Chapter 15: Freedom Can Be Fought

Does it have to be a ballroom party?

Usually in Maroon Cartoon Anniversary Balls, the studio stars perform. Whoever the party planners were, decided everyone should hoof it tonight.

She tried to keep an eye out for Jared. But every time she saw him, a part of her simply wanted to avoid him all evening.

Isn't that what exes do? Leave each other alone? she groaned in thought.

She was almost having a good time. Speeches were spoken. People mingled. Some of the stars approached the investors to make them feel welcomed, one of them being Rhoda. One of them accidentally choked when she pantomimed a stuffy waiter with a handlebar mustache.

Mina snorted as she was carried off by the rabbit. "That was almost fun," Mina commented.

"Fun?! I just gave him the hiney lick maneuver!" Rhoda whispered loudly as she tried to blend in the crowd. She had already helped the poor man get his bearings .But she was pretty sure Maroon was going to kill her if she heard about it.

"You mean the Heimlich maneuver?" Mina deadpanned.

"That's what it's called?" she shrugged. No wonder people had been giving her strange looks when she would proudly proclaim that she knew that first aid procedure.

Mina laughed out loud, making Rhoda smile.

"Now, this is fun," she said. "Mina, can I ask you something?"

She could feel Mina tensed, a wall going up between them. Rhoda never understood her for it.

"What is it, rabbit?"

"Can we spend more time together?"

Mina raised a brow. "What now?" Rabbit ears drooped at her cagey tone. Her feet led to the privacy of a moonlit balcony.

"We used to be close as co-stars. But then we drifted apart for some reason," Rhoda said.

Mina looked away, crossing her arms. "If you weren't such a bitch, we still might be."

Her heart dropped. "What do you mean?"

Mina hopped out of her arms, glaring at her. "You think I don't know what you really think of me?"

"What?"

"Don't be such a two-face, Jared told me what you really think of me!" Mina gave a dry laugh at the invisible elephant between them for years. "You really wanna do this now?"

Rhoda's heart raced. Her brows furrowed, trying to make sense of the situation. "What do you mean? What did I do?!"

Mina stopped. If Rhoda wasn't mistaken, she'd swore that she had just blushed. Mina growled, stubbornly crossing her arms as she gazed somewhere else.

"I don't really care what an idiot rabbit like you thinks."

Rhoda knelt down to look at her. "Mina, what did Jared told you?" she asked, her heart drumming fast. Why am I having a feeling of deja vu?

Mina grumbled, still not looking at her. "He told me you said I'm not a woman enough," she said, her voice becoming smaller.

Rhoda put a hand over her mouth in shock, knowing how much Mina fought to be taken seriously in a baby's body.

"Eurrrgh!" Mina raged. "I really don't care what you think!" she flustered, throwing up her chubby, baby arms. "What do you know?! But next time, just say it to my face instead of acting like yer a pal of mine!" she said, practically spitting out the word "pal".

She huffed. "Anyway, who cares? That's been a long time ago. I don't really care. So stop being such a fake -hrrrk!"

Her rant was stopped by Rhoda grabbing her into a hug.

Mina tried to shake her off. "Geroff me, you-"

Rhoda parted away, her hands on Mina's shoulders. "I'm so sorry-"

"The heck you are-"

"I never said anything like that-" Rhoda tried not to cry, knowing how Mina would bottle up her own issues.

Mina snorted.

"It's true! Jared's lying! He did the same thing to Ash!"

Mina smoothed down her tuft of baby hair. "Like I said, that has been a long time ago and I don't really care."

Rhoda stared as Mina turned her back and left. Mina was never the trusting type. Nor the type to talk about feelings, preferring to mask with gruff wit and cigar smoke. The fact that she thought Rhoda had been talking behind her back and finding out she might've been lied to, she could tell Mina was going to need a moment.

As she left the balcony, her hands slowly clenched, feeling her own paint boil. Jared had taken away so much from her.

She wasn't going to let him take anything away from her anymore.

Getting affected is what he would want from you, she reminded herself as she kept on walking.

The ballroom suddenly went dark. She shielded her eyes when spotlights shone a pool in the center. Somewhere, the band began to play the Anniversary Waltz.

