-x-
Chapter Three: The Words Of My Mother
-x-
The all age's night club is lit up with excitement. The festivities for the night to come being put in order by proprietors and employees.
"They're gonna be so happy to see us." A blonde grins as she cuts off the ignition to her new car.
The brunette shares in her enthusiasm. "I know. I haven't seen Matt since the disaster with my mother so I'm sure he's gonna be excited." She agrees. "And I mean, this way I'll have a little time to make it up to him." She winks.
"Kinky, M." Zoe nods approvingly. "But how unprofessional of Matt." She jokes.
"Puh-lease. We haven't had sex in so long; he wouldn't care if we did it in a closet." Mimi shakes her head. "Lately, we've been getting interrupted." She frowns.
Zoe loops her arm through the brunette's. "If he does well tonight, you'll know what to give him as a reward." She winks as they come to the back entrance. "I know that's what I'm giving Ken." She laughs.
"Cheap date." Mimi opens the heavy door and holds it open for her friend. "But that's exactly what he'll be…—
The sentence dies on her lips as she witnesses a scene from a movie unfolding before her. There right in front of her, is her boyfriend and another girl. She looks young, a year or two younger than Mimi herself, with dark brown hair and light lucent skin. She's smiling up at her blonde boyfriend flirtatiously as he grins down at her.
"Is that…oh God, get out." Zoe breathes out, quicker to react than the frozen brunette. "Oh hell fuckin no." She shakes her head tightly before lightly pushing past her best friend.
Mimi pulls her back for a second. "Wait, Zoe. Who is that?" Mimi asks, bewildered.
Zoe's lips are pursed into a tight line in anger. "Jenyra, I think they call her Jenny. She's Ryo's younger sister." She spits, before dropping Mimi's hand and walking towards the pair.
Ken sees his girlfriend marching in, in an angry haze and mumbles something along the lines of "I told him so." To a band mate.
As Zoe dramatically approaches, their heads snap up. Matt immediately takes three steps back, tripping into the stage as he does. The girl backs away, sheepishly folding her hands in front of herself. "Hi Zoe." She greets, nervously twisting her thumbs.
"Oh, I'll deal with you in a second." She glares at the girl, turning her anger on to Matt momentarily.
Matt shakes his head. "This isn't your business, Barbie. Why don't you go occupy Ken's time." He scoffs.
Zoe narrows her cool blue eyes up at him menacingly. "Don't you tell me what to do, Ishida." She shoves a finger into his chest. "That, right there. That's my best friend, you better have a great explanation for this one."
Matt ignores the pixie like blonde and shoves past her. "I am so not done with you!" She screams behind him, making to follow him.
But Ken decides its time to step in. "Stop, come on." He takes her arm. "This isn't your fight." He reminds her, his navy blue eyes staring into hers.
"But Ken, he was—
"Zoe, this isn't your business, come on." He puts his hand in the small of her back, nodding towards the door leading to the front stage. "We'll talk." He kisses her cheek.
Her anger diminishes slightly. "Fine, but I still need to talk to her." She gives the timid brunette in the corner of the room a pointed glance.
"No you don't. Come on, you're spending all this energy on these people, when you could be spending it on me." He grins into her ear.
She breaks into a small smile. "Horny, much?" She remarks as they leave.
Matt strides over to Mimi. Her arms are crossed over her chest and her eyes are squeezed shut, he knows she's trying not to cry. He rushes over to her, wanting nothing more than to explain himself and to convince her he's sorry. When her glance meets his, she shakes her head in disappointment, before turning her back to walk out.
"Wait, please." He begs behind her.
But she doesn't listen or care, she heads back out of the way she came. "Mimi, I'm sorry!" He calls behind her, speeding up to a slow jog to catch up to her.
She quickens her pace, before she realizes she came here with Zoe. By which time, her blonde boyfriend catches her arm. "Please, let me explain." He pleads.
She keeps her back turned to him. "Listen, you know it doesn't mean anything. That's Ryo's younger sister." He says desperately. "Come on, Mimi. She was a fan…I couldn't just be rude to her and that's Ryo's sister." He repeats.
Mimi refuses to listen to him. "I've heard this song before, Yamato. When are you gonna learn a new one?" She asks, shaking off his grip.
