Chapter 3:

The Girl With Red Hair

Lotus in the Dojo


It had been a dream come true, but now it was time for it to end.

As she stepped outside, the warm and bright dojo was replaced by the cold and dark night sky. In the same way, her giddy excitement and over-the-moon personality vanished. It was replaced with the orderly and obedient husk that would be required to continue her life at home.

Her ride was waiting for her outside. She threw her bag in the truck bed, and then opened the door to the passenger side. The car was warmer than the outside air, which was nice, but the smell of alcohol permeated the inside.

"Hey, Grandpa," Ren greeted as she hopped into the truck.


He didn't reply right away. Once Ren was in and the door was closed, he sped off down the road back towards home.

"How was it?" he asked as he gripped the wheel.

"Really fun!" Ren exclaimed, trying to mute some of her enthusiasm. "It's just like I imagined it, and everyone there was really nice."

"Enjoy it while it lasts, then. You're lucky that the teacher agreed to let you join for free, otherwise this wouldn't be happening. Plus, you can't let your chores pile up just because you want to be out and about."

"I know."

The rest of the drive was made in relative silence. Her grandfather was focused on getting home as quickly as possible. It was rare for him to not start drinking in-earnest by this hour, so it was clear he was a bit grouchy. Rather than set him off and ruin her chances at returning to class, Ren simply stared out the window and allowed herself to daydream about class.

"Your mother will be out again tonight with some of her 'friends'," her grandfather noted as he parked the car. "Your grandmother is already asleep, so make sure not to be too loud about getting chores done. If you can't manage that, then I don't know if this class thing is going to work out."

"Understood, grandpa."

With that, they both headed inside. Her grandfather immediately made his way to the couch with a large pack of beer, TV remote in-hand. She breathed in the stale, cigarette-stained air. It was time to get to work.

Knowing that her mother was out pretty much every night, she had at least had the foresight to prioritize making dinner before she left. If she had waited until now, it would've been chaos and her time at class would've been very short-lived. Still, the class had taken up about three hours of her night. That meant she had to work as quickly and quietly as she could.

Prep breakfast for everyone tomorrow. Clean the counters. Get laundry done. Bring in firewood. Stoke the woodstove. Feed and let out the pets. Clean up the bathroom. Fix the TV that wasn't working in the spare bedroom...

The list went on-and-on. She worked as fast as she could without causing a ruckus, but time was getting away from her. First one-hour, then a second. By 11pm, she had just barely finished up enough to think about sitting down for homework and study, but she wasn't that lucky.

"Are y... you still up, brat?"

Her grandfather, now reasonably intoxicated, fumbled his way into the kitchen. She had just finished up the last of the chores she was going to get done tonight.

"Yes, grandpa," she confirmed. "I was just about to go start homework..."

"It's late," he declared. "You're supposed to have gone to bed by now. You telling me you haven't even started h...homework yet?"

"I wanted to make sure the chores were finished first..."

"I knew this was gonna be a bad idea," he complained. "One night and you're already lagging behind. Maybe we'll just call this whole class thing off."

"Please don't do that!"

She said it a bit louder than she intended, and her grandfather's expression showed he didn't like the increase in her tone. Her heart skipped a beat, knowing she had to recover quickly.

"I know I can do this," she said calmly. "I'll go to bed, and make sure I get my homework and studies done first thing in the morning. I'll keep my grades up and take care of the house - I promise this class won't have an impact on it..."

She left it at that, doing her best to hold back her tears. She knew how much of a gamble it had been to convince them to let her do this class. If it weren't for Sensei convincing them that it could help improve her grades further and give her more energy for chore-work, they would've never agreed. To lose it so soon after having claimed that victory would've been too painful.

"Fine, whatever," he sighed, a moment of humanity shimmering through. "As long as those things get done, I don't really care. Don't come running to me if things go wrong, though. Your mother and sister are already a pain in the ass. If you start turning into one, too, then it's out the door for all three of you..."

With that, he fumbled his way back to the living room. Ren took no chances at the opportunity she was given. She darted for her bedroom and closed the door.

***

The school bell rang, signaling the end of the period.

"Stop by my desk on the way out to grab your graded tests!" the teacher yelled out over the crowd before the chaos started up.

Ren packed up her books and slung her bag over her shoulder. She threw out what remained of her second coffee. Her head was pounding a bit, but it was the usual sleep deprivation - nothing she couldn't manage.

"As always - great job, Miss Ren," the teacher complimented as he handed out her perfect score.

"Thanks!"

As Ren grabbed the paper and left, she could feel the glares from some of the other students. Particularly the girls, mumbling about the "anti-social goody-two-shoes" that always did well. Ren ignored it - there was no energy to spare on things like that. She quickly made her way down to the lunch room.

Lunch, like the rest of her school day, was done alone. She found the usual quiet-spot to eat in while she gave her headache a minute to rest. It didn't last long, however. On this particular day, a group of girls decided to sit along the other half of her table and begin chatting.

"Hey. You're that smart girl from math class, right?"

"I guess so?"

The girl didn't seem to appreciate her response. She seemed to take it as dismissive, while Ren meant it more earnestly. She had never considered herself that smart.

"Got any tips?" one of the other girls asked. "My parents will kill me if I can't get my grades up this semester."

"Maybe," Ren thought for a moment. "What do you focus on when you study at home?"

She meant it as an honest question, but the entire group of them broke out laughing at once.

