A/N: I wish I could've come up with a better name for The Swing of Things. It sounds cheesy XD. If you want to make a story out of it, go ahead. Do whatever. It's just a movie in the middle of a story. I'm never going to write it myself (Dancing's not my thing) so any takers? XD
Chapter 5: Movies and Mayhem
At the end of the day yesterday, we had agreed to meet at the movie theatre for the 10:30 showing so we could see the movie for six dollars a ticket. The fact is, if we went to a movie before noon on Saturdays, we saw it for six dollars.
I was there at ten. Surprisingly, Neji was already there as well.
"Hey!" I called.
"Hey," He greeted in a monotone.
I frowned. "Is there something wrong?"
Neji sighed. "This is the first time I've been out in public except for school."
I blinked a few times. "Wow. No wonder nobody's found you yet."
Neji gave a dull chuckle.
"HEY GUYS!"
"Shut up Naruto!"
I laughed and looked towards Sasuke and Naruto who were approaching. A few minutes later, Ino and Sakura arrived, and we went inside and bought our tickets individually. Some of us hit the snack stand, unfortunately I was in that group, before heading in with our treats.
We chattered endlessly in the very back row until Neji did something I never thought I'd see him do. He stole one of Naruto's gummy bears, licked it and stuck it on the glass panel that separated us from the projector. Most of us laughed ourselves to the point of pure insanity. When Neji regained his bearings (no pun intended) he flipped the gummy bear onto the floor.
"That was bold." I said to him.
He snorted. "I've always wanted to do that."
"You're lucky you didn't get us thrown out!" Ino hissed.
Neji flipped his hand at her a couple of times.
Sasuke looked at Neji sideways. "My brother does that."
Neji chuckled. "Yeah I accidently picked it up from him."
"He jabs people in the forehead as well." Sasuke murmured.
"I haven't seen him do that." Neji pushed his hair out of his face.
After another ten minutes, the theatre was half full and the previews began.
"My second favourite part of any movie." Neji murmured.
"The previews?" I cried. "What's your favourite part?"
Neji looked at me. "The bloopers."
I had to fight to not laugh. The bloopers were the best part. That much you had to admit. The previews were pretty awesome as well though. I understood where his logic was in it all. The preview is often better than the movie itself, and the bloopers of the movie were hilarious even if the movie wasn't meant to be funny.
We watched the previews and finally the movie started. I vowed to myself that I wouldn't talk too much during the movie. I immediately set my sights on trying to spot Neji's cousin.
The movie began with a simple introduction, a female voice narrating.
In hard times, you have to have hope. Hope that things will work out in the end...
I couldn't help it. I just had to ask. I nudged Neji. He looked at me.
"Is that your cousin speaking?" I asked.
Neji blinked a few times then nodded once.
I looked back to the screen listening to Neji's cousin's voice. It was a pleasant voice to listen to. The scene eventually went into a dance studio where they were choreographing a complex dance. I had a feeling that the teacher was the one who was going to get hurt. I loved how they helped you get to know her at the beginning as well. You immediately began to get a soft spot for the dancers and the teacher. All was harmony. I even spotted who I thought was Neji's cousin. She had the same white eyes as Neji, so I just made an assumption. I didn't feel like asking at that particular moment. She played the lead female dancer whose name was Holly as far as I knew.
Another ten minutes of movie later, and the tragedy occurred. What an awful car crash it was too. It was a head on collision with a drunk driver. It showed the panic that the kids in the dance group had throughout the tragedy.
The new teacher came in and was immediately met with hostility. The students were barking things at the new teacher every which way saying how she has it all wrong, Mrs. Keen would do it like this, such and such. My mind isn't doing a very good job at explaining the movie, but the movie is doing a very good job at explaining itself. It was brilliantly written as far as I could see, all from Holly's point of view. You really got a feel for her with her life being a struggle as she juggled school, dance, chores and her boyfriend, Mike.