"You're being real dramatic about this, Mimi." He says, trying hard not to get irritated with her.
"Of course, I'm the one being dramatic. It's always me, isn't it?" She seethes, whipping around to glare at him.
He sighs. "Mimi, come on." He says impatiently. "Right now, you're making a big deal out of nothing." He notes.
She shakes her head tightly. "No, I'm not." She contradicts. "You just don't care, Yamato." She laughs dryly at her own naiveté. He would never change.
"I don't care? Mimi, I wasn't doing anything!" He's at the end of his patience. "I know what this is really about." He nods in understanding.
"Enlighten me, then. What is it really about?" She says angrily.
"You just can't get over last summer, can you?" He questions confidently. "I've been trying so hard lately, I really have. But you're looking for every excuse to—
"How dare you!" She jabs a hard finger into his chest. "You can not be turning this around on me! Matt, if I had walked in two minutes later I'm sure you would've been making out with her!" She accuses hysterically.
"I know you can't be stupid enough to believe that." He scoffs.
She raises an eye brow. "Yeah, I do believe that." She says coldly. "Because I know you, Yamato."
"You just don't want this to work out. You'll look any reason to get out of—
Her hand flies over his lips. "Stop." She hisses. "Stop trying to tell me what I want or how I feel. Stop trying to make this my fault and stop blaming me!" She screams. "And for once in your god damn life, take responsibility for your mistakes!" Her hand drops off his mouth as her chest heaves up and down in rage.
Matt shakes his head, a mirthless laugh tumbling off his lips. "All right, that's it." He raises his hands up. "I give up, I'm done." He shrugs.
Her eyes widen. "You're done!" She demands in disbelief.
He nods. "Yeah, Mimi. I don't need to deal with this." He juts his chin towards the building. "I've got a show to do, I'm not gonna let your drama get in the way of that."
Her jaw drops. "Seriously?" She asks, appalled.
When he doesn't say anything, her anger boils over. "I hate you for making me say this, but my mother was right." She shoves him before walking in the other direction.
He catches her wrist, pulling her back. "You wanted it this way." He growls in her face. "Not me. Remember that." He drops her wrist, pushing her away from him.
She watches as he turns around and walks in the other direction with out so much as a second glance.
-x-
"Thank you, Tai, for picking me up." She says as he parks in front of her house.
He shakes his head. "Sure, no problem." He insists.
She sighs. "Matt's just so hard to deal with and sometimes it's like he just doesn't care about me." She complains. "I mean, I try so hard and it's like—
"Meems, you gotta tell me what happened, coz right now I'm lost." He interrupts her.
She nods. "Yeah, alright. But you're gonna think I'm silly for getting mad over something so small." She warns him.
Tai shrugs. "Maybe, but that's never stopped you before." He grins.
She pushes his shoulder lightly. "He was flirting with some other girl." She divulges. "Right there, in front of his band mates and it was like he had no regard for me at all." She could feel tears pricking the back of her eyes, she'd felt this way for much too long.
His jaw stiffened, "First of all, you have every right to be upset." He says firmly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Who was it?" He asks.
"That girl, Jenny, Ryo's sister…" She trails off, feeling slightly ashamed that he'd chosen not just any girl, but an underclassman at that, to use to humiliate her. "And worst of all, when I talked to him about it…he acted like I was just being dramatic."
He tucks a hand underneath her chin and brings up her gaze. "You weren't. Okay? And listen to me—
He's cut off by her front door opening, the person coming out with what looks like pepper spray clutched in her hand. "Who's there?" The unmistakable voice of Mimi's mother questions suspiciously, walking two steps off the porch. "Mimi?" She asks, peering into the car.
Mimi groans loudly. "Could my day get any worse?" She mumbles. "Yes mother, it's me!" She calls, ducking her head.
She hopes Milene will just take her word for it and go back inside. But she knows that can't be the case, not after her mother has spotted Taichi Yagami sitting in the driver's side next to her. A huge grin breaks out on to her Botox injected face at the sight of her best friend's son and her daughter in the same car. And looking so cozy at that.
"Taichi!" Milly greets, her voice higher than usual. "I haven't seen you around here in so long." She walks over to his side of the car.
"Yeap, been busy Mrs. T." He explains, an awkward smile on his face.