Rhoda backed away when she realized she had walked into the middle of the dancefloor.

"Jeepers," she muttered, trying to avoid the waltzing partners.

She tried not to draw attention to herself, but it was kind of hard when she was the only one alone in a bright red dress.

Almost there, she thought as she neared the crowd of onlookers. She almost bumped into a couple. Her body dodged them in a split second, turning around in a pirouette.

As soon as she stopped spinning, she found herself face to face with Jared.

His eyes were cool, a smirk in place as he extended his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Rhoda stiffened. Why, Jared? What do you have to gain from this? She glanced at the curious guests standing by. No doubt watching how these split couple are handling their breakup.

She thought of Jesse before she took his hand.

Jared lifted her up, her bottom perched on his forearm as his fingers gripped her shin. Rhoda put her hand on his shoulder, the feel of his form familiar under her touch. With her other hand, she laced her fingers with his.

She wanted more than anything to scramble out of his grasp and scrub herself clean.

Around them the music played and her ears swivelled at the song the singer was crooning.

Here I am with you

In a world of blue

While we're dancing to

The tango we loved

When we first met

Rhoda tried not to groan as the singer went on about happier times. She could feel the stares of people around them.

While the music plays

I recall the days

When our love was a tune

That we couldn't soon forget

Fate was not on her side tonight as she endured.

"So how's my replacement?" he asked.

Her eye twitched . Relax. "What replacement?"

The last notes of the song warbled as he spun them around. "Don't play dumb. You're not that much of an ingenue." He dipped her low with a veiled smile. "Of course, you wouldn't know what that means."

The band burst stormy and foreboding with violins. Dancers around them tensed into tango. Jared swiftly lifted her up and moved them forward.

Rhoda chose not to respond. He twirled her away and with a tug on her hand, whirled her closer to a tight embrace, her legs dangling and his hand on her back.

"How did you get him to be sorry enough to be with you?" he whispered in her ear, dragging his palm across her shoulders.

Rhoda shut her eyes tight, remembering what Jesse had told her before.

"Sometimes , observing people distracts the mind from reacting."

Jared startled when she pushed herself off him and dropped down on the ground. Recovering from the shock, he mirrored her swishing skirts with flowing steps.

First, an insult. Then a question, she noted, moving into a flamenco stance. He's going to try again.

He caught hold of her hand and swung her around. She mightily kicked her legs, clearing her mind. Anger gone. Focus.

He held her calf, his other hand gliding around her waist as he danced them around. "But really, Rhoda? Jesse? Can you be more obvious?" he asked. "Running off to my downgrade?"

She went on with her mental observation. He's trying to make you question-

A gasp escaped her when she was suddenly dropped and twirled too many times too fast. She was left wobbling, stars spinning. Before she could fall back, someone caught her from behind. A mouth whispered into her ear.

"You know you could never replace me."

She shot out of his grasp and danced backwards, Jared following her. She stamped her feet, swishing her dress. The band played on a ring of fire.

Rhoda finally stretched out her hand and Jared used it to tug her flush against him. She grasped him close, looking at him straight in the eye.

"Jesse is ten times the man that you'll ever be."

His eyes widened before they glared. His grip tightened. "Is he now?."

He lifted her up by the thighs. A wave of repulsion drenched her when she felt his thumb run up her inner thigh. She stamped the urge to slap him across the face.

He's messing with your head. Her hands clenched the fabric on his shoulders. "I want you to leave me alone."

Jared only smirked, bringing her close into his arms again. "What did I even do?"

She let him moved them across the dance floor. "You've been through a lot and I made some mistakes," she evenly said, saying the words that had always been in her mind. "But you're going too far with the what you're telling the press."

Through her stutter that he had always hated, she firmly grinded out. "P-p-p-please, stop it.."

He dipped her and pulled her back with eyes that told her lack of power.

"It's not my fault what others would do to you for me."

Something in her cracked. For a moment, she understood.

His breath hitched when she suddenly turned them around. He lost his balance at the force of her toon strength and before he knew it, he was falling.

