Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the weird situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that is the way it's going to stay unfortunately. Anyways thanks for reading and have a great day!
Note to Alan: Here you haven't been reviewing any for months, worrying me and then you write a one sentence review telling me I spelled a name wrong! That's so...so you lol.
Battle Brewing
Rika and Matt had pretty much forgotten about the confrontation with the drama teacher by the time they'd gotten home from school. Stowing their back packs in their rooms they trooped in to eat the snacks Rika's grandmother had made for them then headed outside to do some weed pulling. Of course neither of them enjoyed the task but they weren't about to let her grandmother do it, especially with her bad back. Once that was over they came back inside just in time to meet up with Rumiko who sent them both a scalding look that had them stopping in their tracks. "What? We aren't that dirty." Rika said defensively, sensing a fight brewing as she hunched her shoulders instinctively.
"I got a call from your principal AGAIN today, Rika." Rumiko said darkly, crossing her arms in front of her as she stared at her daughter.
"You're joking." Rika protested, looking rather like someone had just whacked her upside the head. "You can't be serious. All we did was tell the drama teacher that she was biting off more then she could chew thinking the idiots at our school could pull off her pet project. I didn't even swear at her!"
"Well it appears that she took a great deal of exception to what was said regardless of how you and Matt said it. The principal also informed me that both of you were given the option of trying out for the musical rather then getting yet another mark on your record. How do you expect to get into a good school, how do you expect to graduate for that matter with your permanent record growing at this rate, Rika?" Rumiko demanded to know.
Rika's face going hard and cold it was a really good thing that said drama teacher wasn't in the room because Matt could see her easily borrowing one of her grandmother's kitchen knifes and going to work turning Rumiko and the teacher into a stir fry with principal on the side. "She really didn't say anything wrong, Rumiko." Matt hurried to say before Rika said something to get her in even deeper water. "I was there and the teacher just didn't like being told the truth, that was it."
"Regardless you are going to be at that audition, Rika." Rumiko informed her daughter, holding up her hand to silence her daughter before Rika could tell her where to put that idea. "You will go and you will audition or you will not only get that mark on your record but I will seriously reconsider my financial help when it comes time for you to go to university. We both know that you don't get access to your trust fund or the money you earned as a child until you're over twenty. All I want is for you to try out, not to be part of the production. I think that's little enough to ask."
Biting on her bottom lip so hard she was surprised it didn't start bleeding Rika nodded stiffly then left the room in a hurry before she gave into the urge to show her mother just what she thought of her mother's suggestion. She couldn't afford to give Rumiko what was coming to her, at least not yet anyway. But there would come a day when she'd be free of her mother forever and then she'd never have to see her again. For her grandmother's sake she'd stick around until she could leave for university but as soon as that day came she was gone. Never, ever to return.
Watching Rika's retreating form Matt turned to look at Rumiko then shaking his head turned to follow her out. Rumiko just didn't get Rika and he was very much afraid sometimes that Rumiko's misunderstanding about her daughter and vice versa would end up creating a gap neither of them could ever cross. Even if they wanted to.
"I can't tell you to go to this audition, Matt. I'm not your guardian and seeing as Rika behaves better when you're around I'd be an idiot to threaten to kick you out. But I'd consider it a favor if you would, she'll feel better about it if you were there with her." Rumiko called out after him, watching him turn his head to look at her with those mysterious blue eyes of his. Eyes that hid all but what he wanted her to see, just like Rika's did.
"Every time you do something like this you push her further away. You do know that, don't you?" Matt asked softly, holding her gaze. "You two are already so far apart, how much further do you think you can push each other before you're too far away to do even that anymore?"
"She's my daughter, Matt. I have to correct her when she makes stupid mistakes like this." Rumiko replied shakily, not liking Matt's words at all.
"You're right, you are her mother. But you aren't her mom either, Rumiko. Anyone can be a mother but it takes someone special, like yours, to be a mom. Rika isn't perfect, she screws up, even more then most kids in some areas. But you do too. If the only control you have over her is with threats and her love for your mom then what sort of family are you three?" Matt said quietly before turning on his heels and exiting the room leaving a very shaken and confused Rumiko behind him.
Heading straight for Rika's room Matt knocked then getting no answer opted to take his chances and opening the door, walking through then throwing his hands up in front of his eyes. "SORRY! Sorry! I am SO, SO SORRY!"