She waives a hand back and forth. "So much so that you couldn't even drop by?" She asks, an evil glint in her eye. "I've missed you, you know." She winks.
Mimi shakes her head in embarrassment and pure mortification. Her mother was so obvious, it was ridiculous. She wishes she could snap her fingers and disappear from the scene all together, because watching her mother make an ass out of herself is something Mimi just doesn't want to see. "Mom, we were talking." She interrupts whatever Milene was saying in hopes that she'll take a hint and leave.
She claps her hands together in utter delight. "Lovely! So you can come inside and do it!" She suggests in a way that Mimi knows she won't take "no" for an answer.
Yes, lovely indeed.
Tai reaches behind his head and scratches his neck. "Well, I was thinking I'd go to—
She gives Tai an icy glance, cold enough to cut him off. "Nonsense, Taichi. You and Mimi can continue whatever discussion the two of you were having inside." She persists, her tone sinisterly sweet. "In fact, it's much more appropriate. Sitting in the driveway is hardly a place to have a conversation." She states.
Mimi buries her face in her hands, her mother was the most embarrassing human being on the face of the earth. "Sure, Mrs.T We'll come inside." Tai says on her behalf.
Mimi looks up at him, mouthing a brief "Sorry." Before stepping out of his car.
"There, now that's more like it." Milene says approvingly. "It's great too, because Rayna was just putting tea out." She smiles toothily. "And now you two are just in time."
Mimi shakes her head, silently begging for death in the form of something short and painless. "She's crazy." Mimi whispers to Tai.
He chuckles lightly. "Nah, she just wants to see us married." He says, his tone equally as hushed but all the more playful.
And while this may have been under the most excruciatingly humiliating circumstances, at least it took her mind off Matt. At least, for a little while.
-x-
The two of them sat in her living room, talking as quietly as they could to avoid being overheard by her mother who's lingering suspiciously close to the room. Coming in and out with claims of forgotten one thing and misplaced another. Each time, a large smile would cross her face at the sight of the two of them together. Three times, she even asked to take a picture of the two of them together. Each time, they refused.
"Doesn't she get I'm with Matt and me and you grew up together?" Mimi demands, while her mother disappears into the kitchen.
Tai shrugs a cool shoulder. "She just doesn't like Matt, is all. I'm telling you, Mimi, she just thinks I'm the better alternative." He assures her.
"Okay, fine and good. But what about me, Tai?" She questions. "I mean, isn't this my life to begin with? Between picking out everything from my color schemes to my room and my breakfast in the morning, don't you think she has enough control over what I do?" She says irately. "Telling me who I should and shouldn't be in love with is where I draw the damn line!" She huffs, her anger at her mother building in steady amounts.
It was one thing to casually ask them to come inside but blatantly setting the two of them up in the most awkward of ways? That was going too far.
"I know it's gotta be tough, Milene is hard to deal with." He acknowledges, he's known her and her mother since he was old enough to walk. "But you have to, deal, you know?" He says as sympathetically as possible. "She isn't perfect, but I think deep down, she has your best interests at heart." He provides.
To which Mimi counters with, "What heart?" She scoffs.
Tai chuckles again, ruffling her hair. "Careful princess, your claws are coming out." He jokes.
"Yeah, well. She just gets me so mad I just wanna stran—
Her mother's entrance causes the sentence to die on her lips. "So, how are things?" She asks. Mimi cringes as she sits in front of them.
"Will you just leave us al—
"Things are fine, Mrs. T." Tai interjects, flashing Mimi a look that says "Play nice."
She crosses her arms over her chest and leans back into the sofa, a childish pout adorning her face. "That's good, and where exactly are the two of you coming from?" She asks, interest peeking in her voice.
Tai takes the liberty to answer this one too. "We were supposed to go to Matt's concert but left because…" He trails off, glancing at Mimi, unsure if he should disclose the details of their early departure to her mother.
"Because the show was cancelled." She says calmly. She knows it's a lie, but there's no way in hell she'd tell her mother the truth. That she left because Matt showed obvious disregard for her feelings. That would just give her mother more ammunition.
Her words from the day before ringing in her ears… "He will leave you and you won't have a shred of credibility left to your name…" Was her mother right about this one?
"Oh, well what a shame." She says emotionlessly, examining her finger nails.
