Those new FF features are pretty slick! Thanks to all those who reviewed, I'm looking forward to replying'em with the new Reply feature!
This was one of the first scenes that came to my head when I decided to write this story. Hehe.
Euphrosyne's Fic III – 06
.:Bastard Academy:.
Tucking the strands of dark hair that managed to escape from underneath the white cap, Rye draped an arm over the convertible door, gently tapping the exterior with the palm of her hand to whatever tune she was currently listening to.
The half hour ride had been pretty much uneventful so far. Having tossed her book bag in the back seat the instant she made contact with the leathery interior, Rye must have made a mental note of ignoring the redhead because the only sign of life she displayed was the shifting of her gear, that one time when she pulled her hoodie from underneath her thin coat and the whipping action of her hair against the wind when she did.
Tala had made an effort not to scan her over in the rearview mirror for that move, confirming only the strength of his temptation and the weakness of his mind.
He hated her self-control; the awkwardness of the ride was ridiculous-
"Maybe you should get that."
Tala's attention snapped towards the girl. "Wha-?"
Rolling her eyes behind her shades, she leaned over his lap, grabbing the ringing device from the glove compartment.
"Your cell has been going for the last five minutes." She held the item towards him.
The things he would've done to wipe that smug look off her face. He flipped the device. "Speak."
Shaking her head at the greeting, Rye returned to her bored attire by resting an elbow against the door. Closing her eyes as she leaned back against the seat, simultaneously, she shoved the earbuds back into place.
"No, you didn't catch me at a bad time."
That was almost civil. Now lower your voice.
"We're almost there. Another fifteen minutes or so."
…Another fifteen minutes eh? Huh? Was he speaking to-
"Babysitting was fine." The boy turned his body on an angel as if to avoid Rye's range. "Can we talk about this another time? I'd…I'd rather tell you in…in person."
WTF? Was the bastard stuttering? The man whore was embarrassed? That was a first!
She could feel his movements as his voice lowered an octave to that of a whisper.
"Yeah mum, I love you too."
Rye raised a brow.
Nope, wasn't expecting that one.
The cell was placed back in the compartment.
"Oh would you shut up already."
Rye pulled the earbuds out of her ear, turning towards him with a quizzical look. Her rehearsed reaction however, instantly gave her away, proving she had heard him nonetheless. "Excuse me?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I could hear you snickering a mile away. Don't you play innocent with me."
"I have better things to do than to eavesdrop on your conversations, Valkov. Then again, I would be pretty defensive too if I had your child-handling skills.
Tala's right eye twitched. He hated kids.
"Seriously, who tries to coo a child to sleep by telling'em creepy fairy stories? Tales with fairies aren't always considered fairytales!" She could barely suppress her laugher at the recollection; the eyes of a frightened five-year-old crossed her mind.
Tala tucked the kid in with the others. A dim nightlight illuminated his face. The girl whimpered as the boy turned, awfully tired himself. This kid was being particularly difficult.
"Remember. Every time a child says 'I don't believe in fairies,' a little fairy somewhere falls down and dies." His lids dropped a little as he emphasized those last few words.. "Now sleep and have a goodnight.
The boy sneered. "Hey, I only told'em the stuff my parents told me when I was young. Never tell your kids you had an easy birth or they won't respect you. For years my mother would wake me up at night and say, 'Tala, you ripped me to shreds. Now go back to sleep.' And look! I turned out alright!"
"That's not right."
Eventually, the car came to a halt. Rye found herself trapped in a repeating conundrum, mailboxes stood on the corner of every house, the grass was disgustingly uniform, and pretty brick houses resembling Christmas cards cloned their way up the street.
Rye took off her shades. Shit, this was real.
Impressive.
Tala stepped out of the car, twirling his keys impatiently.
Pushing a metal blue trolley, an old man in a navy blue uniform tilted his cap at the redhead and friend. "Morning, Tala. Good day so far? Haven't visited the folks for awhile now."
Tala raised an arm to catch the paper chucked his way. "Nah. It's only been a month- Fuck! I knew I forgot something! Left gramp's brew in the office. The old man ordered you a new blend."
"Don't worry about it son. We're having coffee Sunday. He can give it to me then."
Tala gave the man what appeared to be a tangible smile. "Hey, sorry bout that, Sam. Later."
Nodding, the man strolled over to the next house, dropping off the mail with the flick of a wrist.
