Disclaimer—Still own nothing
Shout-outs:
Lynn: You are so lazy! Leave me a real review next time!
Macu-Knight: Glad you like the story. About Zechs…I actually thought I did a pretty good job with him. It's getting harder and harder to keep everyone true to their canon personas, but I thought Zechs was okay. He can be cheerful when he wants to be, especially with Noin, since they are engaged. Glad you like the Heero-Zechs rivalry. It's there simply because Zechs is the over-protective big brother. I tried not to make it too extreme, though (ExtremistBigBrother!Zechs is kinda annoying).
RLD: Can I get an Amen? (In background: Amen!) And, about history class. None of the characters are in a 20th Century History class, so it'd be hard to do unless I can squeeze it into Heero's/Relena's/Dorothy's World Affairs class. I like the idea, though. Maybe I'll do a school assembly kind of thing. In any case, I'm looking forward to using the "Hath not a Jew eyes?" speech.
El Terrible Fizzy: Thank you (and RLD) for reading even though you're a Yaoi fan. (I personally really don't like Heero/Duo.) I myself used to think that everything bad was gone away, and then you read the news and…well, I needn't elaborate. Don't worry about sounding like a know-it-all; as Pat Benatar sang, "We've got a right to be angry." And yes, Hippies must survive (though the drugs and the not-bathing can die out if they want to).
Lost-Remembrance, Orphen27: Thank you both very much!
Author's Notes—
1) The story of the boy who took Pot laced with PCP is true.
2) Nuit is pronounced "Nwee", Aprés is "Ah-pray", Soir is "Swar", and Matin is "Mah-tahn".
3) In chapter one, I said that Nataku's grandparents left China in 1933, but in this chapter it's revealed that all of them except Duo had to take English as a Second Language. This is because Wufei's and Nataku's parents traveled back and forth between China and America (Why? You'll just have to find out later), and their children were actually born citizens of China. They lived there for four years until their parents' deaths (Why? You'll just have to find out later), and then were sent to America to live with relatives. Since they already spoke Chinese, they had to take ESL (English as a Second Language) in pre-school. If you're curious, Relena took ESL in pre-school (aged 2—she had already learned some Italian); Heero and Middie in elementary school (aged 8 and 10); Quatre and Dorothy in middle school (aged 13); Trowa and Hilde in high school (aged 14).
4) I made some changes in the previous chapters. One is minor (They went to Friendly's instead of IHOP) but the other is major—the Quaker church is the Maxwell Church.
December 7th, 2004 Part Six
10: 57 PM—FRIENDLY'S PARKING LOT
Middie looked at the lit cigarette in between her index and middle fingers, and tossed it away nervously. Her father and brothers told her that it was a disgusting habit that she needed to kick, and while she wholeheartedly agreed, it was the only thing she could take to keep her from a complete mental breakdown without getting high. At one point in time she had been tempted to take something stronger, and then she had heard the story of the boy who had taken Pot laced with PCP and consequently dug out his own eyeballs. As much as she thought her world was ugly, she still wanted to see it.
She was just glad that work had ended before it had gotten further into the night. She didn't trust the men she worked for farther than she could throw a U-Haul truck. Agitated, she pulled another cigarette out of her pocket. She'd smoked once in front of Trowa—as a 10-year-old, for Heaven's sake—and he'd stared at her with his cool, unwavering, disdainful, emerald gaze that could make a dictator quiver in his boots. She had to admit to herself that she didn't like emeralds very much; she preferred aventurines.
She looked up as a van pulled into the parking lot. Her first instinct was that some tourists were stopping for a bite to eat, but her stomach did a flip-flop as she saw who was exiting the car. Relena was shutting the driver's door, talking over the car to Hilde, who had moved out of Duo's lap as he climbed out of the front passenger seat. Relena turned to face the back as Heero stepped out, chattering animatedly as he nodded. The trunk popped open as Nataku decided she didn't want to wait for the back door on her side to be opened, and Wufei clambered out after her. Trowa was exiting the back door. Middie's chest seemed to fill with lead as she saw him turn and help Quatre climb out of the middle backseat.
