Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry for not updating in a long time! With my senior year and work, it's been very crazy busy but I'm getting it all together. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa and whatever else you celebrate. Best wishes for the New Year and I might even update before that! Now please enjoy. I don't own anything but my plot and my characters. I know a lot of you want to kill me for not updating sooner but don't…you wont get to the end…which is coming soon… but not too soon…we gotta have lots of huddyness now don't we?
Chapter Twenty Four: Of Forgery and A Phone Call
"So you have no idea what happened?" Skyler asked, enthralled as Kara told her everything about what had happened. Kara shook her head unhappily. Cuddy refused to talk about it straight up and House would only tease her. "Oh my goodness." Skyler shook her head and rummaged through her notes for the upcoming test that Kara had totally forgotten about.
"I know." Kara groaned, sneaking a glance over at the notes.
"You didn't study, did you?" Skyler griped, frowning at her friend.
"Of course I did." Kara lied, looking straight off into the horizon. Kara saw Skyler roll her eyes and move her paper down so Kara could see them too. The notes were pretty easy. She just hoped the test would be too.
The test, of course, turned out to be way harder than the notes gave away. Kara spent half her time staring at the page in front of her, trying to figure out exactly what it wanted her to do in the first place. Usually the directions were beneficial, but this time they seemed to be a problem in itself. Time was called and Kara waited the next ten minutes in silent apprehension as the teacher slipped the scantrons through the machine quietly before slowly calling each student up to the front. "Miss Rivers." The teacher called. Skyler looked up and headed tentatively up to the teacher's desk. He mumbled a few words to her before handing her the scantron. She turned around and returned to her seat; smiling so wide Kara could have sworn her face could have cracked.
Mr. Lasseder called a few more people up before sending an aloof glare straight at Kara. "Miss House." He said resignedly.
Kara got up and walked the few steps to stand in front of the teacher. At first, Mr. Lasseder had been nice to her because she was new to this whole public school ordeal, like Skyler, but lately he had dished out all his abhorrence on her since she couldn't grasp what he taught. "You missed almost every question. You're failing my class and a few others as well. You know what this means?" He asked his voice like liquid poison.
"No." Kara whispered, alarmed.
"You have your parents sign this," He handed Kara a piece of yellow paper. "And deciding on how much you're failing by with the other classes, the Principal may or may not call your parents for a meeting." He handed her the scantron and picked up the next one. Kara retreated shamefaced to her desk, staring at the yellow piece of paper. Skyler turned her head and gave Kara an inquisitive look.
"I'll talk to you later." Kara mouthed quickly. Was it her or did everyone seem out to get her?
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"That's really bad, Kara. You're dad is gonna kill you." Skyler told Kara nervously, her brows furrowed in concern for her life of her friend. Kara sent her a dark glare. "Sorry, that wasn't helpful, but seriously. Don't you pay attention in class?"
"I've been busy, Skyler." Kara snapped irritated.
"Busy with what?" Skyler asked just as annoyed with Kara's fuse-like temper.
"Kieler, for one. I was seriously ill weeks ago. I'm just not totally into this adoption ordeal yet." Kara said miserably.
Skyler sighed and slipped her arm around Kara, giving her a hug. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Just get your mom to sign it and tell her you're having problems or something. You say she's the sappiest one so she should understand. Just don't do anything you'll regret or get you in trouble." Skyler said pulling away from Kara as Kara's ride pulled up.
Kara smirked at Skyler. "You underestimate me, my friend." Kara told Skyler arrogantly. Skyler gave Kara a suspicious glance from the tone of Kara's voice. She knew it all to well. A plan was beginning to form in that scheming mind of hers. Kara waved at Skyler before going towards the car. She opened the door and collapsed in, slamming the door and turning to face none other than her father. She gasped before controlling herself.
"That's the same look I have when I see your mother." House murmured, shaking his head and pulling the car out into the road. "So, how was school?" House asked, turning the radio down to give his daughter his undivided attention.
"Fine." Kara answered quickly, her facial expression indifferent.
House frowned. "Didn't you learn anything interesting at school?" He prodded.
"Umm...yeah." Kara began, thinking quickly. "I learned that if you snort those Ice Breakers mints, you cry. And it just might clear your nasal area too in the process." House looked over at Kara. "I didn't do it!" She told him.
"That's pure stupidity. Don't you guys have tests and work to do in school?" House said, rolling his eyes.
"This was at lunch." Kara reminded him.
"Well what about your classes?" House continued, determined to get something out of his daughter.
Kara opened her mouth then snapped it shut, giving House a sly look. "Mom put you up to this." She stated firmly.
"Are you referring that I only ask what's happening in your life because your mother told me too?" House told her, appalled. Kara glared at him steadily. "Damn, you're good."
"No, I'm observant. Did she threaten you with clinic duty?" Kara asked, shaking her head at her own mother's plans.
"Worse." House told her, grimacing.
"What's worse than clinic duty?" Kara wondered.
"She started on this sappy monologue about if I didn't get my time with you, I was going to regret in later." House answered.
"Ooh. The sap story. Those are bad." Kara agreed.
"How would you know?" House demanded, raising his eyebrows slightly.
"Orphanages are full of them and most of them are made up." Kara reminded him. House nodded. "Don't worry dad, I got your back." Kara slid down in her seat slightly, now fully sure that this awkward conversation would soon end.
"That's my girl." House said, turning up the radio. He suddenly was taken by surprise. Did he really just say that? He took a secret glance at his daughter, who stared absentmindedly out the window, and smirked. He liked that.