"Girl, things are way  too busy to study!" one of them responded. "My life at home is horrible. My parents only give me a $50 allowance each week and they force me to take out the trash once a week. How's a girl supposed to manage like that?"

They all started murmuring in agreement with each other. It was a typical response Ren had come to expect. For obvious reasons, it infuriated her to hear them complaining over such simple things. She didn't let that show, though. Most of these kids came from high-wealth families and had never worked a day in their life. It was not their fault that her life was the way it was.

"I don't know, then," was all Ren gave for feedback at that point.

She turned her attention to her food at this point. Not wanting to cause any additional problems. The girls scoffed in near-unison - one called her a "bitch" while a couple of others mentioned her "entitlement." They scooted away from Ren, continuing with their own conversation and leaving her to continue to eat her lunch alone.

Ren made her way through the rest of the school day without any issues. It was typical for her to be isolated, but it didn't really have an impact. She had gone through so much worse - something as simple as being alone at school was not going to cause her any heartache. What would she do with a friend, anyway? They'd never be allowed to come over, and she was never allowed to leave her duties at the home. 


The fact that she had been given the chance to do class twice a week was already a miracle in itself. Still, she imagined what it'd be like to have someone sit next to her to chat on purpose. Just one person who didn't see her as weird or fake or 'the smart girl'.


***

As soon as she got off the bus and returned home, she got straight to work.

She pulled out all of her homework and got right into studying. She was no genius, so it took her quite a bit of work to keep her grades as high as they were. Still, it was mandatory that she get it done. Her family considered her the "smart one" after all. They were dead-set on her doing well and going to college after high school. If it meant seeing that come to fruition, they would gladly toss aside anything Ren found happy or humanizing.

Ren studied with all she was worth until she heard the living room clock go off. Two hours had gone by in no time. Her brain hurt, but she felt like she had made enough progress for now. She quickly threw on her shoes and ran out the door, just in time to see her little sister's bus pulling up.

"Hey Mika, how was your day at school?" Ren asked as the bus pulled away.

"Whatever," Mika brushed off. "What are we having for dinner?"

"I was planning on making fried rice..."

"Blegh, boring," Mika spat. "Let's make steak!"

"I don't know about that..."

The two made their way inside. Mika immediately tossed her shoes onto the rug and ran off, which Ren quickly grabbed and put back where they belong. She then followed Mika towards her room.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to play some games now!"

"Oh, no you're not," Ren chastised. "Your grades have been slipping. We need to take some time to help you study."

"Study is boring, I'm not doing that."

"Yes, you are!"

"You're not my mother!"

Ren sighed, "our mother is never home. So someone has to make sure you're taken care of..."

"Is THAT what you think?"

Ren's heart skipped a beat as the blood left her face. She turned to face the door to the house - not realizing it had opened and closed. There stood her mother, a bag of makeup in one hand and a small order of fast food in the other.

"Momma!" Mika squeaked as she pushed Ren out of the way to run up to their mother.

"Great to see you, Mika!" her mother exclaimed, wearing her usual fabricated smile. "I thought I'd be a good mother and grab something for you to share tonight. If Ren's going to think like that, though..."

"Thanks...mom," Ren replied through gritted teeth. "I didn't mean it. It's just...been a long day at school."

"Can I play games, momma?"

"As much as you want! I'm getting changed to go out in a bit, so make sure to ask your sister if you need anything tonight."

Mika cheered and ran back to her room. Ren simply took a deep breath and headed to the kitchen to begin cooking dinner.

"I told you I bought dinner..."

"Yes," Ren replied, "but Mika tends to get hungry after a bit, so I thought it smart to get a head-start on something before that happens."

"What a kind older sister you are... Good to see that you're not letting this silly karate thing get in the way of your chores."

Ren didn't reply - there wasn't a productive response for her to give. Her mother apparently took that as an insult, because she got right up in Ren's face.

"If it weren't for your grandmother insisting you get at least some time out of the house at sixteen, it would've never happened," her mother firmly reminded her. "Don't get any ideas, though. You are my daughter and I own you. If I get a whiff of you slipping or getting an upstart attitude, I'll take you both out of here and we can find a nice man to live with, instead."

With that, her mother turned and walked off. Ren knew better than to reply; there was no victory to be had. If her mother felt that she had successfully scolded her, then at least Ren was free to finish cooking dinner. 

Stay calm. You survived the interaction. Everything is okay.

After cooking dinner, she stored it in the fridge and quickly made her way to her bedroom. Since her mother had shot down Mika's studying, that at least gave her back a small amount of time to catch up on other things. She closed her bedroom door quietly and sank down on the floor. She felt like she could at least get away with maybe thirty minutes of reprieve before her mother left and she could get back to work. 

A brief reprieve to breathe and reflect.

Ren sat there for a moment, knees pulled into her chest, reflecting on everything. As painful as her life was now, it was far more tame than what it could've been. While her grandparents were indifferent and often treated her life a maid for the rest of the family, at least it stopped there. Without them, her mother would undoubtedly drag her into the house of some new, unhinged "boyfriend" that she had come across. Not only would she be taking care of their chores anyway, but then she'd have to deal with whatever it was the "boyfriend" needed...

A maid to do his chores? A verbal or physical punching bag? An outlet for his sick fantasies involving little girls? She'd dealt with them all numerous times before...

"Please..." Ren pulled her knees tighter, tears beginning to stream down her face. "I can manage. I don't need to sleep, I'm not worried about my health...I'll get everything done, just don't take this class away from me. Not before I even get to be human for a little bit."

Sota
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