"H-hey," Middie called, quietly at first, and then, "Hey!" She waved her arm. "Relena!"
Relena looked over. "Oh, Middie!" She waved back.
Trowa gave Relena a hard look. "Why's she here?"
"I invited her." Seeing Trowa's look, her back stiffened. "Just relax, Trowa. I like her, so I'll talk with her, but you don't have to if you don't want to, okay?"
Trowa looked meditative for a second, and then nodded. Relena was never unreasonable, so he subconsciously decided he shouldn't be either.
The group and Middie met half-way. Middie caught Trowa looking at the cigarette in her hand, and suddenly it felt like a ten-pound weight.
"You smoke?" Relena and Dorothy asked simultaneously, the former disgusted and the latter curious.
"Occasionally," Middie said, tossing the cigarette aside. "When I'm stressed out."
"Why, what have you been doing?" Dorothy queried.
"I just got off work. My boss sucks. My co-workers do, too." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the half-empty pack. "I'll toss these if you don't like it."
"Would you?" Relena asked. "Sorry, but my grandmother smoked, and she has a hole in her neck because of it."
"Yeah, it's not a problem," Middie answered. "Well, let's go in."
There was a jumbled-up agreement and the group started in the direction of the restaurant. Middie felt a presence building behind her, and wasn't surprised but still startled when Trowa grabbed her arm.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Yeah," Middie said, biting back hesitation. "Hey, guys? Me and Trowa wanna talk."
"Oh, okay, we'll save you some seats," Duo offered.
"I'll wait in the vestibule for you, so I can lead you to our seats," Quatre offered, glancing worriedly at Trowa and Middie. Middie bit back a sad smile. Quatre's face was telltale of his emotions—his face was exactly like hers.
The others passed through the vestibule. As soon as the door shut behind him, Trowa tightened his grip on her wrist and turned her around.
"You're still smoking," he said accusingly. "Are you still working for them?"
Middie looked away guiltily.
Trowa's voice seemed almost inaudible with pent-up anger. "After everything that happened, you're still working for them."
"Well, what am I supposed to do, Trowa, huh?" she snapped. Out of habit, she laced a cigarette between her index and middle fingers. "Don't you think I've tried to break it off? Why do you think we moved overseas? But did you know they're international? You know the real reason why I transferred to this school? I tried to back out, and Nuit was attacked, and he had to go to the hospital. He was attacked, Trowa! Nuit is eight years old. I didn't even know about them when I was eight." Middie put the cigarette in her mouth, but her shaking lips couldn't support it, and she took it out.
Trowa reached out and took the cigarette from her hand. "Stop smoking. You're killing your lungs."
"That your idea of comfort?" Middie asked sarcastically, but allowed him to take it. "You know, I never felt the exact feeling you did when the Captain died, but I was pretty frickin' close to it when Nuit was hospitalized. His heart was beating so slowly…" Tears started in her eyes. "We thought he was going to die…" A tear spilled over from her eye and cascaded down her cheek. She didn't bother wiping it away.
"Don't cry, Middie." Hesitantly, Trowa reached forward and wiped her tear away.
"Well, what else can I do? I'm stuck in Hell for life, and probably Hell after I die, too."
"First of all, you should calm down," Trowa said straight-forwardly. "Second of all, you should come inside and get something in you before you pass out."
"Thanks for the concern," Middie said bitterly. She turned away.
"I didn't think I could forgive you," Trowa said simply, quietly, after a moment.
"Yeah? What about now?"
Trowa shrugged. "Maybe." He thought of Cathy and her already fragile health, if someone had attacked her and put her in the hospital…he had already lost two fathers and a mother, he couldn't lose a sister, too.
"Trowa? Do you think we could ever be friends again?" Middie asked quietly.
"I don't know." Trowa glanced away. "We should get going. You need food, and they'll be getting worried."
"Yeah, especially Quatre, huh?" Middie snorted under her breath.
"What was that?"
"I said, "especially Quatre"," Middie replied.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Are you that blind? Do you really not get that he likes you?"