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Kara carefully entered Cuddy's office, taking great care that no one saw her go in. She crossed the room and sat in her chair, glancing around furtively before going back to her mother's messy, paper ridden desk. Vigilantly, she picked a paper from a stack and opened it up, glancing down at the bottom. There, on the fine line was her mother's signature. Dr. Lisa Cuddy. She took a piece of white paper and pressed it against her mother's signature. She needed to practice first before she could forge the signature on the paper with confidence. She traced the swirly writing for a few minutes before taking her paper out and forging her mother's signature conscientiously. She sighed when she was done and admired her handy work. This could come in handy later on. She knew it was against the law but wasn't murder against the law too. Which was more insignificant? She chose forgery.
She folded the paper and slipped it in her pocket. She put Cuddy's signed hospital paper in the stack and picked up the paper with all the practice signatures. "She might be in here." Cuddy's voice said from outside of her office. Kara looked up shocked for a minute and then worried.
"Why on earth would she be in your office?" House asked.
Kara dashed for the paper shredder, stuffing the paper in the machine and hearing the satisfied shredding noise before tripping over her own feet and tumbling over her mother's coffee table, falling on the floor in between the couch and the table, giving herself a good bruise around her legs. The door swung open quickly and both Cuddy and House walked in with apprehensive gazes. "Kara, sweetheart, are you okay?" Cuddy asked, hurrying over to her and offering Kara her hand.
Kara grabbed it and with Cuddy's help, got up stiffly. "What happened?" Cuddy asked, dusting Kara off.
"I, uh, was sleeping and I fell off the couch...?" Kara said awkwardly.
"Huh." Was House's reply. He had his eyebrows slightly raised as if he didn't believe Kara's little story. Kara looked over at her mom instead, ignoring House. "It's time to go home, kid." House finally said, sighing.
"Okay. Bye, Mom. See you soon." Kara said lightly, smiling. She turned and quickly exited her mom's office, hearing her father's cane hitting the floor behind her. They reach the elevator and got in silently, making the one person in there exit.
"Sleeping and you fell off the couch?" House asked, amused. "Come on, even Chase can lie better than that."
"Is that supposed to be an insult?" Kara asked instead, raising one of her own eyebrows.
"What were you doing in your mother's office?" House persisted, raising up to his full height and giving a demeaning look at his daughter.
"Sleeping." Kara lied.
"You weren't sleeping." House insisted.
"How do you know I wasn't sleeping?" Kara asked instead, glaring at her dad.
"There's a difference between seeing a person stumble over a table and a person woke up from falling on a table while sleeping." House told her obviously.
"And you would know how...?" Kara asked, now interested on how he came over this revelation.
House narrowed his eyes at his daughter. "I will find out." He threatened.
"I have nothing to hide." Kara said, opening her arms up wide. House rolled his eyes and put his arm on Kara's head.
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House avoided Cuddy's office the next morning and entered his office. He sat down in his chair and sighed. He had gotten in trouble with Cuddy last night for taking Kara out for Chinese Food. After the first three seconds, House pictured Cuddy naked and the argument didn't reach his ears. When Cuddy finally recognized the weird glaze over his eyes, she stomped on his foot before walking off with Kara. Cuddy had dropped Kara off at school and he hoped that he would avoid her for most of the day.
He ended up getting lucky and having most of the morning to terrorize Cameron, Chase, and Foreman by sending them to do menial errands. He jumped slightly when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the unrecognized number. "Yes?" He asked.
"Dr. House?" The man on the other line asked.
"This is he." House confirmed.
"This is Principal Keller from Princeton Academy. I'm calling on concern of your daughter, Kara House." Principal Keller said coolly.
"What happened?" House asked quickly, worried.
"Your daughter's failing three classes and I believe that we'll need a parent teacher conference." He answered.
House straightened in his chair. "All righty then. I think we can do that." Principal Keller began to say something. "Just one moment, do we have to bring her with us or can we leave her at home?"
"She doesn't come." Principal Keller confirmed.
"Good, that means we can beat her before and after." House said optimistically as he was met with silence on the other line.
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"So, who signed your paper?" Skyler asked sympathetically as Kara and her waited for their rides.
"My mom." Kara answered simply, offering Skyler an apathetic smile back.
"Are you grounded for life or...?" Skyler trailed off.
"No." Kara said laughing slightly at her friend's worry for her.
"See, I told you she would understand!" Skyler exclaimed.
"Oh she understands that she knows nothing about me failing that test." Kara told Skyler.
Skyler tilted her head sideways slightly. "Wait...Kara...you didn't!" She hit Kara on the shoulder. "Forgery is against the law!"
"So is murder!" Kara pointed out.
"What does this have to do with murder?" Skyler asked her eyes wide.
"My dad will murder me if he knew." Kara answered.
"Oh, please, Kara. You're being melodramatic." Skyler said.
Kara opened her mouth to say something but saw the car instead. "I'll call you later." Kara said over her shoulder, bouncing over to the car. She stopped short when she saw her mom in the passenger seat. She slowly opened the backseat car door and sat down in the car. It was too quiet to be normal and there was a kind of tension in the air where she could feel it.
"You want to hear something funny, Kara." House said gently, glancing up at the rearview mirror.
"Hmm?" Kara asked.
"I got a call today and it was your principal. He said that you were failing three classes." House said lightly.
Kara froze. "You're right that is funny." Kara said forlornly, trying to laugh it off.
"It's not as funny as what's about to happen to you." House said ominously.
"House," Cuddy warned him. He turned to give her a meaningful stare before they both looked away, apparently having one of those creepy, silent parent conversations with each other's eyes. Kara gulped nervously and stared at the window to look at Skyler, who was now blissful and unaware that Kara might be killed that night.
Dun, dun, dun! Poor Kara. Now, what happens at home and the meeting? Review and find out!