Glaring at him Rika's eyes flashed as she lifted the shirt up to cover her front, not that he hadn't already gotten an eye full. She'd just gotten out of the shower and had been in the process of changing into fresh clothes when she'd heard his knock. "You dumb idiot!" Rika snarled at him, grabbing her damp robe and putting it on again. "You can move your hands, I'm decent. Now what the hell were you thinking, barging into a girl's room like that?"
Spreading his fingers hesitantly to make sure it really was safe to move them Matt slowly lowered his hands. "I just figured you weren't answering my knock because you were so mad." Matt said weakly, shoving his hands into his pockets in self defense. Of all the things he'd expected to see when he'd walked through that door a naked from the waist up Rika had definitely not been one of them. Truth be told he'd stopped thinking of Rika as a real girl a long time ago. Now he had a feeling he was never going to be able to forget again. This was just a side of her he'd just never wanted to see. Ever.
Giving him a forced dark look Rika couldn't decide whether to laugh that he looked so mortified and embarrassed or beat him brainless for coming in without waiting for permission. "It would serve you right if I kicked your ass for this, you know that, right?"
"I really am sorry. I promise to let you kick my ass if you'll promise that we never speak of this again." Matt said with a hopeful look on his face.
"You're more upset about this then I am." Rika said with a chuckle, shaking her damp hair as she collected her shirt and bra from the ground where she'd dropped them in surprise. "Has someone's Casanova image been nothing but an illusion?" She teased, her dark mood lifting as his cheeks went a pale pink.
"There's a big difference between you and other girls." Matt informed her then could have just bitten his tongue off right then and there as her eyes narrowed dangerously. "What I mean to say is that it's different because...because we're actually friends and stuff. Guys shouldn't see their friends who are girls's...see their...well see them without all their clothes on."
"Well then maybe I should see you butt naked, just to even things up." Rika informed him, watching with fascination as Matt lost every little bit of color before it all came back in a blinding red. Watching him stutter without really being able to form words much less sentences Rika couldn't help it. Starting out with strangled chuckles Rika couldn't contain it and gave over to laughter, wrapping her arms around her waist as her whole body shook at the force. Laughing until tears came to her eyes she just couldn't stop, even with Matt cursing her out in her ears as he stood in front of her, glaring at her.
"You know most girls would be upset that some guy came in and saw them topless." Matt said grimly, his arms crossed in front of him as he watched her now that she was down to mere chuckles. Well wasn't she just having a wonderful time at his expense, Matt thought crossly, thoroughly mortified about the whole thing. Rika on the other hand seemed to think it was the funniest thing ever.
"I grew up in fashion, it's not that big a deal, Matt." Rika informed him, breathing carefully in an attempt to hold back any more laughter. He was just so cute sometimes. Forgetting for the moment how angry she'd been she concentrated on needling her best friend. "I mean all girls have them so what's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that they're YOURS!"
"So? I've seen you without a shirt before." Rika pointed out with a devious gleam in her eyes. He had walked in on her while she was changing after all. She couldn't let him get off completely Scot free.
"That's not the same thing!" Matt argued, then seeing the gleam in her eyes narrowed his own. So that was what she was up to. The little minx. Well two could play that game. "But I guess you're right. I mean I'm sure when we tell the guys at school tomorrow they'll agree that I over reacted."
"What...?" Rika said slowly, her eyes going wide as his meaning hit home. "What do you mean...tell the guys tomorrow?"
"Well it's such a funny story, I'm sure they'd all love to hear about it, don't you think?" Matt replied innocently, biting back a smile as Rika's own face began to lose a bit of color. Serves her right after all.
"If you tell them about this I will come after you in the night and you can join the drama teacher as road kill under my car." Rika said darkly, her hands reaching up to latch onto his collar as she glared up at him. "Tell anyone and you're dead, do you understand me? Why the hell did you close your eyes?"
"I promise not to tell anyone..just please close your robe."
"Oh." Rika said as she looked down having completely forgotten that her hands had been what had been holding the robe in place. "Damn."
The Next Day at School
"Hey, Matt. You look like hell, didn't sleep last night?" Ryo asked as he took a seat beside Matt in their first class of the day, watching with a mixture of concern and amusement as Matt gave him the look of a condemned man.
"Lets just say that after the first couple dreams I opted not to sleep. In fact I might never sleep again." Matt replied, slumped over his desk, lowering his head into his arms. "There's got to be another way to recharge your body. I'll figure it out and make billions."