The news of Mrs. Keen's fate was told a good forty-five minutes into the movie. The teacher that had been a replacement up to that point became permanent. It was another fifteen minutes of mayhem while the students continued to annoy the hell out of their new teacher Miss. Hunter. On the hour, in came Mrs. Keen in her wheelchair to give a motivational speech.
"Though I may be retired, that does not give you children the right to act this way!"
The dance class was dead silent.
"You all have talent, and there's no hope in me coming back, so you know what? I want you all to get up, and keep going for me. That way, I'll know I did something right. Make me proud."
Miss. Hunter was able to teach her new dance class, Mrs. Keen watching from the sides from time to time. I smiled when I saw the group dancing and singing on stage. Over the next hour, the dance group would go up through the ranks until it reached the top. In between dance, it would follow Holly's personal life from quarrels with her parents, to boyfriend troubles.
One of them was so horrible it made me want to throw popcorn at the screen in fury. Mike was annoyed that Holly spent more time at the dance studio than she did with him and forced her to chose between him and dancing, both she loved very much. She had run away crying. My heart went out to poor Holly, and I just wanted to hug her. Neji's cousin was an incredible actress. She went to Mrs. Keen for help which was surprising. Normally you'd trust your parents before another adult, but even then you'd go for your friends first.
Mrs. Keen had frowned at Holly when she told her story.
"Holly, if a boy is forcing you to make a decision like that then you have to question him before you question yourself."
Mrs. Keen went on listening to Holly and offering feedback and such. Eventually, she said something that tightened a knot deep in my heart, and I knew at that instant it would stick with me for the rest of eternity.
"Holly, if he truly loves you, he would understand that dance is important to you. From what you told me, it sounds like he wants you to himself. It's your choice of what you want to do, but don't make a choice you'll regret."
It was another few minutes with Holly dancing and then finally encountering Mike again who asks her to choose again. Holly practically repeated exactly what Mrs. Keen said to her. Mike insisted that he loved her, and that he only wanted to spend more time with her.
"If you don't accept the fact that I'm a part of that dance group, and force me to choose between you and dance, then we're through!"
Holly left Mike dumbfounded.
The finals of the competition arrived, and the group danced their hearts out. Just as everyone would predict, they won. Mrs. Keen was crying, and Holly had her own happy ending.
As it turned out, Mike had showed up at the contest to watch and congratulated on their victory and apologized for being such a jerk. It was a happy ending with sugar on top.
"That was not what I expected!" Ino cried when the movie was over. "But it was still soooo good!"
Even Naruto and Sasuke looked satisfied.
We chattered on about the movie as we walked down the street to a park. There we sat on a picnic table to chill out and debate the movie.
"Neji! Were you in that movie?" Sakura cried all of a sudden.
Neji shook his head. "That was my cousin."
"Hmm...Acting runs in the family, does it?" Ino asked.
Neji's eyes narrowed slightly. I knew at that moment that something wasn't right.
"Yes." He said stiffly.
"Your cousin seems like a nice person!" Naruto piped up. "You should introduce us some time."
Neji twitched. "Not happening."
"Aw, why not?" Ino asked.
Neji's fist was clenched in his lap, and he was glaring at the picnic table as if waiting for it to burst into flames.
"Guys, drop it." I ordered. They did.
We chattered on about miscellaneous things for the next half hour.
"Hey...there's someone staring at our table..." Sakura said suddenly.
Naruto and Sasuke, who were on the same side as her, looked where she was looking and Ino and I turned around...
.oOo.
Neji could feel his presence. He didn't need to turn around. All he could think was that he had finally found him.
"What does said person look like?" Neji asked, trying to confirm it.
"He's a man with long brown hair..." Sakura murmured.
"Look away." He ordered. "Talk about something irrelevant, and pretend I'm just a part of your group."
"You are part of our group!" Tenten protested.
"Shh!" Neji hissed. "Pretend he's not there."
"It's hard not to when you're making such a big deal about it." Ino pointed out.
