Chapter 12: Family Feud
AAAHHH!
"Mother! You cannot do this!" I practically yelled.
"I'm sorry honey, but this is for your own benefit. It'll teach you survival skills," my mother said, her evil mind at work again.
"Is this because I didn't kill that cockroach this morning? You saw it! It was big and ugly!" I protested. "There's no reason why you couldn't have done it instead of me."
My mother sighed.
A few seconds ago she informed me she wanted to send me to 'Ironback Survival Camp'. The torture! Why me? I didn't need survival camp. I've survived most of my first year in high school and teenagers are vicious (like animals). Isn't that nature enough for you?
But no! My mother wanted to send me to some survival camp because it would teach me the tools needed to survive in the real world. Please! I'll have maids by the time I'm 30 because I'll be running a huge software company. I don't need survival skills. Those are for losers!
Just then my father came in with his briefcase. He uncoiled his tie and sighed as he sat down on his armchair. He put his feet up on the coffee table but that was only rewarded with a disapproving glare from my mother.
"Dad! Tell mom she can't do this," I whined, giving him my puppy dog eyes.
Unfortunately he was too tired to notice them. He waved his hand and tiredly mumbled, "Haley, listen to your mother. She knows best."
"But dad!" I whined.
Yet through all my whining my father was too tired to listen. My mother went over to him and put a pillow behind his head. She patted his back and soothingly said, "There, there, honey. It's ok, I'm here."
For some reason I thought that perhaps my parents were plotting this. Max was going to soccer camp and I'd be at Ironback. It would be the perfect opportunity for them to be alone together without us kids to bother them. Fat chance that would happen! Why would I risk my happiness just for them?
"This is SO unfair!" I yelled and ran up the stairs to my room where I slammed the door loud enough for them to hear downstairs. I wanted them to know just how frustrated and enraged I felt.
I lay on my bed, fuming at my mother. I got good grades, I never talked back to my elders, I had good behavior in school, I never did drugs, and I never cursed. Of course now I was reconsidering the last part. I stuffed my head in my pillow and made a frustrated groan.
A knock on the door caused me to take my head away from the pillow. I sighed, "Come in."
In walked my mother with a happy grin on her face. Obviously she knew she had won the little battle between us. She sat down at the foot of my bed and smoothed out her pants. She spoke, "Haley, dear, now listen to me. I know you don't like this, but this experience might be fun for you. It'll teach you the ways of the outdoors. Plus, I'm the one who gives you your allowance. If you don't cooperate then … well … you get the idea."
OH MY GOSH! Are you kidding me? My own mother was blackmailing me!
I crossed my arms and looked away from her and nodded. I moaned, "Fine."
"Good. Now come downstairs. I'm making fish," she smiled, reverting back to her mother attitude. With that she left my room and I made a face at the thought of seafood. For some reason my mother had a different theme every week. Last week was Japanese food. This week was seafood. I HATED seafood and not to mention we had a lot of leftover sushi from last week.
To my dismay, sushi night was a big hit with the Fujioka Family and my mother just had to insist they come over this night too. This just added to my horror. Taryn Fujioka and I were the complete opposites. She was preppy, primp, and gossipy. All she wanted to talk about were her friends, but not the way you'd think. She wanted to talk something bad about them behind their backs. What kind of friend is that? But considering Taryn, they probably talked about her behind her back too. Taryn even talked about Jean behind her back.
When the doorbell rang and since nobody was around to answer it, I did. I opened the door and greeted the three Fujiokas. "Hello. Please, come in."
I had a fake smile on, so Dad was forced to have one too. Like me, he didn't like the Fujioka Family very much either. They just seemed to fake. And they acted so superior to us. So they had a little more cash than us, that didn't prove they were better people.
Mr. Fujioka was a car dealer and he was talking to my dad about buying a car last time he was here. Since my dad didn't need a new car he refused. Mr. Fujioka had an expression on his face that looked like 'well, you guys are poor so I was probably crazy to try and sell a car to you anyway.' That really set my dad off but luckily my mom was there to cool him off.
Mrs. Fujioka wasn't perfect either. My mom tried VERY hard to try and get along with her, which was probably why she kept inviting them to our house. They were our neighbors after all. And they were the first people we met when we first moved to Bayville. Plus my mom was in a book club with her.
While Max was setting the table I was sitting on the couch with Taryn who was practically babbling on and on about some girl named Liza she really disliked. Taryn wasn't dumb so I couldn't call her an airhead. I guess I could call her someone who really wants revenge. Apparently Liza was going out with her ex-boyfriend a week after they broke up. I didn't care but Taryn went on and on. Then she began talking about another girl named Maura.
Finally, once mom was finished with the fish, everyone scrambled to the dinner table. The fish was in the middle and other dishes were placed around it. I didn't like seafood very much. I couldn't eat it even if it looked this decorative, so I forced myself even though I felt like barfing.
Taryn could see I was looking a little green so she leaned over and asked, "Are you ok?"
I nodded.
Suddenly the room was quiet when Mr. Fujioka began chocking. Apparently something was stuck in his throat. He began gagging. He stood up and literally began gagging!
"Oh my god! He's chocking!" his wife shrieked. Taryn stood up as well looking helplessly at her father.
I knew my father couldn't do anything about it, but my mother could. No offense to my father but my mother was the real savior in the family. Once in San Francisco my mom was in the supermarket and some robbers held it up. Then a pregnant lady began to go into labor and my mom helped her give birth. Then my mom talked the robbers into giving up into the police. All that and she was able to make it to my parent/teacher conference. Yep. My mom was a real hero.
