So Surreal – So Real
Chapter Three
An exhausted Kagome dropped into her seat with a sigh. Today was just not her day. First, she didn't catch a wink of sleep because her mother needed help with the shop after school and she couldn't say no to her overworked and stressed out mother. And because she'd been the dutiful daughter, she hadn't eaten dinner in order to get as much done as possible and wanted to get everything done, so she didn't get to her mountains of homework until around ten. She'd had two essays to write and five pages of math homework to finish and seven chapters to read, so it'd taken longer than a normal night's worth of homework should have. Then, she fell asleep in class and didn't take any notes or write down the night's assignment. On top of that, Yuka had yelled at her and she'd yelled back, so she supposed they were in a fight now…
"Great; just great," she muttered to herself, dropping her head into her hands in resignation.
"What's so great?" an innocent voice asked from beside her.
Glancing at the desk next to her, Kagome spotted the short, bubbly girl who was one of the only people she knew personally in the class. After all, she and Rin had been in classes together since second grade. It was nearly impossible to not get to know her.
"Nothing," she mumbled, shifting in her seat to sit up straight and flipping open a notebook.
Rin just gave her a bland look and did the same, scribbling something on the clean sheet of paper, angling it so that Kagome could read what she'd written. Raising an eyebrow, Kagome leaned over the small isle and looked down at the page. 'Come on, Kags. Stop trying to pretend everything's peachy in your little world. What's up?' Grinning wryly, Kagome reached into her backpack and came out with a pen before writing her own response on her notebook.
'I'm not pretending. Do you see a smile on this face?'
'That's my point. You can tell me. After all, I have kept your secret about Robby James all these years…'
'Ah… Using blackmail now, I see. Well, since you put it that way…'
'Ooh! Do tell; do tell. I haven't heard good gossip all day!'
'It's not gossip. Yuka yelled at me before lunch.'
'Ouch!'
'Yeah, about something she doesn't understand.'
'…Which would be… what?'
'I pulled another all-nighter last night. Now, don't give me that look! Just listen for a second. Mom needed help yesterday and there was so much work to do that I just knew I could finish! It saved Mom a whole lot of grief and she got sleep herself, but I stilled had a whole lot of homework to that I didn't get to until ten. I didn't eat dinner, either, and I fell asleep in fourth period, too.'
'Oh.'
'Uh-huh. So, she bit my head off and didn't listen to me.'
'I see…'
'Yeah, change of subject please! How's CG?'
'It's good. We've got a few gigs lined up over the next few months. You're coming to all of them, right?'
'Wouldn't miss it for the world! You guys are so good!'
'I know. You have to hear the new songs we've been working on! I'm so excited!'
'Awesome! I'm so there!'
And that was the end of their scribbled conversation since their teacher walked in at that moment. The rest of the period went by quickly and Kagome was surprised when the bell rang, signaling the period's finish. Her teacher called a final reminder over the din of students rushing to leave the classroom, and Kagome threw a final wave at Rin, hiking her backpack up further on her shoulder before trotting down the stairs to her final class of the day.
X
Kagome arrived home an hour or so later to find her younger brother sprawled on the floor in front of the television, staring at the glowing screen as some video game character slashed through walls of zombies to rescue the busty, blonde scientist trapped in the laboratory. Rolling her eyes, she set her backpack down and kicked off her shoes, stepping into the kitchen for a pre-homework snack. Her grandfather was sitting at the kitchen table poring over some magazine about ancient Chinese and Japanese artifacts that were supposed to have magical or healing properties.
"Hey, Grandpa," she muttered, leaning halfway into the refrigerator, reaching for the back currant juice all the way in the back.
He replied with a soft grunt and a dismissive wave in her general direction. Shrugging, Kagome set about putting together a quick sandwich with whatever she found in the refrigerator and cupboards. On her way up to her room, she planted a kiss on her grandfather's balding head, twirling on the linoleum in her sock in the door and stopping with a pensive look on her face.
"Hey, Grandpa? Where's Mamma? Is she still down at the shop?"
"Mm…" was the only thing he said, still glued to the glossy pages in front of him.
"Okay. Thanks, then."
And with that, Kagome trudged up the stairs to do her homework. She'd check up on her grandfather later when she ran out of food and got hungry enough to venture downstairs. Tacking a sip of the tart juice in her hand, she nudged her door open with her foot and sat at her desk, cracking open her history textbook.
A few hours later, Kagome sat up from her hunched position over the papers and books spread out on her desk. She stretched her arms out above her head, sighing contentedly when she felt her shoulders and elbows pop softly. She'd just finished her last math problem and was free for the rest of the night. That is, of course, unless her mother needed more help with the shop or around the house.
