Aftermath

The remainder of the afternoon and evening never fully left the altercation at the restaurant. 

Ren sat at the desk in her room, robotically working away at her homework. Her grandfather, in contrast, had sat down on the couch and simply sat there. Typically, he would throw on a show or begin drinking. Tonight, however, there was none of that. They had both remained silent on the car ride home, and neither of them had uttered a word since.

Ren's rhythm was interrupted by the buzzing of her phone. She took a look at the notification. 

[Sota]: Just checking in to make sure all is well...

Admittedly, Ren felt conflicted in this moment. Half of her soul smiled at being cared for by someone else like that. The other half worried that a girl with a healthy mind wouldn't find today's events endearing. It left her at an impasse, and so her reply was short. 

[Ren]: Everything is okay here. Thanks for checking in. 

"And just WHO are you texting?"

Ren jumped skittishly once again, just as she hit the Send button. Ren turned to see her mother standing in the doorway, and her heart sank.

"Just a friend from class," she replied, too tired to play her mother's games.

"What type of friend?" her mother asked accusingly. "Don't tell me you've started getting any fancy ideas about..."

"Enough! Leave her be."

Both Ren and her mother's attention snapped to the living room couch. They had come from her grandfather, where the words had originated from. Ren was dumbfounded - her mother irritated. 

"Excuse me?" she questioned

"It's been a long day for both of us," he declared. "Let her study and take your antics somewhere else. I won't ask again."

Her mother was clearly flabbergasted by her grandfather's abrupt curtness. She processed it for a moment, before scoffing and walking off.

"Whatever! I've got better things to do anyway. I've got to get nice and dolled up for..."

Her voice trailed off as she left the area. Ren sat there and attempted to process. It wasn't like her grandfather to directly involve himself like that. Something had shifted in his mindset. She wasn't sure if it was temporary or not, but she didn't to be told what the catalyst for the change was. 

Her grandfather had been wounded deeply. Not by Sota's actions or words, but by hers.

Before she could process that further, her phone began buzzing again. She took a look and saw that it was a call this time. She looked at the number - and her heart sank a bit. She knew it'd be good to answer, but she wasn't sure she was ready for what would come of it. 

"Hello, this is Ren," she greeted, answering as she gently closed her bedroom door. 

"Hey, girl," Riku's voice came through upbeat, but tame. "I'm sure Senpai Sota checked in on you, but I figured it'd be good to have a girl-to-girl check in..."

She giggled ever-so-slightly.

"I'm okay, Riku...I think..."

Her brief smile transitioned to a frown, and then quivering. Tears began to pour down her face. 

"You don't have to sugarcoat it for me, honey." Riku assured her. "To be honest, it'd be weird if you weren't a little shaken up..."

"What...happened?" she asked through quiet sobs. "What...was that?"

She couldn't get out more than that in the moment. Riku's sigh was audible, even over the phone. 

"What a loaded question..." he admitted. "I suppose that's the first time you've ever seen that side of Sota."

"He's normally...so gentle...so kind...but that...wasn't him."

"Correct, on all accounts,"  Riku interjected. "Who you saw today was NOT  Sota. It was the person Sota tends to become...when he's protecting someone else."

"How can someone do that?" she asked, biting her lip. "It was instant. His personality, his problems...just vanished. Replaced with a monster..."

"I mean...try not to look at it this way. You shouldn't be scared of Sota."

"I'm not scared," she admitted, her words getting ahead of her. "He saw me as a person. He cared about me - to the point where he would lose himself for my protection. Nothing was going to stop him. I'm so amazed and happy about it...and that admiration terrifies me! That's not right!"

Ren began sobbing a bit more earnestly now. She quickly made her way to her bed, stifling the noise with her pillow out of instinct. Riku waited patiently while she let her emotion out. 

"At least we're all on the same page," Riku finally spoke after Ren quieted down. "Sota would feel the same way. The last thing he'd want to hear is that you admired what he did today."

"So, what now?" she questioned. "How did he become that? How did I become this?!"

"Woah, now," Riku jumped in. "I can't answer those ones, girly. Only you know your past, and Sota would have to be the one to answer your other question. It's...not my place."

Before their conversation continued, a knock came through Ren's door. 

"Umm...I gotta go. Thanks for checking on me, Riku."

"No problem, queen!"

As Riku hung up, the door gently opened. Ren wiped away the remainder of her tears as her grandfather entered. 

"Hey..." he greeted gently, not yet committing to go beyond the doorway. 

"Hello, grandpa."

"Listen... I just wanted to apologize for earlier today. I jumped the gun and assumed the worst, despite the fact you've never given me a reason to think you'd behave that way..."

"It's...okay, Grandpa."

It was clear there was more than that. His grandfather was fidgeting, a question in his mind that he couldn't quite bring himself to vocalize. Ren said nothing - she was in uncharted territory and too drained to give much more than that.

"Don't worry about class..." he finally spoke. "You've got enough on your plate. I'm not going to make it worse by taking that away from you."

Ren's eyes widened in awe. Whatever she anticipated, it wasn't that. She had assumed class disappearing was a foregone conclusion after today's events. To hear her grandfather commit to the opposite almost made her pass out.

"That's all I wanted to say," he declared, deciding against whatever was on his mind. "You've got good pals there, Ren. All else aside, you should be glad there's people willing to come to your defense with that kind of heat..."

He retreated and gently closed the door, leaving Ren alone to dissect the maelstrom of emotions within her mind.