Something like a rock seemed to hit Trowa from within the face. "What?"
"He likes you, Trowa. As in, wants to be boyfriend-and-boyfriend with you."
Trowa grabbed Middie's forearm so tightly that her skin began to turn dark red. He spun her around and looked her in the face. "Don't talk about that. You have no idea what would happen to him if that got out—"
"Wait. You know?"
"I know," Trowa affirmed, dropping his arm. "I knew you loved me when we were ten, and I know he loves me now. You haven't been here for the past two years; you don't know how close to getting queer-bashed he already is. You know how much danger you're in right now? He'd be in that same amount of danger if they knew he liked somebody, especially if that somebody is his best friend."
"What about you?" Middie questioned. "Do you like him back?"
"That's personal," Trowa said firmly.
"I think you do."
"I think the conversation's closed," Trowa said tightly.
"Fine, fine. I won't tell anyone that he likes you," Middie said. "Though I think it's pretty obvious…"
"Come on, Middie," Trowa interrupted. "Some food will do you better than a cigarette and prying into my love life."
"Blunt as always," Middie said, smiling sadly. "Nice to see some things haven't changed."
11: 15 PM—NON-SMOKING TABLE
"Can I get you started off with something to drink?"
"Sylvia, I didn't know you worked here," Heero said, looking at the waitress.
"Oh, hey, Heero, guys," Sylvia Noventa said, smiling. "Yeah, I just started. I'm paying rent now, so…" She trailed off.
"I'm sorry about what happened," Quatre offered. Sylvia was in the Orchestra, one of the few straight, non-homophobes in the class.
"Oh, it's okay." Sylvia sighed. "Brian can't get out of school. It would've been nice to have him around…It's sad, but I do like supporting myself. So, anyway, can I start you off with anything to drink?"
"A Pepsi," Heero ordered.
"I'll have a Grape Soda," Duo said, raising his hand slightly.
"Me, too," Hilde said, doing the same thing.
"I'll have a Root Beer," Wufei and Nataku said simultaneously.
Sylvia smiled as she scribbled on her pad. She'd secretly been a fan of the two of them—she was one of the starry-eyed love-hate romancers that Nataku detested—and loved any moments that would permit her to squeal over their "relationship".
"Hot Lipton," Trowa ordered.
"Coffee, black," Dorothy said.
"I'll have a Coke, please," Relena ordered politely.
"A Cherry Coke for me, thanks," came from Quatre, on the same vein.
"And I'll have a Brisk Iced Tea, with a lemon," Middie ordered.
"You're the new girl," Sylvia said, glancing at Middie as she wrote down her order. "What's your name? Minnie?"
""Middie"," Middie corrected. "M-I-D-D-I-E."
"It's a pretty name," Sylvia complimented, shoving her pen in her waist pouch. "I'll be back with your drinks to get your order." She waved and turned away.
"Who was she?" Middie asked.
"Sylvia Noventa," Heero supplied. "She's not close, but she's nice. Brian's her boyfriend; he's at West Point. Her grandparents died last month—she lived with them, so now she's living on her own."
"And Heero had a thing for her in Sophomore year," Duo muttered loud enough for all to hear.
Heero glared at Duo with the glare that could make flowers wilt. "I did not."
"Oh, that's right, Heero's never had a thing for anyone but Relena," Duo amended.
"Duo!" Relena squeaked, her face pink.
"Tell me it isn't true," Duo challenged.
"Come on, Duo, that's not cool," Nataku admonished.
"All right, all right, I got it, I'll stop," Duo acknowledged begrudgingly. He picked up his menu and looked at it. "All right, guys, I haven't eaten since this morning and I'm starving. This double cheeseburger looks inviting. What do you think, babe?"
"I'm kinda in the mood for a soft taco tonight, I don't know why," Hilde said, glancing at Duo's menu. "How about you guys?"
"The usual fruit salad for me," Quatre said.
"They have other vegetarian stuff here, you know," Wufei said.
"I know, but I love the fruit salad here."