Taking in the lazy Friday morning, Tala concluded most folks were either at work or at school. He was pretty much the oldest kid in the neighborhood, one who attended an academy, the renowned Rene, at that.
"Woman, I trust you will manage out of the car on your own? Swiveled and jump. Do I need to open the door for you?"
Rye just studied the boy with her mouth agape. What was that? One minute he was all chum chum with the postman, next he was…himself! She watched as the redhead walked up the stone steps, jumping at the front door to reveal a silver colored key behind the door's frame. He unlocked the entrance, tippy-toeing to place the key back in its original safe. Propping the screen door open with his leg, he waited for the girl to respond.
"We don't have all day."
Cleanliness hit her in the face. She followed the sound of vacuuming into the house.
The house was a little smaller than expected, the way a house should be. Warm pastel hues glazed the walls where photographs of all sizes, family and friends, competed for glory beside the certificates of past achievements. Rye stopped at a pic with a little boy in a tux, blue ribbon in one hand, violin in the other. A large smile was stretched across the seemingly always flawless skin. A large congratulating arm draped over his tiny shoulders.
"Is that you?" He was wearing fucking knee socks!
Either ignoring the question or not having heard it at all, Tala kicked off his shoes, hung his jacket, and checked his reflection in the large antique-looking mirror by the door. Sliding himself along on his socks to what Rye assumed was the kitchen, the boy suddenly stopped by a set of carpeted stairs. "If you need slippers, they're on the rack. Else you can slip and slide like me. The woman's obsessed with cleaning." He gestured up the stairs to where the sound of vacuuming originated. "Want anything?" Turning his back on the girl, he opened the fridge door, resting a jug of milk on the island before propping himself on a stool. Dozens of pots and pans hung from above the centerpiece, the room was rather spacious.
"You're the brains behind the project."
Was that a compliment?
Remote in one hand and arm wedged beneath the boy's chin, a man in a lime green shirt patted Tala heavily on the back with an affectionate slap. As fast as his movements were into the room, he sudden shifted his gaze on Rye, across the island on the other side.
Tala struggled to breathe, rimming the edge of the counter with his arm as to prevent the spilt milk from running off the surface.
A genuine smile rose from the older man's face, familiar turquoise eyes sparkled with vitality.
Rye suddenly noticed her cap and quickly took it off. She brushed the stray bangs away from her face. With a small smile she extended her hand. "Mr….Mr. Valkov! Riley Lovett. Pleased to meet you." His general appearance, both attire and entrance had taken her by surprised. She hoped that astonishment was not reflected in her eyes.
He took her hand in both of his, and if possible, his smile grew even larger. "She's got a strong grip, this one." He leaned towards Tala who responded to his father's comment with a weird look.
Tala's eyes narrowed then widened with realization.
Oh no…no, no, no…
The man suddenly dashed towards the stairs, hollering over the vacuuming, "Honey, take a break. You're working too hard."
There was fumbling of gadgets. "Is the vacuum on too loud again?"
Rye turned to smile at Tala but found him absolutely horrified.
Not here dad. Not now. Not Rye, not mum-
A rather young looking woman returned with Mr. Valkov. It was her long fiery red hair that gave her away.
Wiping her hands on her apron, Mrs. Valkov removed the dusting mask and planted a kiss on her husband's cheek; she was a good head or two shorter than he. "Honey, what's wrong? Are the boys-"
"Riley, is indeed here." The man gestured towards their humble guest.
"Of course Riley. I spoke with Tala over the phone…"
Palms against her cheeks, Mr. Valkov shifted his wife's face towards the previously directed direction.
"-AH!"
It was a good 'Ah!' shocked nonetheless, but still your regular elevated gasp.
"Ri…Riley! He, I mean, she…well, he's a she-"
The woman grabbed her husband by the sleeve and bolted towards the hall.
Rye's eyes were wide with confusion.
Head popping back in with an enormous grin on her face, Mrs. Valkov waved at the two. "Riley, honey. Excuse us for a moment. Help yourself to some cookies." She pointed towards a large jar on the centre of the counter. "I baked them this morning. They're Tala's favorite." She winked, and as fast as she appeared, she disappeared again.
For a moment, Rye's eyes lit at the suggestion of cookies but the cravings diminished when she reached across the table, registering Tala's expression.