Mimi snorts. "Don't sound too broken up about it." She responds sarcastically.
Milly looks up at her daughter. "First of all, what was that disgusting noise that just came out of your mouth?" She looks utterly revolted. "And secondly, it is a shame. I'm sure this was important to Yamato." Her eyes become stony and cold as she bores them into Mimi's.
Mimi bites her tongue, she doesn't want to get into a fight with her mother right now. Not in front of Tai making him more uncomfortable than he already is. It's her fault he's here anyway, so she should try her best to make it easier on him.
"Uh he practiced a while for it." Tai's forced once again to play mediator between mother and daughter.
She nods swiftly. "But what about you Taichi? How's soccer, you still play don't you?" She asks with so much enthusiasm in her voice that it sounds almost fake.
Tai nods his head. "As much as I eat, sleep and breathe." He answers.
"No wonder you don't have time for a girlfriend." She laughs her fake laugh that always makes Mimi want to gag.
Tai smiles politely. "Uh, yeah." He runs a hand through is hair.
"It's good that you're focused on something that'll get you ahead in life." She says appreciatively. "The fact that you have ambitions and goals is a great thing, Taichi." Mimi doesn't fail to notice her mother's subtle digs at her boyfriend. So subtle, that Tai probably just thought Milene was complimenting him, when really she was trying to get her point across to Mimi.
Tai looks from Milly to her daughter before nodding once more, not sure of what else to do. "Right…" He trails off.
"Are we done here, yet?" Mimi scowls.
Milly raises an eye brow. "Mimi, what is the problem? Do you have a constant need for attention or something?" She asks in annoyance. "I'm getting tired of your dramatics." She says warningly.
Mimi rolls her eyes. "Sorry mother." Her apology comes through gritted teeth.
But her mother just turns her attention back to Tai. "How's your sister, I haven't seen Hikari since the summer." She says genuinely.
"Kari's good, she took up tennis this year so her and Sora are at the club a lot." He explains.
Milly makes a face when the redhead's name is mentioned but quickly re-plasters the smile back on her face. "That's good, she's always been such a bright girl." She says with a grin.
Tai nods. "Yeah, she's really good at it and so smart." His little sister is probably his favorite person in the world. "A whole lot smarter than I ever was." He laughs.
Milene laughs too. "Oh come on Tai! I'm sure you're smart!" She contradicts.
Tai shrugs. "I get by." He answers modestly.
"Dude, you'd do so much better if you actually put your head into it and didn't party so much." Mimi elbows him lightly, hoping it'll get her to shut up.
Instead Milene just smiles. "Well, it's good that you're balanced, Tai." In her mother's eyes, Tai could do no wrong. "You have to have fun too and as long as you do your best in school, it's all right." She concludes.
Tai runs a hand through his hair. "Thanks, Mrs. T" He says, feeling his face burn.
Mimi couldn't help but gawk at her mother, she'd never been so nice to anyone before. She's kissing Tai's ass like he's god himself or something and it's almost too much for Mimi to stomach.
-x-
"She actually left?" A redhead yells over the roar of the crowd.
The blonde nods in her direction. "Yeah, you should've seen it S!" She answers. "I felt so bad for Mimi!"
Sora pulls the blonde closer to her so they don't have to yell quite as loud. "You never said what happened." She mentions as Matt's band continues their fifteen minute recess.
Zoe nods her head towards the back exit. "We won't be able to hear a thing in here." She explains as she leads Sora out.
They weave in and out of the packed club as they make their way to the closest exit. Sora couldn't help but be concerned about Mimi leaving so suddenly. Especially since this was all the brunette could talk about for the past week. Abandoning Matt like this, it just wasn't her. She loved him senseless, on his most important night, she should be here. Regardless of everything and anything, she should've been here to support him. End of story.
Zoe runs a hand through her hair as the cool night air braces her and the redhead. "They got in a fight, from as far as I can tell." She explains quickly, wanting to go back inside as soon as possible. She's sure Ken would know if she left when they came back for their last song, his eyes had been on her the entire night.
"What now?" Sora's sure whatever it is that happened, shouldn't be important enough for Mimi to miss the show. His first show.
Zoe shakes her head. "He's an ass, Sor. I dunno what else to say." She says, craning her neck around the redhead to see inside the building.