"I like the idea of that double cheeseburger, Duo," Nataku said, looking at the picture on the menu. She pointed at it. "I'm sorry, but—"
"There is no way a cheeseburger can get that big," she and Wufei said in unison. They looked at each other, both looking a little embarrassed that they once again had been thinking the same thing.
Relena coughed to distract the others. "I'm in favor of the cheese quesadillas," she said, pointing at the name on the menu.
"I'm actually in the mood for a sandwich," Middie said. "The BLT looks nice…what?" Middie found all eyes looking at her. "What?"
"You don't know," Relena said, "but we don't eat pork or shellfish when we eat out together."
"Why not?" Middie asked, perplexed.
"Hilde's Jewish and Quatre's Muslim, so they both keep kosher," Heero explained, not looking up from his menu.
"Yeah, you should see Quatre's face when he sees pork, it practically turns green," Duo put in.
"Wait, I don't get it," Middie said. "Why don't you eat those things?"
"It's a religious thing," Quatre explained. "I don't know about shellfish—I'm allowed to eat it—but pig is considered "unclean" because it eats its own…feces."
"And we are not having this conversation while we're eating," Nataku said.
"I made the same mistake the first time we all went out together; don't worry about it," Dorothy said, looking over at Middie. "Why don't you just order some soup? That's what I'm doing."
"What kind?" Middie asked.
"Cream of mushroom."
"Oh, that sounds good," Middie said. Suddenly, she gasped. "I just thought of something…are we going Dutch?"
"Oh, I knew I forgot to tell you something!" Relena said self-belittlingly. "We all go Dutch, nearly all the time."
"Oh, this sucks. I don't get paid till next week."
"Tell you what," Dorothy said. "Switch spots with Relena, and we'll split my soup."
"Seriously?" Middie asked.
"Yeah, I never finish it on my own anyway," Dorothy said. "Switch now before Sylvia gets back."
"Thanks a bunch," Middie said, standing up with Relena. They switched seats, and Middie pulled her chair over closer to Dorothy.
"That reminds me," Duo said. "I didn't go to work today, I didn't get paid."
"Uh-oh," Hilde said, stricken. "I only have enough for one person."
"Do you wanna do what Dorothy and Middie are doing?" Duo asked. "We'll just split a taco if you want."
"Unless you really wanted that cheeseburger," Hilde offered.
"Nah, we should eat light anyway. We're going to eat when we get back to the church."
"Why are you going to a church?" Middie asked, looking baffled.
"We should just tell her our entire life stories," Duo joked. "I live in the Quaker church in Dupont Circle. They adopted me when I was seven."
"Wow, there's a lot of stuff I need to find out about you guys," Middie commented.
"First tell us about you," Quatre said. "Favorite things, dreams, relatives..."
"Religion, political views, you know, things like that," Duo added, smiling drolly.
Middie gave a short bark of a laugh. "Okay, my favorite colors are green and black, I like bobcats and chameleons, I love aventurines—those're reddish-purple jewels—and I like my Gameboy. I want to be an editor for a magazine and travel the world. I live with my dad, Matin, my cousin, Lady, and my three little brothers—Nuit is eight, Soir is thirteen, and Aprés is fifteen. I'm not religious, but my entire family is Quaker, so I'll be seeing you on Sunday, Duo. I wanna shoot those people who're trying to legalize Pot. That a good introduction?"
"Yep, that's pretty good," Duo said.
"Those people who are trying to legalize Pot—my grandfather's one of them," Dorothy said.
"Oh…" Middie's face flushed. "But, Pot is Pot. It's a drug, it shouldn't be legal."
Dorothy shrugged. "It's just a matter of fact. Everyone's got a different opinion."
"What's your opinion?" Middie asked curiously.
"It doesn't matter if it's legal or not. All that matters is if you're the idiot who takes it." Dorothy folded up her menu. "Sylvia's coming back."
True to Dorothy's word, Sylvia appeared at the table, balancing a tray of drinks and a small folding table.