Was he praying?
…
Oh.
OHhh!
Oh, no.
She was suddenly pulled to her feet and pushed against her nemesis's side as Tala brushed himself off. There was rustlings of feet as the adults made their way back in.
They were sorta…sparkling. Did they just groom? A navy suit? Wasn't Mr. Valkov wearing a lime shirt just then? Mrs. Valkov, the apron was gone, a string of pearls?
"What the hell is going on?" scowled the girl under her breath.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you-"
"Tala honey, why don't you formally introduce us!" The woman looked as if she were going to blow from excitement.
"Yeah, um, sure." He gestured Rye to step forward. As she grazed past him, he tucked neatly behind her, words blurting out in a low stream of disorder. "You'rekindathefirstgirlIbroughthome."
"-You've gotta be fucking shitting me-"
"Mum, dad, Riley. Riley, mum, dad-"
"-Pleasure."
"The pleasure is all ours!"
Years of mother's Empire gatherings had gifted her with perfect timing. Her 'meet-the-associates' smile was to the dot.
"Sit, sit, Riley. Let me grab you something to eat…"
"That's really kind of you, but that really isn't necessary." Rye almost felt like she overemphasized the words.
"Everyone sit. Can't work on an empty stomach now. Honey, help with the china. Do you take tea with one or two sugars?"
"One-"
Riley mentally cursed herself when Tala shot her a glare. His expression read, "Why the fuck are you encouraging them for?" as hers radiated "Etiquette, jackass. You got us into this mess!"
"Tala, this is a perfect time to share those babysitting stories."
The boy flinched at the suggestion, dramatically mouthing the word 'why.'
A sinister smirk graced Rye's lips at the turn of events. This might not be too horrible. Do I have the capacity to twist this into revenge after all the humiliation he has caused me over the years?
"-It's adorable how Tala struggles with kids…"
"You were there too, Riley?"
The man chuckled, "like I've always said. We parents suffer from a sexually transmitted disease: Children."
The older woman giggled, bumping her husbands with her hips as she mixed whatever batter she had in the large bowl tucked between her arm.
"He's always complaining about how children drive him crazy-"
"Insanity is heredity. You get it from your children!" laughed the couple as they recited the line, a line obviously used frequently seeing their precision.
The two were so romantically in love and it was obvious they were oblivious to their son's flaws. Rye was starting to understand why both Brooklyn and Kai loved this place so much; the drapes, the carpet, the photos, the overall intimate setting warmed her insides, and though the thoughts made her ache with a sort of jealousy, a larger part of her felt content knowing parents like this existed in the world, even if they were the couple who spawned-
"What the hell are you trying to pull, Lovett?" he grabbed her hoodie, pulling her back on the stool. Rye struggled to regain balance.
"What? Scared of little old me? I'm practically harmless."
Tala narrowed his eyes, mumbling under his breath. Not a second did he advert his attention from the girl. Resentment wasn't in his vocab, there were too many syllables. "I told my psychiatrist everyone hates me."
Rye leaned towards his face, smiling an inch away from his nose. "That's ridiculous, everyone hasn't met you yet."
He pinched her. The first thing that came to mind and he friggin reached out and pinched her! The pain shot through her side.
Being that his arms were already stretched out, too slow to be retracted from their position and her toppling over from the pain…
"Oh! That is too cute! Did you see that dear? Tala just swooshed across the room and saved Rye as she was about to fall."
She looked at him and he looked at her and indeed there were Tala's arms snuggly around her waist, hand resting on the bare area exposed by her riding shirt.
"Come that close to my face again, Lovett and I'm gonna take it as an invitation."
She eyed where his hands were resting, easily supporting her weight despite the awkward angle. "My virgin waist. Great. Now I'm a Tala slut too."
She was as surprised at the confidence of her own response as he. Easily could she spill the details of Tala's 'playful' school habits. She was the first girl he brought home, that gave her power.
"Then again, I do have better things to do than narrate your graphic sex life."
She was taunting him and though he recognized the empty threats, overall, he didn't feel like fighting the girl today.
He swallowed his pride.
She watched his throat flex.
Oomph!
She made contact with the floor.
Having missed their little exchange, Mrs. Valkov kissed her boy on the cheek before doing the same with Rye. "Your father and I will call you two down when lunch is ready. You go on and work on your project." Grabbing her son again, she planted a kiss on the other cheek. "Such a handsome boy." Squeezing his forearm, she sighed with motherly affection.