"That bad huh?" Ryo said with a raised eyebrow as he patted Matt sympathetically on the shoulder. "What did you dream about?"
"I can't talk about it." Was Matt's muttered response, his shoulders lumped in defeat. He was perilously close to falling asleep at his desk and if that happened then lord only knows what would happen.
"That bad?"
"Well it depends on how you look at it. Plus she said if I ever spoke of it again she'd crucify me to the ground then pour flesh eating ants on me while playing I'm forced to listen to disco music. I can't tell anyone, she'd do it too." Matt said weakly, lifting his head with a pained look on his face. "I don't suppose you'd take pity on me and push me out the nearest window? With all the pain killers they'd pump me full of if I lived I'd get some nice sleep without actually having to dream."
"Why would Rika threat to do all those things if you told anyone about your dreams?" Ryo wanted to know, having not a single doubt in his mind that it was Rika they were talking about. Only Rika could come up with something that creatively disturbing.
"Do you want me to have to die listening to disco music?" Matt demanded, giving Ryo an are you insane look.
"I think that would be the least painful of the three." Ryo commented dryly.
"Then obviously you've never had to listen to disco music. It's eviler then anything any rock band has ever come up with." Matt told him darkly, perfectly serious about this. "Anyone with any sense can see that nothing makes you want to contemplate suicide more then disco music. Well that and polka music."
"Okay..." Ryo drawled out, biting back a grin since Matt did seem to be serious.
"That's true satanic music." Matt agreed, glad that Ryo understood. "And anyway, I'll get over it. I mean it really isn't such a big deal. They all have them right and why should I care about having it reinforced that she has them too?"'
"Okay...now I really want to know what this is about. Does..does Rika have stuffed animals? Girlie stuff? I mean you are living at her house and unless she was using those stuffed animals as voodoo dolls the sight of her with them would put anyone into a state of shock." Ryo wanted to know, the idea utterly ludicrous but seeing Rika in possession of that sort of stuff would be enough to send anyone into a tail spin.
"Ahhhh...no comment."
"Well, lets get this over with." Rika said as she stood in front of the door, jaws clenched as her gaze glared a hole through the damn door. Damn her mother and damn the stupid bitch drama teacher too. They were gonna pay for this. She didn't know when and she didn't know how but as God as her witness she was going to make them both rue this day. Raising a hand Rika grimly knocked a little harder then was entirely necessary, waiting until she was given an enter before opening and walking through the door.
"Why, Miss Nonaka. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" The bitch in question purred, smiling at Rika the way a cat did when it had finally backed the mouse into the corner and knew she could play with it a bit before eating.
"I'll be there at your stupid try outs but I won't be in it. You can't make me do that." Rika told her stiffly, biting back all the other things she wanted to say to the teacher. Things that would get her suspended, expelled or possibly even jailed if the woman wanted to press charges.
"And what makes you think I'd want you in my production?" Was the woman's oh so sweet answer, even as her lips curved in a self satisfied look, obviously well aware of what Rika was struggling not to say. "After all from what I hear about you there's really nothing you could bring to my show but a bad attitude, young lady."
"If that's the way you feel then the only reason you want me to try out is because you think I'm going to humiliate myself up on that stage, isn't it?" Rika asked coldly, her eyes frosting over as the room suddenly got a lot colder. She'd figured that the teacher had just wanted to show off the fact that she had more power then Rika but it was more then that. She didn't just want to prove a point, she wanted to prove a point and humiliate at the same time. Well that was going to be a problem, Rika thought darkly. A big one.
"Now why would I want to do that?" Was the oh so innocent response. She could practically see the wheels turning in the girl's head, Himeno thought as she watched the girl before her. Miss Nonaka was just itching to lash out but couldn't, not in front of a teacher anyway.
"Because you're a washed up diva without an audience left to feed your ego." Was Rika's cool response, smiling at the teacher in a way that had the woman paling a little. "You're used to calling the shots and while you're a teacher you can and I have no doubt will tell me what to do and try to tell me what to think. I will be at that audition and then we'll see once and for all just which one of us comes out on top." Giving the woman her back Rika marched to the door and closed it behind her before the teacher even had time to open her mouth. Fuming all the way down the hall Rika took a moment to kick a locker a couple of times before setting off to find Matt, where ever he was. He was going to help her with this and together they were going to show that bitch a thing or two. Yeah, by the time they were done with her she'd wish she'd never even heard the name Rika Nonaka.