"Stand back!" my mom declared. She began giving Mr. Fujioka the Heimlich maneuver.
Apparently a fish bone was stuck in his throat. It zoomed across the room and hit Taryn right in the face.
"You tried to murder my husband!" Mrs. Fujioka accused.
"What? I just saved his life! If it weren't for me he'd have to go to the emergency room. How would that look on your reputation Mary? 'Husband Almost Dies Because He Can't Eat a Fish Properly'," my mom retorted.
Mrs. Fujioka gasped, "How dare you! You…you…murderer!"
My mother was just about to say something when suddenly my father intervened. He stood in front of mom like her knight in shining armor and spoke, "Don't you ever dare call this woman a murderer. It was obviously an accident on your husband's part. It happens. Now I want you to apologize to her."
"Don't you talk to my wife like that," Mr. Fujioka said, standing in front of his own wife. "At least she isn't white trash like you."
"Wife? How can you respect her when she's wearing that? She looks like a prostitute!" my father retorted.
Max and I had the urge to laugh because it was true. Mrs. Fujioka may not have worn the skimpiest clothes but she sure did wear a lot of makeup. Every one of our mouths was hanging open.
Suddenly Mr. Fujioka raised his fist and it met right on target with my father's eye.
"Mark!" my mother cried
"Harry!" Mrs. Fujioka screamed.
My father went down, but not long after he was on his feet again and threw a fist at Mr. Fujioka's nose. Now my father and Mr. Fujioka were at it. Max and I had never seen our father fight like that before. In fact we had never seen him fight AT ALL. Apparently Taryn had never seen this before either. My mom and Mrs. Fujioka were trying to separate their husbands from killing each other. In the process they started yelling at each other.
"Stop it father! You're embarrassing me!" Taryn shrieked.
"Well if your mother hadn't called my mother a murderer, then this wouldn't have happened. All she needed to do was apologize," I said.
"Your mom is a murderer. Where'd she learn to cook? Prison?" Taryn asked.
I gasped. Anger boiled inside of me. My mother was a GREAT cook. No, she was an OUTSTANDING cook.
"Get her Hales!" Max cheered.
Instantly, I lunged at Taryn and pinned her to the ground.
"OW! Ow! Ow!" Taryn yelled as I elbowed her in the ribs.
"Apologize," I commanded.
"No," Taryn said and she rolled over so that now I was on the bottom. She began pulling at my finely combed blonde hair, so in return I grabbed her hair. The lights were going on and off and I knew it was coming from me. My anger was causing the lights to act this volatile probably because I was angry myself.
Taryn and I began wrestling each other and finally our parents pulled us apart from each other. Apparently my father and Mr. Fujioka were done fighting.
"This means war Woodrow," Taryn cried.
"Come along Taryn! We're leaving!" Mrs. Fujioka said and pulled her daughter toward the door.
"You should probably pay your electricity bill," Mr. Fujioka sneered. My father glared but he knew better than to start beating him up again.
Max ran over and opened the door for them. Once each member of the Fujioka family had departed he slammed the door shut and sighed, "Good riddance."
My mother had brought an ice pack and gave it to my father. He put it to his eye while my mother was bandaging up his arm.
"Wow dad! I've never seen moves like that before!" Max exclaimed.
"Well, your old man used to be on the wrestling team in high school," my father boasted.
My mother shook her head. "Look at the example you've put for Max."
"They deserve it. I don't know why we put up with them in the beginning," my father said, shaking his head.
"Their out neighbors," my mom said, stating the obvious.
"Neighbors or not, it doesn't mean we have to take that kind of abuse," my father said.
Max sat on a dinner table chair and spoke, "That was so weird how the lights kept going on and off."
"You can say that again," I laughed sheepishly.
We stayed downstairs for a while, talking, when finally Max and I were put to sleep upstairs. While my mother was tucking me in bed I thought back to when Mr. Fujioka had said, "You should probably pay your electricity bill." The nerve of that guy!
"Now Haley I'm not going to ground you for what you did today, but I don't want to see that kind of display again, understand? I don't want you to go to school to fight bad guys. I want you to go to learn and get good grades and make the occasional boyfriend," my mother said.
"Mom!" I said.
"I'm not embarrassing you am I? We're not even in the public yet," my mother winked.
I rolled my eyes. She kissed my forehead and turned off the lamp on my bedside table. She walked out the door and closed it halfway, just the way I liked it. I couldn't sleep though. I stood up and walked over to the window. I had a good view of the Fujioka house and what should a bored mutant girl do when she can't go to sleep?
Closing my eyes, I concentrated my hands on the Fujioka house, which was brightly lit, contrary to our own house. We totally paid our electricity bills! I couldn't say the same for them however. The Fujioka house light flickered on and off. I could only do one room at a time and that already took way too much out of me.
Funny how I was finally tired enough to go to sleep now. I lay in my pink and white bed (my whole room was pretty much pink and white), and closed my eyes. I couldn't help the smile that crept up on my face.
My mother didn't want me to go to school to fight bad guys, huh?
I couldn't help but do the opposite.
Violet: That was a fun chapter to do. I hope you guys find it fun too. Don't forget to R/R. And if you have any suggestions for Haley's love interest (evo., canon, etc.) I'd really appreciate them.