"C'mon, Barbie. I don't get it." She urges.
Zoe sighs. "He was flirting with some girl. Jenny, Ryo's sister—
"That girl? She's a baby!" Sora scoffs. "Mimi can't have gotten jealous over her." She says in disbelief.
The blonde shrugs a limp shoulder. "I don't know much, S. I didn't get the chance to talk to her yet." She says, slightly impatient. "I just know there was a fight and Matt came back alone." She answers.
"But enough to miss the show? Come on…" Sora clicks her tongue in disappointment.
"Hey, we don't know what happened." Zoe says sharply. "If you're gonna blame someone, don't you think Matt's the more probable candidate." She flips her hair over her shoulder.
Sora's eyes widen. "Hold on, Z." She puts up a hand. "Don't get mad at me, I just think Mimi made a rash decision, is all." She defends.
Zoe immediately feels bad, she knows her anger towards Sora is completely unfounded. "Sorry, S. She's my best friend and she was real hurt today." Zoe sighs. "I just feel for her is all and honestly? I'm more mad at myself because I can't be there for her." She justifies.
Sora puts a hand on her shoulder. "She's my best friend too, so after the concert we'll go check on her, kay?" She suggests.
Zoe nods once. "Good idea, Elmo" She winks playfully.
Sora smiles. "So what do you say we get back in there." She gestures back toward the door. "I'm sure your boytoy is giving himself a hernia looking for you." She slips her arm through Zoe's.
Zoe smiles back. "Sadly enough, you're probably right. The boy's obsessed." She laughs.
-x-
After many dirty looks from her daughter and a request from Tai she'd dismissed the kids upstairs. Keeping them together was her mission, so even when Tai mentioned it was getting late, she assured him she'd ring his mother and let her know he was over here. That way she wouldn't worry. Of course, there was no refusing Milene Tachikawa so Tai obliged.
She picked up the phone and held it between her shoulder and ear, letting the sound of the bell ring through her ears. She answers after three, her voice was a bit breathless. "Hello?"
"It's me." Milene says swiftly to her best friend Kimiko "Kim" Yagami.
Kim knows by her voice. "Milly, what's going on?" She asks.
"Well first things first. Tai's here." She breathes into the phone, feeling more elated by the second. "And him and Mimi are looking really cozy." She grins.
"Really?" Kimiko asks in slight disbelief. "They are friends, you know." She points out.
Milene shakes her head. "Nope, it's different trust me." She says firmly and there's no arguing with that lady. "But you know what this means?" She continues.
"Nope. What?"
She takes a patient breath. "Kimi, it means that we can confirm Mimi and Tai on the list." She explains. "As a couple." She specifies.
"You're sure?" Kim's feelings about her son and her best friend's daughter were the same as Milene's. She'd love nothing more than for the two of them to be together and one day wed.
Milene nods. "Of course. From what I can tell, Mimi and that derelict are fighting and Tai was here comforting her." She says giddily, she can't remember being so happy about anything. "It's all going to work out." She assures her friend.
"But you really think she'd go to the ball with Tai instead of Matt? I mean isn't that her boyfriend." She says blandly. "Think about it Mill."
"Trust me, Kim. There's no one better for Mimi than Tai." She's sure of that much. "And do you really think that I'd let my daughter be presented to society on the arm Yamato Ishida?" She asks, entirely appalled by the idea.
Kim can attest for as much. "No, you're right. Tai's obviously the better choice, I was just waiting for you daughter to see it." She jokes. "I hope it works out." She sighs.
"It will, I'll make sure of that much." Milene says determinedly. "I can't have this anymore, it's gone on for too long." She's finally putting her foot down.
"I completely agree with you, Mill. You're doing the right thing." Kim says wholeheartedly. "I mean she's just a girl, she doesn't know what's good for her." She says blandly.
"Exactly, see Kim. I wish I could get her to see that." Milene gripes. "I mean I expected this thing with Yamato to fizzle out after a year. I just don't see the appeal." She huffs.
Kim laughs. "He's a very good looking boy, Mill." She says seriously. "You're telling me you don't understand the attraction?"
"He is good looking, fine. But a three year relationship with a boy who's good to look at?" She questions. "It isn't smart." She complains.