She caught him just in time in a dancer's dip, one hand around his back, and the other bunching his tie.

"I've been in Maroon Studios longer than you. My movies are making more money than yours. Stop or I'll make Maroon choose between you and me."

She almost felt sad as she stared at his shocked face. Sad for him. Sad for what could've been. Without the condescending look in his eyes, he almost looked like the Jared that she had fallen in love with. In a flash, she remembered why she had given him a chance.

The music ended.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you. But we're through."

Righting him up, she walked out of the dance floor.

An ugly look crossed his face and Jared tried to grab her back.

He stopped when Mina appeared between them. She extended her hand with a scowl that bore no good fortune.

"Care for a dance?"

XOXOXOXOXO

Crickets chirped outside the venue of the anniversary ball. In the parking lot, a pumpkin carriage sat with its windows lit.

"Breathe, Rhoda."

She clutched the paperbag around her mouth, gasping. Ash patted her back. Across them inside the carriage, was his wife, Princess Charm.

"That was daring," she said with a smile. They had watched the whole dance and Ash immediately came to Rhoda's rescue as soon as she left the dance floor.

"I-I did it," Rhoda gasped. "I stood up to him without -" without being messed up in the head again, she added. She only sighed.

"That you did," Ash said, ruffling the top of her head.

She dropped back on the couch. "Jeepers, I can't believe I threatened him." She gave out a weak chuckle. "I don't even want to involve Maroon into this."

But in the back of her mind, she knew she would do it. She would bring her case to Maroon of Jared's harassments and let her decide.

"You have to," Ash said, "Sometimes, you have to do a Mina."

"Trust me, I would've done more," Mina replied darkly. "Ya think he would stay away this time?" she asked, leaning against the window beside Princess Charm. "You could always sue him for defamation, you know."

Rhoda shrugged. "It's his word against mine."

"Our words against his," Ash said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You got us."

Mina rolled her eyes. "Just try not to protect him again. Yer always excusing him to be a misunderstood fella."

Rhoda only nodded, putting a hand on her chest. Is this what it feels like to get someone out of my system? she wondered.

"The night is still young," Princess Charm said, moving aside the curtains of the carriage windows. "Where do you want to go?"

"We can celebrate, you know," Ash said, tapping the pumpkin carriage. "We got beyond midnight."

She thought back at Jesse who was probably still working in the Ink-and-Paint club.

Thank you, Jesse.

As much as she wanted to go, patron toons weren't allowed.

"Can we have ice cream?" she asked.

XOXOXOXOXO

It was one in the morning by the time Jesse exited the club, suit jacket draped on his arm. He stopped when he saw a pumpkin carriage waiting outside.

"Jesse!" Rhoda waved from the inside. She got out, saying goodbye to the occupants before the carriage rode off. In the pool of lamplights, she ran across the parking lot towards him.

She tripped, her face dragging across the asphalt.

Jesse jogged towards her. "Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling down in concern.

She lifted her face, revealing a black eye and a bruised nose. "Am I okay?" she echoed. Instinctively, she shook herself.

He gasped when her injuries disappeared. Her eyes widened, touching her forehead where a huge bump had resided.

"Jeepers," she whispered at her tooning restored. She laughed. First in chuckles. Then in guffaws. Then she crowed, long and loud.

She threw her arms around him in joy, knocking him back to the ground.

"Sorry!" she yelped, getting off him as quickly as she could. But Jesse put a hand around her back, stopping her from getting off as he gave out a chuckle.

"Don't ever apologize."

She smiled at him, throwing caution to the wind of what would people think if they saw them lying on the concrete.

"How was it?" he asked. "The ball?"

She grinned, feeling like she could cry and laugh at the same time. Instead, she closed her eyes in relief, resting her head on his chest for a moment.

"I feel free," she said, almost in wonder.

He hummed, as they got up. "You can tell me about it in the car."

They walked towards the parking lot and maybe she was still high from the emotions. Because she held his hand without trepidation.

He didn't seem to mind.

"Let's go home, Jesse."

Author's Notes: One final chapter to go. The tango scene music and dance was inspired by "A. Piazzolla. Libertango" in Youtube.