So Surreal – So Real
Chapter Four
Ayame flopped down on the couch in Sango's living room, staring up at the ceiling. Rin giggled and sat down on her stomach heavily, producing a soft 'oomph!' from the redhead. Sango just sat near Ayame's feet. It was a Friday afternoon and school was out for the weekend. And tonight just happened to be their monthly movie night.
"So," Ayame drawled, sitting up on her elbows. "What's on the agenda for tonight? Thrillers, comedy, romance, horror, action, some foreign film in some language I've probably never heard of?"
Rin giggled softly again and slid off of her friend to spread out on the floor. She reached over for her backpack, pulling out assorted DVD cases and fanning them out like a hand of cards. Studying them seriously, she flicked one out higher than the rest and closed her hand, smirking at her choice.
While she was hopping up and sliding it in the slot, Ayame rolled her eyes and turned to Sango with a meaningful glance. Sango smiled and shifted further down on the cushions. Rin twisted to stare them down before taking the DVD remote hostage and settling back down on the floor. Once the menu showed up, the two girls on the couch groaned simultaneously.
"Again, Rin?" Sango whined.
"We've seen this same movie seven times already! Pick something new for a change!" Ayame shrieked, throwing a pillow at the short sixteen-year-old.
Rin just cackled maniacally from the floor for a moment in a very un-Rin like fashion. Then she rolled to her feet and switched discs, much to the relief of the rooms other occupants.
"Really, guys. I'm not that evil," she teased, returning to her spot, hugging the pillow Ayame had thrown at her to her chest.
"Yes you are!" Ayame protested. "You've made us watch that seven times! That movie shouldn't have been made, much less seen every month! And first thing, too! You're a cruel little sadist!"
"Am not! And deep down, you love Poke'mon!"
"She's right, Rin," Sango mumbled, trying to muffle her giggles with a pillow.
Rin just grinned up at them. "I know!" she chirped. "But I can't help it. Pikachu's just too damn cute!"
Sango and Ayame groaned, both smacking her in the head with their pillows. Rin just beamed and started the new movie that didn't involve grossly adorable cartoon monsters. This was going to be a fun night. She could just tell.
X
A few hours later while the credits for their second movie were running, Sango stood up off the couch and stretched her arms above her head with a yawn. Tugging her hair tie free, she shook out her long, dark brown hair and ran her hand through the long strands. She walked into the kitchen and flipped on the lights, rubbing her bleary eyes while she headed for the cupboards above the sink. While she was filling up a glass of water at the faucet, there was a sudden yell before she was grabbed from behind and jerked backwards, eliciting a shriek from the tall brunette.
The hands left her shoulders and her attacker was overcome by a fit of giggles. Whirling around, Sango came face-to-top-of-the-head with Rin. Cocking an eyebrow, she settled her hands on her hips and waited for the shorter girl to settle down. Halfway through her giggle fit, Rin glanced up and immediately sobered upon seeing Sango's expression.
"Um, hi," she muttered, straightening up and bracing herself with her arms on the kitchen table.
"Hi," Sango repeated flatly.
"Eh heh heh…" Rin rubbed the back of her neck nervously, looking everywhere but the general direction of her good friend. "So… how 'bout them Yankees?"
Sango just rolled her eyes and turned back to the sink. Rin sighed in relief and slumped into a chair. Sango briefly glanced back at her and shook her head. She wasn't mad, exactly… Okay, so she was slightly peeved at what the younger girl had done. But what she was feeling was more of annoyance at her little 'prank' than anger. Sango sighed too and sat down in a chair herself, sipping from her now refilled glass.
"So, what's up?" she finally said to break the ice.
"Huh?"
"You're not conked out like Ayame probably is?"
Rin rolled her eyes, raising her head from its position on her folded arms. "Obviously not."
"I can see that. Pirates of the Caribbean and Team America can only knock Ayame out. What should we watch next?"
Rin just shrugged, leaning back in her chair so far, it only rested on two legs. Sango frowned slightly. Rin was usually hyped up and perpetually giggly-happy. Something was off with her…
"Hey, you okay?" she asked softly, leaning forward worriedly.
"Yeah, why?"
Rin looked slightly insulted by the question, and her defensive tone threw Sango for a loop.
"Um, okay… I don't really know, you're acting different, is all."
"Is different not okay with you, or something?" Rin snapped, causing Sango to pull back slightly in shock.
"Yes – I mean – no! No. That's not it. Is there something going on I should be worried about? Is everything all right?"
Rin slumped over at that and sighed. Her ridged posture and tense shoulders relaxed and she caved in on herself. Sango remained silent, not knowing what to do. This was just so weird and unexpected.
"Sorry," Rin mumbled into the table, not looking up from the grainy surface. "I've just got a lot on my mind lately, I guess."
"Like what? You guys have been preaching at me for years that getting it off your chest solves half the problem."
Rin chuckled softly, resting her chin on her overlapped hands. Her large brown eyes studied Sango's face for a moment before smiling softly. Sango's face broke into a wry grin. She'd been waiting to turn her friends' words on them for a while now.