"Coke…Cherry Coke…Pepsi…Brisk…Root Beer, Root Beer…Grape Soda, Grape Soda…" Sylvia checked off in a whisper as she laid the drinks in front of them. She then settled the tray on the folding table and placed two cups on the table, one in front of Dorothy and the other in front of Trowa. "Unsweetened, right?" she asked as she poured Dorothy's coffee.
"Yeah."
"You too, Trowa?"
Trowa nodded as Sylvia poured boiling water into a cup and placed a tea bag into it. She then whipped out her notepad and pen. "Ready to order?"
"Hilde and I are splitting a soft-shell taco," Duo said.
"The fruit salad, thanks," Quatre ordered.
"The cheese quesadillas, please," Relena said from just underneath Sylvia.
"The double cheeseburger," Wufei and Nataku said at the same time. "Will you stop that?" they yelled at each other, again in unison.
Sylvia giggled.
"Shut up," the pair snapped sullenly, once more simultaneous.
"Sorry, sorry," Sylvia said, trying to straighten her face. "How about you, Dorothy?"
"Middie and I are splitting a Cream of Mushroom."
"Oh, that's nice of you," Sylvia said absently, scribbling on her pad. "Unusual for you, but…"
"Oh, so I'm stingy?" Dorothy asked, feigning indignity.
"Oh, no, I've just never seen you share before," Sylvia said. "Hoping to ensnare the poor new girl in a sordid love affair?"
"That's what I always do, isn't it?" Dorothy said flippantly, tossing her hair.
"Sure is," Sylvia laughed. "How about the rest of you guys?"
"I'm not really hungry, I'll just have a Caesar Salad," Trowa ordered quietly.
"I want the fried chicken," Heero concluded, closing his menu and handing it off to Sylvia. The others followed suite. Sylvia lifted the tray and closed up the folding table. With the grace that only comes from being a waitress, she managed to balance all the objects as she walked through the cramped, narrow aisle.
"Oh, Sylvia just reminded me," Relena said. "Do you have a job, Middie?"
Middie's blood seemed to ice over for a few seconds. She picked up her iced tea and took a swift drink. The buying of time did not go unnoticed by a pair of crystal blue eyes.
"Yeah, I work at the McDonald's," Middie said, once her gulp had been swallowed. "You guys?"
"I'm my father's secretary," Relena said.
"Pretty much the same here," Quatre offered. "My dad runs a construction company, so I help out around the construction site sometimes, too."
"Well, as for me, I have two jobs," Duo put forward. "One of them is my own business and I ain't tellin' you, so quit prying. The other one is my Industry class. I work at the MAACO."
"Speaking of, has my car been totally demolished yet, or is it still recognizable?" Nataku asked. "And don't think we're done digging, Duo."
"Nice use of alliteration," Duo commented. "No, your car is still a car, you just exhausted the engine and you need a new one. You'll be getting the bill soon enough. And dig all you want, I ain't telling you what it is."
"Can you at least tell us why?" Heero asked.
"Wait, what?" Middie interjected.
"Duo's got a job that he won't tell anyone about," Trowa explained, though he noticeably did not make eye contact with Middie. That also did not go unnoticed by Dorothy.
"He won't even tell me, and he knows how much that ticks me off," Hilde muttered darkly, angrily, any joking manner she was using to put up as a front overpowered by her almost visible frustration.
"Are you a drug-pusher?" Dorothy asked.
"No, he's not," Middie said. She looked thoughtful. "I mean, if he was a drug-pusher, I really doubt he'd look that healthy."
"There is absolutely no way Duo pushes drugs, because he knows that I would shoot him myself if I ever caught him," Hilde said, almost snappishly.
"I am not a drug-pusher!" Duo yelped, looking exasperated, redness creeping up into his face. "And would you guys please just drop it? I shouldn't have tell you about it if I don't want you to know!"
There was a small, uncomfortable silence. Everyone's eyes were darting around, looking at everyone else's. Then—
"Was that out-of-character or what?" Duo said, flashing a smile asking for mutual forgiveness. "Look, I'm sorry, but this is too personal. You don't have any business knowing what it is."