Skipping down the stairs and humming lightly, Kagome peered around the kitchen doorway. The room was empty, meaning her grandfather had moved to the living room or his bedroom for a nap or to stare at the TV and some absurd documentary. Moving onto the living room, she spotted her grandfather sitting in the recliner, a cup of tea in one hand and the TV remote in the other. Smirking knowingly, she threw herself onto the couch on her stomach. Turning her head to the side to face the TV, she was surprised to see a regular, run-of-the-mill sitcom playing out on the screen. Now this was different…
"Grandpa, what're you doing?"
"I'm watching television, Kagome. What else would I be doing with this thing?"
"No, I meant what're you watching. Where're your documentaries on Feudal Japanese Scrolls or whatever?"
"I think you mean Ancient Texts of the Sengoku Jidai."
"Yeah, that. Isn't there always something like that on?"
"Not always, Kagome. Besides, it was this or some movie with that Kutcher person and twelve hooligan children," he pulled a face and directed his gaze back to the screen where the father was dressed as a princess and his friends were rolling on the floor laughing, especially when his son came out in a miniature version of the dress and tiara.
"Ah… Yes, I understand. Once is enough. Well, carry on, then. I won't stop you."
Kagome snuggled further into the couch, shifting to find a comfortable position. She watched the program with her grandfather until the show ended and everyone ended up happily and the son was permitted to wear his own choice of costume for Halloween. It was a re-run, and Kagome had already seen it, but it was still amusing. She then glanced up at the clock above the mantle and decided to check on what was going on with their dinner. Seeing that the kitchen was still vacant and showed no sign of dinner being started anytime soon, she set about making an impromptu dinner of grilled cheese, canned soup and fruit salad.
She called her brother and grandfather in to dinner and set some aside for her mother incase she showed up. After dinner, her brother disappeared to either finish his homework or play video games, and her grandfather shuffled off to take a nap. Kagome cleared the table and washed the dishes, idly wondering where her mother was. Once she was finished, she grabbed up her coat and headed outside to walk down to the shop.
Kagome's family had been running a local bakery for years a few streets away from their house. Her grandmother had opened the little shop when her mother had been a little girl. Her mother had grown up in the shop, helping out and learning how to bake. After her grandmother had died, Kagome's mother had taken over the family business and had been running it all by herself ever since Kagome's father had died eight years ago.
Her mother's pastries and cakes were famous in the community and business was always good – sometimes too good. Because of the huge demand for her baked goods, her mother was always busy trying to fulfill orders and keep up with her family and sleep. Kagome had gotten into the habit of helping out in the afternoons around the shop with orders, paperwork and customers. She also dabbled in creating her own cakes and cookies for fun whenever there was any left over ingredients.
Arriving at The Higurashi Bakery, Kagome quickly noticed that the shop was still open. Slipping inside, she headed straight for the back room where her mother was most likely still decorating some wedding cake or other. The brightly lit room was filled with different colored frosting bags half empty and different decorating utensils. Her mother stood in the middle, bent over a huge cake swarming with brightly colored sugar flowers and swirls of masterfully applied icing.
The cake itself was made of five layers of delicious cherry-rum cake with a creamy, white chocolate custard filling covered in white chocolate frosting. Kagome had helped in measuring and baking the masterpiece late last night and had worked a little on the flowers. It was a monstrous cake for an enormously lavish wedding uptown and the biggest project her mother had ever taken on. The wedding was the next day and her mother had been rushing to finish it in time. By the state of the room and her mother, Kagome figured it was almost finished. She sat in a corner silently, watching her mother work like she used to when she was small.
Kagome had always known her mother was a genius in the kitchen, especially when it came to baking. She could sit for hours and watch her mother work her magic on the dry flour and sugar, mixing and stirring gracefully to create a delectable cake that looked like a brown lump. Her mother was transfixing when she turned a boring cake into something so beautiful that it was almost untouchable.
Kagome had grown up around the smells of freshly baked bread and cookies in the oven and watching the transformation of a cake into a work of art. But she was still amazed and excited every time she witnessed the process. Baking never had – and probably never would – lost its spark for her, from the first moment she could remember baking until that minute sitting in the backroom surrounded by what she loved best.
It took nearly a half hour for her mother to notice her presence, but when she did, a huge smile spread across her face, brightening her dulled and tired eyes instantly. Kagome smiled back and hopped off of the preparation table she'd used as a chair. Hugging her mother and inhaling her smell of fresh bread and cinnamon, Kagome smiled, he face buried in her shoulder. Her mother laughed softly and held her at arms length, studying her face intently.