"Well, you see, I have this friend… Bob."
"Bob?" Sango asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, Bob. So anyway, Bob's been getting grief from her other friends over her sudden lack of sleep and how it's effecting her. She's pretty burned out y'know? But it's only because she's a caring, loving person who'd do anything for her family. 'Course, she never thinks about how this all effects her and gets upset whenever someone confronts her about it. Sad really…" Rin trailed off, shaking her head.
"So you're worrying about her?"
"Well, yeah. You would too if a friend of yours that you've known for years is fretting over her mother's welfare and biting off more than she could chew to lessen the load on everyone around her. Kag – Bob has been stumbling a lot under these heavy burdens she doesn't have to take on all by herself."
Sango nodded in understanding. "I see what you mean. You're a good friend, Rin. But maybe, if she's not listening to reason from other people and is too ignorant to stop, there's nothing to do about it. You can't force people to do things they don't want to – even if it's for their own good. All you can do is try to steer them in the right direction and hope they catch on before it's too late."
Rin sighed heavily. When she next spoke, her voice was weary and tired.
"Yeah, I know. It's just hard. She's almost disappearing right in front of my eyes."
"I'm sorry, Rin…" Sango said softly, but Rin just waved it off.
"Don't worry about it; it's not your fault."
"I know. But it's sad for kids our age to go through this stuff these days. And some go through worse stuff at an even younger age…"
Sango flexed her fingers on the table and stared down at them glumly. Rin stared off out the window and frowned. 'Bob' and Sango were a bit alike. They'd both lost parents and had to grow up too fast than they should've. Maybe she should introduce them. They'd make great friends…
"So, how're you, San? Everything doing okay in your neck of the woods?" Rin finally asked after a long silence.
"Um… I think so. Things're easier, but sometimes I wish they could just go back to how they were, you know?"
Rin nodded silently. Letting out a long breath, she stood up and pushed in her chair. Sango glanced up at her inquiringly. Rin just smiled halfheartedly.
"So, y' wanna go watch some sappy chic movie and have a good cry? Maybe eat lots of ice cream and paint our toenails?" Rin joked, turning for the dark living room.
Sango just laughed softly and followed the shorter girl. Rin knew her well enough to notice when to back off and take what she could get. The younger girl had a feeling that was all she'd get out of the guitarist that night and didn't want to push her any further. They were fine where they were at right then and she didn't want to put a strain on their relationship. So instead, they returned to watching movies fro the rest of the night, alternating between action, romance, comedy and whatever else Rin had stashed away in her magic yellow backpack. There was a time for everything and right then it was time for an all-night movie marathon.
X
The three didn't get together until the following Tuesday for practice. They usually had their practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Sango's house since Ayame's parents were never home and she didn't care for her house and Rin didn't exactly have a house suitable for band practices. And because Sango's garage was conveniently empty of moving boxes, other crap and cars, it was obvious that was where they always met.
They'd decided to meet everyday from Tuesday until Saturday to practice and go over their line-up list for their upcoming show. In the end, they never really got to playing on Tuesday though. They ended up discussing and – eventually – arguing over either the arrangement of a song or the order and placement of various songs. Some of their new stuff hadn't been perfected yet, and some of their original songs seemed too monotonous and overplayed. By the time Rin and Ayame had to pack up and head home, they'd hammered out a few kinks in their play list, but infinitely, they had to start over and come to a final decision before they could start rehearsing anything. So their first practice before the show had been fairly uneventful music wise and slightly productive in everything else.
Sango waved the two off before trudging to her room and collapsing on top of her unmade bed exhausted. She figured the rest of her homework could wait until after she'd taken a nap. Besides, she didn't have that much left to do; just Calculus…
Rin and Ayame walked together for a little while until they reached Ayame's light blue, vintage Mustang convertible. She hopped in the driver's seat and waved as Rin took off in the opposite direction. She would have offered her friend a ride, but she knew better than to even suggest that Rin needed to depend on other people in any way. Rin was very proud and didn't take kindly to 'charity' in the form of free rides. If Rin had her way, she would pay Ayame for gas money if she ever accepted her offers for rides. But because of her financial situation, she couldn't afford to from the rising gas prices. So instead, she simply walked – everywhere.
So, Ayame watched Rin walk off down the street from her car. Once the sixteen-year-old disappeared from her sight, she started up the refurbished car and drove off herself. She didn't want to go home yet. Her parents were out of town – again – and the house was consequently empty. She personally didn't really enjoy her family's well-off status. Money didn't concern her, especially when that money came from parents that she only knew from brief notes and clipped voice messages. They had no interest in her life as long as she kept out of trouble, and in return, Ayame had no interest in having them as part of her life. As soon as she graduated and could be off on her own, she was out of that house and out of her parents' influence and money.