"Agreed. It's not smart but what teenager in the world is smart?" She says. "But that's what they have us for and believe me they're damn lucky." She chuckles.
"Here, here." Milene agrees. "But I'm starting to see the end, Kim. I really am, it's a matter of time before Mimi wises up."
"And trades up?" Kimiko suggests. "It's a shame the family has such a bad name, since they really are very wealthy." She says carefully.
Milene picks at her nail beds. "I suppose. But maybe if Kasuke hadn't mixed business with pleasure, it wouldn't have been this way." She says unsympathetically.
"Or been discreet about it." Kim amends. "I just felt horrible for Natsuko, she didn't deserve that."
Milene gives a short, sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, like Nancy wasn't "serving" her tennis coach." She mentions. "But it isn't really even about his parents." Milene says quickly.
"Yeah, from what I hear, Yamato has quite a few bad habits." Kim drops.
"To put it mildly. But it's even worse than that, I mean look at how he treats my daughter!" She tries hard to keep her voice low, she doesn't want Mimi overhearing.
"Yeah, didn't you tell me Mimi came home crying last summer coz—
"He cheated on her?" Milene supplies. "Yeah, she was in her room for three days because of the gory details." She rubs her temple with a finger, she hated thinking of that time because it reminded her how horrible Mimi had felt.
Kim shakes her head. "And she took him back, right?" She says, not bothering to hide the disappointment in her voice. "I don't know, Mill. It doesn't seem over to me." She says with a shrug.
Milene wasn't will to accept that. "Whether it's over or not the important thing is Mimi is going to make her debut at the Odaiba Annual Debutante Ball with Tai." She says decisively. "Her name has been on the list since she was nine so there's no way she'll be able to back out and it was decided, months, well years ago really, that she'll be escorted by Tai." There isn't a hint of hesitation in her voice.
So Kim can't help but take her word for it. "You're right, Mill. And how cute will the two of them look?" She gushes, she always thought that Mimi and her son looked great together. They balanced each other out.
"Absolutely adorable." She says, her voice gleeful. "It's going to be a night to remember."
-x-
"Okay, okay. So what's this one from." She braces herself for his off key and out of tune rendition. "We are young! Heart ache to heart ache we stand—
"OH! Oh! It's "Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benetar!" She gets out before collapsing into a fit of giggles. "Oh god, that was the worst version of the song I've ever heard!"
He laughs along with her, happy he could distract her from her crappy day and her nosy mother. "Never leaves this room, though. We clear?" He stipulates.
She makes a show of locking her lips. "Your secret's safe." She winks.
He opens his mouth to say something else but closes it at the audible vibration of her cell phone. Her glance falls on it at the same time as his, sitting in the middle of her bed.
She reaches over and picks it up, looking over what she'd received. It said three new messages.
The first was from Sora.
You okay? I'm starting to get worried.
The second was also from Sora.
Got the gist from Zoe, sry bout fight. Coming over later to hang.
The last one's from none other than Yamato Ishida himself and it was received not about an hour ago.
You rly didnt stay. That's fcked up.
She snorts at his message, expecting an apology instead of a complaint.
"Matt?" Tai asks.
"Among others." She attempts to grin at him. "Sora and Zoe are worried." She explains.
He nods. "That's standard, right?" He says nonchalantly.
Mimi shrugs a shoulder. "I suppose." She says flippantly. "They're coming over though." She heaves a dramatic sigh.
"Isn't that a good thing?" He asks confusedly, silently thanking God they were because it meant her mother might actually let him leave. Not that he minded Mimi's company, but he wanted to get home soon.
"Yeah. It's nice they care." She says half heartedly, she would love to see her friends they're just not who she's waiting to see.
Such an innocent girl
As if reading her mind, Tai says. "But you wish it was Matt?"
Mimi stares up at him in surprise. "Yeah, yeah I do." She blinks.
He chuckles. "You should tell him that, then." He advises.
Easier said than done. "Maybe." She says, even though she isn't really considering it.
Living life in a cold, cold world
He accepts it. "Besides, Matt's a douche bag but he really loves you." He comforts.
She gives him a skeptical look. "Pfft. Says who?" She says, rolling her eyes in clear disagreement.