"Such a good boy too. So very obedient. Until he was 13, he thought his name was shut up."
Tala groaned, grabbing Rye quickly by the wrist towards the escape.
"Where? I want a cookie-"
"Shut up! I'll buy you all the cookies you want on the way back. I just really want to work on Economics right now."
Riley grinned. Now that wasn't a phrase you heard everyday.
Intertwining laugher lifted the room as Rye turned on her back, bed shifting under her weight as she stared into the ceiling.
A bed apart, Rye could hear her friend's movements, the light intake of breath against the silent night air, the corners of his smile cutting the atmosphere with its intensity.
Brooklyn shifted towards his side. "I told you you would like the Valkovs."
Closing her eyes again, the morning's events replayed through her head.
Garland was still at his meet, Rye had taken over his territory for the night.
A calm silence drifted through the air and Rye absorbed it. Pulling the sheets towards her face, she thought of the only two people she shared moments like this with…
"I'm gonna be missing this month's competition against Le Marc." He tried to remain indifferent but Rye knew otherwise. She heard his soft change in tone. "Grandfather wants me to visit…"
He didn't need to finish. She knew and she understood. Though it hurt her as much as it pained him to speak of his father, a part of her wanted him to build the strength to overcome that part of his life. It was not something to be feared, and definitely was not something to be ashamed of…
"Your friend Brooklyn barely makes the list. He is a dependable confidante but I would never permit my daughter to marry the son of a convict. Why settle for him when you have his cousin. The Valkov's have made quite the effort in covering up their little family secrets. We should reward them for that."
…no matter how harshly people like mother worded it.
He had been a famous surgeon, the pinnacle of his career when the incident occurred. The headmaster rarely spoke of his eldest son, and though he managed to save the family from the shame by hiding the story to the best of his abilities, it only made it that much more difficult for Brooklyn when it came to details. Not only did his identity feel scarred, but barren, fragile, and incomplete.
"Garland has another competition that same week, so we're gonna need subs for the two areas.
"I can cover your Sciences."
Brooklyn smiled at the quick response, he didn't expect anything less. Rye's peculiar knack for sciences only sharpened their bond even more.
"Rob won't be able to fill in for Garland's English Lit though..."
"Well, I was thinking," and indeed she had been for awhile, "that maybe I could cover your Sciences and Garland's Lit while Kai covers my Commerce-"
"Too complicated, Rye. Hiwatari lacks experience."
But we can win. We need people. He's my friend.
Rye just laid in silence, staring into the ceiling. The way he said his name made her feel uneasy. Surly, Brooklyn had his reasons for disliking the blue-haired boy, but passing off such justifications by his accounts even took her by surprise.
"I worry for you, B…"
She knew he was listening.
"…You work so hard, you're so hard on yourself. You've got work, projects, assignments, twice our workload with your advance classes. The rest of the time you spend writing scholarship applications or helping others, tutoring them, for free at that! I wish, I wish I could just…"
Why was this so much harder with him? Is it because you're a hypocrite, Rye? Why should you expect him to open up if you can't do the same? You're just as imprisoned in the cell of self.
"I want to help you. Let me help you."
"It has never been my attention to worry anyone."
"I know. But I do. I want so much for you. You deserve it, you've proven that, and you've earned it."
Deserve, proven, earned. Two of the three words he understood. The one he didn't was of most importance.
"Please be happy."
Tracing the contours of her skin with his thumb when their hands met in the area between the beds, Brooklyn turned to face the girl and nodded. She knew he understood. "I'm…trying. It's going to be okay. Everything will…work out."
Work. Out. Rye weighed the words of labor on her tongue.
She believed him. She wanted to and had no other reason to believe otherwise. "Are we okay?"
Silent at first, the hesitation frightened Rye. Slowly, the redhead leaned over and kissed the surface of Rye's hand. "Yes. We're better than okay."
And again, she believed him, for not only did she trust him with his life, but with her own.
-Glomps Brooklyn-
It is hard writing chapters after long periods of inactivity between updates! Oii, one more week of classes for me, then Christmas! Yes! I'm gonna try and squeeze as many updates as I can!
Tala's parents were inspired during my walk through this Hawaiian shirt display during the summer, lol.
Please read and review! Yea!