For a while, she just drove around, not really having a set destination. She had no homework. What little she did have, she'd finished during study hall. If she had homework or projects ever, she would go to the library for a few hours. Ever since she could go out on her own, she'd spent as little time as possible in that big, empty, state-of-the-art house. It's cold white walls and abstract geometric paintings and blunt metal and glass everything held no sense of 'home,' and it probably never would.
Spotting a small coffee shop, she pulled over and walked inside. She'd made it a habit to stop by any coffee establishment whenever she was just driving around. Many people never really suspected the reserved punk drummer of being a coffeehouse junkie, but she was. She was also really into the whole interpretive and expressive art scene, too. Rhythmic and mellow poetry and slightly new-age art mixed with classic styles and vintage everything drew her attention like a fly to a fluorescent bug zapper. She'd dragged Rin and Sango to museums and art shows and coffeehouses all over the city almost every weekend. She just couldn't get enough.
When she stepped into the small front room, the dimmed lights and the bitter smell of coffee beans immediately settled her already mellow mood into a thrumming sense of comfort. Taking a deep breath, she smiled softly and strode over to the counter, green eyes already scanning the display for something caffeinated and satisfying. It didn't take long and she was soon sitting at a small table, sipping at a steaming cup of coffee. Now this felt like home.
X
Rin walked briskly down the sidewalk, clutching her hard bass case in one hand and her omnipresent yellow backpack slung over her shoulder. Since they would be having rehearsals every day, it was just easier to leave her amp at Sango's house instead of lugging it back and forth every day. She didn't particularly enjoy walking through her neighborhood in the evenings, but she refused to bum rides off of anyone. She couldn't afford the bus either, so she was stuck with walking.
Walking wasn't really that bad. She actually enjoyed taking it slow and getting exercise outside. And since her bass was nearly attached to her, she didn't mind the added weight. The only thing that really bothered her about walking places was the occasional feeling of vulnerability. She didn't exactly live in the best neighborhood, and being a teenage girl, with no real means of contacting someone or defending herself when weighed down with equipment that wasn't exactly cheep, didn't really sit well on her mind or fairly 'safe.' But that was life and she just had to make due with what life dealt her.
Rin was never really comfortable with people knowing where she lived. She wasn't exactly proud of being a foster child for most of her life, much less a poor foster child. And that was partially the reason why she didn't accept rides home, aside from her pride and money issue. She was ashamed of her situation and did everything she could to keep it a secret.
Sure, her foster family was wonderful and she loved them to death. They were the only real family she'd ever known (except for Sango and Ayame). Maurice and Diane were a sweet and caring couple that worked hard to support not only Rin but also the seven other foster kids they'd taken in. Rin owed them everything and even wished they were her real parents instead of the people who'd given her up. But sometimes… sometimes she just wished for a regular family with a regular house in a regular neighborhood where she felt safe and didn't worry for her safety somewhere in the back of her mind every time she stepped outside.
Thinking about that, Rin sighed as she was hit with a wave of guilt. She knew she shouldn't be thinking like that, but she couldn't help it. She looked at people like Sango and Kagome and kids at school and couldn't help but be envious. Then there were the people like Ayame who took their situations for granted. Sure, she loved Ayame and knew she had her own problems, especially from her parents' absence in her life, but did she really have to treat everything as if she were above it all and didn't care about her money or social status? It just seemed like a waste.
Shaking her head, Rin hunched further into herself and kept trudging along. It was no use sulking about it. That wouldn't change a thing. Maybe when Common Ground became well known and they started earning money for their awesome talents, she could change her family's financial problems around. Until then, though, she'd just have to settle for what she had and playing her music at tiny venues and birthday parties.
Rin was so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she didn't notice the clouds of smoke curling up into the quickly darkening sky. Visions of the future danced in front of her eyes as she neared her home, barely registering where the increase in temperature was coming from. Screams and cries for help fell on deaf ears as she continued walking. There was a surge of energy and heat and smoke as she serenely crossed the surprisingly empty street, still oblivious to what was going on around her.
Only when she tried to walk through the gate and into her front yard and was held back by a pair of arms, did she look up, annoyed that someone would keep her from entering her own home. And that's when she saw it – the roaring fire engulfing the cramped two story building, the crooked and patched roof collapsing in on itself, flames licking out hungrily from the now-glassless windows. Her case clattered to the ground unnoticed as she stared at the bonfire that was once her home in shock. This couldn't be happening! It just couldn't! The pair of arms gently led her away, murmuring softly in her ear that it was all right and everything would be okay. At first she was confused at why this person would be trying to console her. Only later would she realize that she'd been sobbing and babbling nonsense about not meaning it…
E
Well… There it is… My brother just moved out last week and it's kind of strange not seeing him around at all (not that he was ever really around that much to begin with…). But anyway, I don't know when the next chapter will be out. I'm gone at camps and on 'vacation' without access to my computer from July 23-August 12. I think I have like two days every six days or so to do laundry and get a full night's sleep before I'm off again. I'm going to be so busy… When you really think about it, the summer really isn't that long… Oh well. Until next time! – Hope Swings