"What if I told you that me sticking around here counts on the fact that you ignore him right now?" He growled.
All heads snapped back to the picnic table.
"So," Sasuke began. "Anything new over the last twenty four hours, other than the movie we just saw?"
"Well," Tenten began. "I finally finished that thousand piece puzzle last night!" she said triumphantly, throwing her arms in the air.
"Wow! Good job Tennie-chan!" Sakura cried, holding up her hand for a high five. Tenten slapped her hand on Sakura's.
Ino sighed. "My sister's been stealing my makeup again!" she whined.
"How old is she?" Naruto asked.
"Ugh! She's six! She keeps stealing my makeup and putting it on her Barbie dolls!"
"How did you get a six year old sister?" Naruto laughed.
"Ugh, my dad remarried after he broke up with my mom eight years ago."
"Why did you go with your dad?" Naruto asked.
Ino sighed. "Because I liked my dad more than my mom, that's why."
Sakura's head suddenly went up, Sasuke and Naruto's head followed.
"Hello there,"
Oh god that voice made Neji want to curl up and die...
"Um...hi?" Naruto said curiously, raising an eyebrow.
Neji could feel Hiashi's eyes boring into my back.
"I know that's you, Neji." Hiashi growled. "If a stranger approaches a table, it is a natural reaction for all occupants to look at the newcomer. You didn't do that, because you knew it was me and tried to hide."
Annoyed to the point where he just wanted to scream and run like hell while pulling on my hair, Neji turned around and death glared his uncle.
"Go away." He spat.
"Relax, I'm just trying to come to an agreement."
"Not interested."
Hiashi smiled and shook his head. Neji HATED this gesture with a passion. It made him want to punch his lights out.
"Neji, Neji, Neji."
He hated that even more. Neji's hands balled into fists, and every muscle in his body contracted as if to lash out. Sheer willpower held his arms at my sides.
"Why are you so defiant?"
"Why so serious?" Neji randomly quoted. He didn't even like The Dark Knight, but the quote fit the situation.
Hiashi smirked. "Everyone wants you to come back."
"Yeah, so I can work on that stupid movie." Neji muttered. "Can't you just leave me alone?"
Hiashi sighed. "No. I can't. I'm your uncle, your agent, and your caregiver. I can't leave you to wander the streets, hopelessly searching for somewhere else to go other than back where you belong!"
"Well I'm not going back!" He cried. "Get that through your thick skull!"
"Neji!"
Fuck it, Neji thought. He jumped onto the picnic table and jumped between Sasuke and Naruto. He landed on the ground and took off running. He wasn't going to put up with this garbage in front of his friends. Neji smiled. He had never been able to use that word before.
.oOo.
Tenten's P.O.V.
I watched Neji take off with shock. He could run! But that didn't mean that the man, his uncle I'm guessing by what he had said earlier, was hot on his heel.
"Let's help Neji." Naruto suggested.
We all nodded and took off after Neji and his uncle. As we ran, Neji's uncle caught up to him and grabbed onto his arm. Neji was fighting to get free, but his uncle knew how to grip. He had Neji by both of his wrists. The look on Neji's face was horrifying. Anger and helplessness all blended together to create a heartbreaking blend of emotions.
"...running away anymore, Neji!" his uncle roared.
"Let go of me!" Neji kept screaming while he attempted to pull away.
"Let go of him!" We all screamed in perfect sync. Funny how it always works out like that.
Neji looked at us, his face just screaming two words: Help me.
His uncle meanwhile looked at us with fury.
"This does not concern you! Leave now!" He growled.
Neji continued to struggle, attempting to kick his uncle in close quarters. It wasn't working. Tenten realized with a pang that Neji couldn't use his knees either, because his uncle was also far enough away that he couldn't use his knees. And those strong grips on his wrists weren't helping one bit.
"Oh lord..." Sakura whispered. "His uncle knows what he's doing..."
We all shot looks at Sakura.