Tai chuckles softly. "It's obvious. I've known the guy since we were four." He assures her. "He's just—
"An asshole with a quick temper and a lot of crappy habits?" She interrupts, still rather angry with his display that afternoon.
"Yes, that's true." Tai says carefully. "But you've seen his heart, Mimi. You know he's a good guy." He argues.
Give her mercy, give her glory
Mimi shakes her head. "Yeah, well I'm not so sure anymore." Her grief manifests itself as blatant anger. She wanted to be there for him so badly tonight, but he had to go and ruin it. "He doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself." She stares at her feet.
Tai swivels around in her computer chair, trying to come up with the best way to calm her down. "He's selfish, I know. But Mimi, come on…" he can't come up with a better argument than that. He's tired of defending Matt when he believes Mimi is right in this one.
A lot of times, he thinks the brunette can be a tad dramatic. But that's how girls are, this time though? This time he knows Matt's screwed up and not just by flirting with the girl. He doesn't think the flirting is that big of a crime. But the way he spoke to Mimi wasn't right.
He looks up at her. "I'm sorry Matt was a dick to you, Mimi." He says solemnly. "He shouldn't have said those things." He acknowledges.
A happy ending, to this story
She nods. "Thank you." She says sincerely, she gets off her bed. "And thanks for being here tonight." She presses a kiss against his cheek.
He gives her a small smile. "Nah, it's no problem." He dismisses.
She shakes her head. "No, you seriously, Tai. I don't think I would've been able to handle my mother alone." She gives a short laugh.
He laughs too. "She's definitely…" He trails off, looking for the best word to describe Milene Tachikawa. "Well, I've never met anyone like her." He decides.
"Understatement." Mimi comments.
-x-
He looks on from her balcony, through her closed window. Roses for her, hanging limply at his side and a frown on his eminently attractive face.
He'd expected her to be upset, maybe even crying. He hadn't hoped she would be, he never liked to see her cry but it was what she did. When this sort of thing happened, she'd bitch and yell but then she'd cry, when no one was looking. She'd swear never to speak to him again, that they were over and this time she meant it, yet she'd take him back every time.
But now?
Well she wasn't alone, for one thing. She's with his best friend. If that isn't a sharp enough blow to his masculinity, she actually looks happy. Happier than he'd seen her in a very long time.
She's laughing, really hard, at something he's just said. He's gesturing animatedly with his hands, recounting a story or an anecdote of the past, he's sure. She's buying right in to it, laughing to the point of crying. And he's not sure what to make of it.
Because if there's one thing Matt knows, it's that he hasn't made her laugh like that in a while.
And there's something wrong with that.
He remembers the words he'd said to her earlier, telling her that she was just hindering his performance that she was free to leave. And he can't even believe he did. The text message he'd sent her during the show wasn't all that much better either. No wonder she didn't want to talk to him.
He runs a hand over his face, shaking his head. He'd really screwed up this time and he knows it's going to take a lot to fix it. But he's willing to do it.
Because in all truthfulness, he'd go to hell and back for her. He'd do anything for her, anything she asked. She was as necessary for as breathing. And just as familiar.
He doesn't go in through the window, even though he's sure it's unlocked. Instead, he leaves the roses on her balcony and silently vows to be a better man.
At least, for her sake.
He knows, that if he doesn't change his ways now, he'll surely lose her. And that's something he won't stand for.
How do you like it?
And how does it feel, when the rain keeps falling
Falling on you
-x-
A/N: Well, isn't this the week of updates ;]. See! I'm not so bad! But sorry for the wait.
Milene Tachikawa is one manipulative mother, wouldn't you say? She's just so…I don't have words. But if it's a small comfort, she's doing this all in Mimi's best interests (in her crazy mind, anyway). Okay, Tai's mom, one thing I wanna clear up is this: She isn't like Mimi's mom (all controlling and psycho) she just likes Mimi and thinks her and Tai make a good match.
All right here's everything that isn't mine:
Songs- The title comes from a song called Fighting For Nothing by Meg and Dia off their new album Here, Here & Here. Lyrics come from a song called Coming Clean by Tamara Bedricky.
A very pointless author's note. I agree. But here's where it gets good: Don't forget to review!
Love—
Chris.
P.S! After what seems like an eternity Thirty One Days had been UPDATED! Yay, go read!