"Kagome…" she breathed, frowning slightly. "What's wrong? You look sad."
Kagome laughed at the way her mother always seemed to know what she was thinking or feeling. Leaning against another stainless steel table, she folded her arms and scuffed her feet on the clean floor.
"I'm just tired, is all," she shrugged, looking at the wedding cake distractedly. "The cake looks awesome, Mamma. You did a really great job."
"Stop trying to change the subject," her mother chided jokingly. "What're you tired of? You haven't looked so down since you broke your arm and couldn't be in the big swim meet when you were ten."
Kagome laughed softly, remembering the incident. She'd fallen out of the tree in their front yard and had to have a cast on for a few months, missing the swim meet she'd been practicing for for weeks. She'd been so bummed; she'd moped around the house for days after the meet. Looking back on it now, she could laugh at herself, but back then, that meet had meant everything to her.
"Well, physically, I'm exhausted. And Yuka and I got in a fight today over something stupid she doesn't understand. And I can't wait for school to be out. I need a break."
Her mother chuckled and rubbed her arm reassuringly. Her smile warmed her heart and she began to feel better immediately. Tilting her head up to face her mother, Kagome smiled slightly in return.
"To fix the first, you just need to go to bed earlier is all. About school, it's only a few more weeks before you get two weeks off. And once first semester is over everything's a piece of cake. What were you fighting with Yuka for? She's a pretty understanding girl, and she genuinely cares about you. All you friends do."
Kagome sighed and shook her head. She couldn't possibly tell her mother she'd been pulling all-nighters for weeks now in order to help out and keep up in school. She would just refuse to accept her help and wouldn't be able to handle the stress and work. Besides, she was almost over the argument. Sure, it hurt to be in a fight with one of her best friends, but things like that happened all the time. She just figured both she and Yuka needed time to cool off and then everything would be fine. And Kagome said so, waving off her mother's concerned look with a bright smile.
"Don't worry about it, Mamma. Everything's going to be fine."
"Are you sure? I feel like you're not telling me everything…" she said uncertainly.
"No, no. I'm fine. It'll be okay. Just chill out."
"Okay… If you say so, Kagome…"
"Yeah, everything's fine. Hakkuna Mattata."
Kagome's mother smiled thinly but let the subject go. She knew something was up but wasn't going to push it any further if Kagome wasn't going to say anything else. Kagome in turn was a little uneasy. She didn't enjoy holding things back from her mother, but she really didn't want her to worry over it and feel it was her fault. Kagome enjoyed helping out her family and having them worry over her health and wellbeing was not helpful. So she just kept her mouth shut.
"Rin's band is playing a few gigs coming up," she said casually to change the subject not-so-subtly.
"Oh? That's nice," her mother said distractedly. It was evident that she was still stuck on their other conversation, but Kagome just ignored it, plowing on ahead.
"Yeah. She seems really excited. I promised I'd go. But I don't know when so I'll let you know as soon as I find out, okay?"
"Mhmm."
Her mother was obviously not paying attention to anything she'd said. Getting frustrated, Kagome sighed and tried again.
"Oh, and I was thinking of getting my lip pierced. And my bellybutton, too. How's that sound?"
"Great, honey, okay."
"But I'm not sure. Gabriel suggested maybe I should get my eyebrow pierced, but so many people are doing that these days. I could always get my nipple pierced. What do you think, Mamma?"
"Sure, sure. Have fun."
"Mamma, you're not listening to me," Kagome stated flatly.
"Hm? Yes I am," her mother said, glancing up from where she'd returned to the cake, piping bag poised in her hand.
"What I just say, then?" Kagome demanded, hands coming up to rest on her hips.
"Oh, well…"
"Yeah, exactly. Listen, I'm gonna go back up to the house. I'll talk to you later, Mamma. Good night."
Kagome leaned over and hugged her mother, kissing her good-bye. Her mother waved as she left the backroom and strode across the main room, putting chairs up on tables and locking up before leaving. Once she was outside, she sighed and shook her head before trudging up the street thinking the whole way home and up to bed. So many things had been happening lately, she faintly wondered how in the world she would get through it all.
"Maybe anti-depressants would work…" she mumbled sleepily before turning off the light and falling asleep still fully-clothed.
I tried writing this one at least four times before I settled on this one. The next chapter should be for The Girls. This was kind of setting up for what will happen next. Surprisingly, I do have a plan. I'm going to be gone for a few days for Fourth of July. So there won't be anything up until after Wednesday. Until then! – Hope Swings