"Can't you tell?" Sakura whispered. "He knows exactly how to move so Neji can't hurt him..."
We all snapped looks back to Neji and his uncle. I understood perfectly what Sakura was talking about. This wasn't the first time Neji's been pinned by his uncle like this. In fact, Neji's uncle probably had pinned him many times prior to this, so that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape from it. Because his uncle had learned how to keep him there.
Fury bit my chest, and judging by the movements of the others, the same thing went for them.
Neji unleashed another round of attempted escapes. His uncle held on. Neji looked like he was on the verge of tears.
"Let go..." He gasped. "I don't want to go back!"
"Oh, you're going back, Neji."
"Hiashi!" A voice called.
Neji's helpless face turned to pure distress at the sound of the new voice. It was a man in a business suit.
"I'm glad you found him." The man stated.
Hiashi looked at Neji again. "Let's go."
"No!" Neji growled. He continued to fight.
Hiashi looked at the business man again. The man nodded grimly and reached behind him. I saw something black in his hand, and one thought came to my mind at that moment.
Stun gun.
"Hell no!" I cried. In half a second flat, my fist had slammed into the man's gut, and my muscles contracted as the electricity from the stun gun shot through me. I hit the ground immediately and lay there twitching.
"Tenten!" Neji's voice was faint. Everything was faint. All I could hear was my heart beating erratically as my body tried to regain order from the jolt...
.oOo.
When Tenten had dropped to the ground from the effects of the stun gun, the rest of the group had reacted in pure fury. Sasuke and Sakura jumped the man with the stun gun to stop him from using it on Neji, and Ino and Naruto had gone to aid Neji.
A single girl watched from the back of a black limousine in horror. She had to stop this...
Hinata Hyuuga leapt from the vehicle and tore off for the fight scene...
"Father stop!" She cried.
Hiashi looked up at her with shock.
"Hinata! Return to the limo!" He ordered.
"No!" Hinata cried. "Stop this! This is foolish!"
Hinata could feel everyone's eyes on her. It would've been funny if it weren't so serious. Shino, the security guard, was being held by a pink haired girl and a boy with raven hair. They were standing dead still with dumbfounded looks on their faces. Hiashi was still holding Neji in his iron grip having no care in the world in regards to the blonde boy with a handful of hair in his fist. Neji didn't seem to care that Hiashi still had a grip on him, and that a blonde haired girl had her arms around him, as she had been trying to pull him away from Hiashi, judging by the look of shock on his face. A girl lay on the ground, still twitching slightly.
It was painful for Hinata to see this. She immediately walked over to Shino and pried the pink haired girl's arms off of him as well as the raven haired boy's and pushed them apart. She turned towards the second group, pulled the blonde girl's arms off of Neji and pushed her away before grabbing Hiashi's hands and prying them off Neji's wrists. Neji backed away and began to rub the circulation back into his wrists and hands.
Hinata grabbed the blond boys' hands and pulled them out of Hiashi's hair before shoving them apart as well.
"Why does everything have to be solved with a fight?" Hinata asked. Everyone looked at the ground, ashamed of themselves.
The pink haired girl and the blonde girl helped the brown haired girl off the ground.
"Why can't we just talk this out instead of raising our fists at each other?" She asked, mostly to Hiashi.
Hiashi grumbled. "This isn't the place to be talking something out."
"Oh, and it's the place where you can beat up on each other?"
Hiashi buzzed his lips. "Fine. We'll talk this out back at the studio."
"Heck no!" Neji cried. "I'm not going back there!"
Hinata looked at Hiashi. "You have to promise not to keep Neji there!" She ordered.
Hiashi looked pissed. "Hinata, we're supposed to be settling this!"
"You want to settle it by forcing Neji to return! You have to let Neji stay on his own choice!"
"Gah, all right, all right!" Hiashi cried.
Hinata smiled at him.
Hiashi looked irritated.
Hinata continued to smile. She always won when it comes to a battle of words.