
Rowen froze dead in his tracks.
I'm coming into town in a couple of weeks for a business trip. I thought I'd drop by to see how you two were doing. I'm still not too sure of the details, but I'll let you know. I can't wait to see how much my boy has grown! I have to go now. Good-bye! beep
Rowen was silent and still. His mother was coming? In just a few weeks? It was a bit much for him to take in. He sat in the nearest chair. His mother was coming, he finally conformed. He guessed it was about two or three years since either of them last saw her. It was probably just as well that his parents did not meet often, as it would probably result in another argument.
Rowen almost didn't hear the microwave beeper go off.
Rhonda fumbled with the keys at her door. She finally got it opened and flung her bag through the entrance. She was finally home.
"Danny! I'm home!" she called out.
"When's dinner?" she heard in reply and had to giggle. That was her little brother for you.
'Liz should be home soon.'
Rhonda made her way to Danny's room. His room was recognizable by the KEEP OUT signs on his door. She knocked and slowly entered…well, almost.
She actually had to shove the door open because of all the junk. Danny and she were very different when it came to taste in décor. Rhonda's room was very neat and well kept. Danny on the other hand…
"Danny, how's pizza sound for dinner?"
"Fine with me." He replied, sucked into his car magazine.
The phone rang. Rhonda left him to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Rhonda? It's me."
"Hey, Liz!"
"Hey, sis. Listen, I have some bad news. Tayla called in sick and I have to work late tonight and possibly tomorrow."
"Oh…" Rhonda said.
"I'm on my break right now. Do you need me to run and get you and Danny something to eat?"
"No it's okay, I'll just order pizza."
"Okay, how was you're first day at school?"
"Pretty good, actually. I think I met a new friend. Her name's Maria; she's from America too."
"Oh, that's great! You'll have to tell me all about it later. I have to go now. Bye-bye!"
Rhonda smiled as she set the phone back on the hook.
'Ah, Liz,' she thought, 'You do too much for this family. You're not superwoman. You're just twenty.'
Her thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing, again. Liz must've forgotten something.
"Hello?"
"Rhonda? It's Maria."
"Hey, Maria! What's up?"
"Would you like to come over?"
"I'd love to, but I'm stuck watching my little brother."
"Oh," Maria replied, sounding discouraged, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye!"
Rhonda rubbed her eyes. They'd only been in Odawara for two weeks and so much had already happened. It's funny how destiny works sometimes.
Rowen sat at his desk, very sleepy. How he wished he could be at home right now, in bed. His mind was still focused on his mother. He remembered when he was younger…
FLASHBACK:
The little boy with blue hair came in crying. His mother rushed over to him. She was in a dark blue, woman's business suit, high heels, and pearls.
"Rowen! Honey! What's wrong!"
"Ma...ma," he spoke through sobs, "I hurt my leg outside," he pointed to his bleeding shin.
"Ooh, that looks pretty bad. Let's get you washed up," she picked up her sobbing child and carried him to the sink. She set him down on the counter.
"It doesn't seem too deep, but we had better get it cleaned."
She gently placed a wet cloth on his leg. Rowen winced, but only for a moment. She wiped off the excess blood from the scrape.
"I swear how a four-year-old boy can get into so much mischief is beyond me."
"I tripped and fell on some rocks. It wasn't my fault," he sniffed.
She giggled, "Oh, Rowen, you are so much like your father…so smart and cute," she tickled his nose which made him giggle as well, "Oh, dear! I'm late for my appointment. I'll see you tonight dear."
"Hm?" he replied. He wanted her to stay! But before he could say anything, she was gone.
Suddenly a dark figure appeared before him. After shouting "Take this, you worthless boy!" he threw a stack of papers at the terrified Rowen. They hit him and knocked him off the counter. He could only hear the sound of him laughing. In his confusion, he could see the writing on the paper; they all read, "DIVORCE".
"Wake up, Rowen!" he heard someone scream, "Wake up!"
"WHAM!" Rowen awoke extremely startled. He could hear the sounds of others snickering. He looked up to see an extremely irritated teacher. He then looked at the dictionary on his desk that had woken him up.
"You were sleeping in class again, Mr. Hashiba," she fumed.
'No kidding,' he thought right before the bell rang, 'Stupid dream. Why did it have to bring it back?'
A/N: I know it's been a while. But there's a reason. I was planning to update Monday, but because of my other story, "The Ronin Song," I was put on hold until 3/7. TT It was so frustrating because I went to check the rules to see if it was okay, only to find it had been deleted about two hours earlier. TT WHY!
I'm cool now though. I've learned my lesson and have accepted the punishment and the crime as my responsibility. Thank you to all of those who liked my story and supported it. Sorry it was a failure.
Now that I'm off my soapbox, I can talk about happy spring break! You guys will most likely get a few more updates. Now you can all rejoice…or cry…whatever floats your boat.