"Look, Duo's right, we should drop it, it's not our business," Quatre said. "We're making Middie uncomfortable, too."
"Huh? Oh, no you're not. I don't care," Middie said acquiescingly, shaking her head.
"Still, it's a bad conversation to have," Quatre insisted. "And we never finished describing our jobs to you. Quick, do it before Sylvia comes back."
"Heero and I are student-teachers at the fencing school near the mall," Dorothy proffered. "It's a lost art."
"It's just a job," Heero countered. "And it's good training for when I'm in the military. Despite what everyone thinks, there's still hand-to-hand combat going on."
"Then shouldn't you be learning martial arts, instead?" Trowa questioned softly.
"I already know them. Odin taught me when I was a little kid."
"Who's Odin?" Middie asked.
"My stepfather," Heero answered.
"I should be writing this down," Middie joked weakly.
"I'm a student-teacher, as well," Wufei said. "I work at a dojo."
"My grandfather's dojo to be precise, and I work there, too," Nataku said. "Nice of you to remember."
"What's up with you two?" Middie asked, looking at them confusedly. "Did you two have a fight or something?"
"We are not dating!" Wufei and Nataku yelled in unison.
Middie flinched. "Okay, okay, you're not dating, I got it. You just act like you're a couple who had a fight."
"Wait 'till we're eighteen, then we'll be a couple who has fights," Wufei muttered darkly.
"We have to get married when we're legal or we'll get kicked out of our families," Nataku explained sullenly. "Frickin' stupid parents…frickin' stupid tradition…"
Middie blinked. "Okay…not asking."
"We're kind of a scary group," Relena said apologetically. "We all have…issues. I think we all managed to drift together because of that."
"Not to mention that all of us except Duo had to take English as a second language," Trowa commented mildly.
"Yeah, that's one thing I don't share with you guys," Duo said. "So I don't know how I fit in with this group. I only have issues." He paused, and his joking manner was suddenly replaced with a frown, and then with a sad look. He bit his thumbnail again, his eyes seeming to faze out. Hilde touched his arm, and then her hand traveled downward to squeeze his own hand. He blinked and shook his head. "Sorry for that. Just thinking, and it's difficult for me to think."
"Oh, sure it is. That's why you're in four AP classes," Hilde said sarcastically.
"You're in those four same classes," Duo reminded her.
Hilde paused. "I'm not sure if that was an insult or a statement, Duo. I think I'll smack your head just to be safe."
Duo dodged her flying palm and grinned at her. "It was a statement."
"Pleading? That won't work." Hilde grabbed him by the back of the head and smacked his skull with her free hand. "There. Justice is served."
"And I now have brain damage." Duo went cross-eyed and wobbled his head.
"Always flirting," a female voice observed. Sylvia had returned with their order. "You two should just tie the knot and get it over with," she remarked, placing Relena's order in front of her.
"Someday," Duo and Hilde said in unison, reaching forward as if one arm to grab their order.
"Speaking of getting married," Relena said, "what about my brother and Noin?"
"Explain?" Middie asked, almost timidly. Getting involved in this group was more than she had bargained for. She had just barely learned all their names and now they were blatantly advertising their autobiographies. 'It must be nice,' she suddenly thought, 'to be able to blab your life story without thinking about it.'
"My brother and his fiancé just came home from Iraq—they're both soldiers—to get married the day after Christmas," Relena said, absolutely glowing with pride and happiness. "They invited us all to the wedding just before we left to come here."
"I've never been to a wedding," Middie said.
"Well, stick around after the meeting on Sunday and you'll see it," Duo said. "They're getting married in my church. Different minister, though."
"I want to be a reverend," Sylvia said unexpectedly.
"That so?" Heero asked, glancing at her.
"Sorry, that was random. And yeah, I do." She put down the last plate of food. "That's why I'm working so late, I need to save money for divinity school."
"You'll be a good reverend," Relena complimented sincerely.
"Thanks." Sylvia straightened up. "See you guys later."
"'Bye," was the unanimous chorus as Sylvia waved and walked away.
"So, anyway, Hilde and I are going to be bridesmaids…"
